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A Fine Toothed Comb
No full textThe publication includes: essays by Lubaina Himid, Lauren Elkin, author of Art Monsters: Unruly Bodies in Feminist Art, Flaneuse: Women Walk the City in Paris, New York, Tokyo, Venice and London, and Clarissa Corfe.
Edited by Beth Hughes. Designed by Pony Ltd, London.
A Fine Toothed Comb was an exhibition curated by Turner Prize-winning artist Lubaina Himid. Bringing together new commissions by Himid as well as artists Magda Stawarska, Rebecca Chesney and Tracy Hill, the exhibition focussed on unearthing hidden layers within the city of Manchester.
Through four unique installations spanning painting on found objects, multi-screen moving image, site-specific drawing and sound compositions, the artists’ work uncovered invisible geological, historical, environmental and political layers of the city. From hidden waterways and disappearing wildlife, to lost music and communities hidden in plain sight, A Fine Toothed Comb invited us to look closer at what surrounds us. This is the first time all four artists’ work was presented together, following many years of discussion and collaboration.
The publication includes: essays by Lubaina Himid, Lauren Elkin, author of Art Monsters: Unruly Bodies in Feminist Art, Flaneuse: Women Walk the City in Paris, New York, Tokyo, Venice and London, and Clarissa Corfe
Mental Health Risk Assessment: A Personalised Approach
No full textIn this chapter, we focus on the specific role of the mental health nurse in conducting meaningful risk assessment and co-producing a care and safety (risk management) plan. As a core feature of high quality mental health nursing practice, we present a practical formulation approach, clarifying key aspects and considerations through the use of case studies, as adapted from our own practice.
THIS CHAPTER COVERS
• Ways of thinking of about risk
• Using a practical formulation approach to working with risk within mental
health practice
• Conducting a risk assessment:
o accessing and gathering information
o considering the presence of historical and recent risk and protective factors
o considering the use of structured assessment tools
o developing the risk formulation
• Working alongside the individual in negotiating a meaningful care and safety
plan:
o negotiating an action plan
o undertaking frequent and regular review
o forming a meaningful account
• Issues/factors that may facilitate or hinder meaningful risk assessment and
risk management
The Impact of Circumscribed Interest Distractors on Attentional Orienting in Young Children with Autism: Eye-tracking Evidence from the Remote Distractor Paradigm
Get PDFStudies from free-viewing tasks (e.g., preferential looking paradigm) report that children with autism spectrum condition (ASC) exhibit an attentional bias for circumscribed interests (CI) objects (e.g., vehicles, clocks) over non-CI objects (e.g., clothes, furniture). This atypical preference has led researchers to hypothesise that ASC children would be more distracted by CI-related objects than non-CI-related objects. The current study aimed to explore this issue using a remote distractor paradigm with distractors positioned at different locations in the visual field. We found a general delayed orienting response (longer saccade latency) under foveal distractor conditions in children with autism, suggesting increased endogenous disengagement for centrally presented distractors. Additionally, children with autism produced higher error rates and fewer corrective saccades than control counterparts, indicating poorer attentional control. Neither latencies nor errors were modulated by stimulus types. However, additional analysis showed increased dwell time for CI-related objects over non-CI-related objects in the ASC group, demonstrating some support for the attentional bias for CI-related stimuli reported in visual preference paradigms. The failure to observe stimulus modulation on latencies or errors in the current experiment was discussed in relation to how task demands in basic visual attentional paradigms might mask any CI-related preference bias in ASC
Comparison of dental topography of marmosets and tamarins (Callitrichidae) to other platyrrhine primates using a novel freeware pipeline
Get PDFDental topographic metrics (DTMs), which quantify different aspects of the shape of teeth, are powerful tools for studying dietary adaptation and evolution in mammals. Current DTM protocols usually rely on proprietary software, which may be unavailable to researchers for reasons of cost. We address this issue in the context of a DTM analysis of the primate clade Platyrrhini (“New World monkeys”) by: 1) presenting a large comparative sample of scanned second lower molars (m2s) of callitrichids (marmosets and tamarins), previously underrepresented in publicly available datasets; and 2) giving full details of an entirely freeware pipeline for DTM analysis and its validation. We also present an updated dietary classification scheme for extant platyrrhines, based