On the gap structure of UPt3_3: phases A and B

We have used thermal conduction and transverse sound attenuation to probe the anisotropy of the gap structure in two superconducting phases of UPt$_3$. For the low-temperature phase B, transverse sound has in the past provided strong evidence for a line node in the basal plane. Now, from the anisotropy of the thermal conductivity we further establish the presence of a node along the c-axis and provide information on its k-dependence. For the largely unexplored high-temperature phase A, our study of the attenuation for two directions of the polarization yields directional information on the quasiparticle spectrum, and the first clear indication of a different gap structure in the two phases.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures, to appear in proceedings of SCES9

A Statistically-Based Method for Predicting Fog and Stratus Dissipation

The method is a success in producing forecasts for ceiling and visibility criteria that had never previously been examined. It is suggested that the 15 OWS incorporate this methodology into their operational forecasting routine. Ceiling forecasts at Dover AFB and McGuire AFB show improvements over conditional climatology ranging from 1-51% with an average improvement of 19.2% when verified against an independent data set. McGuire AFB visibility forecasts show an average improvement over conditional climatology of 3%. These findings are of particular importance to the Air Force in general and specifically to the 15th Operational Weather Squadron (15 OWS) who produces forecasts for these airfields. Demonstrating a method superior to conditional climatology is expected to provide improved forecasts and flight operations in this region. The two forecasts for Andrews AFB show relatively low mean square errors, but are unable to consistently improve on conditional climatology, demonstrating an average decrease in forecasting skill of 42%. Small samples of data could be the reason for the decrease in skill. The Dover visibility forecast also shows negative forecast skill, with an average decrease of 39%. The method is a success in producing forecasts for ceiling and visibility criteria that had never previously been examined. Further research into the forecasts could produce a powerful tool consistently able to defeat conditional climatology. It is suggested that the 15 OWS incorporate this methodology into their operational forecasting routine

An Investigation of Response and Stimulus Modality Transfer Effects after Dual-Task Training in Younger and Older

It has been shown that dual-task training leads to significant improvement in dual-task performance in younger and older adults. However, the extent to which training benefits to untrained tasks requires further investigation. The present study assessed (a) whether dual-task training leads to cross-modality transfer in untrained tasks using new stimuli and/or motor responses modalities, (b) whether transfer effects are related to improved ability to prepare and maintain multiple task-set and/or enhanced response coordination, (c) whether there are age-related differences in transfer effects. Twenty-three younger and 23 older adults were randomly assigned to dual-task training or control conditions. All participants were assessed before and after training on three dual-task transfer conditions; (1) stimulus modality transfer (2) response modality transfer (3) stimulus and response modalities transfer task. Training group showed larger improvement than the control group in the three transfer dual-task conditions, which suggests that training leads to more than specific learning of stimuli/response associations. Attentional costs analyses showed that training led to improved dual-task cost, only in conditions that involved new stimuli or response modalities, but not both. Moreover, training did not lead to a reduced task-set cost in the transfer conditions, which suggests some limitations in transfer effects that can be expected. Overall, the present study supports the notion that cognitive plasticity for attentional control is preserved in late adulthood

Are stress and mixed urinary incontinence associated with impaired executive control in community-dwelling older women?

Objectives: To assess whether stress or mixed urinary incontinence (UI) is associated with deficits in executive functioning among community-dwelling women. Design: An observational study comparing the performance, using multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVAs) and Bonferroni post hoc test, of continent women and women with stress or mixed UI during executive control tasks. Setting: The research center of the Institut universitaire de gériatrie de Montréal. Participants: One hundred and fifty-five community-dwelling women aged 60 and older participated in the study. Measurements: Based on the Urogenital Distress Inventory (UDI), participants were split into three groups: 35 continent women, 43 women with stress UI, and 78 women with mixed UI. Participants completed a battery of neuropsychological tests and a computerized dual-task test. Results: Women with mixed UI showed poorer performances than continent and stress UI women in executive control functions. Deficits were specific to tests involving switching and sharing/dividing attention between two tasks. Conclusion: Results of this study suggest that mixed UI can be associated with executive control deficits in community-dwelling older women. Future intervention studies in the treatment of UI should take the higher risk of an executive control deficit in women with UI under consideration

A Cross-National Investigation of First-Generation, Second-Generation, and Third-Generation Family Businesses: A Four Country Anova Comparison

This study compared first, second, and third-generation family businesses in the United States, Croatia, France, and India - countries with significant differences in cultures, economies, levels of entrepreneurial activity, and family business demographics. Contrary to much of the existing literature, the results indicate that owner-managers of all three generational categories of family businesses, in all four countries, generally shared the same managerial characteristics and practices. Implications for theory development and further research are presented

Universal Heat Conduction in YBa_2Cu_3O_6.9

The thermal conductivity of YBa_2Cu_3O_6.9 was measured at low temperatures in untwinned single crystals with concentrations of Zn impurities from 0 to 3% of Cu. A linear term kappa_0/T = 0.19 mW/K^2.cm is clearly resolved as T -> 0, and found to be virtually independent of Zn concentration. The existence of this residual normal fluid strongly validates the basic theory of transport in unconventional superconductors. Moreover, the observed universal behavior is in quantitative agreement with calculations for a gap function of d-wave symmetry.Comment: Latex file, 4 pages, 3 EPS figures, to appear in Physical Review Letter

Cloud System Evolution in the Trades (CSET): Following the Evolution of Boundary Layer Cloud Systems with the NSFNCAR GV

The Cloud System Evolution in the Trades (CSET) study was designed to describe and explain the evolution of the boundary layer aerosol, cloud, and thermodynamic structures along trajectories within the North Pacific trade winds. The study centered on seven round trips of the National Science FoundationNational Center for Atmospheric Research (NSFNCAR) Gulfstream V (GV) between Sacramento, California, and Kona, Hawaii, between 7 July and 9 August 2015. The CSET observing strategy was to sample aerosol, cloud, and boundary layer properties upwind from the transition zone over the North Pacific and to resample these areas two days later. Global Forecast System forecast trajectories were used to plan the outbound flight to Hawaii with updated forecast trajectories setting the return flight plan two days later. Two key elements of the CSET observing system were the newly developed High-Performance Instrumented Airborne Platform for Environmental Research (HIAPER) Cloud Radar (HCR) and the high-spectral-resolution lidar (HSRL). Together they provided unprecedented characterizations of aerosol, cloud, and precipitation structures that were combined with in situ measurements of aerosol, cloud, precipitation, and turbulence properties. The cloud systems sampled included solid stratocumulus infused with smoke from Canadian wildfires, mesoscale cloudprecipitation complexes, and patches of shallow cumuli in very clean environments. Ultraclean layers observed frequently near the top of the boundary layer were often associated with shallow, optically thin, layered veil clouds. The extensive aerosol, cloud, drizzle, and boundary layer sampling made over open areas of the northeast Pacific along 2-day trajectories during CSET will be an invaluable resource for modeling studies of boundary layer cloud system evolution and its governing physical processes

Thermal Conductivity of superconducting (TMTSF)_2ClO_4: evidence for a nodeless gap

We report on the first measurements of thermal conductivity in the superconducting state of (TMTSF)_2ClO_4. The electronic contribution to heat transport is found to decrease rapidly below T_c, indicating the absence of low-energy electronic excitations. We argue that this result provides strong evidence for a nodeless superconducting gap function but does not exclude a possible unconventional order parameter.Comment: 4 pages including 4 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. Let