1,867 research outputs found
The production of polymer fibres with high performance and FT-Raman spectroscopy at 1.3µm
No full textThe work described in this thesis involved the role of molten metal baths in the quench cooling of polyethylene in the production of polymer Abres with high performance. A melt-spinning rig was designed and constructed. Chapter 2 describes how polymer fibres were produced from the melt by spinning fibres through a reservoir of molten melt which was held at temperatures near the melting point of the polymer. Polyethylene fibres with a tensile modulus of the order of 25 GPa and tensile strength approaching 1 GPa were produced by a process of melt spinning followed by cold drawing to a draw ratio of 15. Raman spectroscopy is an invaluable analytical tool used in a multitude of applications. The ease and versatility of the technique provides a simple method for identification and studying crystallinity of specimens. The fbremost choice of laser source for FT-Raman has been the continuous wave Nd3+: YAG solid state laser operating at 1.064 µm. Chapter 4 investigates the possibility of using the 1.319 µm lasing emission from the Nd3+:YAG laser as an alternate source. The sensitivity of the source is determined, applications are illustrated and the limitations commented upon.</p
sj-docx-1-cpc-10.1177_10556656231191384 - Supplemental material for Patient Factors Influencing Speech Outcomes in Velopharyngeal Function Following Initial Cleft Palate Repair: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
No full textSupplemental material, sj-docx-1-cpc-10.1177_10556656231191384 for Patient Factors Influencing Speech Outcomes in Velopharyngeal Function Following Initial Cleft Palate Repair: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis by David C. G. Sainsbury, Caroline C. Williams, Sophie Butterworth, Catherine de Blacam, Matthew J. Fell, Joanne Mullen, William Breakey, Colm Murphy, Peter D. Hodgkinson and Yvonne Wren in The Cleft Palate Craniofacial Journal</p
Tandem repeat copy-number variation in protein-coding regions of human genes
No full textBACKGROUND: Tandem repeat variation in protein-coding regions will alter protein length and may introduce frameshifts. Tandem repeat variants are associated with variation in pathogenicity in bacteria and with human disease. We characterized tandem repeat polymorphism in human proteins, using the UniGene database, and tested whether these were associated with host defense roles. RESULTS: Protein-coding tandem repeat copy-number polymorphisms were detected in 249 tandem repeats found in 218 UniGene clusters; observed length differences ranged from 2 to 144 nucleotides, with unit copy lengths ranging from 2 to 57. This corresponded to 1.59% (218/13,749) of proteins investigated carrying detectable polymorphisms in the copy-number of protein-coding tandem repeats. We found no evidence that tandem repeat copy-number polymorphism was significantly elevated in defense-response proteins (p = 0.882). An association with the Gene Ontology term 'protein-binding' remained significant after covariate adjustment and correction for multiple testing. Combining this analysis with previous experimental evaluations of tandem repeat polymorphism, we estimate the approximate mean frequency of tandem repeat polymorphisms in human proteins to be 6%. Because 13.9% of the polymorphisms were not a multiple of three nucleotides, up to 1% of proteins may contain frameshifting tandem repeat polymorphisms. CONCLUSION: Around 1 in 20 human proteins are likely to contain tandem repeat copy-number polymorphisms within coding regions. Such polymorphisms are not more frequent among defense-response proteins; their prevalence among protein-binding proteins may reflect lower selective constraints on their structural modification. The impact of frameshifting and longer copy-number variants on protein function and disease merits further investigation
Mode-II fracture behaviour of aerospace-grade carbon fibre/epoxy composites interleaved with thermoplastic veils
No full textThermoplastic veils based on Polyethylene-terephthalate (PET), Polyphenylene-sulfide (PPS) and Polyamide-12 (PA) fibres (∼10μm in diameter) were used to interlay unidirectional (UD), non-crimp fabric (NCF) and 5-Harness satin weave (5H) carbon fibre laminates. The PET and PPS veils remained in a fibrous form and the PA veils melted during the laminate curing process. The results of an end-loaded split test demonstrated significant improvements in the mode-II fracture performance in all cases. In general, interlaying thermoplastic veils was most efficient for toughening the UD laminates, with reduced improvements observed for the 5H and NCF laminates, respectively. The main toughening mechanism of the intact PET and PPS veils was thermoplastic fibre bridging. The melted PA veils mainly improved the fracture toughness of the epoxy at the mid-plane. The different toughening mechanisms of the veils, combined with different fracture mechanisms between the UD, NCF and 5H laminates, resulted in significantly different toughening levels
