Optical tuning in the arcs and final focus sections of the Stanford Linear Collider

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bambade, P.S.

1989-03-01

In this thesis, we present the experimental tuning procedures developed for the Arcs and for the Final Focus Section of the Stanford Linear Collider (SLC). Such tuning is necessary to maximize the luminosity, by minimizing the beam size at the interaction point, and to reduce backgrounds in the experiment. In the final Focus Section, the correction strategy must result from the principles of the optical design, which is based on cancellations between second order aberrations, and on the ability to measure micron-size beams typical of the SLC. In the Arcs, the corrections were designed after the initial commissioning, to make the system more error-tolerant, through a modification in the optical design, and to enable adjustments of the beam phase-space a the injection to the Final Focus System, through a harmonic perturbation technique inspired from circular accelerators. Although the overall optimization of the SLC is not entirely finished, an almost optimal set-up has been achieved for the optics of the Arcs and of the Final Focus Section. Beams with transverse sizes close to the nominal ones, of a few microns, have been obtained at the interaction point. We present and discuss our results and the optical limits to the present performance. 24 refs., 25 figs., 2 tabs

Optical tuning in the arcs and final focus sections of the Stanford Linear Collider

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bambade, P.S.

1989-03-01

In this thesis, we present the experimental tuning procedures developed for the Arcs and for the Final Focus Section of the Stanford Linear Collider (SLC). Such tuning is necessary to maximize the luminosity, by minimizing the beam size at the interaction point, and to reduce backgrounds in the experiment. In the final Focus Section, the correction strategy must result from the principles of the optical design, which is based on cancellations between second order aberrations, and on the ability to measure micron-size beams typical of the SLC. In the Arcs, the corrections were designed after the initial commissioning, to make the system more error-tolerant, through a modification in the optical design, and to enable adjustments of the beam phase-space a the injection to the Final Focus System, through a harmonic perturbation technique inspired from circular accelerators. Although the overall optimization of the SLC is not entirely finished, an almost optimal set-up has been achieved for the optics of the Arcs and of the Final Focus Section. Beams with transverse sizes close to the nominal ones, of a few microns, have been obtained at the interaction point. We present and discuss our results and the optical limits to the present performance. 24 refs., 25 figs., 2 tabs.

Optical tuning of arcs and final focus section of the Standard Linear Collider (SLC)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bambade, P.

1989-03-01

In this thesis, we present the experimental tuning procedures developed for the Arcs and for the Final Focus Section of the Stanford Linear Collider (SLC). Such tuning is necessary to maximize the luminosity, by minimizing the beam size at the interaction point, and to reduce backgrounds in the experiment. In the final Focus Section, the correction strategy must result from the principles of the optical design, which is based on cancellations between second order aberrations, and on the ability to measure micron-size beams typical of the SLC. In the Arcs, the corrections were designed after the initial commissioning, to make the system more error-tolerant, through a modification in the optical design, and to enable adjustements of the beam phase-space at the injection to the Final Focus System, through a harmonic perturbation technique inspired from circular accelerators. Although the overall optimization of the SLC is not entirely finished, an almost optimal set-up has been achieved for the optics of the Arcs and of the Final Focus Section. Beams with transverse sizes close to the nominal ones, of a few microns, have been obtained at the interaction point. We present and discuss our results and the optical limits to the present performance [fr

The stabilisation of final focus system

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

The StaFF (stabilisation of final focus) system will use interferometers to monitor the relative ... quadrupole magnets will be the most demanding application, where mutual and beam- ... interferometers to measure lines of a geodetic network to record relative motion between two beam ... coupled interferometer design.

The optics of the Final Focus Test Beam

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Irwin, J.; Brown, K.; Bulos, F.; Burke, D.; Helm, R.; Roy, G.; Ruth, R.; Yamamoto, N.; Oide, K.

1991-05-01

The Final Focus Test Beam (FFTB), currently under construction at the end of the SLAC Linac, is being built by an international collaboration as a test bed for ideas and methods required in the design and construction of final focus systems for next generation e + e - linear colliders. The FFTB lattice is based on the previously developed principle of using sextupole pairs in a dispersive region to compensate chromaticity. The linear lattice was optimized for length, and implementation of diagnostic procedures. The transformations between sextupole pairs (CCX and CCY) are exactly -I, the matrix for the intermediate transformer (BX) is exactly diagonal, and the dispersion function has zero slope at the sextupoles and is thus zero at the minimum of the β x function in the intermediate transformer. The introduction of sextupoles in final focus systems leads to the presence of additional optical aberrations, and synchrotron radiation in the dipoles also enlarges the final spot size. The important fourth-order optical aberrations which determine the main features of the design have been identified. Additional lower order aberrations arise in the implementation of these designs, since the real system is not the ideal design. We concentrate on these aberrations and describe strategies for their diagnosis and correction

A final focus system for the Next Linear Collider

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zimmermann, F.; Brown, K.; Emma, P.; Helm, R.; Irwin, J.; Tenenbaum, P.; Wilson, P.

1995-06-01

The final focus of the Next Linear Collider (NLC) demagnifies electron and positron beams of 250--750 GeV energy down to a transverse size of about 2.5 x 350 nm 2 at the interaction point (IP). The basic layout, momentum bandwidth, vibration tolerances, wakefield effects, and the tunability of the proposed final focus design are discussed. Also a perspective is given on the crab cavity and on effects of the solenoid field in the interaction region

A Novel Final Focus Design for Future Linear Colliders

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Seryi, Andrei

2000-05-30

The length, complexity and cost of the present Final Focus designs for linear colliders grows very quickly with the beam energy. In this letter, a novel final focus system is presented and compared with the one proposed for NLC. This new design is simpler, shorter and cheaper, with comparable bandwidth, tolerances and tunability. Moreover, the length scales slower than linearly with energy allowing for a more flexible design which is applicable over a much larger energy range.

FOCUS: a fire management planning system -- final report

Science.gov (United States)

Frederick W. Bratten; James B. Davis; George T. Flatman; Jerold W. Keith; Stanley R. Rapp; Theodore G. Storey

1981-01-01

FOCUS (Fire Operational Characteristics Using Simulation) is a computer simulation model for evaluating alternative fire management plans. This final report provides a broad overview of the FOCUS system, describes two major modules-fire suppression and cost, explains the role in the system of gaming large fires, and outlines the support programs and ways of...

A RECIPE FOR LINEAR COLLIDER FINAL FOCUS SYSTEM DESIGN

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seryi, Andrei

2003-01-01

The design of Final Focus systems for linear colliders is challenging because of the large demagnifications needed to produce nanometer-sized beams at the interaction point. Simple first- and second-order matrix matching have proven insufficient for this task, and minimization of third- and higher-order aberrations is essential. An appropriate strategy is required for the latter to be successful. A recipe for Final Focus design, and a set of computational tools used to implement this approach, are described herein. An example of the use of this procedure is given

Beam based alignment of the SLC final focus sextupoles

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Emma, P.; Irwin, J.; Phinney, N.; Raimondi, P.; Toge, N.; Walker, N.J.; Ziemann, V.

1993-05-01

The strong demagnification inherent in final focus systems requires local cancellation of the resulting chromaticty. Strong sextupole pair separated by a -I transform are positioned π/2 in the betatron phase away from the Interaction Point (IP) in order to cancel chromatic aberrations primarily due to the final quadrupoles. Sextupole alignment is critical in order to provide orthogonal tuning of the chromaticty and, in the case of the SLC, to limit the third and higher order optical aberrations generated from misaligned and 'nested' horizontal and vertical sextupole pairs. Reported here is a novel technique for aligning the beam centroid to the sextupole centers, which uses measurements of the criticality dependent parameter - the beam size at the IP. Results for the SLC final focus sextupoles are presented, where a resolution of <50 μm is achieved

Mine-by experiment final design report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Read, R.S.; Martin, C.D.

1991-12-01

The Underground Research Laboratory (URL) Mine-by Experiment is designed to provide information on rock mass response to excavation that will be used to assess important aspects of the design of a nuclear fuel waste disposal vault in a granitic pluton. The final experiment design is the result of a multidisciplinary approach, drawing on experience gained at other sites as well as the URL, and using both internal expertise and the external consultants. The final experiment design, including details on characterization, construction, instrumentation, and numerical modelling, is presented along with final design drawings

Mask locations in the SLC final focus region

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cence, R.J.

1983-01-01

The location of four sets of masks needed to shield against background in the final focus region of the SLC is shown. The main point of this note is to update the results of Miller and Sens taking into account the recent changes that have been made in the optics of the SLC beams. For the latest beam design we use the TRANSPORT output dated 5-13-83. This design assumes that the final bends will form an S about the interaction point and that the final quadrupoles will be superconducting and will be placed about 8 feet from the interaction point

The optics of the Final Focus Test Beam

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Irwin, J.; Brown, K.; Bulos, F.; Burke, D.; Helm, R.; Roy, G.; Ruth, R.; Yamamoto, N.; Oide, K.

1991-01-01

The Final Focus Test Beam (FFTB), currently under construction at the end of the SLAC Linac, is being built by an international collaboration as a test bed for ideas and methods required in the design and construction of final focus systems for next generation e + e - linear colliders. The FFTB lattice shown is based on the previously developed principle of using sextupole pairs in a dispersive region to compensate chromaticity. The linear lattice was optimized for length, and implementation of diagnostic procedures. The transformations between sextupole pairs (CCX and CCY) are exactly -I, the matrix for the intermediate transformer (BX) is exactly diagonal, and the dispersion function has zero slope at the sextupoles and is thus zero at the minimum of the β x function in the intermediate transformer

Final focus test beam alignment: A draft proposal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fischer, G.E.; Ruland, R.E.

1989-03-01

The Final Focus Test Beam is a transport line designed to transmit 50 GeV electron beams of SLC emittance (3 x 10 -10 radian-meters) straight through the central arm of the Beam Switchyard (BSY C line) with a final focus point out in the Research Yard but relatively near the end of the switchyard tunnel. The hardware, methods and procedures outlined in this proposal are dedicated to measuring the placement of mechanical objects with respect to certain defined geometric axes. We wish to emphasize that the very difficult problems of locating the effective magnetic axes of focusing elements, the effective electrical center of beam position monitors and even the effective axis of the incident beam relative to mechanical reference surfaces is outside the scope of this work. Further, this proposal is restricted to the act of measurement and does not consider the vital task of on-line mechanical repositioning of elements that will, in likelihood, be called upon during operation of the system. 16 refs., 16 figs., 4 tabs

Cosmological Final Focus Systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Irwin, J

2004-01-01

We develop the many striking parallels between the dynamics of light streams from distant galaxies and particle beams in accelerator final focus systems. Notably the deflections of light by mass clumps are identical to the kicks arising from the long-range beam-beam interactions of two counter-rotating particle beams (known as parasitic crossings). These deflections have sextupolar as well as quadrupolar components. We estimate the strength of such distortions for a variety of circumstances and argue that the sextupolar distortions from clumping within clusters may be observable. This possibility is enhanced by the facts that (1) the sextupolar distortions of background galaxies is a factor of 5 smaller than the quadrupolar distortion, (2) the angular orientation of the sextupolar and quadrupolar distortions from a mass distribution would be correlated, appearing as a slightly curved image, (3) these effects should be spatially clumped on the sky

Drift Compression and Final Focus for Intense Heavy Ion Beams with Non-periodic, Time-dependent Lattice

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hong Qin; Davidson, Ronald C.; Barnard, John J.; Lee, Edward P.

2005-01-01

In the currently envisioned configurations for heavy ion fusion, it is necessary to longitudinally compress the beam bunches by a large factor after the acceleration phase. Because the space-charge force increases as the beam is compressed, the beam size in the transverse direction will increase in a periodic quadrupole lattice. If an active control of the beam size is desired, a larger focusing force is needed to confine the beam in the transverse direction, and a non-periodic quadrupole lattice along the beam path is necessary. In this paper, we describe the design of such a focusing lattice using the transverse envelope equations. A drift compression and final focus lattice should focus the entire beam pulse onto the same focal spot on the target. This is difficult with a fixed lattice, because different slices of the beam may have different perveance and emittance. Four time-dependent magnets are introduced in the upstream of drift compression to focus the entire pulse onto the sam e focal spot. Drift compression and final focusing schemes are developed for a typical heavy ion fusion driver and for the Integrated Beam Experiment (IBX) being designed by the Heavy Ion Fusion Virtual National Laboratory

Beam dynamics in the SLC final focus system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bambade, P.S.

1987-06-01

The SLC luminosity is reached by colliding beams focused to about 2 μm transverse sizes. The Final Focus System (FFS) must enable, beyond its basic optical design, the detection and correction of errors accumulated in the system. In this paper, after summarizing the design, we review the sensitivity to such errors and the ability to correct them. The overall tuning strategy involves three phases: single beam spot minimization, steering the beams in collision and luminosity optimization with beam-beam effects

Laser light scatter experiments on plasma focus plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wenzel, N.

1985-01-01

The plasma focus plant is an experiment on nuclear fusion, which is distinguished by a high neutron yield. Constituting an important method of diagnosis in plasma focussing, the laser light scatter method makes it possible, apart from finding the electron temperature and density, to determine the ion temperature resolved according to time and place and further, to study the occurrence of micro-turbulent effects. Starting from the theoretical basis, this dissertation describes light scatter measurements with ruby lasers on the POSEIDON plasma focus. They are given, together with earlier measurements on the Frascati 1 MJ plant and the Heidelberg 12 KJ plant. The development of the plasma parameters and the occurrence of superthermal light scatter events are discussed in connection with the dynamics of the plasma and the neutron emission characteristics of the individual plants. The results support the view that the thermo-nuclear neutron production at the plasma focus is negligible. Although the importance of micro-turbulent mechanisms in producing neutrons cannot be finally judged, important guidelines are given for the spatial and time relationships with plasma dynamics, plasma parameters and neutron emission. The work concludes with a comparison of all light scatter measurements at the plasma focus described in the literature. (orig.) [de

Non-linear optics for the final focus of the single-pass-collider

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, K.L.; Spencer, J.E.

1981-02-01

The purpose of the final focus system (FFS) is to demagnify the beam envelope in the Collider arc lattice to a size suitable for beam collisions at the interaction region. The final spot size is determined by the beam emittance, the beta function β* at the IR, the momentum spread in the beam, and the quality of the FFS optics. In particular, if the focusing system is not chromatically corrected, the momentum dispersion in the beam can lead to a substantial degradation in the quality of the final focus. The objective is to design a FFS for 50 GeV/c within approx. 100 meters having an IR spot size sigma/sub xy/ of approximately 2 μm for a beam emittance of epsilon = 3 x 10 -10 m-rad and a momentum spread of delta = +-0.5%. This requires a β/sub x,y/ equal to or less than 1 cm. This report considers the problems encountered in the design of a final focus system that will reliably provide the desired beam size for collisions

Measuring micron size beams in the SLC final focus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

McCormick, D.; Ross, M.; DeBarger, S.

1994-10-01

A pair of high resolution wire scanners have been built and installed in the SLC final focus. The final focus optics uses a set of de-magnifying telescopes, and an ideal location for a beam size monitor is at one of the magnified image points of the interaction point. The image point chosen for these scanners is in the middle of a large bend magnet. The design beam spots here are about 2 microns in the vertical and 20 microns in the horizontal plane. The scanners presented a number of design challenges. In this paper we discuss the mechanical design of the scanner, and fabrication techniques of its ceramic wire support card which holds many 4 and 7 um carbon wires. Accurate motion of the wire during a scan is critical. In this paper we describe tests of stepper motors, gear combinations, and radiation hardened encoders needed to produce the required motion with a step resolution of 80 nanometers. Also presented here are the results of scattered radiation detector placement studies carried out to optimize the signal from the 4 micron wires. Finally, we present measurements from the scanner

New final focus concepts at 5 TeV and beyond

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zimmermann, F.

1998-07-01

At multi-TeV energies, the length of conventional beam-delivery systems becomes excessive, raising doubts about the value of a compact, high-gradient accelerator to future high-energy physics. In this paper, the reasons for the unfavorable length scaling are discussed, and alternative design concepts are described, for which final focus and collimation systems are orders of magnitude shorter and which produce higher luminosity at lower beam power than conventional approaches. These concepts include a sextupole-free final focus, linac energy-spread compensation, bunch combination and laser collimation. They are compatible with novel acceleration techniques, such as an active matrix linac. A consistent parameter set for a 5 TeV collider is presented

The plasma focus - numerical experiments leading technology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Saw, S.H.; Lee, S.

2013-01-01

Numerical experiments on the plasma focus are now used routinely to assist design and provide reference points for diagnostics. More importantly guidance has been given regarding the implementation of technology for new generations of plasma focus devices. For example intensive series of experiments have shown that it is of no use to reduce static bank inductance L0 below certain values because of the consistent loading effects of the plasma focus dynamics on the capacitor bank. Thus whilst it was thought that the PF1000 could receive major benefits by reducing its bank inductance L 0 , numerical experiments have shown to the contrary that its present L 0 of 30 nH is already optimum and that reducing L 0 would be a very expensive fruitless exercise. This knowledge gained from numerical experiments now acts as a general valuable guideline to all high performance (ie low inductance) plasma focus devices not to unnecessarily attempt to further lower the static inductance L 0 . The numerical experiments also show that the deterioration of the yield scaling law (e.g. the fusion neutron yield scaling with storage energy) is inevitable again due to the consistent loading effect of the plasma focus, which becomes more and more dominant as capacitor bank impedance reduces with increasing capacitance C 0 as storage energy is increased. This line of thinking has led to the suggestion of using higher voltages (as an alternative to increasing C 0 ) and to seeding of Deuterium with noble gases in order to enhance compression through thermodynamic mechanisms and through radiation cooling effects of strong line radiation. Circuit manipulation e.g. to enhance focus pinch compression by current-stepping is also being numerically experimented upon. Ultimately however systems have to be built, guided by numerical experiments, so that the predicted technology may be proven and realized. (author)

Adjustable, short focal length permanent-magnet quadrupole based electron beam final focus system

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J. K. Lim

2005-07-01

Full Text Available Advanced high-brightness beam applications such as inverse-Compton scattering (ICS depend on achieving of ultrasmall spot sizes in high current beams. Modern injectors and compressors enable the production of high-brightness beams having needed short bunch lengths and small emittances. Along with these beam properties comes the need to produce tighter foci, using stronger, shorter focal length optics. An approach to creating such strong focusing systems using high-field, small-bore permanent-magnet quadrupoles (PMQs is reported here. A final-focus system employing three PMQs, each composed of 16 neodymium iron boride sectors in a Halbach geometry has been installed in the PLEIADES ICS experiment. The field gradient in these PMQs is 560   T/m, the highest ever reported in a magnetic optics system. As the magnets are of a fixed field strength, the focusing system is tuned by adjusting the position of the three magnets along the beam line axis, in analogy to familiar camera optics. This paper discusses the details of the focusing system, simulation, design, fabrication, and experimental procedure in creating ultrasmall beams at PLEIADES.

Probing LINEAR Collider Final Focus Systems in SuperKEKB

CERN Document Server

Thrane, Paul Conrad Vaagen

2017-01-01

A challenge for future linear collider final focus systems is the large chromaticity produced by the final quadrupoles. SuperKEKB will be correcting high levels of chromaticity using the traditional scheme which has been also proposed for the CLIC FFS. We present early simulation results indicating that lowering β*у in the SuperKEKB Low Energy Ring might be possible given on-axis injection and low bunch current, opening the possibility of testing chromaticity correction beyond FFTB level, similar to ILC and approaching that of CLIC. CLIC – Note – 1077

Plasma lenses for SLAC Final Focus Test facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Betz, D.; Cline, D.; Joshi, C.; Rajagopalan, S.; Rosenzweig, J.; Su, J.J.; Williams, R.; Chen, P.; Gundersen, M.; Katsouleas, T.; Norem, J.

1991-01-01

A collaborative group of accelerator and plasma physicists and engineers has formed with an interest in exploring the use of plasma lenses to meet the needs of future colliders. Analytic and computational models of plasma lenses are briefly reviewed and several design examples for the SLAC Final Focus Test Beam are presented. The examples include discrete, thick, and adiabatic lenses. A potential plasma source with desirable lens characteristics is presented

Review of tolerances at the Final Focus Test Beam

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bulos, F.; Burke, D.; Helm, R.; Irwin, J.; Roy, G.; Yamamoto, N.

1991-01-01

The authors review the tolerances associated with the Final Focus Test Beam (FFTB). The authors have computed the acceptability window of the input beam for orbit jitter, emittance beta functions mismatch, incoming dispersion and coupling; tolerances on magnet alignment, strength and multipole content; and the initial tuneability capture of the line

Review of tolerances at the Final Focus Test Beam

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bulos, F.; Burke, D.; Helm, R.; Irwin, J.; Roy, G.; Yamamoto, N.

1991-05-01

We review the tolerances associated with the Final Focus Test Beam (FFTB). We have computed the acceptability window of the input beam for orbit jitter, emittance beta functions mismatch, incoming dispersion and coupling; tolerances on magnet alignment, strength and multipole content; and the initial tuneability capture of the line. 2 refs., 1 fig

Beam-based alignment and tuning procedures for e+e- collider final focus systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bulos, F.; Burke, D.; Helm, R.; Irwin, J.; Odian, A.; Roy, G.; Ruth, R.; Yamamoto

1991-01-01

For future linear colliders, with very small emittances and beam sizes and demanding tolerances on final focus system alignment and magnet errors, it becomes increasingly important to use the beam as a diagnostic tool. The authors report here procedures they have identified and will be implemented in the Final Focus Test Beam at SLAC incorporating (1) quadrupole strength changes, (2) central orbit modifications, (3) spot size measurements, and (4) beam stability monitoring

Final focus system tuning studies towards Compact Linear Collider feasibility

Science.gov (United States)

Marin, E.; Latina, A.; Tomás, R.; Schulte, D.

2018-01-01

In this paper we present the latest results regarding the tuning study of the baseline design of the final focus system of the Compact Linear Collider (CLIC-FFS). CLIC aims to provide collisions to the experiments at a luminosity above 1034 c m-2 s-1 . In order to deliver such luminosity in a single pass machine, the vertical beam size at the interaction point (IP) is reduced to about 1 nm, which imposes unprecedented tuning difficulties to the system. In previous studies, 90% of the machines reached 90% of the nominal luminosity at the expense of 18 000 luminosity measurements, when considering beam position monitor errors and transverse misalignments of magnets for a single beam case. In the present study, additional static imperfections as, roll misalignments, strength v2.epss are included. Moreover both e- and e+ beamlines are properly simulated. A new tuning procedure based on linear and nonlinear knobs is implemented to effectively cure the most relevant beam size aberrations at the IP. The obtained results for single and double beam studies under solely static imperfections are presented.

Beam-based alignment and tuning procedures for e+e- collider final focus systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bulos, F.; Burke, D.; Helm, R.; Irwin, J.; Odian, A.; Roy, G.; Ruth, R.; Yamamoto, N.

1991-05-01

For future linear colliders, with very small emittances and beam sizes and demanding tolerances on final focus system alignment and magnet errors, it becomes increasingly important to use the beam as a diagnostic tool. We report here procedures we have identified and will be implemented in the Final Focus Test Beam at SLAC incorporating (1) quadrupole strength changes, (2) central orbit modifications, (3) spot size measurements, and (4) beam stability monitoring. 3 refs., 4 figs., 3 tabs

Systematic investigation of SLC final focus tolerances to errors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Napoly, O.

1996-10-01

In this paper we review the tolerances of the SLC final focus system. To calculate these tolerances we used the error analysis routine of the program FFADA which has been written to aid the design and the analysis of final focus systems for the future linear colliders. This routine, complete by S. Fartoukh, systematically reviews the errors generated by the geometric 6-d Euclidean displacements of each magnet as well as by the field errors (normal and skew) up to the sextipolar order. It calculates their effects on the orbit and the transfer matrix at the second order in the errors, thus including cross-talk between errors originating from two different magnets. It also translates these effects in terms of tolerance derived from spot size growth and luminosity loss. We have run the routine for the following set of beam IP parameters: σ * x = 2.1 μm; σ * x' = 300 μrd; σ * x = 1 mm; σ * y = 0.55 μm; σ * y' = 200 μrd; σ * b = 2 x 10 -3 . The resulting errors and tolerances are displayed in a series of histograms which are reproduced in this paper. (author)

Superstrong Adjustable Permanent Magnet for a Linear Collider Final Focus

CERN Document Server

Iwashita, Y

2004-01-01

Super-strong permanent magnets are being considered as one of the candidates for the final focus quadrupole magnets in a linear collider. A short prototype with temperature compensation included and variable strength capability has been designed and fabricated. Fabrication details and some magnetic measurement results will be presented.

Superconducting focusing quadrupoles for heavy ion fusion experiments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sabbi, G.L.; Faltens, A.; Leitner, M.; Lietzke, A.; Seidl, P.; Barnard, J.; Lund, S.; Martovetsky, N.; Gung, C.; Minervini, J.; Radovinsky, A.; Schultz, J.; Meinke, R.

2003-05-01

The Heavy Ion Fusion (HIF) Program is developing superconducting focusing magnets for both near-term experiments and future driver accelerators. In particular, single bore quadrupoles have been fabricated and tested for use in the High Current Experiment (HCX) at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL). The next steps involve the development of magnets for the planned Integrated Beam Experiment (IBX) and the fabrication of the first prototype multi-beam focusing arrays for fusion driver accelerators. The status of the magnet R&D program is reported, including experimental requirements, design issues and test results.

The Final Focus Test Beam laser referene system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bressler, V.E.; Ruland, R.E.

1993-05-01

The original design for the SLAC linac included an alignment reference system with 270 diffraction gratings situated along the 3000 meter linac. These gratings have provided SLAC with a global reference line repeatable to within 200 micro meters. For the Final Focus Test Beam, this laser system has been extended and 13 new diffraction gratings have been installed. Improvements targets and the availability of new instruments allows us to evaluate the performance of the laser reference system at the 510 micro meter level. An explanation of the system and the results of our evaluation are presented

Drift Compression and Final Focus Options for Heavy Ion Fusion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hong Qin; Davidson, Ronald C.; Barnard, John J.; Lee, Edward P.

2005-01-01

A drift compression and final focus lattice for heavy ion beams should focus the entire beam pulse onto the same focal spot on the target. We show that this requirement implies that the drift compression design needs to satisfy a self-similar symmetry condition. For un-neutralized beams, the Lie symmetry group analysis is applied to the warm-fluid model to systematically derive the self-similar drift compression solutions. For neutralized beams, the 1-D Vlasov equation is solved explicitly, and families of self-similar drift compression solutions are constructed. To compensate for the deviation from the self-similar symmetry condition due to the transverse emittance, four time-dependent magnets are introduced in the upstream of the drift compression such that the entire beam pulse can be focused onto the same focal spot

Ultrasonic brain therapy: First trans-skull in vivo experiments on sheep using adaptive focusing

Science.gov (United States)

Pernot, Mathieu; Aubry, Jean-Francois; Tanter, Michael; Fink, Mathias; Boch, Anne-Laure; Kujas, Michèle

2004-05-01

A high-power prototype dedicated to trans-skull therapy has been tested in vivo on 20 sheep. The array is made of 200 high-power transducers working at 1-MHz central and is able to reach 260 bars at focus in water. An echographic array connected to a Philips HDI 1000 system has been inserted in the therapeutic array in order to perform real-time monitoring of the treatment. A complete craniotomy has been performed on half of the treated animal models in order to get a reference model. On the other animals, a minimally invasive surgery has been performed thanks to a time-reversal experiment: a hydrophone was inserted at the target inside the brain thanks to a 1-mm2 craniotomy. A time-reversal experiment was then conducted through the skull bone with the therapeutic array to treat the targeted point. For all the animals a specified region around the target was treated thanks to electronic beam steering. Animals were finally divided into three groups and sacrificed, respectively, 0, 1, and 2 weeks after treatment. Finally, histological examination confirmed tissue damage. These in vivo experiments highlight the strong potential of high-power time-reversal technology.

Radiation damage and waste management options for the sombrero final focus system and neutron dumps

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reyes, S.; Latkowski, J.F.; Meier, W.R.; Reyes, S.

2000-01-01

Previous studies of the safety and environmental aspects of the SOMBRERO inertial fusion energy (IFE) power plant design did not completely address the issues associated with the final focus system. While past work calculated neutron fluences for a grazing incidence metal mirror (GIMM) and a final focus mirror, scattering off of the final optical component was not included, and thus, fluences in the final focus mirror were significantly underestimated. In addition, past work did not consider neutron-induced gamma-rays. Finally, power plant lifetime waste volumes may have been underestimated as neutron activation of the neutron dumps and building structure were not addressed. In the present work, a modified version of the SOMBRERO target building is presented where a significantly larger open solid-angle fraction (5%) is used to enhance beam smoothing of a diode-pumped solid-state laser (DPSSL). The GIMMs are replaced with transmissive fused silica wedges and have been included in three-dimensional neutron and photon transport calculations. This work shows that a power plant with a large open solid-angle fraction, needed for beam smoothing with a DPSSL, is acceptable from tritium breeding, and neutron activation points-of-view. (authors)

Vibration Stabilization of a Mechanical Model of a X-Band Linear Collider Final Focus Magnet

CERN Document Server

Frisch, J; Decker, V; Hendrickson, L; Markiewicz, T W; Partridge, R; Seryi, Andrei

2004-01-01

The small beam sizes at the interaction point of a X-band linear collider require mechanical stabilization of the final focus magnets at the nanometer level. While passive systems provide adequate performance at many potential sites, active mechanical stabilization is useful if the natural or cultural ground vibration is higher than expected. A mechanical model of a room temperature linear collider final focus magnet has been constructed and actively stabilized with an accelerometer based system.

Vibration Stabilization of a Mechanical Model of a X-Band Linear Collider Final Focus Magnet

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frisch, Josef; Chang, Allison; Decker, Valentin; Doyle, Eric; Eriksson, Leif; Hendrickson, Linda; Himel, Thomas; Markiewicz, Thomas; Partridge, Richard; Seryi, Andrei; SLAC

2006-01-01

The small beam sizes at the interaction point of a X-band linear collider require mechanical stabilization of the final focus magnets at the nanometer level. While passive systems provide adequate performance at many potential sites, active mechanical stabilization is useful if the natural or cultural ground vibration is higher than expected. A mechanical model of a room temperature linear collider final focus magnet has been constructed and actively stabilized with an accelerometer based system

Focusing experiments with light ion diodes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnson, D.L.

1978-01-01

A review of recent experimental and theoretical work at Sandia Laboratories on magnetically insulated single stage ion diodes for inertial confinement fusion experiments is presented. The production, focusing, and numerical simulation of a 0.5 TW annular proton beam using the Proto I dual transmission line generator is described. The modular magnetically insulated ion diode for the Hydra generator is also described along with recent experimental results. A brief description of how an array of modular diodes similar to the Hydra magnetically insulated diode could be used on the EBFA I generator for breakeven fusion experiments is presented

Analytical approach to chromatic correction in the final focus system of circular colliders

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yunhai Cai

2016-11-01

Full Text Available A conventional final focus system in particle accelerators is systematically analyzed. We find simple relations between the parameters of two focus modules in the final telescope. Using the relations, we derive the chromatic Courant-Snyder parameters for the telescope. The parameters are scaled approximately according to (L^{*}/β_{y}^{*}δ, where L^{*} is the distance from the interaction point to the first quadrupole, β_{y}^{*} the vertical beta function at the interaction point, and δ the relative momentum deviation. Most importantly, we show how to compensate its chromaticity order by order in δ by a traditional correction module flanked by an asymmetric pair of harmonic multipoles. The method enables a circular Higgs collider with 2% momentum aperture and illuminates a path forward to 4% in the future.

A conceptual design of Final Focus Systems for linear colliders

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brown, K.L.

1987-06-01

Linear colliders are a relatively recent development in the evolution of particle accelerators. This report discusses some of the approaches that have been considered for the design of Final Focus Systems to demagnify the beam exiting from a linac to the small size suitable for collisions at the interaction point. The system receiving the most attention is the one adopted for the SLAC Linear Collider. However, the theory and optical techniques discussed should be applicable to the design efforts for future machines

Exploring the triplet parameters space to optimise the final focus of the FCC-hh

CERN Document Server

AUTHOR|(CDS)2141109; Abelleira, Jose; Seryi, Andrei; Cruz Alaniz, Emilia

2017-01-01

One of the main challenges when designing final focus systems of particle accelerators is maximising the beam stay clear in the strong quadrupole magnets of the inner triplet. Moreover it is desirable to keep the quadrupoles in the triplet as short as possible for space and costs reasons but also to reduce chromaticity and simplify corrections schemes. An algorithm that explores the triplet parameter space to optimise both these aspects was written. It uses thin lenses as a first approximation and MADX for more precise calculations. In cooperation with radiation studies, this algorithm was then applied to design an alternative triplet for the final focus of the Future Circular Collider (FCC-hh).

A Dynamic Alignment System for the Final Focus Test Beam

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ruland, R.E.; Bressler, V.E.; Fischer, G.; Plouffe, D.; SLAC

2005-01-01

The Final Focus Test Beam (FFTB) was conceived as a technological stepping stone on the way to the next linear collider. Nowhere is this more evident than with the alignment subsystems. Alignment tolerances for components prior to beam turn are almost an order of magnitude smaller than for previous projects at SLAC. Position monitoring systems which operate independent of the beam are employed to monitor motions of the components locally and globally with unprecedented precision. An overview of the FFTB alignment system is presented herein

FINAL DESIGN REVIEW REPORT Subcritical Experiments Gen 2, 3-ft Confinement Vessel Weldment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Romero, Christopher [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

2017-09-28

A Final Design Review (FDR) of the Subcritical Experiments (SCE) Gen 2, 3-ft. Confinement Vessel Weldment was held at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) on September 14, 2017. The review was a focused review on changes only to the confinement vessel weldment (versus a system design review). The changes resulted from lessons-learned in fabricating and inspecting the current set of confinement vessels used for the SCE Program. The baseline 3-ft. confinement vessel weldment design has successfully been used (to date) for three (3) high explosive (HE) over-tests, two (2) fragment tests, and five (5) integral HE experiments. The design team applied lessons learned from fabrication and inspection of these vessel weldments to enhance fit-up, weldability, inspection, and fitness for service evaluations. The review team consisted of five (5) independent subject matter experts with engineering design, analysis, testing, fabrication, and inspection experience. The

Linear collider IR and final focus introduction

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Irwin, J.; Burke, D.

1991-09-01

The Linear Collider subgroup of the Accelerator Physics working group concerned itself with all aspects of the Next Linear Collider (NLC) design from the end of the accelerating structure to and through the interaction region. Within this region are: (1) a collimation section, (2) muon protection (of the detector from the collimator), (3) final focus system, (4) interaction point physics, and (5) detector masking from synchrotron radiation and beam-beam pair production. These areas of study are indicated schematically in Fig. 1. The parameters for the Next Linear Collider are still in motion, but attention has settled on a handful of parameter sets. Energies under consideration vary from 0.5 to 1.5 TeV in the center of mass, and luminosities vary from 10 33 to 10 34 cm -2 s -1 . To be concrete we chose as a guide for our studies the parameter sets labeled F and G, Table 1 from Palmer. These cover large and small crossing angle cases and 0.4 m to 1.8 m of free length at the interaction point

Design optimization of the International Linear Collider Final Focus System with a long L*

CERN Document Server

Plassard, Fabien

This Master's Thesis work has been done in the Aerospace Engineering master's programme framework and carried out at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN). It was conducted under the 500 GeV e-e+ International Linear Collider (ILC) study and focused on the design and performance optimization of the Final Focus System (FFS). The purpose of the final focus system of the future linear colliders (ILC and CLIC) is to demagnify the beam to the required transverse size at the interaction point (IP). The FFS is designed for a flat-beam in a compact way based on a local chromaticity correction which corrects both horizontal and vertical chromaticities simultaneously. An alternative FFS configuration based on the traditional scheme with two dedicated chromatic correction sections for horizontal and vertical chromaticities and a long L * option has been developed. A longer free space between the last quadrupole and the IP allows to place the last quadrupole on a stable ground, with fewer engineering ...

Summary of the working group on high current transport and final focus lenses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garren, A.A.

1978-09-01

The group reviewed recent work, and then addressed itself to relating the current understanding of relevant beam transport effects to the four reference concepts. In addition there was discussion on plans for future experimental and theoretical work. Discussions covered the following topics: (1) Transverse instabilities on intense beams through periodic focusing systems, (2) evaluation and correction of chromatic aberrations in the final beam transport lines, (3) evaluation and correction of geometric aberrations due to quadrupole fringe fields, and (4) ion focusing by electrons

Investigation of focusing of relativistic electron and positron bunches moving in cold plasma. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Amatuni, A.Ts.; Elbakian, S.S.; Khachatryan, A.G.; Sekhpossian, E.V.

1995-03-01

This document is the final report on a project to study focusing effects of relativistic beams of electrons and positrons interacting with a cold plasma. The authors consider three different models for the overdense cold plasma - electron bunch interaction. They look at coulomb effects, wakefield effects, bunch parameters, and the effects of trains of pulses on focusing properties

Target focusing configuration for X-ray laser experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seppala, L.G.

1985-01-01

X-ray laser experiments imposed a new demand on the Novette focusing optics. These optics had to provide highly uniform, double-sided illumination on a target region 1.0 cm long by 100 to 200 μm wide. This line focus requirement had to be achieved without degrading the diagnostic reflection from the last surface of the focus lens and without potential ghost focus problems. The only optical configuration that preserves the diagnostic reflection is shown. A negative focal length cylinder lens is placed between the focus lens and the debris shield, with the concave surface facing toward the focus lens. Any ghost reflections from the cylinder lens or debris shield are degraded by astigmatism, making them less hazardous. In practice, the uniformity of illumination is probably about the same for a positive or a negative cylinder lens. The minimum Novette focused spot was approximately 50 to 75 μm in diameter, and the fabrication errors in the 80-cm-diam precision cylinder lens produced a line focus 25 μm wide. a negative cylinder lens design was chosen, however, to optimize the illumination uniformity in the case of line widths of several hundred microns

"Nursing Students Assaulted": Considering Student Safety in Community-Focused Experiences.

Science.gov (United States)

Maneval, Rhonda E; Kurz, Jane

2016-01-01

Community nursing experiences for undergraduate students have progressed beyond community-based home visits to a wide array of community-focused experiences in neighborhood-based centers, clinics, shelters, and schools. Our Bachelor of Science in Nursing program chose to use sites situated within neighborhoods close to campus in order to promote student and faculty engagement in the local community. These neighborhood sites provide opportunities for students to deliver nursing services to underserved and vulnerable populations experiencing poverty and health disparities. Some of these neighborhoods are designated as high crime areas that may potentially increase the risk of harm to students and faculty. There is a need to acknowledge the risk to personal safety and to proactively create policies and guidelines to reduce potential harm to students engaged in community-focused experiences. When a group of baccalaureate nursing students was assaulted while walking to a neighborhood clinic, the faculty was challenged as how to respond given the lack of policies and guidelines. Through our experience, we share strategies to promote personal safety for students and recommend transparency by administrators regarding potential safety risks to students engaged in community-focused fieldwork activities. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Electron beam final focus system for Thomson scattering at ELBE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Krämer, J.M., E-mail: jmkr@danfysik.dk [Danfysik A/S, Gregersensvej 8, 2630 Taastrup (Denmark); Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Institute of Radiation Physics, Bautzner Landstrasse 400, 01328 Dresden (Germany); Technische Universität Dresden, 01069 Dresden (Germany); Budde, M.; Bødker, F. [Danfysik A/S, Gregersensvej 8, 2630 Taastrup (Denmark); Irman, A.; Jochmann, A. [Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Institute of Radiation Physics, Bautzner Landstrasse 400, 01328 Dresden (Germany); Kristensen, J.P. [Danfysik A/S, Gregersensvej 8, 2630 Taastrup (Denmark); Lehnert, U.; Michel, P. [Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Institute of Radiation Physics, Bautzner Landstrasse 400, 01328 Dresden (Germany); Schramm, U. [Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, Institute of Radiation Physics, Bautzner Landstrasse 400, 01328 Dresden (Germany); Technische Universität Dresden, 01069 Dresden (Germany)

2016-09-11

The design of an electron beam final focus system (FFS) aiming for high-flux laser-Thomson backscattering X-ray sources at ELBE is presented. A telescope system consisting of four permanent magnet based quadrupoles was found to have significantly less chromatic aberrations than a quadrupole doublet or triplet as commonly used. Focusing properties like the position of the focal plane and the spot size are retained for electron beam energies between 20 and 30 MeV by adjusting the position of the quadrupoles individually on a motorized stage. The desired ultra-short electron bunches require an increased relative energy spread up to a few percent and, thus, second order chromatic effects must be taken into account. We also present the design and test results of the permanent magnet quadrupoles. Adjustable shunts allow for correction of the field strength and compensation of deviations in the permanent magnet material. For a beam emittance of 13 mm mrad, we predict focal spot sizes of about 40 μm (rms) and divergences of about 10 mrad using the FFS.

Electron beam final focus system for Thomson scattering at ELBE

CERN Document Server

Krämer, J.M.; Bødker, F.; Irman, A.; .Jochmann A.; Kristensen, J.P.; Lehnert U., HZDR; Michel, P.; Schrammb, U.; 10.1016/j.nima.2015.10.067

2016-01-01

The design of an electron beam final focus system (FFS) aiming for high-flux laser-Thomson backscattering X-ray sources at ELBE is presented. A telescope system consisting of four permanent magnet based quadrupoles was found to have significantly less chromatic aberrations than a quadrupole doublet or triplet as commonly used. Focusing properties like the position of the focal plane and the spot size are retained for electron beam energies between 20 and 30 MeV by adjusting the position of the quadrupoles individually on a motorized stage. The desired ultra-short electron bunches require an increased relative energy spread up to a few percent and, thus, second order chromatic effects must be taken into account. We also present the design and test results of the permanent magnet quadrupoles. Adjustable shunts allow for correction of the field strength and compensation of deviations in the permanent magnet material. For a beam emittance of 13 mm mrad, we predict focal spot sizes of about 40 μm (rms) and diverg...

Electron Beam Final Focus System For Thomson Scattering At Elbe

CERN Document Server

Krämer, J.M.; Bødkera, F.; Irman, A.; Jochmann, A.; Kristensena, J.P.; Lehnert, U.; Michel, P.; Schramm, U.; 10.1016/j.nima.2015.10.067

2016-01-01

The design of an electron beam final focus system (FFS) aiming for high-flux laser-Thomson backscattering X-ray sources at ELBE is presented. A telescope system consisting of four permanent magnet based quadrupoles was found to have significantly less chromatic aberrations than a quadrupole doublet or triplet as commonly used. Focusing properties like the position of the focal plane and the spot size are retained for electron beam energies between 20 and 30 MeV by adjusting the position of the quadrupoles individually on a motorized stage. The desired ultra-short electron bunches require an increased relative energy spread up to a few percent and, thus, second order chromatic effects must be taken into account. We also present the design and test results of the permanent magnet quadrupoles. Adjustable shunts allow for correction of the field strength and compensation of deviations in the permanent magnet material. For a beam emittance of 13 mm mrad, we predict focal spot sizes of about 40 μm (rms) and diverg...

IER-297 CED-2: Final Design for Thermal/Epithermal eXperiments with Jemima Plates with Polyethylene and Hafnium

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nelson, A. J. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Percher, C. M. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Zywiec, W. J. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Heinrichs, D. P. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

2018-01-11

This report presents the final design (CED-2) for IER-297, and focuses on 15 critical configurations using highly enriched uranium (HEU) Jemima plates moderated by polyethylene with and without hafnium diluent. The goal of the U.S. Nuclear Criticality Safety Program’s Thermal/Epithermal eXperiments (TEX) is to design and conduct new critical experiments to address high priority nuclear data needs from the nuclear criticality safety and nuclear data communities, with special emphasis on intermediate energy (0.625 eV – 100 keV) assemblies that can be easily modified to include various high priority diluent materials. The TEX (IER 184) CED-1 Report [1], completed in 2012, demonstrated the feasibility of meeting the TEX goals with two existing NCSP fissile assets, plutonium Zero Power Physics Reactor (ZPPR) plates and highly enriched uranium (HEU) Jemima plates. The first set of TEX experiments will focus on using the plutonium ZPPR plates with polyethylene moderator and tantalum diluents.

Plasma focus system: Design, construction and experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alacakir, A.; Akguen, Y.; Boeluekdemir, A. S.

2007-01-01

The aim of this work is to construct a compact experimental system for fusion research. The design, construction and experiments of the 3 kJ Mather type plasma focus machine is described. This machine is established for neutron yield and fast neutron radiography by D-D reaction which is given by D + D→ 3 He (0.82 MeV) + n (2.45 MeV) . Investigation of the geometry of plasma focus machine in the presence of high voltage drive and vacuum system setup is shown. 108 neutron per pulse and 200 kA peak current is obtained for many shots. Scintillator screen for fast neutron imaging, sensitive to 2.45 MeV neutrons, is also manufactured in our labs. Structural neutron shielding computations for safety is also completed

A superconducting magnet upgrade of the ATF2 final focus

CERN Document Server

Parker, B; Escallier, J; He, P; Jain, P; Marone, A; Wanderer, P; Wu, KC; Hauviller, C; Marin, E; Tomas, R; Zimmermann, F; Bolzon, B; Jeremie, A; Kimura, N; Kubo, K; Kume, T; Kuroda, S; Okugi, T; Tauchi, T; Terunuma, N; Tomaru, T; Tsuchiya, K; Urakawa, J; Yamamoto, A; Bambade, P; Coe, P; Urner, D; Seryi, A; Spencer, C; White, G

2010-01-01

The ATF2 facility at KEK is a proving ground for linear collider technology with a well instrumented extracted beam line and Final Focus (FF). The primary ATF2 goal is to demonstrate the extreme beam demagnification and spot stability needed for a linear collider FF [1]. But the ATF2 FF uses water cooled magnets and the ILC baseline has a superconducting (SC) FF [2]. We plan to upgrade ATF2 and replace some of the warm FF magnets with SC FF magnets. The ATF2 SC magnets, like the ILC FF, will made via direct wind construction [3]. ATF2 coil winding is in progress at BNL and warm magnetic measurements indicate we have achieved good field quality. Studies indicate that having ATF2 FF magnets with larger aperture and better field quality should allow reducing the ATF2 FF beta function for study of focusing regimes relevant to CLIC [4]. The ATF2 magnet cryostat will have laser view ports for directly monitoring cold mass movement. We plan to make stability measurements at BNL and KEK to relate ATF2 FF magnet perfo...

Experiences of final year nursing students in their preparedness to become registered nurses

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

S Carlson

2005-09-01

Full Text Available The objectives of this study were: firstly, to explore and describe the experiences of final year nursing students relating to how they experience their preparedness to fulfil the role of professional nurse; secondly, to explore and describe the experiences of novice professional nurses in the role of professional nurse; finally, to generate a model which will assist the final year nursing student to become a professional nurse. A theory-generative, qualitative, explorative, descriptive and contextual research design was utilized to reach the objectives of the study. Results indicated that final year nursing students experience a lack of confidence to take on the responsibilities of professional nursing. The results are displayed in table form and discussed in the article. This abstract forms part of a bigger study that addresses the professional maturity of the novice professional nurse for the practice of nursing.

Inertial confinement fusion driver enhancements: Final focusing systems and compact heavy-ion driver designs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bieri, R.L.

1991-01-01

Required elements of an inertial confinement fusion power plant are modeled and discussed. A detailed analysis of two critical elements of candidate drivers is done, and new component designs are proposed to increase the credibility and feasibility of each driver system. An analysis of neutron damage to the final elements of a laser focusing system is presented, and multilayer -- dielectric mirrors are shown to have damage lifetimes which axe too short to be useful in a commercial power plant. A new final-focusing system using grazing incidence metal mirrors to protect sensitive laser optics is designed and shown to be effective in extending the lifetime of the final focusing system. The reflectivities and damage limits of grazing incidence metal mirrors are examined in detail, and the required mirror sizes are shown to be compatible with the beam sizes and illumination geometries currently envisioned for laser drivers. A detailed design and analysis is also done for compact arrays of superconducting magnetic quadrupoles, which are needed in a multi-beam heavy-ion driver. The new array model is developed in more detail than some previous conceptual designs and models arrays which are more compact than arrays scaled from existing single -- quadrupole designs. The improved integrated model for compact arrays is used to compare the effects of various quadrupole array design choices on the size and cost of a heavy-ion driver. Array design choices which significantly affect the cost of a heavy-ion driver include the choice of superconducting material and the thickness of the collar used to support the winding stresses. The effect of these array design choices on driver size and cost is examined and the array model is used to estimate driver cost savings and performance improvements attainable with aggressive quadrupole array designs with high-performance superconductors

Experiences with a Focus on Test in Teaching

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Christensen, Henrik Bærbak

2008-01-01

quality high. This chapter discusses some concrete teaching guidelines that help in keeping the learning focus on quality and reports on our experiences in applying them. It furthermore presents an important observation relating to the use of test-driven development as a process that focus on high quality......Software of high quality is a major concern in teaching programming: simply making any program that fulfills the requirements is not enough. Yet the way teachers often state exercises tends to make the students focus more on functionality requirements and deadlines than on keeping the program......, namely that it tend to improve also the flexibility and reusability of the production code. This issue is presented and argued by a concrete development example. Parts of the present chapter have been published in early form in a paper entitled Systematic Testing should not be a Topic in the Computer...

Radiation Load Optimization in the Final Focus System of FCC-hh

CERN Document Server

Martin, Roman; Cerutti, Francesco; Tomás, Rogelio

2016-01-01

With a center-of-mass energy of up to 100 TeV, FCC-hh will produce highly energetic collision debris at the Interaction Point (IP). Protecting the final focus quadrupoles from this radiation is challenging, since the required amount of shielding placed inside the magnets will reduce the free aperture, thereby limiting the β^{*} reach and luminosity. Hence, radiation mitigation strategies that make best use of the available aperture are required. In this paper, we study the possibility to split the first quadrupole Q1 into two quadrupoles with individual apertures, in order to distribute the radiation load more evenly and reduce the peak dose.

Experimental and Theoretical Progress of Linear Collider Final Focus Design and ATF2 Facility

CERN Document Server

Seryi, Andrei; Zimmermann, Frank; Kubo, Kiyoshi; Kuroda, Shigeru; Okugi, Toshiyuki; Tauchi, Toshiaki; Terunuma, Nobuhiro; Urakawa, Junji; White, Glen; Woodley, Mark; Angal-Kalinin, Deepa

2014-01-01

In this brief overview we will reflect on the process of the design of the linear collider (LC) final focus (FF) optics, and will also describe the theoretical and experimental efforts on design and practical realisation of a prototype of the LC FF optics implemented in the ATF2 facility at KEK, Japan, presently being commissioned and operated.

Self-management Experiences of Older Korean Women With Urinary Incontinence: A Descriptive Qualitative Study Using Focus Groups.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Sunah; Yeoum, SoonGyo; Kim, Yoonjung; Kwon, Hye Jin

The purpose of this study was to explore the self-management experiences of Korean women with urinary incontinence (UI). Descriptive, qualitative study using focus groups. Twenty-two community-dwelling women, 65 years and older, participated in 3 focus-group interviews. Participants were recruited from 2 elderly halls and 1 senior welfare center in South Korea. Three focus group interviews comprising 6 to 8 individuals were conducted in a quiet venue at the elderly hall or senior welfare center. Two investigators performed the interviews; one acted as moderator and one as notetaker; interviews began with scripted open-ended questions. All interviews were electronically recorded and transcribed verbatim. Using an inductive thematic approach, data were first analyzed by the first and second authors; and all 4 authors contributed to coding and agreed on final themes. Korean women perceived UI as a loss of dignity, an odor problem, an uncontrollable disease, and a life impairment. Thematic analysis revealed 4 themes regarding the self-management experience of UI: preserving self-respect in the sociocultural environment, deodorizing the smell, keeping the secret of uncontrollability, and adjusting to an impaired life. Women in this study used various daily-living strategies to manage UI, but they mainly implemented strategies to keep UI a secret, including restrictions in activities of daily living. Educational approaches are needed to inform women with UI about more effective management skills.

[Leadership Experience of Clinical Nurses: Applying Focus Group Interviews].

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Byoung Sook; Eo, Yong Sook; Lee, Mi Aie

2015-10-01

The purpose of this study was to understand and describe the leadership experience of clinical nurses. During 2014, data were collected using focus group interviews. Three focus group interviews were held with a total of 20 clinical nurses participating. All interviews were recorded as they were spoken and transcribed and data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Fifteen categories emerged from the five main themes. 1) Thoughts on the leadership category: to lead others, to cope with problem situations adequately and to serve as a shield against difficulties. 2) Situations requiring leadership: situation that requires correct judgement, coping and situations that need coordination and cooperation. 3-1) Leadership behaviors: other-oriented approach and self-oriented approach. 3-2) Leadership behavior consequences: relevant compensation and unfair termination. 4-1) Facilitators of leadership: confidence and passion for nursing and external support and resources. 4-2) Barriers to leadership: non-supportive organization culture and deficiency in own leadership competencies. 5) Strategies of leadership development: strengthen leadership through self-development and organizational leadership development. In conclusion, the results indicate that it is necessary to enhance clinical nurses' leadership role in healthcare. Enhancement can be achieved through leadership programs focused on enlarging leadership experience, constant self-development, leadership training, and development of leadership competencies suited to the nursing environment.

Performance of a shallow-focus applied-magnetic-field diode for ion-beam-transport experiments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Young, F.C.; Neri, J.M.; Ottinger, P.F. [Naval Research Lab., Washington, DC (United States); Rose, D.V. [JAYCOR, Vienna (Vatican City State, Holy See); Jones, T.G.; Oliver, B.V.

1997-12-31

An applied-magnetic-field ion diode to study the transport of intense ion beams for light-ion inertial confinement fusion is being operated on the Gamble II generator at NRL. A Large-area (145-cm{sup 2}), shallow-focusing diode is used to provide the ion beam required for self-pinched transport (SPT) experiments. Experiments have demonstrated focusing at 70 cm for 1.2-MV, 40-kA protons. Beyond the focus, the beam hollows out consistent with 20--30 mrad microdivergence. The effect of the counter-pulse B-field on altering the ion-beam trajectories and improving the focus has been diagnosed with a multiple-pinhole-camera using radiachromic film. This diagnostic is also used to determine the radial and azimuthal uniformity of ion emission at the anode for different B-field conditions. Increasing the diode voltage to 1.5 MV and optimizing the ion current are planned before initiating SPT experiments. Experiments to measure the spatial beam profile at focus, i.e., the SPT channel entrance, are in progress. Results are presented.

Longitudinal compression of heavy-ion beams with minimum requirements on final focus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ho, D.D.M.; Bangerter, R.O.; Mark, J.W.K.; Brandon, S.T.; Lee, E.P.

1986-01-01

A method is developed to compress a heavy-ion beam longitudinally in such a way that the compressed pulse has a constant line-charge density profile and uniform longitudinal momentum. These conditions may be important from the standpoint of final focusing. By realizing the similarity of the equations that describe the 1-D charged-particle motion to the equations that describe 1-D ideal gas flow, the evolution of lambda and the velocity tilt can be calculated using the method of characteristics developed for unsteady supersonic gasdynamics. Particle simulations confirm the theory. Various schemes for pulse shaping have been investigated

The proposed alignment system for the Final Focus Test Beam at SLAC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ruland, R.E.; Fischer, G.E.

