Life editing: Third-party perspectives on lifelog content

Lifelog collections digitally capture and preserve personal experiences and can be mined to reveal insights and understandings of individual significance. These rich data sources also offer opportunities for learning and discovery by motivated third parties. We employ a custom-designed storytelling application in constructing meaningful lifelog summaries from third-party perspectives. This storytelling initiative was implemented as a core component in a university media-editing course. We present promising results from a preliminary study conducted to evaluate the utility and potential of our approach in creatively interpreting a unique experiential dataset

Irish translations and romances

Although sustained interest in Arthur appears to emerge much later in Ireland than in other parts of Europe, the composition of five indigenous romances, the particularly high rate of manuscript survival of two of them, and the allusions in contemporary poetry suggest a respectable degree of success for this mode of writing from the fifteenth century onwards. The correspondences between the Irish Arthurian romances and English and French romance narratives are close enough to be tantalising, but never close enough to be certain. What we seem to have (to a greater or lesser extent) in these five works is not straightforward translation from individual source texts, but the sort of recombination of familiar motifs that constituted the standard way of composing romance across medieval western Europe. Romance, after all, is a very derivative genre, albeit often artfully so - it could be argued that this process of composition draws these Irish Arthurian romances particularly close to wider European practices of romance composition

From Hólar to Lisbon: Middle English literature in medieval translation, c.1286-c.1550

This paper offers the first survey of evidence for the translation of Middle English literature beyond the English-speaking world in the medieval period. It identifies and discusses translations in five vernaculars: Welsh, Irish, Old Norse- Icelandic, Dutch, and Portuguese. The paper examines the contexts in which such translation took place and considers the role played by colonial, dynastic, trading, and ecclesiastical networks in the transmission of these works. It argues that English is in the curious position of being a vernacular with a reasonable international reach in translation, but often with relatively low literary and cultural prestige. It is evident that most texts translated from English in this period are works which themselves are based on sources in other languages, and it seems probable that English-language texts are often convenient intermediaries for courtly or devotional works more usually transmitted in French or Latin

The role of the traditional leader in implementing maternal, newborn and child health policy in Malawi

Traditional leaders play a prominent role at the community level in Malawi, yet limited research has been undertaken on their role in relation to policy implementation. This article seeks to analyse the role of traditional leaders in implementing national maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) policy and programmes at the community level. We consider whether the role of the chief embodies a top-down (utilitarian) or bottom-up (empowerment) approach to MNCH policy implementation. Primary data were collected in 2014/15, through 85 in-depth interviews and 20 focus group discussions in two districts in Malawi. We discovered that traditional leaders play a pivotal role in supporting MNCH service utilization, through mobilization for MNCH campaigns, and encouraging women to give birth at the health facility rather than at home or in the community setting. Women and their families responded to bylaws to deliver in the facility out of respect for the traditional leader, which is ingrained in Malawian culture. Fines were imposed on women for delivering at home, in the form of goats, chickens and money. Fear and coercion were often used by traditional leaders to ensure that women delivered at the health facility. Chiefs who failed to enforce these bylaws were also fined. Although the role of the traditional leader was often positive and encouraging in relation to MNCH service utilization, this was sometimes carried out in a coercive manner. Results show evidence of a utilitarian top-down model of policy implementation, where the goal of health service utilization justified the means, through encouragement, fear, punishment or coercion. Although the bottom-up approach would be associated with a more empowerment approach, it is unlikely that this would have been successful in Malawi, given the hierarchical nature of society. Further research on policy implementation in the context of community participation is needed

The Hydroxylase Inhibitor Dimethyloxallyl Glycine Attenuates Endotoxic Shock Via Alternative Activation of Macrophages and IL-10 Production by B1 Cells

