The knitter's tale: a practice-led approach to framework knitting through a contemporary exploration of traditional practices, patterns, skills and stories

This thesis presents the findings of the practice-led investigation which documented the processes of learning the skills of framework knitting, using traditional techniques to establish creative dialogues between Academic, Industrial and Heritage institutions. The investigation was conducted using active researcher participation to determine the contribution that personal experience can make to ‘experiential knowing’. This research was supported by a Collaborative Doctoral Award from the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) which set the parameters of the inquiry to include creative interaction with locations where framework knitting still takes place. The study supported the preservation of technical skill by establishing a new way to value expert craft knowledge which was used to inspire contemporary creative practice. Through a process of creative learning and reflection, this study used naturalistic observations to identify evidence of creative decision-making and technical skill, which was further supported by the analysis of knitted artefacts and previously unseen workman’s notebooks which were used to identify pattern inspirations, stitch counts and construction methods

Stress at Work: Factors Associated with Cognitive Disorganisation among private sector professionals

This study explores psychological and psychological variables associated with perceived stress at work. A total of 100 international participants consented to donating a hair sample and completing a work-related stress survey. Logistic regression was used to investigate associations with low/high cognitive disorganisation using data collected from hair cortisol analysis and self-report questionnaires. High cognitive disorganisation scores were associated with high cardiopulmonary and anger scores. Low perceived self-efficacy was associated with high cognitive disorganisation. An association was found between low cortisol and low perceived self-efficacy. The relationship between high cognitive disorganisation and low self-efficacy endorses previous claims linking performance to perceived high self-efficacy

High-Temperature Transport Properties of Yb4−xSmxSb3

Polycrystalline L4Sb3 (L = La, Ce, Sm, and Yb) and Yb4−x Sm x Sb3, which crystallizes in the anti-Th3P4 structure type (I-43d no. 220), were synthesized via high-temperature reaction. Structural and chemical characterization were performed by x-ray diffraction and electronic microscopy with energy-dispersive x-ray analysis. Pucks were densified by spark plasma sintering. Transport property measurements showed that these compounds are n-type with low Seebeck coefficients, except for Yb4Sb3, which shows semimetallic behavior with hole conduction above 523 K. By partially substituting Yb by a trivalent rare earth we successfully improved the thermoelectric figure of merit of Yb4Sb3 up to 0.7 at 1273 K

Radiation-induced root surface caries restored with glass-ionomer cement placed in conventional and ART cavity preparations: Results at two years

The document attached has been archived with permission from the Australian Dental Association (8th Jan 2008). An external link to the publisher’s copy is included.Background: There are no published studies comparing the clinical performances of more-viscous glass-ionomer cement (GIC) restorations when placed using conventional and atraumatic restorative treatment (ART) cavity preparation methods to restore root surface caries. Methods: One dentist used encapsulated Fuji IX GP and Ketac-Molar to restore 72 conventional and 74 ART cavity preparations for 15 patients who had received cervicofacial radiation therapy. Two assessors evaluated the restorations at six, 12, and 24 months for retention, marginal defects and surface wear, and recurrent caries. Results: After two years, the cumulative restoration successes were 65.2 per cent for the conventional and 66.2 per cent for the ART cavity preparations, without statistical or clinical significance (P>0.50). Restoration dislodgement accounted for 82.8 per cent and marginal defects for 17.2 per cent of all failures. There were no instances of unsatisfactory restoration wear or recurrent caries observed. Teeth with three or more restored cervical surfaces accounted for 79.3 per cent of all failures (P<0.0001). Conclusions: For root surface caries restored with GIC, the use of hand instruments only with the ART method was an equally effective alternative to conventional rotary instrumentation for cavity preparation. Larger restorations had higher failures, usually from dislodgement.JY Hu, XC Chen, YQ Li, RJ Smales and KH Yi

Effect of a 4-week weight maintenance diet on circulating hormone levels: implications for clinical weight loss trials

Summary The majority of weight loss studies fail to standardize conditions such as diet and exercise via a weight maintenance period prior to commencement of the trial. This study aimed to determine whether a weight stabilization period is necessary to establish stable baseline hormone concentrations. Fifty-one obese male participants with a body mass index of 30–40 kg m−2 and aged 25–54 years underwent 4 weeks on an energy balance diet that was designed to achieve weight stability. Blood samples were collected in the fasting state at commencement and completion of the 4-week period, and circulating concentrations of 18 commonly measured hormones were determined. During the 4-week weight maintenance period, participants achieved weight stability within −1.5 ± 0.2 kg (−1.4 ± 0.2%) of their initial body weight. Significant reductions in serum insulin (by 18 ± 6.5%) and leptin (by 21 ± 6.0%) levels occurred, but no significant changes were observed for gut-derived appetite-regulating hormones (ghrelin and peptide YY), nor thyroid, adrenal, gonadal or somatotropic hormones. There were no significant correlations between the change in body weight and the change in circulating concentrations of insulin or leptin over the 4-week period, indicating that the observed changes were not due to weight loss, albeit significant negative correlations were observed between the changes in body weight and plasma ghrelin and peptide YY levels. This study demonstrates the need for baseline weight maintenance periods to stabilize serum levels of insulin and leptin in studies specifically investigating effects on these parameters in the obese. However, this does not apply to circulating levels of gut-derived appetite-regulating hormones (ghrelin and peptide YY), nor thyroid, adrenal, gonadal or somatotropic hormones

