Ab initio oscillator strengths for transitions between J=1 odd and J=1,2 even excited states of Ne I

Ab initio theory is developed for radiative transitions between excited states of neon. Calculations of energies for even excited states J=1, J=2 supplement our previous calculations for J=1 odd excited states. Line strengths for transitions between J=1 odd and J=1,2 even states of Ne I are evaluated. A comparison with experiments and semiempirical calculations is given.Comment: 5 page

Alternative Notions of Dissent: Punk Rock’s Significance in the Soviet Union and East Germany

The punk movement arrived in the late 1970s in the United States and United Kingdom, creating non-traditional and experimental ways in which to produce music. As the movement grew it developed a foundational ideology geared towards a more inclusive civil society. With globalization, some scholars viewed the international movements as derivative from the founding American and British movements. However, its arrival in the Soviet Union and East Germany, two regions that faced mass social and political repression, serve as two counter models to the idea of the derivational international punk movement. Taking on the foundational ideology of the American and British punk movements, the Soviet Union and East Germany created the Soviet Punk and Ostrock movements. Both movements incorporated aspects of their unique political environment and cultural mythologies. Within these two movements emerged two foundational bands Grazhdanskaya Oborona (Omsk, Siberia) and Zwitschermaschine (East Berlin and Dresden). Grazhdanskaya Oborona and Zwitschermaschine served as examples of a revolutionary civil society, non-derivational punk movement, and the beginnings of societal perestroika in the Soviet region

pH electrode performance under automated management conditions

pH is frequently measured in laboratories, but to have confidence in the results it is necessary to know that it was measured properly. For an electrode to give accurate results it must be treated well and calibrated correctly. In this paper, an automated system for pH measurement is described; the system uses the operational pH scale and calibrates using two or three buffer solutions, taking proper account of the effects of temperature on the system. The system can be programmed with standard methods and procedures to ensure that the electrode gives the best possible performance. Calibrations and measurements within the system are reproducible, and the automated system is more robust than the manual pH meter, and requires less operator time

Mobile technology and the tourist experience: (Dis)connection at the campsite

Mobile technology is playing an increasing role in the tourist experience and a growing body of tourism research has focused on this area. There is often an implicit assumption that tourists embrace mobile connectivity and relatively little research has explored the tourist experience of disconnection, whether purposeful or imposed by technological limitations. This study explores the desire for digital (dis)connection during camping tourism. Data compiled using interviews and a survey revealed that the tourist is not ‘always connected’ and up to 50% have some desire to disconnect. There is ambiguity about mobile technology use in tourism with dilemmas regarding the value of connectivity versus the desire to ‘get away from it all’. The analysis found digital engagement had a small effect on desire for disconnection however, patterns were not marked. The findings have implications for mobile technology solutions in tourism

Impact of Muscle Material Properties on the Hypertrophic Response of Aged Women to Resistance Exercise

All of the reports that comprise this dissertation center around the overarching hypothesis that the attenuated response to resistance exercise observed in older adults is caused by an impaired ability of the muscle to sense mechanical stimuli as a result of increased muscle stiffness. In the first study we investigated the difference in the response of young and aged women to a single bout of resistance exercise. We hypothesized that there would be a less robust hypertrophic response to the exercise bout in the older adults than the young adults. The results of this study showed that young and aged women have a different response to acute exercise. The aged women had an attenuated response when compared to their young counterparts. It was also found that p70S6k phosphorylation is a robust marker that can be used to quantify hypertrophic response to acute resistance exercise. In the second study we investigated the impact of a long-term stretching intervention on the response of aged women to an acute bout of resistance exercise. The stretching was used as a means to modulate muscle stiffness to test they hypothesis that stiffness is related to hypertrophic response to exercise. The results of this study showed that stretching did improve response to an acute bout of resistance exercise. However, while there was a trend toward a reduction in muscle stiffness the change in muscle material properties was not significant. In the third study we investigated the impact of a long-term stretching intervention on the hypertrophic response of aged women to a long-term resistance exercise intervention. We hypothesized that having older women participate in a stretching intervention prior to beginning a resistance training intervention would improve their response to the resistance training program. The results of this study showed that performing a stretching intervention prior to beginning a resistance exercise intervention improved the hypertrophic response to resistance exercise. Taken together, these studies indicate that stretching does appear to be an effective means to improve response to both an acute bout of exercise and a long-term resistance exercise intervention

