Monitoring the effects of indoor pollution using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy

Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy {FTIR) was used to develop an effective way to monitor indoor pollution and to observe the effects of such indoor pollution under various conditions of the ventilation system of McCollum Science Hall of the University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, Iowa. This was done by monitoring the absorbance of acetone as it evaporated over time, and the data were used to create concentration vs. time plots. Several parameters from these plots were used to judge the ventilation system, with some general conclusions including that having the system on reduces peak time and end time. Also, the ventilation system in the organic stockroom appears to be less efficient than in other areas, and the ventilation system in the organic lab appears to be more efficient compared to other areas. The method developed and used during this research is an effective way in which to monitor indoor air pollution and could be employed in other buildings

Carbon Dynamics of Prairie Ecosystems

This study analyzes carbon cycle processes in prairie environments, with the goal of determining carbon sequestration (containment) capacity of prairies of varying quality. Results of the study will be used to aid in recommendations to land managers regarding ideal landscapes for prairie restoration and conservation, in order to mitigate atmospheric greenhouse gas concentrations. We incorporate scientific fieldwork, lab procedures, and data entry and analysis. Our research team analyzed soil respiration gas samples, soil samples, and above- and belowground biomass samples to quantify carbon emissions and retention. Additionally, terrain analyses are being conducted based on topographic and GPS measurements to determine optimal spatial orientation (i.e., slope, elevation, and exposure). Field research is conducted at Nachusa Grasslands, and in order to compare the carbon processes of prairies in two development stages, we chose one plot which was well-established and of high quality and one which was more recently restored and of poorer quality. We installed PVC rings in a grid-like formation across each plot, and used these to collect soil respiration gas samples for carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrogen analysis. Additional data collection included extraction of soil cores from the immediate vicinity of each PVC ring for belowground biomass and soil bulk density analyses; and collection of vegetation in close proximity to each ring for aboveground biomass analysis. All the data is currently being input into a GIS and analyzed in combination to determine optimal prairie conditions for carbon sequestration.B.A. (Bachelor of Arts

An Introduction to Writing in the Disciplines: Introduction to AISHE Academic Practice Guides

The purpose of this booklet is to provide readers with an introduction to a Writing in the Disciplines (WID) curriculum in higher education institutes. It is intended to provide an overview of the ethos and practical work that occurs in Writing in the Disciplines curricula. It is not a guide to establishing a WID curriculum. This booklet is intended for any intelligent reader with a broad interest in the topic. It will be of particular interest to colleagues working in higher education in Ireland

An Introduction to Writing in the Disciplines: Introduction to AISHE Academic Practice Guides

The purpose of this booklet is to provide readers with an introduction to a Writing in the Disciplines (WID) curriculum in higher education institutes. It is intended to provide an overview of the ethos and practical work that occurs in Writing in the Disciplines curricula. It is not a guide to establishing a WID curriculum. This booklet is intended for any intelligent reader with a broad interest in the topic. It will be of particular interest to colleagues working in higher education in Ireland

Understanding frozen shoulder in the hemiparetic arm after stroke

Frozen shoulder is more common in the weakened hemiparetic shoulder post stroke than in the general population. Increasing age, micro-vascular co-morbidities and the presence of subluxation make the soft tissue of the hemiparetic shoulder more susceptible to injury and inflammation. Inflammation can trigger fibrosis of the shoulder ligamentous capsule due to a disruption of joint homeostasis. It is this fibrosis that results in the common presenting features of frozen shoulder, namely restriction of passive shoulder external rotation, abduction and internal rotation. Spasticity of shoulder adductors and internal rotators is also common in hemiparesis and is hard to differentiate from frozen shoulder. Diagnostic lateral pectoralis nerve blocks (DNBs) may help to differentiate between the two. However, several muscles often contribute to shoulder adductor and internal rotator spasticity, so there is a risk of false positives with DNBs. Frozen shoulder is still largely a clinical diagnosis after assessment and exclusion of other possibilities. In cases of Frozen shoulder, daily movements of the shoulder joint within tolerable pain limits can help to restore joint homeostasis and lead to reduced pain. Steroid injection (either alone or as part of a hydrodilatation injection) when inflammation is present can also reduce pain and improve range when used in combination with physiotherapy

An Analysis of Feedback Provided by Buyers in an Online Setting

This is an exploratory study that investigates desirable characteristics for a seller to possess in an on-line auction setting based on buyer's written feedback comments and ratings from positive to negative on the online auction site eBay. It was conducted to determine the common characteristics that buyers write about and to expand the traditional feedback rating system for sellers from one-dimensional to a multi-dimensional. Five hundred comments written by unique buyers about a hundred sellers were gathered from eBay on September 9, 2004. Content Analysis was used to analyze the comments and ratings once they were transferred to an excel spreadsheet. In these online auctions buyer's comments on feedback ratings systems are what other buyers use to help determine if they are going to purchase an item from the seller. The current types of feedback rating systems do not offer the ability to rank a seller on multiple characteristics that are important to the buyer. This lack of consistency in determining the seller's expected performance is a major factor in the public's reluctance to adopt electronic commerce as a means to purchase items

Sustainable Teaching in an Uncertain World: Pedagogical Continuities, Un-Precedented Challenges

Beyond the very pressing immediacy of the pace of change induced by internationalising tendencies, a world without borders, there is increasing pressure on teachers to be more adept, agile, and adaptive, particularly at incorporating new and emerging technologies into their pedagogical repertoires, while international agencies, increasingly influential in this febrile landscape, proffer reform rhetorics that are superficial at best in their appreciation or understanding of local conditions, the realities of teachers’ lives and work. While an emphasis on ‘what works’ too has its limitations, what this chapter seeks to identify is not merely incremental contributions to often limited pedagogical repertoires, but to approach the considerable challenge from a sustainability perspective, sufficient to identify adaptive steps to possible futures that are hopeful, life enhancing, sustaining and sustainable, enriching the quality of teaching and learning, contributing to an emerging pedagogical praxis

Debt income and mental disorder in the general population

Background The association between poor mental health and poverty is well known but its mechanism is not fully understood. This study tests the hypothesis that the association between low income and mental disorder is mediated by debt and its attendant financial hardship. Method The study is a cross-sectional nationally representative survey of private households in England, Scotland and Wales, which assessed 8580 participants aged 16–74 years living in general households. Psychosis, neurosis, alcohol abuse and drug abuse were identified by the Clinical Interview Schedule – Revised, the Schedule for Assessment in Neuropsychiatry (SCAN), the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT) and other measures. Detailed questions were asked about income, debt and financial hardship. Results Those with low income were more likely to have mental disorder [odds ratio (OR) 2.09, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.68–2.59] but this relationship was attenuated after adjustment for debt (OR 1.58, 95% CI 1.25–1.97) and vanished when other sociodemographic variables were also controlled (OR 1.07, 95% CI 0.77–1.48). Of those with mental disorder, 23% were in debt (compared with 8% of those without disorder), and 10% had had a utility disconnected (compared with 3%). The more debts people had, the more likely they were to have some form of mental disorder, even after adjustment for income and other sociodemographic variables. People with six or more separate debts had a six-fold increase in mental disorder after adjustment for income (OR 6.0, 95% CI 3.5–10.3). Conclusions Both low income and debt are associated with mental illness, but the effect of income appears to be mediated largely by debt