1990-09-01

This report describes the current state of work in progress with respect to the geometry, alignment requirements, scenarios, and hardware for meeting the tolerances of the Final Focus Test Beam (FFTB) at SLAC. The methods and systems proposed acknowledge that component motion at the micron level, from whatever cause (ground motion, thermal effects, etc.) must be measured on-line and compensated for on relatively short time scales. To provide an integrated alignment/positioning package, some unique designs for reference systems, calibration of effect electric and magnetic centers, and component movers are introduced. 24 refs., 28 figs

FCC-hh final-focus for flat-beams: parameters and energy deposition studies

CERN Document Server

AUTHOR|(CDS)2081283; Cruz Alaniz, Emilia; Seryi, Andrei; Van Riesen-Haupt, Leon; Besana, Maria Ilaria

2017-01-01

The international Future Circular Collider (FCC) study comprises the study of a new scientific structure in a tunnel of 100 km. This will allow the installation of two accelerators, a 45.6–175 GeV lepton collider and a 100-TeV hadron collider. An optimized design of a final-focus system for the hadron collider is presented here. The new design is more compact and enables unequal ${\\beta}$$^{∗}$ in both planes, whose choice is justified here. This is followed by energy deposition studies, where the total dose in the magnets as a consequence of the collision debris is evaluated.

Mechanical design of a pre-isolator for the CLIC final focusing magnets

CERN Document Server

Gaddi, A; Ramos, F; Siegrist, N

2012-01-01

Due to the very small vertical beam sizes, the final focusing elements at the future CLIC linear collider need to be stable against vibrations to below 0.15 nanometres at frequencies above about 4 Hz. One of the key elements in the strategy to achieve such a stable environment is a passive, heavy pre-isolator. In this report, the results from the dynamic finite element analyses of the proposed design for such a passive preisolator are summarized. Furthermore, the results from a low frequency, heavy mass passive vibration isolation test set-up used to validate the calculations are shown.

Drift compression and final focus systems for heavy ion inertial fusion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

de Hoon, Michiel Jan Laurens [Univ. of California, Berkeley, CA (United States)

2001-01-01

Longitudinal compression of space-charge dominated beams can be achieved by imposing a head-to-tail velocity tilt on the beam. This tilt has to be carefully tailored, such that it is removed by the longitudinal space-charge repulsion by the time the beam reaches the end of the drift compression section. The transverse focusing lattice should be designed such that all parts of the beam stay approximately matched, while the beam smoothly expands transversely to the larger beam radius needed in the final focus system following drift compression. In this thesis, several drift compression systems were designed within these constraints, based on a given desired pulse shape at the end of drift compression systems were designed within these constraints, based on a given desired pulse shape at the end of drift compression. The occurrence of mismatches due to a rapidly increasing current was analyzed. In addition, the sensitivity of drift compression to errors in the initial velocity tilt and current profile was studied. These calculations were done using a new computer code that accurately calculates the longitudinal electric field in the space-charge dominated regime.

The testing effect for mediator final test cues and related final test cues in online and laboratory experiments.

Science.gov (United States)

Coppens, Leonora C; Verkoeijen, Peter P J L; Bouwmeester, Samantha; Rikers, Remy M J P

2016-05-31

The testing effect is the finding that information that is retrieved during learning is more often correctly retrieved on a final test than information that is restudied. According to the semantic mediator hypothesis the testing effect arises because retrieval practice of cue-target pairs (mother-child) activates semantically related mediators (father) more than restudying. Hence, the mediator-target (father-child) association should be stronger for retrieved than restudied pairs. Indeed, Carpenter (2011) found a larger testing effect when participants received mediators (father) than when they received target-related words (birth) as final test cues. The present study started as an attempt to test an alternative account of Carpenter's results. However, it turned into a series of conceptual (Experiment 1) and direct (Experiment 2 and 3) replications conducted with online samples. The results of these online replications were compared with those of similar existing laboratory experiments through small-scale meta-analyses. The results showed that (1) the magnitude of the raw mediator testing effect advantage is comparable for online and laboratory experiments, (2) in both online and laboratory experiments the magnitude of the raw mediator testing effect advantage is smaller than in Carpenter's original experiment, and (3) the testing effect for related cues varies considerably between online experiments. The variability in the testing effect for related cues in online experiments could point toward moderators of the related cue short-term testing effect. The raw mediator testing effect advantage is smaller than in Carpenter's original experiment.

Physical characteristics that predict final basal insulin dose in type 2 diabetes mellitus, with a special focus on BMI

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Simon, A. C. R.; Bolli, G. B.; Dain, M.-P.; Wang, E.; Holleman, F.

2014-01-01

The possibility to predict final insulin dose based on patient's characteristics would allow for efficient titration for patients with higher dose needs. The primary aim of this post-hoc analysis of the L2T3 study was to determine predictors for final dose. Specifically, we focused on the

The Pulsed High Density Experiment (PHDX) Final Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Slough, John P. [Univ. of Washington, Seattle, WA (United States); Andreason, Samuel [Univ. of Washington, Seattle, WA (United States)

2017-04-27

The purpose of this paper is to present the conclusions that can be drawn from the Field Reversed Configuration (FRC) formation experiments conducted on the Pulsed High Density experiment (PHD) at the University of Washington. The experiment is ongoing. The experimental goal for this first stage of PHD was to generate a stable, high flux (>10 mWb), high energy (>10 KJ) target FRC. Such results would be adequate as a starting point for several later experiments. This work focuses on experimental implementation and the results of the first four month run. Difficulties were encountered due to the initial on-axis plasma ionization source. Flux trapping with this ionization source acting alone was insufficient to accomplish experimental objectives. Additional ionization methods were utilized to overcome this difficulty. A more ideal plasma source layout is suggested and will be explored during a forthcoming work.

Final result of the Munich-Frascati gravitational radiation experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kafka, P.; Schnupp, L.

1977-02-01

Within 580 days of usable common observation time between July 1973 and February 1976, this Weber-type coincidence experiment had set the lowest upper limits to the rates of gravitational wave pulses. We report the total result up to the dismantling of the detectors. We also describe a reevaluation of our data using Weber's preferred algorithm for two months in 1974 during which Weber communicated to have found a particularly significant effect in his own experiment. Finally, we confront the negative results with the far aims of gravitational pulse astronomy. (orig.) [de

Final result of the Munich-Frascati gravitational radiation experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kafka, P.; Schnupp, L.

1978-01-01

Within 580 days of usable common observation time between July 1973 and February 1976, this Weber-type coincidence experiment had set the lowest upper limits to the rates of gravitational wave pulses. We report the total result up to the dismantling of the detectors. We also describe a re-evaluation of our data using Weber's preferred algorithm for two months in 1974 during which Weber communicated to have found a particularly significant effect in his own experiment. Finally, we confront the negative results with the far aims of gravitational pulse astronomy. (orig.) [de

Bunch-length and beam-timing monitors in the SLC final focus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zimmermann, F.; Yocky, G.; Whittum, D.H.; Seidel, M.; Ng, C.K.; McCormick, D.; Bane, K.L.F.

1998-07-01

During the 1997/98 luminosity run of the Stanford Linear Collider (SLC), two novel RF-based detectors were brought into operation, in order to monitor the interaction-point (IP) bunch lengths and fluctuations in the relative arrival time of the two colliding beams. Both bunch length and timing can strongly affect the SLC luminosity and had not been monitored in previous years. The two new detectors utilize a broad-band microwave signal, which is excited by the beam through a ceramic gap in the final-focus beam pipe and transported outside of the beam line vault by a 160-ft long X-Band waveguide. The authors describe the estimated luminosity reduction due to bunch-length drift and IP timing fluctuation, the monitor layout, the expected responses and signal levels, calibration measurements, and beam observations

Mapping patients' experiences after stroke onto a patient-focused intervention framework.

Science.gov (United States)

Donnellan, C; Martins, A; Conlon, A; Coughlan, T; O'Neill, D; Collins, D R

2013-03-01

Stroke patients' involvement in the rehabilitation process including decision making has made significant advances clinically over the past two decades. However, development of patient-focused interventions in stroke rehabilitation is a relatively under developed area of research. The aim of this study was to interpret the explanations that patients gave of their experience after stroke and how these may validate an already established patient-focused intervention framework - the Quest for quality and improved performance (QQUIP) (2006) that includes seven quality improvement goals. A random purposive sample of eight stroke patients was interviewed between 3 and 6 months following discharge. Patients' reports of their experience after stroke were obtained using in-dept semi-structured interviews and analysed using Qualitative Content Analysis. Explanations given by patients included both positive and negative reports of the stroke experience. Regardless of consequences as a result of physical, psychological and social impairments, there were other life style disruptions that were reported by all patients such as taking new medication and adverse effects of these, experiencing increasing fatigue, difficulties with social activities and situations and having to make changes in health behaviours and lifestyle. Some of the core themes that emerged reflected the aims of QQUIP improvement goals that include improving health literacy, clinical decision-making, self-care, patient safety, access to health advice, care experience and service development. Further recommendations based on the findings from this study would be to consider using the QQUIP framework for developing intervention studies in stroke rehabilitation care that are person-centred. This framework provides a template that is equipped to address some of the main concerns that people have following the experience of stroke and also focuses on improving quality of care.

Present Status And First Results of the Final Focus Beam Line at the KEK Accelerator Test Facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2010-01-01

ATF2 is a final-focus test beam line which aims to focus the low emittance beam from the ATF damping ring to a vertical size of about 37 nm and to demonstrate nanometer level beam stability. Several advanced beam diagnostics and feedback tools are used. In December 2008, construction and installation were completed and beam commissioning started, supported by an international team of Asian, European, and U.S. scientists. The present status and first results are described.

Present status and first results of the final focus beam line at the KEK Accelerator Test Facility

CERN Document Server

Bambade, P; Amann, J; Angal-Kalinin, D; Apsimon, R; Araki, S; Aryshev, A; Bai, S; Bellomo, P; Bett, D; Blair, G; Bolzon, B; Boogert, S; Boorman, G; Burrows, P N; Christian, G; Coe, P; Constance, B; Delahaye, J P; Deacon, L; Elsen, E; Faus-Golfe, A; Fukuda, M; Gao, J; Geffroy, N; Gianfelice-Wendt, E; Guler, H; Hayano, H; Heo, A Y; Honda, Y; Huang, J Y; Hwang, W H; Iwashita, Y; Jeremie, A; Jones, J; Kamiya, Y; Karataev, P; Kim, E S; Kim, H S; Kim, S H; Komamiya, S; Kubo, K; Kume, T; Kuroda, S; Lam, B; Lyapin, A; Masuzawa, M; McCormick, D; Molloy, S; Naito, T; Nakamura, T; Nelson, J; Okamoto, D; Okugi, T; Oroku, M; Park, Y J; Parker, B; Paterson, E; Perry, C; Pivi, M; Raubenheimer, T; Renier, Y; Resta-Lopez, J; Rimbault, C; Ross, M; Sanuki, T; Scarfe, A; Schulte, D; Seryi, A; Spencer, C; Suehara, T; Sugahara, R; Swinson, C; Takahashi, T; Tauchi, T; Terunuma, N; Tomas, R; Urakawa, J; Urner, D; Verderi, M; Wang, M H; Warden, M; Wendt, M; White, G; Wittmer, W; Wolski, A; Woodley, M; Yamaguchi, Y; Yamanaka, T; Yan, Y; Yoda, H; Yokoya, K; Zhou, F; Zimmermann, F; 10.1103/PhysRevSTAB.13.042801

2010-01-01

ATF2 is a final-focus test beam line which aims to focus the low emittance beam from the ATF damping ring to a vertical size of about 37 nm and to demonstrate nanometer level beam stability. Several advanced beam diagnostics and feedback tools are used. In December 2008, construction and installation were completed and beam commissioning started, supported by an international team of Asian, European, and U.S. scientists. The present status and first results are described.

The Experience of Chronic Insomnia in Chinese Adults: A Study Using Focus Groups and Insomnia Experience Diaries.

Science.gov (United States)

Yung, Kam-Ping; Chung, Ka-Fai; Ho, Fiona Yan-Yee; Yeung, Wing-Fai; Ng, Tommy Ho-Yee

2016-01-01

The subjective experience in 43 Chinese adults with chronic primary insomnia was assessed using focus groups and insomnia experience diaries. Participants recruited from the community and a sleep clinic were diagnosed with DSM-IV-TR insomnia disorder and had sleep difficulties on 3 or more nights per week for at least 6 months. Six focus groups, of 6-8 participants each, were conducted; it was stopped as thematic saturation emerged in the last 2 groups. Using grounded theory approach, we identified 4 themes and 16 subthemes, covering beliefs about the nature and treatment of insomnia, behavioral responses to insomnia, cognitive-emotional and physiological arousal, and emotional experiences associated with insomnia. The findings are in general compatible with qualitative studies in the West, but some subthemes are influenced by Chinese cultural beliefs and values, in particular, use of the traditional Chinese medicine concept, being modest in sleep expectation, and a letting go attitude. Strategies for cultural adaptation of cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia in a Chinese society using patients' subjective experience are discussed.

Present status and first results of the final focus beam line at the KEK Accelerator Test Facility

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

2010-04-01

Full Text Available ATF2 is a final-focus test beam line which aims to focus the low emittance beam from the ATF damping ring to a vertical size of about 37 nm and to demonstrate nanometer level beam stability. Several advanced beam diagnostics and feedback tools are used. In December 2008, construction and installation were completed and beam commissioning started, supported by an international team of Asian, European, and U.S. scientists. The present status and first results are described.

Self-focused attention and the experience of emotion: attraction, repulsion, elation, and depression.

Science.gov (United States)

Scheier, M F; Carver, C S

1977-09-01

Four experiments were conducted to study the effect of self-focused attention on affective reactions. In addition, the research was also intended to help resolve the controversy over attentional versus arousal explanations of self-awareness research. In Experiment 1, undergraduate men were asked to view and rate slides of nude women in the presence of a mirror or with no mirror. In Experiment 3, subjects were either exposed or not exposed to a mirror and read a set of mood statements which became either increasingly positive or increasingly negative. Experiments 2 and 4 conceptually replicated Experiments 1 and 3 by selecting subjects on the basis of private self-consciousness. In each study, self-focused attention increased the person's responsiveness to his transient affective state. The convergence between mirror-manipulated self-awareness and private self-consciousness was offered as support for an attentional interpretation of the findings. The implications of the research for self-awareness theory are discussed.

Focus, locus, and sensus: the three dimensions of virtual experience.

Science.gov (United States)

Waterworth, E L; Waterworth, J A

2001-04-01

A model of virtual/physical experience is presented, which provides a three dimensional conceptual space for virtual and augmented reality (VR and AR) comprising the dimensions of focus, locus, and sensus. Focus is most closely related to what is generally termed presence in the VR literature. When in a virtual environment, presence is typically shared between the VR and the physical world. "Breaks in presence" are actually shifts of presence away from the VR and toward the external environment. But we can also have "breaks in presence" when attention moves toward absence--when an observer is not attending to stimuli present in the virtual environment, nor to stimuli present in the surrounding physical environment--when the observer is present in neither the virtual nor the physical world. We thus have two dimensions of presence: focus of attention (between presence and absence) and the locus of attention (the virtual vs. the physical world). A third dimension is the sensus of attention--the level of arousal determining whether the observer is highly conscious or relatively unconscious while interacting with the environment. After expanding on each of these three dimensions of experience in relation to VR, we present a couple of educational examples as illustrations, and also relate our model to a suggested spectrum of evaluation methods for virtual environments.

Effect of gravitational focusing on annual modulation in dark-matter direct-detection experiments.

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Samuel K; Lisanti, Mariangela; Peter, Annika H G; Safdi, Benjamin R

2014-01-10

The scattering rate in dark-matter direct-detection experiments should modulate annually due to Earth's orbit around the Sun. The rate is typically thought to be extremized around June 1, when the relative velocity of Earth with respect to the dark-matter wind is maximal. We point out that gravitational focusing can alter this modulation phase. Unbound dark-matter particles are focused by the Sun's gravitational potential, affecting their phase-space density in the lab frame. Gravitational focusing can result in a significant overall shift in the annual-modulation phase, which is most relevant for dark matter with low scattering speeds. The induced phase shift for light O(10)  GeV dark matter may also be significant, depending on the threshold energy of the experiment.

Comparative Study of the Tuning Performances of the Nominal and Long L* CLIC Final Focus System at √s = 380 GeV

CERN Document Server

Plassard, F; Marin, E; Tomás, R

2017-01-01

Mitigation of static imperfections for emittance preservation is one of the most important and challenging tasks faced by the Compact Linear Collider (CLIC) beam delivery system. A simulation campaign has been performed to recover the nominal luminosity by means of different alignment procedures. The state of the art of the tuning studies is drawn up. Comparative studies of the tuning performances and a tuning-based final focus system design optimization for two L options are presented. The effectiveness of the tuning techniques applied to these different lattices will be decisive for the final layout of the CLIC final focus system at √s = 380 GeV.

Numerical Experiments Providing New Insights into Plasma Focus Fusion Devices

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sing Lee

2010-04-01

Full Text Available Recent extensive and systematic numerical experiments have uncovered new insights into plasma focus fusion devices including the following: (1 a plasma current limitation effect, as device static inductance is reduced towards very small values; (2 scaling laws of neutron yield and soft x-ray yield as functions of storage energies and currents; (3 a global scaling law for neutron yield as a function of storage energy combining experimental and numerical data showing that scaling deterioration has probably been interpreted as neutron ‘saturation’; and (4 a fundamental cause of neutron ‘saturation’. The ground-breaking insights thus gained may completely change the directions of plasma focus fusion research.

Target bombardment by ion beams generated in the Focus experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bernard, Alain; Coudeville, Alain; Garconnet, J.-P.; Jolas, A.; Mascureau, J. de; Nazet, Christian.

1976-01-01

In a Mather-Focus experiment, it was shown that 80% of the neutron emitted were generated through bombardment. The apparatus was operated with various targets at a distance of 13mm from the anode. In the low pressure regime, a deuteron beam of high energy was produced. Its emission duration was measured using a CD 2 target [fr

Learning from clinical placement experience: Analysing nursing students' final reflections in a digital storytelling activity.

Science.gov (United States)

Paliadelis, Penny; Wood, Pamela

2016-09-01

This paper reports on the learning potential of a reflective activity undertaken by final year nursing students, in which they were asked to recount two meaningful events that occurred during their clinical placements over the duration of their 3-year nursing degree program and reflect on how these events contributed to their learning to become beginning level Registered Nurses (RNs). This descriptive qualitative study gathered narratives from 92 students as individual postings in an online forum created within the University's learning management system. An analysis of the students' reflections are the focus of this paper particularly in relation to the value of reflecting on the identified events. Four themes emerged that clearly highlight the way in which these students interpreted and learned from both positive and negative clinical experiences, their strong desire to fit into their new role and their ability to re-imagine how they might respond to clinical events when they become Registered Nurses. The findings of this study may contribute to developing nursing curricula that better prepares final year students for the realities of practice. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Are Success and Failure Experiences Equally Motivational? An Investigation of Regulatory Focus and Feedback

Science.gov (United States)

Shu, Tse-Mei; Lam, Shui-fong

2011-01-01

The present study extended regulatory focus theory (Idson & Higgins, 2000) to an educational setting and attempted to identify individuals with high motivation after both success and failure feedback. College students in Hong Kong (N = 180) participated in an experiment with a 2 promotion focus (high vs. low) x 2 prevention focus (high vs.…

Impact of focused training on communication skills of final-year medical students in a medical school in India.

Science.gov (United States)

Iqbal, Nayyar; Mookkappan, Sudhagar; Basheer, Aneesh; Kandasamy, Ravichandran

2015-01-01

Although communication skills are important for a good physician-patient relationship, Indian medical curricula give very little emphasis on training medical students in this aspect. To determine the change in communication skills of final-year medical students following focused training. This was an educational interventional study done at Pondicherry Institute of Medical Sciences, a tertiary care teaching hospital in South India, to assess communication skills among final-year MBBS students. Fifty-two students (24 males and 28 females) participated in the study. A pre-test was conducted in the form of an objectively structured clinical examination (OSCE), followed by focused training for four hours. The same OSCE was administered as post-test. A comparison between the pre-test and post-test scores was done using Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test. Ninety-six per cent of participants (50 out of 52) showed improvement in their performance after the focused training. The mean marks of the pre-test and post-test were 10.77± 3 and 18.04±2, respectively, out of a maximum mark of 20 (pcommunication skills of medical students. Hence, it may be included in the curriculum of undergraduate medical teaching programmes in India.

Green Fluorescent Protein-Focused Bioinformatics Laboratory Experiment Suitable for Undergraduates in Biochemistry Courses

Science.gov (United States)

Rowe, Laura

2017-01-01

An introductory bioinformatics laboratory experiment focused on protein analysis has been developed that is suitable for undergraduate students in introductory biochemistry courses. The laboratory experiment is designed to be potentially used as a "stand-alone" activity in which students are introduced to basic bioinformatics tools and…

Introduction to focus issue: Mixed mode oscillations: Experiment, computation, and analysis

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Brøns, Morten; Kaper, T.J.; Rotstein, H.G.

2008-01-01

Mixed mode oscillations ( MMOs ) occur when a dynamical system switches between fast and slow motion and small and large amplitude. MMOs appear in a variety of systems in nature, and may be simple or complex. This focus issue presents a series of articles on theoretical, numerical, and experiment...

Workplace immersion in the final year of an undergraduate medicine course: the views of final year students and recent graduates.

Science.gov (United States)

Sen Gupta, Tarun; Hays, Richard; Woolley, Torres; Kelly, Gill; Jacobs, Harry

2014-06-01

Most medical schools require formal competence assessment of students immediately prior to graduation, but variation exists in the approach to endpoint assessments. This article reports perceptions of senior students and graduates from a school with a six-year program which has introduced final year workplace immersion placements following a barrier examination at the end of the penultimate Year 5. Final year students (22) and recent graduates (4) attended focus groups and in-depth interviews exploring their perceptions of the value of the curriculum experience during the final two years, the structure and timing of assessment, and their preparation for internship. Participants felt that the penultimate year was more pressured, and focused on passing "artificial" examinations. In contrast, the final year was more relaxed, building skills for postgraduate work and later career development. As a result, students felt well prepared for internship with some indication that the self-directed nature of the final year promoted a lifelong learning approach. The final year workplace immersion model was regarded positively by senior students of this medical school. This model may be a better way of preparing students to be junior doctors than a traditional final year heavy on theoretical learning and assessment.

Analysis of higher order optical aberrations in the SLC final focus using Lie Algebra techniques

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Walker, N.J.; Irwin, J.; Woodley, M.

1993-04-01

The SLC final focus system is designed to have an overall demagnification of 30:1, with a β at the interaction point (β*) of 5 mm, and an energy band pass of ∼0.4%. Strong sextupole pairs are used to cancel the large chromaticity which accrues primarily from the final triplet. Third-order aberrations limit the performance of the system, the dominating terms being U 1266 and U 3466 terms (in the notation of K. Brown). Using Lie Algebra techniques, it is possible to analytically calculate the soave of these terms in addition to understanding their origin. Analytical calculations (using Lie Algebra packages developed in the Mathematica language) are presented of the bandwidth and minimum spot size as a function of divergence at the interaction point (IP). Comparisons of the analytical results from the Lie Algebra maps and results from particle tracking (TURTLE) are also presented

Fundamental Processes in Plasmas. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

O'Neil, Thomas M.; Driscoll, C. Fred

2009-01-01

This research focuses on fundamental processes in plasmas, and emphasizes problems for which precise experimental tests of theory can be obtained. Experiments are performed on non-neutral plasmas, utilizing three electron traps and one ion trap with a broad range of operating regimes and diagnostics. Theory is focused on fundamental plasma and fluid processes underlying collisional transport and fluid turbulence, using both analytic techniques and medium-scale numerical simulations. The simplicity of these systems allows a depth of understanding and a precision of comparison between theory and experiment which is rarely possible for neutral plasmas in complex geometry. The recent work has focused on three areas in basic plasma physics. First, experiments and theory have probed fundamental characteristics of plasma waves: from the low-amplitude thermal regime, to inviscid damping and fluid echoes, to cold fluid waves in cryogenic ion plasmas. Second, the wide-ranging effects of dissipative separatrices have been studied experimentally and theoretically, finding novel wave damping and coupling effects and important plasma transport effects. Finally, correlated systems have been investigated experimentally and theoretically: UCSD experients have now measured the Salpeter correlation enhancement, and theory work has characterized the 'guiding center atoms of antihydrogen created at CERN

Effect of focusing field error during final beam bunching in heavy-ion-beam driven inertial confinement fusion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kikuchi, T.; Kawata, S.; Kawata, S.; Nakajima, M.; Horioka, K.

2006-01-01

Emittance growth due to the transverse focusing field error is investigated during the final beam bunching in the energy driver system of heavy ion inertial fusion. The beam bunch is longitudinally compressed during the transport with the field error in the continuous focusing (CF) or the alternating gradient (AG) field lattices. Numerical calculation results show the only 2% difference of the emittance growth between the cases with and without field error in the CF lattice. In the case of the AG lattice model with the field error of 10%, the emittance growth of 2.4 times is estimated, and the major difference between the CF and AG models is indicated from the numerical simulations. (author)

AGC-3 Experiment Irradiation Monitoring Data Qualification Final Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hull, Laurence C. [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States). VHTR Technology Development Office

2014-08-01

The Graphite Technology Development Program will run a series of six experiments to quantify the effects of irradiation on nuclear-grade graphite. The third experiment, Advanced Graphite Creep 3 (AGC-3), began with Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) Cycle 152B on November 27, 2012, and ended with ATR Cycle 155B on April 23, 2014. This report documents qualification of AGC-3 experiment irradiation monitoring data for use by the Very High Temperature Reactor (VHTR) Technology Development Office (TDO) Program for research and development activities required to design and license the first VHTR nuclear plant. Qualified data meet the requirements for data collection and use as described in the experiment planning and quality assurance documents. Failed data do not meet the requirements. Trend data may not meet the requirements, but may still provide some useable information. The report documents qualification of AGC-3 experiment irradiation monitoring data following MCP-2691. This report also documents whether AGC-3 experiment irradiation monitoring data meet the requirements for data collection as specified in technical and functional requirements documents and quality assurance (QA) plans. Data handling is described showing how data are passed from the data collection experiment to the Nuclear Data Management and Analysis System (NDMAS) team. The data structure is described, including data batches, components, attributes, and response variables. The description of the approach to data qualification includes the steps taken to qualify the data and the specific tests used to verify that the data meet requirements. Finally, the current status of the data received by NDMAS from the AGC-3 experiment is presented with summarized information on test results and resolutions. This report addresses all of the irradiation monitoring data collected during the AGC-3 experiment.

Beam dynamics in the final focus section of the future linear collider

CERN Document Server

AUTHOR|(SzGeCERN)739431; TOMAS, Rogelio

The exploration of new physics in the ``Tera electron-Volt''~(TeV) scale with precision measurements requires lepton colliders providing high luminosities to obtain enough statistics for the particle interaction analysis. In order to achieve design luminosity values, linear colliders feature nanometer beam spot sizes at the Interaction~Point~(IP).\\par In addition to several effects affecting the luminosity, three main issues to achieve the beam size demagnification in the Final Focus Section (FFS) of the accelerator are the chromaticity correction, the synchrotron radiation effects and the correction of the lattice errors.\\par This thesis considers two important aspects for linear colliders: push the limits of linear colliders design, in particular the chromaticity correction and the radiation effects at 3~TeV, and the instrumentation and experimental work on beam stabilization in a test facility.\\par The current linear collider projects, CLIC~\\cite{CLICdes} and ILC~\\cite{ILCdes}, have lattices designed using...

The relation of electrode voltages to charge position in SLC arc and final focus beam position monitors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fordham, C.

1989-01-01

The position of a charged particle beam can be measured with a Beam Position Monitor (BPM) by converting the voltages induced on its array of electrodes into a position offset from the array's center. Most of the BPMs in the Arcs and Final Focus of the SLC use four stripline electrodes arranged symmetrically around the beam; normalized voltage differences are calculated as the difference divided by the sum of voltages on opposite electrode pairs. The resulting number is multiplied by a conversion factor, denoted in this paper as S b , to give the offset (in millimeters) of the charge from the center of the BPM. Prior to installation in the beam line, the BPMs were calibrated with a charge pulse on a rod. Owing to geometric effects which will be discussed later, a different conversion factor had to be used for calibration. It will be denoted here by S r . This paper gives the results of calculations and measurements of S r and S b for Arc and Final Focus BPMs. This paper also describes the relevant physical properties of the several types of BPMs and calculations of the expected scale factors, the measurement methods used, and gives the results of measurements, which are compared with the theoretical expectations. 2 refs., 18 figs., 7 tabs

A 3-MA compact-toroid-plasma-flow-switched plasma focus demonstration experiment on Shiva Star

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kiuttu, G F; Degnan, J H [Phillips Lab., Kirtland AFB, NM (United States). High Energy Sources Div.; Graham, J D [Maxwell Labs., Albuquerque, NM (United States); and others

1997-12-31

A novel dense plasma focus experiment using the Shiva Star capacitor bank is described. The experiment uses a compact toroid (CT) magnetized plasma flow switch (PFS) to initiate the focus implosion. The CT armature stably and reproducibly translates up to 3 MA from the vacuum feed region through coaxial electrodes to the gas puff central load. The inertia of the 1 mg CT and the work that must be done in compressing the internal magnetic fields during the translation provide a delay in current delivery to the pinch of 5 - 10 {mu}s, which matches the bank quarter cycle time relatively well. Effectiveness of the current delivery was monitored primarily by inductive probes in the PFS region, fast photography of the focus, and x-ray and neutron measurements of the pinch. K shell x-ray yields using neon gas were as high as 1 kJ, and 10{sup 8} neutrons were produced in a deuterium gas focus. (author). 4 figs., 10 refs.

A 3-MA compact-toroid-plasma-flow-switched plasma focus demonstration experiment on Shiva Star

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kiuttu, G.F.; Degnan, J.H.

1996-01-01

A novel dense plasma focus experiment using the Shiva Star capacitor bank is described. The experiment uses a compact toroid (CT) magnetized plasma flow switch (PFS) to initiate the focus implosion. The CT armature stably and reproducibly translates up to 3 MA from the vacuum feed region through coaxial electrodes to the gas puff central load. The inertia of the 1 mg CT and the work that must be done in compressing the internal magnetic fields during the translation provide a delay in current delivery to the pinch of 5 - 10 μs, which matches the bank quarter cycle time relatively well. Effectiveness of the current delivery was monitored primarily by inductive probes in the PFS region, fast photography of the focus, and x-ray and neutron measurements of the pinch. K shell x-ray yields using neon gas were as high as 1 kJ, and 10 8 neutrons were produced in a deuterium gas focus. (author). 4 figs., 10 refs

"It is always a lot of fun!" : exploring dimensions of digital game experience using focus group methodology

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Poels, K.; Kort, de Y.A.W.; IJsselsteijn, W.A.

2007-01-01

This paper focuses on digital game experience: the feelings and experiences people have when they play digital games. Digital game experience is not a one-dimensional concept. Great variety exists in game genres and game players, and game experiences will differ accordingly. To date, game experience

Neutralized transport experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roy, P.K.; Yu, S.S.; Eylon, S.; Henestroza, E.; Anders, A.; Gilson, E.P.; Bieniosek, F.M.; Greenway, W.G.; Logan, B.G.; Waldron, W.L.; Shuman, D.B.; Vanecek, D.L.; Welch, D.R.; Rose, D.V.; Thoma, C.; Davidson, R.C.; Efthimion, P.C.; Kaganovich, I.; Sefkow, A.B.; Sharp, W.M.

2005-01-01

Experimental details on providing active neutralization of high brightness ion beam have been demonstrated for Heavy Ion Fusion program. A K + beam was extracted from a variable-perveance injector and transported through 2.4 m long quadrupole lattice for final focusing. Neutralization was provided by a localized cathode arc plasma plug and a RF volume plasma system. Effects of beam perveance, emittance, convergence focusing angle, and axial focusing position on neutralization have been investigated. Good agreement has been observed with theory and experiment throughout the study

Collective focusing ion accelerator

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goldin, F.J.

1986-01-01

The principal subject of this dissertation is the trapping confinement of pure electron plasmas in bumpy toroidal magnetic fields, with particular attention given to the trapping procedure and the behavior of the plasma during the final equilibrium. The most important aspects of the equilibrium studied were the qualitative nature of the plasma configuration and motion and its density, distribution and stability. The motivation for this study was that an unneutralized cloud of electrons contained in a toroidal system, sufficiently dense and stable, may serve to electrostatically focus ions (against centrifugal and self space charge forces) in a cyclic ion accelerator. Such an accelerator, known as a Collective Focusing Ion Accelerator (CFIA) could be far smaller than conventional designs (which use external magnetic fields directly to focus the ions) due to the smaller gyro-radium of an electron in a magnetic field of given strength. The electron cloud generally drifted poloidally at a finite radius from the toroidal minor axis. As this would preclude focusing ions with such clouds, damping this motion was investigated. Finite resistance in the normally perfectly conductive vessel wall did this. In further preparation for a working CFIA, additional experiments studied the effect of ions on the stability of the electron cloud

submitter Investigation of the discovery potential for supersymmetry in Tau final states and measurement of the Tau identification efficiency for the ATLAS experiment

CERN Document Server

Lumb, Debra

Despite its success, the Standard Model has a number of short-comings that lead particle physicists to believe the it is only a low-energy approximation of a more fundamental theory. One of the most promising candidates for an extension of the Standard Model is supersymmetry. From 2009 the search for Supersymmetry will be taken into a new energy regime with the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) experiments at CERN. A new inclusive search for SUSY in tau final states has been developed for the ATLAS experiment. The search focuses on the signature of taus, jets and missing transverse energy. Analyses with different jet multiplicities (4, 3 and 2-jets) have been studied. The requirement of the tau significantly reduces the abundant QCD multijet background making the mode potentially more robust than other modes already in use that focus only on jets and missing transverse energy as the signature. The discovery reach for R-parity conserving mSUGRA models has been studied for a centre-of-mass energy of 14 TeV and an int...

AGC-3 Experiment Irradiation Monitoring Data Qualification Final Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Laurence Hull

2014-10-01

The Graphite Technology Development Program will run a series of six experiments to quantify the effects of irradiation on nuclear grade graphite. The third experiment, Advanced Graphite Creep 3 (AGC 3), began with Advanced Test Reactor (ATR) Cycle 152B on November 27, 2012, and ended with ATR Cycle 155B on April 23, 2014. This report documents qualification of AGC 3 experiment irradiation monitoring data for use by the Very High Temperature Reactor (VHTR) Technology Development Office (TDO) Program for research and development activities required to design and license the first VHTR nuclear plant. Qualified data meet the requirements for data collection and use as described in the experiment planning and quality assurance documents. Failed data do not meet the requirements. Trend data may not meet the requirements, but may still provide some useable information. All thermocouples (TCs) functioned throughout the AGC 3 experiment. There was one interval between December 18, 2012, and December 20, 2012, where 10 NULL values were reported for various TCs. These NULL values were deleted from the Nuclear Data Management and Analysis System database. All temperature data are Qualified for use by the VHTR TDO Program. Argon, helium, and total gas flow data were within expected ranges and are Qualified for use by the VHTR TDO Program. Total gas flow was approximately 50 sccm through the AGC 3 experiment capsule. Helium gas flow was briefly increased to 100 sccm during ATR shutdowns. At the start of the AGC 3 experiment, moisture in the outflow gas line was stuck at a constant value of 335.6174 ppmv for the first cycle (Cycle 152B). When the AGC 3 experiment capsule was reinstalled in ATR for Cycle 154B, a new moisture filter was installed. Moisture data from Cycle 152B are Failed. All moisture data from the final three cycles (Cycles 154B, 155A, and 155B) are Qualified for use by the VHTR TDO Program.

SKI's and SSI's experiences from their participation in the siting of a final repository for spent nuclear fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Westerlind, M.; Hedberg, B.

2000-01-01

This paper summarises some experiences gained by the SKI and SSI during the ongoing process for siting a final repository for spent nuclear fuel. The focus is on activities in the municipalities involved in the siting process. In order to give the proper context some basic elements in the legislation, which are important for public participation and confidence in the siting process, are outlined. The importance of clearly defined responsibilities and early participation of the regulators in the siting process are emphasised. It should be pointed out that this paper is not a comprehensive review of the Swedish situation but only contains a few selected issues and personal remarks from the authors. Thus, the views and opinions do not necessarily coincide with those of SKI and SSI. (authors)

Advisory Committee on human radiation experiments final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-10-01

When the Advisory Committee began work in April 1994 we were charged with determining whether the radiation experiments design and administration adequately met the ethical and scientific standards, including standards of informed consent, that prevailed at the time of the experiments and that exist today and also to determine the ethical and scientific standards and criteria by which it shall evaluate human radiation experiments. Although this charge seems straightforward, it is in fact difficult to determine what the appropriate standards should be for evaluating the conduct and policies of thirty or fifty years ago. First, we needed to determine the extent to which the standards of that time are similar to the standards of today. To the extent that there were differences we needed to determine the relative roles of each in making moral evaluations. In Chapter 1 we report what we have been able to reconstruct about government rules and policies in the 1940s and 1950s regarding human experiments. We focus primarily on the Atomic Energy Commission and the Department of Defense. In Chapter 2 we turn from a consideration of government standards to an exploration of the norms and practices of physicians and medical scientists who conducted research with human subjects during this period. Using the results of our Ethics Oral History Project, and other sources, we also examine how scientists of the time viewed their moral responsibilities to human subjects as well as how this translated into the manner in which they conducted their research

Advisory Committee on human radiation experiments final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1995-10-01

When the Advisory Committee began work in April 1994 we were charged with determining whether the radiation experiments design and administration adequately met the ethical and scientific standards, including standards of informed consent, that prevailed at the time of the experiments and that exist today and also to determine the ethical and scientific standards and criteria by which it shall evaluate human radiation experiments. Although this charge seems straightforward, it is in fact difficult to determine what the appropriate standards should be for evaluating the conduct and policies of thirty or fifty years ago. First, we needed to determine the extent to which the standards of that time are similar to the standards of today. To the extent that there were differences we needed to determine the relative roles of each in making moral evaluations. In Chapter 1 we report what we have been able to reconstruct about government rules and policies in the 1940s and 1950s regarding human experiments. We focus primarily on the Atomic Energy Commission and the Department of Defense. In Chapter 2 we turn from a consideration of government standards to an exploration of the norms and practices of physicians and medical scientists who conducted research with human subjects during this period. Using the results of our Ethics Oral History Project, and other sources, we also examine how scientists of the time viewed their moral responsibilities to human subjects as well as how this translated into the manner in which they conducted their research.

Final Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Webb, Robert C. [Texas A& M University; Kamon, Teruki [Texas A& M University; Toback, David [Texas A& M University; Safonov, Alexei [Texas A& M University; Dutta, Bhaskar [Texas A& M University; Dimitri, Nanopoulos [Texas A& M University; Pope, Christopher [Texas A& M University; White, James [Texas A& M University

2013-11-18

Overview The High Energy Physics Group at Texas A&M University is submitting this final report for our grant number DE-FG02-95ER40917. This grant has supported our wide range of research activities for over a decade. The reports contained here summarize the latest work done by our research team. Task A (Collider Physics Program): CMS & CDF Profs. T. Kamon, A. Safonov, and D. Toback co-lead the Texas A&M (TAMU) collider program focusing on CDF and CMS experiments. Task D: Particle Physics Theory Our particle physics theory task is the combined effort of Profs. B. Dutta, D. Nanopoulos, and C. Pope. Task E (Underground Physics): LUX & NEXT Profs. R. Webb and J. White(deceased) lead the Xenon-based underground research program consisting of two main thrusts: the first, participation in the LUX two-phase xenon dark matter search experiment and the second, detector R&D primarily aimed at developing future detectors for underground physics (e.g. NEXT and LZ).

Study and use of the ion beams formed in the Focus experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bernard, A.; Garconnet, J.P.; Jolas, A.; le Breton, J.P.; de Mascureau, J.

1983-03-01

Studies were performed in the 200 kJ Actime installation using CD 2 or LiD targets and permitted one to determine the characteristics of the ion beam which bombards the target. The measurement of the temperature attained by metal targets bombarded by deuterons is discussed. The use of a digital program permits one to calculate the amount of energy deposited. Finally, the improvements being considered and the future prospects offered by this type of experiment are discussed

Microwave modeling of laser plasma interactions. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1983-08-01

For a large laser fusion targets and nanosecond pulse lengths, stimulated Brillouin scattering (SBS) and self-focusing are expected to be significant problems. The goal of the contractual effort was to examine certain aspects of these physical phenomena in a wavelength regime (lambda approx.5 cm) more amenable to detailed diagnostics than that characteristic of laser fusion (lambda approx.1 micron). The effort was to include the design, fabrication and operation of a suitable experimental apparatus. In addition, collaboration with Dr. Neville Luhmann and his associates at UCLA and with Dr. Curt Randall of LLNL, on analysis and modelling of the UCLA experiments was continued. Design and fabrication of the TRW experiment is described under ''Experiment Design'' and ''Experimental Apparatus''. The design goals for the key elements of the experimental apparatus were met, but final integration and operation of the experiment was not accomplished. Some theoretical considerations on the interaction between Stimulated Brillouin Scattering and Self-Focusing are also presented

Final year students' learning experiences of the Bachelor of Midwifery course.

Science.gov (United States)

Carolan-Olah, Mary; Kruger, Gina

2014-08-01

the aim of the study was to explore the concerns of 3rd year Bachelor of Midwifery students. earlier research indicates that midwifery students experience a number of conflicting learning demands and expectations, during their student years. These difficulties can lead to anxiety and a lack of confidence, which have implications for student integration and socialisation into the profession. a qualitative method was used, underpinned by Smith and Osborn's (2008) approach to interpretative phenomenological analysis IPA. In-depth interviews were conducted among 10 senior midwifery students as they looked back over their three year course. Data were analysed using steps proposed by Smith and Osborn (2008). more than two-thirds of participants were over 35 years, and had two or more children. More than half were living with a spouse/partner and the majority worked 16 hours or less per week. Themes emerging from the data included (1) linking theory to practice; (2) a focus on clinical skills; (3) learning expectations and experiences; and (4) the role of midwifery lecturers/educators. midwifery students experience a number of challenges associated with their pre-registration midwifery education, including difficulty understanding the relevance of some study units to midwifery practice. A strong focus on practical skills may inhibit the development of cognitive skills such as critical evaluation and reflection. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Anatomy by whole body dissection: a focus group study of students' learning experience.

Science.gov (United States)

Burgess, Annette; Ramsey-Stewart, George

2015-01-01

The social construction of knowledge within medical education is essential for learning. Students' interactions within groups and associated learning artifacts can meaningfully impact learning. Situated cognition theory poses that knowledge, thinking, and learning are located in experience. In recent years, there has been a reported decline in time spent on anatomy by whole body dissection (AWBD) within medical programs. However, teaching by surgeons in AWBD provides unique opportunities for students, promoting a deeper engagement in learning. In this study, we apply situated cognition theory as a conceptual framework to explore students' perceptions of their learning experience within the 2014 iteration of an 8-week elective AWBD course. At the end of the course, all students (n=24) were invited to attend one of three focus groups. Framework analysis was used to code and categorize data into themes. In total, 20/24 (83%) students participated in focus groups. Utilizing situated cognition theory as a conceptual framework, we illustrate students' learning experiences within the AWBD course. Students highlighted opportunities to create and reinforce their own knowledge through active participation in authentic dissection tasks; guidance and clinical context provided by surgeons as supervisors; and the provision of an inclusive learning community. Situated cognition theory offers a valuable lens through which to view students' learning experience in the anatomy dissection course. By doing so, the importance of providing clinical relevance to medical teaching is highlighted. Additionally, the value of having surgeons teach AWBD and the experience they share is illustrated. The team learning course design, with varying teaching methods and frequent assessments, prompting student-student and student-teacher interaction, was also beneficial for student learning.

EXPERIMENTS AND COMPUTATIONAL MODELING OF PULVERIZED-COAL IGNITION; FINAL

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Samuel Owusu-Ofori; John C. Chen

1999-01-01

Under typical conditions of pulverized-coal combustion, which is characterized by fine particles heated at very high rates, there is currently a lack of certainty regarding the ignition mechanism of bituminous and lower rank coals as well as the ignition rate of reaction. furthermore, there have been no previous studies aimed at examining these factors under various experimental conditions, such as particle size, oxygen concentration, and heating rate. Finally, there is a need to improve current mathematical models of ignition to realistically and accurately depict the particle-to-particle variations that exist within a coal sample. Such a model is needed to extract useful reaction parameters from ignition studies, and to interpret ignition data in a more meaningful way. The authors propose to examine fundamental aspects of coal ignition through (1) experiments to determine the ignition temperature of various coals by direct measurement, and (2) modeling of the ignition process to derive rate constants and to provide a more insightful interpretation of data from ignition experiments. The authors propose to use a novel laser-based ignition experiment to achieve their first objective. Laser-ignition experiments offer the distinct advantage of easy optical access to the particles because of the absence of a furnace or radiating walls, and thus permit direct observation and particle temperature measurement. The ignition temperature of different coals under various experimental conditions can therefore be easily determined by direct measurement using two-color pyrometry. The ignition rate-constants, when the ignition occurs heterogeneously, and the particle heating rates will both be determined from analyses based on these measurements

A Superstrong Adjustable Permanent Magnet for the Final Focus Quadrupole in a Linear Collider

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mihara, T.

2004-01-01

A super strong permanent magnet quadrupole (PMQ) was fabricated and tested. It has an integrated strength of 28.5T with overall length of 10 cm and a 7mm bore radius. The final focus quadrupole of a linear collider needs a variable focal length. This can be obtained by slicing the magnet into pieces along the beamline direction and rotating these slices. But this technique may lead to movement of the magnetic center and introduction of a skew quadrupole component when the strength is varied. A ''double ring structure'' can ease these effects. A second prototype PMQ, containing thermal compensation materials and with a double ring structure, has been fabricated. Worm gear is selected as the mechanical rotating scheme because the double ring structure needs a large torque to rotate magnets. The structure of the second prototype PMQ is shown

The Acquisition of English Focus Marking by Non-Native Speakers

Science.gov (United States)

Baker, Rachel Elizabeth

This dissertation examines Mandarin and Korean speakers' acquisition of English focus marking, which is realized by accenting particular words within a focused constituent. It is important for non-native speakers to learn how accent placement relates to focus in English because appropriate accent placement and realization makes a learner's English more native-like and easier to understand. Such knowledge may also improve their English comprehension skills. In this study, 20 native English speakers, 20 native Mandarin speakers, and 20 native Korean speakers participated in four experiments: (1) a production experiment, in which they were recorded reading the answers to questions, (2) a perception experiment, in which they were asked to determine which word in a recording was the last prominent word, (3) an understanding experiment, in which they were asked whether the answers in recorded question-answer pairs had context-appropriate prosody, and (4) an accent placement experiment, in which they were asked which word they would make prominent in a particular context. Finally, a new group of native English speakers listened to utterances produced in the production experiment, and determined whether the prosody of each utterance was appropriate for its context. The results of the five experiments support a novel predictive model for second language prosodic focus marking acquisition. This model holds that both transfer of linguistic features from a learner's native language (L1) and features of their second language (L2) affect learners' acquisition of prosodic focus marking. As a result, the model includes two complementary components: the Transfer Component and the L2 Challenge Component. The Transfer Component predicts that prosodic structures in the L2 will be more easily acquired by language learners that have similar structures in their L1 than those who do not, even if there are differences between the L1 and L2 in how the structures are realized. The L2

Personal attitudes toward time: The relationship between temporal focus, space-time mappings and real life experiences.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Heng; Cao, Yu

2017-06-01

What influences how people implicitly associate "past" and "future" with "front" and "back?" Whereas previous research has shown that cultural attitudes toward time play a role in modulating space-time mappings in people's mental models (de la Fuente, Santiago, Román, Dumitrache & Casasanto, 2014), we investigated real life experiences as potential additional influences on these implicit associations. Participants within the same single culture, who are engaged in different intermediate-term educational experiences (Study 1), long-term living experiences (Study 2), and short-term visiting experiences (Study 3), showed their distinct differences in temporal focus, thereby influencing their implicit spatializations of time. Results across samples suggest that personal attitudes toward time related to real life experiences may influence people's space-time mappings. The findings we report on shed further light on the high flexibility of human conceptualization system. While culture may exert an important influence on temporal focus, a person's conceptualization of time may be attributed to a culmination of factors. © 2017 Scandinavian Psychological Associations and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Initial experiment of focusing wiggler of MM wave Free Electron Laser on LAX-1

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sakamoto, Keishi; Maebara, Sunao; Watanabe, Akihiko; Kishimoto, Yasuaki; Nagashima, Takashi; Maeda, Hikosuke; Shiho, Makoto; Oda, Hisako; Kawasaki, Sunao.

1991-03-01

Initial results of Free Electron laser (FEL) Experiment in the mm wave region are presented. The experiment is carried out using a induction linac system (LAX-1: Large current Accelerator Experiment) of E b = 1 MeV, Ib = 1 ∼ 3 kA. The wiggler of FEL is composed of the curved surface magnets arrays (focusing wiggler), which is found to be effective for a transport of low energy and high current beam through the wiggler. The superradiance of the mm wave region (30 GHz ∼ 40 GHz) is observed. The growth rate of this radiation is 0.42 dB/cm. (author)

Students' Experiences of Clinic-Based Learning during a Final Year Veterinary Internship Programme

Science.gov (United States)

Matthew, Susan M.; Taylor, Rosanne M.; Ellis, Robert A.

2010-01-01

This study investigated veterinary students' experiences of clinic-based learning (CBL) during a comprehensive final year internship programme. Open-ended surveys (n = 93) were used to gather qualitative data about students' conceptions of what is learned during CBL and their approaches to learning in clinics. Phenomenography was used for detailed…

Palliative sedation: a focus group study on the experiences of relatives.

Science.gov (United States)

Bruinsma, Sophie; Rietjens, Judith; van der Heide, Agnes

2013-04-01

Most studies that have investigated the practice of palliative sedation have focused on physicians' practices and attitudes. The aim of this study was to explore relatives' experiences with palliative sedation and to gain more insight in positive and negative elements in their evaluation of palliative sedation. Focus groups and individual interviews. Various care settings in the Netherlands. A total of 14 relatives of patients who received palliative sedation until death participated. Most relatives evaluated the provision of palliative sedation of their dying family member positively. Positive experiences were related to: the beneficial impact of palliative sedation on the patient's suffering, the opportunity that was offered to prepare for the patient's death, their involvement in the decision-making and care for the patient, and the pleasant care environment. However, the majority of the relatives were unsatisfied with one or more aspects of how information was being provided for. Some relatives were frustrated about the fact that nurses were not authorized to make decisions about the care for the patient and about the absence of physicians during weekends. None of the relatives mentioned the loss of the ability to communicate with the patient during the sedation and the possibility of "hastening death" as disadvantages of palliative sedation. Relatives tend to evaluate the provision of palliative sedation to their severely suffering family member positively because it contributes to a peaceful dying process. However, relatives indicated discontent with how information was being provided and with the communication in general.

International workshop on final focus and interaction regions of next generation linear colliders: Proceedings

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-01-01

The first day of the workshop was devoted to four plenary ''issues'' talks, one for each working group: Beam-Beam Interaction, Detector, Hardware, and Optical Design. The last day was devoted to plenary talks summarizing the activities of the working groups. Each of the three remaining days there,was a short morning plenary devoted to a brief summary of the preceding day and an announcement of planned working group discussions for that day. The transparencies for the ''issues'' and ''summary'' talks are included in this volume, along with some remarks from the working group chairpersons. Very briefly, the beam-beam group continued to address the quantitative study of QED induced backgrounds, and attempted to better understand the nature and prevalence of QCD millijets. The detector group attempted to identify the impact on masking and detector design of the beam-beam backgrounds, the synchrotron radiation induced backgrounds from beam halos and muon backgrounds produced primarily in collimators. Nanosecond timing elements needed in conjunction with multi-bunch operation were discussed. The hardware group addressed the problem of magnet design and support, especially the final doublet magnets suspended within the detector environment, and instrumentation issues, such as high resolution beam position monitors. The optics group discussed new final focus system ideas, collimator design, and improvement of beamline tolerances. If you were not here to participate, we hope that this volume will help you in your orientation to these problems

Study of correlations between photoproduced pairs of charmed particles at Experiment E831/FOCUS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Castromonte Flores, Cesar Manuel [Brazilian Center for Physics Research, Rio de Janeiro (Brazil)

2008-08-01

The authors present the study of the charm-pair correlations produced in photon-nucleon interactions at $\\langle$E_γ$\\rangle$ = 175 GeV/c, by the Fermilab fixed target experiment E831/FOCUS. The E831/FOCUS experiment produced and reconstructed over one million charm particles. This high statistics allows the reconstruction of more than 7000 charm-pair mesons D$\\bar{D}$, 10 times the statistic of former experiments, and also allows to get, for the first time, about 600 totally reconstructed charm-pairs in the DD_s and DΛ_c channels. They were able to study, with some detail, the kinematical correlations between the charm and anticharm particle forming a pair, in the square transverse momentum (p_T²), azimuthal angle difference (ΔΦ), rapidity difference (Δy) and the charm-pair mass variables. They observe some correlation for the longitudinal momenta, and a significant correlation for the transverse momenta of the charm and anticharm particles. They compare the experimental distributions with theoretical predictions based on the photon-gluon fusion model (PGF), for the production of c$\\bar{c}$ quarks, and the standard Lund hadronization model. These models are implemented by the PYTHIA Monte Carlo event generator. The PYTHIA program allows the inclusion, in the simulation, of non-perturbative effects that have been shown to be important for charm production. In order to compare data and simulation, they have generated two Monte Carlo samples, the first one set to favor the production of D$\\bar{D}$ pairs (MCDD2), and the second one set to favor the production of DD_sand DΛ_c pairs, where each one uses different functions and parameters values for the theoretical models in the simulation. They observe, for the correlation distributions, that the set of parameters used by the MCDD2 model together with the intrinsic transverse momentum (k_$\\perp$) of the partons inside the

Implementation and validation of the linear collider final focus prototype: ATF2 at KEK (Japan)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Renier, Y.

2010-06-01

The two linear collider projects (ILC and CLIC) require beam delivery systems with the same local chromaticity correction scheme in the final focus. ATF2 at KEK (Japan), an implementation of this scheme scaled down in energy, uses the beam extracted from ATF, which is one of the most successful damping rings in the world. The ATF2 goals are to prove the feasibility and the stability of the linear collider final focus system and to define and test the experimental correction procedures. The nominal beam sizes at the interaction point are 3 μm horizontally and 37 nm vertically. The work in this thesis was started before the commissioning and covered its first year at KEK. At the beginning, we observed that the stripline BPMs were not working properly so we investigated their behavior in detail. The problem was characterized and later solved in 2010 by upgrading the electronics. We then developed an efficient procedure to check the modeling of the beam line, comparing measurements of transfer matrices to model predictions calculated on line. After obtaining a good agreement, we were able to successfully test the trajectory correction algorithm which had been developed, reducing the difference between BPM measurements and the target values down to 0.5 mm horizontally and 0.2 mm vertically. We also successfully developed an algorithm to reconstruct pulse to pulse beam trajectory fluctuations with sub-micron precision. This reconstruction also gave a precise determination of the energy fluctuation, allowing a global fit of the dispersion function along the beam line with a precision of a few mm. A simple and robust IP beam size tuning method using sextupoles displacements was also studied in simulation, whose performance indicates that, given some assumptions on the error level of the beam, convergence within 20% of the nominal beam size should be possible in 8 hours with a 80% probability. (author)

Numerical experiments on plasma focus for soft x-ray yield scaling laws derivation using Lee model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Akel, M.

2012-09-01

The required plasma parameters of krypton and xenon at different temperatures were calculated, the x-ray emission properties of plasmas were studied, and based on the corona model the suitable temperature range for generating H-like and He-like ions (therefore soft x-ray emissions) of different gases plasma were found. The code is applied to characterize the plasma focus in different plasma focus devices, and for optimizing the nitrogen, oxygen, neon, argon, krypton and xenon soft x-ray yields based on bank, tubes and operating parameters. It is found that the soft x-ray yield increases with changing pressure until it reaches the maximum value for each plasma focus device. Keeping the bank parameters, operational voltage unchanged but systematically changing other parameters, numerical experiments were performed finding the optimum combination of P o , Z o and 'a' for the maximum soft x-ray yield. Thus we expect to increase the soft x-ray yield of plasma focus device several-fold from its present typical operation; without changing the capacitor bank, merely by changing the electrode configuration and the operating pressure. The Lee model code was also used to run numerical experiments on plasma focus devices for optimizing soft x-ray yield with reducing L o , varying L o and 'a' to get engineering designs with maximum soft x-ray yield for these devices at different experimental conditions and gases. Numerical experiments showed the influence of the gas used in plasma focus and its properties on soft x-ray emission and its properties and then on its applications. Scaling laws for soft x-ray of nitrogen, oxygen, neon, argon, krypton and xenon plasma focus, in terms of energy, peak discharge current and focus pinch current were found. Radiative cooling effects are studied indicating that radiative collapse may be observed for heavy noble gases (Ar, Kr, Xe) for pinch currents even below 100 kA. The results show that the line radiation emission and tube voltages have

Numerical experiments on plasma focus for soft x-ray yield scaling laws derivation using Lee model

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Akel, M.

2015-01-01

The required plasma parameters of krypton and xenon at different temperatures were calculated, the x-ray emission properties of plasmas were studied, and based on the corona model the suitable temperature range for generating H-like and He-like ions (therefore soft x-ray emissions) of different gases plasma were found. The code is applied to characterize the plasma focus in different plasma focus devices, and for optimizing the nitrogen, oxygen, neon, argon, krypton and xenon soft x-ray yields based on bank, tubes and operating parameters. It is found that t he soft x-ray yield increases with changing pressure until it reaches the maximum value for each plasma focus device. Keeping the bank parameters, operational voltage unchanged but systematically changing other parameters, numerical experiments were performed finding the optimum combination of Po, z0 and 'a' for the maximum soft x-ray yield. Thus we expect to increase the soft x-ray yield of plasma focus device several-fold from its present typical operation; without changing the capacitor bank, merely by changing the electrode configuration and the operating pressure. The Lee model code was also used to run numerical experiments on plasma focus devices for optimizing soft x-ray yield with reducing Lo, varying z0 and 'a' to get engineering designs with maximum soft x-ray yield for these devices at different experimental conditions and gases. Numerical experiments showed the influence of the gas used in plasma focus and its propor ties on soft x-ray emission and its propor ties and then on its applications. Scaling laws for soft x-ray of nitrogen, oxygen, neon, argon, krypton and xenon plasma focus in terms of energy, peak discharge current and focus pinch current were found. Radiative cooling effects are studied indicating that radiative collapse may be observed for heavy noble gases (Ar, Kr, Xe) for pinch currents even below 100 k A. The results show that the line radiation emission and

SLC Final Performance and Lessons

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Phinney, Nan

2000-01-01

The Stanford Linear Collider (SLC) was the first prototype of a new type of accelerator, the electron-positron linear collider. Many years of dedicated effort were required to understand the physics of this new technology and to develop the techniques for maximizing performance. Key issues were emittance dilution, stability, final beam optimization and background control. Precision, non-invasive diagnostics were required to measure and monitor the beams throughout the machine. Beam-based feedback systems were needed to stabilize energy, trajectory, intensity and the final beam size at the interaction point. variety of new tuning techniques were developed to correct for residual optical or alignment errors. The final focus system underwent a series of refinements in order to deliver sub-micron size beams. It also took many iterations to understand the sources of backgrounds and develop the methods to control them. The benefit from this accumulated experience was seen in the performance of the SLC during its final run in 1997-98. The luminosity increased by a factor of three to 3*10 30 and the 350,000 Z data sample delivered was nearly double that from all previous runs combined

Status report on active stabilisation of a linear collider final focus quadrupole mock-up

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lottin, J.; Brunetti, L.; Formosa, F.; Adloff, C.; Bastian, Y.; Bolzon, B.; Cadoux, F.; Geffroy, N.; Girard, C.; Jeremie, A.; Karyotakis, Y.; Peltier, F.

2006-01-01

The measurements done with the sensors available in our laboratories used for ground motion analysis are presented. The first sensors studied are seismic sensors measuring ground velocity, other sensors are accelerometers available for measuring ground acceleration. The first step has been to characterize the sensors, the second step has been to model and simulate the acceleration in order to identify Eigen frequencies and to display mode shapes. The third step has been to assess the performances of a new algorithm for disturbance rejection. In order to facilitate the analysis, a reduced-size mock-up has been used. The goal was to eliminate or at least to reduce as much as possible the main frequencies of the disturbance. A new mock-up is currently being developed that will have a geometry closer to a final focus quadrupole. Measurements will be done to validate the whole system in view of active stabilization for a future linear collider

Status report on active stabilisation of a linear collider final focus quadrupole mock-up

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lottin, J.; Brunetti, L.; Formosa, F. [Universite de Savoie, ESIA, 74 - Annecy (France); Adloff, C.; Bastian, Y.; Bolzon, B.; Cadoux, F.; Geffroy, N.; Girard, C.; Jeremie, A.; Karyotakis, Y.; Peltier, F. [LAPP-IN2P3-CNRS, 74 - Annecy-le-Vieux (France)

2006-07-01

The measurements done with the sensors available in our laboratories used for ground motion analysis are presented. The first sensors studied are seismic sensors measuring ground velocity, other sensors are accelerometers available for measuring ground acceleration. The first step has been to characterize the sensors, the second step has been to model and simulate the acceleration in order to identify Eigen frequencies and to display mode shapes. The third step has been to assess the performances of a new algorithm for disturbance rejection. In order to facilitate the analysis, a reduced-size mock-up has been used. The goal was to eliminate or at least to reduce as much as possible the main frequencies of the disturbance. A new mock-up is currently being developed that will have a geometry closer to a final focus quadrupole. Measurements will be done to validate the whole system in view of active stabilization for a future linear collider.

Understanding Medical Students' Experience with Stress and Its Related Constructs: A Focus Group Study from Singapore.

Science.gov (United States)

Farquhar, Julia; Lie, Desiree; Chan, Angelique; Ow, Mandy; Vidyarthi, Arpana

2018-02-01

In order to protect medical students from burnout and its untoward psychiatric effects, it is imperative to understand their stress, burnout, coping, and resilience experiences. This study aimed to derive collective definitions from the medical student perspective, to identify common themes of students' experiences, and to distinguish pre-clinical and clinical year students' experiences relating to these four constructs. The authors conducted focus groups of medical students in Singapore across 4 years using a semi-structured question guide. Participants shared their understanding, experiences, and the relationships between stress, burnout, coping, and resilience. Coders independently evaluated construct definitions and derived common themes through an iterative process, and compared transcripts of pre-clinical and clinical year students to determine differences in experience over time. Nine focus groups (54 students, 28 females, mean age 24.3) were conducted. Students identified common definitions for each construct. Nine themes emerged within three domains: (1) relating constructs to personal experience, (2) interrelating stress, burnout, coping, and resilience, and (3) understanding the necessity of stress. Compared to clinical students, pre-clinical students reported theory-based rather than reality-based experiences and exam-induced stress, defined constructs using present rather than future situations, and described constructs as independent rather than interrelated. This sample of medical students in Singapore shares a common understanding of stress, burnout, coping, and resilience, but experiences these uniquely. They perceive a positive role for stress. These findings build upon prior literature, suggesting an interrelationship between stress and its related constructs and adding the novel perspective of students from an Asian country.

Collective Focusing of Intense Ion Beam Pulses for High-energy Density Physics Applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dorf, Mikhail A.; Kaganovich, Igor D.; Startsev, Edward A.; Davidson, Ronald C.

2011-01-01

The collective focusing concept in which a weak magnetic lens provides strong focusing of an intense ion beam pulse carrying a neutralizing electron background is investigated by making use of advanced particle-in-cell simulations and reduced analytical models. The original analysis by Robertson Phys. Rev. Lett. 48, 149 (1982) is extended to the parameter regimes of particular importance for several high-energy density physics applications. The present paper investigates (1) the effects of non-neutral collective focusing in a moderately strong magnetic field; (2) the diamagnetic effects leading to suppression of the applied magnetic field due to the presence of the beam pulse; and (3) the influence of a finite-radius conducting wall surrounding the beam cross-section on beam neutralization. In addition, it is demonstrated that the use of the collective focusing lens can significantly simplify the technical realization of the final focusing of ion beam pulses in the Neutralized Drift Compression Experiment-I (NDCX-I), and the conceptual designs of possible experiments on NDCX-I are investigated by making use of advanced numerical simulations.

Acceleration ion focusing (IFR) and transport experiments with the recirculating linear accelerator (RLA)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mazarakis, M.G.; Smith, D.L.; Puokey, J.W.; Bennett, L.F.; Wagner, J.S.; Olson, W.R.; George, M.; Turman, B.N.; Prestwich, K.R.; Struve, K.W.

1992-01-01

The focusing and transport of intense relativistic electron beams in the Sandia Laboratories Recirculating Linear Accelerator (RLA) is accomplished with the aid of an ion focusing channel (IFR). We report here experiments evaluating the beam generation in the injector and its subsequent acceleration and transport through the first post-accelerating cavity. Two injectors and one type of post-accelerating cavity were studied. Beams of 6-20 kA current were injected and successfully transported and accelerated through the cavity. The transport efficiencies were 90% - 100%, and the beam Gaussian profile (4 MeV injector) and radius (5 mm) remained the same through acceleration. We describe the RLA, present the experimental results and compare them with numerical simulations. (Author) 3 refs., 7 figs

Design and characterization of a neutralized-transport experiment for heavy-ion fusion

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Enrique Henestroza

2004-08-01

Full Text Available In heavy-ion inertial-confinement fusion systems, intense beams of ions must be transported from the exit of the final-focus magnet system through the fusion chamber to hit spots on the target with radii of about 2 mm. For the heavy-ion-fusion power-plant scenarios presently favored in the U.S., a substantial fraction of the ion-beam space charge must be neutralized during this final transport. The most effective neutralization technique found in numerical simulations is to pass each beam through a low-density plasma after the final focusing. To provide quantitative comparisons of these theoretical predictions with experiment, the Virtual National Laboratory for Heavy Ion Fusion has completed the construction and has begun experimentation with the neutralized-transport experiment. The experiment consists of three main sections, each with its own physics issues. The injector is designed to generate a very high-brightness, space-charge-dominated potassium beam, while still allowing variable perveance by a beam aperturing technique. The magnetic-focusing section, consisting of four pulsed quadrupoles, permits the study of magnet tuning, as well as the effects of phase-space dilution due to higher-order nonlinear fields. In the final section, the converging ion beam exiting the magnetic section is transported through a drift region with plasma sources for beam neutralization, and the final spot size is measured under various conditions of neutralization. In this paper, we discuss the design and characterization of the three sections in detail and present initial results from the experiment.

Investigation of Generation, Acceleration, Transport and Final Focusing of High-Intensity Heavy Ion Beams from Sources to Targets

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chiping Chen

2006-01-01

Under the auspices of the research grant, the Intense Beam Theoretical Research Group at Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Plasma Science and Fusion Center made significant contributions in a number of important areas in the HIF and HEDP research, including: (a) Derivation of rms envelope equations and study of rms envelope dynamics for high-intensity heavy ion beams in a small-aperture AG focusing transport systems; (b) Identification of a new mechanism for chaotic particle motion, halo formation, and beam loss in high-intensity heavy ion beams in a small-aperture AG focusing systems; (c) Development of elliptic beam theory; and (d) Study of Physics Issues in the Neutralization Transport Experiment (NTX)

Investigation of Generation, Acceleration, Transport and Final Focusing of High-Intensity Heavy Ion Beams from Sources to Targets

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chiping Chen

2006-10-26

Under the auspices of the research grant, the Intense Beam Theoretical Research Goup at Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Plasma Science and Fusion Center made significant contributions in a number of important areas in the HIF and HEDP research, including: (a) Derivation of rms envelope equations and study of rms envelope dynamics for high-intensity heavy ion beams in a small-aperture AG focusing transport systems; (b) Identification of a new mechanism for chaotic particle motion, halo formation, and beam loss in high-intensity heavy ion beams in a small-aperture AG focusing systems; Development of elliptic beam theory; (d) Study of Physics Issues in the Neutralization Transport Experiment (NTX).

Measuring Patient Preferences: An Overview of Methods with a Focus on Discrete Choice Experiments.

Science.gov (United States)

Hazlewood, Glen S

2018-05-01

There is increasing recognition of the importance of patient preferences and methodologies to measure them. In this article, methods to quantify patient preferences are reviewed, with a focus on discrete choice experiments. In a discrete choice experiment, patients are asked to choose between 2 or more treatments. The results can be used to quantify the relative importance of treatment outcomes and/or other considerations relevant to medical decision making. Conducting and interpreting a discrete choice experiment requires multiple steps and an understanding of the potential biases that can arise, which we review in this article with examples in rheumatic diseases. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Aespoe Pillar Stability Experiment. Final experiment design, monitoring results and observations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Andersson, Christer [Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Management Co., Stockholm (Sweden); Eng, Anders [Acuo Engineering AB, Linkoeping (Sweden)

2005-12-15

The field part of the Aespoe Pillar Stability Experiment at the Aespoe Hard Rock Laboratory (HRL) was finished in 2004. The experiment was designed to induce and monitor the process of brittle failure, spalling, in a fractured rock mass under controlled conditions. The field part was successfully conducted and a large data set was obtained. This report presents the final design of the experiment, the results of the monitoring, and the observations made during the spalling process and when the spalled rock was removed. When heating of the rock was initiated the rock responded quickly. After only a few days the spalling process was activated in the notch, as indicated by the acoustic emission system, and shortly thereafter displacement readings were recorded. Contraction (radial expansion) of the rock was recorded by several instruments before the notch reached the instrument levels. This contraction is probably the result of a 3D re-distribution of the stresses. The temperature increase in the system was both slower and reached a steady state much earlier than predicted by the numerical models. The propagation of the notch was therefore halted after approximately one month of heating. The power to the electrical heaters was therefore doubled. Spalling then started up again, and in one month's time it had propagated to a depth of approximately five metres in the hole. A second steady state was now reached, but this time the heater power was kept constant for a while to let the rock settle before the confinement pressure was reduced from 700 kPa to 0 in decrements of 50 kPa. The rock mass response to the pressure drop was very limited until the pressure was lowered to approximately 200 kPa (the atmospheric pressure is not included in the given pressure values). Large displacements and a high acoustic emission hit frequency were then measured in the open hole. After the de-pressurization of the confined hole, the heaters were left on for approximately one week

Trajectory measurements and correlations in the final focus beam line at the KEK Accelerator Test Facility

Science.gov (United States)

Renier, Y.; Bambade, P.; Tauchi, T.; White, G. R.; Boogert, S.

2013-06-01

The Accelerator Test Facility 2 (ATF2) commissioning group aims to demonstrate the feasibility of the beam delivery system of the next linear colliders (ILC and CLIC) as well as to define and to test the tuning methods. As the design vertical beam sizes of the linear colliders are about few nanometers, the stability of the trajectory as well as the control of the aberrations are very critical. ATF2 commissioning started in December 2008, and thanks to submicron resolution beam position monitors (BPMs), it has been possible to measure the beam position fluctuation along the final focus of ATF2 during the 2009 runs. The optics was not the nominal one yet, with a lower focusing to make the tuning easier. In this paper, a method to measure the noise of each BPM every pulse, in a model-independent way, will be presented. A method to reconstruct the trajectory’s fluctuations is developed which uses the previously determined BPM resolution. As this reconstruction provides a measurement of the beam energy fluctuations, it was also possible to measure the horizontal and vertical dispersion function at each BPMs parasitically. The spatial and angular dispersions can be fitted from these measurements with uncertainties comparable with usual measurements.

Trajectory measurements and correlations in the final focus beam line at the KEK Accelerator Test Facility

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Y. Renier

2013-06-01

Full Text Available The Accelerator Test Facility 2 (ATF2 commissioning group aims to demonstrate the feasibility of the beam delivery system of the next linear colliders (ILC and CLIC as well as to define and to test the tuning methods. As the design vertical beam sizes of the linear colliders are about few nanometers, the stability of the trajectory as well as the control of the aberrations are very critical. ATF2 commissioning started in December 2008, and thanks to submicron resolution beam position monitors (BPMs, it has been possible to measure the beam position fluctuation along the final focus of ATF2 during the 2009 runs. The optics was not the nominal one yet, with a lower focusing to make the tuning easier. In this paper, a method to measure the noise of each BPM every pulse, in a model-independent way, will be presented. A method to reconstruct the trajectory’s fluctuations is developed which uses the previously determined BPM resolution. As this reconstruction provides a measurement of the beam energy fluctuations, it was also possible to measure the horizontal and vertical dispersion function at each BPMs parasitically. The spatial and angular dispersions can be fitted from these measurements with uncertainties comparable with usual measurements.

Course experiences, satisfaction and career intent of final year pre-registration Australian pharmacy students

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Shen G

2014-06-01

Full Text Available Background: In Australia, the profession of pharmacy has undergone many changes to adapt to the needs of the community. In recent years, concerns have been raised with evidence emerging of workforce saturation in traditional pharmacy practice sectors. It is not known how current final year pharmacy students’ perceive the different pharmacy career paths in this changing environment. Hence investigating students’ current experiences with their pharmacy course, interaction with the profession and developing an understanding of their career intentions would be an important step, as these students would make up a large proportion of future pharmacy workforce Objective: The objective of this study was thus to investigate final year students’ career perspectives and the reasons for choosing pharmacy, satisfaction with this choice of pharmacy as a tertiary course and a possible future career, factors affecting satisfaction and intention of future career paths. Methods: A quantitative cross sectional survey of final year students from 3 Australian universities followed by a qualitative semi-structured interview of a convenience sample of final year students from the University of Sydney. Results: ‘Interest in health and medicine’ was the most important reason for choosing pharmacy (n=238. The majority of students were ‘somewhat satisfied’ with the choice of pharmacy (35.7% as a course and possible future career. Positive associations were found between satisfaction and reasons for joining pharmacy such as ‘felt pharmacy is a good profession’ (p=0.003 while negative associations included ‘joined pharmacy as a gateway to medicine or dentistry’ (p=0.001. Quantitate and qualitative results showed the most frequent perception of community pharmacy was ‘changing’ while hospital and pharmaceutical industry was described as ‘competitive’ and ‘research’ respectively. The highest career intention was community followed by hospital

Course experiences, satisfaction and career intent of final year pre-registration Australian pharmacy students.

Science.gov (United States)

Shen, Grace; Fois, Romano; Nissen, Lisa; Saini, Bandana

2014-04-01

In Australia, the profession of pharmacy has undergone many changes to adapt to the needs of the community. In recent years, concerns have been raised with evidence emerging of workforce saturation in traditional pharmacy practice sectors. It is not known how current final year pharmacy students' perceive the different pharmacy career paths in this changing environment. Hence investigating students' current experiences with their pharmacy course, interaction with the profession and developing an understanding of their career intentions would be an important step, as these students would make up a large proportion of future pharmacy workforce. The objective of this study was thus to investigate final year students' career perspectives and the reasons for choosing pharmacy, satisfaction with this choice of pharmacy as a tertiary course and a possible future career, factors affecting satisfaction and intention of future career paths. A quantitative cross sectional survey of final year students from 3 Australian universities followed by a qualitative semi-structured interview of a convenience sample of final year students from the University of Sydney. 'Interest in health and medicine' was the most important reason for choosing pharmacy (n=238). The majority of students were 'somewhat satisfied' with the choice of pharmacy (35.7%) as a course and possible future career. Positive associations were found between satisfaction and reasons for joining pharmacy such as 'felt pharmacy is a good profession' (p=0.003) while negative associations included 'joined pharmacy as a gateway to medicine or dentistry' (p=0.001). Quantitate and qualitative results showed the most frequent perception of community pharmacy was 'changing' while hospital and pharmaceutical industry was described as 'competitive' and 'research' respectively. The highest career intention was community followed by hospital pharmacy. Complex factors including university experiences are involved in shaping

Non-hydrodynamic model of plasma focus structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Imshennik, V.S.; Zueva, N.M.; Lokutsievskij, O.V.; Mikhajlova, M.S.

1985-01-01

Experimental and theoretical plasma focus study has resulted in the necessity of creating a non-hydrodynamic plasma focus structure model (MKHD model). This model describes the final stage of plasma focus, which starts immediately after maximum plasma compression. It is related to a very limited space near the neck of the sausage instability. The MKHD model is two-dimensional, axially symmetric and collisionless with respect to the ions and magnetohydrodynamic with respect to the electrons; it accounts for the pinch instability of the sausage type (m=0 mode). The MKHD model, first of all, explains the long time of the plasma focus existence and non-thermonuclear peculiarities in the neutron yield. The initial and boundary conditions are formulated in accordance with the experiments and the results of computations in the 2D MHD model. A non-stationary process of plasma focus dynamics is studied numerically for a relatively long time - about 20 ns; this time is, in principle, not restricted. The computations show that the external edge of the neck expands rather slowly (at a speed that is lower than the thermal ion velocity, by an order of magnitude), and the magnetic field energy is converted to the kinetic energy of the chaotic ion motion (which is doubled for the time of computation). A 'supra-thermal' tail (with the deuterium ion energy higher than 10 keV) forms slowly at the ion distribution function; this tail determines a substantial part of the total neutron yield. The formation of stable vortices, which actually determine the structure of the plasma flow during the developed non-hydrodynamic stage of the plasma focus, is also found in the computations. These properties of the development of the sausage instability, as found in the numerical experiment with the MKHD plasma focus model, are in qualitative agreement with the behaviour of an instability of the same type in the MHD models of the Z-pinch

Calculation and optimization of focusing electrostatic field for experiment on measurement of free neutron lifetime

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chernyshov, V.S.; Kalebin, S.M.; Ivanov, R.N.; Pershukov, A.P.; Artamonov, V.S.

1989-01-01

Optimal sizes of the proton detector focusing system used in the experiment on determination of life-time of a free neutron are calculated. Angles of proton incidence on the plane of the detector window don't exceed 27 deg. Distances which protons fly along the neutron beam axis before they appear in the detector is less 4.3 cm. Analysis of proton trajectories an investigation of focusing system stability during transverse oscillations of a neutron beam permits to choose necessary width of the proton counter window by means of which all protons run to recording volume. 10 refs.; 8 figs

Focusing Double Bent Crystal (DBC) diffractometer for medium-resolution small-angle. Neutron scattering (SANS) experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mikula, P.; Wagner, V.; Scherm, R.

1991-01-01

A new modification of a focusing SANS instrument where at least the first crystal is set for diffraction in the asymmetric transmission geometry is presented. Unlike an earlier version which employed both crystals in the symmetric Bragg-case geometry, the new modification permits one simultaneously to exploit the effects of natural wavelength focusing and space condensation of the diffracted beam due to asymmetric diffraction. This DBC instrument seems to be suitable for use with beams with a large cross section at the first crystal and for SANS experiments on samples with a small width (few mm). (orig.)

MRT letter: Guided filtering of image focus volume for 3D shape recovery of microscopic objects.

Science.gov (United States)

Mahmood, Muhammad Tariq

2014-12-01

In this letter, a shape from focus (SFF) method is proposed that utilizes the guided image filtering to enhance the image focus volume efficiently. First, image focus volume is computed using a conventional focus measure. Then each layer of image focus volume is filtered using guided filtering. In this work, the all-in-focus image, which can be obtained from the initial focus volume, is used as guidance image. Finally, improved depth map is obtained from the filtered image focus volume by maximizing the focus measure along the optical axis. The proposed SFF method is efficient and provides better depth maps. The improved performance is highlighted by conducting several experiments using image sequences of simulated and real microscopic objects. The comparative analysis demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed SFF method. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The E166 experiment: Development of an undulator-based ...

Indian Academy of Sciences (India)

A longitudinal polarized positron beam is foreseen for the international linear collider (ILC). A proof-of-principle experiment has been performed in the final focus test beam at SLAC to demonstrate the production of polarized positrons for implementation at the ILC. The E166 experiment uses a 1 m long helical undulator in a ...

Focus Groups Reveal Differences in Career Experiences Between Male and Female Geoscientists

Science.gov (United States)

Oconnell, S.; Frey, C. D.; Holmes, M.

2003-12-01

We conducted twelve telephone focus groups of geoscientists to discover what motivates geoscientists to enter our field and stay in our field. There were separate male and female groups from six different professional categories: administrators, full and associate professors, non-tenure track personnel, assistant professors, post-docs and PhD candidates, Bachelor's and Master's candidates. A total of 96 geoscientists participated. Specifically, respondents were asked what initially brought them into the geosciences. Three dominant themes emerged: the subject matter itself, undergraduate experiences, and relationships. A total of 51 responses to this question related to the subject matter itself. Approximately 61 percent (31) of those responses were given by male focus group participants. Across all focus groups, participants brought up issues such as a general appreciation of the outdoors, weather, rocks, and dinosaurs. Following closely behind the general subject matter is undergraduate events. Fifty-one responses mentioned something about undergraduate experiences such as an introductory class, a laboratory experience, or field experiences. While both female and male participants discussed the role of interpersonal relationships in their decision to become a geoscientist, females were slightly more likely to bring up relevant relationships (26 times for females compared to 21 for males). These relationships varied in both groups from a parent or grandparents influence to camping trips with professors. When respondents were asked whether they had ever considered leaving the geosciences and under what circumstances, there was a striking difference between males and females: males were far less likely to have ever considered leaving. Younger males were more likely to consider leaving than older geoscientists. They feel challenged by the financial constraints of graduate school and the time constraints of academic vs. family life. Many females considered leaving at

arXiv Final results of the OPERA experiment on $\

CERN Document Server

Agafonova, N.; Anokhina, A.; Aoki, S.; Ariga, A.; Ariga, T.; Bertolin, A.; Bozza, C.; Brugnera, R.; Buonaura, A.; Buontempo, S.; Chernyavskiy, M.; Chukanov, A.; Consiglio, L.; D'Ambrosio, N.; De Lellis, G.; De Serio, M.; del Amo Sanchez, P.; Di Crescenzo, A.; Di Ferdinando, D.; Di Marco, N.; Dmitrievsky, S.; Dracos, M.; Duchesneau, D.; Dusini, S.; Dzhatdoev, T.; Ebert, J.; Ereditato, A.; Favier, J.; Fini, R.A.; Fornari, F.; Fukuda, T.; Galati, G.; Garfagnini, A.; Gentile, V.; Goldberg, J.; Gornushkin, Y.; Gorbunov, S.; Grella, G.; Guler, A.M.; Gustavino, C.; Hagner, C.; Hara, T.; Hayakawa, T.; Hollnagel, A.; Ishiguro, K.; Iuliano, A.; Jakovcic, K.; Jollet, C.; Kamiscioglu, C.; Kamiscioglu, M.; Kim, S.H.; Kitagawa, N.; Klicek, B.; Kodama, K.; Komatsu, M.; Kose, U.; Kreslo, I.; Laudisio, F.; Lauria, A.; Ljubicic, A.; Longhin, A.; Loverre, P.; Malgin, A.; Malenica, M.; Mandrioli, G.; Matsuo, T.; Matveev, V.; Mauri, N.; Medinaceli, E.; Meregaglia, A.; Mikado, S.; Miyanishi, M.; Mizutani, F.; Monacelli, P.; Montesi, M.C.; Morishima, K.; Muciaccia, M.T.; Naganawa, N.; Naka, T.; Nakamura, M.; Nakano, T.; Niwa, K.; Okateva, N.; Olchevsky, A.; Ogawa, S.; Ozaki, K.; Paoloni, A.; Paparella, L.; Park, B.D.; Pasqualini, L.; Pastore, A.; Patrizii, L.; Pessard, H.; Pistillo, C.; Podgrudkov, D.; Polukhina, N.; Pozzato, M.; Pupilli, F.; Roda, M.; Roganova, T.; Rokujo, H.; Rosa, G.; Ryazhskaya, O.; Sadovsky, A.; Sato, O.; Schembri, A.; Shakiryanova, I.; Shchedrina, T.; Shibuya, H.; Shibayama, E.; Shiraishi, T.; Simone, S.; Sirignano, C.; Sirri, G.; Sotnikov, A.; Spinetti, M.; Stanco, L.; Starkov, N.; Stellacci, S.M.; Stipcevic, M.; Strolin, P.; Takahashi, S.; Tenti, M.; Terranova, F.; Tioukov, V.; Tufanli, S.; Ustyuzhanin, A.; Vasina, S.; Vilain, P.; Voevodina, E.; Votano, L.; Vuilleumier, J.L.; Wilquet, G.; Wonsak, B.; Yoon, C.S.

2018-05-23

The OPERA experiment was designed to study νμ→ντ oscillations in the appearance mode in the CERN to Gran Sasso Neutrino beam (CNGS). In this Letter, we report the final analysis of the full data sample collected between 2008 and 2012, corresponding to 17.97×1019 protons on target. Selection criteria looser than in previous analyses have produced ten ντ candidate events, thus reducing the statistical uncertainty in the measurement of the oscillation parameters and of ντ properties. A multivariate approach for event identification has been applied to the candidate events and the discovery of ντ appearance is confirmed with an improved significance level of 6.1σ. |Δm322| has been measured, in appearance mode, with an accuracy of 20%. The measurement of the ντ charged-current cross section, for the first time with a negligible contamination from ν¯τ, and the first direct evidence for the ντ lepton number are also reported.

Parental experiences of a developmentally focused care program for infants and children during prolonged hospitalization.

Science.gov (United States)

So, Stephanie; Rogers, Alaine; Patterson, Catherine; Drew, Wendy; Maxwell, Julia; Darch, Jane; Hoyle, Carolyn; Patterson, Sarah; Pollock-BarZiv, Stacey

2014-06-01

This study investigates parental experiences and perceptions of the care received during their child's prolonged hospitalization. It relates this care to the Beanstalk Program (BP), a develop-mentally focused care program provided to these families within an acute care hospital setting. A total of 20 parents (of children hospitalized between 1-15 months) completed the Measures of Processes of Care (MPOC-20) with additional questions regarding the BP. Scores rate the extent of the health-care provider's behaviour as perceived by the family, ranging from 'to a great extent' (7) to 'never' (1). Parents rated Respectful and Supportive Care (6.33) as highest, while Providing General Information (5.65) was rated lowest. Eleven parents participated in a follow-up, qualitative, semi-structured interview. Interview data generated key themes: (a) parents strive for positive and normal experiences for their child within the hospital environment; (b) parents value the focus on child development in the midst of their child's complex medical care; and (c) appropriate developmentally focused education helps parents shift from feeling overwhelmed with a medically ill child to instilling feelings of confidence and empowerment to care for their child and transition home. These results emphasize the importance of enhancing child development for hospitalized infants and young children through programs such as the BP. © The Author(s) 2013.

First year nursing students’ experiences of social media during the transition to university: a focus group study

OpenAIRE

Moorley, CR

2016-01-01

Background: Social media platforms are useful for creating communities, which can then be utilised as a mean for supportive, professional and social learning. Objective: To explore first year nursing student experiences with social media in supporting student transition and engagement into higher education. Design: Qualitative focus groups. Methods: Ten 1st yearBachelor of Nursing students were included in three face-to-face focus groups. Data were analysed using qualitative thematic content ...

Final results of the XR2-1 BWR metallic melt relocation experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gauntt, R.O.; Humphries, L.L.

1997-08-01

This report documents the final results of the XR2-1 boiling water reactor (BWR) metallic melt relocation experiment, conducted at Sandia National Laboratories for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The objective of this experiment was to investigate the material relocation processes and relocation pathways in a dry BWR core following a severe nuclear reactor accident such as an unrecovered station blackout accident. The imposed test conditions (initial thermal state and the melt generation rates) simulated the conditions for the postulated accident scenario and the prototypic design of the lower core test section (in composition and in geometry) ensured that thermal masses and physical flow barriers were modeled adequately. The experiment has shown that, under dry core conditions, the metallic core materials that melt and drain from the upper core regions can drain from the core region entirely without formation of robust coherent blockages in the lower core. Temporary blockages that suspended pools of molten metal later melted, allowing the metals to continue draining downward. The test facility and instrumentation are described in detail. The test progression and results are presented and compared to MERIS code analyses. 6 refs., 55 figs., 4 tabs

Focusing on the Environment to Improve Youth Participation: Experiences and Perspectives of Occupational Therapists.

Science.gov (United States)

Anaby, Dana; Law, Mary; Teplicky, Rachel; Turner, Laura

2015-10-23

The environment plays a key role in supporting children's participation and can serve as a focus of intervention. This study aimed to elicit the perceptions and experiences of occupational therapists who had applied the PREP approach--Pathways and Resources for Engagement and Participation. PREP is a novel 12-week intervention for youth with physical disabilities, aimed at improving participation in leisure community-based activities by modifying aspects of the environment. Using a qualitative post-intervention only design, 12 therapists took part in individual semi-structured interviews, in which the therapists reflected on their experience using PREP to enable participation. A thematic analysis was conducted. Four themes emerged from the data; two of which were informative in nature, describing elements of the PREP intervention that target multi-layered composition of the environment and use strategies that involve leveraging resources and problem solving. The two remaining themes were reflective in nature, illustrating a new take on the Occupational Therapy role and re-positioning the concept of participation in therapy practices. Results emphasize aspects of the environment that can serve as effective targets of intervention, guided by the PREP approach. Findings can broaden the scope and focus of occupational therapy practice by redefining views on participation and the environment.

Initial results from the Wisconsin Spherically Convergent Ion Focus experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Thorson, T.A.; Durst, R.D.; Fonck, R.J.; Foucher, B.S.; Wainwright, L.P.

1995-01-01

The Spherically Convergent Ion Focus (SCIF) is an alternative plasma confinement scheme in which ions are electrostatically confined, accelerated, and concentrated at fusion-relevant energies. This concept has been recently promoted for various near-term applications including waste disposal, particle production, neutron radiography and tomography, plastic explosive detection, materials research, and medical isotope production. The Wisconsin SCIF experiments are designed to evaluate the practicality of the SCIF concept for given applications. In the experiment, a wire globe serves as a simple means of producing the trapping potential well and the ion source consists of a cold, uniform plasma at the edge. Hydrogen ions formed from the background neutral gas are typically accelerated to energies of 5--20 kV, and measured cathode grid currents approach the space-charge limit for concentric spheres. Core size measurements utilize spectrally-filtered CCD camera images of the visible emission from the core region, and the minimal observed core radius of 0.6 cm (HWHM) is within a factor of 2--3 of the theoretical convergence ratio for the device. Neutral particle interactions and potential asymmetries imposed by the grid lead to non-ideal convergence, as evidenced by measured potential asymmetries and core size dependence on cathode grid spacing. Floating probes with 30 kV isolation have allowed unique measurements of the density, electric potential and temperature in the converged core. The ratio of core to edge density is 10--20, which is in good agreement with scaling from radial flux conservation

Systematic review of restraint interventions for challenging behaviour among persons with intellectual disabilities: focus on experiences.

Science.gov (United States)

Heyvaert, Mieke; Saenen, Lore; Maes, Bea; Onghena, Patrick

2015-03-01

This article is the second in a two-part series. Heyvaert et al. focused on the effectiveness of restraint interventions (RIs) for reducing challenging behaviour among persons with intellectual disabilities) in the first article. In this second article, Heyvaert et al. focus on experiences with RIs for challenging behaviour among people with intellectual disabilities. A mixed methods research synthesis involving statistical meta-analysis and qualitative meta-synthesis techniques was applied to synthesize 76 retrieved articles. This second article reports on the qualitative meta-synthesis of 17 articles on experiences with RIs for challenging behaviour among people with intellectual disabilities. The 17 included articles report on important variables relating to the persons receiving RIs, to the persons giving RIs and to their interactions and relationship, as well as variables situated at the meso- and macro-level. The developed model can assist in reflecting on and improving of current RI practices among people with intellectual disabilities. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Optimization of Superconducting Focusing Quadrupoles for the HighCurrent Experiment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sabbi, GianLuca; Gourlay, Steve; Gung, Chen-yu; Hafalia, Ray; Lietzke, Alan; Martovetski, Nicolai; Mattafirri, Sara; Meinke, Rainer; Minervini, Joseph; Schultz, Joel; Seidl, Peter

2005-09-16

The Heavy Ion Fusion (HIF) program is progressing through a series of physics and technology demonstrations leading to an inertial fusion power plant. The High Current Experiment (HCX) at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory is exploring the physics of intense beams with high line-charge density. Superconducting focusing quadrupoles have been developed for the HCX magnetic transport studies. A baseline design was selected following several pre-series models. Optimization of the baseline design led to the development of a first prototype that achieved a conductor-limited gradient of 132 T/m in a 70 mm bore, without training, with measured field errors at the 0.1% level. Based on these results, the magnet geometry and fabrication procedures were adjusted to improve the field quality. These modifications were implemented in a second prototype. In this paper, the optimized design is presented and comparisons between the design harmonics and magnetic measurements performed on the new prototype are discussed.

Final Report of MBX experiment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bengtson, Roger D; Valanju, Prashant

2007-04-02

The MBX experiment was built during the grant period. Details can be found in publications about MBX experiment. We created a low density plasma in a mirror configuration and rotated it at supersonic speeds in the theta direction. Under these conditions the plasma presents a high asymmetry in the current, plasma potential and consequently rotation with the voltage applied. We developed a two fluid model to describe the measurements based on a magnetofluid states ansatz. We also observed bistable and multiple states predicted by the two fluid model.

Final Report of MBX experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bengtson, Roger D; Valanju, Prashant

2007-01-01

The MBX experiment was built during the grant period. Details can be found in publications about MBX experiment. We created a low density plasma in a mirror configuration and rotated it at supersonic speeds in the theta direction. Under these conditions the plasma presents a high asymmetry in the current, plasma potential and consequently rotation with the voltage applied. We developed a two fluid model to describe the measurements based on a magnetofluid states ansatz. We also observed bistable and multiple states predicted by the two fluid model

Compact electrostatic beam optics for multi-element focused ion beams: simulation and experiments.

Science.gov (United States)

Mathew, Jose V; Bhattacharjee, Sudeep

2011-01-01

Electrostatic beam optics for a multi-element focused ion beam (MEFIB) system comprising of a microwave multicusp plasma (ion) source is designed with the help of two widely known and commercially available beam simulation codes: AXCEL-INP and SIMION. The input parameters to the simulations are obtained from experiments carried out in the system. A single and a double Einzel lens system (ELS) with and without beam limiting apertures (S) have been investigated. For a 1 mm beam at the plasma electrode aperture, the rms emittance of the focused ion beam is found to reduce from ∼0.9 mm mrad for single ELS to ∼0.5 mm mrad for a double ELS, when S of 0.5 mm aperture size is employed. The emittance can be further improved to ∼0.1 mm mrad by maintaining S at ground potential, leading to reduction in beam spot size (∼10 μm). The double ELS design is optimized for different electrode geometrical parameters with tolerances of ±1 mm in electrode thickness, electrode aperture, inter electrode distance, and ±1° in electrode angle, providing a robust design. Experimental results obtained with the double ELS for the focused beam current and spot size, agree reasonably well with the simulations.

Self-pinch focusing experiments performed on the KALIF accelerator using the Bappl diode

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoppe, P.; Nakagawa, Y.; Bauer, W.

1996-01-01

Experiments using the B appl diode with a subdivided beam drift section were performed on the KALIF accelerator with the objective to investigate the generation of net currents and their influence on the focusing properties of the extracted proton beam. The generation of net currents up to 50% of the diode current was observed for argon gas pressures below 0.1 mbar in the second drift section. The differences in the time histories of various net current monitors might be related to a radial dependency of the net current densities in the beam. A comparison of the focusing properties investigated in shots with and without current neutralization showed only small differences. No enhancement of the power density related to self-pinch effects was found. However, the possibility of beam propagation over a short vacuum distance allows the use of a backlighter target required for laser absorption spectroscopy. (author). 4 figs., 4 refs

CRISPR-FOCUS: A web server for designing focused CRISPR screening experiments

OpenAIRE

Cao, Qingyi; Ma, Jian; Chen, Chen-Hao; Xu, Han; Chen, Zhi; Li, Wei; Liu, X. Shirley

2017-01-01

The recently developed CRISPR screen technology, based on the CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing system, enables genome-wide interrogation of gene functions in an efficient and cost-effective manner. Although many computational algorithms and web servers have been developed to design single-guide RNAs (sgRNAs) with high specificity and efficiency, algorithms specifically designed for conducting CRISPR screens are still lacking. Here we present CRISPR-FOCUS, a web-based platform to search and prioriti...

Comparing young people's experience of technology-delivered v. face-to-face mindfulness and relaxation: two-armed qualitative focus group study.

Science.gov (United States)

Tunney, Conall; Cooney, Patricia; Coyle, David; O'Reilly, Gary

2017-04-01

Background The current popularity of mindfulness-based practices has coincided with the increase in access to mobile technology. This has led to many mindfulness apps and programs becoming available, some specifically for children. However, little is known about the experience of engaging with mindfulness through these mediums. Aims To explore children's experience of mindfulness delivered both face-to-face and through a computer game to highlight any differences or similarities. Method A two-armed qualitative focus groups design was used to explore children's experiences. The first arm offered mindfulness exercises in a traditional face-to-face setting with guided meditations. The second arm offered mindfulness exercises through a computer game avatar. Results Themes of relaxation, engagement, awareness, thinking, practice and directing attention emerged from both arms of focus groups. Subthematic codes highlight key differences as well as similarities in the experience of mindfulness. Conclusions These results indicate that mindfulness delivered via technology can offer a rich experience. © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 2017.

Final Report: High Energy Physics at the Energy Frontier at Louisiana Tech

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sawyer, Lee [Louisiana Tech Univ., Ruston, LA (United States); Wobisch, Markus [Louisiana Tech Univ., Ruston, LA (United States); Greenwood, Zeno D. [Louisiana Tech Univ., Ruston, LA (United States)

2017-11-30

The Louisiana Tech University High Energy Physics group has developed a research program aimed at experimentally testing the Standard Model of particle physics and searching for new phenomena through a focused set of analyses in collaboration with the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at the CERN laboratory in Geneva. This research program includes involvement in the current operation and maintenance of the ATLAS experiment and full involvement in Phase 1 and Phase 2 upgrades in preparation for future high luminosity (HL-LHC) operation of the LHC. Our focus is solely on the ATLAS experiment at the LHC, with some related detector development and software efforts. We have established important service roles on ATLAS in five major areas: Triggers, especially jet triggers; Data Quality monitoring; grid computing; GPU applications for upgrades; and radiation testing for upgrades. Our physics research is focused on multijet measurements and top quark physics in final states containing tau leptons, which we propose to extend into related searches for new phenomena. Focusing on closely related topics in the jet and top analyses and coordinating these analyses in our group has led to high efficiency and increased visibility inside the ATLAS collaboration and beyond. Based on our work in the DØ experiment in Run II of the Fermilab Tevatron Collider, Louisiana Tech has developed a reputation as one of the leading institutions pursuing jet physics studies. Currently we are applying this expertise to the ATLAS experiment, with several multijet analyses in progress.

Advisory Committee on human radiation experiments. Final report, Supplemental Volume 2. Sources and documentation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-01-01

This volume and its appendixes supplement the Advisory Committee's final report by reporting how we went about looking for information concerning human radiation experiments and intentional releases, a description of what we found and where we found it, and a finding aid for the information that we collected. This volume begins with an overview of federal records, including general descriptions of the types of records that have been useful and how the federal government handles these records. This is followed by an agency-by-agency account of the discovery process and descriptions of the records reviewed, together with instructions on how to obtain further information from those agencies. There is also a description of other sources of information that have been important, including institutional records, print resources, and nonprint media and interviews. The third part contains brief accounts of ACHRE's two major contemporary survey projects (these are described in greater detail in the final report and another supplemental volume) and other research activities. The final section describes how the ACHRE information-nation collections were managed and the records that ACHRE created in the course of its work; this constitutes a general finding aid for the materials deposited with the National Archives. The appendices provide brief references to federal records reviewed, descriptions of the accessions that comprise the ACHRE Research Document Collection, and descriptions of the documents selected for individual treatment. Also included are an account of the documentation available for ACHRE meetings, brief abstracts of the almost 4,000 experiments individually described by ACHRE staff, a full bibliography of secondary sources used, and other information

Advisory Committee on human radiation experiments. Final report, Supplemental Volume 2. Sources and documentation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1995-01-01

This volume and its appendixes supplement the Advisory Committee`s final report by reporting how we went about looking for information concerning human radiation experiments and intentional releases, a description of what we found and where we found it, and a finding aid for the information that we collected. This volume begins with an overview of federal records, including general descriptions of the types of records that have been useful and how the federal government handles these records. This is followed by an agency-by-agency account of the discovery process and descriptions of the records reviewed, together with instructions on how to obtain further information from those agencies. There is also a description of other sources of information that have been important, including institutional records, print resources, and nonprint media and interviews. The third part contains brief accounts of ACHRE`s two major contemporary survey projects (these are described in greater detail in the final report and another supplemental volume) and other research activities. The final section describes how the ACHRE information-nation collections were managed and the records that ACHRE created in the course of its work; this constitutes a general finding aid for the materials deposited with the National Archives. The appendices provide brief references to federal records reviewed, descriptions of the accessions that comprise the ACHRE Research Document Collection, and descriptions of the documents selected for individual treatment. Also included are an account of the documentation available for ACHRE meetings, brief abstracts of the almost 4,000 experiments individually described by ACHRE staff, a full bibliography of secondary sources used, and other information.

Nova frequency conversion and focusing system

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Summers, M.A.; Seppala, L.G.; Williams, J.D.

1985-01-01

New developments in crystal array technology provided significant improvements in the mechanical design and optical performance of the Nova 2 omega/3 omega array hardware. The final Nova array configuration was tested on the Novette laser and on the first arm of Nova. Ten Nova 2 omega/3 omega crystal arrays were assembled and tested for crystal alignment and wave front distortion before installation on the Nova target chamber. Ten Nova focus lens positioners were assembled and tested last year. The positioning accuracy and repeatability of each assembly were evaluated before installation on the target chamber. A cylindrical focusing system was also developed for installation in the Nova lens positioner assembly. Finally, 10 completed frequency conversion and focusing systems were activated

Contrasting Internet and Face-to-Face Focus Groups for Children with Chronic Health Conditions: Outcomes and Participant Experiences

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David B. Nicholas PhD

2010-03-01

Full Text Available In this study the authors examined Internet-mediated qualitative data collection methods among a sample of children with chronic health conditions. Specifically, focus groups via Internet technology were contrasted to traditional face-to-face focus groups. Internet focus groups consisted of asynchronous text-based chat rooms lasting a total of one week in duration. Participants comprised 23 children with cerebral palsy, spina bifida, or cystic fibrosis, who were assigned to either an Internet or face-to-face focus group. Focus group analysis and follow-up participant interviews identified a range of content outcomes and processes as well as participant experiences and preferences. Findings yielded differences in terms of the volume and nature of online and face-to-face data, and participants' affinity to focus group modality appeared to reflect differences in participant expectations for social engagement and interaction. This study identifies both benefits and limitations of asynchronous, text-based online focus groups. Implications and recommendations are discussed.

Technology choices for the Integrated Beam Experiment (IBX)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Leitner, M.A.; Celata, C.M.; Lee, E.P.; Sabbi, G.; Waldron, W.L.; Barnard, J.J.

2002-10-31

Over the next three years the research program of the Heavy Ion Fusion Virtual National Laboratory (HIF-VNL), a collaboration among LBNL, LLNL, and PPPL, is focused on separate scientific experiments in the injection, transport and focusing of intense heavy ion beams at currents from 100 mA to 1 A. As a next major step in the HIF-VNL program, we aim for a complete ''source-to-target'' experiment, the Integrated Beam Experiment (IBX). By combining the experience gained in the current separate beam experiments IBX would allow the integrated scientific study of the evolution of a single heavy ion beam at high current ({approx}1 A) through all sections of a possible heavy ion fusion accelerator: the injection, acceleration, compression, and beam focusing. This paper describes the main parameters and technology choices of the planned IBX experiment. IBX will accelerate singly charged potassium or argon ion beams up to 10 MeV final energy and a longitudinal beam compression ratio of 10, resulting in a beam current at target of more than 10 Amperes. Different accelerator cell design options are described in detail: Induction cores incorporating either room temperature pulsed focusing-magnets or superconducting magnets.

Have restricted working hours reduced junior doctors' experience of fatigue? A focus group and telephone interview study.

Science.gov (United States)

Morrow, Gill; Burford, Bryan; Carter, Madeline; Illing, Jan

2014-03-06

To explore the effects of the UK Working Time Regulations (WTR) on trainee doctors' experience of fatigue. Qualitative study involving focus groups and telephone interviews, conducted in Spring 2012 with doctors purposively selected from Foundation and specialty training. Final compliance with a 48 h/week limit had been required for trainee doctors since August 2009. Framework analysis of data. 9 deaneries in all four UK nations; secondary care. 82 doctors: 53 Foundation trainees and 29 specialty trainees. 36 participants were male and 46 female. Specialty trainees were from a wide range of medical and surgical specialties, and psychiatry. Implementation of the WTR, while acknowledged as an improvement to the earlier situation of prolonged excessive hours, has not wholly overcome experience of long working hours and fatigue. Fatigue did not only arise from the hours that were scheduled, but also from an unpredictable mixture of shifts, work intensity (which often resulted in educational tasks being taken home) and inadequate rest. Fatigue was also caused by trainees working beyond their scheduled hours, for reasons such as task completion, accessing additional educational opportunities beyond scheduled hours and staffing shortages. There were also organisational, professional and cultural drivers, such as a sense of responsibility to patients and colleagues and the expectations of seniors. Fatigue was perceived to affect efficiency of skills and judgement, mood and learning capacity. Long-term risks of continued stress and fatigue, for doctors and for the effective delivery of a healthcare service, should not be ignored. Current monitoring processes do not reflect doctors' true working patterns. The effectiveness of the WTR cannot be considered in isolation from the culture and context of the workplace. On-going attention needs to be paid to broader cultural issues, including the relationship between trainees and seniors.

Have restricted working hours reduced junior doctors’ experience of fatigue? A focus group and telephone interview study

Science.gov (United States)

Morrow, Gill; Burford, Bryan; Carter, Madeline; Illing, Jan

2014-01-01

Objective To explore the effects of the UK Working Time Regulations (WTR) on trainee doctors’ experience of fatigue. Design Qualitative study involving focus groups and telephone interviews, conducted in Spring 2012 with doctors purposively selected from Foundation and specialty training. Final compliance with a 48 h/week limit had been required for trainee doctors since August 2009. Framework analysis of data. Setting 9 deaneries in all four UK nations; secondary care. Participants 82 doctors: 53 Foundation trainees and 29 specialty trainees. 36 participants were male and 46 female. Specialty trainees were from a wide range of medical and surgical specialties, and psychiatry. Results Implementation of the WTR, while acknowledged as an improvement to the earlier situation of prolonged excessive hours, has not wholly overcome experience of long working hours and fatigue. Fatigue did not only arise from the hours that were scheduled, but also from an unpredictable mixture of shifts, work intensity (which often resulted in educational tasks being taken home) and inadequate rest. Fatigue was also caused by trainees working beyond their scheduled hours, for reasons such as task completion, accessing additional educational opportunities beyond scheduled hours and staffing shortages. There were also organisational, professional and cultural drivers, such as a sense of responsibility to patients and colleagues and the expectations of seniors. Fatigue was perceived to affect efficiency of skills and judgement, mood and learning capacity. Conclusions Long-term risks of continued stress and fatigue, for doctors and for the effective delivery of a healthcare service, should not be ignored. Current monitoring processes do not reflect doctors’ true working patterns. The effectiveness of the WTR cannot be considered in isolation from the culture and context of the workplace. On-going attention needs to be paid to broader cultural issues, including the relationship between

Teachers' Commitment To, and Experiences of, the Teaching Profession in Tanzania: Findings of Focus Group Research

Science.gov (United States)

Mkumbo, Kitila A. K.

2012-01-01

This qualitative study examined teachers' commitment to, and experiences of, the teaching profession in six regions of Tanzania. The study used focus group discussions as research method and data collection tool. Twenty four groups were conducted, with group membership ranging from five to nine participants. The results show that the teachers'…

First year nursing students' experiences of social media during the transition to university: a focus group study.

Science.gov (United States)

Ferguson, Caleb; DiGiacomo, Michelle; Saliba, Bernard; Green, Janet; Moorley, Calvin; Wyllie, Aileen; Jackson, Debra

2016-10-01

Social media platforms are useful for creating communities, which can then be utilised as a mean for supportive, professional and social learning. To explore first year nursing student experiences with social media in supporting student transition and engagement into higher education. Qualitative focus groups. Ten 1st year Bachelor of Nursing students were included in three face-to-face focus groups. Data were analysed using qualitative thematic content analysis. Three key themes emerged that illustrates the experiences of transition and engagement of first year student nurses using social media at university. (1) Facilitating familiarity and collaboration at a safe distance, (2) promoting independent learning by facilitating access to resources, and (3) mitigating hazards of social media. This study has demonstrated the importance of social media in supporting informal peer-peer learning and support, augmenting online and offline relationships, and building professional identity as a nurse.

Systematic study on the performance of elliptic focusing neutron guides

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martin Rodriguez, D.; DiJulio, D.D.; Bentley, P.M.

2016-01-01

In neutron scattering experiments there is an increasing trend towards the study of smaller volume samples, which make the use of focusing optics more important. Focusing guide geometries based on conic-sections, such as those with parabolic and elliptic shapes, have been extensively used in both recently built neutron instruments and upgrades of existing hardware. A large fraction of proposed instruments at the European Spallation Source feature the requirement of good performance when measuring on small samples. The optimised design of a focusing system comes after time consuming Monte-Carlo (MC) simulations. Therefore, in order to help reduce the time needed to design such focusing systems, it is necessary to study systematically the performance of focusing guides. In the present work, we perform a theoretical analysis of the focusing properties of neutron beams, and validate them using a combination of Monte-Carlo simulations and Particle Swarm Optimisations (PSOs), where there is a close correspondence between the maximum divergence of the beam and the shape of the guide. The analytical results show that two limits can be considered, which bound a range of conic section shapes that provide optimum performance. Finally, we analyse a more realistic guide example and we give an assessment of the importance of the contribution from multiple reflections in different systems.

Induction Accelerator Technology Choices for the Integrated Beam Experiment (IBX)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Leitner, M.A.; Celata, C.M.; Lee, E.P.; Logan, B.G.; Sabbi, G.; Waldron, W.L.; Barnard, J.J.

