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ERA is a digital repository of original research produced at The University of Edinburgh. The archive contains documents written by, or affiliated with, academic authors, or units, based at Edinburgh that have sufficient quality to be collected and preserved by the Library, but which are not controlled by commercial publishers. Holdings include full-text digital doctoral theses, masters dissertations, project reports, briefing papers and out-of-print materials.

Information on current research activity including staff, projects and publications is available via the Edinburgh Research Explorer.

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Does positive selection of sialic acid regulatory genes affect bats' influenza A virus carriage?
(2026-05-14) Campbell, Eilidh; Sloan, Richard; Picozzi, Kim
In the past two decades, four novel influenza A virus (IAV) strains have been identified in bats. Given bat species’ established role in viral emergence and cross-species transmission, a deeper understanding of host factors affecting their IAV carriage is required to prevent future spillover events. B4GALNT2, a host cell factor known to inhibit avian IAV entry by preventing α2,3 sialic acid receptor-mediated binding has been identified as under positive selection in bats. Evidence that bat B4GALNT2 is subject to positive selection suggests bat species may be evolving their sialic acid availability to regulate IAV infection. Here, we ask if bat B4GALNT2 alleles can regulate IAV H5 infection and if alleles subject to positive selection demonstrate enhanced functionality. Our work shows the first instance of non-human B4GALNT2-mediated antiviral activity. R. aegyptiacus B4GALNT2 alleles demonstrate the highest level of inhibition, yet considerable variations in B4GALNT2-mediated antiviral exist between splice variants. Conversely, despite displaying signatures of positive selection, R. trifoliatus B4GALNT2 expression does not appear to influence IAV infection. Moreover, our analysis identifies several residues that may be important for bat B4GALNT2 antiviral functionality. The results generated throughout this study will enable further research into the antiviral role of B4GALNT2 and the differential patterns of inhibition observed between bat species' B4GALNT2 genes. By increasing comparative analysis between the genetic factors underlying zoonosis, we will improve our understanding of cross-species transmission and leverage these findings to prevent future viral emergence.
Novel approaches to improving calf health: new technology and data analytics
(The University of Edinburgh. Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, 2026-05-14) Riley, Bethan Bridget; Haskell, Marie; Corbishley, Alexander; Duthie, C. A.; Mason, C.; Scotland's Rural College; UKRI Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC); EASTBIO DTP; AHDB (Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board)
Calf disease significantly impacts both welfare and production. Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) and neonatal calf diarrhoea (NCD) commonly affect calves and are frequently missed by farm staff. Activity and milk feeding variables have been associated with BRD and NCD and are being investigated for use in disease detection tools. Saliva may also hold some potential for NCD detection. Group housed calves had their activity and milk feeding variables recorded by a tri-axial accelerometer and automatic milk feeders and were scored for BRD in two trials. In the second trial, calves were scored for NCD and dehydration daily and had blood and saliva samples taken weekly and when they developed NCD. Haematocrit was measured in all blood samples and electrolytes and serum proteins in a subset of thirty. All saliva samples had both pH and conductivity measured. Four datasets were created. Healthy calves from the first trial were selected by excluding data three days either side of a diseased or intermediate BRD score or treatment event, giving a dataset of 31 calves with 10 days each. The association between intrinsic calf factors and activity and milk feeding variables was analysed. Calves with BRD were paired with a healthy calf on the same date, of the same sex, within seven days of age and ten kilograms of weight. Three days either side of peak disease were also taken for analysis. Mixed models analysed the association between BRD and activity and milk feeding variables. The second trial’s dataset was cleaned to remove the confounder of BRD and split into laboratory and behaviour variables. The dehydrated calves were matched with a healthy calf and a NCD and normally hydrated calf. The association between NCD with or without dehydration and saliva pH and conductivity, haematocrit and total protein were analysed using mixed models. Lin’s correlation concordance was correlated between saliva pH and haematocrit in the larger dataset and saliva pH and strong ion difference in the smaller dataset. Mixed modelling was used to analyse the association of NCD with or without dehydration on milk feeding and activity variables. Heavier healthy calves visited the milk more often for shorter visits and drank faster than their lighter counterparts. Older healthy calves had shorter lying bouts and were less active than younger calves. Summer born healthy calves lay down for longer, had more lying bouts and, more shorter standing bouts each day, than healthy calves born in autumn or winter. Healthy male calves drank more slowly, were less likely to consume their milk allowance and had longer lying bouts than healthy female calves. Calves with BRD visited the milk feeder for longer for the three days following peak disease and drank more milk per feed on days -3 and -2 relative to peak disease. No other comparisons between diseased and healthy calves on any day were significant. Differences between these finding and those in the literature may be due to nutrition. Saliva pH but not conductivity was associated with NCD, regardless of hydration status. Saliva pH was not associated with haematocrit or strong ion difference. Calves with NCD, regardless of hydration status were less active, less likely to consume their milk allowance and drank more slowly than healthy calves. Calves with NCD that were normally hydrated had fewer, longer lying bouts and visits to the milk feeder and more standing bouts than healthy calves. Dehydrated calves with NCD had longer visits to milk than either their normally hydrated diarrhoeic or their healthy counterparts. In conclusion, young calves do show differences in behaviour when they are sick. Saliva pH is associated with diarrhoea so may have potential for a disease detection tool but the mechanism is unclear.
