Enhanced surface acoustic wave cell sorting by 3D microfluidic chip design

We demonstrate an acoustic wave driven microfluidic cell sorter that combines advantages of multilayer device fabrication with planar surface acoustic wave excitation. We harness the strong vertical component of the refracted acoustic wave to enhance cell actuation by using an asymmetric flow field to increase cell deflection. Precise control of the 3-dimensional flow is realized by topographical structures implemented on the top of the microchannel. We experimentally quantify the effect of the structure dimensions and acoustic parameter. The design attains cell sorting rates and purities approaching those of state of the art fluorescence-activated cell sorters with all the advantages of microfluidic cell sorting

Introduction: Local Democratic Governance, Poverty Reduction and Inequality: The Hybrid Character of Public Action

It has largely been assumed that as societies get better at being broader and more open (decentralisation, local government, participation and governance), so services tend to improve and things will get better for those in situations of poverty. In testing this assumption, the LogoLink network has drawn on studies of innovative experiences by members of its partner organisations. The emphasis of the joint project was on the local actors and the social processes involved. The results show how effective action and impact requires not only community?based organisations, social movements and NGO networks, but also public sector actors who can make links between the institutional environment, the public sector and communities. Recognising this hybrid character of public action has been a key conclusion from the studies

International sourcing decisions in the wake of a food scandal

This research investigates whether and how the 2013 Horsemeat Scandal has altered European food retailers’ efforts to mitigate fraud in the international agri-food supply chain. We construct an econometric model that matches fraud alert data from the European Union (EU) Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF) from 2006 to 2016 with annual data on bilateral trade flows. We find that—prior to the horsemeat scandal—detection of fraud along the supply chain induced a small amount of trade diversion toward third-country sources, but did not substantially affect total trade into the EU. In contrast, in the years after the scandal, the detection of fraud by international suppliers was substantially trade destructive. Detection of fraud reduced trade, not only with the country from which the fraudulent product originated, but also from third-country exporters of the same product. These findings extend beyond trade in meat products and to importing countries outside Western and Northern Europe

An information foraging theory based user study of an adaptive user interaction framework for content-based image retrieval

This paper presents the design and results of a task-based user study, based on Information Foraging Theory, on a novel user interaction framework - uInteract - for content-based image retrieval (CBIR). The framework includes a four-factor user interaction model and an interactive interface. The user study involves three focused evaluations, 12 simulated real life search tasks with different complexity levels, 12 comparative systems and 50 subjects. Information Foraging Theory is applied to the user study design and the quantitative data analysis. The systematic findings have not only shown how effective and easy to use the uInteract framework is, but also illustrate the value of Information Foraging Theory for interpreting user interaction with CBIR

An evaluation of seasonal variations in footwear worn by adults with inflammatory arthritis: a cross-sectional observational study using a web-based survey

Background: Foot problems are common in adults with inflammatory arthritis and therapeutic footwear can be effective in managing arthritic foot problems. Accessing appropriate footwear has been identified as a major barrier, resulting in poor adherence to treatment plans involving footwear. Indeed, previous New Zealand based studies found that many people with rheumatoid arthritis and gout wore inappropriate footwear. However, these studies were conducted in a single teaching hospital during the New Zealand summer therefore the findings may not be representative of footwear styles worn elsewhere in New Zealand, or reflect the potential influence of seasonal climate changes. The aim of the study was to evaluate seasonal variations in footwear habits of people with inflammatory arthritic conditions in New Zealand. Methods: A cross-sectional study design using a web-based survey. The survey questions were designed to elicit demographic and clinical information, features of importance when choosing footwear and seasonal footwear habits, including questions related to the provision of therapeutic footwear/orthoses and footwear experiences. Results: One-hundred and ninety-seven participants responded who were predominantly women of European descent, aged between 46–65 years old, from the North Island of New Zealand. The majority of participants identified with having either rheumatoid arthritis (35%) and/or osteoarthritis (57%) and 68% reported established disease (>5 years duration). 18% of participants had been issued with therapeutic footwear. Walking and athletic shoes were the most frequently reported footwear type worn regardless of the time of year. In the summer, 42% reported wearing sandals most often. Comfort, fit and support were reported most frequently as the footwear features of greatest importance. Many participants reported difficulties with footwear (63%), getting hot feet in the summer (63%) and the need for a sandal which could accommodate a supportive insole (73%). Conclusions: Athletic and walking shoes were the most popular style of footwear reported regardless of seasonal variation. During the summer season people with inflammatory arthritis may wear sandals more frequently in order to accommodate disease-related foot deformity. Healthcare professionals and researchers should consider seasonal variation when recommending appropriate footwear, or conducting footwear studies in people with inflammatory arthritis, to reduce non-adherence to prescribed footwear

