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Macclesfield Baths and Washhouses and its patrons in the nineteenth century
No full textThe East Cheshire market town of Macclesfield had grown to become the leading centre of the English silk industry by the mid nineteenth century and this resulted in severe pressure on the town’s inadequate services. One element of the national campaign to improve sanitary conditions in urban areas was the public baths and washhouses movement from the 1840s, which resulted in the Public Baths and Wash-houses Acts in 1846 and 1847. Macclesfield’s Baths and Washhouses opened in January 1850 and it was one of the first provincial towns after Liverpool to provide such facilities. This article will therefore explore the national baths and washhouses movement, the impact of industrialisation on living conditions in Macclesfield, the history of the town’s Baths and Washhouses in the nineteenth century, the people active in its development and the range of motives which may have encouraged their support for this early addition to the public services for inhabitants
Understanding the electrochemistry of "water-in-salt" electrolytes: basal plane highly ordered pyrolytic graphite as a model system.
Get PDFFrom Europe PMC via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: ppub 2020-06-01, epub 2020-06-08Publication status: PublishedFunder: Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council; Grant(s): EP/R023034/1, EP/K005014/1A new approach to expand the accessible voltage window of electrochemical energy storage systems, based on so-called "water-in-salt" electrolytes, has been expounded recently. Although studies of transport in concentrated electrolytes date back over several decades, the recent demonstration that concentrated aqueous electrolyte systems can be used in the lithium ion battery context has rekindled interest in the electrochemical properties of highly concentrated aqueous electrolytes. The original aqueous lithium ion battery conception was based on the use of concentrated solutions of lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide, although these electrolytes still possess some drawbacks including cost, toxicity, and safety. In this work we describe the electrochemical behavior of a simple 1 : 1 electrolyte based on highly concentrated aqueous solutions of potassium fluoride (KF). Highly ordered pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) is used as well-defined model carbon to study the electrochemical properties of the electrolyte, as well as its basal plane capacitance, from a microscopic perspective: the KF electrolyte exhibits an unusually wide potential window (up to 2.6 V). The faradaic response on HOPG is also reported using K3Fe(CN)6 as a model redox probe: the highly concentrated electrolyte provides good electrochemical reversibility and protects the HOPG surface from adsorption of contaminants. Moreover, this electrolyte was applied to symmetrical supercapacitors (using graphene and activated carbon as active materials) in order to quantify its performance in energy storage applications. It is found that the activated carbon and graphene supercapacitors demonstrate high gravimetric capacitance (221 F g-1 for activated carbon, and 56 F g-1 for graphene), a stable working voltage window of 2.0 V, which is significantly higher than the usual range of water-based capacitors, and excellent stability over 10 000 cycles. These results provide fundamental insight into the wider applicability of highly concentrated electrolytes, which should enable their application in future of energy storage technologies
Understanding PITX2-Dependent Atrial Fibrillation Mechanisms through Computational Models
Get PDFFrom MDPI via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: accepted 2021-07-16, pub-electronic 2021-07-19Publication status: PublishedFunder: National Key Research and Development Program of China; Grant(s): 2019YFC0120100, 2019YFC0121907Funder: National Natural Science Foundation of China; Grant(s): 61901192Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common arrhythmia. Better prevention and treatment of AF are needed to reduce AF-associated morbidity and mortality. Several major mechanisms cause AF in patients, including genetic predispositions to AF development. Genome-wide association studies have identified a number of genetic variants in association with AF populations, with the strongest hits clustering on chromosome 4q25, close to the gene for the homeobox transcription PITX2. Because of the inherent complexity of the human heart, experimental and basic research is insufficient for understanding the functional impacts of PITX2 variants on AF. Linking PITX2 properties to ion channels, cells, tissues, atriums and the whole heart, computational models provide a supplementary tool for achieving a quantitative understanding of the functional role of PITX2 in remodelling atrial structure and function to predispose to AF. It is hoped that computational approaches incorporating all we know about PITX2-related structural and electrical remodelling would provide better understanding into its proarrhythmic effects leading to development of improved anti-AF therapies. In the present review, we discuss advances in atrial modelling and focus on the mechanistic links between PITX2 and AF. Challenges in applying models for improving patient health are described, as well as a summary of future perspectives
A single dose of ChAdOx1 Chik vaccine induces neutralising antibodies against four chikungunya virus lineages in a phase 1 clinical trial
