28,287 research outputs found
ScotPID - a model of collaboration
ScotPID is a national personal development initiative in Scotland, with thirteen higher education institutions taking part in the development of case studies which enhance personal development planning for students. As a model of collaboration, ScotPID involves all stakeholders: each core project group is composed of an academic, IT support manager, careers service adviser and undergraduate student, with support from QAA Scotland. The case study is developed by the contribution of all of the members of the team. The strength of the ScotPID collaboration is the varied background of the team members. However, collaboration between the ScotPID teams should also be encouraged, to strengthen the inter-institutional approach further
ALMA Thermal Observations of Europa
We present four daytime thermal images of Europa taken with the Atacama Large
Millimeter Array. Together, these images comprise the first spatially resolved
thermal dataset with complete coverage of Europa's surface. The resulting
brightness temperatures correspond to a frequency of 233 GHz (1.3 mm) and a
typical linear resolution of roughly 200 km. At this resolution, the images
capture spatially localized thermal variations on the scale of geologic and
compositional units. We use a global thermal model of Europa to simulate the
ALMA observations in order to investigate the thermal structure visible in the
data. Comparisons between the data and model images suggest that the
large-scale daytime thermal structure on Europa largely results from bolometric
albedo variations across the surface. Using bolometric albedos extrapolated
from Voyager measurements, a homogenous model reproduces these patterns well,
but localized discrepancies exist. These discrepancies can be largely explained
by spatial inhomogeneity of the surface thermal properties. Thus, we use the
four ALMA images to create maps of the surface thermal inertia and emissivity
at our ALMA wavelength. From these maps, we identify a region of either
particularly high thermal inertia or low emissivity near 90 degrees West and 23
degrees North, which appears anomalously cold in two of our images.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in the Astronomical
Journa
Reliability improvements in tunable Pb1-xSnxSe diode lasers
Recent developments in the technology of Pb-salt diode lasers which have led to significant improvements in reliability and lifetime, and to improved operation at very long wavelengths are described. A combination of packaging and contacting-metallurgy improvements has led to diode lasers that are stable both in terms of temperature cycling and shelf-storage time. Lasers cycled over 500 times between 77 K and 300 K have exhibited no measurable changes in either electrical contact resistance or threshold current. Utilizing metallurgical contacting process, both lasers and experimental n-type and p-type bulk materials are shown to have electrical contact resistance values that are stable for shelf storage periods well in excess of one year. Problems and experiments which have led to devices with improved performance stability are discussed. Stable device configurations achieved for material compositions yielding lasers which operate continuously at wavelengths as long as 30.3 micrometers are described
Development of lead salt semiconductor lasers for the 9-17 micron spectral region
Improved diode lasers of Pb sub 1-x Sn sub x Se operating in the 9-17 micrometers spectral region were developed. The performance characteristics of the best lasers exceeded the contract goals of 500 microW/mode at T 30K in the 9-12 micrometers region and 200 microW/mode at T 18K in the 16-17 micrometers region. Increased reliability and device yields resulted from processing improvements which evolved from a series of diagnostic studies. By means of Auger electron spectroscopy, laser shelf storage degradation was shown to be characterized by the presence of In metal on the semiconductor crystal surfaces. Studies of various metal barrier layers between the crystals and the In metal led to the development of an improved metallurgical contacting technology which has resulted in devices with performance stability values exceeding the contract goal of a one year shelf life. Lasers cycled over 500 times between 300K and 77K were also shown to be stable. Studies on improved methods of fabricating striped geometry lasers indicated that good spectral mode characteristics resulted from lasers which stripe widths of 12 and 25 micrometers
Theoretical investigation into the possibility of very large moments in Fe16N2
We examine the mystery of the disputed high-magnetization \alpha"-Fe16N2
phase, employing the Heyd-Scuseria-Ernzerhof screened hybrid functional method,
perturbative many-body corrections through the GW approximation, and onsite
Coulomb correlations through the GGA+U method. We present a first-principles
computation of the effective on-site Coulomb interaction (Hubbard U) between
localized 3d electrons employing the constrained random-phase approximation
(cRPA), finding only somewhat stronger on-site correlations than in bcc Fe. We
find that the hybrid functional method, the GW approximation, and the GGA+U
method (using parameters computed from cRPA) yield an average spin moment of
2.9, 2.6 - 2.7, and 2.7 \mu_B per Fe, respectively.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figure
Short-Interval Cortical Inhibition and Intracortical Facilitation during Submaximal Voluntary Contractions Changes with Fatigue
