2,552 research outputs found
Effect of toroidal moment on a macroscopic self-organization of electrons in the quantum Hall regime
We have studied CR lineshape of terahertz-light-induced current in InAs
quantum wells in tilted quantizing magnetic fields. We have observed dramatic
modification of the lineshape with increasing of in-plane component of magnetic
field as well as with increasing of transverse built-in electric field in the
well. Scenario of the modification shows that the energy spectrum asymmetry is
determined by so-called toroidal moment of the system and is a function of
Landau quantum number. Macroscopic self-organization of electrons under the
conditions of quantum Hall effect has also been directly demonstrated in both
linear and saturation regimes of the light absorption.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure
South African health practitioners’ patterns of CPD practices – implications for maintenance of licensure
Background. The statutory requirement for continuing professional development (CPD) for all health professionals registered with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) has been in place since 2007. The HPCSA intends to implement maintenance of licensure (MoL).Objectives. To determine practitioners’ perceptions and experiences of engaging with CPD to inform the development of the MoL system.Methods. A cross-sectional survey of practitioners registered with the HPCSA was conducted. The self-administered 30-item electronic questionnaire covered practitioner demographics and patterns of CPD practice and was completed by 11 307 respondents.Results. Methods used to determine learning needs included self-assessment (56.8%) and audit of own practice (53.2%). Selection of CPD activities was based on interest (80.2%) and expertise (72.8%) and less so on gaps in knowledge (66.1%) and skills (61.8%). The most frequent learning activities were primarily didactic (workshops (58%), lectures (53%) and conferences (51%)). Barriers included cost and location of CPD activities, especially for women and rural practitioners (p<0.001). Employer support for CPD was associated with adherence (p<0.001). There was strong support (88.7%) for continuing education as a component of MoL, but less support (<50%) for other elements, even though practitioners voluntarily engaged with these practices.Conclusion. Respondents engage in a range of activities that could be incorporated into a MoL system. The transition to MoL requires development of tools, including objective assessments, guidelines for individualised learning programmes and expanding the range of learning activities. Strategies to address barriers to CPD need to be considered
Self-Channelling of Electric Current in a Quantum Well
We have directly demonstrated that homogeneous photoexcitation of a quantum
well in presence of uniform tilted magnetic field gives rise to a set of bypass
in-plane electric currents of a different value which may flow even in the
opposite directions simultaneously. The effect has been observed in an
asymmetric InAs quantum well under the Landau quantization. Theoretical model
of the effect are discussed as well as the related problems.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figure
An evaluation of the quality of discharge summaries from the general paediatric wards at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital, Johannesburg, South Africa
Background. Hospital discharge summaries are deemed to be an essential part of the medical record in South Africa, but formal assessment of their quality is rarely undertaken. At Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital (CHBAH) in Johannesburg, medical admission notes (bedletters) are difficult to retrieve from the hospital archives and the discharge summary is often the only readily available medical record that documents details of the hospital admission.Objectives. To determine the proportion of discharge summaries that were appropriately completed for children admitted to the general paediatric wards at CHBAH.Methods. A retrospective review of discharge summaries completed for children admitted from 1 May to 31 July 2016 was undertaken. The completeness of the following demographic and clinical variables was assessed: patient identifiers, hospital outcome, HIV infection status and anthropometric status. The documentation of correct International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th revision (ICD-10) codes was assessed in children diagnosed with any form of lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI), which is the commonest diagnosis recorded in hospitalised children at CHBAH.Results. Discharge summaries were available for 1 148 (78.3%) of 1 466 children admitted during the study period. For completed discharge summaries, 80.1 - 93.3% of patient identifiers and 91.4% of patient outcomes were appropriately completed. HIV exposure was documented in 84.7% of summaries. Anthropometric parameters, including weight and length/height at admission and discharge weight, were appropriately completed in 91.4%, 70.9% and 50.0% of summaries, respectively. The ICD-10 code for children with LRTI was appropriately recorded by medical staff in 338 (67.2%) of 503 cases. ICD‑10 codes and anthropometric parameters, which are important clinical parameters in the paediatric follow-up consultation, were both correctly recorded for only 21.6% of children who required follow-up clinical consultations at CHBAH.Conclusions. Compared with similar studies, both the rate of completion and the quality of completed discharge summaries were modest in this tertiary academic teaching hospital. As discharge summaries are crucial medical documents, interventions to improve their completeness rate and quality need to be developed
Spin Fluctuations and the Magnetic Phase Diagram of ZrZn2
The magnetic properties of the weak itinerant ferromagnet ZrZn_2 are analyzed
using Landau theory based on a comparison of density functional calculations
and experimental data as a function of field and pressure. We find that the
magnetic properties are strongly affected by the nearby quantum critical point,
even at zero pressure; LDA calculations neglecting quantum critical spin
fluctuations overestimate the magnetization by a factor of approximately three.
