Cell-Wall Density of Douglas-Fir by Two Optometric Methods

The change in cell-wall density from the water-swollen (1.0 g/cm3) to the oven-dry (1.43 g/cm3) condition is a function of the percent of shrinkage in the cell wall. Cell-wall density obtained opto-metrically by the Dual-Linear measuring micrometer and the dot-grid eyepiece compared favorably with densities reported for mercury porisimeter or picnometric techniques. Both optometric techniques are nondestructive and offer advantages over destructive techniques. Void volumes in the dry cell wall were calculated to be approximately 3.5%, fiber saturation point for extractive-free cell wall about 35%, Average interfibrillar spacing in the water-swollen condition was 20 Å for both earlywood and latewood and in the dry wall: spacing was 4.7 Å for earlywood and 8.3 Å for latewood

Structure and lattice dynamics of the wide band gap semiconductors MgSiN2_{2} and MgGeN2_{2}

We have determined the structural and lattice dynamical properties of the orthorhombic, wide band gap semiconductors MgSiN$_{2}$ and MgGeN$_{2}$ using density functional theory. In addition, we present structural properties and Raman spectra of a MgSiN$_{2}$ powder. The structural properties and lattice dynamics of the orthorhombic systems are compared to wurtzite AlN. We find clear differences in the lattice dynamics between MgSiN$_{2}$, MgGeN$_{2}$ and AlN, for example we find that the highest phonon frequency in MgSiN$_{2}$ is about 100~cm$^{-1}$ higher than the highest frequency in AlN and that MgGeN$_{2}$ is much softer. We also provide the Born effective charge tensors and dielectric tensors of MgSiN$_{2}$, MgGeN$_{2}$ and AlN. Phonon related thermodynamic properties, such as the heat capacity and entropy, are in very good agreement with available experimental results.Comment: 9 pages, 11 figures, 6 table

Exhaust of Underexpanded Jets from Finite Reservoirs

We examine the response of an underexpanded jet to a depleting, finite reservoir with experiments and simulations. An open-ended shock tube facility with variable reservoir length is used to obtain images of nitrogen and helium jet structures at successive instances during the blowdown from initial pressure ratios of up to 250. The reservoir and ambient pressures are simultaneously measured to obtain the instantaneous pressure ratio. We estimate the time-scales for jet formation and reservoir depletion as a function of the specific heat ratio of the gas and the initial pressure ratio. The jet structure formation time-scale is found to become approximately independent of pressure ratio for ratios greater than 50. In the present work, no evidence of time-dependence in the Mach disk shock location is observed for rates of pressure decrease associated with isentropic blowdown of a finite reservoir while the pressure ratio is greater than 15. The shock location in the finite- reservoir jet can be calculated from an existing empirical fit to infinite-reservoir jet data evaluated at the instantaneous reservoir pressure. For pressure ratios below 15, however, the present data deviate from a compilation of data for infinite-reservoir jets. A new fit is obtained to data in the lower pressure regime. The self-similarity of the jet structure is quantified and departure from similarity is noted to begin at pressure ratios lower than about 15, approximately the same ratio which limits existing empirical fits

Pathways for conscience protection in law: German, American and Australian perspectives

This thesis considers various interactions between law, conscience, and religion in three countries: Germany, the United States, and Australia. Looking in detail at recent controversies, including those over headscarves and crucifixes, and sometimes exploring philosophical and theological themes, this thesis makes comparisons across these countries based on case law, existing legislation, and constitutional provisions, as well as proposed legislative reform. The thesis also considers debates that occur inside religious traditions and reflects upon how such discussions impact the well-established sincerity test, which prohibits courts from taking positions on theological questions. Understanding a foreign solution to a familiar problem often leads to a more precise grasp of one’s own law. This thesis applies this axiom to inform debate in the future work of Australian federal and state Parliaments as they attempt to protect freedom of conscience and religion in a complex social milieu.Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, Law School, 202

Weight bias: investigating the impact of an empathy-evoking intervention in reducing mental health professionals’ anti-fat attitudes