2003-01-01

Over the next three years the research program of the Heavy Ion Fusion Virtual National Laboratory (HIF-VNL), a collaboration among LBNL, LLNL, and PPPL, is focused on separate scientific experiments in the injection, transport and focusing of intense heavy ion beams at currents from 100 mA to 1 A. As a next major step in the HIF-VNL program, we aim for a complete 'source-to-target' experiment, the Integrated Beam Experiment (IBX). By combining the experience gained in the current separate beam experiments IBX would allow the integrated scientific study of the evolution of a single heavy ion beam at high current (∼1 A) through all sections of a possible heavy ion fusion accelerator: the injection, acceleration, compression, and beam focusing.This paper describes the main parameters and technology choices of the planned IBX experiment. IBX will accelerate singly charged potassium or argon ion beams up to 10 MeV final energy and a longitudinal beam compression ratio of 10, resulting in a beam current at target of more than 10 Amperes. Different accelerator cell design options are described in detail: Induction cores incorporating either room temperature pulsed focusing-magnets or superconducting magnets

Women's experience of SLE-related fatigue: a focus group interview study.

Science.gov (United States)

Pettersson, Susanne; Möller, Sonia; Svenungsson, Elisabet; Gunnarsson, Iva; Welin Henriksson, Elisabet

2010-10-01

The aim of this study was to describe women's experience of SLE-related fatigue, how they express the feeling of fatigue, impact on life and strategies developed to manage fatigue in daily living. Seven, semi-structured focus group discussions with 33 women were audio-taped, transcribed verbatim and analysed according to qualitative content analysis. Perceptions of SLE-related fatigue were sorted into four themes. Nature of Fatigue, involved the sensation, occurrence and character. Aspects Affected by Fatigue described emotions that arose together with fatigue as well as aspects of work, family life, social contacts and leisure activities that were affected by fatigue. Striving Towards Power and Control concluded the array of ways used to manage daily life and were categorized into the mental struggle, structure, restrict and provide. Factors Influencing the Perception of Fatigue described understanding from their surroundings and pain as strongly influencing the experience and perception of fatigue. SLE-related fatigue was portrayed as an overwhelming phenomenon with an unpredictable character, resulting in the feeling that fatigue dominates and controls most situations in life. The choice of strategies was described as a balance with implications for how fatigue limited a person's life. Health care professionals are advised to take a more active role to empower people with SLE to find their own balance as a way to achieve a feeling of being in control.

Parametric studies in a small plasma focus device

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chuaqui, H.; Favre, M.; Silva, P.; Wyndham, E.

1996-01-01

Very high temperature and density plasmas can be produced in modest size plasma focus devices at the kJ level. Much of the scaling parameters on the plasma focus have been evaluated, though many questions still remain. The modest cost and simple construction allows easy modification to the device and the discharge parameters. In this paper the authors report on a small plasma focus device, which is set-up to investigate the effect of some of those modifications on the plasma, with detailed experimental diagnostics. Experiments have been carried out in various gases and with mixtures of different ratios. Extended operating range from below 0.5 torr upwards has been achieved with the implementation of the auxiliary discharge circuit. Despite the low voltage and low energy operation, energetic beam formation has been observed at the time of the final compression, prior to disruption. Current sheath formation and evolution has been characterized using the magnetic probes array, in correlation with beam formation and plasma emission. The relationship of the current sheath structure and that of the pinched plasma, as shown by the filtered X-ray pinhole camera, has been investigated

An ultra miniature pinch-focus discharge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soto, L.; Pavez, C.; Moreno, J.; Pavez, C.; Barbaglia, M.; Clausse, A.

2004-01-01

As a way to investigate the minimum energy to produce a pinch plasma focus discharge, an ultra miniature device has been designed and constructed (nano focus NF: 5 nF, 5-10 kV, 5-10 kA, 60-250 mJ, 16 ns time to peak current). Sub-millimetric anode radius covered by a coaxial insulator were used for experiments in hydrogen. Evidence of pinch was observed in electrical signals in discharges operating at 60 mJ. A single-frame image converter camera (4 ns exposure) was used to obtain plasma images in the visible range. The dynamics observed from the photographs is consistent with: a) formation of a plasma sheath close to the insulator surface, b) fast axial motion of the plasma sheath, c) radial compression over the anode, and d) finally the plasma is detached from the anode in the axial direction. The total time since stage a) to d) was observed to be about 30 ns. X ray and neutron emission is being studied. Neutron yield of the order of 10 3 neutrons per shot is expected for discharges operating in deuterium at 10 kA. (authors)

Focusing an antimatter beam with matter

CERN Document Server

CERN. Geneva

2000-01-01

An experiment at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center has recently focused positron beams by means of a plasma lens. This is the first time this process has been observed. The process started with a positron beam from the SLAC PEP-II positron source. This was sent through a damping ring and then accelerated to 28.5 GeV in the SLAC linac with a bunch intensity of 1-2*10/sup 10/. The beam was delivered to the Final Focus Test Beam Facility (FFTB) at a rate of 1 or 10 Hz. At the focal point of the FFTB transport, a special plasma chamber contains a 3 mm diameter pulsed gas nozzle through which either hydrogen or nitrogen gas is "puffed" into the ultrahigh vacuum system at plenum gas pressures up to 75 atm with a discharge time of 800 mu s. The gas is pumped off by a Roots-type pump. On either side of the central chamber are differential pumping sections semi- isolated from each other by thin titanium windows with small (2-5 mm diameter) apertures for the positron beams to pass through. These sections are evacu...

Executive summary and guide to final report: Advisory committee on human radiation experiments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1995-01-01

On January 15, 1994, President Clinton appointed the Advisory Committee on Human Radiation Experiments to investigate reports of possibly unethical experiments funded by the government decades ago. The Committee was directed to uncover the history of human radiation experiments during the period 1944 through 1974 and to examine cases in which the government had intentionally released radiation into the environment for research purposes. The Committee was further charged with identifying the ethical and scientific standards for evaluating these events, and with making recommendations to ensure that whatever wrongdoing may have ocurred in the past cannot be repeated. The Committee undertook three projects: A review of how each agency of the federal government that currently conducts or funds research involving human subjects regulates this activity or oversees it; An examination of the documents and consent forms of research projects that are today sponsored by the federal government in order to develop insight into the current status of protections for the rights and interests of human subjects; and, Interviews of nearly 1,900 patients receiving out-patient medical care in private hospitals and federal facilities throughout the country. This booklet provides an overview of the Final Report, summarizing each chapter.

Enhanced collective focusing of intense neutralized ion beam pulses in the presence of weak solenoidal magnetic fields

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dorf, Mikhail A.; Davidson, Ronald C.; Kaganovich, Igor D.; Startsev, Edward A.

2012-01-01

The design of ion drivers for warm dense matter and high energy density physics applications and heavy ion fusion involves transverse focusing and longitudinal compression of intense ion beams to a small spot size on the target. To facilitate the process, the compression occurs in a long drift section filled with a dense background plasma, which neutralizes the intense beam self-fields. Typically, the ion bunch charge is better neutralized than its current, and as a result a net self-pinching (magnetic) force is produced. The self-pinching effect is of particular practical importance, and is used in various ion driver designs in order to control the transverse beam envelope. In the present work we demonstrate that this radial self-focusing force can be significantly enhanced if a weak (B ∼ 100 G) solenoidal magnetic field is applied inside the neutralized drift section, thus allowing for substantially improved transport. It is shown that in contrast to magnetic self-pinching, the enhanced collective self-focusing has a radial electric field component and occurs as a result of the overcompensation of the beam charge by plasma electrons, whereas the beam current becomes well-neutralized. As the beam leaves the neutralizing drift section, additional transverse focusing can be applied. For instance, in the neutralized drift compression experiments (NDCX) a strong (several Tesla) final focus solenoid is used for this purpose. In the present analysis we propose that the tight final focus in the NDCX experiments may possibly be achieved by using a much weaker (few hundred Gauss) magnetic lens, provided the ion beam carries an equal amount of co-moving neutralizing electrons from the preceding drift section into the lens. In this case the enhanced focusing is provided by the collective electron dynamics strongly affected by a weak applied magnetic field.

Beyond Standard Model searches in jets plus missing transverse energy final states with the ATLAS experiment at the LHC

CERN Document Server

AUTHOR|(INSPIRE)INSPIRE-00414488; Alviggi, Mariagrazia; Conventi, Francesco

Dark Matter (DM) is currently one of the most challenging goal in the LHC programme: if DM exists it can be pair-produced in proton-proton collisions. Since its weakly-interacting nature, final signatures with high missing momentum and Standard Model (SM) particles are employed in these searches. This thesis presents results on signatures involving bottom quarks in final states, described in models where DM production occurs via massive spin-0 mediators (scalar or pseudoscalar) with a coupling to SM particles proportional to their masses. These collider searches provide an interesting complementarity to DM direct and indirect detection experiments, covering the parameter space with low DM masses. The results shown in the thesis are obtained on the data collected by the ATLAS experiment in 2015 and 2016.

[Pre-verbality in focusing and the need for self check. An attempt at "focusing check"].

Science.gov (United States)

Masui, T; Ikemi, A; Murayama, S

1983-06-01

Though the Focusing process is not entirely non-verbal, in Focusing, careful attention is paid by the Focuser and the Listener to the pre-verbal experiential process. In other words, Focusing involves attending to the felt sense that is not easily expressed in words immediately. Hence, during the process of learning to Focus, the Focusing teacher attempts to communicate the experiences of Focusing to the student which are not easily done by words. Due to such difficulties, the Focusing student may (and quite frequently does) mistake the experiential process in Focusing with other processes. Often, the felt sense can be confused with other phenomena such as "autogenic discharge". Also the Focuser may not stay with the felt sense and drift into "free association" or frequently, certain processes in "meditation" can be confused with Focusing. Therefore, there is a need for a "check" by which the Focusing student can confirm the Focusing experience for himself. For the Focusing student, such a "check" serves not only to confirm the Focusing process, but also an aid to learning Focusing. We will report here a "Focusing Check" which we developed by translating Eugene Gendlin's "Focusing Check" and making several modifications in it so that it will be more understandable to the Japanese. Along with the "Focusing Check" we developed, the authors discuss the need for such a check.

Numerical experimentation on focusing time and neutron yield in GN1 plasma focus machine

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Singh, Arwinder; Lee, Sing; Saw, S.H.

2014-01-01

In this paper, we have shown how we have fitted Lee's six phase model code to analyze the current waveform of the GN1 plasma focus machine working in deuterium gas. The Lee's 6-phase model codes was later configured to work between 0.5 to 6 Torr and the results of both focusing time and neutron yield was then compared with the published experimental results. The final results indicate that Lee's code, gives realistic plasma dynamics and focus properties together with a realistic neutron yield for GN1 plasma focus, without the need of any adjustable parameters, needing only to fit the computed current trace to a measured current trace. (author)

Full three-dimensional simulation of focused ion beam micro/nanofabrication

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Heung-Bae; Hobler, Gerhard; Steiger, Andreas; Lugstein, Alois; Bertagnolli, Emmerich

2007-01-01

2D focused ion beam simulation is only capable of simulating the topography where the surface shape does not change along the third dimension, both in the final result and during processing. In this paper we show that a 3D topography forms under the beam even though the variation in the final result along the third direction is small. We present the code AMADEUS 3D (advanced modelling and design environment for sputter processes), which is capable of simulating the surface topography in 3D space including angle-dependent sputtering and redeposition. The surface is represented by a structured or unstructured grid, and the nodes are moved according to the calculated sputtering and redeposition fluxes. In addition, experiments have been performed on nanodot formation and box milling for a case where a 3D temporary topography forms. The excellent agreement validates the code and shows the completeness of the model

Application of focus-variation Technique in Measurements of Ultrasonic Vibrations of Grinding pins

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wdowik Roman

2015-01-01

Full Text Available The paper presents the application of focus-variation technique in measurements of ultrasonic vibrations of grinding pins. Ultrasonic vibrations of tools are applied in ultrasonic assisted grinding. Their measurements are significant for development of this hybrid machining process. Alumina and zirconia ceramic materials in the final fired state were machined in experiments which are known as scratch tests. Diamond grinding pin was used as a tool to machine scratches. Marks of diamond grains, left on the surface of workpieces after machining process, were investigated using The Infinite Focus Real 3D optical microscope. Focus-variation is the principle of operation of this microscope. Investigations concerned possibilities of measurements of an amplitude of axial and radial vibrations in the case of two ceramic materials. Results of performed measurements are presented and discussed for selected machining parameters.

Myths about autism: An exploratory study using focus groups.

Science.gov (United States)

John, Rachael Ps; Knott, Fiona J; Harvey, Kate N

2017-08-01

Individuals with autism are often stigmatised and isolated by their typically developing peers according to parental, teacher and self-reports. While quantitative studies often report negative attitudes towards individuals with autism, it is still unclear how understandings of autism influence attitudes. In this exploratory study, misconceptions or myths about autism, that is, the cognitive component of attitudes, were examined using focus groups. Purposive sampling was used to recruit undergraduate and postgraduate students, and adults with and without experience of autism, to one of the five focus groups (n = 37). Content analysis was used to identify emergent themes. The data identified seven commonly held beliefs about individuals with autism. The first four were related to social interaction, such as that people with autism do not like to be touched. The fifth reflected the view that all individuals with autism have a special talent, and the final two concerned beliefs that people with autism are dangerous. The findings from this study demonstrate that people with varying experience or knowledge of autism often hold inaccurate beliefs about autism. These findings improve our understandings of lay beliefs about autism and will aid the development and implementation of interventions designed to improve lay knowledge of autism.

Development of nanometer resolution C-Band radio frequency beam position monitors in the Final Focus Test Beam

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Slaton, T.; Mazaheri, G. [Stanford Univ., CA (US). Stanford Linear Accelerator Center; Shintake, T. [National Lab. for High Energy Physics, Tsukuba, Ibaraki (Japan)

1998-08-01

Using a 47 GeV electron beam, the Final Focus Test Beam (FFTB) produces vertical spot sizes around 70 nm. These small beam sizes introduce an excellent opportunity to develop and test high resolution Radio Frequency Beam Position Monitors (RF-BPMs). These BPMs are designed to measure pulse to pulse beam motion (jitter) at a theoretical resolution of approximately 1 nm. The beam induces a TM{sub 110} mode with an amplitude linearly proportional to its charge and displacement from the BPM's (cylindrical cavity) axis. The C-band (5,712 MHz) TM{sub 110} signal is processed and converted into beam position for use by the Stanford Linear Collider (SLC) control system. Presented are the experimental procedures, acquisition, and analysis of data demonstrating resolution of jitter near 25 nm. With the design of future e{sup +}e{sup -} linear colliders requiring spot sizes close to 3 nm, understanding and developing RF-BPMs will be essential in resolving and controlling jitter.

Development of nanometer resolution C-Band radio frequency beam position monitors in the Final Focus Test Beam

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Slaton, T.; Mazaheri, G.

1998-08-01

Using a 47 GeV electron beam, the Final Focus Test Beam (FFTB) produces vertical spot sizes around 70 nm. These small beam sizes introduce an excellent opportunity to develop and test high resolution Radio Frequency Beam Position Monitors (RF-BPMs). These BPMs are designed to measure pulse to pulse beam motion (jitter) at a theoretical resolution of approximately 1 nm. The beam induces a TM 110 mode with an amplitude linearly proportional to its charge and displacement from the BPM's (cylindrical cavity) axis. The C-band (5,712 MHz) TM 110 signal is processed and converted into beam position for use by the Stanford Linear Collider (SLC) control system. Presented are the experimental procedures, acquisition, and analysis of data demonstrating resolution of jitter near 25 nm. With the design of future e + e - linear colliders requiring spot sizes close to 3 nm, understanding and developing RF-BPMs will be essential in resolving and controlling jitter

Question Formation and Focus Construction in Owo: A Yoruba Dialect

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Boluwaji Oshodi

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Question formation and focusing are two transformational processes attested in Standard Yorùbá both of which have been extensively discussed in previous studies. However, very little is known about these concepts in Owo (Owò̩̩̀ a south-East Yoruba (Yorùbá dialect. This study examines the concept of questions and focusing in Owo ̩̩̀̀dialect with a comparison of the processes in Standard Yorùbá. The study revealed some differences as well as similarities in the two processes in Owo ̩̩̀̀and standard Yorùbá. Just like in Standard Yorùbá, question markers in Owo ̩̩̀̀normally occur in sentence initial and final positions. However, the question marker de ̩̀constantly appears sentence medially before and before verbs in certain constructions. Furthermore, while the focus marker in Yorùbá normally occurs immediately after the focused item with a stable form, the focus marker in Owo ̩̩̀̀usually occurs at the sentence final position as a reduplicated form of the last syllable of the final item. Also, a pronoun which indicates number and agreement usually occurs immediately after the focused item in Owò̩̩̀. Finally, just like in Yorùbá, there is a syntactic relationship between question and focusing in Owo ̩̩̀̀dialect.

Supersymmetry Searches in Dilepton Final States with the ATLAS Experiment

CERN Document Server

Lungwitz, Matthias

One of the main goals of the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadr on Collider (LHC) at CERN in Geneva is the search for new physics beyond the Standa rd Model. In 2011, proton- proton collisions were performed at the LHC at a center of mas s energy of 7 TeV and an in- tegrated luminosity of 4 . 7 fb − 1 was recorded. This dataset can be tested for one of the most promising theories beyond limits achieved thus far: supers ymmetry. Final states in supersym- metry events at the LHC contain highly energetic jets and siz eable missing transverse energy. The additional requirement of events with highly energetic leptons simplifies the control of the backgrounds. This work presents results of a search for supe rsymmetry in the inclusive dilepton channel. Special emphasis is put on the search within the Gau ge-Mediated Symmetry Breaking (GMSB) scenario in which the supersymmetry breaking is medi ated via gauge fields. Statis- tically independent Control Regions for the dominant Stand ard Model backgrounds as well as ...

Study of neutron focusing at the Texas Cold Neutron Source. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wehring, B.W.; Uenlue, K.

1995-01-01

Funds were received for the first year of a three year DOE Nuclear Engineering Research Grant, ''Study of Neutron Focusing at the Texas Cold Neutron Source'' (FGO2-92ER75711). The purpose of this three year study was to develop a neutron focusing system to be used with the Texas Cold Neutron Source (TCNS) to produce an intense beam of neutrons. A prompt gamma activation analysis (PGAA) facility was also to be designed, setup, and tested under the three year project. During the first year of the DOE grant, a new procedure was developed and used to design a focusing converging guide consisting of truncated rectangular cone sections. Detailed calculations were performed using a 3-D Monte Carlo code which we wrote to trace neutrons through the curved guide of the TCNS into the proposed converging guide. Using realistic reflectivities for Ni-Ti supermirrors, we obtained gains of 3 to 5 for the neutron flux averaged over an area of 1 x 1 cm

Photoproduction asymmetries of the charm baryons Λc, Σc++ and Σc0 at the Fermilab experiment E831/focus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anjos, Joao dos; Estrada, Cecilia Uribe; Sheaff, Marleigh

2000-01-01

Full text follows: In photon-hadron collisions, it is expected that charm quarks are produced by the photon-gluon process. This process at leading order (LO) in perturbative quantum chromo-dynamics (QCD) predicts symmetric distributions for charm/anticharm quark production. Asymmetries introduced by next to leading order (NLO) calculations are expected to be negligibly small. However, when the charm/articharm quarks hadronize, non perturbative effects in the recombination process may induce an asymmetry between charm and anticharm final states. The measurement of photoproduction asymmetries could provide valuable information on the hadronization process, which is one of the least understood phenomena in QCD. We present a study on the charm-anticharm photoproduction asymmetry using Λ c + /Λ c - , Σ c ++ /Σ c -- and Σ c 0 /Σ-bar c 0 baryon candidates. Data used is from the E831/FOCUS experiment, collected during 1996-1997 Fermilab fixed target run. The asymmetry is studied in intervals of p T 2 , p L , and x F for the case of Λ c baryons, while global values are extracted for the Σ c baryons, due to the lack of statistics. (author)

Plasma lens focusing and plasma channel transport for heavy ion fusion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tauschwitz, A.; Yu, S.S.; Bangerter, R.O.

1996-01-01

The final focus lens in an ion beam driven inertial confinement fusion reactor is important since it sets limiting requirements for the quality of the driver beam. Improvements of the focusing capabilities can facilitate the construction of the driver significantly. A focusing system that is of interest both for heavy ion and for light ion drivers is an adiabatic, current carrying plasma lens. This lens is characterized by the fact that it can slowly (adiabatically) reduce the envelope radius of a beam over several betatron oscillations by increasing the focusing magnetic field along a tapered high current discharge. A reduction of the beam diameter by a factor of 3 to 5 seems feasible with this focusing scheme. Such a lens can be used for an ignition test facility where it can be directly coupled to the fusion target. For use in a repetitively working reactor chamber the lens has to be located outside of the reactor and the tightly focused but strongly divergent beam must be confined in a high current transport channel from the end of the lens into the immediate vicinity of the target. Laser preionization of a background gas is an efficient means to direct and stabilize such a channel. Experiments have been started to test both, the principle of adiabatic focusing, and the stability of laser preionized high current discharge channels. (author). 4 figs., 7 refs

Plasma lens focusing and plasma channel transport for heavy ion fusion

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tauschwitz, A; Yu, S S; Bangerter, R O [Lawrence Berkeley Lab., CA (United States); and others

1997-12-31

The final focus lens in an ion beam driven inertial confinement fusion reactor is important since it sets limiting requirements for the quality of the driver beam. Improvements of the focusing capabilities can facilitate the construction of the driver significantly. A focusing system that is of interest both for heavy ion and for light ion drivers is an adiabatic, current carrying plasma lens. This lens is characterized by the fact that it can slowly (adiabatically) reduce the envelope radius of a beam over several betatron oscillations by increasing the focusing magnetic field along a tapered high current discharge. A reduction of the beam diameter by a factor of 3 to 5 seems feasible with this focusing scheme. Such a lens can be used for an ignition test facility where it can be directly coupled to the fusion target. For use in a repetitively working reactor chamber the lens has to be located outside of the reactor and the tightly focused but strongly divergent beam must be confined in a high current transport channel from the end of the lens into the immediate vicinity of the target. Laser preionization of a background gas is an efficient means to direct and stabilize such a channel. Experiments have been started to test both, the principle of adiabatic focusing, and the stability of laser preionized high current discharge channels. (author). 4 figs., 7 refs.

Compressing and focusing a short laser pulse by a thin plasma lens

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ren, C.; Duda, B. J.; Hemker, R. G.; Mori, W. B.; Katsouleas, T.; Antonsen, T. M.; Mora, P.

2001-01-01

We consider the possibility of using a thin plasma slab as an optical element to both focus and compress an intense laser pulse. By thin we mean that the focal length is larger than the lens thickness. We derive analytic formulas for the spot size and pulse length evolution of a short laser pulse propagating through a thin uniform plasma lens. The formulas are compared to simulation results from two types of particle-in-cell code. The simulations give a greater final spot size and a shorter focal length than the analytic formulas. The difference arises from spherical aberrations in the lens which lead to the generation of higher-order vacuum Gaussian modes. The simulations also show that Raman side scattering can develop. A thin lens experiment could provide unequivocal evidence of relativistic self-focusing

Aespoe Pillar Stability Experiment. Final 2D coupled thermo-mechanical modelling

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fredriksson, Anders; Staub, Isabelle; Outters, Nils [Golder Associates AB, Uppsala (Sweden)

2004-02-01

A site scale Pillar Stability Experiment is planned in the Aespoe Hard Rock Laboratory. One of the experiment's aims is to demonstrate the possibilities of predicting spalling in the fractured rock mass. In order to investigate the probability and conditions for spalling in the pillar 'prior to experiment' numerical simulations have been undertaken. This report presents the results obtained from 2D coupled thermo-mechanical numerical simulations that have been done with the Finite Element based programme JobFem. The 2D numerical simulations were conducted at two different depth levels, 0.5 and 1.5 m below tunnel floor. The in situ stresses have been confirmed with convergence measurements during the excavation of the tunnel. After updating the mechanical and thermal properties of the rock mass the final simulations have been undertaken. According to the modelling results the temperature in the pillar will increase from the initial 15.2 deg up to 58 deg after 120 days of heating. Based on these numerical simulations and on the thermal induced stresses the total stresses are expected to exceed 210 MPa at the border of the pillar for the level at 0.5 m below tunnel floor and might reach 180-182 MPa for the level at 1.5 m below tunnel floor. The stresses are slightly higher at the border of the confined hole. Upon these results and according to the rock mechanical properties the Crack Initiation Stress is exceeded at the border of the pillar already after the excavation phase. These results also illustrate that the Crack Damage Stress is exceeded only for the level at 0.5 m below tunnel floor and after at least 80 days of heating. The interpretation of the results shows that the required level of stress for spalling can be reached in the pillar.

Review of Current Student-Monitoring Techniques used in eLearning-Focused recommender Systems and Learning analytics. The Experience API & LIME model Case Study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Alberto Corbi

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Recommender systems require input information in order to properly operate and deliver content or behaviour suggestions to end users. eLearning scenarios are no exception. Users are current students and recommendations can be built upon paths (both formal and informal, relationships, behaviours, friends, followers, actions, grades, tutor interaction, etc. A recommender system must somehow retrieve, categorize and work with all these details. There are several ways to do so: from raw and inelegant database access to more curated web APIs or even via HTML scrapping. New server-centric user-action logging and monitoring standard technologies have been presented in past years by several groups, organizations and standard bodies. The Experience API (xAPI, detailed in this article, is one of these. In the first part of this paper we analyse current learner-monitoring techniques as an initialization phase for eLearning recommender systems. We next review standardization efforts in this area; finally, we focus on xAPI and the potential interaction with the LIME model, which will be also summarized below.

Electron effects in the Neutralized Transport Experiment (NTX)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Eylon, S. [Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), MS47R 0112, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States) and Heavy Ion Fusion Virtual National Laboratory, Cyclotron Road, CA 94720 (United States)]. E-mail: S_Eylon@lbl.gov; Henestroza, E. [Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), MS47R 0112, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States); Heavy Ion Fusion Virtual National Laboratory, Cyclotron Road, CA 94720 (United States); Roy, P.K. [Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), MS47R 0112, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States); Heavy Ion Fusion Virtual National Laboratory, Cyclotron Road, CA 94720 (United States); Yu, S.S. [Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), MS47R 0112, 1 Cyclotron Road, Berkeley, CA 94720 (United States); Heavy Ion Fusion Virtual National Laboratory, Cyclotron Road, CA 94720 (United States)

2005-05-21

The Neutralized Transport Experiment (NTX) at the Heavy Ion Fusion Virtual National Laboratory is exploring the performance of neutralized final focus systems for high-perveance heavy ion beams. To focus a high-intensity beam to a small spot requires a high-brightness beam. In the NTX experiment, a potassium ion beam of up to 400 keV and 80 mA is generated in a Pierce-type diode. At the diode exit, an aperture with variable opening provides the capability to vary the beam perveance. The beam is transported through four quadrupole magnets to a distance of 2.5 m. The beam can be neutralized and focused using a MEVVA plasma plug and a RF plasma source. We shall report on the measurement of the electron effects and the ways to mitigate the effects. Furthermore, we shall present the results of EGUN calculations consistent with the measurements effects of the electrons.

Electron effects in the Neutralized Transport Experiment (NTX)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eylon, S.; Henestroza, E.; Roy, P.K.; Yu, S.S.

2005-01-01

The Neutralized Transport Experiment (NTX) at the Heavy Ion Fusion Virtual National Laboratory is exploring the performance of neutralized final focus systems for high-perveance heavy ion beams. To focus a high-intensity beam to a small spot requires a high-brightness beam. In the NTX experiment, a potassium ion beam of up to 400 keV and 80 mA is generated in a Pierce-type diode. At the diode exit, an aperture with variable opening provides the capability to vary the beam perveance. The beam is transported through four quadrupole magnets to a distance of 2.5 m. The beam can be neutralized and focused using a MEVVA plasma plug and a RF plasma source. We shall report on the measurement of the electron effects and the ways to mitigate the effects. Furthermore, we shall present the results of EGUN calculations consistent with the measurements effects of the electrons

Electron effects in the Neutralized Transport Experiment (NTX)

Science.gov (United States)

Eylon, S.; Henestroza, E.; Roy, P. K.; Yu, S. S.

2005-05-01

The Neutralized Transport Experiment (NTX) at the Heavy Ion Fusion Virtual National Laboratory is exploring the performance of neutralized final focus systems for high-perveance heavy ion beams. To focus a high-intensity beam to a small spot requires a high-brightness beam. In the NTX experiment, a potassium ion beam of up to 400 keV and 80 mA is generated in a Pierce-type diode. At the diode exit, an aperture with variable opening provides the capability to vary the beam perveance. The beam is transported through four quadrupole magnets to a distance of 2.5 m. The beam can be neutralized and focused using a MEVVA plasma plug and a RF plasma source. We shall report on the measurement of the electron effects and the ways to mitigate the effects. Furthermore, we shall present the results of EGUN calculations consistent with the measurements effects of the electrons.

Sustainable housing as part of sustainable development - visions and experiences from Denmark

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, Michael Søgaard

2010-01-01

The paper discusses different approaches to sustainable development with main focus on sustainable housing, but also local climate activities with focus on transportation, food and local businesses are discussed. The focus in the paper is mainly on experiences from Denmark. The paper starts out...... with a short introduction to theoretical approaches to analyses of sustainable housing and other sustainability initiatives as innovation processes. Afterwards some social and political characteristics of Denmark are presented and one of the recent sustainability initiatives in Denmark, the climate plan from...... the Danish Society of Engineers is described. The second part of the paper discusses Danish sustainable housing strategies focusing on new houses and refurbishment of existing houses. Finally some recent experiences from a local climate cooperation between a technical university, a municipal administration...

Experiments in Molecular Optics - Final Report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gordon, Robert J.

2009-01-01

A combined experimental and theoretical study of the manipulation of molecules with laser light is reported. It is shown that the dipole force produced by the electric field of a focused laser may be used to deflect, align, and orient molecules in a collision free environment. The feasibility of applying these techniques to nanolithography is explored, and a scheme for orienting molecules in space is developed

Self-pinch focusing experiments performed on the KALIF accelerator using the B{sub appl} diode

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hoppe, P; Nakagawa, Y; Bauer, W [Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe (Germany); and others

1997-12-31

Experiments using the B{sub appl} diode with a subdivided beam drift section were performed on the KALIF accelerator with the objective to investigate the generation of net currents and their influence on the focusing properties of the extracted proton beam. The generation of net currents up to 50% of the diode current was observed for argon gas pressures below 0.1 mbar in the second drift section. The differences in the time histories of various net current monitors might be related to a radial dependency of the net current densities in the beam. A comparison of the focusing properties investigated in shots with and without current neutralization showed only small differences. No enhancement of the power density related to self-pinch effects was found. However, the possibility of beam propagation over a short vacuum distance allows the use of a backlighter target required for laser absorption spectroscopy. (author). 4 figs., 4 refs.

Analysis and modeling of "focus" in context

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Hovy, Dirk; Anumanchipalli, Gopala; Parlikar, Alok

2013-01-01

This paper uses a crowd-sourced definition of a speech phenomenon we have called focus. Given sentences, text and speech, in isolation and in context, we asked annotators to identify what we term the focus word. We present their consistency in identifying the focused word, when presented with text...... or speech stimuli. We then build models to show how well we predict that focus word from lexical (and higher) level features. Also, using spectral and prosodic information, we show the differences in these focus words when spoken with and without context. Finally, we show how we can improve speech synthesis...

Difficulties Encountered by Final-Year Male Nursing Students in Their Internship Programmes

Science.gov (United States)

Al-Momani, Mohammed Mahmoud

2017-01-01

Background The cultural norms of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia do not encourage men to choose nursing as a career. Understanding male nursing students’ experiences of their clinical exposure to the nursing profession throughout their internship might increase their retention. This study explored the experiences of final-year male nursing students as they transitioned to the role of registered nurse. Methods A qualitative descriptive research design with an inductive content-analysis approach was used. The experiences of 22 final-year male nursing students from three public hospitals in a major city of Saudi Arabia were explored. The data were collected using focus-group interviews and documentary analysis in March 2015 and May 2015. Results Content analysis revealed three major themes: the societal and cultural image of male nurses, male students’ engagement in nursing practice, and restructuring the internship programmes’ policies to suit male students’ needs. Conclusion The findings reveal issues that mainly stem from negative social views of nursing as a male profession. Considering the students’ social and cultural needs during their internship programme will facilitate their transition into the role of registered nurse and their retention in the nursing profession. PMID:28951687

Assessing client self-narrative change in emotion-focused therapy of depression: an intensive single case analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Angus, Lynne E; Kagan, Fern

2013-12-01

Personality researchers use the term self-narrative to refer to the development of an overall life story that places life events in a temporal sequence and organizes them in accordance to overarching themes. In turn, it is often the case that clients seek out psychotherapy when they can no longer make sense of their life experiences, as a coherent story. Angus and Greenberg (L. Angus and L. Greenberg, 2011, Working with narrative in emotion-focused therapy: Changing stories, healing lives. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association Press) view the articulation and consolidation of an emotionally integrated self-narrative account as an important part of the therapeutic change process that is essential for sustained change in emotion-focused therapy of depression. The purpose of the present study was to investigate client experiences of change, and self-narrative reconstruction, in the context of one good outcome emotion-focused therapy dyad drawn from the York II Depression Study. Using the Narrative Assessment Interview (NAI) method, client view of self and experiences of change were assessed at three points in time--after session one, at therapy termination, and at 6 months follow-up. Findings emerging from an intensive narrative theme analyses of the NAI transcripts--and 1 key therapy session identified by the client--are reported and evidence for the contributions of narrative and emotion processes to self-narrative change in emotion-focused therapy of depression are discussed. Finally, the implications of assessing clients' experiences of self-narrative change for psychotherapy research and practice are addressed.

Immersion and distancing during assimilation of problematic experiences in a good-outcome case of emotion-focused therapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Barbosa, Eunice; Couto, Ana Bela; Basto, Isabel; Stiles, William B; Pinto-Gouveia, José; Salgado, João

2018-03-01

Some studies have suggested that a decrease in immersion (egocentric perspective on personal experiences) and an increase in distancing (observer perspective on personal experiences) are associated with the resolution of clinical problems and positive outcome in psychotherapy for depression. To help clarify how this change in perspectives relates to clinical change, the present study compared changes in immersion and distancing across therapy with progress in one client's assimilation of her problematic experiences. We analyzed all passages referring to the central problematic experience in a good-outcome case of emotion-focused therapy for depression using the Measure of Immersion and Distancing Speech and the Assimilation of Problematic Experiences Scale. Results showed that immersion and distancing were associated with different stages of assimilation. Immersion was associated with stages of emerging awareness and clarification of the problem and in the application of new understandings to daily life. Distancing was associated with problem-solving and attaining insight. The decrease of immersion and increase of distancing associated with therapeutic improvement should not be taken as a recommendation to avoid immersion and encourage distancing. Immersion and distancing may work as coordinated aspects of the processes of psychotherapeutic change.

PREFACE: Focus section on Hadronic Physics Focus section on Hadronic Physics

Science.gov (United States)

Roberts, Craig; Swanson, Eric

2007-07-01

illustrates how the structure of the nucleon is revealed. Reimer reviews how the Drell--Yan process can be used to explore the sea quark structure of nucleons, thereby probing such phenomena as flavour asymmetry in the nucleon and nuclear medium modification of nucleon properties. The exploitation of the B factories has led to a resurgence of interest in heavy quark spectroscopy. Concurrently, interest in light quark spectroscopy and gluonic excitations remains high, with several new experimental efforts in the planning or building stages. The current status of all of this is reviewed by Rosner. Finally, Vogelsang summarizes the status of polarized deep inelastic lepton-nucleon scattering experiments at RHIC and their impact on the theoretical understanding of nucleon helicity structure, gluon polarization in the nucleus, and transverse spin asymmetries. Of course, hadronic physics is a much broader subject than can be conveyed in this special focus section; advances in effective field theory, lattice gauge theory, generalised parton distributions and many other subfields are not covered here. Nevertheless, we hope that this focus section will help the reader appreciate the vitality, breadth of endeavour, and the phenomenological richness of hadronic physics.

Correctional officers' perceptions of a solution-focused training program: potential implications for working with offenders.

Science.gov (United States)

Pan, Peter Jen Der; Deng, Liang-Yu F; Chang, Shona Shih Hua; Jiang, Karen Jye-Ru

2011-09-01

The purpose of this exploratory study was to explore correctional officers' perceptions and experiences during a solution-focused training program and to initiate development of a modified pattern for correctional officers to use in jails. The study uses grounded theory procedures combined with a follow-up survey. The findings identified six emergent themes: obstacles to doing counseling work in prisons, offenders' amenability to change, correctional officers' self-image, advantages of a solution-focused approach (SFA), potential advantages of applying SFA to offenders, and the need for the consolidation of learning and transformation. Participants perceived the use of solution-focused techniques as appropriate, important, functional, and of only moderate difficulty in interacting with offenders. Finally, a modified pattern was developed for officers to use when working with offenders in jails. Suggestions and recommendations are made for correctional interventions and future studies.

Experimenting Clinical Pathways in General Practice: a Focus Group Investigation with Italian General Practitioners

Science.gov (United States)

Zannini, Lucia; Cattaneo, Cesarina; Peduzzi, Paolo; Lopiccoli, Silvia; Auxilia, Francesco

2012-01-01

Background Clinical governance is considered crucial in primary care. Since 2005, clinical pathways have been experimentally implemented at the Local Health Authority of Monza Brianza (ASLMB), Italy, to develop general practitioners’ (GPs) care of patients affected by some chronic diseases. The experimentation was aimed at introducing clinical governance in primary care, increasing GPs’ involvement in the care of their patients, and improving both patients’ and professionals’ satisfaction. In the period 2005-2006, 12% of the 763 employed GPs in the ASLMB were involved in the experiment, while this percentage increased to 15-20% in 2007-2008. Design and Methods Twenty-four GPs were purposively sampled, randomly divided into two groups and asked to participate in focus groups (FGs) held in 2008, aimed at evaluating their perception of the experiment. The FGs were audio-recorded, dialogues were typed out and undergone to a thematic analysis, according to the Interpretative Phenomenological Approach. Results Four major themes emerged: i) clinical pathways can result in GPs working in a more efficient and effective fashion; ii) they can assure higher levels of both patient and professional satisfaction, since they sustain a caring approach and strengthen the GPs’ role; iii) nevertheless, clinical pathways increase the bureaucratic workload and problems can arise in relationships among GPs and the LHA; iv) the implementation of clinical pathways can be improved, especially by reducing bureaucracy and by assuring their continuity. Conclusions Managerial aspects should be considered with care in order to experimentally introduce clinical pathways in general practice, and continuity of the experimentation should be guaranteed to improve GPs’ adherence and commitment. Acknowledgments the Authors thank Dr. AP. Cantù and Dr D. Cereda who participated in the two focus groups as observers. PMID:25181354

Implementation and validation of the linear collider final focus prototype: ATF2 at KEK (Japan); Implementation et validation de la focalisation finale du collisionneur lineaire: ATF2 at KEK (Japan)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Renier, Y.

2010-06-15

The two linear collider projects (ILC and CLIC) require beam delivery systems with the same local chromaticity correction scheme in the final focus. ATF2 at KEK (Japan), an implementation of this scheme scaled down in energy, uses the beam extracted from ATF, which is one of the most successful damping rings in the world. The ATF2 goals are to prove the feasibility and the stability of the linear collider final focus system and to define and test the experimental correction procedures. The nominal beam sizes at the interaction point are 3 {mu}m horizontally and 37 nm vertically. The work in this thesis was started before the commissioning and covered its first year at KEK. At the beginning, we observed that the stripline BPMs were not working properly so we investigated their behavior in detail. The problem was characterized and later solved in 2010 by upgrading the electronics. We then developed an efficient procedure to check the modeling of the beam line, comparing measurements of transfer matrices to model predictions calculated on line. After obtaining a good agreement, we were able to successfully test the trajectory correction algorithm which had been developed, reducing the difference between BPM measurements and the target values down to 0.5 mm horizontally and 0.2 mm vertically. We also successfully developed an algorithm to reconstruct pulse to pulse beam trajectory fluctuations with sub-micron precision. This reconstruction also gave a precise determination of the energy fluctuation, allowing a global fit of the dispersion function along the beam line with a precision of a few mm. A simple and robust IP beam size tuning method using sextupoles displacements was also studied in simulation, whose performance indicates that, given some assumptions on the error level of the beam, convergence within 20% of the nominal beam size should be possible in 8 hours with a 80% probability. (author)

Women's experiences of recovery from childbirth: focus on pelvis problems that extend beyond the puerperium.

Science.gov (United States)

O'Reilly, Rebecca; Peters, Kath; Beale, Barbara; Jackson, Debra

2009-07-01

This study aimed to build understandings of women's recovery experiences in the presence of continued pelvic problems extending beyond the puerperium to provide nurses and other health care professionals with information to enhance current practice. Trauma to the pelvic floor during childbirth is a relatively common occurrence and can include damage to structures and nerves. A significant number of women will experience ongoing physical pelvic problems resulting from childbirth that extend past the puerperium; however, little is known about the experiential aspects of recovery for these women. A qualitative, phenomenological study. Narrative data were collected during conversational interviews with 10 mothers who had sustained pelvic injury during the birth process that persisted past the puerperium. Recruitment was via media releases and brochures distributed through childcare facilities. The data was analysed using Van Manen's thematic analysis. The themes that arose from the analysis were: 'fearing intimacy', 'managing an unpredictable body', 'being resigned' and 'feeling devalued and dismissed'. Pelvic injuries that extend beyond the postpartum period are distressing for women. They negatively affect women's views of themselves and have an impact on various aspects of life including intimate relationships and social activities. Currently, postpartum care may have a focus on baby rather than mother and this focus may impede women making full disclosures of ongoing health needs arising from their delivery. Findings of this study suggest that women may have specific needs that extend beyond the puerperium, indicating a need for continued holistic assessments and extending practice to identify and support women experiencing persistent pelvic postpartum complications.

Flavour Physics with High-Luminosity Experiments

CERN Document Server

2016-01-01

With the first dedicated B-factory experiments BaBar (USA) and BELLE (Japan) Flavour Physics has entered the phase of precision physics. LHCb (CERN) and the high luminosity extension of KEK-B together with the state of the art BELLE II detector will further push this precision frontier. Progress in this field always relied on close cooperation between experiment and theory, as extraction of fundamental parameters often is very indirect. To extract the full physics information from existing and future data, this cooperation must be further intensified. This MIAPP programme aims in particular to prepare for this task by joining experimentalists and theorists in the various relevant fields, with the goal to build the necessary tools in face of the challenge of new large data sets. The programme will begin with a focus on physics with non-leptonic final states, continued by semileptonic B meson decays and Tau decays, and on various aspects of CP symmetry violation closer to the end. In addition, in the final ...

Central Production of Two-Pseudoscalar Final States at COMPASS

CERN Document Server

Alexander Austregesilo

2013-01-01

COMPASS is a fixed-target experiment at CERN SPS which focused on light-quark meson spectroscopy during the data-taking periods in 2008 and 2009. The central exclusive production of glueball candidates is studied with a 190GeV/c proton beam impinging on a liquid hydrogen target. We select centrally produced systems with two pseudo-scalar mesons in the final state. The decay of this system is decomposed in terms of partial waves, with particular attention paid to the inherent mathematical ambiguities of the amplitude analysis. We show that simple parametrisation are able to describe the mass dependence of the fit results with sensible Breit-Wigner parameters.

Inverse Cerenkov experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kimura, W.D.

1993-01-01

The final report describes work performed to investigate inverse Cherenkov acceleration (ICA) as a promising method for laser particle acceleration. In particular, an improved configuration of ICA is being tested in a experiment presently underway on the Accelerator Test Facility (ATF). In the experiment, the high peak power (∼ 10 GW) linearly polarized ATF CO 2 laser beam is converted to a radially polarized beam. This is beam is focused with an axicon at the Cherenkov angle onto the ATF 50-MeV e-beam inside a hydrogen gas cell, where the gas acts as the phase matching medium of the interaction. An energy gain of ∼12 MeV is predicted assuming a delivered laser peak power of 5 GW. The experiment is divided into two phases. The Phase I experiments, which were completed in the spring of 1992, were conducted before the ATF e-beam was available and involved several successful tests of the optical systems. Phase II experiments are with the e-beam and laser beam, and are still in progress. The ATF demonstrated delivery of the e-beam to the experiment in Dec. 1992. A preliminary ''debugging'' run with the e-beam and laser beam occurred in May 1993. This revealed the need for some experimental modifications, which have been implemented. The second run is tentatively scheduled for October or November 1993. In parallel to the experimental efforts has been ongoing theoretical work to support the experiment and investigate improvement and/or offshoots. One exciting offshoot has been theoretical work showing that free-space laser acceleration of electrons is possible using a radially-polarized, axicon-focused laser beam, but without any phase-matching gas. The Monte Carlo code used to model the ICA process has been upgraded and expanded to handle different types of laser beam input profiles

Paul Trap Simulator Experiment (PTSX) to simulate intense beam propagation through a periodic focusing quadrupole field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Davidson, Ronald C.; Efthimion, Philip C.; Gilson, Erik; Majeski, Richard; Qin, Hong

2002-01-01

The Paul Trap Simulator Experiment (PTSX) is under construction at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory to simulate intense beam propagation through a periodic quadrupole magnetic field. In the Paul trap configuration, a long nonneutral plasma column is confined axially by dc voltages on end cylinders at z=+L and z=-L, and transverse confinement is provided by segmented cylindrical electrodes with applied oscillatory voltages ±V 0 (t) over 90 deg. segments. Because the transverse focusing force is similar in waveform to that produced by a discrete set of periodic quadrupole magnets in a frame moving with the beam, the Paul trap configuration offers the possibility of simulating intense beam propagation in a compact laboratory facility. The experimental layout is described, together with the planned experiments to study beam mismatch, envelope instabilities, halo particle production, and collective wave excitations

Paul Trap Simulator Experiment (PTSX) to simulate intense beam propagation through a periodic focusing quadrupole field

Science.gov (United States)

Davidson, Ronald C.; Efthimion, Philip C.; Gilson, Erik; Majeski, Richard; Qin, Hong

2002-01-01

The Paul Trap Simulator Experiment (PTSX) is under construction at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory to simulate intense beam propagation through a periodic quadrupole magnetic field. In the Paul trap configuration, a long nonneutral plasma column is confined axially by dc voltages on end cylinders at z=+L and z=-L, and transverse confinement is provided by segmented cylindrical electrodes with applied oscillatory voltages ±V0(t) over 90° segments. Because the transverse focusing force is similar in waveform to that produced by a discrete set of periodic quadrupole magnets in a frame moving with the beam, the Paul trap configuration offers the possibility of simulating intense beam propagation in a compact laboratory facility. The experimental layout is described, together with the planned experiments to study beam mismatch, envelope instabilities, halo particle production, and collective wave excitations.

Temporal focus, temporal distance, and mind-wandering valence: Results from an experience sampling and an experimental study.

Science.gov (United States)

Spronken, Maitta; Holland, Rob W; Figner, Bernd; Dijksterhuis, Ap

2016-04-01

When mind-wandering, people may think about events that happened in the past, or events that may happen in the future. Using experience sampling, we first aimed to replicate the finding that future-oriented thoughts show a greater positivity bias than past-oriented thoughts. Furthermore, we investigated whether there is a relation between the temporal distance of past- and future-oriented thoughts and the frequency of positive thoughts, a factor that has received little attention in previous work. Second, we experimentally investigated the relation between temporal focus, temporal distance, and thought valence. Both studies showed that future-oriented thoughts were more positive compared to past-oriented thoughts. Regarding temporal distance, thoughts about the distant past and future were more positive than thoughts about the near past and future in the experiment. However, the experience sampling study did not provide clear insight into this relation. Potential theoretical and methodological explanations for these findings are discussed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Combining focus group discussions and choice experiments for economic valuation of peatland restoration : A case study in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schaafsma, M.; van Beukering, P. J.H.; Oskolokaite, I.

2017-01-01

This study explores the benefits of combining results of qualitative focus group discussions (FGDs) with a quantitative choice experiment (CE) in a low-income country context. The assessment addresses the compensation needed by local communities in Central Kalimantan to cooperate in peatland

Focused RBCC Experiments: Two-Rocket Configuration Experiments and Hydrocarbon/Oxygen Rocket Ejector Experiments

Science.gov (United States)

Santoro, Robert J.; Pal, Sibtosh

2003-01-01

This addendum report documents the results of two additional efforts for the Rocket Based Combined Cycle (RBCC) rocket-ejector mode research work carried out at the Penn State Propulsion Engineering Research Center in support of NASA s technology development efforts for enabling 3 d generation Reusable Launch Vehicles (RLV). The tasks reported here build on an earlier NASA MSFC funded research program on rocket ejector investigations. The first task investigated the improvements of a gaseous hydrogen/oxygen twin thruster RBCC rocket ejector system over a single rocket system. The second task investigated the performance of a hydrocarbon (liquid JP-7)/gaseous oxygen single thruster rocket-ejector system. To gain a systematic understanding of the rocket-ejector s internal fluid mechanic/combustion phenomena, experiments were conducted with both direct-connect and sea-level static diffusion and afterburning (DAB) configurations for a range of rocket operating conditions. For all experimental conditions, overall system performance was obtained through global measurements of wall static pressure profiles, heat flux profiles and engine thrust. Detailed mixing and combustion information was obtained through Raman spectroscopy measurements of major species (gaseous oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen and water vapor) for the gaseous hydrogen/oxygen rocket ejector experiments.

Individual Psychotherapy and Changes in Self-Experience in Schizophrenia: A Qualitative Comparison of Patients in Metacognitively Focused and Supportive Psychotherapy.

Science.gov (United States)

Lysaker, Paul H; Kukla, Marina; Belanger, Elizabeth; White, Dominique A; Buck, Kelly D; Luther, Lauren; Firmin, Ruth L; Leonhardt, Bethany

2015-01-01

Deficits in metacognition, or the ability to form complex ideas about self and others, may be a root cause of dysfunction in schizophrenia. Accordingly, forms of psychotherapy have been proposed to address metacognitive deficits. This study explored whether metacognitively focused individual psychotherapy can affect self-experience by conducting narrative interviews of patients with a schizophrenia spectrum disorder enrolled in either metacognitively oriented psychotherapy (n = 12) or supportive psychotherapy (n = 13) in a naturalistic setting. Participants in both groups completed a narrative interview consisting of questions that focused on perceptions and process of psychotherapy and its impact on outcomes. Interviews were audiotaped, transcribed, and coded using an inductive process informed by grounded theory. Qualitative analyses revealed all participants reported psychotherapy led to improvements in self-esteem and the ability to think more clearly and set meaningful goals. The group receiving metacognitively oriented therapy, in contrast to those receiving supportive therapy, reported being able to integrate their current experiences into the larger narratives of their lives and an increased experience of sense of agency and the ability to understand and manage pain. Results provide evidence that metacognitively oriented psychotherapy may promote subjective forms of recovery.

Nurses' perceptions and experiences of communication in the operating theatre: a focus group interview

Science.gov (United States)

Nestel, Debra; Kidd, Jane

2006-01-01

Abstract Nurses' perceptions and experiences of communication in the operating theatre: a focus group interview Background Communication programmes are well established in nurse education. The focus of programmes is most often on communicating with patients with less attention paid to inter-professional communication or skills essential for working in specialised settings. Although there are many anecdotal reports of communication within the operating theatre, there are few empirical studies. This paper explores communication behaviours for effective practice in the operating theatre as perceived by nurses and serves as a basis for developing training. Methods A focus group interview was conducted with seven experienced theatre nurses from a large London teaching hospital. The interview explored their perceptions of the key as well as unique features of effective communication skills in the operating theatre. Data was transcribed and thematically analysed until agreement was achieved by the two authors. Results There was largely consensus on the skills deemed necessary for effective practice including listening, clarity of speech and being polite. Significant influences on the nature of communication included conflict in role perception and organisational issues. Nurses were often expected to work outside of their role which either directly or indirectly created barriers for effective communication. Perceptions of a lack of collaborative team effort also influenced communication. Conclusion Although fundamental communication skills were identified for effective practice in the operating theatre, there were significant barriers to their use because of confusion over clarity of roles (especially nurses' roles) and the implications for teamwork. Nurses were dissatisfied with several aspects of communication. Future studies should explore the breadth and depth of this dissatisfaction in other operating theatres, its impact on morale and importantly on patient safety

Development and application of out-of-focus imaging in order to characterize heat and mass exchanges in two-phase flows

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lemaitre, P.; Porcheron, E.; Marchand, D.; Nuboer, A.; Bouilloux, L.; Vendel, J.

2007-01-01

The aim of this paper is to present the capacity of the out-of-focus imaging in order to measure droplets size in presence of heat and mass exchanges. It is supported with optical simulations first based on geometrical optics, and then with the Lorenz-Mie theory. Finally, this technique is applied in presence of heat and mass transfers in the TOSQAN experiment. (authors)

Doctors' learning experiences in end-of-life care - a focus group study from nursing homes.

Science.gov (United States)

Fosse, Anette; Ruths, Sabine; Malterud, Kirsti; Schaufel, Margrethe Aase

2017-01-31

Doctors often find dialogues about death difficult. In Norway, 45% of deaths take place in nursing homes. Newly qualified medical doctors serve as house officers in nursing homes during internship. Little is known about how nursing homes can become useful sites for learning about end-of-life care. The aim of this study was to explore newly qualified doctors' learning experiences with end-of-life care in nursing homes, especially focusing on dialogues about death. House officers in nursing homes (n = 16) participated in three focus group interviews. Interviews were audiotaped and transcribed verbatim. Data were analysed with systematic text condensation. Lave & Wenger's theory about situated learning was used to support interpretations, focusing on how the newly qualified doctors gained knowledge of end-of-life care through participation in the nursing home's community of practice. Newly qualified doctors explained how nursing home staff's attitudes taught them how calmness and acceptance could be more appropriate than heroic action when death was imminent. Shifting focus from disease treatment to symptom relief was demanding, yet participants comprehended situations where death could even be welcomed. Through challenging dialogues dealing with family members' hope and trust, they learnt how to adjust words and decisions according to family and patient's life story. Interdisciplinary role models helped them balance uncertainty and competence in the intermediate position of being in charge while also needing surveillance. There is a considerable potential for training doctors in EOL care in nursing homes, which can be developed and integrated in medical education. This practice based learning arena offers newly qualified doctors close interaction with patients, relatives and nurses, teaching them to perform difficult dialogues, individualize medical decisions and balance their professional role in an interdisciplinary setting.

Transforming Experience: The Potential of Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality for Enhancing Personal and Clinical Change.

Science.gov (United States)

Riva, Giuseppe; Baños, Rosa M; Botella, Cristina; Mantovani, Fabrizia; Gaggioli, Andrea

2016-01-01

During life, many personal changes occur. These include changing house, school, work, and even friends and partners. However, the daily experience shows clearly that, in some situations, subjects are unable to change even if they want to. The recent advances in psychology and neuroscience are now providing a better view of personal change, the change affecting our assumptive world: (a) the focus of personal change is reducing the distance between self and reality (conflict); (b) this reduction is achieved through (1) an intense focus on the particular experience creating the conflict or (2) an internal or external reorganization of this experience; (c) personal change requires a progression through a series of different stages that however happen in discontinuous and non-linear ways; and (d) clinical psychology is often used to facilitate personal change when subjects are unable to move forward. Starting from these premises, the aim of this paper is to review the potential of virtuality for enhancing the processes of personal and clinical change. First, the paper focuses on the two leading virtual technologies - augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) - exploring their current uses in behavioral health and the outcomes of the 28 available systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Then the paper discusses the added value provided by VR and AR in transforming our external experience by focusing on the high level of personal efficacy and self-reflectiveness generated by their sense of presence and emotional engagement. Finally, it outlines the potential future use of virtuality for transforming our inner experience by structuring, altering, and/or replacing our bodily self-consciousness. The final outcome may be a new generation of transformative experiences that provide knowledge that is epistemically inaccessible to the individual until he or she has that experience, while at the same time transforming the individual's worldview.

