Current practice in the field of architectural and autonomous stained glass in Europe and the United States of America

This prodrome sought to define through research, the material. composition, historic foundations, significance and technical development of glass as a window-glazing material for ecclesiastical, and later secular purposes, and examining thus its determining role in the development of architecture. The history and techniques of stained glass, an art-form linked more than any other to the mythology and dogma of the Roman Catholic Church, were traced; its history is thus one with that of the church, rising to its greatest glory during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, and declining from the late fifteenth to the seventeenth centuries. The iconography of the church was examined, and the development of window and tracery types discussed through reference to pertinent examples on both sides of the English Channel. Subjects, stylistic and technical factors, sources of reference, ecclesiastical influences, were all within the context of social and political history . viewed. Intro., p. 1-2

Spatiotemporal variation in house spider phenology at a national scale using citizen science

The seasonal appearance of Tegenaria and Eratigena (the best known of the UK genera termed house spiders) results in considerable public and media interest. Here, we present the largest dataset ever gathered on the occurrence of house spiders anywhere in the world. We collected almost 10,000 records from different locations within the UK (amounting to ∼250× more locations and 25× more records than any previous study) over a six-month period. Using this dataset, which contained details of sighting dates, times, location within UK, location within the home, location within rooms, and sex, we were able to investigate a number of aspects of house spider ecology. Eightytwo percent of records were males, supporting previous studies that showed house spider surges in autumn are predominantly males seeking mates. Sightings peaked in mid-September with a significant northwest progression across the UK as autumn progressed. Daily activity peaked at 19.35 hrs and spiders were seen more or less uniformly throughout different rooms; we discuss why this is more likely to be due to spider ecology than human behaviour. Within rooms, there was a sex-based difference in ecology with females more common on ceilings and doors/windows and males more common on walls, possibly because of sex-specific differences in mobility

Evaluation of the performance of a lateral flow device for quantitative detection of anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG

Introduction: The AbC-19™ lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA) performance was evaluated on plasma samples from a SARS-CoV-2 vaccination cohort, WHO international standards for anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG (human), individuals ≥2 weeks from infection of RT-PCR confirmed SARS-CoV-2 genetic variants, as well as microorganism serology. Methods: Pre-vaccination to three weeks post-booster samples were collected from a cohort of 111 patients (including clinically extremely vulnerable patients) from Northern Ireland. All patients received Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccination for the first and second dose, and Pfizer-BioNTech for the third (first booster). WHO international standards, 15 samples from 2 variants of concern (Delta and Omicron) and cross-reactivity with plasma samples from other microorganism infections were also assessed on AbC-19™. Results: All 80 (100%) participants sampled post-booster had high positive IgG responses, compared to 38/95 (40%) participants at 6 months post-first vaccination. WHO standard results correlated with information from corresponding biological data sheets, and antibodies to all genetic variants were detected by LFIA. No cross-reactivity was found with exception of one (of five) Dengue virus samples. Conclusion: These findings suggest BNT162b2 booster vaccination enhanced humoral immunity to SARS-CoV-2 from pre-booster levels, and that this antibody response was detectable by the LFIA. In combination with cross-reactivity, standards and genetic variant results would suggest LFIA may be a cost-effective measure to assess SARS-CoV-2 antibody status

The Pine Needle, March 1947

Libraries and archives collect materials from different cultures and time periods to preserve and make available the historical record. As a result, materials such as those presented here may reflect sexist, misogynistic, abusive, racist, or discriminatory attitudes or actions that some may find disturbing, harmful, or difficult to view. Both a humor and literary magazine, The Pine Needle was a University of Maine student-produced periodical that began publication in the fall of 1946, the first post-World War II semester that saw GIs returning to campus. The Needle reflected an edginess and rebellion not found in previous UMaine student publications. While past student publications relied on euphemisms for alcohol and dating on campus, The Needle overtly sexualized co-eds and discussed the use of drugs, tobacco, and alcohol by students who experienced war. Cover art for this issue depicts a pen-and-ink illustration by Lloyd Shapleigh (1924-2008), of barefoot man lounging under a tree, reading an issue of New Yorker magazine with a corked jug beside his right elbow. Lloyd P. Shapleigh, Jr. was born in Bangor, Maine, graduating from high school in 1942 before joining the Army Air Corps during World War II where he qualified as MOE 867-Pathfinder technician and served as a ground crew chief with the 458 Bomb Group (H), 2nd Air Division, 8th Air Force. After the war, Shapleigh used the G.I. Bill to earn Bachelor\u27s Degrees at the University of Maine and Rhode Island School of Design. Shapleigh eventually joined the industrial design team at Whirlpool where, in 1966, he conducted research testing the feasibility of household trash compaction. The trash compactor became the first new, major household appliance released by the Whirlpool corporation since before the war

