Global impacts of land degradation

Study commissioned by the Scientific, Technical and Advisory Panel (STAP) of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) to support the development of the new GEF focal area of Land Degradatio

Blogging as a viable research methodology for young people with arthritis: a qualitative study.

The development of services that are responsive to the needs of users is a health policy priority. Finding ways of engaging young people in research to gain insights into their particular experiences, perspectives, and needs is vital but challenging. These data are critical to improving services in ways that meet the needs of young people

Supporting the development and delivery of the Level 3 DEC! learning programme : enhancing the pathway to higher education and employment through local HEI and School partnership

This report outlines the key findings and benefits from this BIM4Education project, and the partnership between St. Ambrose Barlow RC High School, The University of Salford, and Class Of Your Own. The purpose of the report is to document evidence of the value for all contributors to the DEC curriculum, i.e. pupils, teaching staff, schools, and HE partners

Titanic: Consuming the Myths and Meanings of an Ambiguous Brand

Myths have come of age in consumer research. In the 22 years since Levy’s inaugural article, the literature has grown at an impressive rate. Yet important questions remain unanswered: What makes some myths especially meaningful to consumers? Why are certain consumer myths more prevalent and less perishable than others? This article argues that ambiguity is an influential factor. Using the RMS Titanic as an empirical exemplar, it unpacks the principal forms of myth-informed ambiguity surrounding “the unsinkable brand.” Predicated on William Empson’s hitherto unsung principles of literary criticism, the article posits that ambiguity in its multifaceted forms is integral to outstanding branding and consumer meaning making, as well as myth appeal more generally

A straightforward route to tetrachloroauric acid from gold metal and molecular chlorine for nanoparticle synthesis

© 2015 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. Aqueous solutions of tetrachloroauric acid of high purity and stability were synthesised using the known reaction of gold metal with chlorine gas. The straightforward procedure developed here allows the resulting solution to be used directly for gold nanoparticle synthesis. The procedure involves bubbling chlorine gas through pure water containing a pellet of gold. The reaction is quantitative and progressed at a satisfactory rate at 50 °C. The gold(III) chloride solutions produced by this method show no evidence of returning to metallic gold over at least twelve months. This procedure also provides a straightforward method to determine the concentration of the resulting solution using the initial mass of gold and volume of water

Genetic gain in perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) varieties 1973 to 2013

AbstractPerennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) forms the basis of grassland production in temperate pastures and is globally one of the most important forage grasses. Consequently, there has been large plant breeding industry investment over the past 40 years in producing new varieties and independent testing systems designed to identify and list those with the most improved performances. This study was conducted at the Plant Testing Station, Crossnacreevy, Northern Ireland and compared the DM yield and sward density of new varieties submitted from 1973 to 2013 and grass digestibility from 1980 to 2013, under conservation and simulated grazing managements. A variety × years matrix was compiled for each parameter and comparable means between varieties never in side by side performance trials were produced. Dry matter yields showed an overall significant (p &lt; 0.001) average annual increase of 0.52 % under conservation and 0.35 % under simulated grazing, with similar gain levels within maturity groups or ploidies. These rates were not constant over time, and periods of no gain occurred in various variety groupings. Sward density of the examined varieties did not change significantly. Herbage digestibility showed no improvement over the timeframe but had the largest differences between concurrent varieties, indicating that improvements were possible in the future. The study indicated that plant breeding gains were primarily DM yield focused with sward density remaining stagnant over the 40 years, while the lack of grass digestibility improvement appeared to only require more time to overcome. Evidence of benefits and risks of variety testing influences on plant breeding objectives was discussed.</jats:p

Randomised controlled trial of specialist nurse intervention in heart failure

&lt;p&gt;Objectives. To determine whether specialist nurse intervention improves outcome in patients with chronic heart failure.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Design. Randomised controlled trial.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Setting. Acute medical admissions unit in a teaching hospital.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Participants. 165 patients admitted with heart failure due to left ventricular systolic dysfunction. The intervention started before discharge and continued thereafter with home visits for up to 1 year.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Main outcome measures. Time to first event analysis of death from all causes or readmission to hospital with worsening heart failure.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Results. 31 patients (37%) in the intervention group died or were readmitted with heart failure compared with 45 (53%) in the usual care group (hazard ratio=0.61, 95% confidence interval 0.33 to 0.96).Compared with usual care, patients in the intervention group had fewer readmissions for any reason (86 v 114, P=0.018), fewer admissions for heart failure (19 v 45, P&#60;0.001) and spent fewer days in hospital for heart failure (mean 3.43 v 7.46 days, P=0.0051).&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Conclusions. Specially trained nurses can improve the outcome of patients admitted to hospital with heart failure.&lt;/p&gt

A new dawn? The Roman Catholic Church and environmental issues

This is a PDF version of an article published in New Blackfriars© 1997. The definitive version is available at www.blackwell-synergy.com.This article discusses the stance of the Roman Catholic Church on environmental issues and argues that the Church tends to stay on the fringe rather than get involved. Some of the ways in which Roman Catholic theologians have incorporated environmental issues into theological reflection is discussed, as are environmental challenges facing the Church in Britain (conservation, resources, biodiversity, animal welfare, biotechnology, cooperate/individual ethics, environmental justice, economics/policy development, and global issues)

Room temperature sol-gel fabrication and functionalization for sensor applications

The structure and physical properties of a thin titania sol-gel layer prepared on silicon and silica surfaces were examined. Spectroscopic (FTIR, UV-VIS spectroscopy), refractive index (ellipsometry) and microscopic (light microscopy and SEM/EDS) tools were used to examine both chemical uniformity and physical uniformity of the sol-gel glass layers. The conditions for the fabrication of uniform layers were established, and room temperature dopant incorporation was examined. The absorption bands of porphyrin-containing titania sol-gel layers were characterized. By addition of a metal salt to the titania layer, it was possible to metallate the free-base porphyrin within and change the UV-VIS absorbance of the porphyrin, the basis of metal detection using porphyrins. The metalloporphyrins were detected by localized laser ablation inductive coupled mass spectroscopy (LA-ICP-MS), indicating fairly uniform distribution of metals across the titania surface. © 2012 The Author(s)