Trade-offs between water use and food production in Egyptian agriculture under an uncertain future
(2026-05-14) Sattar, Aimen Mortada Abdel; Alexander, Peter; Rounsevell, Mark; Brown, Calum
Egypt’s agricultural system is facing increasing pressure from limited water resources – sourced predominantly from the Nile River – rising demand, and climate change. Higher temperatures and evapotranspiration will intensify water stress, though CO₂ fertilisation may partially offset impacts by boosting yields and reducing water use. Meanwhile, upstream damming and extreme weather further threaten water availability and crop productivity. These challenges demand adaptive, integrated land and water management to safeguard food security for a rapidly growing population. Despite these constraints, Egypt maintains agricultural potential due to its climate suitability for year-round crop production, extensive irrigation infrastructure, and underutilised groundwater resources. Policy efforts have focused on irrigation modernisation, improved seed varieties, and large-scale agricultural expansion. Agriculture accounts for 17% of employment and 13% of the economy, while most of the farmers are smallholders. Additionally, food subsidies have been used to help maintain food security, although they have also deepened reliance on imports, increasing vulnerability to global market fluctuations. The interconnected nature of these challenges necessitates analytical tools that are capable of integrating biophysical and socioeconomic dimensions. Existing biophysical models effectively simulate climate impacts but treat farmer decision-making as static, whilst agent based models capture human responses but simplify biophysical dynamics. This thesis addresses these limitations by analysing current characteristics and recent trends in farming households, and then developing a coupled agent-based land-use change and ecohydrological model that integrates farmer decision-making with biophysical processes to evaluate climate change and socioeconomic impacts on agricultural production and resources. The research begins with a typology analysis of nationally representative labour market surveys from 2012 and 2018, revealing four distinct agricultural household clusters: specialised farming households focused on intensive production; village households reliant on subsistence agriculture; diversified income households combining agricultural and nonfarm activities; and landlord households with minimal direct involvement. The analysis iv demonstrates trends towards income diversification away from agricultural income as well as agricultural abandonment. Building on these findings, this study develops a coupled modelling framework that integrates the agent-based land-use change model CRAFTY (Competition for Resources between Agent Functional Types) with the ecohydrological model SWAT+ (Soil and Water Assessment Tool). Both models operate on the same 900 m resolution grid: SWAT+ simulates daily crop growth and irrigation demand, while CRAFTY allocates land use annually by modelling competition between 56 agent functional types based on socioeconomic resources and agent characteristics. Agents represent distinct cropping strategies and production systems, broadly classified as either commercial or subsistence types. Commercial agents reflect capital-intensive farmers who use deficit irrigation and depend on higher levels of financial and manufactured resources. In contrast, subsistence agents represent smallholders who rely on traditional flood irrigation and are more likely to persist under lower profitability conditions. These categories capture key differences in access to resources, irrigation practices, and labour dynamics, enabling the model to simulate transitions between farming systems across a range of future scenarios. To evaluate future outcomes, the model applies a set of integrated socioeconomic and climate scenarios combining assumptions about diets, trade, and farmer behaviour, based on the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs) and Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs). Under high-emission scenarios, yields for key crops increase by up to 25%, with water use efficiency improving by 69%, while low-emission scenarios show modest gains (4%). Production shortfalls vary widely: the inequality pathway results in the smallest gap (22%), while the sustainability scenario still leaves a 52% shortfall despite improved efficiency. No scenario fully meets demand for domestic production, with shortfalls shaped by population growth, dietary patterns, and trade dynamics. Notably, the regional rivalry scenario, which targets agricultural self-sufficiency but also drives high exports, faces the largest gap, with unmet demand for domestic production reaching 78%. This research shows that neither agricultural expansion nor dietary change alone can close the food production gap under Egypt’s limited water and land resources. The coupled model v highlights the trade-offs that emerge when policies focus on single objectives, underscoring the need for integrated strategies that account for socioeconomic diversity, spatial variability, and environmental constraints. By capturing how different farming households respond to change, the model supports more adaptive and targeted planning, emphasising the combined role of population trends, dietary shifts, trade policy, strategic agricultural expansion, and irrigation efficiency in ensuring future food security.
Exploration of the lived experiences of perpetrators and co-victims of relational homicide
(The University of Edinburgh, 2025-11-21) Shaw, Olivia; Kloess, Juliane; Burnett, Aileen
AIMS: This research aimed to develop understanding of the lived experiences of individuals bereaved by relational homicide, including both co-victims and perpetrators. In line with this, a systematic review of qualitative research aimed to explore bereavement following Intrafamilial homicide (IFH), and an empirical study aimed to answer the following question: how is grief experienced by men who have killed a loved one while experiencing mental health difficulties? METHODS: A systematic review identified and appraised the quality of 15 qualitative studies. Quality appraisal was carried out using a modified Critical Appraisal Skills Program checklist, and thematic synthesis was used to identify themes. A qualitative empirical study was also conducted to explore the experiences of individuals who have killed a loved one while experiencing mental health difficulties. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was employed to analyse participants lived experiences. RESULTS: The thematic analysis identified three main themes: (1) Enduring psychological and relational trauma, (2) Institutional neglect and epistemic injustice; and (3) Marginalisation and Social Death. For the empirical project, interviews were conducted and analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis, which generated one overarching theme, Unrelenting Loss. Within this, three superordinate themes were identified: (1) Reconstructing my Divided Identity, (2) Navigating Grief Under Restrictions, and (3) Living in the Aftermath of the Homicide. The findings of this study highlight the complicated, and often disenfranchised, grief experiences of this population. CONCLUSION: Bereavement following relational homicide is a socially isolating and identity-altering experience. While the emotional impact of the event persists across individuals’ lives, current mental health, criminal justice, and social service systems often lack the resources and flexibility needed to adequately support both co-victims and perpetrators.
Current Trends in Mediation: MEND Key Findings
(2026) PeaceRep consortium
The changing nature of peacemaking. We are seeing a shift in how mediation is undertaken. Efforts tend to be less connected, focus on issues that can be resolved more quickly, and often lack the ability to bring multiple strands of talks into a coherent whole.