Scattering of electromagnetic waves by two- and three-dimensional dielectric bodies

Imperial Users onl

Enhancement of Tc in the Superconductor-Insulator Phase Transition on Scale-Free Networks

A road map to understand the relation between the onset of the superconducting state with the particular optimum heterogeneity in granular superconductors is to study a Random Tranverse Ising Model on complex networks with a scale-free degree distribution regularized by and exponential cutoff p(k) \propto k^{-\gamma}\exp[-k/\xi]. In this paper we characterize in detail the phase diagram of this model and its critical indices both on annealed and quenched networks. To uncover the phase diagram of the model we use the tools of heterogeneous mean-field calculations for the annealed networks and the most advanced techniques of quantum cavity methods for the quenched networks. The phase diagram of the dynamical process depends on the temperature T, the coupling constant J and on the value of the branching ratio / where k is the degree of the nodes in the network. For fixed value of the coupling the critical temperature increases linearly with the branching ration which diverges with the increasing cutoff value \xi or value of the \gamma exponent \gamma< 3. This result suggests that the fractal disorder of the superconducting material can be responsible for an enhancement of the superconducting critical temperature. At low temperature and low couplings T<<1 and J<<1, instead, we observe a different behavior for annealed and quenched networks. In the annealed networks there is no phase transition at zero temperature while on quenched network we observe a Griffith phase dominated by extremely rare events and a phase transition at zero temperature. The Griffiths critical region, nevertheless, is decreasing in size with increasing value of the cutoff \xi of the degree distribution for values of the \gamma exponents \gamma< 3.Comment: (17 pages, 3 figures

Strategies of maintaining discipline without the use of corporal punishment: the study of selected schools in Lady Frere, Eastern Cape

The aim of the study is to explore the possibilities of maintaining discipline without corporal punishment in the two schools, Nzimankulu and Cacadu senior secondary schools in Lady Frere, Eastern Cape. The study has the following specific objectives: To establish the types of punishment existing in Nzimankulu and Cacadu Senior Secondary Schools in Lady Frere; to explore the perceptions of parents, teachers and learners of Nzimankulu and Cacadu Senior Secondary Schools on the abolishing of corporal punishment and to explore the position of the School Governing Body of the two schools about Corporal Punishment. The study uses triangulation whereby both qualitative and quantitative methodologies are applied for the investigation of the phenomena of Corporal Punishment, with a case study and a survey as research designs. The study’s sample size was 70, twenty being subjected to one-on-one interviews and 50 participants had self-administered questionnaires. An interview guide and a questionnaire, therefore, served as research instruments. The study had the following findings: participants were gender skewed with women outnumbering men; inadequate awareness of the corporal punishment policy; participants demanded restructuring of the policy; many participants disapproved corporal punishment; corporal punishment is said to be painful and violates human rights of the learners; corporal punishment upsets the learners’ social-emotional and psychological wellbeing; corporal punishment increases school dropout rate; corporal punishment makes students have a violent life in their future life; serious disciplinary cases need to be reported to the police; it is possible to maintain discipline without corporal punishment; motivation is a tool of motivating learners and a tool of maintaining discipline without corporal punishment; and detaining learners during break time is a good way of maintaining discipline without corporal punishment. The study had the following recommendations: Corporal punishment should remain banned; teachers and all the stakeholders in the schooling system need to be sensitized on non-corporal methods of maintaining discipline; education officers need to work as a team to implement non corporal types of punishments; follow-up surveys are necessary to evaluate the working of non-corporal types of punishments; there is a need to train the School Governing Body (SGB) on school policies and the community need to collaboratively revise the school code of ethics; further research is critical in assessing the effects of non-corporal types of punishments; government should facilitate a consultative process for all the important stakeholders in the schooling system to debate and brainstorm on corporal punishment; social workers should be employed in secondary schools to enhance behaviour modification process; schools need to benchmark their practices with other schools with good discipline; and discipline based lessons to be introduced in schools

Reconceituando Língua e Discurso no referencial de Wenger sobre Comunidades de Práticas

Este artigo apresenta uma proposta de reconceitualização de linguagem e discurso no referencial de comunidades de prática (CP) de Lave e Wenger (LAVE; WENGER, 1991; WENGER, 1998). Wenger adota o conceito de discurso de Gee (1992), mas sem compreender discurso como prática social. Com relação à negociação de significados dentro de práticas sociais, a explicação se baseia nos processos de participação e reificação. Linguagem aparece em alguns dos exemplos de produtos derivados de tais processos, recebendo um tratamento limitado e, por vezes, incongruente. Objetivando adaptar o referencial de Wenger para a área de Linguística Aplicada e formação de professores, na presente proposta linguagem é conceitualizada como discurso, conforme discutido por Foucault (2000), apoiando-se também nas reflexões de Maturana (2001, 2005) sobre linguagem. Tal adaptação torna o referencial de CP mais específico para pesquisas na área de línguas e formação de professores, que explorem práticas discursivas

