A Framework for Psychophysiological Classification within a Cultural Heritage Context Using Interest

This article presents a psychophysiological construct of interest as a knowledge emotion and illustrates the importance of interest detection in a cultural heritage context. The objective of this work is to measure and classify psychophysiological reactivity in response to cultural heritage material presented as visual and audio. We present a data processing and classification framework for the classification of interest. Two studies are reported, adopting a subject-dependent approach to classify psychophysiological signals using mobile physiological sensors and the support vector machine learning algorithm. The results show that it is possible to reliably infer a state of interest from cultural heritage material using psychophysiological feature data and a machine learning approach, informing future work for the development of a real-time physiological computing system for use within an adaptive cultural heritage experience designed to adapt the provision of information to sustain the interest of the visitor

Religious Vehicle Stickers in Nigeria: a discourse of identity, faith and social vision

This study focuses on analysing the ways in which vehicle stickers construct individual and group identities, people’s religious faith and social vision in the context of religious assumptions and practices in Nigeria. Data comprise 73 vehicle stickers collected in Lagos and Ota, between 2006 and 2007 and are analysed within the framework of the post-structuralist model of discourse analysis which views discourse as a product of a complex system of social and institutional practices that sustain its continuous existence (Derrida, 1982; Fairclough, 1989, 1992, 1995; Foucault, 1972, 1981). Results show that through stickers people define their individual and group identities within religious institutional practices. And as a means of group identification, they guarantee social security and privileges. In constructing social vision the stickers help mould the individual aspiration about a future which transcends the present. Significantly, stickers in the data also reveal the tension between Islam and Christianity and the struggle to propagate one above the other. KEY WORDS: assumption, discourse, discursive, practices, religion, stickers

News discourses on distant suffering: A critical discourse analysis of the 2003 SARS outbreak

News carries a unique signifying power, a power to represent events in particular ways (Fairclough, 1995). Applying Critical Discourse Analysis and Chouliaraki's theory on the mediation of suffering (2006), this article explores the news representation of the 2003 global SARS outbreak. Following a case-based methodology, we investigate how two Belgian television stations have covered the international outbreak of SARS. By looking into the mediation of four selected discursive moments, underlying discourses of power, hierarchy and compassion were unraveled. The analysis further identified the key role of proximity in international news reporting and supports the claim that Western news media mainly reproduce a Euro-American centered world order. This article argues that news coverage of international crises such as SARS constructs and maintains the socio-cultural difference between 'us' and 'them' as well as articulating global power hierarchies and a division of the world in zones of poverty and prosperity, danger and safety

Micro- vs. macro-phase separation in binary blends of poly(styrene)-poly(isoprene) and poly(isoprene)-poly(ethylene oxide) diblock copolymers

In this paper we present an experimentally determined phase diagram of binary blends of the diblock copolymers poly(styrene)-poly(isoprene) and poly(isoprene)-poly(ethylene oxide). At high temperatures, the blends form an isotropic mixture. Upon lowering the temperature, the blend macro-phase separates before micro-phase separation occurs. The observed phase diagram is compared to theoretical predictions based on experimental parameters. In the low-temperature phase the crystallisation of the poly(ethylene oxide) block influences the spacing of the ordered phase

Epifluorescent microscopy of edge-trimmed carbon fibre-reinforced polymers : an alternative to computed tomography scanning

X-Ray computed tomography (XCT) can be used to detect edge-milled carbon fibre-reinforced polymer (CFRP) defects. Significantly this method is able to show subsurface defects that cannot be captured by traditional methods such as stylus-based or more novel areal methods of surface quality measurement. While useful, this method can be prohibitive due to high equipment cost, scanning time and image resolution. XCT can often produce artefacts which falsely predict damage or obscure damage and depending on machine X-ray power often cannot resolve damage to fibre diameter which is critical when observing milled quality of the surface/subsurface. This study utilises epifluorescent (EF) optical microscopy to provide high-quality optical images as an alternative to XCT to observe through-depth damage of CFRP materials. The method of computing the novel damage criteria is presented, as well as the validation of the method which compares EF to XCT. Subsurface damage of fabric and unidirectional (UD) materials in 0°, 45°, 90° and −45° orientations to the cutting edge is observed to demonstrate typical defects. A novel metric resulting from the EF method provides a total area of damage when compared to a theoretically straight cut across the face of the edge-milled CFRP. The method shows that different subsurface damage exists for different fibre orientations to the cutting edge, highlighting the clear need for through-depth analysis of machined edges. In addition, the method is shown to be a suitable alternative to XCT with scope for further development of industrial aerospace and automotive quality control of machined CFRP parts

