901 research outputs found
Development and Interim Evaluation of WeCare Indiana: a Community-tailored Text Messaging Intervention to Reduce Infant Mortality in East Central Indiana
poster abstractBackground: Text messaging is an effective way to distribute health information and reduce risky health behaviors.1,2 In 2014, the East Central Indiana Fetal and Infant Mortality Program of the Delaware County Health Department developed a community-based text messaging intervention program called “WeCare Indiana” as an innovative approach to promote positive pregnancy outcomes. This abstract reports the interim evaluation of health promotional text messages for prenatal clients.
Methods: The program was developed using a community-collaborative model. Over 200
prenatal and infant health text messages were reviewed and evaluated by community
representatives. Messages included information regarding fetal and infant development, health promotion, and risk prevention strategies with links to local resources. Prenatal messages were then reviewed by prenatal clients for their relevance, clarity, and likelihood to change healthrelated behavior during pregnancy. The program was promoted locally and currently has 98 enrollees. A 4-month interim program evaluation was developed to assess program awareness, reasons for enrolling or not enrolling, and overall satisfaction with text message content. A convenience sample of prenatal clients at a Federally Qualified Health Center participated in the evaluation process.
Results: Of the 43 prenatal clients that participated, 10 (23%) clients had heard about the
health messaging service. Of those participants, 6 (60%) had chosen to enroll in the program. Enrollees reported hearing about the program through word of mouth, posters, fliers, health care providers, and social media. Reasons given for not enrolling included lack of awareness or interest, technical difficulties, and procrastination. All enrollees reported that the messages were helpful.
Conclusions: An effort to reduce fetal and infant mortality in East Central Indiana led to the
development and evaluation of community-tailored health messages. The evaluation results will be used to encourage client awareness and enrollment in the program
Andreev Reflections in Micrometer-Scale Normal-Insulator-Superconductor Tunnel Junctions
Understanding the subgap behavior of Normal-Insulator-Superconductor (NIS)
tunnel junctions is important in order to be able to accurately model the
thermal properties of the junctions. Hekking and Nazarov developed a theory in
which NIS subgap current in thin-film structures can be modeled by multiple
Andreev reflections. In their theory, the current due to Andreev reflections
depends on the junction area and the junction resistance area product. We have
measured the current due to Andreev reflections in NIS tunnel junctions for
various junction sizes and junction resistance area products and found that the
multiple reflection theory is in agreement with our data
Optimizing the fast Rydberg quantum gate
The fast phase gate scheme, in which the qubits are atoms confined in sites
of an optical lattice, and gate operations are mediated by excitation of
Rydberg states, was proposed by Jaksch et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 85, 2208 (2000).
A potential source of decoherence in this system derives from motional heating,
which occurs if the ground and Rydberg states of the atom move in different
optical lattice potentials. We propose to minimize this effect by choosing the
lattice photon frequency \omega so that the ground and Rydberg states have the
same frequency-dependent polarizability \alpha(omega). The results are
presented for the case of Rb.Comment: 5 pages, submitted to PR
Biological anthropology in the Indo-Pacific Region: New approaches to age-old questions
Biological anthropological research, the study of both modern and past humans, is a burgeoning field in the Indo-Pacific region. It is becoming increasingly apparent that the unique environments of the Indo-Pacific have resulted in an archaeological record that does not necessarily align with those in the northern hemisphere. New, regionally-specific archaeological models are being developed, and biological anthropological research has an important role to play in establishing past human experience within these models. In the Indo-Pacific, research using ancient and modern human tissues is adding insight into global processes of prehistoric settlement and migrations, subsistence change and human biosocial adaptation. This review synthesises current themes in biological anthropology in this region. It highlights the diverse methods and approaches used by biological anthropologists to address globally-relevant archaeological questions. In recent decades a collaborative approach between archaeologists, biological anthropologists and local communities has become the norm in the region. The many positive outcomes of this multi-disciplinary approach are highlighted here through the use of regionally-specific case studies. This review ultimately aims to stimulate further collaborations between archaeologists, biological anthropologists and the communities in the region, and demonstrate how the evidence from Indo-Pacific research may be relevant to global archaeological models
Hot Spots and Transition from d-Wave to Another Pairing Symmetry in the Electron-Doped Cuprate Superconductors
We present a simple theoretical explanation for a transition from d-wave to
another superconducting pairing observed in the electron-doped cuprates. The
d_{x^2-y^2} pairing potential Delta, which has the maximal magnitude and
opposite signs at the hot spots on the Fermi surface, becomes suppressed with
the increase of electron doping, because the hot spots approach the Brillouin
zone diagonals, where Delta vanishes. Then, the d_{x^2-y^2} pairing is replaced
by either singlet s-wave or triplet p-wave pairing. We argue in favor of the
latter and discuss experiments to uncover it.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, RevTeX 4. V.2: Extra figure and many references
added. V.3: Minor update of references for the proof
New hadrons as ultra-high energy cosmic rays
Ultra-high energy cosmic ray (UHECR) protons produced by uniformly
