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Cutaneous lupus erythematosus (CLE) is an autoimmune disease that resolves with or without permanent scars depending on the subtype. Interferons (IFNs), including the skin specific IFNλ mainly activate STAT1, which results in inflammation in CLE and may play a significant role in scar formation in chronic discoid CLE. IL-22 activates STAT3 and it is emerging as a mediator with significant impact on normal wound repair, epidermal hyperproliferation and prevention of fibrosis. This work focussed on understanding the regulation and functional impact of IL-22 and IFNλ on skin cells. The counter-regulatory effect of IL-22 on the activities of IFNλ was assessed through downstream interferon stimulated genes (ISGs) expression in healthy and CLE keratinocytes. Cell proliferation and gap closure were investigated in skin resident cells using cell trace dye and scratch assay. Dermal fibroblasts were assessed for the presence of IFNλR1 and IL-22R1, downstream activities of the receptors. Results showed that IL-22 accelerated “scratch” closure in keratinocytes while IFNλ caused a delay in closure. IL-22 significantly downregulated IFNλ-induced chemokines expression in healthy, but not CLE keratinocytes. Reduced IL-22R1 expression and “STAT3 signature genes” was observed in CLE keratinocytes. A key finding of this project is that dermal fibroblasts respond to both IFNλ and IL-22. This work shows that IL-22 can reduce the damaging effect of IFNs in inflamed skin and also identifies dermal fibroblasts as important cells in skin immune responses. In conclusion, IL-10 family members can have both beneficial and destructive effects on the skin organ depending on the micro milieu and cell-type involved. Manipulating the balance of IL-10 family members in the skin may offer new therapeutic approach for both psoriasis and CLE. / University of Bradford and Centre for Skin Sciences

<p> Variational calculations for hypernuclei and their corresponding nuclear cores have been performed with phenornenological effective Ʌ -N and N-N interactions. Effects of deformation and Majorana exchange on the Ʌ binding energies have been studied. The influence of density dependence in both the Ʌ-N and N-N force has been investigated . The three-body ɅNN interaction has also been considered qualitatively. All these effects help to reduce the Ʌ binding energies in hypernuclei. </p> <p> In addition to the variational calculations, the rigid alpha model has been used to determine the Ʌ binding energy in (5 Ʌ - He). A comparison of the methods is given. </p> Finally, excited states of some hypernuclei have been calculated using the variational ground state equilibrium size. </p> / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

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Transgender lives and identities have gained considerable popular notoriety in the past decades. As part of this wider visibility, dominant narratives regarding the “transgender experience” have surfaced in both the community itself and the wider public. Perhaps the most prominent of these narratives define transgender people as those living in the “wrong body” for their true gender identity. While a popular and powerful story, the wrong body narrative has been criticized as limited, not representing the experience of all transgender people, and valorized as the only legitimate identifier of transgender status. The dominance of this narrative has been challenged through the proliferation of alternate narratives of transgender identity, largely through transgender people telling their own stories, which has the potential to complicate and expand the social understanding of what it means to be transgender for both trans- and cisgender communities. I focus on transgender literature as a point of entrance into the changing narratives of transgender identity and experience. This work addresses two main questions: What are the stories being told by trans lit? and What are the stories being told about trans literature? What follows is a series of separate, yet linked chapters exploring the contours of transgender literature, largely through the context of the Lambda Literary Awards over the past twenty years. Chapter 2 explores the changing definitions of transgender literature in popular discourse over the last two decades. Drawing on a data set of 51 articles, interviews, book reviews, and blog posts published from 1997-2017, I present a framework for defining and categorizing transgender literature. This framework lays out the different possibilities of what transgender literature might be using the three variables of content, authorship, audience, as well as the likelihood of each iteration being included in the definition of transgender literature as understood in the popular conversation. My findings in this chapter suggest a changing definition of transgender literature from “telling transgender/transition stories” to a focus on “transgender people telling stories.” Chapter 3 moves from conversations defining trans literature to an exploration of how texts within transgender literature have changed over time. Using the finalist and winners in the Lambda Literary Award transgender categories, I constructed a sample of transgender literature covering the past two decades, from 1997-2016. Using digital textual analysis methods, I identify various “demographic” trends in transgender literature since 1997, which mirror the trend identified in chapter 3, a shift from “telling transgender stories” focused largely on identity and transition processes to “transgender people telling stories” which rely much less on transition and identity as central themes. Chapter 4 attempts to contextualize these shifts identified in chapters 2 and 3 by situating trans literature in a broader socio-historical context. I frame transgender literature as an intellectual movement situated in an intellectual opportunity structure that includes the publishing industry, LGBT social activism and organizations, and the Lambda Literary Awards themselves. Lambda Literary functions here as a primary gatekeeper for understanding transgender literature in a broader intellectual community around LGBT cultural production, which transitions us to thinking more critically about the Lambda Literary Awards in chapter 5. Chapter 5 introduces us more fully to the Lambda Literary Awards, the largest LGBT book awards in North America, and positions them as a claim for LGBT cultural citizenship in the United States. Using archival documents from the Lambda Literary Foundation, as well as published statements and articles about the Lambda Literary Awards, I explore three conflicts and controversies within the LGBT community through the localized claims for cultural citizenship made on the Lammys. Finally, I provide a brief conclusion, which recaps the main findings of each chapter, sketches my tentative hopes for the future of transgender literature, and outlines my recommendations for future research in this area. / Sociology