Laboratory evaluation of Drawtex Hydroconductive Dressing with LevaFiber technology

Good wound bed preparation is an essential aspect of wound care and effective wound healing. Removal of dead and necrotic tissue either through autolytic or interventional debridement, followed by good exudate management, inhibition of matrix metalloproteases and bacterial bioburden control should allow the chronic wound to process to closure. It is known, still, that wound healing in these circumstances is not a simple process and that maintaining a healthy wound bed is central to the process. Many practitioners rely on the TIME (Tissue, Infection/Inflammation, Moisture balance and wound Edge) framework to help them with wound bed preparation and there are a variety of dressings available to help with debridement, exudate management, reduction of bacterial bioburden and inhibit metalloproteases. The sequence of application of the various dressings will depend upon their function. This study describes the function of a dressing, Drawtex, a hydroconductive dressing, which can be used to assist with wound bed preparation through its absorption, sequestration and retention properties. The absorption over time, ability to sequester and retain bacteria were assessed in the laboratory using a variety of methods. Drawtex was shown to absorb eight times its own weight in fluid over time and it showed a 90% reduction in bacterial numbers over a 24hr period in sequestration experiments. Utilisation of direct observation by scanning electron microscopy demonstrated bacterial retention in the fibres

Route level analysis of road pavement surface condition and truck fleet fuel consumption

Experimental studies have estimated the impact of road surface conditions on vehicle fuel consumption to be up to 5% (Beuving et al., 2004). Similar results have been published by Zaabar and Chatti (2010). However, this was established testing a limited number of vehicles under carefully controlled conditions including, for example, steady speed or coast down and no gradient, amongst others. This paper describes a new “Big Data” approach to validate these estimates at truck fleet and route level, for a motorway in the UK. Modern trucks are fitted with many sensors, used to inform truck fleet managers about vehicle operation including fuel consumption. The same measurements together with data regarding pavement conditions can be used to assess the impact of road surface conditions on fuel economy. They are field data collected for thousands of trucks every day, year on year, across the entire network in the UK. This paper describes the data analysis developed and the initial results on the impact of road surface condition on fuel consumption for journeys of 157 trucks over 42.6km of motorway, over a time period of one year. Validation of the relationship between road pavement surface condition and vehicle fuel consumption will increase confidence in results of LCA analyses including the use phase

A big data approach to assess the influence of road pavement condition on truck fleet fuel consumption

In Europe, the road network is the most extensive and valuable infrastructure asset. In England, for example, its value has been estimated at around £344 billion and every year the government spends approximately £4 billion on highway maintenance (House of Commons, 2011). Fuel efficiency depends on a wide range of factors, including vehicle characteristics, road geometry, driving pattern and pavement condition. The latter has been addressed, in the past, by many studies showing that a smoother pavement improves vehicle fuel efficiency. A recent study estimated that road roughness affects around 5% of fuel consumption (Zaabar & Chatti, 2010). However, previous studies were based on experiments using few instrumented vehicles, tested under controlled conditions (e.g. steady speed, no gradient etc.) on selected test sections. For this reason, the impact of pavement condition on vehicle fleet fuel economy, under real driving conditions, at network level still remains to be verified. A 2% improvement in fuel efficiency would mean that up to about 720 million liters of fuel (~£1 billion) could be saved every year in the UK. It means that maintaining roads in better condition could lead to cost savings and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Modern trucks use many sensors, installed as standard, to measure data on a wide range of parameters including fuel consumption. This data is mostly used to inform fleet managers about maintenance and driver training requirements. In the present work, a ‘Big Data’ approach is used to estimate the impact of road surface conditions on truck fleet fuel economy for many trucks along a motorway in England. Assessing the impact of pavement conditions on fuel consumption at truck fleet and road network level would be useful for road authorities, helping them prioritize maintenance and design decisions

Low Power Embedded Processing of Scintillation Events with Silicon Photo Multipliers

The advancement and use of silicon photo multiplier (SiPM) technology has enabled portable devices for applications such as scintillation detection to be developed. The proposed analogue to digital converter (ADC) architecture and field programmable gate array (FPGA) system configuration advances on analogue signal processing methods, traditionally employed for gamma isotope identification applications. This is achieved by high speed sampling of SiPM output signals and real-time FPGA processing, whilst consuming low power, thus extending device operation times. Results demonstrate 7-bit peak capture accuracy of an 8 μs scintillation event, using a 25 MHz ADC sample rate

Skills shortages: A brake on the British car industry?

In 2012, KPMG published a report outlining the successes in the growth and development of the UK automotive industry. All augured well for the future. Tucked away at the back of the report was a warning that the industry’s progress could be hindered due to a serious lack of skilled labour at both the graduate and non-graduate levels. This paper seeks to explore the various reasons why this deficiency in skills has arisen. The seriousness of the problem has been recognised for many years, but it is only recently that it has been afforded the attention deserved. The discussion will focus on and evaluate government, employers and the education system’s roles in this and also their attempts to alleviate the problem

Enhanced saccadic control in young people with Tourette syndrome despite slowed pro-saccades

Tourette syndrome (TS) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterised by motor and vocal tics. Tics are repetitive and uncontrolled behaviours that have been associated with basal ganglia dysfunction. We investigated saccadic eye movements in a group of young people with TS but without co-morbid ADHD. Participants performed two tasks. One required them to perform only pro-saccade responses (pure pro-saccade task). The other involved shifting, unpredictably, between executing pro- and anti-saccades (mixed saccade task). We show that in the mixing saccade task, the TS group make significantly fewer errors than an age-matched control group, while responding equally fast. By contrast, on the pure pro-saccade task the TS group were shown to be significantly slower to initiate and to complete the saccades (longer movement duration and decreased peak velocity) than controls, while movement amplitude and direction accuracy were not different. These findings demonstrate enhanced shifting ability despite slower reflexive responding in TS and are discussed with respect to a disorder-related adaptation for increased cognitive regulation of behaviour

STEM outreach activities: an approach to teachers’ professional development:STEM outreach activities

STEM outreach programmes in secondary schools are mediated by STEM teachers who are responsible for organising, implementing and evaluating the activities with a view to promoting STEM subjects. However, research investigating teachers' STEM roles and professional development through participation in outreach activities is limited. This paper explores teachers' views of STEM activities, how they understand their role as primary facilitators and the impact of their STEM engagement on their professional development. STEM outreach provides distinct opportunities for situated and dialogic learning. STEM teachers' effectiveness in engaging students by demonstrating the importance and relevance of STEM subjects in the real world and engaging captivating STEM outreach partners not only supports students learning but also enhances their opportunities to develop their knowledge and skills. Semi structured interviews were conducted with eleven teachers from six different schools in the West Midlands, United Kingdom. The data reveals STEM facilitators become the 'face' of STEM to their pupils. The expertise, knowledge and partnerships STEM facilitators develop, broadens their capacity to deliver teaching imbued with real world applications and improve students' understanding of the range of new and upcoming careers available. Most importantly, participating in STEM outreach activities help teachers maintain and reinforce their own sense of identity as STEM professionals. Outreach activities provide opportunities for teachers to interact with leading scientists and obtain exposure to cutting-edge research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR