‘I can’t … I won’t?’ International students at the threshold of social interaction

This mixed-method study tracked social interaction and adaptation among 20 international postgraduates on a 1-year programme in the UK, examining assumptions that language proficiency and interactional engagement directly underpin sociocultural adaptation. Participants remained frustrated by a perceived ‘threshold’ barring successful interaction with English speakers, while reporting reluctance to take up available opportunities, independent of language proficiency and sociocultural adaptation. We challenge linear models of adaptation and call for assistance to international students in crossing the threshold to successful interaction

C–O–H–S fluids and granitic magma : how S partitions and modifies CO2 concentrations of fluid-saturated felsic melt at 200 MPa

Author Posting. © The Author(s), 2011. This is the author's version of the work. It is posted here by permission of Springer for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology 162 (2011): 849-865, doi:10.1007/s00410-011-0628-1.Hydrothermal volatile-solubility and partitioning experiments were conducted with fluid-saturated haplogranitic melt, H2O, CO2, and S in an internally heated pressure vessel at 900°C and 200 MPa; three additional experiments were conducted with iron-bearing melt. The run-product glasses were analyzed by electron microprobe, FTIR, and SIMS; and they contain ≤ 0.12 wt% S, ≤ 0.097 wt.% CO2, and ≤ 6.4 wt.% H2O. Apparent values of log ƒO2 for the experiments at run conditions were computed from the [(S6+)/(S6++S2-)] ratio of the glasses, and they range from NNO-0.4 to NNO+1.4. The C-O-H-S fluid compositions at run conditions were computed by mass balance, and they contained 22-99 mol% H2O, 0-78 mol% CO2, 0-12 mol% S, and < 3 wt% alkalis. Eight S-free experiments were conducted to determine the H2O and CO2 concentrations of melt and fluid compositions and to compare them with prior experimental results for C-O-H fluid-saturated rhyolite melt, and the agreement is excellent. Sulfur partitions very strongly in favor of fluid in all experiments, and the presence of S modifies the fluid compositions, and hence, the CO2 solubilities in coexisting felsic melt. The square of the mole fraction of H2O in melt increases in a linear fashion, from 0.05-0.25, with the H2O concentration of the fluid. The mole fraction of CO2 in melt increases linearly, from 0.0003-0.0045, with the CO2 concentration of C-O-H-S fluids. Interestingly, the CO2 concentration in melts, involving relatively reduced runs (log ƒO2 ≤ NNO+0.3) that contain 2.5-7 mol% S in the fluid, decreases significantly with increasing S in the system. This response to the changing fluid composition causes the H2O and CO2 solubility curve for C-O-H-S fluid-saturated haplogranitic melts at 200 MPa to shift to values near that modeled for C-O-H fluid-saturated, S-free rhyolite melt at 150 MPa. The concentration of S in haplogranitic melt increases in a linear fashion with increasing S in C-O-H-S fluids, but these data show significant dispersion that likely reflects the strong influence of ƒO2 on S speciation in melt and fluid. Importantly, the partitioning of S between fluid and melt does not vary with the (H2O/H2O+CO2) ratio of the fluid. The fluid-melt partition coefficients for H2O, CO2, and S and the atomic (C/S) ratios of the run-product fluids are virtually identical to thermodynamic constraints on volatile partitioning and the H, S, and C contents of pre-eruptive magmatic fluids and volcanic gases for subduction-related magmatic systems thus confirming our experiments are relevant to natural eruptive systems.This research was supported in part by National Science Foundation awards EAR 0308866 and EAR-0836741 to J.D.W

Promiscuous Expression of α-Tubulin II in Maturing Male and Female Plasmodium falciparum Gametocytes

BACKGROUND: Antimalarial interventions designed to impact on the transmissible sexual stages of Plasmodium falciparum are evaluated by measurement of peripheral gametocyte carriage in vivo and infectivity to mosquitoes. Drug or vaccine-elicited effects may differentially affect the relative abundance of mature male and female sexual forms, and this can be measured by estimation of sex ratios before and after intervention in vivo and in vitro. Measuring the impact of anti-gametocyte drugs on sexual commitment of immature gametocyte stages in vitro is not currently possible as male and female parasites cannot be distinguished by morphology alone prior to stage IV. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We have modified an existing immunofluorescence-based approach for distinguishing male and female gametocytes during development in vitro, by using highly synchronised magnetically-enriched gametocyte preparations at different stages of maturity. Antibodies recognising α-tubulin II (males) and Pfg377 (females) were used to attempt to discriminate the sexes. Transcription of these two proteins was not coordinated during in vitro development, with pfg377 transcripts accumulating only late in development, immediately prior to immunofluorescent signals from the PfG377 protein appearing in stage IV gametocytes. Contrary to previous descriptions of this protein as male-specific in P. falciparum, α-tubulin II recognised both male and female gametocytes at stages I to IV, but evidence of differential expression levels of this protein in late stage male and female gametocytes was found. Using antibodies recognising PfG377 as the primary marker and α-tubulin II as a secondary marker, robust estimates of sex ratio in in vitro cultures were obtained for gametocytes at stage IV or later, and validated by light microscopic counts. However, sex ratio estimation was not possible for early stage gametocytes due to the promiscuity of α-tubulin II protein expression, and the relatively late accumulation of PfG377 during the development process. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: This approach is a feasible method for the evaluation of drug impacts on late-stage gametocyte sex ratio in in vitro studies. Additional sex-specific antigens need to be evaluated for sex ratio estimation in early stage gametocyte preparations

