Plasma Striations in Vacuum Chambers

Plasma, often referred to as the fourth state of matter, is ionized gas consisting of positive ions and free electrons. Specifically, a glow discharge is a glowing plasma formed by a voltage across a low pressure gas. The area of the glow discharge of interest in this study is the positive column, a relatively long column of pink, glowing plasma, and its bright and dark striated patterns. The striated positive column resembles pattern phenomena caused by standing pressure waves. These pressure wave patterns are due to the length of the tube in which they are contained. However, in past plasma research, the relation between striations and plasma tube length has been a neglected parameter. This study investigates how altering the spacing between electrodes, in effect altering the length of the tube, causes a change in the positive column. This parameter is changed by utilizing four tubes of different lengths and a movable cathode. Research was conducted in both air and argon gas. It is found that changing electrode spacing does not alter the distance between striations, suggesting the analogy between standing pressure waves and the mechanisms of the positive column do not align along this parameter. Yet, a change in electrode spacing does alter the length of the entire positive column, falling along a clear linear relationship. This relationship is used to suggest the minimum spacing needed to achieve a positive column in both air and argon gas

Patient attitudes to sternotomy and thoracotomy scars

Young adults with congenital heart defects expressed dissatisfaction with their surgical scar. The impact extended to their social life and ability to form close relationships, and has implications for holistic practice. Presented at Association for European Paediatric Cardiology conference in Munich

Attorneys and the California Athlete Agencies Act: The Toll of the Bill

Agents have become a rising force in the sports industry. Their increased role in contract negotiations has brought with it increased scandal. The authors analyze the problems with the regulations promulgated by the various player associations as well as the California Athlete Agencies Act. The authors focus on the efforts of the California Legislature to alleviate these problems by amending the Act with Senate Bill 11 this year. The authors applaud the amendment and state that, with more involvement by the player associations, the sports industry will be much improved

PresentVR: Defeating Public Speaking Anxiety with Virtual Reality

In today’s society, the vast majority of individuals are afraid to speak in front of a public crowd. This could range from a classroom presentation to a thousand person amphitheater, and it is because of this fear that people are more anxious in public settings where they present their own idea. In the past, people would try to tackle this problem by practicing in front of a mirror, or having friends help practice. However, there was no convenient way of practicing in front of a live audience, and we believe that with the advances in technology, especially virtual reality, that we can help solve this problem. Our idea, PresentVR, aims to provide the user with an application that places them in front of a realistic audience in virtual reality equipped with the aids and tools they would use in real life. Our solution composes of a virtual reality application where the user gives the presentations, a web application where the user can upload presentation materials, and a mobile application for additional users to join the audience and help create a more realistic environment. Succeeding in this overall system will provide people around the world with the ability to practice presentations and improve their public speaking skills from the convenience of their home

SP mountain data analysis

An analysis of synthetic aperture radar data of SP Mountain was undertaken to demonstrate the use of digital image processing techniques to aid in geologic interpretation of SAR data. These data were collected with the ERIM X- and L-band airborne SAR using like- and cross-polarizations. The resulting signal films were used to produce computer compatible tapes, from which four-channel imagery was generated. Slant range-to-ground range and range-azimuth-scale corrections were made in order to facilitate image registration; intensity corrections were also made. Manual interpretation of the imagery showed that L-band represented the geology of the area better than X-band. Several differences between the various images were also noted. Further digital analysis of the corrected data was done for enhancement purposes. This analysis included application of an MSS differencing routine and development of a routine for removal of relief displacement. It was found that accurate registration of the SAR channels is critical to the effectiveness of the differencing routine. Use of the relief displacement algorithm on the SP Mountain data demonstrated the feasibility of the technique

Patient reported experiences of using community rehabilitation and/or support services whilst living with a long-term neurological condition:a qualitative systematic review and meta-aggregation.

