GO-GN conceptual frameworks guide

This collaboratively written book brings together insights from a range of researchers into their use of conceptual frameworks in studying open education. Also included is an overview of different approaches to understanding the role(s) of theories and conceptual frameworks in doctoral research. In addition to discussing the different ways that conceptual frameworks are used we provide a (selective) overview of a range of conceptual frameworks and examples of their use. The GO-GN Conceptual Frameworks Guide is intended for those working in doctoral research but accessible enough to be used by anyone interested in carrying out a research project.Librar

Expert opinion as 'validation' of risk assessment applied to calf welfare

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Recently, a Risk Assessment methodology was applied to animal welfare issues in a report of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) on intensively housed calves.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Because this is a new and potentially influential approach to derive conclusions on animal welfare issues, a so-called semantic-modelling type 'validation' study was conducted by asking expert scientists, who had been involved or quoted in the report, to give welfare scores for housing systems and for welfare hazards.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Kendall's coefficient of concordance among experts (n = 24) was highly significant (P < 0.001), but low (0.29 and 0.18 for housing systems and hazards respectively). Overall correlations with EFSA scores were significant only for experts with a veterinary or mixed (veterinary and applied ethological) background. Significant differences in welfare scores were found between housing systems, between hazards, and between experts with different backgrounds. For example, veterinarians gave higher overall welfare scores for housing systems than ethologists did, probably reflecting a difference in their perception of animal welfare.</p> <p>Systems with the lowest scores were veal calves kept individually in so-called "baby boxes" (veal crates) or in small groups, and feedlots. A suckler herd on pasture was rated as the best for calf welfare. The main hazards were related to underfeeding, inadequate colostrum intake, poor stockperson education, insufficient space, inadequate roughage, iron deficiency, inadequate ventilation, poor floor conditions and no bedding. Points for improvement of the Risk Assessment applied to animal welfare include linking information, reporting uncertainty and transparency about underlying values.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The study provides novel information on expert opinion in relation to calf welfare and shows that Risk Assessment applied to animal welfare can benefit from a semantic modelling approach.</p

Median Implantation Depth and Implantation Profile of 3-18 keV Positrons in Amorphous Polymers.

Most applications of positron beams require knowledge of the implantation characteristics for an appropriate interpretation of the experimental data. In this work, the median implantation depth as a function of implantation energy, z1/2(E), of 3–18 keV positrons and their implantation profile P(z,E) in a total of 13 thin films of atactic polystyrene, poly(styrene-co-acrylonitrile), and polymethylmethacrylate spin coated onto a silicon substrate were determined from positron lifetime measurements using a pulsed, low-energy positron beam. z1/2(E) and P(z,E) were determined from the measurement of the ortho-positronium yield obtained from the intensity I3 of the long lifetime. z1/2(E) was parametrized with the commonly used power-law fit z1/2(E) = (A/)En, with and E in units of g cm–3 and keV, respectively, yielding A = 2.81(±0.2) µg cm–2 and n = 1.71(±0.05). Excellent agreement between amorphous polymer and literature data on Al and Cu suggests that the median implantation depth of positrons for low- to medium-Z materials in the studied energy range is independent of structure and only a function of mass density. Fitting of the Makhovian implantation profile to the experimental data suggested that the value of the parameter m varies between 1.7 and 2.3, systematically increasing with z at constant implantation energy, but is independent of the implantation energy. Using an equation proposed by Baker et al., the experimental data of 12 of the 13 studied polymer films could be described with a slightly better agreement than the Makhovian equation. ©2003 The American Physical Societ

Intelligent transportation system with diverse semi-autonomous vehicles

It is becoming increasingly likely that in the future most vehicles will be semi-autonomous with communication capabilities and will possess diverse speed capabilities. The aim of this paper is to describe the creation of an integrated traffic simulation system for such settings. While behaviours such as crossing, overtaking, etc. are trivially exhibited, the implemented system includes an intelligent traffic lights operating system, dynamic speed limits for speed lanes, lane reservation, road reservation, density regularization or traffic jam avoidance, replanning for blockages and re-routing under slow traffic conditions

Free volume determination of azobenzene-PMMA copolymer by a pulsed low-energy positron lifetime beam with in-situ UV illumination

The free volume properties of a poly(methyl methacrylate)-azobenzene copolymer were for the first time directly probed by use of a low-energy positron lifetime beam with in-situ excitation capabilities, showing that the free volume cavity size was not appreciably influenced by photoisomerization and thermal isomerization in the temperature range 34-180 degreesC. lsomerization is therefore suggested to occur without any molecular rearrangement of the glassy polymer matrix, which would also account for the lack of any shift to shorter wavelengths for the photoisomerization occurring in a glassy polymer in comparison to a chloroform solution. A decrease in the thermal isomerization rate at room temperature caused by the glassy polymer is explained in terms of a model in which only a fraction of the azobenzene is free to isomerize. The cis-azobenzene was found to be an efficient inhibitor of positronium formation, which enabled measurements of thermal isomerization rates and changes in the steady-state concentration of cis-azobenzene for an illuminated sample as a function of temperature