251 research outputs found
BSA Practice guidance: an overview of current management of auditory processing disorder (APD)
No full textMeso F.E. simulation of composite reinforcement deformation based on X-ray computed tomography
No full text20th International ESAFORM Conference on Material Forming, Dublin City Univ, Dublin, IRELAND, APR 26-28, 2017International audienceMeso-FE modelling of 3D textile composites is a powerful tool, which can help determine mechanical properties and permeability of the reinforcements or composites. The quality of the meso FE analyses depends on the quality of the initial model. A direct method based on X-ray tomography imaging is introduced to determine finite element models based on the real geometry of 3D composite reinforcements. The method is particularly suitable regarding 3D textile reinforcements for which internal geometries are numerous and complex. An analysis of the image's texture is performed. A hyperelastic model developed for fibre bundles is used for the simulation of the deformation of the 3D reinforcement
‘The Meditations as Meditation?: The Significance of Reading Descartes’ Meditations on First Philosophy from a Meditational Perspective’
No full textThis project considers the significance of the title of Descartes’ Meditations, asking questions of the nature and extent of the influence of the meditational genre on the text. Approaching the text from a meditational perspective is shown to be highly illuminative. Meditation is not just one ‘aspect’ of the text; rather, it impacts on its very nature, purpose and meaning.
Despite the quantity of research on the Meditations, the text often meets with heavy criticism. This is at least partly due to the way the text is approached; the compartmentalisation of ‘problems’ in the text, and the sidelining of ‘literary’ considerations in favour of the ‘philosophical’, create a fractured representation of the text. This thesis promotes philosophical and literary interdependency, by focusing the reader’s attention on the role of meditation in informing the text. It offers a fresh approach to the Meditations.
The thesis draws on comparisons with St. Ignatius of Loyola’s Spiritual Exercises, to assess if, and in what way, this type of meditational writing informed the Meditations. The thesis establishes a basic connection between Ignatius and Descartes, before giving Descartes a voice in explaining why he chose to so title his work, emphasising epistemological considerations. The final part builds a picture of how the meditational genre impacts on the reader’s interpretation of the Meditations.
By focusing on the importance of how the text is read, a consideration of the title is shown to be key in bringing about a more balanced understanding of the text. This sympathetic approach renders some of the classic ‘Cartesian problems’ less threating to Descartes’ project. Furthermore, reforming the way we read the Meditations has wider implications for handling other philosophical and theological texts. The focus on considerations of style and genre can be applied more widely, paving the way for fruitful textual interpretation
The Longitudinal Effect of Impaired Kidney Function on Bone Mineral Density and the Association of Body Composition on Biomarkers of Kidney Function Among Afro-Caribbean Men of West African Ancestry
No full textBackground: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a rising global health problem. African Americans bear a greater proportion of CKD burden compared to Caucasians. Little is known about the relationship of CKD with bone loss and body composition distribution with biomarkers of CKD in blacks.
Objective: The prevalence of CKD among Tobago black, African American and Caucasian men, aged 40 years and older were determined and compared. The risk factors of CKD, the association of body composition with biomarkers of CKD and the effect of CKD on longitudinal bone loss were examined among Tobago black males.
Methods: Tobago men were recruited from Tobago Island in 2004-2007. Counterparts from U.S were obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003-2006. Standardized serum creatinine, cystatin C and urinary albumin were measured using Jaffè reaction, Dade Behring nephelometer and fluorescent immunoassay respectively. Longitudinal Bone Mineral Density changes in trochanter, femoral neck and total hip from 2004/2007-2012 were measured using Dual X-Ray Absorptiomertry (DXA). Body composition was measured using DXA and Peripheral Quantitative Computed Tomography (PQCT). Covariates were assessed from questionnaires in 2004-2007.
Results: The prevalence of CKD was 19.7%, 23.4% and 19.7% in Tobago black, African American and Caucasian men respectively. Age, hypertension and diabetes were significantly associated with CKD in Tobago men. Lean body mass and calf muscle area were positively associated with serum creatinine. All adiposity measures were positively associated with cystatin C, but not with calf muscle area. There was consistent greater decline in BMD across quartiles of ACR, serum creatinine and cystatin C in trochanter, femoral neck and total hip bones. The rate of bone loss in Tobago men was similar to that in Caucasian men.
Public Health Significance: The biomarkers used for assessing CKD (serum creatinine and cystatin C) are influenced by body composition. Future CKD screening among blacks with high lean or muscle mass should include cystatin C assessment due to the influence of muscle mass on serum creatinine.
