The history of Puerto Rico shows that nationalism can be liberatory rather than xenophobic

Since its founding in 1922, the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party has combined its goal of ending US rule with a push to reintegrate with sister republics throughout Latin America, and Latin American countries have often responded in kind. Despite undergoing many changes over the past hundred years, today’s movement remains broad and inclusive rather than restrictive and reactionary, writes Margaret Power (Illinois Institute of Technology)

Design of antimicrobial peptide based on the heparin binding segment of FGF-1

Fibroblast Growth Factors (FGFs) are heparin-binding proteins known for their involvement in various biological processes such as cell differentiation and wound healing.1 The heparin binding site of FGF-1 displays a unique stretch of positive amino acid sequence and facilitates a very strong binding to negatively charged heparin due to the formation of electrostatic interaction. The aim of this study is to analyze and modify the novel antimicrobial peptide sequence (GST-HB) designed based on the heparin-binding region of FGF-1 as well as other polycationic microbial sequences. These aspects will be examined using various experimental techniques including overexpression of GST-HB, purification using one-step affinity column chromatography, and bacterial assays. The binding affinity of FGF’s to heparin is a crucial component to bacterial infection pathways. Therefore, antimicrobial applications will be determined for the recombinant GST-HB peptide for future medical treatments of bacterial infections

Investing in arts and culture positively changes communities: an impact study of RADF supported arts projects in Western Queensland

Regional Australia is undergoing change. Communities within regional locations are under varying degrees of pressure from: threats to local and regional economies; socio-economic disadvantage; population migration to urban centres; environmental degradation; and aging populations. This process of change is exacerbated by globalisation which has direct detrimental impacts on the micro-economies of small communities, resulting in economic hardship and disadvantage. Academic research here in Australia and internationally suggests that community arts participation can make significant contributions to community wellbeing. Yet the arts sector in Australia remains relatively silent in respect to the active role it could play in changing the perception of policy makers regarding the contribution community arts participation could make to support regional communities undergoing change. While community arts are one of a number of developmental activities policy makers have available to fund, little is known about the impacts of this government investment on regional Australian communities. Responding to this lack of knowledge about regional Australian arts and cultural participation, this research explores and describes community arts impacts at the community level. The knowledge generated in this study will inform government planning, and provide an empirical evidence base to direct policy decisions toward developing arts and cultural strategies ensuring the ongoing resiliency of regional communities. This study benefits Federal, State, and Local Government arts funding policy makers who seek to support regional community development, prosperity, and resilience. This study uses a qualitative methodology to describe community arts impact and draw out the processes driving this change. A case study approach is used to explore impacts made by the Queensland Regional Arts Development Fund initiative, which is a partnership program between state and local government. An examination of in-depth evidence gathered from key stakeholders and archival documents from the Western Downs Region is investigated. The results of this study establish that community arts engagement is a powerful tool to direct collective agency towards changing community development trajectories and resiliency. Four impact themes including developing arts and culture, wellbeing, social connectedness, and capacity building were identified through the study. Community arts impacts have multiple dimensions that aggregate across four levels of a community in a process that is cumulative over time. These cumulative impacts demonstrate links to a community capacity building process and the development of seven community capitals activated by participation. Evidence from this research reveals that, over time, the sum of multiple community arts impacts can make significant contributions to the wellbeing and resiliency of regional Queensland communities through building community capacity, developing community capitals, and facilitating the communication of community culture. The three new frameworks developed in this study contribute to knowledge about community arts practice, community development, and Social Science theory. This study adds to what is known about community arts impacts in regional Australia, and provides a robust evidence base for informing policy maker decisions and community arts practitioners arguing for greater arts funding for the regions

Constructing and disseminating educational knowledge, using e-media

Purpose of presentation To explore how I, as higher education educator, have influenced the professional development of teachers, using an action research approach. To provide space for teachers’ own voices. To explore the concept of educational knowledge. To disseminate educational knowledge. To show how we have asked and researched the question: How can I improve my practice? What is my concern? Why am I concerned? What am I going to do about it? What data will I need to collect to enable me to enable me to make a judgement on my effectiveness? (Whitehead, 2003) To explore the role of e-media in this context

The three-dimensional morphology of Zoophycos and its influence on sediment biogeochemistry

