2,135 research outputs found
Quantal calculations on the rovibrational excitation of H(_2) and HD induced by H
Get PDFCross sections have been computed for non-reactive rovibrational transitions of H(_2) and HD, induced by collisions with H atoms, using the H+H(_2) interaction potential calculated recently by Mielke et al. [39] and an earlier potential of Boothroyd et d. [38]. The calculations relate explicitly to non-reactive scattering, excluding the proton-exchange channels. Cross sections derived using a simple harmonic oscillator approximation to the vibrational motion are compared with results obtained using numerically 'exact' solutions of the rovibrational eigenvalue equation. The convergence of the cross sections with respect to the size of the rovibrational basis set is investigated. Convergence is found to be slow, owing to the strength of the collisional coupling between vibrational manifolds. The cross sections are used to derive the rate coefficients for the rovibrational excitation of H(_2) and HD by H. For vibrationally inelastic transitions, the new rate coefficients at T ~ 1000 K are larger than the results of earlier calculations in which the vibrational motion was treated approximately, by means of a simple harmonic oscillator model. As a result, much better agreement is obtained with the empirical estimates by Allers et al. [59] of the rate coefficients for vibrational relaxation of the levels (v,j) = (1, 3) and (2, 3) of H(_2) . However, the effects of the new data on the resists of illustrative astrophysical models are less pronounced than the changes to the rate coefficients for vibrationally inelastic transitions might suggest
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Get PDFWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
Perceptions of Primary Care Among Breast Cancer Survivors: The Effects of Weight Status
No full textBackground: Obese breast cancer survivors (BCSs) are impacted by diminished quality of life (QOL), multiple comorbid conditions, and poor disease outcomes. Despite national guidelines recommending a healthy weight to improve QOL and outcomes posttreatment, support and education are not routinely provided to BCSs in primary care. To fill this gap, we assessed
perceptions of primary care received among BCSs by weight status.
Methods: Cross-sectional surveys were administered to early-stage BCSs (N ¼ 188) from 2 New Jersey cancer centers between May 2012 and July 2013. Sociodemographics, medical history, functional health status, perceived satisfaction with one’s primary care provider (PCP), and PCP involvement in follow-up care were assessed.
Results: In total, 82% of overweight BCSs and 30% of obese BCSs reported not being told by their doctor that they were overweight or obese, despite these conditions being highly prevalent (35% and 35%, respectively). Obese BCSs were more likely than healthy weight BCSs to be African American, have a higher comorbidity score, poorer functional health, and greater satisfaction with their PCPs.
Conclusion: The PCP–patient encounter may represent an opportunity for PCPs to correct misperceptions and promote weight reduction efforts among BCSs, thus improving QOL and disease outcomes.Peer reviewe
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North Texas Military Biography and Memoir Series; no. 23
No full textMy Darling Boys is the story of a New Mexico farm family whose three sons were sent to fight in World War II. All flew combat aircraft in the Army Air Forces. In 1973 one of the boys, Oscar Allison, a B-24 top turret gunner and flight engineer, wrote a memoir of his World War II experiences. On a mission to Regensburg, Germany, his bomber, ravaged by German fighters, was shot down. He was captured and spent fifteen months in German stalag prisons. His memoir, the core of this unique book, details his training, combat, and prisoner-of-war experience in a truthful, introspective, and compelling manner.
Fred H. Allison, the author and Oscar’s nephew, gained access to family letters that supplement Oscar’s story and bring to light the experiences of Oscar’s brothers. Harold Allison, the author’s father, was sidelined from combat as a bomber copilot due to a health condition. The letters also tell of the brother who did not come home, Wiley Grizzle Jr., a P-51 fighter pilot. Wiley’s last mission brought his squadron of Mustangs into a pitched battle with German fighters bound for the front to attack American troops.
The letters also introduce the boys’ family, who fought the battle of the home front on their farm in New Mexico. Allison reveals the burden home folks bore for their boys in combat and then the emotional trauma from the dreaded War Department letters announcing “missing in action” or “killed in action.” Allison conducted extensive research in the official records and in secondary sources to give context to the memoir and letters. My Darling Boys brings a new and important aspect to personal accounts of World War II combat, giving the reader a unique blend of first-person military action tied to the home front family
A one-year study of the diurnal cycle of meteorology, clouds and radiation in the West African Sahel region
No full textThe diurnal cycles of meteorological and radiation variables are analysed during the wet and dry seasons over the Sahel region of West Africa during 2006 using surface data collected by the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) programme’s Mobile Facility, satellite radiation measurements from the Geostationary Earth Radiation Budget (GERB) instrument aboard Meteosat 8, and reanalysis products from the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP). The meteorological analysis builds upon past studies of the diurnal cycle in the region by incorporating diurnal cycles of lower tropospheric wind profiles, thermodynamic profiles, integrated water vapour and liquid water measurements, and cloud radar measurements of frequency and location. These meteorological measurements are complemented by 3 h measurements of the diurnal cycles of the top-of-atmosphere (TOA) and surface short-wave (SW) and long-wave (LW) radiative fluxes and cloud radiative effects (CREs), and the atmospheric radiative flux divergence (RFD) and atmospheric CREs. Cirrus cloudiness during the dry season is shown to peak in coverage in the afternoon, while convective clouds during the wet season are shown to peak near dawn and have an afternoon minimum related to the rise of the lifting condensation level into the Saharan Air Layer. The LW and SW RFDs and CREs exhibit diurnal cycles during both seasons, but there is a relatively small difference in the LW cycles during the two seasons (10 − 30Wm−2 depending on the variable and time of day). Small differences in the TOA CREs during the two seasons are overwhelmed by large differences in the surface SW CREs, which exceed 100Wm−2. A significant surface SW CRE during the wet season combined with a negligible TOA SW CRE produces a diurnal cycle in the atmospheric CRE that is modulated primarily by the SW surface CRE, peaks at midday at ∼ 150Wm−2, and varies widely from day to day.Peer reviewe
The campaign for democratic socialism 1960-1964.