CKD is associated with bone loss. Proper management of bone minerals and DXA screenings are necessary in order to reduce bone loss among individuals with CKD
Fluoride removal by Ca-Al-CO<sub>3</sub> layered double hydroxides at environmentally-relevant concentrations
No full textIn this study, F− removal by Ca–Al–CO3 layered double hydroxides (LDHs) was investigated at environmentally-relevant concentration ranges (2–12 mg/L) to below the WHO guideline, with an emphasis on the effect of LDHs’ modification, as well as the effects of initial F− concentration, adsorbent dose, pH, temperature and co-existing ions. Ca–Al–CO3 LDHs, either untreated, calcined or microwave treated, showed affinity for the removal of F− from synthetic groundwater with capacities of 6.7–8.4 mg F−/g LDHs at groundwater-relevant pH, with a higher F− removal capacity at lower pH (<8) and lower temperature (12 °C, as compared to 25 °C & 35 °C). Since calcination and microwave treatment resulted in only marginal defluorination improvements, using untreated LDHs appears the practically most feasible option. For the untreated LDHs, competition with Cl− and NO3− was not observed, whereas at higher HCO3− and SO42− concentrations (>250 mg/L) a slight reduction in F− removal was observed. This study indicates the potential of Ca–Al–CO3 LDHs as a cost-effective F− removal technology, particularly when locally sourced and in combination with low-cost pH correction.Sanitary Engineerin
Valuing Transgenic Cotton Technologies Using a Risk/Return Framework
No full textStochastic Efficiency with Respect to a Function (SERF) is used to rank transgenic cotton technology groups and place an upper and lower bound on their value. Yield and production data from replicated plot experiments are used to build cumulative distribution functions of returns for nontransgenic, Roundup Ready, Bollgard, and stacked gene cotton cultivars. Analysis of Arkansas data indicated that the stacked gene and Roundup Ready technologies would be preferred by a large number of risk neutral and risk averse producers as long as the costs of the technology and seed are below the lower bounds calculated in this manuscript.cotton, financial risk, market value, SERF, transgenic, Agribusiness, Crop Production/Industries, Risk and Uncertainty, Q12, Q16,
Fluoride removal from water by Ca-Al-CO<sub>3</sub> layered double hydroxides and simultaneous acidification
No full textMillions of people worldwide are exposed to excessive concentrations of fluoride (F−) from groundwater sources. Ca-Al-CO3 layered double hydroxides (LDHs) have shown promising defluoridation efficiency; however, defluoridation by Ca-Al-CO3 LDHs is highly pH sensitive. This study showed that simultaneous acidification by conventional acids, such as HCl and CO2 substantially increased the performance of Ca-Al-CO3 LDHs for F- removal at environmentally relevant concentrations (e.g., 10 mg/L) to below the WHO guideline value (1.5 mg/L), while, in comparison to other acids (HNO3, H2SO4, H3PO4), the use of HCl and CO2 does not lead to the introduction of potentially harmful or undesired anions. The addition of HCl and CO2 to LDHs suspensions did lead to changes to the LDHs structure. Leaching experiments, supported by PHREEQC modelling and characterization (SEM-EDX, XRD and FTIR), strongly suggest that the main mechanism of F- removal by Ca-Al-CO3 LDHs was F− adsorption or complexation onto/into various rehydrated mixed metal oxides which re-precipitated upon partial LDHs dissolution when acidifying.Sanitary Engineerin
On Dugundji’s notion of positive definiteness
No full textDugundji’s notion of positive definiteness is generalized to nonnegative real-valued functions on a uniform space. Its relations with completeness and various notions of compactness are investigated. For an arbitrary uniform space
X
X
, there may be lack of the right kind of lower semicontinuous real-valued functions on
X
X
and so a further generalization of Dugundji’s notion of positive definiteness is needed for the development of the fixed point (or coincidence) theory. With such an extension, a very general fixed point theorem is obtained to include a recent result of the author, which contains, as special cases, some results of S. Banach, F.E. Browder, D. W. Boyd and J. S. W. Wong, M. Edelstein and R. Kannan.</p
The Evolutionary Path of the Law
No full textWhat lessons can legal scholars learn from the life and work of W. D. Bill Hamilton, a lifelong student of nature? From my small corner of academia, three aspects of Bill Hamilton’s work in evolutionary biology stand out in particular: (i) Hamilton’s simple and beautiful model of social behavior in terms of costs and benefits; (ii) his fruitful collaboration with the political theorist Robert Axelrod and their unexpected yet elegant solution of the Prisoner’s Dilemma, an important game or puzzle that had defied solution until Hamilton and Axelrod came along; and (iii) Hamilton’s conception of science generally -- and in particular his view of the process of scientific justification -- as a form of trial advocacy. In this review of Ullica Segerstråle’s recently-published biography of Bill Hamilton, the author briefly recounts and reviews each one of these important contributions
Current detection using a Josephson parametric upconverter
No full textWe present the design, measurement, and analysis of a current sensor based on a process of Josephson parametric upconversion in a superconducting microwave cavity. When a coplanar waveguide is terminated with a nanobridge-constriction Josephson junction, we observe modulation sidebands from the cavity that enable highly sensitive frequency-multiplexed output of small currents for applications such as readout of transition-edge sensor arrays. We derive an analytical model to reproduce the measurements over a wide range of bias current, detuning, and input power. When the frequency of the cavity is tuned by more than 100 MHz with a dc current, our device achieves a minimum current sensitivity of 8.9pA/Hz. Extrapolating the results of our analytical model, we predict an improved device based on our platform, capable of achieving a sensitivity down to 50fA/Hz, or even lower if one can take advantage of parametric amplification in the Josephson cavity. Taking advantage of the Josephson architecture, our approach can provide higher sensitivity than kinetic inductance designs, and potentially enables detection of currents ultimately limited by quantum noise.QN/Steele La
- …
