When situativity meets objectivity in peer-production of knowledge:the case of the WikiRate platform

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to further the debate on Knowledge Artefacts (KAs), by presenting the design of WikiRate, a Collective Awareness platform whose goal is to support a wider public contributing to the generation of knowledge on environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance of companies.Design/methodology/approachThe material presented in the paper comes from the first-hand experience of the authors as part of the WikiRate design team. This material is reflexively discussed using concepts from the field of science and technology studies.FindingsUsing the concept of the “funnel of interest”, the authors discuss how the design of a KA like WikiRate relies on the designers’ capacity to translate general statements into particular design solutions. The authors also show how this funnelling helps understanding the interplay between situativity and objectivity in a KA. The authors show how WikiRate is a peer-production platform based on situativity, which requires a robust level of objectivity for producing reliable knowledge about the ESG performance of companies.Originality/valueThis paper furthers the debate on KAs. It presents a relevant design example and offers in the discussion a set of design and community building recommendations to practitioners

Exhibition Catalog for Blind Corners, Portals and Turning Points

This catalog features work from the exhibit Blind Corners, Portals and Turning Points by Ronald Mills de Pinyas. Blind Corners, Portals and Turning Points was presented by the Linfield Gallery and the Department of Art and Visual Culture at Linfield College from October 10 through November 12, 2011. Brian Winkenweder\u27s essay Painting to Be is included in the catalog

Prior upper body exercise reduces cycling work capacity but not critical power

Purpose: This study examined whether metabolite accumulation, induced by prior upper body exercise, affected the power–duration relationship for leg cycle ergometry

Small-scale intraspecific life history variation in herbivorous spider mites (Tetranychus pacificus) is associated with host plant cultivar.

Life history variation is a general feature of arthropod systems, but is rarely included in models of field or laboratory data. Most studies assume that local processes occur identically across individuals, ignoring any genetic or phenotypic variation in life history traits. In this study, we tested whether field populations of Pacific spider mites (Tetranychus pacificus) on grapevines (Vitis vinifera) display significant intraspecific life history variation associated with host plant cultivar. To address this question we collected individuals from sympatric vineyard populations where either Zinfandel or Chardonnay were grown. We then conducted a "common garden experiment" of mites on bean plants (Phaseolus lunatus) in the laboratory. Assay populations were sampled non-destructively with digital photography to quantify development times, survival, and reproductive rates. Two classes of models were fit to the data: standard generalized linear mixed models and a time-to-event model, common in survival analysis, that allowed for interval-censored data and hierarchical random effects. We found a significant effect of cultivar on development time in both GLMM and time-to-event analyses, a slight cultivar effect on juvenile survival, and no effect on reproductive rate. There were shorter development times and a trend towards higher juvenile survival in populations from Zinfandel vineyards compared to those from Chardonnay vineyards. Lines of the same species, originating from field populations on different host plant cultivars, expressed different development times and slightly different survival rates when reared on a common host plant in a common environment

Respiratory muscle work and inspiratory muscle training on cytokines, oxidative stress and diaphragm fatigue in younger and older populations

Increased respiratory muscle work is encountered during strenuous whole-body exercise, and at rest in older adults and those with pulmonary limitations such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). When sufficiently strenuous it can result in diaphragmatic fatigue, increased blood lactate concentrations, and an alteration in respiratory muscle recruitment patterns. Increased respiratory muscle work also elevates cytokines interleukin-6 (IL-6) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) within the respiratory muscles and systemically. There is mounting evidence that inflammation contributes significantly to the ageing process and age related diseases. Enhanced oxidative stress, glycogen depletion and diaphragmatic fatigue are all potential stimuli for this production. Whole-body exercise training can attenuate systemic inflammation and oxidative stress in younger adults during exercise, and in older adults who experience this at rest. An attenuation of muscle glycogen or increases in antioxidant enzymes may explain such reductions. Inspiratory muscle training (IMT) may also elicit similar adaptations in the inspiratory muscles, and thus also attenuate these markers

