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The emulsification properties of octenyl- and dodecenyl- succinylated inulins
Get PDFThe emulsification properties of a series of inulin samples modified using varying amounts of octenyl- and dodecenyl- succinic anhydride have been studied by determining the droplet size as a function of time, temperature and in the presence of electrolyte using laser diffraction. It was found that ~2% modified inulin was required to stabilise 15% w/v medium chain triglyceride emulsions and that the minimum droplet size was achieved when the % hydrophobe content was > 8 mole %. The dodecenyl derivatives produced emulsions with a smaller droplet size than the octenyl derivatives. Apart from OSA-inulin with a low degree of modification, stability was maintained when stored for a period of up to 21 days at room temperature and at 50oC. The zeta potential of the emulsion droplets was determined by Laser Doppler Velocimetry and was found to increase from ~5mv to ~60mv as the pH increased from 2 to 7 due to the presence of carboxylate ions present in the linkage between the inulin and alkenyl chains. The droplet size was found to increase on the addition of electrolyte indicating that the adsorbed polymer layer was insufficient to provide a steric repulsive barrier and that stabilisation was mainly due to electrostatic repulsive forces
Dodecenylsuccinic Anhydride Derivatives of Gum Karaya (Sterculia urens): Preparation, Characterization, and Their Antibacterial Properties
Get PDFEsterifications of the tree-based gum, gum karaya (GK), using dodecenylsuccinic anhydride (DDSA) were carried out in aqueous solutions. GK was deacetylated using alkali treatment to obtain deacetylated gum karaya (DGK). The DGK and its DDSA derivative were characterized using gel permeation chromatography/multiangle laser light scattering (GPC/MALLS), attenuated total reflectance–Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H NMR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis, and rheological studies. The degree of substitution was found to be 10.25% for DGK using 1H NMR spectroscopy. The critical aggregation concentration of DDSA-DGK was determined using dye solubilization and surface tension methods. The antibacterial activity of the DDSA-DGK derivative was then investigated against Gram-negative Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Gram-positive Staphylococcus aureus. The DDSA-DGK derivative has the potential for use as a stabilizing agent in food and nonfood applications. It can also be developed as an antibacterial agent
Learning styles and psychological preferences among Christian disciples
Get PDFThis paper offers an audit of the BA in Theology for Discipleship and Ministry by examining the learning styles and psychological preferences of 108 course participants (66% response rate) who completed the Francis Psychological Type Scales and the Francis Inventory of Learning Styles. The data demonstrated that the adult learners displayed strong preferences for introversion over extraversion, for sensing over intuition, and for judging over perceiving, as well as a balance of preferences for thinking and for feeling. In spite of the clear personal preferences of the course participants, appreciation was shown for a mixed learning experience, embracing extravert learning preferences as well as introvert learning preferences, intuitive learning preferences as well as sensing learning preferences, feeling learning preferences as well as thinking learning preferences, and judging learning preferences. Only perceiving learning preferences were not so widely welcomed by the course participants. The implications of these findings were assessed both for educational practice and for further research
Dissociation and religiosity: the role of religious experience
Get PDFDissociation can be conceptualized as a disruption in integrated processing of psychological information, due to alterations in consciousness. An emerging body of research has examined the relationship between dissociation and religiosity. Mixed findings suggest a weak positive association between these two constructs. The present aim was to investigate if dissociation predicted religious experience over and above a measure of religiosity. A sample of 371 Irish respondents completed the Measure of Prayer Type, the M Scale Short Version, and the Dissociative Experiences Scale. Binary logistic regression showed that religious experience was predicted by dissociation, controlling for frequency of prayer
Spirituality and creativity in coping, their association and transformative effect: a qualitative enquiry
Get PDFWhile the beneficial effects on mental health of spirituality and creativity as separate entities have been well documented, little attention has been given to the interactive effect of the two constructs in coping. Recently, the theory of transformative coping and associated Transformative Coping Model have been developed and examined from both theoretical and quantitative perspectives. To extend this work, the present study critically examined the theory of transformative coping and associated Transformative Coping Model from a qualitative perspective. Ten interviews were conducted among Northern Irish and Irish artists, contemplative prayer group members, and mental health service users. Data were analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. The results showed that the majority of participants had experienced stress and trauma, and have suffered mental ill-health as a consequence. Most defined themselves as both creative and spiritual, and resorted to a spiritual attitude along with creative expression in order to cope with traumatic events and ongoing stressful situations. Most participants believed that their creativity was rooted in their spirituality and that the application of both helped them to transform negative emotional states into positive ones. This, in turn, gave them increased resilience to and a different perspective of stressful events, which aided and improved their coping skills throughout the lifespan
