Enhanced hydrogen storage in Ni/Ce composite oxides

The properties of dried (but not calcined) coprecipitated nickel ceria systems have been investigated in terms of their hydrogen emission characteristics following activation in hydrogen. XRD and BET data obtained on the powders show similarities to calcined ceria but it is likely that the majority of the material produced by the coprecipitation process is largely of an amorphous nature. XPS data indicate very little nickel is present on the outermost surface of the particles. Nevertheless, the thermal analytical techniques (TGA, DSC and TPD-MS) indicate that the hydrogen has access to the catalyst present and the nickel is able to generate hydrogen species capable of interacting with the support. Both unactivated and activated materials show two hydrogen emission features, viz. low temperature and high temperature emissions (LTE and HTE, respectively) over the temperature range 50 and 500 °C. A clear effect of hydrogen interaction with the material is that the activated sample not only emits much more hydrogen than the corresponding unactivated one but also at lower temperatures. H2 dissociation occurs on the reduced catalyst surface and the spillover mechanism transfers this active hydrogen into the ceria, possibly via the formation and migration of OH− species. The amount of hydrogen obtained (0.24 wt%) is 10× higher than those observed for calcined materials and would suggest that the amorphous phase plays a critical role in this process. The affiliated emissions of CO and CO2 with that of the HTE hydrogen (and consumption of water) strongly suggests a proportion of the hydrogen emission at this point arises from the water gas shift type reaction. It has not been possible from the present data to delineate between the various hydrogen storage mechanisms reported for ceria

Tax evasion and exchange equity: a reference-dependent approach

The standard portfolio model of tax evasion with a public good produces the perverse conclusion that when taxpayers perceive the public good to be under-/overprovided, an increase in the tax rate increases/decreases evasion. The author treats taxpayers as thinking in terms of gains and losses relative to an endogenous reference level, which reflects perceived exchange equity between the value of taxes paid and the value of public goods supplied. With these alternative behavioral assumptions, the author overturns the aforementioned result in a direction consistent with the empirical evidence. The author also finds a role for relative income in determining individual responses to a change in the marginal rate of tax

Time resolved scanning Kerr microscopy of flux beam formation in hard disk write heads

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from the publisher via the DOI in this record.The underlying research dataset supporting this publication is available under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (https://creativecommons. org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) and can be publicly accessed in Open Research Exeter via the following persistent identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10871/21108.To meet growing data storage needs, the density of data stored on hard disk drives must increase. In pursuit of this aim the magnetodynamics of the hard disk write head must be characterized and understood, particularly the process of “flux beaming”. In this study, seven different configurations of perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) write heads were imaged using time-resolved scanning Kerr microscopy, revealing their detailed dynamic magnetic state during the write process. It was found that the precise position and number of driving coils can significantly alter the formation of flux beams during the write process. These results are applicable to the design and understanding of current PMR and next-generation heat-assisted magnetic recording (HAMR) devices, as well as being relevant to other magnetic devices.The authors gratefully acknowledge financial support from the Seagate Plan

Application of balanced scorecard in the evaluation of a complex health system intervention: 12 months post intervention findings from the BHOMA intervention: a cluster randomised trial in Zambia.