Does biological maturity actually confound gender-related differences in physical activity in preadolescence?

Aim To examine: (i) if maturity-related gender differences in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) depend on how maturity status is defined and measured; and (ii) the influence of maturity level on compliance with PA recommendations. Methods The study involved 253 children (139 boys) aged 9.9 ± 0.9 years, with mean stature and weight of 1.39 ± 0.08 m and 35.8 ± 8.8 kg respectively. Their PA was evaluated using an Actigraph accelerometer (Model 7164). Maturity was assessed using the estimated age at peak height velocity (APHV) and a standardized APHV by gender (i.e. centred APHV). Results Boys engaged in significantly more MVPA than girls (P < 0.0001). There was a significant correlation between the centred APHV and MVPA in boys (r = 0.20; P = 0.016), but not in girls (r = 0.13; P = 0.155). An ancova controlling for the estimated APHV showed no significant interactions between gender and APHV, and the main effect of gender on MVPA was negated. Conversely, there was a significant main effect of APHV on MVPA (F 1,249 = 6.12; P = 0.014; η p 2 = 0.024). Only 9.1% of children met the PA recommendations, including 14.4% of boys and 2.6% of girls (P < 0.01). This observation also applies in both pre-APHV (12.7% of boys vs. 2.4% of girls, P < 0.001) and post-APHV children (23.8% of boys vs. 3.4% of girls, P < 0.0001). No differences in PA guidelines were observed between pre-APHV and post-APHV children. Conclusions Among prepubescent children, the influence of biological maturity on gender differences in PA may be a function of how maturity status is determined. The most physically active prepubescent children were those who were on time according to APHV

Flu viruses a lucky community and cosine graphs: the possibilities opened up by the use of a socio-political perspective to study learning in an undergraduate access course in mathematics

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in African Journal of Research in Mathematics, Science and Technology Education on 20 August 2013 available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/10288457.2009.10740656.In this paper I present a perspective of mathematics education and learning, termed a 'sociopolitical perspective'. Classroom mathematical activity, in which certain ways of acting, behaving and knowing are given value, is located in a wider network of socio-political practices. Learning in mathematics is regarded as coming to participate in the discourse of the community that practises the mathematics. I argue that the use of a socio-political perspective allows the researcher and teacher to view classroom mathematical activity as a product of the network of socio-political practices in which it is located, rather than as a product of individual cognitive ability. I illustrate the use of this perspective by drawing on a study of learning in a first-year university access course in Mathematics at a South African university. Fairclough's method for critical discourse analysis, supplemented with work by Sfard and Morgan in mathematics education, was used to analyse both the text of a 'real world' problem in mathematics and a transcript representing the activity as a group of five students solved the problem. This analysis suggests that, despite containing traces of discourses from outside of mathematics, the problem text constructs the activity as solving a mathematical problem with features of a school mathematical word problem. When solving the problem the students draw on practices associated with school mathematics and their university mathematics course, some of which enable and others constrain their participation. For example, they refer to named functions learned at school, they have difficulty making productive links between the mathematical functions and the 'real world' context, and they have varied opportunities for mathematical talk in the group. The study identifies as key to the students' progress the presence of an authority (in this case a tutor) who can make explicit the ways of thinking, acting, and talking that are valued in the discourse of undergraduate mathematics, and who provides opportunities for mathematical talk

The Structure of IR Luminous Galaxies at 100 Microns

We have observed twenty two galaxies at 100 microns with the Kuiper Airborne Observatory in order to determine the size of their FIR emitting regions. Most of these galaxies are luminous far-infrared sources, with L_FIR > 10^11 L_sun. This data constitutes the highest spatial resolution ever achieved on luminous galaxies in the far infrared. Our data includes direct measurements of the spatial structure of the sources, in which we look for departures from point source profiles. Additionally, comparison of our small beam 100 micron fluxes with the large beam IRAS fluxes shows how much flux falls beyond our detectors but within the IRAS beam. Several sources with point- like cores show evidence for such a net flux deficit. We clearly resolved six of these galaxies at 100 microns and have some evidence for extension in seven others. Those galaxies which we have resolved can have little of their 100 micron flux directly emitted by a point-like active galactic nucleus (AGN). Dust heated to ~40 K by recent bursts of non-nuclear star formation provides the best explanation for their extreme FIR luminosity. In a few cases, heating of an extended region by a compact central source is also a plausible option. Assuming the FIR emission we see is from dust, we also use the sizes we derive to find the dust temperatures and optical depths at 100 microns which we translate into an effective visual extinction through the galaxy. Our work shows that studies of the far infrared structure of luminous infrared galaxies is clearly within the capabilities of new generation far infrared instrumentation, such as SOFIA and SIRTF.Comment: 8 tables, 23 figure

Activity Intensity, Volume, and Norms:Utility and Interpretation of Accelerometer Metrics

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins via the DOI in this recordPurpose: The physical activity profile can be described from accelerometer data using two population- independent metrics: average acceleration (ACC, volume) and intensity gradient (IG, intensity). This paper aims to: 1) demonstrate how these metrics can be used to investigate the relative contributions of volume and intensity of physical activity for a range of health markers across datasets; and 2) illustrate the future potential of the metrics for generation of age and sexspecific percentile norms. Methods: Secondary data analyses were carried out on five diverse datasets using wrist-worn accelerometers (ActiGraph/GENEActiv/Axivity): children (N=145), adolescent girls (N=1669), office workers (N=114), pre- (N=1218) and post- (N=1316) menopausal women, and adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D) (N=475). Open-source software (GGIR) was used to generate ACC and IG. Health markers were: a) zBMI (children); b) %fat (adolescent girls and adults); c) bone health (pre- and post-menopausal women); and d) physical function (adults with T2D). Results: Multiple regression analyses showed the IG, but not ACC, was independently associated with zBMI/%fat in children and adolescents. In adults, associations were stronger and the effects of ACC and IG were additive. For bone health and physical function, interactions showed associations were strongest if IG was high, largely irrespective of ACC. Exemplar illustrative percentile ‘norms’ showed the expected age-related decline in physical activity, with greater drops in IG across age than ACC. Conclusion: The ACC and IG accelerometer metrics facilitate investigation of whether volume and intensity of physical activity have independent, additive or interactive effects on health markers. Future, adoption of data-driven metrics would facilitate the generation of age- and sexspecific norms that would be beneficial to researchers.National Institute for Health Research (NIHR)Collaboration for leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRC) East Midland

Challenging Social Cognition Models of Adherence:Cycles of Discourse, Historical Bodies, and Interactional Order

Attempts to model individual beliefs as a means of predicting how people follow clinical advice have dominated adherence research, but with limited success. In this article, we challenge assumptions underlying this individualistic philosophy and propose an alternative formulation of context and its relationship with individual actions related to illness. Borrowing from Scollon and Scollon’s three elements of social action – “historical body,” “interaction order,” and “discourses in place” – we construct an alternative set of research methods and demonstrate their application with an example of a person talking about asthma management. We argue that talk- or illness-related behavior, both viewed as forms of social action, manifest themselves as an intersection of cycles of discourse, shifting as individuals move through these cycles across time and space. We finish by discussing how these dynamics of social action can be studied and how clinicians might use this understanding when negotiating treatment with patients