Approximate Killing Vectors on S^2

We present a new method for computing the best approximation to a Killing vector on closed 2-surfaces that are topologically S^2. When solutions of Killing's equation do not exist, this method is shown to yield results superior to those produced by existing methods. In addition, this method appears to provide a new tool for studying the horizon geometry of distorted black holes.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, submitted to Physical Review D, revtex

The case for 100000 tonnes/year integrated iron and steel plants for emergent countries

The Development of an iron and steel industry is affected by many factors which vary considerably from country to country, and it is obvious that no overall rules can be laid down which would govern all eventualities. Nevertheless, the problem which faces many countries which are just emerging as iron and steel producers, shows certain similarities which can be summarized as follows: (i) in most cases, steelmaking is either non-existent or in comparison with the more developed countries, of extremely low capacity (ii) these countries often cover wide territories with under-developed communications systems (iii) these countries are usually associated with a relatively low standard of living. The raising of this standard for the greatest number of people is urgent (iv) capital for investment and foreign exchange is scarce and the demand on both is heavy

A role for independent peer review: reflections on the gateway review process

Healthcare organisations face constant pressure to change in order to pursue quality and performance improvements. As a result, professionals are often said to be experiencing change fatigue. This can be problematic for policy implementation initiatives. This paper reflects on an informal Gateway Review of Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland's Integrated Point of Access Programme to make the case for independent peer review of healthcare management change programmes in order to work towards reducing change fatigue and its impacts. Peer review has been identified as an effective but underused process across health and social care provision and management. With this in mind, the Gateway Review outlined here is used to exemplify some of the practical benefits and challenges of external peer review. Based on this experience, a number of learning points and recommendations are outlined for those undertaking or thinking about undertaking peer review in healthcare management

Has the publics knowledge of anatomy been hamstrung? A questionnaire-based exploration of basic anatomical awareness within the general population

Despite a recent resurgence in public interest for anatomical sciences,1 little research exists to determine the extent of their knowledge. We aimed to assess this through a questionnaire-based localisation of anatomical structures. Our findings suggest a significant gender discrepancy, as well as the presence of prevalent anatomical misconceptions which, to our best knowledge, have not been documented in the literature. These results have implications for the content and targeting of future public and clinical teaching

Expanding Space: the Root of all Evil?

While it remains the staple of virtually all cosmological teaching, the concept of expanding space in explaining the increasing separation of galaxies has recently come under fire as a dangerous idea whose application leads to the development of confusion and the establishment of misconceptions. In this paper, we develop a notion of expanding space that is completely valid as a framework for the description of the evolution of the universe and whose application allows an intuitive understanding of the influence of universal expansion. We also demonstrate how arguments against the concept in general have failed thus far, as they imbue expanding space with physical properties not consistent with the expectations of general relativity.Comment: 8 pages, accepted for publication in PAS

Black hole puncture initial data with realistic gravitational wave content

We present improved post-Newtonian-inspired initial data for non-spinning black-hole binaries, suitable for numerical evolution with punctures. We revisit the work of Tichy et al. [W. Tichy, B. Bruegmann, M. Campanelli, and P. Diener, Phys. Rev. D 67, 064008 (2003)], explicitly calculating the remaining integral terms. These terms improve accuracy in the far zone and, for the first time, include realistic gravitational waves in the initial data. We investigate the behavior of these data both at the center of mass and in the far zone, demonstrating agreement of the transverse-traceless parts of the new metric with quadrupole-approximation waveforms. These data can be used for numerical evolutions, enabling a direct connection between the merger waveforms and the post-Newtonian inspiral waveforms.Comment: 13 pages, 7 figures; replaced with published versio

Modelling persistence in annual Australia point rainfall

Annual rainfall time series for Sydney from 1859 to 1999 is analysed. Clear evidence of nonstationarity is presented, but substantial evidence for persistence or hidden states is more elusive. A test of the hypothesis that a hidden state Markov model reduces to a mixture distribution is presented. There is strong evidence of a correlation between the annual rainfall and climate indices. Strong evidence of persistence of one of these indices, the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), is presented together with a demonstration that this is better modelled by fractional differencing than by a hidden state Markov model. It is shown that conditioning the logarithm of rainfall on PDO, the Southern Oscillation index (SOI), and their interaction provides realistic simulation of rainfall that matches observed statistics. Similar simulation models are presented for Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth.</p> <p style='line-height: 20px;'><b>Keywords: </b>Hydrological persistence,hidden state Markov models, fractional differencing, PDO, SOI, Australian rainfall</p

Unravelling Active Galactic Nuclei

A complete flat-spectrum radio-loud sample of AGN includes a significant fraction of Seyfert-like AGN including a NLS1. Analysis of their optical spectra suggests that the reddest continuum colours are either associated with AGN in nearby resolved galaxies, or distant quasars showing relatively narrow permitted emission lines.Comment: Poster contribution presented at the Joint MPE,AIP,ESO workshop on NLS1s, Bad Honnef, Dec. 1999, to appear in New Astronomy Reviews; also available at http://wave.xray.mpe.mpg.de/conferences/nls1-worksho

A novel, efficient synthesis of N-aryl pyrroles via reaction of 1-boronodienes with arylnitroso compounds

A one-pot hetero-Diels–Alder/ring contraction cascade is presented from the reaction of 1-boronodienes and arylnitroso derivatives to derive N-arylpyrroles in moderate to good yields (up to 82%)