Report on Phase Three: The professional capabilities framework

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Monolithically integrated active optical devices

Considerations relevant to the monolithic integration of optical detectors, lasers, and modulators with high speed amplifiers are discussed. Some design considerations for representative subsystems in the GaAs-AlGaAs and GaInAs-InP materials systems are described. Results of a detailed numerical design of an electro-optical birefringent filter for monolithic integration with a laser diode is described, and early experimental results on monolithic integration of broadband MESFET amplifiers with photoconductive detectors are reported

‘So people know I'm a Sikh’: Narratives of Sikh masculinities in contemporary Britain

This article examines British-born Sikh men's identification to Sikhism. In particular, it focuses on the appropriation and use of Sikh symbols amongst men who define themselves as Sikh. This article suggests that whilst there are multiple ways of ‘being’ a Sikh man in contemporary post-colonial Britain, and marking belonging to the Sikh faith, there is also a collectively understood idea of what an ‘ideal’ Sikh man should be. Drawing upon Connell and Messerschmidt's discussion of locally specific hegemonic masculinities (2005. “Hegemonic Masculinity: Rethinking the Concept.” Gender and Society 19 (6): 829–859), it is suggested that an ideal Sikh masculine identity is partly informed by a Khalsa discourse, which informs a particular performance of Sikh male identity, whilst also encouraging the surveillance of young men's activities both by themselves and by others. These Sikh masculinities are complex and multiple, rotating to reaffirm, challenge and redefine contextualised notions of hegemonic masculinity within the Sikh diaspora in post-colonial Britain. Such localised Sikh masculinities may both assert male privilege and reap patriarchal dividends (Connell, W. 1995. Masculinities. Cambridge: Polity Press), resulting in particular British Sikh hegemonic masculinities which seek to shape the performance of masculinity, yet in another context these very same performances of masculinity may also signify a more marginalised masculinity vis-à-vis other dominant hegemonic forms

Report on Phase One: The social work curriculum.

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Report on Phase Two: The readiness to practise of NQSWs.

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An XMM-Newton observation of Ton S180: Constraints on the continuum emission in ultrasoft Seyfert galaxies

We present an XMM-Newton observation of the bright, narrow-line, ultrasoft Seyfert 1 galaxy Ton S180. The 0.3-10 keV X-ray spectrum is steep and curved, showing a steep slope above 2.5 keV (Gamma ~ 2.3) and a smooth, featureless excess of emission at lower energies. The spectrum can be adequately parameterised using a simple double power-law model. The source is strongly variable over the course of the observation but shows only weak spectral variability, with the fractional variability amplitude remaining approximately constant over more than a decade in energy. The curved continuum shape and weak spectral variability are discussed in terms of various physical models for the soft X-ray excess emission, including reflection off the surface of an ionised accretion disc, inverse-Compton scattering of soft disc photons by thermal electrons, and Comptonisation by electrons with a hybrid thermal/non-thermal distribution. We emphasise the possibility that the strong soft excess may be produced by dissipation of accretion energy in the hot, upper atmosphere of the putative accretion disc.Comment: 9 pages, accepted for publication in MNRA

A Correlation Between the Ionization State of the Inner Accretion Disk and the Eddington Ratio of Active Galactic Nuclei

X-ray reflection features observed from the innermost regions of accretion disks in Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs) allow important tests of accretion theory. In recent years it has been possible to use the Fe K line and reflection continuum to parametrize the ionization state of the irradiated inner accretion disk. Here, we collect 10 measurements of xi, the disk ionization parameter, from 8 AGNs with strong evidence for reflection from the inner accretion disk and good black hole mass estimates. We find strong statistical evidence (98.56% confidence) for a nearly linear correlation between xi and the AGN Eddington ratio. Moreover, such a correlation is predicted by a simple application of alpha-disk accretion theory, albeit with a stronger dependence on the Eddington ratio. The theory shows that there will be intrinsic scatter to any correlation as a result of different black hole spins and radii of reflection. There are several possibilities to soften the predicted dependence on the Eddington ratio to allow a closer agreement with the observed correlation, but the current data does not allow for an unique explanation. The correlation can be used to estimate that MCG-6-30-15 should have a highly ionized inner accretion disk, which would imply a black hole spin of ~0.8. Additional measurements of xi from a larger sample of AGNs are needed to confirm the existence of this correlation, and will allow investigation of the accretion disk/corona interaction in the inner regions of accretion disks.Comment: 21 pages, 2 figures, accepted by Ap

Holocene floodplain aggradation in the central Grampian Highlands, Scotland

Radiocarbon ages for samples of organic material within and overlying the highest Holocene floodplain and fan terraces in Glen Feshie and Glen Tromie imply sediment aggradation after ∼4.3 cal ka and probably incision after ∼3.7 cal ka, and in the Edendon Valley aggradation after ∼2.8 cal ka, with incision after ∼2.7 cal ka. The timing of sediment aggradation at all three sites postdates the onset of pine forest decline (∼4.8 cal ka) at nearby high-level sites, and coincides with wet periods characterised by high water tables. This coincidence in timing suggests that forest decline may have caused upstream extension of the tributary network, headwater incision and flashier flood responses, and that increased rainfall enhanced sediment discharge from headwater tributaries, with consequent sediment accumulation downstream on low-gradient fans and floodplains. More speculatively, exhaustion of readily entrained sediment from headwater areas may have stimulated subsequent floodplain and fan incision. Our results show that the highest Holocene terrace (the Main Holocene Terrace) is a diachronous feature, even in valleys emanating from the same upland source area, and support the conclusions of simulation models that predict marked increases in sediment discharge when deforestation is succeeded by an episode of increased rainfall.Peer reviewe

Making CGIAR outputs open and accessible: The CGSpace collaboration

In recent years, CGIAR centres and research programs have moved towards open access as part of commitments to make CGIAR information products widely accessible. These efforts span a wide variety of activities including adoption of policies, awareness raising, using open licenses and establishing ope n access repositories for products as well as data. This article explains the origins, operation and uses of the CGSpace repository set up in 2009 by the International Livestock Research Institute with several partners. Starting from an “institutional” eff ort, it has evolved into a collaboration among dozens of programs and entities, pooling technical efforts and generating collective public goods for the wider agricultural world. This article covers the CGSpace and open access value proposition, technical developments and choices, content management and standards, use and update, metrics and reach, as well as lessons and promising practices for wider us