Kicked a heading lately? The challenge of establishing headings for buildings and other structures

Providing access points for building names is a tremendous challenge for library catalogers. Using Blithewold Mansion, Gardens & Arboretum as an example of the complexities involved in assigning these types of headings, and reviewing previous work of library groups to develop policies, some solutions are proposed. The author's goal is to make the issues understandable to the general public and encourage discussion among art catalogers so that the problems can eventually be resolved

Earth stabilisation by plant-derived urease enzyme for building applications

The present work investigates the hygro-mechanical performance of compacted earth as an alternative to conventional energy-intensive building materials. Cement and lime have been widely employed as stabilisers to improve the strength and durability of compacted earth for building applications. Nevertheless, the use of these chemical binders partly compromises the energy efficiency of earthen materials while increasing their carbon footprint. This has recently led to the study of alternative stabilisation methods that are equally effective in improving the properties of earthen materials without however compromising their green credentials. The present work adopts a recently proposed method for the manufacturing of earth bricks. The method is based on the application of high compaction pressures up to 100 MPa (hypercompaction) to increase the density of the earth and hence to obtain mechanical properties that are similar to those of traditional construction materials such as fired bricks, concrete blocks and stabilised earth. A wide campaign of laboratory tests was performed on samples made of different earth mixes that were hyper-compacted at their respective optimum water contents. Stiffness and strength were measured by unconfined and triaxial compression tests while vapour adsorption/desorption was assessed by measuring moisture buffering value (MBV). Durability to water erosion was also evaluated by performing suction, immersion and drip tests according to the norms DIN 18945 (2013) and NZS 4298 (1998), respectively. Results showed that hyper-compaction largely improves the mechanical performance of compacted earth but that a marked increase in ambient humidity can produce a considerable reduction of strength. Compacted earth is also characterised by an excellent capacity of adsorbing/releasing ambient moisture, which increases the hygro-thermal inertia of the material. Nevertheless, durability tests highlighted that the unstabilised compacted earth cannot be employed for the construction of structures exposed to natural weathering. The experiments also demonstrated the dependency of strength, stiffness, moisture buffering capacity and water durability on particle grading. In particular, it was shown that a fine and well-graded earth mix exhibits higher levels of strength, stiffness, moisture buffering capacity and durability than a coarse and poorly-graded one. This suggests that careful selection of the soil is necessary to optimise the manufacture of earth bricks. One important challenge lies in the improvement of the earth durability against water erosion by adopting novel stabilisation techniques which exhibit small environmental impacts while preserving the advantageous properties of compacted earth in terms of mechanical and moisture buffering behaviour. In this work, the exploitation of knowledge at the interface between physics, biology and chemistry has led to the development of an original stabilisation method based on the utilisation of plant extracts. The method is consistent with the principles of Enzymatic Induced Calcite Precipitation (EICP), which utilises the action of the urease enzyme to catalyse the hydrolysis of urea. This reaction produces carbonate ions, which then react with the calcium ions dissolved in the pore water to produce the precipitation of calcium carbonate (i.e. calcite), thus binding the soil together. The urease enzyme is a widely occurring hexameric protein that is the product of the metabolism of microbes and is also found in the tissues of many plants. The novelty of the present work resides in the utilisation of crude plant-derived urease enzyme instead of pure reagent-grade products available from chemical suppliers, which reduces environmental and financial costs. In particular, the urease enzyme was obtained from a liquid soybeans extract, inside which the urea and calcium chloride were subsequently dissolved to induce the precipitation of calcite. A fundamental study of the relevant microbiological and biochemical processes pointed out that the concentrations of urea and calcium chloride play an important role in the activity of the urease enzyme and on the amount of precipitated calcite. Measurements of pH, electrical conductivity and precipitation ratio indicated that the optimum equimolar concentration of urea and calcium chloride (leading to the largest precipitation of calcite) is 2.5 mol/L. An experimental campaign was finally undertaken to implement the proposed biostabilisation method into the manufacture of compressed earth bricks. The efficiency of the treatment was initially assessed by means of water immersion tests to quantify the improvement of the material water durability. The most promising versions of the proposed bio-stabilisation method were also the object of further investigation to assess the hygromechanical behaviour of the stabilised earth by means of unconfined compression and moisture buffering value tests. The findings, although preliminary, suggest that a noticeable improvement of strength and water durability can be achieved by the proposed stabilisation protocol, in spite of the difficulty in replicating exactly quantitative results. Further tests are still necessary to make the proposed treatment competitive with conventional stabilisation techniques based on the use of cement and lime

