Dispersion relation formalism for virtual Compton scattering and the generalized polarizabilities of the nucleon

A dispersion relation formalism for the virtual Compton scattering (VCS) reaction on the proton is presented, which for the first time allows a dispersive evaluation of 4 generalized polarizabilities at a four-momentum transfer $Q^2 \leq$ 0.5 GeV$^2$. The dispersive integrals are calculated using a state-of-the-art pion photo- and electroproduction analysis. The dispersion formalism provides a new tool to analyze VCS experiments above pion threshold, thus increasing the sensitivity to the generalized polarizabilities of the nucleon.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figure

Low-energy and low-momentum representation of the virtual Compton scattering amplitude

We perform an expansion of the virtual Compton scattering amplitude for low energies and low momenta and show that this expansion covers the transition from the regime to be investigated in the scheduled photon electroproduction experiments to the real Compton scattering regime. We discuss the relation of the generalized polarizabilities of virtual Compton scattering to the polarizabilities of real Compton scattering.Comment: 13 pages, LaTeX2e/RevTeX, no figure

<i>‘What retention’ means to me</i>: the position of the adult learner in student retention

Studies of student retention and progression overwhelmingly appear adopt definitions that place the institution, rather than the student, at the centre. Retention is most often conceived in terms of linear and continuous progress between institutionally identified start and end points. This paper reports on research that considered data from 38 in-depth interviews conducted with individuals who had characteristics often associated with non-traditional engagement in higher education who between 2006 and 2010 had studied an ‘Introduction to HE’ module at one distance higher education institution, some of whom had progressed to further study at that institution, some of whom had not. The research deployed a life histories approach to seek a finer grained understanding of how individuals conceptualise their own learning journey and experience, in order to reflect on institutional conceptions of student retention. The findings highlight potential anomalies hidden within institutional retention rates – large proportions of the interview participants who were not ‘retained’ by the institution reported successful progression to and in other learning institutions and environments, both formal and informal. Nearly all described positive perspectives on lifelong learning which were either engendered or improved by the learning undertaken. This attests to the complexity of individuals’ lives and provides clear evidence that institution-centric definitions of retention and progression are insufficient to create truly meaningful understanding of successful individual learning journeys and experiences. It is argued that only through careful consideration of the lived experience of students and a re-conception of measures of retention, will we be able to offer real insight into improving student retention

Localization of a dipolar Bose-Einstein condensate in a bichromatic optical lattice

By numerical simulation and variational analysis of the Gross-Pitaevskii equation we study the localization, with an exponential tail, of a dipolar Bose-Einstein condensate (DBEC) of $^{52}$Cr atoms in a three-dimensional bichromatic optical-lattice (OL) generated by two monochromatic OL of incommensurate wavelengths along three orthogonal directions. For a fixed dipole-dipole interaction, a localized state of a small number of atoms ($\sim 1000$) could be obtained when the short-range interaction is not too attractive or not too repulsive. A phase diagram showing the region of stability of a DBEC with short-range interaction and dipole-dipole interaction is given

Intraperitoneal photodynamic therapy causes a capillary-leak syndrome.

BackgroundIn patients undergoing intraperitoneal (IP) photodynamic therapy (PDT), the combination of aggressive surgical debulking and light therapy causes an apparent systemic capillary-leak syndrome that necessitates significant intensive care unit (ICU) management after surgery.MethodsFrom May 1997 to May 2001, 65 patients underwent surgical debulking and PDT as part of an ongoing phase II trial for disseminated IP cancer. Perioperative data were reviewed retrospectively, and statistical analyses were performed to determine whether any identifiable factors were associated with the need for mechanical ventilation for longer than 1 day and with the occurrence of postoperative complications.ResultsForty-three women and 22 men (mean age, 49 years) were treated. Operative time averaged 9.8 hours, and mean estimated blood loss was 1450 mL. The mean crystalloid requirement for the first 48 hours after surgery was 29.3 L, and 49 patients required blood products. Twenty-four patients were intubated for longer than 24 hours, with a mean of 8.3 days for those intubated longer than 1 day. The median ICU stay was 4 days. Overall, 110 complications developed in 45 (69%) of the 65 patients. Significant complications included 6 patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome, 28 patients with infectious complications, and 4 patients with anastomotic complications. Statistical analyses revealed that surgery-related factors were significantly associated with these complication outcomes.ConclusionsPatients who undergo surgical debulking and IP PDT develop a significant capillary-leak syndrome after surgery that necessitates massive volume resuscitation, careful ICU monitoring, and, frequently, prolonged ventilatory support

