866 research outputs found
Identity, Life History and Commitment to Welfare
Using detailed extracts from two life histories, this article examines the nature of the personal identifications that often underpin the commitment of welfare workers to their jobs. We explore the paradox that it is those identifications such as class and gender, mediated through individual biography, that fix the ‘self as object’ and that also provide us with the resources for self-transformation. In this respect, the article not only throws light upon the psychical and emotional roots of commitment to the other, but also upon some of the impasses ‘identity theory’ currently finds itself in
Vitexin as an active ingredient in passion flower with potential as an agent for nicotine cessation: Vitexin antagonism of the expression of nicotine locomotor sensitization in rats
Context: Nicotine, a bioactive component of tobacco, is highly addictive. Numerous therapies have been developed for smoking cessation, and all have met with limited success. Our laboratory has previously shown that an extract of Passiflora incarnata Linn. (Passifloraceae) antagonized the expression of nicotine locomotor sensitization in rats. Objective: This study examined the ability of vitexin, a flavonoid found in P. incarnata, to ameliorate the signs of nicotine sensitization in rats. Materials and methods: Male Wistar rats were administered 0.4 mg/kg nicotine or vehicle (n = 16–18 per group) once a day for four consecutive days. Nicotine administration produces sensitization of locomotor activity. On the fifth day, locomotor activity was monitored as rats from each treatment group were administered either 30 or 60 mg/kg vitexin or its vehicle (n = 4–6 per group) 30 min before a challenge dose of 0.4 mg/kg nicotine. Results: The challenge dose of nicotine resulted in locomotor activity in rats sensitized to nicotine for 4 days that was approximately twice that measured in rats treated with vehicle during the sensitization phase. Rats sensitized to nicotine and then treated with 60 mg/kg vitexin prior to the nicotine challenge exhibited a level of locomotor activity equivalent to the vehicle-treated controls. Discussion: Vitexin antagonized the expression of nicotine locomotor sensitization in rats as the whole extract did in the previous study. Conclusion: Vitexin should be examined in future studies to evaluate its potential for treating nicotine addiction in humans
Robustness of a local Fermi Liquid against Ferromagnetism and Phase Separation
We study the properties of Fermi Liquids with the microscopic constraint of a
local self-energy. In this case the forward scattering sum-rule imposes strong
limitations on the Fermi-Liquid parameters, which rule out any Pomeranchek
instabilities. For both attractive and repulsive interactions, ferromagnetism
and phase separation are suppressed. Superconductivity is possible in an s-wave
channel only. We also study the approach to the metal-insulator transition, and
find a Wilson ratio approaching 2. This ratio and other properties of
Sr_{1-x}La_xTiO_3 are all consistent with the local Fermi Liquid scenario.Comment: 4 pages (twocolumn format), can compile with or without epsf.sty
latex style file -- Postscript files: fig1.ps and fig2.p
Quasiparticle dynamics and phonon softening in FeSe superconductors
Quasiparticle dynamics of FeSe single crystals revealed by dual-color
transient reflectivity measurements ({\Delta}R/R) provides unprecedented
information on Fe-based superconductors. The amplitude of fast component in
{\Delta}R/R clearly tells a competing scenario between spin fluctuations and
superconductivity. Together with the transport measurements, the relaxation
time analysis further exhibits anomalous changes at 90 K and 230 K. The former
manifests a structure phase transition as well as the associated phonon
softening. The latter suggests a previously overlooked phase transition or
crossover in FeSe. The electron-phonon coupling constant {\lambda} is found to
be 0.16, identical to the value of theoretical calculations. Such a small
{\lambda} demonstrates an unconventional origin of superconductivity in FeSe.Comment: Final published version; 5 pages; 4 figure
Acoustic attenuation rate in the Fermi-Bose model with a finite-range fermion-fermion interaction
We study the acoustic attenuation rate in the Fermi-Bose model describing a
mixtures of bosonic and fermionic atom gases. We demonstrate the dramatic
change of the acoustic attenuation rate as the fermionic component is evolved
