Towards an institutional PLE

PLEs in their broader sense (the ad-hoc, serendipitous and potentially chaotic set of tools that learners bring to their learning) are increasingly important for learners in the context of formal study. In this paper we outline the approach that we are taking at the University of Southampton in redesigning our teaching and learning infrastructure into an Institutional PLE. We do not see this term as an oxymoron. We define an Institutional PLE as an environment that provides a personalised interface to University data and services and at the same time exposes that data and services to a student’s personal tools. Our goal is to provide a digital platform that can cope with an evolving learning and teaching environment, as well as support the social and community aspects of the institution

Iconoclasm, ecclesiology and 'the beauty of holiness' : concepts of sacrilege and the 'perial of idolatry' in early modern England, circa 1590-1642

This thesis is a study of the principles and character of church decoration in early seventeenth century England. The first chapter considers the relevance of Reformation concepts of idolatry to contemporary ecclesiological issues - especially the the place and function of images in churches. It argues that developing theological ideas and changing political circumstances influenced a spectrum of ecclesiological positions - from Arminian Christocentrism to Calvinist iconophobia. Chapter two offers a practical overview of the internal decoration of English churches, chapels and cathedrals. This chapter also focuses on developing lay and ecclesiastical concerns regarding the allegdly 'sacrilegious' neglect of church buildings (following the Reformation) and assesses the contribution of James I and the Chapel Royal to ecclesiological debate. The final chapters are case studies of the college chapel restoration programmes at the universities of Oxford and Cambridge in the 1620s and 1630s, and the ecclesiastical career and patronage of Bishop John Bridgeman of Chester (1618-1646). These chapters serve to illustrate the range of ecclesiological patronage in early Stuart England. Chapter three represents the first attempt to synthesise and collate primary evidence of an intense phase of chapel construction and refurbishment at both universities, and to link architectural, art, historical, theological and biographical sources together in order to explain why and when this activity took place, how it was inspired, and what it meant to contemporaries. Chapter four seeks to explain Bridgeman's interest in decorating churches and why he denounced iconoclasm. Such positions seem to contradict his toleration of puritans and failure to meet the ecclesiological requirements of the Caroline Church. However from the perspective of the thesis, Bridgeman's patronage is shown to exemplify a new way of looking at ecclesiological issues, demonstrating how churchmen were coming to rid themselves of that fear of idolatry, which a generation early represeneted a sign of Protestant orthodoxy

Exploring a physiotherapy well-being review to deliver community-based rehabilitation in patients with pulmonary hypertension

Background: Highly structured, supervised exercise training has been shown to be beneficial in patients with pulmonary hypertension. Despite evidence of the effectiveness of community-based rehabilitation in other cardiopulmonary diseases there are limited data in patients with pulmonary hypertension. Methods: This prospective study evaluated the intervention of a physiotherapist well-being review in patients with pulmonary hypertension who had been established on targeted drug therapy for between 3 and 12 months. The intervention included a detailed consultation assessing functional, social and motivational status to identify individual patient rehabilitation goals and facilitate tailored referrals to community-based services. Results: One hundred and thirty eight patients (79% pulmonary arterial hypertension, 17% chronic thromboembolic disease), age 67±14 years, diagnosed over a one year period were evaluated between July 2017 and January 2018. Fifty-two percent of patients were referred to community-based pulmonary rehabilitation programmes, 19% received other forms of community rehabilitation, 17% were given exercise advice, 5% had an assessment of social support and 7% declined any intervention. At the end of the study 32% of patients were undertaking independent exercise. Conclusion: This study has identified that the majority of patients with pulmonary hypertension who are optimised on targeted drug therapy have rehabilitation needs. The use of a physiotherapy well-being review can identify this need and facilitate access to community-based rehabilitation. Further research is required to evaluate the efficacy of such interventions in pulmonary hypertension

Untargeted metabolomic profiling of 100% malt beers versus those containing barley adjunct

Why was the work done: The incorporation of unmalted barley at high proportion in the grist can introduce unfavourable bitter and astringent characteristics to beer, resulting in an upper limit on the proportion used. The flavour active compounds from raw barley which contribute these characteristics to the beer remain to be identified.How was the work done: This study used non-targeted metabolomics to determine non-volatile metabolites which could contribute to flavour differences when brewing with barley. Three beers were analysed using ultra-high performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) coupled to a quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometer (qTOF) with an electro-spray ionisation source (ESI). One beer was produced using 100% malt and two beers with a grist of 15% barley and 85% malt (beers A and B). The barley was used untreated (beer A) or treated using a proprietary process (beer B). The metabolomic profiles of the three beers were compared and statistically different molecular features were annotated via analysis of MS2 spectra.What are the main findings: Several of the main differential molecular features were nitrogenous peptides and purine derivatives. This was attributed to the lack of the malting process and associated proteolytic enzyme activity reducing the extent of protein and peptide breakdown in the unmalted barley. Several of the identified peptides had amino acid residues which are known to cause bitter and kokumi (rich) taste in beer, which could explain the bitterness when brewing with unmalted barley.Why is the work important: A non-targeted approach offers new insights into non-volatile molecular features in beer that have not been previously identified with targeted analyses. Accordingly, this work identifies metabolites and groups of compounds which have not been previously considered when investigating the unfavourable bitterness and astringency associated with the use of unmalted barle

Brewing with Unmalted Cereal Adjuncts: Sensory and Analytical Impacts on Beer Quality

Citation: Yorke, J.; Cook, D.; Ford, R. Brewing with Unmalted Cereal Adjuncts: Sensory and Analytical Impacts on Beer Quality. Beverages 2021, 7, 4. https://doi

Photoevaporation of Circumstellar Disks due to External FUV Radiation in Stellar Aggregates

When stars form in small groups (N = 100 - 500 members), their circumstellar disks are exposed to little EUV radiation but a great deal of FUV radiation from massive stars in the group. This paper calculates mass loss rates for circumstellar disks exposed to external FUV radiation. Previous work treated large disks and/or intense radiation fields in which the disk radius exceeds the critical radius (supercritical disks) where the sound speed in the FUV heated layer exceeds the escape speed. This paper shows that significant mass loss still takes place for subcritical systems. Some of the gas extends beyond the disk edge (above the disk surface) to larger distances where the temperature is higher, the escape speed is lower, and an outflow develops. The evaporation rate is a sensitive function of the stellar mass and disk radius, which determine the escape speed, and the external FUV flux, which determines the temperature structure of the flow. Disks around red dwarfs are readily evaporated and shrink to disk radii of 15 AU on short time scales (10 Myr) when exposed to moderate FUV fields with $G_0$ = 3000. Although disks around solar type stars are more durable, these disks shrink to 15 AU in 10 Myr for intense FUV radiation fields with $G_0$ = 30,000; such fields exist in the central 0.7 pc of a cluster with N = 4000 stars. If our solar system formed in the presence of such strong FUV radiation fields, this mechanism could explain why Neptune and Uranus in our solar system are gas poor, whereas Jupiter and Saturn are gas rich. This mechanism for photoevaporation can also limit the production of Kuiper belt objects and can suppress giant planet formation in sufficiently large clusters, such as the Hyades, especially for disks associated with low mass stars.Comment: 49 pages including 12 figures; accepted to Ap

Towards an expert consensus to delineate a clinical syndrome of chronic breathlessness

Copyright ©ERS 2017. Breathlessness that persists despite treatment for the underlying conditions is debilitating. Identifying this discrete entity as a clinical syndrome should raise awareness amongst patients, clinicians, service providers, researchers and research funders.Using the Delphi method, questions and statements were generated via expert group consultations and one-to-one interviews (n=17). These were subsequently circulated in three survey rounds (n=34, n=25, n=31) to an extended international group from various settings (clinical and laboratory; hospital, hospice and community) and working within the basic sciences and clinical specialties. The a priori target agreement for each question was 70%. Findings were discussed at a multinational workshop.The agreed term, chronic breathlessness syndrome, was defined as breathlessness that persists despite optimal treatment of the underlying pathophysiology and that results in disability. A stated duration was not needed for "chronic". Key terms for French and German translation were also discussed and the need for further consensus recognised, especially with regard to cultural and linguistic interpretation.We propose criteria for chronic breathlessness syndrome. Recognition is an important first step to address the therapeutic nihilism that has pervaded this neglected symptom and could empower patients and caregivers, improve clinical care, focus research, and encourage wider uptake of available and emerging evidence-based interventions

The Douglas-Fir Genome Sequence Reveals Specialization of the Photosynthetic Apparatus in Pinaceae.

A reference genome sequence for Pseudotsuga menziesii var. menziesii (Mirb.) Franco (Coastal Douglas-fir) is reported, thus providing a reference sequence for a third genus of the family Pinaceae. The contiguity and quality of the genome assembly far exceeds that of other conifer reference genome sequences (contig N50 = 44,136 bp and scaffold N50 = 340,704 bp). Incremental improvements in sequencing and assembly technologies are in part responsible for the higher quality reference genome, but it may also be due to a slightly lower exact repeat content in Douglas-fir vs. pine and spruce. Comparative genome annotation with angiosperm species reveals gene-family expansion and contraction in Douglas-fir and other conifers which may account for some of the major morphological and physiological differences between the two major plant groups. Notable differences in the size of the NDH-complex gene family and genes underlying the functional basis of shade tolerance/intolerance were observed. This reference genome sequence not only provides an important resource for Douglas-fir breeders and geneticists but also sheds additional light on the evolutionary processes that have led to the divergence of modern angiosperms from the more ancient gymnosperms