Preliminary Positions Research Articles

A Test of the Astrometric Quality of the Southern Guide Star Catalog 1.2

We used preliminary positions of the Yale Southern Proper Motion (SPM) catalogue (Platais, Girard et al., Astronomy from Large Database II, eds. Heck & Murtag, 1992) in a region of 5 fields around the South Galactic Pole to assess the astrometric accuracy of the mask solution (Taff, Lattanzi and Bucciarelli, ApJ 361, 667, 1990), which will be used (in combination with the subplate method) for the construction of the Guide Star Catalogue (GSC) version 1.2. Another semi-external check is done by direct comparison of GSC positions of stars lying onto overlapping plate areas. Results in tables 1 and 2 show that the average rms of the GSC–SPM differences is quite satisfactory (∼ 0.33 arcsecper coordinate), while an error degradation (up to ∼ 1 arcsecpositional) can occurr within a limited area at the plate corners, its signature varying from plate to plate. This can be cured on a plate-by-plate basis by the use of a filtering technique, e.g., as provided by the Collocation method (Bucciarelli, Lattanzi and Taff, ApJ Suppl. 84, 91, 1993), wherever a suitable reference star density is available.

Creating a Nursing Service Newsletter

Developing an in-house newsletter requires making a considerable number of decisions to develop the right design for your publication. This nurse author and editor has national and international communication and publication experience. In this article, she shares her perspectives on the newsletter development process with a focus on the all-important design aspects.

The Ides of March

The total number of US medical school graduates who selected categorical programs in internal medicine in this year's match fell by 7.9%. Consequently, the program fill rate for US graduates declined for the eighth consecutive year, from 55.9% to 53.1%. Preliminary positions and international graduates continue to increase, though questions remain whether these residents serve as good role models to encourage student interest in internal medicine. We reviewed the 1993 National Resident Matching Program data and several curricular reforms implemented in our internal medicine clerkship and residency program to evaluate whether such reform might enhance interest in general internal medicine. Reform in our internal medicine clerkship curriculum included increased emphasis on problem-based learning and exposure to generalist role models. This resulted in substantial increases on the average miniboard examination and a 22% increase in the number of students pursuing residency in internal medicine from the previous year. Residency curricular reform centered around enhanced ambulatory care teaching along with improved exposure to generalist role models. This resulted in a gradual increase in the number of residency graduates who were staying in general internal medicine from 21% in 1991 to 40% in 1993. Innovative curricular changes in our internal medicine clerkship and residency programs have led to enhanced interest in general internal medicine. Although our results are preliminary, such change is necessary, not only to continue program excellence, but for simple survival.

A radio/optical reference frame. 5: Additional source positions in the mid-latitude southern hemisphere

We report new accurate radio position measurements for 30 sources, preliminary positions for two sources, improved radio postions for nine additional sources which had limited previous observations, and optical positions and optical-radio differences for six of the radio sources. The Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) observations are part of the continuing effort to establish a global radio reference frame of about 400 compact, flat spectrum sources, which are evenly distributed across the sky. The observations were made using Mark III data format in four separate sessions in 1988-89 with radio telescopes at Tidbinbilla, Australia, Kauai, USA, and Kashima, Japan. We observed a total of 54 sources, including ten calibrators and three which were undetected. The 32 new source positions bring the total number in the radio reference frame catalog to 319 (172 northern and 147 southern) and fill in the zone -25 deg greater than delta greater than -45 deg which, prior to this list, had the lowest source density. The VLBI positions have an average formal precision of less than 1 mas, although unknown radio structure effects of about 1-2 mas may be present. The six new optical postion measurements are part of the program to obtain positions of the optical counterparts of the radio reference frame source and to map accurately the optical on to the radio reference frames. The optical measurements were obtained from United States Naval Observatory (USNO) Black Birch astrograph plates and source plates from the AAT, and Kitt Peak National Observatory (KPNO) 4 m, and the European Southern Observatory (ESO) Schmidt. The optical positions have an average precision of 0.07 sec, mostly due to the zero point error when adjusted to the FK5 optical frame using the IRS catalog. To date we have measured optical positions for 46 sources.

Declining Interest in Internal Medicine-Reply

We appreciate the comments by Miles et al. We agree that attending physicians play an important part as role models for medical students during their clerkship experience. Faculty members are perceived as important role models from the student perspective in their attraction to internal medicine as a career choice. 1 Active participation of motivated teaching faculty and medical residents during the clerkship experience clearly plays a critical role in the career choice of our students. As many programs have increased preliminary positions to maintain staffing needs, many training centers have developed preliminary track programs for these residents. 2 We are impressed with the fact that your training program has attending faculty accessible on a 24-hour basis (including in-house) as part of the preliminary track program. This, obviously, provides important exposure to medical students who participate in this program and may stimulate their interest in internal medicine. Unfortunately, the in-depth faculty

On the optical identifications of five X-ray sources

The data from a recently completed survey of the galactic plane with the SAS-3 modulation collimators provide precise (20″–60″) celestial positions of galactic X-ray sources. Preliminary positions of 60″ precision are reported for five sources. One of these led to the identification of the star, γ Cas, as an X-ray source, and the others lend substantial confidence to previously proposed optical identifications: 3U0352 + 30 = X Per, 3U1145 − 61 =HEN 715, GX301 − 2 = WRA977, and GX304 − 1 = MMV star. These identifications seem to establish the existence of a previously suggested class of De-star X-ray emitters.

Chapter II. The Home Economy in 1977 and 1978

The critical assumption for this forecast is that relating to pay policy when Stage Two expires in July. At the time of writing (early February), formal negotiations have not yet begun. Preliminary positions have, however, been taken up, and it seems clear that the gap between the hopes of the Government and the aims of the trade unions is much wider than at the comparable point in the Stage Two negotiations. Both the Labour Party conference and the Trade Union Congress last autumn passed motions which called for priority to be given, when Stage Two ended, to four factors in the next stage. These were the restoration of satisfactory differentials and the correction of anomalies and inequities, an emphasis on the improvement of the position of the low-paid, the consolidation of Stage One and Two increases into basic rates for the calculation of overtime, piece-work and shift payments, and provision for productivity agreements. Almost independently of the agreed basic norm, a liberal interpretation of these demands could lead to rises in average earnings in excess of 20 per cent. On the other hand, the majority of trade unionists seem to accept the need for continued restraint, though stressing that there is an imperative need for greater flexibility in Stage Three.

The brain drain from low‐income countries

Summary In the absence of adequate data on the brain drain from low‐income countries economists have had to be content with erecting an analytical framework and taking up preliminary positions on the issue. This paper attempts a critical review of thes positions against the background of such knowledge as is available. The value‐judgment underlying the ‘internationalists’ dismissal of the problem is identified, and the assumptions behind the argument that, even in ‘nationalist’ terms, poor countries usually benefit from brain drain are challenged. Part of the argument about its effects reduces to an argument about the size of the externalities generated by the educated; our ignorance about these should not be taken as proof of their non‐existence. It may be, in any case, that to try to measure the effects of the brain drain merely by counting the number of educated nationals abroad is to miss the whole point. The international mobility of a few categories, it is argued, is at the heart of the problem—whic...