Courage to execute : what elite U.S. military units can teach business about leadership and team performance
No full textHow to build a culture of high performance within your organization The U.S. military in general, and its many elite organizations in particular, possesses a culture of high performance. Courage to Execute outlines the six basic principles that operate at the foundation of high performance, which include leadership, organization, communication, knowledge, experience, and discipline, known together as LOCKED. When all are practiced effectively, teamwork emerges. But the most elusive quality that exists at the heart of all elite military teams, the element that organizations and businesses deeply desire to perform more efficiently and effectively, is trust. Trust is easily spent, but hard won. Author James Murphy, an employer of approximately fifty senior military officers that have served in elite units such as the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, U.S. Navy SEALS, and U.S. Army Rangers, shares a multitude of personal leadership stories that illustrates the principles of LOCKED. * Shares compelling anecdotes from leaders in elite units of the U.S. Military * Written by James D. Murphy, founder and CEO of Afterburner, Inc., which has trained over 1.5 million executives, sales professionals, and business people from every industry in Afterburner s Flawless Execution Model, and its unique, high-energy programs Courage to Execute will help you develop effective leadership skills and build high-performance teams that out-compete your rivals every time
Peripartum Administration of Synthetic Oxytocin (Pitocin) and Postpartum Mood Disorders: A Scoping Review
No full textIn the United States, maternal mortality and morbidity rates are of great concern, despite advancements in medical technologies and healthcare resources. The frequency of maternal morbidities and severe birthing complications have also increased significantly in recent years. This scoping review examines risk factors, health impacts, outcomes, symptoms, and screening tools associated with administering peripartum synthetic oxytocin (pitocin) and postpartum mood disorders. The health sciences librarian searched three databases to find original research articles that addressed the peripartum administration of synthetic oxytocin (pitocin), looked at pitocin administration and postpartum mood disorders, and were written in English. A total of 364 titles and abstracts were analyzed (after removing 259 duplicates), which left seven remaining articles. Of all the full text articles reviewed, four publications met all inclusion criteria and were included in this scoping review. The author of this review conducted the data extraction, which revealed findings that the existing literature, mainly was quantitative, conducted in upper-middle to high-income countries and focused on the association of synthetic oxytocin administration and postpartum depression. Findings indicate that pregnant women who received a peripartum administration of pitocin had a range of postnatal outcomes ranging from postpartum anxiety, PPD, somatization disorders, and postpartum blues. Articles that were reviewed identified various risk factors that increase the risk of developing PPD, such as a maternal history of depression, prenatal depression and anxiety, PTSD, and a negative childbirth experience; also, one study reported no protective factors against postpartum mood disorders or any direct association of pitocin administration with PPD.
The public health significance of the use of Pitocin during the peripartum period and its impact on maternal mood and behavior is a subject that has not received sufficient attention from the medical community and researchers, given its frequent use as a birth intervention in the United States. Therefore, future research studies should be longitudinal and conducted with more samples from the United States population. Current birthing interventions and practices should be reevaluated for their benefits, risks, and potential contribution to PPD in birthing women
Preservice Teachers' Development of Effective Approaches to Text-based Discussion
No full textText-based discussion is a dialogic instructional practice to promote reading comprehension among students. To enact this practice, a teacher engages students in authentic conversation about text as students read it, to assist them in building understanding of text ideas as they are encountered. Text-based discussion has the potential to promote the development of both low-level and high-level comprehension skills among students, yet teachers need support in learning to enact it. Research has indicated that text-based discussion is not well-represented in classrooms today, likely because not many teachers have access to this support.
Recently, some teacher educators have focused on teaching preservice teachers (PSTs) to enact text-based discussions during teacher preparation programs, in an attempt to increase the presence of the practice in classrooms. Practice-based methods courses have been developed which attempt to provide preservice teachers with the knowledge and skill needed to enact text-based discussions successfully. This study investigated the ways in which six preservice teachers’ enactments of text-based discussion developed over the course of their one-year student teaching placements, after completing one such methods course in which they learned to enact the practice.
Data were collected at three time points during student teaching, and included transcripts of enactments of text-based discussion, lesson plans, interview transcripts, and assessments of lesson quality using the Instructional Quality Instrument (Junker et al., 2004). Analysis of the data suggested that the PSTs entered student teaching with the ability to enact text-based discussions with a moderate level of success, and that the quality of the discussions continued to improve over the course of the school year. The methods course seemed to support PSTs in learning to link student comments and press students for accuracy and reasoning. PSTs were more successful in eliciting student linking and recall of explicit text information than in eliciting elaborated responses from students; the participation structure enforced by the PST seemed to influence the extent to which students provided elaborated responses. This study supports the use of practice-based methods courses to teach PSTs to enact text-based discussions, and uncovers several areas that are in need of additional focus during these courses
'She's a F**king ticket':the pragmatics of f**k in Irish English - an age and gender perspective
No full textIn this paper, I examine the pragmatics of FUCK in terms of age and gender inan Irish English context. The paper aims to explore sociolinguistic variationin the use of this taboo form by using quantitative and qualitative corpusbasedtools and methodologies, which include relative frequency lists andconcordances, as well as details of formulaic strings, including significantclusters. I show that FUCK is a high-frequency item in everyday talk. Iillustrate that, in terms of age and gender, FUCK occurs most frequentlyamong male speakers in their twenties. I also focus on fucking as anextremely emotionally charged form that is a high frequency item in theinteractions of both the males in their twenties and the males in theirforties. I note that the use of this form brings a certain dramatic intensityor dynamism to their discourse. I attribute this intensity to being a feature ofhow males interact. I conclude by discussing other variables at play in thedata
The role of contextual information in expert anticipation
No full textThis thesis was submitted for the award of Doctor of Philosophy and was awarded by Brunel University LondonWhile it is well established that expert performers can pick up and utilise postural cues to anticipate more effectively than less-skilled counterparts, the role of contextual information in expert anticipation has received relatively little research attention. The aims of this thesis were to highlight the importance of contextual information in anticipation, identify specific sources of contextual information that impact anticipation, and examine how this information is used. In five studies, skilled and less-skilled tennis players were presented with videos or animations of the same open play rallies. The animations omitted postural information, constraining participants to anticipate based on contextual information alone. First, participants anticipated more accurately than chance in both display conditions. Skilled participants were more accurate than less-skilled participants, with the difference being greater in the video condition. Second, gaze data and retrospective verbal reports were collected when viewing the animations. Skilled participants displayed different gaze behaviour and more thoroughly evaluated the presented information than less-skilled participants. Third, animations were manipulated to depict or omit potential sources of contextual information. The preceding shot sequence was shown to be a useful source of contextual information, particularly for skilled participants. Additionally, player positioning could be used to anticipate highly accurately in absence of any other information. Finally, the option generation strategies underpinning expert anticipation were examined. Participants generated fewer options when postural cues were available compared with when constrained to the use of contextual information alone. Moreover, skilled participants generated more task-relevant and fewer task-irrelevant options than less-skilled participants. Collectively, these findings increase understanding of the role of contextual information in expert anticipation and further highlight the complex nature of perceptual-cognitive expertise
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