Transforming Experience: The Potential of Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality for Enhancing Personal and Clinical Change

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Giuseppe Riva

2016-09-01

Full Text Available During our life we undergo many personal changes: we change our house, our school, our work and even our friends and partners. However, our daily experience shows clearly that in some situations subjects are unable to change even if they want to. The recent advances in psychology and neuroscience are now providing a better view of personal change, the change affecting our assumptive world: a the focus of personal change is reducing the distance between self and reality (conflict; b this reduction is achieved through (1 an intense focus on the particular experience creating the conflict or (2 an internal or external reorganization of this experience; c personal change requires a progression through a series of different stages; d clinical psychology is often used to facilitate personal change when subjects are unable to move forward. Starting from these premises, the aim of this paper is to review the potential of virtuality for enhancing the processes of personal and clinical change. First, the paper will focus on the two leading virtual technologies – Augmented Reality (AR and Virtual Reality (VR – exploring their current uses in behavioral health and the outcomes of the 28 available systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Then the paper discusses the added value provided by VR and AR in transforming our external experience, by focusing on the high level of self-reflectiveness and personal efficacy induced by their emotional engagement and sense of presence. Finally, it outlines the potential future use of virtuality for transforming our inner experience by structuring, altering and/or replacing our bodily self-consciousness. The final outcome may be a new generation of transformative experiences that provide knowledge that is epistemically inaccessible to the individual until he or she has that experience, while at the same time transforming the individual’s worldview.

Advisory Committee on human radiation experiments. Supplemental Volume 2a, Sources and documentation appendices. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-01-01

This large document provides a catalog of the location of large numbers of reports pertaining to the charge of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Human Radiation Research and is arranged as a series of appendices. Titles of the appendices are Appendix A- Records at the Washington National Records Center Reviewed in Whole or Part by DoD Personnel or Advisory Committee Staff; Appendix B- Brief Descriptions of Records Accessions in the Advisory Committee on Human Radiation Experiments (ACHRE) Research Document Collection; Appendix C- Bibliography of Secondary Sources Used by ACHRE; Appendix D- Brief Descriptions of Human Radiation Experiments Identified by ACHRE, and Indexes; Appendix E- Documents Cited in the ACHRE Final Report and other Separately Described Materials from the ACHRE Document Collection; Appendix F- Schedule of Advisory Committee Meetings and Meeting Documentation; and Appendix G- Technology Note

Advisory Committee on human radiation experiments. Supplemental Volume 2a, Sources and documentation appendices. Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1995-01-01

This large document provides a catalog of the location of large numbers of reports pertaining to the charge of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Human Radiation Research and is arranged as a series of appendices. Titles of the appendices are Appendix A- Records at the Washington National Records Center Reviewed in Whole or Part by DoD Personnel or Advisory Committee Staff; Appendix B- Brief Descriptions of Records Accessions in the Advisory Committee on Human Radiation Experiments (ACHRE) Research Document Collection; Appendix C- Bibliography of Secondary Sources Used by ACHRE; Appendix D- Brief Descriptions of Human Radiation Experiments Identified by ACHRE, and Indexes; Appendix E- Documents Cited in the ACHRE Final Report and other Separately Described Materials from the ACHRE Document Collection; Appendix F- Schedule of Advisory Committee Meetings and Meeting Documentation; and Appendix G- Technology Note.

An electrodynamical model for the ion behaviour in the final plasma focus stages

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zambreanu, V.; Doloc, C.M.

1992-01-01

Plasma focus devices (PFDs) are strong sources of fusion neutrons but the problem of which interactions are responsible for the fusion reactions is still open since neither of the proposed theoretical models has been confirmed experimentally. A model for the trajectories of the deuteron ions in a configuration of selfconsistent electromagnetic fields is proposed starting from an empirical plasma model which describes the plasma focus collapse and column phases. The proposed model is only electrodynamical under the assumption of a uniform current density and an infinite length of the plasma column, not taking into account the fluid characteristics of the plasma. (author)

“Management of Overweight during Childhood: A Focus Group Study on Health Professionals’ Experiences in General Practice,”

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Larsen, Lone Marie; Ledderer, Loni; Jarbol, Dorte E

2015-01-01

Background. Because of the increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity in childhood in the Western world, focus on the management in general practice has also increased. Objective. To explore the experiences of general practitioners (GPs) and practice nurses participating in a randomised...... controlled trial (RCT) comparing two management programmes in general practice for children who are overweight or obese. Methods. Three focus groups with GPs and nurses participating in the RCT. Transcribed data were analysed using systematic text condensation followed by thematic analysis. Results. Health...... to addressing overweight in children. However, increasing awareness of obesity in childhood and its consequences in society was considered helpful to reach an understanding of the articulations concerning how best to address the issue. Conclusions. Health professionals in general practice recognised...

Focus, accent, and argument structure: effects on language comprehension.

Science.gov (United States)

Birch, S; Clifton, C

1995-01-01

Four experiments investigated the effect of syntactic argument structure on the evaluation and comprehension of utterances with different patterns of pitch accents. Linguistic analyses of the relation between focus and prosody note that it is possible for certain accented constituents within a broadly focused phrase to project focus to the entire phrase. We manipulated focus requirements and accent in recorded question-answer pairs and asked listeners to make linguistic judgments of prosodic appropriateness (Experiments 1 and 3) or to make judgments based on meaningful comprehension (Experiments 2 and 4). Naive judgments of prosodic appropriateness were generally consistent with the linguistic analyses, showing preferences for utterances in which contextually new noun phrases received accent and old noun phrases did not, but suggested that an accented new argument NP was not fully effective in projecting broad focus to the entire VP. However, the comprehension experiments did demonstrate that comprehension of a sentence with broad VP focus was as efficient when only a lexical argument NP received accent as when both NP and verb received accent. Such focus projection did not occur when the argument NP was an "independent quantifier" such as nobody or everything. The results extend existing demonstrations that the ease of understanding spoken discourse depends on appropriate intonational marking of focus to cases where certain structurally-defined words can project focus-marking to an entire phrase.

Self-focusing in laser produced spark

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bakos, J.S.; Foeldes, I.B.

1983-05-01

The self-focusing effect appearing in different phases of development of laser produced breakdown plasma in air is investigated. Self-focusing during the ionization process is demonstrated. Thermal self-focusing was observed in the later stage of the plasma development at moderate light intensities. Plasma development was investigated by forward and side scattering of the laser light in the plasma. A crossed beam experiment gave evidence of the thermal mechanism of self-focusing. (author)

Final technical report on studies of plasma transport

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

O'Neil, T.M.; Driscoll, C.F.; Malmberg, J.H.

1997-01-01

This document gives an overview of the scientific results obtained under the DOE grant, and references the journal articles which give more complete descriptions of the various topics. Recently, the research has been focused on 2-dimensional vortices and turbulence: experiments using a new camera-diagnosed electron plasma apparatus have given surprising results which both clarify and challenge theories. Here, the crossfield E x B flow of the electron plasma is directly analogous to the 2-d flow of an ideal fluid such as water, and may also give insight into more complicated poloidal flows exhibited in toroidal plasmas. The shear-flow instabilities, turbulence, and vortices can be accurately observed, and the free relaxation of this turbulence has been characterized. The physical processes underlying the complicated turbulent evolution can also be studied in more controlled near-linear regimes. The original experimental focus of this program was on radial particle transport from applied external field asymmetries. Here, this research program clearly identified the importance of the collective response of the plasma, giving smaller fields from shielding, or enhanced fields from resonant modes. Experiments and theory work have also elucidated the flow of a plasma along the magnetic field. Finally, some theory was pursued for direct application to fusion plasmas, and to gravitating gas clouds in astrophysics. This program was highly successful in clarifying basic plasma transport processes

Cornish heat transfer experiment - final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bourke, P.J.; Hodgkinson, D.P.

1985-01-01

The transfer of heat released in an in-site heating experiment simulating high level radioactive waste packages in granite in Cornwall has been found to be mainly by conduction but some appreciable convection does occur. Interim analysis of the data suggests that the latter may account for about 20% of the total. (author)

A matter of focus: Power-holders feel more responsible after adopting a cognitive other-focus, rather than a self-focus

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Scholl, Annika; Sassenberg, Kai; Scheepers, Daan; Ellemers, Naomi|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/086631276; de Wit, Frank

Social power implies responsibility. Yet, power-holders often follow only their own interests and overlook this responsibility. The present research illuminates how a previously adopted cognitive focus guides perceived responsibility when a person receives high (vs. low) power. In three experiments,

Sickness absence, marginality, and medically unexplained physical symptoms: a focus-group study of patients' experiences.

Science.gov (United States)

Aamland, Aase; Werner, Erik L; Malterud, Kirsti

2013-06-01

Medically unexplained physical symptoms (MUPS) form a major cause of sickness absence. The purpose of this study was to explore factors which may influence further marginalization among patients with MUPS on long-term sickness absence. Two focus-group discussions were conducted with a purposive sample of 12 participants, six men and six women, aged 24-59 years. Their average duration of sickness absence was 10.5 months. Participants were invited to share stories about experiences from the process leading to the ongoing sickness absence, with a focus on the causes being medically unexplained. Systematic text condensation was applied for analysis. Inspired by theories of marginalization and coping, the authors searched for knowledge of how patients' positive resources can be mobilized to counteract processes of marginality. Analysis revealed how invisible symptoms and lack of objective findings were perceived as an additional burden to the sickness absence itself. Factors that could counteract further marginalization were a supportive social network, positive coping strategies such as keeping to the daily schedule and physical activity, and positive attention and confidence from professionals. Confidence from both personal and professional contacts is crucial. GPs have an important and appreciated role in this aspect.

Fatherhood in focus, sexual activity can wait: new fathers' experience about sexual life after childbirth.

Science.gov (United States)

Olsson, Ann; Robertson, Eva; Björklund, Anders; Nissen, Eva

2010-12-01

Becoming a parent is overwhelming for most men and women and alters the sexual relationship for many couples. To describe fathers' experience about sexual life after childbirth within the first 6 months after childbirth. A descriptive design, using content analysis with a qualitative approach, based on focus group discussions and one-to-one interviews. Eight first-time and two subsequent fathers participated. Three subthemes were identified: Struggling between stereotypes and personal perceptions of male sexuality during transition to fatherhood; new frames for negotiating sex; a need to feel safe and at ease in the new family situation. The overarching theme emerged as 'transition to fatherhood brings sexual life to a crossroads' and guided us to a deeper understanding of the difficulties men experience during the transition to fatherhood. To get sexual life working, a number of issues had to be resolved, such as getting involved in the care of the baby and the household and getting in tune with their partners in regard to sexual desire. The men needed to be reassured and prepared for this new situation by health care professionals. New fathers in our study put the baby in focus in early parenthood and were prepared to postpone sex until both parties were ready, although they needed reassurance to feel at ease with the new family situation. The fathers' perceptions of sexual life extended to include all kinds of closeness and touching, and it deviated from the stereotype of male sexuality. This is important information for health care providers and midwives to be aware of for their encounters with men (and women) during the transition to fatherhood, and parenthood and can contribute to caring science with a gender perspective on adjustment of sexual life after childbirth. © 2010 The Authors. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences © 2010 Nordic College of Caring Science.

Optimal Focusing and Scaling Law for Uniform Photo-Polymerization in a Thick Medium Using a Focused UV Laser

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jui-Teng Lin

2014-02-01

Full Text Available We present a modeling study of photoinitiated polymerization in a thick polymer-absorbing medium using a focused UV laser. Transient profiles of the initiator concentration at various focusing conditions are analyzed to define the polymerization boundary. Furthermore, we demonstrate the optimal focusing conditions that yield more uniform polymerization over a larger volume than the collimated or non-optimal cases. Too much focusing with the focal length f < f* (an optimal focal length yields a fast process; however, it provides a smaller polymerization volume at a given time than in the optimal focusing case. Finally, a scaling law is derived and shows that f* is inverse proportional to the product of the extinction coefficient and the initiator initial concentration. The scaling law provides useful guidance for the prediction of optimal conditions for photoinitiated polymerization under a focused UV laser irradiation. The focusing technique also provides a novel and unique means for obtaining uniform photo-polymerization within a limited irradiation time.

Light ion fusion experiment (L.I.F.E.) concept validation studies. Final report, July 1979-May 1980

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Christensen, T.E.; Orthel, J.L.; Thomson, J.J.

1980-12-01

This report reflects the considerable advances made for the objectives of the contractual program, validating by detailed anaytical studies the concept of a new Light Ion Fusion Experiment for Inertial Confinement Fusion. The studies have produced an analytical design of a novel electrostatic accelerator based on separate function and strong channel focusing principles, to launch 3 to 10 MeV, 23 kA, He + neutralized beams in 400 ns pulses, delivering on a 5 mm radius target located 10 m downstream, 50 kJ of implosion energy in approx. 20 ns impact times The control, stability and focusing of beams is made by electrostatic quadrupoles, producing overall beam normalized emittance of approx. 3 x 10 -5 m-rad

$W$ mass measurement and simulation of the transition radiation tracker at the ATLAS experiment

CERN Document Server

Klinkby, Esben Bryndt

2008-01-01

At the time of writing, the final preparation toward LHC startup is ongoing. All the magnets of the machine have been installed and are currently being cooled. Most sub-detectors of the four experiments situated at the LHC ring are installed in their final positions and are being integrated into their respective data acquisition systems. This thesis concerns itself with the ATLAS experiment, focusing on a sub-detector called the Transition Radiation Tracker (TRT). Some attention is given to the hardware testing of the detector modules, but the main focus lies on the simulation of the detector and the comparison of the simulation with test-beam data, as well as with data collected during the commissioning phase using cosmic muons. There is little doubt that LHC will bring insight with respect to the understanding of the universe on the fundamental level. In particular, it is anticipated that light will be shed on the origin of mass which according to our current understanding proceeds via the Higgs mechanism. ...

Summary of the working group on high current transport and final focus lenses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garren, A.A.

1978-01-01

Transverse instabilities of intense beams in periodic transport lines are reviewed. Chromatic aberrations in the final beam transport lines and geometric aberrations due to quadrupole fringe fields are discussed and corrections to reduce them are evaluated. The implications for four reference designs are evaluated by comparing the tune depression, momentum spread, and emittance

Effects of Atwood number on shock focusing in shock-cylinder interaction

Science.gov (United States)

Ou, Junfeng; Ding, Juchun; Luo, Xisheng; Zhai, Zhigang

2018-02-01

The evolution of shock-accelerated heavy-gas cylinder surrounded by the air with different Atwood numbers (A_t=0.28, 0.50, 0.63) is investigated, concentrating on shock focusing and jet formation. Experimentally, a soap film technique is used to generate an ideal two-dimensional discontinuous gas cylinder with a clear surface, which can guarantee the observation of shock wave movements inside the cylinder. Different Atwood numbers are realized by different mixing ratios of SF_6 and air inside the cylinder. A high-speed schlieren system is adopted to capture the shock motions and jet morphology. Numerical simulations are also performed to provide more information. The results indicate that an inward jet is formed for low Atwood numbers, while an outward jet is generated for high Atwood numbers. Different Atwood numbers will lead to the differences in the relative velocities between the incident shock and the refraction shock, which ultimately results in the differences in shock competition near the downstream pole. The morphology and feature of the jet are closely associated with the position and intensity of shock focusing. The pressure and vorticity contours indicate that the jet formation should be attributed to the pressure pulsation caused by shock focusing, and the jet development is ascribed to the vorticity induction. Finally, a time ratio proposed in the previous work for determining the shock-focusing type is verified by experiments.

Understanding weight stigmatization: a focus group study.

Science.gov (United States)

Cossrow, N H; Jeffery, R W; McGuire, M T

2001-01-01

The purpose of this research was to investigate, in a nonclinical sample of adults, thoughts on and experiences with weight stigmatization. Focus groups were used to collect information. Participants were recruited through a newspaper advertisement and flyers posted in public places in Minneapolis and St. Paul. During the focus groups, participants were led in a discussion about their thoughts on weight stigmatization and personal experiences of being treated differently or poorly because of their weight. Six gender-specific focus groups consisted of 31 adult volunteers (17 women and 14 men). Perceptions of weight-based stereotypes and weight stigmatization and personal reports of having been treated differently or poorly owing to weight were measured. Participants reported a variety of experiences of being treated differently or poorly because of their weight. These included teasing, harassment, slurs and insults, negative judgments and assumptions, and perceived discrimination. Participants reported that such experiences occurred at home, among friends and strangers, at work, and in health care settings. Women reported a greater number and a greater variety of negative experiences than men. The results indicated that participants experienced weight-based stigmatization in many aspects of their lives. Awareness of these experiences may assist in the development of treatments for overweight individuals.

Studies of orbital Eotvos experiments. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chapman, P.K.

1977-01-01

A direct force-balance technique was analyzed for carrying out the Eotvos experiment in space, which is intended to give sufficient sensitivity to allow investigation of the gravitational interactions of energy stored in the weak interaction. The heart of experiment is an exceedingly sensitive dual accelerometer, containing two proof masses constructed of the materials whose Eotvos ratio is to be compared. For use in development of the accelerometer, a magnetic microbalance is proposed in which the weight of the proof mass is supported by magnetic forces which vary very slowly with the proof mass position. It is shown that at least two different mechanizations of the magnetic suspension may be feasible

Self-organisation phenomena in the plasma focus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Deutsch, R.; Grauf, W.; Herold, H.; Schmidt, H.

1982-06-01

The structure of the final minimum-energy state of the focus plasma was studied, using Taylor's relaxation theory. A superposition of the reversed pinch field and the field of eddies was obtained. Similar structures could be observed experimentally. (orig.)

Energy coupling in the plasma focus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wainwright, T.E.; Pickles, W.L.; Sahlin, H.L.; Price, D.F.

1979-01-01

Experiments have been performed with a 125-kJ plasma focus to investigate mechanisms for rapid coupling of inductively-stored energy into plasmas. The coupling can take place through the formation of an electron or ion beam that deposits its energy in a target or directly by the penetration of the magnetic field into a resistive plasma. Some preliminary results from experiments of both types are described. The experiments use a replaceable conical anode tip that is intended to guide the focus to within a few millimeters of the axis, where it can suddenly deliver energy either to a small target or to particles that are accelerated. X-ray and fast-ion diagnostics have been used to study the effects

Neural correlates of focused attention and cognitive monitoring in meditation.

Science.gov (United States)

Manna, Antonietta; Raffone, Antonino; Perrucci, Mauro Gianni; Nardo, Davide; Ferretti, Antonio; Tartaro, Armando; Londei, Alessandro; Del Gratta, Cosimo; Belardinelli, Marta Olivetti; Romani, Gian Luca

2010-04-29

Meditation refers to a family of complex emotional and attentional regulatory practices, which can be classified into two main styles - focused attention (FA) and open monitoring (OM) - involving different attentional, cognitive monitoring and awareness processes. In a functional magnetic resonance study we originally characterized and contrasted FA and OM meditation forms within the same experiment, by an integrated FA-OM design. Theravada Buddhist monks, expert in both FA and OM meditation forms, and lay novices with 10 days of meditation practice, participated in the experiment. Our evidence suggests that expert meditators control cognitive engagement in conscious processing of sensory-related, thought and emotion contents, by massive self-regulation of fronto-parietal and insular areas in the left hemisphere, in a meditation state-dependent fashion. We also found that anterior cingulate and dorsolateral prefrontal cortices play antagonist roles in the executive control of the attention setting in meditation tasks. Our findings resolve the controversy between the hypothesis that meditative states are associated to transient hypofrontality or deactivation of executive brain areas, and evidence about the activation of executive brain areas in meditation. Finally, our study suggests that a functional reorganization of brain activity patterns for focused attention and cognitive monitoring takes place with mental practice, and that meditation-related neuroplasticity is crucially associated to a functional reorganization of activity patterns in prefrontal cortex and in the insula. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Faulted systems recovery experience. Final report, May 1992

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1992-05-01

This report addresses the recovery (i.e., return to service from a faulted, or otherwise unavailable, condition) of important nuclear power plant front-line and support systems and equipment. It contains information based on operating experience relative to the times to recover from a variety of plant events. It also indicates the nature of the operator actions involved. This information is intended to provide useful insights to utilities who are undertaking Individual Plant Examinations (IPEs) per Generic Letter 88-20 of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The report provides a database of recovery experience primarily derived from Licensee Event Reports (LERs). The database contains recovery duration information for 205 demand events and 98 nondemand events. In particular, it contains recovery durations for 42 pump related and 143 valve related events that are representative of demand conditions. Experience shows that, overall, about one-half of all pumps and valves are recovered in 30 minutes or less. Specific recovery experience is dependent on the equipment type, the plant system involved, and the failure mode encountered. (author)

Hadron physics at the COMPASS experiment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Krinner Fabian

2015-01-01

The Compass experiment at the CERN Super Proton Synchrotron has acquired large data sets, which allow to study light-quark meson and baryon spectra in unprecedented detail. The presented overview of the first results from this data set focuses in particular on the light meson sector and presents a detailed analysis of three-pion final states. A new JPC = 1++ state, the a1(1420, is observed with a mass and width in the ranges m = 1412 − 1422MeV/c2 and Γ = 130 − 150MeV/c2.

The 'final order' problem

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Teunter, RH; Haneveld, WKK

1998-01-01

When the service department of a company selling machines stops producing and supplying spare parts for certain machines, customers are offered an opportunity to place a so-called final order for these spare parts. We focus on one customer with one machine. The customer plans to use this machine up

Medicare Program; Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and Alternative Payment Model (APM) Incentive Under the Physician Fee Schedule, and Criteria for Physician-Focused Payment Models. Final rule with comment period.

Science.gov (United States)

2016-11-04

The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA) repeals the Medicare sustainable growth rate (SGR) methodology for updates to the physician fee schedule (PFS) and replaces it with a new approach to payment called the Quality Payment Program that rewards the delivery of high-quality patient care through two avenues: Advanced Alternative Payment Models (Advanced APMs) and the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) for eligible clinicians or groups under the PFS. This final rule with comment period establishes incentives for participation in certain alternative payment models (APMs) and includes the criteria for use by the Physician-Focused Payment Model Technical Advisory Committee (PTAC) in making comments and recommendations on physician-focused payment models (PFPMs). Alternative Payment Models are payment approaches, developed in partnership with the clinician community, that provide added incentives to deliver high-quality and cost-efficient care. APMs can apply to a specific clinical condition, a care episode, or a population. This final rule with comment period also establishes the MIPS, a new program for certain Medicare-enrolled practitioners. MIPS will consolidate components of three existing programs, the Physician Quality Reporting System (PQRS), the Physician Value-based Payment Modifier (VM), and the Medicare Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Program for Eligible Professionals (EPs), and will continue the focus on quality, cost, and use of certified EHR technology (CEHRT) in a cohesive program that avoids redundancies. In this final rule with comment period we have rebranded key terminology based on feedback from stakeholders, with the goal of selecting terms that will be more easily identified and understood by our stakeholders.

B-physics prospects with the LHCb experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Harnew, N.

2008-01-01

This paper summarizes the B-physics prospects of the LHCb experiment. Firstly, a brief introduction to the CKM matrix and the mechanism of CP violation in the Standard Model is given. The advantages of the LHCb experiment for B-physics exploitation will then be described, together with a short description of the detector components. Finally, the LHCb physics aims and prospects will be summarized, focusing on the measurements of sin(2β) in tree and gluonic penguin diagrams, sin(2α) in B d 0 → π + π - and π + π - π 0 , neutral B-meson oscillations and the B s 0 mixing phase, and the measurement of γ using a variety of complementary methods

Changes in the dark focus of accommodation associated with simulator sickness

Science.gov (United States)

Fowlkes, Jennifer E.; Kennedy, Robert S.; Hettinger, Lawrence J.; Harm, Deborah L.

1993-01-01

The relationship between the dark focus of accommodation and simulator sickness, a form of motion sickness, was examined in three experiments. In Experiment 1, dark focus was measured in 18 college students in a laboratory setting before and after they viewed a projected motion scene depicting low altitude helicopter flight. In Experiments 2 and 3, dark focus was measured in pilots (N = 16 and 23, respectively) before and after they 'flew' in moving-base helicopter flight simulators with optical infinity CRT visual systems. The results showed that individuals who experienced simulator sickness had either an inward (myopic) change in dark focus (Experiments 1 and 3) or attenuated outward shifts in dark focus (Experiment 2) relative to participants who did not get sick. These results are consonant with the hypothesis that parasympathetic activity, which may be associated with simulator sickness, should result in changes in dark focus that are in a myopic direction. Night vision goggles, virtual environments, extended periods in microgravity, and heads-up displays all produce related visual symptomatology. Changes in dark focus may occur in these conditions, as well, and should be measured.

Vocational trainees’ views and experiences regarding the learning and teaching of communication skills in general practice

OpenAIRE

Van Nuland, Marc; Thijs, Gaby; Van Royen, Paul; Van Den Noortgate, Wim; Goedhuys, Jo

2010-01-01

Objective: To explore the views and experiences of general practice (GP) vocational trainees regarding communication skills (CS) and the teaching and learning of these skills. METHODS: A purposive sample of second and third (final) year GP trainees took part in six focus group (FG) discussions. Transcripts were coded and analysed in accordance with a grounded theory approach by two investigators using Alas-ti software. Finally results were triangulated by means of semi-structured telephone in...

Education Quality and the Kenyan 8-4-4 Curriculum: Secondary School Learners' Experiences

Science.gov (United States)

Milligan, Lizzi O.

2017-01-01

This article explores the implementation of Kenyan secondary education in rural Western Kenya, focusing on learners' experiences. One of the key challenges to educational quality is shown to be the size and breadth of the secondary education curriculum. Learners are in school 12 hours a day with those approaching their final exams working three to…

Characterizing transverse coherence of an ultra-intense focused X-ray free-electron laser by an extended Young's experiment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ichiro Inoue

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Characterization of transverse coherence is one of the most critical themes for advanced X-ray sources and their applications in many fields of science. However, for hard X-ray free-electron laser (XFEL sources there is very little knowledge available on their transverse coherence characteristics, despite their extreme importance. This is because the unique characteristics of the sources, such as the ultra-intense nature of XFEL radiation and the shot-by-shot fluctuations in the intensity distribution, make it difficult to apply conventional techniques. Here, an extended Young's interference experiment using a stream of bimodal gold particles is shown to achieve a direct measurement of the modulus of the complex degree of coherence of XFEL pulses. The use of interference patterns from two differently sized particles enables analysis of the transverse coherence on a single-shot basis without a priori knowledge of the instantaneous intensity ratio at the particles. For a focused X-ray spot as small as 1.8 µm (horizontal × 1.3 µm (vertical with an ultrahigh intensity that exceeds 1018 W cm−2 from the SPring-8 Ångstrom Compact free-electron LAser (SACLA, the coherence lengths were estimated to be 1.7 ± 0.2 µm (horizontal and 1.3 ± 0.1 µm (vertical. The ratios between the coherence lengths and the focused beam sizes are almost the same in the horizontal and vertical directions, indicating that the transverse coherence properties of unfocused XFEL pulses are isotropic. The experiment presented here enables measurements free from radiation damage and will be readily applicable to the analysis of the transverse coherence of ultra-intense nanometre-sized focused XFEL beams.

Skin injuries from discrete radioactive particles: A summary of EPRI-sponsored experiments. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Owen, D.E.; Reece, W.D.; Poston, J.W. Sr.; McFarlane, D.L.

1994-12-01

In recent years there has been the debate over the risk to nuclear power plant workers from beta radiation-emitting discrete radioactive particles (or DRPs). DRPs-sometimes called open-quotes hot particlesclose quotes-are small, often microscopic, radioactive particles that can adhere to the skin and protective clothing of plant workers. They can potentially produce high radiation doses to very small areas of the skin. Concern is based on the knowledge that various types of nonstochastic skin injuries can result from sufficiently high beta radiation doses. While the effects for large-area irradiations (several square centimeters and larger) are generally well understood, the effects for doses to very small areas are less clear. However, the evidence is clear that the doses required to produce skin injuries from DRP irradiations are significantly larger than the dose limits prescribed in existing regulations for large-area skin exposures. One concern is that nuclear power plant efforts to comply with skin dose limits causes workers to receive unnecessary whole-body radiation exposure. In addition, DRP protection measures focus radiation protection resources on very low risk hazards, and may not be an optimum use of radiation protection resources. EPRI sponsored a series of irradiation experiments to address some of the DRP exposure issues. This report summarizes the results of experiments using sources covering a range of sizes and beta energies, simulating both activation product and fuel-bearing DRPS. NCRP Publication 106 states that all of these small skin injuries are minor, but that acute deep ulceration should be avoided. Accordingly, this research focused on open sores or scabs that remain unhealed for very long times. The ED 50 dose for these injuries was determined to be about 5 krad (50 Gy). A revised guideline might lower whole-body exposures associated with DRP control measures, while not significantly increasing the likelyhood of DRP injuries

Gene-environment interaction in Major Depression: focus on experience-dependent biological systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nicola eLopizzo

2015-05-01

Full Text Available Major Depressive Disorder (MDD is a multifactorial and polygenic disorder, where multiple and partially overlapping sets of susceptibility genes interact each other and with the environment, predisposing individuals to the development of the illness. Thus, MDD results from a complex interplay of vulnerability genes and environmental factors that act cumulatively throughout individual's lifetime. Among these environmental factors, stressful life experiences, especially those occurring early in life, have been suggested to exert a crucial impact on brain development, leading to permanent functional changes that may contribute to life long risk for mental health outcomes. In this review we will discuss how genetic variants (polymorphisms, SNPs within genes operating in neurobiological systems that mediate stress response and synaptic plasticity, can impact, by themselves, the vulnerability risk for MDD; we will also consider how this MDD risk can be further modulated when gene X environment interaction is taken into account. Finally, we will discuss the role of epigenetic mechanisms, and in particular of DNA methylation and miRNAs expression changes, in mediating the effect of the stress on the vulnerability risk to develop MDD. Taken together, in this review we aim to underlie the role of genetic and epigenetic processes involved in stress and neuroplasticity related biological systems on development of MDD after exposure to early life stress, thereby building the basis for future research and clinical interventions.

48{sup th} Annual meeting on nuclear technology (AMNT 2017). Key topic / Enhanced safety and operation excellence. Focus session: International operational experience

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mohrbach, Ludger [VGB PowerTech e.V., Essen (Germany). Abteilung ' ' N' ' ; Gottschling, Helge

2017-11-15

Summary report on the Key Topic Enhanced Safety and Operation Excellence: Focus Session: International Operational Experience and the Nuclear Energy Campus of the 48{sup th} Annual Meeting on Nuclear Technology (AMNT 2017) held in Berlin, 16 to 17 May 2017.

Experiences of participating in return-to-work group programmes for people with musculoskeletal disorders: A focus group study.

Science.gov (United States)

Hamnes, Bente; Rønningen, Aud; Skarbø, Åse

2017-09-01

The present study aimed to explore the experiences of individuals with musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) who had participated in return-to-work group programmes (RTW-GPs) and to assess whether the programmes had had an impact on their work disability. Three focus group interviews and one individual interview were conducted involving 17 women (mean age = 47) with MSDs who had completed RTW-GPs. All interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analyses. Participant experiences were categorised into three main themes: changed way of thinking, the importance of being able to work, and a changed lifestyle. The respondents said that participation in the RTW-GPs had enabled them to shift their focus from problems to opportunities. They had become more aware of strategies to enhance their energy levels and continue working. Several participants had reduced their work hours to achieve a better balance between work and daily life. Many participants had also changed their lifestyle habits, which had led to weight reduction, more energy and less pain. The study participants had attained a heightened awareness of what they could do to continue working. Many participants had introduced changes in their daily lives, with consequences for employment, social life and lifestyle. The findings suggest that RTW-GPs can help people with MSDs to remain in employment and prevent absenteeism. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Spatial filters for focusing ultrasound images

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Jørgen Arendt; Gori, Paola

2001-01-01

, but the approach always yields point spread functions better or equal to a traditional dynamically focused image. Finally, the process was applied to in-vivo clinical images of the liver and right kidney from a 28 years old male. The data was obtained with a single element transducer focused at 100 mm....... A new method for making spatial matched filter focusing of RF ultrasound data is proposed based on the spatial impulse response description of the imaging. The response from a scatterer at any given point in space relative to the transducer can be calculated, and this gives the spatial matched filter...... for synthetic aperture imaging for single element transducers. It is evaluated using the Field II program. Data from a single 3 MHz transducer focused at a distance of 80 mm is processed. Far from the transducer focal region, the processing greatly improves the image resolution: the lateral slice...

W-1 Sodium Loop Safety Facility experiment centerline fuel thermocouple performance

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meyers, S.C.; Henderson, J.M.

1980-05-01

The W-1 Sodium Loop Safety Facility (SLSF) experiment is the fifth in a series of experiments sponsored by the Department of Energy (DOE) as part of the National Fast Breeder Reactor (FBR) Safety Assurance Program. The experiments are being conducted under the direction of Argonne National Laboratory (ANL) and Hanford Engineering Development Laboratory (HEDL). The irradiation phase of the W-1 SLSF experiment was conducted between May 27 and July 20, 1979, and terminated with incipient fuel pin cladding failure during the final boiling transient. Experimental hardware and facility performed as designed, allowing completion of all planned tests and test objectives. This paper focuses on high temperature in-fuel thermocouples and discusses their development, fabrication, and performance in the W-1 experiment

Laser focusing of high-energy charged-particle beams

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Channell, P.J.

1986-01-01

It is shown that laser focusing of high-energy charged-particle beams using the inverse Cherenkov effect is well suited for applications with large linear colliders. Very high gradient (>0.5 MG/cm) lenses result that can be added sequentially without AG cancellation. These lenses are swell understood, have small geometric aberrations, and offer the possibility of correlating phase and energy aberrations to produce an achromatic final focus

Perspectives of Canadian Final-Year Physiotherapy Students on Cardiorespiratory Physiotherapy as a Career Choice

Science.gov (United States)

Araujo, Tamara; Romano, Julia Marie; Camp, Pat G.; Hall, Mark; Mathur, Sunita; Brooks, Dina

2016-01-01

Purpose: To investigate the opinions of final-year Canadian physiotherapy students of cardiorespiratory physiotherapy (CRP) and the factors influencing their decision about whether to pursue a career in CRP. Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was completed by final-year Master of Science of Physical Therapy students from three of the largest English-speaking physiotherapy schools in Canada. Results: A total of 120 students responded to the survey (overall response rate was 44%). Fifteen students (12.5%) responded that they were extremely or quite interested in specializing in CRP. The most common factors that positively influenced students' decision to consider specializing in CRP were job accessibility, potential salary, and experiences in the area, and the most common factors that negatively influenced their decision were the clinical aspects of the area, their experiences in the area, job accessibility, and the influence of others. The most common factors that positively influenced students' opinion of CRP were their clinical supervisor, educator, or lecturer; their own clinical experience; and evidence in the literature, and the most common factors that negatively influenced their opinion were their own clinical experience and their peers. Conclusion: Strategies focusing on increasing awareness of the role of physiotherapists in the care of patients with cardiorespiratory conditions, exposing students to the positive impact that physiotherapists have in this practice area, and good mentorship experiences may promote the attractiveness of this specialty. PMID:27909378

Electron beam effects on the spectroscopy of multiply charged ions in plasma focus experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abdallah, J.; Clark, R.E.H.; Faenov, A.Y.; Karpinski, L.; Pikuz, S.A.; Romanova, V.M.; Sadowski, M.; Scholz, M.; Szydlowski, A.

1999-01-01

Argon-hydrogen mixture plasma focus experiments performed at the Warsaw Institute of Plasma Physics and Laser Microfusion show detailed space resolved spectra for Ar K-shell satellite lines up to F-like Ar and K-alpha of Ar. These transitions originating from autoionizing levels are caused by collisions of ions with the energetic electron beams which are created by the constrictions of the plasma column due to the development of magnetohydrodynamic instabilities. A collisional-radiative model was constructed using a non-Maxwellian electron energy distribution consisting of a thermal Maxwellian part plus a Gaussian part to represent the high-energy electron beam. The shapes of the observed satellite structures are consistent with the calculated spectrum for electron temperatures between 20 and 230 eV, and beam densities of about 10 -3 times the plasma electron density. (Copyright (c) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam. All rights reserved.)

Electron beam effects on the spectroscopy of multiply charged ions in plasma focus experiments

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Abdallah, J. [UCLA Plasma Physics Laboratory, Los Angeles, CA (United States); Clark, R.E.H. [Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos, NM (United States); Faenov, A.Y. [MISDC, NPO ' VNIIFTRI' , Mendeleevo, Moscow region, 141570 (Russian Federation); Karpinski, L. [Institute of Plasma Physics and Laser Microfusion, Warsaw (Poland); Pikuz, S.A.; Romanova, V.M. [P. N. Lebedev Physical Institute, Moscow (Russian Federation); Sadowski, M. [Soltan Institute for Nuclear Studies, Swierk (Poland); Scholz, M.; Szydlowski, A. [Institute of Plasma Physics and Laser Microfusion, Warsaw (Poland)

1999-05-01

Argon-hydrogen mixture plasma focus experiments performed at the Warsaw Institute of Plasma Physics and Laser Microfusion show detailed space resolved spectra for Ar K-shell satellite lines up to F-like Ar and K-alpha of Ar. These transitions originating from autoionizing levels are caused by collisions of ions with the energetic electron beams which are created by the constrictions of the plasma column due to the development of magnetohydrodynamic instabilities. A collisional-radiative model wasconstructed using a non-Maxwellian electron energy distribution consisting of a thermal Maxwellian part plus a Gaussian part to represent the high-energy electron beam. The shapes of the observed satellite structures are consistent with the calculated spectrum for electron temperatures between 20 and 230 eV, and beam densities of about 10{sup -3} times the plasma electron density. (Copyright (c) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam. All rights reserved.)

Particle Release Experiment (PRex) Final Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Keillor, Martin E. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Arrigo, Leah M. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Detwiler, Rebecca S. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Kernan, Warnick J. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Kirkham, Randy R. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); MacDougall, Matthew R. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Chipman, Veraun D. [National Security Technologies, LLC. (NSTec), Mercury, NV (United States); Milbrath, Brian D. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Rishel, Jeremy P. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Seifert, Allen [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Seifert, Carolyn E. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Smart, John E. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Emer, Dudley [National Security Technologies, LLC. (NSTec), Mercury, NV (United States)

2014-09-30

An experiment to release radioactive particles representative of small-scale venting from an underground nuclear test was conducted to gather data in support of treaty verification and monitoring activities. For this experiment, a CO₂-driven “air cannon” was used to release La-140 at ambient temperatures. Lanthanum-140 was chosen to represent the fission fragments because of its short half-life and prominent gamma-ray emissions; the choice was also influenced by the successful production and use of La-140 with low levels of radioactive contaminants in a Defence Research and Development Canada Field Trial. The source was created through activation of high-purity natural lanthanum oxide at the reactor of Washington State University, Pullman, Washington. Multiple varieties of witness plates and air samplers were laid in an irregular grid covering the area over which the plume was modeled to deposit. Aerial survey, a NaI(Tl) mobile spectrometer, and handheld and backpack instruments ranging from polyvinyl toluene to high-purity germanium were used to survey the plume. Additionally, three varieties of soil sampling were investigated. The relative sensitivity and utility of sampling and survey methods are discussed in the context of On-Site Inspection. The measurements and samples show a high degree of correlation and form a valuable set of test data.

The transitioning experiences of internationally-educated nurses into a Canadian health care system: A focused ethnography

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Higginbottom Gina MA

2011-06-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Beyond well-documented credentialing issues, internationally-educated nurses (IENs may need considerable support in transitioning into new social and health care environments. This study was undertaken to gain an understanding of transitioning experiences of IENs upon relocation to Canada, while creating policy and practice recommendations applicable globally for improving the quality of transitioning and the retention of IENs. Methods A focused ethnography of newly-recruited IENs was conducted, using individual semi-structured interviews at both one-to-three months (Phase 1 and nine-to-twelve months post-relocation (Phase 2. A purposive sample of IENs was recruited during their orientation at a local college, to a health authority within western Canada which had recruited them for employment throughout the region. The interviews were recorded and transcribed, and data was managed using qualitative analytical software. Data analysis was informed by Roper and Shapira's framework for focused ethnography. Results Twenty three IENs consented to participate in 31 interviews. All IENs which indicated interest during their orientation sessions consented to the interviews, yet 14 did not complete the Phase 2 interview due to reorganization of health services and relocation. The ethno-culturally diverse group had an average age of 36.4 years, were primarily educated to first degree level or higher, and were largely (under employed as "Graduate Nurses". Many IENs reported negative experiences related to their work contract and overall support upon arrival. There were striking differences in nursing practice and some experiences of perceived discrimination. The primary area of discontentment was the apparent communication breakdown at the recruitment stage with subsequent discrepancy in expected professional role and financial reimbursement. Conclusions Explicit and clear communication is needed between employers and recruitment

Design and preliminary results of the IMA plasma focus experiment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Soliman, H M; Masoud, M M [Arab Republic of Egypt, Atomic Energy Authority Plasma physics and Nuclear Fusion department, Cairo (Egypt)

1994-12-31

The present paper describes the design, operation and characteristics of aton 1MA plasma focus device, which built in egypt at the plasma physics department, N.R.C., atomic energy authority. The main parts of the system are: the coaxial electrodes of mather type, the expansion chamber, the condenser bank of 75 kJ stored energy, the pressurized spark gap switches and Blumlein trigger system. Measurement of the breakdown voltage between plasma focus electrodes and discharge current, using half of the condenser bank, showed that, for U{sub c} h = 32 kV, the discharge current was 0.5 Ma. In the discharge current and voltage traces a sharp drop in discharge current correspondingly to a sudden rise in voltage have been observed, which characterize the focus regime. Time structure of the x-ray emission measurements have been performed by means of scintillation detectors. by using a hydrogen gas the results showed that, the x-ray intensity is increased with increasing the hydrogen gas pressure. plasma sheath current density, J-Z distribution in axial direction during the acceleration phase of the discharge is studied, using a miniature Rogovsky coil. The results cleared that J{sub z} is increased with the axial distance from breech to muzzle at different hydrogen gas pressures. 12 figs.

Design and preliminary results of the IMA plasma focus experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Soliman, H.M.; Masoud, M.M.

1993-01-01

The present paper describes the design, operation and characteristics of aton 1MA plasma focus device, which built in egypt at the plasma physics department, N.R.C., atomic energy authority. The main parts of the system are: the coaxial electrodes of mather type, the expansion chamber, the condenser bank of 75 kJ stored energy, the pressurized spark gap switches and Blumlein trigger system. Measurement of the breakdown voltage between plasma focus electrodes and discharge current, using half of the condenser bank, showed that, for U c h = 32 kV, the discharge current was 0.5 Ma. In the discharge current and voltage traces a sharp drop in discharge current correspondingly to a sudden rise in voltage have been observed, which characterize the focus regime. Time structure of the x-ray emission measurements have been performed by means of scintillation detectors. by using a hydrogen gas the results showed that, the x-ray intensity is increased with increasing the hydrogen gas pressure. plasma sheath current density, J-Z distribution in axial direction during the acceleration phase of the discharge is studied, using a miniature Rogovsky coil. The results cleared that J z is increased with the axial distance from breech to muzzle at different hydrogen gas pressures. 12 figs

Interprofessional education and collaboration: A simulation-based learning experience focused on common and complementary skills in an acute care environment.

Science.gov (United States)

Cunningham, S; Foote, L; Sowder, M; Cunningham, C

2018-05-01

The purpose of this mixed-methods study was to explore from the participant's perspective the influence of an interprofessional simulation-based learning experience on understanding the roles and responsibilities of healthcare professionals in the acute care setting, interprofessional collaboration, and communication. Participating students from two professional programs completed the Readiness for Interprofessional Learning Scale (RIPLS) prior to and following the simulation experience to explore the influence of the simulation experience on students' perceptions of readiness to learn together. A Wilcoxon signed rank analysis was performed for each of the four subscales of the RIPLS: shared learning (<.001), teamwork and collaboration (<.001), professional identity (.042), and roles and responsibilities (.001). In addition, participating students were invited to participate in focus group interviews to discuss the effectiveness of the simulation experience. Three key themes were discovered: interprofessional teamwork, discovering roles and responsibilities, and increased confidence in treatment skills. The integration of interprofessional education through a simulation-based learning experience within the nursing and physical therapy professional programs provided a positive experience for the students. Simulation-based learning experiences may provide an opportunity for institutions to collaborate and provide additional engagement with healthcare professions that may not be represented within a single institution.

Characteristics and Applications of Spatiotemporally Focused Femtosecond Laser Pulses

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chenrui Jing

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Simultaneous spatial and temporal focusing (SSTF of femtosecond laser pulses gives rise to strong suppression of nonlinear self-focusing during the propagation of the femtosecond laser beam. In this paper, we begin with an introduction of the principle of SSTF, followed by a review of our recent experimental results on the characterization and application of the spatiotemporally focused pulses for femtosecond laser micromachining. Finally, we summarize all of the results and give a future perspective of this technique.

Evaluation of agents and study of end-user needs and behaviour for e-commerce. COGITO focus group experiment

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Andersen, V.; Hansen, C.B.; Andersen, H.H.K.

2001-01-01

-commerce in general and shopping at Internet bookstores in particular are outlined below. In this report user requirements for specification of web-sites meeting the overall wishes of the end- users have beenelicited. The needs are mainly based on experiments and discussions related to purchase of books......The process of buying products and services on the Internet often implies a high degree of complexity and uncertainty about the conditions of information seeking, about items for sale, the purchase of wanted products and the actual navigation on a site.Some important problems concerning e......, as this domain has been selected as the application domain for the e-commerce in COGITO, but the requirements are mostly common covering e-commerce ingeneral. One of the main features to consider, analyse and specify in COGITO was the use of .intelligent personalised agents. Therefore, a focus group experiment...

Final 6D Muon Ionization Colling using Strong Focusing Quadrupoles

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hart, T. L. [Mississippi U.; Acosta, J. G. [Mississippi U.; Cremaldi, L. M. [Mississippi U.; Oliveros, S. J. [Mississippi U.; Summers, D. J. [Mississippi U.; Neuffer, D. V. [Fermilab

2016-11-15

Abstract Low emittance muon beam lines and muon colliders are potentially a rich source of BSM physics for future exper- imenters. A muon beam normalized emittance of ax,y,z = (280, 280, 1570)µm has been achieved in simulation with short solenoids and a betatron function of 3 cm. Here we use ICOOL and MAD-X to explore using a 400 MeV/c muon beam and strong focusing quadrupoles to achieve a normalized transverse emittance of 100 µm and complete 6D cooling. The low beta regions, as low as 5 mm, produced by the quadrupoles are occupied by dense, low Z absorbers, such as lithium hydride or beryllium, that cool the beam transversely. Equilibrium transverse emittance is linearly proportional to the transverse betatron function. Reverse emittance exchange with septa and/or wedges is then used to decrease transverse emittance from 100 to 25 µm at the expense of longitudinal emittance for a high energy lepton collider. Cooling challenges include chromaticity correction, ssband overlap, quadrupole acceptance, and staying in phase with RF.

IEA Wind Task 23 Offshore Wind Technology and Deployment. Subtask 1 Experience with Critical Deployment Issues. Final Technical Report

OpenAIRE

Lemming, Jørgen Kjærgaard

2010-01-01

The final report for IEA Wind Task 23, Offshore Wind Energy Technology and Deployment, is made up of two separate reports: Subtask 1: Experience with Critical Deployment Issues and Subtask 2: Offshore Code Comparison Collaborative (OC3). The Subtask 1 report included here provides background information and objectives of Task 23. It specifically discusses ecological issues and regulation, electrical system integration and offshore wind, external conditions, and key conclusions for Subtask 1. ...

Regulatory focus and generalized trust: the impact of prevention-focused self-regulation on trusting others.

Science.gov (United States)

Keller, Johannes; Mayo, Ruth; Greifeneder, Rainer; Pfattheicher, Stefan

2015-01-01

The current research suggests that taking self-regulatory mechanisms into account provides insights regarding individuals' responses to threats in social interactions. In general, based on the notion that a prevention-focused orientation of self-regulation is associated with a need for security and a vigilant tendency to avoid losses and other types of negative events we advocate that a prevention-focused orientation, both as a disposition as well as a situationally induced state, lowers generalized trust, thus hindering cooperation within social interactions that entail threats. Specifically, we found that the more individuals' habitual self-regulatory orientation is dominated by a prevention focus, the less likely they are to score high on a self-report measure of generalized trust (Study 1), and to express trust in a trust game paradigm as manifested in lower sums of transferred money (Studies 2 and 3). Similar findings were found when prevention focus was situationally manipulated (Study 4). Finally, one possible factor underlying the impact of prevention-focused self-regulation on generalized trust was demonstrated as individuals with a special sensitivity to negative information were significantly affected by a subtle prevention focus manipulation (versus control condition) in that they reacted with reduced trust in the trust game (Study 5). In sum, the current findings document the crucial relevance of self-regulatory orientations as conceptualized in regulatory focus theory regarding generalized trust and responses to threats within a social interaction. The theoretical and applied implications of the findings are discussed.

Regulatory Focus and Generalized Trust: The Impact of Prevention-focused Self-regulation on Trusting Others

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Johannes eKeller

2015-03-01

Full Text Available The current research suggests that taking self-regulatory mechanisms into account provides insights regarding individuals’ responses to threats in social interactions. In general, based on the notion that a prevention-focused orientation of self-regulation is associated with a need for security and a vigilant tendency to avoid losses and other types of negative events we advocate that a prevention-focused orientation, both as a disposition as well as a situationally induced state, lowers generalized trust, thus hindering cooperation within social interactions that entail threats. Specifically, we found that the more individuals’ habitual self-regulatory orientation is dominated by a prevention focus, the less likely they are to score high on a self-report measure of generalized trust (Study 1, and to express trust in a trust game paradigm as manifested in lower sums of transferred money (Studies 2 and 3. Similar findings were found when prevention focus was situationally manipulated (Study 4. Finally, one possible factor underlying the impact of prevention-focused self-regulation on generalized trust was demonstrated as individuals with a special sensitivity to negative information were significantly affected by a subtle prevention focus manipulation (vs. control condition in that they reacted with reduced trust in the trust game (Study 5. In sum, the current findings document the crucial relevance of self-regulatory orientations as conceptualized in regulatory focus theory regarding generalized trust and responses to threats within a social interaction. The theoretical and applied implications of the findings are discussed.

Experiences in stability testing of boiling water reactors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

March-Leuba, J.; Otaduy, P.J.

1986-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to summarize experiences with boiling water reactor (BWR) stability testing using noise analysis techniques. These techniques have been studied over an extended period of time, but it has been only recently that they have been well established and generally accepted. This paper contains first a review of the problem of BWR neutronic stability, focusing on its physical causes and its effects on reactor operation. The paper also describes the main techniques used to quantify, from noise measurements, the reactor's stability in terms of a decay ratio. Finally, the main results and experiences obtained from the stability tests performed at the Dresden and the Browns Ferry reactors using noise analysis techniques are summarized

Information Technology and the Experience of Disorder

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jonathan Paul Marshall

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Information and communication technology (ICT is a prime modality of ordering in the contemporary world. However, order creates and needs its own disorder, and ICT has a long record of failing to deliver on its promises and creating the experience of disorder. This paper looks at the myths of ordering around ICT and then looks at people's experiences of ICT disorder. In particular it looks at three factors: the informal networks that develop because of problems with ICT and with ICT help; the failure of management and communication in hierarchy and finally the failure of requirements engineering to live up to its promise. This focus on disorder may suggest a new way of approaching the so-called ‘Information Society’.

High brightness potassium ion gun for the HIF neutralized transport experiment (NTX)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eylon, S.; Henestroza, E.; Roy, P.K.; Yu, S.S.

2003-01-01

The NTX experiment at the Heavy Ion Fusion Virtual National Laboratory is exploring the performance of neutralized final focus systems for high perveance heavy ion beams. To focus a high intensity beam to a small spot requires a high brightness beam. In the NTX experiment, a potassium ion beam of up to 400 keV and 80 mA is generated in a Pierce type diode. At the diode exit, an aperture with variable size provides the capability to vary the beam perveance and to significantly reduce the beam emittance. We shall report on the gun characterization including current density profile, phase space distributions and the control of electrons generated by the beam scraping at the aperture. Comparison with particle simulations using the EGUN code will be presented

Plasma Focus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bernard, Alain; Jolas, Alain; Garconnet, J.-P.; Mascureau, J. de; Nazet, Christian; Coudeville, Alain; Bekiarian, Andre.

1977-01-01

The present report is the edition of the lectures given in a conference on the Focus experiment held at the Centre d'etudes de Limeil, on Oct. 1975. After a survey of the early laboratories one will find the main results obtained in Limeil concerning interferometry, laser scattering, electric and magnetic-measurements, X-ray and neutron emission and also the possible use of explosive current generators instead of capacitor banks at high energy levels. The principal lines of future research are given in the conclusion [fr

Technology of a small plasma focus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, S.

1990-01-01

This paper reviews plasma focus technology, including the underlying dynamic and energy balance theory, scaling of the neutron yield, cost effectiveness of the design, as well as the main subsystems, e.g., capacitor bank, spark-gap switch and triggering electronics, the plasma focus tube, some simple diagnostics, and a high-voltage charger. It discusses the range of densities and temperatures available with a small plasma focus, and the type of experiments and applications that can be carried out with it. 61 refs, 21 figs

Dutch Cyberbullying Victims’ Experiences, Perceptions, Attitudes and Motivations Related to (Coping with Cyberbullying: Focus Group Interviews

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Niels C.L. Jacobs

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Because of the negative effects of cyberbullying; and because of its unique characteristics; interventions to stop cyberbullying are needed. For this purpose, more insightful information is needed about cyberbullying victims’ (i.e., the target group experiences, perceptions, attitudes and motivations related to (coping with cyberbullying. Five schools with 66 low-educated Dutch adolescents between 12 and 15 (53% female participated in 10 focus group interviews. Results show that victims do not perceive all behaviors as cyberbullying and traditional bullying is generally perceived as worse than cyberbullying. Cyberbullies are perceived as sad, cowards and embarrassing themselves. Victims are perceived as easy targets; they wear strange clothes, act in a provocative manner and have a bad appearance. These perceptions often depend on context, the level of anonymity, being in a fight or not, the person sending the message and his/her behavior. Further, victims reacted to cyberbullying by acting nonchalant, by not actually saying anything and seeking help from others (i.e., parents are not often asked for help because they do not want to bother them; fear of restricted Internet privileges. It can be concluded that asking cyberbullying victims about their experiences in an open manner, and allowing them to discuss these experiences, likely results in new and insightful information compared to using self-reports. In this questioning the perception of adolescents is key to see what is perceived as cyberbullying.

