89 research outputs found
The New Case for Gold
No full textIn this bold manifesto, bestselling author and economic commentator James Rickards steps forward to defend gold—as both an irreplaceable store of wealth and a standard for currency.
Global political instability and market volatility are on the rise. Gold, always a prudent asset to own, has become the single most important wealth preservation tool for banks and individuals alike. Rickards draws on historical case studies, monetary theory, and personal experience as an investor to argue that:
• The next financial collapse will be exponentially bigger than the panic of 2008.
• The time will come, sooner rather than later, when there will be panic buying and only central banks, hedge funds, and other big players will be able to buy any gold at all.
• It’s not too late to prepare ourselves as a nation: there’s always enough gold for a gold standard if we specify a stable, nondeflationary price.
Providing clear instructions on how much gold to buy and where to store it, the short, provocative argument in this book will change the way you look at this “barbarous relic” forever.
https://www.amazon.com/New-Case-Gold-James-Rickards/dp/1101980761/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1540431397&sr=8-1&keywords=The+New+Case+for+Gol
Improving the Effectiveness of Research Supervision in STEM Education: Cloud Based Multimedia Solutions
No full textHigher degree STEM research students working at a distance often report that they feel more isolated than students who have face-to-face contact with their supervisors (Macauley, 2002). Though face-to-face often implies “on campus” contact, face-to-face can now also be via videoconference software and cloud based solutions. It is the purpose of this chapter to provide an auto ethnographic example of some ways to enhance student supervision at a distance using these education technologies. The author has utilised technology to enhance teacher-student interpersonal behaviour (Fisher & Rickards, 1998), social presence (Stacey & Fountain, 2001) and learning outcomes in STEM Education since 1999. Reductions in the time research students take to complete research proposals and a greater sense of personalised supervision have been positive outcomes from using these learning environment enhancements. This chapter presents a journal like case study perspective to show academics and teachers everywhere how utilizing freely available online software might improve the effectiveness of the supervisory experience for all
Determinants of irritability in Huntington's disease
No full textNimmagadda SR, Agrawal N, Worrall-Davies A, Markova I, Rickards H. Determinants of irritability in Huntington's disease.Objectives: Irritability is a common and disabling problem associated with Huntington's disease (HD). However, the underlying causes of such irritability remain unclear. This study investigates the association of irritability in HD with possible aetiological factors including dysexecutive syndrome, depression, anxiety (state and trait) and movement disorder.Methods: Thirty patients with genetically confirmed HD and their carers were recruited from a regional HD neuropsychiatry service. Patients completed two self-reported questionnaires (Irritability, Anxiety and Depression Scale and State Trait Anxiety Inventory). Their carers filled in the Burns Irritability Scale. Patients were also administered the Behavioural Assessment of Dysexecutive Syndrome (BADS), Montgomery and Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and the Motor component of the Unified Huntington's Disease Rating Scale (UHDRS).Results: Both self-rated and carer-rated irritability scales showed significant positive correlation with trait anxiety. The self-rated irritability scales also showed significant positive correlation with state anxiety and depression. No association was observed between irritability and dysexecutive syndrome or motor impairment.Conclusions: Trait anxiety might serve as a predictor for irritability in HD. Irritability is unrelated to motor or cognitive features of HD indicating that it is an independent neuropsychiatric manifestation of HD.</jats:p
Curiouser and Curiouser: Cultivating a Love of Learning within Elementary-Aged Children through an Activity-based Curiosity Program
No full textThis synthesis paper explores how a curiosity-centered educational design can promote lifelong learning (LLL) in elementary-aged children by actively engaging caregivers as co-learners. Grounded in the author’s personal and professional experience, the project responds to the underutilization of natural curiosity in traditional education. Drawing from metacognition, Self-Determination Theory (SDT), Lev Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD), and Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligences Theory, the author develops an activity-based curiosity program that integrates caregiver involvement into reflective, autonomy-supportive learning experiences. The program design applies principles such as collaboration, relationship-building, creative problem-solving, and metacognitive scaffolding, all explored through coursework in the Critical and Creative Thinking Graduate Program at the University of Massachusetts Boston. Using an action learning approach, the author piloted and iteratively refined the program in real-world caregiver-child settings, exploring how reflective questioning and adaptive roles—such as coach, model, and co-learner—could build trust and sustain engagement. The paper argues that making curiosity a foundational habit, rather than a byproduct of content instruction, enhances learning motivation and strengthens caregiver-student relationships. While still in a prototype phase, the curiosity program offers a model that supports both academic development and relational growth. It is particularly relevant to parents, alternative educators, and those seeking approaches that prioritize agency, adaptability, and lifelong learning. The paper concludes that cultivating curiosity in relational contexts fosters metacognitive awareness, supports student autonomy, and provides caregivers with a meaningful role in shaping their children’s learning journeys
Real Dirty Blue
No full textPhilippa Brock, Woven Textile Pathway Leader, BA Textile Design, was both co-curator and exhibitor for this group exhibition.
The CSM Museum and Study Collection collects work by staff, students and alumni and reveals a long tradition of innovative practice. This exhibition (co-curated with teaching staff from BA Textile Design) tells the story of a century of textile design at CSM from the hand block printed textiles of the 1930s to more recent experiments in knitting, weaving, digital printing and laser cutting. The focus of displays is on the process behind the finished pieces – the sketchbooks, prototypes and samples that show how the designer’s ideas have developed over time. The work of 26 designers is on show including teaching staff and students from 1927 to 2015.
The title 'Real Dirty Blue' is drawn from Central School of Arts and Crafts alumna and teacher, Joyce Clissold’s dye book from which a sample colour, labeled ‘real dirty blue’, has been recreated for the show.
Exhibitors:
Howard Asher, Laura Baker, Ann Bristow, Philippa Brock, Susan Campbell, Joyce Clissold, Malcolm Cocks, Carole Collet, Eileen Ellis, Linda Florence, Skye Gwillim, Mary Harper, Rosemary House, Rebecca Hoyes, Jessica Hymas, Sue Jenkyn Jones, Elina Kopola, Derek Lawlor, Anne Marr, Jaimee McKenna, George Morgan, Elaine Ng, Claire O’Brien, Harriet Rose Paynter, Jo Pierce, Stephanie Rolph, Emma Rickards, Nadia-Anne Ricketts, Rebecca Skelton, Anne Smith, Lorna Smith, Studio Houndstooth, Priti Veja & Marta Velasco Velasc
The effects of superimposed tilt and lower body negative pressure on anterior and posterior cerebral circulations
No full textSteady-state tilt has no effect on cerebrovascular reactivity to increases in the partial pressure of end-tidal carbon dioxide (PETCO2). However, the anterior and posterior cerebral circulations may respond differently to a variety of stimuli that alter central blood volume, including lower body negative pressure (LBNP). Little is known about the superimposed effects of head-up tilt (HUT; decreased central blood volume and intracranial pressure) and headdown tilt (HDT; increased central blood volume and intracranial pressure), and LBNP on cerebral blood flow (CBF) responses. We hypothesized that (a) cerebral blood velocity (CBV; an index of CBF) responses during LBNP would not change with HUT and HDT, and (b) CBV in the anterior cerebral circulation would decrease to a greater extent compared to posterior CBV during LBNP when controlling PETCO2. In 13 male participants, we measured CBV in the anterior (middle cerebral artery, MCAv) and posterior (posterior cerebral artery, PCAv) cerebral circulations using transcranial Doppler ultrasound during LBNP stress (−50 mmHg) in three body positions (45°HUT, supine, 45°HDT). PETCO2 was measured continuously and maintained at constant levels during LBNP through coached breathing. Our main findings were that (a) steady-state tilt had no effect on CBV responses during LBNP in both the MCA (P = 0.077) and PCA (P = 0.583), and (b) despite controlling for PETCO2, both the MCAv and PCAv decreased by the same magnitude during LBNP in HUT (P = 0.348), supine (P = 0.694), and HDT (P = 0.407). Here, we demonstrate that there are no differences in anterior and posterior circulations in response to LBNP in different body positions.Library OA FundFinancial support for the initial building of the apparatus (supplies) was provided by Mount Royal University, Faculty of Science and Technology, Laboratory Support Centre, and most of the funding for data collection (student salaries) by a Government of Alberta STEP Grant (MMT and RJS), an NSERC USRA (MMT), and the MRU Petro-Canada Young Investigator award (TAD). Funds for covering the costs to publish in open access were provided by Mount Royal University Library
Episodic encoding is more than the sum of its parts: An fMRI investigation of multifeatural contextual encoding
No full textEpisodic memories are characterized by their contextual richness, yet little is known about how the various features comprising an episode are brought together in memory. Here we employed fMRI and a multidimensional source memory procedure to investigate processes supporting the mnemonic binding of item and contextual information. Volunteers were scanned while encoding items for which the contextual features (color and location) varied independently, allowing activity elicited at the time of study to be segregated according to whether both, one, or neither feature was successfully retrieved on a later memory test. Activity uniquely associated with successful encoding of both features was identified in the intra-parietal sulcus, a region strongly implicated in the support of attentionally mediated perceptual binding. The findings suggest that the encoding of disparate features of an episode into a common memory representation requires that the features be conjoined in a common perceptual representation when the episode is initially experienced
The early Ludfordian leintwardinensis graptolite event and the Gorstian-Ludfordian boundary in Bohemia (Silurian, Czech Republic)
No full textGilles de la Tourette: The man behind the syndrome
No full textFrench neuropsychiatrist Georges Gilles de la Tourette first described in 1885 the "Maladie des Tics" which earned him eponymous fame. Both his colleagues at La Salpetiere hospital ill Paris and medical historians report that he was a highly intelligent, if irascible, character. The Gilles de la Tourette syndrome was only a very minor contribution of its author, at the time. Gilles de la Tourette's main and continued contributions were oil hysteria and hypnotism. This article concentrates on his life and includes previously untranslated passages from authors of the time and, for the first time, a full English translation of his obituary written by Henry Meige. (C) 2009 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved
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