2,279 research outputs found
Cool Communities—Urban Density, Trees, and Health
A move towards more compact and climate-resilient cities is being encouraged around the
world. As part of these plans, there is a need to manage the potential conflict between increasing urban
densities and the extent of tree canopy in cities. Reductions in tree canopy are a major contributor to
the urban heat island (UHI) effect, which will act to reduce rather than increase climate resilience in
many cities. A systems thinking approach called Collaborative Conceptual Modelling was used to
study the interaction between urban infill, tree canopy, and human health in Perth, Australia. The
results indicated that under current planning policies and development practices, the behaviour of
the system is dominated by the drive towards higher housing densities. While this may result in the
attainment of urban infill targets, it is likely to lead to a reduction in tree canopy, higher temperatures,
and a decrease in a range of other benefits provided by trees. Recommended actions to overcome this
behaviour were determined by the identification of leverage points in the system. These included
a shift to a sustainable development paradigm that places greater value on the environmental and
social benefits provided by trees and a greater emphasis on a climate-resilient future. Market and
legislative mechanisms should be integrated into the city’s greening strategy and development plans
to ensure the protection of existing trees and the inclusion of new trees on public and private land
Evolution of level density step structures from 56,57-Fe to 96,97-Mo
Level densities have been extracted from primary gamma spectra for 56,57-Fe
and 96,97-Mo nuclei using (3-He,alpha gamma) and (3-He,3-He') reactions on
57-Fe and 97-Mo targets. The level density curves reveal step structures above
the pairing gap due to the breaking of nucleon Cooper pairs. The location of
the step structures in energy and their shapes arise from the interplay between
single-particle energies and seniority-conserving and seniority-non-conserving
interactions.Comment: 9 pages, including 5 figure
Fragmentation and systematics of the Pygmy Dipole Resonance in the stable N=82 isotones
The low-lying electric dipole (E1) strength in the semi-magic nucleus 136Xe
has been measured which finalizes the systematic survey to investigate the
so-called pygmy dipole resonance (PDR) in all stable even N=82 isotones with
the method of nuclear resonance fluorescence using real photons in the entrance
channel. In all cases, a fragmented resonance-like structure of E1 strength is
observed in the energy region 5 MeV to 8 MeV. An analysis of the fragmentation
of the strength reveals that the degree of fragmentation decreases towards the
proton-deficient isotones while the total integrated strength increases
indicating a dependence of the total strength on the neutron-to-proton ratio.
The experimental results are compared to microscopic calculations within the
quasi-particle phonon model (QPM). The calculation includes complex
configurations of up to three phonons and is able to reproduce also the
fragmentation of the E1 strength which allows to draw conclusions on the
damping of the PDR. Calculations and experimental data are in good agreement in
the degree of fragmentation and also in the integrated strength if the
sensitivity limit of the experiments is taken into account
Guidelines for day-case surgery 2019:Guidelines from the Association of Anaesthetists and the British Association of Day Surgery
Evaluation of the theory-based Quality Improvement in Physical Therapy (QUIP) programme: a one-group, pre-test post-test pilot study
BACKGROUND: Guideline adherence in physical therapy is far from optimal, which has consequences for the effectiveness and efficiency of physical therapy care. Programmes to enhance guideline adherence have, so far, been relatively ineffective. We systematically developed a theory-based Quality Improvement in Physical Therapy (QUIP) programme aimed at the individual performance level (practicing physiotherapists; PTs) and the practice organization level (practice quality manager; PQM). The aim of the study was to pilot test the multilevel QUIP programme’s effectiveness and the fidelity, acceptability and feasibility of its implementation. METHODS: A one-group, pre-test, post-test pilot study (N = 8 practices; N = 32 PTs, 8 of whom were also PQMs) done between September and December 2009. Guideline adherence was measured using clinical vignettes that addressed 12 quality indicators reflecting the guidelines’ main recommendations. Determinants of adherence were measured using quantitative methods (questionnaires). Delivery of the programme and management changes were assessed using qualitative methods (observations, group interviews, and document analyses). Changes in adherence and determinants were tested in the paired samples T-tests and expressed in effect sizes (Cohen’s d). RESULTS: Overall adherence did not change (3.1%; p = .138). Adherence to three quality indicators improved (8%, 24%, 43%; .000 ≤ p ≤ .023). Adherence to one quality indicator decreased (−15.7%; p = .004). Scores on various determinants of individual performance improved and favourable changes at practice organizational level were observed. Improvements were associated with the programme’s multilevel approach, collective goal setting, and the application of self-regulation; unfavourable findings with programme deficits. The one-group pre-test post-test design limits the internal validity of the study, the self-selected sample its external validity. CONCLUSIONS: The QUIP programme has the potential to change physical therapy practice but needs considerable revision to induce the ongoing quality improvement process that is required to optimize overall guideline adherence. To assess its value, the programme needs to be tested in a randomized controlled trial
Tailoring of the Tell-us Card communication tool for nurses to increase patient participation using Intervention Mapping
Aims and objectives: To describe the tailoring of the Tell-us Card intervention for enhanced patient participation to the Dutch hospital setting using Intervention Mapping as a systematic approach.
