Aspects of the circulation in the Rockall Trough

An investigation is made of the circulation and structure of the water masses in the Rockall Trough in spring, combining the results of a recent synoptic survey (May 1998) with those from a high-resolution ocean circulation model. In the near-surface layer, saline flows are carried northwards by a "Shelf Edge Current" around the eastern slopes, possibly with some branching in the northern Trough. Fresher waters from the west inflow between 52 and 538N and partially mix with these saline flows in the southern Trough, so that waters of intermediate salinity are also swept northwards. In the southern approaches to the Trough, Labrador Sea Water (LSW) also flows strongly in from the west between 52 and 538N, and while much of this turns south, a proportion penetrates north to join a cyclonic gyre in the Trough extending to 56.58N. The northwestern limb of this gyre is fed by, and mixes with, more saline waters which result from overflows across the Wyville–Thomson Ridge. Furthermore, salinity and CFC data suggest episodic inflow of LSW into the central Trough. The circulation of the North East Atlantic Deep Water in the Trough follows a cyclonic pattern similar to, and lying below, that of the LSW. The Wyville–Thomson Ridge overflows in the model extend to higher densities than in the survey, are topographically steered southwestward down the Feni Ridge system, and eventually join a deep cyclonic circulation in the North East Atlantic basin. Overall, the model and the observations are in good agreement, particularly in the central Rockall Trough, and this has allowed conclusions to be drawn which are significantly more robust than those which would result from either the survey or the model alone. In particular, we have been able to infer cyclonic circulation pathways for the intermediate and deeper waters in the Rockall Trough for (we believe) the first time. The study has also contributed to an ongoing community effort to assess the realism of, and improve, our current generation of ocean circulation models

Sulfur-oxygen processes on Io

Laboratory studies of irradiated sulfur dioxide frost have found that sulfur trioxide should be formed as a consequence of the irradiation process. The spectral reflectance of solid sulfur trioxide was measured in the laboratory and it was found that the compound has strong absorption features at 3.37 and 3.70 microns. These features are not present in the spectral geometric albedo of Io. This is interpreted as an indication that sulfur trioxide may exist in such limited abundance that it is undetectable in disk averaged spectrophotometry. It is suggested that the Near-Infrared Mapping Spectrometer on the Galileo spacecraft should be able to identify condensed sulfur trioxide on Io particularly in regions bordering the sulfur dioxide deposits. The presence of elemental sulfur on Io's surface has been questioned on several grounds, most notably the suggested production process (quenched molten sulfur extrusions) and the effect of radiation (particularly X-rays) on some of the allotropes. Mixtures of sulfur allotropes were produced in the laboratory by quenching molten sulfur and it was found that the spectra indicate the presence of certain red-colored allotropes which are preserved upon quenching. The color of the sulfur glass produced is redder when the temperature of the original melt is higher. This is consistent with the suggestion that Io's spectral geometric albedo can be partly explained by the presence of quenched sulfur glasses

Geophysical images of the deep crust: the Iapetus suture

The Iapetus suture, arguably the most fundamental lineament of British and Irish structure, has been previously identified on the BIRPS WINCH deep seismic reflection profiles offshore as a NW-dipping feature. New depth-migrated interpretations of these and other reflection data show good correlation of structure for 100 km along strike in the northern Irish Sea towards magnetotelluric stations onshore in the north of England and Southern Uplands of Scotland. Three different methods of inverting data from these sites all reveal a thin NW-dipping slab of high conductivity. A contour map of the suture trace, dipping at 15–25°NW, can be constructed down to and through the Moho at 28 km depth. This map suggests crustal stretching below the Solway Basin. The ?mylonitic suture zone is characterized by good seismic reflection layering, high conductivity (presumably fluid-produced), and a steep increase of P-wave velocity over the few kilometres of its width. Crustal refraction experiments LISPB and CSSP provide useful velocities, but locally misleading structure, so that the combination of the seismic reflection and geoelectric methods may be the most powerful means of determining deep crustal structure with a good degree of both vertical and lateral resolution

No anomalous scaling in electrostatic calibrations for Casimir force measurements

In a recent paper (Phys.Rev.A78, 020101(R) (2008)), Kim at al. have reported a large anomaly in the scaling law of the electrostatic interaction between a sphere and a plate, which was observed during the calibration of their Casimir force set-up. Here we experimentally demonstrate that in proper electrostatic calibrations the scaling law follows the behavior expected from elementary electrostatic arguments, even when the electrostatic voltage that one must apply to minimize the force (typically ascribed to contact potentials) depends on the separation between the surfaces.Comment: Final versio

Case attrition in rape cases: a comparative analysis

The past decade has seen a number of legal, practice and policy-based interventions made in order to ensure that the criminal justice system is more responsive to rape complaints. At their most instrumental, the aim of both shifts in practice and in the laws relating to sexual offences is to increase reporting and conviction rates in rape cases. One of the greatest problems with the criminal justice system's response to rape remains, however, that most reported cases do not in fact make it through the system to trial. This article reflects on two attrition studies conducted by the authors between 2003 and 2006, together examining the disposition of approximately 600 rape cases across six urban police stations. The objective of these studies was to examine the processing, investigation and prosecution of sexual offences cases and to analyse the possible reasons for high attrition. This paper raises the complexities of calculating attrition as well as the extent to which international experiences and perspectives on rape attrition converge and contrast with South African ones. We also set out to develop some of the insights that we have garnered from our own attrition studies and thereby to alert scholars working in this area to the key practical and theoretical issues that arise in conceptualising and conducting an attrition study

Are we Bridging the Divide in IWO Psychology?

