1,138 research outputs found
Optical properties of the iron-pnictide analog BaMn2As2
We have investigated the infrared and Raman optical properties of BaMn2As2 in
the ab-plane and along the c-axis. The most prominent features in the infrared
spectra are the Eu and A2u phonon modes which show clear TO-LO splitting from
the energy loss function analysis. All the phonon features we observed in
infrared and Raman spectra are consistent with the calculated values. Compared
to the iron-pnictide analog AFe2As2, this compound is much more two-dimensional
in its electronic properties. For E || c-axis, the overall infrared
reflectivity is insulating like. Within the ab-plane the material exhibits a
semiconducting behavior. An energy gap 2{\Delta}=48 meV can be clearly
identified below room temperature.Comment: 5 pages, 7 figure
Spectroscopy of PTCDA attached to rare gas samples: clusters vs. bulk matrices. I. Absorption spectroscopy
The interaction between PTCDA (3,4,9,10-perylene-tetracarboxylic-dianhydride)
and rare gas or para-hydrogen samples is studied by means of laser-induced
fluorescence excitation spectroscopy. The comparison between spectra of PTCDA
embedded in a neon matrix and spectra attached to large neon clusters shows
that these large organic molecules reside on the surface of the clusters when
doped by the pick-up technique. PTCDA molecules can adopt different
conformations when attached to argon, neon and para-hydrogen clusters which
implies that the surface of such clusters has a well-defined structure and has
not liquid or fluxional properties. Moreover, a precise analysis of the doping
process of these clusters reveals that the mobility of large molecules on the
cluster surface is quenched, preventing agglomeration and complex formation
Zero delay synchronization of chaos in coupled map lattices
We show that two coupled map lattices that are mutually coupled to one
another with a delay can display zero delay synchronization if they are driven
by a third coupled map lattice. We analytically estimate the parametric regimes
that lead to synchronization and show that the presence of mutual delays
enhances synchronization to some extent. The zero delay or isochronal
synchronization is reasonably robust against mismatches in the internal
parameters of the coupled map lattices and we analytically estimate the
synchronization error bounds.Comment: 9 pages, 9 figures ; To appear in Phys. Rev.
Spatial mobility and large-scale resource extraction: an analysis of community well-being and health in a copper mining area of Zambia
We examine population mobility around a newly-developed large-scale copper mine in Zambia and analyse how socioeconomic and health indicators differed amongst migrants, resettled households, and non-mobile local (e.g. non-migrant/-resettled) populations. Two cross-sectional household surveys in 2015 and 2019 collected quan-titative data on health, socioeconomic indicators, and resettlement and migration status. A wealth index for the pooled sample (N =990 households) was computed using a simplified list of household assets adapted from the Zambia Demographic and Health Survey. Logistic regression models were conducted to assess associations with health outcomes. In-migrants were younger than non-mobile locals (mean age of household head 33.9 vs. 37.7 years), more highly educated (34.3% of household heads completed secondary school vs. 7.3%), had higher employment (43.8% vs. 15.8%), and higher mean wealth (3.6 vs. 3.0). The odds of having a child <5 years diagnosed with malaria (OR: 0.53, 95% CI: 0.40, 0.71) or classified as stunted (OR: 0.66, 95% CI: 0.50, 0.87) were significantly lower for migrants during the construction phase, even after adjusting for family wealth score. Migrant and resettled households had greater wealth and assets even after adjusting for age, education, and employment, suggesting spatial mobility is associated with improved socioeconomic status and disease prevention
Changes in household wealth in communities living in proximity to a large-scale copper mine in Zambia
Large-scale mining can alter the living conditions of surrounding communities in positive and negative ways. A health impact assessment conducted in the context of a newly developed large-scale copper mine in rural Zambia gave us the opportunity to measure changes in health determinants over time. We conducted periodic household surveys at baseline in 2011, during the construction phase in 2015 and during the operational phase in 2019. Data collected included economic indicators that were based on the standardized list of household assets used in the Zambia Demographic and Health Survey, which we subsequently converted into a wealth score using principal component analysis. We compared mean wealth scores in six communities directly impacted by the mine with comparison communities, as well as the rest of the North-Western province of Zambia. A difference-indifferences linear regression model was used to compare changes over time. Mean wealth of the communities near the mine was significantly lower at baseline than that of the North-Western province (? 0.54 points; pvalue< 0.001) in 2011, but surpassed the regional average in 2019 (+1.07 points; p-value <0.001). Mean wealth increased more rapidly in communities directly impacted by mine than in the comparison communities (+0.30 points, p-value <0.001). These results suggest a positive impact on living conditions in communities living near this copper mine. Our findings underscore the potential of the mining sector to contribute to economic development in Zambia
