3,317 research outputs found
An evaluation of Te Rau Puawai workforce 100: Stakeholder perspectives
To evaluate the Te Rau Puawai programme, the Ministry of Health commissioned the
Maori and Psychology Research Unit of the University of Waikato in July 2001. The
overall aim of the evaluation was to provide the Ministry with a clearer understanding
of the programme including: the perceived critical success factors, the barriers if any
regarding Te Rau Puawai, the impact of the programme, the extent to which the
programme may be transferable, gaps in the programme, and suggested
improvements.
There are a number of stakeholders who do not have a direct role in the provision of
Te Rau Puawai. These people are not involved in the day to day running of Te Rau
Puawai (as do, for example, the coordinator, support team or academic mentors),
nevertheless they play an important role, contributing in a variety of ways to the
programme
High-frequency jet ventilation for minimizing breathing-related liver motion during percutaneous radiofrequency ablation of multiple hepatic tumours
Movements of the liver caused by spontaneous breathing (during sedation or local anaesthesia) or by ventilation during anaesthesia are a source of concern in CT-guided procedures because of the limited spatial and contrast resolution of unenhanced imaging, artifacts caused by the probes and the relatively low temporal resolution of the fluoroscopy mode. During CT-guided radiofrequency ablation (RFA), it is essential that the lesion can be visualized optimally and that the ablation probe is positioned accurately to avoid non-target injuries. We therefore used high-frequency jet ventilation and general anaesthesia to minimize ventilation-related liver movement and provide optimal conditions for a patient undergoing RFA of hepatic metastases. The technical and anaesthetic considerations are discussed, and a specific limitation of transcutaneous Pco2 measurement during activation of the ablation is reported for the first tim
Magnetization of small lead particles
The magnetization of an ensemble of isolated lead grains of sizes ranging
from below 6 nm to 1000 nm is measured. A sharp disappearance of Meissner
effect with lowering of the grain size is observed for the smaller grains. This
is a direct observation by magnetization measurement of the occurrence of a
critical particle size for superconductivity, which is consistent with
Anderson's criterion.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, Submitted to PR
Chemical equilibration and thermal dilepton production from the quark gluon plasma at finite baryon density
The chemical equilibration of a highly unsaturated quark-gluon plasma has
been studied at finite baryon density. It is found that in the presence of
small amount of baryon density, the chemical equilibration for gluon becomes
slower and the temperature decreases less steeply as compared to the baryon
free plasma. As a result, the space time integrated yield of dilepton is
enhanced if the initial temperature of the plasma is held fixed. Even at a
fixed initial energy density, the suppression of the dilepton yields at higher
baryo-chemical potential is compensated, to a large extent, by the slow cooling
of the plasma.Comment: Latex, 19 pages, 8 postscript figures. To appear in Phys. Rev.
Modeling Eclipses in the Classical Nova V Persei: The Role of the Accretion Disk Rim
Multicolor (BVRI) light curves of the eclipsing classical nova V Per are
presented, and a total of twelve new eclipse timings are measured for the
system. When combined with previous eclipse timings from the literature, these
timings yield a revised ephemeris for the times of mid-eclipse given by HJD =
2,447,442.8260(1) + 0.107123474(3) E. The eclipse profiles are analyzed with a
parameter-fitting model that assumes four sources of luminosity: a white dwarf
primary star, a main-sequence secondary star, a flared accretion disk with a
rim, and a bright spot at the intersection of the mass-transfer stream and the
disk periphery. A matrix of model solutions are computed, covering an extensive
range of plausible parameter values. The solution matrix is then explored to
determine the optimum values for the fitting parameters and their associated
errors. For models that treat the accretion disk as a flat structure without a
rim, optimum fits require that the disk have a flat temperature profile.
