Investigation of K0Σ+K^0\Sigma^+ photoproduction with the CBELSA/TAPS experiment

$\gamma (p,K^0)\Sigma^+$ cross section was measured at the CBELSA/TAPS experiment at the ELSA electron stretcher facility. A cusp-like structure was apparent near the $K^*$ production threshold, where the cross section reduced by a factor of four in the forward direction. It is speculated that t-channel $K^*$ exchange, and meson-hyperon dynamically generated states may have large contributions to the cross section. The motivation for the extraction of the beam-target double polarisation observable, $E$, is discussed, and the new experiment, BGO-OD at the ELSA facility is introduced.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures. Proceedings of NSTAR201

Assessing Benefits and Barriers to Deployment of Solar Mini Grids in Ghanaian Rural Island Communities

Researchers, policy makers, and development partners are increasingly concerned about the challenges of climate change and lack of energy access facing countries in sub-Saharan Africa. While the majority of people in sub-Saharan African countries lack livelihood diversification skills and are vulnerable to climate change, energy poverty is also widespread, particularly in the rural areas where it is difficult and expensive to extend grid electricity. In the face of these two challenges, it has been envisaged that since sub-Saharan Africa is endowed with variety of renewable energy resources such as solar, wind, and biomass, their deployment could help address both climate change and energy access in the region. While the deployment of renewable energy could offer benefits for rural populations in the region, barriers to their deployment are inevitable. There has been limited research on co-benefits and barriers to renewable energy deployment in sub-Saharan Africa. This dissertation combines climate compatible development and social construction of technology theoretical frameworks as the analytical framework alongside mixed methods including surveys, semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, and direct observations to identify the benefits and barriers to the deployment of solar mini grids in Ghanaian rural island communities. The island communities were created in 1965 as a result of the construction of Ghana’s largest hydro-electric dam and they have remained so until 2015 when the World Bank Group funded the provision of solar mini grids in five communities. Major benefits that emerged include adaptation benefits such as creation of jobs and business opportunities; mitigation benefits such as replacement of kerosene use and reduction in deforestation; and development benefits such as improvement in healthcare delivery and school performance. Key barriers identified include infrastructural, socio-cultural, and technical barriers. Based on the findings, the study concluded that solar mini grids could address both climate change and energy access in the region and as such, more resources should be channeled towards their deployment, while steps are also taken to address both the technical and socio-cultural barriers. Given that the Ghanaian islands share many similarities with other sub-Saharan African rural contexts, the results are transferable to other rural areas in the region

Computerized Evaluation of Individual State Modules

A report on the May 22, 1969 meeting of Appalachian Adult Basic Education Demonstration Center held in Lexington, Kentucky compiled by Jude T. Cotter

Detection of K+ mesons in segmented electromagnetic calorimeters

The combination of the CrystalBall and TAPS electromagnetic calorimeters were installed in the MAMI A2 hall in 2003. Here they are able to detect the reaction products from photo-induced reactions in combination with the Glasgow photon tagger. In the last two years the MAMI facility was upgraded from 885 MeV to 1.5 GeV, the A2 photon tagger underwent a similar upgrade crossing the threshold for strangeness photoproduction. For the CrystalBall this created a new challenge, to identify K+ mesons above the large background from other charged hadrons, in a situation where the detector setup does not benefit from a magnetic field to help separate particle species. These proceedings outline a novel technique which uses the decay products of the K+ as a strangeness tag

Demonstrating a Perimeter Trap Crop Approach to Pest Management on Summer Squash in New England

Perimeter trap cropping (PTC) involves using a trap crop, and possibly other border defenses, to encircle and protect the main cash crop like fortress walls. Six growers in Connecticut used PTC to protect commercial summer squash plantings from cucumber beetles and bacterial wilt damage. Grower surveys were used to compare PTC program results to the conventional multiple-full-field-spray system formerly used on the farms. Most growers using PTC stated that this system improved and simplified pest control, reduced pesticide use (93%) and crop loss, and saved them time and money compared to their conventional program

