6,699 research outputs found
Discrete-step evaporation of an atomic beam
We present a theoretical analysis of the evaporative cooling of a
magnetically guided atomic beam by means of discrete radio-frequency antennas.
First we derive the changes in flux and temperature, as well as in collision
rate and phase-space density, for a single evaporation step. Next we show how
the occurrence of collisions during the propagation between two successive
antennas can be probed. Finally, we discuss the optimization of the evaporation
ramp with several antennas to reach quantum degeneracy. We estimate the number
of antennas required to increase the phase-space density by several orders of
magnitude. We find that at least 30 antennas are needed to gain a factor
in phase-space density.Comment: Submitted to Eur. Phys. J.
To Survive And To Thrive: Integrating Services For The Homeless Mentally Ill
An intervention research project with homeless, chronically mentally ill persons demonstrated that linking rehabilitation services, such as employment skills and psycho-social stabilization, with survival services promotes success in serving this population. The project confirmed the central role of case managers in promoting engagement with mental health services and re-integration into stable community living
Ozonolysis of surface-adsorbed methoxyphenols: kinetics of aromatic ring cleavage vs. alkene side-chain oxidation
Lignin pyrolysis products, which include a variety of substituted
methoxyphenols, constitute a major component of organics released by biomass
combustion, and may play a central role in the formation of atmospheric brown
carbon. Understanding the atmospheric fate of these compounds upon exposure
to trace gases is therefore critical to predicting the chemical and physical
properties of biomass burning aerosol. We used diffuse reflectance infrared
spectroscopy to monitor the heterogeneous ozonolysis of 4-propylguaiacol,
eugenol, and isoeugenol adsorbed on NaCl and α-Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> substrates.
Adsorption of gaseous methoxyphenols onto these substrates produced near-monolayer surface concentrations of
3 × 10<sup>18</sup> molecules m<sup>−2</sup>. The subsequent dark
heterogeneous ozonolysis of adsorbed 4-propylguaiacol cleaved the aromatic
ring between the methoxy and phenol groups with the product conclusively
identified by GC-MS and <sup>1</sup>H-NMR. Kinetic analysis of eugenol and
isoeugenol dark ozonolysis also suggested the formation of ring-cleaved
products, although ozonolysis of the unsaturated substituent groups forming
carboxylic acids and aldehydes was an order of magnitude faster. Average
uptake coefficients for NaCl-adsorbed methoxyphenols were
γ = 2.3 (± 0.8) × 10<sup>−7</sup> and
2 (± 1) × 10<sup>−6</sup> for ozonolysis of the aromatic ring and
the unsaturated side chain, respectively, and reactions on
α-Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> were approximately two times slower. UV–visible
radiation (λ > 300 nm) enhanced eugenol ozonolysis of the
aromatic ring by a factor of 4(± 1) but had no effect on ozonolysis of
the alkene side chain
Prevalence and Risk Factors for Poor Mental Health and Suicidal Ideation in the Nigerian Construction Industry
Employees' mental health and well-being are a growing concern as countries grapple with heightened mental ill-health and suicide rates, with the construction industry ranking in the top five. Drawing from the context of a developing country, particularly Nigeria, data were collected using mixed methods (i.e., survey and postsurvey interview). The study investigated mental health among 382 construction personnel. The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-2) scales were employed in assessing mental health. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive statistics and logistic regression. The prevalence rates of depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation were 55.1%, 16%, 9.8% among supervisors, 72%, 36.9%, and 15.3%, respectively, among tradesmen. Univariate logistic regression revealed that years of experience and organizational structure influence mental health. Multiple logistic regression showed that risk factors for mental ill-health include nature of work, little relationship with colleagues, job insecurity, occupational injury, low income, and unsatisfactory living conditions. The findings from this study will assist in intervention building and policy-making within the construction industry of Nigeria and globally
Entropy on Spin Factors
Recently it has been demonstrated that the Shannon entropy or the von Neuman
entropy are the only entropy functions that generate a local Bregman
divergences as long as the state space has rank 3 or higher. In this paper we
will study the properties of Bregman divergences for convex bodies of rank 2.
The two most important convex bodies of rank 2 can be identified with the bit
and the qubit. We demonstrate that if a convex body of rank 2 has a Bregman
divergence that satisfies sufficiency then the convex body is spectral and if
the Bregman divergence is monotone then the convex body has the shape of a
ball. A ball can be represented as the state space of a spin factor, which is
the most simple type of Jordan algebra. We also study the existence of recovery
maps for Bregman divergences on spin factors. In general the convex bodies of
rank 2 appear as faces of state spaces of higher rank. Therefore our results
give strong restrictions on which convex bodies could be the state space of a
physical system with a well-behaved entropy function.Comment: 30 pages, 6 figure
Deprivation is associated with anxiety and stress. A population-based longitudinal household survey among Chinese adults in Hong Kong
BACKGROUND: Mental illness is a major disease burden in the world and disproportionately affects the socially disadvantaged, but studies on the longitudinal association of poverty with anxiety and stress are rare, especially in Asia. Using data from Hong Kong, we aimed to (1) assess the cross-sectional association of poverty with anxiety and stress at baseline, and (2) to examine whether baseline poverty and change in poverty status over time are associated with a subsequent change in anxiety and stress. METHODS: Data were obtained from two waves of a territory-wide longitudinal survey in Hong Kong, with sample sizes of n=1970 and n=1224 for baseline and follow-up, respectively. Poverty was measured with a Deprivation Index and income-poverty. Anxiety and stress symptoms were assessed using Chinese Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 Items. We conducted cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses on the association of poverty with anxiety and stress. OUTCOMES: Deprivation, but not income-poverty, was significantly associated with both outcomes at baseline. Increased deprivation over time was associated with greater score and increased risk of anxiety and stress. Persistent deprivation over time was associated with greater anxiety and stress, and increased risk of incident anxiety. INTERPRETATION: Deprivation could have significant independent effects on anxiety and stress, even after adjusting for the effects of income-poverty. Greater attention should be paid to deprivation in policymaking to tackle the inequalities of mental health problems, especially since stress and anxiety are precursors to more severe forms of mental illness and other comorbidities
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