Landscape and local effects on occupancy and densities of an endangered wood-warbler in an urbanizing landscape

USGS Publications Warehouse

Reidy, Jennifer; Thompson III, Frank R.; Amundson, Courtney L.; O'Donnell, Lisa

2015-01-01

Landscape composition and habitat structure were important determinants of warbler occupancy and density, and the large intact patches of juniper and mixed forest on BCP (>2100 ha) supported a high density of warblers. Increasing urbanization and fragmentation in the surrounding landscape will likely result in lower breeding density due to loss of juniper and mixed forest and increasing urban land cover and edge.

Construction of Lines of Constant Density and Constant Refractive Index for Ternary Liquid Mixtures.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tasic, Aleksandar Z.; Djordjevic, Bojan D.

1983-01-01

Demonstrates construction of density constant and refractive index constant lines in triangular coordinate system on basis of systematic experimental determinations of density and refractive index for both homogeneous (single-phase) ternary liquid mixtures (of known composition) and the corresponding binary compositions. Background information,…

Natural occupation numbers: when do they vanish?

PubMed

Giesbertz, K J H; van Leeuwen, R

2013-09-14

The non-vanishing of the natural orbital (NO) occupation numbers of the one-particle density matrix of many-body systems has important consequences for the existence of a density matrix-potential mapping for nonlocal potentials in reduced density matrix functional theory and for the validity of the extended Koopmans' theorem. On the basis of Weyl's theorem we give a connection between the differentiability properties of the ground state wavefunction and the rate at which the natural occupations approach zero when ordered as a descending series. We show, in particular, that the presence of a Coulomb cusp in the wavefunction leads, in general, to a power law decay of the natural occupations, whereas infinitely differentiable wavefunctions typically have natural occupations that decay exponentially. We analyze for a number of explicit examples of two-particle systems that in case the wavefunction is non-analytic at its spatial diagonal (for instance, due to the presence of a Coulomb cusp) the natural orbital occupations are non-vanishing. We further derive a more general criterium for the non-vanishing of NO occupations for two-particle wavefunctions with a certain separability structure. On the basis of this criterium we show that for a two-particle system of harmonically confined electrons with a Coulombic interaction (the so-called Hookium) the natural orbital occupations never vanish.

Occupational exposures and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: Canadian case-control study.

PubMed

Karunanayake, Chandima P; McDuffie, Helen H; Dosman, James A; Spinelli, John J; Pahwa, Punam

2008-08-07

The objective was to study the association between Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (NHL) and occupational exposures related to long held occupations among males in six provinces of Canada. A population based case-control study was conducted from 1991 to 1994. Males with newly diagnosed NHL (ICD-10) were stratified by province of residence and age group. A total of 513 incident cases and 1506 population based controls were included in the analysis. Conditional logistic regression was conducted to fit statistical models. Based on conditional logistic regression modeling, the following factors independently increased the risk of NHL: farmer and machinist as long held occupations; constant exposure to diesel exhaust fumes; constant exposure to ionizing radiation (radium); and personal history of another cancer. Men who had worked for 20 years or more as farmer and machinist were the most likely to develop NHL. An increased risk of developing NHL is associated with the following: long held occupations of faer and machinist; exposure to diesel fumes; and exposure to ionizing radiation (radium). The risk of NHL increased with the duration of employment as a farmer or machinist.

Reconstructing meaning through occupation after the death of a family member: accommodation, assimilation, and continuing bonds.

PubMed

Hoppes, Steve; Segal, Ruth

2010-01-01

Reactions to death have been studied extensively from psychological, behavioral, and physiological perspectives. Occupational adaptation to loss has received scant attention. Qualitative research was undertaken to identify and describe occupational responses in bereavement. The constant comparative approach was used to analyze and interpret the occupational responses. Adaptive strategies of occupational accommodation and assimilation were used after the death of a family member. Desire to sustain bonds with the deceased motivated specific occupational engagements. These occupational responses served to reconstruct meaning after the death of a family member. These findings contribute to understanding adaptation after death by adding an occupational perspective to previous theories. Occupational therapists' abilities to support clients after loss can be enhanced through appreciation of occupational accommodation and assimilation and the role of continuing occupational bonds after the death of a loved one.

Simulation of pedestrian crowds’ evacuation in a huge transit terminal subway station

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lei, Wenjun; Li, Angui; Gao, Ran; Hao, Xinpeng; Deng, Baoshun

2012-11-01

As modernized urban rail transportation, subways are playing an important role in transiting large passenger flows. Passengers are in high density within the subway during rush hours. The casualty and injury will be tremendous if an accident occurs, such as a fire. Hence, enough attention should be paid on pedestrian crowds’ evacuation in a subway. In this paper, simulation of the process of pedestrian crowds’ evacuation from a huge transit terminal subway station is conducted. The evacuation process in different cases is conducted by using an agent-based model. Effects of occupant density, exit width and automatic fare gates on evacuation time are studied in detail. It is found that, with the increase of the occupant density, the evacuation efficiency would decline. There is a linear relationship between occupant density and evacuation time. Different occupant densities correspond to different critical exit widths. However, the existence of the automatic fare gates has little effect on evacuation time and tendency. The current results of this study will be helpful in guiding evacuation designs of huge underground spaces.

Fluctuations around equilibrium laws in ergodic continuous-time random walks.

PubMed

Schulz, Johannes H P; Barkai, Eli

2015-06-01

We study occupation time statistics in ergodic continuous-time random walks. Under thermal detailed balance conditions, the average occupation time is given by the Boltzmann-Gibbs canonical law. But close to the nonergodic phase, the finite-time fluctuations around this mean are large and nontrivial. They exhibit dual time scaling and distribution laws: the infinite density of large fluctuations complements the Lévy-stable density of bulk fluctuations. Neither of the two should be interpreted as a stand-alone limiting law, as each has its own deficiency: the infinite density has an infinite norm (despite particle conservation), while the stable distribution has an infinite variance (although occupation times are bounded). These unphysical divergences are remedied by consistent use and interpretation of both formulas. Interestingly, while the system's canonical equilibrium laws naturally determine the mean occupation time of the ergodic motion, they also control the infinite and Lévy-stable densities of fluctuations. The duality of stable and infinite densities is in fact ubiquitous for these dynamics, as it concerns the time averages of general physical observables.

Occupational adjustment of the prospective payment system wage index

PubMed Central

Pope, Gregory C.

1989-01-01

In this article, the bias in the Medicare prospective payment system (PPS) hospital wage index that results from its failure to hold hospital occupation mix constant is examined. On average, the difference between the current PPS wage index and a fixed-occupation-mix Laspeyres index is small, approximately 2 percent. However, occupation-mix distortions are substantially larger for a small proportion of labor market areas, especially some in the South. Biases in the wage index resulting from its failure to appropriately account for labor substitution and intra-occupational worker characteristics are also analyzed but are not found to be significant. PMID:10313354

Management decision making for fisher populations informed by occupancy modeling

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fuller, Angela K.; Linden, Daniel W.; Royle, J. Andrew

2016-01-01

Harvest data are often used by wildlife managers when setting harvest regulations for species because the data are regularly collected and do not require implementation of logistically and financially challenging studies to obtain the data. However, when harvest data are not available because an area had not previously supported a harvest season, alternative approaches are required to help inform management decision making. When distribution or density data are required across large areas, occupancy modeling is a useful approach, and under certain conditions, can be used as a surrogate for density. We collaborated with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) to conduct a camera trapping study across a 70,096-km2 region of southern New York in areas that were currently open to fisher (Pekania [Martes] pennanti) harvest and those that had been closed to harvest for approximately 65 years. We used detection–nondetection data at 826 sites to model occupancy as a function of site-level landscape characteristics while accounting for sampling variation. Fisher occupancy was influenced positively by the proportion of conifer and mixed-wood forest within a 15-km2 grid cell and negatively associated with road density and the proportion of agriculture. Model-averaged predictions indicated high occupancy probabilities (>0.90) when road densities were low (<1 km/km2) and coniferous and mixed forest proportions were high (>0.50). Predicted occupancy ranged 0.41–0.67 in wildlife management units (WMUs) currently open to trapping, which could be used to guide a minimum occupancy threshold for opening new areas to trapping seasons. There were 5 WMUs that had been closed to trapping but had an average predicted occupancy of 0.52 (0.07 SE), and above the threshold of 0.41. These areas are currently under consideration by NYSDEC for opening a conservative harvest season. We demonstrate the use of occupancy modeling as an aid to management decision making when harvest-related data are unavailable and when budgetary constraints do not allow for capture–recapture studies to directly estimate density.

Occupational Stratification over the Life Course: A Comparison of Occupational Trajectories across Race and Gender during the 1980s and 1990s.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Miech, Richard A.; Eaton, William; Liang, Kung-Yee

2003-01-01

Growth curve analysis was used on data from the National Longitudinal Survey (n=9,532) and Baltimore (n=3,481) to determine whether disparities in the occupational standing of white men compared to women and minorities grew with advancing age. Results indicate that disparities remained constant over the life course for all but African Americans…

Elasticity of methane hydrate phases at high pressure.

PubMed

Beam, Jennifer; Yang, Jing; Liu, Jin; Liu, Chujie; Lin, Jung-Fu

2016-04-21

Determination of the full elastic constants (cij) of methane hydrates (MHs) at extreme pressure-temperature environments is essential to our understanding of the elastic, thermodynamic, and mechanical properties of methane in MH reservoirs on Earth and icy satellites in the solar system. Here, we have investigated the elastic properties of singe-crystal cubic MH-sI, hexagonal MH-II, and orthorhombic MH-III phases at high pressures in a diamond anvil cell. Brillouin light scattering measurements, together with complimentary equation of state (pressure-density) results from X-ray diffraction and methane site occupancies in MH from Raman spectroscopy, were used to derive elastic constants of MH-sI, MH-II, and MH-III phases at high pressures. Analysis of the elastic constants for MH-sI and MH-II showed intriguing similarities and differences between the phases' compressional wave velocity anisotropy and shear wave velocity anisotropy. Our results show that these high-pressure MH phases can exhibit distinct elastic, thermodynamic, and mechanical properties at relevant environments of their respective natural reservoirs. These results provide new insight into the determination of how much methane exists in MH reservoirs on Earth and on icy satellites elsewhere in the solar system and put constraints on the pressure and temperature conditions of their environment.

How electronic dynamics with Pauli exclusion produces Fermi-Dirac statistics.

PubMed

Nguyen, Triet S; Nanguneri, Ravindra; Parkhill, John

2015-04-07

It is important that any dynamics method approaches the correct population distribution at long times. In this paper, we derive a one-body reduced density matrix dynamics for electrons in energetic contact with a bath. We obtain a remarkable equation of motion which shows that in order to reach equilibrium properly, rates of electron transitions depend on the density matrix. Even though the bath drives the electrons towards a Boltzmann distribution, hole blocking factors in our equation of motion cause the electronic populations to relax to a Fermi-Dirac distribution. These factors are an old concept, but we show how they can be derived with a combination of time-dependent perturbation theory and the extended normal ordering of Mukherjee and Kutzelnigg for a general electronic state. The resulting non-equilibrium kinetic equations generalize the usual Redfield theory to many-electron systems, while ensuring that the orbital occupations remain between zero and one. In numerical applications of our equations, we show that relaxation rates of molecules are not constant because of the blocking effect. Other applications to model atomic chains are also presented which highlight the importance of treating both dephasing and relaxation. Finally, we show how the bath localizes the electron density matrix.

Determination of mass density, dielectric, elastic, and piezoelectric constants of bulk GaN crystal.

PubMed

Soluch, Waldemar; Brzozowski, Ernest; Lysakowska, Magdalena; Sadura, Jolanta

2011-11-01

Mass density, dielectric, elastic, and piezoelectric constants of bulk GaN crystal were determined. Mass density was obtained from the measured ratio of mass to volume of a cuboid. The dielectric constants were determined from the measured capacitances of an interdigital transducer (IDT) deposited on a Z-cut plate and from a parallel plate capacitor fabricated from this plate. The elastic and piezoelectric constants were determined by comparing the measured and calculated SAW velocities and electromechanical coupling coefficients on the Z- and X-cut plates. The following new constants were obtained: mass density p = 5986 kg/m(3); relative dielectric constants (at constant strain S) ε(S)(11)/ε(0) = 8.6 and ε(S)(11)/ε(0) = 10.5, where ε(0) is a dielectric constant of free space; elastic constants (at constant electric field E) C(E)(11) = 349.7, C(E)(12) = 128.1, C(E)(13) = 129.4, C(E)(33) = 430.3, and C(E)(44) = 96.5 GPa; and piezoelectric constants e(33) = 0.84, e(31) = -0.47, and e(15) = -0.41 C/m(2).

Re-Occupancy of Breeding Territories by Ferruginous Hawks in Wyoming: Relationships to Environmental and Anthropogenic Factors

PubMed Central

Wallace, Zachary P.; Kennedy, Patricia L.; Squires, John R.; Oakleaf, Robert J.; Olson, Lucretia E.; Dugger, Katie M.

2016-01-01

Grassland and shrubland birds are declining globally due in part to anthropogenic habitat modification. Because population performance of these species is also influenced by non-anthropogenic factors, it is important to incorporate all relevant ecological drivers into demographic models. We used design-based sampling and occupancy models to test relationships of environmental factors that influence raptor demographics with re-occupancy of breeding territories by ferruginous hawks (Buteo regalis) across Wyoming, USA, 2011–2013. We also tested correlations of territory re-occupancy with oil and gas infrastructure—a leading cause of habitat modification throughout the range of this species of conservation concern. Probability of re-occupancy was not related to any covariates we investigated in 2011, had a strong negative relationship with cover of sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) in 2012, was slightly higher for territories with artificial platforms than other nest substrates in 2013, and had a positive relationship with abundance of ground squirrels (Urocitellus spp.) that was strong in 2012 and weak in 2013. Associations with roads were weak and varied by year, road-type, and scale: in 2012, re-occupancy probability had a weak positive correlation with density of roads not associated with oil and gas fields at the territory-scale; however, in 2013 re-occupancy had a very weak negative correlation with density of oil and gas field roads near nest sites (≤500 m). Although our results indicate re-occupancy of breeding territories by ferruginous hawks was compatible with densities of anthropogenic infrastructure in our study area, the lack of relationships between oil and gas well density and territory re-occupancy may have occurred because pre-treatment data were unavailable. We used probabilistic sampling at a broad spatial extent, methods to account for imperfect detection, and conducted extensive prey sampling; nonetheless, future research using before-after-control-impact designs is needed to fully assess impacts of oil and gas development on ferruginous hawks. PMID:27049324

Re-Occupancy of Breeding Territories by Ferruginous Hawks in Wyoming: Relationships to Environmental and Anthropogenic Factors

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wallace, Zachary P.; Kennedy, Patricia L.; Squires, John R.; Oakleaf, Robert J.; Olson, Lucretia E.; Dugger, Katie M.

2016-01-01

Grassland and shrubland birds are declining globally due in part to anthropogenic habitat modification. Because population performance of these species is also influenced by non-anthropogenic factors, it is important to incorporate all relevant ecological drivers into demographic models. We used design-based sampling and occupancy models to test relationships of environmental factors that influence raptor demographics with re-occupancy of breeding territories by ferruginous hawks (Buteo regalis) across Wyoming, USA, 2011–2013. We also tested correlations of territory re-occupancy with oil and gas infrastructure—a leading cause of habitat modification throughout the range of this species of conservation concern. Probability of re-occupancy was not related to any covariates we investigated in 2011, had a strong negative relationship with cover of sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) in 2012, was slightly higher for territories with artificial platforms than other nest substrates in 2013, and had a positive relationship with abundance of ground squirrels (Urocitellus spp.) that was strong in 2012 and weak in 2013. Associations with roads were weak and varied by year, road-type, and scale: in 2012, re-occupancy probability had a weak positive correlation with density of roads not associated with oil and gas fields at the territory-scale; however, in 2013 re-occupancy had a very weak negative correlation with density of oil and gas field roads near nest sites (≤500 m). Although our results indicate re-occupancy of breeding territories by ferruginous hawks was compatible with densities of anthropogenic infrastructure in our study area, the lack of relationships between oil and gas well density and territory re-occupancy may have occurred because pre-treatment data were unavailable. We used probabilistic sampling at a broad spatial extent, methods to account for imperfect detection, and conducted extensive prey sampling; nonetheless, future research using before-after-control-impact designs is needed to fully assess impacts of oil and gas development on ferruginous hawks.

Re-Occupancy of Breeding Territories by Ferruginous Hawks in Wyoming: Relationships to Environmental and Anthropogenic Factors.

PubMed

Wallace, Zachary P; Kennedy, Patricia L; Squires, John R; Oakleaf, Robert J; Olson, Lucretia E; Dugger, Katie M

2016-01-01

Grassland and shrubland birds are declining globally due in part to anthropogenic habitat modification. Because population performance of these species is also influenced by non-anthropogenic factors, it is important to incorporate all relevant ecological drivers into demographic models. We used design-based sampling and occupancy models to test relationships of environmental factors that influence raptor demographics with re-occupancy of breeding territories by ferruginous hawks (Buteo regalis) across Wyoming, USA, 2011-2013. We also tested correlations of territory re-occupancy with oil and gas infrastructure-a leading cause of habitat modification throughout the range of this species of conservation concern. Probability of re-occupancy was not related to any covariates we investigated in 2011, had a strong negative relationship with cover of sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) in 2012, was slightly higher for territories with artificial platforms than other nest substrates in 2013, and had a positive relationship with abundance of ground squirrels (Urocitellus spp.) that was strong in 2012 and weak in 2013. Associations with roads were weak and varied by year, road-type, and scale: in 2012, re-occupancy probability had a weak positive correlation with density of roads not associated with oil and gas fields at the territory-scale; however, in 2013 re-occupancy had a very weak negative correlation with density of oil and gas field roads near nest sites (≤500 m). Although our results indicate re-occupancy of breeding territories by ferruginous hawks was compatible with densities of anthropogenic infrastructure in our study area, the lack of relationships between oil and gas well density and territory re-occupancy may have occurred because pre-treatment data were unavailable. We used probabilistic sampling at a broad spatial extent, methods to account for imperfect detection, and conducted extensive prey sampling; nonetheless, future research using before-after-control-impact designs is needed to fully assess impacts of oil and gas development on ferruginous hawks.

Medium-density fibreboard and occupational asthma. A case series.

PubMed

Burton, C; Bradshaw, L; Agius, R; Burge, S; Huggins, V; Fishwick, D

2011-08-01

Medium-density fibreboard (MDF) is a wood composite material, composed primarily of softwood, bonded with a synthetic formaldehyde-based resin. It is increasingly used, as it has various advantages over natural woods. Enquiry of the national reporting scheme data and three case reports were used to further the evidence base linking this exposure to occupational asthma (OA). From 1991 to 2007, 21 cases of occupational sensitization to MDF were reported to the UK voluntary reporting scheme, Surveillance of Work Related Occupational Respiratory Disease (SWORD): 18 reported as occupational asthma (OA) and 3 as occupational rhinitis. All workers were male, with a mean age of 48 years, working in education, furniture manufacturing or joinery among other employments. Whilst reporting scheme data identified relatively small numbers of cases of OA likely to be due to MDF, the evidence base supporting this link is generally lacking. The three cases presented, where OA was attributed to MDF exposure, add to this evidence.

Occupancy patterns of regionally declining grassland sparrow populations in a forested Pennsylvania landscape

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hill, Jason M.; Diefenbach, Duane R.

2014-01-01

Organisms can be affected by processes in the surrounding landscape outside the boundary of habitat areas and by local vegetation characteristics. There is substantial interest in understanding how these processes affect populations of grassland birds, which have experienced substantial population declines. Much of our knowledge regarding patterns of occupancy and density stem from prairie systems, whereas relatively little is known regarding how occurrence and abundance of grassland birds vary in reclaimed surface mine grasslands. Using distance sampling and single-season occupancy models, we investigated how the occupancy probability of Grasshopper (Ammodramus savannarum) and Henslow's Sparrows (A. henslowii) on 61 surface mine grasslands (1591 ha) in Pennsylvania changed from 2002 through 2011 in response to landscape, grassland, and local vegetation characteristics . A subset (n = 23; 784 ha) of those grasslands were surveyed in 2002, and we estimated changes in sparrow density and vegetation across 10 years. Grasshopper and Henslow's Sparrow populations declined 72% and 49%, respectively from 2002 to 2011, whereas overall woody vegetation density increased 2.6 fold. Henslow's Sparrows avoided grasslands with perimeter–area ratios ≥0.141 km/ha and woody shrub densities ≥0.04 shrubs/m2. Both species occupied grasslands ≤13 ha, but occupancy probability declined with increasing grassland perimeter–area ratio and woody shrub density. Grassland size, proximity to nearest neighboring grassland ( = 0.2 km), and surrounding landscape composition at 0.5, 1.5, and 3.0 km were not parsimonious predictors of occupancy probability for either species. Our results suggest that reclaimed surface mine grasslands, without management intervention, are ephemeral habitats for Grasshopper and Henslow's Sparrows. Given the forecasted decline in surface coal production for Pennsylvania, it is likely that both species will continue to decline in our study region for the foreseeable future.

Links between DNA methylation and nucleosome occupancy in the human genome.

PubMed

Collings, Clayton K; Anderson, John N

2017-01-01

DNA methylation is an epigenetic modification that is enriched in heterochromatin but depleted at active promoters and enhancers. However, the debate on whether or not DNA methylation is a reliable indicator of high nucleosome occupancy has not been settled. For example, the methylation levels of DNA flanking CTCF sites are higher in linker DNA than in nucleosomal DNA, while other studies have shown that the nucleosome core is the preferred site of methylation. In this study, we make progress toward understanding these conflicting phenomena by implementing a bioinformatics approach that combines MNase-seq and NOMe-seq data and by comprehensively profiling DNA methylation and nucleosome occupancy throughout the human genome. The results demonstrated that increasing methylated CpG density is correlated with nucleosome occupancy in the total genome and within nearly all subgenomic regions. Features with elevated methylated CpG density such as exons, SINE-Alu sequences, H3K36-trimethylated peaks, and methylated CpG islands are among the highest nucleosome occupied elements in the genome, while some of the lowest occupancies are displayed by unmethylated CpG islands and unmethylated transcription factor binding sites. Additionally, outside of CpG islands, the density of CpGs within nucleosomes was shown to be important for the nucleosomal location of DNA methylation with low CpG frequencies favoring linker methylation and high CpG frequencies favoring core particle methylation. Prominent exceptions to the correlations between methylated CpG density and nucleosome occupancy include CpG islands marked by H3K27me3 and CpG-poor heterochromatin marked by H3K9me3, and these modifications, along with DNA methylation, distinguish the major silencing mechanisms of the human epigenome. Thus, the relationship between DNA methylation and nucleosome occupancy is influenced by the density of methylated CpG dinucleotides and by other epigenomic components in chromatin.

Neighborhood and habitat effects on vital rates: expansion of the Barred Owl in the Oregon Coast Ranges

USGS Publications Warehouse

Yackulic, Charles B.; Reid, Janice; Davis, Raymond; Hines, James E.; Nichols, James D.; Forsman, Eric

2012-01-01

In this paper, we modify dynamic occupancy models developed for detection-nondetection data to allow for the dependence of local vital rates on neighborhood occupancy, where neighborhood is defined very flexibly. Such dependence of occupancy dynamics on the status of a relevant neighborhood is pervasive, yet frequently ignored. Our framework permits joint inference about the importance of neighborhood effects and habitat covariates in determining colonization and extinction rates. Our specific motivation is the recent expansion of the Barred Owl (Strix varia) in western Oregon, USA, over the period 1990-2010. Because the focal period was one of dramatic range expansion and local population increase, the use of models that incorporate regional occupancy (sources of colonists) as determinants of dynamic rate parameters is especially appropriate. We began our analysis of 21 years of Barred Owl presence/nondetection data in the Tyee Density Study Area (TDSA) by testing a suite of six models that varied only in the covariates included in the modeling of detection probability. We then tested whether models that used regional occupancy as a covariate for colonization and extinction outperformed models with constant or year-specific colonization or extinction rates. Finally we tested whether habitat covariates improved the AIC of our models, focusing on which habitat covariates performed best, and whether the signs of habitat effects are consistent with a priori hypotheses. We conclude that all covariates used to model detection probability lead to improved AIC, that regional occupancy influences colonization and extinction rates, and that habitat plays an important role in determining extinction and colonization rates. As occupancy increases from low levels toward equilibrium, colonization increases and extinction decreases, presumably because there are more and more dispersing juveniles. While both rates are affected, colonization increases more than extinction decreases. Colonization is higher and extinction is lower in survey polygons with more riparian forest. The effects of riparian forest on extinction rates are greater than on colonization rates. Model results have implications for management of the invading Barred Owl, both through habitat alteration and removal.

Heterogeneous occupancy and density estimates of the pathogenic fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in waters of North America

USGS Publications Warehouse

Chestnut, Tara E.; Anderson, Chauncey; Popa, Radu; Blaustein, Andrew R.; Voytek, Mary; Olson, Deanna H.; Kirshtein, Julie

2014-01-01

Biodiversity losses are occurring worldwide due to a combination of stressors. For example, by one estimate, 40% of amphibian species are vulnerable to extinction, and disease is one threat to amphibian populations. The emerging infectious disease chytridiomycosis, caused by the aquatic fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), is a contributor to amphibian declines worldwide. Bd research has focused on the dynamics of the pathogen in its amphibian hosts, with little emphasis on investigating the dynamics of free-living Bd. Therefore, we investigated patterns of Bd occupancy and density in amphibian habitats using occupancy models, powerful tools for estimating site occupancy and detection probability. Occupancy models have been used to investigate diseases where the focus was on pathogen occurrence in the host. We applied occupancy models to investigate free-living Bd in North American surface waters to determine Bd seasonality, relationships between Bd site occupancy and habitat attributes, and probability of detection from water samples as a function of the number of samples, sample volume, and water quality. We also report on the temporal patterns of Bd density from a 4-year case study of a Bd-positive wetland. We provide evidence that Bd occurs in the environment year-round. Bd exhibited temporal and spatial heterogeneity in density, but did not exhibit seasonality in occupancy. Bd was detected in all months, typically at less than 100 zoospores L−1. The highest density observed was ∼3 million zoospores L−1. We detected Bd in 47% of sites sampled, but estimated that Bd occupied 61% of sites, highlighting the importance of accounting for imperfect detection. When Bd was present, there was a 95% chance of detecting it with four samples of 600 ml of water or five samples of 60 mL. Our findings provide important baseline information to advance the study of Bd disease ecology, and advance our understanding of amphibian exposure to free-living Bd in aquatic habitats over time.

Occupational and non-occupational factors associated with work-related injuries among construction workers in the USA

PubMed Central

Dong, Xiuwen Sue; Wang, Xuanwen; Largay, Julie A.

2015-01-01

Background: Many factors contribute to occupational injuries. However, these factors have been compartmentalized and isolated in most studies. Objective: To examine the relationship between work-related injuries and multiple occupational and non-occupational factors among construction workers in the USA. Methods: Data from the 1988–2000 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, 1979 cohort (N = 12,686) were analyzed. Job exposures and health behaviors were examined and used as independent variables in four multivariate logistic regression models to identify associations with occupational injuries. Results: After controlling for demographic variables, occupational injuries were 18% (95% CI: 1.04–1.34) more likely in construction than in non-construction. Blue-collar occupations, job physical efforts, multiple jobs, and long working hours accounted for the escalated risk in construction. Smoking, obesity/overweight, and cocaine use significantly increased the risk of work-related injury when demographics and occupational factors were held constant. Conclusions: Workplace injuries are better explained by simultaneously examining occupational and non-occupational characteristics. PMID:25816923

On the radiative and thermodynamic properties of the cosmic radiations using COBE FIRAS instrument data: I. Cosmic microwave background radiation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fisenko, Anatoliy I.; Lemberg, Vladimir

2014-07-01

Using the explicit form of the functions to describe the monopole and dipole spectra of the Cosmic Microwave Background (CMB) radiation, the exact expressions for the temperature dependences of the radiative and thermodynamic functions, such as the total radiation power per unit area, total energy density, number density of photons, Helmholtz free energy density, entropy density, heat capacity at constant volume, and pressure in the finite range of frequencies v 1≤ v≤ v 2 are obtained. Since the dependence of temperature upon the redshift z is known, the obtained expressions can be simply presented in z representation. Utilizing experimental data for the monopole and dipole spectra measured by the COBE FIRAS instrument in the 60-600 GHz frequency interval at the temperature T=2.72548 K, the values of the radiative and thermodynamic functions, as well as the radiation density constant a and the Stefan-Boltzmann constant σ are calculated. In the case of the dipole spectrum, the constants a and σ, and the radiative and thermodynamic properties of the CMB radiation are obtained using the mean amplitude T amp=3.358 mK. It is shown that the Doppler shift leads to a renormalization of the radiation density constant a, the Stefan-Boltzmann constant σ, and the corresponding constants for the thermodynamic functions. The expressions for new astrophysical parameters, such as the entropy density/Boltzmann constant, and number density of CMB photons are obtained. The radiative and thermodynamic properties of the Cosmic Microwave Background radiation for the monopole and dipole spectra at redshift z≈1089 are calculated.

Practical Recommendations for University Graduates' Readiness Formation to Occupational Mobility

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yakhina, Zulfiya Sh.; Yakovlev, Sergey A.; Kozhevnikova, Natalya V.; Nuretdinova, Yuliya V.; Solovyeva, Natalya A.

2016-01-01

The research urgency is caused by the development of economic integration and demand for professionals able to adapt to constantly changing working conditions. The purpose of the paper is to develop practical recommendations on formation of University graduates' readiness to occupational mobility. A leading approach to the study is the…

Stream permanence influences crayfish occupancy and abundance in the Ozark Highlands, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Yarra, Allyson N.; Magoulick, Daniel D.

2018-01-01

Crayfish use of intermittent streams is especially important to understand in the face of global climate change. We examined the influence of stream permanence and local habitat on crayfish occupancy and species densities in the Ozark Highlands, USA. We sampled in June and July 2014 and 2015. We used a quantitative kick–seine method to sample crayfish presence and abundance at 20 stream sites with 32 surveys/site in the Upper White River drainage, and we measured associated local environmental variables each year. We modeled site occupancy and detection probabilities with the software PRESENCE, and we used multiple linear regressions to identify relationships between crayfish species densities and environmental variables. Occupancy of all crayfish species was related to stream permanence. Faxonius meeki was found exclusively in intermittent streams, whereas Faxonius neglectus and Faxonius luteushad higher occupancy and detection probability in permanent than in intermittent streams, and Faxonius williamsi was associated with intermittent streams. Estimates of detection probability ranged from 0.56 to 1, which is high relative to values found by other investigators. With the exception of F. williamsi, species densities were largely related to stream permanence rather than local habitat. Species densities did not differ by year, but total crayfish densities were significantly lower in 2015 than 2014. Increased precipitation and discharge in 2015 probably led to the lower crayfish densities observed during this year. Our study demonstrates that crayfish distribution and abundance is strongly influenced by stream permanence. Some species, including those of conservation concern (i.e., F. williamsi, F. meeki), appear dependent on intermittent streams, and conservation efforts should include consideration of intermittent streams as an important component of freshwater biodiversity.

Between- and Within-Occupation Inequality: The Case of High-Status Professions*

PubMed Central

Xie, Yu; Killewald, Alexandra; Near, Christopher

2015-01-01

In this chapter, we present analyses of the roles of education and occupation in shaping trends in income inequality among college-educated workers in the U.S., drawing data from two sources: (1) the 1960–2000 U.S. Censuses and (2) the 2006–2008 three-year American Community Survey. We also examine in detail historical trends in between-occupation and within-occupation income inequality for a small set of high-status professionals, with focused attention on the economic wellbeing of scientists. Our research yields four findings. First, education premiums have increased. Second, both between-occupation and within-occupation inequality increased at about the same rates for college graduates, so that the portion of inequality attributable to occupational differences remained constant. Third, scientists have lost ground relative to other similarly educated professionals. Fourth, trends in within-occupation inequality vary by occupation and education, making any sweeping summary on the roles of education and occupation in the overall increase in income inequality difficult. PMID:26977113

Prediction of supercritical ethane bulk solvent densities for pyrazine solvation shell average occupancy by 1, 2, 3, and 4 ethanes: combined experimental and ab initio approach.

PubMed

Hrnjez, Bruce J; Sultan, Samuel T; Natanov, Georgiy R; Kastner, David B; Rosman, Michael R

2005-11-17

We introduce a method that addresses the elusive local density at the solute in the highly compressible regime of a supercritical fluid. Experimentally, the red shift of the pyrazine n-pi electronic transition was measured at infinite dilution in supercritical ethane as a function of pressure from 0 to about 3000 psia at two temperatures, one close (35.0 degrees C) to the critical temperature and the other remote (55.0 degrees C). Computationally, stationary points were located on the potential surfaces for pyrazine and one, two, three, and four ethanes at the MP2/6-311++G(d,p) level. The vertical n-pi ((1)B(3u)) transition energies were computed for each of these geometries with a TDDFT/B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) method. The combination of experiment and computation allows prediction of supercritical ethane bulk densities at which the pyrazine primary solvation shell contains an average of one, two, three, and four ethane molecules. These density predictions were achieved by graphical superposition of calculated shifts on the experimental shift versus density curves for 35.0 and 55.0 degrees C. Predicted densities are 0.0635, 0.0875, and 0.0915 g cm(-3) for average pyrazine primary solvation shell occupancy by one, two, and three ethanes at both 35.0 and 55.0 degrees C. Predicted densities are 0.129 and 0.150 g cm(-3) for occupancy by four ethanes at 35.0 and 55.0 degrees C, respectively. An alternative approach, designed to "average out" geometry specific shifts, is based on the relationship Deltanu = -23.9n cm(-1), where n = ethane number. Graphical treatment gives alternative predicted densities of 0.0490, 0.0844, and 0.120 g cm(-3) for average pyrazine primary solvation shell occupancy by one, two, and three ethanes at both 35.0 and 55.0 degrees C, and densities of 0.148 and 0.174 g cm(-3) for occupancy by four ethanes at 35.0 and 55.0 degrees C, respectively.

Identification of the spatial location of deep trap states in AlGaN/GaN heterostructures by surface photovoltage spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jana, Dipankar; Porwal, S.; Sharma, T. K.

2017-12-01

Spatial and spectral origin of deep level defects in molecular beam epitaxy grown AlGaN/GaN heterostructures are investigated by using surface photovoltage spectroscopy (SPS) and pump-probe SPS techniques. A deep trap center ∼1 eV above the valence band is observed in SPS measurements which is correlated with the yellow luminescence feature in GaN. Capture of electrons and holes is resolved by performing temperature dependent SPS and pump-probe SPS measurements. It is found that the deep trap states are distributed throughout the sample while their dominance in SPS spectra depends on the density, occupation probability of deep trap states and the background electron density of GaN channel layer. Dynamics of deep trap states associated with GaN channel layer is investigated by performing frequency dependent photoluminescence (PL) and SPS measurements. A time constant of few millisecond is estimated for the deep defects which might limit the dynamic performance of AlGaN/GaN based devices.

Evaluation of occupational allergic contact dermatitis and its related factors in Iran.

PubMed

Nassiri-Kashani, Mansour; Nassiri-Kashani, Mohammad Hassan; Ghafari, Mostafa

2016-01-01

Background: Occupational contact dermatitis, especially in hand, is one of the most common occupational disorders. The present study aimed at evaluating patients with occupational allergic contact dermatitis (ACD) caused by common allergens based on occupation type and disease history. Methods: This cross-sectional study aimed at evaluating the data of the patients with probable diagnosis of ACD in Center for Research and Training in Skin Diseases and Leprosy (CRTSDL) in Iran. In the present study, 946 patients were assessed from different regions of Iran. One hundred fifty-one cases with positive patch test and relevant exposure were entered into the study; data related to their occupation and disease activity history were evaluated and recorded. Then, factors related to disease activity history were assessed considering the occupational groups and common exposures. Results: Nickel sulphate was the most common allergen in the 151 patients. Disease activity was constant in 29.8% of the patients; it increased in 27.8%, and decreased just before doing the patch test in 42.4%. Of the patients, 52.3% were getting worse during the working days. Occupational groups were significantly different in age and gender. Disease duration was also different in the occupational groups (p=0.001). The least disease duration was observed in healthcare workers, and the most in service workers. Lesions in the foot were related to period of employment. In administrative work group, (teachers, technicians and housewives) disease activity was decreased in the most cases, while it was increased in most patients of service workers (p=0.086). Conclusion: The present study, similar to previous reports, revealed that nickel sulphate is the most common allergen in ACD cases. Moreover, it was found that the symptoms of disease activity remained constant or increased in a significant proportion of the cases during the working days. Therefore, these workers should seriously follow up on this matter and change their occupation, or limit the exposure to allergens.

On extending Kohn-Sham density functionals to systems with fractional number of electrons.

PubMed

Li, Chen; Lu, Jianfeng; Yang, Weitao

2017-06-07

We analyze four ways of formulating the Kohn-Sham (KS) density functionals with a fractional number of electrons, through extending the constrained search space from the Kohn-Sham and the generalized Kohn-Sham (GKS) non-interacting v-representable density domain for integer systems to four different sets of densities for fractional systems. In particular, these density sets are (I) ensemble interacting N-representable densities, (II) ensemble non-interacting N-representable densities, (III) non-interacting densities by the Janak construction, and (IV) non-interacting densities whose composing orbitals satisfy the Aufbau occupation principle. By proving the equivalence of the underlying first order reduced density matrices associated with these densities, we show that sets (I), (II), and (III) are equivalent, and all reduce to the Janak construction. Moreover, for functionals with the ensemble v-representable assumption at the minimizer, (III) reduces to (IV) and thus justifies the previous use of the Aufbau protocol within the (G)KS framework in the study of the ground state of fractional electron systems, as defined in the grand canonical ensemble at zero temperature. By further analyzing the Aufbau solution for different density functional approximations (DFAs) in the (G)KS scheme, we rigorously prove that there can be one and only one fractional occupation for the Hartree Fock functional, while there can be multiple fractional occupations for general DFAs in the presence of degeneracy. This has been confirmed by numerical calculations using the local density approximation as a representative of general DFAs. This work thus clarifies important issues on density functional theory calculations for fractional electron systems.

Communication: phase transitions, criticality, and three-phase coexistence in constrained cell models.

PubMed

Nayhouse, Michael; Kwon, Joseph Sang-Il; Orkoulas, G

2012-05-28

In simulation studies of fluid-solid transitions, the solid phase is usually modeled as a constrained system in which each particle is confined to move in a single Wigner-Seitz cell. The constrained cell model has been used in the determination of fluid-solid coexistence via thermodynamic integration and other techniques. In the present work, the phase diagram of such a constrained system of Lennard-Jones particles is determined from constant-pressure simulations. The pressure-density isotherms exhibit inflection points which are interpreted as the mechanical stability limit of the solid phase. The phase diagram of the constrained system contains a critical and a triple point. The temperature and pressure at the critical and the triple point are both higher than those of the unconstrained system due to the reduction in the entropy caused by the single occupancy constraint.

Resilience in Daily Occupations of Indonesian Mothers of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder.

PubMed

Santoso, Tri Budi; Ito, Yuko; Ohshima, Nobuo; Hidaka, Mikiyo; Bontje, Peter

2015-01-01

This qualitative study investigated how resilience functions in the context of daily occupations for mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Fourteen mothers of children with ASD participated in two focus groups that were used to elicit stories of the mothers' resilience in daily occupations. A constant comparative method was used for data analysis. A model of resilience in daily occupations of mothers of children with ASD was developed consisting of four categories: (1) creating and re-creating accepting conditions, (2) finding solutions, (3) striving for balance among daily occupations, and (4) thinking about the child's future. Sources of resilience were found to reside in both the mothers themselves and their social environments. Occupational therapy practitioners can use these findings in developing supportive approaches aimed at mothers, family members, and other people in the lives of children with ASD. Copyright © 2015 by the American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc.

Occupancy patterns of regionally declining grassland sparrow populations in a forested Pennsylvania landscape.

PubMed

Hill, Jason M; Diefenbach, Duane R

2014-06-01

Organisms can be affected by processes in the surrounding landscape outside the boundary of habitat areas and by local vegetation characteristics. There is substantial interest in understanding how these processes affect populations of grassland birds, which have experienced substantial population declines. Much of our knowledge regarding patterns of occupancy and density stem from prairie systems, whereas relatively little is known regarding how occurrence and abundance of grassland birds vary in reclaimed surface mine grasslands. Using distance sampling and single-season occupancy models, we investigated how the occupancy probability of Grasshopper (Ammodramus savannarum) and Henslow's Sparrows (A. henslowii) on 61 surface mine grasslands (1591 ha) in Pennsylvania changed from 2002 through 2011 in response to landscape, grassland, and local vegetation characteristics . A subset (n = 23; 784 ha) of those grasslands were surveyed in 2002, and we estimated changes in sparrow density and vegetation across 10 years. Grasshopper and Henslow's Sparrow populations declined 72% and 49%, respectively from 2002 to 2011, whereas overall woody vegetation density increased 2.6 fold. Henslow's Sparrows avoided grasslands with perimeter-area ratios ≥0.141 km/ha and woody shrub densities ≥0.04 shrubs/m(2). Both species occupied grasslands ≤13 ha, but occupancy probability declined with increasing grassland perimeter-area ratio and woody shrub density. Grassland size, proximity to nearest neighboring grassland (x = 0.2 km), and surrounding landscape composition at 0.5, 1.5, and 3.0 km were not parsimonious predictors of occupancy probability for either species. Our results suggest that reclaimed surface mine grasslands, without management intervention, are ephemeral habitats for Grasshopper and Henslow's Sparrows. Given the forecasted decline in surface coal production for Pennsylvania, it is likely that both species will continue to decline in our study region for the foreseeable future. © 2014 Society for Conservation Biology.

Site-occupation embedding theory using Bethe ansatz local density approximations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Senjean, Bruno; Nakatani, Naoki; Tsuchiizu, Masahisa; Fromager, Emmanuel

2018-06-01

Site-occupation embedding theory (SOET) is an alternative formulation of density functional theory (DFT) for model Hamiltonians where the fully interacting Hubbard problem is mapped, in principle exactly, onto an impurity-interacting (rather than a noninteracting) one. It provides a rigorous framework for combining wave-function (or Green function)-based methods with DFT. In this work, exact expressions for the per-site energy and double occupation of the uniform Hubbard model are derived in the context of SOET. As readily seen from these derivations, the so-called bath contribution to the per-site correlation energy is, in addition to the latter, the key density functional quantity to model in SOET. Various approximations based on Bethe ansatz and perturbative solutions to the Hubbard and single-impurity Anderson models are constructed and tested on a one-dimensional ring. The self-consistent calculation of the embedded impurity wave function has been performed with the density-matrix renormalization group method. It has been shown that promising results are obtained in specific regimes of correlation and density. Possible further developments have been proposed in order to provide reliable embedding functionals and potentials.

Functional Characterization of 5-HT1B Receptor Drugs in Nonhuman Primates Using Simultaneous PET-MR.

PubMed

Hansen, Hanne D; Mandeville, Joseph B; Sander, Christin Y; Hooker, Jacob M; Catana, Ciprian; Rosen, Bruce R; Knudsen, Gitte M

2017-11-01

In the present study, we used a simultaneous PET-MR experimental design to investigate the effects of functionally different compounds (agonist, partial agonist, and antagonist) on 5-HT 1B receptor (5-HT 1B R) occupancy and the associated hemodynamic responses. In anesthetized male nonhuman primates ( n = 3), we used positron emission tomography (PET) imaging with the radioligand [ 11 C]AZ10419369 administered as a bolus followed by constant infusion to measure changes in 5-HT 1B R occupancy. Simultaneously, we measured changes in cerebral blood volume (CBV) as a proxy of drug effects on neuronal activity. The 5-HT 1B R partial agonist AZ10419369 elicited a dose-dependent biphasic hemodynamic response that was related to the 5-HT 1B R occupancy. The magnitude of the response was spatially overlapping with high cerebral 5-HT 1B R densities. High doses of AZ10419369 exerted an extracranial tissue vasoconstriction that was comparable to the less blood-brain barrier-permeable 5-HT 1B R agonist sumatriptan. By contrast, injection of the antagonist GR127935 did not elicit significant hemodynamic responses, even at a 5-HT 1B R cerebral occupancy similar to the one obtained with a high dose of AZ10419369. Given the knowledge we have of the 5-HT 1B R and its function and distribution in the brain, the hemodynamic response informs us about the functionality of the given drug: changes in CBV are only produced when the receptor is stimulated by the partial agonist AZ10419369 and not by the antagonist GR127935, consistent with low basal occupancy by endogenous serotonin. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT We here show that combined simultaneous positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance imaging uniquely enables the assessment of CNS active compounds. We conducted a series of pharmacological interventions to interrogate 5-HT 1B receptor binding and function and determined blood-brain barrier passage of drugs and demonstrate target involvement. Importantly, we show how the spatial and temporal effects on brain hemodynamics provide information about pharmacologically driven downstream CNS drug effects; the brain hemodynamic response shows characteristic dose-related effects that differ depending on agonistic or antagonistic drug characteristics and on local 5-HT 1B receptor density. The technique lends itself to a comprehensive in vivo investigation and understanding of drugs' effects in the brain. Copyright © 2017 the authors 0270-6474/17/3710671-08$15.00/0.

Concepts and Methodology for Labour Market Forecasts by Occupation and Qualification in the Context of a Flexible Labour Market.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Borghans, Lex; de Grip, Andries; Heijke, Hans

The problem of planning and making labor market forecasts by occupation and qualification in the context of a constantly changing labor market was examined. The examination focused on the following topics: assumptions, benefits, and pitfalls of the labor requirement model of projecting future imbalances between labor supply and demand for certain…

Livelihood diversification in tropical coastal communities: a network-based approach to analyzing 'livelihood landscapes'.

PubMed

Cinner, Joshua E; Bodin, Orjan

2010-08-11

Diverse livelihood portfolios are frequently viewed as a critical component of household economies in developing countries. Within the context of natural resources governance in particular, the capacity of individual households to engage in multiple occupations has been shown to influence important issues such as whether fishers would exit a declining fishery, how people react to policy, the types of resource management systems that may be applicable, and other decisions about natural resource use. This paper uses network analysis to provide a novel methodological framework for detailed systemic analysis of household livelihood portfolios. Paying particular attention to the role of natural resource-based occupations such as fisheries, we use network analyses to map occupations and their interrelationships- what we refer to as 'livelihood landscapes'. This network approach allows for the visualization of complex information about dependence on natural resources that can be aggregated at different scales. We then examine how the role of natural resource-based occupations changes along spectra of socioeconomic development and population density in 27 communities in 5 western Indian Ocean countries. Network statistics, including in- and out-degree centrality, the density of the network, and the level of network centralization are compared along a multivariate index of community-level socioeconomic development and a gradient of human population density. The combination of network analyses suggests an increase in household-level specialization with development for most occupational sectors, including fishing and farming, but that at the community-level, economies remained diversified. The novel modeling approach introduced here provides for various types of livelihood portfolio analyses at different scales of social aggregation. Our livelihood landscapes approach provides insights into communities' dependencies and usages of natural resources, and shows how patterns of occupational interrelationships relate to socioeconomic development and population density. A key question for future analysis is how the reduction of household occupational diversity, but maintenance of community diversity we see with increasing socioeconomic development influences key aspects of societies' vulnerability to environmental change or disasters.

Theory of single-molecule controlled rotation experiments, predictions, tests, and comparison with stalling experiments in F1-ATPase.

PubMed

Volkán-Kacsó, Sándor; Marcus, Rudolph A

2016-10-25

A recently proposed chemomechanical group transfer theory of rotary biomolecular motors is applied to treat single-molecule controlled rotation experiments. In these experiments, single-molecule fluorescence is used to measure the binding and release rate constants of nucleotides by monitoring the occupancy of binding sites. It is shown how missed events of nucleotide binding and release in these experiments can be corrected using theory, with F 1 -ATP synthase as an example. The missed events are significant when the reverse rate is very fast. Using the theory the actual rate constants in the controlled rotation experiments and the corrections are predicted from independent data, including other single-molecule rotation and ensemble biochemical experiments. The effective torsional elastic constant is found to depend on the binding/releasing nucleotide, and it is smaller for ADP than for ATP. There is a good agreement, with no adjustable parameters, between the theoretical and experimental results of controlled rotation experiments and stalling experiments, for the range of angles where the data overlap. This agreement is perhaps all the more surprising because it occurs even though the binding and release of fluorescent nucleotides is monitored at single-site occupancy concentrations, whereas the stalling and free rotation experiments have multiple-site occupancy.

The effects of urbanization on population density, occupancy, and detection probability of wild felids.

PubMed

Lewis, Jesse S; Logan, Kenneth A; Alldredge, Mat W; Bailey, Larissa L; VandeWoude, Sue; Crooks, Kevin R

2015-10-01

Urbanization is a primary driver of landscape conversion, with far-reaching effects on landscape pattern and process, particularly related to the population characteristics of animals. Urbanization can alter animal movement and habitat quality, both of which can influence population abundance and persistence. We evaluated three important population characteristics (population density, site occupancy, and species detection probability) of a medium-sized and a large carnivore across varying levels of urbanization. Specifically, we studied bobcat and puma populations across wildland, exurban development, and wildland-urban interface (WUI) sampling grids to test hypotheses evaluating how urbanization affects wild felid populations and their prey. Exurban development appeared to have a greater impact on felid populations than did habitat adjacent to a major urban area (i.e., WUI); estimates of population density for both bobcats and pumas were lower in areas of exurban development compared to wildland areas, whereas population density was similar between WUI and wildland habitat. Bobcats and pumas were less likely to be detected in habitat as the amount of human disturbance associated with residential development increased at a site, which was potentially related to reduced habitat quality resulting from urbanization. However, occupancy of both felids was similar between grids in both study areas, indicating that this population metric was less sensitive than density. At the scale of the sampling grid, detection probability for bobcats in urbanized habitat was greater than in wildland areas, potentially due to restrictive movement corridors and funneling of animal movements in landscapes influenced by urbanization. Occupancy of important felid prey (cottontail rabbits and mule deer) was similar across levels of urbanization, although elk occupancy was lower in urbanized areas. Our study indicates that the conservation of medium- and large-sized felids associated with urbanization likely will be most successful if large areas of wildland habitat are maintained, even in close proximity to urban areas, and wildland habitat is not converted to low-density residential development.

Bioconcentration kinetics of hydrophobic chemicals in different densities of Chlorella pyrenoidosa

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

Sijm, D.T.H.M.; Broersen, K.W.; Roode, D.F. de

1998-09-01

Algal density-dependent bioconcentration factors and rate constants were determined for a series of hydrophobic compounds in Chlorella pyrenoidosa. The apparent uptake rate constants of the hydrophobic compounds in algae varied between 200 and 710,000 L/kg/d, slightly increased with hydrophobicity within an experiment, were relatively constant for each algal density, and fitted fairly within existing allometric relationships. The bioavailability of the hydrophobic test compounds was significantly reduced by sorption by algal exudates. The sorption coefficients of the hydrophobic compounds to the algal exudates were between 80 and 1,200 L/kg, and were for most algal densities in the same order of magnitudemore » as the apparent bioconcentration factors to the algae, that is, between 80 and 60,200 L/kg. In typical field situations, however, no significant reduction in bioavailability due to exudates is expected. The apparent elimination rate constants of the hydrophobic compounds were high and fairly constant for each algal density and varied between 2 and 190/d. Because the apparent elimination rate constants were higher than the growth rate constant, and were independent of hydrophobicity, the authors speculated that other factors dominate excretion, such as exudate excretion-enhanced elimination. Bioconcentration factors increased less than proportional with hydrophobicity, i.e., the octanol-water partition coefficient [K{sub ow}]. The role of algal composition in bioconcentration is evaluated. Bioconcentrations (kinetics) of hydrophobic compounds that are determined at high algal densities should be applied with caution to field situations.« less

On the modelling of scalar and mass transport in combustor flows

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nikjooy, M.; So, R. M. C.

1989-01-01

Results are presented of a numerical study of swirling and nonswirling combustor flows with and without density variations. Constant-density arguments are used to justify closure assumptions invoked for the transport equations for turbulent momentum and scalar fluxes, which are written in terms of density-weighted variables. Comparisons are carried out with measurements obtained from three different axisymmetric model combustor experiments covering recirculating flow, swirling flow, and variable-density swirling flow inside the model combustors. Results show that the Reynolds stress/flux models do a credible job of predicting constant-density swirling and nonswirling combustor flows with passive scalar transport. However, their improvements over algebraic stress/flux models are marginal. The extension of the constant-density models to variable-density flow calculations shows that the models are equally valid for such flows.

Scale-dependent factors affecting North American river otter distribution in the midwest

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jeffress, Mackenzie R.; Paukert, C.P.; Whittier, Joanna B.; Sandercock, B.K.; Gipson, P.S.

2011-01-01

The North American river otter (Lontra canadensis) is recovering from near extirpation throughout much of its range. Although reintroductions, trapping regulations and habitat improvements have led to the reestablishment of river otters in the Midwest, little is known about how their distribution is influenced by local- and landscape-scale habitat. We conducted river otter sign surveys from Jan. to Apr. in 2008 and 2009 in eastern Kansas to assess how local- and landscape-scale habitat factors affect river otter occupancy. We surveyed three to nine 400-m stretches of stream and reservoir shorelines for 110 sites and measured local-scale variables (e.g., stream order, land cover types) within a 100 m buffer of the survey site and landscape-scale variables (e.g., road density, land cover types) for Hydrological Unit Code 14 watersheds. We then used occupancy models that account for the probability of detection to estimate occupancy as a function of these covariates using Program PRESENCE. The best-fitting model indicated river otter occupancy increased with the proportion of woodland cover and decreased with the proportion of cropland and grassland cover at the local scale. Occupancy also increased with decreased shoreline diversity, waterbody density and stream density at the landscape scale. Occupancy was not affected by land cover or human disturbance at the landscape scale. Understanding the factors and scale important to river otter occurrence will be useful in identifying areas for management and continued restoration. ?? 2011, American Midland Naturalist.

[Occupational risk related to optical radiation exposure in construction workers].

PubMed

Gobba, F; Modenese, A

2012-01-01

Optical Radiation is a relevant occupational risk in construction workers, mainly as a consequence of the exposure to the ultraviolet (UV) component of solar radiation (SR). Available data show that UV occupational limits are frequently exceeded in these workers, resulting in an increased occupational risk of various acute and chronic effects, mainly to skin and to the eye. One of the foremost is the carcinogenic effect: SR is indeed included in Group 1 IARC (carcinogenic to humans). UV exposure is related to an increase of the incidence of basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma of the skin and cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM). The incidence of these tumors, especially CMM, is constantly increasing in Caucasians in the last 50 years. As a conclusion, an adequate evaluation of the occupational risk related to SR, and adequate preventive measures are essential in construction workers. The role of occupational physicians in prevention is fundamental.

A second-order unconstrained optimization method for canonical-ensemble density-functional methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nygaard, Cecilie R.; Olsen, Jeppe

2013-03-01

A second order converging method of ensemble optimization (SOEO) in the framework of Kohn-Sham Density-Functional Theory is presented, where the energy is minimized with respect to an ensemble density matrix. It is general in the sense that the number of fractionally occupied orbitals is not predefined, but rather it is optimized by the algorithm. SOEO is a second order Newton-Raphson method of optimization, where both the form of the orbitals and the occupation numbers are optimized simultaneously. To keep the occupation numbers between zero and two, a set of occupation angles is defined, from which the occupation numbers are expressed as trigonometric functions. The total number of electrons is controlled by a built-in second order restriction of the Newton-Raphson equations, which can be deactivated in the case of a grand-canonical ensemble (where the total number of electrons is allowed to change). To test the optimization method, dissociation curves for diatomic carbon are produced using different functionals for the exchange-correlation energy. These curves show that SOEO favors symmetry broken pure-state solutions when using functionals with exact exchange such as Hartree-Fock and Becke three-parameter Lee-Yang-Parr. This is explained by an unphysical contribution to the exact exchange energy from interactions between fractional occupations. For functionals without exact exchange, such as local density approximation or Becke Lee-Yang-Parr, ensemble solutions are favored at interatomic distances larger than the equilibrium distance. Calculations on the chromium dimer are also discussed. They show that SOEO is able to converge to ensemble solutions for systems that are more complicated than diatomic carbon.

Variations in Intensity, Fundamental Frequency, and Voicing for Teachers in Occupational Versus Non-Occupational Settings

PubMed Central

Hunter, Eric J.; Titze, Ingo R.

2012-01-01

Purpose This study creates a more concise picture of the vocal demands placed on teachers by comparing occupational voice use with non-occupational voice use. Methods The National Center for Voice and Speech voice dosimetry databank was used to calculate voicing percentage per hour, as well as average dB SPL and F0. Occupational voice use (9am-3 PM, weekdays) and non-occupational voice use (4 PM-10 PM, weekends) were compared (57 teachers, two weeks each). Results Five key findings were uncovered: [1] similar to previous studies, occupational voicing percentage per hour is more than twice that of non-occupational; [2] teachers experienced a wide range of occupational voicing percentages per hour (30±11%/hr); [3] average occupational voice was about 1 dB SPL louder than the non-occupational voice and remained constant throughout the day; [4] occupational voice exhibited an increased pitch and trended upward throughout the day; [5] some apparent gender differences were shown. Conclusions Data regarding voicing percentages, F0 and dB SPL provide critical insight into teachers’ vocal health. Further, because non-occupational voice use is added to an already overloaded voice, it may add key insights into recovery patterns, and should be the focus of future studies. PMID:20689046

Simple Model for Detonation Energy and Rate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lauderbach, Lisa M.; Souers, P. Clark

2017-06-01

A simple model is used to derive the Eyring equation for the size effect and detonation rate, which depends on a constant energy density. The rate derived from detonation velocities is then converted into a rate constant to be used in a reactive flow model. The rate might be constant if the size effect curve is straight, but the rate constant will change with the radius of the sample and cannot be a constant. This is based on many careful cylinder tests have been run recently on LX-17 with inner copper diameters ranging from 12.7 to 101.6 mm. Copper wall velocities at scaled displacements of 6, 12.5 and 19 mm equate to values at relative volumes of 2.4, 4.4 and 7.0. At each point, the velocities from 25.4 to 101.6 mm are constant within error whereas the 12.7 mm velocities are lower. Using the updated Gurney model, the energy densities at the three larger sizes are also constant. Similar behavior has been seen in LX-14, LX-04, and an 83% RDX mix. A rough saturation has also been in old ANFO data for diameters of 101.6 mm and larger. Although the energy densities saturate, the detonation velocities continue to increase with size. These observations suggest that maximum energy density is a constant for a given explosive of a given density. The correlation of energy density with detonation velocity is not good because the latter depends on the total energy of the sample. This work performed under the auspices of the U. S. Department of Energy by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344.

A one-dimensional model for gas-solid heat transfer in pneumatic conveying

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smajstrla, Kody Wayne

A one-dimensional ODE model reduced from a two-fluid model of a higher dimensional order is developed to study dilute, two-phase (air and solid particles) flows with heat transfer in a horizontal pneumatic conveying pipe. Instead of using constant air properties (e.g., density, viscosity, thermal conductivity) evaluated at the initial flow temperature and pressure, this model uses an iteration approach to couple the air properties with flow pressure and temperature. Multiple studies comparing the use of constant or variable air density, viscosity, and thermal conductivity are conducted to study the impact of the changing properties to system performance. The results show that the fully constant property calculation will overestimate the results of the fully variable calculation by 11.4%, while the constant density with variable viscosity and thermal conductivity calculation resulted in an 8.7% overestimation, the constant viscosity with variable density and thermal conductivity overestimated by 2.7%, and the constant thermal conductivity with variable density and viscosity calculation resulted in a 1.2% underestimation. These results demonstrate that gas properties varying with gas temperature can have a significant impact on a conveying system and that the varying density accounts for the majority of that impact. The accuracy of the model is also validated by comparing the simulation results to the experimental values found in the literature.

CO2 concentration and occupancy density in the critical zones served by the VAV system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Etoua Evina, Ghislaine; Kajl, Stanislaw; Lamarche, Louis; Beltran-Galindo, Javier

2017-11-01

This article presents the results obtained from monitoring a VAV system with highly diversified zone occupancy density are presented in the article. The investigated VAV system meets the load for 72 zones (68 perimeters and 4 interiors) consisting of classrooms, offices, conference rooms, etc. with highly diversified occupancy densities from 1.875 to 2.5 m2/person for the classrooms and from 10 to 15 m2/person for the offices. The monitoring shows that the CO2 concentration can exceed the set point in the critical rooms. Simulation results are also presented in the article to show that it is often impossible to adjust the operation of such VAV systems because the adjusted System Outdoor Air Fractions, % OA, can reach 100% even where the zone CO2 concentration is not respected. The presented monitoring and simulation results were obtained in the winter, with the VAV system operating at partial load and with the minimum outdoor air flowrate required by the economizer system. As shown in the article, to respect the zone set point CO2 concentration in such period, the VAV system must operate mostly at a %OA equal to 100% instead of its minimum value. To circumvent this, the supply zone air flow rate may have to be designed taking into account the CO2 concentration resulting from the critical zones occupancy density.

[Solar radiation exposure in agriculture: an underestimated risk].

PubMed

Gobba, F

2012-01-01

Solar Radiation (SR) is a major occupational risk in agriculture, mainly related to its ultraviolet (UV) component. Available data show that UV occupational limits are frequently exceeded in these workers, resulting in an increased occupational risk of various acute and chronic effects, mainly to skin and to the eye. One of the foremost is the carcinogenic effect: SR is indeed included in Group 1 IARC (carcinogenic to humans). UV exposure is related to an increase of the incidence of basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma of the skin, and cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM). The incidence of these tumors, especially CMM, is constantly increasing in Caucasians in the last 50 years. As a conclusion, an adequate evaluation of the occupational risk related to SR, and adequate preventive measures are essential in agriculture. The role of the Occupational Physician in prevention is fundamental.

Adjoint-based constant-mass partial derivatives

DOE PAGES

Favorite, Jeffrey A.

2017-09-01

In transport theory, adjoint-based partial derivatives with respect to mass density are constant-volume derivatives. Likewise, adjoint-based partial derivatives with respect to surface locations (i.e., internal interface locations and the outer system boundary) are constant-density derivatives. This study derives the constant-mass partial derivative of a response with respect to an internal interface location or the outer system boundary and the constant-mass partial derivative of a response with respect to the mass density of a region. Numerical results are given for a multiregion two-dimensional (r-z) cylinder for three very different responses: the uncollided gamma-ray flux at an external detector point, k effmore » of the system, and the total neutron leakage. Finally, results from the derived formulas compare extremely well with direct perturbation calculations.« less

Livelihood Diversification in Tropical Coastal Communities: A Network-Based Approach to Analyzing ‘Livelihood Landscapes’

PubMed Central

Cinner, Joshua E.; Bodin, Örjan

2010-01-01

Background Diverse livelihood portfolios are frequently viewed as a critical component of household economies in developing countries. Within the context of natural resources governance in particular, the capacity of individual households to engage in multiple occupations has been shown to influence important issues such as whether fishers would exit a declining fishery, how people react to policy, the types of resource management systems that may be applicable, and other decisions about natural resource use. Methodology/Principal Findings This paper uses network analysis to provide a novel methodological framework for detailed systemic analysis of household livelihood portfolios. Paying particular attention to the role of natural resource-based occupations such as fisheries, we use network analyses to map occupations and their interrelationships- what we refer to as ‘livelihood landscapes’. This network approach allows for the visualization of complex information about dependence on natural resources that can be aggregated at different scales. We then examine how the role of natural resource-based occupations changes along spectra of socioeconomic development and population density in 27 communities in 5 western Indian Ocean countries. Network statistics, including in- and out-degree centrality, the density of the network, and the level of network centralization are compared along a multivariate index of community-level socioeconomic development and a gradient of human population density. The combination of network analyses suggests an increase in household-level specialization with development for most occupational sectors, including fishing and farming, but that at the community-level, economies remained diversified. Conclusions/Significance The novel modeling approach introduced here provides for various types of livelihood portfolio analyses at different scales of social aggregation. Our livelihood landscapes approach provides insights into communities' dependencies and usages of natural resources, and shows how patterns of occupational interrelationships relate to socioeconomic development and population density. A key question for future analysis is how the reduction of household occupational diversity, but maintenance of community diversity we see with increasing socioeconomic development influences key aspects of societies' vulnerability to environmental change or disasters. PMID:20711442

Analysis of multi-layered films. [determining dye densities by applying a regression analysis to the spectral response of the composite transparency

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scarpace, F. L.; Voss, A. W.

1973-01-01

Dye densities of multi-layered films are determined by applying a regression analysis to the spectral response of the composite transparency. The amount of dye in each layer is determined by fitting the sum of the individual dye layer densities to the measured dye densities. From this, dye content constants are calculated. Methods of calculating equivalent exposures are discussed. Equivalent exposures are a constant amount of energy over a limited band-width that will give the same dye content constants as the real incident energy. Methods of using these equivalent exposures for analysis of photographic data are presented.

Transition of vegetation states positively affects harvester ants in the Great Basin, United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Holbrook, Joseph D.; Pilliod, David S.; Arkle, Robert; Rachlow, Janet L.; Vierling, Kerri T.; Wiest, Michelle M.

2016-01-01

Invasions by non-native plants can alter ecosystems such that new ecological states are reached, but less is known about how these transitions influence animal populations. Sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) ecosystems are experiencing state changes because of fire and invasion by exotic annual grasses. Our goal was to study the effects of these state changes on the Owyhee and western harvester ants (Pogonomyrmex salinusOlsen and P. occidentalis Cresson, respectively). We sampled 358 1-ha plots across the northern Great Basin, which captured unburned and burned conditions across 1 −≥31 years postfire. Our results indicated an immediate and consistent change in vegetation states from shrubland to grassland between 1 and 31 years postfire. Harvester ant occupancy was unrelated to time since fire, whereas we observed a positive effect of fire on nest density. Similarly, we discovered that fire and invasion by exotic annuals were weak predictors of harvester ant occupancy but strong predictors of nest density. Occupancy of harvester ants was more likely in areas with finer-textured soils, low precipitation, abundant native forbs, and low shrub cover. Nest density was higher in arid locations that recently burned and exhibited abundant exotic annual and perennial (exotic and native) grasses. Finally, we discovered that burned areas that received postfire restoration had minimal influence on harvester ant occupancy or nest density compared with burned and untreated areas. These results suggest that fire-induced state changes from native shrublands to grasslands dominated by non-native grasses have a positive effect on density of harvester ants (but not occupancy), and that postfire restoration does not appear to positively or negatively affect harvester ants. Although wildfire and invasion by exotic annual grasses may negatively affect other species, harvester ants may indeed be one of the few winners among a myriad of losers linked to vegetation state changes within sagebrush ecosystems.

Changing neighborhoods and occupations: Experiences of older African-Americans in Detroit

PubMed Central

Fritz, Heather; Cutchin, Malcolm P.

2018-01-01

Neighborhood characteristics are relevant to understanding occupations and associated outcomes, yet few empirical studies have focused on neighborhood as the unit of analysis when examining person-environment-occupation relationships. The purpose of this report is to begin addressing that gap. We present findings from a qualitative investigation conducted as part of a larger mixed methods study of 100 African-Americans aged 55 and older living in a variety of neighborhood contexts. With a subsample of older adults (n = 20), we utilized participant-generated photos and photo-elicitation interviews to examine the question of how participation in everyday occupations changes (or not) for older African-Americans residing in urban neighborhoods that have undergone significant physical and socio-demographic changes. Data were analyzed using a thematic analysis approach in combination with a constant comparative method. Occupational change was conceptualized as four primary types: (a) spatio-temporal changes to participation in occupation, (b) changes to social participation, (c) heightened vigilance during daily occupations, and (d) actions to preserve and protect the neighborhood. The findings provide insights about the ways that neighborhood deterioration is related to occupational change. We discuss the potential impact of participants’ occupational changes on health and well-being, and we assess the issue of neighborhood and occupation as relevant to occupational justice in urban contexts. PMID:29805299

Occupational balance of women with rheumatoid arthritis: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Stamm, Tanja; Wright, Jon; Machold, Klaus; Sadlo, Gaynor; Smolen, Josef

2004-01-01

Occupational balance has been shown to be an important factor in maintaining health. Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) reduces functional ability and quality of life and may thus reduce occupational balance. The aim of this qualitative pilot study was to explore occupational balance in women who have RA. Nine women with RA with past, but not current, paid work experience, no other confounding neuro-motor disease and with disease duration of 0.75-31 years were selected from an Austrian rheumatology outpatient clinic. Age range of the participants was 28-68 years. A semi-structured interview was conducted with each participant and transcribed verbatim. Data were analysed by the constant comparative method from an occupational perspective. Three main categories emerged: (1) The participants experienced a process of change that affected their occupational balance. (2) This new state of occupational balance was characterized by changed levels of involvement in physical, mental, social and rest occupations and by a certain level of unpredictability of symptoms. (3) Overall, the new state of occupational balance was valued differently: positively, indifferently or negatively. RA was found to have a considerable impact on occupational balance. The experience is not invariably seen as negative as previous literature would suggest. Further research should explore the longitudinal dimension of occupational balance in people with RA. Copyright (c) 2004 Whurr Publishers Ltd.

Influence of fine-scale habitat structure on nest-site occupancy, laying date and clutch size in Blue Tits Cyanistes caeruleus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amininasab, Seyed Mehdi; Vedder, Oscar; Schut, Elske; de Jong, Berber; Magrath, Michael J. L.; Korsten, Peter; Komdeur, Jan

2016-01-01

Most birds have specific habitat requirements for breeding. The vegetation structure surrounding nest-sites is an important component of habitat quality, and can have large effects on avian breeding performance. We studied 13 years of Blue Tit Cyanistes caeruleus population data to determine whether characteristics of vegetation structure predict site occupancy, laying date and number of eggs laid. Measurements of vegetation structure included the density of English Oak Quercus robur, European Beech Fagus sylvatica, and other deciduous, coniferous and non-coniferous evergreen trees, within a 20-m radius of nest-boxes used for breeding. Trees were further sub-divided into specific classes of trunk circumferences to determine the densities for different maturity levels. Based on Principal Component Analysis (PCA), we reduced the total number of 17 measured vegetation variables to 7 main categories, which we used for further analyses. We found that the occupancy rate of sites and the number of eggs laid correlated positively with the proportion of deciduous trees and negatively with the density of coniferous trees. Laying of the first egg was advanced with a greater proportion of deciduous trees. Among deciduous trees, the English Oak appeared to be most important, as a higher density of more mature English Oak trees was associated with more frequent nest-box occupancy, a larger number of eggs laid, and an earlier laying start. Furthermore, laying started earlier and more eggs were laid in nest-boxes with higher occupancy rates. Together, these findings highlight the role of deciduous trees, particularly more mature English Oak, as important predictors of high-quality preferred habitat. These results aid in defining habitat quality and will facilitate future studies on the importance of environmental quality for breeding performance.

Medical laboratory technician professional pathologies: a 2006-2016 literature review.

PubMed

Pougnet, Richard; Loddé, Brice; Uguen, Marie; Sawicki, Bénédicte; Pougnet, Laurence

2017-12-01

The trade of laboratory technician (TL) exposes to many risks to health, because of biological or chemical or physical exposures. But the TL occupation is constantly evolving, the techniques are constantly changing. The purpose of this article is to take stock of the occupational TL pathologies which were recently described in the literature. This is a literature review, based on Medline® and Scopus® medical databases, on publications between 01/01/2006 and 31/12/2016. The research was conducted in French and English. Only articles about TL in Hospital or Teaching Hospital were selected. Twenty-eight articles were studied. The main infectious pathology described was brucellosis and a case of meningitis was studied. The cutaneous allergies reported concerned sensitization to certain solvents. There was no allergy to latex. Musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) were studied in 4 articles. The main MSDs were low back pain and neck pain. Several articles have alerted on the occurrence of burnout syndrome (BO). However, no prevalence studies were conducted over the period studied. In conclusion, TL can present many occupational pathologies. Few articles studied the prevalence of MSD and BO.

Final Environmental Assessment: Columbus Air Force Base Digital Airport Surveillance Radar

DTIC Science & Technology

2003-02-03

a human - health hazard. Specifically, no conclusive and consistent evidence shows that exposures to residential electric and magnetic fields produce...1,000 mW/cm2 peak pulse power density. The NCRP also published guidelines for human exposure . For RFR at ASR-11 frequency, the MPE for occupational...occupational exposure to RFR in the ASR- 11 frequency band, the FCC MPE is the same as the NCRP guideline level. The power density of the ASR-11 beam varies

Paid Sick Leave and Nonfatal Occupational Injuries

PubMed Central

Pana-Cryan, Regina; Rosa, Roger

2012-01-01

Objectives. We examined the association between US workers’ access to paid sick leave and the incidence of nonfatal occupational injuries from the employer’s perspective. We also examined this association in different industries and occupations. Methods. We developed a theoretical framework to examine the business value of offering paid sick leave. Data from the National Health Interview Survey were used to test the hypothesis that offering paid sick leave is associated with a reduced incidence of occupational injuries. We used data on approximately 38 000 working adults to estimate a multivariate model. Results. With all other variables held constant, workers with access to paid sick leave were 28% (95% confidence interval = 0.52, 0.99) less likely than workers without access to paid sick leave to be injured. The association between the availability of paid sick leave and the incidence of occupational injuries varied across sectors and occupations, with the greatest differences occurring in high-risk sectors and occupations. Conclusions. Our findings suggest that, similar to other investments in worker safety and health, introducing or expanding paid sick leave programs might help businesses reduce the incidence of nonfatal occupational injuries, particularly in high-risk sectors and occupations. PMID:22720767

A Study of Terrain Reductions, Density Anomalies and Geophysical Inversion Methods in Gravity Field Modelling

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-04-01

5.15) where a is a positive constant and 11 IIH the Hilbert space norm associated with the chosen covariance function K. The constant a is arbitrary...Density Anomalies 14 5. Unknown Densities - Geophysical Inversion 16 6. Density Modelling Using Rectangular Prisms 24 6.1 Space Domain 24 6.2 Frequency...theory: to calculate the gravity potential and its derivatives in space due to 6 • given density distributions. When the prime interest is in "external

African American Fathers' Occupational Participation: "Keeping the Mothers in a Positive Vibe".

PubMed

Pizur-Barnekow, Kris; Pate, David; Lazar, Katie; Paul, Nelly; Pritchard, Kathleen; Morris, George

2017-10-01

Infant mortality is a major public health issue in the United States that disproportionally affects African Americans. Evidence suggests reducing stress on African American women and engaging African American fathers may improve health and social outcomes for families. This study sought to understand the experiences of African American fathers through a positivistic lens and to inform future interventions that support father engagement. A descriptive, qualitative study using the Person, Environment, Occupation-Performance (PEO-P) model as a framework for analysis was conducted involving 45 fathers participating in four focus groups and one member-checking group. An initial content analysis was followed by constant comparative methods to identify categories related to the PEO-P model. Transcripts revealed a range of factors that enable or inhibit fathers' occupational performance and engagement including environmental barriers such as societal expectations and perceptions. Occupational therapy practitioners may utilize population health approaches to support African American fathers' occupational engagement.

Gravitational lensing effects in a time-variable cosmological 'constant' cosmology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ratra, Bharat; Quillen, Alice

1992-01-01

A scalar field phi with a potential V(phi) varies as phi exp -alpha(alpha is greater than 0) has an energy density, behaving like that of a time-variable cosmological 'constant', that redshifts less rapidly than the energy densities of radiation and matter, and so might contribute significantly to the present energy density. We compute, in this spatially flat cosmology, the gravitational lensing optical depth, and the expected lens redshift distribution for fixed source redshift. We find, for the values of alpha of about 4 and baryonic density parameter Omega of about 0.2 consistent with the classical cosmological tests, that the optical depth is significantly smaller than that in a constant-Lambda model with the same Omega. We also find that the redshift of the maximum of the lens distribution falls between that in the constant-Lambda model and that in the Einstein-de Sitter model.

Current and new challenges in occupational lung diseases.

PubMed

De Matteis, Sara; Heederik, Dick; Burdorf, Alex; Colosio, Claudio; Cullinan, Paul; Henneberger, Paul K; Olsson, Ann; Raynal, Anne; Rooijackers, Jos; Santonen, Tiina; Sastre, Joaquin; Schlünssen, Vivi; van Tongeren, Martie; Sigsgaard, Torben

2017-12-31

Occupational lung diseases are an important public health issue and are avoidable through preventive interventions in the workplace. Up-to-date knowledge about changes in exposure to occupational hazards as a result of technological and industrial developments is essential to the design and implementation of efficient and effective workplace preventive measures. New occupational agents with unknown respiratory health effects are constantly introduced to the market and require periodic health surveillance among exposed workers to detect early signs of adverse respiratory effects. In addition, the ageing workforce, many of whom have pre-existing respiratory conditions, poses new challenges in terms of the diagnosis and management of occupational lung diseases. Primary preventive interventions aimed to reduce exposure levels in the workplace remain pivotal for elimination of the occupational lung disease burden. To achieve this goal there is still a clear need for setting standard occupational exposure limits based on transparent evidence-based methodology, in particular for carcinogens and sensitising agents that expose large working populations to risk. The present overview, focused on the occupational lung disease burden in Europe, proposes directions for all parties involved in the prevention of occupational lung disease, from researchers and occupational and respiratory health professionals to workers and employers. The content of this work is not subject to copyright. Design and branding are copyright ©ERS 2017.

Determinants of pika population density vs. occupancy in the Southern Rocky Mountains.

PubMed

Erb, Liesl P; Ray, Chris; Guralnick, Robert

2014-04-01

Species distributions are responding rapidly to global change. While correlative studies of local extinction have been vital to understanding the ecological impacts of global change, more mechanistic lines of inquiry are needed for enhanced forecasting. The current study assesses whether the predictors of local extinction also explain population density for a species apparently impacted by climate change. We tested a suite of climatic and habitat metrics as predictors of American pika (Ochotona princeps) relative population density in the Southern Rocky Mountains, USA. Population density was indexed as the density of pika latrine sites. Negative binomial regression and AICc showed that the best predictors of pika latrine density were patch area followed by two measures of vegetation quality: the diversity and relative cover of forbs. In contrast with previous studies of habitat occupancy in the Southern Rockies, climatic factors were not among the top predictors of latrine density. Populations may be buffered from decline and ultimately from extirpation at sites with high-quality vegetation. Conversely, populations at highest risk for declining density and extirpation are likely to be those in sites with poor-quality vegetation.

Assigned value improves memory of proper names.

PubMed

Festini, Sara B; Hartley, Alan A; Tauber, Sarah K; Rhodes, Matthew G

2013-01-01

Names are more difficult to remember than other personal information such as occupations. The current research examined the influence of assigned point value on memory and metamemory judgements for names and occupations to determine whether incentive can improve recall of proper names. In Experiment 1 participants studied face-name and face-occupation pairs assigned 1 or 10 points, made judgements of learning, and were given a cued recall test. High-value names were recalled more often than low-value names. However, recall of occupations was not influenced by value. In Experiment 2 meaningless nonwords were used for both names and occupations. The name difficulty disappeared, and value influenced recall of both names and occupations. Thus value similarly influenced names and occupations when meaningfulness was held constant. In Experiment 3 participants were required to use overt rote rehearsal for all items. Value did not boost recall of high-value names, suggesting that differential processing could not be implemented to improve memory. Thus incentives may improve memory for proper names by motivating people to engage in selective rehearsal and effortful elaborative processing.

Examining the occupancy–density relationship for a low-density carnivore

USGS Publications Warehouse

Linden, Daniel W.; Fuller, Angela K.; Royle, J. Andrew; Hare, Matthew P.

2017-01-01

The challenges associated with monitoring low-density carnivores across large landscapes have limited the ability to implement and evaluate conservation and management strategies for such species. Non-invasive sampling techniques and advanced statistical approaches have alleviated some of these challenges and can even allow for spatially explicit estimates of density, one of the most valuable wildlife monitoring tools.For some species, individual identification comes at no cost when unique attributes (e.g. pelage patterns) can be discerned with remote cameras, while other species require viable genetic material and expensive laboratory processing for individual assignment. Prohibitive costs may still force monitoring efforts to use species distribution or occupancy as a surrogate for density, which may not be appropriate under many conditions.Here, we used a large-scale monitoring study of fisher Pekania pennanti to evaluate the effectiveness of occupancy as an approximation to density, particularly for informing harvest management decisions. We combined remote cameras with baited hair snares during 2013–2015 to sample across a 70 096-km2 region of western New York, USA. We fit occupancy and Royle–Nichols models to species detection–non-detection data collected by cameras, and spatial capture–recapture (SCR) models to individual encounter data obtained by genotyped hair samples. Variation in the state variables within 15-km2 grid cells was modelled as a function of landscape attributes known to influence fisher distribution.We found a close relationship between grid cell estimates of fisher state variables from the models using detection–non-detection data and those from the SCR model, likely due to informative spatial covariates across a large landscape extent and a grid cell resolution that worked well with the movement ecology of the species. Fisher occupancy and density were both positively associated with the proportion of coniferous-mixed forest and negatively associated with road density. As a result, spatially explicit management recommendations for fisher were similar across models, though relative variation was dampened for the detection–non-detection data.Synthesis and applications. Our work provides empirical evidence that models using detection–non-detection data can make similar inferences regarding relative spatial variation of the focal population to models using more expensive individual encounters when the selected spatial grain approximates or is marginally smaller than home range size. When occupancy alone is chosen as a cost-effective state variable for monitoring, simulation and sensitivity analyses should be used to understand how inferences from detection–non-detection data will be affected by aspects of study design and species ecology.

Monitoring carnivore populations at the landscape scale: occupancy modelling of tigers from sign surveys

USGS Publications Warehouse

Karanth, Kota Ullas; Gopalaswamy, Arjun M.; Kumar, Narayanarao Samba; Vaidyanathan, Srinivas; Nichols, James D.; MacKenzie, Darryl I.

2011-01-01

1. Assessing spatial distributions of threatened large carnivores at landscape scales poses formidable challenges because of their rarity and elusiveness. As a consequence of logistical constraints, investigators typically rely on sign surveys. Most survey methods, however, do not explicitly address the central problem of imperfect detections of animal signs in the field, leading to underestimates of true habitat occupancy and distribution. 2. We assessed habitat occupancy for a tiger Panthera tigris metapopulation across a c. 38 000-km2 landscape in India, employing a spatially replicated survey to explicitly address imperfect detections. Ecological predictions about tiger presence were confronted with sign detection data generated from occupancy sampling of 205 sites, each of 188 km2. 3. A recent occupancy model that considers Markovian dependency among sign detections on spatial replicates performed better than the standard occupancy model (ΔAIC = 184·9). A formulation of this model that fitted the data best showed that density of ungulate prey and levels of human disturbance were key determinants of local tiger presence. Model averaging resulted in a replicate-level detection probability [inline image] = 0·17 (0·17) for signs and a tiger habitat occupancy estimate of [inline image] = 0·665 (0·0857) or 14 076 (1814) km2 of potential habitat of 21 167 km2. In contrast, a traditional presence-versus-absence approach underestimated occupancy by 47%. Maps of probabilities of local site occupancy clearly identified tiger source populations at higher densities and matched observed tiger density variations, suggesting their potential utility for population assessments at landscape scales. 4. Synthesis and applications. Landscape-scale sign surveys can efficiently assess large carnivore spatial distributions and elucidate the factors governing their local presence, provided ecological and observation processes are both explicitly modelled. Occupancy sampling using spatial replicates can be used to reliably and efficiently identify tiger population sources and help monitor metapopulations. Our results reinforce earlier findings that prey depletion and human disturbance are key drivers of local tiger extinctions and tigers can persist even in human-dominated landscapes through effective protection of source populations. Our approach facilitates efficient targeting of tiger conservation interventions and, more generally, provides a basis for the reliable integration of large carnivore monitoring data between local and landscape scales.

The kinetics of competitive antagonists on guinea-pig ileum.

PubMed Central

Roberts, F; Stephenson, R P

1976-01-01

1 The kinetics of action of some competitive muscarinic and histamine antagonists were examined on guinea-pig isolated ileum and their behaviour compared with the predictions of the interaction-limited model described by Paton (1961). 2 The kinetics of antagonism were not consistent with the predictions of this model: (1) The apparent dissociation rate constant calculated from the decrease in occupancy on washout was not independent of the concentration of antagonist. (2) The dissociation rate constant of a 'slow' antagonist calculated from the change in occupancy when a 'fast' antagonist was superimposed varied with the concentration of fast antagonist. (3) If the concentration of slow antagonist was increased when the fast antagonist was superimposed so that the equilibrium occupancy of the 'slow' was the same as before, a transitional phase was observed. 3 The kinetics of antagonism were observed in longitudinal muscle strips and intact pieces of ileum, bathed in Tyrode or Krebs solution, and with isometric and isotonic recording. No evidence was found that the discrepancies between the interaction-limited model and the observed kinetics could be accounted for by the experimental method used. 4 It is therefore concluded that either access is rate-limiting in these circumstances or, if interaction is rate-limiting, some alternative interaction-limited model is required to describe the kinetics of antagonism. In either case it would seem unwise at this time to calculate antagonist-receptor rate constants from the observed kinetics of antagonism. PMID:974378

Developmental milestones for productivity occupations in children and youth: An integrative review.

PubMed

d'Entremont, Lisette; Gregor, Megan; Kirou, Evangelia; Nelligan, Lindsay; Dennis, Donna

2017-01-01

Limited research exists on developmental milestones for productivity occupations throughout the paediatric lifespan, and negative connotations of work for children and youth may have contributed to a paucity of literature on the topic. To ascertain what is currently known about the timing and types of engagement in productivity occupations in children and youth aged 4-19. Literature referencing productive occupations in children and youth aged 4-19 was searched for this integrative review. Search terms were established based on paediatric age and occupational therapy descriptors, and terminology associated with productivity. Sixty-seven peer-reviewed articles were analyzed according to the constant comparative method. Six core productive occupations emerged as avenues for productive engagement: paid work, school-related activities, caring for self and others, household chores, volunteering, and agricultural chores. A timeline was constructed to display common milestones for engagement in these occupations throughout the paediatric lifespan. Paediatric engagement was found to be influenced by personal (age, gender, child and youth perceptions, and safety considerations), and environmental (familial factors, parental perceptions, societal influences, and safety considerations) factors. Approaches to paediatric practice must account for the full spectrum of productive occupations children and youth engage in beyond the school context.

Monte Carlo Study of Melting of a Model Bulk Ice.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Kyu-Kwang

The methods of NVT (constant number, volume and temperature) and NPT (constant number, pressure and temperature) Monte Carlo computer simulations are used to examine the melting of a periodic hexagonal ice (ice Ih) sample with a unit cell of 192 (rigid) water molecules interacting via the revised central force potentials of Stillinger and Rahman (RSL2). In NVT Monte Carlo simulation of P-T plot for a constant density (0.904g/cm^3) is used to locate onset of the liquid-solid coexistence region (where the slope of the pressure changes sign) and estimate the (constant density) melting point. The slope reversal is a natural consequence of the constant density condition for substances which expand upon freezing and it is pointed out that this analysis is extremely useful for substances such as water. In this study, a sign reversal of the pressure slope is observed near 280 K, indicating that the RSL2 potentials reproduce the freezing expansion expected for water and support a bulk ice Ih system which melts <280 K. The internal energy, specific heat, and two dimensional structure factors for the constant density H_2O system are also examined at a range of temperatures between 100 and 370 K and support the P-T analysis for location of the melting point. This P-T analysis might likewise be useful for determining a (constant density) freezing point, or, with multiple simulations at appropriate densities, the triple point. For NPT Monte Carlo simulations preliminary results are presented. In this study the density, enthalpy, specific heat, and structure factor dependences on temperature are monitored during a sequential heating of the system from 100 to 370 K at a constant pressure (1 atm.). A jump in density upon melting is observed and indicates that the RSL2 potentials reproduce the melting contraction of ice. From the dependences of monitored physical properties on temperature an upper bound on the melting temperature is estimated. In this study we made the first analysis and calculation of the P-T curve for ice Ih melting at constant volume and the first NPT study of ice and of ice melting. In the NVT simulation we found for rho = 0.904g/cm^3 T_ {rm m} ~eq 280 K which is much closer to physical T_ {rm m} than any other published NVT simulation of ice. Finally it is shown that RSL2 potentials do a credible job of describing the thermodynamic properties of ice Ih near its melting point.

Alternative definitions of the frozen energy in energy decomposition analysis of density functional theory calculations.

PubMed

Horn, Paul R; Head-Gordon, Martin

2016-02-28

In energy decomposition analysis (EDA) of intermolecular interactions calculated via density functional theory, the initial supersystem wavefunction defines the so-called "frozen energy" including contributions such as permanent electrostatics, steric repulsions, and dispersion. This work explores the consequences of the choices that must be made to define the frozen energy. The critical choice is whether the energy should be minimized subject to the constraint of fixed density. Numerical results for Ne2, (H2O)2, BH3-NH3, and ethane dissociation show that there can be a large energy lowering associated with constant density orbital relaxation. By far the most important contribution is constant density inter-fragment relaxation, corresponding to charge transfer (CT). This is unwanted in an EDA that attempts to separate CT effects, but it may be useful in other contexts such as force field development. An algorithm is presented for minimizing single determinant energies at constant density both with and without CT by employing a penalty function that approximately enforces the density constraint.

Using areas of known occupancy to identify sources of variation in detection probability of raptors: taking time lowers replication effort for surveys.

PubMed

Murn, Campbell; Holloway, Graham J

2016-10-01

Species occurring at low density can be difficult to detect and if not properly accounted for, imperfect detection will lead to inaccurate estimates of occupancy. Understanding sources of variation in detection probability and how they can be managed is a key part of monitoring. We used sightings data of a low-density and elusive raptor (white-headed vulture Trigonoceps occipitalis ) in areas of known occupancy (breeding territories) in a likelihood-based modelling approach to calculate detection probability and the factors affecting it. Because occupancy was known a priori to be 100%, we fixed the model occupancy parameter to 1.0 and focused on identifying sources of variation in detection probability. Using detection histories from 359 territory visits, we assessed nine covariates in 29 candidate models. The model with the highest support indicated that observer speed during a survey, combined with temporal covariates such as time of year and length of time within a territory, had the highest influence on the detection probability. Averaged detection probability was 0.207 (s.e. 0.033) and based on this the mean number of visits required to determine within 95% confidence that white-headed vultures are absent from a breeding area is 13 (95% CI: 9-20). Topographical and habitat covariates contributed little to the best models and had little effect on detection probability. We highlight that low detection probabilities of some species means that emphasizing habitat covariates could lead to spurious results in occupancy models that do not also incorporate temporal components. While variation in detection probability is complex and influenced by effects at both temporal and spatial scales, temporal covariates can and should be controlled as part of robust survey methods. Our results emphasize the importance of accounting for detection probability in occupancy studies, particularly during presence/absence studies for species such as raptors that are widespread and occur at low densities.

Occupational exposures and mammographic density in Spanish women.

PubMed

Lope, Virginia; García-Pérez, Javier; Pérez-Gómez, Beatriz; Pedraza-Flechas, Ana María; Alguacil, Juan; González-Galarzo, Mª Carmen; Alba, Miguel Angel; van der Haar, Rudolf; Cortés-Barragán, Rosa Ana; Pedraz-Pingarrón, Carmen; Moreo, Pilar; Santamariña, Carmen; Ederra, María; Vidal, Carmen; Salas-Trejo, Dolores; Sánchez-Contador, Carmen; Llobet, Rafael; Pollán, Marina

2018-02-01

The association between occupational exposures and mammographic density (MD), a marker of breast cancer risk, has not been previously explored. Our objective was to investigate the influence of occupational exposure to chemical, physical and microbiological agents on MD in adult women. This is a population-based cross-sectional study based on 1476 female workers aged 45-65 years from seven Spanish breast cancer screening programmes. Occupational history was surveyed by trained staff. Exposure to occupational agents was assessed using the Spanish job-exposure matrix MatEmESp. Percentage of MD was measured by two radiologists using a semiautomatic computer tool. The association was estimated using mixed log-linear regression models adjusting for age, education, body mass index, menopausal status, parity, smoking, alcohol intake, type of mammography, family history of breast cancer and hormonal therapy use, and including screening centre and professional reader as random effects terms. Although no association was found with most of the agents, women occupationally exposed to perchloroethylene (e β =1.51; 95% CI 1.04 to 2.19), ionising radiation (e β =1.23; 95% CI 0.99 to 1.52) and mould spores (e β =1.44; 95% CI 1.01 to 2.04) tended to have higher MD. The percentage of density increased 12% for every 5 years exposure to perchloroethylene or mould spores, 11% for every 5 years exposure to aliphatic/alicyclic hydrocarbon solvents and 3% for each 5 years exposure to ionising radiation. Exposure to perchloroethylene, ionising radiation, mould spores or aliphatic/alicyclic hydrocarbon solvents in occupational settings could be associated with higher MD. Further studies are needed to clarify the accuracy and the reasons for these findings. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Non-polarizable force field of water based on the dielectric constant: TIP4P/ε.

PubMed

Fuentes-Azcatl, Raúl; Alejandre, José

2014-02-06

The static dielectric constant at room temperature and the temperature of maximum density are used as target properties to develop, by molecular dynamics simulations, the TIP4P/ε force field of water. The TIP4P parameters are used as a starting point. The key step, to determine simultaneously both properties, is to perform simulations at 240 K where a molecular dipole moment of minimum density is found. The minimum is shifted to larger values of μ as the distance between the oxygen atom and site M, lOM, decreases. First, the parameters that define the dipole moment are adjusted to reproduce the experimental dielectric constant and then the Lennard-Jones parameters are varied to match the temperature of maximum density. The minimum on density at 240 K allows understanding why reported TIP4P models fail to reproduce the temperature of maximum density, the dielectric constant, or both properties. The new model reproduces some of the thermodynamic and transport anomalies of water. Additionally, the dielectric constant, thermodynamics, and dynamical and structural properties at different temperatures and pressures are in excellent agreement with experimental data. The computational cost of the new model is the same as that of the TIP4P.

An explanation for the tiny value of the cosmological constant and the low vacuum energy density

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nassif, Cláudio

2015-09-01

The paper aims to provide an explanation for the tiny value of the cosmological constant and the low vacuum energy density to represent the dark energy. To accomplish this, we will search for a fundamental principle of symmetry in space-time by means of the elimination of the classical idea of rest, by including an invariant minimum limit of speed in the subatomic world. Such a minimum speed, unattainable by particles, represents a preferred reference frame associated with a background field that breaks down the Lorentz symmetry. The metric of the flat space-time shall include the presence of a uniform vacuum energy density, which leads to a negative pressure at cosmological length scales. Thus, the equation of state for the cosmological constant [ p(pressure) (energy density)] naturally emerges from such a space-time with an energy barrier of a minimum speed. The tiny values of the cosmological constant and the vacuum energy density will be successfully obtained, being in agreement with the observational results of Perlmutter, Schmidt and Riess.

Transition density of one-dimensional diffusion with discontinuous drift

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zhang, Weijian

1990-01-01

The transition density of a one-dimensional diffusion process with a discontinuous drift coefficient is studied. A probabilistic representation of the transition density is given, illustrating the close connections between discontinuities of the drift and Brownian local times. In addition, some explicit results are obtained based on the trivariate density of Brownian motion, its occupation, and local times.

Constraining Bulk Densities of Near-Earth Asteroid Surfaces from Radar Observations Using Laboratory Measurements of Permittivity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hickson, D. C.; Boivin, A.; Daly, M. G.; Ghent, R. R.; Nolan, M. C.; Tait, K.; Cunje, A.; Tsai, C. A.

2017-12-01

Planetary radar is widely used to survey the Near-Earth Asteroid (NEA) population and can provide insight into target shapes, sizes, and spin states. The dual-polarization reflectivity is sensitive to surface roughness as well as material properties, specifically the real part of the complex permittivity, or dielectric constant. Knowledge of the behavior of the dielectric constant of asteroid regolith analogue material with environmental parameters can be used to inversely solve for such parameters, such as bulk density, from radar observations. In this study laboratory measurements of the complex permittivity of powdered aluminum oxide and dunite samples are performed in a low-pressure environment chamber using a coaxial transmission line from roughly 1 GHz to 8.5 GHz. The bulk densities of the samples are varied across the measurements by incrementally adding silica aerogel, a low-density material with a very low dielectric constant. This allows the alteration of the proportions of void space to solid particle grains to achieve microgravity-relevant porosities without significantly altering the dielectric properties of the powder sample. The data are then modeled using various electromagnetic mixing equations to characterize the change in dielectric constant with increasing volume fractions of void space (decreasing bulk density). Using spectral analogues as constraints on the composition of NEAs allows us to calculate the range in bulk densities in the near surface of NEAs that have been observed by planetary radar. Utilizing existing radar data from Arecibo Observatory we calculate the bulk density in the near-surface on (101955) Bennu, the target of NASA's OSIRIS-Rex mission, to be ρ = 1.27 ± 0.33 g cm-3 based on an average of the likely range in particle density and dielectric constant of the regolith material.

Patch-occupancy models indicate human activity as major determinant of forest elephant Loxodonta cyclotis seasonal distribution in an industrial corridor in Gabon

USGS Publications Warehouse

Buij, R.; McShea, W.J.; Campbell, P.; Lee, M.E.; Dallmeier, F.; Guimondou, S.; Mackaga, L.; Guisseougou, N.; Mboumba, S.; Hines, J.E.; Nichols, J.D.; Alonso, A.

2007-01-01

The importance of human activity and ecological features in influencing African forest elephant ranging behaviour was investigated in the Rabi-Ndogo corridor of the Gamba Complex of Protected Areas in southwest Gabon. Locations in a wide geographical area with a range of environmental variables were selected for patch-occupancy surveys using elephant dung to assess seasonal presence and absence of elephants. Patch-occupancy procedures allowed for covariate modelling evaluating hypotheses for both occupancy in relation to human activity and ecological features, and detection probability in relation to vegetation density. The best fitting models for old and fresh dung data sets indicate that (1) detection probability for elephant dung is negatively related to the relative density of the vegetation, and (2) human activity, such as presence and infrastructure, are more closely associated with elephant distribution patterns than are ecological features, such as the presence of wetlands and preferred fresh fruit. Our findings emphasize the sensitivity of elephants to human disturbance, in this case infrastructure development associated with gas and oil production. Patch-occupancy methodology offers a viable alternative to current transect protocols for monitoring programs with multiple covariates.

Post occupancy evaluation of energy-efficient behavior in informal housing of high density area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aulia, D. N.; Marpaung, B. O. Y.

2018-02-01

The concept of energy-efficient building emphasizes the critical of efficiency in the use of water, electrical energy, and building materials, beginning with design, construction, to the maintenance of the building in the future. This study was conducted to observe the behavior of Energy Saving of the residents in performing everyday activities in the building. The observed variables are the consumption of natural resources (energy, material, water, and land) and the emissions of air, water, and land related to the environment and health. This research is a descriptive qualitative research with the method of data collection is the distribution of questionnaires and observation. The method of analyzing data is posted occupancy evaluation undertaken to obtain patterns of community-based behavior in urban areas. The informal high-density housing area is a typology of population settlements that found in many big cities in Indonesia. This community represents various community groups regarding occupation, education, income, and race. The results of the study concluded that there are five components of energy-saving behavioral formers in housing namely: residential building components, environmental components in occupancy, external occupancy components, components of social activities and elements of business

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

Favorite, Jeffrey A.

In transport theory, adjoint-based partial derivatives with respect to mass density are constant-volume derivatives. Likewise, adjoint-based partial derivatives with respect to surface locations (i.e., internal interface locations and the outer system boundary) are constant-density derivatives. This study derives the constant-mass partial derivative of a response with respect to an internal interface location or the outer system boundary and the constant-mass partial derivative of a response with respect to the mass density of a region. Numerical results are given for a multiregion two-dimensional (r-z) cylinder for three very different responses: the uncollided gamma-ray flux at an external detector point, k effmore » of the system, and the total neutron leakage. Finally, results from the derived formulas compare extremely well with direct perturbation calculations.« less

Density and nest survival of golden-cheeked warblers: Spatial scale matters

Treesearch

Jennifer L. Reidy; Frank R., III Thompson; Lisa O' Donnell

2017-01-01

Conservation and management plans often rely on indicators such as species occupancy or density to define habitat quality, ignoring factors that influence reproductive success, and potentially limiting conservation achievements. We examined relationships between predicted density and nest survival with environmental features at multiple spatial scales for the golden-...

Is this the right normalization? A diagnostic tool for ChIP-seq normalization.

PubMed

Angelini, Claudia; Heller, Ruth; Volkinshtein, Rita; Yekutieli, Daniel

2015-05-09

Chip-seq experiments are becoming a standard approach for genome-wide profiling protein-DNA interactions, such as detecting transcription factor binding sites, histone modification marks and RNA Polymerase II occupancy. However, when comparing a ChIP sample versus a control sample, such as Input DNA, normalization procedures have to be applied in order to remove experimental source of biases. Despite the substantial impact that the choice of the normalization method can have on the results of a ChIP-seq data analysis, their assessment is not fully explored in the literature. In particular, there are no diagnostic tools that show whether the applied normalization is indeed appropriate for the data being analyzed. In this work we propose a novel diagnostic tool to examine the appropriateness of the estimated normalization procedure. By plotting the empirical densities of log relative risks in bins of equal read count, along with the estimated normalization constant, after logarithmic transformation, the researcher is able to assess the appropriateness of the estimated normalization constant. We use the diagnostic plot to evaluate the appropriateness of the estimates obtained by CisGenome, NCIS and CCAT on several real data examples. Moreover, we show the impact that the choice of the normalization constant can have on standard tools for peak calling such as MACS or SICER. Finally, we propose a novel procedure for controlling the FDR using sample swapping. This procedure makes use of the estimated normalization constant in order to gain power over the naive choice of constant (used in MACS and SICER), which is the ratio of the total number of reads in the ChIP and Input samples. Linear normalization approaches aim to estimate a scale factor, r, to adjust for different sequencing depths when comparing ChIP versus Input samples. The estimated scaling factor can easily be incorporated in many peak caller algorithms to improve the accuracy of the peak identification. The diagnostic plot proposed in this paper can be used to assess how adequate ChIP/Input normalization constants are, and thus it allows the user to choose the most adequate estimate for the analysis.

Investigating the experiences in a school-based occupational therapy program to inform community-based paediatric occupational therapy practice.

PubMed

Rens, Lezahn; Joosten, Annette

2014-06-01

A collaborative approach with teachers is required when providing community-based occupational therapy to educationally at risk children. Collaborators share common goals and interact and support each other but challenges arise in providing collaborative occupational therapy in settings outside the school environment. The aim of this study was to capture experiences of teachers and occupational therapists working within a school-based occupational therapy program to determine if their experiences could inform collaborative practice. In this pilot study, participant responses to questionnaires (n = 32) about their experiences formed the basis for focus groups and individual interviews. Two focus group were conducted, one with teachers (n = 11) and one with occupational therapy participants (n = 6). Individual interviews were conducted with the supervising occupational therapist, school principal and two leading teachers. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse the data from closed questions, and thematic analysis using a constant comparison approach was used to analyse open ended questions, focus groups and interviews. Three main themes emerged: (i) the need for occupational therapists to spend time in the school, to explain their role, build relationships, understand classroom routines and the teacher role; (ii) occupational therapists need to not see themselves as the expert but develop equal partnerships to set collaborative goals and (iii) occupational therapists advocating for all parties to be informed throughout the occupational therapy process. The pilot study findings identified teacher and therapist experiences within the school setting that could inform improved collaborative practice with teachers and community-based occupational therapists and these findings warrant further investigation. © 2013 Occupational Therapy Australia.

Hispanic adolescent farmworkers' perceptions associated with pesticide exposure.

PubMed

Salazar, Mary K; Napolitano, Marie; Scherer, Jennifer A; McCauley, Linda A

2004-03-01

The migrant farmworker population in the United States is a vulnerable and understudied population whose characteristics are constantly shifting. The number of youth involved in agriculture work is increasing, and they, in particular, may be at increased risk for occupational hazards, such as pesticide exposure. The present study utilized an ecological framework for focus group discussions with 33 adolescent migrant farmworkers in Oregon. Adolescents' risk perception and health beliefs associated with pesticide exposure are examined on four levels of environmental influence: microenvironment, organizational environment, social/community environment, and macroenvironment. Adolescents provided insight on such topics as perceived vulnerability of illness due to pesticide exposure, attitudes toward farmwork, influence of their boss, knowledge of occupational hazards, safety training, and barriers to occupational choice. Cultural influences on occupational safety and health are discussed and increased attention to safety training is recommended.

Occupational therapy in Australian acute hospitals: A modified practice.

PubMed

Britton, Lauren; Rosenwax, Lorna; McNamara, Beverley

2016-08-01

Ongoing changes to health-care funding Australia wide continue to influence how occupational therapists practise in acute hospitals. This study describes the practice challenges experienced by Western Australian acute care occupational therapists. Then, it explores if and how acute care occupational therapists are modifying their practice in response to these practice changes. This study used a qualitative grounded theory approach. Semi-structured interviews were completed with 13 purposively selected acute care occupational therapists from four Western Australian metropolitan hospitals. Data were analysed using a constant comparative method to provide detailed descriptions of acute care occupational therapy practice and to generate theory. Five conceptual categories were developed. The first two addressed practice challenges: pragmatic organisational influences on client care and establishing a professional identity within the multidisciplinary team. Three categories related to therapist responses are as follows: becoming the client advocate, being the facilitator and applying clinical reasoning. Finally, modified practice was identified as the core category which explains the process whereby acute care occupational therapists are ensuring they remain relevant and authentic in the acute care context. Western Australian acute care occupational therapists are practising in a highly complex health context that presents many challenges. They are responding by using a modified form of practice that ensures occupational therapy skills remain relevant within the narrow confines of this health setting. © 2016 Occupational Therapy Australia.

Electronic polarizability of light crude oil from optical and dielectric studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

George, A. K.; Singh, R. N.

2017-07-01

In the present paper we report the temperature dependence of density, refractive indices and dielectric constant of three samples of crude oils. The API gravity number estimated from the temperature dependent density studies revealed that the three samples fall in the category of light oil. The measured data of refractive index and the density are used to evaluate the polarizability of these fluids. Molar refractive index and the molar volume are evaluated through Lorentz-Lorenz equation. The function of the refractive index, FRI , divided by the mass density ρ, is a constant approximately equal to one-third and is invariant with temperature for all the samples. The measured values of the dielectric constant decrease linearly with increasing temperature for all the samples. The dielectric constant estimated from the refractive index measurements using Lorentz-Lorentz equation agrees well with the measured values. The results are promising since all the three measured properties complement each other and offer a simple and reliable method for estimating crude oil properties, in the absence of sufficient data.

Experimental level densities of atomic nuclei

DOE PAGES

Guttormsen, M.; Aiche, M.; Bello Garrote, F. L.; ...

2015-12-23

It is almost 80 years since Hans Bethe described the level density as a non-interacting gas of protons and neutrons. In all these years, experimental data were interpreted within this picture of a fermionic gas. However, the renewed interest of measuring level density using various techniques calls for a revision of this description. In particular, the wealth of nuclear level densities measured with the Oslo method favors the constant-temperature level density over the Fermi-gas picture. Furthermore, trom the basis of experimental data, we demonstrate that nuclei exhibit a constant-temperature level density behavior for all mass regions and at least upmore » to the neutron threshold.« less

Synthesis and Preclinical Evaluation of 11C-UCB-J as a PET Tracer for Imaging the Synaptic Vesicle Glycoprotein 2A in the Brain.

PubMed

Nabulsi, Nabeel B; Mercier, Joël; Holden, Daniel; Carré, Stephane; Najafzadeh, Soheila; Vandergeten, Marie-Christine; Lin, Shu-Fei; Deo, Anand; Price, Nathalie; Wood, Martyn; Lara-Jaime, Teresa; Montel, Florian; Laruelle, Marc; Carson, Richard E; Hannestad, Jonas; Huang, Yiyun

2016-05-01

The synaptic vesicle glycoprotein 2A (SV2A) is found in secretory vesicles in neurons and endocrine cells. PET with a selective SV2A radiotracer will allow characterization of drugs that modulate SV2A (e.g., antiepileptic drugs) and potentially could be a biomarker of synaptic density (e.g., in neurodegenerative disorders). Here we describe the synthesis and characterization of the SV2A PET radiotracer (11)C-UCB-J ((R)-1-((3-((11)C-methyl-(11)C)pyridin-4-yl)methyl)-4-(3,4,5-trifluorophenyl)pyrrolidin-2-one) in nonhuman primates, including whole-body biodistribution. (11)C-UCB-J was prepared by C-(11)C-methylation of the 3-pyridyl trifluoroborate precursor with (11)C-methyl iodide via the Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling method. Rhesus macaques underwent multiple scans including coinjection with unlabeled UCB-J (17, 50, and 150 μg/kg) or preblocking with the antiepileptic drug levetiracetam at 10 and 30 mg/kg. Scans were acquired for 2 h with arterial sampling and metabolite analysis to measure the input function. Regional volume of distribution (VT) was estimated using the 1-tissue-compartment model. Target occupancy was assessed using the occupancy plot; the dissociation constant (Kd) was determined by fitting self-blocking occupancies to a 1-site model, and the maximum number of receptor binding sites (Bmax) values were derived from baseline VT and from the estimated Kd and the nondisplaceable distribution volume (VND). (11)C-UCB-J was synthesized with greater than 98% purity. (11)C-UCB-J exhibited high free fraction (0.46 ± 0.02) and metabolized at a moderate rate (39% ± 5% and 24% ± 3% parent remaining at 30 and 90 min) in plasma. In the monkey brain, (11)C-UCB-J displayed high uptake and fast kinetics. VT was high (∼25-55 mL/cm(3)) in all gray matter regions, consistent with the ubiquitous expression of SV2A. Preblocking with 10 and 30 mg/kg of levetiracetam resulted in approximately 60% and 90% occupancy, respectively. Analysis of the self-blocking scans yielded a Kd estimate of 3.4 nM and Bmax of 125-350 nM, in good agreement with the in vitro inhibition constant (Ki) of 6.3 nM and regional Bmax in humans. Whole-body biodistribution revealed that the liver and the brain are the dose-limiting organs for males and females, respectively. (11)C-UCB-J exhibited excellent characteristics as an SV2A PET radiotracer in nonhuman primates. The radiotracer is currently undergoing first-in-human evaluation. © 2016 by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, Inc.

Uncovering the nonadiabatic response of geosynchronous electrons to geomagnetic disturbance

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gannon, Jennifer; Elkington, Scot R.; Onsager, Terrance G.

2012-01-01

We describe an energy spectrum method for scaling electron integral flux, which is measured at a constant energy, to phase space density at a constant value of the first adiabatic invariant which removes much of the variation due to reversible adiabatic effects. Applying this method to nearly a solar cycle (1995 - 2006) of geosynchronous electron integral flux (E>2.0MeV) from the GOES satellites, we see that much of the diurnal variation in electron phase space density at constant energy can be removed by the transformation to phase space density at constant μ (4000 MeV/G). This allows us a clearer picture of underlying non-adiabatic electron population changes due to geomagnetic activity. Using scaled phase space density, we calculate the percentage of geomagnetic storms resulting in an increase, decrease or no change in geosynchronous electrons as 38%, 7%, and 55%, respectively. We also show examples of changes in the electron population that may be different than the unscaled fluxes alone suggest. These examples include sudden electron enhancements during storms which appear during the peak of negative Dst for μ-scaled phase space density, contrary to the slow increase seen during the recovery phase for unscaled phase space density for the same event.

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

Mallow, Anne M; Abdelaziz, Omar; Graham, Samuel

The thermal charging performance of phase change materials, specifically paraffin wax, combined with compressed expanded natural graphite foam is studied under constant heat flux and constant temperature conditions. By varying the heat flux between 0.39 W/cm2 and 1.55 W/cm2 or maintaining a boundary temperature of 60 C for four graphite foam bulk densities, the impact on the rate of thermal energy storage is discussed. Thermal charging experiments indicate that thermal conductivity of the composite is an insufficient metric to compare the influence of graphite foam on the rate of thermal energy storage of the PCM composite. By dividing the latentmore » heat of the composite by the time to melt for various boundary conditions and graphite foam bulk densities, it is determined that bulk density selection is dependent on the applied boundary condition. A greater bulk density is advantageous for samples exposed to a constant temperature near the melting temperature as compared to constant heat flux conditions where a lower bulk density is adequate. Furthermore, the anisotropic nature of graphite foam bulk densities greater than 50 kg/m3 is shown to have an insignificant impact on the rate of thermal charging. These experimental results are used to validate a computational model for future use in the design of thermal batteries for waste heat recovery.« less

Developing and Sustaining Recovery-Orientation in Mental Health Practice: Experiences of Occupational Therapists.

PubMed

Nugent, Alexandra; Hancock, Nicola; Honey, Anne

2017-01-01

Internationally, mental health policy requires clinicians to shift from a medical to a recovery-oriented approach. However, there is a significant lag in the translation of policy into practice. Occupational therapists have been identified as ideally situated to be recovery-oriented yet limited research exploring how they do this exists. This study aimed to explore Australian occupational therapists' experiences of developing and sustaining recovery-orientation in mental health practice. Semistructured, in-depth interviews were conducted with twelve occupational therapists working across different mental health service types. Participants identified themselves as being recovery-oriented. Data were analysed using constant comparative analysis. Occupational therapists described recovery-oriented practice as an active, ongoing, and intentional process of seeking out knowledge, finding fit between understandings of recovery-oriented practice and their professional identity, holding hope, and developing confidence through clinical reasoning. Human and systemic aspects of therapists' workplace environment influenced this process. Being a recovery-oriented occupational therapist requires more than merely accepting a specific framework. It requires commitment and ongoing work to develop and sustain recovery-orientation. Occupational therapists are called to extend current leadership activity beyond their workplace and to advocate for broader systemic change.

Comparative analysis of medicolegal compensation for occupational cancers in France and other western European countries: development proposals.

PubMed

Clin, Bénédicte; Ferrant, Ophélie; Marquignon, Marie-France; Letourneux, Marc

2009-12-01

In France, contemporary medicolegal reparation system of occupational diseases--in particular occupational cancer--has been questioned, constantly, due to changes in the state's legal system. For a long time, associated legislation was considered as a genuine social breakthrough. However, it shall remain acknowledged that over the past 15 years, it has been the French legal system itself that generated a certain level of inequality among victims of occupational diseases.. This inequality came to exist following certain jurisdictional understandings of legal matters, as well as the creation of exceptional schemes for granting compensation for physical injuries. It is agreed by both, courts and compensatory funds, that full compensation must be granted for particular group of victims. Yet, this is not the case as for granting compensation over occupational diseases, where reparation is on a set lump sum basis. In light of this proved inequality in the France legal system, with regard to the medicolegal reparation for loss or damage, associated with a claimant's occupational activity, we aim at investigating the procedures as practiced in various European countries occupational cancer in order to identify optimal compensation for these disorders.

Cosmological constant problem and renormalized vacuum energy density in curved background

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

Kohri, Kazunori; Matsui, Hiroki, E-mail: kohri@post.kek.jp, E-mail: matshiro@post.kek.jp

The current vacuum energy density observed as dark energy ρ{sub dark}≅ 2.5×10{sup −47} GeV{sup 4} is unacceptably small compared with any other scales. Therefore, we encounter serious fine-tuning problem and theoretical difficulty to derive the dark energy. However, the theoretically attractive scenario has been proposed and discussed in literature: in terms of the renormalization-group (RG) running of the cosmological constant, the vacuum energy density can be expressed as ρ{sub vacuum}≅ m {sup 2} H {sup 2} where m is the mass of the scalar field and rather dynamical in curved spacetime. However, there has been no rigorous proof to derivemore » this expression and there are some criticisms about the physical interpretation of the RG running cosmological constant. In the present paper, we revisit the RG running effects of the cosmological constant and investigate the renormalized vacuum energy density in curved spacetime. We demonstrate that the vacuum energy density described by ρ{sub vacuum}≅ m {sup 2} H {sup 2} appears as quantum effects of the curved background rather than the running effects of cosmological constant. Comparing to cosmological observational data, we obtain an upper bound on the mass of the scalar fields to be smaller than the Planck mass, m ∼< M {sub Pl}.« less

Parties, Unions, Policies and Occupational Sex Segregation in the United States

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moller, Stephanie; Li, Huiping

2009-01-01

We utilize the 2000 Equal Employment Opportunity file of the U.S. Census and various secondary resources to determine if party control, union density and states' anti-discrimination and family leave policy legacies affect levels of occupational sex segregation across large counties. Our findings offer a puzzle to political sociologists because two…

Anisotropic spin-density distribution and magnetic anisotropy of strained La1-xSrxMnO3 thin films: angle-dependent x-ray magnetic circular dichroism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shibata, Goro; Kitamura, Miho; Minohara, Makoto; Yoshimatsu, Kohei; Kadono, Toshiharu; Ishigami, Keisuke; Harano, Takayuki; Takahashi, Yukio; Sakamoto, Shoya; Nonaka, Yosuke; Ikeda, Keisuke; Chi, Zhendong; Furuse, Mitsuho; Fuchino, Shuichiro; Okano, Makoto; Fujihira, Jun-ichi; Uchida, Akira; Watanabe, Kazunori; Fujihira, Hideyuki; Fujihira, Seiichi; Tanaka, Arata; Kumigashira, Hiroshi; Koide, Tsuneharu; Fujimori, Atsushi

2018-01-01

Magnetic anisotropies of ferromagnetic thin films are induced by epitaxial strain from the substrate via strain-induced anisotropy in the orbital magnetic moment and that in the spatial distribution of spin-polarized electrons. However, the preferential orbital occupation in ferromagnetic metallic La1-xSrxMnO3 (LSMO) thin films studied by x-ray linear dichroism (XLD) has always been found out-of-plane for both tensile and compressive epitaxial strain and hence irrespective of the magnetic anisotropy. In order to resolve this mystery, we directly probed the preferential orbital occupation of spin-polarized electrons in LSMO thin films under strain by angle-dependent x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD). Anisotropy of the spin-density distribution was found to be in-plane for the tensile strain and out-of-plane for the compressive strain, consistent with the observed magnetic anisotropy. The ubiquitous out-of-plane preferential orbital occupation seen by XLD is attributed to the occupation of both spin-up and spin-down out-of-plane orbitals in the surface magnetic dead layer.

Impact of density information on Rayleigh surface wave inversion results

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ivanov, Julian; Tsoflias, Georgios; Miller, Richard D.; Peterie, Shelby; Morton, Sarah; Xia, Jianghai

2016-12-01

We assessed the impact of density on the estimation of inverted shear-wave velocity (Vs) using the multi-channel analysis of surface waves (MASW) method. We considered the forward modeling theory, evaluated model sensitivity, and tested the effect of density information on the inversion of seismic data acquired in the Arctic. Theoretical review, numerical modeling and inversion of modeled and real data indicated that the density ratios between layers, not the actual density values, impact the determination of surface-wave phase velocities. Application on real data compared surface-wave inversion results using: a) constant density, the most common approach in practice, b) indirect density estimates derived from refraction compressional-wave velocity observations, and c) from direct density measurements in a borehole. The use of indirect density estimates reduced the final shear-wave velocity (Vs) results typically by 6-7% and the use of densities from a borehole reduced the final Vs estimates by 10-11% compared to those from assumed constant density. In addition to the improved absolute Vs accuracy, the resulting overall Vs changes were unevenly distributed laterally when viewed on a 2-D section leading to an overall Vs model structure that was more representative of the subsurface environment. It was observed that the use of constant density instead of increasing density with depth not only can lead to Vs overestimation but it can also create inaccurate model structures, such as a low-velocity layer. Thus, optimal Vs estimations can be best achieved using field estimates of subsurface density ratios.

Topics in Microeconometrics: Estimation of a Dynamic Model of Occupational Transitions, Wage and Non-Wage Benefits Cross Validation Bandwidth Selection for Derivatives of Various Dimensional Densities Testing the Additive Separability of the Teacher Value Added Effect Semiparametrically

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baird, Matthew David

2012-01-01

I study three separate questions in this dissertation. In Chapter 1, I develop and estimate a structural dynamic model of occupation and job choice to test hypotheses of the importance of wages and non-wages and learning in occupational transitions, and find that wages are approximately 3 times as important as non-wage benefits in decisions and…

WNx and MoNx Layers: Elastic Properties and Crystal Structure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ozsdolay, Brian

This thesis research has focused on the thin film growth, phase stability, and elastic properties of two relatively unknown nitrides: tungsten nitride and molybdenum nitride. The elastic properties and hardness are not well characterized for either material, with previous measurements showing a wide range of values. In addition, the conditions leading to growth of high quality epitaxial layers of these materials are not well known. There is also some discrepancy over the cubic crystal structure seen in both WNx and MoNx. While the presence of nitrogen vacancies are well documented, it is unclear if metal vacancies also appear and in what concentrations. Tungsten nitride layers, 1.45-microm-thick, were deposited by reactive magnetron sputtering on MgO(001), MgO(111), and Al2O3(0001) in 20 mTorr N2 at 500-800 °C. All layers deposited at Ts = 500-700 °C form a cubic phase, as determined by X-ray diffraction o-2theta scans, and show an N-to-W ratio x that decreases from x = 1.21 to 0.83 with increasing Ts = 500-700 °C, as measured by energy dispersive and photoelectron spectroscopies. Ts = 500 and 600 °C yields polycrystalline predominantly 111 oriented beta-WN on all substrates. In contrast, deposition at 700 °C results in epitaxial growth of beta-WN(111) and beta-WN(001) on MgO(111) and MgO(001), respectively, and a 111-preferred orientation on Al2O3(0001). Ts = 800 °C causes nitrogen loss and WN x layers with primarily BCC W grains and x = 0.04-0.06. For Ts = 700 °C, nanoindentation provides hardness values of 9.8+/-2.2, 12.5+/-1.0, and 10.3+/-0.4 GPa, and elastic moduli of 240+/-40, 257+/-13, and 242+/-10 GPa for layers grown on MgO(001), MgO(111), and Al2O3(0001), respectively. Brillouin spectroscopy measurements yield shear moduli of 120+/-2 GPa, 114+/-2 GPa and 108+/-2 GPa for WN on MgO(001), MgO(111) and Al2O3(0001), respectively, suggesting a WN elastic anisotropy factor of 1.6+/-0.3, consistent with the indentation results. The combined analysis of the epitaxial WN(001) and WN(111) layers indicate Hill's elastic and shear moduli for cubic WN of 251+/-17 and 99+/-8 GPa, respectively. The resistivity of WN(111)/MgO(111) is 1.9x10-5 and 2.2x10-5 O-m at room temperature and 77 K, respectively, indicating weak carrier localization. The room temperature resistivity is 16% and 42% lower for WN/MgO(001) and WN/Al2O 3(0001), suggesting a resistivity decrease with decreasing crystalline quality and phase purity. Density functional theory calculations indicate an increase in structural stability by the introduction of either W or N vacancies into the cubic WN rock-salt structure, reducing the formation energy per W atom from 0.63 eV for the rock-salt structure to 0.16 eV for WN0.75 and -0.16 eV for WN1.33, to -0.83 eV for stoichiometric WN in the NbO structure. The out-of-plane lattice constant decreases from 4.357-4.169 A with increasing Ts = 500-700 °C. Comparing these values with calculated lattice constants indicates that the W vacancy concentration increases from 6-11% for Ts = 500-600 °C to 11-18% for Ts = 700 °C, while the N vacancy concentration also increases from negligible to 18-29%. The simultaneous increase of both vacancy types is attributed to thermally activated N2 recombination and desorption and atomic rearrangement towards the thermodynamically favorable cubic NbO structure which contains 25% of both W and N vacancies. The measured elastic modulus ranges from 110-260 GPa for 500-700 °C and decreases with increasing N-content, and increases to 350 GPa for Ts = 800 °C. The room temperature resistivity decreases with increasing Ts = 500-700 °C from 4.5-1.1x103 microO-cm, indicating a resistivity decrease with decreasing nitrogen content and increasing crystalline quality and phase purity. MoNx layers were deposited epitaxially on MgO(001) substrates by reactive magnetron sputtering in 20 mTorr N2 at 600-1000 °C. X-ray diffraction showed that all layers were 001 oriented cubic crystals with lattice constants that decrease from 4.26-4.16 A with increasing deposition temperature. Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry (RBS) showed that x decreased from 1.25 to 0.69 with increasing deposition temperature. RBS measurements confirmed a constant Mo area density across all samples, consistent with the use of a constant deposition time. X-ray reflectivity measurements showed a drastic decrease in layer thickness between samples from 98 nm to 69 nm, indicating an increasing overall film density due to Mo-vacancy filling within the cubic structure. Indeed, the Mo-site occupancy increases from 0.70-0.89 with increasing Ts while N-site occupancy ranges from 0.88-0.60 over the same range. The T s = 800 °C layer shows a Mo-site occupancy of 0.78+/-0.05 and a N-site occupancy of 0.74+/-0.05, consistent with density functional theory predictions of a stable NbO-structure at Mo- and N-site occupancies of 0.75. Time resolved pump-probe reflectivity and surface Brillouin spectroscopy measurements show C11 values ranging from 360-502 GPa and C44 values ranging from 73-100 GPa. MoNx layers, 689-980 nm thick, were deposited on 1-inch diameter oxidized-Si(111) substrates by reactive magnetron sputtering. X-ray diffraction scans show only cubic MoNx peaks for 600-900 °C with a predominantly 002 texture for Ts = 600-700 °C and weaker 111, 220, and 113 peaks which changes to a slight 111 texture and later a lack of preferred orientation as Ts increases to 800-1000 °C. In addition, BCC Mo peaks appear at 1000 °C. The out-of-plane lattice constant for the cubic 002 peak decreases from 4.283 A to 4.151+/-0.004 A with increasing Ts, while lattice constants of the 111, 220, and 113 peaks vary from 4.236+/-0.005 A to 4.138+/-0.003 A as Ts varies from 600-1000 °C. The N/Mo ratio x as measured by energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy decreases from x = 0.99-0.51 as Ts increases from 600-1000 °C. Wafer stress measurements by x-ray diffraction show a radius of curvature that ranges from 2.43+/-0.35 m to 4.16+/-0.94 m which are confirmed by optical measurements which show a radius of curvature varying from 2.51+/-0.19 m to 4.48+/-0.51 m. Stress values range from 105+/-28 MPa to 179+/-19 MPa as measured by x-ray diffraction and from 97+/-11 MPa to 170+/-31 MPa as measured by the optical method. Hardness values range between 5.3+/-0.6 GPa and 6.8+/-0.3 GPa, while the elastic modulus decreases from 109+/-4 GPa to 37+/-1 GPa as Ts increases from 600-900 °C. The elastic modulus increases again to 164+/-15 GPa for Ts = 1000 °C due to the appearance of BCC Mo in this sample.

A Bayesian approach to modeling 2D gravity data using polygon states

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Titus, W. J.; Titus, S.; Davis, J. R.

2015-12-01

We present a Bayesian Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) method for the 2D gravity inversion of a localized subsurface object with constant density contrast. Our models have four parameters: the density contrast, the number of vertices in a polygonal approximation of the object, an upper bound on the ratio of the perimeter squared to the area, and the vertices of a polygon container that bounds the object. Reasonable parameter values can be estimated prior to inversion using a forward model and geologic information. In addition, we assume that the field data have a common random uncertainty that lies between two bounds but that it has no systematic uncertainty. Finally, we assume that there is no uncertainty in the spatial locations of the measurement stations. For any set of model parameters, we use MCMC methods to generate an approximate probability distribution of polygons for the object. We then compute various probability distributions for the object, including the variance between the observed and predicted fields (an important quantity in the MCMC method), the area, the center of area, and the occupancy probability (the probability that a spatial point lies within the object). In addition, we compare probabilities of different models using parallel tempering, a technique which also mitigates trapping in local optima that can occur in certain model geometries. We apply our method to several synthetic data sets generated from objects of varying shape and location. We also analyze a natural data set collected across the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge in New Mexico, where the object (i.e. the air below the bridge) is known and the canyon is approximately 2D. Although there are many ways to view results, the occupancy probability proves quite powerful. We also find that the choice of the container is important. In particular, large containers should be avoided, because the more closely a container confines the object, the better the predictions match properties of object.

Measuring cosmological parameters

PubMed Central

Freedman, Wendy L.

1998-01-01

In this review, the status of measurements of the matter density (Ωm), the vacuum energy density or cosmological constant (ΩΛ), the Hubble constant (H0), and the ages of the oldest measured objects (t0) are summarized. Three independent types of methods for measuring the Hubble constant are considered: the measurement of time delays in multiply imaged quasars, the Sunyaev–Zel’dovich effect in clusters, and Cepheid-based extragalactic distances. Many recent independent dynamical measurements are yielding a low value for the matter density (Ωm ≈ 0.2–0.3). A wide range of Hubble constant measurements appear to be converging in the range of 60–80 km/sec per megaparsec. Areas where future improvements are likely to be made soon are highlighted—in particular, measurements of anisotropies in the cosmic microwave background. Particular attention is paid to sources of systematic error and the assumptions that underlie many of the measurement methods. PMID:9419315

Calculation of nuclear spin-spin coupling constants using frozen density embedding

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

Götz, Andreas W., E-mail: agoetz@sdsc.edu; Autschbach, Jochen; Visscher, Lucas, E-mail: visscher@chem.vu.nl

2014-03-14

We present a method for a subsystem-based calculation of indirect nuclear spin-spin coupling tensors within the framework of current-spin-density-functional theory. Our approach is based on the frozen-density embedding scheme within density-functional theory and extends a previously reported subsystem-based approach for the calculation of nuclear magnetic resonance shielding tensors to magnetic fields which couple not only to orbital but also spin degrees of freedom. This leads to a formulation in which the electron density, the induced paramagnetic current, and the induced spin-magnetization density are calculated separately for the individual subsystems. This is particularly useful for the inclusion of environmental effects inmore » the calculation of nuclear spin-spin coupling constants. Neglecting the induced paramagnetic current and spin-magnetization density in the environment due to the magnetic moments of the coupled nuclei leads to a very efficient method in which the computationally expensive response calculation has to be performed only for the subsystem of interest. We show that this approach leads to very good results for the calculation of solvent-induced shifts of nuclear spin-spin coupling constants in hydrogen-bonded systems. Also for systems with stronger interactions, frozen-density embedding performs remarkably well, given the approximate nature of currently available functionals for the non-additive kinetic energy. As an example we show results for methylmercury halides which exhibit an exceptionally large shift of the one-bond coupling constants between {sup 199}Hg and {sup 13}C upon coordination of dimethylsulfoxide solvent molecules.« less

Investigation of structural, electronic, elastic and optical properties of Cd1-x-yZnxHgyTe alloys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tamer, M.

2016-06-01

Structural, optical and electronic properties and elastic constants of Cd1-x-yZnx HgyTe alloys have been studied by employing the commercial code Castep based on density functional theory. The generalized gradient approximation and local density approximation were utilized as exchange correlation. Using elastic constants for compounds, bulk modulus, band gap, Fermi energy and Kramers-Kronig relations, dielectric constants and the refractive index have been found through calculations. Apart from these, X-ray measurements revealed elastic constants and Vegard's law. It is seen that results obtained from theory and experiments are all in agreement.

Generalization of the Kohn-Sham system that can represent arbitrary one-electron density matrices

DOE PAGES

Hubertus J. J. van Dam

2016-04-27

Density functional theory is currently the most widely applied method in electronic structure theory. The Kohn-Sham method, based on a fictitious system of noninteracting particles, is the workhorse of the theory. The particular form of the Kohn-Sham wave function admits only idempotent one-electron density matrices whereas wave functions of correlated electrons in post-Hartree-Fock methods invariably have fractional occupation numbers. Here we show that by generalizing the orbital concept and introducing a suitable dot product as well as a probability density, a noninteracting system can be chosen that can represent the one-electron density matrix of any system, even one with fractionalmore » occupation numbers. This fictitious system ensures that the exact electron density is accessible within density functional theory. It can also serve as the basis for reduced density matrix functional theory. Moreover, to aid the analysis of the results the orbitals may be assigned energies from a mean-field Hamiltonian. This produces energy levels that are akin to Hartree-Fock orbital energies such that conventional analyses based on Koopmans' theorem are available. Lastly, this system is convenient in formalisms that depend on creation and annihilation operators as they are trivially applied to single-determinant wave functions.« less

Field Effect Modulation of Heterogeneous Charge Transfer Kinetics at Back-Gated Two-Dimensional MoS2 Electrodes.

PubMed

Wang, Yan; Kim, Chang-Hyun; Yoo, Youngdong; Johns, James E; Frisbie, C Daniel

2017-12-13

The ability to improve and to modulate the heterogeneous charge transfer kinetics of two-dimensional (2D) semiconductors, such as MoS 2 , is a major challenge for electrochemical and photoelectrochemical applications of these materials. Here we report a continuous and reversible physical method for modulating the heterogeneous charge transfer kinetics at a monolayer MoS 2 working electrode supported on a SiO 2 /p-Si substrate. The heavily doped p-Si substrate serves as a back gate electrode; application of a gate voltage (V BG ) to p-Si tunes the electron occupation in the MoS 2 conduction band and shifts the conduction band edge position relative to redox species dissolved in electrolyte in contact with the front side of the MoS 2 . The gate modulation of both charge density and energy band alignment impacts charge transfer kinetics as measured by cyclic voltammetry (CV). Specifically, cyclic voltammograms combined with numerical simulations suggest that the standard heterogeneous charge transfer rate constant (k 0 ) for MoS 2 in contact with the ferrocene/ferrocenium (Fc 0/+ ) redox couple can be modulated by over 2 orders of magnitude from 4 × 10 -6 to 1 × 10 -3 cm/s, by varying V BG . In general, the field effect offers the potential to tune the electrochemical properties of 2D semiconductors, opening up new possibilities for fundamental studies of the relationship between charge transfer kinetics and independently controlled electronic band alignment and band occupation.

Occupancy in continuous habitat

USGS Publications Warehouse

Efford, Murray G.; Dawson, Deanna K.

2012-01-01

The probability that a site has at least one individual of a species ('occupancy') has come to be widely used as a state variable for animal population monitoring. The available statistical theory for estimation when detection is imperfect applies particularly to habitat patches or islands, although it is also used for arbitrary plots in continuous habitat. The probability that such a plot is occupied depends on plot size and home-range characteristics (size, shape and dispersion) as well as population density. Plot size is critical to the definition of occupancy as a state variable, but clear advice on plot size is missing from the literature on the design of occupancy studies. We describe models for the effects of varying plot size and home-range size on expected occupancy. Temporal, spatial, and species variation in average home-range size is to be expected, but information on home ranges is difficult to retrieve from species presence/absence data collected in occupancy studies. The effect of variable home-range size is negligible when plots are very large (>100 x area of home range), but large plots pose practical problems. At the other extreme, sampling of 'point' plots with cameras or other passive detectors allows the true 'proportion of area occupied' to be estimated. However, this measure equally reflects home-range size and density, and is of doubtful value for population monitoring or cross-species comparisons. Plot size is ill-defined and variable in occupancy studies that detect animals at unknown distances, the commonest example being unlimited-radius point counts of song birds. We also find that plot size is ill-defined in recent treatments of "multi-scale" occupancy; the respective scales are better interpreted as temporal (instantaneous and asymptotic) rather than spatial. Occupancy is an inadequate metric for population monitoring when it is confounded with home-range size or detection distance.

Four-Component Relativistic Density-Functional Theory Calculations of Nuclear Spin-Rotation Constants: Relativistic Effects in p-Block Hydrides.

PubMed

Komorovsky, Stanislav; Repisky, Michal; Malkin, Elena; Demissie, Taye B; Ruud, Kenneth

2015-08-11

We present an implementation of the nuclear spin-rotation (SR) constants based on the relativistic four-component Dirac-Coulomb Hamiltonian. This formalism has been implemented in the framework of the Hartree-Fock and Kohn-Sham theory, allowing assessment of both pure and hybrid exchange-correlation functionals. In the density-functional theory (DFT) implementation of the response equations, a noncollinear generalized gradient approximation (GGA) has been used. The present approach enforces a restricted kinetic balance condition for the small-component basis at the integral level, leading to very efficient calculations of the property. We apply the methodology to study relativistic effects on the spin-rotation constants by performing calculations on XHn (n = 1-4) for all elements X in the p-block of the periodic table and comparing the effects of relativity on the nuclear SR tensors to that observed for the nuclear magnetic shielding tensors. Correlation effects as described by the density-functional theory are shown to be significant for the spin-rotation constants, whereas the differences between the use of GGA and hybrid density functionals are much smaller. Our calculated relativistic spin-rotation constants at the DFT level of theory are only in fair agreement with available experimental data. It is shown that the scaling of the relativistic effects for the spin-rotation constants (varying between Z(3.8) and Z(4.5)) is as strong as for the chemical shieldings but with a much smaller prefactor.

Computation of Nonretarded London Dispersion Coefficients and Hamaker Constants of Copper Phthalocyanine.

PubMed

Zhao, Yan; Ng, Hou T; Hanson, Eric; Dong, Jiannan; Corti, David S; Franses, Elias I

2010-02-09

A time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) scheme has been validated for predictions of the dispersion coefficients of five molecules (H2O, NH3, CO2, C6H6, and pentane) and for predictions of the static dipole polarizabilities of three organometallic compounds (TiCl4, OsO4, and Ge(CH3)4). The convergence of grid spacing has been examined, and two types of pseudopotentials and 13 density functionals have been tested. The nonretarded Hamaker constants A11 are calculated by employing a semiempirical parameter a along with the standard Hamaker constant equation. The parameter a is optimized against six accurate Hamaker constants obtained from the full Lifshitz theory. The dispersion coefficients of copper phthalocyanine CuPc and CuPc-SO3H are then computed. Using the theoretical densities of ρ1 = 1.63 and 1.62 g/cm(3), the Hamaker constants A11 of crystalline α-CuPc and β-CuPc are found to be 14.73 × 10(-20) and 14.66 × 10(-20) J, respectively. Using the experimentally derived density of ρ1 = 1.56 g/cm(3) for a commercially available β-CuPc (nanoparticles of ∼90 nm hydrodynamic diameter), A11 = 13.52 × 10(-20) J is found. Its corresponding effective Hamaker constant in water (A121) is calculated to be 3.07 × 10(-20) J. All computed A11 values for CuPc are noted to be higher than those reported previously.

Hydrogen slush density reference system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weitzel, D. H.; Lowe, L. T.; Ellerbruch, D. A.; Cruz, J. E.; Sindt, C. F.

1971-01-01

A hydrogen slush density reference system was designed for calibration of field-type instruments and/or transfer standards. The device is based on the buoyancy principle of Archimedes. The solids are weighed in a low-mass container so arranged that solids and container are buoyed by triple-point liquid hydrogen during the weighing process. Several types of hydrogen slush density transducers were developed and tested for possible use as transfer standards. The most successful transducers found were those which depend on change in dielectric constant, after which the Clausius-Mossotti function is used to relate dielectric constant and density.

[Insurance against occupational cancer in Italy and in Europe].

PubMed

Bottazzi, Marco

2009-01-01

European and Italian data show a marked under ascertainment of occupational cancers: only a small proportion is recognized, although for the majority of them the etiological fraction attributable to the workplace is high. Since more than 20 years Patronato INCA is active in order to reduce this gap. Its commitment to spread scientific knowledge has paralleled the action intended to make social security rules more favourable to workers, as well as to improve hygiene and safety in the workplace. Particular attention has been given to updating both the Italian list of occupational diseases for which notification is compulsory (which includes all Group I carcinogens according to IARC) and the Italian tables of occupational diseases. The latter are of particular relevance to the Patronato because, within the Italian norms, causality is approached in different terms according to whether a disease is or is not included in the tables. Together with changing the tables, a theoretical elaboration regarding causality, as required by multifactorial diseases such as occupational cancer, has been carried out. Such a constant commitment to bring to the surface occupational diseases is based on the belief that the right to compensation of workers who turned ill because of the work is important, and even more on the belief that identification of occupational diseases is most important for primary prevention.

Intramolecular vibrational energy redistribution and intermolecular energy transfer of benzene in supercritical CO 2: measurements from the gas phase up to liquid densities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

von Benten, R.; Charvat, A.; Link, O.; Abel, B.; Schwarzer, D.

2004-03-01

Femtosecond pump probe spectroscopy was employed to measure intramolecular vibrational energy redistribution (IVR) and intermolecular vibrational energy transfer (VET) of benzene in the gas phase and in supercritical (sc) CO 2. We observe two IVR time scales the faster of which proceeds within τ IVR(1)<0.5 ps. The slower IVR component has a time constant of τ IVR(2)=(48±5) ps in the gas phase and in scCO 2 is accelerated by interactions with the solvent. At the highest CO 2 density it is reduced to τ IVR(2)=(6±1) ps. The corresponding IVR rate constants show a similar density dependence as the VET rate constants. Model calculations suggest that both quantities correlate with the local CO 2 density in the immediate surrounding of the benzene molecule.

Surface alteration and physical properties of glass from the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary

USGS Publications Warehouse

Barkatt, A.; Sang, J.C.; Thorpe, A.N.; Senftle, F.E.; Talmy, I.G.; Norr, M.K.; Mazer, J.J.; Izett, G.; Sigurdsson, Haraldur

1994-01-01

The scalloped surface feature on Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary glass is often explained as being due to terrestrial aqueous leaching. Leaching of man-made glass results in a reduction in density of the glass. Also, Fe, because of its relative insolubility, is concentrated by the leaching process. Thus, the Haitian glass specimens which have been heavily altered should have a thin rim of less dense glass in which the Fe is concentrated compared to the core glass. The higher Fe concentration in the rim glass should cause it to have an enhanced Curie constant and a lower density compared to the unaltered glass. The magnetic Curie constant, density, and scanning electron microscopic studies were made on altered specimens of Haitian glass and also on specimens showing a minimum of alteration. The results show that the less altered samples have the highest density and the lowest Curie constant. The data substantiate the terrestrial hypothesis. ?? 1994.

Occupations, perceived stress, and stress-related disorders among women and men in the public sector in Sweden.

PubMed

Håkansson, Carita; Ahlborg, Gunnar

2017-01-01

Stress-related disorders are a public health problem and represent a significant burden to individuals and society. It is, therefore, of importance to regard stress in a wider context and identify risk factors not only at work but in all occupations in everyday life, to prevent ill health. The aim of this study was to examine potential associations between everyday occupations, perceived stress, and stress-related disorders as well as potential gender differences. A survey was mailed to a random selection of 3481 employees in the public sector in Western Sweden. Cox regressions with constant time at risk were used, in order to calculate prevalence ratios (PR) and their 95% confidence intervals (CI). The results showed a clear association between reporting imbalance between different everyday occupations and both perceived stress and stress-related disorders among men and women. Imbalance between different everyday occupations seems to be an important risk factor for perceived stress and stress-related disorder among both women and men. To enable people to achieve balance between different everyday occupations may be a useful way to prevent stress, stress-related disorders, and sick leave, and to promote better health and well-being.

Occupancy and abundance of the endangered yellowcheek darter in Arkansas

USGS Publications Warehouse

Magoulick, Daniel D.; Lynch, Dustin T.

2015-01-01

The Yellowcheek Darter (Etheostoma moorei) is a rare fish endemic to the Little Red River watershed in the Boston Mountains of northern Arkansas. Remaining populations of this species are geographically isolated and declining, and the species was listed in 2011 as federally endangered. Populations have declined, in part, due to intense seasonal stream drying and inundation of lower reaches by a reservoir. We used a kick seine sampling approach to examine distribution and abundance of Yellowcheek Darter populations in the Middle Fork and South Fork Little Red River. We used presence data to estimate occupancy rates and detection probability and examined relationships between Yellowcheek Darter density and environmental variables. The species was found at five Middle Fork and South Fork sites where it had previously been present in 2003–2004. Occupancy rates were >0.6 but with wide 95% CI, and where the darters occurred, densities were typical of other Ozark darters but highly variable. Detection probability and density were positively related to current velocity. Given that stream drying has become more extreme over the past 30 years and anthropogenic threats have increased, regular monitoring and active management may be required to reduce extinction risk of Yellowcheek Darter populations.

