Relativistic Mean Field in A≈A\approx80 nuclei and low energy proton reactions

Relativistic Mean Field calculations have been performed for a number of nuclei in mass $A\approx$80 region. Ground state binding energy, charge radius and charge density values have been compared with experiment. Optical potential have been generated folding the nuclear density with the microscopic nuclear interaction DDM3Y. S-factors for low energy ($p,\gamma$) and ($p,n$) reactions have been calculated and compared with experiment.Comment: To appear in Physical Review

The Effect of Education on Smoking Behavior: New Evidence from Smoking Durations of a Sample of Twins

This paper analyses the effect of education on starting and quitting smoking, using longitudinal data of Australian twins. The endogeneity of education, censoring of smoking durations and the timing of starting smoking versus that of completion of education are taken into account by the flexible Mixed Proportional Hazard specification. Unobserved effects are assumed to be twin specific and possibly correlated with completed education years. We find that one additional year of education reduces the duration of smoking with 9 months but has no effect on the decision to start smoking.education, duration models, smoking

The 'nanobig rods' class of gold nanorods: optimized dimensions for improved in vivo therapeutic and imaging efficacy

Currently, gold nanorods can be synthesized in a wide range of sizes. However, for intended biological applications gold nanorods with approximate dimensions 50 nm x 15 nm are used. We investigate by computer simulation the effect of particle dimensions on the optical and thermal properties in the context of the specific applications of photoacoustic imaging. In addition we discuss the influence of particle size in overcoming the following biophysical barriers when administrated in vivo: extravasation, avoidance of uptake by organs of the reticuloendothelial system, penetration through the interstitium, binding capability and uptake by the target cells. Although more complex biological influences can be introduced in future analysis, the present work illustrates that larger gold nanorods, designated by us as "nanobig rods", may perform relatively better at meeting the requirements for successful in vivo applications compared to their smaller counterparts which are conventionally used

Best Effort and Practice Activation Codes

Activation Codes are used in many different digital services and known by many different names including voucher, e-coupon and discount code. In this paper we focus on a specific class of ACs that are short, human-readable, fixed-length and represent value. Even though this class of codes is extensively used there are no general guidelines for the design of Activation Code schemes. We discuss different methods that are used in practice and propose BEPAC, a new Activation Code scheme that provides both authenticity and confidentiality. The small message space of activation codes introduces some problems that are illustrated by an adaptive chosen-plaintext attack (CPA-2) on a general 3-round Feis- tel network of size 2^(2n) . This attack recovers the complete permutation from at most 2^(n+2) plaintext-ciphertext pairs. For this reason, BEPAC is designed in such a way that authenticity and confidentiality are in- dependent properties, i.e. loss of confidentiality does not imply loss of authenticity.Comment: 15 pages, 3 figures, TrustBus 201

Production of a T cell hybridoma that expresses the T cell receptor gamma/delta heterodimer.

We have produced a T cell hybridoma line by fusion of an IL-2-dependent, long-term T cell receptor (TCR) gamma/delta+ Thy-1+, bone marrow-derived, dendritic epidermal cell line to the BW5147 tumor line. The resultant hybridoma was rapidly growing, lymphokine independent, and expressed T3 in association with the TCR gamma/delta heterodimer. Several subclones of the hybridoma line produced easily detectable levels of IL-2 after stimulation by anti-T3 or Con A. The availability of these cloned cell lines should greatly facilitate further functional, biochemical, and molecular studies of the TCR delta chain

The Effect of Childhood Conduct Disorder on Human Capital

This paper estimates the longer-term effects of childhood conduct disorder on human capital accumulation and violent and criminal behaviour later in life using data of Australian twins. We measure conduct disorder with a rich set of indicators based on diagnostic criteria from psychiatry. Using ordinary least squares (OLS) and twin fixed effects (FE) estimation approaches, we find that early (pre-18) conduct disorder problems significantly affect both human capital accumulation and violent and criminal behaviour over the life course. In addition, we find that conduct disorder is more deleterious if these behaviours occur earlier in life.conduct disorder, human capital, twins

Pathways to Inclusion: Organizational Practices and Collaboration in the Least Restrictive Environment in a High School in Northern California

In the United States, the provision to educate all students with disabilities in their least restrictive environment (LRE) is outlined in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 2004). One way to support students’ education in their LRE is through a two-teacher inclusion (one special and one general educator) class. However, despite its potential benefits, the creation, implementation and support of LREs through inclusion classes have many challenges. In this research, an exploratory case study approach provided an opportunity to investigate the experiences of the principal, an assistant principal, and teachers in relation to the creation and implementation for LREs at Florence High School in Sheppard High School District (located in Northern California). The school name and district have been changed to protect the anonymity of the participants. In total, there were ten participants in this study, including the principal, one assistant principal, and eight current and former inclusion teachers (special and general educators) from Florence High School have been included in the study as participants. Transcripts from participant interviews were analyzed in order to identify themes and patterns. The results of this study suggest that teachers and as well as the principal and assistant principal in this study are committed to supporting all students. However, teachers face obstacles in the implementation of LREs such as minimal professional development, a lack of time for collaboration to support student learning. Additionally, teachers at this school are seeking more opportunities to discuss schedules and partnerships. The recommendations are intended to provide insight into the organizational practices that support the inclusion model of teaching in an effort to effectively inform future relevant decision-making and expand inclusion at Florence High School