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Boundaries of the Political: From the Late Imperial to the Early Soviet Period = Granitsy politicheskogo vtoroi poloviny XIX-pervoi chetverti XX vv
No full textThis book present the papers, commentaries, and discussions from the 12th International Colloquium in Russian History, held in June 2023 with the participation of scholars from Britain, Canada, Germany, Russia, Switzerland, and the United States. The conference considered the spatial contexts of political processes in Russia from he mid-nineteenth to the early twentieth century, including the physical, functional, and symbolic aspects of space, and the complexities of political space in Russian history. The papers are divided into five sections, reflecting the thematic organization of the conference: the Boundaries of Society; Territory; Empire; Crossing Boundaries; and the Boundaries of Legality
CASEE: Child Adolescent Sexual Exploitation Evaluation Manual
No full textThe CASEE is an empirically and theoretically developed structured professional judgement tool that can assist professionals in the assessment of vulnerability and protective factors in children aged 11 to 17 years, in relation to Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE). Specifically the CASEE can be used with children who are at risk of CSE, those suspected of being at risk of CSE and those exposed to CSE. Based in theory and drawing extensively on published literature, the CASEE comprises 18 vulnerability items and eight protective factor items. Each item contains a description offering brief context and theory, outlining its association with CSE, followed by scoring details for each. This is followed by a formulation template and scenario planning to assist in the management of concerns. The manual contains all the materials needed to use the tool. The manual is published in English and is intended to be used by those with a foundation and maintained knowledge of the CSE literature, those with experience of working with young people who fit the age range of the CASEE, and those with a foundational knowledge of interviewing, assessing and/or working with this population. In the absence of this, there is an expectation that they receive supervision from someone meeting this criteria. If the CASEE is being used for non-clinical/non-practice etc purposes (e.g., such as research) then requirements may be less. Training in the CASEE is recommended and can be sourced by contacting TIOFP www.tiofp.com email: [email protected]
A comparative study of effects of microwave-assisted deep eutectic solvents pretreatment of rice straw on cellulose enrichment and enzymatic digestibility
Get PDFLignocellulosic biomass (LCB), such as agricultural residue rich in cellulose and hemicellulose, can serve as a feedstock for bioethanol production due to its environmental benefits. Deep eutectic solvents (DES) are low-cost and greener solvents for LCB pretreatment. The present study investigated the efficiency of two DES types for rice straw pretreatment under microwave conditions: choline chloride:glycerol (ChCl:Gly) and choline chloride:formic acid (ChCl:FA). DES pretreatment was performed under microwave conditions (100–140 °C and 5–15 min) at 10% solids loading and constant power 200W. After pretreatment, the samples were characterized, and enzymatic digestibility was investigated at 50 °C for 72 h using enzyme loading of 6 filter paper unit g−1 cellulose and 10% solids loading. Untreated rice straw consists of cellulose (41.8%), hemicellulose (24.9%), lignin (17.0%) and ash (15.0%). The cellulose content increased to 59.8% and 59.2% after ChCl:Gly and ChCl:FA pretreatment, respectively, while hemicellulose decreased to 15.6% and 10.1% after ChCl:Gly and ChCl:FA pretreatment, respectively. Lignin content decreased to 8.2% after ChCl:Gly pretreatment compared to 9.6% after ChCl:FA pretreatment. Ash content (20.4%) obtained after ChCl:FA pretreatment was higher than 14.0% obtained after ChCl:Gly pretreatment. The cellulosic and hemicellulose fractions from ChCl:Gly pretreatment were effectively hydrolyzed with glucose and xylose yield of 86.0% and 68.4%, respectively, compared to glucose and xylose yield of 58.2% and 62.8%, after ChCl:FA pretreatment. ChCl:Gly pretreatment enriched cellulosic content and preserved hemicellulose fraction, achieving a higher yield of fermentable sugars than ChCl:FA pretreatment; hence, it can potentially support a biorefinery
Atrial electrical alterations with intact cardiac structure and contractile function in a mouse model of an HCM-linked ACTN2 variant
No full textBackgroundMissense variants of Z-disk protein, alpha-actinin-2 (ACTN2), have been linked to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). A novel ACTN2 missense variant, M228T, was identified in family members presenting with HCM and/or atrial arrhythmias. Embryonic lethality was previously shown in mice expressing this variant homozygously, whereas heterozygous (Het) expression did not manifest an overt HCM phenotype. Importantly, the atrial arrhythmias observed in the identified family have not been explored in the context of M228T, despite many patients exhibiting electrical abnormalities prior to the clinical onset of HCM.MethodsSix-month-old Het M228T and wild-type (WT) mice were used to evaluate electrophysiological properties using electrocardiography (ECG) and atrial optical mapping. Echocardiography and strain analysis were employed to assess cardiac structure and function.ResultsHet mice exhibited a prolongation in action potential duration and depolarisation time at 30, 50, and 70 % repolarisation in both the left and right atria. No significant alterations in atrial conduction velocity were observed. No changes in atrial ECG parameters were detected. Het mice displayed no evidence of structural remodelling, nor were there any changes in systolic parameters or overt diastolic dysfunction, as assessed by conventional echocardiography and strain analysis. Signs of contractile dyssynchrony were present, specifically at the apex relative to WT controls.ConclusionThe Het M228T mouse model demonstrated atrial electrical alterations that occurred independently of any overt cardiac structural or functional remodelling. These findings may support the causative role for atrial electric phenotypes identified in a subset of patients carrying the variant
Report from the 2025 research showcase and open discussion on equine vector‐borne diseases in the UK
Get PDFA balance of metabolism and diffusion articulates a gibberellin hormone gradient in the Arabidopsis root
