A Visual understanding: An Interactive learning application

As a thesis project, A Visual Understanding can be defined as a contextual experiment portraying the relationship between traditional composition techniques and visual communication online. This project focuses on the issue of significance when viewing photography online and the ways in which Computer Graphics Design can solve this problem. The educational application address the problems with the way in which photography is being portrayed by first, creating awareness about this concern and second, educating the online user in attempt to solve this problem. The interactive application developed educates users on traditional composition theories that have proven to be successful means of communication. This project displays information in an online application, and develops a way to engage web users. The goal of this application is to provide amateur photographers with an understanding of visual communication and the ways in which the relationship between composition techniques and design theory can significantly impact photography. This project goes on to explore different means of information design and contextual, three-dimensional interactive applications, and researches the ways in which the use of computer graphics design to create a hands-on learning experience will increase awareness and educate amateur photographers. By providing an educational understanding of photographic design theories, discussing lines, shapes, angles, and frames in an interactive atmosphere, web users learn photography techniques in a hands-on manner instead of simply reading about rules or techniques. The intention of this project is to visually, interactively, and contextually represent the potential for photographs to provide entertainment, embody visual art and culture, and provide compositional representation of meaning and message to their audiences. Through the demonstration of the effectiveness of these theories as well as the importance of visual communication, amateur photographers will learn how to create visual meaning in photographs and learn why they should be aiming to communicate messages through photography as a traditional art

Mapping and gapping services for children, young people and families in Blacon

This research report provides a map of the services available to children and families in Blacon and explores whether there are any gaps in provision.Blacon Education Villag

Comparison of the Effects of Mechanical Heart Valves and Bioprosthetic Heart Valves on Patient Blood Pressure

The abstract for this presentation can be downloaded by clicking on the blue download button

The Meanings of Communion: Anglican Identities, the Sexuality Debates, and Christian Relationality

Recent discussions of the international Anglican Communion have been dominated by notions of a \'crisis\' and \'schism\' resulting from conflicts over issues of homosexuality. Existing accounts of the Communion have often tended to emphasise the perspectives of those most vocal in the debates (particularly bishops, senior clergy, and pressure groups) or to engage in primarily theological analysis. This article examines the nature of the purported \'crisis\' from the perspectives of Anglicans in local parishes in three different national contexts: England, South Africa, and the US. Unusually for writing on the Communion, attention is simultaneously given to parishes that have clear pro-gay stances, those that largely oppose the acceptance of homosexual practice, and those with more ambivalent positions. In doing so, the article offers new insights for the growing body of literature on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Christians, as well as wider discussions about the contested nature of contemporary Anglican and other Christian identities. Key themes include the divergent ways in which respondents felt (and did not feel) connections to the spatially distant \'others\' with whom they are in Communion; the complex relationships and discordances between parish, denominational, and Communion-level identities; and competing visions of the role of the Communion in producing unity or preserving diversity amongst Anglicans.Anglican Communion; Sexuality; Christianity; Religious Identities

Different histories, different stories: using a narrative tool to assess childrens internal worlds

pre-printThis study investigated the concurrent validity of a children's narrative assessment tool, the Plenk Story-Telling Test (PST). The PST attempts to measure aspects of young children's internal working models by eliciting narratives from nine pictures. The PST, Child Behavior Checklist, and the Parenting Stress Index were administered to a clinical sample and a community sample of children. Data from 262 participants were obtained. Children in the clinical sample significantly differed from the community sample on each instrument. The PST was reliably coded and most of the responses could be interpreted through a factor analysis. Consistent with hypotheses, children in the clinical sample viewed the world as a more dangerous place, were more preoccupied and less optimistic than those in the community sample. These findings support initial concurrent validity for the PST because it reliably distinguished between the two different groups, making the PST a potentially useful tool for both research and clinical uses

Adult children who care for a parent with dementia

The aim of the review was to explore the experiences of adult-children caring for a parent with dementia. A search was conducted for literature which has been published between 1990 and 2012; exclusion criteria were applied and 15 papers were selected to be included in the review. A meta-ethnography (Noblitt & Hare, 1988) of the literature was conducted. The review identified a number of shared themes in the experiences of caregivers. These included: ‘motivations/incentives to care’, ‘the role of a carer’, ‘common emotions/feelings’, ‘ways of coping’ and ‘services/systems’. The review highlighted the complexities involved when caring for a parent with dementia and the potential impact of the past relationship on the present experiences of the carer. The similarities between the findings of the current review and findings from dementia and other caregiving research are discussed as well as implications for clinical practice

Optimizing The Laser Spot Positioning on Tailored Microcantilevers Used in Atomic Force Microscopy

The advancement of dynamic and multi frequency atomic force microscopy (AFM) necessitates leveraging the frequency response of cantilevers when it is in contact with the specimen surface. By capturing the vibration response of the cantilever, it becomes possible to map and measure the local properties of materials. Utilizing higher oscillation modes of microcantilevers holds the potential for increased sensitivity in imaging and characterizing advanced AFM techniques. Modifying the geometry of the cantilever can enhance its frequency response by aligning the higher eigenfrequencies with the fundamental frequency. The crucial aspect across all AFM techniques is probing the cantilever’s response. Due to the varying shapes of cantilever vibrations for different eigen frequencies, precise detection of the vibrational mode shape is essential to accurately quantify material properties. This detection heavily relies on the size and placement of the focused optical spot. In this article, we investigated and compared the impact of laser positioning on the captured dynamic responses of both standard and modified microcantilevers. Subsequently, we assessed the imaging performance of different eigenmodes of tailored modified cantilever by locating laser spots at different positions of the cantilever surface. Our study offers guidelines for optimizing the spot position to enhance quantification and imaging using tailored cantilever eigenfrequencies

An Initative to Narrow the Digital Divide: Preliminary Results

The Digital Divide has been defined as a gap between those with access to new information technologies and those without. The term is also used to characterize the disparity between those who can effectively use information technology and those who cannot. This paper first explores the digital divide within the United States (U.S.) and worldwide. Factors contributing to the widening of the gap are identified, including differences in income, age, education, race, household type, and geographic location. In an effort to reduce the Digital Divide, various initiatives have been undertaken. Preliminary results of an initiative designed to narrow the divide are presented