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When the Position of Pendant Groups Makes the Difference in G-Quadruplex Behavior: The Case of Bis-Conjugated Thrombin-Binding Aptamers
No full textIn the search for effective and low-toxicity anticoagulant agents, the G-quadruplex-forming thrombin-binding aptamer (TBA) with sequence 5′-GGTTGGTGTGGTTGG-3′, able to selectively recognize the fibrinogen-binding exosite I of the thrombin enzyme, emerged as a promising therapeutic and surgical tool. In this frame, we recently synthesized and evaluated a library of TBA analogues carrying a naphthalene diimide (N) moiety and a 3-hydroxypropylphosphate (p) either at the 5′- or 3′-end of the TBA sequence. Interestingly, N-TBA-p and p-TBA-N analogues, having the same pendant groups at 5′- or 3′-end but in reversed position, showed very different behavior in terms of thermal stability, nuclease resistance in serum, and anticoagulant activity. N-TBA-p showed enhanced properties compared to both p-TBA-N and the parent TBA and thus emerged as a very promising candidate for future in vivo studies. Here, by in-depth molecular dynamics-based analyses, we disclosed the structural features determining the higher thermal stability and nuclease resistance as well as the higher anticoagulant activity due to thrombin recognition, experimentally observed for N-TBA-p than p-TBA-N and TBA
Applying corpus linguistics
No full textThis chapter sets the scene for the volume by exploring the application of corpus linguistics across established and emerging contexts, examining its evolving role and methodological innovations both within the academy and beyond it. It discusses how corpus linguistics has expanded from foundational work in language pedagogy to address interdisciplinary needs, including social justice initiatives and policy influence. The chapter highlights diverse perspectives on what it means to ‘apply’ corpus linguistics, noting that this notion is shaped by the various cultural, institutional, and disciplinary contexts in which it is taken up. The chapter emphasises the importance of engaging with stakeholders and adapting corpus methods to new domains, from education to media and law enforcement, aiming to achieve social impact through research. Additionally, it reflects on the relational, social, methodological, and institutional dimensions that characterise the practical application of corpus linguistics today. The authors call for critical reflection on these dimensions to inform future applications, ultimately positioning corpus linguistics as a versatile and impactful methodology and field for addressing complex linguistic, professional, and societal challenges
Developing Pharmaceutical Supply Chain Resilient Capabilities: The Role of Industry 4.0 Technologies
No full textPurpose
The purpose of this study is to advance understanding of how PSCs can re-imagined, re-designed and strengthened by leveraging industry 4.0 (I4.0) technologies. Building resilience in Pharmaceutical Supply Chains (PSCs) has become imperative in the wake of COVID-19 and other global disruptions.
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopted a qualitative approach using thematic analysis and the Gioia method on a corpus of data from 114 articles published in 84 peer-reviewed academic journals. The authors conducted a problematising review to critically analyse the contributions of I4.0 technologies to PSCs and demonstrate the distinctiveness of PSC resilience.
Findings
The thematic analysis revealed the advantages and barriers to I4.0 implementation in PSCs, emphasising on how these technologies support sensing, seizing and reconfiguring capabilities. Drawing on dynamic capability theory, this study proposes the pharmaceutical supply chain resilient capabilities (PSCRC) model, which conceptualises the capability building required to withstand and adapt to disruption.
