Moving Gardens: Self-Sustaining Small Scale Housing

In recent times, Tiny houses have become very popular and “the vast majority of tiny homes, 86%, are THOWs, or tiny houses on wheels” (Summers 8). Tiny houses on wheels often employ systems to allow for off-grid uses (such as solar panels or rainwater collection) but usually have a small capability to store fresh foods, which ties the user back to the grid through frequent store visits or hinders them in food desert areas. Food deserts are areas where low-income individuals need easy access to food retailers or supermarkets. In 2019, “17% of Americans were considered low-income and had little to no access to supermarkets,” according to the USDA. Challenges regarding food access can be combated through self-sustaining, small-scale housing can be improved using an urban gardening technique called hydroponics. This technique employs the same base needs of a human being - light, oxygen, nutrients, and water - while reducing the amount of water needed and absolving the need of soil to grow food/crops. This technique can also be designed to be placed vertically and take up less space, allowing for ease of transportation, food security, and access to a hyper-localized garden; you will know what goes into your food and where it comes from. The specific subset of Hydroponics I am interested in is Aeroponics which mists the water onto the plants. This uses the least amount of water by being applied directly to plant’s roots. As an architectural component this technique will be turned in to a modular design that can be implemented into a living wall system Through designing and creating small-scale housing project (a tiny house on wheels), I will seek to integrate a hydroponics system to improve quality of life and off grid capabilities. Through research and experimentation, I will design a living wall hydroponics system that a layperson can put together, understand, and afford. The house will also comprise basic needs such as a bedroom, living/dining area, kitchen, and bathroom. The design will fit into a standard parking lot (8’ wide x 18’ long) to allow for more accessible transportation and will feature affordable passive systems such as gravity fed plumbing and air ventilation/ circulation. Because it will be on wheels and be transportable, the design will be technically site less but will focus on use in North America

A health needs assessment of offenders on probation caseloads in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire - report of a pilot study

This study was commissioned by the Care Services Improvement Partnership (CSIP) in the East Midlands to investigate the health needs of a sample group offenders managed by The Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire Probation Services

Predictive Models in Brain Connectivity Analysis

Neuroscience have been the field with most significant contributions to the study of the human brain. The development of new techniques for image acquisition has made possible the improvement of extracting quality information of brain activity. Utilizing functional MRIs, is possible to measure brain activity based on changes of the oxygen level in the blood at certain period of time. This imaging data is transformed into numerical values using a software that maps all the information into a data object. Taking advantage of the availability of functional connectivity information of the human brain, the present study shows a widespread process to build a predictive model with built-in Cross-Validation. The investigation shows three powerful statistical methods (Logistic Regression, Linear Discriminant Analysis and Random Forest) to predict subjects traits based on the relationships between brain regions. The final model will be able to use any brain connectivity data, which make this process a generalized approach that others researchers could use to assess other features of the human brain

Binding Ochre to Theory

Widely found throughout the archaeological and artistic records in capacities ranging from burial contexts to early evidence of artistic expression, red ochre has been studied in archaeological and art conservationist communities for decades. Despite this, literature discussing binders is disparate and often absent from accessible arenas. Red ochre is important historically because its use can be used to help further the understanding of early humans, their predecessors, and their cognitive capabilities. However, there is not much written speculation on the processes involved in binder selection, collection, and processing. Based on the idea of these three activities associated with binders, I propose a schema for what the use of already prepared and obtained items doubling as binders might look like in the archaeological record. Using an experiment in which I used red ochre mixed with various binders to paint standardized shapes on a rock surface, I propose ways in which more experiments could be done in this vein. I suggest ways in which scales of desirability can be created based on different traits painters might have found important in the binder selection process, such as ease of paint reconstitution, texture of the paint, and the appearance of the paint mixture once on the stone. This research is one small step in the direction of expanding and diversifying the literature on binders in prehistoric paintings, and opening new avenues of conversation about the choices and motivations of early painters

The N-terminal region of the atypical chemokine receptor ACKR2 is a key determinant of ligand binding

The atypical chemokine receptor, ACKR2 is a pivotal regulator of chemokine-driven inflammatory responses and works by binding, internalizing, and degrading inflammatory CC-chemokines. ACKR2 displays promiscuity of ligand binding and is capable of interacting with up to 14 different inflammatory CC-chemokines. Despite its prominent biological role, little is known about the structure/function relationship within ACKR2, which regulates ligand binding. Here we demonstrate that a conserved tyrosine motif at the N terminus of ACKR2 is essential for ligand binding, internalization, and scavenging. In addition we demonstrate that sulfation of this motif contributes to ligand internalization. Furthermore, a peptide derived from this region is capable of binding inflammatory chemokines and inhibits their interaction with their cognate signaling receptors. Importantly, the peptide is only active in the sulfated form, further confirming the importance of the sulfated tyrosines for function. Finally, we demonstrate that the bacterial protease, staphopain A, can cleave the N terminus of ACKR2 and suppress its ligand internalization activity. Overall, these results shed new light on the nature of the structural motifs in ACKR2 that are responsible for ligand binding. The study also highlights ACKR2-derived N-terminal peptides as being of potential therapeutic significance

Understanding and overcoming the resistance of cancer to PD-1/PD-L1 blockade

Greater understanding of tumour immunobiology has led to a new era of cancer treatment in which immuno-oncology (IO) therapies are used to boost anti-cancer immune responses. Prominent among these therapies are immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs), antibody-based drugs that can unleash the power of tumour-specific CD8 + T-cells. ICIs targeting the Programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) cell surface receptor or its ligand PD-L1 are particularly effective, with clinical studies reporting powerful and durable therapeutic impact against many cancer types, including melanoma and non-small cell lung cancer. ICIs have the potential to transform the landscape of cancer treatment, and their development was recognised by the award of the 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine to James Allison and Tasuku Honjo. However, the proportion of patients responding to anti-PD-1/PD-L1 monotherapy can be low. The next major challenge involves understanding and overcoming the innate and acquired resistance that prevents most patients from responding to PD-1/PD-L1 blockade. In this review, we outline the physiological function of PD-1 and its exploitation by developing tumours. We give an overview of current FDA-approved drugs targeting PD-1 or PD-L1 and summarise clinical progress so far. We then discuss key mechanisms thought to underpin resistance to PD-1/PD-L1 blockade, describing biomarkers that could allow patient responses to be predicted before treatment, and tracked once treatment has started. We also present clinical and pre-clinical combination therapies that have been developed to overcome resistance and which have the potential to substantially extend the therapeutic reach of these revolutionary drugs