816 research outputs found
Magnus and Iordanskii Forces in Superfluids
The total transverse force acting on a quantized vortex in a superfluid is a
problem that has eluded a complete understanding for more than three decades.
In this letter I propose a remarkably simple argument, somewhat reminiscent of
Laughlin's beautiful argument for the quantization of conductance in the
quantum Hall effect, to define the superfluid velocity part of the transverse
force. This term is found to be . Although
this result does not seem to be overly controversial, this thermodynamic
argument based only on macroscopic properties of the superfluid does offer a
robust derivation. A recent publication by Thouless, Ao and Niu has
demonstrated that the vortex velocity part of the transverse force in a
homogeneous neutral superfluid is given by the usual form . A combination of these two independent results and the required
Galilean invariance yields that there cannot be any transverse force
proportional to the normal fluid velocity, in apparent conflict with
Iordanskii's theory of the transverse force due to phonon scattering by the
vortex.Comment: RevTex, 1 Encapsulated Postscript figur
Developing a Data Dashboard Framework for Population Health Surveillance: Widening Access to Clinical Trial Findings
Background: Population surveillance sites generate many datasets relevant to disease surveillance. However, there is a risk that these data are underutilized because of the volumes of data gathered and the lack of means to quickly disseminate analysis. Data visualization offers a means to quickly disseminate, understand, and interpret datasets, facilitating evidence-driven decision making through increased access to information.
Objectives: This paper describes the development and evaluation of a framework for data dashboard design, to visualize datasets produced at a demographic health surveillance site. The aim of this research was to produce a comprehensive, reusable, and scalable dashboard design framework to fit the unique requirements of the context.
Methods: The framework was developed and implemented at a demographic surveillance platform at the Africa Health Research Institute, in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. This context represents an exemplar implementation for the use of data dashboards within a population health-monitoring setting. Before the full launch, an evaluation study was undertaken to assess the effectiveness of the dashboard framework as a data communication and decision-making tool. The evaluation included a quantitative task evaluation to assess usability and a qualitative questionnaire exploring the attitudes to the use of dashboards.
Results: The evaluation participants were drawn from a diverse group of users working at the site (n=20), comprising of community members, nurses, scientific and operational staff. Evaluation demonstrated high usability for the dashboard across user groups, with scientific and operational staff having minimal issues in completing tasks. There were notable differences in the efficiency of task completion among user groups, indicating varying familiarity with data visualization. The majority of users felt that the dashboards provided a clear understanding of the datasets presented and had a positive attitude to their increased use.
Conclusions: Overall, this exploratory study indicates the viability of the data dashboard framework in communicating data trends within population surveillance setting. The usability differences among the user groups discovered during the evaluation demonstrate the need for the user-led design of dashboards in this context, addressing heterogeneous computer and visualization literacy present among the diverse potential users present in such settings. The questionnaire highlighted the enthusiasm for increased access to datasets from all stakeholders highlighting the potential of dashboards in this context
"Beat" patterns for the odd-even staggering in octupole bands from a quadrupole-octupole Hamiltonian
We propose a collective Hamiltonian which incorporates the standard
quadrupole terms, octupole terms classified according to the irreducible
representations of the octahedron group, a quadrupole-octupole interaction, as
well as a term for the bandhead energy linear in K (the projection of angular
momentum on the body-fixed z-axis). The energy is subsequently minimized with
respect to K for each given value of the angular momentum I, resulting in K
values increasing with I within each band, even in the case in which K is
restricted to a set of microscopically plausible values. We demonstrate that
this Hamiltonian is able to reproduce a variety of ``beat'' patterns observed
recently for the odd-even staggering in octupole bands of light actinides.Comment: LaTeX, 20 pages plus 12 figures given in separate .ps file
Thermoelectric Response of an Interacting Two-Dimensional Electron Gas in Quantizing Magnetic Field
We present a discussion of the linear thermoelectric response of an
interacting electron gas in a quantizing magnetic field. Boundary currents can
carry a significant fraction of the net current passing through the system. We
derive general expressions for the bulk and boundary components of the number
and energy currents. We show that the local current density may be described in
terms of ``transport'' and ``internal magnetization'' contributions. The latter
carry no net current and are not observable in standard transport experiments.
