Contemporary European narrative jewellery: the prevalent themes, paradigms and the cognitive interaction between maker, wearer and viewer observed through the process, production and exhibition of narrative jewellery

The focus of this research lies within the field of contemporary studio jewellery, a discipline that has a variety of strands that includes the purely aesthetic, technique led, through concept based to architectonic. A further hybrid of contemporary jewellery is the narrative genre. More specifically this research examines how narrative might be defined and takes a position viewed from a European perspective. Chapter 1, Rationale & Contextual Review, examines contemporary studio jewellery and positions a definition of narrative jewellery within this wider framework. Chapter 2, Defining the Field, identifies global paradigms. The interrogation of the subject examines the correlation between themes and subject matter and the ethnographic factors that influence creative outcomes. The hypothesis proposes that these creative outcomes are universal in their translation whilst reflecting a relationship between environmental influence and ethnographic origin Chapter 3, Narrative Themes, presents an overview of current European makers. Through the author's role as exhibition curator, this chapter identifies prevalent themes and preoccupations selected from the exhibition ‘Maker-Wearer-Viewer’ which surveyed the work of over seventy makers from twenty European countries. Chapter 4, Source, Process & Practice, locates the author’s self-reflective practice within the field by examining the correlation of narrative subject matter, source material and the creative process employed. The importance of source material and its influence on the creative process is examined through reflexive practice. Further research examines the interactive relationship between the maker and wearer, and the response of the viewer. Through practice-based research, the design and making process, the authors’ narrative jewellery is clearly defined within a wider context

ARES Cleaning System

In this Final Design Review, the team outlines the general scope of the ARES Cleaning System project and the final design direction chosen and built. This team consists of a group of four mechanical engineering students who have been tasked with designing and manufacturing an autonomous ARES cleaning system to help their sponsor, Fracsun, better track soiling losses measured at large solar arrays. They designed, conceptualized, manufactured, and tested throughout the project as they looked to create a final, functioning product. In creating this Final Design Review, they have identified how the product will perform the desired functions and what materials and manufacturing methods need to be used for further development. The team has chosen a specific design, while creating a functional prototype that can be improved in the future or used immediately with Fracsun. The team has also identified future recommendations so that it can be implemented into a wider range of environments and be mass produced. While most of the specifications laid out by the team were met, they have reflected on the project and determined what worked during the year long project and what can be improved in the future

pH-Dependent Metal Ion Toxicity Influences the Antibacterial Activity of Two Natural Mineral Mixtures

Recent studies have demonstrated that several mineral products sold for medicinal purposes demonstrate antimicrobial activity, but little is known about the physicochemical properties involved in antibacterial activity. or other sequestered metal cations, in mineral toxicity. This conclusion was supported by NMR relaxation data, which indicated that BY07 and CB07 leachates contained higher concentrations of chemically accessible metal ions than leachates from non-bactericidal mineral samples.We conclude that the acidic environment of the hydrated minerals significantly contributes to antibacterial activity by increasing the availability and toxicity of metal ions. These findings provide impetus for further investigation of the physiological effects of mineral products and their applications in complementary antibacterial therapies

An evaluation of wrong-way driving crashes on Kansas freeways.

Master of ScienceDepartment of Civil EngineeringEric J. FitzsimmonsTransportation officials continuously seek to prevent and reduce wrong-way crashes on interstate highways in the United States. These crashes typically have a high probability of head-on vehicle crashes, resulting in fatalities or serious injuries due to excessive vehicle speeds, and decreased room to maneuver because of fixed barriers or rough shoulders. This research project studied wrong-way crashes on interstate highways in Kansas in order to determine what, if any, statistically significant variables contribute to wrong-way driving crashes. Although these crashes represented only 0.05 percent of all vehicle crashes in Kansas in 2015, wrong-way crashes were found to have a higher rate of fatalities and injuries. In Kansas, 22.6 percent of all crashes and 56 percent of all wrong-way crashes resulted in fatalities and injuries, even though typical vehicle crashes in Kansas occur at non-intersection locations in daylight or in the presence of streetlights without negative factors of adverse weather conditions or drivers influenced by alcohol or drugs. Using crash data provided by the Kansas Department of Transportation from the years 2005 to 2015, the research team examined 372 wrong-way crashes. A cumulative logit statistical model was developed to identify significant characteristics of variables associated with each wrong-way crash. Results showed that driver not under the influence of alcohol or drugs was a significant characteristic in fatal and injury wrong-way crashes. Additionally, certain days of the week were associated with decreased vehicle crash rates when compared to the reference category

Systemic conditioned medium treatment from interleukin-1 primed mesenchymal stem cells promotes recovery after stroke

This work was supported by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC, UK) and Medical Research Council (MRC, UK) Centre for Doctoral Training in Regenerative Medicine studentship grant EP/L014904/1 and the Stroke Association (TSA 2017/03).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Personalized Risk Assessment in Never, Light, and Heavy Smokers in a prospective cohort in Taiwan.

The objective of this study was to develop markedly improved risk prediction models for lung cancer using a prospective cohort of 395,875 participants in Taiwan. Discriminatory accuracy was measured by generation of receiver operator curves and estimation of area under the curve (AUC). In multivariate Cox regression analysis, age, gender, smoking pack-years, family history of lung cancer, personal cancer history, BMI, lung function test, and serum biomarkers such as carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), bilirubin, alpha fetoprotein (AFP), and c-reactive protein (CRP) were identified and included in an integrative risk prediction model. The AUC in overall population was 0.851 (95% CI = 0.840-0.862), with never smokers 0.806 (95% CI = 0.790-0.819), light smokers 0.847 (95% CI = 0.824-0.871), and heavy smokers 0.732 (95% CI = 0.708-0.752). By integrating risk factors such as family history of lung cancer, CEA and AFP for light smokers, and lung function test (Maximum Mid-Expiratory Flow, MMEF25-75%), AFP and CEA for never smokers, light and never smokers with cancer risks as high as those within heavy smokers could be identified. The risk model for heavy smokers can allow us to stratify heavy smokers into subgroups with distinct risks, which, if applied to low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) screening, may greatly reduce false positives

Evaluation of prototype risk prediction tools for clinicians and people living with type 2 diabetes in North West London using the think aloud method

The prevalence of type 2 diabetes in North West London (NWL) is relatively high compared to other parts of the United Kingdom with outcomes suboptimal. This presents a need for more effective strategies to identify people living with type 2 diabetes who need additional support. An emerging subset of web-based interventions for diabetes self-management and population management has used artificial intelligence and machine learning models to stratify the risk of complications from diabetes and identify patients in need of immediate support. In this study, two prototype risk prediction tools on the MyWay Diabetes and MyWay Clinical platforms were evaluated with six clinicians and six people living with type 2 diabetes in NWL using the think aloud method. The results of the sessions with people living with type 2 diabetes showed that the concept of the tool was intuitive, however, more instruction on how to correctly use the risk prediction tool would be valuable. The feedback from the sessions with clinicians was that the data presented in the tool aligned with the key diabetes targets in NWL, and that this would be useful for identifying and inviting patients to the practice who are overdue for tests and at risk of complications. The findings of the evaluation have been used to support the development of the prototype risk predictions tools. This study demonstrates the value of conducting usability testing on web-based interventions designed to support the targeted management of type 2 diabetes in local communities