Noncontact temperature pattern measuring device

Laser pyrometer techniques are utilized to accurately image a true temperature distribution on a given target without touching the target and without knowing the localized emissivity of the target. The pyrometer utilizes a very high definition laser beam and photodetector, both having a very narrow focus. The pyrometer is mounted in a mechanism designed to permit the pyrometer to be aimed and focused at precise localized points on the target surface. The pyrometer is swept over the surface area to be imaged, temperature measurements being taken at each point of focus

Magnetization transport and quantized spin conductance

We analyze transport of magnetization in insulating systems described by a spin Hamiltonian. The magnetization current through a quasi one-dimensional magnetic wire of finite length suspended between two bulk magnets is determined by the spin conductance which remains finite in the ballistic limit due to contact resistance. For ferromagnetic systems, magnetization transport can be viewed as transmission of magnons and the spin conductance depends on the temperature T. For antiferromagnetic isotropic spin-1/2 chains, the spin conductance is quantized in units of order $(g \mu_B)^2/h$ at T=0. Magnetization currents produce an electric field and hence can be measured directly. For magnetization transport in electric fields phenomena analogous to the Hall effect emerge.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, minor change

Effects of Dietary Energy Density on Diet and Nutrient Digestibility in Beef Cattle Diets

Steers were fed diets containing energy concentrations of 2.4, 2.7, or 3.0 Mcal of ME/kg of DM to evaluate nutrient and diet digestibility and to determine the existence of associative effects when feeding diets with varying forage and concentrate ratios. The steers were placed in metabolism crates for total fecal collection. Dry matter digestibility was higher for diets with greater energy density. The 2.7 Mcal/kg diet showed a small negative associative effect on digestibility and the non-fiber carbohydrate fraction was the nutrient that had an inhibition on digestion. The results indicated that diets varying in concentration of forage and concentrate may have different digestibilities and nutritional values

Electrostatic fluctuations in cavities within polar liquids and thermodynamics of polar solvation

We present the results of numerical simulations of fluctuations of the electrostatic potential and electric field inside cavities created in the fluid of dipolar hard spheres. We found that the thermodynamics of polar solvation dramatically changes its regime when the cavity size becomes about 4-5 times larger than the size of the liquid particle. The range of small cavities can be reasonably understood within the framework of current solvation models. On the contrary, the regime of large cavities is characterized by a significant softening of the cavity interface resulting in a decay of the fluctuation variances with the cavity size much faster than anticipated by both the continuum electrostatics and microscopic theories. For instance, the variance of potential decays with the cavity size $R_0$ approximately as $1/R_0^{4-6}$ instead of the $1/R_0$ scaling expected from standard electrostatics. Our results suggest that cores of non-polar molecular assemblies in polar liquids lose solvation strength much faster than is traditionally anticipated.Comment: 10 pp, 10 fig

Energy gap in superconducting fullerides: optical and tunneling studies

Tunneling and optical transmission studies have been performed on superconducting samples of Rb3C60. At temperatures much below the superconducting transition temperature Tc the energy gap is 2 Delta=5.2 +- 0.2meV, corresponding to 2 Delta/kB Tc = 4.2. The low temperature density of states, and the temperature dependence of the optical conductivity resembles the BCS behavior, although there is an enhanced ``normal state" contribution. The results indicate that this fulleride material is an s-wave superconductor, but the superconductivity cannot be described in the weak coupling limit.Comment: RevTex file with four .EPS figures. Prints to four pages. Also available at http://buckminster.physics.sunysb.edu/papers/pubrece.htm

Quantifying structural damage from self-irradiation in a plutonium superconductor

The 18.5 K superconductor PuCoGa5 has many unusual properties, including those due to damage induced by self-irradiation. The superconducting transition temperature decreases sharply with time, suggesting a radiation-induced Frenkel defect concentration much larger than predicted by current radiation damage theories. Extended x-ray absorption fine-structure measurements demonstrate that while the local crystal structure in fresh material is well ordered, aged material is disordered much more strongly than expected from simple defects, consistent with strong disorder throughout the damage cascade region. These data highlight the potential impact of local lattice distortions relative to defects on the properties of irradiated materials and underscore the need for more atomic-resolution structural comparisons between radiation damage experiments and theory.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures, to be published in PR

ASRP: the Arabidopsis Small RNA Project Database

Eukaryotes produce functionally diverse classes of small RNAs (20–25 nt). These include microRNAs (miRNAs), which act as regulatory factors during growth and development, and short-interfering RNAs (siRNAs), which function in several epigenetic and post-transcriptional silencing systems. The Arabidopsis Small RNA Project (ASRP) seeks to characterize and functionally analyze the major classes of endogenous small RNAs in plants. The ASRP database provides a repository for sequences of small RNAs cloned from various Arabidopsis genotypes and tissues. Version 3.0 of the database contains 1920 unique sequences, with tools to assist in miRNA and siRNA identification and analysis. The comprehensive database is publicly available through a web interface at http://asrp.cgrb.oregonstate.edu

An Unexpectedly High AGN Fraction in Red Cluster Galaxies

As part of a program to study the evolution of active galactic nuclei (AGN) in clusters of galaxies, we present our results for Abell 2104. A deep Chandra observation of this massive, z = 0.154 cluster reveals a significant X-ray point source excess over the expectations of blank fields, including eight X-ray counterparts with R<20 mag. Our spectroscopy shows that all six X-ray sources associated with red counterparts are cluster members and their X-ray properties are consistent with all of them being AGN. Only one of the six has the emission lines characteristic of optically selected AGN; the remaining five would not have been classified as AGN based on their optical spectra. This suggests the existence of a large population of obscured, or at least optically unremarkable, AGN in clusters of galaxies. These six sources correspond to a lower limit of ~5% of the AGN fraction in cluster galaxies with R<20 mag (rest-frame M_V = -19.5 mag) and is comparable to the blue galaxy fraction in the cluster. Such an obscured AGN population in clusters of galaxies has many implications for cluster galaxy evolution, the hidden growth of their central, supermassive black holes, estimates of the star formation rate at infrared and radio wavelengths, and the observed variance in the hard X-ray background.Comment: ApJL Accepted, 12 pages including 3 embedded ps figures. Version with higher resolution figure 1 available at http://www.ociw.edu/~martini/pubs

A level playing ‘field’? A Bourdieusian analysis of the career aspirations of further education students on sports courses

There is currently a distinct dearth of research into how sports students’ career aspirations are formed during their post-compulsory education. This article, based on an ethnographic study of sport students in tertiary education, draws on data collected from two first-year cohorts (n = 34) on two different courses at a further education college in England. The study draws on ethnographic observations, and semi-structured group interviews, to examine in-depth the contrasting occupational perspectives emergent within these two groups of mainly working-class students, and how specific cultural practices affect students’ career aspirations. Utilising a Bourdieusian framework, the paper analyses the internalised, often latent cultural practices that impact upon these students’ diverse career aspirations. The hitherto under-researched dimension of inter-habitus interaction and also the application of doxa are outlined. The article reveals how the two student cohorts are situated within a complex field of relations, where struggles for legitimisation, academic accomplishment and numerous forms of lucrative capital become habituated. The study offers salient Bourdieusian-inspired insights into the career aspirations of these predominantly working-class students and the ways in which certain educational practices contribute to the production and reproduction of class inequalities

Cost-effectiveness of Physical Therapy vs Intra-articular Glucocorticoid Injection for Knee Osteoarthritis: A Secondary Analysis From a Randomized Clinical Trial

Importance: Physical therapy and glucocorticoid injections are initial treatment options for knee osteoarthritis, but available data indicate that most patients receive one or the other, suggesting they may be competing interventions. The initial cost difference for treatment can be substantial, with physical therapy often being more expensive at the outset, and cost-effectiveness analysis can aid patients and clinicians in making decisions. Objective: To investigate the incremental cost-effectiveness between physical therapy and intra-articular glucocorticoid injection as initial treatment strategies for knee osteoarthritis. Design, setting, and participants: This economic evaluation is a secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial performed from October 1, 2012, to May 4, 2017. Health economists were blinded to study outcomes and treatment allocation. A randomized sample of patients seen in primary care and physical therapy clinics with a radiographically confirmed diagnosis of knee osteoarthritis were evaluated from the clinical trial with 96.2% follow-up at 1 year. Interventions: Physical therapy or glucocorticoid injection. Main outcomes and measures: The main outcome was incremental cost-effectiveness between 2 alternative treatments. Acceptability curves of bootstrapped incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs) were used to identify the proportion of ICERs under the specific willingness-to-pay level ($50 000-$100 000). Health care system costs (total and knee related) and health-related quality-of-life based on quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) were obtained. Results: A total of 156 participants (mean [SD] age, 56.1 [8.7] years; 81 [51.9%] male) were randomized 1:1 and followed up for 1 year. Mean (SD) 1-year knee-related medical costs were $2113 ($4224) in the glucocorticoid injection group and $2131 ($1015) in the physical therapy group. The mean difference in QALY significantly favored physical therapy at 1 year (0.076; 95% CI, 0.02-0.126; P = .003). Physical therapy was the more cost-effective intervention, with an ICER of $8103 for knee-related medical costs, with a 99.2$100 000. Conclusions and relevance: A course of physical therapy was cost-effective compared with a course of glucocorticoid injections for patients with knee osteoarthritis. These results suggest that, although the initial cost of delivering physical therapy may be higher than an initial course of glucocorticoid injections, 1-year total knee-related costs are equivalent, and greater improvement in QALYs may justify the initial higher costs. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT0142715