Thermal barrier coating system having improved adhesion

The adherence between a ceramic thermal barrier coating and a metal bond coating is improved by ion sputtering a ceramic film on the bond cost. A ceramic thermal barrier coating is then plasma-sprayed onto this primer film. This improves the integrity and strength of the interface between the plasma-sprayed ceramic layer and metallic bond coat which insures stronger adherence between the metal and the ceramic

Education, training and careers: young Torres Strait Islanders, 1999

The principal aim of this paper was to determine what role, if any, young Torres Strait Islanders see education and training playing in their future careers. As in human capital theory, young Islanders appear to value education and training as a form of investment that will allow them to further their careers. They say for example that they will stay at school to improve their prospects for further education, for training and for employment. Although they thought that education would helped them with their futures, several people felt that more emphasis could be placed on providing job related skills and life skills in school. Nonetheless, the general feeling about education was positive. In addition to valuing study and training as activities that can help them achieve their goals, they also appear to find these inherently interesting. Although people, might want to stay on at school to Year 12 to improve their career prospects, it appears that sometimes this might have to take second place to family commitments; a compromise similar to that noted in other parts of this project. In addition, the data suggest some inverse relationship between travelling to the mainland for education and staying on to Year 12: students who went to the mainland for secondary schooling were likely to change schools more often and less likely to complete Year 12 than were those attending school on Thursday Island. However, these findings are not conclusive and require further research. The fields of training in which people were involved reflected features of the regional economy and, to a degree, conventional male/female divisions. For instance, women were likely to want training for careers in education, health and administration, while males were more interested in training for trades. Although some young people had been involved in a deckhand's course, none were doing or planned to do any training associated with the commercial fishing industry. This apparent lack of interest amongst young people in increasing their formal engagement with the industry will be explored in future stages of the project. It was noticeable that all of the trainees and apprentices interviewed in the survey were in Community Development Employment Projects (CDEP) communities. It appears therefore, that having CDEP gives a community the autonomy to offer training and apprenticeships to its members. In this way CDEP helps facilitate career pathways. However, having CDEP is not a sufficient condition for this to happen. Communities wishing to train their young members must also have the relevant levels of infrastructure, the instructors and a commitment from community leaders

Career aspirations and orientation to work: young Torres Strait Islanders, 1999

The principal aim of this paper was to determine what views young Torres Strait Islanders had about their careers and to assess their orientation or approach to work. Young Torres Strait Islanders often express their view of their future in terms of their work. However, as noted elsewhere in the study commitments to career may have to be balanced with those to family. People's notions of career seem influenced by their surrounding social and economic environment. Many young women are keen to work in areas such as health and education while young men are often interested in related trades positions. Despite the fact that commercial fishing is the region's primary industry, and that Islanders are already involved in this not one young person in the survey nominated this as their chosen career. Future stages of this longitudinal study will attempt to find out more about how young people view work in commercial fishing. Cultural background may also influence people's approach to work. For example, they value the opportunity to work with others who understand them and their culture or 'Islander ways' and express some attraction for working in an Islander organisation and/or with other Islanders. However, a high value is also placed on working with people who have skills and who can pass these on. An ideal work environment might be one which includes supervisors who are skilled in their profession or trade and in cross-cultural communication. Young Islanders place a high value on work that is interesting, that helps them to achieve their career goals, that is reasonably paid, that provides promotion and that is secure. These findings suggest that, in some respects, indigenous people may approach work in a similar way to other young people. Young Islanders are quite negative about the CDEP scheme and this often because they see the normal part-time CDEP work as relatively meaningless and boring. However, CDEP communities in the survey are able to create full-time positions, traineeships and apprenticeships within CDEP, and these options are valued by the participants. The CDEP scheme can also provide some of the more culturally specific work qualities that people value. It allows participants to work with people they know and can communicate with, and in a work environment in which they feel comfortable. Therefore, although many view the scheme negatively, it does appear to have the potential to provide some career pathways and in this regard, CDEP communities could be said to be operating rather like development agencies. A continuing challenge for community leaders and policy makers is to provide career options for young people within the CDEP environment

Job-searching and careers: young Torres Strait Islanders, 1999

The principal aim of this paper was to examine the strategies young people adopt to further their careers. Young people in Torres Strait are likely to use informal strategies when searching for jobs or training; these include approaching employers and trainers directly or using the contacts of family or friends. They are less likely to use the formal job-search facilities of Centrelink and Job Network. Payments such as Newstart seem to lack the flexibility to allow people to move on and off payments quickly to take up occasional job opportunities, for example in commercial fishing. Community Development Employment Projects (CDEP) appears to present fewer such difficulties. People do not always know what and where formal labour market services are available. If the aim is to improve young people's access to the labour market and career options through Centrelink and Job Network, then possibly these agencies should do more to advertise their services. This could possibly occur through the secondary school system. The fact that Centrelink payments such as Newstart exists in remote areas alongside CDEP mean that these two systems of payment effectively compete for customers. Therefore, a policy initiative might be to redesign Centrelink payments and the CDEP system so that they complement one another rather than compete with one another and so help create more career opportunities. People do not necessarily see CDEP as something that can help them achieve their career goals partly because they feel that much of the part-time CDEP work is boring or pointless. Community councils also provide people with full-time work and training positions that are subsidised by CDEP and these are viewed very positively by participants. Related to this, people place a high value on training and further study and the services of TAFE. A challenge for policy makers and communities is to derive ways of creating more, and more interesting, CDEP work and/or training positions. People often feel that their family can help them achieve their aspirations. However, fulfilling family commitments can also present something of a barrier to them furthering their careers and represents a form of tension. Because people may have to put family responsibilities before their careers when they are young, they may also wish to restart their careers at a later date after they have fulfilled some of these responsibilities

