Effect of substrate surface topography on forensic development of latent fingerprints with iron oxide powder suspension

This is a pre-print version of the article. The official published version can be accessed from the link below - Copyright @ 2010 Wiley-BlackwellLatent fingerprint deposition and effectiveness of detection are strongly affected by the surface on which prints are deposited. Material properties, surface roughness, morphology, chemistry and hydrophobicity can affect the usefulness or efficacy of forensic print development techniques. Established protocols outline appropriate techniques and sequences of processes for broad categories of operational surfaces. This study uses atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy to investigate a series of surfaces classified as smooth, non-porous plastic. Latent prints developed with iron oxide powder suspension are analysed on a range of scales from macro to nano to help elucidate the interaction mechanisms between the latent fingerprint, development agent and underlying surface. Differences between surfaces have a strong effect, even within this single category. We show that both average roughness and topographical feature shape, characterised by skew, kurtosis and lay, are important factors to consider for the processing of latent fingerprints. Copyright (C) 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.This work is part-funded by the UK Home Office project 7088762

Design for manufacture and sustainability in new product development

Design for manufacture is well recognised by industry and is about optimising design to aid production. Today there is a significant and growing trend of recognising what happens to a product once its user phase has finished. Post-consumer processes are now an important consideration during the ab-initio stages of design. Rather than a focus limited to design for manufacture or (more recently) design for assembly now the pressure is on for post consumer design. Companies need to do this because legislative pressures are increasing and consumers are becoming ever more aware of, and concerned about, environmental issues. End-of-life processing and design for the environment are therefore areas of growing of interest. This conference paper investigates with industry practitioners their experiences regarding for both the environmental and economic advantages of product life-cycle planning. Legislative pressures and consumer awareness are driving businesses to develop sustainable product design strategies (Jones et al, 2001 p. 27). Changes within the law, to protect our environment, cause companies to pay attention as they begin to affect profitability. The first British Standard to address design for end-of-life processing, and therefore support industry, is BS 8887-1. Over 60 UK manufacturing and design companies that had bought BS 8887-1 contributed to this by being interviewed or providing a written response. The research investigated multiple aspects of sustainable design in practice however, in this conference paper the focus is its application within the design process

Genetic sensitivity to the bitter taste of 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP) and its association with Physiological mechanisms controlling Body Mass Index (BMI)

Taste sensitivity to the bitter compound 6-n-propylthiouracil (PROP) is considered a marker for individual differences in taste perception that may influence food preferences and eating behavior, and thereby energy metabolism. This review describes genetic factors that may contribute to PROP sensitivity including: (1) the variants of the TAS2R38 bitter receptor with their different affinities for the stimulus; (2) the gene that controls the gustin protein that acts as a salivary trophic factor for fungiform taste papillae; and (3) other specific salivary proteins that could be involved in facilitating the binding of the PROP molecule with its receptor. In addition, we speculate on the influence of taste sensitivity on energy metabolism, possibly via modulation of the endocannabinoid system, and its possible role in regulating body composition homeostasis

Effect of sintering temperature and heat treatment on electrical properties of indium oxide based ceramics

Indium oxide based ceramics with bismuth oxide addition were sintered in air in the temperature range 800-1300 ºC. Current-voltage characteristics of In2O3-Bi2O3 ceramics sintered at different temperatures are weakly nonlinear. After an additional heat treatment in air at about 200 ºC samples sintered at a temperature within the narrow range of about 1050-1100 ºC exhibit a current-limiting effect accompanied by low-frequency current oscillations. It is shown that the observed electrical properties are controlled by the grain-boundary barriers and the heat treatment in air at 200 ºC leads to the decrease in the barrier height. Electrical measurements, scanning electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results suggest that the current-limiting effect observed in In2O3-Bi2O3 can be explained in terms of the modified barrier model proposed earlier for the explanation of similar effect in In2O3-SrO ceramics

Electronic properties of SnO2-based ceramics with double function of varistor and humidity sensor

This is the post-print version of the article. The official published version can be obtained from the link below - Copyright @ 2010 AD-Tech.Tin dioxide based varistor ceramics SnO2-Co3O4-Nb2O5-Cr2O3-xCuO (x=0; 0.05; 0.1 and 0.5) were made and their electrical properties were studied. The highest nonlinearity coefficient and electric field (at current density 10-3 A cm-2) were obtained for 0.1 mol.% CuO addition. It was observed that low-field electrical conductivity is increased with relative humidity, therefore, materials obtained exhibit double function of varistor and humidity sensor. The highest humidity sensitivity coefficient is found for SnO2-Co3O4-Nb2O5-Cr2O3 ceramics (without CuO). Observed varistor and humidity-sensitive properties are explained in the frames of grain-boundary double Schottky barrier concept as a decrease of the barrier height with electric field or relative humidity. Using suggested simple theory and data obtained on isothermal capacitance relaxation, the energy of the grain-boundary monoenergetic trapping states were estimated. These values are less than found for activation energy of electrical conduction (as a measure of the barrier height). These observations confirm the barrier concept.This work is funded by the Royal Society, United Kingdom (2007R1/R26999)

Utilization of CT scanning associated with complex spine surgery.

