684 research outputs found
A Study on Nigerian and U.S. College Students’ Views on Justice Issues
People’s views on justice issues are often a function of their socialization, the cultural norms, values and beliefs of their society. Views on justice often vary between nations. The current study explored and compared the views of Nigerian and U.S. college students regarding justice views. Nigeria is a developing nation which has a long history of informal restorative justice practices, but also uses formal government justice agencies to deal with crime. The U.S. is a developed nation which often relies on a formal state administered punitive crime control approach. Based on multivariate analyses, there were significant differences in views between Nigerian and U.S. college students in views on shaming for control crime, seeking revenge, showing mercy, and partnerships between the police and the community
Satisfied Correctional Staff : A Review of the Literature on the Correlates of Correctional Staff Job Satisfaction
During the past decade, there has been increasing pressure on correctional agencies to attract and keep quality staff. Raising worker job satisfaction is seen as a fundamental way of decreasing turnover. There has been a considerable amount of research in the area of the possible causes of correctional staff job satisfaction and, to a lesser extent, the possible consequences of job satisfaction. However, due to the numerous studies, some with conflicting results, it is difficult to understand clearly the factors associated with job satisfaction. A review of the literature is presented to provide a better understanding of correctional staff job satisfaction. Based on this review, correctional administrators are urged to concentrate more on improving the work environment rather than focusing on correctional staff characteristics
All-optical control of ferromagnetic thin films and nanostructures
The interplay of light and magnetism has been a topic of interest since the
original observations of Faraday and Kerr where magnetic materials affect the
light polarization. While these effects have historically been exploited to use
light as a probe of magnetic materials there is increasing research on using
polarized light to alter or manipulate magnetism. For instance deterministic
magnetic switching without any applied magnetic fields using laser pulses of
the circular polarized light has been observed for specific ferrimagnetic
materials. Here we demonstrate, for the first time, optical control of
ferromagnetic materials ranging from magnetic thin films to multilayers and
even granular films being explored for ultra-high-density magnetic recording.
Our finding shows that optical control of magnetic materials is a much more
general phenomenon than previously assumed. These results challenge the current
theoretical understanding and will have a major impact on data memory and
storage industries via the integration of optical control of ferromagnetic
bits.Comment: 21 pages, 11 figure
Spectroscopic Study of IRAS 19285+0517(PDS 100): A Rapidly Rotating Li-Rich K Giant
We report on photometry and high-resolution spectroscopy for IRAS 19285+0517.
The spectral energy distribution based on visible and near-IR photometry and
far-IR fluxes shows that the star is surrounded by dust at a temperature of
250 K. Spectral line analysis shows that the star is a K
giant with a projected rotational velocity = 9 2 km s.
We determined the atmospheric parameters: = 4500 K, log =
2.5, = 1.5 km s, and [Fe/H] = 0.14 dex. The LTE abundance
analysis shows that the star is Li-rich (log (Li) = 2.50.15),
but with essentially normal C, N, and O, and metal abundances. Spectral
synthesis of molecular CN lines yields the carbon isotopic ratio
C/C = 9 3, a signature of post-main sequence evolution and
dredge-up on the RGB. Analysis of the Li resonance line at 6707 \AA for
different ratios Li/Li shows that the Li profile can be fitted best
with a predicted profile for pure Li. Far-IR excess, large Li abundance,
and rapid rotation suggest that a planet has been swallowed or, perhaps, that
an instability in the RGB outer layers triggered a sudden enrichment of Li and
caused mass-loss.Comment: To appear in AJ; 40 pages, 9 figure
The Zwicky Transient Facility Observing System
The Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) is a synoptic optical survey for high-cadence time-domain astronomy. Building upon the experience and infrastructure of the highly successful Palomar Transient Factory (PTF) team, ZTF will survey more than an order of magnitude faster than PTF in sky area and volume in order to identify rare, rapidly varying optical sources. These sources will include a trove of supernovae, exotic explosive transients, unusual stellar variables, compact binaries, active galactic nuclei, and asteroids. The single-visit depth of 20.4 mag is well matched to spectroscopic follow-up observations, while the co-added images will provide wide sky coverage 1.5 – 2 mag deeper than SDSS. The ZTF survey will cover the entire Northern Sky and revisit fields on timescales of a few hours, providing hundreds of visits per field each year, an unprecedented cadence, as required to detect fast transients and variability. This high-cadence survey is enabled by an observing system based on a new camera having 47 deg^2 field of view – a factor of 6.5 greater than the existing PTF camera - equipped with fast readout electronics, a large, fast exposure shutter, faster telescope and dome drives, and various measures to optimize delivered image quality. Our project has already received an initial procurement of e2v wafer-scale CCDs and we are currently fabricating the camera cryostat. International partners and the NSF committed funds in June 2014 so construction can proceed as planned to commence engineering commissioning in 2016 and begin operations in 2017. Public release will allow broad utilization of these data by the US astronomical community. ZTF will also promote the development of transient and variable science methods in preparation for the seminal first light of LSST
The circumstellar shell of the post-AGB star HD 56126: the CN/CN isotope ratio and fractionation
We have detected circumstellar absorption lines of the CN and
CN Violet and Red System in the spectrum of the post-AGB star HD~56126.