Assessing the perceived impact of post Minamata amalgam phase down on oral health inequalities: a mixed-methods investigation

Background: Data from countries that have implemented a complete phase out of dental amalgam following the Minamata agreement suggest increased costs and time related to the placement of alternatives with consumers absorbing the additional costs. This aim of this study was to investigate the impact of a complete phase out of dental amalgam on oral health inequalities in particular for countries dependent on state run oral health services. Methods: A mixed methods component design quantitative and qualitative study in the United Kingdom. The quantitative study involved acquisition and analysis of datasets from NHS Scotland to compare trends in placement of dental amalgam and a survey of GDPs in Yorkshire, UK. The qualitative study involved analysis of the free text of the survey and a supplementary secondary analysis of semi-structured interviews and focus groups with GDPs (private and NHS), dental school teaching leads and NHS dental commissioners to understand the impact of amalgam phase down on oral health inequalities. Results: Time-trends for amalgam placement showed that there was a significant (p < 0.05) reduction in amalgam use compared with composites and glass ionomers. However dental amalgam still represented a large proportion (42%) of the restorations (circa 1.8 million) placed in the 2016–2017 financial year. Survey respondents suggest that direct impacts of a phase down were related to increased costs and time to place alternative restorations and reduced quality of care. This in turn would lead to increased tooth extractions, reduced access to care and privatisation of dental services with the greatest impact on deprived populations. Conclusion: Amalgam is still a widely placed material in state run oral health services. The complete phase down of dental amalgam poses a threat to such services and threatens to widen oral health inequalities. Our data suggest that a complete phase out is not currently feasible unless appropriate measures are in place to ensure cheaper, long-lasting and easy to use alternatives are available and can be readily adopted by primary care oral health providers

Antarctic last interglacial isotope peak in response to sea ice retreat not ice-sheet collapse

Several studies have suggested that sea-level rise during the last interglacial implies retreat of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS). The prevalent hypothesis is that the retreat coincided with the peak Antarctic temperature and stable water isotope values from 128,000 years ago (128 ka); very early in the last interglacial. Here, by analysing climate model simulations of last interglacial WAIS loss featuring water isotopes, we show instead that the isotopic response to WAIS loss is in opposition to the isotopic evidence at 128 ka. Instead, a reduction in winter sea ice area of 65±7% fully explains the 128 ka ice core evidence. Our finding of a marked retreat of the sea ice at 128 ka demonstrates the sensitivity of Antarctic sea ice extent to climate warming

Investigating mechanisms underpinning the detrimental impact of a high-fat diet in the developing and adult hypermuscular myostatin null mouse

Background: Obese adults are prone to develop metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. Furthermore, over-weight expectant mothers give birth to large babies who also have increased likelihood of developing metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. Fundamental advancements to better understand the pathophysiology of obesity are critical in the development of anti-obesity therapies not only for this but also future generations. Skeletal muscle plays a major role in fat metabolism and much work has focused in promoting this activity in order to control the development of obesity. Research has evaluated myostatin inhibition as a strategy to prevent the development of obesity and concluded in some cases that it offers a protective mechanism against a high-fat diet. Results: We hypothesised that myostatin inhibition should protect not only the mother but also its developing foetus from the detrimental effects of a high-fat diet. Unexpectedly, we found muscle development was attenuated in the foetus of myostatin null mice raised on a high-fat diet. We therefore re-examined the effect of the high-fat diet on adults and found myostatin null mice were more susceptible to diet-induced obesity through a mechanism involving impairment of inter-organ fat utilization. Conclusions: Loss of myostatin alters fatty acid uptake and oxidation in skeletal muscle and liver. We show that abnormally high metabolic activity of fat in myostatin null mice is decreased by a high-fat diet resulting in excessive adipose deposition and lipotoxicity. Collectively, our genetic loss-of-function studies offer an explanation of the lean phenotype displayed by a host of animals lacking myostatin signalling. Keywords: Muscle, Obesity, High-fat diet, Metabolism, Myostati

“Beyond words”: a researcher’s guide to using photo elicitation in psychology

The use of photo elicitation is limited within the field of psychology despite its theoretical and practical potential. It offers significant benefits as a qualitative method that could present a new and interesting way of exploring previously understood topics within the discipline. Within our discussions, we present a Step-by-Step guide in which we outline the key practical stages, as well as ethical assurances involved in photo elicitation research, using our ongoing research as an illustrative example. It is intended that this could be used as a model of good practice for developing research paradigms beyond those typically used within the psychology discipline

Search for a Technicolor omega_T Particle in Events with a Photon and a b-quark Jet at CDF

If the Technicolor omega_T particle exists, a likely decay mode is omega_T -> gamma pi_T, followed by pi_T -> bb-bar, yielding the signature gamma bb-bar. We have searched 85 pb^-1 of data collected by the CDF experiment at the Fermilab Tevatron for events with a photon and two jets, where one of the jets must contain a secondary vertex implying the presence of a b quark. We find no excess of events above standard model expectations. We express the result of an exclusion region in the M_omega_T - M_pi_T mass plane.Comment: 14 pages, 2 figures. Available from the CDF server (PS with figs): http://www-cdf.fnal.gov/physics/pub98/cdf4674_omega_t_prl_4.ps FERMILAB-PUB-98/321-