Tapping into the teaching experiences of final year education students to increase support for students in their first year

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gretchen Geng

2017-03-01

Full Text Available This study investigates the mentorship of pairing first year and final year teacher education students during their school placements or practicum. Participating students were studied using an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA approach and undertaking Perceived Stress Scale (PSS to interpret their experience and their stress levels in the peer mentorship program. This peer mentoring program offered benefits for the first year education students by reducing their stress levels significantly and providing reassurance about their performance during school practicum. It also prepared the final year students for taking on teacher mentor roles. While the student mentorship program cannot replace the support provided by schools and universities, it does offer first year students reassurance as to their practical teaching abilities and performance. In addition, this study provides several perspectives on student mentorship during teaching practicum that are worthy of further research.

Exploring the inquiry experience: A focus on Kentucky teachers

Science.gov (United States)

Nolte, Beth

2007-12-01

Inquiry-based instruction is driven by active participation by the learner. Through the learning process, critical thinking skills are practiced. While inquiry methods are often discussed in the realm of science education, the methods are not subject specific. In fact, the Kentucky Program of Studies calls for the incorporation of inquiry strategies into all areas of the curriculum. This call for more inquiry-based education occurs in the midst of a national testing debate in which accountability is tied to student test scores. This study takes a narrative approach to explore teachers' experiences with using inquiry methods. Interviews were conducted with teachers who, at least 1 year prior to participating in this study, had attended a weeklong intensive professional development workshop on using inquiry methods for instruction. A method is described for analyzing interview data direct in its digital audio form---without transcription. Eight teachers' experiences are presented here in the narrative form and their narratives are compared for an overall analysis. Themes of conflict previously reported in the literature are explored in participants' stories. This research concludes with a discussion of the results, a reflection on the method, and suggestions for the future based on teachers' experiences with using inquiry-based learning strategies.

Focus Groups as Transformative Spiritual Encounters

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sharon Moloney PhD

2011-03-01

Full Text Available Focus groups are a valuable method for exploring the construction and negotiation of meanings. In her doctoral research the author explored how Australian women's experiences of menstruation, birth, and spirituality are invested with meaning and how that meaning influences and shapes those experiences. The focus group has been described as a potentially liminal space, which enables the discussion of taboo subjects by breaking the ice and giving people permission to comment. In addition, she discovered that the groups could be occasions of empowerment and transformation for both participants and researcher. In a way that far exceeded her expectations, the group format was ideally suited to feminist research and the organic inquiry methodology she used. Some groups became deeply spiritual encounters that were nourishing and transformative for all. This article explores how focus groups can be vehicles of spiritual transformation, examining one group in particular to highlight the points raised.

Nuclear research with the electromagnetic probe. Final progress report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Meziani, Z.E.

1994-10-01

This is the final report on the research carried at Stanford University under contract DE-FG03-88ER40439. All the work accomplished under this grant is reported in the publications listed as part of the Principal Investigator bibliography at the end of this report. In the last few years our research was directed at some of the forefront questions in nuclear physics. We investigated the nuclear medium effects on the intrinsic properties of bound nucleons, specifically the ectromagnetic form factors. For these studies we performed a number of specialized electron scattering experiments with specific sensitivity to nuclear medium effects. At the next level of structure, elementary constituents of matter are quarks and gluons. Defining the energy regime where the quark-gluon description of nuclear systems becomes more relevant than the nucleon-meson description is of great importance in thoroughly understanding the nuclear structure. To explore this transition region, we studied the scaling region in the disintegration of the deuteron, the simplest nuclear system with high energy photons. Finally we focused on the investigation of the nucleon internal spin structure along with the test of the Bjoerken sum rule a fundamental sum rule of QCD.

Nuclear research with the electromagnetic probe. Final progress report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Meziani, Z.E.

1994-10-01

This is the final report on the research carried at Stanford University under contract DE-FG03-88ER40439. All the work accomplished under this grant is reported in the publications listed as part of the Principal Investigator bibliography at the end of this report. In the last few years our research was directed at some of the forefront questions in nuclear physics. We investigated the nuclear medium effects on the intrinsic properties of bound nucleons, specifically the ectromagnetic form factors. For these studies we performed a number of specialized electron scattering experiments with specific sensitivity to nuclear medium effects. At the next level of structure, elementary constituents of matter are quarks and gluons. Defining the energy regime where the quark-gluon description of nuclear systems becomes more relevant than the nucleon-meson description is of great importance in thoroughly understanding the nuclear structure. To explore this transition region, we studied the scaling region in the disintegration of the deuteron, the simplest nuclear system with high energy photons. Finally we focused on the investigation of the nucleon internal spin structure along with the test of the Bjoerken sum rule a fundamental sum rule of QCD

Experiences of employees with arm, neck or shoulder complaints: a focus group study.

Science.gov (United States)

Hutting, Nathan; Heerkens, Yvonne F; Engels, Josephine A; Staal, J Bart; Nijhuis-van der Sanden, Maria W G

2014-04-29

Many people suffer from complaints of the arm, neck or shoulder (CANS). CANS causes significant work problems, including absenteeism (sickness absence), presenteeism (decreased work productivity) and, ultimately, job loss. There is a need for intervention programs for people suffering from CANS. Management of symptoms and workload, and improving the workstyle, could be important factors in the strategy to deal with CANS. The objective of this study is to evaluate the experienced problems of employees with CANS, as a first step in an intervention mapping process aimed at adaptation of an existing self-management program to the characteristics of employees suffering from CANS. A qualitative study comprising three focus group meetings with 15 employees suffering from CANS. Based on a question guide, participants were asked about experiences in relation to continuing work despite their complaints. Data were analysed using content analysis with an open-coding system. During selective coding, general themes and patterns were identified and relationships between the codes were examined. Participants suffering from CANS often have to deal with pain, disability, fatigue, misunderstanding and stress at work. Some needs of the participants were identified, i.e. disease-specific information, exercises, muscle relaxation, working with pain, influence of the work and/or social environment, and personal factors (including workstyle). Employees suffering from CANS search for ways to deal with their complaints in daily life and at work. This study reveals several recurring problems and the results endorse the multi-factorial origin of CANS. Participants generally experience problems similar to those of employees with other types of complaints or chronic diseases, e.g. related to their illness, insufficient communication, working together with healthcare professionals, colleagues and management, and workplace adaptations. These topics will be addressed in the adaptation of an

Technology of focus detection for 193nm projection lithographic tool

Science.gov (United States)

Di, Chengliang; Yan, Wei; Hu, Song; Xu, Feng; Li, Jinglong

2012-10-01

With the shortening printing wavelength and increasing numerical aperture of lithographic tool, the depth of focus(DOF) sees a rapidly drop down trend, reach a scale of several hundred nanometers while the repeatable accuracy of focusing and leveling must be one-tenth of DOF, approximately several dozen nanometers. For this feature, this article first introduces several focusing technology, Obtained the advantages and disadvantages of various methods by comparing. Then get the accuracy of dual-grating focusing method through theoretical calculation. And the dual-grating focusing method based on photoelastic modulation is divided into coarse focusing and precise focusing method to analyze, establishing image processing model of coarse focusing and photoelastic modulation model of accurate focusing. Finally, focusing algorithm is simulated with MATLAB. In conclusion dual-grating focusing method shows high precision, high efficiency and non-contact measurement of the focal plane, meeting the demands of focusing in 193nm projection lithography.

Supersymmetry searches in dilepton final states with the ATLAS experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lungwitz, Matthias

2014-01-01

One of the main goals of the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN in Geneva is the search for new physics beyond the Standard Model. In 2011, proton-proton collisions were performed at the LHC at a center of mass energy of 7 TeV and an integrated luminosity of 4.7 fb -1 was recorded. This dataset can be tested for one of the most promising theories beyond limits achieved thus far: supersymmetry. Final states in supersymmetry events at the LHC contain highly energetic jets and sizeable missing transverse energy. The additional requirement of events with highly energetic leptons simplifies the control of the backgrounds. This work presents results of a search for supersymmetry in the inclusive dilepton channel. Special emphasis is put on the search within the Gauge-Mediated Symmetry Breaking (GMSB) scenario in which the supersymmetry breaking is mediated via gauge fields. Statistically independent Control Regions for the dominant Standard Model backgrounds as well as Signal Regions for a discovery of a possible supersymmetry signal are defined and optimized. A simultaneous fit of the background normalizations in the Control Regions via the profile likelihood method allows for a precise prediction of the backgrounds in the Signal Regions and thus increases the sensitivity to several supersymmetry models. Systematic uncertainties on the background prediction are constrained via the jet multiplicity distribution in the Control Regions driven by data. The observed data are consistent with the Standard Model expectation. New limits within the GMSB and the minimal Supergravity (mSUGRA) scenario as well as for several simplified supersymmetry models are set or extended.

Reproduction in Leishmania: A focus on genetic exchange.

Science.gov (United States)

Rougeron, V; De Meeûs, T; Bañuls, A-L

2017-06-01

One key process of the life cycle of pathogens is their mode of reproduction. Indeed, this fundamental biological process conditions the multiplication and the transmission of genes and thus the propagation of diseases in the environment. Reproductive strategies of protozoan parasites have been a subject of debate for many years, principally due to the difficulty in making direct observations of sexual reproduction (i.e. genetic recombination). Traditionally, these parasites were considered as characterized by a preeminent clonal structure. Nevertheless, with the development of elaborate culture experiments, population genetics and evolutionary and population genomics, several studies suggested that most of these pathogens were also characterized by constitutive genetic recombination events. In this opinion, we focused on Leishmania parasites, pathogens responsible of leishmaniases, a major public health issue. We first discuss the evolutionary advantages of a mixed mating reproductive strategy, then we review the evidence of genetic exchange, and finally we detail available tools to detect naturally occurring genetic recombination in Leishmania parasites and more generally in protozoan parasites. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Research on the NPP human factors engineering operating experience review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ren Xiangchen; Miao Hongxing; Ning Zhonghe

2006-01-01

This paper addresses the importance of the human factors engineering (HFE) for the design of nuclear power plant (NPP), especially for the design of human-machine interface in the NPP. It also summarizes the scope and content of the NPP HFE. The function, scope, content and process of the NPP human factors engineering operating experience review (OER) are mainly focused on, and significantly discussed. Finally, it briefly introduces the situation of the studies on the OER in China. (authors)

Development of a Checklist for Assessing Good Hygiene Practices of Fresh-Cut Fruits and Vegetables Using Focus Group Interviews.

Science.gov (United States)

Araújo, Jane A M; Esmerino, Erick A; Alvarenga, Verônica O; Cappato, Leandro P; Hora, Iracema C; Silva, Marcia Cristina; Freitas, Monica Q; Pimentel, Tatiana C; Walter, Eduardo H M; Sant'Ana, Anderson S; Cruz, Adriano G

2018-03-01

This study aimed to develop a checklist for good hygiene practices (GHP) for raw material of vegetable origin using the focus groups (FGs) approach (n = 4). The final checklist for commercialization of horticultural products totaled 28 questions divided into six blocks, namely: water supply; hygiene, health, and training; waste control; control of pests; packaging and traceability; and hygiene of facilities and equipment. The FG methodology was efficient to elaborate a participatory and objective checklist, based on minimum hygiene requirements, serving as a tool for diagnosis, planning, and training in GHP of fresh vegetables, besides contributing to raise awareness of the consumers' food safety. The FG methodology provided useful information to establish the final checklist for GHP, with easy application, according to the previous participants' perception and experience.

Constructive and Unproductive Processing of Traumatic Experiences in Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Youth

Science.gov (United States)

Hayes, Adele M.; Yasinski, Carly; Grasso, Damion; Ready, C. Beth; Alpert, Elizabeth; McCauley, Thomas; Webb, Charles; Deblinger, Esther

2016-01-01

Although there is substantial evidence to support the efficacy of cognitive-behavioral treatments (CBT) for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), there is some debate about how these treatments have their effects. Modern learning theory and cognitive and emotional processing theories highlight the importance of reducing avoidance, facilitating the constructive processing of feared experiences, and strengthening new inhibitory learning. We examined variables thought to be associated with unproductive and constructive processing of traumatic experiences in a sample of 81 youth with elevated PTSD symptoms, who received Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) for abuse or traumatic interpersonal loss. Sessions during the trauma narrative phase of TF-CBT were coded for indicators of unproductive processing (overgeneralization, rumination, avoidance) and constructive processing (decentering, accommodation of corrective information), as well as levels of negative emotion. In previous analyses of this trial (Ready et al., 2015), more overgeneralization during the narrative phase predicted less improvement in internalizing symptoms at posttreatment and a worsening of externalizing symptoms over the 12-month follow-up. In contrast, more accommodation predicted improvement in internalizing symptoms and also moderated the negative effects of overgeneralization on internalizing and externalizing symptoms. The current study examined correlates of overgeneralization and accommodation. Overgeneralization was associated with more rumination, less decentering, and more negative emotion, suggesting immersion in trauma-related material. Accommodation was associated with less avoidance and more decentering, suggesting a healthy distance from trauma-related material that might allow for processing and cognitive change. Decentering also predicted improvement in externalizing symptoms at posttreatment. Rumination and avoidance showed important associations with

Constructive and Unproductive Processing of Traumatic Experiences in Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy for Youth.

Science.gov (United States)

Hayes, Adele M; Yasinski, Carly; Grasso, Damion; Ready, C Beth; Alpert, Elizabeth; McCauley, Thomas; Webb, Charles; Deblinger, Esther

2017-03-01

Although there is substantial evidence to support the efficacy of cognitive-behavioral treatments (CBT) for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), there is some debate about how these treatments have their effects. Modern learning theory and cognitive and emotional processing theories highlight the importance of reducing avoidance, facilitating the constructive processing of feared experiences, and strengthening new inhibitory learning. We examined variables thought to be associated with unproductive and constructive processing of traumatic experiences in a sample of 81 youth with elevated PTSD symptoms, who received Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) for abuse or traumatic interpersonal loss. Sessions during the trauma narrative phase of TF-CBT were coded for indicators of unproductive processing (overgeneralization, rumination, avoidance) and constructive processing (decentering, accommodation of corrective information), as well as levels of negative emotion. In previous analyses of this trial (Ready et al., 2015), more overgeneralization during the narrative phase predicted less improvement in internalizing symptoms at posttreatment and a worsening of externalizing symptoms over the 12-month follow-up. In contrast, more accommodation predicted improvement in internalizing symptoms and also moderated the negative effects of overgeneralization on internalizing and externalizing symptoms. The current study examined correlates of overgeneralization and accommodation. Overgeneralization was associated with more rumination, less decentering, and more negative emotion, suggesting immersion in trauma-related material. Accommodation was associated with less avoidance and more decentering, suggesting a healthy distance from trauma-related material that might allow for processing and cognitive change. Decentering also predicted improvement in externalizing symptoms at posttreatment. Rumination and avoidance showed important associations with

STATUS OF THE INTERNATIONAL MUON IONIZATION COOLING EXPERIMENT(MICE)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zisman, Michael S.

2007-01-01

An international experiment to demonstrate muon ionization cooling is scheduled for beam at Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL) in 2007. The experiment comprises one cell of the Study II cooling channel [1], along with upstream and downstream detectors to identify individual muons and measure their initial and final 6D phase-space parameters to a precision of 0.1%. Magnetic design of the beam line and cooling channel are complete and portions are under construction. The experiment will be described, including cooling channel hardware designs, fabrication status, and running plans. Phase 1 of the experiment will prepare the beam line and provide detector systems, including time-of-flight, Cherenkov, scintillating-fiber trackers and their spectrometer solenoids, and an electromagnetic calorimeter. The Phase 2 system will add the cooling channel components, including liquid-hydrogen absorbers embedded in superconducting Focus Coil solenoids, 201-MHz normal-conducting RF cavities, and their surrounding Coupling Coil solenoids. The MICE Collaboration goal is to complete the experiment by 2010; progress toward this is discussed

The impact of integrated team care taught using a live NHS contract on the educational experience of final year dental students.

Science.gov (United States)

Radford, D R; Holmes, S; Woolford, M J; Dunne, S M

2014-11-01

To investigate the responses of the dental student body in the first three years of outreach education (2010-13) at the University of Portsmouth Dental Academy in the areas of integrated team work and use of a current NHS contact. Use of a questionnaire to allow both quantitative and qualitative data to be obtained, administered to the three cohorts of students at the end of their longitudinal attendance at the Academy in their final year of education at King's College London Dental Institute. Data were obtained from 227 students which represented a 95% return rate. Sixty-four percent of students strongly agreed with both statements: 'I am confident with working with a dental nurse' and 'I now understand properly the scope of practice of dental hygiene-therapists'. Sixty-seven percent strongly agreed with the statement 'I have had useful experience of working in NHS primary care during the final year'. Eighty percent either strongly agreed or agreed with the statement 'My experience of real Units of Dental Activity and Key Performance Indicators has encouraged me to positively consider NHS high street dentistry as a career option'. Within the limitations of this study the dental students reported having gained useful experience of working in integrated team care dentistry. They expressed strong support for the education that is being delivered in an outreach environment and, most importantly, the student body was looking forward to entering general dental practice in the UK.

Midwives' experiences of performing maternal observations and escalating concerns: a focus group study.

Science.gov (United States)

Jeffery, Justine; Hewison, Alistair; Goodwin, Laura; Kenyon, Sara

2017-09-02

For the past decade, Maternal Mortality Reports, published in the United Kingdom every three years, have consistently raised concerns about maternal observations in maternity care. The reports identify that observations are not being done, not being completed fully, are not recorded on Early Warning Score systems, and/or are not escalated appropriately. This has resulted in delays in referral, intervention and increases the risk of maternal morbidity or mortality. However there has been little exploration of the possible reasons for non-completion of maternal observations. The aim of this study was to explore midwives' experiences of performing maternal observations and escalating concerns in rural and urban maternity settings in the West Midlands of England. A qualitative design involving a series of six focus groups with midwives and Supervisors of Midwives was employed to investigate the facilitators of, and barriers to the completion of maternal observations. Eighteen Midwives and 8 Supervisors of Midwives participated in a total of 6 focus groups. Three key themes emerged from the data: (1) Organisation of Maternal Observations (including delegation of tasks to Midwifery Support Workers, variation in their training, the care model used e.g. one to one care, and staffing issues); (2) Prioritisation of Maternal Observations (including the role of professional judgement and concerns expressed by midwives that they did not feel equipped to care for women with complex clinical needs; and (3) Negotiated Escalation (including the inappropriate response from senior staff to use of Modified Early Warning Score systems, and the emotional impact of escalation). A number of organisational and cultural barriers exist to the completion of maternal observations and the escalation of concerns. In order to address these the following actions are recommended: standardised training for Midwifery Support Workers, review of training of midwives to ensure it addresses the

Instabilities in the plasma focus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaeppeler, H.J.

1975-03-01

The plasma focus was studied by many research teams in view of a possible approach to controlled thermonuclear fusion. Though it is questionable whether the plasma focus will ever lead to a fusion reactor, it nevertheless constitutes a strong source of neutron, X- and gamma radiation for simulating fusion reactor conditions. Furthermore, the plasma focus yields very high temperatures (10 7 K) and densities (> 10 19 cm -3 ) and thus provides interesting conditions for the study of high density plasmas. This review paper starts with a description of the compression stage of the focussing plasma, using a snow-plough model. It is shown that sophisticated MHD calculations substantiate the snowplough theory, but are not suited to describe the phenomena in the final compressed stage. For this purpose, a particle-in-cell calculation is employed, yielding a beam-beam collision model for the neutron production. Experimental evidence indicates that neutron production is associated with the appearence of m = O instabilities and is the direct result of collisions between anomalously accelerated ions. One of the mechanisms of ion acceleration are strong local electric fields. Another possible mechanism can bee seen in beam-plasma instabilities caused by runaway electrons. The analytical derivation of the dispersion relation for plasma focus conditions including runaway effect is discussed (orig.) [de

Focusing effects in laser-electron Thomson scattering

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Chris Harvey

2016-09-01

Full Text Available We study the effects of laser pulse focusing on the spectral properties of Thomson scattered radiation. Modeling the laser as a paraxial beam we find that, in all but the most extreme cases of focusing, the temporal envelope has a much bigger effect on the spectrum than the focusing itself. For the case of ultrashort pulses, where the paraxial model is no longer valid, we adopt a subcycle vector beam description of the field. It is found that the emission harmonics are blue shifted and broaden out in frequency space as the pulse becomes shorter. Additionally the carrier envelope phase becomes important, resulting in an angular asymmetry in the spectrum. We then use the same model to study the effects of focusing beyond the limit where the paraxial expansion is valid. It is found that fields focussed to subwavelength spot sizes produce spectra that are qualitatively similar to those from subcycle pulses due to the shortening of the pulse with focusing. Finally, we study high-intensity fields and find that, in general, the focusing makes negligible difference to the spectra in the regime of radiation reaction.

Efficient focusing of 8 keV X-rays with multilayer Fresnel zone plates fabricated by atomic layer deposition and focused ion beam milling

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mayer, Marcel; Keskinbora, Kahraman; Grévent, Corinne; Szeghalmi, Adriana; Knez, Mato; Weigand, Markus; Snigirev, Anatoly; Snigireva, Irina; Schütz, Gisela

2013-01-01

The fabrication and performance of multilayer Al 2 O 3 /Ta 2 O 5 Fresnel zone plates in the hard X-ray range and a discussion of possible future developments considering available materials are reported. Fresnel zone plates (FZPs) recently showed significant improvement by focusing soft X-rays down to ∼10 nm. In contrast to soft X-rays, generally a very high aspect ratio FZP is needed for efficient focusing of hard X-rays. Therefore, FZPs had limited success in the hard X-ray range owing to difficulties of manufacturing high-aspect-ratio zone plates using conventional techniques. Here, employing a method of fabrication based on atomic layer deposition (ALD) and focused ion beam (FIB) milling, FZPs with very high aspect ratios were prepared. Such multilayer FZPs with outermost zone widths of 10 and 35 nm and aspect ratios of up to 243 were tested for their focusing properties at 8 keV and shown to focus hard X-rays efficiently. This success was enabled by the outstanding layer quality thanks to ALD. Via the use of FIB for slicing the multilayer structures, desired aspect ratios could be obtained by precisely controlling the thickness. Experimental diffraction efficiencies of multilayer FZPs fabricated via this combination reached up to 15.58% at 8 keV. In addition, scanning transmission X-ray microscopy experiments at 1.5 keV were carried out using one of the multilayer FZPs and resolved a 60 nm feature size. Finally, the prospective of different material combinations with various outermost zone widths at 8 and 17 keV is discussed in the light of the coupled wave theory and the thin-grating approximation. Al 2 O 3 /Ir is outlined as a promising future material candidate for extremely high resolution with a theoretical efficiency of more than 20% for as small an outermost zone width as 10 nm at 17 keV

Nursing intervention to enhance acceptance of pregnancy in first-time mothers: focusing on the comfortable experiences of pregnant women.

Science.gov (United States)

Nakamura, Yasuka

2010-06-01

The purpose of the present study was to describe effective nursing care through evaluation of a nursing intervention that enhanced acceptance of pregnancy and focused on a comfortable experience for pregnant women. Thirty-two subjects who were expected to have a normal pregnancy were assigned into either the intervention or the control group. The nursing intervention consisted of the use of a pregnancy diary and four interviews, two of which were held in the first trimester, one in the second and one in the third trimester. The nursing care given was recorded in tapes and field notes. The data were analyzed using a qualitative content analysis method. As a result of analyzing the nursing care of 13 women pregnant for the first time who were provided with nursing intervention, the following seven categories of nursing care were extracted for the intervention: encouragement of women to record their experiences using a pregnancy diary; recognizing and acknowledging negative feelings; reducing the negative aspects of pregnancy and reframing; expression and reinforcement of positive feelings; clarification and reinforcement of positive meanings; awareness of own comfortable experiences; promotion of diverse comfortable aspects and continuation of comfortable experiences. The seven nursing care interventions were effective in increasing the comfortable experiences of pregnant women and enhancing a positive attitude towards pregnancy. Nursing intervention can aid in enhancing positivity and comfort in pregnant women. Furthermore, this nursing intervention can be applied to adolescents, socially disadvantaged pregnant women, and hospitalized women.

Diffractive dissociation into 3 pion final states at COMPASS

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chung, Suh-Urk [Technische Universitaet Muenchen, Physik Department E18, 85748 Garching (Germany); Brookhaven National Laboratory, Upton, NY 11973 (United States); Friedrich, Jan; Grabmueller, Stefanie; Haas, Florian; Ketzer, Bernhard; Neubert, Sebastian; Paul, Stephan; Weitzel, Quirin [Technische Universitaet Muenchen, Physik Department E18, 85748 Garching (Germany); Ryabchikov, Dimitry [Technische Universitaet Muenchen, Physik Department E18, 85748 Garching (Germany); Institute for High Energy Physics, 142284 Protvino (Russian Federation)

2009-07-01

Diffractive dissociation reactions at the COMPASS experiment, CERN, provide access to the meson resonance spectrum. During a pilot run in 2004, using a pion beam on a lead target, a competitive number of {pi}{sup -} {pi}{sup -} {pi}{sup +} final state events with masses below 2.5 GeV/c{sup 2} were recorded. After COMPASS had finished its muon program in 2007, it used in 2008 again a pion beam, but now a liquid hydrogen target, and gathered during several weeks a unique high statistics. A full partial wave analysis of the 2004 data has been performed, with the focus on the kinematic range of a large momentum transfer (0.1 GeV{sup 2}/c{sup 2} {<=} t' {<=} 1.0 GeV{sup 2}/c{sup 2}). In addition first results of the adjacent analysis with 2008 data are presented.

Reducing Current Spread using Current Focusing in Cochlear Implant Users

Science.gov (United States)

Landsberger, David M.; Padilla, Monica; Srinivasan, Arthi G.

2012-01-01

Cochlear implant performance in difficult listening situations is limited by channel interactions. It is known that partial tripolar (PTP) stimulation reduces the spread of excitation (SOE). However, the greater the degree of current focusing, the greater the absolute current required to maintain a fixed loudness. As current increases, so does SOE. In experiment 1, the SOE for equally loud stimuli with different degrees of current focusing is measured via a forward-masking procedure. Results suggest that at a fixed loudness, some but not all patients have a reduced SOE with PTP stimulation. Therefore, it seems likely that a PTP speech processing strategy could improve spectral resolution for only those patients with a reduced SOE. In experiment 2, the ability to discriminate different levels of current focusing was measured. In experiment 3, patients subjectively scaled verbal descriptors of stimuli of various levels of current focusing. Both discrimination and scaling of verbal descriptors correlated well with SOE reduction, suggesting that either technique have the potential to be used clinically to quickly predict which patients would receive benefit from a current focusing strategy. PMID:22230370

Self-focusing of whistler waves

Science.gov (United States)

Karpman, V. I.; Kaufman, R. N.; Shagalov, A. G.

1992-01-01

The theory of axially symmetric self-focusing of whistler waves, based on the full system of Maxwell equations, is developed. The plasma is described by the magnetohydrodynamic equations including the ponderomotive force from RF field. The nonlinear Schrodinger equations (NSE) for arbitrary azimuthal modes of whistler waves are derived. It is shown that they differ from the NSE for a scalar field; this is connected with an intrinsic angular momentum due to the rotating polarization of whistlers. It is shown that the self-focusing, as described by the NSE, differs in its final stage from the results following the full set of Maxwell equations. The latter gives defocusing after sufficient narrowing of the initial wave beam, due to transformation of the trapped wave into a nontrapped branch which is not contained in the NSE description. The oscillatory character of the defocusing is demonstrated.

Stay Focused! The Effects of Internal and External Focus of Attention on Movement Automaticity in Patients with Stroke

Science.gov (United States)

Kal, E. C.; van der Kamp, J.; Houdijk, H.; Groet, E.; van Bennekom, C. A. M.; Scherder, E. J. A.

2015-01-01

Dual-task performance is often impaired after stroke. This may be resolved by enhancing patients’ automaticity of movement. This study sets out to test the constrained action hypothesis, which holds that automaticity of movement is enhanced by triggering an external focus (on movement effects), rather than an internal focus (on movement execution). Thirty-nine individuals with chronic, unilateral stroke performed a one-leg-stepping task with both legs in single- and dual-task conditions. Attentional focus was manipulated with instructions. Motor performance (movement speed), movement automaticity (fluency of movement), and dual-task performance (dual-task costs) were assessed. The effects of focus on movement speed, single- and dual-task movement fluency, and dual-task costs were analysed with generalized estimating equations. Results showed that, overall, single-task performance was unaffected by focus (p = .341). Regarding movement fluency, no main effects of focus were found in single- or dual-task conditions (p’s ≥ .13). However, focus by leg interactions suggested that an external focus reduced movement fluency of the paretic leg compared to an internal focus (single-task conditions: p = .068; dual-task conditions: p = .084). An external focus also tended to result in inferior dual-task performance (β = -2.38, p = .065). Finally, a near-significant interaction (β = 2.36, p = .055) suggested that dual-task performance was more constrained by patients’ attentional capacity in external focus conditions. We conclude that, compared to an internal focus, an external focus did not result in more automated movements in chronic stroke patients. Contrary to expectations, trends were found for enhanced automaticity with an internal focus. These findings might be due to patients’ strong preference to use an internal focus in daily life. Future work needs to establish the more permanent effects of learning with different attentional foci on re-automating motor

Stay Focused! The Effects of Internal and External Focus of Attention on Movement Automaticity in Patients with Stroke.

Science.gov (United States)

Kal, E C; van der Kamp, J; Houdijk, H; Groet, E; van Bennekom, C A M; Scherder, E J A

2015-01-01

Dual-task performance is often impaired after stroke. This may be resolved by enhancing patients' automaticity of movement. This study sets out to test the constrained action hypothesis, which holds that automaticity of movement is enhanced by triggering an external focus (on movement effects), rather than an internal focus (on movement execution). Thirty-nine individuals with chronic, unilateral stroke performed a one-leg-stepping task with both legs in single- and dual-task conditions. Attentional focus was manipulated with instructions. Motor performance (movement speed), movement automaticity (fluency of movement), and dual-task performance (dual-task costs) were assessed. The effects of focus on movement speed, single- and dual-task movement fluency, and dual-task costs were analysed with generalized estimating equations. Results showed that, overall, single-task performance was unaffected by focus (p = .341). Regarding movement fluency, no main effects of focus were found in single- or dual-task conditions (p's ≥ .13). However, focus by leg interactions suggested that an external focus reduced movement fluency of the paretic leg compared to an internal focus (single-task conditions: p = .068; dual-task conditions: p = .084). An external focus also tended to result in inferior dual-task performance (β = -2.38, p = .065). Finally, a near-significant interaction (β = 2.36, p = .055) suggested that dual-task performance was more constrained by patients' attentional capacity in external focus conditions. We conclude that, compared to an internal focus, an external focus did not result in more automated movements in chronic stroke patients. Contrary to expectations, trends were found for enhanced automaticity with an internal focus. These findings might be due to patients' strong preference to use an internal focus in daily life. Future work needs to establish the more permanent effects of learning with different attentional foci on re-automating motor control

Personal Pervasive Environments: Practice and Experience

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Enrique Soriano

2012-05-01

Full Text Available In this paper we present our experience designing and developing two different systems to enable personal pervasive computing environments, Plan B and the Octopus. These systems were fully implemented and have been used on a daily basis for years. Both are based on synthetic (virtual file system interfaces and provide mechanisms to adapt to changes in the context and reconfigure the system to support pervasive applications. We also present the main differences between them, focusing on architectural and reconfiguration aspects. Finally, we analyze the pitfalls and successes of both systems and review the lessons we learned while designing, developing, and using them.

Generation and focusing of high energy, 35-kA electron beams for pulsed-diode radiographic machines: Theory and experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Carlson, R.L.; George, M.J.; Hughes, T.P.; Welch, D.R.

1993-01-01

Cathode ball and anode planar-foil geometries used to generate self-focused beams onto x-ray conversion targets via beam-induced ionization in gas cells have been investigated since the early 1970's by J. C. Martin et al at Aldermaston, U.K. The building of a succession of increasingly higher voltage, pulsed-diode machines tailored for flash x radiography has resulted. Given sufficient dose to penetrate an object, the spot size of the x-ray source generally determines the resolution of a radiograph. Reported are particle-in-cell code simulations applied to beam generation in the A-K gap and the self-focusing onto the target. A Monte Carlo code for neutron, photon, and electron transport converts the beam particles at the target to photons with transport to a film plane used to calculate the spot size. Comparisons are made to experiments using the Ector (3.5--4 MeV) and PIXY (4--8 MeV) pulsed-diode radiographic machines at Los Alamos

Measurements of fast electron beams and soft X-ray emission from plasma-focus experiments

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Surała Władysław

2016-06-01

Full Text Available The paper reports results of the recent experimental studies of pulsed electron beams and soft X-rays in plasma-focus (PF experiments carried out within a modified PF-360U facility at the NCBJ, Poland. Particular attention was focused on time-resolved measurements of the fast electron beams by means of two different magnetic analyzers, which could record electrons of energy ranging from about 41 keV to about 715 keV in several (6 or 8 measuring channels. For discharges performed with the pure deuterium filling, many strong electron signals were recorded in all the measuring channels. Those signals were well correlated with the first hard X-ray pulse detected by an external scintillation neutron-counter. In some of the analyzer channels, electron spikes (lasting about dozens of nanoseconds and appearing in different instants after the current peculiarity (so-called current dip were also recorded. For several discharges, fast ion beams, which were emitted along the z-axis and recorded with nuclear track detectors, were also investigated. Those measurements confirmed a multibeam character of the ion emission. The time-integrated soft X-ray images, which were taken side-on by means of a pinhole camera and sensitive X-ray films, showed the appearance of some filamentary structures and so-called hot spots. The application of small amounts of admixtures of different heavy noble gases, i.e. of argon (4.8% volumetric, krypton (1.6% volumetric, or xenon (0.8% volumetric, decreased intensity of the recorded electron beams, but increased intensity of the soft X-ray emission and showed more distinct and numerous hot spots. The recorded electron spikes have been explained as signals produced by quasi-mono-energetic microbeams emitted from tiny sources (probably plasma diodes, which can be formed near the observed hot spots.

Experimenting clinical pathways in general practice: a focus group investigation with Italian general practitioners

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Lucia Zannini

2012-07-01

Full Text Available Background. Clinical governance is considered crucial in primary care. Since 2005, clinical pathways have been experimentally implemented at the Local Health Authority of Monza Brianza (ASLMB, Italy, to develop general practitioners’ (GPs care of patients affected by some chronic diseases. The experimentation was aimed at introducing clinical governance in primary care, increasing GPs’ involvement in the care of their patients, and improving both patients’ and professionals’ satisfaction. In the period 2005-2006, 12% of the 763 employed GPs in the ASLMB were involved in the experiment, while this percentage increased to 15-20% in 2007-2008. Design and Methods. Twenty-four GPs were purposively sampled, randomly divided into two groups and asked to participate in focus groups (FGs held in 2008, aimed at evaluating their perception of the experiment. The FGs were audio-recorded, dialogues were typed out and undergone to a thematic analysis, according to the Interpretative Phenomenological Approach. Results. Four major themes emerged: i clinical pathways can result in GPs working in a more efficient and effective fashion; ii they can assure higher levels of both patient and professional satisfaction, since they sustain a caring approach and strengthen the GPs’ role; iii nevertheless, clinical pathways increase the bureaucratic workload and problems can arise in relationships among GPs and the LHA; iv the implementation of clinical pathways can be improved, especially by reducing bureaucracy and by assuring their continuity. Conclusions. Managerial aspects should be considered with care in order to experimentally introduce clinical pathways in general practice, and continuity of the experimentation should be guaranteed to improve GPs’ adherence and commitment.

PREFACE: Focus section on Hadronic Physics

Science.gov (United States)

Roberts, Craig; Swanson, Eric

2007-07-01

illustrates how the structure of the nucleon is revealed. Reimer reviews how the Drell--Yan process can be used to explore the sea quark structure of nucleons, thereby probing such phenomena as flavour asymmetry in the nucleon and nuclear medium modification of nucleon properties. The exploitation of the B factories has led to a resurgence of interest in heavy quark spectroscopy. Concurrently, interest in light quark spectroscopy and gluonic excitations remains high, with several new experimental efforts in the planning or building stages. The current status of all of this is reviewed by Rosner. Finally, Vogelsang summarizes the status of polarized deep inelastic lepton-nucleon scattering experiments at RHIC and their impact on the theoretical understanding of nucleon helicity structure, gluon polarization in the nucleus, and transverse spin asymmetries. Of course, hadronic physics is a much broader subject than can be conveyed in this special focus section; advances in effective field theory, lattice gauge theory, generalised parton distributions and many other subfields are not covered here. Nevertheless, we hope that this focus section will help the reader appreciate the vitality, breadth of endeavour, and the phenomenological richness of hadronic physics.

Line broadening by focusing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brito, A.L. de; Jabs, A.

1983-01-01

It is pointed out that the spectral width of a quasi-monochromatic light beam broadens when the beam is focused. A quantitative formula for this broadening is derived from classical wave theory. The effect is shown to explain some experiments on laser beams done by E. Panarella which that author has explained under the ad-hoc hypothesis that the frequency of the photons changes along with the intensity of the light beam. The line broadening by focusing might also contribute to gas ionization by incident light when the ionization potential is well above the mean photon energy. Some remarks are made on some direct applications of the Heisenberg relations in comparison with our treatment. (Author) [pt

The use of focused ethnography in nursing research.

Science.gov (United States)

Cruz, Edward Venzon; Higginbottom, Gina

2013-03-01

To provide an overview of the relevance and strengths of focused ethnography in nursing research. The paper provides descriptions of focused ethnography and discusses using exemplars to show how focused ethnographies can enhance and understand nursing practice. Orthodox ethnographic approaches may not always be suitable or desirable for research in diverse nursing contexts. Focused ethnography has emerged as a promising method for applying ethnography to a distinct issue or shared experience in cultures or sub-cultures and in specific settings, rather than throughout entire communities. Unfortunately, there is limited guidance on using focused ethnography, particularly as applied to nursing research. Research studies performed by nurses using focused ethnography are summarised to show how they fulfilled three main purposes of the genre in nursing research. Additional citations are provided to help demonstrate the versatility of focused ethnography in exploring distinct problems in a specific context in different populations and groups of people. The unique role that nurses play in health care, coupled with their skills in enquiry, can contribute to the further development of the discipline. Focused ethnography offers an opportunity to gain a better understanding and appreciation of nursing as a profession, and the role it plays in society. Focused ethnography has emerged as a relevant research methodology that can be used by nurse researchers to understand specific societal issues that affect different facets of nursing practice. As nurse researchers endeavour to understand experiences in light of their health and life situations, focused ethnography enables them to understand the interrelationship between people and their environments in the society in which they live.

SIAM Workshop: Focus on Diversity 2001

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

None

2001-01-01

The Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) held a workshop focused on underrepresented minorities--graduate and undergraduate students, postdocs, and recent Ph.D's--in the mathematical and computational sciences on July 11, 2001, as part of the SIAM Annual Meeting in San Diego, California. The workshop was intended to accomplish several goals: (1) to a provide workshop focused on careers for and retention of minority students in the mathematical and computational sciences; (2) to bring together a mixture of people from different levels of professional experience, ranging from undergraduate students to senior scientists in an informal setting in order to share career experiences and options; (3) to provide an opportunity for minority graduate students, postdocs, and recent Ph.D's to present their research at an international meeting; (4) to expose undergraduate students to the many professional opportunities resulting from graduate degrees in science and mathematics; and (5) to encourage undergraduate and graduate students to speak frankly with each other about personal issues and experiences associated with pursuing a scientific career.

Self-focusing of laser beam crossing a laser plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bakos, J.S.; Foeldes, I.B.; Ignacz, P.N.; Soerlei, Zs.

1983-03-01

A crossed-beam experiment was performed to clarify the mechanism of self-focusing in a laser produced spark. The plasma was created by one beam and self-focusing was observed in the weak probe beam which crossed the plasma. Experimental results show that the cause of self-focusing is the nonuniform heating mechanism. (author)

Adaptive Focusing For Ultrasonic Transcranial Brain Therapy: First In Vivo Investigation On 22 Sheep

Science.gov (United States)

Pernot, Mathieu; Aubry, Jean-François; Tanter, Mickael; Boch, Anne Laure; Kujas, Michelle; Fink, Mathias

2005-03-01

A high power prototype dedicated to trans-skull therapy has been tested in vivo on 22 sheep. The array is made of 300 high power transducers working at 1MHz central frequency and is able to achieve 400 bars at focus in water during five seconds with a 50% percent duty cycle. In the first series of experiments, 10 sheep were treated and sacrificed immediately after treatment. A complete craniotomy was performed on half of the treated animal models in order to get a reference model. On the other half, minimally invasive surgery has been performed: a hydrophone was inserted at a given target location inside the brain through a craniotomy of a few mm2. A time reversal experiment was then conducted through the skull bone with the therapeutic array to treat the targeted point. Thanks to the high power technology of the prototype, trans-skull adaptive treatment could be achieved. In a second series of experiments, 12 animals were divided into three groups and sacrificed respectively one, two or three weeks after treatment. Finally, Magnetic Resonance Imaging and histological examination were performed to confirm tissue damage.

MORAL ECONOMY AND FOREST CERTIFICATION - SYSTEMATIC REVIEW OF THE FINAL CONSUMER PERCEPTION

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gustavo Leonardo Simão

2016-08-01

Full Text Available The paper aims to analyze the perception of the final consumer in relation to forest certification. The research was performed through a systematic analysis by integrative contextualista approach, where were identified information on the recognition of the final consumer in relation to forest certification process in seven different countries. The results showed that only a small fraction in the consumer market is aware of the certification process in the forestry sector even in the economically developed regions. The findings show that one of the possible reasons for the increase of production of forest certified products in the last years is less by a requirement of final consumer and more for to a source of the product warranty along to intermediate actors in the forest value chain. There is also the possibility of requirements of forest certification made by intermediaries agents, in forest supply chain, figure as non-tariff barrier. Moreover, the focus of marketing activities for better efficiency should focus its activities not only in the final consumer, should also focus attention on to intermediaries agents.

A new electrophoretic focusing principle: focusing of nonamphoteric weak ionogenic analytes using inverse electromigration dispersion profiles.

Science.gov (United States)

Gebauer, Petr; Malá, Zdena; Bocek, Petr

2010-03-01

This contribution introduces a new separation principle in CE which offers focusing of weak nonamphoteric ionogenic species and their inherent transport to the detector. The prerequisite condition for application of this principle is the existence of an inverse electromigration dispersion profile, i.e. a profile where pH is decreasing toward the anode or cathode for focusing of anionic or cationic weak analytes, respectively. The theory presented defines the principal conditions under which an analyte is focused on a profile of this type. Since electromigration dispersion profiles are migrating ones, the new principle offers inherent transport of focused analytes into the detection cell. The focusing principle described utilizes a mechanism different from both CZE (where separation is based on the difference in mobilities) and IEF (where separation is based on difference in pI), and hence, offers another separation dimension in CE. The new principle and its theory presented here are supplemented by convincing experiments as their proof.

Five focus strategies to organize health care delivery.

Science.gov (United States)

Peltokorpi, Antti; Linna, Miika; Malmström, Tomi; Torkki, Paulus; Lillrank, Paul Martin

2016-01-01

The focused factory is one of the concepts that decision-makers have adopted for improving health care delivery. However, disorganized definitions of focus have led to findings that cannot be utilized systematically. The purpose of this paper is to discuss strategic options to focus health care operations. First the literature on focus in health care is reviewed revealing conceptual challenges. Second, a definition of focus in terms of demand and requisite variety is defined, and the mechanisms of focus are explicated. A classification of five focus strategies that follow the original idea to reduce variety in products and markets is presented. Finally, the paper examines managerial possibilities linked to the focus strategies. The paper proposes a framework of five customer-oriented focus strategies which aim at reducing variety in different characteristics of care pathways: population; urgency and severity; illnesses and symptoms; care practices and processes; and care outcomes. Empirical research is needed to evaluate the costs and benefits of the five strategies and about system-level effects of focused units on competition and coordination. Focus is an enabling condition that needs to be exploited using specific demand and supply management practices. It is essential to understand how focus mechanisms differ between strategies, and to select focus that fits with organization's strategy and key performance indicators. Compared to previous more resource-oriented approaches, this study provides theoretically solid and practically relevant customer-oriented framework for focusing in health care.

Searches for heavy resonances in all-jet final states with top quarks using jet substructure techniques with the CMS experiment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Usai, Emanuele

2017-12-15

While the Standard Model is very successful in describing subnuclear phenomena, it is not a complete theory of particle physics. Several new theories have been developed to address its issues. Many extensions of the Standard Model predict the existence of high-mass resonances. In some cases these resonances have an enhanced coupling to third generation quarks or to a hypothetical new generation of heavy non-chiral quarks. This thesis describes two searches for new phenomena compatible with these theories, in particular a search is presented for resonant top-antitop production, and the first search for heavy resonances decaying to a top quark and a heavy top quark partner T is shown. The searches target the all-jets decay channels and use data collected by the CMS Experiment at the CERN LHC between 2012 and 2015 at a center-of-mass energy of 8 TeV and 13 TeV. Due to the high mass of the resonances considered, the final state particles have a high Lorentz-boost. To reconstruct the hadronic decay of the top quarks and W bosons, jet substructure techniques such as top quark and W boson tagging algorithms, and boosted b jet identification are employed. These algorithms are studied with a particular focus on their validation and performance assessment. No signs of physics beyond the Standard Model are observed, but stringent limits are placed on the production of heavy resonances decaying to top-antitop quark pairs or a top quark and a heavy T quark.

Searches for heavy resonances in all-jet final states with top quarks using jet substructure techniques with the CMS experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Usai, Emanuele

2017-12-01

While the Standard Model is very successful in describing subnuclear phenomena, it is not a complete theory of particle physics. Several new theories have been developed to address its issues. Many extensions of the Standard Model predict the existence of high-mass resonances. In some cases these resonances have an enhanced coupling to third generation quarks or to a hypothetical new generation of heavy non-chiral quarks. This thesis describes two searches for new phenomena compatible with these theories, in particular a search is presented for resonant top-antitop production, and the first search for heavy resonances decaying to a top quark and a heavy top quark partner T is shown. The searches target the all-jets decay channels and use data collected by the CMS Experiment at the CERN LHC between 2012 and 2015 at a center-of-mass energy of 8 TeV and 13 TeV. Due to the high mass of the resonances considered, the final state particles have a high Lorentz-boost. To reconstruct the hadronic decay of the top quarks and W bosons, jet substructure techniques such as top quark and W boson tagging algorithms, and boosted b jet identification are employed. These algorithms are studied with a particular focus on their validation and performance assessment. No signs of physics beyond the Standard Model are observed, but stringent limits are placed on the production of heavy resonances decaying to top-antitop quark pairs or a top quark and a heavy T quark.

Dental hygiene student experiences in external placements in Australia.

Science.gov (United States)

Taylor, Jane A; Hayes, Melanie J; Wallace, Linda

2012-05-01

While placements in external locations are being increasingly used in dental education globally, few studies have explored the student learning experience at such placements. The purpose of this study was to investigate student experiences while on external placement in a baccalaureate dental hygiene program. A self-reporting questionnaire was distributed to final-year dental hygiene students (n=77) at the University of Newcastle, Australia, in 2010. The questionnaire included questions regarding the type of placement, experiences offered, supervision, resources available, and lasting impressions. Responding students were generally positive about their external placement experience and indicated that the majority of facilities provided them with the opportunity to provide direct patient care and perform clinical tasks typical of a practicing hygienist. However, there was a statistically significant difference in their opinions about discipline-focused and community placements. Students indicated that their external placement experience provided opportunities to learn more about time and patient management, including hands-on experience with specific clinical tasks. Ongoing evaluations are necessary to ensure that external placements meet both student needs and intended learning outcomes within dental hygiene programs.

Use of Flow Focusing Technique for Microencapsulation of Myoblasts.

Science.gov (United States)

Ciriza, J; Saenz del Burgo, L; Hernández, R M; Orive, G; Pedraz, J L

2017-01-01

Alginate cell microencapsulation implies the immobilization of cells within a polymeric membrane that allows the bidirectional diffusion of nutrients and oxygen inside the microcapsules and the release of waste and therapeutic molecules outside them. This technology has been applied to several cell types and it has been extensively described with pancreatic islets. However, other cells such as myoblasts are being currently studied and showing high interest. Moreover, different systems and approaches have been developed for cell encapsulation such as electrostatic extrusion and Flow focusing technology. When Flow focusing technology is applied for myoblast encapsulation, several factors should be considered, such as the pressure, the flow of the system, or the diameter size of the nebulizer, which will determine the final diameter size and shape of the microcapsules containing the myoblasts. Finally, viability of encapsulated myoblasts needs to be assessed before further studies are performed.

A Comparison of Maternal and Paternal Experiences of Becoming Parents of a Very Preterm Infant.

Science.gov (United States)

Provenzi, Livio; Barello, Serena; Fumagalli, Monica; Graffigna, Guendalina; Sirgiovanni, Ida; Savarese, Mariarosaria; Montirosso, Rosario

2016-01-01

To compare maternal and paternal experiences of very preterm (VPT) birth (gestational age < 32 weeks) and the NICU stay. Qualitative study. Data collection took place at parents' homes 3 to 6 months after NICU discharge. Ten parental couples participated in the study (20 parents). All VPT infants were healthy, without any neonatal or postnatal complications or injuries. Computer-assisted content analysis was used to highlight thematic clusters from parents' narratives, which were labeled through qualitative interpretation. Two main dimensions (Adjustment Process to Preterm Birth and Parental Role Assumption) and three main thematic clusters (Facing the Unexpected, Learning to Parent, and Finally Back Home) described the parental experience. Mothers focused mostly on the Finally Back Home cluster, which was characterized by moderate levels of adjustment to preterm birth and by awareness of their own maternal roles. Fathers focused mostly on the Learning to Parent cluster, which was characterized by low to moderate levels of adjustment to preterm birth and by a limited assumption of paternal role. To our knowledge, this study is unique in that we compared mothers and fathers who experienced the VPT births of their infants and described their experiences of the NICU stay. We found that the VPT birth experience for parents involves a dynamic adjustment. Differences in maternal and paternal experiences may indicate the need for tailored supportive interventions in the NICU. Copyright © 2016 AWHONN, the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Auto-focusing accelerating hyper-geometric laser beams

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kovalev, A A; Kotlyar, V V; Porfirev, A P

2016-01-01

We derive a new solution to the paraxial wave equation that defines a two-parameter family of three-dimensional structurally stable vortex annular auto-focusing hyper-geometric (AH) beams, with their complex amplitude expressed via a degenerate hyper-geometric function. The AH beams are found to carry an orbital angular momentum and be auto-focusing, propagating on an accelerating path toward a focus, where the annular intensity pattern is ‘sharply’ reduced in diameter. An explicit expression for the complex amplitude of vortex annular auto-focusing hyper-geometric-Gaussian beams is derived. The experiment has been shown to be in good agreement with theory. (paper)

Optics Designs of Final-Focus Systems for Future LHC Upgrades

CERN Document Server

Abelleira, J L; Zimmermann, Frank; Rivkin, Leonid

2014-01-01

The main topic of the thesis is the study of a novel option for the high-luminosity upgrade of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) comprising a large Piwinski angle, flat beams, and crab waists. Flat beams and crab waists are not only pre-requisites for a crab-waist scheme, but, even by themselves; each of these two elements alone could boost the luminosity of the existing collider as built. The new optics involves an upgrade of the interaction region of the two high-luminosity experiments, ATLAS and CMS, in order to provide them with a substantially higher luminosity. To this end, a flat-beam optics scenario has been explored for the High Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC), with a much reduced vertical beta function at the interaction point (IP), $\\beta_y^*$. In addition, a large Piwinski angle is considered. Advantages of a large Piwinski angle include a reduction in the hourglass effect over the length of the collision area, which allows for the significant $\\beta_y^*$ decrease. In addition there is a reduction of the be...

Development of FOCUS-GC: Framework for Outcomes of Clinical Communication Services in Genetic Counseling.

Science.gov (United States)

Cragun, Deborah; Zierhut, Heather

2018-02-01

Conceptual frameworks bring together existing theories and models in order to identify, consolidate, and fill in gaps between theory, practice, and evidence. Given the vast number of possible outcomes that could be studied in genetic counseling, a framework for organizing outcomes and postulating relationships between communication services and genetic counseling outcomes was sought. Through an iterative approach involving literature review, thematic analysis, and consolidation, outcomes and processes were categorized to create and define components of a conceptual framework. The final product, "Framework for Outcomes of Clinical commUnication Services" (FOCUS) contains the following domains: communication strategy; communication process measures; patient care experience, patient changes, patient health; and family changes. A website was created to allow easier access and ongoing modifications to the framework. In addition, a step-by-step guide and two examples were created to show flexibility in how the framework can be used. FOCUS may help in conceptualizing, organizing and summarizing outcomes research related to risk communication and counseling in genetic service delivery as well as other healthcare settings.

Fladis field experiments. Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Nielsen, M.; Ott, S.

1996-06-01

The objective of the Fladis field experiments was to investigate dispersion of liquefied ammonia with equal attention to the near-source aerosol jet, the intermediate heavy gas dispersion phase, and the downstream transition to passive dispersion. The present report presents the sensor layout and gives an overview of the available experimental data. This is done for observations in a fixed frame of reference and relative to the instantaneous plume centre line. The moving frame statistics are expected to compare better with wind tunnel simulations and numerical models which do not include plume meandering. The plume mass flux is estimated from the observed plume profiles and compared to the release rate. Average surface concentrations are found with a special interpolation method, and this is used to study how the averaging period affects the plume footprint. The instantaneous plume is non-Gaussian, and this is demonstrated by Lidar measurements in the far field and thermocouple measurements in the near-source jet. Probability functions and a spatial correlation for the concentration are found. The heat budget of the plume shows signs of heat flux from the ground. The composition of the liquid aerosols was observed to change from almost pure ammonia to almost pure water. A new two-dimensional `shallow layer` type model SLAM is developed, and an existing `box` type model for heavy-gas dispersion on a uniform terrain is generalized. (au) 3 tabs., 19 ills., 29 refs.

Using Focus Groups to Study Consumer Understanding and Experiences with Tamper-Evident Packaging Devices

Science.gov (United States)

Pascall, Melvin A.; Lee, Ken; Fraser, Angela; Halim, Linna

2009-01-01

A focus group with an educational component was used to help initiate a new research hypothesis. Early-stage development of a new tamper-evident invention was improved with input from a consumer focus group. The focus group comprised consumers who were shown several tamper-evident devices, including a new color-changing cap under active…

High efficiency focus neutron generator

Science.gov (United States)

Sadeghi, H.; Amrollahi, R.; Zare, M.; Fazelpour, S.

2017-12-01

In the present paper, the new idea to increase the neutron yield of plasma focus devices is investigated and the results are presented. Based on many studies, more than 90% of neutrons in plasma focus devices were produced by beam target interactions and only 10% of them were due to thermonuclear reactions. While propounding the new idea, the number of collisions between deuteron ions and deuterium gas atoms were increased remarkably well. The COMSOL Multiphysics 5.2 was used to study the given idea in the known 28 plasma focus devices. In this circumstance, the neutron yield of this system was also obtained and reported. Finally, it was found that in the ENEA device with 1 Hz working frequency, 1.1 × 109 and 1.1 × 1011 neutrons per second were produced by D-D and D-T reactions, respectively. In addition, in the NX2 device with 16 Hz working frequency, 1.34 × 1010 and 1.34 × 1012 neutrons per second were produced by D-D and D-T reactions, respectively. The results show that with regards to the sizes and energy of these devices, they can be used as the efficient neutron generators.

