Structure of exciton condensates in imbalanced electron-hole bilayers

We investigate the possibility of excitonic superfluidity in electron-hole bilayers. We calculate the phase diagram of the system for the whole range of electron-hole density imbalance and for different degrees of electrostatic screening, using mean-field theory and a Ginzburg–Landau expansion. We are able to resolve differences on previous work in the literature which concentrated on restricted regions of the parameter space. We also give detailed descriptions of the pairing wave function in the Fulde–Ferrell–Larkin–Ovchinnikov paired state. The Ginzburg–Landau treatment allows us to investigate the energy scales involved in the pairing state and discuss the possible spontaneous breaking of two-dimensional translation symmetry in the ground state

Traumatic Brain Injury Screening Tools in Primary Care

Traumatic brain injuries are a significant health concern, being responsible for over 52,000 deaths each year. Unfortunately, many traumatic brain injuries often go misdiagnosed or undiagnosed. Primary care providers are the principal and first source of medical contact for individuals, meaning that they are vital in the diagnosis of previous traumatic brain injuries in order to prevent future sequelae. There are currently several well-validated screening tools currently available for use by primary care providers. This study uses a self-reported survey to determine which of these tools are used by primary care nurse practitioners from a northern New England state and to compare the results to the suggestions made in current literature. The tools chosen by different primary care providers vary greatly, as do the indications used for initiation of traumatic brain injury screening. There were a total of 17 participants in the study, all of whom were at least masters level prepared nurse practitioners. The average number of years spent in practice was 11.7, with an average of 10.4 of those years in primary care. The most commonly used screening tool was the Mini Mental Status Exam, followed by the Montreal Cognitive Assessment and the CDC Acute Concussion Evaluation tool. Screening tools developed specifically for TBI assessment, such as the Ohio State University TBI ID Method and the Brief Traumatic Brain Injury Questionnaire were found to be seldom used (17% of total participants). Many primary care providers do not feel confident in their ability to diagnose such injuries, often due to lack of expertise in the area, which was reflected in the self-reported survey. As new screening tools become available, it is imperative that they are tested for validity, and then utilized in practice. Due to the complexity of diagnosing traumatic brain injuries, the most simple and accurate screening tools are often the ones preferred by providers. Moving forward, simple new screening tools need to be evaluated for effectiveness and ease of use. These tools should then be introduced to primary care practitioners, with suggestions as to how to best supplement them with other parts of an exam. Since TBIs are becoming an increasingly more common diagnosis in primary care, future advanced nursing evidence-based practice should focus on the recommended screening tools so as to better identify and guide treatment. Future research is needed to evaluate the extent to which part of an exam yield the most pertinent and accurate findings, as well as to compare the effectiveness of screening models utilized in civilian and military settings

Changing times for animal damage control

At present, the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is in the process of taking over the national animal damage control program from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. I discuss the history of the federal animal damage control program with the U.S. Department of Agriculture beginning in the late 1800s. Once USDA assumes full control of the present program, the areas of emphasis will be cooperative operational control, research, and informational and educational efforts. For the first time, the program will have a Secretary’s advisory committee on ADC. An interdepartmental policy committee chaired by APHIS will involve other USDA agencies: Forest Service, Extension Service, Economic Research Service, Agricultural Research Service, and Cooperative State Research Service. Details of future efforts in research, and in information and education, are discussed

OBSERVATIONS ON AGRICULTURAL POLICY, POLICY REFORM AND PUBLIC POLICY EDUCATION

Agricultural and Food Policy,

Toward a Lockean Unification of Formal and Traditional Epistemology

Can there be knowledge and rational belief in the absence of a rational degree of confidence? Yes, and cases of "mistuned knowledge" demonstrate this. In this paper we leverage this normative possibility in support of advancing our understanding of the metaphysical relation between belief and credence. It is generally assumed that a Lockean metaphysics of belief that reduces outright belief to degrees of confidence would immediately effect a unification of coarse-grained epistemology of belief with fine-grained epistemology of confidence. Scott Sturgeon has suggested that the unification is effected by understanding the relation between outright belief and confidence as an instance of the determinable-determinate relation. But determination of belief by confidence would not by itself yield the result that norms for confidence carry over to norms for outright belief unless belief and high confidence are token identical. We argue that this token-identity thesis is incompatible with the neglected phenomenon of “mistuned knowledge”—knowledge and rational belief in the absence of rational confidence. We contend that there are genuine cases of mistuned knowledge and that, therefore, epistemological unification must forego token identity of belief and high confidence. We show how partial epistemological unification can be secured given determination of outright belief by degrees of confidence even without token-identity. Finally, we suggest a direction for the pursuit of thoroughgoing epistemological unification

The Educational Experience of Young Men of Color: A Review of Research, Pathways and Progress

This report synthesizes the literature on high school, postsecondary pathways, and higher education for African American, Asian Amerian and Pacific Islander, Hispanic/Latino, and Native American and Alaska Native males. The result is a set of findings that are in common among these groups, as well as a number of distinct challenges and opportunities for each

Pectinophora gossypiella (pink bollworm) Bacillus thuringiensis toxin receptor BT-R2

A cDNA encoding a 200 kD receptor, BT-R2, from the pink boll worm, Pectinophora gossypiella, that binds specifically to a Bacillus thuringiensis toxin has been cloned, sequenced and characterized. The minimum toxin binding fragment has been identified. The BT-R2 cDNA permits the analysis of receptors in pink boll worm and other insects that affect crop growth and development, as well as, design assays for the cytotoxicity and binding affinity of potential pesticides. The clone and other methods described herein, permit the manipulation of natural and/or introduced homologous receptors and, thus, to specifically destroy organisms, tissues and/or cells of the target host.Board of Regents, University of Texas Syste

Installation effects of long-duct pylon-mounted nacelles on a twin-jet transport model with swept supercritical wing

The installation interference effects of an underwing-mounted, long duct, turbofan nacelle were evaluated in the Langley 16-Foot Transonic Tunnel with two different pylon shapes installed on a twin engine transport model having a supercritical wing swept 30 deg. Wing, pylon, and nacelle pressures and overall model force data were obtained at Mach numbers from 0.70 to 0.83 and nominal angles of attack from -2 deg to 4 deg at an average unit Reynolds number of 11.9 x 1,000,000 per meter. The results show that adding the long duct nacelles to the supercritical wing, in the near sonic flow field, changed the magnitude and direction of flow velocities over the entire span, significantly reduced cruise lift, and caused large interference drag on the nacelle afterbody