Large area solar cells from lunar materials

The first goal of the project was to produce polymers from materials available on the Moon. This, apparently simple, aim is made complicated by the fact that there is no carbon on the Moon and there are no polymers (with a couple of irrelevant exceptions) known which do not contain carbon. Because of the abundance of silicon and oxygen in the lunar regolith, it was decided to aim to produce siloxane polymers with the (-Si-O-) backbone found in silicones. A univalent side group is also needed but there are no univalent elements available in the regolith which could plausibly make stable structures. Failing this, hydrogen is a good choice for side group since it accounts for a small fraction of the total weight of the polymer. Thus, a group of target structures such as (-SiH2-O-)n, (-Si(OH)2-O-)n is determined. This goal was approached via a series of simpler syntheses. During the first year, polydimethylsiloxane (-Si(CH3)2-O-)n was made by controlled hydrolysis of SiCl2(CH3)2, which is a routine synthesis, and then an attempt was made to make polydichlorosiloxane by controlled hydrolysis of SiCl4. At the end of the first year, some infra-red spectra indicated that this product had been obtained

Leadership of healthcare commissioning networks in England : a mixed-methods study on clinical commissioning groups

Objective: To explore the relational challenges for general practitioner (GP) leaders setting up new network-centric commissioning organisations in the recent health policy reform in England, we use innovation network theory to identify key network leadership practices that facilitate healthcare innovation. Design: Mixed-method, multisite and case study research. Setting: Six clinical commissioning groups and local clusters in the East of England area, covering in total 208 GPs and 1 662 000 population. Methods: Semistructured interviews with 56 lead GPs, practice managers and staff from the local health authorities (primary care trusts, PCT) as well as various healthcare professionals; 21 observations of clinical commissioning group (CCG) board and executive meetings; electronic survey of 58 CCG board members (these included GPs, practice managers, PCT employees, nurses and patient representatives) and subsequent social network analysis. Main outcome measures: Collaborative relationships between CCG board members and stakeholders from their healthcare network; clarifying the role of GPs as network leaders; strengths and areas for development of CCGs. Results: Drawing upon innovation network theory provides unique insights of the CCG leaders’ activities in establishing best practices and introducing new clinical pathways. In this context we identified three network leadership roles: managing knowledge flows, managing network coherence and managing network stability. Knowledge sharing and effective collaboration among GPs enable network stability and the alignment of CCG objectives with those of the wider health system (network coherence). Even though activities varied between commissioning groups, collaborative initiatives were common. However, there was significant variation among CCGs around the level of engagement with providers, patients and local authorities. Locality (sub) groups played an important role because they linked commissioning decisions with patient needs and brought the leaders closer to frontline stakeholders. Conclusions: With the new commissioning arrangements, the leaders should seek to move away from dyadic and transactional relationships to a network structure, thereby emphasising on the emerging relational focus of their roles. Managing knowledge mobility, healthcare network coherence and network stability are the three clinical leadership processes that CCG leaders need to consider in coordinating their network and facilitating the development of good clinical commissioning decisions, best practices and innovative services. To successfully manage these processes, CCG leaders need to leverage the relational capabilities of their network as well as their clinical expertise to establish appropriate collaborations that may improve the healthcare services in England. Lack of local GP engagement adds uncertainty to the system and increases the risk of commissioning decisions being irrelevant and inefficient from patient and provider perspectives

Constructing the Cool Wall: A Tool to Explore Teen Meanings of Cool

This paper describes the development and exploration of a tool designed to assist in investigating ‘cool’ as it applies to the design of interactive products for teenagers. The method involved the derivation of theoretical understandings of cool from literature that resulted in identification of seven core categories for cool, which were mapped to a hierarchy. The hierarchy includes having of cool things, the doing of cool activities and the being of cool. This paper focuses on a tool, the Cool Wall, developed to explore one specific facet of the hierarchy; exploring shared understanding of having cool things. The paper describes the development and construction of the tool, using a heavily participatory approach, and the results and analysis of a study carried out over 2 days in a school in the UK. The results of the study both provide clear insights into cool things and enable a refined understanding of cool in this context. Two additional studies are then used to identify potential shortcomings in the Cool Wall methodology. In the first study participants were able to populate a paper cool wall with anything they chose, this revealed two potential new categories of images and that the current set of images covered the majority of key themes. In the second study teenagers interpretations of the meaning of the images included in the Cool Wall were explored, this showed that the majority of meanings were as expected and a small number of unexpected interpretations provided some valuable insights

Students writing their own feedback; self-assessment mediated by video mark schemes

