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The thesis probes a specific area - the banking system and the business niche concerned with migrants' remittances - and considers the flows of these people and their money in today‘s global economy (over 3% of the world's population). It argues that the banking system has failed to understand the changing "paradigm" of the migrant market and thus has not updated its business plan or business model for this business segment in response. In failing to harness the liquidity of the migrant market, the author argues, the banking industry is missing out on a potentially profitable business segment that could create financial stability within the industry and the world's economies. Furthermore, by ignoring the "gap" that exists between the financial products on offer to the migrant sector and their needs in this respect in both the host and origin countries - providing a service at "both ends of the corridor" - the industry is also in danger of losing site of its commitment to social responsibility and the financial integration of migrants. At the heart of the argument for financial stability and financial integration is the proposition that there is a lack of communication among stakeholders, namely academic and financial institutions, governments, Diaspora associations and other decision makers. As an insider, the author is well placed to probe further into the minds of the "elite"; the decision makers within banks, Diaspora associations and government, employing qualitative research to reveal the extent to which the landscape of the migrant business segment has changed (i.e. requiring a more sophisticated product that meets the needs of migrants throughout their entire life-cycle) and highlighting that the necessary adjustments to the migrant business plan and business model have been ignored because of poor communication and a lack of understanding of the current global circumstances concerning the remittances of migrants. As the thesis points out, despite considerable evidence that migrants and their associated monetary flows is a central and enduring feature of globalization resilient to financial crisis, remarkably, scant attention is paid to it in the academic literature. The thesis addresses this "gap" by employing exploratory research in order to design an innovative business model and business plan for the migrant market, the benefits of which will be realised globally among migrants, the financial industry and, ultimately, in the development of a sustainable world economy.

Four case studies from 'mainstream' popular music are used to explore the voice as a primary site for the construction of meaning in popular music, both as a vehicle for language and as an 'object' outside of or alongside language. The first chapter argues that the extensive use of overdubbing technology by the Carpenters forms part of their relationship with the 'geno-song', and that the cyborgian voice which emerges from such use of technology disrupts human-centred psychoanalytic models of subjective development. Finally, different recordings of 'Superstar' are analysed to show how different recordings of a song negotiate ideas of 'presence'. The second chapter outlines various sexually queer subjects presented by Madonna, and argues that the process of constant transformation challenges hegemonic Western notions of a unified 'self'. The chapter also argues that musical factors have underpinned her visual transformations, and that her vocality has suggested her maturation as an artist and challenged the ideology of 'voice' as a stable signifier of identity. A chapter on Eminem explores his simultaneous use of three distinct characters to play out different aspects of his own identity, and how his work represents and constructs masculinity. Specifically, the chapter argues that the use of language as a system does not easily parallel the masculinist content of the lyrics, but can instead be aligned with traditionally 'feminine' or feminising modes of writing. Moreover, according to a traditional gendered musical semiotics, the interface between language and music does not underline 'masculinity' in normative ways. The final chapter considers how ideas of 'self' and Other are negotiated in Elvis Impersonation. In particular, a model for understanding vocal impersonation is offered, using Freud's model of the ideal ego and Baudrillard's orders of simulacra. Finally, the chapter explores the representation and construction of masculinities in various examples of Elvis Impersonation.

