Electrochemical Deposition of Ag-Sn Nanoparticles for Photovoltaic Current Collection Efficiency

Photovoltaic cells utilize a semiconductor to harness the sun\u27s energy, then conduct the energy by silver current collector lines to an energy storage device. To make photovoltaic cells less expensive and more energy efficient, silver-tin nanoparticles were researched to incorporate into the silver polymer paste that makes up current collector lines. The Ag-Sn alloy was synthesized by electrochemical deposition, and was then characterized by it\u27s melting point and crystal structure

A Primer for Work-Based Learning: How to Make a Job the Basis for a College Education

Provides an overview of the Jobs to Careers model, in which employers and colleges collaborate to embed curricula and training in the work process, as a way to meet healthcare labor force needs. Includes grantee profiles, lessons learned, and worksheets

Homelessness, Shelter, and Human Rights in California and New York

The purpose of this project is to discuss the issues of homelessness and lack of shelter in the United States, specifically in the states of California and New York, as a human right. Due to the majority of California’s homeless population going unsheltered and the large majority of New York’s homeless population receiving shelter, there are ways that California can learn from the system that New York has developed in order to more efficiently and justly provide shelter to its homeless population. This paper analyzes what has worked and what has not worked in either state in providing the human right to shelter, and why California is falling behind New York in meeting human rights standards. This is done by reviewing existing governmental and nongovernmental reports, comparing policies in California and New York, and consulting existing literature about the issue at hand. By adapting a 10 step program for making human rights a reality for the homeless in California, the goal of this paper is to propose an advocacy, networking, and education program for organizations, both governmental and nongovernmental, to use when working to shelter the homeless

Child Maltreatment-Related Homicides: Examining Characteristics and Circumstances in the Context of Victim-Perpetrator Relationship

Background: Homicide is the fifth leading cause of death among children from birth to 17-years-old, with approximately 1,700 child maltreatment (CM)-related homicides occurring in the U.S. annually. In 2016, more than three-quarters (78%) of these deaths involved biological parents acting alone, together, or with other individuals, and approximately 17% were perpetrated by a nonparent, suggesting different victim-perpetrator relationships present different levels of risks. The present study examined the association between child, family, and perpetrator characteristics and method of lethality used in CM-related homicides in the context of victim-perpetrator relationship. Methodology: Data are from the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS). NVDRS captures data using death certificates, law enforcement (LE) reports, and coroner/medical examiner (C/ME) reports. Using content analysis, which is a research technique to systematically code textual material into categorical data, CM-related homicides of children ages 0-17 for 2012-2015 in 32 states were examined. Bivariate and multinomial logistic regression models were used to evaluate associations between method of lethality used in CM-related homicides and victim-perpetrator relationship, and child, family, and perpetrator characteristics. Results: During the 2012-2015 data collection period, 996 children were victims of CM-related homicide. Biological fathers were the most common perpetrators (37.8%), followed by mother’s male companion (26.8%), biological mother (21.8%), and “other” perpetrator (13.6%). With respect to method of lethality, more than one third of the children were beaten/bludgeoned to death (37.3%) and deaths by “other” means was the second most prevalent method of lethality (24.1%). Further, the odds of a child being beaten/bludgeoned to death versus dying by abusive head trauma (AHT) among those killed by mother’s male companion was 1.98 (95% CI [1.02, 3.88]) times greater the odds of being beaten/bludgeoned to death by biological fathers, adjusting for all other predictors in the model. Moreover, the presence of a bystander significantly increased the odds of a child being beaten/bludgeoned to death, Adjusted Odds Ratio (aOR) = 2.31, 95% CI [1.04, 5.14]. In addition, the presence of intimate partner violence, parental relationship conflict, and arguments were each associated with increased odds of firearm-related deaths in children versus death by AHT, aOR = 8.67, 95% CI [2.60, 28.91], aOR = 9.17, 95% CI [1.78, 47.18], and aOR = 13.85, 95% CI [2.51, 76.52], respectively. Conclusion: This study helps to better understand the circumstances and characteristics of CM-related homicides, which may inform primary prevention efforts, prevent child death, and, when used in the context of a comprehensive prevention strategy, may help in assuring safe, stable, nurturing relationships and environments for all children

Organic Material in Micrometeorites: Processes Affecting Its Delivery to Planetary Environments

During their delivery to Earth, extraterrestrial dust particles (EDPs) are heated via aerodynamic braking in the upper atmosphere, liberating volatile and organic species. This study investigates the influence of atmospheric entry heating on this liberation process from Murchison (an EDP analogue), in order to assess the EDP contribution of biologically significant material to the early Earth.Experimental simulations used a filament pulse pyrolyser to flash heat Murchison, replicating early Earth EDP atmospheric entry conditions. These simulations determined that the dehydration of phyllosilicates, the decomposition of organic and carbonate materials released H2O, organic carbon and CO2, respectively. Further characterisation of the released organic species (using GCxGC-TOFMS) identified a range of aliphatic, aromatic, PAH, O-bearing, S-bearing and N-bearing species; including biomolecule precursors. Relative abundances of these organic species were dependant not only on simulation peak temperature and duration, but also on their reaction with other fragments, which may have led to their production as secondary products.In a complimentary study, comprehensive volatile organic analysis of Antarctic micrometeorites (AMMs) identified a range of aromatic, aliphatic, N-bearing, S-bearing, S-N-bearing and O-bearing species. Variations in the distribution of AMM aromatic species in comparison to the EDP analogue (as used in simulations) are consistent with i) the liberation of species during atmospheric entry heating ii) the alteration of organic material during Antarctic weathering processes and iii) a contribution from terrestrial sources. Alternatively, these deviations could reflect a different source (parent body) composition. This investigation demonstrates that the abundance and composition of volatile and organic species liberated and retained in EDPs during entry heating (and their subsequent atmospheric reactions), may have played a role in atmospheric and climate development. EDPs additionally served as a source of prebiotic molecules and may have provided sites for chemical evolution

A comparative analysis of the Implicit Motives of Violent Extremist Groups

Terrorism represents a national security threat to most countries. Recent research has demonstrated the ability to determine when groups are most prone to engage in violence through textual analysis. Using the Information, Motivation, Behavioral Skills (IMB) Framework and McClelland’s Three Needs Theory of human behavior, we compared implicit motivation as expressed through textual online propaganda of three jihadist groups. This model posits that all people are driven by three primary implicit motivations: affiliation, achievement, and power. This study analyzed 58 magazine issues (Inspire, Dabiq/Rumiyah, Gaidi Mtaani) from three extremist Arabic-speaking groups (Al Qaeda in the Arab Peninsula, Islamic State, and Al Shabaab) with a history of violent attacks to measure and compare implicit motivations between groups. Findings show that overall, each group had a distinctive motivational linguistic signature and there is a predictable pattern of implicit power motivation and time-to-attack across all three groups