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A Dynamic Flood Inundation Model Framework to Assess Coastal Flood Risk in a Changing Climate
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Bilskie, M. V.; Hagen, S. C.; Passeri, D. L.; Alizad, K.; Medeiros, S. C.; Irish, J. L.
2015-12-01
Coastal regions around the world are susceptible to a variety of natural disasters causing extreme inundation. It is anticipated that the vulnerability of coastal cities will increase due to the effects of climate change, and in particular sea level rise (SLR). A novel framework was developed to generate a suite of physics-based storm surge models that include projections of coastal floodplain dynamics under climate change scenarios: shoreline erosion/accretion, dune morphology, salt marsh migration, and population dynamics. First, the storm surge inundation model was extensively validated for present day conditions with respect to astronomic tides and hindcasts of Hurricane Ivan (2004), Dennis (2005), Katrina (2005), and Isaac (2012). The model was then modified to characterize the future outlook of the landscape for four climate change scenarios for the year 2100 (B1, B2, A1B, and A2), and each climate change scenario was linked to a sea level rise of 0.2 m, 0.5 m, 1.2 m, and 2.0 m. The adapted model was then used to simulate hurricane storm surge conditions for each climate scenario using a variety of tropical cyclones as the forcing mechanism. The collection of results shows the intensification of inundation area and the vulnerability of the coast to potential future climate conditions. The methodology developed herein to assess coastal flooding under climate change can be performed across any coastal region worldwide, and results provide awareness of regions vulnerable to extreme flooding in the future. Note: The main theme behind this work is to appear in a future Earth's Future publication. Bilskie, M. V., S. C. Hagen, S. C. Medeiros, and D. L. Passeri (2014), Dynamics of sea level rise and coastal flooding on a changing landscape, Geophysical Research Letters, 41(3), 927-934. Parris, A., et al. (2012), Global Sea Level Rise Scenarios for the United States National Climate AssessmentRep., 37 pp. Passeri, D. L., S. C. Hagen, M. V. Bilskie, and S. C. Medeiros (2014), On the significance of incorporating shoreline changes for evaluating coastal hydrodynamics under sea level rise scenarios, Natural Hazards, 1599-1617. Passeri, D. L., S. C. Hagen, S. C. Medeiros, M. V. Bilskie, K. Alizad, and D. Wang (2015), The dynamic effects of sea level rise on low gradient coastal landscapes: a review, Earth's Future, 3.
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Excess Rainfall Product for the Caribbean Region - Developed by The CCRIF and Swiss Re
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Linkin, M. E.
2014-12-01
Small island states exposed to natural hazards are often in the worst position to absorb the financial impact of natural disasters. In a moment, they can lose a significant portion of their GDP and not have the resiliency to bounce back. Several leaders pushed to build their own resiliency after suffering from four hurricanes in just one year - Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne, all swept through the region in 2004 and caused losses in excess of US 4 billion. This push to build their own resiliency resulted in the creation of the Caribbean Catastrophic Risk Insurance Facility ("CCRIF"), a facility providing parametric earthquake and tropical cyclone insurance coverage to 16 Caribbean countries. Working well for the past 7 years, the CCRIF has paid out 8 times for a total of more than US 32 million. This dual protection against earthquake and tropical cyclone has become a well-known success globally. However, all stakeholders realized that considerable damage in the region is also caused by rainfall and flooding. This consistent realization was felt most recently, in December 2013, when Saint Lucia, St. Vincent and Dominica were ravaged by a torrential rainstorm, leaving several people dead, and causing massive damage to roads, infrastructure buildings and property. Due to this additional exposure, the Caribbean sought out ways to further build their own resiliency by requesting coverage for this specific third peril. For the past 2 years, Swiss Re has worked closely with the CCRIF to create an xsr product that can benefit the region now and going forward, as the impacts of climate change are felt. Excess rainfall is perhaps the most difficult peril of weather and climate modeling and there exists no scientific consensus on a methodology to underpin excess rainfall coverage. Its nature, prolonged and frequent, causes significant damage to small island states and the costs are only predicted to rise as the population and asset values increase and the climate changes. This product was effectively designed by building on satellite technology to estimate the amount of rainfall, ensuring quick payment to affected countries. The TRMM satellite data was enhanced from a 25 X 25 kilometer basis to a 1 X 1 kilometer basis by Kinanco, a modeling company contracted by the CCRIF. It has been in place since July 2014 for 8 CCRIF member countries.
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The University of Miami Center for Oceans and Human Health
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Fleming, L. E.; Smith, S. L.; Minnett, P. J.
2007-05-01
Two recent major reports on the health of the oceans in the United States have warned that coastal development and population pressures are responsible for the dramatic degradation of U.S. ocean and coastal environments. The significant consequences of this increased population density, particularly in sub/tropical coastal regions, can be seen in recent weather events: Hurricanes Andrew, Ivan, and Katrina in the US Gulf of Mexico states, and the Tsunami in Southeast Asia in December 2004, all causing significant deaths and destruction. Microbial contamination, man-made chemicals, and a variety of harmful algal blooms and their toxins are increasingly affecting the health of coastal human populations via the seafood supply, as well as the commercial and recreational use of coastal marine waters. At the same time, there has been the realization that the oceans are a source of unexplored biological diversity able to provide medicinal, as well as nutritional, benefits. Therefore, the exploration and preservation of the earth's oceans have significant worldwide public health implications for current and future generations. The NSF/NIEHS Center for Oceans and Human Health Center (COHH) at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School and its collaborators builds on several decades of collaborative and interdisciplinary research, education, and training to address the NIEHS-NSF research initiative in Oceans and Human Health. The COHH focuses on issues relevant to the Southeastern US and Caribbean, as well as global Sub/Tropical areas worldwide, to integrate interdisciplinary research between biomedical and oceanographic scientists. The Center includes three Research Projects: (1) research into the application of toxic algal culture, toxin analysis, remote sensing, oceanography, and genomics to subtropical/tropical Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) organism and toxin distribution; (2) exploring the interaction between functional genomics and oceanography of the subtropical/tropical HAB organism, Karenia brevis, and its environmental interactions; and (3) exploring the relationship between microbial indicators and human health effects in sub/tropical recreational marine waters. There are three Facilities Cores supporting this research in Genomics, Remote Sensing, and Toxic Algal Culture. To accomplish this research program in subtropical/tropical oceans and human health, the University of Miami Oceans & Human Health Center collaborates with interdisciplinary scientists at Florida International University (FIU), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Miami Dade County Dept of Health, the University of Florida, and other institutions, as well as other Oceans and Human Health Centers and researchers.
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DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Sakellariou, E.; Zorba, T.; Pavlidou, E.
The 'St. 40 Martyrs' church is the most famous medieval building in Veliko Turnovo, Bulgaria. It is located in Assenova mahala, just next to Tsarevets. It was built and its walls were painted during the reign of Bulgarian king Ivan Assen II after the victory against Epyrus despot Theodoros Comninos (1230 AD). It consists of two buildings - a six-column basilica and another, smaller building on its western wall, which was built later. During the presence of the Ottoman Turks, maybe until the first half of the 18th century, the church remained christian. When it was converted to a mosque,more » all the christian symbols in it were destroyed. The archeological researches on site were initiated in 1969. As it is clear, the 40 Martyrs church is a historical monument of culture with great significance. The church had murals, from the earlier period, but in the following years and especially during the Ottoman period, the church has suffered many and different destructions. Nevertheless, the very few pieces of murals that are rescued till nowadays provide important information for the technique and the pigments that were used on its wall paintings. In the present work, twelve series of samples from the wall paintings were studied in order to characterize the materials and the technique used for church iconography. The study was based on the micro-analytical techniques of the Fourier Transform Infrared micro-spectroscopy (mus-FTIR), the Optical Microscopy and the Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) coupled to an Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectrometer (EDS). In the FTIR spectra of all pigments the characteristic peaks of calcite were detected, confirming the use of fresco technique for the creation of murals. The combination of FTIR spectroscopy and SEM-EDS analysis, reveal the existence of lapis-lazuli for the blue color, green earth for the green color, cinnabar for the red color, calcite for the white color and carbon black for the black color. Moreover, in other chromatic layers, the presence of iron oxides (hematite and limonite) indicating the use of ochre for the yellow and red pigments, is identified. Finally, the surface of some samples was covered by a transparent and tensile material. This material was characterized by mus-FTIR spectroscopy as an organic substance, probably a natural resin that was used to protect the murals in the early ages.« less
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FOREWORD Foreword
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Kuriplach, Jan; Procházka, Ivan
2011-01-01
The 6th International Workshop on Positron Studies of Defects (PSD) took place in Prague, Czech Republic, from September 1 to 5, 2008. It was hosted by the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics of the Charles University in Prague. The PSD Workshop brought together positron scientists interested in studying various defects in mainly crystalline materials, and provided an opportunity to report on new results and achievements as well as on novel experimental and theoretical methods in this field. The workshop topics can be characterized as follows: Defect formation, migration, agglomeration and annealing Momentum distribution studies of defects: Doppler broadening, angular correlation of annihilation radiation (ACAR) Slow positron beam studies of defects at surface and near surface regions Theoretical calculations and simulations of momentum distributions, positron lifetimes and other characteristics for defects Defects in unusual materials: quasicrystals, nanostructures Advances in positron experimental methods applicable to defect studies Complementary experimental methods in defect studies (TEM, XRD, AP, SANS, DLTS, PL and others) Industrial applications of positron defect studies The first PSD workshop was organized in Wernigerode, Germany in 1987. The next four workshops were held in Halle, Germany (1994), Hamilton, ON, Canada (1999), Sendai, Japan (2002) and Pullman, WA, USA (2004) under the name Positron Studies of Semiconductor Defects (PSSD). As studying defects in metals is once again gaining importance - as is also documented in these Proceedings - the name of the Workshop in Prague was changed to the original version PSD. The PSD workshops will be organized every three years and the next one will be held in Delft, The Netherlands at the turn of August and September, 2011. We would like to express our gratitude to all of the workshop participants for their presentations and contributions to discussions, which made the PSD Workshop a successful scientific event. In total 65 scientists and students from 15 countries took part in the PSD Workshop. The workshop programme comprised 24 invited lectures, 19 contributed talks and 22 posters. Thirty contributions are included in these Proceedings, covering various aspects of positron defect studies. In particular, proceedings papers are divided into five categories: defects in semiconductors, defects in metals, nanostructures, larger free volumes and experimental apparatus including data evaluation. For the previous PSD/PSSD workshops proceedings were not published on a regular basis and, hopefully, these Proceedings will be the start of a new tradition. Jan Kuriplach Ivan Procházka Editors
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A New View of Glacial Age Coastal Wetlands from A Well-Preserved Underwater Baldcypress Forest in the Northern Gulf of Mexico
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
DeLong, K. L.; Harley, G. L.; Bentley, S. J.; Xu, K.; Reese, A.; Caporaso, A.; Obelcz, J.; Gonzalez Rodriguez, S. M.; Truong, J. T.; Shen, Z.; Raines, B.
2017-12-01
A unique site in the northern Gulf of Mexico contains well-preserved baldcypress (Taxodium distichum) stumps in life position deposited when sea level was lower during the last glacial interval presumably uncovered by Hurricane Ivan in 2004. Previous pollen and climate model studies suggest the southeastern USA was cold and dry during the glacial with boreal forests; however, little paleo-evidence for the northern gulf coast exist. Wood normally decomposes quickly in marine environments thus such sites are rare and understudied until this multi-disciplinary team began studying the site in 2012. The team has dived the site collecting 23 wood samples, conducted two geophysical surveys, and recovered 18 vibracores. Radiocarbon dating of tree stumps reveal that the trees are radiocarbon dead yet some dates from the woody fractions in the sediments above the trees have 14C ages from 37,350-41,830 years BP, which are close to the 14C dating limitations. Optically stimulated luminescence dating pushes burial of the forest back to 60-70 ka. Based on the site location (13.5 km offshore), water depth (18 m), and relative tectonic stability of this area, and geophysical surveys, these subtropical baldcypress trees lived 30 m above sea level in a backwater swamp in an area with topographic relief during a lower sea level stand in the last glacial interval (MIS 3-4) near the now buried and incised Mobile River channels. Pollen analysis from sediment core samples found an abundance of baldcypress and tupelo (Nyssa aquatic)with some pine pollen similar to the modern northern Gulf Coast. We developed a floating tree-ring chronology spanning 489 years using wood samples with bark still intact. This chronology reveals growth suppression events towards the end of their life with death occurring simultaneously and burial possibly caused by floodplain aggradation from a quick rise in sea level during the glacial interval. These large baldcypress trees and pollen results suggest the presence of robust subtropical coastal wetlands during the glacial interval; however, environmental stress decreased tree growth and sea level rise ultimately buried the forest. This site is yielding valuable information on glacial age environments, coastal geomorphology, sediment preservation of macro botanicals, and many other scientific questions.
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The Byzantine Church of ``40 Holy Martyrs'' in Veliko Turnovo, Bulgaria: Pigments and Technique
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Sakellariou, E.; Zorba, T.; Pavlidou, E.; Angelova, S.; Paraskevopoulos, K. M.
2010-01-01
The "St. 40 Martyrs" church is the most famous medieval building in Veliko Turnovo, Bulgaria. It is located in Assenova mahala, just next to Tsarevets. It was built and its walls were painted during the reign of Bulgarian king Ivan Assen II after the victory against Epyrus despot Theodoros Comninos (1230 AD). It consists of two buildings - a six-column basilica and another, smaller building on its western wall, which was built later. During the presence of the Ottoman Turks, maybe until the first half of the 18th century, the church remained christian. When it was converted to a mosque, all the christian symbols in it were destroyed. The archeological researches on site were initiated in 1969. As it is clear, the 40 Martyrs church is a historical monument of culture with great significance. The church had murals, from the earlier period, but in the following years and especially during the Ottoman period, the church has suffered many and different destructions. Nevertheless, the very few pieces of murals that are rescued till nowadays provide important information for the technique and the pigments that were used on its wall paintings. In the present work, twelve series of samples from the wall paintings were studied in order to characterize the materials and the technique used for church iconography. The study was based on the micro-analytical techniques of the Fourier Transform Infrared micro-spectroscopy (μs-FTIR), the Optical Microscopy and the Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) coupled to an Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectrometer (EDS). In the FTIR spectra of all pigments the characteristic peaks of calcite were detected, confirming the use of fresco technique for the creation of murals. The combination of FTIR spectroscopy and SEM-EDS analysis, reveal the existence of lapis-lazuli for the blue color, green earth for the green color, cinnabar for the red color, calcite for the white color and carbon black for the black color. Moreover, in other chromatic layers, the presence of iron oxides (hematite and limonite) indicating the use of ochre for the yellow and red pigments, is identified. Finally, the surface of some samples was covered by a transparent and tensile material. This material was characterized by μs-FTIR spectroscopy as an organic substance, probably a natural resin that was used to protect the murals in the early ages.
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ESPAS: the European e-science platform to access near-Earth space data (Invited)
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Belehaki, A.; Hapgood, M. A.; Ritschel, B.; Manola, N.
2013-12-01
The aim of ESPAS platform is to integrate heterogeneous data from the earth's thermosphere, ionosphere, plasmasphere and magnetosphere. ESPAS supports the systematic exploration of multipoint measurements from the near-Earth space through homogenised access to multi-instrument data. It provides access to more than 40 datasets: Cluster, EISCAT, GIRO, DIAS, SWACI, CHAMP, SuperDARN, FPI, magnetometers INGV, SGO, DTU, IMAGE, TGO, IMAGE/RPI, ACE, SOHO, PROBA2, NOAA/POES, etc. The concept of extensibility to new data sets is an important element in the ESPAS architecture. Within the first year of the project, the main components of the system have been developed, namely, the data model, the XML schemas for metadata exchange format, the ontology, the wrapper installed at the data nodes so that the main platform harvest the metadata, the main platform built on the D-NET framework and the GUI with its designed workflows. The first working prototype supports the search for datasets among a selected number of databases (i.e., EDAM, DIAS, Cluster, SWACI data). The next immediate step would be the implementation of search for characteristics within the datasets. For the second release we are planning to deploy tools for conjunctions between ground-space and space-space and for coincidences. For the final phase of the project the ESPAS infrastructure will be extensively tested through the application of several use cases, designed to serve the needs of the wide interdisciplinary users and producers communities, such as the ionospheric, thermospheric, magnetospheric, space weather and space climate communities, the geophysics community, the space communications engineering, HF users, satellite operators, navigation and surveillance systems, and space agencies. The final ESPAS platform is expected to be delivered in 2015. The abstract is submitted on behalf of the ESPAS-FP7EU team (http://www.espas-fp7.eu): Mike Hapgood, Anna Belehaki, Spiros Ventouras, Natalia Manola, Antonis Lebesis, Bruno Zolesi, Tatjana Gerzen, Ingemar Häggström, Anna Charisi, Ivan Galkin, Jurgen Watermann, Matthew Angling, Timo Asikainen, Alan Aylward, Henrike Barkmann, Peter Bergqvist, Andrew Bushell, Fabien Darrouzet, Dimitris Dialetis, Carl-Fredrik Enell, Daniel Heynderickx, Norbert Jakowski, Magnar Johnsen, Jean Lilensten, Ian McCrea, Kalevi Mursula, Bogdan Nicula, Michael Pezzopane, Viviane Pierrard, Bodo Reinisch, Bernd Ritschel, Luca Spogli, Iwona Stanislawska, Claudia Stolle, Eija Tanskanen, Ioanna Tsagouri, Esa Turunen, Thomas Ulich, Matthew Wild, Tim Yeoman
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Game-Based Rehabilitation for Myoelectric Prosthesis Control.
