Showing papers by "Suffolk University published in 1988"

Simple Physical Principles and Vertebrate Aquatic Locomotion

Abstract: SYNOPSIS. Swimming is a common and important component of vertebrate behavior. Therefore the study of swimming form and function is essential to understanding vertebrate biology. An interactive process between biologists and hydrodynamicists has proven extremely successful in providing such understanding. This process starts with a definition of forces that may act on an animal; viscous and pressure drag, acceleration reaction, lift and body inertia, and ground reaction. Dominant force components are selected on the basis of ground contact, Reynolds number, reduced frequency, and shape. Conservation of momentum requires forces and their moments be in balance leading to models describing swimming motions and associated forces. These provide the bridge between the hydrodynamics studies and biological applications. Numerical solutions to models estimate thrust and drag, and rates of working, which are several times greater than expected for manmade non-flexing bodies. These solutions are used in prediction of optimal two-phase swimming behaviors, alternating high resistance swimming with low resistance behavior such as gliding. Qualitative predictions from models define optimal forms for various behaviors and habitats. Optimal forms tend to be mutually exclusive, providing benchmarks for analyses relating form and function in an ecological context. Life history patterns are also affected by locomotor capabilities of various morphologies. Scale effects limit the distribution of propulsors. Numerical solutions to models are probably only good within an order of magnitude because of the assumptions in their formulation, but rankings of mechanisms or organisms are adequate for comparative study. Predictions must be tempered by consideration of non-locomotor function, developmental limitations of structural options, and non-equilibrium community structures.

A review of the activity, fate and mode of action of sulfonylurea herbicides

Abstract: The sulfonylurea herbicides are a relatively new group of compounds which control broad-leaved weeds and some grasses in cereal crops. This literature review emphasises work reported on chlorsulfuron and met-sulfuron-methyl. The activity of the herbicides, their fate in soil and in plants, and their mode of action are discussed. In addition some of the methods of assaying these compounds are described.

College women's career and motherhood expectations: New options, old dilemmas

Abstract: Women who desire to both work and parent are faced with the dilemma of how to integrate potentially conflicting roles and responsibilities. This study explores 250 college women's thinking about careers and childbearing. The results suggest that although these young women have been rethinking their career options and expanding their career choices into areas that have been traditionally male dominated, there is little indication of a reciprocal change in thinking about the primacy of mothering. All of the women expected to have careers, but few planned to be child free or have only one child. Women pursuing innovative careers were, however, less child oriented than those planning careers moderately innovative or traditional for women. The findings are discussed in the context of these women's proposed strategies for managing conflicting demands of work and family roles. These strategies include delayed childbearing, equalitarian marriages, and part-time work.

Content analysis: an analytical technique for international marketing research

Abstract: Effective international marketing requires collection of large amounts of data from diverse sources and sensitive use of such information in marketing strategy. While marketing information systems help managers incorporate some kinds of data into their planning, content analysis offers a different set of insights into cultural concepts, themes and trends not usually captured by traditional data systems. Content analysis has evolved as a research technique since the 1920s, largely in social science applications. Today, aided by new analytical techniques and optical scanners, which can read huge volumes of material inexpensively; and state‐of‐the‐art computer software, which can handle languages such as Chinese, Japanese, and Arabic, content analysis has great promise for international marketing applications.

The use of radionuclide bone scanning in the diagnosis of tibial 'stress' fractures in the horse: a review of five cases.

Abstract: Five horses, all two year old Thoroughbreds, presented with acute onset hindlimb lameness following moderate to fast exercise. The use of a hand-held scintillation detector after Tc99 MDP injection greatly aided the diagnosis of tibial stress fractures in these horses. Radiological findings were subtle, involving only periosteal new bone and callus at the fracture site. In two cases this took several weeks to develop but in three others was present at the onset of lameness, indicating insidious pre-fracture bone pathology. The site of the most obvious radiological signs was constant in all five cases, being the proximal lateral tibia some 8 to 9 cm from the femoro-tibial joint surface. The diagnosis of five cases of tibial fracture in one racing season suggests that this condition has been underdiagnosed in the past in this clinic, prior to the availability of bone scanning.

