Does Belief Matter? Social Psychological Characteristics and the Likelihood of Welfare Use and Exit

Numerous studies have reemerged examining social psychological variables as predictors of individual differences in the human experience. Still, current research focusing on the effects of self-beliefs on welfare use and exit is limited. This study examines the effects of social psychological variables on the likelihood of welfare use and five-year outcomes of wonen using data from the 1979 through 2000 waves of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY). Binary logistic regression estimates suggest that social psychological characteristics are initially related to welfare use, but do not remain oce control variables are introduced. While social psychological predictors do not appear to have strong or robust direct ef fects in mnultivariate models, traditional human capital variables of public assistance outcomes past initial entry are significant

Collection Evaluation and Evolution

We will review metadata evaluation tools and share results from our most recent CMR analysis. We will demonstrate results using Google spreadsheets and present new results in terms of number of records that include specific content. We will show evolution of UMM-compliance over time and also show results of comparing various CMR collections (NASA, non-NASA, and SciOps)

Ferromagnetic Quantum Critical Point in CePd2_2P2_2 with Pd →\rightarrow Ni Substitution

An investigation of the structural, thermodynamic, and electronic transport properties of the isoelectronic chemical substitution series Ce(Pd$_{1-x}$Ni$_x$)$_2$P$_2$ is reported, where a possible ferromagnetic quantum critical point is uncovered in the temperature - concentration ($T-x$) phase diagram. This behavior results from the simultaneous contraction of the unit cell volume, which tunes the relative strengths of the Kondo and RKKY interactions, and the introduction of disorder through alloying. Near the critical region at $x_{\rm{cr}}$ $\approx$ 0.7, the rate of contraction of the unit cell volume strengthens, indicating that the cerium $f$-valence crosses over from trivalent to a non-integer value. Consistent with this picture, x-ray absorption spectroscopy measurements reveal that while CePd$_2$P$_2$ has a purely trivalent cerium $f$-state, CeNi$_2$P$_2$ has a small ($<$ 10 \%) tetravalent contribution. In a broad region around $x_{\rm{cr}}$, there is a breakdown of Fermi liquid temperature dependences, signaling the influence of quantum critical fluctuations and disorder effects. Measurements of clean CePd$_2$P$_2$ furthermore show that applied pressure has a similar initial effect to alloying on the ferromagnetic order. From these results, CePd$_2$P$_2$ emerges as a keystone system to test theories such as the Belitz-Kirkpatrick-Vojta model for ferromagnetic quantum criticality, where distinct behaviors are expected in the dirty and clean limits.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figure

Big Earth Data Initiative: Metadata Improvement: Case Studies

Big Earth Data Initiative (BEDI) The Big Earth Data Initiative (BEDI) invests in standardizing and optimizing the collection, management and delivery of U.S. Government's civil Earth observation data to improve discovery, access use, and understanding of Earth observations by the broader user community. Complete and consistent standard metadata helps address all three goals

An improved laboratory-based x-ray absorption fine structure and x-ray emission spectrometer for analytical applications in materials chemistry research

X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) and x-ray emission spectroscopy (XES) are advanced x-ray spectroscopies that impact a wide range of disciplines. However, unlike the majority of other spectroscopic methods, XAFS and XES are accompanied by an unusual access model, wherein the dominant use of the technique is for premier research studies at world-class facilities, i.e., synchrotron x-ray light sources. In this paper, we report the design and performance of an improved XAFS and XES spectrometer based on the general conceptual design of Seidler et al. [Rev. Sci. Instrum. 85, 113906 (2014)]. New developments include reduced mechanical degrees of freedom, much-increased flux, and a wider Bragg angle range to enable extended x-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) measurement and analysis for the first time with this type of modern laboratory XAFS configuration. This instrument enables a new class of routine applications that are incompatible with the mission and access model of the synchrotron light sources. To illustrate this, we provide numerous examples of x-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES), EXAFS, and XES results for a variety of problems and energy ranges. Highlights include XAFS and XES measurements of battery electrode materials, EXAFS of Ni with full modeling of results to validate monochromator performance, valence-to-core XES for 3d transition metal compounds, and uranium XANES and XES for different oxidation states. Taken en masse, these results further support the growing perspective that modern laboratory-based XAFS and XES have the potential to develop a new branch of analytical chemistry

A Compact Dispersive Refocusing Rowland Circle X-ray Emission Spectrometer for Laboratory, Synchrotron, and XFEL Applications

X-ray emission spectroscopy is emerging as an important complement to x-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy, providing a characterization of the occupied electronic density of states local to the species of interest. Here, we present details of the design and performance of a compact x-ray emission spectrometer that uses a dispersive refocusing Rowland (DRR) circle geometry to achieve excellent performance for the 2 - 2.5 keV energy range. The DRR approach allows high energy resolution even for unfocused x-ray sources. This property enables high count rates in laboratory studies, comparable to those of insertion-device beamlines at third-generation synchrotrons, despite use of only a low-powered, conventional x-ray tube. The spectrometer, whose overall scale is set by use of a 10-cm diameter Rowland circle and a new small-pixel CMOS x-ray camera, is easily portable to synchrotron or x-ray free electron beamlines. Photometrics from measurements at the Advanced Light Source show somewhat higher overall instrumental efficiency than prior systems based on less tightly curved analyzer optics. In addition, the compact size of this instrument lends itself to future multiplexing to gain large factors in net collection efficiency, or its implementation in controlled gas gloveboxes either in the lab or in an endstation.Comment: Submitted, Review of Scientific Instrument

Probing Electronic Correlations in Actinide Materials Using Multipolar Transitions

We report nonresonant inelastic x-ray scattering from the semi-core 5d levels of several actinide compounds. Dipole-forbidden, high-multipole features form a rich bound-state spectrum dependent on valence electron configuration and spin-orbit and Coulomb interactions. Cross-material comparisons, together with the anomalously high Coulomb screening required for agreement between atomic multiplet theory and experiment, demonstrate sensitivity to the neighboring electronic environment, such as is needed to address long-standing questions of electronic localization and bonding in 5f compounds.Comment: LA-UR 09-0782