PubMed
Prahm, Cosima; Vujaklija, Ivan; Kayali, Fares; Purgathofer, Peter; Aszmann, Oskar C
2017-02-09
A high number of upper extremity myoelectric prosthesis users abandon their devices due to difficulties in prosthesis control and lack of motivation to train in absence of a physiotherapist. Virtual training systems, in the form of video games, provide patients with an entertaining and intuitive method for improved muscle coordination and improved overall control. Complementary to established rehabilitation protocols, it is highly beneficial for this virtual training process to start even before receiving the final prosthesis, and to be continued at home for as long as needed. The aim of this study is to evaluate (1) the short-term effects of a commercially available electromyographic (EMG) system on controllability after a simple video game-based rehabilitation protocol, and (2) different input methods, control mechanisms, and games. Eleven able-bodied participants with no prior experience in EMG control took part in this study. Participants were asked to perform a surface EMG test evaluating their provisional maximum muscle contraction, fine accuracy and isolation of electrode activation, and endurance control over at least 300 seconds. These assessments were carried out (1) in a Pregaming session before interacting with three EMG-controlled computer games, (2) in a Postgaming session after playing the games, and (3) in a Follow-Up session two days after the gaming protocol to evaluate short-term retention rate. After each game, participants were given a user evaluation survey for the assessment of the games and their input mechanisms. Participants also received a questionnaire regarding their intrinsic motivation (Intrinsic Motivation Inventory) at the end of the last game. Results showed a significant improvement in fine accuracy electrode activation (P<.01), electrode separation (P=.02), and endurance control (P<.01) from Pregaming EMG assessments to the Follow-Up measurement. The deviation around the EMG goal value diminished and the opposing electrode was activated less frequently. Participants had the most fun playing the games when collecting items and facing challenging game play. Most upper limb amputees use a 2-channel myoelectric prosthesis control. This study demonstrates that this control can be effectively trained by employing a video game-based rehabilitation protocol. ©Cosima Prahm, Ivan Vujaklija, Fares Kayali, Peter Purgathofer, Oskar C Aszmann. Originally published in JMIR Serious Games (http://games.jmir.org), 09.02.2017.
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The life, achievements and legacy of a great Canadian investigator: Professor Boris Petrovich Babkin (1877-1950).
PubMed
Beck, Ivan T
2006-09-01
The present paper reviews the life and achievements of Professor Boris Petrovich Babkin (MD DSc LLD). History is only worth writing about if it teaches us about the future; therefore, this historical review concludes by describing what today's and future gastrointestinal physiologists could learn from Dr Babkin's life. Dr Babkin was born in Russia in 1877. He graduated with an MD degree from the Military Medical Academy in St Petersburg, Russia, in 1904. Not being attracted to clinical practice, and after some hesitation concerning whether he would continue in history or basic science of medicine, he entered the laboratory of Professor Ivan Petrovich Pavlov. Although he maintained an interest in history, in Pavlov's exciting environment he became fully committed to physiology of the gastrointestinal system. He advanced quickly in Russia and was Professor of Physiology at the University of Odessa. In 1922, he was critical of the Bolshevik revolution, and after a short imprisonment, he was ordered to leave Russia. He was invited with his family by Professor EH Starling (the discoverer of secretin) to his department at University College, London, England. Two years later, he was offered a professorship in Canada at Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia. After contributing there for four years, he joined McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, in 1928 as Research Professor. He remained there for the rest of his career. Between 1940 and 1941, he chaired the Department, and following retirement, he remained as Research Professor. At the invitation of the world-famous neurosurgeon, Wilder Penfield, Dr Babkin continued as Research Fellow in the Department of Neurosurgery until his death in 1950 at age 73. His major achievements were related to establishing the concept of brain-gut-brain interaction and the influence of this on motility, as well as on interface of multiple different cells, nerves and hormones on secretory function. He had a major role in the rediscovery of gastrin. He established a famous school of gastrointestinal physiologists at McGill University. He supported his trainees and helped them establish their careers. He received many honors: a DSc in London, England, and an LLD from Dalhousie University. Most importantly, he was the recipient of the Friedenwald Medal of the American Gastroenterological Association for lifelong contributions to the field. Dr Babkin taught us his philosophical aspect of approaching physiology, his devotion to his disciples and his overall kindness. Most importantly, he has proven that one can achieve international recognition by publishing mainly in Canadian journals. He is an example to follow.
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Surface-water quantity and quality, aquatic biology, stream geomorphology, and groundwater-flow simulation for National Guard Training Center at Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania, 2002-05
USGS Publications Warehouse
Langland, Michael J.; Cinotto, Peter J.; Chichester, Douglas C.; Bilger, Michael D.; Brightbill, Robin A.
