6,854 research outputs found
The Development of Socialist Magic: Reflections on the Place of Power and Ideology in Magic Performance
No full textThe author seeks to establish a historical context for his own performance practice, which combines radical left politics with magic tricks and ventriloquism. A survey of the iconography of magic performance from the time of Jean Eugene Robert-Houdin onwards reveals an ideological underpinning which reflects hierarchies of class, gender and race in society.
However, the magician’s role is complex, as he (or less commonly she) practises an art which is part of ‘low’ culture, despite its association with the rich and powerful. Moreover, the modern magician is associated with rationalism and scepticism, which sometimes puts the conjurer on the side of a progressive view of society. The author examines his own attempts to overcome this disjunction in his practice and explains why, for him, the combination of agitprop and magic performance can only be effective through the use of humour
Effect of Ozone on COPD and asthma patients in Abuja Nigeria
No full textBackground: At high concentrations of ozone occurring during air-pollution episodes, airway sensitivity will increase even in healthy populations. Though there is an indication of the effects of ozone (O3) on COPD and asthma patients, few studies have the effects of short and long-term ozone exposure on them. This study investigates the effects of O3 concentration on COPD and asthma patients in Abuja, Nigeria.
Method: Data were collected on dyspnoea, daily symptoms, monthly FVC, and FEV1 data, routine monitoring O3 data, and meteorological data, we performed correction and multiple regression analyses to calculate the correlation between respiratory disease (COPD and asthma) and ozone exposure.
Results: We observed an association between O3 and lung function (FVC and FEV1). Ozone and FEV1 (-.719, p = .008), and O3 and FVC (-.566, p = 0.055). We observed a larger effect of ozone on lung function (FVC and FEV1) for females (FVC -.792, p = .002; FEV1 -749, p = .005) than males (FVC -.541, p = .070; FEV1 -645, p = .023), We also observed that O3 concentration and daily symptoms showed a significant association (.938, p =.000). Ozone had a greater impact on females than males in respiratory diseases (COPD and asthma). There was also a stronger association between O3 and respiratory condition in the dry season than in the wet season (p < 0.05).
Conclusions: Exposure to ozone pollution caused a higher risk to COPD and asthma patients thus worsening their condition. Ozone pollution in Abuja is at a damaging level. The government has a key role to play in control and prevention initiatives to decrease ozone pollution to protect the public. The outcome of this study provides valuable data for further research and improving environmental practice in Nigeria
ir Koo Siu Ling de eerste vrouwelijke ingenieur luchtvaart en ruimtevaarttechniek in Nederland
No full textDe eerste vrouw die afstudeerde aan onze faculteit – die destijds ‘Vliegtuigbouwkunde’ heette – was Koo Siu Ling. Ze was een buitenlandse student uit Indonesië van Chinese afkomst. Toen ze zich aanmeldde voor de opleiding vliegtuigbouwkunde haalde dat zowel in Nederland als in Indonesië de krant. Ze begon met haar studie in 1956, toen ze 16 jaar was.Aerospace Structures & Material
Ir Koo Siu Ling the first female aerospace engineer in the Netherlands
No full textThe first woman to graduate from our faculty, then known as ‘Vliegtuigbouwkunde’ (Aeronautical engineering) was Koo Siu Ling. She was an international student from Indonesia of Chinese descent. When she registered to study ‘Vliegtuigbouwkunde’, it made the newspapers, both in the Netherlands and in Indonesia. She would start her studies in 1956 at the age of 16.Aerospace Structures & Material
The Cognitive Deficits Associated with Second-Hand Smoking
No full textExposure to second-hand smoke (SHS), also known as “passive smoking,” refers to a situation where a non-smoker inhales another person’s smoke either by sidestream or by mainstream exposure to tobacco smoke. Previous research has suggested that not only is prolonged exposure to SHS associated with a range of health-related problems similar to those found in smokers (1, 2) but is also linked to detrimental effects upon cognitive performance in children, adolescents, and adults. For example, children exposed to SHS show reduced vocabulary and reasoning skills when compared with non-exposed children (3) as well as more general cognitive and intellectual deficits (4). More recently, research using serum cotinine as a biomarker of exposure to SHS found that higher levels of serum cotinine were associated with significant reductions in performance in reading, mathematics, and visual and spatial abilities in children and adolescents (5) indicating that higher levels of SHS exposure is associated with poorer cognitive performance. In adults, exposure to SHS in those who had no history of smoking showed significantly reduced performance in processing speed (how quickly one can process information and perform tasks) and executive function (which includes the ability to organize memory, cognitive flexibility, and problem-solving ability) when compared with non-exposed, never smokers (6, 7). In addition, never smokers who lived with smokers for several decades showed a 30% increase in their risk of dementia (8). Recent work has also revealed everyday memory impairments in never smokers with a history of living with smokers for several years; for example, deficits in everyday prospective memory (memory for future actions), such as remembering to carry out everyday activities, keeping appointments with others, or remembering to post a letter on time (7, 9). What is less clear is the mechanism by which SHS might compromise cognitive performance
Designing role-based view for object-relational databases
No full textIn a federated database system, a view mechanism is crucial since it is used to define exportable subsets of data ; to perform a virtual restructuring d ataset; and to construct the integrated schema. The view service in federated databa se systems must be capable of retaining as much semantic information as possible. The object-oriented ( 0 - 0 ) model was considered the suitable canonical data model since it meets the original criteria for canonical model selection. However, with the emergence of stronger object-relational (0 -R ) model, the re is a clear argument for using an 0 - R canonical model in the federation. Hence, research should now focus on th e development of semantically powerful view mechanism for th e newer model. Meanwhile, the availability of real 0 -R technologies offers researchers the opportunity to develop different forms of view mechanisms.