through the BEC-BCS crossover, in the context of a mean-field model applied to
a finite-range fermion-fermion interaction at zero temperature, such as
discussed previously by M.M. Parish et al. [Phys. Rev. B 71, 064513 (2005)] and
B. Mihaila et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 95, 090402 (2005)]. The shape of the
acoustic attenuation rate as a function of the boson energy represents a
signature for superfluidity in the fermionic component
Highlighting the Mechanistic Relationship Between Perinatal Depression and Preeclampsia: A Scoping Review
Background: Although there is scientific literature supporting an association between depression and preeclampsia (PE), little is known about the underlying mechanistic pathways that may explain these observed associations. Thus, this study aimed to outline the relationship between depression and PE, and to highlight the underlying cardiovascular and metabolic risk factors that are common to both. Methods: A scoping review of the literature was conducted in Medline, Scopus, and Web of Science. Results: From 706 articles initially identified, 23 articles met the inclusion criteria and were included in this review. Although some studies reported a positive association between PE and postpartum depressive symptoms, challenges comparing different methodologies, measurement instruments and when measurements were administered, and patient populations do not permit a decisive conclusion. In addition, very few studies addressed potential underlying mechanisms that may be contributing to observed associations; thus, a secondary search was conducted to identify cardiovascular and metabolic risk factors that are common to both depression and PE. Conclusion: The cardiovascular and metabolic risk factors (i.e., increased inflammation and oxidative stress and decreased vascular and endothelial function) common to both depression and PE suggest that these factors may contribute as underlying mechanisms in both conditions. These similarities underscore the importance to better understand these mechanisms so preventative and therapeutic strategies could be developed to improve maternal health
18 Sco: a solar twin rich in refractory and neutron-capture elements. Implications for chemical tagging
We study with unprecedented detail the chemical composition and stellar
parameters of the solar twin 18 Sco in a strictly differential sense relative
to the Sun. Our study is mainly based on high resolution (R ~ 110 000) high S/N
(800-1000) VLT UVES spectra, which allow us to achieve a precision of about
0.005 dex in differential abundances. The effective temperature and surface
gravity of 18 Sco are Teff = 5823+/-6 K and log g = 4.45+/-0.02 dex, i.e., 18
Sco is 46+/-6 K hotter than the Sun and log g is 0.01+/-0.02 dex higher. Its
metallicity is [Fe/H] = 0.054+/-0.005 dex and its microturbulence velocity is
+0.02+/-0.01 km/s higher than solar. Our precise stellar parameters and
differential isochrone analysis show that 18 Sco has a mass of 1.04+/-0.02M_Sun
and that it is ~1.6 Gyr younger than the Sun. We use precise HARPS radial
velocities to search for planets, but none were detected. The chemical
abundance pattern of 18 Sco displays a clear trend with condensation
temperature, showing thus higher abundances of refractories in 18 Sco than in
the Sun. Intriguingly, there are enhancements in the neutron-capture elements
relative to the Sun. Despite the small element-to-element abundance differences
among nearby n-capture elements (~0.02 dex), we successfully reproduce the
r-process pattern in the solar system. This is independent evidence for the
universality of the r-process. Our results have important implications for
chemical tagging in our Galaxy and nucleosynthesis in general.Comment: ApJ, in pres
Thermoelectric Figure of Merit of Strongly Correlated Superlattice Semiconductors
We solved the Anderson Lattice Hamiltonian to get the energy bands of a
strongly correlated semiconductor by using slave boson mean field theory. The
transport properties were calculated in the relaxation-time approximation,and
the thermoelectric figure of merit was obtained for the strongly correlated
semiconductor and its superlattice structures. We found that at room
temperature can reach nearly 2 for the quantum wire lattice structure.We
believe that it is possible to find high values of thermoelectric figure of
merit from strongly correlated semiconductor superlattice systems.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure
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