The dominant X-ray wind in massive star binaries

We investigate which shocked wind is responsible for the majority of the X-ray emission in colliding wind binaries, an issue where there is some confusion in the literature, and which we show is more complicated than has been assumed. We find that where both winds rapidly cool (typically close binaries), the ratio of the wind speeds is often more important than the momentum ratio, because it controls the energy flux ratio, and the faster wind is generally the dominant emitter. When both winds are largely adiabatic (typically long-period binaries), the slower and denser wind will cool faster and the stronger wind generally dominates the X-ray luminosity.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, accepted by A&A Letter

A Good Worker is Hard to Find: The Determinants of Skills Shortages in New Zealand Firms

This paper investigates the determinants of firms’ external skill shortages – that is, vacancies that are hard to fill for skill­related reasons. This paper utilises a specially­designed survey, the Business Strategy and Skills (BSS) module of the Business Operations Survey 2008 (BOS 2008). We estimate the determinants of firms reporting having vacancies and skill shortage in comparison to the non­skill­related vacancies using probit models and two­stage (Heckman) probit models with selection, to enable us to distinguish between those factors related with the firm posting a vacancy and those that make them difficult to fill. We consider a broad suite of variables, including firm’s size and industry, their market focus, R&D investment, innovation, previous performance (e.g. productivity), the degree of competition they are subject to

The Role of Adolescent Behaviors in the Female–Male Disparity in Obesity Incidence in US Black and White Young Adults

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/93675/1/oby.2009.362.pd

Nature and type of patient-reported safety incidents in primary care: Cross-sectional survey of patients from Australia and England

Background Patient engagement in safety has shown positive effects in preventing or reducing adverse events and potential safety risks. Capturing and utilising patient-reported safety incident data can be used for service learning and improvement. Objective The aim of this study was to characterise the nature of patient-reported safety incidents in primary care. Design Secondary analysis of two cross sectional studies. Participants Adult patients from Australian and English primary care settings. Measures Patients’ self-reported experiences of safety incidents were captured using the validated Primary Care Patient Measure of Safety questionnaire. Qualitative responses to survey items were analysed and categorised using the Primary Care Patient Safety Classification System. The frequency and type of safety incidents, contributory factors, and patient and system level outcomes are presented. Results A total of 1329 patients (n=490, England; n=839, Australia) completed the questionnaire. Overall, 5.3% (n=69) of patients reported a safety incident over the preceding 12 months. The most common incident types were administration incidents (n=27, 31%) (mainly delays in accessing a physician) and incidents involving diagnosis and assessment (n=16, 18.4%). Organisation of care accounted for 27.6% (n=29) of the contributory factors identified in the safety incidents. Staff factors (n=13, 12.4%) was the second most commonly reported contributory factor. Where an outcome could be determined, patient inconvenience (n=24, 28.6%) and clinical harm (n=21, 25%) (psychological distress and unpleasant experience) were the most frequent. Conclusions The nature and outcomes of patient-reported incidents differ markedly from those identified in studies of staff-reported incidents. The findings from this study emphasise the importance of capturing patient-reported safety incidents in the primary care setting. The patient perspective can complement existing sources of safety intelligence with the potential for service improvement

A Good Worker is Hard to Find: The Determinants of Skills Shortages in New Zealand Firms

This paper investigates the determinants of firms’ external skill shortages – that is, vacancies that are hard to fill for skill­related reasons. This paper utilises a specially­designed survey, the Business Strategy and Skills (BSS) module of the Business Operations Survey 2008 (BOS 2008). We estimate the determinants of firms reporting having vacancies and skill shortage in comparison to the non­skill­related vacancies using probit models and two­stage (Heckman) probit models with selection, to enable us to distinguish between those factors related with the firm posting a vacancy and those that make them difficult to fill. We consider a broad suite of variables, including firm’s size and industry, their market focus, R&D investment, innovation, previous performance (e.g. productivity), the degree of competition they are subject to

The Training's A-Comin' In: An Analysis of Training Decision Using Microdata

In this paper we utilise a specially­designed survey, the Business Strategy and Skills (BSS) module of the Business Operations Survey 2008 (BOS 2008) to investigate the determinants and intensity of training in three aspects: training of new staff; training of existing staff changing roles and the training of existing staff for their existing roles. We examine both the probability and intensity of each type of training as a function of the external and internal skill gaps as well as a suite of other variables including the firms' size, previous performance, its ownership, its competitive environment and the occupational breakdown of its staff

The Training's A-Comin' In: An Analysis of Training Decision Using Microdata

In this paper we utilise a specially­designed survey, the Business Strategy and Skills (BSS) module of the Business Operations Survey 2008 (BOS 2008) to investigate the determinants and intensity of training in three aspects: training of new staff; training of existing staff changing roles and the training of existing staff for their existing roles. We examine both the probability and intensity of each type of training as a function of the external and internal skill gaps as well as a suite of other variables including the firms’ size, previous performance, its ownership, its competitive environment and the occupational breakdown of its staff

China's transition: The effect of rapid urbanization on adult occupational physical activity

China has recently undergone rapid social and economic change. Increases in urbanization have led to equally rapid shifts toward more sedentary occupations through the acquisition of new technology and transitions away from a mostly agricultural economy. Our purpose was to utilize a detailed measure of urbanicity comprising 10 dimensions of urban services and infrastructure to examine its effects on the occupational physical activity patterns of Chinese adults. Longitudinal data were from individuals aged 18-55 from the years 1991-1997 of the China Health and Nutrition Survey (N = 4376 men and 4384 women). Logistic multilevel regression analyses indicated that men had 68% greater odds, and women had 51% greater odds, of light versus heavy occupational activity given the mean change in urbanization over the 6-year period. Further, simulations showed that light occupational activity increased linearly with increasing urbanization. After controlling for individual-level predictors, community-level urbanization explained 54% and 40% of the variance in occupational activity for men and women, respectively. This study provides empirical evidence of the reduction in intensity of occupational activity with modernization. It is likely that urbanization will continue unabated in China and this is liable to lead to further transitions in the labor market resulting in additional reductions in work-related activity. Because occupational activity remains the major source of energy expenditure for adults, unless alternative forms are widely adopted, the Chinese population is at risk of dramatic increases in the numbers of overweight and obese individuals