Introducing the READ Scale: Qualitative Statistics for Academic Reference Services

The article describes the concept, methodology, data gathering and study expansion using the Reference Effort Assessment Data (READ) scale developed at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. READ Scale pertains to a tool for recording vital supplemental qualitative statistics gathered when reference librarians assist users with their inquiries or research-related activities. The scale is easy to use compared with the traditional method of gathering reference statistics

Testing The Viability Of The READ Scale (Reference Effort Assessment Data)®: Qualitative Statistics For Academic Reference Services

The READ Scale (Reference Effort Assessment Data) is a six-point scale tool for recording qualitative statistics by placing an emphasis on recording effort, knowledge, skills, and teaching used by staff during a reference transaction. Institutional research grants enabled the authors to conduct a national study of the READ Scale at 14 diverse academic libraries in spring of 2007 and test its viability as a tool for recording reference statistics. The study data were collected from 170 individuals and 24 service points with over 22,000 transactions analyzed. There was a 52 percent return rate of an online survey of participants, with more than 80 percent of respondents indicating they would recommend or adopt the Scale for recording reference transactions. The authors suggest that the READ Scale has the potential to transform how reference statistics are gathered, interpreted, and valued. This paper presents the findings of a nationwide study testing the Scale in spring 2007 and suggests practical approaches for using READ Scale data. © Bella Karr Gerlich

The persistence of a chlorophyll spectral biosignature from Martian evaporite and spring analogues under Mars-like conditions

Spring and evaporite deposits are considered two of the most promising environments for past habitability on Mars and preservation of biosignatures. Manitoba, Canada hosts the East German Creek (EGC) hypersaline spring complex, and the post impact evaporite gypsum beds of the Lake St. Martin (LSM) impact. The EGC complex has microbial mats, sediments, algae and biofabrics, while endolithic communities are ubiquitous in the LSM gypsum beds. These communities are spectrally detectable based largely on the presence of a chlorophyll absorption band at 670 nm; however, the robustness of this feature under Martian surface conditions was unclear. Biological and biology-bearing samples from EGC and LSM were exposed to conditions similar to the surface of present day Mars (high UV flux, 100 mbar, anoxic, CO_2 rich) for up to 44 days, and preservation of the 670 nm chlorophyll feature and chlorophyll red-edge was observed. A decrease in band depth of the 670 nm band ranging from ∼16 to 80% resulted, with correlations seen in the degree of preservation and the spatial proximity of samples to the spring mound and mineral shielding effects. The spectra were deconvolved to Mars Exploration Rover (MER) Pancam and Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Mastcam science filter bandpasses to investigate the detectability of the 670 nm feature and to compare with common mineral features. The red-edge and 670 nm feature associated with chlorophyll can be distinguished from the spectra of minerals with features below ∼1000 nm, such as hematite and jarosite. However, distinguishing goethite from samples with the chlorophyll feature is more problematic, and quantitative interpretation using band depth data makes little distinction between iron oxyhydroxides and the 670 nm chlorophyll feature. The chlorophyll spectral feature is observable in both Pancam and Mastcam, and we propose that of the proposed EXOMARS Pancam filters, the PHYLL filter is best suited for its detection

Berry Curvature in Graphene: A New Approach

In the present paper we have directly computed the Berry curvature terms relevant for Graphene in the presence of an \textit{inhomogeneous} lattice distortion. We have employed the generalized Foldy Wouthuysen framework, developed by some of us \cite{ber0,ber1,ber2}. We show that a non-constant lattice distortion leads to a valley-orbit coupling which is responsible to a valley-Hall effect. This is similar to the valley-Hall effect induced by an electric field proposed in \cite{niu2} and is the analogue of the spin-Hall effect in semiconductors \cite{MURAKAMI, SINOVA}. Our general expressions for Berry curvature, for the special case of homogeneous distortion, reduce to the previously obtained results \cite{niu2}. We also discuss the Berry phase in the quantization of cyclotron motion.Comment: Slightly modified version, to appear in EPJ

The Structure of the Vortex Liquid at the Surface of a Layered Superconductor

A density-functional approach is used to calculate the inhomogeneous vortex density distribution in the flux liquid phase at the planar surface of a layered superconductor, where the external magnetic field is perpendicular to the superconducting layers and parallel to the surface. The interactions with image vortices are treated within a mean field approximation as a functional of the vortex density. Near the freezing transition strong vortex density fluctuations are found to persist far into the bulk liquid. We also calculate the height of the Bean-Livingston surface barrier.Comment: 8 pages, RevTeX, 2 figure

Holonomy of Einstein Lorentzian manifolds

The classification of all possible holonomy algebras of Einstein and vacuum Einstein Lorentzian manifolds is obtained. It is shown that each such algebra appears as the holonomy algebra of an Einstein (resp., vacuum Einstein) Lorentzian manifold, the direct constructions are given. Also the holonomy algebras of totally Ricci-isotropic Lorentzian manifolds are classified. The classification of the holonomy algebras of Lorentzian manifolds is reviewed and a complete description of the spaces of curvature tensors for these holonomies is given.Comment: Dedicated to to Mark Volfovich Losik on his 75th birthday. This version is an extended part of the previous version; another part of the previous version is extended and submitted as arXiv:1001.444

Robustness in Interaction Systems

We treat the effect of absence/failure of ports or components on properties of component-based systems. We do so in the framework of interaction systems, a formalism for component-based systems that strictly separates the issues of local behavior and interaction, for which ideas to establish properties of systems where developed. We propose to adapt these ideas to analyze how the properties behave under absence or failure of certain components or merely some ports of components. We demonstrate our approach for the properties local and global deadlock-freedom as well as liveness and local progress