Microgravity: Teacher's guide with activities for physical science

This guide is an educational tool for teachers of grades 5 through 12. It is an introduction to microgravity and its application to spaceborne laboratory experiments. Specific payloads and missions are mentioned with limited detail, including Spacelab, the International Microgravity Laboratory, and the United States Microgravity Laboratory. Activities for students demonstrate chemistry, mathematics, and physics applications of microgravity. Activity objectives include: modeling how satellites orbit Earth; demonstrating that free fall eliminates the local effects of gravity; measuring the acceleration environments created by different motions; using a plasma sheet to observe acceleration forces that are experienced on board a space vehicle; demonstrating how mass can be measured in microgravity; feeling how inertia affects acceleration; observing the gravity-driven fluid flow that is caused by differences in solution density; studying surface tension and the fluid flows caused by differences in surface tension; illustrating the effects of gravity on the burning rate of candles; observing candle flame properties in free fall; measuring the contact angle of a fluid; illustrating the effects of gravity and surface tension on fiber pulling; observing crystal growth phenomena in a 1-g environment; investigating temperature effects on crystal growth; and observing crystal nucleation and growth rate during directional solidification. Each activity includes a background section, procedure, and follow-up questions

Scottish Chartism and its economic background

In 1838 Lovett drafted what was called the 'People's Charter' and this was sponsored by the L.W.M.A.. Almost simultaneously a similar document called the National Petition was issued by the Birmingham Political Union. That the demands and aims of both groups were alike was not coincidence. They had independently made a concise re-statement of earlier Radical ideas - ideas which always had been the stock in trade of the reformer. Only the presentation was new - the familiar 'Six Points'. Here they are.(1) Manhood suffrage. (2) Vote by ballot. (3) Annual Parliaments. (4) Abolition of the property qualification of MPs. (5) Payment of members. (6) Equal electoral districts. [This last was not put forward by the Birmingham Political Union].The heady old wine of Radicalism proved very much to the public taste when served up in new bottles. Clubs and associations throughout the country were formed to advocate the 'Six Points'. Soon it became a national movement and by 1839 was strong enough to hold a Convention in London - a sort of 'Parliament of the Industrious Classes' as suggested by uwen in 1834. There was to be no guillotine and Tricolour about this meeting. Great care was taken to see that it was a legal assembly and that by coming together the members did not contravene any existing legislation. What was behind all this? Well, at least it would provide a rallying point for various shades of radical opinion and enable a programme of political action to be drawn up, Of course the more violent elemental hoped that somehow or other this Convention might yet become the de facto Government of the country.This Convention marks the real start of Chartism. It went through many vicissitudesm often becoming very violent in character, and suffered a major defeat in 1848. But it was a complex movement full of inherent contradictions. As the movement in Scotland is examined, something of its real nature, its virtues and failings, should emerge. Chartism as such petered out in a welter of froth and frustration; yet four of those 'Six Points' are at the very foundations of modern society. This is not coincidence. Chartism set in motion forces the full effects of which have still to be felt

Dietary regulation of the signalling molecule FGF15 in the ileum and its effect on the gut-liver axis

The intestinal hormone Fibroblast Growth Factor 19 (FGF19, rodent homologue FGF15) has recently been linked to both positive and negative health outcomes. The expression of FGF15/19 is regulated by the bile acid-sensing transcription factor farnesoid X receptor in the ileum. After its production, this enterokine travels to the liver where it blocks de novo bile acid production via CYP7A1. Circulating FGF15/19 levels are known to rise postprandially which can influence both blood cholesterol and glucose levels. However, the influence of dietary patterns on the regulation of FGF15/19 expression is largely unknown. In this thesis, dietary regulation of FGF15 is explored in rodent studies. Mice fed a high starch (HS) diet showed increased expression of FGF15 compared to mice fed a chow control diet. The importance of starch digestion was confirmed by acarbose treatment, which inhibited both starch digestion and FGF15 expression. Further, increased glucose in the ileum was shown to induce the expression of FGF15. Importantly, this regulation was found to be independent of the microbiota. In addition, in mice fed HS diets supplemented with soluble fibres, FGF15 expression was suppressed. This latter effect may also contribute to the known cholesterol-lowering effects of soluble fibres. While the HS diet induced the expression of FGF15, this work highlights the long-term negative health effects of such a diet, showing dysregulation of the gut-liver axis in our mouse model that eventually led to increases in cell proliferation, and, in some mice, the development of hepatic carcinoma. Reducing HS diets in a caloric restriction (CR) model counteracted these negative health effects and in the long term downregulated the expression of FGF15. Decreased FGF15 expression correlated with a reduction in ileal bile acids in the CR model. In conclusion, we showed that increased luminal glucose reaching the ileum, consumption of soluble fibre, and long-term CR influenced the expression of the important gut-hormone FGF15. This influence on its regulation may influence gut-liver health with a profound impact on systemic bile acids and cholesterol levels

Examination of the effectiveness of different syringe shields for beta emitting radionuclides and the implications for staff finger and whole body doses

