An analysis of poetry for the improvement of speech in the secondary school.

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston Universit

How getting noticed helps getting on: successful attention capture doubles children's cooperative play

Cooperative social interaction is a complex skill that involves maintaining shared attention and continually negotiating a common frame of reference. Privileged in human evolution, cooperation provides support for the development of social-cognitive skills. We hypothesize that providing audio support for capturing playmates' attention will increase cooperative play in groups of young children. Attention capture was manipulated via an audio-augmented toy to boost children's attention bids. Study 1 (48 6- to 11-year-olds) showed that the augmented toy yielded significantly more cooperative play in triads compared to the same toy without augmentation. In Study 2 (33 7- to 9-year-olds) the augmented toy supported greater success of attention bids, which were associated with longer cooperative play, associated in turn with better group narratives. The results show how cooperation requires moment-by-moment coordination of attention and how we can manipulate environments to reveal and support mechanisms of social interaction. Our findings have implications for understanding the role of joint attention in the development of cooperative action and shared understanding

An Exploration of Hierarchy as Fractal in the Theology of Dionysios the Areopagite

Eric Perl, in his provocatively titled book, Theophany: The Neo-Platonic Philosophy of Dionysius the Areopagite, argues not only that Dionysios’ thought is thoroughly Neo-Platonic and fully compatible with Christianity, but that “the Dionysian doctrine of cosmic and ecclesiastical hierarchy is not only consistent with but essential to holy tradition” and that “Dionysius represents precisely those doctrines which are most typical of [Eastern] Orthodoxy in distinction from the west.” Like it or not, it is not that easy to ignore hierarchy in the sense the Areopagite had in mind in the Corpus Dionysiacum (CD). It is Dionysios who is credited with the first use of the word “hierarchy” as an abstract noun and the influence of this abstract notion of hierarchy has been far-reaching and is ubiquitous within society, not only within the Christian churches. Two related ideas continue to trouble me in the aftermath of reading Perl on Dionysios. The first is the thought that in our natural suspicion of hierarchy we may be sowing the very seeds that will keep us from ever being able to tap the wisdom of the CD. The second, is that if Perl – whose arguments are thorough, persuasive, and beautiful – is correct in both his understanding of neo-Platonic hierarchy and in his assertion that this is the thoroughgoing philosophical backdrop for the Areopagite, then hierarchy isn’t just a convenient construct dreamed up by churchmen that helps us get closer to God if we follow the rules of order, nor is it just a description of the functional workings of the mystical and sacramental life as understood within the Eastern ascetic tradition; though neither of those understandings would be wrong per se, both would be deficient. If Perl is right, Dionysios understood all creation to be Theophany, and hierarchy as the very structure of the entire created order, which reflects the life of God in existence. This hierarchy is not an “optional extra,” and opting out of participation – in so far as this is even possible – is, quite literally, to use the words of St. Paul (Rom 1:25), “exchanging the truth for a lie” and straightforwardly spells physical and spiritual death. For those of us with anarchist (or at least rebellious) tendencies – for those who have a developed sense of justice and despise hierarchical abuses – the news seems bad. If Perl is right, running away from Church structures won’t solve this problem because you can’t run away from the structure of existence itself. What exactly are we supposed to do? St. Symeon the New Theologian’s solution was to argue that the true bishop is the person with a pure heart (he had monastics in mind); but Dionysios’s fiery 8th Epistle to the monk Demophilos makes it more than clear that he does not see this as a possible solution for the very reason that hierarchical order is violated. Abolish the structure of reality we cannot. Nihilism doesn’t seem a very attractive option, so what are we left with

Moisture and Microwave Effects on Selected Characteristics of Turkey \u3cem\u3ePectoral\u3c/em\u3e Muscles

