Hartle-Hawking state in supersymmetric minisuperspace

The Hartle-Hawking `no-boundary' state is constructed explicitly for the recently developed supersymmetric minisuperspace model with non-vanishing fermion number.Comment: 11 pages, revte

A new genus and two new species of Thyasiridae associated with methane seeps off Svalbard, Arctic Ocean

This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis in Marine Biology Research on May 16th 2017, available online: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/17451000.2016.1272699 Bivalves have been found in unique benthic assemblages associated with active methane seeps and mounds along the western and southern margins of the Svalbard shelf (75–79°N) at 350–380 m depth. Among the samples collected were a number of shells of Thyasiridae that are distinct from any species previously described. Here we describe one new genus Rhacothyas gen. nov. and two new species Thyasira capitanea sp. nov. and Rhacothyas kolgae sp. nov., including their distinguishing characteristics and the environmental setting where they were found. Thyasira capitanea sp. nov. is large compared with many other thyasirids, has an equilateral shell and demarcated zones on the median and anterior areas along with a distinct posterior sulcus. Rhacothyas kolgae sp. nov. is unique among other thyasirid genera and species regarding its characteristic outline, sunken lunule, lack of submarginal sulcus and wrinkled surface. Furthermore, we discuss their present occurrence in the context of the glaciomarine history of the Svalbard margin. We posit that these new species, after the deglaciation of the Barents Sea Ice Sheet, may have originated from other chemosynthetic or reducing environments along the Atlantic shelf margin or the southern Barents Sea shelf by following the net transport of the North Atlantic Current rather than having evolved in situ

Carbon Capital’s Political Reach: A Network Analysis Of Federal Lobbying By The Fossil Fuel Industry From Harper To Trudeau

This paper provides a network analysis of federal lobbying in Canada by the fossil fuel industry over a seven-year period from January 4, 2011 to January 30, 2018, enabling a comparative examination of lobbying under the Harper Conservatives and the Trudeau Liberals. The network we uncover amounts to ‘small world’ of intense interaction among relatively few lobbyists/firms that control much of this economic sector and the designated public office holders in select centres of state power, who are their targets. In comparing lobbying across the Harper and Trudeau administrations, we find a pattern of continuity-in-change: under Trudeau, the bulk of lobbying has been carried out by the same large firms as under Harper, while the lobbying network has become more focused on fewer state agencies. We argue that the strategic, organized, and sustained lobbying efforts of the fossil fuel sector help to explain the close coupling of federal policy to the needs of carbon extractive corporations

Acceptability of remote prescribing and postal delivery services for contraceptive pills and treatment of uncomplicated Chlamydia trachomatis

Objectives: The digitalisation of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services offer valuable opportunities to deliver contraceptive pills and Chlamydia treatment by post. We aimed to examine the acceptability of remote prescribing and “medication-by-post” in SRH. Study design: An online survey assessing attitudes towards remote management was distributed in three UK SRH clinics and via an integrated sexually transmitted infection (STI) postal self-sampling service. Logistic regressions were performed to identify potential correlates. Results: There were 1281 participants (74% female and 49% 45 years old OR:0.43(0.23-0.81), screened for STIs less than once annually OR:0.63(0.42-0.93), concerned about confidentiality OR:0.21(0.90-0.50), concerned about absence during delivery OR:0.09(0.02-0.32), unwilling to provide blood pressure readings OR:0.22(0.04-0.97). Higher acceptability was observed among participants who reported: previously receiving medication by post OR:4.63(1.44-14.8), preference for home delivery over clinic collection OR:24.1(11.1-51.9), preference for home STI testing OR:10.3(6.16-17.4), ability to communicate with health advisors OR:4.01(1.03-15.6), and willingness to: register their real name OR:3.09(1.43-10.6), complete online health questionnaires OR:3.09(1.43-10.6), and use generic contraceptive pills OR:2.88(1.21-6.83). Conclusion: Postal treatment and entering information online to allow remote prescribing were acceptable methods for SRH services and should be considered alongside medication collection in pharmacies. These methods could be particularly useful for patients facing barriers in accessing SRH. The cost-effectiveness and implementation of these novel methods of service delivery should be further investigated

