‘Loob’ and ‘Labas’: Spatial Constructions of Safety and Risk Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Philippines

This article argues that local constructions of risky and safe spaces, as articulated by the notions ‘loob’ (inside) and ‘labas’ (outside), informed popular and political responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines, leading to an overemphasis on staying at home and, conversely, a general avoidance or fear of outdoor spaces that was at times reinforced by public health authorities. Practices and policies related to the pandemic response rendered this binary opposition between ‘loob’ and ‘labas’ visible, from regulations concerning the use of personal protective equipment to restrictions of access to outdoor spaces. While this emergent form of bodily proxemics was contested and negotiated over time, its tenacity throughout the pandemic underscores the importance of understanding how people spatialize risk in times of health crises

Thrips on eggplant, chilli and bell pepper in Cameron Highlands, Malaysia

Thrips have always been one of the major pests for eggplant (Solanum melongena L.), chili and bell peppers (Capsicum annuum L.). Thrips damage these vegetable crops either by direct feeding on the leaves, flowers or fruits or they act as vectors for viruses. However, not all thrips feed on the above-mentioned crops, thus identification of the thrips that feed on these vegetable crops is important in order to provide an effective solution. Therefore, the objective of this study is to identify the species of thrips that attack these plants and cause major damages. Cameron Highlands was microscopic glass slides using Euparal as mounting medium. The thrips specimens were identified based on the morphology. The thrips that were found abundant on these vegetable crops were Thrips palmi Karny and Thrips parvispinus Karny. These thrips were usually found feeding in the flowers of susceptible vegetable crops. There were on average 5 thrips per flower. The damage of thrips can only be observed during fruit formation as scars on the external surface of the fruits. The damage became intensified as the fruits grew to cause them to develop irregular shapes and dry-looking. These unpleasant looking fruits, although edible, are not preferred by consumers, thus causing them to be non-marketable.selected as the study area because it is one of the major vegetable production areas in Malaysia. Thrips were collected from several farms in Cameron Highlands. The thrips samples were stored in 70% ethanol, macerated by soaking in weak sodium hydroxide (5% NaOH), dehydrated using alcohol and clove oil and finally mounted o

Tests of prototype PCM 'sails' for office cooling

This is the post-print version of the final paper published in Applied Thermal Engineering. The published article is available from the link below. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. Copyright @ 2010 Elsevier B.V.PCM modules, constructed from a paraffin/LDPE composite, were tested in an occupied London office, in summer. Design variations tested the effect on heat transfer of a black paint or aluminium surface, the effect of different phase transition zones and the effect of discharging heat inside or outside. The modules’ temperatures were monitored along with airflow rate, air temperature and globe temperature. Their small size meant any effect on room temperature was negligible. Using DSC measurements of the PCMs’ thermophysical properties, in conjunction with the environmental measurements, a semi-empirical model of the modules was constructed in FLUENT using an enthalpy-porosity formulation to model phase change. Good validation was obtained for all modules using the temperature measurements with notable divergence when maximum liquid fraction was reached. The model was validated by the temperature measurements and used to generate mean liquid fraction and surface heat transfer rate profiles for performance comparisons. The broad phase transition zones of the PCMs results in wasted latent heat capacity. Black modules transfer heat and exhaust latent storage capacity significantly quicker than aluminium modules, due to radiant exchange. Discharging heat outside leads to an increase in thermal storage capacity and a higher rate of heat absorption.Buro Happold Engineers and the EPSRC

Falls efficacy: Extending the understanding of self-efficacy in older adults towards managing falls

Shawn Leng-Hsien Soh - ORCID: 0000-0002-8725-5182 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8725-5182Janet Thomas - ORCID: 0000-0002-1037-7923 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1037-7923Judith Lane - ORCID: 0000-0003-0413-8421 https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0413-8421Publisher's accepted article replaced by VoR 2021-09-02Falls efficacy is a widely studied construct. The understanding of falls efficacy has evolved over time. Falls efficacy was initially perceived to be suitably used as a measure of fear of falling. However, further research suggested that falls efficacy and fear of falling are distinct constructs, and therefore, would be inappropriate to be used as a proxy. Instead, some researchers posited that falls efficacy is synonymous with balance confidence. Falls efficacy has been conventionally understood as the perceived ability of individuals to perform activities without losing balance or falling. A recently conducted systematic review by the authors on existing falls efficacy related measures had revealed a fresh perspective of recognising falls efficacy as a perceived ability to manage a threat of a fall. Falls efficacy, with a broadened interpreted construct, relates to the individual’s perceived self-efficacy of performing necessary actions needed in different scenarios, including pre-fall, near-fall, fall-landing and completed fall. The conventional interpretation of falls efficacy needs a rethinking of perspective. An extended understanding of falls efficacy would provide an integral approach towards improving the agency of individual to deal with falls and would enhance person-centred care.https://doi.org/10.22540/JFSF-06-1316pubpub

