Illustrator as detective: Discovery through drawing

I am an illustrator and I have produced an innovative drawing project with the Museum of East Asian Art, Bath, that interrogates concepts of illustration and illustrator as visionary.The majority of the museum’s collection consists of small-scale objects and miniatures, showcasing centuries of traditional craftsmanship and artistry. The museum holds a collection of ceramics, jades, bronzes and other artefacts from China, Japan, Korea and Southeast Asia. It is the only museum in the UK solely dedicated to arts and cultures of East and Southeast Asia.In producing this project, I act as a visionary, through exploring drawing as a tool for looking beyond the obvious, to truly study and discover an exotic object within a museum collection. The project explores ideas of future thinking in educational and professional developments, as the drawings will act as functional and democratic means to communicate my personal response to objects, and in turn challenge personal and studied responses from the public.Future thinking in educational and professional developments is also explored through the showcase of work, as drawings will be displayed in cabinets in direct juxtaposition with corresponding objects, and exhibited between different galleries

Spatialising Illustration

As an illustrator I reflect on human behaviour and the psychological effects of space through drawing. I use people I have met and whose lives intrigue me. Taking a woman I know, I observe and draw. ‘She sat at the table in the sparse kitchen. It had belonged to her grandmother, and her mother before her.’ (Regan, 2012) This quote is taken from the illustrated book I have created ‘The Set,' it is significant in introducing what I discovered about space. Space is not physical and universal. It is personal and formed in the mind. ‘The Set’ explores a woman and the spaces she inhabits. I visualise and try to make sense of this by drawing

Marine inspired textured materials for reduction of biofouling on surfaces

Biofouling on deployed in-situ sensors without regular removal or cleaning can disrupt sensor data collected. The current replacement antifouling (AF) materials under development are largely unsuited to sensor technologies as they have been developed with large scale applications in mind, such as those required by the shipping industry. Therefore, a strategy for the development of novel, sustainable, antifouling materials for sensor applications is required. Bio-inspiration refers to adapting strategies already developed in the natural world to problems encountered in modern science and technology. Engineered surfaces capable of controlling cellular behaviour under natural conditions are challenging to design due to the diversity of attaching cell types in environments such as marine waters, where many variations in cell shape, size and adhesion strategy exist. Nevertheless, understanding interactions between a cell and a potential substrate for adhesion, including topographically driven settlement cues, offers a route to designing surfaces capable of controlling cell settlement. Biomimetic design of artificial surfaces, based upon microscale features from natural surfaces, can be utilized as model surfaces to understand cell-surface interactions. In this study it was hypothesized that an AF effect could be induced through the replication of a synthetic surface. Scophthalmus rhombus (Brill) is a small flatfish occurring in marine waters of the Mediterranean as well as in Norway and Iceland. It inhabits sandy and muddy coastal waters from 5 to 80 metres. Its skin changes colour depending on the environment but is generally brownish with light and dark freckles and a creamy underside. S. rhombus is oval in shape and its flesh is white[1], [2]. In this study, the micro topography of the brill scale is characterized for the first time which may serve as a trend for the design of a marine inspired biomimetic surface texture. Natural dermal scales of S. rhombus are artificially replicated using 3-D printing and mould casting technologies. The replication methods are then tested for initial colonization of fouling species using 3 h immersion testing using diatom species, CCAP 1052/1B, Phaeodactylum tricornutum. The aim of this study was to discover the potential of using textured surfaces inspired by nature in particular marine organisms to combat fouling. This work identifies simple textures that can reduce fouling in its early stages which can contribute to antifouling coatings on sensors for monitoring in the marine environment

Bio-inspired surface texture modification as a viable feature of future aquatic antifouling strategies: a review

The imitation of natural systems to produce effective antifouling materials is often referred to as “biomimetics”. The world of biomimetics is a multidisciplinary one, needing careful understanding of “biological structures”, processes and principles of various organisms found in nature and based on this, designing nanodevices and nanomaterials that are of commercial interest to industry. Looking to the marine environment for bioinspired surfaces offers researchers a wealth of topographies to explore. Particular attention has been given to the evaluation of textures based on marine organisms tested in either the laboratory or the field. The findings of the review relate to the numbers of studies on textured surfaces demonstrating antifouling potential which are significant. However, many of these are only tested in the laboratory, where it is acknowledged a very different response to fouling is observed