distributed astrophysical sources contradict the energy spectrum measured by
both the AGASA and HiRes experiments, assuming the small scale clustering of
UHECR observed by AGASA is caused by point-like sources. In that case, the
small number of sources leads to a sharp exponential cutoff at the energy
E<10^{20} eV in the UHECR spectrum. New hadrons with mass 1.5-3 GeV can solve
this cutoff problem. For the first time we discuss the production of such
hadrons in proton collisions with infrared/optical photons in astrophysical
sources. This production mechanism, in contrast to proton-proton collisions,
requires the acceleration of protons only to energies E<10^{21} eV. The diffuse
gamma-ray and neutrino fluxes in this model obey all existing experimental
limits. We predict large UHE neutrino fluxes well above the sensitivity of the
next generation of high-energy neutrino experiments. As an example we study
hadrons containing a light bottom squark. These models can be tested by
accelerator experiments, UHECR observatories and neutrino telescopes.Comment: 17 pages, revtex style; v2: shortened, as to appear in PR
Dust Devil Tracks
Dust devils that leave dark- or light-toned tracks are common on Mars and they can also be found on the Earth’s surface. Dust devil tracks (hereinafter DDTs) are ephemeral surface features with mostly sub-annual lifetimes. Regarding their size, DDT widths can range between ∼1 m and ∼1 km, depending on the diameter of dust devil that created the track, and DDT lengths range from a few tens of meters to several kilometers, limited by the duration and horizontal ground speed of dust devils. DDTs can be classified into three main types based on their morphology and albedo in contrast to their surroundings; all are found on both planets: (a) dark continuous DDTs, (b) dark cycloidal DDTs, and (c) bright DDTs. Dark continuous DDTs are the most common type on Mars. They are characterized by their relatively homogenous and continuous low albedo surface tracks. Based on terrestrial and martian in situ studies, these DDTs most likely form when surficial dust layers are removed to expose larger-grained substrate material (coarse sands of ≥500 μm in diameter). The exposure of larger-grained materials changes the photometric properties of the surface; hence leading to lower albedo tracks because grain size is photometrically inversely proportional to the surface reflectance. However, although not observed so far, compositional differences (i.e., color differences) might also lead to albedo contrasts when dust is removed to expose substrate materials with mineralogical differences. For dark continuous DDTs, albedo drop measurements are around 2.5 % in the wavelength range of 550–850 nm on Mars and around 0.5 % in the wavelength range from 300–1100 nm on Earth. The removal of an equivalent layer thickness around 1 μm is sufficient for the formation of visible dark continuous DDTs on Mars and Earth. The next type of DDTs, dark cycloidal DDTs, are characterized by their low albedo pattern of overlapping scallops. Terrestrial in situ studies imply that they are formed when sand-sized material that is eroded from the outer vortex area of a dust devil is redeposited in annular patterns in the central vortex region. This type of DDT can also be found in on Mars in orbital image data, and although in situ studies are lacking, terrestrial analog studies, laboratory work, and numerical modeling suggest they have the same formation mechanism as those on Earth. Finally, bright DDTs are characterized by their continuous track pattern and high albedo compared to their undisturbed surroundings. They are found on both planets, but to date they have only been analyzed in situ on Earth. Here, the destruction of aggregates of dust, silt and sand by dust devils leads to smooth surfaces in contrast to the undisturbed rough surfaces surrounding the track. The resulting change in photometric properties occurs because the smoother surfaces have a higher reflectance compared to the surrounding rough surface, leading to bright DDTs. On Mars, the destruction of surficial dust-aggregates may also lead to bright DDTs. However, higher reflective surfaces may be produced by other formation mechanisms, such as dust compaction by passing dust devils, as this may also cause changes in photometric properties. On Mars, DDTs in general are found at all elevations and on a global scale, except on the permanent polar caps. DDT maximum areal densities occur during spring and summer in both hemispheres produced by an increase in dust devil activity caused by maximum insolation. Regionally, dust devil densities vary spatially likely controlled by changes in dust cover thicknesses and substrate materials. This variability makes it difficult to infer dust devil activity from DDT frequencies. Furthermore, only a fraction of dust devils leave tracks. However, DDTs can be used as proxies for dust devil lifetimes and wind directions and speeds, and they can also be used to predict lander or rover solar panel clearing events. Overall, the high DDT frequency in many areas on Mars leads to drastic albedo changes that affect large-scale weather patterns
A Kinematically Complete Measurement of the Proton Structure Function F2 in the Resonance Region and Evaluation of Its Moments
We measured the inclusive electron-proton cross section in the nucleon
resonance region (W < 2.5 GeV) at momentum transfers Q**2 below 4.5 (GeV/c)**2
with the CLAS detector. The large acceptance of CLAS allowed for the first time
the measurement of the cross section in a large, contiguous two-dimensional
range of Q**2 and x, making it possible to perform an integration of the data
at fixed Q**2 over the whole significant x-interval. From these data we
extracted the structure function F2 and, by including other world data, we
studied the Q**2 evolution of its moments, Mn(Q**2), in order to estimate
higher twist contributions. The small statistical and systematic uncertainties
of the CLAS data allow a precise extraction of the higher twists and demand
significant improvements in theoretical predictions for a meaningful comparison
with new experimental results.Comment: revtex4 18 pp., 12 figure
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