Associated strangeness production in the pp to pK^+K^-p and pp to pK^+ pi^0 Sigma^0 reactions

The total and differential cross sections for associated strangeness production in the $pp \to pK^+K^-p$ and $pp \to pK^+\pi^0\Sigma^0$ reactions have been studied in a unified approach using an effective Lagrangian model. It is assumed that both the $K^-p$ and $\pi^0\Sigma^0$ final states originate from the decay of the $\Lambda(1405)$ resonance which was formed in the production chain $pp\to p(N^*(1535)\to K^+\Lambda(1405))$. The available experimental data are well reproduced, especially the ratio of the two total cross sections, which is much less sensitive to the particular model of the entrance channel. The significant coupling of the $N^*(1535)$ resonance to $\Lambda(1405) K$ is further evidence for large $s \bar{s}$ components in the quark wave function of the $N^*(1535)$ resonance.Comment: Published in Phys. Rev.

Cohomology of U(2,1) representation varieties of surface groups

In this paper we use the Morse theory of the Yang-Mills-Higgs functional on the singular space of Higgs bundles on Riemann surfaces to compute the equivariant cohomology of the space of semistable U(2,1) and SU(2,1) Higgs bundles with fixed Toledo invariant. In the non-coprime case this gives new results about the topology of the U(2,1) and SU(2,1) character varieties of surface groups. The main results are a calculation of the equivariant Poincare polynomials, a Kirwan surjectivity theorem in the non-fixed determinant case, and a description of the action of the Torelli group on the equivariant cohomology of the character variety. This builds on earlier work for stable pairs and rank 2 Higgs bundles.Comment: 34 page

Meson Production at COSY-TOF and COSY-ANKE

The roles of the COSY-TOF and COSY-ANKE spectrometers in the measurement of strange meson production are briefly reviewed, mainly in connection with new results on the pp -> K^+ p Lambda, pp -> K^+ p Sigma^0 and pp -> K^+ n Sigma^+ reactions.Comment: Invited talk at the MESON2010 conference in Krakow, June 201

An explanation of the ABC enhancement in the dd -> alpha X reaction at intermediate energies

The dd -> alpha X reaction is studied in a model where each pair of nucleons in the projectile and target deuterons undergoes pion production through the NN -> d pi reaction. The condition that the two deuterons fuse to form an alpha-particle then leads to peaks at small missing masses, the well-known ABC enhancement, but also a broad structure around the maximum missing mass. With a simplified input amplitude the model gives a quantitative description of both the alpha-particle momentum and angular distributions for a deuteron beam energy of 1250 MeV.Comment: 10 pages, Latex2e, 1 eps figure, submitted to Phys. Lett.

Can my mechanic fix blue cars? A discussion of health clinician\u27s interactions with Aboriginal Australian clients

We expect our professional mechanics to ‘diagnose’ and \u27treat\u27 our cars irrespective of colour, but are we expecting less from our health professionals? There is an increasing focus in the literature on health practitioner decision-making and its influence on the nature and quality of health care. In this article we explore how the basic diagnostic and therapeutic skills that health care practitioners have should be utilised equitably for all clients and propose ways this might be realised. Could the development of Indigenous specific curricula be teaching our medical students to think that Aboriginal patients are different from the norm? We conclude that despite the gains in introducing more comprehensive Aboriginal health curricula there remains considerable work to be done before we can be confident that we are ensuring that health practitioners are no longer contributing to health disparities

Military Leadership Strategies In A Higher Educational Setting

Leaders in higher education must be ready to address the needs of an institution and its stakeholders. The problem addressed in this study is that there is a need for talented leadership in the higher education community. The purpose of this study is to understand what leadership training and skills made a sample of United States Army military leaders successful in their various leadership roles and the potential for those leadership skills and qualities to be transferable to leadership positions in higher education institutions. This qualitative study is focused through the lens of servant leadership with two research questions examined. How do United States Army veterans in higher education leadership roles describe their leadership training? How do United States Army veterans describe the influence of military training on their execution of higher education leadership roles? A formal interview process was developed and conducted. The data gathered through interviews with United States Army veterans were analyzed and the results were documented. The participants of the study provided rich data from which an understanding of military leadership training and skills was obtained. Based upon the shared experiences described by the veterans, they did receive leadership training in the United States Army and their Army experience did influence their execution of leadership in higher educational roles. This study provided feedback from veterans with experience in higher educational leadership roles that directly connected valuable skillsets developed through military service to their performance in higher education. This connection was not previously suggested in the literature examined. It was also understood that, based upon the shared experiences of the veterans, these skills were transferable to their leadership in higher education. Findings suggest there is an opportunity to deliver a leadership program at colleges and universities developed from many of the established United States Army programs with modification for the needs of higher education. The findings from this study also suggest that there is a potential to add employees with leadership knowledge and experience by hiring veterans into key positions of the institution

Small scale noise and wind tunnel tests of upper surface blowing nozzle flap concepts. Volume 1. Aerodynamic test results

The results and analyses of aerodynamic and acoustic studies conducted on the small scale noise and wind tunnel tests of upper surface blowing nozzle flap concepts are presented. Various types of nozzle flap concepts were tested. These are an upper surface blowing concept with a multiple slot arrangement with seven slots (seven slotted nozzle), an upper surface blowing type with a large nozzle exit at approximately mid-chord location in conjunction with a powered trailing edge flap with multiple slots (split flow or partially slotted nozzle). In addition, aerodynamic tests were continued on a similar multi-slotted nozzle flap, but with 14 slots. All three types of nozzle flap concepts tested appear to be about equal in overall aerodynamic performance but with the split flow nozzle somewhat better than the other two nozzle flaps in the landing approach mode. All nozzle flaps can be deflected to a large angle to increase drag without significant loss in lift. The nozzle flap concepts appear to be viable aerodynamic drag modulation devices for landing

A practical comparison of two K-Means clustering algorithms

This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licens

Radiocarbon dating results from the Beakers and Bodies Project

The Beakers and Bodies Project is a two-year project based in Marischal Museum, University of Aberdeen, funded by the Leverhulme Trust. It is assessing the beaker-related evidence from North-East Scotland (between the Moray Firth and the Firth of Tay), including the dating and stable isotope analyses of some 40 human skeletons from museum collections. The project builds on the North-East dates resulting from the Beaker People Project (Parker Pearson, 2006; Sheridan et al., 2006) and earlier programmes and studies (e.g. Shepherd, 1986). It also includes a consideration of beaker typology and manufacture, burial contexts, grave goods, human osteology and evidence for diet from stable isotope analysis