Teaching audience analysis to the technical student

Teaching audience analysis, as practiced in a technical writing course for engineering students, is discussed. Audience analysis is described as the task of defining the audience for a particular piece of writing and determining those characteristics of the audience which constrain the writer and effect reception of the message. A mature technical writing style that shows the tension produced when a text is written to be read and understood is considered in terms of audience analysis. Techniques include: (1) conveying to students the concept that a reader with certain expectations exist, (2) team teaching to preserve the context of a given technical discipline, and (3) assigning a technical report that addresses a variety of readers, thus establishing the complexity of audience oriented writing

The heritage of Gene Debs, selections

https://stars.library.ucf.edu/prism/1510/thumbnail.jp

Bionanocompósito à base de resíduo de levedura e magnetita : síntese, caracterização e aplicação na sorção de Cu(II) em meio aquoso

Um biossorvente preparado com resíduos de levedura impregnados com nanopartículas de magnetita foi sintetizado, caraterizado e aplicado na sorção de íons Cu(II) em meio aquoso. Este subproduto da indústria sucroalcooleira foi utilizado devido à sua abundância, baixo valor agregado, e à presença de diversos sítios ativos em sua superfície, tornando-o uma alternativa viável para descontaminação de efluentes. O material nanomodificado (NPM) foi obtido pelo método de coprecipitação, no qual sais de Fe(II) e Fe(III) foram titulados com NH4OH. Após a síntese, a impregnação de magnetita sobre a levedura (BL) foi conduzida adicionando-se esta biomassa na suspensão de NPMs, sob aquecimento e agitação constantes, para formação do bionanocompósito, BL-NPM. Este, assim como BL e NPM puros, foram caracterizados pelas técnicas DRX, FTIR e MEV. Os testes de sorção de Cu(II) com BL, NPM e BL-NPM foram conduzidos em batelada. Nestes, após agitação, houve a separação de fases da mistura Cu(II)-biossorvente para análise do sobrenadante e determinação de Cu por FAAS. Os modelos isotérmicos de Langmuir, Freundlich e Dubinin-Radushkevich foram ajustados aos dados experimentais, e mostraram que a sorção entre biossorvente e Cu(II) foi favorável para todos os materiais, onde NPM e BL apresentaram afinidades semelhantes por Cu(II), e BL-NPM melhor adsorveu o analito. A caracterização por DRX permitiu a determinação das estruturas cristalinas dos nanomateriais, em contraste com a estrutura amorfa de BL. Os espectros de FTIR entre 4000 e 400 cm−1, indicaram a presença de bandas de N–H, C–H, C=O, N–O, O–H, C–C, e Fe-O (para os nanomateriais). Através das imagens de MEV, 7000X, foi possível verificar a eficiência de síntese de BL-NPM por impregnação de NPM em BL.Fil: José, Julia C. . Universidade Federal de Sao Carlos (Brasil).Fil: Debs, Karina. B.. Universidade Federal de Sao Carlos (Brasil).Fil: Labuto, Geórgia. Universidade Federal de Sao Carlos (Brasil).Fil: Carrilho, Elma. N. V. M.. Universidade Federal de Sao Carlos (Brasil)

Precision atomic gravimeter based on Bragg diffraction

We present a precision gravimeter based on coherent Bragg diffraction of freely falling cold atoms. Traditionally, atomic gravimeters have used stimulated Raman transitions to separate clouds in momentum space by driving transitions between two internal atomic states. Bragg interferometers utilize only a single internal state, and can therefore be less susceptible to environmental perturbations. Here we show that atoms extracted from a magneto-optical trap using an accelerating optical lattice are a suitable source for a Bragg atom interferometer, allowing efficient beamsplitting and subsequent separation of momentum states for detection. Despite the inherently multi-state nature of atom diffraction, we are able to build a Mach-Zehnder interferometer using Bragg scattering which achieves a sensitivity to the gravitational acceleration of $\Delta g/g = 2.7\times10^{-9}$ with an integration time of 1000s. The device can also be converted to a gravity gradiometer by a simple modification of the light pulse sequence.Comment: 13 pages, 11 figure

Consonance and Cantor set-selectors

It is shown that every metrizable consonant space is a Cantor set-selector. Some applications are derived from this fact, also the relationship is discussed in the framework of hyperspaces and Prohorov spaces.peer-reviewe

A life in progress: motion and emotion in the autobiography of Robert M. La Follette

This article is a study of a La Follette’s Autobiography, the autobiography of the leading Wisconsin progressive Robert M. La Follette, which was published serially in 1911 and, in book form, in 1913. Rather than focusing, as have other historians, on which parts of La Follette’s account are accurate and can therefore be trusted, it explains instead why and how this major autobiography was conceived and written. The article shows that the autobiography was the product of a sustained, complex, and often fraught series of collaborations among La Follette’s family, friends, and political allies, and in the process illuminates the importance of affective ties as well as political ambition and commitment in bringing the project to fruition. In the world of progressive reform, it argues, personal and political experiences were inseparable

Dielectric Properties and Numerical Modelling of Microwave Heating of Portland Cement/Fly Ash Blends

