1,514 research outputs found
Using an Emergency Plan to Combat Teacher Burnout Following a Natural Hazard
A relevant, well-crafted emergency plan can help schools most optimally return to normal following a disaster. During this time, educators find themselves facing unintended responsibilities like operating on the front lines of providing social-emotional support for their students. Researchers conducted 115 interviews with educators impacted by Hurricanes Harvey and Matthew in Texas and North Carolina to assess their mental health and their school?s role in returning to normal. Findings suggest that emergency plans often did not take into account the social-emotional factors of recovery. This paper seeks to provide insight into the experiences of educators following a disaster and propose elements to consider in revising school emergency plans
A comparison of terrestrial laser scanning and structure-from-motion photogrammetry as methods for digital outcrop acquisition
Terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) has been used extensively in Earth Science for acquisition of digital outcrop data over the past decade. Structure-from-Âmotion (SfM) photogrammetry has recently emerged as an alternative and competing technology. The real-world performance of these technologies for ground-based digital outcrop acquisition is assessed using outcrops from North East England and the United Arab Emirates. Both TLS and SfM are viaÂble methods, although no single technology is universally best suited to all situations. There are a range of practical considerations and operating conditions where each method has clear advantages. In comparison to TLS, SfM benefits from being lighter, more compact, cheaper, more easily replaced and repaired, with lower power requirements. TLS in comparison to SfM provides intrinsically validated data and more robust data acquisition in a wide range of operating conditions. Data post-processing is also swifter. The SfM data sets were found to contain systematic inaccuracies when compared to their TLS counterparts. These inaccuracies are related to the triangulation approach of the SfM, which is distinct from the time-of-flight principle employed by TLS. An elaborate approach is required for SfM to produce comparable results to TLS under most circumstances
The National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire: Experience of the ONTT
purpose. To describe the health-related quality of life, measured with the National Eye Institute Visual Function Questionnaire (NEIâVFQ), of patients several years after the onset of optic neuritis, according to their neurologic and visual status; to assess the relationship between the NEIâVFQ subscales and clinical measures of visual function; and to assess the internal consistency reliability of the NEIâVFQ subscales. methods. The NEIâVFQ was administered to 244 patients 5 to 8 years after treatment for an episode of acute optic neuritis as part of the Optic Neuritis Treatment Trial. Visual acuity, visual field, contrast sensitivity, and color vision were measured at the same time as questionnaire completion. results. The NEIâVFQ scores generally were lower than those reported for a disease-free group. Reported dysfunction was greater when multiple sclerosis was present and when visual acuity was abnormal, supporting the construct validity of the NEIâVFQ. Rank correlations between the NEIâVFQ subscales and clinical measures of visual function were moderate at best. Internal consistency reliability was generally high for most of the NEIâVFQ subscales. conclusions. These findings add support to the use of the NEIâVFQ as a valuable measure of self-reported visual impairment
Theoretical investigations of a highly mismatched interface: the case of SiC/Si(001)
Using first principles, classical potentials, and elasticity theory, we
investigated the structure of a semiconductor/semiconductor interface with a
high lattice mismatch, SiC/Si(001). Among several tested possible
configurations, a heterostructure with (i) a misfit dislocation network pinned
at the interface and (ii) reconstructed dislocation cores with a carbon
substoichiometry is found to be the most stable one. The importance of the slab
approximation in first-principles calculations is discussed and estimated by
combining classical potential techniques and elasticity theory. For the most
stable configuration, an estimate of the interface energy is given. Finally,
the electronic structure is investigated and discussed in relation with the
dislocation array structure. Interface states, localized in the heterostructure
gap and located on dislocation cores, are identified
Sub-millimeter Tests of the Gravitational Inverse-square Law
Motivated by a variety of theories that predict new effects, we tested the
gravitational 1/r^2 law at separations between 10.77 mm and 137 microns using
two different 10-fold azimuthally symmetric torsion pendulums and rotating
10-fold symmetric attractors. Our work improves upon other experiments by up to
a factor of about 100. We found no deviation from Newtonian physics at the 95%
confidence level and interpret these results as constraints on extensions of
the Standard Model that predict Yukawa or power-law forces. We set a constraint
on the largest single extra dimension (assuming toroidal compactification and
that one extra dimension is significantly larger than all the others) of R <=
160 microns, and on two equal-sized large extra dimensions of R <= 130 microns.
