Developing Reflective Practice in Police Firearms Instruction.

This paper reports collaboration between University College Worcester and the Firearms School of West Mercia Constabulary to design, develop, implement and evaluate a national course for authorised firearms officers to become firearms instructors. The report charts its development from the time of involvement by University College Worcester and the way it has been changed to meet the needs of students. The course is based on the principles of reflective practice, encouraging firearms instructors to engage in lifelong learning as part of their continuing professional development. This central principle of reflective practice is explored in the context of the aims, delivery and outcomes of the course. Those officers who successfully complete the course are awarded the Instructors Certificate of the ACPO Firearms Committee. In addition, it is planned to award a credit accumulated transfer rated Certificate in Education to those officers who also pass the assessment set by University College Worcester. Note

Low levels of ATM in breast cancer patients with clinical radiosensitivity

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Adjuvant radiotherapy for cancer can result in severe adverse side effects for normal tissues. In this respect, individuals with anomalies of the ATM (ataxia telangiectasia) protein/gene are of particular interest as they may be at risk of both breast cancer and clinical radiosensitivity. The association of specific ATM gene mutations with these pathologies has been well documented, however, there is uncertainty regarding pathological thresholds for the ATM protein. RESULTS Semi-quantitative immuno-blotting provided a reliable and reproducible method to compare levels of the ATM protein for a rare cohort of 20 cancer patients selected on the basis of their severe adverse normal tissue reactions to radiotherapy. We found that 4/12 (33%) of the breast cancer patients with severe adverse normal tissue reactions following radiotherapy had ATM protein levels < 55% compared to the mean for non-reactor controls. CONCLUSIONS ATM mutations are generally considered low risk alleles for breast cancer and clinical radiosensitivity. From results reported here we propose a tentative ATM protein threshold of ~55% for high-risk of clinical radiosensitivity for breast cancer patients.The authors acknowledge grant support from the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists

Shell oxygen isotope values and sclerochronology of the limpet Patella vulgata Linnaeus 1758 from northern Iberia : implications for the reconstruction of past seawater temperatures

Understanding environmental conditions faced by hunter-fisher-gatherers during the Pleistocene and Holocene, and interpretation of subsistence strategies, social organisation and settlement patterns, are key topics for the study of past human societies. In this respect, oxygen isotope values (18O) of mollusc shell calcium carbonate can provide important information on palaeoclimate and the seasonality of shell collection at archaeological sites. In this paper, we tested P. vulgata shells from northern Iberia as a paleoclimate archive through the study of shell oxygen isotope values and sclerochronology of modern samples. Results showed that limpets formed their shells close to isotopic equilibrium, with an average offset between measured and predicted values of 0.36 ‰. This offset is significantly reduced with respect to those reported in previous studies, probably due to the use of highly resolved data on the isotopic composition of the water when calculating predicted values. Despite large intra-specific variability, shell growth patterns of P. vulgata revealed a common pattern of higher growth in spring and a growth cessation/slowdown in summer and winter. The seasonal growth cessation/slowdown did not exceed three months. Therefore, a correct interpretation of the season of shell collection is still possible. Reconstructed seawater temperature exhibited a high correlation with instrumental temperature (R2 = 0.68 to 0.93; p < 0.0001). Despite periods of growth cessation/slowdown, mean seawater temperatures and annual ranges were reconstructed accurately. As demonstrated here, seawater temperature can be reconstructed with a maximum uncertainty of ± 2.7 °C. Therefore, our study shows that oxygen isotope values from P. vulgata can be used for the reconstruction of paleoclimate and the season of shell collection

Cost effective direct-substrate jet impingement cooling concept for power application

Direct substrate jet impingement cooling can eliminate the use of the baseplate and significantly reduce the weight and volume of conventional thermal management solutions. This work demonstrates a cost-effective manufacturing approach based on printed circuit board technology to create impingement cells under a direct bonded copper substrate. Results from both computational fluid dynamics simulations and transient thermal tests verify the good performance of such jet impingement cooling systems under high power density conditions. Further work is ongoing to apply the present cooling and manufacturing technologies for the development of a range of high performance power electronic systems

