MbyRes Dissertations
Recent Submissions
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Costs and benefits of diversity-generating immune mechanisms
(University of ExeterCollege of Life and Environmental Sciences, 2017-09-26)Organisms across the tree of life have evolved diversity-generating immune mechanisms (DGMs) to counteract selective pressures imposed by their parasites. Increased host diversity has a major impact on parasite epidemics ... -
The Effect of Dietary Nitrate Supplementation on Agility, Linear Sprint and Vertical Jump Performance
(University of ExeterSport and Health Sciences, 2017-09-15)Dietary nitrate (NO3-) supplementation has been shown to speed reaction time and enhance linear sprint speed and power production in an unfatigued state. It may therefore be suggested that NO3- supplementation could be ... -
The Interrogation of a Proposed Multikinase-Network in Burkholderia pseudomallei
(University of ExeterDepartment of Biosciences, 2017-09-25)Burkholderia pseudomallei is the causative agent of melioidosis, a disease associated with very poor clinical outcomes, including an up to 40% fatality rate and a significant relapse rate. The pathogen has a wide endemic ... -
Investigating the Importance of the Beta-octyl Glucoside Binding Site for the Toxicity of C. Perfringens Epsilon Toxin
(University of ExeterCollege of Life and Environmental Sciences, 2017-10-17)C. perfringens epsilon toxin (ε-toxin) is a potent heptameric β-pore forming toxin secreted by C. perfringens toxinotypes B and D. ε-toxin causes fatal disease in livestock populations that is characterised by severe ... -
The role of macronutrients in the evolution of sex differences in reproduction and lifespan: lessons from novel holidic, medium-based diets
(University of ExeterBiosciencesCollege of Life and Environmental Sciences, 2017-09-08)Life-history traits form an integral part of evolutionary biology as they closely relate to an individual’s fitness. There is a huge archive of empirical research that has shown diet influences the expression of nearly all ... -
A Proof Of Melham's Identities
(University of ExeterCEMPS, 2017-10-09)Melham [10] conjectures 21 identities, all of which are analogous to Jacobi's two-square theorem. Melham mentions that a small number of these have already been proved in various ways by Hirschhorn [5], Sun [13], and ... -
Spatial aspects of foraging behaviour in Eastern honeybees, Apis cerana
(University of ExeterPsychology, 2017-09-13)The majority of plants in Asian tropical ecosystems depend on bee pollination. However, there is a substantial lack of knowledge of the behaviour and ecology of native tropical bees. In the present study I explored how the ... -
Developing microfluidics and microscopy approaches to investigate bacterial populations with single-cell resolution
(University of ExeterBioscience, 2017-10-18)Failures in antibiotic treatments for bacterial infections are typically attributed to antibiotic resistance. However, it has long been realised that bacteria can also employ other mechanisms to aid survival in the presence ... -
Co- and mixed-infections of avian haemosporidian parasites in great tits and blue tits of the French Pyrenees
(University of ExeterCollege of Life and Environmental Sciences, 2017-10-06)Avian haemosporidia have played a significant role in advancing our understanding of vectored disease epidemiology, and continue to do so. These diverse blood parasites (inclusive of those responsible for avian malaria) ... -
Pig rearing, killing and consumption: the healing effects of multispecies engagement for the communities of Ilva Mică and Prundu Bârgăului
(University of ExeterSociology, Philosophy, Anthropology, 2017-09-18)This thesis considers the relationships between rural humans, their pigs and other nonhuman animals in Prundu Bârgăului and Ilva Mică, villages in the county of Bistrița-Năsăud, northern Romania. I argue that all my ... -
The 1816 Barbados Slave Revolt
(University of ExeterHistory, 2017-09-18)This thesis seeks to explore the leadership, causes and impact of the 1816 Barbados slave revolt. Many historians of resistance and abolitionism have overlooked or dismissed the rebellion because of its seemingly negligible ... -
Monitoring Avian Migration with Dedicated Vertical-looking Radar
(University of ExeterCollege of Life and Environmental Sciences, 2017-07-03)Bird migration is a long-studied phenomena. Geographical challenges faced on route coupled with changing climate and anthropogenic pressures has made migratory species one of the most threatened groups of birds. As migration ... -
Meta-Learning Through Learnt Self-Addition
(University of ExeterCollege of Engineering, Mathematics and Physical Sciences, 2017-01-24)This thesis presents a meta-learning architecture designed to form an agent able to operate in a classic reinforcement learning environment. Drawing on several existing meta-learning techniques, this agent learns its ... -
The effect of artificial lighting on bats in Britain
(University of ExeterCollege of life and environmental sciences - Biosciences, 2017-02-10)Artificial light pollution is increasing on a global scale at an annual rate of 6 per cent. Recent advances in artificial lighting technology are being developed at a faster rate than the ongoing replacement of conventional ... -
The evolution of individual foraging specialisation in a group-living mammal
(University of ExeterCollege of life and environmental sciences, 2016-12-20)Individual foraging specialisation has received much attention in the past few decades, however the causes and consequences of such specialisation in group-living and cooperative species remain poorly understood. These ... -
Phenotypic Plasticity in Female Burying Beetle's: Individual Responses in a Multidimensional Environment
(University of ExeterCollege of Life and Environmental Sciences, 2017-02-10)Phenotypic plasticity is defined as the environmentally sensitive expression of alternative phenotypes produced within a single genotype. The majority of research on plasticity has been demonstrating its evolutionary ... -
High-Resolution Satellite and Archival Tracking of Leatherback Sea Turtles
(University of ExeterCollege of Life and Environmental Sciences, 2017-03-30)Use of marine biologging devices enables the insight into the cryptic lives of marine fauna and the complex environment they inhabit. Using tracking and acoustic monitoring technologies deployed in tandem, we collected ... -
The impact of high-carbohydrate and high-fat diets in combination with nitrate on O2 uptake kinetics and performance during high-intensity exercise
(University of ExeterSport and Health Sciences, 2017-03-16)This study examined the impact of a high carbohydrate (HCHO) and high fat (HFAT) diet in combination with nitrate supplementation on oxygen uptake kinetics and performance during severe-intensity exercise. Ten healthy and ... -
Rape as an Act of Institutional Wrongdoing
(University of ExeterCollege of Social Sciences and International Studies, 2017-04-25)What if rape is an act of institutional wrongdoing, and becomes treated as such? In 2008, Nigel Pleasants coined the term ‘institutional wrongdoing’ to describe acts that are “chronically embedded in lawful, socially ... -
Predicting the effects of climate change on south-west UK fisheries
(University of ExeterCollege of Life and Environmental Sciences, 2016-12-14)Climate change, caused predominantly by rising levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide, is changing the function and composition of marine communities. This thesis considers the past and potential future effects of warming ...