Physical Transport and Chemical Behavior of Dispersed Oil

During response operations, scientific information is provided to decision makers, such as the Federal On-Scene Coordinator (FOSC), state and federal trustees, and the public. The decision to use chemical dispersants during a response is made among all these parties, and during the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill the dispersant discussion included both surface and subsurface application of chemical dispersants. This paper is intended to provide perspective on research needs considered pre- and post-DWH oil spill related to response modeling and data collection needs for decision support of dispersant application and its potential effects. Given time constraints for implementing models and sampling strategies for response, requirements for data and types of questions to be addressed may be significantly different than requirements for research or damage assessment activities. At the time of this writing, just over a year after the successful response operations to cap the well, many studies are still in progress, and data are still being collected and evaluated to assess dispersant effectiveness and possible impacts. More information and research results will become available over the next months to years. Thus these research needs, as summarized for this workshop, should be evaluated again at a later time

Blue remembered skills : mental health awareness training for police officers

The Bradley Report (Bradley, 2009) has raised a number of important questions regarding the treatment of individuals who are experiencing mental health problems and find themselves in the criminal justice system. One of the key recommendations is that professional staff working across criminal justice organisations should receive increased training in this area. This paper explores the experiences of two professionals, a mental health nurse and a social worker, involved in providing training for police officers. It goes on to consider the most effective models of training for police officers

Fast Field-Cycling MRI : A New Imaging Modality

Non peer reviewedPublisher PD

Recent Progress in Fast Field-Cycling MRI

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Derivation and internal validation of an equation for albumin-adjusted calcium

YesFunding provided by the Open Access Authors Fund

Combined 624-nm and 850-nm illumination at low rates leads to enhanced inhibition of Candida albicans

Background: To determine whether combinations of red and infrared light could improve inhibition of Candida albicans and whether combining wavelengths and altering rate of energy delivery could prevent the formation of resistance to light energy.Methods: C. albicans was tested because of the common appearance in human skin and mucous membrane infections. The organism was treated in vitro with a combination of 624-nm (red) and 850-nm (infrared) light emitted from a supraluminous diode (SLD) array. Doses of 9, and 30 J/cm2 were used. Rate of energy delivery was also manipulated. Colony counts were performed and compared to untreated controls using Student t tests and one-way ANOVA with Tukey post hoc analysis.Results: The combination of 624 and 850-nm light energy at 30 J/cm2 was an effective (p ≤ 0.05) inhibitor of C. albicans across all seven stages of the experiment. The combination of 624 and 850-nm wavelengths produced a maximum kill rate [{control – treated / control} X 100] of 76.24% and an average kill rate of 54% across the seven stages of the experiment.Conclusions: A Combination of 624-nm and 850-nm light from an SLD array can inhibit the growth of C. albicans in vitro. Altering delivery rate of the energy can delay resistance formation in this organism.