Carbon nanotubes as fire gas sensors

Multi walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) possess properties that make them particularly relevant for sensing applications in both the gas and liquid phase. This study presents an evaluation of cheap readily available CVD grown MWCNTs for use as fire gas sensors. Current fire detectors exploit heat and smoke detectors and it is hoped that the inclusion of gas detectors will increase the speed and reliability of detection. In order to prepare a variety of different MWCNTs a range of CVD synthesis were employed including an injected catalyst method where MWCNTs grew in dense mats from quartz substrates, MWCNTs were also synthesised using a sputtered Fe catalyst layer with acetylene as the carbon source which enabled control over the positioning of the growth. In each case, the growth parameters were varied until aligned growth was achieved. Doping of MWCNTs was also carried out as this may enhance and enable some control over the electrical properties of the CNTs; nitrogen was also added as a dopant by including 1,4-diazine as a precursor, and the effects on morphology of the MWCNTs produced were studied. The chemistry of the surface is also known to affect the sensing properties of CNTs. A batch of MWCNTs produced via the injected catalyst method were purifed by acid reflux, base washing and high temperature vacuum annealing, then modified with platinum or palladium metal nanoparticles via a reduction of the metal salts under hydrogen. MWCNTs were also coated with the polymer polyethyleneimine and with copperphthalocyanine. Prototype sensor devices were fabricated by electrophoretic deposition of these modified MWCNTs, and gas testing was carried out with the gases NO2, NH3, CO, H2 and C3H6. The mechanisms of sensing were investigated by repeating the tests at different temperatures, which revealed which sensing mechanisms were dominant and responses were compared between the differently modified MWCNTs. Sensor response was also investigated with a series of vapours to probe the dispersive and polar interactions on the MWCNT walls

Social Isolation in Older Adults and its Impact on Health

Social isolation is a complex phenomenon among older adults which can lead to numerous detrimental health conditions. With a high prevalence, and an increasing number of older persons, social isolation will impact the health, well-being, and quality of life of numerous older adults now and in the foreseeable future. For this review, a series of literature searches of the Summon, CINAHL and Medline databases were conducted to gain understanding of what factors cause social isolation and how this impacts on health. The findings suggest that older adults, who can manage changes within their social circumstances and stay connected socially, may experience less physical and mental health issues. However, for those older adults who struggle to cope with changes in their social circumstances, there needs to be a process of identification to recognise those who are reluctant to engage in social activities and illness preventative measures. For healthcare professionals this means early assessment of social isolation and referring at-risk individuals to available community resources or annual health screening programmes in primary care clinics. These measures could be proactive for determining which older persons have health behaviours or coping skills that place them at-risk and would serve to reduce the numerous negative health outcomes associated with social isolation

100% local and organic: closing the protein gap for poultry in the ICOPP Project

A key challenge in improving the sustainability of organic poultry production is meeting the required levels of nutrients from locally sourced organic feeds. 100% organic diets for monogastrics will become compulsory in the EU from 1st January 2015. The ICOPP project brings together knowledge, from 10 EU countries, of local feeds for monogastrics and their wider impact on growth, health and welfare and the environment to identify feeding strategies which comply with organic principles. This poster will report on feeding trials carried out with broilers in the UK by FAI and ORC to investigate the impact of algae, peas and lupins on broiler performance and welfare

Standardization of surface potential measurements of graphene domains

We compare the three most commonly used scanning probe techniques to obtain a reliable value of the work function in graphene domains of different thickness. The surface potential (SP) of graphene is directly measured in Hall bar geometry via a combination of electrical functional microscopy and spectroscopy techniques, which enables calibrated work function measurements of graphene domains with values ~4.55+/-0.02 eV and ~4.44+/-0.02eV for single- and bi-layer, respectively. We demonstrate that frequency-modulated Kelvin probe force microscopy (FM-KPFM) provides more accurate measurement of the SP than amplitude-modulated (AM)-KPFM. The discrepancy between experimental results obtained by different techniques is discussed. In addition, we use FM-KPFM for contactless measurements of the specific components of the device resistance. We show a strong non-Ohmic behavior of the electrode-graphene contact resistance and extract the graphene channel resistivity

