SCR Blocking Pulse Gate Amplifier-Patent

Silicon controlled rectifier pulse gate amplifier for blocking false gating caused by negative transient voltage

Scratch nights and hash-tag chats: creative tools to enhance choreography in the higher dance education curriculum

This paper reports on a focused collaborative learning and teaching research project between the Dance Department at Middlesex University and partner institution London Studio Centre. Informed by Belinda Allen’s research on creative curriculum design, dance students and lecturers shared innovative learning opportunities to enhance the development of the creative dance graduate. The key motivation was to explore practices in the modules on both institutions’ undergraduate programmes in which choreography is located. Interdisciplinary, peer and audience discussions surrounding students’ work were fostered during Scratch nights and via hash-tag chats on Twitter. In this discussion we demonstrate that these discursive and participatory practices have value for future dance artists entering the professional field. We evaluate the research outcomes with focus on language, critical confidence and risk taking with the view of better shaping students’ overall learning opportunities in a collaborative dance network to support their individual development as artists

Spectroscopic Studies of Brooker\u27s Merocyanine in Zeolite L

Zeolites are porous, crystalline substances that have very unique atomic organizations which allow for the formation of complex channels within the crystals. Each type of zeolite has a distinct shape and structure. To better understand the properties of zeolite channels, a dye molecule known as Brooker’s merocyanine was inserted into Zeolite L. Maximum dye loading into the zeolite channels was achieved by altering different experimental variables, such as heat, solution concentration, stirring, cation exchange, and light exposure. X-ray diffraction was used to verify the synthesis of zeolites, the cation exchange process, and dye loading. UV-Vis spectroscopy was used to measure the amount of dye adsorbed by the zeolite. By using the UV-Vis absorbance values and Beer’s Law, the concentration of dye in the zeolites was determined. The results showed that an increase of heat and stirring correlated to an increase of adsorption of dye by the zeolite. Due to the light sensitivity of Brooker’s merocyanine, it was found that limiting the amount of light exposure of the dye solutions also resulted in higher dye adsorption by the zeolites. An increase of the concentration of the dye solution increased the rate of adsorption in the channels. However, exchanging the potassium ions found within the synthesized Zeolite L channels with smaller hydrogen ions did not have an affect on the adsorption of dye in the channels. Characterizing how to achieve a maximum of dye adsorption in the zeolites allows for a better understanding of how dye molecules interact within the zeolite channels

The impact of a woman\u27s physical attractiveness on the height of her glass ceiling

Abstract: The impact of a woman’s physical attractiveness on the height of her glass ceiling It is the purpose of this thesis to identify whether or not a woman’s level of physical attractiveness has any impact on the height of her glass ceiling. The thesis first provides a comprehensive review of literature and previous studies. It is well established by prior research that attractiveness is beneficial to women pursuing entry-level employment, but there have been mixed conclusions as to whether or not attractiveness is beneficial or detrimental for women seeking employment at the managerial level (Heilman and Saruwatari, 1979; Hosoda, Stone-Romero, and Coats, 2003). Studies have not yet looked at the impact of attractiveness on employment decisions at levels beyond management. Based on the literature, this thesis hypothesizes that attractiveness will be detrimental to women seeking managerial and executive employment and that attractive women will receive lower performance evaluations. This thesis tests these hypotheses by developing an objective scale for attractiveness and then varying the level of attractiveness of identical applicants for managerial and executive job openings. All of the proposed hypotheses in this thesis were rejected. There is no statistically significant evidence to suggest that attractiveness is detrimental for women seeking managerial or executive employment. In fact, the results suggest the opposite in one scenario, showing with near significance that attractiveness may in fact be beneficial to women seeking employment at the executive level. Citations Heilman, M. E. and Saruwatari, L. R. (1979). When beauty is beastly: The effects of appearance and sex on evaluations of job applicants for managerial and nonmanagerial jobs. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 23, 360-372. Hosoda, M., Stone-Romero, E. F., Coats, G. (2003). The effect of physical attractiveness on job related outcomes: A meta-analysis of experimental studies. Personnel Psychology, 56, 431-462

Gendered Social Movements: A Critical Comparison of the Suffrage and Gay Marriage Movements

The elections of 2008 saw the passage of several overwhelming and explicit condemnations of gay rights across the nation. Most damaging to the gay marriage movement was the successful passage of proposition 8 in California, the first time that the right to gay marriage was repealed. I argue that the continued modeling of the civil rights framework defers an analysis of the argumentative strategies of historically gendered movements such as the suffrage movement and is a disservice to the strategic potential of the marriage equality movement. The critical comparison made here between suffrage and marriage equality opens the potential for our foremothers to teach us to effectively counter gender stereotypes in the pursuit of national legislative equality

A Preoperative Intervention to Improve Glycemic Control in Surgical Patients with Diabetes

