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Envisioning Wat’s Dyke
Get PDFIn response to the challenge set by one of us (Williams this volume), this chapter explores new avenues for a public archaeology of Wat’s Dyke. A host of digital and real-world initiatives for public and community engagement are suggested, but the focus is upon one new initiative: the What’s Wat’s Dyke? Heritage Trail which aims to envision Wat’s Dyke within the town and suburbs of Wrexham using a comic medium. From this basis, the potential is explored for using the linearity of Wat’s Dyke as a gateway to explore the complex historic and cultural landscapes of the Welsh Marches from prehistory to the present
An Investigation of the Miscibility Gap Controlling Phase Formation in Refractory Metal High Entropy Superalloys via the Ti-Nb-Zr Constituent System
Get PDFFrom MDPI via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: accepted 2021-07-29, pub-electronic 2021-08-05Publication status: PublishedFunder: Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council; Grant(s): EP/M005607/1, EP/R00661X/1, EP/S019367/1, EP/P025021/1, EP/P025498/1Refractory metal high entropy superalloys (RSAs) have been heralded as potential new high temperature structural materials. They have nanoscale cuboidal bcc+B2 microstructures that are thought to form on quenching through a spinodal decomposition process driven by the Ta-Zr or Nb-Zr miscibility gaps, followed by ordering of one of the bcc phases. However, it is difficult to isolate the role of different elemental interactions within compositionally complex RSAs. Therefore, in this work the microstructures produced by the Nb-Zr miscibility gap within the compositionally simpler Ti-Nb-Zr constituent system were investigated. A systematic series of alloys with compositions of Ti5NbxZr95−x (x = 25–85 at.%) was studied following quenching from solution heat treatment and long duration thermal exposures at 1000, 900 and 700 °C for 1000 h. During exposures at 900 °C and above the alloys resided in a single bcc phase field. At 700 °C, alloys with 40–75 at.% Nb resided within a three phase bcc + bcc + hcp phase field and a large misfit, 4.7–5%, was present between the two bcc phases. Evidence of nanoscale cuboidal microstructures was not observed, even in slow cooled samples. Whilst it was not possible to conclusively determine whether a spinodal decomposition occurs within this ternary system, these insights suggest that Nb-Zr interactions may not play a significant role in the formation of the nanoscale cuboidal RSA microstructures during cooling
Layer dynamics for the one dimensional ε-dependent Cahn–Hilliard/Allen–Cahn equation
Get PDFThe final publication is available at Springer via http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00526-021-02085-4We study the dynamics of the one-dimensional ε-dependent Cahn-Hilliard / Allen-Cahn equation within a neighborhood of an equilibrium of N transition layers, that in general does not conserve mass. Two different settings are considered which differ in that, for the second, we impose a mass-conservation constraint in place of one of the zero-mass flux boundary conditions at
x = 1. Motivated by the study of Carr and Pego on the layered metastable patterns of Allen-Cahn in [10], and by this of Bates and Xun in [5] for the Cahn-Hilliard equation, we implement an N-dimensional, and a mass-conservative N−1-dimensional manifold respectively; therein, a metastable state with N transition layers is approximated. We then determine, for both cases, the essential dynamics of the layers (ode systems with the equations of motion), expressed in terms of local coordinates relative to the manifold used. In particular, we estimate the spectrum of the linearized Cahn-Hilliard / Allen-Cahn operator, and specify wide families of ε-dependent weights δ(ε), µ(ε), acting at each part of the operator, for which the dynamics are stable and rest exponentially small in ε. Our analysis enlightens the role of mass conservation in the classification of the general mixed problem into two main categories where the solution has a profile close to Allen-Cahn, or, when the mass is conserved, close to the Cahn-Hilliard solution
Toward scalable biocatalytic conversion of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural by galactose oxidase using coordinated reaction and enzyme engineering
Get PDFFrom Springer Nature via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: received 2020-12-09, accepted 2021-07-06, registration 2021-07-21, pub-electronic 2021-08-16, online 2021-08-16, collection 2021-12Publication status: PublishedFunder: EC | EC Seventh Framework Programm | FP7 Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, Biotechnology (FP7-KBBE - Specific Programme "Cooperation": Food, Agriculture and Fisheries, Biotechnology); doi: https://doi.org/10.13039/100011262; Grant(s): 613849Abstract: 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) has emerged as a crucial bio-based chemical building block in the drive towards developing materials from renewable resources, due to its direct preparation from sugars and its readily diversifiable scaffold. A key obstacle in transitioning to bio-based plastic production lies in meeting the necessary industrial production efficiency, particularly in the cost-effective conversion of HMF to valuable intermediates. Toward addressing the challenge of developing scalable technology for oxidizing crude HMF to more valuable chemicals, here we report coordinated reaction and enzyme engineering to provide a galactose oxidase (GOase) variant with remarkably high activity toward HMF, improved O2 binding and excellent productivity (>1,000,000 TTN). The biocatalyst and reaction conditions presented here for GOase catalysed selective oxidation of HMF to 2,5-diformylfuran offers a productive blueprint for further development, giving hope for the creation of a biocatalytic route to scalable production of furan-based chemical building blocks from sustainable feedstocks
Group Codes, Composite Group Codes and Constructions of Self-Dual Codes
