Gravitational Lensing in <i>Herschel</i>-ATLAS

This thesis presents the samples and investigation of strong gravitational lenses identified with the Herschel Space Observatory using the H-ATLAS survey. A flux-limited lens candidate selection is applied to the complete H-ATLAS area, ~ 600deg2, and following the inspection of shallow optical and radio survey data the sources are classified into the predicted populations. A bootstrap analysis of the lens candidates is presented and compared to theoretical models which are in broad agreement and support a maximum magnification of the lensed sub-millimetre galaxy (SMG) population as μmax ~ 20-30. Low resolution spectra, obtained from two cycles of observation at the New Technology Telescope (NTT), are reduced and analysed for 57 lens candidates. The distribution of estimated redshifts fail to support models predictions compiled from three different halo mass functions. Finally, snapshots obtained as part of a collaborative Hubble Space Telescope (HST) campaign are reduced and the first lens models of isolated, robust lens counterparts are presented, which on their own provide compelling evidence that the majority of this sample are lensed by early-type galaxies at higher redshifts than existing gravitational lens surveys

Improving Care and Service Coordination for Vulnerable Populations Through Collaboratives: One Funder’s Approach, Impact, and Implications for the Field

· Improvement collaboratives are short-term learning systems that bring together teams from multiple organizations to seek improvement on a focused topic within the organizations. Most commonly applied in clinical settings, improvement collaboratives are less frequently applied in social-service settings or across agencies to support coordination of care and services for vulnerable populations. · This article describes findings from four collaboratives conceived and funded by the Health Foundation for Western & Central New York. It examines the foundation’s collaborative structure (a modified Breakthrough Series model in which health and social-service organizations work together in multi-agency teams to implement best practices and improve coordination of services for vulnerable populations), along with the impact of each collaborative on learning, communication, participating organizations, and target populations. · Reports from 91 participating organizations, representing 50 teams, in four collaboratives revealed strong team achievement, learning and communication, and sustained improvements. Impacts on target populations and spread of best practices were also reported. A key influence on achievement was the use of multi-agency teams representing two or more organizations working together to implement new processes and improvements to support patient handoffs across health and social service settings. · Findings suggest that the foundation’s collaborative model – an adaptation of the intra-organizational Breakthrough Series model for use in amulti-organizational setting – can be effective in fostering improvement within organizations and promote coordination across agencies to improve health and social services for vulnerable populations. Collaborative structure and process recommendations for funders interested in this model are highlighted

Transport of nanoparticles in porous media and associated environmental impact: a review.

The release of nanoparticles into the environment occurs at different stages during their life cycle, with significant harmful effects on the human (e.g., lung inflammation and heart problems) and the ecosystem (e.g., soil and groundwater contamination). While colloids (particles >1 micrometre) behaviour in porous media is influenced by filtration, nanoparticles (<100 nanometres) behaviour is driven by Brownian motion and quantum effects. Recognising these disparities is essential for applications like groundwater remediation and drug delivery, enabling precise strategies based on the differing transport dynamics of colloids and nanoparticles. The extent of the impact of nanoparticle release on the environment is strongly influenced by their type, size, concentration, and interaction with porous media. The main factor preventing the use of nanoparticles for environmental remediation and other related processes is the toxicity arising from their uncontrolled distribution beyond the application points. Finding a suitable dosing strategy for applying nanoparticles in porous media, necessary for the correct placement and deposition in target zones, is one of the significant challenges researchers and engineers face in advancing the use of nanoparticles for subsurface application. Thus, further studies are necessary to create a model-based strategy to prevent nanoparticle dispersion in a porous media. In general, this review explores the transport of nanoparticles in porous media concerning its application for environmental remediation. The aim of this study is captured under the following: a) Identifying the properties of nanoparticles and porous media to develop an innovative remediation approach to reclaim contaminated aquifers effectively. b) Identify critical parameters for modelling an effective strategy for nanoparticle-controlled deposition in porous media. This would require a general understanding of the onset and mapping of the different nanoparticle depositional mechanisms in porous media. c) Identify existing or closely related studies using model-based strategies for controlling particulate transport and dispersion in porous media, focusing on their shortcomings