SYNTHESIS AND BIOLOGICAL ACTIVITIES OF SOME INDOLE ANALOGUES CONTAINING TRIAZOLE-5-THIOL AND THIAZOLOTRIAZOLE SYSTEMS

Objective: The present study aims at the synthesis and evaluation of antimicrobial and antioxidant activities of indole analogues incorporated with triazole and thiazolotriazole moieties. Methods: The newly synthesized compounds were screened for their antimicrobial activity by cup-plate method. Antioxidant activity by three different methods viz.,1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazil (DPPH) radical scavenging activity (RSA), ferric ion (Fe3+) reducing power (FRAP) and ferrous (Fe2+) ion metal chelating activity were appraised by calorimetric method using UV-Visible spectrophotometer. Results: The structures of all the newly synthesized compounds have been established on the basis of their IR, 1HNMR, [13]CNMR and mass spectral studies and elemental analysis. Compound 4a showed good radical scavenging activity (RSA), 4b showed good ferric ion (Fe3+) reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and compounds 3c and 4a exhibited good ferrous ion metal chelating activity. Whereas compound 3b showed good antibacterial activity against P. aeruginosa, 4a against S. aureus and 4c against E. coli. While for the antifungal activity compound 3a was good against A. oryzae, 3c against A. nizer and 4a against A. flavus. Conclusion: Antimicrobial and antioxidant activity results of the newly synthesized compounds indicate that some of the compounds showed better antimicrobial and antioxidant activities with reference to the standard drugs

Phase diagram of the Bose-Hubbard Model on Complex Networks

Critical phenomena can show unusual phase diagrams when defined in complex network topologies. The case of classical phase transitions such as the classical Ising model and the percolation transition has been studied extensively in the last decade. Here we show that the phase diagram of the Bose-Hubbard model, an exclusively quantum mechanical phase transition, also changes significantly when defined on random scale-free networks. We present a mean-field calculation of the model in annealed networks and we show that when the second moment of the average degree diverges the Mott-insulator phase disappears in the thermodynamic limit. Moreover we study the model on quenched networks and we show that the Mott-insulator phase disappears in the thermodynamic limit as long as the maximal eigenvalue of the adjacency matrix diverges. Finally we study the phase diagram of the model on Apollonian scale-free networks that can be embedded in 2 dimensions showing the extension of the results also to this case.Comment: (6 pages, 4 figures

Effect of Prematurity, Birthweight, Maternal Stress, Socio-economic Status, and Mother-Child Intimacy on the Development of Preschool Children in Surakarta

Background: Monitoring child development is an important step to prepare healthy children from the earliest age, both physically, spiritually, and socially. Monitoring child development can be done in the kindergarten. Some kindergartens in Surakarta, however, have not implemented child development monitoring program. This study aims to determine the effect of prematurity, birthweight, maternal stress, socio-economic status, and mother-child intimacy, on the development of preschool children.Subjects and Method: This was an analytical observational study using case control design. The study was carried out at 7 kindergartens (TK) in Surakarta, Central Java: TK Negeri Pembina, TK Gaya Baru III, TK Kristen Ngasinan, TK Islam Bakti 6, TK Advent, TK Warga and TK Kanisius Imakulata, from May to June 2017. A sample of 120 children aged 5-6 years old attending kindergartens were selected for this study by fixed exposure sampling, i.e. selection based on prematurity status. The dependent variable was child development. The independent variables were prematurity, birthweight, maternal stress, maternal employment status, maternal education, family income, parenting time, and mother-child intimacy. The data were collected by a set of pre-tested questionnaire. Child development was measured by development pre-screening questionnaire (KPSP). Nutritional status was obtained from maternal and child health recording book. Path analysis was employed for data analysis.Results: Child development was directly affected by prematurity (b=0.29; SE=0.07; p<0.001), birthweight (b=0.04; SE= 0.18; p=0.007), maternal employment (b=0.46; SE=0.20; p=0.020), maternal education (b=0.65; SE=0.21; p=0.002), family income (b=0.01; SE=0.01; p=0.015), and mother-child intimacy (b=0.26; SE=0.05; p<0.001). Family income was affected by maternal employment (b=23.37; SE=5.52; p<0.001) and maternal education (b=23.50; SE=5.79; p<0.001). Mother-child intimacy was affected by maternal stress (b=0.01; SE=0.01; p=0.052) and parenting time (b=0.56; SE=0.05; p<0.001).Conclusions: Child development is directly affected by prematurity, birthweight, maternal employment, maternal education, family income, and mother-child intimacy.Keywords: child development, prematurity, birthweight, socio-economic status, maternal stress, mother-child intimacyCorrespondence: Silfia Angela N Halu. s Program in Public Health, Sebelas Maret University, Surakarta. Email: [email protected]. Mobile: +6285338395484.Journal of Maternal and Child Health (2017), 2(3): 187-199https://doi.org/10.26911/thejmch.2017.02.03.0