A measurement of the tau lifetime in e+e- annihilations at high energies

Imperial Users onl

Measurement of particle speed through optical reflective sensing

Two methods determine the speed of 3 m glass spheres using optical reflective sensors embedded in a micro-processor system. The first method, which will be referred to as the one pulse method, is sensitive to particle size and shape. The pulse width of a detected particle is measured and normalized by a shape correction factor resulting in a speed estimate. Three models are developed to correct for effects due to particle shape and light scattering inhomogeneities. The second method, which will be referred to as the two pulse method, measures individual particle velocity components independent of size and shape with two detectors spaced a known distance apart. This distance is divided by the delay between the two detector output pulses to determine speed. A by-product of both methods is a localized particle flux. The microprocessor subsystem automates the pulse detection, timing, velocity calculation and display which are accomplished by the micro-processor subsystem. In the laboratory, a chute is used to generate particle flows with different characteristics. The detection system is tested in the chute for two different flows. A mechanical speed measurement is used for comparison to the one pulse method. The one pulse method is used for comparison to the two pulse method. A mechanical average mass flow rate is used for comparison to the flow rate measurements. Results obtained indicate that the one pulse method estimate is within 4% of the mechanically measured speed. The two pulse method gives erroneous results, in this application, due to detector separation distance greater than 3 particle diameters. The mass flow rate measurement gives erroneous results due to detector head placement. Solutions are proposed to correct discrepancies

PLM in design and engineering education: International perspectives

Technological advances in the last decade have influenced changes in the design and engineering industries on a global scale. Lean and collaborative product development are approaches increasingly adopted by the industry and seen as the core of product lifecycle management. These trends have created the need for new skilled professionals, and universities should adapt their curricula in response. There is an increased need for academia to work with industry in order to meet these challenges. This article reports on the Parametric Technology Corporation Academic Research Symposium held in April 2011. The topics were centred around understanding the essence of product lifecycle management and its impact on design and engineering education. Furthermore, examples of implementing product lifecycle management and collaborative practices in higher education were presented from the United States and France. This article concludes with a discussion of the recommendations made at the symposium for the future development and support of key skills across university curricula

Survey of ultrasound practice amongst podiatrists in the UK

Background: Ultrasound in podiatry practice encompasses musculoskeletal ultrasound imaging, vascular hand-held Doppler ultrasound and therapeutic ultrasound. Sonography practice is not regulated by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), with no requirement to hold a formal qualification. The College of Podiatry does not currently define ultrasound training and competencies. This study aimed to determine the current use of ultrasound, training received and mentorship received and/or provided by podiatrists using ultrasound. Methods: A quantitative study utilising a cross-sectional, on-line, single-event survey was undertaken within the UK. Results: Completed surveys were received from 284 podiatrists; 173 (70%) use ultrasound as part of their general practice, 139 (49%) for musculoskeletal problems, 131 (46%) for vascular assessment and 39 (14%) to support their surgical practice. Almost a quarter (n=62) worked for more than one organisation; 202 (71%) were employed by the NHS and/or private sector (n=118, 41%). Nearly all (93%) respondents report using a hand-held vascular Doppler in their daily practice; 216 (82%) to support decisions regarding treatment options, 102 (39%) to provide diagnostic reports for other health professionals, and 34 (13%) to guide nerve blocks. Ultrasound imaging was used by 104 (37%) respondents primarily to aid clinical decision making (n=81) and guide interventions (steroid injections n=67; nerve blocks n=39). Ninety-three percent stated they use ultrasound imaging to treat their own patients, while others scan at the request of other podiatrists (n=28) or health professionals (n=18). Few use ultrasound imaging for research (n=7) or education (n=2). Only 32 (11%) respondents (n=20 private sector) use therapeutic ultrasound to treat patients presenting with musculoskeletal complaints, namely tendon pathologies. Few respondents (18%) had completed formal post-graduate CASE (Consortium for the Accreditation of Sonographic Education) accredited ultrasound courses. Forty (14%) respondents receive ultrasound mentorship; the majority from fellow podiatrists (n=17) or medical colleagues (n=15). Over half (n=127) who do not have ultrasound mentorship indicated they would like a mentor predominantly for ultrasound imaging. Fifty-five (19%) report they currently provide ultrasound mentorship for others. Conclusions: Understanding the scope of ultrasound practice, the training undertaken and the requirements for mentorship will underpin the development of competencies and recommendations defined by the College of Podiatry to support professional development and ensure safe practice.</p

Avenues of future research in homotransplantation of the liver with particular reference to hepatic supportive procedures, antilymphocyte serum, and tissue typing

Three general areas of research which bear on the developing field of liver transplantation are reviewed. These are: (1) the prospects of obtaining better immunosuppression with particular reference to heterologous antilymphocyte serum; (2) the possible use of antigen matching technics as an advanced indicator of donorrecipient histocompatibility; (3) a simlified system of extracorporeal transplntation designed to provide teporary hepatic support. © 1966

Effects of ecstasy/polydrug use on memory for associative information

Rationale Associative learning underpins behaviours that are fundamental to the everyday functioning of the individual. Evidence pointing to learning deficits in recreational drug users merits further examination. Objectives A word pair learning task was administered to examine associative learning processes in ecstasy/polydrug users. Methods After assignment to either single or divided attention conditions, 44 ecstasy/polydrug users and 48 non-users were presented with 80 word pairs at encoding. Following this, four types of stimuli were presented at the recognition phase: the words as originally paired (old pairs), previously presented words in different pairings (conjunction pairs), old words paired with new words, and pairs of new words (not presented previously). The task was to identify which of the stimuli were intact old pairs. Results Ecstasy/ploydrug users produced significantly more false-positive responses overall compared to non-users. Increased long-term frequency of ecstasy use was positively associated with the propensity to produce false-positive responses. It was also associated with a more liberal signal detection theory decision criterion value. Measures of long term and recent cannabis use were also associated with these same word pair learning outcome measures. Conjunction word pairs, irrespective of drug use, generated the highest level of false-positive responses and significantly more false-positive responses were made in the divided attention condition compared to the single attention condition. Conclusions Overall, the results suggest that long-term ecstasy exposure may induce a deficit in associative learning and this may be in part a consequence of users adopting a more liberal decision criterion value

Effects of surgery on the mental status of older persons. A meta-analytic review

The data bases of 18 empirical studies were combined into one comprehensive data set and subjected to meta-analysis. The following trends were observed: (1) surgery has a significantly decompensating impact on the mental status of older persons, and the average effect size observed is modest (r = .37); (2) for all mental status measures included in the review (cognition, delirium and affect), effect size appears to be significantly moderated by patient age; (3) patient sex may be predictive of the kind of mental impairment that is most likely to occur within an older surgery population, with women manifesting a greater affinity for delirious and men for cognitive decompensation; (4) most existing research within this domain of study is either purely descriptive or anecdotal: of 46 studies reviewed, only 18, or 39.1% of the total published output, were of sufficient methodologic rigor to allow for scientifically valid effect-size computations. The implications of these findings for future research are discussed