Taking a LEAF out of the green lab book

With climate and environmental change a global concern, people and governments have looked to scientists to find ways to reduce carbon emissions and to live a more sustainable existence. In this context, scientific research does not only need to be reproducible and reliable, it must also itself be done sustainably. Both industrial research and academic research have huge carbon footprints: they need large capital equipment with high energy inputs, and day-to-day work in laboratories generates vast amounts of waste. For those working at the lab bench, the task of reducing the environmental impact of their work can appear daunting. But by setting data-driven objectives to reduce energy use and waste, and providing practical and realistic goals, we can carry out lab-based research more sustainably. Recently, the Biochemical Society hosted a webinar, titled ‘Environmental Sustainability in Biomedical Laboratories’ (Figure 1), outlining some of these sustainable labs initiatives, with an introduction to LEAF from Martin Farley. In this article, we hear from those working to implement lab sustainability programmes at the University of Oxford

Between Speaking and Silence: A Study of Quiet Students

Through a precise analysis of written reflections and interviews, Mary M. Reda examines perceptions of speaking and silent students in her book Between Speaking and Silence. Using her first-year composition class for observation, she explores major elements of students’ decisions to speak or be silent frequently depend on teachers, classroom relationships, and students’ senses of identity

A ‘self-production approach for charities’: Supporting And Developing In-House Video Production In Small UK Charities

This study entails the development and exploration of an approach to in-house video production for small UK charities. Contextual literature indicates that it is becoming increasingly important for charities to digitally communicate their core work and demonstrate impact, and video offers significant benefits in terms of engaging a variety of audiences and telling powerful and persuasive stories of lives transformed. Charities that develop the capacity to produce their own video could therefore harness the power of video to their advantage. The study is methodologically divided into three stages. Firstly, the study explores the current landscape of video production in small charities by examining the content and quality of videos posted on YouTube. It also explores barriers to video production through interviews with charity managers. Findings from these explorations indicate that video is little used by small charities, it is perceived within the sector as difficult, expensive and time-consuming to produce, and when it is produced often fails to reach a satisfactory standard. Secondly the study develops ‘A Self-Production Approach for Charities’, or ‘ASPAC’, that consists of a series of eight simple rules, materials or procedures, each summarised in one or two sentences. ASPAC can be used by charities wanting to self-produce video content; to guide their production process with the aim of minimising resource use and maximising the utility of their video output. The development of ASPAC responds to the core challenges identified in the first stage of this study, from the literature review, and through the tacit knowledge of the researcher. It takes as a key premise that video production can be approached as a design process that involves flexibility, collaboration, iteration and creative exploration. Finally, ASPAC is explored through a number of video production case studies facilitated by the researcher, thereby indicating strengths and weaknesses. ASPAC is shown to be effective in empowering most organisations to produce their own useful content, but cannot be implemented effectively under certain conditions, for example, when there is little support from higher management. It is also shown that a video champion: a staff member, service user or volunteer, adds to the likelihood of success. In conclusion, any future iteration of the approach needs to focus on improving ease of use whilst maintaining ASPAC’s effectiveness

Intercultural Sensitivity in Foreign Student Advising: A Quantitative Analysis of Ethnocentrism within the Profession in the Post 9/11 Era.

Jef Davis' book Intercultural Sensitivity in Foreign Student Advising could be helpful to international student advisors and other professionals in two ways. First, it may help advisors understand the issues and concerns of international students who bring their diverse social and cultural backgrounds to American institutions of higher education. After the 9/11 attack in 2001, it was assumed that foreign students perceived social and cultural bias because of their nationality, religion, gender, or language. Following the 9/11 attacks, American colleges and universities did seem to experience significant changes in monitoring and regulating international student visas and the student exchange visitor information system (SEVIS)

Japanese Martial Arts for Wellbeing During COVID-19

The unprecedented and uncertain times of the COVID-19 pandemic have changed our lifestyles significantly, with lockdowns and social distancing measures in place to reduce virus transmission. These changes have likely had a negative effect on our wellbeing, and have been associated with increased stress, anxiety, and depression. During these unforeseen times, online martial arts lessons have highlighted the possibilities that martial arts offer in regard to positive wellbeing benefits such as self-awareness and self-mastery in managing and dealing with health issues. This short paper examines the potential benefits martial arts training may provide as an alternative wellbeing strategy to counter challenges associated with COVID-19.N/

Current endometriosis care and opportunities for improvement

Endometriosis is a chronic disease associated with debilitating pain that affects many people assigned female at birth, from menarche through menopause, not just causing pain and infertility but also negatively impacting quality of life, participation in daily activities, productivity, and income. It is associated with increased incidence of obstetric and neonatal complications, anxiety, other chronic diseases, and substantial healthcare costs. Despite the profound negative impact of endometriosis on quality of life, current treatment options remain suboptimal and many patients express dissatisfaction with current care. The prevailing acute-care, single-provider model in which the provider works in relative isolation and thus with limited diagnostic and therapeutic strategies readily available proves inadequate for treating endometriosis. Patients would benefit from earlier diagnosis and referral to a center capable of providing a comprehensive and multimodal management plan that utilizes a chronic care model. Often this can only be achieved through multidisciplinary teams of providers with expertise in endometriosis. The authors acknowledge that many low- and middle-income countries do not have the resources to support such centers but could still benefit from any breakthroughs in treatment they bring about. Researchers need to agree on standardized core outcome measures, relevant to patients with endometriosis and the healthcare system as a whole. Only through increased societal and healthcare provider education and recognition of endometriosis as a chronic disease can we achieve better treatment outcomes

