Contrastive and Degenerative Transitivity as Thematic Reinforcement in Selected J. P. Clark Poetry

This article examines the stylistic implications of transitivity in selected poems by J.P. Clark, a foremost Nigerian poet. Transitivity is engaged from the perspective of Halliday’s ideational meta-function of language use, with attention paid to the participants and the processes. Twelve randomly selected poems from Clark’s (2010) Full Tide are analyzed. It is observed that, in some of these poems, there is deliberate foregrounding of the sequence or location of lexical forms, especially those pertaining to participants and processes. This foregrounding is established in what manifests as a negative shift in lexico-semantic forms that suggests degenerative essence. The placement of words as well as the sequence of these words evokes a secondary reading beyond what the text ordinarily expresses.

Carbon and nitrogen isotope evidence for widespread presence of anoxic intermediate waters before and during the Permian-Triassic mass extinction

The largest mass extinction since the advent of animals occurred during the Permian-Triassic (P-Tr) transition, ca. 252 Ma, and is commonly attributed to the eruption of the Siberian Traps large igneous province. However, the direct killing mechanism is still debated. In this study, we investigated marine redox conditions of the intermediate water column that most organisms inhabit with special attention to the time interval before the onset of the mass extinction. The carbon isotope composition of carbonate and organic carbon (δ13Ccarb and δ13Corg) as well as the nitrogen isotope composition of bulk nitrogen (δ15N) were analyzed in four P-Tr boundary sequences (Zhongli, Jianshi, Ganxi, and Chaotian sections), which record a transect from a shallow water carbonate platform to a deep water, lower ramp slope in South China. δ13Ccarb shows a distinct negative shift in all sections and displays a clear, 2−4‰, decreasing gradient accompanying an increase in water depth both before and after the mass extinction. A distinct negative shift in δ15N is observed in the shallow water Zhongli section, whereas a minor negative shift is present in the three deeper water sections. Before the mass extinction, the δ15N values from shallow water sections are higher than those from deeper waters. The low δ15N values close to 0‰ in deeper water sections suggest that microbial nitrogen fixation was the predominant source of biologically available nitrogen before the onset of the mass extinction. Thus, the water depth- dependent gradient in δ13Ccarb and δ15N suggests that an oxygen-deficient intermediate water column was already present before the mass extinction. The uniform δ15N values around 0‰ accompanying the onset of the mass extinction reveal that anoxic intermediate waters expanded into shallow waters. Meanwhile, the distinct positive shift in δ13Corg observed in upper ramp slope sections, i.e., the Jianshi and Ganxi sections, suggests that a euxinic photic zone was at least episodically present in the earliest Triassic. The temporal coincidence between the expansion of intermediate water column anoxia and the onset of the P-Tr mass extinction supports the hypothesis that marine anoxia was a direct killing mechanism.

Comparison of Different Synthetic Routes of Hybrid Hematite-TiO2 Nanotubes-Based Electrodes

Nowadays, green hydrogen is an important niche of interest in which the search for a suitable composite material is indispensable. In this sense, titanium oxide nanotubes (TiO2 nanotube, TNTs) were prepared from double anodic oxidation of Ti foil in ethylene glycol electrolyte. The morphology of the nanotubes was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Once characterized, nanotubes were used as templates for the deposition of hematite. The use of three synthetic procedures was assayed: Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD), Successive Ionic Layer Adsorption and Reaction (SILAR), and electrochemical synthesis. In the first case, CVD, the deposition of hematite onto TiO2 yielded an uncovered substrate with the oxide and a negative shift of the flat band potential. On the other hand, the SILAR method yielded a considerable amount of hematite on the surface of nanotubes, leading to an obstruction of the tubes in most cases. Finally, with the electrochemical synthesis, the composite material obtained showed great control of the deposition, including the inner surface of the TNT. In addition, the impedance characterization showed a negative shift, indicating the changes of the interface electrode–electrolyte due to the modification with hematite. Finally, the screening of the methods showed the electrochemical synthesis as the best protocol for the desired material.

