Seismic source and structure estimation in the western Mediterranean using a sparse broadband network

We present a study of regional earthquakes in the western Mediterranean geared toward the development of methodologies and path calibrations for source characterization using regional broadband stations. The results of this study are useful for the monitoring and discrimination of seismic events under a comprehensive test ban treaty, as well as the routine analysis of seismicity and seismic hazard using a sparse array of stations. The area consists of several contrasting geological provinces with distinct seismic properties, which complicates the modeling of seismic wave propagation. We started by analyzing surface wave group velocities throughout the region and developed a preliminary model for each of the major geological provinces. We found variations of crustal thickness ranging from 45 km under the Atlas and Betic mountains and 37 km under the Saharan shield, to 20 km for the oceanic crust of the western Mediterranean Sea, which is consistent with earlier works. Throughout most of the region, the upper mantle velocities are low which is typical for tectonically active regions. The most complex areas in terms of wave propagation are the Betic Cordillera in southern Spain and its north African counterparts, the Rif and Tell Atlas mountains, as well as the Alboran Sea, between Spain and Morocco. The complexity of the wave propagation in these regions is probably due to the sharp velocity contrasts between the oceanic and continental regions as well as the the existence of deep sedimentary basins that have a very strong influence on the surface wave dispersion. We used this preliminary regionalized velocity model to correct the surface wave source spectra for propagation effects which we then inverted for source mechanism. We found that this method, which is in use in many parts of the world, works very well, provided that data from several stations are available. In order to study the events in the region using very few broadband stations or even a single station, we developed a hybrid inversion method which combines P_(nl) waveforms synthesized with the traditional body wave methods, with surface waves that are computed using normal modes. This procedure facilitates the inclusion of laterally varying structure in the Green's functions for the surface waves and allows us to determine source mechanisms for many of the larger earthquakes (M > 4) throughout the region with just one station. We compared our results with those available from other methods and found that they agree quite well. The epicentral depths that we have obtained from regional waveforms are consistent with observed teleseismic depth phases, as far as they are available. We also show that the particular upper mantle structure under the region causes the various P_n and S_n phases to be impulsive, which makes them a useful tool for depth determination as well. Thus we conclude that with proper calibration of the seismic structure in the region and high-quality broadband data, it is now possible to characterize and study events in this region, both with respect to mechanism and depth, with a limited distribution of regional broadband stations

Helium tables.

These tables are intended to provide a standard method and to facilitate the calculation of the quantity of "Standard Helium" in high pressure containers. The research data and the formulas used in the preparation of the tables were furnished by the Research Laboratory of Physical Chemistry, of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Analytics and Implications of Services Sector Growth in Indian Economy

Given the magnitude of services growth and its inter-linkages with other sectors of the economy, it is important to understand the impact of services sector on other macro-economic variables. The present paper attempts to identify some of the critical issues in India’s services-led growth and tests certain hypotheses that are currently in debate. These relate to: (a) whether the robust growth of the services sector has added a dimension of stability to India's GDP growth; (b) whether there has been a growing complementarity between services and industrial sectors of the economy; (c) whether like other commodity-producing sectors, the services sector also experienced 'jobless' growth; (d) whether the imposition of services tax has boosted the Indian Government’s efforts at mobilising more resources; and (e) whether high growth of services sector in India had an inflationary impact on the economy. Our analysis found the first four hypotheses to hold true. In respect of the last hypothesis, in contrast to the expectations that high services sector growth has an inflationary impact on the economy, we found that the rising share of services sector in GDP has not contributed to inflation in the Indian economy.Services; Industry; Tax; Employment; Inflation

Diagnostic Patterns and Immunohistochemical Stain Usage in Extended Core Prostate Biopsies: Comparisons Between Genitourinary and Non-Genitourinary Pathologists