Although models with a truncated inner disk (R_in >> R_wd) result in a steeper
temperature profile, steady-state models with a temperature profile
characterized by T(r) \propto r^{-3/4} are found only for models with a
significant disk rim. A comparison of the observed brightness and color at
mid-eclipse with the photometric properties of the best-fitting model suggests
that V Per lies at a distance of ~ 1 kpc.Comment: Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journal. Thirty-nine
pages, including 9 figures. V2 - updated to include additional references and
related discussion to previous work overlooked in the original version, and
to correct a typo in the ephemeris given in the abstract. V3 - Minor typos
corrected. The paper is scheduled for the 20 June 2006 issue of the ApJ. V4 -
An error in equation (9) has been corrected. The results presented in the
paper were not affected, as all computations were made using the correct
formulation of this equatio
Enhancement of gluonic dissociation of in viscous QGP
We have investigated the effect of viscosity on the gluonic dissociation of
in an equilibrating plasma. Suppression of due to gluonic
dissociation depend on the temperature and also on the chemical equilibration
rate. In an equilibrating plasma, viscosity affects the temperature evolution
and also the chemical equilibration rate, requiring both of them to evolve
slowly compared to their ideal counter part. For Au+Au collisions at RHIC and
LHC energies, gluonic dissociation of increases for a viscous plasma.
Low 's are found to be more suppressed due to viscosity than the
high ones. Also the effect is more at LHC energy than at RHIC energy.Comment: 3 pages, 1 figur
Boldness traits, not dominance, predict exploratory flight range and homing behaviour in homing pigeons
This study investigated whether consistent individual differences in behaviour (particularly exploratory tendency and object neophilia) were associated with the tendency to explore in free-ranging scenarios. This was tested in homing pigeons. The results showed that birds that were more likely to explore in the loft were also more likely to explore the local area during self-driven flights. When birds were released from a fixed release points, those which had explored less took more tortuous and longer routes back to the loft. This demonstrates the cost associated with lack of exploratory behaviour, and also links traits measured in laboratory scenarios to behaviour in free-ranging animals
Observations of the SW Sextantis star DW Ursae Majoris with the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer
We present an analysis of the first far-ultraviolet observations of the SW
Sextantis-type cataclysmic variable DW Ursae Majoris, obtained in November 2001
with the Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer. The time-averaged spectrum of
DW UMa shows a rich assortment of emission lines (plus some contamination from
interstellar absorption lines including molecular hydrogen). Accretion disk
model spectra do not provide an adequate fit to the far-ultraviolet spectrum of
DW UMa. We constructed a light curve by summing far-ultraviolet spectra
extracted in 60-sec bins; this shows a modulation on the orbital period, with a
maximum near photometric phase 0.93 and a minimum half an orbit later. No other
periodic variability was found in the light curve data. We also extracted
spectra in bins spanning 0.1 in orbital phase; these show substantial variation
in the profile shapes and velocity shifts of the emission lines during an
orbital cycle of DW UMa. Finally, we discuss possible physical models that can
qualitatively account for the observed far-ultraviolet behavior of DW UMa, in
the context of recent observational evidence for the presence of a
self-occulting disk in DW UMa and the possibility that the SW Sex stars may be
the intermediate polars with the highest mass transfer rates and/or weakest
magnetic fields.Comment: accepted by the Astronomical Journal; 36 pages, including 12 figures
and 4 table
Energy loss in perturbative QCD
We review the properties of energetic parton propagation in hot or cold QCD
matter, as obtained in recent works. Advances in understanding the energy loss
- collisional and radiative - are summarized, with emphasis on the latter: it
features very interesting properties which may help to detect the quark-gluon
plasma produced in heavy ion collisions. We describe two different theoretical
approaches, which lead to the same radiated gluon energy spectrum. The case of
a longitudinally expanding QCD plasma is investigated. The energy lost by a jet
with given opening angle is calculated in view of making predictions for the
suppression (quenching) of hard jet production. Phenomenological implications
for the difference between hot and cold matter are discussed. Numerical
estimates of the loss suggest that it may be significantly enhanced in hot
compared to cold matter.Comment: 49 pages latex file with 11 embedded PS figures. Uses ar.sty
(included), one equation revised. submitted to Annual Review of Nuclear and
Particle Scienc
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