The Past and the Present: Reflections of Everyday Life in English Ceramic Figurines

The practice‐led research in this thesis investigates narratives of everyday life captured through ceramic figurines. This is informed by the history of the English ceramic figurine, which pertains to a long tradition of reflecting scenes of everyday life and social concerns particular to the time of their production. The aim of this thesis is firstly to examine the ways in which English ceramic figurines captured images of everyday life throughout history, and secondly to explore how contemporary everyday life can be interpreted visually through ceramics. This thesis addresses the relationship between the research carried out by historians and the work of practitioners on figurines. Moreover, the thesis considers the history of figurine production and its impact on contemporary practice. My research methodology relies on original archival materials and museum collections, which enables me to frame my practice within the literature on the subject of figurines. Many aspects of these remain overlooked in existing scholarship. The thesis is divided into two chapters. Chapter 1 comprises three case studies, which examine the socio‐historical significance of eighteenth‐ and nineteenth‐century English figurines. My investigation includes materials, makers, sources of inspiration, conditions of production, the cultural background and the ceramics market. Case Study 1 examines the culture of pastimes and the theatre in eighteenth‐century England by focusing on one particular piece, The Music Lesson (1765). The Teetotal and Ale Bench figurine group (1835) in Case Study 2 is an example through which the relationship between drinking culture and ceramics in early nineteenth‐century England is investigated. Case Study 3 examines Victorian china fairings and their manufacture in Germany through the example of Before Marriage and After Marriage (c.1860). All the case studies have been conducted to support the view that English ceramic figurines were cultural products of their time, integrated into everyday life – that of both the upper and working classes – and thus provide unique insight into the social and cultural issues that concerned English society. Many of the examples considered in these three case studies stem from my research trips in the UK and elsewhere, including the Harris Museum in Preston, and in Germany the Meissen Factory and Museum in Dresden and the Nymphenburg Palace and Porcelain Manufactory in Munich. These case studies were crucial in informing new approaches to my practice, and are important in understanding its development. Chapter 2 focuses on my studio practice. This consists of wall‐based and freestanding figurines based on my own observations of British culture, collected during my time living in the UK as an ‘outsider’. I highlight four key issues from the case studies examined in Chapter 1 that have influenced my own practice. These include an English perspective; encounters and exchanges; multiples; the relationship between drawing, and the figurine. My subjective observations and understanding of the historical framework surrounding the field of figurine making have thus informed this series in a new body of work. It is a poignant time to examine this fast‐disappearing aspect of visual culture which used to be so vital in British economy and society, as the demand for, and production of, figurines is decreasing. This thesis hopes to revive an appreciation of the ceramics with which we are so familiar in terms of practical use. By documenting everyday life through a material which quietly surrounds us every day, for instance in the kitchen, dining room, bathroom, and human-inhabited space generally, I hope to challenge the viewer to respond to this material in a new way

Göllnitz–Gordon identities and parity questions

AbstractParity has played a role in partition identities from the beginning. In his recent paper, George Andrews investigated a variety of parity questions in partition identities. At the end of his paper, he then listed 15 open problems. The purpose of this paper is to provide solutions to the first three problems from his list, which are related to the Göllnitz–Gordon identities and their generalizations

Structure-activity relationships of fluorene compounds inhibiting HCV variants

Approximately 71 million people suffer from hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection worldwide. Persistent HCV infection causes liver diseases such as chronic hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma, resulting in approximately 400,000 deaths annually. Effective direct-acting antiviral agents (DAAs) have been developed and are currently used for HCV treatment targeting the following three proteins: NS3/4A proteinase that cleaves the HCV polyprotein into various functional proteins, RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (designated as NS5B), and NS5A, which is required for the formation of double membrane vesicles serving as RNA replication organelles. At least one compound inhibiting NS5A is included in current HCV treatment regimens due to the high efficacy and low toxicity of drugs targeting NS5A. Here we report fluorene compounds showing strong inhibitory effects on GT 1b and 3a of HCV. Moreover, some compounds were effective against resistance-associated variants to DAAs. The structure-activity relationships of the compounds were analyzed. Furthermore, we investigated the molecular bases of the inhibitory activities of some compounds by the molecular docking method.11Ysciescopu

Effects on Growth and Osteogenic Differentiation of Mesenchymal Stem Cells by the Zinc-Added Sol-Gel Bioactive Glass Granules

Responses of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) cultured with zinc-added (2 and 5%) bioactive glass granules were evaluated in terms of cell growth and osteogenic differentiation. MSCs were cultured with different quantities (3, 10 and 30) of glass granules for up to 21 days in the osteogenic medium. Cell growth was stimulated by a small quantity of glasses, particularly those that contained zinc. Osteogenic differentiation, as assessed by alkaline phosphatase activity (ALP) activity, was significantly enhanced by the glasses, particularly with large quantities of glass and for prolonged culturing. Expression of bone-sialo protein (BSP) was significantly up-regulated around the bioactive glass granules. Moreover, the zinc addition significantly altered the ALP and BSP depending on the culture time and glass quantity. Cellular mineralization was improved in all glass samples, and particularly in the 2% zinc-glass. Taken together, the zinc addition to bioactive glass induced the MSCs growth and their osteogenic differentiation, at least to the level of zinc-free glass, and with even higher level observed depending on the quantity and culture time. These findings indicate that the zinc addition to bioactive glass may be useful in development of biomaterials for the stimulation of adult stem cell in bone tissue engineering

Incidence of harmful algal blooms in pristine subtropical ocean: a satellite remote sensing approach (Jeju Island)

Despite the increasing numbers of red tide events in the pristine subtropical ocean, a paucity of previous observations has limited understanding of harmful algae in the seas around the Korean Peninsula. Therefore, using six years (2012–2017) of Geostationary Ocean Color Imager (GOCI) satellite data, we characterized the red tides around Jeju Island, a volcanic island located near the paths of the Jeju Warm Current and Tsushima Warm Current, using the Normalized Red Tide Index (NRTI) method. The seawater around Jeju Island has for a long time been considered to be very clear, with relatively low suspended particulate matter concentrations and few harmful algae. Nonetheless, the satellite-based NRTI detection method used in this study detected and supported the existence of red tides in the coastal region around Jeju Island. Analysis of the red tide distribution showed that red tide first began to appear near the western coast of Jeju Island, then developed in the northern and eastern coastal regions, and finally vanished in the eastern coastal region. The monthly averages of the NRTI demonstrated a bloom event from April to May in every year. Additional fall blooms were detected in August–September, particularly in 2013 and 2016. The NRTI revealed strong interannual variations. The longest blooms occurred in 2015, and the most comprehensive and strongest event occurred in the spring of 2016. The latter three years (2015–2017) had much higher NRTI than the former three years (2012–2014). The probability of red tide occurrence at a given point during the 6-year study period revealed spatial differences. Relatively high probability of 0.3–0.5 was determined along the northern coastal region, whereas low probability of less than 0.2 was found along the southern region. Ground truth data also showed more frequent observations and higher red tide cell densities along the northern coast. Changes in NRTI in spring are positively correlated with changes in ENSO indices in winter. This study is the first to use a satellite-based approach with a vast long-term satellite database to elucidate the existence and probability of red tides near Jeju Island. We anticipate that this study will provide a useful strategy for remote monitoring of harmful algal blooms over wide regions using optical data

Downbeat, Positional, and Perverted Head-Shaking Nystagmus Associated with Lamotrigine Toxicity

Lamotrigine is an effective antiepileptic drug with few adverse effects. Nystagmus is one of the commonly observable signs of lamotrigine overdose, which may result from central nervous system involvement. However, the physiologic basis of lamotrigine-induced nystagmus is not fully understood. Here we report a patient who presented with lamotrigine-associated nystagmus that was probably related to cerebellar dysfunction

Mediating effect of life satisfaction and depression on the relationship between cognition and activities of daily living in Korean male older adults

This study investigated the mediating effects of life satisfaction and depression on the relationship between cognition and activities of daily living (ADL) among male older adults. A secondary analysis was conducted utilizing data from the 2020 Elderly Survey. The participant pool consisted of 4035 Korean male older adults aged 65 years and above, selected from the total survey population of 10,097. The study focused on four variables: cognition, Korean Activities of Daily Living (K-ADL), life satisfaction and depression. The main analysis employed Hayes’s PROCESS Macro for SPSS v.4.0, and Model 6 was applied to determine the mediating effect of life satisfaction and depression on the relationship between cognition and ADL. The analysis revealed a negative correlation between ADL and cognition scores. ADL scores exhibited positive correlations with both life satisfaction and depression scores. A positive correlation emerged between life satisfaction and depression scores. The examination unveiled an indirect mediating effect between life satisfaction and depression scores. It is necessary to establish an intervention strategy that considers life satisfaction and the degree of depression when establishing a strategy to predict and prevent the decline in daily living ability in older adults with cognitive decline

A Study of Oral Health Knowledge for Pregnant Women

PURPOSE: This paper examined the relationship between knowledge differences of maternal oral health and of relevant demographic variables. METHODS: Participants included 239 pregnant women who were recruited from Women's Hospital located in B city who agreed to participate in this study. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation analysis using the SPSS 21.0 program. RESULTS: Maternal knowledge of oral health was moderate level (10.22±2.36). Scores of maternal knowledge of oral health were different according to age, education, occupation, parity, and dental care experience in pregnancy. Level of oral healthcare knowledge was weakly related to age and education. CONCLUSION: Consequently, it is necessary to encourage pregnant women to take part in oral health education program during antenatal care