Get PDFThe plant hormone gibberellin (GA4) regulates numerous developmental processes. Within the root, GA4 controls growth, in part, by controlling the extent of cell elongation. The nlsGPS1 FRET biosensor revealed a GA4 gradient within the Arabidopsis root growth zones, with GA4 levels correlating with cell length. We developed a multiscale mathematical model to understand how biosynthesis, catabolism, and transport create the GA4 distribution within the root growth zones. The model predicted that phloem delivery of the biosynthetic intermediate GA12 contributes to higher levels of bioactive GA4 in the elongation zone, with the GA4 synthesis pattern being further modified by local GA12 synthesis in the quiescent center region and the spatial distribution of biosynthesis enzymes (GA20ox and GA3ox). Model predictions suggested that while GA20ox and GA3ox transcript is present throughout the growth zones, these enzymes are inactive in the dividing cells, which explains steep GA4 gradients observed in the GA3ox overexpression line and improves agreement between model predictions and data in wildtype. The model suggested that the GA4 gradient also depends on a balance of diffusion through plasmodesmata and catabolism. Both model predictions and biosensor data demonstrated that plasmodesmatal diffusion enables a more gradual GA4 gradient, with higher diffusion antagonizing the GA4 gradient. Model predictions suggested that catabolism limits GA4 levels, which we validated via biosensor imaging in the ga2oxhept mutant. In conclusion, our results suggest that local GA4 synthesis combines with diffusion and catabolism to create a spatial GA4 gradient that provides positional information and patterns cell elongation
Special issue. Rethinking Methodology Matters in Art and Design Education Research Through the White Cube
No full text3D Dynamic Oxygen-Enhanced Pulmonary Magnetic Resonance Imaging Based on Free-Breathing UTE
Get PDFLung function can be investigated by OE-MRI via alternation between room air and pureoxygen during a dynamic ventilation process, where oxygen wash-in time has been reported to relate to var-ious diseases. This pilot study investigates the feasibility of a free-breathing 3D dynamic oxygen-enhancedMRI (OE-MRI) technique using a golden-angle stack-of-stars ultra-short echo time (UTE) sequence withsliding-window reconstruction for whole-lung functional assessment. The continuous acquisition model wasused to capture both steady states and the gas-switching process. Images along the time dimension werereconstructed using the sliding window technique. Comparative analysis with the traditional IR-HASTEsequence revealed significantly longer wash-in times (55.8 ± 17.4 s, 70.1 ± 19.0 s, 58.1 ± 17.9 s, 89.0 ±21.7 s and 79.5 ± 18.7 s) with the UTE-based approach, which may reflect either enhanced sensitivityto oxygen delivery dynamics or potential confounding effects from the sliding-window reconstruction’stemporal smoothing. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test did not reveal a statistically significant differencebetween the measurements obtained from the UTE and IR-HASTE sequences (p = 0.062 and 0.063). Despitethis methodological consideration, the regional distribution of wash-in times showed reasonable agreementwith percent signal enhancement maps, supporting the technique’s feasibility. Compared to IR-HASTEmethod which needs breath-hold or respiratory gate, the proposed method can be performed during free-breathing. While promising as a technical framework for 3D dynamic lung imaging, the study highlightsimportant considerations regarding reconstruction algorithms in quantitative OE-MRI. Future work shouldfocus on validating these findings in patient populations and exploring alternative reconstruction strategiesto better characterize the method’s clinical potential for assessing pulmonary function
Against received opinion: Recovering the original meaning of ‘paradox’ for populism and liberal democracy
Get PDFIn philosophy and political theory, the term paradox is often used synonymously with antinomy, contradiction and aporia. This article clarifies the meaning of these terms through tracing their respective etymology. We see that antinomy denotes a deep-seated conceptual opposition, whereas contradiction and aporia represent alternative responses to antinomy. The former presents the antinomy as potentially resolvable at some future time, and the latter sees the antinomy instead as a constitutive impasse. By way of contrast, para doxa originally referred to a statement that is ‘contrary to received opinion’, but this idea has generally been subsumed – both in philosophy and more common place understandings – under the notion of aporia. This conceptual recovery enables a better understanding of key traditions in social and political theory, notably post-structuralism and Habermasian critical theory, which can be demarcated through their respective responses to the emergence of ‘paradoxes’. However, the article also demonstrates the material significance of these philosophical categories through their application to contemporary democratic politics. I analyse the constitutive tension between liberalism and democracy as well as the emergence of populism and show how these conceptual tools provide new insights for understanding these most pressing political developments of our time
Urbanization without guarantees: articulation, rentier capitalism and occupancy on the agrarian urban frontier
Get PDFThis article engages with the work of Stuart Hall to examine conditions of agrarian city-making on India’s urban frontier. The article draws on Hall’s writings on articulation and marxist method to propose an approach to studying the urban frontier “without guarantees’. That is without a priori presumption of the total consolidation of the non-urban to a financial-capitalist urban fabric. Examining India’s agrarian-urban frontier, the article argues that the expansion of capitalist urbanization is being commanded, appropriated, and rejected by a decidedly agrarian set of actors, social relations, and technologies. On the frontier both the state and capital are subject to a series of agrarian articulations: bargains, compromises, and reformulations with agrarian and non-urban society that alter the very character of urbanization itself and challenge the received grammars of critical urban theory. In contrast to “extended urbanisation” approaches that assert the primacy of macrogeographical capitalist intentions, the article argues following Hall, that these urban-agrarian articulations on the frontier are fundamentally uncertain, requiring specific political and ideological work to sustain and frequently subject to collapse and resettlement. The final section of the article outlines three core conditions of agrarian-urban articulation in the present conjuncture: rentier capitalism; land occupancy and territorial blockade
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