BackgroundDue to the risk associated with exposure to ionizing radiation, there is an urgent need to identify areas of CT scanning overutilization. While increased use of diagnostic spinal imaging has been documented, no previous research has estimated the magnitude of follow-up imaging used to evaluate the postoperative spine.MethodsThis retrospective cohort study quantifies the association between spinal surgery and CT utilization. An insurance database (Humana, Inc.) with ≈ 19 million enrollees was employed, representing 8 consecutive years (2007-2014). Surgical and imaging procedures were captured by anatomic-specific CPT codes. Complex surgeries included all cervical, thoracic and lumbar instrumented spine fusions. Simple surgeries included discectomy and laminectomy. Imaging was restricted to CT and MRI. Postoperative imaging frequency extended to 5-years post-surgery.ResultsThere were 140,660 complex spinal procedures and 39,943 discectomies and 49,889 laminectomies. MRI was the predominate preoperative imaging modality for all surgical procedures (median: 80%; range: 73-82%). Postoperatively, CT prevalence following complex procedures increased more than two-fold from 6 months (18%) to 5 years (≥40%), and patients having a postoperative CT averaged two scans. For simple procedures, the prevalence of postoperative CT scanning never exceeded 30%.ConclusionsCT scanning is used frequently for follow-up imaging evaluation following complex spine surgery. There is emerging evidence of an increased cancer risk due to ionizing radiation exposure with CT. In the setting of complex spine surgery, actions to mitigate this risk should be considered and include reducing nonessential scans, using the lowest possible radiation dose protocols, exerting greater selectivity in monitoring the developing fusion construct, and adopting non-ferromagnetic implant biomaterials that facilitate MRI postoperatively

Selective expansion of viral variants following experimental transmission of a reconstituted feline immunodeficiency virus quasispecies

Following long-term infection with virus derived from the pathogenic GL8 molecular clone of feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV), a range of viral variants emerged with distinct modes of interaction with the viral receptors CD134 and CXCR4, and sensitivities to neutralizing antibodies. In order to assess whether this viral diversity would be maintained following subsequent transmission, a synthetic quasispecies was reconstituted comprising molecular clones bearing envs from six viral variants and its replicative capacity compared in vivo with a clonal preparation of the parent virus. Infection with either clonal (Group 1) or diverse (Group 2) challenge viruses, resulted in a reduction in CD4+ lymphocytes and an increase in CD8+ lymphocytes. Proviral loads were similar in both study groups, peaking by 10 weeks post-infection, a higher plateau (set-point) being achieved and maintained in study Group 1. Marked differences in the ability of individual viral variants to replicate were noted in Group 2; those most similar to GL8 achieved higher viral loads while variants such as the chimaeras bearing the B14 and B28 Envs grew less well. The defective replication of these variants was not due to suppression by the humoral immune response as virus neutralising antibodies were not elicited within the study period. Similarly, although potent cellular immune responses were detected against determinants in Env, no qualitative differences were revealed between animals infected with either the clonal or the diverse inocula. However, in vitro studies indicated that the reduced replicative capacity of variants B14 and B28 in vivo was associated with altered interactions between the viruses and the viral receptor and co-receptor. The data suggest that viral variants with GL8-like characteristics have an early, replicative advantage and should provide the focus for future vaccine development

Reforming ‘Sydney global city’: Mapping enduring sites of institutional conflict

Local government in New South Wales (NSW) Australia presently faces the prospect radical consolidation alongside the implementation of metropolitan-wide governance structures. The pervasive modernity of these processes has been couched in the rhetoric of the need to achieve ‘Global City’ status such that Sydney can compete with other regionally-based centres. However, these narratives neglect the historically repetitive nature of these conflicts. Following from an account of the city’s early attempts at metropolitan governance, this discussion examines ‘Sydney Global City’ as it is portrayed in the advocacy literature exemplified by the work of the increasingly influential lobby group, the Committee for Sydney. We then provide an account of contemporary processes of state-local relations toward consolidation and metropolitan governance. We argue that former iterations of attempted reforms are instructive, particularly in directing attention to the institutional sites of conflict away from the economic reductionism of the ‘global cities’ narrative