Coherent π^0 photoproduction on the deuteron up to 4 GeV

The differential cross section for ^2H(γ,d)π^0 has been measured at deuteron center-of-mass angles of 90° and 136°. This work reports the first data for this reaction above a photon energy of 1 GeV, and permits a test of the apparent constituent counting rule and reduced nuclear amplitude behavior as observed in elastic ed scattering. Measurements were performed up to a photon energy of 4.0 GeV, and are in good agreement with previous lower energy measurements. Overall, the data are inconsistent with both constituent-counting rule and reduced nuclear amplitude predictions

High Sensitivity Search for v_e’s from the Sun and Other Sources at KamLAND

Data corresponding to a KamLAND detector exposure of 0.28 kton yr has been used to search for ν̅ _e’s in the energy range 8.3 < E_(ν̅e) < 14.8  MeV. No candidates were found for an expected background of 1.1±0.4 events. This result can be used to obtain a limit on ν̅_e fluxes of any origin. Assuming that all ν̅_e flux has its origin in the Sun and has the characteristic ^8B solar ν_e energy spectrum, we obtain an upper limit of 3.7×10^2  cm^(-2) ^(s-1) (90% C.L.) on the ν̅_e flux. We interpret this limit, corresponding to 2.8×10^(-4) of the standard solar model ^8B ν_e flux, in the framework of spin-flavor precession and neutrino decay models

Budsjettrevolusjonen lar vente på seg : norske bedrifter kritiserer budsjettet, men er ennå ikke klare for budsjettløs styring

Målet for denne masterutredningen har vært å utrede potensialet for Beyond Budgeting i Norge. For å si noe om potensialet for at Beyond Budgeting skal spre seg i Norge, har vi kartlagt nåværende utbredelse av budsjetter og andre økonomiske styringsverktøy i norske bedrifter samt holdningene til budsjetter. Funnene våre for utbredelse av styringsverktøy er på linje med studier fra Finland, Canada og USA, samt en tidligere masterutredning fra NHH. Budsjett er det viktigste og mest brukte styringsverktøyet i Norge i dag. Verktøy som balansert målstyring, rullende prognoser og benchmarking brukes også i ganske stor grad. Et mindretall på 19 prosent har ingen budsjetter, er i ferd med å fjerne budsjettene eller overveier å slutte med budsjetter. Budsjetter har møtt massiv kritikk de siste årene, og Beyond Budgeting-fenomenet har vokst fram i kjølvannet av denne kritikken. Vi finner også støtte for at norske bedrifter i noen grad er enige med budsjettkritikerne. Det er særlig store, lite lønnsomme, lite innovative bedrifter med defensiv strategi som er kritiske til budsjett. Yngre respondenter er også betydelig mer kritiske enn eldre. Norske bedrifter kan sies å ha en pragmatisk ”Ole Brum”-tilnærming til budsjetter. Budsjettene brukes til det de er gode til, men kombineres med og utfylles av mange andre verktøy for å unngå potensielle fallgruber. Det er store bedrifter og bedrifter som er del av et konsern som bruker flest andre styringsverktøy. De fleste bedriftene tilpasser og forandrer budsjettene sine underveis i budsjettperioden. Slik har de tilpasset seg mye av kritikken som rettes mot budsjettet som styringsverktøy. Sett under ett virker de fleste bedriftene tilfredse med sine budsjettbaserte styringssystemer. Altså er etterspørselen etter nye styringssystemer uten budsjett, slik som Beyond Budgeting, beskjeden. Siden det i dag ikke finnes formelle tilbydere av slike systemer, konkluderer vi at det ikke vil forekomme noen særskilt spredning av Beyond Budgeting i Norge i overskuelig framtid. Det kan ikke utelukkes at enkelte bedrifter vil kaste ut budsjettene og klare seg med andre styringsverktøy, men de fleste bedriftene i Norge vil likevel nøye seg med å gjøre gradvise forbedringer i budsjetteringsprosessene sine

Budsjettrevolusjonen lar vente på seg : norske bedrifter kritiserer budsjettet, men er ennå ikke klare for budsjettløs styring

Målet for denne utredningen har vært å utrede potensialet for Beyond Budgeting i Norge. For å si noe om potensialet for at Beyond Budgeting skal spre seg i Norge, har vi kartlagt nåværende utbredelse av budsjetter og andre økonomiske styringsverktøy i norske bedrifter samt holdningene til budsjetter. Funnene våre for utbredelse av styringsverktøy er på linje med studier fra Finland, Canada og USA, samt en tidligere masterutredning fra NHH. Budsjett er det viktigste og mest brukte styringsverktøyet i Norge i dag. Verktøy som balansert målstyring, rullende prognoser og benchmarking brukes også i ganske stor grad. Et mindretall har på 19 prosent ingen budsjetter, er i ferd med å fjerne budsjettene eller overveier å slutte med budsjetter

Meeting the needs of critical care patients after discharge home: a qualitative exploratory study of patient perspectives

Objectives To describe former critical care patients’ perspectives on the support needed to optimise recovery. Background With improved survival rates in critical care, increasing focus is being placed on survivorship and how best to support patients return to former activity. Little is known about what support patients themselves view as important, and this has implications for efficacy and acceptability of services provided. Study design A qualitative exploratory study of the experiences of support received by critical care survivors. Research Methodology Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with twelve critical care survivors, recruited from a charity and a patient and public involvement group. The interviews were analysed using thematic analysis to describe patterns in the participants’ experiences. Findings Four themes of support were described as: effective management of transfer anxiety; tailored information provision; timely access to services and a supportive social network. Conclusion Survivors of critical care should be equipped with information about their critical care stay, ongoing health issues and recovery; and provided with holistic care at home. Critical care follow-up was an effective way of meeting many of these needs, but needs to be flexible to be useful to attendees. Peer support groups (face-to-face and online) provided information, reassurance, a social network and an avenue for those who had longer-lasting problems than current services provide for. Relevance to Clinical Practice Whilst there are commonalities in the problems faced by critical care survivors, recovery is highly individualised, and current support services do not have sufficient flexibility to cater for this. This study shows that many survivors experience aftereffects of critical care that outlast the support they are given. These longer-term survivors are often excluded from research studies because of fears of recall bias, resulting in poor understanding of their experiences

Evidence for a Single-Spin Azimuthal Asymmetry in Semi-inclusive Pion Electroproduction

Single-spin asymmetries for semi-inclusive pion production in deep-inelastic scattering have been measured for the first time. A significant target-spin asymmetry of the distribution in the azimuthal angle φ of the pion relative to the lepton scattering plane was formed for π^+ electroproduction on a longitudinally polarized hydrogen target. The corresponding analyzing power in the sinφ moment of the cross section is 0.022±0.005±0.003. This result can be interpreted as the effect of terms in the cross section involving chiral-odd spin distribution functions in combination with a chiral-odd fragmentation function that is sensitive to the transverse polarization of the fragmenting quark

Measurement of kinematic and nuclear dependence of R = σ_L/σ_T in deep inelastic electron scattering

We report results on a precision measurement of the ratio R=σ_L/σ_T in deep inelastic electron-nucleon scattering in the kinematic range 0.2≤x≤0.5 and 1≤Q^2≤10 (GeV/c)^2. Our results show, for the first time, a clear falloff of R with increasing Q^2. Our R results are in agreement with QCD predictions only when corrections for target mass effects and some additional higher twist effects are included. At small x, the data on R favor structure functions with a large gluon contribution. We also report results on the differences R_A-R_D and the cross section ratio σ^A/σ^D between Fe and Au nuclei and the deuteron. Our results for R_A-R_D are consistent with zero for all x, Q^2 indicating that possible contributions to R from nuclear higher twist effects and spin-0 constituents in nuclei are not different from those in nucleons. The ratios σ^A/σ^D from all recent experiments, at all x, Q^2 values, are now in agreement

Global Analysis of Nucleon Strange Form Factors at Low Q2Q^2

We perform a global analysis of all recent experimental data from elastic parity-violating electron scattering at low $Q^2$. The values of the electric and magnetic strange form factors of the nucleon are determined at $Q^2 = 0.1$ GeV/$c^2$ to be $G^s_E = -0.008 \pm 0.016$ and $G^s_M = 0.29 \pm 0.21$.Comment: 8 pages, 1 figur

Measurement of the Difference in R=σ_L/σ_T and of σ^A/σ^D in Deep-Inelastic e-D, e-Fe, and e-Au Scattering

We measured the differences in R=σ_L/σ_T and the cross-section ratio σA/σD in deep-inelastic electron scattering from D, Fe, and Au nuclei in the kinematic range 0.2≤x≤0.5 and 1≤Q^2≤5 (Gev/c)^2. Our results for R^A-R^D are consistent with zero for all x and Q^2, indicating that possible contributions to R from nuclear higher-twist effects and spin-0 constituents in nuclei are not different from those in nucleons. The European Muon Collaboration effect is reconfirmed, and the low-x data from all recent experiments, at all Q^2, are now in agreement