The concept of roles has been widely studied in 0 - 0 modelling and development. The role model represents some characteristics that the traditional 0-0 model lacked, such as object migration, multiple occurrences and context-dependent access. While many forms of 0-0 views were designed for the 0-0 canonical model, one option was to extend the 0-0 model to incorporate a role model. In a role model, the real entity is modelled in the form of a role rather than an object. An object represents the permanent properties of an entity is a root object; and an object represents the temporary properties of an entity is a role object.
The contribution of this research is to design a view system that employees the concept of roles for the 0 -R canonical model in a federated database system. In this thesis, an examination of the current 0 -R metamodel is provided first in order to provide an environment for recognising the roleview metadata and measuring the view performance; then a Roleview Definition Language (RDL) is introduced, along with the semantics for defining virtual classes and generating virtua l extents; finally, a working prototype is provided to prove th e role-based view system is implementable and the syntax is semantically correct
Evaluation of the Awareness of Health Risks Associated with Air Pollution among the Elderly in Sunderland, United Kingdom
No full textAir pollution is a global problem, with its health impact disproportionately affecting certain age groups, including the elderly. It is a complex issue driven by human activities, and addressing it requires a strong focus on health literacy and risk communication. Understanding public awareness of air pollution exposure and its health consequences is essential for developing effective interventions. This study aimed to evaluate awareness of the health risks associated with air pollution among the elderly in Sunderland, United Kingdom. A total of 420 participants were recruited, and their responses to questionnaires were collected and analysed using a Chi-square test. The results showed an awareness index of 0.8, indicating that participants were generally aware of the health risks associated with air pollution in the study area. Several factors influenced awareness among older people. The Chi-square test was highly significant (p < 0.01), and the Pseudo R-square value of 0.731 indicated that the explanatory variables accounted for 73.1% of the variation in awareness levels. However, less than half of the sample was fully aware of the health risks posed by air pollution. Enhancing public awareness and promoting exposure-reduction strategies could help protect the elderly and individuals with respiratory diseases
Recommended from our members
Unfolding executive coaches' identity work through the social constructivist lens: coach–coachee–organisation
No full textThis study responds to a recent call on coaches' professional identity work through a socially contextualised lens. Coaches, as the freelancer, encounter complex working relationships with clients due to multiple contracting entities; yet coaches' identity work has been neglected in the extant training and development courses. A total of 36 semi-structured interviews with coaches and relational others (e.g., coachees and organisational stakeholders) were conducted to understand how coaches develop professional identity as part of their career development in responding to interactions with relational others. The research findings identify that learning facilitator is the core identity of coaches regardless of varied stages of the coaching process. Three layers of sub-identity are distinguished for them to handle a multi-level working relationship with clients. Coaches often ‘travel’ in-and-out between layers of these sub-identities to incorporate micro-personal career interests, meso coaching dyadic working relationships and the macro-level organisational scope into their identity development and negotiation. Accordingly, coaches' learning agility is required to remain identity flexibility for coping with varied coaching scenarios. This study outlines a conceptual framework which illustrates coaches' identity work as a conscious cognitive learning process embedded social and psychological exchanges. This framework offers coaching professional development courses a groundwork to facilitate coaches' identity development
- …
