Development of a rapid diagnostic test for the detection of antibodies or antigens to Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Theglobal health crisis caused by COVID-19 has overwhelmed both healthcaresettings and economies globally. Whilst mass population testing has improveddrastically, recent reviews of existing methods have highlighted variousshortcomings with these methods. Theaim of this project was to investigate whether the LAA could be modified andutilised as rapid detection test which either matched or exceeded the existingsensitivity and specificity values.   TheLAA investigated whether the COVID-19 spike protein could be detected insamples. COVID-19 specific IgM and IgG were used in conjunction with a seriesof non-specific antigens. Control or AG containing samples weremixed with AB-microsphere complexes on glass microscope slides. Manualvisualisation identified various levels of agglutination. Light microscopy andspectrophotometry at 405nm determined that the LAA could detect at least 2.3ngof spike protein.  Theparticle counting tool of ImageJ was utilised to obtain a dataset which wassubjected to statistical analysis which indicated that there was a significantdifference between control samples and live tests, P = 0.000102 for the spikeprotein assay and P = 0.254 for the non-specific assay respectively. Theresults obtained fell in line with a similar study conducted by Buffin et al in2018. Theanalytical methods used in this project twinned with data obtained in previousstudies supports the significant difference between control values and livetest values. The LAA is easier, quicker to use (results in ≤ 30 minutes) andcheaper, with potentially better sensitivity to existing methods. This couldbenefit high and low-income countries alike upon further research andoptimisation. 

An Exploration of Attitudes Towards Spiritual Care for Recovery from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Spiritual-based care has been increasingly explored and investigated for its effectiveness for assisting mental illness, such as PTSD in the United States of America (Harris et al., 2018). Although research studies have attempted to explore attitudes towards spiritual care and the effectiveness of spiritual-based care for PTSD, few have explored attitudes regarding spiritual care for recovery from PTSD, especially from undergraduate allied health students. This paper explores the attitudes towards spiritual care for recovery from post-traumatic stress disorder, from undergraduate allied health students. The study adopted an interpretivist approach that deployed qualitative methods. The data collection method used for the study were semi-structured interviews. In total, four participants participated in the interviews. A thematic analysis was utilised to examine the datasets from the interviews.The research revealed that majority of participants had negative opinions regarding traditional medical treatment for PTSD and mental illness recovery. This led to the identification of barriers, such as stigma and cultural barriers, for seeking treatment for mental illness. Participants had positive opinions regarding spiritual care for assisting PTSD recovery, with recommendations that religious and spiritual needs must be assessed before the allocation of spiritual-based care to prevent conflict with patient’s religious or cultural beliefs.  

Danger, Dirt & Degenerates: The Rebellious Act of Creativity

Creativity: a word often associated with fun, colour and play, a sentiment reflected in companies attempting to recreate it for profit. Exhibitions like the Wondr Experience litter their spaces with similar childlike aesthetics, with the superficial goal of fostering creativity, but resulting in the true aim of an endless stream of identical Instagram posts and more ticket sales. This paper reveals a darker and more authentic side to creativity, proposing that discomfort is an essential ingredient. Juxtaposing the cute spaces for 'plandids' and the bean bags and beer fridges of office spaces jumping on the hype, the study reveals that to engage in creative thought you have to be in a state of apprehension. Graphic designers often follow the security of grids designed by the likes of Josef Müller-Brockman, however the piece suggests that this kind of work is within the realms of comfort. This tendency for playing it safe is possibly because of the consumerist society we live in – not many designers can afford to take risks because failure means no paycheck. In this way, the paper ends with the suggestion that due to the culture we are in, creativity is observed as an act of rebellion.

Sylvia Plath and the Containment of Women's Domestic Identity

Within the unstable sphere of 1950s Cold War political tensions, American women became the 'bastion of safety in an insecure world' (Tyler May 2008: p.9). For politicians such as Richard Nixon, women's loyalty to the home served as a commitment to America, negotiating a settlement which secured women within the confinements of domestic duties. This ideal, advertised through compelling magazine articles, manipulatively enabled a universal identity for women based within the home. Pages packed with the latest consumer products and laced with 'smooth artificiality... cool glamour, and the apple-pie happy domesticity' (Bronfen 2004: p.115) birthed a rich propaganda for domestic containment. Examining the political climate of Cold War America through the lens of domestic containment, this article argues that American poet Sylvia Plath tackled the illusions of consumerism to fuel her writing, challenging outright gender inequality which defined the nation.Using Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique alongside genuine articles from the era, this article assesses the ideological conflict of the 1950s domesticated woman against Plath's personal battle between writing and domestic life. Through her raw depictions of realism in literature and intense poetry, it becomes impossible to 'contain' Plath, not only within the domestic sphere, but in her own writing.

Portrayals of gender and identity in the soundtrack of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (CD Projekt Red, 2019) is an award-winning role-playing video game (RPG); the third instalment of The Witcher game series inspired by Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski’s fantasy novels. Centring upon the protagonist Geralt of Rivia, The Witcher 3 has been praised for developing a complex, authentic, and immersive game environment that combines magic and fantasy elements within a broadly medieval setting. A central aspect of the game’s success is its soundtrack – the fusion of music, sound, and voice – which further contributes to building the game’s overall narrative and the complex construction of its central characters. This paper explores how The Witcher 3’s soundtrack constructs identity, focusing in particular on its use of neo-medievalist signifiers and its contrasting representations of masculinity and femininity. Neo-medievalist sounds are a central concept in building the game’s identity; these sounds draw on folkloristic elements surrounding the choice of instrumentation and the recurrence of folk music throughout the game’s narrative, thus increasing the player’s immersion within The Witcher 3’s world. Regarding gender, female vocalisations are used within the soundtrack to add depth and emotion to male characters – particularly Geralt of Rivia, who due to his mutations lacks in conventional emotional capabilities. Despite the inclusion and emphasis of female voices on the soundtrack, the placement of women in influential roles is limited through other musical scoring techniques, which effectively reduces the agency of these characters, thus suggesting an imbalanced treatment towards gender. Through exploring these aspects, I argue that the soundtrack is a crucial part of how gender and identity are constructed throughout The Witcher 3, further exploring how these elements affect the player’s overall in-game immersion.

The Golden Hoof The regeneration of regional wools

Louisa Knapp