Understanding the synthesis of directly spinnable carbon nanotube forests

Carbon nanotube forests that can be spun directly from the growth substrate into pure, highly aligned webs, ribbons or yarn promise novel applications that capture the strength and other characteristics of this material. The precise conditions for high spinnability over a maximum proportion of the reactor space are extremely sensitive. The roles of catalyst, substrate, temperature, gas flow rates, reaction time with acetylene etc. were studied to identify and understand the key parameters and develop a robust, scalable process. Using a 44 mm (id) reactor, the optimum values for these variables were determined as comprising a 2.3 nm thick iron catalyst layer on a silicon substrate with 50 nm of thermal oxide; 670 °C running temperature; 650 sccm helium and 34 sccm acetylene for 20 min. The effects of deviating from these optima were explored and the role of amorphous carbon deposition clarified. Crown Copyright © 2009.

Mapping worlds? Excavating cartographic encounters in Plantation Ireland through GIS

This paper uses the analytical potential of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) to explore processes of map production and circulation in early-seventeenth century Ireland. The paper focuses on a group of historic maps, attributed to Josias Bodley, which were commissioned in 1609 by the English Crown to assist in the Plantation of Ulster. Through GIS and digitizing map-features, and in particular by quantifying map-distortion, it is possible to examine how these maps were made, and by whom. Statistical analyses of spatial data derived from the GIS are shown to provide a methodological basis for ‘excavating’ historical geographies of Plantation map-making. These techniques, when combined with contemporary written sources, reveal further insight on the ‘cartographic encounters’ taking place between surveyors and map-makers working in Ireland in the early 1600s, opening up the ‘mapping worlds’ which linked Ireland and Britain through the networks and embodied practices of Bodley and his map-makers.

A Lead-Free and High-Energy Density Ceramic for Energy Storage Applications

In this work, we demonstrate a very high-energy density and high-temperature stability capacitor based on SrTiO3-substituted BiFeO3 thin films. An energy density of 18.6 J/cm3 at 972 kV/cm is reported. The temperature coefficient of capacitance (TCC) was below 11% from room temperature up to 200°C. These results are of practical importance, because it puts forward a promising novel and environmentally friendly, lead-free material, for high-temperature applications in power electronics up to 200°C. Applications include capacitors for low carbon vehicles, renewable energy technologies, integrated circuits, and for the high-temperature aerospace sector. © 2013 Crown copyright

Fracture strength of machined ceramic crowns as a function of tooth preparation design and the elastic modulus of the cement

Objectives: To determine, by means of static fracture testing the effect of the tooth preparation design and the elastic modulus of the cement on the structural integrity of the cemented machined ceramic crown-tooth complex. 
Methods: Human maxillary extracted premolar teeth were prepared for all-ceramic crowns using two preparation designs; a standard preparation in accordance with established protocols and a novel design with a flat occlusal design. All-ceramic feldspathic (Vita MK II) crowns were milled for all the preparations using a CAD/CAM system (CEREC-3). The machined all-ceramic crowns were resin bonded to the tooth structure using one of three cements with different elastic moduli: Super-Bond C&B, Rely X Unicem and Panavia F 2.0. The specimens were subjected to compressive force through a 4 mm diameter steel ball at a crosshead speed of 1 mm/min using a universal test machine (Loyds Instrument Model LRX.). The load at the fracture point was recorded for each specimen in Newtons (N). These values were compared to a control group of unprepared/unrestored teeth. 
Results: There was a significant difference between the control group, with higher fracture strength, and the cemented samples regardless of the occlusal design and the type of resin cement. There was no significant difference in mean fracture load between the two designs of occlusal preparation using Super-Bond C&B. For the Rely X Unicem and Panavia F 2.0 cements, the proposed preparation design with a flat occlusal morphology provides a system with increased fracture strength. 
Significance: The proposed novel flat design showed less dependency on the resin cement selection in relation to the fracture strength of the restored tooth. The choice of the cement resin, with respect to its modulus of elasticity, is more important in the anatomic design than in the flat design. © 2013 Academy of Dental Materials.

The Shakespearean Auteur and the Televisual Medium

In the wake offundamental shifts in television, programming and production have seen television creations which rival—even go beyond—standard cinema in scope, length and character development. This essay takes the distinctive approach of applying auteur theory to the small screen, exploring what understandings of the auteur might mean for a new era of television Shakespeare, and, as its case-study, considers the BBC’s Hollow Crown series. Characterized by a feature-film appearance, a multimillion pound budget, and an all-star cast, the series is exemplary of how television is now made; hence, the essay argues, the series needs to be investigated in relation to the most recent understandings of the medium. Central to this investigation is the way in which producer Sam Mendes’s vision imprintsitself upon each of the series’s four episodes, and the first part of the essay is accordingly concerned with his recognizable style and credentials as the series “showrunner.” However, Mendes’s is not the only auteurial stamp on the series, and the essay is equally concerned with how each of Mendes’s three co-directors places his or her auteurial signature on the Shakespearean source material in such a way as to lend each production a unique character. These individualized creative visions, the essay argues, unfold in concert with Mendes’s conceptualization of the series in its entirety. Ultimately, televisual auteurism is understood as a complex phenomenon that allows for more than one creative approach to be entertained.

Predicting forest attributes In southeast Alaska using artificial neural networks

Artificial neural network (ANN) methods are used to predict forest characteristics. The data source is the Southeast Alaska (SEAK) Grid Inventory, a ground survey compiled by the USDA Forest Service at several thousand sites. The main objective of this article is to predict characteristics at unsurveyed locations between grid sites. A secondary objective is to evaluate the relative performance of different ANNs. Data from the grid sites are used to train six ANNs: multilayer perceptron, fuzzy ARTMAP, probabilistic, generalized regression, radial basis function, and learning vector quantization. A classification and regression tree method is used for comparison. Topographic variables are used to construct models: latitude and longitude coordinates, elevation, slope, and aspect. The models classify three forest characteristics: crown closure, species land cover, and tree size/structure. Models are constructed using n-fold cross-validation. Predictive accuracy is calculated using a method that accounts for the influence of misclassification as well as measuring correct classifications. The probabilistic and generalized regression networks are found to be the most accurate. The predictions of the ANN models are compared with a classification of the Tongass national forest in southeast Alaska based on the interpretation of satellite imagery and are found to be of similar accuracy.

Power system performance of offshore wind in the United Kingdom in 2030

At least 34 % of the United Kingdom’s power must come from renewable energy sources to meet planned European Union targets in 2030. Wind power will provide the majority of this renewable electricity with an estimated 36 GW offshore and 21 GW onshore. The success of the Crown Estate’s leasing rounds 1 and 2 in offshore wind has meant the United Kingdom is now one of the world leaders in offshore wind power development. Leasing round 3 will see offshore wind in the United Kingdom surpass 36 GW of installed capacity. This is a significant increase from the current installed offshore wind capacity of 3.6 GW. This research investigates the power system performance of offshore wind power in the United Kingdom in 2030.

Fluorescent Signalling of the Brain Neurotransmitter Gamma Amino Butyric Acid and Related Amino Acid Zwitterions

Fluorescent PET (photoinduced electron transfer) sensor 1 with monoaza-18-crown-6 ether and guanidinium receptor units shows a significant fluorescence enhancement with y-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in mixed aqueous solution.

Understanding perception and action in sport:How can virtual reality technology help?

Although technology can facilitate improvements in performance by allowing us to understand, monitor and evaluate performance, improvements must ultimately come from within the athlete. The first part of this article will focus on understanding how perception and action relate to performance from two different theoretical viewpoints. The first will be predominantly a cognitive or indirect approach that suggests that expertise and decision-making processes are mediated by athletes accruing large knowledge bases that are built up through practice and experience. The second, and alternative approach, will advocate a more 'direct' solution, where the athlete learns to 'tune' into the relevant information that is embedded in their relationship with the surrounding environment and unfolding action. The second part of the article will attempt to show how emerging virtual reality technology is revealing new evidence that helps us understand elite performance. Possibilities of how new types of training could be developed from this technology will also be discussed. © 2014 Crown Copyright.

Violence against women in the Irish War of Independence, 1919-1921

This chapter examines the nature and extent of violence experienced by women in Ireland during the Irish War of Independence (1919-1921) at the hands of both the Crown forces and the Irish Republican Army. It argues that targetted killings of women by either side was rare. The most common forms of such violence can be categorised as physical, gendered (cutting of hair) and psychological (intimidation and the killing of male relatives). It argues that there was a difference between gendered and sexual crime, the latter of which appears to have been very uncommon. A considerable part of the chapter uses theoretical literature on violence against women in conflict zones to explain why sexual violence was uncommon, arguing that neither side had much to gain from its employment, that the Crown forces were aware of the damage it could do to Britain's international reputation and that the terror tactics adopted by the Crown forces were sufficient to achieve their ends without resorting to rape. In regard to the IRA, the absence of any evidence of rape or sexual assault being perpetrated could be attributable to their Catholicism, reliance on support from the community, the efforts of the first Dáil to achieve foreign recognition of the Republic and the role of Cumann na mBan women in the guerrilla conflict. The historiography of women in the Irish revolution is also analysed.