Get PDFChikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a reemerging mosquito-borne virus that causes swift outbreaks. Major concerns are the persistent and disabling polyarthralgia in infected individuals. Here we present the results from a first-in-human trial of the candidate simian adenovirus vectored vaccine ChAdOx1 Chik, expressing the CHIKV full-length structural polyprotein (Capsid, E3, E2, 6k and E1). 24 adult healthy volunteers aged 18–50 years, were recruited in a dose escalation, open-label, nonrandomized and uncontrolled phase 1 trial (registry NCT03590392). Participants received a single intramuscular injection of ChAdOx1 Chik at one of the three preestablished dosages and were followed-up for 6 months. The primary objective was to assess safety and tolerability of ChAdOx1 Chik. The secondary objective was to assess the humoral and cellular immunogenicity. ChAdOx1 Chik was safe at all doses tested with no serious adverse reactions reported. The vast majority of solicited adverse events were mild or moderate, and self-limiting in nature. A single dose induced IgG and Tcell responses against the CHIKV structural antigens. Broadly neutralizing antibodies against the four CHIKV lineages were found in all participants and as early as 2 weeks after vaccination. In summary, ChAdOx1 Chik showed excellent safety, tolerability and 100% PRNT50 seroconversion after a single dose
Between-task consistency, temporal stability and the role of posture in simple reach and fishing hand preference in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)
Get PDFStudying hand preferences in chimpanzees can provide insights into the evolutionary origins of human hemispheric specialization. Research on chimpanzee hand preference requires careful examination of important factors such as posture, between-task consistency and temporal stability, although few studies have investigated all of these factors in combination. We investigated hand preference in simple reach and fishing behaviours in a group of 19 chimpanzees at Chester Zoo in the UK. Simple reach was defined as extending a hand to grasp a small object, then flexing the limb in a continuous motion, and was examined in quadrupedal, sitting and climbing postures. Fish in hole was defined as inserting a stick into a hole in the wall with one hand and then extracting it with the same hand. Between-task consistency of hand preference was assessed by comparing simple reach and fish in hole, while temporal stability was assessed by comparing simple reach from two points in time: 2017 and 2019. The data showed no significant influence of posture on the strength of hand preference, which contrasts with previous research. The findings of this study show temporal stability in simple reach, although only partial between-task consistency. Overall, the results indicate that simple reach elicits laterality at the individual level and is consistent across postures and stable over time, which is consistent with the literature. These results suggest that posture stability may be important in affecting hand preference. Further, whilst there was overall stability in hand preference across time periods, some individuals changed their preferred hand, suggesting there may be individual level temporal instability of hand preference for certain tasks
Mapping differences in mammalian distributions and diversity using environmental DNA from rivers.
No full textFrom PubMed via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: received 2021-06-11, revised 2021-08-12, accepted 2021-08-13Publication status: aheadofprintFinding more efficient ways to monitor and estimate the diversity of mammalian communities is a major step towards their management and conservation. Environmental DNA (eDNA) from river water has recently been shown to be a viable method for biomonitoring mammalian communities. Most of the studies to date have focused on the potential for eDNA to detect individual species, with little focus on describing patterns of community diversity and structure. Here, we first focus on the sampling effort required to reliably map the diversity and distribution of semi-aquatic and terrestrial mammals and allow inferences of community structure surrounding two rivers in southeastern England. Community diversity and composition was then assessed based on species richness and β-diversity, with differences between communities partitioned into nestedness and turnover, and the sampling effort required to rapidly detect semi-aquatic and terrestrial species was evaluated based on species accumulation curves and occupancy modelling. eDNA metabarcoding detected 25 wild mammal species from five orders, representing the vast majority (82%) of the species expected in the area. The required sampling effort varied between orders, with common species (generally rodents, deer and lagomorphs) more readily detected, with carnivores detected less frequently. Measures of species richness differed between rivers (both overall and within each mammalian order) and patterns of β-diversity revealed the importance of species replacement in sites within each river, against a pattern of species loss between the two rivers. eDNA metabarcoding demonstrated its capability to rapidly detect mammal species, allowing inferences of community composition that will better inform future sampling strategies for this Class. Importantly, this study highlights the potential use of eDNA data for investigating mammalian community dynamics over different spatial scales. [Abstract copyright: Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Permission to be kind to myself’. The experiences of informal carers of those with a life-limiting or terminal illness of a brief self-compassion-based self-care intervention
Get PDFThis is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Progress in Palliative Care on 19/09/2021, available online: https://doi.org/10.1080/09699260.2021.1972722Background: Informal carers of someone with a life-limiting or terminal illness often experience marked levels of depression, anxiety and stress. Carers have limited free time to devote to lengthy, well-being interventions. Carers also struggle to prioitorize their self-care, a factor which may help buffer some of the negative impacts of being a carer. The aim of this study was to gain insight into carers’ views and perceptions of a brief, four session face to face self-compassion intervention for carers (iCare) which was created to improve well- being, increase self-compassion and develop self-care among carers. In so doing, this qualitative research addresses gaps in the literature relating to self-compassion interventions for carers and targeted self-care initiatives for carers.
