1,344 research outputs found
The contribution of William, Lord Armstrong to science and education
No full textWilliam George Armstrong (1310-1900) is best remembered as the lawyer turned engineer who revolutionised ordnance during the Crimean War. Nonetheless, 'his researches, his evidence before Royal Commissions and his presidential addresses, (including that to the British Association for the Advancement of Science), are as relevant today as they were last century. Indeed, it could be argued that whereas George and Robert Stephenson were, essentially, men of the Industrial Revolution, Armstrong’s theories are .still appropriate in the space age. Apart from his extensive research into hydraulics and electricity, which greatly advanced the frontiers of science, his contribution to education is considerably more than a mere footnote to his more spectacular achievements. At a time when the men of theory and the men of practice despised each other, Armstrong stood athwart the debate. Instead, he built an educational and industrial complex at Elswick where theory and practice went hand in hand and which became the blue-print for successive Royal Commissions. While others argued for technical education on continental lines, Armstrong upheld the Elswick example. His reluctant involvement in the proposed College of Physical Science in Newcastle upon Tyne is the subject of some debate in this study. Nonetheless, when he was finally convinced of its efficacy, his support was unequivocal. So much so that, after his death, the resultant edifice became Newcastle's abiding memorial to him. Two recent biographies have been used as works of general reference, but the main thesis rests on extensive use of original material. This includes Armstrong's speeches and writings; his evidence before Royal Commissions and the records of the Elswick forks' Mechanics' Institute and Schools. Hitherto, Armstrong's fame has rested on his weapons which destroyed human life. His greatest weapon - his contribution to science and education - which destroyed the 'laissez faire' attitudes of his contemporaries, has been largely ignored. In an endeavour to redress the balance, this study has been attempted
Author Correction:A cattle graph genome incorporating global breed diversity
No full textThe original version of this Article omitted from the author list the 12th and 13th authors Dennis Muhanguzi and Wilson Amanyire, who are from the ‘School of Biosecurity, Biotechnology and Laboratory Sciences (SBLS), College of Veterinary Medicine, Animal Resources and Biosecurity, Makerere University, P.O Box 7062, Kampala, Uganda’. Consequently, the final sentence of the Author Contributions incorrectly read ‘D.W., P.T., E.A.J.C., C.E., E.T.O., E.R.A., A. Tijjani, K.M., A.F., B.R.F., A.Q., U.C. and P.W. provided samples and expertise for the studies’. This has been replaced with ‘D.W., P.T., W.A., D.M., E.A.J.C., C.E., E.T.O., E.R.A., A. Tijjani, K.M., A.F., B.R.F., A.Q., U.C. and P.W. provided samples and expertise for the studies’. This has been corrected in both the PDF and HTML versions of the Article
'Blood doping' from Armstrong to prehabilitation: manipulation of blood to improve performance in athletes and physiological reserve in patients
No full textHaemoglobin is the blood's oxygen carrying pigment and is encapsulated in red blood corpuscles. The concentration of haemoglobin in blood is dependent on both its total mass in the circulation (tHb-mass) and the total plasma volume in which it is suspended. Aerobic capacity is defined as the maximum amount of oxygen that can be consumed by the body per unit time and is one measure of physical fitness. Observations in athletes who have undergone blood doping or manipulation have revealed a closer relationship between physical fitness (aerobic capacity) and total haemoglobin mass (tHb-mass) than with haemoglobin concentration ([Hb]). Anaemia is defined by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as a haemoglobin concentration of <130 g/L for men and <120 g/L for women. Perioperative anaemia is a common problem and is associated with increased mortality and morbidity following surgery. Aerobic capacity is also associated with outcome following major surgery, with less fit patients having a higher incidence of mortality and morbidity after surgery. Taken together, these observations suggest that targeted preoperative elevation of tHb-mass may raise aerobic capacity both directly and indirectly (by augmenting preoperative exercise initiatives- 'prehabilitation') and thus improve postoperative outcome. This notion in turn raises a number of questions. Which measure ([Hb] or tHb-mass) has the most value for the description of oxygen carrying capacity? Which measure has the most utility for targeting therapies to manipulate haemoglobin levels? Do the newer agents being used for blood manipulation (to increase tHb-mass) in elite sport have utility in the clinical environment? This review explores the literature relating to blood manipulation in elite sport as well as the relationship between perioperative anaemia, physical fitness and outcome following surgery, and suggests some avenues for exploring this area further
Three years of Extreme Physiology & Medicine
No full text© 2015 Grocott and Montgomery. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 Interna‑
tional License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in
any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Com‑
mons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecom‑
mons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated
Taxonomy and phylogeny of the genus Mycosphaerella and its anamorphs
No full textHistorically plant pathogenic species of Mycosphaerella have been regarded as host-specific, though this hypothesys has proven difficult to test largely due to the inavailability of fungal cultures. During the course of the past 20 years a concerted effort has been made to collect these fungi, and devise methods to cultivate them. Based on subsequent DNA sequence analyses the majority of these species were revealed to be host-specific, though some were not, suggesting that no general rule can be applied. Furthermore, analysis of recent molecular data revealed Mycosphaerella to be poly- and paraphyletic. Teleomorph morphology was shown to be too narrowly defined in some cases, and again too widely in others. Mycosphaerella and Teratosphaeria as presently circumscribed represent numerous different genera, many of which can be recognised based on the morphology of their 30 odd associated anamorph genera. Although Mycosphaerella is generally accepted to represent one of the largest genera of ascomycetous fungi, these data suggest that this is incorrect, and that Mycosphaerella should be restricted to taxa linked to Ramularia anamorphs. Furthermore, other anamorph form genera with Mycosphaerella-like teleomorphs appear to represent genera in their own right
Engineering workers and the rise of Labour in Coventry 1914-1939
No full textThis thesis is concerned with Coventry in the period 1914 to 1939.
