9,430 research outputs found
Stochastic Spacetime and Brownian Motion of Test Particles
The operational meaning of spacetime fluctuations is discussed. Classical
spacetime geometry can be viewed as encoding the relations between the motions
of test particles in the geometry. By analogy, quantum fluctuations of
spacetime geometry can be interpreted in terms of the fluctuations of these
motions. Thus one can give meaning to spacetime fluctuations in terms of
observables which describe the Brownian motion of test particles. We will first
discuss some electromagnetic analogies, where quantum fluctuations of the
electromagnetic field induce Brownian motion of test particles. We next discuss
several explicit examples of Brownian motion caused by a fluctuating
gravitational field. These examples include lightcone fluctuations, variations
in the flight times of photons through the fluctuating geometry, and
fluctuations in the expansion parameter given by a Langevin version of the
Raychaudhuri equation. The fluctuations in this parameter lead to variations in
the luminosity of sources. Other phenomena which can be linked to spacetime
fluctuations are spectral line broadening and angular blurring of distant
sources.Comment: 15 pages, 3 figures. Talk given at the 9th Peyresq workshop, June
200
More than Code: Contributions in Scrum Software Engineering Teams
Motivated and competent team members are a vital part of Agile Software
development and make or break any project's success. Motivation is fostered by
continuous progress and recognition of efforts. These concepts are founding
pillars of the Scrum methodology, which focuses on self-organizing teams. The
types of contributions Scrum development team members make to a project's
progress are not only technical. However, a comprehensive model comprising the
varied contributions in modern software engineering teams is not yet
established. We propose a model that incorporates contributions of all Scrum
roles, explicitly including those which are not directly related to project
artifacts. It improves the visibility of performed tasks, acts as a starting
point for team retrospection, and serves as a foundation for discussion in the
research community.Comment: Published in IEEE/ACM 42nd International Conference on Software
Engineering Workshops, ACM Press, 202
Does e-learning policy drive change in Higher Education?: A case study relating models of organisational change to e-learning implementation
Due to the heightened competition introduced by the potential global market and the need for structural changes within organisations delivering e-content, e-learning policy is beginning to take on a more significant role within the context of educational policy per se. For this reason, it is becoming increasingly important to establish what effect such policies have and how they are achieved. This paper addresses this question, illustrating five ways in which change is understood (Fordist, evolutionary, ecological, community of practice and discourse-oriented) and then using this range of perspectives to explore how e-learning policy drives change (both organisational and pedagogic) within a selected higher education institution. The implications of this case are then discussed, and both methodological and pragmatic conclusions are drawn, considering the relative insights offered by the models and ways in which change around e-learning might be supported or promoted
Stress Tensor Correlators in the Schwinger-Keldysh Formalism
We express stress tensor correlators using the Schwinger-Keldysh formalism.
The absence of off-diagonal counterterms in this formalism ensures that the +-
and -+ correlators are free of primitive divergences. We use dimensional
regularization in position space to explicitly check this at one loop order for
a massless scalar on a flat space background. We use the same procedure to show
that the ++ correlator contains the divergences first computed by `t Hooft and
Veltman for the scalar contribution to the graviton self-energy.Comment: 14 pages, LaTeX 2epsilon, no figures, revised for publicatio
Palliative care needs in patients hospitalized with heart failure (PCHF) study: rationale and design
Abstract Aims The primary aim of this study is to provide data to inform the design of a randomized controlled clinical trial (RCT) of a palliative care (PC) intervention in heart failure (HF). We will identify an appropriate study population with a high prevalence of PC needs defined using quantifiable measures. We will also identify which components a specific and targeted PC intervention in HF should include and attempt to define the most relevant trial outcomes. Methods An unselected, prospective, near-consecutive, cohort of patients admitted to hospital with acute decompensated HF will be enrolled over a 2-year period. All potential participants will be screened using B-type natriuretic peptide and echocardiography, and all those enrolled will be extensively characterized in terms of their HF status, comorbidity, and PC needs. Quantitative assessment of PC needs will include evaluation of general and disease-specific quality of life, mood, symptom burden, caregiver burden, and end of life care. Inpatient assessments will be performed and after discharge outpatient assessments will be carried out every 4 months for up to 2.5 years. Participants will be followed up for a minimum of 1 year for hospital admissions, and place and cause of death. Methods for identifying patients with HF with PC needs will be evaluated, and estimates of healthcare utilisation performed. Conclusion By assessing the prevalence of these needs, describing how these needs change over time, and evaluating how best PC needs can be identified, we will provide the foundation for designing an RCT of a PC intervention in HF
Two-loop effective potential for a general renormalizable theory and softly broken supersymmetry
I compute the two-loop effective potential in the Landau gauge for a general
renormalizable field theory in four dimensions. Results are presented for the
\bar{MS} renormalization scheme based on dimensional regularization, and for
the \bar{DR} and \bar{DR}' schemes based on regularization by dimensional
reduction. The last of these is appropriate for models with softly broken
supersymmetry, such as the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model. I find the
parameter redefinition which relates the \bar{DR} and \bar{DR}' schemes at
two-loop order. I also discuss the renormalization group invariance of the
two-loop effective potential, and compute the anomalous dimensions for scalars
and the beta function for the vacuum energy at two-loop order in softly broken
supersymmetry. Several illustrative examples and consistency checks are
included.Comment: 38 pages. Typos in equations (3.5), (3.11), and (6.3) are fixed.
Explicit claim of renormalization group invariance in the general case of
softly-broken supersymmetry is added. Additional discussion of cases of
multiple simple or U(1) groups. Equations in Appendix B rewritten in a more
useful for
Differences Between US and UK Adults in Stroke Preparedness: Evidence From Parallel Population-Based Community Surveys
Background and Purpose—Although time-dependent treatment is available, most people delay contacting emergency medical services for stroke. Given differences in the healthcare system and public health campaigns, exploring between-country differences in stroke preparedness may identify novel ways to increase acute stroke treatment. Methods—A survey was mailed to population-based samples in Ingham County, Michigan, US (n=2500), and Newcastle upon Tyne, UK (n=2500). Surveys included stroke perceptions and stroke/nonstroke scenarios to assess recognition and response to stroke. Between-country differences and associations with stroke preparedness were examined usingttests and linear mixed models. Results—Overall response rate was 27.4%. The mean age of participants was 55 years, and 58% were female. US participants were better in recognizing stroke (70% versus 63%, d=0.27) and were more likely to call emergency medical services (55% versus 52%, d=0.11). After controlling for demographics and comorbidities, US participants remained more likely to recognize stroke but were not more likely to respond appropriately. A greater belief that medical treatment can help with stroke and understanding of stroke was associated with improved stroke recognition and response. Conclusions—Overall, stroke recognition and response were moderate. US participants were modestly better at recognising stroke, although there was little difference in response to stroke. Future stroke awareness interventions could focus more on stroke outcome expectations and developing a greater understanding of stroke among the public
Numerical evaluation of the general massive 2-loop 4-denominator self-mass master integral from differential equations
The differential equation in the external invariant p^2 satisfied by the
master integral of the general massive 2-loop 4-denominator self-mass diagram
is exploited and the expansion of the master integral at p^2=0 is obtained
analytically. The system composed by this differential equation with those of
the master integrals related to the general massive 2-loop sunrise diagram is
numerically solved by the Runge-Kutta method in the complex p^2 plane. A
numerical method to obtain results for values of p^2 at and close to thresholds
and pseudo-thresholds is discussed in details.Comment: Latex, 20 pages, 7 figure
Stochastic Theory of Relativistic Particles Moving in a Quantum Field: II. Scalar Abraham-Lorentz-Dirac-Langevin Equation, Radiation Reaction and Vacuum Fluctuations
We apply the open systems concept and the influence functional formalism
introduced in Paper I to establish a stochastic theory of relativistic moving
spinless particles in a quantum scalar field. The stochastic regime resting
between the quantum and semi-classical captures the statistical mechanical
attributes of the full theory. Applying the particle-centric world-line
quantization formulation to the quantum field theory of scalar QED we derive a
time-dependent (scalar) Abraham-Lorentz-Dirac (ALD) equation and show that it
is the correct semiclassical limit for nonlinear particle-field systems without
the need of making the dipole or non-relativistic approximations. Progressing
to the stochastic regime, we derive multiparticle ALD-Langevin equations for
nonlinearly coupled particle-field systems. With these equations we show how to
address time-dependent dissipation/noise/renormalization in the semiclassical
and stochastic limits of QED. We clarify the the relation of radiation
reaction, quantum dissipation and vacuum fluctuations and the role that initial
conditions may play in producing non-Lorentz invariant noise. We emphasize the
fundamental role of decoherence in reaching the semiclassical limit, which also
suggests the correct way to think about the issues of runaway solutions and
preacceleration from the presence of third derivative terms in the ALD
equation. We show that the semiclassical self-consistent solutions obtained in
this way are ``paradox'' and pathology free both technically and conceptually.
This self-consistent treatment serves as a new platform for investigations into
problems related to relativistic moving charges.Comment: RevTex; 20 pages, 3 figures, Replaced version has corrected typos,
slightly modified derivation, improved discussion including new section with
comparisons to related work, and expanded reference
Witness Response at Acute Onset of Stroke: A Qualitative Theory-Guided Study
Background: Delay in calling emergency medical services following stroke limits access to early treatment that can reduce disability. Emergency medical services contact is mostly initiated by stroke witnesses (often relatives), rather than stroke patients. This study explored appraisal and behavioural factors that are potentially important in influencing witness behaviour in response to stroke. Methods and Findings: Semi-structured interviews with 26 stroke witnesses were transcribed and theory-guided content analysed was undertaken based on the Common Sense Self-Regulation Model (appraisal processes) and Theory Domains Framework (behavioural determinants). Response behaviours were often influenced by heuristics-guided appraisal (i.e. mental rules of thumb). Some witnesses described their responses to the situation as ‘automatic' and ‘instinctive', rather than products of deliberation. Potential behavioural influences included: environmental context and resources (e.g. time of day), social influence (e.g. prompts from patients) and beliefs about consequences (e.g. 999 accesses rapid help). Findings are based on retrospective accounts and need further verification in prospective studies. Conclusions: Witnesses play a key role in patient access to emergency medical services. Factors that potentially influence witnesses' responses to stroke were identified and could inform behavioural interventions and future research. Interventions might benefit from linking automatic/instinctive threat perceptions with deliberate appraisal of stroke symptoms, prompting action to call emergency medical services
- …