Poly-γ-glutamic acid (γ-PGA) is a carboxylic-acid-rich, bio-derived, water-soluble, edible, hydrating, non-immunogenic polymer produced naturally by several microorganisms. Here, we re-emphasise the ability of Bacillus subtilis natto to naturally produce γ-PGA on whole seaweed, as well as for the yields and chemical properties of the material to be affected by the presence of Mn(2+). Hyaluronic acid (HA) is an extracellular glycosaminoglycan which presents a high concentration of carboxylic acid and hydroxyl groups, being key in fulfilling numerous applications. Currently, there are strong environmental (solvent use), social (non-vegan extraction), and economic factors pushing for the biosynthesis of this material through prokaryotic microorganisms, which is not yet scalable or sustainable. Our study aimed to investigate an innovative raw material which can combine both superior hygroscopicity and UV protection to the cosmetic industry. Comparable hydration effect of commercially available γ-PGA to conventional moisturising agents (HA and glycerol) was observed; however, greater hydration capacity was observed from seaweed-derived γ-PGA. Herewith, successful incorporation of seaweed-derived γ-PGA (0.2–2 w/v%) was achieved for several model cream systems with absorbances reported at 300 and 400 nm. All γ-PGA-based creams displayed shear thinning behaviour as the viscosity decreased, following increasing shear rates. Although the use of commercial γ-PGA within creams did not suggest a significant effect in rheological behaviour, this was confirmed to be a result of the similar molecular weight. Seaweed-derived γ-PGA cream systems did not display any negative effect on model HaCaT keratinocytes by means of in vitro MTT analysis.

Some media and political science narratives suggest post-Brexit Britain is locked in a culture war epitomised by the differences thought to divide Leavers and Remainers in terms of their national values, classed and racialised identities. This article sets out to provide a more complex depiction of reality. To do this, we draw on in-depth interviews with individuals across Leave, Remain, national, migrant, racial, ethnic and class identities to trace how they articulate ideas of Empire and nationhood when they discuss Brexit and the legitimacy of statues linked to British histories of colonialism and enslavement. We explore the contrasts and complexities in the ways in which individuals supporting Leave or Remain mobilise what we call their ‘Brexit biographies’ when they think about questions of Brexit, Empire and nationhood. On the one hand, our Remain interlocutors articulate more politically progressive racialised and classed articulations of Brexit, Empire and nationhood compared to some Leave supporters. However, on the other hand, when we switch context to examine the legitimacy of statues commemorating histories of colonialism and enslavement with some of the same individuals this distinction in the values of Leave and Remain supporters begins to break down. Our contention is that detailed sociological attention to the connections uniting Leavers’ and Remainers’ reflexive worldviews is required to properly comprehend how individuals experience, as well as reproduce and dislodge, racial, class and national inequalities that underpin the fabric of British society.

Abstract Purpose: The study aims to review existing research on eye-tracking in hospitality and tourism, emphasizing its rapid development as an innovative and objective technique for exploring visual perception and attention. By examining tourists' visual paths, interests, and responses to visual stimuli, this review seeks to identify visual patterns that can enhance tourism marketing and landscape design. Design/methodology/approach: This study combines bibliometric methods with a systematic review to examine eye-tracking research in hospitality and tourism. Taking a wider perspective, it aims to identify research clusters and current topics in both theory and technology, offering a thorough understanding of the current state of eye-tracking research within hospitality and tourism Findings: The comprehensive review of eye-tracking research in tourism identifies three critical areas of focus: tourism advertisements, the perception of tourism landscapes, and visual attention. Through keyword occurrence and co-citation analysis, these topics emerge as pivotal within the current body of research. The review offers in-depth insights into these themes, emphasizing their significance in advancing the field of eye-tracking studies within the context of tourism. Practical Implications: By understanding tourists' visual attention and perception patterns, marketing strategies and visual displays can be optimized to enhance tourist engagement and satisfaction. Additionally, insights from eye-tracking studies can aid in designing more effective tourism advertisements and improving the overall visual appeal of tourism landscapes, thereby potentially increasing tourist visits and economic benefits for destinations. Originality/value: This review offers valuable insights and guidance for future tourism eyetracking studies, addressing both theoretical frameworks and practical applications. It enhances understanding of current research trends and provides a foundation for innovative approaches in tourism marketing and landscape design.

Background Explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) emerged to improve the transparency of machine learning models and increase understanding of how models make actions and decisions. It helps to present complex models in a more digestible form from a human perspective. However, XAI is still in the development stage and must be used carefully in sensitive domains including paediatrics, where misuse might have adverse consequences. Objective This commentary paper discusses concerns and challenges related to implementation and interpretation of XAI methods, with the aim of rising awareness of the main concerns regarding their adoption in paediatrics. Methods A comprehensive literature review was undertaken to explore the challenges of adopting XAI in paediatrics. Results Although XAI has several favourable outcomes, its implementation in paediatrics is prone to challenges including generalizability, trustworthiness, causality and intervention, and XAI evaluation. Conclusion Paediatrics is a very sensitive domain where consequences of misinterpreting AI outcomes might be very significant. XAI should be adopted carefully with focus on evaluating the outcomes primarily by including paediatricians in the loop, enriching the pipeline by injecting domain knowledge promoting a cross-fertilization perspective aiming at filling the gaps still preventing its adoption.

This thesis investigates the use and implications of a modular approach to studio casting processes, focussing primarily on kiln cast glass. In their traditional conception, modular systems developed to improve efficiency – allowing limited parts to be combined and recombined in different ways to introduce a degree of variety. However, such systems require standardisation and a shared mechanism for bringing modular parts together. Both aspects work to limit the results which are possible using a modular system. They can thus be characterised as more suited to repetitive industrial production than the creation of artistic sculpture. Instead, this thesis argues that in the hands of studio casters, modular systems can move beyond their roots in reproduction and the carbon copy. Despite the inherently algorithmic nature of the modular, the research reveals that it is possible to break from the seriality which would normally be expected – especially when working with geometric units. Instead, when coupled with the iterative material processes of casting, a simple modular system can evolve into a complex visual language. Repetitive geometry becomes capable of producing representational, figurative and even narrative sculpture. This is evidenced by the body of sculptural work created during the research. The thesis also reveals that modular systems can offer a different form of efficiency within a studio environment. It shows that the development of a modular system for casting is initially demanding, requiring multiple models and moulds to create the repeating copies of the desired modular parts. Yet once complete, these ancillary models and moulds – the tools of the casting process – can be used beyond their first intended purpose. In contrast with industrial use, in the artist’s studio they are not bound to a specific process or use. This means that models and moulds can be used at different stages of the casting process to cast different materials. As they share surfaces and geometries with the modular parts they create, they are also primed for modular combination – becoming modules in their own right. Far from being restrictive, within a studio setting the system becomes positively generative: incidental groupings of models, moulds and casts suggestions new forms, combination and possibilities.

Introduction: Birmingham has a significantly higher type-II diabetes prevalence than the national average. This study aimed to investigate the association of socioeconomic deprivation and ethnicity on the risk of diabetes in Birmingham. Methods: Data were included from 108,514 NHS Health Checks conducted in Birmingham between 2018 and 2023. Attributable fraction and multinomial logistic regression were used to estimate the number of events avoidable and the prevalence odds ratios (POR) of determinants respectively. Results: Attributable fraction analysis estimated that 64% of diabetes and 44% of pre-diabetes cases could be attributed to socioeconomic deprivation. Specifically, if Asian attendees in the least deprived areas had the same risk as White individuals in the least deprived areas, there would have been 1,056 fewer cases of diabetes and 2,226 fewer cases of pre-diabetes. Diabetes was significantly associated with Asian ethnicity (POR = 5.43, p < 0.001), Black ethnicity (POR = 3.15, p < 0.001) and Mixed ethnicity (POR = 2.79, p < 0.001). Pre-diabetes was also significantly associated with Asian ethnicity (POR = 3.06, p < 0.001), Black ethnicity (POR = 2.70, p < 0.001) and Mixed ethnicity (POR = 2.21, p < 0.001). The interaction effects between ethnicity and deprivation posed a greater risk of diabetes, especially for Asian attendees in the first (POR = 9.34, p < 0.001) and second (POR = 6.24, p < 0.001) most deprived quintiles. Discussion: The present findings demonstrate the association of ethnicity and socioeconomic deprivation on the risk of diabetes and pre-diabetes. It underscores the necessity for targeted interventions and policies to address these inequalities.

