Electrical activity of the diaphragm : normative values in term neonates by feeding state

Scholarly project (M.S.)

Exploring the Educational Journeys of African American Honors Alumni(nae)

The purpose of this dissertation was to explore and examine the experiences of African American students to and through collegiate honors programs. I aimed to provide another frame for understanding intellectuals by exploring the educational journeys of eight (8) African American, high-achieving alumni(nae). Through qualitative inquiry, this study gives an in-depth understanding to the intrinsic and extrinsic factors that helped students navigate challenging academic settings and evaluate the importance of honors education for students within the Black community. Guided by critical race theory (CRT), findings from this study will provide the research community with entry points to social justice practice in contemporary honors education

Doppler imaging of young solar-type stars using the ANU 2.3 m Siding Spring Telescope

The study of surface activity on young solar-type stars provides an opportunity to improve understanding of stellar dynamos and indirectly gain insight into early solar evolution. Doppler Imaging (DI) can be used to map stellar surface activity, and utilises rotation-induced Doppler-broadening of spectral lines to calculate the surface distribution of a fundamental parameter such as temperature. DI requires high-resolution spectroscopic observations distributed over one or more stellar rotation periods. To date only a limited number of single young solar analogues have been observed using this technique. Observations of many stars at various evolutionary states and with varying physical parameters are necessary to comprehensively constrain stellar dynamo models. These observations require long-term access to a telescope with a high-resolution echelle spectrograph to undertake multiple epoch studies of stellar activity. This project has used the ANU 2.3 metre telescope to test Doppler imaging with two active young stars, AB Doradus (AB Dor) and HIP43720, with the HIP43720 observations contemporaneous with the Anglo-Australian Telescope (AAT) observations. Analysis of the AB Dor mapping and comparison of the 2.3 metre and AAT results for HIP43720 indicates that the ANU 2.3 metre telescope with its high resolution echelle spectrograph is capable of undertaking scientifically useful Doppler Imaging for stellar dynamo surveys

Soda

Soda Firing is an atmospheric firing technique that produces radiant colors and surfaces, ranging from oranges and yellows to deep reds and browns. The flame pattern and soda vapor interacts with the clay body creating a color response. Once the kiln door is shut these pots share an experience together that the creator is isolated from. My research is based on operating the soda kiln and turning the spontaneity of the firing into a controlled process to produce results geared towards my personal aesthetic. The clay body, glaze and slips, temperature, atmosphere, placement of an object and direction of soda ash determine the outcome of a pot. While the pyrometer reads the air temperature of the kiln, pyrometric cones are placed inside the kiln near the spy hole to determine the temperature of the work. Cones are made of ceramic materials that have different melting points. Each cone melts at a certain temperature, giving an accurate representation of the temperatures progress. Clay rings placed inside the kiln close to the spy hole are pulled out of the kiln throughout the spraying process to monitor the amount of soda. When the kiln gets hotter, there are small adjustments made to the damper, air, and gas. The damper allows for air to flow through the kiln. It should be pushed in slightly to start the reduction at cone 012 (1600° F). Reduction fire starves the kiln of oxygen and produces intense earth tones. The air and gas need to be slowly bumped up over the duration of the firing in order to gain heat. Soda ash is crushed into a powder, dissolved in water and sprayed into a soda kiln during high reduction at cone 8 (2280° F). The fire and soda ash strike the pot at different angles, creating a dynamic surface. I’m interested in the different effects produced by the amount of soda ash and placement of pots. While these pots sit together, they create pathways for the soda to travel. Pots that were closer to the spy hole were blasted with soda ash, producing a thick grey/blue surface. After the first firing I noticed a mesmerizing brown that appeared inside my vessel. I’ve learned that the inside of my pots generated this color because they are enclosed; receiving a light coating of soda ash that produced a shiny brown surface. My goal for the second firing was to produce this color on the exterior. I fired small cups that were surrounded by work twice the size. These cups were sheltering from soda exposure, triggering the rich color on the interior and exterior. In the third firing I fired a large vessel and placed tall pots around it in hopes of generating shadows. These tall pots work as a shield, obstructing large amounts of soda ash from hitting my vessel, ultimately obtaining a diverse surface. I’ve learned how to successfully operate the soda kiln and place pots in a manner where I can achieve a variety of color and texture. In order to have a controlled outcome, I will need to continue to study the pattern of the soda kiln. This will be achieved by recording the process of multiple firings to come

Do peers increase older adults\u27 participation in strength training? Pilot randomized trial

Fewer than 20% of older adults participate in strength training (ST). Barriers to ST participation include not knowing where to go or not having someone to go with. To address these barriers, the authors provided older adults with a peer (older person already participating in ST) to support their engagement. The aim of this pilot randomized controlled trial was to determine whether older adults who were provided with a peer when participating in ST were more likely to be participating in ST 4 weeks postintervention, compared with those receiving ST alone. Fifty-one ST participants were recruited; 40 completed the intervention and postintervention data collection (78.4%). Providing peer support with ST did not significantly increase ST participation (p = .775). However, both groups made significant improvements over time in lower-limb strength and mobility. Participants in either group who continued the ST program (55%) had made additional significant improvements in lower-limb strength and mobility

Technology Telling Stories: Library Instruction Perspectives from an Information Literacy Librarian and an Archivist

Connecting with today’s undergraduates requires more than just a demonstration of technology, tasks, and procedures – it also requires capturing their imaginations, emotions, and feelings. Telling stories with technology connects real world, tangible experiences with abstract ideas and research methods, therefore getting students to care about what they are researching and invest in not just the topic, but in cultivating their own habits of mind

Excited states, symmetry breaking, and unphysical solutions in state-specific CASSCF theory

State-specific electronic structure theory provides a route towards balanced excited-state wave functions by exploiting higher-energy stationary points of the electronic energy. Multiconfigurational wave function approximations can describe both closed- and open-shell excited states and avoid the issues associated with state-averaged approaches. We investigate the existence of higher-energy solutions in complete active space self-consistent field (CASSCF) theory and characterise their topological properties. We demonstrate that state-specific approximations can provide accurate higher-energy excited states in $\mathrm{H}_2$ (6-31G) with more compact active spaces than would be required in a state-averaged formalism. We then elucidate the unphysical stationary points, demonstrating that they arise from redundant orbitals when the active space is too large, or symmetry breaking when the active space is too small. Furthermore, we investigate the conical intersection in $\mathrm{CH}_2$ (6-31G) and the avoided crossing in $\mathrm{LiF}$ (6-31G), revealing the severity of root flipping and demonstrating that state-specific solutions can behave quasi-diabatically or adiabatically. These results elucidate the complexity of the CASSCF energy landscape, highlighting the advantages and challenges of practical state-specific calculations.Comment: 14 pages, 8 figure

Impact of the thermal treatment of pig slurry on vegetative and spore forming bacteria

Microbiological risk from pig slurry is considered a major public health problem, as pathogenic microorganisms can be spread from land application of manure. Furthermore, with growing demand of water quality for domestic and industrial use, it is becoming necessary to find reliable methods for sanitisation that are economically acceptable. In this context, the aim of this study was to establish the effectiveness of thermal sanitation of pig slurry. The continuous pilot plant 115 litres/hour) used in this study, comprised two tubular heat exchangers followed by hot liquid retention set at 10 minutes