Our future in space: The physical and virtual opening-up of parliaments to publics

Parliaments are physical symbols of nationhood and democracy. Public access to these spaces is often strictly regulated, yet it remains highly influential to public experiences of parliament (and their engagement with it). Drawing on data collected for the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s 2022 Global Parliamentary Report, this article discusses ways in which parliamentary ‘space’ can be utilised to encourage public engagement. This encompasses the effective use of physical space, virtual reality and augmented reality for the purpose of public engagement. In doing so, we show the most important and effective strategy for (re)using, and opening up, parliamentary spaces: the complementary use of physical and virtual methods in not only bringing publics to parliament, but also bringing parliament to publics

Sagittal plane articulation of the contralateral knee of subjects with posterior cruciate ligament deficiency: an observational study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The aim of the present study was to compare the in vivo articulation of the healthy knee to the contralateral knee of subjects with acute and chronic PCL injuries.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Magnetic resonance was used to generate sagittal images of 10 healthy knees and 10 knees with isolated PCL injuries (5 acute and 5 chronic). The subjects performed a supine leg press against a 150 N load. Images were generated at 15 degree intervals as the knee flexed from 0 to 90 degrees. The tibiofemoral contact (TFC), and the centre of the femoral condyle (as defined by the flexion facet centre (FFC)), were measured from the posterior tibial cortex.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>There was no significant difference in the TFC and FFC between the healthy knee and contralateral knee of subjects with acute and chronic PCL injuries in the medial and lateral compartments of the knee.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The findings of this study suggest there is no predisposing articulation abnormality to PCL injury, in the setting of chronic injury the contralateral knee does not modify its articulation profile and the contralateral knee can be used as a valid control when evaluating the articulation of the PCL deficient knee.</p

The role of riboflavin in decolourisation of Congo red and bioelectricity production using Shewanella oneidensis-MR1 under MFC and non-MFC conditions

Dissimilatory metal reducing bacteria can exchange electrons extracellularly and hold great promise for their use in simultaneous wastewater treatment and electricity production. This study investigated the role of riboflavin, an electron carrier, in the decolourisation of Congo red in microbial fuel cells (MFCs) using Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 as a model organism. The contribution of the membrane-bound protein MtrC to the decolourisation process was also investigated. Within the range of riboflavin concentrations tested, 20 µM was found to be the best with >95% of the dye (initial concentration 200 mg/L) decolourised in MFCs within 50 h compared to 90% in the case where no riboflavin was added. The corresponding maximum power density was 45 mW/m2. There was no significant difference in the overall decolourisation efficiencies of Shewanela oneidensis MR-1 ΔMtrC mutants compared to the wild type. However, in terms of power production the mutant produced more power (Pmax 76 mW/m2) compared to the wild type (Pmax 46 mW/m2) which was attributed to higher levels of riboflavin secreted in solution. Decolourisation efficiencies in non-MFC systems (anaerobic bottles) were similar to those under MFC systems indicating that electricity generation in MFCs does not impair dye decolourisation efficiencies. The results suggest that riboflavin enhances both decolourisation of dyes and simultaneous electricity production in MFCs

Pairwise assembly of organopalladium(II) units with cyanurato(3-) and trithiocyanurato(3-) ligands: formation of chiral Pd12, Pd10 and Pd9 cage-molecules

The o-palladated, chloro-bridged dimers [Pd{2-phenylpyridine(-H)}-μ-Cl]2 and [Pd{N,N-dimethylbenzylamine(-H)}-μ-Cl]2 react with cyanuric acid in the presence of base to afford closed, chiral cage-molecules in which twelve organo-Pd(II) centers, located in pairs at the vertices of an octahedron, are linked by four tetrahedrally-arranged cyanurato(3-) ligands. Incomplete (Pd10) cages, having structures derived from the corresponding Pd12 cages by replacing one pair of organopalladium centers with two protons, have also been isolated. Reaction of [Pd{2-phenylpyridine(-H)}-μ-Cl]2 with trithiocyanuric acid gives an entirely different and more open type of cage-complex, comprising only nine organopalladium centers and three thiocyanurato(3-) ligands: cage-closure in this latter system appears to be inhibited by steric crowding of the thiocarbonyl groups

A Patient with Milky Urine: Nonparasitic Chyluria and Silver Nitrate Sclerotherapy

Chyluria has become a rare clinical presentation in Sri Lanka, which may have a direct correlation with the low prevalence of lymphatic filariasis following the use of diethylcarbamazine and albendazole mass drug administration (MDA) for five rounds between 2002 and 2006. Here we report a 50-year-old male who presented with milky urine and progressive weight loss, diagnosed as having nonparasitic chyluria. The patient was initially managed with a trail of diethylcarbamazine (DEC) 6 mg/kg/day for 21 days and a low-fat diet with an unsatisfactory response. Subsequent management with endoscopic instillation of 0.5% silver nitrate brought in him a quick response, which was maintained for a year. Endoscopic sclerotherapy is considered a safer, effective and a minimally invasive treatment option for symptomatic patients

Seasonal variations in cholesterol concentration in the testis, adrenal, liver and plasma of the Indian palm squirrel Funambulus pennanti (Wroughton)

Cholesterol concentration in the testis, adrenal, liver, and plasma has been estimated in the male five-striped Indian palm squirrel. The palm squirrel is a seasonal breeder and is reproductively active from January to July. A period of regression ensues during August-September, followed by a period of quiescence (October-November) when the testes are regressed. The recrudescence of the gonads and restoration of reproductive activity occur in December, followed again by the breeding season in January. The seasonal variations of the concentration of cholesterol are correlated with different phases of reproductive activity of the squirrel. The concentration of testicular cholesterol, which is minimal in the quiescent season when the testes are reproductively inactive, is maximal in the regressing season. There is an apparent inverse relationship between the adrenal and plasma cholesterol concentration. In the active season the level of adrenal cholesterol is maximal, while that of serum cholesterol is minimal; it is the reverse in the recrudescent season. The significance of the varying concentrations of cholesterol in the liver, adrenal, plasma, and testis with reference to each other is discussed

Stability, numerical simulations, and applications of Helmholtz-Duffing fractional differential equations

The Helmholtz-Duffing equation with the Caputo fractional order derivative will be introduced in this article. We employ the fixed point theory to establish the existence and uniqueness results and prove the Hyers-Ulam stability. Drone applications for controlling the synthesis of external forces in torque, angular velocity, and projection served as a source of motivation. In the end, we developed numerical simulations to support our theoretical findings