Group Of MPs Research Articles

A Simple Approach to Fabricate CdS-SiO 2 Hybrid Microspheres by Producing CdS Nanoparticles on the Surface of Thiolated SiO 2 Microspheres

We have developed a simple synthetic method to prepare the hybrid microspheres of CdS nanoparticles on the surface of silica microspheres modified by(3-mercaptopropyl)trimethoxysilane(MPS). The—SH groups of MPS can bind with the Cd2+ ions on the surface of SiO2. When thioacetamide releases H2S, the nanosized CdS particles(1–6 nm) will successfully be generated on the silica surface under the experimental conditions. The size of the CdS nanoparticles was found to be related to the concentration of Cd2+ feed and the size of silica spheres, the higher the concentration of Cd2+ and the larger of silica microspheres, the bigger the size of CdS nanoparticles. Techniques including UV, PL, TEM and XPS were used to characterize the CdS-SiO2 hybrid microspheres.

Square-Wave Voltammetric Detection of Dopamine at a Copper-(3-Mercaptopropyl) Trimethoxy Silane Complex Modified Electrode

Square-wave voltammetric detection of dopamine was studied at a copper (Cu)-(3-mercaptopropyl) trimethoxy silane (MPS)-complex modified electrode (Cu-MPS). The modification of the electrode was based on the attachment of MPS onto an electrochemically activated glassy carbon electrode (GCE) by the interaction between methoxy silane groups of MPS and surface hydroxyl groups and followed by the complexation of copper with the thiol groups of MPS. The surface of the modified electrode was further coated by a thin layer of Nafion film. The surface of the Nafion coated MPS-Cu complex modified electrode (Nafion/Cu-MPS) was characterized using cyclic voltammetry, electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance (EQCM), scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrometry. The modified electrode exhibited an excellent electrocatalytic activity towards the oxidation of dopamine, which was oxidized at a reduced potential of +0.35 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) at a wider pH range. Various experimental parameters, such as the amount of copper, the pH, and the temperature were optimized. A linear calibration plot was obtained in the concentration range between 8.0×10−8 M and 5.0×10−6 M and the detection limit was determined to be 5.0×10−8 M. The other common biological compounds including ascorbic acid did not interfere and the modified electrode showed an excellent specificity to the detection of dopamine. The Nafion/Cu-MPS modified electrode can be used for about 2 months without any significant loss in sensitivity.

Preparation of silica–PS composite particles and their application in PET

To investigate how the superfine particles disperse in the polymers, the paper presented the preparation of monodisperse silica particles by Stöber method, and then grafted by γ-methacrylic propyl trimethoxysilane (MPS) as a coupling agent. Using these modified particles, the more stable silica–PS superfine composite particles with higher monodispersity than these of previous reports are prepared and reported through dispersion polymerization (DP) method, whose morphology is investigated with transmission electron microscope (TEM). Their high stability is provided from the bonding of C C groups of MPS to the silanol groups on the surface of silica particles from FTIR. Using this DP process, the influence of different size grafted silica particles on the morphology, polystyrene (PS) encapsulation behavior and the distribution in these composite particles have been investigated. When the grafted silica size is in nanoscale or less than 54 nm, the spherical shape of neither silica particles nor their composite particles is regular, but they can homogeneously disperse in polystyrene. As the size ( d n ) of grafted silica particles increase to submicrometer (or 100 nm < d n < 1000 nm), their coefficient variance of size distribution ( C v) ranges from only 9.0% to 1.5%. These obtained particles are completely encapsulated by PS with more regular shape, and have their C v below 7%. When the size of silica particles reaches 380 nm, their C v obviously reduces to 2.5%, and specially, the number of grafted silica particles approaches to one in each of the composite particles. But, when the silica size reaches 602 nm, PS can hardly encapsulate grafted silica particles and free silica particles appear in reactive system. Furthermore, using the silica particles of 380 nm, a series of core–shell structured superfine composite particles of 640–1100 nm with C v lower than 11% are obtained. Under the set conditions, the preparing factors on these composite particles using 380 nm grafted silica particles is discussed, and the best reaction condition for the well-dispersed and regular periphery silica–PS composite particles is optimized as, the additions amounts of PVP, styrene, AIBN, grafted SiO 2 and H 2O are 0.23 mmol L −1, 0.60 mol L −1, 6.10 mmol L −1, 0.10 mol L −1 and 5.50 mL, respectively. Under this case, the composite particles can be prepared with C v below 8%. At last, these composite particles are mixed with poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) to investigate their nucleation effect. Results show that all different size particles can promote PET’s crystallization and enhance the crystallization rate, and PET’s crystallization temperature ( T mc) is obviously enhanced from 193 to 205 °C through differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). It is strongly suggested that different silica size level all play nucleation role in PET, and thus explain the nucleation effect of multiscale inorganic particles.

