2,702 research outputs found
Encouraging practitioners in infection prevention and control to publish: a cross-sectional survey
Aim: The aim of this cross-sectional survey was to determine the views of infection prevention and control practitioners (IPCPs) on publishing research.
Methods: A convenience sample was obtained by approaching delegates at the 2015 Infection Prevention Society conference and data was captured via a hand-held electronic device.
Findings: Of the 79 respondents most (83%) read Journal of Infection Prevention (JIP) and found it useful for informing their practice (72%). However, most (91%) had never published in JIP, and less than half (40%) published elsewhere. The main barrier to publication was not having work suitable for publication (38%). Support (37%), training in writing for publication (10%) and time (9%) were considered to be important facilitators in encouraging respondents to publish.
Discussion: Strategies that support IPCPs in developing their writing skills may encourage more IPCPs to disseminate evidence to support best practice by publishing their work in peer reviewed journals
The Palomar Kernel Phase Experiment: Testing Kernel Phase Interferometry for Ground-based Astronomical Observations
At present, the principal limitation on the resolution and contrast of
astronomical imaging instruments comes from aberrations in the optical path,
which may be imposed by the Earth's turbulent atmosphere or by variations in
the alignment and shape of the telescope optics. These errors can be corrected
physically, with active and adaptive optics, and in post-processing of the
resulting image. A recently-developed adaptive optics post-processing
technique, called kernel phase interferometry, uses linear combinations of
phases that are self-calibrating with respect to small errors, with the goal of
constructing observables that are robust against the residual optical
aberrations in otherwise well-corrected imaging systems. Here we present a
direct comparison between kernel phase and the more established competing
techniques, aperture masking interferometry, point spread function (PSF)
fitting and bispectral analysis. We resolve the alpha Ophiuchi binary system
near periastron, using the Palomar 200-Inch Telescope. This is the first case
in which kernel phase has been used with a full aperture to resolve a system
close to the diffraction limit with ground-based extreme adaptive optics
observations. Excellent agreement in astrometric quantities is found between
kernel phase and masking, and kernel phase significantly outperforms PSF
fitting and bispectral analysis, demonstrating its viability as an alternative
to conventional non-redundant masking under appropriate conditions.Comment: Accepted to MNRA
Taming the rugged energy landscape: Techniques for the production, reordering, and stabilization of selected cluster inherent structures
We report our studies of the potential energy surface (PES) of selected
binary Lennard-Jones clusters. The effect of adding selected impurity atoms to
a homogeneous cluster is explored. Inherent structures and transition states
are found by combination of conjugate-gradient and eigenvector-following
methods while the topography of the PES is mapped with the help of a
disconnectivity analysis. We show that we can controllably induce new
structures as well as reorder and stabilize existing structures that are
characteristic of higher-lying minima.Comment: 9 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in J. Chem. Phy
Mass production of volume phase holographic gratings for the VIRUS spectrograph array
The Visible Integral-field Replicable Unit Spectrograph (VIRUS) is a baseline
array of 150 copies of a simple, fiber-fed integral field spectrograph that
will be deployed on the Hobby-Eberly Telescope (HET). VIRUS is the first
optical astronomical instrument to be replicated on an industrial scale, and
represents a relatively inexpensive solution for carrying out large-area
spectroscopic surveys, such as the HET Dark Energy Experiment (HETDEX). Each
spectrograph contains a volume phase holographic (VPH) grating with a 138 mm
diameter clear aperture as its dispersing element. The instrument utilizes the
grating in first-order for 350-550 nm. Including witness samples, a suite of
170 VPH gratings has been mass produced for VIRUS. Here, we present the design
of the VIRUS VPH gratings and a discussion of their mass production. We
additionally present the design and functionality of a custom apparatus that
has been used to rapidly test the first-order diffraction efficiency of the
gratings for various discrete wavelengths within the VIRUS spectral range. This
device has been used to perform both in-situ tests to monitor the effects of
adjustments to the production prescription as well as to carry out the final
acceptance tests of the gratings' diffraction efficiency. Finally, we present
the as-built performance results for the entire suite of VPH gratings.Comment: 16 pages, 11 figures, 2 tables. To be published in Proc. SPIE, 2014,
"Advances in Optical and Mechanical Technologies for Telescopes and
Instrumentation", 9151-53. The work presented in this article follows from
arXiv:1207:448
Precision Masses of the low-mass binary system GJ 623
We have used Aperture Masking Interferometry and Adaptive Optics (AO) at the
Palomar 200'' to obtain precise mass measurements of the binary M dwarf GJ 623.
