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The silent music sheet, the unsewn button and the replica tin: materialising nostalgia in the Marks and Spencer's archive
No full textThis paper explores how nostalgia and collective memory are materialised, imagined, curated and orchestrated through the archive. Drawing upon the example of the Marks and Spencer’s (M&S) archive, we argue that archives, particularly those containing objects, command nostalgia. They re-appropriate objects, memories and their histories into contemporary narratives. This paper adds to a body of work within and beyond geography and sociology exploring the potency and creativity of everyday materials and their ability to produce, imagine and memorialise affinities between people, places and past times. This raises questions about the politics of memory, the authenticity of objects and the nostalgic imaginaries they enliven, what we discuss as ‘faux nostalgia’. We illustrate how M&S is part of collective British memory, promoting middle-class ideals of British family life. The archive and objects on display materialise such imaginaries, creating a yearning for the spirit, values and opportunities of times gone by; interweaving them into contemporary narratives of family life to create unattainable ideals. We reflect upon the biographies of three objects from the archive: a music sheet, an unsewn button and a replica tin. By making these objects central to our account, we illustrate how they materialise and recollect nostalgia through the archive
Prosumers’ Business Models in Future Electricity Markets; Peer to Peer, Community Self Consumption, and Transactive Energy Models
No full textThis paper discusses prosumers’ business models in future electricity markets. In this view, the goal is to analyse the dimensions which peer-to-peer, community self-consumption, and transactive energy models add to the traditional electricity market. They enable prosumers to play an active role and require them to acquire appropriate business models. Definitions of the three models, their domains, potential contradictions, and alignments are systematically reviewed. Furthermore, the importance of prosumers’ preferences on their business models are discussed. In doing so, the paper can yield insights into prosumers’ role in future electricity markets
Biohybrid Entities for Environmental Monitoring
No full textIn the wake of climate change and water quality crisis, it is crucial to find novel ways to extensively monitor the environment and to detect ecological changes early. Biomonitoring has been found to be an effective way of observing the aggregate effect of environmental fluctuations. In this paper, we outline the development of biohybrids which will autonomously observe simple organisms (microorganisms, algae, mussels etc.) and draw conclusions about the state of the water body. These biohybrids will be used for continuous environmental monitoring and to detect sudden (anthropologically or ecologically catastrophic) events at an early stage. Our biohybrids are being developed within the framework of project Robocoenosis, where the operational area planned are Austrian lakes. Additionally, we discuss the possible use of various species found in these waters and strategies for biomonitoring. We present early prototypes of devices that are being developed for monitoring of organisms
Using Mendelian Randomization methods to understand whether diurnal preference is causally related to mental health
No full textLate diurnal preference has been linked to poorer mental health outcomes, but the understanding of the causal role of diurnal preference on mental health and wellbeing is currently limited. Late diurnal preference is often associated with circadian misalignment (a mismatch between the timing of the endogenous circadian system and behavioural rhythms), so that evening people live more frequently against their internal clock. This study aims to quantify the causal contribution of diurnal preference on mental health outcomes, including anxiety, depression and general wellbeing and test the hypothesis that more misaligned individuals have poorer mental health and wellbeing using an actigraphy-based measure of circadian misalignment. Multiple Mendelian Randomization (MR) approaches were used to test causal pathways between diurnal preference and seven well-validated mental health and wellbeing outcomes in up to 451,025 individuals. In addition, observational analyses tested the association between a novel, objective measure of behavioural misalignment (Composite Phase Deviation, CPD) and seven mental health and wellbeing outcomes. Using genetic instruments identified in the largest GWAS for diurnal preference, we provide robust evidence that early diurnal preference is protective for depression and improves wellbeing. For example, using one-sample MR, a two-fold higher genetic liability of morningness was associated with lower odds of depressive symptoms (OR: 0.92, 95%CI: 0.88, 0.97). It is possible that behavioural factors including circadian misalignment may contribute in the chronotype depression relationship, but further work is needed to confirm these findings
1H, 13C, 15N backbone resonance assignment for the 1-164 construct of human XRCC4
No full textDNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) represent the most cytotoxic DNA lesions, as – if mis- or unrepaired – they can cause cell death or lead to genome instability, which in turn can cause cancer. DSBs are repaired by two major pathways termed homologous recombination and non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ). NHEJ is responsible for repairing the vast majority of DSBs arising in human cells. Defects in NHEJ factors are also associated with microcephaly, primordial dwarfism and immune deficiencies. One of the key proteins important for mediating NHEJ is XRCC4. XRCC4 is a dimer, with the dimer interface mediated by an extended coiled-coil. The N-terminal head domain forms a mixed alpha-beta globular structure. Numerous factors interact with the C-terminus of the coiled-coil domain, which is also associated with significant self-association between XRCC4 dimers. A range of construct lengths of human XRCC4 were expressed and purified, and the 1-164 variant had the best NMR properties, as judged by consistent linewidths, and chemical shift dispersion. In this work we report the 1H, 15N and 13C backbone resonance assignments of human XRCC4 in the solution form of the 1-164 construct. Assignments were obtained by heteronuclear multidimensional NMR spectroscopy. In total, 156 of 161 assignable residues of XRCC4 were assigned to resonances in the TROSY spectrum, with an additional 11 resonances assigned to His-Tag residues. Prediction of solution secondary structure from a chemical shift analysis using the TALOS+ webserver is in good agreement with the published X-ray crystal structures of this protein
Variance, locality and structure: three experimental challenges in the study of the response of soil microbial communities to multiple perturbations.