Get PDFThe main research presented in this thesis is around constructing binary self-dual codes using group rings together with some well-known code construction methods and the study of group codes and composite group codes over different alphabets. Both these families of codes are generated by the elements that come from group rings. A search for binary self-dual codes with new weight enumerators is an ongoing research area in algebraic coding theory. For this reason, we present a generator matrix in which we employ the idea of a bisymmetric matrix with its entries being the block matrices that come from group rings and give the necessary conditions for this generator matrix to produce a self-dual code over a fi nite commutative Frobenius ring. Together with our generator matrix and some well-known code construction methods, we find many binary self-dual codes with parameters [68, 34, 12] that have weight enumerators that were not known in the literature before. There is an extensive literature on the study of different families of codes over different alphabets and speci fically finite fi elds and finite commutative rings. The study of codes over rings opens up a new direction for constructing new binary self-dual codes with a rich
automorphism group via the algebraic structure of the rings through the Gray maps associated with them. In this thesis, we introduce a new family of rings, study its algebraic structure and show that each member of this family is a commutative Frobenius ring. Moreover, we study group codes over this new family of rings and show that one can obtain codes with a rich automorphism group via the associated Gray map. We extend a well established isomorphism between group rings and the subring of the n x n matrices and show its applications to algebraic coding theory. Our extension enables one to construct many complex n x n matrices over the ring R that are fully de ned by the elements appearing in the first row. This property allows one to build generator matrices with these complex matrices so that the search field is practical in terms of the computational times. We show how these complex matrices are constructed using group rings, study their properties and present many interesting examples of complex matrices over the ring R. Using our extended isomorphism, we de ne a new family of codes which we call the composite group codes or for simplicity, composite G-codes. We show that these new codes are ideals in the group ring RG and prove that the dual of a composite G-code is also a composite G-code. Moreover, we study generator matrices of the form [In | Ω(v)]; where In is the n x n identity matrix and Ω(v) is the composite matrix that comes from the extended isomorphism mentioned earlier. In particular, we show when such generator matrices produce self-dual codes over finite commutative Frobenius rings. Additionally, together with some generator matrices of the type [In | Ω(v)] and the well-known extension and
neighbour methods, we fi nd many new binary self-dual codes with parameters [68, 34, 12]. Lastly in this work, we study composite G-codes over formal power series rings and finite chain rings. We extend many known results on projections and lifts of codes over these alphabets. We also extend some known results on γadic codes over the infi nite ring R
Empathic gaze: a study of human resource professionals
Get PDFThe purpose of this research paper is to explore the fixation of the eyes of HR professionals’ when identifying emotions in the context of workplace research, and to propose measures that might support them in their role. This paper combines a contemporary literature review with reflections from practice to develop a more nuanced understanding of 39 HR professionals’ ability to recognise emotions. This paper used eye-tracking technology more commonly used in laboratory based studies to explore the fixation of the eye when identifying emotions. The preliminary findings suggest that HR professionals with higher levels of emotional recognition principally focus on the eyes of the recipient. Whereas those with lower levels of emotional recognition focus more so the nose or the randomly across the face, depending on the level of emotional recognition. The data suggests that women are better than men, in the sample group at recognising emotions, with some variations in recognising specific emotions such as disgust. This research paper proposes a number of implications for middle leaders and suggests that middle leaders should proactively seek out opportunities to be engaged in activities that support the default mode network (DMN) function of the brain and subsequently the relationship-orientated aspects of leadership, for example, coaching other staff members. However, it has to be recognised that the sample size is small and further work is needed before any generalisations can be made. This paper offers a contemporary review underpinned by a preliminary study into
HR professionals’ ability to recognise emotions
Conflicting professional identities for artists in transprofessional contexts
Get PDFThis is an Accepted Manuscript of a book chapter published by Routledge in [Expanding Professionalism in Music and Higher Music Education: A Changing Game] on [02/07/2021], available online: https://www.routledge.com/Expanding-Professionalism-in-Music-and-Higher-Music-Education-A-Changing/Westerlund-Gaunt/p/book/9780367622046This chapter investigates how the artists navigate multiple and at times conflicting identities within the challenges of working in unfamiliar transprofessional contexts. It also investigates the expanding professionalism of artists in the transprofessional realm of artistic interventions in organisations. Ariane Berthoin Antal argues that artists’ professional identities and also responsibilities are geared towards some fundamental values in the arts, and that it is vital for artists to maintain such values as they collaborate with other professions. To exemplify expanded work in transprofessional contexts, our attention now turns to the experiences of four artists—a theatre director, a performance artist, a dancer, and a dramaturg—who took part in the pilot programme at Uniarts. It is imperative in higher arts education to discuss critically the relationship between professionalism in more traditional artistic practice and the expanding professionalism of hybrid artists in new transprofessional domains
