5,679 research outputs found
Funding of research in higher education: a panoptic view of the RAE
No full textThis thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.The thesis investigates the effects that the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) has
on the Higher Education sector. The alternative view presented by the thesis is that
more knowledge can be created by concentrating on the different constituents of the
RAE and their specific interactions with particular areas of the Higher Education
sector. The RAE constituents are interpreted as drivers that influence and impact, in
dissimilar fashions, on different activities of Higher Education Institutions (HEI). This
micro analysis of the RAE enables the investigation to isolate the single effects of the
RAE drivers therefore creating a bottom-up analysis of the overall impact of the RAE.
The analysis of the impact that the drivers have on HEIs’ activities focuses on the
perception that individuals within the system have of the consequences of the RAE.
The focus on perceptions derives from personal observation of the lack of consensus
on the consequences that different drivers have on different areas. The use of
perceptions as the mean to assess the impact of the RAE enables the investigation to
create a picture of the consequences of the RAE that addresses behavioural change.
A multi-dimensional crystal view approach is used to accommodate both the micro
analysis and the perception assessment. The multi-dimensional crystal view, a
research contribution in its own right, is based on the principle that a micro analysis of
a complex system can be achieved by decomposing the system into a number of
dimensions. Insight is draw when the interactions between some of the dimensions are
investigated. In the specific case of the RAE the dimension are: the RAE drivers,
HEIs’ activities and points of observation (dimension that captures perceptions).
Knowledge and insight can be acquired when the interactions between the dimensions
are aggregated at successive higher levels. The supporting tool for the multidimensional
crystal view approach is a matrix that facilitates the analytical process.
The aggregation of the dimensions comes from combining textual statements from the
points of observation (perceptions) on the effects that the drivers of the RAE have on
the activities of HEIs. The highest level is a textual statement that synthesises all
lower level statements
D-1821: 210 South 100 East, Logan, Utah, Scott J. and Betty Rae Marshall/Clara M. Brown/Eva S. Bell/Ephriam and Rose T. Herzog residence. Lot 6 Block 11 Plat D
No full textD-1821: 210 South 100 East, Logan, Utah, Scott J. and Betty Rae Marshall/Clara M. Brown/Eva S. Bell/Ephriam and Rose T. Herzog residence. Lot 6 Block 11 Plat
Disruption of brainstem monoaminergic fibre tracts in multiple sclerosis as a putative mechanism for cognitive fatigue:a fixel-based analysis
No full textIn multiple sclerosis (MS), monoaminergic systems are altered as a result of both inflammation-dependent reduced synthesis and direct structural damage. Aberrant monoaminergic neurotransmission is increasingly considered a major contributor to fatigue pathophysiology. In this study, we aimed to compare the integrity of the monoaminergic white matter fibre tracts projecting from brainstem nuclei in a group of patients with MS (n = 68) and healthy controls (n = 34), and to investigate its association with fatigue. Fibre tracts integrity was assessed with the novel fixel-based analysis that simultaneously estimates axonal density, by means of 'fibre density', and white matter atrophy, by means of fibre 'cross section'. We focused on ventral tegmental area, locus coeruleus, and raphe nuclei as the main source of dopaminergic, noradrenergic, and serotoninergic fibres within the brainstem, respectively. Fourteen tracts of interest projecting from these brainstem nuclei were reconstructed using diffusion tractography, and compared by means of the product of fibre-density and cross-section (FDC). Finally, correlations of monoaminergic axonal damage with the modified fatigue impact scale scores were evaluated in MS. Fixel-based analysis revealed significant axonal damage - as measured by FDC reduction - within selective monoaminergic fibre-tracts projecting from brainstem nuclei in MS patients, in comparison to healthy controls; particularly within the dopaminergic-mesolimbic pathway, the noradrenergic-projections to prefrontal cortex, and serotoninergic-projections to cerebellum. Moreover, we observed significant correlations between severity of cognitive fatigue and axonal damage within the mesocorticolimbic tracts projecting from ventral tegmental area, as well as within the locus coeruleus projections to prefrontal cortex, suggesting a potential contribution of dopaminergic and noradrenergic pathways to central fatigue in MS. Our findings support the hypothesis that axonal damage along monoaminergic pathways contributes to the reduction/dysfunction of monoamines in MS and add new information on the mechanisms by which monoaminergic systems contribute to MS pathogenesis and fatigue. This supports the need for further research into monoamines as therapeutic targets aiming to combat and alleviate fatigue in MS.© 2021 T. Carandini, M. Mancini, I. Bogdan, C. Rae, A. Barritt, A. Sethi, N. Harrison, W. Rashid, E. Scarpini, D. Galimberti, M. Bozzali, M. Cercignani. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. See http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ </p
Measuring What’s Valued Or Valuing What’s Measured? Knowledge Production and the Research Assessment Exercise
No full textPower is everywhere. But what is it and how does it infuse personal and institutional relationships in higher education? Power, Knowledge and the Academy: The Institutional is Political takes a close-up and critical look at both the elusive and blatant workings and consequences of power in a range of everyday sites in universities. Authors work with multi-layered conceptions of power to disturb the idea of the academy as a haven of detached reason and instead reveal the ways in which power shapes personal and institutional relationships, the production of knowledge and the construction of academic careers. Chapters focus on, among other areas, student-supervisor relationships, personal PhD journeys, power in research teams, networking, the Research Assessment Exercise in the UK, and the power to construct knowledge in literature reviews.
This chapter does not address which mechanism of research assessment provides a more truthful account of the value of a set of ‘research outputs’. Instead, it focuses on the power of any such mechanism to reinforce particular values and to inscribe hierarchies regarding knowledge. Regardless of what replaces it, the UK's RAE will have been productive, not just reflective of academic values. Some of the negative consequences of the RAE for UK academic life are considered, focusing on the operation of power through processes of knowledge production
Heterogeneous and tissue-specific regulation of effector T cell responses by IFN-gamma during Plasmodium berghei ANKA infection.
No full textIFN-γ and T cells are both required for the development of experimental cerebral malaria during Plasmodium berghei ANKA infection. Surprisingly, however, the role of IFN-γ in shaping the effector CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cell response during this infection has not been examined in detail. To address this, we have compared the effector T cell responses in wild-type and IFN-γ(-/-) mice during P. berghei ANKA infection. The expansion of splenic CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells during P. berghei ANKA infection was unaffected by the absence of IFN-γ, but the contraction phase of the T cell response was significantly attenuated. Splenic T cell activation and effector function were essentially normal in IFN-γ(-/-) mice; however, the migration to, and accumulation of, effector CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells in the lung, liver, and brain was altered in IFN-γ(-/-) mice. Interestingly, activation and accumulation of T cells in various nonlymphoid organs was differently affected by lack of IFN-γ, suggesting that IFN-γ influences T cell effector function to varying levels in different anatomical locations. Importantly, control of splenic T cell numbers during P. berghei ANKA infection depended on active IFN-γ-dependent environmental signals--leading to T cell apoptosis--rather than upon intrinsic alterations in T cell programming. To our knowledge, this is the first study to fully investigate the role of IFN-γ in modulating T cell function during P. berghei ANKA infection and reveals that IFN-γ is required for efficient contraction of the pool of activated T cells
FDG uptake of normal canine brain assessed by high-resolution research tomography-positron emission tomography and 7 T-magnetic resonance imaging
