Rangeland resilience and resistance: annual and perennial grass stable states

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The concept of resilience, the ability to resist a shift to an alternative vegetation state, has become an important topic in range management. To quantify the degree to which a plant community is resilient, we experimentally manipulated communities dominated by either the invasive annual grass chea...

The global extent and determinants of savanna and forest as alternative biome states.

PubMed

Staver, A Carla; Archibald, Sally; Levin, Simon A

2011-10-14

Theoretically, fire-tree cover feedbacks can maintain savanna and forest as alternative stable states. However, the global extent of fire-driven discontinuities in tree cover is unknown, especially accounting for seasonality and soils. We use tree cover, climate, fire, and soils data sets to show that tree cover is globally discontinuous. Climate influences tree cover globally but, at intermediate rainfall (1000 to 2500 millimeters) with mild seasonality (less than 7 months), tree cover is bimodal, and only fire differentiates between savanna and forest. These may be alternative states over large areas, including parts of Amazonia and the Congo. Changes in biome distributions, whether at the cost of savanna (due to fragmentation) or forest (due to climate), will be neither smooth nor easily reversible.

Role of Alternative Food in Controlling Chaotic Dynamics in a Predator-Prey Model with Disease in the Predator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Das, Krishna Pada; Bairagi, Nandadulal; Sen, Prabir

It is generally, but not always, accepted that alternative food plays a stabilizing role in predator-prey interaction. Parasites, on the other hand, have the ability to change both the qualitative and quantitative dynamics of its host population. In recent times, researchers are showing growing interest in formulating models that integrate both the ecological and epidemiological aspects. The present paper deals with the effect of alternative food on a predator-prey system with disease in the predator population. We show that the system, in the absence of alternative food, exhibits different dynamics viz. stable coexistence, limit cycle oscillations, period-doubling bifurcation and chaos when infection rate is gradually increased. However, when predator consumes alternative food coupled with its focal prey, the system returns to regular oscillatory state from chaotic state through period-halving bifurcations. Our study shows that alternative food may have larger impact on the community structure and may increase population persistence.

A STATISTICAL MODELING METHODOLOGY FOR THE DETECTION, QUANTIFICATION, AND PREDICTION OF ECOLOGICAL THRESHOLDS

EPA Science Inventory

This study will provide a general methodology for integrating threshold information from multiple species ecological metrics, allow for prediction of changes of alternative stable states, and provide a risk assessment tool that can be applied to adaptive management. The integr...

Developing Scenarios: Linking Environmental Scanning and Strategic Planning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Whiteley, Meredith A.; And Others

1990-01-01

The multiple scenario analysis technique for organizational planning used by multinational corporations is adaptable for colleges and universities. Arizona State University launched a futures-based planning project using the Delphi technique and cross-impact analysis to produce three alternative scenarios (stable, turbulent, and chaotic) to expand…

RNAi mediated, stable resistance to Triticum mosaic virus in wheat

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Triticum mosaic virus (TriMV), discovered in 2006, affects wheat production systems in the Great Plains of the United States. There are no available TriMV resistant commercial varieties. RNA interference (RNAi) was evaluated as an alternative strategy to generate resistance to TriMV. An RNAi pANDA...

Accommodating state shifts within the conceptual framework of the wetland continuum

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mushet, David M.; McKenna, Owen; LaBaugh, James W.; Euliss, Ned H.; Rosenberry, Donald O.

2018-01-01

The Wetland Continuum is a conceptual framework that facilitates the interpretation of biological studies of wetland ecosystems. Recently summarized evidence documenting how a multi-decadal wet period has influenced aspects of wetland, lake and stream systems in the southern prairie-pothole region of North America has revealed the potential for wetlands to shift among alternate states. We propose that incorporation of state shifts into the Wetland Continuum, as originally proposed or as modified by Hayashi et al., is a relatively simple matter if one allows for shifts of wetlands along the horizontal, groundwater axis of the framework under conditions of extreme and sustained wet or dry conditions. We suggest that the ease by which state shifts can be accommodated within both the original and modified frameworks of the Wetland Continuum is a testament to the robustness of the concept when it is related to the alternative-stable-state concept.

What controls channel form in steep mountain streams?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Palucis, M. C.; Lamb, M. P.

2017-07-01

Steep mountain streams have channel morphologies that transition from alternate bar to step-pool to cascade with increasing bed slope, which affect stream habitat, flow resistance, and sediment transport. Experimental and theoretical studies suggest that alternate bars form under large channel width-to-depth ratios, step-pools form in near supercritical flow or when channel width is narrow compared to bed grain size, and cascade morphology is related to debris flows. However, the connection between these process variables and bed slope—the apparent dominant variable for natural stream types—is unclear. Combining field data and theory, we find that certain bed slopes have unique channel morphologies because the process variables covary systematically with bed slope. Multiple stable states are predicted for other ranges in bed slope, suggesting that a competition of underlying processes leads to the emergence of the most stable channel form.

HIGHLY BRIGHT, HEAVY METAL-FREE AND STABLE DOPED SEMICONDUCTOR NANO-PHOSPHORS FOR ECONOMICAL SOLID STATE LIGHTING ALTERNATIVES - PHASE II

EPA Science Inventory

There is growing concern about how to limit the release of mercury into the environment. One significant source of mercury is found in fluorescent lamps. Recently, however, compact fluorescent lamps have been heavily promoted in order to conserve electrical energy. While it...

Alternative stable states and phase shifts in coral reefs under anthropogenic stress.

PubMed

Fung, Tak; Seymour, Robert M; Johnson, Craig R

2011-04-01

Ecosystems with alternative stable states (ASS) may shift discontinuously from one stable state to another as environmental parameters cross a threshold. Reversal can then be difficult due to hysteresis effects. This contrasts with continuous state changes in response to changing environmental parameters, which are less difficult to reverse. Worldwide degradation of coral reefs, involving "phase shifts" from coral to algal dominance, highlights the pressing need to determine the likelihood of discontinuous phase shifts in coral reefs, in contrast to continuous shifts with no ASS. However, there is little evidence either for or against the existence of ASS for coral reefs. We use dynamic models to investigate the likelihood of continuous and discontinuous phase shifts in coral reefs subject to sustained environmental perturbation by fishing, nutrification, and sedimentation. Our modeling results suggest that coral reefs with or without anthropogenic stress can exhibit ASS, such that discontinuous phase shifts can occur. We also find evidence to support the view that high macroalgal growth rates and low grazing rates on macroalgae favor ASS in coral reefs. Further, our results suggest that the three stressors studied, either alone or in combination, can increase the likelihood of both continuous and discontinuous phase shifts by altering the competitive balance between corals and algae. However, in contrast to continuous phase shifts, we find that discontinuous shifts occur only in model coral reefs with parameter values near the extremes of their empirically determined ranges. This suggests that continuous shifts are more likely than discontinuous shifts in coral reefs. Our results also suggest that, for ecosystems in general, tackling multiple human stressors simultaneously maximizes resilience to phase shifts, ASS, and hysteresis, leading to improvements in ecosystem health and functioning.

Linking Pattern Formation and Alternative Stable States: Ecohydrologic Thresholds and Critical Transitions in the Everglades Peatlands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heffernan, J. B.; Ross, M. S.; Sah, J. P.; Isherwood, E.; Cohen, M. J.

2015-12-01

Spatial patterning occurs in a variety of ecosystems, and is important for the functional properties of landscapes; for testing spatial models of ecological processes; and as an indicator of landscape condition and resilience. Theory suggests that regular patterns arise from coupled local- and landscape-scale feedbacks that can also create multiple stable landscape states. In the Florida Everglades, hydrologic modification has degraded much of the historically-extensive ridge-slough landscape, a patterned peatland mosaic with distinct, flow-parallel patches. However, in the Everglades and in general, the hypothesis that patterned landscapes have homogeneous alternative states has little direct empirical support. Here we use microtopographic and vegetative heterogeneity, and their relation to hydrologic conditions, to infer the existence of multiple landscape equilibria and identify the hydrologic thresholds for critical transitions between these states. Dual relationships between elevation variance and water depth, and bi-modal distributions of both elevation variance and plant community distinctness, are consistent with generic predictions of multiple states, and covariation between these measures suggests that microtopography is the leading indicator of landscape degradation. Furthermore, a simple ecohydrologic multiple-state model correctly predicts the hydrologic thresholds for persistence of distinct ridges and sloughs. Predicted ridge-slough elevation differences and their relation to water depth are much greater than observed in the contemporary Everglades, but correspond closely with historical observations of pre-drainage conditions. These multiple lines of evidence represent the broadest and most direct support for the link between regular spatial pattern and landscape-scale alternative states in any ecosystem, and suggest that other patterned landscapes could undergo sudden collapse in response to changing environmental conditions. Hydrologic thresholds and leading indicators of critical transitions should guide management of the Everglades ridge-slough landscape, whose preservation is a central goal of one of the world's largest ecosystem restoration efforts.

A dynamic bioenergetic model for coral-Symbiodinium symbioses and coral bleaching as an alternate stable state.

PubMed

Cunning, Ross; Muller, Erik B; Gates, Ruth D; Nisbet, Roger M

2017-10-27

Coral reef ecosystems owe their ecological success - and vulnerability to climate change - to the symbiotic metabolism of corals and Symbiodinium spp. The urgency to understand and predict the stability and breakdown of these symbioses (i.e., coral 'bleaching') demands the development and application of theoretical tools. Here, we develop a dynamic bioenergetic model of coral-Symbiodinium symbioses that demonstrates realistic steady-state patterns in coral growth and symbiont abundance across gradients of light, nutrients, and feeding. Furthermore, by including a mechanistic treatment of photo-oxidative stress, the model displays dynamics of bleaching and recovery that can be explained as transitions between alternate stable states. These dynamics reveal that "healthy" and "bleached" states correspond broadly to nitrogen- and carbon-limitation in the system, with transitions between them occurring as integrated responses to multiple environmental factors. Indeed, a suite of complex emergent behaviors reproduced by the model (e.g., bleaching is exacerbated by nutrients and attenuated by feeding) suggests it captures many important attributes of the system; meanwhile, its modular framework and open source R code are designed to facilitate further problem-specific development. We see significant potential for this modeling framework to generate testable hypotheses and predict integrated, mechanistic responses of corals to environmental change, with important implications for understanding the performance and maintenance of symbiotic systems. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Alternative Pathways to Engineering Success--Using Academic and Social Integration to Understand Two-Year Engineering Student Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Marra, Rose M.; Tsai, Chia-Lin; Bogue, Barbara; Pytel, Jean Landa

2015-01-01

The need for educating engineers in the United States continues as the projected demand is rising the number of high school seniors planning to enter engineering careers has remained relatively stable (Sargent, 2014). Additionally, figures show that attrition rates in undergraduate engineering continue to be an area of concern, (Sargent, 2014;…

Floating plant dominance as a stable state

PubMed Central

Scheffer, Marten; Szabó, Sándor; Gragnani, Alessandra; van Nes, Egbert H.; Rinaldi, Sergio; Kautsky, Nils; Norberg, Jon; Roijackers, Rudi M. M.; Franken, Rob J. M.

2003-01-01

Invasion by mats of free-floating plants is among the most important threats to the functioning and biodiversity of freshwater ecosystems ranging from temperate ponds and ditches to tropical lakes. Dark, anoxic conditions under thick floating-plant cover leave little opportunity for animal or plant life, and they can have large negative impacts on fisheries and navigation in tropical lakes. Here, we demonstrate that floating-plant dominance can be a self-stabilizing ecosystem state, which may explain its notorious persistence in many situations. Our results, based on experiments, field data, and models, represent evidence for alternative domains of attraction in ecosystems. An implication of our findings is that nutrient enrichment reduces the resilience of freshwater systems against a shift to floating-plant dominance. On the other hand, our results also suggest that a single drastic harvest of floating plants can induce a permanent shift to an alternative state dominated by rooted, submerged growth forms. PMID:12634429

Passive band-gap reconfiguration born from bifurcation asymmetry.

PubMed

Bernard, Brian P; Mann, Brian P

2013-11-01

Current periodic structures are constrained to have fixed energy transmission behavior unless active control or component replacement is used to alter their wave propagation characteristics. The introduction of nonlinearity to generate multiple stable equilibria is an alternative strategy for realizing distinct energy propagation behaviors. We investigate the creation of a reconfigurable band-gap system by implementing passive switching between multiple stable states of equilibrium, to alter the level of energy attenuation in response to environmental stimuli. The ability to avoid potentially catastrophic loads is demonstrated by tailoring the bandpass and band-gap regions to coalesce for two stable equilibria and varying an external load parameter to trigger a bifurcation. The proposed phenomenon could be utilized in remote or autonomous applications where component modifications and active control are impractical.

Pressure activated stability-bypass-control valves to increase the stable airflow range of a Mach 2.5 inlet with 40 percent internal contraction

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mitchell, G. A.; Sanders, B. W.

1974-01-01

The throat of a Mach 2.5 inlet with a coldpipe termination was fitted with a stability-bypass system. The inlet stable airflow range provided by various stability-bypass entrance configurations in alternate combination with several stability-bypass exit controls was determined for both steady-state conditions and internal transient pulses. Transient results were also obtained for the inlet with a choke point at the diffuser exit. Instart angles of attack were determined for the various stability-bypass entrance configurations. The response of the inlet-coldpipe system to internal and external oscillating disturbances was determined. Poppet valves at the stability-bypass exit provided an inlet stable airflow range of 28 percent or greater at all static and transient conditions.

Modeling and statistical analysis of non-Gaussian random fields with heavy-tailed distributions.

PubMed

Nezhadhaghighi, Mohsen Ghasemi; Nakhlband, Abbas

2017-04-01

In this paper, we investigate and develop an alternative approach to the numerical analysis and characterization of random fluctuations with the heavy-tailed probability distribution function (PDF), such as turbulent heat flow and solar flare fluctuations. We identify the heavy-tailed random fluctuations based on the scaling properties of the tail exponent of the PDF, power-law growth of qth order correlation function, and the self-similar properties of the contour lines in two-dimensional random fields. Moreover, this work leads to a substitution for the fractional Edwards-Wilkinson (EW) equation that works in the presence of μ-stable Lévy noise. Our proposed model explains the configuration dynamics of the systems with heavy-tailed correlated random fluctuations. We also present an alternative solution to the fractional EW equation in the presence of μ-stable Lévy noise in the steady state, which is implemented numerically, using the μ-stable fractional Lévy motion. Based on the analysis of the self-similar properties of contour loops, we numerically show that the scaling properties of contour loop ensembles can qualitatively and quantitatively distinguish non-Gaussian random fields from Gaussian random fluctuations.

Synchronization of cyclic power grids: Equilibria and stability of the synchronous state

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xi, Kaihua; Dubbeldam, Johan L. A.; Lin, Hai Xiang

2017-01-01

Synchronization is essential for the proper functioning of power grids; we investigate the synchronous states and their stability for cyclic power grids. We calculate the number of stable equilibria and investigate both the linear and nonlinear stabilities of the synchronous state. The linear stability analysis shows that the stability of the state, determined by the smallest nonzero eigenvalue, is inversely proportional to the size of the network. We use the energy barrier to measure the nonlinear stability and calculate it by comparing the potential energy of the type-1 saddles with that of the stable synchronous state. We find that the energy barrier depends on the network size (N) in a more complicated fashion compared to the linear stability. In particular, when the generators and consumers are evenly distributed in an alternating way, the energy barrier decreases to a constant when N approaches infinity. For a heterogeneous distribution of generators and consumers, the energy barrier decreases with N. The more heterogeneous the distribution is, the stronger the energy barrier depends on N. Finally, we find that by comparing situations with equal line loads in cyclic and tree networks, tree networks exhibit reduced stability. This difference disappears in the limit of N →∞ . This finding corroborates previous results reported in the literature and suggests that cyclic (sub)networks may be applied to enhance power transfer while maintaining stable synchronous operation.

Evolutionary Dynamics on Protein Bi-stability Landscapes can Potentially Resolve Adaptive Conflicts

PubMed Central

Sikosek, Tobias; Bornberg-Bauer, Erich; Chan, Hue Sun

2012-01-01

Experimental studies have shown that some proteins exist in two alternative native-state conformations. It has been proposed that such bi-stable proteins can potentially function as evolutionary bridges at the interface between two neutral networks of protein sequences that fold uniquely into the two different native conformations. Under adaptive conflict scenarios, bi-stable proteins may be of particular advantage if they simultaneously provide two beneficial biological functions. However, computational models that simulate protein structure evolution do not yet recognize the importance of bi-stability. Here we use a biophysical model to analyze sequence space to identify bi-stable or multi-stable proteins with two or more equally stable native-state structures. The inclusion of such proteins enhances phenotype connectivity between neutral networks in sequence space. Consideration of the sequence space neighborhood of bridge proteins revealed that bi-stability decreases gradually with each mutation that takes the sequence further away from an exactly bi-stable protein. With relaxed selection pressures, we found that bi-stable proteins in our model are highly successful under simulated adaptive conflict. Inspired by these model predictions, we developed a method to identify real proteins in the PDB with bridge-like properties, and have verified a clear bi-stability gradient for a series of mutants studied by Alexander et al. (Proc Nat Acad Sci USA 2009, 106:21149–21154) that connect two sequences that fold uniquely into two different native structures via a bridge-like intermediate mutant sequence. Based on these findings, new testable predictions for future studies on protein bi-stability and evolution are discussed. PMID:23028272

Designing asymmetric multiferroics with strong magnetoelectric coupling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Xuezeng; Xiang, Hongjun; Rondinelli, James; Materials Theory; Design Group Team

2015-03-01

Multiferroics offer exciting opportunities for electric-field control of magnetism. Single-phase multiferroics suitable for such applications at room temperature need much more study. Here, we propose the concept of an alternative type of multiferroics, namely, the ``asymmetric multiferroic.'' In asymmetric multiferroics, two locally stable ferroelectric states are not symmetrically equivalent, leading to different magnetic properties between these two states. Furthermore, we predict from first principles that a Fe-Cr-Mo superlattice with the LiNbO3-type structure is such an asymmetric multiferroic. The strong ferrimagnetism, high ferroelectric polarization, and significant dependence of the magnetic transition temperature on polarization make this asymmetric multiferroic an ideal candidate for realizing electric-field control of magnetism at room temperature. Our study suggests that the asymmetric multiferroic may provide an alternative playground for voltage control of magnetism and find its applications in spintronics and quantum computing.

Designing asymmetric multiferroics with strong magnetoelectric coupling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, X. Z.; Xiang, H. J.

2014-09-01

Multiferroics offer exciting opportunities for electric-field control of magnetism. Single-phase multiferroics suitable for such applications at room temperature need much more study. Here, we propose the concept of an alternative type of multiferroics, namely, the "asymmetric multiferroic." In asymmetric multiferroics, two locally stable ferroelectric states are not symmetrically equivalent, leading to different magnetic properties between these two states. Furthermore, we predict from first principles that a Fe-Cr-Mo superlattice with the LiNbO3-type structure is such an asymmetric multiferroic. The strong ferrimagnetism, high ferroelectric polarization, and significant dependence of the magnetic transition temperature on polarization make this asymmetric multiferroic an ideal candidate for realizing electric-field control of magnetism at room temperature. Our study suggests that the asymmetric multiferroic may provide an alternative playground for voltage control of magnetism and find its applications in spintronics and quantum computing.

A High-Resolution Chronology of Rapid Forest Transitions following Polynesian Arrival in New Zealand

PubMed Central

McWethy, David B.; Wilmshurst, Janet M.; Whitlock, Cathy; Wood, Jamie R.; McGlone, Matt S.

2014-01-01

Human-caused forest transitions are documented worldwide, especially during periods when land use by dense agriculturally-based populations intensified. However, the rate at which prehistoric human activities led to permanent deforestation is poorly resolved. In the South Island, New Zealand, the arrival of Polynesians c. 750 years ago resulted in dramatic forest loss and conversion of nearly half of native forests to open vegetation. This transformation, termed the Initial Burning Period, is documented in pollen and charcoal records, but its speed has been poorly constrained. High-resolution chronologies developed with a series of AMS radiocarbon dates from two lake sediment cores suggest the shift from forest to shrubland occurred within decades rather than centuries at drier sites. We examine two sites representing extreme examples of the magnitude of human impacts: a drier site that was inherently more vulnerable to human-set fires and a wetter, less burnable site. The astonishing rate of deforestation at the hands of small transient populations resulted from the intrinsic vulnerability of the native flora to fire and from positive feedbacks in post-fire vegetation recovery that increased landscape flammability. Spatially targeting burning in highly-flammable seral vegetation in forests rarely experiencing fire was sufficient to create an alternate fire-prone stable state. The New Zealand example illustrates how seemingly stable forest ecosystems can experience rapid and permanent conversions. Forest loss in New Zealand is among the fastest ecological transitions documented in the Holocene; yet equally rapid transitions can be expected in present-day regions wherever positive feedbacks support alternate fire-inhibiting, fire-prone stable states. PMID:25372150

Dynamics and control of the vortex flow behind a slender conical forebody by a pair of plasma actuators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meng, Xuanshi; Long, Yuexiao; Wang, Jianlei; Liu, Feng; Luo, Shijun

2018-02-01

Detailed particle-image-velocimetry (PIV) and surface pressure measurements are presented to study the vortex flow behind a slender conical forebody at high angles of attack. The results confirm the existence of two randomly appearing mirror imaged asymmetric bi-stable states of the separation vortices, giving rise to large side force and moment. A pair of carefully designed dielectric barrier discharge plasma actuators mounted near the apex and on both sides of the conical body are used to manipulate the vortex flow and thus provide control of the side forces on the body without using flaps. By making use of a duty-cycle actuation scheme that alternately actuates the port and starboard plasma actuators and optimizing the duty-cycle frequency, the present work demonstrates the feasibility of achieving a nearly perfect linear proportional control of the side force and moment in response to the duty-cycle ratio. Phase-locked PIV and surface pressure measurements are used to study the unsteady dynamic evolution of the flow within one duty-cycle actuation to reveal the flow control mechanism. It is found that under the duty-cycle actuation with the optimized frequency, the vortex flow essentially follows the plasma actuation by alternating between the two bi-stable states controlled directly by the duty-cycle ratio.

Selective predation and productivity jointly drive complex behavior in host-parasite systems.

PubMed

Hall, Spencer R; Duffy, Meghan A; Cáceres, Carla E

2005-01-01

Successful invasion of a parasite into a host population and resulting host-parasite dynamics can depend crucially on other members of a host's community such as predators. We do not fully understand how predation intensity and selectivity shape host-parasite dynamics because the interplay between predator density, predator foraging behavior, and ecosystem productivity remains incompletely explored. By modifying a standard susceptible-infected model, we show how productivity can modulate complex behavior induced by saturating and selective foraging behavior of predators in an otherwise stable host-parasite system. When predators strongly prefer parasitized hosts, the host-parasite system can oscillate, but predators can also create alternative stable states, Allee effects, and catastrophic extinction of parasites. In the latter three cases, parasites have difficulty invading and/or persisting in ecosystems. When predators are intermediately selective, these more complex behaviors become less important, but the host-parasite system can switch from stable to oscillating and then back to stable states along a gradient of predator control. Surprisingly, at higher productivity, predators that neutrally select or avoid parasitized hosts can catalyze extinction of both hosts and parasites. Thus, synergy between two enemies can end disastrously for the host. Such diverse outcomes underscore the crucial importance of the community and ecosystem context in which host-parasite interactions occur.

Recovery time and state change of terrestrial carbon cycle after disturbance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fu, Zheng; Li, Dejun; Hararuk, Oleksandra; Schwalm, Christopher; Luo, Yiqi; Yan, Liming; Niu, Shuli

2017-10-01

Ecosystems usually recover from disturbance until a stable state, during which carbon (C) is accumulated to compensate for the C loss associated with disturbance events. However, it is not well understood how likely it is for an ecosystem to recover to an alternative state and how long it takes to recover toward a stable state. Here, we synthesized the results from 77 peer-reviewed case studies that examined ecosystem recovery following disturbances to quantify state change (relative changes between pre-disturbance and fully recovered states) and recovery times for various C cycle variables and disturbance types. We found that most ecosystem C pools and fluxes fully recovered to a stable state that was not significantly different from the pre-disturbance state, except for leaf area index and net primary productivity, which were 10% and 35% higher than the pre-disturbance value, respectively, in forest ecosystem. Recovery times varied largely among variables and disturbance types in the forest, with the longest recovery time required for total biomass (104 ± 33 years) and the shortest time required for C fluxes (23 ± 5 years). The longest and shortest recovery times for different disturbance types are deforestation (101 ± 28 years) and drought (10 ± 1 years), respectively. The recovery time was related to disturbance severity with severer disturbances requiring longer recovery times. However, in the long term, recovery had a strong tendency to drive ecosystem C accumulation towards an equilibrium state. Although we assumed disturbances are static, the recovery-related estimates and relationships revealed in this study are crucial for improving the estimates of disturbance impacts and long-term C balance in terrestrial ecosystems within a disturbance-recovery cycle.

Alternative assessment of nano-TiO2 sedimentation under different conditions based on sedimentation efficiency at quasi-stable state

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Guang'an; Chen, Rui; Lu, Shushen; Jiang, Chengchun; Liu, Hong; Wang, Chuan

2015-11-01

The predictable significant increase in manufacture and use of engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) will cause their inevitable release into environment, and the potential harmful effects of ENPs have been confirmed. As representative ENPs, sedimentation behavior of nano-titanium dioxide (n-TiO2) should be better understood to control its environmental risk. In this study, an experimental methodology was established to set the sampling area and sampling time of n-TiO2 sedimentation. In addition, we defined a quasi-stable state and a precise index, i.e., sedimentation efficiency (SE) at this state, to describe the n-TiO2 sedimentation behavior. Both alternative concentration determination and conventional size measurement were applied to evaluate the sedimentation behavior of n-TiO2 with fulvic acid. Results showed that the sedimentation behavior described by SE was more precise and in disagreement with those predicted by particle size. Moreover, sedimentation experiments with salicylic acid (SA), under an electric field and different water temperatures or with sulfosalicylic acid under light irradiation were also performed. When the total organic carbon concentration of SA, the voltage of working electrodes, and water temperature increased, or the wavelength of light source decreased, the SE of n-TiO2 increased and n-TiO2 showed a tendency to settle in water. These findings might be important for deepening the understanding of n-TiO2 environmental behavior and exploring sedimentation behavior of other ENPs.

Improved constraints on in situ rates and on quantification of complete chloroethene degradation from stable carbon isotope mass balances in groundwater plumes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Höhener, Patrick; Elsner, Martin; Eisenmann, Heinrich; Atteia, Olivier

2015-11-01

Spills of chloroethenes (CEs) at industrial and urban sites can create groundwater plumes in which tetrachloro- and trichloroethene sequentially degrade to dichloroethenes, vinyl chloride (VC) and ethene, or ethane under reducing conditions. For detoxification, degradation must go beyond VC. Assessments based on ethene and ethane, however, are difficult because these products are volatile, may stem from alternative sources, can be further transformed and are not always monitored. To alternatively quantify degradation beyond VC, stable carbon isotope mass balances have been proposed where concentration-weighted CE isotope ratios are summed up and compared to the original source isotope ratio. Reported assessments, however, have provided not satisfactorily quantified results entailing greatly differing upper and lower estimates. This work proposes an integrative approach to better constrain the extent of total chloroethene degradation in groundwater samples. It is based on fitting of measured concentration and compound-specific stable carbon isotope data to an analytical reactive transport equation simulating steady-state plumes in two dimensions using an EXCEL spreadsheet. The fitting also yields estimates of degradation rates, of source width and of dispersivities. The approach is validated using two synthetic benchmark cases where the true extent of degradation is well known, and using data from two real field cases from literature.

Climate and vegetational regime shifts in the late Paleozoic ice age earth.

PubMed

DiMichele, W A; Montañez, I P; Poulsen, C J; Tabor, N J

2009-03-01

The late Paleozoic earth experienced alternation between glacial and non-glacial climates at multiple temporal scales, accompanied by atmospheric CO2 fluctuations and global warming intervals, often attended by significant vegetational changes in equatorial latitudes of Pangaea. We assess the nature of climate-vegetation interaction during two time intervals: middle-late Pennsylvanian transition and Pennsylvanian-Permian transition, each marked by tropical warming and drying. In case study 1, there is a catastrophic intra-biomic reorganization of dominance and diversity in wetland, evergreen vegetation growing under humid climates. This represents a threshold-type change, possibly a regime shift to an alternative stable state. Case study 2 is an inter-biome dominance change in western and central Pangaea from humid wetland and seasonally dry to semi-arid vegetation. Shifts between these vegetation types had been occurring in Euramerican portions of the equatorial region throughout the late middle and late Pennsylvanian, the drier vegetation reaching persistent dominance by Early Permian. The oscillatory transition between humid and seasonally dry vegetation appears to demonstrate a threshold-like behavior but probably not repeated transitions between alternative stable states. Rather, changes in dominance in lowland equatorial regions were driven by long-term, repetitive climatic oscillations, occurring with increasing intensity, within overall shift to seasonal dryness through time. In neither case study are there clear biotic or abiotic warning signs of looming changes in vegetational composition or geographic distribution, nor is it clear that there are specific, absolute values or rates of environmental change in temperature, rainfall distribution and amount, or atmospheric composition, approach to which might indicate proximity to a terrestrial biotic-change threshold.

Adapting High-Resolution Respirometry to Glucose-Limited Steady State Mycelium of the Filamentous Fungus Penicillium ochrochloron: Method Development and Standardisation

PubMed Central

Schinagl, Christoph W.; Vrabl, Pamela; Burgstaller, Wolfgang

2016-01-01

Fungal electron transport systems (ETS) are branched, involving alternative NADH dehydrogenases and an alternative terminal oxidase. These alternative respiratory enzymes were reported to play a role in pathogenesis, production of antibiotics and excretion of organic acids. The activity of these alternative respiratory enzymes strongly depends on environmental conditions. Functional analysis of fungal ETS under highly standardised conditions for cultivation, sample processing and respirometric assay are still lacking. We developed a highly standardised protocol to explore in vivo the ETS—and in particular the alternative oxidase—in Penicillium ochrochloron. This included cultivation in glucose-limited chemostat (to achieve a defined and reproducible physiological state), direct transfer without any manipulation of a broth sample to the respirometer (to maintain the physiological state in the respirometer as close as possible to that in the chemostat), and high-resolution respirometry (small sample volume and high measuring accuracy). This protocol was aimed at avoiding any changes in the physiological phenotype due to the high phenotypic plasticity of filamentous fungi. A stable oxygen consumption (< 5% change in 20 minutes) was only possible with glucose limited chemostat mycelium and a direct transfer of a broth sample into the respirometer. Steady state respiration was 29% below its maximum respiratory capacity. Additionally to a rotenone-sensitive complex I and most probably a functioning complex III, the ETS of P. ochrochloron also contained a cyanide-sensitive terminal oxidase (complex IV). Activity of alternative oxidase was present constitutively. The degree of inhibition strongly depended on the sequence of inhibitor addition. This suggested, as postulated for plants, that the alternative terminal oxidase was in dynamic equilibrium with complex IV—independent of the rate of electron flux. This means that the onset of activity does not depend on a complete saturation or inhibition of the cytochrome pathway. PMID:26771937

Challenging Cognitive Construals: A Dynamic Alternative to Stable Misconceptions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gouvea, Julia S.; Simon, Matt R.

2018-01-01

In biology education research, it has been common to model cognition in terms of relatively stable knowledge structures (e.g., mental models, alternative frameworks, deeply held misconceptions). For example, John D. Coley and Kimberley D. Tanner recently proposed that many student difficulties in biology stem from underlying cognitive frameworks…

Flood effects provide evidence of an alternate stable state caused by dam management on the Upper Missouri River

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Skalak, K.; Benthem, A.; Hupp, C. R.; Schenk, E.; Galloway, J.; Nustad, R.

2016-12-01

We examine how historic flooding in May 2011 affected the geomorphic adjustments (incision, island loss, delta formation etc.) created by dam regulation along the approximately 120 km free flowing reach of the Upper Missouri River bounded upstream by the Garrison Dam (1953) and downstream by Lake Oahe Reservoir (1959) near the City of Bismarck, ND. The largest flood since dam regulation occurred in May 2011. Flood releases from the Garrison Dam began in May 2011 and lasted until October, peaking with a flow of more than 4200 m3/s. Channel cross-section data and aerial imagery before and after the flood were compared to historic rates of channel change to assess the relative impact of the flood on the river morphology. Results indicate that the flood caused continued loss of islands in the reach just below the dam and an increase in island area downstream. Changes in channel capacity changes varied along the Garrison Segment as a result of the flood. The thalweg, which has been stable since the mid-1970s, did not migrate. And channel morphology, as defined by a newly developed shoaling metric which quantifies the degree of channel braiding, indicates significant longitudinal variability in response to the flood. These results show that the 2011 flood exacerbates some geomorphic trends caused by the dam while reversing others. We conclude that dam management created an alternate geomorphic and related ecological stable state which does not revert towards pre-dam conditions in response to the flood of record. This suggests that more active management, which includes sediment transport as well as flow modification, is necessary to restore the river towards pre-dam conditions and help create or maintain habitat for endangered species.

A 200-year perspective on alternative stable state theory and lake management from a biomanipulated shallow lake.

PubMed

Hobbs, William O; Hobbs, Joy M Ramstack; LaFrançois, Toben; Zimmer, Kyle D; Theissen, Kevin M; Edlund, Mark B; Michelutti, Neal; Butler, Malcolm G; Hanson, Mark A; Carlson, Thomas J

2012-07-01

Multiple stressors to a shallow lake ecosystem have the ability to control the relative stability of alternative states (clear, macrophyte-dominated or turbid, algal-dominated). As a consequence, the use of remedial biomanipulations to induce trophic cascades and shift a turbid lake to a clear state is often only a temporary solution. Here we show the instability of short-term manipulations in the shallow Lake Christina (Minnesota, USA) is governed by the long-term state following a regime shift in the lake. During the modern, managed period of the lake, three top-down manipulations (fish kills) were undertaken inducing temporary (5-10 years) unstable clear-water states. Paleoecological remains of diatoms, along with proxies of primary production (total chlorophyll a and total organic carbon accumulation rate) and trophic state (total P) from sediment records clearly show a single regime shift in the lake during the early 1950s; following this shift, the functioning of the lake ecosystem is dominated by a persistent turbid state. We find that multiple stressors contributed to the regime shift. First, the lake began to eutrophy (from agricultural land use and/or increased waterfowl populations), leading to a dramatic increase in primary production. Soon after, the construction of a dam in 1936 effectively doubled the depth of the lake, compounded by increases in regional humidity; this resulted in an increase in planktivorous and benthivorous fish reducing phytoplankton grazers. These factors further conspired to increase the stability of a turbid regime during the modern managed period, such that switches to a clear-water state were inherently unstable and the lake consistently returned to a turbid state. We conclude that while top-down manipulations have had measurable impacts on the lake state, they have not been effective in providing a return to an ecosystem similar to the stable historical period. Our work offers an example of a well-studied ecosystem forced by multiple stressors into a new long-term managed period, where manipulated clear-water states are temporary, managed features.

Plant traits demonstrate that temperate and tropical giant eucalypt forests are ecologically convergent with rainforest not savanna.

PubMed

Tng, David Y P; Jordan, Greg J; Bowman, David M J S

2013-01-01

Ecological theory differentiates rainforest and open vegetation in many regions as functionally divergent alternative stable states with transitional (ecotonal) vegetation between the two forming transient unstable states. This transitional vegetation is of considerable significance, not only as a test case for theories of vegetation dynamics, but also because this type of vegetation is of major economic importance, and is home to a suite of species of conservation significance, including the world's tallest flowering plants. We therefore created predictions of patterns in plant functional traits that would test the alternative stable states model of these systems. We measured functional traits of 128 trees and shrubs across tropical and temperate rainforest - open vegetation transitions in Australia, with giant eucalypt forests situated between these vegetation types. We analysed a set of functional traits: leaf carbon isotopes, leaf area, leaf mass per area, leaf slenderness, wood density, maximum height and bark thickness, using univariate and multivariate methods. For most traits, giant eucalypt forest was similar to rainforest, while rainforest, particularly tropical rainforest, was significantly different from the open vegetation. In multivariate analyses, tropical and temperate rainforest diverged functionally, and both segregated from open vegetation. Furthermore, the giant eucalypt forests overlapped in function with their respective rainforests. The two types of giant eucalypt forests also exhibited greater overall functional similarity to each other than to any of the open vegetation types. We conclude that tropical and temperate giant eucalypt forests are ecologically and functionally convergent. The lack of clear functional differentiation from rainforest suggests that giant eucalypt forests are unstable states within the basin of attraction of rainforest. Our results have important implications for giant eucalypt forest management.

Plant Traits Demonstrate That Temperate and Tropical Giant Eucalypt Forests Are Ecologically Convergent with Rainforest Not Savanna

PubMed Central

Tng, David Y. P.; Jordan, Greg J.; Bowman, David M. J. S.

2013-01-01

Ecological theory differentiates rainforest and open vegetation in many regions as functionally divergent alternative stable states with transitional (ecotonal) vegetation between the two forming transient unstable states. This transitional vegetation is of considerable significance, not only as a test case for theories of vegetation dynamics, but also because this type of vegetation is of major economic importance, and is home to a suite of species of conservation significance, including the world’s tallest flowering plants. We therefore created predictions of patterns in plant functional traits that would test the alternative stable states model of these systems. We measured functional traits of 128 trees and shrubs across tropical and temperate rainforest – open vegetation transitions in Australia, with giant eucalypt forests situated between these vegetation types. We analysed a set of functional traits: leaf carbon isotopes, leaf area, leaf mass per area, leaf slenderness, wood density, maximum height and bark thickness, using univariate and multivariate methods. For most traits, giant eucalypt forest was similar to rainforest, while rainforest, particularly tropical rainforest, was significantly different from the open vegetation. In multivariate analyses, tropical and temperate rainforest diverged functionally, and both segregated from open vegetation. Furthermore, the giant eucalypt forests overlapped in function with their respective rainforests. The two types of giant eucalypt forests also exhibited greater overall functional similarity to each other than to any of the open vegetation types. We conclude that tropical and temperate giant eucalypt forests are ecologically and functionally convergent. The lack of clear functional differentiation from rainforest suggests that giant eucalypt forests are unstable states within the basin of attraction of rainforest. Our results have important implications for giant eucalypt forest management. PMID:24358359

Are rapid transitions between invasive and native species caused by alternative stable states, and does it matter?

PubMed

Hansen, Gretchen J A; Ives, Anthony R; Vander Zanden, M Jake; Carpenter, Stephen R

2013-10-01

Rapid transitions in ecosystem structure, or regime shifts, are a hallmark of alternative stable states (ASS). However, regime shifts can occur even when feedbacks are not strong enough to cause ASS. We investigated the potential for ASS to explain transitions between dominance of an invasive species, rusty crayfish (Orconectes rusticus), and native sunfishes (Lepomis spp.) in northern Wisconsin (USA) lakes. A rapid transition from Lepomis to rusty crayfish dominance occurred as rusty crayfish invaded Trout Lake, and the reverse transition resulted from an eight-year experimental removal of rusty crayfish from Sparkling Lake. We fit a stage-structured population model of species interactions to 31 years of time-series data from each lake. The model identified water level as an important driver, with drought conditions reducing rusty crayfish recruitment and allowing Lepomis dominance. The maximum-likelihood parameter estimates of the negative interaction between rusty crayfish and Lepomis led to ASS in the model, where each species was capable of excluding the other within a narrow range of environmental conditions. However, uncertainty in parameter estimates made it impossible to exclude the potential that rapid transitions were caused by a simpler threshold response lacking alternative equilibria. Simulated forward and backward transitions between species dominance occurred at different environmental conditions (i.e., hysteresis), even when the parameters used for simulation did not predict ASS as a result of slow species responses to environmental drivers. Thus, ASS are possible, but by no means certain, explanations for rapid transitions in this system, and our results highlight the difficulties associated with distinguishing ASS from other types of threshold responses. However, whether regime shifts are caused by ASS may be relatively unimportant in this system, as the range of conditions over which transitions occur is narrow, and under most conditions, the system is predicted to exist in only a single state.

Alternating direction implicit methods for parabolic equations with a mixed derivative

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Beam, R. M.; Warming, R. F.

1980-01-01

Alternating direction implicit (ADI) schemes for two-dimensional parabolic equations with a mixed derivative are constructed by using the class of all A(0)-stable linear two-step methods in conjunction with the method of approximate factorization. The mixed derivative is treated with an explicit two-step method which is compatible with an implicit A(0)-stable method. The parameter space for which the resulting ADI schemes are second-order accurate and unconditionally stable is determined. Some numerical examples are given.

Alternating direction implicit methods for parabolic equations with a mixed derivative

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Beam, R. M.; Warming, R. F.

1979-01-01

Alternating direction implicit (ADI) schemes for two-dimensional parabolic equations with a mixed derivative are constructed by using the class of all A sub 0-stable linear two-step methods in conjunction with the method of approximation factorization. The mixed derivative is treated with an explicit two-step method which is compatible with an implicit A sub 0-stable method. The parameter space for which the resulting ADI schemes are second order accurate and unconditionally stable is determined. Some numerical examples are given.

Alternative stable states and the sustainability of forests, grasslands, and agriculture

PubMed Central

Henderson, Kirsten A.; Bauch, Chris T.; Anand, Madhur

2016-01-01

Endangered forest–grassland mosaics interspersed with expanding agriculture and silviculture occur across many parts of the world, including the southern Brazilian highlands. This natural mosaic ecosystem is thought to reflect alternative stable states driven by threshold responses of recruitment to fire and moisture regimes. The role of adaptive human behavior in such systems remains understudied, despite its pervasiveness and the fact that such ecosystems can exhibit complex dynamics. We develop a nonlinear mathematical model of coupled human–environment dynamics in mosaic systems and social processes regarding conservation and economic land valuation. Our objective is to better understand how the coupled dynamics respond to changes in ecological and social conditions. The model is parameterized with southern Brazilian data on mosaic ecology, land-use profits, and questionnaire results concerning landowner preferences and conservation values. We find that the mosaic presently resides at a crucial juncture where relatively small changes in social conditions can generate a wide variety of possible outcomes, including complete loss of mosaics; large-amplitude, long-term oscillations between land states that preclude ecosystem stability; and conservation of the mosaic even to the exclusion of agriculture/silviculture. In general, increasing the time horizon used for conservation decision making is more likely to maintain mosaic stability. In contrast, increasing the inherent conservation value of either forests or grasslands is more likely to induce large oscillations—especially for forests—due to feedback from rarity-based conservation decisions. Given the potential for complex dynamics, empirically grounded nonlinear dynamical models should play a larger role in policy formulation for human–environment mosaic ecosystems. PMID:27956605

Alternative stable states and the sustainability of forests, grasslands, and agriculture.

PubMed

Henderson, Kirsten A; Bauch, Chris T; Anand, Madhur

2016-12-20

Endangered forest-grassland mosaics interspersed with expanding agriculture and silviculture occur across many parts of the world, including the southern Brazilian highlands. This natural mosaic ecosystem is thought to reflect alternative stable states driven by threshold responses of recruitment to fire and moisture regimes. The role of adaptive human behavior in such systems remains understudied, despite its pervasiveness and the fact that such ecosystems can exhibit complex dynamics. We develop a nonlinear mathematical model of coupled human-environment dynamics in mosaic systems and social processes regarding conservation and economic land valuation. Our objective is to better understand how the coupled dynamics respond to changes in ecological and social conditions. The model is parameterized with southern Brazilian data on mosaic ecology, land-use profits, and questionnaire results concerning landowner preferences and conservation values. We find that the mosaic presently resides at a crucial juncture where relatively small changes in social conditions can generate a wide variety of possible outcomes, including complete loss of mosaics; large-amplitude, long-term oscillations between land states that preclude ecosystem stability; and conservation of the mosaic even to the exclusion of agriculture/silviculture. In general, increasing the time horizon used for conservation decision making is more likely to maintain mosaic stability. In contrast, increasing the inherent conservation value of either forests or grasslands is more likely to induce large oscillations-especially for forests-due to feedback from rarity-based conservation decisions. Given the potential for complex dynamics, empirically grounded nonlinear dynamical models should play a larger role in policy formulation for human-environment mosaic ecosystems.

Improved constraints on in situ rates and on quantification of complete chloroethene degradation from stable carbon isotope mass balances in groundwater plumes.

PubMed

Höhener, Patrick; Elsner, Martin; Eisenmann, Heinrich; Atteia, Olivier

2015-11-01

Spills of chloroethenes (CEs) at industrial and urban sites can create groundwater plumes in which tetrachloro- and trichloroethene sequentially degrade to dichloroethenes, vinyl chloride (VC) and ethene, or ethane under reducing conditions. For detoxification, degradation must go beyond VC. Assessments based on ethene and ethane, however, are difficult because these products are volatile, may stem from alternative sources, can be further transformed and are not always monitored. To alternatively quantify degradation beyond VC, stable carbon isotope mass balances have been proposed where concentration-weighted CE isotope ratios are summed up and compared to the original source isotope ratio. Reported assessments, however, have provided not satisfactorily quantified results entailing greatly differing upper and lower estimates. This work proposes an integrative approach to better constrain the extent of total chloroethene degradation in groundwater samples. It is based on fitting of measured concentration and compound-specific stable carbon isotope data to an analytical reactive transport equation simulating steady-state plumes in two dimensions using an EXCEL spreadsheet. The fitting also yields estimates of degradation rates, of source width and of dispersivities. The approach is validated using two synthetic benchmark cases where the true extent of degradation is well known, and using data from two real field cases from literature. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Passive levitation in alternating magnetic fields

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Romero, Louis; Christenson, Todd; Aronson, Eugene A.

2010-09-14

Stable levitation of an object in an alternating magnetic field can be achieved by eliminating coupling between the rotational and translational forces acting on the object. Stable levitation can also be achieved by varying the coupling between the rotational and translational forces acting on the object, while maintaining one or more of the rotational and translational forces steady in time.

Passive levitation in alternating magnetic fields

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Romero, Louis; Christenson, Todd; Aronson, Eugene A

2009-06-16

Stable levitation of an object in an alternating magnetic field can be achieved by eliminating coupling between the rotational and translational forces acting on the object. Stable levitation can also be achieved by varying the coupling between the rotational and translational forces acting on the object, while maintaining one or more of the rotational and translational forces steady in time.

Landscape change in the southern Piedmont: challenges, solutions, and uncertainty across scales

USGS Publications Warehouse

Conroy, M.J.; Allen, Craig R.; Peterson, J.T.; Pritchard, L.J.; Moore, C.T.

2003-01-01

The southern Piedmont of the southeastern United States epitomizes the complex and seemingly intractable problems and hard decisions that result from uncontrolled urban and suburban sprawl. Here we consider three recurrent themes in complicated problems involving complex systems: (1) scale dependencies and cross-scale, often nonlinear relationships; (2) resilience, in particular the potential for complex systems to move to alternate stable states with decreased ecological and/or economic value; and (3) uncertainty in the ability to understand and predict outcomes, perhaps particularly those that occur as a result of human impacts. We consider these issues in the context of landscape-level decision making, using as an example water resources and lotic systems in the Piedmont region of the southeastern United States.

Seasonally Varying Predation Behavior and Climate Shifts Are Predicted to Affect Predator-Prey Cycles.

PubMed

Tyson, Rebecca; Lutscher, Frithjof

2016-11-01

The functional response of some predator species changes from a pattern characteristic for a generalist to that for a specialist according to seasonally varying prey availability. Current theory does not address the dynamic consequences of this phenomenon. Since season length correlates strongly with altitude and latitude and is predicted to change under future climate scenarios, including this phenomenon in theoretical models seems essential for correct prediction of future ecosystem dynamics. We develop and analyze a two-season model for the great horned owl (Bubo virginialis) and snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus). These species form a predator-prey system in which the generalist to specialist shift in predation pattern has been documented empirically. We study the qualitative behavior of this predator-prey model community as summer season length changes. We find that relatively small changes in summer season length can have a profound impact on the system. In particular, when the predator has sufficient alternative resources available during the summer season, it can drive the prey to extinction, there can be coexisting stable states, and there can be stable large-amplitude limit cycles coexisting with a stable steady state. Our results illustrate that the impacts of global change on local ecosystems can be driven by internal system dynamics and can potentially have catastrophic consequences.

The role of metals in carcinogenesis: biochemistry and metabolism.

PubMed Central

Jennette, K W

1981-01-01

The oxyanions of vanadium, chromium, molybdenum, arsenic, and selenium are stable forms of these elements in high oxidation states which cross cell membranes using the normal phosphate and/or sulfate transport systems of the cell. Once inside the cell, these oxyanions may sulfuryl transfer reactions. Often the oxyanions serve as alternate enzyme substrates but form ester products which are hydrolytically unstable compared with the sulfate and phosphate esters and, therefore, decompose readily in aqueous solution. Arsenite and selenite are capable of reacting with sulfhydryl groups in proteins. Some cells are able to metabolize redox active oxyanions to forms of the elements in other stable oxidation states. Specific enzymes may be involved in the metabolic processes. The metabolites of these elements may form complexes with small molecules, proteins and nucleic acids which inhibit their ability to function properly. The divalent ions of beryllium, manganese, cobalt, nickel, cadmium, mercury, and lead are stable forms of these elements which may mimic essential divalent ions such as magnesium, calcium, iron, copper, or zinc. These ions may complex small molecules, enzymes, and nucleic acids in such a way that the normal activity of these species is altered. Free radicals may be produced in the presence of these metal ions which damage critical cellular molecules. PMID:7023933

Metastable liquid lamellar structures in binary and ternary mixtures of Lennard-Jones fluids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Díaz-Herrera, Enrique; Ramírez-Santiago, Guillermo; Moreno Razo, José A.

2004-03-01

We have carried out extensive equilibrium MD simulations to investigate the Liquid-Vapor coexistence in partially miscible binary and ternary mixtures LJ fluids. We have studied in detail the time evolution of the density profiles and the interfacial properties in a temperature region of the phase diagram where the condensed phase is demixed. The composition of the mixtures are fixed, 50% for the binary mixture and 33.33% for the ternary mixture. The results of the simulations clearly indicate that in the range of temperatures 78 < T < 102 ^oK,--in the scale of argon-- the system evolves towards a metastable alternated liquid-liquid lamellar state in coexistence with its vapor phase. These states can be achieved if the initial configuration is fully disordered, that is, when the particles of the fluids are randomly placed on the sites of an FCC crystal or the system is completely mixed. As temperature decreases these states become very well defined and more stable in time. We find that below 90 ^oK, the alternated liquid-liquid lamellar state remains alive for 80 ns, in the scale of argon, the longest simulation we have carried out. Nonetheless, we believe that in this temperature region these states will be alive for even much longer times.

Effect of alternative pathway therapy on branched chain amino acid metabolism in urea cycle disorder patients.

PubMed

Scaglia, Fernando; Carter, Susan; O'Brien, William E; Lee, Brendan

2004-04-01

Urea cycle disorders (UCDs) are a group of inborn errors of hepatic metabolism caused by the loss of enzymatic activities that mediate the transfer of nitrogen from ammonia to urea. These disorders often result in life-threatening hyperammonemia and hyperglutaminemia. A combination of sodium phenylbutyrate and sodium phenylacetate/benzoate is used in the clinical management of children with urea cycle defects as a glutamine trap, diverting nitrogen from urea synthesis to alternatives routes of excretion. We have observed that patients treated with these compounds have selective branched chain amino acid (BCAA) deficiency despite adequate dietary protein intake. However, the direct effect of alternative therapy on the steady state levels of plasma branched chain amino acids has not been well characterized. We have measured steady state plasma branched chain and other essential non-branched chain amino acids in control subjects, untreated ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency females and treated null activity urea cycle disorder patients in the fed steady state during the course of stable isotope studies. Steady-state leucine levels were noted to be significantly lower in treated urea cycle disorder patients when compared to either untreated ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency females or control subjects (P<0.0001). This effect was reproduced in control subjects who had depressed leucine levels when treated with sodium phenylacetate/benzoate (P<0.0001). Our studies suggest that this therapeutic modality has a substantial impact on the metabolism of branched chain amino acids in urea cycle disorder patients. These findings suggest that better titration of protein restriction could be achieved with branched chain amino acid supplementation in patients with UCDs who are on alternative route therapy.

High-fidelity spin measurement on the nitrogen-vacancy center

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hanks, Michael; Trupke, Michael; Schmiedmayer, Jörg; Munro, William J.; Nemoto, Kae

2017-10-01

Nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond are versatile candidates for many quantum information processing tasks, ranging from quantum imaging and sensing through to quantum communication and fault-tolerant quantum computers. Critical to almost every potential application is an efficient mechanism for the high fidelity readout of the state of the electronic and nuclear spins. Typically such readout has been achieved through an optically resonant fluorescence measurement, but the presence of decay through a meta-stable state will limit its efficiency to the order of 99%. While this is good enough for many applications, it is insufficient for large scale quantum networks and fault-tolerant computational tasks. Here we explore an alternative approach based on dipole induced transparency (state-dependent reflection) in an NV center cavity QED system, using the most recent knowledge of the NV center’s parameters to determine its feasibility, including the decay channels through the meta-stable subspace and photon ionization. We find that single-shot measurements above fault-tolerant thresholds should be available in the strong coupling regime for a wide range of cavity-center cooperativities, using a majority voting approach utilizing single photon detection. Furthermore, extremely high fidelity measurements are possible using weak optical pulses.

Stable isotope tracer dilution for quantifying very low-density lipoprotein-triacylglycerol kinetics in man.

PubMed

Sidossis, Labros S; Magkos, Faidon; Mittendorfer, Bettina; Wolfe, Robert R

2004-08-01

A number of approaches have been employed in the past to measure very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL) triacylglycerol (TG) kinetics in humans in vivo, varying in the selection of tracer and mode of administration. All, however, make use of labeled TG precursors and more or less complicated mathematical models to derive the kinetic parameters of interest. The aim of the present study was to develop a conceptually straightforward method, based on the traditional tracer infusion technique, for quantifying VLDL-TG production rates in man using stable isotopes. Our approach involves ingestion of [U-13C3]glycerol to endogenously label the glycerol in VLDL-TG, plasmapheresis, isolation of the newly 13C-labeled VLDL from plasma, and administration within the next 2-3 days via a primed constant autologous reinfusion. This procedure produces enough tracer for a priming dose plus 2-3 h of infusion. In the physiological conditions examined (basal and hyperglycemic states, fat- and carbohydrate-rich diets), with almost 3-fold ranging VLDL-TG pool sizes, a steady state in plasma VLDL-TG glycerol tracer-to-tracee ratio was readily achieved within 2 h. Consequently, calculations are made according to the isotope dilution principle, thus avoiding assumptions implicit in more complicated models. The stable isotope VLDL-TG tracer dilution method offers an alternative and reliable tool for the determination of endogenous VLDL-TG kinetics in man under a variety of metabolic states. Copyright 2003 Elsevier Ltd.

Human-Inspired Eigenmovement Concept Provides Coupling-Free Sensorimotor Control in Humanoid Robot.

PubMed

Alexandrov, Alexei V; Lippi, Vittorio; Mergner, Thomas; Frolov, Alexander A; Hettich, Georg; Husek, Dusan

2017-01-01

Control of a multi-body system in both robots and humans may face the problem of destabilizing dynamic coupling effects arising between linked body segments. The state of the art solutions in robotics are full state feedback controllers. For human hip-ankle coordination, a more parsimonious and theoretically stable alternative to the robotics solution has been suggested in terms of the Eigenmovement (EM) control. Eigenmovements are kinematic synergies designed to describe the multi DoF system, and its control, with a set of independent, and hence coupling-free , scalar equations. This paper investigates whether the EM alternative shows "real-world robustness" against noisy and inaccurate sensors, mechanical non-linearities such as dead zones, and human-like feedback time delays when controlling hip-ankle movements of a balancing humanoid robot. The EM concept and the EM controller are introduced, the robot's dynamics are identified using a biomechanical approach, and robot tests are performed in a human posture control laboratory. The tests show that the EM controller provides stable control of the robot with proactive ("voluntary") movements and reactive balancing of stance during support surface tilts and translations. Although a preliminary robot-human comparison reveals similarities and differences, we conclude (i) the Eigenmovement concept is a valid candidate when different concepts of human sensorimotor control are considered, and (ii) that human-inspired robot experiments may help to decide in future the choice among the candidates and to improve the design of humanoid robots and robotic rehabilitation devices.

Human-Inspired Eigenmovement Concept Provides Coupling-Free Sensorimotor Control in Humanoid Robot

PubMed Central

Alexandrov, Alexei V.; Lippi, Vittorio; Mergner, Thomas; Frolov, Alexander A.; Hettich, Georg; Husek, Dusan

2017-01-01

Control of a multi-body system in both robots and humans may face the problem of destabilizing dynamic coupling effects arising between linked body segments. The state of the art solutions in robotics are full state feedback controllers. For human hip-ankle coordination, a more parsimonious and theoretically stable alternative to the robotics solution has been suggested in terms of the Eigenmovement (EM) control. Eigenmovements are kinematic synergies designed to describe the multi DoF system, and its control, with a set of independent, and hence coupling-free, scalar equations. This paper investigates whether the EM alternative shows “real-world robustness” against noisy and inaccurate sensors, mechanical non-linearities such as dead zones, and human-like feedback time delays when controlling hip-ankle movements of a balancing humanoid robot. The EM concept and the EM controller are introduced, the robot's dynamics are identified using a biomechanical approach, and robot tests are performed in a human posture control laboratory. The tests show that the EM controller provides stable control of the robot with proactive (“voluntary”) movements and reactive balancing of stance during support surface tilts and translations. Although a preliminary robot-human comparison reveals similarities and differences, we conclude (i) the Eigenmovement concept is a valid candidate when different concepts of human sensorimotor control are considered, and (ii) that human-inspired robot experiments may help to decide in future the choice among the candidates and to improve the design of humanoid robots and robotic rehabilitation devices. PMID:28487646

Local neuropeptide signaling modulates serotonergic transmission to shape the temporal organization of C. elegans egg-laying behavior

PubMed Central

Banerjee, Navonil; Bhattacharya, Raja; Francis, Michael M.

