25,432 research outputs found
Method and apparatus for optical modulating a light signal Patent
Method and apparatus for optically modulating light or microwave bea
Optically induced free carrier light modulator
Signal carrier laser beam is optically modulated by a second laser beam of different frequency acting on a free carrier source to which the signal carrier laser is directed. The second laser beam affects the transmission characteristics of the free carrier source to light from the signal carrier laser, thus modulating it
PACOSS program overview and status
Many future civilian and military large space structures (LSS) will have as performance objectives stringent pointing accuracies, short settling times, relatively fast response requirements, or combinations thereof. Many of these structures will be large, light weight, and will exhibit high structural modal density at low frequency and within the control bandwidth. Although it is possible in principle to achieve structural vibration control through purely active means, experience with complex structures has shown that the realities of plant model inaccuracies and sensor/actuator dynamics frequently combine to produce substandard performance. A more desirable approach is to apply passive damping technology to reduce the active control burden. Development of the technology to apply this strategy is the objective of the PACOSS (Passive and Active Control OF Space Structures) program. A key element in the PACOSS program is the Representative System Article (RSA). The RSA is a generic paper system that serves as a testbed for damping and controls studies. It also serves as a basis for design of the smaller Dynamic Test Article (DTA), a hardware testbed for the laboratory validation of analysis and design practices developed under PACOSS
Perceptions of registered nurses in four state health insititutions on continuing formal education
This study investigated registered nurses in four selected state health institutionsā
perceptions with regard to continuing formal education. The relevance of continuing
formal education is being emphasised globally by the increasing quest for quality
assurance and quality management systems within an ethos of continuous improvement.
According to Tlholoe (2006:5), it is important to be committed to continual
learning, as peopleās knowledge become less relevant because skills gained early in
a career are insufficient to avoid costly mistakes made through ignorance. Continuing
formal education in nursing is a key element to the maintenance of quality in
health care delivery. The study described:
ā¢ registered nursesā views on continuing formal education
ā¢ registered nursesā perceived barriers to continuing formal education
A quantitative descriptive survey design was chosen using a questionnaire for data
collection. The sample consisted of 40 registered nurses working at four state health
institutions in the Western Cape Province, South Africa. Convenience sampling was
selected to include registered nurses who were on duty on the days during which the
researcher visited the health institutions to distribute the questionnaires. The questionnaire
contained mainly closed-ended and a few open-ended questions. Content
validity of the instrument was ensured by doing a thorough literature review before
construction of items and a pretest. Reliability was established by the pretest and
providing the same information to all respondents before completion of the questionnaires.
The ethical considerations of informed consent, anonymity and confidentiality
were adhered to and consent to conduct the study was obtained from relevant
authorities. Descriptive statistics, based on calculations using the Microsoft (MS)
Excel (for Windows 2000) programme, were used to summarise and describe the
research results. The research results indicated that most registered nurses perceive
continuing formal education as beneficial to their personal and professional growth
and that it could lead towards improving the quality of patient/client care, but barriers
exist which prevent or deter them from undertaking continuing formal education
programmes. The main structural barriers included lack of funding and lack of coherent
staff development planning and physical barriers including job and family responsibilities.Department of HE and Training approved lis
Nurse telephone triage for same day appointments in general practice: multiple interrupted time series trial of effect on workload and costs
