Finite element approximation of non-Fickian polymer diffusion

The problem of nonlinear non-Fickian polymer diffusion as modelled by a diffusion equation with an adjoined spatially local evolution equation for a viscoelastic stress is considered (see, for example, Cohen, White & Witelski, SIAM J. Appl. Math. 55, pp. 348–368, 1995). We present numerical schemes based, spatially, on the Galerkin finite element method and, temporally, on the Crank-Nicolson method. Special attention is paid to linearising the discrete equations by extrapolating the value of the nonlinear term from previous time steps. Optimal a priori error estimates are given, based on the assumption that the exact solution possesses certain regularity properties, and numerical experiments are given to support these error estimates

Lifestyle activities, mental health and cognitive function in adults aged 50 to 90 years

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and was awarded by Brunel UniversityIn a series of studies, lifestyle activities, mental health and aerobic fitness were investigated in relation to mean RT and response time variability (trial-to-trial variability in RT performance) obtained from a battery of cognitive measures in 257 healthy adults aged 50 to 90 years (M = 63.60). Cognition was assessed across four domains; psychomotor performance, executive function, visual search and word recognition. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses and structural equation modelling (SEM) were used to explore associations between age and outcome measures in a mediated-moderator analysis. The dedifferentiation of cognition and the dissociation between the outcome measures of mean RT and response time variability was also explored. Additionally, the neural correlates of response time variability were investigated using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). The findings indicated that poor mental health was associated with greater within-person (WP) variability and slower mean RTs and that this effect was greater in older adults. Higher lifestyle activity scores and higher aerobic fitness (VO2max) attenuated negative age gradients in WP variability and mean RT. Analyses suggested that the above effects were mediated by executive function. There was no evidence of dedifferentiation across cognitive domains and there was selective dissociation between the measures of mean RT and WP variability. The fMRI results suggested that WP variability was associated with fluctuations in executive control and, relatedly, attentional lapses. Overall, the findings suggest that executive function mediates a substantial portion of age-related variance in cognition and that this association is influenced by moderators such as an active lifestyle, aerobic fitness and mental health. The findings underline the potential benefits and importance of interventions to help maintain and promote mental health, and active lifestyles, in old age

The effects of phenylbutazone on a strain of fibroblasts cultivated in vitro

Phenylbutazone was first synthesized in 1946 by H. Stenzyl during his investigation on pyrazole and pyrazoline derivatives. Although these compounds had been studied during the previous fifty years, the pharmacological properties were only recently recognized. It has been used clinically since 1952. Two other pharmaceutical agents of the pyrazole group are phenazone and amidopyrine; these were used as early as the nineteenth century. While phenazone and aminopyrine have basic properties, phenylbutazone exhibits distinctly acidic ones and is capable of forming salts with organic and inorganic bases. In order to achieve a more basic understanding of how phenylbutazone produces effects, the following brief survey of the work that has been done with this compound is presented

Key Curriculum for Developing World-Class Patient Centered Care Teams

According to the National Coalition on Health Care (2007), the health care industry is in a state of crisis. It is not as safe as it could be, it is not affordable for many people, and it is full of waste. There seems to be a consensus that reform is needed. One option for transforming health care is to focus on and develop the small units of people who actually do the work (Quinn, 1992 and Nelson et al, 2007). This Leadership Application Project addresses the question: what are the key curriculum elements needed to transform, develop, and sustain a group of people into a world-class patient centered team? To address this question, data were gathered from brainstorming sessions and direct observation of world-class teams in their natural setting. Data display and reduction were achieved by using four management tools. Following data reduction, all key elements were arranged into six team developmental modules

The Brotherly Task

Between the years 1951 and 1956 I sat out there where you are with enough regularity that no one ever got overly concerned about my spiritual condition. Back in those days, it seems to me, there was less concern about the spiritual condition and more concern about chapel attendance. I think that\u27s progress. During those years I sat out there I remembered thinking, frequently, that I did not want to be up here in the chancel-ever! - that the good place to be was out there-not up here. I was right; but as we say: That\u27s my problem