Theoretical calculations for solid oxygen under high pressure

The crystal structure of solid oxygen at low temperatures and at pressures up to 7 GPa is studied by theoretical calculations. In the calculations, the adiabatic potential of the crystal is approximated by a superposition of pair-potentials between oxygen molecules calculated by an ab-initio method. The monoclinic alpha structure is stable up to 6 GPa and calculated lattice parameters agree well with experiments. The origin of a distortion and that of an anisotropic lattice compressibility of the basal plane of alpha-O2 are clearly demonstrated. In the pressure range from 6 to 7 GPa, two kinds of structures are proposed by X-ray diffraction experiments: the alpha and orthorhombic delta structures. It is found that the energy difference between these structures becomes very small in this pressure range. The relation between this trend and the incompatible results of X-ray diffraction experiments is discussed.Comment: 12 pages, 6 figure

Discourse markers and code-switching: academic medical lectures in Saudi Arabia using English as the medium of instruction

This thesis is a corpus-based study of two spoken academic corpora in English as the (foreign) medium of instruction (EMI) context. The first corpus is compiled of transcripts of academic lectures by non-native speakers (NNS) from an EMI medical college in Saudi Arabia. To compare the data, a second corpus is compiled of similar transcripts by native speakers (NS) taken from the British Academic Spoken English (BASE) corpus. The first part of the research qualitatively and quantitatively investigates the use of English discourse markers (DMs) on two levels: Structural (e.g. okay, so, because) and Interactional (e.g. okay?, I mean, any questions?). Structural DMs are found to function frequently as Topic Initiators, Topic Developers, Summarizers, and Closers, and occur more frequently in NS lectures' discourse. Interactional DMs, which function as Confirmation Checks, Rephrasers and Elicitors, are found to occur more frequently in the NNS lectures. This thesis demonstrates that the uses of DMs by the NS and NNS lecturers are affected by discourse context, pedagogic goals, personal lecturing styles, interaction with students and the need to create a conducive learning environment. The second part explores the use of Arabic discourse markers (ADMs) in the NNS lecture discourse on similar Structural and Interactional levels. Interactional ADMs (e.g. ya3ni {means}, mufhoom? {understood}) have a higher overall frequency than Structural ADMs (fa {so}, laanu {because}). The third part of this thesis explores the pedagogical functions of English-Arabic code-switching (CS) in the NNS lectures. When the purpose of CS is to make meaning clearer and convey knowledge more efficiently, it is not a language barrier but an effective communicative strategy. The data shows that CS is used mainly in seven roles in the NNS lecture discourse: (1) solidarity, (2) reiteration, (3) elaboration, (4) topic, (5) elicitation, (6) checking comprehension and (7) classroom management

Numerical Analysis of Bicycle Helmet under Blunt Behavior

This study evaluates various safety aspects of standardized impacts that cyclists may suffer while wearing a bicycle helmet, by combining a partially validated finite element model of the cranio-cervical region and a newly developed commercial bicycle helmet model. Under EN 1078 standardized impact conditions, the results of simulated impact tests show that the helmet can absorb 40% to 50% of the total impact energy at impact velocities above 4 m/s. Further, based on a relationship between the head injury criterion and the risk of injury from field data, the results of the simulations suggest that minor injuries may occur at impact velocities of 10 km/h, serious injuries at 15 km/h, and severe injuries at 20 km/h. Fatal injuries will likely occur at impact velocities of 30 km/h and higher.This work has been carried out within the framework of the research project DPI2017-88166- of FEDER program financed by the Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad and the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports for the professor’s mobility program José Castillejo’s 2018 grant (CAS18/00292)

Understanding and addressing institutionalized inequity: Disrupting pathways to juvenile justice for Black youth in Allegheny County

This report reveals that in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County, we are criminalizing our Black youth, manifested by disproportionately high arrest rates and referrals to juvenile justice. It presents information on two primary causes of the over-referral of Black youth to juvenile justice: 1) arrests and referrals made by school police and 2) summary citations. It concludes with recommendations for addressing these issues. As you read this report, keep in mind that the behavior of Black youth is not worse in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County than in other places and does not in any way account for these high levels of arrests, citations, and juvenile justice referrals. In fact, this report reveals that many of the behaviors for which our Black youth are arrested and cited are developmentally normal teenage behaviors for which White youth are rarely arrested and cited. This is a systems problem that demands reforms at the system level. It is incumbent on the adults running the systems criminalizing Black youth to address the systemic racism these patterns reveal

Evaluation of Combat Helmet Behavior under Blunt Impact

This article belongs to the Special Issue Armour and Protection SystemsNew threats are a challenge for the design and manufacture of modern combat helmets. These helmets must satisfy a wide range of impact velocities from ballistic impacts to blunt impacts. In this paper, we analyze European Regulation ECE R22.05 using a standard surrogate head and a human head model to evaluate combat helmet performance. Two critical parameters on traumatic brain analysis are studied for different impact locations, i.e., peak linear acceleration value and head injury criterion (HIC). The results obtained are compared with different injury criteria to determine the severity level of damage induced. Furthermore, based on different impact scenarios, analyses of the influence of impact velocity and the geometry impact surface are performed. The results show that the risks associated with a blunt impact can lead to a mild traumatic brain injury at high impact velocities and some impact locations, despite satisfying the different criteria established by the ECE R22.05 standard. The results reveal that the use of a human head for the estimation of brain injuries differs slightly from the results obtained using a surrogate head. Therefore, the current combat helmet configuration must be improved for blunt impacts. Further standards should take this into account and, consequently, combat helmet manufacturers on their design process.This work has been carried out within the framework of the research project DPI2017-88166-R of the FEDER program financed by the Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad and the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports for the professor's mobility program José Castillejo's 2018 grant (CAS18/00292)

