Superconductivity,magnetic properties,and specific heat of the pseudoternary,body-centered tetragonal system Ho(Rh1−x Ru x )4B4

The phase boundaries between superconductivity and various types of magnetism in the pseudoternary system Ho(Rh_1–x Ru _x )₄B₄ were examined by low-temperature measurements of the specific heatc(T), dc magnetizationM(H), superconducting upper critical fieldH _c2 (T), and ac susceptibility x_ac (T). For Ru concentrationsx0.37 superconductivity coexists with antiferromagnetic order below about 1 K, as shown by characteristic minima in theH _c2 (T) curves and an extrapolation ofM(H) data. Additionally, theH _c2 (T) measurements exhibit an unusual hysteresis between data taken in increasing and decreasing fields below 0.6 K. As a starting point for a theoretical explanation of this feature, a mean-field model is proposed with antiferromagnetic as well as ferromagnetic interactions, which are tentatively identified as the RKKY and dipole-dipole interactions. The existence of two competing interactions is supported by the observation of a time-dependence of the x_ac signal at 50 mK for 0.40x0.70, leading to a pronounced hysteresis in x_ac (T), which reflects a relaxation of the magnetic structure with time constants of several hours. Forx0.80 the x_ac (T) andM(H) data indicate ferromagnetic ordering withT _m increasing withx. However, an irregular temperature dependence of the Arrott plots forx=1.0 and unusual features of the magneticc(T) anomalies forx=0.95 and 1.0 exclude simple mean-field ferromagnetism. A discussion of the experimental results based on anx-dependent variation of the electronic density of states at the Fermi level is presented.     

A hyperelastic-based large strain elasto-plastic constitutive formulation with combined isotropic-kinematic hardening using the logarithmic stress and strain measures

This paper addresses the formulation of a set of constitutive equations for finite deformation metal plasticity. The combined isotropic-kinematic hardening model of the infinitesimal theory of plasticity is extended to the large strain range on the basis of three main assumptions: (i) the formulation is hyperelastic based, (ii) the stress-strain law preserves the elastic constants of the infinitesimal theory but is written in terms of the Hencky strain tensor and its elastic work conjugate stress tensor, and (iii) the multiplicative decomposition of the deformation gradient is adopted. Since no stress rates are present, the formulation is, of course, numerically objective in the time integration. It is shown that the model gives adequate physical behaviour, and comparison is made with an equivalent constitutive model based on the additive decomposition of the strain tensor.     

Mean-value analysis of multi-facility blocking models with state-dependent arrivals

A new mean-value type of algorithm is developed for analyzing multi-facility blocking models with state-dependent arrival rates. It can be applied to a broad class of blocking systems with simultaneous resource possession including, for example, circuit-switched networks. The underlying recursion is cast in terms of blocking probabilities and marginal state probabilities. The developments made here generalize previous results that were restricted to the case of constant arrival rates.     

The removal of acid dye from effluent using natural adsorbents—II Wood

The ability of wood to adsorb Telon Blue (Acid Blue 25) has been investigated. The effects of contact time, particle size and adsorption capacity have been studied. In addition a series of fixed bed experiments were performed to study the flow system in an attempt to simulate industrial conditions on a small scale.     

Magnetic resonance imaging of the pelvic floor in patients with obstructed defaecation

BACKGROUND: Evacuation proctography and measurements of anorectal physiology are frequently used to clarify the pathophysiology of obstructed defaecation. In some patients these tests are normal, despite convincing clinical evidence of defaecatory difficulty. The aim of this study was to determine whether magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) could reveal pelvic floor abnormality in patients with obstructed defaecation. METHODS: Eleven women with obstructed defaecation, in whom evacuation proctography and anorectal physiology were normal, were examined by MRI, using a fast gradient echo sequence. Measurements of pelvic visceral and muscular descent were taken at rest and during straining, and compared with those obtained from 13 asymptomatic volunteers. RESULTS: Patients with obstructed defaecation had significantly greater pelvic visceral descent (P < 0.05), levator muscle descent (P = 0.04), levator plate angle change (P = 0.003) and increase in the area of the pelvic floor hiatus (P = 0.0002) than asymptomatic volunteers. CONCLUSION: MRI demonstrated marked pelvic visceral and levator muscle descent in women with obstructed defaecation, despite normal evacuation proctography and anorectal physiology. MRI should be considered if these examinations have been normal.     

La CLAve to increase psychosis literacy of Spanish-speaking community residents and family caregivers.

The authors developed and tested a 35-min psychoeducational program with the goal of increasing Spanish-speaking persons’ literacy of psychosis. The program uses popular cultural icons derived from music, art, and videos, as well as a mnemonic device—La CLAve (The Clue)—to increase (a) knowledge of psychosis, (b) efficacy beliefs that one can identify psychosis in others, (c) attributions to mental illness, and (d) professional help-seeking. Assessments were conducted before and after administering the program to both community residents (n = 57) and family caregivers of persons with schizophrenia (n = 38). For community residents, the authors observed increases across the 4 domains of symptom knowledge, efficacy beliefs, illness attributions, and recommended help-seeking. For caregivers, increases were observed in symptom knowledge and efficacy beliefs. La CLAve is a conceptually informed psychoeducational tool with a developing empirical base aimed at helping Spanish-speaking Latinos with serious mental illness obtain care in a timely manner. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

The time course of plausibility effects on eye movements in reading: Evidence from noun-noun compounds.

Readers' eye movements were monitored as they read sentences containing noun-noun compounds that varied in frequency (e.g., elevator mechanic, mountain lion). The left constituent of the compound was either plausible or implausible as a head noun at the point at which it appeared, whereas the compound as a whole was always plausible. When the head noun analysis of the left constituent was implausible, reading times on this word were inflated, beginning with the first fixation. This finding is consistent with previous demonstrations of very rapid effects of plausibility on eye movements. Compound frequency did not modulate the plausibility effect, and all disruption was resolved by the time readers' eyes moved to the next word. These findings suggest (contra Kennison, 2005) that the parser initially analyzes a singular noun as a head instead of a modifier. In addition, the findings confirm that the very rapid effect of plausibility on eye movements is not due to strategic factors, because in the present experiment, unlike in previous demonstrations, this effect appeared in sentences that were globally plausible. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)