Prompt photon processes in photoproduction at HERA

We present results for the photoproduction of inclusive prompt photons and for prompt photons accompanied by jets, measured with the ZEUS detector at HERA. Cross sections as a function of pseudorapidity and transverse energy are presented for 5 5 GeV in the centre of mass energy range 120-270 GeV. Comparisons are made with predictions from leading logarithm parton shower Monte Carlos and next-to-leading order QCD calculations using currently available models of the photon structure. NLO QCD calculations describe the shape and magnitude of the measurements reasonably well.Comment: Talk given at Photon99 Conference, Freiburg, German

The Reception of C. S. Lewis in Britain and America

Since the publication of the book The Screwtape Letters in 1942, ‘C. S. Lewis’ has been a widely recognized name in both Britain and the United States. The significance of the writings of this scholar of medieval literature, Christian apologist and author of the children’s books The Chronicles of Narnia, while widely recognized, has not previously been investigated. Using a wide range of sources, including archival material, book reviews, monographs, articles and interviews, this dissertation examines the reception of Lewis in Britain and America, comparatively, from within his lifetime until the recent past. To do so, the methodology borrows from the history of the book and history of reading fields, and writes the biography of Lewis’s Mere Christianity and The Chronicles of Narnia. By contextualizing the writing of these works in the 1940s and 1950s, the evolution of Lewis’s respective platforms in Britain and America and these works’ reception across the twentieth century, this project contributes to the growing body of work that interrogates the print culture of Christianity. Extensive secondary reading, moreover, permitted the investigation of cultural, intellectual, social and religious factors informing Lewis’s reception, the existence of Lewis devotees in America and the lives of Mere Christianity and The Chronicles of Narnia in particular. By paying close attention to the historical conditions of authorship, publication and reception, while highlighting similarities and contrasts between Britain and America, this dissertation provides a robust account of how and why Lewis became one of the most successful Christian authors of the twentieth century

Essential skills for potential school administrators : a case study of one Saskatchewan urban school division

Some school divisions find themselves with a limited number of qualified applicants for administration positions. Aspirants require suggestions of and guidance toward effective leadership training programs and supports. A clear understanding of essential leadership skills may create an incentive for classroom teachers to apply for administration positions and potentially decrease the strain on school divisions. Selection and suitability of qualified candidates applying for vacancies will diminish school boards’ struggles to fill administrative vacancies. The purpose of this case study was to describe what administrative personnel – superintendents, principals, and vice principals – in one Saskatchewan urban school division consider essential skills for classroom teachers to develop as a means to position themselves as future school administrators. Furthermore, the case study set out to identify appropriate leadership development programs and supports to assist aspiring administrators in leadership development. This study aspired to isolate programs that practicing administrators in the school division posited as most useful in their own skill acquisition and development.A mixed-methods survey questionnaire was administered to 117 administrators of one Saskatchewan urban school division. The administrators’ insights and expertise as to the essential skills required to be an effective administrator will assist classroom teachers prepare for the potential of becoming formal leaders. Forty percent of this group responded to the survey. Data from this case study were compared to a similar case study conducted by John Daresh (1994) in the United States.Participants believed aspiring administrators must develop self-awareness skills to be effective educational leaders and must be offered appropriate leadership programs and supports through which aspirants could develop essential leadership skills. Even though the majority of respondents suggested self-awareness skills were essential to develop for effective leadership, they posited the importance of also developing technical and social skills. This case study found that while a commonality of skills were identified by participants as essential, it was extremely important for aspiring administrators, with the assistance of their school board, to build on their own personal leadership strengths

A Profile of North Carolina Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Health Disparities, 2011

Objectives. We investigated the health profile of lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) adults in North Carolina, the first state in the South to include a measure of sexual orientation identity in a probability-based statewide health survey. Methods. Using data from 9876 respondents in the 2011 North Carolina Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey, we compared sexual minorities to heterosexuals on a variety of health indicators. Results. LGB respondents were younger and more likely to be reached by cell phone. Many examined indicators were not different by sexual orientation. Significant results, however, were consistent with findings from state population surveys in other regions of the country, including disparities in mental health and, among women, smoking. Conclusions. Reporting LGB identity in North Carolina is associated with poorer health. The concentration of anti-LGB policies in the South warrants ongoing monitoring of LGB health disparities in North Carolina and in other Southeastern states for potential effects on the health and well-being of LGB populations

Shining a light on Asian night markets: vendors’ and visitors’ views

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to build on both the theoretical work concerning the co-creation of experiences, and the need for micro-businesses to adopt a consumer-friendly orientation. The researchers examined the compatibility of vendors’ views of their visitors’ perspectives and the visitors’ own assessments of two Hong Kong night markets. Using a large sample survey with over 1,900 tourists and 120 vendors, and examining the data through mean difference testing and factor analysis, the comparability of the views was examined. Key findings were that vendors consistently overestimated the positivity of the visitors’ views. Value for money, trustworthiness of the vendors and product variety were items indicating strong differences where vendors assumed visitors perceived night markets more favorably than did the visitors themselves. The work challenges some assumptions of service design logic and speculates that the durability of night markets is at risk without better vendor understanding of the visitors’ perspectives. Design/methodology/approach: The study builds on both the theoretical work concerning the co-creation of experiences, and the need for micro-businesses to adopt a consumer-friendly orientation. The researchers examined the compatibility of vendors’ views of their visitors’ perspectives and the visitors’ own assessments of two Hong Kong night markets. Using a large sample survey with over 1,900 tourists and 120 vendors and examining the data through mean difference testing and factor analysis, the comparability of the views was examined. Findings: Key findings were that vendors consistently overestimated the positivity of the visitors’ views. Value for money, trustworthiness of the vendors and product variety were items indicating strong differences where vendors assumed visitors perceived night markets more favorably than did the visitors themselves. The work challenges some assumptions of service design logic and speculates that the durability of night markets is at risk without better vendor understanding of the visitors’ perspectives. Research limitations/implications: For the present work, it would be desirable to ascertain that the figures reported apply to other night markets in Hong Kong and China. Further, the generalizability of the results for different market types, those that offer food or cater to specific interests needs examination. The possibility exists that the general night market will fold as specific tailored options, such as craft, art, flower and homewares themed spaces replace the basic all-purpose format. Practical implications: The implications from this work are that vendors may have to form new group alliances to understand and then deliver the overall atmosphere, quality of goods and service interactions prized by tourists. Vendors need to sustain their appeal and sales through maintenance of these overall night market characteristics. The vendors may be able to escape individual censure and rejection for a while due to the transient customer base, but broader destination and attraction image concerns are likely to be a longer-term force requiring attention. Social implications: The implications from this work are that vendors may have to form new group alliances to understand and then deliver the overall atmosphere, quality of goods and service interactions prized by tourists. Vendors need to sustain their appeal and sales through maintenance of these overall night market characteristics. The vendors may be able to escape individual censure and rejection for a while due to the transient customer base, but broader destination and attraction image concerns are likely to be a longer-term force requiring attention. Originality/value: The broad aim of the study can be identified as the desire to examine the compatibility of vendor and tourists’ views, and the more specific aims of this broad agenda will be articulated after reviewing the core conceptual ideas driving the work

Small Q balls

We develop an adequate description of non-topological solitons with a small charge, for which the thin-wall approximation is not valid. There is no classical lower limit on the charge of a stable Q-ball. We examine the parameters of these small-charge solitons and discuss the limits of applicability of the semiclassical approximation.Comment: 10 pages, latex, epsf, 2 figures include

Secure Massive MIMO Communication with Low-resolution DACs

In this paper, we investigate secure transmission in a massive multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system adopting low-resolution digital-to-analog converters (DACs). Artificial noise (AN) is deliberately transmitted simultaneously with the confidential signals to degrade the eavesdropper's channel quality. By applying the Bussgang theorem, a DAC quantization model is developed which facilitates the analysis of the asymptotic achievable secrecy rate. Interestingly, for a fixed power allocation factor $\phi$, low-resolution DACs typically result in a secrecy rate loss, but in certain cases they provide superior performance, e.g., at low signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Specifically, we derive a closed-form SNR threshold which determines whether low-resolution or high-resolution DACs are preferable for improving the secrecy rate. Furthermore, a closed-form expression for the optimal $\phi$ is derived. With AN generated in the null-space of the user channel and the optimal $\phi$, low-resolution DACs inevitably cause secrecy rate loss. On the other hand, for random AN with the optimal $\phi$, the secrecy rate is hardly affected by the DAC resolution because the negative impact of the quantization noise can be compensated for by reducing the AN power. All the derived analytical results are verified by numerical simulations.Comment: 14 pages, 10 figure

Resilience: Structure and Function

The primary purpose after the establishment of the conceptual framework was an analysis to identify potential causal influences related to structure and function. The many impacts of the virus are too numerous to catalog. Those elements that were identified are just beginning to develop an understanding of how a crisis such as a pandemic influences all segments of society. One element that had greatest impact was the severity of the COVID 19 virus upon the individual and their immediate family and/or social group. The real outcome was a time of reflection of those individuals that were isolated because of the political rules established. The pace of life was very slow and gave the individual the opportunity to view their lives in a different context. It is this circumstance that influenced the structure and function of their life. These outcomes were directly affected by the individual and their response based upon their level of resilience

COVID Segmentation: Important Variables and Their Relationship to Resilience

Most of the data about the virus views it from a holistic perspective. It must be realized that the data must be segmented. In review of content on the internet and publications, a four COVID category system was developed: Impaired Illness to Death, Bad, Mild to Little or No Effect, No problem. Once these categories were identified the important variables in each of these categories were investigated. These variables were then related to the various dimensions of resilience. This type of information is needed in strategic planning and the development of programs for future crises

Conceptual Framework

Resilience is an elusive concept and has many definitions. Most definitions are based upon position regarding achieving normalcy, advancement beyond normalcy, or anticipation of future positions. The definition that was used for this study includes the following elements: (The initial research was conducted by Mallak (1998). Goal Directed, Avoidance, Critical Understanding, Role Dependence, Information Sources, and Resource Access. This represents a transitional position and provides an ability to analyze problems and prescribe solutions for both the individual as well as the organization. It provides a framework for in depth understanding for future action, if such a pandemic happens again. It is essential that the analysis be from the bottom using adaptations as outlined in the resilience model to provide a clear understanding of ways to solve and help with problems