Eagle Scouts: Merit beyond the Badge

Previous studies have shown that participation in Scouting produces better citizens.6 And, there is no shortage of examples or anecdotal accounts that would affirm these findings. Surprisingly, however, there is very little scientific evidence to confirm the prosocial benefits associated with Scouting or earning the rank of Eagle Scout. Thus, the central question of this study is to determine if participation in Scouting and ultimately becoming an Eagle Scout is associated with prosocial behavior and positive youth development that carries over into young adulthood and beyond

Influence of Homogeneous Interfaces on the Strength of 500 nm Diameter Cu Nanopillars

Interfaces play an important role in crystalline plasticity as they affect strength and often serve as obstacles to dislocation motion. Here we investigate effects of grain and nanotwin boundaries on uniaxial strength of 500 nm diameter Cu nanopillars fabricated by e-beam lithography and electroplating. Uniaxial compression experiments reveal that strength is lowered by introducing grain boundaries and significantly rises when twin boundaries are present. Weakening is likely due to the activation of grain-boundary-mediated processes, while impeding dislocation glide can be responsible for strengthening by twin boundaries

Chromosomal diversification and karyotype evolution of diploids in the cytologically diverse genus Prospero (Hyacinthaceae)

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited

Being Prepared and Staying Connected: Scouting’s Influence on Social Capital and Community Involvement

Objectives In recent years, scholars have become concerned about the effects that declining levels of social capital are having on community life in the United States. Data suggest that Americans are less likely to interact with neighbors and less likely to participate in community groups than they were in the past. Nevertheless, researchers have found that participation in some types of organizations has a positive impact on social capital and civic involvement. Each year, millions of American youth participate in programs designed to promote positive youth development. Here, we examine the effect that participation in one of the largest youth organizations, the Boy Scouts of America (BSA), has on adult social capital and community involvement. Methods Utilizing a national survey of adult males, we compare measures of social capital and community involvement for former Scouts and non‐Scouts. Results Our findings suggest that level of involvement in the Boy Scouts is significantly related to measures of adult social capital and community engagement. Conclusion Scouting tends to have a significant impact on the lives of its most committed members. Future research must continue to explore the long‐term effects of participation in youth organizations

Free energy barrier for molecular motions in bistable [2]rotaxane molecular electronic devices

Donor−acceptor binding of the π-electron-poor cyclophane cyclobis(paraquat-p-phenylene) (CBPQT^(4+)) with the π-electron-rich tetrathiafulvalene (TTF) and 1,5-dioxynaphthalene (DNP) stations provides the basis for electrochemically switchable, bistable [2]rotaxanes, which have been incorporated and operated within solid-state devices to form ultradense memory circuits (ChemPhysChem 2002, 3, 519−525; Nature 2007, 445, 414−417) and nanoelectromechanical systems. The rate of CBPQT^(4+) shuttling at each oxidation state of the [2]rotaxane dictates critical write-and-retention time parameters within the devices, which can be tuned through chemical synthesis. To validate how well computational chemistry methods can estimate these rates for use in designing new devices, we used molecular dynamics simulations to calculate the free energy barrier for the shuttling of the CBPQT^4+ ring between the TTF and the DNP. The approach used here was to calculate the potential of mean force along the switching pathway, from which we calculated free energy barriers. These calculations find a turn-on time after the rotaxane is doubly oxidized of ~10^9−7) s (suggesting that the much longer experimental turn-on time is determined by the time scale of oxidization). The return barrier from the DNP to the TTF leads to a predicted lifetime of 2.1 s, which is compatible with experiments

Superprotonic phase transition of CsHSO4: A molecular dynamics simulation study

The superprotonic phase transition (phase II --> phase I; 414 K) of cesium hydrogen sulfate, CsHSO4, was simulated using molecular dynamics with the "first principles" MSXX force field (FF). The structure, binding energy, and vibrational frequencies of the CsHSO4 monomer, the binding energy of the (H2SO4)2 dimer, and the torsion barrier of the HSO4- ion were determined from quantum mechanical calculations, and the parameters of the Dreiding FF for Cs, S, O, and H adjusted to reproduce these quantities. Each hydrogen atom was treated as bonded exclusively to a single oxygen atom (proton donor), but allowed to form hydrogen bonds to various second nearest oxygen atoms (proton acceptors). Fixed temperature-pressure (NPT) dynamics were employed to study the structure as a function of temperature from 298 to 723 K. In addition, the influence of several force field parameters, including the hydrogen torsional barrier height, hydrogen bond strength, and oxygen charge distribution, on the structural behavior of CsHSO4 was probed. Although the FF does not allow proton migration (i.e., proton jumps) between oxygen atoms, a clear phase transition occurred as demonstrated by a discrete change of unit cell symmetry (monoclinic to tetragonal), cell volume, and molar enthalpy. The dynamics of the HSO4- group reorientational motion also changed dramatically at the transition. The observation of a transition to the expected tetragonal phase using a FF in which protons cannot migrate indicates that proton diffusion does not drive the transition to the superprotonic phase. Rather, high conductivity is a consequence of the rapid reorientations that occur in the high temperature phase. Furthermore, because no input from the superprotonic phase was employed in these simulations, it may be possible to employ MD to hypothesize superprotonic materials