The effect of added water and microwave heating on several characteristics of ground composites of pectoral muscles of eight USDA Grade A turkey toms was investigated. Samples (200 g) containing 0, 15, or 30 ml added water were prepared and heated in a Raytheon Mark IV Radarange (2450 MHz) for 0, 70, and 130 sec. Water added in the amounts of 15 or 30 ml represented 7 or 13% of the sample weight prior to heating. Expressible moisture index and total moisture decreased with increased cooking times, whereas fat-free dry weight and initial and total cooking losses increased with cooking. Extractable fat and pH tended to increase when comparing raw and cooked samples. Increasing the water levels in the samples resulted in decreased values for expressible moisture index and fat-free dry weight. Total moisture and initial and total cooking losses increased as the level of added water was increased. The effects of added water on extractable fat and pH were not consistent. Expressible moisture index seemed to be the best measure of treatment effects since a greater percentage variation attributable to treatment was observed for this measurement than for the measurements of cooking losses and total moisture. Although water was lost during cooking, as indicated by total moisture values, it was possible to retain some added water. Cooking time contributed the greatest percentage variation, but added water also had significant effects on all the characteristics studied. The rate of microwave heating did not seem to be affected by the addition of water. This might be attributed to the maintenance of a constant water load within the oven

Efficacy and safety of perampanel in patients with drug-resistant partial seizures after conversion from double-blind placebo to open-label perampanel

SummaryObjectiveTo evaluate the efficacy and safety of perampanel in patients with drug-resistant partial seizures after the conversion from double-blind placebo in three phase III studies to open-label perampanel, and to assess the impact of perampanel titration rates through a comparison of weekly vs biweekly dose increases.MethodsPatients who completed the three multinational, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase III core studies (studies 304, 305, or 306) were eligible to enroll in the extension study (study 307). Patients completing the double-blind treatment (6-week titration, 13-week maintenance) with placebo (DB-PBO) or perampanel (DB-PER) began the extension study with a 16-week blinded conversion period, during which DB-PBO patients were switched to perampanel. Doses were titrated in 2-mg increments (biweekly) to an individualized maximum tolerated dose of perampanel (up to 12mg/day). Patients then entered a planned, open-label treatment period.ResultsPerampanel treatment during the extension study reduced total seizure frequency/28 days relative to the double-blind prerandomization baseline regardless of prior perampanel or placebo treatment in the core studies. In the DB-PBO patients, median percent reductions in seizure frequency at the end of the double-blind period, at the end of the conversion period, and at Weeks 40–52 in the open-label maintenance period were 18.6%, 44.3%, and 55.0%, respectively. Seizure control was also improved in the DB-PER patients during the extension period compared to the end of the double-blind period. Responder rates were similar between the 2 patient groups at the end of the conversion period. Perampanel was well tolerated, with the most common treatment-emergent adverse events being dizziness, somnolence, weight increase, irritability, fatigue, and headache. For those patients randomized to the 12mg group (DB-PER 12mg), 78.4% reached the daily dose of 10 or 12mg by the end of the 6-week titration period of the double-blind phase. By the end of the 16-week conversion period of the extension study, 64.0% of DB-PBO patients reached the daily dose of 10 or 12mg. Seizure frequency reduction was greater after the first 13-week maintenance period of the extension study in the DB-PBO group compared to patients assigned to DB-PER 12mg during the 13-week maintenance period of the double-blind study.ConclusionPatients who received placebo in the phase III core DB studies and transitioned to perampanel in the open-label extension study (DB-PBO) achieved seizure control at the end of the conversion period similar to that of patients who had been previously exposed to perampanel (DB-PER) as well as comparable safety outcomes. Patients who received perampanel during the core studies and continued with treatment during the extension study (DB-PER) also showed sustained improvements in seizure control with long-term exposure to perampanel

C4-aldehyde of guaiazulene:synthesis and derivatisation

Guaiazulene is an alkyl-substituted azulene available from natural sources and is a much lower cost starting material for the synthesis of azulene derivatives than azulene itself. Here we report an approach for the selective functionalisation of guaiazulene which takes advantage of the acidity of the protons on the guaiazulene C4 methyl group. The aldehyde produced by this approach constitutes a building block for the construction of azulenes substituted on the seven-membered ring. Derivatives of this aldehyde synthesised by alkenylation, reduction and condensation are reported, and the halochromic properties of a subset of these derivatives have been studied.</p

