Recent developments in advanced thermal analysis: sample controlled thermal analysis

The determination of the key physical and chemical properties of a new material is essential.The melting point, glass transition temperature, the number and identification of the different phases it may have, and the temperatures at which they are formed are all of great value, not only in assessing its practical pharmaceutical potential but also as they can form the basis of many routine QC procedures

Converging paradigms for environmental health theory and practice.

Converging themes from the fields of environmental health, ecology and health, and human ecology highlight opportunities for innovation and advancement in environmental health theory and practice. In this commentary we outline the role of research and applied programs that integrate biophysical and social sciences with environmental health practice in order to address deficiencies in each field when taken on its own. New opportunities for environmental health protection and promotion are outlined based on the three converging themes: integrated approaches to research and policy, methodological acknowledgment of the synergies between the social and biophysical environments, and incorporation of core ecosystem principles into research and practice. These converging themes are discussed in relation to their implications for new types of intervention to achieve health gains across different spatial and temporal scales at the interface between biophysical and social environments

Mirage: A Microeconomic Resource Allocation System for Sensornet Testbeds

In this paper, we argue that a microeconomic resource allocation scheme, specifically the combinatorial auction, is well suited to testbed resource management. To demonstrate this, we present the Mirage resource allocation system. In Mirage, testbed resources are allocated using a repeated combinatorial auction within a closed virtual currency environment. Users compete for testbed resources by submitting bids which specify resource combinations of interest in space/time (e.g., "any 32 MICA2 motes for 8 hours anytime in the next three days") along with a maximum value amount the user is willing to pay. A combinatorial auction is then periodically run to determine the winning bids based on supply and demand while maximizing aggregate utility delivered to users. We have implemented a fully functional and secure prototype of Mirage and have been operating it in daily use for approximately four months on Intel Research Berkeley's 148-mote sensornet testbed.Engineering and Applied Science

New N=2 Superconformal Field Theories in Four Dimensions

New examples of N=2 supersymmetric conformal field theories are found as fixed points of SU(2) N=2 supersymmetric QCD. Relations among the scaling dimensions of their relevant chiral operators, global symmetries, and Higgs branches are understood in terms of the general structure of relevant deformations of non-trivial N=2 conformal field theories. The spectrum of scaling dimensions found are all those compatible with relevant deformations of a y^2 = x^3 singular curve.Comment: 17 pages, harvma

Managing the delivery of iconic football stadiums in England

The English football premier league has become the most popular sports league in the world; with ardent fans and audiences all over the world. The potential business opportunities that this growth holds have therefore attracted investors who are keen to buy shares in the clubs and sign up the best footballers that money can buy. Underpinning the growth in all of the premier league clubs is a desire to make a distinct statement of identity as part of a competitive strategy. One way to achieve this is through the design and construction of iconic football stadiums. This paper explores the specific project management challenges associated with delivery of iconic football stadiums in England and draws lessons for the management of similar iconic infrastructure projects. A study of project management best practice and some case studies shows that key issues which are common to these projects are centred on design management; choice of procurement route; client management; and stakeholder expectation management. These issues are not necessarily unique to the project management of iconic football stadiums but are amplified by the context of these projects. The emphasis on iconic status in a competitive market also means that stadium projects should be conceived and delivered in the context of other strategic projects which should be clearly understood by the project management team

Auditing the office for learning and teaching resource library

The Australian government Office for Learning and Teaching\u27s (OLT) Resource Library is a key means of disseminating the outcomes from projects funded by itself and its predecessor organisations, the Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC) and the Carrick Institute. In order to apply the recommendations and resources emanating from these projects, it is vital that educators and other stakeholders are aware of, and effectively able to use, the Resource Library. Based on anecdotal evidence indicating a lack of awareness of the Resource Library and problems with consistently being able to search for and retrieve relevant resources from the database, the OLT commissioned a project to formally evaluate the Library and redesign it to improve access and usability. This paper reports on the project\u27s progress, including the results from a questionnaire completed by 117 higher education stakeholders

Auditing the Office for Learning and Teaching Resource Library

The Australian government Office for Learning and Teaching’s (OLT) Resource Library was a key means of disseminating the outcomes from projects funded by itself and its predecessor organisations, the Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC) and the Carrick Institute. In order to apply the recommendations and resources emanating from these projects, it is vital that educators and other stakeholders are aware of, and effectively able to use, the Resource Library. Based on anecdotal evidence indicating a lack of awareness of the Resource Library and problems with consistently being able to search for and retrieve relevant resources from the database, the OLT commissioned a project to formally evaluate the Library and redesign it to improve access and usability. This paper reports on the project’s progress, including the results from a questionnaire completed by 117 higher education stakeholders

Effectiveness and safety of vedolizumab in inflammatory bowel disease patients aged 60 and over: an observational multicenter UK experience.

BACKGROUND: The GEMINI trials established the efficacy of vedolizumab in moderate-to-severe inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and demonstrated a favorable safety profile, suggesting it may be advantageous in older patients at greater risk of treatment-related complications. However, there is a paucity of data exploring the outcomes of vedolizumab in this group. Our objective was to determine the clinical effectiveness and safety of vedolizumab in older IBD patients within a real-world multicenter UK cohort. METHODS: A retrospective review of electronic records across 6 UK hospitals was undertaken to evaluate the clinical effectiveness and safety outcomes of vedolizumab in IBD patients aged ≥60 at start of therapy. Rates of clinical response, remission and corticosteroid-free remission were assessed at weeks 14 and 52, using validated clinical indices, and were compared to historical controls from real-world vedolizumab-treated cohorts unstratified by age. RESULTS: Of 74 patients aged 60 years or above (median 66 years), 48 were included in our effectiveness analysis (29 ulcerative colitis, 19 Crohn's disease). Rates of clinical response, remission and corticosteroid-free remission at week 14 were 64%, 48% and 30%, respectively. By week 52, the rates of clinical response, remission, and corticosteroid-free remission were 52%, 38%, and 32%, respectively. Six (8%) patients experienced adverse effects. Effectiveness and safety outcomes were comparable to those of age-unstratified vedolizumab-treated cohorts. CONCLUSION: Our 1-year outcome data suggests that vedolizumab is safe and effective in older IBD patients and broadly comparable to cohorts unselected by age