No full textPhDIn early 1960 it seemed likely that the official Labour
Party defence policy would be defeated by a unilateralist
resolution at the Scarborough Conference. In response to
this possibility the Campaign for Democratic Socialism,
or CDS, was established.
The CDS projected the image of a grass-roots movement
inspired by Gaitskell's "fight and fight again" speech.
But it was run by a Campaign Committee which included
leading members of the Party like Tony Crosland, Roy
Jenkins and Patrick Gordon Walker, as well as less well
known members like Bill Rodgers, Dick Taverne, Philip
Williams, Brian Walden, Denis Howell and David Marquand.
This highly talented group launched an elaborate and
successful lobbying, publicity and briefing operation
which was influential in overturning the unilateralist
vote at the Blackpool Conference of 1961. After Blackpool
the Campaign helped many of its leading members find
seats in the House of Commons while continuing to put the
"revisionist" case through its newspaper Campaign.
The importance of the CDS in the history of the Labour
Party is, primarily, as the first internal pressure group
organised by the right of the Party. It was also the
first internal Party group to use such sophisticated
lobbying techniques. Moreover, the subsequent careers of
the leading members of the Campaign influenced the
development of the Labour Party. The CDS was an important
formative political action for many of them. Finally many
of the CDS supporters set-up or joined the SDP when it
was launched
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North Texas Military Biography and Memoir Series Number 10
No full textPersonal accounts of U.S. marine Roy Elrod based on transcripts of oral histories about his experiences in the service, with particular emphasis on Guadalcanal, Tarawa, and Saipan. It includes editorial and historical notes and to provide context and clarification. Index starts on page 273
Beyond Lesson Studies and Design Experiments: Using theoretical tools in practice and finding out how they work
Get PDFThis paper aims to illustrate how fruitful insights into the link between school teaching practice and student learning outcomes can be theoretically grounded by the variation theory from the field of phenomenography; and from this framework demonstrate how a 'pedagogy of awareness' can be implemented in the classroom. In this study, five teachers and 162 students at Primary Four level of school education in Hong Kong participated and the practice of the 'learning study' was adopted. By comparing the results of pre- and posttests, a significant gain was observed in the students learning outcomes.
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Factors Influencing Household Outdoor Residential Water Use Decisions in Suburban Boston (USA)
No full textWater withdrawals for human use can reduce water in lakes and streams, with significant consequences for aquatic biota. Urbanization, particularly large lawn areas associated with low-density residential development, increases demand on freshwater resources. Outdoor water use accounts for the largest proportion of residential water use during the summer months, which corresponds to the lowest water levels in freshwater ecosystems. Prior studies have sought to understand property features associated with the highest water use; however, these studies do not consider other types of water use nor do they capture the decisions by residents that result in outdoor water use. Understanding these decisions is critical for developing policies and education tools that reduce outdoor water use by changing people’s water use behavior. Focusing on the Ipswich River Watershed, which has been impacted by extreme low flows due to water withdrawals, a mixed-methods approach was used to understand residents’ outdoor water use and the factors influencing the amount and timing of water use. To quantify water use meters were placed on outdoor spigots at residences, participants were provided with a written survey before and after water metering, and in-person interviews were conducted. Irrigation systems used the most water; however, garden watering occurred as frequently as lawn irrigation and many participants indicated that their garden was a primary factor in water use decisions. Participants’ water use decisions fell into categories from habitual (i.e., watering at the same time of day) to purely cognitive (i.e., watering based on weather and plant needs). While many participants felt that water conservation was necessary, their willingness to implement landscape-level conservation practices, such as rain barrels, did not differ from participants who believed water conservation was unnecessary. Interestingly, many residents reduced their outdoor water use behavior and increased their concern for other environmental issues in response to study participation. To have the greatest impact on overall water use, efforts should focus on residents running irrigation systems on a schedule. Outreach should emphasize individualized approaches to water conservation, regardless of water source (public or private), and include information and conservation options specific to the water needs of the individual property.Master of Science (M.S.
A web-oriented framework for the development and deployment of academic facing administrative tools and services
No full textThe demand for higher education has increased dramatically in the last decade. At the same
time, institutions have faced continual pressure to reduce costs and increase quality of education,
while delivering that education to greater numbers of students. The introduction of
software systems such as virtual learning environments, online learning resources and centralised
student record systems has become routine in attempts to address these demands.
However, these approaches suffer from a variety of limitations:
They do not take all stakeholders’ needs into account.
They do not seek to reduce administrative overheads in academic processes.
They do not reflect institution-specific academic policies.
They do not integrate readily with other information systems.
They are not capable of adequately modelling the complex authorisation roles and
organisational structure of a real institution.
They are not well suited to rapidly changing policies and requirements.
Their implementation is not informed by sound software engineering practises or
data architecture design.
Crucially, as a consequence of these drawbacks such systems can increase administrative
workload for academic staff.
This thesis describes the research, development and deployment of a system which seeks
to address these limitations, the Module Management System (MMS). MMS is a collaborative
web application targeted at streamlining and minimising administrative tasks. MMS encapsulates a number of user-facing tools for tasks including coursework submission and
marking, tutorial attendance tracking, exam mark recording and final grade calculation.
These tools are supported by a framework which acts as a form of “university operating
system”. This framework provides a number of different services including an institution
abstraction layer, role-based views and privileges, security policy support integration with
external systems
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