An investigation into the relationship between values and commitment: a study of staff in the UK charity sector

Abstract The concept of values “fit” has been a significant theme in the management literature for many years. It is argued that where there is alignment of staff and organizational values a range of positive outcomes are encountered. What is unclear is how this translates into the charity sector. This study explores the phenomenon of values alignment in two UK charities. Questionnaires were used to measure staff values, perceptions of organization values and staff commitment. Drawing on the work of Finegan (2000), an interaction term is used as a proxy for fit. Analyses of data from 286 participants indicated that it was the perceptions of organization values that had the greatest impact on staff commitment. The alignment of staff values and perceptions of organization values only had a degree of effect within one of the charities. This challenges the dominant view on such alignment and the implications of this are discussed. Keywords staff, values fit, commitment, organizational identification

Biomineralisation by earthworms: an investigation into the stability and distribution of amorphous calcium carbonate

Background Many biominerals form from amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC), but this phase is highly unstable when synthesised in its pure form inorganically. Several species of earthworm secrete calcium carbonate granules which contain highly stable ACC. We analysed the milky fluid from which granules form and solid granules for amino acid (by liquid chromatography) and functional group (by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy) compositions. Granule elemental composition was determined using inductively coupled plasma-optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) and electron microprobe analysis (EMPA). Mass of ACC present in solid granules was quantified using FTIR and compared to granule elemental and amino acid compositions. Bulk analysis of granules was of powdered bulk material. Spatially resolved analysis was of thin sections of granules using synchrotron-based μ-FTIR and EMPA electron microprobe analysis. Results The milky fluid from which granules form is amino acid-rich (≤ 136 ± 3 nmol mg−1 (n = 3; ± std dev) per individual amino acid); the CaCO3 phase present is ACC. Even four years after production, granules contain ACC. No correlation exists between mass of ACC present and granule elemental composition. Granule amino acid concentrations correlate well with ACC content (r ≥ 0.7, p ≤ 0.05) consistent with a role for amino acids (or the proteins they make up) in ACC stabilisation. Intra-granule variation in ACC (RSD = 16%) and amino acid concentration (RSD = 22–35%) was high for granules produced by the same earthworm. Maps of ACC distribution produced using synchrotron-based μ-FTIR mapping of granule thin sections and the relative intensity of the ν2: ν4 peak ratio, cluster analysis and component regression using ACC and calcite standards showed similar spatial distributions of likely ACC-rich and calcite-rich areas. We could not identify organic peaks in the μ-FTIR spectra and thus could not determine whether ACC-rich domains also had relatively high amino acid concentrations. No correlation exists between ACC distribution and elemental concentrations determined by EMPA. Conclusions ACC present in earthworm CaCO3 granules is highly stable. Our results suggest a role for amino acids (or proteins) in this stability. We see no evidence for stabilisation of ACC by incorporation of inorganic components.

Investigation into the use of the Laryngeal Mask Airway in pentobarbital anesthetized dogs

Objective - To investigate the use of the laryngeal mask airway (LMA) in dogs. Study Design - Prospective experimental study. Animals - Eight healthy adult mixed breed dogs weighing from 15 to 20 kg. Methods - The dogs were anesthetized with intravenous pentobarbital. An LMA was introduced after the induction of anesthesia and 1 L/min O2 plus 1 L/min air was delivered using a circle anesthetic system. Respiratory rate, tidal volume, arterial O2 saturation (pulse oximetry), end tidal CO2, inspired fraction of O2, pulse rate, and mean arterial blood pressure were measured after the insertion of the LMA and 30, 60, 90, and 120 minutes afterwards. Results - There were no changes in respiratory rate, tidal volume, arterial O2 saturation, and pulse rate during anesthesia. End tidal CO2 decreased significantly by the end of anesthesia and ventilation appeared satisfactory. Conclusions - An LMA appeared to be an alternative option to maintain the patency of the airway in dogs. Clinical Relevance - This device may allow safe maintenance of an airway in dogs when intubation is difficult or when it interferes with the procedure (eg, cervical myelography). ©Copyright 1999 by The American College of Veterinary Surgeons.

