The effect of field dependence and target type on search time

This study investigated search time as a function of field dependence and target type. Thirty-nine students were given the Gropp Embedded Figures Test (GEFT). Two female and two male students each were randomly selected from the first and fourth quartiles. These eight participants were given forty-five sets of background letters in which they were to locate either a specific number, a specific letter, or an any number target. The field independent participants located the embedded targets much more quickly than the field dependent participants. It was expected that the differences in scan times for target types would be significant, however, the differences in scan times for target types were small for field dependent participants, and even smaller for field independent participants. These results indicate that the category effect, which states that the targets and field items belong to different categories such as letters and digits, was not in effect. The results may also be due to the small sample size used. Future research would dictate using a larger sample size

Marx’s Social and Political Thought after the MECW and MEGA2

Recent decades have seen significant advancements in the accessibility of Marx and Engels’ social and political thought due to publication of most of their writings, published or otherwise. The Marx and Engels Collected Works, which contains their published works, some economic manuscripts and important drafts, and letters translated into English, was completed in 2004; and the more extensive Marx-Engels-Gesamtausgabe (Complete Edition) is nearing completion. In parallel, the removal of Soviet editorial influence over the publication and interpretation of these collections has facilitated new interpretations and challenges to old dogmas surrounding the thought of Marx and Engels. However, this process has been questioned for a total depoliticisation which overemphasises an amorphous ‘thought’ and abandons the political, activist nature of their work. This thesis uses recently available and partially untranslated material published within the Collected Works and the Gesamtausgabe to present three vignettes of Marx’s social thought: the development of the proletariat as their focus in the 1840s; solidarity with Poland and the international relations of the workers’ movement; and the theory of the machine system, applied to contemporary platform capitalism. While these confirm the contradictory nature of Marx’s social thought across different writings, recognition of the political nature of Marx’s analysis means this contradiction can be contextualised through the fluid political situation which Marx and Engels sought to interpret and change. Thus, a less dogmatic and more nuanced picture of Marx can emerge from the MECW and MEGA2, yet this must still be seen as a political, activist Marx

Optimising image quality for medical imaging

OPTIMAX 2016 was held at the University of Salford in Greater Manchester. It is the fourth summer school of OPTIMAX with other renditions having been organized at the University of Salford (2013), ESTeSL, Lisbon (2014) and Hanze UAS, Groningen (2015). For OPTIMAX 2016, 72 people participated from eleven countries, comprising PhD, MSc and BSc students as well as tutors from the seven European partner universities. Professional mix was drawn from engineering, medical physics/ physics and radiography. OPTIMAX 2016 was partly funded by the partner universities and partly by the participants. Two students from South Africa and two from Brazil were invited by Hanze UAS (Groningen) and ESTeSL (Lisbon). One student from the United Kingdom was funded by the Nuffield Foundation. The summer school included lectures and group projects in which experimental research was conducted in five teams. Each team project focus varied and included: optimization of full spine curvature radiography in paediatrics; ultrasound assessment of muscle thickness and muscle cross-sectional area: a reliability study; the Influence of Source-to-Image Distance on Effective Dose and Image Quality for Mobile Chest X-rays; Impact of the anode heel effect on image quality and effective dose for AP Pelvis: A pilot study; and the impact of pitch values on Image Quality and radiation dose in an abdominal adult phantom using CT. OPTIMAX 2016 culminated in a poster session and a conference, in which the research teams presented their posters and oral presentations. This book comprises of two sections, the first four chapters concern generic background information which has value to summer school organization and also theory on which the research projects were built. The second section contains the research papers in written format. The research papers have been accepted for the ECR conference, Vienna, 2017 as either oral presentations or posters

The Machine System of Digital Labor Platforms and the Algorithm as Transmitting Mechanism

Central to the increasing digitization of contemporary capitalism are platforms such as Twitter, Uber, and Amazon. Utilizing large amounts of data and the internet’s global network, digital platforms allow for connection between users, workers, suppliers, employers, and other economic or social actors. Using Marx’s triadic conception of the machine from chapter 15 of Capital, “Machinery and Large-Scale Industry,” this essay highlights how the digital platform can be viewed as a machine system of the twenty-first century once technological changes are accounted for. Key to the digital platform as a machine system is its transmitting mechanism, the algorithm. The algorithm allows the central driving force, the technology firm, to regulate gig or click-work labor processes that take place on the platform. This framework provides a clearer positioning of the digital platform within the capitalist mode of production

