2,463 research outputs found
Coâoperative crossâplatform courseware development
The UKMCC (UK Mathematics Courseware Consortium) is a Consortium funded under TLTP (Training and Learning Technology Programme) to produce courseware for service mathematics teaching, using the SEFI (SociĂ©tĂ© EuropĂ©enne pour la Formation des IngĂ©nieurs) syllabus. There are agreed courseware design guidelines and a simple courseware management system which allows crossâreferencing. Courseware is divided into modules, with an author as implementer for each. On any one hardware platform, a variety of authoring languages is possible. Across hardware platforms, the design guidelines ensure that conversion is possible, and will preserve look and feel. We argue here that these arrangements provide a basis for continued coâoperation between authors and future development as the technology changes
Ethiopian refugees in the UK: migration, adaptation and settlement experiences and their relevance to health.
Aim: The study explores Ethiopian refugeesâ and asylum seekersâ experiences of migration, adaptation and settlement in the UK and their health beliefs and practices.
Design: Data was collected using semi-structured depth interviews and a semi-structured questionnaire. The sample consisted of 106 Ethiopians resident in the UK.
Results: The majority of the participants fled Ethiopia due to political reasons. Whilst 65% of them had lived in the UK for over five years only 7% had full refugee status. Many of the participants faced difficulties with the immigration system, housing and social services and felt socially isolated. Many also had problems with gaining employment or employment appropriate to their qualifications, and 29% were unemployed. The majority of the participants believe that happiness is a prerequisite to healthiness and also an indication of healthiness. On the other hand the majority believed that sickness is caused by disease and mental illness is caused by both supernatural and psychosocial causes. Most of the participants sought the help of their GP in the first instance of illness although some had experienced difficulties accessing health services due to language problems and poor understanding of the primary health care system. The participants also believed that the stress of adaptation and settlement affected their mental health and led to stress and depression.
Conclusion: Migration, adaptation and settlement experiences impact on the health of refugees and are dependent on a number of barriers and enablers, both at a personal and societal level. These should be taken into account in the provision of health and social care services, in particular services should be provided in a culturally competent manner
Les microvésicules porteuses du morphogÚne Shh inhibent la différenciation adipocytaire via une voie de signalisation non canonique
No abstract availabl
MODELING AND DESIGNING A FULL BEAMFORMER FOR ACOUSTIC SENSING AND MEASUREMENT
Acoustic sensing is a viable approach for solving issues related to many applications, namely, biomedical, distance measurements, mechanical, health infrastructure monitoring, etc. It is generally sustainable and of no negative impact on the object under test. The use of acoustic sensing under beamforming technique is an important asset to be exploited, especially for the aforementioned applications. This paper illustrates a generalized approach of modeling and designing a full beamfomer using two specific classes: LCMP (Linear Constrained Minimum Power) beamformers that are used to overcome robustness limitations and MVDR (Minimum Variance Distortionless Response) beamformers. Any aspect of modeling and designing is always related to the DOA (Direction of Arrival). The obtained results are based on assumptions extracted from an actual case of constructed system
Interferometric Observations of the Nuclear Region of Arp220 at Submillimeter Wavelengths
We report the first submillimeter interferometric observations of an
ultraluminous infrared galaxy. We observed Arp220 in the CO J=3-2 line and
342GHz continuum with the single baseline CSO-JCMT interferometer consisting of
the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory (CSO) and the James Clerk Maxwell
Telescope (JCMT). Models were fit to the measured visibilities to constrain the
structure of the source. The morphologies of the CO J=3-2 line and 342GHz
continuum emission are similar to those seen in published maps at 230 and
110GHz. We clearly detect a binary source separated by about 1 arcsec in the
east-west direction in the 342GHz continuum. The CO J=3-2 visibility
amplitudes, however, indicate a more complicated structure, with evidence for a
compact binary at some velocities and rather more extended structure at others.
