The relationship between leaf and its environment has resulted in a tremendous diversification of leaf shape within and between plants species, which is important to cope with the differing environmental conditions. Arabidopsis lyrata is a prime model plant that shows leaf shape variation within species and between related species. In Cardamine and Capsella, the RCO genes (homeodomain leucine zipper family transcription factors) are involved in shaping leaves, yielding more complex shaped leaves (leaflets). In A. thaliana, over the course of evolution, the RCO-A and RCO-B paralogous genes have been deleted that led to the loss of lobes (leaf simplification). Based on previous quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping results, these gene family members are thought to control leaf shape variation also in A. lyrata. Since the paralog involved in leaf shape variation is unknown, both copies of the RCO genes (AL6G13350 and AL6G13360) were sequenced. The study aimed to identify whether DNA sequence variation exists in the two paralogous RCO genes, which could explain the phenotype variation both within population and between A. lyrata populations, along with related species A. arenosa. The results showed limited variation in the coding regions in the form of indels, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and amino acid substitutions resulting in no significant difference in phenotype between genotype (p>0.139). The most variants were rare and increasing the number of individuals within the populations, to cover the full phenotypic spectrum, may lead to different results. Not being able to obtain the nucleotide sequence of the promotor region, further analysis is required since it is an important region for gene expression, which could explain phenotype variation for leaf shape in Arabidopsis lyrata.

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can detrimentally affect human health directly and indirectly. However, the main environmental concern of VOCs involves the formation of smog. In the presence of nitrogen oxides, VOCs are the precursors to the formation of ground level ozone. Isopropyl alcohol (IPA) and toluene are extensively used in industry as solvents. They are all highly toxic to animals and humans. Accordingly, IPA and toluene are strongly associated with problems of VOCs. Catalytic incinerations and a regenerative catalytic oxidizer (RCO) were adopted to decompose VOCs herein. Various catalysts were prepared and developed in this study. The screening test of catalytic activity and the influences of the operational parameters on VOCs removal efficiencies were widely discussed through catalytic incinerations of VOCs. The more effective and cheaper catalysts through above discussions of catalytic incineration were selected. And they were utilized in an RCO to investigate their performance in VOCs oxidation and RCO operations. Experimental results demonstrate that 10 wt%CuCo/(G) catalyst performed well in an RCO because it has the excellent performance in incineration efficiency and economic efficiency. The achievements of this study are summarized as follows: (1) Treatment of isopropyl alcohol (IPA) using ceramic honeycomb(CH) catalyst The eighteen ceramic honeycomb catalysts we prepared by various methods (co-precipitation, wet impregnation and incipient impregnation), various metal weight loadings (5 ~ 20 wt %), and various metals (Cu and CuCe) were used in the experiment. The results indicate that 20 wt%CuCe/(CH) catalyst prepared by wet impregnation had the best performance in CO2 yield because TC50 and TC95 were 245¢J and 370¢J, respectively, under the following operating conditions; a space velocity of 12000 hr-1, an inlet IPA concentration of 1600 ppm, an oxygen concentration of 21%, and a relative humidity of 25%. Given the operational parameters of IPA oxidation experiments, the CO2 yields increased with higher temperature and oxygen concentration, but decreased with inlet IPA concentration, space velocity and the relative humidity increased. Moreover, the stability test results show that the 20 wt%CuCe/(CH) catalyst had excellent stability. (2) Treatment of toluene using molecular sieve(MS) catalyst Molecular sieve catalysts with various metals (Cu, Co, Mn, CuMn, CuCo, MnCo) and various loadings (5~10 wt %) were produced by wet impregnation to treat toluene. The results indicate that 10 wt%CuCo/(MS) had the best performance in toluene conversion because T50 and T95 were 295¢J and 425¢J, respectively, at an influent concentration of toluene of 900 ppm, an oxygen concentration of 21%, a space velocity of 12000 hr-1, and a relative humidity of 26%. The conversions of toluene increased with the reaction temperature and the influent concentration of oxygen, but decreased as the initial concentration of toluene and the space velocity increased. Moreover, we did not find any decay between the fresh and used catalysts using SEM and EDS. (3) Treatment of isopropyl alcohol (IPA) using Cu/(CH) and CuCo/(CH) catalysts We used the 20 wt% CuCo/(CH) and 20 wt% Cu/(CH) catalysts in a pilot RCO to test IPA oxidation performance under various conditions. The best catalyst was selected, and the economic efficiency of RCO and the phenomenon of RCO operations were more widely discussed. The results demonstrate that 20 wt% CuCo/(CH) catalyst performed well in an RCO because it was effective in treating IPA, with a CO2 yield of up to 95%. It also had the largest tolerance of variations in inlet IPA concentration and gas velocity. The 20 wt% CuCo/(CH) catalyst in an RCO also performed well in terms of TRE, pressure drop and selectivity to CO2. The thermal recovery efficiency (TRE) decreased as gas velocity increased. The temperature difference (Td) and pressure drop increased with gas velocity and heating zone temperature. The TRE range was from 87.8 to 91.2 % and the Td ranged from 22.1~35.1¢Junder various conditions. Finally, the stability test results indicate that the 20 wt% CuCo/(CH) catalyst was very stable at various CO2 yields and temperatures. (4) Treatment of toluene using CuCo/(CH) catalysts with various carriers In this work, three catalysts (10 wt%CuCo/(G)¡B10 wt%CuCo/(MS) and 20 wt% Cu/(CH)) were prepared by wet impregnation, and used in an RCO to test their performance in incineration efficiency and economic efficiency under various operational conditions. Then the best catalyst was selected and the phenomenons of RCO operations were further investigated. Experimental results demonstrate that 10 wt%CuCo/(G) catalyst performed well in an RCO because it is effective in treating toluene with a toluene conversion of up to 95% at the heating zone temperature (Tset) = 400¢J under various conditions. The 10 wt% CuCo/(G) catalyst had the greatest tolerance against the effects of inlet toluene concentration and gas velocity, and exhibited the best performance in terms of TRE , Td and pressure drop. The TRE range was from 90.2 to 92.9 % and Td ranged from 18.2 to 30.9¢J under various conditions at Tset = 300~400¢J. Moreover, when 10 wt% CuCo/(G) catalyst was used in an RCO, the results demonstrate that (1) high selectivity to CO2 ; (2) decrease in TRE and increase in Td as increasing the shifting time; (3) an insignificant effect of shifting time on pressure drop and (4) excellent stability of 10 wt% CuCo/(G) catalyst in a long period test.

