Showing papers by "Northampton Community College published in 2005"

Characterisation of a polymer-coated fibre Bragg grating sensor for relative humidity sensing

Abstract: This paper presents a detailed study of the characteristics of a polymer-coated fibre Bragg grating (FBG) sensor for relative humidity (RH) detection. The sensing scheme used in this work builds upon previous research and extends the application of FBGs in chemical sensing by employing a moisture sensitive polymer coating to induce a mechanical strain on the device through volume expansion. The swelling of the polymer coating as a result of the moisture absorption changes the Bragg wavelength of the FBG, thus giving a direct indication of the humidity level. Sensors with different coating thicknesses were evaluated through a series of experiments carried out over a range of values of RH and temperature to investigate various sensing characteristics which include the RH and temperature sensitivity, the time response and the hysteresis effect. All the sensors tested show a linear and reproducible response with a small degree of hysteresis.

Outsourcing: Current and future trends

Abstract: Highlighted are two reasons for outsourcing: cost and focus on the core competencies of the enterprise. Surveying U.S., U.K., and Continental Europe companies concerning current and future outsourcing trends positions outsourcing as a prominent strategic lever. Achieving “best-of-breed” practice is predicted to occur through new technology. Also, human resources and IT outsourcing will become more prominent. The results strongly indicate that partnership alliances and performance-driven contracts will become as important as the current preferred, trusted supplier relationship. Keiretsulike, horizontal linkages will be required to realize scale and competency advantages from future outsourcing arrangements. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Spare the rod and spoil the eye

Abstract: This review presents a new unified view of the pathogenesis of three common causes of acquired retinal degenerative disease—diabetic retinopathy, age related macular degeneration, and retinopathy of prematurity. In these three conditions, angiogenesis has a predominant role in the development of sight threatening pathology. Angiogenesis is controlled by among other factors the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which in turn is regulated by absolute and relative lack of oxygen. The severe pathological manifestations of these three conditions are not part of a general underlying disease process because they are peculiar to the eye, and the profound hypoxia that develops in normal retina during dark adaptation (rod driven hypoxia) is an adequate and elegant additional factor to explain their pathogenesis. A large number of experimental reports support this conclusion, although rod driven anoxia is not generally considered as a causal factor in ocular disease. However, the hypothesis can be critically tested, and also suggests novel methods of treatment and prevention of these conditions that may be simpler and more inexpensive than current therapies and that have a smaller potential for adverse effects.

Taxing food: implications for public health nutrition.

Abstract: Aim: To set out a policy analysis of food taxes as a way of influencing food consumption and behaviour. Design: The study draws on examples of food taxes from the developed world imposed at national and local levels. Studies were identified from a systemised search in six databases with criteria designed to identity articles of policy relevance. Results: The dominant approach identified from the literature was the imposition of food taxes on food to raise general revenue, such as Value Added Tax in the European Union. Food taxes can be applied in various ways, ranging from attempts to directly influence behaviour to those which collect taxes for identified campaigns on healthy eating through to those applied within closed settings such as schools. There is a case for combining taxes of unhealthy foods with subsidies of healthy foods. The evidence from the literature concerning the use and impact of food taxes on food behaviour is not clear and those cases identified are mainly retrospective descriptions of the process. Many food taxes have been withdrawn after short periods of time due to industry lobbying. Conclusions for policy: Small taxes with the clear purpose of promoting the health of key groups, e.g. children, are more likely to receive public support. The focus of many tax initiatives is unclear; although they are generally aimed at consumers, another focus could be food manufacturers, using taxes and subsidies to encourage the production of healthier foods, which could have an effect at a population level. Further consideration needs to be given to this aspect of food taxes. Taxing food (and subsidies) can influence food behaviour within closed systems such as schools and the workplace.

Food control or food democracy? Re-engaging nutrition with society and the environment.

Abstract: Objective To explore the terms on which nutrition should engage with the global challenges ahead. Design Analysis of current orientation of nutrition and policy. Result Nutrition faces four conceptual problems. The first is that nutrition has fissured into two broad but divergent directions. One is biologically reductionist, now to the genome; the other sees nutrition as located in social processes, now also requiring an understanding of the physical environment. As a result, nutrition means different things to different people. The second problem is a misunderstanding of the relationship between evidence, policy and practice, assuming that policy is informed by evidence, when there is much evidence to the contrary. The third problem is that nutrition is generally blind to the environment despite the geo-spatial crisis over food supply, which will determine who eats what, when and how. How can we ask people to eat fish when fish stocks are collapsing, or to eat wisely if water shortage dominates or climate change weakens food security? The fourth problem is that, in today's consumerist and supermarketised world, excess choice plus information overload may be nutrition's problem, not solution. Conclusion Nutrition science needs to re-engage with society and the environment. The alternative is, at best, to produce an individualised approach to public health or, at worst, to produce brilliant science but be policy-irrelevant.

