One of the most promising ways to reduce the cost of photovoltaics is thin-film crystalline silicon solar cells. This paper, together with part 1, reviews the current state of research in thin-film ...crystalline silicon solar cells. Deposition on silicon, novel techniques which use a high-quality, reusable silicon substrate and light trapping have been described in part 1 of this paper. This paper describes deposition on glass and ceramics and discusses cell designs for thin-film crystalline silicon solar cells.
Approximately half the cost of a finished crystalline silicon solar module is due to the silicon itself. Combining this fact with a high-efficiency potential makes thin-film crystalline silicon solar ...cells a growing research area. This paper, written in two parts, aims to outline world-wide research on this topic. The subject has been divided into techniques which use native substrates and techniques which use foreign substrates. Light trapping, vapour- and liquid-phase deposition techniques, cell fabrication and some general considerations are also discussed with reference to thin-film cells.
The COVID-19 global pandemic resulted in major changes to the provision of alcohol treatment in the UK, these changes coincided with increases in the use of alcohol. This study sought to understand ...the impact of the pandemic on older adults in alcohol treatment, and to explore how changes in the provision of alcohol treatment were experienced.
Semi-structured interviews were completed with older adults (aged 55+) in alcohol treatment, as well as alcohol practitioners providing support to older adults. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Alcohol use was assessed using the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test - Consumption (AUDIT-C).
Thirty older adults in alcohol treatment and fifteen alcohol practitioners were recruited. The COVID-19 pandemic was found to result in both increases and decreases in alcohol use; changes in alcohol use depended on a number of factors, such as living arrangements, family support, physical and mental health. Many alcohol treatment services moved to a model of remote support during the pandemic. However, face-to-face service provision was considered to be essential by both older adults in alcohol treatment and alcohol practitioners. Engagement with online support was low, with older adults facing barriers in using online technology.
The study highlights the importance of face-to-face treatment and intervention for older adults in alcohol treatment. Addiction services may see increased demand for treatment as a result of the pandemic; it is important that services consider the needs of older adults, many of whom may be marginalised by a remote model of service provision.
Abstract
Communication skills are fundamental to social work, yet few studies have directly evaluated their impact. In this study, we explore the relationship between skills and outcomes in 127 ...families. An observation of practice was undertaken on the second or third meeting with a family. Practice quality was evaluated in relation to seven skills, which were grouped into three dimensions: relationship building, good authority and evocation of intrinsic motivation. Outcomes at approximately six months were parent-reported engagement (Working Alliance Inventory), Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS), an eleven-point family life satisfaction rating, the Family Environment Scale and General Health Questionnaire and service outcomes from agency records including children entering care. Relationship-building skills predicted parent-reported engagement, although good authority and evocation had stronger relationships with outcome measures. Where workers visited families more often, relationships between skills and outcomes were stronger, in part because workers had more involvement and in part because these families were more likely to have significant problems. The relationship between skills and outcomes was complicated, although the findings provide encouraging evidence that key social work skills have an influence on outcomes for families.
There has been interest in developing more evidence-based approaches to child and family social work in the UK in recent years. This study examines the impact of a skills development package of ...training and supervision in Motivational Interviewing (MI) on the skills of social workers and the engagement of parents through a randomized controlled trial.
All workers in one local authority were randomly assigned to receive the package (n = 28) or control (n = 33). Families were then randomized to trained (n = 67) or untrained (n = 98) workers. Family meetings with the worker shortly after allocation were evaluated for MI skill. Research interviews gathered data including the Working Alliance Inventory (WAI). Follow-up interviews 20 weeks later repeated the WAI, and other outcome measures including Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS) and rating of family life.
Between group analysis found statistically significant difference in MI skills, though these was not substantial (2.49 in control, 2.91 MI trained, p = .049). There was no statistically significant difference between groups in any other outcome measures.
The package of training and supervision did not create sufficient increase in MI skills to influence engagement or outcomes. Implications for understanding the relationship between skills, engagement and organizational change are discussed.
