251 research outputs found
Spectral techniques in jet noise theory
Spectral analysis techniques applied to Lighthill aerodynamic sound equation for unified jet noise theor
Evaluation of the implementation of the alert issued by the UK National Patient Safety Agency on the storage and handling of potassium chloride concentrate solution
Objectives: To assess the effectiveness of the response of NHS hospital trusts to an alert issued by the National Patient Safety Agency designed to limit the availability of concentrated potassium chloride in hospitals in England and Wales, and to determine the nature of any unintended consequences. Design: Multi-method study involving interviews and a physical inspection of clinical areas. Setting: 207 clinical areas in 20 randomly selected acute NHS trusts in England and Wales between 31 October 2002 and 31 January 2003. Participants: Senior managers and ward based medical and nursing staff. Main outcome measures: Degree of staff awareness of and compliance with the requirements of the national alert, withdrawal of concentrated potassium chloride solutions from non-critical areas, provision of pre-diluted alternatives, storage and recording in accordance with controlled drug legislation. Results: All trusts required that potassium chloride concentrate be stored in a separate locked cupboard from common injectable diluents (100% compliance). Unauthorised stocks of potassium chloride were found in five clinical areas not authorised by the trust (98% compliance). All trusts required documentation control of potassium chloride concentrate in clinical areas, but errors were recorded in 20 of the 207 clinical areas visited (90% compliance). Of those interviewed, 78% of nurses and 30% of junior doctors were aware of the alert. Conclusions: The NPSA alert was effective and resulted in rapid development and implementation of local policies to reduce the availability of concentrated potassium chloride solutions. The success is likely to be partly due to the nature of the proposed changes and it cannot be assumed that future alerts will be equally effective. Continued vigilance will be necessary to help sustain the changes
Analysis of model rotor blade pressures during parallel interaction with twin vortices
This paper presents and provides analysis of unsteady surface pressures measured on a model rotor blade as the blade experienced near parallel blade vortex interaction with a twin vortex system. To provide a basis for analysis, the vortex system was characterized by hot-wire measurements made in the interaction plane but in the absence of the rotor. The unsteady pressure response resulting from a single vortex interaction is then presented to provide a frame of reference for the twin vortex results. A series of twin vortex interaction cases are then presented and analyzed. It is shown that the unsteady blade pressures and forces are very sensitive to the inclination angle and separation distance of the vortex pair. When the vortex cores lie almost parallel to the blade chord, the interaction is characterized by a two-stage response associated with the sequential passage of the two cores. Conversely, when the cores lie on a plane that is almost perpendicular to the blade chord, the response is similar to that of a single vortex interaction. In all cases, the normal force response is consistent with the distribution of vertical velocity in the flow field of the vortex system. The pitching moment response, on the other hand, depends on the localized suction associated with the vortex cores as they traverse the blade chord
Curve crossing in linear potential grids: the quasidegeneracy approximation
The quasidegeneracy approximation [V. A. Yurovsky, A. Ben-Reuven, P. S.
Julienne, and Y. B. Band, J. Phys. B {\bf 32}, 1845 (1999)] is used here to
evaluate transition amplitudes for the problem of curve crossing in linear
potential grids involving two sets of parallel potentials. The approximation
describes phenomena, such as counterintuitive transitions and saturation
(incomplete population transfer), not predictable by the assumption of
independent crossings. Also, a new kind of oscillations due to quantum
interference (different from the well-known St\"uckelberg oscillations) is
disclosed, and its nature discussed. The approximation can find applications in
many fields of physics, where multistate curve crossing problems occur.Comment: LaTeX, 8 pages, 8 PostScript figures, uses REVTeX and psfig,
submitted to Physical Review
Double Beta Decay: Historical Review of 75 Years of Research
Main achievements during 75 years of research on double beta decay have been
reviewed. The existing experimental data have been presented and the
capabilities of the next-generation detectors have been demonstrated.Comment: 25 pages, typos adde
Supporting carers to manage pain medication in cancer patients at the end of life: A feasibility trial
Background:
Carers of people with advanced cancer play a significant role in managing pain medication, yet they report insufficient information and support to do so confidently and competently. There is limited research evidence on the best ways for clinicians to help carers with medication management.
Aims:
To develop a pain medicines management intervention (Cancer Carers Medicines Management) for cancer patients’ carers near the end of life and evaluate feasibility and acceptability to nurses and carers. To test the feasibility of trial research procedures and to inform decisions concerning a full-scale randomised controlled trial.
Design:
Phase I-II clinical trial. A systematic, evidence-informed participatory method was used to develop CCMM: a nurse-delivered structured conversational process. A two-arm, cluster randomised controlled feasibility trial of Cancer Carers Medicines Management was conducted, with an embedded qualitative study to evaluate participants’ experiences of Cancer Carers Medicines Management and trial procedures.
Setting:
Community settings in two study sites.
Participants:
Phase I comprises 57 carers, patients and healthcare professionals and Phase II comprises 12 nurses and 15 carers.
Results:
A novel intervention was developed. Nurses were recruited and randomised. Carer recruitment to the trial was problematic with fewer than predicted eligible participants, and nurses judged a high proportion unsuitable to recruit into the study. Attrition rates following recruitment were typical for the study population. Cancer Carers Medicines Management was acceptable to carers and nurses who took part, and some benefits were identified.
Conclusion:
Cancer Carers Medicines Management is a robustly developed medicines management intervention which merits further research to test its effectiveness to improve carers’ management of pain medicines with patients at the end of life. The study highlighted aspects of trial design that need to be considered in future research
Follow-up after curative treatment for colorectal cancer: longitudinal evaluation of patient initiated follow-up in the first 12 months
Purpose: To compare patient-triggered follow-up (PTFU) for curatively treated colorectal cancer against traditional outpatient follow-up (OPFU).
Methods: Questionnaires were mailed at four time points over one-year post-treatment to two prospectively-recruited cohorts: A, patients entering follow-up and receiving OPFU pre-implementation of PTFU; B, patients entering follow-up (FU) and receiving either OPFU (B1) or PTFU (B2) post-implementation of PTFU. Bi-variate tests were used to compare patient characteristics and outcomes eight months after entering follow-up (generic and cancer-specific quality of life (QoL), satisfaction). Regression analysis explored associations between follow-up model and outcomes. Resource implications and costs of models were compared.
Results: Patients in Cohort B1 were significantly more likely to have received chemotherapy (p<0.001), radiotherapy (p<0.05), and reported poorer QoL (p=0.001). Having a longstanding co-morbid condition was the most important determinant of QoL (p<0.001); model of care was not significant. Patients were satisfied with their follow-up care regardless of model. Health service costs were higher in PTFU over the first year.
Conclusions: PTFU is acceptable to patients with colorectal cancer and can be considered to be a realistic alternative to OPFU for clinically suitable patients. The initial costs are higher due to provision of a self-management (SM) programme and remote surveillance. Further research is needed to establish long-term outcomes and costs
TOI-1842b: A Transiting Warm Saturn Undergoing Reinflation Around An Evolving Subgiant
The imminent launch of space telescopes designed to probe the atmospheres of exoplanets has prompted new efforts to prioritize the thousands of transiting planet candidates for follow-up characterization. We report the detection and confirmation of TOI-1842b, a warm Saturn identified by TESS and confirmed with ground-based observations from Minerva-Australis, NRES, and the Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope. This planet has a radius of 1.04 (+0.06)/(-0.05) RJ, a mass of 0.214 (+0.040)/(-0.038) MJ, an orbital period of 9.5739 (+0.0002)/(-0.0001) days, and an extremely low density (ρ = 0.252 ± 0.091 g cm⁻³). TOI-1842b has among the best known combinations of large atmospheric scale height (893 km) and host-star brightness (J = 8.747 mag), making it an attractive target for atmospheric characterization. As the host star is beginning to evolve off the main sequence, TOI-1842b presents an excellent opportunity to test models of gas giant reinflation. The primary transit duration of only 4.3 hr also makes TOI-1842b an easily-schedulable target for further ground-based atmospheric characterization
Family and healthcare professionals’ perceptions of a pilot hospice at home programme for children: a qualitative study
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