Decoding Pure Rotational Molecular Spectra for Asymmetric Molecules

In this paper we demonstrate how asymmetric molecular rotational spectra may be introduced to students both "pictorially" and with simple formulae. It is shown that the interpretation of such spectra relies heavily upon pattern recognition. The presentation of some common spectral patterns in near-prolate asymmetric rotational spectra provides a means by which spectral assignment, and approximate rotational constant determination, may be usefully explored in the physics and chemistry classrooms. To aid in this endeavor we have created a supporting, free, web page and mobile web page.Comment: 20 pages, 11 figure

Testing conformal mapping with kitchen aluminum foil

We report an experimental verification of conformal mapping with kitchen aluminum foil. This experiment can be reproduced in any laboratory by undergraduate students and it is therefore an ideal experiment to introduce the concept of conformal mapping. The original problem was the distribution of the electric potential in a very long plate. The correct theoretical prediction was recently derived by A. Czarnecki (Can. J. Phys. 92, 1297 (2014))

Measuring Well-Being: A Review of Instruments

Interest in the study of psychological health and well-being has increased significantly in recent decades. A variety of conceptualizations of psychological health have been proposed including hedonic and eudaimonic well-being, quality-of-life, and wellness approaches. Although instruments for measuring constructs associated with each of these approaches have been developed, there has been no comprehensive review of well-being measures. The present literature review was undertaken to identify self-report instruments measuring well-being or closely related constructs (i.e., quality of life and wellness) and critically evaluate them with regard to their conceptual basis and psychometric properties. Through a literature search, we identified 42 instruments that varied significantly in length, psychometric properties, and their conceptualization and operationalization of well-being. Results suggest that there is considerable disagreement regarding how to properly understand and measure well-being. Research and clinical implications are discussed

Caseload midwifery in a multi-ethnic community: The women's experiences

Objective: To evaluate caseload midwifery in a relatively deprived and ethnically diverse inner-city area. Design and setting: Semi-structured interviews were undertaken with 24 women from diverse ethnic backgrounds, 12 of whom had received caseload care and 12 women from an adjacent area who had received conventional maternity care in a large inner-city maternity unit. Framework analysis was adopted drawing on links with the authors’ previous work on women’s views of caseload midwifery. Findings: Key themes from previous work fitted well with the themes that emerged from this study. Themes included ‘knowing and being known’, ‘person-centred care’, ‘social support’, ‘gaining trust and confidence’, ‘quality and sensitivity of care’ and ‘communication’. Key conclusions and implications: Women from this socially and ethnically diverse group of women had similar views and wanted similar care to those in previous studies of caseload midwifery. Many of the women receiving caseload care highlighted the close relationship they had with the midwives and as a result of thisfelt more able to discuss their concerns with them. This has the potential not only for improved quality of care but also improved safety

The Influence of Decision Context and Comparability on Judgements of Gain and Loss

Whether positive and negative affects exist independently (Cacioppo & Berntson, 1994) or coexist (Russel, 1980) has been heavily debated in psychological research. Recent work by McGraw et al. (2010) has supported the view of independent positive and negative utilitarian decision functions. Specifically that gain and loss expected judgements, in response to a mixed monetary gamble, are processed in isolation (bipolar scales) and do not induce decision biases. However, when the judgement options are forced into the same contextual space (unipolar scales), prompting direct comparisons, they induce loss-averse judgements. In contrast, we propose an alternative explanation based on decision- content comparability. Specifically, comparable decision attributes fuel the gain and loss comparisons (inducing loss averse judgements). Moreover, our results showed that facilitating decision content comparability (DCC) (monetary gamble-monetary worth evaluation) produces loss aversion regardless of whether gains and losses are considered in isolation. Accordingly, impeding DDC produces a decline in loss aversion

“But what about real mental illnesses?” Alternatives to the disease model approach to ‘schizophrenia’

The old dichotomy between ‘neurosis’ and ‘psychosis’ appears to be alive and well in the debate about psychiatric diagnosis. It is often suggested that while diagnostic alternatives may be appropriate for the relatively common forms of distress with which we can all identify such as anxiety and depression, psychiatric diagnoses remain vital for experiences such as hearing voices, holding beliefs that others find strange, or appearing out of touch with reality–experiences that are traditionally thought of as symptoms of psychosis. Such experiences are often assumed to be symptoms of underlying brain pathology or ‘real mental illnesses’ that need to be diagnosed or ‘excluded’ (in the medical sense of ruling out particular explanations of problems) before deciding on the appropriate intervention. This paper argues that this belief is misguided, and that far from being essential, psychiatric diagnosis has the potential to be particularly damaging when applied to such experiences. It describes an alternative perspective outlined in a recent consensus report by the British Psychological Society Division of Clinical Psychology (Understanding Psychosis and Schizophrenia [Cooke, 2014]) which has attracted significant attention in the UK and internationally. The report argues that even the most severe distress and the most puzzling behavior can often be understood psychologically, and that psychological approaches to helping can be very effective. It exhorts professionals not to insist that people accept any one particular framework of understanding, for example that their experiences are symptoms of an illness. This paper outlines that report’s main findings, together with their implications for how professionals can best help

The Influence of Decision Content Comparability on Gain Loss Asymmetry

Whether positive and negative affects exist independently (Cacioppo & Berntson, 1994) or coexist (Russel, 1980) has been heavily debated in psychological research. Recent work by McGraw et al. (2010) has supported the view of independent positive and negative utilitarian decision functions. Specifically that gain and loss expected judgements, in response to a mixed monetary gamble, are processed in isolation (bipolar scales) and do not induce decision biases. However, when the judgement options are forced into the same contextual space (unipolar scales), prompting direct comparisons, they induce loss-averse judgements. In contrast, we propose an alternative explanation based on decision- content comparability. Specifically, comparable decision attributes fuel the gain and loss comparisons (inducing loss averse judgements). Moreover, our results showed that facilitating decision content comparability (DCC) (monetary gamble-monetary worth evaluation) produces loss aversion regardless of whether gains and losses are considered in isolation. Accordingly, impeding DDC produces a decline in loss aversion

Composting paper and grass clippings with anaerobically treated palm oil mill effluent

Purpose The purpose of this study is to investigate the composting performance of anaerobically treated palm oil mill effluent (AnPOME) mixed with paper and grass clippings. Methods Composting was conducted using a laboratory scale system for 40 days. Several parameters were determined: temperature, mass reduction, pH, electrical conductivity, colour, zeta potential, phytotoxicity and final compost nutrients. Results The moisture content and compost mass were reduced by 24 and 18 %, respectively. Both final compost pH value and electrical conductivity were found to increase in value. Colour (measured as PtCo) was not suitable as a maturity indicator. The negative zeta potential values decreased from −12.25 to −21.80 mV. The phytotoxicity of the compost mixture was found to decrease in value during the process and the final nutrient value of the compost indicates its suitability as a soil conditioner. Conclusions From this study, we conclude that the addition of paper and grass clippings can be a potential substrate to be composted with anaerobically treated palm oil mill effluent (AnPOME). The final compost produced is suitable for soil conditioner