University of Otago

About: University of Otago is a education organization based out in Dunedin, New Zealand. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Poison control. The organization has 21668 authors who have published 53810 publications receiving 1835189 citations. The organization is also known as: Otago University & otago.ac.nz.

Regional brain blood flow in man during acute changes in arterial blood gases

Abstract: Despite the importance of blood flow on brainstem control of respiratory and autonomic function, little is known about regional cerebral blood flow (CBF) during changes in arterial blood gases.We quantified: (1) anterior and posterior CBF and reactivity through a wide range of steady-state changes in the partial pressures of CO2 (PaCO2) and O2 (PaO2) in arterial blood, and (2) determined if the internal carotid artery (ICA) and vertebral artery (VA) change diameter through the same range.We used near-concurrent vascular ultrasound measures of flow through the ICA and VA, and blood velocity in their downstream arteries (the middle (MCA) and posterior (PCA) cerebral arteries). Part A (n =16) examined iso-oxic changes in PaCO2, consisting of three hypocapnic stages (PaCO2 =∼15, ∼20 and ∼30 mmHg) and four hypercapnic stages (PaCO2 =∼50, ∼55, ∼60 and ∼65 mmHg). In Part B (n =10), during isocapnia, PaO2 was decreased to ∼60, ∼44, and ∼35 mmHg and increased to ∼320 mmHg and ∼430 mmHg. Stages lasted ∼15 min. Intra-arterial pressure was measured continuously; arterial blood gases were sampled at the end of each stage. There were three principal findings. (1) Regional reactivity: the VA reactivity to hypocapnia was larger than the ICA, MCA and PCA; hypercapnic reactivity was similar.With profound hypoxia (35 mmHg) the relative increase in VA flow was 50% greater than the other vessels. (2) Neck vessel diameters: changes in diameter (∼25%) of the ICA was positively related to changes in PaCO2 (R2, 0.63±0.26; P<0.05); VA diameter was unaltered in response to changed PaCO2 but yielded a diameter increase of +9% with severe hypoxia. (3) Intra- vs. extra-cerebral measures: MCA and PCA blood velocities yielded smaller reactivities and estimates of flow than VA and ICA flow. The findings respectively indicate: (1) disparate blood flow regulation to the brainstem and cortex; (2) cerebrovascular resistance is not solely modulated at the level of the arteriolar pial vessels; and (3) transcranial Doppler ultrasound may underestimate measurements of CBF during extreme hypoxia and/or hypercapnia.

Thickness of the Seismic Slip Zone

Abstract: This article reviews geologic and other evidence constraining the thickness of the principal slip zone (PSZ) that accommodates the bulk of coseismic shear displacement during an individual rupture event. Surface deformation from rupturing may occupy swaths tens of meters or more in width, but trenches across active faults generally reveal that incremental slip is accommodated by a PSZ that is tens of centimeters or less in thickness. Geomorphic evidence, coupled with the observations from trenching, suggest a PSZ may stay well localized for distances of several kilometers through many rupture episodes. Mine exposures and exhumed fault zones demonstrate that PSZs separating different lithologies within the “fault core,” although contained within “damage zones” of variably fractured rock ranging up to hundreds of meters in thickness, often comprise just a few centimeters of gouge/ultracataclasite that have accommodated large finite displacements (>1 km). Microstructural studies demonstrate incremental slip localized still further down to 1–10 mm, as do other fault-rock assemblages (slickensides and slickenfibers, fault-veins of pseudotachylyte friction-melt, intravein septa in hydrothermal fault infills). The accumulated evidence indicates that localization of coseismic shearing to less than 10 cm on planar faults is widespread throughout the crustal seismogenic zone, with extreme localization to less than 1 cm not uncommon. However, some distributed coseismic shear may also develop, especially at rupture irregularities. Coseismic reduction of shear resistance from friction-melting (Δ T ∼ 1000°C) or from transient thermal pressurization of aqueous fluids (Δ T ∼ 100°C) requires slip during moderate-to-large earthquakes ( u > 1 m) to be restricted to narrow zones, respectively a few centimeters or tens of centimeters in thickness. Given the evidence for slip localization, the apparent scarcity of pseudotachylyte suggests either that seismic friction-melting is a rare phenomenon, or that pseudotachylyte is only rarely preserved in recognizable form within mature hydrated fault zones.

Thin-films field-transfer matrix theory of planar multilayer waveguides and reflection from prism-loaded waveguides

Abstract: A standard 2 × 2 matrix method-used in thin-film optics is applied to planar multilayer optical waveguides. All modes are required to satisfy substrate-to-cover field-transfer equations that reduce to the equation γcm11 + γcγsm12 + m21 + γsm22 = 0 for bound modes and leaky waves. Expressions are derived for the field profiles and the power in each medium. A first-order perturbation theory is developed and applied to absorbing multilayer guides and to the reflection of plane waves from the prism-loaded lossy multilayer guide. The latter leads to experimental arrangements for measuring losses in which the gap thickness and propagation constant are accessible parameters.

Developing a measure of knowledge management behaviors and practices

Abstract: Knowledge management has recently emerged as a new discipline and is generating considerable interest among academics and managers. Given its newness, there is still little guidance in the extant literature on how to measure knowledge management. This paper presents the first scale developed to measure knowledge management behaviors and practices and in so doing provides construct boundaries that should enable the development of a theory of knowledge management (Zaltman et al., 1973).