Method of Tolerance Allocation to Maintain Rotary Balance of Multi-Component Bodies

Vibration of rotating machinery caused by mass imbalance is the most frequent source of unwanted disturbing forces and also the most preventable. In the case of a CT scanner, unwanted vibration in the equipment causes artifacts to the X-ray image, and therefore all measures are taken to eliminate imbalance. The CT scanner is a multi-component rotating body, therefore making it a challenge to account for many discrete components, each with unique variation. This research developed the equations for static and dynamic balance including considerations for inertia. The variation of the components was studied using two models: a sensitivity analysis and a statistical approach. A method was developed to allocate tolerances for mass and center of gravity to the discrete components in order to produce a system capable of being balanced yet manufacturable

The origin, development and contributions of the Westminster curriculum of religious education

Thesis (M.A.)--Boston University This item was digitized by the Internet Archive

Moral Dilemmas and Cases of Conscience : Trollope\u27s Morality in The Warden and The Last Chronicle of Barset

This thesis offers an exploration of Trollope\u27s morality in The Warden and The Last Chronicle of Barset. Existing critical work which explores Trollope\u27s morality often argues either for or against Trollope\u27s moral relativism. This thesis argues, instead, that Trollope\u27s morality unifies aspects of both theoretical perspectives. It reconciles the polarisation of Trollope\u27s moral absolutism and moral relativism, taking the middle-ground. In doing so, it makes evident the contradictions and extremes in existing Trollopian criticism. The thesis places Trollopian morality within the historical and socio-cultural context of Victorianism. It focuses on the Victorian consciousness of change, securing a definition of Trollope\u27s morality which brings to the fore the contradictions masked by complacent assumptions about Victorian moral conservatism. Incorporating primary and secondary literary sources, the thesis interweaves the man and his work in an original assessment of Trollope\u27 s personal and professional moral code

Molecular genetic and epigenetic analysis of osteoarthritis

PhD ThesisOsteoarthritis (OA) is a common degenerative disease of synovial joints that principally affects older individuals. The genetic architecture of OA is highly complex, with heterogeneous pathological pathways converging on a common end phenotype characterised by the painful loss of articular cartilage. In this study, I investigated both genetic and epigenetic aspects of the OA disease process. The genetic investigation focused on the functional analysis of a female hip OA association signal that was discovered in the arcOGEN study, marked by the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs4836732. The signal surpasses the genome-wide significance threshold, with p = 6.11x10-10. The signal encompasses only two other SNPs that have a high degree of linkage disequilibrium (LD) with rs4836732. Functional studies using luciferase reporter assays, electrophoretic mobility shift assays (EMSAs) and a range of transformed cell lines did not identify any differential allelic activity between SNP alleles, but did identify differential EMSA banding patterns for the C allele of rs4836732 when compared to the T allele, suggestive of differential protein complex binding dependent on the allele present at rs4836732. Subsequent investigations focused on three genes in the immediate vicinity of the association signal: ASTN2, PAPPA and TRIM32. All three genes were expressed in cartilage, synovium and fat pad from OA patients, though none displayed differential allelic expression correlating with rs4836732 genotype in these tissues. This lack of positive evidence in end-stage disease tissue may be indicative of the association signal mediating risk during joint development or growth. Of the three genes, PAPPA was deemed the most likely candidate to have a functional affect in joint development. Knock-down of the gene in mesenchymal stem cells revealed that PAPPA is required for osteogenic and chondrogenic differentiation, providing support ii for further investigation of this gene. My second line of investigation focused on OA epigenetics, specifically on subgroups of hip and knee OA patients who displayed altered cartilage methylation of inflammatory genes when analysed by high-density CpG methylation array. As part of this study, I developed pyrosequencing assays to determine the inflammatory subgroup of new patient cartilage samples, negating the need for a high-density array. I also further interrogated the inflammatory status of the patients, analysing serum markers of systemic inflammation and gathering biometric data to ascertain the primary cause of inflammation, with a focus on the metabolic status of patients in relation to body fat. Interestingly, no systemic differences in inflammation, circulating leptin or BMI were observed. This suggests the elevated inflammatory status may be local to the synovial joint, as opposed to being secondary to increased systemic inflammation. Overall, the two investigation routes that I have pursued further emphasise the heterogeneous nature of OA. They also highlight the importance of patient stratification for OA research and provide platforms to improve our comprehension of this debilitating disease.William Harker Foundatio