Fascioliasis in Cattle and Goat Slaughtered at Calabar Abattoirs

The occurrence of fascioliasis among trade ruminants (cattle and goat) slaughtered at Calabar abattoirs was investigated using centrifugal method, haemocytometer and histological preparations for fecal, blood and liver tissue examinations respectively. One hundred and seventy nine (44.8%) of 400 cattle and 126 (36.0%) of 350 goat respectively had fascioliasis. Parasite intensity ranged between 8 - 10 flukes per liver of infected cattle and 4 - 5 flukes per liver of infected goat. Infected liver of the two ruminants were damaged. Damaged Hepatic parenchyma resulting in severe haemorrhage, thickening and gross fibrosis of bile duct were observed. Dislodge hepatic cells became wandering cells amidst macrophages within the sinusoid. The central vein of cattle infected by Fasciola hepatica and Fasciola gigantica was enlarged and laden with debris resulting in obstruction of liver function such as protein synthesis. This caused the liver to be rejected. Seven to seventeen percent of infected cattle liver and2 – 7% of infected goat liver were discarded. Excessive leucocytosis with marked eosinophilia was observed in infected animal blood. It is important to examine carcasses of ruminants slaughtered in abattoirs before presentation for public consumption

Drop amalgam voltammetric study of lead complexation by natural inorganic ligands in a salt lake

A study of inorganic complexation of lead using drop amalgam voltammetry is described. The study has been carried out in simulated salt lake water and at ionic strength of 7.35 M, the predetermined ionic strength of Lake Katwe. The complexation of lead with the simple ligands (Cl-, CO32-) created anodic waves and the shifts of the peak potentials of lead with the introduction of varying concentrations of each ligand measured. The analysis of these shifts furnished information about the stability constants of the lead complexes which was employed in the calculation of lead species distribution. These mathematical treatments revealed the existence of two lead chloride complexes with corresponding stability constants log b1 = 0.88, log b2 = 2.95; and two carbonate complexes with log b1 = 8.50 and log b2 = 9.62. The results obtained indicate that in Lake Katwe water (25 oC, carbonate alkalinity = 0.11 M, pH 11) approximately 0.00% of total inorganic lead exists as the free ion, and at chloride concentration of 1.8 M only 1.3% of lead exists as the free ion. KEY WORDS: Drop amalgam, Lead speciation, Stability constants, Lake Katwe, Voltammetric complexation, Species distributionBull. Chem. Soc. Ethiop. 2004, 18(1), 91-100. 

Delivering organisational adaptation through legislative mechanisms: Evidence from the Adaptation Reporting Power (Climate Change Act 2008)

There is increasing recognition that organisations, particularly in key infrastructure sectors, are potentially vulnerable to climate change and extreme weather events, and require organisational responses to ensure they are resilient and adaptive. However, detailed evidence of how adaptation is facilitated, implemented and reported, particularly through legislative mechanisms is lacking. The United Kingdom Climate Change Act (2008), introduced the Adaptation Reporting Power, enabling the Government to direct so-called reporting authorities to report their climate change risks and adaptation plans. We describe the authors' unique role and experience supporting the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) during the Adaptation Reporting Power's first round. An evaluation framework, used to review the adaptation reports, is presented alongside evidence on how the process provides new insights into adaptation activities and triggered organisational change in 78% of reporting authorities, including the embedding of climate risk and adaptation issues. The role of legislative mechanisms and risk-based approaches in driving and delivering adaptation is discussed alongside future research needs, including the development of organisational maturity models to determine resilient and well adapting organisations. The Adaptation Reporting Power process provides a basis for similar initiatives in other countries, although a clear engagement strategy to ensure buy-in to the process and research on its long-term legacy, including the potential merits of voluntary approaches, is required

Real-time, high frequency QRS electrocardiograph with reduced amplitude zone detection

Real time cardiac electrical data are received from a patient, manipulated to determine various useful aspects of the ECG signal, and displayed in real time in a useful form on a computer screen or monitor. The monitor displays the high frequency data from the QRS complex in units of microvolts, juxtaposed with a display of conventional ECG data in units of millivolts or microvolts. The high frequency data are analyzed for their root mean square (RMS) voltage values and the discrete RMS values and related parameters are displayed in real time. The high frequency data from the QRS complex are analyzed with imbedded algorithms to determine the presence or absence of reduced amplitude zones, referred to herein as ''RAZs''. RAZs are displayed as ''go, no-go'' signals on the computer monitor. The RMS and related values of the high frequency components are displayed as time varying signals, and the presence or absence of RAZs may be similarly displayed over time