Processing experiments on non-Czochralski silicon sheet

A program is described which supports and promotes the development of processing techniques which may be successfully and cost-effectively applied to low-cost sheets for solar cell fabrication. Results are reported in the areas of process technology, cell design, cell metallization, and production cost simulation

Optimized delivery of siRNA into 3D tumor spheroid cultures in situ

3D tissue culture provides a physiologically relevant and genetically tractable system for studying normal and malignant human tissues. Despite this, gene-silencing studies using siRNA has proved difficult. In this study, we have identified a cause for why traditional siRNA transfection techniques are ineffective in eliciting gene silencing in situ within 3D cultures and proposed a simple method for significantly enhancing siRNA entry into spheroids/organoids. In 2D cell culture, the efficiency of gene silencing is significantly reduced when siRNA complexes are prepared in the presence of serum. Surprisingly, in both 3D tumour spheroids and primary murine organoids, the presence of serum during siRNA preparation rapidly promotes entry and internalization of Cy3-labelled siRNA in under 2 hours. Conversely, siRNA prepared in traditional low-serum transfection media fails to gain matrigel or spheroid/organoid entry. Direct measurement of CTNNB1 mRNA (encoding β-catenin) from transfected tumour spheroids confirmed a transient but significant knockdown of β-catenin when siRNA:liposome complexes were formed with serum, but not when prepared in the presence of reduced-serum media (Opti-MEM). Our studies suggest a simple modification to standard lipid-based transfection protocols facilitates rapid siRNA entry and transient gene repression, providing a platform for researchers to improve siRNA efficiency in established 3D cultures

Transgressing the moral economy: Wheelerism and management of the nationalised coal industry in Scotland

This article illuminates the links between managerial style and political economy in post-1945 Britain, and explores the origins of the 1984–1985 miners' strike, by examining in longer historical context the abrasive attitudes and policies of Albert Wheeler, Scottish Area Director of the National Coal Board (NCB). Wheeler built on an earlier emphasis on production and economic criteria, and his micro-management reflected pre-existing centralising tendencies in the industries. But he was innovative in one crucial aspect, transgressing the moral economy of the Scottish coalfield, which emphasised the value of economic security and changes by joint industrial agreement

How do field of view and resolution affect the information content of panoramic scenes for visual navigation? A computational investigation

The visual systems of animals have to provide information to guide behaviour and the informational requirements of an animal’s behavioural repertoire are often reflected in its sensory system. For insects, this is often evident in the optical array of the compound eye. One behaviour that insects share with many animals is the use of learnt visual information for navigation. As ants are expert visual navigators it may be that their vision is optimised for navigation. Here we take a computational approach in asking how the details of the optical array influence the informational content of scenes used in simple view matching strategies for orientation. We find that robust orientation is best achieved with low-resolution visual information and a large field of view, similar to the optical properties seen for many ant species. A lower resolution allows for a trade-off between specificity and generalisation for stored views. Additionally, our simulations show that orientation performance increases if different portions of the visual field are considered as discrete visual sensors, each giving an independent directional estimate. This suggests that ants might benefit by processing information from their two eyes independently

The employee as 'Dish of the Day’:human resource management and the ethics of consumption

This article examines the ethical implications of the growing integration of consumption into the heart of the employment relationship. Human resource management (HRM) practices increasingly draw upon the values and practices of consumption, constructing employees as the ‘consumers’ of ‘cafeteria-style’ benefits and development opportunities. However, at the same time employees are expected to market themselves as items to be consumed on a corporate menu. In relation to this simultaneous position of consumer/consumed, the employee is expected to actively engage in the commodification of themselves, performing an appropriate organizational identity as a necessary part of being a successful employee. This article argues that the relationship between HRM and the simultaneously consuming/consumed employee affects the conditions of possibility for ethical relations within organizational life. It is argued that the underlying ‘ethos’ for the integration of consumption values into HRM practices encourages a self-reflecting, self-absorbed subject, drawing upon a narrow view of individualised autonomy and choice. Referring to Levinas’ perspective that the primary ethical relation is that of responsibility and openness to the Other, it is concluded that these HRM practices affect the possibility for ethical being