Planning for the Needs of Young People in Rural Southern England

Children, Youth and Environments 15(2), 2005 Planning for the Needs of Young People in Rural Southern England1 Michael Leyshon School of Geography, Archeology and Earth Resources University of Exeter Sean DiGiovanna Center for Urban Policy Research Rutgers University Citation: Leyshon, Michael and Sean DiGiovanna. (2005). “Planning for the Needs of Young People in Rural Southern England.” Children, Youth and Environments 15(2): 254-277. Comment on This Article Abstract Current trends in the United Kingdom point to an alarming out-migration of young people from rural areas, despite a more general increase in population in these areas. This pattern is associated with the growing lack of affordable housing in rural areas. Various UK policies seek to address this issue in integrated and participatory ways that include the concerns of the young. However, these policies often fail to address the full complexity of these concerns. Qualitative research with young people and other stakeholders in rural Southern England reveals broader challenges such as the poor employment prospects for rural young people, their absence in local planning processes, and increasing social marginalization within their own villages. Keywords: youth, rural studies, housing, community planning, sustainable communities© 2005 Children, Youth and Environments Planning for the Needs of Young People in Rural Southern England 255 Introduction —There are so many people in the world now that there is not enough elbow room. Doesn’t your rural resident born here have a right a live here? More right than an absentee corporate hog farmer to ruin the place? —Why should being born in a place give you more rights than anybody else? I’ve never understood that. It’s like Francis Scott Keister going around with his bumper sticker, ‘Texas Native’. I mean, so what? —It’s historical and psychological rights… - That Old Ace in the Hole by Annie Proulx (2002, 335) A common assumption in community planning discourse is that diversity, social inclusion, participation and empowerment are important components of community health (Nyman 2004). To achieve these aims, recent community planning policy stresses the need for improved integration, accountability and partnerships with policy makers and the public (Bloomfield et al. 2001). Yet, there is increasing evidence that rural communities in both the U.S. and UK are becoming less diverse, particularly with respect to the age profile of residents (cf. Jamieson 2000). Halfacree and Boyle (1998) argue that new residents in the post-productionist countryside are attempting, often successfully, to create an “idyllic” pastoral home—a place envisioned as white, middle-class and closer to nature (Bunce 2003). In this purified and “idyll-ized” space, excluded “others” become “bit part actors in this scene” (Cloke 1997, 375). As Phillips and Skinner (1994), Matthews et al. (2000), Pavis et al. (2000), Leyshon (2003) and Shucksmith (2004) have amply demonstrated, young people take on “bit part roles” as they are frequently marginalized from social services in rural communities. This research focus on structural inequality can perhaps be explained by recent attempts to influence policy developments, such as the Rural Audit (Rural Group of Labour MPs 1999) and the Countryside Agency’s (2000) Not Seen, Not Heard? which draw attention to the problems faced by rural youth, such as lack of transport, housing, facilities and employment opportunities. Recent studies on rural restructuring, lifestyles, poverty and social exclusion (Cloke et al. 1997) have also shown the extent of social differentiation in the countryside and suggest that “our need to understand the form and nature of uneven processes and outcomes in a changing rural arena remains a compelling one” (McGrath 2001, 481). Indeed, researchers of rural youth have made concerted efforts to reveal, claim and expose the lived realities of marginalized young people in the countryside. However, much of this research has focused primarily on young people’s interactions with institutions (such as schools, employment and training agencies) as if they do not exist outside of these contexts and are defined only by their contact with institutions (Jentsch and Shucksmith 2004). The research has stressed, furthermore, that young people’s lack of contact with, or distance from, such structures is what marginalizes them. Notable exceptions to this trend are the work of Matthews et al. (2000) and Leyshon (2003) who...