Reconciling Semiclassical and Bohmian Mechanics: II. Scattering states for discontinuous potentials

In a previous paper [J. Chem. Phys. 121 4501 (2004)] a unique bipolar decomposition, Psi = Psi1 + Psi2 was presented for stationary bound states Psi of the one-dimensional Schroedinger equation, such that the components Psi1 and Psi2 approach their semiclassical WKB analogs in the large action limit. Moreover, by applying the Madelung-Bohm ansatz to the components rather than to Psi itself, the resultant bipolar Bohmian mechanical formulation satisfies the correspondence principle. As a result, the bipolar quantum trajectories are classical-like and well-behaved, even when Psi has many nodes, or is wildly oscillatory. In this paper, the previous decomposition scheme is modified in order to achieve the same desirable properties for stationary scattering states. Discontinuous potential systems are considered (hard wall, step, square barrier/well), for which the bipolar quantum potential is found to be zero everywhere, except at the discontinuities. This approach leads to an exact numerical method for computing stationary scattering states of any desired boundary conditions, and reflection and transmission probabilities. The continuous potential case will be considered in a future publication.Comment: 18 pages, 8 figure

Indigenous participation in commercial fisheries in Torres Strait: A preliminary discussion

The Torres Strait Treaty between Australia and Papua New Guinea, ratified in 1985, recognised customary, and limited commercial, Indigenous rights in marine resources in Torres Strait. Since the High Court's Mabo vs Queensland decision in June 1992, and the establishment of the Torres Strait Regional Authority (TSRA), effectively from July 1994, the issue of rights in marine resources has become central to the development of a sustainable regional economic base for Indigenous people in Torres Strait. This paper describes the regulatory framework for managing marine resources in Torres Strait, the current value of the commercial fishing sector, and the potential for expansion of the industry. Attention is then focused on current Islander participation in the industry, and especially on barriers and incentives affecting participation. Options for creating well-defined Islander property rights in commercial fisheries are examined, and the policy implications of these options are discussed. Finally, the importance of further research is put in the context of the TSRA's responsibility for a Torres Strait Development Plan and the goals of increased Indigenous participation in commercial fisheries and greater economic self-sufficiency for the region

Reconciling Semiclassical and Bohmian Mechanics: III. Scattering states for continuous potentials

In a previous paper [J. Chem. Phys. 121 4501 (2004)] a unique bipolar decomposition, Psi = Psi1 + Psi2 was presented for stationary bound states Psi of the one-dimensional Schroedinger equation, such that the components Psi1 and Psi2 approach their semiclassical WKB analogs in the large action limit. The corresponding bipolar quantum trajectories, as defined in the usual Bohmian mechanical formulation, are classical-like and well-behaved, even when Psi has many nodes, or is wildly oscillatory. A modification for discontinuous potential stationary stattering states was presented in a second paper [J. Chem. Phys. 124 034115 (2006)], whose generalization for continuous potentials is given here. The result is an exact quantum scattering methodology using classical trajectories. For additional convenience in handling the tunneling case, a constant velocity trajectory version is also developed.Comment: 16 pages and 14 figure

Characteristics of complementary medicine therapists in Switzerland: A cross-sectional study.

More than 27,000 complementary medicine (CM) therapists are registered in Switzerland, but limited data are available on their occupational profile and role in the healthcare system. Herein we aimed to gain a better understanding of the professional profile of non-physician licensed therapists, focusing on acupuncture, osteopathy, and European naturopathy. This cross-sectional study was based on an online anonymous survey conducted from March to June 2017. All 1549 non-physician registered osteopaths, acupuncturists, and naturopaths in the French-speaking part of Switzerland were asked to complete the survey. We measured the therapists' demographics, training and practice characteristics, and workload. A total of 426 therapists returned the questionnaire (response rate: 27.5%). The mean age of the respondents was 46.0 years (SD 11.6) and most were women (67.8%). CM represented the main professional activity for a majority of therapists (82.8%), most of whom were independent (86.3%). The length and number of consultations per month varied across professions. Multivariate analysis showed that acupuncturists and naturopaths performed significantly fewer consults per month than osteopaths did. However, consultation length was significantly longer for acupuncturists and naturopaths than for osteopaths. Acupuncturists (71.6%) and naturopaths (64.4%) were significantly more favorable than osteopaths (27.7%) to have consultation costs covered by basic health insurance. Professional profiles differed between osteopaths, on the one hand, and naturopaths and acupuncturists, on the other, mainly regarding workload, treatment duration, and main reasons to consult. This first study to investigate a variety of therapist profiles in Switzerland provides useful information about their activities and role within the Swiss healthcare system. Although all three professions are encompassed under the same umbrella term (CM), our study showed that they have specific work cultures and areas of intervention in the healthcare system