A Subjective Well-Being (SWB) of schoolchildren measure was developed to assess how SWB is affected by being bullied. The design involved concurrent and longitudinal studies. The sample for the concurrent design consisted of 390 pupils age 8-15 years. The repeated measures (longitudinal) study was carried out with 97 pupils, age 8-11 years, after a 10-month interval. The SWB questionnaire was delivered alongside pupil perception measures of being physically and verbally/indirectly bullied. The results show that levels of SWB were lower in the 'Bullied' as opposed to the 'Not Bullied' group, t (378) = 7.76, P = < .00. Within the Bullied group, increased levels of being bullied predicted lower SWB, r (300) = .32, P = .05. In the longitudinal study, Pupil's SWB was most strongly influenced by the degree and the recurrence of being bullied. Past experiences of being bullied, if not repeated, had little effect on current SWB. The nature of these relationships remained substantially unchanged when the covariates: Gender, Age, Ethnicity, Lie/Social Desirability, negative Control Beliefs about being bullied and past SWB, were included. Negative Control Beliefs refer to helpless and hopeless beliefs about being bullied. In conclusion, pupil SWB was inversely related to recent and repeated experiences of being bullied. Where the experience of being bullied was not repeated, the effect on a pupil's SWB lessened over time. Repeatedly bullied pupils are most likely to experience lower SWB.

This study was designed to investigate whether provision of information, in the form of a leaflet, about issues surrounding aggression and violence at work would lower anxiety about aggression and increase confidence in dealing with aggression, in care staff working in learning disability. A brief evaluation of the leaflet was carried out, and measures taken to establish whether information was assimilated from the leaflet. Also investigated were other feelings that care staff had about aggression at work. An information leaflet entitled "Preventing and coping with an aggressive incident involving a client in your care", and a questionnaire entitled "Aggressive incidents involving a client at work" were constructed. The questionnaire incorporated a scale for measuring 'Confidence in dealing with aggression'. 53 care staff, working in residential homes for people with learning disabilities, completed pre and post-intervention Spielberger State-Trait Form Y-1 questionnaires, and "Aggressive incidents involving a client at work" questionnaires. Results were analysed using analysis of variance, t-tests and Pearson's product moment correlation. No differences were found in levels of anxiety or confidence in dealing with aggression between two experimental groups and a control group, pre and post-intervention, but a significant difference was found in levels of anxiety within the groups pre and post-intervention. The leaflet was evaluated positively, but information was not assimilated. These and other findings are discussed in relation to present practice and implications for future research.

Trypanosoma brucei has two distinct life stages in its mammalian host. The proliferative 'slender' form develops into a cell-cycle arrested 'stumpy' form at high parasite density. This transition occurs in a density-dependent quorum sensing (QS) like process, for which critical molecular regulators have been identified. Naturally occurring T. brucei subspecies (T. b. evansi and T. b. equiperdum) have reduced ability to generate the stumpy form and are described as 'monomorphic'. Utilising whole genome sequences of 41 naturally occurring monomorphic isolates, we corroborate previous studies in identifying at least four independent monomorphic T. brucei clades. Mutations in six genes were then explored for their contribution to monomorphism. The orthologous gene sequences were synthesised and used to replace wild-type alleles, via CRISPR-Cas9, in developmentally competent T. brucei. The replacement of two targets with the monomorphic mutant sequence reduced the ability to generate stumpy forms in developmentally competent cells. Furthermore, we identified mutations associated with cell proliferation and motility phenotypes. We also selected monomorphic cell lines from a pleomorphic population and confirmed significant downregulation of transcripts of a developmental regulator, ZC3H20, during the progression to monomorphism. In vitro overexpression of ZC3H20 in the selected monomorphic cells restored pleomorphism. Independently selected monomorphic lines generated in vitro were also found to show consistently altered regulation of several transcripts, hinting that the initial steps to monomorphism may share similarities in discrete populations. We suggest that, in the field, monomorphism develops on a spectrum via modifications to the regulation of key QS genes, which can be reversed in the first instance. As the scale tips towards developmental incompetence, mutations accrue in key QS genes which lock the parasites in a monomorphic phenotype. This provides insight into the molecular control of the QS process and possible diagnostic tools to anticipate increased virulence in the field.