The three-dimensional reconstruction and detailed biogeochemical analysis of Zoophycos presented in this thesis help to fully characterize the three-dimensional morphology, ethology, and biogeochemical impact of Zoophycos. The three-dimensional reconstruction revealed that this sample of Rosario Formation Zoophycos is composed of two morphotypes of Zoophycos, produced by a range of behaviors. One Zoophycos demonstrated selective detritus feeding from a clay-rich layer above the burrow environment. A later Zoophycos displayed opportunistic behavior in exploiting earlier spreite through infaunal deposit feeding. This data provides evidence that the Zoophycos trace-maker can adapt to changing sediment characteristics during the construction of its burrow. The biogeochemical analysis of Zoophycos revealed that the trace-maker has a measureable influence on sediment biogeochemistry. The trace maker influenced paleoredox proxies and mineralogy through sediment ingestion and digestion. The combination of a three-dimensional reconstruction and detailed biogeochemical analysis has revealed a means to systematically analyze trace fossil morphology and trace-maker ethology. The data in this study also has further implications on how bioturbating organisms influence paleoredox reconstructions

Comparison of indirect fungal diagnostic tests in patients with proven histoplasmosis

BACKGROUND: Histoplasmosis is a common cause of invasive fungal infection in endemic regions and accurate diagnosis is difficult without direct tissue culture or pathology. Indirect fungal antigen testing for various fungal pathogens are typically performed to assist with diagnostic workup, though cross-reaction can lead to difficulty in interpreting results. We aimed to compare indirect fungal diagnostic tests and evaluate prevalence of positive antigen testing for non- METHODS: We performed a single-center retrospective review of adult patients with proven histoplasmosis diagnosed by fungal culture and/or cytology from January 2010 to March 2018. Patient demographics, clinical characteristics, and results of fungal antigen testing for RESULTS: Fifty-seven of 182 (31.3%) patients reviewed had proven histoplasmosis and presented with acute pulmonary (n = 10), chronic pulmonary (n = 7), and disseminated (n = 40) disease. Forty-one (72%) of these patients were immunosuppressed. Urine CONCLUSIONS: Noninvasive fungal antigen assays are helpful diagnostic tools; however, given their low specificity, clinicians must be aware of the various clinical presentations of invasive fungal infections and be aware of the limitations of these tests

Creators of Ipswich report

This report is aimed to provide a summary of the findings from a survey conducted in October, 2020 and the additional research that deals with the notion of the Creative Economy. The report offers clarity around the current state of play for the local creative community. Opportunities for leadership, growth and development of the sector

Isolation of marine meiofauna from sandy sediments From decanting to DNA extraction

This protocol describes the separation of marine meiofauna from sediment and subsequent environmental DNA extraction. In this study meiofauna samples were taken with a 45 mm core from the upper 5 to 10 cm of sediment layer. Separation from sediment was achieved using a decantation process followed by isolation from fine silt using repetitive centrifugation steps with a 1.16 specific gravity (sg) LUDOX-TM solution. Meiofauna were deliberately separated from macrofauna by using a 1 mm sieve on top of a bottle-top sterile 45 !M sieve. High quality DNA was subsequently obtained using the QIAamp DNA Blood Maxi Kit (Qiagen) with minor adjustments to the manufacturer’s protocol. This procedure allowed efficient isolation of meiofaunal representatives from marine sediments and also extraction of high quality environmental DNA that can be used for downstream metagenetic analysis

Pharmacy students’ experience of a novel government-funded experiential learning initiative: a mixed-method study (ACTp Study).

Background: In 2018, the Scottish Government made the Pharmacy Additional Cost of Teaching (ACTp) funding available to support the development of Experiential Learning (EL) in undergraduate pharmacy education. To inform the further expansion of EL in the pharmacy degree evaluation of new EL sites was required. Aim and method: A mixed-methods study was undertaken to determine students' perceptions of four new areas included in an EL pilot: primary care, out-of-hours, specialist sites, and remote and rural. Results: There were 43 survey respondents (response rate 72%). Majority agreed the pilot had developed their clinical (n=28, 74%) and communication skills (n=31, 82%), and prepared them for future practice (n=30, 79%). One third felt the EL did not permit them to interact with patients. Focus group and interview participants were positive about their experience and the opportunity to experience new pharmacy roles in non-traditional settings. Many highlighted the lack of hands-on experience and facilitator feedback. Facilitator training and quality assurance of sites are warranted. Conclusions: Future work should focus on assessment of and feedback for students, and interprofessional opportunities within EL