On the formulas for correcting reversing thermometers

The case often arises where a thermometer which has been inserted into a medium of temperature Tw is actually read in a place where the environment is at temperature t, ≠ Tw. Such a case is the soil thermometer , where the bulb is at Tw and the stem in the air at t; and such a case is the oceanographic reversing thermometer, brought up from a depth-of-reversal (Tw) to the ship laboratory (t). In each case the different cubical expansion coefficients of mercury and glass mean that the stem mercury capillary is taken from the true reading of Tw to a reading of T/ by the action of environmental change from Tw to T/.Sponsored by Grant NSF-GP 821 from the National Science Foundatio

Hands on - hands off: on hitting your thumb with a virtual hammer

In a wired world even the most physically embodied craft skills are affected by computer facilitated communication. To consider how different sorts of space – both real and virtual – influence the learning of craft skills this paper presents three types of space – the ‘real’ space of a jewellery workshop, an online ‘wiki’ space for learning how to make a folding knife mediated by face to face interaction and an online discussion group about French Horn making. Some features common to the learning of any craft skill are discussed as well as some current ideas about the influence of networked communication on the way people relate to each other. Conclusions are drawn about the relationships between different types of learner, different types of skill and different types of learning space which demonstrate that while there may be no substitute for face to face contact in learning the most embodied craft skills, even in real-world settings a significant proportion of learning depends on social interaction which may be reproduced online. Keywords: Craft learning; Apprenticeship; Communities of Practice; Online Networks</p

Objects in Purgatory brooch exchange : storytelling artefacts as agents for audience engagement

An ‘object in purgatory’ is a gift you have received and don't want, but nonetheless feel compelled to keep. My Objects in Purgatory exhibition (2011) invited visitors to contribute their uncherished gifts, and relate the stories associated with them. Their contributions were exhibited, and in return they received a handmade brooch featuring an image of another visitor’s uncherished gift. This paper describes how public display gave the gifts material agency—opening up a new shared space for reflection on the usually taboo subject of unwanted gifts. The use of display in the exhibition and in the brooches provided rich layers of performance, provocation and interpretation. The paper also establishes the Objects in Purgatory exhibition as a method that combines a form of artistic production—the participatory exhibition—with a form of exchange. The method engages the audience in active reflection on their practices of keeping home possessions, and develops an existing form of contemporary jewellery practice (the making of wearable memories) by employing brooches to reallocate the memories, obligations and feelings associated with unwanted gifts—thereby developing the relational potential of jewellery

The role of Empodisma robustum litter in CO₂ exchange at Kopuatai bog

Respiration from the decomposition of standing dead litter in peatlands influences the ecosystem carbon balance through its contribution to total ecosystem respiration (ER). This research determined the proportion of ER estimated at Kopuatai bog that is sourced from the decomposition of Empodisma robustum litter in the canopy. Canopy harvests were carried out to measure the mass of standing litter in the canopy; laboratory litter incubations were used to measure respiration rates over a range of temperatures and moisture contents; and a simple model was developed to estimate annual litter respiration using inputs of canopy wetness duration and canopy temperature. E. robustum litter comprised an average of 51% of the total canopy biomass, with 0.92 kg m⁻² standing litter dry matter in 1.8 kg m⁻² of total canopy dry matter. The majority of this litter is located in the lower part of the canopy. Very low respiration rates were measured for the E. robustum litter, although respiration was significantly higher in litter which was more physically decomposed (R₁₀ = 0.44 (± 0.1) μmol kg⁻¹ s⁻¹) than that which was freshly dead (R₁₀ = 0.24 (± 0.05) μmol kg⁻¹ s⁻¹). Litter respiration showed a strong temperature response, and was moisture-limited below approximately 50% moisture content. The model of litter respiration estimated that standing dead E. robustum litter contributed 59 g C m⁻² yr⁻¹ (8.8%) to annual total ER. This represents an estimated litter turnover time of 7 – 8 years. While the contribution of litter respiration to ER is relatively small, the resulting large mass of recalcitrant litter in the canopy may contribute to E. robustum’s ability to engineer its environment

Studies of dithioimidodiphosphinates and related compounds

The condensation reaction of iPr2PCl with hexamethyldisilazane, HN(SiMe3)2, followed by oxidation with sulfur yields iPr2P(S)NHP(S)iPr2. Single crystal X-ray diffraction studies indicate it adopts a unique cisoid conformation in a hydrogen bonded chain. iPr2P(S)NHP(S)iPr2 was reacted with carbonates of Zn, Cd and Ni, CoCl2, MCl2COD (M = Pd, Pt) and Pt(PMe3)2Cl2 yielding the complexes M[iPr2P(S)NP(S)iPr2]2 (M = Zn, Cd, Ni, Co, Pd, Pt), {[iPr2P(S)NP(S)iPr2] Pd[iPr2P(S)NHP(S)iPr2]}+Cl- and {Pt(PMe3)2[iPr2P(S)NP(S)iPr2]}+BPh4-. [Continues]

Serum N-Terminal Type III Procollagen Propeptide: An Indicator of Growth Hormone Excess and Response to Treatment in Feline Hypersomatotropism

BACKGROUND: N‐terminal type III procollagen propeptide (PIIINP) is a biomarker of soft tissue proliferation. Hypersomatotropism (HS) is associated with soft tissue proliferation. HYPOTHESIS: Serum PIIINP is increased in cats with HS and decreases with effective treatment, and may be an additional tool in the diagnosis and treatment of feline HS. ANIMALS: Cats with uncomplicated diabetes mellitus (DM; n = 30) and with HS‐induced DM (HSDM; n = 30). Pre‐ and posttreatment samples were available from 5 cats undergoing radiotherapy (RT) and 16 cats undergoing hypophysectomy (HPX). METHODS: Retrospective and prospective cross‐sectional study. Analytical performance of a serum PIIINP ELISA was assessed and validated for use in cats. PIIINP and insulin‐like growth factor 1 (IGF‐1) radioimmunoassays (RIA) were performed pre‐ and post‐treatment in cats with DM and HSDM. PIIINP and IGF‐1 were compared between cats treated by RT and HPX. RESULTS: Serum PIIINP concentrations were significantly higher (P < .001) in HSDM cats (median, 19.6 ng/mL; range, 1.7–27.9) compared to DM cats (median, 5.0 ng/mL; range, 2.1–10.4). A cut‐off of 10.5 ng/mL allowed differentiation between DM and HSDM cats with 87% sensitivity and 100% specificity (area under the curve [AUC], 0.91; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.82‐1). After RT, PIIINP increased significantly (P = .043) with no significant change in IGF‐1 concentrations. After HPX, serum PIIINP (P = .034) and IGF‐1 concentrations (P < .001) decreased significantly. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL IMPORTANCE: PIIINP concentrations are increased in cats with untreated HSDM compared to those with DM, demonstrating the effect of excess GH on soft tissue. PIIINP concentrations decreased after HPX in most HSDM cats