4-(2,6-Dibromo-4-fluoro­anilino)pent-3-en-2-one

The title enamino­ketone, C11H10Br2FNO, has a roughly planar pentenone chain; the maximum displacement of an atom from the pentenone plane is 0.071 (4) Å. The dihedral angle between the benzene ring and the pentenone unit is 77.2 (1)°. Inter­molecular C—H⋯Br and C—H⋯O inter­actions, as well as an intra­molecular N—H⋯O inter­action, are observed. In both methyl groups, each H atom is disordered equally over two sites

Activity, stability and 3-D structure of the Cu(II) form of a chitin-active lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens

The enzymatic deconstruction of recalcitrant polysaccharide biomass is central to the conversion of these substrates for societal benefit, such as in biofuels. Traditional models for enzyme-catalysed polysaccharide degradation involved the synergistic action of endo-, exo-and processive glycoside hydrolases working in concert to hydrolyse the substrate. More recently this model has been succeeded by one featuring a newly discovered class of mononuclear copper enzymes: lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs; classified as Auxiliary Activity (AA) enzymes in the CAZy classification). In 2013, the structure of an LPMO from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, BaAA10, was solved with the Cu centre photoreduced to Cu(I) in the X-ray beam. Here we present the catalytic activity of BaAA10. We show that it is a chitin-active LPMO, active on both α and β chitin, with the Cu(II) binding with low nM KD, and the substrate greatly increasing the thermal stability of the enzyme. A spiral data collection strategy has been used to facilitate access to the previously unobservable Cu(II) state of the active centre, revealing a coordination geometry around the copper which is distorted from axial symmetry, consistent with the previous findings from EPR spectroscopy

Structural Enzymology of Cellvibrio japonicus Agd31B Protein Reveals α-Transglucosylase Activity in Glycoside Hydrolase Family 31

The metabolism of the storage polysaccharides glycogen and starch is of vital importance to organisms from all domains of life. In bacteria, utilization of these -glucans requires the concerted action of a variety of enzymes, including glycoside hydrolases, glycoside phosphorylases, and transglycosylases. In particular, transglycosylases from glycoside hydrolase family 13 (GH13) and GH77 play well established roles in -glucan side chain (de)branching, regulation of oligo- and polysaccharide chain length, and formation of cyclic dextrans. Here, we present the biochemical and tertiary structural characterization of a new type of bacterial 1,4- -glucan 4- -glucosyltransferase from GH31. Distinct from 1,4- -glucan 6- -glucosyltransferases (EC 2.4.1.24) and 4- -glucanotransferases (EC 2.4.1.25), this enzyme strictly transferred one glucosyl residue from (134)- glucans in disproportionation reactions. Substrate hydrolysis was undetectable for a series of malto-oligosaccharides except maltose for which transglycosylation nonetheless dominated across a range of substrate concentrations. Crystallographic analysis of the enzyme in free, acarbose-complexed, and trapped 5-fluoro--glucosyl-enzyme intermediate forms revealed extended substrate interactions across one negative and up to three positive subsites, thus providing structural rationalization for the unique, single monosaccharide transferase activity of the enzyme

Challenges experienced with early introduction and sustained consumption of allergenic foods in the Enquiring About Tolerance (EAT) study: A qualitative analysis.

BACKGROUND: The early introduction group participants of the Enquiring About Tolerance study were asked to undertake a proscriptive regimen of early introduction and sustained consumption of 6 allergenic foods. It was envisaged that this might be challenging, and early introduction group families were presented with an open-text question to express any problems they were experiencing with the regimen in recurring online questionnaires. OBJECTIVE: We sought to analyze these open-text questionnaire responses with the aim of identifying challenges associated with the introduction and regular consumption of allergenic foods. METHODS: Three combinations of interim questionnaire responses were selected for analysis, representing the early period (4, 5, and 6 months), middle period (8 and 12 months), and late period (24 and 36 months) of participation in the Enquiring About Tolerance study. Responses were assigned a code to describe their content and subsequently grouped into themes to portray key messages. A thematic content analysis allowed for conversion of qualitative codes into quantitative summaries. RESULTS: Three main challenges to allergenic food consumption were identified. First, some children refused the allergenic food, causing a sense of defeat among caregivers. Second, caregivers were concerned that allergenic foods might be causing a reaction, triggering a need for reassurance. Third, practical problems associated with the regimen compromised caregivers' capacity to persist. CONCLUSION: Understanding the challenges experienced with allergenic food introduction and sustained consumption is the necessary precursor to developing specific communication and support strategies that could be used by caregivers, practitioners, policymakers, and key stakeholders to address these problems