2017-01-01

Animal behaviors are often composed of distinct alternating behavioral states. Neuromodulatory signals are thought to be critical for establishing stable behavioral states and for orchestrating transitions between them. However, we have only a limited understanding of how neuromodulatory systems act in vivo to alter circuit performance and shape behavior. To address these questions, we have investigated neuromodulatory signaling in the context of Caenorhabditis elegans egg-laying. Egg-laying activity cycles between discrete states–short bursts of egg deposition (active phases) that alternate with prolonged quiescent periods (inactive phases). Here using genetic, pharmacological and optogenetic approaches for cell-specific activation and inhibition, we show that a group of neurosecretory cells (uv1) located in close spatial proximity to the egg-laying neuromusculature direct the temporal organization of egg-laying by prolonging the duration of inactive phases. We demonstrate that the modulatory effects of the uv1 cells are mediated by peptides encoded by the nlp-7 and flp-11 genes that act locally to inhibit circuit activity, primarily by inhibiting vesicular release of serotonin from HSN motor neurons. This peptidergic inhibition is achieved, at least in part, by reducing synaptic vesicle abundance in the HSN motor neurons. By linking the in vivo actions of specific neuropeptide signaling systems with the generation of stable behavioral outcomes, our study reveals how cycles of neuromodulation emanating from non-neuronal cells can fundamentally shape the organization of a behavioral program. PMID:28384151

Information loss.

PubMed

Unruh, William G; Wald, Robert M

2017-09-01

The complete gravitational collapse of a body in general relativity will result in the formation of a black hole. Although the black hole is classically stable, quantum particle creation processes will result in the emission of Hawking radiation to infinity and corresponding mass loss of the black hole, eventually resulting in the complete evaporation of the black hole. Semiclassical arguments strongly suggest that, in the process of black hole formation and evaporation, a pure quantum state will evolve to a mixed state, i.e. there will be 'information loss'. There has been considerable controversy over this issue for more than 40 years. In this review, we present the arguments in favor of information loss, and analyze some of the counter-arguments and alternative possibilities.

Information loss

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Unruh, William G.; Wald, Robert M.

2017-09-01

The complete gravitational collapse of a body in general relativity will result in the formation of a black hole. Although the black hole is classically stable, quantum particle creation processes will result in the emission of Hawking radiation to infinity and corresponding mass loss of the black hole, eventually resulting in the complete evaporation of the black hole. Semiclassical arguments strongly suggest that, in the process of black hole formation and evaporation, a pure quantum state will evolve to a mixed state, i.e. there will be ‘information loss’. There has been considerable controversy over this issue for more than 40 years. In this review, we present the arguments in favor of information loss, and analyze some of the counter-arguments and alternative possibilities.

Generation of squeezing in a driven many-body system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hebbe Madhusudhana, Bharath; Boguslawski, Matthew; Anquez, Martin; Robbins, Bryce; Barrios, Maryrose; Hoang, Thai; Chapman, Michael

2016-05-01

In a spin-1 Bose-Einstein condensate, the non-linear spin-dependent collisional interactions can create entanglement and squeezing. Typically, the condensate is initialized at an unstable fixed point of the phase space, and subsequent free evolution under a time-independent Hamiltonian creates the squeezed state. Alternatively, it is possible to generate squeezing by driving the system localized at a stable fixed point. Here, we demonstrate that periodic modulation of the Hamiltonian can generate highly squeezed states. Our measurements show -5 dB of squeezing, limited by the detection, but calculations indicate that a theoretical potential of -20 dB of squeezing. We discuss the advantages of this method compared with the typical techniques.

Resilience and Alternative Stable States of Tropical Forest Landscapes under Shifting Cultivation Regimes

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

Shifting cultivation is a traditional agricultural practice in most tropical regions of the world and has the potential to provide for human livelihoods while hosting substantial biodiversity. Little is known about the resilience of shifting cultivation to increasing agricultural demands on the landscape or to unexpected disturbances. To investigate these issues, we develop a simple social-ecological model and implement it with literature-derived ecological parameters for six shifting cultivation landscapes from three continents. Analyzing the model with the tools of dynamical systems analysis, we show that such landscapes exhibit two stable states, one characterized by high forest cover and agricultural productivity, and another with much lower values of these traits. For some combinations of agricultural pressure and ecological parameters both of these states can potentially exist, and the actual state of the forest depends critically on its historic state. In many cases, the landscapes’ ‘ecological resilience’, or amount of forest that could be destroyed without shifting out of the forested stability domain, declined substantially at lower levels of agricultural pressure than would lead to maximum productivity. A measure of ‘engineering resilience’, the recovery time from standardized disturbances, was independent of ecological resilience. These findings suggest that maximization of short-term agricultural output may have counterproductive impacts on the long-term productivity of shifting cultivation landscapes and the persistence of forested areas. PMID:26406907

Top-down influences on ambiguous perception: the role of stable and transient states of the observer

PubMed Central

Scocchia, Lisa; Valsecchi, Matteo; Triesch, Jochen

2014-01-01

The world as it appears to the viewer is the result of a complex process of inference performed by the brain. The validity of this apparently counter-intuitive assertion becomes evident whenever we face noisy, feeble or ambiguous visual stimulation: in these conditions, the state of the observer may play a decisive role in determining what is currently perceived. On this background, ambiguous perception and its amenability to top-down influences can be employed as an empirical paradigm to explore the principles of perception. Here we offer an overview of both classical and recent contributions on how stable and transient states of the observer can impact ambiguous perception. As to the influence of the stable states of the observer, we show that what is currently perceived can be influenced (1) by cognitive and affective aspects, such as meaning, prior knowledge, motivation, and emotional content and (2) by individual differences, such as gender, handedness, genetic inheritance, clinical conditions, and personality traits and by (3) learning and conditioning. As to the impact of transient states of the observer, we outline the effects of (4) attention and (5) voluntary control, which have attracted much empirical work along the history of ambiguous perception. In the huge literature on the topic we trace a difference between the observer's ability to control dominance (i.e., the maintenance of a specific percept in visual awareness) and reversal rate (i.e., the switching between two alternative percepts). Other transient states of the observer that have more recently drawn researchers' attention regard (6) the effects of imagery and visual working memory. (7) Furthermore, we describe the transient effects of prior history of perceptual dominance. (8) Finally, we address the currently available computational models of ambiguous perception and how they can take into account the crucial share played by the state of the observer in perceiving ambiguous displays. PMID:25538601

Dynamic analysis of Free-Piston Stirling Engine/Linear Alternator-load system-experimentally validated

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kankam, M. David; Rauch, Jeffrey S.; Santiago, Walter

1992-01-01

This paper discusses the effects of variations in system parameters on the dynamic behavior of the Free-Piston Stirling Engine/Linear Alternator (FPSE/LA)-load system. The mathematical formulations incorporate both the mechanical and thermodynamic properties of the FPSE, as well as the electrical equations of the connected load. A state-space technique in the frequency domain is applied to the resulting system of equations to facilitate the evaluation of parametric impacts on the system dynamic stability. Also included is a discussion on the system transient stability as affected by sudden changes in some key operating conditions. Some representative results are correlated with experimental data to verify the model and analytic formulation accuracies. Guidelines are given for ranges of the system parameters which will ensure an overall stable operation.

Dynamic analysis of free-piston Stirling engine/linear alternator-load system - Experimentally validated

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kankam, M. D.; Rauch, Jeffrey S.; Santiago, Walter

1992-01-01

This paper discusses the effects of a variations in system parameters on the dynamic behavior of a Free-Piston Stirling Engine/Linear Alternator (FPSE/LA)-load system. The mathematical formulations incorporates both the mechanical and thermodynamic properties of the FPSE, as well as the electrical equations of the connected load. State-space technique in the frequency domain is applied to the resulting system of equations to facilitate the evaluation of parametric impacts on the system dynamic stability. Also included is a discussion on the system transient stability as affected by sudden changes in some key operating conditions. Some representative results are correlated with experimental data to verify the model and analytic formulation accuracies. Guidelines are given for ranges of the system parameters which will ensure an overall stable operation.

Breaking Away: The Role of Homeostatic Drive in Perpetuating Depression.

PubMed

Tory Toole, J; Rice, Mark A; Craddock, Travis J A; Nierenberg, Barry; Klimas, Nancy G; Fletcher, Mary Ann; Zysman, Joel; Morris, Mariana; Broderick, Gordon

2018-01-01

We propose that the complexity of regulatory interactions modulating brain neurochemistry and behavior is such that multiple stable responses may be supported, and that some of these alternate regulatory programs may play a role in perpetuating persistent psychological dysfunction. To explore this, we constructed a model network representing major neurotransmission and behavioral mechanisms reported in literature as discrete logic circuits. Connectivity and information flow through this biobehavioral circuitry supported two distinct and stable regulatory programs. One such program perpetuated a depressive state with a characteristic neurochemical signature including low serotonin. Further analysis suggested that small irregularities in glutamate levels may render this pathology more directly accessible. Computer simulations mimicking selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) therapy in the presence of everyday stressors predicted recidivism rates similar to those reported clinically and highlighted the potentially significant benefit of concurrent behavioral stress management therapy.

Fabrication of DC inorganic electroluminescent thin-film devices with novel n-p-n type structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ishimura, Takuyoshi; Matsumoto, Hironaga

2014-04-01

Inorganic electroluminescent (iEL) thin films are used in light-emitting devices and are functional under alternating current conditions only. Stable luminescent light has yet to be obtained under direct current conditions. We postulated that thin-film iEL light emission occurs when an injected electron occupies the excited state of a luminescent center and then recombines radiatively. From this perspective, we fabricated a novel stacked n-p-n type thin-film iEL device composed of indium tin oxide (ITO)-ZnO-CuAlO2-ZnS-ZnS:TbF3-Al thin films and obtained stable luminescence using a low-voltage DC power supply. The overall luminescent color of the device depended on only the dopant in the luminescent layer, not the band gap or thin-film material.

Improving Self-Assembly by Varying the Temperature Periodically with Time

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raz, Oren; Jarzynski, Christopher

Self-assembly (SA) is the process by which basic components organize into a larger structure without external guidance. These processes are common in Nature, and also have technological applications, e.g. growing a crystal with a specific structure. So far, artificial SA processes have been designed mostly using diffusive building blocks with high specificity and directionality. The formation of the self-assembled structures is then driven by free-energy minimization into a thermodynamically stable state. In an alternative approach to SA, macroscopic parameters such as temperature, pressure, pH, magnetic field etc., are varied periodically with time. In this case, the SA structures are the stable periodic states of the driven system. Currently there are no design principles for periodically driven SA, other than in the limits of fast or weak driving. We present guiding ideas for self-assembly under periodic driving. As an example, we show a particular case in which self-assembly errors can be dramatically reduced by varying a system's temperature periodically with time. James S. McDonnell Foundation, and the US National Science Foundation: DMR-1506969.

Octupole Deformation Bands of πh11/2 in Neutron-Rich 145,147La Nuclei

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Sheng-jiang; S, Zhu J.; Wang, Mu-ge; J, Hamilton H.; A, Ramayya V.; B, Babu R. S.; W, Ma C.; Long, Gui-lu; Zhu, Ling-yan; Li, Ming; A, Sakhaee; Gan, Cui-yun; Yang, Li-ming; J, Komicki; J, Cole D.; R, Aryaeinejad; M, Drigert W.; J, Rasmussen O.; M, Stoyer A.; S, Chu Y.; K, Gregorich E.; M, Mohar F.; S, Prussin G.; I, Lee Y.; Yu, Oganessian Ts; G, Ter-Akopian M.; A, Daniel V.

1999-03-01

Octupole deformation bands built on πh11/2 orbital in neutron-rich odd-Z 145,147La nuclei have been investigated by measuring the prompt γ-rays emitted from the 252Cf source. The alternating parity band structures and strong E1 transitions observed between negative- and positive-parity bands in both nuclei indicate the octupole deformation enhanced by the h11/2 single proton coupling. According to observed energy displacements the octupole deformation becomes stable at the intermediate spin states.

Stability of whole brain and regional network topology within and between resting and cognitive states.

PubMed

Rzucidlo, Justyna K; Roseman, Paige L; Laurienti, Paul J; Dagenbach, Dale

2013-01-01

Graph-theory based analyses of resting state functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) data have been used to map the network organization of the brain. While numerous analyses of resting state brain organization exist, many questions remain unexplored. The present study examines the stability of findings based on this approach over repeated resting state and working memory state sessions within the same individuals. This allows assessment of stability of network topology within the same state for both rest and working memory, and between rest and working memory as well. fMRI scans were performed on five participants while at rest and while performing the 2-back working memory task five times each, with task state alternating while they were in the scanner. Voxel-based whole brain network analyses were performed on the resulting data along with analyses of functional connectivity in regions associated with resting state and working memory. Network topology was fairly stable across repeated sessions of the same task, but varied significantly between rest and working memory. In the whole brain analysis, local efficiency, Eloc, differed significantly between rest and working memory. Analyses of network statistics for the precuneus and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex revealed significant differences in degree as a function of task state for both regions and in local efficiency for the precuneus. Conversely, no significant differences were observed across repeated sessions of the same state. These findings suggest that network topology is fairly stable within individuals across time for the same state, but also fluid between states. Whole brain voxel-based network analyses may prove to be a valuable tool for exploring how functional connectivity changes in response to task demands.

Flood effects provide evidence of an alternate stable state from dam management on the Upper Missouri River

USGS Publications Warehouse

Skalak, Katherine; Benthem, Adam J.; Hupp, Cliff R.; Schenk, Edward R.; Galloway, Joel M.; Nustad, Rochelle A.

2017-01-01

We examine how historic flooding in 2011 affected the geomorphic adjustments created by dam regulation along the approximately 120 km free flowing reach of the Upper Missouri River bounded upstream by the Garrison Dam (1953) and downstream by Lake Oahe Reservoir (1959) near the City of Bismarck, ND, USA. The largest flood since dam regulation occurred in 2011. Flood releases from the Garrison Dam began in May 2011 and lasted until October, peaking with a flow of more than 4200 m3 s−1. Channel cross-section data and aerial imagery before and after the flood were compared with historic rates of channel change to assess the relative impact of the flood on the river morphology. Results indicate that the 2011 flood maintained trends in island area with the loss of islands in the reach just below the dam and an increase in island area downstream. Channel capacity changes varied along the Garrison Segment as a result of the flood. The thalweg, which has been stable since the mid-1970s, did not migrate. And channel morphology, as defined by a newly developed shoaling metric, which quantifies the degree of channel braiding, indicates significant longitudinal variability in response to the flood. These results show that the 2011 flood exacerbates some geomorphic trends caused by the dam while reversing others. We conclude that the presence of dams has created an alternate geomorphic and related ecological stable state, which does not revert towards pre-dam conditions in response to the flood of record. This suggests that management of sediment transport dynamics as well as flow modification is necessary to restore the Garrison Segment of the Upper Missouri River towards pre-dam conditions and help create or maintain habitat for endangered species. Published 2016. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

The belowground frontier is key to understanding terrestrial ecosystem responses to global change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mackay, D. S.; Grossiord, C.; Johnson, D. M.; McDowell, N. G.; Savoy, P.; Sperry, J.

2017-12-01

Terrestrial ecosystems adapt and acclimate to global change in part because plasticity of traits helps define how individuals respond to thresholds. A threshold could be a tipping point where a small change in a forcing brings about a big change in system response, or a critical transition that shifts the system into an alternative stable or steady state. For instance, a dimorphic root system offers an individual plant the ability to use shallow water during wet periods and deeper water during dry periods. During drought this system imparts on the ecosystem a stable state as opposed to shifting to an alternative state of fewer surviving woody species. We tested this systems view within TREES, a biophysical model that integrates abiotic and biotic drivers of ecosystem response by coupling whole-plant (rhizosphere to leaf) hydraulics to carbon allocation, root-rhizosphere expansion/contraction and rhizosphere-root centric microbe-plant nitrogen dynamics. We simulated ecosystem responses to (1) seasonal drought in a blue oak woodland, (2) an unusually protracted drought in a mixed species woodland, and (3) an experimentally imposed drought with and without warming in a juniper-pinon woodland. For the blue oak, access to deep groundwater was critical for the timing of drought deciduousness. For the mixed species woodland, deeper roots reduced the risk of mortality via rhizosphere hydraulic failure. Drought induced relatively greater water uptake from bedrock water sources in both juniper and pinon, while heat promoted greater bedrock water uptake by juniper. Higher temperature forced the microbial N and plant NSC cycles to new steady states that were unfavorable for allocation of carbon to canopy and fine roots, and higher respiration costs in roots resulted in a decline in root-to-leaf area and consequent greater loss of hydraulic conductance. The results justify a deeper understanding of the belowground frontier that bridges hydrology, plant hydraulics, and biogeochemical cycles.

Allergic contact dermatitis in preservatives: current standing and future options.

PubMed

Deza, Gustavo; Giménez-Arnau, Ana M

2017-08-01

Preservatives are well known skin sensitizers and represent one of the main causes of contact allergy. The purpose of this article is to review the current state of contact sensitization induced by preservatives and point future alternatives for products' preservation. Isothiazolinones currently are the most common preservatives responsible of contact allergy in Europe and in the United States, and although some regulatory interventions have been taken place, the current contact allergy outbreak is not yet under control. Despite the ban of methyldibromo glutaronitrile from cosmetics in Europe, sensitized patients are still diagnosed, suggesting other nonregulated sources of exposure. Sensitization rates to formaldehyde and formaldehyde-releasers are lower in Europe in comparison with the United States due to stricter regulations regarding their use. Prevalence of contact allergy to parabens has remained stable over the last decades, whereas iodopropynyl butylcarbamate is an emerging allergen with an increasing prevalence. Future alternatives for products' preservation look for a broad antimicrobial spectrum, but with a better safety profile (in terms of sensitization) than the currently available compounds. Given the high rates of sensitization reported over the last years, timely regulatory actions are urgently required for some preservatives that currently represent a concern for public health.

Alternative security

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Weston, B.H.

This book contains the following chapters: The Military and Alternative Security: New Missions for Stable Conventional Security; Technology and Alternative Security: A Cherished Myth Expires; Law and Alternative Security: Toward a Just World Peace; Politics and Alternative Security: Toward a More Democratic, Therefore More Peaceful, World; Economics and Alternative Security: Toward a Peacekeeping International Economy; Psychology and Alternative Security: Needs, Perceptions, and Misperceptions; Religion and Alternative Security: A Prophetic Vision; and Toward Post-Nuclear Global Security: An Overview.

Quantum transition state dynamics of the cyclooctatetraene unimolecular reaction on ab initio potential energy surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tokizaki, Chihiro; Yoshida, Takahiko; Takayanagi, Toshiyuki

2016-05-01

The cyclooctatetraene (COT) anion has a stable D4h structure that is similar to the transition state configurations of the neutral C-C bond-alternation (D4h ↔ D8h ↔ D4h) and ring-inversion (D2d ↔ D4h ↔ D2d) unimolecular reactions. The previously measured photodetachment spectrum of COT- revealed the reaction dynamics in the vicinity of the two transition states on the neutral potential energy surface. In this work, the photodetachment spectrum is calculated quantum mechanically on ab initio-level potential energy surfaces within a three degree-of-freedom reduced-dimensionality model. Very good agreement has been obtained between theory and experiment, providing reliable interpretations for the experimental spectrum. A detailed picture of the reactive molecular dynamics of the COT unimolecular reaction in the transition state region is also discussed.

Kinetic memory based on the enzyme-limited competition.

PubMed

Hatakeyama, Tetsuhiro S; Kaneko, Kunihiko

2014-08-01

Cellular memory, which allows cells to retain information from their environment, is important for a variety of cellular functions, such as adaptation to external stimuli, cell differentiation, and synaptic plasticity. Although posttranslational modifications have received much attention as a source of cellular memory, the mechanisms directing such alterations have not been fully uncovered. It may be possible to embed memory in multiple stable states in dynamical systems governing modifications. However, several experiments on modifications of proteins suggest long-term relaxation depending on experienced external conditions, without explicit switches over multi-stable states. As an alternative to a multistability memory scheme, we propose "kinetic memory" for epigenetic cellular memory, in which memory is stored as a slow-relaxation process far from a stable fixed state. Information from previous environmental exposure is retained as the long-term maintenance of a cellular state, rather than switches over fixed states. To demonstrate this kinetic memory, we study several models in which multimeric proteins undergo catalytic modifications (e.g., phosphorylation and methylation), and find that a slow relaxation process of the modification state, logarithmic in time, appears when the concentration of a catalyst (enzyme) involved in the modification reactions is lower than that of the substrates. Sharp transitions from a normal fast-relaxation phase into this slow-relaxation phase are revealed, and explained by enzyme-limited competition among modification reactions. The slow-relaxation process is confirmed by simulations of several models of catalytic reactions of protein modifications, and it enables the memorization of external stimuli, as its time course depends crucially on the history of the stimuli. This kinetic memory provides novel insight into a broad class of cellular memory and functions. In particular, applications for long-term potentiation are discussed, including dynamic modifications of calcium-calmodulin kinase II and cAMP-response element-binding protein essential for synaptic plasticity.

Theoretical Study of Oxovanadium(IV) Complexation with Formamidoximate: Implications for the Design of Uranyl-Selective Adsorbents

DOE PAGES

Mehio, Nada; Ivanov, Alexander S.; Ladshaw, Austin P.; ...

2015-11-22

Poly(acrylamidoxime) fibers are the current state of the art adsorbent for mining uranium from seawater. However, the competition between uranyl (UO 2 2+) and vanadium ions poses a challenge to mining on the industrial scale. In this work, we employ density functional theory (DFT) and coupled-cluster methods (CCSD(T)) in the restricted formalism to investigate potential binding motifs of the oxovanadium(IV) ion (VO 2+) with the formamidoximate ligand. Consistent with experimental EXAFS data, the hydrated six-coordinate complex is predicted to be preferred over the hydrated five-coordinate complex. Here, our investigation of formamidoximate-VO 2+ complexes universally identified the most stable binding motifmore » formed by chelating a tautomerically rearranged imino hydroxylamine via the imino nitrogen and hydroxylamine oxygen. The alternative binding motifs for amidoxime chelation via a non-rearranged tautomer and 2 coordination are found to be ~11 kcal/mol less stable. Ultimately, the difference in the most stable VO 2+ and UO 2 2+ binding conformation has important implications for the design of more selective UO 2 2+ ligands.« less

Landscape change in the Southern Piedmont: Challenges, solutions and uncertainty across scales

USGS Publications Warehouse

Conroy, M.J.; Allen, Craig R.; Peterson, J.T.; Pritchard, L.; Moore, C.T.

2003-01-01

The southern Piedmont of the southeastern United States epitomizes the complex and seemingly intractable problems and hard decisions that result from uncontrolled urban and suburban sprawl. Here we consider three recurrent themes in complicated problems involving complex systems: (1) scale dependencies and cross-scale, often nonlinear relationships; (2) resilience, in particular the potential for complex systems to move to alternate stable states with decreased ecological and/or economic value; and (3) uncertainty in the ability to understand and predict outcomes, perhaps particularly those that occur as a result of human impacts. We consider these issues in the context of landscape-level decision making, using as an example water resources and lotic systems in the Piedmont region of the southeastern United States. Copyright ?? 2003 by the author(s). Published here under licence by The Resilience Alliance.

Alternatives to those artificial FD&C food colorants.

PubMed

Wrolstad, Ronald E; Culver, Catherine A

2012-01-01

Replacement of artificial food dyes with natural colorants is a current marketing trend, notwithstanding the fact that neither the United States nor the European Union (EU) has defined natural with respect to food colors. Consumer groups have concerns over the safety of synthetic colorants, and in addition, many of the naturally derived colorants provide health benefits. Food scientists frequently have the assignment of replacing artificial colorants with natural alternatives. This can be challenging, as naturally derived colorants are usually less stable, and all desired hues might, in fact, not be obtainable. In this review, the chemical and physical properties, limitations, and more suitable applications for those colorants that are legally available as substitutes for the synthetic colorants are summarized. Issues and challenges for certain foods are discussed, and in addition, colorants that may be available in the future are briefly described.

Benthic-planktonic coupling, regime shifts, and whole-lake primary production in shallow lakes.

PubMed

Genkai-Kato, Motomi; Vadeboncoeur, Yvonne; Liboriussen, Lone; Jeppesen, Erik

2012-03-01

Alternative stable states in shallow lakes are typically characterized by submerged macrophyte (clear-water state) or phytoplankton (turbid state) dominance. However, a clear-water state may occur in eutrophic lakes even when macrophytes are absent. To test whether sediment algae could cause a regime shift in the absence of macrophytes, we developed a model of benthic (periphyton) and planktonic (phytoplankton) primary production using parameters derived from a shallow macrophyte-free lake that shifted from a turbid to a clear-water state following fish removal (biomanipulation). The model includes a negative feedback effect of periphyton on phosphorus (P) release from sediments. This in turn induces a positive feedback between phytoplankton production and P release. Scenarios incorporating a gradient of external P loading rates revealed that (1) periphyton and phytoplankton both contributed substantially to whole-lake production over a broad range of external P loading in a clear-water state; (2) during the clear-water state, the loss of benthic production was gradually replaced by phytoplankton production, leaving whole-lake production largely unchanged; (3) the responses of lakes to biomanipulation and increased external P loading were both dependent on lake morphometry; and (4) the capacity of periphyton to buffer the effects of increased external P loading and maintain a clear-water state was highly sensitive to relationships between light availability at the sediment surface and the of P release. Our model suggests a mechanism for the persistence of alternative states in shallow macrophyte-free lakes and demonstrates that regime shifts may trigger profound changes in ecosystem structure and function.

Self-organization and progenitor targeting generate stable patterns in planarian regeneration.

PubMed

Atabay, Kutay Deniz; LoCascio, Samuel A; de Hoog, Thom; Reddien, Peter W

2018-04-27

During animal regeneration, cells must organize into discrete and functional systems. We show that self-organization, along with patterning cues, govern progenitor behavior in planarian regeneration. Surgical paradigms allowed the manipulation of planarian eye regeneration in predictable locations and numbers, generating alternative stable neuroanatomical states for wild-type animals with multiple functional ectopic eyes. We used animals with multiple ectopic eyes and eye transplantation to demonstrate that broad progenitor specification, combined with self-organization, allows anatomy maintenance during regeneration. We propose a model for regenerative progenitors involving (i) migratory targeting cues, (ii) self-organization into existing or regenerating eyes, and (iii) a broad zone, associated with coarse progenitor specification, in which eyes can be targeted by progenitors. These three properties help explain how tissues can be organized during regeneration. Copyright © 2018 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works.

Stable prenucleation mineral clusters are liquid-like ionic polymers

PubMed Central

Demichelis, Raffaella; Raiteri, Paolo; Gale, Julian D.; Quigley, David; Gebauer, Denis

2011-01-01

Calcium carbonate is an abundant substance that can be created in several mineral forms by the reaction of dissolved carbon dioxide in water with calcium ions. Through biomineralization, organisms can harness and control this process to form various functional materials that can act as anything from shells through to lenses. The early stages of calcium carbonate formation have recently attracted attention as stable prenucleation clusters have been observed, contrary to classical models. Here we show, using computer simulations combined with the analysis of experimental data, that these mineral clusters are made of an ionic polymer, composed of alternating calcium and carbonate ions, with a dynamic topology consisting of chains, branches and rings. The existence of a disordered, flexible and strongly hydrated precursor provides a basis for explaining the formation of other liquid-like amorphous states of calcium carbonate, in addition to the non-classical behaviour during growth of amorphous calcium carbonate. PMID:22186886

Sequence-Selective Formation of Synthetic H-Bonded Duplexes

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Oligomers equipped with a sequence of phenol and pyridine N-oxide groups form duplexes via H-bonding interactions between these recognition units. Reductive amination chemistry was used to synthesize all possible 3-mer sequences: AAA, AAD, ADA, DAA, ADD, DAD, DDA, and DDD. Pairwise interactions between the oligomers were investigated using NMR titration and dilution experiments in toluene. The measured association constants vary by 3 orders of magnitude (102 to 105 M–1). Antiparallel sequence-complementary oligomers generally form more stable complexes than mismatched duplexes. Mismatched duplexes that have an excess of H-bond donors are stabilized by the interaction of two phenol donors with one pyridine N-oxide acceptor. Oligomers that have a H-bond donor and acceptor on the ends of the chain can fold to form intramolecular H-bonds in the free state. The 1,3-folding equilibrium competes with duplex formation and lowers the stability of duplexes involving these sequences. As a result, some of the mismatch duplexes are more stable than some of the sequence-complementary duplexes. However, the most stable mismatch duplexes contain DDD and compete with the most stable sequence-complementary duplex, AAA·DDD, so in mixtures that contain all eight sequences, sequence-complementary duplexes dominate. Even higher fidelity sequence selectivity can be achieved if alternating donor–acceptor sequences are avoided. PMID:28857551

Alternative generation of well-aligned uniform lying helix texture in a cholesteric liquid crystal cell

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Chia-Hua; Wu, Po-Chang; Lee, Wei

2017-10-01

This work demonstrates a simple approach for obtaining a well-aligned uniform lying helix (ULH) texture and a tri-bistable feature at ambient temperature in a typical 90°-twisted cell filled with a short-pitch cholesteric liquid crystal. This ULH texture is obtained at room temperature from initially field-induced helix-free homeotropic state by gradually decreasing the applied voltage. Depending on the way and rate of reducing the voltage, three stable states (i.e., Grandjean planar, focal conic, and ULH) are generated and switching between any two of them is realized. Moreover, the electrical operation of the cell in the ULH state enables the tunability in phase retardation via the deformation of the ULH. The observations made in this work may be useful for applications such as tunable phase modulators and energy-efficient photonic devices.

Ecosystem regime shifts disrupt trophic structure.

PubMed

Hempson, Tessa N; Graham, Nicholas A J; MacNeil, M Aaron; Hoey, Andrew S; Wilson, Shaun K

2018-01-01

Regime shifts between alternative stable ecosystem states are becoming commonplace due to the combined effects of local stressors and global climate change. Alternative states are characterized as substantially different in form and function from pre-disturbance states, disrupting the delivery of ecosystem services and functions. On coral reefs, regime shifts are typically characterized by a change in the benthic composition from coral to macroalgal dominance. Such fundamental shifts in the benthos are anticipated to impact associated fish communities that are reliant on the reef for food and shelter, yet there is limited understanding of how regime shifts propagate through the fish community over time, relative to initial or recovery conditions. This study addresses this knowledge gap using long-term data of coral reef regime shifts and recovery on Seychelles reefs following the 1998 mass bleaching event. It shows how trophic structure of the reef fish community becomes increasingly dissimilar between alternative reef ecosystem states (regime-shifted vs. recovering) with time since disturbance. Regime-shifted reefs developed a concave trophic structure, with increased biomass in base trophic levels as herbivorous species benefitted from increased algal resources. Mid trophic level species, including specialists such as corallivores, declined with loss of coral habitat, while biomass was retained in upper trophic levels by large-bodied, generalist invertivores. Recovering reefs also experienced an initial decline in mid trophic level biomass, but moved toward a bottom-heavy pyramid shape, with a wide range of feeding groups (e.g., planktivores, corallivores, omnivores) represented at mid trophic levels. Given the importance of coral reef fishes in maintaining the ecological function of coral reef ecosystems and their associated fisheries, understanding the effects of regime shifts on these communities is essential to inform decisions that enhance ecological resilience and economic sustainability. © 2017 by the Ecological Society of America.

Leading bureaucracies to the tipping point: An alternative model of multiple stable equilibrium levels of corruption

PubMed Central

Caulkins, Jonathan P.; Feichtinger, Gustav; Grass, Dieter; Hartl, Richard F.; Kort, Peter M.; Novak, Andreas J.; Seidl, Andrea

2013-01-01

We present a novel model of corruption dynamics in the form of a nonlinear optimal dynamic control problem. It has a tipping point, but one whose origins and character are distinct from that in the classic Schelling (1978) model. The decision maker choosing a level of corruption is the chief or some other kind of authority figure who presides over a bureaucracy whose state of corruption is influenced by the authority figure’s actions, and whose state in turn influences the pay-off for the authority figure. The policy interpretation is somewhat more optimistic than in other tipping models, and there are some surprising implications, notably that reforming the bureaucracy may be of limited value if the bureaucracy takes its cues from a corrupt leader. PMID:23565027

Leading bureaucracies to the tipping point: An alternative model of multiple stable equilibrium levels of corruption.

PubMed

Caulkins, Jonathan P; Feichtinger, Gustav; Grass, Dieter; Hartl, Richard F; Kort, Peter M; Novak, Andreas J; Seidl, Andrea

2013-03-16

We present a novel model of corruption dynamics in the form of a nonlinear optimal dynamic control problem. It has a tipping point, but one whose origins and character are distinct from that in the classic Schelling (1978) model. The decision maker choosing a level of corruption is the chief or some other kind of authority figure who presides over a bureaucracy whose state of corruption is influenced by the authority figure's actions, and whose state in turn influences the pay-off for the authority figure. The policy interpretation is somewhat more optimistic than in other tipping models, and there are some surprising implications, notably that reforming the bureaucracy may be of limited value if the bureaucracy takes its cues from a corrupt leader.

COMPOUND-SPECIFIC STABLE ISOTOPE ANALYSIS TO DEMONSTRATE IN-SITU MTBE BIOTRANSFORMATION

EPA Science Inventory

Changes in the stable isotopic composition of organic contaminants (isotopic fractionation) are a useful indicator of biotransformation, and have been reported in literature for several volatile organic compounds. The technique offers an interesting alternative to time-consuming ...

Time-resolved monitoring of cavitation activity in megasonic cleaning systems.

PubMed

Hauptmann, M; Brems, S; Struyf, H; Mertens, P; Heyns, M; De Gendt, S; Glorieux, C

2012-03-01

The occurrence of acoustic cavitation in the cleaning liquid is a crucial precondition for the performance of megasonic cleaning systems. Hence, a fundamental understanding of the impact of different parameters of the megasonic process on cavitation activity is necessary. A setup capable of synchronously measuring sonoluminescence and acoustic emission originating from acoustically active bubbles is presented. The system also includes a high-speed-stroboscopic Schlieren imaging system to directly visualize the influence of cavitation activity on the Schlieren contrast and resolvable bubbles. This allows a thorough characterization of the mutual interaction of cavitation bubbles with the sound field and with each other. Results obtained during continuous sonication of argon-saturated water at various nominal power densities indicate that acoustic cavitation occurs in a cyclic manner, during which periods of stable and inertial cavitation activity alternate. The occurrence of higher and ultraharmonics in the acoustic emission spectra is characteristic for the stable cavitation state. The inertial cavitation state is characterized by a strong attenuation of the sound field, the explosive growth of bubbles and the occurrence of broadband components in the acoustic spectra. Both states can only be sustained at sufficiently high intensities of the sound field. At lower intensities, their occurrences are limited to short, random bursts. Cleaning activity can be linked to the cavitation activity through the measurement of particle removal on standard 200 mm silicon wafers. It is found that the particle removal efficiency is reduced, when a continuous state of cavitation activity ceases to exist.

Two-electron Reduction versus One-electron Oxidation of the Type 3 Pair in the Multicopper Oxidases

PubMed Central

Kjaergaard, Christian H.; Jones, Stephen M.; Gounel, Sébastien; Mano, Nicolas; Solomon, Edward I.

2015-01-01

Multicopper Oxidases (MCOs) utilize an electron shuttling Type 1 Cu (T1) site in conjunction with a mononuclear Type 2 (T2) and a binuclear Type 3 (T3) site, arranged in a trinuclear copper cluster (TNC), to reduce O2 to H2O. Reduction of O2 occurs with limited overpotential indicating that all the coppers in the active site can be reduced via high-potential electron donors. Two forms of the resting enzyme have been observed in MCOs: the Alternative Resting form (AR), where only one of the three TNC Cu’s is oxidized, and the Resting Oxidized form (RO), where all three TNC Cu’s are oxidized. In contrast to the AR form, we show that in the RO form of a high-potential MCO, the binuclear T3 Cu(II) site can be reduced via the 700 mV T1 Cu. Systematic spectroscopic evaluation reveals that this proceeds by a two-electron process, where delivery of the first electron, forming a high energy, meta-stable half reduced T3 state, is followed by the rapid delivery of a second energetically favorable electron to fully reduce the T3 site. Alternatively, when this fully reduced binuclear T3 site is oxidized via the T1 Cu, a different thermodynamically favored half oxidized T3 form, i.e. the AR site, is generated. This behavior is evaluated by DFT calculations, which reveal that the protein backbone plays a significant role in controlling the environment of the active site coppers. This allows for the formation of the meta-stable, half reduced state and thus the complete reductive activation of the enzyme for catalysis. PMID:26075678

Community stability and selective extinction during the Permian-Triassic mass extinction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roopnarine, Peter D.; Angielczyk, Kenneth D.

2015-10-01

The fossil record contains exemplars of extreme biodiversity crises. Here, we examined the stability of terrestrial paleocommunities from South Africa during Earth's most severe mass extinction, the Permian-Triassic. We show that stability depended critically on functional diversity and patterns of guild interaction, regardless of species richness. Paleocommunities exhibited less transient instability—relative to model communities with alternative community organization—and significantly greater probabilities of being locally stable during the mass extinction. Functional patterns that have evolved during an ecosystem's history support significantly more stable communities than hypothetical alternatives.

Spatial variations in food web structures with alternative stable states: evidence from stable isotope analysis in a large eutrophic lake

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yunkai; Zhang, Yuying; Xu, Jun; Zhang, Shuo

2018-03-01

Food web structures are well known to vary widely among ecosystems. Moreover, many food web studies of lakes have generally attempted to characterize the overall food web structure and have largely ignored internal spatial and environmental variations. In this study, we hypothesize that there is a high degree of spatial heterogeneity within an ecosystem and such heterogeneity may lead to strong variations in environmental conditions and resource availability, in turn resulting in different trophic pathways. Stable carbon and nitrogen isotopes were employed for the whole food web to describe the structure of the food web in different sub-basins within Taihu Lake. This lake is a large eutrophic freshwater lake that has been intensively managed and highly influenced by human activities for more than 50 years. The results show significant isotopic differences between basins with different environmental characteristics. Such differences likely result from isotopic baseline differences combining with a shift in food web structure. Both are related to local spatial heterogeneity in nutrient loading in waters. Such variation should be explicitly considered in future food web studies and ecosystem-based management in this lake ecosystem.

States With Medically Needy Pathways: Differences in Long-Term and Temporary Medicaid Entry for Low-Income Medicare Beneficiaries.

PubMed

Keohane, Laura M; Trivedi, Amal; Mor, Vincent

2017-10-01

Medically needy pathways may provide temporary catastrophic coverage for low-income Medicare beneficiaries who do not otherwise qualify for full Medicaid benefits. Between January 2009 and June 2010, states with medically needy pathways had a higher percentage of low-income beneficiaries join Medicaid than states without such programs (7.5% vs. 4.1%, p < .01). However, among new full Medicaid participants, living in a state with a medically needy pathway was associated with a 3.8 percentage point (adjusted 95% confidence interval [1.8, 5.8]) increase in the probability of switching to partial Medicaid and a 4.5 percentage point (adjusted 95% confidence interval [2.9, 6.2]) increase in the probability of exiting Medicaid within 12 months. The predicted risk of leaving Medicaid was greatest when new Medicaid participants used only hospital services, rather than nursing home services, in their first month of Medicaid benefits. Alternative strategies for protecting low-income Medicare beneficiaries' access to care could provide more stable coverage.

All-solid-state lithium organic battery with composite polymer electrolyte and pillar[5]quinone cathode.

PubMed

Zhu, Zhiqiang; Hong, Meiling; Guo, Dongsheng; Shi, Jifu; Tao, Zhanliang; Chen, Jun

2014-11-26

The cathode capacity of common lithium ion batteries (LIBs) using inorganic electrodes and liquid electrolytes must be further improved. Alternatively, all-solid-state lithium batteries comprising the electrode of organic compounds can offer much higher capacity. Herein, we successfully fabricated an all-solid-state lithium battery based on organic pillar[5]quinone (C35H20O10) cathode and composite polymer electrolyte (CPE). The poly(methacrylate) (PMA)/poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-LiClO4-3 wt % SiO2 CPE has an optimum ionic conductivity of 0.26 mS cm(-1) at room temperature. Furthermore, pillar[5]quinine cathode in all-solid-state battery rendered an average operation voltage of ∼2.6 V and a high initial capacity of 418 mAh g(-1) with a stable cyclability (94.7% capacity retention after 50 cycles at 0.2C rate) through the reversible redox reactions of enolate/quinonid carbonyl groups, showing favorable prospect for the device application with high capacity.

The effects of internal heating and large scale climate variations on tectonic bi-stability in terrestrial planets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weller, M. B.; Lenardic, A.; O'Neill, C.

2015-06-01

We use 3D mantle convection and planetary tectonics models to explore the links between tectonic regimes and the level of internal heating within the mantle of a planet (a proxy for thermal age), planetary surface temperature, and lithosphere strength. At both high and low values of internal heating, for moderate to high lithospheric yield strength, hot and cold stagnant-lid (single plate planet) states prevail. For intermediate values of internal heating, multiple stable tectonic states can exist. In these regions of parameter space, the specific evolutionary path of the system has a dominant role in determining its tectonic state. For low to moderate lithospheric yield strength, mobile-lid behavior (a plate tectonic-like mode of convection) is attainable for high degrees of internal heating (i.e., early in a planet's thermal evolution). However, this state is sensitive to climate driven changes in surface temperatures. Relatively small increases in surface temperature can be sufficient to usher in a transition from a mobile- to a stagnant-lid regime. Once a stagnant-lid mode is initiated, a return to mobile-lid is not attainable by a reduction of surface temperatures alone. For lower levels of internal heating, the tectonic regime becomes less sensitive to surface temperature changes. Collectively our results indicate that terrestrial planets can alternate between multiple tectonic states over giga-year timescales. Within parameter space regions that allow for bi-stable behavior, any model-based prediction as to the current mode of tectonics is inherently non-unique in the absence of constraints on the geologic and climatic histories of a planet.

Systematic Determination of Human Cyclin Dependent Kinase (CDK)-9 Interactome Identifies Novel Functions in RNA Splicing Mediated by the DEAD Box (DDX)-5/17 RNA Helicases.

PubMed

Yang, Jun; Zhao, Yingxin; Kalita, Mridul; Li, Xueling; Jamaluddin, Mohammad; Tian, Bing; Edeh, Chukwudi B; Wiktorowicz, John E; Kudlicki, Andrzej; Brasier, Allan R

2015-10-01

Inducible transcriptional elongation is a rapid, stereotypic mechanism for activating immediate early immune defense genes by the epithelium in response to viral pathogens. Here, the recruitment of a multifunctional complex containing the cyclin dependent kinase 9 (CDK9) triggers the process of transcriptional elongation activating resting RNA polymerase engaged with innate immune response (IIR) genes. To identify additional functional activity of the CDK9 complex, we conducted immunoprecipitation (IP) enrichment-stable isotope labeling LC-MS/MS of the CDK9 complex in unstimulated cells and from cells activated by a synthetic dsRNA, polyinosinic/polycytidylic acid [poly (I:C)]. 245 CDK9 interacting proteins were identified with high confidence in the basal state and 20 proteins in four functional classes were validated by IP-SRM-MS. These data identified that CDK9 interacts with DDX 5/17, a family of ATP-dependent RNA helicases, important in alternative RNA splicing of NFAT5, and mH2A1 mRNA two proteins controlling redox signaling. A direct comparison of the basal versus activated state was performed using stable isotope labeling and validated by IP-SRM-MS. Recruited into the CDK9 interactome in response to poly(I:C) stimulation are HSPB1, DNA dependent kinases, and cytoskeletal myosin proteins that exchange with 60S ribosomal structural proteins. An integrated human CDK9 interactome map was developed containing all known human CDK9- interacting proteins. These data were used to develop a probabilistic global map of CDK9-dependent target genes that predicted two functional states controlling distinct cellular functions, one important in immune and stress responses. The CDK9-DDX5/17 complex was shown to be functionally important by shRNA-mediated knockdown, where differential accumulation of alternatively spliced NFAT5 and mH2A1 transcripts and alterations in downstream redox signaling were seen. The requirement of CDK9 for DDX5 recruitment to NFAT5 and mH2A1 chromatin target was further demonstrated using chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP). These data indicate that CDK9 is a dynamic multifunctional enzyme complex mediating not only transcriptional elongation, but also alternative RNA splicing and potentially translational control. © 2015 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Loss of phase-locking in non-weakly coupled inhibitory networks of type-I model neurons.

PubMed

Oh, Myongkeun; Matveev, Victor

2009-04-01

Synchronization of excitable cells coupled by reciprocal inhibition is a topic of significant interest due to the important role that inhibitory synaptic interaction plays in the generation and regulation of coherent rhythmic activity in a variety of neural systems. While recent work revealed the synchronizing influence of inhibitory coupling on the dynamics of many networks, it is known that strong coupling can destabilize phase-locked firing. Here we examine the loss of synchrony caused by an increase in inhibitory coupling in networks of type-I Morris-Lecar model oscillators, which is characterized by a period-doubling cascade and leads to mode-locked states with alternation in the firing order of the two cells, as reported recently by Maran and Canavier (J Comput Nerosci, 2008) for a network of Wang-Buzsáki model neurons. Although alternating-order firing has been previously reported as a near-synchronous state, we show that the stable phase difference between the spikes of the two Morris-Lecar cells can constitute as much as 70% of the unperturbed oscillation period. Further, we examine the generality of this phenomenon for a class of type-I oscillators that are close to their excitation thresholds, and provide an intuitive geometric description of such "leap-frog" dynamics. In the Morris-Lecar model network, the alternation in the firing order arises under the condition of fast closing of K( + ) channels at hyperpolarized potentials, which leads to slow dynamics of membrane potential upon synaptic inhibition, allowing the presynaptic cell to advance past the postsynaptic cell in each cycle of the oscillation. Further, we show that non-zero synaptic decay time is crucial for the existence of leap-frog firing in networks of phase oscillators. However, we demonstrate that leap-frog spiking can also be obtained in pulse-coupled inhibitory networks of one-dimensional oscillators with a multi-branched phase domain, for instance in a network of quadratic integrate-and-fire model cells. Finally, for the case of a homogeneous network, we establish quantitative conditions on the phase resetting properties of each cell necessary for stable alternating-order spiking, complementing the analysis of Goel and Ermentrout (Physica D 163:191-216, 2002) of the order-preserving phase transition map.

The formation of thermohaline staircases for large salt concentration differences in double diffusive convection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Yantao; Verzicco, Roberto; Lohse, Detlef

2016-11-01

In the upper layers of the tropical and subtropical ocean, step-like mean profiles for both temperature and salinity are often observed, a phenomenon referred to as thermohaline staircase. It consists of alternatively stacked mixing layers, and finger layers with sharp gradients in both mean temperature and salinity. It is believed that thermohaline staircases are caused by double diffusive convection (DDC), i.e. the convection flow with fluid density affected by two different scalars. Here we conducted direct numerical simulations of DDC bounded by two parallel plates and aimed to realise the multi-layer state similar to the oceanic thermohaline staircase. We applied an unstable salinity difference and a stable temperature difference across the two plates. We gradually increased the salinity Rayleigh number RaS , i.e. the strength of salinity difference, and fixed the relative strength of temperature difference. When RaS is high enough the flow undergoes a transition from a single finger layer to a triple layer state, where one mixing layer emerges between two finger layers. Such triple layer state is stable up to the turbulent diffusive time scale. The finger-layer height is larger for higher RaS . The dependences of the scalar fluxes on RaS were also investigated. Supported by Dutch FOM Foundation and NWO rpogramme MCEC; Computing resources from SURFSara and PRACE project 2015133124.

Hydrologic regime and herbivory stabilize an alternative state in Yellowstone National Park.

PubMed

Wolf, Evan C; Cooper, David J; Hobbs, N Thompson

2007-09-01

A decline in the stature and abundance of willows during the 20th century occurred throughout the northern range of Yellowstone National Park, where riparian woody-plant communities are key components in multiple-trophic-level interactions. The potential causes of willow decline include climate change, increased elk browsing coincident with the loss of an apex predator, the gray wolf, and an absence of habitat engineering by beavers. The goal of this study was to determine the spatial and temporal patterns of willow establishment through the 20th century and to identify causal processes. Sampled willows established from 1917 to 1999 and contained far fewer young individuals than was predicted from a modeled stable willow population, indicating reduced establishment during recent decades. Two hydrologically distinct willow establishment environments were identified: fine-grained beaver pond sediments and coarse-grained alluvium. Willows established on beaver pond sediment earlier in time, higher on floodplain surfaces, and farther from the current stream channel than did willows on alluvial sediment. Significant linear declines from the 1940s to the 1990s in alluvial willow establishment elevation and lateral distance from the stream channel resulted in a much reduced area of alluvial willow establishment. Willow establishment was not well correlated with climate-driven hydrologic variables, but the trends were consistent with the effects of stream channel incision initiated in ca. 1950, 20-30 years after beaver dam abandonment. Radiocarbon dates and floodplain stratigraphy indicate that stream incision of the present magnitude may be unprecedented in the past two millennia. We propose that hydrologic changes, stemming from competitive exclusion of beaver by elk overbrowsing, caused the landscape to transition from a historical beaver-pond and willow-mosaic state to its current alternative stable state where active beaver dams and many willow stands are absent. Because of hydrologic changes in streams, a rapid return to the historical state may not occur by reduction of elk browsing alone. Management intervention to restore the historical hydrologic regime may be necessary to recover willows and beavers across the landscape.

COMBINING SOURCES IN STABLE ISOTOPE MIXING MODELS: ALTERNATIVE METHODS

EPA Science Inventory

Stable isotope mixing models are often used to quantify source contributions to a mixture. Examples include pollution source identification; trophic web studies; analysis of water sources for soils, plants, or water bodies; and many others. A common problem is having too many s...

Periodic equivalence ratio modulation method and apparatus for controlling combustion instability

DOEpatents

Richards, George A.; Janus, Michael C.; Griffith, Richard A.

2000-01-01

The periodic equivalence ratio modulation (PERM) method and apparatus significantly reduces and/or eliminates unstable conditions within a combustion chamber. The method involves modulating the equivalence ratio for the combustion device, such that the combustion device periodically operates outside of an identified unstable oscillation region. The equivalence ratio is modulated between preselected reference points, according to the shape of the oscillation region and operating parameters of the system. Preferably, the equivalence ratio is modulated from a first stable condition to a second stable condition, and, alternatively, the equivalence ratio is modulated from a stable condition to an unstable condition. The method is further applicable to multi-nozzle combustor designs, whereby individual nozzles are alternately modulated from stable to unstable conditions. Periodic equivalence ratio modulation (PERM) is accomplished by active control involving periodic, low frequency fuel modulation, whereby low frequency fuel pulses are injected into the main fuel delivery. Importantly, the fuel pulses are injected at a rate so as not to affect the desired time-average equivalence ratio for the combustion device.

Stable amplitude chimera states in a network of locally coupled Stuart-Landau oscillators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Premalatha, K.; Chandrasekar, V. K.; Senthilvelan, M.; Lakshmanan, M.

2018-03-01

We investigate the occurrence of collective dynamical states such as transient amplitude chimera, stable amplitude chimera, and imperfect breathing chimera states in a locally coupled network of Stuart-Landau oscillators. In an imperfect breathing chimera state, the synchronized group of oscillators exhibits oscillations with large amplitudes, while the desynchronized group of oscillators oscillates with small amplitudes, and this behavior of coexistence of synchronized and desynchronized oscillations fluctuates with time. Then, we analyze the stability of the amplitude chimera states under various circumstances, including variations in system parameters and coupling strength, and perturbations in the initial states of the oscillators. For an increase in the value of the system parameter, namely, the nonisochronicity parameter, the transient chimera state becomes a stable chimera state for a sufficiently large value of coupling strength. In addition, we also analyze the stability of these states by perturbing the initial states of the oscillators. We find that while a small perturbation allows one to perturb a large number of oscillators resulting in a stable amplitude chimera state, a large perturbation allows one to perturb a small number of oscillators to get a stable amplitude chimera state. We also find the stability of the transient and stable amplitude chimera states and traveling wave states for an appropriate number of oscillators using Floquet theory. In addition, we also find the stability of the incoherent oscillation death states.

Stable amplitude chimera states in a network of locally coupled Stuart-Landau oscillators.

PubMed

Premalatha, K; Chandrasekar, V K; Senthilvelan, M; Lakshmanan, M

2018-03-01

We investigate the occurrence of collective dynamical states such as transient amplitude chimera, stable amplitude chimera, and imperfect breathing chimera states in a locally coupled network of Stuart-Landau oscillators. In an imperfect breathing chimera state, the synchronized group of oscillators exhibits oscillations with large amplitudes, while the desynchronized group of oscillators oscillates with small amplitudes, and this behavior of coexistence of synchronized and desynchronized oscillations fluctuates with time. Then, we analyze the stability of the amplitude chimera states under various circumstances, including variations in system parameters and coupling strength, and perturbations in the initial states of the oscillators. For an increase in the value of the system parameter, namely, the nonisochronicity parameter, the transient chimera state becomes a stable chimera state for a sufficiently large value of coupling strength. In addition, we also analyze the stability of these states by perturbing the initial states of the oscillators. We find that while a small perturbation allows one to perturb a large number of oscillators resulting in a stable amplitude chimera state, a large perturbation allows one to perturb a small number of oscillators to get a stable amplitude chimera state. We also find the stability of the transient and stable amplitude chimera states and traveling wave states for an appropriate number of oscillators using Floquet theory. In addition, we also find the stability of the incoherent oscillation death states.

Sweet neutron crystallography.

PubMed

Teixeira, S C M; Blakeley, M P; Leal, R M F; Gillespie, S M; Mitchell, E P; Forsyth, V T

2010-11-01

Extremely sweet proteins isolated from tropical fruit extracts are promising healthy alternatives to sugar and synthetic sweeteners. Sweetness and taste in general are, however, still poorly understood. The engineering of stable sweet proteins with tailored properties is made difficult by the lack of supporting high-resolution structural data. Experimental information on charge distribution, protonation states and solvent structure are vital for an understanding of the mechanism through which sweet proteins interact with taste receptors. Neutron studies of the crystal structures of sweet proteins allow a detailed study of these biophysical properties, as illustrated by a neutron study on the native protein thaumatin in which deuterium labelling was used to improve data quality.

Role of Water in the Selection of Stable Proteins at Ambient and Extreme Thermodynamic Conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bianco, Valentino; Franzese, Giancarlo; Dellago, Christoph; Coluzza, Ivan

2017-04-01

Proteins that are functional at ambient conditions do not necessarily work at extreme conditions of temperature T and pressure P . Furthermore, there are limits of T and P above which no protein has a stable functional state. Here, we show that these limits and the selection mechanisms for working proteins depend on how the properties of the surrounding water change with T and P . We find that proteins selected at high T are superstable and are characterized by a nonextreme segregation of a hydrophilic surface and a hydrophobic core. Surprisingly, a larger segregation reduces the stability range in T and P . Our computer simulations, based on a new protein design protocol, explain the hydropathy profile of proteins as a consequence of a selection process influenced by water. Our results, potentially useful for engineering proteins and drugs working far from ambient conditions, offer an alternative rationale to the evolutionary action exerted by the environment in extreme conditions.

Towards the next generation of solid oxide fuel cells operating below 600 °c with chemically stable proton-conducting electrolytes.

PubMed

Fabbri, Emiliana; Bi, Lei; Pergolesi, Daniele; Traversa, Enrico

2012-01-10

The need for reducing the solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) operating temperature below 600 °C is imposed by cost reduction, which is essential for widespread SOFC use, but might also disclose new applications. To this aim, high-temperature proton-conducting (HTPC) oxides have gained widespread interest as electrolyte materials alternative to oxygen-ion conductors. This Progress Report describes recent developments in electrolyte, anode, and cathode materials for protonic SOFCs, addressing the issue of chemical stability, processability, and good power performance below 600 °C. Different fabrication methods are reported for anode-supported SOFCs, obtained using state-of-the-art, chemically stable proton-conducting electrolyte films. Recent findings show significant improvements in the power density output of cells based on doped barium zirconate electrolytes, pointing out towards the feasibility of the next generation of protonic SOFCs, including a good potential for the development of miniaturized SOFCs as portable power supplies. Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Localization and Symmetry Breaking in the Quantum Quasiperiodic Ising Glass

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chandran, A.; Laumann, C. R.