Narrative From Learning in Reflection to Learning in Performance

Abstract: This article reviews one current concept of experiential learning, using the work of David Kolb as an exemplar of this genre of learning theory. Working from a relational or social constructionist perspective, the article suggests that there are three problematic assumptions within current experiential learning cycles. First, there is a realist treatment of world and events. Second, a distinct and independent individual is assumed to be able to experience, know and act on this real world. Third, cognition, be it in the form of knowledge, interpretation or perception, is treated as the unproblematic precursor to action. In contrast to these assumptions relational premises invite multiple narratives to replace ‘concrete experience’, social rather than individual action and coordination with others in contrast with adaptation to a real world. These alternative premises form the basis of an alternative, narrative reflective cycle that is argued to offer practical reflective ‘tools’ that would be of benefit, even if the reflector did not share the author’s relational constructionist assumptions.

Schizophrenia and deliberate self-harm: a systematic review of risk factors

Abstract: Deliberate self-harm (DSH) is a strong predictor of suicide in schizophrenia. The aim of this review was to identify risk factors for DSH in schizophrenia. This systematic review of the international literature examined cohort and case-control studies of patients with schizophrenia or related diagnoses that reported DSH as an outcome. Studies were identified by searching electronic databases and reference lists, and by consulting international experts. Fourteen studies met the eligibility criteria. Of the 29 variables examined by two or more studies, five (past or recent suicidal ideation, previous DSH, past depressive episode, drug abuse or dependence, and higher mean number of psychiatric admissions) were associated with an increased risk of DSH, and one (unemployment) was associated with a reduced risk. Schizophrenic patients with these risk factors need careful follow-up and monitoring, with treatment of any associated comorbid depression or drug abuse. Large, prospective studies of DSH in schizophrenia are needed to further define risk factors and to build on the findings of this review.

School-aged children of donor insemination: a study of parents' disclosure patterns

Abstract: Background A major concern in relation to donor insemination (DI) is whether children should be told about their genetic origins. This study compared the thoughts, feelings and experiences of DI parents who were inclined towards openness with those who were inclined towards non-disclosure. Methods Forty-six families with a 4- to 8-year-old DI-conceived child were interviewed about their decision, their reasons and subsequent concerns regarding disclosure. Results Thirty-nine percent of parents were inclined towards disclosure whilst the remaining 61% were not. The two main reasons for favouring disclosure were to avoid accidental discovery and a desire for openness. Non-disclosing parents felt that there was no reason to tell and wished to protect family members. The children who had been told reacted with either curiosity or disinterest. Conclusions In spite of donor anonymity, parents who were intending to tell their child in the future had optimistic expectations of their child's reaction. Parents who had already told their child generally described the telling experience as a positive one.

Recycling behaviour in a London Borough: Results from large-scale household surveys

Abstract: This paper summarises the results of two large-scale surveys of households in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in Greater London. The first, performed in 2000, covered 7500 households and the second, in 2004, 3250 households. Respondents provided information on their use of the local authority's kerbside recycling scheme and ‘bring’ sites for recycled materials. In 2000, approximately half of the householders surveyed via face-to-face interviews claimed that they used the kerbside scheme and/or bring sites on a regular basis. This proportion had grown to 70% in 2004. Details of this usage are outlined, including consideration of stated reasons for non-participation in waste recycling activities and reasons for variation in recycling behaviour across the borough. The context for this research is the establishment of national and local authority targets for the amount of household waste to be recycled. Given widespread concern that these targets are not being met, the research project not only evaluated the effectiveness of the existing opportunities for householders in Kensington and Chelsea but also promoted participation in recycling. One effect of this promotion was an observable increase in the amount of waste for recycling following both surveys. A key conclusion is that large-scale house-to-house publicity of local recycling opportunities has a demonstrable positive effect, but that for current targets to be met more householders need to be convinced of the need to recycle.

Supporting the inclusion of pupils with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties in the primary school: the role of teaching assistants

Abstract: During the past ten years in the UK there has been a considerable increase in the number of teaching assistants (TAs) appointed to work alongside teachers in schools. A significant number of these colleagues are appointed to support pupils with special educational needs (SEN), including those with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD). This paper reports on the ways in which the role of the teaching assistant in supporting pupils with SEBD has been developed in schools for pupils aged 7–11 years in one English Local Education Authority (LEA). It suggests that there are several models of support emerging and that the role of the teaching assistant is perceived as crucial to the effective inclusion of pupils with SEBD in mainstream classrooms.

