Controlled side-by-side assembly of gold nanorods and dye molecules into polymer-wrapped SERRS-active clusters

The controlled side-by-side assembly of gold nanorods in solution together with Raman reporter dye molecules to create small SERRS-active clusters stabilised by a surrounding polymer layer is demonstrated. This promising new class of nanotags offers several advantages over spherical nanoparticles for bioimaging and is of potential importance for a wide range of plasmon-enhanced spectroscopies and can also serve as building blocks for more complex solution-phase nanostructures

Marketing a memory of the world: Magna Carta and the student as producer perspective

From Runnymede in 1215, to parliamentary struggles, across the seas to a fledgling America, then onwards in time to many parts of the globe where it encourages human rights and shapes legal systems, the Magna Carta has been enormously influential. As a consequence, the document has been placed on UNESCO’s Memory of the World register, a process designed to preserve highly significant documentary archive collections. Of the four remaining copies of the Magna Carta, one is owned by Lincoln Cathedral of the UK and is on display to the general visitor in Lincoln Castle. This case study provides a critical account of the marketing of this document, arguing that the experiential dimensions of the Magna Carta exhibition are poorly executed. Additionally, as presently constituted, it is postulated that the existing marketing strategy will fail to capitalise on the opportunities presented by the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta’s signing in 2015 and the planned national celebrations. Evidence for these claims have been drawn mainly from an inquiry led research project conducted by a group of undergraduate marketers and two tutors at Lincoln University, demonstrating the clear value of the “student as producer” approach to learning and research in marketing

The Destruction of Media Diversity, or: How the FCC Learned to Stop Regulating and Love Corporate Dominated Media, 22 J. Marshall J. Computer & Info. L. 569 (2004)

Christa Corrine McLintock’s “The Destruction of Media Diversity, or: How the FCC Learned to Stop Regulating and Love Corporate Dominated Media” investigates the current corporate consolidation climate and the efficacy of alternative media outlets. McLintock examines the history of the Federal Communication Commission (“FCC”) and its current trend toward deregulation. McLintock argues that the Internet has failed to level the playing field between alternative media outlets and mainstream media conglomerates. She concludes that increased regulation is not only the most viable solution to the alternative media’s predicament, but also the means through which to satisfy the FCC’s stated goals, facilitate First Amendment objectives, and to effectuate overall democratic participation

Assessment of UV light for the treatment of cyanotoxins in small-scale drinking water treatment systems

Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) are commonly caused by the rapid growth of cyanobacteria in fresh waterways, which many people rely on for drinking water. When a HAB occurs, a variety of cyanotoxins can be produced and released into sources of drinking water, which can make people sick or die if not properly treated. Two of the most common toxins are microcystin-LR (MC-LR) and anatoxin-a (A-a), for which the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a maximum allowable concentration of 1 µg/L in drinking water to avoid health risks. The recommendation for maximum allowable concentration was calculated specifically for microcystins, but is currently used as a limit for all cyanotoxins due to a lack of research on other toxin varieties. Treatment of drinking water to remove cyanotoxins requires special knowledge and equipment that may not be available to people who do not have access to a community-scale water system and use a small-scale treatment system such as a slow-sand filter. The lack of special training and equipment leaves members of underserved communities, such as the Hoopa and Yurok tribes in Humboldt County, at risk of drinking untreated water contaminated with cyanotoxins. The purpose of this project was to assess the effectiveness of using ultra-violate (UV) light for the treatment of two of the most prevalent cyanotoxins (MC-LR and A-a) in a small-scale drinking water treatment system. MC-LR and A-a were each dissolved separately in solutions of Nanopure water and water from the Klamath River after being treated by a slow-sand filter at concentrations of 1, 10, 100, 1000, and 5000 µg/L. Each concentration of toxin was then exposed to UV light focused at a wavelength of 254 nm. Doses of UV light applied were: 60, 750, 1500, and 4000 mJ/cm2. A successful UV dose would lower MC-LR and A-a concentrations to below 1 µg/L, which means a 4-log removal for the highest concentrations. The concentration of MC-LR and A-a in each sample was determined using ELISA test kits, which are specific to microcystin congeners and anatoxin congeners, respectively. The work reported here showed that the highest doses of UV light applied could not achieve even a 2-log removal and showed a pattern of diminishing returns between 1500 and 4000 mJ/cm2. When the starting concentration of toxins was 10 µg/L or less, then the highest dose of UV light was sufficient to degrade the cyanotoxins below the WHO guideline. The results of this study suggest that UV treatment may require prohibitively high doses to be relied upon for treatment of cyanotoxins on its own, but may be an effective polishing step after some other primary treatment has occurred. Further testing is required to find the optimal UV dose to provide treatment in a small-scale drinking water treatment system

