Access courses as a site of engagement: a research project

This research project was funded by the Greater Manchester Strategic Alliance and Aimhigher Research Network North West. A database of Access students was held at the University of Salford that included students from 1998-2006. The names of the students were gathered by the Access Unit from their Enrichment Programme over the period. Ethical approval for the research was sought from the IRIS Director and advice on the Data Protection Act sought from the manager responsible within the university. The database contained information on name, age, address, telephone contact, gender, ethnicity, college and Access course attended. There were approximately 6000 entries on the database. “Access to higher education courses offer a route into higher education (HE) for those who do not have the educational qualifications which are usually required for entry. These courses provide the underpinning knowledge and skills needed for university-level study, and lead to the award of the Access to HE qualification, which is of an equivalent standard to Level 3 qualifications, such as A levels.” UCAS website. Individuals can study a range of courses in different subject areas such as health, science or humanities. Access courses can be studied over one year as a full time course or over two-three years as a part time course. The starting point for the study is the view that to enrol on an Access to HE course means that a major decision or turning point in an adult’s life has taken place and that the individual wants to change direction. This change of direction is important and suggests that individuals may have missed an opportunity earlier in their lives or do not wish to continue in the same employment situation or in the case of many women who are carers their circumstances have changed. The engagement in learning is an agentic act on the part of the individual that may be prompted by others in the immediate family or friends. However, a necessary aspect of this engagement is the provision of Access courses as a means to enter higher education or change employment

Pulsed Laval nozzle study of the kinetics of OH with unsaturated hydrocarbons at very low temperatures

The kinetics of reactions of the OH radical with ethene, ethyne (acetylene), propyne (methyl acetylene) and t-butyl-hydroperoxide were studied at temperatures of 69 and 86 K using laser flash-photolysis combined with laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy. A new pulsed Laval nozzle apparatus is used to provide the low-temperature thermalised environment at a single density of similar to 4 x 10(16) molecule cm(-3) in N-2. The density and temperature within the flow are determined using measurements of impact pressure and rotational populations from laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy of NO and OH. For ethene, rate coefficients were determined to be k(2) = (3.22 +/- 0.46) x 10(-11) and (2.12 +/- 0.12) x 10(-11) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1) at T = 69 and 86 K, respectively, in good agreement with a master-equation calculation utilising an ab initio surface recently calculated for this reaction by Cleary et al. (P. A. Cleary, M. T. Baeza Romero, M. A. Blitz, D. E. Heard, M. J. Pilling, P. W. Seakins and L. Wang, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2006, 8, 5633-5642) For ethyne, no previous data exist below 210 K and a single measurement at 69 K was only able to provide an approximate upper limit for the rate coefficient of k(3) < 1 x 10(-12) cm(3) molecule(-1) s (-1), consistent with the presence of a small activation barrier of similar to 5 kJ mol (-1) between the reagents and the OH-C2H2 adduct. For propyne, there are no previous measurements below 253 K, and rate coefficients of k(4) = (5.08 +/- 0.65), (5.02 +/- 1.11) and (3.11 +/- 0.09) x 10(-12) cm(3) molecule(-1) s(-1) were obtained at T = 69, 86 and 299 K, indicating a much weaker temperature dependence than for ethene. The rate coefficient k(1) = (7.8 +/- 2.5) x 10(-11) cm(3) molecule(-1) s (-1) was obtained for the reaction of OH with t-butyl-hydroperoxide at T = 86 K. Studies of the reaction of OH with benzene and toluene yielded complex kinetic profiles of OH which did not allow the extraction of rate coefficients. Uncertainties are quoted at the 95% confidence limit and include systematic errors

Coherent polarimeter modules for the QUIET experiment

The Q/U Imaging Experiment (QUIET) is an experimental program to make very sensitive measurements of the Cosmic Background Radiation (CMB) polarization from the ground. A key component of this project is the ability to produce large numbers of detectors in order to achieve the required sensitivity. Using a breakthrough in mm-wave packaging at JPL, a polarimeter-on-a-chip has been developed which lends itself to the mass-production techniques used in the semiconductor industry. We describe the design, implementation and performance of these polarimeter modules for QUIET Phase I and briefly discuss the plans for further module development