Review article - An evaluation of SAFIRE's potential to reduce the dose received by paediatric patients undergoing CT: a narrative review:Iterative reconstruction in ct

Introduction: The purpose of this review is to gather and analyse current research publications to evaluate Sinogram-Affirmed Iterative Reconstruction (SAFIRE). The aim of this review is to investigate whether this algorithm is capable of reducing the dose delivered during CT imaging while maintaining image quality. Recent research shows that children have a greater risk per unit dose due to increased radiosensitivity and longer life expectancies, which means it is particularly important to reduce the radiation dose received by children. Discussion: Recent publications suggest that SAFIRE is capable of reducing image noise in CT images, thereby enabling the potential to reduce dose. Some publications suggest a decrease in dose, by up to 64% compared to filtered back projection, can be accomplished without a change in image quality. However, literature suggests that using a higher SAFIRE strength may alter the image texture, creating an overly ‘smoothed’ image that lacks contrast. Some literature reports SAFIRE gives decreased low contrast detectability as well as spatial resolution. Publications tend to agree that SAFIRE strength three is optimal for an acceptable level of visual image quality, but more research is required. The importance of creating a balance between dose reduction and image quality is stressed. In this literature review most of the publications were completed using adults or phantoms, and a distinct lack of literature for paediatric patients is noted. Conclusion: It is necessary to find an optimal way to balance dose reduction and image quality. More research relating to SAFIRE and paediatric patients is required to fully investigate dose reduction potential in this population, for a range of different SAFIRE strengths

OPTIMAX 2015 : multicultural team-based research in radiography, a holistic educational approach.

Following the successful OPTIMAX summer school held in Salford, 2013 and Lisbon, 2014 we organized OPTIMAX2015 summer school in Groningen. Fifty three people participated, comprising PhD, MSc and BSc students as well as tutors from the five European partners. Professional mix was drawn from engineering, medical physics/ physics and radiography. This summer school was hosted by the Hanze University of Applied Sciences Groningen in the Netherlands. It was funded by the partners. Two students from South Africa were invited by the Hanze University and one additional student from the United Kingdom who was funded by Nuffield. The summer school comprised of lectures and group work in which experimental research projects were conducted in five teams. Team project focus varied, two concentrating on CT reconstruction techniques and image quality, one on image quality high and low noise levels on DR systems, one on reliability and validity of detecting low dose radiation when using radiation detection applications and devices for smartphones. And one about ultrasound validity and reliability measuring rectus femoris muscle size. The summer school culminated in a poster market and conference, in which each team presented a poster and oral presentation on the conference. This book contains two parts, the first six chapters of this book shows the structure of organizing a summer school like OPTIMAX. The second part contains the oral papers in written format, in journal article style, and after editing they have been included within this book. At the time editing this book, several of the experimental papers has been commenced development work in order to make them fit for submission to conferences

Graduates’ orientations to Higher Education and their retrospective experiences of teaching and learning

In this article, we sought a relation between orientation to higher education and curricular experiences, and elucidated the nature of transformative curricular experiences. Twenty-four graduates from humanities and science degrees in the year 2000 were interviewed approximately five years later to obtain their retrospective views on the purpose of higher education, as well as their undergraduate experiences of teaching and learning. Drawing on phenomenographic principles, four orientations to higher education were generated. Four participant cases are analyzed, representing each orientation to higher education. In the ‘gaining a qualification’ orientation, graduates valued being told what to learn, as well as learning practical skills. For the ‘preparation for a job’ orientation, graduates wanted lecturers who were good at conveying information, but they also valued project work, having some autonomy over learning and practical applications. In the ‘developing skills and learning how to think’ orientation, graduates valued being challenged and learning in groups, but also wanted to learn professional skills. In the ‘growing as an individual’ orientation, graduates valued being challenged, gaining different perspectives, developing critical thinking, learning about theory, interacting with lecturers, research, and study for its own sake. Some curricular experiences transformed thinking about the purpose of higher education, including learning through discussion in small groups, authentic learning tasks including inquiry-based assignments, exercises in developing critical thinking, opportunities to interact with teachers, opportunities to develop practical skills, experiencing different cultures and personal growth through lifestyle and social experiences. Our research has implications for advising students, as well as for teachers aiming to encourage a deep approach to learning