Driving Strategy for Social Impact

Authors Anne Sherman and Paul Connolly offer frameworks and advice to help guide nonprofits and funders through a strategy process. An effective strategy provides leaders with criteria for making important decisions and increasing the overall quality of their work

Coherent electronic energy transfer and nonlinear polariton effects in anthracene-doped naphthalene crystals

The nature of electronic energy transfer in strain-free mounted anthracene-doped naphthalene single crystals at frequencies near that of the (0.0) a-exciton in naphthalene was probed using sensitized resonant two-photon fluorescence excitation (TPE) and second harmonic generation (SHG) spectroscopies. The naphthalene-to-anthracene TPE intensity ratios were found to be 1.2 and 1.6, for excitation of the zero-phonon transition at 1.6 K and 20 K, respectively. This result is consistent with coherent exciton-polariton electronic energy transfer at liquid helium temperatures, and incoherent transfer at high temperatures. Energy transfer for the pure and the anthracene-doped naphthalene systems under investigation was determined to be in the capture limited regime, that is, the trapping event occurs on a timescale which is long compared to the migration of the excitation to the trap. The polariton trapping event is discussed in terms of scattering off a trap with subsequent trapping (i.e., capture) and scattering off a trap without subsequent trapping (i.e., trap scattering). The branching ratio for the trap scattering frequency to the capture frequency, (gamma)(,sc)/(gamma)(,tr), was derived and was calculated to be 5 to 1 for the doped system. The branching ratio was used to determine the individual scattering frequencies: (gamma)(,sc) = 2.5 x 10(\u2710) sec(\u27-1) and (gamma)(,tr) = 5 x 10(\u279) sec(\u27-1). A lower bound for the coherent trapping or trap scattering radius was determined to be 100 (ANGSTROM);Thermal broadening and temperature dependences of the TPE and SHG signal intensities for both naphthalene and anthracene are presented and are discussed in terms of the polariton fusion model. The experimental data do not agree with the theoretical predictions; this discrepancy is discussed in terms of the anomalous crystal habit (diamond plates) observed in the present investigation;The first report of a longitudinal exciton in a doped organic molecular system also is reported; *USDOE Report IS-T-1259. This work was performed under contract No. W-7405-Eng-82 with the U.S. Department of Energy

Alternative to welfare: the Milwaukee Jobs Commitment

The central theme of the paper is that although the only solution to poverty is income, this income must be obtained through a fair wage and package of benefits received in return for labor. Jobs, alone, can not eradicate poverty. They must offer benefits at least comparable to the benefits received while on welfare. This includes a package of sufficient income to support a family, including health care, child care, transportation and some type of career ladder so that a worker can see an opportunity for growth in his or her job. This paper examines the strengths and weaknesses of a pilot project which has been designed for two target neighborhoods in Milwaukee. Known as The New Hope Project: The Milwaukee Jobs Commitment, the goal of this project is to provide jobs and benefits that offer the poor an incentive to voluntarily choose employment over welfare. One of the central tenets of the project is that all who work full-time and year-round should be entitled to a wage and package of benefits that puts them above the official poverty level

A Review of Psoriasis, a Known Risk Factor for Cardiovascular Disease and Its Impact on Folate and Homocysteine Metabolism

Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin condition with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. This risk has been attributed to an association with many independent risk factors including obesity, hypertension, smoking, and dyslipidemia. Psoriasis patients also have lower levels of folate and conversely higher levels of homocysteine, which in itself is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. It has been postulated that low folate levels in this group may be a direct cause of hyperhomocysteinemia and therefore a treatable risk factor by folate supplementation. This paper looks at the literature published to date on the relationship between psoriasis, homocysteine, and folate levels