Persistence and Fadeout of Preschool Participation Effects on Early Reading Skills in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

The adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in September 2015 marked a new milestone for early childhood education, care, and development. For the first time in the framework of global goals, preschool education was described as integral to children’s school readiness. Yet with few exceptions, much of the research on the impact of preschool has stemmed from high-income countries. Even fewer studies have examined preschool participation and later learning across multiple countries. This article helps fill this gap by connecting preschool participation to early primary reading outcomes, as measured by the Early Grade Reading Assessment. Drawing on a unique data set using student-level learning assessments from 16 countries, we use preprimary participation to explain primary school reading skills, including letter knowledge and oral reading fluency. We also model the influence of key demographic variables on these outcomes, including home language and classroom language of instruction (LOI). For a subset of six countries with exceptionally rich data, we examine national-level policy and practice to better understand what might explain the persistence or fadeout of the effect of preschool. Policy makers and practitioners alike will find these results useful in making cases for improving preschool experiences for children in low- and middle-income countries in the next decade of SDG-related efforts

The case for a consistent cyberscam classification framework (CCCF)

Cyberscam classification schemes developed by international statistical reporting bodies, including the Bureau of Statistics (Australia), the Internet Crime Complaint Center (US), and the Environics Research Group (Canada), are diverse and largely incompatible. This makes comparisons of cyberscam incidence across jurisdictions very difficult. This paper argues that the critical first step towards the development of an inter-jurisdictional and global approach to identify and intercept cyberscams - and prosecute scammers - is a uniform classification system. © 2009 IEEE

ActuEating: Designing, Studying and Exploring Actuating Decorative Artefacts

Actuating, dynamic materials offer substantial potential to enhance interior designs but there are currently few examples of how they might be utilised or impact user experiences. As part of a design-led exploration, we have prototyped (Wizard-of-Oz) an actuating, dining table runner (ActuEater1), and then developed a fully-interactive fabric version that both changes shape and colour (ActuEater2). Four in-situ deployments of ‘ActuEaters’ in different dinner settings and subsequent ‘design crits’ showed insights into how people perceive, interpret and interact with such slow-technology in interesting (and often unexpected) ways. The results of our ‘ActuEating’ studies provide evidence for how an actuating artefact can be simultaneously a resource for social engagement and an interactive decorative. In response, we explore design opportunities for situating novel interactive materials in everyday settings, taking the leap into a new generation of interactive spaces, and critically considering new aesthetic possibilities

The Potential of TaqMan Array Cards for Detection of Multiple Biological Agents by Real-Time PCR

The TaqMan Array Card architecture, normally used for gene expression studies, was evaluated for its potential to detect multiple bacterial agents by real-time PCR. Ten PCR assays targeting five biological agents (Bacillus anthracis, Burkholderia mallei, Burkholderia pseudomallei, Francisella tularensis, and Yersinia pestis) were incorporated onto Array Cards. A comparison of PCR performance of each PCR in Array Card and singleplex format was conducted using DNA extracted from pure bacterial cultures. When 100 fg of agent DNA was added to Array Card channels the following levels of agent detection (where at least one agent PCR replicate returned a positive result) were observed: Y. pestis 100%, B. mallei & F. tularensis 93%; B. anthracis 71%; B. pseudomallei 43%. For B. mallei & pseudomallei detection the BPM2 PCR, which detects both species, outperformed PCR assays specific to each organism indicating identification of the respective species would not be reproducible at the 100 fg level. Near 100% levels of detection were observed when 100 fg of DNA was added to each PCR in singleplex format with singleplex PCRs also returning sporadic positives at the 10 fg per PCR level. Before evaluating the use of Array Cards for the testing of environmental and clinical sample types, with potential levels of background DNA and PCR inhibitors, users would therefore have to accept a 10-fold reduction in sensitivity of PCR assays on the Array Card format, in order to benefit for the capacity to test multiple samples for multiple agents. A two PCR per agent strategy would allow the testing of 7 samples for the presence of 11 biological agents or 3 samples for 23 biological agents per card (with negative control channels)