This study determined whether short-interval intracortical inhibition (SICI) and intracortical facilitation (ICF) change during a sustained submaximal isometric contraction. On 2 days, 12 participants (6 men, 6 women) performed brief (7-s) elbow flexor contractions before and after a 10-min fatiguing contraction; all contractions were performed at the level of integrated electromyographic activity (EMG) which produced 25 % maximal unfatigued torque. During the brief 7-s and 10-min submaximal contractions, single (test) and paired (conditioning–test) transcranial magnetic stimuli were applied over the motor cortex (5 s apart) to elicit motor-evoked potentials (MEPs) in biceps brachii. SICI and ICF were elicited on separate days, with a conditioning–test interstimulus interval of 2.5 and 15 ms, respectively. On both days, integrated EMG remained constant while torque fell during the sustained contraction by ~51.5 % from control contractions, perceived effort increased threefold, and MVC declined by 21–22 %. For SICI, the conditioned MEP during control contractions (74.1 ± 2.5 % of unconditioned MEP) increased (less inhibition) during the sustained contraction (last 2.5 min: 86.0 ± 5.1 %; P \u3c 0.05). It remained elevated in recovery contractions at 2 min (82.0 ± 3.8 %; P \u3c 0.05) and returned toward control at 7-min recovery (76.3 ± 3.2 %). ICF during control contractions (conditioned MEP 129.7 ± 4.8 % of unconditioned MEP) decreased (less facilitation) during the sustained contraction (last 2.5 min: 107.6 ± 6.8 %; P \u3c 0.05) and recovered to 122.8 ± 4.3 % during contractions after 2 min of recovery. Both intracortical inhibitory and facilitatory circuits become less excitable with fatigue when assessed during voluntary activity, but their different time courses of recovery suggest different mechanisms for the fatigue-related changes of SICI and ICF
Refinements and Advancements in Anterior Component Separation
This chapter will explore the newest innovations for performing anterior component separation (CS). It will include open CS, perforator sparing CS and minimally invasive component separation (MICS). It will also address the use of various meshes and their plane of inset. It will cover soft tissue management including panniculectomy, quilting sutures and drains. Fascial closure techniques will also be included. The highlight of this chapter will be the description of tips and tricks of performing MICS. We will also touch upon preoperative preparation such as body mass index (BMI) optimization and smoking cessation as well as management of postoperative complications including surgical site infections, skin necrosis and seroma
Time, institutional support and quality of decision making in child protection:A cross-country analysis
This paper examines perceptions of time and institutional support for decision making and staff confidence in child welfare staffs ultimate decisions – examining differences and similarities between and within the service-oriented Nordic countries (Norway and Finland) and the risk-oriented Anglo-American countries (England and California). The study identifies a high degree of work pressure across all the countries, lines of predominantly vertical institutional support and relatively high confidence in decisions. Finland stands out with higher perceived work pressure and with a horizontal support line, whereas England stands out with workers having a lower degree of confidence in their own and others’ decisions
Electromagnetic Moments of the Baryon Decuplet
We compute the leading contributions to the magnetic dipole and electric
quadrupole moments of the baryon decuplet in chiral perturbation theory. The
measured value for the magnetic moment of the is used to determine
the local counterterm for the magnetic moments. We compare the chiral
perturbation theory predictions for the magnetic moments of the decuplet with
those of the baryon octet and find reasonable agreement with the predictions of
the large-- limit of QCD. The leading contribution to the quadrupole
moment of the and other members of the decuplet comes from one--loop
graphs. The pionic contribution is shown to be proportional to (and so
will not contribute to the quadrupole moment of nuclei), while the
contribution from kaons has both isovector and isoscalar components. The chiral
logarithmic enhancement of both pion and kaon loops has a coefficient that
vanishes in the limit. The third allowed moment, the magnetic octupole,
is shown to be dominated by a local counterterm with corrections arising at two
loops. We briefly mention the strange counterparts of these moments.Comment: Uses harvmac.tex, 15 pages with 3 PostScript figures packed using
uufiles. UCSD/PTH 93-22, QUSTH-93-05, Duke-TH-93-5
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Assurance of open systems dependability: developing a framework for automotive security and safety
We describe how a security informed analysis of the open systems dependability model of DEOS can be used to frame the problem of open systems and security. Together with an approach for analysing industry objectives based on claims, arguments and evidence (CAE), we develop a set of principles and rationale for the security and safety of road transport systems. The associated CAE will provide a generic template for a security informed safety case and supports standardization activities for security-informed safety
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