From Liverpool to Mount Vernon : Edward Rushton in transatlantic perspective

Among historians of British anti-slavery Edward Rushton is probably best known for his West-Indian Eclogues, which established his reputation as a hard-line anti-slavery activist. Perhaps less well known is his second abolitionist publication, his Expostulatory Letter to George Washington, of Mount Vernon, in Virginia, on his continuance to be a proprietor of slaves, published in Liverpool in 1797. Both works were startlingly original. In West-Indian Eclogues, Rushton had flirted with the idea of slave insurrection as a justifiable (even laudable) response to black enslavement, presenting his readers with assertions of black fury and black-on-white violence that were startlingly at odds with the non-confrontational tone of most eighteenth-century anti-slavery rhetoric. Rushton’s letter to George Washington was equally blunt and uncompromising, challenging the former President of the United States to free his slaves, presumably with immediate effect, thereby making good what he (Rushton) saw as America’s commitment to the ideas of freedom and equality. By any standard it was a bold, even foolhardy, intervention into public debates about slavery that tells us not only a great deal about Rushton but also about the transatlantic roots and complexion of British anti-slavery during the ‘Age of Revolution’

GPS-guided mobile robot platform featuring modular design elements for agricultural applications : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Engineering in Mechatronics at Massey University Turitea Campus, Palmerston North, New Zealand

The agricultural industry has not seen significant innovation in development of low-cost automated farming solutions, with current systems costing several thousands of dollars to implement. Currently these automated solutions are primarily implemented around crop planting and harvesting, and the large implementation cost of these systems makes them unfeasible for small-scale operations. Within many agricultural industries, workers expend a considerable amount of time undertaking simple tasks that are labour intensive. Many of these tasks could instead be completed using a self-driving robotic platform outfitted with the appropriate devices required for the tasks. This thesis covers the research work aiming to produce a solution that could turn an existing farming vehicle into a multipurpose low-cost agricultural platform, to act as the platform for an autonomous vehicle capable of performing pre-programmed tasks within an agricultural environment. A quad bike was selected as the vehicle platform for this research in which the control modules would control the speed and direction of this farm bike. Four modules were developed to control the vehicle components that would normally be operated by a human operator. These modules are comprised of mechanical actuators coupled with a microcontroller control system and includes some specific designs to maintain the user's ability to manually control the pre-existing systems. A gear-changing module controls the vehicles manual gearbox, providing a method to detect and control the vehicles current gear. A speed control module was developed to control the vehicles throttle and braking system and detects the vehicles speed. A steering module controls the vehicles steering system, allowing for accurate control of the vehicles direction. Finally, a vehicle controller module provides a central command interface that ties the previous three modules together and controls the vehicles electrical components and engine. Development of a low-cost differential GPS (DGPS) system was also undertaken to reduce the implementation cost of the system. Due to inconclusive results in relation to the positional accuracy of this system is was decided that a standard GPS system would be used for the vehicle prototype with further development on the DGPS system would be undertaken in future development of the research. The successful development of a farm automated vehicle platform was achieved through this research. With further improvement on software, intelligent control and the development of a low-cost differential global positioning satellite (GPS) system, a fully autonomous farm platform that can be outfitted with different tools or devices for the required farm tasks is feasible and practical

Remembering 1807: Lessons from the Archives

This article offers new perspectives on the commemorative events organized around the UK in 2007 to mark the bicentenary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade Act (1807). Drawing from the resources contained in Remembering 1807, a digital archive of information about nearly 350 events and exhibitions held in 2007, it offers a closer look at the variety, diversity and creativity of projects organized by heritage organizations and community groups from all parts of the UK. While agreeing that much of the national narrative focused on the celebratory aspects of Britain’s role in abolition, we argue that many other projects gave voice to a wide range of concerns relating to transatlantic slavery, challenging participants to rethink the boundaries of slavery and abolition in Britain’s public history. This included highlighting the role of transatlantic slavery in hitherto unexplored areas of British history, in local stories and in broader narratives of Britain’s commercial, military, and imperial expansion. Other projects drew attention to the lasting legacies of slavery, emphasized stories of resistance or celebrated the Black presence in Britain. Recognizing these other perspectives within the commemorative impulse in 2007 can help us to (re)orientate future memory work around Britain’s role in transatlantic slavery

