10,359 research outputs found
Are Eyebrows Going to Be Talked of in Connection with the Eye of God? Wittgenstein and Certainty in the Debate between Science and Religion
In this paper I will argue that we can chart such a middle course through an exploration of Ludwig Wittgensteinâs thought (particularly that advanced in On Certainty and Lectures and Conversations on Aesthetics, Psychology and Religious Belief). I will use his thesis that meaning and certainty are context dependent to investigate how meaning is produced in science and in religion. I will start with the recognition that any system of thought must take certain basic propositions as criteria for further investigation and explore how Wittgenstein defines this idea. Next I will try to establish that religion and science do, indeed, function as two different systems or language games by illustrating their differing criteria for truth. In so doing I will reference both Wittgensteinâs works and that of some anthropologists of religion, whose work has explored a definition of religion through its use, which mirrors Wittgensteinâs location of meaning. I will then discuss how we can pick between systems within a given context by requiring that a system stand up to the criteria of justification set up for that situation
Gated rotation mechanism of site-specific recombination by ÏC31 integrase
Integrases, such as that of the Streptomyces temperate bacteriophage ÏC31, promote site-specific recombination between DNA sequences in the bacteriophage and bacterial genomes to integrate or excise the phage DNA. ÏC31 integrase belongs to the serine recombinase family, a large group of structurally related enzymes with diverse biological functions. It has been proposed that serine integrases use a âsubunit rotationâ mechanism to exchange DNA strands after double-strand DNA cleavage at the two recombining att sites, and that many rounds of subunit rotation can occur before the strands are religated. We have analyzed the mechanism of ÏC31 integrase-mediated recombination in a topologically constrained experimental system using hybrid âphesâ recombination sites, each of which comprises a ÏC31 att site positioned adjacent to a regulatory sequence recognized by Tn3 resolvase. The topologies of reaction products from circular substrates containing two phes sites support a right-handed subunit rotation mechanism for catalysis of both integrative and excisive recombination. Strand exchange usually terminates after a single round of 180° rotation. However, multiple processive â360° rotationâ rounds of strand exchange can be observed, if the recombining sites have nonidentical base pairs at their centers. We propose that a regulatory âgatingâ mechanism normally blocks multiple rounds of strand exchange and triggers product release after a single round
STEM Gateway Course Redesign Teaching Professional Development: Resources for Teaching and Learning
The learning object is a collection of teaching professional development presentations and workbooks for guiding faculty in the re-design of lower-division college science and mathematics courses. The materials were designed and implemented during the University of New Mexico STEM Gateway Project, funded by the U.S. Department of Education Title V program during 2012-2016. The teaching professional development curriculum consisted of a 2.5-day course redesign institute followed by roughly monthly sessions on topics that include teaching diverse students; building learning strategies for students; obtaining student buy-in for active learning; evaluating alignment of learning objectives, activities, and assessment; peer observation of teaching, evaluating redesign impact; and sustaining and expanding redesign projects
Paediatric neuropsychological assessment: an analysis of parents' perspectives
Purpose: Modern healthcare services are commonly based on shared models of care, in which a strong emphasis is placed upon the views of those in receipt of services. The purpose of this paper is to examine the parents' experiences of their child's neuropsychological assessment. Design/methodology/approach: This was a mixed-methodology study employing both quantitative and qualitative measures. Findings: The questionnaire measure indicated a high overall level of satisfaction. Qualitative analysis of parental interviews provided a richer insight into the parental experience and indicated four major themes. Practical implications: Implications covered three major areas. Firstly, whilst a high value was placed upon the assessment, the need for further comprehensive neurorehabilitation and intervention was highlighted. Secondly, this study highlights the significant adversity experienced by such families and subsequent unmet psychological needs which also require consideration. Finally, findings from the current study could assist in improving future measures of satisfaction in similar services. Originality/value: This is the first published study of parental experiences of and satisfaction with paediatric neuropsychological assessment in the UK. Ă© Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Discovery of a possibly old galaxy at , multiply imaged by the massive cluster Abell 383
We report the discovery of a unique galaxy, multiply imaged by the
cluster Abell 383 and detected in new Hubble Space Telescope ACS and WFC3
imaging, as well as in Warm Spitzer observations. This galaxy was selected as a
pair of i-dropouts; its suspected high redshift was confirmed by the
measurement of a strong Lyman-alpha line in both images using Keck/DEIMOS.