Minimal Intervention Needed for Change: Definition, Use, and Value for Improving Health and Health Research

Much research focuses on producing maximal intervention effects. This has generally not resulted in interventions being rapidly or widely adopted or seen as feasible given resources, time, and expertise constraints in the majority of real-world settings. We present a definition and key characteristics of a minimum intervention needed to produce change (MINC). To illustrate use of a MINC condition, we describe a computer-assisted, interactive minimal intervention, titled Healthy Habits, used in three different controlled studies and its effects. This minimal intervention produced modest to sizable health behavior and psychosocial improvements, depending on the intensity of personal contacts, producing larger effects at longer-term assessments. MINC comparison conditions could help to advance both health care and health research, especially comparative effectiveness research. Policy and funding implications of requiring an intervention to be demonstrated more effective than a simpler, less costly MINC alternative are discussedYe

Human C4orf14 interacts with the mitochondrial nucleoid and is involved in the biogenesis of the small mitochondrial ribosomal subunit.

The bacterial homologue of C4orf14, YqeH, has been linked to assembly of the small ribosomal subunit. Here, recombinant C4orf14 isolated from human cells, co-purified with the small, 28S subunit of the mitochondrial ribosome and the endogenous protein co-fractionated with the 28S subunit in sucrose gradients. Gene silencing of C4orf14 specifically affected components of the small subunit, leading to decreased protein synthesis in the organelle. The GTPase of C4orf14 was critical to its interaction with the 28S subunit, as was GTP. Therefore, we propose that C4orf14, with bound GTP, binds to components of the 28S subunit facilitating its assembly, and GTP hydrolysis acts as the release mechanism. C4orf14 was also found to be associated with human mitochondrial nucleoids, and C4orf14 gene silencing caused mitochondrial DNA depletion. In vitro C4orf14 is capable of binding to DNA. The association of C4orf14 with mitochondrial translation factors and the mitochondrial nucleoid suggests that the 28S subunit is assembled at the mitochondrial nucleoid, enabling the direct transfer of messenger RNA from the nucleoid to the ribosome in the organelle.Medical Research Council (MRC); Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC); European Union; Academy of Finland (to H.M.C.). Funding for open access charge: MRC

Reproducibility of visit-to-visit variability of blood pressure measured as part of routine clinical care

Objectives: Secondary analysis of clinical trial data suggests visit-to-visit variability (VVV) of blood pressure is strongly associated with the incidence of cardiovascular disease. Measurement of blood pressure in usual practice settings may be subject to substantial error, calling into question the value of VVV in real-world settings. Methods: We analyzed data on adults of at least 65 years of age with diagnosed hypertension who were taking antihypertensive medication from the Cohort Study of Medication Adherence among Older Adults (n = 772 with 14 or more blood pressure measurements). All blood pressure measurements, taken as part of routine outpatient care over a median of 2.8 years, were abstracted from patients’ medical charts. Results: Using each participant's first seven SBP measurements, the mean intraindividual standard deviation was 13.5 mmHg. The intraclass correlation coefficient for the standard deviation based on the first seven and second seven SBP measurements was 0.28 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.20–0.34]. Individuals in the highest quintile of standard deviation of SBP based on their first seven measurements were more likely to be in the highest quintile of VVV using their second seven measurements (observed/expected ratio = 1.71, 95% CI 1.29–2.22). Results were similar for other metrics of VVV. The intraclass correlation coefficient was lower for DBP than SBP. Conclusion: These data suggest VVV of SBP measured in a real-world setting is not random. Future studies are needed to assess the prognostic value of VVV of SBP assessed in routine clinical practice.visit-to-visit variabilit

Intermittent energy restriction improves weight loss efficiency in obese men: the MATADOR study

Background/Objectives:The MATADOR (Minimising Adaptive Thermogenesis And Deactivating Obesity Rebound) study examined whether intermittent energy restriction (ER) improved weight loss efficiency compared with continuous ER and, if so, whether intermittent ER attenuated compensatory responses associated with ER.Subjects/Methods:Fifty-one men with obesity were randomised to 16 weeks of either: (1) continuous (CON), or (2) intermittent (INT) ER completed as 8 × 2-week blocks of ER alternating with 7 × 2-week blocks of energy balance (30 weeks total). Forty-seven participants completed a 4-week baseline phase and commenced the intervention (CON: N=23, 39.4±6.8 years, 111.1±9.1 kg, 34.3±3.0 kg m−2; INT: N=24, 39.8±9.5 years, 110.2±13.8 kg, 34.1±4.0 kg m−2). During ER, energy intake was equivalent to 67% of weight maintenance requirements in both groups. Body weight, fat mass (FM), fat-free mass (FFM) and resting energy expenditure (REE) were measured throughout the study.Results:For the N=19 CON and N=17 INT who completed the intervention per protocol, weight loss was greater for INT (14.1±5.6 vs 9.1±2.9 kg; PConclusions:Greater weight and fat loss was achieved with intermittent ER. Interrupting ER with energy balance ‘rest periods’ may reduce compensatory metabolic responses and, in turn, improve weight loss efficiency