2274747Investigating the role of interoceptive mechanisms in the development of biobehavioural markers of drug addiction.ClosedStudentshipCOVIDPsychologyThe role of interoception, the ability to sense the internal state of the body, in adaptive and maladaptive behaviour remains elusive. The purpose of the present research project, is better to understand the role of the peripheral opiate systems in interoception and its role in maladaptive behaviours, such as those observed in compulsivity, a disease model of which is drug addiction. Thus, an under-investigated characteristic of addiction is the dysfunction in interoception and the associated impairment in insight, manifested at several levels of integration of the brain, from sensory processing to emotion regulation and meta-cognition. Drug addicts display deficits in cost-benefit decision making tasks which rely on interoceptive mechanisms and its neural correlate, the insular cortex. Furthermore lesions of the insular cortex in smokers have led to an increased likelihood of cessation of smoking. In preclinical rodent models, cocaine methiodide (an analogue of cocaine that does not reach the brain) has been shown to maintain instrumental responses initially reinforced by cocaine demonstrating that the interoceptive properties of cocaine acquire reinforcing properties in individuals with a history of cocaine self-administration. Despite the compelling evidence showing that interoception and its neural substrate, the insular cortex, contribute to the development of behavioural characteristics of drug addiction, evidence is poor on the underlying molecular and cellular mechanisms. The extent to which central versus peripheral (hence interoceptive) opioidergic mechanisms of opiates contribute to the formation of interoceptive cues and development of addiction-related behaviours for opiates remains to be established. The aim of this project is to investigate the role of the peripheral opiate system in interoception and its contribution to the individual vulnerability to develop drug addiction. We will combine rodent models of drug addiction developed and refined in the Belin lab with correlational and causal interrogation of neural networks in behaving rats and post-mortem investigations of molecular correlates at the neural and circuit level. We will initially investigate if rats can discriminate heroin from a vehicle with or without the presence of a peripheral opioid antagonist in a drug discrimination task. This will indicate the role peripheral opioid receptors play in the relaying of interoceptive information of heroin. Subsequently, using a self-administration paradigm, we will test if the blockade of peripheral opioid receptors affects the reinforcing properties of heroin. This will mean pre-treating rats with injections of selective antagonists of peripheral opioid receptors and looking at their effects on acquisition of self-administration and loss of control over heroin intake. Furthermore we will employ more complex self-administration paradigms to look at facets of drug-preparatory behaviour such as compulsive seeking. Next we plan to use fibre photometry to investigate the cellular dynamics in the insular cortex during heroin-seeking behaviour; thus establishing neural correlates complementing the behavioural experiments. Furthermore, we aim to selectively manipulate neural circuits using optogenetics to functionally study the circuits and potentially investigate synaptic mechanisms. This will enable us to identify biobehavioural markers of the vulnerability to the abuse potential of drugs and better understand the role interoception plays in this process.6CFA1E1F-F25C-4C23-8FE1-C47AE53E333EUnclassifiedMC_PC_14099University of Dundee - Confidence in Concept 2014ClosedPartnership and ContributionMRCMRC Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation UnitAbstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.6CFA1E1F-F25C-4C23-8FE1-C47AE53E333EUnclassifiedEP/F069103/1Stereospecific arylation of organolithiums: synthetic, mechanistic and structural investigationClosedResearch GrantEPSRCChemistryThe discovery of new small molecules for use as drugs, agrochemicals, fragrances etc. relies on the availability of simple precursors that can be incorporated into more complex target molecules. The research we propose will lead to a simple and efficient way of making some classes of molecule currently considered difficult or even impossible to obtain, a limitation which means that some groups of potential targets are currently unavailable. It seeks to develop a transformation in which an aromatic ring becomes bonded to a lithium-bearing carbon atom in such a way that the shape of the starting material is remembered in the product. The products have the common feature of a highly hindered carbon atom carrying an O, N or S substituent - a feature difficult to construct by existing methods. The proposed reactions proceed by a remarkable mechanism, and by joint investigation involving both synthetic organic and structural inorganic chemists we propose to understand why the reaction works the way it does and to use this understanding to develop further related transformations.17FABAB0-878A-49C2-8D3D-6B8F62B1A2F0Chemical synthesis10035D9E755-0524-4F1F-8127-C728E8287E55Chemical Synthetic Methodology60062ADC54-54DC-4D30-8D45-E6BCB95D1FF2Asymmetric Chemistry2023B3EB33-7332-4E38-81A1-3B9348723526Biological & Medicinal Chem.202785447Past, present and future benefits from marine biogenic shellfish reef habitats (4463)ClosedStudentshipNERCBiosciencesBiogenic shellfish reefs are complex seafloor habitats created by the presence of species such as oysters and mussels. They promote high biodiversity and provide important benefits to humans including improved water quality, food provision and cultural services such as recreational diving and fishing. These habitats were once highly abundant around the United Kingdom but were subsequently severely depleted. Because of the multiple benefits they provide to humans and marine biodiversity, biogenic reefs are of high conservation and restoration interest. However, we lack an understanding of the scale of past loss, the benefits they once provided and what benefits they could provide in the future if they were to be restored. We also need to understand who will benefit from restoration activities and what trade-offs will have to be made to keep these habitats healthy while coastal habitats continue to be heavily used. To fill these knowledge gaps, this PhD will investigate the past, present and future of ecosystem service provision in biogenic shellfish reefs at a site in the South West of England, the Fal Estuary. A case study approach will allow for in-depth analysis and practical application. It will also develop methodological approaches and generate lessons for wider research and management. This PhD will work closely with stakeholders and adopt natural and social scientific approaches to understand the implications of past loss and future regeneration of these habitats, and how the benefits and trade-offs of restoration action will be distributed across society. Supervised by experts based at the University of Exeter, Plymouth Marine Laboratory and Natural England, the student will develop a deep knowledge of the challenges facing marine managers while generating an interdisciplinary understanding of approaches to tackle these challenges head-on. Recent governmental commitments in the 25 Year Environment Plan & Fisheries Act to an ecosystem approach to management, and commitment to a Net Gain approach to biodiversity, means this project has great potential to inform policy and management for biogenic reefs. The successful student will gain the ability to delve into ecological, historical and social science approaches to gain interdisciplinary research skills that they can build on in their future careers in academia, government or industry.6CFA1E1F-F25C-4C23-8FE1-C47AE53E333EUnclassifiedEP/Y004663/2Quantum Algorithms for Nonlinear Differential Equations - QuANDiEClosedResearch GrantEPSRCSchool of EngineeringAbstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.6CFA1E1F-F25C-4C23-8FE1-C47AE53E333EUnclassifiedES/I004823/1Disruption to the development of maternal sensitivity: the impact of depression and alcohol use during pregnancy on mother-infant interactions.ClosedResearch GrantESRCCommunity-Based MedicineAbstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.57835945-1CF3-4554-A46B-1504261EB208Psychology10057835945-1CF3-4554-A46B-1504261EB208Psychology1002629596Development of a modelling and simulation framework to optimize layered bearing architecturesClosedStudentshipEPSRCFaculty of Engineering and the EnvironmentPlain half shell journal bearings are used in a wide range of turbomachinery shaft applications, including marine, automotive and power generation applications. These bearings have to be conformable and fatigue resistant under quite complex service loading conditions. Complex layered architectures may offer a tuneable approach to optimizing fatigue performance in terms of controlling initiation behavior and growth behavior (sometimes these two effects may play out in opposing ways). Currently a somewhat empirical approach is employed by manufacturers to identify the number, thickness and type of the different layers in the thin overlay coating. Work at Southampton University has now identified a consistent way in which to track the initiation and early stages of fatigue growth (using thermography techniques) and provided a detailed assessment of crack initiation and growth in the various layered constructions provided to date (using FIB and other advanced microscopy techniques). A follow-on PhD is now planned to apply these newly developed and validated techniques (mechanical testing, strain analysis, thermography and advanced microcopy characterization) to a systematic set of variations in overlay coating architecture (spacing, thickness, separation etc of hard and soft layers). These will be produced by the student via electroplating approaches at the sponsor company's new purpose built laboratory and they will then evaluate this systematic set of parametric explorations in terms of how this controls fatigue behavior. An important component of the PhD will be to develop and validate a materials modeling and simulation framework based on these findings to investigate optimization of the layered architecture for fatigue performance.6CFA1E1F-F25C-4C23-8FE1-C47AE53E333EUnclassifiedBBS/E/I/00001302Role of avian dendritic cellsClosedInstitute ProjectBBSRCAbstracts are not currently available in GtR for all funded research. This is normally because the abstract was not required at the time of proposal submission, but may be because it included sensitive information such as personal details.The UK poultry industry faces many challenges to remain sustainable, including moves to more extensive rearing systems; withdrawal of antibiotics and other drugs such as anti-coccidials; resistance and residue problems with anti-helminthics. These will all impact on poultry health, but also the potential to impact on human health. Increased incidence of zoonotic pathogens in chickens, such as avian influenza, could lead to an increase in these diseases in man. One approach to these challenges is to develop novel and more effective vaccines. For this to be a realistic and sustainable approach, we need a better understanding of host-pathogen interactions in chickens. This proposal seeks to build on our unique capability to grow dendritic cells (DC) in a non-mammalian species. DC in mammals are professional antigen presenting cells, providing a link between innate and adaptive immune responses, driving the adaptive response to that necessary to clear infection with a particular pathogen. In mammals, antigen presentation takes place primarily in lymph nodes (LN). The chicken, like most non-mammalian vertebrates, lacks LN but antigen presentation still occurs. This proposal forms part of our efforts to understand antigen presentation in a species lacking LN. This proposal aims to understand DC biology in the chicken in more depth. Firstly, we wish to define the phenotype of DC, both immature DC and those matured in vitro under different conditions, in more depth. In mammals and presumably in the chicken, DC travel to the site of infection, and thence to the site of antigen presentation, under the influence of chemokines. We intend to determine which chemokines have functional effects on chicken DC. Preliminary data suggests that DC can be matured to either a Th1 or TH2 phenotype. We will determine if DC can bias T cells to a Th1 or Th2 phenotype in vitro. We then want to characterise ex vivo-isolated DC, and finally begin to analyse chicken DC migration in vivo.unavailable6CFA1E1F-F25C-4C23-8FE1-C47AE53E333EUnclassifiedBB/V002007/1Probing the structure and function of a super-rogue photosystem II complex involved in chlorophyll f synthesisClosedResearch GrantBBSRCLife SciencesThere is an urgent need to develop new strategies to improve crop yield to feed the ever-growing global population. Crop plants grow because they use the energy of sunlight to drive the conversion of atmospheric carbon dioxide into biomass. This process of photosynthesis is relatively inefficient with much less than 1% of the incident solar energy converted into stored chemical energy. One straightforward way to improve photosynthetic efficiency is to capture more of the sunlight in the first place. Plants rely on chlorophyll pigments (as well as some accessory pigments) to absorb light to drive photosynthesis. The chemical nature of the chlorophyll pigments found in plants necessarily means that photosynthesis is restricted to the visible region of the solar spectrum. In recent years, however, several