Academic entrepreneurship has different components including entrepreneurial university, university spinoffs (USO) and technology commercialisation, academic entrepreneurs, and knowledge transfer. This chapter discusses University Spinoff and its impact on technology commercialisation. It focuses on work-area research commercialisation in order to establish a link between university spinoffs and technology commercialisation. The impact of university spinoff as a core capability in the university work area is explored in this chapter. The university's function has evolved to include more than just teaching, community service and research, it now focuses on potential revenue generation through research commercialisation. University spinoff, leveraging competency, opportunity refinement, funding venture, venture credibility junction, and venture capitalist are the variables discussed in this chapter. Understanding these concepts will enable universities to match their operational goals with environmental sustainability and change the focus of all the stakeholders in the university system from the traditional system of teaching to academic entrepreneurship practices.

Benedict Anderson’s exegesis on nationalism claims that individuals are united into ‘imagined communities’ by nationality through a series of processes, including, for example, those relating to religion, capitalism and language. Extending Anderson’s thesis, Ulrich Beck has subsequently suggested that global crises provoke broader ‘cosmopolitan imagined communities’ that extend beyond nations. Referring to the HIV/AIDS and Covid-19 outbreaks, this article argues that while such crises superficially appear to be globally unifying, as suggested by Beck, they actually precipitate societal divisions and splinter communities through both direct and indirect discriminatory processes. In so doing, it suggests that the HIV/AIDS and Covid-19 pandemics display clear analogies in terms of misinformation, discrimination, racism and stigma, articulated through reference to Michael Rothberg’s model of multidirectional memory whereby traumatic events have the capacity to recall previous historical traumas. Through analysis of both news media and scholarly resources, as well as engaging with the aforementioned studies, it therefore challenges Beck’s contention in relation to the two pandemics.

Whether mobility, auditory, sensory, visual, cognitive, or other types, living with a disability is a challenging experience. The individual dimension of this phenomenon is complemented by the social experience. In fact, as compared to individual experiences, social and political structures are considered as the leading cause of disability perception in society. Meanwhile, people with disability constitute a meaningful consumer segment with considerable purchasing power. However, extant literature indicates that the marketplace strategies are not friendly with people with disability in many areas. Hence, this chapter presents a conceptual and robust synthesis of these challenges and strategic directions for addressing the imbalance in relation to the equity and inclusion of people with disability in the marketing system. By and large, the chapter presents a paradigm shift on this phenomenon.

Continuing terrorist activities across the world create the impetus for a detailed, accurate and comprehensive understanding of the delicate intricacies that govern terrorist decision making. In order to achieve operational success and maintain secrecy, terrorist groups must constantly learn and adapt. In order to defeat them, their adversaries must be able to exhibit superior adaptive capability and strive to remain ahead of the terrorist learning curve. This thesis explores the terrorist counterintelligence methods and adaptation mechanisms of two organisations: the Revolutionary Organisation 17 November and the Red Army Faction. It examines the commonly accepted factors that influence the counterintelligence methods of terrorist groups and evaluates their impact on the group’s strategy. The factors that are considered to be fundamental in a group’s counterintelligence choices are (i) organisational structure, (ii) popular support, (iii) control of territory, (iv) resources and (v) adversary capability. The methods the groups chose are juxtaposed with the intelligence methods of their adversaries and the evolution of both is analysed. The analysis shows that there is a strong correlation between the ability of a group to adapt to changes in its environment and its long-term survival. Contrary to previous findings, the study shows that the most important factor influencing a group’s counterintelligence strategy is the capability and effectiveness of its adversary. The Red Army Faction was facing an effective opponent and adapted accordingly, developing sophisticated capabilities despite the repeated decapitation of its leadership. 17 November, on the other hand, was facing an adversary which did not approach it as a threat, thus maintaining relatively basic intelligence capacity. The lack of adaptation of 17 November when its adversary’s tactics suddenly improved led to its demise. By examining the methods used by terrorist organisations and understanding why these are chosen, concrete steps can be taken in creating an effective framework for counter-terrorism policy and international security.