Variant O89 O-Antigen of E. coli Is Associated With Group 1 Capsule Loci and Multidrug Resistance

<p>Bacterial surface polysaccharides play significant roles in fitness and virulence. In Gram-negative bacteria such as Escherichia coli, major surface polysaccharides are lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and capsule, representing O- and K-antigens, respectively. There are multiple combinations of O:K types, many of which are well-characterized and can be related to ecotype or pathotype. In this investigation, we have identified a novel O:K permutation resulting through a process of major genome reorganization in a clade of E. coli. A multidrug-resistant, extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)-producing strain – E. coli 26561 – represented a prototype of strains combining a locus variant of O89 and group 1 capsular polysaccharide. Specifically, the variant O89 locus in this strain was truncated at gnd, flanked by insertion sequences and located between nfsB and ybdK and we apply the term O89m for this variant. The prototype lacked colanic acid and O-antigen loci between yegH and hisI with this tandem polysaccharide locus being replaced with a group 1 capsule (G1C) which, rather than being a recognized E. coli capsule type, this locus matched to Klebsiella K10 capsule type. A genomic survey identified more than 200 E. coli strains which possessed the O89m locus variant with one of a variety of G1C types. Isolates from our collection with the combination of O89m and G1C all displayed a mucoid phenotype and E. coli 26561 was unusual in exhibiting a mucoviscous phenotype more recognized as a characteristic among Klebsiella strains. Despite the locus truncation and novel location, all O89m:G1C strains examined showed a ladder pattern typifying smooth LPS and also showed high molecular weight, alcian blue-staining polysaccharide in cellular and/or extra-cellular fractions. Expression of both O-antigen and capsule biosynthesis loci were confirmed in prototype strain 26561 through quantitative proteome analysis. Further in silico exploration of more than 200 E. coli strains possessing the O89m:G1C combination identified a very high prevalence of multidrug resistance (MDR) – 85% possessed resistance to three or more antibiotic classes and a high proportion (58%) of these carried ESBL and/or carbapenemase. The increasing isolation of O89m:G1C isolates from extra-intestinal infection sites suggests that these represents an emergent clade of invasive, MDR E. coli.</p

Zoonotic diseases in South American camelids in England and Wales

The number of South American camelids (SACs) in England and Wales is increasing and with this comes a risk of new and emerging infections. Although classified as livestock, these animals are also treated as pets and may be in regular contact with humans. This paper reviews zoonotic diseases that have been identified in SACs in England and Wales, and which pose a potential risk to human health. We also highlight the importance of surveillance continuing to capture information on infections in SACs for the protection of both public and animal health

Partitioning the two-leg spin ladder in Ba2Cu1– xZnxTeO6 : from magnetic order through spin-freezing to paramagnetism

E.J.C., O.M., and C.P. acknowledge financial support from the Leverhulme Trust Research Project Grant No. RPG-2017-109. O.M. is grateful for funding via the Leverhulme Trust Early Career Fellowship ECF-2021-170. A.S.G. acknowledges funding through an EPSRC Early Career Fellowship EP/ T011130/1. A.S.G. and H.T. acknowledge funding through the Humboldt Foundation and the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research. The authors thank the Science and Technology Facilities Council for beamtime allocated at ISIS through proposal RB1990046 (DOI: 10. 5286/ISIS.E.RB1990046) and the Swiss Muon Source at the Paul Scherrer Institute through proposal numbers 20150959 and 20211440. The authors are grateful for access to the MPMS3 instrument at The Royce Discovery Centre at the University of Sheffield (EPSRC grant no. EP/R00661X/1) and the PPMS instrument at the University of St. Andrews (EPSRC grant no. EP/T031441/1).Ba2CuTeO6 has attracted significant attention as it contains a two-leg spin ladder of Cu2+ cations that lies in close proximity to a quantum critical point. Recently, Ba2CuTeO6 has been shown to accommodate chemical substitutions, which can significantly tune its magnetic behavior. Here, we investigate the effects of substitution for non-magnetic Zn2+ impurities at the Cu2+ site, partitioning the spin ladders. Results from bulk thermodynamic and local muon magnetic characterization on the Ba2Cu1 – xZnxTeO6 solid solution (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.6) indicate that Zn2+ partitions the Cu2+ spin ladders into clusters and can be considered using the percolation theory. As the average cluster size decreases with increasing Zn2+ substitution, there is an evolving transition from long-range order to spin-freezing as the critical cluster size is reached between x = 0.1 to x = 0.2, beyond which the behavior became paramagnetic. This demonstrates well-controlled tuning of the magnetic disorder, which is highly topical across a range of low-dimensional Cu2+-based materials. However, in many of these cases, the chemical disorder is also relatively strong in contrast to Ba2CuTeO6 and its derivatives. Therefore, Ba2Cu1 – xZnxTeO6 provides an ideal model system for isolating the effect of defects and segmentation in low-dimensional quantum magnets.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe