A lightweight solar array study

A sample module was assembled to model a portion of a flexible extendable solar array, a type that promises to become the next generation of solar array design. The resulting study of this module is intended to provide technical support to the array designer for lightweight component selection, specifications, and tests. Selected from available lightweight components were 127-micron-thick wrap-around contacted solar cells, 34- micron-thick sputtered glass covers, and as a substrate a 13-micron-thick polyimide film clad with a copper printed circuit. Each component displayed weaknesses. The thin solar cells had excessive breakage losses. Sputtered glass cover adhesion was poor, and the covered cell was weaker than the cell uncovered. Thermal stresses caused some cell delamination from the model solar array substrate

Epitopes in ChEBI - A Collaboration with the IEDB

*ChEBI background:* Chemical Entities of Biological Interest (ChEBI) is a curated database of small chemical entities important in biosystems. As well as a description of entities, it provides a semantically rich knowledge base; and an internal hierarchy that organises the entities by their molecular structure types and potential rôles.

*The ChEBI-IEDB collaboration:* The Immune Epitope and Analysis Resource (IEDB) is a project supported by contract from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). Its goal is to make epitope-related data on infectious diseases and immune disorders freely available to researchers worldwide. In June 2009, ChEBI began working with the IEDB on a project aimed at incorporating into ChEBI, by manual curation, a pilot subset of immunologically important chemicals identified as immune epitopes.

*The significance of the project:* Numerous reports attest to an increasing global prevalence of immune-related diseases, with a multiplicity of contributing factors. This situation underscores the need for cross-talk among the various scientific disciplines, and makes ChEBI involvement in this project particularly relevant. 

*Collaboration outcome:* That collaboration among curators working on different databases can be reciprocally beneficial has been amply demonstrated by the ChEBI-IEDB teamwork described: while the incorporated IEDB items have substantially enriched ChEBI, the latter’s multiplicity of synonyms, structure tree lay-out and expertise in describing non-peptidic epitopes have been equally useful to the IEDB in facilitating the search process.
*Status quo and plans:* We continue to refine our task of assisting the identification, understanding and utilisation of biologically meaningful chemical entities by engaging in further joint projects

Modifying the temperature dependence of magnetic garnet film coercivity by etching

The temperature dependence of the domain-wall coercive field of epitaxial magnetic garnet films was modified in a defined temperature range by removing the surface layer of the films. Outside the given temperature range the coercivity versus temperature curve did not change. The result supports a model of coercivity according to which different sets of material imperfections are responsible for pinning the domain walls in different temperature regions. Appropriate processing of the samples enables some of the pinning sets to be modified independently of each other

Patterns of mortality in children presenting to a tertiary paediatric emergency unit in Sub-Saharan Africa: a cross sectional study

Background Pneumonia, diarrhoea and perinatal factors are the foremost killers of South African children as in other low- and middle-income countries. Poverty, poor access to care and pre-hospital care are reported major pre-hospital factors and lack of triage, poor skills, delays, poor adherence to treatment protocols and inadequate emergency care determining mortality have been reported to increase in-hospital mortality. Objectives To describe the clinical presentation and management of children admitted via the medical emergency unit (MEU) of the Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital (RCWMCH) who subsequently died. Methods We did a retrospective study undertaking a cross-sectional review of children who died following admission via RCWMCH MEU in 2008. Demographic information, clinical data, time factors and mortality data were reviewed and summarised by descriptive and inferential statistics. The unit utilised the WHO Emergency Triage Assessment and Treatment (ETAT) triage tool, categorising children into Red (emergency), orange (priority) and Green (non-urgent). Patient management was assessed by means of ETAT and the Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) tools, which is used to identify severity of illness and strategize treatment plans accordingly. Results A total of 135 children met the inclusion criteria. The crude mortality rate was of 6.25 per 1000 admissions. Of the 135 children who died, 119 (88%) were under five years of age, 33(24%) were HIV-infected, of whom (88%) were under 5 years old. In 67 (50%), a chronic medical condition could be identified while 67 (50 %) were moderately or severely malnourished. There were 29 (22%) deaths within 24 hours of arrival at the MEU. Fifty-five (41%) presented after hours. Community health centres referred 65 (48%) patients, general practitioners referred 20 (15%) and 38 (28%) were self-referred. Ambulance services provided pre-hospital transport to 69 (51%). The two top presenting illnesses in 88 (65%) of the children were acute respiratory illness and acute gastroenteritis. Prior to referral, oxygen was not provided in 57 (59%) children, 35 (71%) with suspected sepsis did not receive antibiotics and glucose was not checked in 39 (80%) with depressed level of consciousness. The median time to ward transfer was 3.23 (IQR: 2.12-4.92) hours. Twelve deaths (9%) occurred in the MEU, 57 (42%) in PICU, 56 (42%) in medical wards and 10 (7%) in specialist wards. The five most common causes of death were acute respiratory infections in 45 (33%), acute gastroenteritis in 27 (20%), septicaemia 22 (16%), meningitis in 13 (10%) and cardiac conditions in 12 (9%) children. Conclusion The top causes of mortality in this hospital cohort in 2008 were pneumonia, acute gastroenteritis, and septicaemia. Using the IMCI and ETAT standard of care, suboptimal management was identified in pre-hospital management, as well as MEU management. Appropriate training and protocol implementation to improve morbidity and mortality should be undertaken

Perceptions of Validity: How Knowledge is Created, Transformed and Used in Bio-Agricultural Technology Safety Testing for the Development of Government Policies and Regulations

This is a case study dissertation to research the socio-political conflict surrounding Gilles Eric Séralini’s et al (2012) research on the toxicity of Monsanto’s NK603 line of corn and the herbicide Roundup. The study analyzes this conflict as a system of interconnected and often conflicting interests, assumptions and ideologies about how knowledge is created and transformed from the research stage to the policy implementation stage. The goal of this study is to: 1.) analyze critical surface level and underlying factors that contribute to the conflict; 2.) analyze systemic processes between national and international researchers, private interests and government policymakers in developing and implementing research protocols, policies and regulations pertaining (but not limited) to Monsanto’s NK603 corn and Roundup; 3.) identify potential patterns of knowledge transformation from the research stage to policy implementation. The theoretical approach used in this study considers social construction, critical theory and Kuhn’s theory of scientific revolution. In utilizing case study methodology, this study incorporates internal analysis of Séralini’s case with a basic comparative analysis of DDT and lead policy processes and knowledge transformation, using mainly secondary data sources supplemented with primary interview material from two select researchers using purposive sampling. By conducting this research, it is hoped that this study reveals a better understanding of the complex interconnected systems that help create and transform food safety policies and the science that supports and/or transforms them

Review of Salzburg Seminar in American Studies

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