Arctic foxes, lemmings, and canada goose nest survival at cape Churchill, Manitoba

USGS Publications Warehouse

Reiter, M.E.; Andersen, D.E.

2011-01-01

We examined factors influencing Canada Goose (Branta canadensis interior) annual nest success, including the relative abundance of collared lemmings (Dicrostonyx richardsoni), arctic fox (Alopex lagopus) den occupancy, nest density, and spring phenology using data collected during annual Canada Goose breeding area surveys at Cape Churchill, Manitoba. Nest density and arctic fox den occupancy strongly influenced Canada Goose nest success. High nest density resulted in higher nest success and high den occupancy reduced nest success. Nest success was not influenced by lemming abundance in the current or previous year as predicted by the "bird-lemming" hypothesis. Reducing arctic fox abundance through targeted management increased nest survival of Canada Geese; a result that further emphasizes the importance of arctic fox as nest predators in this system. The spatial distribution of nest predators, at least for dispersed-nesting geese, may be most important for nest survival, regardless of the abundance of small mammals in the local ecosystem. Further understanding of the factors influencing the magnitude and variance in arctic fox abundance in this region, and the spatial scale at which these factors are realized, is necessary to fully explain predator-prey-alternative prey dynamics in this system. ?? 2011 by the Wilson Ornithological Society.

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

San Fabián, J.; Omar, S.; García de la Vega, J. M., E-mail: garcia.delavega@uam.es

The effect of a fraction of Hartree-Fock exchange on the calculated spin-spin coupling constants involving fluorine through a hydrogen bond is analyzed in detail. Coupling constants calculated using wavefunction methods are revisited in order to get high-level calculations using the same basis set. Accurate MCSCF results are obtained using an additive approach. These constants and their contributions are used as a reference for density functional calculations. Within the density functional theory, the Hartree-Fock exchange functional is split in short- and long-range using a modified version of the Coulomb-attenuating method with the SLYP functional as well as with the original B3LYP.more » Results support the difficulties for calculating hydrogen bond coupling constants using density functional methods when fluorine nuclei are involved. Coupling constants are very sensitive to the Hartree-Fock exchange and it seems that, contrary to other properties, it is important to include this exchange for short-range interactions. Best functionals are tested in two different groups of complexes: those related with anionic clusters of type [F(HF){sub n}]{sup −} and those formed by difluoroacetylene and either one or two hydrogen fluoride molecules.« less

The role of age, environmental and occupational factors on semen density.

PubMed

Łepecka-Klusek, Celina; Wdowiak, Artur; Pilewska-Kozak, Anna B; Syty, Kinga; Jakiel, Grzegorz

2011-01-01

The problem of effect of the environment on human reproduction has been in the focus of researchers' interest for many years. To examine the relationship between semen density in males with reproduction problems, and their age, living and working conditions. The study covered 224 males with reproduction problems. The study had a prospective character and was conducted in three stages - the first stage was carried out using the questionnaire devised by the authors; the second and the third stages consisted in the examination and evaluation of male semen density. Statistical analysis was used to search for the relationship between these groups and variables adopted in the study, i.e. age, occupation performed, place of residence, self-reported housing conditions and material standard, reporting by the males in the study of arduousness of work or health hazards perceived by the males examined, and duration of employment in such conditions. The males in the study were divided into three groups according to their semen density. Group I (20 × 10(6) mln/ml or more) included 62 (27.7%) respondents, Group II (below 20 × 10(6) mln/ml) covered 121 males (54.0%), while Group III (only single spermatozoa or none) - 41 males (18.3%). Male semen density are significantly correlated with men's ages and jobs as well as the general evaluations of the jobs held by the men (p<0.05). No significant relationship is observed between living conditions, arduous work conditions and occupational hazards as perceived by males, or duration of employment in such conditions, and male semen density (p>0.05). The results obtained encourage continuation of the studies and cover a larger group of males with reproduction problems.

Sampling scales define occupancy and underlying occupancy-abundance relationships in animals.

PubMed

Steenweg, Robin; Hebblewhite, Mark; Whittington, Jesse; Lukacs, Paul; McKelvey, Kevin

2018-01-01

Occupancy-abundance (OA) relationships are a foundational ecological phenomenon and field of study, and occupancy models are increasingly used to track population trends and understand ecological interactions. However, these two fields of ecological inquiry remain largely isolated, despite growing appreciation of the importance of integration. For example, using occupancy models to infer trends in abundance is predicated on positive OA relationships. Many occupancy studies collect data that violate geographical closure assumptions due to the choice of sampling scales and application to mobile organisms, which may change how occupancy and abundance are related. Little research, however, has explored how different occupancy sampling designs affect OA relationships. We develop a conceptual framework for understanding how sampling scales affect the definition of occupancy for mobile organisms, which drives OA relationships. We explore how spatial and temporal sampling scales, and the choice of sampling unit (areal vs. point sampling), affect OA relationships. We develop predictions using simulations, and test them using empirical occupancy data from remote cameras on 11 medium-large mammals. Surprisingly, our simulations demonstrate that when using point sampling, OA relationships are unaffected by spatial sampling grain (i.e., cell size). In contrast, when using areal sampling (e.g., species atlas data), OA relationships are affected by spatial grain. Furthermore, OA relationships are also affected by temporal sampling scales, where the curvature of the OA relationship increases with temporal sampling duration. Our empirical results support these predictions, showing that at any given abundance, the spatial grain of point sampling does not affect occupancy estimates, but longer surveys do increase occupancy estimates. For rare species (low occupancy), estimates of occupancy will quickly increase with longer surveys, even while abundance remains constant. Our results also clearly demonstrate that occupancy for mobile species without geographical closure is not true occupancy. The independence of occupancy estimates from spatial sampling grain depends on the sampling unit. Point-sampling surveys can, however, provide unbiased estimates of occupancy for multiple species simultaneously, irrespective of home-range size. The use of occupancy for trend monitoring needs to explicitly articulate how the chosen sampling scales define occupancy and affect the occupancy-abundance relationship. © 2017 by the Ecological Society of America.

Nuclear shielding constants by density functional theory with gauge including atomic orbitals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Helgaker, Trygve; Wilson, Philip J.; Amos, Roger D.; Handy, Nicholas C.

2000-08-01

Recently, we introduced a new density-functional theory (DFT) approach for the calculation of NMR shielding constants. First, a hybrid DFT calculation (using 5% exact exchange) is performed on the molecule to determine Kohn-Sham orbitals and their energies; second, the constants are determined as in nonhybrid DFT theory, that is, the paramagnetic contribution to the constants is calculated from a noniterative, uncoupled sum-over-states expression. The initial results suggested that this semiempirical DFT approach gives shielding constants in good agreement with the best ab initio and experimental data; in this paper, we further validate this procedure, using London orbitals in the theory, having implemented DFT into the ab initio code DALTON. Calculations on a number of small and medium-sized molecules confirm that our approach produces shieldings in excellent agreement with experiment and the best ab initio results available, demonstrating its potential for the study of shielding constants of large systems.

Investigation of structural, electronic, elastic and optical properties of Cd{sub 1-x-y}Zn{sub x}Hg{sub y}Te alloys

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

Tamer, M., E-mail: mehmet.tamer@zirve.edu.tr

2016-06-15

Structural, optical and electronic properties and elastic constants of Cd1{sub -x-y}Zn{sub x} Hg{sub y}Te alloys have been studied by employing the commercial code Castep based on density functional theory. The generalized gradient approximation and local density approximation were utilized as exchange correlation. Using elastic constants for compounds, bulk modulus, band gap, Fermi energy and Kramers–Kronig relations, dielectric constants and the refractive index have been found through calculations. Apart from these, X-ray measurements revealed elastic constants and Vegard’s law. It is seen that results obtained from theory and experiments are all in agreement.

On the Foundation of Equipartition in Supernova Remnants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Urošević, Dejan; Pavlović, Marko Z.; Arbutina, Bojan

2018-03-01

A widely accepted paradigm is that equipartition (eqp) between the energy density of cosmic rays (CRs) and the energy density of the magnetic field cannot be sustained in supernova remnants (SNRs). However, our 3D hydrodynamic supercomputer simulations, coupled with a nonlinear diffusive shock acceleration model, provide evidence that eqp may be established at the end of the Sedov phase of evolution in which most SNRs spend the longest portions of their lives. We introduce the term “constant partition” for any constant ratio between the CR energy density and the energy density of the magnetic field in an SNR, while the term “equipartition” should be reserved for the case of approximately the same values of the energy density (also, it is constant partition in the order of magnitude) of ultra-relativistic electrons only (or CRs in total) and the energy density of the magnetic field. Our simulations suggest that this approximate constant partition exists in all but the youngest SNRs. We speculate that since evolved SNRs at the end of the Sedov phase of evolution can reach eqp between CRs and magnetic fields, they may be responsible for initializing this type of eqp in the interstellar medium. Additionally, we show that eqp between the electron component of CRs and the magnetic field may be used for calculating the magnetic field strength directly from observations of synchrotron emission from SNRs. The values of magnetic field strengths in SNRs given here are approximately 2.5 times lower than values calculated by Arbutina et al.

A multi-species framework for landscape conservation planning

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schwenk, W. Scott; Donovan, Therese

2011-01-01

 Rapidly changing landscapes have spurred the need for quantitative methods for conservation assessment and planning that encompass large spatial extents. We devised and tested a multispecies framework for conservation planning to complement single-species assessments and ecosystem-level approaches. Our framework consisted of 4 elements: sampling to effectively estimate population parameters, measuring how human activity affects landscapes at multiple scales, analyzing the relation between landscape characteristics and individual species occurrences, and evaluating and comparing the responses of multiple species to landscape modification. We applied the approach to a community of terrestrial birds across 25,000 km2 with a range of intensities of human development. Human modification of land cover, road density, and other elements of the landscape, measured at multiple spatial extents, had large effects on occupancy of the 67 species studied. Forest composition within 1 km of points had a strong effect on occupancy of many species and a range of negative, intermediate, and positive associations. Road density within 1 km of points, percent evergreen forest within 300 m, and distance from patch edge were also strongly associated with occupancy for many species. We used the occupancy results to group species into 11 guilds that shared patterns of association with landscape characteristics. Our multispecies approach to conservation planning allowed us to quantify the trade-offs of different scenarios of land-cover change in terms of species occupancy.

Socio-economic position and lower dietary moderation among Chinese immigrant women in the USA.

PubMed

Tseng, Marilyn; Fang, Carolyn Y

2012-03-01

To examine associations of education and occupation, as indicators of socio-economic position (SEP), with dietary intake and diet quality in a sample of Chinese immigrant women. Cross-sectional. Data collection included four days of dietary recalls and information on education and current occupation for participants and their spouses. Philadelphia, PA, USA. Chinese immigrant women (n 423) recruited from October 2005 to April 2008. In multivariate models, both higher education level and occupation category were significantly associated with higher energy density and intake of energy and sugar. Education was additionally associated with intake of sugar-sweetened beverages (P = 0·01) and lower dietary moderation (P = 0·01). With joint categorization based on both education and occupation, we observed significant trends indicating higher energy density (P = 0·004) and higher intake of energy (P = 0·001) and sugar (P = 0·04), but less dietary moderation (P = 0·02) with higher SEP. In this sample of US Chinese immigrants, higher SEP as indicated by education level and occupation category was associated with differences in dietary intake and with less dietary moderation. While higher SEP is typically linked to healthier diet in higher-income nations, in these immigrants the association of SEP with diet follows the pattern of their country of origin - a lower-income country undergoing the nutrition transition.

A Multispecies Framework for Landscape Conservation Planning

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schwenk, W.S.; Donovan, T.M.

2011-01-01

Rapidly changing landscapes have spurred the need for quantitative methods for conservation assessment and planning that encompass large spatial extents. We devised and tested a multispecies framework for conservation planning to complement single-species assessments and ecosystem-level approaches. Our framework consisted of 4 elements: sampling to effectively estimate population parameters, measuring how human activity affects landscapes at multiple scales, analyzing the relation between landscape characteristics and individual species occurrences, and evaluating and comparing the responses of multiple species to landscape modification. We applied the approach to a community of terrestrial birds across 25,000 km2 with a range of intensities of human development. Human modification of land cover, road density, and other elements of the landscape, measured at multiple spatial extents, had large effects on occupancy of the 67 species studied. Forest composition within 1 km of points had a strong effect on occupancy of many species and a range of negative, intermediate, and positive associations. Road density within 1 km of points, percent evergreen forest within 300 m, and distance from patch edge were also strongly associated with occupancy for many species. We used the occupancy results to group species into 11 guilds that shared patterns of association with landscape characteristics. Our multispecies approach to conservation planning allowed us to quantify the trade-offs of different scenarios of land-cover change in terms of species occupancy. ?? 2011 Society for Conservation Biology.

Comparison of entrainment in constant volume and constant flux dense currents over sloping bottoms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bhaganagar, K.; Nayamatullah, M.; Cenedese, C.

2014-12-01

Three dimensional high resolution large eddy simulations (LES) are employed to simulate lock-exchange and constant flux dense flows over inclined surface with the aim of investigating, visualizing and describing the turbulent structure and the evolution of bottom-propagating compositional density current at the channel bottom. The understanding of dynamics of density current is largely determined by the amount of interfacial mixing or entrainment between the ambient and dense fluids. No previous experimental or numerical studies have been done to estimate entrainment in classical lock-exchange system. The differences in entrainment between the lock-exchange and constant flux are explored. Comparing the results of flat bed with inclined surface results, flow exhibits significant differences near the leading edge or nose of the front of the density currents due to inclination of surface. Further, the instabilities are remarkably enhanced resulting Kelvin-Helmholtz and lobe-cleft type of instabilities arises much earlier in time. In this study, a brief analysis of entrainment on lock-exchange density current is presented using different bed slopes and a set of reduced gravity values (g'). We relate the entrainment value with different flow parameters such as Froude number (Fr) and Reynolds number (Re).

Energy conservation and maximal entropy production in enzyme reactions.

PubMed

Dobovišek, Andrej; Vitas, Marko; Brumen, Milan; Fajmut, Aleš

2017-08-01

A procedure for maximization of the density of entropy production in a single stationary two-step enzyme reaction is developed. Under the constraints of mass conservation, fixed equilibrium constant of a reaction and fixed products of forward and backward enzyme rate constants the existence of maximum in the density of entropy production is demonstrated. In the state with maximal density of entropy production the optimal enzyme rate constants, the stationary concentrations of the substrate and the product, the stationary product yield as well as the stationary reaction flux are calculated. The test, whether these calculated values of the reaction parameters are consistent with their corresponding measured values, is performed for the enzyme Glucose Isomerase. It is found that calculated and measured rate constants agree within an order of magnitude, whereas the calculated reaction flux and the product yield differ from their corresponding measured values for less than 20 % and 5 %, respectively. This indicates that the enzyme Glucose Isomerase, considered in a non-equilibrium stationary state, as found in experiments using the continuous stirred tank reactors, possibly operates close to the state with the maximum in the density of entropy production. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

First principles studies of the dependence of magnetism on the crystal phase in 4d and 5d late transition metals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hüger, E.; Osuch, K.

2005-03-01

We investigate the possibility of inducing ferromagnetic order in 4d and 5d late transition metals through crystal symmetry change. First principles, self-consistent density functional theory calculations, with spin-orbit coupling included, performed at 0 K show that ferromagnetism occurs in the bulk of Rh and Pd at the optimum lattice constant if Rh is in the bcc and Pd in the hcp/dhcp phase. The ferromagnetic order originates in the d-band occupancy of Rh or Pd which locates the Fermi energy at the top of the highest peak of the respective (paramagnetic) density of states induced by the bcc or hcp/dhcp structure. This peak in the density of states is caused by flat bands which lie at the surface of the respective Brillouin zone. For a bcc crystal these flat bands have the eg character and are positioned at the surface of the bcc Brillouin zone along the N-P line. The origin of the flatness of the bands was found to be the translation symmetry of the cubic lattice which causes the bands with the eg character to be narrow along the k-lines whose k-vector directions are furthest off the directions to which the orbitals of the eg symmetry point. Due to the d-band occupancy of Rh these flat bands lie in the paramagnetic state at the Fermi energy, whereas in the ferromagnetic state they exhibit the largest energetic split. This indicates that a smaller degree of orbital overlap narrows electronic bands enhancing the tendency of the system for ferromagnetic band split. For the hcp/dhcp structure the states contributing to the high density of para-magnetic states at the Fermi level of Pd lie in the vicinity of the M-L line of the hcp Brillouin zone boundary, which possesses a high number of symmetry (M and L) points. Moreover, the M-L line is aligned with the stacking sequence direction ([0001]) which is furthest off the densest-packed atomic chain direction of an hcp-crystal and, consequently, the weakest-bond direction in the crystal. This makes the narrow bands along the M-L line flat. The instability of the bcc and the meta-stability of the hcp crystal phase modifications for metals with native close-packed crystal structures is subsequently analysed in order to find whether they can be grown as films on suitable substrates.

Ventilation requirements in buildings—I. Control of occupancy odor and tobacco smoke odor

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cain, William S.; Leaderer, Brian P.; Isseroff, Ruth; Berglund, Larry G.; Huey, Raymond J.; Lipsitt, Eric D.; Perlman, Dan

Psychophysical measurements of odor, supplemented with certain physical measurements, were taken to examine ventilation requirements during smoking and nonsmoking occupancy in an environmental chamber. The facility provided the means to compare impressions of visitors (persons who inhaled air from the chamber only briefly) with impressions of occupants. For nonsmoking occupancy, 47 combinations of temperature, humidity, ventilation rate and occupancy density were examined. Odor level depended entirely on ventilation rate per person irrespective of the number of persons in the chamber. The ventilation necessary to satisfy 75 % of visitors equalled only about 4 ℓ s -1 per person. Occupants, however, were satisfied with far less. In an array of 38 conditions of smoking occupancy, the ventilation deemed necessary to satisfy 75 % of visitors under customary conditions of occupancy equalled 17.5 ℓ s -1 per person. For both smoking and nonsmoking conditions, a combination of high temperature (25.5°C) and humidity (r.h. > 70 %) exacerbated the odor problem. During smoking, carbon monoxide rarely reached dangerous levels, but suspended particulate matter often reached levels considered unacceptable outdoors. The results highlight the energy penalty incurred in ventilation for smoking occupancy.

On the response of superpressure balloons to displacements from equilibrium density level

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Levanon, N.; Kushnir, Y.

1976-01-01

The response of a superpressure balloon to an initial displacement from its constant-density floating level is examined. An approximate solution is obtained to the governing vertical equation of motion for constant-density superpressure balloons. This solution is used to filter out neutrally buoyant oscillations in balloon records despite the nonlinear behavior of the balloon. The graph depicting the pressure data after deconvolution between the raw pressure data and the normalized balloon wavelet shows clearly the strong filtering-out of the neutral buoyancy oscillations.

Connection formulas for thermal density functional theory

DOE PAGES

Pribram-Jones, A.; Burke, K.

2016-05-23

We show that the adiabatic connection formula of ground-state density functional theory relates the correlation energy to a coupling-constant integral over a purely potential contribution, and is widely used to understand and improve approximations. The corresponding formula for thermal density functional theory is cast as an integral over temperatures instead, ranging upward from the system's physical temperature. We also show how to relate different correlation components to each other, either in terms of temperature or coupling-constant integrations. Lastly, we illustrate our results on the uniform electron gas.

Forest production dynamics along a wood density spectrum in eastern US forests

Treesearch

C.W. Woodall; M.B. Russell; B.F. Walters; A.W. D' Amato; K. Zhu; S.S. Saatchi

2015-01-01

Emerging plant economics spectrum theories were confirmed across temperate forest systems of the eastern US where the use of a forest stand's mean wood density elucidated forest volume and biomass production dynamics integrating aspects of climate, tree mortality/growth, and rates of site occupancy.

Improved Dielectric Films For Capacitors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yen, Shiao-Ping S.; Lewis, Carol R.; Cygan, Peter J.; Jow, T. Richard

1994-01-01

Dielectric films made from blends of some commercially available high-dielectric-constant cyanoresins with each other and with cellulose triacetate (CTA) have both high dielectric constants and high breakdown strengths. Dielectric constants as high as 16.2. Films used to produce high-energy-density capacitors.

The development of occupational aspirations and expectations among inner-city boys.

PubMed

Cook, T D; Church, M B; Ajanaku, S; Shadish, W R; Kim, J R; Cohen, R

1996-12-01

The occupational aspirations and expectations of two populations of boys in grades 2, 4, 6, and 8 were examined in order (1) to describe what is unique about the development of job preferences among urban ghetto children who live in settings where many adult males are not well attached to the labor force and (2) to examine 6 reasons for any age- and population-dependent patterns there might be in job aspirations and job expectations. Findings show that boys tend to be more realistic about occupational aspirations and expectations the older they are; that from second grade on the occupational expectations of inner-city boys mirror existing race and class differences in adult job holdings; that the gap between occupational aspirations and expectations is greater for the ghetto boys and remains roughly constant in size across the grades examined; and that the lower occupational expectations of the inner-city boys are strongly related to their lower educational expectations, with these educational expectations being associated with fewer poor boys having a biological father at home and with more of these boys seeing obstacles to success in the local social setting. But, the lower occupational expectations of the ghetto boys are not due to having fewer positive role models or believing that schooling will not pay off for them in the future as it does for others.

Perspectives of rural carers on benefits and barriers of receiving occupational therapy via Information and Communication Technologies.

PubMed

Gardner, Kate; Bundy, Anita; Dew, Angela

2016-04-01

People with a disability living in rural areas commonly experience difficulty in accessing therapy services. Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) may have the potential to provide occupational therapy services remotely through two-way visual interactions. The aim of this qualitative study was to understand the perspectives of carers of a person with a disability living in rural New South Wales (NSW) on the use of ICT for occupational therapy service delivery. Individual semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with 11 carers of persons with a disability living in rural NSW. Participants were asked about their use of technology, therapy experiences and their attitudes towards using ICT to receive occupational therapy for their son/daughter. Data were analysed via constant comparison and thematic analysis. Participants were willing to use ICT to enhance their current access to therapy based on their in-depth knowledge of their son or daughter and their prior experiences with therapy and technology. For ICT to work for occupational therapy, participants identified the need for support and access prior to, during and between ICT sessions. From the carers' perspectives, ICT has the potential to increase access to occupational therapy services for people with a disability who live in rural NSW. Occupational therapists could benefit from eliciting the experiences, knowledge and willingness of rural carers to deliver therapy via ICT, thereby supplementing and enhancing in-person service delivery. © 2016 Occupational Therapy Australia.

On the Boundary Condition Between Two Multiplying Media

DOE R&D Accomplishments Database

Friedman, F. L.; Wigner, E. P.

1944-04-19

The transition region between two parts of a pile which have different compositions is investigated. In the case where the moderator is the same in both parts of the pile, it is found that the diffusion constant times thermal neutron density plus diffusion constant times fast neutron density satisfies the usual pile equations everywhere, right to the boundary. More complicated formulae apply in a more general case.

Noise in restaurants: levels and mathematical model.

PubMed

To, Wai Ming; Chung, Andy

2014-01-01

Noise affects the dining atmosphere and is an occupational hazard to restaurant service employees worldwide. This paper examines the levels of noise in dining areas during peak hours in different types of restaurants in Hong Kong SAR, China. A mathematical model that describes the noise level in a restaurant is presented. The 1-h equivalent continuous noise level (L(eq,1-h)) was measured using a Type-1 precision integral sound level meter while the occupancy density, the floor area of the dining area, and the ceiling height of each of the surveyed restaurants were recorded. It was found that the measured noise levels using Leq,1-h ranged from 67.6 to 79.3 dBA in Chinese restaurants, from 69.1 to 79.1 dBA in fast food restaurants, and from 66.7 to 82.6 dBA in Western restaurants. Results of the analysis of variance show that there were no significant differences between means of the measured noise levels among different types of restaurants. A stepwise multiple regression analysis was employed to determine the relationships between geometrical and operational parameters and the measured noise levels. Results of the regression analysis show that the measured noise levels depended on the levels of occupancy density only. By reconciling the measured noise levels and the mathematical model, it was found that people in restaurants increased their voice levels when the occupancy density increased. Nevertheless, the maximum measured hourly noise level indicated that the noise exposure experienced by restaurant service employees was below the regulated daily noise exposure value level of 85 dBA.

Seasonal differences in extinction and colonization drive occupancy dynamics of an imperilled amphibian.

PubMed

Randall, Lea A; Smith, Des H V; Jones, Breana L; Prescott, David R C; Moehrenschlager, Axel

2015-01-01

A detailed understanding of the population dynamics of many amphibian species is lacking despite concerns about declining amphibian biodiversity and abundance. This paper explores temporal patterns of occupancy and underlying extinction and colonization dynamics in a regionally imperiled amphibian species, the Northern leopard frog (Lithobates pipiens) in Alberta. Our study contributes to elucidating regional occupancy dynamics at northern latitudes, where climate extremes likely have a profound effect on seasonal occupancy. The primary advantage of our study is its wide geographic scale (60,000 km2) and the use of repeat visual surveys each spring and summer from 2009-2013. We find that occupancy varied more dramatically between seasons than years, with low spring and higher summer occupancy. Between spring and summer, colonization was high and extinction low; inversely, colonization was low and extinction high over the winter. The dynamics of extinction and colonization are complex, making conservation management challenging. Our results reveal that Northern leopard frog occupancy was constant over the last five years and thus there is no evidence of decline or recovery within our study area. Changes to equilibrium occupancy are most sensitive to increasing colonization in the spring or declining extinction in the summer. Therefore, conservation and management efforts should target actions that are likely to increase spring colonization; this could be achieved through translocations or improving the quality or access to breeding habitat. Because summer occupancy is already high, it may be difficult to improve further. Nevertheless, summer extinction could be reduced by predator control, increasing water quality or hydroperiod of wetlands, or increasing the quality or quantity of summer habitat.

High current densities enable exoelectrogens to outcompete aerobic heterotrophs for substrate.

PubMed

Ren, Lijiao; Zhang, Xiaoyuan; He, Weihua; Logan, Bruce E

2014-11-01

In mixed-culture microbial fuel cells (MFCs), exoelectrogens and other microorganisms compete for substrate. It has previously been assumed that substrate losses to other terminal electron acceptors over a fed-batch cycle, such as dissolved oxygen, are constant. However, a constant rate of substrate loss would only explain small increases in coulombic efficiencies (CEs, the fraction of substrate recovered as electrical current) with shorter cycle times, but not the large increases in CE that are usually observed with higher current densities and reduced cycle times. To better understand changes in CEs, COD concentrations were measured over time in fed-batch, single-chamber, air-cathode MFCs at different current densities (external resistances). COD degradation rates were all found to be first-order with respect to COD concentration, even under open circuit conditions with no current generation (first-order rate constant of 0.14 ± 0.01 h(-1) ). The rate of COD removal increased when there was current generation, with the highest rate constant (0.33 ± 0.02 h(-1) ) obtained at the lowest external resistance (100 Ω). Therefore, as the substrate concentration was reduced more quickly due to current generation, the rate of loss of substrate to non-exoelectrogens decreased due to this first-order substrate-concentration dependence. As a result, coulombic efficiencies rapidly increased due to decreased, and not constant, removal rates of substrate by non-exoelectrogens. These results show that higher current densities (lower resistances) redirect a greater percentage of substrate into current generation, enabling large increase in CEs with increased current densities. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2014;111: 2163-2169. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Principals Responding to Constant Pressure: Finding a Source of Stress Management

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wells, Caryn M.

2013-01-01

This conceptual article presents a review of the research concerning the stress level of principals over the past three decades, with emphasis on the occupational stress that principals encounter because of heightened accountability and expectations for student achievement. Mindfulness meditation, as a stress management intervention, provides the…

Clicking Your Way to Student Success!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bostwick, Dianna; Foster, John; Bloomfield, Amie; Rutledge, Paul

2013-01-01

According to the authors, their field has been in a constant state of change and evolution, from manual arts to vocational education to career and technical education (CTE). In a recent effort to increase academic and occupational achievement and success for all CTE students through targeted improvement plans, the state of Pennsylvania implemented…

Learning Leadership Skills in a Simulated Business Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Siewiorek, Anna; Saarinen, Eeli; Lainema, Timo; Lehtinen, Erno

2012-01-01

In today's unstable market economy, individuals have to be skilled to work efficiently in constantly changing and complex situations. Thus, graduate students have to be trained to cope with unpredictable situations before they enter the workforce. They need to exercise occupational skills, such as leadership skills, during higher education.…

Manpower Theory and Policy and the Residual Occupational Elasticity of Substitution.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rostker, Bernard Daniel

By developing the short-run policy implications of a structurally disaggregated labor market, this study attempts to show that fiscal and manpower policies are complementary means to achieve full employment. Using a constant elasticity of substitution production function, the study demonstrates mathematically that the smaller the residual…

Remapping dark matter halo catalogues between cosmological simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mead, A. J.; Peacock, J. A.

2014-05-01

We present and test a method for modifying the catalogue of dark matter haloes produced from a given cosmological simulation, so that it resembles the result of a simulation with an entirely different set of parameters. This extends the method of Angulo & White, which rescales the full particle distribution from a simulation. Working directly with the halo catalogue offers an advantage in speed, and also allows modifications of the internal structure of the haloes to account for non-linear differences between cosmologies. Our method can be used directly on a halo catalogue in a self-contained manner without any additional information about the overall density field; although the large-scale displacement field is required by the method, this can be inferred from the halo catalogue alone. We show proof of concept of our method by rescaling a matter-only simulation with no baryon acoustic oscillation (BAO) features to a more standard Λ cold dark matter model containing a cosmological constant and a BAO signal. In conjunction with the halo occupation approach, this method provides a basis for the rapid generation of mock galaxy samples spanning a wide range of cosmological parameters.

Calculation of spin-densities within the context of density functional theory. The crucial role of the correlation functional

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Filatov, Michael; Cremer, Dieter

2005-09-01

It is demonstrated that the LYP correlation functional is not suited to be used for the calculation of electron spin resonance hyperfine structure (HFS) constants, nuclear magnetic resonance spin-spin coupling constants, magnetic, shieldings and other properties that require a balanced account of opposite- and equal-spin correlation, especially in the core region. In the case of the HFS constants of alkali atoms, LYP exaggerates opposite-spin correlation effects thus invoking too strong in-out correlation effects, an exaggerated spin-polarization pattern in the core shells of the atoms, and, consequently, too large HFS constants. Any correlation functional that provides a balanced account of opposite- and equal-spin correlation leads to improved HFS constants, which is proven by comparing results obtained with the LYP and the PW91 correlation functional. It is suggested that specific response properties are calculated with the PW91 rather than the LYP correlation functional.

[Integration of demographic factors in the characterization of risk areas for sleeping sickness in Côte d'Ivoire].

PubMed

Fournet, F; Kone, A; Meda, A H; Traore, S; Hervouet, J P

2001-01-01

The purpose of this study was to classify the risk for transmission of African human trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness) according to population and settlement densities in four different areas of Zoukougbeu, Cote d'Ivoire, where the exact location of cases reported since 1990 is known. Epidemiological risk indexes were calculated from entomological data obtained from three surveys and analyzed with respect to presence of patients and occupancy rate in each area. Results indicated that there was a risk of transmission near the village of Bahigbeu II where the population density is between 30 and 40 inhabitants per km2 and settlement density is 4 per km2. There was also a risk in less inhabited areas such as Ouatigbeu where the population density is less than 30 inhabitants per km2 and dwelling density less than 4 per km2. In fact, cases are regularly reported in Ouatigbeu but never in Bahigbeu II. Based on these findings, we conclude that, while land occupancy can be considered as a risk factor for sleeping sickness, other factors such as human mobility must be taken into account to characterize risk areas and predict outbreaks.

A prospective randomized controlled trial comparing occupational therapy with home-based exercises in conservative treatment of rotator cuff tears.

PubMed

Krischak, Gert; Gebhard, Florian; Reichel, Heiko; Friemert, Benedikt; Schneider, Florian; Fisser, Christoph; Kaluscha, Rainer; Kraus, Michael

2013-09-01

This pilot study evaluates the outcome after occupational therapy, compared to home-based exercises in the conservative treatment of patients with full thickness rotator cuff tears. Forty-three adult subjects (range, 18-75 years), who had a full thickness rupture of the rotator cuff which was verified by magnetic imaging tomography, with clinical signs of a chronic rotator cuff impingement, and who were available for follow-up, were randomized to occupational therapy or to independent home-based exercises using a booklet. After drop-out, 38 patients were available for full examination at follow-up. Before therapy and after 2 months of conservative treatment, pain intensity, the Constant-Murley score, isokinetic strength testing in abduction and external rotation, functional limitation, clinical shoulder tests and health-related quality of life (EQ-5D) were evaluated. Two-thirds of the patients improved in clinical shoulder tests, regardless of the therapy group. There were no significant differences between the groups with reference to pain, range of motion, maximum peak force (abduction, external rotation), the Constant-Murley score, and the EQ-5D index. The only significant difference observed was the improvement in the self-assessed health- related quality of life (EQ-5D VAS) favoring home-based exercises. Home-based exercise, on the basis of an illustrated booklet with exercises twice a day, supplies comparable results to formal occupational therapy in the conservative treatment of rotator cuff tears. The results of this pilot study suggest some potential advantages related to psychological benefits using home-based treatment. Copyright © 2013 Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery Board of Trustees. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Prediction of electronic and optical properties of ZnAl2Te4 defect chalcopyrite semiconductor: an ab-initio study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mayengbam, Rishikanta; Tripathy, S. K.; Pandey, B. P.

2018-03-01

In this paper, we have investigated the structural, electronic and optical properties of ZnAl2Te4 defect chalcopyrite semiconductor using generalized gradient approximation (GGA) within density functional theory (DFT). We have calculated the optimized lattice constants (a and c) and compared with the available experimental values. The optimized lattice constants have been used to calculate the energy band gap and found to be 1.57 eV. The partial density of states and total density of states have been discussed in detail. The frequency dependent dielectric constant and refractive index have been calculated and plotted in the energy range 0-13 eV. All the above parameters have been compared with the available experimental and theoretical values and found good agreement between them.

Ingredients and change processes in occupational therapy for children: a grounded theory study.

PubMed

Armitage, Samantha; Swallow, Veronica; Kolehmainen, Niina

2017-05-01

There is limited evidence about the effectiveness of occupational therapy interventions for participation outcomes in children with coordination difficulties. Developing theory about the interventions, i.e. their ingredients and change processes, is the first step to advance the evidence base. To develop theory about the key ingredients of occupational therapy interventions for children with coordination difficulties and the processes through which change in participation might happen. Grounded theory methodology, as described by Kathy Charmaz, was used to develop the theory. Children and parents participated in semi-structured interviews to share their experiences of occupational therapy and processes of change. Data collection and analysis were completed concurrently using constant comparison methods. Five key ingredients of interventions were described: performing activities and tasks; achieving; carer support; helping and supporting the child; and labelling. Ingredients related to participation by changing children's mastery experience, increasing capability beliefs and sense of control. Parents' knowledge, skills, positive emotions, sense of empowerment and capability beliefs also related to children's participation. The results identify intervention ingredients and change pathways within occupational therapy to increase participation. It is unclear how explicitly and often therapists consider and make use of these ingredients and pathway.

Making use of research: clinical views on an evaluation of everyday technology use.

PubMed

Nygård, Louise; Kottorp, Anders; Rosenberg, Lena

2015-01-01

The study aim was to investigate how and when an evaluation of perceived difficulty in use of everyday technology (Everyday Technology Use Questionnaire, ETUQ) could be used in clinical occupational therapy. Eight focus-group interviews were undertaken with a total of 42 participants (occupational therapists), and data were analysed with a constant comparative approach. The findings are presented in four main categories, including (i) appropriate purposes and contexts for using ETUQ, (ii) standardization versus individual flexibility, (iii) approaching everyday technology use and occupation as one whole, and (iv) synthesizing and documentation. In conclusion, the participants considered ability to use technology to be an important topic for occupational therapy, particularly in investigations of clients with subtle disabilities and in connection with discharge from hospital - but not in inpatient care. They had different views on how to integrate ETUQ with evaluations of occupational performance, and new ideas on how information about clients' ability to use technology could be utilized in interventions. They held standardized evaluations in high regard, but a paradox appeared in that many of them would use ETUQ in a non-standardized way, while simultaneously asking for a standardized output to be used in clients' medical files and to guide interventions.

A multispecies framework for landscape conservation planning.

PubMed

Schwenk, W Scott; Donovan, Therese M

2011-10-01

Rapidly changing landscapes have spurred the need for quantitative methods for conservation assessment and planning that encompass large spatial extents. We devised and tested a multispecies framework for conservation planning to complement single-species assessments and ecosystem-level approaches. Our framework consisted of 4 elements: sampling to effectively estimate population parameters, measuring how human activity affects landscapes at multiple scales, analyzing the relation between landscape characteristics and individual species occurrences, and evaluating and comparing the responses of multiple species to landscape modification. We applied the approach to a community of terrestrial birds across 25,000 km(2) with a range of intensities of human development. Human modification of land cover, road density, and other elements of the landscape, measured at multiple spatial extents, had large effects on occupancy of the 67 species studied. Forest composition within 1 km of points had a strong effect on occupancy of many species and a range of negative, intermediate, and positive associations. Road density within 1 km of points, percent evergreen forest within 300 m, and distance from patch edge were also strongly associated with occupancy for many species. We used the occupancy results to group species into 11 guilds that shared patterns of association with landscape characteristics. Our multispecies approach to conservation planning allowed us to quantify the trade-offs of different scenarios of land-cover change in terms of species occupancy. Conservation Biology © 2011 Society for Conservation Biology. No claim to original US government works.

Ski areas affect Pacific marten movement, habitat use, and density

Treesearch

Keith M. Slauson; William J. Zielinski; Michael K. Schwartz

2017-01-01

Alpine ski recreation is one of the most popular outdoor winter sports globally but often involves habitat modification and dense human activity, both of which can harm wildlife. We investigated the effects of ski area development and winter recreation activities on movement, occupancy, and density of Pacific martens (Martes caurina) in the Lake...

Role of exact exchange in thermally-assisted-occupation density functional theory: A proposal of new hybrid schemes.

PubMed

Chai, Jeng-Da

2017-01-28

We propose hybrid schemes incorporating exact exchange into thermally assisted-occupation-density functional theory (TAO-DFT) [J.-D. Chai, J. Chem. Phys. 136, 154104 (2012)] for an improved description of nonlocal exchange effects. With a few simple modifications, global and range-separated hybrid functionals in Kohn-Sham density functional theory (KS-DFT) can be combined seamlessly with TAO-DFT. In comparison with global hybrid functionals in KS-DFT, the resulting global hybrid functionals in TAO-DFT yield promising performance for systems with strong static correlation effects (e.g., the dissociation of H 2 and N 2 , twisted ethylene, and electronic properties of linear acenes), while maintaining similar performance for systems without strong static correlation effects. Besides, a reasonably accurate description of noncovalent interactions can be efficiently achieved through the inclusion of dispersion corrections in hybrid TAO-DFT. Relative to semilocal density functionals in TAO-DFT, global hybrid functionals in TAO-DFT are generally superior in performance for a wide range of applications, such as thermochemistry, kinetics, reaction energies, and optimized geometries.

Estimating the Occupational Morbidity for Migrant and Seasonal Farmworkers in New York State: a Comparison of Two Methods

PubMed Central

Earle-Richardson, Giulia B.; Brower, Melissa A.; Jones, Amanda M.; May, John J.; Jenkins, Paul L.

2008-01-01

Purpose To compare occupational morbidity estimates for migrant and seasonal farmworkers obtained from survey methods versus chart review methods, and to estimate the proportion of morbidity treated at federally recognized migrant health centers (MHCs) in a highly agricultural region of New York. Methods Researchers simultaneously conducted: a) an occupational injury and illness survey among agricultural workers; b) MHC chart review; and c) hospital emergency room (ER) chart reviews. Results Of the 24 injuries reported by 550 survey subjects, 54.2% received treatment MHCs 16.7% at ERs, 16.7% at some other facility, and 12.5% were untreated. For injuries treated at MHCs or ERs, the incidence density based on survey methods was 29.3 injuries per 10,000 worker-weeks versus 27.4 by chart review. The standardized morbidity ratio (SMR) for this comparison was 1.07 (95% CI = 0.65 – 1.77). Conclusion Survey data indicate that 71% of agricultural injury and illness can be captured with MHC and ER chart review. MHC and ER incidence density estimates show strong correspondence between the two methods. A chart review-based surveillance system, in conjunction with a correction factor based on periodic worker surveys, would provide a cost-effective estimate of the occupational illness and injury rate in this population. PMID:18063238

Compressive Strength of Cometary Surfaces Derived from Radar Observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

ElShafie, A.; Heggy, E.

2014-12-01

Landing on a comet nucleus and probing it, mechanically using harpoons, penetrometers and drills, and electromagnetically using low frequency radar waves is a complex task that will be tackled by the Rosetta mission for Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. The mechanical properties (i.e. density, porosity and compressive strength) and the electrical properties (i.e. the real and imaginary parts of the dielectric constant) of the comet nucleus, constrain both the mechanical and electromagnetic probing capabilities of Rosetta, as well as the choice of landing site, the safety of the landing, and subsurface data interpretation. During landing, the sounding radar data that will be collected by Rosetta's CONSERT experiment can be used to probe the comet's upper regolith layer by assessing its dielectric properties, which are then inverted to retrieve the surface mechanical properties. These observations can help characterize the mechanical properties of the landing site, which will optimize the operation of the anchor system. In this effort, we correlate the mechanical and electrical properties of cometary analogs to each other, and derive an empirical model that can be used to retrieve density, porosity and compressive strength from the dielectric properties of the upper regolith inverted from CONSERT observations during the landing phase. In our approach we consider snow as a viable cometary material analog due to its low density and its porous nature. Therefore, we used the compressive strength and dielectric constant measurements conducted on snow at a temperature of 250 K and a density range of 0.4-0.9 g/cm3 in order to investigate the relation between compressive strength and dielectric constant under cometary-relevant density range. Our results suggest that compressive strength increases linearly as function of the dielectric constant over the observed density range mentioned above. The minimum and maximum compressive strength of 0.5 and 4.5 MPa corresponded to a dielectric constant of 2.2 and 3.4 over the density range of 0.4-0.9 g/cm3. This preliminary correlation will be applied to the case of porous and dust contaminated snow under different temperatures to assess the surface mechanical properties for Comet 67P.

Influence of habitat quality, population size, patch size, and connectivity on patch-occupancy dynamics of the middle spotted woodpecker.

PubMed

Robles, Hugo; Ciudad, Carlos

2012-04-01

Despite extensive research on the effects of habitat fragmentation, the ecological mechanisms underlying colonization and extinction processes are poorly known, but knowledge of these mechanisms is essential to understanding the distribution and persistence of populations in fragmented habitats. We examined these mechanisms through multiseason occupancy models that elucidated patch-occupancy dynamics of Middle Spotted Woodpeckers (Dendrocopos medius) in northwestern Spain. The number of occupied patches was relatively stable from 2000 to 2010 (15-24% of 101 patches occupied every year) because extinction was balanced by recolonization. Larger and higher quality patches (i.e., higher density of oaks >37 cm dbh [diameter at breast height]) were more likely to be occupied. Habitat quality (i.e., density of large oaks) explained more variation in patch colonization and extinction than did patch size and connectivity, which were both weakly associated with probabilities of turnover. Patches of higher quality were more likely to be colonized than patches of lower quality. Populations in high-quality patches were less likely to become extinct. In addition, extinction in a patch was strongly associated with local population size but not with patch size, which means the latter may not be a good surrogate of population size in assessments of extinction probability. Our results suggest that habitat quality may be a primary driver of patch-occupancy dynamics and may increase the accuracy of models of population survival. We encourage comparisons of competing models that assess occupancy, colonization, and extinction probabilities in a single analytical framework (e.g., dynamic occupancy models) so as to shed light on the association of habitat quality and patch geometry with colonization and extinction processes in different settings and species. ©2012 Society for Conservation Biology.

N-terminal-mediated oligomerization of DnaA drives the occupancy-dependent rejuvenation of the protein on the membrane.

PubMed

Aranovich, Alexander; Braier-Marcovitz, Shani; Ansbacher, Esti; Granek, Rony; Parola, Abraham H; Fishov, Itzhak

2015-08-13

DnaA, the initiator of chromosome replication in most known eubacteria species, is activated once per cell division cycle. Its overall activity cycle is driven by ATP hydrolysis and ADP-ATP exchange. The latter can be promoted by binding to specific sequences on the chromosome and/or to acidic phospholipids in the membrane. We have previously shown that the transition into an active form (rejuvenation) is strongly co-operative with respect to DnaA membrane occupancy. Only at low membrane occupancy is DnaA reactivation efficiently catalysed by the acidic phospholipids. The present study was aimed at unravelling the molecular mechanism underlying the occupancy-dependent DnaA rejuvenation. We found that truncation of the DnaA N-terminal completely abolishes the co-operative transformation between the high and low occupancy states (I and II respectively) without affecting the membrane binding. The environmentally sensitive fluorophore specifically attached to the N-terminal cysteines of DnaA reported on occupancy-correlated changes in its vicinity. Cross-linking of DnaA with a short homobifunctional reagent revealed that state II of the protein on the membrane corresponds to a distinct oligomeric form of DnaA. The kinetic transition of DnaA on the membrane surface is described in the present study by a generalized 2D condensation phase transition model, confirming the existence of two states of DnaA on the membrane and pointing to the possibility that membrane protein density serves as an on-off switch in vivo. We conclude that the DnaA conformation attained at low surface density drives its N-terminal-mediated oligomerization, which is presumably a pre-requisite for facilitated nt exchange. © 2015 Authors.

Multicenter analysis of CIREN occupant lumbar bone mineral density and correlation with age and fracture incidence.

PubMed

Saffarzadeh, Mona; Hightower, R Caresse; Talton, Jennifer W; Miller, Anna N; Stitzel, Joel D; Weaver, Ashley A

2016-09-01

This study aimed to quantify lumbar volumetric bone mineral density (vBMD) for 873 seriously injured Crash Injury Research and Engineering Network (CIREN) motor vehicle crash occupants (372 male, 501 female) from 8 centers using phantomless computed tomography scans and to associate vBMD with age, fracture incidence, and osteopenia/osteoporosis diagnoses. The novelty of this work is that it associates vBMD with region of injury by applying an established method for vBMD measurement using phantomless computed tomography (CT). A validated phantomless CT calibration method that uses patient-specific fat and muscle measurements to calibrate vBMD measured from the L1-L5 trabeculae was applied on 873 occupants from various CIREN centers. CT-measured lumbar vBMD < 145 mg/cc is indicative of osteopenia using a published threshold. CIREN occupant lumbar vBMD in milligrams per cubic centimeter was regressed against age, osteopenia/osteoporosis comorbidities, height, weight, body mass index (BMI), and the incidence of fracture in vertebral (cervical, thoracic, lumbar) and rib/sternum regions. Among the 873 occupants analyzed, 11% (92 occupants) were diagnosed as osteopenic in CIREN. Of these 92 occupants, 42% (39 occupants) had normal vBMD measures (≥145 mg/cc), suggesting possible misclassification in CIREN. Of the 134 occupants classified as osteopenic in vBMD analysis, 60% were not classified as osteopenic in CIREN, suggesting undiagnosed osteopenia, and 40% were correctly classified in CIREN. Age was negatively correlated with vBMD (P <.0001) and occupants with <145 mg/cc vBMD sustained a median number of 2 rib/sternum fractures compared to a median value of 0 rib/sternum fractures for the ≥145 mg/cc vBMD group (P <.0001). Vertebral fracture analysis revealed that the thoracolumbar region was the most common region of injury in the spine. Though the incidence of fracture was not significantly different in the thoracic (10% versus 6%, P =.122) and lumbar (16% versus 13%, P =.227) regions between the 2 bone quality groups, the proportion of thoracolumbar fractures was significantly higher in occupants with <145 mg/cc vBMD versus occupants with ≥145 mg/cc vBMD (24% versus 17%, P =.043). Low lumbar vertebral bone quality is associated with an increased number of rib/sternum fractures and a greater incidence of thoracolumbar vertebral body fractures within the CIREN population analyzed.

Adsorption of surfactant ions and binding of their counterions at an air/water interface.

PubMed

Tagashira, Hiroaki; Takata, Youichi; Hyono, Atsushi; Ohshima, Hiroyuki

2009-01-01

An expression for the surface tension of an aqueous mixed solution of surfactants and electrolyte ions in the presence of the common ions was derived from the Helmholtz free energy of an air/water surface. By applying the equation to experimental data for the surface tension, the adsorption constant of surfactant ions onto the air/water interface, the binding constant of counterions on the surfactants, and the surface potential and surface charge density of the interface were estimated. The adsorption constant and binding constant were dependent on the species of surfactant ion and counterion, respectively. Taking account of the dependence of surface potential and surface charge density on the concentration of electrolyte, it was suggested that the addition of electrolyte to the aqueous surfactant solution brings about the decrease in the surface potential, the increase in the surface density of surfactant ions, and consequently, the decrease in the surface tension. Furthermore, it was found that the configurational entropy plays a predominant role for the surface tension, compared to the electrical work.

Gladstone-Dale constant for CF4. [experimental design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burner, A. W., Jr.; Goad, W. K.

1980-01-01

The Gladstone-Dale constant, which relates the refractive index to density, was measured for CF4 by counting fringes of a two-beam interferometer, one beam of which passes through a cell containing the test gas. The experimental approach and sources of systematic and imprecision errors are discussed. The constant for CF4 was measured at several wavelengths in the visible region of the spectrum. A value of 0.122 cu cm/g with an uncertainty of plus or minus 0.001 cu cm/g was determined for use in the visible region. A procedure for noting the departure of the gas density from the ideal-gas law is discussed.

Using occupancy models to investigate the prevalence of ectoparasitic vectors on hosts: an example with fleas on prairie dogs

USGS Publications Warehouse

Eads, David A.; Biggins, Dean E.; Doherty, Paul F.; Gage, Kenneth L.; Huyvaert, Kathryn P.; Long, Dustin H.; Antolin, Michael F.

2013-01-01

Ectoparasites are often difficult to detect in the field. We developed a method that can be used with occupancy models to estimate the prevalence of ectoparasites on hosts, and to investigate factors that influence rates of ectoparasite occupancy while accounting for imperfect detection. We describe the approach using a study of fleas (Siphonaptera) on black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus). During each primary occasion (monthly trapping events), we combed a prairie dog three consecutive times to detect fleas (15 s/combing). We used robust design occupancy modeling to evaluate hypotheses for factors that might correlate with the occurrence of fleas on prairie dogs, and factors that might influence the rate at which prairie dogs are colonized by fleas. Our combing method was highly effective; dislodged fleas fell into a tub of water and could not escape, and there was an estimated 99.3% probability of detecting a flea on an occupied host when using three combings. While overall detection was high, the probability of detection was always <1.00 during each primary combing occasion, highlighting the importance of considering imperfect detection. The combing method (removal of fleas) caused a decline in detection during primary occasions, and we accounted for that decline to avoid inflated estimates of occupancy. Regarding prairie dogs, flea occupancy was heightened in old/natural colonies of prairie dogs, and on hosts that were in poor condition. Occupancy was initially low in plots with high densities of prairie dogs, but, as the study progressed, the rate of flea colonization increased in plots with high densities of prairie dogs in particular. Our methodology can be used to improve studies of ectoparasites, especially when the probability of detection is low. Moreover, the method can be modified to investigate the co-occurrence of ectoparasite species, and community level factors such as species richness and interspecific interactions.

A design study for a simple-to-fly, constant attitude light aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smetana, F. O.; Humphreys, D. E.; Montoya, R. J.; Rickard, W. W.; Wilkinson, I. E.

1973-01-01

The activities during a four-year study by doctoral students to evolve in detail a design for a simple-to-fly, constant attitude light airplane are described. The study indicated that such aircraft could materially reduce the hazards to light airplane occupants which arise from the high pilot work load and poor visibility that occur during landing. Preliminary cost studies indicate that in volume production this system would increase the cost of the aircraft in roughly the same fashion that automatic transmission, power steering, power brakes, and cruise control increase the cost of a compact car.

An Analysis of Compensation Systems for College and University Instructors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Borovskaia, M. A.; Masych, M. A.; Bechvaia, M. R.

2014-01-01

Salaries and workplace conditions of teachers and researchers in Russian higher education are a barrier to recruitment of new staff, a source of loss as they move to better-paying occupations, and the cause of an aging professoriate. Laws to deal with this issue are constantly being passed, but the situation remains critical

Skills Certifications and Workforce Development: Partnering with Industry and Ourselves.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cantor, Jeffrey A.

2002-01-01

This article states that constant changing workplace technology requirements have placed a burden on the employees to remain competent. This problem can be alleviated by community colleges that offer credentials in different occupations. Community colleges can aid in the creation of new jobs by providing students with the skills that are highly…

Ventilation requirements for control of occupancy odor and tobacco smoke odor: laboratory studies. Final report

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

Cain, W.S.; Isseroff, R.; Leaderer, B.P.

1981-04-01

Experiments on occupancy odor addressed the question of why required ventilation rate per occupant increased progressively with increases in the number of persons in a space. In order to investigate ventilation requirements under approximately ideal conditions, we constructed an aluminum-lined environmental chamber with excellent control over environmental conditions and a ventilation system that provided rapid and uniform mixing of air. Psychophysical experiments on occupancy odor explored 47 different combinations of occupancy density, temperature and humidity, and ventilation rate. The experiments collected judgements both from visitors, who smelled air from the chamber only once every few minutes, and from occupants, whomore » remained in the chamber for an hour at a time. The judgements of visitors revealed that occupancy odor increased only gradually over time and rarely reached very high or objectionable levels. Judgements of occupants also revealed rather minor dissatisfaction. Only during combinations of high temperature and humidity did objectionability become more than a minor issue to either group. Experiments on cigarette smoking explored rates of 4, 8, and 16 cigarettes per hour under various environmental conditions and with ventilation rates as high as 68 cfm (34 L.s/sup -1/) per occupant. As soon as occupants lit cigarettes in the chamber, the odor level increased dramatically. At ventilation rates far greater than necessary to control occupancy odor, the odor from cigarette smoking remained quite intense. In general, the odor proved impossible to control adequately even with a ventilation rate of 68 cfm (34 L.s/sup -1/) per occupant (4 occupants) and even when only one occupant smoked at a time. As in the case of occupancy odor, a combination of high temperature and humidity exacerbated the odor problem.« less

Relationships among North American songbird trends, habitat fragmentation, and landscape occupancy

Treesearch

Therese M. Donovan; Curtis H. Flather

2002-01-01

Fragmentation of breeding habitat has been hypothesized as a cause of population declines in forest-nesting migratory birds. Negative correlations between the degree of fragmentation and bird density or fecundity at local or regional scales support the fragmentation hypothesis. Yet, in spite of reduced fecundity and densities in fragmented systems, many forest-nesting...

Novel Superdielectric Materials: Aqueous Salt Solution Saturated Fabric

PubMed Central

Phillips, Jonathan

2016-01-01

The dielectric constants of nylon fabrics saturated with aqueous NaCl solutions, Fabric-Superdielectric Materials (F-SDM), were measured to be >105 even at the shortest discharge times (>0.001 s) for which reliable data could be obtained using the constant current method, thus demonstrating the existence of a third class of SDM. Hence, the present results support the general theoretical SDM hypothesis, which is also supported by earlier experimental work with powder and anodized foil matrices: Any material composed of liquid containing dissolved, mobile ions, confined in an electrically insulating matrix, will have a very high dielectric constant. Five capacitors, each composed of a different number of layers of salt solution saturated nylon fabric, were studied, using a galvanostat operated in constant current mode. Capacitance, dielectric constant, energy density and power density as a function of discharge time, for discharge times from ~100 s to nearly 0.001 s were recorded. The roll-off rate of the first three parameters was found to be nearly identical for all five capacitors tested. The power density increased in all cases with decreasing discharge time, but again the observed frequency response was nearly identical for all five capacitors. Operational limitations found for F-SDM are the same as those for other aqueous solution SDM, particularly a low maximum operating voltage (~2.3 V), and dielectric “constants” that are a function of voltage, decreasing for voltages higher than ~0.8 V. Extrapolations of the present data set suggest F-SDM could be the key to inexpensive, high energy density (>75 J/cm3) capacitors. PMID:28774037

Influence of ambient moisture on the compaction behavior of microcrystalline cellulose powder undergoing uni-axial compression and roller-compaction: a comparative study using near-infrared spectroscopy.

PubMed

Gupta, Abhay; Peck, Garnet E; Miller, Ronald W; Morris, Kenneth R

2005-10-01

This study evaluates the effect of variation in the ambient moisture on the compaction behavior of microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) powder. The study was conducted by comparing the physico-mechanical properties of, and the near infrared (NIR) spectra collected on, compacts prepared by roller compaction with those collected on simulated ribbons, that is, compacts prepared under uni-axial compression. Relative density, moisture content, tensile strength (TS), and Young modulus were used as key sample attributes for comparison. Samples prepared at constant roller compactor settings and feed mass showed constant density and a decrease in TS with increasing moisture content. Compacts prepared under uni-axial compression at constant pressure and compact mass showed the opposite effect, that is, density increased while TS remained almost constant with increasing moisture content. This suggests difference in the influence of moisture on the material under roller compaction, in which the roll gap (i.e., thickness and therefore density) remains almost constant, vs. under uni-axial compression, in which the thickness is free to change in response to the applied pressure. Key sample attributes were also related to the NIR spectra using multivariate data analysis by the partial least squares projection to latent structures (PLS). Good agreement was observed between the measured and the NIR-PLS predicted values for all key attributes for both, the roller compacted samples as well as the simulated ribbons. Copyright (c) 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association

Friedberg-Lee model at finite temperature and density

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

Mao Hong; CCAST; Yao Minjie

2008-06-15

The Friedberg-Lee model is studied at finite temperature and density. By using the finite temperature field theory, the effective potential of the Friedberg-Lee model and the bag constant B(T) and B(T,{mu}) have been calculated at different temperatures and densities. It is shown that there is a critical temperature T{sub C}{approx_equal}106.6 MeV when {mu}=0 MeV and a critical chemical potential {mu}{approx_equal}223.1 MeV for fixing the temperature at T=50 MeV. We also calculate the soliton solutions of the Friedberg-Lee model at finite temperature and density. It turns out that when T{<=}T{sub C} (or {mu}{<=}{mu}{sub C}), there is a bag constant B(T) [ormore » B(T,{mu})] and the soliton solutions are stable. However, when T>T{sub C} (or {mu}>{mu}{sub C}) the bag constant B(T)=0 MeV [or B(T,{mu})=0 MeV] and there is no soliton solution anymore, therefore, the confinement of quarks disappears quickly.« less

A randomized controlled non-inferiority study comparing the antiemetic effect between intravenous granisetron and oral azasetron based on estimated 5-HT3 receptor occupancy.

PubMed

Endo, Junki; Iihara, Hirotoshi; Yamada, Maya; Yanase, Koumei; Kamiya, Fumihiko; Ito, Fumitaka; Funaguchi, Norihiko; Ohno, Yasushi; Minatoguchi, Shinya; Itoh, Yoshinori

2012-09-01

The acute antiemetic effect was compared between oral azasetron and intravenous granisetron based on the 5-hydroxytryptamine(3) (5-HT(3)) receptor occupancy theory. Receptor occupancy was estimated from reported data on plasma concentrations and affinity constants to 5-HT(3) receptor. A randomized non-inferiority study comparing acute antiemetic effects between oral azasetron and intravenous granisetron was performed in 105 patients receiving the first course of carboplatin-based chemotherapy for lung cancer. Azasetron exhibited the highest 5-HT(3) receptor occupancy among various first-generation 5-HT(3) antagonists. The complete response to oral azasetron was shown to be non-inferior to that of intravenous granisetron, in which the risk difference was 0.0004 (95% confidence interval: -0.0519-0.0527). The lower limit of the confidence intervals did not exceed the negative non-inferiority margin (-0.1). The complete response during the overall period was not different (68% versus 67%). Oral azasetron was found to be non-inferior to intravenous granisetron in the acute antiemetic effect against moderately emetogenic chemotherapy.

The scope and specific criteria of compensation for occupational diseases in Korea.

PubMed

Song, Jaechul; Kim, Inah; Choi, Byung-Soon

2014-06-01

The range of diseases covered by workers' compensation is constantly expanding. However, new regulations are required for the recognition of occupational diseases (ODs) because OD types evolve with changes in industrial structures and working conditions. OD criteria are usually based on medical relevance, but they vary depending on the social security system and laws of each country. In addition, the proposed range and extent of work-relatedness vary depending on the socio-economic conditions of each country. The Labor Standards Act (LSA) and the Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance Act (IACIA) of Korea employ lists based on their requirements without listing causes and diseases separately. Despite a considerable reshuffle in 2003, the basic framework has been maintained for 50 yr, and many cases do not fit into the international disease classification system. Since July 1, 2013, Korea has expanded the range of occupational accidents to include occupational cancers and has implemented revised LSA and IACIA enforcement decrees. There have been improvements to OD recognition standards with the inclusion of additional or modified criteria, a revised and improved classification scheme for risk factors and ODs, and so on.

Occupational therapy practitioners' perspectives regarding international cross-cultural work.

PubMed

Humbert, Tamera Keiter; Burket, Allison; Deveney, Rebecca; Kennedy, Katelyn

2011-08-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perspectives of occupational therapy practitioners who have engaged in cross-cultural work experiences. The research question was how do occupational therapy practitioners make meaning of their lived cross-cultural experiences.   This study utilised a qualitative, phenomenological design. Eleven open-ended, semi-structured interviews were conducted with occupational therapy practitioners educated in the United States and who engaged in international practice. The interviews were then coded and analysed using a constant comparative analysis approach. Three central themes emerged from the completed interviews and data analysis, including connectedness, cultural awareness and complexity. Connectedness is the process of forming relationships with others while engaging in cross-cultural experiences. Cultural awareness is the recognition and understanding of a different culture, comparing these insights with one's own culture and then responding to those differences. Complexity is the idea that cross-cultural experiences are dynamic, multi-faceted and intricate. This study helps provide an understanding of cross-cultural work experiences from the practitioners' perspective. The demands of such work require practitioners to go beyond developing basic skills related to cultural sensitivity and cultural awareness. Instead, practitioners need to embrace and integrate the ability to incorporate layers of cultural awareness, complexity and connectedness into practice. Further research is needed to understand how this is actually developed and utilised within practice. © 2011 The Authors. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal © 2011 Occupational Therapy Australia.

A transport equation for the scalar dissipation in reacting flows with variable density: First results

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mantel, T.

1993-01-01

Although the different regimes of premixed combustion are not well defined, most of the recent developments in turbulent combustion modeling are led in the so-called flamelet regime. The goal of these models is to give a realistic expression to the mean reaction rate (w). Several methods can be used to estimate (w). Bray and coworkers (Libby & Bray 1980, Bray 1985, Bray & Libby 1986) express the instantaneous reaction rate by means of a flamelet library and a frequency which describes the local interaction between the laminar flamelets and the turbulent flowfield. In another way, the mean reaction rate can be directly connected to the flame surface density (Sigma). This quantity can be given by the transport equation of the coherent flame model initially proposed by Marble & Broadwell 1977 and developed elsewhere. The mean reaction rate, (w), can also be estimated thanks to the evolution of an arbitrary scalar field G(x, t) = G(sub O) which represents the flame sheet. G(x, t) is obtained from the G-equation proposed by Williams 1985, Kerstein et al. 1988 and Peters 1993. Another possibility proposed in a recent study by Mantel & Borghi 1991, where a transport equation for the mean dissipation rate (epsilon(sub c)) of the progress variable c is used to determine (w). In their model, Mantel & Borghi 1991 considered a medium with constant density and constant diffusivity in the determination of the transport equation for (epsilon(sub c)). A comparison of different flamelet models made by Duclos et al. 1993 shows the realistic behavior of this model even in the case of constant density. Our objective in this present report is to present preliminary results on the study of this equation in the case of variable density and variable diffusivity. Assumptions of constant pressure and a Lewis number equal to unity allow us to significantly simplify the equation. A systematic order of magnitude analysis based on adequate scale relations is performed on each term of the equation. As in the case of constant density and constant diffusivity, the effects of stretching of the scalar field by the turbulent strain field, of local curvature, and of chemical reactions are predominant. In this preliminary work, we suggest closure models for certain terms, which will be validated after comparisons with DNS data.

Imaging Phenotype of Occupational Endotoxin-Related Lung Function Decline.

PubMed

Lai, Peggy S; Hang, Jing-Qing; Zhang, Feng-Ying; Sun, J; Zheng, Bu-Yong; Su, Li; Washko, George R; Christiani, David C

2016-09-01

Although occupational exposures contribute to a significant proportion of obstructive lung disease, the phenotype of obstructive lung disease associated with work-related organic dust exposure independent of smoking remains poorly defined. We identified the relative contributions of smoking and occupational endotoxin exposure to parenchymal and airway remodeling as defined by quantitative computed tomography (CT). The Shanghai Textile Worker Study is a longitudinal study of endotoxin-exposed cotton workers and endotoxin-unexposed silk workers that was initiated in 1981. Spirometry, occupational endotoxin exposure, and smoking habits were assessed at 5-year intervals. High-resolution computed tomography (CT) was performed in 464 retired workers in 2011, along with quantitative lung densitometric and airway analysis. Significant differences in all CT measures were noted across exposure groups. Occupational endotoxin exposure was associated with a decrease (-1.3%) in percent emphysema (LAAI-950), a 3.3-Hounsfield unit increase in 15th percentile density, an 18.1-g increase in lung mass, and a 2.3% increase in wall area percent. Current but not former smoking was associated with a similar CT phenotype. Changes in LAAI-950 were highly correlated with 15th percentile density (correlation -1.0). Lung mass was the only measure associated with forced expiratory volume in 1 sec (FEV1) decline, with each 10-g increase in lung mass associated with an additional loss (-6.1 mL) of FEV1 (p = 0.001) between 1981 and 2011. There are many similarities between the effects of occupational endotoxin exposure and those of tobacco smoke exposure on lung parenchyma and airway remodeling. The effects of occupational endotoxin exposure appear to persist even after the cessation of exposure. LAAI-950 may not be a reliable indicator of emphysema in subjects without spirometric impairment. Lung mass is a CT-based biomarker of accelerated lung function decline. Lai PS, Hang J, Zhang F, Sun J, Zheng BY, Su L, Washko GR, Christiani DC. 2016. Imaging phenotype of occupational endotoxin-related lung function decline. Environ Health Perspect 124:1436-1442; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/EHP195.

Living on the Edges: Spatial Niche Occupation of Asian Citrus Psyllid, Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Liviidae), in Citrus Groves.

PubMed

Sétamou, Mamoudou; Bartels, David W

2015-01-01

The spatial niche occupation of the Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri Kuwayama, 1908, was evaluated to determine its field colonization and food resource exploitation strategies in citrus groves. Mature grapefruit and sweet orange groves were surveyed as part of an area-wide program in 2009-2010 to determine D. citri population densities and between-tree distribution. In both cultivars, significantly more psyllids were found on perimeter trees throughout the study period suggesting a strong edge effect in D. citri distribution in the groves. D. citri densities and infestation levels gradually declined from the edge to the center of grove. Higher numbers of D. citri were recorded on trees located on the east and south sides of the groves than those on the west and north sides. Citrus groves located at the outer edge of the study with at least one side non-surrounded to other citrus groves harbored significantly more D. citri than groves located within the block cluster and entirely surrounded by other groves. In detailed field studies during 2012, infestation of D. citri started from border trees in the grove where possibly one generation is completed before inner trees become infested. In addition, psyllid densities decreased significantly with increasing distance from the grove edge. Using the selection index, D citri exhibited a strong niche occupation preference for border trees.

Living on the Edges: Spatial Niche Occupation of Asian Citrus Psyllid, Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Liviidae), in Citrus Groves

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

The spatial niche occupation of the Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri Kuwayama, 1908, was evaluated to determine its field colonization and food resource exploitation strategies in citrus groves. Mature grapefruit and sweet orange groves were surveyed as part of an area-wide program in 2009–2010 to determine D. citri population densities and between-tree distribution. In both cultivars, significantly more psyllids were found on perimeter trees throughout the study period suggesting a strong edge effect in D. citri distribution in the groves. D. citri densities and infestation levels gradually declined from the edge to the center of grove. Higher numbers of D. citri were recorded on trees located on the east and south sides of the groves than those on the west and north sides. Citrus groves located at the outer edge of the study with at least one side non-surrounded to other citrus groves harbored significantly more D. citri than groves located within the block cluster and entirely surrounded by other groves. In detailed field studies during 2012, infestation of D. citri started from border trees in the grove where possibly one generation is completed before inner trees become infested. In addition, psyllid densities decreased significantly with increasing distance from the grove edge. Using the selection index, D citri exhibited a strong niche occupation preference for border trees. PMID:26193111

Hepatitis E Virus: A Cross-Sectional Serological and Virological Study in Pigs and Humans at Zoonotic Risk within a High-Density Pig Farming Area.

PubMed

Caruso, C; Peletto, S; Rosamilia, A; Modesto, P; Chiavacci, L; Sona, B; Balsamelli, F; Ghisetti, V; Acutis, P L; Pezzoni, G; Brocchi, E; Vitale, N; Masoero, L

2017-10-01

An increase in autochthonous hepatitis E virus (HEV) infections has been recorded in Italy suspected to be zoonotically transmitted from pigs; this study was carried out to determinate the seroprevalence and risk factors associated with hepatitis HEV exposition, both in swine and humans working in pig farms, located within a high-density pig farming area in Piedmont region, north-western Italy. The presence of viral RNA in human and swine samples was also evaluated, and phylogenetic analysis was performed on HEV-positive samples. Forty-two swine farms were sampled; 142 workers were enrolled in the study and classified into two groups: (i) 69 workers with occupational contact with swine (including veterinarians and farmers) recruited in the 42 sampled farms; (ii) 73 without occupational contact with swine. Forty-one of 42 (97%) swine farms resulted positive to enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay test for HEV antibodies (Abs). Overall seroprevalence in swine was 50% (441/879), with seropositivity rate higher in sows (333/469, 71%). HEV RNA in stool samples was detected in animals from 13 of 42 tested farms (31%), and a higher positivity resulted in weaners (40/246, 16.3%). Phylogenetic analysis classified all HEV isolates within genotype 3 (subtypes 3f, 3e, 3c). All humans were negative for HEV viral genome in blood. Five of 142 sera were positive for IgG anti-HEV with an overall prevalence of 3.52% with no statistically significant differences in prevalence rates between workers at zoonotic risk and the control group (5.7% versus 1.3%). In contrast, a significant difference (OR 10.1) was observed within the subgroup including subjects exposed for short periods (veterinarians) compared with those who worked for long periods (farmers) suggesting a correlation between the time of exposure and the likelihood of HEV infection. Reporting HEV infection is not mandatory in Italy, but a constant epidemiological surveillance should be ensured to clarify the epidemiology of this disease. © 2016 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Effects of exurban development and temperature on bird species in the southern Appalachians.

PubMed

Lumpkin, Heather A; Pearson, Scott M

2013-10-01

Land-use dynamics and climatic gradients have large effects on many terrestrial systems. Exurban development, one of the fastest growing forms of land use in the United States, may affect wildlife through habitat fragmentation and building presence may alter habitat quality. We studied the effects of residential development and temperature gradients on bird species occurrence at 140 study sites in the southern Appalachian Mountains (North Carolina, U.S.A.) that varied with respect to building density and elevation. We used occupancy models to determine 36 bird species' associations with building density, forest canopy cover, average daily mean temperature, and an interaction between building density and mean temperature. Responses varied with habitat requirement, breeding range, and migration distance. Building density and mean temperature were both included in the top occupancy models for 19 of 36 species and a building density by temperature interaction was included in models for 8 bird species. As exurban development expands in the southern Appalachians, interior forest species and Neotropical migrants are likely to decline, but shrubland or edge species are not likely to benefit. Overall, effects of building density were greater than those of forest canopy cover. Exurban development had a greater effect on birds at high elevations due to a greater abundance of sensitive forest-interior species and Neotropical migrants. A warming climate may exacerbate these negative effects. © 2013 Society for Conservation Biology.

Periodic density modulation for quasi-phase-matching of optical frequency conversion is inefficient under shallow focusing and constant ambient pressure.

PubMed

Hadas, Itai; Bahabad, Alon

2016-09-01

The two main mechanisms of a periodic density modulation relevant to nonlinear optical conversion in a gas medium are spatial modulations of the index of refraction and of the number of emitters. For a one-dimensional model neglecting focusing and using a constant ambient pressure, it is shown theoretically and demonstrated numerically that the effects of these two mechanisms during frequency conversion cancel each other exactly. Under the considered conditions, this makes density modulation inefficient for quasi-phase-matching an optical frequency conversion process. This result is particularly relevant for high-order harmonic generation.

Thermodynamical transcription of density functional theory with minimum Fisher information

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nagy, Á.

2018-03-01

Ghosh, Berkowitz and Parr designed a thermodynamical transcription of the ground-state density functional theory and introduced a local temperature that varies from point to point. The theory, however, is not unique because the kinetic energy density is not uniquely defined. Here we derive the expression of the phase-space Fisher information in the GBP theory taking the inverse temperature as the Fisher parameter. It is proved that this Fisher information takes its minimum for the case of constant temperature. This result is consistent with the recently proven theorem that the phase-space Shannon information entropy attains its maximum at constant temperature.

Electron transport and electron energy distributions within the wurtzite and zinc-blende phases of indium nitride: Response to the application of a constant and uniform electric field

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

Siddiqua, Poppy; Hadi, Walid A.; Salhotra, Amith K.

2015-03-28

Within the framework of an ensemble semi-classical three-valley Monte Carlo electron transport simulation approach, we critically contrast the nature of the electron transport that occurs within the wurtzite and zinc-blende phases of indium nitride in response to the application of a constant and uniform electric field. We use the electron energy distribution and its relationship with the electron transport characteristics in order to pursue this analysis. For the case of zinc-blende indium nitride, only a peak corresponding to the electrons within the lowest energy conduction band valley is observed, this peak being seen to broaden and shift to higher energiesmore » in response to increases in the applied electric field strength, negligible amounts of upper energy conduction band valley occupancy being observed. In contrast, for the case of wurtzite indium nitride, in addition to the aforementioned lowest energy conduction band valley peak in the electron energy distribution, and its broadening and shifting to higher energies in response to increases in the applied electric field strength, beyond a certain critical electric field strength, 30 kV/cm for the case of this particular material, upper energy conduction band valley occupancy is observed, this occupancy being further enhanced in response to further increases in the applied electric field strength. Reasons for these results are provided. The potential for device consequences is then commented upon.« less

Study of subband electronic structure of Si δ-doped GaAs using magnetotransport measurements in tilted magnetic fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, G.; Hauser, N.; Jagadish, C.; Antoszewski, J.; Xu, W.

1996-06-01

Si δ-doped GaAs grown by metal organic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) is characterized using magnetotransport measurements in tilted magnetic fields. Angular dependence of the longitudinal magnetoresistance (Rxx) vs the magnetic field (B) traces in tilted magnetic fields is used to examine the existence of a quasi-two-dimensional electron gas. The subband electron densities (ni) are obtained applying fast Fourier transform (FFT) analysis to the Rxx vs B trace and using mobility spectrum (MS) analysis of the magnetic field dependent Hall data. Our results show that (1) the subband electron densities remain roughly constant when the tilted magnetic field with an angle <30° measured from the Si δ-doped plane normal is ramped up to 13 T; (2) FFT analysis of the Rxx vs B trace and MS analysis of the magnetic field dependent Hall data both give the comparable results on subband electron densities of Si δ-doped GaAs with low δ-doping concentration, however, for Si δ-doped GaAs with very high δ-doping concentration, the occupation of the lowest subbands cannot be well resolved in the MS analysis; (3) the highest subband electron mobility reported to date of 45 282 cm2/s V is observed in Si δ-doped GaAs at 77 K in the dark; and (4) the subband electron densities of Si δ-doped GaAs grown by MOVPE at 700 °C are comparable to those grown by MBE at temperatures below 600 °C. A detailed study of magnetotransport properties of Si δ-doped GaAs in the parallel magnetic fields is then carried out to further confirm the subband electronic structures revealed by FFT and MS analysis. Our results are compared to theoretical calculation previously reported in literature. In addition, influence of different cap layer structures on subband electronic structures of Si δ-doped GaAs is observed and also discussed.

Occupational and genetic risk factors for osteoarthritis: A review

PubMed Central

Yucesoy, Berran; Charles, Luenda E.; Baker, Brent; Burchfiel, Cecil M.

2015-01-01

BACKGROUND Osteoarthritis (OA) is a multifactorial disease with strong genetic and occupational components. Although published studies have described several risk factors for OA, very few studies have investigated the occupational and genetic factors that contribute to this debilitating condition. OBJECTIVE To describe occupational and genetic factors that may contribute to the risk of developing (OA). METHODS A literature search was conducted in PubMed using the search terms osteoarthritis, occupation, work, and genetics. RESULTS Heavy physical work load was the most common occupational risk factor for OA in several anatomical locations. Other factors include kneeling and regular stair climbing, crawling, bending and whole body vibration, and repetitive movements. Numerous studies have also shown the influence of genetic variability in the pathogenesis of OA. Genetic variants of several groups of genes e.g., cartilage extracellular matrix structural genes and the genes related to bone density have been implicated in disease pathogenesis. CONCLUSION This review shows that occupational factors were extensively studied in knee OA unlike OA of other anatomical regions. Although genetic association studies performed to date identified a number of risk variants, some of these associations have not been consistently replicated across different studies and populations. Therefore, more research is needed. PMID:24004806

Political Economy of US States and Rates of Fatal Occupational Injury

PubMed Central

Schulman, Michael D.; Bailer, A. John; Stainback, Kevin; Wheeler, Matthew; Richardson, David B.; Marshall, Stephen W.

2009-01-01

Objectives. We investigated the extent to which the political economy of US states, including the relative power of organized labor, predicts rates of fatal occupational injury. Methods. We described states’ political economies with 6 contextual variables measuring social and political conditions: “right-to-work” laws, union membership density, labor grievance rates, state government debt, unemployment rates, and social wage payments. We obtained data on fatal occupational injuries from the National Traumatic Occupational Fatality surveillance system and population data from the US national census. We used Poisson regression methods to analyze relationships for the years 1980 and 1995. Results. States differed notably with respect to political–economic characteristics and occupational fatality rates, although these characteristics were more homogeneous within rather than between regions. Industry and workforce composition contributed significantly to differences in state injury rates, but political–economic characteristics of states were also significantly associated with injury rates, after adjustment accounting for those factors. Conclusions. Higher rates of fatal occupational injury were associated with a state policy climate favoring business over labor, with distinct regional clustering of such state policies in the South and Northeast. PMID:19542025

Very old Swedish women's experiences of mobility devices in everyday occupation: a longitudinal case study.

PubMed

Löfqvist, Charlotte; Nygren, Carita; Brandt, Ase; Iwarsson, Susanne

2009-09-01

The use of mobility devices, such as walking sticks and rollators, increases during the ageing process. Our aim was to explore how very old single-living Swedish women experience the use of mobility devices over time, in relation to everyday occupation. A multiple case study strategy involving quantitative and qualitative data was used. The findings indicate that the use of mobility devices, rollators in particular, starts off as support for walking but over time becomes more involved in occupational performance, resulting in complex transactions between personal, environmental, and task components. Personal factors such as ability to adjust and adapt to different situations seem to be crucial for optimal mobility device use. Strategies and adaptive behavior were developed over the years while striving for maintained independence and participation. The use of mobility devices was described as something one has to accept, but also a constant reminder of your limitations, or as a possibility to remain active and to manage everyday occupation. The findings stress the need to adopt a comprehensive view when trying to facilitate everyday occupations in very old age. Physical, social, psychological aspects, combinations among assistive devices, and home modification all need to be reflected on and monitored over time.

Sex composition of the workplace and mortality risk.

PubMed

Barclay, Kieron J

2013-11-01

This study uses Swedish occupational register data to examine whether the proportion of men in administrative workplaces in the Swedish public service affects all-cause mortality risks amongst both males and females of working age. Using piecewise constant survival models to analyse occupational data from the Swedish administrative registers from 1995 to 2007, it was found that for males, a 1% increase in the proportion of males was associated with a 1.3% increase in mortality risk (hazard ratio, HR 1.013, 95% CI 1.007-1.020, p<0.001), but no association was found for females (HR 1.004, 95% CI 0.996-1.012, p=0.297). Adjustments were made for age, family status, education, occupational status, occupational segregation by sex, the total number of individuals in the workplace, level of government, region, period and variables reflecting the workplace structure by age, age by sex, occupation and education. A higher proportion of males may be related to (i) an increased exposure to risky health behaviours such as alcohol consumption and unhealthy dietary patterns, (ii) a tendency towards sickness presenteeism, and (iii) an increase in the levels of several well-established emotional stressors in the workplace, leading to an increased level of psychosocial stress. The findings and potential extensions of this research are discussed.

Time and space in the middle paleolithic: Spatial structure and occupation dynamics of seven open-air sites.

PubMed

Clark, Amy E

2016-05-06

The spatial structure of archeological sites can help reconstruct the settlement dynamics of hunter-gatherers by providing information on the number and length of occupations. This study seeks to access this information through a comparison of seven sites. These sites are open-air and were all excavated over large spatial areas, up to 2,000 m(2) , and are therefore ideal for spatial analysis, which was done using two complementary methods, lithic refitting and density zones. Both methods were assessed statistically using confidence intervals. The statistically significant results from each site were then compiled to evaluate trends that occur across the seven sites. These results were used to assess the "spatial consistency" of each assemblage and, through that, the number and duration of occupations. This study demonstrates that spatial analysis can be a powerful tool in research on occupation dynamics and can help disentangle the many occupations that often make up an archeological assemblage. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Magnitude of finite-nucleus-size effects in relativistic density functional computations of indirect NMR nuclear spin-spin coupling constants.

PubMed

Autschbach, Jochen

2009-09-14

A spherical Gaussian nuclear charge distribution model has been implemented for spin-free (scalar) and two-component (spin-orbit) relativistic density functional calculations of indirect NMR nuclear spin-spin coupling (J-coupling) constants. The finite nuclear volume effects on the hyperfine integrals are quite pronounced and as a consequence they noticeably alter coupling constants involving heavy NMR nuclei such as W, Pt, Hg, Tl, and Pb. Typically, the isotropic J-couplings are reduced in magnitude by about 10 to 15 % for couplings between one of the heaviest NMR nuclei and a light atomic ligand, and even more so for couplings between two heavy atoms. For a subset of the systems studied, viz. the Hg atom, Hg(2) (2+), and Tl--X where X=Br, I, the basis set convergence of the hyperfine integrals and the coupling constants was monitored. For the Hg atom, numerical and basis set calculations of the electron density and the 1s and 6s orbital hyperfine integrals are directly compared. The coupling anisotropies of TlBr and TlI increase by about 2 % due to finite-nucleus effects.

Directly patching high-level exchange-correlation potential based on fully determined optimized effective potentials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Chen; Chi, Yu-Chieh

2017-12-01

The key element in Kohn-Sham (KS) density functional theory is the exchange-correlation (XC) potential. We recently proposed the exchange-correlation potential patching (XCPP) method with the aim of directly constructing high-level XC potential in a large system by patching the locally computed, high-level XC potentials throughout the system. In this work, we investigate the patching of the exact exchange (EXX) and the random phase approximation (RPA) correlation potentials. A major challenge of XCPP is that a cluster's XC potential, obtained by solving the optimized effective potential equation, is only determined up to an unknown constant. Without fully determining the clusters' XC potentials, the patched system's XC potential is "uneven" in the real space and may cause non-physical results. Here, we developed a simple method to determine this unknown constant. The performance of XCPP-RPA is investigated on three one-dimensional systems: H20, H10Li8, and the stretching of the H19-H bond. We investigated two definitions of EXX: (i) the definition based on the adiabatic connection and fluctuation dissipation theorem (ACFDT) and (ii) the Hartree-Fock (HF) definition. With ACFDT-type EXX, effective error cancellations were observed between the patched EXX and the patched RPA correlation potentials. Such error cancellations were absent for the HF-type EXX, which was attributed to the fact that for systems with fractional occupation numbers, the integral of the HF-type EXX hole is not -1. The KS spectra and band gaps from XCPP agree reasonably well with the benchmarks as we make the clusters large.

ELEMENT MASSES IN THE CRAB NEBULA

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

Sibley, Adam R.; Katz, Andrea M.; Satterfield, Timothy J.

Using our previously published element abundance or mass-fraction distributions in the Crab Nebula, we derived actual mass distributions and estimates for overall nebular masses of hydrogen, helium, carbon, nitrogen, oxygen and sulfur. As with the previous work, computations were carried out for photoionization models involving constant hydrogen density and also constant nuclear density. In addition, employing new flux measurements for [Ni ii]  λ 7378, along with combined photoionization models and analytic computations, a nickel abundance distribution was mapped and a nebular stable nickel mass estimate was derived.

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

Pribram-Jones, A.; Burke, K.

We show that the adiabatic connection formula of ground-state density functional theory relates the correlation energy to a coupling-constant integral over a purely potential contribution, and is widely used to understand and improve approximations. The corresponding formula for thermal density functional theory is cast as an integral over temperatures instead, ranging upward from the system's physical temperature. We also show how to relate different correlation components to each other, either in terms of temperature or coupling-constant integrations. Lastly, we illustrate our results on the uniform electron gas.

Physical condition for elimination of ambiguity in conditionally convergent lattice sums

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Young, K.

1987-02-01

The conditional convergence of the lattice sum defining the Madelung constant gives rise to an ambiguity in its value. It is shown that this ambiguity is related, through a simple and universal integral, to the average charge density on the crystal surface. The physically correct value is obtained by setting the charge density to zero. A simple and universally applicable formula for the Madelung constant is derived as a consequence. It consists of adding up dipole-dipole energies together with a nontrivial correction term.

Ab initio predictions of structural and elastic properties of struvite: contribution to urinary stone research.

PubMed

Piechota, Jacek; Prywer, Jolanta; Torzewska, Agnieszka

2012-01-01

In the present work, we carried out density functional calculations of struvite--the main component of the so-called infectious urinary stones--to study its structural and elastic properties. Using a local density approximation and a generalised gradient approximation, we calculated the equilibrium structural parameters and elastic constants C(ijkl). At present, there is no experimental data for these elastic constants C (ijkl) for comparison. Besides the elastic constants, we also present the calculated macroscopic mechanical parameters, namely the bulk modulus (K), the shear modulus (G) and Young's modulus (E). The values of these moduli are found to be in good agreement with available experimental data. Our results imply that the mechanical stability of struvite is limited by the shear modulus, G. The study also explores the energy-band structure to understand the obtained values of the elastic constants.

The anisotropic Hooke's law for cancellous bone and wood.

PubMed

Yang, G; Kabel, J; van Rietbergen, B; Odgaard, A; Huiskes, R; Cowin, S C

A method of data analysis for a set of elastic constant measurements is applied to data bases for wood and cancellous bone. For these materials the identification of the type of elastic symmetry is complicated by the variable composition of the material. The data analysis method permits the identification of the type of elastic symmetry to be accomplished independent of the examination of the variable composition. This method of analysis may be applied to any set of elastic constant measurements, but is illustrated here by application to hardwoods and softwoods, and to an extraordinary data base of cancellous bone elastic constants. The solid volume fraction or bulk density is the compositional variable for the elastic constants of these natural materials. The final results are the solid volume fraction dependent orthotropic Hooke's law for cancellous bone and a bulk density dependent one for hardwoods and softwoods.

Flow convergence caused by a salinity minimum in a tidal channel

USGS Publications Warehouse

Warner, John C.; Schoellhamer, David H.; Burau, Jon R.; Schladow, S. Geoffrey

2006-01-01

Residence times of dissolved substances and sedimentation rates in tidal channels are affected by residual (tidally averaged) circulation patterns. One influence on these circulation patterns is the longitudinal density gradient. In most estuaries the longitudinal density gradient typically maintains a constant direction. However, a junction of tidal channels can create a local reversal (change in sign) of the density gradient. This can occur due to a difference in the phase of tidal currents in each channel. In San Francisco Bay, the phasing of the currents at the junction of Mare Island Strait and Carquinez Strait produces a local salinity minimum in Mare Island Strait. At the location of a local salinity minimum the longitudinal density gradient reverses direction. This paper presents four numerical models that were used to investigate the circulation caused by the salinity minimum: (1) A simple one-dimensional (1D) finite difference model demonstrates that a local salinity minimum is advected into Mare Island Strait from the junction with Carquinez Strait during flood tide. (2) A three-dimensional (3D) hydrodynamic finite element model is used to compute the tidally averaged circulation in a channel that contains a salinity minimum (a change in the sign of the longitudinal density gradient) and compares that to a channel that contains a longitudinal density gradient in a constant direction. The tidally averaged circulation produced by the salinity minimum is characterized by converging flow at the bed and diverging flow at the surface, whereas the circulation produced by the constant direction gradient is characterized by converging flow at the bed and downstream surface currents. These velocity fields are used to drive both a particle tracking and a sediment transport model. (3) A particle tracking model demonstrates a 30 percent increase in the residence time of neutrally buoyant particles transported through the salinity minimum, as compared to transport through a constant direction density gradient. (4) A sediment transport model demonstrates increased deposition at the near-bed null point of the salinity minimum, as compared to the constant direction gradient null point. These results are corroborated by historically noted large sedimentation rates and a local maximum of selenium accumulation in clams at the null point in Mare Island Strait.

Determination of the Avogadro constant by the XRCD method using a 28Si-enriched sphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuramoto, Naoki; Mizushima, Shigeki; Zhang, Lulu; Fujita, Kazuaki; Azuma, Yasushi; Kurokawa, Akira; Okubo, Sho; Inaba, Hajime; Fujii, Kenichi

2017-10-01

To determine the Avogadro constant N A by the x-ray crystal density method, the density of a 28Si-enriched crystal was determined by absolute measurements of the mass and volume of a 1 kg sphere manufactured from the crystal. The mass and volume were determined by an optical interferometer and a vacuum mass comparator, respectively. The sphere surface was characterized by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and spectroscopic ellipsometry to derive the mass and volume of the Si core of the sphere excluding the surface layers. From the mass and volume, the density of the Si core was determined with a relative standard uncertainty of 2.3  ×  10-8. By combining the Si core density with the lattice constant and the molar mass of the sphere reported by the International Avogadro Coordination (IAC) project in 2015, a new value of 6.022 140 84(15)  ×  1023 mol-1 was obtained for N A with a relative standard uncertainty of 2.4  ×  10-8. To make the N A value determined in this work usable for a future adjustment of the fundamental constants by the CODATA Task Group on Fundamental Constants, the correlation of the new N A value with the N A values determined in our previous works was examined. The correlation coefficients with the values of N A determined by IAC in 2011 and 2015 were estimated to be 0.07 and 0.28, respectively. The correlation of the new N A value with the N A value determined by IAC in 2017 using a different 28Si-enriched crystal was also examined, and the correlation coefficient was estimated to be 0.21.

Stochastic transport models for mixing in variable-density turbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bakosi, J.; Ristorcelli, J. R.

2011-11-01

In variable-density (VD) turbulent mixing, where very-different- density materials coexist, the density fluctuations can be an order of magnitude larger than their mean. Density fluctuations are non-negligible in the inertia terms of the Navier-Stokes equation which has both quadratic and cubic nonlinearities. Very different mixing rates of different materials give rise to large differential accelerations and some fundamentally new physics that is not seen in constant-density turbulence. In VD flows material mixing is active in a sense far stronger than that applied in the Boussinesq approximation of buoyantly-driven flows: the mass fraction fluctuations are coupled to each other and to the fluid momentum. Statistical modeling of VD mixing requires accounting for basic constraints that are not important in the small-density-fluctuation passive-scalar-mixing approximation: the unit-sum of mass fractions, bounded sample space, and the highly skewed nature of the probability densities become essential. We derive a transport equation for the joint probability of mass fractions, equivalent to a system of stochastic differential equations, that is consistent with VD mixing in multi-component turbulence and consistently reduces to passive scalar mixing in constant-density flows.

FOREWORD: Special issue on density

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fujii, Kenichi

2004-04-01

This special issue on density was undertaken to provide readers with an overview of the present state of the density standards for solids, liquids and gases, as well as the technologies developed for measuring density. This issue also includes topics on the refractive index of gases and on techniques used for calibrating hydrometers so that almost all areas concerned with density standards are covered in four review articles and seven original articles, most of which describe current research being conducted at national metrology institutes (NMIs). A review article was invited from the Ruhr-Universität Bochum to highlight research on the magnetic suspension densimeters. In metrology, the determinations of the volume of a weight and the density of air are of primary importance in establishing a mass standard because the effect of the buoyancy force of air acting on the weight must be known accurately to determine the mass of the weight. A density standard has therefore been developed at many NMIs with a close relation to the mass standard. Hydrostatic weighing is widely used to measure the volume of a solid. The most conventional hydrostatic weighing method uses water as a primary density standard for measuring the volume of a solid. A brief history of the determination of the density of water is therefore given in a review article, as well as a recommended value for the density of water with a specified isotopic abundance. The most modern technique for hydrostatic weighing uses a solid density standard instead of water. For this purpose, optical interferometers for measuring the diameters of silicon spheres have been developed to convert the length standard into the volume standard with a small uncertainty. A review article is therefore dedicated to describing the state-of-the-art optical interferometers developed for silicon spheres. Relative combined standard uncertainties of several parts in 108 have been achieved today for measuring the volume and density of silicon spheres. These technologies are currently being used not only for establishing a solid density standard, but also for determining the Avogadro constant by the x-ray crystal density method, where the density, molar mass and lattice constant of a silicon crystal are measured based on the definition of the SI units. Considering that much of the present research on the Avogadro constant has been undertaken to replace the present definition of the kilogram with a new definition based on a number of atoms, it is satisfying to note that the most accurate density standard may contribute to a new definition of the kilogram. Differential density measurements by hydrostatic weighing and by the pressure of flotation method developed for measuring the density differences between silicon crystals and solids are given in a review article and three original articles, where combined standard uncertainties of a few parts in 108 have been achieved in measuring relative density differences. These technologies are being used not only for the determination of the Avogadro constant, but also for evaluating defects in silicon crystals used in the semiconductor industry. Another important liquid used in the density standard is mercury because the pressured standard determined from mercury column barometers, the molar gas constant determined from an acoustic resonator, and the Josephson constant determined from a mercury voltmeter are all dependent on the density of mercury. A review article is therefore dedicated to an overview of the history, recommended value and recent progress in the measurement of the density of mercury. This special issue also features the technologies developed for measuring the thermodynamic properties of fluids. New instruments with a magnetic suspension balance have substantially improved the uncertainty in measuring the density of fluids at elevated pressures and temperatures. Two review articles and an original article are therefore dedicated to describing the history, principle and recent progress in magnetic suspension densimeters. When the diamagnetic properties of organic liquids are taken into account, an unprecedented uncertainty of a few parts in 106 can be achieved for density measurements at high pressures. The papers collected in this special issue reflect the general trends in research on density standards. I hope that this special issue will stimulate new directions of research in the density standard, and also help to create more accurate, reliable and convenient methods for many applications. Thanks are addressed to all the authors who have contributed to this special issue on density, to the referees who have given their time, and also to the former editor Professor Martin and the present editor Dr~Williams for their support and useful suggestions in collecting the articles.

A case control study of environmental and occupational exposures associated with methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus nasal carriage in patients admitted to a rural tertiary care hospital in a high density swine region.

PubMed

Schinasi, Leah; Wing, Steve; Augustino, Kerri L; Ramsey, Keith M; Nobles, Delores L; Richardson, David B; Price, Lance B; Aziz, Maliha; MacDonald, Pia D M; Stewart, Jill R

2014-06-23

Distinct strains of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) have been identified on livestock and livestock workers. Industrial food animal production may be an important environmental reservoir for human carriage of these pathogenic bacteria. The objective of this study was to investigate environmental and occupational exposures associated with nasal carriage of MRSA in patients hospitalized at Vidant Medical Center, a tertiary hospital serving a region with intensive livestock production in eastern North Carolina. MRSA nasal carriage was identified via nasal swabs collected within 24 hours of hospital admission. MRSA carriers (cases) were gender and age matched to non-carriers (controls). Participants were interviewed about recent environmental and occupational exposures. Home addresses were geocoded and publicly available data were used to estimate the density of swine in residential census block groups of residence. Conditional logistic regression models were used to derive odds ratio (OR) estimates and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Presence of the scn gene in MRSA isolates was assessed. In addition, multi locus sequence typing (MLST) of the MRSA isolates was performed, and the Diversilab® system was used to match the isolates to USA pulsed field gel electrophoresis types. From July - December 2011, 117 cases and 119 controls were enrolled. A higher proportion of controls than cases were current workforce members (41.2% vs. 31.6%) Cases had a higher odds of living in census block groups with medium densities of swine (OR: 4.76, 95% CI: 1.36-16.69) and of reporting the ability to smell odor from a farm with animals when they were home (OR: 1.51, 95% CI: 0.80-2.86). Of 49 culture positive MRSA isolates, all were scn positive. Twenty-two isolates belonged to clonal complex 5. Absence of livestock workers in this study precluded evaluation of occupational exposures. Higher odds of MRSA in medium swine density areas could reflect environmental exposure to swine or poultry.

High precision and high yield fabrication of dense nanoparticle arrays onto DNA origami at statistically independent binding sites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takabayashi, Sadao; Klein, William P.; Onodera, Craig; Rapp, Blake; Flores-Estrada, Juan; Lindau, Elias; Snowball, Lejmarc; Sam, Joseph T.; Padilla, Jennifer E.; Lee, Jeunghoon; Knowlton, William B.; Graugnard, Elton; Yurke, Bernard; Kuang, Wan; Hughes, William L.

2014-10-01

High precision, high yield, and high density self-assembly of nanoparticles into arrays is essential for nanophotonics. Spatial deviations as small as a few nanometers can alter the properties of near-field coupled optical nanostructures. Several studies have reported assemblies of few nanoparticle structures with controlled spacing using DNA nanostructures with variable yield. Here, we report multi-tether design strategies and attachment yields for homo- and hetero-nanoparticle arrays templated by DNA origami nanotubes. Nanoparticle attachment yield via DNA hybridization is comparable with streptavidin-biotin binding. Independent of the number of binding sites, >97% site-occupation was achieved with four tethers and 99.2% site-occupation is theoretically possible with five tethers. The interparticle distance was within 2 nm of all design specifications and the nanoparticle spatial deviations decreased with interparticle spacing. Modified geometric, binomial, and trinomial distributions indicate that site-bridging, steric hindrance, and electrostatic repulsion were not dominant barriers to self-assembly and both tethers and binding sites were statistically independent at high particle densities.High precision, high yield, and high density self-assembly of nanoparticles into arrays is essential for nanophotonics. Spatial deviations as small as a few nanometers can alter the properties of near-field coupled optical nanostructures. Several studies have reported assemblies of few nanoparticle structures with controlled spacing using DNA nanostructures with variable yield. Here, we report multi-tether design strategies and attachment yields for homo- and hetero-nanoparticle arrays templated by DNA origami nanotubes. Nanoparticle attachment yield via DNA hybridization is comparable with streptavidin-biotin binding. Independent of the number of binding sites, >97% site-occupation was achieved with four tethers and 99.2% site-occupation is theoretically possible with five tethers. The interparticle distance was within 2 nm of all design specifications and the nanoparticle spatial deviations decreased with interparticle spacing. Modified geometric, binomial, and trinomial distributions indicate that site-bridging, steric hindrance, and electrostatic repulsion were not dominant barriers to self-assembly and both tethers and binding sites were statistically independent at high particle densities. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c4nr03069a

A case control study of environmental and occupational exposures associated with methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus nasal carriage in patients admitted to a rural tertiary care hospital in a high density swine region

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Distinct strains of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) have been identified on livestock and livestock workers. Industrial food animal production may be an important environmental reservoir for human carriage of these pathogenic bacteria. The objective of this study was to investigate environmental and occupational exposures associated with nasal carriage of MRSA in patients hospitalized at Vidant Medical Center, a tertiary hospital serving a region with intensive livestock production in eastern North Carolina. Methods MRSA nasal carriage was identified via nasal swabs collected within 24 hours of hospital admission. MRSA carriers (cases) were gender and age matched to non-carriers (controls). Participants were interviewed about recent environmental and occupational exposures. Home addresses were geocoded and publicly available data were used to estimate the density of swine in residential census block groups of residence. Conditional logistic regression models were used to derive odds ratio (OR) estimates and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Presence of the scn gene in MRSA isolates was assessed. In addition, multi locus sequence typing (MLST) of the MRSA isolates was performed, and the Diversilab® system was used to match the isolates to USA pulsed field gel electrophoresis types. Results From July - December 2011, 117 cases and 119 controls were enrolled. A higher proportion of controls than cases were current workforce members (41.2% vs. 31.6%) Cases had a higher odds of living in census block groups with medium densities of swine (OR: 4.76, 95% CI: 1.36-16.69) and of reporting the ability to smell odor from a farm with animals when they were home (OR: 1.51, 95% CI: 0.80-2.86). Of 49 culture positive MRSA isolates, all were scn positive. Twenty-two isolates belonged to clonal complex 5. Conclusions Absence of livestock workers in this study precluded evaluation of occupational exposures. Higher odds of MRSA in medium swine density areas could reflect environmental exposure to swine or poultry. PMID:24958086

Elastic constants of stressed and unstressed materials in the phase-field crystal model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Zi-Le; Huang, Zhi-Feng; Liu, Zhirong

2018-04-01

A general procedure is developed to investigate the elastic response and calculate the elastic constants of stressed and unstressed materials through continuum field modeling, particularly the phase-field crystal (PFC) models. It is found that for a complete description of system response to elastic deformation, the variations of all the quantities of lattice wave vectors, their density amplitudes (including the corresponding anisotropic variation and degeneracy breaking), the average atomic density, and system volume should be incorporated. The quantitative and qualitative results of elastic constant calculations highly depend on the physical interpretation of the density field used in the model, and also importantly, on the intrinsic pressure that usually pre-exists in the model system. A formulation based on thermodynamics is constructed to account for the effects caused by constant pre-existing stress during the homogeneous elastic deformation, through the introducing of a generalized Gibbs free energy and an effective finite strain tensor used for determining the elastic constants. The elastic properties of both solid and liquid states can be well produced by this unified approach, as demonstrated by an analysis for the liquid state and numerical evaluations for the bcc solid phase. The numerical calculations of bcc elastic constants and Poisson's ratio through this method generate results that are consistent with experimental conditions, and better match the data of bcc Fe given by molecular dynamics simulations as compared to previous work. The general theory developed here is applicable to the study of different types of stressed or unstressed material systems under elastic deformation.

An ab-initio investigation on SrLa intermetallic compound

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, S. Ramesh; Jaiganesh, G.; Jayalakshmi, V.

2018-05-01

The electronic, elastic and thermodynamic property of CsCl-type SrLa are investigated through density functional theory. The energy-volume relation for this compound has been obtained. The band structure, density of states and charge density in (110) plane are also examined. The elastic constants (C11, C12 and C44) of SrLa is computed, then, using these elastic constants, the bulk moduli, shear moduli, Young's moduli and Poisson's ratio are also derived. The calculated results showed that CsCl-type SrLa is ductile at ambient conditions. The thermodynamic quantities such as free energy, entropy and heat capacity as a function of temperature are estimated and the results obtained are discussed.

Unimodular Einstein-Cartan gravity: Dynamics and conservation laws

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bonder, Yuri; Corral, Cristóbal

2018-04-01

Unimodular gravity is an interesting approach to address the cosmological constant problem, since the vacuum energy density of quantum fields does not gravitate in this framework, and the cosmological constant appears as an integration constant. These features arise as a consequence of considering a constrained volume element 4-form that breaks the diffeomorphisms invariance down to volume preserving diffeomorphisms. In this work, the first-order formulation of unimodular gravity is presented by considering the spin density of matter fields as a source of spacetime torsion. Even though the most general matter Lagrangian allowed by the symmetries is considered, dynamical restrictions arise on their functional dependence. The field equations are obtained and the conservation laws associated with the symmetries are derived. It is found that, analogous to torsion-free unimodular gravity, the field equation for the vierbein is traceless; nevertheless, torsion is algebraically related to the spin density as in standard Einstein-Cartan theory. The particular example of massless Dirac spinors is studied, and comparisons with standard Einstein-Cartan theory are shown.

1 Tbit/inch2 Recording in Angular-Multiplexing Holographic Memory with Constant Signal-to-Scatter Ratio Schedule

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hosaka, Makoto; Ishii, Toshiki; Tanaka, Asato; Koga, Shogo; Hoshizawa, Taku

2013-09-01

We developed an iterative method for optimizing the exposure schedule to obtain a constant signal-to-scatter ratio (SSR) to accommodate various recording conditions and achieve high-density recording. 192 binary images were recorded in the same location of a medium in approximately 300×300 µm2 using an experimental system embedded with a blue laser diode with a 405 nm wavelength and an objective lens with a 0.85 numerical aperture. The recording density of this multiplexing corresponds to 1 Tbit/in.2. The recording exposure time was optimized through the iteration of a three-step sequence consisting of total reproduced intensity measurement, target signal calculation, and recording energy density calculation. The SSR of pages recorded with this method was almost constant throughout the entire range of the reference beam angle. The signal-to-noise ratio of the sampled pages was over 2.9 dB, which is higher than the reproducible limit of 1.5 dB in our experimental system.

Detonation in TATB Hemispheres

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

Druce, B; Souers, P C; Chow, C

2004-03-17

Streak camera breakout and Fabry-Perot interferometer data have been taken on the outer surface of 1.80 g/cm{sup 3} TATB hemispherical boosters initiated by slapper detonators at three temperatures. The slapper causes breakout to occur at 54{sup o} at ambient temperatures and 42{sup o} at -54 C, where the axis of rotation is 0{sup o}. The Fabry velocities may be associated with pressures, and these decrease for large timing delays in breakout seen at the colder temperatures. At room temperature, the Fabry pressures appear constant at all angles. Both fresh and decade-old explosive are tested and no difference is seen. Themore » problem has been modeled with reactive flow. Adjustment of the JWL for temperature makes little difference, but cooling to -54 C decreases the rate constant by 1/6th. The problem was run both at constant density and with density differences using two different codes. The ambient code results show that a density difference is probably there but it cannot be quantified.« less

High-dielectric-constant polymers as high-energy-density (HED) field effect actuator and capacitor materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Cheng; Zhang, Qiming

2004-07-01

The development of high dielectric constant polymers as active materials in high-performance devices is one of the challenges in polymeric electronics and opto-electronics such as flexible thin-film capacitors, memory devices and microactuators for deformable micromirror technology. A group of poly(vinylidene fluoridetrifluoroethylene) P(VDF-TrFE) based high-dielectric-constant fluoroterpolymers have been developed, which have high room-temperature dielectric constant (K>60) and very high strain level and high energy density. The longitudinal and transverse strain of these materials can reach about -7% and 4.5%, respectively, and the elastic energy density is around 1.1 J/cm^3 under a high electric field of 150 MV/m. The influence on the electromechanical properties of copolymerizing poly(vinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene) (PVDF-TrFE) with a third monomer, chlorofluoroethylene (CFE), was investigated. It was found that increasing the CFE content from 0 to 8.5% slowly converts the ferroelectric structure of the copolymer to a relaxor ferroelectric system. This allows for a greatly decreased polarization and dielectric hysteresis and a much higher strain. Above 8.5%, increased CFE content substantially degrades the bulk crystallinity and the Young's modulus. These terpolymers have the potential to achieve above 10 J/cm^3 whole capacity energy density, which makes them good candidates for applications in pulse power capacitors. An all-polymer percolative composite by the combination of conductive polyaniline particles (K>10^5) within a fluoroterpolymer matrix, is introduced which exhibits very high dielectric constant (>7,000). The experimental results show that the dielectric behavior of this new class of percolative composites follows the prediction of the percolation theory and the analysis of the conductive percolation phenomena. The very high dielectric constant of the all-polymer composites which are also very flexible and possess elastic modulus not very much different from that of the insulation polymer matrix makes it possible to induce a high electromechanical response under a much reduced electric field (a strain of 2.65% with an elastic energy density of 0.18 J/cm^3 can be achieved under a low field of 16 MV/m). Data analysis also suggests that in these composites, the non-uniform local field distribution as well as interface effects can significantly enhance the strain responses. Furthermore, the experimental data as well as the data analysis indicate that the conduction loss in these composites will not affect the strain hysteresis. Flexible high dielectric constant electroactive polymers provide potential applications in high-energy-density (HED) energy storage and conversion systems such as lightweight field effect actuators and capacitors.

Breakthrough curves for toluene adsorption on different types of activated carbon fibers: application in respiratory protection.

PubMed

Balanay, Jo Anne G; Floyd, Evan L; Lungu, Claudiu T

2015-05-01

Activated carbon fibers (ACF) are considered viable alternative adsorbent materials in respirators because of their larger surface area, lighter weight, and fabric form. The purpose of this study was to characterize the breakthrough curves of toluene for different types of commercially available ACFs to understand their potential service lives in respirators. Two forms of ACF, cloth (AC) and felt (AF), with three surface areas each were tested. ACFs were challenged with six toluene concentrations (50-500 p.p.m.) at constant air temperature (23°C), relative humidity (50%), and air flow (16 l min-1) at different bed depths. Breakthrough data were obtained using continuous monitoring by gas chromatography using a gas sampling valve. The ACF specific surface areas were measured by an automatic physisorption analyzer. Results showed unique shapes of breakthrough curves for each ACF form: AC demonstrated a gradual increase in breakthrough concentration, whereas AF showed abrupt increase in concentration from the breakpoint, which was attributed to the difference in fiber density between the forms. AF has steeper breakthrough curves compared with AC with similar specific surface area. AC exhibits higher 10% breakthrough times for a given bed depth due to higher mass per bed depth compared with AF, indicating more adsorption per bed depth with AC. ACF in respirators may be appropriate for use as protection in environments with toluene concentration at the Occupational Safety and Health Administration Permissible Exposure Limit, or during emergency escape for higher toluene concentrations. ACF has shown great potential for application in respiratory protection against toluene and in the development of thinner, lighter, and more efficient respirators. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Occupational Hygiene Society.

Carbon Nanotube Oscillator Surface Profiling Device and Method of Use

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-11-15

distance p. The constants A and B are the Hamaker constants, which depend on the materials of the two interacting bodies. The total vdW inter...wall CNT 45 with 2L1 =2L2 =150 A and a sample of specific material char- acterized with atomic density a, Hamaker constants A and B, and a friction

Rationally designed polyimides for high-energy density capacitor applications.

PubMed

Ma, Rui; Baldwin, Aaron F; Wang, Chenchen; Offenbach, Ido; Cakmak, Mukerrem; Ramprasad, Rampi; Sotzing, Gregory A

2014-07-09

Development of new dielectric materials is of great importance for a wide range of applications for modern electronics and electrical power systems. The state-of-the-art polymer dielectric is a biaxially oriented polypropylene (BOPP) film having a maximal energy density of 5 J/cm(3) and a high breakdown field of 700 MV/m, but with a limited dielectric constant (∼2.2) and a reduced breakdown strength above 85 °C. Great effort has been put into exploring other materials to fulfill the demand of continuous miniaturization and improved functionality. In this work, a series of polyimides were investigated as potential polymer materials for this application. Polyimide with high dielectric constants of up to 7.8 that exhibits low dissipation factors (<1%) and high energy density around 15 J/cm(3), which is 3 times that of BOPP, was prepared. Our syntheses were guided by high-throughput density functional theory calculations for rational design in terms of a high dielectric constant and band gap. Correlations of experimental and theoretical results through judicious variations of polyimide structures allowed for a clear demonstration of the relationship between chemical functionalities and dielectric properties.

Cosmic vacuum energy decay and creation of cosmic matter.

PubMed

Fahr, Hans-Jörg; Heyl, Michael

2007-09-01

In the more recent literature on cosmological evolutions of the universe, the cosmic vacuum energy has become a nonrenouncable ingredient. The cosmological constant Lambda, first invented by Einstein, but later also rejected by him, presently experiences an astonishing revival. Interestingly enough, it acts like a constant vacuum energy density would also do. Namely, it has an accelerating action on cosmic dynamics, without which, as it appears, presently obtained cosmological data cannot be conciliated with theory. As we are going to show in this review, however, the concept of a constant vacuum energy density is unsatisfactory for very basic reasons because it would claim for a physical reality that acts upon spacetime and matter dynamics without itself being acted upon by spacetime or matter.

Calculation of exchange coupling constants in triply-bridged dinuclear Cu(II) compounds based on spin-flip constricted variational density functional theory.

PubMed

Seidu, Issaka; Zhekova, Hristina R; Seth, Michael; Ziegler, Tom

2012-03-08

The performance of the second-order spin-flip constricted variational density functional theory (SF-CV(2)-DFT) for the calculation of the exchange coupling constant (J) is assessed by application to a series of triply bridged Cu(II) dinuclear complexes. A comparison of the J values based on SF-CV(2)-DFT with those obtained by the broken symmetry (BS) DFT method and experiment is provided. It is demonstrated that our methodology constitutes a viable alternative to the BS-DFT method. The strong dependence of the calculated exchange coupling constants on the applied functionals is demonstrated. Both SF-CV(2)-DFT and BS-DFT affords the best agreement with experiment for hybrid functionals.

Computerized Scheimpflug densitometry as a measure of corneal optical density after excimer laser refractive surgery in myopic eyes.

PubMed

Cennamo, Gilda; Forte, Raimondo; Aufiero, Bernardino; La Rana, Agostino

2011-08-01

To evaluate changes in anterior corneal optical density and the refractive index after photorefractive keratectomy (PRK) using a rotating Scheimpflug system. Department of Ophthalmology, University Federico II, Naples, Italy. Comparative case series. Anterior corneal optical density was evaluated with a rotating Scheimpflug system at baseline and 3 months and 12 months after PRK in eyes with a refractive error between -6.00 diopters (D) and -12.00 D (study group). A control group of unoperated eyes with the same refraction range was used to calculate corneal optical density and the Gladstone-Dale constant in unoperated eyes using the Gladstone-Dale formula. In the study group, changes in the anterior corneal optical density were evaluated over time and variations in the anterior corneal refractive index were obtained using the Gladstone-Dale constant. The study group comprised 37 eyes and the control group, 200 eyes. In the study group, the mean anterior corneal optical density and refractive index, respectively, were 27.71 ± 4.39 and 1.360 ± 0.05 at baseline, 37.812 ± 12.31 and 1.491 ± 0.16 after 3 months (P<.001 compared with baseline), and 26.29 ± 4.93 and 1.341 ± 0.06 after 12 months (P=.03 compared with baseline). The mean corneal optical density in the control group was 27.71 ± 4.31 (SD), and the resultant Gladstone-Dale constant was 0.013. An early increase and a subsequent reduction in anterior corneal optical density and the refractive index were present in myopic eyes during 1 year after PRK. Copyright © 2011 ASCRS and ESCRS. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Natural occupation numbers in two-electron quantum rings.

PubMed

Tognetti, Vincent; Loos, Pierre-François

2016-02-07

Natural orbitals (NOs) are central constituents for evaluating correlation energies through efficient approximations. Here, we report the closed-form expression of the NOs of two-electron quantum rings, which are prototypical finite-extension systems and new starting points for the development of exchange-correlation functionals in density functional theory. We also show that the natural occupation numbers for these two-electron paradigms are in general non-vanishing and follow the same power law decay as atomic and molecular two-electron systems.

Natural occupation numbers in two-electron quantum rings

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

Tognetti, Vincent, E-mail: vincent.tognetti@univ-rouen.fr; Loos, Pierre-François

2016-02-07

Natural orbitals (NOs) are central constituents for evaluating correlation energies through efficient approximations. Here, we report the closed-form expression of the NOs of two-electron quantum rings, which are prototypical finite-extension systems and new starting points for the development of exchange-correlation functionals in density functional theory. We also show that the natural occupation numbers for these two-electron paradigms are in general non-vanishing and follow the same power law decay as atomic and molecular two-electron systems.

A Prevalence Study of Intestinal Parasites in Southern Belize

DTIC Science & Technology

2000-11-15

variable; sex , ethnicity, and occupation were used as categorical data. Sex was coded as 0 for " female " and 1 for "male". Ethnicity was reduced to "Mayan...stool examination) in females in 5 villages in the Toledo District, southern Belize. Females Aae Protozoa GIardia 1ambl1a Entamoeba hlstolytlcaldlspar... Sex (l=male, O= female ) Race (1= Ketchi, O=Mopan) Occupation (O=labour) Pre-school Student Housework Education level Floor (l=dirt, O=w/c) Density group

Factors influencing the occupational trajectory of patients with systemic sclerosis: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Decuman, Saskia; Smith, Vanessa; Grypdonck, Maria; De Keyser, Filip; Verhaeghe, Sofie

2015-01-01

To describe, from the patient's point of view, the factors influencing the occupational trajectory of patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc). This was a qualitative study designed using grounded theory with constant comparison. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 14 patients who fulfilled the American College of Rheumatology or Leroy-Medsger criteria for SSc. Based on our interviews, we found that the occupational trajectory of patients with SSc is influenced by the continuous interplay between four groups of factors. The first group concerns the values patients attribute to work, including identity, normality, financial value, social contact, and structure. The meaning of these values and how they relate to each other underlies the desire to work. A second group of factors is those influencing the balance between daily life, work participation, and medical condition (e.g. job content, flexibility in organising work, and the willingness to ask for accommodations at work). The occupational trajectory is also influenced by external factors, including availability of support, know-ledge of the disease, pressure to work, contact with medical professionals, and existing regulations and the patient's knowledge about them. Finally, the occupational trajectory is influenced by personal factors, including socio-demographics, psychological assets, and disease- and work-related personal factors. The decisions patients with SSc take concerning work depend on an interplay between many factors and, especially, on the patients' personal interpretation of these factors. These need to be taken into account when helping patients with SSc determine their occupational trajectory.

Occupational health assessment of chromite toxicity among Indian miners

PubMed Central

Das, Alok Prasad; Singh, Shikha

2011-01-01

Elevated concentration of hexavalent chromium pollution and contamination has contributed a major health hazard affecting more than 2 lakh mine workers and inhabitants residing in the Sukinda chromite mine of Odisha, India. Despite people suffering from several forms of ill health, physical and mental deformities, constant exposure to toxic wastes and chronic diseases as a result of chromite mining, there is a tragic gap in the availability of 'scientific’ studies and data on the health hazards of mining in India. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Odisha State Pollution Control Board and the Odisha Voluntary Health Association data were used to compile the possible occupational health hazards, hexavalent chromium exposure and diseases among Sukinda chromite mines workers. Studies were reviewed to determine the routes of exposure and possible mechanism of chromium induced carcinogenicity among the workers. Our studies suggest all forms of hexavalent chromium are regarded as carcinogenic to workers however the most important routes of occupational exposure to Cr (VI) are inhalation and dermal contact. This review article outlines the physical, chemical, biological and psychosocial occupational health hazards of chromite mining and associated metallurgical processes to monitor the mining environment as well as the miners exposed to these toxicants to foster a safe work environment. The authors anticipate that the outcome of this manuscript will have an impact on Indian chromite mining industry that will subsequently bring about improvements in work conditions, develop intervention experiments in occupational health and safety programs. PMID:21808494

Effects of collision cascade density on radiation defect dynamics in 3C-SiC

PubMed Central

Bayu Aji, L. B.; Wallace, J. B.; Kucheyev, S. O.

2017-01-01

Effects of the collision cascade density on radiation damage in SiC remain poorly understood. Here, we study damage buildup and defect interaction dynamics in 3C-SiC bombarded at 100 °C with either continuous or pulsed beams of 500 keV Ne, Ar, Kr, or Xe ions. We find that bombardment with heavier ions, which create denser collision cascades, results in a decrease in the dynamic annealing efficiency and an increase in both the amorphization cross-section constant and the time constant of dynamic annealing. The cascade density behavior of these parameters is non-linear and appears to be uncorrelated. These results demonstrate clearly (and quantitatively) an important role of the collision cascade density in dynamic radiation defect processes in 3C-SiC. PMID:28304397

Total-energy Assisted Tight-binding Method Based on Local Density Approximation of Density Functional Theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fujiwara, Takeo; Nishino, Shinya; Yamamoto, Susumu; Suzuki, Takashi; Ikeda, Minoru; Ohtani, Yasuaki

2018-06-01

A novel tight-binding method is developed, based on the extended Hückel approximation and charge self-consistency, with referring the band structure and the total energy of the local density approximation of the density functional theory. The parameters are so adjusted by computer that the result reproduces the band structure and the total energy, and the algorithm for determining parameters is established. The set of determined parameters is applicable to a variety of crystalline compounds and change of lattice constants, and, in other words, it is transferable. Examples are demonstrated for Si crystals of several crystalline structures varying lattice constants. Since the set of parameters is transferable, the present tight-binding method may be applicable also to molecular dynamics simulations of large-scale systems and long-time dynamical processes.

Effects of collision cascade density on radiation defect dynamics in 3C-SiC

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

Bayu Aji, L. B.; Wallace, J. B.; Kucheyev, S. O.

Effects of the collision cascade density on radiation damage in SiC remain poorly understood. We study damage buildup and defect interaction dynamics in 3C-SiC bombarded at 100 °C with either continuous or pulsed beams of 500 keV Ne, Ar, Kr, or Xe ions. Here, we find that bombardment with heavier ions, which create denser collision cascades, results in a decrease in the dynamic annealing efficiency and an increase in both the amorphization cross-section constant and the time constant of dynamic annealing. The cascade density behavior of these parameters is non-linear and appears to be uncorrelated. Our results demonstrate clearly (andmore » quantitatively) an important role of the collision cascade density in dynamic radiation defect processes in 3C-SiC.« less

Ab Initio study on structural, electronic, magnetic and dielectric properties of LSNO within Density Functional Perturbation Theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petersen, John; Bechstedt, Friedhelm; Furthmüller, Jürgen; Scolfaro, Luisa

LSNO (La2-xSrxNiO4) is of great interest due to its colossal dielectric constant (CDC) and rich underlying physics. While being an antiferromagnetic insulator, localized holes are present in the form of stripes in the Ni-O planes which are commensurate with the inverse of the Sr concentration. The stripes are a manifestation of charge density waves with period approximately 1/x and spin density waves with period approximately 2/x. Here, the spin ground state is calculated via LSDA + U with the PAW method implemented in VASP. Crystal structure and the effective Hubbard U parameter are optimized before calculating ɛ∞ within the independent particle approximation. ɛ∞ and the full static dielectric constant (including the lattice polarizability) ɛ0 are calculated within Density Functional Perturbation Theory.

Effects of collision cascade density on radiation defect dynamics in 3C-SiC

DOE PAGES

Bayu Aji, L. B.; Wallace, J. B.; Kucheyev, S. O.

2017-03-17

Effects of the collision cascade density on radiation damage in SiC remain poorly understood. We study damage buildup and defect interaction dynamics in 3C-SiC bombarded at 100 °C with either continuous or pulsed beams of 500 keV Ne, Ar, Kr, or Xe ions. Here, we find that bombardment with heavier ions, which create denser collision cascades, results in a decrease in the dynamic annealing efficiency and an increase in both the amorphization cross-section constant and the time constant of dynamic annealing. The cascade density behavior of these parameters is non-linear and appears to be uncorrelated. Our results demonstrate clearly (andmore » quantitatively) an important role of the collision cascade density in dynamic radiation defect processes in 3C-SiC.« less

Viscosity and density of methanol/water mixtures at low temperatures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Austin, J. G.; Kurata, F.; Swift, G. W.

1968-01-01

Viscosity and density are measured at low temperatures for three methanol/water mixtures. Viscosity is determined by a modified falling cylinder method or a calibrated viscometer. Density is determined by the volume of each mixture contained in a calibrated glass cell placed in a constant-temperature bath.

Testing the role of patch openness as a causal mechanism for apparent area sensitivity in a grassland specialist.

PubMed

Keyel, Alexander C; Bauer, Carolyn M; Lattin, Christine R; Romero, L Michael; Reed, J Michael

2012-06-01

Area sensitivity, species being disproportionately present on larger habitat patches, has been identified in many taxa. We propose that some apparently area-sensitive species are actually responding to how open a habitat patch is, rather than to patch size. We tested this hypothesis for Bobolinks (Dolichonyx oryzivorus) by comparing density and occupancy to a novel openness index, patch area, and edge effects. Bobolink density and occupancy showed significant relationships with openness, but logistic models based on an openness occupancy threshold had greater explanatory power. Thresholds remained approximately consistent from June through August, and shifted to be more open in September. Variance partitioning supported the openness index as unique and relevant. We found no relationships between measures of body condition (body mass, body size, circulating corticosterone levels) and either openness or area. Our findings have implications for studies of area sensitivity, especially with regards to inconsistencies reported within species: specifically, (1) whether or not a study finds a species to be area sensitive may depend on whether small, open sites were sampled, and (2) area regressions were sensitive to observed densities at the largest sites, suggesting that variation in these fields could lead to inconsistent area sensitivity responses. Responses to openness may be a consequence of habitat selection mediated by predator effects. Finally, openness measures may have applications for predicting effects of habitat management or development, such as adding wind turbines, in open habitat.

[The Influence of risk factors on visual performance in of phototoxic maculopathy in occupational welders].

PubMed

Li, Qingtao; Zhang, Xinfang

2014-10-01

To investigate the Influence of risk factors that cause the phototoxic maculopathy by welding arc in occupational welders. We examined randomly a group of 86 male occupational welders 172 eyes from some local metal manufacturing enterprise from August 2010 to December 2013. The ophthalmologic examination which the participants underwent thorough including the best visual acuity, fundus examination by the supplementary lens, fundus photography, and the high definition optical coherence tomography (OCT) scan. All participants of this study underwent thorough the medicine examined by a specialist of occupational who prior to the OCT. All the subjects were divided into groups according to age, protection degrees , length of service, operating time . The incidences of phototoxic maculopathy were compared within groups. The subjects was divided randomly into the lutein group and the placebo group. The examination including the best visual acuity, serum lutein concentrations, macular pigmentoptical density (MPOD), Contrast and glare Sensitivity. (1) The total incidence of phototoxic maculopathy is 32.0%. (2) The incidences of phototoxic maculopathy in the strict protection group, the randomed protective group and the nonprofessional protection group were respectively 21.4%, 36.7%, 53.6%. The incidence in the strict protection group was lower than the other two groups, the incidence was the highest in the nonprofessional protection group, and the difference was statistically significant. (3) The longer length of service, and operating time , the more incidence of phototoxic maculopathy develop. (4) The lutein group prior to the placebo group at the best visual acuity, serum lutein concentrations, macular pigmentoptical density (MPOD), Contrast and glare Sensitivity. The risk factors of phototoxic maculopathy in male occupational welders are the length of service, operating time, protection degrees and the lutein assistantly. The incidence of phototoxic maculopathy occurs regardless of age.

Ambient and at-the-ear occupational noise exposure and serum lipid levels.

PubMed

Arlien-Søborg, Mai C; Schmedes, Astrid S; Stokholm, Z A; Grynderup, M B; Bonde, J P; Jensen, C S; Hansen, Å M; Frederiksen, T W; Kristiansen, J; Christensen, K L; Vestergaard, J M; Lund, S P; Kolstad, H A

2016-10-01

Occupational and residential noise exposure has been related to increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Alteration of serum lipid levels has been proposed as a possible causal pathway. The objective of this study was to investigate the relation between ambient and at-the-ear occupational noise exposure and serum levels of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, and triglycerides when accounting for well-established predictors of lipid levels. This cross-sectional study included 424 industrial workers and 84 financial workers to obtain contrast in noise exposure levels. They provided a serum sample and wore portable dosimeters that every 5-s recorded ambient noise exposure levels during a 24-h period. We extracted measurements obtained during work and calculated the full-shift mean ambient noise level. For 331 workers who kept a diary on the use of a hearing protection device (HPD), we subtracted 10 dB from every noise recording obtained during HPD use and estimated the mean full-shift noise exposure level at the ear. Mean ambient noise level was 79.9 dB (A) [range 55.0-98.9] and the mean estimated level at the ear 77.8 dB (A) [range 55.0-94.2]. Ambient and at-the-ear noise levels were strongly associated with increasing levels of triglycerides, cholesterol-HDL ratio, and decreasing levels of HDL-cholesterol, but only in unadjusted analyses that did not account for HPD use and other risk factors. No associations between ambient or at-the-ear occupational noise exposure and serum lipid levels were observed. This indicates that a causal pathway between occupational and residential noise exposure and cardiovascular disease does not include alteration of lipid levels.

Spatial charge inhomogeneity and defect states in topological Dirac semimetal thin films of Na3Bi

PubMed Central

Edmonds, Mark T.; Collins, James L.; Hellerstedt, Jack; Yudhistira, Indra; Gomes, Lídia C.; Rodrigues, João N. B.; Adam, Shaffique; Fuhrer, Michael S.

2017-01-01

Topological Dirac semimetals (TDSs) are three-dimensional analogs of graphene, with carriers behaving like massless Dirac fermions in three dimensions. In graphene, substrate disorder drives fluctuations in Fermi energy, necessitating construction of heterostructures of graphene and hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) to minimize the fluctuations. Three-dimensional TDSs obviate the substrate and should show reduced EF fluctuations due to better metallic screening and higher dielectric constants. We map the potential fluctuations in TDS Na3Bi using a scanning tunneling microscope. The rms potential fluctuations are significantly smaller than the thermal energy room temperature (ΔEF,rms = 4 to 6 meV = 40 to 70 K) and comparable to the highest-quality graphene on h-BN. Surface Na vacancies produce a novel resonance close to the Dirac point with surprisingly large spatial extent and provide a unique way to tune the surface density of states in a TDS thin-film material. Sparse defect clusters show bound states whose occupation may be changed by applying a bias to the scanning tunneling microscope tip, offering an opportunity to study a quantum dot connected to a TDS reservoir. PMID:29291249

Geomorphic controls on hydrology and vegetation in an arid basin: Turkana district, northern Kenya

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

Coppinger, K.D.; Doehring, D.O.; Schimel, D.S.

1985-01-01

As part of a broad ecological study of Kenyan pastoralist adaptation to periodic drought, a study was done to determine how arid region geomorphology affects hydrology and subsequently vegetative patterns. In this study area, 100 kilometers south of Lake Turkana, it appears that irregular precipitation is stored in bajada sediments and is available to deeply rooted vegetation over long periods of time. This vegetation provides a relatively constant food source for people's herds of browsers, the camels and goats, whereas cattle, which graze mainly on grasses, are significant producers only during wet seasons. Field observations suggest that the mountain andmore » abutting pediment soils are too shallow to store appreciable water. However, greater quantities of water are stored in the deeper bajada sediments adjacent to the pediment where pastoralists dig temporary wells in ephemeral channels during wet seasons. Density of tree growth is greater along channels, and highest canopy cover values are found about the pediment-bajada interface. Geohydrologic processes in this area provide the basis for continuous occupation by the desert people, in contrast to recurring famines in adjacent areas, by enhancing the growth of woody vegetation.« less

Location estimation in a smart home: system implementation and evaluation using experimental data.

PubMed

Rahal, Youcef; Pigot, Hélène; Mabilleau, Philippe

2008-01-01

In the context of a constantly increasing aging population with cognitive deficiencies, insuring the autonomy of the elders at home becomes a priority. The DOMUS laboratory is addressing this issue by conceiving a smart home which can both assist people and preserve their quality of life. Obviously, the ability to monitor properly the occupant's activities and thus provide the pertinent assistance depends highly on location information inside the smart home. This paper proposes a solution to localize the occupant thanks to Bayesian filtering and a set of anonymous sensors disseminated throughout the house. The localization system is designed for a single person inside the house. It could however be used in conjunction with other localization systems in case more people are present. Our solution is functional in real conditions. We conceived an experiment to estimate precisely its accuracy and evaluate its robustness. The experiment consists of a scenario of daily routine meant to maximize the occupant's motion in meaningful activities. It was performed by 14 subjects, one subject at a time. The results are satisfactory: the system's accuracy exceeds 85% and is independent of the occupant's profile. The system works in real time and behaves well in presence of noise.

Characteristics of occupational musculoskeletal disorders of five sectors in service industry between 2004 and 2013.

PubMed

Choi, Hyun-Woo; Kim, Young-Ki; Kang, Dong-Mug; Kim, Jong-Eun; Jang, Bo-Young

2017-01-01

' Work related musculoskeletal disorders (WRMSDs)' have been mostly reported in the manufacturing industry but recently the occurrence of industrial injuries has been constantly increasing in the service industry. This research is going to analyze the data about workers' compensation for WRMSDs in five different service sectors and identify characteristics of occupations with the highest approved occupations. According to the data released from the Korea Worker's Compensation & Welfare Service, the overview of 12,730 cases of workers' compensation for WRMSDs in five service sectors from 2004 to 2013 is going to be analyzed and the source data is going to be classified by the Korean Standard Classification of Occupations to select the top five occupations that have the highest number of approval. After selecting each five occupations from the service sector that have work related musculoskeletal disorders, the result showed that the occupation with the highest number of approval in the health and social care sector were the early childhood educators, cooks in the school canteens in education services sector, garbage collectors in the sanitation and similar services sector, deliverymen in wholesale and retail, consumer goods repair and building cleaners in general management businesses such as those in building maintenance. The major event observed in the top five occupations was the overexertion and reaction as a cause of WRMSDs. The day when the WRMSDs mostly occurred was on Monday and the most likely time was 10 am. The median days away from work and lost working days are 29-90 days and 0-50 days respectively. The difference in each occupation was observed in year of service, age, and gender. 83.21% of the approved cases of workers' compensation for WRMSDs occurred in the top 25 occupations in all of the five service sectors, which meant that the approval of workers' compensation is concentrated in specific occupations. This research is going to suggest preventive measures for work related musculoskeletal disorders in the service industry and to help prioritize the preventive measures. Not applicable.

Triglycerides, total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein cholesterol and low density lipoprotein cholesterol in rats exposed to premium motor spirit fumes.

PubMed

Aberare, Ogbevire L; Okuonghae, Patrick; Mukoro, Nathaniel; Dirisu, John O; Osazuwa, Favour; Odigie, Elvis; Omoregie, Richard

2011-06-01

Deliberate and regular exposure to premium motor spirit fumes is common and could be a risk factor for liver disease in those who are occupationally exposed. A possible association between premium motor spirit fumes and plasma levels of triglyceride, total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein cholesterol and low density lipoprotein cholesterol using a rodent model could provide new insights in the pathology of diseases where cellular dysfunction is an established risk factor. The aim of this study was to evaluate the possible effect of premium motor spirit fumes on lipids and lipoproteins in workers occupationally exposed to premium motor spirit fumes using rodent model. Twenty-five Wister albino rats (of both sexes) were used for this study between the 4(th) of August and 7(th) of September, 2010. The rats were divided into five groups of five rats each. Group 1 rats were not exposed to premium motor spirit fumes (control group), group 2 rats were exposed for 1 hour daily, group 3 for 3 hours daily, group 4 for 5 hours daily and group 5 for 7 hours daily. The experiment lasted for a period of 4 weeks. Blood samples obtained from all the groups after 4 weeks of exposure were used for the estimation of plasma levels of triglyceride, total cholesterol, high density lipoprotein- cholesterol and low density lipoprotein- cholesterol. Results showed significant increase in means of plasma total cholesterol and low density lipoprotein levels (P<0.05). The mean triglyceride and total body weight were significantly lower (P<0.05) in the exposed group when compared with the unexposed. The plasma level of high density lipoprotein, the ratio of low density lipoprotein to high density lipoprotein and the ratio of total cholesterol to high density lipoprotein did not differ significantly in exposed subjects when compared with the control group. These results showed that frequent exposure to petrol fumes may be highly deleterious to the liver cells.

An exploratory study of the relation of population density and agricultural activity to hematologic malignancies in North Dakota.

PubMed

Watkins, Patricia L; Watkins, John M

2013-02-01

Established risk factors for hematologic cancers include exposure to ionizing radiation, organic solvents, and genetic mutation; however, the potential roles of environmental and sociological factors are not well explored. As North Dakota engages in significant agricultural activity, the present investigation seeks to determine whether an association exists between the incidence of hematologic cancers and either population density or agricultural occupation for residents of south central North Dakota. The present study is a retrospective analysis. Cases of hematologic malignancies and associated pre-malignant conditions were collected from the regional Central North Dakota Cancer Registry, and analysis of study-specific demographic factors was performed. Significantly higher incidence of hematologic cancers and pre-malignant disorders was associated with residence in an "urban" county and rural city/town. Within the latter designation, there was a higher rate of self-reported agricultural occupation (40% vs 10%, P < 0.0001). The increased incidence of hematologic cancer in low population density areas of south central North Dakota supports the need for more detailed prospective research centered on agricultural exposures.

Microscopic Modeling of Tribological Phenomena

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-02-28

37,4132 (1988). cohesive energy and lattice constant of nickel (t, -3.54 X 10- 󈧑 erg, ’This interface orientation was chosen in view ofour previous...such as lattice constants, heats of sublimation, elastic constants, vacancy-formation energies and heats of solution (47]. Following equilibration of...of the tip and 10 substrate materials to optimize their embedding energies (which are density dependent, deriving froam the tails of the atomic

Fast Faraday fading of long range satellite signals.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heron, M. L.

1972-01-01

20 MHz radio signals have been received during the day from satellite Beacon-B when it was below the optical horizon by using a bank of narrow filters to improve the signal to noise ratio. The Faraday fading rate becomes constant, under these conditions, at a level determined by the plasma frequency just below the F-layer peak. Variations in the Faraday fading rate reveal fluctuations in the electron density near the peak, while the rate of attaining the constant level depends on the shape of the electron density profile.

Seasonal trends in eDNA detection and occupancy of bigheaded carps

USGS Publications Warehouse

Erickson, Richard A.; Merkes, Christopher; Jackson, Craig; Goforth, Reuben; Amberg, Jon J.

2017-01-01

Bigheaded carps, which include silver and bighead carp, are threatening to invade the Great Lakes. These species vary seasonally in distribution and abundance due to environmental conditions such as precipitation and temperature. Monitoring this seasonal movement is important for management to control the population size and spread of the species. We examined if environmental DNA (eDNA) approaches could detect seasonal changes of these species. To do this, we developed a novel genetic marker that was able to both detect and differentiate bighead and silver carp DNA. We used the marker, combined with a novel occupancy model, to study the occurrence of bigheaded carps at 3 sites on the Wabash River over the course of a year. We studied the Wabash River because of concerns that carps may be able to use the system to invade the Great Lakes via a now closed (ca. 2017) connection at Eagle Marsh between the Wabash River's watershed and the Great Lakes' watershed. We found seasonal trends in the probability of detection and occupancy that varied across sites. These findings demonstrate that eDNA methods can detect seasonal changes in bigheaded carps densities and suggest that the amount of eDNA present changes seasonally. The site that was farthest upstream and had the lowest carp densities exhibited the strongest seasonal trends for both detection probabilities and sample occupancy probabilities. Furthermore, other observations suggest that carps seasonally leave this site, and we were able to detect this with our eDNA approach.

Scale-dependent mechanisms of habitat selection for a migratory passerine: an experimental approach

USGS Publications Warehouse

Donovan, Therese M.; Cornell, Kerri L.

2010-01-01

Habitat selection theory predicts that individuals choose breeding habitats that maximize fitness returns on the basis of indirect environmental cues at multiple spatial scales. We performed a 3-year field experiment to evaluate five alternative hypotheses regarding whether individuals choose breeding territories in heterogeneous landscapes on the basis of (1) shrub cover within a site, (2) forest land-cover pattern surrounding a site, (3) conspecific song cues during prebreeding settlement periods, (4) a combination of these factors, and (5) interactions among these factors. We tested hypotheses with playbacks of conspecific song across a gradient of landscape pattern and shrub density and evaluated changes in territory occupancy patterns in a forest-nesting passerine, the Black-throated Blue Warbler (Dendroica caerulescens). Our results support the hypothesis that vegetation structure plays a primary role during presettlement periods in determining occupancy patterns in this species. Further, both occupancy rates and territory turnover were affected by an interaction between local shrub density and amount of forest in the surrounding landscape, but not by interactions between habitat cues and social cues. Although previous studies of this species in unfragmented landscapes found that social postbreeding song cues played a key role in determining territory settlement, our prebreeding playbacks were not associated with territory occupancy or turnover. Our results suggest that in heterogeneous landscapes during spring settlement, vegetation structure may be a more reliable signal of reproductive performance than the physical location of other individuals.

Poloidal asymmetries in edge transport barriersa)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Churchill, R. M.; Theiler, C.; Lipschultz, B.; Hutchinson, I. H.; Reinke, M. L.; Whyte, D.; Hughes, J. W.; Catto, P.; Landreman, M.; Ernst, D.; Chang, C. S.; Hager, R.; Hubbard, A.; Ennever, P.; Walk, J. R.

2015-05-01

Measurements of impurities in Alcator C-Mod indicate that in the pedestal region, significant poloidal asymmetries can exist in the impurity density, ion temperature, and main ion density. In light of the observation that ion temperature and electrostatic potential are not constant on a flux surface [Theiler et al., Nucl. Fusion 54, 083017 (2014)], a technique based on total pressure conservation to align profiles measured at separate poloidal locations is presented and applied. Gyrokinetic neoclassical simulations with XGCa support the observed large poloidal variations in ion temperature and density, and that the total pressure is approximately constant on a flux surface. With the updated alignment technique, the observed in-out asymmetry in impurity density is reduced from previous publishing [Churchill et al., Nucl. Fusion 53, 122002 (2013)], but remains substantial ( n z , H / n z , L ˜ 6 ). Candidate asymmetry drivers are explored, showing that neither non-uniform impurity sources nor localized fluctuation-driven transport are able to explain satisfactorily the impurity density asymmetry. Since impurity density asymmetries are only present in plasmas with strong electron density gradients, and radial transport timescales become comparable to parallel transport timescales in the pedestal region, it is suggested that global transport effects relating to the strong electron density gradients in the pedestal are the main driver for the pedestal in-out impurity density asymmetry.

Prediction of CNS occupancy of dopamine D2 receptor based on systemic exposure and in vitro experiments.

PubMed

Kanamitsu, Kayoko; Arakawa, Ryosuke; Sugiyama, Yuichi; Suhara, Tetsuya; Kusuhara, Hiroyuki

2016-12-01

The effect of drugs in the central nervous system (CNS) is closely related to occupancy of their target receptor. In this study, we integrated plasma concentrations, in vitro/in vivo data for receptor or protein binding, and in silico data, using a physiologically based pharmacokinetic model, to examine the predictability of receptor occupancy in humans. The occupancy of the dopamine D2 receptor and the plasma concentrations of the antipsychotic drugs quetiapine and perospirone in humans were collected from the literature or produced experimentally. Association and dissociation rate constants and unbound fractions in the serum and brain were determined in vitro/in vivo using human D2 receptor-expressing membrane fractions, human serum and mouse brain. The permeability of drugs across the blood-brain barrier was estimated based on their physicochemical properties. The effect of a metabolite of perospirone, ID-15036, was also considered. The time profiles of D2 receptor occupancy following oral dose of quetiapine and perospirone predicted were similar to the observed values. This approach could assist in the design of clinical studies for drug development and the prediction of the impact of drug-drug interactions on CNS function in clinical settings. Copyright © 2016 The Japanese Society for the Study of Xenobiotics. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Chlorine decay and bacterial inactivation kinetics in drinking water in the tropics.

