Grandiflora : Recent Paintings by Daniel Mafe

Grandiflora: Recent Paintings by Daniel Mafe The paintings of Grandiflora are improvised around a range of different flower motifs culled from medieval textiles and botanical illustrations. Each of the paintings is constructed upon a ground of flat, palely luminous yellow occasionally supplemented by additional areas of high-keyed pastel. Pink, blue, green and mauve together with the yellow, generate a shimmering and even incandescent glow. The graphic images of the flowers with the flat colour areas are then contrasted and worked over with richly sensual, abstract gestures of paint. Within the work there is a pronounced almost rococo-esque opticality as it operates between these different visual codes of flat colour, recognizable floral forms, and gesture. These codes combine to produce a definite visceral impact on the viewer, a pronounced and tactile sense of the experience and ambiguity inherent in perceiving. This ambiguity is interestingly at odds with the apparently clean and crisp quality each painting demonstrates as an integrated whole. Indeed each piece goes on to reveal, despite the use of overt figurative quotations, a sense of the purely abstract which in its turn concretely establishes the ornamental.

Personality, genre and videogame play experience

This study explored relationships between personality, videogame preference and gaming experiences. Four hundred and sixty-six participants completed an online survey in which they recalled a recent gaming experience, and provided measures of personality and their gaming experience via the Game Experience Questionnaire (GEQ). Relationships between game genre, personality and gaming experience were found. Results are interpreted with reference to possible implications for a positive impact on wellbeing of videogame play and possible means of improving the breadth of appeal of specific genres.

Engineering across cultures : new learning resources for intercultural competency in engineering

BACKGROUND The work described in this paper has emerged from an ALTC/OLT funded project, Exploring Intercultural Competency in Engineering. The project indentified many facets of culture and intercultural competence that go beyond a culture-as-nationality paradigm. It was clear from this work that resources were needed to help engineering educators introduce students to the complex issues of culture as they relate to engineering practice. A set of learning modules focussing on intercultural competence in engineering practice were developed early on in the project. Through the OLT project, these modules have been expanded into a range of resources covering various aspects of culture in engineering. Supporting the resources, an eBook detailing the ins and outs of intercultural competency has also been developed to assist engineering educators to embed opportunities for students to develop skills in unpacking and managing cross-cultural challenges in engineering practice. PURPOSE This paper describes the key principles behind the development of the learning modules, the areas they cover and the eBook developed to support the modules. The paper is intended as an introduction to the approaches and resources and extends an invitation to the community to draw from, and contribute to this initial work. DESIGN/METHOD A key aim of this project was to go beyond the culture-as-nationality approach adopted in much of the work around intercultural competency (Deardorff, 2011). The eBook explores different dimensions of culture such as workplace culture, culture’s influence on engineering design, and culture in the classroom. The authors describe how these connect to industry practice and explore what they mean for engineering education. The packaged learning modules described here have been developed as a matrix of approaches moving from familiar known methods through complicated activities relying to some extent on expert knowledge. Some modules draw on the concept of ‘complex un-order’ as described in the ‘Cynefin domains’ proposed by Kurtz and Snowden (2003). RESULTS Several of the modules included in the eBook have already been trialled at a variety of institutions. Feedback from staff has been reassuringly positive so far. Further trials are planned for second semester 2012, and version 1 of the eBook and learning modules, Engineering Across Cultures, is due to be released in late October 2012. CONCLUSIONS The Engineering Across Cultures eBook and learning modules provide a useful and ready to employ resource to help educators tackle the complex issue of intercultural competency in engineering education. The book is by no means exhaustive, and nor are the modules, they instead provide an accessible, engineering specific guide to bringing cultural issues into the engineering classroom.

Personality & video game genre preferences

This research has been conducted to ascertain whether people with certain personality types exhibit preferences for particular game genres. Four hundred and sixty-six participants completed an online survey in which they described their preference for various game genres and provided measures of personality. Personality types were measured using the five-factor model of personality. Significant relationships between personality types and game genres were found. The results are interpreted in the context of the features of particular game genres and possible matches between personality traits and these features.