Using renormalized Landau theory, we extract pressure dependence of the
fluctuation amplitude. It appears that a simple scaling based on the
fluctuation-dissipation theorem provides a good description of this pressure
dependence.Comment: 4 revtex page
Very low latitude (L = 1.08) whistlers and correlation with lightning activity
We present analysis of more than 2000 lightning-generated whistlers recorded at a low-latitude station, located at Allahabad (geographic latitude, 25.40N; geographic longitude, 81.93E; L = 1.081), India, during December 2010 to November 2011. The main focus of this work is on the correlation between observed low-latitude whistlers and lightning activity detected by the World-Wide Lightning Location Network near the conjugate point (geography 9.87S, 83.59E) of Allahabad. Whistler occurrence is higher in the postmidnight period as compared to the premidnight period. Whistlers were observed in the daytime only on 2 days that too before 8:30 LT (morning). Seasonally, occurrence is maximum during winter months, which is due to more lightning activity in the conjugate region and favorable ionospheric conditions. About 63% of whistlers were correlated with lightning strokes in the vicinity of the conjugate point within spatial extent of 1000 km (conjugate area). Most (about 53%) whistlers were found to be associated with lightning strokes that were offset to the southeast of the conjugate point. The results indicate that an energy range of 7.5-17.5 kJ of lightning strokes generate most of whistlers at this station. The L shell calculations show that propagation paths of the observed whistlers were embedded in the topside ionosphere. Based on these results we suggest a possibility of ducted mode of propagation even for such very low latitude whistlers. ©2015. American Geophysical Union. All Rights Reserved
Magnetism, Critical Fluctuations and Susceptibility Renormalization in Pd
Some of the most popular ways to treat quantum critical materials, that is,
materials close to a magnetic instability, are based on the Landau functional.
The central quantity of such approaches is the average magnitude of spin
fluctuations, which is very difficult to measure experimentally or compute
directly from the first principles. We calculate the parameters of the Landau
functional for Pd and use these to connect the critical fluctuations beyond the
local-density approximation and the band structure.Comment: Replaced with the revised version accepted for publication.
References updated, errors corrected, other change
Quantum Critical Behavior and Possible Triplet Superconductivity in Electron Doped CoO2 Sheets
Density functional calculations are used to investigate the doping dependence
of the electronic structure and magnetic properties in hexagonal NaCoO.
The electronic structure is found to be highly two dimensional, even without
accounting for the structural changes associated with hydration. At the local
spin density approximation level, a weak itinerant ferromagnetic state is
predicted for all doping levels in the range to , with competing
but weaker itinerant antiferromagnetic solutions. The Fermi surface, as
expected, consists of simple rounded hexagonal cylinders, with additional small
pockets depending on the lattice parameter. Comparison with experiment
implies substantial magnetic quantum fluctuations. Based on the Fermi surface
size and the ferromagnetic tendency of this material,it is speculated that a
triplet superconducting state analogous to that in SrRuO may exist
here.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figur
Cognitive, behavioural and psychological barriers to the prevention of severe hypoglycaemia: A qualitative study of adults with type 1 diabetes
Objectives: Severe hypoglycaemia affects approximately one in three people with type 1 diabetes and is the most serious side effect of insulin therapy. Our aim was to explore individualistic drivers of severe hypoglycaemia events.
Methods: In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 17 adults with type 1 diabetes and a history of recurrent severe hypoglycaemia, to elicit experiences of hypoglycaemia (symptoms/awareness, progression from mild to severe and strategies for prevention/treatment). Interviews were analysed using an adapted grounded theory approach.
Results: Three main themes emerged: hypoglycaemia-induced cognitive impairment, behavioural factors and psychological factors. Despite experiencing early hypoglycaemic symptoms, individuals often delayed intervention due to impaired/distracted attention, inaccurate risk assessment, embarrassment, worry about rebound hyperglycaemia or unavailability of preferred glucose source. Delay coupled with use of a slow-acting glucose source compromised prevention of severe hypoglycaemia.
Conclusion: Our qualitative data highlight the multifaceted, idiosyncratic nature of severe hypoglycaemia and confirm that individuals with a history of recurrent severe hypoglycaemia may have specific thought and behaviour risk profiles. Individualised prevention plans are required, emphasising both the need to attend actively to mild hypoglycaemic symptoms and to intervene promptly with an appropriate, patient-preferred glucose source to prevent progression to severe hypoglycaemia
The Energetics of Li Off-Centering in KLiTaO; First Principles Calculations
KLiTaO (KLT) solid solutions exhibit a variety of
interesting physical phenomena related to large displacements of Li-ions from
ideal perovskite A-site positions. First-principles calculations for KLT
supercells were used to investigate these phenomena. Lattice dynamics
calculations for KLT exhibit a Li off-centering instability. The energetics of
Li-displacements for isolated Li-ions and for Li-Li pairs up to 4th neighbors
were calculated. Interactions between nearest neighbor Li-ions, in a Li-Li
pair, strongly favor ferroelectric alignment along the pair axis. Such Li-Li
pairs can be considered "seeds" for polar nanoclusters in KLT.
Electrostriction, local oxygen relaxation, coupling to the KT soft-mode, and
interactions with neighboring Li-ions all enhance the polarization from Li
off-centering. Calculated hopping barriers for isolated Li-ions and for nearest
neighbor Li-Li pairs are in good agreement with Arrhenius fits to experimental
dielectric data.Comment: 14 pages including 10 figures. To Physical Review B. Replaced after
corrections due to referees' remark
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