Atypical use of audience response system provides opportunity to formatively assess faculty teaching and improve learning outcomes

In response to curricular reform, a particularly effective new approach was developed for a course offered at all nine IUSM centers. Participants will learn about interdisciplinary planning, implementation of a "Grand Rounds" approach, novel use of audience response system for retrieval practice and formative assessment of teaching methods, and how Bloom scale ratings relate to student engagement and focus

Acceptability of remote prescribing and postal delivery services for contraceptive pills and treatment of uncomplicated Chlamydia trachomatis

OBJECTIVES: The digitalisation of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services offers valuable opportunities to deliver contraceptive pills and chlamydia treatment by post. We aimed to examine the acceptability of remote prescribing and 'medication-by-post' in SRH. STUDY DESIGN: An online survey assessing attitudes towards remote management was distributed in three UK SRH clinics and via an integrated sexually transmitted infection (STI) postal self-sampling service. Logistic regressions were performed to identify potential correlates. RESULTS: There were 1281 participants (74% female and 49% 45 years old (OR 0.43 (95% CI 0.23-0.81)), screened for STIs less than once annually (OR 0.63 (0.42-0.93)), concerned about confidentiality (OR 0.21 (0.90-0.50)), concerned about absence during delivery (OR 0.09 (0.02-0.32)) or unwilling to provide blood pressure readings (OR 0.22 (0.04-0.97)). Higher acceptability was observed among participants who reported: previously receiving medication by post (OR 4.63 (1.44-14.8)), preference for home delivery over clinic collection (OR 24.1 (11.1-51.9)), preference for home STI testing (OR 10.3 (6.16-17.4)), ability to communicate with health advisors (OR 4.01 (1.03-15.6)) and willingness to: register their real name (OR 3.09 (1.43-10.6)), complete online health questionnaires (OR 3.09 (1.43-10.6)) and use generic contraceptive pills (OR 2.88 (1.21-6.83)). CONCLUSIONS: Postal treatment and entering information online to allow remote prescribing were acceptable methods for SRH services and should be considered alongside medication collection in pharmacies. These methods could be particularly useful for patients facing barriers in accessing SRH. The cost-effectiveness and implementation of these novel methods of service delivery should be further investigated

Exploring the impact of literacy on business education and job-readiness: an examination of the reading comprehension skills of first year university students

Despite a growing literature on the challenge for business schools to recruit students, the impact of accreditation and ranking on enrolment in business schools, and the connection between post-secondary education and participation and productivity in the labor market, little research has been conducted to examine the relationship between the drive for student numbers, student requisite skill levels, and jobreadiness. This paper examines the reading comprehension skills of first year students using data collected at an Atlantic Canadian liberal arts university. When comparing data by programs, the results suggest that business students possess slightly lower reading comprehension levels compared to students in other faculties. The implications of the findings relate to student success, faculty teaching, institutional integrity, and job-readiness

Supersymmetric minisuperspace with non-vanishing fermion number

The Lagrangean of $N=1$ supergravity is dimensionally reduced to one (time-like) dimension assuming spatial homogeneity of any Bianchi type within class A of the classification of Ellis and McCallum. The algebra of the supersymmetry generators, the Lorentz generators, the diffeomorphism generators and the Hamiltonian generator is determined and found to close. In contrast to earlier work, infinitely many physical states with non-vanishing even fermion number are found to exist in these models, indicating that minisuperspace models in supergravity may be just as useful as in pure gravity.Comment: 4 page

Sperner type theorems with excluded subposets

Let F be a family of subsets of an n-element set. Sperner's theorem says that if there is no inclusion among the members of F then the largest family under this condition is the one containing all ⌊ frac(n, 2) ⌋-element subsets. The present paper surveys certain generalizations of this theorem. The maximum size of F is to be found under the condition that a certain configuration is excluded. The configuration here is always described by inclusions. More formally, let P be a poset. The maximum size of a family F which does not contain P as a (not-necessarily induced) subposet is denoted by La (n, P). The paper is based on a lecture of the author at the Jubilee Conference on Discrete Mathematics [Banasthali University, January 11-13, 2009], but it was somewhat updated in December 2010. © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved