Optical activity in the scattering of structured light

We observe that optical activity in light scattering can be probed using types of illuminating light other than single plane (or quasi plane) waves and that this introduces new possibilities for the study of molecules and atoms. We demonstrate this explicitly for natural Rayleigh optical activity which, we suggest, could be exploited as a new form of spectroscopy for chiral molecules through the use of illuminating light comprised of two plane waves that are counter propagating

A High-Speed Fish Evisceration System (FES) for Bycatch and Underutilized Fish Stocks

Development of a high-speed and high-yield water-powered fish evisceration system (FES) to efficiently preprocess small fish and bycatch for producing minced fish meat is described. The concept of the system is propelling fish in a stream of water through an arrangement of cutting blades and brushes. Eviscerated fish are separated from the viscera and water stream in a dual screen rotary sieve. The FES processed head off fish, weighing 170–500 g, at the rate of 300 fish/min when used with an automatic heading machine. Yields of mince produced from walleye pollock, Theragra chalcogramma; and Pacific whiting, Merluccius productus; processed by the FES ranged between 43% and 58%. The maximum yield of minced muscle from fish weighing over 250 g was 52%, and the yield of 250 g was 58%. Test results indicated that surimi made from minced meat recovered from fish processed with the FES was comparable in quality to commercial grade surimi from conventional systems. Redesigned for commercial operation in the Faeroe Islands (Denmark), the system effectively processed North Atlantic blue whiting, Micromesistius poutassou, with an average weight of 110 g at a constant rate of 500–600 fish/min, producing deboned mince feeding a surimi processing line at a rate of 2.0 t/h. Yields of mince ranged from 55% to 63% from round fish. Surimi made from the blue whiting mince meat produced by the FES was comparable to surimi commercially produced from blue whiting by Norway and France and sold into European markets

Challenging cases of professionalism in Japan: improvement in understanding of professional behaviors among Japanese residents between 2005 and 2013.

BackgroundProfessionalism is deemed as the basis of physicians' contract with society in Japan. Our study in 2005, using a questionnaire with scenarios to professionalism, suggested that many physicians at various levels of training in Japan encounter challenges when responding to these common scenarios related to professionalism. It is unclear how medical professionalism has changed among Japanese residents in over time.MethodsWe conducted a follow-up survey about challenges to professionalism for Japanese residents using the same Barry Questionnaire after a seven-year interval from the prior survey. The survey uses six clinical scenarios with multiple choice responses. The six cases include the following challenges: acceptance of gifts; conflict of interest; confidentiality; physician impairment; sexual harassment; and honesty in documentation. Each scenario is followed by 4 or 5 possible responses, including the "best" and the "second best" responses. The survey was conducted as a part of nationwide general medicine in-training examination.ResultsWe collected data from 1,049 participants (290 women, 28%; 431 PGY-1 and 618 PGY-2 residents). Overall, the current residents performed better than their colleagues in the earlier survey for five scenarios (gifts, conflict of interest, confidentiality, impairment, and honesty) but not for the harassment scenario. PGY-2 residents were more likely to select either the best or 2nd best choices to gifts (p = 0.002) and harassment (p = 0.031) scenarios than PGY-1 residents. Residents in the current study chose either the best or 2nd best choices to the gifts (p < 0.001) and honesty (p < 0.001) scenarios than those of the previous study conducted seven years ago, but not for the harassment scenario (p = 0.004).ConclusionsOur study suggests that there is improvement of medical professionalism with respect to some ethical challenges among the Japanese residents in the current study compared to those in our previous study

The Depressive Personality: A Study Of Dependency, Self-criticism, And Autonomy

Several theorists have hypothesized that certain personality traits may predispose individuals who are high in those traits to become depressed. The traits most often discussed are dependency, self-criticism, and autonomy. Empirical research has obtained preliminary evidence of personality disturbances among depressives; however, a number of theoretical hypotheses have received little research attention.;The present research examined the relations of personality and depression in two related studies. The first study involved the development and validation of two new measures of dependency and self-criticism. A pool of 141 original items written to reflect definitions of dependency and self-criticism, together with items from measures of other traits, were administered to 210 undergraduates. Jackson\u27s (1970) procedures for item selection were followed in constructing the new scales. The two 20-item measures of dependency (DSI) and self-criticism (SSI) were found to possess good psychometric properties. Using data from the same sample, a theoretical model of the relations among the traits, self-esteem, and depression was evaluated. The results suggested that dependency, self-criticism, low self-esteem, and depression are highly intercorrelated, whereas autonomy is inversely correlated with each of the other factors.;In the second study, the DSI and SSI, together with measures of a number of psychosocial variables, were administered twice, six months apart, to 115 women. Diagnostic interviews were used to classify subjects as remitting depressives, nonremitting depressives, and never depressed. These groups were compared with respect to their psychosocial functioning at Time 1 and Time 2. The results suggested that elevated scores in dependency, self-criticism, dysphoria, and low self-esteem, but not autonomy, are characteristic of remitted depressives. Furthermore, dependency, self-criticism, low self-esteem, and low social support were significant predictors of the nonremission of symptoms. Additional results suggested that the combination of high dependency and low attachment social support is associated with low self-esteem among both remitted depressives and never depressed women. Finally, low reassurance of worth social support was found to be related to elevated postmorbid dysphoria among recently recovered depressives. These results are discussed in terms of the support they offer for different theories concerning personality and depression

Rabi Oscillations in Landau-Quantized Graphene

We investigate the relation between the canonical model of quantum optics, the Jaynes-Cummings Hamiltonian and Dirac fermions in quantizing magnetic field. We demonstrate that Rabi oscillations are observable in the optical response of graphene, providing us with a transparent picture about the structure of optical transitions. While the longitudinal conductivity reveals chaotic Rabi oscillations, the Hall component measures coherent ones. This opens up the possibility of investigating a microscopic model of a few quantum objects in a macroscopic experiment with tunable parameters.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Evaluation and Impact Investing: A Review of Methodologies to Assess Social Impact

This report highlights the paradox within impact investing: the prioritisation of ‘social impact’ without prioritising ‘impact evidence’. The growth of metrics, ratings and certification-based approaches has sought to address this gap but this only goes so far, and there is a need for a more evaluative approach to assessing impact. Drawing on the field of development evaluation, the report sets out five criteria for a ‘more evaluative’ way of assessing impact (impact, differential impact, plausible causality, aggregation, and accountability). The report then reviews a subset of more than 100 resources against these criteria and concludes that while there are some promising methods, each has different strengths and limitations in providing a more robust assessment of impact. As such, the report warns that trade-offs need to be carefully considered, for instance between different methods that provide greater standardisation versus those that provide greater specificity – and the cost/benefit trade-offs for investors in using each approach. Furthermore, just one method is unlikely to be sufficient by itself and there is a need for more guidance, innovation and learning for investors on methodological choices and how best to combine and complement different approaches for assessing impact in a cost-effective manner. Without such innovations it will become harder for impact investors to differentiate themselves from the more orthodox investment industry.UK Department for International Developmen

Gauging Demand for Evidence and Accountability in Impact Investing by using Twitter Social Network Analysis: A Methodology

This report explains the methodology used to analyse the demand for evidence and accountability within the impact investment market. Social network analysis (SNA), qualitative interviews and ego network analysis were used to explore actors within this market (or system), drawing on data from Twitter to consider connections, influence and conversations about social impact. To date, all data collection for the Twitter SNA has been completed from 10 May 2016 to 18 July 2016, and a Policy Briefing has been produced from the initial findings (O’Flynn and Barnett 2016). Qualitative interviews and ego network analysis as part of the second half of the research are ongoing. A longer report regarding the main analysis and findings is also planned.UK Department for International Developmen

Inferring dynamic recrystallization in ferrite using the kinetics of static recrystallization

A general relationship between the kinetics of dynamic and static recrystallization is developed. It is predicted that conventional dynamic recrystallization will occur whenever the deformation time exceeds the adjusted start time for static recrystallization. This approach is verified using data for austenite and lead. It is then applied to current and previous work on ferrite. The model provides support for the contention that conventional dynamic recrystallization occurs in low carbon ferrite if deformation is carried out at high temperatures and low strain rates. In the present work, which was carried out at 700 &deg;C, evidence for dynamic recrystallization was observed for strain rates less than around 0.01 s&minus;1. At higher strain rates, the model predicts a critical strain for the onset of dynamic recrystallization that exceeds the critical strain for the beginning of the recovery steady-state region. While the model allows dynamic recrystallization to begin in this region, the critical strain for its onset is expected to increase rapidly with increasing strain rate and decreasing temperature once steady state has been reached. <br /

Assessing contrasting strategies for ensuring ethical practice within evaluation: institutional review boards and professionalisation

This paper explores the application of ethics in two contrasting approaches to evaluation: one that views evaluation as essentially a research project, and the other that sees evaluation as an extension of project management. We argue that the growth in so-called rigorous impact evaluation, characterised by practitioners as evaluation using experimental or quasi-experimental methods, has seen evaluation treated increasingly as a subset of research. This has entailed greater use of ethical committees, and specifically institutional review boards (IRBs), as many academics promoting the use of experimental methods are based in the USA. Elsewhere, evaluation is treated more as a management activity, with professionalisation initiatives such as membership standards and ethical guidance often used in the place of formal review. In this paper, we question whether the simultaneous growth in usage of IRBs and professionalisation addresses the ethical issues faced by evaluators

Significance of Sedimentological Studies on the Wisconsinan Stratigraphy of Southern Ontario

Detailed facies mapping along Lake Erie and Lake Ontario Bluffs, plus other studies illustrate that sedimentological studies, especially those with geomorphic or landform control, have had three main effects on the Wisconsinan stratigraphy of Ontario: (1) improved understanding of depositional processes and environments of several major rock stratigraphic units, without altering the stratigraphic framework, (2) aided correlation of drift sequences, and (3) questioned previous interpretations and stratigraphic correlations of drift sequences. Thus sedimentological analysis can not be separated from stratigraphy because the interpretation of depositional environnments of many mapped strata relies on their geometry and the inclusion of regional data. The geomorphic control provided by sedimentological study of surface landforms is also important because assessment of older buried sediments such as those at the Scarborough Bluffs has been hampered by the failure to determine landform control. The Late Wisconsinan stratigraphy of Southern Ontario generally remains unchanged, except for questions on the role of climate versus ice margin dynamics. The pre-Late Wisconsinan stratigraphy is scarce and not well defined, yet sedimentary studies support the presence of glacial ice in the Ontario Lake basin for all of the Middle Wisconsinan and possibly earlier, including the formation of the Scarborough delta. Large channel cut and fill sequences in the Toronto area (Pottery Road Formation), initially interpreted as resulting from subaerial erosion, were probably formed by subaqueous or subglacial meltwater erosion. If so, the pre-Late Wisconsinan stratigraphy in southern Ontario changes because the Pottery Road Formation may not be an Early Wisconsinan correlative of the St. Pierre beds. The channel example illustrates that stratigraphie correlation without sedimentological investigations may be misleading.La cartographie détaillée des faciès le long des falaises du lac Erié et du lac Ontario ainsi que d'autres études ont démontré que les études de sédimentologie, qui tiennent compte du contexte géomorphologique, ont eu des résultats bénéfiques pour rétablissement de la stratigraphie du Wisconsinien en Ontario, notamment : 1) une meilleure compréhension des processus et des environnements sédimentaires de plusieurs unités stratigraphiques, sans qu'il y ait modification du cadre stratigraphique général ; 2) une meilleure corrélation entre les séquences de dépôts; 3) une remise en question de certaines interprétations antérieures et de certaines corrélations entre les séquences de dépôts. Ces résultats démontrent que l'analyse sédimentologique est fortement liée à la stratigraphie étant donné que les milieux de dépôts ne peuvent s'expliquer qu'en tenant compte de leur géométrie et du contexte régional. La connaissance de la géomorphologie qu'on obtient grâce aux études de sédimentologie des formes est aussi très importante, car on constate que certaines interprétations des sédiments anciens enfouis ont été erronées pour ne pas avoir tenu compte du rôle de la morphologie. La stratigraphie du Wisconsinien supérieur du sud de l'Ontario demeure à peu près inchangée, sauf en ce qui a trait au rôle du climat et à celui de la marge glaciaire. La stratigraphie d'avant le Wisconsinien supérieur est encore mal définie, mais les études de sédimentologie indiquent que les glaciers ont occupé le bassin du lac Ontario, y compris le delta de la Formation de Scarborough, pendant tout le Wisconsinien moyen, peut-être même avant. Certaines séries de grands chenaux d'érosion et de comblement dans la région de Toronto (Formation de Pottery Road), interprétés d'abord comme ayant été formés par érosion subaérienne. Ie furent plus vraisemblablement par l'action érosive des eaux de fonte sous-aquatiques et sous-glaciaires.Die detaillierte kartographie der Fazies entlang des Erie-Sees und der Steilufer des Ontario-Sees veranschaulichen zusammen mit anderen Studien, dafi die sedimentologischen Studien, insbesondere diejenigen mit geomorphologischer oder Landform-Kontrolle, drei Hauptauswirkungen auf die Erstellung der Wisconsin-Stratigraphie von Ontario hatten: 1) ein besseres Verstàndnis der AbIagerungsprozesse und -umbegungen von einigen wichtigen stratigraphischen Felseinheiten ohne Ànderung des stratigraphischen Rahmens, 2) eine verbesserte Korrelation der Aufeinanderfolge der Ablagerungen und 3) eine Infragestellung von frùheren Interpretationen und stratigraphischen Korrelationen der Aufeinanderfolge von Ablagerungen. Also kann eine sedimentologische Analyse nicht von der Stratigraphie getrennt werden, weil die Interpretation der Ablagerungsumgebungen vieler kartographisch festgehaltener Strata auf ihrer Géométrie beruht, sowie auf der Einbeziehung regionaler Daten. Die geomorphologische Kontrolle, die durch die sedimentologische Studie der Oberflâchenlandformen gewàhrt wird, ist auch wichtig, weil die Einschâtzung altérer vergrabener Sedimente, wie die an den Steilufern von Scarborough behindert wurde, weil die Landform-Kontrolle nicht durchgefiihrt wurde. Die Stratigraphie von Sud-Ontario im spàten Wisconsin bleibt im allgemeinen unveràndert mit Ausnahme von Fragen. die die RoIIe des Klimas gegenùber der Dynamik der Eisgrenze betreffen. Die Stratigraphie vor dem spaten Wisconsin ist spârlich und nicht gut definiert, doch bekràftigen Sediment-Studien das Vor-kommen von glazialem Eis im Becken des Ontario-Sees und auch in der Ausformung des Scarborough Deltas fur das ganze mittlere Wisconsin und môglicherweise auch friiher. Die Folgen von breiten Rinneneinschnitten und Aufschuttungen im Gebiet von Toronto (Pottery Road Formation), die man ursprùnglich auf die subaërische Erosion zurùckfùhrte, wurden wahrscheinlich durch subaquatische oder subglaziale Schmelzwasser-Erosion gebildet