7,109 research outputs found
Liberating the NHS; commissioning, outsourcing and a new politics debate
In the short months following the result of the UK 2010 General election,
a new Government White Paper has been released entitled: Equity and
Excellence: Liberating the NHS (Department of Health (DH), 2010a). It strives
to distance itself from previous health-care proposals (DH, 2009), yet if the
initiatives of this latest paper are combined against previous initiatives,
also using high impact declarative terms, such as competition and choice,
it is clear that little has changed and more important principles than saving
money are at risk
Cosmic String Power Spectrum, Bispectrum and Trispectrum
We use analytic calculations of the post-recombination gravitational effects
of cosmic strings to estimate the resulting CMB power spectrum, bispectrum and
trispectrum. We place a particular emphasis on multipole regimes relevant for
forthcoming CMB experiments, notably the Planck satellite. These calculations
use a flat sky approximation, generalising previous work by integrating string
contributions from last scattering to the present day, finding the dominant
contributions to the correlators for multipoles l > 50. We find a well-behaved
shape for the string bispectrum (without divergences) which is easily
distinguishable from the inflationary bispectra which possess significant
acoustic peaks. We estimate that the nonlinearity parameter characterising the
bispectrum is approximately f_NL \sim -20 (given present string constraints
from the CMB power spectrum. We also apply these unequal time correlator
methods to calculate the trispectrum for parrallelogram configurations, again
valid over a large range of angular scales relevant for WMAP and Planck, as
well as on very small angular scales. We find that, unlike the bispectrum which
is suppressed by symmetry considerations, the trispectrum for cosmic strings is
large. Our current estimate for the trispectrum parameter is tau_NL \sim 10^5,
which may provide one of the strongest constraints on the string model as
estimators for the trispectrum are developed
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Effective classroom practice: a mixed-method study of influences and outcomes: a research paper
This brief paper reports findings from a two-year research project, funded by the ESRC, which identified, described and analyzed variation in effective primary and secondary school teachers’ classroom practice. The study also explored these practices in relation to different school contexts and teachers’ professional life phases in order to draw out relevant implications for policy and practice
Central Star Formation in Pseudobulges and Classical Bulges
I use Spitzer 3.6-8.0 \mu m color profiles to compare the radial structure of
star formation in pseudobulges and classical bulges. Pseudobulges are
``bulges'' which form through secular evolution, rather than mergers. In this
study, pseudobulges are identified using the presence of disk-like structure in
the center of the galaxy (nuclear spiral, nuclear bar, and/or high ellipticity
in bulge); classical bulges are those galaxy bulges with smooth isophotes which
are round compared to the outer disk, and show no disky structure in their
bulge. I show that galaxies structurally identified as having pseudobulges have
higher central star formation rates than those of classical bulges. Further, I
also show that galaxies identified as having classical bulges have remarkably
regular star formation profiles. The color profiles of galaxies with classical
bulges show a star forming outer disk with a sharp change, consistent with a
decline in star formation rates, toward the center of the galaxy. Classical
bulges have a nearly constant inner profile (r < 1.5 kpc) that is similar to
elliptical galaxies. Pseudobulges in general show no such transition in star
formation properties from the outer disk to the central pseudobulge. Thus I
conclude that pseudobulges and classical bulges do in fact form their stars via
different mechanisms. Further, this adds to the evidence that classical bulges
form most of their stars in fast episodic bursts, in a similar fashion to
elliptical galaxies; whereas, pseudobulges form stars from longer lasting
secular processes.Comment: accepted to ApJ Letter
Investigation into the use of satellite remote sensing data products as part of a multi-modal marine environmental monitoring network
In this paper it is investigated how conventional in-situ sensor networks can be complemented by the satellite data streams available through numerous platforms orbiting the earth and the combined analyses products available through services such as MyOcean. Despite the numerous benefits associated with the use of satellite remote sensing data products, there are a number of limitations with their use in coastal zones. Here the ability of these data sources to provide contextual awareness, redundancy and increased efficiency to an in-situ sensor network is investigated. The potential use of a variety of chlorophyll and SST data products as additional data sources in the SmartBay monitoring network in Galway Bay, Ireland is analysed. The ultimate goal is to investigate the ability of these products to create a smarter marine monitoring network with increased efficiency. Overall it was found that while care needs to be taken in choosing these products, there was extremely promising performance from a number of these products that would be suitable in the context of a number of applications especially in relation to SST. It was more difficult to come to conclusive results for the chlorophyll analysis
EFFECTS OF SALT AND NITRITE CONCENTRATION ON THE SHELF LIFE OF DELI-STYLE HAM
Deli-style hams were manufactured to measure the effects of salt and nitrite concentration on shelf life and physicochemical characteristics. Three replications of deli-style ham treatments were manufactured in a 3 x 4 factorial arrangement of salt concentration (0.7%, 1.4%, or 2.1%, meat block basis) and nitrite concentration and source (0 ppm, 100 ppm or 200 ppm sodium nitrite, SN, or 100 ppm sodium nitrite equivalent from pre-converted celery juice powder, CP; Veg Stable 506, Florida Food Products). Salt concentration, water activity, cook yield, and texture profile analysis (TPA) were measured on w 0. Color, pH, residual nitrite, and aerobic and anaerobic plate counts (APC and AnPC, respectively) were measured on weeks 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, and 16. A nitrite by salt interaction (P≤0.05) was found for a*, a/b ratio, ΔE, and hue angle. Treatments without nitrite were less red and more yellow than other treatments. Curing with CP resulted in increased yellowness than SN treatments. An interaction of nitrite and week (P
Advisor: Gary A. Sulliva
Environmental Justice & Sociology
This thesis compared the patterns influencing the creation of Native American reservations and the prison industrial complex in the United States. I argue that the country is controlled by people who create a physical and socio-political environment that caters to their certain positionality, adversely effecting and pushing marginalized groups into confined, controlled spaces in their own home. Ultimately, environmental justice, or equal control of people over their environment, is a vital factor in ending structural and physical violence against marginalized groups in the United States
Start with Self-Determination: Advancing Postsecondary Outcomes of Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have the poorest post-high school, or postsecondary, outcomes in comparison to their peers with and without disabilities. They experience low levels of engagement or even lack of engagement in employment, education, independent living, and community activities. As a result, these outcomes place a heavier load on families, professionals, and communities that support the ASD population throughout their lifespan. Therefore, the cost of taking care of this population is rising, with a current estimate of over $40 billion per year. In disability literature, self-determination (i.e., autonomy and empowerment) has been identified as a predictor of positive postsecondary outcomes; however, there is limited research on ASD, including some findings that youth with ASD often report low levels of self-determination. This review of the literature will accomplish the following: (1) synthesize research on postsecondary outcomes of youth with ASD; (2) identify existing gaps; (3) define self-determination and the social-ecological model; (4) apply the model to support needs of the ASD population while they are still in school; and (5) discuss directions for future research and practice
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