350 research outputs found
Secondary school educational practitionersâ experiences of school attendance problems and interventions to address them: A qualitative study
This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Taylor & Francis (Routledge) via the DOI in this record.School attendance problems are associated with a range of adverse consequences, and educational practitioners play a role in identifying and responding to attendance problems. This qualitative study explored educational practitionersâ experiences of working with students with attendance problems and interventions to address them. Focus groups were conducted with sixteen practitioners across three secondary schools. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Attendance problems were considered resource-intensive and emotionally challenging. Practitioners expressed difficulty understanding causes, although individual/family factors were emphasised over school factors. A range of interventions were described, including adaptations to school context and providing emotional support. Views on punitive approaches were mixed. Individualised interventions implemented at the first sign of problems, and a team approach, were considered important. Findings highlight the important role of educational practitioners in identifying attendance problems and implementing interventions. Recommendations include early intervention, team-work, and emotional support for students with, and staff responding to, attendance problems.This work was supported by a PhD studentship from the University of Exeter Medical School, UK
Concealed concern: Fathers' experience of having a child with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis
Despite increased research into families of chronically ill children, more needs to be known about the fatherâs experience. We address this issue through asking: âWhat is it like to be the father of a child with juvenile idiopathic arthritis?â (JIA). Four members of eight families with an adolescent diagnosed with JIA, including seven fathers, were interviewed and transcripts analyzed using grounded theory. This study suggests that fathers of children with JIA experience several severe losses which are exacerbated through comparisons they make between their own situation and that of fathers of healthy children. In addition, the fathers faced several constraints which reduced their opportunities to communicate with their ill child through shared activities. Fathers appeared to conceal their distress by adopting strategies of denial and distraction however their adjustment was facilitated, to some extent, by social support. They could also develop greater acceptance of their situation over time as the care of their ill child became assimilated into family life and constraints upon their life gradually reduced through the increased maturity of their son or daughter with JIA. These findings have implications for healthcare professionals and voluntary organizations
Understanding Marine Mussel Adhesion
In addition to identifying the proteins that have a role in underwater adhesion by marine mussels, research efforts have focused on identifying the genes responsible for the adhesive proteins, environmental factors that may influence protein production, and strategies for producing natural adhesives similar to the native mussel adhesive proteins. The production-scale availability of recombinant mussel adhesive proteins will enable researchers to formulate adhesives that are water-impervious and ecologically safe and can bind materials ranging from glass, plastics, metals, and wood to materials, such as bone or teeth, biological organisms, and other chemicals or molecules. Unfortunately, as of yet scientists have been unable to duplicate the processes that marine mussels use to create adhesive structures. This study provides a background on adhesive proteins identified in the blue mussel, Mytilus edulis, and introduces our research interests and discusses the future for continued research related to mussel adhesion
Upper atmospheres and ionospheres of planets and satellites
The upper atmospheres of the planets and their satellites are more directly
exposed to sunlight and solar wind particles than the surface or the deeper
atmospheric layers. At the altitudes where the associated energy is deposited,
the atmospheres may become ionized and are referred to as ionospheres. The
details of the photon and particle interactions with the upper atmosphere
depend strongly on whether the object has anintrinsic magnetic field that may
channel the precipitating particles into the atmosphere or drive the
atmospheric gas out to space. Important implications of these interactions
include atmospheric loss over diverse timescales, photochemistry and the
formation of aerosols, which affect the evolution, composition and remote
sensing of the planets (satellites). The upper atmosphere connects the planet
(satellite) bulk composition to the near-planet (-satellite) environment.