Combining Hubble and Spitzer photometry after correcting for contamination by
line emission (estimated to be a small effect), we identify a strong Balmer
break of 1.5 magnitudes. Taking into account the magnification factor of
11.4+/-1.9 (2.65+/-0.17 mag) for the brightest image, the unlensed AB magnitude
for the source is 27.2+/-0.05 in the H band, corresponding to a 0.4 L* galaxy,
and 25.7+/-0.08 at 3.6 um. The UV slope is consistent with beta~2.0, and from
the rest-frame UV continuum we measure a current star formation rate of
2.4+/-1.1 Msol/yr. The unlensed half-light radius is measured to be 300 pc,
from which we deduce a star-forming surface density of ~10 Msol/yr/kpc2. The
Lyman-alpha emission is found to be extended over ~3" along the slit,
corresponding to ~5 kpc in the source plane. This can be explained by the
presence of a much larger envelope of neutral hydrogen around the star-forming
region. Finally, fitting the spectral energy distribution using 7 photometric
data points with simple SED models, we derive the following properties: very
little reddening, an inferred stellar mass of M*=6e9 Msol, and an inferred age
of ~800 Myrs (corresponding to a redshift of formation of ~18). The
star-formation rate of this object was likely much stronger in the past than at
the time of observation, suggesting that we may be missing a fraction of
galaxies at z~6 which have already faded in rest-frame UV wavelengths.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, MNRAS in press, replaced with accepted version
including minor comment
Oscillator strengths and line widths of dipole-allowed transitions in ÂčâŽNâ between 89.7 and 93.5ânm
Line oscillator strengths in the 20 electric dipole-allowed bands of ÂčâŽNâ in the 89.7â93.5nm (111480â106950cmâ»Âč) region are reported from photoabsorptionmeasurements at an instrumental resolution of âŒ6mĂ
(0.7cmâ»Âč) full width at half maximum. The absorptionspectrum comprises transitions to vibrational levels of the 3pÏᔀcâČâÂčΣᔀâș, 3pÏᔀc³Πᔀ, and 3sÏgoâÂčΠᔀRydberg states and of the bâČÂčΣᔀâș and bÂčΠᔀ valence states. The J dependences of band f values derived from the experimental line f values are reported as polynomials in JâČ(JâČ+1) and are extrapolated to JâČ=0 in order to facilitate comparisons with results of coupled Schrödinger-equation calculations. Most bands in this study are characterized by a strong J dependence of the band f values and display anomalous P-, Q-, and R-branch intensity patterns. Predissociation line widths, which are reported for 11 bands, also exhibit strong J dependences. The f value and line width patterns can inform current efforts to develop comprehensive spectroscopic models that incorporate rotational effects and predissociation mechanisms, and they are critical for the construction of realistic atmospheric radiative-transfer models.This work was supported in part by NASA Grant No.
NNG05GA03G to Wellesley College and Australian Research
Council Discovery Program Grant No. DP0558962
Lubricant degradation, transport and the effect of extended oil drain intervals on piston assembly tribology
There are ever increasing demands on lubricant manufacturers to meet governmental legislation and customer needs by improving fuel economy, engine durability and exhaust system compatibility as shown by the introduction of GF4 and move towards GF5 specification oils. This has created an ever increasing need to understand how oil degrades in an engine and how this degraded oil affects piston assembly tribology. This review conference paper will give an overview of a collaborative project that has been undertaken to further enhance the understanding of how lubricant degrades in an operating engine, its transport through the engine and effect upon piston assembly tribology
IL-17A-producing neutrophil-regulatory Tn lymphocytes
The proinflammatory cytokine IL-17A, mainly produced by specialized T cells, plays an important homeostatic role in regulating neutrophil production and blood neutrophil counts. This review will assemble and discuss the evidence for this function of IL-17A-producing cells, which are collectively called neutrophil-regulatory T cells or Tn cells. IL-17A-producing lymphocytes are most abundant in the mesenteric lymph node, where they account for 0.15% of all lymphocytes. About 60% of the Tn cells are γΎ T cells, about 25% NKT-like cells, and less than 15% are CD4 T cells. These latter cells are also known as T-17 or ThIL-17 cells, a subset of Tn cells that also plays an important role in autoimmune diseases. IL-17A produced by Tn cells regulates the production of G-CSF, which in turn promotes the proliferation of promyelocytes and maturation of neutrophils. This homeostatic mechanism plays an important role in normal physiology and in host defense against bacterial infections. This review is aimed at highlighting the important role of IL-17A-producing T cells at the interface between the adaptive and innate immune syste
Extraction and tribological investigation of top piston ring zone oil from a gasoline engine
With tightening emission regulations, increased expected fuel economy, and longer drain intervals impacting on lubricant formulation, greater understanding of how oil degrades in an automotive engine is becoming ever more important. Equally significant is the effect that this degraded lubricant has on the tribological operation of the engine, particularly its overall internal friction and component wear. In a previous paper, four tests to degrade oil in a single cylinder engine were reported [1]. These tests were set up such that the lubricating oil was degraded in the ring pack before returning to the sump, where it was sampled and chemical and rheological analysis undertaken. This paper reports the extension of this work using the same Hydra engine and describes how oil has additionally been extracted from the rear of the top piston ring during engine operation. This extracted oil has then been subjected to similar analysis as the sump oil samples in the previous tests, along with additional analysis to look at the tribological properties of the oil using tribometers. The results clearly show significant differences in the rheological, tribological, and chemical properties of the fresh oil and used sump oil samples when compared with the top ring zone (TRZ) oil samples, particularly the effect of load on the levels of volatiles present in the TRZ samples and their effect on traction and friction coefficient values during tribological testing
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