strains of cyanobacteria, which perform plant-like photosynthesis, have been discovered that make modified forms of chlorophyll that absorb light in the far-red region of the spectrum. If these far-red chlorophylls could be made in plants and assembled correctly in the photosynthetic apparatus, the number of photons of light that could be used to drive photosynthesis could be increased by up to 19%, a considerable increase in efficiency. One of the far-red absorbing chlorophylls is chlorophyll f (Chl f). In order to make Chl f in plants, an important first step is to identify and characterise the cyanobacterial enzyme that synthesises Chl f. In a recent breakthrough, Don Bryant and colleagues in the USA showed that Chl f synthesis was dependent on the ChlF protein subunit which, somewhat surprisingly, was found to be related to one of the proteins present in the well-studied photosystem II complex which catalyses the light-driven oxidation of water to oxygen characteristic of plant photosynthesis. In follow-up work, we have discovered that ChlF does not act alone, as was originally thought, but is part of a new type of PSII complex, which we term the super-rogue PSII complex. The super-rogue PSII complex shows clear similarities to regular PSII but has evolved to make Chl f rather than split water into oxygen. Chl f is made from the Chl a pigment through an oxidation reaction involving molecular oxygen; but the chemistry involved in this process is currently unknown. In this application, we propose to study the structure and mechanism of the newly identified super-rogue PSII complex in unprecedented detail. We aim to investigate whether the super-rogue complex is photochemically active and will test the hypothesis that the super-rogue PSII complex activates molecular oxygen into a reactive form that oxidises a Chl a molecule bound to a specific site in the super-rogue PSII complex. The project involves a team of scientists with skills in microbiology, molecular biology, biochemistry and spectroscopy. Our experimental approaches are diverse and involve working on biochemically pure protein complexes as well studying cyanobacterial mutants expressing Chl f. Ultimately our studies will provide important new knowledge on a new type of photosystem II complex that will underpin future work producing Chl f in crop plants.Synthesis of chlorophyll f (Chl f) in cyanobacteria requires the expression of the ChlF subunit, a paralogue of the D1 subunit of oxygen-evolving photosystem II, but the mechanism remains unclear. In background work we have discovered that ChlF is able to substitute for D1 to form a modified PSII complex with a role in Chl f synthesis rather than water oxidation. We have named this complex the super-rogue PSII complex (or sr-PSII). We have also identified a QD sequence motif in ChlF that is important for Chl f synthesis and possibly the binding of Chl f. To clarify the role of sr-PSII in Chl f synthesis, we propose to: (1) determine the co-factor composition of the sr-PSII complex; (2) use time-resolved absorbance and fluorescence spectroscopies to characterize its photochemical activity; (3) probe the presence of the potential Chl f-binding site by monitoring changes in the optical properties of variant sr-PSII complexes in which the axial His ligand or the QD residues that are predicted to H-bond to the formyl group are mutated; (4) test the possible involvement of reactive oxygen species in Chl f synthesis (5) establish an in vitro system for Chl f synthesis using either the isolated sr-PSII complex or membranes containing sr-PSII to help assess catalytic parameters of the enzyme and (6) test whether heterologous production of Chl f is enhanced by expressing the native 'far-red' PSII subunits of Chroococcidiopsis thermalis which are known to bind Chl f. In parallel we will (7) isolate FLAG-tagged sr-PSII from C.thermalis to assess whether the native system contains additional protein components and then use mutagenesis to confirm the importance of the QD motif in the native system. Overall this work will provide new insights into the synthesis of Chl f which will be important for future work aiming to introduce Chl f into the photosynthetic apparatus of plants as a strategy to enhance photosynthetic efficiency.Understanding the details of Chl f synthesis might in the long-term lead to the development of microalgae and plants with more efficient photosynthesis, especially in far-red enriched environments, such as the lower regions of the canopy, or in dense cultures of algae. In the agricultural sector, beneficiaries could include: companies involved in modifying or selecting plants to maintain and or improve crop yields; farmers who wish to develop new practices for similar reasons; governments and policy-makers interested in developing novel strategies to achieve food security; and the public who will benefit from food security. In the biotechnology sector, beneficiaries include companies who wish to develop microalgae and other related photosynthetic organisms as solar biorefineries for the sustainable production of green chemicals and high-value products. In the bioenergy sector, beneficiaries include: companies wishing to develop alternatives to fossil fuels; governments and policy makers who are interested in new routes to energy security and for new energy sources for developing countries; the military who are looking for alternative fuels for specific and niche uses; environmentalists who need to focus on rational long-term alternatives to fossil fuels. In the environmental and ecological sector, beneficiaries include those wishing to understand more about the role of chl f-producing cyanobacteria in a changing environment. In the education sector, in museums and in the media, there will be benefits from publicising new advances in photosynthesis, one of the most fundamental biological processes and one that has been taught at secondary school and so readily familiar to the general public. Staff hired for the project will obtain training in cutting edge research in world-leading research centres. Peter Nixon and James Murray are members of the Photosynthesis Research Lab at Imperial College which includes world leading experts in Photosynthesis including Bill Rutherford FRS and Jasper van Thor, with expertise ranging from femtosecond spectroscopy to cyanobacterial physiology. The PDRA and technical staff will be in an excellent position to progress their careers. They will have the benefit of the excellent intellectual environment of a leading university with a tradition of close ties with engineers and industry.52C19A61-0A59-4643-A8D3-583E9A7F811APlant & crop science242D9083F0-05FA-4726-9EB2-3FCC293CAAF9Biomolecules & biochemistry484CCA4C04-0C28-41BE-8869-FA6391A7F005Microbial sciences2419F550D7-1AE6-4B86-87B9-2C2934306C34Environmental Physiology243D51C146-5AFC-42C5-93BB-17CC751DE0DABioenergetics246997E843-AD07-4064-B67D-D4A928309DB4Biochemistry & physiology48MR/W000830/1A CELL ATLAS OF THE DEVELOPING HUMAN SENSORY NERVOUS SYSTEM: INVESTIGATING DEVELOPMENT TO UNDERSTAND DISEASEClosedFellowshipMRCContext of the research: Pain is the main reason that diseases of the muscles and joints lead to disability. In particular, for the tens of millions of individuals who suffer from Osteoarthritis (OA) , pain can be debilitating at end stages and be present even at rest, preventing the use of joints in the hand, hip and knees. Around the world, this tremendous societal and monetary burden is set to rise alongside an aging population. Currently, there is no cure for osteoarthritis and end stage disease is treated with joint replacement, a costly and major operation. Importantly, we lack effective pain-relief medications for OA. Until recently, it was thought that wear-and-tear of the protective lining of the joint, and increased bone-to-bone contact is what leads to pain in disease. Interestingly, recent studies from various research groups have shown that new nerves sprout into the joint surface as part of the disease process of OA. These nerves appear to be present in individuals with painful OA, but is absent in those with less painful OA. In adulthood, nerves normally have limited capacity to grow, so this leads us to think that disease nerves are driven by processes similar to those that are active when we our nervous system begins to develop while an embryo in the womb. The objective of this project is therefore to apply cutting edge technology to investigate the development of the human sensory nervous, comparing it to what happens in disease, with the aim of identifying novel ways of interfering with it, in order to treat pain. Aims and objectives: First, we aim to understand how the sensory nervous system forms in the developing human. To achieve this, we will use single-cell sequencing technologies. This will allow us to detect what drives different types of developing nerves, one by one. We aim to form a classification system for these nerves, sorting them by their function, for example, some nerves may sense touch and others may sense pain, and they might be driven by different signals to grow. Secondly, we will map the distribution of these developing nerves in space, using a type of technology known as spatial transcriptomics. This will form an atlas of the nerves throughout the body and allow us to understand how nerves are queued to grow towards their destination during development. Then, we will map nerves in the diseased human osteoarthritic knee joint in adulthood. We will apply innovative technologies to first identify areas where nerves are present, and then sequence the genes activated within these areas. This will allow us to understand whether nerves growing in disease are similar or different to nerves that grow during development.Lastly, we will use computational programs to compare developmental nerves to disease-nerves. This will allow us to decide how to target the disease-nerves. Potential applications and benefits: We will be the first group to perform single-cell sequencing on the developing nervous system in human. This will allow discovery of new cell-types, and create an atlas for them throughout the human body. These findings will further our understanding of all painful conditions. In the case of osteoarthritis, it may allow us to identify targets that can be exploited to allow depletion of the pain-associated nerves described above. We aim to disseminate our findings to allow public access by the research community. This will lead to improved understanding of other diseases, such as in cancer, where nerves can also sprout during the disease process. In the long term, our findings can also be applied to help improve models of nerves grown in the laboratory, and potentially also inform ways of promoting nerves to regenerate in the body.I aim to test the hypothesis that the process of neo-innervation of the adult osteoarthritic joint by pain-associated nerve afferents recapitulates transcriptional profiles that are active in the developing human fetal sensory nervous system, with a view to obtain mechanistic insight, and identify potential therapeutic targets for pain. First, I will create the first human cell atlas (HCA) of the developing sensory nervous system. Secondly, I will identify the transcriptional profiles of adult osteoarthritic joint cartilage that is innervated by pathogenic nociceptive afferents (absent in the osteochondral junction in health). Finally, I will compare the transcriptional profiles in these states to test our hypothesis, and additionally prioritise potential treatment targets. Single-cell RNA sequencing(scRNAseq) will be applied to human dorsal root ganglia samples between the fetal ages of 6 to 20 weeks, with 1-2 sample(s) each gestational week. To create a spatial atlas, single-nuclei RNAseq and Visium RNAseq (10X genomics) will be applied to sequential slices of the same tissue sample at ages of 6-7 weeks and 18 weeks. In adult osteoarthritis tissue, multiplex in situ hybridization will be used to identify regions of interest by neuronal markers followed by the use of Nanostring GeoMx for targeted sequencing. Finally, computational integration will be applied to reveal reciprocal matches in cell states between development and disease. Potential treatment targets will be tested in further projects through in vitro and in vivo experiments. The study will create the first HCA of the developing nervous system and transcriptional profiles of disease, the findings will provide new insights into normal human development as well as disease, with therapeutic implications. The developmental dataset can also be studied to understand nerve regeneration in adulthood, with implications in regenerative medicine, and in generating in vitro models of sensory nerves.6CFA1E1F-F25C-4C23-8FE1-C47AE53E333EUnclassified2775728Grey Milk and Lost Kin: Re-sounding, Re-visioning, and Re-membering Trauma in the Scottish Gypsy Traveller ArchivesClosedStudentshipAHRCResearch Management"We have no right to any form of writing, that is our curse," proclaimed a 1950s Gypsy Queen (Lecouteux 2016, p.6). This research transforms the curse of "internalised oppression" (Davis 1981) as my ancestors incite an uprising by way of the archives. My practice-based research aims to retrieve and revalue "subjugated knowledge" (Foucault 1980) through critical archival interventions, place-based approaches, experimental filmmaking and literary practices. I will interrogate the absence and rupture of 'knowing' caused by forced assimilation and cultural dispossession, exploring the sociocultural impacts of knowledge suppression and its far reaching mechanisms of denial. Grounded in lived experience, this study adds to urgent scholarly work seeking to transform the cultural ramifications of colonial legacies which actively erase