Hydrogen sorption in palladium doped microporous materials

This research investigated “hydrogen spillover” which has been suggested to improve the hydrogen uptake of bridged and chemically doped porous materials at room temperatures. XRD, Temperature Programmed Desorption and hydrogen sorption measurements were used to characterise the as-received and palladium doped porous materials. The hydrogen uptakes of as-received Maxsorb (activated carbon), Black Pearls (carbon furnace black) and MOF-5 (metal organic framework) were all very low (<0.16 wt.%) at room temperature and 16 bar. Bridging the Black Pearls and Maxsorb carbon samples with 5 wt.% Pd/C resulted in fractionally higher hydrogen uptakes (0.01 wt.%). These results bore a closer resemblance to a physical mixture of Pd and carbon which suggested that the bridges had not been formed and spillover was not occurring. A higher wt.% Pd chemically doped carbon showed an initial rapid hydrogen uptake (0.03 wt.% at <1 bar) followed by a shallower near linear uptake above this pressure. The hydrogen uptake seemed more consistent with palladium and carbon sorbing independently, rather than hydrogen spilling over from palladium to carbon giving enhanced uptake. However, good contact between Pd and carbon must be established and the result must be replicated to confirm its validity in the face of much contrary literature

Advanced Conducting Project

Contents include: Arrows by Samuel R. Hazo Cajun Folk Song 2 by Frank Ticheli Chorale Prelude: Turn Not Thy Face by Vincent Persichetti The Colonial Song by Percy Grainger, arranged by Douglas Wagner Earhart: Sounds of Courage by Robert W. Smith Flourish for Wind Band by Ralph Vaughan Williams Phasing Thunder by Brian Balmages

School Leadership and Equity : an examination of policy response in Scotland

In this paper we adopt a critical perspective on the implementation of policy on school leadership and equity in Scotland, viewing policy as both an attempt to solve problems and an attempt to persuade social actors to subscribe to particular beliefs that delineate action. We begin by offering a definition of “policy response”, and then examine how policy “conversations” establish consensus around such things as school leadership and equity. We examine Scottish policy on school leadership and equity and consider what practices this policy does, and does not permit. In so doing, our examination of the implementation of policy on school leadership and equity in Scotland acknowledges that such policy is in part extemporized, and in part the attempt to make inevitable a “de-stated” account of governance. We conclude by contextualising our forthcoming empirical study of the Leadership Standards for Social Justice in Scotlan

Hong Kong hospitals - the geographical implications of a hospital philosophy.

PhDThe pressures exerted on hospital facilities in Hong Kong from an ageing population with increasing expectations, are compounded by a continued growth in population. Hospitals have clearly failed to deal with rising demand and, as a consequence, are commonly perceived to be in a state of crisis. In this respect, most comment has centred on the overall quantity of provision and quality, as assessed largely in terms of technical care and hotel conditions. This thesis highlights the additional issue of the spatial inequality of provision in a rapidly changing urban scene. In extending discussion to the "appropriateness" of new hospital provision, the thesis examines the relationship that hospitals have with their client populations. This involves not only their geographical location, but also their interaction with other health care providers in the urban space and, most importantly, the roles which hospitals have been assigned. The thesis explores the link between the function of a hospital and the principles on which the hospital system is based, arguing that the system is not merely a product of a particular politico-economic setting, but also of a history of influences, not least of which has been the need to mediate between the diverse cultures and traditions of Hong Kong. Guiding principles concerning the role and functioning of hospitals can be collectively described as a "hospital philosophy". Because it has arisen out of diverse influences, such a guiding philosophy may be susceptible to change, even though basic economic and political relations remain essentially unaltered. Since a hospital philosophy can affect location decisions and the way in which the hospital interacts over space, any change in philosophy may have spatial implications. The thesis assesses the extent to which the philosophy can be successfully altered from within the system by paying particular attention to the relationship between one hospital, which has proclaimed an alternative approach, and the area which that hospital serves. Also examined are the Government's own plans for changing the operation of hospital services for the 1990s and their spatial implications, assessing to what extent this reflects a significant change in outlook towards hospital care