Yukawa interactions with |alpha| >= 1 are ruled out at 95% confidence for
lambda >= 197 microns. Extra-dimensions scenarios stabilized by radions are
restricted to unification masses M >= 3.0 TeV/c^2, regardless of the number of
large extra dimensions. We also provide new constraints on power-law potentials
V(r)\propto r^{-k} with k between 2 and 5 and on the gamma_5 couplings of
pseudoscalars with m <= 10 meV/c^2.Comment: 34 pages, 38 figure
Determination of the parameters of semiconducting CdF2:In with Schottky barriers from radio-frequency measurements
Physical properties of semiconducting CdF_2 crystals doped with In are
determined from measurements of the radio-frequency response of a sample with
Schottky barriers at frequencies 10 - 10^6 Hz. The dc conductivity, the
activation energy of the amphoteric impurity, and the total concentration of
the active In ions in CdF_2 are found through an equivalent-circuit analysis of
the frequency dependencies of the sample complex impedance at temperatures from
20 K to 300 K. Kinetic coefficients determining the thermally induced
transitions between the deep and the shallow states of the In impurity and the
barrier height between these states are obtained from the time-dependent
radio-frequency response after illumination of the material. The results on the
low-frequency conductivity in CdF_2:In are compared with submillimeter (10^{11}
- 10^{12} Hz) measurements and with room-temperature infrared measurements of
undoped CdF_2. The low-frequency impedance measurements of semiconductor
samples with Schottky barriers are shown to be a good tool for investigation of
the physical properties of semiconductors.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figure
The spectral gap for some spin chains with discrete symmetry breaking
We prove that for any finite set of generalized valence bond solid (GVBS)
states of a quantum spin chain there exists a translation invariant
finite-range Hamiltonian for which this set is the set of ground states. This
result implies that there are GVBS models with arbitrary broken discrete
symmetries that are described as combinations of lattice translations, lattice
reflections, and local unitary or anti-unitary transformations. We also show
that all GVBS models that satisfy some natural conditions have a spectral gap.
The existence of a spectral gap is obtained by applying a simple and quite
general strategy for proving lower bounds on the spectral gap of the generator
of a classical or quantum spin dynamics. This general scheme is interesting in
its own right and therefore, although the basic idea is not new, we present it
in a system-independent setting. The results are illustrated with an number of
examples.Comment: 48 pages, Plain TeX, BN26/Oct/9
Lensing at cosmological scales: a test of higher dimensional gravity
Recent developments in gravitational lensing astronomy have paved the way to
genuine mappings of the gravitational potential at cosmological scales. We
stress that comparing these data with traditional large scale structure surveys
will provide us with a test of gravity at such scales. These constraints could
be of great importance in the framework of higher dimensional cosmological
models.Comment: 4 pages, latex, 3 figure
Probing Sub-Micron Forces by Interferometry of Bose-Einstein Condensed Atoms
We propose a technique, using interferometry of Bose-Einstein condensed
alkali atoms, for the detection of sub-micron-range forces. It may extend
present searches at 1 micron by 6 to 9 orders of magnitude, deep into the
theoretically interesting regime of 1000 times gravity. We give several
examples of both four-dimensional particles (moduli), as well as
higher-dimensional particles -- vectors and scalars in a large bulk-- that
could mediate forces accessible by this technique.Comment: 32 pages, 5 figures, RevTeX4, expanded discussion of interactions,
references added, to appear in PR
Cryptic Eimeria genotypes are common across the southern but not northern hemisphere
The phylum Apicomplexa includes parasites of medical, zoonotic and veterinary significance. Understanding the global distribution and genetic diversity of these protozoa is of fundamental importance for efficient, robust and long-lasting methods of control. Eimeria spp. cause intestinal coccidiosis in all major livestock animals and are the most important parasites of domestic chickens in terms of both economic impact and animal welfare. Despite having significant negative impacts on the efficiency of food production, many fundamental questions relating to the global distribution and genetic variation of Eimeria spp. remain largely unanswered. Here, we provide the broadest map yet of Eimeria occurrence for domestic chickens, confirming that all the known species (Eimeria acervulina, Eimeria brunetti, Eimeria maxima, Eimeria mitis, Eimeria necatrix, Eimeria praecox, Eimeria tenella) are present in all six continents where chickens are found (including 21 countries). Analysis of 248 internal transcribed spacer sequences derived from 17 countries provided evidence of possible allopatric diversity for species such as E. tenella (FST values ⩜0.34) but not E. acervulina and E. mitis, and highlighted a trend towards widespread genetic variance. We found that three genetic variants described previously only in Australia and southern Africa (operational taxonomic units x, y and z) have a wide distribution across the southern, but not the northern hemisphere. While the drivers for such a polarised distribution of these operational taxonomic unit genotypes remains unclear, the occurrence of genetically variant Eimeria may pose a risk to food security and animal welfare in Europe and North America should these parasites spread to the northern hemisphere
- âŠ