548 research outputs found
A tribute to Professor William Dearman : new small-scale engineering geological maps of the United Kingdom
Professor William Robert (âBillâ) Dearman was the first British Professor of Engineering Geology and a world leader in the development of engineering geological mapping techniques and methodologies, recognised by being awarded the IAEGâs Hans Cloos Medal. The maps described here would not have been completed without his initial ideas and interpretative work. It is a great regret that the maps were not finished in time for him to see them before his death in January 2009. This paper and the maps described in it are, therefore, dedicated to his memory
Origin and evolution of the light nuclides
After a short historical (and highly subjective) introduction to the field, I
discuss our current understanding of the origin and evolution of the light
nuclides D, He-3, He-4, Li-6, Li-7, Be-9, B-10 and B-11. Despite considerable
observational and theoretical progress, important uncertainties still persist
for each and every one of those nuclides. The present-day abundance of D in the
local interstellar medium is currently uncertain, making it difficult to infer
the recent chemical evolution of the solar neighborhood. To account for the
observed quasi-constancy of He-3 abundance from the Big Bang to our days, the
stellar production of that nuclide must be negligible; however, the scarce
observations of its abundance in planetary nebulae seem to contradict this
idea. The observed Be and B evolution as primaries suggests that the source
composition of cosmic rays has remained quasi-constant since the early days of
the Galaxy, a suggestion with far reaching implications for the origin of
cosmic rays; however, the main idea proposed to account for that constancy,
namely that superbubbles are at the source of cosmic rays, encounters some
serious difficulties. The best explanation for the mismatch between primordial
Li and the observed "Spite-plateau" in halo stars appears to be depletion of Li
in stellar envelopes, by some yet poorly understood mechanism. But this
explanation impacts on the level of the recently discovered early ``Li-6
plateau'', which (if confirmed), seriously challenges current ideas of cosmic
ray nucleosynthesis.Comment: 18 pages, 9 figs. Invited Review in "Symposium on the Composition of
Matter", honoring Johannes Geiss on the occasion of his 80th birthday
(Grindelwald, Switzerland, Sept. 2006), to be published in Space Science
Series of ISS
Telemedicine quality and outcomes in stroke: A scientific statement for healthcare professionals from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association
Purpose - Telestroke is one of the most frequently used and rapidly expanding applications of telemedicine, delivering much-needed stroke expertise to hospitals and patients. This document reviews the current status of telestroke and suggests measures for ongoing quality and outcome monitoring to improve performance and to enhance delivery of care. Methods - A literature search was undertaken to examine the current status of telestroke and relevant quality indicators. The members of the writing committee contributed to the review of specific quality and outcome measures with specific suggestions for metrics in telestroke networks. The drafts were circulated and revised by all committee members, and suggestions were discussed for consensus. Results - Models of telestroke and the role of telestroke in stroke systems of care are reviewed. A brief description of the science of quality monitoring and prior experience in quality measures for stroke is provided. Process measures, outcomes, tissue-type plasminogen activator use, patient and provider satisfaction, and telestroke technology are reviewed, and suggestions are provided for quality metrics. Additional topics include licensing, credentialing, training, and documentation
Indoor Air Quality
This is a report from the Air Quality Expert Group to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; Scottish Government; Welsh Government; and Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland, on indoor air quality in the UK. The information contained within this report represents a review of the understanding and evidence available at the time of writing
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