Understanding the development of teaching and learning resources: A review

This paper is a literature review of research concerned with the production of learning resources in higher education (HE). It forms part of a larger research project in progress

Weighted Branching Simulation Distance for Parametric Weighted Kripke Structures

This paper concerns branching simulation for weighted Kripke structures with parametric weights. Concretely, we consider a weighted extension of branching simulation where a single transitions can be matched by a sequence of transitions while preserving the branching behavior. We relax this notion to allow for a small degree of deviation in the matching of weights, inducing a directed distance on states. The distance between two states can be used directly to relate properties of the states within a sub-fragment of weighted CTL. The problem of relating systems thus changes to minimizing the distance which, in the general parametric case, corresponds to finding suitable parameter valuations such that one system can approximately simulate another. Although the distance considers a potentially infinite set of transition sequences we demonstrate that there exists an upper bound on the length of relevant sequences, thereby establishing the computability of the distance.Comment: In Proceedings Cassting'16/SynCoP'16, arXiv:1608.0017

The role of a Polyphenol from Myrothamnus flabellifolius in the protection of membranes during desiccation-using liposomes as a model membrane system

Includes bibliographical references.A deficiency of water is a common stress experienced by plants. Dehydration of plant tissue results in altered protein and lipid ultrastructure responsible for membrane stabilisation leading inevitably to the death of the plant. Some plants known as resurrection plants have evolved with the ability to survive dehydration to less than 2% water content, a property known as desiccation tolerance. Recently a polyphenol extracted from the leaves of a common African resurrection tree Myrothamnus flabellifolius Welw. has been isolated and characterised as 3,4,5-tri-O-galloylquinic acid. This study has investigated the role which this polyphenol may play in desiccation tolerance

Film Websites: a Transmedia Archaeology

Websites have become a familiar feature of contemporary cinema and they contribute to the overall audience experience. Yet as a hybrid of storytelling and marketing, they have often been seen as little more than promotional ephemera, and they have rarely been critically examined. Film websites are fragile, and their presence as artefacts to study is threatened by a range of commercial and cultural factors. Consequently, film websites have not been well preserved, and many disappear before they have been appraised. Through the development of a transmedia archaeological approach, this thesis establishes that film websites are worthy of consideration as a form of entertainment and as cultural artefacts in their own right. This thesis critically evaluates the film website and its cultural conditions from several perspectives. As a form of transmedia - a term, an academic concept and a production practice that has evolved since the early twentieth century and this thesis sets out a way to understand the development of this important concept and draws on recent scholarship in the field to critically evaluate key ideas. Through media archaeology, which is an emergent historiographical perspective. Some media archaeological propositions are developed into practical tools for the analysis of film websites. Whilst those propositions tend to draw on a tradition of materialist and technological viewpoints, in this thesis they are extended to include approaches that examine the audience experience. As film website design has developed, formats have standardised and one convention to emerge is the in-movie story world website. A particular narrative trope (or, in media archaeological terms, topoi) is the ‘evil corporation’, which is common in science-fiction, western, and social commentary films, but takes on specific significance when the film website enables ludic and interactive forms of what has been described as ‘extended cinema’ (Atkinson, 2014a:16). Using ideas gleaned from world-building the ‘evil corporation’ topoi is analysed in some detail. In archival settings where film websites are preserved, partially held, or lost. Through case studies where archival presence yields insight into the development of the film website form. Online awards provide a case in point as they valorise website design, and through their archives of annual winners, can be understood as a ‘shaper’ of practices, defining what film websites are, and may be in the future. Importantly, it is found that archives don’t simply preserve artefacts. Embedded in film website fan bulletin boards are ‘traces’ of audience encounters with promotional campaigns. Qualitative analysis techniques are used to 'scrape' these locations and interpret the 'conversations' in an analytic manner to examine audience experiences of nostalgia for the future