An investigation into the simultaneous use of a resonator as an energy harvester and a vibration absorber

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

An investigation into the influence of zinc precursor on the microstructural, photoluminescence, and gas-sensing properties of ZnO nanoparticles

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

An investigation into the effects of resonances on the time delay estimate for leak detection in buried plastic water distribution pipes

In water distribution systems, old metallic pipes have been replaced by plastic pipes due to their deterioration over time. Although acoustic methods are effective in finding leaks in metallic pipes, they have been found to be problematic when applied to plastic pipes due to the high damping within the pipe wall and the surrounding medium. This is responsible for the leak signal not traveling long distances. Moreover, the leak energy in plastic pipes is generally located at a narrow frequency range located at low frequencies. However, the presence of resonances can narrow even more this frequency range. In order to minimise the influence of background noise and resonances on the calculation of the time delay estimate, band-pass filters are often used to supress undesirable frequency components of the noise. The objective of this paper is to investigate the influence of resonances in the pipe system (pipe, valves, connections and hydrants), on the time delay estimate calculated using acoustic signals. Analytical models and actual leak data collected in a bespoke rig located in the United Kingdom are used to investigate this feature.

Evidence-based guidelines for interpreting change scores for the European Organisation for the Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30

Aim: To use published literature and experts' opinion to investigate the clinical meaning and magnitude of changes in the Quality of Life (QOL) of groups of patients measured with the European Organisation for the Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30). Methods: An innovative method combining systematic review of published studies, expert opinions and meta-analysis was used to estimate large, medium, and small mean changes over time for QLQ-C30 scores. Results: Nine hundred and eleven papers were identified, leading to 118 relevant papers. One thousand two hundred and thirty two mean changes in QOL over time were combined in the meta-analysis, with timescales ranging from four days to five years. Guidelines were produced for trivial, small, and medium size classes, for each subscale and for improving and declining scores separately. Estimates for improvements were smaller than respective estimates for declines. Conclusions: These guidelines can be used to aid sample size calculations and interpretation of mean changes over time from groups of patients. Observed mean changes in the QLQ-C30 scores are generally small in most clinical situations, possibly due to response shift. Careful consideration is needed when planning studies where QOL changes over time are of primary interest; the timing of follow up, sample attrition, direction of QOL changes, and subscales of primary interest are key considerations. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Experimental investigation into the effect of stress on dissolution and growth of very soluble brittle salts in aqueous solution