Background: Ancillary immunohistochemical (IPOX) stains are useful in clarifying diagnostically challenging pathologic specimens. In diagnostic workup of prostate needle biopsies, stains for basal cells and α-methylacyl coenzyme A racemase are routinely used to support or refute the diagnosis of prostate cancer. Although useful, these stains add cost and must be used judiciously. There is a lack of firm guidelines establishing the proper utilization of IPOX studies in prostate pathology. Therefore, differences in patterns of stain use and diagnoses may exist, related to expertise of the pathologist. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to compare patterns of diagnoses and IPOX stain use in extended core prostate biopsies between genitourinary (GU) and non-genitourinary (NGU) pathologists in the University of Massachusetts Medical Center Pathology department. Methods: By computer search of medical records, consecutive extended core prostate biopsies (6+ cores) from years 2006-2011 were identified. Using Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) billing data, the number of cores and number of IPOX stains were retrieved. Diagnoses were recorded. Pathologists were divided into two groups based on expertise: genitourinary and non-genitourinary. Differences in the patterns of IPOX use and diagnoses between the two groups were analyzed. Results: GU pathologists diagnose significantly higher rates of prostate cancer (43.8% vs. 35.8%, p Conclusion: Significant differences exist in patterns of IPOX usage between GU and NGU pathologists in extended core prostate biopsy in this single institution study. This suggests the need for guidelines and continuing education focused on this issue to standardize practice, an intervention likely to improve quality of diagnoses and to reduce unnecessary costs

Aircraft measurements of electrified clouds at Kennedy Space Center. Part 1: 1988 flights

During the fall of 1988, a Schweizer 845 airplane equipped to measure electric field and other meteorological parameters flew over Kennedy Space Center in a program to study clouds defined in the existing launch retriction requirements. The special purpose test vehicle for atmospheric research (SPTVAR) was suitable for flights through thunderclouds and was instrumented to measure all three components of the ambient electric vector. The main goals of the project were: (1) to develop and demonstrate techniques for measuring the electric field aloft and locate regions of charge during flight; (2) to characterize the electrical conditions within and near clouds that are presently identified as a threat to space launch vehicles; and (3) to study the correlation between the electric field aloft and that at Kennedy Space Center's ground-based field mill network for a variety of electrified clouds

Determination and Assessment of the Tax Aspects of the Provision of the Employee Benefits

Cílem bakalářské práce je stanovit a posoudit daňové dopady poskytování konkrétních zaměstnaneckých benefitů u vybraných typů poplatníků. Jde o srovnání poskytnutí benefitu formou nepeněžního plnění a zahrnutí daného nepeněžního plnění do hrubé mzdy. Práce je rozdělena na teoretickou a praktickou část. V teoretické části je charakterizována daň a jednotlivé zaměstnanecké benefity. V aplikační části práce jsou provedeny výpočty daňových vlivů rozhodných skutečností pro jednotlivé typy poplatníků.The aim of the bachelor thesis is to determine and assess the tax impacts of providing specific employee benefits for selected types of taxpayers. The thesis focuses on a comparison of the benefits provided in the form of non-cash benefits and the inclusion of a given non-cash benefit into the gross wage. The thesis is divided into the theoretical and practical part. In the theoretical part, the tax and individual employee benefits are described. The application part of the thesis includes calculations of tax influences of decisive facts for selected types of taxpayers.154 - Katedra financívýborn

Highly charged ions with E1, M1, and E2 transitions within laser range

Level crossings in the ground state of ions occur when the nuclear charge Z and ion charge Z_ion are varied along an isoelectronic sequence until the two outermost shells are nearly degenerate. We examine all available level crossings in the periodic table for both near neutral ions and highly charged ions (HCIs). Normal E1 transitions in HCIs are in X-ray range, however level crossings allow for optical electromagnetic transitions that could form the reference transition for high accuracy atomic clocks. Optical E1 (due to configuration mixing), M1 and E2 transitions are available in HCIs near level crossings. We present scaling laws for energies and amplitudes that allow us to make simple estimates of systematic effects of relevance to atomic clocks. HCI clocks could have some advantages over existing optical clocks because certain systematic effects are reduced, for example they can have much smaller thermal shifts. Other effects such as fine-structure and hyperfine splitting are much larger in HCIs, which can allow for richer spectra. HCIs are excellent candidates for probing variations in the fine-structure constant, alpha, in atomic systems as there are transitions with the highest sensitivity to alpha-variation