Development of a 25 - 50 watt high efficiency, X-band, traveling wave tube Quarterly report, Nov. 1970 - Jan. 1971

Computer design technique of electron gun for use in spacecraft transmitter

Production of hydrogen by unmixed steam reforming of methane

Unmixed steam reforming is an alternative method of catalytic steam reforming that uses separate air and fuel–steam feeds, producing a reformate high in H2 content using a single reactor and a variety of fuels. It claims insensitivity to carbon formation and can operate autothermally. The high H2 content is achieved by in situ N2 separation from the air using an oxygen transfer material (OTM), and by CO2 capture using a solid sorbent. The OTM and CO2 sorbent are regenerated during the fuel–steam feed and the air feed, respectively, within the same reactor. This paper describes the steps taken to choose a suitable CO2-sorbent material for this process when using methane fuel with the help of microreactor tests, and the study of the carbonation efficiency and regeneration ability of the materials tested. Elemental balances from bench scale experiments using the best OTM in the absence of the CO2 sorbent allow identifying the sequence of the chemical reaction mechanism. The effect of reactor temperature between 600 and on the process outputs is investigated. Temperatures of 600 and under the fuel–steam feed were each found to offer a different set of desirable outputs. Two stages during the fuel–steam feed were characterised by a different set of global reactions, an initial stage where the OTM is reduced directly by methane, and indirectly by hydrogen produced by methane thermal decomposition, in the second stage, steam reforming takes over once sufficient OTM has been reduced. The implications of these stages on the process desirable outputs such as efficiency of reactants conversion, reformate gas quality, and transient effects are discussed

The implementation and use of Ada on distributed systems with high reliability requirements

The use and implementation of Ada in distributed environments in which reliability is the primary concern were investigated. In particular, the concept that a distributed system may be programmed entirely in Ada so that the individual tasks of the system are unconcerned with which processors they are executing on, and that failures may occur in the software or underlying hardware was examined. Progress is discussed for the following areas: continued development and testing of the fault-tolerant Ada testbed; development of suggested changes to Ada so that it might more easily cope with the failure of interest; and design of new approaches to fault-tolerant software in real-time systems, and integration of these ideas into Ada

The implementation and use of Ada on distributed systems with reliability requirements

The issues involved in the use of the programming language Ada on distributed systems are discussed. The effects of Ada programs on hardware failures such as loss of a processor are emphasized. It is shown that many Ada language elements are not well suited to this environment. Processor failure can easily lead to difficulties on those processors which remain. As an example, the calling task in a rendezvous may be suspended forever if the processor executing the serving task fails. A mechanism for detecting failure is proposed and changes to the Ada run time support system are suggested which avoid most of the difficulties. Ada program structures are defined which allow programs to reconfigure and continue to provide service following processor failure

UK national quantum technology programme

The UK has, through a mix of government and industry funding, committed more than £1Bn over ten years to a coordinated programme in quantum technology. Five years into this programme, the UK National Quantum Technology Programme has induced a step change in the nation's capabilities for establishing a new sector in future quantum information technologies. We describe how the programme arose and the activities it has supported and influenced to deliver these new capabilities, building on a first phase of over £385M investment across several UK government agencies. As the programme enters its second phase, with a further substantial investment by UK government and global industries, we review the prospects for ensuring the advanced quantum science and demonstrator platforms in imaging, sensing, timing, communications and computing developed over the past five years drive the formation of the sector and embed quantum tech in a broad range of industries by means of new products and services

The effectiveness and consistency of disciplinary actions and procedures within a South African organisation

Disciplinary procedures are used to correct behaviour which contradicts organisational goals and brings about labour peace in the workplace. However, if incorrectly applied, its consequences can be felt throughout the organisation. The objective of this paper was to examine how employees perceive the application of disciplinary action in the organisation and whether they felt that leaders were following correct procedures in this regard. A closed-ended questionnaire was distributed to a sample group of employees, where after focus group interviews were held to elaborate on answers given. The results revealed that employees felt disciplinary procedures were inconsistently applied, and that not all employees received the same treatment for similar actions. It is suggested that leaders within the investigated organisation receive guidance and appropriate training to correct this perception, which will lead to the consistent application of discipline and appropriate treatment of all employees, resulting in improved employee morale, motivation and a healthier work environment

Measuring and addressing pain in people with limited communication skills: The “I hurt help me" pain management project

There are no national standards for pain assessment and treatment for people with Learning Disabilities or those who have limited communication skills. Residential homes are usually privately run with non NHS employees and there is a lack of training on pain and its management, with many staff unaware of basic treatment options. Following an audit within a range of Learning Disability Care Homes in a district in one county in the United Kingdom (UK) looking at pain assessment and management, a small feasibility study was carried out to ascertain which of three pain measurement tools were found to be most useful. DISDAT was identified as the tool of choice. A training package entitled “I Hurt Help Me” was developed for managers and carers working with people with a learning disability. The training consisted of how to assess pain using the DISDAT tool and pain management. The training sessions involved 203 carers in 54 residential homes, providing care for more than 287 residents. The evaluation of these sessions is presented here and demonstrates that carers’ pain assessment and management skills improved facilitating more individualised intervention. The standard of recording has improved and Health Action Plans (HAPs) are now becoming commonplace with detailed descriptors of individual residents - allowing a baseline to work from, enabling faster and more effective care for people with Learning Disabilities and the resultant reduction in challenging behaviour. The importance of training non-registered staff is highlighted and the need for further development in this area