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Electron muon identification by atmospheric shower and electron beam in a new concept of an EAS detector
We present results demonstrating the time resolution and /e separation
capabilities with a new concept of an EAS detector capable for measurements of
cosmic rays arriving with large zenith angles. This kind of detector has been
designed to be a part of a large area (several square kilometers) surface array
designed to measure Ultra High Energy (10-200 PeV) neutrinos using the
Earth-skimming technique. A criteria to identify electron-gammas is also shown
and the particle identification capability is tested by measurements in
coincidence with the KASKADE-GRANDE experiment in Karlsruhe, Germany.Comment: accepted by Astrophysical Journal on January 12 2015, 16 pages 3
Figure
Periodic orbit theory and spectral rigidity in pseudointegrable systems
We calculate numerically the periodic orbits of pseudointegrable systems of
low genus numbers that arise from rectangular systems with one or two
salient corners. From the periodic orbits, we calculate the spectral rigidity
using semiclassical quantum mechanics with reaching up to
quite large values. We find that the diagonal approximation is applicable when
averaging over a suitable energy interval. Comparing systems of various shapes
we find that our results agree well with calculated directly from
the eigenvalues by spectral statistics. Therefore, additional terms as e.g.
diffraction terms seem to be small in the case of the systems investigated in
this work. By reducing the size of the corners, the spectral statistics of our
pseudointegrable systems approaches the one of an integrable system, whereas
very large differences between integrable and pseudointegrable systems occur,
when the salient corners are large. Both types of behavior can be well
understood by the properties of the periodic orbits in the system
Application of the Trace Formula in Pseudointegrable Systems
We apply periodic-orbit theory to calculate the integrated density of states
from the periodic orbits of pseudointegrable polygon and barrier
billiards. We show that the results agree so well with the results obtained
from direct diagonalization of the Schr\"odinger equation, that about the first
100 eigenvalues can be obtained directly from the periodic-orbit calculations
in good accuracy.Comment: 5 Pages, 4 Figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.
Legal Hurdles to Developing Wind Power as an Alternative Energy Source in the United States: Creative and Comparative Solutions
This article discusses how parties have used current domestic environmental laws to curb the development of a more environmentally-friendly alternative energy source: wind power. As the ever-increasing demand for oil and petroleum around the world leads to rising costs throughout the nation, investing in new energy sources is considered crucial to sustainable development in the United States. Wind power has the potential to serve as a clean, efficient, and renewable source of energy in the 21st Century. The further development of wind power could create a meaningful alternative energy supply, relaxing geopolitical and economic concerns over this country\u27s strict century-old diet of fossil fuels. Unfortunately for proponents, wind power projects, despite their environmentally-conscious potential, have been successfully stalled in recent years by the unlikeliest of foes--legislation designed to protect the environment
Legal Hurdles to Developing Wind Power as an Alternative Energy Source in the United States: Creative and Comparative Solutions
This article discusses how parties have used current domestic environmental laws to curb the development of a more environmentally-friendly alternative energy source: wind power. As the ever-increasing demand for oil and petroleum around the world leads to rising costs throughout the nation, investing in new energy sources is considered crucial to sustainable development in the United States. Wind power has the potential to serve as a clean, efficient, and renewable source of energy in the 21st Century. The further development of wind power could create a meaningful alternative energy supply, relaxing geopolitical and economic concerns over this country\u27s strict century-old diet of fossil fuels. Unfortunately for proponents, wind power projects, despite their environmentally-conscious potential, have been successfully stalled in recent years by the unlikeliest of foes--legislation designed to protect the environment
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Cortisol levels in response to starting school in children at increased risk for social phobia
Background: Research on depression has identified hyperactivity of the HPA axis as a
potential contributory factor to the intergenerational transmission of affective symptoms. However,
this has not yet been examined in the context of social phobia. The current study compared HPA axis
activity in response to a universal social stressor (starting school) in children of 2 groups of women:
one with social phobia and one with no history of anxiety (comparison group). To determine specificity
of effects of maternal social phobia, a third group of children were also examined whose mothers had
generalised anxiety disorder (GAD).
Method: Children provided salivary cortisol samples in the morning, afternoon and at bedtime across 3
time-blocks surrounding the school start: a month before starting school (baseline), the first week at
school (stress response), and the end of the first school term (stress recovery). Child behavioural
inhibition at 14 months was also assessed to explore the influence of early temperament on later stress
responses.
