Spreading the message: teaching music librarianship by distance learning

A course in music librarianship has been offered at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for many years. However, it is only since 2008 that the course has been offered online. The move from a traditional classroom environment to an online one raises several pedagogical and practical issues, some of which are discussed in the present article. The technology used to deliver courses online from the University of Illinois is also examined, and some information is also provided about the use of online course management software to deliver music librarianship courses at the University of Aberystwyth (UK). An increase in the number of courses offered online in this way will,one hopes, lead to greater course enrolment by students.published or submitted for publicationis peer reviewe

Strategies for Devising Automatic Signal Recognition Algorithms in a Shared Radio Environment

In an increasingly congested and complex radio environment interference is to be expected, which poses problems for Automatic Signal Recognition (ASR) systems. This thesis explores strategies for improving ASR performance in the presence of interference. The thesis breaks the overall research question down into a number of subquestions and explores each of these in turn. A Phase-symmetric Cross Recurrence Plot is developed and used to show how a radio signal can be manipulated to separate information about the modulation from the information being carried. The Logarithmic Cyclic frequency Domain Profile is introduced to illustrate how a logarithmic representation can be used for analysing mixtures of signals with very different cyclic frequencies. After defining a canonical ASR system architecture, the concepts of an Ideal Feature and Interference Selectivity are introduced and applied to typical features used in ASR processing. Finally it is shown how these algorithmic developments can be combined in a Bayesian chain implementation that can accommodate a wide variety of feature extraction algorithms. It is concluded that future ASR systems will require features that can handle a wide range of signal types with much higher levels of interference selectivity if they are to achieve acceptable performance in shared spectrum bands. Intelligent segmentation is shown to be a requirement for future ASR systems unless features can be developed that have near ideal performance

A Critical Appraisal of Ward-based Interventions in the Care of the Acutely Unwell Patient

Medical Emergency Teams and Critical Care Outreach services are used to try to improve the care of patients in the ward environment. The limited treatment options include oxygen therapy, non-invasive ventilation, intravenous fluid therapy and in some institutions, inotropic support. The efficacy of such interventions is unclear. Four studies used both lung models and clinical observation to assess oxygen therapy. The model demonstrated a deterioration in oxygen delivery for the variable flow systems (Hudson mask, Hudson non-rebreather mask and nasal cannulae) as minute ventilation increased. Performance was relatively preserved for a venturi system and a high flow nasal cannula system (Vapotherm®). Peak inspiratory flow rates (PIFR) were assessed in patients with respiratory distress and matched controls. This demonstrated a higher median PIFR of 76.5 l.min-1 (IQR 51.25 l.min-1) in patients when compared with controls, median of 30.00 (IQR 6.00 l.min-1) (p<0.0001). The model was used to assess continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) and showed no deterioration in oxygen delivery with respiratory rate, with or without a CPAP valve. When applied clinically in patients with acute respiratory distress, a significant increase in mean arterial oxygenation was observed on moving from a venturi mask (FiO2 0.6) to CPAP even without the valve, with a mean increase of PaO2 of 10.69 kPa (SD 5.14 kPa) p<0.0001 (n=53). The application of pressure with the CPAP valve did not increase this value over the 2 hours studied. The use of intravenous fluid resuscitation (IFR) in the ward was audited. Delay in fluid administration, a wide range of volume delivered and a lack of monitoring were demonstrated. This audit produced the hypothesis that better monitoring of fluid therapy in the wards may reduce the volume delivered and incidence of complications. The final study thus compared a simple-to-use cardiac output monitor (Vigileo Flotrac®) to a dye-dilution system (LiDCO®). The two systems were found to have good agreement both in terms of cardiac output (bias positive in favour of the LiDCO 0.58 l.min-1). The upper 95% limit is +1.40 l.min-1 and the lower 95% limit, - 0.28 l.min-1). And stroke volume variation (Bias of 0 with 95% limits of +/- 3.3%). In conclusion this thesis demonstrates the impact of abnormal ventilation on oxygen delivered by some mask systems. It shows the efficacy of a tight fitting CPAP mask and high flow generator, but incidentally demonstrates that, at least initially it is the mask system rather than the pressure that has a pronounced effect on oxygenation. Fluid management in the ward patient appears poorly controlled and often excessive so may benefit from improved monitoring. To this end a cardiac output monitor that may be suitable for ward use has been shown to be comparable with a more established technique

Coleridge on drama

From Introduction: In the Preface to his book The idea of Coleridge's Criticism, Richard Harter Fogle states: There is... I am confident, a need for such a study as I here introduce; a study of Coleridge's criticism in itself, tentatively accepting the metaphysical assumptions on which it is based and focusing upon its central principles and inner relationship; endeavouring without direct regard for its external connections to the past and the present to see it as a whole, yet at the same time anxiously regardful of its permanent significance and its bearing upon practical criticism. These are the principles on which I have based this thesis, applied more particularly to Coleridge's criticism of drama

The stability of novel energetic materials and associated propellants

A study into the degradation of crystalline Hydrazinium Nitroformate (HNF) in isolation has been carried out alongside studies into HNF / polyNIMMO propellant degradation. The contribution of gas / solid autocatalysis in the degradation of the crystalline phase has been determined to be very low. Studies via GC-MS analysis do suggest that the presence (and eventual release) of the crystal impurity, isopropyl alcohol, is a more significant contributor to the eventual autocatalytic breakdown of the crystal matrix. Investigations into the chemical compatibility of HNF with nitrosated and nitrated derivatives of 2NDPA and pNMA indicated that the reaction of HNF is most rapid with N-NO-2NDPA. This reaction between HNF and N-NO-2NDPA is proposed to be the principal route to rapid propellant degradation in 2NDPA stabilised propellant systems. Analysis of a range of polyNIMMO / HNF propellants has allowed development of a hypothesis for this family of propellant compositions over a range of temperatures. The data has indicated that the degradation of polyNIMMO / HNF propellants is a complex process involving a number of interrelated and interdependent reactions. It appears that a significantly different reaction scheme dominates at 80°C compared to either 60°C or 40°C. The incorporation of a 1% anhydrous sodium sulphite + 1% pNMA mixed stabiliser system has shown promise for use in propellant formulations up to temperature of 80°C. Some level of success in stabilisation has also been achieved using very high levels of pNMA within the propellant formulation.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo