Racial Disproportionality, Race Disparity, and Other Race-Related Findings in Published Works Derived from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being

Draws on articles based on the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being to examine the relationship between race/ethnicity and the child welfare agency-supervised services received, such as early intervention- and reunification-related services

A theoretical analysis of the current-voltage characteristics of solar cells

Various mechanisms which limit the conversion efficiency of silicon solar cells were studied. The effects of changes in solar cell geometry such as layer thickness on performance were examined. The effects of various antireflecting layers were also examined. It was found that any single film antireflecting layer results in a significant surface loss of photons. The use of surface texturing techniques or low loss antireflecting layers can enhance by several percentage points the conversion efficiency of silicon cells. The basic differences between n(+)-p-p(+) and p(+)-n-n(+) cells are treated. A significant part of the study was devoted to the importance of surface region lifetime and heavy doping effects on efficiency. Heavy doping bandgap reduction effects are enhanced by low surface layer lifetimes, and conversely, the reduction in solar cell efficiency due to low surface layer lifetime is further enhanced by heavy doping effects. A series of computer studies is reported which seeks to determine the best cell structure and doping levels for maximum efficiency

A theoretical analysis of the current-voltage characteristics of solar cells

The current-voltage characteristics and efficiencies of solar cells are discussed. For one solar cell structure detailed curves are presented which include carrier densities, current densities, potential, and quasi-Fermi levels at different voltage levels both with and without optically generated carriers (AMO conditions). In addition some results are presented concerning the influence of various parameter variations such as lifetime, cell thickness, and high-low junction width on solar cell performance

Gossip on Weighted Networks

We investigate how suitable a weighted network is for gossip spreading. The proposed model is based on the gossip spreading model introduced by Lind et.al. on unweighted networks. Weight represents "friendship." Potential spreader prefers not to spread if the victim of gossip is a "close friend". Gossip spreading is related to the triangles and cascades of triangles. It gives more insight about the structure of a network. We analyze gossip spreading on real weighted networks of human interactions. 6 co-occurrence and 7 social pattern networks are investigated. Gossip propagation is found to be a good parameter to distinguish co-occurrence and social pattern networks. As a comparison some miscellaneous networks and computer generated networks based on ER, BA, WS models are also investigated. They are found to be quite different than the human interaction networks.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figures, 1 tabl

A solution concentration dependent transition from self-stratification to lateral phase separation in spin-cast PS:d-PMMA thin films

Thin films with a rich variety of different nano-scale morphologies have been produced by spin casting solutions of various concentrations of PS:d-PMMA blends from toluene solutions. During the spin casting process specular reflectivity and off-specular scattering data were recorded and ex situ optical and atomic force microscopy, neutron reflectivity and ellipsometry have all been used to characterise the film morphologies. We show that it is possible to selectively control the film morphology by altering the solution concentration used. Low polymer concentration solutions favour the formation of flat in-plane phase-separated bi-layers, with a d-PMMA-rich layer underneath a PS-rich layer. At intermediate concentrations the films formed consist of an in-plane phase-separated bi-layer with an undulating interface and also have some secondary phase-separated pockets rich in d-PMMA in the PS-rich layer and vice versa. Using high concentration solutions results in laterally phase-separated regions with sharp interfaces. As with the intermediate concentrations, secondary phase separation was also observed, especially at the top surface

Scaffold searching: automated identification of similar ring systems for the design of combinatorial libraries

Rigid ring systems can be used to position receptor-binding functional groups in 3D space and they thus play an increasingly important role in the design of combinatorial libraries. This paper discusses the use of shape-similarity methods to identify ring systems that are structurally similar to, and aligned with, a user-defined target ring system. These systems can be used as alternative scaffolds for the construction of a combinatorial library

Checks and cheques : implementing a population health and recall system to improve coverage of patients with diabetes in a rural general practice

Identification of all diabetic patients in the population is essential if diabetic care is to be effective in achieving the targets of the St Vincent Declaration.1 The challenge therefore is to establish population based monitoring and control systems by means of state of the art technology in order to achieve quality assurance in the provision of care for patients with diabetes. 2,3 Disease management receives extensive international support as the most appropriate approach to organising and delivering healthcare for chronic conditions like diabetes.4 This approach is achieved through a combination of guidelines for practice, patient education, consultations and follow up using a planned team approach and a strong focus on continuous quality improvement using information technology. 5,6 The current software (Medical Director) could not easily meet these requirements which led us to adopt a trial of Ferret. In designing this project we used change management7 and the plan, do, study, act cycle8 illustrated in Diagram 1.<br /

Close relationships: A study of mobile communication records

Mobile phone communication as digital service generates ever-increasing datasets of human communication actions, which in turn allow us to investigate the structure and evolution of social interactions and their networks. These datasets can be used to study the structuring of such egocentric networks with respect to the strength of the relationships by assuming direct dependence of the communication intensity on the strength of the social tie. Recently we have discovered that there are significant differences between the first and further "best friends" from the point of view of age and gender preferences. Here we introduce a control parameter $p_{\rm max}$ based on the statistics of communication with the first and second "best friend" and use it to filter the data. We find that when $p_{\rm max}$ is decreased the identification of the "best friend" becomes less ambiguous and the earlier observed effects get stronger, thus corroborating them.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figure