Flux corrected transport applied to hydrodynamics for heavy ion collisions

Includes abstract.Includes bibliographical references (p.145-154).This thesis presents FCTHydro, a ROOT package, and its application to hydrodynamic simulations through the packages RelHydro and Nonideal xy. These packages aim to provide the broader heavy ion collision community with access to hydrodynamic simulation software which is now accessible from within the primary analysis framework, ROOT. Tests are performed and show how well the high-order, monotone, conservative, positivity preserving routines within FCTHydro simulate hydrodynamic systems with harsh initial conditions. RelHydro illustrates the application of FCTHydro to relativistic systems and Nonideal xy the application to causal non-ideal hydrodynamic systems. Nonideal xy is also used to obtain a first order understanding of the effects of the relaxation times in causal non-ideal hydrodynamics. In addition, a semi-analytic solution for the particle rapidity spectra obtained by combining Landau hydrodynamics and the Cooper-Frye freezeout formalism is given. The results are compared with the Landau Gaussian and a known approximation for midrapidies. The Landau Gaussian provides the best approximation to experimental data. Furthermore, the chemical freezeout results for preliminary data from AGS for central Au-Au collisions at nominal beam energies 2, 4, 6 and 8 AGeV are shown to agree with the E/N = 1 GeV freezeout criteria. These data allow access to a previously unexplored region in the T-μB phase space

Zero modes and degrees of freedom of topological solitons on the plane

Includes bibliographical references.In this thesis we analyse the coaxial multivortices of the Ginzburg-Landau, the Euclidean complex sine-Gordon-1 and -2 theories on the plane. More specifically, we determine the number of continuous free parameters describing the largest family of solutions, with these vortices as members. This is accomplished by obtaining the zero modes of the vortices. For the Ginzburg-Landau model we show that the multivortices do not belong to a larger family of solutions and only depend on parameters describing their global U(1) symmetry and translations in the plane. Thus it is not possible to continuously deform these coaxial multivortices into a system of multiple, separated vortices. In contrast, the multivortices of complex sine-Gordon-1 model are shown to have an infinite number of zero modes and can be continuously deformed into a configuration of multiple, separated vortices. We also show that the largest family of solutions, with these coaxial multivortices as members, is a recently discovered family describing non-coaxial multivortices. For the complex sine-Gordon-2, we show the coaxial multivortices belong to a larger family of solutions which depend on a finite number of continuous free parameters. We also speculate as to the form of solutions that this larger family can describe

The Invincible (1758) site: an integrated geophysical assessment

Chirp sub-bottom profiler and repeat sidescan sonar imaging of the Invincible wreck site (1758) in the Solent (U.K.), interpretation, and implications for management of the site

“Best Care on Home Ground” Versus “Elitist Healthcare”: Concerns and Competing Expectations for Medical Tourism Development in Barbados

Introduction Many countries have demonstrated interest in expanding their medical tourism sectors because of its potential economic and health system benefits. However, medical tourism poses challenges to the equitable distribution of health resources between international and local patients and private and public medical facilities. Currently, very little is known about how medical tourism is perceived among front line workers and users of health systems in medical tourism ‘destinations’. Barbados is one such country currently seeking to expand its medical tourism sector. Barbadian nurses and health care users were consulted about the challenges and benefits posed by ongoing medical tourism development there. Methods Focus groups were held with two stakeholder groups in May, 2013. Nine (n = 9) citizens who use the public health system participated in the first focus group and seven (n = 7) nurses participated in the second. Each focus group ran for 1.5 hours and was digitally recorded. Following transcription, thematic analysis of the digitally coded focus group data was conducted to identify cross-cutting themes and issues. Results Three core concerns regarding medical tourism’s health equity impacts were raised; its potential to 1) incentivize migration of health workers from public to private facilities, 2) burden Barbados’ lone tertiary health care centre, and 3) produce different tiers of quality of care within the same health system. These concerns were informed and tempered by the existing a) health system structure that incorporates both universal public healthcare and a significant private medical sector, b) international mobility among patients and health workers, and c) Barbados’ large recreational tourism sector, which served as the main reference in discussions about medical tourism’s impacts. Incorporating these concerns and contextual influences, participants’ shared their expectations of how medical tourism should locally develop and operate. Conclusions By engaging with local health workers and users, we begin to unpack how potential health equity impacts of medical tourism in an emerging destination are understood by local stakeholders who are not directing sector development. This further outlines how these groups employ knowledge from their home context to ground and reconcile their hopes and concerns for the impacts posed by medical tourism

Promoting Social Responsibility amongst Health Care Users: Medical Tourists’ Perspectives on an Information Sheet Regarding Ethical Concerns in Medical Tourism

