BREEAM for Healthcare - a report for NHS Estates and Facilities Policy

This report considers sustainable healthcare properties and in particular the use of BREEAM for Healthcare 2008 and the options for improving sustainability across the NHS

LIFT: 21st century health care centres

Purpose To examine the processes used to procure and develop new primary health care premises in the United Kingdom and in particular the use of the private finance initiative and related methods. Design/methodology/approach An in-depth study of two local improvement finance trust schemes to procure new primary health care premises. These are contrasted against the ad-hoc arrangements for the traditional procurement of general practice doctor's surgery premises. Interviews were undertaken with key participants on both sides of the negotiations. Findings The process can be an unequal struggle between large consortia and small, inexperienced clients that may result in a wasted opportunity to obtain the optimum design and price. Research limitations/implications The research is limited to early use of the local improvement finance trust process and procedures; client bodies, such as primary care trusts, may benefit from the experience of earlier projects. The method of procurement will evolve and be refined and will become more widely used, not only for health but also in the education sector. Further examination of the procurement of education buildings using similar methods would be beneficial. Originality/value This method of procuring buildings is relatively new, and therefore, largely untried

The Solar X-ray Limb

We describe a new technique to measure the height of the X-ray limb with observations from occulted X-ray flare sources as observed by the RHESSI (the Reuven Ramaty High-Energy Spectroscopic Imager) satellite. This method has model dependencies different from those present in traditional observations at optical wavelengths, which depend upon detailed modeling involving radiative transfer in a medium with complicated geometry and flows. It thus provides an independent and more rigorous measurement of the "true" solar radius, meaning that of the mass distribution. RHESSI's measurement makes use of the flare X-ray source's spatial Fourier components (the visibilities), which are sensitive to the presence of the sharp edge at the lower boundary of the occulted source. We have found a suitable flare event for analysis, SOL2011-10-20T03:25 (M1.7), and report a first result from this novel technique here. Using a 4-minute integration over the 3-25 keV photon energy range, we find $R_{\mathrm{X-ray}} = 960.11\ \pm\ 0.15 \pm 0.29$ arcsec, at 1 AU, where the uncertainties include statistical uncertainties from the method and a systematic error. The standard VAL-C model predicts a value of 959.94 arcsec, about 1$\sigma$ below our value.Comment: 12 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in Ap

A new method of observing weak extended x-ray sources with RHESSI

We present a new method, fan-beam modulation, for observing weak extended x-ray sources with the Reuven Ramaty High-Energy Solar Spectroscopic Imager (RHESSI). This space-based solar x-ray and gamma-ray telescope has much greater sensitivity than previous experiments in the 3-25 keV range, but is normally not well suited to detecting extended sources since their signal is not modulated by RHESSI's rotating grids. When the spacecraft is offpointed from the target source, however, the fan-beam modulation time-modulates the transmission by shadowing resulting from exploiting the finite thickness of the grids. In this paper we detail how the technique is implemented and verify its consistency with sources with clear known signals that have occurred during RHESSI offpointing: microflares and the Crab Nebula. In both cases the results are consistent with previous and complementary measurements. Preliminary work indicates that this new technique allows RHESSI to observe the integrated hard x-ray spectrum of weak extended sources on the quiet Sun.Comment: Publishe

Max '91: Flare research at the next solar maximum

To address the central scientific questions surrounding solar flares, coordinated observations of electromagnetic radiation and energetic particles must be made from spacecraft, balloons, rockets, and ground-based observatories. A program to enhance capabilities in these areas in preparation for the next solar maximum in 1991 is recommended. The major scientific issues are described, and required observations and coordination of observations and analyses are detailed. A program plan and conceptual budgets are provided

The High Energy Solar Physics mission (HESP): Scientific objectives and technical description

The High Energy Solar Physics mission offers the opportunity for major breakthroughs in the understanding of the fundamental energy release and particle acceleration processes at the core of the solar flare problem. The following subject areas are covered: the scientific objectives of HESP; what we can expect from the HESP observations; the high energy imaging spectrometer (HEISPEC); the HESP spacecraft; and budget and schedule

INVESTIGATIONS TOWARD THE APPLICATION OF ORGANIC PHOTOREDOX CATALYSIS TO THE SYNTHESIS OF NATURAL PRODUCTS

While chemistry proceeding through radical intermediates has been known and studied for centuries, photoredox catalysis as a means of generating these species has only entered the forefront of synthetic organic chemistry within the past few decades. This approach has gained traction due to the use of visible light and generally mild conditions, making it compatible with a range of functional groups and late-stage functionalization. Chapters 1 and 2 of this work focus on photoredox catalysis in general. The first chapter covers the basic principles of photoredox catalysis, giving special attention to acridinium ion dyes as photoredox catalysts; in addition, select applications of acridinium ion photoredox catalysis to the synthesis of natural products are discussed. The second chapter details the importance of electrochemical potentials in planning and conducting photoredox transformations. Our work on compiling a database of experimental and computational potentials, and a collaboration with Merck on the advantages of organic photoredox catalysis are presented. Chapters 3 and 4 focus on our endeavors to apply acridinium ion photoredox catalysis to the synthesis of the natural products rubriflordilactone B and stemocurtisine. This work has culminated in a diastereoselective route to the left side of rubriflordilactone B and preliminary results for an approach to stemocurtisine.Doctor of Philosoph

The shape of the Sun

Are you in the path of the total solar eclipse on 8 April 2024? You are? Great! We need your help! And, er, don't forget to bring your smartphone

Remote Measurements of Tides and River Slope Using an Airborne Lidar Instrument

Tides and river slope are fundamental characteristics of estuaries, but they are usually undersampled due to deficiencies in the spatial coverage of water level measurements. This study aims to address this issue by investigating the use of airborne lidar measurements to study tidal statistics and river slope in the Columbia River estuary. Eight plane transects over a 12-h period yield at least eight independent measurements of water level at 2.5-km increments over a 65-km stretch of the estuary. These data are fit to a sinusoidal curve and the results are compared to seven in situ gauges. In situ– and lidar-based tide curves agree to within a root-mean-square error of 0.21 m, and the lidar-based river slope estimate of 1.8 × 10−5 agrees well with the in situ–based estimate of 1.4 × 10−5 (4 mm km−1 difference). Lidar-based amplitude and phase estimates are within 10% and 8°, respectively, of their in situ counterparts throughout most of the estuary. Error analysis suggests that increased measurement accuracy and more transects are required to reduce the errors in estimates of tidal amplitude and phase. However, the results validate the use of airborne remote sensing to measure tides and suggest this approach can be used to systematically study water levels at a spatial density not possible with in situ gauges