A Case Study of International Student Participation in an Undergraduate Module in Management in a UK Business School using the Lens of Activity Theory

This case study of international student participation in an undergraduate module in Management in a UK Business School arose from concerns that international students do not always meet institutional expectations of full participation. In the literature, the issues of language and culture have dominated discussion, while education theory has not been prominent. Using a post-Vygotskian framework (Activity Theory), the study set out to understand international student participation from the students’ perspective, taking account of the different elements of activity. It offers a holistic approach, placing the dominant themes in a broader context. The research was undertaken in two phases over a 12-month period using focus groups as the research instrument. Classroom observation, impromptu and planned interviews and correspondence with lecturers, as well as module documentation, contributed to a broader understanding of the context. The focus groups included both international and home students. Phase 1 enabled the conceptual framework to be assessed and refined for use as a coding frame. Following initial coding in Phase 2, the research focus was redefined as participants’ understandings of object-motive, and an in-depth analysis of this element was undertaken. Four module objects were identified: collaboration in diverse groups, task, academic study, and professional practice. In addition, participants identified some more personal objects. The impact of English language level and cultural background were quite extensively discussed, but not to the exclusion of other factors. The analysis indicated that focus group members’ experiences and understanding of participation in international classrooms were shaped by the objects they held in view. Thus, while the study identified the factors which participants understood as impacting on international students’ participation, the analysis of object-motive offered an explanatory framework for understanding the importance they assigned to these. The study highlights the prominence of task-based group work in the module, and questions the extent students were prepared for this type of pedagogy. It notes that home students in particular might benefit from opportunities to increase their intercultural awareness. Participants’ apparent concern for the language and academic levels of some international students may reflect the English language and academic levels of international students at entry into the institution, and serve as a reminder of the importance of well-considered entry decisions

Intrinsically disordered proteins in molecular recognition and structural proteomics

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)Intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) are abundant in nature, being more prevalent in the proteomes of eukaryotes than those of bacteria or archaea. As introduced in Chapter I, these proteins, or portions of these proteins, lack stable equilibrium structures and instead have dynamic conformations that vary over time and population. Despite the lack of preformed structure, IDPs carry out many and varied molecular functions and participate in vital biological pathways. In particular, IDPs play important roles in cellular signaling that is, in part, enabled by the ability of IDPs to mediate molecular recognition. In Chapter II, the role of intrinsic disorder in molecular recognition is examined through two example IDPs: p53 and 14-3-3. The p53 protein uses intrinsically disordered regions at its N- and C-termini to interact with a large number of partners, often using the same residues. The 14-3-3 protein is a structured domain that uses the same binding site to recognize multiple intrinsically disordered partners. Examination of the structural details of these interactions highlights the importance of intrinsic disorder and induced fit in molecular recognition. More generally, many intrinsically disordered regions that mediate interactions share similar features that are identifiable from protein sequence. Chapter IV reviews several models of IDP mediated protein-protein interactions that use completely different parameterizations. Each model has its relative strengths in identifying novel interaction regions, and all suggest that IDP mediated interactions are common in nature. In addition to the biologic importance of IDPs, they are also practically important in the structural study of proteins. The presence of intrinsic disordered regions can inhibit crystallization and solution NMR studies of otherwise well-structured proteins. This problem is compounded in the context of high throughput structure determination. In Chapter III, the effect of IDPs on structure determination by X-ray crystallography is examined. It is found that protein crystals are intolerant of intrinsic disorder by examining existing crystal structures from the PDB. A retrospective analysis of Protein Structure Initiative data indicates that prediction of intrinsic disorder may be useful in the prioritization and improvement of targets for structure determination

Herbert Marcuse, Subjectivity and how Eco-Narrative can Provide New Pathways of Education