Opposing roles of PlexinA and PlexinB in axonal branch and varicosity formation

Establishing precise synaptic connectivity during development is crucial for neural circuit function. However, very few molecules have been identified that are involved in determining where and how many synapses form. The Plexin cell-surface molecules are a conserved family of axon guidance receptors that mediate axon fasciculation and repulsion during neural development, and later in development PlexinA receptors are involved in eliminating axonal branches and synapse numbers. Here we investigate the roles of PlexinA and PlexinB receptors in axonal branch and varicosity formation in Drosophila. We knocked down PlexinA or PlexinB expression using RNAi in identified mechanosensory neurons and analyzed axonal branching patterns and varicosity formations. Reducing PlexinA expression increased the axonal arbor complexity by increasing the number of branches and varicosities along the axon. In contrast, knocking down PlexinB expression decreased morphological complexity by decreasing the number of branches and the overall size of the axonal arbor, but did not reduce the number of varicosities. Our results demonstrate opposing roles for PlexinA and PlexinB in local wiring within a target region, where PlexinA functions to suppress excessive axonal branches and synapses and PlexinB facilitates axonal growth

Collaborative Travel Apps, Reciprocity and the Internet of Things

As cities become increasingly connected, both people and objects can connect to the Internet to transmit and receive information. This is the Internet of Things. Smartphone technology can help identify current and anticipate future patterns of behaviour and, with its social networking capabilities, allow users to imagine collaborative opportunities. This has led to the development of collaborative travel apps designed to enable activities like lift sharing. However, two projects working with community based travel collaboration apps identify significant challenges to people accessing forms of travel assistance due to the imperative of reciprocity. Collaborative travel apps depend on users to offer help, but they also need users to ask for or accept help. This paper analyses the fundamental challenges of reciprocity as facilitated by these apps and considers how the near future Internet of Things might alter practices.Trials of purpose built collaborative travel apps were conducted across four communities (a campsite, two rural villages and an urban fringe estate) during 2013 and 2014 involving 66 participants. Data were collected by in-depth interviews and all app activities (messages and transactions) were recorded through a linked database.Offers of help dominated in contrast to requests for and acceptance of help.Feelings of indebtedness inhibit app use since they threa ten a user’s status, power and freedom of action with respect to the donor of help. Other transport issues of flexibility and control were also apparent. The paper discusses how indebtedness might be addressed during the design and implementation of such apps. Also, the emergence of the Internet of Things, with its more anticipatory systems, prompts a reappraisal of current Internet based collaborative communities which raises questions about the human regulation of reciprocal arrangements and presents opportunities for parties who are less able to reciprocate such as the ageing population

Mixed configuration-interaction and many-body perturbation theory calculations of energies and oscillator strengths of J=1 odd states of neon

Ab-initio theory is developed for energies of J=1 particle-hole states of neutral neon and for oscillator strengths of transitions from such states to the J=0 ground state. Hole energies of low-Z neonlike ions are evaluated.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figure, 4 table

Examining the Role of Churches in Adolescent Girls\u27 Physical Activity

Background: In adults, associations between church attendance and positive health behaviors exist; however, similar evidence among children and youth is lacking. The purposes of this investigation were to examine the associations between physical activity (PA) and church attendance, PA and use of church as a PA facility, and PA and proximity to churches among those who use church as a PA facility (while addressing racial and geographic differences). Methods: High school girls (N=915, age=17.7 ± 0.6 years, 56% African American) completed the 3-Day Physical Activity Recall and surveys including demographics and use of PA facilities. Geographic Information Systems data were used to spatially examine the number of churches within a 0.75-mile street network buffer around girls\u27 homes. Associations were examined using mixed model analyses controlling for demographic factors. Results: For the overall sample, total METs (56 versus 52) and proportion of girls meeting PA guidelines (62% vs. 52%) were significantly higher in church attendees versus nonattendees. Among participants who used facilities, having more churches close to home was associated with more PA. Conclusions: Church attendance and use are correlates of physical activity that should be further explored and addressed in future intervention research with adolescent girls