Biofouling resistant materials based on micro‐structured surfaces with liquid‐repellent properties

Adhesion of contaminants on various polymer-based devices during fluid-substrate interactions is a common problem that can cause biofouling andcorrosion. In this study, hierarchical structures with submicron features onpolypropylene (PP), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), and polycarbonate (PC)are fabricated by femtosecond laser ablation. The effect of the hierarchicalstructures on surface wettability, droplet impact, and bacterial attachment hasbeen examined. Our results demonstrate that the structured polymeric sub-strates facilitate large contact angles and minimal interfacial adhesion, allowingdroplets to roll off at a low angle of inclination below 5◦. Further, rendering thehierarchicalstructureswithalow-surface-energycoatingcanenablethesurfacesto exhibit superamphiphobic properties. The low interfacial adhesion properties,as accounted by the large contact angles and small contact angle hysteresis, ofsuch surfaces prevent bacterial attachment and biofilm formation. The findingsprovide a design principle for creating affordable biofouling resistant surfaceswith a submicron topography hat can be used for engineering and biomedical devices

Disruption of paediatric orthopaedic hospital services due to the COVID-19 pandemic in a region with minimal COVID-19 illness

Purpose: This study was designed to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on paediatric orthopaedic services in a paediatric tertiary hospital in South Australia. Methods: A retrospective audit was conducted of orthopaedic activity at a major paediatric tertiary hospital with a Level 1 paediatric trauma centre, where no patients were admitted with COVID-19 illness. Orthopaedic Emergency Department (ED) presentations, outpatient clinics and hospital admissions for the period between 16 March 2020 to 26 April 2020 were studied and compared with the same period in 2019 (18 March 2019 to 28 April 2019). Chi-square tests were performed with p &lt; 0.05 indicating statistical significance. Results: In total, 621 patients presented to the ED with orthopaedic complaints during the pandemic (versus 997 in 2019). However, there was minimal change in the number of ED presentations requiring admission (110 in 2020 versus 116 in 2019). Among patients discharged directly from ED, 27.3% received hospital outpatient referral (versus 39.1% in 2019), with the remaining patients referred to community health services or discharged directly. There was a 509.8% increase in telehealth (video and phone) outpatient consultations compared to 2019 and a 60.6% decline in face-to-face appointments. There was a total of 144 orthopaedic admissions (elective and emergency) compared to 184 in 2019. Admissions for children under seven remained unchanged (32.5% reduction in children aged seven and above). Conclusion: Despite an overall decline in all paediatric orthopaedic hospital activity, the number of emergency admissions for musculoskeletal conditions did not change. Elective surgery numbers for children aged under seven were also unchanged. Appropriate planning and hospital resources allocation are necessary to meet this service requirement in future pandemics. Level of evidence I

Wettability and Bactericidal Properties of Bioinspired ZnO Nanopillar Surfaces

Nanomaterials of zinc oxide (ZnO) exhibit antibacterial activities under ambient illumination that result in cell membrane permeability and disorganization, representing an important opportunity for health-related applications. However, the development of antibiofouling surfaces incorporating ZnO nanomaterials has remained limited. In this work, we fabricate superhydrophobic surfaces based on ZnO nanopillars. Water droplets on these superhydrophobic surfaces exhibit small contact angle hysteresis (within 2-3°) and a minimal tilting angle of 1°. Further, falling droplets bounce off when impacting the superhydrophobic ZnO surfaces with a range of Weber numbers (8-46), demonstrating that the surface facilitates a robust Cassie-Baxter wetting state. In addition, the antibiofouling efficacy of the surfaces has been established against model pathogenic Gram-positive bacteria Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) and Gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli (E. coli). No viable colonies of E. coli were recoverable on the superhydrophobic surfaces of ZnO nanopillars incubated with cultured bacterial solutions for 18 h. Further, our tests demonstrate a substantial reduction in the quantity of S. aureus that attached to the superhydrophobic ZnO nanopillars. Thus, the superhydrophobic ZnO surfaces offer a viable design of antibiofouling materials that do not require additional UV illumination or antimicrobial agents.</p