Indigenous and Local knowledge systems, their cultural heritage, and collective identity. My family avoided persecution by keeping our genealogy secret and disavowing our Scottish Gypsy Traveller ancestry.From the mid twentieth century onwards, vast institutional archives were amassed in Scotland of the travelling peoples' oral traditions. Newly accessible online since the pandemic, I will subvert these archives to activate the affective, cultural and experiential injuries of "racial capitalism", drawing out the traumatic traces of invisibility and exclusion (Gordon 2008). I will then reframe and valorise the Gypsy Travellers' knowledge system, building power relations through "re-citation" with other subjugated cosmologies. Finally, I will undertake an intersectional exploration emphasising the feminist and decolonising interventions of re-sounding, re-visioning and re-remembering, mobilising solidarity and liberatory consciousness to counteract "epistemic violence" (Galván-Álvarez 2010).Thus, I will create a body of work, including film, art and audio works, that act as "a counter-archive of knowledge"-underpinned by Indigenous narrative and listening strategies (Horavoka 2017). In this way, my research will contribute to experimental sonic and cinematic techniques and methodologies, whilst generating critical pathways that pluralise knowledge systems more widely.6CFA1E1F-F25C-4C23-8FE1-C47AE53E333EUnclassified2642845Medical diagnosis through the application of Artificial IntelligenceClosedStudentshipOther NPIFSchool of ComputingThis project will look at some aspect of medical diagnosis through the application of Artificial Intelligence which will be determined in more detail by the end of year one6CFA1E1F-F25C-4C23-8FE1-C47AE53E333EUnclassifiedAH/T005521/1Staging Peace: International Observatory of Peace Media (GCRF Development Award)ClosedResearch GrantGCRFSchool of Performance and Cultural IndustriesThis Development Award responds to GCRF's call "Preventing Conflict" through the consolidation of an expert team of researchers, and a diverse array of policy and civil society partners across four ODA-listed countries (Niger, Nigeria, Cameroon and Chad). The rationale behind this choice of countries is clear. These countries are affected by protracted and aggravated conflict associated with Islamic extremism (Boko Haram and the Islamic State of West Africa Province). The Lake Chad Crisis is a complex and multidimensional conflict, which our research seeks to address. The focus of this observatory are not these four affected countries as a whole, but the regions within these ODA-listed countries most affected by extremist violence-- all currently classed Red Zones. These regions are Diffa in Niger, Borno in Nigeria, Region du Lac in Chad, and the so-called Extreme North region of Cameroon. This award will enhance existing capability for action research in and across these remote regions, laying foundations for a four-year programme that will address an urgent need for multi-regional and multinational peace cooperation. "Staging Peace" can pave the way for sustainable and inclusive peace-building, as prompted by this GCRF call, through the creation of an observatory that will evaluate and monitor reintegration programmes across the four affected regions. In the present context, reintegration is understood within the UN framework of de-radicalisation, demobilisation, and reintegration (DDR). This award will also facilitate partner equitability, South-South knowledge sharing, and trust-building among the academic and non-academic stakeholders involved, in order to set in motion a trajectory of research that will better understand, and in a more nuanced way, how reintegration works in practice for the benefit of local communities. Evaluation of good practice will enable us to inform decision-makers and policy stakeholders, including multinational and national armies, DDR programmes set up by national and local governments, and humanitarian actors. The importance of media arts as chosen tool for reintegration is justified given the central role played by media technology in Boko Haram's radicalisation agenda and propaganda apparatus. This award will enable us to continue building network relations with key media and arts groups involved in the reintegration agenda, particularly radio and television stations, theatre groups, and local community groups (i.e. religious or traditional leaders and opinion makers). Support from AHRC-GCRF will likewise enable the "Staging Peace" team to strengthen the administrative and management capabilities needed for the realisation of a Network Plus programme, not least at the level of post-award capability within the University of Leeds. A number of Network Plus specifics will be addressed throughout this 12-month award, including the shaping of a commissioning strand and devolved budgets, the planning for synthesis of different DDR programmes within a coherent theory of action (Peace Media Theory); the mapping of intersectionality of conflict across gender, social, cultural and ethnic issues; and the thematic interactions emerging across Network Pluses. This development award will also prioritise the articulation of impact and legacy strategies for policy and practice improvement among a range of stakeholders that will be involved in this award's proposed activities. The main policy-related groups we will engage with over the course of this twelve month development award are military, civil society and government actors. The individuals named in this submission are part of the "Staging Peace" team given their strong policy and action research credentials, as well as their track-record of publishing reports and resolutions in the area of Boko Haram reintegration. All members of this research team have experience of living in, or working across, the four affected Red Zones.This award will help strengthen the conceptualisation of Peace Media Theory (PMT), our chosen theory of change. PMT can be described and modelled as the triangulation of media practitioners, humanitarians and community actors. PMT is a framework to better understand community-based media spaces that instigate dialogue, mediation and debate within areas affected by protracted conflict. This theoretical framework provides a high-level model for the implementation of techniques and tools that draw on media communication practices (radio, television, theatre and mediated live arts) in an effort to build sustainable and inclusive peace within conflict-affected communities. The impact plan underpinning this programme is informed by real communication challenges presented to the core team by local communities in the Lake Chad region. There is a need, in this context, for online connectivity, web-based forums, and more extensive radio coverage for existing local broadcasters engaged in peace programming. A media-centred approach will allow us to address the key problem of naming beneficiary groups (e.g. "host communities", "ex-militants", "ex-Boko Haram", "ex-hostages") or the characterisation of Boko Haram itself as "cult" or "terror group". These labels need to be addressed critically to influence opinion within the proposed peace agenda. Careful consideration of the dissemination challenges underpinning reintegration programmes is also vital. Firstly, our work will make use of the same media tools used by Boko Haram as part of their propaganda agenda (video, radio, web-based media and social media). Using the same communication technologies as Boko Haram is critical for dissemination of counter-extremist discourse. Secondly, this programme addresses issues concerning language inclusivity. Crucially, more than 90% of former and current Boko Haram members only speak Hausa or Kanuri (Bukarti 2019). It is therefore essential to disseminate peace messages through platforms that are language inclusive (e.g. Radio Kadaye, Radio Dandal Kura, and News Caster). Our proposed theory of action is also inclusive of religious affiliation, which is why we have reached out to Sunnah TV, and local religious leaders. Our proposed theory of change integrates media technology and live arts, thus promoting change through synthesis of site-specific and mediated action. Thus, our programme will support a rich and varied commissioning strand led by civil society organisations supporting work on the ground. Our proposed pilot project with Radio Kadaye, Yal Hille Theatre, and the Langa Barka group of former militants will serve as proof of concept. The kind of creative practices we seek to support following piloting, include: radio plays, live television, web-based interactive art, and other forms of media art that combine live and mediated action. Our theory of change (PMT) will model the ways in which media arts can be mapped across various formats, and it will provide a qualitative methodological framework to help evaluate and monitor evidence-based pathways to effective reintegration. The commissioning of work in Strand 2 of the proposed large grant will include not only creative practices, but also commissioned projects that seek to achieve meaningful and lasting reintegration through media arts vocational training, training of trainees, community workshops, theme-relevant symposia, international conferences, knowledge exchange across the Lake Chad countries, professional development schemes for communication experts (conflict journalism), and crucially, policy change. Further details on policy-related impact are detailed in the Pathways to Impact attachment. Finally, this award will ensure that impact is embedded from inception stage, and that our shared values reflect the reason why we are committing to this demanding programme: namely, to improve the lives of communities affected by Islamic extremism in Central Africa.1E29C62B-F937-485F-A347-819B1D73E892Pol. sci. & internat. studies5024884607-66F5-43AC-B9E7-3F89AAEE5059Drama & theatre studies250609A953-459F-4841-93C9-365A322B22A9Media25E838420B-600C-45BD-9864-AB34C5F28286Conflict/War Studies253A148605-FD55-4AAA-AF75-01A80C9C2A6BPeace Studies258AB113BD-9E57-4568-9AFC-2C9731A41ED2Performance & Live Art259805CE72-29DB-4698-B7D3-74A3A453C6D9Media & Communication Studies25NE/X017923/1Quantifying the impact of restoration on peatland aquatic organic matter, microbial communities and greenhouse gas emissionsActiveFellowshipNERCSchool of GeographyWe are in a climate emergency. Reducing emissions of greenhouse gases is not enough to reduce global temperatures: we need to use nature to help. Peatlands are an extremely important solution for climate action because they are the most efficient carbon store on land when they are healthy. However, they have been damaged by human activities in the past, and many are now sources of greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide. Exploitation of peatlands has converted what should be a carbon store into a large source of global carbon emissions (4% of human land-use emissions). Peatlands cover a small proportion of the Earth's surface (only 3%) but store more carbon than all the world's forests combined. In the UK alone, 10% of the land is covered in peat, but at least 75% of that area has been modified by human activity. Restoring these peatlands to healthy, carbon-storing environments is a central part of the UK's commitment to the Paris Climate Agreement and Net Zero targets. Globally, over 40% of tropical, and 57% of temperate peatlands are degraded by human activities, and several countries have pledged to restore their peatlands as climate change mitigation measures. Restoring damaged and modified peatlands to encourage uptake of carbon dioxide from the air and store it as carbon in plants and soil will impact the whole ecosystem, leading to changes in the plant species and water chemistry, which will in turn impact how peatland ecosystems take up and produce greenhouse gases. Restoration methods often involve blocking drains and re-wetting the soil, creating open water pools. These pools are potential 'hotspots' for carbon transfer between soil, water and air, and could lead to higher greenhouse gas losses from the peatland, but have not been investigated. It is important to understand how these peatland pools impact the greenhouse gas emissions from a peatland. Without a complete picture of the carbon cycle in an ecosystem, it is impossible to quantify the benefits of restoration projects for climate change mitigation, and with the UK aiming to restore 50% of the upland and 25% of the lowland peat by 2050, it is important to know that the restoration methods used are encouraging carbon storage, and lowering the greenhouse gas emissions. I will study the greenhouse gas emissions from peatland pools to discover how restoration changes the carbon transfer between soil, water and air in an ecosystem. I will study pools in near-natural, damaged and restored peatlands, in cold and temperate biomes, to investigate how the creation of peatland pools impacts on the microbes living in the peat and water, and how the greenhouse gas emissions change when degraded peatland sites are restored. This project will result in new knowledge of how peatlands respond to restoration interventions at the microbial and ecosystem levels. It will lead to improved estimates for the greenhouse gas budget of peatlands, and guide future restoration projects. Peatland practitioners and modellers will be able to better predict how restoration will be impacted by changes in climate, and determine the capacity of peatlands to help reduce global greenhouse gas concentrations, and as a nature-based solution to climate change.3D749523-4185-40BA-B5DA-CC4B175770D7Climate & Climate Change25B0467C75-496C-47DC-8E4E-DA3298D03B30Terrest. & freshwater environ.554CCA4C04-0C28-41BE-8869-FA6391A7F005Microbial