Originality/value
The authors argue that the PSCRC model provides i) a theoretical contribution by clarifying the micro foundations of resilience, and ii) a practical roadmap for supply chain leaders seeking to deploy I4.0 technologies to coordinate processes, secure materials and build sustainable and adaptive PSCs. The paper also outlines future research avenues to advance scholarly and managerial understanding of PSC resilience
A Robust Approach to Quantify Nocifensive Blink Reflex Responsiveness
Get PDFThe modulation of the hand‐blink reflex (HBR), a prototypical nocifensive response, is increasingly used to investigate defensive behaviour, related to the notion of peripersonal space. However, HBR responsiveness is highly variable across participants. This variability has led researchers to use several seemingly arbitrary criteria to determine whether a subject should be included as a participant in a study. But are these criteria justified? Can better and more rigorous criteria be formulated? Does the traditional division into responders and non‐responders reflect a practical decision to exclude participants with very low signal‐to‐noise ratio, or does it reflect two distinct biological categories? Here, we addressed these issues by systematically varying a set of parameters, which together form an objective and quantifiable criterion of HBR responsiveness. We describe classification criteria for HBR responsiveness that were both reliable and consistent with previous studies. We also found no evidence for a clear‐cut biological distinction between HBR responders and non‐responders. We recommend to (1) no longer preliminarily screen subjects, simply collecting data on all subjects, and (2), after collecting the data, only include subjects identified as blinkers using the following criteria: The mean of the rectified HBR must exceed 2.5 SD of the baseline EMG in 40% or more of trials in the hand‐near condition. We formulate rigorous inclusion criteria for HBR studies, which can be adapted for use on other neurophysiological responses in health and disease
Depicting Hybridity: Exploring Intersectionality Through Expanded Self-Portraiture and Surrealist Methods
Get PDFThrough an engagement with a series of paintings and drawings that function as both the
leading subject of the research and the methods of inquiry, this thesis addresses how a
practice-based investigation rooted in Surrealist techniques can facilitate a visual and
conceptual articulation of cultural and racial hybridity, heritage, gender, and the intricacies of
hidden disability. The study contributes to a contemporary, feminist, diasporic and
intersectional reading of Surrealism, against the backdrop of a historically masculine field. It
offers valuable insights into the repurposing of automatism, a critical engagement with dream
depiction and reverse dream work, as well as a reimagining of folkloric imagery, the mirrored
image, animal hybrids, and expanded approaches to self-portraiture. Contextual research on
these themes informs the production of the collection of paintings and drawings presented
throughout the thesis, while also supporting an interpretation of them.
The inquiry begins with a self-reflective investigation of automatism and progresses into a
dialogue with Freudian Dream theory, which is shaped by my artistic approach and partially
informed by critical feminist thought. This is followed by an examination of folkloric
reinterpretations, the 'third space', decolonial theory and explorations of the body. Insights
from these studies are used to examine notions of an imagined community of living artists who
respond to or repurpose Surrealist techniques as a way to engage with intersectional identity
and expanded self-portraiture.
The findings of this investigation will be valuable for art practitioners, including disabled artists,
art historians, and researchers engaging in contextual research that bridges historical and
contemporary painting and drawing. Additionally, this research can be used to enhance an
understanding of how an engagement with Surrealism can support the exploration of
intersectionality within contemporary visual practice
Behavioural and faecal cortisol metabolite monitoring of harbour (Phoca vitulina) and grey seal pups (Halichoerus grypus) in rehabilitation centres
Get PDFHarbour (Phoca vitulina) and grey (Halichoerus grypus) seals face numerous anthropogenic and environmental threats around the UK and Ireland. These commonly lead to seal pups becoming stranded and in need of rescue and rehabilitation. Although rehabilitation supports the recovery and welfare of stranded seals, the process can expose individuals to a range of stressors, such as handling, intensive medical treatments, assisted feeding and confinement. Effective methods for assessing seal health and welfare in response to these challenges remain limited. This study investigated whether faecal cortisol metabolites (FCMs) and behavioural indicators can effectively monitor welfare in rehabilitating harbour and grey seal pups. A total of 479 faecal samples were collected from 19 seal pups (Harbour n = 8, Grey n = 11), and 3864 h of footage was collected for 25 seal pups (Harbour n = 11, Grey n = 14), all rehabilitated at Tynemouth Seal Hospital (North Tyneside, UK). The effect of sex, time of day, feeding method, water access, body condition, and day of rehabilitation on both FCM concentrations and behavioural time budgets was investigated. Changes in FCM levels did not correspond to any of the predictor variables and highlights the complexity of interpreting FCMs in rehabilitation settings, likely reflecting individual variation, allostatic load, and limited sensitivity to short-term stressors. In contrast, seal pup behaviour was significantly affected by rehabilitation variables, including feeding method and access to water. Although assisted feeding is essential for the survival of malnourished pups, it caused decreased displays of vigilance in both species, and a decrease in tactile and locomotion behaviours with an increase in stereotypic behaviours in grey seals. This warrants enrichment plans to be incorporated into the care of these seal pups to counteract any negative impacts on their welfare. Similarly, water access for swimming should be provided as soon as possible to ensure that the sufficient development of natural locomotory and tactile behaviours is facilitated. Overall, these results could be used to optimise behavioural welfare assessments and the rehabilitation protocols currently in place for both harbour and grey seal pups, improving seal pup welfare in captive settings
