Windows to the universe: mapping the values of the Galloway Forest Dark Sky Park

This thesis critically explores the cultural values of an International Dark Sky Park (IDSP) through an interdisciplinary research practice composed of site-based ethnography, qualitative research methods and creative enquiry. IDSPs are internationally designated areas where communities have pledged to conserve the natural darkness of the night sky through light pollution abatement programmes and educational outreach. This research focuses on one such place: the Galloway Forest Dark Sky Park (GFDSP) in southwest Scotland, which was awarded dark sky status in 2009. Windows to the universe maps the lifeworlds of the GFDSP and its unique approach to dark skies. I discuss the impact of the designation on the region and its communities, and explore how the GFDSP and its values are variously imagined, experienced and enacted by its stakeholders as conservation model, novel tourist destination and place of residence. From recreational programming and planning to more informal gatherings of local residents and contingent encounters with other nocturnal inhabitants, the project presents a rich ethnography of the social lives and landscapes of the GFDSP. The research presented in this thesis was conducted during 2016–2020, a period leading up to and including the GFDSP's ten-year anniversary in 2019. It engages with stakeholders in a process of critical reflection that casts forward to possible new futures for IDSP practice. Through an interdisciplinary research practice composed of site-based ethnography, qualitative research methods and arts-based approaches such as long-exposure photography, audio recording and embodied, participative practice, Windows to the universe engages the GFDSP as an evolving assemblage, co-constituted by a diverse range of agents, practices, and experiences. A commitment to non-representational practice further guides this research. Through an aesthetic attention to the affective, situated and relational dimensions of dark sky stewardship, Windows to the universe demonstrates how the values and ‘stakes’ of IDSPs are neither fixed nor stable, but emergent and co-produced through practice and in-place. I affirm IDSPs as important sites of cultural and socioecological encounter with dark skies and dark landscapes, and further, that IDSPs could be more directly engaged as important sites of knowledge production about the night, darkness and light. My approach is realised in the form of the thesis through the deployment of a ‘distributed methodology’ that interrupts and interpolates the linear narrative of the thesis to make visible – and tangible – the generative relationships between researcher, site and practice, and to continually re-situate my discussions in the material, social and ecological context of my research site: the Galloway Forest Dark Sky Park

Creative approaches to dark skies research: a dialogue between two artist-researchers

Though the arts are vital in engaging our imaginations of the night sky, the role and value of arts-based approaches to dark sky research remains underexplored. Our collaborative chapter addresses this through a dialogue between two artist-researchers, whose PhD research is produced in partnership with two UK-based international dark sky parks (IDSPs). Reflecting on our experiences, insights, and challenges, this chapter offers a unique perspective on the creative process in dark sky contexts. We explore how arts-based research can enhance the recreational activity taking place under dark skies and inform practices on the ground whilst also inviting IDSP stakeholders to engage in the creation of novel dark sky research. The chapter closes with a set of critical reflections and propositions for setting up future opportunities for arts-based knowledge creation in dark sky contexts

National Museum of You: Scotland 365 Final Report

‘National Museum of You’ was a research and public engagement project conducted between November 2021 and May 2022 as part of the Scotland 365 project. The project was commissioned by National Museums Scotland (NMS) to help NMS transform the way they engage young people with their museums and collections. Led by Peter McCaughey, the arts organisation WAVEparticle invited pupils aged 10-18 and their teachers to tell us what they think school visits to museums should be like for young people. The project sought to understand and explore what school pupils and their teachers find enjoyable about museums and what they think should be changed or improved with respect to school visits. The project was delivered using a methodology composed of secondary research, site visits, interviews, workshops, creative approaches and a national survey. Project outputs included a final project report detailing findings and recommendations for the NMS youth engagement strategy and action plan, and a creative toolkit designed for teachers to support future school visits and pupil engagement with NMS’ museums. This is a final report on the work undertaken for the Schools Consultancy as part of the Scotland 365 project, that shares findings and makes recommendations for the NMS youth engagement strategy and action plan

Single-cell transcriptomic atlas-guided development of CAR-T cells for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia

A single-cell screening approach identifies targets for CAR-T cells in acute myeloid leukemia. Chimeric antigen receptor T cells (CAR-T cells) have emerged as a powerful treatment option for individuals with B cell malignancies but have yet to achieve success in treating acute myeloid leukemia (AML) due to a lack of safe targets. Here we leveraged an atlas of publicly available RNA-sequencing data of over 500,000 single cells from 15 individuals with AML and tissue from 9 healthy individuals for prediction of target antigens that are expressed on malignant cells but lacking on healthy cells, including T cells. Aided by this high-resolution, single-cell expression approach, we computationally identify colony-stimulating factor 1 receptor and cluster of differentiation 86 as targets for CAR-T cell therapy in AML. Functional validation of these established CAR-T cells shows robust in vitro and in vivo efficacy in cell line- and human-derived AML models with minimal off-target toxicity toward relevant healthy human tissues. This provides a strong rationale for further clinical development

Elucidation of the Mode of Action of a New Antibacterial Compound Active against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Nosocomial and community-acquired infections caused by multidrug resistant bacteria represent a major human health problem. Thus, there is an urgent need for the development of antibiotics with new modes of action. In this study, we investigated the antibacterial characteristics and mode of action of a new antimicrobial compound, SPI031 (N-alkylated 3, 6-dihalogenocarbazol 1-(sec-butylamino)-3-(3,6-dichloro-9H-carbazol-9-yl)propan-2-ol), which was previously identified in our group. This compound exhibits broad-spectrum antibacterial activity, including activity against the human pathogens Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. We found that SPI031 has rapid bactericidal activity (7-log reduction within 30 min at 4x MIC) and that the frequency of resistance development against SPI031 is low. To elucidate the mode of action of SPI031, we performed a macromolecular synthesis assay, which showed that SPI031 causes non-specific inhibition of macromolecular biosynthesis pathways. Liposome leakage and membrane permeability studies revealed that SPI031 rapidly exerts membrane damage, which is likely the primary cause of its antibacterial activity. These findings were supported by a mutational analysis of SPI031-resistant mutants, a transcriptome analysis and the identification of transposon mutants with altered sensitivity to the compound. In conclusion, our results show that SPI031 exerts its antimicrobial activity by causing membrane damage, making it an interesting starting point for the development of new antibacterial therapies

Health, education, and social care provision after diagnosis of childhood visual disability

Aim: To investigate the health, education, and social care provision for children newly diagnosed with visual disability.Method: This was a national prospective study, the British Childhood Visual Impairment and Blindness Study 2 (BCVIS2), ascertaining new diagnoses of visual impairment or severe visual impairment and blindness (SVIBL), or equivalent vi-sion. Data collection was performed by managing clinicians up to 1-year follow-up, and included health and developmental needs, and health, education, and social care provision.Results: BCVIS2 identified 784 children newly diagnosed with visual impairment/SVIBL (313 with visual impairment, 471 with SVIBL). Most children had associated systemic disorders (559 [71%], 167 [54%] with visual impairment, and 392 [84%] with SVIBL). Care from multidisciplinary teams was provided for 549 children (70%). Two-thirds (515) had not received an Education, Health, and Care Plan (EHCP). Fewer children with visual impairment had seen a specialist teacher (SVIBL 35%, visual impairment 28%, χ2p < 0.001), or had an EHCP (11% vs 7%, χ2p < 0 . 01).Interpretation: Families need additional support from managing clinicians to access recommended complex interventions such as the use of multidisciplinary teams and educational support. This need is pressing, as the population of children with visual impairment/SVIBL is expected to grow in size and complexity.This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

The value of teaching observations for the development of GTA educator identity

No abstract available

Baltic Street Adventure Playground Establishing a Community Food Hub

No abstract available

Sharing the Field: Reflections of More-Than-Human Field/work Encounters

The “field” has long been contested as spatially and temporally bounded. Feminist epistemologies have re-imagined and engaged field/work as shared, messy and co-constitutive, while critical more-than-human methodologies in the transdisciplinary field of the environmental humanities are further expanding our understanding of who and what counts in the production of knowledge in the field. This compendium article orbits around a collective concern for the sharedness of bodily and planetary ecologies through field/work. It brings together cross-disciplinary accounts of field encounters that critically explore what it feels like to do this work and what it entails. With a focus on practice and process, the six contributing authors—researchers, artists, practitioners, writers—consider how nonhumans share in our research, shaping the work we do, the questions we ask and the responses we craft. Together, they offer thoughtful provocations on the troubling and promising ways in which human and non-human bodies become unsettled and rearranged through field encounters