There are conflicting statements in the literature on the optimum shielding for beta emitting radionuclides. Perspex is commonly cited as reducing bremsstrahlung compared to lead. Other reports indicate lead can be used. Newer therapies require dispensing of large activities (>1GBq) and it is vital to minimize high finger doses. The shielding aspects for 90Y and 32P, two commonly used therapy radionuclides, have been investigated. Whole body doses and finger doses are examined, together with ergonomic aspects. The research highlights the difficulty in carrying out dose assessments and the disparity of the data in the literature. Three different assessment techniques were used: a) different types of TLDs; b) a variety of dose rate meters and c) spectral analysis with a germanium detector. The measurement and source geometries used were designed to replicate as far as possible those routinely encountered in the clinical environment. Investigations were carried out using three types of syringe shields for 10ml and 1ml syringes; Perspex, tungsten and a hybrid shield of plastic and lead. In all cases the hybrid shield is the optimum choice to reduce both finger dose and whole body exposure. However, ergonomically it is bulky which can result in longer handling times. This work identifies an improved shield design. The tungsten shield provides almost as much dose reduction and is preferred by operators. Tungsten shields are also normally routinely available in Nuclear Medicine departments. They are therefore considered a justifiable alternative. Although Perspex is still commonly recommended, both the tungsten and hybrid shields are superior to Perspex shields, with the exception of the 1ml shield for 90Y where Perspex was marginally better than tungsten. The other critical training issue highlighted is that finger doses can exceed statutory annual limits within seconds if staff handle unshielded syringes or vials of 90Y or 32P

Townscape change and local planning management in city centre conservation areas: the example of Birmingham and Bristol

The thesis considers townscape change and the operation of conservation policies within two city centre conservation areas in Birmingham and Bristol during the 1970s and 1980s. The study combines character assessment of the two areas, from an urban morphogenetic perspective, and micro-scale examination of local authority planning application data to consider the impact of conservation management. Utilising the concepts and terminology developed by M.R.G. Conzen for the analysis of the townscape, the study identifies distinct units of townscape within the conservation areas. The use of an historical basis for conservation area character exposes the arbitrary nature of many conservation area boundaries, enclosing clusters of listed buildings rather than coherent areas of townscape. This approach also exposes the static nature of area character assessments based on architecture alone. These assessments provide an inflexible basis for character preservation and enhancement, one which under-values minor commercial and industrial heritage. While the influence of national economic trends, planning policies and architectural fashions produced a similar trajectory of conservation policy development in both areas, important local differences existed. Differences in the local office market and the extent of building listing produced contrasts in the 'success' of conservation policies. The high percentage of listed buildings in Bristol produced greater success in policy development and application than in Birmingham, by providing greater access to grant funds and the strength to sustain refusals at appeal. Consequently, in Bristol, contextual styles were used exclusively for new building from the mid-1970s onwards, and redevelopment using façadism was limited. This also aided the development of landscaping and building enhancement schemes, helping to tackle the erosion of character through minor change. In Birmingham, amid a pro-business climate and with limited listing of the Victorian fabric, the transition to contextual styles was more muted and façadism remained a key option for new commercial development. These circumstances also delayed and limited the development of enhancement strategies until the mid-1980s. In the late-1980s, rising commercial pressures exposed the weaknesses of conservation control in both areas. Limitations to their character assessments reduced the ability of the two areas to resist trends towards universal historicist styles for new building, and the use of standard 'corporate-heritage' elements for building interiors and exteriors. The lack of extra control offered by area designation for the regulation of interior and functional change reduced the ability of the local authorities to monitor and control the micro-scale processes of change, leading to further character erosion

Clinical features and structured clinical evaluation of vasculitis

Systemic vasculitides are a group of heterogeneous conditions with overlapping patterns of clinical and laboratory manifestations. Moreover, clinical features can be non-specific and seemingly disparate. A major factor in defining optimal therapy and measuring treatment response is careful disease assessment targeting four main domains: activity, damage, prognosis and quality of life/function. Assessment tools such as the Birmingham Activity Score and the Vasculitis Damage Index have become a core feature of clinical trials in ANCA-associated vasculitis (AAV) and formed the basis for sound clinical management of these complex conditions. We are still lacking accurate definitions of disease activity and damage progression in large-vessel vasculitis. There is an increasing interest in the role of patient-reported outcomes as a measure of disease impact; a disease-specific measure for use in AAV is being validated. We review how best to evaluate patients with large-, medium- and small-vessel vasculitis

The influence of the Great East Japan earthquake on microscopic polyangiitis: A retrospective observational study

<div><p>Background</p><p>Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-associated vasculitis is triggered by environmental factors, including silica dust exposure. Repeated tsunami waves brought a large volume of silica-containing sludge inland after the Great East Japan earthquake in 2011. We aimed to determine if the serious disaster influenced the clinical features of the microscopic polyangiitis.</p><p>Methods</p><p>This is an observational retrospective study conducted in a single institute. A total of 43 patients were included based on the CHCC2012 criteria for microscopic polyangiitis from 2007 to 2015. We used the Poisson regression model to determine the incidence of microscopic polyangiitis within the annual population of the medical district. The participants were selected during a 3-year period from before (N = 13) to after the disaster (N = 20). The differences of parameters and the overall survival between the groups were analyzed.</p><p>Results</p><p>The incidence of microscopic polyangiitis increased after the disaster (λ = 17.4/million/year [95%CI: 7.66–39.6] before the disaster and λ = 33.1/million/year [17.7–61.7] after the disaster, <i>P</i> = 0.044). A high Birmingham Activity Score was associated with a high incidence of microscopic polyangiitis after the disaster. The overall survival of the patients with microscopic polyangiitis declined significantly after the disaster.</p><p>Conclusions</p><p>The Great East Japan earthquake influenced the development of the microscopic polyangiitis in our restricted area. The patients who developed after the disaster had severe symptoms and a high mortality rate.</p></div