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Signal identification of DNA amplification curves in custom-PCR platforms
Get PDFCustom-made, point-of-care PCR platforms are a necessary tool for rapid, point-of-care diagnostics in situations such as the current Covid-19 pandemic. However, a common issue faced by them is noisy fluorescence signals, which consist of a drifting baseline or noisy sigmoidal curve. This makes automated detection difficult and requires human verification. In this paper, we have tried to use nonlinear fitting for automated classification of PCR waveforms to identify whether amplification has taken place or not. We have presented several novel signal reconstruction techniques based on nonlinear fitting which will enable better pre-processing and automated differentiation of a valid or invalid PCR amplification curve. We have also tried to perform this classification at lower PCR cycles to reduce decision times in diagnostic tests
Understanding perceptions of contemporary antisemitism among Orthodox Jews in London
Get PDFCommunal statistics and media reports reflect that there has been a resurgence of antisemitism. This paper explores whether this evidenced rise of antisemitism is effecting the Jewish community, in particular the Orthodox Jewish community. It elucidates the perceptions of Orthodox Jews in North London about the scale and significance of antisemitism. The study, which was informed by sociological framework, employed a qualitative approach using 28 semi-structured interviews and 5 focus groups. This article is important because it explores whether the perceptions of antisemitism were accentuated among this prime target group. This paper will first consider the shift in the manifestation of antisemitism which has been noted by Orthodox Jews. Second, this paper will consider the various contributory factors which influenced the framing of those varied perceptions
Golden years, wise mentors, and old fools: an updated typology of older characters in British TV advertising
Get PDFThis paper presents the results of a media content analysis of character types employed for adults aged 50 years or over in contemporary UK TV advertising. Picking up on pre-existing typologies in the UK, a total of eight distinct character types are identified in our 2020 sample, including the Golden Ager, Perfect Grandparent, Mentor or Legacy, Comedic, Coper, Celebrity Endorser, Happy Couple, and Jane or Joe Public. The study concludes that the observed broadening of character types reflects a reduction in ageist views within UK advertising, and that recurring themes of, for example, romance are starting to break with long-standing ageist taboos
Reaching ‘hard-to-reach’ participants
Get PDFThe recruitment of participants is an important step which contributes to the success of any study involving human participants, but accessing and recruiting prospective participants can be a challenging task. Drawing on direct experience, this article describes the challenges faced and the strategies adopted in order to gain access and recruit members of a gated religious community as research participants. In all, it suggests that transparency in reporting recruitment methods could benefit the research community
Cyber threat ontology and adversarial machine learning attacks: analysis and prediction perturbance
Get PDFMachine learning has been used in the cybersecurity domain to predict cyberattack trends. However, adversaries can inject malicious data into the dataset during training and testing to cause perturbance and predict false narratives. It has become challenging to analyse and predicate cyberattack correlations due to their fuzzy nature and lack of understanding of the threat landscape. Thus, it is imperative to use cyber threat ontology (CTO) concepts to extract relevant attack instances in CSC security for knowledge representation. This paper explores the challenges of CTO and adversarial machine learning (AML) attacks for threat prediction to improve cybersecurity. The novelty contributions are threefold. First, CTO concepts are considered for semantic mapping and definition of relationships for explicit knowledge of threat indicators. Secondly, AML techniques are deployed maliciously to manipulate algorithms during training and testing to predict false classifications models. Finally, we discuss the performance analysis of the classification models and how CTO provides automated means. The result shows that analysis of AML attacks and CTO concepts could be used for validating a mediated schema for specific vulnerabilities
Nazi past and destination image: the case of Linz, Austria
Get PDFEstablishing a place as a competitive and attractive tourist destination on the already overcrowded tourism market is a challenging task on its own but paired with difficult heritage makes it a substantial obstacle for any Destination Management Organisation (DMO). The destination investigated in this research is Linz, Austria and has an identity deeply rooted in the Nazi’s view of the world. The town’s local authorities and destination marketers have been attempting for many years to distance themselves from the Nazi’s history by highlighting their traditionally humanist cultural values and focusing on rebranding Linz as a town of contemporary art and culture. This research reveals that recent campaigns have been fruitful and established Linz as a destination with an image dominated by contemporary art and culture in the minds of International visitors, but Austrian visitors still have some level of prejudice in regard to Linz’s difficult heritage and associate it more than the Internationals with its dark past.
The key findings of this study have implications for marketers, tourist destination planners and local authorities of relatively new destinations with difficult heritage (crime, war, dark history, natural disasters) competing for the same target market with destinations with stronger, more positive images
Feldenkrais, Freud, Lacan, and Gould: how to love thyself not as thy neighbour
Get PDFThis study addresses a form of anthropology of Feldenkrais’s thought. At the beginning of his book The Potent Self, Feldenkrais responds to Christ’s commandment “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Matthew 22:39). Feldenkrais was a great reader of Freud who wrote about this injunction. Sholl shows the connections and differentiations between Feldenkrais, and Freud and Jacques Lacan’s use of this idea. He then connects this thinking to a discussion of the Canadian pianist Glenn Gould’s decision (in 1964) to stop playing the piano in public. He argues that Gould’s decision to re-organize himself through recording was a way to learn to use himself more intelligently (negotiating compulsion), to refine his own self-image, and to enhance his uniqueness. Finally, Sholl examines Gould provides an exemplar for creative artists and performance-training through the development of uniqueness, “potency” and self-awareness better “to love thy neighbour” (conceived as the listening public)
Teaching self-acupuncture survey report
Get PDFBackground:
People have been teaching self-acupuncture (SA) in the United Kingdom since 1977. More recently, a small body of research has been conducted on SA. However, detailed guidelines on teaching and delivery of SA have so far, to our knowledge, not been developed.
Methods:
Acupuncturists were invited to participate in an online survey about their experiences of teaching SA. Data from the survey were extracted, analysed using descriptive statistics and translated into SA teaching guidelines.
Results:
One hundred thirty-eight acupuncturists completed the survey. Nineteen percent of participants had taught SA. The most common symptoms for which acupuncturists taught SA were pain, nausea, anxiety, hot flushes, headaches/migraines and breathlessness. The six most commonly taught traditional acupuncture point locations were LI4, ST36, SP6, PC6, LR3 and TE5. No participants had received reports of adverse effects from their patients.
Conclusion:
Acupuncturists who teach SA find it to be an acceptable and safe option for patients. The presented data have important implications for guiding the practice of SA
A feasibility trial of acupuncture in cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy treatment
Get PDFObjective
We conducted a feasibility trial of acupuncture in cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy treatment. The trial included training radiographers to deliver acupuncture within patients’ routine NHS care.
Methods
Mixed methods pragmatic randomized parallel-group exploratory feasibility trial comparing standard care to standard care plus acupuncture.
Results
Most aspects of the research design and acupuncture intervention were acceptable to the 101 participants. Participants’ valued the opportunity to receive acupuncture within their NHS care, perceived the treatment as eliciting a number of beneficial effects, and had a positive impact on their NHS cancer treatment. However, quantitative analysis of outcome measure data revealed no consistent significant differences between those receiving standard care and those receiving standard care plus acupuncture.
Conclusion
It is feasible to implement acupuncture in a busy radiotherapy unit provided by specially trained radiographers. The methodology employed appears acceptable for the evaluation of acupuncture for radiotherapy patients