LETS get real: constraints on the development of Local Exchange Trading Schemes

Local Exchange Trading Schemes (LETS) are widely promoted as a new tool for local economic development, but until recently the focus has been on their alleged ‘potential’ rather than the realities of their operation. This paper assesses the practical economic role of LETS by examining the amount of trading conducted, and demonstrates that both the volume of trading and the value of the trades are very low. Drawing on an intensive case study of the first UK LETS created explicitly as part of a local authority’s anti-poverty strategy, explanations for the low levels of participation are suggested, and significant structural constraints on the development of LETS are identified

Automated and semi-automated contact tracing: Protocol for a rapid review of available evidence and current challenges to inform the control of COVID-19

Abstract Introduction Traditional approaches to case-finding, case isolation, and contact tracing methods have so far proved insufficient on their own to prevent the development of local epidemics of COVID-19 in many high-income countries despite relatively advanced public health systems. As a result, many governments have resorted to widespread social distancing measures and mass quarantines (‘lock-downs’) to reduce transmission and to prevent healthcare systems from being overwhelmed. However, such measures impose heavy human and societal costs. Automated or semi-automated digital contact tracing, in conjunction with scaled-up community testing, has been proposed as a key part of exit strategies from lockdowns. However, the effectiveness of these approaches to contact tracing is unclear, and to be effective, trusted, and widely adopted such technology must overcome several challenges. Methods and analysis We will perform a rapid systematic review to assess the effectiveness of automated and semi-automated digital tools for contact tracing, and identify key considerations for successful implementation, to inform the control of COVID-19. We will search PubMed, EMBASE, EBSCO Medical COVID information portal, OVID Global Health, Cochrane Library, medRxiv, BioRxiv, and arXiv for peer-reviewed and pre-print papers on automated or semi-automated digital tools for contact tracing of COVID-19, another respiratory disease with pandemic potential (limited to SARS, MERS, or pandemic influenza), or Ebola, in human populations. Studies will be eligible if published in English between 1 January 2000 and 14 April 2020. We will synthesise study findings narratively and will consider meta-analysis if ≥ 3 suitable studies with comparable interventions and outcomes are available. Ethics and dissemination Ethical approval is not required for this review. We plan to disseminate findings via pre-print, journal publication, through social media and web-based platforms and through direct stakeholder engagement

Crucial moments in the chair experience: A case study approach

Department chairs are often called upon to make tough decisions (e.g., personnel, scheduling, strategic planning, curriculum, resources). Presenters of this interactive workshop will share case studies written by higher education administrators from across the nation, offer persepctives, and open it up for interaction, brainstorming and discussion for addressing difficult situations

Sediment dynamics of a nearshore sandbank: Results from TELEMAC-2D, TOMAWAC and SISYPHE modelling

Water Qualit

Influenza vaccination, inverse care and homelessness: cross-sectional survey of eligibility and uptake during the 2011/12 season in London

Background: Influenza vaccination eligibility and uptake among homeless adults has not been previously assessed in the UK. This cross-sectional survey aimed to measure the proportion of homeless people visited by an NHS outreach service (Find and Treat) who were eligible for and had received vaccination during 2011/12. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was carried out in 27 separate homeless hostels, day centres and drug services in London between July and August in 2012. Eligibility for the survey was by virtue of being in attendance at one of 27 venues visited by Find and Treat. No specific exclusion criteria were used. Results: 455 clients took part in the survey out of 592 approached (76.9%). A total of 190 homeless people (41.8%; 95% CI: 34.5,50.5) were eligible for influenza vaccination. In those aged 16–64, eligibility due to clinical risk factors was 38.9% (95% CI: 31.5,48.2). Uptake of vaccination in homeless 16–64 year olds with a clinical risk factor during the 2011/12 influenza season was 23.7% (95% CI: 19.8,28.3) compared to national levels of 53.2% (excluding pregnant women). In those aged over 65, uptake was 42.9% (95% CI: 16.7,100.0) compared with 74.0% nationally. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that the homeless population have high levels of chronic health problems predisposing them to severe complications of influenza, but vaccine uptake levels that are less than half those seen among eligible GP patient groups in England. It provides a clear example of the health inequalities and inverse care law that impact this population. The results of this study provide strong justification for intensifying efforts to ensure homeless people have access to influenza vaccination

Diberyllocene, a stable compound of Be(I) with a Be-Be bond

The complex diberyllocene, CpBeBeCp (Cp, cyclopentadienyl anion), has been the subject of numerous chemical investigations over the past five decades yet has eluded experimental characterization. We report the preparation and isolation of the compound by the reduction of beryllocene (BeCp2) with a dimeric magnesium(I) complex and determination of its structure in the solid state by means of x-ray crystallography. Diberyllocene acts as a reductant in reactions that form beryllium-aluminum and beryllium-zinc bonds. Quantum chemical calculations indicate parallels between the electronic structure of diberyllocene and the simple homodiatomic species diberyllium (Be2)

A nucleophilic beryllyl complex via metathesis at [Be–Be] 2+

Owing to its high toxicity, the chemistry of element number four, beryllium, is poorly understood. However, as the lightest elements provide the basis for fundamental models of chemical bonding, there is a need for greater insight into the properties of beryllium. In this context, the chemistry of the homo-elemental Be–Be bond is of fundamental interest. Here the ligand metathesis chemistry of diberyllocene (1; CpBeBeCp)—a stable complex with a Be–Be bond—has been investigated. These studies yield two complexes with Be–Be bonds: Cp*BeBeCp (2) and [K{(HCDippN)2BO}2]BeBeCp (3; Dipp = 2,6-diisopropylphenyl). Quantum chemical calculations indicate that the Be–Be bond in 3 is polarized to such an extent that the complex could be formulated as a mixed-oxidation state Be0/BeII complex. Correspondingly, it is demonstrated that 3 can transfer the ‘beryllyl’ anion, [BeCp]−, to an organic substrate, by analogy with the reactivity of sp2–sp3 diboranes. Indeed, this work reveals striking similarities between the homo-elemental bonding linkages of beryllium and boron, despite the respective metallic and non-metallic natures of these elements

Methods for Detecting Microbial Methane Production and Consumption by Gas Chromatography

Methane is an energy-dense fuel but is also a greenhouse gas 25 times more detrimental to the environment than CO2. Methane can be produced abiotically by serpentinization, chemically by Sabatier or Fisher-Tropsh chemistry, or biotically by microbes (Berndt et al., 1996; Horita and Berndt, 1999; Dry, 2002; Wolfe, 1982; Thauer, 1998; Metcalf et al., 2002). Methanogens are anaerobic archaea that grow by producing methane gas as a metabolic byproduct (Wolfe, 1982; Thauer, 1998). Our lab has developed and optimized three different gas chromatograph-utilizing assays to characterize methanogen metabolism (Catlett et al., 2015). Here we describe the end point and kinetic assays that can be used to measure methane production by methanogens or methane consumption by methanotrophic microbes. The protocols can be used for measuring methane production or consumption by microbial pure cultures or by enrichment cultures