174 research outputs found
Paul de Lacy, Markedness: Reduction and preservation in phonology (Cambridge Studies in Linguistics 112). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2006. Pp. xviii+447.
QuickCough: An instrumentational proximal airway clearance technique (ACT) for select patients with Neuromuscular Disease (NMD)
Patients with neuromuscular disease (NMD) requiring tracheostomy and mechanical ventilation secondary to respiratory failure encounter increased difficulty in removing pulmonary secretions from the airways. To combat issues associated with current treatment modalities for insufficient cough efficacy (cost, poor mobility, discomfort, lack of evidence), we have developed an instrumentational proximal airway clearance technique (ACT) which augments a manual proximal ACT developed by a client with NMD. QuickCough is a 3D-printed PLA attachment to the tracheostomy apparatus which has demonstrated its ability to facilitate pressure changes necessary to increase patientâs peak cough flow (PCF) by providing a stronger exsufflation for the patient. QuickCough meets client needs by providing a machine-washable, inexpensive method of facilitating secretion expulsion without the use of bulky equipment in-transit. This novel instrumentational augmentation of a manual ACT was designed using the engineering design process discussed in The University of Akronâs biomedical engineering design course 4800:470. Future work ought to focus on development of an automated procedure to allow application of QuickCough in cases of global paralysis or insufficient home-care
Discovering the New Standard Model: Fundamental Symmetries and Neutrinos
This White Paper describes recent progress and future opportunities in the
area of fundamental symmetries and neutrinos.Comment: Report of the Fundamental Symmetries and Neutrinos Workshop, August
10-11, 2012, Chicago, I
Measurement of the neutron ÎČ-asymmetry parameter A_0 with ultracold neutrons
We present a detailed report of a measurement of the neutron ÎČ-asymmetry parameter A_0, the parity-violating angular correlation between the neutron spin and the decay electron momentum, performed with polarized ultracold neutrons (UCN). UCN were extracted from a pulsed spallation solid deuterium source and polarized via transport through a 7-T magnetic field. The polarized UCN were then transported through an adiabatic-fast-passage spin-flipper field region, prior to storage in a cylindrical decay volume situated within a 1-T 2Ă2Ï solenoidal spectrometer. The asymmetry was extracted from measurements of the decay electrons in multiwire proportional chamber and plastic scintillator detector packages located on both ends of the spectrometer. From an analysis of data acquired during runs in 2008 and 2009, we report A_0=â0.11966±0.00089_(â0.00140)^(+0.00123), from which we extract a value for the ratio of the weak axial-vector and vector coupling constants of the nucleon, λ=g_A/g_V=â1.27590±0.00239_(â0.00377)^(+0.00331). Complete details of the analysis are presented
Search for the Neutron Decay n X+ where X is a dark matter particle
In a recent paper submitted to Physical Review Letters, Fornal and Grinstein
have suggested that the discrepancy between two different methods of neutron
lifetime measurements, the beam and bottle methods can be explained by a
previously unobserved dark matter decay mode, n X+ where X
is a dark matter particle. We have performed a search for this decay mode over
the allowed range of energies of the monoenergetic gamma ray for X to be a dark
matter particle. We exclude the possibility of a sufficiently strong branch to
explain the lifetime discrepancy with greater than 4 sigma confidence.Comment: 6 pages 3 figure
Evidence for Strange Quark Contributions to the Nucleon's Form Factors at = 0.108 (GeV/c)
We report on a measurement of the parity violating asymmetry in the elastic
scattering of polarized electrons off unpolarized protons with the A4 apparatus
at MAMI in Mainz at a four momentum transfer value of = \Qsquare
(GeV/c) and at a forward electron scattering angle of 30. The measured asymmetry is = (\Aphys
\Deltastat \Deltasyst) 10. The
expectation from the Standard Model assuming no strangeness contribution to the
vector current is A = (\Azero \DeltaAzero) 10. We
have improved the statistical accuracy by a factor of 3 as compared to our
previous measurements at a higher . We have extracted the strangeness
contribution to the electromagnetic form factors from our data to be +
\FakGMs = \GEsGMs \DeltaGEsGMs at = \Qsquare (GeV/c).