Background: Even though patient participation is essential in any patient-to-nurse encounter, care plans often fail to take patients' preferences into account. The Tell-us Card intervention seems promising, but needs to be tailored and tested before implementation in a different setting or on large scale.
Design: Description of the Intervention Mapping framework to systematically tailor the Tell-us Card intervention to the Dutch hospital setting.
Methods: Intervention Mapping consists of: (i) identification of the problem through needs assessment and determination of fit, based on patients and nurses interviews and focus group interviews; (ii) developing a logic model of change and matrices, based on literature and interviews; (iii) selection of theory-based methods and practical applications; (iv) producing programme components and piloting; (v) planning for adoption, implementation and sustainability; and (vi) preparing for programme evaluation.
Results: Knowledge, attitude, outcome expectations, self-efficacy and skills were identified as the main determinants influencing the use of the Tell-us Card. Linking identified determinants and performance objectives with behaviour change techniques from the literature resulted in a well-defined and tailored intervention and evaluation plan.
Conclusions: The Tell-us Card intervention was adapted to fit the Dutch hospital setting and prepared for evaluation. The Medical Research Council framework was followed, and the Intervention Mapping approach was used to prepare a pilot study to confirm feasibility and relevant outcomes.
Relevance to clinical practice: This article shows how Intervention Mapping is applied within the Medical Research Council framework to adapt the Tell-us Card intervention, which could serve as a guide for the tailoring of similar interventions
Vortex Interactions and Thermally Induced Crossover from Type-I to Type-II Superconductivity
We have computed the effective interaction between vortices in the
Ginzburg-Landau model from large-scale Monte-Carlo simulations, taking thermal
fluctuations of matter fields and gauge fields fully into account close to the
critical temperature. We find a change, in the form of a crossover, from
attractive to repulsive effective vortex interactions in an intermediate range
of Ginzburg-Landau parameters upon increasing
the temperature in the superconducting state. This corresponds to a thermally
induced crossover from \typeI to \typeII superconductivity around a temperature
, which we map out in the vicinity of the
metal-to-superconductor transition. In order to see this crossover, it is
essential to include amplitude fluctuations of the matter field, in addition to
phase-fluctuations and gauge-field fluctuations. We present a simple physical
picture of the crossover, and relate it to observations in \metal{Ta} and
\metal{Nb} elemental superconductors which have low-temperature values of
in the relevant range.Comment: 9 pages, 6 figures. Accepted for publication in Physical Review
The Detection of Water Ice in Comet Hale-Bopp
We present spectra of Comet Hale-Bopp (C/1995 01) covering the range 1.4-2.5 micron that were recorded when the comet was 7 AU from the Sun. These show I)road absorption features at 1.5 and 2.05 micron. We show that some, but not all, of this absorption could be matched by an intimate mixture of water ice and a low albedo material such as carbon on the nucleus. However, we recognize that it is more likely that the ice features are produced by scattering from icy grains in the coma. The absence of absorption at 1.65 micron suggests that this ice is probably in the amorphous state. An unidentified additional component may be required to account for the downward slope at the longwavelength end of the spectrum
The order of the metal to superconductor transition
We present results from large-scale Monte Carlo simulations on the full
Ginzburg-Landau (GL) model, including fluctuations in the amplitude and the
phase of the matter-field, as well as fluctuations of the non-compact
gauge-field of the theory. {}From this we obtain a precise critical value of
the GL parameter \kct separating a first order metal to superconductor
transition from a second order one, \kct = (0.76\pm 0.04)/\sqrt{2}. This
agrees surprisingly well with earlier analytical results based on a disorder
theory of the superconductor to metal transition, where the value
\kct=0.798/\sqrt{2} was obtained. To achieve this, we have done careful
infinite volume and continuum limit extrapolations. In addition we offer a
novel interpretation of \kct, namely that it is also the value separating
\typeI and \typeII behaviour.<Comment: Minor corrections, present version accepted for publication in PR
Non-compact Lattice QED with Two Charges: Phase Diagram and Renormalization Group Flow
The phase diagram of non-compact lattice QED in four dimensions with
staggered fermions of charges 1 and is investigated. The renormalized
charges are determined and found to be in agreement with perturbation theory.
This is an indication that there is no continuum limit with non-vanishing
renormalized gauge coupling, and that the theory has a validity bound for every
finite value of the renormalized coupling. The renormalization group flow of
the charges is investigated and an estimate for the validity bound as a
function of the cut-off is obtained. Generalizing this estimate to all fermions
in the Standard Model,it is found that a cut-off at the Planck scale implies
that has to be less than . Due to spontaneous chiral symmetry
breaking, strongly bound fermion-antifermion composite states are generated.
Their spectrum is discussed.Comment: 35 pages, LATEX, 26 PostScript figures (uuencoded
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