Bolton Sixth Form College: The springboard project

Mishka Fielding, Learning Resources Manager with the help of Anthony Beal, e-Learning Adviser, RSC Northwest, created a one-hour interactive session to promote Learning Resources and Information Literacy to staff and students within the College. These sessions successfully promoted the department, increasing their stock circulation by 50% and their usage of e-books, putting them 1st out of 200 in the ‘Jisc Collections Project’.

A novel form of human disease with a protease-sensitive prion protein and heterozygosity methionine/valine at codon 129: Case report

Background: Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD) is a rare neurodegenerative disorder in humans included in the group of Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies or prion diseases. The vast majority of sCJD cases are molecularly classified according to the abnormal prion protein (PrPSc) conformations along with polymorphism of codon 129 of the PRNP gene. Recently, a novel human disease, termed "protease-sensitive prionopathy", has been described. This disease shows a distinct clinical and neuropathological phenotype and it is associated to an abnormal prion protein more sensitive to protease digestion. Case presentation: We report the case of a 75-year-old-man who developed a clinical course and presented pathologic lesions compatible with sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, and biochemical findings reminiscent of "protease-sensitive prionopathy". Neuropathological examinations revealed spongiform change mainly affecting the cerebral cortex, putamen/globus pallidus and thalamus, accompanied by mild astrocytosis and microgliosis, with slight involvement of the cerebellum. Confluent vacuoles were absent. Diffuse synaptic PrP deposits in these regions were largely removed following proteinase treatment. PrP deposition, as revealed with 3F4 and 1E4 antibodies, was markedly sensitive to pre-treatment with proteinase K. Molecular analysis of PrPSc showed an abnormal prion protein more sensitive to proteinase K digestion, with a five-band pattern of 28, 24, 21, 19, and 16 kDa, and three aglycosylated isoforms of 19, 16 and 6 kDa. This PrPSc was estimated to be 80% susceptible to digestion while the pathogenic prion protein associated with classical forms of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease were only 2% (type VV2) and 23% (type MM1) susceptible. No mutations in the PRNP gene were found and genotype for codon 129 was heterozygous methionine/valine. Conclusions: A novel form of human disease with abnormal prion protein sensitive to protease and MV at codon 129 was described. Although clinical signs were compatible with sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, the molecular subtype with the abnormal prion protein isoforms showing enhanced protease sensitivity was reminiscent of the "protease-sensitive prionopathy". It remains to be established whether the differences found between the latter and this case are due to the polymorphism at codon 129. Different degrees of proteinase K susceptibility were easily determined with the chemical polymer detection system which could help to detect proteinase-susceptible pathologic prion protein in diseases other than the classical ones.

Twinning partial multiplication at grain boundary in nanocrystalline fcc metals

Most deformation twins in nanocrystalline face-centered cubic fcc metals have been observed to form from grain boundaries. The growth of such twins requires the emission of Shockley partials from the grain boundary on successive slip planes. However, it is statistically improbable for a partial to exist on every slip plane. Here we propose a dislocation reaction and cross-slip mechanism on the grain boundary that would supply a partial on every successive slip plane for twin growth.This mechanism can also produce a twin with macrostrain smaller than that caused by a conventional twin.

Growth of deformation twins in room-temperature rolled nanocrystalline nickel

Deformation twinning has been observed in room-temperature rolled nanocrystalline Ni. The growth of the deformation twins via the emission of partial dislocations from a grain boundary has been examined in detail. Partial dislocations on neighboring slip planes may migrate for different distances and then remain in the grain interior, leading to the formation of a steplike twin boundary TB . With continued twin growth, the TBs become gradually distorted and lose their coherent character due to accumulated high stresses. Moreover, we propose that microtwins may form near such TBs due to the emission of partial dislocations from the TB.

A measurement of the proton elastic form factors for 1 ≤ Q^2 ≤ 3 (GeV/c)^2

We report measurements of the proton form factors, G^p_E and G^p_M, extracted from elastic electron scattering in the range 1 ≤ Q^2 ≤ 3 (GeV/c)^2 with uncertainties of <15% in G^p_E and <3% in G^p_M. The results for G^p_E are somewhat larger than indicated by most theoretical parameterizations. The ratio of Pauli and Dirac form factors, Q^2(F^p_2/F^p_1), is lower in value and demonstrates less Q^2 dependence than these parameterizations have indicated. Comparisons are made to theoretical models, including those based on perturbative QCD, vector-meson dominance, QCD sum rules, and diquark constituents to the proton. A global extraction of the form factors, including previous elastic scattering measurements, is also presented.

Precipitation of nanocrystals in glasses by electron irradiation: An alternative path to form glass ceramics?

This letter demonstrates an alternative method to form gallium silicate glass ceramics using high-energy electron irradiation. Compared with glass ceramics obtained from the conventional thermal treatment method, the distribution and crystal sizes of the precipitated Ga2O3 nanoparticles are the same. An advantage of this method is that the spatial distribution of the precipitated nanoparticles can be easily controlled. However, optically active dopants Ni2+ ions do not participate in the precipitation during electron irradiation. (c) 2007 American Institute of Physics.

