6,416 research outputs found
Literature review on the images of the nurse and nursing in the media
No full textThis study concentrates on the images of the nurse and nursing seen most commonly in the media and attempts to trace the images back to their origins and to explain their continued use, despite the rapidly changing role of the nurse in today's world. The images have been derived mostly from the historical roots of nursing and sometimes as a reaction to the increasing influence of the feminist movement. The author takes a look at the four main images of the nurse seen in the media, which are the ministering angel, the battleaxe, the naughty nurse and the doctor's handmaiden and then goes on to take a brief look at the other images commonly perpetuated by the media. The author summarizes the probable effects of the media stereotypes on nurses themselves and the service they provide and also takes a look at attempts to dispel these stereotypes
Informal carers: a Marxist analysis of social, political, and economic forces underpinning the role
No full textIncreasingly, families are being called to provide care to their elderly family members. Nursing has an important role to play in enabling families to assume such responsibilities. In this article, however, it is argued that nursing needs to examine its goals for nursing care and approaches to care delivery in their broader social, political, and economic context. Marxist theory is introduced and used to raise questions about taken-for-granted aspects of nursing practice and trends in health policy as they relate to family carers for the elderly. The article specifically examines assumptions about family, women, and household economies that are inherent in traditional nursing theory. It is argued that nursing needs to move its focus of action beyond work at the individual and family level to include work at system and policy levels. To do so, nursing must examine theoretical perspectives that enable such an inquiry into practice
Stability of liquid bridges between twisted elliptical disks
No full textThe influence in the stability of long liquid bridges supported between two elliptical-shaped disks of their main axis relative orientation is investigated. A numerical continuation method capable of finding equilibrium shapes, both stable and unstable, is used to calculate a series of equilibrium shapes supported by disks of increasing eccentricity for different relative orientation of the disks axis. The stable or unstable character of each of the shapes is calculated to determine the position of the stability limit and its characte
Comparative structural response of two steel bridges constructed 100 years apart
No full textThis paper presents a comparative numerical analysis of the structural behaviour and seismic performance of two existing steel bridges, the Infiernillo II Bridge and the Pinhao Bridge, one located in Mexico and the other in Portugal. The two bridges have similar general geometrical characteristics, but were constructed 100 years apart. Three-dimensional structural models of both bridges are developed and analysed for various load cases and several seismic conditions. The results of the comparative analysis between the two bridges are presented in terms of natural frequencies and corresponding vibration modes, maximum stresses in the structural elements and maximum displacements. The study is aimed at determining the influence of a 1 century period in material properties, transverse sections and expected behaviour of two quite similar bridges. In addition, the influence of the bearing conditions in the global response of the Pinhao Bridge was evaluated
Whose story is it anyway? The ethics of narration and the narration of ethics in Summertime and Die Sneeuslaper
No full textIncludes bibliographical references.This dissertation analyses and compares the narrative strategies in J.M. Coetzee’s Summertime and Marlene van Niekerk’s Die sneeuslaper and considers the implications of these strategies for the authors’ exploration of the ethics of writing. Much has been written about the literary oeuvres of both Coetzee and Van Niekerk, including studies of the translations of Van Niekerk’s Afrikaans novels into English. There are few “interlingual” comparative studies of contemporary works in Afrikaans and English, however, and certainly none to my knowledge which compares the work of Coetzee and Van Niekerk. My contribution to the conversation about Coetzee’s and Van Niekerk’s work, but also to an increasingly multilingual and interconnected South African literary criticism, will be a comparison of one recent work by each of these two authors, written in English and Afrikaans respectively. I draw on the theories of Bakhtin, Barthes and Levinas to consider the ethical dimension of texts in which “double-voicedness”, a questioning not only of existence, but of the self is fore grounded in the content and narrative structure; where there is a shift in focus from the author to the reader (“the birth of the reader”) and “utterances” are made with the response of “the other” in mind
Vibration of railway bridges in the audible frequency range
No full textThe noise level associated with a train travelling on a bridge is normally greater than that for a train travelling on plain track. It is sometimes the bridge noise that causes the highest levels of disturbance to people in the vicinity or triggers action underregulations such as the Environmental Noise Directive. Consequently, there is a need to study means of predicting noise levels from proposed bridges, noise controlmeasures for existing structures and principles of low-noise bridge design.This thesis describes a programme of work in which an existing calculation model for bridge noise and vibration has been tested and alternative calculation methods havebeen developed where required. The existing model is based on analytical models for wheel-rail interaction and the calculation of the power input to the bridge. Theresponse of the various component parts of the bridge for this power input is found using a simplified SEA scheme.In this work, the existing model has been tested against measurements made on railway bridges and the results of an advanced method of structural analysis, theWaveguide Finite Element (WFE) method. This method is well-suited to modelling some important types of railway bridge. Specifically, it allows a numerical modellingapproach to be used up to higher frequency than conventional Finite Element methods. It has been found to offer some significant advantages over the existingbridge noise model, particularly for concrete-steel composite bridges and concretebox-section viaducts.The track support structure has an important influence on bridge noise and vibration, through its role in the transmission of vibration from the rail to the bridge. Laboratory measurements have been made in this work to characterise the vibration transmissionproperties of two important types of track support structure on bridges; ballasted trackand two-stage resilient baseplate track. Improved methods of modelling the dynamic behaviour of these track forms have been developed from the measurements, whichcan be used in calculation models for both bridge noise and also for rolling noise.<br/
Primary diffuse leptomeningeal gliomatosis predominantly affecting the spinal cord: case report and review of the literature
No full textPrimary leptomeningeal gliomatosis is a rare, fatal neoplastic syndrome. A 71 year old man is reported on, who after a 2 month history of back stiffness, epigastric pain, and weight loss developed visual blurring. Cranial CT and MRI studies showed no leptomeningeal enhancement. Examination of CSF 10 weeks premortem showed an increase in protein and decrease in glucose but no malignant cells. He became increasingly confused and repeated CSF examination showed inflammation and a few suspicious cells but no definitive evidence of neoplasia. He died 7 months after onset of his initial symptoms. At postmortem meningeal whitening was seen at the base of the brain and over the spinal cord. Histology disclosed diffuse leptomeningeal gliomatosis (GFAP positive, cytokeratin negative) over the brain, optic nerves, and spinal cord without parenchymal involvement. No tumour was found in internal organs. The diagnosis of primary leptomeningeal gliomatosis was not evident after cranial CT and MRI and CSF examination premortem. Suspected cases need MRI scanning of the entire neuraxis and meningeal biopsy
Research related to vibrations from high speed railway traffic
No full textWe discuss here recent results from several research programmes related to dynamic aspects and vibrations induced by high speed railway traffic, developed at the computational mechanics group, within the “Escuela de Ingenieros de Caminos” of the Technical University of Madrid. The first part of this work concerns the dynamic response of railway bridges and structures under high speed traffic. The study of vertical dynamic effects in bridges has lead recently to improved understanding and practical design concepts, embodied in the new engineering codes [1,2,3,4,5]. Some special and seldom considered features of the dynamic response are also discussed. In the second part we present some results for lateral dynamic effects. These have not been so widely studied as the vertical vibrations, however they may pose significant problems for bridges. Finally, in the third part we discuss recent results of ongoing research for the mechanical response of slab track and ballast track, focusing on the vertical vibration of the track and the associated dynamic traffic loads
An Integral Abutment Bridge with Precast Concrete Piles;TR-438, May 2007
No full textThe use of precast, prestressed concrete piles in the foundation of bridge piers has long been recognized as a valuable option for bridge owners and designers. However, the use of these precast, prestressed concrete piles in integral abutment bridges has not been widespread because of concerns over pile flexibility and the potential for concrete cracking and deterioration of the prestressing strands due to long-term exposure to moisture.
This report presents the details of the first integral abutment bridge in the state of Iowa that utilized precast, prestressed concrete piles in the abutment. The bridge, which was constructed in Tama County in 2000, consists of a 110 ft. long, 30 ft. wide, single-span PC girder superstructure with a left-side-ahead 20º skew angle. The bridge was instrumented with a variety of strain gages, displacement sensors, and thermocouples to monitor and help in the assessment of structural behavior. The results of this monitoring are presented, and recommendations are made for future application of precast, prestressed concrete piles in integral abutment bridges.
In addition to the structural monitoring data, this report presents the results of a survey questionnaire that had been mailed to each of the 50 state DOT chief bridge engineers to ascertain their current practices for precast, prestressed concrete piles and especially the application of these piles in integral abutment bridges
Rotational Instability of a Long Liquid Column
No full textA liquid column is. apart from its intrinsic interest from the basic science point of view, a good mechanical model of a crystal growth process known as the floating zone technique. In this technique, rotation of the supporting rods is used to uniformize the usually non-axisymmetric temperature field otherwise produced by the directional heating. The theory of the influence of solid rotation on the stability limit is already available and early experimental results showed the existence of two different kinds of unstable shapes (in absence of other perturbations): the amphora mode and the C-mode. The existence of the amphora mode was realized in SL-D1 experiments but C-mode breakages could not be obtained, probably due to unexpected existence of body forces that always excited the amphora mode breakage. As none of these modes can be realistically simulated on Earth, an experiment in microgravity conditions (TEXUS-23) was performed in order to obtain C-mode deformations (not achieved up to now in a reproducible way). However, experiments on Earth using the Plateau Tank Technique have been performed in order to obtain more insight in the problem and to prepare experiments aboard sounding rockets. Results of the experiment aboard TEXUS-23 show a reasonably good agreement with the theoretical predictions
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