Agenda for Change: views and experiences from estates and facilities staff

Purpose – Agenda for Change is the biggest reform of staff pay in the UK National Health Service NHS) since it began in 1948. As well as introducing a standardised pay structure; it also aims to improve recruitment, retention and staff morale. The aim of this study is to look in-depth at the experiences and opinions of a range of estates and facilities staff surrounding Agenda for Change during the implementation period. Design/methodology/approach – Focus groups were used as the primary method of data collection in an attempt to tap into the views and opinions of staff working at operational positions in a wide range of trusts. Findings – One of the most important and common themes, which reoccurred throughout the focus groups, was the view that the Agenda for Change framework was designed around the needs of nursing staff. Therefore, the framework did not adequately cater for the needs of estates and facilities staff. Specific concerns related to this included; the role or contribution of estates and facilities staff during patient care was not fairly reflected; trade qualifications were not recognised, particularly in comparison to academic qualifications; members of the job matching panels did not have the appropriate knowledge to make decisions surrounding estates and facilities jobs; nurses were more likely to make progress through the bands than estates and facilities staff.</p

Tunable daytime passive radiative cooling based on a broadband angle selective low-pass filter

Passive daytime cooling could contribute to the reduction of our global energy consumption. It is capable of cooling materials down to below ambient temperatures without the necessity of any additional input energy. Yet, current devices and concepts all lack the possibility to switch the cooling properties on and off. Here, we introduce dynamic control for passive radiative cooling during daytime. Using an angle-selective solar filter on top of a nocturnal passive radiator allows tuning the surface temperature of the latter in a wide range by just tilting the filter from normal incidence up to around 23°. This angle-selective filter is based on optically engineered, one-dimensional photonic crystal structures. We use numerical simulations to investigate the feasibility of a switchable low-pass filter/emitter device

Effect of Vascepa (icosapent ethyl) on progression of coronary atherosclerosis in patients with elevated triglycerides (200-499 mg/dL) on statin therapy: Rationale and design of the EVAPORATE study.

Despite reducing progression and promoting regression of coronary atherosclerosis, statin therapy does not fully address residual cardiovascular (CV) risk. High-purity eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) added to a statin has been shown to reduce CV events and induce regression of coronary atherosclerosis in imaging studies; however, data are from Japanese populations without high triglyceride (TG) levels and baseline EPA serum levels greater than those in North American populations. Icosapent ethyl is a high-purity prescription EPA ethyl ester approved at 4 g/d as an adjunct to diet to reduce TG levels in adults with TG levels &gt;499 mg/dL. The objective of the randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled EVAPORATE study is to evaluate the effects of icosapent ethyl 4 g/d on atherosclerotic plaque in a North American population of statin-treated patients with coronary atherosclerosis, TG levels of 200 to 499 mg/dL, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels of 40 to 115 mg/dL. The primary endpoint is change in low-attenuation plaque volume measured by multidetector computed tomography angiography. Secondary endpoints include incident plaque rates; quantitative changes in different plaque types and morphology; changes in markers of inflammation, lipids, and lipoproteins; and the relationship between these changes and plaque burden and/or plaque vulnerability. Approximately 80 patients will be followed for 9 to 18 months. The clinical implications of icosapent ethyl 4 g/d treatment added to statin therapy on CV endpoints are being evaluated in the large CV outcomes study REDUCE-IT. EVAPORATE will provide important imaging-derived data that may add relevance to the clinically derived outcomes from REDUCE-IT

Utilizing remote sensing of thematic mapper data to improve our understanding of estuarine processes and their influence on the productivity of estuarine-dependent fisheries

The land-water interface of coastal marshes may influence the production of estuarine-dependent fisheries more than the area of these marshes. To test this hypothesis, a spatial model was created to explore the dynamic relationship between marshland-water interface and level of disintegration in the decaying coastal marshes of Louisiana's Barataria, Terrebonne, and Timbalier basins. Calibrating the model with Landsat Thematic Mapper satellite imagery, a parabolic relationship was found between land-water interface and marsh disintegration. Aggregated simulation data suggest that interface in the study area will soon reach its maximum and then decline. A statistically significant positive linear relationship was found between brown shrimp catch and total interface length over the past 28 years. This relationship suggests that shrimp yields will decline when interface declines, possibly beginning about 1995

