Lecturer receptivity to a major educational change in the context of planned change at Rajabhats in Thailand

In accordance with the National Education Act of t999, the educational system in Thailand was changed after 1999, the largest educational change in Thailand in 50 years. The achievable aims of the change were divided into eight main aspects covering, primary, secondary and higher education. These were: (1) ensuring access to basic education for all; (2) reform of the curriculum and learning processes; (3) encouraging participation and partnership in education; (4) restructuring of educational administration; (5) enhancing educational standards and quality assurance; (6) reform of teachers; faculty staff, and educational personnel; (7) mobilisation of resources and investment for education; and (8) utilisation of technologies for education. This study focuses on higher education and aims to: (1) investigate lecturer receptivity to the major change, in the context of planned educational change at Rajabhat Universities, (2) investigate the relationships between lecturer receptivity, and nine aspects to the change, and (3) investigate why Thai lecturers at Rajabhats hold the attitudes that they do. Lecturer receptivity was conceptualised as composed of nine aspects jointly influencing receptivity. They were: (I) attitude to the change in comparison with the previous system, (2) prac1icality in the classroom, (3) alleviation of concerns, (4) learning about the change, (5) participation in decision making.(6) personal cost appraisal, (7) collaboration with other lecturers, (8) opportunities for lecturer improvement, and (9) perceived value for students. For each aspect lecturers would have developed expectations that would, in part, influence their behaviours, and their receptivity to the change

Electricity from photovoltaic solar cells: Flat-Plate Solar Array Project final Report. Volume III: Silicon sheet: wafers and ribbons

The Flat-Plate Solar Array (FSA) Project, funded by the U.S. Government and managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, was formed in 1975 to develop the module/array technology needed to attain widespread terrestrial use of photovoltaics by 1985. To accomplish this, the FSA Project established and managed an Industry, University, and Federal Government Team to perform the needed research and development. The primary objective of the Silicon Sheet Task of the FSA Project was the development of one or more low-cost technologies for producing silicon sheet suitable for processing into cost-eompetitive solar cells. Silicon sheet refers to high-purity crystalline silicon of size and thickness for fabrication into solar cells. The Task effort began with state-of-the-art sheet technologies and then solicited and supported any new silicon sheet alternatives that had the potential to achieve the Project goals. A total of 48 contracts were awarded that covered work in the areas of ingot growth and casting, wafering, ribbon growth, other sheet technologies, and programs of supportive research. Periodic reviews of each sheet technology were held, assessing the technical progress and the long-range potential. Technologies that failed to achieve their promise, or seemed to have lower probabilities for success in comparison with others, were dropped. A series of workshops was initiated to assess the state of the art, to provide insights into problems remaining to be addressed, and to support technology transfer. The Task made and fostered significant improvements in silicon sheet including processing of both ingot and ribbon technologies. An additional important outcome was the vastly improved understanding of the characteristics associated with high-quality sheet, and the control of the parameters required for higher efficiency solar cells. Although significant sheet cost reductions were made, the technology advancements required to meet the Task cost goals were not achieved. This FSA Final Report (JPL Publication 86-31, 5101-289, DOE/JPL 1012-125, October 1986) is composed of eight volumes, consisting of an Executive Summary and seven technology reports: Volume I: Executive Summary. Volume II: Silicon Material. Volume III: Silicon Sheet: Wafers and Ribbons Volume IV: High-Efficiency Solar Celis. Volume V: Process Development. Volume VI: Engineering Sciences and Reliability. Volume VII: Module Encapsulation. Volume VIII: Project Analysis and Integration. Two supplemental reports included in the final report package are: FSA Project: 10 Years of Progress, JPL Document 400-279. 5101-279, October 1985. Summary of FSA Project Documentation: Abstracts of Published Documents, 1975 to 1986, JPL Publication 82-79 (Revision 1),5101-221, DOE/JPL-1 012-76, September 1986

Towards the use of hydrogels in the treatment of limbal stem cell deficiency

Corneal blindness caused by limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD) is a prevailing disorder worldwide. Clinical outcomes for LSCD therapy using amniotic membrane (AM) are unpredictable. Hydrogels can eliminate limitations of standard therapy for LSCD, because they present all the advantages of AM (i.e. biocompatibility, inertness and a biodegradable structure) but unlike AM, they are structurally uniform and can be easily manipulated to alter mechanical and physical properties. Hydrogels can be delivered with minimum trauma to the ocular surface and do not require extensive serological screening before clinical application. The hydrogel structure is also amenable to modifications which direct stem cell fate. In this focussed review we highlight hydrogels as biomaterial substrates which may replace and/or complement AM in the treatment of LSCD

Peripheral Neuropathy

Understanding the rapid changes in the evaluation and management of peripheral neuropathies, as well as the complexity of their mechanism, is a mandatory requirement for the practitioner to optimize patient's care. The objective of this book is to update health care professionals on recent advances in the pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of peripheral neuropathy. This work was written by a group of clinicians and scientists with large expertise in the field

sEMG Sensor Using Polypyrrole-Coated Nonwoven Fabric Sheet for Practical Control of Prosthetic Hand

One of the greatest challenges of using a myoelectric prosthetic hand in daily life is to conveniently measure stable myoelectric signals. This study proposes a novel surface electromyography (sEMG) sensor using polypyrrole-coated nonwoven fabric sheet as electrodes (PPy electrodes) to allow people with disabilities to control prosthetic limbs. The PPy electrodes are sewn on an elastic band to guarantee close contact with the skin and thus reduce the contact electrical impedance between the electrodes and the skin. The sensor is highly customizable to fit the size and the shape of the stump so that people with disabilities can attach the sensor by themselves. The performance of the proposed sensor was investigated experimentally by comparing measurements of Ag/AgCl electrodes with electrolytic gel and the sEMG from the same muscle fibers. The high correlation coefficient (0.87) between the two types of sensors suggests the effectiveness of the proposed sensor. Another experiment of sEMG pattern recognition to control myoelectric prosthetic hands showed that the PPy electrodes are as effective as Ag/AgCl electrodes for measuring sEMG signals for practical myoelectric control. We also investigated the relation between the myoelectric signals\u27 signal-to-noise ratio and the source impedances by simultaneously measuring the source impedances and the myoelectric signals with a switching circuit. The results showed that differences in both the norm and the phase of the source impedance greatly affect the common mode noise in the signal

High Spatial Resolution Fast-Neutron Imaging Detectors for Pulsed Fast-Neutron Transmission Spectroscopy

Two generations of a novel detector for high-resolution transmission imaging and spectrometry of fast-neutrons are presented. These devices are based on a hydrogenous fiber scintillator screen and single- or multiple-gated intensified camera systems (ICCD). This detector is designed for energy-selective neutron radiography with nanosecond-pulsed broad-energy (1 - 10 MeV) neutron beams. Utilizing the Time-of-Flight (TOF) method, such a detector is capable of simultaneously capturing several images, each at a different neutron energy (TOF). In addition, a gamma-ray image can also be simultaneously registered, allowing combined neutron/gamma inspection of objects. This permits combining the sensitivity of the fast-neutron resonance method to low-Z elements with that of gamma radiography to high-Z materials.Comment: Also published in JINST: http://www.iop.org/EJ/abstract/1748-0221/4/05/P0501

A prospective multicentre single-blinded randomized controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy of chitosan sponge versus allevyn on exudative wounds

