Contemporary practice education: exploring student perceptions of an industrial radiography placement for final year diagnostic radiography students.

Introduction: There is a paucity of evidence in diagnostic radiography evaluating a career path into industrial imaging despite several higher education institutes stating this route as a career option on graduation. The link between a career in industrial radiography and diagnostic routes is unknown although there are anecdotal examples of individuals transferring between the two. Successfully obtaining a first post job following graduation in diagnostic radiography can be challenging in the current financial climate. A partnership was formed with an energy sector company that offered non-destructive testing/non-destructive evaluation (NDT/NDE) employing industrial radiographic technicians. Method: As an initial pilot, 5 (. n = 5) final year diagnostic radiography students visited an industrial radiography site and underwent theoretical and practical training. Following this placement they engaged in a focus group and the student perceptions/responses were explored and recorded. Results: Common themes were identified and categorised via a thematic analysis. These were; radiation safety, physics and technology, widening access, graduate attributes/transferable skill sets and working conditions. Conclusion: Student discussion focussed around the benefits of working conditions in healthcare, the value of technology, safety and physics education in alternative placements and the transferability of skills into other/industrial sectors (e.g. NDT/NDE). Contemporary practice placements are a useful pedagogical approach to develop complex conceptual theoretical constructs, such as radiation physics. An in depth evaluation between the two industries skill sets is postulated. Additionally, this could offer alternative/emerging roles to interested diagnostic radiographers potentially meeting the skill shortage in industrial radiography

VLT/near-infrared integral field spectrometer observations of molecular hydrogen lines in the knots of the planetary nebula NGC 7293 (the Helix Nebula)

Knots are commonly found in nearby planetary nebulae (PNe) and star-forming regions. Within PNe, knots are often found to be associated with the brightest parts of the nebulae and understanding the physics involved in knots may reveal the processes dominating in PNe. As one of the closest PNe, the Helix Nebula (NGC 7293) is an ideal target to study such small-scale (similar to 300 au) structures. We have obtained infrared integral spectroscopy of a comet-shaped knot in the Helix Nebula using the Spectrograph for INtegral Field Observations in the Near Infrared (SINFONI) on the Very Large Telescope at high spatial resolution (50-125 mas). With spatially resolved 2-mu m spectra, we find that the H-2 rotational temperature within the cometary knots is uniform. The rotational-vibrational temperature of the cometary knot (situated in the innermost region of the nebula, 2.5 arcmin away from the central star) is 1800 K, higher than the temperature seen in the outer regions (5-6 arcmin from the central star) of the nebula (900 K), suggesting that the excitation temperature varies across the nebula. The obtained intensities are reasonably well fitted with 27 km s(-1) C-type shock model. This ambient gas velocity is slightly higher than the observed [He II] wind velocity of 13 km s(-1). The gas excitation can also be reproduced with a photon-dominant region (PDR) model, but this requires an order of magnitude higher ultraviolet radiation. Both models have limitations, highlighting the need for models that treat both hydrodynamical physics and the PDR

Where Does Campylobacter Come From? A Molecular Odyssey

Campylobacter is the most common bacterial cause of gastroenteritis, worldwide. Since the first description of the disease in the 1970 s (Skirrow, 1977 the incidence of human campylobacteriosis in the UK, measured in terms of laboratory reports, has risen steadily, peaking at 57,674 reports in the year 2000; with 46,603 reports in 2006 (http://www.hpa.org.uk). Although generally self limiting, this disease has an important economic impact (Skirrow and Blaser, 1992). More serious complications, such as motor neurone paralysis, arise in 1–2 cases per 100,000 people in the UK and USA (Nachamkin et al., 1998). The disease also has an appreciable, yet less defined, impact in developing countries. Approximately 90% of human infection is caused by C. jejuni, with C. coli accounting for much of the rest (Gillespie et al., 2002)

Reguladores vegetais influenciando número e tamanho de células das bagas da uva 'Niagara Rosada' Plant regulators influencing number and size of berry cells of 'Niagara Rosada' grapes

O objetivo do trabalho foi avaliar o efeito do ácido giberélico, thidiazuron e quinmerac na anatomia das bagas de uvas cultivar 'Niagara Rosada', provenientes de vinhedo localizado em Dourados - MS. Realizaram-se três experimentos. No primeiro ensaio, utilizaram-se soluções aquosas de ácido giberélico (AG3) 0; 15; 30; 45; 60; 75 e 90 mg.l-1, aplicadas no florescimento e repetidas aos 14 dias após (E1E2) e, no outro tratamento, o mesmo composto e doses aplicados uma única vez aos 14 dias após o florescimento (E2); no segundo experimento, thidiazuron (TDZ) 0; 5; 10; 15; 20; 25 e 30 mg.l-1, aplicados quatro dias antes da antese e repetidos aos seis dias após o florescimento (E1E2); e no outro tratamento, o mesmo composto e doses aplicados uma única vez aos seis dias após o florescimento (E2); e, no terceiro, quinmerac 0; 10; 20; 30; 40; 50 e 60 mg.l-1, aplicados no florescimento e repetidos aos 14 dias após (E1E2), e, no outro tratamento, o mesmo composto e doses aplicados uma única vez, 14 dias após o florescimento (E2). As variáveis avaliadas foram: número e dimensões das células das bagas. Pelos resultados obtidos, verificou-se que duas aplicações de ácido giberélico, thidiazuron e quinmerac promoveram a divisão celular, enquanto a expansão celular foi observada com uma única aplicação de thidiazuron e quinmerac.<br>The objective of this investigation was to evaluate the effect of the gibberellic acid, thidiazuron and quinmerac on grape berries anatomy of grapevine 'Niagara Rosada', in a vineyard located in Dourados - MS. Three trials were carried out. In the first trial, it was used gibberellic acid (AG3) 0, 15, 30, 45, 60, 75 and 90 mg.l-1, applied in the bloom and repeated 14 days later (E1E2) and in the other treatment, the same compound and doses applied only once, 14 days after the bloom (E2); in the second experiment, thidiazuron (TDZ) 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 mg.l-1, applied four days before antesis and repeated six days after the bloom (E1E2); and in the other treatment, the same compound and doses applied only once six days after the bloom (E2); and in the third, quinmerac 0, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 mg.l-1, applied in the bloom and repeated 14 days after (E1E2) and in the other treatment, the same compound and doses applied only once 14 days later the bloom (E2). The plant regulators were applied through cluster dipping with surfactant Agral®, 1% added to solutions. The variables evaluated were: berries cells number and dimensions. From the obtained results, it was observed that two applications of gibberellic acid, thidiazuron and quinmerac promoted the cellular division, while the cellular expansion was observed with only one application of thidiazuron and quinmerac