International Conservation Case Studies

RIBA published this case study document to highlight the broad spectrum of international heritage projects undertaken by accredited RIBA Conservation Architects. The 12 case studies demonstrate how the International Guidelines for Education and training in the conservation of Monuments, Ensembles, and Sites can be effectively applied across the globe

Efficiency and safety of varying the frequency of whole blood donation (INTERVAL): a randomised trial of 45 000 donors

Background: Limits on the frequency of whole blood donation exist primarily to safeguard donor health. However, there is substantial variation across blood services in the maximum frequency of donations allowed. We compared standard practice in the UK with shorter inter-donation intervals used in other countries. Methods: In this parallel group, pragmatic, randomised trial, we recruited whole blood donors aged 18 years or older from 25 centres across England, UK. By use of a computer-based algorithm, men were randomly assigned (1:1:1) to 12-week (standard) versus 10-week versus 8-week inter-donation intervals, and women were randomly assigned (1:1:1) to 16-week (standard) versus 14-week versus 12-week intervals. Participants were not masked to their allocated intervention group. The primary outcome was the number of donations over 2 years. Secondary outcomes related to safety were quality of life, symptoms potentially related to donation, physical activity, cognitive function, haemoglobin and ferritin concentrations, and deferrals because of low haemoglobin. This trial is registered with ISRCTN, number ISRCTN24760606, and is ongoing but no longer recruiting participants. Findings: 45 263 whole blood donors (22 466 men, 22 797 women) were recruited between June 11, 2012, and June 15, 2014. Data were analysed for 45 042 (99·5%) participants. Men were randomly assigned to the 12-week (n=7452) versus 10-week (n=7449) versus 8-week (n=7456) groups; and women to the 16-week (n=7550) versus 14-week (n=7567) versus 12-week (n=7568) groups. In men, compared with the 12-week group, the mean amount of blood collected per donor over 2 years increased by 1·69 units (95% CI 1·59–1·80; approximately 795 mL) in the 8-week group and by 0·79 units (0·69–0·88; approximately 370 mL) in the 10-week group (p&lt;0·0001 for both). In women, compared with the 16-week group, it increased by 0·84 units (95% CI 0·76–0·91; approximately 395 mL) in the 12-week group and by 0·46 units (0·39–0·53; approximately 215 mL) in the 14-week group (p&lt;0·0001 for both). No significant differences were observed in quality of life, physical activity, or cognitive function across randomised groups. However, more frequent donation resulted in more donation-related symptoms (eg, tiredness, breathlessness, feeling faint, dizziness, and restless legs, especially among men [for all listed symptoms]), lower mean haemoglobin and ferritin concentrations, and more deferrals for low haemoglobin (p&lt;0·0001 for each) than those observed in the standard frequency groups. Interpretation: Over 2 years, more frequent donation than is standard practice in the UK collected substantially more blood without having a major effect on donors' quality of life, physical activity, or cognitive function, but resulted in more donation-related symptoms, deferrals, and iron deficiency. Funding: NHS Blood and Transplant, National Institute for Health Research, UK Medical Research Council, and British Heart Foundation

