922017 research outputs found
Sort by
Challenging an algorithm built for autism classification using movement data by applying it to data from conditions with similar kinematic styles
No full textThe influence of social support, financial status and lifestyle on the disparity between inflammation and disability in rheumatoid arthritis
No full textObjectives: To investigate how social support, financial status and lifestyle influence the development of excess disability in rheumatoid arthritis (RA).Methods: Data came from the Étude et Suivi des Polyarthrites Indifférenciées Récentes (ESPOIR) cohort study of people with RA. A previous analysis identified groups with similar inflammation trajectories but markedly different disability over 10 years; those in the higher disability trajectory groups were defined as having “excess disability”. Participants self-reported data on contextual factors (social support, financial situation, lifestyle) and completed patient reported outcome measures (PROMs; pain, fatigue, anxiety, depression) at baseline. The direct effect of the contextual factors on excess disability and the effect mediated by PROMs was assessed using structural equation models. Findings were validated within two independent datasets (Norfolk Arthritis Register [NOAR], Early Rheumatoid Arthritis Network [ERAN]).Results: Of 538 included ESPOIR participants (mean age [standard deviation (SD)]: 48.3 [12.2] years, 79.2% women), 200 (37.2%) were in the excess disability group. Less social support (β 0.17 [95% CI 0.08, 0.26]), worse financial situation (β 0.24 [95% CI 0.14, 0.34]), less exercise (β 0.17 [95% CI 0.09, 0.25]) and less education (β 0.15 [95% CI 0.06, 0.23]) were associated with excess disability group membership; smoking, alcohol consumption and body mass index were not. Fatigue and depression mediated a small proportion of these effects. Similar results were seen in NOAR and ERAN. Conclusions: Greater emphasis is needed on the economic and social context of people with RA at presentation; these factors might influence disability over the following decade. <br/
Autistic Girls and Emotionally Based School Avoidance: Supportive factors for successful re-engagement in mainstream high school
No full textSchool can be challenging for autistic girls who are at risk of internalised anxiety which can ultimately lead to school avoidance. Low attendance is acknowledged as negatively impacting on educational attainment and exacerbating mental health difficulties. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with three autistic girls aged 13-15 years from different high schools, their parent(s) and key adult. Thematic analysis identified the first phase of re-engagement is developing a trusting student-key adult relationship. This provides the foundation for social and emotional intervention. Challenges were also acknowledged and possible improvements reflected upon. These results will aid educators and researchers aiming to support the successful inclusion of autistic girls at risk of experiencing emotionally based school avoidance in mainstream high schools
Making History Together: The UK’s National Health Service and the story of our lives since 1948
No full textOnly since the 2010s have historians become interested in dimensions of the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) histories beyond institutional, policy, and political narratives and the seventieth anniversary of the Service in 2018 gave additional impetus to work in this area. This paper argues for the need for a new interpretative framework for NHS histories that better reflects its multiple identities and social meanings. Drawing on a UK-wide programme of work it explores the processes of creating digital archive of NHS history using concepts and methodologies that foreground the institution’s social and dynamic nature and are underpinned by a commitment to inclusivity of perspectives and actors. It considers the challenges of working across academic, health, and heritage sectors and the need for historians to adapt to sharing power and agency when working alongside volunteers and interviewees. It concludes that the history produced through these ways of working is rich and insightful and has the potential to reshape historical practice and scholarship around NHS histories and beyond
ADBSat: Methodology of a novel panel method tool for aerodynamic analysis of satellites
No full textADBSat is a novel software that determines the aerodynamic properties of any body in free-molecular flow. Its main advantage is the fast approximation of the aerodynamics of spacecraft in the lower end of the low-Earth orbit altitude range. It is a novel implementation of a panel method, where the body is represented as a set of fundamental elements and the sum of their individual aerodynamic properties makes up the properties of the whole. ADBSat’s approach treats the shape as a set of flat triangular plates. These are read from a CAD geometry file in the Wavefront format, which can be created with most common CAD programs. A choice of gas-surface interaction models is available to represent the physics of free-molecular flow under different conditions. Its modular design means that other models can be easily and quickly implemented. It also benefits from a new shading algorithm for fast determination of elemental flow exposure. An example case is presented to show the capability and functionality of the program
Evolution of the Xenon (e,2e) Differential Cross Section from a Coplanar Geometry to the Perpendicular Plane in the Intermediate Energy Regime
No full textNew (e,2e) differential cross section measurements from xenon are presented as the scattering geometry changes from coplanar to the perpendicular plane. Measurements were taken at energies of 60 eV, 80 eV, and 100 eV above the ionization potential. These new data are compared to measurements collected for the first four noble gases and to that from xenon at lower energies. A new technique is used to measure the ratio of relative cross-sections between xenon and helium using a xenon-helium mixture. With this data absolute differential cross sections of xenon can be determined once the helium cross sections have been calculated
THE DEVELOPMENT OF A NEW METHOD TO COMPARE THE FATIGUE CRACK GROWTH RATES OF AUSTENITIC STAINLESS STEEL OPERATING IN A PWR PRIMARY COOLANT SUBJECTED TO PLANT REALISTIC TEMPERATURE LOADING
No full textFatigue Crack Growth Rates (FCGRs) of austenitic stainless steels can be significantly enhanced when tested in a high temperature water environment compared to those tested in air. Existing FCGR models are based on simple isothermal waveform loading. Recent work has highlighted that there may be a potential benefit into taking account of plant realistic loading waveforms in fatigue assessments as these may be less damaging than predict ions based on simple loading conditions. As a result, new methods to account for these plant realistic loads have been developed to reduce excess conservatism of existing methods for predicting FCGRs.To provide confidence in these methods, a previous UK thermomechanical fatigue testing program me has been conducted on Compact Tension (C(T)) specimens subjected to plant realistic loads, with the crack length and Crack Growth Rates CGRs being monitored in situ using the Direct Current Potential Drop (DCPD) technique. This paper utilizes three different methodologies to evaluate the CGR of samples that underwent corrosion fatigue in different conditions namely; DCPD, post mortem measurement of crack advance using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and the measurement of the spacing between striations to infer CGR.It was found that DCPD provided a good global average of FCGRs at the crack front but does not capture local changes associated with the local microstructureOverall, it was shown that post mortem examination for stage measurements can be reliably applied to infer CGR on samples that were not instrumented with DCP
Structure restoration and coarsening of nanocrystalline cementite in cold drawn pearlitic wire induced by low temperature annealing
No full textInternal structure evolution of nano-scale cementite during annealing has exhibited a critical impact on mechanical performance for various heavily strained high-carbon steel materials. Through a combination of post-annealing and in-situ annealing transmission electron microscopy observations, structural evolution of heavily strained cementite during low-temperature annealing was investigated. During annealing, the morphology of cementite lamellae is stable when the temperature (Ta) is lower than 350 °C. Meanwhile, lattice structure restoration and coarsening of nanocrystalline cementite (θ- NC) occurred inside the lamellae. Starting from a nanocrystalline structure in the as-drawn state, the interiors of cementite lamellae were observed to transform into coarsened isometric shape θ-NC (140 °C < Ta < 210 °C) or elongated θ-NC (Ta < 350 °C). The coarsening activation energy of heavily strained cementite nanocrystalline in lamellae is estimated to be in a range of 37 ~ 50 kJ mol-1, while the coarsening behaviour is limited by the ferrite-cementite phase boundary
Host-guest interactions and confinement effects in HZSM-5 and chabazite zeolites studied by low-field NMR spin relaxation
No full textCharacterisation of fluid/solid interactions in porous materials is crucial for their design and optimisation, most notably in applications such as adsorption and catalysis. Yet, probing interfacial phenomena of fluids confined in porous systems is particularly challenging. NMR spin relaxation has emerged in recent years as a rapid, non-invasive experimental technique to probe adsorbate/adsorbent interactions in mesoporous catalytic materials. More recently, NMR relaxation measurements performed on high-field (300 MHz) superconducting magnets have been successfully validated as a robust method to characterise acidity in HZSM-5 zeolites. Expanding such techniques in the context of low-field, bench-top NMR instruments would be highly beneficial as it would make NMR relaxation a much more appealing and accessible tool for non-invasive, rapid characterisation of adsorbate/adsorbent interactions in zeolites and microporous materials. Herein, we validate the use of low-field, bench-top NMR spin relaxation as an indicator for characterising host-guest interactions in microporous zeolitic materials, using water as guest molecules confined within two different zeolite frameworks, HZSM-5 and chabazite, with varying silica/alumina ratio (SAR). The results reported here demonstrate the robustness and sensitivity of low-field NMR relaxation measurements as a rapid screening tool for characterising adsorption and molecular dynamics in microporous materials, with important implications for both academics and industrialists in terms of making the method more widely accessible, hence expanding the set of tools for material chemistry and characterisation
Characterisation of Ferritic to Austenitic Steel Functional Grading via Powder Hot Isostatic Pressing
No full textThe application of functionally graded components produced via the powder hot isostatic pressing (HIP) process is considered for the next generation nuclear reactors as an alternative to dissimilar metal welding. This work is focused on functional grading of an SA508 Grade 3 ferritic low-alloy steel and 316L austenitic stainless steel, typically present in the pressure vessel and the piping or the pressure vessel cladding, respectively. Material was supplied in powder form, mixed and consolidated via the HIP process. Five different powder fractions were studied and, in some cases, significant change in the ferrite over austenite ratio is found to take place, due to dilution of austenite stabilizing elements. In contrast, the enrichment of alloying elements within the ferritic phase promotes the formation of laths, greatly affecting the material properties. The strengthening effect of the ferritic lath zone is assessed and the mechanism for its formation in the ferritic-austenitic system studied (throughout this work the term ferritic laths refers to a ferritic phase of unknown structure which is likely to consist of martensite, bainite or a mixture of both).KeywordsHot isostatic pressing, Functional grading, SA508, 316