A sub-cm micromachined electron microscope

A new approach for fabricating macroscopic (approximately 10x10x10 mm(exp 3)) structures with micron accuracy has been developed. This approach combines the precision of semiconductor processing and fiber optic technologies. A (100) silicon wafer is anisotropically etched to create four orthogonal v-grooves and an aperture on each 10x12 mm die. Precision 308 micron optical fibers are sandwiched between the die to align the v-grooves. The fiber is then anodically bonded to the die above and below it. This procedure is repeated to create thick structures and a stack of 5 or 6 die will be used to create a miniature scanning electron microscope (MSEM). Two die in the structure will have a segmented electrode to deflect the beam and correct for astigmatism. The entire structure is UHV compatible. The performance of an SEM improves as its length is reduced and a sub-cm 2 keV MSEM with a field emission source should have approximately 1 nm resolution. A low voltage high resolution MSEM would be useful for the examination of biological specimens and semiconductors with a minimum of damage. The first MSEM will be tested with existing 6 micron thermionic sources. In the future a micromachined field emission source will be used. The stacking technology presented in this paper can produce an array of MSEMs 1 to 30 mm in length with a 1 mm or larger period. A key question being addressed by this research is the optimum size for a low voltage MSEM which will be determined by the required spatial resolution, field of view, and working distance

A more representative chamber: representation and the House of Lords

Since 1997 there has been substantive reform of the House of Lords in an effort to make the chamber ‘more democratic and more representative’. Whilst the Labour government failed to press ahead with any of the proposed plans for further reform following the removal of the bulk of the hereditary peers in 1999, it remained committed to the notion that such reform must make the second chamber ‘more representative’. The coalition government's programme advocates a long-term aspiration for a House wholly or mainly elected on the basis of proportional representation, and a short-term approach based on additional appointments to ensure a balance of the parties. What is clear in all of these proposals for reform is a desire for the House of Lords to become more representative than it is at present. However, what is less clear is what is meant by ‘representative’ – who the House of Lords is supposed to represent, and what form representation will take. Moreover, in proposing to make the chamber more representative, either through appointment or election, little attention has been paid to how the current House of Lords provides representation. This article examines these questions in the context of Pitkin's classic conceptions of representation and peers' attitudes towards their own representative rol

Development of a Low-Cost 6 DOF Brick Tracking System for Use in Advanced Gas-Cooled Reactor Model Tests

This paper presents the design of a low-cost, compact instrumentation system to enable six degree of freedom motion tracking of acetal bricks within an experimental model of a cracked Advanced Gas-Cooled Reactor (AGR) core. The system comprises optical and inertial sensors and capitalises on the advantages offered by data fusion techniques. The optical system tracks LED indicators, allowing a brick to be accurately located even in cluttered images. The LED positions are identified using a geometrical correspondence algorithm, which was optimised to be computationally efficient for shallow movements, and complex camera distortions are corrected using a versatile Incident Ray-Tracking calibration. Then, a Perspective-Ray-based Scaled Orthographic projection with Iteration (PRSOI) algorithm is applied to each LED position to determine the six degree of freedom pose. Results from experiments show that the system achieves a low Root Mean Squared (RMS) error of 0.2296 mm in x, 0.3943 mm in y, and 0.0703 mm in z. Although providing an accurate measurement solution, the optical tracking system has a low sample rate and requires the line of sight to be maintained throughout each test. To increase the robustness, accuracy, and sampling frequency of the system, the optical system can be augmented with an Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU). This paper presents a method to integrate the optical system and IMU data by accurately timestamping data from each set of sensors and aligning the two coordinate axes. Once miniaturised, the developed system will be used to track smaller components within the AGR models that cannot be tracked with current instrumentation, expanding reactor core modelling capabilities

Designing and implementing a communications strategy: lessons learnt from HIV and Sexual and Reproductive Health Research Programme Consortia.

In recent years there has been increasing recognition of the importance of strategic research communication. Health research organisations need to be able to communicate their research effectively to increase the probability that the findings influence policy and practice, and benefit those in greatest need. Many research funders are making communications a requirement of research funding. This paper reflects on the experience in developing and implementing communications strategies of several Research Programme Consortia funded by the Department for International Development.Different research topics will require different communications approaches in order to be effective. This is reflected in the diversity of strategies employed by different research programmes. Strategic research communications designed to influence policy and practice require different skills and expertise from those required for carrying out research and writing it up for publication in academic journals. Therefore researchers involved in communicating research should be supported in this work. One of the ways in which research programme consortia have sought to do this is through convening workshops to develop the communications skills of researchers from partner organisations. These have proven invaluable. Another way of providing ongoing support to those involved in communicating research is through a Communications Community of Practice. Where this has been used it has proven a good way to support researchers both with ideas and resources, but also a strong sense of belonging to a community that shares a common concern with communication. Developing strong partnerships with research users, other research organisations, knowledge intermediaries and other stakeholders is vital for effective communication.Embracing the challenges and opportunities presented by communicating research to influence policy practice is vital if research is to have maximum possible impact, and demonstrate its worth at a time when funding for health and development activities is at risk. Sharing lessons learnt in this process between research programmes is important to support this work

Policy Recommendations for Meeting the Grand Challenge to Eradicate Social Isolation

This brief was created forSocial Innovation for America’s Renewal, a policy conference organized by the Center for Social Development in collaboration with the American Academy of Social Work & Social Welfare, which is leading theGrand Challenges for Social Work initiative to champion social progress. The conference site includes links to speeches, presentations, and a full list of the policy briefs

Flagships and tumbleweed: A history of the politics of gender justice work in Oxfam GB 1986–2015

This article contributes to scholarship on the political nature of feminists’ work in international development NGOs. The case study of Oxfam GB (OGB) is contemporary history, based on compiling a brief history of gender justice work between 1986 and 2014 and 18 months of part-time participant-observation fieldwork during 2014–15. I describe funding pressures and imperatives, contestations of meaning and power struggles within OGB and argue that gender justice becomes entangled in both internal and the external politics of international development. This is part of a wider research programme about how ideas on gender equality norms travel between and around development organizations, so I finally draw conclusions about how norms are contested and embodied. The shapeshifting political nature of feminist work challenges prevailing theories about how norms and ideas travel and take hold within organizations

Pregnancy and childbirth in English prisons : institutional ignominy and the pains of imprisonment

© 2020 The Authors. Sociology of Health & Illness published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Foundation for SHIL.With a prison population of approximately 9000 women in England, it is estimated that approximately 600 pregnancies and 100 births occur annually. Despite an extensive literature on the sociology of reproduction, pregnancy and childbirth among women prisoners is under‐researched. This article reports an ethnographic study in three English prisons undertaken in 2015‐2016, including interviews with 22 prisoners, six women released from prison and 10 staff members. Pregnant prisoners experience numerous additional difficulties in prison including the ambiguous status of a pregnant prisoner, physical aspects of pregnancy and the degradation of the handcuffed or chained prisoner during visits to the more public setting of hospital. This article draws on Erving Goffman's concepts of closed institutions, dramaturgy and mortification of self, Crewe et al.'s work on the gendered pains of imprisonment and Crawley's notion of ‘institutional thoughtlessness’, and proposes a new concept of institutional ignominy to understand the embodied situation of the pregnant prisoner.Peer reviewe

Nonlinear dynamic analysis and seismic fragility assessment of a corrosion damaged integral bridge

Purpose In this paper the impact of corrosion of reinforcing steel in RC columns on the seismic performance of a multi-span concrete integral bridge is explored. A new constitutive model for corroded reinforcing steel is used. This model simulates the buckling of longitudinal reinforcement under cyclic loading and the impact of corrosion on buckling strength. Cover concrete strength is adjusted to account for corrosion induced damage and core concrete strength and ductility is adjusted to account for corrosion induced damage to transverse reinforcement. This study evaluates the impact which chloride induced corrosion of the reinforced concrete columns on the seismic fragility of the bridge. Fragility curves are developed at a various time intervals over the lifetime. The results of this study show that the bridge fragility increases significantly with corrosion. Design/methodology/approach This paper firstly evaluates the impact which chloride induced corrosion of the columns has on bridge fragility. Finally, fragility curves are developed at various time intervals over the lifetime of the bridge. The results of this study show that the bridge fragility increases significantly with corrosion. Findings 1) It was found that columns dominate the system fragility at all levels of deterioration. Therefore, it highlights the importance of good column design in terms of both seismic detailing and durability for this integral bridge type. 2) In terms of foundation settlement coupled with corrosion, it was found that settlements on the order of the discrete levels adopted for this study increased the system fragility at the slight, moderate and extensive damage states but their impact at the complete damage states is negligible. 3) Ageing considerations are currently neglected in widespread regional risk assessment and loss estimation packages for transport infrastructure. The result of this study provides a methodology that enables bridge managers and owners to employ in seismic risk assessment of existing aging bridges. Originality/value The modelling technician developed in this paper considers the impact of detailed corrosion damaged of RC column on nonlinear dynamic response and fragility of a corroded integral bridge under earthquake loading. The current modelling technique is the most comprehensive 3D fibre element model for seismic analysis and risk assessment of corroded bridges. </jats:sec