2017-07-01

Quasiperiodic modulation can prevent isolated quantum systems from equilibrating by localizing their degrees of freedom. In this article, we show that such systems can exhibit dynamically stable long-range orders forbidden in equilibrium. Specifically, we show that the interplay of symmetry breaking and localization in the quasiperiodic quantum Ising chain produces a quasiperiodic Ising glass stable at all energy densities. The glass order parameter vanishes with an essential singularity at the melting transition with no signatures in the equilibrium properties. The zero-temperature phase diagram is also surprisingly rich, consisting of paramagnetic, ferromagnetic, and quasiperiodically alternating ground-state phases with extended, localized, and critically delocalized low-energy excitations. The system exhibits an unusual quantum Ising transition whose properties are intermediate between those of the clean and infinite randomness Ising transitions. Many of these results follow from a geometric generalization of the Aubry-André duality that we develop. The quasiperiodic Ising glass may be realized in near-term quantum optical experiments.

Improving stability of regional numerical ocean models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herzfeld, Mike

2009-02-01

An operational limited-area ocean modelling system was developed to supply forecasts of ocean state out to 3 days. This system is designed to allow non-specialist users to locate the model domain anywhere within the Australasian region with minimum user input. The model is required to produce a stable simulation every time it is invoked. This paper outlines the methodology used to ensure the model remains stable over the wide range of circumstances it might encounter. Central to the model configuration is an alternative approach to implementing open boundary conditions in a one-way nesting environment. Approximately 170 simulations were performed on limited areas in the Australasian region to assess the model stability; of these, 130 ran successfully with a static model parameterisation allowing a statistical estimate of the model’s approach toward instability to be determined. Based on this, when the model was deemed to be approaching instability a strategy of adaptive intervention in the form of constraint on velocity and elevation was invoked to maintain stability.

Areal-averaged trace gas emission rates from long-range open-path measurements in stable boundary layer conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schäfer, K.; Grant, R. H.; Emeis, S.; Raabe, A.; von der Heide, C.; Schmid, H. P.

2012-07-01

Measurements of land-surface emission rates of greenhouse and other gases at large spatial scales (10 000 m2) are needed to assess the spatial distribution of emissions. This can be readily done using spatial-integrating micro-meteorological methods like flux-gradient methods which were evaluated for determining land-surface emission rates of trace gases under stable boundary layers. Non-intrusive path-integrating measurements are utilized. Successful application of a flux-gradient method requires confidence in the gradients of trace gas concentration and wind, and in the applicability of boundary-layer turbulence theory; consequently the procedures to qualify measurements that can be used to determine the flux is critical. While there is relatively high confidence in flux measurements made under unstable atmospheres with mean winds greater than 1 m s-1, there is greater uncertainty in flux measurements made under free convective or stable conditions. The study of N2O emissions of flat grassland and NH3 emissions from a cattle lagoon involves quality-assured determinations of fluxes under low wind, stable or night-time atmospheric conditions when the continuous "steady-state" turbulence of the surface boundary layer breaks down and the layer has intermittent turbulence. Results indicate that following the Monin-Obukhov similarity theory (MOST) flux-gradient methods that assume a log-linear profile of the wind speed and concentration gradient incorrectly determine vertical profiles and thus flux in the stable boundary layer. An alternative approach is considered on the basis of turbulent diffusivity, i.e. the measured friction velocity as well as height gradients of horizontal wind speeds and concentrations without MOST correction for stability. It is shown that this is the most accurate of the flux-gradient methods under stable conditions.

Chemical degradation of proteins in the solid state with a focus on photochemical reactions.

PubMed

Mozziconacci, Olivier; Schöneich, Christian

2015-10-01

Protein pharmaceuticals comprise an increasing fraction of marketed products but the limited solution stability of proteins requires considerable research effort to prepare stable formulations. An alternative is solid formulation, as proteins in the solid state are thermodynamically less susceptible to degradation. Nevertheless, within the time of storage a large panel of kinetically controlled degradation reactions can occur such as, e.g., hydrolysis reactions, the formation of diketopiperazine, condensation and aggregation reactions. These mechanisms of degradation in protein solids are relatively well covered by the literature. Considerably less is known about oxidative and photochemical reactions of solid proteins. This review will provide an overview over photolytic and non-photolytic degradation reactions, and specially emphasize mechanistic details on how solid structure may affect the interaction of protein solids with light. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Temporal dynamics of different cases of bi-stable figure-ground perception.

PubMed

Kogo, Naoki; Hermans, Lore; Stuer, David; van Ee, Raymond; Wagemans, Johan

2015-01-01

Segmentation of a visual scene in "figure" and "ground" is essential for perception of the three-dimensional layout of a scene. In cases of bi-stable perception, two distinct figure-ground interpretations alternate over time. We were interested in the temporal dynamics of these alternations, in particular when the same image is presented repeatedly, with short blank periods in-between. Surprisingly, we found that the intermittent presentation of Rubin's classical "face-or-vase" figure, which is frequently taken as a standard case of bi-stable figure-ground perception, often evoked perceptual switches during the short presentations and stabilization was not prominent. Interestingly, bi-stable perception of Kanizsa's anomalous transparency figure did strongly stabilize across blanks. We also found stabilization for the Necker cube, which we used for comparison. The degree of stabilization (and the lack of it) varied across stimuli and across individuals. Our results indicate, against common expectation, that the stabilization phenomenon cannot be generally evoked by intermittent presentation. We argue that top-down feedback factors such as familiarity, semantics, expectation, and perceptual bias contribute to the complex processes underlying the temporal dynamics of bi-stable figure-ground perception. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Reconciling Stable Asymmetry with Recovery of Function: An Adaptive Systems Perspective on Functional Plasticity.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bullock, Daniel; And Others

1987-01-01

This commentary, written in response to Witelson's work (1987), examines alternative ways of determining how the developmentally stable functional asymmetry (hemispheric specialization) observed in neurologically intact children can be reconciled with the dramatic recovery of function often displayed following unilateral brain damage. (PCB)

Performance evaluation of nonlinear energy harvesting with magnetically coupled dual beams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lan, Chunbo; Tang, Lihua; Qin, Weiyang

2017-04-01

To enhance the output power and broaden the operation bandwidth of vibration energy harvesters (VEH), nonlinear two degree-of-freedom (DOF) energy harvesters have attracted wide attention recently. In this paper, we investigate the performance of a nonlinear VEH with magnetically coupled dual beams and compare it with the typical Duffing-type VEH to find the advantages and drawbacks of this nonlinear 2-DOF VEH. First, based on the lumped parameter model, the characteristics of potential energy shapes and static equilibriums are analyzed. It is noted that the dual beam configuration is much easy to be transformed from a mono-stable state into a bi-stable state when the repulsive magnet force increases. Based on the equilibrium positions and different kinds of nonlinearities, four nonlinearity regimes are determined. Second, the performance of 1-DOF and 2-DOF configurations are compared respectively in these four nonlinearity regimes by simulating the forward sweep responses of these two nonlinear VEHs under different acceleration levels. Several meaningful conclusions are obtained. First, the main alternative to enlarge the operation bandwidth for dual-beam configuration is chaotic oscillation, in which two beams jump between two stable positions chaotically. However, the large-amplitude periodic oscillations, such as inter-well oscillation, cannot take place in both piezoelectric and parasitic beams at the same time. Generally speaking, both of the magnetically coupled dual-beam energy harvester and Duffingtype energy harvester, have their own advantages and disadvantages, while given a large enough base excitation, the maximum voltages of these two systems are almost the same in all these four regimes.

Variable sequences outside the SAM-binding core critically influence the conformational dynamics of the SAM-III/SMK box riboswitch

PubMed Central

Lu, Changrui; Smith, Angela M; Ding, Fang; Chowdhury, Anirban; Henkin, Tina M; Ke, Ailong

2012-01-01

The SMK box (SAM-III) translational riboswitches were identified in S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM) synthetase metK genes in members of the Lactobacillales. This riboswitch switches between two alternative conformations in response to the intracellular SAM concentration and controls metK expression at the level of translation initiation. We previously reported the crystal structure of the SAM-bound SMK box riboswitch. In this study we combined SHAPE chemical probing with mutagenesis to probe the ligand-induced conformational switching mechanism. We revealed that while the majority of the apo SMK box RNA molecules exist in an alternatively base paired (ON) conformation, a subset of them pre-organize into a SAM-bound-like (READY) conformation, which upon SAM exposure is selectively stabilized into the SAM-bound (OFF) conformation through an induced-fit mechanism. Mutagenesis showed that the ON state is only slightly more stable than the READY state, as several single-nucleotide substitutions in a hypervariable region outside the SAM-binding core can alter the folding landscape to favor the READY state. Such SMK variants display a “constitutively-OFF” behavior both in vitro and in vivo. Time-resolved and temperature-dependent SHAPE analyses revealed adaptation of the SMK box RNA to its mesothermal working environment. The latter analysis revealed that the SAM-bound SMK box RNA follows a two-step folding/unfolding process. PMID:21549712

Non-linear dynamics and alternating 'flip' solutions in ferrofluidic Taylor-Couette flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Altmeyer, Sebastian

2018-04-01

This study treats with the influence of a symmetry-breaking transversal magnetic field on the nonlinear dynamics of ferrofluidic Taylor-Couette flow - flow confined between two concentric independently rotating cylinders. We detected alternating 'flip' solutions which are flow states featuring typical characteristics of slow-fast-dynamics in dynamical systems. The flip corresponds to a temporal change in the axial wavenumber and we find them to appear either as pure 2-fold axisymmetric (due to the symmetry-breaking nature of the applied transversal magnetic field) or involving non-axisymmetric, helical modes in its interim solution. The latter ones show features of typical ribbon solutions. In any case the flip solutions have a preferential first axial wavenumber which corresponds to the more stable state (slow dynamics) and second axial wavenumber, corresponding to the short appearing more unstable state (fast dynamics). However, in both cases the flip time grows exponential with increasing the magnetic field strength before the flip solutions, living on 2-tori invariant manifolds, cease to exist, with lifetime going to infinity. Further we show that ferrofluidic flow turbulence differ from the classical, ordinary (usually at high Reynolds number) turbulence. The applied magnetic field hinders the free motion of ferrofluid partials and therefore smoothen typical turbulent quantities and features so that speaking of mildly chaotic dynamics seems to be a more appropriate expression for the observed motion.

The Importance of Water for High Fidelity Information Processing and for Life

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoehler, Tori M.; Pohorille, Andrew

2011-01-01

Is water an absolute prerequisite for life? Life depends on a variety of non-covalent interactions among molecules, the nature of which is determined as much by the solvent in which they occur as by the molecules themselves. Catalysis and information processing, two essential functions of life, require non-covalent molecular recognition with very high specificity. For example, to correctly reproduce a string consisting of 600,000 units of information (e.g ., 600 kilobases, equivalent to the genome of the smallest free living terrestrial organisms) with a 90% success rate requires specificity > 107 : 1 for the target molecule vs. incorrect alternatives. Such specificity requires (i) that the correct molecular association is energetically stabilized by at least 40 kJ/mol relative to alternatives, and (ii) that the system is able to sample among possible states (alternative molecular associations) rapidly enough to allow the system to fall under thermodynamic control and express the energetic stabilization. We argue that electrostatic interactions are required to confer the necessary energetic stabilization vs. a large library of molecular alternatives, and that a solvent with polarity and dielectric properties comparable to water is required for the system to sample among possible states and express thermodynamic control. Electrostatic associations can be made in non-polar solvents, but the resulting complexes are too stable to be "unmade" with sufficient frequency to confer thermodynamic control on the system. An electrostatic molecular complex representing 3 units of information (e.g., 3 base pairs) with specificity > 107 per unit has a stability in non-polar solvent comparable to that of a carbon-carbon bond at room temperature. These considerations suggest that water, or a solvent with properties very like water, is necessary to support high-fidelity information processing, and can therefore be considered a critical prerequisite for life.

Heat Stable Enzymes from Thermophiles

DTIC Science & Technology

1998-02-01

final product and is somewhat messy to work with. Therefore, alternatives were tested. However, no combination of corn syrup , alternative sugars and...INTRODUCTION 9 CLONING OF ALKALINE PHOSPHATASE GENE AND PRODUCTION OF HIGH SPECIFIC ACTIVITY ENZYME 9 Cloning into E. coil and expression of high activity...JKR209, into an alternative, better producing organism. CLONING OF ALKALINE PHOSPHATASE GENE AND PRODUCTION OF HIGH SPECIFIC ACTIVITY ENZYME Cloning into

Gapped paramagnetic state in a frustrated spin-1/2 Heisenberg antiferromagnet on the cross-striped square lattice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, P. H. Y.; Bishop, R. F.

2018-03-01

We implement the coupled cluster method to very high orders of approximation to study the spin-1/2 J1 -J2 Heisenberg model on a cross-striped square lattice. Every nearest-neighbour pair of sites on the square lattice has an isotropic antiferromagnetic exchange bond of strength J1 > 0 , while the basic square plaquettes in alternate columns have either both or neither next-nearest-neighbour (diagonal) pairs of sites connected by an equivalent frustrating bond of strength J2 ≡ αJ1 > 0 . By studying the magnetic order parameter (i.e., the average local on-site magnetization) in the range 0 ≤ α ≤ 1 of the frustration parameter we find that the quasiclassical antiferromagnetic Néel and (so-called) double Néel states form the stable ground-state phases in the respective regions α < α1ac = 0 . 46(1) and α > α1bc = 0.615(5) . The double Néel state has Néel (⋯ ↑↓↑↓ ⋯) ordering along the (column) direction parallel to the stripes of squares with both or no J2 bonds, and spins alternating in a pairwise (⋯ ↑↑↓↓↑↑↓↓ ⋯) fashion along the perpendicular (row) direction, so that the parallel pairs occur on squares with both J2 bonds present. Further explicit calculations of both the triplet spin gap and the zero-field uniform transverse magnetic susceptibility provide compelling evidence that the ground-state phase over all or most of the intermediate regime α1ac < α < α1bc is a gapped state with no discernible long-range magnetic order.

Use of oxygen-18 and deuterium to assess the hydrology of groundwater-lake systems: Chapter 3: Advances in chemistry

USGS Publications Warehouse

Krabbenhoft, David P.; Bowser, Carl J.; Kendall, Carol; Gat, Joel

2009-01-01

A thorough understanding of a lake's hydrology is essential for many lake studies. In some situations the interactions between groundwater systems and lakes are complex; in other cases the hydrology of a multilake system needs to be quantified. In such places, stable isotopes offer an alternative to the more traditional piezometer networks, which are costly to install and time-consuming to maintain. The stable-isotope mass-balance relations presented here can be used to estimate groundwater exchange rates for individual lakes and geographically clustered lakes. These relations also can be used to estimate other hydrological factors, such as average relative humidity. In places where the groundwater system is unstable (e.g., where flow reversals occur), natural solute tracers may provide a better alternative than stable isotopes for estimating rates of groundwater flow to and from lakes.

Longitudinal variation in adolescent physical activity patterns and the emergence of tobacco use.

PubMed

Audrain-McGovern, Janet; Rodriguez, Daniel; Rodgers, Kelli; Cuevas, Jocelyn; Sass, Joseph

2012-07-01

The objective of this investigation was to examine how variation in adolescent physical activity is related to smoking and alternative tobacco use. Adolescents (N = 1,384) completed a self-report survey every 6 months from ages 14- to 18-years old in a prospective study of health behaviors. The 8 waves of data were analyzed using General Growth Mixture Modeling (GGMM) RESULTS: GGMM identified five physical activity trajectories including stable higher (SHPA), decreased (DPA), stable regular (SRPA), curvilinear (CPA), and stable low (SLPA). Across 4 years, the likelihood of smoking was greater among adolescents in the DPA, SLPA and SRPA trajectories compared to adolescents belonging to the SHPA trajectory. Alternative tobacco use was greatest among adolescents in the DPA and SRPA trajectories. Adolescents with decreasing physical activity and even adolescents averaging an hour of physical activity a day (SRPA) are important groups to target for tobacco use prevention and intervention efforts.

Alternative stable qP wave equations in TTI media with their applications for reverse time migration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Yang; Wang, Huazhong; Liu, Wenqing

2015-10-01

Numerical instabilities may arise if the spatial variation of symmetry axis is handled improperly when implementing P-wave modeling and reverse time migration in heterogeneous tilted transversely isotropic (TTI) media, especially in the cases where fast changes exist in TTI symmetry axis’ directions. Based on the pseudo-acoustic approximation to anisotropic elastic wave equations in Cartesian coordinates, alternative second order qP (quasi-P) wave equations in TTI media are derived in this paper. Compared with conventional stable qP wave equations, the proposed equations written in stress components contain only spatial derivatives of wavefield variables (stress components) and are free from spatial derivatives involving media parameters. These lead to an easy and efficient implementation for stable P-wave modeling and imaging. Numerical experiments demonstrate the stability and computational efficiency of the presented equations in complex TTI media.

Catastrophic Regime Shift in Water Reservoirs and São Paulo Water Supply Crisis.

PubMed

Coutinho, Renato M; Kraenkel, Roberto A; Prado, Paulo I

2015-01-01

The relation between rainfall and water accumulated in reservoirs comprises nonlinear feedbacks. Here we show that they may generate alternative equilibrium regimes, one of high water-volume, the other of low water-volume. Reservoirs can be seen as socio-environmental systems at risk of regime shifts, characteristic of tipping point transitions. We analyze data from stored water, rainfall, and water inflow and outflow in the main reservoir serving the metropolitan area of São Paulo, Brazil, by means of indicators of critical regime shifts, and find a strong signal of a transition. We furthermore build a mathematical model that gives a mechanistic view of the dynamics and demonstrates that alternative stable states are an expected property of water reservoirs. We also build a stochastic version of this model that fits well to the data. These results highlight the broader aspect that reservoir management must account for their intrinsic bistability, and should benefit from dynamical systems theory. Our case study illustrates the catastrophic consequences of failing to do so.

From Genomes to Protein Models and Back

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tramontano, Anna; Giorgetti, Alejandro; Orsini, Massimiliano; Raimondo, Domenico

2007-12-01

The alternative splicing mechanism allows genes to generate more than one product. When the splicing events occur within protein coding regions they can modify the biological function of the protein. Alternative splicing has been suggested as one way for explaining the discrepancy between the number of human genes and functional complexity. We analysed the putative structure of the alternatively spliced gene products annotated in the ENCODE pilot project and discovered that many of the potential alternative gene products will be unlikely to produce stable functional proteins.

Nucleosome dynamics and maintenance of epigenetic states of CpG islands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sneppen, Kim; Dodd, Ian B.

2016-06-01

Methylation of mammalian DNA occurs primarily at CG dinucleotides. These CpG sites are located nonrandomly in the genome, tending to occur within high density clusters of CpGs (islands) or within large regions of low CpG density. Cluster methylation tends to be bimodal, being dominantly unmethylated or mostly methylated. For CpG clusters near promoters, low methylation is associated with transcriptional activity, while high methylation is associated with gene silencing. Alternative CpG methylation states are thought to be stable and heritable, conferring localized epigenetic memory that allows transient signals to create long-lived gene expression states. Positive feedback where methylated CpG sites recruit enzymes that methylate nearby CpGs, can produce heritable bistability but does not easily explain that as clusters increase in size or density they change from being primarily methylated to primarily unmethylated. Here, we show that an interaction between the methylation state of a cluster and its occupancy by nucleosomes provides a mechanism to generate these features and explain genome wide systematics of CpG islands.

Early warning signals of Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation collapse in a fully coupled climate model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boulton, Chris A.; Allison, Lesley C.; Lenton, Timothy M.

2014-12-01

The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) exhibits two stable states in models of varying complexity. Shifts between alternative AMOC states are thought to have played a role in past abrupt climate changes, but the proximity of the climate system to a threshold for future AMOC collapse is unknown. Generic early warning signals of critical slowing down before AMOC collapse have been found in climate models of low and intermediate complexity. Here we show that early warning signals of AMOC collapse are present in a fully coupled atmosphere-ocean general circulation model, subject to a freshwater hosing experiment. The statistical significance of signals of increasing lag-1 autocorrelation and variance vary with latitude. They give up to 250 years warning before AMOC collapse, after ~550 years of monitoring. Future work is needed to clarify suggested dynamical mechanisms driving critical slowing down as the AMOC collapse is approached.

Postepizootic Persistence of Venezuelan Equine Encephalitis Virus, Venezuela

PubMed Central

Navarro, Juan-Carlos; Medina, Gladys; Vasquez, Clovis; Coffey, Lark L.; Wang, Eryu; Suárez, Alexander; Biord, Hernán; Salas, Marlene

2005-01-01

Five years after the apparent end of the major 1995 Venezuelan equine encephalitis (VEE) epizootic/epidemic, focal outbreaks of equine encephalitis occurred in Carabobo and Barinas States of western Venezuela. Virus isolates from horses in each location were nearly identical in sequence to 1995 isolates, which suggests natural persistence of subtype IC VEE virus (VEEV) strains in a genetically stable mode. Serologic evidence indicated that additional outbreaks occurred in Barinas State in 2003. Field studies identified known Culex (Melanoconion) spp. vectors and reservoir hosts of enzootic VEEV but a dearth of typical epidemic vectors. Cattle serosurveys indicated the recent circulation of enzootic VEEV strains, and possibly of epizootic strains. Persistence of VEEV subtype IC strains and infection of horses at the end of the rainy season suggest the possibility of an alternative, cryptic transmission cycle involving survival through the dry season of infected vectors or persistently infected vertebrates. PMID:16485478

Early warning signals of Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation collapse in a fully coupled climate model

PubMed Central

Boulton, Chris A.; Allison, Lesley C.; Lenton, Timothy M.

2014-01-01

The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) exhibits two stable states in models of varying complexity. Shifts between alternative AMOC states are thought to have played a role in past abrupt climate changes, but the proximity of the climate system to a threshold for future AMOC collapse is unknown. Generic early warning signals of critical slowing down before AMOC collapse have been found in climate models of low and intermediate complexity. Here we show that early warning signals of AMOC collapse are present in a fully coupled atmosphere-ocean general circulation model, subject to a freshwater hosing experiment. The statistical significance of signals of increasing lag-1 autocorrelation and variance vary with latitude. They give up to 250 years warning before AMOC collapse, after ~550 years of monitoring. Future work is needed to clarify suggested dynamical mechanisms driving critical slowing down as the AMOC collapse is approached. PMID:25482065

Early warning signals of Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation collapse in a fully coupled climate model.

PubMed

Boulton, Chris A; Allison, Lesley C; Lenton, Timothy M

2014-12-08

The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) exhibits two stable states in models of varying complexity. Shifts between alternative AMOC states are thought to have played a role in past abrupt climate changes, but the proximity of the climate system to a threshold for future AMOC collapse is unknown. Generic early warning signals of critical slowing down before AMOC collapse have been found in climate models of low and intermediate complexity. Here we show that early warning signals of AMOC collapse are present in a fully coupled atmosphere-ocean general circulation model, subject to a freshwater hosing experiment. The statistical significance of signals of increasing lag-1 autocorrelation and variance vary with latitude. They give up to 250 years warning before AMOC collapse, after ~550 years of monitoring. Future work is needed to clarify suggested dynamical mechanisms driving critical slowing down as the AMOC collapse is approached.

Monascus pigment production by solid-state fermentation with corn cob substrate.

PubMed

Velmurugan, Palanivel; Hur, Hyun; Balachandar, Vellingiri; Kamala-Kannan, Seralathan; Lee, Kui-Jae; Lee, Sang-Myung; Chae, Jong-Chan; Shea, Patrick J; Oh, Byung-Taek

2011-12-01

Natural pigments are an important alternative to potentially harmful synthetic dyes. We investigated the feasibility of corn cob powder as a substrate for production of pigments by Monascus purpureus KACC 42430 in solid-state fermentation. A pigment yield of 25.42 OD Units/gram of dry fermented substrate was achieved with corn cob powder and optimized process parameters, including 60% (w/w) initial moisture content, incubation at 30°C, inoculation with 4mL of spores/gram of dry substrate, and an incubation period of 7 days. Pigment yield using corn cobs greatly exceeded those of most other agricultural waste substrates. The pigments were stable at acidic pH, high temperatures, and in salt solutions; all important considerations for industrial applications. Our results indicate the viability of corn cob substrate in combination with M. purpureus for industrial applications. Copyright © 2011 The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. All rights reserved.

Dynamics in hybrid complex systems of switches and oscillators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taylor, Dane; Fertig, Elana J.; Restrepo, Juan G.

2013-09-01

While considerable progress has been made in the analysis of large systems containing a single type of coupled dynamical component (e.g., coupled oscillators or coupled switches), systems containing diverse components (e.g., both oscillators and switches) have received much less attention. We analyze large, hybrid systems of interconnected Kuramoto oscillators and Hopfield switches with positive feedback. In this system, oscillator synchronization promotes switches to turn on. In turn, when switches turn on, they enhance the synchrony of the oscillators to which they are coupled. Depending on the choice of parameters, we find theoretically coexisting stable solutions with either (i) incoherent oscillators and all switches permanently off, (ii) synchronized oscillators and all switches permanently on, or (iii) synchronized oscillators and switches that periodically alternate between the on and off states. Numerical experiments confirm these predictions. We discuss how transitions between these steady state solutions can be onset deterministically through dynamic bifurcations or spontaneously due to finite-size fluctuations.

Computational study of Li2OHCl as a possible solid state battery material

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Howard, Jason; Holzwarth, N. A. W.

Preparations of Li2OHCl have recently been experimentally studied as solid state Li ion electrolytes. A disordered cubic phase is known to be stable at temperatures T >35o C. Following previous ideas, first principles supercells are constructed with up to 320 atoms to model the cubic phase. First principles molecular dynamics simulations of the cubic phase show Li ion diffusion occuring on the t =10-12 s time scale, at temperatures as low as T = 400 K. The structure of the lower temperature phase (T <35o C) is not known in detail. A reasonable model of this structure is developed by using the tetragonal ideal structure found by first principles simulations and a model Hamiltonian to account for alternative orientations of the OH groups. Supported by NSF Grant DMR-1507942. Thanks to Zachary D. Hood of GaTech and ORNL for introducing these materials to us.

Alternative steady states in ecological networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fried, Yael; Shnerb, Nadav M.; Kessler, David A.

2017-07-01

In many natural situations, one observes a local system with many competing species that is coupled by weak immigration to a regional species pool. The dynamics of such a system is dominated by its stable and uninvadable (SU) states. When the competition matrix is random, the number of SUs depends on the average value and variance of its entries. Here we consider the problem in the limit of weak competition and large variance. Using a yes-no interaction model, we show that the number of SUs corresponds to the number of maximum cliques in an Erdös-Rényi network. The number of SUs grows exponentially with the number of species in this limit, unless the network is completely asymmetric. In the asymmetric limit, the number of SUs is O (1 ) . Numerical simulations suggest that these results are valid for models with a continuous distribution of competition terms.

COMMUNICATION: Alternative splicing and genomic stability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cahill, Kevin

2004-06-01

Alternative splicing allows an organism to make different proteins in different cells at different times, all from the same gene. In a cell that uses alternative splicing, the total length of all the exons is much shorter than in a cell that encodes the same set of proteins without alternative splicing. This economical use of exons makes genes more stable during reproduction and development because a genome with a shorter exon length is more resistant to harmful mutations. Genomic stability may be the reason why higher vertebrates splice alternatively. For a broad class of alternatively spliced genes, a formula is given for the increase in their stability.

Alternative Fuels Data Center: State Information

Science.gov Websites

Information to someone by E-mail Share Alternative Fuels Data Center: State Information on Facebook Tweet about Alternative Fuels Data Center: State Information on Twitter Bookmark Alternative Fuels Data Center : State Information on Google Bookmark Alternative Fuels Data Center: State Information on Delicious Rank

Enhanced switching stability in Ta2O5 resistive RAM by fluorine doping

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sedghi, N.; Li, H.; Brunell, I. F.; Dawson, K.; Guo, Y.; Potter, R. J.; Gibbon, J. T.; Dhanak, V. R.; Zhang, W. D.; Zhang, J. F.; Hall, S.; Robertson, J.; Chalker, P. R.

2017-08-01

The effect of fluorine doping on the switching stability of Ta2O5 resistive random access memory devices is investigated. It shows that the dopant serves to increase the memory window and improve the stability of the resistive states due to the neutralization of oxygen vacancies. The ability to alter the current in the low resistance state with set current compliance coupled with large memory window makes multilevel cell switching more favorable. The devices have set and reset voltages of <1 V with improved stability due to the fluorine doping. Density functional modeling shows that the incorporation of fluorine dopant atoms at the two-fold O vacancy site in the oxide network removes the defect state in the mid bandgap, lowering the overall density of defects capable of forming conductive filaments. This reduces the probability of forming alternative conducting paths and hence improves the current stability in the low resistance states. The doped devices exhibit more stable resistive states in both dc and pulsed set and reset cycles. The retention failure time is estimated to be a minimum of 2 years for F-doped devices measured by temperature accelerated and stress voltage accelerated retention failure methods.

Transient jet formation and state transitions from large-scale magnetic reconnection in black hole accretion discs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dexter, Jason; McKinney, Jonathan C.; Markoff, Sera; Tchekhovskoy, Alexander

2014-05-01

Magnetically arrested accretion discs (MADs), where the magnetic pressure in the inner disc is dynamically important, provide an alternative mechanism for regulating accretion to what is commonly assumed in black hole systems. We show that a global magnetic field inversion in the MAD state can destroy the jet, significantly increase the accretion rate, and move the effective inner disc edge in to the marginally stable orbit. Reconnection of the MAD field in the inner radii launches a new type of transient outflow containing hot plasma generated by magnetic dissipation. This transient outflow can be as powerful as the steady magnetically dominated Blandford-Znajek jet in the MAD state. The field inversion qualitatively describes many of the observational features associated with the high-luminosity hard-to-soft state transition in black hole X-ray binaries: the jet line, the transient ballistic jet, and the drop in rms variability. These results demonstrate that the magnetic field configuration can influence the accretion state directly, and hence the magnetic field structure is an important second parameter in explaining observations of accreting black holes across the mass and luminosity scales.

General ecological models for human subsistence, health and poverty.

PubMed

Ngonghala, Calistus N; De Leo, Giulio A; Pascual, Mercedes M; Keenan, Donald C; Dobson, Andrew P; Bonds, Matthew H

2017-08-01

The world's rural poor rely heavily on their immediate natural environment for subsistence and suffer high rates of morbidity and mortality from infectious diseases. We present a general framework for modelling subsistence and health of the rural poor by coupling simple dynamic models of population ecology with those for economic growth. The models show that feedbacks between the biological and economic systems can lead to a state of persistent poverty. Analyses of a wide range of specific systems under alternative assumptions show the existence of three possible regimes corresponding to a globally stable development equilibrium, a globally stable poverty equilibrium and bistability. Bistability consistently emerges as a property of generalized disease-economic systems for about a fifth of the feasible parameter space. The overall proportion of parameters leading to poverty is larger than that resulting in healthy/wealthy development. All the systems are found to be most sensitive to human disease parameters. The framework highlights feedbacks, processes and parameters that are important to measure in studies of rural poverty to identify effective pathways towards sustainable development.

Architecture-Dependent Robustness and Bistability in a Class of Genetic Circuits

PubMed Central

Zhang, Jiajun; Yuan, Zhanjiang; Li, Han-Xiong; Zhou, Tianshou

2010-01-01

Understanding the relationship between genotype and phenotype is a challenge in systems biology. An interesting yet related issue is why a particular circuit topology is present in a cell when the same function can supposedly be obtained from an alternative architecture. Here we analyzed two topologically equivalent genetic circuits of coupled positive and negative feedback loops, named NAT and ALT circuits, respectively. The computational search for the oscillation volume of the entire biologically reasonable parameter region through large-scale random samplings shows that the NAT circuit exhibits a distinctly larger fraction of the oscillatory region than the ALT circuit. Such a global robustness difference between two circuits is supplemented by analyzing local robustness, including robustness to parameter perturbations and to molecular noise. In addition, detailed dynamical analysis shows that the molecular noise of both circuits can induce transient switching of the different mechanism between a stable steady state and a stable limit cycle. Our investigation on robustness and dynamics through examples provides insights into the relationship between network architecture and its function. PMID:20712986

Variational Methods in Sensitivity Analysis and Optimization for Aerodynamic Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ibrahim, A. H.; Hou, G. J.-W.; Tiwari, S. N. (Principal Investigator)

1996-01-01

Variational methods (VM) sensitivity analysis, which is the continuous alternative to the discrete sensitivity analysis, is employed to derive the costate (adjoint) equations, the transversality conditions, and the functional sensitivity derivatives. In the derivation of the sensitivity equations, the variational methods use the generalized calculus of variations, in which the variable boundary is considered as the design function. The converged solution of the state equations together with the converged solution of the costate equations are integrated along the domain boundary to uniquely determine the functional sensitivity derivatives with respect to the design function. The determination of the sensitivity derivatives of the performance index or functional entails the coupled solutions of the state and costate equations. As the stable and converged numerical solution of the costate equations with their boundary conditions are a priori unknown, numerical stability analysis is performed on both the state and costate equations. Thereafter, based on the amplification factors obtained by solving the generalized eigenvalue equations, the stability behavior of the costate equations is discussed and compared with the state (Euler) equations. The stability analysis of the costate equations suggests that the converged and stable solution of the costate equation is possible only if the computational domain of the costate equations is transformed to take into account the reverse flow nature of the costate equations. The application of the variational methods to aerodynamic shape optimization problems is demonstrated for internal flow problems at supersonic Mach number range. The study shows, that while maintaining the accuracy of the functional sensitivity derivatives within the reasonable range for engineering prediction purposes, the variational methods show a substantial gain in computational efficiency, i.e., computer time and memory, when compared with the finite difference sensitivity analysis.

Sleep-induced periodic breathing and apnea: a theoretical study.

PubMed

Khoo, M C; Gottschalk, A; Pack, A I

1991-05-01

To elucidate the mechanisms that lead to sleep-disordered breathing, we have developed a mathematical model that allows for dynamic interactions among the chemical control of respiration, changes in sleep-waking state, and changes in upper airway patency. The increase in steady-state arterial PCO2 accompanying sleep is shown to be inversely related to the ventilatory response to CO2. Chemical control of respiration becomes less stable during the light stage of sleep, despite a reduction in chemoresponsiveness, due to a concomitant increase in "plant gain" (i.e., responsiveness of blood gases to ventilatory changes). The withdrawal of the "wakefulness drive" during sleep onset represents a strong perturbation to respiratory control: higher magnitudes and rates of withdrawal of this drive favor instability. These results may account for the higher incidence of periodic breathing observed during light sleep and sleep onset. Periodic ventilation can also result from repetitive alternations between sleep onset and arousal. The potential for instability is further compounded if the possibility of upper airway occlusion is also included. In systems with high controller gains, instability is mediated primarily through chemoreflex overcompensation. However, in systems with depressed chemoresponsiveness, rapid sleep onset and large blood gas fluctuations trigger repetitive episodes of arousal and hyperpnea alternating with apneas that may or may not be obstructive. Between these extremes, more complex patterns can arise from the interaction between chemoreflex-mediated oscillations of shorter-cycle-duration (approximately 36 s) and longer-wavelength (approximately 60-80 s) state-driven oscillations.

Increasing atmospheric CO2 overrides the historical legacy of multiple stable biome states in Africa.

PubMed

Moncrieff, Glenn R; Scheiter, Simon; Bond, William J; Higgins, Steven I

2014-02-01

The dominant vegetation over much of the global land surface is not predetermined by contemporary climate, but also influenced by past environmental conditions. This confounds attempts to predict current and future biome distributions, because even a perfect model would project multiple possible biomes without knowledge of the historical vegetation state. Here we compare the distribution of tree- and grass-dominated biomes across Africa simulated using a dynamic global vegetation model (DGVM). We explicitly evaluate where and under what conditions multiple stable biome states are possible for current and projected future climates. Our simulation results show that multiple stable biomes states are possible for vast areas of tropical and subtropical Africa under current conditions. Widespread loss of the potential for multiple stable biomes states is projected in the 21st Century, driven by increasing atmospheric CO2 . Many sites where currently both tree-dominated and grass-dominated biomes are possible become deterministically tree-dominated. Regions with multiple stable biome states are widespread and require consideration when attempting to predict future vegetation changes. Testing for behaviour characteristic of systems with multiple stable equilibria, such as hysteresis and dependence on historical conditions, and the resulting uncertainty in simulated vegetation, will lead to improved projections of global change impacts. © 2013 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2013 New Phytologist Trust.

SPDE/SPRE final summary report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dochat, George

1993-01-01

Mechanical Technology Incorporated (MTI) performed acceptance testing on the Space Power Research Engine (SPRE), which demonstrated satisfactory operation and sufficient reliability for delivery to NASA Lewis Research Center. The unit produced 13.5 kW PV power with an efficiency of 22 percent versus design goals of 28.8 kW PV power and efficiency of 28 percent. Maximum electric power was only 8 kWe due to lower alternator efficiency. One of the major shortcomings of the SPRE was linear alternator efficiency, which was only 70 percent compared to a design value of 90 percent. It was determined from static tests that the major cause for the efficiency shortfall was the location of the magnetic structure surrounding the linear alternator. Testing of an alternator configuration without a surrounding magnetic structure on a linear dynamometer confirmed earlier static test results. Linear alternator efficiency improved from 70 percent to over 90 percent. Testing of the MTI SPRE was also performed with hydrodynamic bearings and achieved full-stroke, stable operation. This testing indicated that hydrodynamic bearings may be useful in free piston Stirling engines. An important factor in achieving stable operation at design stroke was isolating a portion of the bearing length from the engine pressure variations. In addition, the heat pipe heater head design indicates that integration of a Stirling engine with a heat source can be performed via heat pipes. This design provides a baseline against which alternative designs can be measured.

Development of a New Generation of Stable, Tunable, and Catalytically Active Nanoparticles Produced by the Helium Nanodroplet Deposition Method

DOE PAGES

Wu, Qiyuan; Ridge, Claron J.; Zhao, Shen; ...

2016-07-13

Nanoparticles (NPs) are revolutionizing many areas of science and technology, often delivering unprecedented improvements to properties of the conventional materials. However, despite important advances in NPs synthesis and applications, numerous challenges still remain. Development of alternative synthetic method capable of producing very uniform, extremely clean and very stable NPs is urgently needed. If successful, such method can potentially transform several areas of nanoscience, including environmental and energy related catalysis. Here we present the first experimental demonstration of catalytically active NPs synthesis achieved by the helium nanodroplet isolation method. This alternative method of NPs fabrication and deposition produces narrowly distributed, clean,more » and remarkably stable NPs. The fabrication is achieved inside ultra-low temperature, superfluid helium nanodroplets, which can be subsequently deposited onto any substrate. Lastly, this technique is universal enough to be applied to nearly any element, while achieving high deposition rates for single element as well as composite core-shell NPs.« less

Longitudinal Variation in Adolescent Physical Activity Patterns and the Emergence of Tobacco Use

PubMed Central

Rodriguez, Daniel; Rodgers, Kelli; Cuevas, Jocelyn; Sass, Joseph

2012-01-01

Objective The objective of this investigation was to examine how variation in adolescent physical activity is related to smoking and alternative tobacco use. Methods Adolescents (N = 1,384) completed a self-report survey every 6 months from ages 14- to 18-years old in a prospective study of health behaviors. The 8 waves of data were analyzed using General Growth Mixture Modeling (GGMM) Results GGMM identified five physical activity trajectories including stable higher (SHPA), decreased (DPA), stable regular (SRPA), curvilinear (CPA), and stable low (SLPA). Across 4 years, the likelihood of smoking was greater among adolescents in the DPA, SLPA and SRPA trajectories compared to adolescents belonging to the SHPA trajectory. Alternative tobacco use was greatest among adolescents in the DPA and SRPA trajectories. Conclusions Adolescents with decreasing physical activity and even adolescents averaging an hour of physical activity a day (SRPA) are important groups to target for tobacco use prevention and intervention efforts. PMID:22408052

How Do States Define Alternative Education? REL 2014-038

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Porowski, Allan; O'Conner, Rosemarie; Luo, Jia Lisa

2014-01-01

This study provides an overview of similarities and differences in how states and state education agencies define alternative education, as well as which states have alternative education standards and what those standards entail. The study reviewed information on alternative education definitions and programs from state and federal websites and…

Electronic Properties of Curved and Defective 2-D BN Nanostructures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beach, Kory; Terrones, Humberto; Raeliarijaona, Aldo; Siegel, Ross; Florio, Fred

Density functional theory (DFT) with local density approximation (LDA) pseudopotentials is used to calculate the band structure and density of states of various novel 2-D BN nanostructures. Three types of systems are studied: Schwarzites, a Haeckelite, and an h-BN monolayer. Schwarzites are negatively curved structures in which the curvature is due to the introduction of octagonal rings of alternating boron and nitrogen atoms. In particular, three families of Schwarzites are analyzed: P, G and IWP. The Haeckelites on the other hand, are flat layers composed of squares and octagons of BN. It is found that all these BN allotropes are metastable in which the band gap is direct and smaller than the most stable system, h-BN. National Science Foundation (EFRI-1433311).

The production and uses of Beauveria bassiana as a microbial insecticide.

PubMed

Mascarin, Gabriel Moura; Jaronski, Stefan T

2016-11-01

Among invertebrate fungal pathogens, Beauveria bassiana has assumed a key role in management of numerous arthropod agricultural, veterinary and forestry pests. Beauveria is typically deployed in one or more inundative applications of large numbers of aerial conidia in dry or liquid formulations, in a chemical paradigm. Mass production is mainly practiced by solid-state fermentation to yield hydrophobic aerial conidia, which remain the principal active ingredient of mycoinsecticides. More robust and cost-effective fermentation and formulation downstream platforms are imperative for its overall commercialization by industry. Hence, where economics allow, submerged liquid fermentation provides alternative method to produce effective and stable propagules that can be easily formulated as dry stable preparations. Formulation also continues to be a bottleneck in the development of stable and effective commercial Beauveria-mycoinsecticides in many countries, although good commercial formulations do exist. Future research on improving fermentation and formulation technologies coupled with the selection of multi-stress tolerant and virulent strains is needed to catalyze the widespread acceptance and usefulness of this fungus as a cost-effective mycoinsecticide. The role of Beauveria as one tool among many in integrated pest management, rather than a stand-alone management approach, needs to be better developed across the range of crop systems. Here, we provide an overview of mass-production and formulation strategies, updated list of registered commercial products, major biocontrol programs and ecological aspects affecting the use of Beauveria as a mycoinsecticide.

ULTRA-SHARP nonoscillatory convection schemes for high-speed steady multidimensional flow

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leonard, B. P.; Mokhtari, Simin

1990-01-01

For convection-dominated flows, classical second-order methods are notoriously oscillatory and often unstable. For this reason, many computational fluid dynamicists have adopted various forms of (inherently stable) first-order upwinding over the past few decades. Although it is now well known that first-order convection schemes suffer from serious inaccuracies attributable to artificial viscosity or numerical diffusion under high convection conditions, these methods continue to enjoy widespread popularity for numerical heat transfer calculations, apparently due to a perceived lack of viable high accuracy alternatives. But alternatives are available. For example, nonoscillatory methods used in gasdynamics, including currently popular TVD schemes, can be easily adapted to multidimensional incompressible flow and convective transport. This, in itself, would be a major advance for numerical convective heat transfer, for example. But, as is shown, second-order TVD schemes form only a small, overly restrictive, subclass of a much more universal, and extremely simple, nonoscillatory flux-limiting strategy which can be applied to convection schemes of arbitrarily high order accuracy, while requiring only a simple tridiagonal ADI line-solver, as used in the majority of general purpose iterative codes for incompressible flow and numerical heat transfer. The new universal limiter and associated solution procedures form the so-called ULTRA-SHARP alternative for high resolution nonoscillatory multidimensional steady state high speed convective modelling.

Evolution of learning in fluctuating environments: when selection favors both social and exploratory individual learning.

PubMed

Borenstein, Elhanan; Feldman, Marcus W; Aoki, Kenichi

2008-03-01

Cumulative cultural change requires organisms that are capable of both exploratory individual learning and faithful social learning. In our model, an organism's phenotype is initially determined innately (by its genotypic value) or by social learning (copying a phenotype from the parental generation), and then may or may not be modified by individual learning (exploration around the initial phenotype). The environment alternates periodically between two states, each defined as a certain range of phenotypes that can survive. These states may overlap, in which case the same phenotype can survive in both states, or they may not. We find that a joint social and exploratory individual learning strategy-the strategy that supports cumulative culture-is likely to spread when the environmental states do not overlap. In particular, when the environmental states are contiguous and mutation is allowed among the genotypic values, this strategy will spread in either moderately or highly stable environments, depending on the exact nature of the individual learning applied. On the other hand, natural selection often favors a social learning strategy without exploration when the environmental states overlap. We find only partial support for the "consensus" view, which holds that individual learning, social learning, and innate determination of behavior will evolve at short, intermediate, and long environmental periodicities, respectively.

Alternative Fuels Data Center: State Laws and Incentives

Science.gov Websites

State Printable Version Share this resource Send a link to Alternative Fuels Data Center: State Laws and Incentives to someone by E-mail Share Alternative Fuels Data Center: State Laws and Incentives on Facebook Tweet about Alternative Fuels Data Center: State Laws and Incentives on Twitter Bookmark

Stable structures of microparticles in the electrodynamic trap created by the corona discharge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vladimirov, V. I.; Deputatova, L. V.; Filinov, V. S.; Lapitsky, D. S.; Pecherkin, V. Ya; Syrovatka, R. A.; Vasilyak, L. M.; Petrov, O. F.

2018-01-01

For the first time the stable structures of microparticles in a dynamic linear trap with corona electrodes have been obtained. The possibility for capturing and confining of microparticles in a linear electrodynamic trap with corona electrodes at atmospheric pressure has been studied experimentally. The corona discharge on the electrodes of the trap was generated by an alternating electric field.

Prolonged Instability Prior to a Regime Shift | Science ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Regime shifts are generally defined as the point of ‘abrupt’ change in the state of a system. However, a seemingly abrupt transition can be the product of a system reorganization that has been ongoing much longer than is evident in statistical analysis of a single component of the system. Using both univariate and multivariate statistical methods, we tested a long-term high-resolution paleoecological dataset with a known change in species assemblage for a regime shift. Analysis of this dataset with Fisher Information and multivariate time series modeling showed that there was a∼2000 year period of instability prior to the regime shift. This period of instability and the subsequent regime shift coincide with regional climate change, indicating that the system is undergoing extrinsic forcing. Paleoecological records offer a unique opportunity to test tools for the detection of thresholds and stable-states, and thus to examine the long-term stability of ecosystems over periods of multiple millennia. This manuscript explores various methods of assessing the transition between alternative states in an ecological system described by a long-term high-resolution paleoecological dataset.

Metal-deficient SOD1 in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

PubMed

Hilton, James B; White, Anthony R; Crouch, Peter J

2015-05-01

Mutations to the ubiquitous antioxidant enzyme Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD1) were the first established genetic cause of the fatal, adult-onset neurodegenerative disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). It is widely accepted that these mutations do not cause ALS via a loss of antioxidant function, but elucidating the alternate toxic gain of function has proven to be elusive. Under physiological conditions, SOD1 binds one copper ion and one zinc ion per monomer to form a highly stable and functional homodimer, but there is now ample evidence to indicate aberrant persistence of SOD1 in an intermediate metal-deficient state may contribute to the protein's involvement in ALS. This review briefly discusses some of the data to support a role for metal-deficient SOD1 in the development of ALS and some of the outcomes from drug development studies that have aimed to modify the symptoms of ALS by targeting the metal state of SOD1. The implications for the metal state of SOD1 in cases of sporadic ALS that do not involve mutant SOD1 are also discussed.

Inner edge magnetisms in carbon honeycombs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Xiaofei; Guo, Wanlin

2018-04-01

We show by comprehensive ab initio calculations that sp2 carbon honeycombs recently synthesised by Krainyukova et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 116, 055501 (2016)] exhibit antiferromagnetism, not only at the inner edge of the zigzag ribbon component but also at the chain of sp2 carbon that joins three zigzag ribbons. The π antiferromagnetism at the joint chain has spin orientations that alternatively change along the axis and stems from a super-exchange mechanism. Along with the spin-polarization, the joint chain conduction channel opens an energy gap. The spin-polarization of the zigzag edge due to the magnetic instability of the localized edge states is less stable in energy. Through hole doping, the zigzag edge antiferromagnetism is enhanced and stabilized as the magnetic ground state, along with the re-opening of the joint chain conduction channel. When the carbon honeycombs are reconstructed into sp3-sp2 hybrid honeycombs, the π states of the joint are diminished, but the zigzag edge magnetism is preserved. Our results propose carbon honeycombs as novel magnetic carbon with competing polarization configurations.

S-containing copolymer as cathode material in poly(ethylene oxide)-based all-solid-state Li-S batteries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gracia, Ismael; Ben Youcef, Hicham; Judez, Xabier; Oteo, Uxue; Zhang, Heng; Li, Chunmei; Rodriguez-Martinez, Lide M.; Armand, Michel

2018-06-01

Inverse vulcanization copolymers (p(S-DVB)) from the radical polymerization of elemental sulfur and divinylbenzene (DVB) have been studied as cathode active materials in poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO)-based all-solid-state Li-S cells. The Li-S cell comprising the optimized p(S-DVB) cathode (80:20 w/w S/DVB ratio) and lithium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide/PEO (LiFSI/PEO) electrolyte shows high specific capacity (ca. 800 mAh g-1) and high Coulombic efficiency for 50 cycles. Most importantly, polysulfide (PS) shuttle is highly mitigated due to the strong interactions of PS species with polymer backbone in p(S-DVB). This is demonstrated by the stable cycling of the p(S-DVB)-based cell using lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI)/PEO electrolyte, where successful charging cannot be achieved even at the first cycle with plain elemental S-based cathode material due to the severe PS shuttle phenomenon. These results suggest that inverse vulcanization copolymers are promising alternatives to elemental sulfur for enhancing the electrochemical performance of PEO-based all-solid-state Li-S cells.

The research about microscopic structure of emulsion membrane in O/W emulsion by NMR and its influence to emulsion stability.

PubMed

Xie, Yiqiao; Chen, Jisheng; Zhang, Shu; Fan, Kaiyan; Chen, Gang; Zhuang, Zerong; Zeng, Mingying; Chen, De; Lu, Longgui; Yang, Linlin; Yang, Fan

2016-03-16

This paper discussed the influence of microstructure of emulsion membrane on O/W emulsion stability. O/W emulsions were emulsified with equal dosage of egg yolk lecithin and increasing dosage of co-emulsifier (oleic acid or HS15). The average particle size and centrifugal stability constant of emulsion, as well as interfacial tension between oil and water phase were determined. The microstructure of emulsion membrane had been studied by (1)H/(13)C NMR, meanwhile the emulsion droplets were visually presented with TEM and IFM. With increasing dosage of co-emulsifier, emulsions showed two stable states, under which the signal intensity of characteristic group (orient to lipophilic core) of egg yolk lecithin disappeared in NMR of emulsions, but that (orient to aqueous phase) of co-emulsifiers only had some reduction at the second stable state. At the two stable states, the emulsion membranes were neater in TEM and emulsion droplets were rounder in IFM. Furthermore, the average particle size of emulsions at the second stable state was bigger than that at the first stable state. Egg yolk lecithin and co-emulsifier respectively arranged into monolayer and bilayer emulsion membrane at the two stable states. The microstructure of emulsion membrane was related to the stability of emulsion. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

On the inversion of the 1 Bu and 2 Ag electronic states in α,ω-diphenylpolyenes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Catalán, J.

2003-07-01

An alternative model to that of the inversion of the states 1Bu and 2Ag is proposed for interpreting the photophysics of the α,ω-diphenylpolyenes. This model is based upon the existence of two chemical structures with Bu symmetry, which may be ascribed to the same excited electronic state 1Bu. One of the two chemical structures corresponds to the Franck-Condon structure with conjugated single and double bonds for the polyene chain, and another consists of a nearly equivalent series of partial double bonds along the polyene chain. The latter relaxed structure is consistent with the observation of high torsional energy barriers and low photoisomerization quantum yields for diphenylhexatriene in the singlet excited state manifold. Interestingly, such a simple quantum model as that of the particle in a one-dimensional box provides quite an accurate description of the absorption spectroscopic properties of these major compounds. This is partly the result of the most stable structures for these compounds being of the all-trans type; such structures increase in length as additional ethylene units are added, which makes them very similar to a one-dimensional box becoming increasingly longer.

Experimental demonstration of revival of oscillations from death in coupled nonlinear oscillators.

PubMed

Senthilkumar, D V; Suresh, K; Chandrasekar, V K; Zou, Wei; Dana, Syamal K; Kathamuthu, Thamilmaran; Kurths, Jürgen

2016-04-01

We experimentally demonstrate that a processing delay, a finite response time, in the coupling can revoke the stability of the stable steady states, thereby facilitating the revival of oscillations in the same parameter space where the coupled oscillators suffered the quenching of oscillation. This phenomenon of reviving of oscillations is demonstrated using two different prototype electronic circuits. Further, the analytical critical curves corroborate that the spread of the parameter space with stable steady state is diminished continuously by increasing the processing delay. Finally, the death state is completely wiped off above a threshold value by switching the stability of the stable steady state to retrieve sustained oscillations in the same parameter space. The underlying dynamical mechanism responsible for the decrease in the spread of the stable steady states and the eventual reviving of oscillation as a function of the processing delay is explained using analytical results.

Experimental demonstration of revival of oscillations from death in coupled nonlinear oscillators

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Senthilkumar, D. V., E-mail: skumarusnld@gmail.com; Centre for Nonlinear Science and Engineering, School of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, SASTRA University, Thanjavur 613 401; Suresh, K.

We experimentally demonstrate that a processing delay, a finite response time, in the coupling can revoke the stability of the stable steady states, thereby facilitating the revival of oscillations in the same parameter space where the coupled oscillators suffered the quenching of oscillation. This phenomenon of reviving of oscillations is demonstrated using two different prototype electronic circuits. Further, the analytical critical curves corroborate that the spread of the parameter space with stable steady state is diminished continuously by increasing the processing delay. Finally, the death state is completely wiped off above a threshold value by switching the stability of themore » stable steady state to retrieve sustained oscillations in the same parameter space. The underlying dynamical mechanism responsible for the decrease in the spread of the stable steady states and the eventual reviving of oscillation as a function of the processing delay is explained using analytical results.« less

Assignment of chromosomal locus and evidence for alternatively spliced mRNAs of a human sperm membrane protein (hSMP-1).

PubMed

Wang, H; Miao, S; Chen, D; Wang, L; Koide, S S

1999-10-06

The gene (HSD-1) coding a human sperm membrane protein (hSMP-1) was isolated from a human testis cDNA expression library using antibodies found in the serum of an infertile woman. HSD-1 was localized to a single locus on chromosome 9 and assigned to band 9p12-p13 by fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) mapping and DAPI (4,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole) banding, using rat/human somatic cell hybrids and metaphase chromosomes of human lymphocytes. In rescreening a testis lambdagt10 cDNA expression library, the full-length cDNA (HSD-1) and several truncated cDNAs with heterologous regions were isolated from positive clones. The heterology consisted of deletion, insertion and alteration of the 5'-end. These heterologous truncated fragments may be produced by alternative splicing of mRNAs. Two recombinant prokaryotic expression vectors were constructed with one of the heterologous fragment (clone #26) with and without the alternative 5'-end. Escherichia coli transfected with the construct containing the alternative 5'-end failed to produce the recombinant product, whereas those transfected with the vector lacking the 5'-end produced hSMP-1. DNASIS analysis of the structure of #26 mRNA suggests that the 5'-end has a stable secondary configuration that may maintain the mRNA in an inactivated state, whereby hindering its translation and preventing the expression of the gene.

An Analysis of State Alternate Assessment Participation Guidelines

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Musson, Jane E.; Thomas, Megan K.; Towles-Reeves, Elizabeth; Kearns, Jacqueline F.

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study was to examine all states' participation guidelines for alternate assessments based on alternate achievement standards (AA-AAS) and to analyze these guidelines for common and contrasting themes. State alternate assessment participation guidelines were found for all 50 states. Participation guidelines were coded, and 12…

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gobrecht, David; Cristallo, Sergio; Piersanti, Luciano

Silicon carbide (SiC) grains are a major dust component in carbon-rich asymptotic giant branch stars. However, the formation pathways of these grains are not fully understood. We calculate ground states and energetically low-lying structures of (SiC){sub n}, n = 1, 16 clusters by means of simulated annealing and Monte Carlo simulations of seed structures and subsequent quantum-mechanical calculations on the density functional level of theory. We derive the infrared (IR) spectra of these clusters and compare the IR signatures to observational and laboratory data. According to energetic considerations, we evaluate the viability of SiC cluster growth at several densities andmore » temperatures, characterizing various locations and evolutionary states in circumstellar envelopes. We discover new, energetically low-lying structures for Si{sub 4}C{sub 4}, Si{sub 5}C{sub 5}, Si{sub 15}C{sub 15}, and Si{sub 16}C{sub 16} and new ground states for Si{sub 10}C{sub 10} and Si{sub 15}C{sub 15}. The clusters with carbon-segregated substructures tend to be more stable by 4–9 eV than their bulk-like isomers with alternating Si–C bonds. However, we find ground states with cage geometries resembling buckminsterfullerens (“bucky-like”) for Si{sub 12}C{sub 12} and Si{sub 16}C{sub 16} and low-lying stable cage structures for n ≥ 12. The latter findings thus indicate a regime of cluster sizes that differ from small clusters as well as from large-scale crystals. Thus—and owing to their stability and geometry—the latter clusters may mark a transition from a quantum-confined cluster regime to a crystalline, solid bulk-material. The calculated vibrational IR spectra of the ground-state SiC clusters show significant emission. They include the 10–13 μ m wavelength range and the 11.3 μm feature inferred from laboratory measurements and observations, respectively, although the overall intensities are rather low.« less

Wood Storks of the Birdsville Colony and swamps of the Savannah River Site: General overview of research findings, 1983--1990

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Coulter, M.C.