The New Elizabethans is a literary novel-in-stories about the dramatic changes in gender and national identity witnessed by British women during Elizabeth II’s reign, a unified circle of ten finely observed stories outlining the desolation and confusion felt in this era that will be instantly, painfully evocative for anyone who has questioned who we are now – as individuals, as families, as a gender and as a nation. Told in episodic tales, jumping between eras and voices, The New Elizabethans gives witty, compact and remorseful snapshots of British life from 1953, the year of the Queen’s coronation, until today, the final chapter ending on the day of Prince Harry’s wedding, from characters defined as Baby Boomers, Gen X-ers and Gen Y-ers, expats and immigrants, mothers and daughters. At the centre of the axis sits the Crown, observing wryly as her subjects’ struggle with adultery, racism, infertility, depression and the day to day struggle of working out how to be a mother in a changing world that has changing expectations of what a woman should look like, think and provide. From the fall of the British Empire and the shockwaves across the Atlantic from Trump’s election, to the minutiae of an outbreak of nits and a fight with a breastfeeding activist in a coffee shop, The New Elizabethans follows five generations of London women whose regrets, traumas and triumphs will offer comfort, perspective and an insight into the zeitgeist of the #metoo movement, the global obsession with The Crown and Meghan Markle, and the eternal question: can women have it all?

Analytical methods, such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA), are used to detect and quantify residues from allergenic sources in food products. However, ELISAs have not been validated for use in foods that have been exposed to proteolysis. This thesis explores the specificities, sensitivities, and capabilities of commercially-available milk ELISA kits for detecting milk residues in cheeses that have undergone varying degrees of proteolysis. The specificity, accuracy, and consistency of twelve commercially-available milk ELISA kits for individual milk proteins and commonly used milk-derived ingredients, including α-,β-, and κ-casein, β-lactoglobulin, α-lactalbumin, non-fat dry milk, sodium caseinate, and whey protein concentrate were evaluated. ELISA kits exhibited targeted specificities to milk proteins as opposed to broad-spectrum detection. Kits were able to detect milk residues in all derivative ingredients, although the kits were not quantitatively accurate. Further, ELISA kits were used to investigate the effects of proteolysis in Cheddar cheese during aging. As cheese ripened and proteolysis continued, fewer milk residues were detected in samples using commercial milk ELISA kits. In a survey of retail cheeses produced with different degrees of proteolysis, the lowest concentration of milk residues were detected in Blue cheese, while Mozzarella cheese contained the highest milk residues. Emmentaler, Brie, and Limburger cheeses were also evaluated. Five samples of enzyme-modified cheese (EMC) were assessed for their milk residue content; again, not all ELISA kits were able to detect milk residues in samples that had been subjected to extensive proteolysis. The recommendation of specific ELISA kits for detecting milk residues is highly product-specific. Current commercially-available milk ELISA kits are capable of detecting milk residues in a variety of cheeses, including some that have been exposed to extensive proteolysis. However, the quantitative accuracy of commercial milk ELISA kits is jeopardized when proteolysis has occurred. Some ELISAs may have further application to monitor proteolysis and indicate cheese maturity during ripening because of their specificities. Advisers: Stephen L. Taylor and Joseph L. Baumert

A study made by the Anderson County Agricultural Agent and the Special Agent in Test Demonstration Work showed that the average test demonstration farmer in Anderson County in 1959 produced 2,352 pounds of tobacco per acre; while the county average for the same year was 1,795 pounds (3). The average gross income from tobacco on the average test demonstration farm was $1,455 per acre, and the average gross income from tobacco on the average county farm was $1,017 per acre. or an increase of $438 on the test demonstration farms. Gross income from tobacco on the 324.86 acres allotment (1961) in Anderson County could be increased $142,288 if the average farmer could do as well as the average test demonstration farmer. A study of yield data and certain production practices was needed to identify the following representative groups: consistently high average level of net returns per acre of tobacco; growers with a consistently medium average level of net returns per acre of tobacco, and growers with a consistently low average level of net returns per acre of tobacco. County growers with a Data also were needed to identify practices that were either contributing to increased yields and net income or limiting them. Such data should be helpful for use in formulating teaching objectives.