Mobilage thinking and empirical encounters: Data gathering and analysis of networked learning experiences

This short paper heralds a chapter in a forthcoming book showcasing phenomenology in networked learning research and practice. One of the arguments treated in the chapter relates to expectations that doctoral educational research projects will gather data, often through interviews. Doctoral students would also be expected to ground their projects philosophically and this can be difficult without a background in philosophy. Various methodologies seem attractive because they have dealt with the philosophical groundwork, laying out a parsimonious, safe and routinised path from proposal to completion. One such candidate methodology is phenomenography, which also appeals because of its origins and achievements in the field of educational research; and not least in networked learning, where phenomenography supported early work in defining networked learning and researching staff and student experiences, helping maintain a focus on human relations in online learning. Phenomenology and phenomenography are used to research experience, and both observe a hermeneutic gap within interview-based research: between the phenomenon of interest and what is said in interviews about that phenomenon. The latter provides interview-based research with data but without necessarily addressing the hermeneutic gap. By contrast, phenomenology’s concern with the prereflective, the so-called structures of consciousness, acknowledges that researchers bring their own preconceptions to any enquiry and some attempt ought to be made to recognise and set them aside: also known as “bracketing” (or epoché), originating in nonempirical philosophy, has been taken up in empirical qualitative research, including phenomenography. However, far from closing the hermeneutic gap, admitting even a simplistic place for bracketing also admits of a need to attain greater clarity in what bracketing is and what it entails. Something of the illusiveness of absolute bracketing may be understood if we consider that even naming the experience for investigation sets off wandering thought paths. This paper suggests “reverse bracketing” may help, by redirecting those thought paths which may be anticipated, to restore thinking to the desired state of wonder instead. Mobilage thinking is proposed as one example of how a blend word was constructed to help maintain a state of openness to the target experience: in this case, being a healthcare student with a mobile phone

Review of the occupational health and safety of Britain’s ethnic minorities

This report sets out an evidence-based review on work-related health and safety issues relating to black and minority ethnic groups. Data included available statistical materials and a systematic review of published research and practice-based reports. UK South Asians are generally under-represented within the most hazardous occupational groups. They have lower accident rates overall, while Black Caribbean workers rates are similar to the general population; Bangladeshi and Chinese workers report lowest workplace injury rates UK South Asian people exhibit higher levels of limiting long-term illness (LLI) and self reported poor health than the general population while Black Africans and Chinese report lower levels. Ethnic minority workers with LLI are more likely than whites to withdraw from the workforce, or to experience lower wage rates. Some of these findings conflict with evidence of differentials from USA, Europe and Australasia, but there is a dearth of effective primary research or reliable monitoring data from UK sources. There remains a need to improve monitoring and data collection relating to black and ethnic minority populations and migrant workers. Suggestions are made relating to workshops on occupational health promotion programmes for ethnic minorities, and ethnic minority health and safety 'Beacon' sites

Cryogenic Orbital Testbed (CRYOTE) Ground Test Article, Final Report

Liquid propulsion has been used since Robert Goddard started developing a liquid oxygen (LO2) and gasoline powered rocket and fired it in 1923 (Ref. 1). In the following decades engineers settled on the combination of liquid hydrogen (LH2) and LO2 as the most efficient propellant combination for in-space travel. Due to their low temperatures (LH2 at 20 K and LO2 at 90 K), they require special handling and procedures. General Dynamics began developing LO2 and LH2 upper stages in 1956 in the form of Centaur, these efforts were soon funded by the Department of Defense in conjunction with NASA (beginning in 1958) (Ref. 2). Meanwhile NASA also worked with McDonnell Douglas to develop the SIV-B stage for the Saturn V rocket. In the subsequent years, the engineers were able to push the Centaur to up to 9 hr of orbital lifetime and the SIV-B to up to 6 hr. Due to venting the resultant boil-off from the high heat loads through the foam insulation on the upper stages, both vehicles remained in a settled configuration throughout the flights, thus the two phases of propellant (liquid and vapor) were separated at a known location. The one exception to this were the Titan/Centaur missions, which thanks to the lower boil-off using three layers of multilayer insulation (MLI), were able to coast unsettled for up to 5.25 hr during direct geosynchronous orbit insertion missions. In the years since there has been a continuous effort to extend the life of these upper stages from hours to days or even months

On the Relationship of Anthropology to Multicultural Teaching and Learning

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/68884/2/10.1177_002248717702800302.pd

Enhancing the repeatability and sensitivity of low-cost PCB, pH-sensitive field-effect transistors