The effects of one year of nocturnal cuirass-assisted ventilation in chest wall disease

Abstract: We investigated the long-term effectiveness of cuirass-assisted ventilation, and examined whether mortality and morbidity could have been predicted at the time of admittance. Twenty five patients were commenced on nocturnal cuirass-assisted ventilation between 1983 and 1985, 10 with scoliosis or kyphosis, 8 with a thoracoplasty and 7 with neuromuscular disease. Mean pretreatment vital capacity was 30% of predicted, and arterial carbon dioxide tension (Paco2) was 8.2 kPa (62 mmHg). Fifteen patients were alive 5 yrs later. Two had discontinued assisted ventilation, both dying soon afterwards, and three had been changed to intermittent positive pressure ventilation. Survival could not have been predicted from age, severity of disease, lung volumes or arterial blood gases at presentation. Paco2 in the survivors had risen from a mean of 6.1 kPa (46 mmHg) after one year to 6.8 kPa (52 mmHg) after 5 yrs (p < 0.05), but remained significantly less than at presentation. There were no significant change in arterial oxygen tension (Pao2), lung volumes, respiratory muscle strength, haemoglobin, right heart failure, exercise tolerance, mental function and symptom scores after 5 yrs, compared to after 1 yr. The median amount of time spent in hospital declined from 15 days per patient in the first year after initial discharge with cuirass-assisted ventilation, to between 3-5.5 days per patient in subsequent years. We conclude that nocturnal cuirass-assisted ventilation has a role in long-term management of patients with neuromuscular and skeletal chest wall disorders. A randomized comparison with nasal intermittent positive pressure ventilation is now indicated.

Combinational weighing systems

Abstract: A combinational weighing system including a plurality of weighing machines each comprising a weighing hopper (20) and an associated hopper module (22) arranged to provide a measurement of the weight of the contents of the associated hopper (20); a plurality of channels (14) via which articles are respectively fed from a common source (17) directly into each of the hoppers (20); a central control (76) for utilizing the weight measurements provided by the hopper modules (22) to select from the hoppers (20) a number of hoppers (20) whose contents have a total weight substantially equal to a target weight; and the selected number of hoppers (20) discharging into a collection chute (24) to feed a batch of articles of substantially the target weight to a collection point.

Adhesive label or leaflet assemblies

Abstract: An adhesive label or leaflet assembly comprises a flexible carrier strip 10 with a series of labels or leaflets spaced along its length and each secured thereto by an adhesive strip 21. The face of the carrier strip 10 on which the labels or leaflets are disposed is coated with a release material, and the adhesive strip adheres to the front sheet 14 of the label or leaflet and has bands 23 extending lengthwise of the carrier strip beyond the edges of each label or leaflet and adhering to the release material. Each label or leaflet comprises a back sheet 15, a front sheet 14 and one or more further sheets 17, 19 all connected together along fold lines 16, 18, 20, the further sheets being disposed between the front and back sheets. The labels or leaflets in the resulting assembly can readily be dispensed on to a succession of containers by automatic machinery, the bands 23 then serving to secure the labels or leaflets to the containers.

Religiosity and Lie scores: A question of interpretation

Abstract: A total of 3,228 11- to 16-year olds completed the Francis Scale of Attitude towards Christianity and the Junior Eysenck Personality Questionnaire. The positive relationship between religiosity and lie scale scores was examined in light of the 3 theories that religious people are less mature, more socially conforming, or simply bigger liars.

Measured dose syringe

Abstract: The present invention relates to a device for dispensing a fluid from a container (2) by means of the axial movement of a piston within the container under the influence of a plunger moved by the device, which device is adapted to receive the container on its forward end and to move the plunger (5) axially forward towards or within the container so as to dispense a selected amount of fluid from the container upon each actuation of the device, characterised in that the device comprises: a disengageable drive mechanism (23, 24, 25), a disengagement means (6), an actuating means (6a), and means (30) for selecting the extent of travel of the drive mechanism.

Biotransformation of 1-dehydrotestosterone in the equine male castrate: identification of the neutral unconjugated and glucuronic acid conjugated metabolites in horse urine.

Abstract: The in vivo biotransformation of (1,2(n)-3H)1-dehydrotestosterone was studied in three equine male castrates and a number of neutral metabolites were identified in the urinary unconjugated and glucuronic acid conjugate fractions by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. The metabolites were extracted from aliquots of the 0–24 h urine samples by Amberlite XAD-2 and separated into combined unconjugated plus glucuronic acid conjugated and sulphoconjugated fractions by Sephadex LH-20 column chromatography. After enzymatic hydrolysis of the glucuronides, the crude neutral unconjugated steroids plus the aglycones were partially purified by Kieselgel H chromatography and identified as their methyloxime trimethylsilyl derivatives. In the unconjugated fraction, the major metabolites were isomers of androsta-1,4-diene-6,16,17-triol-3-one. In the aglycone fraction a small amount of the parent steroid was present but the major metabolite was the 17α isomer androsta-1,4-dien-17α-ol-3-one. Other metabolites containing the 1,4-dien-3-one group were isomers of androsta-1,4-diene-16,17-diol-3-one and androsta-1,4-diene-6,16-diol-3-one. Reduction of the 4-ene functionality leading to the formation of 5-androst-1-en-16-ol-3,17-dione, 5-androst-1-ene-16,17-diol-3-one and of the 1-ene functionality leading to the formation of 5-androst-1-en-16-ol-3,17-dione, 5-androst-1-ene-16,17-diol-3-one and of the 1-ene functionality leading to the formation of testosterone and its further reduction leading to the formation of C19O2 and C19O3 androstane metabolites was observed. Some interesting features on the electron impact fragmentations of the methyloxime trimethlysilyl derivatives of steroids containing a 1,4-dien-3-one group were also observed.