Encapsulation of titanium dioxide particles by polystyrene via radical polymerization

The paper describes the preparation and characterization of a novel type of SiO 2-and-Al 2O 3-coated-TiO 2 particle encapsulated by polystyrene via radical polymerization. SiO 2-and-Al 2O 3-coated-TiO 2 particle was modified by 3-(trimethoxysilyl)propylmethacrylate (MPS) coupling agent, followed by free radical copolymerization of styrene with the methacrylate group of MPS at the particle surface. The inorganic particle/polystyrene core-shell composites were characterized by means of FTIR spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), elemental analysis, gel permeation chromatography (GPC), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). TEM and FTIR investigation provided direct and clear evidence for the presence of polystyrene shell on SiO 2-and-Al 2O 3-coated-TiO 2 core particles, and TGA showed quantitative evidence of the presence of polystyrene shell on SiO 2-and-Al 2O 3-coated-TiO 2 core particles. It was demonstrated that polystyrene shell was chemically bonded to inorganic core surface, leading to more stable core-shell microspheres.

Anhydrous Sol-Gel Synthesis of Titania-Doped Siloxane Polymer for Integrated Optics

Sol-gel synthesis of organic-inorganic hybrid materials for planar waveguides and devices has received growing interest due to its low-cost processing and good suitability for doping. Titania is an important optical dopant, but homogeneous incorporation of titania in silica is difficult to be achieved by the conventional sol-gel process (aqueous system) because of the significant difference between the hydrolysis rates of the precursors. In this paper, we report an anhydrous sol-gel process for synthesising titania-doped siloxane polymers. The process consists of a hydrolysis of 3-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (MPS) with boric acid under anhydrous conditions, and a condensation with dimethyldimethoxysilane (DMDMS), diphenyldimethoxysilane (DPhDMS) and titanium ethoxide (TET). Optical characterisations for the produced titania-doped polymer were performed, and results showed that TET doping is useful for reducing the OH concentration of the synthesised polymer and is also effective for improving the optical quality of spin coatings. DMDMS and DPhDMS are favourable in reducing the birefringence and in increasing the thermostability of the material, and the methacryl groups of MPS are UV-polymerizable, which is useful for low cost fabrication of waveguides by photolithographic process. The results of ellipsometry scanning measurements show that titania is homogeneously incorporated in the hybrid matrix, suggesting that the anhydrous sol-gel process is useful for preparation of UV-sensitive titania-doped siloxane polymers for optical applications.

Thousands left in hospital needlessly, says watchdog.

More places must be made available urgently in nursing and residential homes in order to prevent thousands of older people from having to stay in hospital after their treatment has finished, an influential group of MPs has said.

REPRODUCTIVE ECOLOGY OF A PROTANDRIC SIMULTANEOUS HERMAPHRODITE, THE SHRIMP LYSMATA WURDEMANNI (DECAPODA: CARIDEA: HIPPOLYTIDAE)

The temporal pattern of population abundance, breeding, and recruitment of the marine shrimp Lysmata wurdemanni is described and analyzed. A population inhabiting the rock jetty in Port Aransas, Texas, U.S.A., was sampled monthly for one year and then bimonthly in a second. Abundances were greatest in the summer, declining during the fall to zero values in early winter, with increases in the late winter and early spring. The disappearance of the population in early winter is attributed to its movement beneath the jetty or to some other location inaccessible to sampling. When the population reappeared in late winter to early spring, it contained a high proportion of larger (older) individuals. The breeding season was seasonal but extended. Most female-phase individuals (FPs) incubated broods of embryos continuously during the warmer months (spring through early fall). Spawning of a new brood occurred soon after hatching of the previous one, as shown by the significant positive correlation between the degree of embryonic development (nearness to hatching) in an FP and the degree of ovarian maturation (nearness to spawning) in its ovotestes. Male-phase individuals (MPs) changing to FPs were found throughout most of the year. Their relative abundance was greatest in late winter to early spring when a group of large MPs, far past minimum FP size, finally changed sex. Recruitment occurred primarily in the spring and summer in both years, although its timing and intensity varied between years. The observed pattern of breeding, recruitment, and population abundances of Lysmata wurdemanni is what might be expected of a primarily tropical species living in an area transitional between the tropical Caribbean and warm temperate Gulf of Mexico biogeographical provinces. The breeding pattern of this shrimp, with an unusual hermaphroditic sexual system, is not strikingly unusual or different from that of gonochoristic shallow-water carideans.

Study by MOA of extrasolar planets in gravitational microlensing events of high magnification

A search for extrasolar planets was carried out in three gravitational microlensing events of high magnification, MACHO 98–BLG–35, MACHO 99–LMC–2 and OGLE 00–BUL–12. Photometry was derived from observational images by the MOA and OGLE groups using an image subtraction technique. For MACHO 98–BLG–35, additional photometry derived from the MPS and PLANET groups was included. Planetary modelling of the three events was carried out in a supercluster computing environment. The estimated probability for explaining the data on MACHO 98–BLG–35 without a planet is <1 per cent. The best planetary model has a planet of mass ~(0.4–1.5)×MEarth at a projected radius of either ~1.5 or ~2.3 au. We show how multiplanet models can be applied to the data. We calculate exclusion regions for the three events and find that Jupiter-mass planets can be excluded with projected radii from as wide as about 30 au to as close as around 0.5 au for MACHO 98–BLG–35 and OGLE 00–BUL–12. For MACHO 99–LMC–2, the exclusion region extends out to around 10 au and constitutes the first limit placed on a planetary companion to an extragalactic star. We derive a particularly high peak magnification of ~160 for OGLE 00–BUL–12. We discuss the detectability of planets with masses as low as Mercury in this and similar events.

MPs urge greater powers for community nurses.

HEALTH VISITORS should be given the chance to broaden their horizons and take the lead in improving public health, an influential group of MPs told the government last week.

Representing Rescue: The National Committee for Rescue from Nazi Terror, the British and the Rescue of Jews from Nazism

From December 1942 to May 1943, the question of an Allied effort to rescue the Jews of Europe would momentarily command the attention of the British Government and the general public. At the centre of attempts to place the issue of rescue on the national agenda were a small group of MPs and Jewish representatives who formed themselves into ‘The National Committee for Rescue from Nazi Terror’. The relationship between a British Government committed to its policy that relief for all victims lay only with an Allied victory and the endeavours of the Committee illustrates the extent to which the question of ‘rescue’ would lie at the centre of the complex circumstances regarding Britain’s response to the Holocaust.

Immune response to revaccination with meningococcal A and C polysaccharides in Gambian children following repeated immunisation during early childhood

Forty-two Gambian children randomised to receive two doses of meningococcal A/C polysaccharide vaccine (MPS) in infancy and either MPS ( n=15), meningococcal A/C conjugate ( n=13) or inactivated polio vaccine (IPV n=14) at 2 years, were revaccinated with MPS at 5 years of age along with 39 matched control children. Meningococcal A and C polysaccharide antibodies were analysed by ELISA and bactericidal assay (SBA) in sera taken before and 10 days after revaccination. The geometric mean group SBA titre in the MPS group following revaccination was about half that of the unvaccinated controls (0.51 95%CI: 0.28, 0.90) for group A and less than half that of the controls for group C (0.41, 95%CI: 0.16, 1.03 P=0.06). The group C SBA response in the conjugate group was 14-fold higher than in the MPS group ( P<0.001). Multiple doses of meningococcal polysaccharide in childhood may therefore attenuate the SBA response to both group A and group C polysaccharides. In contrast, vaccination with meningococcal A/C conjugate after MPS in infancy gives immunological memory to N. meningitidis group C.

THE LABOUR PARTY AND THE PARLIAMENTARY CAMPAIGN TO ABOLISH THE MILITARY DEATH PENALTY, 1919–1930

This is a study of a successful parliamentary campaign led throughout the 1920s by a small group of backbench Labour MPs aimed at abolishing the military death penalty for the offences of cowardice and desertion. It was sustained in the face of opposition from the military establishment, the Conservatives, and finally the House of Lords. The campaigners used the opportunity afforded by the requirement on government to pass, annually, an Army Bill, to challenge the military establishment's insistence that a capital penalty was essential to the maintenance of army discipline. Despite the unwillingness of the 1924 Labour government to confront the military on this issue, the reformers persevered, securing some minor, incremental reform before the coming of the second Labour government in 1929. The new government was prevailed upon by backbench pressure to authorize a free vote in the Commons which approved the abolition of the capital penalty for cowardice and desertion in the Army Act of 1930.