Interactive and multimedia contents associated with a system for computer-aided assessment

This paper presents a research study addressing the development, implementation, evaluation and use of Interactive Modules for Online Training (MITO) of mathematics in higher education. This work was carried out in the context of the MITO project, which combined several features of the learning and management system Moodle, the computer-aided assessment for mathematics STACK, the mathematical software GeoGebra, several packages from the type-setting program LaTeX, and tutorial videos. A total of 1962 students participated in this study. Two groups of students taking a Calculus course were selected for a deeper analysis. In regard to usability and functionality, the results indicate that MITO scored well in almost all aspects, which is fundamental for their introduction into formal university courses. The analysis of the data reveals that the use of MITO educational contents by students mainly occurs about one week and a half prior the evaluations. Moreover, there is a strong correlation between the results of online assessments on MITO in a continuous assessment model and the final grade on the course

CRISPR/Cas9 DNA cleavage at SNP-derived PAM enables both in vitro and in vivo KRT12 mutation-specific targeting

CRISPR/Cas9-based therapeutics hold the possibility for permanent treatment of genetic disease. The potency and specificity of this system has been used to target dominantly inherited conditions caused by heterozygous missense mutations through inclusion of the mutated base in the short-guide RNA (sgRNA) sequence. This research evaluates a novel approach for targeting heterozygous single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) using CRISPR/Cas9. We determined that a mutation within KRT12, which causes Meesmann's epithelial corneal dystrophy (MECD), leads to the occurrence of a novel protospacer adjacent motif (PAM). We designed an sgRNA complementary to the sequence adjacent to this SNP-derived PAM and evaluated its potency and allele specificity both in vitro and in vivo. This sgRNA was found to be highly effective at reducing the expression of mutant KRT12 mRNA and protein in vitro. To assess its activity in vivo we injected a combined Cas9/sgRNA expression construct into the corneal stroma of a humanized MECD mouse model. Sequence analysis of corneal genomic DNA revealed non-homologous end-joining repair resulting in frame-shifting deletions within the mutant KRT12 allele. This study is the first to demonstrate in vivo gene editing of a heterozygous disease-causing SNP that results in a novel PAM, further highlighting the potential for CRISPR/Cas9-based therapeutics

Living with early-stage dementia: a review of qualitative studies

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Professionalism, Golf Coaching and a Master of Science Degree: A commentary

As a point of reference I congratulate Simon Jenkins on tackling the issue of professionalism in coaching. As he points out coaching is not a profession, but this does not mean that coaching would not benefit from going through a professionalization process. As things stand I find that the stimulus article unpacks some critically important issues of professionalism, broadly within the context of golf coaching. However, I am not sure enough is made of understanding what professional (golf) coaching actually is nor how the development of a professional golf coach can be facilitated by a Master of Science Degree (M.Sc.). I will focus my commentary on these two issues

Development of DYNAMIX Policy Mixes - Deliverable 4.2, revised version, of the DYNAMIX project

This report documents the development of the initial dynamic policy mixes that were developed for assessment in the DYNAMIX project. The policy mixes were designed within three different policy areas: overarching policy, land-use and food, and metals and other materials. The policy areas were selected to address absolute decoupling in general and, specifically, the DYNAMIX targets related to the use of virgin metals, the use of arable land and freshwater, the input of the nutrients nitrogen and phosphorus, and emissions of greenhouse gases. Each policy mix was developed within a separate author team, using a common methodological framework that utilize previous findings in the project. Specific drivers and barriers for resource use and resource efficiency are discussed in each policy area. Specific policy objectives and targets are also discussed before the actual policy mix is presented. Each policy mix includes a set of key instruments, which can be embedded in a wider set of supporting and complementary policy instruments. All key instruments are described in the report through responses to a set of predefined questions. The overarching mix includes a broad variety of key instruments. The land-use policy mix emphasizes five instruments to improve food production through, for example, revisions of already existing policy documents. It also includes three instruments to influence the food consumption and food waste. The policy mix on metals and other materials primarily aims at reducing the use of virgin metals through increased recycling, increased material efficiency and environmentally justified material substitution. To avoid simply shifting of burdens, it includes several instruments of an overarching character

Modelling Students’ Thematically Associated Knowledge : Networked Knowledge from Affinity Statistics

Peer reviewe