Strong-field above-threshold photoemission from sharp metal tips

We present energy-resolved measurements of electron emission from sharp metal tips driven with low energy pulses from a few-cycle laser oscillator. We observe above-threshold photoemission with a photon order of up to 9. At a laser intensity of 2*10^11 W/cm^2 suppression of the lowest order peak occurs, indicating the onset of strong-field effects. We also observe peak shifting linearly with intensity with a slope of around -1.8eV / (10^12 W/cm^2). We attribute the magnitude of the laser field effects to field enhancement taking place at the tip's surface.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figure

Continuing professional development of allied health professionals : A regional study

Background The Australian healthcare system is challenged by an ageing population and lifestyle risk factors that disproportionately affect people in regional (non-metropolitan) geographic regions. In addition, the allied health professionals who work in knowledge-intensive occupations in regional Victoria face barriers regarding profession related learning. Allied health professionals provide diagnostic and therapeutic patient care services, and within these professions, healthcare diagnoses and treatments are expected by society and government to be founded on scientific evidence. Therefore, remaining up-to-date with rapidly developing knowledge requires continuing professional development (CPD). Purpose This study explores pertinent issues affecting the CPD programs of allied health professionals and the interaction with regional Victorian public hospitals’ knowledge management (KM) approaches. Consequently, the study identifies opportunities for improving profession related learning, enhancing evidence-based practice and the efficacy of diagnoses and treatments. The proposed outcome of this study addresses perceived inadequacies of allied health professionals’ CPD and its contribution to medical errors. Furthermore, greater availability and effectiveness of profession related learning in these occupations should improve patients’ health outcomes. The study described in this thesis answers the primary research question: 1) What factors significantly influence the availability and effectiveness of continuing professional development (CPD) for allied health professionals (radiographers, sonographers and physiotherapists)? In addition, it also answers the secondary research question: 2) How can the findings of this research be represented to improve the CPD of allied health professionals and knowledge management (KM) in regional Victorian public hospitals? Methodology This study explores subjective phenomena involving human behaviour; therefore, the philosophical foundations of this study are post-positivist, with knowledge claims of interpretivist research. This research employs multi-site embedded case studies, defined as empirical enquiries investigating contemporary phenomena in real-world contexts. Therefore, they are suitable for this investigation, where participant experiences and contexts are equally important. Case selection in this study expresses regionalism through remoteness classifications of inner and outer regional areas, and hospital size comparing small/medium and large/referral regional hospitals. The 37 respondents to semi-structured interviews include hospital managers and purposefully selected allied health professionals (radiographers, sonographers and physiotherapists). The interviews were conducted from March to June 2017, with thematic analysis completed thereafter. Results Respondents in this study propose a holistic concept of CPD, encompassing all profession related learning opportunities, including learning from CPD activities and practice-based learning. Furthermore, the allied health professionals had various motivations for undertaking CPD, including maintaining and enhancing profession related knowledge, personal interest, supporting hospital needs, and meeting mandatory requirements. In addition, they discussed the factors that influenced their CPD planning, including their preference for formal face-to-face CPD activities, the availability of hospital-provided or local CPD activities, online learning, and overcoming barriers of their regional location. Finally, the factors influencing allied health professionals’ CPD include their planning of CPD programs, the influence of hospitals’ KM, and the competencies they consider necessary for good practice. Conclusion The thematic analysis in this study represents this study’s findings as a normative conceptual model in answer to the secondary research question. The Model of Allied Health Professionals’ CPD (described in section 6.7) proffers a heuristic framework depicting reflective feedback and the process of deliberative planning of CPD. Extrapolating knowledge from the literature and respondents’ experiences with CPD, the model’s elements include interrelationships between allied health professionals’ CPD planning and activities, hospitals’ approaches to KM, and informal workplace learning. Furthermore, the combined outcomes of CPD and KM contribute to allied health professionals’ competencies and expertise, presumably contributing to improving patients’ healthcare, including diagnoses and treatments.Doctor of Philosoph

