Study Methodology

Data for this investigation come from 36 qualitative in-depth interviews completed between February and April 2010. The aim of the research was to conduct a process evaluation of Gateway Foundation programming for state probation and parole clients in St. Louis and jointly produce a final report for the organization. The specific research questions focused on (1) the challenges men face as they attempt to overcome substance abuse; (2) how those challenges are related to past experiences with crime, including offending and victimization; and (3) the effectiveness of Gateway programming, from the points of view of program participants, including whether there are any perceived differences between men who participate in the program post-incarceration versus in lieu of incarceration

Asymptotics of Expansion of the Evolution Operator Kernel in Powers of Time Interval Δt\Delta t

The upper bound for asymptotic behavior of the coefficients of expansion of the evolution operator kernel in powers of the time interval \Dt was obtained. It is found that for the nonpolynomial potentials the coefficients may increase as $n!$. But increasing may be more slow if the contributions with opposite signs cancel each other. Particularly, it is not excluded that for number of the potentials the expansion is convergent. For the polynomial potentials \Dt-expansion is certainly asymptotic one. The coefficients increase in this case as $\Gamma(n \frac{L-2}{L+2})$, where $L$ is the order of the polynom. It means that the point \Dt=0 is singular point of the kernel.Comment: 12 pp., LaTe

New Approach for Measuring ∣Vub∣|V_{ub}| at Future BB-Factories

It is suggested that the measurements of hadronic invariant mass ($m_X$) distributons in the inclusive $B \rightarrow X_{c(u)} l \nu$ decays can be useful in extracting the CKM matrix element $|V_{ub}|$. We investigated hadronic invariant mass distributions within the various theoretical models of HQET, FAC and chiral lagrangian as well as ACCMM model. It is also emphasized that the $m_X$ distribution even at the region $m_{X} > m_{D}$ in the inclusive $b\rightarrow u$ are effetive in selecting the events, experimentally viable at the future asymmetric $B$ factories, with better theoretical understandings.Comment: 11 pages not including 1 figur

Decay Constants and Semileptonic Decays of Heavy Mesons in Relativistic Quark Model

We investigate the $B$ and $D$ mesons in the relativistic quark model by applying the variational method with the Gaussian wave function. We calculate the Fermi momentum parameter $p_{_F}$, and obtain $p_{_F} = 0.50 \sim 0.54$ GeV, which is almost independent of the input parameters, $\alpha_s$, $m_b$, $m_c$ and $m_{sp}$. We then calculate the ratio $f_B$/$f_D$, and obtain the result which is larger, by the factor of about 1.3, than $\sqrt{M_D / M_B}$ given by the naive nonrelativistic analogy. This result is in a good agreement with the recent Lattice calculations. We also calculate the ratio $(M_{B^*}-M_{B})$/$(M_{D^*}-M_{D})$. In these calculations the wave function at origin $\psi (0)$ is essential. We also determine $p_{_F}$ by comparing the theoretical prediction of the ACCMM model with the lepton energy spectrum of $B \rightarrow e \nu X$ from the recent ARGUS analysis, and find that $p_{_F}=0.27~\pm~^{0.22}_{0.27}$ GeV, when we use $m_c=1.5$ GeV. However, this experimentally determined value of $p_{_F}$ is strongly dependent on the value of input parameter $m_c$.Comment: 15 pages (Latex) (uses epsfig.sty, 1 figure appended as a uuencoded compressed ps-file

Dependence of Variational Perturbation Expansions on Strong-Coupling Behavior. Inapplicability of delta-Expansion to Field Theory

We show that in applications of variational theory to quantum field theory it is essential to account for the correct Wegner exponent omega governing the approach to the strong-coupling, or scaling limit. Otherwise the procedure either does not converge at all or to the wrong limit. This invalidates all papers applying the so-called delta-expansion to quantum field theory.Comment: Author Information under http://www.physik.fu-berlin.de/~kleinert/institution.html . Latest update of paper (including all PS fonts) at http://www.physik.fu-berlin.de/~kleinert/34

Test of Factorization Hypothesis from Exclusive Non-leptonic B decays

We investigate the possibility of testing factorization hypothesis in non-leptonic exclusive decays of B-meson. In particular, we considered the non factorizable \bar{B^0} -> D^{(*)+} D_s^{(*)-} modes and \bar{B^0} -> D^{(*)+} (\pi^-, \rho^-) known as well-factorizable modes. By taking the ratios BR(\bar{B^0}-> D^{(*)+}D_s^{(*)-})/BR(\bar{B^0}-> D^{(*)+}(\pi^-,\rho^-)), we found that under the present theoretical and experimental uncertainties there's no evidence for the breakdown of factorization description to heavy-heavy decays of the B meson.Comment: 11 pages; submitted to PR

