The identification of beliefs from asset demand

The demand for assets as prices and initial wealth vary identifies beliefs and attitudes towards risk. We derive conditions that guarantee identification with no knowledge either of the cardinal utility index or of the distribution of future endowments or payoffs of assets; the argument applies even if the asset market is incomplete and demand is observed only locally

Thermal Expansion Of Moist Wood

Linear thermal expansion of wood, as measured with sealed cylindrical specimens at constant moisture content, generally increased with the amount of bound water. This could be expected on the basis of the low stiffness of moist wood. Near the fiber saturation point and above, shrinkage from internal drying was superimposed on true thermal expansion. At temperatures above 0 C during heating, water migrated out of fiber-saturated cell walls; the resulting shrinkage reduced the expansion significantly and between 20 and 70 C even led to contraction. At freezing temperatures during cooling, moisture diffused out of the saturated cell walls and condensed as ice crystals in the cell cavities; the resulting shrinkage supplemented true thermal contraction and caused large coefficients of thermal expansion in a broad sense.Thermal expansion was largest tangentially and smallest in the longitudinal direction. Tangential coefficients of thermal expansion at 12% moisture content and room temperature averaged 53 X 10-1 mm/(mm C) for redwood, 70 X 10-6 mm/(mm C) for northern red oak, 38 X 10-6 mm/(mm C) for Douglas-fir and yellow birch. Coefficients in the longitudinal direction and for plywood were below 10 X 10-6 mm/(mm C) on the average

d0 Perovskite-Semiconductor Electronic Structure

We address the low-energy effective Hamiltonian of electron doped d0 perovskite semiconductors in cubic and tetragonal phases using the k*p method. The Hamiltonian depends on the spin-orbit interaction strength, on the temperature-dependent tetragonal distortion, and on a set of effective-mass parameters whose number is determined by the symmetry of the crystal. We explain how these parameters can be extracted from angle resolved photo-emission, Raman spectroscopy, and magneto-transport measurements and estimate their values in SrTiO3

Calculations of giant magnetoresistance in Fe/Cr trilayers using layer potentials determined from {\it ab-initio} methods

The ab initio full-potential linearized augmented plane-wave method explicitly designed for the slab geometry was employed to elucidate the physical origin of the layer potentials for the trilayers nFe/3Cr/nFe(001), where n is the number of Fe monolayers. The thickness of the transition-metal ferromagnet has been ranged from $n=1$ up to n=8 while the spacer thickness was fixed to 3 monolayers. The calculated potentials were inserted in the Fuchs-Sondheimer formalism in order to calculate the giant magnetoresistance (GMR) ratio. The predicted GMR ratio was compared with the experiment and the oscillatory behavior of the GMR as a function of the ferromagnetic layer thickness was discussed in the context of the layer potentials. The reported results confirm that the interface monolayers play a dominant role in the intrinsic GMR.Comment: 17 pages, 7 figures, 3 tables. accepted in J. Phys.: Cond. Matte

More than a cognitive experience: unfamiliarity, invalidation, and emotion in organizational learning

Literature on organizational learning (OL) lacks an integrative framework that captures the emotions involved as OL proceeds. Drawing on personal construct theory, we suggest that organizations learn where their members reconstrue meaning around questions of strategic significance for the organization. In this 5-year study of an electronics company, we explore the way in which emotions change as members perceive progress or a lack of progress around strategic themes. Our framework also takes into account whether OL involves experiences that are familiar or unfamiliar and the implications for emotions. We detected similar patterns of emotion arising over time for three different themes in our data, thereby adding to OL perspectives that are predominantly cognitive in orientation

Experimental Induction of Odontoblast Differentiation and Stimulation During Preparative Processes

