Nursing and the barriers to sustainable healthcare: an international review of the literature

Objectives: global warming poses a serious threat to human health yet healthcare organisations and staff have been relatively slow to engage with sustainable healthcare practises. This review of the literature seeks to frame what is already known about nurses and their views on global warming and sustainable healthcare. Design: eleven primary research papers were sources from a search of five mainstream databases. These papers were subject to a basic thematic analysis. Results: six themes were identified: Sustainability; Endemic Blindness to Global Issues; Environmental Numbness; Social Norms; Priority Assigned to Sustainability, and; Psychology of Responsibility and Blame. Conclusion: from the literature reviewed it is clear there are a number of social, cultural and psychological barriers which have led to widespread inaction. This article recommends further research to understand the psychological barriers in more depth as this is a poorly understood area

The impact of healthcare on global warming and human health: connecting the dots

The aim of this paper is to explore climate change and the impact that this is having on human health. The paper takes the reader through a brief history of climate change, making links between raising global temperatures and the environmental effects that are being seen across the globe. The environmental effects are then explored in relation to human health and the impact that climate change is having on physical and mental health. The paper concludes by illuminating the carbon footprint of health and care in the UK and the role of the healthcare assistant and assistant practitioner in making a positive contribution to sustainable healthcare

Multiwavelength Observations of GX 339-4 in 1996. III. Keck Spectroscopy

As part of our multiwavelength campaign of observations of GX 339-4 in 1996 we present our Keck spectroscopy performed on May 12 UT. At this time, neither the ASM on the RXTE nor BATSE on the CGRO detected the source. The optical emission was still dominated by the accretion disk with V approximately 17 mag. The dominant emission line is H alpha, and for the first time we are able to resolve a double peaked profile. The peak separation Delta v = 370 +/- 40 km/s. Double peaked H alpha emission lines have been seen in the quiescent optical counterparts of many black hole X-ray novae. However, we find that the peak separation is significantly smaller in GX 339-4, implying that the optical emission comes from a larger radius than in the novae. The H alpha emission line may be more akin to the one in Cygnus X-1, where it is very difficult to determine if the line is intrinsically double peaked because absorption and emission lines from the companion star dominate.Comment: Submitted to Astrophysical Journal. 10 pages. 2 figure

A Sequence of Declining Outbursts from GX339-4

The flux and spectrum of the black hole candidate GX339-4 has been monitored by the Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE) on the Compton Gamma-ray Observatory (CGRO) since the observatory became operational in May 1991. Between the summer of 1991 and the fall of 1996, eight outbursts from GX339-4 were observed. The history of these outbursts is one of declining fluence or total energy release, as well as a shortening of the time between outbursts. A rough linear correlation exists between the fluence emitted during an outburst and the time elapsed between the end of the previous outburst and the beginning of the current one. The peak flux is also roughly linearly correlated with outburst fluence. The lightcurves of the earlier, more intense, outbursts (except for the second one) can be modeled by a fast exponential (time constant ~ 10 days) followed by a slower exponential (~ 100 days) on the rise and a fast exponential decay (~ 5 days) on the fall. The later, weaker, outbursts are modeled with a single rising time constant (~ 20 days) and a longer decay on the fall (~ 50 days). An exponential model gives a marginally better fit than a power law to the rise/decay profiles. GX339-4 is a unique source in having more frequent outbursts than other low mass x-ray binary black hole candidates. These observations can be used to constrain models of the behavior of the accretion disk surrounding the compact object.Comment: Accepted for Publication in the Astrophysical Journal Letters, AASTE

A Dynamical Study of the Black Hole X-ray Binary Nova Muscae 1991

We present a dynamical study of the Galactic black hole binary system Nova Muscae 1991 (GS/GRS 1124-683). We utilize 72 high resolution Magellan Echellette (MagE) spectra and 72 strictly simultaneous V-band photometric observations; the simultaneity is a unique and crucial feature of this dynamical study. The data were taken on two consecutive nights and cover the full 10.4-hour orbital cycle. The radial velocities of the secondary star are determined by cross-correlating the object spectra with the best-match template spectrum obtained using the same instrument configuration. Based on our independent analysis of five orders of the echellette spectrum, the semi-amplitude of the radial velocity of the secondary is measured to be K_2 = 406.8+/-2.7 km/s, which is consistent with previous work, while the uncertainty is reduced by a factor of 3. The corresponding mass function is f(M) = 3.02+/-0.06 M_\odot. We have also obtained an accurate measurement of the rotational broadening of the stellar absorption lines (v sin i = 85.0+/-2.6 km/s) and hence the mass ratio of the system q = 0.079+/-0.007. Finally, we have measured the spectrum of the non-stellar component of emission that veils the spectrum of the secondary. In a future paper, we will use our veiling-corrected spectrum of the secondary and accurate values of K_2 and q to model multi-color light curves and determine the systemic inclination and the mass of the black hole.Comment: ApJ accepted version; minor revision; added a subsection about systematic uncertaintie