Method: Semi-structured interviews with nine participants of iCare were conducted and data subjected to a reflexive thematic analysis within a critical realist framework.
Findings: A number of themes and sub-themes were identified. Carers discovered a kinder, less judgemental way of seeing themselves allowing themselves to recognize that they had their own individual needs. In turn this led to an intentional practise of self-care activities. Benefits from conscious self-care and self-kindness included experiencing a greater sense of calm or relaxation and the development of a more positive outlook.
Conclusion: The findings highlight that a brief self-compassion intervention can have a positive impact on carers reported well-being through developing a kindlier internal orientation and locating a permission to allow themselves to practise an intentional self-care
Synthesizing the effects of mental simulation on behavior change: Systematic review and multilevel meta-analysis
Get PDFFrom Springer Nature via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: registration 2021-01-05, online 2021-05-04, pub-electronic 2021-05-04, pub-print 2021-10Publication status: PublishedAbstract: Mental simulation of future scenarios is hypothesized to affect future behavior, but a large and inconsistent literature means it is unclear whether, and under what conditions, mental simulation can change people’s behavior. A meta-analysis was conducted to synthesize the effects of mental simulation on behavior and examine under what conditions mental simulation works best. An inclusive systematic database search identified 123 (N = 5,685) effect sizes comparing mental simulation to a control group. After applying a multilevel random effects model, a statistically-reliable positive effect of Hedges’ g = 0.49, 95% CI [0.37; 0.62] was found, which was significantly different than zero. Using a taxonomy to identify different subtypes of mental simulation (along two dimensions, class [process, performance, outcome] and purpose [whether an inferior, standard, superior version of that behavior is simulated]), it was found that superior simulations garnered more reliable beneficial effects than inferior simulations. These findings have implications for integrating theories of how mental simulations change behavior, how mental simulations are classified, and may help guide professionals seeking evidence-based and cost-effective methods of changing behavior
Introduction: Cycling and Society
Get PDFThis is an Accepted Manuscript of a book chapter introduction published by Routledge in Routledge Companion to Cycling Studies on 14/12/2022, available online: https://www.routledge.com/Routledge-Companion-to-Cycling/Norcliffe-Brogan-Cox-Gao-Hadland-Hanlon-Jones-Oddy-Vivanco/p/book/9780367683993Section introduction overview of themes and discusision
The Effect of Authigenic Clays on Fault Zone Permeability
Get PDFFrom Wiley via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: received 2021-06-21, rev-recd 2021-09-27, accepted 2021-09-30, pub-print 2021-10, pub-electronic 2021-10-15Article version: VoRPublication status: PublishedFunder: Leverhulme Trust; Id: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000275; Grant(s): ECF‐2020‐560Funder: Natural Environment Research Council (NERC); Id: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000270; Grant(s): NE/N003063/1Abstract: Clays are understood to form the majority of fluid‐flow barriers in faulted reservoirs and numerous fault gouge and fault seal studies have quantified the volumes of smeared and abraded clays create fluid‐flow barriers along fault surfaces. However, clay‐related permeability adjacent to the fault surface, including in the fault damage zone, has largely been neglected. Previous studies have shown the morphology and distribution of unfaulted authigenic clays, and not just clay volume, exert a significant control on the magnitude of permeability. However, fault‐related studies have neither characterized deformed authigenic clays nor addressed their influence on fluid‐flow. In this study laboratory permeabilities of faulted, authigenic clay bearing sandstones sampled from the Otway basin (Australia) and the Orcadian basin (UK) present trends which; (a) do not correspond to expected patterns of fluid‐flow in faulted clay‐bearing sandstones and, (b) cannot be explained using published models of permeability related to changing clay volume. Microscopic analysis shows that faulting has disaggregated authigenic clays and, similarly to framework grain deformation, comminuted and sheared clay grains. However, instead of impeding fluid‐flow, analysis of pore networks (using mercury injection porosimetry) showed that faulting of authigenic clays has increased pore connectivity, contributing to increased magnitude of permeability and development of permeability anisotropy. Contrary to published results of faulting and fluid‐flow in impure sandstones, our results show that fault related processes involving the formation of clays in the fault zone can increase permeability and reduce the capillary threshold pressures of fault rocks relative to the unfaulted host rock
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