Personality, motivation and video games

This study explored relationships between personality, video game preference and gaming experiences. Two hundred and thirty-five participants completed an online survey in which they recalled a recent gaming experience, and provided measures of personality and their gaming experience via the Player Experience of Need Satisfaction (PENS) measure. Relationships between game genre, personality and gaming experience were found. Results are interpreted with reference to the validity of the PENS, current models of video gaming motivations and enjoyment, and sub-groups of people that may be more vulnerable to possible negative effects of games.

Integrated genomic characterization of endometrial carcinoma

We performed an integrated genomic, transcriptomic and proteomic characterization of 373 endometrial carcinomas using array- and sequencing-based technologies. Uterine serous tumours and ∼25% of high-grade endometrioid tumours had extensive copy number alterations, few DNA methylation changes, low oestrogen receptor/progesterone receptor levels, and frequent TP53 mutations. Most endometrioid tumours had few copy number alterations or TP53 mutations, but frequent mutations in PTEN, CTNNB1, PIK3CA, ARID1A and KRAS and novel mutations in the SWI/SNF chromatin remodelling complex gene ARID5B. A subset of endometrioid tumours that we identified had a markedly increased transversion mutation frequency and newly identified hotspot mutations in POLE. Our results classified endometrial cancers into four categories: POLE ultramutated, microsatellite instability hypermutated, copy-number low, and copy-number high. Uterine serous carcinomas share genomic features with ovarian serous and basal-like breast carcinomas. We demonstrated that the genomic features of endometrial carcinomas permit a reclassification that may affect post-surgical adjuvant treatment for women with aggressive tumours.

Sex-based comparisons of myofibrillar protein synthesis after resistance exercise in the fed state

Sex-based comparisons of myofibrillar protein synthesis after resistance exercise in the fed state. J Appl Physiol 112: 1805-1813, 2012. First published March 1, 2012; doi:10.1152/japplphysiol.00170.2012.- We made sex-based comparisons of rates of myofibrillar protein synthesis (MPS) and anabolic signaling after a single bout of high-intensity resistance exercise. Eight men (20 ± 10 yr, BMI = 24.3 ± 2.4) and eight women (22 ± 1.8 yr, BMI = 23.0 ± 1.9) underwent primed constant infusions of L-[ring-13C6]phenylalanine on consecutive days with serial muscle biopsies. Biopsies were taken from the vastus lateralis at rest and 1, 3, 5, 24, 26, and 28 h after exercise. Twenty-five grams of whey protein was ingested immediately and 26 h after exercise. We also measured exercise-induced serum testosterone because it is purported to contribute to increases in myofibrillar protein synthesis (MPS) postexercise and its absence has been hypothesized to attenuate adaptative responses to resistance exercise in women. The exercise-induced area under the testosterone curve was 45-fold greater in men than women in the early (1 h) recovery period following exercise (P < 0.001). MPS was elevated similarly in men and women (2.3- and 2.7-fold, respectively) 1-5 h postexercise and after protein ingestion following 24 h recovery. Phosphorylation of mTORSer2448 was elevated to a greater extent in men than women acutely after exercise (P = 0.003), whereas increased phosphorylation of p70S6K1Thr389 was not different between sexes. Androgen receptor content was greater in men (main effect for sex, P = 0.049). Atrogin-1 mRNA abundance was decreased after 5 h recovery in both men and women (P < 0.001), and MuRF-1 expression was elevated in men after protein ingestion following 24 h recovery (P = 0.003). These results demonstrate minor sex-based differences in signaling responses and no difference in the MPS response to resistance exercise in the fed state. Interestingly, our data demonstrate that exerciseinduced increases in MPS are dissociated from postexercise testosteronemia and that stimulation of MPS occurs effectively with low systemic testosterone concentrations in women.