This paper examines the knowledge transfer process within the profession of work and organisational psychology. In consonance with the theme of the 2011 congress, it considers the extent to which proposed ‘bridging mechanisms’ can provide useful vehicles for operationalising the pursuit of the dual goal of improving both the well-being of individuals and the effectiveness of work organizations. It considers the way in which the profession attempts to ground its concepts in a sound evidence base and then successfully mobilise this knowledge at the interface of research and practice. It does so by critically examining the scientist-practitioner model and the ways in which this model can be operationalised by practitioners and researchers. The criticism which is aimed at academics is that their research is irrelevant; it explores narrow concepts too often with student samples. Practitioners, on the other hand, are accused of too infrequently bringing scientific findings from the research literature to their practice. The problem has been cast in terms of both one of knowledge production and also knowledge transfer and is typified, at least in one direction – the impact of research upon practice, by what has in other professions, most notably medicine and more recently management, been called evidence-based practice. Denise Rousseau, in her 2005 presidential address to the American Academy of Management defined evidence-based management (EBM) as “translating principles based on best evidence into organizational practices” and there have been a number of attempts to invoke a similar model of evidence-based practice in the field of work and organisational psychology. In 2007 Anderson described the academic-practitioner divide as ‘natural’, suggesting the way forward was to focus on ‘bridging mechanisms’ describing six which had been proposed at the 1995 SIOP conference. What is the situation over decade later? To what extent have these bridges been built? This paper explores the nature and extent of these bridges by presenting case studies and findings from a UK survey of IWO psychologists

Thermal oxidative degradation reactions of perfluoroalklethers

The objective of this contract was to investigate the mechanisms operative in thermal and thermal oxidative degradation of Fomblin Z and hexafluoropropene oxide derived fluids and the effect of alloys and additives upon these processes. The nature of arrangements responsible for the inherent thermal oxidative instability of the Fomblin Z fluids has not been established. It was determined that this behavior was not associated with hydrogen end-groups or peroxy linkages. The degradation rate of these fluids at elevated temperatures in oxidizing atmospheres was found to be dependent on the surface/volume ratio. Once a limiting ratio was reached, a steady rate appeared to be attained. Based on elemental analysis and oxygen consumption data, -CF2OCF2CF2O-, not -CF2CF2O-, is one of the major arrangements present. The action of the M-50 and Ti(4 Al, 4 Mn) alloys was found to be much more drastic in the case of Fomblin Z fluids than that observed for the hexalfuoropropane oxide derived materials. The effectiveness of antioxidation/anticorrosion additives, P-3 and phospha-s-triazine, in the presence of metal alloys was very limited at 316 C; at 288 C the additives arrested almost completely the fluid degradation. The phospha-s-triazine appeared to be at least twice as effective as the P-3 compound; it also protected the coupon better. The Ti(4 Al, 4 Mn) alloy degraded the fluid mainly by chain scission processes; this took place to a much lesser degree with M-50

A phenomenological study of occupational engagement in recovery from mental illness

This study aimed to uncover the meaning of occupation for 13 people who self identified as being in recovery from mental illness. Recovery narratives were collected from the participants in a series of open ended conversational interviews that were recorded and transcribed. The interview transcripts were analysed using phenomenological and hermeneutic approaches, with a focus on participants’ descriptions of engagement in everyday occupations. A range of experiences were evident, from complete disengagement to complete absorption in occupations. Participants described significant shifts in their experience of time, space, body and other people while in different modes of occupation and these were captured under the themes of ‘non-doing’, ‘half-doing’, ‘engaged doing’ and ‘absorbed doing’. Each mode had the potential to support recovery by creating opportunities for participants to reconnect with aspects of their being-in-the-world. The findings highlight the dynamics at play in different modes of occupation and suggest that all forms of engagement, including disengagement, can be significant in the recovery process. A greater understanding of the dynamics of occupation for people experiencing mental illness will enable carers and mental health services to more effectively support people in their recovery

Electromagnetics from a quasistatic perspective

Quasistatics is introduced so that it fits smoothly into the standard textbook presentation of electrodynamics. The usual path from statics to general electrodynamics is rather short and surprisingly simple. A closer look reveals however that it is not without confusing issues as has been illustrated by many contributions to this Journal. Quasistatic theory is conceptually useful by providing an intermediate level in between statics and the full set of Maxwell's equations. Quasistatics is easier than general electrodynamics and in some ways more similar to statics. It is however, in terms of interesting physics and important applications, far richer than statics. Quasistatics is much used in electromagnetic modeling, an activity that today is possible on a PC and which also has great pedagogical potential. The use of electromagnetic simulations in teaching gives additional support for the importance of quasistatics. This activity may also motivate some change of focus in the presentation of basic electrodynamics