Understanding the relevant physics and chemistry provides insight to the past
and future conditions of these objects, which is critical for understanding
their evolution. This chapter introduces the basic concepts of upper
atmospheres and ionospheres in our solar system, and discusses aspects of their
neutral and ion composition, wind dynamics and energy budget. This knowledge is
key to putting in context the observations of upper atmospheres and haze on
exoplanets, and to devise a theory that explains exoplanet demographics.Comment: Invited Revie
Enhanced antibacterial activity of silver nanoparticles/halloysite nanotubes/graphene nanocomposites with sandwich-like structure
A sandwich-like antibacterial reagent (Ag/HNTs/rGO) was constructed through the direct growth of silver nanoparticles on the surface graphene-based HNTs nanosheets. Herein, various nanomaterials were combined by adhesion effect of DOPA after self-polymerization. Ag/HNTs/rGO posses enhanced antibacterial ability against E. coli and S. aureus compared with individual silver nanoparticles, rGO nanosheets or their nanocomposites
Fermi Gamma-ray Imaging of a Radio Galaxy
The Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope has detected the gamma-ray glow emanating
from the giant radio lobes of the radio galaxy Centaurus A. The resolved
gamma-ray image shows the lobes clearly separated from the central active
source. In contrast to all other active galaxies detected so far in high-energy
gamma-rays, the lobe flux constitutes a considerable portion (>1/2) of the
total source emission. The gamma-ray emission from the lobes is interpreted as
inverse Compton scattered relic radiation from the cosmic microwave background
(CMB), with additional contribution at higher energies from the
infrared-to-optical extragalactic background light (EBL). These measurements
provide gamma-ray constraints on the magnetic field and particle energy content
in radio galaxy lobes, and a promising method to probe the cosmic relic photon
fields.Comment: 27 pages, includes Supplementary Online Material; corresponding
authors: C.C. Cheung, Y. Fukazawa, J. Knodlseder, L. Stawar
Fermi Large Area Telescope observations of PSR J1836+5925
The discovery of the gamma-ray pulsar PSR J1836+5925, powering the formerly
unidentified EGRET source 3EG J1835+5918, was one of the early accomplishments
of the Fermi Large Area Telescope (LAT). Sitting 25 degrees off the Galactic
plane, PSR J1836+5925 is a 173 ms pulsar with a characteristic age of 1.8
million years, a spindown luminosity of 1.1 erg s, and a
large off-peak emission component, making it quite unusual among the known
gamma-ray pulsar population. We present an analysis of one year of LAT data,
including an updated timing solution, detailed spectral results and a long-term
light curve showing no indication of variability. No evidence for a surrounding
pulsar wind nebula is seen and the spectral characteristics of the off-peak
emission indicate it is likely magnetospheric. Analysis of recent XMM
observations of the X-ray counterpart yields a detailed characterization of its
spectrum, which, like Geminga, is consistent with that of a neutron star
showing evidence for both magnetospheric and thermal emission.Comment: Accepted to Astrophysical Journa
A change in the optical polarization associated with a gamma-ray flare in the blazar 3C 279
It is widely accepted that strong and variable radiation detected over all
accessible energy bands in a number of active galaxies arises from a
relativistic, Doppler-boosted jet pointing close to our line of sight. The size
of the emitting zone and the location of this region relative to the central
supermassive black hole are, however, poorly known, with estimates ranging from
light-hours to a light-year or more. Here we report the coincidence of a
gamma-ray flare with a dramatic change of optical polarization angle. This
provides evidence for co-spatiality of optical and gamma-ray emission regions
and indicates a highly ordered jet magnetic field. The results also require a
non-axisymmetric structure of the emission zone, implying a curved trajectory
for the emitting material within the jet, with the dissipation region located
at a considerable distance from the black hole, at about 10^5 gravitational
radii.Comment: Published in Nature issued on 18 February 2010. Corresponding
authors: Masaaki Hayashida and Greg Madejsk
Environmental determinants of macroinvertebrate diversity in small water bodies: insights from tank-bromeliads
The interlocking leaves of tank-forming bromeliads (Bromeliaceae) collect rainwater and detritus, thus creating a freshwater habitat for specialized organisms. Their abundance and the possibility of quantifying communities with accuracy give us unparalleled insight into how changes in local to regional environments influence community diversity in small water bodies. We sampled 365 bromeliads (365 invertebrate communities) along a southeastern to northwestern range in French Guiana. Geographic locality determined the species pool for bromeliad invertebrates, and local environments determined the abundance patterns through the selection of traits that are best adapted to the bromeliad habitats. Patterns in community structure mostly emerged from patterns of predator species occurrence and abundance across local-regional environments, while the set of detritivores remained constant. Water volume had a strong positive correlation with invertebrate diversity, making it a biologically relevant measure of the pools' carrying capacity. The significant effects of incoming detritus and incident light show that changes in local environments (e.g., the conversion of forest to cropping systems) strongly influence freshwater communities. Because changes in local environments do not affect detritivores and predators equally, one may expect functional shifts as sets of invertebrates with particular traits are replaced or complemented by other sets with different traits
Biocatalytic Synthesis of Polymers of Precisely Defined Structures
The fabrication of functional nanoscale devices requires the construction of complex architectures at length scales characteristic of atoms and molecules. Currently microlithography and micro-machining of macroscopic objects are the preferred methods for construction of small devices, but these methods are limited to the micron scale. An intriguing approach to nanoscale fabrication involves the association of individual molecular components into the desired architectures by supramolecular assembly. This process requires the precise specification of intermolecular interactions, which in turn requires precise control of molecular structure
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