Social and cultural origins of motivations to volunteer a comparison of university students in six countries

Although participation in volunteering and motivations to volunteer (MTV) have received substantial attention on the national level, particularly in the US, few studies have compared and explained these issues across cultural and political contexts. This study compares how two theoretical perspectives, social origins theory and signalling theory, explain variations in MTV across different countries. The study analyses responses from a sample of 5794 students from six countries representing distinct institutional contexts. The findings provide strong support for signalling theory but less so for social origins theory. The article concludes that volunteering is a personal decision and thus is influenced more at the individual level but is also impacted to some degree by macro-level societal forces

Safety, Clinical Outcome, and Fracture Rate of Femoropopliteal Stenting Using a 4F Compatible Delivery System.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the safety, clinical outcome, and fracture rate of femoropopliteal interventions using 4F stents. METHODS: Between January 2010 and December 2011, 112 symptomatic patients were treated by stent implantation. Ten patients were lost to follow up; therefore, 102 patients (62 men; mean age 66.4 +/- 10.1 years) were retrospectively analyzed. The indication for femoropopliteal revascularization was severe claudication (Rutherford-Becker score = 3) in 63 (62%) patients and chronic critical limb ischemia (Rutherford-Becker score = 4-6) in 39 (38%). Follow up included palpation of peripheral pulses and measurement of ankle brachial index. In patients with suspected in-stent restenosis duplex ultrasonography was performed. In 2013, patients were asked to return for a fluoroscopic examination of the stents. RESULTS: 114 lesions (Trans-Atlantic InterSociety Consensus-C and D, n = 45) were treated with 119 stents (Astron Pulsar, n = 42; Pulsar-18, n = 77). Lesions were long (>/=100 mm) in 49 cases and heavily calcified in 35. Stents were long (>/=120 mm) in 46 cases. Ten stents were partially overlapped. The technical and clinical success rates were 100%. Two puncture related complications were noted, neither of which required surgical repair. Eleven patients died (myocardial infarction, n = 4; stroke, n = 2; cancer, n = 5) and nine patients underwent major amputation (above knee, n = 4). The primary patency rate was 83% at 6 months and 80% at 12 months. The primary assisted patency rate was 97% at 6 months and 94% at 12 months. The secondary patency rate was 86% at 6 months and 85% at 12 months. The prevalence of fractures was 26% (type III and IV, 10%) after an average follow up of 25 months. CONCLUSION: Femoropopliteal stenting using a 4F compatible delivery system can be accomplished with a low complication rate, acceptable fracture rate, and with similar 12 month patency and revascularization rates as their 6F counterparts

Measurement of the proton and deuteron structure functions, F2p and F2d, and of the ratio sigma(L)/sigma(T)

The muon-proton and muon-deuteron inclusive deep inelastic scattering cross sections were measured in the kinematic range 0.002 < x < 0.60 and 0.5 < Q2 < 75 GeV2 at incident muon energies of 90, 120, 200 and 280 GeV. These results are based on the full data set collected by the New Muon Collaboration, including the data taken with a small angle trigger. The extracted values of the structure functions F2p and F2d are in good agreement with those from other experiments. The data cover a sufficient range of y to allow the determination of the ratio of the longitudinally to transversely polarised virtual photon absorption cross sections, R= sigma(L)/sigma(T), for 0.002 < x < 0.12 . The values of R are compatible with a perturbative QCD prediction; they agree with earlier measurements and extend to smaller x.Comment: In this replacement the erroneously quoted R values in tables 3-6 for x>0.12, and R1990 values in tables 5-6 for all x, have been corrected, and the cross sections in tables 3-4 have been adapted. Everything else, including the structure functions F2, remained unchanged. 22 pages, LateX, including figures, with two .sty files, and three separate f2tab.tex files for the F2-tables. Accepted for publication in Nucl.Phys.B 199

Solar Influence on Nuclear Decay Rates: Constraints from the MESSENGER Mission

We have analyzed Cs-137 decay data, obtained from a small sample onboard the MESSENGER spacecraft en route to Mercury, with the aim of setting limits on a possible correlation between nuclear decay rates and solar activity. Such a correlation has been suggested recently on the basis of data from Mn-54 decay during the solar flare of 13 December 2006, and by indications of an annual and other periodic variations in the decay rates of Si-32, Cl-36, and Ra-226. Data from five measurements of the Cs-137 count rate over a period of approximately 5.4 years have been fit to a formula which accounts for the usual exponential decrease in count rate over time, along with the addition of a theoretical solar contribution varying with MESSENGER-Sun separation. The indication of solar influence is then characterized by a non-zero value of the calculated parameter \xi, and we find \xi=(2.8+/-8.1)x10^{-3} for Cs-137. A simulation of the increased data that can hypothetically be expected following Mercury orbit insertion on 18 March 2011 suggests that the anticipated improvement in the determination of \xi could reveal a non-zero value of \xi if present at a level consistent with other data.Comment: Accepted for publication in Astrophysics and Space Science, 2011. 7 pages, 5 figures. Version 2 has corrected Figure 1, since Fig. 1 did not appear correctly in Version

Large enhancement of deuteron polarization with frequency modulated microwaves

We report a large enhancement of 1.7 in deuteron polarization up to values of 0.6 due to frequency modulation of the polarizing microwaves in a two liters polarized target using the method of dynamic nuclear polarization. This target was used during a deep inelastic polarized muon-deuteron scattering experiment at CERN. Measurements of the electron paramagnetic resonance absorption spectra show that frequency modulation gives rise to additional microwave absorption in the spectral wings. Although these results are not understood theoretically, they may provide a useful testing ground for the deeper understanding of dynamic nuclear polarization.Comment: 10 pages, including the figures coming in uuencoded compressed tar files in poltar.uu, which also brings cernart.sty and crna12.sty files neede

Fitting the integrated Spectral Energy Distributions of Galaxies

Fitting the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) of galaxies is an almost universally used technique that has matured significantly in the last decade. Model predictions and fitting procedures have improved significantly over this time, attempting to keep up with the vastly increased volume and quality of available data. We review here the field of SED fitting, describing the modelling of ultraviolet to infrared galaxy SEDs, the creation of multiwavelength data sets, and the methods used to fit model SEDs to observed galaxy data sets. We touch upon the achievements and challenges in the major ingredients of SED fitting, with a special emphasis on describing the interplay between the quality of the available data, the quality of the available models, and the best fitting technique to use in order to obtain a realistic measurement as well as realistic uncertainties. We conclude that SED fitting can be used effectively to derive a range of physical properties of galaxies, such as redshift, stellar masses, star formation rates, dust masses, and metallicities, with care taken not to over-interpret the available data. Yet there still exist many issues such as estimating the age of the oldest stars in a galaxy, finer details ofdust properties and dust-star geometry, and the influences of poorly understood, luminous stellar types and phases. The challenge for the coming years will be to improve both the models and the observational data sets to resolve these uncertainties. The present review will be made available on an interactive, moderated web page (sedfitting.org), where the community can access and change the text. The intention is to expand the text and keep it up to date over the coming years.Comment: 54 pages, 26 figures, Accepted for publication in Astrophysics & Space Scienc

Measurement of the proton and the deuteron structure functions F2p and F2d

The proton and deuteron structure functions F2p and F2d were measured in the kinematic range 0.006<x<0.6 and 0.5<Q^2<75 GeV^2, by inclusive deep inelastic muon scattering at 90, 120, 200 and 280 GeV. The measurements are in good agreement with earlier high precision results. The present and earlier results together have been parametrised to give descriptions of the proton and deuteron structure functions F2 and their uncertainties over the range 0.006<x<0.9.Comment: 22 pages, using LATEX, 12pt, epsfig.sty, rotating.sty; 2 tables and 6 figures uuencoded compressed tar files in f2fig.uu (Corrected two values of Table 3 into c3=-35.01 and c4=44.43 for "Upper F2p".

A Re-Evaluation of the nuclear Structure Function Ratios for D, He, Li, C and Ca

We present a re-evaluation of the structure function ratios F2(He)/F2(D), F2(C)/F2(D) and F2(Ca)/F2(D) measured in deep inelastic muon-nucleus scattering at an incident muon momentum of 200 GeV. We also present the ratios F2(C)/F2(Li), F2(Ca)/F2(Li) and F2(Ca)/F2(C) measured at 90 GeV. The results are based on data already published by NMC; the main difference in the analysis is a correction for the masses of the deuterium targets and an improvement in the radiative corrections. The kinematic range covered is 0.0035 < x < 0.65, 0.5 < Q^2 <90 GeV^2 for the He/D, C/D and Ca/D data and 0.0085 < x < 0.6, 0.84 < Q^2 < 17 GeV^2 for the Li/C/Ca ones.Comment: 6 pages, Latex, 3 figures as uuencoded compressed tar file included at the end, in case of problems contact [email protected] (Antje Bruell

Accurate Measurement of F2d/F2p and Rd-Rp

Results are presented for F2d/F2p and Rd-Rp from simultaneous measurements of deep inelastic muon scattering on hydrogen and deuterium targets, at 90, 120, 200 and 280 GeV. The difference Rd-Rp, determined in the range 0.002<x<0.4 at an average Q^2 of 5 GeV^2, is compatible with zero. The x and Q^2 dependence of F2d/F2p was measured in the kinematic range 0.001<x<0.8 and 0.1<Q^2<145 GeV^2 with small statistical and systematic errors. For x>0.1 the ratio decreases with Q^2.Comment: 29 pages, LateX, including figures, prepared with uufiles, arriving with .sty files as used, figures .eps files and a table .tex file. Accepted for publication in Nucl.Phys.B 199

The Structure Function Ratios F2(Li)/F2(D) and F2(C)/F2(D) at small x

We present the structure function ratios F2(Li)/F2(D) and F2(C)/F2(D) measured in deep inelastic muon-nucleus scattering at a nominal incident muon energy of 200 GeV. The kinematic range 0.0001 < x < 0.7 and 0.01< Q^2 < 70 GeV^2 is covered. For values of $x$ less than $0.002$ both ratios indicate saturation of shadowing at values compatible with photoabsorption results