on cluster analysis of dietary data extracted from 98 primary studies. Our freeware pipeline performs equally well in dietary classification accuracy of an existing sample of platyrrhine m2s (excluding callitrichids) as a published protocol that uses proprietary software when multiple DTMs are combined. Individual DTMs, however, sometimes showed very different results in classification accuracies between protocols, most likely due to differences in smoothing functions. The addition of callitrichids resulted in high classification accuracy in predicting diet with combined DTMs, although accuracy was considerably higher when molar size was included (90%) than excluded (73%). We conclude that our new freeware DTM pipeline is capable of accurately predicting diet in platyrrhines based on tooth shape and size, and so is suitable for inferring probable diet of taxa for which direct dietary information is unavailable, such as fossil species
Drip irrigation on productivity, water use efficiency and profitability of turmeric (Curcuma longa) grown under mulched and non-mulched conditions
Get PDFTurmeric cultivation primarily thrives in India, with significant presence in Bangladesh, Thailand, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Philippines, and Malaysia. India leads globally in both area (0.19 Mha) and production (0.844 MT) of turmeric. Despite this, there's a recognized gap in research regarding the combined effects of mulching and drip fertigation on turmeric growth in Tamil Nadu conditions. Therefore, this study aims to assess how mulching and drip fertigation impact water usage, turmeric growth, productivity, and post-harvest soil health via field experiments. The treatments comprise of different mulching techniques (M1-25 μm Plastic Mulching, M2-50 μm Plastic Mulching, M3- Organic Mulching, M4-No Mulching) as the main plot, coupled with various irrigation regimes as the sub plot (S1-100% of pan evaporation, S2- 80% of pan evaporation, S3- 60% of pan evaporation), in a split plot design. Findings show that 50-μm Plastic Mulching (M2) notably enhances turmeric growth parameters, including plant height, biomass, leaf count, and yield attributes such as tillers and rhizomes, compared to no mulch. Significantly, when 80% of pan evaporation is utilized in drip irrigation, it showcases the most pronounced plant growth and yield characteristics, with plastic mulch at this level significantly improving water and nutrient use efficiency while increasing beneficial compounds like Curcumin and oleoresin. The highest fresh rhizome yield is observed with 50-μm plastic mulch and 80% pan evaporation (M2S2), displaying a 39.79% increase compared to the control. Additionally, the study notes effects on microbial populations and mulch degradation. Economically, M2S2 exhibits the highest profitability with a benefit-cost ratio of 3.23 compared to other treatments. Implementing these practices not only enhances yields but also conserves water (estimated at 9.15 mm3) while emphasizing the importance of drip irrigation, fertilizer application, and mulching in boosting turmeric productivity, optimizing resource efficiency, and ensuring economic and environmental sustainability
O105: Evaluating Surgical Approaches in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Lobectomy vs Sublobar Resection
No full textBackground
Lung Cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related mortality, with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounting for 85% of cases. Lobectomy has long been regarded as the gold-standard treatment for early-stage NSCLC. A shifting paradigm towards lung-sparing procedures such as sublobar resection, may benefit patients with limited respiratory reserve or high comorbidity index. This study aims to compare survival outcomes between patients undergoing lobectomy and sublobar resection.
Methods
This was a tertiary retrospective cohort study comparing disease-free survival (DFS), overall survival (OS) and postoperative outcomes in lobectomy and sublobar patients between 2013 and 2023 (n=3983). Propensity matched analysis was employed to adjust for treatment selection bias, calculated using a logistic regression model and incorporated eight covariates (n=528). Baseline, post-operative, and survival data were extracted from the hospital database. Comparison of baseline and post-operative characteristics involved Wilcoxon rank sum test, Fisher’s exact test and Pearson’s Chi-squared test. Kaplan Meier estimates and Multivariate Cox Regression were used to evaluate survival. p<0.05 was considered significant.
Results
No significant inter-cohort differences were observed in either DFS (log-rank p=0.32), OS (log-rank p=0.47), or 90-day mortality (log-rank p=0.78). Sublobar resection exhibited shorter post-operative length of stay (p<0.05). Conversely, both approaches demonstrated comparable resection margins and complication rates. Significant predictors of survival were age, gender and low Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status (p<0.05).
