Satisfaction in the Law

This address was given at the BYU Law School awards ceremony on March 25, 1993

Quality of Democracy in Quadruple Helix Structures: The Quality of Democracy in the United States and in Austria, Challenges and Opportunities for Development. ACES Working Papers, 2012

This contribution focuses on analyzing the quality of democracy of the United States (U.S.) and of Austria by using a comparative approach. Even though comparisons are not the only possible or legitimate method of research, this analysis is based on the opinion that comparisons provide crucial analytical perspectives and learning opportunities. Following is the proposition, put directly forward: national political systems (political systems) are comprehensively understood only by using an international comparative approach. International comparisons (of country-based systems) are common (see the status of comparative politics, for example in Sodaro, 2004). Comparisons do not have to be based necessarily on national systems alone, but can also be carried out using “within”-comparisons inside (or beyond) sub-units or regional sub-national systems, for instance the individual provinces in the case of Austria (Campbell, 2007, p. 382)

Phase diagram for a Bose-Einstein condensate moving in an optical lattice

The stability of superfluid currents in a system of ultracold bosons was studied using a moving optical lattice. Superfluid currents in a very weak lattice become unstable when their momentum exceeds 0.5 recoil momentum. Superfluidity vanishes already for zero momentum as the lattice deep reaches the Mott insulator(MI) phase transition. We study the phase diagram for the disappearance of superfluidity as a function of momentum and lattice depth between these two limits. Our phase boundary extrapolates to the critical lattice depth for the superfluid-to-MI transition with 2% precision. When a one-dimensional gas was loaded into a moving optical lattice a sudden broadening of the transition between stable and unstable phases was observed.Comment: 4 figure

Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Extraction of Southern Pine and Ponderosa Pine

Pine wood and bark were extracted with supercritical (SC) carbon dioxide under various experimental conditions. The extractive yields ranged from 20-60% relative to the total diethyl ether extractive content. The yields were dependent on temperature, pressure, particle size, and fluid to wood ratio. The addition of ethanol to bark particles prior to SC CO2 extraction produced higher yields of extracts relative to extractions without the addition of ethanol. Gas chromatographic (GC) analysis of selected SC carbon dioxide extracts revealed that the concentration of resin acids, as well as the yield of pure abietic acid, increased with temperature at constant pressure. Fatty acids were more soluble in SC carbon dioxide relative to diethyl ether. The concentration of fatty acids in SC carbon dioxide extracts did not appear to follow definite trends. In addition, observation of the wood particles with scanning electron microscope (SEM) revealed that the supercritical extraction process did not appear to significantly alter the wood surface structure

Newlywed Women’s Marital Expectations: Lifelong Monogamy?

Over time, perceptions of marriage in the United States have shifted from a social obligation to a decision based on personal fulfillment. This shift has been most pronounced for women who no longer rely upon marriage for financial security. Marriages based on personal fulfillment are more fragile so when love declines and constraints do not exist, infidelity and divorce are considered viable options. This study investigated newlywed women’s marital expectations along with their experiences of infidelity and expectations of divorce. Newlywed women (N=197) married 2 years or less completed an online survey. As expected, these women primarily conceptualized marriage in terms of love and personal fulfillment. They reported a variety of extramarital thoughts and behaviors, and 74% indicated some expectation of divorce

The Role of the West Virginia Extension Service in Forestry Education and Technical Assistance

We conducted a survey of county-based West Virginia University Extension Service personnel to clarify the contribution of the organization to forestry outreach education in the state. Questionnaires were mailed to 235 Extension personnel, and 76% responded. Despite few with advanced forestry training, 65% receive forestry-related questions, and 72% of those answer an average of 24% of the questions. The proportion of forestry questions answered by Extension personnel was found to vary as a function of position and program. Referrals of questions to other agencies went most frequently to the West Virginia Division of Forestry and secondarily to other Extension personnel