Families created by gamete donation: follow-up at age 2.

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Findings are presented of the second phase of a longitudinal study of families created through gamete donation. METHODS: At the time of the child’s second birthday, 46 donor insemination families and 48 egg donation families were compared with 68 natural conception families on standardized interview and questionnaire measures of the psychological well being of the parents, parent – child relationships and the psychological development of the child. RESULTS: The gamete donation mothers showed a trend towards greater pleasure in their child accompanied by a perception of their child as more vulnerable, with egg donation mothers tending towards greater pleasure and donor insemination mothers tending towards greater concern. The fathers did not differ on any of the variables under study. CONCLUSIONS: The findings from this recent cohort add further weight to the growing body of research showing that the absence of a genetic link between a parent and a child does not necessarily jeopardize the development of a positive relationship between them.

For more-than-usefulness: Six overlapping points about Children's Geographies

Abstract: A number of recent Children's Geographies articles (Catan, 2003; Cunningham, 2003; Karsten, 2003; Cahill, 2004; Pain, 2004; Smith, 2004; Vanderbeck and Morse Dunkley, 2004) might be caricatured as ...

Research on Homeopathy: State of the Art

Abstract: In this paper, we review research on homeopathy from four perspectives, focusing on reviews and some landmark studies. These perspectives are laboratory studies, clinical trials, observational studies, and theoretical work. In laboratory models, numerous effects and anomalies have been reported. However, no single model has been sufficiently widely replicated. Instead, researchers have focused on ever-new models and experiments, leaving the picture of scattered anomalies without coherence. Basic research, trying to elucidate a purported difference between homeopathic remedies and control solutions has also produced some encouraging results, but again, series of independent replications are missing. While there are nearly 200 reports on clinical trials, few series have been conducted for single conditions. Some of these series document clinically useful effects and differences against placebo and some series do not. Observational research into uncontrolled homeopathic practice documents consistently strong therapeutic effects and sustained satisfaction in patients. We suggest that this scattered picture has to do with the fourth line of research: lack of a good theory. Some of the extant theoretical models are reviewed, including placebo, water structure, silica contamination, energy models, and entanglement models. It emerges that local models, suggesting some change in structure in the solvent, are far from convincing. The nonlocal models proposed would predict that it is impossible to nail down homeopathic effects with direct experimental testing and this places homeopathy in a scientific dilemma. We close with some suggestions for potentially fruitful research.

The effect of motivational music on sub-maximal exercise

Abstract: This study examined the effect of motivational music on a 20-min sub-maximal cycle task. Eighteen untrained student volunteers (10 males, 8 females) were required to partake in three experimental conditions: no music, oudeterous (non-motivational) music, and motivational music. Participants’ in-task affective states and rate of perceived exertion were assessed on rating scales during the trials and the distance traveled for each trial was recorded. In addition, participants’ attitudes towards the exercise experience were assessed on rating scales administered post-trial. The results of the study indicate that both motivational and oudeterous music can significantly increase distance traveled when compared to the control condition. However, no significant differences were observed between the two music conditions and the increased exercise intensity associated with musical accompaniments was not associated with an increased perception of effort. Both music conditions elicited increased in-task aff...

The therapeutic effect of clinical trials: understanding placebo response rates in clinical trials – A secondary analysis

Abstract: Background and purpose: Placebo response rates in clinical trials vary considerably and are observed frequently. For new drugs it can be difficult to prove effectiveness superior to placebo. It is unclear what contributes to improvement in the placebo groups. We wanted to clarify, what elements of clinical trials determine placebo variability. Methods: We analysed a representative sample of 141 published long-term trials (randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled; duration > 12 weeks) to find out what study characteristics predict placebo response rates in various diseases. Correlational and regression analyses with study characteristics and placebo response rates were carried out.

Research with children: a critical review of the guidelines:

Abstract: The development of research with children highlights a number of ethical issues for the research process concerning consent, confidentiality and protection from harm. This article aims to analyse the extent to which these issues have been considered within the published guidance for research involving children. Several key principles emerged: there is consensus that it is unethical not to conduct research with children; consent should be obtained from both the child and the parent or guardian; where the child does not have sufficient understanding of what is involved and the implications of such involvement, the assent of the child should be sought; children involved in research should be made aware that, where information concerning risks to themselves or others emerges, confidentiality cannot be guaranteed; and finally researchers must consider the potential impact of research participation on the child, building methods of providing support to children into the research proposal.

