A Detailed Field study of a Silicic Tuff ring in Southwest Tenerife, Deposited During Small, Phonolitic Eruptions.

Caldera del Rey is a small, double-crater, silicic tuff ring situated on Tenerife’s southern coastline, located close to the diffuse southern rift zone. The Caldera del Rey formation displays extensive exposures of the proximal and medial deposits of the tuff ring that grew as a result of interactions between trachy-phonolitic magma and shallow groundwater within an underlying basaltic aquifer. Detailed fieldwork, laboratory work and the analysis and correlation of 39 sections through the deposits show that the eruption repeatedly alternated between eruption styles. The formation is divided into an upper and lower sequence that both initiated with a period of pumice fall from eruption plumes of almost subplinian dimensions. Over time the eruptive processes transitioned towards dominantly wetter phreatomagmatic eruptions. As the eruptions reached the climactic stage, numerous powerful, single-surge pyroclastic density currents dispersed radially up to 4 km from the vent. The depletive currents show various downcurrent lithofacies transitions that record transformations of the depositional flow-boundary zone with distance. In some cases, transformations from granular fluid-based to fully dilute currents occurred as a result of loss of granular fluid by deposition. The ash aggregation deposits share the same couplet structure seen in other ignimbrite sheets formed elsewhere on Tenerife, with variations from this occurring due to the rapid, pulsatory nature of phreatomagmatic eruptions. Tuff ring explosive activity so close to densely populated urban areas is rarely recognised, but it remains a possibility that should be factored into hazard assessments

Analysis of accreditation approaches in the Computing sector

This report for the Institute of Coding explores the extant accreditation regimes for Computing in the UK. It seeks to clarify the relationships between the main frameworks and standards, and how these map to some of the issues identified in the Shadbolt review. Three primary perspectives are identified: academic, technical and competencies. Following an analysis of their key features, this report concludes by suggesting how they might be combined to help address some of the common issues with new graduates identified by Shadbolt

Alternating Subplinian and phreatomagmatic phases during the construction of a phonolitic maar-diatreme volcano (Caldera del Rey, Tenerife, Canary Islands)

The Early Pleistocene, well exposed, Caldera del Rey maar-diatreme volcano, Tenerife, Canary Islands was constructed during a ∼ VEI 4 phonolitic eruption that involved two cycles of magmatic-to-phreatomagmatic activity and resulted in two overlapping craters aligned NE-SW. Magmatic phases fed unsteady Subplinian eruption columns that reached 8–12 km altitude and dispersed tephra to the west and southwest of the volcano and shed pyroclastic density currents. Phreatomagmatic phases, driven by explosive interactions between magma and groundwater, constructed an extensive tephra ring via deposition from ballistic curtains, pyroclastic density currents, and tephra fall. Near-optimal-scaled depth phreatomagmatic explosions (strong and/or shallow) excavated a substantial diatreme beneath the north crater and constructed a substantial tephra ring. This abruptly transitioned to deeper-than-optimal scaled depth explosions (weak and/or deep) that erupted mostly fine ash which was dispersed by dilute pyroclastic density currents and fallout and filled the south crater. At distances of >4 km from the volcano, over a metre of ash and pumice accumulated during the phreatomagmatic phases. The Caldera del Rey volcano provides an instructive study on how interaction between ascending felsic magma and groundwater can modify Subplinian eruptions

Dislocation-induced structural and luminescence degradation in InAs quantum dot emitters on silicon

