Microfluidic chip development for an autonomous field deployable water quality analyser

This work presents the ongoing development of a microfluidic chip for a low cost field deployable phosphate analyser for water. The phosphate analyser is a fully integrated system incorporating fluid handling, microfluidic technology, colorimetric chemical detection, and real time wireless communications in a compact and rugged portable device

LEADER as a vehicle for neo-endogenous rural development in England

LEADER emphasises neo-endogenous approaches where local rural development relies as much as possible on “bottom-up” activities. This research shows that the mainstreaming of LEADER saw certain compromises regarding the philosophical aspiration to give greater weight to local issues, local resources and local engagement. However, many LAGs learned to apply flexibility to meet local opportunities and challenges demonstrating how LEADER can empower local actors. Future challenges require LEADER to be more integrated with other rural policies and for the procedural elements to be simplified, especially for the smaller projects that have been found to make real impact at a very local level

A review of the leader approach for delivering the rural development programme for England: a report for Defra

This report, commissioned by the Rural Communities Policy Unit at Defra, sets out the findings of a review of the Leader approach in England. The focus of the review is the impact of Leader in contributing to the delivery of the Rural Development Programme (RDP) in England, in order to inform the future Leader approach to delivering rural policy. The research is primarily based on a review of existing literature and in-depth qualitative research with Local Action Groups and other stakeholders involved in delivering or benefiting from the Leader approach. The review focuses on four key issues: 1) Evidence to support the rationale for use of EU resources to enable rural development – justifying intervention for the current programme and informing choices about interventions in the next programme 2) Evidence on the extent to which interventions have been effective to date and where future resources can be targeted 3) Evidence to provide an assessment of the impact of RDPE spend (2007-13) on outcomes – with reference to delivery mechanisms 4) Evidence to support prioritisation of activities to be funded under the next programme mapped against the six EU wide priorities for 2014-2020 and inform decisions about future delivery models

UltraSail CubeSat Solar Sail Flight Experiment

UltraSail is a next-generation, highrisk, high-payoff sail system for the launch, deployment, stabilization, and control of very large (km2 class) solar sails enabling high payload mass fractions for interplanetary and deep space spacecraft. UltraSail is a non-traditional approach to propulsion technology achieved by combining propulsion and control systems developed for formation- flying microsatellites with an innovative solar sail architecture to achieve controllable sail areas approaching 1 km2, sail subsystem area densities approaching 1 g/m2, and thrust levels many times those of ion thrusters used for comparable deep space missions. UltraSail can achieve outer planetary rendezvous, a deep-space capability now reserved for high-mass nuclear and chemical systems. There is a twofold rationale behind the UltraSail concept for advanced solar sail systems. The first is that sail-andboom systems are inherently size-limited. The boom mass must be kept small, and column buckling limits the boom length to a few hundred meters. By eliminating the boom, UltraSail not only offers larger sail area, but also lower areal density, allowing larger payloads and shorter mission transit times. The second rationale for UltraSail is that sail films present deployment handling difficulties as the film thickness approaches one micrometer. The square sail requires that the film be folded in two directions for launch, and similarly unfolded for deployment. The film is stressed at the intersection of two folds, and this stress varies inversely with the film thickness. This stress can cause the film to yield, forming a permanent crease, or worse, to perforate. By rolling the film as UltraSail does, creases are prevented. Because the film is so thin, the roll thickness is small. Dynamic structural analysis of UltraSail coupled with dynamic control analysis shows that the system can be designed to eliminate longitudinal torsional waves created while controlling the pitch of the blades, while using solar photon pressure to slew the spin axis. Vacuum tests have also verified that electrostatic and molecular adhesion forces can substantially be eliminated by making the film electrically conductive, reducing the peel force of the film off the storage roll to levels of 100s of micro-N. The innovation demonstrated the capability of deploying a six-micron aluminum- coated film from a reel through a slit in vacuum. The innovation also demonstrated a spin-stabilized method for deploying a long reel of solar sail film using solar pressure to spin-up and orbit raise the satellite, and also a gravity gradient method for deploying a long reel of solar sail film using solar pressure to orbit raise the satellite. The solar sail mass fraction of 25% is consistent with high specific impulse ion systems, but without the added weight and cost of a power source and processing unit. The large sail area, coupled with low film density, is giving UltraSail a high payload fraction. The UltraSail deployment scheme unrolls a micrometerscale reflection-coated polyimide film from a storage mandrel to a maximum length of several kilometers with the aid of a blade tip satellite

Pegasus First Mission - Flight Results

On April 5, 1990, after release from the wing of a B-52 carrier aircraft over the Pacific ocean at an altitude of 43,198 ft, the three stage Pegasus solid propellant rocket successfully completed its maiden flight by injecting its 423 lb payload into a 273 X 370 nautical mile 94 degree inclination orbit. The first flight successfully achieved all mission objectives; validating Pegasus\u27s unique air launched concept, the vehicle\u27s design, as well as its straightforward ground processing, integration and test methods. This report summarizes the results of the first launch, including measured vs. predicted motor performance, drag and lift coefficients, payload environmental parameters, structural loads, aerodynamic heating, and vehicle trajectory. In all areas, measured flight results were close to design predictions, and in the ease of the actual payload environment, were significantly less than predictions. The Pegasus first flight validated the fundamental aerodynamic design, established a baseline performance capability, validated the vehicle\u27s GN&C system, and validated the aerodynamic and aero-thermal models

Identification of RecQL1 as a Holliday junction processing enzyme in human cell lines

Homologous recombination provides an effective way to repair DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) and is required for genetic recombination. During the process of homologous recombination, a heteroduplex DNA structure, or a ‘Holliday junction’ (HJ), is formed. The movement, or branch migration, of this junction is necessary for recombination to proceed correctly. In prokaryotes, the RecQ protein or the RuvA/RuvB protein complex can promote ATP-dependent branch migration of Holliday junctions. Much less is known about the processing of Holliday junctions in eukaryotes. Here, we identify RecQL1 as a predominant ATP-dependent, HJ branch migrator present in human nuclear extracts. A reduction in the level of RecQL1 induced by RNA interference in HeLa cells leads to an increase in sister chromatid exchange. We propose that RecQL1 is involved in the processing of Holliday junctions in human cells

Commercialisation of an autonomous phosphate analyser

Environmental legislation such as the EU Water Framework Directive is providing a significant impetus towards increased monitoring of natural waters. The widespread availability of autonomous, field deployable systems which can provide long-term, reliable, high frequency data on key water quality parameters via wireless communications would allow a significant improvement in our ability to monitor the quality of our natural water resources. An autonomous sensor for the analysis of a key nutrient, phosphate, in water has been developed by National Centre for Sensor Research (NCSR) researchers in Dublin City University. This sensor incorporates microfluidic technology, colorimetric chemical detection, and wireless communications into a compact and rugged portable device. The prototype system has been successfully deployed for extended periods at Osberstown Wastewater Treatment Plant, Co. Kildare, and at Swords Estuary, Co. Dublin to monitor phosphate levels over periods of up to several months. Current work is focused on the commercialisation of the prototype phosphate analyser. This work is being performed in collaboration with EpiSensor Ltd., a Limerick based SME with expertise in wireless communications, sensor design and data collection systems. The next generation phosphate system will be linked with EpiSensor’s reliable and secure ‘sensor to database’ or SiCA platform. All major components of the analyser have been evaluated and redesigned with a view to reducing cost, power consumption and size, while maintaining sensor accuracy and reliability. The commercial system mass and internal volume have both been reduced by a factor of 7 compared with the prototype system, while component costs have been reduced by a factor of 10. GSM communications on the prototype were replaced with EpiSensors ultra low power ZigBee radio. The system uses 20μl of reagent per reaction cycle and can carry out approximately 1400 measurements using a single lithium battery. The result is a low cost, low power and portable phosphate analyser. The system has been successfully deployed for short term trials at Swords Estuary, Co. Dublin

Seeing what works:Identifying and enhancing successful interprofessional collaboration between pathology and surgery.

Utilising frozen section technologies, Mayo Clinic has one of the lowest reoperation rates for breast lumpectomy in the United States. The research reported on sought to understand the successful teamwork between the Breast Surgery Team and the Frozen Section Laboratory at Mayo Clinic. Researchers worked collaboratively with healthcare staff from breast surgery and the frozen section pathology laboratory to identify communication styles and strategies that contribute to the timely and accurate intraoperative evaluation of breast cancer specimens. Using the video-reflexive ethnography (VRE) methodology underpinned by a positive theoretical approach to researching quality and safety in healthcare, the researchers video-recorded the communications associated with specimen resections in surgery and the subsequent pathology diagnoses. Then, 57 staff from the breast surgery and frozen section laboratory teams attended video-reflexivity sessions to collaboratively analyse their communication practices and identify opportunities to optimize interprofessional communication. In this article, we focus on how the flexible, interdisciplinary, and cross-hierarchical communication within the frozen section laboratory supports a rapid and accurate intraoperative evaluation and communication, previously conceptualized by staff as being performed in a linear fashion. Moreover, we detail how the VRE methodology led surgeons and pathologists to implement new strategies and optimize their interprofessional communication

Using art to assess environmental education outcomes

Construction of developmentally appropriate tools for assessing the environmental attitudes and awareness of young learners has proven to be challenging. Art-based assessments that encourage creativity and accommodate different modes of expression may be a particularly useful complement to conventional tools (e.g. surveys), but their efficacy and feasibility across diverse contexts has not been adequately explored. To examine the potential utility of integrating art into evaluations of environmental education outcomes, we adapted an existing drawing prompt and corresponding grading rubric to assess the environmental attitudes and awareness of children (ages 6–12) at summer camps in Athens, GA, USA (n = 285). We then compared children’s drawings with scores on a more typical survey instrument that measured similar outcomes, the Children Environmental Perception’s Scale. Results showed that a drawing prompt was a practical and unique learner-centered tool for measuring distinct components of environmental attitudes and awareness. Findings also revealed different response patterns across the two instruments, highlighting the value of using multiple approaches (e.g. art-based and survey-based) to assess cognitive and affective aspects of children’s environmental orientations

Monitoring of Collapsed Built-Up Areas with High Resolution SAR Images

A 16-year-old male with cystic fibrosis (CF) was admitted to hospital with a severe infective exacerbation. Despite standard management, including conventionally selected intravenous antibiotics for Pseudomonas aeruginosa chest physiotherapy, and institution of noninvasive ventilation (NIV) for progressive hypercapneic respiratory failure, he continued to deteriorate. Direct sputum sensitivity testing (DSST) revealed a novel combination of antibiotics that resulted in a rapid and remarkable clinical improvement. DSST is a form of "whole" sputum sensitivity testing that provides information on antibiotic synergy, and may more accurately reflect in vivo antibiotic sensitivity patterns in cystic fibrosis.</p