Epitaxial strain adaption in chemically disordered FeRh thin films

Strain and strain adaption mechanisms in modern functional materials are of crucial importance for their performance. Understanding these mechanisms will advance innovative approaches for material properties engineering. Here we study the strain adaption mechanism in a thin film model system as function of epitaxial strain. Chemically disordered FeRh thin films are deposited on W-V buffer layers, which allow for large variation of the preset lattice constants, e.g. epitaxial boundary condition. It is shown by means of high resolution X-ray reciprocal space maps and transmission electron microscopy that the system reacts with a tilting mechanism of the structural units in order to adapt to the lattice constants of the buffer layer. This response explained by density functional theory calculations, which evidence an energetic minimum for structures with a distortion of c/a =0.87. The experimentally observed tilting mechanism is induced by this energy gain and allows the system to remain in the most favorable structure. In general, it is shown that the use of epitaxial model heterostructures consisting of alloy buffer layers of fully miscible elements and the functional material of interest allows to study strain adaption behaviors in great detail. This approach makes even small secondary effects observable, such as the directional tilting of the structural domains identified in the present case study

A Survey of Amish Tunebooks: Categorizing Slow Tunes by Date of Origin

A survey of Notabücher (tune books) currently used by geographically diverse Amish communities leads to the conclusion that Amish slow tunes can be placed into three categories according to date of origin. I've dubbed these Old, Middle, and New Groups. Old Group tunes are derived from sixteenth century folk songs and Reformation era hymns. Middle Group tunes are, for the most part, based on later German chorales and New Group tunes have been adapted from early American hymn tunes. I begin this article with a brief summary of earlier research on Amish slow tunes, then give an overview of current Notabücher, their compilers, and layout. Next, characteristics of each tune category are given, with musical examples. Lastly, the Notabuch survey appears in chart form

I ain't no size two' : feminist conversations and controversial messages in Meghan Trainor's empowerment songs

Meghan Trainor's brand -- while thoroughly debated among critics and consumers -- provides a gateway to conversations on body acceptance, gender equality, and female empowerment through the use of provocative lyrics, catchy tunes, and memorable music videos. This study considers Meghan Trainor's most popular songs from her first two albums, Title (2015) and Thank You (2016). The work aims to decide, not whether Trainor and is feminist per se, but how her work contributes to feminist conversations. Popular music scholar James Lull argues that the consumption of music "implies that music has some kind of impact, since listeners pick up information, feelings, even values from their contact with music." In effect, that is what this thesis attempts to uncover, using Trainor by way of example. Trainor may not be as popular as Lady Gaga, Beyonc, and Taylor Swift, but her music has the power to signify across generations -- deepening the conversations needed across genders, social classes, races and political perspectives.Dr. Maya C. Gibson, Thesis Supervisor.Includes bibliographical references (pages 118-132)

Outlooks and Opinions of Practicing Physical Therapists Regarding Direct Access in Indiana

poster abstractIntroduction: Indiana is one of the remaining states that requires by state law a referral to initiate treatment by a licensed physical therapist (PT) and therefore does not allow consumers direct access to physical therapy services. In 2009, the Indiana Chapter of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) and Indiana University jointly funded a study to investigate the opinions of licensed physical therapists on direct access to physical therapy services. Purpose: The study investigated physical therapists opinions residing in the state of Indiana on four main issues: Direct access—desire for and willingness to achieve Scope of care—differential diagnosis and clinical skills Liability—perceived impact of direct access Manipulation practices—competence and confidence Methods: The researchers used an online program, SurveyMonkey©, to design an 18-question survey. The sample was recruited via a mailing list from the Indiana State Board of Health which included all the licensed physical therapists within the state of Indiana. A letter explaining the purpose of the study including a hyperlink to the survey and a hard copy of the survey was mailed to 3,350 physical therapists. The survey respondents could either choose to complete the survey online via the hyperlink or on the hard copy provided and return via a provided selfaddressed stamped envelope for survey return. Results: There were 1,379 respondents which accounted for a 42% return rate. APTA membership was analyzed with 39.5% of the respondents being APTA members and the remaining 60.5% being non-members. The collective responses to specific questions were reported by a five-level Likert response scale. The majority of respondents want direct access in the state of Indiana, with the average response being 4.13/5.00. However, proportionately the willingness of respondents to be actively involved is much lower, with the average response being 3.23/5.00. The majority (61%) believed their liability would increase with direct access. The terminal degrees for the respondents surveyed were varied with the majority, 48.6%, holding a Bachelor’s degree. The responses of participants were significantly influenced by their degree/level of training with higher levels of training being consistently associated with more favorable attitudes to direct access issues. Discussion /Clinical Relevance: The high return rate and passionate responses confirm these issues are important to PT’s practicing in Indiana and the majority of those surveyed are in favor of direct access to physical therapy services without compromise of the current scope of care. The results of this study may have implications for health policy regarding direct access to physical therapy services within the state of Indiana. In particular to help redirect efforts toward dispelling myths, promoting grassroots efforts and encouraging teamwork in our peers