Changing and challenging times for service crystallography

Crystallography is no longer solely the preserve of the specialist, a situation that has implications for the operation of crystallographic service facilities. This mini-review provides an overview of the challenges in operating a crystallographic facility from the perspective and experience of the UK National Crystallography Service – a modern mid-range facility. Examples of chemical research generating the greatest challenges for the modern crystallography service and the state-of-the-art tools, hardware, facilities and expertise that are required to address them are highlighted. An overview of current research trends in single crystal diffraction research, which will ensure the future development of the technique, is presented. The remit of the service crystallographer is examined, together with proposed examples of best practice.<br/

Gender-based Violence : A Comparative Study of Gender-based Violence in Afghanistan and Armenia

Despite the amount of studies conducted in the field and actions taken, gender-based violence continues to be rampant in both Afghanistan and Armenia. This study investigates potential causes and factors as to why the two societies look and function the way it does. By conducting a comparative case study by using a most similar system design, the aim with the thesis is to gain a broader understanding of why the women of Afghanistan and Armenia are suffering to these levels. Experiences of Afghan and Armenian women will be studied together with the legal and social construction of the countries. The study is primarily based on the theoretical framework of factors contributing to gender-based violence. The combination of sources that have been selected and used have done so in order to create as fair and representative a picture of Afghan and Armenian society and the experiences of the women living there as possible

A Compact High-Brightness Liquid-Metal-Jet X-Ray Source

This thesis describes the development and characterization of a compact high-brightness liquid-metal-jet anode x-ray source. Initial calculations show that a source based on this concept could potentially lead to a &gt;100-fold increase of the brightness compared to current state-of-the-art rotating-anode x-ray sources. This improvement is due to an increased thermal load capacity of the anode. A low-power proof-of-principle source has been built, and experiments show that the liquid-metal-jet anode can be operated at more than an order of magnitude higher power densities than modern solid-metal anodes. This brightness enhancement has been utilized to acquire in-line phase-contrast images of weakly absorbing objects with substantially shorter exposure times than previously reported. To be able to target different application areas different liquid-jet-anode materials have been tested. The Sn-jet anode could potentially be used in mammography examinations, whereas the Ga-jet could be utilized for, e.g., protein-structure determination with x-ray diffraction. Scaling to higher power and brightness levels is discussed and seems conceivable. A potential obstacle for further development of this source concept, the generation of a microscopic high-speed liquid-metal jet in vacuum, is investigated and is proven to be feasible. Dynamic-similarity experiments using water jets to simulate 30-μm, ~500-m/s tin and gallium jets show good coherence and directional stability of the jet. Other potential difficulties in the further source development, such as excessive debris emission and instabilities of the x-ray emission spot, are also investigated in some detail.QC 2010091

Gender-based Violence : A Comparative Study of Gender-based Violence in Afghanistan and Armenia

Despite the amount of studies conducted in the field and actions taken, gender-based violence continues to be rampant in both Afghanistan and Armenia. This study investigates potential causes and factors as to why the two societies look and function the way it does. By conducting a comparative case study by using a most similar system design, the aim with the thesis is to gain a broader understanding of why the women of Afghanistan and Armenia are suffering to these levels. Experiences of Afghan and Armenian women will be studied together with the legal and social construction of the countries. The study is primarily based on the theoretical framework of factors contributing to gender-based violence. The combination of sources that have been selected and used have done so in order to create as fair and representative a picture of Afghan and Armenian society and the experiences of the women living there as possible

Mental illness in elementary school : Design to prevent mental illness in elementary school students

