Description of a prototype gauge to measure magnitude and direction of hydrowire slope in situ between reversing bottles at all depths and under all conditions of ship drift

The discovery in recent years of vast deep oceanic currents running in a direction contrary to those at the surface provides additional evidence of our need for instrumental means to obtain accurate data on subsurface waters, particularly in little-known oceanic areas where pioneer lowerings are to be made. A description is given of a prototype messenger-operated wire-angle gauge which, used intermediately between reversing bottles, can furnish information on the direction of slope of the hydrowire and its actual degree of obliquity at a number of points. It is only the latter, of course, which can be computed from results obtained when unprotected reversing thermometers are used with the pressure-resisting type

An attitude on fishery hydrography

An essay on the theme that the fortunes of North Sea fish broods may be determined by some factor (or by some complex of factors) resident within those broad features of water circulation which are ruled by widespread wind conditions inferable from the study of atmospheric pressure gradients, followed thereafter by an ADDENDUM (due to Günter Dietrich) dealing with month-by-month wind conditions over the northern North Sea during the half century now ending, and by an ADDENDUM NoTE briefly indicating what progress has been made along the lines concerned and what is in prospect

On the Instrumental Measurement of Line Shape under Water

After a short review of the problems arising from wire-angle, and a consideration of some views expressed and results obtained by earlier writers, a description is given of two devices designed to measure the shape of terminally-weighted wires let down into the sea with water-bottles attached. Both devices can be used intermediately between water bottles and, whilst customarily operated by messengers, they can function via the solution of restraining tablets. One of them contains a compass which serves to reveal the directions of those curvatures in a loaded suspension wire which can be produced when deep currents cause a pronounced leading-away of a wire whose departure angle is kept negligible by manoeuvring the ship. Particular usefulness is seen for the devices when bottle lowerings have to be made well below the depth limit of unprotected reversing thermometers. This latter is usually about 5,500 metres but very exceptionally 7,000 metres. Finally a description is given of a very simple device which records the slant of a rope buoyed from an anchor. The purpose in this case is to learn the heights above bottom at which an affixed current-meter has worked

Written versus verbal consent: a qualitative study of stakeholder views of consent procedures used at the time of recruitment into a peripartum trial conducted in an emergency setting.

BACKGROUND: Obtaining prospective written consent from women to participate in trials when they are experiencing an obstetric emergency is challenging. Alternative consent pathways, such as gaining verbal consent at enrolment followed, later, by obtaining written consent, have been advocated by some clinicians and bioethicists but have received little empirical attention. We explored women's and staff views about the consent procedures used during the internal pilot of a trial (GOT-IT), where the protocol permitted staff to gain verbal consent at recruitment. METHODS: Interviews with staff (n = 27) and participating women (n = 22). Data were analysed thematically and interviews were cross-compared to identify differences and similarities in participants' views about the consent procedures used. RESULTS: Women and some staff highlighted benefits to obtaining verbal consent at trial enrolment, including expediting recruitment and reducing the burden on those left exhausted by their births. However, most staff with direct responsibility for taking consent expressed extreme reluctance to proceed with enrolment until they had obtained written consent, despite being comfortable using verbal procedures in their clinical practice. To account for this resistance, staff drew a strong distinction between research and clinical care and suggested that a higher level of consent was needed when recruiting into trials. In doing so, staff emphasised the need to engage women in reflexive decision-making and highlighted the role that completing the consent form could play in enabling and evidencing this process. While most staff cited their ethical responsibilities to women, they also voiced concerns that the absence of a signed consent form at recruitment could expose them to greater risk of litigation were an individual to experience a complication during the trial. Inexperience of recruiting into peripartum trials and limited availability of staff trained to take consent also reinforced preferences for obtaining written consent at recruitment. CONCLUSIONS: While alternative consent pathways have an important role to play in advancing emergency medicine research, and may be appreciated by potential recruits, they may give rise to unintended ethical and logistical challenges for staff. Staff would benefit from training and support to increase their confidence and willingness to recruit into trials using alternative consent pathways. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This qualitative research was undertaken as part of the GOT-IT Trial (trial registration number: ISCRTN 88609453 ). Date of registration 26/03/2014

Studies of multiplicity in relativistic heavy-ion collisions

In this talk I'll review the present status of charged particle multiplicity measurements from heavy-ion collisions. The characteristic features of multiplicity distributions obtained in Au+Au collisions will be discussed in terms of collision centrality and energy and compared to those of p+p collisions. Multiplicity measurements of d+Au collisions at 200 GeV nucleon-nucleon center-of-mass energy will also be discussed. The results will be compared to various theoretical models and simple scaling properties of the data will be identified.Comment: "Focus on Multiplicity" Internationsl Workshop on Particle Multiplicity in Relativistic Heavy Ion Collisions, Bari, Italy, June 17-19, 2003, 16 pages, 15 figure

Shorewards Upslope of the Layer of Minimum Oxygen Off Bombay: Its Influence on Marine Biology, Especially Fisheries

Shorewards Upslope of the Layer of Minimum Oxygen Off Bombay: Its Influence on Marine Biology, Especially Fisherie