Assisted ventilation using cuirass respirators

Abstract: The effects of cuirass-assisted ventilation have been studied in 25 subjects with chest wall disease. Cuirass respirators increase ventilation in proportion to the peak negative pressure within the cuirass shell and the respiratory rate. Positive pressure applied during expiration produces little additional ventilation. During cuirass-assisted ventilation end-expiratory volume increases, arterial carbon dioxide tension (PaCO2) falls and arterial oxygen tension (PaO2) rises. Cardiac output is unchanged. Paradoxical chest wall motion is corrected by cuirass-assisted ventilation and restriction of chest wall expansion by the cuirass shell is minimal. Jacket-type respirators can produce larger tidal volumes than the cuirass at the same peak negative pressure, but are associated with greater air leakage.

A tag attachment system

Abstract: The present invention is drawn to a tag attachment system from which tags are suppliable to necked articles and the method associated with the tag attachment system for supplying tags to necked articles. A carrier strip of material has pressure-sensitive adhesive disposed on a surface thereof. A plurality of tags are releasably secured to the strip at the surface of the strip and the tags are spaced apart along the length of the strip. Each of the tags has a surface on which a layer of coating release material is disposed and an aperture in which the necks of necked articles are receivable. The surface of the tags on which the coating release material is disposed confronts the surface of the carrier strip on which the adhesive is disposed so as to facilitate the releasable securement of the tags to the strip. The strip is passed around a guide disposed adjacent a path along which a plurality of necked articles are traveling. As the strip travels around the guide, the tags separate from the strip and the apertures therein are consecutively disposed in the path adjacent the necks of the articles whereupon the same are received by the necks of the articles resulting in the looping of the tags over the articles.

Automatic location of IC design errors using an E-beam system

Abstract: The ADVICE system discussed is an enhanced CAD (computer-aided design) linked E-beam tester to locate automatically design errors on custom VLSI devices. The goal is met by building a set of procedures to drive the interactive electron-beam debugging (EBD) system according to the strategies devised by the algorithms based on fault dictionary/hierarchical probing algorithm mixed search. >

A census of seedling establishment in sugar-beet crops

Abstract: SUMMARY Analysis of seedling establishment in 254 experiments from 1970 to 1977 showed that the target of 70%, needed for an adequate plant population and maximum yield, was achieved in only 19% of fields. However, because the plants were only counted once, when they had about six leaves, the cause and timing of the losses could not be identified. This, therefore, gave no sound basis for seeking improvements. Eight studies of all phases of establishment, from sowing to the 6-leaf stage, were then made at Broom's Barn from 1978 to 1981. The studies were on sandy loam or clay loam soils with seedbeds prepared by standard, recommended methods and sown either early or late in spring. These standard treatments were supplemented by plots which tested irrigation or protection from rain, fine or coarse tilths, and the use of a soil applied insecticide or a sterilant. Despite the widely differing weather experienced by these crops, 70% establishment was achieved in seven studies; in the eighth, seedlings emerged at 75% of seed stations, but 31% were then killed, mainly by birds. On average, the drill failed to place seeds at 2·8% of target positions, dead seed was sown at 6%, seedlings died after germination but before emergence at 12·4% and plants died thereafter at 6·5%. Almost every viable seed sown in the field germinated eventually; waterlogging seemed to be the cause of failure in a few small areas where this was not so. In most studies the first 50% of seeds germinated as expected on the basis of the thermal time required in the laboratory test. The remainder sometimes took longer, mainly because they experienced periods when the water supply was inadequate. Seedlings failed to emerge for several reasons; of which the principal ones were dehydration, restriction under a soil crust or stone, and pest damage. It seemed that waterlogging and herbicide damage were important causes in a few cases. After emergence bird grazing was the major cause of death, preferentially of the seedlings which emerged first and had the greatest yield potential. Because losses occurred at every stage and from many causes the solution to the problem of poor establishment requires a multidisciplinary approach.

security Alarm System

Abstract: A security unit is to be fitted to a goods container to be secured, normally to the load doors, and will transmit a radio signal when it is interfered with to a radio receiver which gives the alarm. Where the container is part of or is loaded on a vehicle, then in addition to this security for the container itself, the alarm system will have to be immobilised by an authorised driver before the vehicle can be driven by inserting two different keys in a predetermined time sequence before the vehicle can be operated.

