The replication of tobacco necrosis virus in cowpen leaf protoplasts

Imperial Users onl

Adjustment of Parents of Children with Asthma or Type 1 Diabetes

Adjustment of parents of children with a chronic illness is an under-researched area, particularly using qualitative methodology. This is the case in relation to all chronic childhood illnesses, including asthma and Type 1 diabetes. These two illnesses are both increasing in prevalence and are highly relevant exemplars of illnesses that have a significant daily impact on the lives of children, parents and families. A mixed categorical / non-categorical approach was taken in this study, which has the advantage of highlighting both illness-specific and general features of parents’ experience of the child’s illness. Understanding these similarities and differences will help clinicians to focus parent and family support appropriately and also will help stimulate and inform future research efforts. Two further issues that influenced the aims of this study are the lack of theoretical coherence and poor clarity with regard to the meaning of parental adjustment and factors that influence it. The aim of this qualitative study was to investigate the adjustment of parents of children with asthma or Type 1 diabetes, and through this, to develop new theory about parents’ adjustment. This theory was intended to help explain the parents’ experience of adjustment and identify factors relevant to their adjustment outcomes. A grounded theory approach was used, set within a constructivist paradigm. The purposive sample included 32 mothers, 7 fathers and one grandmother of a child with asthma or Type 1 diabetes. Findings from observations of three multi-disciplinary team meetings following clinics and interviews with three specialist nurses and a support group leader contributed to refinements made to the parent semi-structured interview schedule. In-depth semi-structured interviews were used to investigate respondents’ perspectives in relation to their experience of the child’s illness and illness episodes, and the effects on their own and family life. Data were analysed using thematic analysis, guided by principles of grounded theory such as constant comparison. NVivo qualitative data analysis software was used to assist in the data analysis process. A new theory was developed, which incorporates a dynamic model, reflecting how parents experience adjustment in the face of new events over the course of time, in many facets of their personal life, as a parent, and in family life. The four steps of goals, events, processes and outcomes reflect findings that arose during the empirical analysis, which was organised around four major dimensions of the parents’ experiences. The theoretical model developed in this study is a useful framework for future research and clinical practice, offering a coherent framework for a field of research that is very disparate in objectives and theoretical orientation. Clinicians may use the model as a basis of exploring parents’ adjustment, not only in relation to illness-specific issues, but also in relation to supporting the development and use of coping resources and assessing whether the parents’ goals are being met in other aspects of their lives. It is a model that can be used by the multi-professional health and social care team, which could be beneficial for integrated care of the child and family

Investigation of immiscible systems and potential applications

The droplet coalescence kinetics at 0 g and 1 g were considered for two systems which contained liquid droplets in a host liquid. One of these (Al-In) typified a system containing a liquid phase miscibility gap and the order (oil-water) a mixture of two essentially insoluble liquids. A number of coalescence mechanisms potentially prominent at low g in this system were analyzed and explanations are presented for the observed unusual stability of the emulsion. Ground base experiments were conducted on the coalescence of In droplets in and Al-In alloy during cooling through the miscibility gap at different cooling rates. These were in qualitative agreement with the computer simulation. Potential applications for systems with liquid phase miscibility gaps were explored. Possibilities included superconductors, electrical contact materials, superplastic materials, catalysts, magnetic materials, and others. The role of space processing in their production was also analyzed

A minimum income standard for Britain : What people think

A minimum income standard, based on what people said is needed to achieve an acceptable standard of living in Britain today. While politicians from all parties are committed to tackling relative poverty, the debates lack a robust definition of a minimum income standard (MIS), below which people’s incomes should not fall. This study devised a minimum income standard for Britain based on what members of the public said, and shows the cost of covering basic goods and services for different household types. The project blends the best elements of the two main methods that have been used to develop budget standards in Britain in recent years. It reconciles the views of experts with those of ordinary people, allowing budgets based on social consensus to be tested against expert knowledge and research. As such, the MIS represents a new and important tool for informing social policy in order to promote fairness and well-being in Britain

Modelling ambitious climate mitigation pathways for Australia's built environment

Achieving net zero operational and embodied greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the built environment is recognised in Australia and globally as a key strategy to address climate change and achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, gaps in knowledge remain regarding potential national pathways to achieve this outcome in Australia. This study further extends and applies a national-scale integrated macroeconomic simulation model to explore coherent pathways to net zero emissions in the built environment sector by 2050. The scope of the study includes residential and commercial buildings and both operational and embodied emissions. It applies scenario analysis incorporating different levels of climate ambition, including a shift to renewable energy, electrifying buildings, improving energy efficiency and replacing carbon-intensive materials. We find that a high ambition scenario (Scenario 2) delivers a 94% reduction in GHG emissions by 2050 when compared against business-as-usual, placing a net-zero target within reach. Improvements on Australia's SDGs performance are also attained. Through subsequent pathways analysis we find that achieving net zero or even net negative operational and embodied emissions is feasible with more ambitious action in key areas, including increasing the share of mass-timber buildings and reducing end-of-life losses in sequestered carbon

Multi-omic Profiling Reveals Dynamics of the Phased Progression of Pluripotency

Pluripotency is highly dynamic and progresses through a continuum of pluripotent stem cell states. The two states that bookend the pluripotency continuum, naive and primed, are well characterized, but our understanding of the intermediate states and transitions between them remains incomplete. Here, we dissect the dynamics of pluripotent state transitions underlying pre- to post-implantation epiblast differentiation. Through comprehensive mapping of the proteome, phosphoproteome, transcriptome, and epigenome of embryonic stem cells transitioning from naive to primed pluripotency, we find that rapid, acute, and widespread changes to the phosphoproteome precede ordered changes to the epigenome, transcriptome, and proteome. Reconstruction of the kinase-substrate networks reveals signaling cascades, dynamics, and crosstalk. Distinct waves of global proteomic changes mark discrete phases of pluripotency, with cell-state-specific surface markers tracking pluripotent state transitions. Our data provide new insights into multi-layered control of the phased progression of pluripotency and a foundation for modeling mechanisms regulating pluripotent state transitions (www.steamcellatlas.org)