Debye relaxation in high magnetic fields

Dielectric relaxation is universal in characterizing polar liquids and solids, insulators, and semiconductors, and the theoretical models are well developed. However, in high magnetic fields, previously unknown aspects of dielectric relaxation can be revealed and exploited. Here, we report low temperature dielectric relaxation measurements in lightly doped silicon in high dc magnetic fields B both parallel and perpendicular to the applied ac electric field E. For B//E, we observe a temperature and magnetic field dependent dielectric dispersion e(w)characteristic of conventional Debye relaxation where the free carrier concentration is dependent on thermal dopant ionization, magnetic freeze-out, and/or magnetic localization effects. However, for BperpE, anomalous dispersion emerges in e(w) with increasing magnetic field. It is shown that the Debye formalism can be simply extended by adding the Lorentz force to describe the general response of a dielectric in crossed magnetic and electric fields. Moreover, we predict and observe a new transverse dielectric response EH perp B perp E not previously described in magneto-dielectric measurements. The new formalism allows the determination of the mobility and the ability to discriminate between magnetic localization/freeze out and Lorentz force effects in the magneto-dielectric response.Comment: 19 pages, 6 figure

Collecting Cats: Library Lessons from Neko Atsume

This blog post is the culmination of a Twitter conversation between librarians talking about their experiences playing a phone game. The game is called Nekoatsume and it involves taking care of digital cats in a virtual backyard. Nekoatsume is entirely in Japanese, a key fact that actually started the Twitter conversation (and not the fact that the game involves cats, as might be expected). Despite the language barrier, Nekoatsume is remarkably user-friendly; library databases should be just as user-friendly as a game in a foreign language, but too often they’re not. With so many variables in acquiring research — design, functionality, search queries, tutorials — the outcome of research can be overshadowed by the multitude of platform interfaces, both within the library and on the open Web

Outsiders: an exploratory history of IS in corporations

This paper is an exploratory study that provides a brief history of information systems (IS) in corporations that are not part of the Information Technology sector, such as retailers, banks, government agencies and so on. It looks at the development of the IS function and the changing roles of IS practitioners in such organisations over the past 60 years, and assesses how they perceived themselves and were perceived by their peers, by business colleagues and by others. It uses the testimony of successful IS practitioners to provide a grounded perspective on the history of the IS worker over this time. The research identifies a trajectory of a gradual diminishment in the role and status of the IS worker in the corporation over the lifetime of the discipline. It observes that the IS worker has experienced changed fortunes: from a position of influence at the outset, leading to a peak of status and reward in the years up to the millennium; and to the present day where the occupation has a much lower profile. It ascribes this to the increasing commoditisation of IS, manifested by phenomena such as end-user computing, outsourcing and cloud computing. The paper is of relevance to academics who are interested in IS in the corporate organisation; to business professionals, who are sometimes bewildered by their IS colleagues; and to those who work in IS. The research is presented as an interpretative study and is intended to help future researchers frame questions and design research projects. It also aims to inform and witness, and provide a perspective on a currently neglected part of the business world

Risk of exposure to Coxiella burnetii from ruminant livestock exhibited at Iowa agricultural fairs

Coxiella burnetii is a zoonotic pathogen typically associated with clinical and asymptomatic infection in ruminant livestock. A re‐emerging pathogen of significant public health importance, C. burnetii has caused recent epidemics in the U.S. and Europe and public livestock exhibitions are increasingly scrutinized as a potential source of C. burnetii exposure. Although C. burnetii prevalence data among North American domestic ruminants is extremely limited, contemporary studies suggest that this pathogen is both geographically widespread and highly prevalent on a herd basis, especially in dairy cattle and goat populations. We utilized a real‐time PCR assay to detect Coxiella burnetii fecal shedding by clinically normal, non‐periparturient beef cattle, meat goats, and sheep exhibited at Iowa agricultural fairs. Individual fecal samples were collected from beef cattle, meat goats, and sheep exhibited at twelve Iowa county fairs during the summer of 2009. The sample pool was blocked by species and fair, ten samples from each block were randomly selected for the diagnostic assay; this test pool is considered sufficient to identify with 95% confidence a shedding animal in a population prevalence of 2.85% (cattle and sheep) and 6.25% (goats). Detection of Coxiella burnetii DNA was determined through use of a real time PCR assay validated for use in bovine, ovine, and caprine feces; threshold of detection is one DNA copy per PCR (sensitivity 95.8%, specificity 100%). All tested samples were negative for Coxiella burnetii DNA. We conclude that non‐dairy, non‐periparturient ruminants exhibited at Iowa fairs are unlikely to shed Coxiella burnetii in their feces and that this population should not be considered to be a significant exposure risk to other livestock or fair attendees

Changing times in England: the influence on geography teachers’ professional practice

School geography in England has been characterised as a pendulum swinging between policies that emphasise curriculum and pedagogy alternately. In this paper, I illustrate the influence of these shifts on geography teacher's professional practice, by drawing on three “moments” from my experience as a student, teacher and teacher educator. Barnett's description of teacher professionalism as a continuous project of “being” illuminates how geography teachers can adapt to competing influences. It reflects teacher professionalism as an unfinished project, which is responsive, but not beholden, to shifting trends, and is informed by how teachers frame and enact policies. I argue that recognising these contextual factors is key to supporting geography teachers in “being” geography education professionals. As education becomes increasingly competitive on a global scale, individual governments are looking internationally for “solutions” to improve educational rankings. In this climate, the future of geography education will rest on how teachers react locally to international trends. Geography teacher educators can support this process by continuing to inform the field through meaningful geography education research, in particular in making the contextual factors of their research explicit. This can be supported through continued successful international collaboration in geography education research

Designing an information system for updating land records in Bangladesh: action design ethnographic research (ADER)

Open Access. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits any use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and the source are credited.This article has been made available through the Brunel Open Access Publishing Fund.Information Systems (IS) has developed through adapting, generating and applying diverse methodologies, methods, and techniques from reference disciplines. Further, Action Design Research (ADR) has recently developed as a broad research method that focuses on designing and redesigning IT and IS in organizational contexts. This paper reflects on applying ADR in a complex organizational context in a developing country. It shows that ADR requires additional lens for designing IS in such a complex organizational context. Through conducting ADR, it is seen that an ethnographic framework has potential complementarities for understanding complex contexts thereby enhancing the ADR processes. This paper argues that conducting ADR with an ethnographic approach enhances design of IS and organizational contexts. Finally, this paper aims presents a broader methodological framework, Action Design Ethnographic Research (ADER), for designing artefacts as well as IS. This is illustrated through the case of a land records updating service in Bangladesh

The Grizzly, April 15, 2004

Ursinus College Commencement Only One Month Away • Taking Our Place Campaign • Meet This Year\u27s Valedictorians • Silence Makes a Statement • Opinions: Make a Statement with Silence; Class of 2004 Campaigns Hard!; Hyped About Housing; Higher Gas Prices = Economical Cars • Faculty Spotlight: Houghton Kane • Chess Club Results • Who\u27s Who at Ursinus • Softball Team Continues to Shut Down Opponents • Ursinus Outdoor Track and Field: Experience for a Young Team • Baseball Team Trying to be a Contender • Grimmel, Furman Earn All-American Honors at NCGA Championships • Durkin Named CC Player of the Weekhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/grizzlynews/1559/thumbnail.jp