The NRL OSO-4 Bragg crystal spectrometer instrument

Two Bragg crystal spectrometers were placed on the OSO-4 satellite to study solar flare plasmas by their spectral emissions. The solar flare plasma parameters were measured with these spectrometers, which together covered a total wavelength range of 0.6 to 8.4 A. With these instruments, knowledge could be gained into the mechanisms governing the plasma behavior in the high temperature-low density regime of flare production and in solar evolution and elemental abundances in the sun. However, spacecraft limitations forced many restrictions on the design of the instrument, so the final instrument could not measure all the solar flare plasma state parameters

The Vineyard Movement and Cities: A Thoughtful Engagement

The world is urbanizing. Cities continue to grow and thrive. Local churches in the Vineyard Movement are faced with the challenge of considering how their contextualized ecclesiology can and should be expressed in growing metropolitan regions. To address this challenge, this ministry focus paper seeks to consider how these imminent urban complexities should be interpreted and engaged by existing local Vineyard churches and church plants as well as embraced by future metropolitan planters. The purpose of this project in three parts is, through the lenses of a renewal theological position, to equip, connect, and mobilize Vineyard national leaders, Vineyard local pastors, and Vineyard church planters for the challenges that lay ahead. First, the project will equip these groups to understand how renewal theology matches with Vineyard empowerment theology. They will understand the growing reality of metropolitan regions in the United States. Second, the project will connect churches and their members who desire to engage strategic metropolitan areas throughout the United States. Third, the project will mobilize the Vineyard Movement and local Vineyard churches to engage with new tools and resources for developing a contextualized urban ecclesiological strategy. In order to aggregate Vineyard pastors and leaders around a new urban ecclesiology, a pilot project will be created. This metropolitan strategy and network initiative will serve as the connection point for Vineyard pastors and leaders. It will equip, connect, and mobilize leaders to understand their cities and how to missionally contextualize their faith. Qualifying churches and leaders will be identified. Resources for equipping will be developed and shared. Events combining both learning and connecting will be launched. Special consideration will be given to the “equip, connect, mobilize” strategy structure. Content Reader: Kurt Fredrickson, Ph

Is Acupuncture Effective in Reducing Nausea and Vomiting in Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy?

OBJECTIVE- The objective of this systematic review is to determine whether or not acupuncture effective in reducing nausea and vomiting in patients undergoing chemotherapy

Characterization of Late Postpartum Sleep Disturbance, Caffeine-Related Performance, and Daily Functioning

The early postpartum period is marked by maternal sleep fragmentation and performance deficits. Although sleep gradually improves in postpartum women, reaction times gradually worsen. This performance deficit is seen beyond 6 weeks postpartum, when many women are expected to return to work, and it is unknown when (or if) new mothers\u27 performance deficits fully recover. The current study used existing data to characterize the late postpartum period (6 months-3 years after the child was born) in terms of recovery from sleep disturbance by monitoring the behavior of mothers on both objective and subjective measures. The current study aimed to describe the sleep and overall functioning of late postpartum women in order to better inform women and policymakers about potential performance deficits, especially regarding return-to-work. Objective measures of sleep fragmentation, recorded via actigraphy, revealed recovery of sleep quality to levels found among nulliparous control women, and late postpartum subjective mood scores on the Profile of Mood States were normal. However, objective reaction times, measured via the psychomotor vigilance test, were poor among late postpartum women compared to controls, although postpartum reaction times may be improved by caffeine. Next, objective sleepiness scores, measured using the Multiple Sleep Latency Test, for both early and late postpartum women were at normal levels; however one-third of late postpartum women experienced extreme levels of sleepiness. Early and late postpartum women reported poor subjective sleep quality on the General Sleep Disturbance Scale compared to controls, and late postpartum women reported subjective quality of life scores, measured using the Quality of Life Scale, slightly below the average among healthy populations. In sum, these data support reevaluation of maternity leave policy and further research into potential interventions for late postpartum women

