A study for the search, recovery and analysis of space fragments Semiannual progress report, 1 Dec. 1966 - 31 May 1967

Moonwatch program observations of satellite orbits - decay prediction tabl

The network dependency of religious and secular belief.

This thesis develops and tests a social network theory of religion to explain the phenomena of religious and secular beliefs in the general population in contemporary Britain. Drawing upon the writings of several historians and upon the work of Giddens (1994a, 1994b), the study is placed in the theoretical context of the debate about the nature of modernity. Due to the various processes of modernization it is argued that personal network links between church attenders and non-church attenders have gradually been severed since pre-modern times. The immediate consequences of this development are twofold. First, the transmission of church religion is greatly restricted. Second, personal overarching religious, or indeed secular, world views are now likely to be formulated, maintained, modified and transmitted by individuals within discrete and geographically dispersed social networks within the private sphere. On the basis of this argument a network dependency hypothesis was formulated, from which twenty-two testable propositions were derived. By employing ego-centred network analysis, the empirical dimension of this thesis reports the testing of each of these propositions against data obtained from a quantitative 500 questionnaire survey of a middle class suburb in the south of England, followed by 39 qualitative focused interviews with informants selected from the initial survey. The data showed that responses to the process of primary socialization had a profound effect on the initial belief formation of ego. This provided a foundation both for religious or secular belief in later life and for the future selection of network alters. With the exception of conversionists, these beliefs generally continued to be maintained by ego within ego's current network. At all stages ego demonstrated a need to reduce cognitive dissonance and to pursue cognitive consonance (Festinger, 1985). The local community did not constitute a plausibility structure and even the local church did not perform this function. Only discrete, dispersed, personal networks in the private sphere functioned to maintain the plausibility of religious and secular beliefs. The findings constituted overwhelming support for the network dependency hypothesis

Accuracy of diagnosis of pterygium by optometrists and general practitioners in Australia

Background: It was the author's (LWH) observation that pterygium was frequently misdiagnosed by general practitioners that led to this study. The aim was to identify the rate of misdiagnosis of pterygium by optometrists and general practitioners based upon assessing referral accuracy to a single ophthalmologist (LWH). Methods: This study involved a prospective case series from 25 March 2015 to 18 December 2018 in a tertiary referral practice specialising in pterygium. The accuracy of diagnosis of pterygium, based upon the content of the clinical referral, was undertaken for optometrists and general practitioners. The benchmark for diagnostic accuracy was the diagnosis made by the author (LWH) during a consultation in person by the author (LWH) using a hand-light examination and confirmed by slitlamp examination. Results: A total of 1,511 consecutive patients were included in the study with 90/549 incorrectly diagnosed (16 per cent) by general practitioners and 14/962 (1.4 per cent) by optometrists. General practitioners were 13.28 times more likely to incorrectly diagnose a pterygium than optometrists (95% CI 7.48–23.57). Almost exclusively, the incorrect diagnosis made by general practitioners was naming a pinguecula, a pterygium. The same misdiagnosis was made by optometrists but far less frequently. Conclusion: General practitioners misdiagnosed pterygium far more often than optometrists which may reflect a reduction in training in eye health

The decay of Satellite 1965-79A

Decay of satellite 1965-79

Developing sexual competence? Exploring strategies for the provision of effective sexualities and relationships education

School-based sexualities and relationships education (SRE) offers one of the most promising means of improving young people's sexual health through developing 'sexual competence'. In the absence of evidence on whether the term holds the same meanings for young people and adults (e.g. teachers, researchers, policy-makers), the paper explores 'adult' notions of sexual competence as construed in research data and alluded to in UK Government guidance on SRE, then draws on empirical research with young people on factors that affect the contexts, motivations and outcomes of sexual encounters, and therefore have implications for sexual competence. These data from young people also challenge more traditional approaches to sexualities education in highlighting disjunctions between the content of school-based input and their reported sexual experience. The paper concludes by considering the implications of these insights for developing a shared notion of what SRE is trying to achieve and suggestions for recognition in the content and approaches to SRE.</p

A Near-Infrared Spectroscopic Study of the Accreting Magnetic White Dwarf SDSS J121209.31+013627.7 and its Substellar Companion

The nature of the excess near-infrared emission associated with the magnetic white dwarf commonly known as SDSS 1212 is investigated primarily through spectroscopy, and also via photometry. The inferred low mass secondary in this system has been previously detected by the emission and variation of H$\alpha$, and the $1-2.5$ $\mu$m spectral data presented here are consistent with the presence of a late L or early T dwarf. The excess flux seen beyond 1.5 $\mu$m in the phase-averaged spectrum is adequately modeled with an L8 dwarf substellar companion and cyclotron emission in a 7 MG magnetic field. This interesting system manifests several observational properties typical of polars, and is most likely an old interacting binary with a magnetic white dwarf and a substellar donor in an extended low state.Comment: 28 pages, 5 figures, Accepted to Ap

CO-dependent H2 evolution by Rhodospirillum rubrum: Role of CODH:CooF complex

AbstractUpon exposure to CO during anaerobic growth, the purple phototrophic bacterium Rhodospirillum rubrum expresses a CO-oxidizing H2 evolving enzymatic system. The CO-oxidizing enzyme, carbon monoxide dehydrogenase (CODH), has been purified and extensively characterized. However the electron transfer pathway from CODH to the CO-induced hydrogenase that evolves H2 is not well understood. CooF is an Fe–S protein that is the proposed mediator of electron transfer between CODH and the CO-induced hydrogenase. Here we present the spectroscopic and biochemical properties of the CODH:CooF complex. The characteristic EPR signals observed for CODH are largely insensitive to CooF complexation. Metal analysis and EPR spectroscopy show that CooF contains 2 Fe4S4 clusters. The observation of 2 Fe4S4 clusters for CooF contradicts the prediction of 4 Fe4S4 clusters based on analysis of the amino acid sequence of CooF and structural studies of CooF homologs. Comparison of in vivo and in vitro CO-dependent H2 evolution indicates that ∼90% of the activity is lost upon cell lysis. We propose that the loss of two labile Fe–S clusters from CooF during cell lysis may be responsible for the low in vitro CO-dependent H2 evolution activity. During the course of these studies, a new assay for CODH:CooF was developed using membranes from an R. rubrum mutant that did not express CODH:CooF, but expressed high levels of the CO-induced hydrogenase. The assay revealed that the CO-induced hydrogenase requires the presence of CODH:CooF for optimal H2 evolution activity

Pterygium and Associated Ocular Surface Squamous Neoplasia

Objective: To measure the rate of histopathologically identified ocular surface squamous neoplasia (OSSN) in pterygium specimens. Methods: All pterygium specimens collected from consecutive patients between April 8, 2003, and February 6, 2008, were submitted for histopathologic examination, and the rate of OSSN was calculated. Results: The rate of OSSN was 9.8% (52 of 533) in sequential pterygium specimens. Conclusions: This rate of unsuspected OSSN suggests that all specimens of pterygium should be submitted for histopathologic examination and that patients in whom OSSN is noted should be examined at more frequent intervals so any clinical OSSN that develops can be identified at an early stage

Quasi-Moessbauer effect in two dimensions

Expressions for the absorption spectrum of a nucleus in a three- and a two-dimensional crystal respectively are obtained analytically at zero and at finite temperature respectively. It is found that for finite temperature in two dimensions the Moessbauer effect vanishes but is replaced by what we call a Quasi-Moessbauer effect. Possibilities to identify two-dimensional elastic behavior are discussed.Comment: 18 pages, 5 figures, notation simplifie

Exposing the myth of the 1:5:200 ratio relating initial cost, maintenance and staffing costs of office buildings

In an attempt to focus clients' minds on the importance of considering the construction and maintenance costs of a commercial office building (both as a factor in staff productivity and as a fraction of lifetime staff costs) there is an often-quoted ratio of costs of 1:5:200, where for every one pound spent on construction cost, five are spent on maintenance and building operating costs and 200 on staffing and business operating costs. This seems to stem from a paper published by the Royal Academy of Engineering, in which no data is given and no derivation or defence of the ratio appears. The accompanying belief that higher quality design and construction increases staff productivity, and simultaneously reduces maintenance costs, how ever laudable, appears unsupported by research, and carries all the hallmarks of an "urban myth". In tracking down data about real buildings, a more realistic ratio appears to depend on a huge variety of variables, as well as the definition of the number of "lifetime" years. The ill-defined origins of the original ratio (1:5:200) describing these variables have made replication impossible. However, by using published sources of data, we have found that for three office buildings, a more realistic ratio is 1:0.4:12. As there is nothing in the public domain about what comprised the original research that gave rise to 1:5:200, it is not possible to make a true comparison between these new calculations and the originals. Clients and construction professionals stand to be misled because the popularity and widespread use of the wrong ratio appears to be mis-informing important investment and policy decisions