Background Medical tourists, persons that travel across international borders with the intention to access non-emergency medical care, may not be adequately informed of safety and ethical concerns related to the practice of medical tourism. Researchers indicate that the sources of information frequently used by medical tourists during their decision-making process may be biased and/or lack comprehensive information regarding individual safety and treatment outcomes, as well as potential impacts of the medical tourism industry on third parties. This paper explores the feedback from former Canadian medical tourists regarding the use of an information sheet to address this knowledge gap and raise awareness of the safety and ethical concerns related to medical tourism. Results According to feedback provided in interviews with former Canadian medical tourists, the majority of participants responded positively to the information sheet and indicated that this document prompted them to engage in further consideration of these issues. Participants indicated some frustration after reading the information sheet regarding a lack of know-how in terms of learning more about the concerns discussed in the document and changing their decision-making. This frustration was due to participants’ desperation for medical care, a topic which participants frequently discussed regarding ethical concerns related to health care provision. Conclusions The overall perceptions of former medical tourists indicate that an information sheet may promote further consideration of ethical concerns of medical tourism. However, given that these interviews were performed with former medical tourists, it remains unknown whether such a document might impact upon the decision-making of prospective medical tourists. Furthermore, participants indicated a need for an additional tool such as a website for continued discussion about these concerns. As such, along with dissemination of the information sheet, future research implications should include the development of a website for ongoing discussion that could contribute to a raised awareness of these concerns and potentially increase social responsibility in the medical tourism industry

Tourism Discourse and Medical Tourists’ Motivations to Travel

This paper aims to respond to a knowledge gap regarding the motivations of medical tourists, the term used to describe persons that travel across borders with the intention of accessing medical care. Commonly cited motivations for engaging in medical tourism are typically based on speculation and provide generalizations for what is a contextualized practice. This research paper aims to complicate the commonly discussed motivations of medical tourists to provide a richer understanding of these motivations and the various contexts in which medical tourists may choose to travel for medical care. Design/methodology/approach – Drawing on semi-structured interviews with 32 former Canadian medical tourists, this study uses the Iso-Ahola\u27s motivation theory to analyze tourists\u27 motivations. Quotations from participants were used to highlight core themes relevant to critical theories of tourism. Findings – Participants\u27 discussions illuminated motivations to travel related to personal and interpersonal seeking as well as personal and interpersonal escaping. These motivations demonstrate the appropriateness of applying critical theories of tourism to the medical tourism industry. Research limitations/implications – This research is limited in its ability to link various motivations with particular contexts such as medical procedure and personal demographics. However, this study demonstrates that the three commonly cited motivations of medical tourists might oversimplify this phenomenon.   Originality/value – By providing new insight into medical tourists\u27 motivations, this paper expands the conversation about medical tourists\u27 decision-making and how this is informed by tourism discourse. This insight may contribute to improved guidance for medical tourism stakeholders for more ethical and safe practices

Medical Tourism\u27s Impacts on Health Worker Migration in the Caribbean: Five Examples and Their Implications for Global Justice

Medical tourism is a practice where individuals cross international borders in order to access medical care. This practice can impact the global distribution of health workers by potentially reducing the emigration of health workers from destination countries for medical tourists and affecting the internal distribution of these workers. Little has been said, however, about the impacts of medical tourism on the immigration of health workers to medical tourism destinations. We discuss five patterns of medical tourism-driven health worker migration to medical tourism destinations: 1) long-term international migration; 2) long-term diasporic migration; 3) long-term migration and ‘black sheep’; 4) short-term migration via time share; and 5) short-term migration via patient-provider dyad. These patterns of health worker migration have repercussions for global justice that include potential negative impacts on the following: 1) health worker training; 2) health worker distributions; 3) local provision of care; and 4) local economies. In order to address these potential negative impacts, policy makers in destination countries should work to ensure that changes in health worker training and licensure aimed at promoting the medical tourism sector are also supportive of the health needs of the domestic population. Policy makers in both source and destination countries should be aware of the effects of medical tourism on health worker flows both into and out of medical tourism destinations and work to ensure that the potential harms of these worker flows to both groups are mitigated

A Coupled Analysis of Atmospheric Mass Loss and Tidal Evolution in XUV Irradiated Exoplanets: The TRAPPIST-1 Case Study

Exoplanets residing close to their stars can experience evolution of both their physical structures and their orbits due to the influence of their host stars. In this work, we present a coupled analysis of dynamical tidal dissipation and atmospheric mass loss for exoplanets in X-ray and ultraviolet (XUV) irradiated environments. As our primary application, we use this model to study the TRAPPIST-1 system and place constraints on the interior structure and orbital evolution of the planets. We start by reporting on an ultraviolet continuum flux measurement (centered around ~1900 Å) for the star TRAPPIST-1, based on 300 ks of Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory data, and which enables an estimate of the XUV-driven thermal escape arising from XUV photodissociation for each planet. We find that the X-ray flaring luminosity, measured from our X-ray detections, of TRAPPIST-1 is 5.6 × 10⁻⁴ L*, while the full flux including non-flaring periods is 6.1 × 10⁻⁵ L*, when L* is TRAPPIST-1's bolometric luminosity. We then construct a model that includes both atmospheric mass loss and tidal evolution and requires the planets to attain their present-day orbital elements during this coupled evolution. We use this model to constrain the ratio Q′ = 3Q/2k₂ for each planet. Finally, we use additional numerical models implemented with the Virtual Planet Simulator VPLanet to study ocean retention for these planets using our derived system parameters