We probe the extent to which dislocations reduce carrier lifetimes and alter luminescence and growth morphology in InAs quantum dots (QD) grown on silicon. These heterostructures are key ingredients to achieving a highly reliable monolithically integrated light source on silicon necessary for photonic integrated circuits. We find up to 20-30% shorter carrier lifetimes at spatially resolved individual dislocations from both the QD ground and excited states at room temperature using time-resolved cathodoluminescence spectroscopy. These lifetimes are consistent with differences in the intensity measured under steady-state excitation suggesting that trap-assisted recombination limits the minority carrier lifetime, even away from dislocations. Our techniques also reveal the dramatic growth of misfit dislocations in these structures under carrier injection fueled by recombination-enhanced dislocation glide and III-V/Si residual strain. Beyond these direct effects of increased nonradiative recombination, we find the long-range strain field of misfit dislocations deeper in the defect filter layers employed during III-V/Si growth alter the QD growth environment and introduce a crosshatch-like variation in the QD emission color and intensity when the filter layer is positioned close to the QD emitter layer. Sessile threading dislocations generate even more egregious hillock defects that also reduce emission intensities by altering layer thicknesses, as measured by transmission electron microscopy and atom probe tomography. Our work presents a more complete picture of the impacts of dislocations relevant for the development of light sources for scalable silicon photonic integrated circuits.Comment: 15 pages, 6 figure

Changing the computer-patient-physician relationship : a qualitative evaluation of 30-inch computer screens in family medicine exam rooms

The electronic health record (EHR) and use of computers in today's exam rooms is a dramatic change in medicine from decades past. There are concerns about how the computer and EHR might adversely affect patient-provider interaction and that it may be detrimental to PCC. Patient-centered care (PCC) promotes active involvement of the patient in their medical care. Several positive outcomes have been associated with PCC, including: better emotional health, improved symptom burden, improved recovery, and fewer diagnostic tests and referrals both at the time of the visit and in the subsequent 2 months. PCC can therefore help to decrease medical expenditures while improving patient outcomes and satisfaction. It has been proposed that certain exam room and computer configurations combined with uses of the EHR may enhance PCC. If we can better determine how different types of computers affect this interaction, it would help suggest improvements for increasing PCC, thus gaining the aforementioned benefits of decreased cost and improved health outcomes

Towards a 21st Century Personalised Learning Skills Taxonomy

There exists a significant gap between the requirements specified within higher education qualifications and the requirements sought by employers. The former, commonly expressed in terms of learning outcomes, provide a measure of capability, of what skills have been learnt (an input measure); the latter, commonly expressed in terms of role descriptions, provide a measure of competency, of what a learner has become skilful in (an output measure). Accreditation traditionally provides a way of translating and embedding industry-relevant content into education programmes but current approaches make fully addressing this requirements gap, referred to here as the Capability-Competency Chasm, very difficult. This paper explores current efforts to address this global challenge, primarily through STEM examples that apply within the United Kingdom and European Union, before proposing a way of bridging this chasm through the use of a 21st Century (C21) skills taxonomy. The concept of C21 Skills Hours as a new input measurement for learning within qualifications is introduced, and an illustrative example is presented to show the C21 skills taxonomy in action. The paper concludes with a discussion of how such a taxonomy can also be used to support a microcredentialing framework that aligns to existing competency frameworks, enabling formal, non-formal and informal learning to all be recognized. A C21 Skills taxonomy can therefore be used to bridge the gap between capability (input) and competency (output), providing a common language both for learning and demonstrating a skill. This approach has profound implications for addressing current and future skills gaps as well as for supporting a transition to more personalised learning within schools, colleges and universities and more lifelong learning both during and outside of employment

Is post-polyploidization diploidization the key to the evolutionary success of angiosperms?

Advances in recent years have revolutionized our understanding of both the context and occurrence of polyploidy in plants. Molecular phylogenetics has vastly improved our understanding of plant relationships, enabling us to better understand trait and character evolution, including chromosome number changes. This, in turn, has allowed us to appreciate better the frequent occurrence and extent of polyploidy throughout the history of angiosperms, despite the occurrence of low chromosome numbers in some groups, such as in Arabidopsis (A. thaliana was the first plant genome to be sequenced and assembled). In tandem with an enhanced appreciation of phylogenetic relationships, the accumulation of genomic data has led to the conclusion that all angiosperms are palaeopolyploids, together with better estimates of the frequency and type of polyploidy in different angiosperm lineages. The focus therefore becomes when a lineage last underwent polyploidization, rather than simply whether a plant is ‘diploid’ or ‘polyploid’. This legacy of past polyploidization in plants is masked by large-scale genome reorganization involving repetitive DNA loss, chromosome rearrangements (including fusions and fissions) and complex patterns of gene loss, a set of processes that are collectively termed ‘diploidization’. We argue here that it is the diploidization process that is responsible for the ‘lag phase’ between polyploidization events and lineage diversification. If so, diploidization is important in determining chromosome structure and gene content, and has therefore made a significant contribution to the evolutionary success of flowering plants