From a synthetic spectrum analysis, we derive a Doppler broadening parameter of
km~s, CN/CN, and a lower limit of
on CN/CN and CN/CN. A simple
chemical model has been computed of the circumstellar shell surrounding
HD~56126 that takes into account the gas-phase ion-molecule reaction between CN
and C. From this we infer that this reaction leads to isotopic
fractionation of CN. Taking into account the isotopic exchange reaction and the
observed CN/CN we find C/C (for K). Our analysis suggests that CN has a somewhat higher
rotational temperature than CN: and
K respectively. We identify possible causes for this difference in excitation
temperature, among which the dependence of the isotopic exchange
reaction.Comment: 24 pages, 6 figues Apj accepte
Comparison of Changes in Bone Density and Turnover with Abacavir-Lamivudine versus Tenofovir-Emtricitabine in HIV-Infected Adults: 48-Week Results from the ASSERT Study
Background. Abacavir-lamivudine and tenofovir DF-emtricitabine fixed-dose combinations are commonly used as first-line antiretroviral therapies. However, few studies have comprehensively compared their relative safety profiles. Methods. In this European, multicenter, open-label, 96-week study, antiretroviral-naive adult subjects with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection were randomized to receive either abacavir-lamivudine or tenofovir- emtricitabine with efavirenz. Primary analyses were conducted after 48 weeks of treatment. Bone mineral density (BMD), a powered secondary end point, was assessed by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry. Bone turnover markers (osteocalcin, procollagen 1 N-terminal propeptide, bone specific alkaline phosphatase, and type 1 collagen cross-linked C telopeptide [CTx]) were assessed in an exploratory analysis. Results. A total of 385 subjects were enrolled in the study. BMD loss was observed in both treatment groups, with a significant difference in the change from baseline in both total hip (abacavir-lamivudine group, -1.9%; tenofovir-emtricitabine group, -3.6%; P= 6% was more common in the tenofovir-emtricitabine group (13% of the tenofovir-emtricitabine group vs 3% of the abacavir-lamivudine group had a loss of >= 6% in the hip; 15% vs 5% had a loss of >= 6% in the spine). Bone turnover markers increased in both treatment groups over the first 24 weeks, stabilizing or decreasing thereafter. Increases in all markers were significantly greater in the tenofovir-emtricitabine treatment group than in the abacavir-lamivudine group at week 24. All but CTx remained significantly different at week 48 (eg, osteocalcin: abacavir-lamivudine group, +8.07 mg/L; tenofovir-emtricitabine group, +11.92 mg/L; P Conclusions. This study demonstrated the impact of first-line treatment regimens on bone. Greater increases in bone turnover and decreases in BMD were observed in subjects treated with tenofovir-emtricitabine than were observed in subjects treated with abacavir-lamivudine
Monitoring human growth and development: a continuum from the womb to the classroom
A comprehensive set of fully integrated anthropometric measures is needed to evaluate human growth from conception to infancy so that consistent judgments can be made about the appropriateness of fetal and infant growth. At present, there are 2 barriers to this strategy. First, descriptive reference charts, which are derived from local, unselected samples with inadequate methods and poor characterization of their putatively healthy populations, commonly are used rather than prescriptive standards. The use of prescriptive standards is justified by the extensive biologic, genetic, and epidemiologic evidence that skeletal growth is similar from conception to childhood across geographic populations, when health, nutrition, environmental, and health care needs are met. Second, clinicians currently screen fetuses, newborn infants, and infants at all levels of care with a wide range of charts and cutoff points, often with limited appreciation of the underlying population or quality of the study that generated the charts. Adding to the confusion, infants are evaluated after birth with a single prescriptive tool: the World Health Organization Child Growth Standards, which were derived from healthy, breastfed newborn infants, infants, and young children from populations that have been exposed to few growth-restricting factors. The International Fetal and Newborn Growth Consortium for the 21st Century Project addressed these issues by providing international standards for gestational age estimation, first-trimester fetal size, fetal growth, newborn size for gestational age, and postnatal growth of preterm infants, all of which complement the World Health Organization Child Growth Standards conceptually, methodologically, and analytically. Hence, growth and development can now, for the first time, be monitored globally across the vital first 1000 days and all the way to 5 years of age. It is clear that an integrative approach to monitoring growth and development from pregnancy to school age is desirable, scientifically supported, and likely to improve care, referral patterns, and reporting systems. Such integration can be achieved only through the use of international growth standards, especially in increasingly diverse, mixed ancestry populations. Resistance to new scientific developments has been hugely problematic in medicine; however, we are confident that the obstetric and neonatal communities will join their pediatric colleagues worldwide in the adoption of this integrative strategy
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