The cost of a calling? Clergywomen and work in the Church of England
Get PDFThis article explores the work of clergywomen in the Church of England within an analysis of the Church as a gendered organization. We highlight the sex discrimination they often face, at the same time as satisfaction with their work and the need to follow their calling regardless of the difficulties. This is explained through an analysis of the significance of religious calling and the requirement for ‘sacrifice’ on their ability to endure their work and to challenge discriminatory treatment
Lightweight and low-cost thin film photovoltaics for large area extra-terrestrial applications
Get PDFThis work describes progress towards achieving a flexible, high specific power and low-cost photovoltaic (PV) for emerging large area space applications. The study reports the highest conversion efficiency of 15.3% AM1.5G for a CdTe device on ultra-thin cerium-doped cover glass, the standard protective material for extra-terrestrial PVs. The deposition technique used for all of the semiconductor layers comprising the device structure was atmospheric pressure metal organic chemical vapour deposition. Improvements to the device structure over those previously reported led to a Voc of 788 mV and a relatively low series resistance of 3.3 Ω·cm2. These were largely achieved by the introduction of a post-growth air anneal and a refinement of the front contact bus bars, respectively. The aluminium-doped zinc oxide transparent conductive oxide, being the first layer applied to the cover glass, was subject to thermal shock cycling +80 to (-) 196°C to test the adhesion under the extreme conditions likely to be encountered for space application. Scotch Tape testing and sheet resistance measurements before and after the thermal shock testing demonstrated that the aluminium-doped zinc oxide remained well adhered to the cover glass and its electrical performance unchanged
A Complimentary Ministry? The Psychological Type of Clergy Women in the Church in Wales
Get PDFThe debate around the admission of women to the ministry of the Anglican churches has focused on a number of issues, not least, the extent to which women bring “balance” to ministry (see for example Furlong, 1991). Balance, when used in this context is usually seen as bringing different gifts to ministry. The assumption often made is that these “different gifts” will be those traditionally associated with women such as work with children. This argument has been employed by both those for and against the entry of women into holy orders (Harris & Shaw, 2004; Baker, 2004). Benjamin Schneider’s attraction-selection-attrition theory suggests that the group of people within an organisation move toward homogeneity. Schneider’s theory would suggest that the argument that women bring balance to ministry would not be supported. The current study employs psychological type theory to explore whether clergywomen in the Church in Wales do bring “balance” to ministry or “homogeneity”. The psychological type profile of a sample of 75 Church in Wales clergywomen measured by the Francis Psychological Type Scales (FPTS) is compared with a sample of 266 Church in Wales clergymen (Francis, Payne, & Robbins, 2013). The findings present no significant differences between the clergymen and clergywomen with regard to their judging function, perceiving function, orientation to the outer world or attitude toward the outer world. This finding lends support to Schneider’s theory. The implications of these findings for ministry in the Church in Wales are discussed
A multi-fidelity surrogate-model-assisted evolutionary algorithm for computationally expensive optimization problems
Get PDFIntegrating data-driven surrogate models and simulation models of different accuracies (or fidelities) in a single algorithm to address computationally expensive global optimization problems has recently attracted considerable attention. However, handling discrepancies between simulation models with multiple fidelities in global optimization is a major challenge. To address it, the two major contributions of this paper include: (1) development of a new multi-fidelity surrogate-model-based optimization framework, which substantially improves reliability and efficiency of optimization compared to many existing methods, and (2) development of a data mining method to address the discrepancy between the low- and high-fidelity simulation models. A new efficient global optimization method is then proposed, referred to as multi-fidelity Gaussian process and radial basis function-model-assisted memetic differential evolution. Its advantages are verified by mathematical benchmark problems and a real-world antenna design automation problem
Aluminium sheet metal forming at low temperatures
Get PDFLow-temperature forming technology offers a new potential for forming operations of aluminium wrought alloys which show a limited formability at ambient temperatures. This paper indicates the mechanical behaviour of the commercial aluminium alloys EN AW-5182 and EN AW-6016 at low temperatures. Stress-strain relationships at different temperatures were investigated through tensile testing experiments. Flow curves were extrapolated using an adapted mathematical constitutive relationship of flow stress and strain. A device which allows cupping tests at sub-zero temperatures was specially designed and a limiting dome height was determined