Evidence - North Carolina and Declarations Against Penal Interest

Nearly one hundred and fifty years ago, the North Carolina Supreme Court acknowledged the apparent absurdity of convicting one for a crime to which another had confessed extra-judicially without permitting introduction of that confession as proof of the accused\u27s innocence. The emotional appeal of the court\u27s statement notwithstanding, a majority of states have barred such confessions through their courts\u27 refusal to recognize the declaration against penal interest exception to the hearsay rule. While sound evidentiary theory buttresses the majority\u27s position, at least from an historical perspective, the erosion of the hearsay rule, among other factors, has led a growing minority of states to adopt the penal interest exception in some form. Using the opportunity afforded by State v. Haywood (hereinafter Haywood), Chief Justice Sharp announced that in the future North Carolina will adhere to the growing minority\u27s position by allowing admission of such declarations upon the satisfaction of specified conditions. Since the court decided Haywood on other grounds, the announcement was dicta; however, without a wholesale change in attitude, undoubtedly the principle of Haywood will become law. Accordingly, this note will treat the penal interest exception as such and will review its history, rationale and consequences

Knowledge Based Planning for Retrospective Quality Study of RTOG 0822 Radiotherapy Plans

Purpose: To create a clinically viable dose-volume histogram (DVH) estimation model using the Varian RapidPlan (Varian Medical Systems, Palo Alto USA) knowledge based planning (KBP) platform. This model aims to evaluate locally advanced rectal cancer with 6X IMRT, and was developed on a plan database taken from the RTOG 0822 national clinical trial. This is the first multi-institutional 6X IMRT dose estimation model designed using RapidPlan. The effectiveness of the model as a dosimetry quality assurance (QA) tool was evaluated. Methods: Treatment plans submitted to the RTOG 0822 clinical trial were dosimetrically evaluated for plan quality. Plans whose DVH statistics met RTOG 0822 target criteria were identified as high-quality, and were used in the initial training sample for the model. Of the 97 IMRT plans enrolled in the trial, 58 were treated with only 6X photons, and 26 of those were identified as high-quality plans. All 6X enrolled plans were iteratively re-optimized with the model to test clinical effectiveness, evaluate the model as a tool for treatment planning QA, and continuously expand the model’s training sample. Re-optimized plans which met target criteria were added to the training sample, resulting in a total of 40 geometries in the training sample. Results: The rectal IMRT RapidPlan model created in this paper was shown to accurately predict estimated DVH bands for all viable high-quality plans enrolled in the clinical trial. The model was also able improve the DVH statistics for a significant majority of the low-quality plans enrolled in the clinical trial. Conclusion: The RapidPlan rectal 6X IMRT model created in this study can be used as an effective tool for dosimetry QA and initial plan creation

Coherent neutral pion photoproduction on the deuteron

The differential scattering cross section for the process gd→dp0 was measured, as part of experiment E89-012 at Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. The experiment was performed in Hall C during the Spring of 1996 as the commissioning experiment for the Hall C cryogenic target. The High Momentum Spectrometer was used to detect the recoil deuteron and no effort was made to detect the p0 or its decay photons. The differential cross section was measured at a number of incident photon energies between 0.8 GeV and 4.0 GeV for the deuteron center-of-mass angles of 90?? and 136??. The data were found to disagree with both the constituent counting rule and reduced nuclear amplitude predictions. These are the first data at large deuteron center-of-mass angles for photon energies larger than 1.6 GeV

Inside Rankings: Limitations and Possibilities

Americans love ranking systems. Whether we are ranking the hottest celebrities, the top ten singles, the top chef, or the next design star, ranking seems to be built into the American psyche as a symptom of our competitive, aspirational nature, and our desire to quickly understand the value of things. The purpose of this article is to present our critique of the main weaknesses and contributions of dominant ranking systems, to consider some of the positive and/or neutral roles that they are serving, and to offer three examples of purposes and goals of higher education we think they are not fulfilling. This critique is based on an extensive review of over 100 articles on ranking systems as well as notes from class discussions aimed at unpacking their role in higher education

Coherent π^0 photoproduction on the deuteron up to 4 GeV

The differential cross section for ^2H(γ,d)π^0 has been measured at deuteron center-of-mass angles of 90° and 136°. This work reports the first data for this reaction above a photon energy of 1 GeV, and permits a test of the apparent constituent counting rule and reduced nuclear amplitude behavior as observed in elastic ed scattering. Measurements were performed up to a photon energy of 4.0 GeV, and are in good agreement with previous lower energy measurements. Overall, the data are inconsistent with both constituent-counting rule and reduced nuclear amplitude predictions