8,091 research outputs found
Academics’ experience of copyright : a case study of teaching at the University of Greenwich
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to obtain a snapshot of attitudes and comprehension of the University of Greenwich (UoG) academics towards copyright and the impact of same on their teaching, complementing this with a survey of the experience of academic librarians (ALs) throughout the UK when dealing with faculty and copyright.
Design/methodology/approach
Two questionnaires were created and circulated to capture information from two sampled groups: the UoG academic staff and UK-wide ALs. A total of 55 responses were received to the questionnaire distributed to the former, and 83 responses were received to the questionnaire distributed to the latter.
Findings
The majority of the UoG academics believed they possessed a fair, or better than fair, understanding of copyright, with numerous respondents self-taught on the subject. Nevertheless, a significant number thought they might have broken copyright when teaching, while also revealing the belief that copyright was a limitation on their teaching. The AL survey suggested an average comprehension of copyright among academics, while noting that some of the latter felt a degree of antipathy towards copyright.
Originality/value
Although focused on a single institution, this study implies that copyright instruction for academic staff needs to be substantially improved, and it suggests the need for greater visibility of training programmes
Blood stage malaria antigens induce different activation-induced cell death programs in splenic CD4<SUP>+</SUP> T cells
CD4+ T cells respond to antigen immunization through a process of activation, clonal expansion to generate activated effector T cells followed by activation-induced clonal deletion of the responding T cells. While loss of responding T cells in post-activation death by apoptosis is a major factor regulating immune homeostasis, the precise pathways involved in downsizing of Plasmodium falciparum antigen-induced T cell expansions are not well characterized. We report in this study that splenic CD4+ T cells from mice immunized with nonreplicating immunogens like OVA or recombinant blood stage P. falciparum antigens, PfMSP-3 and PfMSP-119 or crude parasite antigen (PfAg) undergo sequential T cell activation, proliferation followed by activation-induced cell death (AICD) in a dose- and time-dependent manner after Ag restimulation. While PfMSP-3 and OVA-induced AICD was mediated through a death receptor-dependent apoptotic program, PfMSP-119 and PfAg-induced AICD was via a mechanism dependent on the activation of mitochondria apoptosis signalling pathway through Bax activation. These results provide insights into the mechanism through which two blood stage merozoite antigens trigger different apoptotic programs of AICD in splenic CD4+ T cells
Two Gallium data sets, spin flavour precession and KamLAND
We reexamine the possibility of a time modulation of the low energy solar
neutrino flux which is suggested by the average decrease of the Ga data in line
with our previous arguments. We perform two separate fits to the solar neutrino
data, one corresponding to 'high' and the other to 'low' Ga data, associated
with low and high solar activity respectively. We therefore consider an
alternative to the conventional solar+KamLAND fitting, which allows one to
explore the much wider range of the angle permitted by the
KamLAND fitting alone. We find a solution with parameters in which the 'high' and
the 'low' Ga rates lie far apart and are close to their central values and is
of comparable quality to the global best fit, where these rates lie much closer
to each other. This is an indication that the best fit in which all solar and
KamLAND data are used is not a good measure of the separation of the two Ga
data sets, as the information from the low energy neutrino modulation is
dissimulated in the wealth of data. Furthermore for the parameter set proposed
one obtains an equally good fit to the KamLAND energy spectrum and an even
better fit than the 'conventional' LMA one for the reactor antineutrino
survival probability as measured by KamLAND.Comment: V2: 15 pages, 3 eps figures, fit improved, final version to appear in
Journal of Physics
Auto-video Tracking System: Performance Evaluation
Automatic target tracking systems are employed in a wide variety of missions and tracking environment such as fire control, guidance, navigation, passive range estimation, and automatic target discrimination. The tracker performance depends upon target size, contrast, speed, and signal-to-noise ratio. The evaluation of a tracker system involves lengthy field trials and measurements. In the present article, a method for quick evaluation of tracker system and working out selection criteria for different tracking algorithm for various target and background combinations have been suggested. Performance measures such as aiming point error, durationof successful tracking, number of tracking losses, indication of confidence, and system reaction time have been used to evaluate the performance of a tracking system.Defence Science Journal, 2008, 58(4), pp.565-572, DOI:http://dx.doi.org/10.14429/dsj.58.167
KamLAND Bounds on Solar Antineutrinos and neutrino transition magnetic moments
We investigate the possibility of detecting solar electron antineutrinos with
the KamLAND experiment. These electron antineutrinos are predicted by
spin-flavor oscillations at a significant rate even if this mechanism is not
the leading solution to the SNP. KamLAND is sensitive to antineutrinos
originated from solar B neutrinos. From KamLAND negative results after
145 days of data taking, we obtain model independent limits on the total flux
of solar electron antineutrinos $\Phi({}^8 B)< 1.1-3.5\times 10^4 cm^{-2}\
s^{-1}P<0.15%\mu B< 2.3\times 10^{-21}(\Delta m^2, \tan^2\theta)\mu\lsim 3.9\times 10^{-12} \mu_BB= 50\mu\lsim 9.0\times 10^{-13} \mu_BB= 200\mu\lsim 2.0\times 10^{-13} \mu_BB= 1000$ kG at the same
statistical significance.Comment: 13 pages, 2 figure
Metabolite Identification of Helicobacter Pylori Supernatant Using Near-IR Raman Spectroscopy
Helicobacter pylori, a non-invasive gram-negative bacteria is well known for its direct cause and effect relationship with peptic ulcer, gastric or duodenal ulceration. Its severe effect on human begin with its colonization and production of various enzyme like Vacuolating cytotoxin, Urease and Heat shock proteins. Urease is complex spherical protein which causes hydrolysis of gastric urea to ammonia and CO 2 . The enzymatic reaction results in increase of gastric pH and hence results in gastric cancer. We present a photonic based technique to identify these proteins in its natural supernatant condition. The Raman spectrum of Helicobacter pylori is reported and the vibrational peaks are identified with corresponding chemical bonds in the biochemical enzyme. This can lay the foundation for future diagnostic tool for clinical detection of peptic ulcer, gastric or duodenal ulceration
KamLAND, solar antineutrinos and the solar magnetic field
In this work the possibility of detecting solar electron antineutrinos
produced by a solar core magnetic field from the KamLAND recent observations is
investigated. We find a scaling of the antineutrino probability with respect to
the magnetic field profile in the sense that the same probability function can
be reproduced by any profile with a suitable peak field value. In this way the
solar electron antineutrino spectrum can be unambiguosly predicted. We use this
scaling and the negative results indicated by the KamLAND experiment to obtain
upper bounds on the solar electron antineutrino flux. We get
at 95% CL. For 90% CL this becomes
, an improvement by a factor of 3-5
with respect to existing bounds. These limits are independent of the detailed
structure of the magnetic field in the solar interior. We also derive upper
bounds on the peak field value which are uniquely determined for a fixed solar
field profile. In the most efficient antineutrino producing case, we get (95%
CL) an upper limit on the product of the neutrino magnetic moment by the solar
field MeV or for
.Comment: 15 pages. References corrected. Minor changes in the tex
Impact of experience sampling methods on tap pattern based emotion recognition
Smartphone based emotion recognition uses predictive modeling to recognize user's mental states. In predictive modeling, determining ground truth plays a crucial role in labeling and training the model. Experience Sampling Method (ESM) is widely used in behavioral science to gather user responses about mental states. Smartphones equipped with sensors provide new avenues to design Experience Sampling Methods. Sensors provide multiple contexts that can be used to trigger collection of user responses. However, subsampling of sensor data can bias the inference drawn from trigger based ESM. We investigate whether continuous sensor data simplify the design of ESM. We use the typing pattern of users on smartphone as the context that can trigger response collection. We compare the context based and time based ESM designs to determine the impact of ESM strategies on emotion modeling. The results indicate how different ESM designs compare against each other
Novel genetic loci associated with hippocampal volume
The hippocampal formation is a brain structure integrally involved in episodic
memory, spatial navigation, cognition and stress responsiveness. Structural
abnormalities in hippocampal volume and shape are found in several common
neuropsychiatric disorders. To identify the genetic underpinnings of
hippocampal structure here we perform a genome-wide association study (GWAS)
of 33,536 individuals and discover six independent loci significantly
associated with hippocampal volume, four of them novel. Of the novel loci,
three lie within genes (ASTN2, DPP4 and MAST4) and one is found 200 kb
upstream of SHH. A hippocampal subfield analysis shows that a locus within the
MSRB3 gene shows evidence of a localized effect along the dentate gyrus,
subiculum, CA1 and fissure. Further, we show that genetic variants associated
with decreased hippocampal volume are also associated with increased risk for
Alzheimer’s disease (rg=−0.155). Our findings suggest novel biological
pathways through which human genetic variation influences hippocampal volume
and risk for neuropsychiatric illness
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