Analysis of a Landscape Intensely Modified by Agriculture in the Tietê–Jacaré Watershed, Brazil
Get PDFFrom MDPI via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: accepted 2021-08-04, pub-electronic 2021-08-19Publication status: PublishedFunder: São Paulo Research Support Foundation; Grant(s): 2015/19918-3, 2018/00162-4, 660020, PR140015Anthropogenic actions influence landscapes, and the resulting mosaic is a mix of natural and anthropogenic elements that vary in size, shape, and pattern. Considering this, our study aimed to analyse the land use and land cover changes in the Tietê–Jacaré watershed (São Paulo state, Brazil), using the random forest (RF) algorithm and Sentinel-2 satellite data from 2016 to 2018 to detect landscape changes. By overlapping the environmental data and the proposed model evaluation, it was possible to observe the landscape structure, produce information about the state of this region, and assess the environmental responses to anthropic impacts. The land use and land cover analysis identified eight classes: exposed soil, citriculture, pasture, silviculture, sugar cane, urban area, vegetation, and water. The RF classification for the three years reached high accuracy with a kappa index of 0.87 in 2016, 0.85 in 2017, and 0.85 in 2018. The model developed was essential for the temporal analysis since it allowed us to comprehend the driving forces that act in this landscape and contribute to the discussions about their impacts over time. The results showed a predominance of agricultural activities over the three years, with approximately 900.000 ha (76% of the area), mainly covered by sugarcane cultivation
Exploring the mental health and wellbeing of professional academy footballers in England
Get PDFThe mental health and wellbeing of elite footballers is beginning to receive much needed attention in research and practice terms. However, to date much of the knowledge generated and initiatives designed to improve provision for elite footballers’ mental health and wellbeing is centred on adults. The mental health and wellbeing of junior footballers attached to elite development programmes have largely been overlooked. In England, this is particularly concerning given an estimated 12,500 young professional academy footballers are attached to such systems. Semi structured interviews were conducted to explore the extent to which social ties and interactions with significant others shaped the mental health and wellbeing of twelve professional academy footballers based in four category one football academies in England . Drawing on concepts derieved from symbolic interactionism, the analysis of the findings highlighted; i) the demands and expectations of their role often negatively affected emotions, ii) concealment of mental health and wellbeing issues to significant others in primary and secondary social networks, and ii) portrayals of the self-intended to foster positive relations with significant others to avoid stigmatization. Future research and practice should seek to inform and promote more effective interventions and models that more adequately support the mental health and wellbeing of professional academy footballers
Specific arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal–plant interactions determine radionuclide and metal transfer into Plantago lanceolata
Get PDFFrom Wiley via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: received 2020-06-25, rev-recd 2020-11-10, accepted 2021-01-20, pub-electronic 2021-02-22, pub-print 2021-09Article version: VoRPublication status: PublishedFunder: CONACyT; Id: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100003141Funder: NERC; Id: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/501100000270; Grant(s): NE/L000547/1Societal Impact Statement: Industrial activity has left a legacy of pollution by radionuclides and heavy metals. The exposure of terrestrial environments to increased levels of ionising radiation and toxic elements is of concern, not only because of the immediate effects to biota but also because of the potential risk of mobilisation into higher levels of a food chain. Here, we present a study that extends our knowledge of how arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi contribute to the mobilisation of non‐essential elements in environments such as former mine sites, and provides a perspective that will be of interest for the management and remediation of such sites. Summary Accumulation and transfer of long‐lived radionuclides and toxic metals in terrestrial environments is of major concern because of potential mobilisation into food chains. In this study, we aimed to compare the role of four different arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal (AMF) cultures on the transfer of non‐essential elements into Plantago lanceolata from a naturally contaminated soil source. Soil from an abandoned uranium (238U) mine was collected as a natural source of 238U, thorium (232Th), arsenic (As) and lead (Pb). P. lanceolata was inoculated with four AMF cultures (Rhizophagus irregularis DAOM181602, Acaulospora longula BEG8, Scutellospora calospora BEG245 and Funneliformis mosseae BEG12) to compare the uptake and transfer from root to shoot. Inductively coupled plasma (ICP) mass spectroscopy and ICP‐absorption emission spectroscopy analyses provided quantification of total elemental concentrations in soil and plant tissues. Two of the AMF cultures, A. longula and F. mosseae, had contrasting roles in toxic element partitioning in plant tissue of P. lanceolata. F. mosseae increased the accumulation of 238U, 232Th, Pb, As and Cu in shoots whereas A. longula induced increased partitioning of 232Th, Ca, Fe and Zn in roots. The inoculation treatments and the differential accumulation of these elements had no significant effect on plant biomass. The use of different AMF cultures in enhancing phytoremediation of contaminated environments requires a wider understanding of the contribution of different AMF cultures to non‐essential element acquisition as well as to plant nutrition
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