The synthesis of novel liquid crystal materials designed for electro-optic displays

Liquid crystals represent a fourth state of matter whose properties are intermediate between those of a crystalline solid and an amorphous isotropic liquid. Over recent years, the general area has progressed from a small academic field to the present situation involving worldwide interest from many different standpoints, primarily because of the applications of thermotropic nematic liquid crystals in electro-optic displays.Nematic liquid crystals are well suited for such applications as they uniquely combine the fluid nature of an isotropic liquid with the anisotropic properties of more ordered systems, and it was within the general area of nematics that this work was undertaken.The current micro-electronic revolution has meant that the new materials of the early 1970's now present significant problems and limitations relating to their use in some of the more sophisticated display applications. Consequently, there is a great demand for a superior generation of liquid ’crystals to meet this need.The broad objectives of this work involved the synthesis of novel materials to try and improve the properties of existing systems, and to carry out this work in a reasonably systematic manner such that the properties (physical and electro-optic) could, as far as possible, be related to molecular structure.Over twenty-five different structural types were examined, and in many cases useful properties were observed. These structural types were derived from variations in .the ring system [benzene, naphthalene, biphenyl, trans-cyclohexane, bicyclo(2.2.2] octane), the terminal (alkyl, alkoxy, hydrogen, cyano) and lateral (hydrogen, fluorine) substituents, and the inter-ring linkage (-CH2O-, single bond, -C0.0-, -CH2CH2-). The best of these materials do in fact exhibit superior properties compared with some commercial materials. Furthermore, in some cases, it has been possible to relate the properties to molecular structure, whilst in other cases ideas are developed concerning those properties that are less well understood

The Role of Communication Technologies in Restructuring Pilgrimage Journeys

Pilgrimage has evolved alongside the evolution of communication technology. Emergent communication technology is changing how people present themselves and tell others about their experiences, including within the context of pilgrimages. Building upon this recognition, this paper examines how evolving communication technologies have changed pilgrimage using Victor Turner’s concepts of rite of passage and communitas. This conceptual paper recognises that technologies, such as the internet, mobile phones and social media, all influence the three stages of the pilgrimage ritual process: separation, liminality, and reintegration. This paper provides a conceptual clarification of the differences between how the medieval and the 21st Century pilgrims experience and represent rite of passage and define the spirit of community, and position themselves in relation to both. The paper shows that the power of the physical journey clearly remains the same in modern pilgrimages as it was in the medieval era, but the mental journey is meaningfully altered. Using Goffman’s theory of ‘self-presentation’, this paper highlights changes in how pilgrims present themselves and their pilgrimage experiences on social media. In this context, self-presentation is described as the way the pilgrim manages the impressions they make on other people, particularly at the liminal stage. While medieval pilgrims kept diaries, modern pilgrims document their pilgrimage experiences via constant status updates on social media. Social media is an important medium for modern pilgrims to present a certain version of self-identity to other users of sites. This paper emphasises the need for a deeper assessment of the conceptualisation of pilgrimage in the contemporary era as technology creates and facilitates new layers of the pilgrimage experience

School Principals at Different Stages of Adult Ego Development: Their Sense-Making Capabilities and How Others Experience Them

The way school principals make sense of the context of their work shapes their actions. As in all adults, principals’ sense-making capability is a function of the ego and can change over time. Adult ego development (AED) theory describes distinct, qualitatively different stages of sense-making ability. The research reported here assessed the AED stage of 20 school principals in England using the Washington University Sentence Completion Test. Principals in the Self-Aware, Conscientious and Individualist stages of AED were identified. The research used a critical incident technique to analyse principals’ sense-making capabilities and how others experience them in their role as principals. The findings show substantive differences between those in different stages of AED in relation to their sense-making processes, the feelings they experience and display as emotions, how they involve others in the sense-making process, and how others experience them. There is a discernible trend in the behaviours of school principals and how others experience them that relates to the transition from the Self-Aware stage, to the Conscientious stage, to the Individualist stage. These findings have significant implications for understanding the practice of school principals

Holidaying with the family pet: No dogs allowed!

This paper assesses the extent to which dog owners located in Brisbane, Australia, wish to holiday with their pets, and whether there is a gap between this desire and reality. The paper also examines the extent to which this demand is being catered for by the tourism accommodation sector. The need for this study reflects the increasingly significant role dogs are playing in the lives of humans, and the scale of the dog-owning population. The results suggest that, although there is a strong desire among dog owners to take holidays with their pets, the actualisation of this desire is comparatively low. A significant obstacle to the realisation of this desire appears to be a dearth of pet-friendly accommodation. This has implications for the ability of the tourism industry to benefit from this potentially lucrative market, that is, the dog-owning population

Ethological Causes and Consequences of the Stress Response

Stress involves real or perceived changes within an organism or in the environment that activate an organism’s attempts to cope by means of evolutionarily ancient neural and endocrine mechanisms. Responses to acute stressors involve catecholamines released in varying proportion at different sites in the sympathetic and central nervous systems. These responses may interact with and be complemented by intrinsic rhythms and responses to chronic or intermittent stressors involving the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Varying patterns of responses to stressors are also affected by an animal=s assessment of their prospects for successful coping. Subsequent central and systemic consequences of the stress response include apparent changes in affect, motivation, and cognition that can result in an altered relationship to environmental and social stimuli. This review will summarize recent developments in our understanding of the causes and consequences of stress. Special problems that need to be explored involve the manner in which ensembles of adaptive responses are assembled, how autonomic and neurohormonal reflexes of the stress response come under the influence of environmental stimuli, and how some specific aspects of the stress response may be integrated into the life history of a species

Prehospital critical care is associated with increased survival in adult trauma patients in Scotland

Background Scotland has three prehospital critical care teams (PHCCTs) providing enhanced care support to a usually paramedic-delivered ambulance service. The effect of the PHCCTs on patient survival following trauma in Scotland is not currently known nationally. Methods National registry-based retrospective cohort study using 2011-2016 data from the Scottish Trauma Audit Group. 30-day mortality was compared between groups after multivariate analysis to account for confounding variables. Results Our data set comprised 17 157 patients, with a mean age of 54.7 years and 8206 (57.5%) of male gender. 2877 patients in the registry were excluded due to incomplete data on their level of prehospital care, leaving an eligible group of 14 280. 13 504 injured adults who received care from ambulance clinicians (paramedics or technicians) were compared with 776 whose care included input from a PHCCT. The median Injury Severity Score (ISS) across all eligible patients was 9; 3076 patients (21.5%) met the ISS>15 criterion for major trauma. Patients in the PHCCT cohort were statistically significantly (all p < 0.01) more likely to be male; be transported to a prospective Major Trauma Centre; have suffered major trauma; have suffered a severe head injury; be transported by air and be intubated prior to arrival in hospital. Following multivariate analysis, the OR for 30-day mortality for patients seen by a PHCCT was 0.56 (95% CI 0.36 to 0.86, p=0.01). Conclusion Prehospital care provided by a physician-led critical care team was associated with an increased chance of survival at 30 days when compared with care provided by ambulance clinicians