Do Female MPs Substantively Represent Women? A Study of Legislative Behaviour in Canada's 35th Parliament

AbstractThis article outlines the pattern of women's participation in the Canadian parliamentary system. The question of interest is whether female members of the House of Commons make a difference in politics and, notably, if they substantively represent women. The basic underlying hypothesis is that women in the Canadian House of Commons make a difference, that is to say, they substantively represent women. However, the impact of women in politics is limited: they do indeed make a difference, but not a drastic one. In this sense, women try to shape the legislative agenda and the legislative discourse in order to promote women's issues more than do men, but their activity in favour of women's concerns remains quite limited from a numerical point of view. To achieve effective results in this study, two methods were employed: a survey given to members of the 35th Canadian Parliament, and a content analysis of the Hansard Index of the House of Commons. Overall, the results presented here provide some support for the substantive argument. On the question of whether women members of the House of Commons make a difference in politics, and, significantly, if they substantively represent women, the answer is generally positive, although it is necessary to qualify this response. Both female and male MPs speak and act to support women's issues in the House of Commons, but these activities remain quantitatively marginal. However, on each aspect considered, the group of female MPs were proportionately more involved in women's issues than their male counterparts.

The Liberal Cave and the 1914 Budget

The tax rises in Liberal Government's Budget of 1914 faced considerable opposition from a group of Liberal MPs known as 'the cave'. This has often been seen as an example of the increasing unwillingness of many Edwardian Liberals to accept further plans for social reform. The article argues that this was not the case and that 'the cave' acted from disparate motives and were not a serious obstacle to the 'New Liberalism'.

Moving Right Along: The Roots of Amateurism in the Canadian House of Commons

AbstractIt has been argued that rapid membership turnover in the Canadian House of Commons robs the institution of a dedicated and experienced group of MPs and produces a Parliament stocked with political amateurs. Both electoral defeat and voluntary retirement have been seen to play a role in the amateurism phenomenon. The authors explore the roots of amateurism and critically examine the argument that a frustrating career structure in the House of Commons encourages voluntary vacancies. Using a random sample of former MPs, the authors find support for both a “frustration” and an “exhaustion” model of career choice. The article concludes that while amateurism—in the sense of short political careers—may be problematic, not all MPs are amateurs and the problem of amateurism cannot be addressed simply by satisfying frustrated ambition.

Trade Unions and the Labour Party: Changes in the Group of Trade Union Sponsored MPs

Trade Unions and the Labour Party: Changes in the Group of Trade Union Sponsored MPs

The Animals (Scientific Procedures) Bill

Although the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Bill made it through its second reading in the House of Commons by a comfortable margin, the Government-backed bill faces solid opposition from the Liberal/Social Democratic Alliance and the leftist Campaign group of Labour MPs. Even the great majority of Labour MPs who do not belong to the Campaign group failed to demonstrate any positive support for the bill, which suggests that lobbyists against animal experimentation may have made their case more forcefully than those defending medical research. Although the bill will probably emerge from the House of Commons with additional restrictions on the use of animals in research, its life expectancy is expected to be short, given the political momentum of the animal welfare movement in Great Britain.

The Behavioral Effects of Training Premarital Couples in Mutual Problem Solving;Skills

The purpose of the present study was to extend the evaluation of the effectiveness of a mutual problem solving training program (MPS) for premarital couples. The 19 couples who participated in this problem solving program were compared to 19 couples who were involved in a relationship discussion group (RD). The two groups were compared on behavior changes in `work' and `non-work' interaction styles at pre-test, post-test, and follow-up. Training for both groups lasted ten weeks, three hours per week. Results indicated that the MPS group, relative to the RD group, showed a significant increase in one `work' style and decreased in one `non-work' style. The same pattern of results was maintained at follow-up, six months later.

Simulation of a dynamic balance theory

The purpose of this article is to report on an attempt to substitute a &lt;u&gt;dynamic&lt;/u&gt; model for Heider's well known Psychological "Balance" theory.Additionally, a computer simulation of this model is suggested, with help of a computer language for dynamically modelling large samples of biological cells: CELLSIM. (Computer outputs are available upon request from Henk Koppelaar MPS group, Oudennoord 6, Utrecht.