Grades, Student Satisfaction and Retention in Online and Face-to-Face Introductory Psychology Units: A Test of Equivalency Theory

There has been a recent rapid growth in the number of psychology courses offered online through institutions of higher education. The American Psychological Association has highlighted the importance of ensuring the effectiveness of online psychology courses (Halonen et al., 2013). Despite this, there have been inconsistent findings regarding student grades, satisfaction, and retention in online psychology units. Equivalency Theory (Simonson, 1999; Simonson et al., 1999) posits that online and classroom-based learners will attain equivalent learning outcomes when equivalent learning experiences are provided. We present a study of an online introductory psychology unit designed to provide equivalent learning experiences to the pre-existing face-to-face version of the unit. Using quasi-experimental methods, academic performance, student feedback, and retention data from 866 Australian undergraduate psychology students were examined to assess whether the online unit developed to provide equivalent learning experiences produced comparable outcomes to the 'traditional' unit delivered face-to-face. Student grades did not significantly differ between modes of delivery, except for a group-work based assessment where online students performed more poorly. Student satisfaction was generally high in both modes of the unit, with group-work the key source of dissatisfaction in the online unit. The results provide partial support for Equivalency Theory. The group-work based assessment did not provide an equivalent learning experience for students in the online unit highlighting the need for further research to determine effective methods of engaging students in online group activities. Consistent with previous research, retention rates were significantly lower in the online unit, indicating the need to develop effective strategies to increase online retention rates. While this study demonstrates successes in presenting students with an equivalent learning experience, we recommend that future research investigate means of successfully facilitating collaborative group-work assessment, and to explore contributing factors to actual student retention in online units beyond that of non-equivalent learning experiences

Seeking excellence in end-of-life care (SEECare UK): A UK multi-centred service evaluation

Context People dying in hospitals without specialist palliative care (SPC) input may suffer with significant unmet needs, unrecognised until case-note audit after death. Objectives To evaluate the care of dying hospital inpatients unknown to SPC services across the United Kingdom to better understand their needs and identify factors impacting care of this cohort. Methods Prospective one day UK-wide service evaluation including all dying adult inpatients, excluding those in Emergency Departments/Intensive Care Units. Holistic needs and use of recognised end-of-life care plans (EOLCP) were assessed for those unknown to SPC. Results 88 hospitals, 284 patients. Nearly all patients had unmet holistic needs (93%) which included physical symptoms (75%) and psychological, social and spiritual needs (86%). A dying patient was more likely to have unmet needs and require SPC intervention at a District General Hospital (DGH) compared to a Teaching Hospital/Cancer Centre (Unmet need 98.1% v 91.2% p0.02; Intervention 70.9% v 50.8% p0.001) and when an EOLCP was not utilised (Unmet need 98.3% v 90.3% p0.006; Intervention 67.2% v 53.3% p0.02). Multivariable analyses demonstrated that teaching/cancer hospitals (aOR 0.44 CI 0.26–0.73) and increased SPC medical staffing (aOR 1.69 CI 1.04–2.79) independently influenced need for intervention. However, integration of the use of an EOLCP within the model reduced the impact of SPC medical staffing. Conclusion People dying in hospitals unknown to SPC have significant unmet needs. Further evaluation is required to understand the relationships between patient, staff and service factors in best meeting dying peoples’ needs. The effective content and implementation of EOLCP warrants further investigation