404 research outputs found
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
The effect of electrospun polycaprolactone scaffold morphology on human kidney epithelial cells
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