1993-02-01

The population of Wood Storks (Mycteria americana) that breeds in the United States has decreased from an estimated 20,000 breeding pairs in 1930 to just under 5,000 pairs in 1980. Since 1980, the number has remained relatively stable, fluctuating between 3,500 and 5,500 breeding pairs. The decline prompted the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to list the United States population of Wood Storks as endangered in 1984. When the US Department of Energy (USDOE) decided to restart L-Reactor on the Savannah River Site (SRS), there was concern that when the reactor was restarted, cooling water flowing into the Steelmore » Creek Delta would raise the water level and the area would become too deep for foraging storks. The potential loss of this area to storks was important because storks had been observed foraging in the Steel Creek Delta. The USDOE began consultation with the USFWS in April, 1984, and the USDOE subsequently agreed to develop and maintain alternative foraging habitat to replace the potential loss. In order to design and manage the alternate foraging ponds as effectively as possible, it was necessary to understand aspects of the biology of the storks, the characteristics of their foraging sites and the patterns of their use of the SRSS. Results are described.« less

Chromatic interocular-switch rivalry.

PubMed

Christiansen, Jens H; D'Antona, Anthony D; Shevell, Steven K

2017-05-01

Interocular-switch rivalry (also known as stimulus rivalry) is a kind of binocular rivalry in which two rivalrous images are swapped between the eyes several times a second. The result is stable periods of one image and then the other, with stable intervals that span many eye swaps (Logothetis, Leopold, & Sheinberg, 1996). Previous work used this close kin of binocular rivalry with rivalrous forms. Experiments here test whether chromatic interocular-switch rivalry, in which the swapped stimuli differ in only chromaticity, results in slow alternation between two colors. Swapping equiluminant rivalrous chromaticities at 3.75 Hz resulted in slow perceptual color alternation, with one or the other color often continuously visible for two seconds or longer (during which there were 15+ eye swaps). A well-known theory for sustained percepts from interocular-switch rivalry with form is inhibitory competition between binocular neurons driven by monocular neurons with matched orientation tuning in each eye; such binocular neurons would produce a stable response when a given orientation is swapped between the eyes. A similar model can account for the percepts here from chromatic interocular-switch rivalry and is underpinned by the neurophysiological finding that color-preferring binocular neurons are driven by monocular neurons from each eye with well-matched chromatic selectivity (Peirce, Solomon, Forte, & Lennie, 2008). In contrast to chromatic interocular-switch rivalry, luminance interocular-switch rivalry with swapped stimuli that differ in only luminance did not result in slowly alternating percepts of different brightnesses.

Control of Dual-Opposed Stirling Convertors with Active Power Factor Correction Controllers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Regan, Timothy F.; Lewandowski, Edward J.; Schreiber, Jeffrey G.

2007-01-01

When using recently-developed active power factor correction (APFC) controllers in power systems comprised of dual-opposed free-piston Stirling convertors, a variety of configurations of the convertors and controller(s) can be considered, with configuration ultimately selected based on benefits of efficiency, reliability, and robust operation. The configuration must not only achieve stable control of the two convertors, but also synchronize and regulate motion of the pistons to minimize net dynamic forces. The NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) System Dynamic Model (SDM) was used to study ten configurations of dual-opposed convertor systems. These configurations considered one controller with the alternators connected in series or in parallel, and two controllers with the alternators not connected (isolated). For the configurations where the alternators were not connected, several different approaches were evaluated to synchronize the two convertors. In addition, two thermodynamic configurations were considered: two convertors with isolated working spaces and convertors with a shared expansion space. Of the ten configurations studied, stable operating modes were found for four. Three of those four had a common expansion space. One stable configuration was found for the dual-opposed convertors with separate working spaces. That configuration required isochronous control of both convertors, and two APFC controllers were used to accomplish this. A frequency/phase control loop was necessary to allow each APFC controller to synchronize its associated convertor with a common frequency.

Control of Dual-Opposed Stirling Convertors with Active Power Factor Correction Controllers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Regan, Timothy F.; Lewandowski, Edward J.; Schreiber, Jeffrey G.

2006-01-01

When using recently-developed active power factor correction (APFC) controllers in power systems comprised of dual-opposed free-piston Stirling convertors, a variety of configurations of the convertors and controller(s) can be considered, with configuration ultimately selected based on benefits of efficiency, reliability, and robust operation. The configuration must not only achieve stable control of the two convertors, but also synchronize and regulate motion of the pistons to minimize net dynamic forces. The NASA Glenn Research Center (GRC) System Dynamic Model (SDM) was used to study ten configurations of dual-opposed convertor systems. These configurations considered one controller with the alternators connected in series or in parallel, and two controllers with the alternators not connected (isolated). For the configurations where the alternators were not connected, several different approaches were evaluated to synchronize the two convertors. In addition, two thermodynamic configurations were considered: two convertors with isolated working spaces and convertors with a shared expansion space. Of the ten configurations studied, stable operating modes were found for four. Three of those four had a common expansion space. One stable configuration was found for the dual-opposed convertors with separate working spaces. That configuration required isochronous control of both convertors, and two APFC controllers were used to accomplish this. A frequency/phase control loop was necessary to allow each APFC controller to synchronize its associated convertor with a common frequency.

Analytic energy gradient of projected Hartree-Fock within projection after variation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uejima, Motoyuki; Ten-no, Seiichiro

2017-03-01

We develop a geometrical optimization technique for the projection-after-variation (PAV) scheme of the recently refined projected Hartree-Fock (PHF) as a fast alternative to the variation-after-projection (VAP) approach for optimizing the structures of molecules/clusters in symmetry-adapted electronic states at the mean-field computational cost. PHF handles the nondynamic correlation effects by restoring the symmetry of a broken-symmetry single reference wavefunction and moreover enables a black-box treatment of orbital selections. Using HF orbitals instead of PHF orbitals, our approach saves the computational cost for the orbital optimization, avoiding the convergence problem that sometimes emerges in the VAP scheme. We show that PAV-PHF provides geometries comparable to those of the complete active space self-consistent field and VAP-PHF for the tested systems, namely, CH2, O3, and the [Cu2O2 ] 2 + core, where nondynamic correlation is abundant. The proposed approach is useful for large systems mainly dominated by nondynamic correlation to find stable structures in many symmetry-adapted states.

Coatable Li4 SnS4 Solid Electrolytes Prepared from Aqueous Solutions for All-Solid-State Lithium-Ion Batteries.

PubMed

Choi, Young Eun; Park, Kern Ho; Kim, Dong Hyeon; Oh, Dae Yang; Kwak, Hi Ram; Lee, Young-Gi; Jung, Yoon Seok

2017-06-22

Bulk-type all-solid-state lithium-ion batteries (ASLBs) for large-scale energy-storage applications have emerged as a promising alternative to conventional lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) owing to their superior safety. However, the electrochemical performance of bulk-type ASLBs is critically limited by the low ionic conductivity of solid electrolytes (SEs) and poor ionic contact between the active materials and SEs. Herein, highly conductive (0.14 mS cm -1 ) and dry-air-stable SEs (Li 4 SnS 4 ) are reported, which are prepared using a scalable aqueous-solution process. An active material (LiCoO 2 ) coated by solidified Li 4 SnS 4 from aqueous solutions results in a significant improvement in the electrochemical performance of ASLBs. Side-effects of the exposure of LiCoO 2 to aqueous solutions are minimized by using predissolved Li 4 SnS 4 solution. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Control of Respiratory Motion by Hypnosis Intervention during Radiotherapy of Lung Cancer I

PubMed Central

Deng, Jie; Xie, Yaoqin

2013-01-01

The uncertain position of lung tumor during radiotherapy compromises the treatment effect. To effectively control respiratory motion during radiotherapy of lung cancer without any side effects, a novel control scheme, hypnosis, has been introduced in lung cancer treatment. In order to verify the suggested method, six volunteers were selected with a wide range of distribution of age, weight, and chest circumference. A set of experiments have been conducted for each volunteer, under the guidance of the professional hypnotist. All the experiments were repeated in the same environmental condition. The amplitude of respiration has been recorded under the normal state and hypnosis, respectively. Experimental results show that the respiration motion of volunteers in hypnosis has smaller and more stable amplitudes than in normal state. That implies that the hypnosis intervention can be an alternative way for respiratory control, which can effectively reduce the respiratory amplitude and increase the stability of respiratory cycle. The proposed method will find useful application in image-guided radiotherapy. PMID:24093100

Dynamical mechanism of circadian singularity behavior in Neurospora

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Maorong; Wang, Yi; Xu, Xin; Yang, Ling

2016-09-01

Many organisms have oscillators with a period of about 24 hours, called "circadian clocks". They employ negative biochemical feedback loops that are self-contained within a single cell (requiring no cell-to-cell interaction). Circadian singularity behavior is a phenomenon of the abolishment of circadian rhythmicities by a critical stimulus. These behaviors have been found experimentally in Neurospora, human and hamster, by temperature step-up or light pulse. Two alternative models have been proposed to explain this phenomenon: desynchronization of cell populations, and loss of oscillations in all cells by resetting each cell close to a steady state. In this work, we use a mathematical model to investigate the dynamical mechanism of circadian singularity behavior in Neurospora. Our findings suggest that the arrhythmic behavior after the critical stimulus is caused by the collaboration of the desynchronization and the loss of oscillation amplitude. More importantly, we found that the stable manifold of the unstable equilibrium point, instead of the steady state itself, plays a crucial role in circadian singularity behavior.

The influence of maximum magnitude on seismic-hazard estimates in the Central and Eastern United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mueller, C.S.

2010-01-01

I analyze the sensitivity of seismic-hazard estimates in the central and eastern United States (CEUS) to maximum magnitude (mmax) by exercising the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) probabilistic hazard model with several mmax alternatives. Seismicity-based sources control the hazard in most of the CEUS, but data seldom provide an objective basis for estimating mmax. The USGS uses preferred mmax values of moment magnitude 7.0 and 7.5 for the CEUS craton and extended margin, respectively, derived from data in stable continental regions worldwide. Other approaches, for example analysis of local seismicity or judgment about a source's seismogenic potential, often lead to much smaller mmax. Alternative models span the mmax ranges from the 1980s Electric Power Research Institute/Seismicity Owners Group (EPRI/SOG) analysis. Results are presented as haz-ard ratios relative to the USGS national seismic hazard maps. One alternative model specifies mmax equal to moment magnitude 5.0 and 5.5 for the craton and margin, respectively, similar to EPRI/SOG for some sources. For 2% probability of exceedance in 50 years (about 0.0004 annual probability), the strong mmax truncation produces hazard ratios equal to 0.35-0.60 for 0.2-sec spectral acceleration, and 0.15-0.35 for 1.0-sec spectral acceleration. Hazard-controlling earthquakes interact with mmax in complex ways. There is a relatively weak dependence on probability level: hazardratios increase 0-15% for 0.002 annual exceedance probability and decrease 5-25% for 0.00001 annual exceedance probability. Although differences at some sites are tempered when faults are added, mmax clearly accounts for some of the discrepancies that are seen in comparisons between USGS-based and EPRI/SOG-based hazard results.

Alternative Fuels Data Center: State Alternative Fuel and Advanced Vehicle

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Morphology Control for Fully Printable Organic-Inorganic Bulk-heterojunction Solar Cells Based on a Ti-alkoxide and Semiconducting Polymer.

PubMed

Kato, Takehito; Oinuma, Chihiro; Otsuka, Munechika; Hagiwara, Naoki

2017-01-10

The photoactive layer of a typical organic thin-film bulk-heterojunction (BHJ) solar cell commonly uses fullerene derivatives as the electron-accepting material. However, fullerene derivatives are air-sensitive; therefore, air-stable material is needed as an alternative. In the present study, we propose and describe the properties of Ti-alkoxide as an alternative electron-accepting material to fullerene derivatives to create highly air-stable BHJ solar cells. It is well-known that controlling the morphology in the photoactive layer, which is constructed with fullerene derivatives as the electron acceptor, is important for obtaining a high overall efficiency through the solvent method. The conventional solvent method is useful for high-solubility materials, such as fullerene derivatives. However, for Ti-alkoxides, the conventional solvent method is insufficient, because they only dissolve in specific solvents. Here, we demonstrate a new approach to morphology control that uses the molecular bulkiness of Ti-alkoxides without the conventional solvent method. That is, this method is one approach to obtain highly efficient, air-stable, organic-inorganic bulk-heterojunction solar cells.

A Model for the Application of Target-Controlled Intravenous Infusion for a Prolonged Immersive DMT Psychedelic Experience.

PubMed

Gallimore, Andrew R; Strassman, Rick J

2016-01-01

The state of consciousness induced by N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is one of the most extraordinary of any naturally-occurring psychedelic substance. Users consistently report the complete replacement of normal subjective experience with a novel "alternate universe," often densely populated with a variety of strange objects and other highly complex visual content, including what appear to be sentient "beings." The phenomenology of the DMT state is of great interest to psychology and calls for rigorous academic enquiry. The extremely short duration of DMT effects-less than 20 min-militates against single dose administration as the ideal model for such enquiry. Using pharmacokinetic modeling and DMT blood sampling data, we demonstrate that the unique pharmacological characteristics of DMT, which also include a rapid onset and lack of acute tolerance to its subjective effects, make it amenable to administration by target-controlled intravenous infusion. This is a technology developed to maintain a stable brain concentration of anesthetic drugs during surgery. Simulations of our model demonstrate that this approach will allow research subjects to be induced into a stable and prolonged DMT experience, making it possible to carefully observe its psychological contents, and provide more extensive accounts for subsequent analyses. This model would also be valuable in performing functional neuroimaging, where subjects are required to remain under the influence of the drug for extended periods. Finally, target-controlled intravenous infusion of DMT may aid the development of unique psychotherapeutic applications of this psychedelic agent.

Theoretical investigation of existence of meta-stability in iron and cobalt clusters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berry, Habte Dulla; Zhang, Qinfang; Wang, Baolin

2018-03-01

Nowadays considerable attention has been given for researches on magnetic properties of transition metal clusters (specifically FeN and CoN). This is because these clusters offer big hopes for the possibility of presenting significant magnetic anisotropy energy which is critical for technological applications. This study intends to find out the causes for the existence of the two states (ground and meta-stable) in Iron and Cobalt clusters. The study also explains the role of valence electrons for the existence of magnetism in the two states by using the concept of ionization potential, electron dipole polarizabilities, chemical hardness and softness of the clusters. Assuming that, when all itinerant electrons are at s-level and also at the d-level (ns = n andns → 0.) the ground state and meta-stable state energies with distinct energy minima are (Egs = l / 2 n +εc n - 2μB hn andEms =εd n - gμB hn) respectively. The findings also showed that polarizability of small cluster of the specified elements are increased compared with the bulk value, which means that there is an effective increase in the cluster radius due to the spilling out of the electronic charge. Furthermore, it is obvious that 4s electrons are more delocalized than the 3d electrons so that they spill out more than the 3d electrons. This leads to the conclusion that 4s electrons are primarily responsible for the enhanced polarizabilities and for shell structure effects. This indicates that polarizability at the meta-stable state is less than that of the ground state i.e. the meta-stable state loses its s electron. Therefore the two minima represent a ground state of configuration 3 d↑5 3 d↓ 2 + δ 4s 2 - δ with energy Egs and meta-stable state of configuration 3 d↑5 3 d↓ 3 + δ 4s 1 - δ with energy Ems for Co clusters and a ground state configuration 3 d↑5 3 d↓ 1 + δ 4s 2 - δ with energy Egs an meta-stable state of configuration 3 d↑5 3 d↓ 2 + δ 4s 1 - δ with energy Ems for Fe clusters. Hence, the existence of the two states (meta-stable & ground state) is due to the large disproportion in electronic configurations of the two clusters at their respective states. Furthermore, the chemical hardness and softness of the clusters also provide evidence for the existence of stability of the two states depending on the cluster size.

Density functional theory studies of oxygen and carbonate binding to a dicopper patellamide complex.

PubMed

Latifi, Reza; Bagherzadeh, Mojtaba; Milne, Bruce F; Jaspars, Marcel; de Visser, Sam P

2008-12-01

In this work we present results of density functional theory (DFT) calculations on dicopper patellamides and their affinity for molecular oxygen and carbonate. Patellamides are cyclic octapeptides that are produced by a cyanobacterium, and may show promise as therapeutics. Thus, carbonate binding to a dicopper patellamide center gives a stable cyclic octapeptide with a twist of almost 90 degrees . The system exists in close-lying open-shell singlet and triplet spin states with two unpaired electrons in orthogonal sigma* orbitals on each metal center. Subsequently, we replaced carbonate with dioxygen and found a stable Cu2(mu-O)2 diamond shaped patellamide core. In this structure the original dioxygen bond is significantly weakened to essentially a single bond, which should enable the system to transfer these oxygen atoms to substrates. We predicted the IR and Raman spectra of the Cu2(mu-O)2 diamond shaped patellamide structure using density functional theory and found a considerable isotope effect on the O-O stretch vibration for 16O2 versus 18O2 bound structures. Our studies reveal that carbonate forms an extremely stable complex with dicopper patellamide, but that additional molecular oxygen to this system does not give a potential oxidant. Therefore, it is more likely that carbonate prepares the system for dioxygen binding by folding it into the correct configuration followed in the proposed catalytic cycle by a protonation event preceding dioxygen binding to enable the system to reorganize to form a stable Cu2(mu-O)2-patellamide cluster. Alternatively, carbonate may act as an inhibitor that blocks the catalytic activity of the system. It is anticipated that the Cu2(mu-O)2-patellamide structure is a potential active oxidant of the dicopper patellamide complex.

Cost-effectiveness of anatomical and functional test strategies for stable chest pain: public health perspective from a middle-income country.

PubMed

Bertoldi, Eduardo G; Stella, Steffen F; Rohde, Luis Eduardo P; Polanczyk, Carisi A

2017-05-04

The aim of this research is to evaluate the relative cost-effectiveness of functional and anatomical strategies for diagnosing stable coronary artery disease (CAD), using exercise (Ex)-ECG, stress echocardiogram (ECHO), single-photon emission CT (SPECT), coronary CT angiography (CTA) or stress cardiacmagnetic resonance (C-MRI). Decision-analytical model, comparing strategies of sequential tests for evaluating patients with possible stable angina in low, intermediate and high pretest probability of CAD, from the perspective of a developing nation's public healthcare system. Hypothetical cohort of patients with pretest probability of CAD between 20% and 70%. The primary outcome is cost per correct diagnosis of CAD. Proportion of false-positive or false-negative tests and number of unnecessary tests performed were also evaluated. Strategies using Ex-ECG as initial test were the least costly alternatives but generated more frequent false-positive initial tests and false-negative final diagnosis. Strategies based on CTA or ECHO as initial test were the most attractive and resulted in similar cost-effectiveness ratios (I$ 286 and I$ 305 per correct diagnosis, respectively). A strategy based on C-MRI was highly effective for diagnosing stable CAD, but its high cost resulted in unfavourable incremental cost-effectiveness (ICER) in moderate-risk and high-risk scenarios. Non-invasive strategies based on SPECT have been dominated. An anatomical diagnostic strategy based on CTA is a cost-effective option for CAD diagnosis. Functional strategies performed equally well when based on ECHO. C-MRI yielded acceptable ICER only at low pretest probability, and SPECT was not cost-effective in our analysis. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Chromophore-Based Luminescent Metal–Organic Frameworks as Lighting Phosphors

DOE PAGES

Lustig, William P.; Wang, Fangming; Teat, Simon J.; ...

2016-05-31

Here, energy-efficient solid-state-lighting (SSL) technologies are rapidly developing, but the lack of stable, high-performance rare-earth free phosphors may impede the growth of the SSL market. One possible alternative is organic phosphor materials, but these can suffer from lower quantum yields and thermal instability compared to rare-earth phosphors. However, if luminescent organic chromophores can be built into a rigid metal-organic framework, their quantum yields and thermal stability can be greatly improved. This Forum Article discusses the design of a group of such chromophore-based luminescent metal-organic frameworks with exceptionally high performance and rational control of the important parameters that influence their emissionmore » properties, including electronic structures of chromophore, coligands, metal ions, and guest molecule s.« less

TMRG studies on spin alignment in molecule-based ferrimagnetics [rapid communication

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Q. M.; Yao, K. L.; Liu, Z. L.

2005-05-01

A physical picture of spin alignment in organic molecule-based ferrimagnets is presented from studying the thermal effective magnetic moment of the sublattice by use of the transfer matrix renormalization group. We conclude that the classical antiparallel spin alignment is not the most stable state. The three-spin system tends to parallel alignment when the exchange interaction between the biradical and the monoradical molecules is much weaker than that within the biradical, which can result in the decrease of the effective magnetic moment upon lowering the temperature. More importantly, we give the theoretical evidence that even the antiparallel spin alignment in the biradical monoradical alternating chain does not necessarily lead to ferrimagnetic spin ordering due to the formation of the spin singlet pairs, which suppresses the ferrimagnetic spin alignment.

Color-Coded Batteries - Electro-Photonic Inverse Opal Materials for Enhanced Electrochemical Energy Storage and Optically Encoded Diagnostics.

PubMed

O'Dwyer, Colm

2016-07-01

For consumer electronic devices, long-life, stable, and reasonably fast charging Li-ion batteries with good stable capacities are a necessity. For exciting and important advances in the materials that drive innovations in electrochemical energy storage (EES), modular thin-film solar cells, and wearable, flexible technology of the future, real-time analysis and indication of battery performance and health is crucial. Here, developments in color-coded assessment of battery material performance and diagnostics are described, and a vision for using electro-photonic inverse opal materials and all-optical probes to assess, characterize, and monitor the processes non-destructively in real time are outlined. By structuring any cathode or anode material in the form of a photonic crystal or as a 3D macroporous inverse opal, color-coded "chameleon" battery-strip electrodes may provide an amenable way to distinguish the type of process, the voltage, material and chemical phase changes, remaining capacity, cycle health, and state of charge or discharge of either existing or new materials in Li-ion or emerging alternative battery types, simply by monitoring its color change. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Effects of proline cis-trans isomerization on TB domain secondary structure.

PubMed Central

Yuan, X.; Werner, J. M.; Knott, V.; Handford, P. A.; Campbell, I. D.; Downing, K.

1998-01-01

The transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) binding protein-like (TB) domain is found principally in proteins localized to extracellular matrix fibrils, including human fibrillin-1, the defective protein in the Marfan syndrome. Analysis of the nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) data for the sixth TB module from human fibrillin-1 has revealed the existence of two stable conformers that differ in the isomerization states of two proline residues. Unusually, the two isoforms do not readily interconvert and are stable on the time scale of milliseconds. We have computed independent structures of the major and minor conformers of TB6 to assess how the domain fold adjusts to incorporate alternatively cis- or trans-prolines. Based on previous observations, it has been suggested that multiple conformers can only be accommodated in flexible regions of protein structure. In contrast, P22, which exists in trans in the major form and cis in the minor form of TB6, is in a rigid region of the domain, which is confirmed by backbone dynamics measurements. Overall, the structures of the major and minor conformers are similar. However, the secondary structure topologies of the two forms differ as a direct consequence of the changes in proline conformation. PMID:9792099

Comparison of the thermal stability of the α, β and γ phases in poly(vinylidene fluoride) based on in situ thermal Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Biswas, Anirban; Henkel, Karsten; Schmeißer, Dieter; Mandal, Dipankar

2017-12-01

The electroactive β phase of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) is induced due to the aging time of PVDF solutions. The feasibility of the combination of the three crystalline polymorphs (α, β and γ) is demonstrated where their relative proportion within the PVDF film can be tailored by the simple monitoring of the preparation conditions. To identify all these phases, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy is carried out and it is spotlighted that the vibrational bands at 510 and 841 cm-1 are not sufficient to state the formation of the β phase. The main aim of this work is devoted to develop a better understanding on the thermal stability of these several phases of PVDF, which has a longstanding ambiguity persisting in this area. It has been found that the in situ thermal FT-IR spectroscopy is one of the best alternatives to understand this important issue. It is ascertained that the β phase is the least thermally stable phase among α, β and γ phases, whereas the γ phase is the most thermally stable phase.

Crystal Chemistry, Magnetic and Electrical Properties of La(2-X)BaXNiO4

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-02-01

alternating rock-salt, AO, and perovskite , ABe 3 , layers, with the separation between layers being almost twice the intraplanar distance between two B...t c 1.02, and it is most stable for t - 1.0. The 2 factor arises because the {110 planes of the perovskite layers are stacked alternately with the...a result of Ba 2 + substitution for La3 +.° This is easily understood with respect to the K2 NiF4 structure. The alternating perovskite and rock-salt

Time-on-task decrement in vigilance is modulated by inter-individual vulnerability to homeostatic sleep pressure manipulation

PubMed Central

Maire, Micheline; Reichert, Carolin F.; Gabel, Virginie; Viola, Antoine U.; Krebs, Julia; Strobel, Werner; Landolt, Hans-Peter; Bachmann, Valérie; Cajochen, Christian; Schmidt, Christina

2014-01-01

Under sleep loss, vigilance is reduced and attentional failures emerge progressively. It becomes difficult to maintain stable performance over time, leading to growing performance variability (i.e., state instability) in an individual and among subjects. Task duration plays a major role in the maintenance of stable vigilance levels, such that the longer the task, the more likely state instability will be observed. Vulnerability to sleep-loss-dependent performance decrements is highly individual and is also modulated by a polymorphism in the human clock gene PERIOD3 (PER3). By combining two different protocols, we manipulated sleep-wake history by once extending wakefulness for 40 h (high sleep pressure condition) and once by imposing a short sleep-wake cycle by alternating 160 min of wakefulness and 80 min naps (low sleep pressure condition) in a within-subject design. We observed that homozygous carriers of the long repeat allele of PER3 (PER35/5) experienced a greater time-on-task dependent performance decrement (i.e., a steeper increase in the number of lapses) in the Psychomotor Vigilance Task compared to the carriers of the short repeat allele (PER34/4). These genotype-dependent effects disappeared under low sleep pressure conditions, and neither motivation, nor perceived effort accounted for these differences. Our data thus suggest that greater sleep-loss related attentional vulnerability based on the PER3 polymorphism is mirrored by a greater state instability under extended wakefulness in the short compared to the long allele carriers. Our results undermine the importance of time-on-task related aspects when investigating inter-individual differences in sleep loss-induced behavioral vulnerability. PMID:24639634

SegAN: Adversarial Network with Multi-scale L1 Loss for Medical Image Segmentation.

PubMed

Xue, Yuan; Xu, Tao; Zhang, Han; Long, L Rodney; Huang, Xiaolei

2018-05-03

Inspired by classic Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs), we propose a novel end-to-end adversarial neural network, called SegAN, for the task of medical image segmentation. Since image segmentation requires dense, pixel-level labeling, the single scalar real/fake output of a classic GAN's discriminator may be ineffective in producing stable and sufficient gradient feedback to the networks. Instead, we use a fully convolutional neural network as the segmentor to generate segmentation label maps, and propose a novel adversarial critic network with a multi-scale L 1 loss function to force the critic and segmentor to learn both global and local features that capture long- and short-range spatial relationships between pixels. In our SegAN framework, the segmentor and critic networks are trained in an alternating fashion in a min-max game: The critic is trained by maximizing a multi-scale loss function, while the segmentor is trained with only gradients passed along by the critic, with the aim to minimize the multi-scale loss function. We show that such a SegAN framework is more effective and stable for the segmentation task, and it leads to better performance than the state-of-the-art U-net segmentation method. We tested our SegAN method using datasets from the MICCAI BRATS brain tumor segmentation challenge. Extensive experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed SegAN with multi-scale loss: on BRATS 2013 SegAN gives performance comparable to the state-of-the-art for whole tumor and tumor core segmentation while achieves better precision and sensitivity for Gd-enhance tumor core segmentation; on BRATS 2015 SegAN achieves better performance than the state-of-the-art in both dice score and precision.

Positive and negative affect dimensions in chronic knee osteoarthritis: effects on clinical and laboratory pain.

PubMed

Finan, Patrick H; Quartana, Phillip J; Smith, Michael T

2013-06-01

This study investigated whether daily and laboratory assessed pain differs as a function of the temporal stability and valence of affect in individuals with chronic knee osteoarthritis (KOA). One hundred fifty-one men and women with KOA completed 14 days of electronic diaries assessing positive affect (PA), negative affect (NA), and clinical pain. A subset of participants (n =79) engaged in quantitative sensory testing (QST). State PA and NA were assessed prior to administration of stimuli that induced suprathreshold pain and temporal summation. Multilevel modeling and multiple regression evaluated associations of affect and pain as a function of valence (i.e., positive versus negative) and stability (i.e., stable versus state). In the diary, stable NA (B = -.63, standard error [SE] = .13, p < .001) was a stronger predictor of clinical KOA pain than stable PA (B = -.18, SE = .11, p = .091), and state PA (B = -.09, p < .001) was a stronger predictor of concurrent daily clinical pain than state NA (B = .04, SE = .02, p = .068). In the laboratory, state PA (B = -.05, SE = .02, p = .042), but not state NA (p = .46), predicted diminished temporal summation of mechanical pain. Stable NA is more predictive of clinical pain than stable PA, whereas state PA is more predictive of both clinical and laboratory pain than state NA. The findings suggest that dynamic affect-pain processes in the field may reflect individual differences in central pain facilitation.

Tellurium stable isotope fractionation in chondritic meteorites and some terrestrial samples

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fehr, Manuela A.; Hammond, Samantha J.; Parkinson, Ian J.

2018-02-01

New methodologies employing a 125Te-128Te double-spike were developed and applied to obtain high precision mass-dependent tellurium stable isotope data for chondritic meteorites and some terrestrial samples by multiple-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. Analyses of standard solutions produce Te stable isotope data with a long-term reproducibility (2SD) of 0.064‰ for δ130/125Te. Carbonaceous and enstatite chondrites display a range in δ130/125Te of 0.9‰ (0.2‰ amu-1) in their Te stable isotope signature, whereas ordinary chondrites present larger Te stable isotope fractionation, in particular for unequilibrated ordinary chondrites, with an overall variation of 6.3‰ for δ130/125Te (1.3‰ amu-1). Tellurium stable isotope variations in ordinary chondrites display no correlation with Te contents or metamorphic grade. The large Te stable isotope fractionation in ordinary chondrites is likely caused by evaporation and condensation processes during metamorphism in the meteorite parent bodies, as has been suggested for other moderately and highly volatile elements displaying similar isotope fractionation. Alternatively, they might represent a nebular signature or could have been produced during chondrule formation. Enstatite chondrites display slightly more negative δ130/125Te compared to carbonaceous chondrites and equilibrated ordinary chondrites. Small differences in the Te stable isotope composition are also present within carbonaceous chondrites and increase in the order CV-CO-CM-CI. These Te isotope variations within carbonaceous chondrites may be due to mixing of components that have distinct Te isotope signatures reflecting Te stable isotope fractionation in the early solar system or on the parent bodies and potentially small so-far unresolvable nucleosynthetic isotope anomalies of up to 0.27‰. The Te stable isotope data of carbonaceous and enstatite chondrites displays a general correlation with the oxidation state and hence might provide a record of the nebular formation environment. The Te stable isotope fractionation of the carbonaceous chondrites CI and CM (and CO potentially) overlap within uncertainty with data for terrestrial Te standard solutions, sediments and ore samples. Assuming the silicate Earth displays similar Te isotope fractionation as the studied terrestrial samples, the data indicate that the late veneer might have been delivered by material similar to CI or CM (or possibly) CO carbonaceous chondrites in terms of Te isotope composition. Nine terrestrial samples display resolvable Te stable isotope fractionation of 0.85 and 0.60‰ for δ130/125Te for sediment and USGS geochemical exploration reference samples, respectively. Tellurium isotopes therefore have the potential to become a new geochemical sedimentary proxy, as well as a proxy for ore-exploration.

Neuronal networks: flip-flops in the brain.

PubMed

McCormick, David A

2005-04-26

Neuronal activity can rapidly flip-flop between stable states. Although these semi-stable states can be generated through interactions of neuronal networks, it is now known that they can also occur in vivo through intrinsic ionic currents.

Multiple stable states of a periodically driven electron spin in a quantum dot using circularly polarized light

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Korenev, V. L.

2011-06-01

The periodical modulation of circularly polarized light with a frequency close to the electron spin resonance frequency induces a sharp change of the single electron spin orientation. Hyperfine interaction provides a feedback, thus fixing the precession frequency of the electron spin in the external and the Overhauser field near the modulation frequency. The nuclear polarization is bidirectional and the electron-nuclear spin system (ENSS) possesses a few stable states. The same physics underlie the frequency-locking effect for two-color and mode-locked excitations. However, the pulsed excitation with mode-locked laser brings about the multitudes of stable states in ENSS in a quantum dot. The resulting precession frequencies of the electron spin differ in these states by the multiple of the modulation frequency. Under such conditions ENSS represents a digital frequency converter with more than 100 stable channels.

Exciton Dynamics in Alternative Solar Cell Materials: Polymers, Nanocrystals, and Small Molecules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pundsack, Thomas J.

To keep fossil fuel usage in 2040 even with 2010 usage, 50% of global energy will need to come from alternative sources such as solar cells. While the photovoltaic market is currently dominated by crystalline silicon, there are many low-cost solar cell materials such as conjugated polymers, semiconductor nanocrystals, and organic small molecules which could compete with fossil fuels. To create cost-competitive devices, understanding the excited state dynamics of these materials is necessary. The first section of this thesis looks at aggregation in poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) which is commonly used in organic photovoltaics. The amount of aggregation in P3HT thin films was controlled by using a mixture of regioregular and regiorandom P3HT. Even with few aggregates present, excited states were found to transfer from amorphous to aggregate domains in <50 fs which could indicate efficient long-range energy transfer. To further study P3HT aggregation, a triblock consisting of two P3HT chains with a coil polymer between them was investigated. By changing solvents, aggregation was induced in a stable and reversible manner allowing for spectroscopic studies of P3HT aggregates in solution. The polarity of the solvent was adjusted, and no change in excited state dynamics was observed implying the excited state has little charge-transfer character. Next, the conduction band density of states for copper zinc tin sulfide nanocrystals (CZTS NCs) was measured using pump-probe spectroscopy and found to be in agreement with theoretical results. The density of states shifted and dilated for smaller NCs indicative of quantum confinement. The excited state lifetime was found to be short (<20 ps) and independent of NC size which could limit the efficiency of CZTS photovoltaic devices. Finally, triplet-triplet annihilation (TTA) was studied in platinum octaethylporphyrin (PtOEP) thin films. By analyzing pump-probe spectra, the product of TTA in PtOEP thin films was assigned to a long-lived metal-centered state. To elucidate the mechanism of TTA, the annihilation dynamics were modeled using second order kinetics as well as Forster and Dexter energy transfer. Dexter energy transfer provided the best fits and the most reasonable fitting parameters.

77 FR 35431 - Final Alternative Soils Standards for the Uravan, CO, Uranium Mill

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-06-13

... NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION [NRC-2011-0258] Final Alternative Soils Standards for the Uravan, CO... material. The Commission has determined that the State of Colorado's proposed alternative soils standards... State alternative soil standards. DATES: The Commission made a determination on the State of Colorado's...

Traditional or Alternative--Finding New Teachers along Different Pathways

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Reese, Susan

2010-01-01

In 2009, the National Center for Policy Analysis (NCPA) brief, "Alternative Certification Programs: Meeting the Demand for Effective Teachers," noted that each state had its own requirements for alternative certification, and while some states and school districts have become more open to alternative certification, other states are very…

Stabilization of Quinapril by Incorporating Hydrogen Bonding Interactions

PubMed Central

Roy, B. N.; Singh, G. P.; Godbole, H. M.; Nehate, S. P.

2009-01-01

In the present study stability of various known solvates of quinapril hydrochloride has been compared with nitromethane solvate. Nitromethane solvate was found to be more stable compared to other known solvates. Single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis of quinapril nitromethane solvate shows intermolecular hydrogen bonding between quinapril molecule and nitromethane. Stabilization of quinapril by forming strong hydrogen bonding network as in case of co-crystals was further studied by forming co-crystal with tris(hydroxymethyl)amino methane. Quinapril free base forms a stable salt with tris(hydroxymethyl)amino methane not reported earlier. Quinapril tris(hydroxymethyl)amino methane salt found to be stable even at 80° for 72 h i.e. hardly any formation of diketopiperazine and diacid impurity. As expected single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis reveals tris(hydroxymethyl)amino methane salt of quinapril shows complex hydrogen bonding network between the two entities along with ionic bond. The properties of this stable salt - stable in solid as well as solution phase, might lead to an alternate highly stable formulation. PMID:20502545

The up and down states of cortical networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghorbani, Maryam; Levine, Alex J.; Mehta, Mayank; Bruinsma, Robijn

2011-03-01

The cortical networks show a collective activity of alternating active and silent states known as up and down states during slow wave sleep or anesthesia. The mechanism of this spontaneous activity as well as the anesthesia or sleep are still not clear. Here, using a mean field approach, we present a simple model to study the spontaneous activity of a homogenous cortical network of excitatory and inhibitory neurons that are recurrently connected. A key new ingredient in this model is that the activity-dependant synaptic depression is considered only for the excitatory neurons. We find depending on the strength of the synaptic depression and synaptic efficacies, the phase space contains strange attractors or stable fixed points at active or quiescent regimes. At the strange attractor phase, we can have oscillations similar to up and down states with flat and noisy up states. Moreover, we show that by increasing the synaptic efficacy corresponding to the connections between the excitatory neurons, the characteristics of the up and down states change in agreement with the changes that we observe in the intracellular recordings of the membrane potential from the entorhinal cortex by varying the depth of anesthesia. Thus, we propose that by measuring the value of this synaptic efficacy, one can quantify the depth of anesthesia which is clinically very important. These findings provide a simple, analytical understanding of the spontaneous cortical dynamics.

Excited-state dynamics of pentacene derivatives with stable radical substituents.

PubMed

Ito, Akitaka; Shimizu, Akihiro; Kishida, Noriaki; Kawanaka, Yusuke; Kosumi, Daisuke; Hashimoto, Hideki; Teki, Yoshio

2014-06-23

The excited-state dynamics of pentacene derivatives with stable radical substituents were evaluated in detail through transient absorption measurements. The derivatives showed ultrafast formation of triplet excited state(s) in the pentacene moiety from a photoexcited singlet state through the contributions of enhanced intersystem crossing and singlet fission. Detailed kinetic analyses for the transient absorption data were conducted to quantify the excited-state characteristics of the derivatives. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Study on the impedance of aligned carbon microcoils embedded in silicone rubber matrix

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Ya-Bo; Zhang, Lin; Guo, Li-Tong; Xiang, Dong-Hu

2010-12-01

This paper reports that carbon microcoils are grown through a chemical vapour deposit process, they are then embedded in silicone rubber, and manipulated to parallel with each other along their axes in the resulting composite. The impedance |Z| as well as phase angle θ of both the original carbon microcoil sheets and the aligned carbon microcoil/silicone rubber composites are measured. The results illustrate that carbon microcoils in different forms show different alternating current electric properties. The aligned carbon microcoils in the composites show stable parameters for f < 104 Hz but a sharp decrease in both |Z| and θ for frequencies > 104 Hz, which will also change as the carbon microcoils are extended. But, the original sheets have a pure resistance with their parameters stable throughout the entire alternating current frequency range investigated.

Testing of an automated online EA-IRMS method for fast and simultaneous carbon content and stable isotope measurement of aerosol samples

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Major, István; Gyökös, Brigitta; Túri, Marianna; Futó, István; Filep, Ágnes; Hoffer, András; Molnár, Mihály

2016-04-01

Comprehensive atmospheric studies have demonstrated that carbonaceous aerosol is one of the main components of atmospheric particulate matter over Europe. Various methods, considering optical or thermal properties, have been developed for quantification of the accurate amount of both organic and elemental carbon constituents of atmospheric aerosol. The aim of our work was to develop an alternative fast and easy method for determination of the total carbon content of individual aerosol samples collected on prebaked quartz filters whereby the mass and surface concentration becomes simply computable. We applied the conventional "elemental analyzer (EA) coupled online with an isotope ratio mass spectrometer (IRMS)" technique which is ubiquitously used in mass spectrometry. Using this technique we are able to measure simultaneously the carbon stable isotope ratio of the samples, as well. During the developing process, we compared the EA-IRMS technique with an off-line catalytic combustion method worked out previously at Hertelendi Laboratory of Environmental Studies (HEKAL). We tested the combined online total carbon content and stable isotope ratio measurement both on standard materials and real aerosol samples. Regarding the test results the novel method assures, on the one hand, at least 95% of carbon recovery yield in a broad total carbon mass range (between 100 and 3000 ug) and, on the other hand, a good reproducibility of stable isotope measurements with an uncertainty of ± 0.2 per mill. Comparing the total carbon results obtained by the EA-IRMS and the off-line catalytic combustion method we found a very good correlation (R2=0.94) that proves the applicability of both preparation method. Advantages of the novel method are the fast and simplified sample preparation steps and the fully automated, simultaneous carbon stable isotope ratio measurement processes. Furthermore stable isotope ratio results can effectively be applied in the source apportionment investigations of atmospheric carbonaceous aerosol. This research was supported by the European Union and the State of Hungary, co-financed by the European Social Fund in the framework of TÁMOP 4.2.4.A/2-11-1-2012-0001 'National Excellence Program.

Chromatic interocular-switch rivalry

PubMed Central

Christiansen, Jens H.; D'Antona, Anthony D.; Shevell, Steven K.

2017-01-01

Interocular-switch rivalry (also known as stimulus rivalry) is a kind of binocular rivalry in which two rivalrous images are swapped between the eyes several times a second. The result is stable periods of one image and then the other, with stable intervals that span many eye swaps (Logothetis, Leopold, & Sheinberg, 1996). Previous work used this close kin of binocular rivalry with rivalrous forms. Experiments here test whether chromatic interocular-switch rivalry, in which the swapped stimuli differ in only chromaticity, results in slow alternation between two colors. Swapping equiluminant rivalrous chromaticities at 3.75 Hz resulted in slow perceptual color alternation, with one or the other color often continuously visible for two seconds or longer (during which there were 15+ eye swaps). A well-known theory for sustained percepts from interocular-switch rivalry with form is inhibitory competition between binocular neurons driven by monocular neurons with matched orientation tuning in each eye; such binocular neurons would produce a stable response when a given orientation is swapped between the eyes. A similar model can account for the percepts here from chromatic interocular-switch rivalry and is underpinned by the neurophysiological finding that color-preferring binocular neurons are driven by monocular neurons from each eye with well-matched chromatic selectivity (Peirce, Solomon, Forte, & Lennie, 2008). In contrast to chromatic interocular-switch rivalry, luminance interocular-switch rivalry with swapped stimuli that differ in only luminance did not result in slowly alternating percepts of different brightnesses. PMID:28510624

Longitudinal tests of competing factor structures for the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale: traits, ephemeral artifacts, and stable response styles.

PubMed

Marsh, Herbert W; Scalas, L Francesca; Nagengast, Benjamin

2010-06-01

Self-esteem, typically measured by the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSE), is one of the most widely studied constructs in psychology. Nevertheless, there is broad agreement that a simple unidimensional factor model, consistent with the original design and typical application in applied research, does not provide an adequate explanation of RSE responses. However, there is no clear agreement about what alternative model is most appropriate-or even a clear rationale for how to test competing interpretations. Three alternative interpretations exist: (a) 2 substantively important trait factors (positive and negative self-esteem), (b) 1 trait factor and ephemeral method artifacts associated with positively or negatively worded items, or (c) 1 trait factor and stable response-style method factors associated with item wording. We have posited 8 alternative models and structural equation model tests based on longitudinal data (4 waves of data across 8 years with a large, representative sample of adolescents). Longitudinal models provide no support for the unidimensional model, undermine support for the 2-factor model, and clearly refute claims that wording effects are ephemeral, but they provide good support for models positing 1 substantive (self-esteem) factor and response-style method factors that are stable over time. This longitudinal methodological approach has not only resolved these long-standing issues in self-esteem research but also has broad applicability to most psychological assessments based on self-reports with a mix of positively and negatively worded items.

Stable Tetraquarks

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Quigg, Chris

For very heavy quarks, relations derived from heavy-quark symmetry imply novel narrow doubly heavy tetraquark states containing two heavy quarks and two light antiquarks. We predict that double-beauty states will be stable against strong decays, whereas the double-charm states and mixed beauty+charm states will dissociate into pairs of heavy-light mesons. Observing a new double-beauty state through its weak decays would establish the existence of tetraquarks and illuminate the role of heavy color-antitriplet diquarks as hadron constituents.

An Escherichia coli nitrogen starvation response is important for mutualistic coexistence with Rhodopseudomonas palustris.

PubMed

McCully, Alexandra L; Behringer, Megan G; Gliessman, Jennifer R; Pilipenko, Evgeny V; Mazny, Jeffrey L; Lynch, Michael; Drummond, D Allan; McKinlay, James B

2018-05-04

Microbial mutualistic cross-feeding interactions are ubiquitous and can drive important community functions. Engaging in cross-feeding undoubtedly affects the physiology and metabolism of individual species involved. However, the nature in which an individual's physiology is influenced by cross-feeding and the importance of those physiological changes for the mutualism have received little attention. We previously developed a genetically tractable coculture to study bacterial mutualisms. The coculture consists of fermentative Escherichia coli and phototrophic Rhodopseudomonas palustris In this coculture, E. coli anaerobically ferments sugars into excreted organic acids as a carbon source for R. palustris In return, a genetically-engineered R. palustris constitutively converts N 2 into NH 4 + , providing E. coli with essential nitrogen. Using RNA-seq and proteomics, we identified transcript and protein levels that differ in each partner when grown in coculture versus monoculture. When in coculture with R. palustris , E. coli gene-expression changes resembled a nitrogen starvation response under the control of the transcriptional regulator NtrC. By genetically disrupting E. coli NtrC, we determined that a nitrogen starvation response is important for a stable coexistence, especially at low R. palustris NH 4 + excretion levels. Destabilization of the nitrogen starvation regulatory network resulted in variable growth trends and in some cases, extinction. Our results highlight that alternative physiological states can be important for survival within cooperative cross-feeding relationships. Importance Mutualistic cross-feeding between microbes within multispecies communities is widespread. Studying how mutualistic interactions influence the physiology of each species involved is important for understanding how mutualisms function and persist in both natural and applied settings. Using a bacterial mutualism consisting of Rhodopseudomonas palustris and Escherichia coli growing cooperatively through bidirectional nutrient exchange, we determined that an E. coli nitrogen starvation response is important for maintaining a stable coexistence. The lack of an E. coli nitrogen starvation response ultimately destabilized the mutualism and, in some cases, led to community collapse after serial transfers. Our findings thus inform on the potential necessity of an alternative physiological state for mutualistic coexistence with another species compared to the physiology of species grown in isolation. Copyright © 2018 American Society for Microbiology.

The role of disappeared disturbances in driving the North American prairie-forest boundary

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heilman, K.; McLachlan, J. S.; Staver, A. C.

2016-12-01

Globally, transitions from savanna to forest are often characterized by abrupt changes in tree density that cannot be fully explained by climate and edaphic factors. In the tropics, fire-vegetation feedbacks drive a bimodal distribution in tree cover that leads to alternative forest and savanna stable states within the same climate space. In temperate North America, the pre-European settlement prairie-forest transition has also been hypothesized to be influenced by widespread fires (anthropogenic or natural). However, large scale evidence for fire disturbance feedbacks on tree density in the temperate zone is currently lacking. We investigate both the pre-European and modern tree density along the North American prairie-forest boundary. We hypothesized that the pre-European distribution of tree density was distinctly bimodal due to intact vegetation-disturbance feedbacks along the prairie-forest boundary before settlement, but that fragmentation and fire suppression has produced a modern prairie-forest boundary that is less abrupt and less bimodal. We estimated tree density from aggregated Public Land Survey (PLS) data collected before the time of European agricultural settlement in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois and compared PLS density distributions to tree density estimated from modern USFS Forest Inventory Analysis (FIA) data. PLS tree density follows a bimodal distribution that abruptly shifts from savanna to forest at the boundary. Only 15% of the variance in pre-settlement tree density is explained by historical Mean Annual Precipitation (MAP), suggesting that the bimodality may be due to internal feedbacks in the vegetation-disturbance system, rather than to the past underlying environmental gradient. On the modern landscape, MAP explains 6% of FIA tree density variance, and tree density is not bimodal. Regions that had low tree density savannas in the PLS era have significantly increased in tree density, suggesting that the disappearance of disturbances that accompanied agricultural settlement resulted in closed forests where savannas were once an alternative stable state (p < 0.01). Additionally, the once high tree density forests in the PLS have significantly declined in density, suggesting that logging has contributed to land cover change in North America.

Bi-stable optical actuator

DOEpatents

Holdener, Fred R.; Boyd, Robert D.

2000-01-01

The present invention is a bi-stable optical actuator device that is depowered in both stable positions. A bearing is used to transfer motion and smoothly transition from one state to another. The optical actuator device may be maintained in a stable position either by gravity or a restraining device.

Alternate Forms of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Devito, Anthony J.; Kubis, Joseph F.

1983-01-01

Alternate forms of the state anxiety (A-State) and trait anxiety (A-Trait) scales of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) were constructed by dividing the 20 items of each scale into two briefer forms having 10 items each. The alternate forms and item statistics are presented. (Author/BW)

Octonary resistance states in La 0.7Sr 0.3MnO 3/BaTiO 3/La 0.7Sr 0.3MnO 3 multiferroic tunnel junctions

DOE PAGES

Yue -Wei Yin; Tao, Jing; Huang, Wei -Chuan; ...

2015-10-06

General drawbacks of current electronic/spintronic devices are high power consumption and low density storage. A multiferroic tunnel junction (MFTJ), employing a ferroelectric barrier layer sandwiched between two ferromagnetic layers, presents four resistance states in a single device and therefore provides an alternative way to achieve high density memories. Here, an MFTJ device with eight nonvolatile resistance states by further integrating the design of noncollinear magnetization alignments between the ferromagnetic layers is demonstrated. Through the angle-resolved tunneling magnetoresistance investigations on La 0.7Sr 0.3MnO 3/BaTiO 3/La 0.7Sr 0.3MnO 3 junctions, it is found that, besides collinear parallel/antiparallel magnetic configurations, the MFTJ showsmore » at least two other stable noncollinear (45° and 90°) magnetic configurations. As a result, combining the tunneling electroresistance effect caused by the ferroelectricity reversal of the BaTiO 3 barrier, an octonary memory device is obtained, representing potential applications in high density nonvolatile storage in the future.« less

Difference in the structures of alanine tri- and tetra-peptides with antiparallel β-sheet assessed by X-ray diffraction, solid-state NMR and chemical shift calculations by GIPAW.

PubMed

Asakura, Tetsuo; Yazawa, Koji; Horiguchi, Kumiko; Suzuki, Furitsu; Nishiyama, Yusuke; Nishimura, Katsuyuki; Kaji, Hironori

2014-01-01

Alanine oligomers provide a key structure for silk fibers from spider and wild silkworms.We report on structural analysis of L-alanyl-L-alanyl-L-alanyl-L-alanine (Ala)4 with anti-parallel (AP) β-structures using X-ray and solid-state NMR. All of the Ala residues in the (Ala)4 are in equivalent positions, whereas for alanine trimer (Ala)3 there are two alternative locations in a unit cell as reported previously (Fawcett and Camerman, Acta Cryst., 1975, 31, 658-665). (Ala)4 with AP β-structure is more stable than AP-(Ala)3 due to formation of the stronger hydrogen bonds. The intermolecular structure of (Ala)4 is also different from polyalanine fiber structure, indicating that the interchain arrangement of AP β-structure changes with increasing alanine sequencelength. Furthermore the precise (1)H positions, which are usually inaccesible by X-ray diffraction method, are determined by high resolution (1)H solid state NMR combined with the chemical shift calculations by the gauge-including projector augmented wave method. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Traveltime budgets and mobility in urban areas

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1974-05-01

The study tests by empirical comparative analysis the concept that tripmakers have a stable daily traveltime budget and discusses the implication of such a budget to transportation modeling techniques and the evaluation of alternative transportation ...

Bistability and State Transition of a Delay Differential Equation Model of Neutrophil Dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Suqi; Zhu, Kaiyi; Lei, Jinzhi

This paper studies the existence of bistable states and control strategies to induce state transitions of a delay differential equation model of neutrophil dynamics. We seek the conditions that a stable steady state and an oscillatory state coexist in the neutrophil dynamical system. Physiologically, stable steady state represents the healthy state, while oscillatory state is usually associated with diseases such as cyclical neutropenia. We study the control strategies to induce the transitions from the disease state to the healthy state by introducing temporal perturbations to system parameters. This study is valuable in designing clinical protocols for the treatment of cyclical neutropenia.

An Alternative Mechanism for the Dimerization of Formic Acid

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Brinkman, Nicole R.; Tschumper, Gregory; Yan, Ge

Gas-phase formic acid exists primarily as a cyclic dimer. The mechanism of dimerization has been traditionally considered to be a synchronous process; however, recent experimental findings suggest a possible alternative mechanism by which two formic acid monomers proceed through an acyclic dimer to the cyclic dimer in a stepwise process. To investigate this newly proposed process of dimerization in formic acid, density functional theory and second-order Moeller-Plesset perturbation theory (MP2) have been used to optimize cis and trans monomers of formic acid, the acyclic and cyclic dimers, and the acyclic and cyclic transition states between minima. Single-point energies of themore » trans monomer, dimer minima, and transition states at the MP2/TZ2P+diff optimized geometries were computed at the coupled-cluster level of theory including singles and doubles with perturbatively applied triple excitations [CCSD(T)] with an aug-cc-pVTZ basis set to obtain an accurate determination of energy barriers and dissociation energies. A counterpoise correction was performed to determine an estimate of the basis set superposition error in computing relative energies. The explicitly correlated MP2 method of Kutzelnigg and Klopper (MP2-R12) was used to provide an independent means for obtaining the MP2 one-particle limit. The cyclic minimum is predicted to be 6.3 kcal/mol more stable than the acyclic minimum, and the barrier to double proton transfer is 7.1 kcal/mol.« less

Beta structures of alternating polypeptides and their possible prebiotic significance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brack, A.; Orgel, L. E.

1975-01-01

A survey of the commonest amino acids formed in prebiotic conditions suggests that the earliest form of genetic coding may have specified polypeptides with a strong tendency to form stable beta-sheet structures. Poly(Val-Lys), like other polypeptides in which hydrophobic and hydrophilic residues alternate, tends to form beta structures. It is shown that bilayers with a hydrophobic interior and a hydrophilic exterior may be present in aqueous solution.

Local Nash equilibrium in social networks.

PubMed

Zhang, Yichao; Aziz-Alaoui, M A; Bertelle, Cyrille; Guan, Jihong

2014-08-29

Nash equilibrium is widely present in various social disputes. As of now, in structured static populations, such as social networks, regular, and random graphs, the discussions on Nash equilibrium are quite limited. In a relatively stable static gaming network, a rational individual has to comprehensively consider all his/her opponents' strategies before they adopt a unified strategy. In this scenario, a new strategy equilibrium emerges in the system. We define this equilibrium as a local Nash equilibrium. In this paper, we present an explicit definition of the local Nash equilibrium for the two-strategy games in structured populations. Based on the definition, we investigate the condition that a system reaches the evolutionary stable state when the individuals play the Prisoner's dilemma and snow-drift game. The local Nash equilibrium provides a way to judge whether a gaming structured population reaches the evolutionary stable state on one hand. On the other hand, it can be used to predict whether cooperators can survive in a system long before the system reaches its evolutionary stable state for the Prisoner's dilemma game. Our work therefore provides a theoretical framework for understanding the evolutionary stable state in the gaming populations with static structures.