Results: All children displayed an elevation in morning and afternoon cortisol from baseline during the
first week at school, which remained elevated until the end of the first term. Children in the social
phobia group, however, also displayed an equivalent elevation in bedtime cortisol, which was not
observed for comparison children or for children of mothers with GAD. Children in the social phobia
group who were classified as 'inhibited' at 14 months displayed significantly higher afternoon cortisol
levels overall.
Summary: A persistent stress response to school in the morning and afternoon is typical for all
children, but children of mothers with social phobia also display atypical elevations in evening cortisol
levels when at school - signalling long-term disruption of the circadian rhythm in HPA axis activity.
This is the first study to report HPA axis disruption in children at risk of developing social phobia, and
future research should aim to determine whether this represents a pathway for symptom
development, taking early temperament into account
The shape of jamming arches in two-dimensional deposits of granular materials
We present experimental results on the shape of arches that block the outlet
of a two dimensional silo. For a range of outlet sizes, we measure some
properties of the arches such as the number of particles involved, the span,
the aspect ratio, and the angles between mutually stabilizing particles. These
measurements shed light on the role of frictional tangential forces in arching.
In addition, we find that arches tend to adopt an aspect ratio (the quotient
between height and half the span) close to one, suggesting an isotropic load.
The comparison of the experimental results with data from numerical models of
the arches formed in the bulk of a granular column reveals the similarities of
both, as well as some limitations in the few existing models.Comment: 8 pages; submitted to Physical Review
The Confidential Inquiry into premature deaths of people with intellectual disabilities in the UK: a population-based study
SummaryBackgroundThe Confidential Inquiry into premature deaths of people with intellectual disabilities in England was commissioned to provide evidence about contributory factors to avoidable and premature deaths in this population.MethodsThe population-based Confidential Inquiry reviewed the deaths of people with intellectual disabilities aged 4 years and older who had been registered with a general practitioner in one of five Primary Care Trust areas of southwest England, who died between June 1, 2010, and May 31, 2012. A network of health, social-care, and voluntary-sector services; community contacts; and statutory agencies notified the Confidential Inquiry of all deaths of people with intellectual disabilities and provided core data. The Office for National Statistics provided data about the coding of individual cause of death certificates. Deaths were described as avoidable (preventable or amenable), according to Office for National Statistics definitions. Contributory factors to deaths were identified and quantified by the case investigator, verified by a local review panel meeting, and agreed by the Confidential Inquiry overview panel. Contributory factors were grouped into four domains: intrinsic to the individual, within the family and environment, care provision, and service provision. The deaths of a comparator group of people without intellectual disabilities but much the same in age, sex, and cause of death and registered at the same general practices as those with intellectual disabilities were also investigated.FindingsThe Confidential Inquiry reviewed the deaths of 247 people with intellectual disabilities. Nearly a quarter (22%, 54) of people with intellectual disabilities were younger than 50 years when they died, and the median age at death was 64 years (IQR 52–75). The median age at death of male individuals with intellectual disabilities was 65 years (IQR 54–76), 13 years younger than the median age at death of male individuals in the general population of England and Wales (78 years). The median age at death of female individuals with intellectual disabilities was 63 years (IQR 54–75), 20 years younger than the median age at death for female individuals in the general population (83 years). Avoidable deaths from causes amenable to change by good quality health care were more common in people with intellectual disabilities (37%, 90 of 244) than in the general population of England and Wales (13%). Contributory factors to premature deaths in a subset of people with intellectual disabilities compared with a comparator group of people without intellectual disabilities included problems in advanced care planning (p=0·0003), adherence to the Mental Capacity Act (p=0·0008), living in inappropriate accommodation (p<0·0001), adjusting care as needs changed (p=0·009), and carers not feeling listened to (p=0·006).InterpretationThe Confidential Inquiry provides evidence of the substantial contribution of factors relating to the provision of care and health services to the health disparities between people with and without intellectual disabilities. It is imperative to examine care and service provision for this population as potentially contributory factors to their deaths—factors that can largely be ameliorated.FundingDepartment of Health for England
Program Manager Competencies (Chapter 11 of Program Management for Improved Business Results)
The successful program manager is constantly seeking to learn and broaden his or her knowledge and experience in order to take on more complex and critical programs. The program management competency model was developed in order to address the breadth, depth, and complexity of the program management role. This chapter uses the program management competency model to detail the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed for program managers to continually grow as professionals and consistently succeed in their role. The various types of competencies that are discussed in the chapter are: customer and market competencies, business and financial competencies, process and project management competencies, and leadership competencies. Additionally, the chapter discusses the key organizational enablers needed to make the competency model fully effective and to adequately support the program management discipline within an organization
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