Tomography of X-ray Nova Muscae 1991: Evidence for ongoing mass transfer and stream-disc overflow

We present a spectroscopic analysis of the black hole binary Nova Muscae 1991 in quiescence using data obtained in 2009 with MagE on the Magellan Clay telescope and in 2010 with IMACS on the Magellan Baade telescope at the Las Campanas Observatory. Emission from the disc is observed in H alpha, H beta and Ca II (8662 A). A prominent hotspot is observed in the Doppler maps of all three emission lines. The existence of this spot establishes ongoing mass transfer from the donor star in 2009-2010 and, given its absence in the 1993-1995 observations, demonstrates the presence of a variable hotspot in the system. We find the radial distance to the hotspot from the black hole to be consistent with the circularization radius. Our tomograms are suggestive of stream-disc overflow in the system. We also detect possible Ca II (8662 A) absorption from the donor star.Comment: 10 pages, 11 figures, 1 table. Accepted for publication in MNRA

DevOps Adoption Benefits and Challenges in Practice: A Case Study

DevOps is an approach in which traditional software engineering roles are merged and communication is enhanced to improve the production release frequency and maintain software quality. There seem to be benefits in adopting DevOps but practical industry experiences have seldom been reported. We conducted a qualitative multiple-case study and interviewed the representatives of three software development organizations in Finland. The responses indicate that with DevOps, practitioners can increase the frequency of releases and improve test automation practices. DevOps was seen to encourage collaboration between departments which boosts communication and employee welfare. Continuous releases enable a more experimental approach and rapid feedback collection. The challenges include communication structures that hinder cross-department collaboration and having to address the cultural shift. Dissimilar development and production environments were mentioned as some of the technical barriers. DevOps might not also be suitable for all industries. Ambiguity in the definition of DevOps makes adoption difficult since organizations might not know which practices they should implement for DevOps.Peer reviewe

Unsupervised hyperspectral data mining and bioimaging by information entropy and self-modeling curve resolution

Unsupervised estimation of the dimensionality of hyperspectral microspectroscopy datasets containing pure and mixed spectral features, and extraction of their representative endmember spectra, remains a challenge in biochemical data mining. We report a new versatile algorithm building on semi-nonnegativity constrained self-modeling curve resolution and information entropy, to estimate the quantity of separable biochemical species from hyperspectral microspectroscopy, and extraction of their representative spectra. The algorithm is benchmarked with established methods from satellite remote sensing, spectral unmixing, and clustering. To demonstrate the widespread applicability of the developed algorithm, we collected hyperspectral datasets using spontaneous Raman, Coherent Anti-stokes Raman Scattering and Fourier Transform IR, of seven reference compounds, an oil-in-water emulsion, and tissue-engineered extracellular matrices on poly-L-lactic acid and porcine jejunum-derived small intestine submucosa scaffolds seeded with bovine chondrocytes. We show the potential of the developed algorithm by consolidating hyperspectral molecular information with sample microstructure, pertinent to fields ranging from gastrophysics to regenerative medicine

The eclipsing supersoft X-ray binary CAL 87

We present and discuss 25 spectra obtained in November 1996, covering all phases of the CAL 87 binary system. These spectra are superior both in signal-to-noise and wavelength coverage to previously published data so that additional spectral features can be measured. Photometry obtained on the same nights is used to confirm the ephemeris and to compare with light curves from previous years. Analysis of the color variation through the orbital cycle has been carried out using archival MACHO data. When a barely resolved red field star is accounted for, there is no (V-R)-color variation, even through eclipse. There have been substantial changes in the depth of minimum light since 1988; it has decreased more than 0.5 mag in the last several years. The spectral features and radial velocities are also found to vary not only through the 0.44-day orbit but also over timescales of a year or more. Possible interpretations of these long-term changes are discussed. The 1996 spectra contain phase-modulated Balmer absorption lines not previously seen, apparently arising in gas flowing from the region of the compact star. The changes in emission-line strengths with orbital phase indicate there are azimuthal variations in the accretion disk structures. Radial velocities of several lines give different amplitudes and phasing, making determination of the stellar masses difficult. All solutions for the stellar masses indicate that the companion star is considerably less massive than the degenerate star. The Balmer absorption-line velocities correspond to masses of ~1.4Msun for the degenerate star and ~0.4Msun for the mass donor. However, the strong He II emission lines indicate a much more massive accreting star, with Mx>4Msun.Comment: 18 pages including tables, plus10 figures. To appear in Ap