Crop Updates 2008 - Cereals

This session covers twenty four papers from different authors: WHEAT AGRONOMY 1. Wheat variety performance in the Northern Agricultural Region in 2007, Christine Zaicou, Department of Agriculture and Food 2. Wheat variety performance on the Central Agricultural Region in 2007, Shahajahan Miyan, Department of Agriculture and Food 3. Response of wheat varieties to sowing time in the Great Southern and Lakes Region in 2007, Brenda Shackley and Steve Penny, Department of Agriculture and Food 4. Wheat variety performance in the South Coastal Region in 2007, Sarah Ellis, Department of Agriculture and Food 5. Flowering dates of wheat varieties in Western Australia in 2007, Darshan Sharma, Brenda Shackley and Christine Zaicou, Department of Agriculture and Food BARLEY AGRONOMY 6. Barley variety options for Western Australia, Blakely Paynter, Andrea Hills and Jeff Russell, Department of Agriculture and Food 7. Vlaming A – the newest malting barley variety, Blakely Paynter, Jeff Russell and Andrea Hills, Department of Agriculture and Food 8. Barley yields higher in wide rows with stubble retained in a very dry season at Merredin, Glen Riethmuller, Bill Bowden and Paul Blackwell, Department of Agriculture and Food HERBICIDE TOLERANCE 9. Herbicide tolerance of current/new wheat varieties, Dr Harmohinder Dhammu, Department of Agriculture and Food 10. Herbicide tolerance of new oat varieties, Dr Harmohinder Dhammu, Vince Lambert, and Chris Roberts,Department of Agriculture and Food NUTRITION 11. Managing nitrogen inputs in malting barley, Andrea Hills and Blakely Paynter, Department of Agriculture and Food 12. Decision tools for optimal N on cereal crops, David and Sally Cox, Jeremy Lemon* and Andrea Hills*, *Department of Agriculture and Food 13. Wheat varieties respond differently to potassium application on potassium responsive soils, Paul Damon and Zed Rengel, Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, University of Western Australia DISEASES 14. Leaf disease management in continuous barley in the northern and central grainbelt of WA, Geoff Thomas, Ciara Beard, Anne Smith, Kith Jayasena and Sean Kelly, Department of Agriculture and Food 15. Temperature and moisture requirements of leaf, stem and stripe rusts of wheat, Geoff Thomas, Rob Loughman and Bill MacLeod, Department of Agriculture and Food 16. Fungicide options for controlling diseases in oats, Raj Malik and Blakely Paynter, Department of Agriculture and Food 17. Survey of wheat root diseases under intensive cereal production in Western Australia during 2005-2007, Ravjit Khangura, William MacLeod, Vivien Vanstone, Colin Hanbury, Mehreteab Aberra, Gordon MacNish and Robert Loughman, Department of Agriculture and Food 18. Epidemiology studies on Wheat Streak Mosaic Virus in 2007, Brenda Coutts, Geoff Strickland, Monica Kehoe, Dustin Severtson and Roger Jones, Department of Agriculture and Food 19. Bacterial diseases that affect WA export hay quality, Dominie Wright and Megan Jordan, Department of Agriculture and Food SOIL 20. Hardpan penetration ability of drought-stressed wheat under pot and field conditions, Xinhua He1, Eli Manyol1, Song-Ai Nio1, Imran Malik1, Tina Botwright-Acuña1,2and Len Wade1,3,1School of Plant Biology, University of Western Australia, 2Tasmanian Institute of Agricultural Research, University of Tasmania, TAS, 3E.H. Graham Centre, Charles Sturt University, NSW HARVEST MANAGEMENT 21. Calculating the risk – the SEPWA Harvest Calculator, Nigel Metz, South East Premium Wheat Growers Association 22. The relationship between grain moisture and atmospheric conditions in cereal crop harvesting on the South Coast of WA, Nigel Metz, South East Premium Wheat Growers Association (SEPWA) MARKETS 23. Varietal accreditation for Australian Barley, Linda Price, Barley Australia STATISTICAL METHODS 24. Applying data mining tools to improve grain quality for growers, Dean Diepeveen1, Leisa Armstrong2, Peter Clarke1, Doug Abrecht1, Rudi Appels2 and Matthew Bellgard3,1Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia 2Edith Cowan University, Western Australia, 3Centre of Comparative Genomics, Murdoch Universit

Participation as Post-Fordist Politics: Demos, New Labour, and Science Policy

In recent years, British science policy has seen a significant shift ‘from deficit to dialogue’ in conceptualizing the relationship between science and the public. Academics in the interdisciplinary field of Science and Technology Studies (STS) have been influential as advocates of the new public engagement agenda. However, this participatory agenda has deeper roots in the political ideology of the Third Way. A framing of participation as a politics suited to post-Fordist conditions was put forward in the magazine Marxism Today in the late 1980s, developed in the Demos thinktank in the 1990s, and influenced policy of the New Labour government. The encouragement of public participation and deliberation in relation to science and technology has been part of a broader implementation of participatory mechanisms under New Labour. This participatory program has been explicitly oriented toward producing forms of social consciousness and activity seen as essential to a viable knowledge economy and consumer society. STS arguments for public engagement in science have gained influence insofar as they have intersected with the Third Way politics of post-Fordism

Crop Updates 2003 - Geraldton

This session covers twenty eight papers from different authors Seasonal Outlook: What is in store for 2003, David Stephens, Department of Agriculture Examining The Management Options For Wheat Crops In The Coming Season, James Fisher, Department of Agriculture GMO’s – what do they offer? Ian Edwards, Grain Bio Tech Australia Pty Ltd The Big Gamble – Wheat prices for 2003, Dennis Wise, Profarmer Market outlook for other grains, Andrew Young, General Manager Agricorp Stripe rust – where to now for the WA wheat industry? Robert Loughman, Ciara Beard and Greg Shea, Department of Agriculture Baudin and Hamlin – new generation of malting barley developed in Western Australia, Blakely Paynter, Roslyn Jettner and Kevin Young, Department of Agriculture DBM in Canola, Kevin Walden, Department of Agriculture The latest on Lupin diseases, Geoff Thomas, Department of Agriculture Wheat variety performance in 2002 compared to the long term, Robin Wilson, Iain Barclay, Robyn McLean, Robert Loughman, Jenny Garlinge, Bill Lambe, Neil Venn and Peter Clarke, Department of Agriculture Do wide rows drought proof lupins on red loam? Martin Harries, Bob French, Wayne Parker and Murray Blyth, Department of Agriculture Do wide rows drought proof lupins on a sandy loam? Martin Harries, Bob French, Wayne Parker and Murray Blyth, Department of Agriculture Profit Proving Precision Agriculture, Peter Norris, Agronomy For Profit, Greg Lyle, CSIRO Land and Water, Yuna Farm Improvement Group Annual ryegrass seedbanks: the good, the bad, and the ugly, Kathryn Steadman, University of Western Australia, Amander Ellery, CSIRO Plant Industry, Sally C Peltzer, Department of Agriculture Wheat management packages for low rainfall areas, Kari-Lee Falconer, Department of Agriculture Ground water 1. Atrazine, Russell Speed, Department of Agriculture Groundwater 2. Current Trends, Russell Speed, Department of Agriculture Herbicide tolerance of wheat, lupins and pastures, Terry Piper and Harmohinder Dhammu, Department of Agriculture Farming with Tramlines, Bindi Webb, Paul Blackwell, Department of Agriculture, Phil Logue, Binnu, Nigel Moffat, Geraldton, Rohan Ford, Binnu, Miles Obst, Mingenew, The role of green manure crops in renovating poor performing paddocks: What’s it worth? Frances Hoyle, Leanne Schulz and Judith Devenish Department of Agriculture The looming threat of wild radish, Peter Newman, Department of Agriculture Does one ‘size’ fit all? Grant Morrow, Syngenta Crop Protection Climate Forecasts on the Internet, Ian Foster and David Stephens, Department of Agriculture Moisture delving = more reliable lupin establishment, Paul Blackwell, and Wayne Parker, Department of Agriculture Tramline Designs for better Weed control and Wheat value from non-spraying tramlines in a dry season, Paul Blackwell, Bindi Webb and Darshan Sharma, Department of Agriculture Biserrula Grazing Trial, Marnie Thomas, Department of Agriculture Performance of IT and TT canola varieties in the medium and high rainfall agzones of W.A., 2001-02, Graham Walton, Hasan Zaheer and Paul Carmody, Department of Agriculture Rapid Catchment Appraisal in Northern Agricultural Region, Mike Clarke, Paul Raper, Department of Agricultur