Aspects of the life and works of Dancourt

The opening chapters of the thesis illustrate, with the help of authentic documents, details of Dancourt's biography both from the point of view of his domestic life and his career at the Comédie Française. Then follows a study of his prologues from which we gain an insight into his dramatic theories and aspects of life in the contemporary theatre. Chapter IV offers a review of Dancourt's complete works, and traces his evolution in choice of subject-matter and manner of presentation. His plays are studied in relation to a wide variety of dramatic works his predecessors and contemporaries. Chapter V concerns that part of Dancourt's work which is devoted to topics of contemporary interest. These include his satire of certain individuals, his exploitation of contemporary events and his satire of rival forms of entertainment. All these points are treated with reference to the relevant historical, social and literary background. The next two chapters centre around the 'social' content of Dancourt's plays which dramatize the manners of fashionable Parisian society, both aristocratic and bourgeois. These plays are explained with reference to the realities from which they sprang, as well as to works by writers of other forms of literature. Chapter VIII illustrates the importance of rustic themes in Dancourt's plays. Unlike in the previous chapter, the emphasis is placed on the dramatic qualities of these comedies and on their character portrayal rather than on what light they throw on the social scene. Finally, Chapter IX offers an estimate of Dancourt's success as a playwright at the Comédie Française and at Court both during his lifetime and posthumously. A comparison is made between his success and the criticism offered by contemporary and eighteenth-century commentators whose opinions are studied in the light of prevailing trends of literary criticism

Creatine Kinase, Exertional Rhabdomyolysis, and Exercise-Associated Hyponatremia in Ultra-Endurance Athletes: A Critically Appraised Paper

What is the relationship between exercise-associated hyponatremia (EAH) and exertional rhabdomyolysis (ER) in ultra-endurance athletes

Low power laser generated ultrasound : signal processing for time domain data acquisition

The use of low power modulated laser diode systems has previously been established as a suitable method for non-destructive laser generation of ultrasound. Using a quasi-continuous optical excitation amplified by an erbium-doped fibre amplifier (EDFA) allows flexible generation of ultrasonic waves, offering control of further parameters such as the frequency content or signal shape. In addition, pseudo-random binary sequences (PRBS) can be used to improve the detected impulse response. Here we compare two sequences, the m-sequence and the Golay code, and discuss the advantages and practical limits of their application with laser diode based optical excitation of ultrasound

Effects of reaction control system jet simulation on the stability and control characteristics of a 0.015-scale space shuttle orbiter model in the Ames Research Center 3.5-foot hypersonic wind tunnel

An experimental investigation was performed in the Ames Research Center 3.5-Foot Hypersonic Wind Tunnel to obtain detailed effects which interactions between the RCS jet flow field and the local orbiter flow field have on orbiter hypersonic stability and control characteristics. Six-component force data were obtained through an angle-of-attack range of 15 to 35 deg with 0 deg angle of sideslip. The test was conducted with yaw, pitch and roll jet simulation at a free-stream Mach number of 10.3. These data simulate two SSV reentry flight conditions at Mach numbers of 28.3 and 10.3. Fuselage base pressures and pressures on the nonmetric RCS pods were obtained in addition to the basic force measurements. Model 42-0 was used for these tests

Low power laser generated ultrasound : signal processing for time domain data acquisition

The use of low power modulated laser diode systems has previously been established as a suitable method for non-destructive laser generation of ultrasound. Using a quasi-continuous optical excitation amplified by an erbium-doped fibre amplifier (EDFA) allows flexible generation of ultrasonic waves, offering control of further parameters such as the frequency content or signal shape. In addition, pseudo-random binary sequences (PRBS) can be used to improve the detected impulse response. Here we compare two sequences, the m-sequence and the Golay code, and discuss the advantages and practical limits of their application with laser diode based optical excitation of ultrasound