Dependence of ∣Vub/Vcb∣|V_{ub}/V_{cb}| on Fermi momentum pFp_{_F} in ACCMM model

The Gaussian width of Fermi momentum, $p_{_F}$, is the most important parameter of the ACCMM model, and its value is essential in the determination of $|V_{ub}/V_{cb}|$ because the experimental analysis is allowed only at the end-point region of inclusive semileptonic $B$-decay spectrum. We extract the value of $|V_{ub}/V_{cb}|$ as a function of $p_{_F}$. We also calculate the parameter $p_{_F}$ in the relativistic quark model using the variational method, and obtain $p_{_F} = 0.54$ GeV which is much larger than the commonly used value, $\sim 0.3$ GeV, in experimental analyses. When we use $p_{_F} = 0.5$ GeV instead of 0.3 GeV, the value of $|V_{ub}/V_{cb}|$ from ACCMM model is increased by a factor 1.81, and can give a good agreement with Isgur {\it et al.} model.Comment: 1. Section 2 has been revised by considering the fact that in the real experimental situation the only measured quantity is the number of events in the high $E_l$ region compared to the total semi- leptonic event number. 2. The article by C. Greub and D. Wyler (Phys. Lett. B295 (1992) 293) has been included in references, which reports a similar conclusion for the value of $p_{_F}$ ($p_{_F}$=566 MeV), even though they used the different approach. 3. This article will be published in Z. Phys. C (1995

Arsenic Trioxide Modulates DNA Synthesis and Apoptosis in Lung Carcinoma Cells

Arsenic trioxide, the trade name Trisenox, is a drug used to treat acute promyleocytic leukemia (APL). Studies have demonstrated that arsenic trioxide slows cancer cells growth. Although arsenic influences numerous signal-transduction pathways, cell-cycle progression, and/or apoptosis, its apoptotic mechanisms are complex and not entirely delineated. The primary objective of this research was to evaluate the effects of arsenic trioxide on DNA synthesis and to determine whether arsenic-induced apoptosis is mediated via caspase activation, p38 mitogen–activated protein kinase (MAPK), and cell cycle arrest. To achieve this goal, lung cancer cells (A549) were exposed to various concentrations (0, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 μg/mL) of arsenic trioxide for 48 h. The effect of arsenic trioxide on DNA synthesis was determined by the [3H]thymidine incorporation assay. Apoptosis was determined by the caspase-3 fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) assay, p38 MAP kinase activity was determined by an immunoblot assay, and cell-cycle analysis was evaluated by the propidium iodide assay. The [3H]thymidine-incorporation assay revealed a dose-related cytotoxic response at high levels of exposure. Furthermore, arsenic trioxide modulated caspase 3 activity and induced p38 MAP kinase activation in A549 cells. However, cell-cycle studies showed no statistically significant differences in DNA content at subG1 check point between control and arsenic trioxide treated cells

Wide Contact Structures for Low-Noise Nanochannel Devices Based on a Carbon Nanotube Network

We have developed a wide contact structure for low-noise nanochannel devices based on a carbon nanotube (CNT) network. This low-noise CNT network-based device has a dumbbell-shaped channel, which has wide CNT/electrode contact regions and, in effect, reduces the contact noise. We also performed a systematic analysis of structured CNT networks and established an empirical formula that can explain the noise behavior of arbitrary-shaped CNT network-based devices including the effect of contact regions and CNT alignment. Interestingly, our analysis revealed that the noise amplitude of aligned CNT networks behaves quite differently compared with that of randomly oriented CNT networks. Our results should be an important guideline in designing low-noise nanoscale devices based on a CNT network for various applications such as a highly sensitive low-noise sensor

Research productivity and academics’ conceptions of research

This paper asks the question: do people with different levels of research productivity and identification as a researcher think of research differently? It discusses a study that differentiated levels of research productivity among English and Australian academics working in research-intensive environments in three broad discipline areas: science, engineering and technology; social science and humanities; and medicine and health sciences. The paper explores the different conceptions of research held by these academics in terms of their levels of research productivity, their levels of research training, whether they considered themselves an active researcher and a member of a research team, and their disciplinary differences