The objective of this study is to offer an historical and social analysis of the coroner in nineteenth-century Ireland using as a case study the life and work of William Charles Waddell, Esq. ...(1798-1878) who served as coroner in north County Monaghan over three decades from 1846 to 1878. This thesis offers an analysis of the role of the Irish coroner that is currently absent from scholarship and uniquely places the coroner, and specifically Waddell, within the framework of local government. While inquest reports from newspapers or official reports have been used to bolster other academic works, this study uses original inquest reports written in a coroner's casebook. This study offers, for the first time, a social history of County Monaghan during the Great Famine drawing on the records of inquests and examining the alignment of imposed legislation, local mismanagement of the crisis and Waddell's inquests to reveal all factors that contributed towards those deaths. This study offers a new administrative history of the coroners' office in Ireland in the nineteenth century. It examines the extent to which the coroner operated within a colonial context, as well as the purpose of the office and the inquest in determining a cause of death and liability in cases of murder. It considers property qualifications and social status as requirements to gain entry to the office and the conditions under which such men were elected. Compensation and the working relationship between coroners and other agents involved in the inquest and judicial process are considered as to their potential impact on the verdicts. It also offers some consideration of the humanitarian aspect of the coroners' work and the social benefit of investigating sudden or suspicious deaths, particularly inquests held on the poor, sick or mentally ill. The patterns that emerge emphasize a modernisation of society within the county, representative of the country at large.
While uniprofessional education programs develop strong student identities, they may limit the development of behaviors needed for interprofessional socialization. Interprofessional education (IPE) ...creates an essential platform for student engagement in the development of interprofessional socialization and cultural humility, thus enabling improvement in collaborative communication. In this quasi-experimental observational study, health professional students attended one of three Grand Rounds Interprofessional Workshops (GRIW) and completed online pre- and post-workshop surveys including sociodemographic background, the Interprofessional Socialization and Valuing Scale (ISVS), and the Cultural Competence Self-Assessment Checklist (CCSAC). A total of 394 students from eight professions participated in the workshop with 287 (73%) of attendees completing both pre- and post-workshop surveys. No significant differences were observed in ISVS and CCSAC scores between students across workshops. Significant pre- to post-workshop differences were found in ISVS t (284) = 13.5,
< .001, 95%, CCSAC t (286) = 13.8,
< .001 and the cultural competence components of cultural awareness t (285) = 12.9,
< .001, 95%, knowledge t (285) = 9.5,
< .001, 95%, and skills t (286) = 13.3,
< .001, 95%. Interprofessional education learning opportunities that integrate socialization with health professional students and cultural humility education can improve educational awareness of cultural values and communication for collaborative professional practice.
Cognitive Impairment (CI) screening is recommended for those engaged in harmful levels of alcohol use. However, there is a lack of evidence on implementation. This paper explores the barriers and ...facilitators to CI screening experienced across a service specifically for older drinkers. The findings draw on data gathered as part of an evaluation of a multilevel programme to reduce alcohol‐related harm in adults aged 50 and over in five demonstration areas across the United Kingdom. It is based on qualitative interviews and focus groups with 14 service providers and 22 service users. Findings are presented thematically under the section headings: acceptability of screening, interpretation and making sense of screening and treatment options. It is suggested that engagement with CI screening is most likely when its fit with agency culture and its purpose is clear; where service providers have the technical skills to administer and discuss the results of screening with service users; and where those undertaking screening have had the opportunity to reflect on their own experience of being screened. Engagement with CI screening is also most likely where specific intervention pathways and engagement practices can be accessed to respond to assessed need.
This paper presents the results of a study of the incorporation of boron into silicon layers grown from a tin melt by liquid phase epitaxy. Boron was added to the melt through the use of boron-doped ...silicon source wafers. There is a large discrepancy between the amount of boron incorporated into the epitaxial layer and that available in the source wafer. This mismatch is explained by the gradual removal of boron from our system, most likely as a result of boron precipitation in the tin melt. This situation allows for control of the boron profile by adjusting the cooling rate and adding a dwell time. In this way, we have grown an epitaxial layer with an abrupt and highly doped p-type region at the epitaxial layer/substrate interface. This is useful for thin film solar cell applications as it allows the growth of a back surface field and a lightly doped bulk in a single growth step.
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