6,917 research outputs found
A participatory methodology for large scale field trials in the UK
Farmer participation was essential in developing a uniquely useful set of wheat variety trials data on a wide range of organic farms over two years. Although the trials were successful, it became clear that some of the participating farmers felt there were some limitations in the process. These included a lack of ownership in the project and a concern for more researcher help. It was clear that a greater time in-vestment was needed at the start of the project to help with farmer understanding and ownership. De-spite the negative comments, farmers appreciated their involvement, particularly in contrasting their own views and information with that from the wider scene. Farmer participation is essential for systems-level research and this project helped to develop a small core of trained farmers and researchers
Measurements of PAN, alkyl nitrates, ozone, and hydrocarbons during spring in interior Alaska
Measurements of the atmospheric mixing ratios of ozone, peroxyacetylnitrate (PAN), hydrocarbons, and alkyl nitrates were made in a boreal forest ecosystem in the interior of Alaska from March 15 to May 14, 1993. During this period the mixing ratios of PAN, alkyl nitrates, and nonmethane hydrocarbons (NMHCs) generally decreased due to the influence of both meteorology and OH removal. Mean mixing ratios of ozone, PAN, C2 â C6 alkyl nitrates, and total C2 â C5 NMHC during southerly flow periods were 24.4 parts per billion (ppbv), 132.1 parts per trillion (pptv ), 34 pptv, and 8.2 ppbCv, respectively. During a short period of northerly flow, mixing ratios of PAN and total NMHC were approximately 2 times the southerly flow mixing ratios. PAN is correlated with ozone, and alkyl nitrates are correlated with alkanes. PAN and ozone mixing ratios exhibit similar diurnal variations on a number of days with an early morning minimum and afternoon maximum. This is likely due to a diurnal cycle in the boundary layer â free troposphere exchange and loss processes in the boundary layer for both O3 and PAN. Higher molecular weight (mw) hydrocarbons and alkyl nitrates are observed to decrease more quickly than the lower mw hydrocarbons, consistent with removal by OH as the primary loss process
Campus design and estate management: concepts and challenges from an international perspective
The university is an ancient and successful concept which, until very recently, has usually been associated with a particular locus, e. g. at a single, fairly homogenous site, or as a collection of buildings in a town or city built over time. Some institutions have been planned in their entirety from predominantly one architectural drawing board (e.g. University of Lausanne at Dorigny), others have started out as a small idea (e.g. the first college quadrangle in Oxford) and have since grown to become something quite different from the original, e.g.in Oxford there are now over 40 colleges, Science Park, university hospitals etc. Architectural trends have also played their part in university construction e.g. neo-Gothic (19th century), Brutalist (20th century) or the German Marburg University building system of the 1960s, which was emulated by many other institutions. Irrespective of style, university buildings are loaded with meaning and yet we frequently take them for granted and do not consider how they might impact on our capacity to learn and teach. It is only when we are disturbed by construction work that we are irritated into taking any real notice of our physical environment. Yet subliminally we are undoubtedly affected by our surroundings, which are not fixed, but change to become objects of â(re)interpretation, narration and representation [âŠ]â (Gieryn, 2002, p.35). This is a sense-making process as we negotiate how to act within them (Weick, 1995). Buildings impact on our well-being and how we thrive, which should be of key importance to the academic world in which creativity and innovation are of such importance (Marmot, in Temple (ed.) 2014). When higher education estate fails, and there are many examples of this, it is as much âa failure of psychology as of designâ (de Botton, 2006/2014, p. 248). However, we do not have much data on the processes and ideas behind the creation (or adaptation) of higher education estate (cf. Bligh, in Temple (ed.) 2014). This research therefore asks the following questions: How do those who make decisions about higher education buildings take psychological well-being, or learning capability into account? Do they make compromises on the quality of materials? How do different countries and their university leaders address and govern the processes behind the creation and management of higher education estate of various types and age? What are current trends and challenges to higher education estate? Employing a constructivist perspective, this ongoing international research examines notions of value, care and identity (Tse et al, 2015) and analyses how an institutionâs strategic capacity and organisational capability impacts on how estate is managed (cf. Thoenig & Paradeise, 2016). It uses case studies (Yin, 6th ed., 2018) from different institutional types in Great Britain, Switzerland, Austria, Germany and China which have been selected according to a strategic capacity model. Alongside documentary research and online data-gathering, interviews onsite have been conducted with a range of stakeholders, including leaders, planners, faculty and students. The research aims to theorise how an important and costly part of university administration is being managed in the context of todayâs teaching and learning needs
Shakespeareâs Othello: The Esteemed, Reviled, Shunned, and Integrated?
