REMA: A computer-based mapping tool for analysis of restriction sites in multiple DNA sequences

REMA is an interactive web-based program which predicts endonuclease cut sites in DNA sequences. It analyses Multiple sequences simultaneously and predicts the number and size of fragments as well as provides restriction maps. The users can select single or paired combinations of all commercially available enzymes. Additionally, REMA permits prediction of multiple sequence terminal fragment sizes and suggests suitable restriction enzymes for maximally discriminatory results. REMA is an easy to use, web based program which will have a wide application in molecular biology research. Availability: REMA is written in Perl and is freely available for non-commercial use. Detailed information on installation can be obtained from Jan Szubert (jan.szubert@gmail.com) and the web based application is accessible on the internet at the URL http://www.macaulay.ac.uk/rema. Contact: b.singh@macaulay.ac.uk. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Correlation analysis as a tool to investigate the bioaccessibility of nickel, vanadium and zinc in Northern Ireland soils

Correlation analyses were conducted on nickel (Ni), vanadium (V) and zinc (Zn) oral bioaccessible fractions (BAFs) and selected geochemistry parameters to identify specific controls exerted over trace element bioaccessibility. BAFs were determined by previous research using the unified BARGE method. Total trace element concentrations and soil geochemical parameters were analysed as part of the Geological Survey of Northern Ireland Tellus Project. Correlation analysis included Ni, V and Zn BAFs against their total concentrations, pH, estimated soil organic carbon (SOC) and a further eight element oxides. BAF data were divided into three separate generic bedrock classifications of basalt, lithic arenite and mudstone prior to analysis, resulting in an increase in average correlation coefficients between BAFs and geochemical parameters. Sulphur trioxide and SOC, spatially correlated with upland peat soils, exhibited significant positive correlations with all BAFs in gastric and gastro-intestinal digestion phases, with such effects being strongest in the lithic arenite bedrock group. Significant negative relationships with bioaccessible Ni, V and Zn and their associated total concentrations were observed for the basalt group. Major element oxides were associated with reduced oral trace element bioaccessibility, with Al2O3 resulting in the highest number of significant negative correlations followed by Fe2O3. spatial mapping showed that metal oxides were present at reduced levels in peat soils. The findings illustrate how specific geology and soil geochemistry exert controls over trace element bioaccessibility, with soil chemical factors having a stronger influence on BAF results than relative geogenic abundance. In general, higher Ni, V and Zn bioaccessibility is expected in peat soil types.

Collaborative practice:a strategy to improve the relevance of health services research.

Health services research has emerged as a tool for decision makers to make services more effective and efficient. While its value as a basis for decision making is well established, the incorporation of such evidence into decision making remains inconsistent. To this end, strengthening collaborative relationships between researchers and healthcare decision makers has been identified as a significant strategy for putting research evidence into practice.

Video Activism and the Ambiguities of Counter-Surveillance

This paper examines the use of visual technologies by political activists in protest situations to monitor police conduct. Using interview data with Australian video activists, this paper seeks to understand the motivations, techniques and outcomes of video activism, and its relationship to counter-surveillance and police accountability. Our data also indicated that there have been significant transformations in the organization and deployment of counter-surveillance methods since 2000, when there were large-scale protests against the World Economic Forum meeting in Melbourne accompanied by a coordinated campaign that sought to document police misconduct. The paper identifies and examines two inter-related aspects of this: the act of filming and the process of dissemination of this footage. It is noted that technological changes over the last decade have led to a proliferation of visual recording technologies, particularly mobile phone cameras, which have stimulated a corresponding proliferation of images. Analogous innovations in internet communications have stimulated a coterminous proliferation of potential outlets for images Video footage provides activists with a valuable tool for safety and publicity. Nevertheless, we argue, video activism can have unintended consequences, including exposure to legal risks and the amplification of official surveillance. Activists are also often unable to control the political effects of their footage or the purposes to which it is used. We conclude by assessing the impact that transformations in both protest organization and media technologies might have for counter-surveillance techniques based on visual surveillance.

Promoting multicultural education in the primary classroom:Broadband videoconferencing facilities and digital video

The aim of this study was to explore the impact of interaction (through gathering local field data and engaging in remote reciprocal presentations) on aspects of multicultural awareness. Sixty-six 11-12-year-old Scottish primary school pupils collected data in the field from their local community through questionnaires, interviews, direct observation, digital images and video. From this they distilled a multimedia presentation, delivered by videoconference to a partner school in the USA, who reciprocated. There was some evidence of pre-post project gains in the complexity of the children's perceptions of their community environment, the ethnicity of their community, their own ethnicity, and news images. The children's use of language to define ethnicity also became more complex and their attitudes toward ethnic minorities became more inclusive. The implications for practice, policy and future research were explored. © 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A bridge-monitoring tool based on bridge and vehicle accelerations

Previous research on damage detection based on the response of a structure to a moving load has reported decay in accuracy with increasing load speed. Using a 3D vehicle – bridge interaction model, this paper shows that the area under the filtered acceleration response of the bridge increases with increasing damage, even at highway load speeds. Once a datum reading is established, the area under subsequent readings can be monitored and compared with the baseline reading, if an increase is observed it may indicate the presence of damage. The sensitivity of the proposed approach to road roughness and noise is tested in several damage scenarios. The possibility of identifying damage in the bridge by analysing the acceleration response of the vehicle traversing it is also investigated. While vehicle acceleration is shown to be more sensitive to road roughness and noise and therefore less reliable than direct bridge measurements, damage is successfully identified in favourable scenarios.

Comparative study of tool life and hole quality in drilling of CFRP/titanium stack using coated carbide drill

The use of hybrid materials including carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRPs) and lightweight metals such as titanium are increasing particularly in aerospace applications. Multi-material stacks require a number of holes for the assembly purposes. In this research, drilling trials have been carried out in CFRP, Ti-6Al-4V and CFRP/Ti-6Al-4V stack workpieces using AlTiN coated tungsten carbide drill bit. The effects of process parameters have been investigated. The thrust force, torque, burr formation, delamination, surface roughness and tool wear have been analyzed at various processing condition. The experimental results have shown that the thrust force, torque, burr formation and the average surface roughness increase with the increased feed rate and decrease with the increased cutting speed in drilling of Ti-6Al-4V. In drilling CFRP, delamination and the average surface roughness has similar tendency with the cutting parameters however thrust force and torque rises with the increased cutting speed. The results showed that after making 15 holes in CFRP/Ti-6Al-4V stack, measured thrust forces were increased by 20% in CFRP and by 45% in Ti-6Al-4V. Delamination was found to be much smaller in drilling of CFRP in stack from compared to drilling single CFRP. Tool life was significantly shortened in drilling of stack due to the combination of the wear mechanisms.

Using Digital Photography and Video in Participant Observation of Contentious Events

In this article, we discuss our experiences of using photography and video while observing contentious parades and protests in Belfast. We show how our use of these methods drew us into a series of unplanned for non-verbal interactions with other event participants who were also freely and abundantly using photographic and filming equipment to capture their own images. This interactive use of photography and video affected us emotionally and influenced what we noticed and what we omitted in our observations. In particular, it forced us to reflect upon and question our role as researchers in the events we observed and in the changing balance of power between researchers and researched.

Image, Video and 3D Data Registration: Medical, Satellite and Video Processing Applications with Quality Metrics

Data registration refers to a series of techniques for matching or bringing similar objects or datasets together into alignment. These techniques enjoy widespread use in a diverse variety of applications, such as video coding, tracking, object and face detection and recognition, surveillance and satellite imaging, medical image analysis and structure from motion. Registration methods are as numerous as their manifold uses, from pixel level and block or feature based methods to Fourier domain methods.

This book is focused on providing algorithms and image and video techniques for registration and quality performance metrics. The authors provide various assessment metrics for measuring registration quality alongside analyses of registration techniques, introducing and explaining both familiar and state-of-the-art registration methodologies used in a variety of targeted applications.

Key features:
- Provides a state-of-the-art review of image and video registration techniques, allowing readers to develop an understanding of how well the techniques perform by using specific quality assessment criteria
- Addresses a range of applications from familiar image and video processing domains to satellite and medical imaging among others, enabling readers to discover novel methodologies with utility in their own research
- Discusses quality evaluation metrics for each application domain with an interdisciplinary approach from different research perspectives

Up close and personal: A qualitative study exploring the lived experience of older carers. Mental Health and Learning Disabilities Research. 8 (1). Pp.15-29.

This study explored the experiences of informal carers who were aged 65 years and over. It has been estimated that 15 per cent of those aged 65 or over provide some form of informal care in England. Despite a growing literature on the involvement of older people in research, there is a paucity of literature on the involvement of older carers. In this study, older carers were identified via a General Practice (GP) register in one urban medical practice. Data was collected through a series of focus groups, which were transcribed and analysed using
thematic analysis. Every carer aged 55 or over and registered with the medical practice was invited to take part in the study. Four female carers and one male carer took part in the study (age range 65-83). Themes that emerged during data analysis included, 1) managing things in an emergency, 2) feeling valued because they took part in the research and 3) the day-to-day reality of living with social exclusion. GP registers provide a valuable tool for identifying older
carers who may otherwise be difficult to engage in research. However, persuading GPs to engage with qualitative research may be a challenge.

IRIDE:Interdisciplinary research infrastructure based on dual electron linacs and lasers

This paper describes the scientific aims and potentials as well as the preliminary technical design of IRIDE, an innovative tool for multi-disciplinary investigations in a wide field of scientific, technological and industrial applications. IRIDE will be a high intensity "particles factory", based on a combination of high duty cycle radio-frequency superconducting electron linacs and of high energy lasers. Conceived to provide unique research possibilities for particle physics, for condensed matter physics, chemistry and material science, for structural biology and industrial applications, IRIDE will open completely new research possibilities and advance our knowledge in many branches of science and technology. IRIDE is also supposed to be realized in subsequent stages of development depending on the assigned priorities. © 2013 Elsevier B.V.

Video clip: Understanding ‘Wellbeing’ in the Lives of Adolescents with Disabilities

This short (2 minute) digital media clip was designed in consultation with an advisory group of young people with disabilities, as a means of providing information about a research project to potential participants. This format was used to overcome barriers whereby written information may not have been appropriate to the young person’s needs. It also allowed the researchers to introduce themselves to the young people and become familiar to them before face-to-face meeting.