Research study on materials processing in space experiment number M512: Nickel - 12 wt percent tin alloy evaluation

Nickel-tin (12 wt percent tin) samples were processed in the sphere forming experiment on Skylab 2. The results were characterized for sphericity, density, microhardness, porosity, surface morphology, segregation, chemical composition, Curie point, and crystallography. These results are discussed along with conclusions and recommendations

Magnetically-induced reconstructions of the ground state in a few-electron Si quantum dot

We report unexpected fluctuations in the positions of Coulomb blockade peaks at high magnetic fields in a small Si quantum dot. The fluctuations have a distinctive saw-tooth pattern: as a function of magnetic field, linear shifts of peak positions are compensated by abrupt jumps in the opposite direction. The linear shifts have large slopes, suggesting formation of the ground state with a non-zero angular momentum. The value of the momentum is found to be well defined, despite the absence of the rotational symmetry in the dot.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, accepted to PR

Double-dot charge transport in Si single electron/hole transistors

We studied transport through ultra-small Si quantum dot transistors fabricated from silicon-on-insulator wafers. At high temperatures, 4K<T<100K, the devices show single-electron or single-hole transport through the lithographically defined dot. At T<4K, current through the devices is characterized by multidot transport. From the analysis of the transport in samples with double-dot characteristics, we conclude that extra dots are formed inside the thermally grown gate oxide which surrounds the lithographically defined dot.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, to appear in Appl. Phys. Let

Wave propagation in stepped and joined shells Annual report, 1 Sep. 1968 - 1 Sep. 1969

Shell impact response and wave propagation in cylindrical and conical shells by experimental and analytical method

Local moment, itinerancy and deviation from Fermi liquid behavior in Nax_xCoO2_2 for 0.71≤x≤0.840.71 \leq x \leq 0.84

Here we report the observation of Fermi surface (FS) pockets via the Shubnikov de Haas effect in Na$_x$CoO$_2$ for $x = 0.71$ and 0.84, respectively. Our observations indicate that the FS expected for each compound intersects their corresponding Brillouin zones, as defined by the previously reported superlattice structures, leading to small reconstructed FS pockets, but only if a precise number of holes per unit cell is \emph{localized}. For $0.71 \leq x < 0.75$ the coexistence of itinerant carriers and localized $S =1/2$ spins on a paramagnetic triangular superlattice leads at low temperatures to the observation of a deviation from standard Fermi-liquid behavior in the electrical transport and heat capacity properties, suggesting the formation of some kind of quantum spin-liquid ground state.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Improving clerkship preparedness: a hospital medicine elective for pre-clerkship students.

BackgroundMedical students often struggle to apply their nascent clinical skills in clerkships. While transitional clerkships can orient students to new roles and logistics, students may benefit from developing clinical skills in inpatient environments earlier in their curriculum to improve readiness for clerkships.InterventionOur four- to six-session elective provides pre-clerkship students with individualized learning in the inpatient setting with the aim of improving clerkship preparedness. Students work one-on-one with faculty who facilitate individualized learning through mentoring, deliberate practice, and directed feedback. Second-year medical students are placed on an attending-only, traditionally 'non-teaching' service in the hospital medicine division of a Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital for half-day sessions. Most students self-select into the elective following a class-wide advertisement. The elective also accepts students who are referred for remediation of their clinical skills.OutcomeIn the elective's first two years, 25 students participated and 47 students were waitlisted. We compared participant and waitlisted (non-participant) students' self-efficacy in several clinical and professional domains during their first clerkship. Elective participants reported significantly higher clerkship preparedness compared to non-participants in the areas of physical exam, oral presentation, and formulation of assessments and plans.ConclusionsStudents found the one-on-one feedback and personalized attention from attending physicians to be a particularly useful aspect of the course. This frequently cited benefit points to students' perceived needs and the value they place on individualized feedback. Our innovation harnesses an untapped resource - the hospital medicine 'non-teaching' service - and serves as an attainable option for schools interested in enhancing early clinical skill-building for all students, including those recommended for remediation.AbbreviationsA&amp;P: Assessment and plan; H&amp;P: History and physical; ILP: Individual learning plan