Earlier research indicates that overweight and obese individuals face weight bias and discrimination in multiple domains, including healthcare settings. Evidence suggests that obese people are faced with anti-fat attitudes from healthcare providers, with common perceptions that they are lazy, stupid, worthless, lacking in self-control and willpower, non-compliant with treatment, unsuccessful, undisciplined, unintelligent and dishonest. There is further evidence indicating that weight bias in healthcare settings leads to poor quality of care. While research has found weight bias to be present in various societal domains, namely, educational and occupational settings, retail and healthcare, there has been limited investigation into weight bias among mental health professionals (MHPs). This study therefore examines, the degree of explicit and implicit weight bias among MHPs who have, or who are treating patients who are overweight and/or obese, the impact of an empathy-evoking intervention, and the behavioural outcomes and practice implications. Two hypotheses and five sub-hypotheses were offered in line with previous research: 1) participants would report negative explicit and implicit attitudes towards obesity; 2) the experimental group would report reduced anti-fat attitudes post-intervention; and 3a) overweight/obese participants would indicate anti-fat attitudes towards patients who are overweight/obese due to an absence of ‘in-group’ bias; 3b) younger participants would hold more negative anti-fat attitudes towards their patients who are overweight/obese; 3c-e) differences in anti-fat attitudes between ethnicity, gender and occupational approaches would be evident. 125 London-based MHPs between the ages of 25-69 years-old volunteered to participate. Participants working as either Psychologists, Psychotherapists, CBT Therapists or Counsellors, completed a demographics questionnaire, as well as the measures of explicit and implicit attitudes towards obesity. Study hypotheses were examined using Multivariate Analyses of Variance (MANOVA) on the pre-intervention for each independent variable (age, sex, ethnicity, BMI, occupation, working privately and working with patients who are overweight/obese), and on the discrepancy data (difference between the post- and pre-intervention data) against the intervention groups. A Multivariate Analysis of Covariance (MANCOVA) was conducted on the discrepancy data for each independent variable (covariates) with intervention group as fixed factor. Follow-up one-way ANOVAs were employed to examine attitudes in relation to the demographic characteristics, with post hoc tests or independent samples t-tests used where there was significance. Analysis on the overall pre-intervention data suggests that participants generally held negative explicit and implicit attitudes towards obesity. Differences based on sex, age, ethnicity, BMI, and occupation were evident, however it was only age and occupation at pre-intervention testing, and specifically ‘Young Adults’ and ‘Counsellors’, which were shown to hold statistically significant negative explicit attitudes toward their overweight and/or obese patients. Analysis on the overall post-intervention data suggests that participants generally maintained their negative explicit and implicit attitudes towards obesity, with the intervention video significantly affecting the experimental group participant’s attitudes from pre- to post intervention testing, however not in the direction anticipated. The anti-fat attitudes of those within the experimental group were shown to become more negative post-intervention. The study findings contribute to evidence that patients who are overweight and obese seeking mental healthcare are discriminated against and are subjected to weight biases in such settings. These findings provide insight for not just Counselling Psychologists, but for all practitioners working within mental healthcare who may be unaware of the existence of any explicit and/or implicit weight biases, the difficulty in modifying these biases, and the implications of these attitudes on the various therapeutic dynamics within their practice

An online repository for pre-clinical imaging protocols (PIPs)

Providing method descriptions that are more detailed than currently available in typical peer reviewed journals has been identified as an actionable area for improvement. In the biochemical and cell biology space, this need has been met through the creation of new journals focused on detailed protocols and materials sourcing. However, this format is not well suited for capturing instrument validation, detailed imaging protocols, and extensive statistical analysis. Furthermore, the need for additional information must be counterbalanced by the additional time burden placed upon researchers who may be already overtasked. To address these competing issues, this white paper describes protocol templates for positron emission tomography (PET), X-ray computed tomography (CT), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) that can be leveraged by the broad community of quantitative imaging experts to write and self-publish protocols in protocols.io. Similar to the Structured Transparent Accessible Reproducible (STAR) or Journal of Visualized Experiments (JoVE) articles, authors are encouraged to publish peer reviewed papers and then to submit more detailed experimental protocols using this template to the online resource. Such protocols should be easy to use, readily accessible, readily searchable, considered open access, enable community feedback, editable, and citable by the author

Comment Regarding the Functional Form of the Schmidt Law

Star formation rates on the galactic scale are described phenomenologically by two distinct relationships, as emphasized recently by Elmegreen (2002). The first of these is the Schmidt law, which is a power-law relation between the star formation rate and the column density. The other relationship is that there is a cutoff in the gas density below which star formation shuts off. The purpose of this paper is to argue that 1) these two relationships can be accommodated by a single functional form of the Schmidt law, and 2) this functional form is motivated by the hypothesis that star formation is a critical phenomenon, and that as a corollary, 3) the existence of a sharp cutoff may thus be an emergent property of galaxies, as was argued by Seiden (1983), as opposed to the classical view that this cutoff is due to an instability criterion.Comment: 14 pages, 3 figures, in press, New Astronomy. Figs provided in original (png) format as well as ps format for ps/pdf generatio

Cigarette Smoking and the Risk of Bladder Cancer in Men and Women

Although cigarette smoking is a principal risk factor for bladder cancer in both men and women, few studies have statistically evaluated whether gender modifies the effect of smoking on bladder cancer risk. We initiated the present case-control study at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, New York, U.S., to provide further data on this important issue. We observed similar risk estimates for men and women with comparable smoking exposures, but did not observe a statistically significant interaction between gender and lifetime smoking exposure. We conclude that cigarette smoking is a major risk factor for bladder cancer in both sexes, but that gender does not modify the effect of smoking on bladder cancer risk

Revenue divergence and competitive balance in a divisional sports league

The North American model of resource allocation in professional sports leagues is adapted for English (association) football. The theoretical relationship between revenue and competitive balance is shown to be robust with respect to changes in teams’ objectives and labour market conditions. Empirical revenue functions are reported for 1926-1999. These indicate a shift in the composition of demand favouring big-city teams and an increase in the sensitivity of revenue to performance. An analysis of match results in the FA Cup competition suggests an increase in competitive imbalance between teams at different levels of the league’s divisional hierarchy, as the theory suggests