Analogue Hearts, Digital Minds? An investigation into perceptions of the audio quality of vinyl

This study investigates the vinyl revival, with particular focus given to the listener’s perception of audio quality. A new album was produced using known source material. Subjects then participated in a series of double-blind listening tests, comparing vinyl to established digital formats. Subsequent usability tests required subjects not only to re-appraise the audio, but also to interact with the physical media and playback equipment. Digital vinyl systems were used in order to investigate the influence of non-auditory factors on their perception of sound quality. Both qualitative and quantitative data was also gathered from subjects of the usability tests, with the correlation (or contradiction) between the results being analysed. The study concludes that sound quality is not the sole defining factor and that listener preferences are profoundly influenced by other, non-auditory attributes and that such factors are as much a part of the vinyl experience, as the music etched into the grooves

"I would question my role if I felt that mothering wasn't a part of it": mother practitioners' empathetic contributions to Early Childhood Education and Care

Throughout the last forty years, policy and practice in Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) in England has increasingly demanded a strong and reciprocal partnership with parents. Family policy has become intertwined with ECEC policy with the drive to instil a standardised model of good parenting to facilitate the eradication of child poverty. As a result, ECEC practitioners have a responsibility to support good parenting; however, a uniform model of parenting does not reflect the socio-economic and cultural constructs of contemporary family life. The personal and professional roles of caring for babies and young children are naturally closely aligned, and many ECEC practitioners are parents themselves. This study investigated this perception, and asked the question: ‘How might ECEC practitioners’ experiences of mothering influence and inform their working practice with parents?’ The research offers a psychosocial theoretical framework that embraces social theory alongside concepts from science that address the nature of close relationships. Seven mother practitioners, working in a range of professional roles within the ECEC sector, responded to in-depth e-mail interviews to describe their personal experiences of mothering and how these were translated in their professional roles with parents. By applying a constructivist grounded theory method of analysis, the findings highlighted the participants’ mothering of their own children to be a natural and instinctive process highly influenced by their social and cultural worlds. Such a view conflicts with political rhetoric that supports a uniform model of good parenting. An empathetic approach was used when supporting parents, and through attentive listening, mother practitioners were able to combine personal experience with their professional theoretical knowledge and experience to tailor support and meet the needs of families. The thesis concludes that the mother practitioners placed an intrinsic value on being a parent within their working roles, when combined with professional knowledge and experience facilitated empathetic relationships with parents. The study suggests that recognition is needed of the value of personal experiences, which can be capitalised upon more in ECEC policy and practice in order to respect contemporary constructs of family. Suggestions for further professional development, research and dissemination of the research findings are offered

In utero exposure to low doses of environmental pollutants disrupts fetal ovarian development in sheep

Epidemiological studies of the impact of environmental chemicals on reproductive health demonstrate consequences of exposure but establishing causative links requires animal models using ‘real life’ in utero exposures. We aimed to determine whether prolonged, low-dose, exposure of pregnant sheep to a mixture of environmental chemicals affects fetal ovarian development. Exposure of treated ewes (n = 7) to pollutants was maximized by surface application of processed sewage sludge to pasture. Control ewes (n = 10) were reared on pasture treated with inorganic fertilizer. Ovaries and blood were collected from fetuses (n = 15 control and n = 8 treated) on Day 110 of gestation for investigation of fetal endocrinology, ovarian follicle/oocyte numbers and ovarian proteome. Treated fetuses were 14% lighter than controls but fetal ovary weights were unchanged. Prolactin (48% lower) was the only measured hormone significantly affected by treatment. Treatment reduced numbers of growth differentiation factor (GDF9) and induced myeloid leukaemia cell differentiation protein (MCL1) positive oocytes by 25–26% and increased pro-apoptotic BAX by 65% and 42% of protein spots in the treated ovarian proteome were differently expressed compared with controls. Nineteen spots were identified and included proteins involved in gene expression/transcription, protein synthesis, phosphorylation and receptor activity. Fetal exposure to environmental chemicals, via the mother, significantly perturbs fetal ovarian development. If such effects are replicated in humans, premature menopause could be an outcome

Early to mid Cretaceous palynology of Cyrenaica, Northeast Libya

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre- DSC:DX77103 / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

Kaolinite - NMF intercalates

Bulk and size-fractionated kaolinites from seven localities in Australia as well as the Clay Minerals Society Source Clays Georgia KGa-1 and KGa-2 have been studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), laser scattering, and electron microscopy in order to understand the variation of particle characteristics across a range of environments and to correlate specific particle characteristics with intercalation behavior. All kaolinites have been intercalated with N-methyl formamide (NMF) after pretreatment with hydrazine hydrate, and the relative efficiency of intercalation has been determined using XRD. Intercalate yields of kaolinite: NMF are consistently low for bulk samples that have a high proportion of small-sized particles (i.e., 60%) of low-defect phase. In general, particle size appears to be a more significant controlling factor than defect distribution in determining the relative yield of kaolinite: NMF intercalate