Alpha toxin is present in most nasal-derived Staphylococcus aureus samples

Staphylococcus aureus is a bacteria that lives commensally on one third of the human population. S. aureus can produce toxins and superantigens, like SEA, TSST-1 and alpha toxin that cause disease. Some diseases produced by these toxins are pneumonia, endocarditis, osteomyelitis, toxic shock syndrome, dermatitis, and sepsis. Twelve S. aureus positive samples, previously collected from nasal swabs, were tested through PCR and DNA gel electrophoresis in order to visualize the DNA you are looking for

The relationship between cognitive functioning and street-crossing behaviours in adults : A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Pedestrians are vulnerable road users, with 26 % of global road fatalities being pedestrians (and other vulnerable road users). It is argued that pedestrians are involved in crashes due to errors in decision-making due to deficits in cognitive skills. To date there has limited research into pedestrian decision-making. There currently stands no theoretical model to help understand how cognitive function impacts on pedestrian street crossing decisions. Objectives: The aim of this review was to synthesize the literature on the relationship between cognitive functioning and street-crossing behaviours, in two population groups: all adults, and older adults with or without a cognitive impairment. Data sources: Published literature from three databases (PsycINFO, PubMed and Medline) was searched in February 2022. Studies were required to have investigated the relationship between cognitive functioning and street-crossing behaviours. Results: Nine studies were identified for the systematic review, with four cognitive domains and nine street-crossing behaviours examined. Findings from the systematic review suggested that poorer processing speed and visual attention predicted increased unsafe street-crossing behaviours across the two population groups. Additionally, most studies demonstrated a non-significant relationship between executive function and street-crossing behaviours. Results from the meta-analysis on all adults, demonstrated a small effect size for the strength of the relationship between overall cognitive functioning and street-crossing behaviours, with stronger effects noted in individual domains of selective attention and inhibition. Limitations: The small number of studies in this space combined with considerable variability in cognitive domains measured, assessment tools utilized, and street-crossing behaviours examined across studies limit conclusions about patterns of the relationship between cognitive functioning and pedestrian safety. Conclusions: Findings highlight the important role of visual attention in enabling the engagement of safe street-crossing behaviours, which may assist in the development of targeted interventions to reduce risk of harm to pedestrians. Given unexpected findings regarding the influence of executive functioning, as well as limited findings on other cognitive domains such as mental status and memory, future research should aim to elucidate their role in pedestrian safety. Further research into cognitive function and pedestrian street crossing behaviours is critical if we are to develop a theoretical framework for how pedestrians make road-crossing decisions. If we can better understand the factors that influence street crossing decisions, roadway infrastructure and training programs can be developed to improve outcomes for this vulnerable population

Providing Refuge: A Regime Analysis of Legal Protections for Displaced Persons in Sub-Saharan Africa

While refugees are entitled to the right of asylum vis-a-vis the U.N. 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and the subsequent 1967 Protocol, which includes rights of a legal resident in the host country, African states vary in their domestic implementation of refugee rights. Sub-Saharan Africa host approximately 29 percent of the world’s refugees and as such represents a key region for understanding the dynamics of refugee rights and protections. With 45 member states having ratified (another 4 having signed) the Organization of African Unity’s 1969 Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of the Refugee Problem in Africa (OAU Convention), and 53 states having ratified the African Charter on Human and Peoples\u27 Rights, Africa is one of the most legally inclusive for refugees. Even so, domestic refugee laws come into conflict with international and regional legal commitments, in some cases threatening legal protections in detrimental ways. This study comparatively analyzes domestic laws pertaining to the rights of refugees, creating a typology of refugee regimes for the region. We then situate and comparatively analyze the refugee rights and protections for the most recent mass displacement of Burundians to Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda. Drawing on these three cases, the paper asks which aspects of their domestic refugee laws are the most significant in protecting displaced persons. Based on content analysis of relevant regional and domestic laws, we argue that in addition to commitments to international and regional legal conventions, domestic respect for freedom of movement and employment opportunities are key factors that drive different outcomes for fulfilling refugee human rights

The Impact of Video-Communication on Older Adults' Psychological Well-Being: A Mixed Methods Study

Greater life expectancy has resulted in older adults becoming more vulnerable to social isolation, with increasing numbers of British older adults reporting loneliness in recent years. This trend is of concern as it has been documented that feeling a connection to others is a fundamental need for psychological well-being. It is therefore important to support older adults to maintain connections with others, in order to help increase, and prevent deterioration of, their well-being. The social presence theory asserts that visual presence during conversations can enhance the quality of communications between individuals and thus strengthen relationships. The use of video-communication by older adults may therefore lend itself as a tool to enhance communications with others and consequently increase their psychological well-being. This research utilised a mixed-methods quasi-experimental design to explore the impact of video-communication on the psychological well-being of older adults. Participants in the intervention condition received video-communication training sessions to help them communicate with their friends or relatives remotely via video. Participants in the control conditions received either email or basic computer skills training. Self-report measures were used to investigate the effectiveness of the video-communication in enhancing psychological well-being. Semi-structured interviews were also conducted with the participants in the intervention condition in order to capture the participants’ experiences with using the video-communication and to corroborate the quantitative data. The quantitative data was subjected to statistical and clinically significant change tests, while the qualitative data was analysed using thematic analysis. Triangulation of the quantitative and qualitative data revealed that the video-communication increased some older adults’ psychological well-being and the social support they received. The findings are discussed in relation to previous research. The clinical implications of the findings and directions for future research are also discussed

The Visit VR. An immersive experience to counteract stigma about dementia.