The role of target salience in crowding

Abstract: We studied 'crowding' in the parafovea using orientation identification of a Gabor target as the task, and flanking Gabors on an isoeccentric circle as distractors. Orientation-discrimination thresholds were raised by nearby flanking distractors. This crowding effect was increased by the number of distractors and decreased by the spatial separation between target and distractors. Crowding was greatest when the target was in the centre of the distractor array and smallest when the target was on the edge of the array. A cue indicating the position of the target improved performance when the position was otherwise unknown and the spatial separation between target and distractors was large, but the cue had no significant effect when separation was small. Increasing the contrast of the target relative to the distractors reduced crowding, but targets of smaller contrast than that of the distractors are even harder to identify than those of the same contrast. Putting the target and distractors in different depth planes decreased crowding for some observers, but there were qualitative individual differences. A large (say, 45 degrees) difference in orientation between target and distractors caused the target to 'pop out' in a presence/absence task, despite the evidence from other studies that crowding is still found in these conditions. We conclude that salience has, at best, modest effects on crowding.

The potential for landfill leachate treatment using willows in the UK—A critical review

Abstract: Landfill leachate is an increasing problem for UK landfill operators, regulators and the environment. Economically and environmentally sustainable solutions are in growing demand. Energy crops such as willows may offer a two-fold solution, fulfilling both of these criteria. This paper sets out the current status of the use of such treatment systems in the UK, their potential environmental and economic benefits and possible mechanisms for their effectiveness.

Solo mothers and their donor insemination infants: follow-up at age 2 years

Abstract: BACKGROUND: Findings are presented of the second phase of a longitudinal study of solo-mother families created through donor insemination (DI). METHODS: At the time of the child's second birthday, 21 solo DI mother families were compared with 46 married DI families on standardized interview and questionnaire measures of the psychological well being of the mothers, mother-child relationships and the psychological development of the child. RESULTS: The solo DI mothers showed greater pleasure in their child and lower levels of anger accompanied by a perception of their child ar less 'clingy'. Fewer emotional and behavioural difficulties were shown by children of solo than married DI mothers. CONCLUSIONS: The findings from this first cohort of solo DI families to be studied lend further weight to the view that these women represent a distinct subgroup of single parents, who, out of a strong desire for a child, have made the active choice to go it alone. Moreover, this route to parenthood does not necessarily seem to have an adverse effect on mothers' parenting ability or the psychological adjustment of the child.

A Review of Medication Administration Errors Reported in a Large Psychiatric Hospital in the United Kingdom

Abstract: A retrospective analysis of reports of medication administration errors over a period of three and a half years was carried out in a UK psychiatric hospital. A total of 112 errors and "near misses" were studied. The reporting rate increased over time. Psychotropic, intramuscular, and as-needed medications were overrepresented in the error reports. Fifteen percent of the errors had the potential to cause moderate or severe harm to patients. The two most common factors cited by nurses as contributing to error causation were a busy, noisy environment and personal factors, such as feeling tired or unsupported. Physicians were cited as having contributed to some errors.

Media Effects and the Active Elite Audience: A Study of Communications in the London Stock Exchange

Abstract: This article explores the impact of communications on investor behaviour and trading patterns in the London Stock Exchange (LSE). The significance of the work is two-fold. First, for many observers, the wild trading patterns that regularly occur in stock markets suggest the presence of ‘strong’ media effects in action; a finding in conflict with mainstream audience research. Second, the audience investigated is an elite one that most ‘actively’ consumes its media and is rarely observed in studies of media effects. The research thus attempts to identify in what ways the media are implicated in stock market movements and, at the same time, how exactly this active, elite audience makes use of its media. The empirical material presented here is primarily that gained from interviews with elite fund managers at the London Stock Exchange, Europe’s largest financial centre.

“I Don’t feel like melting butter”: An interpretative phenomenological analysis of the experience of ‘inorgasmia’

Abstract: Inorgasmia is under-studied in the domain of sexual health psychology. This study explores women's experiences of inorgasmia and the meanings giving to this experience. Interviews with six inorgasmic women were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). The analysis showed that the absence of orgasm was experienced as problematic and disturbing. A search for reasons for their condition, and its effects on self-image and self-confidence underpinned the experience of inorgasmia as a problem. The spectrum of meanings surrounding female orgasm demonstrates that, far from being perceived as a merely physical experience, the moment of orgasm takes on relational significance and it has implications for the women's identities. The paper identifies areas for future research and theorising.