1,284 research outputs found
Spin and Rotation in General Relativity
http://arxiv.org/abs/gr-qc/0102101Rapporteur's Introduction to the GT8 session of the Ninth Marcel Grossmann Meeting (Rome, 2000); to appear in the Proceedings
Neutrino Oscillations Induced by Space-Time Torsion
The gravitational neutrino oscillation problem is studied by considering the Dirac Hamiltonian in a Riemann-Cartan space-time and calculating the dynamical phase. Torsion contributions which depend on the spin direction of the mass eigenstates are found. These effects are of the order of Planck scales
Reliability Study of the Sedation-Agitation Scale in an Intensive Care Unit
The management of sedation in critically ill patients is a complex issue for
Intensive Care Units (ICU) worldwide. Notable complications of sedation
practices have been identified and efforts to modify these practices in ICUs have
begun. While sedation-scoring tools have been introduced into clinical practice in
intensive care few have been tested for validity and reliability. One tool which has
reliability and validity established is the Sedation-Agitation Scale (SAS). This
study is an extension of a previous study by Riker, Picard and Fraser (1999) to
determine whether doctors and nurses rate patients similarly using the SAS in a
natural ICU setting. It is essential to establish whether these different
professionals provide consistent scores and have a mutual understanding of the
SAS and its constituent levels. This will help ensure that clinical decisions
relating to sedation-needs can be made appropriately and consistently. This
quasi-experimental reliability study was set in a 12-bed tertiary general ICU in
New Zealand. The SAS had recently been introduced into this unit and a
convenience sample of 42 nursing and medical staff performed paired ratings on
69 randomly selected adult ICU patients over an eight week time frame. The
mean patient age was 58 years, and 79% of patients were on continuous
infusions of Propofol. Intubated patients made up 91% of the sample. 74% of
patients were given the same SAS score by the doctor-nurse pair. The weighted
kappa score for inter-rater agreement was 0.82 indicating very good agreement.
Of the 26% of scores where there was a difference, the two readings were only
one score apart. Most of the difference occurred around SAS scores of 1-2 and
3-4. Further analysis found no staff or patient variables to be statistically
significant in impacting on the ratings. The SAS was found to be a reliable
sedation-scoring tool in a general ICU when used by nurses and doctors of
varying experience. The implementation of the SAS should improve the quality of
sedation management in critically ill patients, facilitate communication between
nurses and medical staff with regard to the effectiveness of sedation regimes,
and assist with the development of optimal sedation and analgesia guidelines for
ICU patients
On the interaction of massive spinor particles with external electromagnetic and torsion fields
We explore the Dirac equation in external electromagnetic and torsion fields.
Motivated by the previous study of quantum field theory in an external torsion
field, we include a nonminimal interaction of the spinor field with torsion. As
a consequence, the torsion axial vector and the electromagnetic potential enter
the action in a similar form. The existence of an extra local symmetry is
emphasized and the Foldy-Wouthuysen transformation is performed to an accuracy
of next to the leading order. We also discuss the motion of a classical test
particle in a constant torsion field.Comment: LaTeX, 7 pages, no figure
Testing the methodological utility of trace element analysis for detetecting dietary differences in fossil fauna from Turkana
International audienc
Assessable Learning Outcomes for the EU Education and Training Framework core and Function A specific modules: Report of an ETPLAS Working Group
Article 23(2) of the European Union Directive 2010/63/EU, which regulates welfare provisions for animals used for scientific purposes, requires that staff involved in the care and use of animals for scientific purposes be adequately educated and trained before they undertake any such work. However, the nature and extent of such training is not stipulated in the Directive. To facilitate Member States in fulfilling their education and training obligations, the European Commission developed a common Education and Training Framework, which was endorsed by the Member States Competent Authorities. An Education & Training Platform for Laboratory Animal Science (ETPLAS) Working Group was recently established to develop further guidance to the Learning Outcomes in the Framework, with the objective to clarify the levels of knowledge and understanding required by trainees, and to provide the criteria by which these Learning Outcomes should be assessed. Using the Framework document as a starting point, assessment criteria for the Learning Outcomes of the modules required for Function A persons (carrying out procedures on animals) for rats, mice and zebrafish were created with sufficient detail to enable trainees, providers and assessors to appreciate the level of knowledge, understanding and skills required to pass each module. Adoption and utilization of this document by training providers and accrediting or approving bodies will harmonize introductory education and training for those involved in the care and use of animals for scientific purposes within the European Union, promote mutual recognition of training within and between Member States and therefore free movement of personnel
The type IIb SN 2008ax: spectral and light curve evolution
We present spectroscopy and photometry of the He-rich supernova (SN) 2008ax.
The early-time spectra show prominent P-Cygni H lines, which decrease with time
and disappear completely about two months after the explosion. In the same
period He I lines become the most prominent spectral features. SN 2008ax
displays the ordinary spectral evolution of a type IIb supernova. A stringent
pre-discovery limit constrains the time of the shock breakout of SN 2008ax to
within only a few hours. Its light curve, which peaks in the B band about 20
days after the explosion, strongly resembles that of other He-rich
core-collapse supernovae. The observed evolution of SN 2008ax is consistent
with the explosion of a young Wolf-Rayet (of WNL type) star, which had retained
a thin, low-mass shell of its original H envelope. The overall characteristics
of SN 2008ax are reminiscent of those of SN 1993J, except for a likely smaller
H mass. This may account for the findings that the progenitor of SN 2008ax was
a WNL star and not a K supergiant as in the case of SN 1993J, that a prominent
early-time peak is missing in the light curve of SN 2008ax, and that Halpha is
observed at higher velocities in SN 2008ax than in SN 1993J.Comment: 10 pages, including 8 figures and 4 tables. Accepted for publication
in MNRA
The Elbow-EpiTrainer : A method of delivering graded resistance to the extensor carpi radialis brevis. Effectiveness of a prototype device in a healthy population
This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of the following article: Navsaria R, Ryder DM, Lewis JS, et al, 'The Elbow-EpiTrainer: a method of delivering graded resistance to the extensor carpi radialis brevi:. Effectiveness of a prototype device in a healthy population', British Journal of Sports Medicine, Vol. 49(5):318-322, March 2015, available online at: http://bjsm.bmj.com/content/49/5/318. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited.Background: Tennis elbow or lateral epicondylopathy (LE) is experienced as the lateral elbow has a reported prevalence of 1.3%, with symptoms lasting up to 18 months. LE is most commonly attributed to tendinopathy involving the extensor carpi radialis brevis (ECRB) tendon. The aim of tendinopathy management is to alleviate symptoms and restore function that initially involves relative rest followed by progressive therapeutic exercise. Objective: To assess the effectiveness of two prototype exercises using commonly available clinical equipment to progressively increase resistance and activity of the ECRB. Method: Eighteen healthy participants undertook two exercise progressions. Surface electromyography was used to record ECRB activity during the two progressions, involving eccentric exercises of the wrist extensors and elbow pronation exercises using a prototype device. The two progressions were assessed for their linearity of progression using repeated ANOVA and linear regression analysis. Five participants repeated the study to assess reliability. Results: The exercise progressions led to an increase in ECRB electromyographic (EMG) activity (p0.7) between the first and second tests for five participants. Conclusions: Manipulation of resistance and leverage with the prototype exercises was effective in creating significant increases of ECRB normalised EMG activity in a linear manner that may, with future research, become useful to clinicians treating LE. In addition, between trial reliability for the device to generate a consistent load was acceptable.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio
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