As in our previous measurement at higher momentum transfer for + 0.230
, we again find the value for + \FakGMs to be positive,
this time at an improved significance level of 2 .Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
The Clinical Utility of the Adolescent and Young Adult Psycho-Oncology Screening Tool (AYA-POST): Perspectives of AYA Cancer Patients and Healthcare Professionals
Objective: Routine psychosocial screening and assessment of people diagnosed with cancer are crucial to the timely detection of distress and provision of tailored supportive care; however, appropriate screening tools have been lacking for adolescents and young adults (AYAs), who have unique needs and experiences. One exception is the recently validated AYA Psycho-Oncology Screening Tool (AYA-POST) for use with young people aged 15â29 years, which comprises a distress thermometer and age-specific needs assessment. This study investigates the clinical utility of this measure, as well as the subsequent service responsiveness within the Australian Youth Cancer Services. Method: In total, 118 AYAs and 29 healthcare professionals: (HCPs) completed surveys about the clinical utility of the AYA-POST; a subset of 30 AYAs completed a 3-month follow-up survey assessing service responsiveness. Descriptive statistics (frequencies/means) were computed for all items, with chi-square analyses used to explore whether perceived clinical utility varied with AYA age, AYA sex, HCP discipline or HCP length of time using the AYA-POST. Results: Participantsâ responses demonstrate high levels of satisfaction with the tool, evidencing its appropriateness, practicability and acceptability. Moreover, the AYA-POST was reported to facilitate communication about psychosocial needs and prompt referrals, indicating good service responsiveness. Ratings of clinical utility did not differ significantly between AYA and HCP groups.Conclusion: This study demonstrates that the AYA-POST is an appropriate tool in the psychosocial screening of AYAs with cancer, facilitating the identification of distress and unique concerns in this population and valuable in triaging and tailoring care for young cancer patients.Pandora Patterson, Fiona E. J. McDonald, Kimberley R. Allison, Helen Bibby, Michael Osborn, Karen Matthews, Ursula M. Sansom-Daly, Kate Thompson, Meg Plaster, and Antoinette Anazod
Measurement of Strange Quark Contributions to the Nucleon's Form Factors at Q^2=0.230 (GeV/c)^2
We report on a measurement of the parity-violating asymmetry in the
scattering of longitudinally polarized electrons on unpolarized protons at a
of 0.230 (GeV/c)^2 and a scattering angle of \theta_e = 30^o - 40^o.
Using a large acceptance fast PbF_2 calorimeter with a solid angle of
\Delta\Omega = 0.62 sr the A4 experiment is the first parity violation
experiment to count individual scattering events. The measured asymmetry is
A_{phys} =(-5.44 +- 0.54_{stat} +- 0.27_{\rm sys}) 10^{-6}. The Standard Model
expectation assuming no strangeness contributions to the vector form factors is
. The difference is a direct measurement of the
strangeness contribution to the vector form factors of the proton. The
extracted value is G^s_E + 0.225 G^s_M = 0.039 +- 0.034 or F^s_1 + 0.130 F^s_2
= 0.032 +- 0.028.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. Letters on Dec 11, 200
A boron-coated CCD camera for direct detection of Ultracold Neutrons (UCN)
A new boron-coated CCD camera is described for direct detection of ultracold
neutrons (UCN) through the capture reactions B
(n,0)Li (6%) and B(n,1)Li (94%).
The experiments, which extend earlier works using a boron-coated ZnS:Ag
scintillator, are based on direct detections of the neutron-capture byproducts
in silicon. The high position resolution, energy resolution and particle ID
performance of a scientific CCD allows for observation and identification of
all the byproducts , Li and (electron recoils). A
signal-to-noise improvement on the order of 10 over the indirect method has
been achieved. Sub-pixel position resolution of a few microns is demonstrated.
The technology can also be used to build UCN detectors with an area on the
order of 1 m. The combination of micrometer scale spatial resolution, few
electrons ionization thresholds and large area paves the way to new research
avenues including quantum physics of UCN and high-resolution neutron imaging
and spectroscopy.Comment: 10 pages, 8 figure
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