Undergraduate research in primary care: Is it sustainable?

To describe the research project component of the BSc in Primary Health Care and to discuss the issues faced by students and faculty in attempting to complete a student-led research project. Medical schools increasingly expect medical students to undertake research as part of intercalated BSc’s or in self-selected study modules. This research has historically been laboratory based, ‘piggybacking’ onto existing projects. Projects initiated by students themselves and studies in primary care or community settings are more unusual. A qualitative study, based on interviews with students and examiners, triangulated with data from the peer review process and personal observations on the running of the course. A London medical school, running an intercalated BSc in Primary Health Care. We interviewed 24 of 26 students and two external examiners during the interview period of the study. Students successfully undertook research, from initial question through to publication. Overall, 90 dissertations were completed since 1997, of which half used a qualitative methodology (45/90). Ten projects have subsequently been published; there were also 16 conference presentations and 6 research letters. Themes from the interview data include: the students’ strong sense of project ownership, the difficulties of being a novice researcher, the difficulties posed by the research governance hurdles, the beneficial and for some students adverse impact (stress and coping with unsuccessful projects) and finally, the impact on their careers. Students gain considerably from this learning process, not only by undertaking their own research, but they also gain in terms of acquisition of transferable skills such as critical appraisal and improved self-directedness. Project completion and publication rates suggest that programmes developing undergraduate initiated research projects can be as successful as those for other novice researchers. The student-led project is a fragile endeavour, but currently is sustainable. © 2008, Cambridge University Press. All rights reserved

Geological evaluation and applications of ERTS-1 imagery over Georgia

ERTS-1 70mm and 9 x 9 film negatives are being used by conventional and color enhancement methods as a tool for geologic investigation. Geologic mapping and mineral exploration by conventional methods is very difficult in Georgia. Thick soil cover and heavy vegetation cause outcrops of bed rock to be small, rare and obscure. ERTS imagery, and remote sensing in general have helped delineate: (1) major tectonic boundaries; (2) lithologic contacts; (3) foliation trends; (4) topographic lineaments; and (5) faults. The ERTS-1 MSS imagery yields the greatest amount of geologic information on the Piedomont, Blue Ridge, and Valley and Ridge Provinces of Georgia where topography is strongly controlled by the bedrock geology. ERTS imagery, and general remote sensing techniques, have provided us with a powerful tool to assist geologic research; have significantly increased the mapping efficiency of our field geologists; have shown new lineaments associated with known shear and fault zones; have delineated new structural features; have provided a tool to re-evaluate our tectonic history; have helped to locate potential ground water sources and areas of aquifer recharge; have defined areas of geologic hazards; have shown areas of heavy siltation in major reservoirs; and by its close interval repetition, have aided in monitoring surface mine reclamation activities and the environmental protection of our intricate marshland system

Calculation of the free-free transitions in the electron-hydrogen scattering S-wave model

The S-wave model of electron-hydrogen scattering is evaluated using the convergent close-coupling method with an emphasis on scattering from excited states including an initial state from the target continuum. Convergence is found for discrete excitations and the elastic free-free transition. The latter is particularly interesting given the corresponding potential matrix elements are divergent

An analytical law for size effects on thermal conductivity of nanostructures

The thermal conductivity of a nanostructure is sensitive to its dimensions. A simple analytical scaling law that predicts how conductivity changes with the dimensions of the structure, however, has not been developed. The lack of such a law is a hurdle in "phonon engineering" of many important applications. Here, we report an analytical scaling law for thermal conductivity of nanostructures as a function of their dimensions. We have verified the law using very large molecular dynamics simulations

Pathways to "opportunity and excellence": collaborative curriculum innovation in South Yorkshire

This paper reports on two aspects of a large-scale curriculum project currently taking place in four LEAs in South Yorkshire. The first of these is concerned with the positive and negative influences on effective curriculum innovation and is addressed from the perspective of the LEA project managers who are managing the delivery of the project in the region's schools. The second aspect considers what the pupils (Year 10, age 14-15) think about the new learning opportunities. The project is set in the context of regional regeneration. The paper concludes that the extremely positive responses from the sample of pupils in all three strands of the programme indicate that the greater emphasis on vocational work and work experience in schools is having a strong motivational effect on pupils who are responding with improved attendance, behaviour and achievement.</p

Convective–reactive nucleosynthesis of K, Sc, Cl and p-process isotopes in O–C shell mergers

© 2017 The Author(s). Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society. We address the deficiency of odd-Z elements P, Cl, K and Sc in Galactic chemical evolution models through an investigation of the nucleosynthesis of interacting convective O and C shells in massive stars. 3D hydrodynamic simulations of O-shell convection with moderate C-ingestion rates show no dramatic deviation from spherical symmetry. We derive a spherically averaged diffusion coefficient for 1D nucleosynthesis simulations, which show that such convective-reactive ingestion events can be a production site for P, Cl, K and Sc. An entrainment rate of 10-3M⊙s-1features overproduction factors OPs≈ 7. Full O-C shell mergers in our 1D stellar evolution massive star models have overproduction factors OPm> 1 dex but for such cases 3D hydrodynamic simulations suggest deviations from spherical symmetry. γ - process species can be produced with overproduction factors of OPm> 1 dex, for example, for130, 132Ba. Using the uncertain prediction of the 15M⊙, Z = 0.02 massive star model (OPm≈ 15) as representative for merger or entrainment convective-reactive events involving O- and C-burning shells, and assume that such events occur in more than 50 per cent of all stars, our chemical evolution models reproduce the observed Galactic trends of the odd-Z elements

UK Research Information Shared Service (UKRISS) Final Report, July 2014

The reporting of research information is a complex and expensive activity for research organisations (ROs). There is little alignment between funders of the reporting requests made to institutions and requests made to individual researchers about their research outputs and outcomes. This inevitably results in duplication and increased costs across the sector, whilst limiting the potential sharing and reuse of the information. The UK Research Information Shared Service (UKRISS) project conducted a feasibility and scoping study for the reporting of research information at a national level based on CERIF (Common European Research Information Format), with the objective of increasing efficiency, productivity and quality across the sector. The aim was to define and prototype solutions which are compelling, easy to use, have a low entry barrier, and support innovative information sharing and benchmarking. CERIF has emerged as the preferred format for expressing research information across Europe. To date, CERIF has been piloted for specific applications, but not as a format for reporting requirements across all UK ROs. The final report presents the work carried out by the UKRISS project, including requirements gathering, modelling and prototyping, as well as recommendation for sustainability. UKRISS was divided into two phases. Phase 1, mapping the reporting landscape, ran from March 2012 to December 2012. Phase 2, exploring delivery of potential solutions, began in February 2013 and ended in December 2013