Expert elicitation of seasonal abundance of North Atlantic right whales Eubalaena glacialis in the mid-Atlantic

This work was supported in part by US Office of Naval Research (ONR) grants to E.F.: N00014-09-1-0896 at University of California, Santa Barbara and N00014-12-1-0274 at University of California, Davis. This work was also supported by ONR grant N000141210286 to the University of St Andrews. In addition, we gratefully acknowledge funding for this work from The Marine Alliance for Science and Technology for Scotland (MASTS). MASTS is funded by the Scottish Funding Council (grant reference HR09011) and contributing institutions.North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis; henceforth right whales) are among the most endangered large whales. Although protected since 1935, their abundance has remained low. Right whales occupy the Atlantic Ocean from southern Greenland and the Gulf of St. Lawrence south to Florida. The highly industrialized mid-Atlantic region is part of the species’ migratory corridor. Gaps in knowledge of the species’ movements through the mid-Atlantic limit informed management of stressors to the species. To contribute to filling of these gaps, we elicited estimates of the relative abundance of adult right whales in the mid-Atlantic during four months, representing each season, from ten experts. We elicited the minimum, maximum, and mode as the number of individuals in a hypothetical population of 100 right whales, and confidence estimates as percentages. For each month-sex combination, we merged the ten experts’ answers into one distribution. The estimated modes of relative abundances of both sexes were highest in January and April (females, 29 and 59; males, 22 and 23) and lowest in July and October (females, five and nine; males, three and five). In some cases, our elicitation results were consistent with the results of studies based on sightings data. However, these studies generally did not adjust for sampling effort, which was low and likely variable. Our results supplement the results of these studies and will increase the accuracy of priors in complementary Bayesian models of right whale abundances and movements through the mid-Atlantic.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

High temperature reliability of power module substrates

The thermal cycling reliability of candidate copper and aluminium power substrates has been assessed for use at temperatures exceeding 300°C peak using a combination of thermal cycling, nanoindentation and finite element modelling to understand the relative stresses and evolution of the mechanical properties. The results include the relative cycling lifetimes up to 350°C, demonstrating almost an order of magnitude higher lifetime for active metal brazed Al / AlN substrates over Cu / Si3N4, but four times more severe roughening and cracking of the Ni-P plating's on the Al / AlN (DBA) substrates. The nonlinear finite element modelling illustrated that the yield strength of the metal and the thickness of the ceramic are the main stress controlling factors, but comparisons with the cycling lifetime results demonstrated that the fracture toughness (resistance) of the ceramic is the over-riding controlling factor for the overall passive thermal cycling lifetimes. In order to achieve the highest substrate lifetime for the highly stressed high temperature thermal cycled applications, the optimum solution appears to be annealed copper, brazed on to a thicker than normal or higher fracture toughness Si3N4 ceramic

Climigration? Population and climate change in Arctic Alaska

Residents of towns and villages in Arctic Alaska live on “the front line of climate change.” Some communities face immediate threats from erosion and flooding associated with thawing permafrost, increasing river flows, and reduced sea ice protection of shorelines. The term climigration, referring to migration caused by climate change, originally was coined for these places. Although initial applications emphasized the need for government relocation policies, it has elsewhere been applied more broadly to encompass unplanned migration as well. Some historical movements have been attributed to climate change, but closer study tends to find multiple causes, making it difficult to quantify the climate contribution. Clearer attribution might come from comparisons of migration rates among places that are similar in most respects, apart from known climatic impacts. We apply this approach using annual 1990–2014 time series on 43 Arctic Alaska towns and villages. Within-community time plots show no indication of enhanced out-migration from the most at-risk communities. More formally, there is no significant difference between net migration rates of at-risk and other places, testing several alternative classifications. Although climigration is not detectable to date, growing risks make either planned or unplanned movements unavoidable in the near future