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Sunglasses to hide behind may also prevent melanoma of the eyes
Get PDFFrom Springer Nature via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: received 2021-02-05, rev-recd 2021-02-26, accepted 2021-03-02, registration 2021-03-04, pub-electronic 2021-04-06, online 2021-04-06, pub-print 2021-08-17Publication status: PublishedFunder: Cancer Research UK (CRUK); doi: https://doi.org/10.13039/501100000289; Grant(s): A27412 and A22902Summary: In 1967, Sandy Posey pronounced that sunglasses are essential beachwear (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HVBEb-GA1Y). Now, whole-genome sequencing reveals that ultraviolet radiation (UVR) can contribute to melanomas in the iris and conjunctiva, data that provide a molecular explanation for why it is important to protect our eyes from exposure to UVR
UbiD domain dynamics underpins aromatic decarboxylation
Get PDFFrom Springer Nature via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: received 2020-12-03, accepted 2021-07-20, registration 2021-08-03, pub-electronic 2021-08-20, online 2021-08-20, collection 2021-12Publication status: PublishedFunder: EC | EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation H2020 | H2020 Priority Excellent Science | H2020 European Research Council (H2020 Excellent Science - European Research Council); doi: https://doi.org/10.13039/100010663; Grant(s): 695013Funder: RCUK | Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC); doi: https://doi.org/10.13039/501100000268; Grant(s): BB/P000622/1Abstract: The widespread UbiD enzyme family utilises the prFMN cofactor to achieve reversible decarboxylation of acrylic and (hetero)aromatic compounds. The reaction with acrylic compounds based on reversible 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition between substrate and prFMN occurs within the confines of the active site. In contrast, during aromatic acid decarboxylation, substantial rearrangement of the substrate aromatic moiety associated with covalent catalysis presents a molecular dynamic challenge. Here we determine the crystal structures of the multi-subunit vanillic acid decarboxylase VdcCD. We demonstrate that the small VdcD subunit acts as an allosteric activator of the UbiD-like VdcC. Comparison of distinct VdcCD structures reveals domain motion of the prFMN-binding domain directly affects active site architecture. Docking of substrate and prFMN-adduct species reveals active site reorganisation coupled to domain motion supports rearrangement of the substrate aromatic moiety. Together with kinetic solvent viscosity effects, this establishes prFMN covalent catalysis of aromatic (de)carboxylation is afforded by UbiD dynamics
A Practice-Based Approach to Defining Maximalism
Get PDFThis practice-based Ph.D. is an exploration of the concept of maximalism in the field of visual arts. Previous studies of maximalism in disciplines such as literature and architecture signalled a lack of rigor surrounding the use of the term maximalism with regard to various cultural productions. In addition, the relative scarcity of works addressing maximalism in visual art drove the development of this research, which aims to clarify the definition of maximalism through the practice of art.
Through critical interrogation, the body of work developed within this project revealed insights into the nature of artistic maximalism. During the development of the project, a methodological research gap was identified as the absence of a set of procedures enabling the understanding and use of the concept of maximalism. To address this methodological gap, a theoretical framework describing maximalism in terms of formal parameters was constructed.
Maximalism was investigated through the exploration of a variety of new and traditional media: holography, virtual reality (VR) artmaking, 3D printing, printmaking and drawing. The study revealed the intrinsically maximalist nature of holography in conjunction with VR artmaking. VR holography, a new art form resulting from this research, expands physical space by using a flat surface to render potentially infinite 3D content. It also connects the realms of the virtual and the real. Other forms of artistic maximalism revealed by this study include: the expansion of the space of art through para-artistic devices, intensity maximalism explored through miniature drawing, chromatic maximalism, durational maximalism and narrative maximalism.
Maximalism as an artistic practice reflects an engagement of the artist in a continual process of becoming, as a method to access and explore new tools for artistic expression.
The main contribution of the research is a twofold definition of maximalism. On the one hand, maximalism is defined as a mode of artistic expression intrinsic to the artwork, a definition which lends itself to a type of art analysis partially grounded in formalism. On the other hand, maximalism is proposed as a characteristic of the process of artmaking, referring to a strategy which the artist employs as a means of decentralising the artistic self.
Investigating these forms of maximalism showed the potential usefulness, to art theory and criticism, of a theory of maximalism based on aesthetic formalism. The clarification of the concept of maximalism constitutes a contribution to the vocabulary and discourse of art
Effects of Radiation sterilization Dose on the Molecular Weight and Gelling Properties of Commercial Alginate Samples
Get PDFTo estimate the molecular weight (Mw) and gelling properties, a total of 26 alginate samples consisting of control (n = 13) and 15 kGy γ-irradiated (n = 13) samples were characterized through viscometric and gel permeation chromatography (GPC-MALLS) methods. Based on the observations, a remarkable decrease in the intrinsic viscosity of all samples of alginates was evident due to the effects of radiation, with a linear relationship between viscosity and concentration in 0.01 M NaCl solution. The correlation among the Mw, percentage mass recovery, radii of gyration (Rz/Rg), and percentage reduction of Mw assessed by GPC was significant. The Mw decreased dramatically (from 3.1 × 105 to 0.49 × 105 mole/g in sample no. 12) by the effect of radiation with momentous relation to the % reduction of the molecular weight. The highest molecular weight reduction (84%), which is the most sensitive to γ-radiation, and the average reduction rate was ≥50%. The mass recovery was 100% obtained from samples no. 1,3,4,5,7,12, and 13, while the rest of the samples’ recovery rate was significantly higher. The reduction rate of mass molecular weight (Mw) is higher than the average molecular weight (Mv), but they showed a sensitivity towards radiation, consequently their performance are different from each other. The stability test was performed as a critical behaviour in the control, recurrently same as in the irradiated samples. Thus, the sterilization dose of 15 kGy for the Mw distribution, and subsequently for the characterization, was significantly effective
Perfectionism Among Young Female Competitive Irish Dancers: Prevalence and Relationship with Injury Responses
No full textThe present study investigated the prevalence of perfectionism among young competitive Irish dancers and examined the relationships between three different types of perfectionistic tendencies and coping strategies ultilised when experiencing injury. Sixty-eight female dancers (Mage = 14 ± 2.3 years) completed the Child-Adolescent Perfectionism Scale and the Ways of Coping Questionnaire, alongside a record of injuries incurred during their championship careers. Participants reported 189 injuries, mostly involving lower extremities. Seventy-nine percent of dancers reported perfectionistic tendencies (mixed perfectionism 40%, pure self-oriented perfectionism 29%, pure socially prescribed perfectionism 10%), and most frequently adopted planful problem-solving, seeking social support, distancing, and self-controlling strategies to cope with injury. Perfectionism and the utilisation of two coping strategies were found to be significantly (p = .03) related; planful problem-solving was used typically ‘quite a bit or a great deal’ by the mixed perfectionism group, but only ‘somewhat’ by the non-perfectionism group, whereas confrontive coping was typically not used by the non-perfectionism group, but was used ‘somewhat’ by the mixed perfectionism group. Given the high frequency and intensity of perfectionism and the simulaneous employment of problem- and emotion-focused strategies when coping with injuries, it is suggested that practitioners acknowledge such tendencies when supporting their athletes’ in order to reduce the likely negative psychological impact
Making the most of crafts in Merseyside schools
Get PDFThis article was published in AD Magazine (2020), Issue 28. AD Magazine is published by the National Society for Education in Art and Design (NSEAD).During 2018/19 the Bluecoat Display Centre (BDC) in Liverpool set out to undertake a review of best-practice models for integrating craft-makers into secondary education to support research-informed practice in creative education. The project took us into a number of local secondary schools around Merseyside to meet teachers who had integrated artist-led working and residencies into their curriculums, to help us build a detailed picture of the conditions and resources that are essential for a productive long-term collaboration between the schools and the craft-maker
Violence, control and restraint: The harms to young adults particularly upon transition
Get PDFThe transition into the young adult/adult estate at age 18 years is marked by a significant loss of provision and shift in institutional treatment. One of the many harms endured is the change in restraint which is harmful and damaging yet prevailing. The data presented here shows how the distinct needs of this vulnerable population are widely overlooked. This article extends the literature regarding young adults and argues that there should be greater exploration and understanding of their behaviour and the impacts of transitions. This in turn leads to recommendations for changes to practices within the young adult/adult estate.VoR uploaded to CR 17/05/2023 but first compliant deposit was the A
