Plasma Sterilization Technology for Spacecraft Applications

The application of plasma gas technology to sterilization and decontamination of spacecraft components is considered. Areas investigated include: effective sterilizing ranges of four separate gases; lethal constituents of a plasma environment; effectiveness of plasma against a diverse group of microorganisms; penetrating efficiency of plasmas for sterilization; and compatibility of spacecraft materials with plasma environments. Results demonstrated that plasma gas, specifically helium plasma, is a highly effective sterilant and is compatible with spacecraft materials

Adjusting the frequency of mammography screening on the basis of genetic risk: Attitudes among women in the UK.

Purpose To explore public attitudes towards modifying frequency of mammography screening based on genetic risk. Methods Home-based interviews were carried out with a population-based sample of 942 women aged 18–74 years in the UK. Demographic characteristics and perceived breast cancer (BC) risk were examined as predictors of support for risk-stratified BC screening and of the acceptability of raised or lowered screening frequency based on genetic risk, using multivariate logistic regression. Results Over two-thirds of respondents (65.8%) supported the idea of varying screening frequency on the basis of genetic risk. The majority (85.4%) were willing to have more frequent breast screening if they were found to be at higher risk, but fewer (58.8%) were willing to have less frequent screening if at lower risk (t (956) = 15.6, p < 0.001). Ethnic minority status was associated with less acceptability of more frequent screening (OR = 0.40, 95% CI = 0.21–0.74), but there were no other significant demographic correlates. Higher perceived risk of BC was associated with greater acceptability of more frequent screening (OR = 1.71, 95%CI = 1.27–2.30). Conclusion Women were positive about adjusting the frequency of mammography screening in line with personal genetic risk, but it will be important to develop effective communication materials to minimise resistance to reducing screening frequency for those at lower genetic risk

Spectral radiometry and tropospheric aerosols: Report of panel

The term aerosols, as used here, refers to the haze, smoke, and dust that appear in the troposphere. The term does not refer to the hydrometeors in cumulus and stratus clouds but does include the sulfuric acid-water droplets which are assumed to predominate in the stratospheric aerosol layer. The aerosol properties that were measured from satellites and those which can be made in the near term (up to 1992) will be reviewed. The capabilities that will exist in the years 1992 to 2000, with implementation of EOS, are then discussed. Finally, a few words will be said concerning the potential for aerosol measurements for the decade after 2000

News coverage of suicidal behaviour in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland

Background: Media reporting of suicide has been associated with imitative acts. Internationally, this has led to the development of guidelines to promote responsible reporting of suicide. Aims: To examine the nature and quality of news coverage of suicidal behaviour in the United Kingdom (UK) and Republic of Ireland (ROI). Method: UK and ROI press clippings relating to suicide over 12 months (N=8101) were coded for content and assessed for quality against existing guidelines. We examined variability in relation to key characteristics (e.g. type of publication) and compared newspaper portrayal of suicide against official statistics. Results: Reports were biased towards young, female and relatively unusual suicides (including those involving a celebrity, more than one individual and violent methods). Almost a third of reports had inappropriate headlines, but only a minority was of poor overall quality, and editors appear to be responsive to feedback. There was considerable variability in the quality of reports for different suicide methods. Limitations: This work cannot account for the impact of reporting on suicidal behaviour. The speed of change in media trends also limits its conclusions. Conclusion: Our findings underscore the need for sustained efforts to promote responsible reporting of suicide

Weakly-bound rare isotopes with a coupled-channel approach that includes resonant levels

The question of how the scattering cross section changes when the spectra of the colliding nuclei have low-excitation particle-emitting resonances is explored using a multi-channel algebraic scattering (MCAS) method. As a test case, the light-mass nuclear target 8Be, being particle-unstable, has been considered. Nucleon-nucleus scattering cross sections, as well as the spectra of the compound nuclei formed, have been determined from calculations that do, and do not, consider particle emission widths of the target nuclear states. The resonant character of the unstable excited states introduces a problem because the low-energy tails of these resonances can intrude into the sub-threshold, bound-state region. This unphysical behaviour needs to be corrected by modifying, in an energy-dependent way, the shape of the target resonances from the usual Lorentzian one. The resonance function must smoothly reach zero at the elastic threshold. Ways of achieving this condition are explored in this paper.Comment: Contribution presented at INPC 2010, Vancouve