Coulomb effects in tunneling through a quantum dot stack

Tunneling through two vertically coupled quantum dots is studied by means of a Pauli master equation model. The observation of double peaks in the current-voltage characteristic in a recent experiment is analyzed in terms of the tunnel coupling between the quantum dots and the coupling to the contacts. Different regimes for the emitter chemical potential indicating different peak scenarios in the tunneling current are discussed in detail. We show by comparison with a density matrix approach that the interplay of coherent and incoherent effects in the stationary current can be fully described by this approach.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figure

English proficiency test as a predictor of academic achievement in a health sciences program

The present study aims to investigate possible correlations between academic achievement of freshman students based on English Proficiency Test (EPT) results and pre-admission criteria, i.e., High School Grade point average (GPA), the General Aptitude Test (GAT), and the Scholastic Achievement Admission Test (SAAT) at King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS) in Saudi Arabia. The study involved 528 first-year students enrolled in a pre-professional program in two campuses of the university. Pre- and post-tests of the EPT were conducted along with a demographic survey to gather details about the participants. Descriptive and inferential statistics analysis were applied to test the correlations between variables. The results showed a significant improvement in all components of the EPT in the two campuses. The differences in the scores among the GAT, SAAT, and EPT were significantly and positively correlated with the higher GPA. The analysis also revealed a strong correlation with higher GAT and SAAT results to scoring better in EPT and gaining a higher GPA. The improvement in the EPT results could indicate that the objectives of the English program were achieved. Finally, our study shows that the pre-admission criteria could predict students’ academic performance in an English program

Ethnobotanical survey of medicinal plants used in the treatment of animal diarrhoea in Plateau State, Nigeria

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The use of medicinal plants in the treatment of diseases has generated renewed interest in recent times, as herbal preparations are increasingly being used in both human and animal healthcare systems. Diarrhoea is one of the common clinical signs of gastrointestinal disorders caused by both infectious and non-infectious agents and an important livestock debilitating condition. Plateau State is rich in savannah and forest vegetations and home to a vast collection of plants upheld in folklore as having useful medicinal applications. There is however scarcity of documented information on the medicinal plants used in the treatment of animal diarrhoea in the state, thus the need for this survey. Ten (10) out of 17 Local Government Areas (LGAs), spread across the three senatorial zones were selected. Farmers were interviewed using well structured, open-ended questionnaire and guided dialogue techniques between October and December 2010. Medicinal plants reported to be effective in diarrhoea management were collected using the guided field-walk method for identification and authentication.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>A total of 248 questionnaires were completed, out of which 207 respondents (83.47%) acknowledged the use of herbs in diarrhoea management, while 41 (16.53%) do not use herbs or apply other traditional methods in the treatment of diarrhoea in their animals. Medicinal plants cited as beneficial in the treatment of animal diarrhoea numbered 132, from which 57(43.18%) were scientifically identified and classified into 25 plant families with the families Fabaceae (21%) and Combretaceae (14.04%) having the highest occurrence. The plant parts mostly used in antidiarrhoeal herbal preparations are the leaves (43.86%) followed by the stem bark (29.82%). The herbal preparations are usually administered orally.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Rural communities in Plateau State are a rich source of information on medicinal plants as revealed in this survey. There is need to scientifically ascertain the authenticity of the claimed antidiarrhoeal properties of these plants and perhaps develop more readily available alternatives in the treatment of diarrhoea.</p

Meta-orbital Transition in Heavy-fermion Systems: Analysis by Dynamical Mean Field Theory and Self-consistent Renormalization Theory of Orbital Fluctuations

We investigate a two-orbital Anderson lattice model with Ising orbital intersite exchange interactions by means of dynamical mean field theory combined with the static mean field approximation of the intersite orbital interactions. Focusing on Ce-based heavy-fermion compounds, we examine the orbital crossover between the two orbital states, when the total f-electron number per site n_f is n_f ~ 1. We show that a "meta-orbital" transition, at which the occupancy of the two orbitals changes steeply, occurs when the hybridization between the ground-state f-electron orbital and conduction electrons are smaller than that between the excited f-electron orbital and conduction electrons. Near the meta-orbital critical end point, the orbital fluctuations are enhanced, and couple with the charge fluctuations. A critical theory of the meta-orbital fluctuations is also developed by applying the self-consistent renormalization theory of itinerant electron magnetism to the orbital fluctuations. The critical end point, first-order transition and crossover are described within Gaussian approximations of orbital fluctuations. We discuss the relevance of our results to CeAl2, CeCu2Si2, CeCu2Ge2 and the related compounds, which all have low-lying crystalline-electric-field excited states.Comment: 11 pages, 6 figures, J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. 79, (2010) 11471