Das Studium der Auflösungs- und Wachstumsprozesse an Feststoff-Flüssigkeits-Grenzflächen unter nicht-hydrostatischen Beanspruchungen ist wesentlich für das Verständnis von Defor-mationsprozessen, die in der Erde ablaufen. Unter diesen genannten Prozessen gehört die Drucklösung zu den wichtigsten duktilen Deformationsprozessen, von der Diagenese bishin zur niedrig- bis mittelgradigen metamorphen Bedingungen. Bisher ist allerdings wenig darüber bekannt, welche mechanischen, physikalischen oder chemischen Potentialenergie-Gradienten die Drucklösung steuern. I.a. wird angenommen, daß die Drucklösung durch Un-terschiede kristallplastischer Verformungsenergien oder aber durch Unterschiede der Normal-beanspruchung an Korngrenzen gesteuert wird. Unterschiede der elastischen Verformungs-energien werden dabei allerdings als zu gering erachtet, um einen signifikanten Beitrag zu leisten. Aus diesem Grund werden sie als mögliche treibende Kräfte für die Drucklösung vernachlässigt. Andererseits haben neue experimentelle und theoretische Untersuchungen gezeigt, daß die elastische Verformung in der Tat einen starken Einfluß auf Lösungs- und Wachstumsmechanismen von Kristallen in einer Lösung haben kann. Da die in der Erdkruste vorherrschenden Deformationsmechanismen überwiegend im elastischen Verformungsbereich der Gesteine ablaufen, ist es sehr wichtig, das Verständnis für die Effekte, die die elastische Verformung verursacht, zu erweitern, und ihre Rolle während der Deformation durch Drucklösung zu definieren. Die vorliegende Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit Experimenten, bei denen der Effekt der mechanisch kompressiven Beanspruchung auf Lösungs- und Wachstumsprozesse von Einzelkristallen unterschiedlicher, sehr gut löslicher, elastisch/spröder Salze untersucht wurde. Diese Salze wurden als Analoga gesteinsbildender Minerale wie Quarz und Calcit ausgewählt. Der Einfluß von Stress auf die Ausbildung der Oberflächenmikrostrukturen in einer untersättigten Lösung wurde an Kaliumalaun untersucht.Lösungsrillen (20 – 40 µm breit, 10 – 40 µm tief und 20 – 80 µm Abstand) entwickelten sich in den Bereichen, in denen die Beanspruchung im Kristall am größten war. Sie verschwanden wieder, sobald der Kristall entlastet wurde. Diese Rillen entwickelten sich parallel zu niedrig indizierten kristallographischen Richtungen und sub-perpendikular zu den Trajektorien, die der maximalen, lokalen kompressiven Beanspruchung entsprachen. Die Größe der Lösungsrillen hing von der lokalen Oberflächenbeanspruchung, der Oberflächenenergie und dem Untersättigungsgrad der wässrigen Lösung ab. Die mikrostrukturelle Entwicklung der Kristalloberflächen stimmte gut mit den theoretischen Vorhersagen überein, die auf den Modellen von Heidug & Leroy (1994) und Leroy & Heidug (1994) basieren. Der Einfluß der Beanspruchung auf die Auflösungsrate wurde an Natriumchlorat-Einzelkristallen untersucht. Dabei wurde herausgefunden, daß sich gestresste Kristalle schneller lösen als Kristalle, auf die keine Beanspruchung einwirkt. Der experimentell beobachtete Anstieg der Auflösungsrate der gestressten Kristalle war ein bis zwei Größenordnungen höher als theoretisch erwartet. Die Auflösungsrate stieg linear mit dem Stress an, und der Anstieg war um so größer, je stärker die Lösung untersättigt war. Außerdem wurde der Effekt der Bean-spruchung auf das Kristallwachstum an Kaliumalaun- und Kaliumdihydrogenphosphat-Ein-zelkristallen untersucht. Die Wachstumsrate der Flächen {100} und {110} von Kalium-alaun war bei Beanspruchung stark reduziert. Für all diese Ergebnisse spielte die Oberflächenrauhigkeit der Kristalle eine Schlüsselrolle, indem sie eine nicht-homogene Stressverteilung auf der Kristalloberfläche verursachte. Die Resultate zeigen, daß die elastische Verformung eine signifikante Rolle während der Drucklösung spielen kann, und eine signifikante Deformation in der oberen Kruste verursachen kann, bei Beanspruchungen, die geringer sind, als gemeinhin angenommen wird. Somit folgt, daß die elastische Bean-spruchung berücksichtigt werden muß, wenn mikrophysikalische Deformationsmodelle entwickelt werden sollen.

Active Translation into English and Italian of Hosseini's adaptation of the Persian epic,"Shahname"

This thesis proposes a translation from Persian into Italian and English of an ancient Persian epic called Shahname, or literally “The Book of Kings,” by Ferdosi, first published in the 11th century CE. The translation proposed, however, is not based on the original book by Ferdosi, which is written all in verse, but rather, an edited, shorter, and simplified version written in prose, by Mohamad Hosseini, first published in 2013. Nonetheless, in his version, Hosseini included some of the verses from the original poems in order to show the value and the beauty of Ferdosi’s writing. Many translations of Ferdosi’s book have been made into English, but only one translation has been made into Italian, by one Italo Pizzi, in 8 volumes, all in verse, in 1886. This thesis analyses and discusses the choices made for the two translations presented into English and Italian. My project is not only to propose translations of Hosseini’s version, but to also introduce the reader to the Persian culture, and to the life of the most famous Iranian epic writer, Ferdosi, and his masterpiece, Shahname.