2010-01-01
Base-line and long-term monitoring of water resources of the National Guard Training Center at Fort Indiantown Gap in south-central Pennsylvania began in 2002. Results of continuous monitoring of streamflow and turbidity and monthly and stormflow water-quality samples from two continuous-record long-term stream sites, periodic collection of water-quality samples from five miscellaneous stream sites, and annual collection of biological data from 2002 to 2005 at 27 sites are discussed. In addition, results from a stream-geomorphic analysis and classification and a regional groundwater-flow model are included. Streamflow at the facility was above normal for the 2003 through 2005 water years and extremely high-flow events occurred in 2003 and in 2004. Water-quality samples were analyzed for nutrients, sediments, metals, major ions, pesticides, volatile and semi-volatile organic compounds, and explosives. Results indicated no exceedances for any constituent (except iron) above the primary and secondary drinking-water standards or health-advisory levels set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Iron concentrations were naturally elevated in the groundwater within the watershed because of bedrock lithology. The majority of the constituents were at or below the method detection limit. Sediment loads were dominated by precipitation due to the remnants of Hurricane Ivan in September 2004. More than 60 percent of the sediment load measured during the entire study was transported past the streamgage in just 2 days during that event. Habitat and aquatic-invertebrate data were collected in the summers of 2002-05, and fish data were collected in 2004. Although 2002 was a drought year, 2003-05 were above-normal flow years. Results indicated a wide diversity in invertebrates, good numbers of taxa (distinct organisms), and on the basis of a combination of metrics, the majority of the 27 sites indicated no or slight impairment. Fish-metric data from 25 sites indicated results similar to the invertebrate data. Stream classification based on evolution of the stream channels indicates about 94 percent of the channels were considered to be in equilibrium (type B or C channels), neither aggrading nor eroding. A regional, uncalibrated groundwater-flow model indicated the surface-water and groundwater-flow divides coincided. Because of folding of rock layers, groundwater was under confined conditions and nearly all the water leaves the facility via the streams.
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2012 Aspen Winter Conferences on High Energy and Astrophysics
DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)
Campbell, John; Olivier, Dore; Fox, Patrick
Aspen Center for Physics Project Summary DE-SC0007313 Budget Period: 1/1/2012 to 12/31/2012 The Hunt for New Particles, from the Alps to the Plains to the Rockies The 2012 Aspen Winter Conference on Particle Physics was held at the Aspen Center for Physics from February 11 to February 17, 2012. Sixty-seven participants from nine countries, and several universities and national labs attended the workshop titled, The Hunt for New Particles, from the Alps to the Plains to the Rockies. There were 53 formal talks, and a considerable number of informal discussions held during the week. The weeks events included a publicmore » lecture-Hunting the Dark Universe given by Neal Weiner from New York University) and attended by 237 members of the public, and a physics cafe geared for high schoolers that is a discussion with physicists conducted by Spencer Chang (University of Oregon), Matthew Reece (Harvard University) and Julia Shelton (Yale University) and attended by 67 locals and visitors. While there were no published proceedings, some of the talks are posted online and can be Googled. The workshop was organized by John Campbell (Fermilab), Patrick Fox (Fermilab), Ivan Furic (University of Florida), Eva Halkiadakis (Rutgers University) and Daniel Whiteson (University of California Irvine). Additional information is available at http://indico.cern.ch/conferenceDisplay.py?confId=143360. Inflationary Theory and its Confrontation with Data in the Planck Era The 2012 Aspen Winter Conference on Astroparticle physics held at the Aspen Center for Physics was Inflationary Theory and its Confrontation with Data in the Planck Era. It was held from January 30 to February 4, 2012. The 62 participants came from 7 countries and attended 43 talks over five days. Late mornings through the afternoon are reserved for informal discussions. In feedback received from participants, it is often these unplanned chats that produce the most excitement due to working through problems with fellow physicists from other institutions and countries or due to incipient collaborations. In addition, Shamit Kachru of Stanford University gave a public lecture titled The Small (and Large) Scale Structure of Space-Time.There were 237 members of the general public in attendance. Before the lecture, 65 people attended the physics cafe to discuss the current topic with Matthew Kleban (New York University) and Chao-Lin Kuo (Stanford University). This workshop was organized by Olivier Dore (Jet Propulsion Lab), Fabian Schmidt (Caltech), Leonardo Senatore (Stanford University), and Kendrick Smith (Princeton University).« less
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The life, achievements and legacy of a great Canadian investigator: Professor Boris Petrovich Babkin (1877–1950)
PubMed Central
Beck, Ivan T
2006-01-01
The present paper reviews the life and achievements of Professor Boris Petrovich Babkin (MD DSc LLD). History is only worth writing about if it teaches us about the future; therefore, this historical review concludes by describing what today’s and future gastrointestinal physiologists could learn from Dr Babkin’s life. Dr Babkin was born in Russia in 1877. He graduated with an MD degree from the Military Medical Academy in St Petersburg, Russia, in 1904. Not being attracted to clinical practice, and after some hesitation concerning whether he would continue in history or basic science of medicine, he entered the laboratory of Professor Ivan Petrovich Pavlov. Although he maintained an interest in history, in Pavlov’s exciting environment he became fully committed to physiology of the gastrointestinal system. He advanced quickly in Russia and was Professor of Physiology at the University of Odessa. In 1922, he was critical of the Bolshevik revolution, and after a short imprisonment, he was ordered to leave Russia. He was invited with his family by Professor EH Starling (the discoverer of secretin) to his department at University College, London, England. Two years later, he was offered a professorship in Canada at Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia. After contributing there for four years, he joined McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, in 1928 as Research Professor. He remained there for the rest of his career. Between 1940 and 1941, he chaired the Department, and following retirement, he remained as Research Professor. At the invitation of the world-famous neurosurgeon, Wilder Penfield, Dr Babkin continued as Research Fellow in the Department of Neurosurgery until his death in 1950 at age 73. His major achievements were related to establishing the concept of brain-gut-brain interaction and the influence of this on motility, as well as on interface of multiple different cells, nerves and hormones on secretory function. He had a major role in the rediscovery of gastrin. He established a famous school of gastrointestinal physiologists at McGill University. He supported his trainees and helped them establish their careers. He received many honors: a DSc in London, England, and an LLD from Dalhousie University. Most importantly, he was the recipient of the Friedenwald Medal of the American Gastroenterological Association for lifelong contributions to the field. Dr Babkin taught us his philosophical aspect of approaching physiology, his devotion to his disciples and his overall kindness. Most importantly, he has proven that one can achieve international recognition by publishing mainly in Canadian journals. He is an example to follow. PMID:17001399
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Computer Administered Safety Planning for Individuals at Risk for Suicide: Development and Usability Testing.
