The synthesis, characterization and thermal chemistry of modified norbornenyl PMR endcaps

As part of a program to further the understanding of the polymerization of Nadic-Endcapped PMR systems, a series of model Norbornenyl-Imides has been synthesized and their thermal behavior explored. Their syntheses and characterizations as well as their rearrangement and polymerization chemistry are described. Monomer isomerization at temperatures as low as 125 C and oligomer formation at somewhat higher temperatures are observed. Approximate relative rates for competing isomerization pathways are established and some information is obtained about the details of oligomer formation. The relationship of this data to current PMR systems is briefly discussed

The Dynamical Masses, Densities, and Star Formation Scaling Relations of Lyman Alpha Galaxies

We present the first dynamical mass measurements for Lyman alpha galaxies at high redshift, based on velocity dispersion measurements from rest-frame optical emission lines and size measurements from HST imaging, for a sample of nine galaxies drawn from four surveys. These measurements enable us to study the nature of Lyman alpha galaxies in the context of galaxy scaling relations. The resulting dynamical masses range from 1e9 to 1e10 solar masses. We also fit stellar population models to our sample, and use them to plot the Lyman alpha sample on a stellar mass vs. line width relation. Overall, the Lyman alpha galaxies follow well the scaling relation established by observing star forming galaxies at lower redshift (and without regard for Lyman alpha emission), though in 1/3 of the Lyman alpha galaxies, lower-mass fits are also acceptable. In all cases, the dynamical masses agree with established stellarmass-linewidth relation. Using the dynamical masses as an upper limit on gas mass, we show that Lyman alpha galaxies resemble starbursts (rather than "normal" galaxies) in the relation between gas mass surface density and star formation activity, in spite of relatively modest star formation rates. Finally, we examine the mass densities of these galaxies, and show that their future evolution likely requires dissipational ("wet") merging. In short, we find that Lyman alpha galaxies are low mass cousins of larger starbursts.Comment: Submitted to The Astrophysical Journal. 23 pp including three figures and four table

A Study on Effect of Employee Diversity on Organizational Performance

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of employee diversity on organizational performance.   Theoretical framework: The study is based on the diversity-performance relationship theory, which suggests that a diverse workforce can lead to improved organizational performance.   Design/methodology/approach: The study employs a quantitative research design and utilizes survey data collected from employees and managers in multiple organizations. The data is analyzed using statistical methods to examine the relationship between employee diversity and organizational performance.   Findings: The findings indicate that organizations with a diverse workforce tend to have higher levels of organizational performance, as measured by factors such as productivity, innovation, and employee satisfaction.   Research, practical and social implications: The study has important implications for organizations, as it suggests that actively promoting diversity can lead to improved performance. Additionally, the findings have implications for society, as they suggest that promoting diversity in the workforce can lead to improved outcomes for organizations and their stakeholders.   Originality/value: This study adds to the existing literature by providing new evidence on the relationship between employee diversity and organizational performance, using a large and diverse sample of organizations

Signatures of Inelastic Scattering in Coulomb-Blockade Quantum Dots

We calculate the finite-temperature conductance peak-height distributions in Coublomb-blockade quantum dots in the limit where the inelastic scattering rate in the dot is large compared with the mean elastic tunneling rate. The relative reduction of the standard deviation of the peak-height distribution by a time-reversal symmetry-breaking magnetic field, which is essentially temperature-independent in the elastic limit, is enhanced by the inclusion of inelastic scattering at finite temperature. We suggest this quantity as an independent experimental probe for inelastic scattering in closed dots.Comment: 4 pages, 3 eps figures, revtex

Presence of suicidality as a prognostic indicator

Background: Suicidal symptoms in depression are often thought to predict a higher severity of illness and a worse prognosis. Aims: To determine if suicidal ideation at the time of treatment for major depression can predict response to antidepressant medication in primary care. Settings and Design: A retrospective analysis of subjects receiving anti-depressant drugs in a primary care setting Methods and Material: Nine depressed patients (14%) who acknowledged suicidality on the PHQ-9 depression scale were followed up for and compared to a group of 54 (86%) depressed patients (controls) who did not have suicidal thoughts for four months. All were given treatment with antidepressants and followed with a disease management protocol where the PHQ-9 was used as a systematic outcome measure. Statistical Analysis: Descriptive measures and t-tests were utilized to show statistical significance. Results: There were no statistical differences in remission from depressive symptoms based on the PHQ-9 scale after antidepressant treatment, between patients with suicidal thoughts (56%) and those without (44%). Conclusion: The presence of suicidality as a depressive symptom did not predict poorer clinical outcome when treating depression in the primary care setting in the patients studied