PubMed

Thøgersen, J; Dahi, E

1996-09-01

The decay of free chlorine (Cl2) and combined chlorine (mostly monochloramine: NH2Cl) and the inactivation of bacteria was examined in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Batch experiments, pilot-scale pipe experiments and full-scale pipe experiments were carried out to establish the kinetics for both decay and inactivation, and to compare the two disinfectants for use under tropical conditions. The decay of both disinfectants closely followed first order kinetics, with respect to the concentration of both disinfectant and disinfectant-consuming substances. Bacterial densities exhibited a kinetic pattern consisting of first order inactivation with respect to the density of the bacteria and the concentration of the disinfectant, and first order growth with respect to the bacterial density. The disinfection kinetic model takes the decaying concentration of the disinfectant into account. The decay rate constant for free chlorine was 114 lg(-1)h(-1), while the decay rate constant for combined chlorine was 1.84 lg(-1)h(-1) (1.6% of the decay rate for free chlorine). The average concentration of disinfectant consuming substances in the water phase was 2.6 mg Cl2/l for free chlorine and 5.6 mg NH2Cl/l for combined chlorine. The decay rate constant and the concentration of disinfectant consuming substances when water was pumped through pipes, depended on whether or not chlorination was continuous. Combined chlorine especially could clean the pipes of disinfectant consuming substances. The inactivation rate constant λ, was estimated at 3.06×10(4) lg(-1)h(-1). Based on the inactivation rate constant, and a growth rate constant determined in a previous study, the critical concentration of free chlorine was found to be 0.08 mg Cl2/l. The critical concentration is a value below which growth rates dominate over inactivation.

Spectral function from Reduced Density Matrix Functional Theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Romaniello, Pina; di Sabatino, Stefano; Berger, Jan A.; Reining, Lucia

2015-03-01

In this work we focus on the calculation of the spectral function, which determines, for example, photoemission spectra, from reduced density matrix functional theory. Starting from its definition in terms of the one-body Green's function we derive an expression for the spectral function that depends on the natural occupation numbers and on an effective energy which accounts for all the charged excitations. This effective energy depends on the two-body as well as higher-order density matrices. Various approximations to this expression are explored by using the exactly solvable Hubbard chains.

Occupational hazards for fishermen in the workplace in Polish coastal and beach fishing--a point of view.

PubMed

Jeżewska, Maria; Grubman-Nowak, Marta; Leszczyñska, Irena; Jaremin, Bogdan

2012-01-01

The work of marine fishermen is considered one of the most dangerous and life-threatening professions all over the world. There are some common features of the fishing occupation, such as: exposure to cold, wind, rough seas, substantial participation of physical effort, frequency of injuries during work, unpredictability and abruptness of threats, equipment failure, everyday psychological stress, and constant economic pressure. At the same time, the specificity and variety of hazards, depending significantly on geographical-climate and cultural factors, makes the dissimilarity of problems and solutions substantial in different sectors of fishing. The present article is a review of the problems of Polish costal fishermen, referring to some local particularities within this extremely difficult profession requiring special predispositions.

Healthy Worker Effect Phenomenon: Revisited with Emphasis on Statistical Methods – A Review

PubMed Central

Chowdhury, Ritam; Shah, Divyang; Payal, Abhishek R.

2017-01-01

Known since 1885 but studied systematically only in the past four decades, the healthy worker effect (HWE) is a special form of selection bias common to occupational cohort studies. The phenomenon has been under debate for many years with respect to its impact, conceptual approach (confounding, selection bias, or both), and ways to resolve or account for its effect. The effect is not uniform across age groups, gender, race, and types of occupations and nor is it constant over time. Hence, assessing HWE and accounting for it in statistical analyses is complicated and requires sophisticated methods. Here, we review the HWE, factors affecting it, and methods developed so far to deal with it. PMID:29391741

Possible origin of nonlinear conductivity and large dielectric constant in the commensurate charge-density-wave phase of 1 T -TaS2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ma, Yongchang; Hou, Yanhui; Lu, Cuimin; Li, Lijun; Petrovic, Cedomir

2018-05-01

The electric field dependence of the dielectric properties and the nonlinear conductance of 1 T -TaS2 below 50 K has been investigated. A large dielectric constant of about 104 is obtained up to 107 Hz, which cannot be attributed to hopping of the localized carriers alone, the collective excitations of the commensurate charge-density-wave must be another contributor. The dielectric spectra disperse slightly in our measured temperature and frequency range. At a moderate dc bias field, the real part of the dielectric constant ɛ1(ω ) decreases. We propose that the separation of bound soliton-antisoliton pairs may be a contributor to the reduction of ɛ1(ω ) and the accompanying nonlinear conductivity with increasing dc bias.

Estimating site occupancy and detection probability parameters for meso- and large mammals in a coastal eosystem

USGS Publications Warehouse

O'Connell, Allan F.; Talancy, Neil W.; Bailey, Larissa L.; Sauer, John R.; Cook, Robert; Gilbert, Andrew T.

2006-01-01

Large-scale, multispecies monitoring programs are widely used to assess changes in wildlife populations but they often assume constant detectability when documenting species occurrence. This assumption is rarely met in practice because animal populations vary across time and space. As a result, detectability of a species can be influenced by a number of physical, biological, or anthropogenic factors (e.g., weather, seasonality, topography, biological rhythms, sampling methods). To evaluate some of these influences, we estimated site occupancy rates using species-specific detection probabilities for meso- and large terrestrial mammal species on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, USA. We used model selection to assess the influence of different sampling methods and major environmental factors on our ability to detect individual species. Remote cameras detected the most species (9), followed by cubby boxes (7) and hair traps (4) over a 13-month period. Estimated site occupancy rates were similar among sampling methods for most species when detection probabilities exceeded 0.15, but we question estimates obtained from methods with detection probabilities between 0.05 and 0.15, and we consider methods with lower probabilities unacceptable for occupancy estimation and inference. Estimated detection probabilities can be used to accommodate variation in sampling methods, which allows for comparison of monitoring programs using different protocols. Vegetation and seasonality produced species-specific differences in detectability and occupancy, but differences were not consistent within or among species, which suggests that our results should be considered in the context of local habitat features and life history traits for the target species. We believe that site occupancy is a useful state variable and suggest that monitoring programs for mammals using occupancy data consider detectability prior to making inferences about species distributions or population change.

Liquid hydrogen densitometer utilizes open-ended microwave cavity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smetana, J.; Wenger, N. C.

1967-01-01

Open-ended microwave cavity directly measures the density of flowing liquid, gaseous, or two-phase hydrogen. Its operation is based on derived relations between the cavity resonant frequency and the dielectric constant and density of hydrogen.

Urban land use decouples plant-herbivore-parasitoid interactions at multiple spatial scales.

PubMed

Nelson, Amanda E; Forbes, Andrew A

2014-01-01

Intense urban and agricultural development alters habitats, increases fragmentation, and may decouple trophic interactions if plants or animals cannot disperse to needed resources. Specialist insects represent a substantial proportion of global biodiversity and their fidelity to discrete microhabitats provides a powerful framework for investigating organismal responses to human land use. We sampled site occupancy and densities for two plant-herbivore-parasitoid systems from 250 sites across a 360 km2 urban/agricultural landscape to ask whether and how human development decouples interactions between trophic levels. We compared patterns of site occupancy, host plant density, herbivory and parasitism rates of insects at two trophic levels with respect to landcover at multiple spatial scales. Geospatial analyses were used to identify landcover characters predictive of insect distributions. We found that herbivorous insect densities were decoupled from host tree densities in urban landcover types at several spatial scales. This effect was amplified for the third trophic level in one of the two insect systems: despite being abundant regionally, a parasitoid species was absent from all urban/suburban landcover even where its herbivore host was common. Our results indicate that human land use patterns limit distributions of specialist insects. Dispersal constraints associated with urban built development are specifically implicated as a limiting factor.

Urban Land Use Decouples Plant-Herbivore-Parasitoid Interactions at Multiple Spatial Scales

PubMed Central

Nelson, Amanda E.; Forbes, Andrew A.

2014-01-01

Intense urban and agricultural development alters habitats, increases fragmentation, and may decouple trophic interactions if plants or animals cannot disperse to needed resources. Specialist insects represent a substantial proportion of global biodiversity and their fidelity to discrete microhabitats provides a powerful framework for investigating organismal responses to human land use. We sampled site occupancy and densities for two plant-herbivore-parasitoid systems from 250 sites across a 360 km2 urban/agricultural landscape to ask whether and how human development decouples interactions between trophic levels. We compared patterns of site occupancy, host plant density, herbivory and parasitism rates of insects at two trophic levels with respect to landcover at multiple spatial scales. Geospatial analyses were used to identify landcover characters predictive of insect distributions. We found that herbivorous insect densities were decoupled from host tree densities in urban landcover types at several spatial scales. This effect was amplified for the third trophic level in one of the two insect systems: despite being abundant regionally, a parasitoid species was absent from all urban/suburban landcover even where its herbivore host was common. Our results indicate that human land use patterns limit distributions of specialist insects. Dispersal constraints associated with urban built development are specifically implicated as a limiting factor. PMID:25019962

Comparison of deuterated leucine, valine, and lysine in the measurement of human apolipoprotein A-I and B-100 kinetics

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

Lichtenstein, A.H.; Cohn, J.S.; Hachey, D.L.

1990-09-01

The production rates of apolipoprotein (apo)B-100 in very low density lipoprotein and in low density lipoprotein and apolipoprotein A-I in high density lipoprotein were determined using a primed-constant infusion of (5,5,5,-2H3)leucine, (4,4,4,-2H3)valine, and (6,6-2H2,1,2-13C2)lysine. The three stable isotope-labeled amino acids were administered simultaneously to determine whether absolute production rates calculated using a stochastic model were independent of the tracer species utilized. Three normolipidemic adult males were studied in the constantly fed state over a 15-h period. The absolute production rates of very low density lipoprotein apoB-100 were 11.4 +/- 5.8 (leucine), 11.2 +/- 6.8 (valine), and 11.1 +/- 5.4 (lysine)more » mg per kg per day (mean +/- SDM). The absolute production rates for low density lipoprotein apoB-100 were 8.0 +/- 4.7 (leucine), 7.5 +/- 3.8 (valine), and 7.5 +/- 4.2 (lysine) mg per kg per day. The absolute production rates for high density lipoprotein apoA-I were 9.7 +/- 0.2 (leucine), 9.4 +/- 1.7 (valine), and 9.1 +/- 1.3 (lysine) mg per kg per day. There were no statistically significant differences in absolute synthetic rates of the three apolipoproteins when the plateau isotopic enrichment values of very low density lipoprotein apoB-100 were used to define the isotopic enrichment of the intracellular precursor pool. Our data indicate that deuterated leucine, valine, or lysine provided similar results when used for the determination of apoA-I and apoB-100 absolute production rates within plasma lipoproteins as part of a primed-constant infusion protocol.« less

Intermolecular interaction studies of glyphosate with water

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manon, Priti; Juglan, K. C.; Kaur, Kirandeep; Sethi, Nidhi; Kaur, J. P.

2017-07-01

The density (ρ), viscosity (η) and ultrasonic velocity (U) of glyphosate with water have been measured on different ultrasonic frequency ranges from 1MHz, 2MHz, 3MHz & 5MHz by varying concentrations (0.05%, 0.10%, 0.15%, 0.20%, 0.25%, 0.30%, 0.35%, & 0.40%) at 30°C. The specific gravity bottle, Ostwald's viscometer and quartz crystal interferometer were used to determine density (ρ), viscosity (η) and ultrasonic velocity (U). These three factors contribute in evaluating the other parameters as acoustic impedance (Z), adiabatic compressibility (β), relaxation time (τ), intermolecular free length (Lf), free volume (Vf), ultrasonic attenuation (α/f2), Rao's constant (R), Wada's constant (W) and relative strength (R). Solute-solvent interaction is confirmed by ultrasonic velocity and viscosity values, which increases with increase in concentration indicates stronger association between solute and solvent molecules. With rise in ultrasonic frequency the interaction between the solute and solvent particles decreases. The linear variations in Rao's constant and Wada's constant suggest the absence of complex formation.

Finite element study of human pelvis model in side impact for Chinese adult occupants.

PubMed

Ma, Zhengwei; Lan, Fengchong; Chen, Jiqing; Liu, Weiguo

2015-01-01

The occupant's pelvis is very vulnerable to side collision in road accidents. Finite element (FE) studies on pelvic injury help to design occupant protection devices to improve vehicle safety. This study was aimed to develop a highly biofidelic pelvis model of Chinese adults and assess its sensitivity to variations in pelvis cortical bone thickness, bone material properties, and loading conditions. In this study, 4 different FE models of the pelvis were developed from the computed tomography (CT) data of a volunteer representing the 50th percentile Chinese male. Two of them were meshed using entirely hexahedral elements with variable and constant cortical thickness distribution (the V-Hex and C-Hex models), and the others were modeled with hexahedral elements for cancellous bone and variable or constant thickness shell elements for cortical bone (the V-HS and C-HS models). In model developments, the semi-automatic multiblock meshing approach was employed to maintain the pelvis geometric curvature and generate a high-quality hexahedral mesh. Then, several simulations with postmortem human subjects (PMHS) tests were performed to obtain the most accurate model in predicting pelvic injury. Based on the most accurate model, sensitivity studies were conducted to analyze the effects of the cortex thickness, Young's modulus of the cortical and cancellous bone, impactor velocity, and impactor with or without padding on the biomechanical responses and injuries of pelvis. The results indicate that the models with variable cortical bone thickness can give more accurate predictions than those with constant cortical thickness. Both the V-Hex and V-HS models are favorable for simulating pelvic response and injury, but the simulation results of the V-Hex model agree with the tests better. The sensitivity study shows that pelvic response is more sensitive to alterations in the Young's modulus of cortical bone than cancellous bone. Compared to failure displacement, peak force is more sensitive to the cortical bone thickness. However, displacement is more sensitive to the Young's modulus of cancellous bone than peak force. The padding attached on the impactor plays a significant role in absorbing the impact energy and alleviating pelvic injury. The all-hex meshing method with variable cortical bone thickness has the highest accuracy but is time-consuming. The cortical bone plays a determining role in resisting pelvic fracture. Peak impact force appears to be a reasonable injury predictor for pelvic injury assessment. Some appropriate energy absorbers installed in the car door can significantly reduce pelvic injury and will be beneficial for occupant protection.

A cumulant functional for static and dynamic correlation

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

Hollett, Joshua W., E-mail: j.hollett@uwinnipeg.ca; Department of Chemistry, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3T 2N2; Hosseini, Hessam

A functional for the cumulant energy is introduced. The functional is composed of a pair-correction and static and dynamic correlation energy components. The pair-correction and static correlation energies are functionals of the natural orbitals and the occupancy transferred between near-degenerate orbital pairs, rather than the orbital occupancies themselves. The dynamic correlation energy is a functional of the statically correlated on-top two-electron density. The on-top density functional used in this study is the well-known Colle-Salvetti functional. Using the cc-pVTZ basis set, the functional effectively models the bond dissociation of H{sub 2}, LiH, and N{sub 2} with equilibrium bond lengths and dissociationmore » energies comparable to those provided by multireference second-order perturbation theory. The performance of the cumulant functional is less impressive for HF and F{sub 2}, mainly due to an underestimation of the dynamic correlation energy by the Colle-Salvetti functional.« less

Local Descriptors of Dynamic and Nondynamic Correlation.

PubMed

Ramos-Cordoba, Eloy; Matito, Eduard

2017-06-13

Quantitatively accurate electronic structure calculations rely on the proper description of electron correlation. A judicious choice of the approximate quantum chemistry method depends upon the importance of dynamic and nondynamic correlation, which is usually assesed by scalar measures. Existing measures of electron correlation do not consider separately the regions of the Cartesian space where dynamic or nondynamic correlation are most important. We introduce real-space descriptors of dynamic and nondynamic electron correlation that admit orbital decomposition. Integration of the local descriptors yields global numbers that can be used to quantify dynamic and nondynamic correlation. Illustrative examples over different chemical systems with varying electron correlation regimes are used to demonstrate the capabilities of the local descriptors. Since the expressions only require orbitals and occupation numbers, they can be readily applied in the context of local correlation methods, hybrid methods, density matrix functional theory, and fractional-occupancy density functional theory.

Inferring ecological relationships from occupancy patterns for California Black Rails in the Sierra Nevada foothills

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Richmond, Orien Manu Wright

The secretive California Black Rail (Laterallus jamaicensis coturniculus ) has a disjunct and poorly understood distribution. After a new population was discovered in Yuba County in 1994, we conducted call playback surveys from 1994--2006 in the Sierra foothills and Sacramento Valley region to determine the distribution and residency of Black Rails, estimate densities, and obtain estimates of site occupancy and detection probability. We found Black Rails at 164 small, widely scattered marshes distributed along the lower western slopes of the Sierra Nevada foothills, from just northeast of Chico (Butte County) to Rocklin (Placer County). Marshes were surrounded by a matrix of unsuitable habitat, creating a patchy or metapopulation structure. We observed Black Rails nesting and present evidence that they are year-round residents. Assuming perfect detectability we estimated a lower-bound mean Black Rail density of 1.78 rails ha-1, and assuming a detection probability of 0.5 we estimated a mean density of 3.55 rails ha-1. We test if the presence of the larger Virginia Rail (Laterallus limicola) affects probabilities of detection or occupancy of the smaller California Black Rail in small freshwater marshes that range in size from 0.013-13.99 ha. We hypothesized that Black Rail occupancy should be lower in small marshes when Virginia Rails are present than when they are absent, because resources are presumably more limited and interference competition should increase. We found that Black Rail detection probability was unaffected by the detection of Virginia Rails, while, surprisingly, Black and Virginia Rail occupancy were positively associated even in small marshes. The average probability of Black Rail occupancy was higher when Virginia Rails were present (0.74 +/- 0.053) than when they were absent (0.36 +/- 0.069), and for both species occupancy increased with marsh size. We assessed the impact of winter (November-May) cattle grazing on occupancy of California Black Rails inhabiting a network of freshwater marshes in the northern Sierra Nevada foothills of California. As marsh birds are difficult to detect, we collected repeated presence/absence data via call playback surveys and used the "random changes in occupancy" parameterization of a multi-season occupancy model to examine relationships between occupancy and covariates, while accounting for detection probability. Wetland vegetation cover was significantly lower at winter-grazed sites than at ungrazed sites during the grazing season in 2007 but not in 2008. Winter grazing had little effect on Black Rail occupancy at irrigated marshes. However, at non-irrigated marshes fed by natural springs and streams, winter-grazed sites had lower occupancy than ungrazed sites, especially at larger marsh sizes (>0.5 ha). Black Rail occupancy was positively associated with marsh area, irrigation as a water source and summer cover, and negatively associated with isolation. We evaluate the performance of nine topographic features (aspect, downslope flow distance to streams, elevation, horizontal distance to sinks, horizontal distance to streams, plan curvature, profile curvature, slope and topographic wetness index) on freshwater wetland classification accuracy in the Sierra foothills of California. To evaluate object-based classification accuracy we test both within-image and between-image predictions using six different classification schemes (naive Bayes, the C4.5 decision tree classifier, k-nearest neighbors, boosted logistic regression, random forest, and a support vector machine classifier) in the classification software package Weka 3.6.2. Adding topographic features had mostly positive effects on classification accuracy for within-image tests, but mostly negative effects on accuracy for between-image tests. The topographic wetness index was the most beneficial topographic feature in both the within-image and between-image tests for distinguishing wetland objects from other "green" objects (irrigated pasture and woodland) and shadows. Our results suggest that there is a benefit to using a more complex index of topography than simple measures such as elevation for the goal of mapping small palustrine emergent wetlands, but this benefit, for the most part, has poor transferability when applied between image sections. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

On the Appearance of Thresholds in the Dynamical Model of Star Formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elmegreen, Bruce G.

2018-02-01

The Kennicutt–Schmidt (KS) relationship between the surface density of the star formation rate (SFR) and the gas surface density has three distinct power laws that may result from one model in which gas collapses at a fixed fraction of the dynamical rate. The power-law slope is 1 when the observed gas has a characteristic density for detection, 1.5 for total gas when the thickness is about constant as in the main disks of galaxies, and 2 for total gas when the thickness is regulated by self-gravity and the velocity dispersion is about constant, as in the outer parts of spirals, dwarf irregulars, and giant molecular clouds. The observed scaling of the star formation efficiency (SFR per unit CO) with the dense gas fraction (HCN/CO) is derived from the KS relationship when one tracer (HCN) is on the linear part and the other (CO) is on the 1.5 part. Observations of a threshold density or column density with a constant SFR per unit gas mass above the threshold are proposed to be selection effects, as are observations of star formation in only the dense parts of clouds. The model allows a derivation of all three KS relations using the probability distribution function of density with no thresholds for star formation. Failed galaxies and systems with sub-KS SFRs are predicted to have gas that is dominated by an equilibrium warm phase where the thermal Jeans length exceeds the Toomre length. A squared relation is predicted for molecular gas-dominated young galaxies.

Enhancement of piezoelectric constants induced by cation-substitution and two-dimensional strain effects on ZnO predicted by density functional perturbation theory

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

Nakamura, Kaoru, E-mail: n-kaoru@criepi.denken.or.jp; Higuchi, Sadao; Ohnuma, Toshiharu

2016-03-21

Using density functional perturbation theory, we investigated the effect of various substitutional dopant elements and in-plane strain on the piezoelectric properties of ZnO. The piezoelectric stress constant e{sub 33} of doped ZnO was found to depend on the formal charge of the substitutional dopant. By decomposing the piezoelectric stress constant e{sub 33} into the individual atomic contributions, the change in the piezoelectric properties was found to originate from a change in the coupling between the atomic displacement and the strain. Furthermore, we found that in-plane tensile strain along the a axis, which is specific to the thin film, can enhancemore » the piezoelectric constant of ZnO. A phase transition from wurtzite to h-BN-type structure was found to occur with increasing in-plane tensile. The piezoelectric strain constant d{sub 33} was predicted to reach ∼200 pC/N for 2.78 at. % V-substituted ZnO at 5.5% in-plane strain, just before the phase transition. These theoretical results suggest that the piezoelectric constant of ZnO can be enhanced by controlling the in-plane strain via selection of the substrate material and dopant element.« less

Possible determination of the physical parameters of the first living cells based on the fundamental physical constants

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Atanasov, Atanas Todorov

2016-12-01

Here is developed the hypothesis that the cell parameters of unicellular organisms (Prokaryotes and Eukaryotes) are determined by the gravitational constant (G, N.m2 /kg2), Planck constant (h, J.s) and growth rate of cells. By scaling analyses it was shown that the growth rate vgr(m/s) of unicellular bacteria and protozoa is relatively constant parameter, ranging in a narrow window of 10-12 - 10-10 m/s, in comparison to the diapason of cell mass, ranging 10 orders of magnitudes from 10-17 kg in bacteria to 10-7 kg in amoebas. By dimensional analyses it was shown that the combination between the growth rate of cells, gravitational constant and Planck constant gives equations with dimension of mass M(vgr)=(h.vgr/G)½ in kg, length L(v gr)=(hṡG/vgr3)1/2 in meter, time T(vgr)=(hṡG/vgr5)1/2 in seconds, and density ρ ((vgr)=vgr.3.5/hG2 in kg/m3 . For growth rate vgr in diapason of 1×10-11 m/s - 1×10-9.5 m/s the calculated numerical values for mass (3×10-18 -1×10-16 kg), length (5×10-8 -1×10-5 m), time (1×102 -1×106 s) and density (1×10-1 - 1×104 kg/m3) overlaps with diapason of experimentally measured values for cell mass (3×10-18 -1×10-15 kg), volume to surface ratio (1×10-7 -1×10-4 m), doubling time (1×103 -1×107 s), and density (1050 - 1300 kg/m3) in bacteria and protozoa. These equations show that appearance of the first living cells could be mutually connected to the physical constants.

Gas sorption and barrier properties of polymeric membranes from molecular dynamics and Monte Carlo simulations.

PubMed

Cozmuta, Ioana; Blanco, Mario; Goddard, William A

2007-03-29

It is important for many industrial processes to design new materials with improved selective permeability properties. Besides diffusion, the molecule's solubility contributes largely to the overall permeation process. This study presents a method to calculate solubility coefficients of gases such as O2, H2O (vapor), N2, and CO2 in polymeric matrices from simulation methods (Molecular Dynamics and Monte Carlo) using first principle predictions. The generation and equilibration (annealing) of five polymer models (polypropylene, polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl dichloride, polyvinyl chloride-trifluoroethylene, and polyethylene terephtalate) are extensively described. For each polymer, the average density and Hansen solubilities over a set of ten samples compare well with experimental data. For polyethylene terephtalate, the average properties between a small (n = 10) and a large (n = 100) set are compared. Boltzmann averages and probability density distributions of binding and strain energies indicate that the smaller set is biased in sampling configurations with higher energies. However, the sample with the lowest cohesive energy density from the smaller set is representative of the average of the larger set. Density-wise, low molecular weight polymers tend to have on average lower densities. Infinite molecular weight samples do however provide a very good representation of the experimental density. Solubility constants calculated with two ensembles (grand canonical and Henry's constant) are equivalent within 20%. For each polymer sample, the solubility constant is then calculated using the faster (10x) Henry's constant ensemble (HCE) from 150 ps of NPT dynamics of the polymer matrix. The influence of various factors (bad contact fraction, number of iterations) on the accuracy of Henry's constant is discussed. To validate the calculations against experimental results, the solubilities of nitrogen and carbon dioxide in polypropylene are examined over a range of temperatures between 250 and 650 K. The magnitudes of the calculated solubilities agree well with experimental results, and the trends with temperature are predicted correctly. The HCE method is used to predict the solubility constants at 298 K of water vapor and oxygen. The water vapor solubilities follow more closely the experimental trend of permeabilities, both ranging over 4 orders of magnitude. For oxygen, the calculated values do not follow entirely the experimental trend of permeabilities, most probably because at this temperature some of the polymers are in the glassy regime and thus are diffusion dominated. Our study also concludes large confidence limits are associated with the calculated Henry's constants. By investigating several factors (terminal ends of the polymer chains, void distribution, etc.), we conclude that the large confidence limits are intimately related to the polymer's conformational changes caused by thermal fluctuations and have to be regarded--at least at microscale--as a characteristic of each polymer and the nature of its interaction with the solute. Reducing the mobility of the polymer matrix as well as controlling the distribution of the free (occupiable) volume would act as mechanisms toward lowering both the gas solubility and the diffusion coefficients.

Polymer electrolyte membrane water electrolysis: Restraining degradation in the presence of fluctuating power

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rakousky, Christoph; Reimer, Uwe; Wippermann, Klaus; Kuhri, Susanne; Carmo, Marcelo; Lueke, Wiebke; Stolten, Detlef

2017-02-01

Polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) water electrolysis generates 'green' hydrogen when conducted with electricity from renewable - but fluctuating - sources like wind or solar photovoltaic. Unfortunately, the long-term stability of the electrolyzer performance is still not fully understood under these input power profiles. In this study, we contrast the degradation behavior of our PEM water electrolysis single cells that occurs under operation with constant and intermittent power and derive preferable operating states. For this purpose, five different current density profiles are used, of which two were constant and three dynamic. Cells operated at 1 A cm-2 show no degradation. However, degradation was observed for the remaining four profiles, all of which underwent periods of high current density (2 A cm-2). Hereby, constant operation at 2 A cm-2 led to the highest degradation rate (194 μV h-1). Degradation can be greatly reduced when the cells are operated with an intermittent profile. Current density switching has a positive effect on durability, as it causes reversible parts of degradation to recover and results in a substantially reduced degradation per mole of hydrogen produced. Two general degradation phenomena were identified, a decreased anode exchange current density and an increased contact resistance at the titanium porous transport layer (Ti-PTL).

Adiabatic elimination of inertia of the stochastic microswimmer driven by α -stable noise

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Noetel, Joerg; Sokolov, Igor M.; Schimansky-Geier, Lutz

2017-10-01

We consider a microswimmer that moves in two dimensions at a constant speed and changes the direction of its motion due to a torque consisting of a constant and a fluctuating component. The latter will be modeled by a symmetric Lévy-stable (α -stable) noise. The purpose is to develop a kinetic approach to eliminate the angular component of the dynamics to find a coarse-grained description in the coordinate space. By defining the joint probability density function of the position and of the orientation of the particle through the Fokker-Planck equation, we derive transport equations for the position-dependent marginal density, the particle's mean velocity, and the velocity's variance. At time scales larger than the relaxation time of the torque τϕ, the two higher moments follow the marginal density and can be adiabatically eliminated. As a result, a closed equation for the marginal density follows. This equation, which gives a coarse-grained description of the microswimmer's positions at time scales t ≫τϕ , is a diffusion equation with a constant diffusion coefficient depending on the properties of the noise. Hence, the long-time dynamics of a microswimmer can be described as a normal, diffusive, Brownian motion with Gaussian increments.

Adiabatic elimination of inertia of the stochastic microswimmer driven by α-stable noise.

PubMed

Noetel, Joerg; Sokolov, Igor M; Schimansky-Geier, Lutz

2017-10-01

We consider a microswimmer that moves in two dimensions at a constant speed and changes the direction of its motion due to a torque consisting of a constant and a fluctuating component. The latter will be modeled by a symmetric Lévy-stable (α-stable) noise. The purpose is to develop a kinetic approach to eliminate the angular component of the dynamics to find a coarse-grained description in the coordinate space. By defining the joint probability density function of the position and of the orientation of the particle through the Fokker-Planck equation, we derive transport equations for the position-dependent marginal density, the particle's mean velocity, and the velocity's variance. At time scales larger than the relaxation time of the torque τ_{ϕ}, the two higher moments follow the marginal density and can be adiabatically eliminated. As a result, a closed equation for the marginal density follows. This equation, which gives a coarse-grained description of the microswimmer's positions at time scales t≫τ_{ϕ}, is a diffusion equation with a constant diffusion coefficient depending on the properties of the noise. Hence, the long-time dynamics of a microswimmer can be described as a normal, diffusive, Brownian motion with Gaussian increments.

Exploring one-particle orbitals in large many-body localized systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Villalonga, Benjamin; Yu, Xiongjie; Luitz, David J.; Clark, Bryan K.

2018-03-01

Strong disorder in interacting quantum systems can give rise to the phenomenon of many-body localization (MBL), which defies thermalization due to the formation of an extensive number of quasilocal integrals of motion. The one-particle operator content of these integrals of motion is related to the one-particle orbitals (OPOs) of the one-particle density matrix and shows a strong signature across the MBL transition as recently pointed out by Bera et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 115, 046603 (2015), 10.1103/PhysRevLett.115.046603; Ann. Phys. 529, 1600356 (2017), 10.1002/andp.201600356]. We study the properties of the OPOs of many-body eigenstates of an MBL system in one dimension. Using shift-and-invert MPS, a matrix product state method to target highly excited many-body eigenstates introduced previously [Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 017201 (2017), 10.1103/PhysRevLett.118.017201], we are able to obtain accurate results for large systems of sizes up to L =64 . We find that the OPOs drawn from eigenstates at different energy densities have high overlap and their occupations are correlated with the energy of the eigenstates. Moreover, the standard deviation of the inverse participation ratio of these orbitals is maximal at the nose of the mobility edge. Also, the OPOs decay exponentially in real space, with a correlation length that increases at low disorder. In addition, we find that the probability distribution of the strength of the large-range coupling constants of the number operators generated by the OPOs approach a log-uniform distribution at strong disorder.

Yearning for Learning in Regional Retirement: Seeking to Satisfy This through the University of the Third Age

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ellis, Bronwyn J.

2006-01-01

Constant change necessitates lifelong learning for those in the workforce, if they are not to fall behind in the skills and knowledge needed as their occupations evolve. Learning new skills and knowledge remains a part of life for those no longer in paid employment. Not only is learning essential in order to keep up with changing needs and…

Robust three-body water simulation model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tainter, C. J.; Pieniazek, P. A.; Lin, Y.-S.; Skinner, J. L.

2011-05-01

The most common potentials used in classical simulations of liquid water assume a pairwise additive form. Although these models have been very successful in reproducing many properties of liquid water at ambient conditions, none is able to describe accurately water throughout its complicated phase diagram. The primary reason for this is the neglect of many-body interactions. To this end, a simulation model with explicit three-body interactions was introduced recently [R. Kumar and J. L. Skinner, J. Phys. Chem. B 112, 8311 (2008), 10.1021/jp8009468]. This model was parameterized to fit the experimental O-O radial distribution function and diffusion constant. Herein we reparameterize the model, fitting to a wider range of experimental properties (diffusion constant, rotational correlation time, density for the liquid, liquid/vapor surface tension, melting point, and the ice Ih density). The robustness of the model is then verified by comparing simulation to experiment for a number of other quantities (enthalpy of vaporization, dielectric constant, Debye relaxation time, temperature of maximum density, and the temperature-dependent second and third virial coefficients), with good agreement.

Lattice dynamic properties of Rh2XAl (X=Fe and Y) alloys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Al, Selgin; Arikan, Nihat; Demir, Süleyman; Iyigör, Ahmet

2018-02-01

The electronic band structure, elastic and vibrational spectra of Rh2FeAl and Rh2YAl alloys were computed in detail by employing an ab-initio pseudopotential method and a linear-response technique based on the density-functional theory (DFT) scheme within a generalized gradient approximation (GGA). Computed lattice constants, bulk modulus and elastic constants were compared. Rh2YAl exhibited higher ability to resist volume change than Rh2FeAl. The elastic constants, shear modulus, Young modulus, Poisson's ratio, B/G ratio electronic band structure, total and partial density of states, and total magnetic moment of alloys were also presented. Rh2FeAl showed spin up and spin down states whereas Rh2YAl showed none due to being non-magnetic. The calculated total densities of states for both materials suggest that both alloys are metallic in nature. Full phonon spectra of Rh2FeAl and Rh2YA1 alloys in the L21 phase were collected using the ab-initio linear response method. The obtained phonon frequencies were in the positive region indicating that both alloys are dynamically stable.

Possibility of Predicting Serotonin Transporter Occupancy From the In Vitro Inhibition Constant for Serotonin Transporter, the Clinically Relevant Plasma Concentration of Unbound Drugs, and Their Profiles for Substrates of Transporters.

PubMed

Yahata, Masahiro; Chiba, Koji; Watanabe, Takao; Sugiyama, Yuichi

2017-09-01

Accurate prediction of target occupancy facilitates central nervous system drug development. In this review, we discuss the predictability of serotonin transporter (SERT) occupancy in human brain estimated from in vitro K i values for human SERT and plasma concentrations of unbound drug (C u,plasma ), as well as the impact of drug transporters in the blood-brain barrier. First, the geometric means of in vitro K i values were compared with the means of in vivo K i values (K i,u,plasma ) which were calculated as C u,plasma values at 50% occupancy of SERT obtained from previous clinical positron emission tomography/single photon emission computed tomography imaging studies for 6 selective serotonin transporter reuptake inhibitors and 3 serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors. The in vitro K i values for 7 drugs were comparable to their in vivo K i,u,plasma values within 3-fold difference. SERT occupancy was overestimated for 5 drugs (P-glycoprotein substrates) and underestimated for 2 drugs (presumably uptake transporter substrates, although no evidence exists as yet). In conclusion, prediction of human SERT occupancy from in vitro K i values and C u,plasma was successful for drugs that are not transporter substrates and will become possible in future even for transporter substrates, once the transporter activities will be accurately estimated from in vitro experiments. Copyright © 2017 American Pharmacists Association®. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Eleanor Clarke Slagle Lectureship, 1984: transformation of a profession.

PubMed

Gilfoyle, E M

1984-09-01

Professional evolution includes a period of disunity, a phase when old values and concepts are being examined, and new perspectives emerge. Disunity can be a positive impetus for dynamic change. Transformation provides a higher level reintegration through which new understanding and progress unfold. Occupational therapy's transformation is now; it is time for careful analysis and creative synthesis. Transformation is a three-fold process of integration of past, present, and future into an upward spiral of professional development. Transformation is a constant flow of activities influenced by both internal and external factors. Although there are multidimensions that influence occupational therapy's transformation, three major components are inherent in the profession's paradigm shift: society's decline in patriarchal authority; decline in allegiance to a biomedical model; and shift in values, dimensions of practice, and education that form the reality of occupational therapy. Transformation of our profession will be a paradigm shift: in our value system of purposeful activity to a new perspective of occupation and occupational, in our quest to develop a unifying theory for recognition of the unifying force of values, in our concepts and theories to include the science of occupation and the art of purposefulness from total allegiance to scientific knowledge to include intuitive knowledge, from being an allied medical field to an independent health profession that is both educationally and medically related, from a biomedical model to a paradigm of wellness, in balancing of feminine and masculine values of human nature in organizing educational curricula and entry-level requirements that reflect our value system and predicted practice dimensions.

Occupational contact dermatitis in the UK: a surveillance report from EPIDERM and OPRA.

PubMed

Meyer, J D; Chen, Y; Holt, D L; Beck, M H; Cherry, N M

2000-05-01

Since February 1993 the EPIDERM surveillance scheme has collected data on occupational skin disease from consultant dermatologists in the UK. Reporting by occupational physicians to the scheme began in May 1994 and was superseded in January 1996 by the Occupational Physicians Reporting Activity (OPRA). The schemes currently receive reports on incident cases from 244 dermatologists and 790 occupational physicians. An estimated total of 9937 cases of contact dermatitis reported by dermatologists was calculated from surveillance data; 8129 contact dermatitis cases were estimated from reports by occupational physicians. The annual incidence of occupational contact dermatitis from dermatologist reports was 6.4 cases per 100,000 workers and 6.5 per 100,000 from reports by occupational physicians, an overall rate of 12.9 cases per 100,000 workers. Manufacturing industries account for the greatest number of cases seen by both sets of reporting physicians, with health care employment second. Reports from dermatologists also indicate high rates of dermatitis in the personal service industries (mainly hairdressers and barbers) and in agriculture. With the exception of an increase in cases seen in nurses in both schemes, the numbers and proportions of cases of contact dermatitis within occupations have remained fairly constant over the 6-year reporting period. Agents accounting for the highest number of allergic contact dermatitis cases were rubber (23.4% of allergic cases reported by dermatologists), nickel (18.2), epoxies and other resins (15.6), aromatic amines (8.6), chromium and chromates (8.1), fragrances and cosmetics (8.0), and preservatives (7.3). Soaps (22.0% of cases), wet work (19.8), petroleum products (8.7), solvents (8.0), and cutting oils and coolants (7.8) were the most frequently cited agents in cases of irritant dermatitis. The national scope of the data, together with the parallel structure by which both dermatologists and occupational physicians report incident cases, is useful in determining the extent of skin hazards in UK industry and may help in better targeting efforts to reduce the burden of skin disease at work.

Occupational physical demand and risk of hip fracture in older women.

PubMed

Palumbo, Aimee J; Michael, Yvonne L; Burstyn, Igor; Lee, Brian K; Wallace, Robert

2015-08-01

Hip fractures are leading causes of disability, morbidity and mortality among older women. Since physical activity helps maintain physical functioning and bone mineral density, occupational physical demand may influence fracture risk. This study investigates the association of occupational physical demand with hip fracture incidence among women. The Women's Health Initiative Observational Study is a multiethnic cohort of 93,676 postmenopausal women, 50-79 years of age at enrolment, enrolled from 1994 to 1998 at 40 geographically diverse clinical centres throughout the USA. Outcomes including hip fractures were assessed annually and up to 3 jobs held since age 18 years were reported by each woman. Occupational physical demand levels were assigned for each job through linkage of occupational titles with Standard Occupational Codes and the Occupational Information Network. Average, cumulative and peak physical demand scores both before and after menopause and throughout women's work life were estimated. Women were followed through 2010 for an average of 11.5 years; 1834 hip fractures occurred during this time. We did not observe an overall association of occupational physical demand with subsequent risk of hip fracture after adjusting for age, race/ethnicity, birth region and education. Previous research on occupations and hip fracture risk in women is inconclusive. This study was able to take critical risk periods into account and control for confounding factors in a large cohort of older women to show that overall occupational physical demand neither increases nor decreases risk of hip fracture later in life. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Predicting carnivore occurrence with noninvasive surveys and occupancy modeling

USGS Publications Warehouse

Long, Robert A.; Donovan, Therese M.; MacKay, Paula; Zielinski, William J.; Buzas, Jeffrey S.

2011-01-01

Terrestrial carnivores typically have large home ranges and exist at low population densities, thus presenting challenges to wildlife researchers. We employed multiple, noninvasive survey methods—scat detection dogs, remote cameras, and hair snares—to collect detection–nondetection data for elusive American black bears (Ursus americanus), fishers (Martes pennanti), and bobcats (Lynx rufus) throughout the rugged Vermont landscape. We analyzed these data using occupancy modeling that explicitly incorporated detectability as well as habitat and landscape variables. For black bears, percentage of forested land within 5 km of survey sites was an important positive predictor of occupancy, and percentage of human developed land within 5 km was a negative predictor. Although the relationship was less clear for bobcats, occupancy appeared positively related to the percentage of both mixed forest and forested wetland habitat within 1 km of survey sites. The relationship between specific covariates and fisher occupancy was unclear, with no specific habitat or landscape variables directly related to occupancy. For all species, we used model averaging to predict occurrence across the study area. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses of our black bear and fisher models suggested that occupancy modeling efforts with data from noninvasive surveys could be useful for carnivore conservation and management, as they provide insights into habitat use at the regional and landscape scale without requiring capture or direct observation of study species.

Optimising monitoring efforts for secretive snakes: a comparison of occupancy and N-mixture models for assessment of population status.

PubMed

Ward, Robert J; Griffiths, Richard A; Wilkinson, John W; Cornish, Nina

2017-12-22

A fifth of reptiles are Data Deficient; many due to unknown population status. Monitoring snake populations can be demanding due to crypsis and low population densities, with insufficient recaptures for abundance estimation via Capture-Mark-Recapture. Alternatively, binomial N-mixture models enable abundance estimation from count data without individual identification, but have rarely been successfully applied to snake populations. We evaluated the suitability of occupancy and N-mixture methods for monitoring an insular population of grass snakes (Natrix helvetica) and considered covariates influencing detection, occupancy and abundance within remaining habitat. Snakes were elusive, with detectability increasing with survey effort (mean: 0.33 ± 0.06 s.e.m.). The probability of a transect being occupied was moderate (mean per kilometre: 0.44 ± 0.19 s.e.m.) and increased with transect length. Abundance estimates indicate a small threatened population associated to our transects (mean: 39, 95% CI: 20-169). Power analysis indicated that the survey effort required to detect occupancy declines would be prohibitive. Occupancy models fitted well, whereas N-mixture models showed poor fit, provided little extra information over occupancy models and were at greater risk of closure violation. Therefore we suggest occupancy models are more appropriate for monitoring snakes and other elusive species, but that population trends may go undetected.

Local density variation of gold nanoparticles in aquatic environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hosseinzadeh, F.; Shirazian, F.; Shahsavari, R.; Khoei, A. R.

2016-10-01

Gold (Au) nanoparticles are widely used in diagnosing cancer, imaging, and identification of therapeutic methods due to their particular quantum characteristics. This research presents different types of aqueous models and potentials used in TIP3P, to study the effect of the particle size and density of Au clusters in aquatic environments; so it can be useful to facilitate future investigation of the interaction of proteins with Au nanoparticles. The EAM potential is used to model the structure of gold clusters. It is observed that in the systems with identical gold/water density and different cluster radii, gold particles are distributed in aqueous environment almost identically. Thus, Au particles have identical local densities, and the root mean square displacement (RMSD) increases with a constant slope. However in systems with constant cluster radii and different gold/water densities, Au particle dispersion increases with density; as a result, the local density decreases and the RMSD increases with a larger slope. In such systems, the larger densities result in more blunted second peaks in gold-gold radial distribution functions, owing to more intermixing of the clusters and less FCC crystalline features at longer range, a mechanism that is mediated by the competing effects of gold-water and gold-gold interactions.

Exposure of the human body to professional and domestic induction cooktops compared to the basic restrictions.

PubMed

Christ, Andreas; Guldimann, René; Bühlmann, Barbara; Zefferer, Marcel; Bakker, Jurriaan F; van Rhoon, Gerard C; Kuster, Niels

2012-12-01

We investigated whether domestic and professional induction cooktops comply with the basic restrictions defined by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP). Based on magnetic field measurements, a generic numerical model of an induction cooktop was derived in order to model user exposure. The current density induced in the user was simulated for various models and distances. We also determined the exposure of the fetus and of young children. While most measured cooktops comply with the public exposure limits at the distance specified by the International Electrotechnical Commission (standard IEC 62233), the majority exceeds them at closer distances, some of them even the occupational limits. The maximum current density in the tissue of the user significantly exceeds the basic restrictions for the general public, reaching the occupational level. The exposure of the brains of young children reaches the order of magnitude of the limits for the general public. For a generic worst-case cooktop compliant with the measurement standards, the current density exceeds the 1998 ICNIRP basic restrictions by up to 24 dB or a factor of 16. The brain tissue of young children can be overexposed by 6 dB or a factor of 2. The exposure of the tissue of the central nervous system of the fetus can exceed the limits for the general public if the mother is exposed at occupational levels. This demonstrates that the methodology for testing induction cooktops according to IEC 62233 contradicts the basic restrictions. This evaluation will be extended considering Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Investigation of Saltwater Intrusion and Recirculation of Seawater for Henry Constant Dispersion and Velocity-Dependent Dispersion Problems and Field-Scale Problem

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Motz, L. H.; Kalakan, C.

2013-12-01

Three problems regarding saltwater intrusion, namely the Henry constant dispersion and velocity-dependent dispersion problems and a larger, field-scale velocity-dependent dispersion problem, have been investigated to determine quantitatively how saltwater intrusion and the recirculation of seawater at a coastal boundary are related to the freshwater inflow and the density-driven buoyancy flux. Based on dimensional analysis, saltwater intrusion and the recirculation of seawater are dependent functions of the independent ratio of freshwater advective flux relative to the density-driven vertical buoyancy flux, defined as az (or a for an isotropic aquifer), and the aspect ratio of horizontal and vertical dimensions of the cross-section. For the Henry constant dispersion problem, in which the aquifer is isotropic, saltwater intrusion and recirculation are related to an additional independent dimensionless parameter that is the ratio of the constant dispersion coefficient treated as a scalar quantity, the porosity, and the freshwater advective flux, defined as b. For the Henry velocity-dependent dispersion problem, the ratio b is zero, and saltwater intrusion and recirculation are related to an additional independent dimensionless parameter that is the ratio of the vertical and horizontal dispersivities, or rα = αz/αx. For an anisotropic aquifer, saltwater intrusion and recirculation are also dependent on the ratio of vertical and horizontal hydraulic conductivities, or rK = Kz/Kx. For the field-scale velocity-dependent dispersion problem, saltwater intrusion and recirculation are dependent on the same independent ratios as the Henry velocity-dependent dispersion problem. In the two-dimensional cross-section for all three problems, freshwater inflow occurs at an upgradient boundary, and recirculated seawater outflow occurs at a downgradient coastal boundary. The upgradient boundary is a specified-flux boundary with zero freshwater concentration, and the downgradient boundary is a specified-head boundary with a specified concentration equal to seawater. Equivalent freshwater heads are specified at the downstream boundary to account for density differences between freshwater and saltwater at the downstream boundary. The three problems were solved using the numerical groundwater flow and transport code SEAWAT for two conditions, i.e., first for the uncoupled condition in which the fluid density is constant and thus the flow and transport equations are uncoupled in a constant-density flowfield, and then for the coupled condition in which the fluid density is a function of the total dissolved solids concentration and thus the flow and transport equations are coupled in a variable-density flowfield. A wide range of results for the landward extent of saltwater intrusion and the amount of recirculation of seawater at the coastal boundary was obtained by varying the independent dimensionless ratio az (or a in problem one) in all three problems. The dimensionless dispersion ratio b was also varied in problem one, and the dispersivity ratio rα and the hydraulic conductivity ratio rK were also varied in problems two and three.

Development of a multi-body nonlinear model for a seat-occupant system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Azizi, Yousof

A car seat is an important component of today's cars, which directly affects ride comfort experienced by occupants. Currently, the process of ride comfort evaluation is subjective. Alternatively, the ride comfort can be evaluated by a series of objective metrics in the dynamic response of the occupant. From previous studies it is well known that the dynamic behavior of a seat-occupant system is greatly affected by soft nonlinear viscoelastic materials used in the seat cushion. Therefore, in this research, especial attention was given to efficiently modeling the behavior of seat cushion. In the first part of this research, a phenomenological nonlinear viscoelastic foam model was proposed and its ability to capture uniaxial behavior of foam was investigated. The model is based on the assumption that the total stress can be decomposed into the sum of a nonlinear elastic component, modeled by a higher order polynomial of strain, and a nonlinear hereditary type viscoelastic component. System identification procedures were developed to estimate the model parameters using uniaxial cyclic compression data from experiments conducted at different rates on two types of low density polyurethane foams and three types of high density CONFOR foams. The performance of the proposed model was compared to that of other traditional continuum models. For each foam type, it was observed that lower order models are sufficient to describe the uniaxial behavior of the foam compressed at different rates. Although, the estimated model parameters were functions of the input strain rate. Alternatively, higher order comprehensive models, with strain independent parameters, were estimated as well. The estimated comprehensive model predicts foam responses under different compression rates. Also, a methodology was proposed to predict the stress-response of a layered foam system using the estimated models of each foam in the layers. Next, the estimated foam model was incorporated into a single-degree of freedom foam-mass model which is also the simplest model of seat-occupant systems. The steady-state response of the system when it is subjected to harmonic base excitation was studied using the incremental harmonic balance method. The incremental harmonic balance method was used to reduce the time required to generate the steady-state response of the system. The incremental harmonic balance method was used to reduce the time required to generate the steady-state response of the system. Experiments are conducted on a single-degree of freedom foam-mass system subjected to harmonic base excitation. Initially, the simulated response predictions were found to deviate from the experimental results. The foam-mass model was then modified to incorporate rate dependency of foam parameters resulting in response predictions that were in good agreement with experimental results. In the second part of this research, the dynamic response of a seat-occupant system was examined through a more realistic planar multi-body seat-occupant model. A constraint Lagrangian formulation was used to derive the governing equations for the seat-occupant model. First, the governing equations were solved numerically to obtain the occupant transient response, the occupant's H-Point location and the interfacial pressure distribution. Variations in the H-Point location and the seat-occupant pressure distribution with changes in the seat-occupant parameters, including the seat geometry and the occupant's characteristics, were studied. The estimated pressure was also investigated experimentally and was found to match with the results obtained using the seat-occupant model. Next, the incremental harmonic balance method was modified and used to obtain the occupant's steady-state response when the seat-occupant system was subjected to harmonic base excitation at different frequencies. The system frequency response and mode shapes at different frequencies were also obtained and compared to the previously measured experimental frequency responses. Finally, variations in the estimated frequency response with changes in the seat-occupant parameters, including the seat geometry and the occupant characteristics, were studied.

Dependence of cancer cell adhesion kinetics on integrin ligand surface density measured by a high-throughput label-free resonant waveguide grating biosensor.

PubMed

Orgovan, Norbert; Peter, Beatrix; Bősze, Szilvia; Ramsden, Jeremy J; Szabó, Bálint; Horvath, Robert

2014-02-07

A novel high-throughput label-free resonant waveguide grating (RWG) imager biosensor, the Epic® BenchTop (BT), was utilized to determine the dependence of cell spreading kinetics on the average surface density (v(RGD)) of integrin ligand RGD-motifs. v(RGD) was tuned over four orders of magnitude by co-adsorbing the biologically inactive PLL-g-PEG and the RGD-functionalized PLL-g-PEG-RGD synthetic copolymers from their mixed solutions onto the sensor surface. Using highly adherent human cervical tumor (HeLa) cells as a model system, cell adhesion kinetic data of unprecedented quality were obtained. Spreading kinetics were fitted with the logistic equation to obtain the spreading rate constant (r) and the maximum biosensor response (Δλmax), which is assumed to be directly proportional to the maximum spread contact area (Amax). r was found to be independent of the surface density of integrin ligands. In contrast, Δλmax increased with increasing RGD surface density until saturation at high densities. Interpreting the latter behavior with a simple kinetic mass action model, a 2D dissociation constant of 1753 ± 243 μm(-2) (corresponding to a 3D dissociation constant of ~30 μM) was obtained for the binding between RGD-specific integrins embedded in the cell membrane and PLL-g-PEG-RGD. All of these results were obtained completely noninvasively without using any labels.

Land use transportation interaction : an examination of the 1995 NPTS data

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-10-01

Greater population density is associated with decreasing annual miles driven, greater bus availability, decreased dependency on single occupancy vehicles and increased use of transit. The private automobile is still the dominant mode of travel althou...

Thermal Pairing in Nuclei

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dang, Nguyen Dinh

2008-04-01

The modified Hartree-Fock-Bogoliubov (MHFB) theory at finite temperature is derived for finite nuclei.1 In the limit of constant pairing parameter, the MHFB theory yields the modified BCS (MBCS) theory.2 These are the microscopic theories that can describe the crossover region at temperature T around the critical value Tc of the BCS superfluid-normal (SN) phase transition. By requiring the unitarity conservation of the particle-density matrix, the derivation of these theories is achieved by constructing a modified quasiparticle density matrix, where the fluctuation of the quasiparticle number is microscopically built in. This matrix can be directly obtained from the usual quasiparticle-density matrix by applying the secondary Bogoliubov transformation, which includes the quasiparticle occupation number. The calculations of the thermal pairing gap, total energy, heat capacity, quasiparticle and pairing correlation functions were carried out within MBCS theory for the Richardson model3 as well as realistic single-particle spectra. The Richardson model under consideration has varying Ω equidistant levels and N particles with a level distant equal to 1 MeV. It is shown that the limitation of the configuration space sets a limiting temperature TM up to which the MBCS theory can be applied. Enlarging the space in the half-filled case (Ω = N) by one valence level (Ω = N + 1) extends TM to a much higher temperature so that the predictions by the MBCS theory can be compared directly with the exact results up to T ~ 4 - 5 MeV even for small N. The MBCS gap does not collapse, but decreases monotonously with increasing T. The total energy and heat capacity predicted by the MBCS theory are closer to the exact results than those predicted by the BCS theory, especially in the region of the SN phase transition predicted within the BCS theory. The discontinuity in the BCS heat capacity at the critical temperature Tc is smoothed out within the MBCS theory, especially for small N, showing the disappearance of SN phase transition in very light systems. With increasing N the peak at Tc in the heat capacity becomes more pronounced, showing a phase-transition-like behavior in heavy systems. The effect of approximated particle-number projection using the Lipkin-Nogami method is also discussed. An application of the MBCS theory to the description of the damping of giant dipole resonances (GDR) in hot nuclei shows that, because of the existence of the pseudo gap, the GDR width remains nearly constant at temperatures up to around 1 MeV in tin isotopes in good agreement with the recent experimental systematic.4

NMR shielding and spin–rotation constants of {sup 175}LuX (X = {sup 19}F, {sup 35}Cl, {sup 79}Br, {sup 127}I) molecules

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

Demissie, Taye B.

2015-12-31

This presentation demonstrates the relativistic effects on the spin-rotation constants, absolute nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) shielding constants and shielding spans of {sup 175}LuX (X = {sup 19}F, {sup 35}Cl, {sup 79}Br, {sup 127}I) molecules. The results are obtained from calculations performed using density functional theory (non-relativistic and four-component relativistic) and coupled-cluster calculations. The spin-rotation constants are compared with available experimental values. In most of the molecules studied, relativistic effects make an order of magnitude difference on the NMR absolute shielding constants.

Dielectric properties of organic solvents from non-polarizable molecular dynamics simulation with electronic continuum model and density functional theory.

PubMed

Lee, Sanghun; Park, Sung Soo

2011-11-03

Dielectric constants of electrolytic organic solvents are calculated employing nonpolarizable Molecular Dynamics simulation with Electronic Continuum (MDEC) model and Density Functional Theory. The molecular polarizabilities are obtained by the B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p) level of theory to estimate high-frequency refractive indices while the densities and dipole moment fluctuations are computed using nonpolarizable MD simulations. The dielectric constants reproduced from these procedures are evaluated to provide a reliable approach for estimating the experimental data. An additional feature, two representative solvents which have similar molecular weights but are different dielectric properties, i.e., ethyl methyl carbonate and propylene carbonate, are compared using MD simulations and the distinctly different dielectric behaviors are observed at short times as well as at long times.

First-principles study of anhydrite, polyhalite and carnallite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weck, Philippe F.; Kim, Eunja; Jové-Colón, Carlos F.; Sassani, David C.

2014-02-01

We report density functional calculations of the structures and properties of anhydrite (CaSO4), polyhalite (K2SO4·MgSO4·2CaSO4·2H2O) and carnallite (KCl·MgCl2·6H2O). Densities of states are systematically investigated and phonon analysis using density functional perturbation theory is performed at constant equilibrium volume for anhydrite and polyhalite in order to derive their isochoric thermal properties. Thermal properties at constant atmospheric pressure are also calculated using the quasi-harmonic approximation. The computed molar entropy and isobaric heat capacity for anhydrite reproduce experimental data up to 800 K to within 3% and 10%, respectively, while further experimental work is needed to assess our theoretical predictions for polyhalite.

Structural, elastic and electronic properties of transition metal carbides ZnC, NbC and their ternary alloys ZnxNb1-xC

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zidi, Y.; Méçabih, S.; Abbar, B.; Amari, S.

2018-02-01

We have investigated the structural, electronic and elastic properties of transition-metal carbides ZnxNb1-xC alloys in the range of 0 ≤ x ≤ 1 using the density functional theory (DFT). The full potential linearized augmented plane wave (FP-LAPW) method within a framework of the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) and GGA + U (where U is the Hubbard correlation terms) approach is used to perform the calculations presented here. The lattice parameters, the bulk modulus, its pressure derivative and the elastic constants were determined. We have obtained Young's modulus, shear modulus, Poisson's ratio, anisotropy factor by the aid of the calculated elastic constants. We discuss the total and partial densities of states and charge densities.

Electrosynthesis of nanofibers and nano-composite films

DOEpatents

Lin, Yuehe; Liang, Liang; Liu, Jun

2006-10-17

A method for producing an array of oriented nanofibers that involves forming a solution that includes at least one electroactive species. An electrode substrate is brought into contact with the solution. A current density is applied to the electrode substrate that includes at least a first step of applying a first substantially constant current density for a first time period and a second step of applying a second substantially constant current density for a second time period. The first and second time periods are of sufficient duration to electrically deposit on the electrode substrate an array of oriented nanofibers produced from the electroactive species. Also disclosed are films that include arrays or networks of oriented nanofibers and a method for amperometrically detecting or measuring at least one analyte in a sample.

Interaction potential for indium phosphide: a molecular dynamics and first-principles study of the elastic constants, generalized stacking fault and surface energies.

PubMed

Branicio, Paulo Sergio; Rino, José Pedro; Gan, Chee Kwan; Tsuzuki, Hélio

2009-03-04

Indium phosphide is investigated using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and density-functional theory calculations. MD simulations use a proposed effective interaction potential for InP fitted to a selected experimental dataset of properties. The potential consists of two- and three-body terms that represent atomic-size effects, charge-charge, charge-dipole and dipole-dipole interactions as well as covalent bond bending and stretching. Predictions are made for the elastic constants as a function of density and temperature, the generalized stacking fault energy and the low-index surface energies.

Diffusion with chemical reaction: An attempt to explain number density anomalies in experiments involving alkali vapor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Snow, W. L.

1974-01-01

The mutual diffusion of two reacting gases is examined which takes place in a bath of inert gas atoms. Solutions are obtained between concentric spheres, each sphere acting as a source for one of the reactants. The calculational model is used to illustrate severe number density gradients observed in absorption experiments with alkali vapor. Severe gradients result when sq root k/D R is approximately 5 where k, D, and R are respectively the second order rate constant, the multicomponent diffusion constant, and the geometrical dimension of the experiment.

Passive turbulent flamelet propagation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ashurst, William T.; Ruetsch, G. R.; Lund, T. S.

1994-01-01

We analyze results of a premixed constant density flame propagating in three-dimensional turbulence, where a flame model developed by Kerstein, et al. (1988) has been used. Simulations with constant and evolving velocity fields are used, where peculiar results were obtained from the constant velocity field runs. Data from the evolving flow runs with various flame speeds are used to determine two-point correlations of the fluctuating scalar field and implications for flamelet modeling are discussed.

Experimental study on occupant evacuation in narrow seat aisle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Shenshi; Lu, Shouxiang; Lo, Siuming; Li, Changhai; Guo, Yafei

2018-07-01

Narrow seat aisle is an important area in the train car interior due to the large passenger population, however evacuation therein has not gained enough concerns. In this experimental study, the occupant evacuation of the narrow seat aisle area is investigated, with the aisle width of 0.4-0.6 m and the evacuation direction of forward and backward. The evacuation behaviors are analyzed based on the video record, and the discussion is carried out in the aspect of evacuation time, crowdedness, evacuation order, and aisle conflicts. The result shows that with the increasing aisle width, total evacuation time and the average specific evacuation rate decrease. The aisle is crowded for some time, with a large linear occupant densities. The evacuation order of each occupant is mainly related to the seat position. Moreover, it is found that the aisle conflicts can be well described by Burstedde's model. This study gives a useful benchmark for evacuation simulation of narrow seat aisle, and provides reference to safety design of seat area in train cars.

Repetitive trauma and nerve compression.

PubMed

Carragee, E J; Hentz, V R

1988-01-01

Repetitive movement of the upper extremity, whether recreational or occupational, may result in various neuropathies, the prototype of which is the median nerve neuropathic in the carpal canal. The pathophysiology of this process is incompletely understood but likely involves both mechanical and ischemic features. Experimentally increased pressures within the carpal canal produced reproducible progressive neuropathy. Changes in vibratory (threshold-type) sensibility appears to be more sensitive than two-point (innervation density-type) sensibility. The specific occupational etiologies of carpal neuropathy are obscured by methodologic and sociological difficulties, but clearly some occupations have high incidences of CTS. History and physical examination are usually sufficient for the diagnosis, but diagnostic assistance when required is available through electrophysiological testing, CT scanning, and possibly MRI. Each of these tests has limitations in both sensitivity and specificity. Treatment by usual conservative means should be combined with rest from possible provocative activities. Surgical release of the carpal canal is helpful in patients failing conservative therapy. Occupational modifications are important in both treatment and prevention of median neuropathy due to repetitive trauma.

On the v-representability of ensemble densities of electron systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gonis, A.; Däne, M.

2018-05-01

Analogously to the case at zero temperature, where the density of the ground state of an interacting many-particle system determines uniquely (within an arbitrary additive constant) the external potential acting on the system, the thermal average of the density over an ensemble defined by the Boltzmann distribution at the minimum of the thermodynamic potential, or the free energy, determines the external potential uniquely (and not just modulo a constant) acting on a system described by this thermodynamic potential or free energy. The paper describes a formal procedure that generates the domain of a constrained search over general ensembles (at zero or elevated temperatures) that lead to a given density, including as a special case a density thermally averaged at a given temperature, and in the case of a v-representable density determines the external potential leading to the ensemble density. As an immediate consequence of the general formalism, the concept of v-representability is extended beyond the hitherto discussed case of ground state densities to encompass excited states as well. Specific application to thermally averaged densities solves the v-representability problem in connection with the Mermin functional in a manner analogous to that in which this problem was recently settled with respect to the Hohenberg and Kohn functional. The main formalism is illustrated with numerical results for ensembles of one-dimensional, non-interacting systems of particles under a harmonic potential.

On the v-representability of ensemble densities of electron systems

DOE PAGES

Gonis, A.; Dane, M.

2017-12-30

Analogously to the case at zero temperature, where the density of the ground state of an interacting many-particle system determines uniquely (within an arbitrary additive constant) the external potential acting on the system, the thermal average of the density over an ensemble defined by the Boltzmann distribution at the minimum of the thermodynamic potential, or the free energy, determines the external potential uniquely (and not just modulo a constant) acting on a system described by this thermodynamic potential or free energy. The study describes a formal procedure that generates the domain of a constrained search over general ensembles (at zeromore » or elevated temperatures) that lead to a given density, including as a special case a density thermally averaged at a given temperature, and in the case of a v-representable density determines the external potential leading to the ensemble density. As an immediate consequence of the general formalism, the concept of v-representability is extended beyond the hitherto discussed case of ground state densities to encompass excited states as well. Specific application to thermally averaged densities solves the v-representability problem in connection with the Mermin functional in a manner analogous to that in which this problem was recently settled with respect to the Hohenberg and Kohn functional. Finally, the main formalism is illustrated with numerical results for ensembles of one-dimensional, non-interacting systems of particles under a harmonic potential.« less

Charge versus orbital-occupancy ordering in manganites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luo, Weidong; Varela, Maria; Tao, Jing; Pennycook, Stephen J.; Pantelides, Sokrates T.

2006-03-01

It is generally assumed that density-functional theory (DFT) in the local-spin-density approximation (LSDA) or the generalized- gradient approximation (GGA) is not adequate to describe mixed- valence manganites. Here we report benchmark DFT/GGA calculations for the ground-state structural, electronic and magnetic properties for both undoped and doped CaMnO3 and find the results to be in excellent agreement with available data, including new atomic-resolution Z-contrast imaging and electron-energy loss spectra. More specifically, we found that the DFT results predict two inequivalent Mn atoms in both 0.33 and 0.5 electron-doped CaMnO3, in agreement with experimental evidence of Mn^+3/Mn^+4 oxidation state ordering. The inequivalent Mn atoms are marked by their distinctive orbital occupancies, dissimilar local Jahn-Teller distortion and different magnetic moments from DFT calculations. We also show that the spherically integrated charges associated with the two inequivalent Mn atoms are the same, and they are actually the same as in the Mn metal. This charge neutrality with different orbital occupancies is the result of self-consistency and atomic relaxations in the crystal. We conclude that DFT without additional correlations can account for the observed properties of oxidation-state ordering in this system. The impact of the results on other mixed-valence systems will be discussed.

Derivation of an occupational exposure limit (OEL) for methylene chloride based on acute CNS effects and relative potency analysis.

PubMed

Storm, J E; Rozman, K K

1998-06-01

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) methylene chloride Permissible Exposure Level (PEL) or 25 ppm is quantitatively derived from mouse tumor results observed in a high-exposure National Toxicology Program bioassay. Because this approach depends on controversial interspecies and low-dose extrapolations, the PEL itself has stimulated heated debate. Here, an alternative safety assessment for methylene chloride is presented. It is based on an acute human lowest-observed-adverse-effect level (LOAEL) of 200 ppm for subtle central nervous system (CNS) depression. Steep, parallel exposure-response curves for anesthetic and subanesthetic CNS effects associated with compounds mechanistically and structurally related to methylene chloride are shown to support a safety factor of two to account for inter-individual variability in response. LOAEL/no-observed-adverse-effect ratios for subtle CNS effects associated with structurally related solvents are shown to support a safety factor range of two to four to account for uncertainty in identifying a subthreshold exposure level. Anesthetic relative potencies and anesthetic/subanesthetic effect level ratios are shown to be constant for the compounds evaluated, demonstrating that subanesthetic relative potencies are also constant. Relative potencies among similarly derived occupational exposure limits (OELs) for solvents structurally related to methylene chloride are therefore used to validate the derived methylene chloride OEL range of 25-50 ppm. Because this safety assessment is based on human (rather than rodent) data and empirical (rather than theoretical) exposure-response relationships and is supported by relative potency analysis, it is a defensible alternative to to the OSHA risk assessment and should positively contribute to the debate regarding the appropriate basis and value for a methylene chloride PEL.

Balancing extensive ambition and a context overflowing with opportunities and demands: A grounded theory on stress and recovery among highly educated working young women entering male-dominated occupational areas

PubMed Central

Löve, Jesper; Hagberg, Mats; Dellve, Lotta

2011-01-01

Several factors underline the issue of stress-related health among young highly educated women. Major societal changes might provide more new challenges with considerably changed and expanded roles than were expected by earlier generations, especially among women. The quantity of young women with higher education has also increased threefold in Sweden in less than two decades and there are a growing number of young women that hereby break with traditional gender positions and enter new occupational areas traditionally dominated by men. The research questions in the present study were: “What is the main concern, regarding stress and recovery, among young highly educated working women breaking with traditional gender positions and entering male-dominated occupational areas?” and “How do they handle this concern?” We conducted open-ended interviews with 20 informants, aged 23-29 years. The results showed that the synergy between highly ambitious individuals and a context overflowing with opportunities and demands ended up in the informants’ constantly striving to find a balance in daily life (main concern). This concern refers to the respondents experiencing a constant overload of ambiguity and that they easily became entangled in a loop of stress and dysfunctional coping behavior, threatening the balance between stress and sufficient recovery. In order to handle this concern, the respondents used different strategies in balancing extensive ambition and a context overflowing with opportunities and demands (core category). This preliminary theoretical model deepens our understanding of how the increasing numbers of highly educated young women face complex living conditions endangering their possibility of maintaining health and work ability. PMID:21909337

Effects of fire on spotted owl site occupancy in a late-successional forest

USGS Publications Warehouse

Roberts, Susan L.; van Wagtendonk, Jan W.; Miles, A. Keith; Kelt, Douglas A.

2011-01-01

The spotted owl (Strix occidentalis) is a late-successional forest dependent species that is sensitive to forest management practices throughout its range. An increase in the frequency and spatial extent of standreplacing fires in western North America has prompted concern for the persistence of spotted owls and other sensitive late-successional forest associated species. However, there is sparse information on the effects of fire on spotted owls to guide conservation policies. In 2004-2005, we surveyed for California spotted owls during the breeding season at 32 random sites (16 burned, 16 unburned) throughout late-successional montane forest in Yosemite National Park, California. Our burned areas burned at all severities, but predominately involved low to moderate fire severity. Based on an information theoretic approach, spotted owl detection and occupancy rates were similar between burned and unburned sites. Nest and roost site occupancy was best explained by a model that combined total tree basal area (positive effect) with cover by coarse woody debris (negative effect). The density estimates of California spotted owl pairs were similar in burned and unburned forests, and the overall mean density estimate for Yosemite was higher than previously reported for montane forests. Our results indicate that low to moderate severity fires, historically common within montane forests of the Sierra Nevada, California, maintain habitat characteristics essential for spotted owl site occupancy. These results suggest that managed fires that emulate the historic fire regime of these forests may maintain spotted owl habitat and protect this species from the effects of future catastrophic fires.

Redshift-space distortions with the halo occupation distribution - II. Analytic model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tinker, Jeremy L.

2007-01-01

We present an analytic model for the galaxy two-point correlation function in redshift space. The cosmological parameters of the model are the matter density Ωm, power spectrum normalization σ8, and velocity bias of galaxies αv, circumventing the linear theory distortion parameter β and eliminating nuisance parameters for non-linearities. The model is constructed within the framework of the halo occupation distribution (HOD), which quantifies galaxy bias on linear and non-linear scales. We model one-halo pairwise velocities by assuming that satellite galaxy velocities follow a Gaussian distribution with dispersion proportional to the virial dispersion of the host halo. Two-halo velocity statistics are a combination of virial motions and host halo motions. The velocity distribution function (DF) of halo pairs is a complex function with skewness and kurtosis that vary substantially with scale. Using a series of collisionless N-body simulations, we demonstrate that the shape of the velocity DF is determined primarily by the distribution of local densities around a halo pair, and at fixed density the velocity DF is close to Gaussian and nearly independent of halo mass. We calibrate a model for the conditional probability function of densities around halo pairs on these simulations. With this model, the full shape of the halo velocity DF can be accurately calculated as a function of halo mass, radial separation, angle and cosmology. The HOD approach to redshift-space distortions utilizes clustering data from linear to non-linear scales to break the standard degeneracies inherent in previous models of redshift-space clustering. The parameters of the occupation function are well constrained by real-space clustering alone, separating constraints on bias and cosmology. We demonstrate the ability of the model to separately constrain Ωm,σ8 and αv in models that are constructed to have the same value of β at large scales as well as the same finger-of-god distortions at small scales.

Belonging to a community-based football team: an ethnographic study.

PubMed

Mynard, Lorrae; Howie, Linsey; Collister, Laura

2009-08-01

This study considered the benefits derived from participation in a community-based Australian Rules Football league in Melbourne, Australia. The RecLink league deliberately tackles the social and occupational disadvantages associated with mental illness, addictions, unemployment and homelessness. An ethnographic methodology was used to study one team from the RecLink football league throughout an entire season. Fieldnotes were written following participant observation at training, games and events, and five in-depth interviews were conducted and transcribed. A constant comparative approach to data analysis was adopted. Three major themes were identified: a spirit of inclusion, team-building and meaning of team involvement. The first describes how members were accepted, welcomed and given the opportunity for team involvement, with the expectation that they 'had a go', and 'tried their best'. The second illustrates how the team collectively fostered a culture of friendship, cooperation and support. The third examines the significance of being part of the team, incorporating personal contributions and gains, and meanings attributed to team involvement. These findings demonstrated how football can be used as non-clinical, community-based occupational therapy: enabling participation in a personally meaningful and culturally valued occupation. Occupational therapists are challenged to explore further how such community-based sports programs may complement existing clinical and welfare-based approaches to social disadvantage.