The edge of glory: the relationship between metacritic scores and player experience

This study sought to examine how measures of player experience used in videogame research relate to Metacritic Professional and User scores. In total, 573 participants completed an online survey, where they responded the Player Experience of Need Satisfaction (PENS) and the Game Experience Questionnaire (GEQ) in relation to their current favourite videogame. Correlations among the data indicate an overlap between the player experience constructs and the factors informing Metacritic scores. Additionally, differences emerged in the ways professionals and users appear to allocate game ratings. However, the data also provide clear evidence that Metacritic scores do not reflect the full complexity of player experience and may be misleading in some cases.

Aineellista ja aineetonta turvaa : Ruokakunnat, ekologis-taloudelliset resurssit ja kontaktinmuodostus Valkealassa 1630 1750

Material and immaterial security. Households, ecological and economic resources and formation of contacts in Valkeala parish from the 1630s to the 1750s. The geographical area of the thesis, Valkeala parish in the region of Kymenlaakso, is a very interesting area owing to its diversity, both in terms of natural setting and economic and cultural structure. The study begins by outlining the ecological and economic features of Valkeala and by analysing household structures. The main focus of the research lies in the contacts of the households with the outside world. The following types of contacts are chosen as indicators of the interaction: trade and credit relations, guarantees, co-operation, marriages and godparentage. The main theme of the contact analysis is to observe the significance of three factors, namely geographical extent, affluence level and kinship, to the formation of contacts. It is also essential to chart the interdependencies between ecological and economic resources, changes in the structure of households and the formation of contacts during the period studied. The time between the 1630s and the 1750s was characterized by wars, crop losses and population changes, which had an effect on the economic framework and on the structural variation of households and contact fields. In the 17th and 18th centuries Valkeala could be divided, economically, into two sections according to the predominant cultivation technique. The western area formed the field area and the eastern and northern villages the swidden area. Multiple family households were dominant in the latter part of the 17th century, and for most of the study period, the majority of people lived in the more complex households rather than in simple families. Economic resources had only a moderate impact on the structure of contacts. There was a clear connection between bigger household size and the extent and intensity of contacts. The jurisdictional boundary that ran across Valkeala from the northwest to the southeast and divided the parish into two areas influenced the formation of contacts more than the parish boundaries. Support and security were offered largely by the primary contacts with one s immediate family, neighbours and friends. Economic support was channelled from the wealthier to the less well off by credits. Cross-marriages, cross-godparentage and marital networks could be seen as manifestations of an aim towards stability and the joining of resources. It was essential for households both to secure the workforce needed for a minimum level of subsistence and to ensure the continuation of the family line. These goals could best be reached by complex households that could adapt to the prevailing circumstances and also had wider and more multi-layered contacts offering material and immaterial security.

Tuuleen piirrän nimeni : Daniel Urwindin fragmentaarinen omaelämäkerta Bo Carpelanin romaanissa Alkutuuli

