2,176 research outputs found
Further infrared systems studies for the earth resources program Final report
Design of multispectral scanner for orbital earth resources detectio
Active and passive multispectral scanner for earth resources applications: An advanced applications flight experiment
The development of an experimental airborne multispectral scanner to provide both active (laser illuminated) and passive (solar illuminated) data from a commonly registered surface scene is discussed. The system was constructed according to specifications derived in an initial programs design study. The system was installed in an aircraft and test flown to produce illustrative active and passive multi-spectral imagery. However, data was not collected nor analyzed for any specific application
Use of LANDSAT data to assess waterfowl habitat quality
The author has identified the following significant results. The capability of mapping ponds over a very large area was demonstrated, with multidate, multiframe LANDSAT imagery. A small double sample of aircraft data made it possible to adjust a LANDSAT large area census. Terrain classification was improved by using multitemporal LANDSAT data. Waterfowl production was estimated, using remotely determined pond data, in conjunction with FWS estimates of breeding population. Relative waterfowl habitat quality was characterized on a section by section basis
Exclusionary employment in Britain’s broken labour market
There is growing evidence of the problematic nature of the UK’s ‘flexible labour market’ with rising levels of in-work poverty and insecurity. Yet successive Governments have stressed that paid work is the route to inclusion, focussing attention on the divide between employed and unemployed. Past efforts to measure social exclusion have tended to make the same distinction. The aim of this paper is to apply Levitas et al’s (2007) framework to assess levels of exclusionary employment, i.e. exclusion arising directly from an individual’s labour market situation. Using data from the Poverty and Social Exclusion UK survey, results show that one in three adults in paid work is in poverty, or in insecure or poor quality employment. One third of this group have not seen any progression in their labour market situation in the last five years. The policy focus needs to shift from ‘Broken Britain’ to Britain’s broken labour market
Band Crossing and Novel Low-Energy Behaviour in a Mean Field Theory of a Three-Band Model on a Cu--O lattice
We study correlation effects in a three-band extended Hubbard model of Cu --
O planes within the 1/N mean field approach, in the infinite U limit. We
investigate the emerging phase diagram and discuss the low energy scales
associated with each region. With increasing direct overlap between oxygen
orbitals, , the solution displays a band crossing which, for an
extended range of parameters, lies close to the Fermi level. In turn this leads
to the nearly nested character of the Fermi surface and the resulting linear
temperature dependence of the quasi-particle relaxation rate for sufficiently
large T. We also discuss the effect of band crossing on the optical
conductivity and comment on the possible experimental relevance of our
findings.Comment: 12 pages, Latex-Revtex, 6 PostScript figures. Submitted to Phys. Rev.
Coral Disease and Health Workshop: Coral Histopathology II
The health and continued existence of coral reef ecosystems are threatened by an increasing array of environmental and anthropogenic impacts. Coral disease is one of the prominent causes of increased mortality among reefs globally, particularly in the Caribbean. Although over 40 different coral diseases and syndromes have been reported
worldwide, only a few etiological agents have been confirmed; most pathogens remain unknown and the dynamics of disease transmission, pathogenicity and mortality are not
understood. Causal relationships have been documented for only a few of the coral diseases, while new syndromes continue to emerge. Extensive field observations by coral
biologists have provided substantial documentation of a plethora of new pathologies, but our understanding, however, has been limited to descriptions of gross lesions with names reflecting these observations (e.g., black band, white band, dark spot). To determine etiology, we must equip coral diseases scientists with basic biomedical knowledge and specialized training in areas such as histology, cell biology and pathology. Only through
combining descriptive science with mechanistic science and employing the synthesis epizootiology provides will we be able to gain insight into causation and become equipped to handle the pending crisis.
