1,452 research outputs found
Protecting Cultural Property Through Provenance
This Comment recommends that Congress take action to bring consistency to the treatment of cultural property in two ways. First, ownership disputes should be settled based on the quality of provenance between competing claimants, a system similar to land title registration. Provenance is the history of a piece of cultural property that shows where it came from and where it has been. Second, to ensure provenance is a complete guide to title all cultural objects, both illegally exported and stolen cultural property should receive the same treatment. Part II of this Comment discusses the history of cultural property regulation. Next, Part III addresses the current state of the law protecting cultural objects within the United States and explains the inconsistencies created under the current statutory scheme. Finally, Part IV proposes a solution that will protect interested parties
Protecting Cultural Property Through Provenance
This Comment recommends that Congress take action to bring consistency to the treatment of cultural property in two ways. First, ownership disputes should be settled based on the quality of provenance between competing claimants, a system similar to land title registration. Provenance is the history of a piece of cultural property that shows where it came from and where it has been. Second, to ensure provenance is a complete guide to title all cultural objects, both illegally exported and stolen cultural property should receive the same treatment. Part II of this Comment discusses the history of cultural property regulation. Next, Part III addresses the current state of the law protecting cultural objects within the United States and explains the inconsistencies created under the current statutory scheme. Finally, Part IV proposes a solution that will protect interested parties
A discourse analysis of trainee teacher identity in online discussion forums
Teacher education involves an identity transformation for trainees from being a student to being a teacher. This discourse analysis examined the online discussion board communications of a cohort of trainee teachers to better understand the situated identities of the trainees and how they were presented online. Their discussion board posts were the primary method of communication during placement periods and, as such, provided insight into how the trainees situated their identities in terms of being a student or being a teacher. During the analysis, the community boundaries, language and culture were explored along with the tutor's power and role in the identity transformation process. This involved looking at the lexis used by the students, the use of pronouns to refer to themselves and others such as teachers and pupils, the types of messages allowed in the community and the effect of the tutor's messages on their communication. The research found that the trainees felt comfortable with teaching but did not feel like teachers during the course. Tutors and school teachers need to develop an awareness of the dual nature of trainees' identities and help promote the transition from student to teacher. In the beginning of the course, trainees should be familiarised with teacher vocabulary and practical concepts in addition to pedagogical theory. Towards the end of the course, trainee identity as teachers could be promoted through the use of authentic assessments that mirror real teacher tasks and requirements
The PDZ domain of the SpoIVB serine peptidase facilitates multiple functions
During spore formation in Bacillus subtilis, the SpoIVB protein is a critical component of the sigma (K) regulatory checkpoint. SpoIVB has been shown to be a serine peptidase that is synthesized in the spore chamber and which self-cleaves, releasing active forms. These forms can signal proteolytic processing of the transcription factor sigma (K) in the outer mother cell chamber of the sporulating cell. This forms the basis of the sigma (K) checkpoint and ensures accurate sigma (K)-controlled gene expression. SpoIVB has also been shown to activate a second distinct process, termed the second function, which is essential for the formation of heat-resistant spores. In addition to the serine peptidase domain, SpoIVB contains a PDZ domain. We have altered a number of conserved residues in the PDZ domain by site-directed mutagenesis and assayed the sporulation phenotype and signaling properties of mutant SpoIVB proteins. Our work has revealed that the SpoIVB PDZ domain could be used for up to four distinct processes, (i) targeting of itself for trans proteolysis, (11) binding to the protease inhibitor BofC, (iii) signaling of pro-sigma (K) processing, and (iv) signaling of the second function of SpoIVB
Facial expression, size, and clutter: Inferences from movie structure to emotion judgments and back
Using Co-operative Inquiry to embed Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) across all programmes offered by Plymouth Institute of Education (PIoE)
Our aim is to embed Education for Sustainable Development across all of our courses, ensuring that all students benefit from an education where social, economic and environmental sustainability is woven into the very fabric of their learning experience, thereby producing graduates who take this learning forward and embed it in their own teaching. To achieve this, the aims of the projects were:
To embed elements of ESD in all PIoE programmes utilising a co-operative inquiry approach (Heron and Reason 2001)
