Ion chambers simplify absolute intensity measurements in the vacuum ultraviolet

Single or double ion chamber technique measures absolute radiation intensities in the extreme vacuum ultraviolet region of the spectrum. The ion chambers use rare gases as the ion carrier. Photon absorbed by the gas creates one ion pair so a measure of these is a measure of the number of incident photons

OpenForensics:a digital forensics GPU pattern matching approach for the 21st century

Pattern matching is a crucial component employed in many digital forensic (DF) analysis techniques, such as file-carving. The capacity of storage available on modern consumer devices has increased substantially in the past century, making pattern matching approaches of current generation DF tools increasingly ineffective in performing timely analyses on data seized in a DF investigation. As pattern matching is a trivally parallelisable problem, general purpose programming on graphic processing units (GPGPU) is a natural fit for this problem. This paper presents a pattern matching framework - OpenForensics - that demonstrates substantial performance improvements from the use of modern parallelisable algorithms and graphic processing units (GPUs) to search for patterns within forensic images and local storage devices

Understanding the ECG part 1: anatomy and physiology

This first article in a series on 12-lead ECG interpretation explores the importance of the ECG as a diagnostic tool, discusses the anatomy and physiology underpinning cardiac electrical activity, and introduces the basic waveforms seen on the ECG

Nurses' views of using computerized decision support software in NHS Direct

Background. Nurses working in NHS Direct, the 24-hour telephone advice line in England, use computerized decision support software to recommend to callers the most appropriate service to contact, or to advise on self-care. Aims. To explore nurses' views of their roles and the computerized decision support software in NHS Direct. Methods. Qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews with 24 NHS Direct nurses in 12 sites. Findings. Nurses described both the software and themselves as essential to the clinical decision-making process. The software acted as safety net, provider of consistency, and provider of script, and was relied upon more when nurses did not have clinical knowledge relevant to the call. The nurse handled problems not covered by the software, probed patients for the appropriate information to enter into the software, and interpreted software recommendations in the light of contextual information which the software was unable to use. Nurses described a dual process of decision-making, with the nurse as active decision maker looking for consensus with the software recommendation and ready to override recommendations made by the software if necessary. However, nurses' accounts of the software as a guide, prompt or support did not fully acknowledge the power of the software, which they are required to use, and the recommendation of which they are required to follow under some management policies. Over time, the influence of nurse and software merges as nurses internalize the software script as their own knowledge, and navigate the software to produce recommendations that they feel are most appropriate. Conclusions. The nurse and the software have distinct roles in NHS Direct, although the effect of each on the clinical decision-making process may be difficult to determine in practice

Hymn Lining: A Black Church Tradition with Roots in Europe

This paper attempts to explore the history of the sacred form of singing known as hymn-lining and to contribute to the debate surrounding its origin and influences on American music. Until recently, the segregation of our churches after emancipation made it very easy to forget that a tradition of the Black church was also a part of White churches as well. Hymn-lining was originally brought to Christians by Protestant churches in England to the colonies as early as the 16th century. At the same time, this sacred music form was also brought to Scotland. What is heard today in churches that still practice this type of singing is the syncretism when Christianity meets African and Gaelic traditions. The opposing views in the ethnomusicology field as to the influence that hymn-lining, and by reference Gaelic Psalm singing had on other music forms such as gospel, blues and jazz will also be discussed. While there are many efforts to keep this sacred music form alive, many churches, wanting to appeal to their younger members, don’t sing this style much anymore

The Poetics of Bodily Being: The Lived Experience of Breastfeeding an Infant "Out of Reach" in the NICU

Babies born preterm (<37 weeks gestation) and at very low birth weight (VLBW, <1500 grams, 3.3 pounds) reside "out of reach" from their mothers in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) during the very beginnings of life. As the evidence of breast milk versus formula for infants within this vulnerable population is well established, multiple initiatives call for the provision of breast milk, and NICU professionals are subsequently making efforts to increase numbers of breastfed infants. However, there is a gap in the scholarly literature that brings forth mothers' voices relative to this unique breastfeeding experience. These voices are imperative to making a greater understanding of this phenomenon. This hermeneutic phenomenological study asks the question: What is the lived experience of providing breast milk for one's child who lives in a NICU? My exploration draws upon the writings of several philosophers including Levinas, Heidegger, Merleau-Ponty, Gadamer, and Derrida that relate to the phenomenon and discover how the phenomenon is made visible through them. The wondrous writings of poets are interlaced throughout my journeying, reverberating the deep meaning that lies beneath the surface of things. Max van Manen's depiction of hermeneutic phenomenology provides the methodological structure for the study, which is uncovered through the multiple, individual conversations with and journal entries of ten mothers who share this human experience. As meaning unfolds, breastfeeding emerges centrally, as a remedy and offering a way to transcend the dis-eases of self-blame, dis-place-ment, and dis-member-ment underwent as part of mothering in the NICU. Reflecting on these dis-eases, calls for the offering of pedagogical insights of more welcoming and less judgment in supporting mothers in doing the work of mothering, taking on a view of breast milk as more than pure resource, and the importance of nurturing the nurses. Attending to these stories may help NICU professionals to imagine an environed NICU, were mothers, too, are cared for in their journey to self-forgiveness, em-place-ment, and re-member-ment, amid the strange and wondrous terrain of their beginnings

Developmental Variation and Distyly in Hedyotis caerulea (Rubiaceae)

The development of distyly is thought to arise from differential growth patterns in the pin and thrum morphs. However, few detailed studies exist on the early floral development of distylous flowers, and fewer still look at variation in these traits among populations. Buds at multiple stages of development were collected from five populations of Hedyotis caerulea to quantify how pins and thrums diverge with respect to the initiation, rate, and termination of growth between the stamens and stigmas. The growth rate of anthers varied little spatially across five populations and temporally in both pins and thrums, although thrum anthers grew faster than pin anthers. Dimorphy in stigma height was more complex. Pin stigmas first grew at a faster rate than those of thrums, and late in bud development, growth of thrum styles slowed. These rate changes varied among populations, and they differed from the congeneric H. salzmanii. Similar differences between morphs are known in other heterostylous species, and such variation in growth pattern among related species has been used to infer independent evolution of distylous systems

Quantitative Evaluation of Reciprocal Herkogamy in the Distylous Species, Hedyotis caerulea (Rubiaceae)

Hedyotis caerulea possesses two distinct floral morphs that are generally found in equal numbers in naturally occurring populations. Flowers either possess a relatively long style and short anthers, called a “pin,” or a short style and long anthers, called a “thrum.” This placement of reproductive organs is considered herkogamous and distylous, as it encourages outcrossing by restricting pollination to individuals of the alternate morph. Numerous species have been described as distylous without quantitative data establishing stigma-anther reciprocity. Here we assess those assumptions in H. caerulea by measuring stigma height, anther height and a suite of additional floral traits across multiple localities. All populations surveyed were isoplethic, although variation among them was present in all floral traits measured as well as for pollen diameter, pollen count, flower dry weight, and seed set. Pins produced smaller pollen than thrums, but made more of them. Thus, the total volume of pollen was similar for pins and thrums, and seed set was similar, suggesting that each morph has equal male and female fitness with no movement towards dioecy. Given a significant degree of variation found in the morphometric analysis, and that two of the three measures used to assess reciprocity were not consistent with predictions of precise symmetry, extensive change is possible where selection is acting on these traits. Even so, the distylous mating system in H. caerulea appears to be stable