PubMed
Boudreaux, Edwin D; Brown, Gregory K; Stanley, Barbara; Sadasivam, Rajani S; Camargo, Carlos A; Miller, Ivan W
2017-05-15
Safety planning is a brief intervention that has become an accepted practice in many clinical settings to help prevent suicide. Even though it is quick compared to other approaches, it frequently requires 20 min or more to complete, which can impede adoption. A self-administered, Web-based safety planning application could potentially reduce clinician time, help promote standardization and quality, and provide enhanced ability to share the created plan. The aim of this study was to design, build, and test the usability of a Web-based, self-administered safety planning application. We employed a user-centered software design strategy led by a multidisciplinary team. The application was tested for usability with a target sample of suicidal patients. Detailed observations, structured usability ratings, and Think Aloud procedures were used. Suicidal ideation intensity and perceived ability to cope were assessed pre-post engagement with the Web application. A total of 30 participants were enrolled. Usability ratings were generally strong, and all patients successfully built a safety plan. However, the completeness of the safety plan varied. The mean number of steps completed was 5.5 (SD 0.9) out of 6, with 90% (27/30) of participants completing at least 5 steps and 67% (20/30) completing all 6 steps. Some safety planning steps were viewed as inapplicable to some individuals. Some confusion in instructions led to modifications to improve understandability of each step. Ratings of suicide intensity after completion of the application were significantly lower than preratings, pre: mean 5.11 (SD 2.9) versus post: mean 4.46 (SD 3.0), t 27 =2.49, P=.02. Ratings of ability to cope with suicidal thoughts after completion of the application were higher than preratings, with the difference approaching statistical significance, pre: mean 5.93 (SD 2.9), post: mean 6.64 (SD 2.4), t 27 =-2.03, P=.05. We have taken the first step toward identifying the components needed to maximize usability of a self-administered, Web-based safety planning application. Results support initial consideration of the application as an adjunct to clinical contact. This allows for the clinician or other personnel to provide clarification, when needed, to help the patient build the plan, and to help review and revise the draft. ©Edwin D Boudreaux, Gregory K Brown, Barbara Stanley, Rajani S Sadasivam, Carlos A Camargo Jr, Ivan W Miller. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (http://www.jmir.org), 15.05.2017.
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Maribor General Hospital from its foundation until World War II.
PubMed
Pivec, Gregor
2006-01-01
The author describes the history of Maribor General Hospital from its foundation in 1799 until the beginning of World War II. In 1799 the magistrate of the town of Maribor issued a memorandum regarding the establishment of a town hospital in the renovated building of the town hospice, providing space for 24 patients. The work of the hospital was carried out in the former hospice building until 1855. In the period between its establishment and eventual relocation 26 beds were added. The last two decades of the hospital's operation at the original location were marked by the assiduous work of the town's physicist, Dr. Anton Kuker. In the first half of the 19th century, the population of Maribor grew rapidly as a consequence of the construction of the Southern Railway. The town authorities therefore purchased the Prosenjak family villa in the Magdalena suburbs and relocated the hospital to it in 1855, providing 28 rooms for 110 patients. For a whole century, the care of patients was taken over by the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul. The hospital was soon admitting over 1000 patients a year, the most common complaints being pulmonary catarrh, gastritis and fever. In 1872, when the Master of Surgery Feliks Ferk joined the hospital, the internal "medical" and the "external" surgical departments were formed. Although medical studies were not easily accessible, there were a number of Slovene physicians working in the hospital and the town in that period. In the last decades of the 19th century, the hospital was often renovated and enlarged. The infrastructure (telephone, water supply system, heating, lighting) had also been modernized before World War I. In 1914, the first X-ray apparatus was purchased. Between the wars, the hospital's development was boosted by recruitment of the Slovene physicians Ivan Matko, Mirko Cernic, Janko Dernovsek and Hugon Robic. The initial external and medical departments split into several departments: internal medicine, surgery, dermatovenereology, gynecology and obstetrics, infectious diseases, X-ray institute, autopsy department, and pulmonary department. A department of otology and ophthalmology was also founded. After the disintegration of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Maribor Hospital was no longer overshadowed by the formerly dominant regional hospital in Graz in present-day Austria. A greater number of patients entailed more rapid professional development. At the beginning of World War II, the hospital comprised six departments, two institutes and a dispensary, and had an elaborate administrative structure with numerous support services.
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Andy Sessler: The Full Life of an Accelerator Physicist
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Kim, Kwang-Je; Budnitz, Robert J.; Winick, Herman
2015-02-01
This article describes the distinguished career of Andrew M. Sessler, the visionary former director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), one of the most influential accelerator physicists, and a strong, dedicated human-rights activist. Andy died on 17 April 2014 from cancer at age 85. He grew up in New York City, and attended Harvard (BA in Mathematics, 1949) and then Columbia (PhD in Physics, 1953.) After an NSF postdoc at Cornell with Hans Bethe and a stint on the faculty at the Ohio State University in 1954-59, he joined the Lawrence Radiation Laboratory (now LBNL) in 1959, and spent the remainder of his career there. Although Andy l his mark on several areas of physics, including nuclear structure theory, elementary-particle physics, and many-body problems, his lasting and most important contributions came from his efforts in accelerator physics and engineering, to which he devoted most of his life's work. In collaboration with his colleagues of the legendary Midwestern Universities Research Association, he developed theories for the RF acceleration process and the collective instability phenomena, helping to realize the colliding-beam accelerators with which most of the high-energy-physics discoveries of the last few decades have been made. His work in connection with the free-electron-laser (FEL) amplifier for high-power microwave generation constructed at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory anticipated the optical-guiding and the self-amplified spontaneous-emission principles, upon which the success of the X-ray FELs as the fourth-generation light sources is based. Throughout his career Andy made major contributions to issues related to the impact of science and technology on society. He helped usher in a new era of research on energy efficiency and sustainable-energy technology and was instrumental in building the research agendas in those areas for the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) and later the Department of Energy. With a lifelong interest in promoting the human rights of scientists, Andy was instrumental in initiating the American Physical Society's Committee on International Freedom of Scientists and in raising funds to endow the APS Andrei Sakharov Prize. He and Moishe Pripstein cofounded Scientists for Sakharov, Orlov, and Sharansky; the group's protests along with those of other groups led to the release of the three Soviet dissidents. More importantly, Andy's voice and example became a major force in helping call the world's attention to the plight of scientists trapped in places where their human rights and their ability to do science were severely compromised. Andy received many honors, including the AEC's Ernest Orlando Lawrence Award in 1970, the APS's Dwight Nicholson Medal in 1994, and the Enrico Fermi Award from the US Department of Energy in 2014.
