The Intensity Profile of the Solar Supergranulation

We have measured the average radial (cell center to network boundary) profile of the continuum intensity contrast associated with supergranular flows using data from the Precision Solar Photometric Telescope (PSPT) at the Mauna Loa Solar Observatory (MLSO). After removing the contribution of the network flux elements by the application of masks based on Ca II K intensity and averaging over more than 10^5 supergranular cells, we find a ~ 0.1% decrease in red and blue continuum intensity from the supergranular cell centers outward, corresponding to a ~ 1.0 K decrease in brightness temperature across the cells. The radial intensity profile may be caused either by the thermal signal associated with the supergranular flows or a variation in the packing density of unresolved magnetic flux elements. These are not unambiguously distinguished by the observations, and we raise the possibility that the network magnetic fields play an active role in supergranular scale selection by enhancing the radiative cooling of the deep photosphere at the cell boundaries.Comment: Accepted to Ap

Expanding educational access in Eastern Turkey: A new initiative

Cataloged from PDF version of article.The Eastern Anatolian project extends opportunity and access to quality education. The study examines the selection and learning systems adopted within the framework of gender equity, family background and higher order skills. Performance data on a range of selection measures and the initial programme are analysed. Results show that selection was successful in choosing high achievers and establishing equitable occupational and gender access. Girls out-performed boys in skills-based selection measures, showed greater relative gains in language learning, and evinced better higher order skills, reversing the trend in state examinations

Crossing Cultural Barriers in Research Interviewing

This article critically examines a qualitative research interview in which cultural barriers between a white non-Muslim female interviewer and an African American Muslim interviewee, both from the USA, became evident and were overcome within the same interview. This interview and two follow-up interviews are presented as a \u27telling case\u27 about crossing cultural barriers. The analysis focuses on seven phases of the interview (cultural barriers, warming up, crossing the racial barrier, connecting as social workers, connecting as women, connecting as students, and crossing the tape recorder barrier). The discussion outlines the pre-interview and during-interview barriers and facilitating conditions and related implications for cross-cultural qualitative research interviewing

Cultivo e industria de la quina en java

La historia de la introducción en Java de las diferentes especies de quina de los Andes Sudamericanos, la cual produce la corteza que se usa para la preparación de la quinina y alcaloides aliados, es conocida generalmente y no creo necesario referirla aquí en detalle. Someramente, se puede decir que los primeros intentos de cultivar quina en Java, fueron hechos en 18-52, pero estos no fueron comercialmente un éxito, porque las, especies que se cultivaron dieron muy poco rendimiento de alcaloides

Worker/wrapper/makes it/faster

Much research in program optimization has focused on formal approaches to correctness: proving that the meaning of programs is preserved by the optimisation. Paradoxically, there has been comparatively little work on formal approaches to efficiency: proving that the performance of optimized programs is actually improved. This paper addresses this problem for a general-purpose optimization technique, the worker/wrapper transformation. In particular, we use the call-by-need variant of improvement theory to establish conditions under which the worker/wrapper transformation is formally guaranteed to preserve or improve the time performance of programs in lazy languages such as Haskell

Health and Economic Impact of Surgical Site Infections Diagnosed after Hospital Discharge

Although surgical site infections (SSIs) are known to cause substantial illness and costs during the index hospitalization, little information exists about the impact of infections diagnosed after discharge, which constitute the majority of SSIs. In this study, using patient questionnaire and administrative databases, we assessed the clinical outcomes and resource utilization in the 8-week postoperative period associated with SSIs recognized after discharge. SSI recognized after discharge was confirmed in 89 (1.9%) of 4,571 procedures from May 1997 to October 1998. Patients with SSI, but not controls, had a significant decline in SF-12 (Medical Outcomes Study 12-Item Short-Form Health Survey) mental health component scores after surgery (p=0.004). Patients required significantly more outpatient visits, emergency room visits, radiology services, readmissions, and home health aide services than did controls. Average total costs during the 8 weeks after discharge were US$5,155 for patients with SSI and$1,773 for controls (p<0.001)

Expanding educational access in Eastern Turkey: A new initiative

The Eastern Anatolian project extends opportunity and access to quality education. The study examines the selection and learning systems adopted within the framework of gender equity, family background and higher order skills. Performance data on a range of selection measures and the initial programme are analysed. Results show that selection was successful in choosing high achievers and establishing equitable occupational and gender access. Girls out-performed boys in skills-based selection measures, showed greater relative gains in language learning, and evinced better higher order skills, reversing the trend in state examinations. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved