19,374 research outputs found
Two-colour QCD at non-zero quark-number density
We have simulated two-colour four-flavour QCD at non-zero chemical potential
for quark number. Simulations were performed on and lattices. Clear evidence was seen for the formation of a colourless diquark
condensate which breaks quark number spontaneously, for . The transition appears to be second order. We have measured the
spectrum of scalar and pseudoscalar bosons which shows clear evidence for the
expected Goldstone boson. Our results are in qualitative agreement with those
from effective Lagrangians for the potential Goldstone excitations of this
theory.Comment: 22 pages RevTeX, 6 figures in 10 postscript file
Programmable active pixel sensor to investigate neural interactions within the retina
Detection of the visual scene by the eye and the resultant neural interactions of the retina-brain system give us our perception of sight. We have developed an Active Pixel Sensor (APS) to be used as a tool for both furthering understanding of these interactions via experimentation with the retina and to make developments towards a realisable retinal prosthesis. The sensor consists of 469 pixels in a hexagonal array. The pixels are interconnected by a programmable neural network to mimic lateral interactions between retinal cells. Outputs from the sensor are in the form of biphasic current pulse trains suitable to stimulate retinal cells via a biocompatible array. The APS will be described with initial characterisation and test results
Observation of Enhanced Beaming from Photonic Crystal Waveguides
We report on the experimental observation of the beaming effect in photonic
crystals enhanced via surface modes. We experimentally map the spatial field
distribution of energy emitted from a subwavelength photonic crystal waveguide
into free-space, rendering with crisp clarity the diffractionless beaming of
energy. Our experimental data agree well with our numerical studies of the
beaming enhancement in photonic crystals with modulated surfaces. Without loss
of generality, we study the beaming effect in a photonic crystal scaled to
microwave frequencies and demonstrate the technological capacity to deliver
long-range, wavelength-scaled beaming of energy.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figure
Measuring the performance of a novel fluid film bearing supporting a rotor on a stationary shaft, by non-contacting means
A description is given of a multi-body dynamics rig for testing a novel rotor fluid film bearing system. The design included a composite rotor supported on a stationary central shaft, with loading applied by non-contacting electromagnets. The shaft included hydrostatic bearing pockets and continuously adjustable hydrodynamic bearing segments. A technique is described for deriving displacement coefficients for both types of bearing. Observations are given on the use of the rig and test techniques, along with some results, and on implications of the results regarding the bearing system
Making postgraduate students and supervisors aware of the role of emotions in the PhD process
Emotions are an integral part of the PhD process. A range of emotions are common and to be expected. How do emotions affect the PhD process for both postgraduate students and their supervisors? How can we make our emotions work positively for us in the PhD process? To explore answers to these questions, three lecturers currently supervising postgraduates and three postgraduates at various stages in their doctoral studies collectively pooled their experiences. We developed an interactive workshop that was recently conducted for postgraduate students at Murdoch University and at the Australian Association for Social Research annual conference 2002.
This presentation will explore the role that emotions play in the PhD process and how supervisors and postgraduates alike can benefit from reflecting on this issue. A number of practical (and humorous) tips will be provided as well as examples from others' PhD experiences. The role of emotions at the beginning, middle and end of a PhD program will be explored. The data collection and analysis phases are a time when emotions may run riot. Trepidation is especially common when fieldwork or data collection is involved, as is anger when postgraduate's views about how the world works are challenged and then sadness (and relief!) when the data collection phase is finished. We will discuss how supervisors can assist their postgraduates to make these feelings work for them. The presentation will also explore the emotions that arise from the supervisor-postgraduate partnership
On the Theory of Superfluidity in Two Dimensions
The superfluid phase transition of the general vortex gas, in which the
circulations may be any non-zero integer, is studied. When the net circulation
of the system is not zero the absence of a superfluid phase is shown. When the
net circulation of the vortices vanishes, the presence of off-diagonal long
range order is demonstrated and the existence of an order parameter is
proposed. The transition temperature for the general vortex gas is shown to be
the Kosterlitz---Thouless temperature. An upper bound for the average vortex
number density is established for the general vortex gas and an exact
expression is derived for the Kosterlitz---Thouless ensemble.Comment: 22 pages, one figure, written in plain TeX, published in J. Phys. A24
(1991) 502
Critical care provision after colorectal cancer surgery
Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the 2nd largest cause of cancer related mortality in the UK with 40 000
new patients being diagnosed each year. Complications of CRC surgery can occur in the perioperative period that
leads to the requirement of organ support. The aim of this study was to identify pre-operative risk factors that
increased the likelihood of this occurring.
Methods: This is a retrospective observational study of all 6441 patients who underwent colorectal cancer surgery
within the West of Scotland Region between 2005 and 2011. Logistic regression was employed to determine
factors associated with receiving postoperative organ support.
Results: A total of 610 (9 %) patients received organ support. Multivariate analysis identified age ≥65, male gender,
emergency surgery, social deprivation, heart failure and type II diabetes as being independently associated with
organ support postoperatively. After adjusting for demographic and clinical factors, patients with metastatic disease
appeared less likely to receive organ support (p = 0.012).
Conclusions: Nearly one in ten patients undergoing CRC surgery receive organ support in the post operative
period. We identified several risk factors which increase the likelihood of receiving organ support post operatively.
This is relevant when consenting patients about the risks of CRC surgery
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