Tutkielma käsittelee Bo Carpelanin romaania Alkutuuli (Urwind 1993) päähenkilö Daniel Urwindin fragmentaarisesti kerrottuna elämäntarinana. Kyse on kahdella aikatasolla etenevästä fiktiivisestä omaelämäkerrasta, joka perustuu viikottaisiin päiväkirjamerkintöihin. Daniel hahmottaa identiteettiään tilaan kytkeytyneiden muistojen sekä oman nimensä avulla leikaten samalla kerronnan jatkuvuuden. Tutkimusongelmana on hahmottaa Danielin kerronnan tavat, kirjoittamisen syyt sekä prosessiin lopputulos. Menneisyyteen kohdistuvan minä-kerronnan analyysi perustuu Dorrit Cohnin Transparent minds -teoksen käsitteistöön. Alkutuulessa esiintyy muistikerronnan ja muistimonologin epäsäännöllistä vuorottelua. Niiden osana on edesmenneiden läheisten upotettuja monologeja, joiden takaa kuultaa Danielin ääni: monologit ovat Danielin kuvittelemia tai referoimia puheita ja ajatuksia, joiden esittäjä on hänen yksinäisen keskustelunsa toinen osapuoli. Omaelämäkertaa käsittelevinä teoreettisina lähteinä ovat ensisijaisesti Päivi Kososen artikkelit sekä hänen tutkimuksensa Elämät sanoissa. Tutkielman tulkinnan kannalta keskeisessä asemassa ovat Bo Carpelanin essee- ja kaunokirjallinen tuotanto. Kirjoittamisen lähtökohtana on päähenkilön identiteettiä horjuttava elämänvaihe. Vaimo Marian lähdettyä vuodeksi Amerikkaan Daniel pyrkii löytämään oman kielensä ja luomaan muistojensa avulla eheämmän kuvan itsestään. Prosessiin kytkeytyy keskeisesti tila - Danielin kulkiessa talossaan, joka on hänen lapsuudenkotinsa, aistitodellisuus toimii mieleenpalauttajana: äänet ja tuoksut johdattavat hänet elämään menneisyyden muistoja uudelleen nykyhetkessä. Samalla talo ja huoneet personifioituvat ja minuus alkaa rakentua tilan kaltaiseksi. Uusien ovien ja huoneiden löytyminen symboloi Danielin muistojen selkeytymistä ja itseymmärryksen syvenemistä. Kirjoittamisen voi tulkita olevan psykoanalyyttinen prosessi, jossa omaelämäkerran minä keskustelee menneisyyden minänsä kanssa. Puhuja odottaa vastausta toiselta, vaikka vastaus löytyy paradoksaalisesti itsestä. Omaelämäkerran moniäänisyyttä korostavat edesmenneiden läheisten läsnäolo, Danielin eri ikävaiheiden identiteetit ja kaksoisolentojen hahmoissa esiintyvät minuudet. Kirjoittamisen avulla Daniel pyrkii pääsemään etäämmälle itsestään ja saavuttamaan minättömyyden tilan, jota käsitellään John Keatsilta peräisin olevan käsitteen "negatiivinen kyky" avulla. Alkutuuli on taiteilijaromaani, jossa taiteilijuutta edustavat siivet ja lentäminen kytkeytyvät mielikuvitukseen ja uusiutumiseen. Danielin tie taiteilijuutta edeltävään minättömyyteen on kuitenkin vaikea ja monet merkit viittaavat diletantin kohtaloon. Unenomaisen logiikan omaavan, fragmentaarisen kerronnan takaa on hahmotettavissa myös lainalaisuuksia. Muiden henkilöiden lyhyet elämäkerrat ovat heidän haavansa paljastavia episodeja, jotka muuttuvat osaksi Danielin elämäntarinaa. Danielin kirjallinen omakuva on montaasi, jossa eri tasossa olevat elementit, nykyhetki ja menneisyys, mielikuvitus, unet ja upotetut monologit rinnastuvat samaan tasoon. Daniel peilaa elettyä ja koettua koomisen peilirakenteen avulla, jossa hänen elämäänsä osallisena olleet menneisyyden henkilöt kulkevat narrikulkueen mukana. Toive eheästä minäkuvasta osoittautuu kuitenkin mahdottomaksi merkityssulkeuman todenvastaisuuden vuoksi. Urwind-nimen pohdinnasta liikkeelle lähtenyt omaelämäkerta päättyy syklistä liikettä mukaillen tilanteeseen, jossa päähenkilö hyväksyy elämän käsittämättömyyden ja luottaa omassa nimessään piilevään voimaan, tuuleen, viitaten samalla myös romaanin nimeen. Avainsanat: Bo Carpelan - muistot - tila - fragmentaarisuus - fiktiivinen omaelämäkerta

Tombstone of Meta Levy nee Daniel; Strangriede Cemetery; Hannover Cemeteries Tombs

Digital Image

Tombstone of Meta Levy nee Daniel; Strangriede Cemetery; Hannover Cemeteries Tombs

Digital Image

Tombstone of Meta Levy nee Daniel; Strangriede Cemetery; Hannover Cemeteries Tombs

Digital Image

Tombstone of Meta Levy nee Daniel; Strangriede Cemetery; Hannover Cemeteries Tombs

Digital Image