FOCUS-GROUP AND ITS IMPACT IN THE QUESTIONNAIRE OF MARKETING RESEARCH ON THE ROMANIAN CAR MARKET

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

MANEA Constantin

2010-12-01

Full Text Available Designing a questionnaire is the most profound activity which makes an impact on a research in marketing. The investigation instrument finally determines the quality of this type of research. Never will a market research be able to exceed its questionnaire in point of quality. The present contribution succinctly itemizes a research project for the Romanian car market, emphasizing the importance of focus group, and appends, at the end, the concrete result, applied to the Romanian car market. The first part describes the hypotheses and sets out the objectives of the research, focusing on the market leader, i.e. Automobile Dacia Renault. The second section describes the practical process of designing the questionnaire, with a special stress laid on the impact of focus-group in the final version. The synthesis of focus group is materialized through a number of final remarks on the manner of concretely writing the questionnaire, which was put to practical use on the Romanian car market.

Final technical report

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Juhl, Thomas Winther; Nielsen, Jakob Skov

gas jet chamber and laser beam path from the final focusing mirror. The project consists of three phases: Phase 1: Fundamental studies of cutting front mechanisms, beam propagation, nozzle design and chemical reactions in the cut kerf with special emphasize on high laser powers and thick sections...... cutting nozzle which can be adjusted independently to the laser beam has been developed. The position of the focus relative the workpiece can be adjusted to cutting applications with relatively large processing windows, i.e. both mild and stainless steels, and of a broad thickness range. A build-in auto......This project entails research with the goal to extend laser cutting of steel based metals to thickness above 20 mm and laser powers in the 10 kW range, with adequate accuracy and economically viable cutting speeds. The technical approach is to develop mirror based cutting heads with truly coaxial...

Blended learning experience in teacher education: the trainees´ perspective

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Monika Černá

2009-03-01

Full Text Available The article deals with blended learning in the context of pre-graduate English language teacher education. Firstly, the concept of blended learning is defined, then, the attention is focused on the online component of a blend, namely on the issue of interpersonal interaction including the challenges, which learning through online networking poses. Finally, results of a small–scale research are provided to offer insights into teacher trainees´ perspective of the blended learning experience at the University of Pardubice, Czech Republic.

Corrective emotional experience in an integrative affect-focused therapy: Building a preliminary model using task analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Nakamura, Kaori; Iwakabe, Shigeru

2018-03-01

The present study constructed a preliminary process model of corrective emotional experience (CEE) in an integrative affect-focused therapy. Task analysis was used to analyse 6 in-session events taken from 6 Japanese clients who worked with an integrative affect-focused therapist. The 6 events included 3 successful CEEs and 3 partially successful CEEs for comparison. A rational-empirical model of CEE was generated, which consisted of two parallel client change processes, intrapersonal change and interpersonal change, and the therapist interventions corresponding to each process. Therapist experiential interventions and therapist affirmation facilitated both intrapersonal and interpersonal change processes, whereas his relational interventions were associated with the interpersonal change process. The partially successful CEEs were differentiated by the absence of the component of core painful emotions or negative beliefs in intrapersonal change process, which seemed crucial for the interpersonal change process to develop. CEE is best represented by a preliminary model that depicts two parallel yet interacting change processes. Intrapersonal change process is similar to the sequence of change described by the emotional processing model (Pascual-Leone & Greenberg, ), whereas interpersonal change process is a unique contribution of this study. Interpersonal change process was facilitated when the therapist's active stance and use of immediacy responses to make their relational process explicit allowed a shared exploration. Therapist affirmation bridged intrapersonal change to interpersonal change by promoting an adaptive sense of self in clients and forging a deeper emotional connection between the two. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A Scaled Beam-Combining Experiment for Heavy Ion Inertial Fusion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Celata, C.M.; Chupp, W.W.; Faltens, A.; Fawley, W.M.; Ghiorso, W.; Hahn, K.; Henestroza, E.; MacLaren, S.; Peters, C.; Seidl, P.

1997-01-01

Transverse beam combining is a cost-saving option employed in many designs for induction linac heavy ion fusion drivers. The resultant transverse emittance increase, due predominantly to enharmonic space charge forces, must be kept minimal so that the beam remains focusable at the target. A prototype combining experiment has been built and preliminary results are presented. Four sources each produce up to 4.8 mA Cs+ beams at 160 keV. Focusing upstream of the merge consists of four quadruples and a final combined-function element (quadruple ampersand dipole). All lattice elements of the prototype are electrostatic. Due to the small distance between beams near the merge (-3-4 mm), the electrodes here are a cage of small rods, each at different voltage

Finally making sense of the double-slit experiment.

Science.gov (United States)

Aharonov, Yakir; Cohen, Eliahu; Colombo, Fabrizio; Landsberger, Tomer; Sabadini, Irene; Struppa, Daniele C; Tollaksen, Jeff

2017-06-20

Feynman stated that the double-slit experiment "…has in it the heart of quantum mechanics. In reality, it contains the only mystery" and that "nobody can give you a deeper explanation of this phenomenon than I have given; that is, a description of it" [Feynman R, Leighton R, Sands M (1965) The Feynman Lectures on Physics ]. We rise to the challenge with an alternative to the wave function-centered interpretations: instead of a quantum wave passing through both slits, we have a localized particle with nonlocal interactions with the other slit. Key to this explanation is dynamical nonlocality, which naturally appears in the Heisenberg picture as nonlocal equations of motion. This insight led us to develop an approach to quantum mechanics which relies on pre- and postselection, weak measurements, deterministic, and modular variables. We consider those properties of a single particle that are deterministic to be primal. The Heisenberg picture allows us to specify the most complete enumeration of such deterministic properties in contrast to the Schrödinger wave function, which remains an ensemble property. We exercise this approach by analyzing a version of the double-slit experiment augmented with postselection, showing that only it and not the wave function approach can be accommodated within a time-symmetric interpretation, where interference appears even when the particle is localized. Although the Heisenberg and Schrödinger pictures are equivalent formulations, nevertheless, the framework presented here has led to insights, intuitions, and experiments that were missed from the old perspective.

Scaled beam merging experiment for heavy ion inertial fusion

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

P. A. Seidl

2003-09-01

Full Text Available Transverse beam combining is a cost-saving option employed in many designs for heavy ion fusion drivers. However, the resultant transverse phase space dilution must be minimized so as not to sacrifice focusability at the target. A prototype combining experiment has been completed employing four 3-mA Cs^{+} beams injected at 160 keV. The focusing elements upstream of the merge consist of four quadrupoles and a final combined-function element (quadrupole and dipole. Following the merge, the resultant single beam is transported in a single alternating gradient channel where the subsequent evolution of the distribution function is diagnosed. The results are in fair agreement with particle-in-cell simulations. They indicate that for some heavy ion fusion driver designs, the phase space dilution from merging is acceptable.

Numerical simulation of a liquid droplet combustion experiment focusing on ignition process

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yamaguchi, Akira; Tajima, Yuji

1999-11-01

SPHINCS (Sodium Fire phenomenology IN multi-Cell System) computer program has been developed for the safety analysis of sodium fire accident in a Fast Breeder Reactor. The program can deal with spray combustion and pool surface combustion. In this report the authors investigate a single droplet combustion phenomena focusing on an ignition process. The spray combustion model of SPHINCS is as follows. The liquid droplet-burning rate after ignition is based on the D-square law and a diffusion flame assumption. Before the droplet is ignited, the burning rate is evaluated by mass flux of oxidizer gases. Forced convection effect that skews the sphere shape of the flame zone surrounding a droplet is taken into consideration. It enhances the burning rate. The chemical equilibrium theory is used to determine the resultant fraction of reaction products of Na-O 2 -H 2 O system. It is noted that users have to give an ignition temperature based on empirical evidences. According to this model, it is obvious that a smaller liquid droplet with higher initial temperature tends to burn more easily. What is observed in a recent experiment is that the smallest liquid droplet (2mm diameter) did not ignited of itself and larger droplets (3.7mm and 4.5mm diameter) burnt at 300degC initial temperature. The current model for liquid droplet combustion cannot predict the experimental results. Therefore, in the present study, a surface reaction model has been developed to predict the ignition process. The model has been used to analyze a combustion experiment of a stationary liquid droplet. The authors investigate the validity of the physical modeling of the liquid droplet combustion and surface reaction. It has been found, as the results, that the model can predict the influence of the initial temperature on the temperature lower limit for spontaneous ignition and ignition delay time. Also investigated is the influence of the moisture on the ignition phenomena. From the present study, it has

Lower Atmospheric Boundary Layer Experiment (LABLE) Final Campaign Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Klein, P [University of Oklahoma - School of Meteorology; Bonin, TA; Newman, JF [National Renewable Energy Laboratory; Turner, DD [National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Chilson, P [University of Oklahoma; Blumberg, WG [University of Oklahoma; Mishra, S; Wainwright, CE; Carney, M [University of Oklahoma - School of Meteorology; Jacobsen, EP [University of Oklahoma; Wharton, S [Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

2015-11-01

The Lower Atmospheric Boundary Layer Experiment (LABLE) included two measurement campaigns conducted at the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Southern Great Plains site in Oklahoma during 2012 and 2013. LABLE was designed as a multi-phase, low-cost collaboration among the University of Oklahoma, the National Severe Storms Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and the ARM program. A unique aspect was the role of graduate students in LABLE. They served as principal investigators and took the lead in designing and conducting experiments using different sampling strategies to best resolve boundary-layer phenomena.

CATE 2016 Indonesia: Optics and Focus Strategy

Science.gov (United States)

McKay, M. A.; Jenson, L.; Kovac, S. A.; Bosh, R.; Mitchell, A. M.; Hare, H. S.; Watson, Z.; Penn, M. J.

2016-12-01

The 2017 solar eclipse will be a natural phenomenon that will sweep across the United State would provide an excellent opportunity to observe and study the solar corona. The Citizens Continental Astronomical Telescopic Eclipse (CATE) Experiment directed my Matt Penn, intends to take advantage of this scientific opportunity by organizing 60 sites along the path of totality from Oregon to South Carolina to observe the eclipse and make a 90 min continuous video of the solar corona. The preliminary observation was done with the 2016 eclipse in Indonesia, with 5 sites along the path of totality. The sites were provided with an 80mm diameter Telescope with a 480mm focal length with an extension tube, Celestron equatorial mount, a CMOS camera, a Dell dual processor running Windows, GPS and an Arduino box, more details will be provided. I observed at the furthest east site in Ternate, Indonesia, with Dr. Donald Walter. The day of the eclipse we had clouds but still had a successful observation. The observation was successful with 4 out of the 5 sites collected eclipse data, due to weather the other site was not able to observe. The data was then collected and processed over the summer. To prepare for the observation in 2017, the 60 sites will be provided with the equipment, software and training. The groups will then practice by doing solar and lunar observations, where they will follow an almost identical procedure for the eclipse to do their observations. These test will increase our chances to have a successful observation among all sites. The focus will play a crucial role in this observation to provide a high quality image. Currently, a new focusing method using an image derivative method to provide quantitative feedback to the user is being developed. Finally, a Graphical User Interface is also being developed using the codes produces from the summer 2016 data analysis, to process the images from each site with minimal effort and produce quality scientific images

A Marxist Focus on Comparative Education in Cuba

Science.gov (United States)

Cruz, Rosa María Massón

2015-01-01

This paper builds systematically on the research experiences of the author, involving the application of a Marxist focus in comparative education studies, in the Cuban and Latin American context. It reflects in a general way the importance of this focus and approach, and in turn the contradictions that occur between formal education policy and…

Competition for the focus of attention in visual working memory: perceptual recency versus executive control.

Science.gov (United States)

Hitch, Graham J; Hu, Yanmei; Allen, Richard J; Baddeley, Alan D

2018-03-10

Previous research on memory for a short sequence of visual stimuli indicates that access to the focus of attention (FoA) can be achieved in either of two ways. The first is automatic and is indexed by the recency effect, the enhanced retention of the final item. The second is strategic and based on instructions to prioritize items differentially, a process that draws on executive capacity and boosts retention of information deemed important. In both cases, the increased level of retention can be selectively reduced by presenting a poststimulus distractor (or suffix). We manipulated these variables across three experiments. Experiment 1 generalized previous evidence that prioritizing a single item enhances its retention and increases its vulnerability to interference from a poststimulus suffix. A second experiment showed that the enhancement from prioritizing one or two items comes at a cost to the recency effect. A third experiment showed that prioritizing two items renders memory for both vulnerable to interference from an irrelevant suffix. The results suggest that some but not all items in working memory compete to occupy a narrow FoA and that this competition is determined by a combination of perceptually driven recency and internal executive control. © 2018 New York Academy of Sciences.

LED tests TTO 2010-2011. Focus on energy. Final report; LED Proeven TTO 2010-2011. Focus op energie. Eindverslag

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Peekstok, T.; Duyvesteijn, R.; Persoon, S.; Sanders, J.; De Jong, A. [Tuinbouw Techniek Ontwikkeling TTO, Honselersdijk (Netherlands)

2011-07-15

An overview is given of research results of the application of LED in the horticulture, focusing on high-growing vegetable crops. In this report LED illuminance research for tomatoes is outlined. The project has been carried out from October 2010 to May 2011 in the demonstration nursery Westland. Also, briefly attention is paid to LED lighting tests, performed by TTO (Horticulture Technology Development) in 2008 and 2009 [Dutch] Een overzicht wordt gegeven van de onderzoeksresultaten in de toepassing van LED belichting in de glastuinbouw, met nadruk op hoogopgaande groentegewassen. In dit verslag wordt het onderzoek met LED belichting in tomaat van telersvereniging 'Tuinbouw Techniek Ontwikkeling' (TTO) uiteengezet. Dit project heeft plaatsgevonden vanaf oktober 2010 tot mei 2011 in de Demokwekerij Westland. Hiernaast worden de proeven met LED belichting, welke uitgevoerd zijn door TTO in 2008 en 2009, kort samengevat.

Final Technical Report for DE-SC0012297

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dell' Antonio, Ian [Brown Univ., Providence, RI (United States)

2017-08-01

This is the final report on the work performed in award DE-SC0012297, Cosmic Frontier work in support of the LSST Dark Energy Science Collaboration's work to develop algorithms, simulations, and statistical tests to ensure optimal extraction of the dark energy properties from galaxy clusters observed with LSST. This work focused on effects that could produce a systematic error on the measurement of cluster masses (that will be used to probe the effects of dark energy on the growth of structure). These effects stem from the deviations from pure ellipticity of the gravitational lensing signal and from the blending of light of neighboring galaxies. Both these effects are expected to be more significant for LSST than for the stage III experiments such as the Dark Energy Survey. We calculate the magnitude of the mass error (or bias) for the first time and demonstrate that it can be treated as a multiplicative correction and calibrated out, allowing mass measurements of clusters from gravitational lensing to meet the requirements of LSST's dark energy investigation.

Online Facebook Focus Group Research of Hard-to-Reach Participants

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anastasia Aldelina Lijadi

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Conducting discovery-oriented qualitative research about the life experiences of hard-to-reach individuals posed several challenges for recruiting participants and collecting rich textual data. In a study pertaining the experiences of Third Culture Kids (TCKs, we explored the benefits of the social media, such as Facebook as a platform to collect data. TCKs are individuals who define their sense of belonging to the third culture trailing their parents moving across borders during their developmental years. Adult TCKs live in many different countries, and accessing and interviewing respondents could be a difficult and costly endeavor. In this article, the authors share their experience conducting online, asynchronous focus groups using a Facebook platform. We reflect upon the process of setting up a secret Facebook focus group for research purposes, recruiting participants, rapport building between facilitator and participants, monitoring and keeping track of participants’ responses, and the dynamics emerging within an online focus group. We also discuss the novelty, limitations, and benefits of the Facebook focus group as an emerging mode for collecting qualitative data from hard-to-reach participants.

X-ray M4,5 Resonant Raman Scattering from La metal with final 4p hole: Calculations with 4p-4d-4f configuration interaction in the final state and comparison with the experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Taguchi, M.; Braicovich, L.; Tagliaferri, A.; Dallera, C.; Giarda, K.; Ghiringhelli, G.; Brookes, N.B.; Borgatti, F.

2001-03-01

We consider the X-Ray Resonant Raman Scattering (RRS) in La in the whole M 4,5 region ending with a state with a 4p hole, along the sequence 3d 10 4f 0 →3d 9 4f 1 →3d 10 4p 5 4f 1 . The final state configuration mixes with that with two 4d holes i.e. 3d 10 4d 8 4f n+2 having almost the same energy. Thus RRS must be described by introducing final state Configuration Interaction (CI) between states with one 4p hole and with two 4d holes. This approach allows detailed experimental data on La-metal to be interpreted on the basis of a purely ionic approach. It is shown that the inclusion of CI is crucial and has very clear effects. The calculations with the Kramers-Heisenberg formula describe all measured spectral features appearing in the strict Raman regime i.e. dispersing with the incident photon energy. In the experiment also a nondispersive component is present when the excitation energy is greater than about 2 eV above the M 5 peak. The shape and position of this component is well accounted for by a model based on all possible partitions of the excitation energy between localised and extended states. However, the intensity of the nondispersive component is greater in the measurements, suggesting a rearrangement in the intermediate excited state. The comparison of ionic calculations with the metal measurements is legitimate, as shown by the comparison between the measurements on La-metal and on LaF 3 with M 5 excitation, giving the same spectrum within the experimental accuracy. Moreover, the experiment shows that the final lifetime broadening is much greater in the final states corresponding to lower outgoing photon energies than in the states corresponding to higher outgoing photon energies. (author)

Status of the International Muon Ionization Cooling Experiment (MICE)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zisman, Michael S.; Zisman, Michael S.

2007-01-01

An international experiment to demonstrate muon ionization cooling is scheduled for beam at Rutherford Appleton Laboratory (RAL) in 2007. The experiment comprises one cell of the Study II cooling channel [1], along with upstream and downstream detectors to identify individual muons and measure their initial and final 6D phase-space parameters to a precision of 0.1 percent. Magnetic design of the beam line and cooling channel are complete and portions are under construction. The experiment will be described, including cooling channel hardware designs, fabrication status, and running plans. Phase 1 of the experiment will prepare the beam line and provide detector systems, including time-of-flight, Cherenkov, scintillating-fiber trackers and their spectrometer solenoids, and an electromagnetic calorimeter. The Phase 2 system will add the cooling channel components, including liquid-hydrogen absorbers embedded in superconducting Focus Coil solenoids, 201-MHz normal conducting RF cavities, and their surrounding Coupling Coil solenoids. The MICE Collaboration goal is to complete the experiment by 2010; progress toward this is discussed

Gerena School Health Impact Assessment (HIA) Final Report

Science.gov (United States)

This is the final report of the EPA-led Gerena Community School HIA, which aims to provide valuable health-focused information to help the City of Springfield narrow down and prioritize renovation actions at the school.

Focus group testing for the vehicle scrappage program : final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2008-03-15

Canada's national vehicle scrappage program was designed to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) and smog-forming emissions by removing personal vehicles with model years of 1995 and older from Canadian road systems. The program will also promote sustainable transportation alternatives and recycling programs to prevent the release of other toxic substances into the environment. Incentives designed to encourage Canadians to scrap older vehicles may include cash incentives and rebates towards the purchase of a new vehicle, free transit passes, and other options designed to support sustainable transportation. This paper discussed a research program conducted to assess target audience responses to the programs and its proposed incentives. The survey was conducted with a series of 20 focus groups located in major cities across Canada. Sessions were comprised of between 6 to 10 participants from lower-income and higher-income households. All groups responded negatively to both the overall policy as well as to specific program elements. The study showed that most participants were not aware that older vehicles emit significantly higher levels of harmful emissions. The research audience did not understand distinctions between smog-producing emissions and GHG emissions. Participants also believed that personal vehicles had a minor negative impact on the environment compared to trucks, industry, and vehicle fleets. Participants felt a sense of pride in the ways in which they had maintained their older vehicles, and also perceived them as safer than newer vehicles. It was concluded that many participants were resistant to facts presented to them about older vehicles, and felt that the incentives were insufficient to trigger action. The effectiveness of advertising materials designed to promote the program was also assessed. 3 tabs., 9 figs.

Charmed baryons photoproduced in FOCUS at Fermilab

CERN Document Server

Ratti, S P

2001-01-01

FOCUS collected over 7 * 10/sup 7/ triggers and more than 10/sup 6/ fully reconstructed charm particles in a photoproduction experiment at Fermilab. The experimental setup is an upgraded version of a multiparticle spectrometer used in the previous experiment E687. Data on charmed meson spectroscopy have been presented by F.L Fabbri in this Section. Here data on photoproduction of charmed baryons are presented.

The testing effect for mediator final test cues and related final test cues in online and laboratory experiments

NARCIS (Netherlands)

L.C. Coppens; P.P.J.L. Verkoeijen; S. Bouwmeester; R.M.J.P. Rikers

2016-01-01

Background The testing effect is the finding that information that is retrieved during learning is more often correctly retrieved on a final test than information that is restudied. According to the semantic mediator hypothesis the testing effect arises because retrieval practice of cue-target

The testing effect for mediator final test cues and related final test cues in online and laboratory experiments

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Coppens, Leonora C.; Verkoeijen, Peter P. J. L.; Bouwmeester, Samantha; Rikers, Remy M. J. P.

2016-01-01

Background The testing effect is the finding that information that is retrieved during learning is more often correctly retrieved on a final test than information that is restudied. According to the semantic mediator hypothesis the testing effect arises because retrieval practice of cue-target pairs

Ethnographic Approach to Second Life in Education: A Focus on Technological Difficulties

Science.gov (United States)

Sponsiello, Marta; Gallego-Arrufat, María-Jesús

2016-01-01

This paper moves from the data collected during an ethnographic research conducted in Second Life, which focuses on the observation of different technological difficulties in educational experiences. The main research interests focused on the social dynamics of educational experiences in Second Life and the opportunity to develop a proper research…

The early postnatal period: Exploring women's views, expectations and experiences of care using focus groups in Victoria, Australia

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rayner Jo

2008-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background There is growing evidence from Australia and overseas that the care provided in hospital in the early postnatal period is less than ideal for both women and care providers. Many health services face increasing pressure on hospital beds and have limited physical space available to care for mothers and their babies. We aimed to gain a more in-depth understanding of women's views, expectations and experiences of early postnatal care. Methods We conducted focus groups in rural and metropolitan Victoria, Australia in 2006. Fifty-two people participated in eight focus groups and four interviews. Participants included eight pregnant women, of whom seven were pregnant with their first baby; 42 women who were in the postpartum period (some up to twelve months after the birth of their baby; and two partners. All participants were fluent in English. Focus group guides were developed specifically for the study and explored participants' experiences and/or expectations of early postnatal care in hospital and at home, with an emphasis on length of hospital stay, professional and social support, continuity of care, and rest. Discussions were audio-taped and transcribed verbatim. A thematic network was constructed to describe and connect categories with emerging basic, organizing, and global themes. Results Global themes that emerged were: anxiety and/or fear; and the transition to motherhood and parenting. The needs of first time mothers were considered to be different to the needs of women who had already experienced motherhood. The women in this study were generally concerned about the safety of their new baby, and lacked confidence in themselves as new mothers regarding their ability to care for their baby. There was a consistent view that the physical presence and availability of professional support helped alleviate these concerns, and this was especially the case for women having a first baby. Conclusion Women have anxieties and fears

Patients’ and caregivers’ needs, experiences, preferences and research priorities in spiritual care: A focus group study across nine countries

Science.gov (United States)

Selman, Lucy Ellen; Brighton, Lisa Jane; Sinclair, Shane; Karvinen, Ikali; Egan, Richard; Speck, Peter; Powell, Richard A; Deskur-Smielecka, Ewa; Glajchen, Myra; Adler, Shelly; Puchalski, Christina; Hunter, Joy; Gikaara, Nancy; Hope, Jonathon

2017-01-01

Background: Spiritual distress is prevalent in advanced disease, but often neglected, resulting in unnecessary suffering. Evidence to inform spiritual care practices in palliative care is limited. Aim: To explore spiritual care needs, experiences, preferences and research priorities in an international sample of patients with life-limiting disease and family caregivers. Design: Focus group study. Setting/participants: Separate patient and caregiver focus groups were conducted at 11 sites in South Africa, Kenya, South Korea, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Finland and Poland. Discussions were transcribed, translated into English and analysed thematically. Results: A total of 74 patients participated: median age 62 years; 53 had cancer; 48 were women. In total, 71 caregivers participated: median age 61 years; 56 were women. Two-thirds of participants were Christian. Five themes are described: patients’ and caregivers’ spiritual concerns, understanding of spirituality and its role in illness, views and experiences of spiritual care, preferences regarding spiritual care, and research priorities. Participants reported wide-ranging spiritual concerns spanning existential, psychological, religious and social domains. Spirituality supported coping, but could also result in framing illness as punishment. Participants emphasised the need for staff competence in spiritual care. Spiritual care was reportedly lacking, primarily due to staff members’ de-prioritisation and lack of time. Patients’ research priorities included understanding the qualities of human connectedness and fostering these skills in staff. Caregivers’ priorities included staff training, assessment, studying impact, and caregiver’s spiritual care needs. Conclusion: To meet patient and caregiver preferences, healthcare providers should be able to address their spiritual concerns. Findings should inform patient- and caregiver-centred spiritual care provision, education and

Cross-year peer tutoring on internal medicine wards: results of a qualitative focus group analysis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Krautter M

2014-09-01

Full Text Available Markus Krautter,1 Sven Andreesen,2 Nadja Köhl-Hackert,2 Katja Hoffmann,3 Wolfgang Herzog,2 Christoph Nikendei2 1Department of Nephrology, University of Heidelberg, 2Department of General Internal Medicine and Psychosomatics, University of Heidelberg Medical Hospital, 3Department of General Practice and Health Services Research, University Hospital Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany Background: Peer-assisted learning (PAL has become a well-accepted teaching method within medical education. However, descriptions of on-ward PAL programs are rare. A focus group analysis of a newly established PAL program on an internal medicine ward was conducted to provide insights into PAL teaching from a student perspective.Purpose: To provide insights into students' experiences regarding their on-ward training with and without accompanying PAL tutors.Methods: A total of N=168 medical students in their sixth semester participated in the investigation (intervention group: N=88; control group: N=80. The intervention group took part in the PAL program, while the control group received standard on-ward training. There were seven focus groups with N=43 participants (intervention group: four focus groups, N=28 participants; control group: three focus groups, N=15 participants. The discussions were analyzed using content analysis.Results: The intervention group emphasized the role of the tutors as competent and well-trained teachers, most beneficial in supervising clinical skills. Tutors motivate students, help them to integrate into the ward team, and provide a non-fear-based working relationship whereby students' anxiety regarding working on ward decreases. The control group had to rely on autodidactic learning strategies when neither supervising physicians nor final-year students were available.Conclusion: On-ward PAL programs represent a particularly valuable tool for students' support in training clinical competencies on ward. The tutor–student working alliance

Source-to-target simulation of simultaneous longitudinal and transverse focusing of heavy ion beams

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

D. R. Welch

2008-06-01

Full Text Available Longitudinal bunching factors in excess of 70 of a 300-keV, 27-mA K^{+} ion beam have been demonstrated in the neutralized drift compression experiment [P. K. Roy et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 95, 234801 (2005PRLTAO0031-900710.1103/PhysRevLett.95.234801] in rough agreement with particle-in-cell source-to-target simulations. A key aspect of these experiments is that a preformed plasma provides charge neutralization of the ion beam in the last one meter drift region where the beam perveance becomes large. The simulations utilize the measured ion source temperature, diode voltage, and induction-bunching-module voltage waveforms in order to determine the initial beam longitudinal phase space which is critical to accurate modeling of the longitudinal compression. To enable simultaneous longitudinal and transverse compression, numerical simulations were used in the design of the solenoidal focusing system that compensated for the impact of the applied velocity tilt on the transverse phase space of the beam. Complete source-to-target simulations, that include detailed modeling of the diode, magnetic transport, induction bunching module, and plasma neutralized transport, were critical to understanding the interplay between the various accelerator components in the experiment. Here, we compare simulation results with the experiment and discuss the contributions to longitudinal and transverse emittance that limit the final compression.

Teaching caring and competence: Student transformation during an older adult focused service-learning course.

Science.gov (United States)

Brown, Karen M; Bright, Leslie M

2017-11-01

Innovative teaching strategies develop nurses' knowledge, skills, and attitudes while simultaneously integrating the art of caring and transforming attitudes toward adults over age 65. The study's purpose was to explore students' experiences and attitudes toward older adults with cognitive and/or physical limitations as well as the effects on students' knowledge and skills during a baccalaureate nursing, course which included a service-learning experience. Service-learning synthesizes meaningful community service, academic instruction, and reflection. Participants included baccalaureate students enrolled in a service-learning nursing course focused on older adults. This retrospective, qualitative, phenomenological study used reflective journals and an online survey to explore baccalaureate nursing students' experiences toward older adults with cognitive and/or physical limitations. Themes included initial attitudes of anticipation, apprehension, anxiety, and ageist stereotypes. Final attitudes included a "completely changed perspective" of caring, compassion, and respect indicative of a rewarding, "life-changing" experience. Participants cited enhanced learning, especially in the areas of patient-centered care, collaboration, communication, advocacy, empathy, assessment skills, and evidence-based practice. This innovative teaching strategy led to transformed attitudes toward older adults, reduced fear of older adult populations, an increased desire to work with older adults, and the ability to form a transpersonal, caring relationship while enhancing nursing knowledge and skills. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Neutron emission from deuterium plasma focus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Antanasijevic, R.; Banjanac, R.; Dragic, A.; Djordjevic, D.; Joksimovic, D.; Maric, Z.; Udovicic, V.; Vukovic, J.

1998-01-01

The anisotropy of emitted neutrons is investigated on a small 'Mather-type' plasma focus device (PF). This problem is of importance for determining the nature of the fusion reaction mechanisms. Mica detectors together with thick uranium foils were used for both detection and angular distribution measurements of the neutrons. Previously, the annealing of the detectors was done and measured after the irradiation with neutrons from Am-Be source. Also, annealing ability of H-plasma focus has been tested. Geometry of detectors in both experiments was the same. (authors)

A study of plasma focus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hirano, Katsumi; Majima, Kazuo

1976-01-01

The behavior of the plasma acceleration between electrodes, the phenomena due to the pinch effect at the top of the electrodes and the neutron emission mechanism were experimentally studied. The plasma focus device was a Mather type coaxial discharge device, and the instruments used for the present purpose were a Rogoski coil, an image converter camera, a scintillation detector and a silver foil activation counter. The results of the present experiment were as follows. Plasma focus was not definitely made under the same condition. When the focus was seen, a dip was observed in the discharge wave form, and the emissions of X-ray and neutrons were detected. The angular anisotropy of neutron emission was observed, and corresponds to a beam target model. The phenomena showing the occurrence of focus were seen, when the current sheet was produced at a delayed time after discharge, and arrived at the muzzle with large velocity. The relation between the number of emitted neutrons and the velocity of the current sheet was obtained, whereas no systematic relation exists between the number of emitted neutrons and the velocity of pinch. When the focus was not observed, no dip was seen in current wave form, and the emissions of X-ray and neutrons were not detected. The reason of no focus was considered. (Kato, T.)

Structural Analysis of Extended Plasma Focus Chamber

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mohd Azhar Ahmad; Abdul Halim Baijan; Siti Aiasah Hashim

2016-01-01

Accelerator Development Centre (ADC) of Nuclear Malaysia intends to upgrade the plasma focus device. It involves the extension part placed on top of the existing plasma focus vacuum chamber. This extended vacuum chamber purposely to give an extra space in conducting experiments on the existing plasma focus chamber. The aim of upgrading the plasma focus device is to solve the limitation in research and analysis of sample due to its done in an open system that cause analysis of samples is limited and less optimal. This extended chamber was design in considering the ease of fabrication as well as durability of its structural. Thus, this paper discusses the structural analysis in term of pressure loading effect in extended chamber. (author)

Final report for the 'Melt-Vessel Interactions' Project. European Union R and TD Program 4th Framework. MVI project final research report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sehgal, B.R.; Dinh, T.N.; Nourgaliev, R.R.; Bui, V.A.; Green, J.; Kolb, G.; Karbojian, A.; Theerthan, S.A.; Gubaidulline, A.; Bonnet, J.M.; Rouge, S.; Narcoux, M.; Liegeois, A.; Turland, B.D.; Dobson, G.P.; Siccama, A.; Ikonen, K.; Parozzi, F.; Kolev, N.; Caira, M.

1999-04-01

The Melt Vessel Interaction (MVI) project is concerned with the consequences of the interactions that a core melt, generated during a postulated severe accident in a light water reactor, may have with the pressure vessel. In particular, the issues concerned with the failure of the vessel bottom head are the focus of the research. The specific objectives of the project are to obtain data and develop validated models, which could be applied to prototypic plants, and accident conditions, for resolution of issues related to the melt vessel interactions. The project work has been performed by nine partners having varied responsibility. The work included a large number of experiments, with simulant materials, whose observations and results are employed, respectively, to understand the physical mechanisms and to develop validated models. Applications to the prototypic geometry and conditions have also been performed. This report is volume 1 of the Final Report for the Project, in which a summary of the progress achieved in the experimental program is provided. We have, however, included some aspects of the modeling activities. Volume 2 of the Final report describes the progress achieved in the modeling program. The progress achieved in the experimental and modeling parts of the Project has led to the resolution of some of the issues of melt vessel interaction. Considerable progress was also achieved towards resolution of the remaining issues

Applying new science leadership theory in planning an international nursing student practice experience in Nepal.

Science.gov (United States)

Doyle, Rose Marie

2004-09-01

Planning an international practice experience for nursing students is a challenging, but rewarding, opportunity. Kwantlen University College faculty members' experience of planning for 8 Bachelor of Science in Nursing students to study abroad was no exception. Faculty members' and students' interest prompted a request for a placement in Nepal. The faculty members involved in the planning were dedicated to using a process that would enable them to remain true to the program philosophy and theoretical underpinnings throughout the entire experience, from the planning phase to the follow-up presentation. Using Wheatley's theory, the students and faculty members reexamined their personal leadership styles to ensure they remained relationship focused, rather than task focused. Wheatley maintained that because the potentiality lies in building strong relationships, it is important to support the creative power that lies in those involved in a project. This article describes new science leadership and relates it to the planning phase for the practice experience in Nepal. Then, reflections on how the philosophy of the program may have influenced the experience are shared. Finally, critical reflection on using this theory in nursing education is presented.

Focus Group in Community Mental Health Research: Need for Adaption.

Science.gov (United States)

Zupančič, Vesna; Pahor, Majda; Kogovšek, Tina

2018-04-27

The article presents an analysis of the use of focus groups in researching community mental health users, starting with the reasons for using them, their implementation in mental health service users' research, and the adaptations of focus group use when researching the experiences of users. Based on personal research experience and a review of scientific publications in the Google Scholar, Web of Science, ProQuest, EBSCOhost, and Scopus databases, 20 articles published between 2010 and 2016 were selected for targeted content analysis. A checklist for reporting on the use of focus groups with community mental health service users, aiming to improve the comparability, verifiability and validity was developed. Adaptations of the implementation of focus groups in relation to participants' characteristics were suggested. Focus groups are not only useful as a scientific research technique, but also for ensuring service users' participation in decision-making in community mental health and evaluating the quality of the mental health system and services .

Vector fields in a tight laser focus: comparison of models.

Science.gov (United States)

Peatross, Justin; Berrondo, Manuel; Smith, Dallas; Ware, Michael

2017-06-26

We assess several widely used vector models of a Gaussian laser beam in the context of more accurate vector diffraction integration. For the analysis, we present a streamlined derivation of the vector fields of a uniformly polarized beam reflected from an ideal parabolic mirror, both inside and outside of the resulting focus. This exact solution to Maxwell's equations, first developed in 1920 by V. S. Ignatovsky, is highly relevant to high-intensity laser experiments since the boundary conditions at a focusing optic dictate the form of the focus in a manner analogous to a physical experiment. In contrast, many models simply assume a field profile near the focus and develop the surrounding vector fields consistent with Maxwell's equations. In comparing the Ignatovsky result with popular closed-form analytic vector models of a Gaussian beam, we find that the relatively simple model developed by Erikson and Singh in 1994 provides good agreement in the paraxial limit. Models involving a Lax expansion introduce a divergences outside of the focus while providing little if any improvement in the focal region. Extremely tight focusing produces a somewhat complicated structure in the focus, and requires the Ignatovsky model for accurate representation.

A search for beyond the Standard Model physics using a final state with light and boosted muon pairs at CMS experiment

CERN Document Server

Castaneda Hernandez, Alfredo Martin

2017-01-01

A search for new physics phenomena is presented using a final state with multi-muons, the topology studied considers pairs of opposite sign muons (dimuons) with a low invariant mass and potentially produced far from the interaction point (displaced). Several beyond the Standard Model scenarios fit into this category, including those predicting Dark matter particles (i.e. dark photons) which weakly interact with SM particles via a kinetic mixing parameter and could have a non-negligible lifetime. Other scenario is the Next-to-Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model (NMSSM) that extends the higgs sector introducing new light bosons that can decay to muon pairs. The data analyzed corresponds to the one collected by CMS experiment during 2015 using 13 TeV collision energy. This search constrains a large, previously unconstrained area of the parameter space for each mode and allows for an easy reinterpretation for new physics models with similar final state.

Prize for Industrial Applications of Physics Talk: Low energy spread Ion source for focused ion beam systems-Search for the holy grail

Science.gov (United States)

Ward, Bill

2011-03-01

In this talk I will cover my personal experiences as a serial entrepreneur and founder of a succession of focused ion beam companies (1). Ion Beam Technology, which developed a 200kv (FIB) direct ion implanter (2). Micrion, where the FIB found a market in circuit edit and mask repair, which eventually merged with FEI corporation. and (3). ALIS Corporation which develop the Orion system, the first commercially successful sub-nanometer helium ion microscope, that was ultimately acquired by Carl Zeiss corporation. I will share this adventure beginning with my experiences in the early days of ion beam implantation and e-beam lithography which lead up to the final breakthrough understanding of the mechanisms that govern the successful creation and operation of a single atom ion source.

Multi-focus image fusion based on area-based standard deviation in dual tree contourlet transform domain

Science.gov (United States)

Dong, Min; Dong, Chenghui; Guo, Miao; Wang, Zhe; Mu, Xiaomin

2018-04-01

Multiresolution-based methods, such as wavelet and Contourlet are usually used to image fusion. This work presents a new image fusion frame-work by utilizing area-based standard deviation in dual tree Contourlet trans-form domain. Firstly, the pre-registered source images are decomposed with dual tree Contourlet transform; low-pass and high-pass coefficients are obtained. Then, the low-pass bands are fused with weighted average based on area standard deviation rather than the simple "averaging" rule. While the high-pass bands are merged with the "max-absolute' fusion rule. Finally, the modified low-pass and high-pass coefficients are used to reconstruct the final fused image. The major advantage of the proposed fusion method over conventional fusion is the approximately shift invariance and multidirectional selectivity of dual tree Contourlet transform. The proposed method is compared with wavelet- , Contourletbased methods and other the state-of-the art methods on common used multi focus images. Experiments demonstrate that the proposed fusion framework is feasible and effective, and it performs better in both subjective and objective evaluation.

Matching bunched beams to alternating gradient focusing systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lysenko, W.P.

1980-07-01

A numerical procedure for generating phase-space distributions matched to alternating gradient focusing systems has been tested. For a smooth-focusing system a matched distribution can be calculated. With a particle tracing simulation code such a distribution can be followed while adiabatically deforming the focusing forces until an alternating gradient configuration is reached. The distribution remains matched; that is, the final distribution is periodic with the structure period. This method is useful because it can produce distributions matched to nonlinear forces. This is a feature that elliptical distributions, with ellipse parameters obtained from the Courant-Snyder theory, do not have. External nonlinearities, including nonlinear couplings, were included in our examples but space charge was not. This procedure is expected to work with space charge but will require a three-dimensional space charge calculation in the simulation code

Production of lepton pairs with associated final state: project of an experiment

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brom, J.-M.

1978-01-01

The production of Drell-Yan pairs is studied, in reactions like h+h→1 + 1 - +X---, where the charged part of the associated final state is detected. The first part presents some theoretical aspects, relative to the Drell-Yan mechanism and to models dealing with the associated final state. The second part presents a possible experimental set-up in order to study this physics, based on vertex detection with fast electronic detectors, and makes estimations for the expected number of events. In the last part, is evaluated the pattern recognition program of the events where one pair of leptons is detected. The recognition program is analysed and presented its performance [fr

International piping integrity research group (IPIRG) program final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schmidt, R.; Wilkowski, G.; Scott, P.; Olsen, R.; Marschall, C.; Vieth, P.; Paul, D.

1992-04-01

This is the final report of the International Piping Integrity Research Group (IPIRG) Programme. The IPIRG Programme was an international group programme managed by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and funded by a consortium of organizations from nine nations: Canada, France, Italy, Japan, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, and the United states. The objective of the programme was to develop data needed to verify engineering methods for assessing the integrity of nuclear power plant piping that contains circumferential defects. The primary focus was an experimental task that investigated the behaviour of circumferentially flawed piping and piping systems to high-rate loading typical of seismic events. To accomplish these objectives a unique pipe loop test facility was designed and constructed. The pipe system was an expansion loop with over 30 m of 406-mm diameter pipe and five long radius elbows. Five experiments on flawed piping were conducted to failure in this facility with dynamic excitation. The report: provides background information on leak-before-break and flaw evaluation procedures in piping; summarizes the technical results of the programme; gives a relatively detailed assessment of the results from the various pipe fracture experiments and complementary analyses; and, summarizes the advances in the state-of-the-art of pipe fracture technology resulting from the IPIRG Program

International Piping Integrity Research Group (IPIRG) Program. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wilkowski, G.; Schmidt, R.; Scott, P.

1997-06-01

This is the final report of the International Piping Integrity Research Group (IPIRG) Program. The IPIRG Program was an international group program managed by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and funded by a consortium of organizations from nine nations: Canada, France, Italy, Japan, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The program objective was to develop data needed to verify engineering methods for assessing the integrity of circumferentially-cracked nuclear power plant piping. The primary focus was an experimental task that investigated the behavior of circumferentially flawed piping systems subjected to high-rate loadings typical of seismic events. To accomplish these objectives a pipe system fabricated as an expansion loop with over 30 meters of 16-inch diameter pipe and five long radius elbows was constructed. Five dynamic, cyclic, flawed piping experiments were conducted using this facility. This report: (1) provides background information on leak-before-break and flaw evaluation procedures for piping, (2) summarizes technical results of the program, (3) gives a relatively detailed assessment of the results from the pipe fracture experiments and complementary analyses, and (4) summarizes advances in the state-of-the-art of pipe fracture technology resulting from the IPIRG program

International Piping Integrity Research Group (IPIRG) Program. Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wilkowski, G.; Schmidt, R.; Scott, P. [and others

1997-06-01

This is the final report of the International Piping Integrity Research Group (IPIRG) Program. The IPIRG Program was an international group program managed by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and funded by a consortium of organizations from nine nations: Canada, France, Italy, Japan, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The program objective was to develop data needed to verify engineering methods for assessing the integrity of circumferentially-cracked nuclear power plant piping. The primary focus was an experimental task that investigated the behavior of circumferentially flawed piping systems subjected to high-rate loadings typical of seismic events. To accomplish these objectives a pipe system fabricated as an expansion loop with over 30 meters of 16-inch diameter pipe and five long radius elbows was constructed. Five dynamic, cyclic, flawed piping experiments were conducted using this facility. This report: (1) provides background information on leak-before-break and flaw evaluation procedures for piping, (2) summarizes technical results of the program, (3) gives a relatively detailed assessment of the results from the pipe fracture experiments and complementary analyses, and (4) summarizes advances in the state-of-the-art of pipe fracture technology resulting from the IPIRG program.

The Relationship Between Personality Type And Leadership Focus

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Grant Sieff

2006-11-01

Full Text Available Optimising focus is a key success driver for many organisation leaders. The relationship between personality type and leadership focus is examined. Personality type is assessed with Form M of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator instrument, and leadership focus is explored through the development and application of a Leadership Focus Questionnaire. South African executives form the target population for this study. Both functionalist and interpretive approaches are applied. Three primary theoretical hypotheses about leadership focus, concerning (1 optimising the balance of focus between external and internal priorities, (2 the fit between the leadership personality type and the organisation type, and (3 the capacity to manage a multiple focus, are considered. Results show that Extraverted personality types are more comfortable with the challenges of focus in the leadership role than are Introverted types, and Extraverted, Sensing, Thinking and Judging types experience a greater degree of fit with their organisations than do Introverted, Intuitive, Feeling and Perceiving types.

Foundational Tests of the Need-Support Model: A Framework for Bridging Regulatory Focus Theory and Self-Determination Theory.

Science.gov (United States)

Vaughn, Leigh Ann

2017-03-01

This article introduces the need-support model, which proposes that regulatory focus can affect subjective support for the needs proposed by self-determination theory (autonomy, competence, and relatedness), and support of these needs can affect subjective labeling of experiences as promotion-focused and prevention-focused. Three studies tested these hypotheses ( N = 2,114). Study 1 found that people recall more need support in promotion-focused experiences than in prevention-focused experiences, and need support in their day yesterday (with no particular regulatory focus) fell in between. Study 2 found that experiences of higher need support were more likely to be labeled as promotion-focused rather than prevention-focused, and that each need accounted for distinct variance in the labeling of experiences. Study 3 varied regulatory focus within a performance task and found that participants in the promotion condition engaged in need-support inflation, whereas participants in the prevention condition engaged in need-support deflation. Directions for future research are discussed.

European Experiments on 2-D Molten Core Concrete Interaction: Hecla and Vulcano

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Journeau, Ch.; Bonnet, J. M.; Boccaccio, E.; Piluso, P.; Monerris, J.; Breton, M.; Fritz, G.; Sevon, Tuomo; Pankakoski Pekka, H.; Holmstrom, St.; Virta, Jouko

2010-01-01

This paper presents results from two ongoing European experimental programs on molten core concrete interactions: HECLA at VTT and VULCANO at the Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique. In the HECLA experiments, metallic melt is poured into a cylindrical concrete crucible. The focus is on the initial, pouring phase of the interaction. Therefore, decay heat simulation is not required. The HECLA-2 experiment involved 50 kg of stainless steel at 1700 C and siliceous concrete. The final ablation depths were 25-30 mm in the basemat and similar to 15 mm in the side wall. The VULCANO VB experiments have been devoted to the study of the interaction of 28 to 45 kg of oxidic corium with silica-rich or limestone-rich concretes. These tests focus on long-term ablation and require the use of induction heating to simulate the decay heat fluxes. Anisotropic ablation between the horizontal and vertical direction has been observed with silica-rich concrete, confirming the CCI tests. A new series of experiments VULCANO VBS has been launched in which there are both oxide and metallic phases in the melt. In these tests, magnetic screening is used so that the induction power is provided almost only to the upper oxidic layer after stratification. (authors)

European Experiments on 2-D Molten Core Concrete Interaction: Hecla and Vulcano

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Journeau, Ch.; Bonnet, J. M.; Boccaccio, E.; Piluso, P.; Monerris, J.; Breton, M.; Fritz, G. [CEA Cadarache, Dept Technol Nucl, Serv Technol Reacteurs Ind, Lab Essais Maitrise Accid Graves, F-13108 St Paul Les Durance (France); Sevon, Tuomo; Pankakoski Pekka, H.; Holmstrom, St.; Virta, Jouko [VTT Tech Res Ctr Finland, FI-02044 Espoo (Finland)

2010-07-01

This paper presents results from two ongoing European experimental programs on molten core concrete interactions: HECLA at VTT and VULCANO at the Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique. In the HECLA experiments, metallic melt is poured into a cylindrical concrete crucible. The focus is on the initial, pouring phase of the interaction. Therefore, decay heat simulation is not required. The HECLA-2 experiment involved 50 kg of stainless steel at 1700 C and siliceous concrete. The final ablation depths were 25-30 mm in the basemat and similar to 15 mm in the side wall. The VULCANO VB experiments have been devoted to the study of the interaction of 28 to 45 kg of oxidic corium with silica-rich or limestone-rich concretes. These tests focus on long-term ablation and require the use of induction heating to simulate the decay heat fluxes. Anisotropic ablation between the horizontal and vertical direction has been observed with silica-rich concrete, confirming the CCI tests. A new series of experiments VULCANO VBS has been launched in which there are both oxide and metallic phases in the melt. In these tests, magnetic screening is used so that the induction power is provided almost only to the upper oxidic layer after stratification. (authors)

COMPARING EXPERIENCES IN REPORTING INTELLECTUAL CAPITAL IN UNIVERSITIES

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Silvestri Antonella

2011-12-01

Full Text Available The paper focuses on the intellectual capital (IC report in universities, a relevant theme actually for the growing interest in applying an IC approach in managing universities. The paper compares the experiences in reporting IC of two different university institutions, the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM and the Austrian Universities, to highlight pros and cons of the two different IC models employed. In order to compare these two experiences, firstly we analyzed, through a literature review, the state-of-the-art in measuring and reporting IC, then we focus on the IC measurement models used as framework by the two institution, finally we turned our attention to the IC reports issued by the two universities. Both experiences presented refer to advanced IC measurement models, but both suffer of some limits in applying the models in practice. Like all measurement and management systems that deal with knowledge-based processes, Austrian and UAM's IC reports face the methodological problems of measuring non-physical processes and outputs. In detail, Austrian IC reports lack of qualitative indicators, UAM's IC report lacks of efficiency-related and activities-related indicators.The main research limit is that the theoretical comparison has been carried out on two experiences, due to the lack of awareness of IC relevance in managing universities. The establishment of an ad hoc IC measurement model for universities could have both internal and external benefits. As regards the policy implications, Government, ranking universities by their IC, can get information about their strengths and weaknesses and using it to reallocate resources. This study contributes to broaden the research community'aas understanding about a relevant management (internal and communication (external universities tool, the IC report, through the examination of two real life European universities experiences in disclosing intangibles. To the best of our knowledge, this is

Improved Limits On The Existence Of Dark Matter. The Final Results From The PICASSO Experiment

Science.gov (United States)

Kamaha, Alvine Christelle

The final results of the PICASSO experiment, with 409 kg days of exposure collected from November 2012 to January 2014, have yielded new limits for Spin-Dependent and Spin-Independent Dark Matter interactions. The data collected and the various backgrounds were assiduously studied using Monte Carlo simulations and a new set of sophisticated analysis techniques including the wavelet analysis presented in this thesis. In general, a good suppression of most backgrounds was attained. The neutron background event rate was reduced to about a factor of 10 compared to the previous phase of the experiment. Electronic and acoustic noise events were thoroughly suppressed. A new class of "mystery events" were removed as well. All that remained was the irreducible alpha background. No signal consistent with a WIMP Dark Matter hypothesis was observed. Consequently, an exclusion curve was obtained with a minimum limit at 90% C.L. of sigmaSDchip = 0.0228 pb at a WIMP mass of 20 GeV/c2 in the Spin-Dependent sector. By combining results from 2012 and the current results, an improved constraint of sigmaSDchip (90% C.L.) = 0.0188 pb at 20 GeV/c2 was placed on the Dark Matter interaction with protons in the Fluorine nuclei used in the detectors. In addition, the new limits on WIMP-proton interactions in the Spin Independent sector exclude the DAMA/LIBRA results (at 90% C.L.) for low masses below 12 GeV/c2 and further constrain the published CRESST and CDMS Si discovery regions at low WIMP masses.

SU-8 micropatterning for microfluidic droplet and microparticle focusing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Debuisson, Damien; Senez, Vincent; Arscott, Steve

2011-01-01

We demonstrate micropatterned surfaces consisting of concentric circles and spirals which can focus an evaporating sessile droplet to a specific location on a surface. We also study the micropattern geometry to focus microparticles contained within the droplet. The micropatterned surfaces are fabricated using the photoresist SU-8. Our process enables the modification of the surface wetting via the formation of smooth trench-like defects in the SU-8 which define the micropatterns; the geometry of these micropatterns determines the droplet/microparticle focusing. It is clearly shown that the introduction of small gaps into the micropatterns promotes microparticle centring due to the modification of the depinning angle of the droplet. We also show that the use of spiral micropatterns promotes microparticle centring. Finally, microparticle focusing can be enhanced by modification of surface wetting via the addition of a thin fluorocarbon hydrophobic layer onto the SU-8

Fast optics for the Rutherford laser compression experiments

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Micholas, D.J.

1976-12-01

The compression chamber optical system proposed for the Rutherford Laboratory Laser compression experiments is described. The system corrects for longitudinal spherical aberration giving a final spot size approximately 15 μm. This could theoretically be improved. The two laser beams are focused via a pair of F/1.2 aspheric lenses onto a double-pass 'clam shell' aspheric mirror system. An analysis of the lens and mirror system is given and compared with an alternative ellipsoidal system already developed. The problems of manufacturing aspheric lenses to operate at 1.06 μm are outlined and an alternative novel approach to this design given. (author)

CMS Is Finally Completed

CERN Multimedia

2008-01-01

Yet another step in the completion of the Large Hadron Collider was taken yesterday morning, as the final element of the Compact Muon Solenoid was lowered nearly 100 meters bellow ground. After more than eight years of work at the world's most powerful particle accelerator, scientists hope that they will be able to start initial experiments with the LHC until the end of this year.

Design and performance of the focusing DIRC detector

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dey, B. [University of California, Riverside, CA 92521 (United States); Borsato, M.; Arnaud, N. [Laboratoire de l' Accélérateur Linéaire, Centre Scientifique d' Orsay, F-91898 Orsay Cedex (France); Leith, D.W.G.S.; Nishimura, K. [SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford, CA 94309 (United States); Roberts, D.A. [University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA. (United States); Ratcliff, B.N. [SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford, CA 94309 (United States); Varner, G. [University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA. (United States); Va' vra, J., E-mail: jjv@slac.stanford.edu [SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Stanford, CA 94309 (United States)

2015-03-01

We present the final results from a novel Cherenkov imaging detector called the Focusing DIRC (FDIRC). This detector was designed as a full-scale prototype of the particle identification system for the SuperB experiment [1], and comprises 1/12 of the SuperB barrel azimuthal coverage, with partial photodetector and electronics implementation. The prototype was tested in the SLAC Cosmic Ray Telescope which provided 3D tracking of cosmic muons with an angular resolution of ~1.5 mrad, a position resolution of 4–5 mm, a start time resolution of 70 ps, and muon tracks above ~2 GeV tagged using an iron range stack. The fused silica focusing photon camera was coupled to a full-size BaBar DIRC bar box and was read out, over part of the full coverage, by 12 Hamamatsu H8500 multi-anode photomultipliers (MaPMTs) providing 768 pixels. We used waveform digitizing electronics to read out the MaPMTs. We give a detailed description of our data analysis methods and point out limitations on the present performance. We present results that demonstrate some basic performance characteristics of this design, including (a) single photon Cherenkov angle resolutions with and without chromatic corrections, (b) signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio between the Cherenkov peak and background, which primarily consists of ambiguities of the possible photon paths from emission along the track to a given pixel, (c) dTOP=TOP{sub measured} – TOP{sub expected} resolutions (with TOP being the photon Time-of-Propagation in fused silica), and (d) performance of the detector in the presence of high-rate backgrounds.

Interorgan Communication Pathways in Physiology: Focus on Drosophila

OpenAIRE

Droujinine, Ilia A.; Perrimon, Norbert

2016-01-01

Studies in mammals and Drosophila have demonstrated the existence and significance of secreted factors involved in communication between distal organs. In this review, primarily focusing on Drosophila, we examine the known interorgan communication factors and their functions, physiological inducers, and integration in regulating physiology. Moreover, we describe how organ-sensing screens in Drosophila can systematically identify novel conserved interorgan communication factors. Finally, we di...