In Shakespearean literature, one can find themes that challenge the Elizabethan conventional way of thinking and life, and the tragedy of Othello is no exception. In a dramatic presentation, Shakespeare challenges the way in which Black people are seen in Elizabethan society by placing a Moor in the context of Venice, Italy who is both hated and respected in his place in a racist society. There is no doubt that there is racism in Elizabethan society. According to Eldred Jones, during the era in which Othello is composed, Queen Elizabeth enacts legislation that calls for all Black people to leave the country (Jones, 1994). Racism is not the core theme of the dramatic piece; however, the existence of racism is illustrated and expressed via Shakespeareâs artistic medium. Just as feminism, greed, jealousy, hubris, and varying other matters dealing with the human spirit do not seepage Shakespeareâs consideration, nor do race matters. Furthermore, just as he dramatizes human issues, he dramatizes race matters. There are fictional elements in Othello that are intertwined with nonfictional matters of human behavior and racial unrest. In the middle of racial unrest, Shakespeare composes a theatrical production with a Black character who is esteemed, reviled, shunned, and integrated into such a society, capturing the complicated nature of communal racism itself
ESTIMATING THE PEAK VERTICAL GROUND REACTION FORCE COMPONENT AND STEP TIME IN TREADMILL RUNNING USING MACHINE LEARNING - A PILOT STUDY
This study aims to investigate the efficacy of a stacking approach to estimate parameters in treadmill running. Nineteen participants ran on a treadmill at self-selected pace. Ground reaction force and kinematic data were collected. Stacking in machine learning was used to estimate the peak vertical ground reaction force and step time. Good agreement was observed in the test data set for predicted and measured values of the peak vertical ground reaction force component and step time where the ICC values were 0.85 and 0.99 respectively. This suggests stacking may be a feasible approach to estimate kinetic and kinematic parameters during treadmill running
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Observations of ozone and related species in the northeast Pacific during the PHOBEA campaigns 2. Airborne observations
During late March and April of 1999 the University of Wyoming's King Air research aircraft measured atmospheric concentrations of NO, O3, peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN), CO, CH4, VOCs, aerosols, and J(NO2) off the west coast of the United States. During 14 flights, measurements were made between 39°-48° N latitude, 125°-129° W longitude, and at altitudes from 0-8 km. These flights were part of the Photochemical Ozone Budget of the Eastern North Pacific Atmosphere (PHOBEA) experiment, which included both ground-based and airborne measurements. Flights were scheduled when meteorological conditions minimized the impact of local pollution sources. The resulting measurements were segregated by air mass source region as indicated by back isentropic trajectory analysis. The chemical composition of marine air masses whose 5-day back isentropic trajectories originated north of 40° N latitude or west of 180° W longitude (WNW) differed significantly from marine air masses whose 5-day back isentropic trajectories originated south of 40° N latitude and east of 180° W longitude (SW). Trajectory and chemical analyses indicated that the majority of all encountered air masses, both WNW and SW, likely originated from the northwestern Pacific and have characteristics of emissions from the East Asian continental region. However, air masses with WNW back trajectories contained higher mixing ratios of NO, NOx, O3, PAN, CO, CH4, various VOC pollution tracers, and aerosol number concentration, compared to those air masses with SW back trajectories. Calculations of air mass age using two separate methods, photochemical and back trajectory, are consistent with transport from the northwestern Pacific in 8-10 days for air masses with WNW back trajectories and 16-20 days for air masses with SW back trajectories. Correlations, trajectory analysis, and comparisons with measurements made in the northwestern Pacific during NASA's Pacific Exploritory Mission-West Phase B (PEM-West B) experiment in 1994 are used to investigate the data. These analyses provide evidence that anthropogenically influenced air masses from the northwestern Pacific affect the overall chemical composition of the northeastern Pacific troposphere. Copyright 2001 by the American Geophysical Union
Analisis Perbedaan Manajemen Laba Sebelum Dan Sesudah Pengadopsian International Financial Reporting Standard (Ifrs) Pada Perusahaan Manufaktur Di Indonesia (Studi Empiris pada Perusahaan Manufaktur yang Terdaftar di Bursa Efek Indonesia Tahun 2011-2012)
Penelitian ini berjudul âAnalisis Perbedaan Manajemen Laba Sebelum dan Sesudah Pengadopsian International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS) pada Perusahaan Manufaktur di Indonesia (Studi Empiris pada Perusahaan Manufaktur yang Terdaftar di Bursa Efek Indonesia Tahun 2011-2012)â. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui ada atau tidak adanya perbedaan dari praktik manajemen laba antara sebelum dan sesudah mengadopsi IFRS pada jenis perusahaan manufaktur.
Data yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah data sekunder yang diperoleh dari laporan tahunan perusahaan yang terdaftar di Bursa Efek Indonesia periode 2011-2012 yang diakses langsung melalui website www.idx.co.id. Populasi penelitian ini adalah perusahaan manufaktur yang terdaftar di Bursa efek Indonesia pada tahun 2011-2012. Pemilihan sampel menggunakan metode simple random sampling dan didapatkan sampel sebanyak 47 perusahaan. Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian komparatif (Comparative Research) yang dilakukan dengan menggunakan metode analisis paired sample t-test.
Dari hasil pengujian didapatkan bahwa ada perbedaan praktik manajemen laba yang signifikan antara sebelum dan setelah mengadopsi International Financial Reporting Standard (IFRS)
Excessive Exercise and its Relationship to Social Appearance Anxiety and Difficulties in Emotional Regulation
Background: Excessive exercise is characterized as an eating pathology symptom, often described as an addiction, with typical symptoms of addiction observed such as increased tolerance (i.e., more exercise needed for the same effects), continuation despite acknowledged negative effects, social withdrawal, and withdrawal symptoms when the behavior is discontinued. Our research sought to further understand this phenomenon by exploring its relationship with other characteristics common to eating disorder patients. One such characteristic chosen for this project was Social Appearance anxiety, which is described as a fear or excessive worry about the way you appear to other people, including fears of positive and negative evaluation. The second characteristic was difficulties in emotion regulation, which is an inability to regulate oneâs emotions effectively. Methods: Prior to analysis, the data was cleaned, and run through tests to check that assumptions were met for a multiple regression. We then performed a multiple regression to investigate the relationships between variables. All of these processes were carried out in SPSS. Results: Our investigation within a clinical eating disorder population (N= 105) revealed that there was a statistically significant relationship between difficulties in emotion regulation and excessive exercise (p \u3c .05), but not between social appearance anxiety and excessive exercise(p \u3e .05). However the overall regression did not exhibit a significant relationship, F(2, 99)= 2.84, p \u3e .05, R2 = .054. Discussion: This relationship between excessive exercise and difficulties in emotionl regulation could point to an attempt to manage one\u27s emotions with exercise, which, though not inherently dangerous, could quickly become an unhealthy coping mechanism if done excessively. To further investigate this relationship, I would proceed with more robust measures for excessive exercise, such as the Compulsive Exercise Test (CET), and I would compare their results to scores on tests that measure for Generalized Anxiety Disorder, or Major Depressive Disorder
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Aircraft measurements of the latitudinal, vertical, and seasonal variations of NMHCs, methyl nitrate, methyl halides, and DMS during the First Aerosol Characterization Experiment (ACE 1)
Canister sampling for the determination of atmospheric mixing ratios of nonmethane hydrocarbons (NMHCs), selected halocarbons, and methyl nitrate was conducted aboard the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) C-130 aircraft over the Pacific and Southern Oceans as part of the First Aerosol Characterization Experiment (ACE 1) during November and December 1995. A latitudinal profile, flown from 76°N to 60°S, revealed latitudinal gradients for most trace gases. NMHC and halocarbon gases with predominantly anthropogenic sources, including ethane, ethyne, and tetrachloroethene, exhibited significantly higher mixing ratios in the northern hemisphere at all altitudes. Methyl chloride exhibited its lowest mixing ratios at the highest northern hemisphere latitudes, and the distributions of methyl nitrate and methyl iodide were consistent with tropical and subtropical oceanic sources. Layers containing continental air characteristic of aged biomass burning emissions were observed above about 3 km over the remote southern Pacific and near New Zealand between approximately 19°S and 43°S. These plumes originated from the west, possibly from fires in southern Africa. The month-long intensive investigation of the clean marine southern midlatitude troposphere south of Australia revealed decreases in the mixing ratios of ethane, ethyne, propane, and tetrachloroethene, consistent with their seasonal mixing ratio cycle. By contrast, increases in the average marine boundary layer concentrations of methyl iodide, methyl nitrate, and dimethyl sulfide (DMS) were observed as the season progressed to summer conditions. These increases were most appreciable in the region south of 44°S over Southern Ocean waters characterized as subantarctic and polar, indicating a seasonal increase in oceanic productivity for these gases. Copyright 1999 by the American Geophysical Union
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