Energy And Symmetry In Language And Yoga

The structures of syllables and of yoga poses are compared. Syllables are tripartite, with sound segments rising in sonority (acoustic energy) to a peak, then falling. Likewise, asanas are tripartite, with symmetrical movements flanking the sustaining, vital energy peak. In both entities, then, symmetric structure flanks energy peaks. This organization is not a physical necessity, but a cognitive preference

Curriculum transformation: a proposed route to reflect a political consciousness in occupational therapy education

Introduction: Curriculum review is an ongoing, dynamic, long-term process that forms part of occupational therapy education. The Department of Occupational Therapy, University of the Western Cape (UWC) recently responded to the challenge of becoming socially responsive and politically relevant by engaging in curriculum review. The review revealed that political reasoning was not clearly delineated previously in the curriculum. In response to this problem, over a period of several years we engaged in a process of curriculum transformation so that students become politically conscious. Methods: The process entailed environmental scanning, feedback from teaching staff and clinicians, students’ evaluations, regular curriculum revision meetings, academic development meetings, workshops and seminars. A qualitative study using a cooperative enquiry approach was conducted to analyse the data. Findings: From the analysis the following themes emerged: (1) identifying the essence of occupational therapy education at UWC, (2) understanding political practice on a theoretical and then a personal level, (3) integrating and operationalising political consciousness into the curriculum. We discuss the debates and critical questions raised in our efforts to develop a curriculum that prepares graduates to be politically conscious and socially responsive. Finally, we present key strategies for the way forward. Conclusion: Curriculum transformation around a political practice of occupational therapy does not merely mean just a change in curriculum content, but requires the internalisation of a political consciousness by educators individually and collectively.Department of HE and Training approved lis

Engine Song

This honors paper does not have an abstract

Structure and function analysis of the natural product plantazolicin, a bacillus anthracis-specific antibiotic

Bacteria are a fruitful source of metabolites, many of which have been the scaffolds for the majority of approved antibiotic compounds. In this dissertation, I present the discovery and characterization of a bacterial natural product from Bacillus methylotrophicus FZB42, a Gram-positive, rod-shaped bacterium that stimulates plant growth. A prolific producer of secondary metabolites, FZB42 excretes a compound bearing the molecular mass of 1335 Daltons called plantazolicin (PZN). I describe the genetic locus responsible for the biosynthesis of PZN, which is ribosomally synthesized via an amino acid precursor peptide and post-translationally modified to contain thiazoles and (methyl)oxazoles. This group of compounds, known as thiazole/oxazole-modified microcins (TOMMs), exhibit disparate biological activities and complex chemical structures. Using high-resolution mass spectrometry, chemoselective modification, genetic interruptions, and various spectroscopic tools, I report the molecular structure of PZN. PZN contains two conjugated polyazole moieties and an Nα,Nα-dimethylarginine on the amino terminus. By altering oxygenation levels during fermentation, PZN analogs were produced that bear variability in their heterocycle content, which yielded insight into the order of biosynthetic events. Extensive tailoring of PZN endows it with not only a rigid, polyheterocyclic structure, but also antibacterial activity. After screening numerous microorganisms, PZN exhibited highly selective antibiotic activity against Bacillus anthracis. This remarkably discriminatory activity rivals a previously-described B. anthracis-specific gamma (γ) phage lysis assay in distinguishing B. anthracis from other members of the Bacillus cereus group. I evaluate this unusually selective activity by measuring the RNA expression profile of PZN-treated B. anthracis, which revealed significant upregulation of genes within the cell envelope stress response. Using fluorescence microscopy, PZN localizes to distinct ~200 nm wide foci within the envelope; furthermore, like other cell envelope-acting compounds, PZN depolarizes the B. anthracis membrane. Upon selection and whole-genome sequencing of PZN-resistant mutants of B. anthracis, I implicate a relationship between the action of PZN and the phospholipid cardiolipin within the membrane. Exogenous cardiolipin increases the potency of PZN in wild type B. anthracis and promotes the incorporation of fluorescently tagged PZN in the cell envelope. I propose that PZN localizes to and exacerbates structurally compromised regions of the bacterial membrane, which ultimately results in cell lysis

Exploring occupational therapy graduates’ conceptualisations of occupational justice in practice: Curriculum implications

BACKGROUND. The concept of occupational justice was derived from a social justice perspective in response to a renewed commitment by the occupational therapy profession to address the occupational needs of individuals, groups and communities who experience social injustice. Accordingly, it is acknowledged that education with regard to occupational justice has the deliberate intention of preparing graduates, who would be change agents as critical practitioners. Nonetheless, while occupational therapy education programmes may seek to instil broader professional values, theory covered in the curriculum may not always assure congruent practice. OBJECTIVE. To explore how occupational therapy graduates’ conceptualisations of occupational justice, as instilled by the occupational therapy curriculum of the University of the Western Cape, South Africa, manifested in their practice while undergoing community service. METHODS. Seven occupational therapy graduates were selected to participate in the study through purposive sampling. A descriptive case study of their practice was generated through qualitative methods. Semi-structured interviews, document review and participant observation were used as data collection methods, analysed through a process of inductive thematic analysis. RESULTS. The findings revealed that while the participants conceptualised occupational justice as broader social change through occupational enablement, they encountered several constraints related to structural and systemic power issues in their practice contexts. CONCLUSION. The study supports the utilisation of transformative learning and inter-professional education in developing critical competencies such as agency and political proficiency to assist graduates in dealing with the complexities of practice during community service.DHE

Vortex formation with a snapping shrimp claw

Snapping shrimp use one oversized claw to generate a cavitating high speed water jet for hunting, defence and communication. This work is an experimental investigation about the jet generation. Snapping shrimp (Alpheus-bellulus) were investigated by using an enlarged transparent model reproducing the closure of the snapper claw. Flow inside the model was studied using both High-Speed Particle Image Velocimetry (HS-PIV) and flow visualization. During claw closure a channel-like cavity was formed between the plunger and the socket featuring a nozzle-type contour at the orifice. Closing the mechanism led to the formation of a leading vortex ring with a dimensionless formation number of approximate ΔT*≈4. This indicates that the claw might work at maximum efficiency, i.e. maximum vortex strength was achieved by a minimum of fluid volume ejected. The subsequent vortex cavitation with the formation of an axial reentrant jet is a reasonable explanation for the large penetration depth of the water jet. That snapping shrimp can reach with their claw-induced flow. Within such a cavitation process, an axial reentrant jet is generated in the hollow cylindrical core of the cavitated vortex that pushes the front further downstream and whose length can exceed the initial jet penetration depth by several times

Chemical Study of the Interstitial Water Dissolved Organic Matter and Gases in Lake Erie, Cleveland Harbor, and Hamilton Harbour Bottom Sediments - Composition and Fluxes to Overlying Waters

The research on which this report is based was financed in part by the U.S. Department of the Interior, as authorized by the Water Research and Development Act of 1978 (P.L. 95-467).(print) iv, 167, [45] p. : ill., maps ; 29 cm.FINAL REPORT FOR OWRT GRANT A-O59-OHIOItem lacks publication date. Issue date supplied from hand-written year on coverIntroduction -- The Study Area -- Methods and Materials -- Results -- Discussion -- Conclusions -- Selected Bibliographic References -- Tables 1-32 -- Figures 1-36 -- Appendi

Gender-based violence and its association with mental health among Somali women in a Kenyan refugee camp: a latent class analysis

background In conflict-affected settings, women and girls are vulnerable to gender-based violence (GBV). GBV is associated with poor long-term mental health such as anxiety, depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Understanding the interaction between current violence and past conflict-related violence with ongoing mental health is essential for improving mental health service provision in refugee camps. Methods Using data collected from 209 women attending GBV case management centres in the Dadaab refugee camps, Kenya, we grouped women by recent experience of GBV using latent class analysis and modelled the relationship between the groups and symptomatic scores for anxiety, depression and PTSD using linear regression. Results Women with past-year experience of intimate partner violence alone may have a higher risk of depression than women with past-year experience of non-partner violence alone (Coef. 1.68, 95% CI 0.25 to 3.11). Conflict-related violence was an important risk factor for poor mental health among women who accessed GBV services, despite time since occurrence (average time in camp was 11.5 years) and even for those with a past-year experience of GBV (Anxiety: 3.48, 1.85–5.10; Depression: 2.26, 0.51–4.02; PTSD: 6.83, 4.21–9.44). Conclusion Refugee women who experienced past-year intimate partner violence or conflict-related violence may be at increased risk of depression, anxiety or PTSD. Service providers should be aware that compared to the general refugee population, women who have experienced violence may require additional psychological support and recognise the enduring impact of violence that occurred before, during and after periods of conflict and tailor outreach and treatment services accordingly

Acute Cerebral Infarction Following Intravenous Glycoprotein IIb/IIIa Inhibitor for Acute Myocardial Infarction

Stroke is a rare but serious complication of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Currently, glycoprotein (GP) IIb/IIIa inhibitor is used in clinical practice for acute coronary syndromes and percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs). The incidence of stroke in patients receiving GP IIb/IIIa inhibitor during PCIs is very low. We report the case of a 47-year-old man who presented with AMI and suffered an acute cerebral infarction after infusion of a GP IIb/IIIa inhibitor following primary PCI

Examining the role of protein structural dynamics in drug resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Antimicrobial resistance represents a growing global health problem. The emergence of novel resistance mechanisms necessitates the development of alternative approaches to investigate the molecular fundamentals of resistance, leading ultimately to new strategies for counteracting them. To gain deeper insight into antibiotic-target interactions, the binding of the frontline anti-tuberculosis drug isoniazid (INH) to a target enzyme, InhA, from Mycobacterium tuberculosis was studied using ultrafast two-dimensional infrared (2D-IR) spectroscopy and molecular simulations. Comparing wild-type InhA with a series of single point mutations, it was found that binding of the INH-NAD inhibitor to susceptible forms of the enzyme caused increased vibrational coupling between residues located in the Rossmann fold co-factor binding site of InhA, reducing dynamic fluctuations. The effect correlated with biochemical assay data, being markedly reduced in the INH-resistant S94A mutant and absent in the biochemically-inactive P193A control. Molecular dynamics simulations and calculations of inter-residue couplings indicate that the changes in coupling and dynamics are not localised to the co-factor binding site, but permeate much of the protein. We thus propose that the resistant S94A mutation circumvents subtle changes in global structural dynamics caused by INH upon binding to the wild-type enzyme that may impact upon the formation of important protein-protein complexes in the fatty acid synthase pathway of M. tuberculosis