My project examines how Herbert Marcuse’s notion of subjectivity can create a space in narrative fiction to read the relationship between humanity and the environment with an ecocritical lens. I then advocate for a reimagining of narrative fiction’s role in environmental education, and discuss how these understandings can be turned into praxis. The two texts I explore are Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o A Grain of Wheat and The Lamp at Noon by Sinclair Ross. These texts present two different yet related narrative stories in which people collide with the natural world, and in this relationship there are significant opportunities to expand our own understanding of environmental subjectivity. I delve into the space where humanity and nature meet, and what it means to consider nature as the other, independently of humanity’s wants and desires. Marcuse provides a theoretical yet active perspective of radical subjectivity, and this allows these narratives to inform on how to build a more equitable relationship with the environment

Minnowbrook V: 2006 Workshop on Unsteady Flows in Turbomachinery

This volume contains materials presented at the Minnowbrook V 2006 Workshop on Unsteady Flows in Turbomachinery, held at the Syracuse University Minnowbrook Conference Center, New York, on August 20-23, 2006. The workshop organizers were John E. LaGraff (Syracuse University), Martin L.G. Oldfield (Oxford University), and J. Paul Gostelow (University of Leicester). The workshop followed the theme, venue, and informal format of four earlier workshops: Minnowbrook I (1993), Minnowbrook II (1997), Minnowbrook III (2000), and Minnowbrook IV (2003). The workshop was focused on physical understanding of unsteady flows in turbomachinery, with the specific goal of contributing to engineering application of improving design codes for turbomachinery. The workshop participants included academic researchers from the United States and abroad and representatives from the gas-turbine industry and U.S. Government laboratories. The physical mechanisms discussed were related to unsteady wakes, active flow control, turbulence, bypass and natural transition, separation bubbles and turbulent spots, modeling of turbulence and transition, heat transfer and cooling, surface roughness, unsteady CFD, and DNS. The workshop summary and the plenary discussion transcripts clearly highlight the need for continued vigorous research in the technologically important area of unsteady flows in turbomachines. This volume contains abstracts and copies of select viewgraphs organized according to the workshop sessions. Full-color viewgraphs and animations are included in the CD-ROM version only (Doc.ID 20070024781)

The BBC’s reporting of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

The purpose of this report is to provide evidence in the form of a content analysis of the BBC’s reporting of what the BBC calls the ‘Israeli-Palestinian conflict’. The report, commissioned by the BBC’s Board of Governors, is intended to aid the Independent Panel, appointed by the BBC’s Board of Governors, to come to a judgment concerning whether the BBC’s reporting of this subject is impartial. It is informed by our experience of news media content analysis in many fields, and is designed to provide accurate and robust data on the content of BBC and other media news coverage of this conflict in a defined period

Influence of a walking aid on temporal and spatial parameters of gait in healthy adults

This is the post-print version of the final paper published in PM&R. The published article is available from the link below. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. Copyright @ 2014 Elsevier B.V.Objective - To determine the effect of using a walking aid on temporal and spatial parameters of gait when used for balance versus support on the dominant and nondominant hand side. Design - Repeated measures observational study design. Setting - University gymnasium. Participants - Twenty-seven healthy male and female adults of mean ± standard deviation age 44.74 ± 10.00 years. Methods - Five walking conditions (C) were completed by all participants on the GAITRite pressure mat. Normal walking (C1), walking with a cane in the dominant hand (C2) and nondominant hand (C3) as if using for balance, walking with a cane in the dominant hand (C4) and nondominant hand (C5) while allowing approximately 10% of the body weight through the cane. Main Outcome Measurements - Temporal measurements (swing time, stance time, single limb support time, double limb support time) as percentage of a gait cycle and the base of support for the left and the right foot for all 5 walking conditions. Results - A significant difference (P < .001) was observed between C1, C2, and C3 in percentage swing time and percentage stance time of the ipsilateral side, and in percentage single limb support time of the contralateral side. The double limb support time was significantly different (P ≤ .04) for both ipsilateral and contralateral sides. Comparisons among C1, C4, and C5 demonstrated significance (P < .001) for all variables. Post hoc analysis showed significance between C1 and C4, and C1 and C5 for all variables except percentage stance time of the ipsilateral side and percentage single limb support of the contralateral side. Conclusions - In healthy adults, use of a cane for balance modifies swing and stance parameters of the ipsilateral side and does not affect the base of support formed by the feet. When used for support, the cane alters the swing and stance parameters, and also the base of support formed by the feet