In vivo implantation experiments have shown that ethylenediaminetetraaceticacid(EDTA)-soluble frac tions of dentin stimulate reparative dentinogenesis . When isolated embryonic dental papillae were cultured in the presence of these dentin constituents, odontoblast cytological and functional differentiation could be initiated and maintained in the absence of an enamel organ. These effects were attributed to the presence of TGF-/1- related molecules [TGF-/11 or bone morphogenetic protein -2a (BMP-2a)] which had to be used in combination with an EDT A-soluble fraction of dentin in order to specifically affect competent preodontoblasts . These EDT A-soluble constituents present in dentin could be replaced by heparin or fibronectin which both have been reported to interact with TGF-/1. The association of such defined matrix components with a TGF-/1-related molecule represents a biologically active complex triggering odontoblast functional differentiation. In response to caries, odontoblasts modulate their secretory activity and are stimulated to elaborate reactionary dentin. This might be induced by active molecules such as IGF, TGF-6 or BMP which are liberated from dentin consecutively to the demineralization process. Reparative dentinogenesis is distinct from reactionary dentinogenesis and more complex since it implicates the differentiation of precursor cells present in the dental papilla. The developmental history of these cells is different from that of the physiological predontoblasts in developing teeth. The nature of these stem cells and the mechanism of their induction still remain open questions

Metal-insulator transition in vanadium dioxide nanobeams: probing sub-domain properties of strongly correlated materials

Many strongly correlated electronic materials, including high-temperature superconductors, colossal magnetoresistance and metal-insulator-transition (MIT) materials, are inhomogeneous on a microscopic scale as a result of domain structure or compositional variations. An important potential advantage of nanoscale samples is that they exhibit the homogeneous properties, which can differ greatly from those of the bulk. We demonstrate this principle using vanadium dioxide, which has domain structure associated with its dramatic MIT at 68 degrees C. Our studies of single-domain vanadium dioxide nanobeams reveal new aspects of this famous MIT, including supercooling of the metallic phase by 50 degrees C; an activation energy in the insulating phase consistent with the optical gap; and a connection between the transition and the equilibrium carrier density in the insulating phase. Our devices also provide a nanomechanical method of determining the transition temperature, enable measurements on individual metal-insulator interphase walls, and allow general investigations of a phase transition in quasi-one-dimensional geometry.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures, original submitted in June 200

“He's Still the Winner in My Mind”: Maintaining the Collective Identity in Sport through Social Creativity and Group Affirmation

Social Creativity and Group Affirmation are two strategies by which individuals that identify with a sporting activity, team, group or individual may protect that sense of identification in light of negative events. This paper explores the use of such strategies through examining reactions to doping allegations surrounding Lance Armstrong to explain how members of two brand communities (one based on the brand of Armstrong as cyclist and the other on the brand of Armstrong as cancer survivor) maintain a sense of allegiance. Through undertaking a netnographic approach, six strategies were identified by members of these communities, three of which could be identified as Social Creativity Strategies (Lance Armstrong as “superhuman”, the notion of cycling as a ‘level playing field’, Armstrong as scapegoat) and three as Group Affirmation (Armstrong as a continuing inspiration, the Armstrong legacy, and denial). The two brand communities demonstrated differing patterns of maintenance, with those within the cycling community focusing more upon Social Creativity strategies, whereas those members of the Armstrong as cancer survivor brand tended to focus upon Group Affirmation strategies

Recovering from stillbirth: the effects of making and sharing memories on maternal mental health

Objective: This study examined whether the experience of creating and sharing memories of their babies is associated with mothers’ mental health after stillbirth, taking account of factors previously shown to be important. Background: Mothers of stillborn babies are usually offered the opportunity to spend time with and create memories of their babies. However, evidence on whether this leads to better mental health outcomes is equivocal. One possible explanation is that the impact of making memories is mediated by the extent to which women subsequently share these memories. Methods: Cross-sectional questionnaire study. Mothers (N = 162) of stillborn babies completed online questionnaires of how memories were made and shared, satisfaction with memory-making and sharing, professional and social support, and symptoms of depression, anxiety and PTSD. Results: The majority of mothers made and shared memories. The number of different memory-making activities was not associated with mental health outcomes. However, the degree to which mothers shared their memories was associated with fewer PTSD symptoms. Regression analyses showed that good mental health was most strongly associated with time since stillbirth, perceived professional support, sharing of memories and less wish to talk more about the baby. Conclusion: This study confirms research showing that time since stillbirth and perceived professional support is associated with better mental health following stillbirth and for the first time shows the importance of opportunities to share memories of the baby. Variation in sharing opportunities may contribute to inconsistencies in the association between making memories and mental health following stillbirth