Due to its volumetric heating mechanism, microwave is increasingly being recognized as a potential alternative low-energy heating technique for curing cementitious products. However, its heating capacity, among other factors, heavily relies on the dielectric properties of the raw materials, which, in turn, can be affected by moisture content, temperature and the degree of hydration. Unfortunately, current understanding on these issues is still very limited. Consequently, it is difficult to predict the heating profile of the cementitious products heated in microwave, even though a good knowledge of this is essential to optimize the microwave operation condition in order to ensure the quality of cementitious products. In this paper, the dielectric properties of Portland cement/fly ash blends were investigated during a 24-hour hydration period under 25oC, 40oC and 60oC at a frequency of 2.45GHz. The Portland cement was replaced by fly ash at the levels of 0% and 55% by weight at water-to-binder ratios of 0.25 and 0.35, respectively. Setting times were also measured in order to interpret the changes of the dielectric properties at different stages of hydration. Based on the obtained dielectric properties data, heating models were developed using two different software packages, namely, ANSYS and COMSOL, which were then validated by the heating profiles obtained in a tailored microwave system using FBG sensor and thermal imaging techniques. It showed that both simulated results overestimated the real temperature within the sample. However, COMSOL can give a better prediction of the overall temperature profile, whilst ANSYS is more reliable in predicting single temperature. Further investigation is still needed in order to identify which modelling technique is the best option for predicting both the temperature profile and the temperature within cementitious materials cured under microwave

A wide spectrum of clinical and brain MRI findings in patients with SLC19A3 mutations

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>SLC19A3 (solute carrier family 19, member 3) is a thiamin transporter with 12 transmembrane domains. Homozygous or compound heterozygous mutations in <it>SLC19A3 </it>cause two distinct clinical phenotypes, biotin-responsive basal ganglia disease and Wernicke's-like encephalopathy. Biotin and/or thiamin are effective therapies for both diseases.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We conducted on the detailed clinical, brain MRI and molecular genetic analysis of four Japanese patients in a Japanese pedigree who presented with epileptic spasms in early infancy, severe psychomotor retardation, and characteristic brain MRI findings of progressive brain atrophy and bilateral thalami and basal ganglia lesions.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Genome-wide linkage analysis revealed a disease locus at chromosome 2q35-37, which enabled identification of the causative mutation in the gene <it>SLC19A3</it>. A pathogenic homozygous mutation (c.958G > C, [p.E320Q]) in <it>SLC19A3 </it>was identified in all four patients and their parents were heterozygous for the mutation. Administration of a high dose of biotin for one year improved neither the neurological symptoms nor the brain MRI findings in one patient.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Our cases broaden the phenotypic spectrum of disorders associated with <it>SLC19A3 </it>mutations and highlight the potential benefit of biotin and/or thiamin treatments and the need to assess the clinical efficacy of these treatments.</p

New insights into orthostatic hypotension in multiple system atrophy: a European multicentre cohort study

Objectives: Orthostatic hypotension (OH) is a key feature of multiple system atrophy (MSA), a fatal progressive neurodegenerative disorder associated with autonomic failure, parkinsonism and ataxia. This study aims (1) to determine the clinical spectrum of OH in a large European cohort of patients with MSA and (2) to investigate whether a prolonged postural challenge increases the sensitivity to detect OH in MSA. Methods: Assessment of OH during a 10 min orthostatic test in 349 patients with MSA from seven centres of the European MSA-Study Group (age: 63.6±8.8 years; disease duration: 4.2±2.6 years). Assessment of a possible relationship between OH and MSA subtype (P with predominant parkinsonism or C with predominant cerebellar ataxia), Unified MSA Rating Scale (UMSARS) scores and drug intake. Results: 187 patients (54%) had moderate (>20 mm Hg (systolic blood pressure (SBP)) and/or >10 mm Hg (diastolic blood pressure (DBP)) or severe OH (>30 mm Hg (SBP) and/or >15 mm Hg (DBP)) within 3 min and 250 patients (72%) within 10 min. OH magnitude was significantly associated with disease severity (UMSARS I, II and IV), orthostatic symptoms (UMSARS I) and supine hypertension. OH severity was not associated with MSA subtype. Drug intake did not differ according to OH magnitude except for antihypertensive drugs being less frequently, and antihypotensive drugs more frequently, prescribed in severe OH. Conclusions: This is the largest study of OH in patients with MSA. Our data suggest that the sensitivity to pick up OH increases substantially by a prolonged 10 min orthostatic challenge. These results will help to improve OH management and the design of future clinical trials.Fil: Pavy Le Traon, Anne. University Hospital of Toulouse; Francia. Inserm; FranciaFil: Piedvache, A.. Université Paul Sabatier; FranciaFil: Pérez Lloret, Santiago. University Hospital of Toulouse; Francia. Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina "Santa María de los Buenos Aires". Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas; ArgentinaFil: Calandra Buonara, G.. Università di Bologna; Italia. Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna; ItaliaFil: Cochen De Cock, V.. University Hospital of Toulouse; Francia. University of Montpellier; FranciaFil: Colosimo, C.. Sapienza Università di Roma; ItaliaFil: Cortelli, P.. Università di Bologna; Italia. Istituto delle Scienze Neurologiche di Bologna; ItaliaFil: Debs, R.. University Hospital of Toulouse; FranciaFil: Duerr, S.. Universidad de Innsbruck; AustriaFil: Fanciulli, A.. Universidad de Innsbruck; AustriaFil: Foubert Samier, A.. Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Bordeaux; Francia. Universite de Bordeaux; FranciaFil: Gerdelat, Angela. University Hospital of Toulouse; FranciaFil: Gurevich, T.. Tel-Aviv University; IsraelFil: Krismer, F.. Universidad de Innsbruck; AustriaFil: Poewe, W.. Universidad de Innsbruck; AustriaFil: Tison, Francois. Universite de Bordeaux; Francia. Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Bordeaux; FranciaFil: Tranchant, C.. University Hospital Hautepierre; FranciaFil: Wenning, G.. Universidad de Innsbruck; AustriaFil: Meissner, Wassilios G.. Universite de Bordeaux; Francia. Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Bordeaux; FranciaFil: Rascol, Olivier. University Hospital of Toulouse; Franci