Local Nash Equilibrium in Social Networks

PubMed Central

Zhang, Yichao; Aziz-Alaoui, M. A.; Bertelle, Cyrille; Guan, Jihong

2014-01-01

Nash equilibrium is widely present in various social disputes. As of now, in structured static populations, such as social networks, regular, and random graphs, the discussions on Nash equilibrium are quite limited. In a relatively stable static gaming network, a rational individual has to comprehensively consider all his/her opponents' strategies before they adopt a unified strategy. In this scenario, a new strategy equilibrium emerges in the system. We define this equilibrium as a local Nash equilibrium. In this paper, we present an explicit definition of the local Nash equilibrium for the two-strategy games in structured populations. Based on the definition, we investigate the condition that a system reaches the evolutionary stable state when the individuals play the Prisoner's dilemma and snow-drift game. The local Nash equilibrium provides a way to judge whether a gaming structured population reaches the evolutionary stable state on one hand. On the other hand, it can be used to predict whether cooperators can survive in a system long before the system reaches its evolutionary stable state for the Prisoner's dilemma game. Our work therefore provides a theoretical framework for understanding the evolutionary stable state in the gaming populations with static structures. PMID:25169150

Local Nash Equilibrium in Social Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yichao; Aziz-Alaoui, M. A.; Bertelle, Cyrille; Guan, Jihong

2014-08-01

Nash equilibrium is widely present in various social disputes. As of now, in structured static populations, such as social networks, regular, and random graphs, the discussions on Nash equilibrium are quite limited. In a relatively stable static gaming network, a rational individual has to comprehensively consider all his/her opponents' strategies before they adopt a unified strategy. In this scenario, a new strategy equilibrium emerges in the system. We define this equilibrium as a local Nash equilibrium. In this paper, we present an explicit definition of the local Nash equilibrium for the two-strategy games in structured populations. Based on the definition, we investigate the condition that a system reaches the evolutionary stable state when the individuals play the Prisoner's dilemma and snow-drift game. The local Nash equilibrium provides a way to judge whether a gaming structured population reaches the evolutionary stable state on one hand. On the other hand, it can be used to predict whether cooperators can survive in a system long before the system reaches its evolutionary stable state for the Prisoner's dilemma game. Our work therefore provides a theoretical framework for understanding the evolutionary stable state in the gaming populations with static structures.

Closed Brayton Cycle (CBC) Power Generation from an Electric Systems Perspective

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Halsey, David G.; Fox, David A.

2006-01-01

Several forms of closed cycle heat engines exist to produce electrical energy suitable for space exploration or planetary surface applications. These engines include Stirling and Closed Brayton Cycle (CBC). Of these two, CBC has often been cited as providing the best balance of mass and efficiency for deep space or planetary power systems. Combined with an alternator on the same shaft, the hermetically sealed system provides the potential for long life and reliable operation. There is also a list of choices for the type of alternator. Choices include wound rotor machines, induction machines, switched reluctance machines, and permanent magnet generators (PMGs). In trades involving size, mass and efficiency the PMG is a favorable solution. This paper will discuss the consequences of using a CBC-PMG source for an electrical power system, and the system parameters that must be defined and controlled to provide a stable, useful power source. Considerations of voltage, frequency (including DC), and power quality will be discussed. Load interactions and constraints for various power types will also be addressed. Control of the CBC-PMG system during steady state operation and startup is also a factor.s

A Comparison of State Alternative Education Accountability Policies and Frameworks

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schlessman, Amy; Hurtado, Kelly

2012-01-01

The purpose of this policy study was to report descriptive research on state-level policy and frameworks for accountability systems of alternative education in the United States. The six states; California, Colorado, Texas, Florida, Oklahoma, and North Carolina; identified in the 2010 Jobs for the Futures policy analysis of alternative education…

An extractive removal step optimized for a high-throughput α-cellulose extraction method for δ 13 C and δ 18 O stable isotope ratio analysis in conifer tree rings

Treesearch

Wen Lin; Asko Noormets; John S. King; Ge Sun; Steve McNulty; Jean-Christophe Domec; Lucas Cernusak

2017-01-01

Stable isotope ratios (δ13C and δ18O) of tree-ring α-cellulose are important tools in paleoclimatology, ecology, plant physiology and genetics. The Multiple Sample Isolation System for Solids (MSISS) was a major advance in the tree-ring α-cellulose extraction methods, offering greater throughput and reduced labor input compared to traditional alternatives. However, the...

Engineering application of anaerobic ammonium oxidation process in wastewater treatment.

PubMed

Mao, Nianjia; Ren, Hongqiang; Geng, Jinju; Ding, Lili; Xu, Ke

2017-08-01

Anaerobic ammonium oxidation (Anammox), a promising biological nitrogen removal process, has been verified as an efficient, sustainable and cost-effective alternative to conventional nitrification and denitrification processes. To date, more than 110 full-scale anammox plants have been installed and are in operation, treating industrial NH 4 + -rich wastewater worldwide, and anammox-based technologies are flourishing. This review the current state of the art for engineering applications of the anammox process, including various anammox-based technologies, reactor selection and attempts to apply it at different wastewater plants. Process control and implementation for stable performance are discussed as well as some remaining issues concerning engineering application are exposed, including the start-up period, process disturbances, greenhouse gas emissions and especially mainstream anammox applications. Finally, further development of the anammox engineering application is proposed in this review.

Clathrates and beyond: Low-density allotropy in crystalline silicon

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Beekman, Matt; Wei, Kaya; Nolas, George S., E-mail: gnolas@usf.edu

2016-12-15

In its common, thermodynamically stable state, silicon adopts the same crystal structure as diamond. Although only a few alternative allotropic structures have been discovered and studied over the past six decades, advanced methods for structure prediction have recently suggested a remarkably rich low-density phase space that has only begun to be explored. The electronic properties of these low-density allotropes of silicon, predicted by first-principles calculations, indicate that these materials could offer a pathway to improving performance and reducing cost in a variety of electronic and energy-related applications. In this focus review, we provide an introduction and overview of recent theoreticalmore » and experimental results related to low-density allotropes of silicon, highlighting the significant potential these materials may have for technological applications, provided substantial challenges to their experimental preparation can be overcome.« less

Cooperatively coupled motion with superradiant and subradiant atoms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Guin-Dar; Lin, Kuan-Ting; Tang, Er-Siang

2017-04-01

We investigate the coupled motion of cooperative atoms subjected to the Doppler dissipative force. The dipole-dipole interaction introduces mutual decay channel and splits the super-radiant and sub-radiant states. The Doppler force is thus modified due to the collective emission and coupled recoil. Such a cooperative effect is more evident when the inter-atom separation is less than or comparable to a wavelength. In an optical molasses, we find that, along the axis of two atoms, there presents an effective potential with mechanically stable and unstable regions alternatively as their separation increases. Taking the cooperative Lamb shift into account, we map out the stability diagram and investigate the blockade effect. We thank the support from MOST of Taiwan under Grant No. 105-2112-M-002-015-MY3 and National Taiwan University under Grant No. NTU-ERP-105R891401.

Nitrite Biosensing via Selective Enzymes—A Long but Promising Route

PubMed Central

Almeida, M. Gabriela; Serra, Alexandra; Silveira, Celia M.; Moura, Jose J.G.

2010-01-01

The last decades have witnessed a steady increase of the social and political awareness for the need of monitoring and controlling environmental and industrial processes. In the case of nitrite ion, due to its potential toxicity for human health, the European Union has recently implemented a number of rules to restrict its level in drinking waters and food products. Although several analytical protocols have been proposed for nitrite quantification, none of them enable a reliable and quick analysis of complex samples. An alternative approach relies on the construction of biosensing devices using stable enzymes, with both high activity and specificity for nitrite. In this paper we review the current state-of-the-art in the field of electrochemical and optical biosensors using nitrite reducing enzymes as biorecognition elements and discuss the opportunities and challenges in this emerging market. PMID:22163541

Human seizures self-terminate across spatial scales via a critical transition.

PubMed

Kramer, Mark A; Truccolo, Wilson; Eden, Uri T; Lepage, Kyle Q; Hochberg, Leigh R; Eskandar, Emad N; Madsen, Joseph R; Lee, Jong W; Maheshwari, Atul; Halgren, Eric; Chu, Catherine J; Cash, Sydney S

2012-12-18

Why seizures spontaneously terminate remains an unanswered fundamental question of epileptology. Here we present evidence that seizures self-terminate via a discontinuous critical transition or bifurcation. We show that human brain electrical activity at various spatial scales exhibits common dynamical signatures of an impending critical transition--slowing, increased correlation, and flickering--in the approach to seizure termination. In contrast, prolonged seizures (status epilepticus) repeatedly approach, but do not cross, the critical transition. To support these results, we implement a computational model that demonstrates that alternative stable attractors, representing the ictal and postictal states, emulate the observed dynamics. These results suggest that self-terminating seizures end through a common dynamical mechanism. This description constrains the specific biophysical mechanisms underlying seizure termination, suggests a dynamical understanding of status epilepticus, and demonstrates an accessible system for studying critical transitions in nature.

Triggered Snap-Through of Bistable Shells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cai, Yijie; Huang, Shicheng; Trase, Ian; Hu, Nan; Chen, Zi

Elastic bistable shells are common structures in nature and engineering, such as the lobes of the Venus flytrap or the surface of a toy jumping poppers. Despite their ubiquity, the parameters that control the bistability of such structures are not well understood. In this study, we explore how the geometrical features of radially symmetric elastic shells affect the shape and potential energy of a shell's stable states, and how to tune certain parameters in order to generate a snap-through transition from a convex semi-stable state to concave stable state. We fabricated a series of elastic shells with varying geometric parameters out of silicone rubber and measured the resulting potential energy in the semi-stable state. Finite element simulations were also conducted in order to determine the deformation and stress in the shells during snap-through. It was found that the energy of the semi-stable state is controlled by only two geometric parameters and a dimensionless ratio. We also noted two distinct transitions during snap-through, one between monostability and semi-bistability (the state a popper toy is in before it snaps-through and jumps), and a second transition between semi-bistability and true bistability. This work shows that it is possible to use a set of simple parameters to tailor the energy landscape of an elastic shell in order to generate complex trigger motions for their potential use in smart applications. Z.C. acknowledge support from Society in Science-Branco Weiss Fellowship, administered by ETH Zurich.

Applications of 4-state nanomagnetic logic using multiferroic nanomagnets possessing biaxial magnetocrystalline anisotropy and experiments on 2-state multiferroic nanomagnetic logic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

D'Souza, Noel Michael

Nanomagnetic logic, incorporating logic bits in the magnetization orientations of single-domain nanomagnets, has garnered attention as an alternative to transistor-based logic due to its non-volatility and unprecedented energy-efficiency. The energy efficiency of this scheme is determined by the method used to flip the magnetization orientations of the nanomagnets in response to one or more inputs and produce the desired output. Unfortunately, the large dissipative losses that occur when nanomagnets are switched with a magnetic field or spin-transfer-torque inhibit the promised energy-efficiency. Another technique offering superior energy efficiency, "straintronics", involves the application of a voltage to a piezoelectric layer to generate a strain which is transferred to an elastically coupled magnetrostrictive layer, causing magnetization rotation. The functionality of this scheme can be enhanced further by introducing magnetocrystalline anisotropy in the magnetostrictive layer, thereby generating four stable magnetization states (instead of the two stable directions produced by shape anisotropy in ellipsoidal nanomagnets). Numerical simulations were performed to implement a low-power universal logic gate (NOR) using such 4-state magnetostrictive/piezoelectric nanomagnets (Ni/PZT) by clocking the piezoelectric layer with a small electrostatic potential (˜0.2 V) to switch the magnetization of the magnetic layer. Unidirectional and reliable logic propagation in this system was also demonstrated theoretically. Besides doubling the logic density (4-state versus 2-state) for logic applications, these four-state nanomagnets can be exploited for higher order applications such as image reconstruction and recognition in the presence of noise, associative memory and neuromorphic computing. Experimental work in strain-based switching has been limited to magnets that are multi-domain or magnets where strain moves domain walls. In this work, we also demonstrate strain-based switching in 2-state single-domain ellipsoidal magnetostrictive nanomagnets of lateral dimensions ˜200 nm fabricated on a piezoelectric substrate (PMN-PT) and studied using Magnetic Force Microscopy (MFM). A nanomagnetic Boolean NOT gate and unidirectional bit information propagation through a finite chain of dipole-coupled nanomagnets are also shown through strain-based "clocking". This is the first experimental demonstration of strain-based switching in nanomagnets and clocking of nanomagnetic logic (Boolean NOT gate), as well as logic propagation in an array of nanomagnets.

Multiple Climate States of Habitable Exoplanets: The Role of Obliquity and Irradiance

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kilic, C.; Raible, C. C.; Stocker, T. F., E-mail: stocker@climate.unibe.ch

Stable, steady climate states on an Earth-size planet with no continents are determined as a function of the tilt of the planet’s rotation axis (obliquity) and stellar irradiance. Using a general circulation model of the atmosphere coupled to a slab ocean and a thermodynamic sea ice model, two states, the Aquaplanet and the Cryoplanet, are found for high and low stellar irradiance, respectively. In addition, four stable states with seasonally and perennially open water are discovered if comprehensively exploring a parameter space of obliquity from 0° to 90° and stellar irradiance from 70% to 135% of the present-day solar constant.more » Within 11% of today’s solar irradiance, we find a rich structure of stable states that extends the area of habitability considerably. For the same set of parameters, different stable states result if simulations are initialized from an aquaplanet or a cryoplanet state. This demonstrates the possibility of multiple equilibria, hysteresis, and potentially rapid climate change in response to small changes in the orbital parameters. The dynamics of the atmosphere of an aquaplanet or a cryoplanet state is investigated for similar values of obliquity and stellar irradiance. The atmospheric circulation substantially differs in the two states owing to the relative strength of the primary drivers of the meridional transport of heat and momentum. At 90° obliquity and present-day solar constant, the atmospheric dynamics of an Aquaplanet state and one with an equatorial ice cover is analyzed.« less

Multiple Climate States of Habitable Exoplanets: The Role of Obliquity and Irradiance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kilic, C.; Raible, C. C.; Stocker, T. F.

2017-08-01

Stable, steady climate states on an Earth-size planet with no continents are determined as a function of the tilt of the planet’s rotation axis (obliquity) and stellar irradiance. Using a general circulation model of the atmosphere coupled to a slab ocean and a thermodynamic sea ice model, two states, the Aquaplanet and the Cryoplanet, are found for high and low stellar irradiance, respectively. In addition, four stable states with seasonally and perennially open water are discovered if comprehensively exploring a parameter space of obliquity from 0° to 90° and stellar irradiance from 70% to 135% of the present-day solar constant. Within 11% of today’s solar irradiance, we find a rich structure of stable states that extends the area of habitability considerably. For the same set of parameters, different stable states result if simulations are initialized from an aquaplanet or a cryoplanet state. This demonstrates the possibility of multiple equilibria, hysteresis, and potentially rapid climate change in response to small changes in the orbital parameters. The dynamics of the atmosphere of an aquaplanet or a cryoplanet state is investigated for similar values of obliquity and stellar irradiance. The atmospheric circulation substantially differs in the two states owing to the relative strength of the primary drivers of the meridional transport of heat and momentum. At 90° obliquity and present-day solar constant, the atmospheric dynamics of an Aquaplanet state and one with an equatorial ice cover is analyzed.

Alternatives for Financing Higher Education Facilities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leslie, Larry L.; Felix, Frank J.

1980-01-01

How state governments should finance public college and university facilities is discussed. A framework for analyzing the capital financing alternatives available to state governments is described. Several alternatives in Arizona--including state appropriations, leasing, and revenue bonding--are considered as an illustration. (Author/MLW)

Stable diffraction-management soliton in a periodic structure with alternating left-handed and right-handed media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Jinggui

2017-09-01

In this paper, we first derive a modified two-dimensional non-linear Schrödinger equation including high-order diffraction (HOD) suitable for the propagation of optical beam near the low-diffraction regime in Kerr non-linear media with spatial dispersion. Then, we apply our derived physical model to a designed two-dimensional configuration filled with alternate layers of a left-handed material (LHM) and a right-handed media by employing the mean-field theory. It is found that the periodic structure including LHM may experience diminished, cancelled, and even reversed diffraction behaviours through engineering the relative thickness between both media. In particular, the variational method analytically predicts that close to the zero-diffraction regime, such periodic structure can support stable diffraction-management solitons whose beamwidth and peak amplitude evolve periodically with the help of HOD effect. Numerical simulation based on the split-step Fourier method confirms the analytical results.

An online EEG BCI based on covert visuospatial attention in absence of exogenous stimulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tonin, L.; Leeb, R.; Sobolewski, A.; Millán, J. del R.

2013-10-01

Objective. In this work we present—for the first time—the online operation of an electroencephalogram (EEG) brain-computer interface (BCI) system based on covert visuospatial attention (CVSA), without relying on any evoked responses. Electrophysiological correlates of pure top-down CVSA have only recently been proposed as a control signal for BCI. Such systems are expected to share the ease of use of stimulus-driven BCIs (e.g. P300, steady state visually evoked potential) with the autonomy afforded by decoding voluntary modulations of ongoing activity (e.g. motor imagery). Approach. Eight healthy subjects participated in the study. EEG signals were acquired with an active 64-channel system. The classification method was based on a time-dependent approach tuned to capture the most discriminant spectral features of the temporal evolution of attentional processes. The system was used by all subjects over two days without retraining, to verify its robustness and reliability. Main results. We report a mean online accuracy across the group of 70.6 ± 1.5%, and 88.8 ± 5.8% for the best subject. Half of the participants produced stable features over the entire duration of the study. Additionally, we explain drops in performance in subjects showing stable features in terms of known electrophysiological correlates of fatigue, suggesting the prospect of online monitoring of mental states in BCI systems. Significance. This work represents the first demonstration of the feasibility of an online EEG BCI based on CVSA. The results achieved suggest the CVSA BCI as a promising alternative to standard BCI modalities.

Effects of wind waves versus ship waves on tidal marsh plants: a flume study on different life stages of Scirpus maritimus.

PubMed

Silinski, Alexandra; Heuner, Maike; Schoelynck, Jonas; Puijalon, Sara; Schröder, Uwe; Fuchs, Elmar; Troch, Peter; Bouma, Tjeerd J; Meire, Patrick; Temmerman, Stijn

2015-01-01

Recent research indicates that many ecosystems, including intertidal marshes, follow the alternative stable states theory. This theory implies that thresholds of environmental factors can mark a limit between two opposing stable ecosystem states, e.g. vegetated marshes and bare mudflats. While elevation relative to mean sea level is considered as the overall threshold condition for colonization of mudflats by vegetation, little is known about the individual driving mechanisms, in particular the impact of waves, and more specifically of wave period. We studied the impact of different wave regimes on plants in a full scale flume experiment. Seedlings and adult shoots of the pioneer Scirpus maritimus were subjected to two wave periods at two water levels. Drag forces acting on, and sediment scouring occurring around the plants were quantified, as these are the two main mechanisms determining plant establishment and survival. Depending on life stage, two distinct survival strategies emerge: seedlings present a stress avoidance strategy by being extremely flexible, thus limiting the drag forces and thereby the risk of breaking. Adult shoots present a stress tolerance strategy by having stiffer stems, which gives them a higher resistance to breaking. These strategies work well under natural, short period wind wave conditions. For long period waves, however, caused e.g. by ships, these survival strategies have a high chance to fail as the flexibility of seedlings and stiffness of adults lead to plant tissue failure and extreme drag forces respectively. This results in both cases in strongly bent plant stems, potentially limiting their survival.

Effects of Wind Waves versus Ship Waves on Tidal Marsh Plants: A Flume Study on Different Life Stages of Scirpus maritimus

PubMed Central

Schoelynck, Jonas; Puijalon, Sara; Schröder, Uwe; Fuchs, Elmar; Troch, Peter; Bouma, Tjeerd J.; Meire, Patrick; Temmerman, Stijn

2015-01-01

Recent research indicates that many ecosystems, including intertidal marshes, follow the alternative stable states theory. This theory implies that thresholds of environmental factors can mark a limit between two opposing stable ecosystem states, e.g. vegetated marshes and bare mudflats. While elevation relative to mean sea level is considered as the overall threshold condition for colonization of mudflats by vegetation, little is known about the individual driving mechanisms, in particular the impact of waves, and more specifically of wave period. We studied the impact of different wave regimes on plants in a full scale flume experiment. Seedlings and adult shoots of the pioneer Scirpus maritimus were subjected to two wave periods at two water levels. Drag forces acting on, and sediment scouring occurring around the plants were quantified, as these are the two main mechanisms determining plant establishment and survival. Depending on life stage, two distinct survival strategies emerge: seedlings present a stress avoidance strategy by being extremely flexible, thus limiting the drag forces and thereby the risk of breaking. Adult shoots present a stress tolerance strategy by having stiffer stems, which gives them a higher resistance to breaking. These strategies work well under natural, short period wind wave conditions. For long period waves, however, caused e.g. by ships, these survival strategies have a high chance to fail as the flexibility of seedlings and stiffness of adults lead to plant tissue failure and extreme drag forces respectively. This results in both cases in strongly bent plant stems, potentially limiting their survival. PMID:25799017

A Model for the Application of Target-Controlled Intravenous Infusion for a Prolonged Immersive DMT Psychedelic Experience

PubMed Central

Gallimore, Andrew R.; Strassman, Rick J.

2016-01-01

The state of consciousness induced by N,N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is one of the most extraordinary of any naturally-occurring psychedelic substance. Users consistently report the complete replacement of normal subjective experience with a novel “alternate universe,” often densely populated with a variety of strange objects and other highly complex visual content, including what appear to be sentient “beings.” The phenomenology of the DMT state is of great interest to psychology and calls for rigorous academic enquiry. The extremely short duration of DMT effects—less than 20 min—militates against single dose administration as the ideal model for such enquiry. Using pharmacokinetic modeling and DMT blood sampling data, we demonstrate that the unique pharmacological characteristics of DMT, which also include a rapid onset and lack of acute tolerance to its subjective effects, make it amenable to administration by target-controlled intravenous infusion. This is a technology developed to maintain a stable brain concentration of anesthetic drugs during surgery. Simulations of our model demonstrate that this approach will allow research subjects to be induced into a stable and prolonged DMT experience, making it possible to carefully observe its psychological contents, and provide more extensive accounts for subsequent analyses. This model would also be valuable in performing functional neuroimaging, where subjects are required to remain under the influence of the drug for extended periods. Finally, target-controlled intravenous infusion of DMT may aid the development of unique psychotherapeutic applications of this psychedelic agent. PMID:27471468

The role of multisensor data fusion in neuromuscular control of a sagittal arm with a pair of muscles using actor-critic reinforcement learning method.

PubMed

Golkhou, V; Parnianpour, M; Lucas, C

2004-01-01

In this study, we consider the role of multisensor data fusion in neuromuscular control using an actor-critic reinforcement learning method. The model we use is a single link system actuated by a pair of muscles that are excited with alpha and gamma signals. Various physiological sensor information such as proprioception, spindle sensors, and Golgi tendon organs have been integrated to achieve an oscillatory movement with variable amplitude and frequency, while achieving a stable movement with minimum metabolic cost and coactivation. The system is highly nonlinear in all its physical and physiological attributes. Transmission delays are included in the afferent and efferent neural paths to account for a more accurate representation of the reflex loops. This paper proposes a reinforcement learning method with an Actor-Critic architecture instead of middle and low level of central nervous system (CNS). The Actor in this structure is a two layer feedforward neural network and the Critic is a model of the cerebellum. The Critic is trained by the State-Action-Reward-State-Action (SARSA) method. The Critic will train the Actor by supervisory learning based on previous experiences. The reinforcement signal in SARSA is evaluated based on available alternatives concerning the concept of multisensor data fusion. The effectiveness and the biological plausibility of the present model are demonstrated by several simulations. The system showed excellent tracking capability when we integrated the available sensor information. Addition of a penalty for activation of muscles resulted in much lower muscle coactivation while keeping the movement stable.

Evolution of conducting states and the maximum dissipated power

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bezryadin, A.; Tinkham, M.

1998-03-01

Evolution of conducting states in adaptable systems below the percolation threshold is studied experimentally. The sample consists of a pair of metal electrodes immersed into a colloidal suspension of conducting graphite nanoparticles in an electrically insulating liquid (toluene, mineral oil). When this initially homogeneous system is driven far from equilibrium by biasing the electrodes with a high DC voltage, a breaking of translational symmetry occurs and the conductivity increases by many orders of magnitude. Two qualitatively different conducting states are observed. The first is a self-organized critical state characterized by a sequence of avalanches with a 1/f^α power spectrum. In the process of evolution this state may transform into the second, ordered stable state with higher conductivity. The transition into the stable state occurs only if the system reaches the point when the power dissipated in the suspension is the maximum allowed by the bias voltage and series resistor. The critical states decay within a few hours while the stable states, which are characterized by visible strings of particles connecting the electrodes, exist much longer.

More on Aggregating Multiple Indicators into a Single Index for Sustainability Analyses

EPA Science Inventory

Sustainability analyses of systems are successful when one can ascertain unambiguous overall superiority of a state of a system compared to alternative states. These alternative states can be system conditions over time intervals, or alternative products or processes for the sam...

Conformational properties of glucose-based disaccharides investigated using molecular dynamics simulations with local elevation umbrella sampling.

PubMed

Perić-Hassler, Lovorka; Hansen, Halvor S; Baron, Riccardo; Hünenberger, Philippe H

2010-08-16

Explicit-solvent molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of the 11 glucose-based disaccharides in water at 300K and 1bar are reported. The simulations were carried out with the GROMOS 45A4 force-field and the sampling along the glycosidic dihedral angles phi and psi was artificially enhanced using the local elevation umbrella sampling (LEUS) method. The trajectories are analyzed in terms of free-energy maps, stable and metastable conformational states (relative free energies and estimated transition timescales), intramolecular H-bonds, single molecule configurational entropies, and agreement with experimental data. All disaccharides considered are found to be characterized either by a single stable (overwhelmingly populated) state ((1-->n)-linked disaccharides with n=1, 2, 3, or 4) or by two stable (comparably populated and differing in the third glycosidic dihedral angle omega ; gg or gt) states with a low interconversion barrier ((1-->6)-linked disaccharides). Metastable (anti-phi or anti-psi) states are also identified with relative free energies in the range of 8-22 kJ mol(-1). The 11 compounds can be classified into four families: (i) the alpha(1-->1)alpha-linked disaccharide trehalose (axial-axial linkage) presents no metastable state, the lowest configurational entropy, and no intramolecular H-bonds; (ii) the four alpha(1-->n)-linked disaccharides (n=1, 2, 3, or 4; axial-equatorial linkage) present one metastable (anti-psi) state, an intermediate configurational entropy, and two alternative intramolecular H-bonds; (iii) the four beta(1-->n)-linked disaccharides (n=1, 2, 3, or 4; equatorial-equatorial linkage) present two metastable (anti-phi and anti-psi) states, an intermediate configurational entropy, and one intramolecular H-bond; (iv) the two (1-->6)-linked disaccharides (additional glycosidic dihedral angle) present no (isomaltose) or a pair of (gentiobiose) metastable (anti-phi) states, the highest configurational entropy, and no intramolecular H-bonds. The observed conformational preferences appear to be dictated by four main driving forces (ring conformational preferences, exo-anomeric effect, steric constraints, and possible presence of a third glycosidic dihedral angle), leaving a secondary role to intramolecular H-bonding and specific solvation effects. In spite of the weak conformational driving force attributed to solvent-exposed H-bonds in water (highly polar protic solvent), intramolecular H-bonds may still have a significant influence on the physico-chemical properties of the disaccharide by decreasing its hydrophilicity. Along with previous work, the results also complete the suggestion of a spectrum of approximate transition timescales for carbohydrates up to the disaccharide level, namely: approximately 30 ps (hydroxyl groups), approximately 1 ns (free lactol group, free hydroxymethyl groups, glycosidic dihedral angleomega in (1-->6)-linked disaccharides), approximately 10 ns to 2 micros (ring conformation, glycosidic dihedral angles phi and psi). The calculated average values of the glycosidic torsional angles agree well with the available experimental data, providing validation for the force-field and simulation methodology employed. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Concurrent Use of Cigarettes and Smokeless Tobacco in Minnesota

PubMed Central

Boyle, Raymond G.; Claire, Ann W. St.; Kinney, Ann M.; D'Silva, Joanne; Carusi, Charles

2012-01-01

Cigarette smokers are being encouraged to use smokeless tobacco (SLT) in locations where smoking is banned. We examined state-wide data from Minnesota to measure changes over time in the use of SLT and concurrent use of cigarettes and SLT. The Minnesota Adult Tobacco Survey was conducted four times between 1999 and 2010 and has provided state-wide estimates of cigarette smoking, SLT use and concurrent use of SLT by smokers. The prevalence of SLT was essentially unchanged through 2007, then increased significantly between 2007 and 2010 (3.1% versus 4.3%, P < 0.05). Similarly, the prevalence of cigarette smokers who reported using SLT was stable then increased between 2007 and 2010 (4.4% versus 9.6%, P < 0.05). The finding of higher SLT use by smokers could indicate that smokers in Minnesota are in an experimental phase of testing alternative products as they adjust to recent public policies restricting smoking in public places. The findings are suggestive that some Minnesota smokers are switching to concurrent use of cigarettes and SLT. Future surveillance reports will be necessary to confirm the results. PMID:22548091

Origins of Highly Stable Al-evaporated Solution-processed ZnO Thin Film Transistors: Insights from Low Frequency and Random Telegraph Signal Noise

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Joo Hyung; Kang, Tae Sung; Yang, Jung Yup; Hong, Jin Pyo

2015-11-01

One long-standing goal in the emerging field of flexible and transparent electronic devices is to meet the demand of key markets, such as enhanced output performance for metal oxide semiconductor thin film transistors (TFTs) prepared by a solution process. While solution-based fabrication techniques are cost-effective and ensure large-area coverage at low temperature, their utilization has the disadvantage of introducing large trap states into TFTs. Such states, the formation of which is induced by intrinsic defects initially produced during preparation, have a significant impact on electrical performance. Therefore, the ability to enhance the electrical characteristics of solution-processed TFTs, along with attaining a firm understanding of their physical nature, remains a key step towards extending their use. In this study, measurements of low-frequency noise and random telegraph signal noise are employed as generic alternative tools to examine the origins of enhanced output performance for solution-processed ZnO TFTs through the control of defect sites by Al evaporation.

Electronic excitation-induced semiconductor-to-metal transition in monolayer MoTe2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kolobov, A. V.; Fons, P.; Tominaga, J.

2016-09-01

Reversible polymorphism of monolayer transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDC) has currently attracted much attention from both academic and applied perspectives. Of special interest is MoTe2, where the stable semiconducting 2 H and metastable (semi)metallic 1 T' phases have a rather small energy difference implying the low-energy cost of such a transition. In this work, using first-principles calculations, we demonstrate that there exists a previously unknown phase of MoTe2, namely a distorted trigonal prismatic phase with alternating shorter and longer bonds and bond angles, that is formed in the electronically excited state due to population inversion. This phase, which is unstable and decays to the ground 2 H state after cessation of the excitation, is metallic and can act to lower the energy barrier on the way to the metastable 1 T' phase. Our findings indicate that there exists a previously unexplored route of ultrafast local and selective band-structure control in monolayer TMDC using electronic excitation, which will significantly broaden the application spectrum of these materials.

Exploring the WTI crude oil price bubble process using the Markov regime switching model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yue-Jun; Wang, Jing

2015-03-01

The sharp volatility of West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil price in the past decade triggers us to investigate the price bubbles and their evolving process. Empirical results indicate that the fundamental price of WTI crude oil appears relatively more stable than that of the market-trading price, which verifies the existence of oil price bubbles during the sample period. Besides, by allowing the WTI crude oil price bubble process to switch between two states (regimes) according to a first-order Markov chain, we are able to statistically discriminate upheaval from stable states in the crude oil price bubble process; and in most of time, the stable state dominates the WTI crude oil price bubbles while the upheaval state usually proves short-lived and accompanies unexpected market events.

Alternative Fuels Data Center: Louisiana State University: The State's

Science.gov Websites

First Workplace Charging Challenge Partner Louisiana State University: The State's First State University: The State's First Workplace Charging Challenge Partner on Facebook Tweet about Alternative Fuels Data Center: Louisiana State University: The State's First Workplace Charging Challenge

20 CFR 404.2120 - Audits.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... incurred. The State VR agency or alternate participant will be informed and given a full explanation of any... by the State VR agency or alternate participant will be given full consideration before a final... appropriate SSA Regional Commissioner will notify the State VR agency or alternate participant in writing of...

20 CFR 416.2220 - Audits.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... incurred. The State VR agency or alternate participant will be informed and given a full explanation of any... by the State VR agency or alternate participant will be given full consideration before a final... appropriate SSA Regional Commissioner will notify the State VR agency or alternate participant in writing of...

20 CFR 404.2120 - Audits.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... incurred. The State VR agency or alternate participant will be informed and given a full explanation of any... by the State VR agency or alternate participant will be given full consideration before a final... appropriate SSA Regional Commissioner will notify the State VR agency or alternate participant in writing of...

20 CFR 416.2220 - Audits.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... incurred. The State VR agency or alternate participant will be informed and given a full explanation of any... by the State VR agency or alternate participant will be given full consideration before a final... appropriate SSA Regional Commissioner will notify the State VR agency or alternate participant in writing of...

20 CFR 404.2120 - Audits.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... incurred. The State VR agency or alternate participant will be informed and given a full explanation of any... by the State VR agency or alternate participant will be given full consideration before a final... appropriate SSA Regional Commissioner will notify the State VR agency or alternate participant in writing of...

20 CFR 416.2220 - Audits.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... incurred. The State VR agency or alternate participant will be informed and given a full explanation of any... by the State VR agency or alternate participant will be given full consideration before a final... appropriate SSA Regional Commissioner will notify the State VR agency or alternate participant in writing of...

20 CFR 404.2120 - Audits.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... incurred. The State VR agency or alternate participant will be informed and given a full explanation of any... by the State VR agency or alternate participant will be given full consideration before a final... appropriate SSA Regional Commissioner will notify the State VR agency or alternate participant in writing of...

20 CFR 416.2220 - Audits.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... incurred. The State VR agency or alternate participant will be informed and given a full explanation of any... by the State VR agency or alternate participant will be given full consideration before a final... appropriate SSA Regional Commissioner will notify the State VR agency or alternate participant in writing of...

20 CFR 416.2220 - Audits.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... incurred. The State VR agency or alternate participant will be informed and given a full explanation of any... by the State VR agency or alternate participant will be given full consideration before a final... appropriate SSA Regional Commissioner will notify the State VR agency or alternate participant in writing of...

20 CFR 404.2120 - Audits.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... incurred. The State VR agency or alternate participant will be informed and given a full explanation of any... by the State VR agency or alternate participant will be given full consideration before a final... appropriate SSA Regional Commissioner will notify the State VR agency or alternate participant in writing of...

Stable Radical Materials for Energy Applications.

PubMed

Wilcox, Daniel A; Agarkar, Varad; Mukherjee, Sanjoy; Boudouris, Bryan W

2018-06-07

Although less studied than their closed-shell counterparts, materials containing stable open-shell chemistries have played a key role in many energy storage and energy conversion devices. In particular, the oxidation-reduction (redox) properties of these stable radicals have made them a substantial contributor to the progress of organic batteries. Moreover, the use of radical-based materials in photovoltaic devices and thermoelectric systems has allowed for these emerging molecules to have impacts in the energy conversion realm. Additionally, the unique doublet states of radical-based materials provide access to otherwise inaccessible spin states in optoelectronic devices, offering many new opportunities for efficient usage of energy in light-emitting devices. Here, we review the current state of the art regarding the molecular design, synthesis, and application of stable radicals in these energy-related applications. Finally, we point to fundamental and applied arenas of future promise for these designer open-shell molecules, which have only just begun to be evaluated in full.

Magnetic antiskyrmions above room temperature in tetragonal Heusler materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nayak, Ajaya K.; Kumar, Vivek; Ma, Tianping; Werner, Peter; Pippel, Eckhard; Sahoo, Roshnee; Damay, Franoise; Rößler, Ulrich K.; Felser, Claudia; Parkin, Stuart S. P.

2017-08-01

Magnetic skyrmions are topologically stable, vortex-like objects surrounded by chiral boundaries that separate a region of reversed magnetization from the surrounding magnetized material. They are closely related to nanoscopic chiral magnetic domain walls, which could be used as memory and logic elements for conventional and neuromorphic computing applications that go beyond Moore’s law. Of particular interest is ‘racetrack memory’, which is composed of vertical magnetic nanowires, each accommodating of the order of 100 domain walls, and that shows promise as a solid state, non-volatile memory with exceptional capacity and performance. Its performance is derived from the very high speeds (up to one kilometre per second) at which chiral domain walls can be moved with nanosecond current pulses in synthetic antiferromagnet racetracks. Because skyrmions are essentially composed of a pair of chiral domain walls closed in on themselves, but are, in principle, more stable to perturbations than the component domain walls themselves, they are attractive for use in spintronic applications, notably racetrack memory. Stabilization of skyrmions has generally been achieved in systems with broken inversion symmetry, in which the asymmetric Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction modifies the uniform magnetic state to a swirling state. Depending on the crystal symmetry, two distinct types of skyrmions have been observed experimentally, namely, Bloch and Néel skyrmions. Here we present the experimental manifestation of another type of skyrmion—the magnetic antiskyrmion—in acentric tetragonal Heusler compounds with D2d crystal symmetry. Antiskyrmions are characterized by boundary walls that have alternating Bloch and Néel type as one traces around the boundary. A spiral magnetic ground-state, which propagates in the tetragonal basal plane, is transformed into an antiskyrmion lattice state under magnetic fields applied along the tetragonal axis over a wide range of temperatures. Direct imaging by Lorentz transmission electron microscopy shows field-stabilized antiskyrmion lattices and isolated antiskyrmions from 100 kelvin to well beyond room temperature, and zero-field metastable antiskyrmions at low temperatures. These results enlarge the family of magnetic skyrmions and pave the way to the engineering of complex bespoke designed skyrmionic structures.

Long-Term Grazing Exclusion Improves the Composition and Stability of Soil Organic Matter in Inner Mongolian Grasslands

PubMed Central

Wang, Chunyan; He, Nianpeng; Zhang, Jinjing; Lv, Yuliang; Wang, Li

2015-01-01

Alteration of the composition of soil organic matter (SOM) in Inner Mongolian grassland soils associated with the duration of grazing exclusion (GE) has been considered an important index for evaluating the restoring effects of GE practice. By using five plots from a grassland succession series from free grazing to 31-year GE, we measured the content of soil organic carbon (SOC), humic acid carbon (HAC), fulvic acid carbon (FAC), humin carbon (HUC), and humic acid structure to evaluate the changes in SOM composition. The results showed that SOC, HUC, and the ratios of HAC/FAC and HAC/extractable humus carbon (C) increased significantly with prolonged GE duration, and their relationships can be well fitted by positive exponential equations, except for FAC. In contrast, the HAC content increased logarithmically with prolonged GE duration. Long-term GE enhanced the content of SOC and soil humification, which was obvious after more than 10 years of GE. Solid-state 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy showed that the ratios of alkyl C/O-alkyl C first decreased, and then remained stable with prolonged GE. Alternately, the ratios of aromaticity and hydrophobicity first increased, and then were maintained at relatively stable levels. Thus, a decade of GE improved the composition and structure of SOM in semiarid grassland soil and made it more stable. These findings provide new evidence to support the positive effects of long-term GE on soil SOC sequestration in the Inner Mongolian grasslands, in view of the improvement of SOM structure and stability. PMID:26057249

Long-Term Grazing Exclusion Improves the Composition and Stability of Soil Organic Matter in Inner Mongolian Grasslands.

PubMed

Wang, Chunyan; He, Nianpeng; Zhang, Jinjing; Lv, Yuliang; Wang, Li

2015-01-01

Alteration of the composition of soil organic matter (SOM) in Inner Mongolian grassland soils associated with the duration of grazing exclusion (GE) has been considered an important index for evaluating the restoring effects of GE practice. By using five plots from a grassland succession series from free grazing to 31-year GE, we measured the content of soil organic carbon (SOC), humic acid carbon (HAC), fulvic acid carbon (FAC), humin carbon (HUC), and humic acid structure to evaluate the changes in SOM composition. The results showed that SOC, HUC, and the ratios of HAC/FAC and HAC/extractable humus carbon (C) increased significantly with prolonged GE duration, and their relationships can be well fitted by positive exponential equations, except for FAC. In contrast, the HAC content increased logarithmically with prolonged GE duration. Long-term GE enhanced the content of SOC and soil humification, which was obvious after more than 10 years of GE. Solid-state 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy showed that the ratios of alkyl C/O-alkyl C first decreased, and then remained stable with prolonged GE. Alternately, the ratios of aromaticity and hydrophobicity first increased, and then were maintained at relatively stable levels. Thus, a decade of GE improved the composition and structure of SOM in semiarid grassland soil and made it more stable. These findings provide new evidence to support the positive effects of long-term GE on soil SOC sequestration in the Inner Mongolian grasslands, in view of the improvement of SOM structure and stability.

Dynamics and control of twisting bi-stable structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arrieta, Andres F.; van Gemmeren, Valentin; Anderson, Aaron J.; Weaver, Paul M.

2018-02-01

Compliance-based morphing structures have the potential to offer large shape adaptation, high stiffness and low weight, while reducing complexity, friction, and scalability problems of mechanism based systems. A promising class of structure that enables these characteristics are multi-stable structures given their ability to exhibit large deflections and rotations without the expensive need for continuous actuation, with the latter only required intermittently. Furthermore, multi-stable structures exhibit inherently fast response due to the snap-through instability governing changes between stable states, enabling rapid configuration switching between the discrete number of programmed shapes of the structure. In this paper, the design and utilisation of the inherent nonlinear dynamics of bi-stable twisting I-beam structures for actuation with low strain piezoelectric materials is presented. The I-beam structure consists of three compliant components assembled into a monolithic single element, free of moving parts, and showing large deflections between two stable states. Finite element analysis is utilised to uncover the distribution of strain across the width of the flange, guiding the choice of positioning for piezoelectric actuators. In addition, the actuation authority is maximised by calculating the generalised coupling coefficient for different positions of the piezoelectric actuators. The results obtained are employed to tailor and test I-beam designs exhibiting desired large deflection between stable states, while still enabling the activation of snap-through with the low strain piezoelectric actuators. To this end, the dynamic response of the I-beams to piezoelectric excitation is investigated, revealing that resonant excitations are insufficient to dynamically trigger snap-through. A novel bang-bang control strategy, which exploits the nonlinear dynamics of the structure successfully triggers both single and constant snap-through between the stable states of the bi-stable twisting I-beam structures. The obtained optimal piezoelectric actuator positioning is not necessarily intuitive and when used with the proposed dynamic actuation strategy serve as a blueprint for the actuation of such multi-stable compliant structures to produce fast and large deflections with highly embeddable actuators. This class of structures has potential applications in aerospace systems and soft/compliant robotics.

Pattern Formation in Keller-Segel Chemotaxis Models with Logistic Growth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jin, Ling; Wang, Qi; Zhang, Zengyan

In this paper, we investigate pattern formation in Keller-Segel chemotaxis models over a multidimensional bounded domain subject to homogeneous Neumann boundary conditions. It is shown that the positive homogeneous steady state loses its stability as chemoattraction rate χ increases. Then using Crandall-Rabinowitz local theory with χ being the bifurcation parameter, we obtain the existence of nonhomogeneous steady states of the system which bifurcate from this homogeneous steady state. Stability of the bifurcating solutions is also established through rigorous and detailed calculations. Our results provide a selection mechanism of stable wavemode which states that the only stable bifurcation branch must have a wavemode number that minimizes the bifurcation value. Finally, we perform extensive numerical simulations on the formation of stable steady states with striking structures such as boundary spikes, interior spikes, stripes, etc. These nontrivial patterns can model cellular aggregation that develop through chemotactic movements in biological systems.

9 CFR 381.309 - Finished product inspection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... alternative documented procedures for handling process deviations. (1) Incubation of shelf stable canned product—(i) Incubator. The establishment shall provide incubation facilities which include an accurate... the facility. The Program is responsible for the security of the incubator. (ii) Incubation...

9 CFR 381.309 - Finished product inspection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... alternative documented procedures for handling process deviations. (1) Incubation of shelf stable canned product—(i) Incubator. The establishment shall provide incubation facilities which include an accurate... the facility. The Program is responsible for the security of the incubator. (ii) Incubation...

9 CFR 381.309 - Finished product inspection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... alternative documented procedures for handling process deviations. (1) Incubation of shelf stable canned product—(i) Incubator. The establishment shall provide incubation facilities which include an accurate... the facility. The Program is responsible for the security of the incubator. (ii) Incubation...

Stable solvent for solution-based electrical doping of semiconducting polymer films and its application to organic solar cells

DOE PAGES

Larrain, Felipe A.; Fuentes-Hernandez, Canek; Chou, Wen-Fang; ...

2018-01-01

A solution-based method to electrically p-dope organic semiconductors enabling the fabrication of organic solar cells with simplified geometry is implemented with acetonitrile as an alternative to nitromethane.

Stable solvent for solution-based electrical doping of semiconducting polymer films and its application to organic solar cells

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Larrain, Felipe A.; Fuentes-Hernandez, Canek; Chou, Wen-Fang

A solution-based method to electrically p-dope organic semiconductors enabling the fabrication of organic solar cells with simplified geometry is implemented with acetonitrile as an alternative to nitromethane.

Population differentiation in Pacific salmon: local adaptation, genetic drift, or the environment?

USGS Publications Warehouse

Adkison, Milo D.

1995-01-01

Morphological, behavioral, and life-history differences between Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) populations are commonly thought to reflect local adaptation, and it is likewise common to assume that salmon populations separated by small distances are locally adapted. Two alternatives to local adaptation exist: random genetic differentiation owing to genetic drift and founder events, and genetic homogeneity among populations, in which differences reflect differential trait expression in differing environments. Population genetics theory and simulations suggest that both alternatives are possible. With selectively neutral alleles, genetic drift can result in random differentiation despite many strays per generation. Even weak selection can prevent genetic drift in stable populations; however, founder effects can result in random differentiation despite selective pressures. Overlapping generations reduce the potential for random differentiation. Genetic homogeneity can occur despite differences in selective regimes when straying rates are high. In sum, localized differences in selection should not always result in local adaptation. Local adaptation is favored when population sizes are large and stable, selection is consistent over large areas, selective diffeentials are large, and straying rates are neither too high nor too low. Consideration of alternatives to local adaptation would improve both biological research and salmon conservation efforts.

Physical and Chemical Toeholds for Exoplanet Bioastronomy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hoehler, Tori

2013-01-01

If a search for exoplanet life were mounted today, the likely focus would be to detect oxygen (or ozone) in the atmosphere of a water-bearing rocky planet orbiting roughly 1AU from a G-type star. This appropriately conservative and practical default is necessary in large part because biological input on the question of where and how to look for life has progressed little beyond a purely empirical reliance on the example of terrestrial biology. However, fundamental physical and chemical considerations may impose significant yet universal constraints on biological potential. The liquid water + oxygen paradigm will be considered as an example, with a focus on the question, is liquid water a prerequisite for life? . Life requires a solvent to mediate interactions among biological molecules. A key class of these interactions is molecular recognition with high specificity, which is essential for high fidelity catalysis and (especially) information processing. For example, to correctly reproduce a string consisting of 600,000 units of information (e.g., 600 kilobases, equivalent to the genome of the smallest free living terrestrial organisms) with a 90% success rate requires specificity greater than 10(exp 7):1 for the target molecule vs. incorrect alternatives. Such specificity requires (i) that the correct molecular association is energetically stabilized by at least 40 kJ/mol relative to alternatives, and (ii) that the system is able to sample among possible states (alternative molecular associations) rapidly enough to allow the system to fall under thermodynamic control and express the energetic stabilization. We argue that electrostatic interactions are required to confer the necessary energetic stabilization vs. a large library of molecular alternatives, and that a solvent with polarity and dielectric properties comparable to water is required for the system to sample among possible states and express thermodynamic control. Electrostatic associations can be made in non-polar solvents, but the resulting complexes are too stable to be "unmade" with sufficient frequency to confer thermodynamic control on the system. Such considerations suggest that water, or a solvent with properties very like water, is necessary to support high-fidelity information processing a feature that must be common to all biology and can therefore be considered a critical prerequisite for life.

Advanced Controller Developed for the Free-Piston Stirling Convertor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gerber, Scott S.

2005-01-01

A free-piston Stirling power convertor is being considered as an advanced power-conversion technology for future NASA deep-space missions requiring long-life radioisotope power systems. The NASA Glenn Research Center has identified key areas where advanced technologies can enhance the capability of Stirling energy-conversion systems. One of these is power electronic controls. Current power-conversion technology for Glenn-tested Stirling systems consists of an engine-driven linear alternator generating an alternating-current voltage controlled by a tuning-capacitor-based alternating-current peak voltage load controller. The tuning capacitor keeps the internal alternator electromotive force (EMF) in phase with its respective current (i.e., passive power factor correction). The alternator EMF is related to the piston velocity, which must be kept in phase with the alternator current in order to achieve stable operation. This tuning capacitor, which adds volume and mass to the overall Stirling convertor, can be eliminated if the controller can actively drive the magnitude and phase of the alternator current.

Localization of Stable and Chaotic Nonpropagating Structures in Nonlinear Mesoscopic Lattices.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Greenfield, Alan Barry

Recent developments in the study of non-linear localized states, especially non-propagating ones, are outlined. Theoretical models of linear and nonlinear states in a lattice of coupled pendulums and related systems are reviewed. Particular attention is paid to those states which can be described by the Nonlinear Schrodinger equation as well as states where two modes can coexist and states exhibiting chaos. Measurement of localized stable and chaotic states in a 35 site physical pendulum lattice is reported. Various measurement techniques that were used are explained. States that were measured include the tanh profile or kink soliton, and the corresponding uniform state in the wavelength 2 mode, a similar soliton and uniform state in the wavelength 4 mode, a domain wall between the wavelength 2 and 4 modes and a domain wall between a chaotic state and the wavelength 2 mode. Amplitude profiles were measured for the stable kink and domain wall states and smooth curves were obtained by dividing the kink states by the corresponding uniform states. Return maps were measured for two sites in the chaotic domain wall. Simulation of a chaotic domain wall in a 50 site numerical lattice is reported. This system has the advantage that its parameters can be modified much more easily than those of the physical lattice. An attempt is made at quantifying the level of chaos as a function of lattice site with fractal dimension calculations on return maps embedded in a three dimensional space. The drive plane of the chaotic domain wall is mapped out in the drive amplitude - drive frequency plane. Transitions to various stable and quasiperiodic domain walls are noted.

Foam-mat drying technology: A review.

PubMed

Hardy, Z; Jideani, V A

2017-08-13

This article reviews various aspects of foam-mat drying such as foam-mat drying processing technique, main additives used for foam-mat drying, foam-mat drying of liquid and solid foods, quality characteristics of foam-mat dried foods, and economic and technical benefits for employing foam-mat drying. Foam-mat drying process is an alternative method that allows the removal of water from liquid materials and pureed materials. In this drying process, a liquid material is converted into foam that is stable by being whipped after adding an edible foaming agent. The stable foam is then spread out in sheet or mat and dried by using hot air (40-90°C) at atmospheric pressure. Methyl cellulose (0.25-2%), egg white (3-20%), maltodextrin (0.5-05%), and gum Arabic (2-9%) are the commonly utilized additives for the foam-mat drying process at the given range, either combined together for their effectiveness or individual effect. The foam-mat drying process is suitable for heat sensitive, viscous, and sticky products that cannot be dried using other forms of drying methods such as spray drying because of the state of product. More interest has developed for foam-mat drying because of the simplicity, cost effectiveness, high speed drying, and improved product quality it provides.

Including Thermal Fluctuations in Actomyosin Stable States Increases the Predicted Force per Motor and Macroscopic Efficiency in Muscle Modelling

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Muscle contractions are generated by cyclical interactions of myosin heads with actin filaments to form the actomyosin complex. To simulate actomyosin complex stable states, mathematical models usually define an energy landscape with a corresponding number of wells. The jumps between these wells are defined through rate constants. Almost all previous models assign these wells an infinite sharpness by imposing a relatively simple expression for the detailed balance, i.e., the ratio of the rate constants depends exponentially on the sole myosin elastic energy. Physically, this assumption corresponds to neglecting thermal fluctuations in the actomyosin complex stable states. By comparing three mathematical models, we examine the extent to which this hypothesis affects muscle model predictions at the single cross-bridge, single fiber, and organ levels in a ceteris paribus analysis. We show that including fluctuations in stable states allows the lever arm of the myosin to easily and dynamically explore all possible minima in the energy landscape, generating several backward and forward jumps between states during the lifetime of the actomyosin complex, whereas the infinitely sharp minima case is characterized by fewer jumps between states. Moreover, the analysis predicts that thermal fluctuations enable a more efficient contraction mechanism, in which a higher force is sustained by fewer attached cross-bridges. PMID:27626630

Capturing Human Naïve Pluripotency in the Embryo and in the Dish.

PubMed

Zimmerlin, Ludovic; Park, Tea Soon; Zambidis, Elias T

2017-08-15

Although human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) were first derived almost 20 years ago, it was only recently acknowledged that they share closer molecular and functional identity to postimplantation lineage-primed murine epiblast stem cells than to naïve preimplantation inner cell mass-derived mouse ESCs (mESCs). A myriad of transcriptional, epigenetic, biochemical, and metabolic attributes have now been described that distinguish naïve and primed pluripotent states in both rodents and humans. Conventional hESCs and human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) appear to lack many of the defining hallmarks of naïve mESCs. These include important features of the naïve ground state murine epiblast, such as an open epigenetic architecture, reduced lineage-primed gene expression, and chimera and germline competence following injection into a recipient blastocyst-stage embryo. Several transgenic and chemical methods were recently reported that appear to revert conventional human PSCs to mESC-like ground states. However, it remains unclear if subtle deviations in global transcription, cell signaling dependencies, and extent of epigenetic/metabolic shifts in these various human naïve-reverted pluripotent states represent true functional differences or alternatively the existence of distinct human pluripotent states along a spectrum. In this study, we review the current understanding and developmental features of various human pluripotency-associated phenotypes and discuss potential biological mechanisms that may support stable maintenance of an authentic epiblast-like ground state of human pluripotency.

20 CFR 416.2221 - Validation reviews.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... each State VR agency or alternate participant. We will conduct some of these reviews on a prepayment... the claims filed by any State VR agency or alternate participant, if we determine that such review is..., the State VR agency or alternate participant must submit such records of the VR services and costs for...

20 CFR 416.2221 - Validation reviews.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... each State VR agency or alternate participant. We will conduct some of these reviews on a prepayment... the claims filed by any State VR agency or alternate participant, if we determine that such review is..., the State VR agency or alternate participant must submit such records of the VR services and costs for...

20 CFR 416.2221 - Validation reviews.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... each State VR agency or alternate participant. We will conduct some of these reviews on a prepayment... the claims filed by any State VR agency or alternate participant, if we determine that such review is..., the State VR agency or alternate participant must submit such records of the VR services and costs for...

20 CFR 416.2221 - Validation reviews.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... each State VR agency or alternate participant. We will conduct some of these reviews on a prepayment... the claims filed by any State VR agency or alternate participant, if we determine that such review is..., the State VR agency or alternate participant must submit such records of the VR services and costs for...

20 CFR 416.2221 - Validation reviews.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... each State VR agency or alternate participant. We will conduct some of these reviews on a prepayment... the claims filed by any State VR agency or alternate participant, if we determine that such review is..., the State VR agency or alternate participant must submit such records of the VR services and costs for...

Body-force-driven multiplicity and stability of combined free and forced convection in rotating curved ducts: Coriolis force

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, T.; Wang, L.

A numerical study is made on the fully developed bifurcation structure and stability of forced convection in a rotating curved duct of square cross-section. Solution structure is determined as variation of a parameter that indicates the effect of rotation (Coriolis-force-driven multiplicity). Three solutions for the flows in a stationary curved duct obtained in the work of Yang and Wang [1] are used as initial solutions of continuation calculations to unfold the solution branches. Twenty-one solution branches are found comparing with five obtained by Selmi and Nandakumar [2]. Dynamic responses of the multiple solutions to finite random disturbances are examined by the direct transient computation. Results show that characteristics of physically realizable fully developed flows changes significantly with variation of effect of rotation. Fourteen sub-ranges are identified according to characteristics of physically realizable solutions. As rotation effect changes, possible physically realizable fully-developed flows can be stable steady 2-cell state, stable multi-cell state, temporal periodic oscillation between symmetric/asymmetric 2-cell/4-cell flows, temporal oscillation with intermittency, temporal chaotic oscillation and temporal oscillation with pseudo intermittency. Among these possible physically realizable fully developed flows, stable multi-cell state and stable steady 2-cell state exist as dual stable. And oscillation with pseudo intermittency is a new phenomenon. In addition to the temporal oscillation with intermittency, sudden shift from stationary stable solution to temporal chaotic oscillation is identified to be another way of onset of chaos.

Topological view of quantum tunneling coherent destruction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bernardini, Alex E.; Chinaglia, Mariana

2017-08-01

Quantum tunneling of the ground and first excited states in a quantum superposition driven by a novel analytical configuration of a double-well (DW) potential is investigated. Symmetric and asymmetric potentials are considered as to support quantum mechanical zero mode and first excited state analytical solutions. Reporting about a symmetry breaking that supports the quantum conversion of a zero-mode stable vacuum into an unstable tachyonic quantum state, two inequivalent topological scenarios are supposed to drive stable tunneling and coherent tunneling destruction respectively. A complete prospect of the Wigner function dynamics, vector field fluxes and the time dependence of stagnation points is obtained for the analytical potentials that support stable and tachyonic modes.

Ecosystem functioning and maximum entropy production: a quantitative test of hypotheses.