An optimized process design for oxymethylene ether production from woody-biomass-derived syngas

The conversion of biomass for the production of liquid fuels can help reduce the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that are predominantly generated by the combustion of fossil fuels. Oxymethylene ethers (OMEs) are a series of liquid fuel additives that can be obtained from syngas, which is produced from the gasification of biomass. The blending of OMEs in conventional diesel fuel can reduce soot formation during combustion in a diesel engine. In this research, a process for the production of OMEs from woody biomass has been simulated. The process consists of several unit operations including biomass gasifi- cation, syngas cleanup, methanol production, and conversion of methanol to OMEs. The methodology involved the development of process models, the identification of the key process parameters affecting OME production based on the process model, and the development of an optimal process design for high OME yields. It was found that up to 9.02 tonnes day1 of OME3, OME4, and OME5 (which are suitable as diesel additives) can be produced from 277.3 tonnes day1 of wet woody biomass. Furthermore, an optimal combination of the parameters, which was generated from the developed model, can greatly enhance OME production and thermodynamic efficiency. This model can further be used in a techno- economic assessment of the whole biomass conversion chain to produce OMEs. The results of this study can be helpful for petroleum-based fuel producers and policy makers in determining the most attractive pathways of converting bio-resources into liquid fuels.

Growing Up On an Interface: Findings and Implications for the Social Needs, Mental Health and Lifetime Opportunities of Belfast Youth

In this research we aimed to find out what types of risk (if any) affected young people and children growing up in places of high religious segregation or what we normally call interface communities. This is important as we know that risk and experiences of harm and violence can have negative impacts upon development, emotional well-being and future prospects. It is important to understand what types of risk affect young people and children so as we can respond to these in terms of aiding better personal and community development with regard to health, work, education and wider opportunities.

Post-fire vegetation regeneration in Portugal : implications for management

This thesis aims at improving the knowledge on the post-fire vegetation regeneration. For that, forests and shrublands were studied, after forest fires and experimental fires. Maritime Pine (Pinus pinaster) recruitment after fire was studied. Fire severity was evidenced as a major effect on this process. High crown fire severity can combust the pines, destroying the seed bank and impeding post fire pine recruitment. However, crown combustion also influences the post-fire conditions on the soil surface, since high crown combustion (HCC) will decrease the postfire needle cast. After low crown combustion (LCC) (scorched rather than torched crowns), a considerable needle cover was observed, along with a higher density of pine seedlings. The overall trends of post-fire recruitment among LCC and HCC areas could be significantly attributed to cover by needles, as well by the estimation of fire severity using the diameters of the burned twigs (TSI). Fire increased the germination from the soil seed bank of a Pinus pinaster forest, and the effects were also related with fire severity. The densities of seedlings of the dominant taxa (genus Erica and Calluna vulgaris) were contrastingly affected in relation to the unburned situation, depending on fire severity, as estimated from the degree of fire-induced crown damage (LCC/HCC), as well as using a severity index based on the diameters of remaining twigs (TSI). Low severity patches had an increase in germination density relatively to the control, while high severity patches suffered a reduction. After an experimental fire in a heathland dominated by Pterospartum tridentatum, Erica australis and E. umbellata, no net differences in seedling emergence were observed, in relation to the pre-fire situation. However, rather than having no effect, the heterogeneity of temperatures caused by fire promoted caused divergent effects over the burned plot in terms of Erica australis germination – a progressive increased was observed in the plots were maximum temperature recorded ranged from 29 to 42.5ºC and decreased in plots with maximum temperature ranging from 51.5 to 74.5ºC. In this heathland, the seed density of two of the main species (E. australis and E. umbellata) was higher under their canopies, but the same was not true for P. tridentatum. The understory regeneration in pine and eucalypt stands, 5 to 6 years post fire, has been strongly associated with post-fire management practices. The effect of forest type was, comparatively, insignificant. Soil tilling, tree harvesting and shrub clearance, were linked to lower soil cover percentages. However, while all these management operations negatively affected the cover of resprouters, seeders were not affected by soil tilling. A strong influence of biogeographic region was identified, suggesting that more vulnerable regions may suffer higher effects of management, even under comparatively lower management pressure than more productive regions. This emphasizes the need to adequate post-fire management techniques to the target regions.

A coroa, os mestres e os comendadores: as Ordens Militares de Avis de de Santiago (1330 - 1449)

Tese de Doutoramento , História, especialidade de História Medieval, Faculdade de Ciências Humanas e Sociais, Universidade do Algarve, 2006

Aplicação de métodos de customer relationship management ao tratamento de dados para o desenvolvimento de negócios

Tese de Doutoramento, Gestão, na especialidade de Marketing, Faculdade de Economia, Universidade do Algarve, 2007