73 research outputs found
A randomized controlled trial of an appearance-based dietary intervention
No full textObjective: Inadequate fruit and vegetable consumption precipitates preventable morbidity and mortality. The efficacy of an appearance-based dietary intervention was investigated, which illustrates the beneficial effect that fruit and vegetable consumption has on skin appearance. Methods: Participants were randomly allocated to three groups receiving information-only or a generic or own-face appearance-based intervention. Diet was recorded at baseline and 10 weekly follow-ups. Participants in the generic and own-face intervention groups witnessed on-screen stimuli and received printed photographic materials to illustrate the beneficial effect of fruit and vegetable consumption on skin color. Results: Controlling for baseline diet, a significant effect of intervention group was found on self-reported fruit and vegetable intake among 46 completers who were free of medical and personal reasons preventing diet change. The own-face appearance-based intervention group reported a significant, sustained improvement in fruit and vegetable consumption whereas the information-only and generic appearance-based intervention groups reported no significant dietary changes. Conclusions: Seeing the potential benefits of fruit and vegetable consumption on own skin color may motivate dietary improvement.Peer reviewe
The use of computational fluid dynamics to assess the hull resistance of concept autonomous underwater vehicles
No full textAutonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV’s) provide an important tool for collecting detailed scientific information from the oceans depths. The hull resistance of an AUV is an important factor in determining the powering requirements and range of the vehicle. This paper discusses the use of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) to determine the hull resistance of three existing AUV’s, of differing shape and size. The predictions are compared with available experimental data and good agreement found. This work has demonstrated that with use of suitable shape parameterisation it is possible to carry out concept design evaluation using a RANS flow solver
Neural correlates of processing valence and arousal in affective words
No full textPsychological frameworks conceptualize emotion along 2 dimensions, "valence" and "arousal." Arousal invokes a single axis of intensity increasing from neutral to maximally arousing. Valence can be described variously as a bipolar continuum, as independent positive and negative dimensions, or as hedonic value (distance from neutral). In this study, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging to characterize neural activity correlating with arousal and with distinct models of valence during presentation of affective word stimuli. Our results extend observations in the chemosensory domain suggesting a double dissociation in which subregions of orbitofrontal cortex process valence, whereas amygdala preferentially processes arousal. In addition, our data support the physiological validity of descriptions of valence along independent axes or as absolute distance from neutral but fail to support the validity of descriptions of valence along a bipolar continuum
Challenging Male Hegemony: A Case History of Women's Experiences in British and US Higher Education, 1970-2002
No full textThis thesis is located within the discipline of history, and centres around the
experiences of women in US and British universities. Higher education in both the US and
the UK, as throughout the world, has historically been male-led and male-controlled. This
male hegemony of higher education continues to the present, as evidenced by the low
percentage of women in the upper echelons of academia (for example, professors).
Women in the US and the UK have been challenging this male hegemony since their
admittance to higher education institutions in the nineteenth century. They faced fierce
opposition in their efforts to open higher education to women. This opposition was later
echoed in the resistance to twentieth-century feminists' efforts to found women's studies
programmes.
The male hegemony of higher education is evident in the case histories of the
experiences of women at Appalachian State University (ASU) and the University of
Gloucestershire (UG) in the latter part of the twentieth century. ASU and UG, although
located in different countries, have similarities which make a comparison interesting. The
male hegemony of the institutions, and women's challenges to it, is especially illustrated
when analysing three areas: residence hall life (living), staff issues (working), and the
women's studies programmes (teaching and learning).
Women students at both institutions experienced, and successfully challenged,
strict residence rules through the 1960s. National influences, such as the change in the age
of majority, and pressure from the students themselves brought a loosening of these rules
in the 1970s and 1980s. The conservative nature of the institutions also influenced the
experience of women academic staff. Institutional management was not proactive
regarding women's issues, and there is strong evidence of a `glass ceiling' at both
institutions. The male hegemony of the institutions was also illustrated in the struggle to
found and maintain women's studies programmes
Structural conservation of Lassa virus glycoproteins and recognition by neutralizing antibodies
No full textLassa fever is an acute hemorrhagic fever caused by the zoonotic Lassa virus (LASV). The LASV glycoprotein complex (GPC) mediates viral entry and is the sole target for neutralizing antibodies. Immunogen design is complicated by the metastable nature of recombinant GPCs and the antigenic differences among phylogenetically distinct LASV lineages. Despite the sequence diversity of the GPC, structures of most lineages are lacking. We present the development and characterization of prefusion-stabilized, trimeric GPCs of LASV lineages II, V, and VII, revealing structural conservation despite sequence diversity. High-resolution structures and biophysical characterization of the GPC in complex with GP1-A-specific antibodies suggest their neutralization mechanisms. Finally, we present the isolation and characterization of a trimer-preferring neutralizing antibody belonging to the GPC-B competition group with an epitope that spans adjacent protomers and includes the fusion peptide. Our work provides molecular detail information on LASV antigenic diversity and will guide efforts to design pan-LASV vaccines
First report of generalized face processing difficulties in möbius sequence.