Making information skills meaningful: a case study from occupational therapy.

PubMed

Spring, Hannah

2018-03-01

The effective delivery of information literacy training can be a challenging process, and health library and information professionals are constantly innovating in this area. This article presents a case study of the BHSc (Hons) Occupational therapy degree programme at York St John University to demonstrate ways in which deep integration of information skills into the curriculum can be achieved. The article advises that in the delivery of health and social care related information skills, we should look more broadly at where relevant learning can happen. In particular, contexts of the health care environment are suggested as a consideration rather than the narrow scope of the academic, classroom-based environment. Examples are provided of specific teaching and learning activities used on the programme alongside CPD activity and curriculum design. © 2018 Health Libraries Group.

Vertical density profile and internal bond strength of wet-formed particleboard bonded with cellulose nanofibrils

Treesearch

John F. Hunt; Weiqi Leng; Mehdi Tajvidi

2017-01-01

In this study, the effects of cellulose nanofibrils (CNFs) ratio, press program, particle size, and density on the vertical density profile (VDP) and internal bond (IB) strength of the wet-formed particleboard were investigated. Results revealed that the VDP was significantly influenced by the press program. Pressing using a constant pressure (CP) press program...

Method and apparatus for measuring surface density of explosive and inert dust in stratified layers

DOEpatents

Sapko, Michael J.; Perlee, Henry E.

1988-01-01

A method for determining the surface density of coal dust on top of rock dust or rock dust on top of coal dust is disclosed which comprises directing a light source at either a coal or rock dust layer overlaying a substratum of the other, detecting the amount of light reflected from the deposit, generating a signal from the reflected light which is converted into a normalized output (V), and calculating the surface density from the normalized output. The surface density S.sub.c of coal dust on top of rock dust is calculated according to the equation: S.sub.c =1/-a.sub.c ln(V) wherein a.sub.c is a constant for the coal dust particles, and the surface density S.sub.r of rock dust on top of coal dust is determined by the equation: ##EQU1## wherein a.sub.r is a constant based on the properties of the rock dust particles. An apparatus is also disclosed for carrying out the method of the present invention.

Local-spin-density calculations for iron: Effect of spin interpolation on ground-state properties

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

MacLaren, J.M.; Clougherty, D.P.; Albers, R.C.

1990-08-15

Scalar-relativistic self-consistent linear muffin-tin orbital (LMTO) calculations for bcc and fcc Fe have been performed with several different local approximations to the exchange and correlation energy density and potential. Overall, in contrast to the conclusions of previous studies, we find that the local-spin-density approximation to exchange and correlation can provide an adequate description of bulk Fe {ital provided} that a proper parametrization of the correlation energy density and potential of the homogeneous electron gas over both spin and density is used. Lattice constants, found from the position of the minimum of the total energy as a function of Wigner-Seitz radius,more » agree to within 1% (for {ital s},{ital p},{ital d} LMTO's only) and within 1--2% (for {ital s},{ital p},{ital d},{ital f} LMTO's) of the experimental lattice constants for all forms used for the local correlation. The best agreement, however, was obtained using a local correlation potential derived from the Vosko-Wilk-Nusair form for the spin dependence of the correlation energy density. The calculation performed with this correlation potential was also the only calculation to correctly predict a bcc ferromagnetic ground state.« less

Generalized skew-symmetric interfacial probability distribution in reflectivity and small-angle scattering analysis

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

Jiang, Zhang; Chen, Wei

Generalized skew-symmetric probability density functions are proposed to model asymmetric interfacial density distributions for the parameterization of any arbitrary density profiles in the `effective-density model'. The penetration of the densities into adjacent layers can be selectively controlled and parameterized. A continuous density profile is generated and discretized into many independent slices of very thin thickness with constant density values and sharp interfaces. The discretized profile can be used to calculate reflectivities via Parratt's recursive formula, or small-angle scattering via the concentric onion model that is also developed in this work.

Generalized skew-symmetric interfacial probability distribution in reflectivity and small-angle scattering analysis

DOE PAGES

Jiang, Zhang; Chen, Wei

2017-11-03

Generalized skew-symmetric probability density functions are proposed to model asymmetric interfacial density distributions for the parameterization of any arbitrary density profiles in the `effective-density model'. The penetration of the densities into adjacent layers can be selectively controlled and parameterized. A continuous density profile is generated and discretized into many independent slices of very thin thickness with constant density values and sharp interfaces. The discretized profile can be used to calculate reflectivities via Parratt's recursive formula, or small-angle scattering via the concentric onion model that is also developed in this work.

The Effect of Deployment Frequencies on the Military Divorce Rate

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-03-01

Quality of Life , Worker Productivity 16. PRICE CODE 17. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF REPORT Unclassified 18. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF THIS PAGE...JAG Judge Advocate General Metlife Metropolitan Life Insurance Company MidE Middle East MOS Military Occupational Specialty NCS National...my roommate, LT Randi Korman, who was happy to bring me a glass of wine when I could not leave my desk. It was truly helpful to have a constantly

Occupational Contact Dermatitis: Workers' Compensation Patch Test Results of Portland, Oregon, 2005-2014.

PubMed

Coman, Garrett; Zinsmeister, Chris; Norris, Patricia

2015-01-01

Workers are exposed to potential irritants and allergens with constant introduction of new industrial chemicals in the workplace. Characterize the final diagnoses, demographics, occupations, exposures, clinical presentations, patch test results, dermatologic histories, and risk factors of workers evaluated for suspected work-related allergic contact dermatitis (ACD). A retrospective chart review of 310 workers' compensation independent medical examinations evaluated for suspected work-related ACD was performed. Workers were seen in a community dermatology clinic in Portland, Oregon, from 2005 to 2014. Evaluation included history, physical examination, patch testing, and further diagnostic workup when indicated. Hand dermatitis was the most common presentation (n = 148, 47.7%). Prevalent occupations included health care workers (n = 51, 16.5%), custodial staff (n = 41, 13.2%), and machinists (n = 36, 11.6%). Allergic contact dermatitis (47.5%) was more common than irritant contact dermatitis (ICD) (38.9%) in those diagnosed as having occupational skin disease (n = 185). The highest-frequency work-related allergens were thiuram mix (21 of 88, 23.9%), carba mix (20 of 88, 22.7%), potassium dichromate (9 of 88, 10.2%), and epoxy resin (9 of 88, 10.2%). Allergic contact dermatitis and ICD are common occupational skin disorders. In this population of workers' compensation referrals, ACD was more common, with 73.3% of those cases work related, compared with 86.7% of ICD. Blue collar work and wet work were risk factors for the development of ACD and ICD.

[Interterritorial inequalities in compensation for occupational diseases in Spain from 1990-2007].

PubMed

García Gómez, Montserrat; Castañeda López, Rosario

2009-01-01

To determine the reporting pattern and trends for occupational diseases by autonomous communities in Spain between 1990 and 2007. Cases were obtained from the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, and the number of workers was obtained from the National Institute of Statistics. A principal components analysis was used to explain the data structure. Adjusted annual incidence rates were computed and relative risk is shown in maps. The number of reported occupational diseases remained constant from 1990 to 2005 in all the autonomous communities, except for minor occupational diseases not leading to sick leave (accounting for 99% of the total), which increased. From 2006-07, reported rates decreased to almost half: 17,061 cases in 2007 versus 30,030 in 2005. Both the increase and the decrease in incidence were observed in all autonomous communities, but with distinct values and slopes. As revealed by the principal components analysis, all the autonomous communities showed the same time pattern, except Asturias. Northern Spain showed the highest rates, which cannot be explained by factors such as age, sex, economic activity or occupation. The social security system is not compensating the complex and chronic diseases that are prevalent today. Despite improvements in disease reporting from 1990-2005, the decrease observed from 2006-07 and, above all, the gap among autonomous communities show that provision is not working with equity, generating inequality and lack of cohesion and posing a challenge for the definition of efficient prevention policies.

A U.S. Multicenter Study of Recorded Occupational Radiation Badge Doses in Nuclear Medicine.

PubMed

Villoing, Daphnée; Yoder, R Craig; Passmore, Christopher; Bernier, Marie-Odile; Kitahara, Cari M

2018-05-01

Purpose To summarize occupational badge doses recorded for a sample of U.S. nuclear medicine technologists. Materials and Methods Nine large U.S. medical institutions identified 208 former and current nuclear medicine technologists certified after 1979 and linked these individuals to historic badge dose records maintained by a commercial dosimetry company (Landauer), yielding a total of 2618 annual dose records. The distributions of annual and cumulative occupational doses were described by using summary statistics. Results Between 1992 and 2015, the median annual personal dose equivalent per nuclear medicine technologist was 2.18 mSv (interquartile range [IQR], 1.25-3.47 mSv; mean, 2.69 mSv). Median annual personal dose equivalents remained relatively constant over this period (range, 1.40-3.30 mSv), while maximum values generally increased over time (from 8.00 mSv in 1992 to 13.9 mSv in 2015). The median cumulative personal dose equivalent was 32.9 mSv (IQR, 18.1-65.5 mSv; mean, 51.4 mSv) for 45 technologists who had complete information and remained employed through 2015. Conclusion Occupational radiation doses were well below the established occupational limits and were consistent with those observed for nuclear medicine technologists worldwide and were greater than those observed for nuclear and general medical workers in the United States These results should be informative for radiation monitoring and safety efforts in nuclear medicine departments. © RSNA, 2018 Online supplemental material is available for this article.

The role of biomaterials as occupational hazards in dentistry.

PubMed

Hensten-Pettersen, A; Jacobsen, N

1990-06-01

Many of the biomaterials and auxilliary products used in dentistry are chemically and biologically reactive and may be of concern in occupational safety programmes. Observations from 1936 to 1975 indicated that most occupational problems were related to skin contact with procaine, soaps, eugenol, iodine, formalin, phenol, and other disinfectants. Methyl methacrylate monomer was identified as an irritant and allergen in the later part of this period. Investigations from 1975 to 1985 indicated that disinfectants and detergents were still important causes of dermatoses, whereas reactions to procaine had been replaced by reactions to pantocaine. Furthermore, adverse reactions to methyl methacrylate monomer and to elastomeric impression materials had replaced the former iodine, tricresol and eugenol reactions. In recent studies the frequency of occupation-related dermatoses varied from 21 per cent to 43 per cent, depending on the prevailing material usage in the various specialties. Reactions to local anaesthetics seemed to have disappeared. Transient, irritative reactions of the eyes and airways have been observed, mostly associated with exposure to volatiles from resin-based materials, X-ray chemicals and cleansers. The occupational problems related to biomaterials in dentistry seem to have been fairly constant over the years, reflecting the type of materials in common use, and with dermatological disorders being a tenacious companion. Neuropathological conditions in dental technicians have been associated with prolonged exposure to vapours of methyl methacrylate monomer. The more recent extensive use of volatile resin-based materials, and the use of protective gloves seems to have created new problems that need to be investigated.

Relevance of sensitization to occupational allergy and asthma in the detergent industry.

PubMed

Basketter, David; Berg, Ninna; Kruszewski, Francis H; Sarlo, Katherine; Concoby, Beth

2012-01-01

There exists considerable historic experience of the relationship between exposure and both the induction of sensitization and the elicitation of respiratory symptoms from industrial enzymes of bacterial and fungal origin used in a wide variety of detergent products. The detergent industry in particular has substantial experience of how the control of exposure leads to limitation of sensitization with low risk of symptoms. However, the experience also shows that there are substantial gaps in knowledge, even when the potential occupational allergy problem is firmly under control, and also that the relationship between exposure and sensitization can be hard to establish. The latter aspect includes a poor appreciation of how peak exposures and low levels of exposure over time contribute to sensitization. Furthermore, while a minority of workers develop specific IgE, essentially none appear to have symptoms, a situation which appears to contradict the allergy dogma that, once sensitized, an individual will react to much lower levels of exposure. For enzymes, the expression of symptoms occurs at similar or higher levels than those that cause induction. In spite of some knowledge gaps, medical surveillance programs and constant air monitoring provide the tools for successful management of enzymes in the occupational setting. Ultimately, the knowledge gained from the occupational setting facilitates the completion of safety assessments for consumer exposure to detergent enzymes. Such assessments have been proven to be correct by the decades of safe use both occupationally and in consumer products.

Development and Testing of a Decision Making Based Method to Adjust Automatically the Harrowing Intensity

PubMed Central

Rueda-Ayala, Victor; Weis, Martin; Keller, Martina; Andújar, Dionisio; Gerhards, Roland

2013-01-01

Harrowing is often used to reduce weed competition, generally using a constant intensity across a whole field. The efficacy of weed harrowing in wheat and barley can be optimized, if site-specific conditions of soil, weed infestation and crop growth stage are taken into account. This study aimed to develop and test an algorithm to automatically adjust the harrowing intensity by varying the tine angle and number of passes. The field variability of crop leaf cover, weed density and soil density was acquired with geo-referenced sensors to investigate the harrowing selectivity and crop recovery. Crop leaf cover and weed density were assessed using bispectral cameras through differential images analysis. The draught force of the soil opposite to the direction of travel was measured with electronic load cell sensor connected to a rigid tine mounted in front of the harrow. Optimal harrowing intensity levels were derived in previously implemented experiments, based on the weed control efficacy and yield gain. The assessments of crop leaf cover, weed density and soil density were combined via rules with the aforementioned optimal intensities, in a linguistic fuzzy inference system (LFIS). The system was evaluated in two field experiments that compared constant intensities with variable intensities inferred by the system. A higher weed density reduction could be achieved when the harrowing intensity was not kept constant along the cultivated plot. Varying the intensity tended to reduce the crop leaf cover, though slightly improving crop yield. A real-time intensity adjustment with this system is achievable, if the cameras are attached in the front and at the rear or sides of the harrow. PMID:23669712

The first principle study of Ni{sub 2}ScGa and Ni{sub 2}TiGa

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

Özduran, Mustafa; Turgut, Kemal; Arikan, Nihat

2014-10-06

We computed the electronic structure, elastic moduli, vibrational properties, and Ni{sub 2}TiGa and Ni{sub 2}ScGa alloys in the cubic L2{sub 1} structure. The obtained equilibrium lattice constants of these alloys are in good agreement with available data. In cubic systems, there are three independent elastic constants, namely C{sub 11}, C{sub 12} and C{sub 44}. We calculated elastic constants in L2{sub 1} structure for Ni{sub 2}TiGa and Ni{sub 2}ScGa using the energy-strain method. The electronic band structure, total and partial density of states for these alloys were investigated within density functional theory using the plane-wave pseudopotential method implemented in Quantum-Espresso programmore » package. From band structure, total and projected density of states, we observed metallic characters of these compounds. The electronic calculation indicate that the predominant contributions of the density of states at Fermi level come from the Ni 3d states and Sc 3d states for Ni{sub 2}TiGa, Ni 3d states and Sc 3d states for Ni{sub 2}ScGa. The computed density of states at Fermi energy are 2.22 states/eV Cell for Ni{sub 2}TiGa, 0.76 states/eV Cell for Ni{sub 2}ScGa. The vibrational properties were obtained using a linear response in the framework at the density functional perturbation theory. For the alloys, the results show that the L2{sub 1} phase is unstable since the phonon calculations have imagine modes.« less

Ground State of the Universe and the Cosmological Constant. A Nonperturbative Analysis.

PubMed

Husain, Viqar; Qureshi, Babar

2016-02-12

The physical Hamiltonian of a gravity-matter system depends on the choice of time, with the vacuum naturally identified as its ground state. We study the expanding Universe with scalar field in the volume time gauge. We show that the vacuum energy density computed from the resulting Hamiltonian is a nonlinear function of the cosmological constant and time. This result provides a new perspective on the relation between time, the cosmological constant, and vacuum energy.

Linking occupancy surveys with habitat characteristics to estimate abundance and distribution in an endangered cryptic bird

USGS Publications Warehouse

Crampton, Lisa H.; Brinck, Kevin W.; Pias, Kyle E.; Heindl, Barbara A. P.; Savre, Thomas; Diegmann, Julia S.; Paxton, Eben H.

2017-01-01

Accurate estimates of the distribution and abundance of endangered species are crucial to determine their status and plan recovery options, but such estimates are often difficult to obtain for species with low detection probabilities or that occur in inaccessible habitats. The Puaiohi (Myadestes palmeri) is a cryptic species endemic to Kauaʻi, Hawai‘i, and restricted to high elevation ravines that are largely inaccessible. To improve current population estimates, we developed an approach to model distribution and abundance of Puaiohi across their range by linking occupancy surveys to habitat characteristics, territory density, and landscape attributes. Occupancy per station ranged from 0.17 to 0.82, and was best predicted by the number and vertical extent of cliffs, cliff slope, stream width, and elevation. To link occupancy estimates with abundance, we used territory mapping data to estimate the average number of territories per survey station (0.44 and 0.66 territories per station in low and high occupancy streams, respectively), and the average number of individuals per territory (1.9). We then modeled Puaiohi occupancy as a function of two remote-sensed measures of habitat (stream sinuosity and elevation) to predict occupancy across its entire range. We combined predicted occupancy with estimates of birds per station to produce a global population estimate of 494 (95% CI 414–580) individuals. Our approach is a model for using multiple independent sources of information to accurately track population trends, and we discuss future directions for modeling abundance of this, and other, rare species.

Bridging the gap between the economic evaluation literature and daily practice in occupational health: a qualitative study among decision-makers in the healthcare sector.

PubMed

van Dongen, Johanna M; Tompa, Emile; Clune, Laurie; Sarnocinska-Hart, Anna; Bongers, Paulien M; van Tulder, Maurits W; van der Beek, Allard J; van Wier, Marieke F

2013-06-03

Continued improvements in occupational health can only be ensured if decisions regarding the implementation and continuation of occupational health and safety interventions (OHS interventions) are based on the best available evidence. To ensure that this is the case, scientific evidence should meet the needs of decision-makers. As a first step in bridging the gap between the economic evaluation literature and daily practice in occupational health, this study aimed to provide insight into the occupational health decision-making process and information needs of decision-makers. An exploratory qualitative study was conducted with a purposeful sample of occupational health decision-makers in the Ontario healthcare sector. Eighteen in-depth interviews were conducted to explore the process by which occupational health decisions are made and the importance given to the financial implications of OHS interventions. Twenty-five structured telephone interviews were conducted to explore the sources of information used during the decision-making process, and decision-makers' knowledge on economic evaluation methods. In-depth interview data were analyzed according to the constant comparative method. For the structured telephone interviews, summary statistics were prepared. The occupational health decision-making process generally consists of three stages: initiation stage, establishing the need for an intervention; pre-implementation stage, developing an intervention and its business case in order to receive senior management approval; and implementation and evaluation stage, implementing and evaluating an intervention. During this process, information on the financial implications of OHS interventions was found to be of great importance, especially the employer's costs and benefits. However, scientific evidence was rarely consulted, sound ex-post program evaluations were hardly ever performed, and there seemed to be a need to advance the economic evaluation skill set of decision-makers. Financial information is particularly important at the front end of implementation decisions, and can be a key deciding factor of whether to go forward with a new OHS intervention. In addition, it appears that current practice in occupational health in the healthcare sector is not solidly grounded in evidence-based decision-making and strategies should be developed to improve this.

Bridging the gap between the economic evaluation literature and daily practice in occupational health: a qualitative study among decision-makers in the healthcare sector

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Continued improvements in occupational health can only be ensured if decisions regarding the implementation and continuation of occupational health and safety interventions (OHS interventions) are based on the best available evidence. To ensure that this is the case, scientific evidence should meet the needs of decision-makers. As a first step in bridging the gap between the economic evaluation literature and daily practice in occupational health, this study aimed to provide insight into the occupational health decision-making process and information needs of decision-makers. Methods An exploratory qualitative study was conducted with a purposeful sample of occupational health decision-makers in the Ontario healthcare sector. Eighteen in-depth interviews were conducted to explore the process by which occupational health decisions are made and the importance given to the financial implications of OHS interventions. Twenty-five structured telephone interviews were conducted to explore the sources of information used during the decision-making process, and decision-makers’ knowledge on economic evaluation methods. In-depth interview data were analyzed according to the constant comparative method. For the structured telephone interviews, summary statistics were prepared. Results The occupational health decision-making process generally consists of three stages: initiation stage, establishing the need for an intervention; pre-implementation stage, developing an intervention and its business case in order to receive senior management approval; and implementation and evaluation stage, implementing and evaluating an intervention. During this process, information on the financial implications of OHS interventions was found to be of great importance, especially the employer’s costs and benefits. However, scientific evidence was rarely consulted, sound ex-post program evaluations were hardly ever performed, and there seemed to be a need to advance the economic evaluation skill set of decision-makers. Conclusions Financial information is particularly important at the front end of implementation decisions, and can be a key deciding factor of whether to go forward with a new OHS intervention. In addition, it appears that current practice in occupational health in the healthcare sector is not solidly grounded in evidence-based decision-making and strategies should be developed to improve this. PMID:23731570

The effect of cross linking density on the mechanical properties and structure of the epoxy polymers: molecular dynamics simulation.

PubMed

Shokuhfar, Ali; Arab, Behrouz

2013-09-01

Recently, great attention has been focused on using epoxy polymers in different fields such as aerospace, automotive, biotechnology, and electronics, owing to their superior properties. In this study, the classical molecular dynamics (MD) was used to simulate the cross linking of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-A (DGEBA) with diethylenetriamine (DETA) curing agent, and to study the behavior of resulted epoxy polymer with different conversion rates. The constant-strain (static) approach was then applied to calculate the mechanical properties (Bulk, shear and Young's moduli, elastic stiffness constants, and Poisson's ratio) of the uncured and cross-linked systems. Estimated material properties were found to be in good agreement with experimental observations. Moreover, the dependency of mechanical properties on the cross linking density was investigated and revealed improvements in the mechanical properties with increasing the cross linking density. The radial distribution function (RDF) was also used to study the evolution of local structures of the simulated systems as a function of cross linking density.

The cardiovascular perfusionist as a model for the successful technologist in high stress situations.

PubMed

Friday, P J; Mook, W J

1991-01-01

This study investigates the psychological profiles of highly stressed medical technologists. One hundred and four individuals representing a cross-section of the United States who function as operators of heart-lung machines during open heart surgery (perfusionists) were studied using both internal and external models based on the works of Eric Berne and Karen Horney. Daily exposure to life and death responsibilities combined with the constant pressures of maintaining current technical skills can make the profession selected for this study representative of high technology professions that require a great deal of coping. Results of this study indicate that there is a balanced psychological profile in successful technologists functioning in long-term, high-stressed occupations. Female perfusionists appear to be more aggressive and critical than their male counterparts. This is seen as an attempt by female perfusionists to compensate for what has historically been a male dominanted, highly technical and high-stressed occupation. Generalizations for candidate selections to high stressed occupations could be made as well as projections of foundations for possible progressive disillusionment (burn out).

Real-time monitoring of the structure of ultrathin Fe3O4 films during growth on Nb-doped SrTiO3(001)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuschel, O.; Spiess, W.; Schemme, T.; Rubio-Zuazo, J.; Kuepper, K.; Wollschläger, J.

2017-07-01

In this work, thin magnetite films were deposited on SrTiO3 via reactive molecular beam epitaxy at different substrate temperatures. The growth process was monitored in-situ during deposition by means of x-ray diffraction. While the magnetite film grown at 400 °C shows a fully relaxed vertical lattice constant already in the early growth stages, the film deposited at 270 °C exhibits a strong vertical compressive strain and relaxes towards the bulk value with increasing film thickness. Furthermore, a lateral tensile strain was observed under these growth conditions although the inverse behavior is expected due to the lattice mismatch of -7.5%. Additionally, the occupancy of the A and B sublattices of magnetite with tetrahedral and octahedral sites was investigated showing a lower occupancy of the A sites compared to an ideal inverse spinel structure. The occupation of A sites decreases for a higher growth temperature. Thus, we assume a relocation of the iron ions from tetrahedral sites to octahedral vacancies forming a deficient rock salt lattice.

Effect of the cosmological constant on the deflection angle by a rotating cosmic string

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jusufi, Kimet; Övgün, Ali

2018-03-01

We report the effect of the cosmological constant and the internal energy density of a cosmic string on the deflection angle of light in the spacetime of a rotating cosmic string with internal structure. We first revisit the deflection angle by a rotating cosmic string and then provide a generalization using the geodesic equations and the Gauss-Bonnet theorem. We show there is an agreement between the two methods when employing higher-order terms of the linear mass density of the cosmic string. By modifying the integration domain for the global conical topology, we resolve the inconsistency between these two methods previously reported in the literature. We show that the deflection angle is not affected by the rotation of the cosmic string; however, the cosmological constant Λ strongly affects the deflection angle, which generalizes the well-known result.

Anti-anthropic solutions to the cosmic coincidence problem

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

Fedrow, Joseph M.; Griest, Kim, E-mail: j.m.fedrow@gmail.com, E-mail: kgriest@ucsd.edu

2014-01-01

A cosmological constant fits all current dark energy data, but requires two extreme fine tunings, both of which are currently explained by anthropic arguments. Here we discuss anti-anthropic solutions to one of these problems: the cosmic coincidence problem- that today the dark energy density is nearly equal to the matter density. We replace the ensemble of Universes used in the anthropic solution with an ensemble of tracking scalar fields that do not require fine-tuning. This not only does away with the coincidence problem, but also allows for a Universe that has a very different future than the one currently predictedmore » by a cosmological constant. These models also allow for transient periods of significant scalar field energy (SSFE) over the history of the Universe that can give very different observational signatures as compared with a cosmological constant, and so can be confirmed or disproved in current and upcoming experiments.« less

Simulation of electric double-layer capacitors: evaluation of constant potential method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Zhenxing; Laird, Brian; Yang, Yang; Olmsted, David; Asta, Mark

2014-03-01

Atomistic simulations can play an important role in understanding electric double-layer capacitors (EDLCs) at a molecular level. In such simulations, typically the electrode surface is modeled using fixed surface charges, which ignores the charge fluctuation induced by local fluctuations in the electrolyte solution. In this work we evaluate an explicit treatment of charges, namely constant potential method (CPM)[1], in which the electrode charges are dynamically updated to maintain constant electrode potential. We employ a model system with a graphite electrode and a LiClO4/acetonitrile electrolyte, examined as a function of electrode potential differences. Using various molecular and macroscopic properties as metrics, we compare CPM simulations on this system to results using fixed surface charges. Specifically, results for predicted capacity, electric potential gradient and solvent density profile are identical between the two methods; However, ion density profiles and solvation structure yield significantly different results.

Vacuum Polarization in AN Anti-De Sitter Space as AN Origin for a Cosmological Constant in a Brane World

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Li-Xin

We show that the vacuum polarization of quantum fields in an anti-de Sitter space can naturally give rise to a small but nonzero cosmological constant in a brane world living in it. To explain the extremely small ratio of mass density in the cosmological constant to the Planck mass density in our universe (≈10-123) as suggested by cosmological observations, all we need is a four-dimensional brane world (our universe) living in a five-dimensional anti-de Sitter space with a curvature radius r0 10-3 cm and a fundamental Planck energy MP 109 GeV, and a scalar field with a mass m ˜ r-10 ˜ 10-2 eV. Probing gravity down to a scale 10-3 cm, which is attainable in the near future, will provide a test of the model.

Simple liquid models with corrected dielectric constants

PubMed Central

Fennell, Christopher J.; Li, Libo; Dill, Ken A.

2012-01-01

Molecular simulations often use explicit-solvent models. Sometimes explicit-solvent models can give inaccurate values for basic liquid properties, such as the density, heat capacity, and permittivity, as well as inaccurate values for molecular transfer free energies. Such errors have motivated the development of more complex solvents, such as polarizable models. We describe an alternative here. We give new fixed-charge models of solvents for molecular simulations – water, carbon tetrachloride, chloroform and dichloromethane. Normally, such solvent models are parameterized to agree with experimental values of the neat liquid density and enthalpy of vaporization. Here, in addition to those properties, our parameters are chosen to give the correct dielectric constant. We find that these new parameterizations also happen to give better values for other properties, such as the self-diffusion coefficient. We believe that parameterizing fixed-charge solvent models to fit experimental dielectric constants may provide better and more efficient ways to treat solvents in computer simulations. PMID:22397577

Use of Nanostructures in Fabrication of Large Scale Electrochemical Film

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Chien Chon; Chen, Shih Hsun; Shyu, Sheang Wen; Hsieh, Sheng Jen

Control of electrochemical parameters when preparing small-scale samples for academic research is not difficult. In mass production environments, however, maintenance of constant current density and temperature become a critical issue. This article describes the design of several molds for large work pieces. These molds were designed to maintain constant current density and to facilitate the occurrence of electrochemical reactions in designated areas. Large-area thin films with fine nanostructure were successfully prepared using the designed electrochemical molds and containers. In addition, current density and temperature could be controlled well. This electrochemical system has been verified in many experimental operations, including etching of Al surfaces; electro-polishing of Al, Ti and stainless steel; and fabrication of anodic alumina oxide (AAO), Ti-TiO2 interference membrane, TiO2 nanotubes, AAO-TiO2 nanotubes, Ni nanowires and porous tungsten

The 6300 A O/1-D/ airglow and dissociative recombination

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wickwar, V. B.; Cogger, L. L.; Carlson, H. C.

1974-01-01

Measurements of night-time 6300 A airglow intensities at the Arecibo Observatory have been compared with dissociative recombination calculations based on electron densities derived from simultaneous incoherent backscatter measurements. The agreement indicates that the nightglow can be fully accounted for by dissociative recombination. The comparisons are examined to determine the importance of quenching, heavy ions, ionization above the F-layer peak, and the temperature parameter of the model atmosphere. Comparable fits between the observed and calculated intensities are found for several available model atmospheres. The least-squares fitting process, used to make the comparisons, produces comparable fits over a wide range of combinations of neutral densities and of reaction constants. Yet, the fitting places constraints upon the possible combinations; these constraints indicate that the latest laboratory chemical constants and densities extrapolated to a base altitude are mutually consistent.

Occupancy modeling of Parnassius clodius butterfly populations in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

USGS Publications Warehouse

Szcodronski, Kimberly E.; Debinski, Diane M.; Klaver, Robert W.

2018-01-01

Estimating occupancy patterns and identifying vegetation characteristics that influence the presence of butterfly species are essential approaches needed for determining how habitat changes may affect butterfly populations in the future. The montane butterfly species, Parnassius clodius, was investigated to identify patterns of occupancy relating to habitat variables in Grand Teton National Park and Bridger-Teton National Forest, Wyoming, United States. A series of presence–absence surveys were conducted in 2013 in 41 mesic to xeric montane meadows that were considered suitable habitat for P. clodius during their flight season (June–July) to estimate occupancy (ψ) and detection probability (p). According to the null constant parameter model, P. clodius had high occupancy of ψ = 0.78 ± 0.07 SE and detection probability of p = 0.75 ± 0.04 SE. In models testing covariates, the most important habitat indicator for the occupancy of P. clodius was a strong negative association with big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata; β = − 21.39 ± 21.10 SE) and lupine (Lupinus spp.; β = − 20.03 ± 21.24 SE). While P. clodius was found at a high proportion of meadows surveyed, the presence of A. tridentata may limit their distribution within montane meadows at a landscape scale because A. tridentata dominates a large percentage of the montane meadows in our study area. Future climate scenarios predicted for high elevations globally could cause habitat shifts and put populations of P. clodius and similar non-migratory butterfly populations at risk.

Barriers to the use of Information and Communication Technology by occupational therapists working in a rural area of New South Wales, Australia.

PubMed

Chedid, Rebecca Jean; Dew, Angela; Veitch, Craig

2013-06-01

This qualitative study formed part of a large-scale, multi-phase study into the delivery of therapy services to people with a disability, living in one rural area of New South Wales, Australia. The study's purpose was to identify the impact of Information and Communication Technology on the workforce practices of occupational therapists' working in a rural area of New South Wales. Individual semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with 13 occupational therapists working in disability, health and private practice in a rural area of New South Wales. Participants were asked about access to, skills and limitations of using Information and Communication Technology. A modified grounded theory approach, based on thematic analysis and constant comparison, was used to analyse the interview transcripts. This study found widespread use of technology by rurally based occupational therapists working in the disability sector in New South Wales. However, Information and Communication Technology was primarily used for client contact, professional development and professional networking rather than therapy provision. The study identified individual, workplace and community barriers to greater uptake of Information and Communication Technology by this group. The individual barriers included: age cohort, knowledge and personal preferences. The workplace barriers included: support and training and availability of resources. The community barriers included: infrastructure and perceptions of clients' acceptance. The potential exists for Information and Communication Technology to supplement face-to-face therapy provision, enhance access to professional development and reduce professional isolation thereby addressing the rural challenges of large distances, travel times and geographic isolation. To overcome these challenges, individual, workplace and community Information and Communication Technology barriers should be addressed concurrently. © 2012 The Authors Australian Occupational Therapy Journal © 2012 Occupational Therapy Australia.

The Syrian Movement into Upstate New York.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McHenry, Stewart G.

1979-01-01

Factors associated with the chosen occupation (door to door peddling) of many Syrians account for the initial movement of Syrians into and throughout New York State in the early 1900s. Variations in Syrian population density are explained in this article. (Author/GC)

Density and mechanical properties of calcium aluminate cement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahmed, Syed Taqi Uddin; Ahmmad, Shaik Kareem

2018-04-01

Calcium aluminate cements are a special type of cements which have their composition mainly dominated by the presence of Monocalcium Aluminates. In the present paper for the first time we have shown theoretical density and elastic constants for various calcium aluminate cements. The density of the present CAS decrease with aluminates presents in the cement. Using the density data, the elastic moduli namely Young's modulus, bulk and shear modulus show strong linear dependence as a function of compositional parameter.

Site occupancy trend of Co in Ni{sub 2}MnIn: Ab initio approach

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

Pal, Soumyadipta, E-mail: soumyadipta.pal@gmail.com; Mahadevan, Priya; Biswas, C.

2015-06-24

The trend of site occupation of Co at Ni sites of Ni{sub 2}MnIn system is studied in austenitic phase having L2{sub 1} structure by ab initio density functional theory (DFT) calculation. The Co atoms prefer to be at Ni sites rather than Mn site and are ferromagetically coupled with Ni and Mn. The ground state has tetragonal structure for Ni{sub 1.5}Co{sub 0.5}MnIn and Ni{sub 1.25}Co{sub 0.75}MnIn. The Co tends to form cluster.

Orbital-occupancy versus charge ordering and the strength of electron correlations in electron-doped CaMnO3.

PubMed

Luo, Weidong; Franceschetti, Alberto; Varela, Maria; Tao, Jing; Pennycook, Stephen J; Pantelides, Sokrates T

2007-07-20

The structural, electronic, and magnetic properties of mixed-valence compounds are believed to be governed by strong electron correlations. Here we report benchmark density-functional calculations in the spin-polarized generalized-gradient approximation (GGA) for the ground-state properties of doped CaMnO(3). We find excellent agreement with all available data, while inclusion of strong correlations in the GGA+U scheme impairs this agreement. We demonstrate that formal oxidation states reflect only orbital occupancies, not charge transfer, and resolve outstanding controversies about charge ordering.

Orbital-Occupancy versus Charge Ordering and the Strength of Electron Correlations in Electron-Doped CaMnO3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luo, Weidong; Franceschetti, Alberto; Varela, Maria; Tao, Jing; Pennycook, Stephen J.; Pantelides, Sokrates T.

2007-07-01

The structural, electronic, and magnetic properties of mixed-valence compounds are believed to be governed by strong electron correlations. Here we report benchmark density-functional calculations in the spin-polarized generalized-gradient approximation (GGA) for the ground-state properties of doped CaMnO3. We find excellent agreement with all available data, while inclusion of strong correlations in the GGA+U scheme impairs this agreement. We demonstrate that formal oxidation states reflect only orbital occupancies, not charge transfer, and resolve outstanding controversies about charge ordering.

Use of Ground Penetrating Radar at the FAA's National Airport Pavement Test Facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Injun, Song

2015-04-01

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the United States has used a ground-coupled Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) at the National Airport Pavement Test Facility (NAPTF) since 2005. One of the primary objectives of the testing at the facility is to provide full-scale pavement response and failure information for use in airplane landing gear design and configuration studies. During the traffic testing at the facility, a GSSI GPR system was used to develop new procedures for monitoring Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) pavement density changes that is directly related to pavement failure. After reviewing current setups for data acquisition software and procedures for identifying different pavement layers, dielectric constant and pavement thickness were selected as dominant parameters controlling HMA properties provided by GPR. A new methodology showing HMA density changes in terms of dielectric constant variations, called dielectric sweep test, was developed and applied in full-scale pavement test. The dielectric constant changes were successfully monitored with increasing airplane traffic numbers. The changes were compared to pavement performance data (permanent deformation). The measured dielectric constants based on the known HMA thicknesses were also compared with computed dielectric constants using an equation from ASTM D4748-98 Standard Test Method for Determining the Thickness of Bound Pavement Layers Using Short-Pulse Radar. Six inches diameter cylindrical cores were taken after construction and traffic testing for the HMA layer bulk specific gravity. The measured bulk specific gravity was also compared to monitor HMA density changes caused by aircraft traffic conditions. Additionally this presentation will review the applications of the FAA's ground-coupled GPR on embedded rebar identification in concrete pavement, sewer pipes in soil, and gage identifications in 3D plots.

First-principles calculations for elastic properties of OsB 2 under pressure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Jun-Wei; Chen, Xiang-Rong; Luo, Fen; Ji, Guang-Fu

2009-11-01

The structure, elastic properties and elastic anisotropy of orthorhombic OsB 2 are investigated by density functional theory method with the ultrasoft pseudopotential scheme in the frame of the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) as well as local density approximation (LDA). The obtained structural parameters, elastic constants, elastic anisotropy and Debye temperature for OsB 2 under pressure are consistent with the available experimental data and other theoretical results. It is found that the elastic constants, bulk modulus and Debye temperature of OsB 2 tend to increase with increasing pressure. It is predicted that OsB 2 is not a superhard material from our calculations.

Density controls the kinetic stability of ultrastable glasses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fullerton, Christopher J.; Berthier, Ludovic

2017-08-01

We use a swap Monte Carlo algorithm to numerically prepare bulk glasses with kinetic stability comparable to that of glass films produced experimentally by physical vapor deposition. By melting these systems into the liquid state, we show that some of our glasses retain their amorphous structures longer than 105 times the equilibrium structural relaxation time. This “exceptional” kinetic stability cannot be achieved for bulk glasses produced by slow cooling. We perform simulations at both constant volume and constant pressure to demonstrate that the density mismatch between the ultrastable glass and the equilibrium liquid accounts for a major part of the observed kinetic stability.

Constraints on cosmological parameters from the analysis of the cosmic lens all sky survey radio-selected gravitational lens statistics.

PubMed

Chae, K-H; Biggs, A D; Blandford, R D; Browne, I W A; De Bruyn, A G; Fassnacht, C D; Helbig, P; Jackson, N J; King, L J; Koopmans, L V E; Mao, S; Marlow, D R; McKean, J P; Myers, S T; Norbury, M; Pearson, T J; Phillips, P M; Readhead, A C S; Rusin, D; Sykes, C M; Wilkinson, P N; Xanthopoulos, E; York, T

2002-10-07

We derive constraints on cosmological parameters and the properties of the lensing galaxies from gravitational lens statistics based on the final Cosmic Lens All Sky Survey data. For a flat universe with a classical cosmological constant, we find that the present matter fraction of the critical density is Omega(m)=0.31(+0.27)(-0.14) (68%)+0.12-0.10 (syst). For a flat universe with a constant equation of state for dark energy w=p(x)(pressure)/rho(x)(energy density), we find w<-0.55(+0.18)(-0.11) (68%).

An all-organic composite actuator material with a high dielectric constant.

PubMed

Zhang, Q M; Li, Hengfeng; Poh, Martin; Xia, Feng; Cheng, Z-Y; Xu, Haisheng; Huang, Cheng

2002-09-19

Electroactive polymers (EAPs) can behave as actuators, changing their shape in response to electrical stimulation. EAPs that are controlled by external electric fields--referred to here as field-type EAPs--include ferroelectric polymers, electrostrictive polymers, dielectric elastomers and liquid crystal polymers. Field-type EAPs can exhibit fast response speeds, low hysteresis and strain levels far above those of traditional piezoelectric materials, with elastic energy densities even higher than those of piezoceramics. However, these polymers also require a high field (>70 V micro m(-1)) to generate such high elastic energy densities (>0.1 J cm(-3); refs 4, 5, 9, 10). Here we report a new class of all-organic field-type EAP composites, which can exhibit high elastic energy densities induced by an electric field of only 13 V micro m(-1). The composites are fabricated from an organic filler material possessing very high dielectric constant dispersed in an electrostrictive polymer matrix. The composites can exhibit high net dielectric constants while retaining the flexibility of the matrix. These all-organic actuators could find applications as artificial muscles, 'smart skins' for drag reduction, and in microfluidic systems for drug delivery.

Analytical solution of the Poisson-Nernst-Planck equations for an electrochemical system close to electroneutrality

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

Pabst, M., E-mail: M.Pabst@fz-juelich.de

2014-06-14

Single charge densities and the potential are used to describe models of electrochemical systems. These quantities can be calculated by solving a system of time dependent nonlinear coupled partial differential equations, the Poisson-Nernst-Planck equations. Assuming small deviations from the electroneutral equilibrium, the linearized and decoupled equations are solved for a radial symmetric geometry, which represents the interface between a cell and a sensor device. The densities and the potential are expressed by Fourier-Bessels series. The system considered has a ratio between the Debye-length and its geometric dimension on the order of 10{sup −4} so the Fourier-Bessel series can be approximatedmore » by elementary functions. The time development of the system is characterized by two time constants, τ{sub c} and τ{sub g}. The constant τ{sub c} describes the approach to the stationary state of the total charge and the potential. τ{sub c} is several orders of magnitude smaller than the geometry-dependent constant τ{sub g}, which is on the order of 10 ms characterizing the transition to the stationary state of the single ion densities.« less

Correlation between physical properties and ultrasonic relaxation parameters in transition metal tellurite glasses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abd El-Moneim, A.

2003-07-01

The correlation between activation energy of ultrasonic relaxation process through the temperature range from 140 to 300 K and some physical properties has been investigated in pure TeO 2 and transition metal TeO 2-V 2O 5 and TeO 2-MoO 3 glasses according to Bridge and Patel's theory. The oxygen density (loss centers), number of two-well systems, hopping distance and mechanical relaxation time have been calculated in these glasses from the data of density, bulk modulus and stretching force constant of the glass. It has been found that the acoustic activation energy increased linearly with both the oxygen density and the number of two-well systems. The correlation between the acoustic activation energy and bulk modulus was achieved through the stretching force constant of the network and other structural parameters. Moreover, the experimental values of activation energy (V) agree well with those calculated from an empirical equation presented in this study in the form V=2.9×10 -7 F( F/ K) 3.37, where F is the stretching force constant of the glass and K is the experimental bulk modulus.

Minimizing lighting power density in office rooms equipped with Anidolic Daylighting Systems

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

Linhart, Friedrich; Scartezzini, Jean-Louis

2010-04-15

Electric lighting is responsible for up to one third of an office building's electricity needs. Making daylight more available in office buildings can not only contribute to significant energy savings but also enhance the occupants' performance and wellbeing. Anidolic Daylighting Systems (ADS) are one type of very effective facade-integrated daylighting systems. All south-facing office rooms within the LESO solar experimental building in Lausanne (Switzerland) are equipped with a given type of ADS. A recent study has shown that these offices' occupants are highly satisfied with their lighting environment. The most energy-efficient south-facing offices have a lighting power density of lessmore » than 5W/m{sup 2}. The lighting situation within these ''best practice''-offices has been assessed using the lighting simulation software RELUX Vision. Because this lighting situation is very much appreciated by the occupants, it was used as a starting point for developing even more energy-efficient office lighting designs. Two new lighting designs, leading to lighting power densities of 3.9W/m{sup 2} and 3W/m{sup 2}, respectively, have been suggested and simulated with RELUX Vision. Simulation results have shown that the expected performances of these new systems are comparable to that of the current lighting installation within the ''best practice''-offices or even better. These simulation results have been confirmed during experiments on 20 human subjects in a test office room recently set up within the LESO building. This article gives engineers, architects and light planers valuable information and ideas on how to design energy-efficient and comfortable electric lighting systems in office rooms with abundant access to daylight. (author)« less

Cosmology with a stiff matter era

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chavanis, Pierre-Henri

2015-11-01

We consider the possibility that the Universe is made of a dark fluid described by a quadratic equation of state P =K ρ2 , where ρ is the rest-mass density and K is a constant. The energy density ɛ =ρ c2+K ρ2 is the sum of two terms: a rest-mass term ρ c2 that mimics "dark matter" (P =0 ) and an internal energy term u =K ρ2=P that mimics a "stiff fluid" (P =ɛ ) in which the speed of sound is equal to the speed of light. In the early universe, the internal energy dominates and the dark fluid behaves as a stiff fluid (P ˜ɛ , ɛ ∝a-6). In the late universe, the rest-mass energy dominates and the dark fluid behaves as pressureless dark matter (P ≃0 , ɛ ∝a-3). We provide a simple analytical solution of the Friedmann equations for a universe undergoing a stiff matter era, a dark matter era, and a dark energy era due to the cosmological constant. This analytical solution generalizes the Einstein-de Sitter solution describing the dark matter era, and the Λ CDM model describing the dark matter era and the dark energy era. Historically, the possibility of a primordial stiff matter era first appeared in the cosmological model of Zel'dovich where the primordial universe is assumed to be made of a cold gas of baryons. A primordial stiff matter era also occurs in recent cosmological models where dark matter is made of relativistic self-gravitating Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs). When the internal energy of the dark fluid mimicking stiff matter is positive, the primordial universe is singular like in the standard big bang theory. It expands from an initial state with a vanishing scale factor and an infinite density. We consider the possibility that the internal energy of the dark fluid is negative (while, of course, its total energy density is positive), so that it mimics anti-stiff matter. This happens, for example, when the BECs have an attractive self-interaction with a negative scattering length. In that case, the primordial universe is nonsingular and bouncing like in loop quantum cosmology. At t =0 , the scale factor is finite and the energy density is equal to zero. The universe first has a phantom behavior where the energy density increases with the scale factor, then a normal behavior where the energy density decreases with the scale factor. For the sake of generality, we consider a cosmological constant of arbitrary sign. When the cosmological constant is positive, the Universe asymptotically reaches a de Sitter regime where the scale factor increases exponentially rapidly with time. This can account for the accelerating expansion of the Universe that we observe at present. When the cosmological constant is negative (anti-de Sitter), the evolution of the Universe is cyclic. Therefore, depending on the sign of the internal energy of the dark fluid and on the sign of the cosmological constant, we obtain analytical solutions of the Friedmann equations describing singular and nonsingular expanding, bouncing, or cyclic universes.

Cd and proton adsorption onto bacterial consortia grown from industrial wastes and contaminated geologic settings.

PubMed

Borrok, David M; Fein, Jeremy B; Kulpa, Charles F

2004-11-01

To model the effects of bacterial metal adsorption in contaminated environments, results from metal adsorption experiments involving individual pure stains of bacteria must be extrapolated to systems in which potentially dozens of bacterial species are present. This extrapolation may be made easier because bacterial consortia from natural environments appear to exhibit similar metal binding properties. However, bacteria that thrive in highly perturbed contaminated environments may exhibit significantly different adsorptive behavior. Here we measure proton and Cd adsorption onto a range of bacterial consortia grown from heavily contaminated industrial wastes, groundwater, and soils. We model the results using a discrete site surface complexation approach to determine binding constants and site densities for each consortium. The results demonstrate that bacterial consortia from different contaminated environments exhibit a range of total site densities (approximately a 3-fold difference) and Cd-binding constants (approximately a 10-fold difference). These ranges for Cd binding constants may be small enough to suggest that bacteria-metal adsorption in contaminated environments can be described using relatively few "averaged" bacteria-metal binding constants (in conjunction with the necessary binding constants for competing surfaces and ligands). However, if additional precision is necessary, modeling parameters must be developed separately for each contaminated environment of interest.

Direct Measure of the Dense Methane Phase in Gas Shale Organic Porosity by Neutron Scattering

DOE PAGES

Eberle, Aaron P. R.; King, Hubert E.; Ravikovitch, Peter I.; ...

2016-08-30

Here, we report the first direct measurements of methane density in shale gas using small-angle neutron scattering. At a constant pressure, the density of methane in the inorganic pores is similar to the gas bulk density of the system conditions. Conversely, the methane density is 2.1 ± 0.2 times greater in the organic mesopores. Furthermore, classical density functional theory calculations show that this excess density in the organic pores persists to elevated temperatures, typical of shale gas reservoir conditions, providing new insight into the hydrocarbon storage mechanisms within these reservoirs.

Galaxy-galaxy lensing in the Dark Energy Survey Science Verification data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clampitt, J.; Sánchez, C.; Kwan, J.; Krause, E.; MacCrann, N.; Park, Y.; Troxel, M. A.; Jain, B.; Rozo, E.; Rykoff, E. S.; Wechsler, R. H.; Blazek, J.; Bonnett, C.; Crocce, M.; Fang, Y.; Gaztanaga, E.; Gruen, D.; Jarvis, M.; Miquel, R.; Prat, J.; Ross, A. J.; Sheldon, E.; Zuntz, J.; Abbott, T. M. C.; Abdalla, F. B.; Armstrong, R.; Becker, M. R.; Benoit-Lévy, A.; Bernstein, G. M.; Bertin, E.; Brooks, D.; Burke, D. L.; Carnero Rosell, A.; Carrasco Kind, M.; Cunha, C. E.; D'Andrea, C. B.; da Costa, L. N.; Desai, S.; Diehl, H. T.; Dietrich, J. P.; Doel, P.; Estrada, J.; Evrard, A. E.; Fausti Neto, A.; Flaugher, B.; Fosalba, P.; Frieman, J.; Gruendl, R. A.; Honscheid, K.; James, D. J.; Kuehn, K.; Kuropatkin, N.; Lahav, O.; Lima, M.; March, M.; Marshall, J. L.; Martini, P.; Melchior, P.; Mohr, J. J.; Nichol, R. C.; Nord, B.; Plazas, A. A.; Romer, A. K.; Sanchez, E.; Scarpine, V.; Schubnell, M.; Sevilla-Noarbe, I.; Smith, R. C.; Soares-Santos, M.; Sobreira, F.; Suchyta, E.; Swanson, M. E. C.; Tarle, G.; Thomas, D.; Vikram, V.; Walker, A. R.

2017-03-01

We present galaxy-galaxy lensing results from 139 deg2 of Dark Energy Survey (DES) Science Verification (SV) data. Our lens sample consists of red galaxies, known as redMaGiC, which are specifically selected to have a low photometric redshift error and outlier rate. The lensing measurement has a total signal-to-noise ratio of 29 over scales 0.09 < R < 15 Mpc h-1, including all lenses over a wide redshift range 0.2 < z < 0.8. Dividing the lenses into three redshift bins for this constant moving number density sample, we find no evidence for evolution in the halo mass with redshift. We obtain consistent results for the lensing measurement with two independent shear pipelines, NGMIX and IM3SHAPE. We perform a number of null tests on the shear and photometric redshift catalogues and quantify resulting systematic uncertainties. Covariances from jackknife subsamples of the data are validated with a suite of 50 mock surveys. The result and systematic checks in this work provide a critical input for future cosmological and galaxy evolution studies with the DES data and redMaGiC galaxy samples. We fit a halo occupation distribution (HOD) model, and demonstrate that our data constrain the mean halo mass of the lens galaxies, despite strong degeneracies between individual HOD parameters.

Rotational Spectra and Nuclear Quadrupole Coupling Constants of Iodoimidazoles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cooper, Graham A.; Anderson, Cara J.; Medcraft, Chris; Legon, Anthony; Walker, Nick

2017-06-01

The microwave spectra of two isomers of iodoimidazole have been recorded and assigned with resolution of their nuclear quadrupole coupling constants. These constants have been analysed in terms of the conjugation between the lone pairs on the iodine atom and the aromatic π-bonding system, and the effect of this conjugation on the distribution of π-electron density in the ring. A comparison of these properties has been made between iodoimidazole and other 5- and 6-membered aromatic rings bonded to halogen atoms.

On N. Park's Analytical solution for steady state density- and mixing regime—dependent solute transport in a vertical soil column

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thiele, Michael

1998-04-01

Recently, Park [1996] presented an analytical solution for stationary one-dimensional solute transport in a variable-density fluid flow through a vertical soil column. He used the widespread Bear-Scheidegger dispersion model describing solute mixing as a sum of molecular diffusion and velocity-proportional mechanical dispersion effects. His closed-form implicit concentration and pressure distributions thus allow for a discussion of the combined impact of molecular diffusion and mechanical dispersion in a variable-density environment. Whereas Park only considered the example of vanishing molecular diffusion in detail, both phenomena are taken into account simultaneously in the present study in order to elucidate their different influences on concentration distribution characteristics. The boundary value problem dealt with herein is based on an upward inflow of high-density fluid of constant solute concentration and corresponding outflow of a lower constant concentration fluid at the upper end of the column when dispersivity does not change along the flow path. The thickness of the transition zone between the two fluids appeared to strongly depend on the prevailing share of the molecular diffusion and mechanical dispersion mechanisms. The latter can be characterized by a molecular Peclet number Pe, which here is defined as the ratio of the column outflow velocity multiplied by a characteristic pore size and the molecular diffusion coefficient. For very small values of Pe, when molecular diffusion represents the exclusive mixing process, density differences have no impact on transition zone thicknesses. A relative density-;dependent thickness increases with flow velocities (increasing Pe values) very rapidly compared to the density-independent case, and after having passed a maximum decreases asymptotically to a constant value for the large Peclet number limit when mechanical dispersion is the only mixing mechanism. Hence the special transport problem analyzed gives further evidence for the importance of simultaneously considering molecular diffusion and mechanical dispersion in gravity-affected solute transport in porous media.

Crash pulse optimization for occupant protection at various impact velocities.

PubMed

Ito, Daisuke; Yokoi, Yusuke; Mizuno, Koji

2015-01-01

Vehicle deceleration has a large influence on occupant kinematic behavior and injury risks in crashes, and the optimization of the vehicle crash pulse that mitigates occupant loadings has been the subject of substantial research. These optimization research efforts focused on only high-velocity impact in regulatory or new car assessment programs though vehicle collisions occur over a wide range of velocities. In this study, the vehicle crash pulse was optimized for various velocities with a genetic algorithm. Vehicle deceleration was optimized in a full-frontal rigid barrier crash with a simple spring-mass model that represents the vehicle-occupant interaction and a Hybrid III 50th percentile male multibody model. To examine whether the vehicle crash pulse optimized at the high impact velocity is useful for reducing occupant loading at all impact velocities less than the optimized velocity, the occupant deceleration was calculated at various velocities for the optimized crash pulse determined at a high speed. The optimized vehicle deceleration-deformation characteristics that are effective for various velocities were investigated with 2 approaches. The optimized vehicle crash pulse at a single impact velocity consists of a high initial impulse followed by zero deceleration and then constant deceleration in the final stage. The vehicle deceleration optimized with the Hybrid III model was comparable to that determined from the spring-mass model. The optimized vehicle deceleration-deformation characteristics determined at a high speed did not necessarily lead to an occupant deceleration reduction at a lower velocity. The maximum occupant deceleration at each velocity was normalized by the maximum deceleration determined in the single impact velocity optimization. The resulting vehicle deceleration-deformation characteristic was a square crash pulse. The objective function was defined as the number of injuries, which was the product of the number of collisions at the velocity and the probability of occupant injury. The optimized vehicle deceleration consisted of a high deceleration in the initial phase, a small deceleration in the middle phase, and then a high deceleration in the final phase. The optimized vehicle crash pulse at a single impact velocity is effective for reducing occupant deceleration in a crash at the specific impact velocity. However, the crash pulse does not necessarily lead to occupant deceleration reduction at a lower velocity. The optimized vehicle deceleration-deformation characteristics, which are effective for all impact velocities, depend on the weighting of the occupant injury measures at each impact velocity.

A study on evacuation time from lecture halls in Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Putra Malaysia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Othman, W. N. A. W.; Tohir, M. Z. M.

2018-04-01

An evacuation situation in any building involves many risks. The geometry of building and high potential of occupant load may affect the efficiency of evacuation process. Although fire safety rules and regulations exist, they remain insufficient to guarantee the safety of all building occupants and do not prevent the dramatic events to be repeated. The main objective of this project is to investigate the relationship between the movement time, travel speed and occupant density during a series of evacuation drills specifically for lecture halls. Generally, this study emphasizes on the movement of crowd within a limited space and includes the aspects of human behaviour. A series of trial evacuations were conducted in selected lecture halls at Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Putra Malaysia with the aim of collecting actual data for numerical analysis. The numerical data obtained during trial evacuations were used to determine the evacuation time, crowd movement and behaviour during evacuation process particularly for lecture halls. The evacuation time and number of occupants exiting from each exit were recorded. Video camera was used to record and observe the movement behaviour of occupants during evacuations. EvacuatioNZ was used to simulate the trials evacuations of DK 5 and the results predicted were compared with experimental data. EvacuatioNZ was also used to predict the evacuation time and the flow of occupants exiting from each door for DK 4 and DK 8.

Occupant perception of indoor air and comfort in four hospitality environments.

PubMed

Moschandreas, D J; Chu, P

2002-01-01

This article reports on a survey of customer and staff perceptions of indoor air quality at two restaurants, a billiard hall, and a casino. The survey was conducted at each environment for 8 days: 2 weekend days on 2 consecutive weekends and 4 weekdays. Before and during the survey, each hospitality environment satisfied ventilation requirements set in ASHRAE Standard 62-1999, Ventilation for Acceptable Indoor Air. An objective of this study was to test the hypothesis: If a hospitality environment satisfies ASHRAE ventilation requirements, then the indoor air is acceptable, that is, fewer than 20% of the exposed occupants perceive the environment as unacceptable. A second objective was to develop a multiple regression model that predicts the dependent variable, the environment is acceptable, as a function of a number of independent perception variables. Occupant perception of environmental, comfort, and physical variables was measured using a questionnaire. This instrument was designed to be efficient and unobtrusive; subjects could complete it within 3 min. Significant differences of occupant environment perception were identified among customers and staff. The dependent variable, the environment is acceptable, is affected by temperature, occupant density, and occupant smoking status, odor perception, health conditions, sensitivity to chemicals, and enjoyment of activities. Depending on the hospitality environment, variation of independent variables explains as much as 77% of the variation of the dependent variable.

Apparatus for in situ prediction of the thermal conductivity of fiberglass batts using acoustic propagation constant

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tinianov, Brandon D.; Nakagawa, Masami; Muñoz, David R.

2006-02-01

This article describes a novel technique for the measurement of the thermal conductivity of low-density (12-18kg/m3) fiberglass insulation and other related fibrous insulation materials using a noninvasive acoustic apparatus. The experimental method is an extension of earlier acoustic methods based upon the evaluation of the propagation constant from the acoustic pressure transfer function across the test material. To accomplish this, an analytical model is employed that describes the behavior of sound waves at the outlet of a baffled waveguide. The model accounts for the behavior of the mixed impedance interface introduced by the test material. Current results show that the technique is stable for a broad range of absorber thicknesses and densities. Experimental results obtained in the laboratory show excellent correlation between the thermal conductivity and both the real and imaginary components of the propagation constant. Correlation of calculated propagation constant magnitude versus measured thermal conductivity gave an R2 of 0.94 for the bulk density range (12-18kg/m3) typical for manufactured fiberglass batt materials. As an improvement to earlier acoustic techniques, measurement is now possible in noisy manufacturing environments with a moving test material. Given the promise of such highly correlated measurements in a robust method, the acoustic technique is well suited to continuously measure the thermal conductivity of the material during its production, replacing current expensive off-line methods. Test cycle time is reduced from hours to seconds.

Occupancy dynamics in human-modified landscapes in a tropical island: implications for conservation design

USGS Publications Warehouse

Irizarry, Julissa I.; Collazo, Jaime A.; Dinsmore, Stephen J.

2016-01-01

AimAvian communities in human-modified landscapes exhibit varying patterns of local colonization and extinction rates, determinants of species occurrence. Our objective was to model these processes to identify habitat features that might enable movements and account for occupancy patterns in habitat matrices between the Guanica and Susua forest reserves. This knowledge is central to conservation design, particularly in ever changing insular landscapes.LocationSouth-western Puerto Rico.MethodsWe used a multiseason occupancy modelling approach to quantify seasonal estimates of occupancy, and colonization and extinction rates of seven resident avian species surveyed over five seasons from January 2010 to June 2011. We modelled parameters by matrix type, expressions of survey station isolation, quality, amount of forest cover and context (embedded in forest patch).ResultsSeasonal occupancy remained stable throughout the study for all species, consistent with seasonally constant colonization and extinction probabilities. Occupancy was mediated by matrix type, higher in reserves and forested matrix than in the urban and agricultural matrices. This pattern is in accord with the forest affinities of all but an open-habitat specialist. Puerto Rican Spindalis (Spindalis portoricensis) exhibited high occupancy in the urban matrix, highlighting the adaptability of some insular species to novel environments. Highest colonization rates occurred when perching structures were at ≤ 500 m. Survey stations with at least three fruiting tree species and 61% forest cover exhibited lowest seasonal extinction rates.Main conclusionsOur work identified habitat features that influenced seasonal probabilities of colonization and extinction in a human-modified landscape. Conservation design decisions are better informed with increased knowledge about interpatch distances to improve matrix permeability, and habitat features that increase persistence or continued use of habitat stepping stones. A focus on dynamic processes is valuable because conservation actions directly influence colonization and extinction rates, and thus, a quantitative means to gauge their benefit.

Ethical considerations of worksite health promotion: an exploration of stakeholders' views.

PubMed

van Berkel, Jantien; Meershoek, Agnes; Janssens, Rien M J P A; Boot, Cécile R L; Proper, Karin I; van der Beek, Allard J

2014-05-16

Developing, implementing and evaluating worksite health promotion requires dealing with all stakeholders involved, such as employers, employees, occupational physicians, insurance companies, providers, labour unions and research and knowledge institutes. Although worksite health promotion is becoming more common, empirical research on ethical considerations of worksite health promotion is scarce. We explored the views of stakeholders involved in worksite health promotion in focus group discussions and we described the ethical considerations that result from differences between these views. The focus group discussions were organised per stakeholder group. Data were analysed according to the constant comparison method. Our analyses show that although the definition of occupational health is the same for all stakeholders, namely 'being able to perform your job', there seem to be important differences in the views on what constitutes a risk factor to occupational health. According to the employees, risk factors to occupational health are prevailingly job-related. Labour unions agree with them, but other stakeholders, including the employer, particularly see employee-related issues such as lifestyle behaviour as risk factors to occupational health. The difference in definition of occupational health risk factors translates into the same categorisation of worksite health promotion; employee-related activities and work-related activities. The difference in conceptualisation of occupational health risk factors and worksite health promotion resonates in the way stakeholders understand 'responsibility' for lifestyle behaviour. Even though all stakeholders agree on whose responsibility lifestyle behaviour is, namely that of the employee, the meaning of 'responsibility' differs between employees, and employers. For employees, responsibility means autonomy, while for employers and other stakeholders, responsibility equals duty. This difference may in turn contribute to ambivalent relationships between stakeholders. All stakeholders, including employees, should be given a voice in developing, implementing and evaluating worksite health promotion. Moreover, since stakeholders agree on lifestyle being the responsibility of the employee, but disagree on what this responsibility means (duty versus autonomy), it is of utmost importance to examine the discourse of stakeholders. This way, ambivalence in relationships between stakeholders could be prevented.

Manipulating Electromagnetic Local Density of States by Graphene Plasmonics

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-07-01

1) where h̄ is the reduced Plank’s constant, fd() =( e(−μc)/kBT + 1 )−1 is the Fermi - Dirac distribution , and kB is the Boltzmann’s constant...sheet of carbon atoms bonded in a honeycomb lattice. Due to a unique energy-momentum relationship, electrons in graphene behave like Dirac fermions [6

Probing the mechanism of high capacitance in two-dimensional titanium carbide using in-situ X-Ray absorption spectroscopy

DOE PAGES

Lukatskaya, Maria R.; Bak, Seong -Min; Yu, Xiqian; ...

2015-05-28

The field of supercapacitors (electrochemical capacitors) is constantly evolving. The global motivation is to create devices that possess a significant energy density without compromising the power density. To achieve this goal, new materials must be discovered and complex electrode architectures developed.

Real-time tree foliage density estimation with laser scanning sensor for variable-rate tree sprayer development

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Trees, even in the same orchard or nursery, can have considerably different structures and foliage densities. Conventional chemical applications often spray the entire field at a constant rate without considering field variations, resulting in excessive chemical waste and spray drift. To address thi...

Stable occupancy by breeding hawks (Buteo spp.) over 25 years on a privately managed bunchgrass prairie in northeastern Oregon, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kennedy, Patricia L.; Bartuszevige, Anne M.; Houle, Marcy; Humphrey, Ann B.; Dugger, Katie M.; Williams, John

2014-01-01

Potential for large prairie remnants to provide habitat for grassland-obligate wildlife may be compromised by nonsustainable range-management practices. In 1979–1980, high nesting densities of 3 species of hawks in the genus Buteo—Ferruginous Hawk (Buteo regalis), Red-tailed Hawk (B. jamaicensis), and Swainson's Hawk (B. swainsoni)—were documented on the Zumwalt Prairie and surrounding agricultural areas (34,361 ha) in northeastern Oregon, USA. This area has been managed primarily as livestock summer range since it was homesteaded. Unlike in other prairie remnants, land management on the Zumwalt Prairie was consistent over the past several decades; thus, we predicted that territory occupancy of these 3 species would be stable. We also predicted that territory occupancy would be positively related to local availability of nesting structures within territories. We evaluated these hypotheses using a historical dataset, current survey and habitat data, and occupancy models. In support of our predictions, territory occupancy of all 3 species has not changed over the study period of ∼25 yr, which suggests that local range-management practices are not negatively affecting these taxa. Probability of Ferruginous Hawk occupancy increased with increasing area of aspen, an important nest structure for this species in grasslands. Probability of Swainson's Hawk occupancy increased with increasing area of large shrubs, and probability of Red-tailed Hawk occupancy was weakly associated with area of conifers. In the study area, large shrubs and conifers are commonly used as nesting structures by Swainson's Hawks and Red-tailed Hawks, respectively. Availability of these woody species is changing (increases in conifers and large shrubs, and decline in aspen) throughout the west, and these changes may result in declines in Ferruginous Hawk occupancy and increases in Swainson's Hawk and Red-tailed Hawk occupancy in the future.

Ferroelectric Polymers with Ultrahigh Energy Density, Low Loss, and Broad Operation Temperature for Navy Pulse Power Capacitors

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-02-01

by the electron hopping theory in the amorphous material. By further tailoring the molecular structures, meta-aromatic polyurea which possesses a...higher dipolar density than many polyureas reported in the literature has been synthesized. Preliminary experimental results show that an enhanced...dielectric constant and higher energy density can be achieved in the new meta-aromatic polyurea . Technical section; Technical Objective: The objective

Effect of initial densities in the lattice Boltzmann model for non-ideal fluid with curved interface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gong, Jiaming; Oshima, Nobuyuki

2017-06-01

The effect of initial densities in a free energy based two-phase-flow lattice Boltzmann method for non-ideal fluids with a curved interface was investigated in the present work. To investigate this effect, the initial densities in the liquid and gas phases coming from the saturation points and the equilibrium state were adopted in the simulation of a static droplet in an open and a closed system. For the purpose of simplicity and easier comparison, the closed system is fabricated by the implementation of the periodic boundary condition at the inlet and outlet of a gas channel, and the open system is fabricated by the implementation of a constant flux boundary condition at the inlet and a free-out boundary condition at the outlet of the same gas channel. By comparing the simulation results from the two types of initial densities in the open and closed systems, it is proven that the commonly used saturation initial densities setting is the reason for droplet mass and volume variation which occurred in the simulation, particularly in the open system with a constant flux boundary condition. Such problems are believed to come from the curvature effect of the surface tension and can be greatly reduced by adopting the initial densities in the two phases from equilibrium state.

How Actuated Particles Effectively Capture Biomolecular Targets

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Because of their high surface-to-volume ratio and adaptable surface functionalization, particles are widely used in bioanalytical methods to capture molecular targets. In this article, a comprehensive study is reported of the effectiveness of protein capture by actuated magnetic particles. Association rate constants are quantified in experiments as well as in Brownian dynamics simulations for different particle actuation configurations. The data reveal how the association rate depends on the particle velocity, particle density, and particle assembly characteristics. Interestingly, single particles appear to exhibit target depletion zones near their surface, caused by the high density of capture molecules. The depletion effects are even more limiting in cases with high particle densities. The depletion effects are overcome and protein capture rates are enhanced by applying dynamic particle actuation, resulting in an increase in the association rate constants by up to 2 orders of magnitude. PMID:28192952

A Simple and Reliable Setup for Monitoring Corrosion Rate of Steel Rebars in Concrete

PubMed Central

Jibran, Mohammed Abdul Azeem; Azad, Abul Kalam

2014-01-01

The accuracy in the measurement of the rate of corrosion of steel in concrete depends on many factors. The high resistivity of concrete makes the polarization data erroneous due to the Ohmic drop. The other source of error is the use of an arbitrarily assumed value of the Stern-Geary constant for calculating corrosion current density. This paper presents the outcomes of a research work conducted to develop a reliable and low-cost experimental setup and a simple calculation procedure that can be utilised to calculate the corrosion current density considering the Ohmic drop compensation and the actual value of the Stern-Geary constants calculated using the polarization data. The measurements conducted on specimens corroded to different levels indicate the usefulness of the developed setup to determine the corrosion current density with and without Ohmic drop compensation. PMID:24526907

Measurement of the Density of Base Fluids at Pressures 0.422 to 2.20 Gpa

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hamrock, B. J.; Jacobson, B. O.; Bergstroem, S. I.

1985-01-01

The influence of pressure on the density of six base fluids is experimentally studied for a range of pressures from 0.422 to 2.20 GPa. An important parameter used to describe the results is the change in relative volume with change in pressure dv sub r/dp. For pressures less than the solidification pressure (p ps) a small change in pressure results in a large change in dv sub r/ps. For pressures greater than the solidification pressure (p ps) there is no change in dv sub r/dp with changing pressure. The solidification pressures of the base fluids varies considerably, as do the slopes that the experimental data assumes for p ps. A new formula is developed that describes the effect of pressure on density in terms of four constants. These constants vary for the different base fluids tested.

On the phase diagram of water with density functional theory potentials: the melting temperature of Ice I-h with the Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof and Becke-Lee-Yang-Parr functionals

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

Yoo, Soohaeng; Zeng, Xiao Cheng; Xantheas, Sotiris S.

2009-06-11

The melting temperature (Tm) of ice Ih was determined from constant enthalphy (NPH) Born-Oppenheimer Molecular Dynamics (BOMD) simulations to be 417±3 K for the Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof (PBE) and 411±4 K for the Becke-Lee-Yang-Parr (BLYP) density functionals using a coexisting ice (Ih)-liquid phase at constant pressures of P = 2,500 and 10,000 bar and a density ρ = 1 g/cm3, respectively. This suggests that ambient condition simulations at ρ = 1 g/cm3 will rather describe a supercooled state that is overstructured when compared to liquid water. This work was supported by the US Department of Energy Office of Basic Energy Sciences' Chemicalmore » Sciences program. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory is operated by Battelle for the US Department of Energy.« less

The Meyer-Neldel rule and the statistical shift of the Fermi level in amorphous semiconductors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kikuchi, Minoru

1988-11-01

The statistical model is used to study the origin of the Meyer-Neldel (MN) rule [σ0∝exp(AEσ)] in a tetrahedral amorphous system. It is shown that a deep minimum in the gap density of states spectrum can lead to the linearity of the Fermi energy F(T) to the derivative (dF/dkT), as required from the rule. An expression is derived which relates the constant A in the rule to the gap density of states spectrum. The dispersion ranges of σ0 and Eσ are found to be related with the constant A. Model calculations show a magnitude of A and a wide dispersion of σ0 and Eσ in fair agreement with the experimental observations. A discussion is given to what extent the MN rule is dependent on the gap density of states spectrum.

Electroepitaxy of multicomponent systems - Ternary and quarternary compounds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bryskiewicz, T.; Lagowski, J.; Gatos, H. C.

1980-01-01

A theoretical model is presented which accounts for the electroepitaxial growth kinetics and composition of multicomponent compounds in terms of mass transport in the liquid and phase diagram relationships. The mass transport in the interface is dominated by electromigration in the absence of convection and by diffusion in the presence of convection. The composition of the solid is controlled by the Peltier effect at the growth interface and by the diffusion and mobility constants of the solute components and the growth velocity (current density). Thus, for a given solution composition, the composition of the solid can be varied by varying the current density. For a given current density the composition remains constant even in the case of relatively thick epitaxial layers. All aspects of the model were found to be in good agreement with the growth and composition characteristics of Ga/x-1/Al/x/As layers.

Ab-initio calculations of electronic, transport, and structural properties of boron phosphide

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

Ejembi, J. I.; Nwigboji, I. H.; Franklin, L.

2014-09-14

We present results from ab-initio, self-consistent density functional theory calculations of electronic and related properties of zinc blende boron phosphide (zb-BP). We employed a local density approximation potential and implemented the linear combination of atomic orbitals formalism. This technique follows the Bagayoko, Zhao, and Williams method, as enhanced by the work of Ekuma and Franklin. The results include electronic energy bands, densities of states, and effective masses. The calculated band gap of 2.02 eV, for the room temperature lattice constant of a=4.5383 Å, is in excellent agreement with the experimental value of 2.02±0.05 eV. Our result for the bulk modulus,more » 155.7 GPa, agrees with experiment (152–155 GPa). Our predictions for the equilibrium lattice constant and the corresponding band gap, for very low temperatures, are 4.5269 Å and 2.01 eV, respectively.« less

Predicting elastic properties of β-HMX from first-principles calculations.

PubMed

Peng, Qing; Rahul; Wang, Guangyu; Liu, Gui-Rong; Grimme, Stefan; De, Suvranu

2015-05-07

We investigate the performance of van der Waals (vdW) functions in predicting the elastic constants of β cyclotetramethylene tetranitramine (HMX) energetic molecular crystals using density functional theory (DFT) calculations. We confirm that the accuracy of the elastic constants is significantly improved using the vdW corrections with environment-dependent C6 together with PBE and revised PBE exchange-correlation functionals. The elastic constants obtained using PBE-D3(0) calculations yield the most accurate mechanical response of β-HMX when compared with experimental stress-strain data. Our results suggest that PBE-D3 calculations are reliable in predicting the elastic constants of this material.

Using the conservative nature of fresh leaf surface density to measure foliar area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Castillo, Omar S.; Zaragoza, Esther M.; Alvarado, Carlos J.; Barrera, Maria G.; Dasgupta-Schubert, Nabanita

2014-10-01

For a herbaceous species, the inverse of the fresh leaf surface density, the Hughes constant, is nearly conserved. We apply the Hughes constant to develop an absolute method of leafarea measurement that requires no regression fits, prior calibrations or oven-drying. The Hughes constant was determined in situ using a known geometry and weights of a sub-set obtained from the fresh leaves whose areas are desired. Subsequently, the leaf-areas (at any desired stratification level), were derived by utilizing the Hughes constant and the masses of the fresh leaves. The proof of concept was established for leaf-discs of the plants Mandevilla splendens and Spathiphyllum wallisii. The conservativeness of the Hughes constant over individual leaf-zones and different leaftypes from the leaves of each species was quantitatively validated. Using the globally averaged Hughes constant for each species, the leaf-area of these and additional co-species plants, were obtained. The leaf-area-measurement-by-mass was cross-checked with standard digital image analysis. There were no statistically significant differences between the leaf-area-measurement-by-mass and the digital image analysis measured leaf-areas and the linear correlation between the two methods was very good. Leaf-areameasurement- by-mass was found to be rapid and simple with accuracies comparable to the digital image analysis method. The greatly reduced cost of leaf-area-measurement-by-mass could be beneficial for small agri-businesses in developing countries.

Timed activity studies for assessing the energy expenditure of women from an urban slum in south India.

PubMed

Sujatha, Tetali; Shatrugna, Veena; Vidyasagar, P; Begum, Nazeema; Padmavathy, K S; Reddy, G Chenna Krishna; Rao, G V

2003-06-01

Time-disposition studies are necessary for computing energy requirements of populations. This study captures the rich information on the timed activity pattern of adult women from poor households engaged in home-based work. We studied 34 women beedimakers (cigarette makers), 21 tailors, and 34 homemakers. Data were collected by direct observation of the women's activities on a typical day. Time spent on related activities was pooled and classified as sleep, household work, child care, occupational work, and residual work. These were further categorized on the basis of our published work on the energy cost of women's activities and the World Health Organization (WHO) classification of occupational activities as sedentary, moderate, and heavy. Most of the household activities could be classified as moderate to heavy (> 2.2 times basal metabolic rate [BMR]). Childcare activities were distributed on a scale from sedentary to heavy, whereas occupational activities, such as beedimaking and tailoring, were sedentary (< 2.2 BMR). Homemakers spent significantly more time on moderate to heavy work (p < .05) than beedimakers and tailors. Women working for income spent only four to six hours on occupational work, which was possible because they reduced the time spent on heavy work (i.e., housework), and reduced the time on personal care. Still, more than 80% of women could not put in eight hours of paid work. Thus, women in the home-based sector constantly negotiate among time spent on heavy household work, child care, and occupational work in order to continue in the labor market.

Occupational health and safety in Brazil.

PubMed Central

Frumkin, H; Câmara, V de M

1991-01-01

BACKGROUND. Brazil is the world's fifth largest and sixth most populous nation. Its economy is varied, with strong manufacturing, agriculture, mining, and service sectors. Therefore, a wide variety of workplace hazards confronts its work force. This paper describes Brazil's occupational safety and health regulatory scheme, workers' compensation system, plant-level practices, training, and data collection. METHODS. We reviewed and analyzed Brazilian regulatory legislation and government and non-governmental organization (NGO) activity in occupational safety and health, as well as the structure and function of the workers' compensation system. We also reviewed available data on injuries and diseases from major sources, including the now-defunct Instituto Nacional do Previdencia Social (INPS) and the workers' compensation scheme, Seguro de Acidente de Trabalho (SAT). RESULTS. The incidence of workplace injuries has decreased in recent years and is now reported to be about 5 per 100 workers per year. The case fatality rate has been constant at about 5 fatalities per 1000 injuries. Less than 6% of reported injuries are classified as "diseases." Brazil's rates are comparable to those of Mexico and Zimbabwe, and two to four times higher than in most industrialized countries. CONCLUSIONS. Brazil has a high incidence of occupational injuries and diseases; these injuries and diseases are underreported; there is a large informal sector at special risk; and Brazil illustrates the disparity that exists in many countries between legislation on the books and legislation that is actually implemented. PMID:1836110

Exploring perceptions of health caregivers on the causes of caregivers’ occupational burnout in institutes of children with cerebral palsy: A qualitative study

PubMed Central

Dehghan, Abbass; Hosseini, Seyed Ali; Rassfiani, Mehdi; Dalvand, Hamid

2017-01-01

Background Providing care for children with cerebral palsy (CP) is hard, energy-consuming, and long-term. Consequently, occupational burnout is highly probable for caregivers. Objective This study aimed to explore the perception of health caregivers regarding the causes of caregivers’ occupational burnout in institutes of children with CP. Methods This qualitative study was conducted using content analysis methodology during an eight-month period in 2016. Nine caregivers, two managers, and one physiotherapist participated in the study. Purposive sampling method was used to select participants. In depth, semi-structure interviews were used to gather the data. All interviews were conducted at their workplace, in Tehran, Iran. The interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and overviewed. Constant comparative analyses were used to analyze the interviews. Results The results were categorized into three main categories and nine sub-categories. The main categories were as follows: care-related stress, nature of caring occupation, and organizational demands and resources. Conclusion Results of this study showed that several factors are involved in creating burnout among caregivers. The exploration of these factors may help us in designing appropriate interventions for caregivers to correctly implement caring activities so that they less suffer from care-related pressures and also become able to allocate some time for their own activities of interest and for recreational, social, and family activities. PMID:28848625

Occupational health and safety in Brazil.

PubMed

Frumkin, H; Câmara, V de M

1991-12-01

Brazil is the world's fifth largest and sixth most populous nation. Its economy is varied, with strong manufacturing, agriculture, mining, and service sectors. Therefore, a wide variety of workplace hazards confronts its work force. This paper describes Brazil's occupational safety and health regulatory scheme, workers' compensation system, plant-level practices, training, and data collection. We reviewed and analyzed Brazilian regulatory legislation and government and non-governmental organization (NGO) activity in occupational safety and health, as well as the structure and function of the workers' compensation system. We also reviewed available data on injuries and diseases from major sources, including the now-defunct Instituto Nacional do Previdencia Social (INPS) and the workers' compensation scheme, Seguro de Acidente de Trabalho (SAT). The incidence of workplace injuries has decreased in recent years and is now reported to be about 5 per 100 workers per year. The case fatality rate has been constant at about 5 fatalities per 1000 injuries. Less than 6% of reported injuries are classified as "diseases." Brazil's rates are comparable to those of Mexico and Zimbabwe, and two to four times higher than in most industrialized countries. Brazil has a high incidence of occupational injuries and diseases; these injuries and diseases are underreported; there is a large informal sector at special risk; and Brazil illustrates the disparity that exists in many countries between legislation on the books and legislation that is actually implemented.

Delocalization and occupancy effects of 5f orbitals in plutonium intermetallics using L3-edge resonant X-ray emission spectroscopy

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

Booth, C. H.; Medling, S. A.; Jiang, Yu

2014-06-24

Although actinide (An) L3 -edge X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy has been very effective in determining An oxidation states in insulating, ionically bonded materials, such as in certain coordination compounds and mineral systems, the technique fails in systems featuring more delocalized 5f orbitals, especially in metals. Recently, actinide L3-edge resonant X-ray emission spec- troscopy (RXES) has been shown to be an effective alternative. This technique is further demonstrated here using a parameterized partial unoccupied density of states method to quantify both occupancy and delocalization of the 5f orbital in ?-Pu, ?-Pu, PuCoGa5 , PuCoIn5 , and PuSb2. These newmore » results, supported by FEFF calculations, highlight the effects of strong correlations on RXES spectra and the technique?s ability to differentiate between f-orbital occupation and delocalization.« less

n-dimensional isotropic Finch-Skea stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chilambwe, Brian; Hansraj, Sudan

2015-02-01

We study the impact of dimension on the physical properties of the Finch-Skea astrophysical model. It is shown that a positive definite, monotonically decreasing pressure and density are evident. A decrease in stellar radius emerges as the order of the dimension increases. This is accompanied by a corresponding increase in energy density. The model continues to display the necessary qualitative features inherent in the 4-dimensional Finch-Skea star and the conformity to the Walecka theory is preserved under dimensional increase. The causality condition is always satisfied for all dimensions considered resulting in the proposed models demonstrating a subluminal sound speed throughout the interior of the distribution. Moreover, the pressure and density decrease monotonically outwards from the centre and a pressure-free hypersurface exists demarcating the boundary of the perfect-fluid sphere. Since the study of the physical conditions is performed graphically, it is necessary to specify certain constants in the model. Reasonable values for such constants are arrived at on examining the behaviour of the model at the centre and demanding the satisfaction of all elementary conditions for physical plausibility. Finally two constants of integration are settled on matching of our solutions with the appropriate Schwarzschild-Tangherlini exterior metrics. Furthermore, the solution admits a barotropic equation of state despite the higher dimension. The compactification parameter as well as the density variation parameter are also computed. The models satisfy the weak, strong and dominant energy conditions in the interior of the stellar configuration.

Role of Excited Nitrogen In The Ionosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Campbell, L.; Brunger, M. J.; Cartwright, D. C.; Bolorizadeh, M. A.

2006-12-01

Sunlight photoionises atoms and molecules in the Earth's upper atmosphere, producing ions and photoelectrons. The photoelectrons then produce further ionisation by electron impact. These processes produce the ionosphere, which contains various positive ions, such as NO+, N+, and O+, and an equal density of free electrons. O+(4S) ions are long-lived and so the electron density is determined mainly by the density of O+(4S). This density is dependent on ambipolar diffusion and on loss processes, which are principally reactions with O2 and N2. The reaction with N2 is known to be strongly dependent on the vibrational state of N2 but the rate constants are not well determined for the ionosphere. Vibrational excitation of N2 is produced by direct excitation by thermal electrons and photoelectrons and by cascade from the excited states of N2 that are produced by photoelectron impact. It can also be produced by a chemical reaction and by vibrational-translational transitions. The vibrational excitation is lost by deexcitation by electron impact, by step-wise quenching in collisions with O atoms, and in the reaction with O+(4S). The distribution of vibrational levels is rearranged by vibrational-vibrational transitions, and by molecular diffusion vertically in the atmosphere. A computational model that includes these processes and predicts the electron density as a function of height in the ionosphere is described. This model is a combination of a "statistical equilibrium" calculation, which is used to predict the populations of the excited states of N2, and a time-step calculation of the atmospheric reactions and processes. The latter includes a calculation of photoionisation down through the atmosphere as a function of time of day and solar activity, and calculations at 0.1 s intervals of the changing densities of positive ions, electrons and N2 in the different vibrational levels. The validity of the model is tested by comparison of the predicted electron densities with the International Reference Ionosphere (IRI) of electron density measurements. The contribution of various input parameters can be investigated by their effect on the accuracy of the calculated electron densities. Here the effects of two different sets of rate constants for the reaction of vibrationally excited N2 with O+(4S) are investigated. For reference, predictions using the different sets are compared with laboratory measurements. Then the effect of using the different sets in the computational model of the ionosphere is investigated. It is shown that one set gives predictions of electron densities that are in reasonable agreement with the IRI, while the other set does not. Both sets result in underestimation of the electron density at the height of the peak electron density in the atmosphere, suggesting that either the amount of vibrational excitation or the rate constants may be overestimated. Our comparison is made for two cases with different conditions, to give an indication of the limitations of the atmospheric modeling and also insight into ways in which the sets of rate constants may be deficient.

Presence-nonpresence surveys of golden-cheeked warblers: detection, occupancy and survey effort

USGS Publications Warehouse

Watson, C.A.; Weckerly, F.W.; Hatfield, J.S.; Farquhar, C.C.; Williamson, P.S.

2008-01-01

Surveys to detect the presence or absence of endangered species may not consistently cover an area, account for imperfect detection or consider that detection and species presence at sample units may change within a survey season. We evaluated a detection?nondetection survey method for the federally endangered golden-cheeked warbler (GCWA) Dendroica chrysoparia. Three study areas were selected across the breeding range of GCWA in central Texas. Within each area, 28-36 detection stations were placed 200 m apart. Each detection station was surveyed nine times during the breeding season in 2 consecutive years. Surveyors remained up to 8 min at each detection station recording GCWA detected by sight or sound. To assess the potential influence of environmental covariates (e.g. slope, aspect, canopy cover, study area) on detection and occupancy and possible changes in occupancy and detection probabilities within breeding seasons, 30 models were analyzed. Using information-theoretic model selection procedures, we found that detection probabilities and occupancy varied among study areas and within breeding seasons. Detection probabilities ranged from 0.20 to 0.80 and occupancy ranged from 0.56 to 0.95. Because study areas with high detection probabilities had high occupancy, a conservative survey effort (erred towards too much surveying) was estimated using the lowest detection probability. We determined that nine surveys of 35 stations were needed to have estimates of occupancy with coefficients of variation <20%. Our survey evaluation evidently captured the key environmental variable that influenced bird detection (GCWA density) and accommodated the changes in GCWA distribution throughout the breeding season.

Influence of housing characteristics on bacterial and fungal communities in homes of asthmatic children

PubMed Central

Dannemiller, Karen C.; Gent, Janneane F.; Leaderer, Brian P.; Peccia, Jordan

2015-01-01

Variations in home characteristics, such as moisture and occupancy, affect indoor microbial ecology as well as human exposure to microorganisms. Our objective was to determine how indoor bacterial and fungal community structure and diversity are associated with the broader home environment and its occupants. Next-generation DNA sequencing was used to describe fungal and bacterial communities in house dust sampled from 198 homes of asthmatic children in southern New England. Housing characteristics included number of people/children, level of urbanization, single/multifamily home, reported mold, reported water leaks, air conditioning (AC) use, and presence of pets. Both fungal and bacterial community structure were non-random and demonstrated species segregation (C-score, p<0.00001). Increased microbial richness was associated with the presence of pets, water leaks, longer AC use, suburban (vs. urban) homes, and dust composition measures (p<0.05). The most significant differences in community composition were observed for AC use and occupancy (people, children, and pets) characteristics. Occupant density measures were associated with beneficial bacterial taxa, including Lactobacillus johnsonii as measured by qPCR. A more complete knowledge of indoor microbial communities is useful for linking housing characteristics to human health outcomes. Microbial assemblies in house dust result, in part, from the building’s physical and occupant characteristics. PMID:25833176

Convection in the Rayleigh-Bénard flow with all fluid properties variable

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sassos, Athanasios; Pantokratoras, Asterios

2011-10-01

In the present paper, the effect of variable fluid properties (density, viscosity, thermal conductivity and specific heat) on the convection in the classical Rayleigh-Bénard problem is investigated. The investigation concerns water, air, and engine oil by taking into account the variation of fluid properties with temperature. The results are obtained by numerically solving the governing equations, using the SIMPLE algorithm and covering large temperature differences. It is found that the critical Rayleigh number increases as the temperature difference increases considering all fluid properties variable. However, when the fluid properties are kept constant, calculated at the mean temperature, and only density is considered variable, the critical Rayleigh number either decreases or remains constant.

Effects of co-inoculation with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and rhizobia on fungal occupancy in chickpea root and nodule determined by real-time PCR.

PubMed

Tavasolee, Alireza; Aliasgharzad, Naser; Salehi, Gholam Reza; Mardi, Mohsen; Asgharzadeh, Ahmad; Akbarivala, Sepide

2011-08-01

Legume roots in nature are usually colonized with rhizobia and different arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) species. Light microscopy that visualizes the presence of AMF in roots is not able to differentiate the ratio of each AMF species in the root and nodule tissues in mixed fungal inoculation. The purpose of this study was to characterize the dominant species of mycorrhiza in roots and nodules of plants co-inoculated with mycorrhizal fungi and rhizobial strains. Glomus intraradices (GI), Glomus mosseae (GM), their mix (GI + GM), and six Mesorhizobium ciceri strains were used to inoculate chickpea. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was used to assess occupancy of these fungal species in roots and nodules. Results showed that GI molecular ratio and relative density were higher than GM in both roots and nodules. These differences in molecular ratio and density between GI and GM in nodules were three folds higher than roots. The results suggested that M. ciceri strains have different effects on nodulation and mycorrhizal colonization pattern. Plants with bacterial S3 and S1 strains produced the highest root nodulation and higher fungal density in both the roots and nodules.

How many fish? Comparison of two underwater visual sampling methods for monitoring fish communities

PubMed Central

Sini, Maria; Vatikiotis, Konstantinos; Katsoupis, Christos

2018-01-01

Background Underwater visual surveys (UVSs) for monitoring fish communities are preferred over fishing surveys in certain habitats, such as rocky or coral reefs and seagrass beds and are the standard monitoring tool in many cases, especially in protected areas. However, despite their wide application there are potential biases, mainly due to imperfect detectability and the behavioral responses of fish to the observers. Methods The performance of two methods of UVSs were compared to test whether they give similar results in terms of fish population density, occupancy, species richness, and community composition. Distance sampling (line transects) and plot sampling (strip transects) were conducted at 31 rocky reef sites in the Aegean Sea (Greece) using SCUBA diving. Results Line transects generated significantly higher values of occupancy, species richness, and total fish density compared to strip transects. For most species, density estimates differed significantly between the two sampling methods. For secretive species and species avoiding the observers, the line transect method yielded higher estimates, as it accounted for imperfect detectability and utilized a larger survey area compared to the strip transect method. On the other hand, large-scale spatial patterns of species composition were similar for both methods. Discussion Overall, both methods presented a number of advantages and limitations, which should be considered in survey design. Line transects appear to be more suitable for surveying secretive species, while strip transects should be preferred at high fish densities and for species of high mobility. PMID:29942703

Sensitivity of simulated snow cloud properties to mass-diameter parameterizations.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duffy, G.; Nesbitt, S. W.; McFarquhar, G. M.

2015-12-01

Mass to diameter (m-D) relationships are used in model parameterization schemes to represent ice cloud microphysics and in retrievals of bulk cloud properties from remote sensing instruments. One of the most common relationships, used in the current Global Precipitation Measurement retrieval algorithm for example, assigns the density of snow as a constant tenth of the density of ice (0.1g/m^3). This assumption stands in contrast to the results of derived m-D relationships of snow particles, which imply decreasing particle densities at larger sizes and result in particle masses orders of magnitude below the constant density relationship. In this study, forward simulations of bulk cloud properties (e.g., total water content, radar reflectivity and precipitation rate) derived from measured size distributions using several historical m-D relationships are presented. This expands upon previous studies that mainly focused on smaller ice particles because of the examination of precipitation-sized particles here. In situ and remote sensing data from the GPM Cold season Experiment (GCPEx) and Canadian CloudSAT/Calypso Validation Program (C3VP), both synoptic snowstorm field experiments in southern Ontario, Canada, are used to evaluate the forward simulations against total water content measured by the Nevzorov and Cloud Spectrometer and Impactor (CSI) probe, radar reflectivity measured by a C band ground based radar and a nadir pointing Ku/Ka dual frequency airborne radar, and precipitation rate measured by a 2D video disdrometer. There are differences between the bulk cloud properties derived using varying m-D relations, with constant density assumptions producing results differing substantially from the bulk measured quantities. The variability in bulk cloud properties derived using different m-D relations is compared against the natural variability in those parameters seen in the GCPEx and C3VP field experiments.

Presynaptic Active Zone Density during Development and Synaptic Plasticity.

PubMed

Clarke, Gwenaëlle L; Chen, Jie; Nishimune, Hiroshi

2012-01-01

Neural circuits transmit information through synapses, and the efficiency of synaptic transmission is closely related to the density of presynaptic active zones, where synaptic vesicles are released. The goal of this review is to highlight recent insights into the molecular mechanisms that control the number of active zones per presynaptic terminal (active zone density) during developmental and stimulus-dependent changes in synaptic efficacy. At the neuromuscular junctions (NMJs), the active zone density is preserved across species, remains constant during development, and is the same between synapses with different activities. However, the NMJ active zones are not always stable, as exemplified by the change in active zone density during acute experimental manipulation or as a result of aging. Therefore, a mechanism must exist to maintain its density. In the central nervous system (CNS), active zones have restricted maximal size, exist in multiple numbers in larger presynaptic terminals, and maintain a constant density during development. These findings suggest that active zone density in the CNS is also controlled. However, in contrast to the NMJ, active zone density in the CNS can also be increased, as observed in hippocampal synapses in response to synaptic plasticity. Although the numbers of known active zone proteins and protein interactions have increased, less is known about the mechanism that controls the number or spacing of active zones. The following molecules are known to control active zone density and will be discussed herein: extracellular matrix laminins and voltage-dependent calcium channels, amyloid precursor proteins, the small GTPase Rab3, an endocytosis mechanism including synaptojanin, cytoskeleton protein spectrins and β-adducin, and a presynaptic web including spectrins. The molecular mechanisms that organize the active zone density are just beginning to be elucidated.

Presynaptic Active Zone Density during Development and Synaptic Plasticity

PubMed Central

Clarke, Gwenaëlle L.; Chen, Jie; Nishimune, Hiroshi

2012-01-01

Neural circuits transmit information through synapses, and the efficiency of synaptic transmission is closely related to the density of presynaptic active zones, where synaptic vesicles are released. The goal of this review is to highlight recent insights into the molecular mechanisms that control the number of active zones per presynaptic terminal (active zone density) during developmental and stimulus-dependent changes in synaptic efficacy. At the neuromuscular junctions (NMJs), the active zone density is preserved across species, remains constant during development, and is the same between synapses with different activities. However, the NMJ active zones are not always stable, as exemplified by the change in active zone density during acute experimental manipulation or as a result of aging. Therefore, a mechanism must exist to maintain its density. In the central nervous system (CNS), active zones have restricted maximal size, exist in multiple numbers in larger presynaptic terminals, and maintain a constant density during development. These findings suggest that active zone density in the CNS is also controlled. However, in contrast to the NMJ, active zone density in the CNS can also be increased, as observed in hippocampal synapses in response to synaptic plasticity. Although the numbers of known active zone proteins and protein interactions have increased, less is known about the mechanism that controls the number or spacing of active zones. The following molecules are known to control active zone density and will be discussed herein: extracellular matrix laminins and voltage-dependent calcium channels, amyloid precursor proteins, the small GTPase Rab3, an endocytosis mechanism including synaptojanin, cytoskeleton protein spectrins and β-adducin, and a presynaptic web including spectrins. The molecular mechanisms that organize the active zone density are just beginning to be elucidated. PMID:22438837

Communication: Diffusion constant in supercooled water as the Widom line is crossed in no man's land

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ni, Yicun; Hestand, Nicholas J.; Skinner, J. L.

2018-05-01

According to the liquid-liquid critical point (LLCP) hypothesis, there are two distinct phases of supercooled liquid water, namely, high-density liquid and low-density liquid, separated by a coexistence line that terminates in an LLCP. If the LLCP is real, it is located within No Man's Land (NML), the region of the metastable phase diagram that is difficult to access using conventional experimental techniques due to rapid homogeneous nucleation to the crystal. However, a recent ingenious experiment has enabled measurement of the diffusion constant deep inside NML. In the current communication, these recent measurements are compared, with good agreement, to the diffusion constant of E3B3 water, a classical water model that explicitly includes three-body interactions. The behavior of the diffusion constant as the system crosses the Widom line (the extension of the liquid-liquid coexistence line into the one-phase region) is analyzed to derive information about the presence and location of the LLCP. Calculations over a wide range of temperatures and pressures show that the new experimental measurements are consistent with an LLCP having a critical pressure of over 0.6 kbar.

A Comparison of Nurse Staffing Methods Used by the United States Air Force and Selected Civilian Hospitals

DTIC Science & Technology

1989-09-01

X1 = average days of bed occupancy by medical and surgical patients/month lexcluding pediatric, nursery, neonatal intensive care, psychiatric and...one for a neonatal intensive nursery. The residency teaching program additive is identical to the one used in AFMS 5206. The neonatal intensive nursery...additive is quite straightforward: if the facility nas a Neonatal Level Ii nursery, a constant requirement for twelve additional personnel is added to

Natural convection heat transfer in water near its density maximum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yen, Yin-Chao

1990-12-01

This monograph reviews and summarizes to date the experimental and analytical results on the effect of water density near its maximum convection, transient flow and temperature structure characteristics: (1) in a vertical enclosure; (2) in a vertical annulus; (3) between horizontal concentric cylinders; (4) in a square enclosure; (5) in a rectangular enclosure; (6) in a horizontal layer; (7) in a circular confined melt layer; and (8) in bulk water during melting. In a layer of water containing a maximum density temperature of 4 C, the onset of convection (the critical number) is found not to be a constant value as in the classical normal fluid but one that varies with the imposed thermal and hydrodynamic boundaries. In horizontal layers, a nearly constant temperature zone forms and continuously expands between the warm and cold boundaries. A minimum heat transfer exists in most of the geometries studied and, in most cases, can be expressed in terms of a density distribution parameter. The effect of this parameter on a cells formation, disappearance and transient structure is discussed, and the effect of split boundary flow on heat transfer is presented.

Tube-Super Dielectric Materials: Electrostatic Capacitors with Energy Density Greater than 200 J·cm−3

PubMed Central

Cortes, Francisco Javier Quintero; Phillips, Jonathan

2015-01-01

The construction and performance of a second generation of super dielectric material based electrostatic capacitors (EC), with energy density greater than 200 J·cm−3, which rival the best reported energy density of electric double layer capacitors (EDLC), also known as supercapacitors, are reported. The first generation super dielectric materials (SDM) are multi-material mixtures with dielectric constants greater than 1.0 × 105, composed of a porous, electrically insulating powder filled with a polarizable, ion-containing liquid. Second-generation SDMs (TSDM), introduced here, are anodic titania nanotube arrays filled with concentrated aqueous salt solutions. Capacitors using TiO2 based TSDM were found to have dielectric constants at ~0 Hz greater than 107 in all cases, a maximum operating voltage of greater than 2 volts and remarkable energy density that surpasses the highest previously reported for EC capacitors by approximately one order of magnitude. A simple model based on the classic ponderable media model was shown to be largely consistent with data from nine EC type capacitors employing TSDM. PMID:28793561

A user-friendly, low-cost turbidostat with versatile growth rate estimation based on an extended Kalman filter.

PubMed

Hoffmann, Stefan A; Wohltat, Christian; Müller, Kristian M; Arndt, Katja M

2017-01-01

For various experimental applications, microbial cultures at defined, constant densities are highly advantageous over simple batch cultures. Due to high costs, however, devices for continuous culture at freely defined densities still experience limited use. We have developed a small-scale turbidostat for research purposes, which is manufactured from inexpensive components and 3D printed parts. A high degree of spatial system integration and a graphical user interface provide user-friendly operability. The used optical density feedback control allows for constant continuous culture at a wide range of densities and offers to vary culture volume and dilution rates without additional parametrization. Further, a recursive algorithm for on-line growth rate estimation has been implemented. The employed Kalman filtering approach based on a very general state model retains the flexibility of the used control type and can be easily adapted to other bioreactor designs. Within several minutes it can converge to robust, accurate growth rate estimates. This is particularly useful for directed evolution experiments or studies on metabolic challenges, as it allows direct monitoring of the population fitness.

Evolution of the radial electric field in high-Te ECH heated plasmas on LHD

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pablant, Novimir; Bitter, Manfred; Delgado Aparicio, Luis F.; Dinklage, Andreas; Gates, David; Goto, Motoshi; Ido, Takeshi; Hill, Kenneth H.; Kubo, Shin; Morita, Shigeru; Nagaoka, Kenichi; Oishi, Tetsutarou; Satake, Shinsuke; Takahashi, Hiromi; Yokoyama, Masayuki; LHD Experiment Group Team

2014-10-01

A detailed study is presented on the evolution of the radial electric field (Er) under a range of densities and injected ECH powers on the Large Helical Device (LHD). These plasmas focused on high-electron temperature ECH heated plasmas which exhibit a transition of Er from the ion-root to the electron-root when either the density is reduced or the ECH power is increased. Measurements of poloidal rotation were achieved using the X-Ray Imaging Crystal Spectrometer (XICS) and are compared with neo-classical predictions of the radial electric field using the GSRAKE and FORTEC-3D codes. This study is based on a series of experiments on LHD which used fast modulation of the gyrotrons on LHD to produce a detailed power scan with a constant power deposition profile. This is a novel application of this technique to LHD, and has provided the most detailed study to date on dependence of the radial electric field on the injected power. Detailed scans of the density at constant injected power were also made, allowing a separation of the power and density dependence.

Tube-Super Dielectric Materials: Electrostatic Capacitors with Energy Density Greater than 200 J·cm-3.

PubMed

Cortes, Francisco Javier Quintero; Phillips, Jonathan

2015-09-17

The construction and performance of a second generation of super dielectric material based electrostatic capacitors (EC), with energy density greater than 200 J·cm - ³, which rival the best reported energy density of electric double layer capacitors (EDLC), also known as supercapacitors, are reported. The first generation super dielectric materials (SDM) are multi-material mixtures with dielectric constants greater than 1.0 × 10⁵, composed of a porous, electrically insulating powder filled with a polarizable, ion-containing liquid. Second-generation SDMs (TSDM), introduced here, are anodic titania nanotube arrays filled with concentrated aqueous salt solutions. Capacitors using TiO₂ based TSDM were found to have dielectric constants at ~0 Hz greater than 10⁷ in all cases, a maximum operating voltage of greater than 2 volts and remarkable energy density that surpasses the highest previously reported for EC capacitors by approximately one order of magnitude. A simple model based on the classic ponderable media model was shown to be largely consistent with data from nine EC type capacitors employing TSDM.

Communication: Spin densities within a unitary group based spin-adapted open-shell coupled-cluster theory: Analytic evaluation of isotropic hyperfine-coupling constants for the combinatoric open-shell coupled-cluster scheme

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

Datta, Dipayan, E-mail: datta.dipayan@gmail.com; Gauss, Jürgen, E-mail: gauss@uni-mainz.de

We report analytical calculations of isotropic hyperfine-coupling constants in radicals using a spin-adapted open-shell coupled-cluster theory, namely, the unitary group based combinatoric open-shell coupled-cluster (COSCC) approach within the singles and doubles approximation. A scheme for the evaluation of the one-particle spin-density matrix required in these calculations is outlined within the spin-free formulation of the COSCC approach. In this scheme, the one-particle spin-density matrix for an open-shell state with spin S and M{sub S} = + S is expressed in terms of the one- and two-particle spin-free (charge) density matrices obtained from the Lagrangian formulation that is used for calculating themore » analytic first derivatives of the energy. Benchmark calculations are presented for NO, NCO, CH{sub 2}CN, and two conjugated π-radicals, viz., allyl and 1-pyrrolyl in order to demonstrate the performance of the proposed scheme.« less

Density functional theory study of structural, electronic, and thermal properties of Pt, Pd, Rh, Ir, Os and PtPd X (X = Ir, Os, and Rh) alloys

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shabbir, Ahmed; Muhammad, Zafar; M, Shakil; M, A. Choudhary

2016-03-01

The structural, electronic, mechanical, and thermal properties of Pt, Pd, Rh, Ir, Os metals and their alloys PtPdX (X = Ir, Os and Rh) are studied systematically using ab initio density functional theory. The groundstate properties such as lattice constant and bulk modulus are calculated to find the equilibrium atomic position for stable alloys. The electronic band structure and density of states are calculated to study the electronic behavior of metals on making their alloys. The electronic properties substantiate the metallic behavior for all studied materials. The firstprinciples density functional perturbation theory as implemented in quasi-harmonic approximation is used for the calculations of thermal properties. We have calculated the thermal properties such as the Debye temperature, vibrational energy, entropy and constant-volume specific heat. The calculated properties are compared with the previously reported experimental and theoretical data for metals and are found to be in good agreement. Calculated results for alloys could not be compared because there is no data available in the literature with such alloy composition.

SEAWAT Version 4: A Computer Program for Simulation of Multi-Species Solute and Heat Transport

USGS Publications Warehouse

Langevin, Christian D.; Thorne, Daniel T.; Dausman, Alyssa M.; Sukop, Michael C.; Guo, Weixing

2008-01-01

The SEAWAT program is a coupled version of MODFLOW and MT3DMS designed to simulate three-dimensional, variable-density, saturated ground-water flow. Flexible equations were added to the program to allow fluid density to be calculated as a function of one or more MT3DMS species. Fluid density may also be calculated as a function of fluid pressure. The effect of fluid viscosity variations on ground-water flow was included as an option. Fluid viscosity can be calculated as a function of one or more MT3DMS species, and the program includes additional functions for representing the dependence on temperature. Although MT3DMS and SEAWAT are not explicitly designed to simulate heat transport, temperature can be simulated as one of the species by entering appropriate transport coefficients. For example, the process of heat conduction is mathematically analogous to Fickian diffusion. Heat conduction can be represented in SEAWAT by assigning a thermal diffusivity for the temperature species (instead of a molecular diffusion coefficient for a solute species). Heat exchange with the solid matrix can be treated in a similar manner by using the mathematically equivalent process of solute sorption. By combining flexible equations for fluid density and viscosity with multi-species transport, SEAWAT Version 4 represents variable-density ground-water flow coupled with multi-species solute and heat transport. SEAWAT Version 4 is based on MODFLOW-2000 and MT3DMS and retains all of the functionality of SEAWAT-2000. SEAWAT Version 4 also supports new simulation options for coupling flow and transport, and for representing constant-head boundaries. In previous versions of SEAWAT, the flow equation was solved for every transport timestep, regardless of whether or not there was a large change in fluid density. A new option was implemented in SEAWAT Version 4 that allows users to control how often the flow field is updated. New options were also implemented for representing constant-head boundaries with the Time-Variant Constant-Head (CHD) Package. These options allow for increased flexibility when using CHD flow boundaries with the zero-dispersive flux solute boundaries implemented by MT3DMS at constant-head cells. This report contains revised input instructions for the MT3DMS Dispersion (DSP) Package, Variable-Density Flow (VDF) Package, Viscosity (VSC) Package, and CHD Package. The report concludes with seven cases of an example problem designed to highlight many of the new features.

Viking landing sites, remote-sensing observations, and physical properties of Martian surface materials

USGS Publications Warehouse

Moore, H.J.; Jakosky, B.M.

1989-01-01

Important problems that confront future scientific exploration of Mars include the physical properties of Martian surface materials and the geologic processes that formed the materials. The design of landing spacecraft, roving vehicles, and sampling devices and the selection of landing sites, vehicle traverses, and sample sites will be, in part, guided by the physical properties of the materials. Four materials occur in the sample fields of the Viking landers: (1) drift, (2) crusty to cloddy, (3) blocky, and (4) rock. The first three are soillike. Drift materials is weak, loose, and porous. We estimate that it has a dielectric constant near 2.4 and a thermal inertia near 1 ?? 10-3 to 3 ?? 10-3 (cal cm-2 sec 1 2 K-1) because of its low bulk density, fine grain size, and small cohesion. Crusty to cloddy material is expected to have a dielectric constant near 2.8 and a thermal inertia near 4 ?? 10-3 to 7 ?? 10-3 because of its moderate bulk density and cementation of grains. Blocky material should have a dielectric constant near 3.3 and a thermal inertia near 7 ?? 10-3 to 9 ?? 10-3 because of its moderate bulk density and cementation. Common basaltic rocks have dielectric constans near 8 and thermal inertias near 30 ?? 10-3 to 60 ?? 10-3. Comparisons of estimated dielectric constants and thermal inertias of the materials at the landing sites with those obtained remotely by Earth-based radars and Viking Orbiter thermal sensors suggest that the materials at the landing sites are good analogs for materials elsewhere on Mars. Correlation of remotely estimated dielectric constant and thermal inertias indicates two modal values for paired values of dielectric constants and thermal inertias near (A) 2 and 2 ?? 10-3 and (B) 3 and 6 ?? 10-3, respectively. These two modes are comparable to the dielectric constants and thermal inertias for drift and crusty to cloddy material, respectively. Dielectric constants and thermal inertias for blocky material are larger but conistent with values in the northern plains. Our interprertations are compatible with an aeolian origin for drift and similar materials elsewhere on Mars. The postulate that moderate dielectric constants and thermal inertias larger than 3 or 4 ?? 10-3 are produced by cementation of soillike materials is partly consistent with the data. The average dielectric constant and thermal inertia and their correlation with one another suggest that most of the surface of Mars should present few difficulties to future surface exploration, but some surfaces may present difficulties for spacecraft that are not suitably designed. ?? 1989.

Uncertainty quantification and propagation of errors of the Lennard-Jones 12-6 parameters for n-alkanes

PubMed Central

Knotts, Thomas A.

2017-01-01

Molecular simulation has the ability to predict various physical properties that are difficult to obtain experimentally. For example, we implement molecular simulation to predict the critical constants (i.e., critical temperature, critical density, critical pressure, and critical compressibility factor) for large n-alkanes that thermally decompose experimentally (as large as C48). Historically, molecular simulation has been viewed as a tool that is limited to providing qualitative insight. One key reason for this perceived weakness in molecular simulation is the difficulty to quantify the uncertainty in the results. This is because molecular simulations have many sources of uncertainty that propagate and are difficult to quantify. We investigate one of the most important sources of uncertainty, namely, the intermolecular force field parameters. Specifically, we quantify the uncertainty in the Lennard-Jones (LJ) 12-6 parameters for the CH4, CH3, and CH2 united-atom interaction sites. We then demonstrate how the uncertainties in the parameters lead to uncertainties in the saturated liquid density and critical constant values obtained from Gibbs Ensemble Monte Carlo simulation. Our results suggest that the uncertainties attributed to the LJ 12-6 parameters are small enough that quantitatively useful estimates of the saturated liquid density and the critical constants can be obtained from molecular simulation. PMID:28527455

Spiral Arm Morphology of Nearby Galaxies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ann, Hong Bae; Lee, Hyun-Rok

2013-06-01

We analyze the spiral structure of 1725 nearby spiral galaxies with redshift less than 0.02. We use the color images provided by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. We determine the arm classes (grand design, multiple-arm, flocculent) and the broad Hubble types (early, intermediate, late) as well as the bar types (SA, SAB, SB) by visual inspection. We find that flocculent galaxies are mostly of late Hubble type while multiple-arm galaxies are likely to be of early Hubble type. The fractional distribution of grand design galaxies is nearly constant along the Hubble type. The dependence of arm class on bar type is not as strong as that of the Hubble type. However, there is about a three times larger fraction of grand design spirals in SB galaxies than in SA galaxies, with nearly constant fractions of multiple-arm galaxies. However, if we consider the Hubble type and bar type together, grand design spirals are more frequent in early types than in late types for SA and SAB galaxies, while they are almost constant along the Hubble type for SB galaxies. There are clear correlations between spiral structures and the local background density: strongly barred, early-type, grand design spirals favor high-density regions, while non-barred, late-type, flocculent galaxies are likely to be found in low-density regions.

Einstein-Cartan Gravity with Torsion Field Serving as an Origin for the Cosmological Constant or Dark Energy Density

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ivanov, A. N.; Wellenzohn, M.

2016-09-01

We analyse the Einstein-Cartan gravity in its standard form { R }=R+{{ K }}2, where { R } {and} R are the Ricci scalar curvatures in the Einstein-Cartan and Einstein gravity, respectively, and {{ K }}2 is the quadratic contribution of torsion in terms of the contorsion tensor { K }. We treat torsion as an external (or background) field and show that its contribution to the Einstein equations can be interpreted in terms of the torsion energy-momentum tensor, local conservation of which in a curved spacetime with an arbitrary metric or an arbitrary gravitational field demands a proportionality of the torsion energy-momentum tensor to a metric tensor, a covariant derivative of which vanishes owing to the metricity condition. This allows us to claim that torsion can serve as an origin for the vacuum energy density, given by the cosmological constant or dark energy density in the universe. This is a model-independent result that may explain the small value of the cosmological constant, which is a long-standing problem in cosmology. We show that the obtained result is valid also in the Poincaré gauge gravitational theory of Kibble, where the Einstein-Hilbert action can be represented in the same form: { R }=R+{{ K }}2.

Effect of Hartree-Fock exact exchange on intramolecular magnetic coupling constants of organic diradicals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cho, Daeheum; Ko, Kyoung Chul; Ikabata, Yasuhiro; Wakayama, Kazufumi; Yoshikawa, Takeshi; Nakai, Hiromi; Lee, Jin Yong

2015-01-01

The intramolecular magnetic coupling constant (J) of diradical systems linked with five- or six-membered aromatic rings was calculated to obtain the scaling factor (experimental J/calculated J ratio) for various density functional theory (DFT) functionals. Scaling factors of group A (PBE, TPSSh, B3LYP, B97-1, X3LYP, PBE0, and BH&HLYP) and B (M06-L, M06, M06-2X, and M06-HF) were shown to decrease as the amount of Hartree-Fock exact exchange (HFx) increases, in other words, overestimation of calculated J becomes more severe as the HFx increases. We further investigated the effect of HFx fraction of DFT functional on J value, spin contamination, and spin density distributions by comparing the B3LYP analogues containing different amount of HFx. It was revealed that spin contamination and spin densities at each atom increases as the HFx increases. Above all, newly developed BLYP-5 functional, which has 5% of HFx, was found to have the scaling factor of 1.029, indicating that calculated J values are very close to that of experimental values without scaling. BLYP-5 has potential to be utilized for accurate evaluation of intramolecular magnetic coupling constant (J) of diradicals linked by five- or six-membered aromatic ring couplers.

Effect of Hartree-Fock exact exchange on intramolecular magnetic coupling constants of organic diradicals.

PubMed

Cho, Daeheum; Ko, Kyoung Chul; Ikabata, Yasuhiro; Wakayama, Kazufumi; Yoshikawa, Takeshi; Nakai, Hiromi; Lee, Jin Yong

2015-01-14

The intramolecular magnetic coupling constant (J) of diradical systems linked with five- or six-membered aromatic rings was calculated to obtain the scaling factor (experimental J/calculated J ratio) for various density functional theory (DFT) functionals. Scaling factors of group A (PBE, TPSSh, B3LYP, B97-1, X3LYP, PBE0, and BH&HLYP) and B (M06-L, M06, M06-2X, and M06-HF) were shown to decrease as the amount of Hartree-Fock exact exchange (HFx) increases, in other words, overestimation of calculated J becomes more severe as the HFx increases. We further investigated the effect of HFx fraction of DFT functional on J value, spin contamination, and spin density distributions by comparing the B3LYP analogues containing different amount of HFx. It was revealed that spin contamination and spin densities at each atom increases as the HFx increases. Above all, newly developed BLYP-5 functional, which has 5% of HFx, was found to have the scaling factor of 1.029, indicating that calculated J values are very close to that of experimental values without scaling. BLYP-5 has potential to be utilized for accurate evaluation of intramolecular magnetic coupling constant (J) of diradicals linked by five- or six-membered aromatic ring couplers.

Gravitational lensing limits on the cosmological constant in a flat universe

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Turner, Edwin L.

1990-01-01

Inflationary cosmological theories predict, and some more general aesthetic criteria suggest, that the large-scale spatial curvature of the universe k should be accurately zero (i.e., flat), a condition which is satisfied when the universe's present mean density and the value of the cosmological constant Lambda have certain pairs of values. Available data on the frequency of multiple image-lensing of high-redshift quasars by galaxies suggest that the cosmological constant cannot make a dominant contribution to producing a flat universe. In particular, if the mean density of the universe is as small as the baryon density inferred from standard cosmic nucleosynthesis calculations or as determined from typical dynamical studies of galaxies and galaxy clusters, then a value of Lambda large enough to produce a k = 0 universe would result in a substantially higher frequency of multiple-image lensing of quasars than has been observed so far. Shortcomings of the available lens data and uncertainties concerning galaxy properties allow some possibility of escaping this conclusion, but systematic searches for a gravitational lenses and continuing investigations of galaxy mass distributions should soon provide decisive information. It is also noted that nonzero-curvature cosmological models can account for the observed frequency of galaxy-quasar lens systems and for a variety of other constraints.

Constraints on a new post-general relativity cosmological parameter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caldwell, Robert; Cooray, Asantha; Melchiorri, Alessandro

2007-07-01

A new cosmological variable is introduced to characterize the degree of departure from Einstein’s general relativity with a cosmological constant. The new parameter, ϖ, is the cosmological analog of γ, the parametrized post-Newtonian variable which measures the amount of spacetime curvature per unit mass. In the cosmological context, ϖ measures the difference between the Newtonian and longitudinal potentials in response to the same matter sources, as occurs in certain scalar-tensor theories of gravity. Equivalently, ϖ measures the scalar shear fluctuation in a dark-energy component. In the context of a vanilla, cosmological constant-dominated universe, a nonzero ϖ signals a departure from general relativity or a fluctuating cosmological constant. Using a phenomenological model for the time evolution ϖ=ϖ0ρDE/ρM which depends on the ratio of energy density in the cosmological constant to the matter density at each epoch, it is shown that the observed cosmic microwave background temperature anisotropies limit the overall normalization constant to be -0.4<ϖ0<0.1 at the 95% confidence level. Existing measurements of the cross-correlations of the cosmic microwave background with large-scale structure further limit ϖ0>-0.2 at the 95% CL. In the future, integrated Sachs-Wolfe and weak lensing measurements can more tightly constrain ϖ0, providing a valuable clue to the nature of dark energy and the validity of general relativity.

Geo-Demography of HIV/AIDS in Japan from 1985 to 2011: Incidence and Transmission Mode under Influence of Population Size/Density.

PubMed

Yoshikura, Hiroshi

2016-01-01

A stable relation was found between number of HIV/AIDS patients (P) and population size (N) and between HIV/AIDS incidence (I) and population density (D). The relation could be expressed as P = kN(m) or I = hD(n), where k, h, m, and n are constants. For "AIDS"/"AIDS diagnosis", the constant m was 1.5 for Japan and 1.3 for the United States of America (USA); n was 0.38 for both Japan and the USA. These observations indicated that larger population sizes related to disproportionately larger numbers of HIV/AIDS patients, and denser populations had disproportionately higher incidences of HIV/AIDS. Considering the wide geo-demographic difference between the two countries, it was striking that the same equations with constants within a narrow range were applicable to both Japan and the USA. Modes of HIV transmission appeared to be variable among prefectures in Japan. Homosexual transmission was suggested as being more predominant in more populated prefectures.

Multiverse understanding of cosmological coincidences

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

Bousso, Raphael; Hall, Lawrence J.; Nomura, Yasunori

2009-09-15

There is a deep cosmological mystery: although dependent on very different underlying physics, the time scales of structure formation, of galaxy cooling (both radiatively and against the CMB), and of vacuum domination do not differ by many orders of magnitude, but are all comparable to the present age of the universe. By scanning four landscape parameters simultaneously, we show that this quadruple coincidence is resolved. We assume only that the statistical distribution of parameter values in the multiverse grows towards certain catastrophic boundaries we identify, across which there are drastic regime changes. We find order-of-magnitude predictions for the cosmological constant,more » the primordial density contrast, the temperature at matter-radiation equality, the typical galaxy mass, and the age of the universe, in terms of the fine structure constant and the electron, proton and Planck masses. Our approach permits a systematic evaluation of measure proposals; with the causal patch measure, we find no runaway of the primordial density contrast and the cosmological constant to large values.« less

Predicting Stability Constants for Uranyl Complexes Using Density Functional Theory

DOE PAGES

Vukovic, Sinisa; Hay, Benjamin P.; Bryantsev, Vyacheslav S.

2015-04-02

The ability to predict the equilibrium constants for the formation of 1:1 uranyl:ligand complexes (log K 1 values) provides the essential foundation for the rational design of ligands with enhanced uranyl affinity and selectivity. We also use density functional theory (B3LYP) and the IEFPCM continuum solvation model to compute aqueous stability constants for UO 2 2+ complexes with 18 donor ligands. Theoretical calculations permit reasonably good estimates of relative binding strengths, while the absolute log K 1 values are significantly overestimated. Accurate predictions of the absolute log K 1 values (root mean square deviation from experiment < 1.0 for logmore » K 1 values ranging from 0 to 16.8) can be obtained by fitting the experimental data for two groups of mono and divalent negative oxygen donor ligands. The utility of correlations is demonstrated for amidoxime and imide dioxime ligands, providing a useful means of screening for new ligands with strong chelate capability to uranyl.« less

Comparison of Effective Medium Schemes For Seismic Velocities in Cracked Anisotropic Rock

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morshed, S.; Chesnokov, E.

2017-12-01

Understanding of elastic properties of reservoir rock is necessary for meaningful interpretation and analysis of seismic measurements. The elastic properties of a rock are controlled by the microstructural properties such as mineralogical composition, pore and crack distribution, texture and pore connectivity. However, seismic scale is much larger than microstructure scale. Understanding of macroscopic properties at relevant seismic scale (e.g. borehole sonic data) comes from effective medium theory (EMT). However, most of the effective medium theories fail at high crack density as the interactions of strain fields of the cracks can't be ignored. We compare major EMT schemes from low to high crack density. While at low crack density all method gives similar results, at high crack density they differ significantly. Then, we focus on generalized singular approximation (GSA) and effective field (EF) method as they allow cracks beyond the limit of dilute concentrations. Additionally, we use grain contact (GC) method to examine the stiffness constants of the rock matrix. We prepare simple models of a multiphase media containing low to high concentrations of isolated pores. Randomly oriented spherical pores and horizontally oriented ellipsoidal (aspect ratio =0.1) pores have been considered. For isolated spherical pores, all the three methods show exactly same or similar results. However, inclusion interactions are different in different directions in case of horizontal ellipsoidal pores and individual stiffness constants differ greatly from one method to another at different crack density. Stiffness constants remain consistent in GSA method whereas some components become unusual in EF method at a higher crack density (>0.15). Finally, we applied GSA method to interpret ultrasonic velocities of core samples. Mineralogical composition from X-ray diffraction (XRD) data and lab measured porosity data have been utilized. Both compressional and shear wave velocities from GSA method show good fit with the lab measured velocities.

Small dark energy and stable vacuum from Dilaton-Gauss-Bonnet coupling in TMT

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guendelman, Eduardo I.; Nishino, Hitoshi; Rajpoot, Subhash

2017-04-01

In two measures theories (TMT), in addition to the Riemannian measure of integration, being the square root of the determinant of the metric, we introduce a metric-independent density Φ in four dimensions defined in terms of scalars \\varphi _a by Φ =\\varepsilon ^{μ ν ρ σ } \\varepsilon _{abcd} (partial _{μ }\\varphi _a)(partial _{ν }\\varphi _b) (partial _{ρ }\\varphi _c) (partial _{σ }\\varphi _d). With the help of a dilaton field φ we construct theories that are globally scale invariant. In particular, by introducing couplings of the dilaton φ to the Gauss-Bonnet (GB) topological density {√{-g}} φ ( R_{μ ν ρ σ }^2 - 4 R_{μ ν }^2 + R^2 ) we obtain a theory that is scale invariant up to a total divergence. Integration of the \\varphi _a field equation leads to an integration constant that breaks the global scale symmetry. We discuss the stabilizing effects of the coupling of the dilaton to the GB-topological density on the vacua with a very small cosmological constant and the resolution of the `TMT Vacuum-Manifold Problem' which exists in the zero cosmological-constant vacuum limit. This problem generically arises from an effective potential that is a perfect square, and it gives rise to a vacuum manifold instead of a unique vacuum solution in the presence of many different scalars, like the dilaton, the Higgs, etc. In the non-zero cosmological-constant case this problem disappears. Furthermore, the GB coupling to the dilaton eliminates flat directions in the effective potential, and it totally lifts the vacuum-manifold degeneracy.

Hierarchical modeling of an invasive spread: The eurasian collared-dove streptopelia decaocto in the United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bled, F.; Royle, J. Andrew; Cam, E.

2011-01-01

Invasive species are regularly claimed as the second threat to biodiversity. To apply a relevant response to the potential consequences associated with invasions (e.g., emphasize management efforts to prevent new colonization or to eradicate the species in places where it has already settled), it is essential to understand invasion mechanisms and dynamics. Quantifying and understanding what influences rates of spatial spread is a key research area for invasion theory. In this paper, we develop a model to account for occupancy dynamics of an invasive species. Our model extends existing models to accommodate several elements of invasive processes; we chose the framework of hierarchical modeling to assess site occupancy status during an invasion. First, we explicitly accounted for spatial structure and how distance among sites and position relative to one another affect the invasion spread. In particular, we accounted for the possibility of directional propagation and provided a way of estimating the direction of this possible spread. Second, we considered the influence of local density on site occupancy. Third, we decided to split the colonization process into two subprocesses, initial colonization and recolonization, which may be ground-breaking because these subprocesses may exhibit different relationships with environmental variations (such as density variation) or colonization history (e.g., initial colonization might facilitate further colonization events). Finally, our model incorporates imperfection in detection, which might be a source of substantial bias in estimating population parameters. We focused on the case of the Eurasian Collared-Dove (Streptopelia decaocto) and its invasion of the United States since its introduction in the early 1980s, using data from the North American BBS (Breeding Bird Survey). The Eurasian Collared-Dove is one of the most successful invasive species, at least among terrestrial vertebrates. Our model provided estimation of the spread direction consistent with empirical observations. Site persistence probability exhibits a quadratic response to density. We also succeeded at detecting differences in the relationship between density and initial colonization vs. recolonization probabilities. We provide a map of sites that may be colonized in the future as an example of possible practical application of our work. ?? 2011 by the Ecological Society of America.

Model-supported phototrophic growth studies with Scenedesmus obtusiusculus in a flat-plate photobioreactor.

PubMed

Koller, Anja Pia; Löwe, Hannes; Schmid, Verena; Mundt, Sabine; Weuster-Botz, Dirk

2017-02-01

Light-dependent growth of microalgae can vary remarkably depending on the cultivation system and microalgal strain. Cell size and the pigmentation of each strain, as well as reactor geometry have a great impact on absorption and scattering behavior within a photobioreactor. In this study, the light-dependent, cell-specific growth kinetics of a novel green algae isolate, Scenedesmus obtusiusculus, was studied in a LED-illuminated flat-plate photobioreactor on a lab-scale (1.8 L, 0.09 m 2 ). First, pH-controlled batch processes were performed with S. obtusiusculus at different constant incident photon flux densities. The best performance was achieved by illuminating S. obtusiusculus with 1400 μmol photons m -2  s -1 at the surface of the flat-plate photobioreactor, resulting in the highest biomass concentration (4.95 ± 0.16 g CDW  L -1 within 3.5 d) and the highest specific growth rate (0.22 h -1 ). The experimental data were used to identify the kinetic parameters of different growth models considering light inhibition for S. obtusiusculus. Light attenuation within the flat-plate photobioreactor was considered by varying light transfer models. Based on the identified kinetic growth model of S. obtusiusculus, an optimum growth rate of 0.22 h -1 was estimated at a mean integral photon flux density of 1072 μmol photons m -2  s -1 with the Beer-Lambert law and 1590 μmol photons m -2  s -1 with Schuster's light transfer model in the flat-plate photobioreactor. LED illumination was, thus, increased to keep the identified optimum mean integral photon flux density constant in the batch process assuming Schuster's light transfer model. Compared to the same constant incident photon flux density (1590 μmol photons m -2  s -1 ), biomass concentration was up to 24% higher using the lighting profile until a dry cell mass concentration of 14.4 ± 1.4 g CDW  L -1 was reached. Afterward, the biomass concentration remained constant, whereas cell growth continued in the batch process with constant incident photon flux density. Finally, biomass concentration was 15.5 ± 1.5 g CDW  L -1 and, thus, 7% higher compared to the corresponding batch process with lighting profile. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2017;114: 308-320. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

First-principles study of crystal structure, elastic stiffness constants, piezoelectric constants, and spontaneous polarization of orthorhombic Pna21-M2O3 (M = Al, Ga, In, Sc, Y)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shimada, Kazuhiro

2018-03-01

We perform first-principles calculations to investigate the crystal structure, elastic and piezoelectric properties, and spontaneous polarization of orthorhombic M2O3 (M = Al, Ga, In, Sc, Y) with Pna21 space group based on density functional theory. The lattice parameters, full elastic stiffness constants, piezoelectric stress and strain constants, and spontaneous polarization are successfully predicted. Comparison with available experimental and computational results indicates the validity of our computational results. Detailed analysis of the results clarifies the difference in the bonding character and the origin of the strong piezoelectric response and large spontaneous polarization.

Electron particle transport and turbulence studies in the T-10 tokamak

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vershkov, V. A.; Borisov, M. A.; Subbotin, G. F.; Shelukhin, D. A.; Dnestrovskii, Yu. N.; Danilov, A. V.; Cherkasov, S. V.; Gorbunov, E. P.; Sergeev, D. S.; Grashin, S. A.; Krylov, S. V.; Kuleshin, E. O.; Myalton, T. B.; Skosyrev, Yu. V.; Chistiakov, V. V.

2013-08-01

The goals of this paper are to compare the results of electron particle transport measurements in ohmic (OH) plasmas by means of a small perturbation technique, high-level gas puff and gas switch off, investigate the phenomenon of ‘density pump out’ during electron cyclotron resonance heating (ECRH) and to correlate density behaviour with turbulence. Two approaches for plasma particle transport studies were compared: the low perturbation technique of periodic puff (δn/ne = 0.3%) and strong density variations (δn/ne < 50%), including density ramp-up by gas puff and ramp-down with gas switch off. The model with constant in time diffusion coefficients and pinch velocities could describe the core density perturbations but failed at the edge. In the case of strong puff three stages were distinguished. Degraded energy confinement and, respectively, low turbulence frequencies were observed during density ramp-up and ramp-down, while enhanced confinement and higher turbulence frequencies were typical for the intermediate stage. Density profile variation during this intermediate phase could be described in the framework of the transport model with constant in time coefficients. The application of ECRH at the density ramp-up phase provided the possibility of postponing the ‘density pump out’. The increase in the low-frequency modes in turbulence spectra was observed at the ‘density pump out’ phase during central ECRH. Although the high- and low-frequency bands of turbulence spectra behaved as trapped electron mode and ion temperature gradient, respectively, they both rotated at the same angular velocity as a rigid body together with magnetohydrodynamic mode m/n = 2/1 and [E × B] plasma rotation.

A well-scaling natural orbital theory

DOE PAGES

Gebauer, Ralph; Cohen, Morrel H.; Car, Roberto

2016-11-01

Here, we introduce an energy functional for ground-state electronic structure calculations. Its variables are the natural spin-orbitals of singlet many-body wave functions and their joint occupation probabilities deriving from controlled approximations to the two-particle density matrix that yield algebraic scaling in general, and Hartree–Fock scaling in its seniority-zero version. Results from the latter version for small molecular systems are compared with those of highly accurate quantum-chemical computations. The energies lie above full configuration interaction calculations, close to doubly occupied configuration interaction calculations. Their accuracy is considerably greater than that obtained from current density-functional theory approximations and from current functionals ofmore » the oneparticle density matrix.« less

A well-scaling natural orbital theory

PubMed Central

Gebauer, Ralph; Cohen, Morrel H.; Car, Roberto

2016-01-01

We introduce an energy functional for ground-state electronic structure calculations. Its variables are the natural spin-orbitals of singlet many-body wave functions and their joint occupation probabilities deriving from controlled approximations to the two-particle density matrix that yield algebraic scaling in general, and Hartree–Fock scaling in its seniority-zero version. Results from the latter version for small molecular systems are compared with those of highly accurate quantum-chemical computations. The energies lie above full configuration interaction calculations, close to doubly occupied configuration interaction calculations. Their accuracy is considerably greater than that obtained from current density-functional theory approximations and from current functionals of the one-particle density matrix. PMID:27803328

A hundred years with the cosmological constant

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grøn, Øyvind G.

2018-07-01

The main points in the history of the cosmological constant are briefly discussed. As a conceptual background, useful for teaching of physics at an elementary college and university level, Newton’s theory formulated locally in terms of the Poisson equation is presented, and it is shown how it is modified by the introduction of the cosmological constant. The different physical interpretations of the cosmological constant, as introduced by Einstein in 1917 and interpreted by Lemaître in 1934, are presented. Energy conservation in an expanding universe dominated by vacuum energy is discussed. The connection between the cosmological constant and the quantum mechanical vacuum energy is mentioned, together with the problem that a quantum mechanical calculation of the density of the vacuum energy gives a vastly too large value of the cosmological constant. The article is concluded by reviewing a solution of this problem that was presented on May 11, 2017.

Immunologic contact urticaria--the human touch.

PubMed

Wang, Christina Y; Maibach, Howard I

2013-06-01

To review immunologic contact urticaria (ICU) in the occupational and environmental context, and describe its continued relevance in light of the ever-increasing onslaught of new chemicals and products, as well as new technology placing novel interactions, such as nanoparticles, within reach of the population at home and work. Publications were searched via PubMed, using key words: Occupational, immunologic, contact urticaria, nanoparticle. ICU remains an important diagnosis to make and treat because it has widespread health and social morbidity, including job and income loss, persistent life-long allergies, and progression from self-limiting skin eruptions to multi-systemic, sometimes life-threatening, illnesses. There is no short supply of known ICU causing allergens, but it is equally important to be ever vigilant in recognizing, and even adding to, items in the constantly expanding list of novel allergenic agents provided to us by the advances of modern chemistry and technology, and by the changing social structure and lifestyle dynamics.

The intrinsic role of nanoconfinement in chemical equilibrium: evidence from DNA hybridization.

PubMed

Rubinovich, Leonid; Polak, Micha

2013-05-08

Recently we predicted that when a reaction involving a small number of molecules occurs in a nanometric-scale domain entirely segregated from the surrounding media, the nanoconfinement can shift the position of equilibrium toward products via reactant-product reduced mixing. In this Letter, we demonstrate how most-recently reported single-molecule fluorescence measurements of partial hybridization of ssDNA confined within nanofabricated chambers provide the first experimental confirmation of this entropic nanoconfinement effect. Thus, focusing separately on each occupancy-specific equilibrium constant, quantitatively reveals extra stabilization of the product upon decreasing the chamber occupancy or size. Namely, the DNA hybridization under nanoconfined conditions is significantly favored over the identical reaction occurring in bulk media with the same reactant concentrations. This effect, now directly verified for DNA, can be relevant to actual biological processes, as well as to diverse reactions occurring within molecular capsules, nanotubes, and other functional nanospaces.

Experiences of women with stress-related ill health in a therapeutic gardening program.

PubMed

Eriksson, Therese; Westerberg, Yvonne; Jonsson, Hans

2011-12-01

Stress-related ill health, e.g. burnout, is of great concern worldwide. Effective rehabilitation programs need to be developed and their therapeutic aspects understood. To explore and describe how women with stress-related ill health who are on sick leave experience the rehabilitation process in a therapeutic garden and how these experiences connect to their everyday lives. This longitudinal study used methods from grounded theory. Five women completed three semi-structured interviews at three weekly intervals during rehabilitation and one interview three months after. Data were analyzed using a constant comparative approach. A secure environment facilitated engagement in activities that provided feelings of enjoyment. These experiences inspired participants to add enjoyable activities in their everyday lives, contributing to occupational balance, despite worries of not be able to continue performing enjoyable activities. Implications. Effective rehabilitation programs need to focus on enjoyable activities in a protective environment to support achievement of occupational balance.

Monitoring psychosocial stress at work: development of the Psychosocial Working Conditions Questionnaire.

PubMed

Widerszal-Bazyl, M; Cieślak, R

2000-01-01

Many studies on the impact of psychosocial working conditions on health prove that psychosocial stress at work is an important risk factor endangering workers' health. Thus it should be constantly monitored like other work hazards. The paper presents a newly developed instrument for stress monitoring called the Psychosocial Working Conditions Questionnaire (PWC). Its structure is based on Robert Karasek's model of job stress (Karasek, 1979; Karasek & Theorell, 1990). It consists of 3 main scales Job Demands, Job Control, Social Support and 2 additional scales adapted from the Occupational Stress Questionnaire (Elo, Leppanen, Lindstrom, & Ropponen, 1992), Well-Being and Desired Changes. The study of 8 occupational groups (bank and insurance specialists, middle medical personnel, construction workers, shop assistants, government and self-government administration officers, computer scientists, public transport drivers, teachers, N = 3,669) indicates that PWC has satisfactory psychometrics parameters. Norms for the 8 groups were developed.

Solvent Electrostatic Response: From Simple Solutes to Proteins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dinpajooh, Mohammadhasan

How water behaves at interfaces is relevant to many scientific and technological applications; however, many subtle phenomena are unknown in aqueous solutions. In this work, interfacial structural transition in hydration shells of a polarizable solute at critical polarizabilities is discovered. The transition is manifested in maximum water response, the reorientation of the water dipoles at the interface, and an increase in the density of dangling OH bonds. This work also addresses the role of polarizability of the active site of proteins in biological catalytic reactions. For proteins, the hydration shell becomes very heterogeneous and involves a relatively large number of water molecules. The molecular dynamics simulations show that the polarizability, along with the atomic charge distribution, needs to be a part of the picture describing how enzymes work. Non Gaussian dynamics in time-resolved linear and nonlinear (correlation) 2D spectra are also analyzed. Additionally, a theoretical formalism is presented to show that when preferential orientations of water dipoles exist at the interface, electrophoretic charges can be produced without free charge carriers, i.e., neutral solutes can move in a constant electric field due to the divergence of polarization at the interface. Furthermore, the concept of interface susceptibility is introduced. It involves the fluctuations of the surface charge density caused by thermal motion and its correlation over the characteristic correlation length with the fluctuations of the solvent charge density. Solvation free energy and interface dielectric constant are formulated accordingly. Unlike previous approaches, the solvation free energy scales quite well in a broad range of ion sizes, namely in the range of 2-14 A. Interface dielectric constant is defined such that the boundary conditions in the Laplace equation describing a micro- or mesoscopic interface are satisfied. The effective dielectric constant of interfacial water is found to be significantly lower than its bulk value. Molecular dynamics simulation results show that the interface dielectric constant for a TIP3P water model changes from nine to four when the effective solute radius is increased from 5 Ato 18 A. The small value of the interface dielectric constant of water has potentially dramatic consequences for hydration.

Force Field Benchmark of Organic Liquids: Density, Enthalpy of Vaporization, Heat Capacities, Surface Tension, Isothermal Compressibility, Volumetric Expansion Coefficient, and Dielectric Constant.

PubMed

Caleman, Carl; van Maaren, Paul J; Hong, Minyan; Hub, Jochen S; Costa, Luciano T; van der Spoel, David

2012-01-10

The chemical composition of small organic molecules is often very similar to amino acid side chains or the bases in nucleic acids, and hence there is no a priori reason why a molecular mechanics force field could not describe both organic liquids and biomolecules with a single parameter set. Here, we devise a benchmark for force fields in order to test the ability of existing force fields to reproduce some key properties of organic liquids, namely, the density, enthalpy of vaporization, the surface tension, the heat capacity at constant volume and pressure, the isothermal compressibility, the volumetric expansion coefficient, and the static dielectric constant. Well over 1200 experimental measurements were used for comparison to the simulations of 146 organic liquids. Novel polynomial interpolations of the dielectric constant (32 molecules), heat capacity at constant pressure (three molecules), and the isothermal compressibility (53 molecules) as a function of the temperature have been made, based on experimental data, in order to be able to compare simulation results to them. To compute the heat capacities, we applied the two phase thermodynamics method (Lin et al. J. Chem. Phys.2003, 119, 11792), which allows one to compute thermodynamic properties on the basis of the density of states as derived from the velocity autocorrelation function. The method is implemented in a new utility within the GROMACS molecular simulation package, named g_dos, and a detailed exposé of the underlying equations is presented. The purpose of this work is to establish the state of the art of two popular force fields, OPLS/AA (all-atom optimized potential for liquid simulation) and GAFF (generalized Amber force field), to find common bottlenecks, i.e., particularly difficult molecules, and to serve as a reference point for future force field development. To make for a fair playing field, all molecules were evaluated with the same parameter settings, such as thermostats and barostats, treatment of electrostatic interactions, and system size (1000 molecules). The densities and enthalpy of vaporization from an independent data set based on simulations using the CHARMM General Force Field (CGenFF) presented by Vanommeslaeghe et al. (J. Comput. Chem.2010, 31, 671) are included for comparison. We find that, overall, the OPLS/AA force field performs somewhat better than GAFF, but there are significant issues with reproduction of the surface tension and dielectric constants for both force fields.

Force Field Benchmark of Organic Liquids: Density, Enthalpy of Vaporization, Heat Capacities, Surface Tension, Isothermal Compressibility, Volumetric Expansion Coefficient, and Dielectric Constant

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

The chemical composition of small organic molecules is often very similar to amino acid side chains or the bases in nucleic acids, and hence there is no a priori reason why a molecular mechanics force field could not describe both organic liquids and biomolecules with a single parameter set. Here, we devise a benchmark for force fields in order to test the ability of existing force fields to reproduce some key properties of organic liquids, namely, the density, enthalpy of vaporization, the surface tension, the heat capacity at constant volume and pressure, the isothermal compressibility, the volumetric expansion coefficient, and the static dielectric constant. Well over 1200 experimental measurements were used for comparison to the simulations of 146 organic liquids. Novel polynomial interpolations of the dielectric constant (32 molecules), heat capacity at constant pressure (three molecules), and the isothermal compressibility (53 molecules) as a function of the temperature have been made, based on experimental data, in order to be able to compare simulation results to them. To compute the heat capacities, we applied the two phase thermodynamics method (Lin et al. J. Chem. Phys.2003, 119, 11792), which allows one to compute thermodynamic properties on the basis of the density of states as derived from the velocity autocorrelation function. The method is implemented in a new utility within the GROMACS molecular simulation package, named g_dos, and a detailed exposé of the underlying equations is presented. The purpose of this work is to establish the state of the art of two popular force fields, OPLS/AA (all-atom optimized potential for liquid simulation) and GAFF (generalized Amber force field), to find common bottlenecks, i.e., particularly difficult molecules, and to serve as a reference point for future force field development. To make for a fair playing field, all molecules were evaluated with the same parameter settings, such as thermostats and barostats, treatment of electrostatic interactions, and system size (1000 molecules). The densities and enthalpy of vaporization from an independent data set based on simulations using the CHARMM General Force Field (CGenFF) presented by Vanommeslaeghe et al. (J. Comput. Chem.2010, 31, 671) are included for comparison. We find that, overall, the OPLS/AA force field performs somewhat better than GAFF, but there are significant issues with reproduction of the surface tension and dielectric constants for both force fields. PMID:22241968

Comparison of Density Measurements on ACE and WIND

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fowler, G.; Russell, C. T.