Incoming undergraduates appear to be increasingly reliant on memorisation, which is in part due to their previous educational experiences. Such an approach is ineffective at degree level where a deep synoptic understanding is essential to success. The transition to university presents students with a number of significant challenges, particularly the increased pace of content delivery relative to that encountered at school/college. Many students therefore encounter difficulties in assimilating new knowledge, and applying it to the solution of problems posed in workshops and tutorials. These problems are compounded by the fact that university presents students with fewer opportunities for one-on-one interactions with teaching staff than they may have had previously. We have trialled and evaluated the use of video mark schemes to support self-assessment and help students develop deeper understanding of fundamental concepts. The presentation will describe our approach to the design and delivery of video mark schemes and will give details of our evaluation of the usage of the resources, and the response of students to the use of self-assessment activities in our degree programmes. In particular, we were surprised at the positive response of students to a) the requirement to complete extra „homework? exercises in their own time and b) the requirement to complete self-assessment of their own work. We probed the views of both students and staff to inform the design and implementation of future resources which will build on what has already been achieved and will enhance student learning

Fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry of clusters and adducts based on uranium and lanthanides

The fast atom bombardment, FAB, of salts of uranium, the lanthanides and related metals yield long, well defined series of cations of metal-oxygen clusters, with x up to 30-40. Up to seven values of y are associated with each value of x, but in each set of clusters there is usually a well-defined ion of maximum abundance. These series consist of regular patterns of clusters whose relative stabilities and structures can be directly related to reported solid state structures, demonstrating the strong Influences of solid state processes at the molecular level. Thus, direct correlations are found between these metal-oxygen clusters and the complex metal-oxide phases exhibited by the actinide and lanthanide metals. The mass spectral and collision-induced decomposition are described for the achievement of maximal cluster formation and fragmentation reactions. The fabrication and deployment of a 'split' FAB source is described which enables the simultaneous bombardment of two samples to yield 'mixed' clusters. The FAB spectra of a variety of uranyl complexes containing biologically important molecules, such as peptides, demonstrate the sequential loss of the ligands. The inter-relationship between their mode of fragmentation, and the extent of ligand coordination, as well as their relative ion abundances is described

Influence of Fertilizer Rate on Swollen Stem Formation (“Bulbing”) and Vitamin C Content in Different Kohlrabi Cultivars

Kohlrabi (Brassica oleracea Gongylodes Group) is a vegetable crop found in the Brassicaceae, and it is rich in antioxidants such as vitamin C. Vitamin C helps in oxidative damage repair and strengthens the immune system, so exploring vitamin C sources may contribute to improving human health. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of different fertilizer rates on kohlrabi yield, in terms of the swollen stem and the vitamin C content, and if those effects are similar in different kohlrabi cultivars. In this greenhouse study, we fertilized four potted kohlrabi cultivars with a common water-soluble greenhouse fertilizer (Peters Professional 20-10-20) at zero, one-half recommended, recommended, and double recommended rates where the recommended rate plants received 308mg of fertilizer each week in irrigation water. Results showed that plants of all cultivars that received the double rate of fertilizer had the highest yield with a fresh swollen stem weight of 448 g, while plants that received no fertilizer had the lowest yield with 21.2 g and they were visibly nutrient deficient. An increase in fertilizer rate increased the vitamin C content where the total vitamin C per swollen stem averaged 6853 mg for the double rate and 846 mg for the zero rate. The results from this study will help farmers to effectively apply fertilizers to increase kohlrabi yields and vitamin C content while doing less harm to the environment caused by excessive fertilizing. In return, this will help people to get more vitamin C sources which may improve their health

Development of reverse-transcription PCR techniques to analyse the density and sex ratio of gametocytes in genetically diverse Plasmodium chabaudi infections

We have developed cross-genotype and genotype-specific quantitative reverse-transcription PCR (qRT-PCR) assays to detect and quantify the number of parasites, transmission stages (gametocytes) and male gametocytes in blood stage Plasmodium chabaudi infections. Our cross-genotype assays are reliable, repeatable and generate counts that correlate strongly (R(2)s > 90%) with counts expected from blood smears. Our genotype-specific assays can distinguish and quantify different stages of genetically distinct parasite clones (genotypes) in mixed infections and are as sensitive as our cross-genotype assays. Using these assays we show that gametocyte density and gametocyte sex ratios vary during infections for two genetically distinct parasite lines (genotypes) and present the first data to reveal how sex ratio is affected when each genotype experiences competition in mixed-genotype infections. Successful infection of mosquito vectors depends on both gametocyte density and their sex ratio and we discuss the implications of competition in genetically diverse infections for transmission success

Phase transitions in one dimension and less

Phase transitions can occur in one-dimensional classical statistical mechanics at non-zero temperature when the number of components N of the spin is infinite. We show how to solve such magnets in one dimension for any N, and how the phase transition develops at N = infinity. We discuss SU(N) and Sp(N) magnets, where the transition is second-order. In the new high-temperature phase, the correlation length is zero. We also show that for the SU(N) magnet on exactly three sites with periodic boundary conditions, the transition becomes first order.Comment: 16 pages, 1 figur

Google Search Mastery Basics

Effective Internet search skills are essential with the continually increasing amount of information available on the Web. Extension personnel are required to find information to answer client questions and to conduct research on programs. Unfortunately, many lack the skills necessary to effectively navigate the Internet and locate needed information. Basic search skills are outlined as well as application to Extension