Using Kappenman\u27s Model to Compare the Relative Fishing Power of 42-Foot Shrimp Trawls and 65-Foot Fish Trawls During Summer and Fall in the Western and North-Central Gulf of Mexico

Kappenman’s fishing power correction (FPC) model was used to compare the fishing efficiency between a 42-ft shrimp trawl and a 65-ft fish trawl towed simultaneously at 985 stations by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration ship Oregon II in the western and north-central Gulf of Mexico. The shrimp trawl was consistently more efficient, both summer and fall, and regardless of whether using no./hr or kg/hr to calculate the FPC factors, for four species of fish, three species of crustaceans, and paper scallops. During summer, the shrimp trawl was more efficient, when using FPC factors calculated using no./hr as the catch per unit of effort (CPUE), at catching 13 of the 42 species of fish, 11 of the 12 species of crustaceans, and paper scallops. It was more efficient at catching 18 of the 42 species of fish, 10 of the 12 species of crustaceans, and paper scallops when FPC factors were calculated using kg/hr as the CPUE. In the fall, the shrimp trawl was more efficient, when using no./hr or kg/hr as the CPUE, at catching five species of fish, three species of crustaceans, and paper scallops. Fishing power correction factors were then compared between summer and fall seasons for 42 species of fish and 16 species of invertebrates. During summer, FPC values ranged from a low of 0.15 for Gulf menhaden to 4.94 for shoal flounder; fall FPC values ranged from 0.05 for yellow box crab to 2.52 for broad-striped anchovy. With the exception of three species, when using number of individuals caught per hour as the CPUE, all FPC factors were significantly different between summer and fall catches

Utilizing remote sensing of Thematic Mapper data to improve our understanding of estuarine processes and their influence on the productivity of estuarine-dependent fisheries

The purpose of the project is to refine and validate a probabilistic spatial computer model through the analyses of thematic mapper imagery. The model is designed to determine how the interface between marshland and water changes as marshland is converted to water in a disintegrating marsh. Coastal marshland in Louisiana is disintegrating at the rate of approximately 40 sq mi a year, and an evaluation of the potential impact of this loss on the landings of estuarine-dependent fisheries is needed by fisheries managers. Understanding how marshland-water interface changes as coastal marshland is lost is essential to the process of evaluating fisheries effects, because several studies suggest that the production of estuarine-dependent fish and shellfish may be more closely related to the interface between marshland and water than to acreage of marshland. The need to address this practical problem has provided an opportunity to apply some scientifically interesting new techniques to the analyses of satellite imagery. Progress with the development of these techniques is the subject of this report

Sing A Little Song

With ukulele arrangment. Contains advertisements and/or short musical examples of pieces being sold by publisher.https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mmb-vp/6838/thumbnail.jp

The Pal That I Loved Stole The Gal That I Loved

With ukulele accompaniment. Contains advertisements and/or short musical examples of pieces being sold by publisher.https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mmb-vp/6829/thumbnail.jp

Photoacoustic thermal characterization of low thermal diffusivity thin films

The photoacoustic measurement technique is a powerful yet underrepresented method to characterize the thermal transport properties of thin films. For the case of isotropic low thermal diffusivity samples, such as glasses or polymers, we demonstrate a general approach to extract the thermal conductivity with a high degree of significance. We discuss in particular the influence of thermal effusivity, thermal diffusivity, and sample layer thickness on the significance and accuracy of this measurement technique. These fundamental thermal properties guide sample and substrate selection to allow for a feasible thermal transport characterization. Furthermore, our data evaluation allows us to directly extract the thermal conductivity from this transient technique, without separate determination of the volumetric heat capacity, when appropriate boundary conditions are fulfilled. Using silica, poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) thin films, and various substrates (quartz, steel, and silicon), we verify the quantitative correctness of our analytical approach