Less than 30% of the total CO J=3-2 emission is detected by the interferometer,
which implies the presence of significant quantities of extended gas. We also
obtained single-dish CO J=2-1, CO J=3-2 and HCN J=4-3 spectra. The HCN J=4-3
spectrum, unlike the CO spectra, is dominated by a single redshifted peak. The
HCN J=4-3/CO J=3-2, HCN J=4-3/HCN J=1-0 and CO J=3-2/2-1 line ratios are larger
in the redshifted (eastern) source, which suggests that the two sources may
have different physical conditions. This result might be explained by the
presence of an intense starburst that has begun to deplete or disperse the
densest gas in the western source, while the eastern source harbors undispersed
high density gas.Comment: 17 pages, 9 figures, 4 Tables. accepted by Ap
Progress Towards a Multi-Modal Capsule Endoscopy Device Featuring Microultrasound Imaging
Current clinical standards for endoscopy in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract combine high definition optics and ultrasound imaging to view the lumen superficially and through its thickness. However, these instruments are limited to the length of an endoscope and the only clinically available, autonomous devices able to travel the full length of the GI tract easily offer only video capsule endoscopy (VCE). Our work seeks to overcome this limitation with a device (âSonopillâ) for multimodal capsule endoscopy, providing optical and microultrasound (ÎŒUS) imaging and supporting sensors1.
ÎŒUS transducers have been developed with multiple piezoelectric materials operating across a range of centre frequencies to study viability in the GI tract. Because of the combined constraints of ÎŒUS imaging and the low power / heat tolerance of autonomous devices, a hybrid approach has been taken to the transducer design, with separate transmit and receive arrays allowing multiple manufacturing approaches to maximise system efficiency. To explore these approaches fully, prototype devices have been developed with PVDF, high-frequency PZT and PMN-PT composites, and piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducer arrays. Test capsules have been developed using 3D printing to investigate issues including power consumption, heat generation / dissipation, acoustic coupling, signal strength and capsule integrity. Because of the high functional density of the electronics in our proposed system, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) have been developed to realise the ultrasound transmit and receive circuitry along with white-light and autofluorescence imaging with single-photon avalanche detectors (SPADs).
The ultrasound ASIC has been developed and the SPAD electronics and optical subsystem have been validated experimentally. The functionality of various transducer materials has been examined as a function of frequency and ultrasound transducers have been developed to operate at centre frequencies in the range 15 - 50 MHz. Ex vivo testing of porcine tissue has been performed, generating images of interest to the clinical community, demonstrating the viability of the Sonopill concept
Finite Temperature Behavior of the Quantum Hall Effect in Bilayer Electron Systems
An effective field theoretic description of bilayer electron systems
stabilized by Coulomb repulsion in a single wide quantum well is examined using
renormalization group techniques. The system is found to undergo a crossover
from a low temperature strongly correlated quantum Hall state to a high
temperature compressible state. This picture is used to account for the recent
experimental observation of an anomalous transition in bilayer electron systems
(T. S. Lay, {\em et al.} Phys. Rev. B {\bf 50}, 17725 (1994)). An estimate for
the crossover temperature is provided, and it is shown that its dependence on
electron density is in reasonable agreement with i the experiment.Comment: Corrected typos, and changed content, 5 pages and 2 figures, accepted
in Phys. Rev.
The Impact of Atmospheric Fluctuations on Degree-scale Imaging of the Cosmic Microwave Background
Fluctuations in the brightness of the Earth's atmosphere originating from
water vapor are an important source of noise for ground-based instruments
attempting to measure anisotropy in the Cosmic Microwave Background. This paper
presents a model for the atmospheric fluctuations and derives simple
expressions to predict the contribution of the atmosphere to experimental
measurements. Data from the South Pole and from the Atacama Desert in Chile,
two of the driest places on Earth, are used to assess the level of fluctuations
at each site.Comment: 29 pages, 7 figures, 1 table, appears in The Astrophysical Journa
Surgical or NonĂą Surgical Periodontal Treatment: Factors Affecting Patient Decision Making
Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/141226/1/jper0678.pd
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