Smart Tea Project

Conference poster. The lab book is a big block to publication@source, if it’s not digital, it’s difficult to share. Most experimental information is recorded in a lab book in a highly personal way. We have created a new analogy to fully understand the use of the lab book and successfully built and evaluated a working electronic replacement

New teaching resource for promoting physical activity in pregnancy

Christ Church academics have been working on updating physical activity teaching resources, launched today by the Council of Deans of Health and Exercise Works!, to enable healthcare professionals to provide consistent messaging on physical activity during pregnancy. The resource forms part of a series of teaching guides for the #MovementforMovement campaign, which supports teaching on undergraduate health and medicine programmes across the UK, and aims to help healthcare graduates effectively promote physical activity for the prevention, treatment and management of disease, and in the promotion of good health. Dr Marlize De Vivo and Dr Hayley Mills, from the School of Human and Life Sciences, were commissioned to update the teaching resources relating to physical activity during pregnancy. This follows the release of the Department of Health’s new guidelines for physical activity during pregnancy earlier this year. Drs De Vivo and Mills stated that: “Pregnancy is considered by many healthcare policymakers as a unique opportunity to promote healthy lifestyle behaviours. However, messaging relating to various health behaviours during pregnancy has often been ambiguous and at times contradictory. Historically, there has been a tendency to view physical activity as a potential risk during pregnancy, and on that basis even active women have reduced their engagement with physical activities. However, data increasingly suggests health and wellbeing benefits for both mother and baby. The new Department of Health guidelines bring those for physical activity during pregnancy in line with those for the general population that is, accumulating 150 minutes of moderate intensity of activity per week. Some pregnancy considerations and adaptations are noted in the guidelines, however, they support the maintenance of physical activity among previously active women whilst encouraging those not previously engaged to start gradually. The updated “Movement for Movement” resources enable these same consistent messages to be taught directly to students in the healthcare professions. Teaching and disseminating the updated guidance allows for a confident delivery of consistent evidence-based physical activity messages to expectant mums. This in turn, paves the way in normalising physical activity during pregnancy in the wider society.” Drs De Vivo and Mills will be presenting further work focusing on the psychology of physical activity and Pregnancy behaviour at the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences – European Federation for Sport Psychology (BASES-FEPSAC) conference on November 28th 2017. /Ends • The #MovementForMovement aims to build capacity in delivering physical activity interventions by all future health care workers through working as a community of practice both professionally and educationally. The resources are available for free to all universities with health programmes. • The #MovementForMovement resources are available to all undergraduate schools of medicine and health that train health care students (such as doctors, nurses, midwives, dentists, pharmacists and allied health professionals as defined by the NHS). • Exercise Works! promotes the use of physical activity in preventing and treating disease. For further details, http://www.exercise-works.org/ • The Council of Deans of Health is the voice of the deans and heads of UK university faculties for nursing, midwifery and the allied health professions. For further information about the work of the Council of Deans of Health please see councilofdeans.org.uk. Canterbury Christ Church University Canterbury Christ Church University is a modern university with a particular strength in higher education for the public services. With 17,000 students across Kent and Medway, its courses span a wide range of academic and professional subject areas. • Over 94% of our UK undergraduates were in employment or further studies six months after completing their studies*. • We are one of the South East’s largest providers of education, training and skills leading to public service careers. *2015/16 Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education survey Media contact Jeanette Earl Media Relations Manager Canterbury Christ Church University 01227 78239

“They turn to you first for everything”: insights into midwives’ perspectives of providing physical activity advice and guidance to pregnant women.

Background: The antenatal period is associated with a decline in physical activity among women. Midwives are viewed central to the dissemination of information during pregnancy, however, there is little research relating to their promotion of physical activity. The purpose of this study was to gain insight into midwives’ perspectives of providing physical activity advice and guidance to pregnant women. Methods: Community midwives (N = 10) from ten randomly selected antenatal clinics in England took part in semi-structured interviews which were audio recorded, transcribed and analysed thematically. Results: In relation to perceived role and responsibilities in providing physical activity advice and guidance, midwives emphasised the extent to which their profession has evolved, the perceived burden of responsibility, and the tick box approach to physical activity discussion. Midwives identified a lack of training, knowledge, confidence, time, resources, and perceptions of vulnerability as barriers to effective physical activity promotion. Despite these issues midwives proposed eight opportunities to facilitate pregnant women’s physical activity engagement: (1) recognising and addressing barriers in the uptake and maintenance of physical activities, (2) professional development, (3) inter-professional collaboration, (4) communicating effectively through simple, reliable resources, (5) improved access, availability, and awareness of suitable activities in the local community, (6) encouraging a support network, (7) “selling” physical activity by challenging misconceptions and focusing on benefits, and (8) suitable motivation, incentives and reward. Conclusions: These opportunities identified by midwives provide foundations from which improvements in practice can result. Whilst midwives are ideally placed to promote physical activity as part of a healthy pregnancy, this is likely to be most effective as part of a wider network of practitioners that share consistent and confident messages regarding physical activity engagement. This notion has far reaching implications for practice, policy, research and the normalisation of active pregnancies in the wider population

“Already tired – do I need to be more tired?!” Eliciting the modal salient exercise beliefs of pregnant women in East Kent (United Kingdom).

Objective: The theory of planned behaviour (TPB) posits that the cognitive foundation for behaviour is rooted in three subjective probabilities: (1) behavioural, (2) normative, and (3) control beliefs. The purpose of this study was therefore to conduct an elicitation study to determine the modal salient exercise beliefs held by pregnant women in East Kent. Design: Consistent with TPB guidelines, participants (n = 18) were asked to describe their beliefs using open-ended questions. Method: A modal set of beliefs were compiled following content analyses. Specifically, beliefs were selected based on their frequency of emission until 75% of all responses listed were accounted for. Results: The main advantages of exercise during pregnancy were keeping fit and being healthy whilst fatigue was the main disadvantage. Expectant mothers believed that health professionals in particular would approve of them exercising during their pregnancy. The primary normative referents identified were those who already enjoy an active lifestyle whilst those with health issues were least likely to be physically active. Accessibility of suitable exercise opportunities and having time available were two of the main factors that would make it easy or enable women to exercise during their pregnancy. Conversely, health issues, not having enough time and fatigue were identified as factors that would hinder participation. Conclusion: Elicitation studies provide valuable information regarding people’s beliefs about a particular behaviour. Such insight has important implications for behavioural interventions as it allows researchers and practitioners to tailor interventions to meet the specific needs of the population under investigation

Lamellar Structures of MUC2-Rich Mucin: A Potential Role in Governing the Barrier and Lubricating Functions of Intestinal Mucus

Mucus is a ubiquitous feature of mammalian wet epithelial surfaces, where it lubricates and forms a selective barrier that excludes a range of particulates, including pathogens, while hosting a diverse commensal microflora. The major polymeric component of mucus is mucin, a large glycoprotein formed by several MUC gene products, with MUC2 expression dominating intestinal mucus. A satisfactory answer to the question of how these molecules build a dynamic structure capable of playing such a complex role has yet to be found, as recent reports of distinct layers of chemically identical mucin in the colon and anomalously rapid transport of nanoparticles through mucus have emphasized. Here we use atomic force microscopy (AFM) to image a MUC2-rich mucus fraction isolated from pig jejunum. In the freshly isolated mucin fraction, we find direct evidence for trigonally linked structures, and their assembly into lamellar networks with a distribution of pore sizes from 20 to 200 nm. The networks are two-dimensional, with little interaction between lamellae. The existence of persistent cross-links between individual mucin polypeptides is consistent with a non-self-interacting lamellar model for intestinal mucus structure, rather than a physically entangled polymer network. We only observe collapsed entangled structures in purified mucin that has been stored in nonphysiological conditions