Foodmaster and three stories

Graduation date: 2004The purpose of this thesis was to create a sustained piece of fiction that both\ud represented my growth as a writer throughout my time at Oregon State University, and\ud wove together a mixture of imagination, language, and creativity. My hope was to write\ud a novella that incorporated and drew from themes including work, community, and\ud family relationships, and also was an exploration in the very structure and form of literary\ud fiction.\ud After completing the novella, I found that similar themes continued to appear\ud within my fiction during my ongoing growth as a writer. What I ended up with was a\ud novella and collection of related stories that reflected the influences of my advisor Tracy\ud Daugherty and his tutelage, the courses that I took at this university and my\ud undergraduate university, and my own personal history.\ud This thesis was written over a two-year period, during which drafts of this novella\ud and stories were written and rewritten. Each story and chapter was submitted to a writing\ud workshop, read and edited by my major and minor advisor, and carefully reworked and\ud redrafted after much scrutiny and attention.\ud During the course of writing this thesis, many things influenced me, the most\ud prominent being the world of fiction that existed all around me. I was influenced by\ud fiction that I was reading in my course work, such as Donald Barthelme and Philip Roth,\ud but writers that I had grown up with, like Edgar Allen Poe and Ray Bradbury also\ud influenced me. Beyond the world of published fiction, I found not only influence, but\ud also more importantly inspiration from the work and criticism of the writers and students\ud within the Creative Writing Program here at Oregon State University.\ud The end result of these two years of work, study, writing, and criticism was a\ud piece of fiction that I am proud of, and plan to publish. This collection of fiction\ud represents not only a sustained study on the craft of creative writing, but also serves an\ud exploration of my own voice and style, and an awakening of my identity as a fiction\ud writer

Non-suicidal self-injury, suicidal ideation, and suicide attempt: Prevalence and predictors in a sample of youth offenders in the UK

The first aim of this study was to examine the prevalence of suicide attempts (SA), suicidal ideation (SI), as well as non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) within a sample of community-based youth offenders (M age = 15.33 years) engaging with an urban town Youth Offending Team (YOT). The second aim was to investigate whether trauma exposure, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomology, self-esteem, drug/alcohol abuse, criminal social identity (CSI), associations with criminal friends, and gender were significantly associated with SA, SI, and NSSI. Data were collected using self-report instruments, semi-structured interviews, and institutional records. Findings revealed the highest prevalence rates for NSSI (20.6%), followed by SI (12.7%), and SA (5.9%). Thirteen (12.7%) participants met, or exceeded, the threshold score for probable PTSD. Both SA and SI were significantly correlated with trauma exposure, self-esteem, and PTSD. NSSI formed significant associations with trauma, self-esteem, and gender. The present results offer further insight into the risk factors of SA, SI, and NSSI in an under-researched population, providing scope for development of effective interventions. The findings also highlight the need to screen for self-destructive impulses among youngsters in YOTs

Spatial and environmental drivers of macrophyte diversity and community composition in temperate and tropical calcareous rivers

The hypothesis was examined that sources of variation in macrophyte species richness (alpha-diversity: S) and community composition (“species-set”), attributable to spatial and environmental, variables, may differ in importance between tropical and temperate calcareous rivers (>10 mg CaCO3 L−1). To test this hypothesis geographic, environmental, and aquatic vegetation data was acquired for 1151 sites on calcareous rivers within the British Isles, supporting 106 macrophyte species (mean S: 3.1 species per sample), and 203 sites from Zambian calcareous rivers, supporting 255 macrophyte species (mean S: 8.3 species per sample). The data were analysed using an eigenfunction spatial analysis procedure, Moran’s Eigenvector Maps (MEM), to assess spatial variation of species richness and community composition at large regional scale (>105 km2: British Isles and Zambia); and at medium catchment scale (104–105 km2: British Isles only). Variation-partitioning was undertaken using multiple regression for species richness data, and partial redundancy analysis (pRDA) for community data. For the British Isles, spatial and environmental variables both significantly contributed to explaining variation in both species richness and community composition. In addition, a substantial amount of the variation in community composition, for the British Isles as a whole and for some RBUs, was accounted for by spatially-structured environmental variables. In Zambia, species richness was explained only by pure spatial variables, but environmental and spatially-structured environmental variables also explained a significant part of the variation for community composition. At medium-scale, in the British Isles, species richness was explained by spatial variables, and only for four of the six RBUs