The level structure of some light nuclei

1 v. : illusOne of the major fields of research in nuclear physics is the accumulation of experimental data on the properties of energy levels in the various light nuclei. In general, the most useful information that can be obtained iw whether or not an evergy level exists, its excitation energy, its width, its total angular momentum or spin, its relative probability of different modes of decay and its isobaric spin admixtures. Such information should be useful in acquiring furhter understanding of nuclear forces and nuclear structure. The research reported in this thesis is a part of this systematic search for and classification of nuclear energy level, Five separate experiments have been carried out and ddata has been collected on part of the level strucutre of the nuclei B9, C10, C11, N14, o15 and Ne20. (First two paragraphs of introduction)

Doctoral students’ access to non-academic support for mental health

Increased doctoral student numbers has led to a growth in studies dedicated to doctoral experience. These studies have raised a range of mental health concerns around workload, supervision processes and student well-being. Despite these challenges being well documented, few studies have looked at doctoral student’s experiences of accessing non-academic support services. This article presents the findings of a mixed-method study to investigate doctoral experiences of non-academic support, conducted at one British university with a large postgraduate research population. Drawing on focus groups and a student survey, the article concludes that many doctoral students are not accessing institutional support when they could benefit from it, with many turning to external support mechanisms including family, personal doctor and online resources. Five institutional recommendations are proposed to develop improved dedicated doctoral student mental health support: clear signposting, online self-help, workshops, parity of support and supervisor training

Improving desludging in Haiti by building the capacity of local Bayakou (informal manual desludgers)

This paper presents the work of the International Rescue Committee (IRC) to build the capacity of private sector manual labour (locally known as Bayakou) for the desludging of latrines in Port-au-Prince’s Internally Displaced Population (IDP) camps. It looks at the successes and challenges of the methods used to improve safety among a limited number of Bayakou groups awarded contracts by IRCs as well as efforts to improve the quality of their work and their level of professionalism. It also discusses the significant challenges in gaining wider recognition for the Bayakou among the national and local authorities as well as the challenges of replicating the success of the programme among Bayakou working in other neighbourhoods of the Metropolitan Zone of Port au Prince

Evaluation of the long-term sustainability of biosand filters in rural Ethiopia

Point-of-use water treatment is growing in popularity in the developing world, especially in rural areas where the costs of providing centralised treatment systems are higher than their low cost counterparts. One such technology, the biosand filter, has been shown to effectively remove turbidity and pathogens in laboratory and field research but the long-term performance of the filter and its sustainability are not well documented. An evaluation was therefore conducted to examine filters in rural Ethiopia installed more than 5 years previously. Filters were examined to assess filter performance, maintenance practices and the supporting environment. The working filters showed an average E.coli reduction rate of 87.9% with 75.7 % of filtrate samples achieving rates of <10cfu/100ml and 81.2% achieving turbidity values of <5NTU. The varied levels of usage in the three study villages, from 44% to 100%, also highlighted several risks and opportunities for continued active long term adoption

An investigation of fingermark submission decision making

This thesis investigates the submission of fingermark evidence from the fingerprint laboratory (where the enhancement of crime scene fingermarks occurs) to the fingerprint bureau (where examiners compare crime scene and suspect fingermarks) within UK forensic science. Initial research presented in this thesis identifies a discrepancy between laboratory practitioner mark submission decision making and the usability decisions made by fingerprint examiners, in the case of ambiguous fingermarks, leading to the potential for a loss of evidence that could be used to identify a suspect. Further empirical research explores the components of this decision process through consideration of decision success, cues, thresholds, and factors that influence the decision process. Qualitative research explores the rationale behind the mark submission decisions of practitioners, identifying a common reliance on a numerical value of characteristics present as a threshold for submission. The reliability of the use of a minutiae count as a method for increasing the objectivity of the submission is further investigated and variation between the minutiae cue detection of practitioners and examiners is identified. A contrast effect is found to occur in relation to practitioners making submission decisions concerning fingermarks in situ on exhibits that contain background marks, and this effect is discussed in relation to the differences in practitioner and examiner quality determination procedure. The findings of these empirical studies are presented and explained in terms of psychological theories of judgement and decision making, as well as in terms of their procedural and practical implications for fingerprint evidence recovery, and their wider implication within the holistic forensic process and criminal justice system

Fingermark submission decision-making within a UK fingerprint laboratory: Do experts get the marks that they need?

Within UK policing it is routinely the responsibility of fingerprint laboratory practitioners to chemically develop areas of latent fingerprint ridge detail on evidential items and to determine which areas of ridge detail are of sufficient quality to be submitted to fingerprint experts for search or comparison against persons of interest. This study assessed the effectiveness of the fingermark submission process within the Evidence Recovery Unit Fingerprint Laboratory of the Metropolitan Police Service. Laboratory practitioners were presented with known source fingermark images previously deemed identifiable or insufficient by fingerprint experts, and were asked to state which of the marks they would forward to the Fingerprint Bureau. The results indicated that practitioners forwarded a higher percentage of insufficient fingermarks than is acceptable according to current laboratory guidelines, and discarded a number of marks that were of sufficient quality for analysis. Practitioners forwarded more insufficient fingermarks when considering fingermarks thought to be related to a murder and discarded more sufficient fingermarks when considering those thought to be related to a crime of 'theft from vehicle'. The results highlight the need for fingerprint laboratories to work alongside fingerprint experts to ensure that a consistent approach to decision-making is, as far as possible, achieved, and that appropriate thresholds are adopted so as to prevent the loss of valuable evidence and improve the efficiency of the fingerprint filtering process

A cultural change to enable improved decision-making in forensic science: a six phased approach

There has been an increased engagement by researchers in understanding the decision-making processes that occur within forensic science. There is a rapidly growing evidence base underpinning our understanding of decision-making and human factors and this body of work is the foundation for achieving truly improved decision-making in forensic science. Such an endeavour is necessary to minimise the misinterpretation of scientific evidence and maximize the effectiveness of crime reconstruction approaches and their application within the criminal justice system. This paper proposes and outlines a novel six phased approach for how a broadening and deepening knowledge of decision-making in forensic science can be articulated and incorporated into the spheres of research, practice, education, and policy making within forensic science specifically, and the criminal justice system more generally. Phases 1 and 2 set out the importance of systematic examination of the decisions which play a role throughout forensic reconstruction and legal processes. Phase 3 focuses on how these decisions can, and should, be studied to understand the underlying mechanisms and contribute to reducing the occurrence of misleading decisions. Phase 4 highlights the ways in which the results and implications of this research should be communicated to the forensic community and wider criminal justice system. Lastly, the way in which the forensic science domain can move forwards in managing the challenges of human decision-making and create and embed a culture of acceptance and transparency in research, practice and education (learning and training) are presented in phases 5 and 6. A consideration of all 6 connected phases offers a pathway for a holistic approach to improving the transparency and reproducibility of decision making within forensic science

A cultural change to enable improved decision-making in forensic science: A six phased approach

There has been an increased engagement by researchers in understanding the decision-making processes that occur within forensic science. There is a rapidly growing evidence base underpinning our understanding of decision-making and human factors and this body of work is the foundation for achieving truly improved decision-making in forensic science. Such an endeavour is necessary to minimise the misinterpretation of scientific evidence and maximize the effectiveness of crime reconstruction approaches and their application within the criminal justice system. This paper proposes and outlines a novel six phased approach for how a broadening and deepening knowledge of decision-making in forensic science can be articulated and incorporated into the spheres of research, practice, education, and policy making within forensic science specifically, and the criminal justice system more generally. Phases 1 and 2 set out the importance of systematic examination of the decisions which play a role throughout forensic reconstruction and legal processes. Phase 3 focuses on how these decisions can, and should, be studied to understand the underlying mechanisms and contribute to reducing the occurrence of misleading decisions. Phase 4 highlights the ways in which the results and implications of this research should be communicated to the forensic community and wider criminal justice system. Lastly, the way in which the forensic science domain can move forwards in managing the challenges of human decision-making and create and embed a culture of acceptance and transparency in research, practice and education (learning and training) are presented in phases 5 and 6. A consideration of all 6 connected phases offers a pathway for a holistic approach to improving the transparency and reproducibility of decision making within forensic science