The Visit is an interactive 6-dof real-time Virtual Reality experience, developed from an interdisciplinary research project conducted by artists and psychologists working with women living with dementia. Visitors are invited to sit with Viv, a life-sized, realistic and responsive character whose dialogue is created largely from verbatim interviews, drawing us into a world of perceptual uncertainty, while at the same time confounding stereotypes and confronting fears about dementia. The characterisation has scientific validity but also the qualities of a rich, emotion-driven film narrative. The point of the work is to draw the viewer into the emotional/perceptual world of Viv

Empirical approaches to improving the use of DNA in crime scene investigative practice

This article reports on a collaborative project that explored the targeted use of swabbing evidence sources which, up until now, have not been routinely recovered or utilised for DNA analysis. All genres of the forensic portfolio have undergone significant changes driven by economic, political and technological influencers, which have resulted in an array of interpretations on its frontline delivery, often based on local requirements. The approach reported here pertains to a research project bringing together a collaborative team of researchers, representing practitioners and academics, working in conjunction with forensic service providers. The project reviewed the process of swabbing glove marks at crime scenes, comparing the methods used with DNA profiling outcomes. The findings showed significant benefits in regards to DNA outcomes, providing six detections over a four-month period that were attributable to the swabbing of the glove marks. Furthermore, the study provided key data to guide practice and crime scene methods to meet new operational requirements

Empirical approaches to improving the use of DNA in crime scene investigative practice

At the beginning of the 21st century, rural policy remains one of the most important areas of public policy; huge financial and human resources are devoted to the implementation of this policy measures. The aim of the article is to provide holistic evaluation of the goals, means and key achievements of Lithuanian agricultural policy and to identify possible areas and ways of improvement. The diversity of agricultural policy measures applied in Lithuania after the restoration of independence in 1990 and achievements of the policy are analysed on the basis of new approach – the theory of qualitative structures. The study explores how policy measures to accelerate the process of industrialization in Lithuanian agriculture after the privatization of kolkhozes and sovkhozes have encouraged and supported private farms to implement extensive growth, intensification, specialization, risk management, collaboration and innovation production strategies, and what results they have achieved.XXI a. pradžioje kaimo politika išlieka viena iš svarbiausių viešosios politikos sričių. Šios politikos priemonėms diegti skiriama labai daug finansinių ir žmogiškųjų išteklių. Straipsnio tikslas – holistiškai įvertinti Lietuvos žemės ūkio politikos tikslus, priemones ir pasiekimus, identifikuoti galimas tobulinimo kryptis. Žemės ūkio politikos priemonių, taikytų Lietuvoje po nepriklausomybės atgavimo 1990 m., įvairovė ir pasiekimai analizuojami remiantis kokybinių struktūrų analizės metodu. Aptariama, kaip politikos priemonėmis, siekiant paspartinti industrializacijos procesą Lietuvos žemės ūkyje, ūkininkai buvo skatinami panaudoti šių priemonių kokybinės struktūros galimybes, kad būtų įgyvendinamos ekstensyvaus augimo, intensifikacijos, specializacijos, rizikos valdymo, bendradarbiavimo ir inovacijų strategijos

The Visit

The Visit is an interactive non-linear 6-degree-of-freedom real-time video installation and Virtual Reality experience, developed from an interdisciplinary research project conducted by artists and psychologists working with women living with dementia. Visitors are invited to sit with Viv, a life-sized, realistic, and responsive character whose dialogue is scripted largely from verbatim interviews. The work draws us into a world of perceptual uncertainty, while at the same time confounding stereotypes and confronting fears about dementia. The characterisation has both scientific validity and the qualities of a rich, emotion-driven film narrative. The point of the work is to draw the viewer into the emotional and perceptual world of Viv. The character’s expression and motion are predominantly scripted, but she also exhibits a level of autonomy and responsiveness. Viv is semi-aware of the presence in her home. The system analyses the viewers’ attention by examining the gaze direction. This allows the character to respond in a more natural way. She makes eye-contact and sometimes smiles if the viewer looks at her. The viewer’s role shifts from a passive observer to an active participant in the story. The narrative supports this notion, the viewer takes up the role of a (imaginary) visitor, represented as a disembodied hallucination. The virtual set, a kitchen and living room, is constructed from a 3D scan of the former home of one of our participants in the study. The work aligns with the theme Re|Dis]Connection in two ways: it establishes an emotional connection to a digital human character and at the same time disconnects the viewer from himself as a dis-embodied entity in the narrative

The Visit

The Visit is an interactive real-time video installation and Virtual Reality experience, developed from a ground-breaking interdisciplinary research project conducted by artists and psychologists working with women living with dementia. Visitors are invited to sit with Viv, a life-sized, realistic animated character, drawing us into a world of perceptual uncertainty, while at the same time confounding stereotypes and confronting fears about dementia. The characterisation has scientific validity but also the qualities of a rich, emotion-driven film narrative. The point of the work is to draw the viewer into the emotional/perceptual world of Viv

EmbodiMap VR. A tangible and immersive body-mapping experience.

EmbodiMap is a creative research and therapeutic tool that enables users to connect with and explore how thoughts, sensationsand emotions are experienced in the body. It extends existing body-mapping research and protocols by facilitating a tangible immersive experience