Study of Hg vacancies in (Hg,Cd)Te after THM growth and post-growth annealing by positron annihilation

Positron lifetime measurements have been performed to study vacancy defects in Hg0.78Cd0.22Te. Post-growth annealing under various Hg vapour pressure conditions have been used to create a well-defined number of Hg vacancies. The sensitivity range of the positron annihilation method was found to be 1015 < cHgvac<1018 cm-3. The obtained experience has been used to investigate THM-grown single crystals. The measured longitudinal and radial dependence of the vacancy concentration can be explained by the temperature profile in the grown (Hg,Cd)Te ingots

Validity of pressure pain thresholds in female workers with and without recurrent low back pain

Recurrent low back pain (LBP) is a common pain condition in elderly workers in a variety of occupations, but little is known about its origin and the mechanisms leading to an often disabling sensation of pain that may be persistent or intermittent. In the present study we evaluated the pressure pain thresholds (PPTs) in subjects suffering from recurrent LBP, as well as in healthy controls, to investigate if recurrent LBP is associated with an increased sensitivity of the muscular and ligamentous structures located on the lower back. One hundred and six female workers, aged between 45 and 62years and working either in administrative or nursing professions were examined. The subjects were classified into LBP cases and controls based on the Nordic questionnaire. Subjects indicating 8-30 or more days with LBP during the past 12months were graded as cases. PPTs were measured on 12 points (six on each side of the body) expected to be relevant for LBP (paravertebral muscles, musculus quadratus lumborum, os ilium, iliolumbar ligament, musculus piriformis and greater trochanter), as well as on a reference point (middle of the forehead) using a digital dolorimeter. The PPTs on all points on the lower back highly correlated with each other and a high internal consistency was found with a Cronbach alpha coefficient >0.95. There was a moderate and significant correlation of the PPT on the forehead with the PPT on the lower back with correlation coefficients ranging from 0.36 to 0.49. In LBP cases from administrative professions, the PPT on the forehead was significantly decreased (P<0.05). The PPT on the lower back did not significantly differ between the four groups studied, namely nurses and administrative workers with and without recurrent LBP. These results give evidence that recurrent LBP is not associated with an altered sensitivity of the muscular and myofascial tissues in the lumbar region. Furthermore, they raise questions about the value of reference point measurements in recurrent LB

Eg versus x relation from photoluminescence and electron microprobe investigations in p-type Hg1−xCdxTe (0.35 =< x =< 0.7)

Combined photoluminescence (at 10 T 300 K) and electron microprobe investigations have been carried out with HgCdTe samples grown from the melt or from solution. By exciting the samples through metallic masks with 200 μm diameter holes fixed with respect to the sample care was taken to pick-up both characteristic X-ray radiation as well as the photoluminescence from the same sample area. The Eg versus x relation determined in this way at T = 30 K has been compared with data from the interband absorption edge by other authors

Symptomatology of recurrent low back pain in nursing and administrative professions