INTRODUCTION: In many low income countries, the delivery of quality health services is hampered by health system-wide barriers which are often interlinked, however empirical evidence on how to assess the level and scope of these barriers is scarce. A balanced scorecard is a tool that allows for wider analysis of domains that are deemed important in achieving the overall vision of the health system. We present the quantitative results of the 12 months follow-up study applying the balanced scorecard approach in the BHOMA intervention with the aim of demonstrating the utility of the balanced scorecard in evaluating multiple building blocks in a trial setting. METHODS: The BHOMA is a cluster randomised trial that aims to strengthen the health system in three rural districts in Zambia. The intervention aims to improve clinical care quality by implementing practical tools that establish clear clinical care standards through intensive clinic implementations. This paper reports the findings of the follow-up health facility survey that was conducted after 12 months of intervention implementation. Comparisons were made between those facilities in the intervention and control sites. STATA version 12 was used for analysis. RESULTS: The study found significant mean differences between intervention(I) and control (C) sites in the following domains: Training domain (Mean I:C; 87.5.vs 61.1, mean difference 23.3, p = 0.031), adult clinical observation domain (mean I:C; 73.3 vs.58.0, mean difference 10.9, p = 0.02 ) and health information domain (mean I:C; 63.6 vs.56.1, mean difference 6.8, p = 0.01. There was no gender differences in adult service satisfaction. Governance and motivation scores did not differ between control and intervention sites. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrates the utility of the balanced scorecard in assessing multiple elements of the health system. Using system wide approaches and triangulating data collection methods seems to be key to successful evaluation of such complex health intervention. TRIAL NUMBER: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01942278

Claytonia tuberosa Pall. ex Willd.

https://thekeep.eiu.edu/herbarium_specimens_byname/10572/thumbnail.jp

Claytonia tuberosa Pall. ex Willd.

https://thekeep.eiu.edu/herbarium_specimens_byname/10572/thumbnail.jp

Delayed adverse events in phase I trials of molecularly targeted and cytotoxic agents

Background: Grade 3 and 4 adverse events (AEs) during cycle 1 are traditionally used for dose escalation decisions in Phase I oncology trials. With molecularly targeted agents (MTAs), assessment of lower grade AEs and those in later cycles is considered increasingly relevant. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of AEs in patients enrolled onto relevant phase I trials of MTAs and cytotoxic combinations (CCs) at our UK centre between 2006 and 2016. All AEs in the first six cycles deemed at least ‘possibly related’ were recorded. Results: A total of 912 AEs were identified in 127 patients across 15 trials. Mean AE totals for CCs or MTAs respectively was 4.7 versus 3.0 in cycle 1, 3.8 versus 2.8 in cycles 2-6. Patients on CCs had higher mean AEs in six cycles compared to those on MTAs (8.5 vs. 5.7, p = 0.0005). For patients experiencing grade 3 AEs, 58% (CCs) and 60% (MTAs) occurred for the first time after cycle 1. Conclusion: Overall AE incidence was lower in MTAs than CCs across six cycles. For MTAs, more frequent incidence of first grade 3/4 AEs after cycle 1 supports incorporation of delayed AEs into recommendations for Phase 2 dosing.</p

Self-Assessment and Student Improvement in an Introductory Computer Course at the Community College Level 1

The purpose of this study was to determine a student’s computer knowledge upon course entry and if there was a difference in college students’ improvement scores as measured by the difference in pretest and post-test scores of new or novice users, moderate users, and expert users at the end of a college level introductory computing class. This study also determined whether there were differences in improvement scores by gender or age group. The results of this study were used to determine whether there was a difference in improvement scores among the three campus locations participating in this study. Four hundred sixty-nine students participated in this study at a community college located in Northeast Tennessee. A survey, pretest, and post-test were administered to students in a college level introductory computing class. The survey consisted of demographic data that included gender, age category, location, Internet access, educational experience and the self-rated user category, while the pretest and post-test explored the student’s knowledge of computer terminology, hardware, the current operating system, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft PowerPoint. The data analysis revealed significant differences in pretest scores between educational experience categories. In each instance, the pretest mean for first semester freshmen students was lower than second semester freshmen and sophomores. The study also reported significant differences between the self-rated user categories and pretest scores as well as differences in improvement scores (post-test scores minus pretest scores). However, the improvement scores (post-test scores minus pretest scores) were higher than the other self-rated user categories. Of the three participating campus locations, students at Location 1 earned higher improvement scores than did students at Location 2. The results also indicated that there was a significant difference between the types of course delivery and course improvement scores (post-test scores minus pretest scores). The improvement scores for on ground delivery was 5 points higher than the hybrid course delivery. Finally, study revealed no significant differences according to the gender and age categories