Measurement of the energy barrier distribution in the antiferromagnetic layer of exchange-biased materials

The value of exchange field of two FeMn–NiFeCobased spin valves with varying thickness of the pinned ferromagnetic layer has been determined as a function of temperature. The complexities caused by thermal activation of the antiferromagnet during measurement have been overcome by the development of a measurement protocol. The values of the exchange field obtained provide a measure of the degree of order in the antiferromagnet. Thus it is possible to determine the distribution of energy barriers to reversal for the system. We find that for a 110-A -thick pinned NiFeCo layer a broad distribution exists, whereas for an 80-A layer, the distribution is bimodal and has a component subject to thermal activation at temperatures down to 260 K

Mammography screening in Greece: an exploratory survey of women’s views, experiences and behaviours.

Background: Internationally, breast cancer comprises 29% of all cancer incidences. In Greece, 1,500-1,800women die annually from breast cancer out of the 4,000 who are affected. Only 5% are detected at an early diseasestage through mammography screening.Aim: This paper presents findings from a study exploring the factors that influence Greek women’smammography screening behaviour.Methodology: Data were collected in Athens-Greece, during the period March-July 2008, from individuals whowere members of six women’s associations. One hundred and eighty six questionnaires were completed and 33interviews were conducted from a sub-sample. This paper reports the findings from the questionnaire survey.Results: Participants had a variety of demographic characteristics with 85% of them having attendedmammography screening. Only 61% of them intended to continue in the future. Τhe majority of women agreedwith a number of factors which supported their decision to participate in regular mammography screening, such asdoctors’ encouragement and mammogram efficacy to detect breast cancer at an early stage, while anxiety wasidentified as a possible inhibitor to their participation.Conclusion: Women’s mammography screening behaviour and perceptions of mammography screening appearedto be positive in relation to their participation. However, the reasons as to why a large number of women indicatedthey were unlikely to go for mammography screening again is not known, and needs further investigation

motifDiverge: a model for assessing the statistical significance of gene regulatory motif divergence between two DNA sequences

Next-generation sequencing technology enables the identification of thousands of gene regulatory sequences in many cell types and organisms. We consider the problem of testing if two such sequences differ in their number of binding site motifs for a given transcription factor (TF) protein. Binding site motifs impart regulatory function by providing TFs the opportunity to bind to genomic elements and thereby affect the expression of nearby genes. Evolutionary changes to such functional DNA are hypothesized to be major contributors to phenotypic diversity within and between species; but despite the importance of TF motifs for gene expression, no method exists to test for motif loss or gain. Assuming that motif counts are Binomially distributed, and allowing for dependencies between motif instances in evolutionarily related sequences, we derive the probability mass function of the difference in motif counts between two nucleotide sequences. We provide a method to numerically estimate this distribution from genomic data and show through simulations that our estimator is accurate. Finally, we introduce the R package {\tt motifDiverge} that implements our methodology and illustrate its application to gene regulatory enhancers identified by a mouse developmental time course experiment. While this study was motivated by analysis of regulatory motifs, our results can be applied to any problem involving two correlated Bernoulli trials

Creating a Music Education Curriculum Based on Current Teaching Strategies

Contemporary pedagogical, psychological and sociological researches highlight the need for music education available to every child. Starting from the fundamental point of view according to which music affects the development of the child\u27s whole personality, this idea stands out in history since the 17th century. Various educators in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century emphasized the importance of music education for every child. To nurture a child’s music development, as it is to support the development requires other basic skills in the child’s life. Young children learn most basic life skills from their parents because adults create consciously and unconsciously a loving and stimulating environment for learning to talk, move, think, and live with others. Through a process that seems magical, children figure out how to do these things mostly by watching, listening, and experimenting. Music Together is a curriculum designed by the writer of this thesis to help provide this nurture, regardless of the parents own music background or ability. With historical and theoretical overview of this idea, this paper tries to examine the possibility of its realization in contemporary educational practice. One method in particular, the Kodály Method, is an approach to music education based on the philosophies of Zoltan Kodály. As Kodály approach to music education suggests that everyone is capable of musical literacy and we should focus on this at a very young age. The impact of musical instruction to engage students at a young age helps them with development such as reading comprehension and verbal memory. Considering the status of music in American educational policy, in which music is recognized as an educational priority for the first time in the history of education and it became the basic academic subject in the American federal education policy plan, as well as unprecedentedly incorporated in the federal law. This study attempts to provide greater knowledge of methods in Music Education and eventually, will contribute to research and development work within childhood and student development

BAYES' ESTIMATES OF THE DOUBLE HURDLE MODEL IN THE PRESENCE OF FIXED COSTS

We present a model of market adoption (participation) where the presence of non-negligible fixed costs leads to non-zero censoring of the traditional double-hurdle regression. Fixed costs arise due to household resources that must be devoted a priori to the decision to participate in the market. These costs-usually a cost of time-motivate two-step decision-making and focus attentions on the minimum-efficient scale of operations (the minimum amount of milk sales) at which market entry becomes viable. This focus, in turn, motivates a non-zero-censored Tobit regression estimated through routine application of Markov chain Monte Carlo Methods.market participation, fixed costs, double-hurdle model, censored regression., Financial Economics, O1, O11, C34, O13, Q16, D1,

HOW BIG IS YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD? SPATIAL IMPLICATIONS OF MARKET PARTICIPATION BY SMALLHOLDER LIVESTOCK PRODUCERS

Identifying ways to increase market participation by smallholder producers requires identifying variables that influence market access. This is usually achieved using probit estimation. An important phenomenon affecting entry decision-making is the entry decision of a 'similar' household, where similarity is measured in terms of 'location.' When neighborhood influences are significant, it is important to allow for them in discrete decision contexts, such as probit estimation. This paper, therefore, assesses the magnitude of neighborhood influences in smallholder decisions concerning market entry. The empirical model is based on a cross-section of (110) farms situated in northern Philippines, visited (twice) in the 2000-2001 production year (a panel of 220 observations). The vehicle for analysis is a Bayesian formulation of a standard probit model, but one that allows for spatial autoregression in the decision vector. Estimation requires a Metropolis-step addition to a basic Gibbs sampling algorithm and generates useful insights concerning quantities that are important for market-access policy.Livestock Production/Industries,

Block 2 solar cell module environmental test program

Environmental tests were performed of on 76 solar cell modules produced by four different manufacturers. The following tests were performed: (1) 28 day temperature and humidity; (2) rain and icing; (3) salt fog; (4) sand and dust; (5) vacuum/steam/pressure; (6) fungus; (7) temperature/altitude; and (8) thermal shock. Environmental testing of the solar cell modules produced cracked cells, cracked encapsulant and encapsulant delaminations on various modules. In addition, there was some minor cell and frame corrosion