Dust grain dynamics in C-Type shock waves in molecular clouds

We investigate the role and behaviour of dust grains in C-type MHD shock waves in weakly ionized, dense molecular clouds. New shock models are presented for steady, oblique C-type shock structures with shock speed v_s=18km/s, n_H=10^5cm^-3, and a grain population represented by either a single grain species or a MRN grain size distribution. The grain size distribution is calculated using Gauss-Legendre weights and the integrals over the continuous distribution of grain sizes are represented by a number of grain bins. The grain population can then be thought of as a series of separate grain size classes, each with uniquely specified properties. The dynamics of each grain size class is different through the shock front, with the smaller grain classes remaining coupled to the magnetic field and larger grains becoming partially decoupled from the magnetic field due to collisions with the neutrals. The importance of grain charging is also demonstrated. The effects of the orientation of the pre-shock magnetic field B_0 are also considered. It is found that there are critical orientations for B_0 in which the shock is no longer C-type and the transition becomes C$^*$ or J-type. The degree of non-coplanarity of the shock solution depends upon the grain model chosen, as well as the orientation of B_0.Comment: 27 pages, 17 figures, submitted to MNRAS July 200

Paintings with Doors: Three Case Studies from the Fifteenth Century Netherlands

This thesis examines three cases studies from fifteenth century Netherlands: the Merode Altarpiece, Miraflores Altarpiece, and Portinari Altarpiece. It focuses on how the triptych format combined with the painted elements worked together to aid the viewer in communicating with the divine. These triptychs functioned as a prayer aid and helped the viewer to enter a meditative state, where they could engage with divine figures. Each artist was able to encourage this type of meditative state by underlining the separation between the temporal and divine world. The separation between the two worlds was further enhanced by the door-like nature of the triptych and other conventions of the Netherlandish triptych. However, despite these similarities, this thesis proposes that each artist created a triptych that engaged a different type of audience and functioned in a multiplicity of manners. Robert Campin painted the annunciation within a domestic setting in the Merode Altarpiece to encourage private devotion in the home. Rogier van der Weyden organized the Miraflores Altarpiece in a series of archways to aid Carthusian monks in completing the rosary. Finally, Hugo van Der Goes constructed the Portinari Altarpiece’s Nativity scene to encourage hospital employees, and comfort sick patients with the notion of salvation. In this way, each of these artists and their respective triptych, which combines physical framing and painted elements, manipulate these two qualities to serve the purposes of different audiences, functions and the artist\u27s’ own interests

Town Center Vision

In December 2010, City Council passed Resolution 2261 which directed the City’s Committee for Citizen Involvement (CCI) to prepare a more formal action plan for smart growth and sustainability. Emerald Solutions, a team of Portland State Master’s students, was tasked with furthering these efforts by completing a Sustainability and Smart Growth Pilot Plan for the Town Center Pilot Area (TCPA). The plan works to develop a complete concept, structure, and community outreach process that will guide the City in the creation of a broader, citywide plan. This project was conducted under the supervision of Sumner Sharpe and Ellen Bassett

Access to Digitized American Newspapers in the Age of MPLP

Borrowing from archival theory, the paper examines the application of More Product, Less Process (MPLP) on newspaper digitization projects. The paper includes an overview of the utilization of historical newspapers as research material and examines the complexities surrounding their preservation and discoverability. Analysis focuses on the strong and long-standing arguments for increased access to historic newspapers, using an exploratory, multi-method approach to examine the impact - potential and realized - of digitization technologies and initiatives on access to these sources. Findings reveal the diversity of approaches to description and granularity in the United States, while also praising the standardization efforts of the National Digital Newspaper Program (NDNP) as well as NDNP's leadership in facilitating access to historic newspapers. Findings demonstrate a need for increased collaboration in order to promote discoverability of digital newspaper collections created without NDNP funding, and suggest a need to de-stigmatize non-compliance with NDNP standards in independently funded projects.Master of Science in Library Scienc

Influence of P Fertility and Grazing on Plant Species in a Temperate Australian Pasture

Graziers in temperate Australia are increasing their use of P fertiliser so they can run more stock and maintain profitability. However, intensification changes grassland botanical composition and perennial grass cover can be reduced. Perennial grasses are important because they improve production stability, reduce deep drainage and slow the rate of soil acidification. This study examined how P fertility and grazing affected the botanical composition of pasture based on Phalaris aquatica, a key perennial grass in south-eastern Australia

An ALMA survey of Sub-millimeter Galaxies in the Extended Chandra Deep Field South: Physical properties derived from ultraviolet-to-radio modelling

[abridged] The ALESS survey has followed-up a sample of 122 sub-millimeter sources in the Extended Chandra Deep Field South at 870um with ALMA, allowing to pinpoint the positions of sub-millimeter galaxies (SMGs) to 0.3'' and to find their precise counterparts at different wavelengths. This enabled the first compilation of the multi-wavelength spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of a statistically reliable survey of SMGs. In this paper, we present a new calibration of the MAGPHYS modelling code that is optimized to fit these UV-to-radio SEDs of z>1 star-forming galaxies using an energy balance technique to connect the emission from stellar populations, dust attenuation and dust emission in a physically consistent way. We derive statistically and physically robust estimates of the photometric redshifts and physical parameters for the ALESS SMGs. We find that they have a median stellar mass $M_\ast=(8.9\pm0.1)\times10^{10} M_\odot$, SFR$=280\pm70 M_\odot$/yr, overall V-band dust attenuation $A_V=1.9\pm0.2$ mag, dust mass M_\rm{dust}=(5.6\pm1.0)\times10^8 M_\odot, and average dust temperature Tdust~40 K. The average intrinsic SED of the ALESS SMGs resembles that of local ULIRGs in the IR range, but the stellar emission of our average SMG is brighter and bluer, indicating lower dust attenuation, possibly because they are more extended. We explore how the average SEDs vary with different parameters, and we provide a new set of SMG templates. To put the ALESS SMGs into context, we compare their stellar masses and SFRs with those of less actively star-forming galaxies at the same redshifts. At z~2, about half of the SMGs lie above the star-forming main sequence, while half are at the high-mass end of the sequence. At higher redshifts (z~3.5), the SMGs tend to have higher SFR and Mstar, but the fraction of SMGs that lie significantly above the main sequence decreases to less than a third.Comment: 22 pages, 14 figures, 2 tables. Accepted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal. The new MAGPHYS model libraries used in this paper will appear in www.iap.fr/magphys. The SMG SED templates shown in Section 6.1 are available at http://astronomy.swinburne.edu.au/~ecunha/ecunha/SED_Templates.htm

A mixed methods study of the factors that influence whether intervention research has policy and practice impacts: perceptions of Australian researchers

Objectives: To investigate researchers’ perceptions about the factors that influenced the policy and practice impacts (or lack of impact) of one of their own funded intervention research studies. Design: Mixed method, cross-sectional study. Setting: Intervention research conducted in Australia and funded by Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council between 2003 and 2007. Participants: The chief investigators from 50 funded intervention research studies were interviewed to determine if their study had achieved policy and practice impacts, how and why these impacts had (or had not) occurred and the approach to dissemination they had employed. Results: We found that statistically significant intervention effects and publication of results influenced whether there were policy and practice impacts, along with factors related to the nature of the intervention itself, the researchers’ experience and connections, their dissemination and translation efforts, and the postresearch context. Conclusions: This study indicates that sophisticated approaches to intervention development, dissemination actions and translational efforts are actually widespread among experienced researches, and can achieve policy and practice impacts. However, it was the links between the intervention results, further dissemination actions by researchers and a variety of postresearch contextual factors that ultimately determined whether a study had policy and practice impacts. Given the complicated interplay between the various factors, there appears to be no simple formula for determining which intervention studies should be funded in order to achieve optimal policy and practice impacts

Tracking funded health intervention research

Objective: To describe the research publication outputs from intervention research funded by Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). Design and setting: Analysis of descriptive data and data on publication outputs collected between 23 July 2012 and 10 December 2013 relating to health intervention research project grants funded between 1 January 2003 and 31 December 2007. Main outcome measures: Stages of development of intervention studies (efficacy, effectiveness, replication, adaptation or dissemination of intervention); types of interventions studied; publication output per NHMRC grant; and whether interventions produced statistically significant changes in primary outcome variables. Results: Most of the identified studies tested intervention efficacy or effectiveness in clinical or community settings, with few testing the later stages of intervention development, such as replication, adaptation or dissemination. Studies focused largely on chronic disease treatment and management, and encompassed various medical and allied health disciplines. Equal numbers of studies had interventions that produced statistically significant results on primary outcomes, (27) and those that did not (27). The mean number of total published articles per grant was 3.3, with 2.0 articles per grant focusing on results, and the remainder covering descriptive, exploratory or methodological aspects of intervention research. Conclusions: Our study provides a benchmark for the publication outputs of NHMRC-funded health intervention research in Australia. Research productivity is particularly important for intervention research, where findings are likely to have more immediate and direct applicability to health policy and practice. Tracking research outputs in this way provides information on whether current research investment patterns match the need for evidence about health care interventions

Discourse in healthy old-elderly adults: a longitudinal study

This longitudinal study investigated discourse abilities in 16 normal adults in their 80s and 90s at two separate testing times. The discourse tasks evaluated macro-level processing of narratives as manifested on retells, summaries, gists, and morals, and in explanations of proverbs. The group results showed preservation with increased age on those discourse tasks that required global levels of processing. No significant decreases in performance were found in applying strategies of reduction, generalization, and interpretation, factors associated with preserved discourse function in normal advanced ageing are discussed. The findings have implications for differential diagnosis of dementia and aphasia