We show that although Onsager relations cannot be applied to the local current,
they are valid for the transport currents and hence for the currents observed
in standard transport experiments. We relate three of the four thermoelectric
response coefficients of a disorder-free interacting two-dimensional electron
gas to equilibrium thermodynamic quantities. In particular, we show that the
diffusion thermopower is proportional to the entropy per particle, and we
compare this result with recent experimental observations.Comment: 18 pages, 2 postscript figures included. Revtex with epsf.tex and
multicol.sty. In the revised version, the comparison with experimental
observations at is extended to include the possibility of
corrections due to weak impurity scattering. The conclusions that we reach
regarding the applicability of the composite fermion model at these filling
fractions are not affecte
Dynamic vortex mass in clean Fermi superfluids and superconductors
We calculate the dynamic vortex mass for clean Fermi superfluids including
both s- and d-wave superconductors as a response to a vortex acceleration.
Assuming a finite quasiparticle mean free time, the vortex mass appears to be a
tensor. The diagonal component dominates in the limit of long mean free time
while the off-diagonal mass takes over in the moderately clean regime.Comment: 4 pages, no figures, typeset using RevTe
Transport spin polarisation in SrRuO3 measured through Point Contact Andreev reflection
We report a study in which Andreev reflection using a Nb point contact is
used to measure the transport spin polarisation of the 4d itinerant ferromagnet
SrRuO3. By performing the study in high quality thin films with residual
resistivities less than 7micro-ohm-cm, we ensure that the study is done in the
ballistic limit, a regime which is difficult to reach in oxide ferromagnets.
The degree of transport spin polarisation that we find is comparable to that of
the hole doped rare-earth manganites. We conclude that the large transport spin
polarisation results mainly from a difference in the Fermi velocities between
the majority and minority spin channels in this material.Comment: Text and 2 Figure
Acoustic Energy and Momentum in a Moving Medium
By exploiting the mathematical analogy between the propagation of sound in a
non-homogeneous potential flow and the propagation of a scalar field in a
background gravitational field, various wave ``energy'' and wave ``momentum''
conservation laws are established in a systematic manner. In particular the
acoustic energy conservation law due to Blokhintsev appears as the result of
the conservation of a mixed co- and contravariant energy-momentum tensor, while
the exchange of relative energy between the wave and the mean flow mediated by
the radiation stress tensor, first noted by Longuet-Higgins and Stewart in the
context of ocean waves, appears as the covariant conservation of the doubly
contravariant form of the same energy-momentum tensor.Comment: 25 Pages, Late
âWe now have a patient and not a criminalâ : An exploratory study of judges and lawyersâ views on suicide attempters and the law in Ghana
This study explored the views of judges and lawyers of the superior courts of Ghana on the law criminalizing attempted suicide. Qualitative data were collected from 12 experienced legal practitioners of the superior courts (five judges and seven lawyers) using a semi-structured interview schedule. Thematic analysis of the data yielded three main perspectives: In defence of the Law, Advocating a Repeal, and Pro-Health Orientation. Although exploratory, the findings of this study offer cues for stepping up suicide literacy and advocacy programmes toward either a repeal of the law or a reform
A life cycle stakeholder management framework for enhanced collaboration between stakeholders with competing interests
This is a postprint version of the Book Chapter. Information regarding the official publication is available from the link below - Copyright @ 2011 SpringerImplementation of a Life Cycle Sustainability Management (LCSM) strategy can involve significant challenges because of competing or conflicting objectives between stakeholders. These differences may, if not identified and managed, hinder successful adoption of sustainability initiatives. This article proposes a conceptual framework for stakeholder management in a LCSM context. The framework identifies the key sustainability stakeholder groups and suggests strategic ambiguity as a management tool to harness dysfunctional conflict into constructive collaboration. The framework is of practical value as it can be used as a guideline by managers who wish to improve collaboration with stakeholders along the supply chain. The article also fills a gap in the academic literature where there is only limited research on sustainability stakeholder management through strategic ambiguity
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