The aim of the present study was to explore if (a) recurrent low back pain (LBP) has different symptomatologies in cases from occupations with predominantly sitting postures compared to cases from occupations involving dynamic postures and frequent lifting and (b) if in the two occupational groups, different factors were associated with the presence of recurrent LBP. Hundred and eleven female subjects aged between 45 and 62years with a long-standing occupation either in administrative or nursing professions, with and without recurrent LBP were examined. An extensive evaluation of six areas of interest (pain and disability, clinical examination, functional tests, MR examination, physical and psychosocial workplace factors) was performed. The variables from the six areas of interest were analyzed for their potential to discriminate between the four groups of subjects (administrative worker and nurses with and without recurrent LBP) by canonical discriminant analysis. As expected, the self-evaluation of physical and psychosocial workplace factors showed significant differences between the two occupational groups, which holds true for cases as well as for controls (P<0.01). The functional tests revealed a tendency for rather good capacity in nurses with LBP and a decreased capacity in administrative personnel with LBP (P=0.049). Neither self completed pain and disability questionnaires nor clinical examination or MR imaging revealed any significant difference between LBP cases from sedentary and non-sedentary occupations. When comparing LBP cases and controls within the two occupational groups, the functional tests revealed significant differences (P=0.0001) yet only in administrative personnel. The clinical examination on the other hand only discriminated between LBP cases and controls in the nurses group (P<0.0001). Neither MRI imaging nor self reported physical and psychosocial workplace factors discriminated between LBP cases and controls from both occupational groups. Although we used a battery of tests that have broad application in clinical and epidemiological studies of LBP, a clear difference in the pattern of symptoms between LBP cases from nursing and hospital administration personnel could not be ascertained. We conclude that there is no evidence for different mechanisms leading to non-specific, recurrent LBP in the two occupations, and thus no generalizable recommendations for the prevention and therapy of non-specific LBP in the two professions can be give

An evolutionary explanation of the value premium puzzle

As early as 1934 Graham and Dodd conjectured that excess returns from value investment originate from a tendency of stock prices to converge towards a fundamental value. This paper confirms their insights within the evolutionary finance model of Evstigneev et al. (Econ Theory 27:449-468, (Evstigneev et al. 2006)). Our empirical results show the predictive power of the evolutionary benchmark valuation for the relative market capitalization and its dynamics in the sample of firms listed in the Dow Jones Industrial Average index in 1981-200

Sorafenib inhibits therapeutic induction of necroptosis in acute leukemia cells

Induction of necroptosis has emerged as an alternative approach to trigger programmed cell death, in particular in apoptosis-resistant cancer cells. Recent evidence suggests that kinase inhibitors targeting oncogenic B-RAF can also affect Receptor-interacting serine/threonine-protein kinase (RIP) 1 and RIP3. Sorafenib, a multi-targeting kinase inhibitor with activity against B-RAF, is used for the treatment of acute leukemia. In the present study, we therefore investigated whether Sorafenib interferes with therapeutic induction of necroptosis in acute leukemia. Here, we report that Sorafenib inhibits necroptotic signaling and cell death in two models of necroptosis in acute leukemia. Sorafenib significantly reduces Second mitochondria-derived activator of caspases (Smac) mimetic-induced necroptosis in apoptosis-resistant acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cells as well as Smac mimetic/Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF)alpha-induced necroptosis in FADD-deficient acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cells. Sub- to low micromolar concentrations of Sorafenib corresponding to its plasma levels reported in cancer patients are sufficient to inhibit necroptosis, emphasizing the clinical relevance of our findings. Furthermore, Sorafenib blocks Smac mimetic-mediated phosphorylation of mixed-lineage kinase domain-like protein (MLKL) that marks its activation, indicating that Sorafenib targets components upstream of MLKL such as RIP1 and RIP3. Intriguingly, Sorafenib reduces the Smac mimetic/TNF alpha-stimulated interaction of RIP1 with RIP3 and MLKL, demonstrating that it interferes with the assembly of the necrosome complex. Importantly, Sorafenib significantly protects primary, patient-derived AML blasts from Smac mimetic-induced necroptosis. By demonstrating that Sorafenib limits the anti-leukemic activity of necroptosisinducing drugs in acute leukemia cells, our study has important implications for the use of Sorafenib in the treatment of acute leukemia

Exact time-dependent density functional theory for impurity models

We employ the density matrix renormalization group to construct the exact time-dependent exchange correlation potential for an impurity model with an applied transport voltage. Even for short-ranged interaction we find an infinitely long-ranged exchange correlation potential which is built up {instantly} after switching on the voltage. Our result demonstrates the fundamental difficulties of transport calculations based on time-dependent density functional theory. While formally the approach works, important information can be missing in the ground-state functionals and may be hidden in the usually unknown non-equilibrium functionals