A Low-cost Novel Optical Sensor for In Situ Water Quality Monitoring

With increasing environmental pressure due to global climate change, increases in global population and the need for sustainable obtained resources, water resources management is critical. In-situ sensors are fundamental to the management of water systems by providing early warning, forecasting and baseline data to stakeholders. To be fit-for-purpose, monitoring using in-situ sensors has to be carried out in a cost effective way and allow implementation at larger spatial scales. If networks of sensors are to become not only a reality but common place, it is necessary to produce reliable, inexpensive, rugged sensors integrated with data analytics. In this context, the aim of this project was to design and develop a low cost, robust and reliable optical sensor which capable of continuous measurement of chemical and physical parameters in aquatic environments. An iterative engineering design method cycling between sensor design, prototyping and testing was used for the realisation and optimisation of the sensor. The sensor can provide absorption, scatter, and fluorescence readings over a broad spectral range (280nm to 850nm) and temperature readings in real-time using a suite of optical sensors (CMOS Spectrometers and photodiode detector), custom designed LED array light source and a digital temperature probe. Custom electronics and firmware were developed to control the sensor and facilitate data transmission to an external network. Sensor electronics are housed in a marine grade watertight housing; the optical components are mounted inside a custom designed 3D-printed optical head which joins with the sensor housing. The sensor is capable of measuring a range of optical parameters and temperature in a single measurement cycle. Sensor analytical performance was demonstrated in the laboratory, for detection and quantification of turbidity using analytical standards and in the field by comparison with a commercially available multi- parameter probe (YSI, EXO 2). The laboratory and field trials demonstrate that the sensor is fit-for-purpose and an excellent tool for early warning monitoring by providing high frequency time-series data, operate unattended in-situ for extended periods of times and capture pollution events

A study of the SOURCE-TO-SEA occurrence of poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) of emerging concern in Ireland

Perfluorinated compounds are ubiquitous. Approximately 4,700 PFAS have been identified to date. Some examples of these products include carpets, glass, paper, clothing, and other textiles, cookware, food packaging, electronics, and personal care products. PFAS have been used in industrial and consumer products since the 1950s due to their physical and chemical properties. PFAS molecules can include oxygen, hydrogen, sulphur, and/or nitrogen atoms, whereas perfluorocarbon molecules contain only carbon and fluorine atoms. Perfluorinated compounds (PFAS) contain a fully fluorinated hydrophobic linear carbon chain attached to one or more hydrophilic head groups. The carbon-fluorine bond is so strong that these chemicals do not degrade in the environment. They are often referred to as ‘forever chemicals’. Some PFAS have been linked to an increased risk of cancer, high cholesterol, reproductive disorders, hormonal disruption or endocrine disruption, and weakening of the immune system. Currently, two PFAS are restricted under the international Stockholm Convention on POPs and the EU POPs Regulation. PFOS (perfluoroctanesulfonic acid) and its derivatives have been restricted since 2009/2010. PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid), its salts, and related compounds are also regulated as of 4th July 2020. Over the past decades, global manufacturers have started to substitute long-chain PFAS with shorter-chain PFAS or with non-fluorinated substances. This trend has been driven by the fact that the undesired effects of long-chain PFAS on human health and the environment were assessed and recognised first by scientists and authorities around the globe. However short-chain PFAS are now thought to have similar or other properties of concern such as fluorinated compounds like Gen X and ADONA. The combined effects of PFAS are not widely studied and relatively unknown. There is also little biological assessment currently done for drinking water and especially marine water. These are both research gaps, by using biological assessment one can study the cumulative and combined effect of various PFAS on marine species which is what we aim to do in this stud

A novel dynamic passive sampling approach for the marine monitoring of emerging contaminants

Anthropogenic contaminants enter the marine environment directly from land-based sources, however they can also be emitted or re-mobilised in the marine environment. The EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) is responsible for providing provisions against the pollution of marine waters by chemical substances. These contaminants are of great concern due to their known toxicological effects (i.e., endocrine disruption, immunotoxicity), with some known to accumulative in organisms and food webs. However, it is impossible to capture all contaminants that may be present in this dynamic marine environment. As a result, many of these chemicals and chemical mixtures have been characterised as ‘contaminants of emerging concern’ (CECs). Passive samplers can accumulate pollutants and concentrate sufficient amounts of pollutants from water for chemical analysis where spot sampling methods often fail. This study evaluates the use of a novel dynamic passive sampling approach for the determination of CECs in seawater