Marketing a memory of the world: Magna Carta and the experiential servicescape

Purpose The aim of this paper is to analyse visitor perceptions of the Lincoln Magna Carta exhibition in the context of an experiential servicescape perspective. Design/methodology/approach Data comes from a questionnaire carried out with visitors to the Magna Carta exhibition in Lincoln Castle, UK. The approach was framed by the student as producer perspective, that is about re-engineering the relationship between academics and undergraduate students. Findings Three main problems exist in terms of the servicescape. These are guidance signage, the small, dark inauspicious surroundings of the exhibition itself and the level of visitor interactivity present. Research limitations/implications This is only a small scale project of one Magna Carta exhibition. Research with more visitors would help to further validate the findings and conclusions of this paper and also assist in other representations of the document in other sites. Practical implications Suggestions are made for improvement to a number of experiential servicescape elements. These improved representations also need to be planned for adequately in the new staging of the document, when Lincoln Castle receives planned additional funds from the Heritage Lottery. Social implications This paper draws our attention to the fact that The Magna Carta is a shared part of a global cultural identity, where the marketing of the document represents a great privilege. Originality/value The experiential servicescape framework is used in an original way to critique aspects of the current exhibition and to propose new ideas for representing the Magna Carta. This paper is based on original data that makes a novel contribution to the debate regarding research and learning in higher education

The Regulation of Pleomorphic Trypanosoma brucei Infections in Immunocompetent Hosts

This thesis describes work conducted to elucidate mechanisms by which mammals control pleomorphism in bloodstream populations of Trypanosoma brucei. The hypothesis that division of T. brucei slender bloodstream forms is dependent upon the availability of a host-derived growth factor was tested by superimposing challenge doses of slender form trypanosomes onto preexisting infections at a time during the primary infection when stumpy forms predominated. The challenge populations grew in the doubly-infected mice indicating that depletion of a putative growth factor by the expanding population of the primary infection had not limited the trypanosomes' capacity for division. This effect was independent of the variable antigen type (VAT) of the trypanosomes and of their stock of origin. In assays of antibody-dependent complement-mediated lysis in vitro slender form parasites were lysed between 2.5 and 15 times more rapidly than stumpy forms. In assays of attachment of opsonised parasites to peritoneal macrophages in vitro the majority of both slender and stumpy form parasites attached to the macrophages in the presence of specific antibody, and this attachment occurred at the same rate for both morphological forms. When heat inactivated specific antiserum was used attachment did occur, indicating that Fc receptors on the macrophages mediated the attachment. VAT-specific antibody cannot be detected in the serum of rodents infected with monomorphic parasites. This has led to the supposition that slender form bloodstream trypanosome populations do not elicit antibody responses. Experiments were conducted to determine whether this effect is due to trypanosomes in the bloodstream of a mammalian host acting as a "sink" for specific antibody. High titres of specific antibody could be detected in serum within a few hours of drug-induced death of parasites. This antibody was newly-secreted from plasma cells that had been stimulated several days earlier; it became detectable as a free serum titre because the parasites which had been binding all secreted antibody had been removed from the circulation after drug-treatment. In non-cured mice serum antibody titres became detectable later in the infection and/or were present at lower titres. Monomorphic trypanosomes kill their hosts approximately 4 days after infection, before antibody titres are sufficiently high for free serum antibody to be detected. Therefore serum antibody titres are not reliable indicators of an anti-trypanosome immune response in vivo