OBJECTIVE: To compare the workloads of general practitioners and nurses and costs of patient care for nurse telephone triage and standard management of requests for same day appointments in routine primary care. DESIGN: Multiple interrupted time series using sequential introduction of experimental triage system in different sites with repeated measures taken one week in every month for 12 months. SETTING: Three primary care sites in York. Participants: 4685 patients: 1233 in standard management, 3452 in the triage system. All patients requesting same day appointments during study weeks were included in the trial. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Type of consultation (telephone, appointment, or visit), time taken for consultation, presenting complaints, use of services during the month after same day contact, and costs of drugs and same day, follow up, and emergency care. RESULTS: The triage system reduced appointments with general practitioner by 29-44%. Compared with standard management, the triage system had a relative risk (95% confidence interval) of 0.85 (0.72 to 1.00) for home visits, 2.41 (2.08 to 2.80) for telephone care, and 3.79 (3.21 to 4.48) for nurse care. Mean overall time in the triage system was 1.70 minutes longer, but mean general practitioner time was reduced by 2.45 minutes. Routine appointments and nursing time increased, as did out of hours and accident and emergency attendance. Costs did not differ significantly between standard management and triage: mean difference Ā£1.48 more per patient for triage (95% confidence interval -0.19 to 3.15). CONCLUSIONS: Triage reduced the number of same day appointments with general practitioners but resulted in busier routine surgeries, increased nursing time, and a small but significant increase in out of hours and accident and emergency attendance. Consequently, triage does not reduce overall costs per patient for managing same day appointments
The dust emission of high-redshift quasars
The detection of powerful near-infrared emission in high redshift (z>5)
quasars demonstrates that very hot dust is present close to the active nucleus
also in the very early universe. A number of high-redshift objects even show
significant excess emission in the rest frame NIR over more local AGN spectral
energy distribution (SED) templates. In order to test if this is a result of
the very high luminosities and redshifts, we construct mean SEDs from the
latest SDSS quasar catalogue in combination with MIR data from the WISE
preliminary data release for several redshift and luminosity bins. Comparing
these mean SEDs with a large sample of z>5 quasars we could not identify any
significant trends of the NIR spectral slope with luminosity or redshift in the
regime 2.5 < z < 6 and 10^45 < nuL_nu(1350AA) < 10^47 erg/s. In addition to the
NIR regime, our combined Herschel and Spitzer photometry provides full infrared
SED coverage of the same sample of z>5 quasars. These observations reveal
strong FIR emission (L_FIR > 10^13 L_sun) in seven objects, possibly indicating
star-formation rates of several thousand solar masses per year. The FIR excess
emission has unusally high temperatures (T ~ 65 K) which is in contrast to the
temperature typically expected from studies at lower redshift (T ~ 45 K). These
objects are currently being investigated in more detail.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, to appear in the proceedings to "The Central
Kiloparsec in Galactic Nuclei (AHAR2011)", Journal of Physics: Conference
Series (JPCS), IOP Publishin
Implantable acoustic-beacon automatic fish-tracking system
A portable automatic fish tracking system was developed for monitoring the two dimensional movements of small fish within fixed areas of estuarine waters and lakes. By using the miniature pinger previously developed for this application, prototype tests of the system were conducted in the York River near the Virginia Institute of Marine Science with two underwater listening stations. Results from these tests showed that the tracking system could position the miniature pinger signals to within + or - 2.5 deg and + or - 135 m at ranges up to 2.5 km. The pingers were implanted in small fish and were successfully tracked at comparable ranges. No changes in either fish behavior or pinger performance were observed as a result of the implantation. Based on results from these prototype tests, it is concluded that the now commercially available system provides an effective approach to underwater tracking of small fish within a fixed area of interest
Industrial structural geology : principles, techniques and integration : an introduction
The authors wish to acknowledge the generous financial support provided in association with this volume to the Geological Society and the Petroleum Group by Badley Geoscience Ltd, BP, CGG Robertson, Dana Petroleum Ltd, Getech Group plc, Maersk Oil North Sea UK Ltd, Midland Valley Exploration Ltd, Rock Deformation Research (Schlumberger) and Borehole Image & Core Specialists (Wildcat Geoscience, Walker Geoscience and Prolog Geoscience). We would like to thank the fine team at the Geological Societyās Publishing House for the excellent support and encouragement that they have provided to the editors and authors of this Special Publication.Peer reviewedPublisher PD
Long-range electron transfer in structurally engineered pentaammineruthenium (histidine-62) cytochrome c
In many biological processes, long-range electron transfer (ET) plays a key role. When the three-dimensional structures of proteins are accurately known, use of modified proteins and protein-protein complexes provides an experimental approach to study ET rates between two metal centers. For Ru(His)- modified proteins, the introduction of histidine residues at any desired surface location by site-directed mutagenesis opens the way for systematic investigations of ET pathways
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