Engaging the hard to engage : an examination of sanctioned TANF clients\u27 perceptions of the re-engagement process : a project done in collaboration with the Contra Costa County Employment and Human Services Department.

This mixed methods study examined the experiences and perceptions of welfare recipients who were referred to Contra Costa County\u27s sanctioned client outreach program. Contra Costa County assigned social workers ( Client Engagement Specialists ) to provide intensive outreach to this client population that was often regarded as difficult to engage in required employment activities and services. The objective was to better understand how welfare recipients viewed the attempt to re-engage them and what county-offered services they regarded as most helpful to them and their families. The study consisted of a sample of 19 respondents drawn from a larger sample pool of 149 sanctioned welfare recipients referred for services from October through August, 2008. Subjects answered questions from an interview guide consisting of 47 Likert Scale type questions and 4 open-ended questions regarding their experiences and beliefs. Additional data was obtained from the statewide CalWORKs data system used by Contra Costa County, CalWIN. Findings showed that sanctioned welfare recipients held largely positive views of their social workers and social workers\u27 attempts to engagement them in county employment services. They placed particular value on social worker competence in employment coaching, community resource referral and support. Respondents reported a high level of understanding of both welfare program requirements and the county noncompliance/sanction process. Attitudes toward county work experience and job readiness programs were mixed, with approximately half reporting positive experiences and half expressing dissatisfaction. In keeping with the previous literature, many recipients reported experiences of material hardship, mental health challenges and transportation problems. Spiritual beliefs were reported as a source of support by most respondents, however questions regarding specific beliefs/religious affiliations were not asked

Thermal counting statistics in an atomic two-mode squeezed vacuum state

We measure the population distribution in one of the atomic twin beams generated by four-wave mixing in an optical lattice. Although the produced two-mode squeezed vacuum state is pure, each individual mode is described as a statistical mixture. We confirm the prediction that the particle number follows an exponential distribution when only one spatio-temporal mode is selected. We also show that this distribution accounts well for the contrast of an atomic Hong--Ou--Mandel experiment. These experiments constitute an important validation of our twin beam source in view of a future test of a Bell inequalities.Comment: SciPost submissio

Brief Note: A Scanning Electron Microscopic Study of the Mouthparts of Cheumatopsyche Analis (Trichoptera; Hydropsychidae) Larvae

Author Institution: Department of Zoology, Miami Universit

Using genotyping-by-sequencing to understand Musa diversity

Poster presented at Plant and Animal Genome, PAG XXII. San Diego (USA), 11-15 Jan 201

Thermal transpiration flow

This paper was presented at the 3rd Micro and Nano Flows Conference (MNF2011), which was held at the Makedonia Palace Hotel, Thessaloniki in Greece. The conference was organised by Brunel University and supported by the Italian Union of Thermofluiddynamics, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, University of Thessaly, IPEM, the Process Intensification Network, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, the Heat Transfer Society, HEXAG - the Heat Exchange Action Group, and the Energy Institute.Thermal transpiration is the macroscopic movement of rarefied gas induced by a temperature gradient. The gas moves from the lower to the higher temperature zone. An original method is proposed here to measure the mean macroscopic movement of gas in the case of a long circular cross-section glass microtube on to which a gradient of temperature is applied. The mass flow rate and the thermo-molecular pressure difference have been measured by monitoring the absolute pressure evolution in time at both ends of the capillary using high-speed response pressure gauges. Two gases Nitrogen and Helium are studied and three different temperature differences of 50, 60 and 70 Celsius degrees are applied to the tube. The analysed gas rarefaction conditions vary from transitional to slip regime.The European Community’s Seventh Framework Program (FP7/2007-2013 under grant agreement no 215504

Synthesis of mannosylated and PEGylated nanoparticles via RAFT emulsion polymerisation, and investigation of particle-lectin aggregation using turbidimetric and DLS techniques

Recent developments in controlled radical polymerisation presents an attractive way of producing biocompatible polymeric nanoparticles for a wide range of applications. With this motivation, well defined P (ManAm) and P(PEGA) coated nanoparticles in a range of different sizes have been synthesised via RAFT emulsion polymerisation. The particles were used to precisely investigate the effect of particle size on lectin binding with Concanavalin A, and validate the use of online DLS measurements for lectin-glycoparticle aggregation studies. Larger particles were found to have an enhanced aggregation by both UV–Vis turbidimetric and DLS aggregation studies. The DLS technique was shown to be robust up to an aggregate diameter of c.500 nm for aggregation tests, and was not affected by any dilution or light scattering effects that typically hinder the common use of turbidimetry in particle aggregation studies