Composting paper and grass clippings with anaerobically treated palm oil mill effluent

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the composting performance of anaerobically treated palm oil mill effluent (AnPOME) mixed with paper and grass clippings. Methods Composting was conducted using a laboratory scale system for 40 days. Several parameters were determined: temperature, mass reduction, pH, electrical conductivity, colour, zeta potential, phytotoxicity and final compost nutrients. Results The moisture content and compost mass were reduced by 24 and 18 %, respectively. Both final compost pH value and electrical conductivity were found to increase in value. Colour (measured as PtCo) was not suitable as a maturity indicator. The negative zeta potential values decreased from −12.25 to −21.80 mV. The phytotoxicity of the compost mixture was found to decrease in value during the process and the final nutrient value of the compost indicates its suitability as a soil conditioner. Conclusions From this study, we conclude that the addition of paper and grass clippings can be a potential substrate to be composted with anaerobically treated palm oil mill effluent (AnPOME). The final compost produced is suitable for soil conditioner

Type-II InAsxSb1-x/InAs quantum dots for midinfrared applications: Effect of morphology and composition on electronic and optical properties

InSb-based self-assembled quantum dots are very promising for the midinfrared (3-5μm) optical range. We have analyzed the effect of geometry and composition on the electronic structure and optical spectra of InAsx Sb1-x /InAs dots. The calculated transition energies agree well with the available experimental data. The results show that the geometry of the dot can be estimated from the optical spectra if the composition is known, and vice versa. © 2009 The American Physical Society

The Creation of a Handbook for the Family Church Internship in South Florida

The purpose of this DMIN action research project was to create a handbook for the Family Church Internship in South Florida. The internship at Family Church is a thriving and growing program. However, it lacked a guiding handbook. This project created an internship handbook through a series of careful interviews. Eighteen individual interviews were conducted with project participants. Six interviewees were current interns, six were intern alumni, and six were intern supervisors. A first draft of the handbook was written and distributed to participants. Eighteen follow-up interviews were conducted with the same interviewees. A final draft of the handbook was written and attached to this project as an appendix. All thirty-six interviews provided insights and ideas that were incorporated into the handbook. The six main themes that emerged across all three dozen conversations were community, confidence, experiential learning, access to leaders, advancement, and graduation. Overall, the conclusion is that the installation of a handbook into the internship at Family Church will significantly improve the program and the one created by this project is essential to long-term success

A rotor-mounted digital instrumentation system for helicopter blade flight research measurements

A rotor mounted flight instrumentation system developed for helicopter rotor blade research is described. The system utilizes high speed digital techniques to acquire research data from miniature pressure transducers on advanced rotor airfoils which are flight tested on an AH-1G helicopter. The system employs microelectronic pulse code modulation (PCM) multiplexer digitizer stations located remotely on the blade and in a hub mounted metal canister. As many as 25 sensors can be remotely digitized by a 2.5 mm thick electronics package mounted on the blade near the tip to reduce blade wiring. The electronics contained in the canister digitizes up to 16 sensors, formats these data with serial PCM data from the remote stations, and transmits the data from the canister which is above the plane of the rotor. Data are transmitted over an RF link to the ground for real time monitoring and to the helicopter fuselage for tape recording. The complete system is powered by batteries located in the canister and requires no slip rings on the rotor shaft

Breakdown and charge trapping in silicon dioxide films on silicon

Several aspects of breakdown and charge trapping in silicon dioxide (SiO2) have been studied. Firstly, the locations of charge trapped immediately prior to breakdown and of defects created under the high field stress were established using the photo I-V and avalanche injection techniques. Both positive and negative charge was found and in all cases charge build-up under high field conditions was at the interfaces, not in the bulk of the SiO2. Electron trap creation occurred predominantly near to the non-injecting interface, Qbd, the total charge which can be injected prior to breakdown, was examined under different current injection conditions. It was found to be strongly dependent on the duty cycle, the temperature and the gate electrode and to vary as 1/Eox , where Eox is the average field across the oxide. The Weibull distribution was found to describe well the statistics of breakdown in both wearout and dielectric strength measurements. It was shown that the Weibull parameters a and b have the same values whichever of these methods is used to measure them. The breakdown mechanism is probably the same in both wearout and dielectric strength measurements, therefore. Oxide degradation was also examined under the less severe conditions of bias-temperature strength (BTS). It was shown, using avalanche hole injection before and after negative BTS, that the positive charge generated during negative BTS is due to trapping of holes in intrinsic hole traps. This is accompanied by interface state generation across the whole band gap. The density of these states is linearly proportional to the number of holes trapped. On subsequent application of a positive BTS, the holes were all detrapped or neutralised. At this time a peak also appeared in the interface state density at - 0 . 2 eV above midgap. This may be due to a redistribution of previously generated states rather than to the creation of new states. The charge pumping technique was used to show that the peak is in fact due to interface states and not to lateral non-uniformities in the surface potential