Since its first discovery by Henri Braconnot in 1811, chitosan has attracted a lot of interest among researchers due to its many useful biological properties such as haemostatic, anti-­‐microbial and wound healing abilities, as well as being biocompatible and biodegradable. Its parent element, chitin, is abundant in nature and can be found in fungi, exoskeleton of crustaceans and many other animals and plants. One of the potential medical applications of chitosan is as a wound dressing material. Chitosan sponge is produced by lyophilisation of pharmaceutical grade chitosan powder dissolved in 1% acetic acid, 20% glycerol and sodium bicarbonate mixture. The main objective of this clinical study was to compare the efficacy of chitosan sponge against an already commercialised Allevyn foam dressing on exudative wounds in terms of healing or epithelization. Other objectives include comparison of wound bed preparation, patients’ experience, practicality of the dressing and determination of any adverse reaction to the dressing. The research hypothesis was that there are significant differences in efficacy and healing properties between chitosan sponge and Allevyn as dressings for exudative wounds. A total of 72 subjects from 3 different hospitals were randomized into the study between July 2012 and August 2014 (24 months). Sixty (83.4%) completed the study and were equally divided into the chitosan and Allevyn groups. Twelve (16.6%) were discontinued, mainly due to non-­‐compliant with the study protocol. The subjects were assessed clinically and their symptoms recorded every 3 days throughout the treatment duration. Data such as size of granulation and necrotic tissues, level of exudates, adherence, ease and pain on removal, odour, itchiness, were measured and recorded. Percentages of epithelization were measured by 2 blinded investigators via a series of photos taken at the start, middle and end of the treatments. The results showed that chitosan sponge had a higher mean percentage of epithelization than Allevyn but the difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.072). The rate of granulation tissue formation and reduction of necrotic tissue were also comparable between the 2 groups. No significant difference was found between the groups in terms of patients’ experience and performance of the dressings, apart from wound odour on Day 24, where chitosan was significantly worse (p = 0.02). There was no allergic or serious adverse reaction associated with chitosan sponge. In conclusion, there is no significant difference in efficacy and healing properties between chitosan sponge and Allevyn as dressings for exudative wounds. Hence, chitosan sponge has the potential to become as good an exudative wound dressing as the commercialised Allevyn

Dual closed-loop chemical recycling of synthetic polymers by intrinsically reconfigurable poly(disulfides)

The excessive use of plastics has led to severe global problems involving environmental, energy, and health issues and demands for sustainable and recyclable alternatives. Toward circular plastics, the development of efficient chemical recycling methods without loss of properties or allowing reprocessing into new materials offer tremendous opportunities. Here, we report an intrinsically recyclable and reconfigurable poly(disulfide) polymer using a natural small molecule, thioctic acid (TA), as the feedstock. Taking advantage of its dynamic covalent ring-opening polymerization, this material enables a dual closed-loop chemical recycling network among TA monomers and two kinds of polymer products, including self-healing elastomers and mechanically robust ionic films. Mild and complete depolymerization into monomers in diluted alkaline aqueous solution is achieved with yields of recovered monomers up to 86%. The polymer materials can be repeatedly recycled and reused with reconfigurable polymer composition and tunable mechanical properties offering prospects for sustainable functional plastics

Peracetic Acid: A Practical Agent for Sterilizing Heat-Labile Polymeric Tissue-engineering Scaffolds

Advanced biomaterials and sophisticated processing technologies aim to fabricate tissue-engineering scaffolds that can predictably interact within a biological environment at a cellular level. Sterilization of such scaffolds is at the core of patient safety and is an important regulatory issue that needs to be addressed prior to clinical translation. In addition, it is crucial that meticulously engineered micro- and nano- structures are preserved after sterilization. Conventional sterilization methods involving heat, steam and radiation are not compatible with engineered polymeric systems because of scaffold degradation and loss of architecture. Using electrospun scaffolds made from polycaprolactone (PCL), a low melting polymer, and employing spores of Bacillus atrophaeus as biological indicators, we compared ethylene oxide, autoclaving and 80% ethanol to a known chemical sterilant, peracetic acid (PAA), for their ability to sterilize as well as their effects on scaffold properties. PAA diluted in 20% ethanol to 1000 ppm or above, sterilized electrospun scaffolds in 15 min at room temperature while maintaining nano-architecture and mechanical properties. Scaffolds treated with PAA at 5000 ppm were rendered hydrophilic, with contact angles reduced to zero degrees. Therefore, PAA can provide economical, rapid and effective sterilization of heat-sensitive polymeric electrospun scaffolds used in tissue-engineering