Not Just Fitting In But Belonging: How Effective Personal Tutoring Can Build a Sense of Community and Belonging for Students and Staff
Get PDFCommoning in enclosures? Recursive organizing of places in the digital age
Get PDFTales of the commons are interwoven with enclosure and resistance, and there is an ongoing ambiguity between commons within enclosures and beyond them. Most recently, scholars have turned attention to digital commons, including those enacted in the enclosures of platform capitalist organizations like Facebook. In this paper, we build on debates about organizing the commons by focusing on the interplay of physical places “offline” with digital commoning, a process which organizes both digital and physical places. We propose that this is characterized by a recursive relationship whereby successive commoning practices occurring both online and offline mutually influence each other across at least three moments. We focus on the practices of commoning enacted by two “Groups” within the digital enclosure of Facebook—fans of the band Idles and residents of a housing estate—and how these recursively connect to offline places. This makes visible the governance, labor, and resources required to sustain both digital and physical commons through maintenance, care, and mundane politics. We thus make a theoretical contribution to understanding the relationship between commoning in digital enclosures and physical places as a recursive process, while also contributing to empirical understandings of how commoning in enclosures makes visible modes of organizing resistance amidst the political economy of digital capitalism, a process which ties to physical places helps strengthen
Donor profiles, spreadsheets and video calls: un/known donor conception in the digital age
Get PDFThis article explores how connections brought about through practices of donor conception are changing in the context of mediatisation and, in particular, how digital technologies shape possibilities for donors and recipient families to know one another. We focus on the growing practice of ‘informal’ donor conception (IDC) in the UK – donor conceptions which are arranged outside of medical institutions and often facilitated via online platforms. Drawing on interviews with 30 (intended) parents via IDC and 19 informal sperm donors, we show how donors and recipients carefully manage, or attempt to manage, the ways in which they are known and knowable to one another, and to a potential donor-conceived person. We identify four ways of knowing, and being known, within participants’ accounts: 1) selective sharing of identifying information; 2) (dis)embedding donation connections within wider communities; 3) communicative forms of knowing; and 4) via the creation and management of digital artefacts. Donors and recipients sought to use and limit these different modes of knowing in varied combinations, shaped by their knowledge of (clinical) assisted reproduction practices, changing digital cultures and the legal marginalisation of IDC practices
Antibacterial Efficacy and Biocompatibility of Denim Fabrics Finished with Plant-Based Nanoemulsions Using Mechanical Finishing and Digital Printing
Get PDFThis research examines mechanical finishing and digital printing methods for imparting antibacterial properties to denim fabrics. It evaluates the use of plant-based nanoemulsions, which are nontoxic and environmentally friendly, as alternatives to synthetic antimicrobial agents. This finishing technique enhances the functional properties of denim fabrics, enabling them to be used for longer periods without requiring frequent washing. Additionally, it prevents the formation of odor and microbial growth during consumer use. Two types of nanoemulsions, namely, Karanja and Shankapushpi, were derived from plant-based herbs combined with coconut oil and curry leaves. The nanoemulsions were characterized for their thermal stability, particle size, and percentage add-on. The finished denim fabrics were assessed for their antimicrobial properties using Gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus) and Gram-negative bacteria (Escherichia coli). Furthermore, the durability and skin safety of the finished fabrics were tested. The antimicrobial efficacy of Karanja nanoemulsion before washing was 99.73% (S. aureus) and 99.74% (E. coli), and for Shankapushpi, it was 99.77% (S. aureus) and 99.73% (E. coli). For digitally printed denim, no increase in bacterial growth was observed after 24 h. After washing, only a marginal reduction in the antibacterial efficacy (>99.2%) of the finished denim fabrics was observed, demonstrating the durability of the finish. In vitro cytotoxicity assessments demonstrated a cell viability of >70%, indicating acceptable cytotoxicity of the denim fabric and safety on the skin. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) analysis revealed the presence of a triple-bond carbon at 2105 cm–1 and fatty acids at 3006 cm–1 in both the nanoemulsions, Karanja and Shankapushpi, which are responsible for the antimicrobial property. This research suggests that denim fabrics can be treated with durable antibacterial properties using sustainable, environmentally friendly, and biocompatible plant-based herbal nanoemulsions. The digital printing method that uses fewer resources demonstrated high precision in applying the nanoemulsion to the fabric and proved more efficient than mechanical methods. This research introduces innovative approaches to enhance denim fabrics by preventing unpleasant odors from microbial growth, disinfecting surfaces, and reducing the frequency of washing. These methodologies employ plant-based herbal treatments for the first time to enhance denim functionality, highlighting potential applications in sportswear and athleisure that prioritize freshness, durability, and sustainability