Conclusion
These findings further support the non-inferiority of sublobar resection to lobectomy for stage 1 lung cancer. Additionally, improved perioperative outcomes may make sublobar resection more desirable for higher risk patients
Multiple novel Caliciviruses identified from stoats (Mustela erminea) in the United Kingdom
Get PDFThe Caliciviridae family, comprising positive-sense RNA viruses, is characterised by its non-enveloped, small virions, broad host range, and notable tendency for host switching. These viruses are primarily associated with gastroenteric disease, though they can lead to haemorrhagic or respiratory infections. Our study employed a metagenomics analysis of faecal samples from Stoats (Mustela erminea), identifying two novel Calicivirus species, tentatively named Stoat vesivirus and Stoat valovirus. Stoat vesivirus was identified in three samples (ST008, ST006, ST004), exhibiting a genome wide nucleotide identity of approximately 92%. The complete coding sequences of these samples were 8471 (ST004) and 8322 (ST006) nucleotides in length, respectively. Each comprised three open reading frames (ORF), closely resembling the Vesivirus mink calicivirus (China/2/2016), with 70-72% similarity in ORF1, 61-62% in ORF2 and 71% in ORF3. Phylogenetic analysis robustly supported Stoat vesivirus as belonging within the Vesivirus genus. The second Calivicirus (Stoat valovirus), detected solely in sample ST008, was 6527 nucleotides in length and with complete coding sequences present. It shared highest similarity with St-Valerien swine virus and Marmot norovirus HT16, showing 39.5% and 38.8% protein identity with ORF1 and 43.3% and 42.9% for VP1. Phylogenetic analysis suggested that while Stoat valovirus is borderline for new genus demarcation criteria, with greater than 60% divergence at ORF1, it clusters basally within the Valovirus genus, supporting its inclusion in this genus
Sustainable funding models for Nature-Based Social Prescribing (NBSP): urban v. rural comparison in Lancashire and South Cumbria Report (Oct 2023-March 2024)
Get PDFFirst Sagittarius A* Event Horizon Telescope Results. VII. Polarization of the Ring
Get PDFThe Event Horizon Telescope observed the horizon-scale synchrotron emission region around the Galactic center supermassive black hole, Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*), in 2017. These observations revealed a bright, thick ring morphology with a diameter of 51.8 ± 2.3 μas and modest azimuthal brightness asymmetry, consistent with the expected appearance of a black hole with mass M ≈ 4 × 106 M ⊙. From these observations, we present the first resolved linear and circular polarimetric images of Sgr A*. The linear polarization images demonstrate that the emission ring is highly polarized, exhibiting a prominent spiral electric vector polarization angle pattern with a peak fractional polarization of ∼40% in the western portion of the ring. The circular polarization images feature a modestly (∼5%–10%) polarized dipole structure along the emission ring, with negative circular polarization in the western region and positive circular polarization in the eastern region, although our methods exhibit stronger disagreement than for linear polarization. We analyze the data using multiple independent imaging and modeling methods, each of which is validated using a standardized suite of synthetic data sets. While the detailed spatial distribution of the linear polarization along the ring remains uncertain owing to the intrinsic variability of the source, the spiraling polarization structure is robust to methodological choices. The degree and orientation of the linear polarization provide stringent constraints for the black hole and its surrounding magnetic fields, which we discuss in an accompanying publication
Antimicrobial coatings based on amine-terminated graphene oxide and Nafion with remarkable thermal resistance
Get PDFWe present a novel type of layer-by-layer (LbL) waterborne coating based on Nafion and amine-terminated graphene oxide (GO–NH2) that inhibits the growth of Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus by more than 99% and this performance is not compromised upon extensive thermal annealing at 200 °C. Quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) sensorgrams allow the real time monitoring of the build-up of the LbL assemblies, a process that relies on the strong electrostatic interactions between Nafion (pH = 2.7, ζ = −54.8 mV) and GO–NH2 (pH = 2, ζ = 26.7 mV). Atomic force microscopy (AFM), contact angle and zeta potential measurements were used to characterise the multilayer assemblies. We demonstrate here that Nafion/GO–NH2 advanced coatings can offer drug-free and long-lasting solutions to microbial colonization and can withstand dry heat sterilization, without any decline in their performance