Biofouling studies on marine rated materials and coatings

Materials immersed in water experience a series of biological and chemical processes, resulting in the formation of complex layers with attached organism, known as biofouling. Biofouling In the aquatic environment shortens the life-time of immersed structures increases fuel consumption of ships and affects the functioning and data quality of water Instrumentation. All immersed instrumentation, including operational components (membranes, optical windows and electrodes), housings and mooring components are subject to biofouling and prone to irreversible damage. In marine environments biofouling has long been considered a limiting factor and is recognised as one of the main obstacles for long term in-situ monitoring. For a large percentage of deployed instrumentation, biofouling is the single biggest factor affecting the operation, maintenance, and data quality and responsible for high ownership costs to the point where it becomes prohibitively expensive to maintain operational networks and infrastructure. The selection of materials, and coatings with anti-fouling properties has become an increasingly difficult challenge but one that must be constantly reviewed and updated to advance the development of materials, composites and coatings that can be widely used in aquatic ecosystems and allow devices and structures submerged or in contact with water to last longer and reduce maintenance costs. In this scoping study, a range of materials commonly used in the construction of marine sensors and 2 anti-fouling paints were deployed for 1 year to test their robustness and anti-fouling performance in the estuarine brackish water ecosystem in Dublin. Exposed panels were assessed using eDNA (16S rRNA, 18S rRNA) and image analysis with microscope techniques, to characterise the biodiversity of both the microbiofouling (i.e., microscopic bacteria and algae) and the macrobiofouling organisms (i.e., barnacles and mussels). Results presented will discuss the biofouling progression on different materials and the role they have in the design of antifouling strategies. In addition, the work demonstrates the benefits of environmental testing in rapid screening of antifouling materials for the marine environment

Dazzle Camouflage Affects Speed Perception

Movement is the enemy of camouflage: most attempts at concealment are disrupted by motion of the target. Faced with this problem, navies in both World Wars in the twentieth century painted their warships with high contrast geometric patterns: so-called “dazzle camouflage”. Rather than attempting to hide individual units, it was claimed that this patterning would disrupt the perception of their range, heading, size, shape and speed, and hence reduce losses from, in particular, torpedo attacks by submarines. Similar arguments had been advanced earlier for biological camouflage. Whilst there are good reasons to believe that most of these perceptual distortions may have occurred, there is no evidence for the last claim: changing perceived speed. Here we show that dazzle patterns can distort speed perception, and that this effect is greatest at high speeds. The effect should obtain in predators launching ballistic attacks against rapidly moving prey, or modern, low-tech battlefields where handheld weapons are fired from short ranges against moving vehicles. In the latter case, we demonstrate that in a typical situation involving an RPG7 attack on a Land Rover the reduction in perceived speed is sufficient to make the grenade miss where it was aimed by about a metre, which could be the difference between survival or not for the occupants of the vehicle

Stem cell-derived macrophages as a new platform for studying host-pathogen interactions in livestock

BACKGROUND: Infectious diseases of farmed and wild animals pose a recurrent threat to food security and human health. The macrophage, a key component of the innate immune system, is the first line of defence against many infectious agents and plays a major role in shaping the adaptive immune response. However, this phagocyte is a target and host for many pathogens. Understanding the molecular basis of interactions between macrophages and pathogens is therefore crucial for the development of effective strategies to combat important infectious diseases. RESULTS: We explored how porcine pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) can provide a limitless in vitro supply of genetically and experimentally tractable macrophages. Porcine PSC-derived macrophages (PSCdMs) exhibited molecular and functional characteristics of ex vivo primary macrophages and were productively infected by pig pathogens, including porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) and African swine fever virus (ASFV), two of the most economically important and devastating viruses in pig farming. Moreover, porcine PSCdMs were readily amenable to genetic modification by CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing applied either in parental stem cells or directly in the macrophages by lentiviral vector transduction. CONCLUSIONS: We show that porcine PSCdMs exhibit key macrophage characteristics, including infection by a range of commercially relevant pig pathogens. In addition, genetic engineering of PSCs and PSCdMs affords new opportunities for functional analysis of macrophage biology in an important livestock species. PSCs and differentiated derivatives should therefore represent a useful and ethical experimental platform to investigate the genetic and molecular basis of host-pathogen interactions in pigs, and also have wider applications in livestock. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12915-021-01217-8