Engineering Valence Band Dispersion for High Mobility p-Type Semiconductors

The paucity of high performance transparent p-type semiconductors has been a stumbling block for the electronics industry for decades, effectively hindering the route to efficient transparent devices based on p–n junctions. Cu-based oxides and subsequently Cu-based oxychalcogenides have been heavily studied as affordable, earth-abundant p-type transparent semiconductors, where the mixing of the Cu 3d states with the chalcogenide 2p states at the top of the valence band encourages increased valence band dispersion. In this article, we extend this mixing concept further, by utilizing quantum chemistry techniques to investigate ternary copper phosphides as potential high mobility p-type materials. We use hybrid density functional theory to examine a family of phosphides, namely, MCuP (M = Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba) which all possess extremely disperse valence band maxima, comparable to the dispersion of excellent industry standard n-type transparent conducting oxides. As a proof of concept, we synthesized and characterized powders of CaCuP, showing that they display high levels of p-type conductivity, without any external acceptor dopant. Lastly, we discuss the role of Cu-coordination in promoting valence band dispersion and provide design principles for producing degenerate p-type materials

What Can we Learn from Serious Incident Reports?

This is an examination of 90 Serious Incident Reports (SIRs) which were generated in the London Probation Area between January 2002 and July 2003. The results showed that offenders assessed as high risk generated a disproportionately high number of SIRs, but equally serious incidents occurred across all risk bands. Interpretation of this is not straightforward; despite confirming considerable accuracy by Probation staff in identifying those most likely to inflict harm, it also demonstrates the limitations of risk prediction, and the need for considerable skill and knowledge among staff who work with offenders of all risk bands. Among other findings it emerged that nearly a third of alleged offences that triggered SIRs were of rape. Lastly, there was a clear contrast in the predictive power of previous convictions: over half of those triggering a serious incident report through violent behaviour had previous convictions of violence, whereas under a quarter of those accused of a sexual offence had previous sexual convictions. Superficially this confirms that past violent behaviour is a powerful predictor of future violence, but also reflects the considerable gap between offending and conviction for sexual offenders

A qualitative examination of attachment based concepts in probation supervision.

Attachment theory is familiar to probation workers, with its broad messages that early care can leave a lasting legacy, and that patterns of relating can be repeated throughout the lifespan. Up close however, attachment theory is complex, and research findings sometimes vague or contested. This empirical research examined the use of four key attachment-based concepts in generic probation practice over a period of six months. The concept of the probation officer as a potential secure base was a useful one, as was the idea that service users' early attachment history could help to understand relationships and offending. Other concepts (the reflective function and attachment style) were less useful

The Nuts and Bolts of Risk Assessment: When the Clinical and Actuarial Conflict

The aim of this research was to examine the thought processes that practitioners follow when they are conducting risk assessments. Weighing up the probability that an individual will inflict harm requires the practitioner to apply clinical and actuarial approaches, and integrate static and dynamic information. This is a complex and inexact task, and one that has been found lacking in reviews of serious further offences. This research focused on a small, atypical subgroup of risk assessments; those where the actuarial information is at odds with the clinical judgment. The results indicated that practitioners are more likely to override actuarial information that indicates a low risk of harm rather than a high one, confirming the existence of the ‘precautionary principle’. The research also produced some important messages for practice, particularly a reluctance to reduce sexual offenders’ risk of harm even when evidence of all types was compelling, and conversely, a willingness to reduce non-sexual offenders’ risk on the basis of only flimsy dynamic evidence, and counter to actuarial pointers. The research concludes that a more sophisticated understanding of the evidence around dynamic factors would enhance assessments

Serious Further Offence Inquiry

Inquiry into murrder on 29th November 2004. John Monckton was stabbed and murdered in his home. His wife was also stabbed and was close to death but recovered, thanks to their 9 year old daughter who managed to call the police. Their murderers posed as delivery men, and after their arrest it soon became clear that they were both on statutory orders to the Probation Service

Introduction of syphilis point-of-care tests, from pilot study to national programme implementation in Zambia: A qualitative study of healthcare workers' perspectives on testing, training and quality assurance

Syphilis affects 1.4 million pregnant women globally each year. Maternal syphilis causes congenital syphilis in over half of affected pregnancies, leading to early foetal loss, pregnancy complications, stillbirth and neonatal death. Syphilis is under-diagnosed in pregnant women. Point-of-care rapid syphilis tests (RST) allow for same-day treatment and address logistical barriers to testing encountered with standard Rapid Plasma Reagin testing. Recent literature emphasises successful introduction of new health technologies requires healthcare worker (HCW) acceptance, effective training, quality monitoring and robust health systems. Following a successful pilot, the Zambian Ministry of Health (MoH) adopted RST into policy, integrating them into prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV clinics in four underserved Zambian districts. We compare HCW experiences, including challenges encountered in scaling up from a highly supported NGO-led pilot to a large-scale MoH-led national programme. Questionnaires were administered through structured interviews of 16 HCWs in two pilot districts and 24 HCWs in two different rollout districts. Supplementary data were gathered via stakeholder interviews, clinic registers and supervisory visits. Using a conceptual framework adapted from health technology literature, we explored RST acceptance and usability. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics. Key themes in qualitative data were explored using template analysis. Overall, HCWs accepted RST as learnable, suitable, effective tools to improve antenatal services, which were usable in diverse clinical settings. Changes in training, supervision and quality monitoring models between pilot and rollout may have influenced rollout HCW acceptance and compromised testing quality. While quality monitoring was integrated into national policy and training, implementation was limited during rollout despite financial support and mentorship. We illustrate that new health technology pilot research can rapidly translate into policy change and scale-up. However, training, supervision and quality assurance models should be reviewed and strengthened as rollout of the Zambian RST programme continues. © 2015, Public Library of Science. All rights reserved. This is an open access article, free of all copyright, and may be freely reproduced, distributed, transmitted, modified, built upon, or otherwise used by anyone for any lawful purpose. The work is made available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication

Waveguides With Non-Parallel Planar Boundaries

The major part of this work is concerned with spectrally synthesised fields, in two dimensional tapered waveguides with planar boundaries. The derivation of the spectral objects of interest are from work by Arnold and Felsen [1], in which the tracking of plane wave species throughout the wedge environment is manipulated into a modal form. The collective form of the ray species (mode) is facilitated by the application of the Euler-Maclaurin summation formula [2]. The application of this summation formula furnishes the concept of an Intrinsic Mode and a source induced field which is maintained to be a Green's function for the tapered geometry. Numerical calculation of Intrinsic Modes has been a feature of several authors' work [3,4,5,6], but in this exposition a highly efficient numerical algorithm is developed, by using Fast Fourier Transform routines [7], which exploit the oscillatory nature of the spectrum. This high efficiency enables confirmation of the power conserving property of the Intrinsic Mode on a transverse cross--section as it traverses the cut-off region of the Adiabatic Mode, provided that at least an asymptotic form of the Euler-Maclaurin remainder is included. The Intrinsic Mode and the source induced spectral field are shown to be exact solutions of the tapered geometry (excluding the apex) and the latter is demonstrated to possess all the properties of a Green's function. This work also examines derivations and properties of four different contemporary theories, and attaches plane wave significance to their approximations by consideration of their wave vector loci. The marching algorithm methods--- Beam Propagation Method [8] and the Parabolic Equation Method [9]--- are compared and assessed with the Intrinsic Mode and the Green's function for the wedge environment (calculated using Fast Fourier Transforms). The final section deals with applications of the Green's function using the Kirchhoff integral representation. Here propagation of fields represented on a boundary are investigated. A method of calculating reflection loss from simple connected structures is also examined

A long-term perspective on a modern drought in the American Southeast

The depth of the 2006-9 drought in the humid, southeastern US left several metropolitan areas with only a 60-120 day water supply. To put the region's recent drought variability in a long-term perspective, a dense and diverse tree-ring network—including the first records throughout the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint river basin—is used to reconstruct drought from 1665 to 2010 CE. The network accounts for up to 58.1% of the annual variance in warm-season drought during the 20th century and captures wet eras during the middle to late 20th century. The reconstruction shows that the recent droughts are not unprecedented over the last 346 years. Indeed, droughts of extended duration occurred more frequently between 1696 and 1820. Our results indicate that the era in which local and state water supply decisions were developed and the period of instrumental data upon which it is based are amongst the wettest since at least 1665. Given continued growth and subsequent industrial, agricultural and metropolitan demand throughout the southeast, insights from paleohydroclimate records suggest that the threat of water-related conflict in the region has potential to grow more intense in the decades to come

Larvisida Dan Pupisida Isotearil Alkohol Etoksilat Terhadap Larva Dan Pupa Aedes Aegypti

Isotearil alkohol etoksilat merupakan larvasida yang bekerja sebagai barier fisik bagi pertumbuhan nyamuk. Larvasida ini membentuk lapisan yang sangat tipis (monomolecular surface film) dan menurunkan tegangan permukaan air. Permasalahan penelitian adalah bagaimana efektifitas isotearil alkohol etoksilat dalam membunuh larva dan pupa nyamuk vektor DBD Ae. aegypti. Tujuan penelitian ingin mengetahui efektifitas isotearil alkohol etoksilat dalam membunuh larva dan pupa nyamuk vektor DBD Ae. aegypti. Metode penelitian dengan pengujian efikasi isotearil alkohol etoksilat terhadap larva Aedes aegypti. Penelitian menggunakan 5 dosis, yaitu 0,5 ml/m2, 0,75 ml/m2, 1,0 ml/m2, 1,5 ml/m2 dan 2 ml/m2 serta kontrol. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa isotearil alkohol etoksilat selama satu minggu membunuh larva dan pupa Ae. aegypti ± 75%. Hasil analisis data menggunakan Anova menunjukkan tidak ada perbedaan jumlah kematian larva Ae. aegypti pada dosis yang berbeda (p=0,999). Simpulan penelitian adalah isotearil alkohol etoksilat dosis 0,5, 0,75, 1,0, 1,5 dan 2 ml/m2 kurang efektif digunakan untuk membunuh larva dan pupa nyamuk vektor DBD Ae. aegypti. Isotearil alcohol ethoxylate is larvicide who works as a physical barrier to mosquito\u27s growth. This larvicides form is very thin layer (monomolecular surface film) and lowers the surface tension of water. The research problem was how effectiveness of alcohol ethoxylate isotearil for killing mosquito larvae and pupae dengue vector Aedes aegypti. Research purpose was to determine the effectiveness of alcohol ethoxylate isotearil for killing larvae and pupae of dengue mosquitoes vector Aedes aegypti. Research methods used to test the efficacy of alcohol ethoxylate isotearil against Aedes aegypti larvae. Research used 5 doses, 0.5ml/m2, 0.75ml/m2, 1.0ml/m2, 1.5ml/m2, and 2ml/m2, and control. The results showed that the alcohol ethoxylate isotearil for a week to kill the larvae and pupae of Aedes aegypti ± 75 %. Data analysis using ANOVA showed no difference in mortality of larvae of Aedes aegypti at different doses (p=0.999). Therefore, isotearil alcohol ethoxylate dose of 0.5 , 0.75 , 1.0 , 1.5 and 2 ml/m2 were not effective used to kill mosquito larvae and pupae dengue vector Aedes aegypti