Fourier Transform Spectroscopy of the submillimetre continuum emission from hot molecular cores

We have used a Fourier Transform Spectrometer on the James Clerk Maxwell Telescope to study the submillimetre continuum emission from dust in three hot molecular cores (HMC). The spectral index beta of the dust emission for these sources has been determined solely within the 30 GHz wide 350 GHz (850 micron) passband to an accuracy comparable to those determined through multi-wavelength observations. We find an average beta = 1.6, in agreement with spectral indices determined from previous submillimetre observations of these sources and with those determined for HMC in general. The largest single source of uncertainty in these results is the variability of the atmosphere at 350 GHz, and with better sky subtraction techniques we show that the dust spectral index can clearly be determined within one passband to high accuracy with a submillimetre FTS. Using an imaging FTS on SCUBA-2, the next generation wide-field submillimetre camera currently under development to replace SCUBA at the JCMT in 2006, we calculate that at 350 GHz it will be possible to determine beta to +/- 0.1 for sources as faint as 400 mJy/beam and to +/- 0.3 for sources as faint as 140 mJy/beam.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figures, accepted for publication in MNRA

Constructing apprenticeships by transforming through sharing

As a result of a general dissatisfaction among construction industry employers with the current apprenticeship training in the UK a local training group, in collaboration with a further education provider and the Sector Skills Council for construction, developed an innovative training scheme. The claim of the Shared Apprenticeship scheme was to transform the learning experiences of construction apprentices by accentuating their craft skills development, broadening their vocational knowledge and sharing their on-site experiences through a consortium of employers. Whilst this three year, partly European funded, project is operated by the local construction training group it is managed by ConstructionSkills with the local FE college providing the underpinning skills development and extended knowledge. The project is noteworthy not least because it involves significant public funds and numbers of apprentices but it also attracts global attention from decision formers delivering similar programmes. This study explores the reasons for the Shared Apprenticeship project and considers similar schemes through literature review and interviews with stakeholders. Not everyone views this project as innovative or shares the optimisms anticipated by the creators of the scheme and in this context the study especially scrutinises expectations and limitations

Gravitino fields in Schwarzschild black hole spacetimes

The analysis of gravitino fields in curved spacetimes is usually carried out using the Newman-Penrose formalism. In this paper we consider a more direct approach with eigenspinor-vectors on spheres, to separate out the angular parts of the fields in a Schwarzschild background. The radial equations of the corresponding gauge invariant variable obtained are shown to be the same as in the Newman-Penrose formalism. These equations are then applied to the evaluation of the quasinormal mode frequencies, as well as the absorption probabilities of the gravitino field scattering in this background.Comment: 21 pages, 2 figures. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1006.3327 by other author

IUE observations of the 1987 superoutburst of the dwarf nova Z Cha

Low resolution IUE observations of the dwarf nova Z Cha during superoutburst are presented. These cover most of the development of the outburst and have sufficient time resolution to probe continuum and line behavior on orbital phase. The observed modulation on this phase is very similar to that observed in the related object OY Car. The results imply the presence of a cool spot on the edge of the edge of the accretion disk, which periodically occults the brighter inner disk. Details of the line behavior suggest that the line originated in an extended wind-emitting region. In contrast to archive spectra obtained in normal outburst, the continuum is fainter and redder, indicating that the entire superoutburst disk may be geometrically thicker than during a normal outburst

A case study on practical live event sound exposure monitoring

The recently launched WHO Global Standard for Safe Listening Venues and Events aims to make listening safer and more enjoyable for audiences around the world. Some key questions remain on how to practically monitor sound exposure as well as on how patrons’ hearing may be affected after significant exposure. This paper presents a case study where various sound exposure monitoring systems and methods were trialed in an indoor music venue. The aim of the work was to develop and validate a practical, accurate and repeatable technique to track sound exposure across music venues that can be presented in real-time. Results indicate that this can be achieved with no more than four, and as few as two, sound level monitoring locations alongside fixed calibration measurements and a small number of spot measurements at the mix position during a performance

Therapy-based exercise from the perspective of adult patients: a qualitative systematic review conducted using an ethnographic approach

© The Author(s) 2019.Objectives: Many patients do not meet recommended levels of therapy-based exercise. This review aims to explore how adult patients view being prescribed therapy-based exercise, the information/education they are given and receive and if/how they independently practise and adhere. Design: A qualitative systematic review conducted using an ethnographic approach and in accordance with the PRISMA statement. Sources: PubMed, CINAHL, SCOPUS and EMBASE databases (01 January 2000–31 December 2018). Methods: Qualitative studies with a focus on engagement/adherence with therapy-based exercise were included. Data extraction and quality appraisal were undertaken by two reviewers. Results were discussed and data synthesized. Results: A total of 20,294 titles were screened, with data extracted from 39 full texts and data from 18 papers used to construct three themes. ‘The Guidance received’ suggests that the type of delivery desired to support and sustain engagement was context-dependent and individually situated. ‘The Therapist as teacher’ advocates that patients see independent therapy-based exercise as a shared activity and value caring, kind and professional qualities in their therapist. ‘The Person as learner’ proposes that when having to engage with and practise therapy-based exercise because of ill-health, patients often see themselves as new learners who experience fear and uncertainty about what to do. Patients may have unacknowledged ambivalences about learning that impact on engagement and persistence. Conclusion: The quality of the interaction between therapists and patients appears integral to patients engaging with, and sustaining practice of, rehabilitation programmes. Programmes need to be individualized, and health care professionals need to take patients’ previous experiences and ambivalences in motivation and empowerment into account.Peer reviewe

The Origin of Soft X-rays in DQ Herculis

DQ Herculis (Nova Herculis 1934) is a deeply eclipsing cataclysmic variable containing a magnetic white dwarf primary. The accretion disk is thought to block our line of sight to the white dwarf at all orbital phases due to its extreme inclination angle. Nevertheless, soft X-rays were detected from DQ Her with ROSAT PSPC. To probe the origin of these soft X-rays, we have performed Chandra ACIS observations. We confirm that DQ Her is an X-ray source. The bulk of the X-rays are from a point-like source and exhibit a shallow partial eclipse. We interpret this as due to scattering of the unseen central X-ray source, probably in an accretion disk wind. At the same time, we observe what appear to be weak extended X-ray features around DQ Her, which we interpret as an X-ray emitting knot in the nova shell.Comment: 18 pages including 4 figures, accepted for publication in Astrphyisical Journa

Programming Model to Develop Supercomputer Combinatorial Solvers

© 2017 IEEE. Novel architectures for massively parallel machines offer better scalability and the prospect of achieving linear speedup for sizable problems in many domains. The development of suitable programming models and accompanying software tools for these architectures remains one of the biggest challenges towards exploiting their full potential. We present a multi-layer software abstraction model to develop combinatorial solvers on massively-parallel machines with regular topologies. The model enables different challenges in the design and optimization of combinatorial solvers to be tackled independently (separation of concerns) while permitting problem-specific tuning and cross-layer optimization. In specific, the model decouples the issues of inter-node communication, n ode-level scheduling, problem mapping, mesh-level load balancing and expressing problem logic. We present an implementation of the model and use it to profile a Boolean satisfiability solver on simulated massively-parallel machines with different scales and topologies