91 research outputs found
We Dare You: A Lifecycle Study of a Substitutional Reality Installation in a Museum Space
In this article, we present a lifecycle study of We Dare You, a
Substitutional Reality (SR) installation that combines visual and tactile
stimuli. The installation is set up in a center for architecture, and invites
visitors to explore its facade while playing with vertigo, in a visual Virtual
Reality (VR) environment that replicates the surrounding physical space of the
installation. Drawing on an ethnographic approach, including observations and
interviews, we researched the exhibit from its opening, through the initial
months plagued by technical problems, its subsequent success as a social and
playful installation, on to its closure, due to COVID-19, and its subsequent
reopening. Our findings explore the challenges caused by both the hybrid nature
of the installation, as well as the visitor' playful use of the installation
which made the experience social and performative - but also caused some
problems. We also discuss the problems We Dare You faced in light of hygiene
demands due to COVID-19. The analysis contrasts the design processes and
expectations of stakeholders with the audience's playful appropriation, which
led the stakeholders to see the installation as both a success and a failure.
Evaluating the design and redesign through use on behalf of visitors, we argue
that an approach that further opens up the post-production experience to a
process of continuous redesign based on the user input - what has been termed
"design-after-design" - could facilitate the design of similar experiences in
the museum and heritage sector, supporting a participatory agenda in the design
process, and helping to resolve the tension between stakeholders' expectations
and visitors' playful appropriations.Comment: Accepted to be published in the Journal on Computing and Cultural
Heritage (JOCCH
Optic atrophy, necrotizing anterior scleritis and keratitis presenting in association with Streptococcal Toxic Shock Syndrome: a case report
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>We report a case of optic atrophy, necrotizing anterior scleritis and keratitis presenting in a patient with Streptococcal Toxic Shock Syndrome.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A 43-year-old woman developed streptococcal toxic shock syndrome secondary to septic arthritis of her right ankle. Streptococcus pyogenes (b-haemolyticus Group A) was isolated from blood cultures and joint aspirate. She was referred for ophthalmology review as her right eye became injected and the pupil had become unresponsive to light whilst she was in the Intensive Therapy Unit (ITU). The iris appeared atrophic and was mid-dilated with no direct or consensual response to light. Three zones of sub-epithelial opacification where noted in the cornea. There where extensive posterior synechiae. Indirect ophthalmoscopy showed a pale right disc. The vision was reduced to hand movements (HM). A diagnosis of optic atrophy was made secondary to post-streptococcal uveitis. She subsequently developed a necrotizing anterior scleritis.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This case illustrates a previously unreported association of optic atrophy, necrotizing anterior scleritis and keratitis in a patient with post-streptococcal uveitis. This patient had developed Streptococcal Toxic Shock Syndrome secondary to septic arthritis. We recommend increased awareness of the potential risks of these patients developing severe ocular involvement.</p
Attitudes towards Cypriot Greek and Standard Modern Greek in London’s Greek Cypriot community
Aim
To investigate whether the positive attitudes towards Standard Modern Greek and the mixture of positive and negative attitudes towards Cypriot Greek that have been documented in Cyprus are also present in London's Greek Cypriot community.
Approach
Unlike previous quantitative works, the study reported in this article was qualitative and aimed at capturing the ways in which attitudes and attitude-driven practices are experienced by members of London's diasporic community.
Data and Analysis
Data were collected by means of semi-structured, sociolinguistic interviews with 28 members of the community. All participants were second-generation heritage speakers, successive bilinguals in Cypriot Greek and English, and successive bidialectal speakers in Cypriot Greek and Standard Modern Greek. The data were analysed qualitatively (thematic analysis).
Findings
– Positive perceptions of Standard Modern Greek and mixed perceptions, both positive and negative, of Cypriot Greek are found in the context of London.
– As in Cyprus, Standard Modern Greek is perceived as a prestigious, proper and 'correct' variety of Greek. Cypriot Greek, in contrast, is described as a villagey, heavy and even broken variety.
– Greek complementary schools play a key role in engendering these attitudes.
– Unlike in Cyprus, in the London community, the use of Cypriot Greek is also discouraged in informal settings such as the home.
Originality
Papapavlou & Pavlou contended that "there are no signs of negative attitudes towards Cypriot Greek [in London]" (2001, p. 104). This research shows this claim to be false.
Significance/Implications
Negative attitudes towards Cypriot Greek lead to a community-wide preference for the use of Standard Modern Greek in communication with other members of the Greek Cypriot community, which poses a great threat to the intergenerational transmission and maintenance of Cypriot Greek as a heritage language in London
The SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics' resources: focus on curated databases
The SIB Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics (www.isb-sib.ch) provides world-class bioinformatics databases, software tools, services and training to the international life science community in academia and industry. These solutions allow life scientists to turn the exponentially growing amount of data into knowledge. Here, we provide an overview of SIB's resources and competence areas, with a strong focus on curated databases and SIB's most popular and widely used resources. In particular, SIB's Bioinformatics resource portal ExPASy features over 150 resources, including UniProtKB/Swiss-Prot, ENZYME, PROSITE, neXtProt, STRING, UniCarbKB, SugarBindDB, SwissRegulon, EPD, arrayMap, Bgee, SWISS-MODEL Repository, OMA, OrthoDB and other databases, which are briefly described in this article
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