Discrete, extended gate pH-sensitive field-effect transistors (dEGFETs) fabricated on printed circuit boards (PCBs) are a low-cost, simple to manufacture analytical technology that can be applied to a wide range of applications. Electrodeposited iridium oxide (IrOx) films have emerged as promising pH-sensitive layers owing to their theoretically high pH sensitivity and facile deposition, but typically exhibit low pH sensitivity or lack repro- ducibility. Moreover, to date, a combined IrOx and dEGFET PCB system has not yet been realised. In this study, we demonstrate a dEGFET pH sensor based on an extended gate manufactured on PCB that is rendered pH sensitive through an electrodeposited IrOx film, which can reliably and repeatably display beyond-Nernstian pH response. Using a combination of complementary surface analysis techniques, we show that the high pH sensitivity and repeatability of the dEGFETs are dependent on both the chemical composition and critically the uniformity of the IrOx film. The IrOx film uniformity can be enhanced through electrochemical polishing of the extended gate electrode prior to electrodeposition, leading to dEGFETs that exhibit a median pH sensitivity of 70.7 ± 5 mV/pH (n = 56) compared to only 31.3 ± 14 mV/pH (n = 31) for IrOx electrodeposited on non- polished PCB electrodes. Finally, we demonstrate the applicability of these devices by demonstrating the detection and quantification of ampicillin due to β-Lactamase enzyme activity, thus laying the foundation for cheap and ubiquitous sensors which can be applied to a range of global challenges across healthcare and environmental monitoring

Physical activity preferences of people living with brain injury : Formative qualitative research to develop a discrete choice experiment

Background and Objective The World Health Organization physical activity guidelines for people living with disability do not consider the needs of people living with moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury. This paper describes the qualitative co-development of a discrete choice experiment survey to inform the adaption of these guidelines by identifying the physical activity preferences of people living with moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury in Australia. Methods The research team comprised researchers, people with lived experience of traumatic brain injury and health professionals with expertise in traumatic brain injury. We followed a four-stage process: (1) identification of key constructs and initial expression of attributes, (2) critique and refinement of attributes, (3) prioritisation of attributes and refinement of levels and (4) testing and refining language, format and comprehensibility. Data collection included deliberative dialogue, focus groups and think-aloud interviews with 22 purposively sampled people living with moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury. Strategies were used to support inclusive participation. Analysis employed qualitative description and framework methods. Results This formative process resulted in discarding, merging, renaming and reconceptualising attributes and levels. Attributes were reduced from an initial list of 17 to six: (1) Type of activity, (2) Out-of-pocket cost, (3) Travel time, (4) Who with, (5) Facilitated by and (6) Accessibility of setting. Confusing terminology and cumbersome features of the survey instrument were also revised. Challenges included purposive recruitment, reducing diverse stakeholder views to a few attributes, finding the right language and navigating the complexity of discrete choice experiment scenarios. Conclusions This formative co-development process significantly improved the relevance and comprehensibility of the discrete choice experiment survey tool. This process may be applicable in other discrete choice experiment studies

Polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) concentrations and profiles in marine mammals from the North Atlantic Ocean

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) can provide crucial information into the bioaccumulation and biomagnification of POPs in marine mammals. Muscle tissue samples were obtained for detailed PCB congener specific analysis of all 209 PCBs in 11 species of marine mammals stranded across the coast of the UK between 2010 and 2013. At least 145 PCB congeners were found in each individual. The highest concentrations of PCBs were recorded in a killer whale (318 mg/kg lipid) and the highest toxic equivalent in a Risso's dolphin (1687 pg/g TEQ2005 wet). Concentrations of PCBs in the majority of samples exceeded toxic thresholds (9 mg/kg lipid) for marine mammals, highlighting the health risk they face from PCB exposure. Many PCB profiles did not fit typical ‘Aroclor’ signatures, but instead indicated patterns of congeners that are resistant to biotransformation and elimination. However, this study identified a novel PCB signature in a sei whale that has not yet been previously observed in marine mammals. The whale had a PCB profile that included lighter and inadvertent PCB congeners such as PCB 11, suggesting that the main source of exposure was through atmospheric deposition, rather than terrestrial discharges. Seven subsamples were chosen for chiral analysis of PCB 95, 136 and 149. The enantiomer fractions (EFs) of C-PCBs 95 and 149 were non racemic suggesting there may be enantiomer selective metabolism in marine mammals. Although there has been a shift in the literature towards emerging pollutants, this study acts as a stark reminder that PCBs continue to pose a significant risk to wildlife