No full textThe purpose of this study was to assess the normal distribution of 18F-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG) uptake of canine brain structures using a high-resolution research tomography-positron emission tomography (HRRT-PET) and 7 T-magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) fusion system. FDG-PET and T2-weighted MRI of the brain were performed on 4 healthy laboratory beagle dogs. On MRI, regions of interests (ROIs) were manually drawn over 51 intracranial structures, including nine gross structures and 42 detailed structures. Relative standard uptake value ratio (rSUV=SUV of ROI/SUV of whole brain) was calculated for each ROI. The HRRT-PET and 7 T-MRI fusion imaging system demonstrated significant differences in glucose metabolism among various intracranial structures. Among gross structures, the midbrain and the pons and medulla oblongata had the highest uptake (rSUV: 1.12 ± 0.03) and lowest uptake (rSUV: 0.90 ± 0.06) of FDG, respectively. When rSUVs were calculated on detailed regions, the caudal colliculus and the longitudinal fibers of pons had the highest (rSUV: 1.62 ± 0.05) and the lowest (rSUV: 0.63 ± 0.03) glucose metabolism, respectively. Because the high resolution of PET-MRI fusion images provided clearly identifiable metabolic activities of canine brain, the HRRT-PET and 7 T-MRI fusion imaging might be a good tool for evaluation of intracranial diseases in canines.open
Crystal and molecular structure of bis(5,7-dimethyl-[1,2,4]triazololium-N3-[1,5-a]pyrimidine) hexachlorostannate: [Hdmtp]2[SnCl6]
No full textJ. M. Salas, A. Rahmani, M. A. Romero, A. D. Rae, A. C. Willis and E. R. T. Tiekin
Lloyd's American railroad map of the United States, showing the three proposed roads and the overland mail route to the Pacific,
No full textOutline map of the continental United States showing drainage, state boundaries, major cities, forts, finished and proposed railroads. [From published bibliography]Scale ca. 1:6,500,000.Relief shown by hachures.Portraits of 28 railroad presidents are reproduced in the border, including: John Robin McDaniel, Jacob Strader, J. D. De Frees, John Caldwell, C. A. Brown, J. Edgar Thompson, Thos. D. Walker, E. Hobbs, R. N. Rice, S. S. L'Hommedieu, Wm. Case, George Palmer, P. A. Hall, Henry C. Lord, A. G. Jaudon, Edwin Robinson, E. H. Gill, W. T. Joynes, J. B. Warring, S. L. Fremont, John L. Helm, John Ross, A. S. Crothers, E. Gest, Erastus Corning, L. M. Hubby, W. H. Clements, John T. Levis,"Entered according to act of Congress in the year 1859 by J.T. Lloyd in the clerk's office of the District Court of the United States ...""Drawn & engraved at Rae Smith's ... N.Y. from materials furnished to the 36th Congress, March 1859 by G.K. Warren, Lt. U.S. Top. Eng. for the passage of the Pacific Railroad bill."LC U.S. railroad maps, 37Includes portraits of 28 railroad presidents
The integration of grazing management and gastro-intestinal parasite control in sheep
No full textThe production of lambs from enclosed land at 0-300m is an important part of agriculture in S.E. Scotland. In this area stocking rates during summer grazing have traditionally been low (7 ewes and lambs per hectare). The reported major restriction to increased stocking rates is that of high gastro-intestinal parasite infections resulting from grazing ewes and lambs on the same grass, year after year. Attempts to achieve better grass utilization by increased stocking rates and higher nitrogen usage have proved disappointing in terms of individual lamb performance. This has led to farmers drawing the conclusion that high nitrogen use, high stocking rates and good lamb performance are not compatible.
It is established that the simplest and most effective way of controlling gastro-intestinal parasites in lambs is to graze ewes and lambs on clean pasture, i.e. land that has not carried lambs or young sheep during the previous 12 months. A system of rotation was established at House O' Muir, Midlothian that ensured clean grass for the flocks every year and this system was used to ascertain whether clean worm free grazing allowed intensification of sheep without the normal reduction in individual lamb performance. Alongside this project the hypothesis that "given initially clean grazing and by dosing ewes after lambing, ewes and lambs can remain worm free under continuous summer grazing conditions", was investigated.
