An Electrical Stimulus Which Can Be Accurately Measured

The difficulty encountered in the past with any technique involving the use of an electrical stimulus has been that of obtaining a stimulating current which could at once be easily varied and accurately measured. In order to make it possible to vary the necessarily high voltage involved, an induction coil or transformer was usually used as the source of electrical current. Since these instruments have an alternating current output it is therefore difficult to obtain a meter capable of measuring the very small current that can be used as a stimulant. The ordinary A. C. meters are not adapted for measurement of very weak currents. In lieu of current measurement it has been customary to measure the applied E.M.F. Voltage, however, is an unreliable indicator of the energy put into the stimulus. The uncontrolled factor of variable skin and body resistance effects a corresponding variation in current, which is independent of the applied voltage

Late antique gold glass in the British Museum

The British Museum holds one of the largest and most important collections of Late Antique gold glasses in the world, numbering over fifty pieces. However, the collection has never been fully examined or analysed and the standard reference works on the medium are well over 100 years old. This thesis uses the British Museum collection to offer a new and in-depth case study of gold glass which reconsiders the traditional but untested set of interpretations that have been in circulation since the mid-nineteenth century and before. Chapter One examines the history of gold glass scholarship from the late sixteenth century up until the present day. This serves to demonstrate where many of the frequently repeated assumptions regarding gold glass have their roots. Chapter Two gives a brief account of scholarship focusing on the British Museum collection. It then moves on to examine in detail the formation of the collection itself in the context of changing nineteenth-century attitudes to Late Antique art. Chapter Three for the first time defines the various sub-types of gold glass identifiable in the British Museum collection and incorporates a discussion of the first significant program of scientific analysis to be carried out on the medium. Chapter Four concentrates on the manufacture of gold glass and includes a detailed program of experimental reproduction. Chapters Five to Eight discuss in detail the range of iconography appearing on the gold glasses in the British Museum collection, reflective of the medium as a whole. Lastly, after examining the pattern of gold glass distribution and context, Chapter Nine draws together the preceding analysis to explore the possible workshop identity and chronology. The final Chapter concludes as to the function of gold glass in Late Antiquity

Asymmetric tandem organic solar cells

Organic photovoltaics (OPVs) is an area that has attracted much attention recently as a potential low cost, sustainable source of energy with a good potential for full-scale commercialisation. Understanding the factors that determine the efficiency of such cells is therefore a high priority, as well as developing ways to boost efficiency to commercially-useful levels. In addition to an intensive search for new materials, significant effort has been spent on ways to squeeze more performance out of existing materials, such as multijunction cells. This thesis investigates double junction tandem cells in the context of small molecule organic materials. Two different organic electron donor materials, boron subphthalocyanine chloride (SubPc) and aluminium phthalocyanine chloride (ClAlPc) were used as donors in heterojunctions with C60 to create tandem cells for this thesis. These materials have been previously used for solar cells and the absorption spectra of the donor materials complement each other, making them good candidates for tandem cell architectures. The design of the recombination layer between the cells is considered first, with silver nanoparticles demonstrated to work well as recombination centres for charges from the front and back sub-cells, necessary to avoid a charge build-up at the interface. The growth conditions for the nanoparticles are optimised, with the tandem cells outperforming the single heterojunction architecture. Optical modelling is considered as a method to improve the understanding of thin film solar cells, where interference effects from the reflective aluminium electrode are important in determining the magnitude of absorption a cell can achieve. The use of such modelling is first demonstrated in hybrid solar cells based on a SubPc donor with a titanium oxide (TiOx) acceptor; this system is ideal for observing the effects of interference as only the SubPc layer has significant absorption. The modelling is then applied to tandem cells where it is used to predict the short-circuit current (Jsc) generation of the sub-cells, which is not accessible experimentally. Current-matching is then used to predict the Jsc of the complete tandem device. As a support to the optical modelling, ellipsometry measurements of thin films of ClAlPc are presented. These films of known thickness are analysed to extract the complex refractive index for use in optical modelling calculations. A dependence of the complex refractive index on film thickness and substrate is also noted. Finally, the external quantum efficiency (EQE) technique is considered as applied to solar cells, and an additional method is proposed to characterise current balancing in asymmetric tandem cells under illumination. This technique is verified experimentally by two separate sets of data

