Particle Ratios as a Probe of the QCD Critical Temperature

We show how the measured particle ratios can be used to provide non-trivial information about the critical temperature of the QCD phase transition. This is obtained by including the effects of highly massive Hagedorn resonances on statistical models, which are used to describe hadronic yields. The inclusion of Hagedorn states creates a dependence of the thermal fits on the Hagedorn temperature, $T_H$, which is assumed to be equal to $T_c$, and leads to an overall improvement of thermal fits. We find that for Au+Au collisions at RHIC at $\sqrt{s_{NN}}=200$ GeV the best square fit measure, $\chi^2$, occurs at $T_c \sim 176$ MeV and produces a chemical freeze-out temperature of 172.6 MeV and a baryon chemical potential of 39.7 MeV.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figure

Evidence-Based Practice: Knowledge, Attitude, Practice and Perceived Barriers to Practice among Nurses in Oman

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to describe nurses’ practices, attitudes, knowledge/skills and perceived barriers in relation to evidence-based practice (EBP) in Oman. METHODS: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted between February and November 2012. A self-reported 24-item questionnaire was used to measure EBP practices, attitudes and knowledge/skills among a convenience sample of 600 nurses working in four governmental hospitals in Muscat, Oman. Responses were scored on a one to seven rating scale. Barriers to EBP were measured on a five-point Likert scale using two subscales. Descriptive statistics and general linear regression were used to analyse the data. RESULTS: A total of 414 nurses were included in the study. The greatest barriers to developing EBP among nurses were insufficient time for research (3.51 ± 0.97) and insufficient resources to change practices (3.64 ± 0.99). Nurses with more years of experience reported increased use of EBP (P <0.01), more positive attitudes towards EBP (P <0.001) and fewer barriers to research (P <0.01). Significant positive correlations were found between years of experience and practice (r = 0.16) and attitudes (r = 0.20). Nurses with a baccalaureate degree reported fewer barriers to research than those qualified at a diploma level (P <0.001). Nurses who perceived more barriers to research reported less use of EBP (P <0.001), less positive attitudes towards EBP (P <0.001) and limited EBP knowledge/skills (P <0.001). CONCLUSION: These findings provide a basis for enhancing nursing practices, knowledge and skills. Continuing education for nurses and minimising barriers is crucial to increasing the use of EBP in Oma

The New Zealand Kauri (Agathis Australis) Research Project: A Radiocarbon Dating Intercomparison of Younger Dryas Wood and Implications for IntCal13

We describe here the New Zealand kauri (Agathis australis) Younger Dryas (YD) research project, which aims to undertake Δ14C analysis of ~140 decadal floating wood samples spanning the time interval ~13.1–11.7 kyr cal BP. We report 14C intercomparison measurements being undertaken by the carbon dating laboratories at University of Waikato (Wk), University of California at Irvine (UCI), and University of Oxford (OxA). The Wk, UCI, and OxA laboratories show very good agreement with an interlaboratory comparison of 12 successive decadal kauri samples (average offsets from consensus values of –7 to +4 14C yr). A University of Waikato/University of Heidelberg (HD) intercomparison involving measurement of the YD-age Swiss larch tree Ollon505, shows a HD/Wk offset of ~10–20 14C yr (HD younger), and strong evidence that the positioning of the Ollon505 series is incorrect, with a recommendation that the 14C analyses be removed from the IntCal calibration database

Pancreas volumes in humans from birth to age one hundred taking into account sex, obesity, and presence of type-2 diabetes

Our aims were (1) by computed tomography (CT) to establish a population database for pancreas volume (parenchyma and fat) from birth to age 100 years, (2) in adults, to establish the impact of gender, obesity, and the presence or absence of type-2 diabetes on pancreatic volume (parenchyma and fat), and (3) to confirm the latter histologically from pancreatic tissue obtained at autopsy with a particular emphasis on whether pancreatic fat is increased in type-2 diabetes. We measured pancreas volume in 135 children and 1,886 adults (1,721 nondiabetic and 165 with type-2 diabetes) with no history of pancreas disease who had undergone abdominal CT scan between 2003 and 2006. Pancreas volume was computed from the contour of the pancreas on each CT image. In addition to total pancreas volume, parenchymal volume, fat volume, and fat/parenchyma ratio (F/P ratio) were determined by CT density. We also quantified pancreatic fat in autopsy tissue of 47 adults (24 nondiabetic and 23 with type-2 diabetes). During childhood and adolescence, the volumes of total pancreas, pancreatic parenchyma, and fat increase linearly with age. From age 20–60 years, pancreas volume reaches a plateau (72.4 ± 25.8 cm3 total; 44.5 ± 16.5 cm3 parenchyma) and then declines thereafter. In adults, total (∼32%), parenchymal (∼13%), and fat (∼68%) volumes increase with obesity. Pancreatic fat content also increases with aging but is not further increased in type-2 diabetes. We provide lifelong population data for total pancreatic, parenchymal, and fat volumes in humans. Although pancreatic fat increases with aging and obesity, it is not increased in type-2 diabetes. Clin. Anat. 20:933–942, 2007. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc

Dynamics of Crossover from a Chaotic to a Power Law State in Jerky Flow

We study the dynamics of an intriguing crossover from a chaotic to a power law state as a function of strain rate within the context of a recently introduced model which reproduces the crossover. While the chaotic regime has a small set of positive Lyapunov exponents, interestingly, the scaling regime has a power law distribution of null exponents which also exhibits a power law. The slow manifold analysis of the model shows that while a large proportion of dislocations are pinned in the chaotic regime, most of them are pushed to the threshold of unpinning in the scaling regime, thus providing insight into the mechanism of crossover.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures. In print in Phy. Rev. E Rapid Communication

A broca do fruto do abacaxi Strymon megarus no Estado do Pará.

A broca-do-fruto Strymon megarus (Godart, 1824) (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae) é considerada uma das principais pragas da abacaxicultura, podendo causar prejuízos de até 80% quando não controlada (SANCHES, 2005). Os sintomas do ataque da praga são evidentes com a exsudação de resina incolor e fluída nos frutos e eventualmente pode atacar as coroas dos frutos, gemas e mudas na base das inflorescências e raramente minando folhas de abacaxi (MATOS et al.,2007). No município de Floresta do Araguaia, no Sudeste Paraense, S. megarus se constitui em um dos principais problemas fitossanitários do abacaxizeiro Ananas comosus var.comosus L. Merril. juntamente com a podridão-do-olho Phytophthora nicotinae var.parasitica e a fusariose Fusarium subglutinans f. sp. ananas. Além da alta ocorrência da praga a mesma apresentou comportamento atípico, sendo encontrada atacando mudas do tipo filhote de 'Perola' e frutos em estágio próximo da colheita (MATOS et al., 2006). A utilização do controle químico, dentro da Produção Integrada (PI), para o controle de pragas tem por base o monitoramento. Especificamente para a broca-do-fruto, as inspeções devem ser iniciadas no aparecimento da inflorescência e encerradas após o fechamento das flores, com freqüência semanal e amostragem em dez pontos de 20 plantas, em plantios de até cinco hectares e em 20 pontos de 20 plantas em plantios com mais de cinco hectares. O controle químico deve ser iniciado com a detecção de pelo menos um adulto (borboleta) ou duas inflorescências com pelo menos um ovo da praga, ou seja, quando das primeiras posturas de ovos da broca, com redução na aplicação de inseticidas e nos custos com mão-de-obra (SANCHES, 2005; MATOS et al., 2007). Em Floresta do Araguaia, o combate à broca-do-fruto é realizado com pulverizações atrasadas, amplo intervalo de aplicações e em número insuficiente para o controle da praga (MATOS et al., 2006). Com a implantação do projeto de Produção Integrada de Abacaxi nesse município, o acompanhamento da população desse inseto vem sendo realizado com base no monitoramento.Fitossanidade 1