Behavior change interventions: the potential of ontologies for advancing science and practice

A central goal of behavioral medicine is the creation of evidence-based interventions for promoting behavior change. Scientific knowledge about behavior change could be more effectively accumulated using "ontologies." In information science, an ontology is a systematic method for articulating a "controlled vocabulary" of agreed-upon terms and their inter-relationships. It involves three core elements: (1) a controlled vocabulary specifying and defining existing classes; (2) specification of the inter-relationships between classes; and (3) codification in a computer-readable format to enable knowledge generation, organization, reuse, integration, and analysis. This paper introduces ontologies, provides a review of current efforts to create ontologies related to behavior change interventions and suggests future work. This paper was written by behavioral medicine and information science experts and was developed in partnership between the Society of Behavioral Medicine's Technology Special Interest Group (SIG) and the Theories and Techniques of Behavior Change Interventions SIG. In recent years significant progress has been made in the foundational work needed to develop ontologies of behavior change. Ontologies of behavior change could facilitate a transformation of behavioral science from a field in which data from different experiments are siloed into one in which data across experiments could be compared and/or integrated. This could facilitate new approaches to hypothesis generation and knowledge discovery in behavioral science

Measurement of Lagrangian velocity in fully developed turbulence

We have developed a new experimental technique to measure the Lagrangian velocity of tracer particles in a turbulent flow, based on ultrasonic Doppler tracking. This method yields a direct access to the velocity of a single particule at a turbulent Reynolds number $R_{\lambda} = 740$. Its dynamics is analyzed with two decades of time resolution, below the Lagrangian correlation time. We observe that the Lagrangian velocity spectrum has a Lorentzian form $E^{L}(\omega) = u_{rms}^{2} T_{L} / (1 + (T_{L}\omega)^{2})$, in agreement with a Kolmogorov-like scaling in the inertial range. The probability density function (PDF) of the velocity time increments displays a change of shape from quasi-Gaussian a integral time scale to stretched exponential tails at the smallest time increments. This intermittency, when measured from relative scaling exponents of structure functions, is more pronounced than in the Eulerian framework.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures. to appear in PR

Generalized polarizabilities and the chiral structure of the nucleon

We discuss the virtual Compton scattering reaction $e^-p\to e^-p\gamma$ at low energies. We present results for the generalized polarizabilities of the nucleon obtained in heavy baryon chiral perturbation theory at $O(p^3)$.Comment: 5 pages, LaTex file, 1 postscript figure, uses ``espcrc1.sty'', talk given by S. Scherer at the 15th International Conference on Few Body Problems in Physics, Groningen, The Netherlands, 22-26 July 1997, to appear in the proceedings (Nucl. Phys. A

Implications of sudden oak death for wildland fire management

Human activities and climate change have altered historical disturbance regimes, introduced disturbances, and encouraged novel interactions between multiple disturbances. Ecosystems and the species that comprise them may be poorly equipped to withstand or recover from these altered disturbance regimes. In the fire-prone coastal forests of California and Oregon, sudden oak death (SOD), caused by the pathogen Phytophthora ramorum, is an emerging, non-native plant disease that causes widespread tree mortality and associated implications for fire regimes. Disease-related tree mortality alters fuel loads, with patterns of fuel accumulation varying depending on stand composition, disease severity, and time since pathogen invasion. Simulations and observational studies suggest these altered fuel profiles can impact subsequent fire behavior, and the extent of this interaction may depend on the severity and timing of disease impacts. Initial tree death can elevate the risk of crown ignition, while latter stages can increase surface fuel loading and have been linked to increased fire severity in wildfires. Further, disease history can also influence fire severity with cascading effects leading to unexpected increases in mortality of non-susceptible tree species and changes in nutrient cycling. The longer-term impacts of SOD-fire interactions on system resilience and recovery remain to be seen, but increased fire severity, changed stand structure, and altered biogeochemical cycling may have important consequences for post-fire regeneration and future ecosystem function. Fuels management strategies that diminish crown fire hazards at early stages and mitigate surface fuel hazards at later stages offer some promise, but have yet to be tested in large landscapes. Given SOD-wildfire interactions, further integration of disease- and fire-related management plans will be essential to minimizing impacts of these compounded disturbances