Pressure-induced Spin-Peierls to Incommensurate Charge-Density-Wave Transition in the Ground State of TiOCl

The ground state of the spin-Peierls system TiOCl was probed using synchrotron x-ray diffraction on a single-crystal sample at T = 6 K. We tracked the evolution of the structural superlattice peaks associated with the dimerized ground state as a function of pressure. The dimerization along the b axis is rapidly suppressed in the vicinity of a first-order structural phase transition at Pc = 13.1(1) GPa. The high-pressure phase is characterized by an incommensurate charge density wave perpendicular to the original spin chain direction. These results show that the electronic ground state undergoes a fundamental change in symmetry, indicating a significant change in the principal interactions.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Faculty Perceptions of Differences between Teaching Rural Appalachian and Urban Social Work Students

Faculty who teach social work students in both rural Appalachian colleges and urban settings often notice differences in how these students approach learning and respond to the classroom environment and university setting. There is limited research on how Appalachian college students experience higher education and how they perceive the benefits of a college degree. This qualitative study explored the perceptions of social work faculty members at three Appalachian and three Midwestern universities, who have taught rural Appalachian students, as well as students from urban areas. Findings indicated that faculty mostly viewed Appalachian students as being different from urban students. Appalachian social work students often focused on the practical aspects of learning, but like many urban students they were intuitive, creative, and adept at problem-solving and critical thinking. Rural students were more inclined to benefit from practice methods oriented toward rural practice. Implications for practice are discussed with an emphasis on faculty members being aware of Appalachian culture and, in turn, directing their teaching style and methods to possible learning differences

Dynamic Scaling in the Susceptibility of the Spin-1\2 Kagome Lattice Antiferromagnet Herbertsmithite

The spin-1/2 kagome lattice antiferromagnet herbertsmithite, ZnCu$_{3}$(OH)$_{6}$Cl$_{2}$, is a candidate material for a quantum spin liquid ground state. We show that the magnetic response of this material displays an unusual scaling relation in both the bulk ac susceptibility and the low energy dynamic susceptibility as measured by inelastic neutron scattering. The quantity $\chi T^\alpha$ with $\alpha \simeq 0.66$ can be expressed as a universal function of $H/T$ or $\omega/T$. This scaling is discussed in relation to similar behavior seen in systems influenced by disorder or by the proximity to a quantum critical point.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures v2: updated to match published version

Friendly Fire in a Simulated Firearms Task

Factors such as poor visibility, lack of situation awareness and bad communication have been shown to contribute to friendly fire incidents. However, to the authors’ knowledge, an individual’s ability to inhibit their motor response of shooting when a non-target is presented has not been investigated. This phenomenon has been modeled empirically using the Sustained Attention to Response Task (SART; Robertson, Manly, Andrade, Baddeley, & Yiend, 1997) computer task. The SART is generally a high Go/low No-Go detection task whereby participants respond to numerous neutral stimuli and withhold to rare targets. In the current investigation, we further investigate the SART using a simulated small arms scenario to test whether lack of motor response inhibition can be modeled in a more ecologically valid environment. Additionally, we were interested in how error rates were impacted in low Go/high No-Go versions of the task. Thirteen university students completed a computer and simulated small arms scenario in a SART and low Go condition. Both the computer and small arms scenario revealed similar speed-accuracy trade-offs indicating participants’ inability to halt their pre-potent responses to targets even in a more ecologically valid environment. The SART may be used in future studies to model friendly fire scenarios

Expression profiling of snoRNAs in normal hematopoiesis and AML

Key Points A subset of snoRNAs is expressed in a developmental- and lineage-specific manner during human hematopoiesis. Neither host gene expression nor alternative splicing accounted for the observed differential expression of snoRNAs in a subset of AML.</jats:p

Spider Stimuli Improve Response Inhibition

Anxiety can have positive effects on some aspects of cognition and negative effects on others. The current study investigated whether task-relevant anxiety could improve peo- ple’s ability to withhold responses in a response inhibition task. Sixty-seven university stu- dents completed a modified and an unmodified version of the Sustained Attention to Response Task (SART; Robertson, Manly, Andrade, Baddeley, & Yiend, 1997) and provided subjective measures of arousal and thoughts. Anxiety appeared to improve participants’ ability to withhold responses. Further, participants’ performance was consistent with a motor response inhibition perspective rather than a mind-wandering perspective of SART commission error performance. Errors of commission were associated with response times (speed-accuracy trade-off) as opposed to task-unrelated thoughts. Task-related thoughts were associated with the speed-accuracy trade-off. Conversely task-unrelated thoughts showed an association with errors of omission, suggesting this SART metric could be an indicator of sustained attention. Further investigation of the role of thoughts in the SART is warranted