Developing a successful marketing plan: making a real difference in a care home setting

One of the impacts of COVID-19 has been a negative shift in public opinion towards residential and care home settings. Adrian Ashurst discusses the importance of implementing an excellent marketing plan during these difficult times.

Modulation of Recombinant Human T-type calcium Channels by Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinolic acid in vitro

IntroductionLow voltage-activated T-type calcium channels (T-type ICa), CaV3.1, CaV3.2, and CaV3.3 are opened by small depolarizations from the resting membrane potential in many cells and have been associated with neurological disorders including absence epilepsy and pain. Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) is the principal psychoactive compound in Cannabis and also directly modulates T-type ICa, however, there is no information about functional activity of most phytocannabinoids on T-type calcium channels, including Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol acid (THCA), the natural non-psychoactive precursor of THC. The aim of this work was to characterize THCA effects on T-type calcium channels.Materials and MethodsWe used HEK293 Flp-In-TREx cells stably expressing CaV3.1, 3.2 or 3.3. Whole-cell patch clamp recordings were made to investigate cannabinoid modulation of ICa.ResultsTHCA and THC inhibited the peak current amplitude CaV3.1 with a pEC50s of 6.0 ± 0.7 and 5.6 ± 0.4, respectively. 1μM THCA or THC produced a significant negative shift in half activation and inactivation of CaV3.1 and both drugs prolonged CaV3.1 deactivation kinetics. THCA (10 μM) inhibited CaV3.2 by 53% ± 4 and both THCA and THC produced a substantial negative shift in the voltage for half inactivation and modest negative shift in half activation of CaV3.2. THC prolonged the deactivation time of CaV3.2 while THCA did not. THCA inhibited the peak current of CaV3.3 by 43% ± 2 (10μM) but did not notably affect CaV3.3 channel activation or inactivation, however, THC caused significant hyperpolarizing shift in CaV3.3 steady state inactivation.DiscussionTHCA modulated T-type ICa currents in vitro, with significant modulation of kinetics and voltage dependence at low μM concentrations. This study suggests that THCA may have potential for therapeutic use in pain and epilepsy via T-type channel modulation without the unwanted psychoactive effects associated with THC.

Invention disclosures and the slowdown of scientific knowledge

Invention disclosures are one measure of new scientific knowledge that represents and predicts the future scientific research output of a US federal laboratory. In this article, we document a negative shift in the production function for new scientific knowledge as measured by invention disclosures at one federal laboratory, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, over the first 16 years of the new millennium. We find a negative shift of the production function for new scientific knowledge, and that shift might reflect the coincidence of the information and communication technology revolution that enabled fast science, and the evaluation of research with uncritical use of citation counts that created incentives to focus on incremental research in crowded research topics.

The use of wound dressings as a means to alter the composition of biofilms in a chronic wound model

It is estimated that £5 billion are invested yearly into chronic wound management by the NHS. Whilst the demand for treatment rises every year, it has become harder to treat wounds given the burden of antimicrobial resistance. Chronic wounds can easily become harbouring grounds for polymicrobial biofilms in which species interact in specific ways. This study assessed the interactions between two commonly co-isolated chronic wound pathogens: Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 9027) and Staphylococcus aureus (EMRSA 15), whose biofilm relation initiates a Gram-negative shift. During this phenomenon, P. aeruginosa takes over the majority of the bacterial community, at the detriment of S. aureus. The Gram-negative shift marks the turning point from an acute to a chronic wound. The pH of a chronic wound is typically alkaline, and it was hypothesised that topical dressings with an acidic pH could disrupt the onset of the Gram negative shift, and therefore chronicity. Six different topical dressings with low pH were used in achronic wound model to assess their ability to reverse or delay the Gram-negative shift. It was found that they did not have an impact on the onset of the Gram-negative shift, despite their low pH values. However, the lower the pH of the dressings, the more frequently small colony variant (SCV) bacteria were observed in the biofilm. SCVs are known for causing persistent or chronic infections. It was therefore concluded that low pH dressings alone may not be favourable for managing chronic wound infection.