Lyman-alpha emission galaxies at a redshift of z = 5.7 in the FORS Deep Field

We present the results of a search for Lyman-alpha emission galaxies at z~ 5.7 in the FORS Deep Field. The objective of this study is to improve the faint end of the luminosity function of high-redshift Lyman-alpha emitting galaxies and to derive properties of intrinsically faint Lyman-alpha emission galaxies in the young universe. Using FORS2 at the ESO VLT and a set of special interference filters, we identified candidates for high-redshift Lyman-alpha galaxies. We then used FORS2 in spectroscopic mode to verify the identifications and to study their spectral properties. The narrow-band photometry resulted in the detection of 15 likely Lyman-alpha emission galaxies. Spectra with an adequate exposure time could be obtained for eight galaxies. In all these cases the presence of Lyman-alpha emission at z = 5.7 was confirmed spectroscopically. The line fluxes of the 15 candidates range between 3 and 16 * 10^-21 Wm^-2, which corresponds to star-formation rates not corrected for dust between 1 and 5 Msun/yr. The luminosity function derived for our photometrically identified objects extends the published luminosity functions of intrinsically brighter Lyman-alpha galaxies. With this technique the study of high-redshift Lyman-alpha emission galaxies can be extended to low intrinsic luminosities.Comment: 9 pages, 17 figures. Accepted by A&A. PDF version with higher resolution figures here: http://www.lsw.uni-heidelberg.de/users/jheidt/fdf/pubs/fdflae5_7_110406.pd

Impact of fly ash content and fly ash transportation distance on embodied greenhouse gas emissions and water consumption in concrete

Background, aim and scope Fly ash, a by-product of coal-fired power stations, is substituted for Portland cement to improve the properties of concrete and reduce the embodied greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Much of the world's fly ash is currently disposed of as a waste product. While replacing some Portland cement with fly ash can reduce production costs and the embodied emissions of concrete, the relationship between fly ash content and embodied GHG emissions in concrete has not been quantified. The impact of fly ash content on embodied water is also unknown. Furthermore, it is not known whether a global trade in fly ash for use in concrete is feasible from a carbon balance perspective, or if transport over long distances would eliminate any CO(2) savings. This paper aims to quantify GHG emissions and water embodied in concrete (f'(c)= 32 MPa) as a function of fly ash content and to determine the critical fly ash transportation distance, beyond which use of fly ash in concrete increases embodied GHG emissions

Intravenous Sodium Thiosulphate for Calciphylaxis of Chronic Kidney Disease:A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Importance: Calciphylaxis is a rare disease with high mortality mainly involving patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Sodium thiosulphate (STS) has been used as an off-label therapeutic in calciphylaxis, but there is a lack of clinical trials and studies that demonstrate its effect compared with those without STS treatment. Objective: To perform a meta-analysis of the cohort studies that provided data comparing outcomes among patients with calciphylaxis treated with and without intravenous STS. Data Sources: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched using relevant terms and synonyms including sodium thiosulphate and calci∗ without language restriction. Study Selection: The initial search was for cohort studies published before August 31, 2021, that included adult patients diagnosed with CKD experiencing calciphylaxis and could provide a comparison between patients treated with and without intravenous STS. Studies were excluded if they reported outcomes only from nonintravenous administration of STS or if the outcomes for CKD patients were not provided. Data Extraction and Synthesis: Random-effects models were performed. The Egger test was used to measure publication bias. Heterogeneity was assessed using the I2test. Main Outcomes and Measures: Skin lesion improvement and survival, synthesized as ratio data by a random-effects empirical Bayes model. Results: Among the 5601 publications retrieved from the targeted databases, 19 retrospective cohort studies including 422 patients (mean age, 57 years; 37.3% male) met the eligibility criteria. No difference was observed in skin lesion improvement (12 studies with 110 patients; risk ratio, 1.23; 95% CI, 0.85-1.78) between the STS and the comparator groups. No difference was noted for the risk of death (15 studies with 158 patients; risk ratio, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.70-1.10) and overall survival using time-to-event data (3 studies with 269 participants; hazard ratio, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.57-1.18). In meta-regression, lesion improvement associated with STS negatively correlated with publication year, implying that recent studies are more likely to report a null association compared with past studies (coefficient = -0.14; P =.008). Conclusions and Relevance: Intravenous STS was not associated with skin lesion improvement or survival benefit in patients with CKD experiencing calciphylaxis. Future investigations are warranted to examine the efficacy and safety of therapies for patients with calciphylaxis.</p

Spin and interaction effects in quantum dots: a Hartree-Fock-Koopmans approach

We use a Hartree-Fock-Koopmans approach to study spin and interaction effects in a diffusive or chaotic quantum dot. In particular, we derive the statistics of the spacings between successive Coulomb-blockade peaks. We include fluctuations of the matrix elements of the two-body screened interaction, surface-charge potential, and confining potential to leading order in the inverse Thouless conductance. The calculated peak-spacing distribution is compared with experimental results.Comment: 5 pages, 4 eps figures, revise

Finite temperature effects in Coulomb blockade quantum dots and signatures of spectral scrambling

The conductance in Coulomb blockade quantum dots exhibits sharp peaks whose spacings fluctuate with the number of electrons. We derive the temperature-dependence of these fluctuations in the statistical regime and compare with recent experimental results. The scrambling due to Coulomb interactions of the single-particle spectrum with the addition of an electron to the dot is shown to affect the temperature-dependence of the peak spacing fluctuations. Spectral scrambling also leads to saturation in the temperature dependence of the peak-to-peak correlator, in agreement with recent experimental results. The signatures of scrambling are derived using discrete Gaussian processes, which generalize the Gaussian ensembles of random matrices to systems that depend on a discrete parameter -- in this case, the number of electrons in the dot.Comment: 14 pages, 4 eps figures included, RevTe