PubMed

Meysman, Filip J R; Bruers, Stijn

2010-05-12

The idea that entropy production puts a constraint on ecosystem functioning is quite popular in ecological thermodynamics. Yet, until now, such claims have received little quantitative verification. Here, we examine three 'entropy production' hypotheses that have been forwarded in the past. The first states that increased entropy production serves as a fingerprint of living systems. The other two hypotheses invoke stronger constraints. The state selection hypothesis states that when a system can attain multiple steady states, the stable state will show the highest entropy production rate. The gradient response principle requires that when the thermodynamic gradient increases, the system's new stable state should always be accompanied by a higher entropy production rate. We test these three hypotheses by applying them to a set of conventional food web models. Each time, we calculate the entropy production rate associated with the stable state of the ecosystem. This analysis shows that the first hypothesis holds for all the food webs tested: the living state shows always an increased entropy production over the abiotic state. In contrast, the state selection and gradient response hypotheses break down when the food web incorporates more than one trophic level, indicating that they are not generally valid.

Detonation of Meta-stable Clusters

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kuhl, Allen; Kuhl, Allen L.; Fried, Laurence E.

2008-05-31

We consider the energy accumulation in meta-stable clusters. This energy can be much larger than the typical chemical bond energy (~;;1 ev/atom). For example, polymeric nitrogen can accumulate 4 ev/atom in the N8 (fcc) structure, while helium can accumulate 9 ev/atom in the excited triplet state He2* . They release their energy by cluster fission: N8 -> 4N2 and He2* -> 2He. We study the locus of states in thermodynamic state space for the detonation of such meta-stable clusters. In particular, the equilibrium isentrope, starting at the Chapman-Jouguet state, and expanding down to 1 atmosphere was calculated with the Cheetahmore » code. Large detonation pressures (3 and 16 Mbar), temperatures (12 and 34 kilo-K) and velocities (20 and 43 km/s) are a consequence of the large heats of detonation (6.6 and 50 kilo-cal/g) for nitrogen and helium clusters respectively. If such meta-stable clusters could be synthesized, they offer the potential for large increases in the energy density of materials.« less

Geometric Brownian Motion with Tempered Stable Waiting Times

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gajda, Janusz; Wyłomańska, Agnieszka

2012-08-01

One of the earliest system that was used to asset prices description is Black-Scholes model. It is based on geometric Brownian motion and was used as a tool for pricing various financial instruments. However, when it comes to data description, geometric Brownian motion is not capable to capture many properties of present financial markets. One can name here for instance periods of constant values. Therefore we propose an alternative approach based on subordinated tempered stable geometric Brownian motion which is a combination of the popular geometric Brownian motion and inverse tempered stable subordinator. In this paper we introduce the mentioned process and present its main properties. We propose also the estimation procedure and calibrate the analyzed system to real data.

A dark energy model alternative to generalized Chaplygin gas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hova, Hoavo; Yang, Huanxiong

By proposing a new cosmic fluid model of ‑ 1 ≤ ω ≤ 0 as an alternative to the generalized Chaplygin gas, we reexamine the role of Chaplygin gaslike fluid models in understanding dark energy and dark matter. Instead of as a unified dark matter, the fluid is suggested to be a mixture of unclustered dark energy and pressureless dark matter. Within such a scenario, the sub-horizon fluctuations of matter are stable and scale invariant, similar to those in standard ΛCDM model.

Autoimmune Alternating Hypo- and Hyperthyroidism in Children

PubMed Central

Mathew, Revi P.; Moore, Daniel J.

2013-01-01

Two children presented with autoimmune alternating hypo- and hyperthyroidism related to the presence of blocking and stimulating thyroid antibodies. It was difficult to control their thyroid function adequately with an appropriate single drug regimen, and both children underwent total thyroidectomy with subsequent stable management with levothyroxine replacement therapy postsurgically. Although this phenomenon is well described in adults, this report is the first of such occurrence in children. The possible mechanism for the variation in the type of clinical presentation and options for management are discussed. PMID:21700620

Program Manager: Journal of the Defense Systems Management College. Volume 20, Number 4, July-August 1991

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-08-01

national aritificial intelligence technologies, phase is intended to establish a stable headline news when front-line which are key to linking computer and... intelligence and S&T own alternative. communities. There are experts from Assembly of potential material the S&T community through contin- alternatives...cidents to SEC. i chief inform him that he am earlier work, Designing Defense intelligent cififrhitathIeS’ysterns, and adds the current spin of -FEI

Nanocrystalline Cobalt-Phosphorous Electroplating as an Alternative to Hard Chromium Electroplating

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-08-01

Validate pulsed electrodeposition of Nanocrystalline Cobalt-Phosphorous (nCoP) alloy coatings as a Hard Chrome electroplating alternative for DoD...limits Cr+6  Cathode Efficiency Cr Plating *Co PEL is 20 µg/m3  ≈5X faster than Chrome plating  Increased throughput  One nCo-P tank can...replace several hard chrome tanks  Bath is Stable nCoP Plating Approaches 100% Efficiency  Process Comparison CoP Technical Approach

20 CFR 416.2217 - What costs will be paid.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... Commissioner will pay the State VR agency or alternate participant for the VR services described in § 416.2214... State VR agency or alternate participant; (b) The cost must not have been paid or be payable from some other source. For this purpose, State VR agencies or alternate participants will be required to seek...

20 CFR 416.2217 - What costs will be paid.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... Commissioner will pay the State VR agency or alternate participant for the VR services described in § 416.2214... State VR agency or alternate participant; (b) The cost must not have been paid or be payable from some other source. For this purpose, State VR agencies or alternate participants will be required to seek...

20 CFR 416.2217 - What costs will be paid.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... Commissioner will pay the State VR agency or alternate participant for the VR services described in § 416.2214... State VR agency or alternate participant; (b) The cost must not have been paid or be payable from some other source. For this purpose, State VR agencies or alternate participants will be required to seek...

20 CFR 416.2217 - What costs will be paid.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... Commissioner will pay the State VR agency or alternate participant for the VR services described in § 416.2214... State VR agency or alternate participant; (b) The cost must not have been paid or be payable from some other source. For this purpose, State VR agencies or alternate participants will be required to seek...

20 CFR 416.2217 - What costs will be paid.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... Commissioner will pay the State VR agency or alternate participant for the VR services described in § 416.2214... State VR agency or alternate participant; (b) The cost must not have been paid or be payable from some other source. For this purpose, State VR agencies or alternate participants will be required to seek...

From Wang-Chen System with Only One Stable Equilibrium to a New Chaotic System Without Equilibrium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pham, Viet-Thanh; Wang, Xiong; Jafari, Sajad; Volos, Christos; Kapitaniak, Tomasz

2017-06-01

Wang-Chen system with only one stable equilibrium as well as the coexistence of hidden attractors has attracted increasing interest due to its striking features. In this work, the effect of state feedback on Wang-Chen system is investigated by introducing a further state variable. It is worth noting that a new chaotic system without equilibrium is obtained. We believe that the system is an interesting example to illustrate the conversion of hidden attractors with one stable equilibrium to hidden attractors without equilibrium.

The Influence of State-Specific Quitline Numbers on Call Volume During a National Tobacco Education Campaign Promoting 1-800-QUIT-NOW.

PubMed

Zhang, Lei; Malarcher, Ann; Mann, Nathan; Campbell, Kelsey; Davis, Kevin; Anderson, Christopher; Alexander, Robert; Rodes, Robert

2016-08-01

Previous research has shown that the first federally funded national tobacco education campaign (Tips) increased calls to the national quitline portal (1-800-QUIT-NOW). Quitlines in 13 states have alternate state-specific telephone numbers. This study examined quitline calls to 1-800-QUIT-NOW in states with and without alternate numbers during the Tips campaign. We used data on calls to 1-800-QUIT-NOW from all US states and the District of Columbia from 2 weeks before to 2 weeks after the 2012 Tips campaign. Similar data were obtained for California's alternate number, 1-800-NO-BUTTS. Multivariate linear models examined whether an interaction existed between Tips exposure, as measured by gross rating points, and presence of an alternate quitline number as well as the effect of Tips on calls to California's 1-800-NO-BUTTS. Having an alternate quitline number did not affect the rate of increase in calls to 1-800-QUIT-NOW, but it was associated with lower absolute numbers of calls to 1-800-QUIT-NOW. On average, states with alternate numbers had 98 fewer calls to 1-800-QUIT-NOW per week in a given area code than those without an alternate number (P < .001). In California, Tips gross rating points were positively correlated with calls to 1-800-QUIT-NOW (b = 38.5, P < .001) and to 1-800-NO-BUTTS (b = 14.1, P < .05). The Tips campaign had the same effect in increasing calls to 1-800-QUIT-NOW in states with and without alternate quitline numbers and had a modest spillover effect on calls to California's alternate number. States may consider the advantages and disadvantages of having alternate quitline numbers given continued national promotions of 1-800-QUIT-NOW. This is the first study that assesses whether the impact of a national tobacco education campaign promoting the national quitline portal number was influenced by the presence of state-specific quitline numbers and whether there was any spillover effect on calls to states' alternate quitline numbers. This study provides important information for states to consider the advantages and disadvantages of maintaining state-specific quitline numbers. © Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco 2016. This work is written by (a) US Government employee(s) and is in the public domain in the US.

Multilayer films with sharp, stable interfaces for use in EUV and soft X-ray application

DOEpatents

Barbee, Jr., Troy W.; Bajt, Sasa

2002-01-01

The reflectivity and thermal stability of Mo/Si (molybdenum/silicon) multilayer films, used in soft x-ray and extreme ultraviolet region, is enhanced by deposition of a thin layer of boron carbide (e.g., B.sub.4 C) between alternating layers of Mo and Si. The invention is useful for reflective coatings for soft X-ray and extreme ultraviolet optics, multilayer for masks, coatings for other wavelengths and multilayers for masks that are more thermally stable than pure Mo/Si multilayers

Understanding the Effect of Ni on Mechanical and Wear Properties of Low-Carbon Steel from a View-Point of Electron Work Function

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Hao; Huang, Xiaochen; Hou, Runfang; Li, D. Y.

2018-07-01

Electron work function (EWF) is correlated to intrinsic properties of metallic materials and can be an alternative parameter to obtain supplementary clues for guiding material design and modification. A higher EWF corresponds to a more stable electronic state, leading to higher resistance to any attempt to change the material structure and properties. In this study, effects of Ni as a solute with a higher EWF on mechanical, electrochemical, and tribological properties of low-carbon steel were investigated. Added Ni, which has more valence electrons, enhanced the electrons-nuclei interaction in the steel, corresponding to higher EWF. As a result, the Ni-added steel showed increased mechanical strength and corrosion resistance, resulting in higher resistances to wear and corrosive wear. Mechanism for the improvements is elucidated through analyzing EWF-related variations in Young's modulus, hardness, corrosion potential, and tribological behavior.

An unusual type of polymorphism in a liquid crystal

DOE PAGES

Li, Lin; Salamonczyk, Miroslaw; Shadpour, Sasan; ...

2018-02-19

Polymorphism is a remarkable concept in chemistry, materials science, computer science, and biology. Whether it is the ability of a material to exist in two or more crystal structures, a single interface connecting to two different entities, or alternative phenotypes of an organism, polymorphism determines function and properties. In materials science, polymorphism can be found in an impressively wide range of materials, including crystalline materials, minerals, metals, alloys, and polymers. Here in this paper we report on polymorphism in a liquid crystal. A bent-core liquid crystal with a single chiral side chain forms two structurally and morphologically significantly different liquidmore » crystal phases solely depending on the cooling rate from the isotropic liquid state. On slow cooling, the thermodynamically more stable oblique columnar phase forms, and on rapid cooling, a not heretofore reported helical microfilament phase. Since structure determines function and properties, the structural color for these phases also differs.« less

Green synthesis of Ni-Nb oxide catalysts for low-temperature oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane.

PubMed

Zhu, Haibo; Rosenfeld, Devon C; Anjum, Dalaver H; Caps, Valérie; Basset, Jean-Marie

2015-04-13

The straightforward solid-state grinding of a mixture of Ni nitrate and Nb oxalate crystals led to, after mild calcination (T<400 °C), nanostructured Ni-Nb oxide composites. These new materials efficiently catalyzed the oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) of ethane to ethylene at a relatively low temperature (T<300 °C). These catalysts appear to be much more stable than the corresponding composites prepared by other chemical methods; more than 90 % of their original intrinsic activity was retained after 50 h with time on-stream. Furthermore, the stability was much less affected by the Nb content than in composites prepared by classical "wet" syntheses. These materials, obtained in a solvent-free way, are thus promising green and sustainable alternatives to the current Ni-Nb candidates for the low-temperature ODH of ethane. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Food-web stability signals critical transitions in temperate shallow lakes

PubMed Central

Kuiper, Jan J.; van Altena, Cassandra; de Ruiter, Peter C.; van Gerven, Luuk P. A.; Janse, Jan H.; Mooij, Wolf M.

2015-01-01

A principal aim of ecologists is to identify critical levels of environmental change beyond which ecosystems undergo radical shifts in their functioning. Both food-web theory and alternative stable states theory provide fundamental clues to mechanisms conferring stability to natural systems. Yet, it is unclear how the concept of food-web stability is associated with the resilience of ecosystems susceptible to regime change. Here, we use a combination of food web and ecosystem modelling to show that impending catastrophic shifts in shallow lakes are preceded by a destabilizing reorganization of interaction strengths in the aquatic food web. Analysis of the intricate web of trophic interactions reveals that only few key interactions, involving zooplankton, diatoms and detritus, dictate the deterioration of food-web stability. Our study exposes a tight link between food-web dynamics and the dynamics of the whole ecosystem, implying that trophic organization may serve as an empirical indicator of ecosystem resilience. PMID:26173798

Two novel nonlinear optical carbonates in the deep-ultraviolet region: KBeCO3F and RbAlCO3F2

PubMed Central

Kang, Lei; Lin, Zheshuai; Qin, Jingui; Chen, Chuangtian

2013-01-01

With the rapid developments of the all-solid-state deep-ultraviolet (deep-UV) lasers, the good nonlinear optical (NLO) crystal applied in this spectral region is currently lacking. Here, we design two novel NLO carbonates KBeCO3F and RbAlCO3F2 from the first-principles theory implemented in the molecular engineering expert system especially for NLO crystals. Both structurally stable crystals possess very large energy band gaps and optical anisotropy, so they would become the very promising deep-UV NLO crystals alternative to KBBF. Recent experimental results on MNCO3F (M = K, Rb, Cs; N = Ca, Sr, Ba) not only confirm our calculations, but also suggest that the synthesis of the KBeCO3F and RbAlCO3F2 crystals is feasible. PMID:23455618

High-efficency stable 213-nm generation for LASIK application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Zhenglin; Alameh, Kamal; Zheng, Rong

2005-01-01

213nm Solid-state laser technology provides an alternative method to replace toxic excimer laser in LASIK system. In this paper, we report a compact fifth harmonic generation system to generate high pulse energy 213nm laser from Q-switched Nd:YAG laser for LASIK application based on three stages harmonic generation procedures. A novel crystal housing was specifically designed to hold the three crystals with each crystal has independent, precise angular adjustment structure and automatic tuning control. The crystal temperature is well maintained at ~130°C to improve harmonic generation stability and crystal operation lifetime. An output pulse energy 35mJ is obtained at 213nm, corresponding to total conversion efficiency ~10% from 1064nm pump laser. In system verification tests, the 213nm output power drops less than 5% after 5 millions pulse shots and no significant damage appears in the crystals.

Immunosuppression-free transplantation reconsidered from a regenerative medicine perspective.

PubMed

Orlando, Giuseppe

2012-02-01

Recent groundbreaking progress in regenerative medicine has shown its potential to meet the two major needs of solid organ transplantation, namely the achievement of an immunosuppression-free state (IFS) and the identification of a new, potentially inexhaustible source of organs. This review illustrates how regenerative medicine technology may contribute to the achievement of IFS. There are three possible strategies: organ bioengineering, immuno-isolation and thymus bioengineering. The goal of organ bioengineering is to manufacture organs ex vivo from autologous cells. Immuno-isolation technology implements strategies aiming to prevent recognition of nonself antigens by the host immune system. Thymus organoids have been bioengineered with scaffold-seeding methods to allow deletion of T-cell clones responsible for allograft rejection. Despite the several hurdles that must be overcome, regenerative medicine technologies offer alternative strategies aimed at establishing immediate, stable and durable IFS in solid organ graft recipients.

Changing skewness: an early warning signal of regime shifts in ecosystems.

PubMed

Guttal, Vishwesha; Jayaprakash, Ciriyam

2008-05-01

Empirical evidence for large-scale abrupt changes in ecosystems such as lakes and vegetation of semi-arid regions is growing. Such changes, called regime shifts, can lead to degradation of ecological services. We study simple ecological models that show a catastrophic transition as a control parameter is varied and propose a novel early warning signal that exploits two ubiquitous features of ecological systems: nonlinearity and large external fluctuations. Either reduced resilience or increased external fluctuations can tip ecosystems to an alternative stable state. It is shown that changes in asymmetry in the distribution of time series data, quantified by changing skewness, is a model-independent and reliable early warning signal for both routes to regime shifts. Furthermore, using model simulations that mimic field measurements and a simple analysis of real data from abrupt climate change in the Sahara, we study the feasibility of skewness calculations using data available from routine monitoring.

Early detection of ecosystem regime shifts: a multiple method evaluation for management application.

PubMed

Lindegren, Martin; Dakos, Vasilis; Gröger, Joachim P; Gårdmark, Anna; Kornilovs, Georgs; Otto, Saskia A; Möllmann, Christian

2012-01-01

Critical transitions between alternative stable states have been shown to occur across an array of complex systems. While our ability to identify abrupt regime shifts in natural ecosystems has improved, detection of potential early-warning signals previous to such shifts is still very limited. Using real monitoring data of a key ecosystem component, we here apply multiple early-warning indicators in order to assess their ability to forewarn a major ecosystem regime shift in the Central Baltic Sea. We show that some indicators and methods can result in clear early-warning signals, while other methods may have limited utility in ecosystem-based management as they show no or weak potential for early-warning. We therefore propose a multiple method approach for early detection of ecosystem regime shifts in monitoring data that may be useful in informing timely management actions in the face of ecosystem change.

Understanding the Effect of Ni on Mechanical and Wear Properties of Low-Carbon Steel from a View-Point of Electron Work Function

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lu, Hao; Huang, Xiaochen; Hou, Runfang; Li, D. Y.

2018-04-01

Electron work function (EWF) is correlated to intrinsic properties of metallic materials and can be an alternative parameter to obtain supplementary clues for guiding material design and modification. A higher EWF corresponds to a more stable electronic state, leading to higher resistance to any attempt to change the material structure and properties. In this study, effects of Ni as a solute with a higher EWF on mechanical, electrochemical, and tribological properties of low-carbon steel were investigated. Added Ni, which has more valence electrons, enhanced the electrons-nuclei interaction in the steel, corresponding to higher EWF. As a result, the Ni-added steel showed increased mechanical strength and corrosion resistance, resulting in higher resistances to wear and corrosive wear. Mechanism for the improvements is elucidated through analyzing EWF-related variations in Young's modulus, hardness, corrosion potential, and tribological behavior.

Community care for people who are homeless and mentally ill.

PubMed

Drury, Lin J

2003-05-01

This qualitative longitudinal study documents the experiences of 60 people who are homeless and mentally ill from their state mental hospital discharge through their first two years in community housing. The study explores the personal, cultural, and environmental contexts of life for adults who are homeless and mentally ill and examines the interaction between an individual's needs and community resources. The research identifies forces that perpetuate homelessness and traces the struggles that people who are homeless and mentally ill encounter during the transition from the streets to stable housing. The findings describe a culturally based pattern of mutual avoidance between homeless mentally ill clients and caregivers, which limits delivery of services to the population. Recommendations include development of alternative systems of care delivery, expansion of educational experiences with underserved populations, and increased funding for service or research with people who are homeless and mentally ill.

Early Detection of Ecosystem Regime Shifts: A Multiple Method Evaluation for Management Application

PubMed Central

Lindegren, Martin; Dakos, Vasilis; Gröger, Joachim P.; Gårdmark, Anna; Kornilovs, Georgs; Otto, Saskia A.; Möllmann, Christian

2012-01-01

Critical transitions between alternative stable states have been shown to occur across an array of complex systems. While our ability to identify abrupt regime shifts in natural ecosystems has improved, detection of potential early-warning signals previous to such shifts is still very limited. Using real monitoring data of a key ecosystem component, we here apply multiple early-warning indicators in order to assess their ability to forewarn a major ecosystem regime shift in the Central Baltic Sea. We show that some indicators and methods can result in clear early-warning signals, while other methods may have limited utility in ecosystem-based management as they show no or weak potential for early-warning. We therefore propose a multiple method approach for early detection of ecosystem regime shifts in monitoring data that may be useful in informing timely management actions in the face of ecosystem change. PMID:22808007

From Patterns to Function in Living Systems: Dryland Ecosystems as a Case Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meron, Ehud

2018-03-01

Spatial patterns are ubiquitous in animate matter. Besides their intricate structure and beauty they generally play functional roles. The capacity of living systems to remain functional in changing environments is a question of utmost importance, but its intimate relationship to pattern formation is largely unexplored. Here, we address this relationship using dryland vegetation as a case study. Following a brief introduction to pattern-formation theory, we describe a mathematical model that captures several mechanisms of vegetation pattern formation and discuss ecological contexts that showcase different mechanisms. Using this model, we unravel the different vegetation patterns that keep dryland ecosystems viable along the rainfall gradient, identify multistability ranges where fronts separating domains of alternative stable states exist, and highlight the roles of front dynamics in mitigating or reversing desertification. The utility of satellite images in testing model predictions is discussed. An outlook on outstanding open problems concludes this paper.

The Regime Shift Associated with the 2004–2008 US Housing Market Bubble

PubMed Central

Cheong, Siew Ann

2016-01-01

The Subprime Bubble preceding the Subprime Crisis of 2008 was fueled by risky lending practices, manifesting in the form of a large abrupt increase in the proportion of subprime mortgages issued in the US. This event also coincided with critical slowing down signals associated with instability, which served as evidence of a regime shift or phase transition in the US housing market. Here, we show that the US housing market underwent a regime shift between alternate stable states consistent with the observed critical slowing down signals. We modeled this regime shift on a universal transition path and validated the model by estimating when the bubble burst. Additionally, this model reveals loose monetary policy to be a plausible cause of the phase transition, implying that the bubble might have been deflatable by a timely tightening of monetary policy. PMID:27583633

An unusual type of polymorphism in a liquid crystal

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Li, Lin; Salamonczyk, Miroslaw; Shadpour, Sasan

Polymorphism is a remarkable concept in chemistry, materials science, computer science, and biology. Whether it is the ability of a material to exist in two or more crystal structures, a single interface connecting to two different entities, or alternative phenotypes of an organism, polymorphism determines function and properties. In materials science, polymorphism can be found in an impressively wide range of materials, including crystalline materials, minerals, metals, alloys, and polymers. Here in this paper we report on polymorphism in a liquid crystal. A bent-core liquid crystal with a single chiral side chain forms two structurally and morphologically significantly different liquidmore » crystal phases solely depending on the cooling rate from the isotropic liquid state. On slow cooling, the thermodynamically more stable oblique columnar phase forms, and on rapid cooling, a not heretofore reported helical microfilament phase. Since structure determines function and properties, the structural color for these phases also differs.« less

Sub-Shot-Noise Transmission Measurement Enabled by Active Feed-Forward of Heralded Single Photons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sabines-Chesterking, J.; Whittaker, R.; Joshi, S. K.; Birchall, P. M.; Moreau, P. A.; McMillan, A.; Cable, H. V.; O'Brien, J. L.; Rarity, J. G.; Matthews, J. C. F.

2017-07-01

Harnessing the unique properties of quantum mechanics offers the possibility of delivering alternative technologies that can fundamentally outperform their classical counterparts. These technologies deliver advantages only when components operate with performance beyond specific thresholds. For optical quantum metrology, the biggest challenge that impacts on performance thresholds is optical loss. Here, we demonstrate how including an optical delay and an optical switch in a feed-forward configuration with a stable and efficient correlated photon-pair source reduces the detector efficiency required to enable quantum-enhanced sensing down to the detection level of single photons and without postselection. When the switch is active, we observe a factor of improvement in precision of 1.27 for transmission measurement on a per-input-photon basis compared to the performance of a laser emitting an ideal coherent state and measured with the same detection efficiency as our setup. When the switch is inoperative, we observe no quantum advantage.

Ubiquitin promoter-terminator cassette promotes genetically stable expression of the taste-modifying protein miraculin in transgenic lettuce.

PubMed

Hirai, Tadayoshi; Shohael, Abdullah Mohammad; Kim, You-Wang; Yano, Megumu; Ezura, Hiroshi

2011-12-01

Lettuce is a commercially important leafy vegetable that is cultivated worldwide, and it is also a target crop for plant factories. In this study, lettuce was selected as an alternative platform for recombinant miraculin production because of its fast growth, agronomic value, and wide availability. The taste-modifying protein miraculin is a glycoprotein extracted from the red berries of the West African native shrub Richadella dulcifica. Because of its limited natural availability, many attempts have been made to produce this protein in suitable alternative hosts. We produced transgenic lettuce with miraculin gene driven either by the ubiquitin promoter/terminator cassette from lettuce or a 35S promoter/nos terminator cassette. Miraculin gene expression and miraculin accumulation in both cassettes were compared by quantitative real-time PCR analysis, Western blotting, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The expression level of the miraculin gene and protein in transgenic lettuce was higher and more genetically stable in the ubiquitin promoter/terminator cassette than in the 35S promoter/nos terminator cassette. These results demonstrated that the ubiquitin promoter/terminator cassette is an efficient platform for the genetically stable expression of the miraculin protein in lettuce and hence this platform is of benefit for recombinant miraculin production on a commercial scale.

Alternative Student Growth Measures for Teacher Evaluation: Implementation Experiences of Early-Adopting Districts. REL 2015-093

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCullough, Moira; English, Brittany; Angus, Megan Hague; Gill, Brian

2015-01-01

Alternative student growth measures for teacher evaluation: Implementation experiences of early-adopting districts: State requirements to include student achievement growth in teacher evaluations are prompting the development of alternative ways to measure growth in grades and subjects not covered by state assessments. These alternative growth…

Alternative Fuels Data Center: Technology Bulletins

Science.gov Websites

Alternative Fuel Vehicles and High Occupancy Vehicle Lanes Updated 9/15 Georgia Sets the Pace for Plug-In advanced vehicles. Laws and Incentives State Alternative Fuel and Advanced Vehicle Laws and Incentives Updated 1/18 State Alternative Fuel and Advanced Vehicle Laws and Incentives: 2016 Year in Review Updated

What Do Alternate Assessments of Alternate Academic Achievement Standards Measure? A Multitrait-Multimethod Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kettler, Ryan J.; Elliott, Stephen N.; Beddow, Peter A.; Compton, Elizabeth; McGrath, Dawn; Kaase, Kristopher J.; Bruen, Charles; Ford, Lisa; Hinton, Kent

2010-01-01

This study featured validity evidence for scores from states' alternate assessments of alternate academic achievement standards (AA-AASs). It evaluated students from 6 states who were eligible for an AA-AAS concurrently with measures of academic competence and adaptive behavior. The investigators also assessed students with disabilities who were…

78 FR 51735 - Notice of FY 2013 Refugee Social Services Formula Awards to States and Wilson/Fish Alternative...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-21

... Refugee Social Services formula awards to States and Wilson/Fish Alternative Project grantees. The FY 2013 formula allocations for Social Services are available on ORR's Web site at: http://www.acf.hhs.gov...] Notice of FY 2013 Refugee Social Services Formula Awards to States and Wilson/Fish Alternative Project...

State Alternate Assessments: Status as IDEA Alternate Assessment Requirements Take Effect. Synthesis Report 35.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thompson, Sandra J.; Thurlow, Martha L.

An online survey investigated the development of alternate assessments for students with disabilities who cannot participate in state and district-wide assessment programs. Responses from all 50 states, American Samoa, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Marshall Islands, Virgin Islands, and Washington, D.C. found there is a divergence in who is involved in…

The shape of the electronic circular dichroism spectrum of (2,6-dimethylphenyl)(phenyl)methanol: interplay between conformational equilibria and vibronic effects.

PubMed

Padula, Daniele; Cerezo, Javier; Pescitelli, Gennaro; Santoro, Fabrizio

2017-12-13

Comparison between chiroptical spectra and theoretical predictions is the method of choice for the assignment of the absolute configuration of chiral compounds in solution. Here we report the case of an apparently simple biarylcarbinol, whose electronic circular dichroism (ECD) in the 1 L b region exhibits a peculiar alternation of negative and positive bands. Adopting Density Functional Theory, and describing solvent effects with implicit methods, we found three stable conformers in ethanol, each of them with two close lying states corresponding to similar local 1 L b excitations on the two phenyls. We computed the corresponding vibronic ECD spectra in harmonic approximation, including Duschinsky mixings as well as both Franck Condon (FC) and Herzberg Teller (HT) effects. Exploiting a recently developed mixed quantum/classical method, we further investigated the contribution of the vibronic spectra of out-of-equilibrium structures along the interconversion path connecting the different conformers. In this way, we achieved a reasonable agreement with experiment and attributed the alternating signs of the bands to the existence of different conformers. The remaining discrepancies with experiment indicate that specific solute-solvent interactions modulate the relative conformers' stabilities, calling for new methods able to combine Molecular Dynamics explorations and vibronic calculations. Moreover, the poor performance of HT approaches and the existence of two closely-lying states suggest the necessity of an improved fully-nonadiabatic vibronic approach. These findings demonstrate that even for such a simple system as the biarylcarbinol investigated here, a full reproduction of the fine details of the ECD spectrum requires the development of new improved methods.

5 CFR 2423.2 - Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) services.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... Program by promoting stable and productive labor-management relationships governed by the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute and by providing services that assist labor organizations and agencies, on a voluntary basis to: (1) Develop collaborative labor-management relationships; (2) Avoid...

5 CFR 2423.2 - Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) services.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... Program by promoting stable and productive labor-management relationships governed by the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Statute and by providing services that assist labor organizations and agencies, on a voluntary basis to: (1) Develop collaborative labor-management relationships; (2) Avoid...

Disturbance maintains alternative biome states.

PubMed

Dantas, Vinícius de L; Hirota, Marina; Oliveira, Rafael S; Pausas, Juli G

2016-01-01

Understanding the mechanisms controlling the distribution of biomes remains a challenge. Although tropical biome distribution has traditionally been explained by climate and soil, contrasting vegetation types often occur as mosaics with sharp boundaries under very similar environmental conditions. While evidence suggests that these biomes are alternative states, empirical broad-scale support to this hypothesis is still lacking. Using community-level field data and a novel resource-niche overlap approach, we show that, for a wide range of environmental conditions, fire feedbacks maintain savannas and forests as alternative biome states in both the Neotropics and the Afrotropics. In addition, wooded grasslands and savannas occurred as alternative grassy states in the Afrotropics, depending on the relative importance of fire and herbivory feedbacks. These results are consistent with landscape scale evidence and suggest that disturbance is a general factor driving and maintaining alternative biome states and vegetation mosaics in the tropics. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd/CNRS.

Effects of Coarse Legacy Sediment on Rivers of the Ozark Plateaus and Implications for Native Mussel Fauna

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Erwin, S. O.; Jacobson, R. B.; Eric, A. B.; Jones, J. C.; Anderson, B. W.

2015-12-01

Perturbations to sediment regimes due to anthropogenic activities may have long lasting effects, especially in systems dominated by coarse sediment where travel times are relatively long. Effectively evaluating management alternatives requires understanding the future trajectory of river response at both the river network and reach scales. The Ozark Plateaus physiographic province is a montane region in the interior US composed primarily of Paleozoic sedimentary rock. Historic land-use practices around the turn of the last century accelerated delivery of coarse sediment to river channels. Effects of this legacy sediment persist in two national parks, Ozark National Scenic Riverways, MO and Buffalo National River, AR, and are of special concern for management of native mussel fauna. These species require stable habitat, yet they occupy inherently dynamic environments: alluvial rivers. At the river-network scale, analysis of historical data reveals the signature of sediment waves moving through river networks in the Ozarks. Channel planform alternates between relatively stable, straight reaches, and wider, multithread reaches which have been more dynamic over the past several decades. These alternate planform configurations route and store sediment differently, and translate into different patterns of bed stability at the reach scale, which in turn affects the distribution and availability of habitat for native biota. Geomorphic mapping and hydrodynamic modeling reveal the complex relations between planform (in)stability, flow dynamics, bed mobility, and aquatic habitat in systems responding to increased sediment supply. Reaches that have a more dynamic planform may provide more hydraulic refugia and habitat heterogeneity compared to stable, homogeneous reaches. This research provides new insights that may inform management of sediment and mussel habitat in rivers subject to coarse legacy sediment.

Self-esteem Is Mostly Stable Across Young Adulthood: Evidence from Latent STARTS Models.

PubMed

Wagner, Jenny; Lüdtke, Oliver; Trautwein, Ulrich

2016-08-01

How stable is self-esteem? This long-standing debate has led to different conclusions across different areas of psychology. Longitudinal data and up-to-date statistical models have recently indicated that self-esteem has stable and autoregressive trait-like components and state-like components. We applied latent STARTS models with the goal of replicating previous findings in a longitudinal sample of young adults (N = 4,532; Mage  = 19.60, SD = 0.85; 55% female). In addition, we applied multigroup models to extend previous findings on different patterns of stability for men versus women and for people with high versus low levels of depressive symptoms. We found evidence for the general pattern of a major proportion of stable and autoregressive trait variance and a smaller yet substantial amount of state variance in self-esteem across 10 years. Furthermore, multigroup models suggested substantial differences in the variance components: Females showed more state variability than males. Individuals with higher levels of depressive symptoms showed more state and less autoregressive trait variance in self-esteem. Results are discussed with respect to the ongoing trait-state debate and possible implications of the group differences that we found in the stability of self-esteem. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Effect of annealing ambient on anisotropic retraction of film edges during solid-state dewetting of thin single crystal films

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kim, Gye Hyun; Thompson, Carl V., E-mail: cthomp@mit.edu; Ma, Wen

During solid-state dewetting of thin single crystal films, film edges retract at a rate that is strongly dependent on their crystallographic orientations. Edges with kinetically stable in-plane orientations remain straight as they retract, while those with other in-plane orientations develop in-plane facets as they retract. Kinetically stable edges have retraction rates that are lower than edges with other orientations and thus determine the shape of the natural holes that form during solid-state dewetting. In this paper, measurements of the retraction rates of kinetically stable edges for single crystal (110) and (100) Ni films on MgO are presented. Relative retraction ratesmore » of kinetically stable edges with different crystallographic orientations are observed to change under different annealing conditions, and this accordingly changes the initial shapes of growing holes. The surfaces of (110) and (100) films were also characterized using low energy electron diffraction, and different surface reconstructions were observed under different ambient conditions. The observed surface structures were found to correlate with the observed changes in the relative retraction rates of the kinetically stable edges.« less

Spatial evolutionary public goods game on complete graph and dense complex networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Jinho; Chae, Huiseung; Yook, Soon-Hyung; Kim, Yup

2015-03-01

We study the spatial evolutionary public goods game (SEPGG) with voluntary or optional participation on a complete graph (CG) and on dense networks. Based on analyses of the SEPGG rate equation on finite CG, we find that SEPGG has two stable states depending on the value of multiplication factor r, illustrating how the ``tragedy of the commons'' and ``an anomalous state without any active participants'' occurs in real-life situations. When r is low (), the state with only loners is stable, and the state with only defectors is stable when r is high (). We also derive the exact scaling relation for r*. All of the results are confirmed by numerical simulation. Furthermore, we find that a cooperator-dominant state emerges when the number of participants or the mean degree, , decreases. We also investigate the scaling dependence of the emergence of cooperation on r and . These results show how ``tragedy of the commons'' disappears when cooperation between egoistic individuals without any additional socioeconomic punishment increases.

Switching dynamics of TaOx-based threshold switching devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goodwill, Jonathan M.; Gala, Darshil K.; Bain, James A.; Skowronski, Marek

2018-03-01

Bi-stable volatile switching devices are being used as access devices in solid-state memory arrays and as the active part of compact oscillators. Such structures exhibit two stable states of resistance and switch between them at a critical value of voltage or current. A typical resistance transient under a constant amplitude voltage pulse starts with a slow decrease followed by a rapid drop and leveling off at a low steady state value. This behavior prompted the interpretation of initial delay and fast transition as due to two different processes. Here, we show that the entire transient including incubation time, transition time, and the final resistance values in TaOx-based switching can be explained by one process, namely, Joule heating with the rapid transition due to the thermal runaway. The time, which is required for the device in the conducting state to relax back to the stable high resistance one, is also consistent with the proposed mechanism.

Alternative funding mechanisms for state transportation systems in predominantly rural states.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-01-01

The Transportation Research Board of the National Academies has identified a number of research needs related to : alternative transportation finance systems. Alternatives are needed because motor fuels taxes are proving to be insufficient : to fund ...

What Can States Learn about College and Career Readiness Accountability Measures from Alternative Education? Ask the CCRS Center

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Deeds, Carinne; Malter, Zachary

2016-01-01

This "Ask the CCRS Center Brief" provides an overview of the accountability measures used by states and districts to assess the college and career readiness of students who are educated in alternative programs and schools (defined hereafter as "alternative settings"). Alternative settings are designed to serve at-risk students…

20 CFR 661.210 - Under what circumstances may the Governor select an alternative entity in place of the State...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... the membership structure includes any significant change in the organization of the alternative entity... labor organizations in the State. (c) If the alternative entity does not provide for representative... structure of the alternative entity is significantly changed after December 31, 1997, the entity will no...

77 FR 52752 - Notice of FY 2012 Refugee Social Services Formula Awards to States and Wilson/Fish Alternative...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-08-30

... allocations for Social Services are available on ORR's Web site at: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/orr/policy...] Notice of FY 2012 Refugee Social Services Formula Awards to States and Wilson/Fish Alternative Project... allocation of Refugee Social Services formula awards to States and Wilson/Fish Alternative Project grantees...

The ribosome-associated complex antagonizes prion formation in yeast.

PubMed

Amor, Alvaro J; Castanzo, Dominic T; Delany, Sean P; Selechnik, Daniel M; van Ooy, Alex; Cameron, Dale M

2015-01-01

The number of known fungal proteins capable of switching between alternative stable conformations is steadily increasing, suggesting that a prion-like mechanism may be broadly utilized as a means to propagate altered cellular states. To gain insight into the mechanisms by which cells regulate prion formation and toxicity we examined the role of the yeast ribosome-associated complex (RAC) in modulating both the formation of the [PSI(+)] prion - an alternative conformer of Sup35 protein - and the toxicity of aggregation-prone polypeptides. The Hsp40 RAC chaperone Zuo1 anchors the RAC to ribosomes and stimulates the ATPase activity of the Hsp70 chaperone Ssb. We found that cells lacking Zuo1 are sensitive to over-expression of some aggregation-prone proteins, including the Sup35 prion domain, suggesting that co-translational protein misfolding increases in Δzuo1 strains. Consistent with this finding, Δzuo1 cells exhibit higher frequencies of spontaneous and induced prion formation. Cells expressing mutant forms of Zuo1 lacking either a C-terminal charged region required for ribosome association, or the J-domain responsible for Ssb ATPase stimulation, exhibit similarly high frequencies of prion formation. Our findings are consistent with a role for the RAC in chaperoning nascent Sup35 to regulate folding of the N-terminal prion domain as it emerges from the ribosome.

Pre-stimulus EEG oscillations correlate with perceptual alternation of speech forms.

PubMed

Barraza, Paulo; Jaume-Guazzini, Francisco; Rodríguez, Eugenio

2016-05-27

Speech perception is often seen as a passive process guided by physical stimulus properties. However, ongoing brain dynamics could influence the subsequent perceptual organization of the speech, to an as yet unknown extent. To elucidate this issue, we analyzed EEG oscillatory activity before and immediately after the repetitive auditory presentation of words inducing the so-called verbal transformation effect (VTE), or spontaneous alternation of meanings due to its rapid repetition. Subjects indicated whether the meaning of the bistable word changed or not. For the Reversal more than for the Stable condition, results show a pre-stimulus local alpha desynchronization (300-50ms), followed by an early post-stimulus increase of local beta synchrony (0-80ms), and then a late increase and decrease of local alpha (200-340ms) and beta (360-440ms) synchrony respectively. Additionally, the ERPs showed that reversal positivity (RP) and reversal negativity components (RN), along with a late positivity complex (LPC) correlate with switching between verbal forms. Our results show how the ongoing dynamics brain is actively involved in the perceptual organization of the speech, destabilizing verbal perceptual states, and facilitating the perceptual regrouping of the elements composing the linguistic auditory stimulus. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hybrid inverter for HVDC/weak AC system interconnection

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tam, K.S.

1985-01-01

The concept of the hybrid converter is introduced. By independently controlling a naturally commutated converter (NCC) and an artificially commutated converter (ACC), real power and reactive power can be controlled independently. Alternatively, the ac bus voltage can be regulated without affecting the real power transfer. Independent control is feasible only within certain operating boundaries. Twelve pulse operation, sequential control, and complementary circuits may be viewed as variations of the hybrid converter. The concept of the hybrid converter is demonstrated by digital simulation. At the current state of technology, the NCC is best implemented by a 6-pulse bridge using thyristors asmore » the switching elements. A survey of power electronics applicable to HVDC applications reveals that the capacitively commutated current-sourced converters are either technically or economically better than the other alternatives for the implementation of the ACC. The digital simulation results show that the problems of operating an HVDC system into a weak ac system can be solved by using a hybrid inverter. A new control scheme, the zero Q control, is developed. With no reactive power interaction between the dc system and the ac system, the stability of the HVDC/weak ac system operation is significantly improved. System start-up and fault recovery is fast and stable.« less

Opportunities and strategies to further reduce animal use for Leptospira vaccine potency testing.

PubMed

Walker, A; Srinivas, G B

2013-09-01

Hamsters are routinely infected with virulent Leptospira for two purposes in the regulation of biologics: the performance of Codified potency tests and maintenance of challenge culture for the Codified potency tests. Options for reducing animal use in these processes were explored in a plenary lecture at the "International Workshop on Alternative Methods for Leptospira Vaccine Potency Testing: State of the Science and the Way Forward" held at the Center for Veterinary Biologics in September 2012. The use of validated in vitro potency assays such as those developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for Leptospira (L.) canicola, Leptospira grippotyphosa, Leptospira pomona, and Leptospira icterohaemorrhagiae rather than the Codified hamster vaccination-challenge assay was encouraged. Alternatives such as reduced animal numbers in the hamster vaccination-challenge testing were considered for problematic situations. Specifically, the merits of sharing challenge controls, reducing group sizes, and eliminating animals for concurrent challenge dose titration were assessed. Options for maintaining virulent, stable cultures without serial passage through hamsters or with decreased hamster use were also discussed. The maintenance of virulent Leptospira without the use of live animals is especially difficult since a reliable means to maintain virulence after multiple in vitro passages has not yet been identified. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Economic analysis of the use of coronary calcium scoring as an alternative to stress ECG in the non-invasive diagnosis of coronary artery disease.

PubMed

Raman, Vivek; McWilliams, Eric T M; Holmberg, Stephen R M; Miles, Ken

2012-03-01

To conduct an economic analysis (EA) of coronary calcium scoring (CCS) using a 0 score, as alternative to stress electrocardiography (sECG) in diagnosing coronary artery disease (CAD). A decision tree was constructed to compare four strategies for investigation of suspected CAD previously assessed in the formulation of clinical guidelines for the United Kingdom (UK) to two new strategies incorporating CCS. Sensitivity (96%; 95% CI 95.4-96.4%) and specificity (40%; 95% CI 38.7-41.4%) values for CCS were derived from a meta-analysis of 10,760 patients. Other input variables were obtained from a previous EA and average prices for hospital procedures in the UK. A threshold of £30,000/Quality-adjusted Life Year (QALY) was considered cost-effective. Using net monetary benefit calculations, CCS-based strategies were found to be cost-effective compared to sECG equivalents at all assessed prevalence of CAD. Using CCS prior to myocardial perfusion scintigraphy (MPS) and catheter angiography (CA) was found to be cost-effective at pre-test probabilities (PTP) below 30%. Adoption of CCS as an alternative to sECG in investigating suspected stable angina in low PTP population (<30%) would be cost-effective. In patients with PTP of CAD >30%, proceeding to MPS or CA would be more cost-effective than performing either CCS or sECG. Coronary calcium scoring (CCS) is useful for assessing coronary artery atherosclerosis It can be performed with multi-detector CT, which is now widely available It plays a role in excluding disease in suspected stable angina Our study assesses its role in this setting as alternative to stress-ECG Adoption of CCS as an alternative to sECG could prove cost-effective.

Research notes : defending the coast with dynamic revetments.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2005-12-01

Natural cobble or gravel berm beaches have long been observed to be generally more stable than sand beaches. This has led them to be used as an alternative approach to shore protection. This type of shoreline protection has been referred to as a, dyn...

Magnetar giant flares in multipolar magnetic fields. I. Fully and partially open eruptions of flux ropes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Huang, Lei; Yu, Cong, E-mail: muduri@shao.ac.cn, E-mail: cyu@ynao.ac.cn

2014-04-01

We propose a catastrophic eruption model for the enormous energy release of magnetars during giant flares, in which a toroidal and helically twisted flux rope is embedded within a force-free magnetosphere. The flux rope stays in stable equilibrium states initially and evolves quasi-statically. Upon the loss of equilibrium, the flux rope cannot sustain the stable equilibrium states and erupts catastrophically. During the process, the magnetic energy stored in the magnetosphere is rapidly released as the result of destabilization of global magnetic topology. The magnetospheric energy that could be accumulated is of vital importance for the outbursts of magnetars. We carefullymore » establish the fully open fields and partially open fields for various boundary conditions at the magnetar surface and study the relevant energy thresholds. By investigating the magnetic energy accumulated at the critical catastrophic point, we find that it is possible to drive fully open eruptions for dipole-dominated background fields. Nevertheless, it is hard to generate fully open magnetic eruptions for multipolar background fields. Given the observational importance of the multipolar magnetic fields in the vicinity of the magnetar surface, it would be worthwhile to explore the possibility of the alternative eruption approach in multipolar background fields. Fortunately, we find that flux ropes may give rise to partially open eruptions in the multipolar fields, which involve only partial opening of background fields. The energy release fractions are greater for cases with central-arcaded multipoles than those with central-caved multipoles that emerged in background fields. Eruptions would fail only when the centrally caved multipoles become extremely strong.« less

Mechanical unfolding reveals stable 3-helix intermediates in talin and α-catenin

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

Mechanical stability is a key feature in the regulation of structural scaffolding proteins and their functions. Despite the abundance of α-helical structures among the human proteome and their undisputed importance in health and disease, the fundamental principles of their behavior under mechanical load are poorly understood. Talin and α-catenin are two key molecules in focal adhesions and adherens junctions, respectively. In this study, we used a combination of atomistic steered molecular dynamics (SMD) simulations, polyprotein engineering, and single-molecule atomic force microscopy (smAFM) to investigate unfolding of these proteins. SMD simulations revealed that talin rod α-helix bundles as well as α-catenin α-helix domains unfold through stable 3-helix intermediates. While the 5-helix bundles were found to be mechanically stable, a second stable conformation corresponding to the 3-helix state was revealed. Mechanically weaker 4-helix bundles easily unfolded into a stable 3-helix conformation. The results of smAFM experiments were in agreement with the findings of the computational simulations. The disulfide clamp mutants, designed to protect the stable state, support the 3-helix intermediate model in both experimental and computational setups. As a result, multiple discrete unfolding intermediate states in the talin and α-catenin unfolding pathway were discovered. Better understanding of the mechanical unfolding mechanism of α-helix proteins is a key step towards comprehensive models describing the mechanoregulation of proteins. PMID:29698481

PT -symmetric currents of a Bose-Einstein condensate in a triple well

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haag, Daniel; Dast, Dennis; Cartarius, Holger; Wunner, Günter

2015-11-01

We study the case of PT -symmetric perturbations of Hermitian Hamiltonians with degenerate eigenvalues using the example of a triple-well system. The degeneracy complicates the question of whether or not a stationary current through such a system can be established, i.e., whether or not the PT -symmetric states are stable. It is shown that this is only the case for perturbations that do not couple to any of the degenerate states. The physical explanation for the inhibition of stable currents is discussed. However, introducing an on-site interaction restores the capability to support stable currents.

Production of stable, non-thermal atmospheric pressure rf capacitive plasmas using gases other than helium or neon

DOEpatents

Park, Jaeyoung; Henins, Ivars

2005-06-21

The present invention enables the production of stable, steady state, non-thermal atmospheric pressure rf capacitive .alpha.-mode plasmas using gases other than helium and neon. In particular, the current invention generates and maintains stable, steady-state, non-thermal atmospheric pressure rf .alpha.-mode plasmas using pure argon or argon with reactive gas mixtures, pure oxygen or air. By replacing rare and expensive helium with more readily available gases, this invention makes it more economical to use atmospheric pressure rf .alpha.-mode plasmas for various materials processing applications.

Alternative fuel options and costs for use in Kansas and surrounding states

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1998-09-01

To meet state and federal mandates, state fleets, federal fleets, and fuel provider fleets must acquire alternatively fueled vehicles (AFVs). The Kansas House Bill 95-2161 exceeds the federal energy policy act regulations for state fleets. AFVs inclu...

Air-stable magnesium nanocomposites provide rapid and high-capacity hydrogen storage without using heavy-metal catalysts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jeon, Ki-Joon; Moon, Hoi Ri; Ruminski, Anne M.; Jiang, Bin; Kisielowski, Christian; Bardhan, Rizia; Urban, Jeffrey J.

2011-04-01

Hydrogen is a promising alternative energy carrier that can potentially facilitate the transition from fossil fuels to sources of clean energy because of its prominent advantages such as high energy density (142 MJ kg-1 ref. 1), great variety of potential sources (for example water, biomass, organic matter), light weight, and low environmental impact (water is the sole combustion product). However, there remains a challenge to produce a material capable of simultaneously optimizing two conflicting criteria—absorbing hydrogen strongly enough to form a stable thermodynamic state, but weakly enough to release it on-demand with a small temperature rise. Many materials under development, including metal-organic frameworks, nanoporous polymers, and other carbon-based materials, physisorb only a small amount of hydrogen (typically 1-2 wt%) at room temperature. Metal hydrides were traditionally thought to be unsuitable materials because of their high bond formation enthalpies (for example MgH2 has a ΔHf˜75 kJ mol-1), thus requiring unacceptably high release temperatures resulting in low energy efficiency. However, recent theoretical calculations and metal-catalysed thin-film studies have shown that microstructuring of these materials can enhance the kinetics by decreasing diffusion path lengths for hydrogen and decreasing the required thickness of the poorly permeable hydride layer that forms during absorption. Here, we report the synthesis of an air-stable composite material that consists of metallic Mg nanocrystals (NCs) in a gas-barrier polymer matrix that enables both the storage of a high density of hydrogen (up to 6 wt% of Mg, 4 wt% for the composite) and rapid kinetics (loading in <30 min at 200 °C). Moreover, nanostructuring of the Mg provides rapid storage kinetics without using expensive heavy-metal catalysts.

The role of vegetation-microclimate feedback in promoting shrub encroachment in the northern Chihuahuan desert.

PubMed

He, Yufei; D'Odorico, Paolo; De Wekker, Stephan F J

2015-06-01

Many arid and semi-arid landscapes around the world are affected by a shift from grassland to shrubland vegetation, presumably induced by climate warming, increasing atmospheric CO2 concentrations, and/or changing land use. This major change in vegetation cover is likely sustained by positive feedbacks with the physical environment. Recent research has focused on a feedback with microclimate, whereby cold intolerant shrubs increase the minimum nocturnal temperatures in their surroundings. Despite the rich literature on the impact of land cover change on local climate conditions, changes in microclimate resulting from shrub expansion into desert grasslands have remained poorly investigated. It is unclear to what extent such a feedback can affect the maximum extent of shrub expansion and the configuration of a stable encroachment front. Here, we focus on the case of the northern Chihuahuan desert, where creosotebush (Larrea tridentata) has been replacing grasslands over the past 100-150 years. We use a process-based coupled atmosphere-vegetation model to investigate the role of this feedback in sustaining shrub encroachment in the region. Simulations indicate that the feedback allows juvenile shrubs to establish in the grassland during average years and, once established, reduce their vulnerability to freeze-induced mortality by creating a warmer microclimate. Such a feedback is crucial in extreme cold winters as it may reduce shrub mortality. We identify the existence of a critical zone in the surroundings of the encroachment front, in which vegetation dynamics are bistable: in this zone, vegetation can be stable both as grassland and as shrubland. The existence of these alternative stable states explains why in most cases the shift from grass to shrub cover is found to be abrupt and often difficult to revert. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

States' Flexibility Waiver Plans for Alternate Assessments Based on Alternate Achievement Standards (AA-AAS). Synthesis Report 96

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lazarus, Sheryl S.; Edwards, Lynn M.; Thurlow, Martha L.; Hodgson, Jennifer R.

2014-01-01

All states have alternate assessments based on alternate achievement standards (AA-AAS) for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. For accountability purposes, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) allows up to 1% of students to be counted as proficient with this assessment option. In 2011 the U.S. Department of…

Stable Isotope Identification of Nitrogen Sources for United States (U.S.) Pacific Coast Estuaries

EPA Science Inventory

We used natural abundance stable isotope data to evaluate nitrogen sources to U.S. west coast estuaries. We collected δ15N of macroalgae data and supplemented this with available data from the literature for estuaries from Mexico to Alaska. Stable isotope ratios of green m...

Population structure of the stable fly, Stomoxys calcitrans (L.) (Diptera: Muscidae) assessed on a global scale using Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The stable fly, Stomoxys calcitrans (L.) (Diptera: Muscidae), is a major pest of livestock in the United States and worldwide. To assess the genetic variability in geographically distant stable flies, samples were obtained from four biogeographical regions: Nearctic, Neotropical, Palearctic, and Aus...

Cultivating Textbook Alternatives from the Ground Up: One Public University's Sustainable Model for Open and Alternative Educational Resource Proliferation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lashley, Jonathan; Cummings-Sauls, Rebel; Bennett, Andrew B.; Lindshield, Brian L.

2017-01-01

This note from the field reviews the sustainability of an institution-wide program for adopting and adapting open and alternative educational resources (OAER) at Kansas State University (K-State). Developed in consult of open textbook initiatives at other institutions and modified around the needs and expectations of K-State students and faculty,…

Realization of Multi-Stable Ground States in a Nematic Liquid Crystal by Surface and Electric Field Modification

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gwag, Jin Seog; Kim, Young-Ki; Lee, Chang Hoon; Kim, Jae-Hoon

2015-06-01

Owing to the significant price drop of liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and the efforts to save natural resources, LCDs are even replacing paper to display static images such as price tags and advertising boards. Because of a growing market demand on such devices, the LCD that can be of numerous surface alignments of directors as its ground state, the so-called multi-stable LCD, comes into the limelight due to the great potential for low power consumption. However, the multi-stable LCD with industrial feasibility has not yet been successfully performed. In this paper, we propose a simple and novel configuration for the multi-stable LCD. We demonstrate experimentally and theoretically that a battery of stable surface alignments can be achieved by the field-induced surface dragging effect on an aligning layer with a weak surface anchoring. The simplicity and stability of the proposed system suggest that it is suitable for the multi-stable LCDs to display static images with low power consumption and thus opens applications in various fields.

Predictors of vulnerability to reduced body image satisfaction and psychological wellbeing in response to exposure to idealized female media images in adolescent girls.

PubMed

Durkin, Sarah J; Paxton, Susan J

2002-11-01

Predictors of change in body satisfaction, depressed mood, anxiety and anger, were examined following exposure to idealized female advertising images in Grades 7 and 10 girls. Stable body dissatisfaction, physical appearance comparison tendency, internalization of thin ideal, self-esteem, depression, identity confusion and body mass index (BMI) were assessed. One week later, participants viewed magazine images, before and after which they completed assessments of state body satisfaction, state depression, state anxiety and state anger. Participants were randomly allocated to view either images of idealized females (experimental condition) or fashion accessories (control condition). For both grades, there was a significant decrease in state body satisfaction and a significant increase in state depression attributable to viewing the female images. In Grade 7 girls in the experimental condition, decrease in state body satisfaction was predicted by stable body dissatisfaction and BMI, while significant predictors of decreases in the measures of negative affect included internalization of the thin-ideal and appearance comparison. In Grade 10 girls, reduction in state body satisfaction and increase in state depression was predicted by internalization of the thin-ideal, appearance comparison and stable body dissatisfaction. These findings indicate the importance of individual differences in short-term reaction to viewing idealized media images. Copyright 2002 Elsevier Science Inc.

A highly stable blood meal alternative for rearing Aedes and Anopheles mosquitoes.

PubMed

Baughman, Ted; Peterson, Chelsea; Ortega, Corrie; Preston, Sarah R; Paton, Christopher; Williams, Jessica; Guy, Amy; Omodei, Gavin; Johnson, Brian; Williams, Helen; O'Neill, Scott L; Ritchie, Scott A; Dobson, Stephen L; Madan, Damian

2017-12-01

We investigated alternatives to whole blood for blood feeding of mosquitoes with a focus on improved stability and compatibility with mass rearing programs. In contrast to whole blood, an artificial blood diet of ATP-supplemented plasma was effective in maintaining mosquito populations and was compatible with storage for extended periods refrigerated, frozen, and as a lyophilized powder. The plasma ATP diet supported rearing of both Anopheles and Aedes mosquitoes. It was also effective in rearing Wolbachia-infected Aedes mosquitoes, suggesting compatibility with vector control efforts.