2001-12-01

In studying the compression of the magnetosphere by the solar wind we have used data publically available on the CDA Web site and the ACE website. The solar wind velocities measured by these two spacecraft agree well but the densities do not. The density reported by WIND is on average only 75% of that reported by ACE. This ratio does not appear to be a constant, however. It seems to vary with the solar wind velocity.

Wood decomposition of Cyrilla racemiflora in a tropical montane forest.

Treesearch

Juan A. Torres

1994-01-01

Changes in wood density, nutrient content, and invertebrate populations throughout the decay of Cyrilla racemiflora (Cyrillaceaea) were compared with those observed in temperate woody tree species. Wood density tended ro remain constant as decay advanced except in the late stages. Nutrients (N, P, Ca, Mg) were in highest concentrations in intact bark, surface wood, and...

Vacuum Energy and Inflation: 3. Newtonian Cosmology & GR

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huggins, Elisha

2013-01-01

This is paper #3 in a series of four papers on "vacuum energy" and inflation. In paper #1 [see EJ1024183] we discussed an example of what we have been calling vacuum energy. It is an energy with negative pressure whose energy density remains constant in an expanding space. We showed that an energy density with these properties exists…

Heat Convection at the Density Maximum Point of Water

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Balta, Nuri; Korganci, Nuri

2018-01-01

Water exhibits a maximum in density at normal pressure at around 4° degree temperature. This paper demonstrates that during cooling, at around 4 °C, the temperature remains constant for a while because of heat exchange associated with convective currents inside the water. Superficial approach implies it as a new anomaly of water, but actually it…

Investigation of Fumed Silica/Aqueous NaCl Superdielectric Material.

PubMed

Jenkins, Natalie; Petty, Clayton; Phillips, Jonathan

2016-02-20

A constant current charge/discharge protocol which showed fumed silica filled to the point of incipient wetness with aqueous NaCl solution to have dielectric constants >10⁸ over the full range of dielectric thicknesses of 0.38-3.9 mm and discharge times of 0.25->100 s was studied, making this material another example of a superdielectric. The dielectric constant was impacted by both frequency and thickness. For time to discharge greater than 10 s the dielectric constant for all thicknesses needed to be fairly constant, always >10⁸, although trending higher with increasing thickness. At shorter discharge times the dielectric constant consistently decreased, with decreasing time to discharge. Hence, it is reasonable to suggest that for time to discharge >10 s the dielectric constant at all thicknesses will be greater than 10⁸. This in turn implies an energy density for a 5 micron thick dielectric layer in the order of 350 J/cm³ for discharge times greater than 10 s.

Investigation of Fumed Silica/Aqueous NaCl Superdielectric Material

PubMed Central

Jenkins, Natalie; Petty, Clayton; Phillips, Jonathan

2016-01-01

A constant current charge/discharge protocol which showed fumed silica filled to the point of incipient wetness with aqueous NaCl solution to have dielectric constants >108 over the full range of dielectric thicknesses of 0.38–3.9 mm and discharge times of 0.25–>100 s was studied, making this material another example of a superdielectric. The dielectric constant was impacted by both frequency and thickness. For time to discharge greater than 10 s the dielectric constant for all thicknesses needed to be fairly constant, always >109, although trending higher with increasing thickness. At shorter discharge times the dielectric constant consistently decreased, with decreasing time to discharge. Hence, it is reasonable to suggest that for time to discharge >10 s the dielectric constant at all thicknesses will be greater than 109. This in turn implies an energy density for a 5 micron thick dielectric layer in the order of 350 J/cm3 for discharge times greater than 10 s. PMID:28787918

Extension of the master sintering curve for constant heating rate modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McCoy, Tammy Michelle

The purpose of this work is to extend the functionality of the Master Sintering Curve (MSC) such that it can be used as a practical tool for predicting sintering schemes that combine both a constant heating rate and an isothermal hold. Rather than just being able to predict a final density for the object of interest, the extension to the MSC will actually be able to model a sintering run from start to finish. Because the Johnson model does not incorporate this capability, the work presented is an extension of what has already been shown in literature to be a valuable resource in many sintering situations. A predicted sintering curve that incorporates a combination of constant heating rate and an isothermal hold is more indicative of what is found in real-life sintering operations. This research offers the possibility of predicting the sintering schedule for a material, thereby having advanced information about the extent of sintering, the time schedule for sintering, and the sintering temperature with a high degree of accuracy and repeatability. The research conducted in this thesis focuses on the development of a working model for predicting the sintering schedules of several stabilized zirconia powders having the compositions YSZ (HSY8), 10Sc1CeSZ, 10Sc1YSZ, and 11ScSZ1A. The compositions of the four powders are first verified using x-ray diffraction (XRD) and the particle size and surface area are verified using a particle size analyzer and BET analysis, respectively. The sintering studies were conducted on powder compacts using a double pushrod dilatometer. Density measurements are obtained both geometrically and using the Archimedes method. Each of the four powders is pressed into ¼" diameter pellets using a manual press with no additives, such as a binder or lubricant. Using a double push-rod dilatometer, shrinkage data for the pellets is obtained over several different heating rates. The shrinkage data is then converted to reflect the change in relative density of the pellets based on the green density and the theoretical density of each of the compositions. The Master Sintering Curve (MSC) model is then utilized to generate data that can be utilized to predict the final density of the respective powder over a range of heating rates. The Elton Master Sintering Curve Extension (EMSCE) is developed to extend the functionality of the MSC tool. The parameters generated from the original MSC are used in tandem with the solution to the closed integral, theta ≡ 1cTo T1Texp -QRT dT, over a set range of temperatures. The EMSCE is used to generate a set of sintering curves having both constant heating rate and isothermal hold portions. The EMSCE extends the usefulness of the MSC by allowing this generation of a complete sintering schedule rather than just being able to predict the final relative density of a given material. The EMSCE is verified by generating a set of curves having both constant heating rate and an isothermal hold for the heat-treatment. The modeled curves are verified experimentally and a comparison of the model and experimental results are given for a selected composition. Porosity within the final product can hinder the product from sintering to full density. It is shown that some of the compositions studied did not sinter to full density because of the presence of large porosity that could not be eliminated in a reasonable amount of time. A statistical analysis of the volume fraction of porosity is completed to show the significance of the presence in the final product. The reason this is relevant to the MSC is that the model does not take into account the presence of porosity and assumes that the samples sinter to full density. When this does not happen, the model actually under-predicts the final density of the material.

Affinity capillary electrophoresis and density functional theory study of noncovalent interactions of cyclic peptide [Gly6 ]-antamanide with small cations.

PubMed

Pangavhane, Sachin; Böhm, Stanislav; Makrlík, Emanuel; Ruzza, Paolo; Kašička, Václav

2017-08-01

ACE and density functional theory were employed to study the noncovalent interactions of cyclic decapeptide glycine-6-antamanide ([Gly 6 ]AA), synthetic derivative of native antamanide (AA) peptide from the deadly poisonous fungus Amanita phalloides, with small cations (Li + , Rb + , Cs + , NH 4 + , and Ca 2+ ) in methanol. The strength of these interactions was quantified by the apparent stability constants of the appropriate complexes determined by ACE. The stability constants were calculated using the nonlinear regression analysis of the dependence of the effective electrophoretic mobility of [Gly 6 ]AA on the concentration of the above ions in the BGE (methanolic solution of 20 mM chloroacetic acid, 10 mM Tris, pH MeOH 7.8, containing 0-70 mM concentrations of the above ions added in the form of chlorides). Prior to stability constant calculation, the effective mobilities measured at actual temperature inside the capillary and at variable ionic strength of the BGEs were corrected to the values corresponding to the reference temperature of 25°C and to the constant ionic strength of 10 mM. From the above ions, Rb + and Cs + cations interacted weakly with [Gly 6 ]AA but no interactions of [Gly 6 ]AA with univalent Li + and NH 4 + ions and divalent Ca 2+ ion were observed. The apparent stability constants of [Gly 6 ]AA-Rb + and [Gly 6 ]AA-Cs + complexes were found to be equal to 13 ± 4 and 22 ± 3 L/mol, respectively. The structural characteristics of these complexes, such as position of the Rb + and Cs + ions in the cavity of the [Gly 6 ]AA molecule and the interatomic distances within these complexes, were obtained by the density functional theory calculations. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

First-principles elastic constants of α- and θ-Al2O3

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shang, Shunli; Wang, Yi; Liu, Zi-Kui

2007-03-01

Using an efficient strain-stress method, the first-principles elastic constants cij's of α-Al2O3 and θ-Al2O3 have been predicted within the local density approximation and the generalized gradient approximation. It is indicated that more accurate calculations of cij's can be accomplished by the local density approximation. The predicted cij's of θ-Al2O3 provide helpful guidance for future measurements, especially the predicted negative c15. The present results make the stress estimation in thermally grown oxides containing of α- and θ-Al2O3 possible, which in turn provide helpful insights for preventing the failure of thermal barrier coatings on components in gas-turbine engines.

Search for ionisation density effects in the radiation absorption stage in LiF:Mg,Ti.

PubMed

Nail, I; Horowitz, Y S; Oster, L; Brandan, M E; Rodríguez-Villafuerte, M; Buenfil, A E; Ruiz-Trejo, C; Gamboa-Debuen, I; Avila, O; Tovar, V M; Olko, P; Ipe, N

2006-01-01

Optical absorption (OA) dose-response of LiF:Mg,Ti (TLD-100) is studied as a function of electron energy (ionisation density) and irradiation dose. Contrary to the situation in thermoluminescence dose-response where the supralinearity is strongly energy-dependent, no dependence of the OA dose filling constants on energy is observed. This result is interpreted as indicating a lack of competitive process in the radiation absorption stage. The lack of an energy dependence of the dose filling constant also suggests that the charge carrier migration distances are sufficiently large to smear out the differences in the non-uniform distribution of ionisation events created by the impinging gamma/electron radiation of various energies.

Design of PCB search coils for AC magnetic flux density measurement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ulvr, Michal

2018-04-01

This paper presents single-layer, double-layer and ten-layer planar square search coils designed for AC magnetic flux density amplitude measurement up to 1 T in the low frequency range in a 10 mm air gap. The printed-circuit-board (PCB) method was used for producing the search coils. Special attention is given to a full characterization of the PCB search coils including a comparison between the detailed analytical design method and the finite integration technique method (FIT) on the one hand, and experimental results on the other. The results show very good agreement in the resistance, inductance and search coil constant values (the area turns) and also in the frequency dependence of the search coil constant.

Tuning the effective fine structure constant in graphene: opposing effects of dielectric screening on short- and long-range potential scattering.

PubMed

Jang, C; Adam, S; Chen, J-H; Williams, E D; Das Sarma, S; Fuhrer, M S

2008-10-03

We reduce the dimensionless interaction strength alpha in graphene by adding a water overlayer in ultrahigh vacuum, thereby increasing dielectric screening. The mobility limited by long-range impurity scattering is increased over 30%, due to the background dielectric constant enhancement leading to a reduced interaction of electrons with charged impurities. However, the carrier-density-independent conductivity due to short-range impurities is decreased by almost 40%, due to reduced screening of the impurity potential by conduction electrons. The minimum conductivity is nearly unchanged, due to canceling contributions from the electron-hole puddle density and long-range impurity mobility. Experimental data are compared with theoretical predictions with excellent agreement.

AB INITIO STUDY OF PHONON DISPERSION AND ELASTIC PROPERTIES OF L12 INTERMETALLICS Ti3Al AND Y3Al

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arikan, N.; Ersen, M.; Ocak, H. Y.; Iyigör, A.; Candan, A.; UǦUR, Ş.; UǦUR, G.; Khenata, R.; Varshney, D.

2013-12-01

In this paper, the structural, elastic and phonon properties of Ti3Al and Y3Al in L12(Cu3Al) phase are studied by performing first-principles calculations within the generalized gradient approximation. The calculated lattice constants, static bulk moduli, first-order pressure derivative of bulk moduli and elastic constants for both compounds are reported. The phonon dispersion curves along several high-symmetry lines at the Brillouin zone, together with the corresponding phonon density of states, are determined using the first-principles linear-response approach of the density functional perturbation theory. Temperature variations of specific heat in the range of 0-500 K are obtained using the quasi-harmonic model.

Predicting impacts of future human population growth and development on occupancy rates of forest-dependent birds

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brown, Michelle L.; Donovan, Therese; Schwenk, W. Scott; Theobald, David M.

2014-01-01

Forest loss and fragmentation are among the largest threats to forest-dwelling wildlife species today, and projected increases in human population growth are expected to increase these threats in the next century. We combined spatially-explicit growth models with wildlife distribution models to predict the effects of human development on 5 forest-dependent bird species in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts, USA. We used single-species occupancy models to derive the probability of occupancy for each species across the study area in the years 2000 and 2050. Over half a million new housing units were predicted to be added to the landscape. The maximum change in housing density was nearly 30 houses per hectare; however, 30% of the towns in the study area were projected to add less than 1 housing unit per hectare. In the face of predicted human growth, the overall occupancy of each species decreased by as much as 38% (ranging from 19% to 38% declines in the worst-case scenario) in the year 2050. These declines were greater outside of protected areas than within protected lands. Ninety-seven percent of towns experienced some decline in species occupancy within their borders, highlighting the value of spatially-explicit models. The mean decrease in occupancy probability within towns ranged from 3% for hairy woodpecker to 8% for ovenbird and hermit thrush. Reductions in occupancy probability occurred on the perimeters of cities and towns where exurban development is predicted to increase in the study area. This spatial approach to wildlife planning provides data to evaluate trade-offs between development scenarios and forest-dependent wildlife species.

Geographic dimensions of a health network dedicated to occupational and work related diseases.

PubMed

Delaunay, Marie; Godard, Vincent; Le Barbier, Mélina; Gilg Soit Ilg, Annabelle; Aubert, Cédric; Maître, Anne; Barbeau, Damien; Bonneterre, Vincent

2016-09-27

Although introduced nearly 40 years ago, Geographic Information Systems (GISs) have never been used to study Occupational Health information regarding the different types, scale or sources of data. The geographic distribution of occupational diseases and underlying work activities were always analyzed independently. Our aim was to consider the French Network of Occupational Disease (OD) clinics, namely the "French National OD Surveillance and Prevention Network" (rnv3p) as a spatial object in order to describe its catchment. We mapped rnv3p observations at the workplace level. We initially analyzed rnv3p capture with reference to its own data, then to the underlying workforce (INSEE "Employment Areas"), and finally compared its capture of one emblematic occupational disease (mesothelioma) to an external dataset provided by a surveillance system thought to be exhaustive (PNSM). While the whole country is covered by the network, the density of observations decreases with increase in the distance from the 31 OD clinics (located within the main French cities). Taking into account the underlying workforce, we show that the probability to capture and investigation of OD (assessed by rates of OD per 10,000 workers) also presents large discrepancies between OD clinics. This capture rate might also show differences according to the disease, as exemplified by mesothelioma. The geographic approach to this network, enhanced by the possibilities provided by the GIS tool, allow a better understanding of the coverage of this network at a national level, as well as the visualization of capture rates for all OD clinics. Highlighting geographic and thematic shading zones bring new perspectives to the analysis of occupational health data, and should improve occupational health vigilance and surveillance.

An improved probabilistic approach for linking progenitor and descendant galaxy populations using comoving number density

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wellons, Sarah; Torrey, Paul

2017-06-01

Galaxy populations at different cosmic epochs are often linked by cumulative comoving number density in observational studies. Many theoretical works, however, have shown that the cumulative number densities of tracked galaxy populations not only evolve in bulk, but also spread out over time. We present a method for linking progenitor and descendant galaxy populations which takes both of these effects into account. We define probability distribution functions that capture the evolution and dispersion of galaxy populations in number density space, and use these functions to assign galaxies at redshift zf probabilities of being progenitors/descendants of a galaxy population at another redshift z0. These probabilities are used as weights for calculating distributions of physical progenitor/descendant properties such as stellar mass, star formation rate or velocity dispersion. We demonstrate that this probabilistic method provides more accurate predictions for the evolution of physical properties than the assumption of either a constant number density or an evolving number density in a bin of fixed width by comparing predictions against galaxy populations directly tracked through a cosmological simulation. We find that the constant number density method performs least well at recovering galaxy properties, the evolving method density slightly better and the probabilistic method best of all. The improvement is present for predictions of stellar mass as well as inferred quantities such as star formation rate and velocity dispersion. We demonstrate that this method can also be applied robustly and easily to observational data, and provide a code package for doing so.

Riemannian geometry of thermodynamics and systems with repulsive power-law interactions.

PubMed

Ruppeiner, George

2005-07-01

A Riemannian geometric theory of thermodynamics based on the postulate that the curvature scalar R is proportional to the inverse free energy density is used to investigate three-dimensional fluid systems of identical classical point particles interacting with each other via a power-law potential energy gamma r(-alpha) . Such systems are useful in modeling melting transitions. The limit alpha-->infinity corresponds to the hard sphere gas. A thermodynamic limit exists only for short-range (alpha>3) and repulsive (gamma>0) interactions. The geometric theory solutions for given alpha>3 , gamma>0 , and any constant temperature T have the following properties: (1) the thermodynamics follows from a single function b (rho T(-3/alpha) ) , where rho is the density; (2) all solutions are equivalent up to a single scaling constant for rho T(-3/alpha) , related to gamma via the virial theorem; (3) at low density, solutions correspond to the ideal gas; (4) at high density there are solutions with pressure and energy depending on density as expected from solid state physics, though not with a Dulong-Petit heat capacity limit; (5) for 33.7913 a phase transition is required to go between these regimes; (7) for any alpha>3 we may include a first-order phase transition, which is expected from computer simulations; and (8) if alpha-->infinity, the density approaches a finite value as the pressure increases to infinity, with the pressure diverging logarithmically in the density difference.

Equation of State for Isospin Asymmetric Nuclear Matter Using Lane Potential

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Basu, D. N.; Chowdhury, P. Roy; Samanta, C.

2006-10-01

A mean field calculation for obtaining the equation of state (EOS) for symmetric nuclear matter from a density dependent M3Y interaction supplemented by a zero-range potential is described. The energy per nucleon is minimized to obtain the ground state of symmetric nuclear matter. The saturation energy per nucleon used for nuclear matter calculations is determined from the co-efficient of the volume term of Bethe--Weizsäcker mass formula which is evaluated by fitting the recent experimental and estimated atomic mass excesses from Audi--Wapstra--Thibault atomic mass table by minimizing the mean square deviation. The constants of density dependence of the effective interaction are obtained by reproducing the saturation energy per nucleon and the saturation density of spin and isospin symmetric cold infinite nuclear matter. The EOS of symmetric nuclear matter, thus obtained, provide reasonably good estimate of nuclear incompressibility. Once the constants of density dependence are determined, EOS for asymmetric nuclear matter is calculated by adding to the isoscalar part, the isovector component of the M3Y interaction that do not contribute to the EOS of symmetric nuclear matter. These EOS are then used to calculate the pressure, the energy density and the velocity of sound in symmetric as well as isospin asymmetric nuclear matter.

ON THE STAR FORMATION LAW FOR SPIRAL AND IRREGULAR GALAXIES

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

Elmegreen, Bruce G., E-mail: bge@us.ibm.com

2015-12-01

A dynamical model for star formation on a galactic scale is proposed in which the interstellar medium is constantly condensing to star-forming clouds on the dynamical time of the average midplane density, and the clouds are constantly being disrupted on the dynamical timescale appropriate for their higher density. In this model, the areal star formation rate scales with the 1.5 power of the total gas column density throughout the main regions of spiral galaxies, and with a steeper power, 2, in the far outer regions and in dwarf irregular galaxies because of the flaring disks. At the same time, theremore » is a molecular star formation law that is linear in the main and outer parts of disks and in dIrrs because the duration of individual structures in the molecular phase is also the dynamical timescale, canceling the additional 0.5 power of surface density. The total gas consumption time scales directly with the midplane dynamical time, quenching star formation in the inner regions if there is no accretion, and sustaining star formation for ∼100 Gyr or more in the outer regions with no qualitative change in gas stability or molecular cloud properties. The ULIRG track follows from high densities in galaxy collisions.« less

One-dimensional Ar-SF{sub 6} hydromodel at low-pressure in e-beam generated plasmas

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

Petrov, George M., E-mail: george.petrov@nrl.navy.mil; Boris, David R.; Petrova, Tzvetelina B.

2016-03-15

A one-dimensional steady-state hydrodynamic model of electron beam generated plasmas produced in Ar-SF{sub 6} mixtures at low pressure in a constant magnetic field was developed. Simulations were performed for a range of SF{sub 6} partial pressures at constant 30 mTorr total gas pressure to determine the spatial distribution of species densities and fluxes. With the addition of small amount of SF{sub 6} (∼1%), the confining electrostatic field sharply decreases with respect to the pure argon case. This effect is due to the applied magnetic field inhibiting electron diffusion. The hallmark of electronegative discharge plasmas, positive ion—negative ion core and positivemore » ion—electron edge, was not observed. Instead, a plasma with large electronegativity (∼100) is formed throughout the volume, and only a small fraction (≈30%) of the parent SF{sub 6} molecules were dissociated to F{sub 2}, SF{sub 2}, and SF{sub 4}. Importantly, F radical densities were found to be very low, on the order of the ion density. Model predictions for the electron density, ion density, and plasma electronegativity are in good agreement with experimental data over the entire range of SF{sub 6} concentrations investigated.« less

Dynamics of ozone and OH radicals generated by pulsed corona discharge in humid-air flow reactor measured by laser spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ono, Ryo; Oda, Tetsuji

2003-05-01

The dynamics of ozone and OH radicals are studied in pulsed corona discharge plasma in a humid-air environment. Ozone density is measured by the laser absorption method, and OH density is measured by the laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) method. A 100-ns pulsed corona discharge occurs between a series of 25 needle electrodes and a plate electrode. After the pulsed discharge, the time evolutions of ozone and OH densities are measured in humid air or a humid nitrogen-oxygen mixture. Results show that the addition of 2.4% water vapor to dry air reduces ozone production by a factor of about 6, and shortens the ozone formation time constant from 30 to 6 μs. Water vapor may reduce atomic oxygen levels leading to the decreased production of ozone by O+O2 reaction. The LIF measurement for OH radicals shows that OH density is approximately constant for 10 μs after the pulsed discharge, then decays by recombination reaction and reactions with the discharge products of oxygen, such as ozone or atomic oxygen. Absolute OH density is estimated; it is about 3×1015 cm-3 in streamers at 10 μs after discharge in the H2O(2.4%)/N2 mixture.

Relation between occupancy and abundance for a territorial species, the California spotted owl.

PubMed

Tempel, Douglas J; Gutiérrez, R J

2013-10-01

Land and resource managers often use detection-nondetection surveys to monitor the populations of species that may be affected by factors such as habitat alteration, climate change, and biological invasions. Relative to mark-recapture studies, using detection-nondetection surveys is more cost-effective, and recent advances in statistical analyses allow the incorporation of detection probability, covariates, and multiple seasons. We examined the efficacy of using detection-nondetection data (relative to mark-recapture data) for monitoring population trends of a territorial species, the California Spotted Owl (Strix occidentalis occidentalis). We estimated and compared the finite annual rates of population change (λt ) and the resulting realized population change (Δt ) from both occupancy and mark-recapture data collected over 18 years (1993-2010). We used multiseason, robust-design occupancy models to estimate that territory occupancy declined during our study (Δt = 0.702, 95% CI 0.552-0.852) due to increasing territory extinction rates (ε(1993) = 0.019 [SE 0.012]; ε(2009) = 0.134 [SE 0.043]) and decreasing colonization rates (γ(1993) = 0.323 [SE 0.124]; γ(2009) = 0.242 [SE 0.058]). We used Pradel's temporal-symmetry model for mark-recapture data to estimate that the population trajectory closely matched the trends in territory occupancy (Δt = 0.725, 95% CI 0.445-1.004). Individual survival was constant during our study (φ(1993) = 0.816 [SE 0.020]; φ(2009) = 0.815 [SE 0.019]), whereas recruitment declined slightly (f(1993) = 0.195 [SE 0.032]; f(2009) = 0.160 [SE 0.023]). Thus, we concluded that detection-nondetection data can provide reliable inferences on population trends, especially when funds preclude more intensive mark-recapture studies. © 2013 Society for Conservation Biology.

Dose reduction of risperidone and olanzapine and estimated dopamine D₂ receptor occupancy in stable patients with schizophrenia: findings from an open-label, randomized, controlled study.

PubMed

Takeuchi, Hiroyoshi; Suzuki, Takefumi; Bies, Robert R; Remington, Gary; Watanabe, Koichiro; Mimura, Masaru; Uchida, Hiroyuki

2014-11-01

While acute-phase antipsychotic response has been attributed to 65%-80% dopamine D₂ receptor blockade, the degree of occupancy for relapse prevention in the maintenance treatment of schizophrenia remains unknown. In this secondary study of an open-label, 28-week, randomized, controlled trial conducted between April 2009 and August 2011, clinically stable patients with schizophrenia (DSM-IV) treated with risperidone or olanzapine were randomly assigned to the reduction group (dose reduced by 50%) or maintenance group (dose kept constant). Plasma antipsychotic concentrations at peak and trough before and after dose reduction were estimated with population pharmacokinetic techniques, using 2 collected plasma samples. Corresponding dopamine D₂ occupancy levels were then estimated using the model we developed. Relapse was defined as worsening in 4 Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale-Positive subscale items: delusion, conceptual disorganization, hallucinatory behavior, and suspiciousness. Plasma antipsychotic concentrations were available for 16 and 15 patients in the reduction and maintenance groups, respectively. Estimated dopamine D₂ occupancy (mean ± SD) decreased following dose reduction from 75.6% ± 4.9% to 66.8% ± 6.4% at peak and 72.3% ± 5.7% to 62.0% ± 6.8% at trough. In the reduction group, 10 patients (62.5%) did not demonstrate continuous D₂ receptor blockade above 65% (ie, < 65% at trough) after dose reduction; furthermore, 7 patients (43.8%) did not achieve a threshold of 65% occupancy even at peak. Nonetheless, only 1 patient met our relapse criteria after dose reduction during the 6 months of the study. The results suggest that the therapeutic threshold regarding dopamine D₂ occupancy may be lower for those who are stable in antipsychotic maintenance versus acute-phase treatment. Positron emission tomography studies are warranted to further test our preliminary findings. UMIN Clinical Trials Registry identifier: UMIN000001834. © Copyright 2014 Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc.

Landscape and local effects on occupancy and densities of an endangered wood-warbler in an urbanizing landscape

Treesearch

Jennifer L. Reidy; Frank R. Thompson; Courtney Amundson; Lisa O' Donnell

2016-01-01

Context. Golden-cheeked warblers (Setophaga chrysoparia), an endangered wood-warbler, breed exclusively in woodlands co-dominated by Ashe juniper (Juniperus ashei) in central Texas. Their breeding range is becoming increasingly urbanized and habitat loss and fragmentation are a main threat to the species' viability....

Intelligent Exit-Selection Behaviors during a Room Evacuation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zarita, Zainuddin; Lim Eng, Aik

2012-01-01

A modified version of the existing cellular automata (CA) model is proposed to simulate an evacuation procedure in a classroom with and without obstacles. Based on the numerous literature on the implementation of CA in modeling evacuation motions, it is notable that most of the published studies do not take into account the pedestrian's ability to select the exit route in their models. To resolve these issues, we develop a CA model incorporating a probabilistic neural network for determining the decision-making ability of the pedestrians, and simulate an exit-selection phenomenon in the simulation. Intelligent exit-selection behavior is observed in our model. From the simulation results, it is observed that occupants tend to select the exit closest to them when the density is low, but if the density is high they will go to an alternative exit so as to avoid a long wait. This reflects the fact that occupants may not fully utilize multiple exits during evacuation. The improvement in our proposed model is valuable for further study and for upgrading the safety aspects of building designs.

No effects of power line frequency extremely low frequency electromagnetic field exposure on selected neurobehavior tests of workers inspecting transformers and distribution line stations versus controls.

PubMed

Li, Li; Xiong, De-fu; Liu, Jia-wen; Li, Zi-xin; Zeng, Guang-cheng; Li, Hua-liang

2014-03-01

We aimed to evaluate the interference of 50 Hz extremely low frequency electromagnetic field (ELF-EMF) occupational exposure on the neurobehavior tests of workers performing tour-inspection close to transformers and distribution power lines. Occupational short-term "spot" measurements were carried out. 310 inspection workers and 300 logistics staff were selected as exposure and control. The neurobehavior tests were performed through computer-based neurobehavior evaluation system, including mental arithmetic, curve coincide, simple visual reaction time, visual retention, auditory digit span and pursuit aiming. In 500 kV areas electric field intensity at 71.98% of total measured 590 spots were above 5 kV/m (national occupational standard), while in 220 kV areas electric field intensity at 15.69% of total 701 spots were above 5 kV/m. Magnetic field flux density at all the spots was below 1,000 μT (ICNIRP occupational standard). The neurobehavior score changes showed no statistical significance. Results of neurobehavior tests among different age, seniority groups showed no significant changes. Neurobehavior changes caused by daily repeated ELF-EMF exposure were not observed in the current study.

Occupational exposure to electromagnetic fields from medical sources

PubMed Central

STAM, Rianne; YAMAGUCHI-SEKINO, Sachiko

2017-01-01

High exposures to electromagnetic fields (EMF) can occur near certain medical devices in the hospital environment. A systematic assessment of medical occupational EMF exposure could help to clarify where more attention to occupational safety may be needed. This paper seeks to identify sources of high exposure for hospital workers and compare the published exposure data to occupational limits in the European Union. A systematic search for peer-reviewed publications was conducted via PubMed and Scopus databases. Relevant grey literature was collected via a web search. For each publication, the highest measured magnetic flux density or internal electric field strength per device and main frequency component was extracted. For low frequency fields, high action levels may be exceeded for magnetic stimulation, MRI gradient fields and movement in MRI static fields. For radiofrequency fields, the action levels may be exceeded near devices for diathermy, electrosurgery and hyperthermia and in the radiofrequency field inside MRI scanners. The exposure limit values for internal electric field may be exceeded for MRI and magnetic stimulation. For MRI and magnetic stimulation, practical measures can limit worker exposure. For diathermy, electrosurgery and hyperthermia, additional calculations are necessary to determine if SAR limits may be exceeded in some scenarios. PMID:29109357

Floquet Engineering of Correlated Tunneling in the Bose-Hubbard Model with Ultracold Atoms.

PubMed

Meinert, F; Mark, M J; Lauber, K; Daley, A J; Nägerl, H-C

2016-05-20

We report on the experimental implementation of tunable occupation-dependent tunneling in a Bose-Hubbard system of ultracold atoms via time-periodic modulation of the on-site interaction energy. The tunneling rate is inferred from a time-resolved measurement of the lattice site occupation after a quantum quench. We demonstrate coherent control of the tunneling dynamics in the correlated many-body system, including full suppression of tunneling as predicted within the framework of Floquet theory. We find that the tunneling rate explicitly depends on the atom number difference in neighboring lattice sites. Our results may open up ways to realize artificial gauge fields that feature density dependence with ultracold atoms.

Reformulation of Density Functional Theory for N-Representable Densities and the Resolution of the v-Representability Problem

DOE PAGES

Gonis, A.; Zhang, X. G.; Stocks, G. M.; ...

2015-10-23

Density functional theory for the case of general, N-representable densities is reformulated in terms of density functional derivatives of expectation values of operators evaluated with wave functions leading to a density, making no reference to the concept of potential. The developments provide a complete solution of the v-representability problem by establishing a mathematical procedure that determines whether a density is v-representable and in the case of an affirmative answer determines the potential (within an additive constant) as a derivative with respect to the density of a constrained search functional. It also establishes the existence of an energy functional of themore » density that, for v-representable densities, assumes its minimum value at the density describing the ground state of an interacting many-particle system. The theorems of Hohenberg and Kohn emerge as special cases of the formalism.« less

High-current-density electrodeposition using pulsed and constant currents to produce thick CoPt magnetic films on silicon substrates

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ewing, Jacob; Wang, Yuzheng; Arnold, David P.

2018-05-01

This paper investigates methods for electroplating thick (>20 μm), high-coercivity CoPt films using high current densities (up to 1 A/cm2) and elevated bath temperatures (70 °C). Correlations are made tying current-density and temperature process parameters with plating rate, elemental ratio and magnetic properties of the deposited CoPt films. It also investigates how pulsed currents can increase the plating rate and film to substrate adhesion. Using 500 mA/cm2 and constant current, high-quality, dense CoPt films were successfully electroplated up to 20 μm thick in 1 hr on silicon substrates (0.35 μm/min plating rate). After standard thermal treatment (675°C, 30 min) to achieve the ordered L10 crystalline phase, strong magnetic properties were measured: coercivities up 850 kA/m, remanences >0.5 T, and maximum energy products up to 46 kJ/m3.

Collision cross sections of N2 by H+ impact at keV energies within time-dependent density-functional theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, W.; Gao, C.-Z.; Zhang, Y.; Zhang, F. S.; Hutton, R.; Zou, Y.; Wei, B.

2018-03-01

We calculate electron capture and ionization cross sections of N2 impacted by the H+ projectile at keV energies. To this end, we employ the time-dependent density-functional theory coupled nonadiabatically to molecular dynamics. To avoid the explicit treatment of the complex density matrix in the calculation of cross sections, we propose an approximate method based on the assumption of constant ionization rate over the period of the projectile passing the absorbing boundary. Our results agree reasonably well with experimental data and semi-empirical results within the measurement uncertainties in the considered energy range. The discrepancies are mainly attributed to the inadequate description of exchange-correlation functional and the crude approximation for constant ionization rate. Although the present approach does not predict the experiments quantitatively for collision energies below 10 keV, it is still helpful to calculate total cross sections of ion-molecule collisions within a certain energy range.

The dynamics of oceanic fronts. I - The Gulf Stream

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kao, T. W.

1980-01-01

The establishment and maintenance of the mean hydrographic properties of large-scale density fronts in the upper ocean is considered. The dynamics is studied by posing an initial value problem starting with a near-surface discharge of buoyant water with a prescribed density deficit into an ambient stationary fluid of uniform density; full time dependent diffusion and Navier-Stokes equations are then used with constant eddy diffusion and viscosity coefficients, together with a constant Coriolis parameter. Scaling analysis reveals three independent scales of the problem including the radius of deformation of the inertial length, buoyancy length, and diffusive length scales. The governing equations are then suitably scaled and the resulting normalized equations are shown to depend on the Ekman number alone for problems of oceanic interest. It is concluded that the mean Gulf Stream dynamics can be interpreted in terms of a solution of the Navier-Stokes and diffusion equations, with the cross-stream circulation responsible for the maintenance of the front; this mechanism is suggested for the maintenance of the Gulf Stream dynamics.

An improved exceedance theory for combined random stresses

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lester, H. C.

1974-01-01

An extension is presented of Rice's classic solution for the exceedances of a constant level by a single random process to its counterpart for an n-dimensional vector process. An interaction boundary, analogous to the constant level considered by Rice for the one-dimensional case, is assumed in the form of a hypersurface. The theory for the numbers of boundary exceedances is developed by using a joint statistical approach which fully accounts for all cross-correlation effects. An exact expression is derived for the n-dimensional exceedance density function, which is valid for an arbitrary interaction boundary. For application to biaxial states of combined random stress, the general theory is reduced to the two-dimensional case. An elliptical stress interaction boundary is assumed and the exact expression for the density function is presented. The equations are expressed in a format which facilitates calculating the exceedances by numerically evaluating a line integral. The behavior of the density function for the two-dimensional case is briefly discussed.

Ab initio calculation of the deprotonation constants of an atomistically defined nanometer-sized, aluminium hydroxide oligomer

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

Wander, Matthew C. F.; Shuford, Kevin L.; Rustad, James R.

Aluminium possesses significant and diverse chemistry. Numerous compounds have been defined, and the elucidation of their chemistry is of significant geochemical interest. In this paper, a brucite-like, eight-aluminium aqueous cluster is modelled with density functional theory to identify its primary site of deprotonation and the associated pK(a) constant using both explicit (a full first solvent shell) and implicit solvent. Two methods for calculating the pK(a) are compared. We found that a bond density approach is better than a direct energy calculation for ions with large charge and high symmetry. The terminal aluminium atoms have equatorial ligated waters that in solventmore » have one long O-H bond. This site is more reactive than any of the other protons on the particle. Insights into the experimental crystal structure and Bader's Atoms in Molecules density analysis are presented as routes to reduce the computational time required for the identification of protonation sites.« less

Notch-Boosted Domain Wall Propagation in Magnetic Nanowires

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Xiang Rong; Yuan, Hauiyang

Magnetic domain wall (DW) motion along a nanowire underpins many proposals of spintronic devices. High DW propagation velocity is obviously important because it determines the device speed. Thus it is interesting to search for effective control knobs of DW dynamics. We report a counter-intuitive finding that notches in an otherwise homogeneous magnetic nanowire can boost current-induced domain wall (DW) propagation. DW motion in notch-modulated wires can be classified into three phases: 1) A DW is pinned around a notch when the current density is below the depinning current density. 2) DW propagation velocity above the depinning current density is boosted by notches when non-adiabatic spin-transfer torque strength is smaller than the Gilbert damping constant. The boost can be many-fold. 3) DW propagation velocity is hindered when non-adiabatic spin-transfer torque strength is larger than the Gilbert damping constant. This work was supported by Hong Kong GRF Grants (Nos. 163011151 and 605413) and the Grant from NNSF of China (No. 11374249).

The maximum entropy production and maximum Shannon information entropy in enzyme kinetics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dobovišek, Andrej; Markovič, Rene; Brumen, Milan; Fajmut, Aleš

2018-04-01

We demonstrate that the maximum entropy production principle (MEPP) serves as a physical selection principle for the description of the most probable non-equilibrium steady states in simple enzymatic reactions. A theoretical approach is developed, which enables maximization of the density of entropy production with respect to the enzyme rate constants for the enzyme reaction in a steady state. Mass and Gibbs free energy conservations are considered as optimization constraints. In such a way computed optimal enzyme rate constants in a steady state yield also the most uniform probability distribution of the enzyme states. This accounts for the maximal Shannon information entropy. By means of the stability analysis it is also demonstrated that maximal density of entropy production in that enzyme reaction requires flexible enzyme structure, which enables rapid transitions between different enzyme states. These results are supported by an example, in which density of entropy production and Shannon information entropy are numerically maximized for the enzyme Glucose Isomerase.

Is the continuous matter creation cosmology an alternative to ΛCDM?

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

Fabris, J.C.; Pacheco, J.A. de Freitas; Piattella, O.F., E-mail: fabris@pq.cnpq.br, E-mail: pacheco@oca.eu, E-mail: oliver.piattella@pq.cnpq.br

2014-06-01

The matter creation cosmology is revisited, including the evolution of baryons and dark matter particles. The creation process affects only dark matter and not baryons. The dynamics of the ΛCDM model can be reproduced only if two conditions are satisfied: 1) the entropy density production rate and the particle density variation rate are equal and 2) the (negative) pressure associated to the creation process is constant. However, the matter creation model predicts a present dark matter-to-baryon ratio much larger than that observed in massive X-ray clusters of galaxies, representing a potential difficulty for the model. In the linear regime, amore » fully relativistic treatment indicates that baryons are not affected by the creation process but this is not the case for dark matter. Both components evolve together at early phases but lately the dark matter density contrast decreases since the background tends to a constant value. This behaviour produces a negative growth factor, in disagreement with observations, being a further problem for this cosmology.« less

Calculation of Weibull strength parameters, Batdorf flaw density constants and related statistical quantities using PC-CARES

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Szatmary, Steven A.; Gyekenyesi, John P.; Nemeth, Noel N.

1990-01-01

This manual describes the operation and theory of the PC-CARES (Personal Computer-Ceramic Analysis and Reliability Evaluation of Structures) computer program for the IBM PC and compatibles running PC-DOS/MS-DOR OR IBM/MS-OS/2 (version 1.1 or higher) operating systems. The primary purpose of this code is to estimate Weibull material strength parameters, the Batdorf crack density coefficient, and other related statistical quantities. Included in the manual is the description of the calculation of shape and scale parameters of the two-parameter Weibull distribution using the least-squares analysis and maximum likelihood methods for volume- and surface-flaw-induced fracture in ceramics with complete and censored samples. The methods for detecting outliers and for calculating the Kolmogorov-Smirnov and the Anderson-Darling goodness-of-fit statistics and 90 percent confidence bands about the Weibull line, as well as the techniques for calculating the Batdorf flaw-density constants are also described.

A Novel Method for Measuring Electrical Conductivity of High Insulating Oil Using Charge Decay

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Z. Q.; Qi, P.; Wang, D. S.; Wang, Y. D.; Zhou, W.

2016-05-01

For the high insulating oil, it is difficult to measure the conductivity precisely using voltammetry method. A high-precision measurementis proposed for measuring bulk electrical conductivity of high insulating oils (about 10-9--10-15S/m) using charge decay. The oil is insulated and charged firstly, and then grounded fully. During the experimental procedure, charge decay is observed to show an exponential law according to "Ohm" theory. The data of time dependence of charge density is automatically recorded using an ADAS and a computer. Relaxation time constant is fitted from the data using Gnuplot software. The electrical conductivity is calculated using relaxation time constant and dielectric permittivity. Charge density is substituted by electric potential, considering charge density is difficult to measure. The conductivity of five kinds of oils is measured. Using this method, the conductivity of diesel oil is easily measured to beas low as 0.961 pS/m, as shown in Fig. 5.

Phase transformations of 4,4'-biphenyldicarboxylic acid on Cu(001)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schwarz, Daniel; van Gastel, Raoul; Zandvliet, Harold J. W.; Poelsema, Bene

2012-06-01

The growth and structure of 4,4'-biphenyldicarboxylic-acid (BDA) on Cu(001) at temperatures between 300 and 400 K was studied by low energy electron microscopy and μ-LEED. First, the adsorbed BDA molecules form a disordered dilute phase. Once this phase reaches a sufficiently high density, a crystalline phase nucleates, in which the molecules form a hydrogen-bonded two-dimensional (2D) supramolecular c(8×8) network. By a careful analysis of the bright-field image intensity, we can measure the density in the dilute phase, which is up to 30% of that in the crystalline phase. From the respective equilibrium densities at different temperatures, we determine the 2D phase diagram and extract a cohesive energy of 0.35 eV. We also analyze the island decay behavior and estimate the BDA molecule diffusion constants. Steps are found to be highly transparent for diffusing BDA molecules. In the temperature range of 362-400 K, we find chemical diffusion constants between 850-1700nm2s-1.

Modeling the subfilter scalar variance for large eddy simulation in forced isotropic turbulence

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheminet, Adam; Blanquart, Guillaume

2011-11-01

Static and dynamic model for the subfilter scalar variance in homogeneous isotropic turbulence are investigated using direct numerical simulations (DNS) of a lineary forced passive scalar field. First, we introduce a new scalar forcing technique conditioned only on the scalar field which allows the fluctuating scalar field to reach a statistically stationary state. Statistical properties, including 2nd and 3rd statistical moments, spectra, and probability density functions of the scalar field have been analyzed. Using this technique, we performed constant density and variable density DNS of scalar mixing in isotropic turbulence. The results are used in an a-priori study of scalar variance models. Emphasis is placed on further studying the dynamic model introduced by G. Balarac, H. Pitsch and V. Raman [Phys. Fluids 20, (2008)]. Scalar variance models based on Bedford and Yeo's expansion are accurate for small filter width but errors arise in the inertial subrange. Results suggest that a constant coefficient computed from an assumed Kolmogorov spectrum is often sufficient to predict the subfilter scalar variance.

Mars - VLA observations of the northern hemisphere and the north polar region at wavelengths of 2 and 6 cm

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rudy, Donald J.; Muhleman, Duane O.; Berge, Glenn L.; Jakosky, Bruce M.; Christensen, Philip R.

1987-01-01

Calculations based on 2- and 6-cm observations of Mars with the A configuration of the VLA have yielded a whole-disk effective dielectric constant of 2.34 + or - 0.05, implying a subsurface density of 1.24 + or - 0.11 g/cu cm at 2 cm, as well as 1.45 + or - 0.10 g/cu cm effective density and 2.70 + or - 0.10 dielectric constant at 6 cm. These parameters have also been estimated as a function of latitude over the 15 deg S - 60 deg N range; subsurface radio absorption length was estimated to be about 15 wavelengths at most of these latitudes. Most of the subsurface density calculations yielded results in the 1-2-g/cu cm range, implying that the subsurface is not very different from the surface observed by Viking and Mariner spacecraft; the decrease in correlation with depth is in keeping with slow variation of the subsurface in the near-subsurface region.

Modeling of the thermal physical process and study on the reliability of linear energy density for selective laser melting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xiang, Zhaowei; Yin, Ming; Dong, Guanhua; Mei, Xiaoqin; Yin, Guofu

2018-06-01

A finite element model considering volume shrinkage with powder-to-dense process of powder layer in selective laser melting (SLM) is established. Comparison between models that consider and do not consider volume shrinkage or powder-to-dense process is carried out. Further, parametric analysis of laser power and scan speed is conducted and the reliability of linear energy density as a design parameter is investigated. The results show that the established model is an effective method and has better accuracy allowing for the temperature distribution, and the length and depth of molten pool. The maximum temperature is more sensitive to laser power than scan speed. The maximum heating rate and cooling rate increase with increasing scan speed at constant laser power and increase with increasing laser power at constant scan speed as well. The simulation results and experimental result reveal that linear energy density is not always reliable using as a design parameter in the SLM.

Influence of housing characteristics on bacterial and fungal communities in homes of asthmatic children.

PubMed

Dannemiller, K C; Gent, J F; Leaderer, B P; Peccia, J

2016-04-01

Variations in home characteristics, such as moisture and occupancy, affect indoor microbial ecology as well as human exposure to microorganisms. Our objective was to determine how indoor bacterial and fungal community structure and diversity are associated with the broader home environment and its occupants. Next-generation DNA sequencing was used to describe fungal and bacterial communities in house dust sampled from 198 homes of asthmatic children in southern New England. Housing characteristics included number of people/children, level of urbanization, single/multifamily home, reported mold, reported water leaks, air conditioning (AC) use, and presence of pets. Both fungal and bacterial community structures were non-random and demonstrated species segregation (C-score, P < 0.00001). Increased microbial richness was associated with the presence of pets, water leaks, longer AC use, suburban (vs. urban) homes, and dust composition measures (P < 0.05). The most significant differences in community composition were observed for AC use and occupancy (people, children, and pets) characteristics. Occupant density measures were associated with beneficial bacterial taxa, including Lactobacillus johnsonii as measured by qPCR. A more complete knowledge of indoor microbial communities is useful for linking housing characteristics to human health outcomes. Microbial assemblies in house dust result, in part, from the building's physical and occupant characteristics. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

A tale of two sites: On defining the carrier concentration in garnet-based ionic conductors for advanced Li batteries

DOE PAGES

Thompson, Travis; Sharafi, Asma; Johannes, Michelle D.; ...

2015-03-21

Solid electrolytes based on the garnet crystal structure have recently been identified as a promising material to enable advance Li battery cell chemistries because of the unprecedented combination of high ionic conductivity and electrochemical stability against metallic Li. To better understand the mechanisms that give rise to high conductivity, the goal of this work is to correlate Li site occupancy with Li-ion transport. Toward this goal, the Li site occupancy is studied in cubic garnet as a function of Li concentration over the compositions range: Li 7-xLa 3Zr 2-xTa xO 12 (x = 0.5, 0.75, and 1.5). The distribution ofmore » Li between the two interstitial sites (24d and 96h) is determined using neutron and synchrotron diffraction. The bulk conductivity is measured on >97% relative density polycrystalline specimens to correlate Li-ion transport as a function of Li site occupancy. It is determined that the conductivity changes nonlinearly with the occupancy of the octahedral (96h) Li site. It is shown that the effective carrier concentration is dependent on the Li site occupancy and suggests that this is a consequence of significant carrier-carrier coulombic interactions. Moreover, the observation of maximum conductivity near Li = 6.5 mol is explained.« less

Leukemia after exposure to benzene: temporal trends and implications for standards.

PubMed

Finkelstein, M M

2000-07-01

Benzene is a human leukemogen. Risk assessment, and the setting of occupational and environmental standards, has assumed that risk is constant in time after a unit of exposure. Leukemia risk is known to vary with time after exposure to ionizing radiation. A matched case-control study of leukemia risk in relation to the temporal pattern of benzene exposures was performed using data from the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health. Leukemia risk following exposure to benzene varied with time in a manner similar to that following exposure to ionizing radiation. More recent exposures were more strongly associated with risk than were more distant ones. There was no significant relation between leukemia death and benzene exposures incurred more than 20 years previously. Recent analyses of specific occupational and environmental carcinogens, including benzene and radon, have indicated that cancer risk tends to decline as the time from exposure increases. This suggests that standards for the control of occupational or public risk must be selected to control exposures over a narrower time frame than the usual lifetime one. In the case of benzene, it would appear that risk is attributable primarily to exposures incurred during the previous 10 to 20 years, with exposures in the most recent 10 years being the most potent. To limit risk, exposures must be controlled during that interval. It is important that epidemiologists explore the temporal pattern of risk in their studies to facilitate the risk assessment of other carcinogens. Copyright 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Simulated Cytoskeletal Collapse via Tau Degradation

PubMed Central

Sendek, Austin; Fuller, Henry R.; Hayre, N. Robert; Singh, Rajiv R. P.; Cox, Daniel L.

2014-01-01

We present a coarse-grained two dimensional mechanical model for the microtubule-tau bundles in neuronal axons in which we remove taus, as can happen in various neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimers disease, tauopathies, and chronic traumatic encephalopathy. Our simplified model includes (i) taus modeled as entropic springs between microtubules, (ii) removal of taus from the bundles due to phosphorylation, and (iii) a possible depletion force between microtubules due to these dissociated phosphorylated taus. We equilibrate upon tau removal using steepest descent relaxation. In the absence of the depletion force, the transverse rigidity to radial compression of the bundles falls to zero at about 60% tau occupancy, in agreement with standard percolation theory results. However, with the attractive depletion force, spring removal leads to a first order collapse of the bundles over a wide range of tau occupancies for physiologically realizable conditions. While our simplest calculations assume a constant concentration of microtubule intercalants to mediate the depletion force, including a dependence that is linear in the detached taus yields the same collapse. Applying percolation theory to removal of taus at microtubule tips, which are likely to be the protective sites against dynamic instability, we argue that the microtubule instability can only obtain at low tau occupancy, from 0.06–0.30 depending upon the tau coordination at the microtubule tips. Hence, the collapse we discover is likely to be more robust over a wide range of tau occupancies than the dynamic instability. We suggest in vitro tests of our predicted collapse. PMID:25162587

[Natural history of occupational hearing loss induced by noise].

PubMed

de Almeida, S I; Albernaz, P L; Zaia, P A; Xavier, O G; Karazawa, E H

2000-01-01

To evaluate the clinical and audiometric characteristics of occupational hearing loss induced by noise, according to age and time of exposition in years. 222 patients with occupational sensorineural hearing loss induced by noise were studied retrospectively, correlating the auditive clinical claims, alterations of audiometric thresholds at frequencies of 250 Hz to 8000 Hz, speech discrimination indicator with age and time of exposure. As a control group were used the audiometric threshold of a population of same medium age, without morbid antecedents of hearing illness, as preconized by ISO 1999 (1990). The group were divided into subgroups and three decades of exposure were analyzed. It was verified that the clinical claims of hipoacusia increases according to the age and time of exposure. The frequency of tinnitus is constant. The audiometric thresholds in the second decade of exposure present variations that depend on the age. The several audiometric curves are parallel, but they are not horizontal. The worst thresholds were found in the high frequencies from 3000 Hz to 8000 Hz, as a clinical and physiopathological consequences of the commitment of basal areas of cochlea. The speech discrimination showed to be worst according to the increase of age and time of exposure. Patients with hearing loss disacusia induced by occupational noise present characteristic audiometric thresholds that vary according to age and time of exposure to noise. These characteristics defined and resumed in audiometric curves can constitute a standard of comparison, evaluation and control for exposed populations.

Return to work in multi-ethnic breast cancer survivors--a qualitative inquiry.

PubMed

Tan, Foo Lan; Loh, Siew Yim; Su, Tin Tin; Veloo, V W; Ng, Lee Luan

2012-01-01

Return-to-work (RTW) can be a problematic occupational issue with detrimental impact on the quality of life of previously-employed breast cancer survivors. This study explored barriers and facilitators encountered during the RTW process in the area of cancer survivorship. Six focus groups were conducted using a semi-structured interview guide on 40 informants (employed multiethnic survivors). Survivors were stratified into three groups for successfully RTW, and another three groups of survivors who were unable to return to work. Each of the three groups was ethnically homogeneous. Thematic analysis using a constant comparative approach was aided by in vivo software. Participants shared numerous barriers and facilitators which directly or interactively affect RTW. Key barriers were physical-psychological after-effects of treatment, fear of potential environment hazards, high physical job demand, intrusive negative thoughts and overprotective family. Key facilitators were social support, employer support, and regard for financial independence. Across ethnic groups, the main facilitators were financial-independence (for Chinese), and socialisation opportunity (for Malay). A key barrier was after-effects of treatment, expressed across all ethnic groups. Numerous barriers were identified in the non-RTW survivors. Health professionals and especially occupational therapists should be consulted to assist the increasing survivors by providing occupational rehabilitation to enhance RTW amongst employed survivors. Future research to identify prognostic factors can guide clinical efforts to restore cancer survivors to their desired level/type of occupational functioning for productivity and wellbeing.

GABA-benzodiazepine receptor function in alcohol dependence: a combined 11C-flumazenil PET and pharmacodynamic study.

PubMed

Lingford-Hughes, A R; Wilson, S J; Cunningham, V J; Feeney, A; Stevenson, B; Brooks, D J; Nutt, D J

2005-08-01

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-benzodiazepine receptor function is hypothesised to be reduced in alcohol dependence. We used positron emission tomography (PET) with [11C]flumazenil, a non-selective tracer for brain GABA-benzodiazepine (GABA-BDZ) receptor binding, to determine in vivo the relationship between BDZ receptor occupancy by an agonist, midazolam, and its functional effects. Abstinent male alcohol dependent subjects underwent [11C]flumazenil PET to measure occupancy of BDZ receptors by midazolam whilst recording its pharmacodynamic effects on behavioural and physiological measures. Rate constants describing the exchange of [11C]flumazenil between the plasma and brain compartments were derived from time activity curves. A 50% reduction in electroencephalography (EEG)-measured sleep time was seen in the alcohol dependent group despite the same degree of occupancy by midazolam as seen in the control group. The effects of midazolam on other measures of benzodiazepine receptor function, increasing EEG beta1 power and slowing of saccadic eye movements, were similar in the two groups. No differences in midazolam or flumazenil metabolism were found between the groups. In summary, our study suggests that alcohol dependence in man is associated with a reduced EEG sleep response to the benzodiazepine agonist, midazolam, which is not explained by reduced BDZ receptor occupancy, and is consistent with reduced sensitivity in this measure of GABA-BDZ receptor function in alcohol dependence. The lack of change in other functional measures may reflect a differential involvement of particular subtypes of the GABA-BDZ receptor.

Bianchi type-I universe in Lyra manifold with quadratic equation of state

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Şen, R.; Aygün, S.

2017-02-01

In this study, we have solved Einstein field equations for Bianchi type I universe model in Lyra manifold with quadratic equation of state (EoS) p = ap(t)2 - ρ(t). Where α ≠0 is an important constant. Cosmic pressure, density and displacement vector (β2) are related with α constant. In this study β2 is a decreasing function of time and behaves like a cosmological constant. These solutions agree with the studies of Halford, Pradhan and Singh, Aygün et al., Agarwal et al., Yadav and Haque as well as SN Ia observations.

Vibrational properties of TaW alloy using modified embedded atom method potential

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

Chand, Manesh, E-mail: maneshchand@gmail.com; Uniyal, Shweta; Joshi, Subodh

2016-05-06

Force-constants up to second neighbours of pure transition metal Ta and TaW alloy are determined using the modified embedded atom method (MEAM) potential. The obtained force-constants are used to calculate the phonon dispersion of pure Ta and TaW alloy. As a further application of MEAM potential, the force-constants are used to calculate the local vibrational density of states and mean square thermal displacements of pure Ta and W impurity atoms with Green’s function method. The calculated results are found to be in agreement with the experimental measurements.

Occupancy and abundance of wintering birds in a dynamic agricultural landscape

USGS Publications Warehouse

Miller, Mark W.; Pearlstine, Elise V.; Dorazio, Robert M.; Mazzotti, Frank J.

2011-01-01

Assessing wildlife management action requires monitoring populations, and abundance often is the parameter monitored. Recent methodological advances have enabled estimation of mean abundance within a habitat using presence–absence or count data obtained via repeated visits to a sample of sites. These methods assume populations are closed and intuitively assume habitats within sites change little during a field season. However, many habitats are highly variable over short periods. We developed a variation of existing occupancy and abundance models that allows for extreme spatio-temporal differences in habitat, and resulting changes in wildlife abundance, among sites and among visits to a site within a field season. We conducted our study in sugarcane habitat within the Everglades Agricultural Area southeast of Lake Okeechobee in south Florida. We counted wintering birds, primarily passerines, within 245 sites usually 5 times at each site during December 2006–March 2007. We estimated occupancy and mean abundance of birds in 6 vegetation states during the sugarcane harvest and allowed these parameters to vary temporally or spatially within a vegetation state. Occupancy and mean abundance of the common yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) was affected by structure of sugarcane and uncultivated edge vegetation (occupancy=1.00 [95%CĪ=0.96–1.00] and mean abundance=7.9 [95%CĪ=3.2–19.5] in tall sugarcane with tall edge vegetation versus 0.20 [95%CĪ=0.04–0.71] and 0.22 [95%CĪ=0.04–1.2], respectively, in short sugarcane with short edge vegetation in one half of the study area). Occupancy and mean abundance of palm warblers (Dendroica palmarum) were constant (occupancy=1.00, 95%CĪ=0.69–1.00; mean abundance=18, 95%CĪ=1–270). Our model may enable wildlife managers to assess rigorously effects of future edge habitat management on avian distribution and abundance within agricultural landscapes during winter or the breeding season. The model may also help wildlife managers make similar management decisions involving other dynamic habitats such as wetlands, prairies, and even forested areas if forest management or fires occur during the field season.

Occupancy and abundance of wintering birds in a dynamic agricultural landscape

USGS Publications Warehouse

Miller, M.W.; Pearlstine, E.V.; Dorazio, R.M.; Mazzotti, F.J.

2011-01-01

Assessing wildlife management action requires monitoring populations, and abundance often is the parameter monitored. Recent methodological advances have enabled estimation of mean abundance within a habitat using presence-absence or count data obtained via repeated visits to a sample of sites. These methods assume populations are closed and intuitively assume habitats within sites change little during a field season. However, many habitats are highly variable over short periods. We developed a variation of existing occupancy and abundance models that allows for extreme spatio-temporal differences in habitat, and resulting changes in wildlife abundance, among sites and among visits to a site within a field season. We conducted our study in sugarcane habitat within the Everglades Agricultural Area southeast of Lake Okeechobee in south Florida. We counted wintering birds, primarily passerines, within 245 sites usually 5 times at each site during December 2006-March 2007. We estimated occupancy and mean abundance of birds in 6 vegetation states during the sugarcane harvest and allowed these parameters to vary temporally or spatially within a vegetation state. Occupancy and mean abundance of the common yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) was affected by structure of sugarcane and uncultivated edge vegetation (occupancy = 1.00 [95%C?? = 0.96-1.00] and mean abundance = 7.9 [95%C?? = 3.2-19.5] in tall sugarcane with tall edge vegetation versus 0.20 [95%C?? = 0.04-0.71] and 0.22 [95%C?? = 0.04-1.2], respectively, in short sugarcane with short edge vegetation in one half of the study area). Occupancy and mean abundance of palm warblers (Dendroica palmarum) were constant (occupancy = 1.00, 95%C?? = 0.69-1.00; mean abundance = 18, 95%C?? = 1-270). Our model may enable wildlife managers to assess rigorously effects of future edge habitat management on avian distribution and abundance within agricultural landscapes during winter or the breeding season. The model may also help wildlife managers make similar management decisions involving other dynamic habitats such as wetlands, prairies, and even forested areas if forest management or fires occur during the field season. ?? 2011 The Wildlife Society.

Ethical considerations of worksite health promotion: an exploration of stakeholders’ views

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Developing, implementing and evaluating worksite health promotion requires dealing with all stakeholders involved, such as employers, employees, occupational physicians, insurance companies, providers, labour unions and research and knowledge institutes. Although worksite health promotion is becoming more common, empirical research on ethical considerations of worksite health promotion is scarce. Methods We explored the views of stakeholders involved in worksite health promotion in focus group discussions and we described the ethical considerations that result from differences between these views. The focus group discussions were organised per stakeholder group. Data were analysed according to the constant comparison method. Results Our analyses show that although the definition of occupational health is the same for all stakeholders, namely ‘being able to perform your job’, there seem to be important differences in the views on what constitutes a risk factor to occupational health. According to the employees, risk factors to occupational health are prevailingly job-related. Labour unions agree with them, but other stakeholders, including the employer, particularly see employee-related issues such as lifestyle behaviour as risk factors to occupational health. The difference in definition of occupational health risk factors translates into the same categorisation of worksite health promotion; employee-related activities and work-related activities. The difference in conceptualisation of occupational health risk factors and worksite health promotion resonates in the way stakeholders understand ‘responsibility’ for lifestyle behaviour. Even though all stakeholders agree on whose responsibility lifestyle behaviour is, namely that of the employee, the meaning of ‘responsibility’ differs between employees, and employers. For employees, responsibility means autonomy, while for employers and other stakeholders, responsibility equals duty. This difference may in turn contribute to ambivalent relationships between stakeholders. Conclusion All stakeholders, including employees, should be given a voice in developing, implementing and evaluating worksite health promotion. Moreover, since stakeholders agree on lifestyle being the responsibility of the employee, but disagree on what this responsibility means (duty versus autonomy), it is of utmost importance to examine the discourse of stakeholders. This way, ambivalence in relationships between stakeholders could be prevented. PMID:24886339

Charge Trapping in Interface Doped MNOS Structures.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-07-01

Current density 55 0 JN Current density in nitride at gate 55 k Boltzmann’s constant: 1.38 x 10-23 joule /0K 85 m Effective mass of carrier 89 xi MIS...Trap Barrier Lowering by Applied Field: Poole-Frenkel Effect 90 vi Figure 3- 2: Thermally Stimulated Current System 92 Figure 3- 3: TSC Curves from a...Tungsten Atomic Concentration vs Effective Thickness 175 ix List of Tables Table 1-1: Trap Energy Levels and Spatial Densities 31 Table 2-1: Device

Breeding birds in managed forests on public conservation lands in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley

USGS Publications Warehouse

Twedt, Daniel J.; Wilson, R. Randy

2017-01-01

Managers of public conservation lands in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley have implemented forest management strategies to improve bottomland hardwood habitat for target wildlife species. Through implementation of various silvicultural practices, forest managers have sought to attain forest structural conditions (e.g., canopy cover, basal area, etc.) within values postulated to benefit wildlife. We evaluated data from point count surveys of breeding birds on 180 silviculturally treated stands (1049 counts) that ranged from 1 to 20 years post-treatment and 134 control stands (676 counts) that had not been harvested for >20 years. Birds detected during 10-min counts were recorded within four distance classes and three time intervals. Avian diversity was greater on treated stands than on unharvested stands. Of 42 commonly detected species, six species including Prothonotary Warbler (Prothonotaria citrea) and Acadian Flycatcher (Empidonax virescens) were indicative of control stands. Similarly, six species including Indigo Bunting (Passerina cyanea) and Yellow-breasted Chat (Icteria virens) were indicative of treated stands. Using a removal model to assess probability of detection, we evaluated occupancy of bottomland forests at two spatial scales (stands and points within occupied stands). Wildlife-forestry treatment improved predictive models of species occupancy for 18 species. We found years post treatment (range = 1–20), total basal area, and overstory canopy were important species-specific predictors of occupancy, whereas variability in basal area was not. In addition, we used a removal model to estimate species-specific probability of availability for detection, and a distance model to estimate effective detection radius. We used these two estimated parameters to derive species densities and 95% confidence intervals for treated and unharvested stands. Avian densities differed between treated and control stands for 16 species, but only Common Yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) and Yellow-breasted Chat had greater densities on treated stands.

Extra compressibility terms for Favre-averaged two-equation models of inhomogeneous turbulent flows

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rubesin, Morris W.

1990-01-01

Forms of extra-compressibility terms that result from use of Favre averaging of the turbulence transport equations for kinetic energy and dissipation are derived. These forms introduce three new modeling constants, a polytropic coefficient that defines the interrelationships of the pressure, density, and enthalpy fluctuations and two constants in the dissipation equation that account for the non-zero pressure-dilitation and mean pressure gradients.

Ion energy distribution and gas heating in the cathode fall of a direct-current microdischarge

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

Ito, Tsuyohito; Cappelli, Mark A.

2006-04-15

This paper reports on measurements of the ion energy distribution (IED) at the cathode of an argon dc microdischarge using energy-resolved molecular beam mass spectrometry. The measurements are conducted at a fixed pressure-electrode separation product (pd) of 1 cm Torr with a maximum discharge pressure of 20 Torr. The measured IED is compared to the theory of Davis and Vanderslice [W. D. Davis and T. A. Vanderslice, Phys. Rev. 131, 219 (1963)]. A higher pressure in a case of almost constant normalized current densities by pressure (Jp{sup -2}=0.080{+-}0.006 mAecm{sup -2} Torr{sup -2}) yields a lower ratio of the ion meanmore » free path to the sheath thickness. The results in almost constant Jp{sup -2} case then indicate that a scaling law of Jp{sup -2} is no longer applicable for IED of microdischarge. Expected background gaseous temperatures from IEDs with the collisional Child law have reasonable increasing with increased current density (J) in both cases of almost constant Jp{sup -2} and a constant pressure of 10 Torr. Supported by temperature measurement by laser absorption spectroscopy, it is demonstrated that the expanded theory might be applicable also to microdischarges (Ar{approx}20 Torr) with temperature adjusting.« less

Partial compilation and revision of basic data in the WATEQ programs

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nordstrom, D. Kirk; Valentine, S.D.; Ball, J.W.; Plummer, Niel; Jones, B.F.

1984-01-01

Several portions of the basic data in the WATEQ series of computer programs (WATEQ, WATEQF, WATEQ2, WATEQ3, and PHREEQE) are compiled. The density and dielectric constant of water and their temperature dependence are evaluated for the purpose of updating the Debye-Huckel solvent parameters in the activity coefficient equations. The standard state thermodynamic properties of the Fe2+ and Fe3+ aqueous ions are refined. The main portion of this report is a comprehensive listing of aluminum hydrolysis constants, aluminum fluoride, aluminum sulfate, calcium chloride, magnesium chloride, potassium sulfate and sodium sulfate stability constants, solubility product constants for gibbsite and amorphous aluminum hydroxide, and the standard electrode potentials for Fe (s)/Fe2+(aq) and Fe2 +(aq)/Fe3+(aq). (USGS)

Thermo-acoustical molecular interaction study in binary mixtures of glycerol and ethylene glycol

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kaur, Kirandeep; Juglan, K. C.; Kumar, Harsh

2017-07-01

Ultrasonic velocity, density and viscosity are measured over the entire composition range for binary liquid mixtures of glycerol (CH2OH-CHOH-CH2OH) and ethylene glycol (HOCH2CH2OH) at different temperatures and constant frequency of 2MHz using ultrasonic interferometer, specific gravity bottle and viscometer respectively. Measured experimental values are used to obtained various acoustical parameters such as adiabatic compressibility, acoustic impedance, intermolecular free length, relaxation time, ultrasonic attenuation, effective molar weight, free volume, available volume, molar volume, Wada's constant, Rao's constant, Vander Waal's constant, internal pressure, Gibb's free energy and enthalpy. The variation in acoustical parameters are interpreted in terms of molecular interactions between the components of molecules of binary liquid mixtures.

Constant-concentration boundary condition: Lessons from the HYDROCOIN variable-density groundwater benchmark problem

USGS Publications Warehouse

Konikow, Leonard F.; Sanford, W.E.; Campbell, P.J.

1997-01-01

In a solute-transport model, if a constant-concentration boundary condition is applied at a node in an active flow field, a solute flux can occur by both advective and dispersive processes. The potential for advective release is demonstrated by reexamining the Hydrologic Code Intercomparison (HYDROCOIN) project case 5 problem, which represents a salt dome overlain by a shallow groundwater system. The resulting flow field includes significant salinity and fluid density variations. Several independent teams simulated this problem using finite difference or finite element numerical models. We applied a method-of-characteristics model (MOCDENSE). The previous numerical implementations by HYDROCOIN teams of a constant-concentration boundary to represent salt release by lateral dispersion only (as stipulated in the original problem definition) was flawed because this boundary condition allows the release of salt into the flow field by both dispersion and advection. When the constant-concentration boundary is modified to allow salt release by dispersion only, significantly less salt is released into the flow field. The calculated brine distribution for case 5 depends very little on which numerical model is used, as long as the selected model is solving the proper equations. Instead, the accuracy of the solution depends strongly on the proper conceptualization of the problem, including the detailed design of the constant-concentration boundary condition. The importance and sensitivity to the manner of specification of this boundary does not appear to have been recognized previously in the analysis of this problem.

Interdependence of different symmetry energy elements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mondal, C.; Agrawal, B. K.; De, J. N.; Samaddar, S. K.; Centelles, M.; Viñas, X.

2017-08-01

Relations between the nuclear symmetry energy coefficient and its density derivatives are derived. The relations hold for a class of interactions with quadratic momentum dependence and a power-law density dependence. The structural connection between the different symmetry energy elements as obtained seems to be followed by almost all reasonable nuclear energy density functionals, both relativistic and nonrelativistic, suggesting a universality in the correlation structure. This, coupled with known values of some well-accepted constants related to nuclear matter, helps in constraining values of different density derivatives of the nuclear symmetry energy, shedding light on the isovector part of the nuclear interaction.

Galaxy-galaxy lensing in the Dark Energy Survey Science Verification data

DOE PAGES

Clampitt, J.; S?nchez, C.; Kwan, J.; ...

2016-11-22

We present galaxy-galaxy lensing results from 139 square degrees of Dark Energy Survey (DES) Science Verification (SV) data. Our lens sample consists of red galaxies, known as redMaGiC, which are specifically selected to have a low photometric redshift error and outlier rate. The lensing measurement has a total signal-to-noise of 29 over scales $0.09 < R < 15$ Mpc/$h$, including all lenses over a wide redshift range $0.2 < z < 0.8$. Dividing the lenses into three redshift bins for this constant moving number density sample, we find no evidence for evolution in the halo mass with redshift. We obtainmore » consistent results for the lensing measurement with two independent shear pipelines, ngmix and im3shape. We perform a number of null tests on the shear and photometric redshift catalogs and quantify resulting systematic uncertainties. Covariances from jackknife subsamples of the data are validated with a suite of 50 mock surveys. The results and systematics checks in this work provide a critical input for future cosmological and galaxy evolution studies with the DES data and redMaGiC galaxy samples. We fit a Halo Occupation Distribution (HOD) model, and demonstrate that our data constrains the mean halo mass of the lens galaxies, despite strong degeneracies between individual HOD parameters.« less