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Andy Sessler: The Full Life of an Accelerator Physicist
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Kim, Kwang-Je; Budnitz, Robert J.; Winick, Herman
2014-04-01
This article describes the distinguished career of Andrew M. Sessler, the visionary former director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), one of the most influential accelerator physicists, and a strong, dedicated human-rights activist. Andy died on 17 April 2014 from cancer at age 85. He grew up in New York City, and attended Harvard (BA in Mathematics, 1949) and then Columbia (PhD in Physics, 1953.) After an NSF postdoc at Cornell with Hans Bethe and a stint on the faculty at the Ohio State University in 1954-59, he joined the Lawrence Radiation Laboratory (now LBNL) in 1959, and spent the remainder of his career there. Although Andy l his mark on several areas of physics, including nuclear structure theory, elementary-particle physics, and many-body problems, his lasting and most important contributions came from his efforts in accelerator physics and engineering, to which he devoted most of his life's work. In collaboration with his colleagues of the legendary Midwestern Universities Research Association, he developed theories for the RF acceleration process and the collective instability phenomena, helping to realize the colliding-beam accelerators with which most of the high-energy-physics discoveries of the last few decades have been made. His work in connection with the free-electron-laser (FEL) amplifier for high-power microwave generation constructed at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory anticipated the optical-guiding and the self-amplified spontaneous-emission principles, upon which the success of the X-ray FELs as the fourth-generation light sources is based. Throughout his career Andy made major contributions to issues related to the impact of science and technology on society. He helped usher in a new era of research on energy efficiency and sustainable-energy technology and was instrumental in building the research agendas in those areas for the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) and later the Department of Energy. With a lifelong interest in promoting the human rights of scientists, Andy was instrumental in initiating the American Physical Society's Committee on International Freedom of Scientists and in raising funds to endow the APS Andrei Sakharov Prize. He and Moishe Pripstein cofounded Scientists for Sakharov, Orlov, and Sharansky; the group's protests along with those of other groups led to the release of the three Soviet dissidents. More importantly, Andy's voice and example became a major force in helping call the world's attention to the plight of scientists trapped in places where their human rights and their ability to do science were severely compromised. Andy received many honors, including the AEC's Ernest Orlando Lawrence Award in 1970, the APS's Dwight Nicholson Medal in 1994, and the Enrico Fermi Award from the US Department of Energy in 2014.
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Andy Sessler: The Full Life of an Accelerator Physicist
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Kim, Kwang-Je; Budnitz, Robert J.; Winick, Herman
This article describes the distinguished career of Andrew M. Sessler, the visionary former director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), one of the most influential accelerator physicists, and a strong, dedicated human-rights activist. Andy died on 17 April 2014 from cancer at age 85. He grew up in New York City, and attended Harvard (BA in Mathematics, 1949) and then Columbia (PhD in Physics, 1953.) After an NSF postdoc at Cornell with Hans Bethe and a stint on the faculty at the Ohio State University in 1954-59, he joined the Lawrence Radiation Laboratory (now LBNL) in 1959, and spent the remainder of his career there. Although Andy left his mark on several areas of physics, including nuclear structure theory, elementary-particle physics, and many-body problems, his lasting and most important contributions came from his efforts in accelerator physics and engineering, to which he devoted most of his life's work. In collaboration with his colleagues of the legendary Midwestern Universities Research Association, he developed theories for the RF acceleration process and the collective instability phenomena, helping to realize the colliding-beam accelerators with which most of the high-energy-physics discoveries of the last few decades have been made. His work in connection with the free-electron-laser (FEL) amplifier for high-power microwave generation constructed at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory anticipated the optical-guiding and the self-amplified spontaneous-emission principles, upon which the success of the X-ray FELs as the fourth-generation light sources is based. Throughout his career Andy made major contributions to issues related to the impact of science and technology on society. He helped usher in a new era of research on energy efficiency and sustainable-energy technology and was instrumental in building the research agendas in those areas for the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) and later the Department of Energy. With a lifelong interest in promoting the human rights of scientists, Andy was instrumental in initiating the American Physical Society's Committee on International Freedom of Scientists and in raising funds to endow the APS Andrei Sakharov Prize. He and Moishe Pripstein cofounded Scientists for Sakharov, Orlov, and Sharansky; the group's protests along with those of other groups led to the release of the three Soviet dissidents. More importantly, Andy's voice and example became a major force in helping call the world's attention to the plight of scientists trapped in places where their human rights and their ability to do science were severely compromised. Andy received many honors, including the AEC's Ernest Orlando Lawrence Award in 1970, the APS's Dwight Nicholson Medal in 1994, and the Enrico Fermi Award from the US Department of Energy in 2014.
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The Future of Theoretical Physics and Cosmology
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Gibbons, G. W.; Shellard, E. P. S.; Rankin, S. J.