Understanding Consumer and Family Member Participation in Mental Health System Improvement Initiatives

Public mental health systems widely endorse the value of mental health consumer and family directed services and attempt to incorporate the ideas of mental health consumers (clients) and family members of consumers in system level policy and planning activities. Inclusion of consumers and family members on planning committees and related activities is a common strategy for representation. The stigma of mental illness is enormous and successful engagement of people who have mental illness in treatment is one of the greatest challenges of mental health systems. It is no less challenging to engage mental health consumers and family members to participate in planning activities to improve mental health systems. This study examines the predictors of consumer and family member participation in public mental health policy and planning activities. Through a comparison of anonymous survey responses from participating and non-participating mental health consumers and family members in the San Mateo County, California public mental health system, the study evaluates the hypothesis that mental health clients and family members will be more likely to participate if certain strategies and supports are used to engage and sustain them. San Mateo County Mental Health Services and other California counties have employed many of these strategies to improve the participation of mental health consumers and family members in mental health planning and other activities. Understanding which of these strategies is the most effective is important for public mental health policy makers who aim to improve mental health service systems, so they truly operate in collaboration with mental health consumers and family members. The study found that consumer and family member participants are more altruistic and interested in helping their community than they are concerned about their own self-interest. Helping someone they know is more important than payment for their participation, transportation, and food, although these items remain critical for some participants. Consumer and family member participants are drawn to activities organized and led by consumers and activities in which there are many other consumer and family member participants. The study findings also suggested that participants tend to have more confidence than non-participants, including feeling that one\u27s ideas and suggestions will be taken seriously; feeling that one has something to contribute; and interest in meeting new people and learning new things. Consumer respondents were more interested in activities that contained information, education, and advocacy elements, while family member participants were also strongly interested in feedback about the quality and effectiveness of services

Evidence Based Policing for crime prevention in England and Wales: Perception and use by new police recruits

Evidence-based policing is an integral part of the police approach to crime prevention work being closely associated with the problem solving approach as developed by Goldstein (Problem-oriented policing, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1990) This research explores the effect of the new initial police entry programmes, co-delivered in partnerships between higher education and police forces, on the application of evidence-based policing (EBP) in the workplace. It also considers the impact of team leaders and supervisors on this adoption. The study utilised a survey of new student police constables undergoing the new higher education qualifications programme from five different police forces in England and Wales. Findings suggest that EBP appears to be applied in the workplace, and that the combination of higher education and work-based practice will continue to influence the adoption of EBP by new police constables. In particular is the role of police leaders in this aspect. This in turn may embed it into practice despite any cultural resistance, thus enhancing the crime prevention role of the police

Hyponatremia in the 2009 161-km Western States Endurance Run

Purpose:To determine the incidence of exercise-associated hyponatremia (EAH), the associated biochemical measurements and risk factors for EAH, and whether there is an association between postrace blood sodium concentration ([Na+]) and changes in body mass among participants in the 2009 Western States Endurance Run, a 161-km mountain trail run. Methods: Change in body mass, postrace [Na+], and blood creatine phosphokinase (CPK) concentration, and selected runner characteristics were evaluated among consenting competitors. Results: Of the 47 study participants, 14 (30%) had EAH as defined by a postrace [Na+] /L. Postrace [Na+] and percent change in body mass were directly related (r = .30, P = .044), and 50% of those with EAH had body mass losses of 3–6%. EAH was unrelated to age, sex, finish time, or use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs during the run, but those with EAH had completed a smaller (P = .03) number of 161-km ultramarathons. The relationship of CPK levels to postrace [Na+] did not reach statistical significance (r = –.25, P = .097). Conclusions: EAH was common (30%) among finishers of this 161-km ultramarathon and it was not unusual for those with EAH to be dehydrated. As such, changes in body mass should not be relied upon in the assessment for EAH during 161-km ultramarathons

Varicella Pneumonia Complicating Pregnancy: A Report of Seven Cases

Background: Pneumonia is the most common complication of varicella-zoster infection in adults and has potentially devastating effects when complicating pregnancy. Due to the significant morbidity and mortality associated with this complication during pregnancy and the small number of reported cases in the literature, we present this report to help educate physicians who care for pregnant women

La novela picaresca

In Spanish. Thesis (M.A.)--Boston Universit