15,678 research outputs found
Electron microbeam testing of integrated circuits
Electron microbeam testing of integrated circuit
Surveys of New Mexico Alfalfa Producers and Dairy Hay Users: Will Growth of the State's Dairy Industry be Limited by Alfalfa Availability?
Production Economics,
Quenching of lamellar ordering in an n-alkane embedded in nanopores
We present an X-ray diffraction study of the normale alkane nonadecane
C_{19}H_{40} embedded in nanoporous Vycor glass. The confined molecular crystal
accomplishes a close-packed structure by alignment of the rod-like molecules
parallel to the pore axis while sacrificing one basic principle known from the
bulk state, i.e. the lamellar ordering of the molecules. Despite this disorder,
the phase transitions observed in the confined solid mimic the phase behavior
of the 3D unconfined crystal, though enriched by the appearance of a true
rotator phase known only from longer alkane chains.Comment: 7 pages, 3 figure
Responding to university policies and initiatives: the role of reflexivity in the mid-career academic
How do academics make sense of university policies and strategic initiatives and act on them? Interviews were conducted with 27 mid-career academics in different disciplines, different research-intensive university environments and two countries (England and Australia). Data were analysed iteratively utilising a critical realist perspective, specifically, Archer’s modes of reflexivity. The paper argues that individuals’ responses to university policies and initiatives, to changes in policy and policy conflicts can at least partially be understood through interrogating the modes of reflexivity they employ
Academic artisans in the research university
In the changing context of universities, organisational structures for teaching and research problematize academic roles. This paper draws on a critical realist analysis of surveys and interviews with academics from universities in England and Australia. It identifies important academic work, not captured simply in descriptions of teaching or research. It shows that many academics, who are not research high flyers nor award-winning teachers, carry out this essential work which contributes to the effective functioning of their universities. That work is referred to as academic artisanal work and the people who do it as academic artisans. Characteristics and examples of academic artisans are presented and the nature of artisanal work is explored. Implications for higher education management and for future studies are discussed. The paper points to an urgent need to better understand the complex nature of academic work
Navigating the demands of academic work to shape an academic job
Findings from interviews with mid-career academics in English and Australian universities elucidate how academics interpret and navigate complex institutional contexts in shaping academic jobs. The paper argues that how they do this is a function of what they notice and respond to as well as the mode of reflexivity they employ. Three core areas are seen to affect academics sense of agency as they shape their own jobs: how they orient themselves to the world around them including the academic
institution and department; their underlying goals and purposes as they seek to have a fulfilling role; and how they relate to structural conditions of the workplace. The paper argues that understanding academics’ differing foci of awareness in these areas is helpful to institutional policies and strategies
Research productivity and academics' conceptions of research
This paper asks the question: do people with different levels of research productivity and identification as a researcher think of research differently? It discusses a study that differentiated levels of research productivity among English and Australian academics working in research-intensive environments in three broad discipline areas: science, engineering and technology; social science and humanities; and medicine and health sciences. The paper explores the different conceptions of research held by these academics in terms of their levels of research productivity, their levels of research training, whether they considered themselves an active researcher and a member of a research team, and their disciplinary differences
HFPK 334: An unusual Supernova Remnant in the Small Magellanic Cloud
We present new Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) radio-continuum and
XMM-Newton/Chandra X-ray Observatory (CXO) observations of the unusual
supernova remnant HFPK 334 in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). The remnant
follows a shell type morphology in the radio-continuum and has a size of
20~pc at the SMC distance. The X-ray morphology is similar, however, we
detect a prominent point source close to the center of the SNR exhibiting a
spectrum with a best fit powerlaw with a photon index of . This central point source is most likely a background object and cannot
be directly associated with the remnant. The high temperature, nonequilibrium
conditions in the diffuse region suggest that this gas has been recently
shocked and point toward a younger SNR with an age of years.
With an average radio spectral index of we find that an
equipartition magnetic field for the remnant is 90~G, a value
typical of younger SNRs in low-density environments. Also, we report detection
of scattered radio polarisation across the remnant at 20~cm, with a peak
fractional polarisation level of 255\%.Comment: 19 pages, 6-figures, submitted to A
Debris and micrometeorite impact measurements in the laboratory
A method was developed to simulate space debris in the laboratory. This method, which is an outgrowth of research in inertial confinement fusion (ICF), uses laser ablation to accelerate material. Using this method, single 60 micron aluminum spheres were accelerated to 15 km/sec and larger 500 micron aluminum spheres were accelerated to 2 km/sec. Also, many small (less than 10 micron diameter) irregularly shaped particles were accelerated to speeds of 100 km/sec
The Utilization of Dissolved Free Amino Acids by Estuarine Microorganisms
The importance of bacteria in the cycling of carbon in the Pamlico River estuary was studied by measuring the rates of uptake of organic compounds. Our methods allowed analysis with the Michaelis-Menten kinetics equations, and both the rates of uptake of dissolved free amino acids (DFAA) and glucose as well as the percentage of carbon subsequently respired as CO2 were determined. In addition, the concentrations of the amino acids in the water were determined using ion exchange chromatography. Other tests included measurements of primary productivity and of the effects of the other amino acids in the water upon the uptake of one amino acid. (...
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