Calculation of the magnetic field penetration depth for high-Tc cuprate superconductors based on the Interlayer Pair Tunneling model /

In this work, the magnetic field penetration depth for high-Tc cuprate superconductors is calculated using a recent Interlayer Pair Tunneling (ILPT) model proposed by Chakravarty, Sudb0, Anderson, and Strong [1] to explain high temperature superconductivity. This model involves a "hopping" of Cooper pairs between layers of the unit cell which acts to amplify the pairing mechanism within the planes themselves. Recent work has shown that this model can account reasonably well for the isotope effect and the dependence of Tc on nonmagnetic in-plane impurities [2] , as well as the Knight shift curves [3] and the presence of a magnetic peak in the neutron scattering intensity [4]. In the latter case, Yin et al. emphasize that the pair tunneling must be the dominant pairing mechanism in the high-Tc cuprates in order to capture the features found in experiments. The goal of this work is to determine whether or not the ILPT model can account for the experimental observations of the magnetic field penetration depth in YBa2Cu307_a7. Calculations are performed in the weak and strong coupling limits, and the efi"ects of both small and large strengths of interlayer pair tunneling are investigated. Furthermore, as a follow up to the penetration depth calculations, both the neutron scattering intensity and the Knight shift are calculated within the ILPT formalism. The aim is to determine if the ILPT model can yield results consistent with experiments performed for these properties. The results for all three thermodynamic properties considered are not consistent with the notion that the interlayer pair tunneling must be the dominate pairing mechanism in these high-Tc cuprate superconductors. Instead, it is found that reasonable agreement with experiments is obtained for small strengths of pair tunneling, and that large pair tunneling yields results which do not resemble those of the experiments.

Living in the Skin That I Am: An Organizational Autoethnography of an Adult Educator's Plight to Survive the Stigma of Invisible and Episodic Disability in an Academy of Administritiva

Through the reflective lens of an adult educator with invisible and episodic disabilities, this paper has been written as an organizational autoethnography. Through a process of autoethnographical sensemaking, it is intended to illuminate important gaps in organizational theory. Feminist/relational care ethics, critical reflection, and transformative learning serve as the educational theories that comprise its framework. In telling my story, embodied writing and performance narrative are used to convey the felt existence of a body exposed through words—where my “abled” and “disabled” professional teaching and learning identities may be studied against the backdrop of organizational policies and procedures. Words used to describe unfamiliar experiences and situations shape meaning for which new meaning may emerge. At the conclusion of this paper, an alternative frame of reference—a view from the margins—may be offered to articulate authenticity in the expectancy of workplace equity for adult educators with disabilities. Taken collectively on a larger level, it is hoped that this research may provide a source of inspiration for systemic organizational change in adult learning environments.

Examining the roles of core and local temperature on forearm skin blood flow

The interaction between local and reflexive control of skin blood flow (SkBF) is unclear. This thesis isolated the roles of rectal (Tre) and local (Tloc) temperature on forearm SkBF regulation at normal and elevated body temperatures, and to investigate the interaction between local and reflexive SkBF control. While either normothermic (Tre ~37.0°C) or hyperthermic (∆Tre +1.1°C), SkBF was assessed on the dorsal aspect of each forearm in 10 participants while Tloc was manipulated in an A-B-A-B fashion between neutral (33.0°C) and hot (38.5°C). Finally, local heating to 44°C was performed to elicit maximal SkBF. Data are presented as a percentage of maximal cutaneous vascular conductance (CVC), calculated as laser-Doppler flux divided by mean arterial pressure. Tloc manipulations performed during normothermia had significantly greater effects on CVC than during hyperthermia. The decreased modification to SkBF from the Tloc changes during hyperthermia suggests that strong reflexive vasodilation attenuates local SkBF control mechanisms.

Registered Nurses' Perceptions about Facilitators and Barriers to Maternal Skin to Skin Contact in the Operating Room

Abstract It is recommended that all new mothers experience skin-to-skin contact (SSC) with their newborns immediately after birth. However, SSC is not commonly practiced after cesarean deliveries. To understand facilitators and barriers regarding SSC in the operating room (OR), a descriptive online and paper survey was conducted with 68 Registered Nurses from four hospitals in Ontario. The theory of planned behavior framed the study. Nurses had positive attitudes, and believed most health care team members supported SSC in the OR, but were uncertain about their control over the behavior. Nurses who had practiced the behavior in the past had more positive attitudinal and normative beliefs, and perceived some barriers as less difficult. Attitude and past behavior were the only significant multivariate predictors of intention to practice SSC in the future. Results suggest that shifting attitude and supporting more experience with the practice may increase nurses’ implementation of SSC in the OR.