sciences203D749523-4185-40BA-B5DA-CC4B175770D7Climate & Climate Change25E6DEF4EE-2C3F-4381-89D0-925B01B9CF27Soil science15AF3F5E7C-7FB6-4588-9174-6018BA2A231BEnvironmental Microbiology20B6839A6F-223C-48E0-A93F-BC95BC3CA7B2Biogeochemical Cycles2071A8EA33-09DF-4E02-85BA-A9545564F72DWater Quality20100007An in-line monitoring tool for scrap reduction and reuse in the plastics industryClosedFeasibility StudiesInnovate UKThis project seeks to address waste minimisation issues within the UK''plastics processing industry. The three major processing methods of injection moulding, extrusion and blow moulding are used to produce the vast majority of plastic products present today on the market. In each of these three processing techniques the issues surrounding the production of scrap and its reuse are essentially the same (though there are differences in scale) therefore the solutions proposed will be applicable across all three sectors. The objectives of the project are three fold:1) To reduce the reject rate during production by directly monitoring the status of raw materials in-line. 2) To encourage the reprocessing of a far greater percentage of scrap in the factory 3) To investigate the use and efficacy of purging agents in response to industry concerns.6CFA1E1F-F25C-4C23-8FE1-C47AE53E333EUnclassifiedC5303838-5E94-45DC-B1ED-9C0A2DF59621BECTON, DICKINSON U.K. LIMITEDPARTICIPANT59970.013583.044F9711E-61AB-436B-AF95-B4A0AC3DC2AFESTERFORM PACKAGING LIMITEDPARTICIPANT94220.021340.09CD67613-9501-482E-95B8-74B8FEBE7749UNIVERSITY OF EXETERPARTICIPANT413615.0413615.0DE0B1289-EB03-42C2-A74D-4483D0A67FA8ROBINSON PLCPARTICIPANT77652.017587.0E5D37C5C-0315-4C34-8A46-AB38E1ED57F6POLYPIPE BUILDING PRODUCTS LIMITEDPARTICIPANT2027.02027.0E817BB16-A953-4BB6-A3AD-AD24C5C3BA50ALGRAM GROUP LIMITEDPARTICIPANT65160.014758.026C1E072-93A6-4526-BC39-D03378DD561CDATA PLASTICS LIMITEDPARTICIPANT78117.017693.0E65DE95E-CDC6-4A19-967E-532ACBCE956EBRITISH PLASTICS FEDERATION(THE)PARTICIPANT34976.07922.0C50D2498-0EA3-4502-B82E-697C8920894FCOLORMATRIX EUROPE LIMITEDLEAD_PARTICIPANT183316.041519.0D43A0831-DF55-4E40-BBFF-80CF498D69D3ANGLO-AMERICAN VULCANIZED FIBRE LIMITEDPARTICIPANT66014.014952.06EE83071-15DC-443C-ADA7-F39FD4438B00THE BOOTS COMPANY PLCPARTICIPANT33861.00.01860431The formation and evolution of AsteroidsClosedStudentshipSTFCOxford Physics (Keble Road)The aim of this project is to characterise the mineralogical and chemical properties of the thermally altered CI and CM chondrites. The project will use X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and trace element abundance measurements. Results will be placed in the context of hydration and dynamic heating experiments aimed at understanding the timescales for the mineralogical changes. In addition, the student will measure the infrared signatures associated with altered and un-altered samples under Earth-like and asteroid-like conditions.6CFA1E1F-F25C-4C23-8FE1-C47AE53E333EUnclassifiedNE/W009552/1C-FORCE: Carbon-Cycle Feedbacks from Response to Carbon EmissionsActiveResearch GrantNERCSchool of Ocean and Earth ScienceThe dominant driver of anthropogenic global warming is the increasing amount of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. This is increasing because it is being emitted by the burning of fossil fuel, deforestation and cement making, with only ~45% staying in the atmosphere. The rest is stored in other reservoirs at or near Earth's surface including the ocean, trees, soils, permafrost and methane ice, as well as sediments and rock. Carbon flows naturally between the atmosphere and these reservoirs by processes like photosynthesis, decay, weathering, burial and ocean circulation. Collectively, the exchange of carbon between these reservoirs is termed the carbon cycle. One of the biggest uncertainties about future climate change is how the carbon cycle will respond to (or 'feed back' on) our warming planet. It is possible, for example, that if global warming exceeds a threshold, permafrost and methane ice stored at the seafloor will melt rapidly, adding further greenhouse gases to the atmosphere and accelerating the warming. It is very difficult to predict whether 'tipping point' behaviour like this will occur in the global carbon cycle. C-FORCE will measure how the global carbon cycle responded from start to finish during a past period of global warming that was driven by emissions of carbon-based greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. The Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) is the largest natural climate change event of the last 65 million years, and the closest natural comparator to the modern rates of global warming and carbon greenhouse gas emissions. During the PETM, initial global warming of 4-5 degrees Celsius over a few thousand years was partially driven by carbon emissions from an unusually massive episode of volcanism, and the climate then gradually recovered to its pre-existing state over more than 100 thousand years. C-FORCE will use a novel model of the global carbon cycle to compare the carbon supplied by volcanism with the total PETM carbon budget; the difference between these two budgets can be attributed to carbon cycle feedbacks. We will make new high-resolution estimates of the rate at which volcanism supplied carbon to the atmosphere throughout the PETM by measuring the processes that generated the magma. We will calculate the total budget of carbon emissions to the atmosphere that caused the climate change by generating new high-resolution records of ocean acidification. Our carbon cycle modelling will allow the scientists who make these two sets of measurements to interface effectively to solve the net global carbon cycle feedback problem for the first time. Furthermore, because Earth's carbon reservoirs differ in isotopic composition, we can fingerprint which reservoirs most likely acted as carbon sources or sinks over the course of the PETM. Thus C-FORCE will determine how the global carbon cycle evolved throughout the PETM, and show whether or not tipping point behaviour occurred. Understanding how Earth's carbon reservoirs respond to global warming is crucial for predicting atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations and climate change long into the future. Ultimately, an improved understanding of the carbon cycle affects future carbon budgets to limit global warming to 1.5 or 2 degrees Celcius and is therefore necessary for shaping mitigation targets and government policy. Beyond delivering a research product, C-FORCE challenges current understanding of the carbon cycle and we see our role as an empowering force in this space. The public discourse on climate change is a mixture of disaffection and anxiety, so C-FORCE will take a different direction to traditional public engagement, by partnering with community organisers and local government to train, mentor and co-develop our public engagement with young