Perioperative hyperglycemia is reported in 20-40% of patients undergoing general surgery and is an independent risk factor for negative surgical outcomes. Patients with diabetes presenting to a local community hospital are at risk for negative surgical outcomes due to the lack of strategies to prevent perioperative hyperglycemia. This project aimed to implement and evaluate the usefulness of succinct diabetes education for preoperative total joint surgical patients with diabetes. The intervention was a nurse-led, face-to-face diabetes education session provided to total joint surgical patients with diabetes during a preoperative evaluation appointment, compared to usual care (no preoperative diabetes education). This project utilized a retrospective review consisting of an 8-week baseline period (usual care), followed by an 8-week active period (intervention received). Participants included all total joint surgical patients with and without diabetes during the described time periods selected by convenience. Outcome measures including glycemic control, length of stay (LOS), surgical site infections, and number of patients who received diabetes education were measured. Results were analyzed using descriptive statistics to evaluate the effectiveness and usefulness of the intervention. Participants in the active period showed a significant increase in the number of patients who received diabetes education (p0.05). Studies have shown providing diabetes education leads to improved glycemic control and reduces diabetes associated complications. This project shows the importance of identifying perioperative hyperglycemia and the clinical significance it has on surgical populations

Online Course Development with University Extension and Industry Experts

Project Background While pursuing my college degrees, the highest impact classes have been filled with applications that I understood as being relevant at the time and have used within my career, had hands-on experiences, and included influential interactions with professionals. Taking this idea forward to course development as an online instructor, I know that creating and adapting college classes to be centered on key aspects of the agricultural industry will add to the education quality of the program and the college experience. This paper will describe my first attempt at this model of partnering with academic and industry experts to help teach students about professionally relevant subjects. The professionals told the story of their work, and I designed the course material to dive into the science, data, and application. I chose the online course delivery option for several reasons. First, I am an online, distance student and instructor, so being on campus to lecture or have in-person lab/recitations every week was not feasible. I have years of experience in online course delivery. The online format provides our student audience flexibility, accessibility, and convenience. Online classes are in high demand for students and the tools to offer a quality education experience can nearly match the in-person atmosphere and interaction. Finally, online courses allow instructors to be resource-efficient with development and delivery. Creating a new online undergraduate course was a great fit for my MAS Option B degree project as it has been a strong representation of my professional work and has helped me carve out a spot for my teaching work at the University. Conclusions This MAS project has been a great learning experience as a student, instructor, and agriculturalist. My family’s farm takes pride in thinking holistically about its operation - diversifying endeavors and considering long term impacts of decisions. This course development has allowed me to do the same thing in an academic setting. Helping put together a course, starting at the idea phase, has given me a comprehensive view of everything necessary to design and deliver a new class. This includes making sure there is demand for the class by talking with advisors of the target student audience, collaborating with other faculty to find a niche subject that isn’t explored in other classes already, creating content and meaningful assessment opportunities for students to demonstrate their understanding, critical thinking, and applications, and forming evaluations to measure the overall learning experience. This project has heightened my passion for being a life-long learner. There are many thanks to deliver for support in completing this project: my family, advisors, teaching teams, Agronomy and Horticulture Department, Engler Entrepreneurship Program, professors/instructors, and students

Does Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation as an Adjunct to Traditional Physical Therapy Improve Post-Operative Mobility After Total Knee Arthroplasty in Comparison to Traditional PT Alone in Patients 50-85 Years Old?

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this selective Evidence Based Medicine (EBM) review is to determine whether or not neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) as an adjunct to traditional physical therapy (PT) improves post-operative mobility including walking and stairclimbing ability following total knee arthroplasty (TKA) in comparison to traditional PT alone in patients 50-85 years old. STUDY DESIGN: Review of three English language primary studies published after 1999. DATA SOURCES: Three randomized controlled trials comparing traditional PT with PT and adjuvant NMES following TKA in patients 50-85 years old found using PubMed and EBSCOhost Web. OUTCOMES MEASURED: Clinical outcome was measured in each of the three studies through various assessments of post-operative mobility including a six-minute walk test (6MWT), stair-climbing test (SCT), tug up-and-go test (TUG), and walking distance. Each study assessed post-operative improvement from baseline after the respective intervention was introduced. RESULTS: The study by Petterson et al. revealed no statistically significant difference between interventional and control groups of the RCT cohort, but significant improvements were noted between the RCT and standard of care cohorts. Both RCTs completed by Avramidis et al. and Stevens-Lapsley demonstrated that adjunctive NMES was an effective means to minimize deficits in quadriceps muscle strength and muscle atrophy thereby increasing functional recovery following TKA surgery. CONCLUSION: The results of the RCTs reviewed suggest NMES is an effective adjunct to traditional PT regimens and permits greater gains in muscle strength and attenuates quadriceps muscle atrophy which allows for more significant functional gains in walking and stair-climbing ability following TKA. Further research needs to be completed to assess appropriate duration and intensity of NMES as well as the potential benefit of pre-operative use ofs NMES

Ultraviolet Light Emitting Diode Use in Advanced Oxidation Processes

Cleanup from a hazardous chemical release can result in large volumes of water containing hazardous materials, such as organophosphates. Unfortunately, this water cannot be treated in a municipal wastewater treatment plant without adversely affecting the performance of the plant. A known method for pretreating this water to prepare it for processing in a traditional treatment plant includes the addition of hydrogen peroxide, followed by ultraviolet (UV) light exposure to form reactive hydroxyl radicals which oxidize the chemical. Light emitting diodes (LEDs) are explored as a UV source as they are durable; compact; can be powered by low voltage, direct current from solar cells or batteries; and do not contain other hazardous materials, making them useful in a tactical environment. This research evaluated the operating mode (continuous or pulsed current) of 240 nanometer UV LEDs for application in such an advanced oxidation process. The experimental results demonstrated the production of hydroxyl radicals from hydrogen peroxide from both continuously driven and pulsed UV LEDs. However, continuously driven UV LEDs were shown to be more effective than pulsed in this application