Long-Lived Plasma Formations in the Atmosphere as an Alternative Energy Source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dvornikov, M. S.; Mekhdieva, G. Sh.; Agamalieva, L. A.

2018-01-01

A model of a stable plasma formation, based on radial quantum oscillations of charged particles, is discussed. The given plasmoid is described with the help of the nonlinear Schrödinger equation. A new phenomenon of effective attraction between oscillating charged particles is considered within the framework of the proposed model. The possible existence of a composite plasma structure is also discussed. Hypotheses about using the obtained results to describe natural long-lived plasma formations which can serve as alternative energy sources are advanced.

Beyond Equality of the Sexes: The Question of the Children

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lorber, Judith

1975-01-01

This paper raises the question of how we can achieve stable parenting without the traditional structural underpinnings of the family--the sexual division of labor, economic dependence on males of women and children, and the combination of procreation with sex. Alternative arrangements are explored. (Author)

Fluorescent porous silicon biological probes with high quantum efficiency and stability.

PubMed

Tu, Chang-Ching; Chou, Ying-Nien; Hung, Hsiang-Chieh; Wu, Jingda; Jiang, Shaoyi; Lin, Lih Y

2014-12-01

We demonstrate porous silicon biological probes as a stable and non-toxic alternative to organic dyes or cadmium-containing quantum dots for imaging and sensing applications. The fluorescent silicon quantum dots which are embedded on the porous silicon surface are passivated with carboxyl-terminated ligands through stable Si-C covalent bonds. The porous silicon bio-probes have shown photoluminescence quantum yield around 50% under near-UV excitation, with high photochemical and thermal stability. The bio-probes can be efficiently conjugated with antibodies, which is confirmed by a standard enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method.

Alternative Work Schedules: The State of the Art.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Newstrom, John W.; Pierce, Jon L.

1979-01-01

Presents a typology of modifications to the standard work week, reviews the current state of research-based knowledge regarding the effectiveness of each major type of alternative, and presents implementation suggestions for personnel interested in adopting one or more of the alternative forms. (Author/IRT)

On the photoisomerization of 5-hydroxytropolone: An ab initio and nuclear wave function study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paz, Juan J.; Moreno, Miquel; Lluch, José M.

1997-10-01

In this paper we perform ab initio calculations for the stable conformations and the transition states for the isomerization processes in 5-hydroxytropolone in both the ground (S0) and first excited (S1) singlet electronic states. The Hartree-Fock self-consistent field (SCF) level and a complete active space SCF (CASSCF) level for S0 are considered, whereas the configuration interaction all single excitation method (CIS) and the CASSCF levels are used to deal with the S1 state. Energies are reevaluated at all levels through perturbation theory up to second order: Møller-Plesset for the Hartree-Fock and CIS methods, and the CASPT2 method for CAS results. The ab initio results are then used to perform different monodimensional fits to the potential energy surfaces in order to analyze the wave functions for the nuclear motions in both electronic states. Our best results predict that for the S0 state two stable conformers, syn and anti, can exist in thermal equilibrium. In accordance with experimental expectations the syn isomer is the most stable. As for the S1 state, and again in accord with experimental spectroscopical data, the order of stability reverses, the anti being the most stable. A more interesting result is that analysis of the nuclear wave functions shows an important syn-anti mixing in the S1 state that does not appear in S0. This result explains the appearance of syn-anti and anti-syn crossover transitions observed in the electronic spectra of 5-hydroxytropolone so that syn-anti reaction may take place through photoisomerization.

20 CFR 645.425 - What are the roles and responsibilities of the State(s) and local boards or alternate...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 20 Employees' Benefits 3 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false What are the roles and responsibilities of... GRANTS State Formula Grants Administration § 645.425 What are the roles and responsibilities of the State(s) and local boards or alternate administering agencies? (a) State roles and responsibilities. A...

Stromatolites of the Mescal Limestone (Apache Group, middle Proterozoic, central Arizona): taxonomy, biostratigraphy, and paleoenvironments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bertrand-Sarfati, J.; Awramik, S. M.

1992-01-01

The 25- to 30-m-thick Algal Member of the Mescal Limestone (middle Proterozoic Apache Group) contains two distinct stromatolitic units: at the base, a 2- to 3-m-thick unit composed of columnar stromatolites and above, a thicker unit of stratiform and pseudocolumnar stromatolites. Columnar forms from the first unit belong to the Group Tungussia, and two new Forms are described: T. mescalita and T. chrysotila. Among the pseudocolumnar stromatolites of the thicker unit, one distinctive new taxon, Apachina henryi, is described. Because of the low stromatolite diversity, the biostratigraphic value of this assemblage is limited. The presence of Tungussia is consistent with the generally accepted isotopic age for the Apache Group of 1200 to 1100 Ma. The Mescal stromatolites do not closely resemble any other known Proterozoic stromatolites in the southwestern United States or northwestern Mexico. Analyses of sedimentary features and stromatolite growth forms suggest deposition on a stable, flat, shallow, subtidal protected platform during phases of Tungussia growth. Current action probably influenced the development of columns, pseudocolumns, and elongate stromatolitic ridges; these conditions alternated with phases of relatively quiet water characterized by nonoriented stromatolitic domes and stratiform stromatolites. Stable conditions favorable for development of the Mescal stromatolites were short-lived and did not permit the development of thick, stromatolite-bearing units such as those characteristic of many Proterozoic sequences elsewhere.

Elliptical instability in stably stratified fluid interiors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vidal, J.; Hollerbach, R.; Schaeffer, N.; Cebron, D.

2016-12-01

Self-sustained magnetic fields in celestial bodies (planets, moons, stars) are due to flows in internal electrically conducting fluids. These fluid motions are often attributed to convection, as it is the case for the Earth's liquid core and the Sun. However some past or present liquid cores may be stably stratified. Alternative mechanisms may thus be needed to understand the dynamo process in these celestial objects. Turbulent flows driven by mechanical forcings, such as tides or precession, seem very promising since they are dynamo capable. However the effect of density stratification is not clear, because it can stabilize or destabilize mechanically-driven flows.To mimic an elliptical distortion due to tidal forcing in spherical geometry (full sphere and shell), we consider a theoretical base flow with elliptical streamlines and an associated density profile. It allows to keep the numerical efficiency of spectral methods in this geometry. The flow satisfies the stress-free boundary condition. We perform the stability analysis of the base state using three-dimensional simulations to study both the linear and nonlinear regimes. Stable and unstable density profiles are considered. A complementary local stability analysis (WKB) is also performed. We show that elliptical instability can still grow upon a stable stratification. We also study the mixing of the stratification by the elliptical instability. Finally we look at the dynamo capability of these flows.

Alternate Assessment: Have We Learned Anything New?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Towles-Reeves, Elizabeth; Kleinert, Harold; Muhomba, Monicah

2009-01-01

Since the first review of alternate assessment literature by Browder, Spooner, Algozzine, et al. (2003), educational research related to alternate assessment has rapidly expanded as state and federal policies have required the inclusion of students with disabilities, including students with the most significant cognitive disabilities, in state and…

Hydrogels with a Memory: Dual-Responsive, Organometallic Poly(ionic liquid)s with Hysteretic Volume-Phase Transition

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

We report on the synthesis and structure–property relations of a novel, dual-responsive organometallic poly(ionic liquid) (PIL), consisting of a poly(ferrocenylsilane) backbone of alternating redox-active, silane-bridged ferrocene units and tetraalkylphosphonium sulfonate moieties in the side groups. This PIL is redox responsive due to the presence of ferrocene in the backbone and also exhibits a lower critical solution temperature (LCST)-type thermal responsive behavior. The LCST phase transition originates from the interaction between water molecules and the ionic substituents and shows a concentration-dependent, tunable transition temperature in aqueous solution. The PIL’s LCST-type transition temperature can also be influenced by varying the redox state of ferrocene in the polymer main chain. As the polymer can be readily cross-linked and is easily converted into hydrogels, it represents a new dual-responsive materials platform. Interestingly, the as-formed hydrogels display an unusual, strongly hysteretic volume-phase transition indicating useful thermal memory properties. By employing the dispersing abilities of this cationic PIL, CNT-hydrogel composites were successfully prepared. These hybrid conductive composite hydrogels showed bi-stable states and tunable resistance in heating–cooling cycles. PMID:28654756

Thermodynamic interpretation of reactive processes in Ni-Al nanolayers from atomistic simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sandoval, Luis; Campbell, Geoffrey H.; Marian, Jaime

2014-03-01

Metals that can form intermetallic compounds by exothermic reactions constitute a class of reactive materials with multiple applications. Ni-Al laminates of thin alternating layers are being considered as model nanometric metallic multilayers for studying various reaction processes. However, the reaction kinetics at short timescales after mixing are not entirely understood. In this work, we calculate the free energies of Ni-Al alloys as a function of composition and temperature for different solid phases using thermodynamic integration based on state-of-the-art interatomic potentials. We use this information to interpret molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of bilayer systems at 800 K and zero pressure, both in isothermal and isenthalpic conditions. We find that a disordered phase always forms upon mixing as a precursor to a more stable nano crystalline B2 phase. We construe the reactions observed in terms of thermodynamic trajectories governed by the state variables computed. Simulated times of up to 30 ns were achieved, which provides a window to phenomena not previously observed in MD simulations. Our results provide insight into the early experimental reaction timescales and suggest that the path (segregated reactants) → (disordered phase) → (B2 structure) is always realized irrespective of the imposed boundary conditions.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pless, Jacquelyn; Arent, Douglas J.; Logan, Jeffrey

One energy policy objective in the United States is to promote the adoption of technologies that provide consumers with stable, secure, and clean energy. Recent work provides anecdotal evidence of natural gas (NG) and renewable electricity (RE) synergies in the power sector, however few studies quantify the value of investing in NG and RE systems together as complements. This paper uses discounted cash flow analysis and real options analysis to value hybrid NG-RE systems in distributed applications, focusing on residential and commercial projects assumed to be located in the states of New York and Texas. Technology performance and operational riskmore » profiles are modeled at the hourly level to capture variable RE output and NG prices are modeled stochastically as geometric Ornstein-Uhlenbeck (OU) stochastic processes to capture NG price uncertainty. The findings consistently suggest that NG-RE hybrid distributed systems are more favorable investments in the applications studied relative to their single-technology alternatives when incentives for renewables are available. In some cases, NG-only systems are the favorable investments. Understanding the value of investing in NG-RE hybrid systems provides insights into one avenue towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions, given the important role of NG and RE in the power sector.« less

Gene position in a long operon governs motility development in Bacillus subtilis

PubMed Central

Cozy, Loralyn M.; Kearns, Daniel B.

2010-01-01

Growing cultures of Bacillus subtilis bifurcate into subpopulations of motile individuals and non-motile chains of cells that are differentiated at the level of gene expression. The motile cells are ON and the chaining cells are OFF for transcription that depends on RNA polymerase and the alternative sigma factor σD. Here we show that chaining cells were OFF for σD-dependent gene expression because σD levels fell below a threshold, and σD activity was inhibited by the anti-sigma factor FlgM. The probability that σD exceeded the threshold was governed by the position of the sigD genes. The proportion of ON cells increased when sigD was artificially moved forward in the 27kb fla/che operon. In addition, we identified a new σD-dependent promoter that increases sigD expression and may provide positive feedback to stabilize the ON state. Finally, we demonstrate that ON/OFF motility states in B. subtilis are a form of development because mosaics of stable and differentiated epigenotypes were evident when the normally dispersed bacteria were forced to grow in one dimension. PMID:20233303

75 FR 31465 - United States, State of Illinois, State of Colorado, and State of Indiana

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-06-03

..., and often offer full-service restaurants or in-service dining. Premiere theatres also differ from... selection is deemed not to be a suitable alternative, the United States shall in its sole discretion select... suitable alternative pursuant to Section VI(A). If AMC's selection is deemed not to be a suitable...

Blood Coagulation and Asthma Exacerbation in Children.

PubMed

Manuyakorn, Wiparat; Mairiang, Dara; Sirachainan, Nongnuch; Kadegasem, Praguywan; Kamchaisatian, Wasu; Benjaponpitak, Suwat; Chuansumrit, Ampaiwan

2016-01-01

Recent studies have demonstrated the activation of coagulation pathways in asthmatic airways. This study aimed to determine systemic blood coagulation during asthma exacerbation compared with the stable state in children. Pediatric patients (aged between 5 and 15 years) suffering from asthma exacerbation were enrolled. von Willebrand factor (vWF), plasminogen activator inhibitor type-1 (PAI-1), protein C, D-dimer, prothrombin fragment 1 + 2 (F1 + 2), thrombin-antithrombin complex (TAT), and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were measured during asthma exacerbation and stable state. A total of 22 patients were enrolled. The median vWF, PAI-1, and CRP during asthma exacerbation were significantly higher than those of the stable state: 147.5% (interquartile range, IQR: 111.05-196.57) versus 94% (IQR: 69.72-109.62, p < 0.001), 41.9 ng/ml (IQR: 21.91-48.61) versus 26.17 ng/ml (IQR: 15.89-34.44, p < 0.03), and 4.46 mg/l (IQR: 2.15-16.23) versus 0.87 mg/l (IQR: 0.20-3.89, p < 0.015), respectively. However, the median protein C during asthma exacerbation was significantly lower than that of the stable state: 99.5% (IQR: 86.75-117) versus 113% (IQR: 94-115.25), p = 0.01. No significant difference was found between the levels of D-dimer, F1 + 2, and TAT during asthma exacerbation and stable state. Ultimately, D-dimer was positively correlated with asthma exacerbation score (R = 0.466, p = 0.027). A significant correlation was observed between vWF and CRP (R = 0.527, p = 0.012). Evidence was found of increased endothelial activation and increased PAI-1 during asthma exacerbation. This may emphasize the potential role of blood coagulation in asthma exacerbation. © 2016 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Energy Storage for the Power Grid

ScienceCinema

Imhoff, Carl; Vaishnav, Dave; Wang, Wei

2018-05-30

The iron vanadium redox flow battery was developed by researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory as a solution to large-scale energy storage for the power grid. This technology provides the energy industry and the nation with a reliable, stable, safe, and low-cost storage alternative for a cleaner, efficient energy future.

Organizing Schools into Small Units: Alternatives to Homogeneous Grouping.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oxley, Diana

1994-01-01

Large school size adversely affects attendance, school climate, student involvement. Dividing large schools into small units creates a learning and teaching context that is more stable, intimate, supportive, interdisciplinary. Kohn-Holweide, a comprehensive German secondary school, groups all students at a given grade level with the same teachers…

Afghanistan Narcotics: The Bigger Battle Toward Stabilization

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-04-01

Development of economic opportunities coupled with effective governmental reform is necessary for the nation to become prosperous, stable, and secure. 15...without marginalizing narcotics production and narco-trafficking. Effective security, strong governance, judicial capability...introduce the possibility of meaningful alternative livelihoods. Development of these economic opportunities coupled with effective governmental

Evaluation of biogas production by dry anaerobic digestion of switchgrass-animal manure mixtures

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Anaerobic digestion is a biological method used to convert organic wastes into a stable product for land application without adverse environmental effects. The biogas produced can be used as an alternative renewable energy source. Dry anaerobic digestion (> 15% TS; total solid) has an advantage ov...

Alternatives to Growth: Education for a Stable Society. Fastback 72.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bjork, Robert M.; Fraser, Stewart E.

This essay considers the need for economic retrenchment, environmental conservation, and the implications of these positions for teaching. Facing an environmental crisis, overpopulation, and an ever-increasing reduction of natural resources, education in the future must concentrate on teaching about the futility of growth, planned and unplanned.…

Permanent-Magnet Meissner Bearing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Robertson, Glen A.

1994-01-01

Permanent-magnet meissner bearing features inherently stable, self-centering conical configuration. Bearing made stiffer or less stiff by selection of magnets, springs, and spring adjustments. Cylindrical permanent magnets with axial magnetization stacked coaxially on rotor with alternating polarity. Typically, rare-earth magnets used. Magnets machined and fitted together to form conical outer surface.

A High-Performing Sulfur-Tolerant and Redox-Stable Layered Perovskite Anode for Direct Hydrocarbon Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

PubMed Central

Ding, Hanping; Tao, Zetian; Liu, Shun; Zhang, Jiujun

2015-01-01

Development of alternative ceramic oxide anode materials is a key step for direct hydrocarbon solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). Several lanthanide based layered perovskite-structured oxides demonstrate outstanding oxygen diffusion rate, favorable electronic conductivity, and good oxygen surface exchange kinetics, owing to A-site ordered structure in which lanthanide and alkali-earth ions occupy alternate (001) layers and oxygen vacancies are mainly located in [LnOx] planes. Here we report a nickel-free cation deficient layered perovskite, (PrBa)0.95(Fe0.9Mo0.1)2O5 + δ (PBFM), for SOFC anode, and this anode shows an outstanding performance with high resistance against both carbon build-up and sulfur poisoning in hydrocarbon fuels. At 800 °C, the layered PBFM showed high electrical conductivity of 59.2 S cm−1 in 5% H2 and peak power densities of 1.72 and 0.54 W cm−2 using H2 and CH4 as fuel, respectively. The cell exhibits a very stable performance under a constant current load of 1.0 A cm−2. To our best knowledge, this is the highest performance of ceramic anodes operated in methane. In addition, the anode is structurally stable at various fuel and temperature conditions, suggesting that it is a feasible material candidate for high-performing SOFC anode. PMID:26648509

A High-Performing Sulfur-Tolerant and Redox-Stable Layered Perovskite Anode for Direct Hydrocarbon Solid Oxide Fuel Cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ding, Hanping; Tao, Zetian; Liu, Shun; Zhang, Jiujun

2015-12-01

Development of alternative ceramic oxide anode materials is a key step for direct hydrocarbon solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). Several lanthanide based layered perovskite-structured oxides demonstrate outstanding oxygen diffusion rate, favorable electronic conductivity, and good oxygen surface exchange kinetics, owing to A-site ordered structure in which lanthanide and alkali-earth ions occupy alternate (001) layers and oxygen vacancies are mainly located in [LnOx] planes. Here we report a nickel-free cation deficient layered perovskite, (PrBa)0.95(Fe0.9Mo0.1)2O5 + δ (PBFM), for SOFC anode, and this anode shows an outstanding performance with high resistance against both carbon build-up and sulfur poisoning in hydrocarbon fuels. At 800 °C, the layered PBFM showed high electrical conductivity of 59.2 S cm-1 in 5% H2 and peak power densities of 1.72 and 0.54 W cm-2 using H2 and CH4 as fuel, respectively. The cell exhibits a very stable performance under a constant current load of 1.0 A cm-2. To our best knowledge, this is the highest performance of ceramic anodes operated in methane. In addition, the anode is structurally stable at various fuel and temperature conditions, suggesting that it is a feasible material candidate for high-performing SOFC anode.

A High-Performing Sulfur-Tolerant and Redox-Stable Layered Perovskite Anode for Direct Hydrocarbon Solid Oxide Fuel Cells.

PubMed

Ding, Hanping; Tao, Zetian; Liu, Shun; Zhang, Jiujun

2015-12-09

Development of alternative ceramic oxide anode materials is a key step for direct hydrocarbon solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs). Several lanthanide based layered perovskite-structured oxides demonstrate outstanding oxygen diffusion rate, favorable electronic conductivity, and good oxygen surface exchange kinetics, owing to A-site ordered structure in which lanthanide and alkali-earth ions occupy alternate (001) layers and oxygen vacancies are mainly located in [LnOx] planes. Here we report a nickel-free cation deficient layered perovskite, (PrBa)0.95(Fe0.9Mo0.1)2O5 + δ (PBFM), for SOFC anode, and this anode shows an outstanding performance with high resistance against both carbon build-up and sulfur poisoning in hydrocarbon fuels. At 800 °C, the layered PBFM showed high electrical conductivity of 59.2 S cm(-1) in 5% H2 and peak power densities of 1.72 and 0.54 W cm(-2) using H2 and CH4 as fuel, respectively. The cell exhibits a very stable performance under a constant current load of 1.0 A cm(-2). To our best knowledge, this is the highest performance of ceramic anodes operated in methane. In addition, the anode is structurally stable at various fuel and temperature conditions, suggesting that it is a feasible material candidate for high-performing SOFC anode.

Accelerated Hydrolysis of Aspirin Using Alternating Magnetic Fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reinscheid, Uwe M.

2009-08-01

The major problem of current drug-based therapy is selectivity. As in other areas of science, a combined approach might improve the situation decisively. The idea is to use the pro-drug principle together with an alternating magnetic field as physical stimulus, which can be applied in a spatially and temporarily controlled manner. As a proof of principle, the neutral hydrolysis of aspirin in physiological phosphate buffer of pH 7.5 at 40 °C was chosen. The sensor and actuator system is a commercially available gold nanoparticle (NP) suspension which is approved for animal usage, stable in high concentrations and reproducibly available. Applying the alternating magnetic field of a conventional NMR magnet system accelerated the hydrolysis of aspirin in solution.

Geography of Existing and Potential Alternative Fuel Markets in the United States

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Johnson, C.; Hettinger, D.

When deploying alternative fuels, it is paramount to match the right fuel with the right location, in accordance with local market conditions. We used six market indicators to evaluate the existing and potential regional market health for each of the five most commonly deployed alternative fuels: electricity (used by plug-in electric vehicles), biodiesel (blends of B20 and higher), E85 ethanol, compressed natural gas (CNG), and propane. Each market indicator was mapped, combined, and evaluated by industry experts. This process revealed the weight the market indicators should be given, with the proximity of fueling stations being the most important indicator, followedmore » by alternative fuel vehicle density, gasoline prices, state incentives, nearby resources, and finally, environmental benefit. Though markets vary among states, no state received 'weak' potential for all five fuels, indicating that all states have an opportunity to use at least one alternative fuel. California, Illinois, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and Washington appear to have the best potential markets for alternative fuels in general, with each sporting strong markets for four of the fuels. Wyoming showed the least potential, with weak markets for all alternative fuels except for CNG, for which it has a patchy market. Of all the fuels, CNG is promising in the greatest number of states--largely because freight traffic provides potential demand for many far-reaching corridor markets and because the sources of CNG are so widespread geographically.« less

Nonlinear dynamics analysis of a low-temperature-differential kinematic Stirling heat engine

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Izumida, Yuki

2018-03-01

The low-temperature-differential (LTD) Stirling heat engine technology constitutes one of the important sustainable energy technologies. The basic question of how the rotational motion of the LTD Stirling heat engine is maintained or lost based on the temperature difference is thus a practically and physically important problem that needs to be clearly understood. Here, we approach this problem by proposing and investigating a minimal nonlinear dynamic model of an LTD kinematic Stirling heat engine. Our model is described as a driven nonlinear pendulum where the motive force is the temperature difference. The rotational state and the stationary state of the engine are described as a stable limit cycle and a stable fixed point of the dynamical equations, respectively. These two states coexist under a sufficient temperature difference, whereas the stable limit cycle does not exist under a temperature difference that is too small. Using a nonlinear bifurcation analysis, we show that the disappearance of the stable limit cycle occurs via a homoclinic bifurcation, with the temperature difference being the bifurcation parameter.

State Support Priorities: A Test Case in Ohio.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Catanzaro, James L.; Savage, Daniel D.

In 1980, the Ohio Board of Regents (OBR) proposed several alternative funding formulas for the state's public-assisted institutions in anticipation of enrollment declines. Two alternatives, involving subsidy ceilings and free competition for students, were dismissed in favor of a third alternative involving a system of voluntary restraints in…

Alternative Certification Isn't Alternative

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walsh, Kate; Jacobs, Sandi

2007-01-01

While nearly all states now have something on their books labeled "alternate route to certification," these programs defy standard definition due to their enormous variability. States differ in the types of candidates allowed to apply (e.g., career changers or recent college graduates) and in the academic backgrounds these individuals must…

Extrinsic and Intrinsic Responses to Environmental Change: Insights from Terrestrial Paleoecological Archives

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seddon, A. W. R.; Mackay, A. W.

2015-12-01

Current understanding of ecological behaviour indicates that systems can experience sudden and abrupt changes in state, driven either by a large external change in environmental conditions (extrinsically forced), or the result of a set local feedbacks and site-specific interactions (intrinsically mediated responses). Responses mediated by intrinsic processes are notoriously diffi- cult to predict, they can occur as slow environmental variables gradually erode the resilience of the system eventually resulting in threshold transitions between alternative stable states. Finding ways to identify, model and predict such complex ecosystem behavior has been identified as a priority research challenge for both ecology and paleoecology. The paleoecological record can play a role in understanding the processes behind abrupt ecological change because it enables the reconstruction of processes occurring over decadal-centennial timescales or longer. Therefore, paleoecological data can be used to identify the existence of ecological thresholds and to investigate the environmental processes that can lead to loss of resilience and abrupt transitions between alternate states. In addition, incidences of abrupt vegetation changes in the past can serve as palaeoecological model systems; analogues of abrupt dynamics which can be used to test theories surrounding ecological responses to climate change. Here, I present examples from a range of terrestrial ecosystems (Holocene environmental changes from a coastal lagoon in the Galapagos Islands; Northern European vegetation changes since the last deglaciation; the North American hemlock decline) demonstrating evidence of abrupt ecosystem change. For each system I present a set of statistical techniques tailored to distin- guish between extrinsic versus intrinsically mediated ecological responses. Examples are provided from both single sites (i.e. landscape scale) and multiple sites (regional-continental scale). These techniques provide a useful way to identify when and where intrinsically mediated responses to environmental change occurs; the next challenge is to understand and quantify the processes that underlie these intrinsic responses.

Chip Scale Ultra-Stable Clocks: Miniaturized Phonon Trap Timing Units for PNT of CubeSats

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rais-Zadeh, Mina; Altunc, Serhat; Hunter, Roger C.; Petro, Andrew

2016-01-01

The Chip Scale Ultra-Stable Clocks (CSUSC) project aims to provide a superior alternative to current solutions for low size, weight, and power timing devices. Currently available quartz-based clocks have problems adjusting to the high temperature and extreme acceleration found in space applications, especially when scaled down to match small spacecraft size, weight, and power requirements. The CSUSC project aims to utilize dual-mode resonators on an ovenized platform to achieve the exceptional temperature stability required for these systems. The dual-mode architecture utilizes a temperature sensitive and temperature stable mode simultaneously driven on the same device volume to eliminate ovenization error while maintaining extremely high performance. Using this technology it is possible to achieve parts-per-billion (ppb) levels of temperature stability with multiple orders of magnitude smaller size, weight, and power.

Informed Decision Making for Percutaneous Coronary Intervention for Stable Coronary Disease.

PubMed

Rothberg, Michael B; Sivalingam, Senthil K; Kleppel, Reva; Schweiger, Marc; Hu, Bo; Sepucha, Karen R

2015-07-01

Patients with stable coronary disease undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) are frequently misinformed about the benefits of PCI. Little is known about the quality of decision making before angiography and possible PCI. To assess the quality of informed decision making and its association with patient decisions. We performed a cross-sectional analysis of recorded conversations between August 1, 2008, and August 31, 2012, among adults with known or suspected stable coronary disease at outpatient cardiology practices. Presence of 7 elements of informed decision making and the decision to undergo angiography and possible PCI. Of 59 conversations conducted by 23 cardiologists, 2 (3%) included all 7 elements of informed decision making; 8 (14%) met a more limited definition of procedure, alternatives, and risks. Specific elements significantly associated with not choosing angiography and possible PCI included discussion of uncertainty (odds ratio [OR], 20.5; 95% CI, 2.3-204.9), patient's role (OR, 5.3; 95% CI, 1.3-21.3), exploration of alternatives (OR, 9.5; 95% CI, 2.5-36.5), and exploration of patient preference (OR, 4.8; 95% CI, 1.2-19.4). Neither the presence of angina nor severity of symptoms was associated with choosing angiography and possible PCI. In a multivariable analysis using the total number of elements as a predictor, better informed patients were less likely to choose angiography and possible PCI (OR per additional element, 3.2; 95% CI, 1.4-7.1; P = .005). In conversations between cardiologists and patients with stable angina, informed decision making is often incomplete. More complete discussions are associated with patients choosing not to undergo angiography and possible PCI.

Remote sensing of rangeland biodiversity

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Rangelands are managed based on state and transition models for an ecological site. Transitions to alternative ecological states are indicative of degrading rangelands. Three key variables may be remotely sensed to detect transitions between alternative states: amount of bare soil, presence of inva...

Tennessee's forest land area was stable 1999-2005 but early successional forest area declined

Treesearch

Christopher M. Oswalt

2008-01-01

A new analysis of the most recent (2005) annualized moving average data for Tennessee indicates that the area of forest land in the State remained stable between 1999 and 2005. Although trends in forest land area vary from region to region within the State, Tennessee neither lost nor gained forest land between 1999 and 2005. However, Tennessee had more than 2.5 times...

Influence of initial seed distribution on the pattern formation of the phase field crystals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Starodumov, Ilya; Galenko, Peter; Kropotin, Nikolai; Alexandrov, Dmitri V.

2017-11-01

The process of crystal growth can be expressed as a transition of atomic structure to a finally stable state or to a metastable state. In the Phase Field Crystal Model (PFC-model) these states are described by regular distributions of the atomic density. Getting the system into any metastable condition may be caused by the peculiarities of the computational domain, initial and boundary conditions. However, an important factor in the formation of the crystal structure can be the initial disturbance. In the report we show how different types of initial disturbance can change the finally stable state of crystal structure in equilibrium.

Preparation and Relaxation of Very Stable Glassy States of a Simulated Liquid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jack, Robert L.; Hedges, Lester O.; Garrahan, Juan P.; Chandler, David

2011-12-01

We prepare metastable glassy states in a model glass former made of Lennard-Jones particles by sampling biased ensembles of trajectories with low dynamical activity. These trajectories form an inactive dynamical phase whose “fast” vibrational degrees of freedom are maintained at thermal equilibrium by contact with a heat bath, while the “slow” structural degrees of freedom are located in deep valleys of the energy landscape. We examine the relaxation to equilibrium and the vibrational properties of these metastable states. The glassy states we prepare by our trajectory sampling method are very stable to thermal fluctuations and also more mechanically rigid than low-temperature equilibrated configurations.

Molecular switches from benzene derivatives adsorbed on metal surfaces

PubMed Central

Liu, Wei; Filimonov, Sergey N.; Carrasco, Javier; Tkatchenko, Alexandre

2013-01-01

Transient precursor states are often experimentally observed for molecules adsorbing on surfaces. However, such precursor states are typically rather short-lived, quickly yielding to more stable adsorption configurations. Here we employ first-principles calculations to systematically explore the interaction mechanism for benzene derivatives on metal surfaces, enabling us to selectively tune the stability and the barrier between two metastable adsorption states. In particular, in the case of the tetrachloropyrazine molecule, two equally stable adsorption states are identified with a moderate and conceivably reversible barrier between them. We address the feasibility of experimentally detecting the predicted bistable behaviour and discuss its potential usefulness in a molecular switch. PMID:24157660

Effect of Grinding on the Solid-State Stability and Particle Dissolution of Acyclovir Polymorphs.

PubMed

Magnoni, Federico; Gigliobianco, Maria Rosa; Vargas Peregrina, Dolores; Censi, Roberta; Di Martino, Piera

2017-10-01

The present work investigated the solid state change of 4 acyclovir polymorphs when ground at room temperature (Method A) and under cryo-grinding in the presence of liquid nitrogen (Method B). Modifications in particle size and shape (evaluated by scanning electron microscopy) and in the water content (evaluated by thermal analysis) were related to transitions at the solid state, as confirmed by X-ray powder diffractometry. Anhydrous Form I was stable under grinding by both Methods A and B. The anhydrous Form II was stable during grinding under Method A, whereas it was progressively converted to the hydrate Form V during grinding under Method B. The hydrate Form V was stable under Method A, whereas it was converted to the anhydrous Form I after 15 min and then to the hydrate Form VI after 45 min of grinding. The hydrate Form VI proved to be stable under grinding by both Methods A and B. Thus, Form I and VI were the only forms that yielded a sizeable decrease in particle size under grinding, with a consequent increase in particle dissolution rate, while maintaining solid state physicochemical stability. Form I treated under Method B grinding gave the best dissolution rate. Copyright © 2017 American Pharmacists Association®. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

20 CFR 416.2204 - Participation by State VR agencies or alternate participants.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 20 Employees' Benefits 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Participation by State VR agencies or... General Provisions § 416.2204 Participation by State VR agencies or alternate participants. (a) General. In order to participate in the payment program under this subpart through its VR agency(ies), a State...

20 CFR 404.2104 - Participation by State VR agencies or alternate participants.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 20 Employees' Benefits 2 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Participation by State VR agencies or... General Provisions § 404.2104 Participation by State VR agencies or alternate participants. (a) General. In order to participate in the payment program under this subpart through its VR agency(ies), a State...

20 CFR 404.2104 - Participation by State VR agencies or alternate participants.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 20 Employees' Benefits 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Participation by State VR agencies or... General Provisions § 404.2104 Participation by State VR agencies or alternate participants. (a) General. In order to participate in the payment program under this subpart through its VR agency(ies), a State...

20 CFR 416.2204 - Participation by State VR agencies or alternate participants.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 20 Employees' Benefits 2 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Participation by State VR agencies or... General Provisions § 416.2204 Participation by State VR agencies or alternate participants. (a) General. In order to participate in the payment program under this subpart through its VR agency(ies), a State...

Alternative Fuels Data Center: State Alternative Fuel and Advanced Vehicle

Science.gov Websites

2016, the number of new state-level legislative, executive, private, and utility activities related to , new utility and private incentives focused almost entirely on electricity. In previous years, natural gas was also a strong focus area for states. In 2016, however, the volume of new state incentives

20 CFR 404.2104 - Participation by State VR agencies or alternate participants.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 20 Employees' Benefits 2 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Participation by State VR agencies or... General Provisions § 404.2104 Participation by State VR agencies or alternate participants. (a) General. In order to participate in the payment program under this subpart through its VR agency(ies), a State...

20 CFR 416.2204 - Participation by State VR agencies or alternate participants.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 20 Employees' Benefits 2 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Participation by State VR agencies or... General Provisions § 416.2204 Participation by State VR agencies or alternate participants. (a) General. In order to participate in the payment program under this subpart through its VR agency(ies), a State...

20 CFR 404.2104 - Participation by State VR agencies or alternate participants.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 20 Employees' Benefits 2 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Participation by State VR agencies or... General Provisions § 404.2104 Participation by State VR agencies or alternate participants. (a) General. In order to participate in the payment program under this subpart through its VR agency(ies), a State...

20 CFR 404.2104 - Participation by State VR agencies or alternate participants.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 20 Employees' Benefits 2 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Participation by State VR agencies or... General Provisions § 404.2104 Participation by State VR agencies or alternate participants. (a) General. In order to participate in the payment program under this subpart through its VR agency(ies), a State...

20 CFR 416.2204 - Participation by State VR agencies or alternate participants.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 20 Employees' Benefits 2 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Participation by State VR agencies or... General Provisions § 416.2204 Participation by State VR agencies or alternate participants. (a) General. In order to participate in the payment program under this subpart through its VR agency(ies), a State...

20 CFR 416.2204 - Participation by State VR agencies or alternate participants.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 20 Employees' Benefits 2 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Participation by State VR agencies or... General Provisions § 416.2204 Participation by State VR agencies or alternate participants. (a) General. In order to participate in the payment program under this subpart through its VR agency(ies), a State...

Excited State Dynamics in Carbon Nanotubes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miyamoto, Yoshiyuki

2004-03-01

Carbon nanotube, one of the most promising materials for nano-technology, still suffers from its imperfection in crystalline structure that will make performance of nanotube behind theoretical limit. From the first-principles simulations, I propose efficient methods to overcome the imperfection. I show that photo-induced ion dynamics can (1) identify defects in nanotubes, (2) stabilize defected nanotubes, and (3) purify contaminated nanotubes. All of these methods can be alternative to conventional heat treatments and will be important techniques for realizing nanotube-devices. Ion dynamics under electronic excitation has been simulated with use of the computer code FPSEID (First-Principles Simulation tool for Electron Ion Dynamics) [1], which combines the time-dependent density functional method [2] to classical molecular dynamics. This very challenging approach is time-consuming but can automatically treat the level alternation of differently occupied states, and can observe initiation of non-adiabatic decay of excitation. The time-dependent Kohn-Sham equation has been solved by using the Suzuki-Trotter split operator method [3], which is a numerically stable method being suitable for plane wave basis, non-local pseudopotentials, and parallel computing. This work has been done in collaboration with Prof. Angel Rubio, Prof. David Tomanek, Dr. Savas Berber and Mina Yoon. Most of present calculations have been done by using the SX5 Vector-Parallel system in the NEC Fuchu-plant, and the Earth Simulator in Yokohama Japan. [1] O. Sugino and Y. Miyamoto, Phys. Rev. B59, 2579 (1999); ibid, B66 089901(E) (2001) [2] E. Runge and E. K. U. Gross, Phys. Rev. Lett. 52, 997 (1984). [3] M. Suzuki, J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. 61, L3015 (1992).

Methods for Performing Survival Curve Quality-of-Life Assessments.

PubMed

Sumner, Walton; Ding, Eric; Fischer, Irene D; Hagen, Michael D

2014-08-01

Many medical decisions involve an implied choice between alternative survival curves, typically with differing quality of life. Common preference assessment methods neglect this structure, creating some risk of distortions. Survival curve quality-of-life assessments (SQLA) were developed from Gompertz survival curves fitting the general population's survival. An algorithm was developed to generate relative discount rate-utility (DRU) functions from a standard survival curve and health state and an equally attractive alternative curve and state. A least means squared distance algorithm was developed to describe how nearly 3 or more DRU functions intersect. These techniques were implemented in a program called X-Trade and tested. SQLA scenarios can portray realistic treatment choices. A side effect scenario portrays one prototypical choice, to extend life while experiencing some loss, such as an amputation. A risky treatment scenario portrays procedures with an initial mortality risk. A time trade scenario mimics conventional time tradeoffs. Each SQLA scenario yields DRU functions with distinctive shapes, such as sigmoid curves or vertical lines. One SQLA can imply a discount rate or utility if the other value is known and both values are temporally stable. Two SQLA exercises imply a unique discount rate and utility if the inferred DRU functions intersect. Three or more SQLA results can quantify uncertainty or inconsistency in discount rate and utility estimates. Pilot studies suggested that many subjects could learn to interpret survival curves and do SQLA. SQLA confuse some people. Compared with SQLA, standard gambles quantify very low utilities more easily, and time tradeoffs are simpler for high utilities. When discount rates approach zero, time tradeoffs are as informative and easier to do than SQLA. SQLA may complement conventional utility assessment methods. © The Author(s) 2014.

Development of isothermal-isobaric replica-permutation method for molecular dynamics and Monte Carlo simulations and its application to reveal temperature and pressure dependence of folded, misfolded, and unfolded states of chignolin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamauchi, Masataka; Okumura, Hisashi

2017-11-01

We developed a two-dimensional replica-permutation molecular dynamics method in the isothermal-isobaric ensemble. The replica-permutation method is a better alternative to the replica-exchange method. It was originally developed in the canonical ensemble. This method employs the Suwa-Todo algorithm, instead of the Metropolis algorithm, to perform permutations of temperatures and pressures among more than two replicas so that the rejection ratio can be minimized. We showed that the isothermal-isobaric replica-permutation method performs better sampling efficiency than the isothermal-isobaric replica-exchange method and infinite swapping method. We applied this method to a β-hairpin mini protein, chignolin. In this simulation, we observed not only the folded state but also the misfolded state. We calculated the temperature and pressure dependence of the fractions on the folded, misfolded, and unfolded states. Differences in partial molar enthalpy, internal energy, entropy, partial molar volume, and heat capacity were also determined and agreed well with experimental data. We observed a new phenomenon that misfolded chignolin becomes more stable under high-pressure conditions. We also revealed this mechanism of the stability as follows: TYR2 and TRP9 side chains cover the hydrogen bonds that form a β-hairpin structure. The hydrogen bonds are protected from the water molecules that approach the protein as the pressure increases.

Vortex-Core Reversal Dynamics: Towards Vortex Random Access Memory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Sang-Koog

2011-03-01

An energy-efficient, ultrahigh-density, ultrafast, and nonvolatile solid-state universal memory is a long-held dream in the field of information-storage technology. The magnetic random access memory (MRAM) along with a spin-transfer-torque switching mechanism is a strong candidate-means of realizing that dream, given its nonvolatility, infinite endurance, and fast random access. Magnetic vortices in patterned soft magnetic dots promise ground-breaking applications in information-storage devices, owing to the very stable twofold ground states of either their upward or downward core magnetization orientation and plausible core switching by in-plane alternating magnetic fields or spin-polarized currents. However, two technologically most important but very challenging issues --- low-power recording and reliable selection of each memory cell with already existing cross-point architectures --- have not yet been resolved for the basic operations in information storage, that is, writing (recording) and readout. Here, we experimentally demonstrate a magnetic vortex random access memory (VRAM) in the basic cross-point architecture. This unique VRAM offers reliable cell selection and low-power-consumption control of switching of out-of-plane core magnetizations using specially designed rotating magnetic fields generated by two orthogonal and unipolar Gaussian-pulse currents along with optimized pulse width and time delay. Our achievement of a new device based on a new material, that is, a medium composed of patterned vortex-state disks, together with the new physics on ultrafast vortex-core switching dynamics, can stimulate further fruitful research on MRAMs that are based on vortex-state dot arrays.

Even-odd alternation of near-infrared spectra of alkane-α,ω-diols in their solid states

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Toyama, Yuta; Murakami, Kohei; Yoshimura, Norio; Takayanagi, Masao

2018-05-01

Even-odd alternation of the melting points of α,ω-disubstituted linear alkanes such as alkane-α,ω-diols, alkane-α,ω-dinitriles and α,ω-diaminoalkanes is well known. Melting points for compounds with an even number of carbons in their alkyl chains are systematically higher than those for compounds with an odd number of carbons. In order to clarify the origin of this alternation, near-infrared absorption spectra of linear alkane-α,ω-diols with 3 to 9 carbon atoms in their alkyl chains were measured in the liquid and solid states. The band due to the first overtone of the Osbnd H stretching mode was investigated. The temperature-dependent spectra of all alkane-α,ω-diols in their liquid states were found to be similar; no even-odd alternation was observed. In the solid state, however, spectra of alkane-α,ω-diols with even and odd numbers of carbon atoms differed greatly. Spectra of alkane-α,ω-diols with an odd number of carbon atoms in their solid states were similar to those in the liquid states, although the variation of spectra observed upon lowering the temperature of liquid seemed to continue when the liquids were frozen. In contrast, spectra of alkane-α,ω-diols with an even number of carbon atoms in their liquid and solid states were found to be quite different. New bands appeared upon freezing. The observed even-odd alternation of the spectra observed for alkane-α,ω-diols in their solid states is presumably caused by their even-odd alternation of crystal structures.

Air-stable and freestanding lithium alloy/graphene foil as an alternative to lithium metal anodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Jie; Zhou, Guangmin; Yan, Kai; Xie, Jin; Li, Yuzhang; Liao, Lei; Jin, Yang; Liu, Kai; Hsu, Po-Chun; Wang, Jiangyan; Cheng, Hui-Ming; Cui, Yi

2017-10-01

Developing high-capacity anodes is a must to improve the energy density of lithium batteries for electric vehicle applications. Alloy anodes are one promising option, but without pre-stored lithium, the overall energy density is limited by the low-capacity lithium metal oxide cathodes. Recently, lithium metal has been revived as a high-capacity anode, but faces several challenges owing to its high reactivity and uncontrolled dendrite growth. Here, we show a series of Li-containing foils inheriting the desirable properties of alloy anodes and pure metal anodes. They consist of densely packed LixM (M = Si, Sn, or Al) nanoparticles encapsulated by large graphene sheets. With the protection of graphene sheets, the large and freestanding LixM/graphene foils are stable in different air conditions. With fully expanded LixSi confined in the highly conductive and chemically stable graphene matrix, this LixSi/graphene foil maintains a stable structure and cyclability in half cells (400 cycles with 98% capacity retention). This foil is also paired with high-capacity Li-free V2O5 and sulfur cathodes to achieve stable full-cell cycling.

Air-stable and freestanding lithium alloy/graphene foil as an alternative to lithium metal anodes

DOE PAGES

Zhao, Jie; Zhou, Guangmin; Yan, Kai; ...

2017-07-10

Developing high-capacity anodes is a must to improve the energy density of lithium batteries for electric vehicle applications. Alloy anodes are one promising option, but without pre-stored lithium, the overall energy density is limited by the low-capacity lithium metal oxide cathodes. Recently, lithium metal has been revived as a high-capacity anode, but faces several challenges owing to its high reactivity and uncontrolled dendrite growth. Here, we show a series of Li-containing foils inheriting the desirable properties of alloy anodes and pure metal anodes. They consist of densely packed Li xM (M = Si, Sn, or Al) nanoparticles encapsulated by largemore » graphene sheets. With the protection of graphene sheets, the large and freestanding Li xM/graphene foils are stable in different air conditions. With fully expanded Li xSi confined in the highly conductive and chemically stable graphene matrix, this LixSi/graphene foil maintains a stable structure and cyclability in half cells (400 cycles with 98% capacity retention). As a result, this foil is also paired with high-capacity Li-free V 2O 5 and sulfur cathodes to achieve stable full-cell cycling.« less

Air-stable and freestanding lithium alloy/graphene foil as an alternative to lithium metal anodes

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhao, Jie; Zhou, Guangmin; Yan, Kai

Developing high-capacity anodes is a must to improve the energy density of lithium batteries for electric vehicle applications. Alloy anodes are one promising option, but without pre-stored lithium, the overall energy density is limited by the low-capacity lithium metal oxide cathodes. Recently, lithium metal has been revived as a high-capacity anode, but faces several challenges owing to its high reactivity and uncontrolled dendrite growth. Here, we show a series of Li-containing foils inheriting the desirable properties of alloy anodes and pure metal anodes. They consist of densely packed Li xM (M = Si, Sn, or Al) nanoparticles encapsulated by largemore » graphene sheets. With the protection of graphene sheets, the large and freestanding Li xM/graphene foils are stable in different air conditions. With fully expanded Li xSi confined in the highly conductive and chemically stable graphene matrix, this LixSi/graphene foil maintains a stable structure and cyclability in half cells (400 cycles with 98% capacity retention). As a result, this foil is also paired with high-capacity Li-free V 2O 5 and sulfur cathodes to achieve stable full-cell cycling.« less

Alternative Maternity Services in Washington State.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Starzyk, Patricia M.

The nature of maternity services has changed in the past 20 years, with a movement away from traditional (physician delivery in a hospital) towards other alternative services. This study examined alternative maternity services in Washington State, which ranks eighth in the country in the use of such services. Data were collected from birth and…

States' Participation Guidelines for Alternate Assessments Based on Modified Academic Achievement Standards (AA-MAS) in 2010. Synthesis Report 82

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lazarus, Sheryl S.; Hodgson, Jennifer R.; Price, Lynn M.; Thurlow, Martha L.

2011-01-01

Federal legislation requires that all students participate in state accountability systems. Most students with disabilities participate in the regular assessment, with or without accommodations. Students with more significant cognitive disabilities participate in the Alternate Assessment based on Alternate Achievement Standards (AA-AAS). A few…

Characteristics of States' Alternate Assessments Based on Modified Academic Achievement Standards in 2010-2011. Synthesis Report 85

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Price, Lynn M.; Hodgson, Jennifer R.; Lazarus, Sheryl S.; Thurlow, Martha L.

2011-01-01

All students, including students with disabilities, participate in state accountability systems. Most students with disabilities participate in the regular assessment, with or without accommodations. Students with more significant cognitive disabilities participate in the alternate assessment based on alternate achievement standards (AA-AAS). A…

Traveling waves in a spatially-distributed Wilson-Cowan model of cortex: From fronts to pulses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harris, Jeremy D.; Ermentrout, Bard

2018-04-01

Wave propagation in excitable media has been studied in various biological, chemical, and physical systems. Waves are among the most common evoked and spontaneous organized activity seen in cortical networks. In this paper, we study traveling fronts and pulses in a spatially-extended version of the Wilson-Cowan equations, a neural firing rate model of sensory cortex having two population types: Excitatory and inhibitory. We are primarily interested in the case when the local or space-clamped dynamics has three fixed points: (1) a stable down state; (2) a saddle point with stable manifold that acts as a threshold for firing; (3) an up state having stability that depends on the time scale of the inhibition. In the case when the up state is stable, we look for wave fronts, which transition the media from a down to up state, and when the up state is unstable, we are interested in pulses, a transient increase in firing that returns to the down state. We explore the behavior of these waves as the time and space scales of the inhibitory population vary. Some interesting findings include bistability between a traveling front and pulse, fronts that join the down state to an oscillation or spatiotemporal pattern, and pulses which go through an oscillatory instability.

A Study of Strong Stability of Distributed Systems. Ph.D. Thesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cataltepe, Tayfun

1989-01-01

The strong stability of distributed systems is studied and the problem of characterizing strongly stable semigroups of operators associated with distributed systems is addressed. Main emphasis is on contractive systems. Three different approaches to characterization of strongly stable contractive semigroups are developed. The first one is an operator theoretical approach. Using the theory of dilations, it is shown that every strongly stable contractive semigroup is related to the left shift semigroup on an L(exp 2) space. Then, a decomposition for the state space which identifies strongly stable and unstable states is introduced. Based on this decomposition, conditions for a contractive semigroup to be strongly stable are obtained. Finally, extensions of Lyapunov's equation for distributed parameter systems are investigated. Sufficient conditions for weak and strong stabilities of uniformly bounded semigroups are obtained by relaxing the equivalent norm condition on the right hand side of the Lyanupov equation. These characterizations are then applied to the problem of feedback stabilization. First, it is shown via the state space decomposition that under certain conditions a contractive system (A,B) can be strongly stabilized by the feedback -B(*). Then, application of the extensions of the Lyapunov equation results in sufficient conditions for weak, strong, and exponential stabilizations of contractive systems by the feedback -B(*). Finally, it is shown that for a contractive system, the first derivative of x with respect to time = Ax + Bu (where B is any linear bounded operator), there is a related linear quadratic regulator problem and a corresponding steady state Riccati equation which always has a bounded nonnegative solution.

Delving into α-stable distribution in noise suppression for seizure detection from scalp EEG

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yueming; Qi, Yu; Wang, Yiwen; Lei, Zhen; Zheng, Xiaoxiang; Pan, Gang

2016-10-01

Objective. There is serious noise in EEG caused by eye blink and muscle activities. The noise exhibits similar morphologies to epileptic seizure signals, leading to relatively high false alarms in most existing seizure detection methods. The objective in this paper is to develop an effective noise suppression method in seizure detection and explore the reason why it works. Approach. Based on a state-space model containing a non-linear observation function and multiple features as the observations, this paper delves deeply into the effect of the α-stable distribution in the noise suppression for seizure detection from scalp EEG. Compared with the Gaussian distribution, the α-stable distribution is asymmetric and has relatively heavy tails. These properties make it more powerful in modeling impulsive noise in EEG, which usually can not be handled by the Gaussian distribution. Specially, we give a detailed analysis in the state estimation process to show the reason why the α-stable distribution can suppress the impulsive noise. Main results. To justify each component in our model, we compare our method with 4 different models with different settings on a collected 331-hour epileptic EEG data. To show the superiority of our method, we compare it with the existing approaches on both our 331-hour data and 892-hour public data. The results demonstrate that our method is most effective in both the detection rate and the false alarm. Significance. This is the first attempt to incorporate the α-stable distribution to a state-space model for noise suppression in seizure detection and achieves the state-of-the-art performance.

Characterizing highly dynamic conformational states: The transcription bubble in RNAP-promoter open complex as an example

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lerner, Eitan; Ingargiola, Antonino; Weiss, Shimon

2018-03-01

Bio-macromolecules carry out complicated functions through structural changes. To understand their mechanism of action, the structure of each step has to be characterized. While classical structural biology techniques allow the characterization of a few "structural snapshots" along the enzymatic cycle (usually of stable conformations), they do not cover all (and often fast interconverting) structures in the ensemble, where each may play an important functional role. Recently, several groups have demonstrated that structures of different conformations in solution could be solved by measuring multiple distances between different pairs of residues using single-molecule Förster resonance energy transfer (smFRET) and using them as constrains for hybrid/integrative structural modeling. However, this approach is limited in cases where the conformational dynamics is faster than the technique's temporal resolution. In this study, we combine existing tools that elucidate sub-millisecond conformational dynamics together with hybrid/integrative structural modeling to study the conformational states of the transcription bubble in the bacterial RNA polymerase-promoter open complex (RPo). We measured microsecond alternating laser excitation-smFRET of differently labeled lacCONS promoter dsDNA constructs. We used a combination of burst variance analysis, photon-by-photon hidden Markov modeling, and the FRET-restrained positioning and screening approach to identify two conformational states for RPo. The experimentally derived distances of one conformational state match the known crystal structure of bacterial RPo. The experimentally derived distances of the other conformational state have characteristics of a scrunched RPo. These findings support the hypothesis that sub-millisecond dynamics in the transcription bubble are responsible for transcription start site selection.

Using state-issued identification cards for obesity tracking.

PubMed

Morris, Daniel S; Schubert, Stacey S; Ngo, Duyen L; Rubado, Dan J; Main, Eric; Douglas, Jae P

2015-01-01

Obesity prevention has emerged as one of public health's top priorities. Public health agencies need reliable data on population health status to guide prevention efforts. Existing survey data sources provide county-level estimates; obtaining sub-county estimates from survey data can be prohibitively expensive. State-issued identification cards are an alternate data source for community-level obesity estimates. We computed body mass index for 3.2 million adult Oregonians who were issued a driver license or identification card between 2003 and 2010. Statewide estimates of obesity prevalence and average body mass index were compared to the Oregon Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). After geocoding addresses we calculated average adult body mass index for every census tract and block group in the state. Sub-county estimates reveal striking patterns in the population's weight status. Annual obesity prevalence estimates from identification cards averaged 18% lower than the BRFSS for men and 31% lower for women. Body mass index estimates averaged 2% lower than the BRFSS for men and 5% lower for women. Identification card records are a promising data source to augment tracking of obesity. People do tend to misrepresent their weight, but the consistent bias does not obscure patterns and trends. Large numbers of records allow for stable estimates for small geographic areas. Copyright © 2014 Asian Oceanian Association for the Study of Obesity. All rights reserved.

Search for the elusive magnetic state of hexagonal iron: The antiferromagnetic Fe71Ru29 hcp alloy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petrillo, C.; Postorino, P.; Orecchini, A.; Sacchetti, F.

2018-03-01

The magnetic states of iron and their dependence on crystal structure represent an important case study for the physics of magnetism and its role in fundamental and applied science, including geophysical sciences. hcp iron is the most elusive structure as it exists only at high pressure but, at the same time, it is expected to be stable up to very high temperature. Exploring the magnetic state of pure Fe at high pressure is difficult and no conclusive results have been obtained. Simple binary alloys where the hexagonal phase of Fe is stabilized, offer a more controllable alternative to investigate iron magnetism. We carried out a neutron diffraction experiment on hcp Fe71Ru29 disordered alloy as a function of temperature. Fe in the hexagonal lattice of this specific alloy results to be antiferromagnetically aligned with a rather complex structure and a small magnetic moment. The temperature dependence suggests a Néel temperature TN = 124 ± 10 K, a value consistent with the low magnetic moment of 1.04 ± 0.10 μB obtained from the diffraction data that also suggest a non-commensurate magnetic structure with magnetic moments probably aligned along the c axis. The present data provide evidence for magnetic ordering in hcp Fe and support the theoretical description of magnetism of pure Fe at high pressure.

Magnetic force induced tristability for dielectric elastomer actuators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Xin-Qiang; Li, Wen-Bo; Zhang, Wen-Ming; Zou, Hong-Xiang; Peng, Zhi-Ke; Meng, Guang

2017-10-01

This paper presents a novel dielectric elastomer actuator (DEA) with three stable states. By introducing magnetic forces and coupling them with two cone dielectric elastomer (DE) films, an inherent tristability for the DEA is obtained with a compact design. It is easy to switch between the three stable states by controlling the voltages applied to the DE films. A theoretical model of the system’s potential energy that contains the free energy of the DEs and the potential energy of the applied magnetic field was developed for the tristable mechanism. The experimental results demonstrate that controllable transitions between the three stable states can be achieved with this design by applying over-critical voltages to the various DE films. The maximum dynamic range of the DEA can exceed 53.8% of the total length of the device and the DE’s creep speed was accelerated under the action of the magnetic field.

Characteristics of States' Alternate Assessments Based on Modified Academic Achievement Standards in 2008. Synthesis Report 72

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Albus, Deb; Lazarus, Sheryl S.; Thurlow, Martha L.; Cormier, Damien

2009-01-01

In April 2007, Federal No Child Left Behind regulations were finalized that provided states with additional flexibility for assessing some students with disabilities. The regulations allowed states to offer another assessment option, alternate assessments based on modified academic achievement standards (AA-MAS). States are not required to have…

States' Accommodations Policies and Development of Alternate Assessments Based on Modified Achievement Standards: A Discriminant Analysis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lazarus, Sheryl S.; Cormier, Damien C.; Thurlow, Martha L.

