Crossing the Black Line: An Examination of the Process of Transitioning from Non-Swimmer to Swimmer and a Program Evaluation of an Adult Swim Lesson Program Focusing on People with Aquaphobia

The mission of any learn-to-swim program is to equip individuals with the skills and confidence to safely participate in water activities. Many of these programs primarily focus on children, but little is known about the effectiveness of these programs with respect to adults. Drowning deaths among adult populations are not as proportionately significant compared to children and adolescents but still equally staggering. Researchers conclude more emphasis should be placed on drowning prevention and evaluation of preexisting physical and psychological conditions that create barriers to swimming and water safety. Not much information currently exist for adults with a serious fear of swimming or water, called Aquaphobia. One of the key difficulties in answering the question of whether or not drowning incidents can be reduced through prevention strategies is to understanding why individuals do not participate in prevention strategies. What constraints do these adults face, external and or psychological? The uniqueness of this particular swim program addresses not just the mechanics but also seeks to identify, examine and overcome preexisting fears or phobias associated with swimming. The purpose of this project was to evaluate an Aquaphobics program by identifying common themes unique to the Aquaphobia phenomenon to assist in transitioning adult non-swimmers to swimmers. This study adopted a pragmatic paradigm, with its focus on solving the problem of loss of life through the largely preventable act of drowning. Both a phenomenological and phenomenography explanation of the data were performed to achieve a deeper understanding of the essence of the phenomenon, lived experiences of the non-swimmers and the different ways in which they transition to become confident, or at least comfortable swimmers. The data for this study came from participants in an Aquaphobics program ran from 2013 to 2016. Over the 3 years there have been 117 participants in the program. This study focused on in-depth interviews of 11 participants. It became clear early on that all external barriers, I as the instructor/ researcher was in control over, were removed. Therefore I made this class free, and instructed on a rolling basis, so people could start when they wanted, come when they wanted, for the reason they wanted. There were some people that did not seem to have a phobia of water, more a fear related to an unlearned skill they now wanted for some purpose. The research did reveal that the majority of participants were participating due to a deep fear of water and swimming. Unlike the individuals that were there to improve their swimming ability and did not have a phobia, came, got their skill and left the program, the group that stayed in the program to conquer a fear never left the program for the most and began to build their social lines around other participants. As a programmer this knowledge can help facilitate continued involvement in other recreation programs based on peer motivation. Towards the end of the program many participants expressed an interest to attempt other water related activities and encourage others within their social group to join, for example, padding boarding and scuba diving

Conservative Evangelicalism and the Environment: An Ethnographic Study

While there has been a long running debate concerning the relationship between the Christian faith and environmental attitudes and behaviours, the topic has been neglected empirically, especially in relation to qualitative research. This thesis addresses this gap and presents the results of fieldwork that included participant observation and forty in-depth qualitative interviews. The goal of this thesis is to present findings about the environmental attitudes and behaviours of four conservative evangelical congregations in North Wales, U.K., to further understanding about how Christian beliefs and interpretation of the Bible are formative in this process. To aid in this a modified ‘four voices of theology’ of Cameron et al. (2010) is used as an analytical template and to conceptualise results

3-(2-Acetyl­anilino)propanoic acid

The title mol­ecule, C11H13NO3, has its propanoic acid group in an extended conformation, such that the mol­ecule is nearly planar, with a mean deviation of 0.036 Å [the maxima being 0.106 (1) and 0.110 (1) Å for the two methyl­ene C atoms]. The NH group forms an intra­molecular hydrogen bond with the acetyl group; in the crystal COOH group forms a centrosymmetric hydrogen-bonded dimer

The prognostic value of derived neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio in oesophageal cancer treated with definitive chemoradiotherapy

Background and purpose The derived neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio (dNLR) is a validated prognostic biomarker for cancer survival but has not been extensively studied in locally-advanced oesophageal cancer treated with definitive chemoradiotherapy (dCRT). We aimed to identify the prognostic value of dNLR in patients recruited to the SCOPE1 trial. Materials and methods 258 patients were randomised to receive dCRT ± cetuximab. Kaplan–Meier’s curves and both univariable and multivariable Cox regression models were calculated for overall survival (OS), progression free survival (PFS), local PFS inside the radiation volume (LPFSi), local PFS outside the radiation volume (LPFSo), and distant PFS (DPFS). Results An elevated pre-treatment dNLR ≥ 2 was significantly associated with decreased OS in univariable (HR 1.74 [95% CI 1.29–2.35], p < 0.001) and multivariable analyses (HR 1.64 [1.17–2.29], p = 0.004). Median OS was 36 months (95% CI 27.8–42.4) if dNLR < 2 and 18.4 months (95% CI 14.1–24.9) if dNLR ≥ 2. All measures of PFS were also significantly reduced with an elevated dNLR. dNLR was prognostic for OS in cases of squamous cell carcinoma with a non-significant trend for adenocarcinoma/undifferentiated tumours. Conclusions An elevated pre-treatment dNLR may be an independent prognostic biomarker for OS and PFS in oesophageal cancer patients treated with definitive CRT. dNLR is a simple, inexpensive and readily available tool for risk-stratification and should be considered for use in future oesophageal cancer clinical trials

