Characterization of the blue emission of Tm/Er co-implanted GaN

Comparative studies have been carried out on the cathodoluminescence (CL) and photoluminescence (PL) properties of GaN implanted with Tin and GaN co-implanted with Tin and a low concentration of Er. Room temperature CL spectra were acquired in an electron probe microanalyser to investigate the rare earth emission. The room temperature CL intensity exhibits a strong dependence on the annealing temperature of the implanted samples. The results of CL temperature dependence are reported for blue emission (similar to 477 nm) which is due to intra 4f-shell electron transitions ((1)G(4)-> H-3(6)) associated with Tm3+ ions. The 477 nm blue CL emission is enhanced strongly as the annealing temperature increases up to 1200 degrees C. Blue PL emission has also been observed from the sample annealed at 1200 degrees C. To our knowledge, this is the first observation of blue PL emission from Tin implanted GaN samples. Intra-4f transitions from the D-1(2) level (similar to 465 nm emission lines) of Tm3+ ions in GaN have been observed in GaN:Tm films at temperatures between 20-200 K. We will discuss the temperature dependent Tm3+ emission in both GaN:Tm,Er and GaN:Tm samples

An empirical study of equity in the finance and delivery of health care in Britain

This paper presents evidence on the extent to which the finance and the delivery of health care in Britain are equitable. The analysis of health care delivery focuses on whether there is ‘equal treatment for equal need’ irrespective of income. Examination of data from the 1985 General Household Survey reveals substantial inequalities in the distribution of (self-reported) morbidity. The bottom income group accounts for 30% of all individuals with a long-term illness but only 20% of the sample. There is less inequality in the distribution of health care. Consequently, the proportion of total health care resources consumed by the higher income groups is greater than the proportion of total morbidity they report. However, this simple comparison of the distribution of resources with the distribution of morbidity is not appropriate for assessing whether there is ‘equal treatment for equal need’. After appropriate standardisation for differences across income groups in age, gender and the incidence of morbidity, there is little evidence of inequality in the distribution of health care in Britain. The distribution of standardised NHS expenditure shows a slight pro-poor bias; adding private health care consumption produces (for adults only) a slight pro-rich bias. Neither of these inequalities are significant. These results differ from previous research which claimed to show substantial inequities in the delivery of NHS care in favour of the middle classes. On the finance side, we examine whether the finance of health care in Britain is progressive. Since health care in the UK is primarily financed from taxation, the analysis essentially amounts to an assessment of the progressivity of general taxation. The analysis, based on figures published by the Central Statistical Office, shows that in 1985 taxes were raised broadly in proportion to incomes. Whilst income taxes were progressive and National Insurance contributions neutral, indirect taxes were regressive. The omission from the analysis of user charges for NHS services is unlikely to be important since these account for only 3% of NHS finance. Private health care payments, which are also omitted, are likely to be progressive because it is predominantly the higher income groups who purchase private care. Our conclusions are that the British health care system appears close to allocating health care resources on the basis of ‘equal treatment for equal need’ and extracting payments in proportion to comes.equity, delivery

INTEGRATED HOUSING, CARE AND SUPPORT: Measurable Outcomes for Healthy Ageing:The ExtraCare Charitable Trust Research Report

Key Points – ExtraCare Residents change over a 5-year period Personal Health • Significant improvements in the level of exercise done by residents (75% increase) • Improvements in residents’ perceived health, which is a good indicator of their actual health status • No change (either improvement or deterioration) in residents’ level of independence or functional limitations over the 5 year period • Increase in walking speed, where slow walking speed is an indicator of falls risk • A reduction in risk of falls over the first 2 years of living in ExtraCare and no changes in the risk of falls over a 5-year period • The increase of frailty is delayed by up to 3 years in residents Psychological Wellbeing • Low levels of depression and depressive symptoms in residents • 23% decrease in anxiety symptoms • Improvements in memory and cognitive skills: 24% increase in autobiographical memory and 17% increase in memory recall tests • No decline in measures of executive function over the range of the study • Improvements in physical fitness measured using walking speed have benefited residents in terms of psychological wellbeing and reduced depressive symptoms. Analysis of relationships shows that if walking speed had stayed the same, depression would have increased Social Wellbeing • 86.5% of residents were ‘never or hardly ever’ lonely • Levels of loneliness are lower for residents in ExtraCare than the national averages Healthcare Costs • Residents are making more effective use of healthcare resources, reducing visits to GPs but increasing visits to Practice Nurses • Residents average 3 days less per year in hospital than previously • There are no expected increases in NHS costs over time as people age • Living in ExtraCare saves the NHS around £1994 per person, on average, over 5 year

Recognition and responses to intimate partner violence (IPV) in gambler's help services : A qualitative study

Accumulating evidence shows a strong association between gambling problems and reports of intimate partner violence (IPV) but provides limited guidance about how to respond to these issues in specialised gambling services. The aim of this study was thus to improve understanding of the potential role of gambling help providers in identifying and responding to IPV. This was addressed via 20 semistructured interviews with gambling help service staff in Australia (15 female and 5 male). Data were analysed in the context of a social constructivist approach to thematic analysis, which produced four themes: (1) “It's loaded with complexity,” which highlights the clinical complexity of clients who disclosed both gambling problems and IPV; (2) “The hidden nature of gambling and IPV,” describing stigma, shame and secrecy attached to both gambling and IPV; (3) “The big thing is putting it on the radar,” which outlined factors in the service context that either enabled client disclosures of IPV or kept it hidden; and (4) “It's everyone's business,” which described current approaches to interagency collaboration, with reference to factors that either limited or facilitated such responses to addressing IPV

Data, discourse, and development: Building a sustainable world through education and science communication

Dramatic expansion of distance learning during COVID-19 widened the digital divide and highlighted the importance of students' digital and data literacy skills. Simultaneously, science was playing out in front of the public as information and communication about the importance of COVID-19 protective behaviors and vaccines evolved. Yet within the global discourse, misinformation was rampant. The public questioned the validity of COVID-19 data. They did not know who or what to trust. Their concerns about the impacts of COVID-19 protective behaviors and the need for vaccinations rose. Some science educators were asked to avoid discussing the topic with their students. All of this is emblematic of an even larger problem—the inability of many people to understand and use data to make informed decisions to develop their communities. This article will use one example from the Smithsonian Science for Global Goals project: Vaccines! How can we use science to help our community make decisions about vaccines?, which invites students ages 8–17 to use data to change discourse and develop their own communities using inspiration from the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This project encourages students to: (1) use investigations to gather and analyze data from their communities as they build data literacy skills (data); (2) communicate this information to others as a way of catalyzing and changing community conversations to make informed decisions (discourse); and (3) become active partners in creating more sustainable and equitable communities (development). These competencies of data, discourse, and development—integrated into science, technology, engineering, and math education for sustainable development (STEM4SD)—are aligned with a “data for learning” conversation that emerged during the pandemic. To expand students' data skills, educators must be grounded in a framework that holistically considers ethics, community impact, and science. Data must be contextualized to the problems that students face locally. Students must be given the tools to communicate scientific understanding to others in service of sustainable development. As such, an SDG-aligned approach to data for learning that promotes discourse drives learners to act to protect themselves, our societies, and our planet, while educating students on the underlying science and social science of sustainable development