483 research outputs found
Obstructions to embeddability into hyperquadrics and explicit examples
We give series of explicit examples of Levi-nondegenerate real-analytic
hypersurfaces in complex spaces that are not transversally holomorphically
embeddable into hyperquadrics of any dimension. For this, we construct
invariants attached to a given hypersurface that serve as obstructions to
embeddability. We further study the embeddability problem for real-analytic
submanifolds of higher codimension and answer a question by Forstneri\v{c}.Comment: Revised version, appendix and references adde
Surface Modification of Polyethylene with Multi-End-Functional Polyethylene Additives
We have prepared and characterized a series of multifluorocarbon end-functional polyethylene additives, which when blended with polyethylene matrices increase surface hydrophobicity and lipophobicity. Water contact angles of >112° were observed on spin-cast blended film surfaces containing less than 1% fluorocarbon in the bulk, compared to 98° in the absence of any additive. Crystallinity in these films gives rise to surface roughness that is an order of magnitude greater than is typical for amorphous spin-cast films but is too little to give rise to superhydrophobicity. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) confirms the enrichment of the multifluorocarbon additives at the air surface by up to 80 times the bulk concentration. Ion beam analysis was used to quantify the surface excess of the additives as a function of composition, functionality, and molecular weight of either blend component. In some cases, an excess of the additives was also found at the substrate interface, indicating phase separation into self-stratified layers. The combination of neutron reflectometry and ion beam analysis allowed the surface excess to be quantified above and below the melting point of the blended films. In these films, where the melting temperatures of the additive and matrix components are relatively similar (within 15 °C), the surface excess is almost independent of whether the blended film is semicrystalline or molten, suggesting that the additive undergoes cocrystallization with the matrix when the blended films are allowed to cool below the melting point
A high stability semiconductor laser system for a Sr-based optical lattice clock
We describe a frequency stabilized diode laser at 698 nm used for high
resolution spectroscopy of the 1S0-3P0 strontium clock transition. For the
laser stabilization we use state-of-the-art symmetrically suspended optical
cavities optimized for very low thermal noise at room temperature. Two-stage
frequency stabilization to high finesse optical cavities results in measured
laser frequency noise about a factor of three above the cavity thermal noise
between 2 Hz and 11 Hz. With this system, we demonstrate high resolution remote
spectroscopy on the 88Sr clock transition by transferring the laser output over
a phase-noise-compensated 200 m-long fiber link between two separated
laboratories. Our dedicated fiber link ensures a transfer of the optical
carrier with frequency stability of 7 \cdot 10^{-18} after 100 s integration
time, which could enable the observation of the strontium clock transition with
an atomic Q of 10^{14}. Furthermore, with an eye towards the development of
transportable optical clocks, we investigate how the complete laser system
(laser+optics+cavity) can be influenced by environmental disturbances in terms
of both short- and long-term frequency stability.Comment: 9 pages, 9 figures, submitted to Appl. Phys.
Lagrangian Klein bottles in R^{2n}
It is shown that the n-dimensional Klein bottle admits a Lagrangian embedding
into R^{2n} if and only if n is odd.Comment: V.2 - explicit formula for the Luttinger-type surgery; V.3 - section
3 corrected, section 6 expanded; 6 page
Women, men and coronary heart disease: a review of the qualitative literature
Aim. This paper presents a review of the qualitative literature which examines the experiences of patients with coronary heart disease. The paper also assesses whether the experiences of both female and male patients are reflected in the literature and summarizes key themes.
Background. Understanding patients' experiences of their illness is important for coronary heart disease prevention and education. Qualitative methods are particularly suited to eliciting patients' detailed understandings and perceptions of illness. As much previous research has been 'gender neutral', this review pays particular attention to gender.
Methods. Published papers from 60 qualitative studies were identified for the review through searches in MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PREMEDLINE, PsychINFO, Social Sciences Citation Index and Web of Science using keywords related to coronary heart disease.
Findings. Early qualitative studies of patients with coronary heart disease were conducted almost exclusively with men, and tended to generalize from 'male' experience to 'human' experience. By the late 1990s this pattern had changed, with the majority of studies including women and many being conducted with solely female samples. However, many studies that include both male and female coronary heart disease patients still do not have a specific gender focus. Key themes in the literature include interpreting symptoms and seeking help, belief about coronary 'candidates' and relationships with health professionals. The influence of social roles is important: many female patients have difficulties reconciling family responsibilities and medical advice, while male patients worry about being absent from work.
Conclusions. There is a need for studies that compare the experiences of men and women. There is also an urgent need for work that takes masculinity and gender roles into account when exploring the experiences of men with coronary heart disease
An Outcome Evaluation of the Implementation of the Triple P â Positive Parenting Program in Hong Kong
The present study evaluated the effectiveness of the Positive Parenting Program (Triple P) with a sample of Chinese parents of children with early onset conduct related problems in Hong Kong. The participants consisted of 91 parents whose children attended maternal and child health centers and child assessment centers for service, and were between three to seven years old. Participants were randomly assigned to the intervention (TP) and a waitlist control group (WL. There was no significant difference in pre-intervention measures between the two groups. However, at post intervention, participants in the TP group reported significantly lower levels of child behavior problems, lower dysfunctional parenting styles, and higher parent sense of competence, compared to the WL group. Implications of these findings for the use of Triple P with families of Chinese descent are discussed
On the Kobayashi-Royden metric for ellipsoids
Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/46237/1/208_2005_Article_BF01446557.pd
Ethnographic understandings of ethnically diverse neighbourhoods to inform urban design practice
The aim of this paper is to inform urban design practice through deeper
understanding and analysis of the social dynamics of public outdoor
space in ethnically diverse neighbourhoods. We hypothesise that
findings from ethnographic research can provide a resource that
improves cultural literacy and supports social justice in professional
practice. The primary method is a meta-synthesis literature review of 24
ethnographic research papers, all of which explore some dimensions of
public open space use and values in UK urban contexts characterised by
ethnic and racial diversity. We summarise thematic understandings and
significance of neighbourhood places of shared activity, parks, spaces of
passing-by and of retreat. We evaluate the implications for intercultural
social dynamics, exploring the spatial and temporal dimensions of
conviviality and racism in public open space. We then argue that it is
possible to develop principles for urban design practice informed by this
work, and propose four for discussion: maximising straightforward
participation, legitimising diversity of activity, designing in micro-retreats
of nearby quietness and addressing structural inequalities of open space
provision. We conclude that ethnographic research can provide detailed
insights into the use of the public realm and also inform a more nuanced
understanding of outdoor sociality relevant for an increasingly diverse
society. The challenge is two-fold: for ethnographers to become less
cautious in engaging with decisions and priorities regarding how cities
change, and for urban designers to explicitly embed informed
understandings of difference into their broad desire for inclusive public space
Limits on Fast Radio Bursts and other transient sources at 182 MHz using the Murchison Widefield Array
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