Bipolaron Density-Wave Driven By Antiferromagnetic Correlations and Frustration in Organic Superconductors

We describe the Paired Electron Crystal (PEC) which occurs in the interacting frustrated two-dimensional 1/4-filled band. The PEC is a charge-ordered state with nearest-neighbor spin singlets separated by pairs of vacant sites, and can be thought of as a bipolaron density wave. The PEC has been experimentally observed in the insulating state proximate to superconductivity in the organic charge-transfer solids. Increased frustration drives a PEC-to-superconductor transition in these systems.Comment: submitted to Physica B special issue for ISCOM 200

The effect of radioactive substances on sludge digestion

Bibliography: p. 40

Absence of superconductivity in the half-filled band Hubbard model on the anisotropic triangular lattice

We report exact calculations of magnetic and superconducting pair-pair correlations for the half-filled band Hubbard model on an anisotropic triangular lattice. Our results for the magnetic phases are similar to those obtained with other techniques. The superconducting pair-pair correlations at distances beyond nearest neighbor decrease monotonically with increasing Hubbard interaction U for all anisotropy, indicating the absence of frustration-driven superconductivity within the model.Comment: 4 pages, 4 EPS figure

Rapid characterization of the ultraviolet induced fiber Bragg grating complex coupling coefficient as a function of irradiance and exposure time

We report the application of optical frequency domain reflectometry and a discrete-layer-peeling inverse scattering algorithm to the spatial characterization of the UV induced complex coupling coefficient during fiber Bragg grating growth. The fiber grating is rapidly characterized using this technique to give irradiance dependent growth as a function of exposure time, thereby providing the complete characterization of the coupling coefficient in the form of a "growth surface," which is related to the fiber's photosensitivity. We compare measurements of fiber Bragg grating growth in SMF-28 when exposed to continuous wave 244 nm irradiation from 0 to 90 W cm(-2) for exposure times up to 3230 s with a selection of other fibers including high germanium concentration fiber and erbium doped fiber. (c) 2007 Optical Society of America

Wearing a bike helmet leads to less cognitive control, revealed by lower frontal midline theta power and risk indifference

A recent study claims that participants wearing a bike helmet behave riskier in a computer-based risk task compared to control participants without a bike helmet. We hypothesized that wearing a bike helmet reduces cognitive control over risky behavior. To test our hypothesis, we recorded participants' EEG brain responses while they played a risk game developed in our laboratory. Previously, we found that, in this risk game, anxious participants showed greater levels of cognitive control as revealed by greater frontal midline theta power, which was associated with less risky decisions. Here, we predicted that cognitive control would be reduced in the helmet group, indicated by reduced frontal midline theta power, and that this group would prefer riskier options in the risk game. In line with our hypothesis, we found that participants in the helmet group showed significantly lower frontal midline theta power than participants in the control group, indicating less cognitive control. We did not replicate the finding of generally riskier behavior in the helmet group. Instead, we found that participants chose the riskier option in about half of trials, no matter how risky the other option was. Our results suggest that wearing a bike helmet reduces cognitive control, as revealed by reduced frontal midline theta power, leading to risk indifference when evaluating potential behaviors

A tribute to Frederick F. Knowlton

Dr. Fredrick F. Knowlton officially retired on March 31, 2007, with well over 45 years of service to the USDA/Wildlife Services. Fred worked at Wildlife Services’ National Wildlife Research Center Field Station in Logan, Utah, for 35 years alone! His work on coyotes and other species has had an extraordinary impact on the science and management of coyotes. Things that we take for granted today about the life history of coyotes were the result of Fred’s tireless ambition to understand these animals and to improve our ability to manage them. One of our agency’s first Ph.D. hires, Fred produced about 100 papers and reports during his career, and as a professor at Utah State University he mentored many students through the years

Comparative Models in German Elections: Using the German Far-Right Party as a Proxy for Ethnic Conflict

In 2017, the Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) became the first the far-right party to win seats in the Bundestag since 1933. By campaigning on ethnic division, the AfD saw an unprecedented rise in support, especially in East Germany. This paper tests two models of ethnic conflict within comparative politics, primordialism and constructivism, to see which better explains the result of the AfD’s 2017 election. By examining the rhetorical use of political advertisements, the Manifesto Project’s analysis of the AfD’s platform, and differences of support between East and West Germany, the paper finds that constructivism better shows that highly-educated elites within the AfD purposefully constructed ethnic division to gain political support. Clear implications are drawn for the future of the two ethnic models and for European far-right politics

The Future of Wildlife Damage Management

In January 2018, I retired after a 35-year career in the wildlife damage management profession. I would like to off er my perspective on what the profession was like when I began my career, what it’s like currently, and what I think the future holds. Thirty-five years ago in our program, wildlife damage management activities across the country focused primarily on protecting livestock from predators as well as protecting many agricultural crops like corn, rice, and sunflowers from bird damage. Since transferring from the Department of the Interior to the Department of Agriculture in 1986, we have seen a significant increase in the range and extent of wildlife damage requests for services. In addition to the protection of agricultural resources, the program has expanded services to address other agricultural resources such as aquaculture, forestry, and truck crops. Our personnel became involved in the protection of public health and safety by working at airports to prevent wildlife–aircraft strikes, wildlife disease surveillance activities involving avian influenza, chronic wasting disease, rabies, and many other diseases transmitted by wildlife. We also began emphasizing the protection of natural resources such as threatened and endangered species, as well as property