517 research outputs found
CALDER: Cryogenic light detectors for background-free searches
No full textCALDER is a R&D project for the development of cryogenic light detectors with an active surface of 5x5cm2 and an energy resolution of 20 eV RMS for visible and UV photons. These devices can enhance the sensitivity of next generation large mass bolometric detectors for rare event searches, providing an active background rejection method based on particle discrimination. A CALDER detector is composed by a large area Si absorber substrate with superconducting kinetic inductance detectors (KIDs) deposited on it. The substrate converts the incoming light into athermal phonons, that are then sensed by the KIDs. KID technology combine fabrication simplicity with natural attitude to frequency-domain multiplexing, making it an ideal candidate for a large scale bolometric experiments. We will give an overview of the CALDER project and show the performances obtained with prototype detectors both in terms of energy resolution and efficiency
Maine Interview piece with Nigel Calder of Alna, author of the Boatowners\u27s M
No full textMaine Interview piece with Nigel Calder of Alna, author of the Boatowners\u27s Mechanical and Electrical Manual, which has sold over 90,000 copies, and a number of other books, including The Cruising Guide to the Northwest Caribbean and Cuba: A Cruising Guide
Effect of fatty acids and programming on the immune system
No full textResearch to date has suggested that fatty acids (FAs) may affect the immune system, through their (and those of their metabolites) effects on membranes, mediators, and gene expression. However, despite the research carried out, there still exist gaps of knowledge where further research is required. In addition, programming by diet in pregnancy may affect the immune system, due to stress and/or structural and functional changes to immune cells, but whether this effect is long-lasting is uncertain. In order to address some of these gaps in knowledge, experiments were conducted to examine the effects of dietary FAs on immune outcomes in rodent models of clinical relevance and the effect of maternal protein restriction on immune outcomes in two later generations. The first experiment investigated the effect of diets differing in FA composition on the recall response in a mouse model of influenza vaccination. A diet rich in salmon oil resulted in enhanced ear swelling (measured after 48 hours) compared with diets rich in linseed oil, sunflower oil or beef tallow, suggesting that long chain n-3 FAs increase the TH1 response. The different effects of salmon oil compared with the other diets appears to relate to the lower n-6 fatty acid status that occurs with salmon oil feeding. The second experiment investigated the effect of diets differing in FA composition in a mouse model of allergic sensitisation (to ovalbumin). There was reduced immediate hypersensitivity to ovalbumin in mice fed a diet rich in salmon oil and increased immediate hypersensitivity in mice fed a diet rich in beef tallow, but there was no effect of diet on airway responsiveness to ovalbumin. Beef tallow feeding also raised IgE in blood and elevated IL-4 production by anti-CD3 stimulated splenocytes. The salmon oil did not affect IgE or cytokine profiles. The results suggest that the n-3 FAs found in salmon oil decrease TH2-mediated responses to an allergen and that such responses are increased by a diet rich in saturated FAs. The third experiment examined the effect of diets differing in FA composition fed during rat pregnancy on the abundance of different immune cells in blood and lymphoid organs of the offspring at weaning and beyond. The FA profile of the dams at the end of lactation reflected dietary intake in pregnancy, but no changes were found in immune cell abundance of offspring. The fourth experiment examined the effect of diets rich in a- linolenic acid (ALA, a short chain n-3 FA) or linoleic acid (LA, a short chain n-6 FA) in mouse pregnancy on allergic sensitisation to ovalbumin in the offspring. Diets were given during pregnancy alone, in both gestation and lactation, or during lactation alone, and compared to a low-fat control. The ALA-rich diet in gestation and lactation and the LArich diet in gestation reduced ear swelling in the offspring. Despite these differences, there were no effects on lung function or immune markers. The fifth experiment investigated the effect of protein restriction in rat pregnancy on the immune system of the offspring over two generations. No differences were seen between groups in the F1 generation. Protein restriction reduced TH and B-cell abundance in the spleen and thymus of F2 males. In conclusion, dietary fatty acids can alter immune responses, and there may be an effect of FAs in pregnancy on the immune response in the offspring but such effects may not be long lasting. Protein restriction during pregnancy, which is stress inducing, appears to have an effect on immune cell abundance that is manifested at the second generation of offsprin
Increasing transparency in the British Journal of Nutrition
No full textKeen readers of the BJN will have noticed the recent appearance of ‘conflict of interest’ statements and of more complete descriptions of the contribution of each author to the publication. I have introduced these innovations in order to increase the transparency of the articles that we publish in the BJN; further strategies to increase accuracy, transparency and accountability of papers published in the journal will follow in order to encourage a climate of intellectual honesty and to decrease the risk of misconduct. In particular, the journal will follow as closely as possible the recommendations and guidelines of the Committee on Publishing Ethics (COPE)(1) and of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE)(2). COPE and ICMJE have made available a range of guidelines aimed at establishing best practice in scientific publishing. These include guidelines for authors and for the conduct of reviewers, editorial boards and editors. Many of the guidelines are already followed by the BJN, but others are not yet fully in place
The construction of Karen Karnak: The multi-author-function
No full textThis thesis is situated within the comparatively recent developments of Web 2.0 and the emergence of interactive WikiMedia, and explores the mode of authorship within a Read/Write culture compared to that of a Read/Only tradition. The hypothesis of this study is that the role of the audience has become merged with the author, and as such, represents new functions and attributes, distinct from a more conventional concept of authorship, in which the roles of audience and author are more separate. Read/Write and participatory culture, as defined by this study, is focused on collaboration, and includes the influences of D.I.Y. culture, Open-Source practices and the production of text by multiple authors. Multi-authorship presents a re-thinking of several concepts which support the notion of the individual author, since the focus of multi-authorship is not on attribution and ownership of a finished text, but on the continued malleability of a text. Modes of multi-authorship, demonstrated in the use of the pseudonyms Alan Smithee and Karen Eliot, represent declarative authors whose names signify multiple origins, whilst concurrently indicating a distinct body of work. The function of these names form an important context to this study, since primary research involves the construction of an experimental mode of multi-authorship utilising WikiMedia technology and the interaction of thirty nine participants, who are invited to create a body of work under the collective pseudonym Karen Karnak. The data generated by this experiment is analysed using aspects of Michel Foucault's author-function to identify and determine power structures inherent in the WikiMedia context. The interplay of power structures, including concepts such as identity, ownership and the body of work, affect the resulting mode of authorship and contribute to the construction of Karen Karnak, suggesting further areas of research into the emerging multi-author
Different dietary sources of omega-3 DHA during pregnancy and in the developing rat brain
No full textFine Red Threads: Dislocation and Identity in Lisa Bird-Wilson’s Just Pretending
No full textThis paper examines Canadian Métis author Lisa Bird-Wilson’s short story collection Just Pretending in light of “race shifting” as identified by Darryl Leroux in Distorted Descent. Against a model of Métis identity that is based purely on distant genealogical connections and self-identification, Bird-Wilson’s collection suggests that Métis identity is inseparable from community relationships and responsibilities. Images of “fine red threads” in these stories refer not only to veins, but also to storylines that can counter dispossession and homelessness
Welcoming party
No full textWelcoming party at Giddy River 14 miles from Gove, during 1969 crossing of Arnhem Land. Left to right: Alison Darby (secretary to Wentworth); Daphne Calder (Mrs. Sam Calder); Kevin Martin; Mrs. Bettina Gorton (wife of Prime Minister); Pete Petersen (district Welfare Officer, Gove); Maurie Driscoll (personnel officer, Nabalco); Ted Cooper (driver).Evans, Ted.Date:196
Augmenting Mathematics with Mobile Technology
No full textThis chapter describes two case examples of the use of mobile technology for mathematics. Building on the assumption that mobile learning has a positive effect on student attitudes and academic outcomes including STEM subjects (Hsi, 2007; Wu et al., 2012) we develop a theoretical lens for future studies for ‘mobile mathematics’. The two case examples describe how mobile technology could provide opportunities for ‘mathematics outside the classroom’. The first example describes a dynamic Ferris wheel, the second a static cathedral. Both examples demonstrate how ‘geo-location’ and ‘augmented reality’ features allow mobile technologies to bridge formal and informal mathematics learning (Lai et al., 2016)
- …
