Attitudes of advanced Australian medical oncology trainees to rural practice

Aim: To identify the views of medical oncology trainees regarding rural training posts and rural practice overall, and to identify factors that may improve recruitment. Methods: A questionnaire was posted to all advanced oncology trainees in Australia in June 2006. The trainees were questioned on the perceived advantages and disadvantages of rural practice, their experience during previous rural rotations and potential incentives and barriers in recruiting trainees and specialist oncologists to regional and rural centers. Results: There was a 60% response rate. Of all participants 58% had considered rural practice. Those with a rural family background were more likely to have considered rural practice. Attitudes based on responses to listed disadvantages and advantages of rural practice were heterogenous. Lifestyle factors seemed to be of particular importance. Although there were perceived deficiencies in opportunities for professional education in rural oncology rotations, 94% felt their rotation had been a positive experience overall and 62% were more likely to consider a rural career following their rural rotation. Improving locum cover for leave was seen as a potential incentive by 97% trainees. Conclusion: Despite positive attitudes towards rural practice, many barriers exist preventing recruitment of medical oncology trainees to rural areas, in particular lifestyle factors that are difficult to modify. Factors that can be improved include improving access to clinical trials, enabling access to locum cover. Educational opportunities for current rural trainees need to be improved. Further study into potential incentives to enhance rural recruitment is required

Separated Fringe Packet Observations with the CHARA Array III. The Very High Eccentricity Binary HR 7345

After an eleven year observing campaign, we present the combined visual{spectroscopic orbit of the formerly unremarkable bright star HR 7345 (HD 181655, HIP 94981, GJ 754.2). Using the Separated Fringe Packet (SFP) method with the CHARA Array, we were able to determine a difficult to complete orbital period of 331.609 +/- 0.004 days. The 11 month period causes the system to be hidden from interferometric view behind the Sun for 3 years at a time. Due to the high eccentricity orbit of about 90% of a year, after 2018 January the periastron phase will not be observable again until late 2021. Hindered by its extremely high eccentricity of 0.9322 +/- 0.0001, the double-lined spectroscopic phase of HR 7345 is observable for 15 days. Such a high eccentricity for HR 7345 places it among the most eccentric systems in catalogs of both visual and spectroscopic orbits. For this system we determine nearly identical component masses of 0.941 +/- 0.076 Msun and 0.926 +/- 0.075 Msun as well as an orbital parallax of 41.08 +/- 0.77 mas.Comment: 20 pages, 3 figures, 4 table

Evaluation of Representative Smart Grid Investment Grant Project Technologies: Thermal Energy Storage

This document is one of a series of reports estimating the benefits of deploying technologies similar to those implemented on the Smart Grid Investment Grant (SGIG) projects. Four technical reports cover the various types of technologies deployed in the SGIG projects, distribution automation, demand response, energy storage, and renewables integration. A fifth report in the series examines the benefits of deploying these technologies on a national level. This technical report examines the impacts of energy storage technologies deployed in the SGIG projects

Parents' and clinicians' views of an interactive booklet about respiratory tract infections in children: a qualitative process evaluation of the EQUIP randomised controlled trial

Background: ‘When should I worry?’ is an interactive booklet for parents of children presenting with respiratory tract infections (RTIs) in primary care and associated training for clinicians. A randomised controlled trial (the EQUIP study) demonstrated that this intervention reduced antibiotic prescribing and future consulting intentions. The aims of this qualitative process evaluation were to understand how acceptable the intervention was to clinicians and parents, how it was implemented, the mechanisms for any observed effects, and contextual factors that could have influenced its effects.<p></p> Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 parents and 13 clinicians who participated in the trial. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were analysed using a framework approach, which involved five stages; familiarisation, development of a thematic framework, indexing, charting, and interpretation.<p></p> Results: Most parents and clinicians reported that the ‘When should I worry’ interactive booklet (and online training for clinicians) was easy to use and valuable. Information on recognising signs of serious illness and the usual duration of illness were most valued. The interactive use of the booklet during consultations was considered to be important, but this did not always happen. Clinicians reported lack of time, lack of familiarity with using the booklet, and difficulty in modifying their treatment plan/style of consultation as barriers to use. Increased knowledge and confidence amongst clinicians and patients were seen as key components that contributed to the reductions in antibiotic prescribing and intention to consult seen in the trial. This was particularly pertinent in a context where decisions about the safe and appropriate management of childhood RTIs were viewed as complex and parents reported frequently receiving inconsistent messages. Conclusions: The ‘When should I worry’ booklet, which is effective in reducing antibiotic prescribing, has high acceptability for clinicians and parents, helps address gaps in knowledge, increases confidence, and provides a consistent message. However, it is not always implemented as intended. Plans for wider implementation of the intervention in health care settings would need to address clinician-related barriers to implementation

Blunt Body Aerodynamics for Hypersonic Low Density Flows

Numerical simulations are performed for the Apollo capsule from the hypersonic rarefied to the continuum regimes. The focus is on flow conditions similar to those experienced by the Apollo 6 Command Module during the high altitude portion of its reentry. The present focus is to highlight some of the current activities that serve as a precursor for computational tool assessments that will be used to support the development of aerodynamic data bases for future capsule flight environments, particularly those for the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV). Results for aerodynamic forces and moments are presented that demonstrate their sensitivity to rarefaction; that is, free molecular to continuum conditions. Also, aerodynamic data are presented that shows their sensitivity to a range of reentry velocities, encompassing conditions that include reentry from low Earth orbit, lunar return, and Mars return velocities (7.7 to 15 km/s). The rarefied results obtained with direct simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) codes are anchored in the continuum regime with data from Navier-Stokes simulations

The short-form revised Eysenck personality Questionnaire (EPQ-S): A German edition

A sample of 331 undergraduate students in Germany completed the German translation of the short form Revised Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQR-S; Eysenck, Eysenck, & Barrett,1985). The findings support the psychometric properties of the extraversion, neuroticism and lie scales. The psychoticism scale, however, was found to be less satisfactory

Comparative Analysis of Efficiency of Fibonacci Random Number Generator Algorithm and Gaussian Random Number Generator Algorithm in a Cryptographic System.

Random Numbers determine the security level of Cryptographic Applications as they are used to generate padding schemes in the encryption and decryption process as well as used to generate cryptographic keys. The more randomness in the numbers a generator generates the more effective the cryptographic algorithm, and the more secured it is to be used for protecting confidential data. Sometimes developers find it difficult to determine which Random Number Generators (RNGs) can provide a much secured Cryptographic System for secured enterprise application implementations. Two of such random number generators include the Fibonacci Random Number Generator and the Gaussian Random Generator. The researchers sought to determine, between these two, the better to be used for improving data security in cryptographic software systems. The researchers employed statistical tests like Frequency test, Chi-Square test, Kolmogorov-Smirnov test on the first 100 random numbers between 0 and 1000 generated using the above generators. The research concluded that Fibonacci Random Number Generator is more efficient than the Gaussian Random Number Generator and therefore recommended the choice of Fibonacci Random Number Generator when choosing between the two for use in a cryptographic system for better data security. Keywords: Cryptographic Algorithms, Random Number Generators, encryption, decryptio