Scots pine ( Pinus sylvestris ) dynamics in the Welsh Marches during the mid to late-Holocene
Get PDFFrom SAGE Publishing via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: received 2020-10-16, accepted 2021-01-15, epub 2021-02-19Publication status: PublishedAround 4000 cal yr BP, Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) suffered a widespread demise across the British Isles. This paper presents new information about P. sylvestris populations found in the Welsh Marches (western central Britain), for which the long-term history and origins are poorly known. Two new pollen records were produced from the Lin Can Moss ombrotrophic bog (LM18) and the Breidden Hill pond (BH18). The LM18 peat core is supported by loss-on-ignition, humification analysis and radiocarbon dating. Lead concentrations were used to provide an estimated timeframe for the recent BH18 record. In contrast to many other Holocene pollen records from the British Isles, analysis of LM18 reveals that Scots pine grains were deposited continuously between c. 6900–300 cal yr BP, at frequencies of 0.3–5.4%. It is possible that individual Scots pine trees persisted through the wider demise on thin soils of steep drought-prone crags of hills or the fringes of lowland bogs in the Welsh Marches. At BH18, the record indicates a transition from broadleaved to mixed woodland, including conifer species introduced around AD 1850 including Picea and Pinus. The insights from BH18 suggest that the current populations may largely be the result of planting. Comparison of the LM18 findings with other regional pollen records highlights consistent patterns, including a Mid-Holocene maximum (ca. 7000 cal yr BP), long-term persistence at low pollen percentages and a Late-Holocene minimum (ca. 3000 cal yr BP). These distinctive trends encourage further studies on refugial areas for Scots pine in this region and elsewhere
The Plotlands Archive
No full textThe Plotlands Archive is an online photographic database of unconventional houses and chalets and their vernacular construction methods originally built during the interwar period and those which have since been adapted and modified. Situated on coastal strips and in river valleys, few estates from that period still remain. The archive is a celebration of resourcefulness, creativity and character, recording many unique materials and designs largely unseen within urban housing developments.
The database provides searchable access to houses by site name, material and construction type. Locations include Humberston Fitties, The Brooklands Estate at Jaywick Sands, The Bel Air Estate at Seawick, Leysdown on Sea, Almere Ferry on the River Dee, Eccles-on-Sea Norfolk and others.A visual database of photographs of Plotland-era houses and chalets in the U
Acceptance and values clarification versus cognitive restructuring and relaxation: A randomized controlled trial of ultra-brief non-expert-delivered coaching interventions for social resilience.
Get PDFLow social resilience (e.g., susceptibility to social anxiety, and social avoidance) has been associated with poor mental and physical health outcomes, and can lead to ostracism. Support services such as university counselling centres, which deal with
non-diagnosable psychological distress, linked to low social resilience, require effective yet brief interventions deliverable by non-experts to meet service demands. As it is not always possible to prevent subjectively negative experiences, acceptance-based interventions aim to change how we respond behaviourally to such experiences. The present study tests the efficacy of an ultra-brief (1hr) non-expert delivered acceptance and values-based (AV) coaching intervention to increase resilience to negative social interactions. This was compared to a comparable dose of a cognitive restructuring and relaxation-based (CRR) analogue, and a psycho-education and progressive muscle relaxation-based (PE-PMR) control. Participants ( N =60) were assessed on perceived burdensomeness, belonging, and 3 scenarios measuring anxiety and likelihood to engage in social situations. Participants then played Cyberball, an ostracising task, before recompleting the aforementioned measures. Physiological measures indicated Cyberball was an aversive experience. In the AV condition only, we observed an improved behavioral intention to engage with social scenarios ( dppc2 = .57). Ultra-brief AV-based coaching interventions delivered by non-expert
coaches appear promising in increasing participant’s likelihood to continue engaging in social interactions after a stressful social experience. We tentatively conclude that gains in committed action may increase the propensity of at-risk individuals to seek social support
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