Least Squares Approach to the Alignment of the Generic High Precision Tracking System

A least squares method to solve a generic alignment problem of high granularity tracking system is presented. The formalism takes advantage of the assumption that the derived corrections are small and consequently uses the first order linear expansion throughout. The algorithm consists of analytical linear expansion allowing for multiple nested fits. E.g. imposing a common vertex for groups of particle tracks is of particular interest. We present a consistent and complete recipe to impose constraints on any set of either implicit or explicit parameters. The baseline solution to the alignment problem is equivalent to the one described in [1]. The latter was derived using purely algebraic methods to reduce the initial large system of linear equations arising from separate fits of tracks and alignment parameters. The method presented here benefits from wider range of applications including problems with implicit vertex fit, physics constraints on track parameters, use of external information to constrain the geometry, etc. The complete formalism is given in [2]. The method has been applied to the full simulation of the ATLAS silicon tracking system. The ultimate goal is to determine ~35,000 degrees of freedom. We present a limited scale exercise exploring various aspects of the solution

Patient perspectives in geographic atrophy (GA) : exploratory qualitative research to understand the impact of GA for patients and their families

Background Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the major cause of blindness for the older population in the developed world. Geographic atrophy (GA) is an advanced form of AMD. This progressive degenerative disease causes loss of visual function but unlike exudative AMD there are currently no approved therapeutic treatments for GA. Instead management of the condition is through supportive care. The aim of this study was to conduct exploratory qualitative research to develop a further understanding specifically of the impact of geographic atrophy (GA) on the quality of life for both patients and their families, and to explore the resources GA patients most frequently access. Methods Two focus groups were conducted where participants were assigned to “better” or “worse” group based upon their level of visual acuity. The data were analysed using the principles of thematic analysis. Transcripts were coded using an a priori framework. Emerging themes and subthemes were added, and transcripts recoded to reflect this. Transcripts were coded by one researcher, and the emerging themes and subthemes discussed and agreed prior to transcript recoding. Results Nine participants were recruited to the study (n=5 “better group” and n=4 “worse group”). Six overarching themes were identified. These are: experience of symptoms and understanding of GA; impact on activities; feelings and emotions; relationships and informal support; accessing formal support; and information needs. Conclusion Key findings indicated that: participants had little knowledge of the mechanisms of GA, but were aware of their prognosis; activities impacted by GA were management of daily activities and reading; emotions experienced included fear and frustration, and these frequently crossed over into their relationships with others; and access to formal support was mainly practical and information needs were largely unmet, with peer support being identified as important. Management of GA should include signposting to appropriate support agencies, such as low vision services and charities

'Does the design of settings where acute care is delivered meet the needs of older people? Perspectives of patients, family carers, and staff

Background: Older people with an acute illness, many of whom are also frail, form a significant proportion of the acute hospital inpatient population. Attention is focusing on ways of improving the physical environment to optimize health outcomes and staff efficiency. Purpose: This paper explores the effects of the physical environment in three acute care settings: Acute Hospital Site, In-patient Rehabilitation Hospital, and Intermediate Care Provision (a nursing home with some beds dedicated to intermediate care) chosen to represent different steps on the acute care pathway for older people and gain the perspectives of patients, family carers and staff. Methods: Semi structured interviews were undertaken with 40 patient/carer dyads (where available) and three staff focus groups were conducted in each care setting with a range of staff. Results: Multiple aspects of the physical environment were reported as important by patients, family carers, and staff. For example, visitors stressed the importance of access and parking; patients valued environments where privacy and dignity were protected; storage space was poor across all sites; security was important to patients but visitors want easy access to wards. Conclusions: The physical environment is a significant component of acute care for older people, many of whom are also frail, but often comes second to organization of care, or relationships between actors in an episode of care