2,138 research outputs found
Post impact evaluation of an E-learning cross-infection control CD-ROM provided to all general dental practitioners in England
Aim To carry out a post-impact evaluation of a cross-infection control CD-ROM, developed for NHS dental teams as a continuing professional development e-learning tool. The program was commissioned by the Department of Health and developed by a project team through the UK Committee of Postgraduate Dental Deans. The Dental Practice Boardhad originally sent one copy of the CD-ROM to each dental practice in England in 2004. Method A quantitative statistical analysis of the results of 326 online respondents to the learning package and a survey of 118 dental practitioners drawn from the Dental Practice Board database. Results Practitioners felt the CD-ROM in this instance was well designed and appropriate for their needs. It is inclusive and accessible to a wide range of dental professionals including nurses and hygienists. Conclusions This form of continuing professional development is popular with dental practitioners, although it should not be the only form of continuing professional development available. However, whilst the project was generally regarded as successful, there were problems with the distribution of the CD-ROM. This suggests that anonline resource should be made available in the future
Application of a Self-Similar Pressure Profile to Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Effect Data from Galaxy Clusters
We investigate the utility of a new, self-similar pressure profile for
fitting Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) effect observations of galaxy clusters. Current
SZ imaging instruments - such as the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Array (SZA) - are
capable of probing clusters over a large range in physical scale. A model is
therefore required that can accurately describe a cluster's pressure profile
over a broad range of radii, from the core of the cluster out to a significant
fraction of the virial radius. In the analysis presented here, we fit a radial
pressure profile derived from simulations and detailed X-ray analysis of
relaxed clusters to SZA observations of three clusters with exceptionally high
quality X-ray data: A1835, A1914, and CL J1226.9+3332. From the joint analysis
of the SZ and X-ray data, we derive physical properties such as gas mass, total
mass, gas fraction and the intrinsic, integrated Compton y-parameter. We find
that parameters derived from the joint fit to the SZ and X-ray data agree well
with a detailed, independent X-ray-only analysis of the same clusters. In
particular, we find that, when combined with X-ray imaging data, this new
pressure profile yields an independent electron radial temperature profile that
is in good agreement with spectroscopic X-ray measurements.Comment: 28 pages, 6 figures, accepted by ApJ for publication (probably April
2009
HI Narrow Self-Absorption in Dark Clouds: Correlations with Molecular Gas and Implications for Cloud Evolution and Star Formation
We present the results of a comparative study of HI narrow self-absorption
(HINSA), OH, 13CO, and C18O in five dark clouds. The HINSA follows the
distribution of the emission of the carbon monoxide isotopologues, and has a
characteristic size close to that of 13CO. This confirms that the HINSA is
produced by cold HI which is well mixed with molecular gas in well-shielded
regions. The ratio of the atomic hydrogen density to total proton density for
these sources is 5 to 27 x 10^{-4}. Using cloud temperatures and the density of
HI, we set an upper limit to the cosmic ray ionization rate of 10^{-16} s^{-1}.
Comparison of observed and modeled fractional HI abundances indicates ages for
these clouds to be 10^{6.5} to 10^{7} yr. The low values of the HI density we
have determined make it certain that the time scale for evolution from an
atomic to an almost entirely molecular phase, must be a minimum of several
million years. This clearly sets a lower limit to the overall time scale for
star formation and the lifetime of molecular clouds
A life cycle stakeholder management framework for enhanced collaboration between stakeholders with competing interests
This is a postprint version of the Book Chapter. Information regarding the official publication is available from the link below - Copyright @ 2011 SpringerImplementation of a Life Cycle Sustainability Management (LCSM) strategy can involve significant challenges because of competing or conflicting objectives between stakeholders. These differences may, if not identified and managed, hinder successful adoption of sustainability initiatives. This article proposes a conceptual framework for stakeholder management in a LCSM context. The framework identifies the key sustainability stakeholder groups and suggests strategic ambiguity as a management tool to harness dysfunctional conflict into constructive collaboration. The framework is of practical value as it can be used as a guideline by managers who wish to improve collaboration with stakeholders along the supply chain. The article also fills a gap in the academic literature where there is only limited research on sustainability stakeholder management through strategic ambiguity
Rapidity Distributions of Dileptons from a Hadronizing Quark-Gluon Plasma
It has been predicted that dilepton production may be used as a quark-gluon
plasma probe. We calculate the rapidity distributions of thermal dileptons
produced by an evolving quark-gluon plasma assuming a longitudinal scaling
expansion with initial conditions locally determined from the hadronic rapidity
density. These distributions are compared with Drell-Yan production and
semileptonic charm decays at invariant mass , 4, and 6 GeV.Comment: 17 pages (standard LaTeX), 6 figures (available as topdraw files or
printed versions upon request), GSI-93-6
Differential Dynamics of Transposable Elements during Long-Term Diploidization of Nicotiana Section Repandae (Solanaceae) Allopolyploid Genomes
PubMed ID: 23185607This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited
Stimulating the innovation potential of 'routine' workers through workplace learning
Governments worldwide seek to upgrade the ‘basic skills' of employees deemed to have low literacy and numeracy, in order to enable their greater productivity and participation in workplace practices. A longitudinal investigation of such interventions in the United Kingdom has examined the effects on employees and on organizations of engaging in basic skills programmes offered in and through the workplace. ‘Tracking’ of employees in selected organizational contexts has highlighted ways in which interplay between formal and informal workplace learning can help to create the environments for employees in lower grade jobs to use and expand their skills. This workplace learning is a precondition, a stimulus and an essential ingredient for participation in employee-driven innovation, as workers engage with others to vary, and eventually to change, work practices. © 2010, SAGE Publications. All rights reserved
Maximum-likelihood astrometric geometry calibration of interferometric telescopes: application to the Very Small Array
Interferometers require accurate determination of the array configuration in
order to produce reliable observations. A method is presented for finding the
maximum-likelihood estimate of the telescope geometry, and of other
instrumental parameters, astrometrically from the visibility timelines obtained
from observations of celestial calibrator sources. The method copes
systematically with complicated and unconventional antenna and array
geometries, with electronic bandpasses that are different for each antenna
radiometer, and with low signal-to-noise ratios for the calibrators. The
technique automatically focusses on the geometry errors that are most
significant for astronomical observation. We apply this method to observations
made with the Very Small Array and constrain some 450 telescope parameters,
such as the antenna positions, effective observing frequencies and correlator
amplitudes and phase shifts; this requires only ~ 1 h of CPU time on a typical
workstation.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figures, submitted to MNRA
Comparison of Nuclear Suppression Effects on Meson Production at High p_T and p_L
The medium effect on the pion distribution at high in collisions
is compared to that of the pion distribution at high in collisions.
Both the suppression of the spectra and the energy losses of the measured pions
are studied. Although the medium effect on is larger than on , the
difference is found surprisingly to be not as big as one would naively expect.Comment: 8 RevTex pages with 5 figure
Energy loss of fast quarks in nuclei
We report an analysis of the nuclear dependence of the yield of Drell-Yan
dimuons from the 800 GeV/c proton bombardment of , C, Ca, Fe, and W
targets. Employing a new formulation of the Drell-Yan process in the rest frame
of the nucleus, this analysis examines the effect of initial-state energy loss
and shadowing on the nuclear-dependence ratios versus the incident proton's
momentum fraction and dimuon effective mass. The resulting energy loss per unit
path length is GeV/fm. This is the first
observation of a nonzero energy loss of partons traveling in nuclear
environment.Comment: 5 pages, including 4 figure
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