Psykisk ohälsa är ett växande problem i dagens samhälle, inte minst bland barn och unga. Tidigare forskning visar på vikten av att fokusera på att förebygga detta i tidig ålder då det har visat minska förekomsten av psykiska besvär. Barn spenderar stor del av sin vakna tid i skolan, och alla har inte tillgång till stöd och information hemma, vilket är varför det är viktigt att skolan tar ansvar för detta och det är även varför studiens målgrupp är just grundskoleelever, främst i lågstadiet. Denna studie undersöker hur man genom produktdesign och en användarcentrerad designprocess kan öka medvetenheten hos grundskoleeleverom hur de förebygger, hanterar och kommunicerar psykisk ohälsa. Genom litteraturundersökning, enkät, intervju, fokusgrupp och marknadsundersökning skaffades en ökad förståelse av användarnas behov och önskemål. En koncept- och produktutvecklingsfas, i form av funktionsanalys, brainstorming, braindrawing, personas och prototyp, möjliggjorde skapandet av ett slutgiltigt produktförslag. Studien resulterade i ett produktförslag som kan främja identifiering av känslor och underlätta kommunikation och hjälpsökande på ett förtroendeingivande sätt för barn. Detta kan förhoppningsvis leda till ökad förståelse för ens egna och andras känslor och mående och på så sätt minskat stigma, vilket i sin tur kan leda till att fler identifierar när de behöver stöd och då även vågar söka hjälp. Studien belyser hur man genom produktdesign och en användarcentrerad designprocess kan utforska och hantera känsliga målgrupper och tillgodose deras behov, genom faktatillgång från tidigare forskning och en empirisk undersökning med en substitutmålgrupp. Studiens resultat bidrar även med kunskap om den problematik kring gällande psykisk ohälsa som infinner sig hos barn och unga idag och hur forskning genom design kan användas för att undersöka detta.Mental illness is a growing problem in today’s society, not least among children. Previous research shows the importance of focusing on preventing this at an early age as it has been shown to reduce the incidence of mental disorders. Children spend much of their waking time at school, and not everyone has access to support and information at home, which is why it is important that the school takes responsibility for this and that is also why the study’s target group is elementary school students, mainly in primary school. This study examines how product design and a user-centered design processcan increase primary school students’ awareness of how to prevent, manage and communicate mental illness. Through a literature survey, a survey, interview, focus group and market research, an increased understanding of the users’ needs and wishes was obtained. A concept and product development phase, in the form of function analysis, brainstorming, braindrawing, personas and prototype, enabled the creation of a final product proposal. The study resulted in a product proposal that can promote the identification of emotions and facilitate communication and helpseeking in a trust-inspiring way for children. This can hopefully lead to an increased understanding of one’s own and others’ feelings and moods and thus reduced stigma, which in turn can lead to more people identifying when they need support and then also daring to seek help. The study sheds light on how product design and a user-centered design process can explore and manage sensitive target groups and meet their needs, through factual access from previous research and an empirical study with a substitute target group. The results of the study also contribute with knowledge about the problems surrounding current mental illness that occur in children and young people today and how research through design can be used to investigate this

Mental illness in elementary school : Design to prevent mental illness in elementary school students

Psykisk ohälsa är ett växande problem i dagens samhälle, inte minst bland barn och unga. Tidigare forskning visar på vikten av att fokusera på att förebygga detta i tidig ålder då det har visat minska förekomsten av psykiska besvär. Barn spenderar stor del av sin vakna tid i skolan, och alla har inte tillgång till stöd och information hemma, vilket är varför det är viktigt att skolan tar ansvar för detta och det är även varför studiens målgrupp är just grundskoleelever, främst i lågstadiet. Denna studie undersöker hur man genom produktdesign och en användarcentrerad designprocess kan öka medvetenheten hos grundskoleeleverom hur de förebygger, hanterar och kommunicerar psykisk ohälsa. Genom litteraturundersökning, enkät, intervju, fokusgrupp och marknadsundersökning skaffades en ökad förståelse av användarnas behov och önskemål. En koncept- och produktutvecklingsfas, i form av funktionsanalys, brainstorming, braindrawing, personas och prototyp, möjliggjorde skapandet av ett slutgiltigt produktförslag. Studien resulterade i ett produktförslag som kan främja identifiering av känslor och underlätta kommunikation och hjälpsökande på ett förtroendeingivande sätt för barn. Detta kan förhoppningsvis leda till ökad förståelse för ens egna och andras känslor och mående och på så sätt minskat stigma, vilket i sin tur kan leda till att fler identifierar när de behöver stöd och då även vågar söka hjälp. Studien belyser hur man genom produktdesign och en användarcentrerad designprocess kan utforska och hantera känsliga målgrupper och tillgodose deras behov, genom faktatillgång från tidigare forskning och en empirisk undersökning med en substitutmålgrupp. Studiens resultat bidrar även med kunskap om den problematik kring gällande psykisk ohälsa som infinner sig hos barn och unga idag och hur forskning genom design kan användas för att undersöka detta.Mental illness is a growing problem in today’s society, not least among children. Previous research shows the importance of focusing on preventing this at an early age as it has been shown to reduce the incidence of mental disorders. Children spend much of their waking time at school, and not everyone has access to support and information at home, which is why it is important that the school takes responsibility for this and that is also why the study’s target group is elementary school students, mainly in primary school. This study examines how product design and a user-centered design processcan increase primary school students’ awareness of how to prevent, manage and communicate mental illness. Through a literature survey, a survey, interview, focus group and market research, an increased understanding of the users’ needs and wishes was obtained. A concept and product development phase, in the form of function analysis, brainstorming, braindrawing, personas and prototype, enabled the creation of a final product proposal. The study resulted in a product proposal that can promote the identification of emotions and facilitate communication and helpseeking in a trust-inspiring way for children. This can hopefully lead to an increased understanding of one’s own and others’ feelings and moods and thus reduced stigma, which in turn can lead to more people identifying when they need support and then also daring to seek help. The study sheds light on how product design and a user-centered design process can explore and manage sensitive target groups and meet their needs, through factual access from previous research and an empirical study with a substitute target group. The results of the study also contribute with knowledge about the problems surrounding current mental illness that occur in children and young people today and how research through design can be used to investigate this