Antibacterial Activities of Wasabi against Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Staphylococcus aureus

Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Staphylococcus aureus are two of the major pathogens frequently involved in foodborne outbreaks. Control of these pathogens in foods is essential to food safety. It is of great interest in the use of natural antimicrobial compounds present in edible plants to control foodborne pathogens as consumers prefer more natural green foods. Allyl isothiocyanate (AITC) is an antimicrobial compound naturally present in wasabi (Japanese horseradish) and several other edible plants. Although the antibacterial effects of pure AITC and wasabi extract (essential oil) against several bacteria have been reported, the antibacterial property of natural wasabi has not been well studied. This study investigated the antibacterial activities of wasabi as well as AITC against E. coli O157:H7 and S. aureus. Chemical analysis showed that AITC is the major isothiocyanate in wasabi. The AITC concentration in the wasabi powder used in this study was 5.91±0.59 mg/g. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of wasabi against E. coli O157:H7 or S. aureus was 1% (or 10 mg/ml). Wasabi at 4% displayed higher bactericidal activity against S. aureus than against E. coli O157:H7. The MIC of AITC against either pathogen was between 10 and 100 µg/ml. AITC at 500 µg/ml was bactericidal against both pathogens while AITC at 1000 µg/ml eliminated E. coli O157:H7 much faster than S. aureus. The results from this study showed that wasabi has strong antibacterial property and has high potential to effectively control E. coli O157:H7 and S. aureus in foods. The antibacterial property along with its natural green color, unique flavor, and advantage to safeguard foods at the point of ingestion makes wasabi a promising natural edible antibacterial plant. The results from this study may be of significant interest to the food industry as they develop new and safe foods. These results may also stimulate more research to evaluate the antibacterial effect of wasabi against other foodborne pathogens and to explore other edible plants for their antimicrobial properties. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the antibacterial activity of wasabi in its natural form of consumption against E. coli O157:H7 and S. aureus

Can our cities\u27 thriving creative precincts be saved from \u27renewal\u27?

Governments are busily rezoning our cities for high-rise apartments. The New South Wales government, for example, plans to rezone a 20-kilometre corridor in Sydney, from Sydenham to Bankstown, for urban density, in concert with a new metro rail line. Residents and community groups have reacted vociferously to the prospects of high-rise buildings in previously low-density suburbs. But there is another, overlooked dimension to the redevelopment. Much of it is on industrial land: pockets of old factories and workshops, portrayed as decrepit and in need of renewal. Our new project documents enterprises that actually use urban industrial lands. It\u27s a story of surprising and largely hidden vibrancy at the interface between creative industries and small manufacturing. Planners and economic developers tend to assume manufacturing has left central cities and that manufacturing enterprises can simply locate to city-fringe greenfield sites. In reality, manufacturing is changing form, and often depends on - and benefits from - urban industrial lands. Despite the scale of renewal plans, no detailed knowledge exists of what will be lost, or of existing enterprises\u27 needs

A Natural Plasmid Uniquely Encodes Two Biosynthetic Pathways Creating a Potent Anti-MRSA Antibiotic

Background Understanding how complex antibiotics are synthesised by their producer bacteria is essential for creation of new families of bioactive compounds. Thiomarinols, produced by marine bacteria belonging to the genus Pseudoalteromonas, are hybrids of two independently active species: the pseudomonic acid mixture, mupirocin, which is used clinically against MRSA, and the pyrrothine core of holomycin. Methodology/Principal Findings High throughput DNA sequencing of the complete genome of the producer bacterium revealed a novel 97 kb plasmid, pTML1, consisting almost entirely of two distinct gene clusters. Targeted gene knockouts confirmed the role of these clusters in biosynthesis of the two separate components, pseudomonic acid and the pyrrothine, and identified a putative amide synthetase that joins them together. Feeding mupirocin to a mutant unable to make the endogenous pseudomonic acid created a novel hybrid with the pyrrothine via “mutasynthesis” that allows inhibition of mupirocin-resistant isoleucyl-tRNA synthetase, the mupirocin target. A mutant defective in pyrrothine biosynthesis was also able to incorporate alternative amine substrates. Conclusions/Significance Plasmid pTML1 provides a paradigm for combining independent antibiotic biosynthetic pathways or using mutasynthesis to develop a new family of hybrid derivatives that may extend the effective use of mupirocin against MRSA

Cavitation in soft matter

Cavitation is the sudden, unstable expansion of a void or bubble within a liquid or solid subjected to a negative hydrostatic stress. Cavitation rheology is a field emerging from the development of a suite of materials characterization, damage quantification, and therapeutic techniques that exploit the physical principles of cavitation. Cavitation rheology is inherently complex and broad in scope with wide-ranging applications in the biology, chemistry, materials, and mechanics communities. This perspective aims to drive collaboration among these communities and guide discussion by defining a common core of high-priority goals while highlighting emerging opportunities in the field of cavitation rheology. A brief overview of the mechanics and dynamics of cavitation in soft matter is presented. This overview is followed by a discussion of the overarching goals of cavitation rheology and an overview of common experimental techniques. The larger unmet needs and challenges of cavitation in soft matter are then presented alongside specific opportunities for researchers from different disciplines to contribute to the field