Innovation search: the role of innovation intermediaries in the search process

The aim of this paper is to explore how innovation search is conceptualised, given that firms increasingly use innovation intermediaries. The paper examines the search processes which involves the role of innovation intermediaries in different stages of the innovation search process. The study discovered that innovation search activity is a much more extended and complex process, not being as targeted or as specific than previously conceptualised, and involves a set of search stages, which are associated with a loosely coupled iterative search process. Innovation intermediaries were also discovered to be undertaking new, more extended roles in the search process, through, for example, combining new search procedures with online digital platforms.publishedVersio

Changing violent behaviour : forensic mental health and criminological models compared

Evidence-based interventions designed to reduce the risk of re-offending, particularly violent re-offending, are commonly offered in correctional systems around the world. The interventions are often based upon the application of several principles of service delivery that have become widely known as the \u27what works\u27 approach to offender rehabilitation. The applicability of these principles to forensic psychiatric services has yet to be determined. The aims are to examine the possible application of the \u27what works\u27 approach and its implications for forensic mental health practice. The method used was a review of relevant research from both the general offender and forensic psychiatry literature. The principles underlying the \u27what works\u27 approach are likely to have utility in service delivery in forensic psychiatry, particularly when a treatment target is a reduction in risk of harm to others. The individualized models of patient care practiced in forensic psychiatry are also likely to have utility in improving treatment outcomes in correctional settings. The conclusion is that an increased interchange of ideas and interventions between the two areas of practice is likely to be of mutual benefit. This is an area that requires significant development. <br /

Rethinking EU Consumer Law

This title is published in Open Access with the support of the University of Helsinki.In Rethinking EU Consumer Law, the authors analyse the development of EU consumer law on the basis of a number of clear themes, which are then traced through specific areas. Recurring themes include the artificiality of the EU’s consumer image, the problems created by the drive towards maximum harmonisation, and the unexpected effects EU Consumer Law has had on national law. The book argues that EU Consumer Law has the potential of enhancing the protecting of consumers throughout the EU and could offer a model for consumer law elsewhere in the world, but in order to unlock this potential, there needs to be a rethink with regard to the EU’s approach to consumer law and policy

Rethinking EU Consumer Law

In Rethinking EU Consumer Law, the authors analyse the development of EU consumer law on the basis of a number of clear themes, which are then traced through specific areas. Recurring themes include the artificiality of the EU’s consumer image, the problems created by the drive towards maximum harmonisation, and the unexpected effects EU Consumer Law has had on national law. The book argues that EU Consumer Law has the potential of enhancing the protecting of consumers throughout the EU and could offer a model for consumer law elsewhere in the world, but in order to unlock this potential, there needs to be a rethink with regard to the EU’s approach to consumer law and policy

Rethinking EU Consumer Law

In Rethinking EU Consumer Law, the authors analyse the development of EU consumer law on the basis of a number of clear themes, which are then traced through specific areas. Recurring themes include the artificiality of the EU's consumer image, the problems created by the drive towards maximum harmonisation, and the unexpected effects EU consumer law has had on national law.Peer reviewe

Small molecule tandem organic photovoltaic cells incorporating an α-NPD optical spacer layer

We report an improvement in power conversion efficiency in a small molecule tandem organic photovoltaic (OPV) device by the optimisation of current balancing of the sub-cells using an optical spacer layer. A co-deposited layer of N,N’-bis(1-naphthyl)-N,N′-diphenyl-1,1’-biphenyl-4,4’-diamine (α-NPD) and molybdenum oxide was used as the optical spacer layer and provided a highly transparent and conductive layer. Optical simulations showed the addition of the optical spacer in a boron subphthalocyanine (SubPc)/C60 based tandem OPV device increased the SubPc absorption in the front sub-cell and resulted in current balancing through the device. Fabricated tandem OPV devices showed similar trends, with the power conversion efficiency increasing from 2.3% to 4.2% with the addition of an optimised optical spacer thickness. External quantum efficiency and total absorption efficiency measurements back up the optical model data which attribute the increased performance to improved SubPc absorption in the front sub-cell, balancing the photocurrents of the two sub-cells