It is a study of the developments in the city's labour movement in this
period. It concentrates on the fortunes of engineering trade unions, the
Labour Party, the Co-operative movement, and the Communist Party. The aim
of the thesis is to explain the way the labour movement changed in these
years, and to draw attention to the shifts in working class consciousbess
that took place.
Although most of the thesis covers the period 1914 - 1939 there is an
introductory survey that covers the development of large scale engineering
in Coventry, and the growth of the engineering unions and the Labour Party
before the First World War. The thesis then follows the progress of the
unions during the war, and. explains the effect of the main war-time strikes.
The years after the war, up to 1922, are dealt with in detail, as these were
years of political and industrial upheaval. The lockout of the engineering
unions in 1922 is also dealt with in detail, and the thesis looks at the effect
of the lockout on the AEU in particular.
Then the position of the unions in the period of set-backs and defeats
after 1922 is covered, as is their eventual recovery in the 1930's. A study
is made of the way the recovery took place, and the differences between the
resurgent trade unionism and the earlier unionism of the war and the early
1920's are shown. The thesis also looks at the effect of the General Strike
on Coventry. Throughout the thesis, an attempt is made to explain the changing
relationship between the Labour Party and the trade unions, and account for
the gradual emergence of the Labour Party as the majority party in the city.
The victory of the Labour Party in the local elections is considered, and an
assessment of Labou& period of rule between 1937 and 1939 is given. The
role of the Communist Party in organising the unemployed in the post-war
years, and its involvement in the unions, and particularly the recovery of
the unions, is studied.
The thesis also covers the political life of Coventry in this period;
and therefore deals with the Conservative and Liberal Parties and the
coalition they formed against the Labour Party. It attempts to explain
the many different ways in which these parties exercised social and political
leadership in Coventry. The work of the City Council in the fields of
housing and education is studied, and emphesis given to the differences
in policy between the Labour Party and the other political parties, and the
impact of Council policies on working class people.
The role of the Engineering Employers' Association is studied, and
the changes in its relations with the unions throughout this period. Attenion
is also given to its relations with the local political parties, and its
influence on Coventry in general. The internal discussion that took place
within the Coventry Co-operative Society in the 1920's is assessed, as is
its strengthening links with the Labour Party.
The thesis examines the way the development of mass production in the
engineering industry changed jobs and changed the role of the unions in the
factories. The response of trade union shop stewards to changix conditions
is examined, both in the period of unrest during and after the First World
War, and in the second part of the 1930's. Technological change in the period
is only dealt with in its effects on employment, though a broad outline of
economic change is given
Fact or fiction The problem of bias in Government Statistical Service estimates of patient waiting times
No full textSIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:DXN035410 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo
Advancing the roll-out of energy networks by embedding cost differentiation in modeling approaches which minimize assessed construction costs
No full textThis thesis aims to be a contribution to the roll-out of new energy networks by presenting and discussing ways to minimize assessed construction costs associated with these networks. It does this by providing an extension of already existing methods to estimate building costs.Energy and IndustryTechnology, Policy and Managemen
Assessing the Maturity of Public Construction Client Organisations
No full textThe construction sector is changing, and commissioning organisations have to rethink the way they approach the market. This is especially important for client organisations operating in the public domain, because of their role as change agent in the sector and their social responsibilities. The ‘Public Commissioning Maturity Model’ (PCMM), first presented in 2014, was created to raise awareness amount construction clients’ organisations to the range and width of their commissioning task. It provides a means to elicit discussion on the current and desired state of the organisation’s competences, thereby supporting these organisations in further professionalization. As a result of sixworkshop-based discussion sessions and five panel discussions, the value of the model was determined. In this paper, the validation path of the model in practice is described. The findings resulted in changes to improve the usability of the model for the construction sector, as well as alterations to increase the understanding of the model for workshop participants. Adjustments regarding stylistic issues and elements in the maturity model and supporting materials were also made. Applying the PCMM has proven to enableassessment of the current and desired organisational performance on different aspects of public commissioning by eliciting discussion and raising awareness. It is however not constituted for numerical ranking, sector-wide monitoring or benchmarking purposes, while these needs also exist among client organisations. Furthermore, it was found that the model is less suitable for organisations in the middle of a comprehensive change process.Public Commissionin
Safeguarding public values by project-based construction clients: Leads for future research
No full textIn an environment with large interdependencies like the construction industry, projectbased public construction organisations are challenged to seek for 'new' ways to safeguard public values and project outcomes. Public bodies increasingly depend on private parties to achieve public values. Hence, due to the character of their tasks, they remain socialpolitically responsible. In order to find leads for future research into safeguarding public values by construction clients, an explorative literature study was conducted. The fields of institutional logics, public organisation science and public value management were used to gain insights in relevant multi-level organisational concepts considering the meaning of public values in the daily practice of public clients. Hybridity was found as characteristic of public-private partnerships. Furthermore, the management of institutional complexity as a central task for public construction clients implies the importance of monitoring ambidexterity and accountability. Future research into the understanding of safeguarding public values at all levels of public construction clients must centralise these concepts in order to contribute to the professionalization of public construction clients.Public Commissionin
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