785 research outputs found

    A Ground-based Search for Lunar Resources Using High-resolution Imaging in the Infrared

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    When humans return to the Moon, lunar resources will play an important role in the successful deployment and maintenance of the lunar base. Previous studies have illustrated the abundance of resource materials available on the surface of the Moon, as well as their ready accessibility. Particularly worth considering are the lunar regional (2,000-30,000 sq km) pyroclastic deposits scattered about the lunar nearside. These 30-50-m-thick deposits are composed of fine-grained unconsolidated titanium- and iron-rich mafic glasses and may be used as bulk feedstock for the beneficiation of oxygen, iron, titanium, sulfur, and other solar wind gases, or simply used as is for construction and shielding purposes. A groundbased observing survey of the resource-rich regions on the lunar nearside using a new imaging technique designed to obtain much higher resolution images, and more precise compositional analyses than previously obtainable is proposed

    Co-creating corporate brand identity with online brand communities: a managerial perspective

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    Contemporary branding literature views brand identity as socially constructed through complex interactions between multiple stakeholders. Despite extant work on how brand communities and individuals contribute towards brand identity formation, our understanding of management-led processes constituting part of the wider process of a socially constructed brand identity is still under-developed. Drawing on in-depth interviews with senior executives of a luxury automotive company and a netnography of its online brand community, we develop a process model of corporate brand identity co-creation, comprising three management-led processes: ‘nurturing brand passion’, ‘bridging’ corporate brand identity meanings and ‘partnering’, and associated activities through which management contribute to the wider process of corporate brand identity formation with community members and other stakeholders. By highlighting the interlinked and recursive nature of these processes and activities in the resulting model, the study offers a deeper understanding of the ways in which management are involved in co-creating corporate brand identity

    Colouring the workplace green: considering the shade employees see

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    Sustainability, such as green initiatives, may be considered from two perspectives: (1) social marketing whereby societal value is a priority and (2) financial viability wherein stakeholder value is a concern. However, equally important to companies who seek to colour the workplace green is employee buy-in. This research, set in Dubai, UAE, sought answers about the support for green measures in the workplace. It was guided by three objectives: (1) to what extent are employees willing to contribute to an energy and/or environmentally friendly workplace; (2) to what extent do employees perceive company commitment towards a green workplace, and (3) what initiatives, if any, would encourage employees to participate in green activities. The empirical findings indicate that employees are critiquing company actions. They suggest that more may be done including education activities such as workshops and seminars for information as well as competitions across departments. Monetary rewards were preferred by those youngest and oldest in the workplace. The contribution to knowledge is made more significant given that the UAE scores exceptionally high on carbon footprint per capita ratings. The focus of the study was kept intentionally broad for data interpretation to identify potential issues which could further the research beyond this exploratory stage. Respondents were approached at various venues, including some in their workplace presenting some limitations due to sample size. Future research may pursue the opportunity for companies to use internal marketing activities if they seek to colour the workplace a deeper shade of green

    Now is the time for radical action on racial health inequalities

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    A new report by the NHS Race and Health Observatory makes robust recommendations—we must act on them, write Mohammad S Razai and colleagues

    Task facilitative tools, choice goals, and risk averseness: A process-view study of e-stores

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    Although the effects of interactivity and personalization tools on the browsing experience are the subject of previous research, relatively little research focuses on the effect of variable levels of such features on buyers’ evaluations of choice goals. To address this gap, this study conducts an experiment with 273 participants to examine these relationships in the context of complex, high-risk purchase situations where the seller is new to the market and buyers demonstrate variable risk averseness. Findings identify a positive association between website design features and browsing outcomes. The study provides direction on determining the combination of website features according to buyer characteristics

    Research Update: Relativistic origin of slow electron-hole recombination in hybrid halide perovskite solar cells