<p><b>Objectives:</b> The objective of this study is to identify patient reported experiences of using community rehabilitation and/or support services whilst living with a long-term neurological condition, and perceptions of their impact on quality of life.</p> <p><b>Methods</b>: Nine electronic databases were searched for peer-reviewed qualitative studies from 2005 to 2016, which met the inclusion criteria. Critical appraisal, data extraction, and quality assessment of 37 included papers were performed by three reviewers. One hundred and one findings were extracted. Meta-aggregation was used to synthesize findings.</p> <p><b>Findings:</b> Seven ‘synthesized findings’ [SF] were produced: Interactions with some professionals provide active participation, choice, confidence and autonomy [SF1]; Interactions with some professionals are disempowering and depersonalized [SF2]; Effective communication, specialist knowledge and an individualized approach to information provision is needed [SF3]; Indicators of success vary and may not be clear [SF4]; Informal support from family/friends is valued [SF5]; Opportunities for peer support/social interaction is valued [SF6]; Coordination required to ensure continuity during transition to community [SF7].</p> <p><b>Conclusion:</b> Patient reported experiences identified common factors associated with process quality (respect, choice, autonomy, information provision, communication) and activities of patient centered care (personalized care, shared decision-making, self-management support) despite heterogeneity of neurological conditions, service configurations, and geographical location. These factors impact quality of life.Implications for Rehabilitation</p><p>Patient reported experiences provide useful information about courtesy, respect, choice, autonomy, information provision, and communication.</p><p>Outcomes of self-efficacy and self-management are important for people with stable and progressive long-term neurological conditions.</p><p>Interactions with individual professionals influence engagement, self-efficacy, and self-management for people with long-term neurological conditions.</p><p>Training for health and social care professionals should develop the advanced communication skills and behavior required to facilitate self-efficacy and self-management.</p><p></p> <p>Patient reported experiences provide useful information about courtesy, respect, choice, autonomy, information provision, and communication.</p> <p>Outcomes of self-efficacy and self-management are important for people with stable and progressive long-term neurological conditions.</p> <p>Interactions with individual professionals influence engagement, self-efficacy, and self-management for people with long-term neurological conditions.</p> <p>Training for health and social care professionals should develop the advanced communication skills and behavior required to facilitate self-efficacy and self-management.</p

Henderson News 3.2

In This Issue: Celebrating El Dia de los Muertos at Henderson Library Open Access Week International Journeys at the Library Instant Study Rooms

Building solids inside nano-space: from confined amorphous through confined solvate to confined ‘metastable’ polymorph

The nanocrystallisation of complex molecules inside mesoporous hosts and control over the resulting structure is a significant challenge. To date the largest organic molecule crystallised inside the nano-pores is a known pharmaceutical intermediate – ROY (259.3 g mol1). In this work we demonstrate smart manipulation of the phase of a larger confined pharmaceutical – indomethacin (IMC, 357.8 g mol1), a substance with known conformational flexibility and complex polymorphic behaviour. We show the detailed structural analysis and the control of solid state transformations of encapsulated molecules inside the pores of mesoscopic cellular foam (MCF, pore size ca. 29 nm) and controlled pore glass (CPG, pore size ca. 55 nm). Starting from confined amorphous IMC we drive crystallisation into a confined methanol solvate, which upon vacuum drying leads to the stabilised rare form V of IMC inside the MCF host. In contrast to the pure form, encapsulated form V does not transform into a more stable polymorph upon heating. The size of the constraining pores and the drug concentration within the pores determine whether the amorphous state of the drug is stabilised or it recrystallises into confined nanocrystals. The work presents, in a critical manner, an application of complementary techniques (DSC, PXRD, solid-state NMR, N2 adsorption) to confirm unambiguously the phase transitions under confinement and offers a comprehensive strategy towards the formation and control of nano-crystalline encapsulated organic solids

On the generalized continuity equation

A generalized continuity equation extending the ordinary continuity equation has been found using quanternions. It is shown to be compatible with Dirac, Schrodinger, Klein-Gordon and diffusion equations. This generalized equation is Lorentz invariant. The transport properties of electrons are found to be governed by Schrodinger-like equation and not by the diffusion equation.Comment: 9 Latex pages, no figure

Ground-plane screening of Coulomb interactions in two-dimensional systems: How effectively can one two-dimensional system screen interactions in another?

The use of a nearby metallic ground-plane to limit the range of the Coulomb interactions between carriers is a useful approach in studying the physics of two-dimensional (2D) systems. This approach has been used to study Wigner crystallization of electrons on the surface of liquid helium, and most recently, the insulating and metallic states of semiconductor-based two-dimensional systems. In this paper, we perform calculations of the screening effect of one 2D system on another and show that a 2D system is at least as effective as a metal in screening Coulomb interactions. We also show that the recent observation of the reduced effect of the ground-plane when the 2D system is in the metallic regime is due to intralayer screening.Comment: 14 pages, 7 figures Accepted in PR