Effectiveness of a football over helmet padding system in reducing peak acceleration of the head and severity index.

The purpose of this study was to determine if: (a) a football helmet equipped with the Guardian Cap meets the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE) football helmet standards and (b) if the Severity Indexes and peak accelerations produced during the NOCSAE impact tests were smaller for a football helmet equipped with the Guardian Cap over-helmet padding system than for the same helmet without the Guardian Cap. A total of 54 drop impact tests were completed, 27 on the football helmet alone and 27 on the football helmet equipped with the Guardian Cap. Tests were completed on seven different locations on the helmet at four different velocities and two different temperatures as per NOCSAE test standards. When the helmet was outfitted with the Guardian Cap, the highest Severity Index (SI) recorded was 751 at the rear impact location as compared to an SI of 842 at the same impact location on the helmet alone. Overall, the average SI when the Guardian Cap was attached was 324 ± 195 as compared to an overall average of 368 ± 219 for the helmet alone. The average peak acceleration (gmax) for the helmet with the Guardian Cap was 85 g’s ± 23 as compared to 91 g’s ± 26 for the helmet alone. These data for the Guardian Cap covered football helmet were below the maximum SI allowed by NOCSAE to be a certified football helmet. The SI and peak accelerations for the Guardian Cap covered football helmet were smaller than the SI and peak accelerations for the helmet alone on the NOCSAE impact tests. Medical professionals, coaches, players and parents can use this information to make informed decisions on the role of the Guardian Cap in possibly preventing or limiting the risk of concussions in football

<Articles>Babel is Us: Self, Grief and Surrender in a Film of A. G. Iñárritu

特集I : 京都大学大学院教育学研究科 ユニバーシティ・カレッジ・ロンドン教育研究所 国際合同授業 （2022年2月5日-7日, オンライン）“Thinking about Education through Film”, International Collaborative Course, Graduate School of Education, Kyoto University and UCL IOE (February 5-7, 2022, Online)In this paper I suggest the possibility of an analogy between the experience of grief and that of communication based on the common element of surrender. I propose an interpretation of the film Babel, by Alejandro Gonzáles Iñárritu, according to which the film provides four examples of how surrender and reciprocal trust is crucial to survival. I focus on the sense of disconnectedness that affects some of Iñárritu's characters and explore how they are able to resolve it through the encounter with others. In the end, I reflect on the paradoxes that are at the heart of the film and how they are a feature of human life itself, what makes people feel closer beyond the borders of language and nationalities

<Articles>Finding the Self beyond the Threat of Loss Re-watching Shoplifters and This is England with Cavell and Gadamer

