Superconducting weak links in YBa2Cu3O7-δ an AC magnetic susceptibility study

AC magnetic susceptibility, X' and X'', and ac resistivity, ρ, of two different samples of superconducting YBa2Cu3O7-δ have been measured. The results show a strong non-linear behaviour and are very sensitive to the exciting amplitudes. From the analysis of the data and comparison with appropriate models and other superconducting compounds, evidence for the existence of weak superconducting links is inferred. Finally, the utility of acX measurements for detection of different superconducting phases is made evident. \u

Do Employees From Less-Healthy Communities Use More Care and Cost More? Seeking to Establish a Business Case for Investment in Community Health.

INTRODUCTION: Few studies have examined the impact of community health on employers. We explored whether employed adults and their adult dependents living in less-healthy communities in the greater Philadelphia region used more care and incurred higher costs to employers than employees from healthier communities. METHODS: We used a multi-employer database to identify adult employees and dependents with continuous employment and mapped them to 31 zip code regions. We calculated community health scores at the regional level, by using metrics similar to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) County Health Rankings but with local data. We used descriptive analyses and multilevel linear modeling to explore relationships between community health and 3 outcome variables: emergency department (ED) use, hospital use, and paid claims. Business leaders reviewed findings and offered insights on preparedness to invest in community health improvement. RESULTS: Poorer community health was associated with high use of ED services, after controlling for age and sex. After including a summary measure of racial composition at the zip code region level, the relationship between community health and ED use became nonsignificant. No significant relationships between community health and hospitalizations or paid claims were identified. Business leaders expressed interest in further understanding health needs of communities where their employees live. CONCLUSION: The health of communities in which adult employees and dependents live was associated with ED use, but similar relationships were not seen for hospitalizations or paid claims. This finding suggests a need for more primary care access. Despite limited quantitative evidence, business leaders expressed interest in guidance on investing in community health improvement

Le vocabulaire de l’architecture dans le Dictionnaire de l’Académie française (1762) : après les traces de Nicot

Studies on the lexicographical treatment of technical architectural terms in general language dictionaries are scarce. Our article shows how architectural technical terms were treated by the French Academy in the fourth edition of its dictionary (1762) through the study of a series of specific terms related to architecture and building. Jean Nicot's Thresor de la langue françoyse, tant ancienne que moderne (1606) is considered to be one of the first dictionaries to have identified a large number of architectural terms. In this work, we trace the presence or absence of these terms in the Dictionary of the French Academy (1762) and study whether they have become part of the common language or whether they continue to be regarded as specialized terms.Les études sur le traitement lexicographique des termes techniques d'architecture dans les dictionnaires de langue générale sont rares. Notre article montre comment les termes techniques concernant l’architecture ont été traités par l'Académie française dans la quatrième édition de son dictionnaire (1762) à travers l'étude d'une série de termes spécifiques liés à l'architecture et au bâtiment. Le Thresor de la langue françoyse, tant ancienne que moderne de Jean Nicot (1606) est considéré comme l'un des premiers dictionnaires à avoir identifié un grand nombre de termes architecturaux. Dans cet ouvrage, nous retraçons la présence ou l'absence de ces termes dans le Dictionnaire de l'Académie française (1762) et étudions s'ils sont devenus partie intégrante de la langue commune ou s'ils continuent à être considérés comme des termes spécialisés

Cyprus' image—a sun and sea destination—as a detrimental factor to seasonal fluctuations. Exploration into motivational factors for holidaying in Cyprus

Cyprus is established as a summer destination. To aid the destination in developing its winter season as well, this research uses a qualitative inductive approach to explore the tourists’ current image of the island and their motivations of visiting it. The research indicates that the current image, which essentially portrays Cyprus as a sun-and-sea destination is thought to dissuade tourists from perceiving the island as a year-round destination. Nonetheless, increasing the pull factors of the destination through the development of unique special interest products can help in extending the tourism season as well as broaden its narrow image