Disentangling the effect of farming practice and aridity on crop stable isotope values: a present-day model from Morocco and its application to early farming sites in the eastern Mediterranean

Agriculture has played a pivotal role in shaping landscapes, soils and vegetation. Developing a better understanding of early farming practices can contribute to wider questions regarding the long-term impact of farming and its nature in comparison with present-day traditional agrosystems. In this study we determine stable carbon and nitrogen isotope values of barley grains from a series of present-day traditionally managed farming plots in Morocco, capturing a range of annual rainfall and farming practices. This allows a framework to be developed to refine current isotopic approaches used to infer manuring intensity and crop water status in (semi-)arid regions. This method has been applied to charred crop remains from two early farming sites in the eastern Mediterranean: Abu Hureyra and ‘Ain Ghazal. In this way, our study enhances knowledge of agricultural practice in the past, adding to understanding of how people have shaped and adapted to their environment over thousands of years

Patients’ Perceptions and Experiences of Familial Hypercholesterolemia, Cascade Genetic Screening and Treatment

Background: Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is a serious genetic disorder affecting approximately 1 in every 300 to 500 individuals and is characterised by excessively high low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels, substantially increased risk of early-onset coronary heart disease (CHD) and premature mortality. If FH is untreated, it leads to a greater than 50 % risk of CHD in men by the age of 50 and at least 30 % in women by the age of 60. FH can be diagnosed through genetic screening and effectively managed through pharmacological treatment and lifestyle changes. Purpose: Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is a genetic health condition that increases the risk of cardiovascular disease. Although FH can be effectively managed with appropriate pharmacological and dietary interventions, FH detection rate through genetic screening remains low. The present study explored perceptions and experiences of FH patients (N = 18) involved in a genetic cascade screening programme. Methods: Face-to-face interviews were conducted to assess patients’ knowledge and understanding of FH, explore factors linked to adherence to health-protective behaviours and examine perceptions of genetic screening. Results: Thematic analysis of interviews revealed four themes: disease knowledge, severity of FH, lifestyle behavioural change and barriers to cascade screening and treatment. Participants recognised FH as a permanent, genetic condition that increased their risk of CHD and premature mortality. Many participants dismissed the seriousness of FH and the importance of lifestyle changes because they perceived it to be effectively managed through medication. Despite positive attitudes toward screening, many participants reported that relatives were reluctant to attend screening due to their relatives’ ‘fatalistic’ outlook or low motivation. Participants believed that they had insufficient authority or control to persuade family members to attend screening and welcomed greater hospital assistance for contact with relatives. Conclusions: Findings support the adoption of direct methods of recruitment to cascade screening led by medical professionals, who were perceived as having greater authority. Other implications included the need for clinicians to provide clear information, particularly to those who are asymptomatic, related to the seriousness of FH and the necessity for adherence to medication and lifestyle changes

What goes in does not always come out: The impact of the ruminant digestive system of sheep on plant material, and its importance for the interpretation of dung-derived archaeobotanical assemblages

On archaeological sites where livestock dung was a major fuel source, plant material that survives digestion intact may well be preserved in the remnants of dung-fuelled fires. Preserved plant remains which were derived from dung relate to the diet of animals, and thus provide a way of investigating the agro-pastoral economies of the past. In order to improve our understanding of the taphonomic processes to which plant material is exposed to during digestion, we applied archaeobotanical methods to the analysis of dung from sheep fed a known diet of cereal and wild plant material. Two clear patterns emerge from these investigations. First, cereal material (grain or chaff) survives digestion poorly and was rarely found in the dung analysed. Second, large proportions of seeds of various wild species survive digestion in an identifiable form, probably due to their small size and/or protective coating. These findings are crucial for reliable interpretation of dung-derived plant material in archaeological settings