Cross-year peer tutoring on internal medicine wards: results of a qualitative focus group analysis.

Science.gov (United States)

Krautter, Markus; Andreesen, Sven; Köhl-Hackert, Nadja; Hoffmann, Katja; Herzog, Wolfgang; Nikendei, Christoph

2014-01-01

Peer-assisted learning (PAL) has become a well-accepted teaching method within medical education. However, descriptions of on-ward PAL programs are rare. A focus group analysis of a newly established PAL program on an internal medicine ward was conducted to provide insights into PAL teaching from a student perspective. To provide insights into students' experiences regarding their on-ward training with and without accompanying PAL tutors. A total of N=168 medical students in their sixth semester participated in the investigation (intervention group: N=88; control group: N=80). The intervention group took part in the PAL program, while the control group received standard on-ward training. There were seven focus groups with N=43 participants (intervention group: four focus groups, N=28 participants; control group: three focus groups, N=15 participants). The discussions were analyzed using content analysis. The intervention group emphasized the role of the tutors as competent and well-trained teachers, most beneficial in supervising clinical skills. Tutors motivate students, help them to integrate into the ward team, and provide a non-fear-based working relationship whereby students' anxiety regarding working on ward decreases. The control group had to rely on autodidactic learning strategies when neither supervising physicians nor final-year students were available. On-ward PAL programs represent a particularly valuable tool for students' support in training clinical competencies on ward. The tutor-student working alliance acts through its flat hierarchy. Nevertheless, tutors cannot represent an adequate substitute for experienced physicians.

Friendship relations from the perspective of children with experience of cancer treatment: a focus group study with a salutogenic approach.

Science.gov (United States)

Einberg, Eva-Lena; Svedberg, Petra; Enskär, Karin; Nygren, Jens M

2015-01-01

Friendships are significant to child development and health but diseases such as cancer can interrupt the contact with friends. The purpose of this study was to describe perceptions of friendship from the perspective of children undergoing cancer treatment, in order to build knowledge that can be used in a health promotion intervention for these children. Fifteen children between 8 and 12 years of age participated in focus groups, where a mixture of informative and creative techniques were used. The focus group discussions were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The analysis resulted in three generic categories, "Common interests and experiences," "Mutual empathic actions." and "Mutual trust and understanding," incorporating seven subcategories. Based on children's descriptions from a salutogenic perspective, friendship emerged as An equal and mutual commitment that evolves over time and with interactions face-to-face and digitally, a child perspective on friendship should be central to the development of health promotion interventions designed to support friendship relations of children treated for cancer. © 2014 by Association of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nurses.

"It's not like a fat camp" - A focus group study of adolescents' experiences on group-based obesity treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Engström, Anna; Abildsnes, Eirik; Mildestvedt, Thomas

2016-01-01

The health burden related to obesity is rising among children and adolescents along with the general population worldwide. For the individual as well as the society this trend is alarming. Several factors are driving the trend, and the solution seems to be multifaceted because long-lasting treatment alternatives are lacking. This study aims to explore adolescents' and young adults' motivation for attending group-based obesity treatment and social and environmental factors that can facilitate or hinder lifestyle change. In this study, we arranged three focus groups with 17 participants from different obesity treatment programs in the west and south of Norway. The content in these programs differed, but they all used Motivational Interviewing as a teaching method. We conducted a data-driven analysis using systematic text condensation. Self-determination theory has been used as an explanatory framework. We identified four major themes: 1) motivation, 2) body experience and self-image, 3) relationships and sense of belonging, and 4) the road ahead. Many of the participants expressed external motivation to participate but experienced increasing inner motivation and enjoyment during the treatment. Several participants reported negative experiences related to being obese and appreciated group affiliation and sharing experiences with other participants. Motivation may shift during a lifestyle course. Facilitating factors include achieving and experiencing positive outcomes as well as gaining autonomy support from other course participants and friends. Obstacles to change were a widespread obesogenic environment as well as feelings of guilt, little trust in personal achievements and non-supporting friends.

Strengthening the Role of Part-Time Faculty in Community Colleges. Focus Group Toolkit

Science.gov (United States)

Center for Community College Student Engagement, 2014

2014-01-01

The Center for Community College Student Engagement encourages colleges to hold focus groups with part-time and full-time faculty to learn about differences in the faculty and their experience at their college and to complement survey data. Survey responses tell the "what" about faculty's experiences; through conducting focus groups,…

Discrete and modal focusing effects: principles and applications

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Stamate, Eugen

2012-01-01

Charge flux distribution on the surface of biased electrodes of different geometries immersed in a plasma is investigated by three-dimensional simulations and experiments. It is demonstrated that the sheath surrounding the electrodes that interface insulators acts as an electrostatic lens, focusing...... the charges to distinct locations on the electrode surface depending on the entrance coordinates at the sheath edge. Two focusing effects are identified. Discrete focusing leads to the formation of a passive surface of no ion impact, near the edge of the electrodes interfacing insulators. Modal focusing...... results in the formation of certain ‘modal spots’ and/or ‘modal lines’. Several phenomenological aspects and potential applications are reviewed and further discussed, including charge focusing by a three-dimensional plasma–sheath–lens, ion dose uniformity during plasma immersion ion implantation, mass...

CRISP. D3.3. Final report on field experiments and tests

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Warmer, C.J.; Kamphuis, I.G.; Gustavsson, R.; Andrieu, C.

2006-06-01

This document describes the high level results of the three field experiments and tests performed within the CRISP project. The aims of the document are: To give an account of the lessons learned from the experiments as they have been performed; To give recommendations for strategic use of intelligent ICT in high-DG power networks (thinking forward from our experience in the experiments); and To compile 'industrial guidelines and recommendations' for the strategic use of intelligent ICT for various operational aspects of high-DG power networks. These strategic recommendations will not only cover technology issues, but also business, economic, and market considerations. The role of utilities and third parties in utilising this new technology in this changing scene forms an important issue to be dealt with

Improved alternating gradient transport and focusing of neutral molecules

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kalnins, Juris; Lambertson, Glen; Gould, Harvey

2001-01-01

Polar molecules, in strong-field seeking states, can be transported and focused by an alternating sequence of electric field gradients that focus in one transverse direction while defocusing in the other. We show by calculation and numerical simulation, how one may greatly improve the alternating gradient transport and focusing of molecules. We use a new optimized multipole lens design, a FODO lattice beam transport line, and lenses to match the beam transport line to the beam source and the final focus. We derive analytic expressions for the potentials, fields, and gradients that may be used to design these lenses. We describe a simple lens optimization procedure and derive the equations of motion for tracking molecules through a beam transport line. As an example, we model a straight beamline that transports a 560 m/s jet-source beam of methyl fluoride molecules 15 m from its source and focuses it to 2 mm diameter. We calculate the beam transport line acceptance and transmission, for a beam with velocity spread, and estimate the transmitted intensity for specified source conditions. Possible applications are discussed

Tactus ≠ Tempo: Some Dissociations Between Attentional Focus, Motor Behavior, and Tempo Judgment

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Justin London

2011-08-01

Full Text Available Three experiments explored the relationships between surface rhythmic activity, tactus or beat rate, attentional focus, sensorimotor synchronization (tapping, and tempo perception. All involved a rhythmic standard followed by a comparison; the experimental task was a judgment of “slower, same, or faster.” In Experiment 1 participants simply judged relative speed; they focused on the beat level in Experiment 2, and they tapped along as they made their judgments in Experiment 3. In all three experiments judgments were highly accurate (89-97% correct, relative to beat-level inter-onset interval when the standard-comparison involved the same pattern/same tempo, and performed similarly for the same pattern at different tempos (80-83% correct. Performance degraded significantly in other contexts, especially for different patterns at the same tempo. A main effect for pattern (two levels: same vs. different and a pattern x tempo interaction were observed in all three experiments; a main effect for tempo (collapsed to two levels: same vs. different occurred only in Experiment 1. Analysis of a subset of the experimental conditions indicated that surface activity was of greater salience than the beat level in some contexts. Tapping along (Experiment 3 did not improve overall performance any more than simply focusing on the tactus level (Experiment 2, and a possible biasing effect of tapping rate on tempo judgment was observed. Thus there is an apparent dissociation between tactus rate, attentional focus, tapping behavior and tempo judgment. This suggests that our perception of musical speed or tempo is more than simple apprehension of the tactus rate.

A Phenomenographic Investigation of the Ways Engineering Students Experience Innovation

Science.gov (United States)

Fila, Nicholas David

structured in a semi-hierarchical, two-dimensional outcome space. The first four categories demonstrated a progression toward greater comprehensiveness in both process and focus dimensions. In the process dimension, subsequent categories added increasingly preliminary innovation phases: idea realization, idea generation, problem scoping, and problem finding. In the focus dimension, subsequent categories added key areas engineers considered during innovation: technical, human, and enterprise. The final four categories each incorporated all previous process phases and focus areas, but prioritized different focus areas in sophisticated ways and acknowledged a macro-iterative cycle, i.e., an understanding of how the processes within a single innovation project built upon and contributed to past and future innovation projects. These results demonstrate important differences between engineering students and suggest how they may come to experience innovation in increasingly comprehensive ways. A framework based on the results can be used by educators and researchers to support more robust educational offerings and nuanced research designs that reflect these differences.

Qualitative focus group study investigating experiences of accessing and engaging with social care services: perspectives of carers from diverse ethnic groups caring for stroke survivors.

Science.gov (United States)

Greenwood, Nan; Holley, Jess; Ellmers, Theresa; Mein, Gill; Cloud, Geoffrey

2016-01-29

Informal carers, often family members, play a vital role in supporting stroke survivors with post-stroke disability. As populations age, numbers of carers overall and those from minority ethnic groups in particular, are rising. Carers from all ethnic groups, but especially those from black and minority ethnic groups frequently fail to access support services, making understanding their experiences important. The study therefore explored the experiences of carers of stroke survivors aged 45+ years from 5 ethnic groups in accessing and receiving social care services after hospital discharge. This qualitative study used 7 recorded focus groups with informal carers of stroke survivors. Data were analysed thematically focusing on similarities and differences between ethnic groups. Carers were recruited from voluntary sector organisations supporting carers, stroke survivors and black and minority ethnic groups in the UK. 41 carers from 5 ethnic groups (Asian Indian, Asian Pakistani, black African, black Caribbean, white British) participated in the focus groups. Several interconnected themes were identified including: the service gap between hospital discharge and home; carers as the best person to care and cultural aspects of caring and using services. Many themes were common to all the included ethnic groups but some related to specific groups. Across ethnic groups there were many similarities in the experiences of people caring for stroke survivors with complex, long-term care needs. Accessing services demands effort and persistence on carers' part. If carers believe services are unsatisfactory or that they, rather than formal services, should be providing support for stroke survivors, they are unlikely to persist in their efforts. Cultural and language differences add to the challenges black and minority ethnic group carers face. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

No arousal-biased competition in focused visuospatial attention.

Science.gov (United States)

Ásgeirsson, Árni Gunnar; Nieuwenhuis, Sander

2017-11-01

Arousal sometimes enhances and sometimes impairs perception and memory. A recent theory attempts to reconcile these findings by proposing that arousal amplifies the competition between stimulus representations, strengthening already strong representations and weakening already weak representations. Here, we report a stringent test of this arousal-biased competition theory in the context of focused visuospatial attention. Participants were required to identify a briefly presented target in the context of multiple distractors, which varied in the degree to which they competed for representation with the target, as revealed by psychophysics. We manipulated arousal using emotionally arousing pictures (Experiment 1), alerting tones (Experiment 2) and white-noise stimulation (Experiment 3), and validated these manipulations with electroencephalography and pupillometry. In none of the experiments did we find evidence that arousal modulated the effect of distractor competition on the accuracy of target identification. Bayesian statistics revealed moderate to strong evidence against arousal-biased competition. Modeling of the psychophysical data based on Bundesen's (1990) theory of visual attention corroborated the conclusion that arousal does not bias competition in focused visuospatial attention. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Modeling Drift Compression in an Integrated Beam Experiment for Heavy-Ion-Fusion

Science.gov (United States)

Sharp, W. M.; Barnard, J. J.; Friedman, A.; Grote, D. P.; Celata, C. M.; Yu, S. S.

2003-10-01

The Integrated Beam Experiment (IBX) is an induction accelerator being designed to further develop the science base for heavy-ion fusion. The experiment is being developed jointly by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. One conceptual approach would first accelerate a 0.5-1 A beam of singly charged potassium ions to 5 MeV, impose a head-to-tail velocity tilt to compress the beam longitudinally, and finally focus the beam radiallly using a series of quadrupole lenses. The lengthwise compression is a critical step because the radial size must be controlled as the current increases, and the beam emittance must be kept minimal. The work reported here first uses the moment-based model HERMES to design the drift-compression beam line and to assess the sensitivity of the final beam profile to beam and lattice errors. The particle-in-cell code WARP is then used to validate the physics design, study the phase-space evolution, and quantify the emittance growth.

Influences on final year medical students' attitudes to general practice as a career.

Science.gov (United States)

Parker, Johanna E; Hudson, Ben; Wilkinson, Tim J

2014-03-01

General practice is under-represented in student career choices. This study aimed to identify and explore factors that influence the attitudes of final year medical students to general practice as a career. This qualitative study used semi-structured interviews of focus groups of final year undergraduate medical students at the University of Otago, Christchurch, New Zealand. Thematic analysis and grounded theory were used to interpret the data. General practitioners (GPs) play a key role in influencing medical students' attitudes to general practice as a career. Students identified their general practice placement during medical school training and personal contact with their own GP as principal factors. The media portrayal of general practice and the attitudes of friends and family were also influential. Students were positively influenced when they were made to feel part of the team, involved with consultations, allowed to carry out practical procedures under supervision, and witnessed what they perceived as good medical practice during clinical placements. Positive experiences often occurred later in training, when students felt more confident of their clinical abilities. While students reported occasional negative comments about general practice by some hospital doctors, these had a lesser role in influencing their perceptions of general practice compared with their own experiences, both as students and patients. GPs have a strong influence, positively and negatively, on the attitudes of medical students to general practice as a career. Effective influences include being made to feel welcome, involved, valued, and given legitimate roles during clinical placements.

The sporting body: body image and eating disorder symptomatology among female athletes from leanness focused and nonleanness focused sports.

Science.gov (United States)

Kong, Peiling; Harris, Lynne M

2015-01-01

Female athletes experience pressure to conform to social and sporting norms concerning body weight. This study compared general and sporting body dissatisfaction and disordered eating symptomatology among 320 elite, recreational, and noncompetitive female athletes aged 17 to 30 years competing in leanness focused sports and nonleanness focused sports. Participants completed an online questionnaire including demographic questions, the Eating Attitudes Test, and the Figure Rating Scale. Athletes from leanness focused sports reported higher levels of body dissatisfaction and greater disordered eating symptomatology regardless of participation level. Elite athletes reported higher levels of body dissatisfaction and greater disordered eating symptomatology regardless of sport type, and differences between recreational and noncompetitive athletes were not found. More than 60% of elite athletes from leanness focused and nonleanness focused sports reported pressure from coaches concerning body shape. The findings have important implications for identifying risk factors for eating disorders among female athletes, where athletes who compete at elite level and those who compete in leanness focused sports at any level may be at higher risk for developing eating disorders.

Tuning the DARHT Axis-II linear induction accelerator focusing

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ekdahl, Carl A. [Los Alamos National Laboratory

2012-04-24

Flash radiography of large hydrodynamic experiments driven by high explosives is a well-known diagnostic technique in use at many laboratories, and the Dual-Axis Radiography for Hydrodynamic Testing (DARHT) facility at Los Alamos produces flash radiographs of large hydrodynamic experiments. Two linear induction accelerators (LIAs) make the bremsstrahlung radiographic source spots for orthogonal views of each test. The 2-kA, 20-MeV Axis-I LIA creates a single 60-ns radiography pulse. The 1.7-kA, 16.5-MeV Axis-II LIA creates up to four radiography pulses by kicking them out of a longer pulse that has a 1.6-{mu}s flattop. The Axis-II injector, LIA, kicker, and downstream transport (DST) to the bremsstrahlung converter are described. Adjusting the magnetic focusing and steering elements to optimize the electron-beam transport through an LIA is often called 'tuning.' As in all high-current LIAs, the focusing field is designed to be as close to that of the ideal continuous solenoid as physically possible. In ideal continuous solenoidal transport a smoothly varying beam size can easily be found for which radial forces balance, and the beam is said to be 'matched' to the focusing field. A 'mismatched' beam exhibits unwanted oscillations in size, which are a source of free energy that contributes to emittance growth. This is undesirable, because in the absence of beam-target effects, the radiographic spot size is proportional to the emittance. Tuning the Axis-II LIA is done in two steps. First, the solenoidal focusing elements are set to values designed to provide a matched beam with little or no envelope oscillations, and little or no beam-breakup (BBU) instability growth. Then, steering elements are adjusted to minimize the motion of the centroid of a well-centered beam at the LIA exit. This article only describes the design of the tune for the focusing solenoids. The DARHT Axis-II LIA was required to be re-tuned after installing an

Managing Stress and Maintaining Well-Being: Social Support, Problem-Focused Coping, and Avoidant Coping

Science.gov (United States)

Chao, Ruth Chu-Lien

2011-01-01

This study tested a model that links stress, social support, problem-focused coping, and well-being. First, it looks at how high support significantly moderated the association between stress and well-being. Next, the students' problem-focused coping was seen as mediating this moderated association. Finally, a 3-way interaction of stress, social…

48 CFR 1852.235-73 - Final Scientific and Technical Reports.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 48 Federal Acquisition Regulations System 6 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 true Final Scientific and Technical Reports. 1852.235-73 Section 1852.235-73 Federal Acquisition Regulations System NATIONAL..., including recommendations and conclusions based on the experience and results obtained. The final report...

Spatial Footprints of Human Perceptual Experience in Geo-Social Media

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jun Lee

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Analyses of social media have increased in importance for understanding human behaviors, interests, and opinions. Business intelligence based on social media can reduce the costs of managing customer trend complexities. This paper focuses on analyzing sensation information representing human perceptual experiences in social media through the five senses: sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste. First a measurement is defined to estimate social sensation intensities, and subsequently sensation characteristics on geo-social media are identified using geo-spatial footprints. Finally, we evaluate the accuracy and F-measure of our approach by comparing with baselines.

Some experiences from the commissioning program of the SLC arcs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fischer, G.E.; Brown, K.L.; Bulos, F.; Fieguth, T.; Hutton, A.; Murray, J.J.; Toge, N.; Weng, W.T.; Wiedemann, H.

1987-01-01

The SLC Arc System is designed to transport beams of electrons and positrons from the end of the SLAC Linac to the beginning of the Final Focus System where they are made to collide head on. To minimize phase space dilution caused by quantum processes in the synchrotron radiation energy loss mechanism, the bending radii are large (279 m) and very high gradient (n = 32824) AG cells are arranged in trains of low dispersion, terrain following achromats. First experiences in operating a system of over 900 magnets, each with beam position monitors and corrector magnet movers, spanning 9000 feet, are described

Leading Online: An Autoethnography Focused on Leading an Instructional Focus on Student Learning in an Online School

Science.gov (United States)

Lancaster, Sally Ann

2012-01-01

The purpose in writing this autoethnography was to describe, analyze and interpret one leader's experience in leading a group of online teachers. I specifically wanted to identify the characteristics of an online learning environment that triggered teachers to focus on management issues rather than instructional learning issues; that is what…

Current european experiments on 2d molten core concrete interaction: HECLA and VULCANO

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Journeau, C.; Bonnet, J. M.; Boccaccio, E.; Piluso, P.; Sevon, T.; Pankakoski, P. H.; Holmstroem, S.; Virta, J.

2008-01-01

This paper presents results from two ongoing European experimental programs on molten core concrete interactions: HECLA at VTT and VULCANO at CEA. In the HECLA experiments, metallic melt is poured into a cylindrical concrete crucible. The focus is on the initial, pouring phase of the interaction. Therefore, decay heat simulation is not required. The HECLA-2 experiment involved 50 kg of stainless steel at 1700 deg. C and siliceous concrete. The final ablation depths were 25-30 mm in the basemat and about 15 mm in the sidewall. The VULCANO VB experiments have been devoted to the study of the interaction of 28 to 45 kg of oxidic corium with silica-rich or limestone-rich concretes. These tests are focusing on long-term ablation and require the use of induction heating to simulate the decay heat fluxes. Anisotropic ablation between the horizontal and vertical direction has been observed with silica-rich concrete, confirming the CCI tests. A new series of experiments VULCANO VBS has been launched in which there are both oxide and metallic phases in the melt. In these tests, magnetic screening is used so that the induction power is provided almost only to the upper oxidic layer after stratification. (authors)

Final Harvest of Above-Ground Biomass and Allometric Analysis of the Aspen FACE Experiment

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mark E. Kubiske

2013-04-15

The Aspen FACE experiment, located at the US Forest Service Harshaw Research Facility in Oneida County, Wisconsin, exposes the intact canopies of model trembling aspen forests to increased concentrations of atmospheric CO2 and O3. The first full year of treatments was 1998 and final year of elevated CO2 and O3 treatments is scheduled for 2009. This proposal is to conduct an intensive, analytical harvest of the above-ground parts of 24 trees from each of the 12, 30 m diameter treatment plots (total of 288 trees) during June, July & August 2009. This above-ground harvest will be carefully coordinated with the below-ground harvest proposed by D.F. Karnosky et al. (2008 proposal to DOE). We propose to dissect harvested trees according to annual height growth increment and organ (main stem, branch orders, and leaves) for calculation of above-ground biomass production and allometric comparisons among aspen clones, species, and treatments. Additionally, we will collect fine root samples for DNA fingerprinting to quantify biomass production of individual aspen clones. This work will produce a thorough characterization of above-ground tree and stand growth and allocation above ground, and, in conjunction with the below ground harvest, total tree and stand biomass production, allocation, and allometry.

Final report for the 'Melt-Vessel Interactions' Project. European Union R and TD Program 4th Framework. MVI project final research report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sehgal, B.R.; Dinh, T.N.; Nourgaliev, R.R.; Bui, V.A.; Green, J.; Kolb, G.; Karbojian, A.; Theerthan, S.A.; Gubaidulline, A. [Royal Inst. of Tech., Stockholm (Sweden). Div. of Nuclear Power Safety; Helle, M.; Kymaelaeinen, O.; Tuomisto, H. [IVO Power Engineering Ltd., Vantaa (Finland); Bonnet, J.M.; Rouge, S.; Narcoux, M.; Liegeois, A. [CEA - Grenoble (France); Turland, B.D.; Dobson, G.P. [AEA Technology plc, Dorchester (United Kingdom); Siccama, A. [ECN Nuclear Research, Petten (Netherlands); Ikonen, K. [VTT Energy, Helsinki (Finland); Parozzi, F. [ENEL - SRI/PAM/GRA, Segrate, MI (Italy); Kolev, N. [Siemens AG, Erlangen (Germany); Caira, M. [Univ. of Roma (Italy)

1999-04-01

The Melt Vessel Interaction (MVI) project is concerned with the consequences of the interactions that a core melt, generated during a postulated severe accident in a light water reactor, may have with the pressure vessel. In particular, the issues concerned with the failure of the vessel bottom head are the focus of the research. The specific objectives of the project are to obtain data and develop validated models, which could be applied to prototypic plants, and accident conditions, for resolution of issues related to the melt vessel interactions. The project work has been performed by nine partners having varied responsibility. The work included a large number of experiments, with simulant materials, whose observations and results are employed, respectively, to understand the physical mechanisms and to develop validated models. Applications to the prototypic geometry and conditions have also been performed. This report is volume 1 of the Final Report for the Project, in which a summary of the progress achieved in the experimental program is provided. We have, however, included some aspects of the modeling activities. Volume 2 of the Final report describes the progress achieved in the modeling program. The progress achieved in the experimental and modeling parts of the Project has led to the resolution of some of the issues of melt vessel interaction. Considerable progress was also achieved towards resolution of the remaining issues.

VCS-SSA Mainz Experiment. Measurement of the beam spin asymmetry in (e polarized p {yields} ep{gamma}) and (e polarized p {yields} ep{pi}{sup 0}). Final analysis - MEMO I

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fonvieille, H.; Bensafa, I. [LPC-Clermont-Fd, Universite Blaise Pascal, F-63170 Aubiere Cedex (France)

2006-02-15

This note gives details on the final analysis of the VCS-SSA experiment in terms of Beam Spin Asymmetry. It summarizes the changes between the first and second pass analysis. Then the measured asymmetry is presented for both channels e polarized p {yields} ep{gamma} and e polarized p {yields} ep{pi}{sup 0} including systematic studies. The final experimental result is briefly compared to some model predictions. (authors)

IEA Wind Task 23 Offshore Wind Technology and Deployment. Subtask 1 Experience with Critical Deployment Issues. Final Technical Report

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Lemming, Jørgen Kjærgaard

The final report for IEA Wind Task 23, Offshore Wind Energy Technology and Deployment, is made up of two separate reports: Subtask 1: Experience with Critical Deployment Issues and Subtask 2: Offshore Code Comparison Collaborative (OC3). The Subtask 1 report included here provides background...... information and objectives of Task 23. It specifically discusses ecological issues and regulation, electrical system integration and offshore wind, external conditions, and key conclusions for Subtask 1. The Subtask 2 report covers OC3 background information and objectives of the task, OC3 benchmark exercises...... of aero-elastic offshore wind turbine codes, monopile foundation modeling, tripod support structure modeling, and Phase IV results regarding floating wind turbine modeling....

Achilles tests finally nail PWR fuel clad ballooning fears

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dore, P.; McMinn, K.

1992-01-01

A conclusive series of experiments carried out by AEA Reactor Services at its Achilles rig in the UK has finally allayed fears that fuel clad ballooning is a major safety problem for Sizewell B, Britain's first Pressurized Water Reactor. The experiments are described in this article. (author)

CY15 Livermore Computing Focus Areas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Connell, Tom M. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Cupps, Kim C. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); D' Hooge, Trent E. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Fahey, Tim J. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Fox, Dave M. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Futral, Scott W. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Gary, Mark R. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Goldstone, Robin J. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Hamilton, Pam G. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Heer, Todd M. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Long, Jeff W. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Mark, Rich J. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Morrone, Chris J. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Shoopman, Jerry D. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Slavec, Joe A. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Smith, David W. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Springmeyer, Becky R [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Stearman, Marc D. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Watson, Py C. [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)

2015-01-20

The LC team undertook a survey of primary Center drivers for CY15. Identified key drivers included enhancing user experience and productivity, pre-exascale platform preparation, process improvement, data-centric computing paradigms and business expansion. The team organized critical supporting efforts into three cross-cutting focus areas; Improving Service Quality; Monitoring, Automation, Delegation and Center Efficiency; and Next Generation Compute and Data Environments In each area the team detailed high level challenges and identified discrete actions to address these issues during the calendar year. Identifying the Center’s primary drivers, issues, and plans is intended to serve as a lens focusing LC personnel, resources, and priorities throughout the year.

Discrete and modal focusing effects: principles and applications

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stamate, E

2012-01-01

Charge flux distribution on the surface of biased electrodes of different geometries immersed in a plasma is investigated by three-dimensional simulations and experiments. It is demonstrated that the sheath surrounding the electrodes that interface insulators acts as an electrostatic lens, focusing the charges to distinct locations on the electrode surface depending on the entrance coordinates at the sheath edge. Two focusing effects are identified. Discrete focusing leads to the formation of a passive surface of no ion impact, near the edge of the electrodes interfacing insulators. Modal focusing results in the formation of certain ‘modal spots’ and/or ‘modal lines’. Several phenomenological aspects and potential applications are reviewed and further discussed, including charge focusing by a three-dimensional plasma–sheath–lens, ion dose uniformity during plasma immersion ion implantation, mass spectrometry and plasma monitoring. (paper)

Matrix fluid chemistry experiment. Final report June 1998 - March 2003

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smellie, John A.T.; Waber, H. Niklaus; Frape, Shaun K.

2003-06-01

The Matrix Fluid Chemistry Experiment set out to determine the composition and evolution of matrix pore fluids/waters in low permeable rock located at repository depths in the Aespoe Hard Rock Laboratory (HRL). Matrix pore fluids/waters can be highly saline in composition and, if accessible, may influence the near-field groundwater chemistry of a repository system. Characterising pore fluids/waters involved in-situ borehole sampling and analysis integrated with laboratory studies and experiments on rock matrix drill core material. Relating the rate of in-situ pore water accumulation during sampling to the measured rock porosity indicated a hydraulic conductivity of 10 -14 -10 -13 m/s for the rock matrix. This was in accordance with earlier estimated predictions. The sampled matrix pore water, brackish in type, mostly represents older palaeo- groundwater mixtures preserved in the rock matrix and dating back to at least the last glaciation. A component of matrix pore 'fluid' is also present. One borehole section suggests a younger groundwater component which has accessed the rock matrix during the experiment. There is little evidence that the salinity of the matrix pore waters has been influenced significantly by fluid inclusion populations hosted by quartz. Crush/leach, cation exchange, pore water diffusion and pore water displacement laboratory experiments were carried out to compare extracted/calculated matrix pore fluids/waters with in-situ sampling. Of these the pore water diffusion experiments appear to be the most promising approach and a recommended site characterisation protocol has been formulated. The main conclusions from the Matrix Fluid Chemistry Experiment are: Groundwater movement within the bedrock hosting the experimental site has been enhanced by increased hydraulic gradients generated by the presence of the tunnel, and to a much lesser extent by the borehole itself. Over experimental timescales ∼4 years) solute transport through the rock matrix

Matrix fluid chemistry experiment. Final report June 1998 - March 2003

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Smellie, John A.T. [Conterra AB, Luleaa (Sweden); Waber, H. Niklaus [Univ. of Bern (Switzerland). Inst. of Geology; Frape, Shaun K. [Univ. of Waterloo (Canada). Dept. of Earth Sciences

2003-06-01

The Matrix Fluid Chemistry Experiment set out to determine the composition and evolution of matrix pore fluids/waters in low permeable rock located at repository depths in the Aespoe Hard Rock Laboratory (HRL). Matrix pore fluids/waters can be highly saline in composition and, if accessible, may influence the near-field groundwater chemistry of a repository system. Characterising pore fluids/waters involved in-situ borehole sampling and analysis integrated with laboratory studies and experiments on rock matrix drill core material. Relating the rate of in-situ pore water accumulation during sampling to the measured rock porosity indicated a hydraulic conductivity of 10{sup -14}-10{sup -13} m/s for the rock matrix. This was in accordance with earlier estimated predictions. The sampled matrix pore water, brackish in type, mostly represents older palaeo- groundwater mixtures preserved in the rock matrix and dating back to at least the last glaciation. A component of matrix pore 'fluid' is also present. One borehole section suggests a younger groundwater component which has accessed the rock matrix during the experiment. There is little evidence that the salinity of the matrix pore waters has been influenced significantly by fluid inclusion populations hosted by quartz. Crush/leach, cation exchange, pore water diffusion and pore water displacement laboratory experiments were carried out to compare extracted/calculated matrix pore fluids/waters with in-situ sampling. Of these the pore water diffusion experiments appear to be the most promising approach and a recommended site characterisation protocol has been formulated. The main conclusions from the Matrix Fluid Chemistry Experiment are: Groundwater movement within the bedrock hosting the experimental site has been enhanced by increased hydraulic gradients generated by the presence of the tunnel, and to a much lesser extent by the borehole itself. Over experimental timescales {approx}4 years) solute transport

Mangling the models: Real-life experiences in voluntary siting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roche, C.S.

1993-01-01

Social scientists are accumulating a growing body of research to guide the development of communications models for siting controversial facilities. The models emphasize building consensus by involving all stakeholders, including opponents, in the decision-making process from its earliest stages. Communications should focus on issues and concerns that are most relevant to the people in the involved community. Finally, trust must be built through local control of the decision-making process. This paper presents experiences in the voluntary siting process for the Monitored Retrievable Storage (MRS) facility for spent nuclear fuel in three locations: Grant County, North Dakota, Fremont County, Wyoming, and the Mescalero Apache nation in New Mexico

Trainees' Perceptions of a Final Oral Competency Examination

Science.gov (United States)

Goldberg, Robert W.; Young, Kevin R.

2016-01-01

Objective(s): The focus on competency attainment by professional psychology trainees obligates training programs to assess these competencies prior to completion of an internship. However, little is known about how trainees may perceive such testing. This study examines relationships between performance on an Oral Final Competency Examination of a…

Final report of experiments with rock blocks interacting hydraulically with smectitic pellet fills

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pusch, Roland [Sweco Infrastructure AB, Stockholm (Sweden); Ramqvist, Gunnar [El-Tekno AB, Figeholm (Sweden); Hedin, Mikael [AaF, Stockholm (Sweden)

2010-11-15

The report describes the outcome of the work within the the project 'SU5 08.20 Impact of water inflow in deposition tunnels'. Project decision SKBdoc id 1178871 Version 3.0. Two activity plans have been used for the field work: AP TD SU50820-09-014 and AP TD SU50820-09-031. A problem in backfilling of KBS-3V tunnels with smectitic pellets surrounding highly compacted clay blocks is that water entering the fill have a very substantial effect on the manner in which water moves into or through a pellet-filled region in the period immediately following pellet placement. Channels will be formed that lead much water to the sloping front of the fill in the course of placing it. This can soften the fill and turn it into mud where the water is discharged as demonstrated by large-scale tests. The nature of such channels was investigated in the present study that comprised experiments with rock blocks equipped with nozzles for injecting water into contacting pellet fills at constant flow rates. The purpose was to identify the basic mechanisms in the first phase of hydration of pellet fills and to find out if there is a threshold flow rate for 'piping'. The question if channelling at breakthrough takes place along the contact with the confinement, as indicated by preceding tests with steel and plexiglass instead of rock, was in focus. While the mechanisms of water entering a fill from separate local spots in contacting rock are well understood, prediction of the entire wetting process of a larger pellet volume requires consideration of the interactive function of several inflow spots, representing single or networks of rock fractures. Experiments with pellet fills on a larger scale with simultaneous inflow from a number of fractures would provide further information on the wetting process. Such a test is outlined in the report.

Plasma devices for focusing extreme light pulses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fuchs, J.; Gonoskov, A.A.; Nakatsutsumi, M.; Nazarov, W.; Quere, F.; Sergeev, A.M.; Yan, X.Q.

2014-01-01

Since the inception of the laser, there has been a constant push toward increasing the laser peak intensity, as this has lead to opening the exploration of new territories, and the production of compact sources of particles and radiation with unprecedented characteristics. However, increasing the peak laser intensity is usually performed by enhancing the produced laser properties, either by lowering its duration or increasing its energy, which involves a great level of complexity for the laser chain, or comes at great cost. Focusing tightly is another possibility to increase the laser intensity, but this comes at the risk of damaging the optics with target debris, as it requires their placement in close proximity to the interaction region. Plasma devices are an attractive, compact alternative to tightly focus extreme light pulses and further increase the final laser intensity. (authors)

Towards a Global Comprehensive Context-driven and Decision-focused Theory and Method for a New Political Economy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Winston P. Nagan

2014-05-01

Full Text Available There is currently significant dissatisfaction with conventional economic theory. The unreliability of conventional theory as a predictor of future economic possibilities of catastrophes emphasizes the need for a new paradigm of political economy. This paper provides a capsule of some of the important limitations and consequences of the “old” paradigm. It proposes the necessary elements of a new paradigm and it seeks to locate the new paradigm of political economy in terms of its global reach. This requires a richer contextual approach, with the tools of contextual mapping. It has as well a focus on the global process of effective power and the emerging rule of law based constitutive processes. This is a key to the role of decision and the architecture of decision-making in political economy. We conclude with the global to local implications of the Vicos Experiment in Peru. Finally, we stress the wider lens of focus to identify the real and not the illusory generation of value. The implications here facilitate real global democratization.

Evaluation of performance of select fusion experiments and projected reactors. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miley, G.H.

1978-10-01

The performance of NASA Lewis fusion experiments (SUMMA and Bumpy Torus) is compared with other experiments and that necessary for a power reactor. Key parameters cited are gain (fusion power/input power) and the time average fusion power, both of which may be more significant for real fusion reactors than the commonly used Lawson parameter. The NASA devices are over 10 orders of magnitude below the required powerplant values in both gain and time average power. The best experiments elsewhere are also as much as 4 to 5 orders of magnitude low. However, the NASA experiments compare favorably with other alternate approaches that have received less funding than the mainline experiments. The steady-state character and efficiency of plasma heating are strong advantages of the NASA approach. The problem, though, is to move ahead to experiments of sufficient size to advance in gain and average power parameters

Accelerating and focusing structures for PIGMI

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Swenson, D.A.; Bush, E.D. Jr.; Holsinger, R.F.; Manca, J.J.; Saito, N.; Stovall, J.E.

1977-01-01

The National Cancer Institute is supporting a program of accelerator development at the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory aimed at the extension of proton linac technologies to produce the most suitable Pion Generator for Medical Irradiations (PIGMI). An optimized design of a pion generator suitable for a radiotherapy program at a major medical center has been established, consisting of a 250-keV injector, followed by a 35-meter-long drift-tube linac that accelerates the proton beam to 150 MeV, and an 85-meter-long coupled-cavity linac that accelerates the beam to its final energy of 650 MeV, where the average beam current of 100 microamperes impinges on one or more targets producing abundant quantities of π - mesons for radiotherapeutic applications. A number of extensions to proton linac technology are being pursued under the PIGMI program at LASL. A discussion is given of recent developments in three areas relevant to the acceleration and focusing of proton beams, namely, the alternating phase focused (APF) linac structure, the disk and washer linac structure, and small permanent magnet quadrupole lenses. The APF linac structure is being developed for the acceleration and focusing role from the injection energy of 250 keV to a few MeV, where a transition is made to a permanent magnet quadrupole focused linac structure. The disk and washer linac structure is under consideration for the high velocity portion of the design

Solar thermal power systems point-focusing thermal and electric applications projects. Volume 1: Executive summary

Science.gov (United States)

Marriott, A.

1980-01-01

The activities of the Point-Focusing Thermal and Electric Applications (PETEA) project for the fiscal year 1979 are summarized. The main thrust of the PFTEA Project, the small community solar thermal power experiment, was completed. Concept definition studies included a small central receiver approach, a point-focusing distributed receiver system with central power generation, and a point-focusing distributed receiver concept with distributed power generation. The first experiment in the Isolated Application Series was initiated. Planning for the third engineering experiment series, which addresses the industrial market sector, was also initiated. In addition to the experiment-related activities, several contracts to industry were let and studies were conducted to explore the market potential for point-focusing distributed receiver (PFDR) systems. System analysis studies were completed that looked at PFDR technology relative to other small power system technology candidates for the utility market sector.

The DAN-AERO MW experiments. Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aagaard Madsen, H.; Bak, C.; Schmidt Paulsen, U.; Gaunaa, M. (Risoe DTU, Roskilde (Denmark)); Fuglsang, P. (LM Glasfiber, Kolding (Denmark)); Romblad, J.; Olesen, N.A. (Vestas Wind Systems, Ringkoebing (Denmark)); Enevoldsen, P.; Laursen, J. (Siemens Wind Power, Ballerup (Denmark)); Jensen, Leo (DONG Energy, Fredericia (Denmark))

2010-09-15

This report describes the DAN-AERO MW experiments carried out within a collaborative, three years research project between Risoe DTU and the industrial partners LM Glasfiber, Siemens Wind Power, Vestas Wind Systems A/S and the utility company DONG Energy. The main objective of the project was to establish an experimental data base which can provide new insight into a number of fundamental aerodynamic and aero-acoustic issues, important for the design and operation of MW size turbines. The most important issue is the difference between airfoil characteristics measured under 2D, steady conditions in a wind tunnel and the unsteady 3D flow conditions on a rotor. The different transition characteristics might explain some of the differences between the 2D and 3D airfoil data and the experiments have been set up to provide data on this subject. The overall experimental approach has been to carry out a number of coordinated, innovative measurements on full scale MW size rotors as well as on airfoils for MW size turbines in wind tunnels. Shear and turbulence inflow characteristics were measured on a Siemens 3.6 MW turbine with a five hole pitot tube. Pressure and turbulent inflow characteristics were measured on a 2MW NM80 turbine with an 80 m rotor. One of the LM38.8 m blades on the rotor was replaced with a new LM38.8 m blade where instruments for surface pressure measurements at four radial sections were build into the blade during the blade production process. Additionally, the outmost section on the blade was further instrumented with around 50 microphones for high frequency surface pressure measurements. The surface pressure measurements have been correlated with inflow measurements from four five hole pitot tubes and two sensors for measuring the high frequency (50 Hz to10 kHz) contents of the inflow turbulence. In parallel, 2D wind tunnel measurements on common airfoils for wind turbine applications have been conducted in three different wind tunnels at Delft

Defining the Focus of Attention: Effects of Attention on Perceived Exertion and Fatigue.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Keith eLohse

2011-11-01

Full Text Available This manuscript presents two experiments designed to explore the effects of attention on perceived exertion and time to failure in a fatiguing athletic task. There were two major motivating factors for these experiments. First, there are few studies evaluating attentional focus effects in endurance tasks and, second, there is a lack of integration between studies of attentional focus as external/internal (e.g., Wulf, 2007 compared to associative/dissociative (e.g., Stevenson & Biddle, 1998. In Experiment 1, we used a fatiguing wall-sit posture (essentially a complex, isometric task to compare two different types of external attention with an internal focus on the position of the legs. An external focus (regardless of type increased the time taken to failure and reduced perceived exertion. In Experiment 2, we manipulated subjects’ expectancy of fatigue to test the interaction of attention and expectancy (both top-down factors in this highly fatiguing task. Previous theories of attention during endurance tasks have suggested that as fatigue/pain increase, bottom-up factors begin to dominate subjects’ attention. While this may be true, Experiment 2 showed that even in a highly fatiguing task, attentional strategies and expectancies affected the time to failure and perceived exertion.

In-vessel core debris retention experiments. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1998-10-01

The in-vessel cooling experimental program (Phase 1 and 2) was motivated by the survivability of the TMI lower vessel head during the TMI-2 accident. During that accident, molten debris relocation into the water filled lower head resulted in a localized hot spot in the lower head, but no lower head failure occurred. A postulated set of mechanisms which could be involved in and responsible for the survivability of the TMI lower head were identified and experimentally investigated as part of this program. These mechanisms included: the formation of a gap (contact resistance) between the relocated and frozen debris and the vessel wall was a key aspect of the in-vessel cooling mechanism; wall heatup due to the relocated debris in the presence of wall stress due to a pressure gradient across the vessel wall; gap growth due to a lack of debris adherence to the vessel wall and material creep of the heated vessel wall; and the potential for enhanced wall cooling due to gap growth. Each of these postulated mechanisms was investigated in this experimental program. This report summarizes the several insights and conclusions that were obtained from this experimental program. This report documents the entire set of five experiments completed in Phase 2 of this experimental program. Results from the Phase 1 effort were used to plan and select the Phase 2 test matrix. Conclusions from the Phase 1 and 2 experiments are identified and recommendations for future work are provided

Radiosynoviorthesis in the treatment of chronic synoviorthesis. Multidisciplinary focuses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morin Zorrilla, Jose

2006-01-01

Those near 50 years of application of the radiosinovectomy like effective alternative in the treatment of the chronic synovitis of different origin, indicate the convenience and in cause the necessity to integrate focuses, knowledge and technologies in order to reach satisfactory results. In the marks of a brunch project of the Agency of Nuclear Energy and Technologies of Advanced the efforts of several institutions are joined with the purpose of introducing in Cuba this useful one and in certain cases obligatory therapeutic modality. The work talks about the problem, the boarding multidisciplinary, the global focuses, the advances and the challenges are indicated that has this modality of the metabolic radiotherapy. In the experience of the development of radiopharmaceutical for radiosinovectomy, is considered that it is not possible to reach the level of excellence that the treatment with open sources requires without the active participation of specialists of different profiles as vectors of the integration of institutions that give their experience and the focus of their institution (Author)

Search for Supersymmetry in final states with three leptons and missing transverse energy with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider

CERN Document Server

Santoyo Castillo, Itzebelt

The ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider has collected an unprecedented amount of data in the 3 years of data taking since its start. In this document I will dis- cuss the results of the analysis I performed during my PhD at the university of Sussex for the search of Supersymmetry in events with three leptons (electron/muon/tau) and missing transverse energy in the final state. The search is performed on the full dataset collected by the experiment in 2012, at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV. These results are interpreted in SUSY models with chargino-neutralino pair production via decays involving sleptons, staus, gauge bosons and the newly discovered Higgs boson. These results presen- ted improve on previous searches performed at ATLAS in three lepton final states with only electrons and muons. Special focus will be given to the optimisation process of Su- persymmetry signal with respect to the SM background, and the statistical interpretation of the results obtained with this search.

Triplet Focusing for Recirculating Linear Muon Accelerators

CERN Document Server

Keil, Eberhard

2001-01-01

Focusing by symmetrical triplets is studied for the linear accelerator lattices in recirculating muon accelerators with several passes where the ratio of final to initial muon energy is about four. Triplet and FODO lattices are compared. At similar acceptance, triplet lattices have straight sections for the RF cavities that are about twice as long as in FODO lat-tices. For the same energy gain, the total lengths of the linear accelerators with triplet lattices are about the same as of those with FODO lattices.

3D shape recovery from image focus using gray level co-occurrence matrix

Science.gov (United States)

Mahmood, Fahad; Munir, Umair; Mehmood, Fahad; Iqbal, Javaid

2018-04-01

Recovering a precise and accurate 3-D shape of the target object utilizing robust 3-D shape recovery algorithm is an ultimate objective of computer vision community. Focus measure algorithm plays an important role in this architecture which convert the color values of each pixel of the acquired 2-D image dataset into corresponding focus values. After convolving the focus measure filter with the input 2-D image dataset, a 3-D shape recovery approach is applied which will recover the depth map. In this document, we are concerned with proposing Gray Level Co-occurrence Matrix along with its statistical features for computing the focus information of the image dataset. The Gray Level Co-occurrence Matrix quantifies the texture present in the image using statistical features and then applies joint probability distributive function of the gray level pairs of the input image. Finally, we quantify the focus value of the input image using Gaussian Mixture Model. Due to its little computational complexity, sharp focus measure curve, robust to random noise sources and accuracy, it is considered as superior alternative to most of recently proposed 3-D shape recovery approaches. This algorithm is deeply investigated on real image sequences and synthetic image dataset. The efficiency of the proposed scheme is also compared with the state of art 3-D shape recovery approaches. Finally, by means of two global statistical measures, root mean square error and correlation, we claim that this approach -in spite of simplicity generates accurate results.

The ISHTE [In-Situ Heat Transfer Experiment] lander: Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Olson, L.O.; Harrison, J.G.

1986-12-01

This report describes the design and development of a sea floor lander constructed to support the In-Situ Heat Transfer Experiment (ISHTE). The work entailed fabricating and testing a steel space frame that would support and accurately position delicate instruments which would monitor a heat source driven into the sediments of the deep ocean. This lander is capable of being (1) transported from Seattle to Hawaii and back several times; (2) deployed from a ship at sea; (3) operated on the sea floor to field delicate experimental equipment; and (4) recovered for retrofit to support a one-year experiment on the sea floor

Recent developments: Washington focus

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1990-01-01

Congress has made progress on key legislation this summer. The House of Representatives passed an appropriations bill which authorizes spending for DOE and the NRC for FY91. The Senate has yet to consider an energy appropriations bill, but as the House bill exceeds the administration request for funding by $575 million, it will likely experience substantial cuts before its final passage. At the end of the month, the Senate Energy ampersand Natural Resources Committee held a hearing on the Smith Barney report on the Uranium Enrichment Enterprise. Since the Senate has already passed a uranium enrichment restructuring bill, attention has shifted to the House where some Representatives have expressed interest in holding a hearing on the report. After almost a month's delay, the House has named its representatives to the Clean Air Act Conference Committee. The Senate will have nine committee members, and the House will have 142 conferees from seven committees. Final action on the clean air bill is likely before November's Congressional elections. Finally, although it appeared the utilities had a chance to hold their payment of NRC user fees at 45 percent of the NRC's budget level, President Bush's decision to discuss taxes as part of the budget negotiations increases the likelihood of higher user fees-possibly as high as 100 percent of the NRC budget. The American Nuclear Energy Council (ANEC) estimates that the President's proposal to recover 100 percent of the NRC's budget through user fees is the second largest revenue item among the user fees proposed

The BGO-OD experiment: data analysis in preparation for physics proposals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jude, Thomas [Physikalisches Institut, University of Bonn, Bonn (Germany); Collaboration: BGO-OD-Collaboration

2014-07-01

The BGO-OD experiment at the ELSA accelerator facility, Bonn, consists of the highly segmented BGO calorimeter with a particle tracking magnetic spectrometer at forward angles. This allows the investigation of final states of mixed charge with nearly 4π acceptance, with very high precision at forward angles for charged particles. An extensive physics programme using an energy tagged bremsstrahlung photon beam is planned using this unique setup. This includes measurements of associated strangeness, vector meson and pseudoscaler meson photoproduction. The commissioning phase of the experiment is almost complete. This talk focuses on analysis of the commissioning data, which includes particle track reconstruction in the forward spectrometer and momentum reconstruction with the BGO calorimeter. Comparisons are made with simulated data, and analysis results relevant to the physics proposals are presented.

IAEA fast reactor knowledge preservation initiative. Project focus: KNK-II reactor, Karlsruhe, Germany

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2004-08-01

This Working Material (including the attached CD-ROM) documents progress made in the IAEA's initiative to preserve knowledge in the fast reactor domain. The brochure describes briefly the context of the initiative and gives an introduction to the contents of the CD-ROM. In 2003/2004 a first focus of activity was concentrated on the preservation of knowledge related to the KNK-II experimental fast reactor in Karlsruhe, Germany. The urgency of this project was given by the impending physical destruction of the installation, including the office buildings. Important KNK-II documentation was brought to safety and preserved just in time. The CD-ROM contains the full texts of 264 technical and scientific documents describing research, development and operating experience gained with the KNK-II installation over a period of time from 1965 to 2002, extending through initial investigations, 17 years of rich operating experience, and final shutdown and decommissioning. The index to the documents on the CD-ROM is printed at the end of this booklet in chronological order and is accessible on the CD by subject index and chronological index. The CD-ROM contains in its root directory also the document 'fr c lassification.pdf' which describes the classification system used for the present collection of documents on the fast reactor KNK-II

Multisplitting and collapse of self-focusing anisotropic beams in normal/anomalous dispersive media

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Bergé, L.; Juul Rasmussen, J.

1996-01-01

Three-dimensional self-focusing light pulses in normal and anomalous dispersive media are investigated by means of a waveguide instability analysis, a Lagrangian approach, and a quasi-self-similar analysis. In the case of normal dispersion for which no localized ground state exists, it is shown....... The mechanism underlying this fragmentation process is described in terms of a stretching of the self-focusing beam along its propagation axis. The focal point, where the splitting process develops, is identified. Finally, it is shown that the longitudinal dynamical motions of self-focusing elongated pulses...

Geomagnetic storm forecasting service StormFocus: 5 years online

Science.gov (United States)

Podladchikova, Tatiana; Petrukovich, Anatoly; Yermolaev, Yuri

2018-04-01

Forecasting geomagnetic storms is highly important for many space weather applications. In this study, we review performance of the geomagnetic storm forecasting service StormFocus during 2011-2016. The service was implemented in 2011 at SpaceWeather.Ru and predicts the expected strength of geomagnetic storms as measured by Dst index several hours ahead. The forecast is based on L1 solar wind and IMF measurements and is updated every hour. The solar maximum of cycle 24 is weak, so most of the statistics are on rather moderate storms. We verify quality of selection criteria, as well as reliability of real-time input data in comparison with the final values, available in archives. In real-time operation 87% of storms were correctly predicted while the reanalysis running on final OMNI data predicts successfully 97% of storms. Thus the main reasons for prediction errors are discrepancies between real-time and final data (Dst, solar wind and IMF) due to processing errors, specifics of datasets.

Experiments of Nanometer Spot Size Monitor at FETB Using Laser Interferometry

CERN Document Server

Walz, D

2003-01-01

The nanometer spot size monitor based on the laser interferometry has been developed and installed in the final focus test beam (FFTB) line at SLAC. The beam experiments started in September 1993, the first fringe pattern from the monitor was observed in the beginning of April 1994, then the small vertical spot around 70 nm was observed in May 1994. The spot size monitor has been routinely used for tuning the beam optics in FFTB. Basic principle of this monitor has been well proved, and its high performance as a precise beam monitor in nanometer range has been demonstrated.

Final report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jarillo-Herrero, Pablo [Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States)

2017-02-07

This is the final report of our research program on electronic transport experiments on Topological Insulator (TI) devices, funded by the DOE Office of Basic Energy Sciences. TI-based electronic devices are attractive as platforms for spintronic applications, and for detection of emergent properties such as Majorana excitations , electron-hole condensates , and the topological magneto-electric effect . Most theoretical proposals envision geometries consisting of a planar TI device integrated with materials of distinctly different physical phases (such as ferromagnets and superconductors). Experimental realization of physics tied to the surface states is a challenge due to the ubiquitous presence of bulk carriers in most TI compounds as well as degradation during device fabrication.

Kicker thyratron experience from SLC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Donaldson, A.R.; Cassel, R.L.; Mattison, T.S.; Reginato, L.L.

1991-05-01

The SLAC Linear Collider has five fast kickers for the damping ring injectors, extractors, and the electron extractor for the positron target that use multi-gap Deuterium-filled thyratrons. The thyratrons operate with 30 to 70 kV anode voltages and 1 to 5 kA currents, to deliver pulses to kicker magnets with ∼ 30 ns rise times, up to ∼ 150 ns pulse widths, at 120 Hz. Operating and lifetime experience with several types of thyratrons and support electronics are discussed. Floating driver and power supply electronics were replaced by a ferrite choke isolator to allow grounding of the cathode support electronics with a commensurate increase in operating reliability. The construction of a 100 ns Blumlein enabled detailed measurements of the switching times for all SLC thyratrons under similar conditions. In the final focus area, the kickers dump the SLC beams after the e + e - collisions. These thyratrons function with 15 kV anode voltages and up to 2 kA currents to produce 1/2 sine pulses with ∼ 300 ns rise times, ∼ 550 ns FWHM, at 120 Hz. Operating experience with these thyratrons will also be presented. 7 refs., 1 fig., 3 tabs

Recherche de sgluons dans des états finals multitops avec le détecteur ATLAS auprès du LHC à $\\sqrt{s}$ = 8 TeV

CERN Document Server

Valery, Loïc; Calvet, Samuel

Despite its experimental confirmations, the Standard Model, which describes both the elementary particles and three of the fundamental interactions, has some theoretical and experimental limitations. As a consequence of these limitations, a Physics not described in the context of the Standard Model could exist : the New Physics. This work focuses on the search for scalar gluons, commonly dubbed $sgluons$, predicted in various New Physics theories. A phenomenological study considers various final states (containing between two and four top quarks) and signatures (with one or two charged leptons) that could arise from sgluon production. The sensitivity of an ATLAS-like experiment to this signal is estimated and the results indicate that one of the most promising final states contains four top quarks in a signature with two charged leptons (electron or muon) of the same electric charge. The search for sgluons within the ATLAS experiment uses the previous results. Thus, it only investigates the 4-top topology i...