No full textReverse simulation models of facial expression recognition suggest that we recognize the emotions of others by running implicit motor programmes responsible for the production of that expression. Previous work has tested this theory by examining facial expression recognition in participants with Möbius sequence, a condition characterized by congenital bilateral facial paralysis. However, a mixed pattern of findings has emerged, and it has not yet been tested whether these individuals can imagine facial expressions, a process also hypothesized to be underpinned by proprioceptive feedback from the face. We investigated this issue by examining expression recognition and imagery in six participants with Möbius sequence, and also carried out tests assessing facial identity and object recognition, as well as basic visual processing. While five of the six participants presented with expression recognition impairments, only one was impaired at the imagery of facial expressions. Further, five participants presented with other difficulties in the recognition of facial identity or objects, or in lower-level visual processing. We discuss the implications of our findings for the reverse simulation model, and suggest that facial identity recognition impairments may be more severe in the condition than has previously been noted
Exploring high-end scenarios for local sea level rise to develop flood protection strategies for a low-lying delta-the Netherlands as an example
No full textSea level rise, especially combined with possible changes in storm surges and increased river discharge resulting from climate change, poses a major threat in low-lying river deltas. In this study we focus on a specific example of such a delta: the Netherlands. To evaluate whether the country’s flood protection strategy is capable of coping with future climate conditions, an assessment of low-probability/high-impact scenarios is conducted, focusing mainly on sea level rise. We develop a plausible high-end scenario of 0.55 to 1.15 m global mean sea level rise, and 0.40 to 1.05 m rise on the coast of the Netherlands by 2100 (excluding land subsidence), and more than three times these local values by 2200. Together with projections for changes in storm surge height and peak river discharge, these scenarios depict a complex, enhanced flood risk for the Dutch delta
A Licensed Combined Haemophilus Influenzae Type b-Serogroups C and Y Meningococcal Conjugate Vaccine
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Visual cognition during real social interaction
No full textCopyright @ 2012 The Authors. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and 85 reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. The article was made available through the Brunel University Open Access Publishing Fund.This article has been made available through the Brunel Open Access Publishing Fund.Laboratory studies of social visual cognition often simulate the critical aspects of joint attention by having participants interact with a computer-generated avatar. Recently, there has been a movement toward examining these processes during authentic social interaction. In this review, we will focus on attention to faces, attentional misdirection, and a phenomenon we have termed social inhibition of return (Social IOR), that have revealed aspects of social cognition that were hitherto unknown. We attribute these discoveries to the use of paradigms that allow for more realistic social interactions to take place. We also point to an area that has begun to attract a considerable amount of interest—that of Theory of Mind (ToM) and automatic perspective taking—and suggest that this too might benefit from adopting a similar approach
Ultrahigh Performance Nanoengineered Graphene–Concrete Composites for Multifunctional Applications
No full textThis is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Wiley via the DOI in this record.There is a constant drive for development of ultrahigh performance multifunctional construction materials by the modern engineering technologies. These materials have to exhibit enhanced durability and mechanical performance, and have to incorporate functionalities that satisfy multiple uses in order to be suitable for future emerging structural applications. There is a wide consensus in the research community that concrete, the most used construction material worldwide, has to be engineered at the nanoscale, where its chemical and physiomechanical properties can be truly enhanced. Here, an innovative multifunctional nanoengineered concrete showing an unprecedented range of enhanced properties when compared to standard concrete, is reported. These include an increase of up to 146% in the compressive and 79.5% in the flexural strength, whilst at the same time an enhanced electrical and thermal performance is found. A surprising decrease in water permeability by nearly 400% compared to normal concrete makes this novel composite material ideally suitable for constructions in areas subject to flooding. The unprecedented gamut of functionalities that are reported in this paper are produced by the addition of water‐stabilized graphene dispersions, an advancement in the emerging field of nanoengineered concrete which can be readily applied in a more sustainable construction industry.The authors acknowledge Ian Moon, Siobhan Kelly, Julian Yates, and Roger Perrett for the technical support in the concrete laboratories. D.D. acknowledges fruitful discussions with Lachlan Marnham. The authors also acknowledge financial support from EPSRC (Grant Nos: EP/J000396/1, EP/K017160, EP/K010050/1, EP/G036101/1, EP/M002438/1, and EP/M001024/1), from the Royal Society Travel Exchange Grants 2012 and 2013, from the European Commission (H2020‐MSC‐IF‐2015‐704963 and H2020‐MSC‐IF‐2015‐701704) and from the Royal Academy of Engineering
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