A photon-counting photodiode array detector for far ultraviolet (FUV) astronomy

A compact, stable, single-stage intensified photodiode array detector designed for photon-counting, far ultraviolet astronomy applications employs a saturable, 'C'-type MCP (Galileo S. MCP 25-25) to produce high gain pulses with a narrowly peaked pulse height distribution. The P-20 output phosphor exhibits a very short decay time, due to the high current density of the electron pulses. This intensifier is being coupled to a self-scanning linear photodiode array which has a fiber optic input window which allows direct, rigid mechanical coupling with minimal light loss. The array was scanned at a 250 KHz pixel rate. The detector exhibits more than adequate signal-to-noise ratio for pulse counting and event location

Boundary Pressure Fluctuations Due to Macroturbulence in Hydraulic Jumps

Data concerning the statistical properties of pressure fluctuations on the containment structure associated with the hydraulic jump have been studied at the St. Anthony Falls Hydraulic Laboratory. The incident Froude numbers were investigated through the practical range from 4 to 9. The mean square of the fluctuating pressure, the mean pressure, and the power spectrum were determined as a function of position under the jump. In addition, mean and rms turbulent velocity profiles and entrained air concentration profiles throughout the jump volume were determined. The principal tests were performed in a channel 20 inches wide and 3 feet deep. Other tests at a larger scale were performed in a flume 9 feet wide and 6 feet deep to assist in an evaluation of the scaling properties of the various statistical parameters. The data indicate that the rapid rate of energy dissipation near the toe of the jump leads to a maximum rms fluctuation pressure on the bed of about 5 per cent of the incoming velocity head. The location of the maximum pressure fluctuation is approximately midway under the roller of the jump

The effects of isometric work on heart rate, blood pressure, and net oxygen cost

Isometric exercise effects on heart rate, blood pressure, and net oxygen cos

Lifetime of OH masers at the tip of the asymptotic giant branch

Context: A large fraction of otherwise similar asymptotic giant branch stars (AGB) do not show OH maser emission. As shown recently, a restricted lifetime may give a natural explanation as to why only part of any sample emits maser emission at a given epoch. Aims: We wish to probe the lifetime of 1612 MHz OH masers in circumstellar shells of AGB stars. Methods: We reobserved a sample of OH/IR stars discovered more than 28 years ago to determine the number of stars that may have since lost their masers. Results: We redetected all 114 OH masers. The minimum lifetime inferred is 2800 years (1 sigma). This maser lifetime applies to AGB stars with strong mass loss leading to very red infrared colors. The velocities and mean flux density levels have not changed since their discovery. As the minimum lifetime is of the same order as the wind crossing time, strong variations in the mass-loss process affecting the excitation conditions on timescales of ~3000 years or less are unlikely. Keywords: OH masers -- Stars: AGB and post-AGB -- circumstellar matterComment: 8 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysic

Alignment of patient and primary care practice member perspectives of chronic illness care: a cross-sectional analysis

Polly H. Noel and Luci K. Leykum are with the South Texas Veterans Health Care System, 7400 Merton Minter Blvd, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA -- Polly H. Noel, Ray F. Palmer, Raquel L. Romero, Luci K. Leykum, Holly J. Lanham, and Krista W. Bowers are with the Department of Medicine, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, 7703 Floyd Curl Dr, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA -- Michael L. Parchman is with the MacColl Center for Healthcare Innovation, Group Health Research Institute, Group Health Cooperative, 1730 Minor Ave 1600, Seattle, WA 98101, USA -- Holly J. Leykum is with the The McCombs School of Business, The University of Texas at Austin, 2110 Speedway, Stop B6000, Austin, TX 78712, USA -- John E. Zeber is with the Central Texas Veterans Health Care System, 1901 S. 1st St, Temple, TX 76504, USA and Scott and White Healthcare Center for Applied Health Research, 2401 S. 31st St, Temple, TX 76508, USABackground: Little is known as to whether primary care teams’ perceptions of how well they have implemented the Chronic Care Model (CCM) corresponds with their patients’ own experience of chronic illness care. We examined the extent to which practice members’ perceptions of how well they organized to deliver care consistent with the CCM were associated with their patients’ perceptions of the chronic illness care they have received. Methods: Analysis of baseline measures from a cluster randomized controlled trial testing a practice facilitation intervention to implement the CCM in small, community-based primary care practices. All practice “members” (i.e., physician providers, non-physician providers, and staff) completed the Assessment of Chronic Illness Care (ACIC) survey and adult patients with 1 or more chronic illnesses completed the Patient Assessment of Chronic Illness Care (PACIC) questionnaire. Results: Two sets of hierarchical linear regression models accounting for nesting of practice members (N = 283) and patients (N = 1,769) within 39 practices assessed the association between practice member perspectives of CCM implementation (ACIC scores) and patients’ perspectives of CCM (PACIC). ACIC summary score was not significantly associated with PACIC summary score or most of PACIC subscale scores, but four of the ACIC subscales were consistently associated with PACIC summary score and the majority of PACIC subscale scores after controlling for patient characteristics. The magnitude of the coefficients, however, indicates that the level of association is weak. Conclusions: The ACIC and PACIC scales appear to provide complementary and relatively unique assessments of how well clinical services are aligned with the CCM. Our findings underscore the importance of assessing both patient and practice member perspectives when evaluating quality of chronic illness care.Information, Risk, and Operations Management (IROM)[email protected]

Non-rigidity of spherical inversive distance circle packings

We give a counterexample of Bowers-Stephenson's conjecture in the spherical case: spherical inversive distance circle packings are not determined by their inversive distances.Comment: 6 pages, one pictur

High mobility titanium-doped indium oxide for use in tandem solar cells deposited via pulsed DC magnetron sputtering

© 2014 The Authors. The effects of pulsed DC (PDC) magnetron sputtering on the crystalline structure of the high mobility transparent conducting oxide (TCO), titanium-doped indium oxide (ITiO), are investigated. High mobility (μ >100 V-1s-1cm2) ITiO films are deposited by PDC magnetron sputtering and compared to RF deposited films using optimized conditions. These high mobility ITiO films have shown to extend the transmission in the NIR region compared to typical TCOs, such as ITO, exhibiting their potential in a tandem or multiple junction solar cell application. ITiO films deposited by PDC magnetron sputtering offer an increased deposition rate without a significant reduction in mobility when compared to RF sputtering, thus potentially offering PDC as a preferred industrial choice over RF sputtering. Structural characterization of the ITiO films prepared by PDC show a change in crystalline orientation and crystallite shape when compared to RF films, measured by XRD and SEM, which have been linked with the electrical parameters of the TCO

Using Mini-Grants to Build Multi-Sector Partnerships in Rural Tennessee

Rural counties in Tennessee, including those located in Appalachia, face some of the greatest health challenges in the nation. Unpublished data collated by the East Tennessee State University College of Public Health (ETSU) show that Tennessee’s 52 Appalachian counties vary dramatically from its 43 non-Appalachian counties in virtually all socioeconomic, behavioral, and health outcome metrics. Since 2011, the Tennessee Institute of Public Health (TNIPH) has actively encouraged local communities to address behavior change, enhance educational achievement, and improve economic conditions as essential components for improving health and well-being in rural Tennessee