Naresuan University Journal
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The stability of microbially reduced U(IV); impact of residual electron donor and sediment ageing
No full textThe stimulation of microbial U(VI) reduction to precipitate insoluble U(IV) has been proposed as a means of remediating mobile uranium groundwater contamination. Crucial to the success of such a remediation strategy is determining the longevity of U(IV) biominerals in the subsurface, particularly if the groundwater becomes oxidising. Here we describe experiments to assess the susceptibility of microbially-reduced U(IV) to oxidative remobilisation both via aeration and by the addition of nitrate at environmentally-relevant conditions. Additional factors examined include the possibility of biogenic U(IV) becoming more crystalline (and potentially more recalcitrant) during a period of ageing, and the role played by residual electron donor in controlling the long-term fate of the uranium. Biogenic U(IV) was precipitated as a non-crystalline U(IV) or “monomericâ€� phase, with a small but increasing contribution to the EXAFS spectra from nanocrystalline uraninite occurring during 15 months of ageing. Despite this, no evidence was observed for an increase in recalcitrance to oxidative remobilisation. However, the presence of residual electron donor post-biostimulation was shown to exert a strong control on U(IV) reoxidation kinetics, highlighting the importance of maintaining the presence of electron donor in the subsurface, in order to protect biogenic U(IV) from oxidative remobilisation
Object interviews, material imaginings and 'unsettling' methods: interdisciplinary approaches to understanding materials and material culture
No full textThis article aims to explore the possibilities and limitations of contemporary qualitative methods for understanding materials and material culture and how these can be expanded through interdisciplinary approaches. Taking the case study of an interdisciplinary project into old jeans, the article firstly considers the use of object interviews and life histories to explore how people ‘speak’ the material. Secondly, it develops the possibilities afforded by inventive material methods, such as socio-archaeological approaches of ‘material imaginings’. Finally, the article discusses the interdisciplinary methods of design and of textile technology through the dialogues that took place around the methods and data. Focusing upon dialogues offers a means of exploring the tensions and also connections between methods as a site for expanding qualitative understandings of materials as ‘live’ and vibrant. It aims to widen the remit of qualitative research methods to incorporate the material
Performance analysis of secrecy capacity for two hop AF relay networks with zero forcing
No full textMulti-layer Flow-modulating Stents for Thoraco-abdominal and Peri-renal Aneurysms: The UK Pilot Study.
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‘You can’t have them in here’: experiences of accessing medication among older men on entry to prison
No full textOlder prisoners are the fastest growing sub-group in the English and Welsh prison estate. They have complex health needs, in spite of which there is a dearth of literature concerning their access to prescribed medication. Literature relating to younger prisoners highlights common issues around maintaining continuity of medication upon reception into prison custody. The objective of the study was to explore the lived experience of older male prisoners regarding continuity of medication upon entry into prison. This paper presents findings from part of a large-scale research project regarding health and social care services for older male adult prisoners. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with male participants (N= ) aged years and over who had been newly received into prison. Interviews were conducted within the first ten weeks of custody. Participants were asked about their experience of accessing medication on entry into prison. Data were analysed using the constant comparison method. Eighty-five per cent of participants were in receipt of prescribed medication when committed to prison. Older prisoners’ experiences of receiving medication in prison were reflected in four key themes: delays in confirming medicines; changes to medication; communication difficulties; and enforced helplessness. Whilst these experiences mirrored those of prisoners of all ages reported in previous studies, these issues are especially relevant to older prisoners who are likely to have greater andmore complex medication needs than their younger peers. In addition, older prisoners experienced unmet needs related to restrictedmobility and functional skills that could have impaired their ability to maintain concordance with medication regimes. This study shows that there is need for increased awareness of prescribing issues specific to older prisoners to allay related feelings of anxiety and distress and to ensure they receive appropriate medication
3D Photo-fabrication for tissue engineering and drug delivery
No full textThe most promising strategies in tissue engineering involve the integration of a triad of biomaterials, living cells, and biologically active molecules to engineer synthetic environments that closely mimic the healing milieu present in human tissues, and that stimulate tissue repair and regeneration. To be clinically effective, these environments must replicate, as closely as possible, the main characteristics of the native extracellular matrix (ECM) on a cellular and subcellular scale. Photo-fabrication techniques have already been used to generate 3D environments with precise architectures and heterogeneous composition, through a multi-layer procedure involving the selective photocrosslinking reaction of a light-sensitive prepolymer. Cells and therapeutic molecules can be included in the initial hydrogel precursor solution, and processed into 3D constructs. Recently, photo-fabrication has also been explored to dynamically modulate hydrogel features in real time, providing enhanced control of cell fate and delivery of bioactive compounds. This paper focuses on the use of 3D photo-fabrication techniques to produce advanced constructs for tissue regeneration and drug delivery applications. State-of-the-art photo-fabrication techniques are described, with emphasis on the operating principles and biofabrication strategies to create spatially controlled patterns of cells and bioactive factors. Considering its fast processing, spatiotemporal control, high resolution, and accuracy, photo-fabrication is assuming a critical role in the design of sophisticated 3D constructs. This technology is capable of providing appropriate environments for tissue regeneration, and regulating the spatiotemporal delivery of therapeutics
Owner Capabilities in Information Systems Project Organising in the Public Sector:
No full textAn information systems project is an inevitable approach to cope efficiently with technological change that leads to improved organisational excellence. Yet managing information systems projects is more of a challenge to project owners than suppliers. As a universal truth, a project is a temporary event, but its management is the project owner’s permanent challenge even after a project. This paper aims to examine owner capabilities in information systems projects in the UK public sector through the empirical investigation of project owner’s management issues. National Audit Office reports published between 2006 and 2013 are explored to analyse narratives of information systems projects in the UK public sector. A total of 15 UK government reports covering 31 information systems projects are analysed by content analysis. The findings highlight the significance of organisational capabilities amongst others, and the results draw our attention to the importance of ensuring operational continuity in project organising
Educational reform and modernisation in Europe: The role of national contexts in mediating the new public management
No full textThis article examines the spread of New Public Management (NPM) across European education systems as it has traversed national boundaries. Whilst recognising the transnational dimensions of the spread of NPM the authors offer new insights into the importance of national contexts in mediating this development in educational settings by focusing upon NPM within three European countries (England, Italy and Norway). We reveal its recontextualisation in these sites and the interplay between NPM and local and national conditions. This analysis is underpinned by a theoretical framework that seeks to capture the relationship between education and the state and to reveal tensions produced by NPM both as a shaping force and an entity shaped by local conditions in these contexts. The article concludes by focusing upon the complexities and specificities of NPM recontextualisation in the three countries as a basis for a reflection upon possible future policy trajectories
Fluid Spatial Imaginaries: evolving estuarial city-region spaces
No full textThis article looks at successive attempts to create new spatial imaginaries around three estuary-based city regions in England: the London–Thames Gateway, the Atlantic Gateway/Mersey Belt (Manchester and Liverpool), and Hull and the Humber ports. We develop a framework of analysis for new planning and regeneration spaces that takes forward debates on relational and territorial geographies, spatial imaginaries and the creation of new regional identities as governance objects. Specifically, we adopt a long-term and comparative perspective that allows an examination of how successive efforts at regional building are both path-dependent and context-specific, as new approaches reflect emerging ideas about how best to construct successful regions in a changing global economy