Quantum dot cytotoxicity in vitro: An investigation into the cytotoxic effects of a series of different surface chemistries and their core/shell materials

Abstract The aim of this study was to assess the effects of a series of different surface coated quantum dots (QDs) (organic, carboxylated [COOH] and amino [NH(2)] polytethylene glycol [PEG]) on J774.A1 macrophage cell viability and to further determine which part of the QDs cause such toxicity. Cytotoxic examination (MTT assay and LDH release) showed organic QDs to induce significant cytotoxicity up to 48 h, even at a low particle concentration (20 nM), whilst both COOH and NH(2) (PEG) QDs caused reduced cell viability and cell membrane permeability after 24 and 48 h exposure at 80 nM. Subsequent analysis of the elements that constitute the QD core, core/shell and (organic QD) surface coating showed that the surface coating drives QD toxicity. Elemental analysis (ICP-AES) after 48 h, however, also observed a release of Cd from organic QDs. In conclusion, both the specific surface coating and core material can have a significant impact on QD toxicity.

Predicting bacteremia in children with cancer and fever in chemotherapy-induced neutropenia: results of the prospective multicenter SPOG 2003 FN study

To develop a score predicting the risk of bacteremia in cancer patients with fever and neutropenia (FN), and to evaluate its performance.

Serious medical complications in children with cancer and fever in chemotherapy-induced neutropenia: Results of the prospective multicenter SPOG 2003 FN study

Fever and chemotherapy-induced neutropenia (FN) is the most frequent potentially lethal complication of therapy in children with cancer. This study aimed to describe serious medical complications (SMC) in children with FN regarding incidence, clinical spectrum, and associated characteristics.

Investigation into the impact of grain boundaries, film interface, and crystallographic orientation on the ionic conductivity of thin film gadolinium-doped ceria

The research reported in this dissertation investigates the impact of grain boundaries, film interface, and crystallographic orientation on the ionic conductivity of thin film Gd-doped CeO2 (GDC). Chapter 2 of this work addresses claims in the literature that submicron grain boundaries have the potential to dramatically increase the ionic conductivity of GDC films. Unambiguous testing of this claim requires directly comparing the ionic conductivity of single-crystal GDC films to films that are identical except for the presence of submicron grain boundaries. In this work techniques have been developed to grow GDC films by RF magnetron sputtering from a GDC target on single crystal r plane sapphire substrates. These techniques allow the growth of films that are single crystals or polycrystalline with 80 nm diameter grains. The ionic conductivities of these films have been measured and the data shows that the ionic conductivity of single crystal GDC is greater than that of the polycrystalline films by more than a factor of 4 over the 400-700°C temperature range. Chapter 3 of this work investigates the ionic conductivity of surface and interface regions of thin film Gd-doped CeO2. In this study, single crystal GDC films have been grown to thicknesses varying from 20 to 500 nm and their conductivities have been measured in the 500-700°C temperature range. Decreasing conductivity with decreasing film thickness was observed. Analysis of the conductivity data is consistent with the presence of an approximately 50 nm layer of less conductive material in every film. This study concludes that the surface and interface regions of thin film GDC are less conductive than the bulk single crystal regions, rather than being highly conductive paths. Chapter 4 of this work investigates the ionic conductivity of thin film Gd-doped CeO2 (GDC) as a function of crystallographic orientation. A theoretical expression has been developed for the ionic conductivity of the [100] and [110] directions in single crystal GDC. This relationship is compared to experimental data collected from a single crystal GDC film. The film was grown to a thickness of _300 nm and its conductivity measured along the [100] and [110] orientations in the 500-700°C temperature range. The experimental data shows no statistically significant difference in the conductivities of the [100] and [110] directions in single crystal GDC. This result agrees with the theoretical model which predicts no difference between the conductivities of the two directions.