people.346611FD-47F5-46D6-9813-D4707F62253BGeosciences100F52704F6-1035-4307-9FA9-45BC878F1F1ATectonic Processes40C239C4FE-2588-4DAB-8B96-C53385209770Palaeoenvironments60G0600974/1An investigation of replicated genetic associations from a genome-wide study of sporadic MND.ClosedResearch GrantMRCWe are trying to find genes that make people likely to develop motor neuron disease (MND). This is a wasting disease in which an affected person becomes progressively paralysed over months until they are too weak to breathe. We know that a few people with MND carry a genetic mutation. For most people with MND we think that certain common genetic variations might increase the risk in certain situations. MND takes many forms and we do not know if they are really all the same underlying disease or several different conditions that happen to look the same. This makes gene-hunting difficult. Also, even though MND is quite common (about 1 in every 400 people will die from it), life expectancy is very poor and so at any one time there are not many affected people who can help with research. We have successfully found a genetic signal for MND on chromosome 8 but we now need to pinpoint where the signal is coming from. If we can find out exactly what genetic variation in this area is responsible, we will understand more about MND and this will make it easier to develop a treatment.Background: Motor Neuron Disease (MND) is a fatal adult-onset neurological disorder that causes progressive muscle weakness gradually affecting the power of speech, swallowing and limb movement. There is significant disability from the outset and eventually patients are left immobile, unable to communicate or care for themselves. Relentless disease progression engenders feelings of hopelessness so that some people travel abroad seeking euthanasia. The only drug shown to impact on survival, riluzole, has only a modest effect in slowing disease progression and treatment is otherwise largely symptomatic. The mean age of onset is between 50-60 years, cutting short the productive lives of many individuals. Death from respiratory failure usually occurs within 3 years of symptom onset and only 4% of patients survive more than 10 years. Although it is commonly thought of as a rare disease, the lifetime risk is about 1 in 400, with 1 in 380 death certificates carrying this diagnosis in the UK, and since the risk increases with age, it will become more common as the population ages. At present the diagnosis of MND is a death sentence with a miserable disease course, making it one of the most feared illnesses in the developed world. Previous findings: In an MRC-funded study, we have performed a genome-wide association study using 300 case and 300 control samples and 2,336 microsatellite markers. The markers were targeted at both gene-dense regions using a method we developed, and at regions previously shown to be of interest in MND. A DNA pooling strategy was followed by individual genotyping of markers of interest. Of the markers analysed, all showed confirmed association in individuals, and one on chromosome 8 showed replicated association in two other populations, from Belgium and the USA. Objective: To identify the functional variant(s) associated with sporadic motor neuron disease in the region we have identified on chromosome 8 Methods: We will analyse the MND-associated region with an informative set of tag-SNPs in UK samples, and fine-map the disease associated locus. We will identify the association peak and identify the strongest positional candidate genes and their functional variants. We will confirm the mapping in Belgian and US populations. This will allow us to examine functional effects of gene variants identified in the laboratory. In parallel with this, we will perform bioinformatics analysis of relevant DNA and protein sequences and expression studies of genotyped brains for secondary evidence (genomic convergence).6CFA1E1F-F25C-4C23-8FE1-C47AE53E333EUnclassified2604206Sensors for Wave scattering: using acoustics waves to measure particulatesClosedStudentshipEPSRCMechanical EngineeringEarly Mesopotamian people discovered that a mixture of mud and straw creates strong durable buildings, what we call today a composite material. Today these materials have enabled amazing advances in areas including aerospace, automobile, food science, communications technology, biotechnology. This project focuses on using sound to measure particulates materials like powders. The aim is to develop new ways to sense and measure powders by developing the fundamental science underpinning how sound waves interact with powders. The student, will work closely with the acoustics team in Johnson & Matthey, a British multinational who develops sustainable technologies and produce a wide range of powder products. This project will combine mathematical models, computer simulations, and experimental data from Johnson & Matthey to develop new sensing methods that could have a significant impact on the UK economy.6CFA1E1F-F25C-4C23-8FE1-C47AE53E333EUnclassified2905629Studying the Deformation of Tungsten and its Alloys During Mechanical Testing with analysis being performed using EBSD and HR-DIC MethodsActiveStudentshipEPSRCMaterialsThis project looks at the materials used in a fusion reactor particularly in the divertor which is designed to withstand extremely high heat fluxes and highly energetic neutron bombardment and as such tungsten is the leading candidate material choice. Research is currently being undertaken to understand tungsten's fundamental mechanical property behaviour as it suffers from acute brittleness and a high brittle-to-ductile transition temperature. Alloying tungsten with elements such as rhenium is often the strategy to improve its ductility; however, rhenium is also a transmutation product that can form precipitates under reactor conditions exacerbating the embrittlement of the alloy. Therefore, other alloying options need to be explored. This project is looking at novel tungsten alloys for fusion reactor divertor application. This is coupled with gaining an understanding at the microstructural level the behaviour under tensile loads and how this is impacted by different alloying elements and microstructures with a potential extension of examining either the impacts of radiation or hydrogen isotope loads. The primary techniques that I am interested in are scanning and transmission electron microscopy, with a particular interest in high resolution digital image correlation to understand the deformation mechanisms of the different alloys at the near atomic scales. This will help link the local microstructure to the mechanical response. Ex-situ testing will also be carried out on pure tungsten to acquire a set of "baseline" values for its mechanical properties. The main objective is to obtain the ideal novel alloy to be used in such applications.6CFA1E1F-F25C-4C23-8FE1-C47AE53E333EUnclassified