AO observations spread over 3 years combined with a decade of radial velocity
measurements constrain all orbital parameters of the GJ 623 binary system
accurately enough to critically challenge the models. The dynamical masses
measured are m_{1}=0.371\pm0.015 M_{\sun} (4%) and m_{2}=0.115\pm0.0023
M_{\sun} (2%) for the primary and the secondary respectively. Models are not
consistent with color and mass, requiring very low metallicities.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures. Accepted for Ap
Direct Detection of the Brown Dwarf GJ 802B with Adaptive Optics Masking Interferometry
We have used the Palomar 200" Adaptive Optics (AO) system to directly detect
the astrometric brown dwarf GJ 802B reported by Pravdo et al. 2005. This
observation is achieved with a novel combination of aperture masking
interferometry and AO. The dynamical masses are 0.1750.021 M and
0.0640.032 M for the primary and secondary respectively. The
inferred absolute H band magnitude of GJ 802B is M=12.8 resulting in a
model-dependent T of 1850 50K and mass range of
0.057--0.074 M.Comment: 4 Pages, 5 figures, emulateapj format, submitted to ApJ
The Approach to Ergodicity in Monte Carlo Simulations
The approach to the ergodic limit in Monte Carlo simulations is studied using
both analytic and numerical methods. With the help of a stochastic model, a
metric is defined that enables the examination of a simulation in both the
ergodic and non-ergodic regimes. In the non-ergodic regime, the model implies
how the simulation is expected to approach ergodic behavior analytically, and
the analytically inferred decay law of the metric allows the monitoring of the
onset of ergodic behavior. The metric is related to previously defined measures
developed for molecular dynamics simulations, and the metric enables the
comparison of the relative efficiencies of different Monte Carlo schemes.
Applications to Lennard-Jones 13-particle clusters are shown to match the model
for Metropolis, J-walking and parallel tempering based approaches. The relative
efficiencies of these three Monte Carlo approaches are compared, and the decay
law is shown to be useful in determining needed high temperature parameters in
parallel tempering and J-walking studies of atomic clusters.Comment: 17 Pages, 7 Figure
PHENIX Highlights
Recent highlights of measurements by the PHENIX experiment at RHIC are
presented.Comment: 8 pages, 9 figures. Talk at Quark Matter 200
Impact of Preoperative Psychiatric Profile in Bariatric Surgery on Long-term Weight Outcome.
Conflicting results have been reported regarding the predictive value of preoperative psychological assessment and weight outcome after bariatric surgery. This might be attributed to different factors affecting early weight loss and long-term weight loss. Herein, we investigated whether preoperative psychiatric profile was associated with preoperative BMI and with both early (1 year) and long-term (5 years) weight loss after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB).
Prospective observational cohort study of patients undergoing RYGB between 2013 and 2019. Symptoms related to anxiety, depression, eating disorder, and alcohol use disorders were assessed by employing validated, specific psychometric tests (STAI-S/T, BDI-II, BITE, AUDIT-C) prior to surgery. Pre-operative BMI, early weight loss (1 year), and long-term weight evolution (up to 5 years) were registered.
Two hundred thirty six patients (81% women) were included in the present study. Linear longitudinal mixed model showed a significant effect of preoperative high anxiety (STAI-S) on long-term weight outcome, after controlling for gender, age and type 2 diabetes. Patient with high preoperative anxiety score regained weight faster than those experiencing low anxiety (each year percent excess BMI loss (%EBMIL) - 4.02%, ± 1.72, p = 0.021). No other pre-operative psychiatric symptoms have been shown to have an impact on long-term weight loss. In addition, no significant association was found between any of the pre-operative psychiatric variables and pre-operative BMI, or early weight loss (%EBMIL) at 1-year post-RYGB.
Herein we identified high anxiety score (STAI-S) as a predictor for long-term weight regain. Thus, long-term psychiatric surveillance of these patients and the development of tailored management tools could serve as a means to prevent weight regain
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