Versatile Data Acquisition and Controls for Epics Using Vme-Based Fpgas

Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) have provided Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility (Jefferson Lab) with versatile VME-based data acquisition and control interfaces with minimal development times. FPGA designs have been used to interface to VME and provide control logic for numerous systems. The building blocks of these logic designs can be tailored to the individual needs of each system and provide system operators with read-backs and controls via a VME interface to an EPICS based computer. This versatility allows the system developer to choose components and define operating parameters and options that are not readily available commercially. Jefferson Lab has begun developing standard FPGA libraries that result in quick turn around times and inexpensive designs.Comment: 3 pages, ICALEPCS 2001, T. Allison and R. Foold, Jefferson La

Examining telecommunication industry efficiencies in light of regulatory reform

This Thesis examines Telecommunications Industry efficiencies in the face of recent regulatory reforms; Regulation was believed to be required because of the telecommunications industry\u27s apparent natural monopoly. The promise of regulation was to act as a surrogate to competition in controlling the monopolist. Regulation should require the monopolist to operate as close to a competitive marginal cost as possible. With effective regulation, the consumer would then expect to be paying as low a price as possible for the service provided by the regulated monopolist; Aside from commendable technological and systems improvements by the telephone companies, no significant improvement in operating efficiency would be expected with rate of return regulation reform; Included in this discussion of telecommunication industry regulation is an event analysis of the trend of the employee per access line efficiency correlated with the announcement of regulatory reforms. A significant relationship is demonstrated

Elemental Analysis of Species Specific Wood Ash : A Pyrogenic Factor in Soil Formation and Forest Succession for a Mixed Hardwood Forest of Northern New Jersey

Fire is a significant environmental perturbation to forests where vegetation transforms from biomass to ash, potentially releasing stored chemical elements to soils. While much research acknowledges variation in ash composition among different vegetation types (grasses, trees, shrubs and vines), less has focused on interspecific variation among trees and the elemental influx soils receive. Therefore, this research sets out to: (1) identify major, trace, and rare earth element (REE) concentrations by inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS) in ash derived from fifteen tree species, (2) determine likely elemental enrichment to post-fire soils, and (3) assess variability in ash chemistry and color among different tree species. Traditional color assessments classify ash on a grey scale, but ash samples in this study had distinct color hues and coalesced in two groups. A significant negative correlation existed between SiO2 and CaO among all ash samples. Ash samples were more concentrated in MnO, MgO, CaO, K2O, P2O5, Ni, Cu, Zn, Sr and Ba than soil, as well as in all REE’s (La through Lu). Ash from Populus grandidentata, Betula lenta, and B. alleghaniensis had greatest enrichment in Zn and Ba while ash from Fraxinus americana had elevated Cu and Sr. This clearly shows significant chemical variability in ash, possibly derived from preferential element uptake by certain tree species to satisfy physiologic and metabolic nutrient requirements. All REE’s were 10-15 times greater in ash than soils. Little preferential uptake of any one REE exists as trees might passively sequester all these elements together, bound to essential nutrients. This research provides an important understanding of the complexities surrounding fire’s impact on biogeochemical cycling

HIDVA Final Report

The purpose of the evaluation was to assess the impact of hospital-based IDVAs in Surrey with reference to five Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): 1. Trust staff are confident in identifying and safely enquiring with patients about DA and know how to seek support within the Trust with DA-related matters. 2. DA survivors supported by the IDVAs have access to the right information, services, and support, at the right time, in the right place, at the earliest opportunity, through clearly defined referral pathways. 3. IDVAs enhance the Trusts’ Safeguarding response to DA. 4. DA survivors feel enabled to access IDVA and outreach support services. DA survivors are viewed as experts by experience and their feedback on the IDVA service informs the delivery of IDVA services. 5. IDVA data collection in the Trusts provides the Trusts and Commissioners with a better understanding of the level of DA need in Surrey

The impact of COVID-19 on the mental health of radiography staff and managers in Northern Ireland, UK: The radiography managers' perspective

INTRODUCTION: Increasing evidence suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic has influenced the mental health of health professionals, including radiographers. Less is known about the effect of the pandemic on the mental health of radiography managers. Radiography managers have led their teams through the pandemic, making unpopular decisions to safeguard staff and patients. This study explores radiography managers’ perceptions regarding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the mental health of themselves and their staff. METHODS: Ethical approval was obtained from the NHS Research Ethics Committee (ID 287032). Eleven interviews were conducted with therapeutic and diagnostic radiography managers between March–April 2021. Written information was also included from a paediatric diagnostic radiography manager. Data was analysed independently by 2 researchers using thematic analysis. RESULTS: Three central themes emerged: 1) Factors perceived to have negatively influenced mental health, which included changing PPE guidance, restructuring of work conditions, social isolation, challenges to patient care and lack of quality vacation leave. 2) Factors perceived to have positively influenced mental health, which included witnessing staff resilience and team camaraderie. 3) Support provided for mental health. CONCLUSION: Managers felt that they had implemented appropriate strategies to support their staff throughout the first year of the pandemic and expressed feeling responsible for the wellbeing of their staff. Strong empathy was evident towards staff and their experiences. Despite the availability of mental health support services, managers felt that resources were underutilised by radiography teams. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Managers should be proactive in communicating their appreciation for their staff in an era where remote working can add to disconnect between staff and management. Mental health support services should be promoted and continually reviewed, to ensure that appropriate support services are maintained

Engine inlet distortion in a 9.2 percent scale vectored thrust STOVL model in ground effect

Advanced Short Takeoff/Vertical Landing (STOVL) aircraft which can operate from remote locations, damaged runways, and small air capable ships are being pursued for deployment around the turn of the century. To achieve this goal, NASA Lewis Research Center, McDonnell Douglas Aircraft, and DARPA defined a cooperative program for testing in the NASA Lewis 9- by 15-foot low speed wind tunnel (LSWT) to establish a database for hot gas ingestion, one of the technologies critical to STOVL. Results are presented which show the engine inlet distortions (both temperature and pressure) in a 9.2 percent scale vectored thrust STOVL model in ground effects. Results are shown for the forward nozzle splay angles of 0 degrees, -6 degrees, and 18 degrees. The model support system had 4 degrees of freedom, heated high pressure air for nozzle flow, and a suction system exhaust for inlet flow. The headwind (freestream) velocity was varied from 8 to 23 knots

From niches to regime : sustainability transitions in a diverse tourism destination

Acknowledgments To the Aberdeen – Curtin alliance, the interviewees, and Dr Roy Jones. For the purpose of open access, the authors have applied a Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) licence to any Author Accepted Manuscript version arising from this submission.Peer reviewe

Canonical curves and Kropina metrics in Lagrangian contact geometry

We present a Fefferman-type construction from Lagrangian contact to conformal structures and examine several related topics. In particular, we concentrate on describing the canonical curves and their correspondence. We show that chains and null-chains of an integrable Lagrangian contact structure are the projections of null-geodesics of the Fefferman space. Employing the Fermat principle, we realize chains as geodesics of Kropina (pseudo-Finsler) metrics. Using recent rigidity results, we show that ``sufficiently many'' chains determine the Lagrangian contact structure. Separately, we comment on Lagrangian contact structures induced by projective structures and the special case of dimension three.Comment: 25 pages, no figure