2009-08-01
Preface; List of contributors; 1. Introduction; Part I. Popular Symposium: 2. Our complex cosmos and its future Martin J. Rees; 3. Theories of everything and Hawking's wave function of the Universe James B. Hartle; 4. The problem of space-time singularities: implications for quantum gravity? Roger Penrose; 5. Warping spacetime Kip Thorne; 6. 60 years in a nutshell Stephen W. Hawking; Part II. Spacetime Singularities: 7. Cosmological perturbations and singularities George F. R. Ellis; 8. The quantum physics of chronology protection Matt Visser; 9. Energy dominance and the Hawking-Ellis vacuum conservation theorem Brandon Carter; 10. On the instability of extra space dimensions Roger Penrose; Part III. Black Holes: 11. Black hole uniqueness and the inner horizon stability problem Werner Israel; 12. Black holes in the real universe and their prospects as probes of relativistic gravity Martin J. Rees; 13. Primordial black holes Bernard Carr; 14. Black hole pair creation Simon F. Ross; 15. Black holes as accelerators Steven Giddings; Part IV. Hawking Radiation: 16. Black holes and string theory Malcolm Perry; 17. M theory and black hole quantum mechanics Joe Polchinski; 18. Playing with black strings Gary Horowitz; 19. Twenty years of debate with Stephen Leonard Susskind; Part V. Quantum Gravity: 20. Euclidean quantum gravity: the view from 2002 Gary Gibbons; 21. Zeta functions, anomalies and stable branes Ian Moss; 22. Some reflections on the status of conventional quantum theory when applied to quantum gravity Chris Isham; 23. Quantum geometry and its ramifications Abhay Ashtekar; 24. Topology change in quantum gravity Fay Dowker; Part VI. M Theory and Beyond: 25. The past and future of string theory Edward Witten; 26. String theory David Gross; 27. A brief description of string theory Michael Green; 28. The story of M Paul Townsend; 29. Gauged supergravity and holographic field theory Nick Warner; 30. 57 varieties in a NUTshell Chris Pope; Part VII. de Sitter Space: 31. Adventures in de Sitter space Raphael Bousso; 32. de Sitter space in non-critical string theory Andrew Strominger; 33. Supergravity, M theory and cosmology Renata Kallosh; Part VIII. Quantum Cosmology: 34. The state of the universe James B. Hartle; 35. Quantum cosmology Don Page; 36. Quantum cosmology and eternal inflation A. Vilenkin; 37. Probability in the deterministic theory known as quantum mechanics Bryce de Witt; 38. The interpretation of quantum cosmology and the problem of time J. Halliwell; 39. What local supersymmetry can do for quantum cosmology Peter D'Eath; Part IX. Cosmology: 40. Inflation and cosmological perturbations Alan Guth; 41. The future of cosmology: observational and computational prospects Paul Shellard; 42. The ekpyrotic universe and its cyclic extension Neil Turok; 43. Inflationary theory versus the ekpyrotic/cyclic scenario Andrei Linde; 44. Brane (new) worlds Pierre Binetruy; 45. Publications of Stephen Hawking; Index.
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SEAC 2011 Stars and Stones: Voyages in Archaeoastronomy and Cultural Astronomy
NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
Pimenta, F.; Ribeiro, N.; Silva, F.; Campion, N.; Joaquinito, A.; Tirapicos, L.
2015-05-01
Since Prehistory the sky has always been integrated as part of the cosmovision of human societies. The sky played a fundamental role not only in the orientation in space, time organization, ritual practices or celestial divination but also as an element of power. Migrations and voyages are intrinsic to humankind, they opened the routes for cultural diffusion and trade, but also for power dominance. Following these routes is also to follow cultural diversity and how human societies met or clashed. The sky and astronomical phenomena provided the tools for time reckoning, calendar organization and celestial navigation that supported those voyages. Astronomy gives us today the capacity to reproduce the sky, opening a window through which we can glimpse how those societies perceived, integrated and manipulated the sky into their world-views and their myths and, ultimately, into their social organization. A voyage is always a meeting of different worlds and eventually a process to accept diversity and thus we challenged the participants of the 19th meeting of the European Society for Astronomy in Culture to present their papers in the form of a voyage or an encounter for the following topics: - Techniques of celestial navigation and orientation of the past. Astronomical navigation and nautical instruments in the XIVth, XVth and XVIth centuries; - Expressions of astronomical knowledge in architecture and monuments, rock art, archaeology and landscape. People migration, a meeting between different cultures; - History of astronomy. An encounter between different conceptions; - Astronomy and the Jesuits. A meeting between different worlds; - Astronomy in antiquity. A meeting between different knowledge; - Ethno-astronomy, Cultural Astronomy and myths, voyages in space and in time through different cultures; - To where is Archaeoastronomy voyaging? A round table about Archaeoastronomy, Cultural Astronomy and Education. The 19th meeting of the European Society for Astronomy in Culture was held in Évora, Portugal, from September 19th to 23th, 2011, and was attended by 85 participants from 29 countries. A total number of 71 talks and 4 posters were presented. Among them 20 invited lectures given by Michael Rappenglüück, José Manuel Malhão Pereira, Jarita Holbrook, Giulio Magli, Nicholas Campion, J. Kim Malville, David Pankenier, Alejandro Martín López, Ivan Sprajc, Mariusz Ziólkowski, Marciano da Silva, Lionel Sims, Emilia Pasztor, Frank Prendergast, Fernando Pimenta, A. César González-Garcia, Henrique Leitão, Shi Yunli and Stanislaw Iwaniszewski and 3 public lectures given by Luísa Pereira, Juan Belmonte Avilés and Clive Ruggles. Most of the contributions were submitted for publication and went through a peer-review process. The present volume is the result of this process, arranged in the same thematic sections as the Conference was organised.