Untersuchungen an V-Form-Scherbrettern

Seit ihrer Einführung in die Fischerei haben sich gerade V-Form-Scherbretter unter den verschiedensten Einsatzbedingungen vielfach bewährt. Insbesondere ihr leichter Gang auf rauhem Boden und die geringe Gefahr des Festlaufens haben zur Verbreitung dieses Scherbrett-Typs beigetragen.

Megacylops viridis Jurine, abyssal form in Lake Maggiore. [Translation of: Memorie dell'Istituto Italiano di Idrobiologia Dott.Marco de Marchi 17 57-79, 1964]

Megacyclops viridis Jurine, noticed in Lago Maggiore in 1912 by De Marchi from the littoral vegetation of Pallanza, is a normal member of the littoral plankton of the lake. The subgenus Megacyclops, created by Kiefer in his revision of the viridis-vernalis group, contains european and american species some of which are today considered as varieties of the species viridis. This paper examines morphology and of the distribution of the Italian viridis in Lake Maggiore.

Normal structures and automorphism groups of t-designs

Combinatorial configurations known as t-designs are studied. These are pairs ˂B, ∏˃, where each element of B is a k-subset of ∏, and each t-design occurs in exactly λ elements of B, for some fixed integers k and λ. A theory of internal structure of t-designs is developed, and it is shown that any t-design can be decomposed in a natural fashion into a sequence of “simple” subdesigns. The theory is quite similar to the analysis of a group with respect to its normal subgroups, quotient groups, and homomorphisms. The analogous concepts of normal subdesigns, quotient designs, and design homomorphisms are all defined and used.

This structure theory is then applied to the class of t-designs whose automorphism groups are transitive on sets of t points. It is shown that if G is a permutation group transitive on sets of t letters and ф is any set of letters, then images of ф under G form a t-design whose parameters may be calculated from the group G. Such groups are discussed, especially for the case t = 2, and the normal structure of such designs is considered. Theorem 2.2.12 gives necessary and sufficient conditions for a t-design to be simple, purely in terms of the automorphism group of the design. Some constructions are given.

Finally, 2-designs with k = 3 and λ = 2 are considered in detail. These designs are first considered in general, with examples illustrating some of the configurations which can arise. Then an attempt is made to classify all such designs with an automorphism group transitive on pairs of points. Many cases are eliminated of reduced to combinations of Steiner triple systems. In the remaining cases, the simple designs are determined to consist of one infinite class and one exceptional case.

Discurso e ensino: o curso de Letras e a formação docente

Esta tese tem por objetivo discutir a política científico-educacional do curso de Letras, por meio da análise do projeto político-pedagógico (PPP) que norteia a formação do acadêmico e do futuro professor de Língua Portuguesa. A compreensão de que toda esfera da atividade humana elabora os seus gêneros mais ou menos estáveis, segundo os quais os sujeitos se relacionam e interagem socialmente (BAKHTIN, 1997) é significativa, pois permite afirmar que o PPP é um documento norteador de uma política científico-educacional, podendo se manifestar nas práticas discursivas próprias da vida universitária de um curso. No PPP se delineiam, entre outros princípios, concepções filosófico-educacionais e abordagens teóricas e metodológicas que fundamentam o discurso científico-educacional e os saberes instituídos do curso de Letras. Em virtude disso, procurou-se traçar um percurso histórico das referências locais e globais, a partir de concepções sobre ser, tempo, acontecimento e alteridade, advindas do saber literário (BARTHES, 1992 e BAKHTIN, 2010) e da trajetória universitária em foco, articuladas à conjuntura que vem marcando o movimento por mudanças nas ciências e na educação. Investigou-se, em seguida, o PPP do curso de Letras, analisando esse gênero do discurso acadêmico-universitário, consoante a forma e tipo de interação em relação com a situação concreta de enunciação e com o horizonte histórico e social mais amplo (BAKHTIN/VOLOCHINOV, 1992), em que se configuram novos sentidos que convergem e/ou confrontam com discursos e saberes historicamente instituídos do curso. Refletiu-se, pois, se a introdução de novas disciplinas em estudos da linguagem resulta de uma transição consensual de uma Linguística do enunciado para uma Linguística da enunciação ou marca uma crise de paradigma(s) no âmbito da Linguística. Procedeu-se, por fim, a uma análise dos discursos dos acadêmicos de Letras da UFPA-Marabá, a fim de compreender os sentidos que constroem sobre o curso, sobre o projeto político-pedagógico, a imagem que constroem da instituição, de si mesmos, como acadêmicos e futuros professores de Língua Portuguesa. Objetivou-se, com isso, confrontar a política científico-educacional proposta pelo PPP com o discurso desses sujeitos, a fim de compreender seus posicionamentos diante da formação que permeia o projeto, bem como sua avaliação a respeito do discurso de integração curricular. Procurou-se, por fim, focalizar outras referências de cursos de Letras, com o objetivo de cotejar os posicionamentos de diferentes PPP em relação ao perfil que pretendem construir de professor de Língua Portuguesa, consoante o quadro curricular proposto em estudos da linguagem. Toma-se como córpus os PPPs dos Cursos de Letras do Câmpus Universitário de Marabá e de Belém, da Universidade Federal do Pará e, da Universidade Federal de Goiás (Câmpus de Catalão e Câmpus de Goiânia), para então compará-los com depoimentos escritos dos acadêmicos de Letras da UFPA-Marabá