特集 : 京都大学大学院教育学研究科 ユニバーシティ・カレッジ・ロンドン教育研究所 国際合同授業 （2021年2月6日-7日, オンライン）“Thinking about Education through Film”, International Collaborative Course, Graduate School of Education, Kyoto University and UCL Institute of Education (February 6-7, 2021, Online)In this paper, we attempt a re-interpretation of the apparently pessimistic and misfortunate trajectory of two children protagonists in the films, Shoplifters and This is England. To achieve this, we will draw on the philosophical works of Stanley Cavell and Hans-Georg Gadamer. We will explore, the way these thinkers account for the complex and controversial process of finding the self, and allow us to trace elements of hope and possibilities of redemption in the painful journeys of the film characters and their encounter with recurring events of disappointment. Cavell’s Thoreauvian notion of doubleness, understood as an act of keeping constant nearness of the self to the self and as requiring resolution both to lose and find, opens a way to reconceiving Shota’s loss of his family in Shoplifters, and also helps to shed light on his anticipation of leaving in favour of becoming a decent grown-up. Gadamer’s account of the nature of human experience sheds lights on the invisible transformation in Shaun in This is England who, returned to loneliness and social-isolation, accepts his loss as part of his personal history, and from this accepting and forgetting a new horizon comes to be open. After showing the films as stories of the children characters who undergo a kind of education, this paper closes with the possibility that they become sites of education also for their adult audiences today. The growing power of globalisation sets us in the standing threat of loss, but the films and the philosophy in them also invite us to find ourselves again in a new integrity

PLE & PLN for language learning and teaching: a case study

Recent developments in learning technologies are creating a significant shift in the educational experience. The paper aims at exploring the potential of PLEs (Personal Learning Environments) and PLNs (Personal Learning Networks) through the description of a case study relating to an online training initiative: an innovative answer to the “lifelong competency” management approach to language teaching. The case study refers to an online international initiative promoted in 2012 addressed to teachers, trainers and educators from all over the world, passionate about language learning with the use of technologies. The authors of this contribution planned and moderated a five-week training session within “EVO 2012” (Electronic Village Online), offering a free opportunity to discuss and share ideas, practices, experience through a Moodle platform, in synchronous meetings with international experts and asynchronous working tools. The main aim was to promote greater awareness of this topic, guiding teachers and trainers to the effective exploitation of the potential of PLE and PLN in EFL (English as a Foreign Language) classes.Los recientes desarrollos de las tecnologías de aprendizaje están facilitando un cambio significativo en la experiencia formativa. El objetivo de este trabajo es explorar el potencial de los PLE (Personal Learning Environments) y de los PLN (Personal Learning Networks) a través de la descripción de un caso de estudio sobre una iniciativa de formación online: una respuesta innovadora a la gestión integrada de la "formación permanente" para la enseñanza de idiomas. El caso de estudio se refiere a una iniciativa online desarrollada a nivel internacional en 2012 y dirigida a profesores, formadores y educadores de todo el mundo, apasionados del aprendizaje de idiomas, utilizando tecnologías. Los autores planearon y moderaron una prueba de cinco semanas durante el "EVO 2012" (Electronic Village Online), ofreciendo una oportunidad libre para discutir y compartir ideas, prácticas y experiencias gracias a encuentros sincronizados en la plataforma Moodle, a través de videoconferencias con expertos internacionales y herramientas de trabajo asíncronos. El objetivo principal fue promover la conciencia de este tema, acompañando a profesorado y formadores en la explotación de las potencialidades de los PLE y de los PLN en clases de inglés para fines específicos (EFL en sus siglas en inglés)

Neuroendocrine tumors: From anatomopathology to clinical presentation

Anatomopathological classification of Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs), today, covers a pivotal role in correctly identifying the disease and establish the right diagnostic and therapeutic approach it is needed in order to manage the patient. Depending on its grading and staging, NENs can have very different prognostic perspectives. Basing on WHO 2017 classification, in this paper will be explored their main characteristics, diving into main histotypes, dividing them into functional and non-functional tumors, keeping in mind their main locations: gastroenteropancreatic tract and lungs. Their typical clinical presentation and diagnostic strategies will be explained, mainly focusing on nuclear medicine and the importance of receptor overexpression (especially represented by somatostatin receptors, or SSTRs). This is the knowledge on which is based the diagnostic and therapeutic approach with peptide radiopharmaceuticals, especially 68Ga-DOTA-peptides (today, the gold standard in well-differentiated neuroendocrine neoplasms, only with the exception of insulinoma, that shows a low density of these molecules on its cellular surface)