The effect of applied fields on crystallisation

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.The thesis provides a background on crystallisation, the effects of applied fields and summarises the techniques used for characterisation and analysis. The study of applied magnetic fields was carried out on three crystallising systems (a) sucrose, (b) lactose and (c) cocoa butter. Both sucrose and lactose were crystallised from aqueous solutions in incubators at 50°C in applied magnetic fields and the resulting crystals compared to the those obtained under zero field conditions. The results for the sucrose study where the magnetic treatment was carried out under static, dynamic pumped and dynamic syphoned conditions domonstrated that changes in phase, crystallinity, morphology and microcrystallinity were a result of the applied magnetic fields and additional strongly bound water was found to be present within the sucrose crystals most likely to be sucrose hydrates. The resulting sucrose crystals were dependant on the type of field applied, the purity of the sucrose solution and the residence time within the applied field. The lactose study under static conditions provided similar results concluding that applied fields resulted in a more controlled crystallisation resulting in increased crystal size, increased crystallinity and changes in morphology. Crystallisation of cocoa butter from the melt, under normal production conditions in applied fields, resulted in changes in morphology and the time taken to reach optimum tempering which were dependant on the type of applied field and the residence time in the applied field.Nestl

Square Pegs Community Arts on Campus

My capstone project started with a qualitative research study exploring the value of music through the voices of Autistic adults, for without their voices—whether verbal, non-verbal, or verbally limited—it is difficult to know what the value of music is in their lives. The inclusion and leadership of Neurodivergent Black, Indigenous, and students of color (BIPOC) in the UWT Neurodiverse community is one focus of this project; the other is to provide a community space for all Neurodivergent students at UWT to feel welcome and safe, create art, and support each other. Square Pegs Community Arts on Campus is built on the premise that engaging in the co-creation of any art form improves quality of life. Regarding community, one of the most damaging campaigns of the COVID-19 pandemic has been social distancing. Many Neurodivergent BIPOC students have experienced loneliness, anxiety, depression, and exclusion from the white Neurodivergent community, who also experience the same mental health issues, due to fewer opportunities for creative social engagement. My capstone seeks to build a new student alliance on the UWT campus. Connections between all Neurodivergent students and their allies will be nurtured through a diverse array of arts activities, and engage a trauma informed care approach to peer support. BIPOC Neurodivergent student leadership positions will be supported through monthly stipends

Beyond NK cells: the expanding universe of innate lymphoid cells

For a long time NK cells were thought to be the only immune innate lymphoid population capable of responding to invading pathogens under the influence of changing environmental cues. In the last few years, an increasing amount of evidence has shown that a number of different Innate Lymphoid Cells found at mucosal sites rapidly respond to locally produced cytokines in order to establish or maintain homeostasis. ILC populations closely mirror the phenotype of adaptive Thelper subsets in their ability to secrete soluble factors. Early in the immune response, ILCs are responsible for setting the stage to mount an adaptive T cell response appropriate to the incoming insult. Here we review the diversity of ILC subsets and discuss similarities and differences between ILCs and NK cells in function and key transcriptional factors required for their development

California's New Vagrancy Laws: The Growing Enactment and Enforcement of Anti-Homeless Laws in the Golden State

This report updates our 2015 study on the enactment and enforcement of anti-homeless laws in California with new ordinance data from cities and updated arrest data from the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting Program. We find that California cities are enacting and enforcing anti-homeless laws in record numbers. In contrast with historical post-recession trends, arrests of people who are homeless continue to rise in spite of an improving economy. Further, cities appear to be arresting people increasingly based on their homeless status as opposed to any concrete unlawful behavior. The Policy Advocacy Clinic prepared this 2016 update for the Western Regional Advocacy Project (WRAP). WRAP is a non-profit organization that was created to expose and eliminate the root causes of civil and human rights abuses of people experiencing poverty and homelessness. WRAP seeks to develop socially just solutions to all the barriers that prevent the ending of homelessness

Correlates of attendance in mental health services for individuals with psychotic disorders: A critical review

Low attendance to mental health care results in loss of time, money, and treatment gains. No prior review in this area has taken into account the quality of studies or varying definitions of attendance. The current review provides a critical evaluation of variables associated with attendance in consumers with psychotic symptoms participating in outpatient mental health services, with a focus on study quality and operationalization of attendance. EMBASE, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Library were searched for empirical articles relevant to attendance to mental health services by individuals diagnosed with a psychotic disorder. Eligible articles were rated for quality by two coauthors; high-quality articles were reviewed in-depth. Twenty-eight articles were eligible; 11 articles qualified for in-depth review. Four attendance outcome types were identified, including the prediction of dropout, time engaged, categorical attendance, and continuous attendance. Ongoing substance use during treatment was consistently associated with lower attendance in high-quality articles. More high-quality research using systematically defined outcome types is needed to identify reliable associations with attendance. Commonly tested variables such as demographics show little utility in predicting attendance. Future research in this area should expand upon current findings focusing on clinically and theoretically relevant variables

Developing an e-infrastructure for social science

We outline the aims and progress to date of the National Centre for e-Social Science e-Infrastructure project. We examine the challenges faced by the project, namely in ensuring outputs are appropriate to social scientists, managing the transition from research projects to service and embedding software and data within a wider infrastructural framework. We also provide pointers to related work where issues which have ramifications for this and similar initiatives are being addressed

RIP Links TLR4 to Akt and Is Essential for Cell Survival in Response to LPS Stimulation

Receptor-interacting protein (RIP) has been reported to associate with tumor necrosis–associated factor (TRAF)2 and TRAF6. Since TRAF2 and TRAF6 play important roles in CD40 signaling and TRAF6 plays an important role in TLR4 signaling, we examined the role of RIP in signaling via CD40 and TLR4. Splenocytes from RIP−/− mice proliferated and underwent isotype switching normally in response to anti-CD40–IL-4 but completely failed to do so in response to LPS–IL-4. However, they normally up-regulated TNF-α and IL-6 gene expression and CD54 and CD86 surface expression after LPS stimulation. RIP−/− splenocytes exhibited increased apoptosis and impaired Akt phosphorylation after LPS stimulation. These results suggest that RIP is essential for cell survival after TLR4 signaling and links TLR4 to the phosphatidylinositol 3 kinase–Akt pathway

Short stack and full system test using a ceramic A-site deficient strontium titanate anode

Funding acknowledgement: SCOTAS FCHJU 256730A lanthanum and calcium co-doped A-site deficient strontium titanate (LSCTA–) was used as alternative anode material in Solid Oxide Fuel Cells (SOFC) with an active area of 100 cm2. Cell performance was tested in both short (5 cell) stack configuration, as well as a full HEXIS Galileo system (nominally 1 kW AC). Impregnation with various electrocatalysts, such as nickel and ceria, yielded promising fuel cell performance at this scale. The system test initially produced 70% of the nominal output power and is to the authors' knowledge the first all-oxide SOFC test on this scale. The strontium titanate backbone provides sufficient electronic conductivity to ensure acceptable ohmic losses. Power densities up to 200 mA cm−2 could be obtained at 900 °C, which compares well with Ni-cermet based anodes. Degradation is however severe at 900 °C, due to impregnate coarsening, but operation at 850 °C minimizes this effect. Short stacks could be stably operated for 1,600 hours with an output power of 100 mA cm−2. Stacks are redox stable, but currently not sulphur tolerant.PostprintPeer reviewe