The evaluation of surface diffusion coefficients of gold and platinum atoms at electrochemical interfaces from combined STM-SEM imaging and electrochemical techniques

A simple method is presented for measuring the surface diffusion coefficients of Au and Pt atoms at electrodispersed electrodes of the same metals in contact with 0.5M H2SO4. The technique is based upon the time dependence of the surface roughness factor of electrodispersed metal overlayers. The method requires a model for the surface roughness of the metal structure. The model is deduced from microscopic measurements by a STM integrated into a conventional SEM microscope. This allows the relationship between the roughness factor and the area of the surface structure to be obtained. For Au and Pt in contact with an electrolyte solution, the values of our diffusion coefficients are higher than those reported in vacuum at the same temperature.Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicadas (INIFTA)Facultad de Ciencias Exacta

New speleothem data from Molinos and Ejulve caves reveal Holocene hydrological variability in northeast Iberia

New speleothem records from northeastern Iberian caves provide data to explore the climatic patterns during the Holocene. We present delta C-13 and Mg/Ca from three speleothems from two different caves located in the Iberian Range allowing replication of the climatic signal for several millennia. Through the integration of those stalagmites covering since the Holocene onset to 2 ka, the early Holocene (11.7-8.5 ka) appears as the wettest interval. A marked change towards aridity is observed during the middle Holocene (8.5-4.8 ka) and an increase of humidity afterwards (4.8-2 ka). This three-part pattern, contrasting with other Iberian sequences, seems to be associated with the different role that seasonality has played in the response of different proxies (or records) to changes in water availability. Interpreting our speleothem records as changes in winter-spring precipitation along the Holocene allows reconciling previous data on hydrological variability from the western Mediterranean borderlands

Direct measurements of the correlation between reentrant ferromagnetism and lattice expansion in FeCuZr alloys

Amorphous metastable alloy of nominal composition [Fe_(0.5)Cu_(0.5)]_(87)Zr_(13) has been synthesized by high-energy ball milling. The alloy exhibit a ferromagnetic behavior with a Curie Temperature of T_(C)=255 K, as determined from low-field measurements whereas no transition to a paramagnetic state is observed under high- enough applied magnetic fields. The evolution of hysteresis loops with temperature as well as thermoremanence measurements indicate an anomalous magnetic behavior characterized by a spontaneous increase in the magnetization values as well as by a magnetic hardening when the temperature is increased above T_(C). These effects are strongly correlated with a dilation of the Fe-Fe nearest-neighbor distances, as determined from extended x-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) studies. EXAFS results indicate an almost negligible thermal expansion at temperatures below T_(C) while normal thermal expansion takes place at higher temperatures. Such expansion seems to promote a reinforcement of the ferromagnetic interactions among Fe-Fe atoms that would account for the observed spontaneous increase in the magnetization as well as for the evolution of the coercive field

Longitudinal analysis on parasite diversity in honeybee colonies: new taxa, high frequency of mixed infections and seasonal patterns of variation

To evaluate the influence that parasites have on the losses of Apis mellifera it is essential to monitor their presence in the colonies over time. Here we analysed the occurrence of nosematids, trypanosomatids and neogregarines in five homogeneous colonies for up to 21 months until they collapsed. The study, which combined the use of several molecular markers with the application of a massive parallel sequencing technology, provided valuable insights into the epidemiology of these parasites: (I) it enabled the detection of parasite species rarely reported in honeybees (Nosema thomsoni, Crithidia bombi, Crithidia acanthocephali) and the identification of two novel taxa; (II) it revealed the existence of a high rate of co-infections (80% of the samples harboured more than one parasite species); (III) it uncovered an identical pattern of seasonal variation for nosematids and trypanosomatids, that was different from that of neogregarines; (IV) it showed that there were no significant differences in the fraction of positive samples, nor in the levels of species diversity, between interior and exterior bees; and (V) it unveiled that the variation in the number of parasite species was not directly linked with the failure of the colonies