2011-01-01

The characteristics of a state's accommodations policy may affect a state's decision about whether to develop an alternate assessment based on modified achievement standards (AA-MAS). A very restrictive accommodations policy may make it more difficult for some students to participate in the state's regular assessment used for accountability…

40 CFR 51.361 - Motorist compliance enforcement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... programs and computer-matching programs. States that did not adopt an I/M program for any area of the State... approved. An enhanced I/M area may use an existing alternative if it demonstrates that the alternative has... alternative” only in States that, for some area in the State, had an I/M program with that mechanism in...

40 CFR 51.361 - Motorist compliance enforcement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... programs and computer-matching programs. States that did not adopt an I/M program for any area of the State... approved. An enhanced I/M area may use an existing alternative if it demonstrates that the alternative has... alternative” only in States that, for some area in the State, had an I/M program with that mechanism in...

40 CFR 51.361 - Motorist compliance enforcement.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... programs and computer-matching programs. States that did not adopt an I/M program for any area of the State... approved. An enhanced I/M area may use an existing alternative if it demonstrates that the alternative has... alternative” only in States that, for some area in the State, had an I/M program with that mechanism in...

Investigation of Alternative Return Strategies for Orion Trans-earth Injection Design Options

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marchand, Belinda G.; Scarritt, Sara K.; Howell, Kathleen C.; Weeks, Michael W.

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study is to investigate alternative return strategies for the Orion trans-Earth injection (TEI) phase. A dynamical systems analysis approach considers the structure of the stable and unstable Sun perturbed Earth-Moon manifolds near the Earth-Moon interface region. A hybrid approach, then, combines the results from this analysis with classical two-body methods in a targeting process that seeks to expand the window of return opportunities in a precision entry scenario. The resulting startup arcs can be used, for instance, to enhance the block set of solutions available onboard during an autonomous targeting process.

Theoretical prediction of novel ultrafine nanowires formed by Si12C12 cage-like clusters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yong, Yongliang; Song, Bin; He, Pimo

2014-02-01

Using density functional theory calculations, we predict that novel SiC ultrafine nanowires can be produced via the coalescence of stable Si12C12 clusters. For the isolated Si12C12 clusters, we find that the cage-like structure with a distinct segregation between Si and C atoms is energetically more favourable than the fullerene-like structure with alternating Si-C bonds. Via the coalescence of Si12C12 clusters, three novel stable nanowires have been characterised. The band structure reveals that these nanowires are semiconductors with narrow gap, indicating that they may be used as infrared detectors and thermoelectrics.

Efficacy and Safety of Catnip (Nepeta cataria) as a Novel Filth Fly Repellent

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The essential oil of catnip (Nepeta cataria) has recently been reported as an alternative mosquito repellent on mosquitoes both topically and spatially. The present study reports that catnip oil resulted in an average repellency of 96% in feeding against stable fly (Stomoxys calcitrans) and 79% to t...

Thermal inactivation of avian influenza virus in poultry litter as a method to decontaminate poultry houses

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Removal of contaminated material from a poultry house during recovery from an avian influenza virus (AIV) outbreak is costly and labor intensive. Because AIV is not environmentally stable, heating poultry houses may provide an alternative disinfection method. The objective was to determine the time ...

Rational Temporal Predictions Can Underlie Apparent Failures to Delay Gratification

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McGuire, Joseph T.; Kable, Joseph W.

2013-01-01

An important category of seemingly maladaptive decisions involves failure to postpone gratification. A person pursuing a desirable long-run outcome may abandon it in favor of a short-run alternative that has been available all along. Here we present a theoretical framework in which this seemingly irrational behavior emerges from stable preferences…

Significant and stable drag reduction with air rings confined by alternated superhydrophobic and hydrophilic strips

PubMed Central

Hu, Haibao; Wen, Jun; Bao, Luyao; Jia, Laibing; Song, Dong; Song, Baowei; Pan, Guang; Scaraggi, Michele; Dini, Daniele; Xue, Qunji; Zhou, Feng

2017-01-01

Superhydrophobic surfaces have the potential to reduce the viscous drag of liquids by significantly decreasing friction at a solid-liquid interface due to the formation of air layers between solid walls and interacting liquids. However, the trapped air usually becomes unstable due to the finite nature of the domain over which it forms. We demonstrate for the first time that a large surface energy barrier can be formed to strongly pin the three-phase contact line of air/water/solid by covering the inner rotor of a Taylor-Couette flow apparatus with alternating superhydrophobic and hydrophilic circumferential strips. This prevents the disruption of the air layer, which forms stable and continuous air rings. The drag reduction measured at the inner rotor could be as much as 77.2%. Moreover, the air layers not only significantly reduce the strength of Taylor vortexes but also influence the number and position of the Taylor vortex pairs. This has strong implications in terms of energy efficiency maximization for marine applications and reduction of drag losses in, for example, fluid transport in pipelines and carriers. PMID:28879234

Supplementary Reading Instruction in Alternative High Schools: A Statewide Survey of Educator Reported Practices and Barriers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilkerson, Kimber L.; Yan, Min-Chi; Perzigian, Aaron B.; Cakiroglu, Orhan

2016-01-01

Recent data suggest that a majority of secondary students read below the level considered proficient on state standardized tests of reading. Alternative high schools, in particular, serve a high proportion of struggling readers. This survey study investigated reading instruction provided to struggling readers in alternative schools in one state by…

Professional Development Experiences of Alternatively Certified Career and Technical Education Teachers in North Carolina

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Welfare, Rhonda Marie

2013-01-01

In an effort to increase the quantity and quality of available teachers, states have begun to offer alternate methods of teacher certification. This means that in addition to traditional teacher training, which involves graduation from an accredited teacher-education institution, states provide alternate routes to enable teachers to transition to…

Strengthening of stable Cr-Ni austenitic stainless steel under thermomechanical treatments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akkuzin, S. A.; Litovchenko, I. Yu.; Tyumentsev, A. N.

2017-12-01

The features of microstructure and mechanical properties of stable austenitic steel after thermomechanical treatment consisted of low-temperature deformation, deformation in the temperature range T = 273-873 K, and subsequent annealing were investigated. It is shown that under such treatment direct (γ → α')- and reverse (α'→γ)-martensitic transformations occur in the steel. As a result of the thermomechanical treatment submicrocrystalline structural states with high density of micro- and nanotwins and localized deformation bands are formed. The strength of the steel in these structural states is several times higher than that in the initial state.

61. STABLE/RESTROOM, FROM THE NORTHWEST. SHOWING PROXIMITY TO THE MORAVIAN ...

Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

61. STABLE/RESTROOM, FROM THE NORTHWEST. SHOWING PROXIMITY TO THE MORAVIAN POTTERY AND TILE WORKS. - Moravian Pottery & Tile Works, Southwest side of State Route 313 (Swamp Road), Northwest of East Court Street, Doylestown, Bucks County, PA

Out-of-plane three-stable-state ferroelectric switching: Finding the missing middle states

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Jin Hong; Chu, Kanghyun; Kim, Kwang-Eun; Seidel, Jan; Yang, Chan-Ho

2016-03-01

By realizing a nonvolatile third intermediate ferroelectric state through anisotropic misfit strain, we demonstrate electrical switching among three stable out-of-plane polarizations in bismuth ferrite thin films grown on (110) pc-oriented gadolinium scandate substrates (where pc stands for pseudocubic) by the use of an asymmetric external electric field at the step edge of a bottom electrode. We employ phenomenological Landau theory, in conjunction with electrical poling experiments using piezoresponse force microscopy, to understand the role of anisotropic misfit strain and an in-plane electric field in stabilization of multiple ferroelectric states and their competition. Our finding provides a useful insight into multistep ferroelectric switching in rhombohedral ferroelectrics.

Pentacene appended to a TEMPO stable free radical: the effect of magnetic exchange coupling on photoexcited pentacene.

PubMed

Chernick, Erin T; Casillas, Rubén; Zirzlmeier, Johannes; Gardner, Daniel M; Gruber, Marco; Kropp, Henning; Meyer, Karsten; Wasielewski, Michael R; Guldi, Dirk M; Tykwinski, Rik R

2015-01-21

Understanding the fundamental spin dynamics of photoexcited pentacene derivatives is important in order to maximize their potential for optoelectronic applications. Herein, we report on the synthesis of two pentacene derivatives that are functionalized with the [(2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-1-yl)oxy] (TEMPO) stable free radical. The presence of TEMPO does not quench the pentacene singlet excited state, but does quench the photoexcited triplet excited state as a function of TEMPO-to-pentacene distance. Time-resolved electron paramagnetic resonance experiments confirm that triplet quenching is accompanied by electron spin polarization transfer from the pentacene excited state to the TEMPO doublet state in the weak coupling regime.

Even-odd alternation of near-infrared spectra of alkane-α,ω-diols in their solid states.

PubMed

Toyama, Yuta; Murakami, Kohei; Yoshimura, Norio; Takayanagi, Masao

2018-05-15

Even-odd alternation of the melting points of α,ω-disubstituted linear alkanes such as alkane-α,ω-diols, alkane-α,ω-dinitriles and α,ω-diaminoalkanes is well known. Melting points for compounds with an even number of carbons in their alkyl chains are systematically higher than those for compounds with an odd number of carbons. In order to clarify the origin of this alternation, near-infrared absorption spectra of linear alkane-α,ω-diols with 3 to 9 carbon atoms in their alkyl chains were measured in the liquid and solid states. The band due to the first overtone of the OH stretching mode was investigated. The temperature-dependent spectra of all alkane-α,ω-diols in their liquid states were found to be similar; no even-odd alternation was observed. In the solid state, however, spectra of alkane-α,ω-diols with even and odd numbers of carbon atoms differed greatly. Spectra of alkane-α,ω-diols with an odd number of carbon atoms in their solid states were similar to those in the liquid states, although the variation of spectra observed upon lowering the temperature of liquid seemed to continue when the liquids were frozen. In contrast, spectra of alkane-α,ω-diols with an even number of carbon atoms in their liquid and solid states were found to be quite different. New bands appeared upon freezing. The observed even-odd alternation of the spectra observed for alkane-α,ω-diols in their solid states is presumably caused by their even-odd alternation of crystal structures. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Modeling hemoglobin at optical frequency using the unconditionally stable fundamental ADI-FDTD method.

PubMed

Heh, Ding Yu; Tan, Eng Leong

2011-04-12

This paper presents the modeling of hemoglobin at optical frequency (250 nm - 1000 nm) using the unconditionally stable fundamental alternating-direction-implicit finite-difference time-domain (FADI-FDTD) method. An accurate model based on complex conjugate pole-residue pairs is proposed to model the complex permittivity of hemoglobin at optical frequency. Two hemoglobin concentrations at 15 g/dL and 33 g/dL are considered. The model is then incorporated into the FADI-FDTD method for solving electromagnetic problems involving interaction of light with hemoglobin. The computation of transmission and reflection coefficients of a half space hemoglobin medium using the FADI-FDTD validates the accuracy of our model and method. The specific absorption rate (SAR) distribution of human capillary at optical frequency is also shown. While maintaining accuracy, the unconditionally stable FADI-FDTD method exhibits high efficiency in modeling hemoglobin.

Modeling hemoglobin at optical frequency using the unconditionally stable fundamental ADI-FDTD method

PubMed Central

Heh, Ding Yu; Tan, Eng Leong

2011-01-01

This paper presents the modeling of hemoglobin at optical frequency (250 nm – 1000 nm) using the unconditionally stable fundamental alternating-direction-implicit finite-difference time-domain (FADI-FDTD) method. An accurate model based on complex conjugate pole-residue pairs is proposed to model the complex permittivity of hemoglobin at optical frequency. Two hemoglobin concentrations at 15 g/dL and 33 g/dL are considered. The model is then incorporated into the FADI-FDTD method for solving electromagnetic problems involving interaction of light with hemoglobin. The computation of transmission and reflection coefficients of a half space hemoglobin medium using the FADI-FDTD validates the accuracy of our model and method. The specific absorption rate (SAR) distribution of human capillary at optical frequency is also shown. While maintaining accuracy, the unconditionally stable FADI-FDTD method exhibits high efficiency in modeling hemoglobin. PMID:21559129

Stable aesthetic standards delusion: changing 'artistic quality' by elaboration.

PubMed

Carbon, Claus-Christian; Hesslinger, Vera M

2014-01-01

The present study challenges the notion that judgments of artistic quality are based on stable aesthetic standards. We propose that such standards are a delusion and that judgments of artistic quality are the combined result of exposure, elaboration, and discourse. We ran two experiments using elaboration tasks based on the repeated evaluation technique in which different versions of the Mona Lisa had to be elaborated deeply. During the initial task either the version known from the Louvre or an alternative version owned by the Prado was elaborated; during the second task both versions were elaborated in a comparative fashion. After both tasks multiple blends of the two versions had to be evaluated concerning several aesthetic key variables. Judgments of artistic quality of the blends were significantly different depending on the initially elaborated version of the Mona Lisa, indicating experience-based aesthetic processing, which contradicts the notion of stable aesthetic standards.

[Nonoperative management of spontaneous splenic rupture in infectious mononucleosis].

PubMed

Szczepanik, Andrzej B; Gajda, Sławomir; Szczepanik, Anna M; Misiak, Andrzej

2011-04-01

Spontaneous splenic rupture is a rare complication of infectious mononucleosis observed in 0.1-0.5% of patients with this condition. Mandatory mode of management in hemodynamically stable patients is nonoperative treatment. We report the case of a 19-year old man with splenic rupture, during the course of serological and hematological confirmed infectious mononucleosis, with no history of trauma. Parenchymal and subcapsular splenic hematomas and presence of blood in vesico-rectal recess was demonstrated. Circulatory and respiratory findings and blood cell count were stable. Nonoperative management was instituted which comprised monitoring of valid vital signs, serial USG and tomography scans and vital activity limitation. Imaging radiological investigations demonstrated disappearance of observed abnormalities on post admission day 20. The patient was discharged from the hospital in good general condition. Nonoperative management can be a safe alternative to splenectomy in hemodynamically stable patient with spontaneous rupture of the spleen.

34 CFR 200.1 - State responsibilities for developing challenging academic standards.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... cognitive disabilities who take an alternate assessment, a State may, through a documented and validated... most significant cognitive disabilities who will be assessed based on alternate academic achievement...

Category 4b - A Regulatory Alternative to TMDLs

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The paper describes the extent to which states have successfully employed TMDL alternatives to address impaired waters and assigned these waters to Category 4b, and includes several Washington State examples.

20 CFR 416.2227 - Resolution of disputes.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... State VR agency or alternate participant in writing of his or her determination concerning the amount to be paid. If the State VR agency (see § 416.2218(b) for alternate participants) disagrees with that determination, the State VR agency may request reconsideration in writing within 60 days after receiving the...

20 CFR 404.2127 - Resolution of disputes.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... State VR agency or alternative participant in writing of his or her determination concerning the amount to be paid. If the State VR agency (see § 404.2118(b) for alternate participants) disagrees with that determination, the State VR agency may request reconsideration in writing within 60 days after receiving the...

20 CFR 404.2127 - Resolution of disputes.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... State VR agency or alternative participant in writing of his or her determination concerning the amount to be paid. If the State VR agency (see § 404.2118(b) for alternate participants) disagrees with that determination, the State VR agency may request reconsideration in writing within 60 days after receiving the...

20 CFR 416.2227 - Resolution of disputes.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... State VR agency or alternate participant in writing of his or her determination concerning the amount to be paid. If the State VR agency (see § 416.2218(b) for alternate participants) disagrees with that determination, the State VR agency may request reconsideration in writing within 60 days after receiving the...

20 CFR 416.2227 - Resolution of disputes.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... State VR agency or alternate participant in writing of his or her determination concerning the amount to be paid. If the State VR agency (see § 416.2218(b) for alternate participants) disagrees with that determination, the State VR agency may request reconsideration in writing within 60 days after receiving the...

20 CFR 416.2227 - Resolution of disputes.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... State VR agency or alternate participant in writing of his or her determination concerning the amount to be paid. If the State VR agency (see § 416.2218(b) for alternate participants) disagrees with that determination, the State VR agency may request reconsideration in writing within 60 days after receiving the...

20 CFR 416.2227 - Resolution of disputes.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... State VR agency or alternate participant in writing of his or her determination concerning the amount to be paid. If the State VR agency (see § 416.2218(b) for alternate participants) disagrees with that determination, the State VR agency may request reconsideration in writing within 60 days after receiving the...

20 CFR 404.2127 - Resolution of disputes.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... State VR agency or alternative participant in writing of his or her determination concerning the amount to be paid. If the State VR agency (see § 404.2118(b) for alternate participants) disagrees with that determination, the State VR agency may request reconsideration in writing within 60 days after receiving the...

20 CFR 404.2127 - Resolution of disputes.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... State VR agency or alternative participant in writing of his or her determination concerning the amount to be paid. If the State VR agency (see § 404.2118(b) for alternate participants) disagrees with that determination, the State VR agency may request reconsideration in writing within 60 days after receiving the...

20 CFR 404.2127 - Resolution of disputes.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... State VR agency or alternative participant in writing of his or her determination concerning the amount to be paid. If the State VR agency (see § 404.2118(b) for alternate participants) disagrees with that determination, the State VR agency may request reconsideration in writing within 60 days after receiving the...

Regional Planning in California: Objectives, Obstacles, and Alternatives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Deegan, William L.; Alford, Janis C.

1976-01-01

At the direction of the California State Legislature, the authors explored regional planning in other states as well as in California in an effort to determine the advantages and disadvantages of voluntary versus mandated interinstitutional cooperation. In this revised report the current state of regional planning and various alternatives for…

10 CFR 503.34 - Inability to comply with applicable environmental requirements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... EPA or state or local permit proceedings; (4) To the extent applicable, a summary of the technology... Federal or state environmental requirements; and (2) Reasonable alternative sites, which would permit the use of alternate fuels in compliance with applicable Federal or state environmental requirements, are...

Spatial perspectives in state-and-transition models: A missing link to land management?

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Conceptual models of alternative states and thresholds are based largely on observations of ecosystem processes at a few points in space. Because the distribution of alternative states in spatially-structured ecosystems is the result of variations in pattern-process interactions at different scales,...

Direct Reprogramming of Human Fibroblasts toward a Cardiomyocyte-like State

PubMed Central

Fu, Ji-Dong; Stone, Nicole R.; Liu, Lei; Spencer, C. Ian; Qian, Li; Hayashi, Yohei; Delgado-Olguin, Paul; Ding, Sheng; Bruneau, Benoit G.; Srivastava, Deepak

2013-01-01

Summary Direct reprogramming of adult somatic cells into alternative cell types has been shown for several lineages. We previously showed that GATA4, MEF2C, and TBX5 (GMT) directly reprogrammed nonmyocyte mouse heart cells into induced cardiomyocyte-like cells (iCMs) in vitro and in vivo. However, GMT alone appears insufficient in human fibroblasts, at least in vitro. Here, we show that GMT plus ESRRG and MESP1 induced global cardiac gene-expression and phenotypic shifts in human fibroblasts derived from embryonic stem cells, fetal heart, and neonatal skin. Adding Myocardin and ZFPM2 enhanced reprogramming, including sarcomere formation, calcium transients, and action potentials, although the efficiency remained low. Human iCM reprogramming was epigenetically stable. Furthermore, we found that transforming growth factor β signaling was important for, and improved the efficiency of, human iCM reprogramming. These findings demonstrate that human fibroblasts can be directly reprogrammed toward the cardiac lineage, and lay the foundation for future refinements in vitro and in vivo. PMID:24319660

Thermodynamics of Terrestrial Evolution

PubMed Central

Kirkaldy, J. S.

1965-01-01

The causal element of biological evolution and development can be understood in terms of a potential function which is generalized from the variational principles of irreversible thermodynamics. This potential function is approximated by the rate of entropy production in a configuration space which admits of macroscopic excursions by fluctuation and regression as well as microscopic ones. Analogously to Onsager's dissipation function, the potential takes the form of a saddle surface in this configuration space. The path of evolution following from an initial high dissipation state within the fixed constraint provided by the invariant energy flux from the sun tends toward the stable saddle point by a series of spontaneous regressions which lower the entropy production rate and by an alternating series of spontaneous fluctuations which introduce new internal constraints and lead to a higher entropy production rate. The potential thus rationalizes the system's observed tendency toward “chemical imperialism” (high dissipation) while simultaneously accommodating the development of “dynamic efficiency” and complication (low dissipation). PMID:5884019

Earth Tide Analysis Specifics in Case of Unstable Aquifer Regime

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vinogradov, Evgeny; Gorbunova, Ella; Besedina, Alina; Kabychenko, Nikolay

2017-06-01

We consider the main factors that affect underground water flow including aquifer supply, collector state, and distant earthquakes seismic waves' passage. In geodynamically stable conditions underground inflow change can significantly distort hydrogeological response to Earth tides, which leads to the incorrect estimation of phase shift between tidal harmonics of ground displacement and water level variations in a wellbore. Besides an original approach to phase shift estimation that allows us to get one value per day for the semidiurnal M2 wave, we offer the empirical method of excluding periods of time that are strongly affected by high inflow. In spite of rather strong ground motion during earthquake waves' passage, we did not observe corresponding phase shift change against the background on significant recurrent variations due to fluctuating inflow influence. Though inflow variations do not look like the only important parameter that must be taken into consideration while performing phase shift analysis, permeability estimation is not adequate without correction based on background alternations of aquifer parameters due to natural and anthropogenic reasons.

A practical globalization of one-shot optimization for optimal design of tokamak divertors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blommaert, Maarten; Dekeyser, Wouter; Baelmans, Martine; Gauger, Nicolas R.; Reiter, Detlev

2017-01-01

In past studies, nested optimization methods were successfully applied to design of the magnetic divertor configuration in nuclear fusion reactors. In this paper, so-called one-shot optimization methods are pursued. Due to convergence issues, a globalization strategy for the one-shot solver is sought. Whereas Griewank introduced a globalization strategy using a doubly augmented Lagrangian function that includes primal and adjoint residuals, its practical usability is limited by the necessity of second order derivatives and expensive line search iterations. In this paper, a practical alternative is offered that avoids these drawbacks by using a regular augmented Lagrangian merit function that penalizes only state residuals. Additionally, robust rank-two Hessian estimation is achieved by adaptation of Powell's damped BFGS update rule. The application of the novel one-shot approach to magnetic divertor design is considered in detail. For this purpose, the approach is adapted to be complementary with practical in parts adjoint sensitivities. Using the globalization strategy, stable convergence of the one-shot approach is achieved.

Earth Tide Analysis Specifics in Case of Unstable Aquifer Regime

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vinogradov, Evgeny; Gorbunova, Ella; Besedina, Alina; Kabychenko, Nikolay

2018-05-01

We consider the main factors that affect underground water flow including aquifer supply, collector state, and distant earthquakes seismic waves' passage. In geodynamically stable conditions underground inflow change can significantly distort hydrogeological response to Earth tides, which leads to the incorrect estimation of phase shift between tidal harmonics of ground displacement and water level variations in a wellbore. Besides an original approach to phase shift estimation that allows us to get one value per day for the semidiurnal M2 wave, we offer the empirical method of excluding periods of time that are strongly affected by high inflow. In spite of rather strong ground motion during earthquake waves' passage, we did not observe corresponding phase shift change against the background on significant recurrent variations due to fluctuating inflow influence. Though inflow variations do not look like the only important parameter that must be taken into consideration while performing phase shift analysis, permeability estimation is not adequate without correction based on background alternations of aquifer parameters due to natural and anthropogenic reasons.

Early Warning Signals of Ecological Transitions: Methods for Spatial Patterns

PubMed Central

Brock, William A.; Carpenter, Stephen R.; Ellison, Aaron M.; Livina, Valerie N.; Seekell, David A.; Scheffer, Marten; van Nes, Egbert H.; Dakos, Vasilis

2014-01-01

A number of ecosystems can exhibit abrupt shifts between alternative stable states. Because of their important ecological and economic consequences, recent research has focused on devising early warning signals for anticipating such abrupt ecological transitions. In particular, theoretical studies show that changes in spatial characteristics of the system could provide early warnings of approaching transitions. However, the empirical validation of these indicators lag behind their theoretical developments. Here, we summarize a range of currently available spatial early warning signals, suggest potential null models to interpret their trends, and apply them to three simulated spatial data sets of systems undergoing an abrupt transition. In addition to providing a step-by-step methodology for applying these signals to spatial data sets, we propose a statistical toolbox that may be used to help detect approaching transitions in a wide range of spatial data. We hope that our methodology together with the computer codes will stimulate the application and testing of spatial early warning signals on real spatial data. PMID:24658137

Cooling the Motion of Diamond Nanocrystals in a Magneto-Gravitational Trap in High Vacuum.

PubMed

Hsu, Jen-Feng; Ji, Peng; Lewandowski, Charles W; D'Urso, Brian

2016-07-22

Levitated diamond nanocrystals with nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centres in high vacuum have been proposed as a unique system for experiments in fundamental quantum mechanics, including the generation of large quantum superposition states and tests of quantum gravity. This system promises extreme isolation from its environment while providing quantum control and sensing through the NV centre spin. While optical trapping has been the most explored method of levitation, recent results indicate that excessive optical heating of the nanodiamonds under vacuum may make the method impractical with currently available materials. Here, we study an alternative magneto-gravitational trap for diamagnetic particles, such as diamond nanocrystals, with stable levitation from atmospheric pressure to high vacuum. Magnetic field gradients from permanent magnets confine the particle in two dimensions, while confinement in the third dimension is gravitational. We demonstrate that feedback cooling of the centre-of-mass motion of a trapped nanodiamond cluster results in cooling of one degree of freedom to less than 1 K.

Cooling the motion of diamond nanocrystals in a magneto-gravitational trap in high vacuum

DOE PAGES

Hsu, Jen -Feng; Ji, Peng; Lewandowski, Charles W.; ...

2016-07-22

Levitated diamond nanocrystals with nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centres in high vacuum have been proposed as a unique system for experiments in fundamental quantum mechanics, including the generation of large quantum superposition states and tests of quantum gravity. This system promises extreme isolation from its environment while providing quantum control and sensing through the NV centre spin. While optical trapping has been the most explored method of levitation, recent results indicate that excessive optical heating of the nanodiamonds under vacuum may make the method impractical with currently available materials. Here, we study an alternative magneto-gravitational trap for diamagnetic particles, such as diamondmore » nanocrystals, with stable levitation from atmospheric pressure to high vacuum. Magnetic field gradients from permanent magnets confine the particle in two dimensions, while confinement in the third dimension is gravitational. Furthermore, we demonstrate that feedback cooling of the centre-of-mass motion of a trapped nanodiamond cluster results in cooling of one degree of freedom to less than 1 K.« less

Theory of invasion extinction dynamics in minimal food webs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Haerter, Jan O.; Mitarai, Namiko; Sneppen, Kim

2018-02-01

When food webs are exposed to species invasion, secondary extinction cascades may be set off. Although much work has gone into characterizing the structure of food webs, systematic predictions on their evolutionary dynamics are still scarce. Here we present a theoretical framework that predicts extinctions in terms of an alternating sequence of two basic processes: resource depletion by or competitive exclusion between consumers. We first propose a conceptual invasion extinction model (IEM) involving random fitness coefficients. We bolster this IEM by an analytical, recursive procedure for calculating idealized extinction cascades after any species addition and simulate the long-time evolution. Our procedure describes minimal food webs where each species interacts with only a single resource through the generalized Lotka-Volterra equations. For such food webs ex- tinction cascades are determined uniquely and the system always relaxes to a stable steady state. The dynamics and scale invariant species life time resemble the behavior of the IEM, and correctly predict an upper limit for trophic levels as observed in the field.

Theory of invasion extinction dynamics in minimal food webs.

PubMed

Haerter, Jan O; Mitarai, Namiko; Sneppen, Kim

2018-02-01

When food webs are exposed to species invasion, secondary extinction cascades may be set off. Although much work has gone into characterizing the structure of food webs, systematic predictions on their evolutionary dynamics are still scarce. Here we present a theoretical framework that predicts extinctions in terms of an alternating sequence of two basic processes: resource depletion by or competitive exclusion between consumers. We first propose a conceptual invasion extinction model (IEM) involving random fitness coefficients. We bolster this IEM by an analytical, recursive procedure for calculating idealized extinction cascades after any species addition and simulate the long-time evolution. Our procedure describes minimal food webs where each species interacts with only a single resource through the generalized Lotka-Volterra equations. For such food webs ex- tinction cascades are determined uniquely and the system always relaxes to a stable steady state. The dynamics and scale invariant species life time resemble the behavior of the IEM, and correctly predict an upper limit for trophic levels as observed in the field.

Cooling the Motion of Diamond Nanocrystals in a Magneto-Gravitational Trap in High Vacuum

PubMed Central

Hsu, Jen-Feng; Ji, Peng; Lewandowski, Charles W.; D’Urso, Brian

2016-01-01

Levitated diamond nanocrystals with nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centres in high vacuum have been proposed as a unique system for experiments in fundamental quantum mechanics, including the generation of large quantum superposition states and tests of quantum gravity. This system promises extreme isolation from its environment while providing quantum control and sensing through the NV centre spin. While optical trapping has been the most explored method of levitation, recent results indicate that excessive optical heating of the nanodiamonds under vacuum may make the method impractical with currently available materials. Here, we study an alternative magneto-gravitational trap for diamagnetic particles, such as diamond nanocrystals, with stable levitation from atmospheric pressure to high vacuum. Magnetic field gradients from permanent magnets confine the particle in two dimensions, while confinement in the third dimension is gravitational. We demonstrate that feedback cooling of the centre-of-mass motion of a trapped nanodiamond cluster results in cooling of one degree of freedom to less than 1 K. PMID:27444654

Hierarchically porous carbons with optimized nitrogen doping as highly active electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liang, Hai-Wei; Zhuang, Xiaodong; Brüller, Sebastian; Feng, Xinliang; Müllen, Klaus

2014-09-01

Development of efficient, low-cost and stable electrocatalysts as the alternative to platinum for the oxygen reduction reaction is of significance for many important electrochemical devices, such as fuel cells, metal-air batteries and chlor-alkali electrolysers. Here we report a highly active nitrogen-doped, carbon-based, metal-free oxygen reduction reaction electrocatalyst, prepared by a hard-templating synthesis, for which nitrogen-enriched aromatic polymers and colloidal silica are used as precursor and template, respectively, followed by ammonia activation. Our protocol allows for the simultaneous optimization of both porous structures and surface functionalities of nitrogen-doped carbons. Accordingly, the prepared catalysts show the highest oxygen reduction reaction activity (half-wave potential of 0.85 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode with a low loading of 0.1 mg cm-2) in alkaline media among all reported metal-free catalysts. Significantly, when used for constructing the air electrode of zinc-air battery, our metal-free catalyst outperforms the state-of the-art platinum-based catalyst.

A General, Adaptive, Roadmap-Based Algorithm for Protein Motion Computation.

PubMed

Molloy, Kevin; Shehu, Amarda

2016-03-01

Precious information on protein function can be extracted from a detailed characterization of protein equilibrium dynamics. This remains elusive in wet and dry laboratories, as function-modulating transitions of a protein between functionally-relevant, thermodynamically-stable and meta-stable structural states often span disparate time scales. In this paper we propose a novel, robotics-inspired algorithm that circumvents time-scale challenges by drawing analogies between protein motion and robot motion. The algorithm adapts the popular roadmap-based framework in robot motion computation to handle the more complex protein conformation space and its underlying rugged energy surface. Given known structures representing stable and meta-stable states of a protein, the algorithm yields a time- and energy-prioritized list of transition paths between the structures, with each path represented as a series of conformations. The algorithm balances computational resources between a global search aimed at obtaining a global view of the network of protein conformations and their connectivity and a detailed local search focused on realizing such connections with physically-realistic models. Promising results are presented on a variety of proteins that demonstrate the general utility of the algorithm and its capability to improve the state of the art without employing system-specific insight.

Theory of Disk-to-Vesicle Transformation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jianfeng; Shi, An-Chang

2009-03-01

Self-assembled membranes from amphiphilic molecules, such as lipids and block copolymers, can assume a variety of morphologies dictated by energy minimization of system. The membrane energy is characterized by a bending modulus (κ), a Gaussian modulus (κG), and the line tension (γ) of the edge. Two basic morphologies of membranes are flat disks that minimize the bending energy at the cost of the edge energy, and enclosed vesicles that minimize the edge energy at the cost of bending energy. In our work, the transition from disk to vesicle is studied theoretically using the string method, which is designed to find the minimum energy path (MEP) or the most probable transition path between two local minima of an energy landscape. Previous studies of disk-to-vesicle transition usually approximate the transitional states by a series of spherical cups, and found that the spherical cups do not correspond to stable or meta-stable states of the system. Our calculation demonstrates that the intermediate shapes along the MEP are very different from spherical cups. Furthermore, some of these transitional states can be meta-stable. The disk-to-vesicle transition pathways are governed by two scaled parameters, κG/κ and γR0/4κ, where R0 is the radius of the disk. In particular, a meta-stable intermediate state is predicted, which may correspond to the open morphologies observed in experiments and simulations.

Cost-effectiveness of ceritinib in patients previously treated with crizotinib in anaplastic lymphoma kinase positive (ALK+) non-small cell lung cancer in Canada.

PubMed

Hurry, Manjusha; Zhou, Zheng-Yi; Zhang, Jie; Zhang, Chenxue; Fan, Liangyi; Rebeira, Mayvis; Xie, Jipan

2016-10-01

To assess the cost-effectiveness of ceritinib vs alternatives in patients who discontinue treatment with crizotinib in anaplastic lymphoma kinase-positive (ALK+) non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) from a Canadian public healthcare perspective. A partitioned survival model with three health states (stable, progressive, and death) was developed. Comparators were chosen based on reported utilization from a retrospective Canadian chart study; comparators were pemetrexed, best supportive care (BSC), and historical control (HC). HC comprised of all treatment alternatives reported. Progression-free survival and overall survival for ceritinib were estimated using data reported from single-arm clinical trials (ASCEND-1 [NCT01283516] and ASCEND-2 [NCT01685060]). Survival data for comparators were obtained from published clinical trials in a NSCLC population and from a Canadian retrospective chart study. Parametric models were used to extrapolate outcomes beyond the trial period. Drug acquisition, administration, resource use, and adverse event (AE) costs were obtained from databases. Utilities for health states and disutilities for AEs based on EQ-5D were derived from literature. Incremental costs per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained were estimated. Univariate and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were performed. Over 4 years, ceritinib was associated with 0.86 QALYs and total direct costs of $89,740 for the post-ALK population. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) was $149,117 comparing ceritinib vs BSC, $80,100 vs pemetrexed, and $104,436 vs HC. Additional scenarios included comparison to docetaxel with an ICER of $149,780 and using utility scores reported from PROFILE 1007, with a reported ICER ranging from $67,311 vs pemetrexed to $119,926 vs BSC. Due to limitations in clinical efficacy input, extensive sensitivity analyses were carried out whereby results remained consistent with the base-case findings. Based on the willingness-to-pay threshold for end-of-life cancer drugs, ceritinib may be considered as a cost-effective option compared with other alternatives in patients who have progressed or are intolerant to crizotinib in Canada.

Magnetization switching process in a torus nanoring with easy-plane surface anisotropy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alzate-Cardona, J. D.; Sabogal-Suárez, D.; Restrepo-Parra, E.

2017-11-01

We have studied the effects of surface shape anisotropy in the magnetization behavior of a torus nanoring by means of Monte Carlo simulations. Stable states (vortex and reverse vortex states) and metastable states (onion and asymmetric onion states) were found in the torus nanoring. The probability of occurrence of the metastable states (stable states) tends to decrease (increase) as the amount of Monte Carlo steps per spin, temperature steps and negative values of the anisotropy constant increase. We evaluated under which conditions it is possible to switch the magnetic state of the torus nanoring from a vortex to a reverse vortex state by applying a circular magnetic field at certain temperature interval. The switching probability (from a vortex to a reverse vortex state) depends on the value of the current intensity, which generates the circular magnetic field, and the temperature interval where the magnetic field is applied. There is a linear relationship between the current intensity and the minimum temperature interval above which the vortex state can be switched.

Robustness of edge states in topological quantum dots against global electric field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qu, Jin-Xian; Zhang, Shu-Hui; Liu, Ding-Yang; Wang, Ping; Yang, Wen

2017-07-01

The topological insulator has attracted increasing attention as a new state of quantum matter featured by the symmetry-protected edge states. Although the qualitative robustness of the edge states against local perturbations has been well established, it is not clear how these topological edge states respond quantitatively to a global perturbation. Here, we study the response of topological edge states in a HgTe quantum dot to an external in-plane electric field—a paradigmatic global perturbation in solid-state environments. We find that the stability of the topological edge state could be larger than that of the ground bulk state by several orders of magnitudes. This robustness may be verified by standard transport measurements in the Coulomb blockage regime. Our work may pave the way towards utilizing these topological edge states as stable memory devices for charge and/or spin information and stable emitter of single terahertz photons or entangled terahertz photon pairs for quantum communication.

Reconsidering the Gatekeeper Paradigm for Percutaneous Coronary Intervention in Stable Coronary Disease Management.

PubMed

Schulman-Marcus, Joshua; Weintraub, William S; Boden, William E

2017-10-15

Major randomized clinical trials over the last decade support the role of optimal medical therapy for the initial management approach for patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD), whereas percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) ought to be reserved for patients with persistent symptoms despite optimal medical therapy. Likewise, several studies have continued to demonstrate the superiority of coronary artery bypass grafting surgery over PCI in many patients with extensive multivessel CAD, especially those with diabetes. Nevertheless, the decision-making paradigm for patients with stable CAD often continues to propagate the upfront use of "ad hoc PCI" and disadvantages alternative therapeutic approaches. In our editorial, we discuss how multiple systemic and interpersonal factors continue to favor early revascularization with PCI in stable patients. We discuss whether the interventional cardiologist can be an unbiased "gatekeeper" for the use of PCI or whether other physicians should also be involved with the patient in decision-making. Finally, we offer suggestions that can redefine the gatekeeper role to facilitate an evidence-based approach that embraces shared decision-making. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Cauliflower-like SnO2 hollow microspheres as anode and carbon fiber as cathode for high performance quantum dot and dye-sensitized solar cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ganapathy, Veerappan; Kong, Eui-Hyun; Park, Yoon-Cheol; Jang, Hyun Myung; Rhee, Shi-Woo

2014-02-01

Cauliflower-like tin oxide (SnO2) hollow microspheres (HMS) sensitized with multilayer quantum dots (QDs) as photoanode and alternative stable, low-cost counter electrode are employed for the first time in QD-sensitized solar cells (QDSCs). Cauliflower-like SnO2 hollow spheres mainly consist of 50 nm-sized agglomerated nanoparticles; they possess a high internal surface area and light scattering in between the microspheres and shell layers. This makes them promising photoanode material for both QDSCs and dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). Successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method and chemical bath deposition (CBD) are used for QD-sensitizing the SnO2 microspheres. Additionally, carbon-nanofiber (CNF) with a unique structure is used as an alternative counter electrode (CE) and compared with the standard platinum (Pt) CE. Their electrocatalytic properties are measured using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), cyclic voltammetry (CV), and Tafel-polarization. Under 1 sun illumination, solar cells made with hollow SnO2 photoanode sandwiched with the stable CNF CE showed a power conversion efficiency of 2.5% in QDSCs and 3.0% for DSCs, which is quite promising with the standard Pt CE (QDSCs: 2.1%, and DSCs: 3.6%).Cauliflower-like tin oxide (SnO2) hollow microspheres (HMS) sensitized with multilayer quantum dots (QDs) as photoanode and alternative stable, low-cost counter electrode are employed for the first time in QD-sensitized solar cells (QDSCs). Cauliflower-like SnO2 hollow spheres mainly consist of 50 nm-sized agglomerated nanoparticles; they possess a high internal surface area and light scattering in between the microspheres and shell layers. This makes them promising photoanode material for both QDSCs and dye-sensitized solar cells (DSCs). Successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) method and chemical bath deposition (CBD) are used for QD-sensitizing the SnO2 microspheres. Additionally, carbon-nanofiber (CNF) with a unique structure is used as an alternative counter electrode (CE) and compared with the standard platinum (Pt) CE. Their electrocatalytic properties are measured using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), cyclic voltammetry (CV), and Tafel-polarization. Under 1 sun illumination, solar cells made with hollow SnO2 photoanode sandwiched with the stable CNF CE showed a power conversion efficiency of 2.5% in QDSCs and 3.0% for DSCs, which is quite promising with the standard Pt CE (QDSCs: 2.1%, and DSCs: 3.6%). Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Experimental details, XRD, SEM-EDS, UV-vis spectra and photovoltaic parameters of devices. See DOI: 10.1039/c3nr05705d

Stable Spheromaks with Profile Control

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fowler, T K; Jayakumar, R

A spheromak equilibrium with zero edge current is shown to be stable to both ideal MHD and tearing modes that normally produce Taylor relaxation in gun-injected spheromaks. This stable equilibrium differs from the stable Taylor state in that the current density j falls to zero at the wall. Estimates indicate that this current profile could be sustained by non-inductive current drive at acceptable power levels. Stability is determined using the NIMROD code for linear stability analysis. Non-linear NIMROD calculations with non-inductive current drive could point the way to improved fusion reactors.

Alternative Therapies for Diabetes: A Comparison of Western and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Approaches.

PubMed

Xiao, Eric; Luo, Luguang

2017-05-18

Across the world, the economic and health costs of diabetes are rising at an alarming rate. Each year in the United States, billions of dollars are spent on T2 Diabetes mellitus (T2DM) treatments, but such treatments are not always effective and can lead to adverse events. Many pharmacological treatments exist to control the primary and secondary symptoms of T2DM, but these medications are not always efficacious, do little to treat secondary T2DM symptoms, and often carry adverse side effects. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is a form of alternative medicine that is becoming appealing to western healthcare systems because of its comprehensive, holistic approach to managing T2DM patients. Works across TCM printed texts, clinical trial databases, medical association practice guidelines, and the existing literature on TCM and western diabetes treatments (in print and online) are reviewed. Conventional pharmaceutical therapies for T2DM are not efficacious enough to maintain satisfactory blood glucose levels for all patients, and even patients who maintain stable blood glucose levels may still suffer from secondary T2DM symptoms as well as from the side effects of their medications. TCM therapies have demonstrated promising results in T2DM clinical studies without causing the types of side effects associated with standard pharmaceutical treatments. In addition, the economic burden of TCM diabetes treatments on patients and payers is oftentimes less than that of pharmaceutical regimens. TCM approaches can be a viable alternative approach to treatment in the modern U.S. healthcare landscape, but a number of obstacles impede its assimilation into western health systems. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

Transmission of chronic wasting disease in Wisconsin white-tailed deer: Implications for disease spread and management

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jennelle, Christopher S.; Henaux, Viviane; Wasserberg, Gideon; Thiagarajan, Bala; Rolley, Robert E.; Samuel, Michael D.

2014-01-01

Few studies have evaluated the rate of infection or mode of transmission for wildlife diseases, and the implications of alternative management strategies. We used hunter harvest data from 2002 to 2013 to investigate chronic wasting disease (CWD) infection rate and transmission modes, and address how alternative management approaches affect disease dynamics in a Wisconsin white-tailed deer population. Uncertainty regarding demographic impacts of CWD on cervid populations, human and domestic animal health concerns, and potential economic consequences underscore the need for strategies to control CWD distribution and prevalence. Using maximum-likelihood methods to evaluate alternative multi-state deterministic models of CWD transmission, harvest data strongly supports a frequency-dependent transmission structure with sex-specific infection rates that are two times higher in males than females. As transmissible spongiform encephalopathies are an important and difficult-to-study class of diseases with major economic and ecological implications, our work supports the hypothesis of frequency-dependent transmission in wild deer at a broad spatial scale and indicates that effective harvest management can be implemented to control CWD prevalence. Specifically, we show that harvest focused on the greater-affected sex (males) can result in stable population dynamics and control of CWD within the next 50 years, given the constraints of the model. We also provide a quantitative estimate of geographic disease spread in southern Wisconsin, validating qualitative assessments that CWD spreads relatively slowly. Given increased discovery and distribution of CWD throughout North America, insights from our study are valuable to management agencies and to the general public concerned about the impacts of CWD on white-tailed deer populations.

Transmission of Chronic Wasting Disease in Wisconsin White-Tailed Deer: Implications for Disease Spread and Management

PubMed Central

Jennelle, Christopher S.; Henaux, Viviane; Wasserberg, Gideon; Thiagarajan, Bala; Rolley, Robert E.; Samuel, Michael D.

2014-01-01

Few studies have evaluated the rate of infection or mode of transmission for wildlife diseases, and the implications of alternative management strategies. We used hunter harvest data from 2002 to 2013 to investigate chronic wasting disease (CWD) infection rate and transmission modes, and address how alternative management approaches affect disease dynamics in a Wisconsin white-tailed deer population. Uncertainty regarding demographic impacts of CWD on cervid populations, human and domestic animal health concerns, and potential economic consequences underscore the need for strategies to control CWD distribution and prevalence. Using maximum-likelihood methods to evaluate alternative multi-state deterministic models of CWD transmission, harvest data strongly supports a frequency-dependent transmission structure with sex-specific infection rates that are two times higher in males than females. As transmissible spongiform encephalopathies are an important and difficult-to-study class of diseases with major economic and ecological implications, our work supports the hypothesis of frequency-dependent transmission in wild deer at a broad spatial scale and indicates that effective harvest management can be implemented to control CWD prevalence. Specifically, we show that harvest focused on the greater-affected sex (males) can result in stable population dynamics and control of CWD within the next 50 years, given the constraints of the model. We also provide a quantitative estimate of geographic disease spread in southern Wisconsin, validating qualitative assessments that CWD spreads relatively slowly. Given increased discovery and distribution of CWD throughout North America, insights from our study are valuable to management agencies and to the general public concerned about the impacts of CWD on white-tailed deer populations. PMID:24658535

Calcium Stearate as an Effective Alternative to Poly(vinyl alcohol) in Poly-Lactic-co-Glycolic Acid Nanoparticles Synthesis.

PubMed

Cella, Claudia; Gerges, Irini; Milani, Paolo; Lenardi, Cristina; Argentiere, Simona

2017-02-13

Poly(d,l-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles (NPs) are among the most studied systems for drug and gene targeting. So far, the synthesis of stable and uniform PLGA NPs has involved the use of a large excess of polyvinyl surfactants such as poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), whose removal requires multistep purification procedures of high ecological and economic impact. Hence the development of environment-friendly and cost-effective synthetic procedures for the synthesis of PLGA NPs would effectively boost their use in clinics. This work aims to address this issue by investigating more efficacious alternatives to the so far employed polyvinyl surfactants. More specifically, we developed an innovative synthetic process to achieve stable and uniformly distributed PLGA NPs that involves the use of calcium stearate (CSt), gaining benefits of its high biocompatibility and efficacy at low concentrations and avoiding consequently expensive purification steps. With the help of minimum quantities of polysorbate 60 and sorbitane monostearate, CSt-stabilized PLGA NPs with different sizes and structures were synthesized. The influence of CSt on the encapsulation efficiency of bioactive molecules has been also investigated. The effective encapsulation of both hydrophobic (curcumin) and hydrophilic (fibrinogen labeled with Alexa647) biomolecules into NPs was demonstrated by confocal microscopy, and their release quantified by spectrofluorimetric analyses. Finally, degradation and cytotoxicity studies showed that CSt stabilized NPs were stable under physiological conditions and with good biocompatibility, thus looking promising for further investigation as controlled release devices.

Characterization of stem cells and cancer cells on the basis of gene expression profile stability, plasticity, and robustness: dynamical systems theory of gene expressions under cell-cell interaction explains mutational robustness of differentiated cells and suggests how cancer cells emerge.

PubMed

Kaneko, Kunihiko

2011-06-01

Here I present and discuss a model that, among other things, appears able to describe the dynamics of cancer cell origin from the perspective of stable and unstable gene expression profiles. In identifying such aberrant gene expression profiles as lying outside the normal stable states attracted through development and normal cell differentiation, the hypothesis explains why cancer cells accumulate mutations, to which they are not robust, and why these mutations create a new stable state far from the normal gene expression profile space. Such cells are in strong contrast with normal cell types that appeared as an attractor state in the gene expression dynamical system under cell-cell interaction and achieved robustness to noise through evolution, which in turn also conferred robustness to mutation. In complex gene regulation networks, other aberrant cellular states lacking such high robustness are expected to remain, which would correspond to cancer cells. Copyright © 2011 WILEY Periodicals, Inc.

High-level ab initio studies of NO(X2Π)-O2(X3Σg -) van der Waals complexes in quartet states

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grein, Friedrich

2018-05-01

Geometry optimisations were performed on nine different structures of NO(X2Π)-O2(X3Σg-) van der Waals complexes in their quartet states, using the explicitly correlated RCCSD(T)-F12b method with basis sets up to the cc-pVQZ-F12 level. For the most stable configurations, counterpoise-corrected optimisations as well as extrapolations to the complete basis set (CBS) were performed. The X structure in the 4A‧ state was found to be most stable, with a CBS binding energy of -157 cm-1. The slipped tilted structures with N closer to O2 (Slipt-N), as well as the slipped parallel structure with O of NO closer to O2 (Slipp-O) in 4A″ states have binding energies of about -130 cm-1. C2v and linear complexes are less stable. According to calculated harmonic frequencies, the X isomer is bound. Isotropic hyperfine coupling constants of the complex are compared with those of the monomers.

Origin and Manipulation of Stable Vortex Ground States in Permalloy Nanotubes.

PubMed

Zimmermann, Michael; Meier, Thomas Norbert Gerhard; Dirnberger, Florian; Kákay, Attila; Decker, Martin; Wintz, Sebastian; Finizio, Simone; Josten, Elisabeth; Raabe, Jörg; Kronseder, Matthias; Bougeard, Dominique; Lindner, Jürgen; Back, Christian Horst

2018-05-09

We present a detailed study on the static magnetic properties of individual permalloy nanotubes (NTs) with hexagonal cross-sections. Anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR) measurements and scanning transmission X-ray microscopy (STXM) are used to investigate their magnetic ground states and its stability. We find that the magnetization in zero applied magnetic field is in a very stable vortex state. Its origin is attributed to a strong growth-induced anisotropy with easy axis perpendicular to the long axis of the tubes. AMR measurements of individual NTs in combination with micromagnetic simulations allow the determination of the magnitude of the growth-induced anisotropy for different types of NT coatings. We show that the strength of the anisotropy can be controlled by introducing a buffer layer underneath the magnetic layer. The magnetic ground states depend on the external magnetic field history and are directly imaged using STXM. Stable vortex domains can be introduced by external magnetic fields and can be erased by radio-frequency magnetic fields applied at the center of the tubes via a strip line antenna.

Electrically active induced energy levels and metastability of B and N vacancy-complexes in 4H–SiC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Igumbor, E.; Olaniyan, O.; Mapasha, R. E.; Danga, H. T.; Omotoso, E.; Meyer, W. E.

2018-05-01

Electrically active induced energy levels in semiconductor devices could be beneficial to the discovery of an enhanced p or n-type semiconductor. Nitrogen (N) implanted into 4H–SiC is a high energy process that produced high defect concentrations which could be removed during dopant activation annealing. On the other hand, boron (B) substituted for silicon in SiC causes a reduction in the number of defects. This scenario leads to a decrease in the dielectric properties and induced deep donor and shallow acceptor levels. Complexes formed by the N, such as the nitrogen-vacancy centre, have been reported to play a significant role in the application of quantum bits. In this paper, results of charge states thermodynamic transition level of the N and B vacancy-complexes in 4H–SiC are presented. We explore complexes where substitutional N/N or B/B sits near a Si (V) or C (V) vacancy to form vacancy-complexes (NV, NV, NV, NV, BV, BV, BV and BV). The energies of formation of the N related vacancy-complexes showed the NV to be energetically stable close to the valence band maximum in its double positive charge state. The NV is more energetically stable in the double negative charge state close to the conduction band minimum. The NV on the other hand, induced double donor level and the NV induced a double acceptor level. For B related complexes, the BV and BV were energetically stable in their single positive charge state close to the valence band maximum. As the Fermi energy is varied across the band gap, the neutral and single negative charge states of the BV become more stable at different energy levels. B and N related complexes exhibited charge state controlled metastability behaviour.

24 CFR 3288.110 - Alternative Process agreements.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 24 Housing and Urban Development 5 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Alternative Process agreements... HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT MANUFACTURED HOME DISPUTE RESOLUTION PROGRAM Alternative Process in HUD-Administered States § 3288.110 Alternative Process agreements. (a) Required agreement. To use the Alternative...

Dynamics of glass-forming liquids. XV. Dynamical features of molecular liquids that form ultra-stable glasses by vapor deposition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Zhen; Richert, Ranko

2011-09-01

The dielectric relaxation behavior of ethylbenzene (EBZ) in its viscous regime is measured, and the glass transition temperature (Tg = 116 K) as well as fragility (m = 98) are determined. While the Tg of EBZ from this work is consistent with earlier results, the fragility is found much higher than what has been assumed previously. Literature data is supplemented by the present results on EBZ to compile the dynamic behavior of those glass formers that are known to form ultra-stable glasses by vapor deposition. These dynamics are contrasted with those of ethylcyclohexane, a glass former for which a comparable vapor deposition failed to produce an equally stable glassy state. In a graph that linearizes Vogel-Fulcher-Tammann behavior, i.e., the derivative of -logτ with respect to T/Tg raised to the power of -1/2 versus T/Tg, all ultra-stable glass formers fall onto one master curve in a wide temperature range, while ethylcyclohexane deviates for T ≫ Tg. This result suggests that ultra-stable glass formers share common behavior regarding the dynamics of their supercooled liquid state if scaled to their respective Tg values, and that fragility and related features are linked to the ability to form ultra-stable materials.

Prediction of neutral noble gas insertion compounds with heavier pnictides: FNgY (Ng = Kr and Xe; Y = As, Sb and Bi).

PubMed

Ghosh, Ayan; Manna, Debashree; Ghanty, Tapan K

2016-04-28

A novel class of interesting insertion compounds obtained through the insertion of a noble gas atom into the heavier pnictides have been explored by various ab initio quantum chemical techniques. Recently, the first neutral noble gas insertion compounds, FXeY (Y = P, N), were theoretically predicted to be stable; the triplet state was found to be the most stable state, with a high triplet-singlet energy gap, by our group. In this study, we investigated another noble gas inserted compound, FNgY (Ng = Kr and Xe; Y = As, Sb and Bi), with a triplet ground state. Density functional theory (DFT), second order Møller-Plesset perturbation theory (MP2), coupled-cluster theory (CCSD(T)) and multi-reference configuration interaction (MRCI) based techniques have been utilized to investigate the structures, stabilities, harmonic vibrational frequencies, charge distributions and topological properties of these compounds. These predicted species, FNgY (Ng = Kr and Xe; Y = As, Sb and Bi) are found to be energetically stable with respect to all the probable 2-body and 3-body dissociation pathways, except for the 2-body channel leading to the global minimum products (FY + Ng). Nevertheless, the finite barrier height corresponding to the saddle points of the compounds connected to their respective global minima products indicates that these compounds are kinetically stable. The structural parameters, energetics, and charge distribution results as well as atoms-in-molecules (AIM) analysis suggest that these predicted molecules can be best represented as F(-)[(3)NgY](+). Thus, all the aforementioned computed results clearly indicate that it may be possible to experimentally prepare the most stable triplet state of FNgY molecules under cryogenic conditions through a matrix isolation technique.

Shot noise perturbations and mean first passage times between stable states.

PubMed

Drury, Kevin L S

2007-08-01

Predicting crossings between stable states is a central issue in population biology. Crossings from low-density to high-density equilibria are often associated with pest outbreaks, while the opposite crossings are often associated with population collapse of harvested species. Here I use a simple, bistable model to demonstrate a technique for estimating mean first passage times (MFPT) of thresholds, including boundaries between stable equilibria. The approach is based on stochastic "shot-noise" perturbations to the population and the MFPTs compare favorably with mean crossing times from Monte Carlo numerical solutions of the stochastically perturbed model. This agreement suggests that MFPT approximations can be used to quantify expected effects of species manipulations, whether the goal is pest control or sustainable harvest.

20 CFR 404.2117 - What costs will be paid.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... the State VR agency or alternate participant for the VR services described in § 404.2114 which were..., but subject to the following limitations: (a) The cost must have been incurred by the State VR agency.... For this purpose, State VR agencies or alternate participants will be required to seek payment or...

20 CFR 404.2117 - What costs will be paid.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... the State VR agency or alternate participant for the VR services described in § 404.2114 which were..., but subject to the following limitations: (a) The cost must have been incurred by the State VR agency.... For this purpose, State VR agencies or alternate participants will be required to seek payment or...

20 CFR 404.2117 - What costs will be paid.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... the State VR agency or alternate participant for the VR services described in § 404.2114 which were..., but subject to the following limitations: (a) The cost must have been incurred by the State VR agency.... For this purpose, State VR agencies or alternate participants will be required to seek payment or...

20 CFR 404.2117 - What costs will be paid.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... the State VR agency or alternate participant for the VR services described in § 404.2114 which were..., but subject to the following limitations: (a) The cost must have been incurred by the State VR agency.... For this purpose, State VR agencies or alternate participants will be required to seek payment or...

20 CFR 404.2117 - What costs will be paid.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... the State VR agency or alternate participant for the VR services described in § 404.2114 which were..., but subject to the following limitations: (a) The cost must have been incurred by the State VR agency.... For this purpose, State VR agencies or alternate participants will be required to seek payment or...