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    The hybrid perovskite CH3NH3PbI3 (MAPI) exhibits long minority-carrier lifetimes and diffusion lengths. We show that slow recombination originates from a spin-split indirect-gap. Large internal electric fields act on spin-orbit-coupled band extrema, shifting band-edges to inequivalent wavevectors, making the fundamental gap indirect. From a description of photoluminescence within the quasiparticle self-consistent GW approximation for MAPI, CdTe, and GaAs, we predict carrier lifetime as a function of light intensity and temperature. At operating conditions we find radiative recombination in MAPI is reduced by a factor of more than 350 compared to direct gap behavior. The indirect gap is retained with dynamic disorder

    Does the implementation of a novel intensive care discharge risk score and nurse-led inpatient review tool improve outcome? A prospective cohort study in two intensive care units in the UK.

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    OBJECTIVE: To develop a clinical prediction model for poor outcome after intensive care unit (ICU) discharge in a large observational data set and couple this to an acute post-ICU ward-based review tool (PIRT) to identify high-risk patients at the time of ICU discharge and improve their acute ward-based review and outcome. DESIGN: Retrospective patient cohort of index ICU admissions between June 2006 and October 2011 receiving routine inpatient review. Prospective cohort between March 2012 and March 2013 underwent risk scoring (PIRT) which subsequently guided inpatient ward-based review. SETTING: Two UK adult ICUs. PARTICIPANTS: 4212 eligible discharges from ICU in the retrospective development cohort and 1028 patients included in the prospective intervention cohort. INTERVENTIONS: Multivariate analysis was performed to determine factors associated with poor outcome in the retrospective cohort and used to generate a discharge risk score. A discharge and daily ward-based review tool incorporating an adjusted risk score was introduced. The prospective cohort underwent risk scoring at ICU discharge and inpatient review using the PIRT. OUTCOMES: The primary outcome was the composite of death or readmission to ICU within 14 days of ICU discharge following the index ICU admission. RESULTS: PIRT review was achieved for 67.3% of all eligible discharges and improved the targeting of acute post-ICU review to high-risk patients. The presence of ward-based PIRT review in the prospective cohort did not correlate with a reduction in poor outcome overall (P=0.876) or overall readmission but did reduce early readmission (within the first 48 hours) from 4.5% to 3.6% (P=0.039), while increasing the rate of late readmission (48 hours to 14 days) from 2.7% to 5.8% (P=0.046). CONCLUSION: PIRT facilitates the appropriate targeting of nurse-led inpatient review acutely after ICU discharge but does not reduce hospital mortality or overall readmission rates to ICU

    Risk of posterior capsular rupture during phacoemulsification cataract surgery in eyes with previous intravitreal antivascular endothelial growth factor injections

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    Purpose: To investigate if previous intravitreal anti vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) injections are a predictor for posterior capsule rupture (PCR) during phacoemulsification cataract surgery. Setting: National Health Service: Whipps Cross University Hospital Eye Treatment Centre. District General, London, United Kingdom Design: Single centre, retrospective, electronic medical record (EMR) database study with univariate analysis. Methods: EMR (Medisoft) was used to extract data for eyes undergoing phacoemulsification surgery between 01.08.16 to 01.01.18. Patient demographics, indication for intravitreal therapy, treatment type, number of previous intravitreal injections (IVI), diabetic status, surgeon grade and operative complications were included as variables for analysis. Results: Data was available for 4047 cataract operations. Of these, 108 had undergone previous anti-VEGF IVI treatment. Three eyes were noted to have pre-operative PC trauma and were excluded from the final analysis. The logistic regression analysis after exclusion of the eyes with pre-existing damage to the PC confirmed that prior anti-VEGF IVI treatment was associated with an increased risk of PCR when compared to the non IVI group (9.26% vs 1.88%, p<0.0001). There is a dose dependent relationship between the number of anti-VEGF injections and the likelihood of PCR. Conclusions: Previous intravitreal anti-VEGF injections are significantly correlated with an increased risk of surgical PCR despite the absence of visible structural damage to the PC pre-operatively
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