University of Bedfordshire

About: University of Bedfordshire is a education organization based out in Luton, Bedford, United Kingdom. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Context (language use). The organization has 3860 authors who have published 6079 publications receiving 143448 citations. The organization is also known as: University of Luton.

Flow cytometric analysis of Lactobacillus plantarum to monitor lag times, cell divisionand injury

Abstract: Flow cytometry in combination with fluorescent molecular markers 5- (and 6-) carboxyfluorescein succinimidylester (CFSE) and propidium iodide (PI) have been applied to determine lag times, numbers of cell divisions and injury after mild heat (50 degrees C, 5 min) and nisin treatments (0.1 and 1.0 microgram ml-1) of Lactobacillus plantarum. Initial labelling with covalently bound dye CFSE (20 and 100 micrograms ml-1) allowed determination of lag times and cell proliferation for up to eight generations. Double-labelling with CFSE and PI (5 micrograms ml-1) provided additional information about damage levels and distributions within populations. Subpopulations surviving treatment could be identified easily and selectively sorted.

Sickness presenteeism at work: prevalence, costs and management.

Abstract: Introduction Presenteeism is defined as continuing to attend work during illness. As a growing health concern, awareness of the factors that encourage presenteeism and the risks of this behaviour is needed. Sources of data A narrative review of research obtained via several databases, including Medline and Psycinfo, was conducted. Areas of agreement A range of contextual and individual factors is associated with presenteeism. Workers in some sectors, such as healthcare, appear to be at greater risk. Presenteeism may facilitate rehabilitation and recovery but it can exacerbate existing health problems and increase the risk of subsequent illness and absence as well as impair workability. Areas of controversy The incidence of sickness presenteeism is rising, alongside reductions in absenteeism. The growing awareness of the costs of presenteeism, especially in safety-critical environments, suggests that it should be considered a risk-taking behaviour and carefully measured and managed. Growing points and areas for developing research Measuring presenteeism as well as absenteeism will provide more accurate information about employee health. Raising awareness of the risks of working while sick and the economic, moral, cultural and social pressures on employees to do so appears crucial. Systemic interventions to manage presenteeism based on research evidence are required.

Metaphor and hyperassociativity: the imagination mechanisms behind emotion assimilation in sleep and dreaming.

Abstract: In this paper we propose an emotion assimilation function of sleep and dreaming. We offer explanations both for the mechanisms by which waking-life memories are initially selected for processing during sleep, and for the mechanisms by which those memories are subsequently transformed during sleep. We propose that emotions act as a marker for information to be selectively processed during sleep, including consolidation into long term memory structures and integration into pre-existing memory networks; that dreaming reflects these emotion assimilation processes; and that the associations between memory fragments activated during sleep give rise to measureable elements of dream metaphor and hyperassociativity. The latter are a direct reflection, and the phenomenological experience, of emotional memory assimilation processes occurring during sleep. While many theories previously have posited a role for emotion processing and/or emotional memory consolidation during sleep and dreaming, sleep theories often do not take enough account of important dream science data, yet dream research, when conducted systematically and under ideal conditions, can greatly enhance theorizing around the functions of sleep. Similarly, dream theories often fail to consider the implications of sleep-dependent memory research, which can augment our understanding of dream functioning. Here, we offer a synthesized view, taking detailed account of both sleep and dream data and theories. We draw on extensive literature from sleep and dream experiments and theories, including often-overlooked data from dream science which we believe reflects sleep phenomenology, to bring together important ideas and findings from both domains.

Freeze Concentration of Solutes at the Ice/Solution Interface Studied by Optical Interferometry

Abstract: Mach−Zender optical interferometry was used to measure the solute concentration profile in solution near the ice/solution interface under quasi-steady state conditions in order to gain a quantitative understanding of freeze concentration. At low ice growth velocities, the freeze concentration behavior of a range of solutes, including sucrose, a globular protein, and some low molecular weight polymers, was accurately described by the quasi-steady state approximation to the diffusion equation. Increasing deviations from this approximation occurred at higher growth speeds and for larger macromolecules, where diffusion was presumably inhibited by chain entanglement that led to the development of significant concentration gradients parallel to the ice/solution interface. In mixtures of noninteracting solutes, the concentration profiles of the individual components could be distinguished separately. The behavior of a helical antifreeze glycopeptide could not be explained in terms of its diffusion behavior, howe...