3,094 research outputs found
Morse homology for the heat flow
We use the heat flow on the loop space of a closed Riemannian manifold to
construct an algebraic chain complex. The chain groups are generated by
perturbed closed geodesics. The boundary operator is defined in the spirit of
Floer theory by counting, modulo time shift, heat flow trajectories that
converge asymptotically to nondegenerate closed geodesics of Morse index
difference one.Comment: 89 pages, 3 figure
A homoclinic tangle on the edge of shear turbulence
Experiments and simulations lend mounting evidence for the edge state
hypothesis on subcritical transition to turbulence, which asserts that simple
states of fluid motion mediate between laminar and turbulent shear flow as
their stable manifolds separate the two in state space. In this Letter we
describe a flow homoclinic to a time-periodic edge state. Its existence
explains turbulent bursting through the classical Smale-Birkhoff theorem.
During a burst, vortical structures and the associated energy dissipation are
highly localized near the wall, in contrast to the familiar regeneration cycle
Always a Novice: Feminist Learning and Leadership Practice
Learning about the theory and practice of intersectional feminism played an important role in my development as a librarian and a library director, and the ongoing study of feminism continues to be integral to my leadership work. Th e definition of feminism that I prefer is the concise and powerful statement by bell hooks: “feminism seeks to end sexism, sexist exploitation, and oppression.” While I did not attend a library and information science graduate program with the express intention of becoming a library director, that is where I find myself. And while I have always considered myself a feminist, I had never studied feminism until recently and I am still new to feminist theory and practice. In sharing my experiences of embracing a novice mindset I hope to encourage others who support feminism—and especially intersectional feminist practice—to consider a leadership path in libraries
Intelligent decision support systems for optimised diabetes
Computers now pervade the field of medicine extensively; one recent innovation is the development of intelligent decision support systems for inexperienced or non-specialist pbysicians, or in some cases for use by patients. In this thesis a critical review of computer systems in medicine, with special reference to decision support systems, is followed by a detailed description of the development and evaluation of two new, interacting, intelligent decision support systems in the domain of diabetes.
Since the discovery of insulin in 1922, insulin replacement therapy for the treatment of diabetes mellitus bas evolved into a complex process; there are many different formulations of insulin and much more information about the factors which affect patient management (e.g. diet, exercise and progression of complications) are recognised. Physicians have to decide on the most appropriate anti-diabetic therapy to prescribe to their patients. Insulin-treated patients also have to monitor their blood glucose and decide how much insulin to inject and when to inject it.
In order to help patients determine the most appropriate dose of insulin to take, a simple-to-use,
hand-held decision support system has been developed. Algorithms for insulin adjustment have been elicited and combined with general rules of therapy to offer advice for every dose. The utility of the system has been evaluated by clinical trials and simulation studies.
In order to aid physician management, a clinic-based decision support system has also been developed. The system provides wide-ranging advice on all aspects of diabetes care and advises an appropriate therapy regimen according to individual patient circumstances. Decisions advised by the pbysician-related system have been evaluated by a panel of expert physicians and the system has undergone informal primary evaluation within the clinic setting. An interesting aspect of both systems is their ability to provide advice even in cases where information is lacking or uncertain
X-ray Pulsations in the Supersoft X-ray Binary CAL 83
X-ray data reveal that the supersoft X-ray binary CAL 83 exhibits 38.4 minute
pulsations at some epochs. These X-ray variations are similar to those found in
some novae and are likely to be caused by nonradial pulsations the white dwarf.
This is the first detection of pulsations in a classical supersoft X-ray
binary.Comment: revised text; 11 pages and 3 figures; accepted for publication in the
Astronomical Journa
Turning on the heat: ecological response to simulated warming in the sea
Significant warming has been observed in every ocean, yet our ability to predict the consequences of oceanic warming on marine biodiversity remains poor. Experiments have been severely limited because, until now, it has not been possible to manipulate seawater temperature in a consistent manner across a range of marine habitats. We constructed a "hot-plate'' system to directly examine ecological responses to elevated seawater temperature in a subtidal marine system. The substratum available for colonisation and overlying seawater boundary layer were warmed for 36 days, which resulted in greater biomass of marine organisms and a doubling of space coverage by a dominant colonial ascidian. The "hot-plate'' system will facilitate complex manipulations of temperature and multiple stressors in the field to provide valuable information on the response of individuals, populations and communities to environmental change in any aquatic habitat
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