The foramen ovale of the foetal and neonatal foal.

Abstract: Summary Hearts from 24 foals were studied; 10 were from foetuses ranging in gestational age from 230 to 322 days and 14 were from newborn and young foals aged between birth and 17 days. The foramen ovale and associated vena caval and atrial structures were examined by scanning electron microscopy. Additional observations were made by light and transmission electron microscopy. A tube-like flap of tissue was observed, extending from the aperture in the caudal vena cava to the lumen of the left atrium. In the younger foetuses, the distal end of this tube was covered with a thread-like network of tissue. In animals nearer to term, the network was replaced by distal fenestrations. Protrusions were seen on the rim of the opening of the tube as it entered the atrium. The role that these may play, together with the significance of cardiac muscle and non-elastic connective tissue in the wall of the tube, were discussed with respect to possible mechanisms of closure of the foramen ovale.

Sugar-beet seed advancement to increase establishment and decrease bolting

Abstract: Summary Experiments with seed advancement and devernalization identified treatments which both increased rate of emergence and establishment and decreased bolting. Treatment temperature and duration were more critical for devernalization than for improving establishment. Exposing seeds to 15 °C for 6 days (at restricted moisture availability to prevent premature germination) sometimes promoted slight devernalization but sometimes enhanced bolting; 20 °C for 3 days had little effect whereas 20 °C for 6 days was moderately effective. The best treatment for both improving establishment and decreasing bolting was to steep the seed in water for 3 h at 25 °C, dry it to between 115 and 120% of its original air-dry weight, store it for 4 days at 25 °C and then air dry. Results in 1985 showed that the improvements are insufficient to allow sowing as early as 1 March. Following sowing on 17 March 1986, seed advancement increased establishment for two bulks of seed from 54 to 76% and from 63 to 77% respectively while bolting was decreased from 9·1 to 1·2% and from 5·9 to 0·7%. This suggests that in future it may be possible to recommend that sowing starts about a week earlier than at present. The results also suggested that only a previous vernalizing experience could be reversed. There was no indication that a devernalizing stimulus could be stored by seeds and used to offset the effects of cold after sowing. However, the best treatment in 1985 would have reversed a much more severe vernalizing stimulus than that likely to be encountered by the seeds while on their mother plant.

Mounting arrangement for a chip carrier

Abstract: An arrangement for mounting a chip carrier (14) to a printed circuit board (10), wherein a lock nut (18) is cemented to the chip carrier to extend through an aperture (28) in a socket moulding (26) and into an aperture (30) in the pcb, the latter also receiving from the opposite direction a mounting screw (36) which screws into the lock nut to clamp the assembly together, with interface contacts (16) on the chip carrier connected to contact pads (12) on the pcb by interconnecting elements principally accommodated in slots (38) in the socket moulding.

Preventing adverse changes of work with age.

Abstract: Many people who change their jobs in middle age have been found to move to less skilled and lower paid work. Two methods of preventing this are discussed. First, training by methods designed to take account of learning difficulties in those past normal apprenticeship age has, when sensitively applied, been successful in equipping people with new skills. Second, applying principles of ergonomics--"fitting the job to the worker"--could often remove key difficulties for older workers and thus prevent the need for moves resulting from failing capacity. This could also open up a wider range of potential jobs for those who have to move by reason of redundancy or technological change. It is emphasized that both the training and ergonomic approaches need to be based on, and can contribute significantly to, fundamental research on performance in relation to age.

The feasibility of a potentially 'ideal' system of integrated diabetes care and education based on a day centre.

Abstract: A new system of clinical and educational care designed to replace traditional diabetic clinics is described. The overall aims were to provide adequate consultation time, patient access according to diabetic and social needs, minimal waiting time, continuity with experienced staff and objective based learning programmes in an environment suited to learning. This was achieved by changing the role of the diabetes nurse specialist from undertaking delegated tasks to providing primary consultative care, reorganization of existing staff and provision of a purpose designed unit. This gave sufficient flexibility to arrange daily early morning and weekly evening clinic sessions for routine diabetes counselling and medical audit with primary education scheduled at other times. A year's experience showed that our major targets had been met, with the provision of adequate consultation time, halving of waiting time, ease of patient access and continuity with either the doctor or nurse in consulting role. Default rates have fallen and patient and staff morale has improved substantially. Apart from an underestimate of receptionist and a small increase in technician hours, these changes have been achieved within the predicted small revenue cost.