Oil storage tanks and their pipelines are mostly constructed under the ground. If the leaches are occurred, the soil pollution and the contamination of groundwater quality will influenced seriously. The soil of oil polluted sites is usually containing the huge amounts of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other organics. These VOCs is uncomfortable on physical body when they spread into atmosphere not only to cause the harm of human health but also to react into photochemical smog. Besides, the VOCs are probably reacting with nitrogen oxides into the problems of high concentrations of ozone. In this study, we used a regenerative catalytic oxidizer (RCO) to deal with VOCs in soil of the oil polluted sites. The RCO system was packed with self-made catalyst of 20 wt%CuMn/£^-Al2O3. Experimental results revealed 90¡Ó5% of the influent VOCs (C0=450-10,000 ppm) was thermally destruction with no catalyst in beds operated with a valve shifting time (ts) of 2 min, superficial gas velocities (Ug) of 0.37 m/s (evaluated at an influent air temperature of around 30¢J) and present maximum destruction temperature (TS) of 800-900¢J. With the catalyst packings and operation conditions of Ug=0.37 m/s and C0=450~10,000 ppm, the destruction efficiency of 93.35 and 96.5% were observed, respectively in average at TS of 600 and 650¢J. When Ug=1.11 m/s and C0=450-10,000 ppm, the destruction efficiency of 87.51 and 93.75% were observed, respectively in average at TS of 600 and 650¢J. The destruction efficiency of RCO is high at higher influent concentration of VOCs and low gas velocities at TS=600-650¢J.

After being expelled from Bhutan in the 1980s and 1990s, more than 100,000 Bhutanese refugees were forced to reside in refugee camps in Nepal. Twenty years later, in 2006, a global resettlement programme was initiated to relocate them in eight different nations: the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Norway, Denmark, The Netherlands, and the UK. Since 2010, about 350 Bhutanese refugees have been resettled in Greater Manchester through the Gateway Protection Programme. This thesis is based on 14 months of ethnographic research with members of this community. This thesis analyses the complex relationship between forced migrants, social networks, and ruling, organisational entities, which facilitate refugee resettlement. This qualitative study looks at the structure, role and everyday utility of social networks amongst a small refugee community, and emphasizes that the creation of similarity and difference is an inherent part of community development. The research calls into question the assumptions of UK policy makers, service providers and academics alike, which hold that refugees are removed from their ‘original’ cultures through forced displacement, and thereafter strive to return to a state of ‘normalcy’ or ‘originality’, re-creating and re-inventing singular ‘traditions’, identities and communities. In response to these assumptions, policy makers and service providers in refugee camps and in the UK adopt a Community Development Approach (CDA). However, I argue that there is no fixed and bounded community amongst Bhutanese refugees, but that they actively reshape and adapt their interpretations, meanings and actions through their experiences of forced migration, and thus create novel communities out of old and new social networks. In the process, I juxtapose my informants’ emic understandings of community as samaj, with bureaucratized refugee community organisations (RCOs). This research shows that rather than a creating singular, formalized RCO to serve the ‘good of all’, the Bhutanese refugee community in Manchester is rife with divisions based on personal animosities and events stretching back to the refugee camps in Nepal. I conclude that RCOs may not be equipped to effectively deal with the divisive issues that arise due to refugee resettlement. The thesis is situated at the centre of anthropological investigations of forced migration, community, and policy, and uses interdisciplinary sources (such as policy documents, historical accounts) to highlight the complexities of forced migration and refugee resettlement. This critical research is also a response to the call to make qualitative, ethnographic research more relevant for policy makers and service provision, which is all the more important in this ‘century of the refugee’.