Practices in applied phonics for grade one.

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston Universit

The economic ecology of small businesses in Oxfordshire

Report by the Oxfordshire Economic Observatory (OEO) for the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), Oxfordshire Branch

Production of antimicrobials and antioxidants from filamentous fungi

Filamentous fungi have proven throughout history to be a vast source of potential therapeutic activities. They are recognised as nutritious, highly palatable functional foods and are now widely accepted as an untapped source of potentially powerful natural products of pharmacological significance. In the present study, ten species of filamentous fungi were explored on the basis of their curative potential. Submerged liquid fermentation (SLF) was employed and proved to be a promising method for the production of bioactive functional compounds. Crude aqueous mycelial biomass demonstrated a broad range of antibacterial activity against pathogenically significant bacteria. Supplementation with various carbon sources at 1 % (w/v) affected the biomass production of several species significantly (p < 0.05) and in some cases also had a significant impact on cellular composition. Additionally, depending on species specificity, cell wall composition was found to affect the interaction of microbes prior to infection. Various extracts (crude, hot water and methanol) from the mycelium of each of the selected species were demonstrated as effective antioxidants. Additionally, total phenolic content positively attributed to the overall antioxidant capacity of the extracts. Bioassay-guided isolation and purification of extracts from cultured mycelia led to the identification of biologically active phenolic acids and compounds of lipid class. For effective utilisation of natural products or functional food components, quantitative information on the individual phenolic acids in each strain was generated. Compounds separated by TLC were extracted and analysed by LC/MS for fatty acid composition. The fatty acids; linoleic, palmitic, stearic and oleic acid were established as the main lipid metabolites of each fungal species. In addition, the effect of hot water and methanol extraction on fatty acid composition of the fungal cell was analysed by GC/MS. The fractionated extracts demonstrated that a combination of multiple chemical constituents yielded favourable biological activities. Submerged fermentation of mycelium from ten species of filamentous fungi proved to be an effective cultivation method for the production of bioactive and nutritional functional compounds. This research has provided information which could benefit further research in the isolation and characterisation of active chemical components of natural origin

Wave transformation across a macrotidal shore platform under low to moderate energy conditions

We investigate how waves are transformed across a shore platform as this is a central question in rock coast geomorphology. We present results from deployment of three pressure transducers over four days, across a sloping, wide (~200 m) cliff-backed shore platform in a macrotidal setting, in South Wales, United Kingdom. Cross shore variations in wave heights were evident under the predominantly low to moderate (significant wave height &#60; 1.4 m) energy conditions measured. At the outer transducer 50 m from the seaward edge of the platform (163 m from the cliff) high tide water depths were 8+ m meaning that waves crossed the shore platform without breaking. At the mid platform position water depth was 5 m. Water depth at the inner transducer (6 m from the cliff platform junction) at high tide was 1.4 m. This shallow water depth forced wave breaking, thereby limiting wave heights on the inner platform. Maximum wave height at the middle and inner transducers were 2.41 and 2.39 m respectively and significant wave height 1.35 m and 1.34 m respectively. Inner platform high tide wave heights were generally larger where energy was up to 335% greater than near the seaward edge where waves were smaller. Infragravity energy was less than 13% of the total energy spectra with energy in the swell, wind and capillary frequencies accounting for 87% of the total energy. Wave transformation is thus spatially variable and is strongly modulated by platform elevation and the tidal range. While shore platforms in microtidal environments have been shown to be highly dissipative, in this macro-tidal setting up to 90% of the offshore wave energy reached the landward cliff at high tide, so that the shore platform cliff is much more reflective

Are the Health of the Nation's targets attainable? Postal survey of general practitioners' views

The Health of the Nation's targets were introduced by the government in 1992 as part of a strategic approach to health.1 We aimed, in 1996, to elicit the views of general practitioners on the attainability of these targets

Beyond Composition: Teaching Students How to Transition from Composition Classes to the Business Writing Classes

Students often fail to apply writing skills learned from course to course. This presentation will address the transfer of students’ writing skills from two perspectives: the first-year composition instructor and the business writing instructor. Instructors can benefit from a dialogue on bridging the gap between courses

Geomorphological control on boulder transport and coastal erosion before, during and after an extreme extra-tropical cyclone

Extreme wave events in coastal zones are principal drivers of geomorphic change. Evidence of boulder entrainment and erosional impact during storms is increasing. However, there is currently poor time coupling between pre- and post-storm measurements of coastal boulder deposits. Importantly there are no data reporting shore platform erosion, boulder entrainment and/or boulder transport during storm events – rock coast dynamics during storm events are currently unexplored. Here, we use high-resolution (daily) field data to measure and characterise coastal boulder transport before, during and after the extreme Northeast Atlantic extra-tropical cyclone Johanna in March 2008. Forty-eight limestone fine-medium boulders (n = 46) and coarse cobbles (n = 2) were tracked daily over a 0.1 km2 intertidal area during this multi-day storm. Boulders were repeatedly entrained, transported and deposited, and in some cases broken down (n = 1) or quarried (n = 3), during the most intense days of the storm. Eighty-one percent (n = 39) of boulders were located at both the start and end of the storm. Of these, 92% were entrained where entrainment patterns were closely aligned to wave parameters. These data firmly demonstrate rock coasts are dynamic and vulnerable under storm conditions. No statistically significant relationship was found between boulder size (mass) and net transport distance. Graphical analyses suggest that boulder size limits the maximum longshore transport distance but that for the majority of boulders lying under this threshold, other factors influence transport distance. Paired analysis of 20 similar sized and shaped boulders in different morphogenic zones demonstrates that geomorphological control affects entrainment and transport distance – where net transport distances were up to 39 times less where geomorphological control was greatest. These results have important implications for understanding and for accurately measuring and modelling boulde

Manager as Coach: An Exploratory Study into the Experience of Managers Dealing with Team Challenge

Effective teams demand sharing, good communication, openness and engagement to create cohesion and collaboration. The modern team environment requires a highly competent manager capable of dealing with diversity, widening demographics, compression of roles, merging of organisational hierarchies and resource scarcity. This dynamic interplay has contributed to the transition from the traditional bureaucratic style of management to a higher proficiency of inclusive leadership, encompassing coaching. Within this context, there is an assumption that the manager as coach will successfully tackle the complexity of team challenge using conventional coaching interventions with the manager as coach becoming vogue. Thirty semi-structured interviews were recorded, transcribed and thematically analysed using a critical incident for exploration. The data generated an appreciation of the origins of team challenge and how challenge can be recognised, identified and acted upon to avoid escalation and maintain functionality within the team. The findings offer a framework for managers, irrespective of coaching competency to deal with team challenge and specifically that arising from behaviour described as unproductive or dysfunctional within the complexity of multiple team variants. This research will further supplement existing team effectiveness models and highlight the need for the manager as coach to be alert to team behaviour, foster appreciation of team difference at all levels, be coach-minded and act speedily in addressing team challenge. Further insight is offered from the perspective of the practitioner with models for self-assessment and training in response to dealing with challenge

Noninvasive Assessment of Preclinical Atherosclerosis

Initially considered as a semipermeable barrier separating lumen from vessel wall, the endothelium is now recognised as a complex endocrine organ responsible for a variety of physiological processes vital for vascular homeostasis. These include the regulation of vascular tone, luminal diameter, and blood flow; hemostasis and thrombolysis; platelet and leucocyte vessel-wall interactions; the regulation of vascular permeability; and tissue growth and remodelling. The endothelium modulates arterial stiffness, which precedes overt atherosclerosis and is an independent predictor of cardiovascular events. Unsurprisingly, dysfunction of the endothelium may be considered as an early and potentially reversible step in the process of atherogenesis and numerous methods have been developed to assess endothelial status and large artery stiffness. Methodology includes flow-mediated dilatation of the brachial artery, assessment of coronary flow reserve, carotid intimamedia thickness, pulse wave analysis, pulse wave velocity, and plethysmography. This review outlines the various modalities, indications, and limitations of available methods to assess arterial dysfunction and vascular risk

Identification of major factors influencing ELISpot-based monitoring of cellular responses to antigens from mycobacterium tuberculosis

A number of different interferon-c ELISpot protocols are in use in laboratories studying antigen-specific immune responses. It is therefore unclear how results from different assays compare, and what factors most significantly influence assay outcome. One such difference is that some laboratories use a short in vitro stimulation period of cells before they are transferred to the ELISpot plate; this is commonly done in the case of frozen cells, in order to enhance assay sensitivity. Other differences that may be significant include antibody coating of plates, the use of media with or without serum, the serum source and the number of cells added to the wells. The aim of this paper was to identify which components of the different ELISpot protocols influenced assay sensitivity and inter-laboratory variation. Four laboratories provided protocols for quantifying numbers of interferon-c spot forming cells in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells stimulated with Mycobacterium tuberculosis derived antigens. The differences in the protocols were compared directly. We found that several sources of variation in assay protocols can be eliminated, for example by avoiding serum supplementation and using AIM-V serum free medium. In addition, the number of cells added to ELISpot wells should also be standardised. Importantly, delays in peripheral blood mononuclear cell processing before stimulation had a marked effect on the number of detectable spot forming cells; processing delay thus should be minimised as well as standardised. Finally, a pre-stimulation culture period improved the sensitivity of the assay, however this effect may be both antigen and donor dependent. In conclusion, small differences in ELISpot protocols in routine use can affect the results obtained and care should be given to conditions selected for use in a given study. A pre-stimulation step may improve the sensitivity of the assay, particularly when cells have been previously frozen