12,724 research outputs found
Correlation between solar neutrino flux and other solar phenomena
A study was made of the solar neutrino data with a tank of CC14 located 4800 mwe underground for the period 1970 to 83. These observations are on the production rates of Ar37 atoms via the reaction upsilon sub e + Cl37 yields Ar37 plus e(-) in the tank caused presumably by a flux of neutrinos from the Sun. The idea of possible time variations in the data shown is discussed and an attempt is made to correlate the variations to two other phenomena of solar origin-the sunspot number and the geomagnetic Ap index
GM crops and gender issues
Correspondence in the December issue by Jonathan Gressel not only states that gender issues in rural settings have not been adequately addressed with respect to weed control biotech but also asserts that such technology can increase the quality of life of rural women in developing countries. Improved weed control is a labor-saving technology that can result in less employment in a labor surplus rural economy. Often in rural areas, wage income is the main source of income and an important determinant of the quality of life, particularly where employment opportunities are generally limited. Apart from soil preparation, planting and weeding, harvesting is also 'femanual' work that can generate more employment if yields are higher. Biotech can enhance the quality of life of women but only if the technology is associated with overall generation of rural employment
An estimate of the structural parameters of the Large Magellanic Cloud using red clump stars
Aim: We used the red clump stars from the VI photometric data of the Optical Gravitational Lensing Experiment (OGLE III) survey and from the Magellanic Cloud Photometric Survey (MCPS) to estimate the structural parameters of the LMC disk, such as the inclination, i and the position angle of the line of nodes (PAlon), Ï•. Method: The observed disk region is divided into sub-regions. The dereddened peak I magnitude of the red clump stars in each sub-region is used to obtain the relative distances and hence the z coordinate. The RA and Dec of each sub-region is converted into x and y cartesian coordinates. A weighted least-square plane-fitting method is applied to these x, y, z data to estimate the structural parameters of the LMC disk. Result: We find an inclination of i = 23°.0 ± 0°.8 and PAlon, Ï• = 163°.7 ± 15 for the LMC disk using the OGLE III data and an inclination of i = 37.4 ± 23 and PAlon Ï• = 141.2 ± 3.7 for the LMC disk using the MCPS data. Extra-planar features, which are in front as well as behind the fitted plane, are seen in both the data sets. Conclusions: Our estimates of the inclination and position angle of the line of nodes are comparable with some of the previous estimates. The effect of choice of center, reddening, and area covered on the estimated parameters are discussed. Regions in the northwest, southwest and southeast of the LMC disk are warped with respect to the fitted plane. We also identify a symmetric but off-centered warp in the inner LMC. We identify that the structure of the LMC disk inside the 3 degree radius is different from the outside disk in a way that the inner LMC has relatively less inclination and relatively large PAlon. The 3D plot of the LMC disk suggests an off-centered increase in the inclination for the northeastern regions, which might be due to tidal effects. We suggest that the variation in the planar parameters estimated by various authors as well as in this study is caused by the difference in coverage and the complicated inner structure of the LMC disk. In the inner LMC, the stellar and the HI disk are found to have similar properties
A Unified treatment of small and large- scale dynamos in helical turbulence
Helical turbulence is thought to provide the key to the generation of
large-scale magnetic fields. Turbulence also generically leads to rapidly
growing small-scale magnetic fields correlated on the turbulence scales. These
two processes are usually studied separately. We give here a unified treatment
of both processes, in the case of random fields, incorporating also a simple
model non-linear drift. In the process we uncover an interesting plausible
saturated state of the small-scale dynamo and a novel analogy between quantum
mechanical (QM) tunneling and the generation of large scale fields. The steady
state problem of the combined small/large scale dynamo, is mapped to a
zero-energy, QM potential problem; but a potential which, for non-zero mean
helicity, allows tunneling of bound states. A field generated by the
small-scale dynamo, can 'tunnel' to produce large-scale correlations, which in
steady state, correspond to a force-free 'mean' field.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, Physical Review Letters, in pres
Associations between adult attachment and vision-related quality of life in visually impaired individuals
PURPOSE
An attachment theory framework approach may allow insight into how social and psychosocial factors interact to impact vision-related quality of life (QoL). In this pilot study, we investigated potential associations between adult attachment style and visual function QoL of visually impaired individuals.