Role of seminal fluid in sexual transmission of HIV-1

This study analysed the reservoir of HIV-1 in semen and the effects of seminal plasma on the functional and phenotypic characteristics of dendritic cells (DCs), both in relation to immunoregulatory capabilities and susceptibility to infection with HIV. The reservoir of HIV-1 in semen was defined in order to assess the feasibility of ‘sperm washing’ as a means of reducing the risk of transmission in HTV-1-discordant couples. The fact that neither viral RNA or DNA could be detected in spermatozoa and the lack of expression of CD4 both at the protein and mRNA levels suggests that spermatozoa are not susceptible to HTV-1 infection. Viral RNA was detected in seminal plasma and both RNA and DNA were detected in non-sperm cells. As a result of this study, sperm washing is a service that is now available at the Chelsea & Westminster Hospital to HTV-l-discordant couples. This service has resulted in several births and no seroconversions in any woman who has undergone the procedure. The effects of seminal plasma on the phenotype and function of monocyte-derived DCs were investigated. Seminal plasma had suppressive effects on the allostimulatory capacity of DCs and such effects appeared to be due to down- regulation of co-stimulatory molecule expression on these cells. The suppressive effect of seminal plasma was abrogated by the removal of lipids. However, prostaglandins on their own did not have suppressive effects on DC function, suggesting that other seminal components are required to induce theobserved induction of suppression. The suppressive effect of seminal plasma on the allostimulatory function of DCs was overcome with TNF-a, as did the presence of HIV. The expression of HIV co-receptors was assessed on DCs. TNF-a induced maturation of DCs as demonstrated by reduced expression of CCR5 and increased CXCR4. Seminal plasma also enhanced expression of CXCR4 and infection with X4 strains of HIV, but down-regulated CCR5 expression and infection with R5 strains of HIV. Therefore, the regulation of co-receptor expression by DCs was associated with their susceptibility to infection with a HIV strain displaying the corresponding co-receptor usage. In summary, semen is an important vehicle for transmission of HIV. Seminal plasma was demonstrated to have profound effects on DC phenotype, maturation and function. Such alterations would influence the outcome, in terms of HIV transmission, of the interaction between the DC and HIV-1 at the mucosal surface

World Rabies Day - a decade of raising awareness

World Rabies Day was set up in 2007 to raise global awareness about rabies, to provide information on how to prevent the disease in at-risk communities and support advocacy for increased efforts in rabies control. It is held annually on September 28th, with events, media outreach and other initiatives carried out by individuals, professionals, organisations and governments from the local to the international level. The Global Alliance for Rabies Control coordinates World Rabies Day, amplifying the campaign's reach through the provision of a central event platform and resources to support events across the world, the promotion of messages through key rabies stakeholders, and the implementation of specific activities to highlight particular issues. Over the last decade, more than 1,700 registered events have been held across the world and shared with others in the global rabies community. Events in canine rabies endemic countries, particularly in Africa and Asia, have increased over time. Beyond the individual events, World Rabies Day has gained the support of governments and international agencies that recognise its value in supporting existing rabies control initiatives and advocating for improvements. As the rabies landscape has changed, World Rabies Day remains a general day of awareness but has also become an integral part of national, regional and global rabies elimination strategies. The global adoption of 2030 as the goal for the elimination of rabies as a public health threat has led to even greater opportunities for World Rabies Day to make a sustainable impact on rabies, by bringing the attention of policy makers and donors to the ongoing situation and elimination efforts in rabies-endemic countries

Universal human rights: the rhetoric but not the reality

The United Nations faces an uphill battle in its bid to secure the universal realisation of human rights. At present, the universal pledges of the United Nations core human rights treaties are not, as yet, a universal reality: millions the world over suffer continuing, often horrific, violations of these purportedly universal entitlements on a daily basis. The universal ideology is challenged in turn by the competing forces of cultural relativism, state sovereignty, reservations and poor compliance. This thesis examines the United Nations universal human rights ideology and the challenges it faces, before ultimately concluding that the promising rhetoric of universalism remains far from being fulfilled: the gap between words and actions remains wide indeed

Newcastle Business School Principles of Responsible Management Education Project (NBS PRIME)

The world is changing rapidly and new demands face business leaders to deal with the planet and environment more sustainably, to deal with the numerous societies their organisations operate in more equitably and with greater cultural understanding, and to be more open, transparent and responsible with respect to their stakeholders. Recent events such as the credit and banking crisis alongside general global corporate social responsibility and sustainability concerns, have led to questions as to whether current management education is adequate to equip and develop future leaders with the requisite skills to meet these new demands (Colby, Ehrlich, Sullivan, Dolle, & Shulman, 2011; Datar, Garvin, & Cullen, 2010; Weybrecht, 2010). For these reasons it is essential that universities and business schools seek to embrace principles of sustainability and responsible management into their teaching, research and enterprise activities. Newcastle Business school is ideally placed to make a significant contribution to social, environmental and economic well being through its global reputation for delivering some of the best business management education in the UK