Afterword: TERF Wars in the time of COVID-19

No abstract available

Certifying Equality? Critical Reflections on Athena SWAN and equality accreditation

On 17th February 2017, the Centre for the Study of Women and Gender at the University of Warwick hosted a workshop to reflect upon the challenges and opportunities afforded by equality accreditation schemes such as Athena SWAN. The event brought together approximately 50 attendees from 17 universities. This included administrators, academics and students who have worked on preparing institutional or departmental Athena SWAN and Race Equality Charter Mark submissions, individuals who have sat on decision panels, and scholars interested in gender equality, some of whom have conducted research into the operation of Athena SWAN. Eight presentations took place over the course of the day, and two ‘open’ sessions enabled all attendees to share their experiences of Athena SWAN. This report summarises the key themes that emerged over the course of the day, through the presentations and group discussions. We hope that it will be of interest to all colleagues involved in preparing and assessing Athena SWAN submissions, as well as those who work on the design and implementation of equality accreditation schemes. While it does include several concrete examples of good equality initiatives, it is intended primarily as a catalyst for further critical reflection

Disease activity and cognition in rheumatoid arthritis : an open label pilot study

Acknowledgements This work was supported in part by NIHR Newcastle Biomedical Research Centre. Funding for this study was provided by Abbott Laboratories. Abbott Laboratories were not involved in study design; in the collection, analysis and interpretation of data; or in the writing of the report.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Advanced clinical practitioners in primary care in the UK: A qualitative study of workforce transformation

© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. Escalating costs and changing population demographics are putting pressure on primary care systems to meet ever more complex healthcare needs. Non-medical ‘advanced clinical practitioner’ (ACP) roles are increasingly being introduced to support service transformation. This paper reports the findings of a qualitative evaluation of nursing ACP roles across General Practices in one region of the UK. Data collection involved telephone interviews with 26 participants from 3 different stakeholder groups based in 9 practice sites: ACPs (n = 9), general practitioners (n = 8) and practice managers (n = 9). The data was analysed thematically. The study found a high degree of acceptance of the ACP role and affirmation of the important contribution of ACPs to patient care. However, significant variations in ACP education, skills and experience led to a bespoke approach to their deployment, impeding system-wide innovation and creating challenges for recruitment and ongoing professional development. In addition, a context of high workforce pressures and high service demand were causing stress and there was a need for greater mentorship and workplace support. System wide changes to ACP education and support are required to enable ACPs to realise their full potential in primary care in the UK

(Im)possible patients? Negotiating discourses of trans health in the UK.

Trans people are increasingly visible in society, yet remain highly vulnerable to ignorance and discrimination. This can be particularly damaging in the context of healthcare, where trans people often find it difficult to access both general and specialist services. However, trans people are not powerless; they frequently exercise agency in navigating and addressing challenges in healthcare settings. This thesis provides an ethnographic account of how discourses of trans health are negotiated in the UK within and between trans community spaces, activist groups and the professional sphere of medical practice. A descriptive and interrogative account of healthcare services and health literatures is provided; this is interwoven with an analysis of emotional and temporal narratives of patient experience, as constructed collectively on the Internet. Drawing upon conversations, articles and documents produced and/or published online, the thesis explores how competing and intersecting understandings shape not only the material conditions of healthcare, but also the means by which trans identities and experiences are defined and made possible. Trans possibility is conceptualised in terms of two overarching discursive repertoires: ‘trans as condition’ and ‘trans as movement’. The former emerges largely from medical accounts, and broadly positions ‘trans’ as clearly definable and delineated. The latter emerges largely from the ideas of the emergent trans social movement and broadly positions ‘trans’ as queer, fluid and flexible. Health professionals, trans patients and activists draw differently upon discourses of condition and/or movement within a range of contexts in order to justify, reify, survive or question modes of healthcare provision and understandings of trans possibility. This thesis concludes that interactions between trans patients and the practices of specialist ‘gender identity’ services play a particularly key role in mediating discourses of trans health. Through understanding this process, we might better understand and address the wider challenges that trans people face