METHODS
We recruited 38 visually impaired individuals (15 females, 23 males; 51.8 ± 16.0 years). Visual function measures included distance and near visual acuity (VA) and contrast sensitivity. All participants completed: the 25-item National Eye Institute Visual Functioning Questionnaire-25 (NEI-VFQ 25) and the Experiences in Close Relationships–Relationships Structures questionnaire.
RESULTS
Presenting conditions included inherited retinal dystrophy (n = 10), nystagmus (n = 9), glaucoma (n = 7) and other eye conditions (n = 12). There was a statistically significant negative correlation between the NEI-VFQ-25 composite score (45.5 ± 14.7) and attachment-related anxiety (r = −0.352, p = 0.033). The latter correlation still held when controlling for participants’ level of vision (r = −0.352, p = 0.035). Despite the range of conditions and wide age range, these were not significantly correlated with any variable of interest in the current study.
CONCLUSION
Attachment-related anxiety ought to be taken into account when managing a visually impaired individual. Attachment-based approaches could be used to improve access to support services for visually impaired individuals, as well as self-management of their condition
Green processes in process metallurgy
Environmental pollution ultimately governs the economic or industrial growth rate of the world. Ideal green processes, both conceptual and feasible are discussed and the advantages and limitations are brought out. Typical
examples of novel techniques developed to combat pollution are presented. An integrated approach coupling energy saving with pollution control measures appears to be the best strategy
Process Engineering for Pollution Control and Waste Minimisation in Non -Ferrous Metallurgical Industries
The importance of industrial ecology in the materials cycle has been stressed.The different approaches to process design have been outlined and typical applications to non-ferrous metallurgy have been highlighted. The
challenges and opportunities for pollution control and waste minimisation in the non-ferrous metallurgical industries with reference to gaseous emissions, liquid effluents and solid wastes have been examined
On the spectrum of asymptotic slopes
The slopes of maximal subbundles of rank divided by the degree of the map
under various pull backs form a bounded collection of numbers called the
-spectrum of the bundle. We study the supremum of the -spectrum and
determine it in terms of the Harder Narasimhan filtration of the bundle.Comment: To appea
Adherence to Cardiovascular Disease Medications: Does Patient-Provider Race/Ethnicity and Language Concordance Matter?
BACKGROUND: Patient–physician race/ethnicity and
language concordance may improve medication adherence
and reduce disparities in cardiovascular disease
(CVD) by fostering trust and improved patient–physician
communication.
OBJECTIVE: To examine the association of patient
race/ethnicity and language and patient–physician
race/ethnicity and language concordance on medication
adherence rates for a large cohort of diabetes
patients in an integrated delivery system.
DESIGN: We studied 131,277 adult diabetes patients in
Kaiser Permanente Northern California in 2005. Probit
models assessed the effect of patient and physician
race/ethnicity and language on adherence to CVD
medications, after controlling for patient and physician
characteristics.
RESULTS: Ten percent of African American, 11 % of
Hispanic, 63% of Asian, and 47% of white patients had
same race/ethnicity physicians.24% of Spanish-speaking
patients were linguistically concordant with their physicians.
African American (46%), Hispanic (49%) and Asian
(52%) patients were significantly less likely than white
patients (58%) to be in good adherence to all of their CVD
medications (p<0.001). Spanish-speaking patients were
less likely than English speaking patients to be in good
adherence (51%versus 57%, p<0.001). Race concordance
for African American patients was associated with adherence
to all their CVD medications (53% vs. 50%, p<0.05).
Language concordance was associated with medication
adherence for Spanish-speaking patients (51% vs. 45%,
p<0.05).
CONCLUSION: Increasing opportunities for patient–
physician race/ethnicity and language concordance
may improve medication adherence for African American
and Spanish-speaking patients, though a similar
effect was not observed for Asian patients or Englishproficient
Hispanic patients
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