Addiction Recovery Support: Connecting Primary Care Providers and Community Resources

Addiction to drugs and alcohol is a pervasive problem throughout Vermont and the U.S., and only a fraction of those needing help receive it. The vast majority of admissions to substance abuse treatment programs do not come from healthcare providers, who report a lack of preparedness in managing addiction screening and referrals. Recognizing that Family Medicine Providers are likely to be caring for many patients struggling with substance abuse, this project aims to improve provider familiarity with local resources. In particular, this project focuses on promoting long-term retention in self-help group programs, as these have been demonstrated to be the most approachable form of help for many presenting in the primary care setting.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/fmclerk/1288/thumbnail.jp

A study of flux quantization Final technical report

Magnetic flux quantization in superconductor

The rhetoric of martyrdom: A case study analyzing the rhetorical situations of Joan of Arc, John Brown and Jim Jones

The study provides a critical analysis of the rhetoric used to establish a martyr in history. An indepth definition of martyrdom, along with a criteria for martyrs, is utilized in support of the theories. The text claims that the rhetoric of a situation is the key to becoming a martyr. Utilizing the theory of criteria for martyrdom as the tool, histories, biographies, discourses, and print media provide the input for the analysis; The examination breaks into three case studies: Joan of Arc, John Brown, and Jim Jones The examples of Joan of Arc and John Brown illustrate the positive role rhetoric played in their eventual classification as martyrs. The example of Jim Jones displays the negative effects rhetoric had on his failure to become a martyr. The study offers valuable insight into the questions, who deserves martyrdom and why

Thermodynamic properties of Pb determined from pressure-dependent critical-field measurements

We have carried out extensive low-temperature (1.5 to 10 K) measurements of the critical field, $H_c$, for the element Pb up to a pressure of $P=1.2$ GPa. From this data the electronic entropy, specific heat, thermal expansion coefficient and compressibility is calculated as a function of temperature, pressure and magnetic field. The zero-field data is consistent with direct thermodynamic measurements and the $P$-dependence of $T_c$ and specific heat coefficient, $\gamma(T,P)$ allows the determination of the $P$-dependence of the pairing interaction.Comment: 5 pages, 6 figures, in press Phys. Rev.

Kinetic inductance measured in a superconducting wire

Ultrasensitive technique to measure kinetic inductance has test specimen included as part of the inductance of a tank circuit of a tunnel diode oscillator. Frequency counter measures shift in frequency of oscillator, caused by changes in inductance. Frequency shift in tank circuit is proportional to change in kinetic inductanc

Influence of nonuniform critical current density profile on magnetic field behavior of AC susceptibility in 2D Josephson Junction Arrays

Employing mutual-inductance measurements we study the magnetic field dependence of complex AC susceptibility of artificially prepared highly ordered (periodic) two-dimensional Josephson junction arrays of unshunted Nb-AlO_x-Nb junctions. The observed behavior can be explained assuming single-plaquette approximation of the overdamped model with an inhomogeneous critical current distribution within a single junction.Comment: 4 pages (REVTEX), 6 figure

The fabrication of reproducible superconducting scanning tunneling microscope tips

Superconducting scanning tunneling microscope tips have been fabricated with a high degree of reproducibility. The fabrication process relies on sequential deposition of superconducting Pb and a proximity-coupled Ag capping layer onto a Pt/Ir tip. The tips were characterized by tunneling into both normal-metal and superconducting films. The simplicity of the fabrication process, along with the stability and reproducibility of the tips, clear the way for tunneling studies with a well-characterized, scannable superconducting electrode.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, REVTeX. Submitted to Rev. Sci. Instru

Gaps in Adolescent Tobacco Prevention and Counseling in Vermont

Introduction. Tobacco use remains the leading cause of preventable death in Vermont. While the Vermont Blueprint for Health includes compensation for adult tobacco counseling, it includes no specific mention of pediatric populations. Research questions: To what extent are tobacco assessment and cessation efforts occurring in the primary care setting with pediatric patients? What factors influence their practices?Methods. A 12-question electronic survey, modeled on an American Academy of Pediatrics survey, was distributed to primary care providers throughout Vermont; through the UVM departments of pediatrics, family medicine, the Vermont Medical Society and the Vermont Area Health Education Center. We received 70 completed surveys.Results. 70% of the surveyed primary care providers begin tobacco counseling at the age recommended (11 years) by the Vermont Department of Health. Only 45.71% of providers are confident in their understanding of the recommendations for adolescent health screening written in the Blueprint for Health. Additionally, only 67.1% of the providers expressed confidence in their ability to provide guidance regarding the harmful effects of E-cigarettes, compared to 92.8% feeling confident regarding conventional cigarettes. 70% of providers listed time restraints as a significant factor in their decision not to counsel adolescents on tobacco use.Discussion. The Blueprint for Health is a guiding document for provider practices that is not well understood and does not specifically include pediatric tobacco prevention. In an environment where youth E-cigarette use is rising, especially among adolescents, it is especially critical that physicians are confident in their counseling practices.https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/comphp_gallery/1237/thumbnail.jp

Effect of Spin-Flip Scattering on Electrical Transport in Magnetic Tunnel Junctions

By means of the nonequilibrium Green function technique, the effect of spin-flip scatterings on the spin-dependent electrical transport in ferromagnet-insulator-ferromagnet (FM-I-FM) tunnel junctions is investigated. It is shown that Julliere's formula for the tunnel conductance must be modified when including the contribution from the spin-flip scatterings. It is found that the spin-flip scatterings could lead to an angular shift of the tunnel conductance, giving rise to the junction resistance not being the largest when the orientations of magnetizations in the two FM electrodes are antiparallel, which may offer an alternative explanation for such a phenomenon observed previously in experiments in some FM-I-FM junctions. The spin-flip assisted tunneling is also observed.Comment: Revtex, 4 figure