A plot of 8.5 hectares was divided into J equal areas for (i) Ewe and lamb grazing, (ii) Cattle grazing, (iii) Hay production. Clean grazing was ensured by each area following a J course rotation of cattle: sheep: hay.
Two methods of continuous summer grazing were compared with the t clean grazing experiment. Each treatment had similar stocking rates and fertilizer usage, and were:-
A) Continuous sheep grazing with ewes dosed with Thibenzole before they had access to grass and lambs and ewes dosed with Nilzen only when they were observed to show clinical symptoms of worm infection.
B) Continuous sheep grazing with ewes dosed with Thibenzole before they had access to grass and ewes and lambs given two routine nematodirus doses of Nilzan.
C) Clean grazing provided for the sheep each year with ewes dosed before grazing and lambs dosed only when they were observed to show clinical symptoms of worm infection.
Treatments A and B were considered to have lower performance than treatment C due to pasture contamination by over wintering larvae causing infection in young lambs early in the year.
The hypothesis that given initially clean grazing and by dosing the ewes after lambing, ewes and lambs can remain worm free under continuous summer grazing conditions, was found to be invalid in practise.
Due to limitations within the experimental design it was not possible to draw definitive conclusions from the results obtained. There were considerable between farm differences that confounded any between treatment differences that could have been due to helminthological effects. Also the very dry weather experienced in the summers of 1975 and 1976 will have further affected data due to poor grass growth affecting live weight gains and to desiccation affecting the helminth eggs and larvae surviving on the pasture.
The results indicate that in treatment A the group mean daily live weight gain declined over time more than did that of treatments
B and C. This was considered to be due to pasture contamination f by over wintering larvae causing infection in young lambs early in the year. This fact was not fully elucidated, but could have been, if pasture sampling for larvae had commenced earlier in the year and continued later.
Treatments B and C were considered to be of similar merit in reducing helminth challenges to young grazing lambs. However Treatment B maintained its group mean daily live weight gains with considerable anthelmintic use Treatment C on the other hand required only strategic dosing of ewes and lambs at turn out to grazing and then again at weaning. There was little possibility of lambs being exposed to over wintered pasture helminth larvae in Treatment C (rotational clean grazing) whereas there is a continued risk of exposure to over wintered larvae in Treatment B.
It would seem that continuous summer grazing at high stocking rates cannot maintain high individual lamb live weight gains without considerable anthelmintic support. This was due to the possibility of large numbers of autumn deposited helminth eggs developing and over wintering to offer early challenges to very young and susceptible lambs. By the application of the management principles involved in the production of clean grazing, this problem can be avoided.
Clean grazing allowed good individual lamb performance at relatively high summer stocking rates (17-5 ewes and 29 lambs per ha) with minimal anthelmintic treatment. The productivity of lamb per grazing hectare was maintained at a high level without resorting to supplementary feeding or excessive anthelmintic treatment.
Summer stocking rates and thus output per hectare are at least double those found under traditional management
24. Praat for Indigenous Language Learning (D, T, P)
No full textAs learners, sometimes it is hard for us to pinpoint what exactly it is that we are not hearing or saying properly; Praat helps us to see this in a very concrete way. This workshop is geared towards people who are interested in fine-tuning their own or others’ listening and speaking skills. Over the course of the workshop, participants will learn how to use Praat as a visual aid for hearing and transcribing speech (e.g. stories), as well as for fine-tuning pronunciation, by measuring certain features of speech (e.g. pauses and intonation patterns) and adjusting them to match those of their elders and teachers.
Example of what we might work on (depending on group interest):
One way that I (Rae Anne) have used Praat is to study the pauses in my speech compared to those in my elders’ speech: I took a close look at my pauses, and discovered that some are intentional and some are not. I was able to see that when I say words full of clusters (groups of consonants), I unintentionally pause/stop for a longer time than my elders do. In sentences, I saw that I didn\u27t always pause at the same places that my elders intentionally did. I have used Praat to locate and measure pauses, in order to use them more like my elders do
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