Localized tissue hypoxia is a feature of infection and inflammation, resulting in the upregulation of the transcription factors HIF-1α and NF-κB via inhibition of oxygen sensing hydroxylase enzymes. Previous studies have demonstrated a beneficial role for the hydroxylase inhibitor dimethyloxallyl glycine (DMOG) in inflammatory conditions, including experimental colitis, by regulating the activity of HIF-1 and NF-κB. We have demonstrated in vivo that pre-treatment with DMOG attenuates systemic LPS-induced activation of the NF-κB pathway. Furthermore, mice treated with DMOG had significantly increased survival in LPS-induced shock. Conversely, in models of polymicrobial sepsis, DMOG exacerbates disease severity. DMOG treatment of mice promotes M2 polarization in macrophages within the peritoneal cavity, resulting in the downregulation of pro-inflammatory cytokines such as TNFα. In addition, in vivo DMOG treatment upregulates IL-10 expression, specifically in the peritoneal B-1 cell population. This study demonstrates cell type specific roles for hydroxylase inhibition in vivo and provides insight into the mechanism underlying the protection conveyed by DMOG in models of endotoxic shock

Supplementary data for article: O’Connor, S.; Szwej, E.; Nikodinović-Runić, J.; O’Connor, A.; Byrne, A. T.; Devocelle, M.; O’Donovan, N.; Gallagher, W. M.; Babu, R. P.; Kenny, S. T.; et al. The Anti-Cancer Activity of a Cationic Anti-Microbial Peptide Derived from Monomers of Polyhydroxyalkanoate. Biomaterials 2013, 34 (11), 2710–2718. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biomaterials.2012.12.032

Supplementary material for: [https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biomaterials.2012.12.032]Related to published version: [http://cherry.chem.bg.ac.rs/handle/123456789/1609

Synthesis of a diaryliodonium salt and its use in the direct arylation of andole: a two-step experiment for the organic teaching laboratory

In the past decade, C–H functionalization has been a very active topic of research in both academia and industry. When a H atom is replaced by an aryl (or heteroaryl) group, the transformation is termed “direct arylation”. This approach to the formation of key (hetero)aryl–(hetero)aryl bonds is complementary to traditional methods, such as the Suzuki–Miyaura and Stille reactions. Direct arylation/C–H functionalization is not represented in the majority of undergraduate chemistry laboratory curricula. An experiment is described here in which students carry out a multistep process, synthesizing a diaryliodonium salt and using it in the direct arylation of indole. Important organic and organometallic chemistry concepts are covered, including catalysis, traditional cross-coupling, C–H functionalization, multistep reaction processes, and regioselectivity. The experiment was successfully carried out by third- and fourth-year students in two universities over a two-year period (four times in total). Both high-yielding and low-yielding chemical steps were encountered, and a number of pedagogical approaches evolved

The association between the maternal diet and the maternal and infant gut microbiome: A systematic review

During pregnancy, changes occur to influence the maternal gut microbiome, and potentially the fetal microbiome. Diet has been shown to impact the gut microbiome. Little research has been conducted examining diet during pregnancy with respect to the gut microbiome. To meet inclusion criteria, dietary analyses must have been conducted as part of the primary aim. The primary outcome was the composition of the gut microbiome (infant or maternal), as assessed using culture-independent sequencing techniques. This review identified seven studies for inclusion, five examining the maternal gut microbiome and two examining the fetal gut microbiome. Microbial data were attained through analysis of stool samples by 16S rRNA gene-based microbiota assessment. Studies found an association between the maternal diet and gut microbiome. High-fat diets (% fat of total energy), fat-soluble vitamins (mg/day) and fibre (g/day) were the most significant nutrients associated with the gut microbiota composition of both neonates and mothers. High-fat diets were significantly associated with a reduction in microbial diversity. High-fat diets may reduce microbial diversity, while fibre intake may be positively associated with microbial diversity. The results of this review must be interpreted with caution. The number of studies was low, and the risk of observational bias and heterogeneity across the studies must be considered. However, these results show promise for dietary intervention and microbial manipulation in order to favour an increase of health-associated taxa in the gut of the mother and her offspring