• To critically evaluate co-operative inquiry (CI) as an effective mechanism for the implementation of ESD in HE.PedRI
Para-cresol production by Clostridium difficile affects microbial diversity and membrane integrity of Gram-negative bacteria
Clostridium difficile is a Gram-positive spore-forming anaerobe and a major cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhoea. Disruption of the commensal microbiota, such as through treatment with broad-spectrum antibiotics, is a critical precursor for colonisation by C. difficile and subsequent disease. Furthermore, failure of the gut microbiota to recover colonisation resistance can result in recurrence of infection. An unusual characteristic of C. difficile among gut bacteria is its ability to produce the bacteriostatic compound para-cresol (p-cresol) through fermentation of tyrosine. Here, we demonstrate that the ability of C. difficile to produce p-cresol in vitro provides a competitive advantage over gut bacteria including Escherichia coli, Klebsiella oxytoca and Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron. Metabolic profiling of competitive co-cultures revealed that acetate, alanine, butyrate, isobutyrate, p-cresol and p-hydroxyphenylacetate were the main metabolites responsible for differentiating the parent strain C. difficile (630Δerm) from a defined mutant deficient in p-cresol production. Moreover, we show that the p-cresol mutant displays a fitness defect in a mouse relapse model of C. difficile infection (CDI). Analysis of the microbiome from this mouse model of CDI demonstrates that colonisation by the p-cresol mutant results in a distinctly altered intestinal microbiota, and metabolic profile, with a greater representation of Gammaproteobacteria, including the Pseudomonales and Enterobacteriales. We demonstrate that Gammaproteobacteria are susceptible to exogenous p-cresol in vitro and that there is a clear divide between bacterial Phyla and their susceptibility to p-cresol. In general, Gram-negative species were relatively sensitive to p-cresol, whereas Gram-positive species were more tolerant. This study demonstrates that production of p-cresol by C. difficile has an effect on the viability of intestinal bacteria as well as the major metabolites produced in vitro. These observations are upheld in a mouse model of CDI, in which p-cresol production affects the biodiversity of gut microbiota and faecal metabolite profiles, suggesting that p-cresol production contributes to C. difficile survival and pathogenesis.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio
Detecting the direction of a signal on high-dimensional spheres: Non-null and Le Cam optimality results
We consider one of the most important problems in directional statistics,
namely the problem of testing the null hypothesis that the spike direction
of a Fisher-von Mises-Langevin distribution on the -dimensional
unit hypersphere is equal to a given direction . After a reduction
through invariance arguments, we derive local asymptotic normality (LAN)
results in a general high-dimensional framework where the dimension goes
to infinity at an arbitrary rate with the sample size , and where the
concentration behaves in a completely free way with , which
offers a spectrum of problems ranging from arbitrarily easy to arbitrarily
challenging ones. We identify various asymptotic regimes, depending on the
convergence/divergence properties of , that yield different
contiguity rates and different limiting experiments. In each regime, we derive
Le Cam optimal tests under specified and we compute, from the Le Cam
third lemma, asymptotic powers of the classical Watson test under contiguous
alternatives. We further establish LAN results with respect to both spike
direction and concentration, which allows us to discuss optimality also under
unspecified . To investigate the non-null behavior of the Watson test
outside the parametric framework above, we derive its local asymptotic powers
through martingale CLTs in the broader, semiparametric, model of rotationally
symmetric distributions. A Monte Carlo study shows that the finite-sample
behaviors of the various tests remarkably agree with our asymptotic results.Comment: 47 pages, 4 figure
Biofilms: possible strategies for suppression in chronic wounds
The aim of this paper is to provide a brief overview of strategies that could be applied to chronic wounds harbouring biofilms. The importance of biofilms in chronic wounds is highlighted in respect of them preventing the normal wound healing processes and with regards to their resistance to removal by conventional antimicrobial agents. An array of anti-biofilm agents is provided, and the mode of action of these agents together with their efficacy in suppressing biofilms is discussed. It is hoped this article will provide foresight into wound management and promote consideration of future anti-biofilm strategies
In-Space Propulsion: Connectivity to In-Space Fabrication and Repair
The connectivity between new in-space propulsion technologies and the ultimate development of an in-space fabrication and repair infrastructure are described in this Technical Memorandum. A number of advanced in-space propulsion technologies are being developed by NASA, many of which are directly relevant to the establishment of such an in-space infrastructure. These include aerocapture, advanced solar-electric propulsion, solar-thermal propulsion, advanced chemical propulsion, tethers, and solar photon sails. Other, further-term technologies have also been studied to assess their utility to the development of such an infrastructure
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