No full textThere in an increasing interest in understanding how soil microbial communities respond to perturbations associated with global change. Much of the currently available knowledge is based on controlled laboratory experiments, large scale surveys and manipulative studies in which one perturbation, for example drought, is applied under a range of conditions. Until now, emphasis has been on spatial replication of experimental units and the quantification of variation in soil microbial community structure, and its correlation to ecosystem-level variables such as gas fluxes. But microbial communities naturally fluctuate over time, their response to perturbations is temporal, and they generally experience multiple perturbations simultaneously and/or in a variable sequence, such as spells of drought alternating with flooding events. Furthermore, variation in the soil microbial community in response to perturbations may not directly reflect the overall expression of functions of a microbial community. Here, we identify three experimental challenges that we refer to as the variance, locality and structure challenge. We briefly synthesise the state of the art around these three challenges to open a discussion on the many experimental issues ecologists face when measuring the effects of perturbations on the structure and functions of soil microbial communities in time and space. We propose experimental, sampling and modelling strategies that can help resolve the experimental challenges discussed in this paper
Opportunities and challenges for flexible and printable electrodes in electroencephalography
No full textThe electroencephalogram (EEG) is a commonly used non-invasive approach to monitoring the brain, and has been used in applications from epilepsy diagnosis to Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCI). The EEG electrode plays a crucial role in the setup of the EEG. While many bulk metal rigid electrodes are available commercially, flexible and stretchable electrodes are needed to improve user comfort, speed of set up, and signal quality. This paper overviews the current state-of-theart in flexible EEG electrode manufacturing methods, including 3D printing, screen printing, inkjet printing, and other nonprinting techniques such as chemical fabrications and classical molding, highlighting the opportunities and challenges present
Large-Eddy-Simulations of the unsteady behaviour of a hypersonic intake at Mach 5
No full textThree-dimensional high-fidelity numerical simulations of a Mach 5 hypersonic ramjet intake are performed combining a high-order and time-accurate Large-Eddy-Simulation model with a sharp-interface Immersed Boundary Method. The analysis provides a detailed characterisationof the unsteady behaviour of the intake. A systematic investigation is carried out varying the blockage of the intake channel and, in particular, three blockage levels are investigated as far as their effect on the flow. The analysis shows that two main unsteady phenomena occur, the former at high-frequency (little buzz) and the latter at low frequency (big buzz). When the intake channel is entirely opened only the little buzz is present, while in partially blocked conditions, the big buzz prevails. We will show how the big buzz is correlated to the convection of high-density high-pressure spots from the entrance of the intake channel, which creates the oscillatory unsteady behaviour
Magnetization Signature of Topological Surface States in a Non-symmorphic Superconductor
No full textSuperconductors with non-trivial band structure topology represent a class of materials with unconventional and potentially useful properties. Recent years have seen much success in creating artificial hybrid structures exhibiting main characteristics of two-dimensional (2D) topological superconductors. Yet, bulk materials known to combine inherent superconductivity with nontrivial topology remain scarce, largely because distinguishing their central characteristic – topological surface states – proved challenging due to a dominant contribution from the superconducting bulk. Reported here is a highly anomalous behaviour of surface superconductivity in topologically nontrivial 3D superconductor In2Bi where the surface states result from its nontrivial band structure, which itself is a consequence of the non-symmorphic crystal symmetry and strong spin-orbit coupling. In contrast to smoothly decreasing diamagnetic susceptibility above the bulk critical field Hc2, associated with surface superconductivity in conventional superconductors, we observe near-perfect, Meissner-like screening of low-frequency magnetic fields well above Hc2. The enhanced diamagnetism disappears at a new phase transition close to the critical field of surface superconductivity Hc3. Using theoretical modelling, we show that the anomalous screening is consistent with modification of surface superconductivity due to the presence of topological surface states. The demonstrated possibility to detect signatures of the surface states using macroscopic magnetization measurements provides an important new tool for discovery and identification of topological superconductors
Potential influence of the microbiome environment in patients with biliary tract cancer and implications for therapy
No full textBiliary tract cancers, including intra- and extra-hepatic cholangiocarcinoma as well as gallbladder cancer, are associated with poor prognosis and the majority of patients present with advanced stage, non-resectable disease at diagnosis. Biliary tract cancer may develop through an accumulation of genetic and epigenetic alterations and can be influenced by microbial exposure. Furthermore, the liver and biliary tract are exposed to the gastrointestinal microbiome through the gut-liver axis. The availability of next generation sequencing technology has led to an increase in studies investigating the relationship between microbiota and human disease. In particular, the interplay between the microbiome, the tumour micro-environment and response to systemic therapy is a prospering area of interest. Given the poor outcomes for patients with biliary tract cancer, this emerging field of research, through which new biomarkers may be identified, offers potential as a tool for early diagnosis, prognostication, or even as a future therapeutic target. This review summarises the available evidence on the microbiome environment in patients with biliary tract cancer, including a discussion around confounding factors, implications for therapy and proposed future directions