Dairy Farm Business Summary: Central New York and Central Plain Regions 1992
A.E. Ext. 93-08Dairy farmers throughout New York State have been participating in Cornell Cooperative Extension's farm business summary and analysis program since the early 1950's. Managers of each participating farm business receive a comprehensive summary and analysis of the farm business. The information in this report represents an average of the data submitted from dairy farms in the Central New York and Central Plain Regions for 1992
Focused Bayesian Prediction
We propose a new method for conducting Bayesian prediction that delivers
accurate predictions without correctly specifying the unknown true data
generating process. A prior is defined over a class of plausible predictive
models. After observing data, we update the prior to a posterior over these
models, via a criterion that captures a user-specified measure of predictive
accuracy. Under regularity, this update yields posterior concentration onto the
element of the predictive class that maximizes the expectation of the accuracy
measure. In a series of simulation experiments and empirical examples we find
notable gains in predictive accuracy relative to conventional likelihood-based
prediction
Passive phloem loading and long-distance transport in a synthetic tree-on-a-chip
Vascular plants rely on differences of osmotic pressure to export sugars from
regions of synthesis (mature leaves) to sugar sinks (roots, fruits). In this
process, known as M\"unch pressure flow, the loading of sugars from
photosynthetic cells to the export conduit (the phloem) is crucial, as it sets
the pressure head necessary to power long-distance transport. Whereas most
herbaceous plants use active mechanisms to increase phloem concentration above
that of the photosynthetic cells, in most tree species, for which transport
distances are largest, loading seems to occur via passive symplastic diffusion
from the mesophyll to the phloem. Here, we use a synthetic microfluidic model
of a passive loader to explore the nonlinear dynamics that arise during export
and determine the ability of passive loading to drive long-distance transport.
We first demonstrate that in our device, phloem concentration is set by the
balance between the resistances to diffusive loading from the source and
convective export through the phloem. Convection-limited export corresponds to
classical models of M\"unch transport, where phloem concentration is close to
that of the source; in contrast, diffusion-limited export leads to small phloem
concentrations and weak scaling of flow rates with the hydraulic resistance. We
then show that the effective regime of convection-limited export is predominant
in plants with large transport resistances and low xylem pressures. Moreover,
hydrostatic pressures developed in our synthetic passive loader can reach
botanically relevant values as high as 10 bars. We conclude that passive
loading is sufficient to drive long-distance transport in large plants, and
that trees are well suited to take full advantage of passive phloem loading
strategies
Changes in socioeconomic determinants of health in a copper mine development area, northwestern Zambia
In 2011, an industrial copper mine was developed in northwestern Zambia. A health impact assessment was conducted to anticipate and address potential health impacts. To monitor these impacts, three community-based surveys were conducted in the area (2011, 2015 and 2019). We analysed these data to determine how household socioeconomic indicators - considered determinants of health - have changed in the area over time. In mine-impacted communities, between 2011 (pre-construction) and 2019, significant changes were observed for: (i) average household size (-0.6 members); (ii) proportion of mothers that have not completed primary school (+20.4%); (iii) ownership of economic assets (e.g. phones +29.3%; televisions +15.6%); (iv) access to safe drinking water (+27.4%); and (v) improved housing structures (e.g. finished roof +58.6%). When comparing changes between 2015 and 2019 in impacted communities to nearby comparison communities, there was (i) an increased proportion of mothers that had not completed primary school in comparison communities vs. no change in impacted communities; and (ii) increased ownership of economic assets in impacted vs. comparison communities in 2019. This study found generally positive changes in the socioeconomic development of impacted compared to comparison communities, with the most pronounced improvements in the early phases of mine development
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