One of the critical challenges faced by coral disease researchers is to establish a framework to systematically study coral pathologies drawing from the field of diagnostic
medicine and pathology and using generally accepted nomenclature. This process began in April 2004, with a workshop titled Coral Disease and Health Workshop: Developing Diagnostic Criteria co-convened by the Coral Disease and Health Consortium (CDHC), a working group organized under the auspices of the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force, and the International Registry for Coral Pathology (IRCP). The workshop was hosted by the U.S. Geological Survey, National Wildlife Health Center (NWHC) in Madison, Wisconsin and was focused on gross morphology and disease signs observed in the field. A resounding recommendation from the histopathologists participating in the workshop was the urgent need to develop diagnostic criteria that are suitable to move from gross observations to morphological diagnoses based on evaluation of microscopic anatomy. (PDF contains 92 pages
Neoliberal paternalism and paradoxical subjects: Confusion and contradiction in UK activation policy
The twin thrusts of neoliberal paternalism have in recent decades become fused elements of diverse reform agendas across the advanced economies, yet neoliberalism and paternalism present radically divergent and even contradictory views of the subject across the four key spaces of ontology, teleology, deontology and ascetics. These internal fractures in the conceptual and resulting policy framework of neoliberal paternalism present considerable risks around unintended policy mismatch across these four spaces or, alternatively, offer significant flexibility for deliberate mismatch and ‘storying’ by policy makers. This article traces these tensions in the context of the UK Coalition government’s approach to the unemployed and outlines a current policy approach to employment activation that is filled with ambiguity, inconsistency and contradiction in its understanding of the subject, the ‘problem’ and the policy ‘solution’
Prevalence of childhood disability and the characteristics and circumstances of disabled children in the UK : secondary analysis of the Family Resources Survey
Background: Robust data on the prevalence of childhood disability and the circumstances and characteristics of
disabled children is crucial to understanding the relationship between impairment and social disadvantage. It is also
crucial for public policy development aimed at reducing the prevalence of childhood disability and providing
appropriate and timely service provision. This paper reports prevalence rates for childhood disability in the United
Kingdom (UK) and describes the social and household circumstances of disabled children, comparing these where
appropriate to those of non-disabled children.
Methods: Data were generated from secondary analysis of the Family Resources Survey, a national UK cross-sectional
survey, (2004/5) which had data on 16,012 children aged 0-18 years. Children were defined as disabled if they met the
Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) definition (1995 and 2005). Frequency distributions and cross-tabulations were run
to establish prevalence estimates, and describe the circumstances of disabled children. To establish the association
between individual social and material factors and childhood disability when other factors were controlled for, logistic
regression models were fitted on the dependent variable 'DDA defined disability'.
Results: 7.3% (CI 6.9, 7.7) of UK children were reported by as disabled according to the DDA definition. Patterns of
disability differed between sexes with boys having a higher rate overall and more likely than girls to experience
difficulties with physical coordination; memory, concentration and learning; communication. Disabled children lived in
different personal situations from their non-disabled counterparts, and were more likely to live with low-income,
deprivation, debt and poor housing. This was particularly the case for disabled children from black/minority ethnic/
mixed parentage groups and lone-parent households. Childhood disability was associated with lone parenthood and
parental disability and these associations persisted when social disadvantage was controlled for.
Conclusion: These analyses suggest that UK disabled children experience higher levels of poverty and personal and
social disadvantage than other children. Further research is required to establish accurate prevalence estimates of
childhood disability among different black and minority ethnic groups and to understand the associations between
childhood disability and lone parenthood and the higher rates of sibling and parental disability in households with
disabled children
Students' perceptions of international social work: A comparative study in the USA, UK, and Georgia
The field of social work worldwide has been increasingly influenced by globalization, migration, and other conditions that require professionals to be responsive and knowledgeable in addressing them. This collaborative project examined students’ perceptions of international social work at three universities in the United States, United Kingdom, and Georgia. Students’ responses indicated an overall strong interest and widespread agreement that there is a link between local and global social issues. The findings suggest that social work education needs to be globalized and tailored to students’ needs, which will help them identify social work strongly as part of a profession and affect change across the globe
Quantum Zeno Effect and Light-Dark Periods for a Single Atom
The quantum Zeno effect (QZE) predicts a slow-down of the time development of
a system under rapidly repeated ideal measurements, and experimentally this was
tested for an ensemble of atoms using short laser pulses for non-selective
state measurements. Here we consider such pulses for selective measurements on
a single system. Each probe pulse will cause a burst of fluorescence or no
fluorescence. If the probe pulses were strictly ideal measurements, the QZE
would predict periods of fluorescence bursts alternating with periods of no
fluorescence (light and dark periods) which would become longer and longer with
increasing frequency of the measurements. The non-ideal character of the
measurements is taken into account by incorporating the laser pulses in the
interaction, and this is used to determine the corrections to the ideal case.
In the limit, when the time between the laser pulses goes to zero, no freezing
occurs but instead we show convergence to the familiar macroscopic light and
dark periods of the continuously driven Dehmelt system. An experiment of this
type should be feasible for a single atom or ion in a trapComment: 16 pages, LaTeX, a4.sty; to appear in J. Phys.
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