New Technologies In Solar Energy Conversion -An Overview

Useful sources of solar energy, besides the direct rays of the sun, include energy stored in the oceans, the winds, elevated waters and biological materials. Systems for putting any of these forms of solar energy to work for us require economical means for 1) energy conversion 2) energy storage and 3) the concentration of energy in space and time to deliver the necessary sustained high power levels required for significant and productive end use. Technological challenges exist in all three of these areas of need. In this paper the authors describe some of the specific needs and review the status of technology in five developing areas of solar conversion: solar thermal, photovoltaic, ocean thermal gradient, wind and the generation of fuels

Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries

Abstract Background Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres. Methods This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries. Results In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia. Conclusion This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries

Research translation for military and veteran health: research, practice, policy

Military service presents unique challenges and opportunities for health care and public health. In the USA, there are over 2 million military servicemembers, 20 million veterans, and millions more military and veteran family members. Military servicemembers and eligible family members, many veterans, and retirees receive health care through the two largest learning health care systems in the USA, managed and delivered through the Departments of Defense (DoD), Veterans Affairs (VA), and contracted health care organizations. Through a network of collaborative relationships, DoD, VA, and partnering health care and research organizations (university, corporate, community, and government) accelerate research translation into best practices and policy across the USA and beyond. This article outlines military and veteran health research translation as summarized from a collaborative workshop led by experts across health care research, practice, and administration in DoD, VA, the National Institutes of Health, and affiliated universities. Key themes and recommendations for research translation are outlined in areas of: (a) stakeholder engagement and collaboration; (b) implementation science methods; and (c) funding along the translation continuum. Overall, the ability to rapidly translate research into clinical practice and policy for positive health outcomes requires collaborative relationships among many stakeholders. This includes servicemembers, veterans, and their families along with researchers, health care clinicians, and administrators, as well as policymakers and the broader population

Central Neuropeptide Y Modulates Binge-Like Ethanol Drinking in C57BL/6J Mice via Y1 and Y2 Receptors

Frequent binge drinking has been linked to heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and the development of ethanol dependence. Thus, identifying pharmaceutical targets to treat binge drinking is of paramount importance. Here we employed a mouse model of binge-like ethanol drinking to study the role of neuropeptide Y (NPY). To this end, the present set of studies utilized pharmacological manipulation of NPY signaling, immunoreactivity (IR) mapping of NPY and NPY receptors, and electrophysiological recordings from slice preparations of the amygdala. The results indicated that central infusion of NPY, a NPY Y1 receptor (Y1R) agonist, and a Y2R antagonist significantly blunted binge-like ethanol drinking in C57BL/6J mice (that achieved blood ethanol levels >80 mg/dl in control conditions). Binge-like ethanol drinking reduced NPY and Y1R IR in the central nucleus of the amygdala (CeA), and 24 h of ethanol abstinence after a history of binge-like drinking promoted increases of Y1R and Y2R IR. Electrophysiological recordings of slice preparations from the CeA showed that binge-like ethanol drinking augmented the ability of NPY to inhibit GABAergic transmission. Thus, binge-like ethanol drinking in C57BL/6J mice promoted alterations of NPY signaling in the CeA, and administration of exogenous NPY compounds protected against binge-like drinking. The current data suggest that Y1R agonists and Y2R antagonists may be useful for curbing and/or preventing binge drinking, protecting vulnerable individuals from progressing to the point of ethanol dependence

Observations on the state of comparative administration research in Europe : more comparable than comparative

This article tries to review public administration research undertaken in Europe since about 1980. As there is little comparative research, an attempt is made to systematize comparable research along three dimensions: organization structures (macro and micro), meta-policymaking as it refers to budgeting and planning procedures, and research about personnel and personnel policy. It is obseroed that neo-conseroative reform policies in the Anglo-American countries have had a noticeable impact on the orientation of academic research. Subsequently, these policies not only affected macro-structures by privatization and decentralization measures, but also gave meta-policymaking a characteristic turn, quite as it tried to induce a more managerialist role understanding in the civil seroice. It is argued in favor of more basic research and the institutionalization of administrative monitoring on the national level as well as stronger cooperation on the international level to advance comparative research beyond secondary analysis of the incidentally comparable