The anisotropy of Leighton Buzzard sand under general stress conditions
A hollow cylinder apparatus was used to investigate the inherent anisotropy and membrane penetration of Leighton Buzzard sand test-specimens. The degree of inherent anisotropy was found to be independent of the mean effective stress but dependent on the initial relative density of the test-specimen. In the vertical-tohorizontal directions, the degree of inherent anisotropy decreases with increasing relative density. A wet-pluviation, sample preparation technique produces cross-anisotropic test-specimens, with the degree of cross anisotropy independent of the initial relative density. The effects of membrane penetration (expressed in terms of the normalized unit membrane penetration) are found to be independent of the initial relative density and the mean effective stress.
CLOSED-LOOP CONTROL OF A HOLLOW CYLINDER APPARATUS
The instrumentation and closed-loop control of a new hollow cylinder apparatus (HCA) that facilitated accurate generalized stress path measurements on soils over the pseudo elastic to failure strain range are described. Axial and torsional loads were applied across the length of the hollow cylindrical test specimen that was subjected to lateral confining pressures using the HCA. The control algorithms that were used to continually adjust the stresses induced in the specimen in order to follow a prescribed stress path are presented. The development of the control algorithms, including analysis of the stress path measurements and the methods used to achieve the necessary precision of measurement and control, are described. Numerical corrections were implemented in the control algorithms to account for the effects of restraint and penetration of the rubber membranes that were used to enclose the specimen walls. Proving test results that demonstrated the capability of the new apparatus to follow complex stress paths and regulate the stress components induced in the specimen to within 1 kPa of the targeted values are presented.
Professional support in rural New South Wales: perceptions of new graduate occupational therapists.
OBJECTIVE
To explore the experiences of professional support among new graduates working in rural New South Wales, including the current availability of professional support and the impact of support levels on professional practice.


DESIGN
Qualitative, using semistructured face-to-face or telephone interviews.


SETTING
New graduate occupational therapists employed in public and private hospitals and community health services in rural New South Wales.


SUBJECTS
Nine new graduate occupational therapists within their first year of practice.


MAIN OUTCOME
A description of participant experiences of professional support and strategies to enhance the recruitment and retention of occupational therapists in rural areas.


RESULTS
Participants reported varied experiences of professional support and emphasised the importance of having access to a wide variety of resources. Participants highlighted that professional support could assist in developing independence and other skills. However, ultimately a lack of support resulted in decreased confidence and subsequent decreased job satisfaction among participants.


CONCLUSIONS
The findings suggest that greater effort should be directed to ensuring that all new graduates have access to professional support, including structured supervision, and that strategies be explored and adopted to ensure that this occurs.