Habituation is not neutral or equal: Individual differences in tolerance suggest an overlooked personality trait

In behavioral studies, observer effects can be substantial, even for habituated animals, but few studies account for potential observer-related phenomenon empirically. We used wild, habituated chacma baboons to explore two key assumptions of behavioral ecology (i) that observers become a “neutral” stimulus and (ii) that habituation is “equal” across group members. Using flight initiation distance (FID) methods within a personality paradigm, the behavioral responses of baboons suggested that observers were not perceived as neutral but instead viewed as a high-ranking social threat. Habituation was also not equal across group members, with repeatable individual differences more important than contextual factors (e.g., habitat) in determining the distance at which baboons visually oriented or displaced from observers. A strong correlation between individual visual tolerance and displacement tolerance (i.e., convergent validity) indicated a personality trait. We offer several suggestions for how to account for these factors and minimize potential bias in future studies

Characterization of the S = 9 excited state in Fe8Br8 by Electron Paramagnetic Resonance

High Frequency electron paramagnetic resonance has been used to observe the magnetic dipole, $\Delta$ M$_s$ = $\pm$ 1, transitions in the $S = 9$ excited state of the single molecule magnet Fe$_8$Br$_8$. A Boltzmann analysis of the measured intensities locates it at 24 $\pm$ 2 K above the $S = 10$ ground state, while the line positions yield its magnetic parameters D = -0.27 K, E = $\pm$0.05 K, and B$_4^0$ = -1.3$\times$ 10$^{-6}$ K. D is thus smaller by 8% and E larger by 7% than for $S = 10$. The anisotropy barrier for $S = 9$ is estimated as 22 K,which is 25% smaller than that for $S = 10$ (29 K). These data also help assign the spin exchange constants(J's) and thus provide a basis for improved electronic structure calculations of Fe$_8$Br$_8$.Comment: 7 pages, Figs included in text, submitted to PR

Double-diffusive Hadley–Prats flow in a horizontal porous layer with a concentration based internal heat source

© 2017 Elsevier Inc. Double-diffusive Hadley–Prats flow with a concentration based heat source is investigated through linear and non-linear stability analyses. The resultant eigenvalue problems for both theories are solved numerically using Shooting and fourth order Runga–Kutta methods, with the critical thermal Rayleigh number being evaluated with respect to various flow governing parameters such as the magnitudes of the heat source and mass flow. It is observed, in the linear case, that an increase in the horizontal thermal Rayleigh number is stabilising for both positive and negative values of the solutal Rayleigh number. In the non-linear case, a destabilising effect is identified at higher mass flow rates. An increase in both the heat source and mass flow results in destabilisation

RESPOND – A patient-centred programme to prevent secondary falls in older people presenting to the emergency department with a fall: Protocol for a mixed methods programme evaluation.

Background Programme evaluations conducted alongside randomised controlled trials (RCTs) have potential to enhance understanding of trial outcomes. This paper describes a multi-level programme evaluation to be conducted alongside an RCT of a falls prevention programme (RESPOND). Objectives 1) To conduct a process evaluation in order to identify the degree of implementation fidelity and associated barriers and facilitators. 2) To evaluate the primary intended impact of the programme: participation in fall prevention strategies, and the factors influencing participation. 3) To identify the factors influencing RESPOND RCT outcomes: falls, fall injuries and ED re-presentations. Methods/ Design Five hundred and twenty eight community-dwelling adults aged 60–90 years presenting to two EDs with a fall will be recruited and randomly assigned to the intervention or standard care group. All RESPOND participants and RESPOND clinicians will be included in the evaluation. A mixed methods design will be used and a programme logic model will frame the evaluation. Data will be sourced from interviews, focus groups, questionnaires, clinician case notes, recruitment records, participant-completed calendars, hospital administrative datasets, and audio-recordings of intervention contacts. Quantitative data will be analysed via descriptive and inferential statistics and qualitative data will be interpreted using thematic analysis. Discussion The RESPOND programme evaluation will provide information about contextual and influencing factors related to the RCT outcomes. The results will assist researchers, clinicians, and policy makers to make decisions about future falls prevention interventions. Insights gained are likely to be transferable to preventive health programmes for a range of chronic conditions

OCT particle tracking velocimetry of biofluids in a microparallel plate strain induction chamber

Significance: Imaging biofluid flow under physiologic conditions aids in understanding disease processes and health complications. We present a method employing a microparallel plate strain induction chamber (MPPSIC) amenable to optical coherence tomography to track depth-resolved lateral displacement in fluids in real time while under constant and sinusoidal shear. Aim: Our objective is to track biofluid motion under shearing conditions found in the respiratory epithelium, first validating methods in Newtonian fluids and subsequently assessing the capability of motion-tracking in bronchial mucus. Approach: The motion of polystyrene microspheres in aqueous glycerol is tracked under constant and sinusoidal applied shear rates in the MPPSIC and is compared with theory. Then 1.5 wt. % bronchial mucus samples considered to be in a normal hydrated state are studied under sinusoidal shear rates of amplitudes 0.7 to 3.2 s-1. Results: Newtonian fluids under low Reynolds conditions (Re ∼ 10-4) exhibit velocity decreases directly proportional to the distance from the plate driven at both constant and oscillating velocities, consistent with Navier-Stokes's first and second problems at finite depths. A 1.5 wt. % mucus sample also exhibits a uniform shear strain profile. Conclusions: The MPPSIC provides a new capability for studying biofluids, such as mucus, to assess potentially non-linear or strain-rate-dependent properties in a regime that is relevant to the mucus layer in the lung epithelium

The first crystallographically-characterised Cu(II) xanthate

AbstractThe copper(II) xanthate Cu(S2COEt)2·TMEDA (1) (TMEDA=N,N-tetramethylethylenediamine) has been synthesised and is the first structurally-characterised xanthate of copper in the +2 oxidation state. 1 has an octahedral cis, cis, cis-ligand arrangement about the metal, in which xanthate chelation is markedly asymmetric. Both bulk thermal decomposition and film growth by aerosol-assisted chemical vapour deposition (AACVD) using 1 as precursor lead to the formation of Cu2S

Asymmetric Lineshape due to Inhomogeneous Broadening of the Crystal-Field Transitions in Mn12ac Single Crystals

The lineshape of crystal-field transitions in single crystals of Mn12ac molecular magnets is determined by the magnetic history. The absorption lines are symmetric and Gaussian for the non-magnetized state obtained by zero-field cooling (zfc). In the magnetized state which is reached when the sample is cooled in a magnetic field (fc), however, they are asymmetric even in the absence of an external magnetic field. These observations are quantitatively explained by inhomogeneous symmetrical (Gaussian) broadening of the crystal-field transitions combined with a contribution of off-diagonal components of the magnetic susceptibility to the effective magnetic permeability.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Observation of a Distribution of Internal Transverse Magnetic Fields in a Mn12-Based Single Molecule Magnet

A distribution of internal transverse magnetic fields has been observed in single molecule magnet (SMM) Mn12-BrAc in the pure magnetic quantum tunneling (MQT) regime. Magnetic relaxation experiments at 0.4 K are used to produce a hole in the distribution of transverse fields whose angle and depth depend on the orientation and amplitude of an applied transverse ``digging field.'' The presence of such transverse magnetic fields can explain the main features of resonant MQT in this material, including the tunneling rates, the form of the relaxation and the absence of tunneling selection rules. We propose a model in which the transverse fields originate from a distribution of tilts of the molecular magnetic easy axes.Comment: 4 page

On the origin and pathway of the saline inflow to the Nordic Seas: insights from models

The behaviours of three high-resolution ocean circulation models of the North Atlantic, differing chiefly in their description of the vertical coordinate, are investigated in order to elucidate the routes and mechanisms by which saline water masses of southern origin provide inflows to the Nordic Seas. An existing hypothesis is that Mediterranean Overflow Water (MOW) is carried polewards in an eastern boundary undercurrent, and provides a deep source for these inflows. This study, however, provides an alternative view that the inflows are derived from shallow sources, and are comprised of water masses of western origin, carried by branches of the North Atlantic Current (NAC), and also more saline Eastern North Atlantic Water (ENAW), transported northwards from the Bay of Biscay region via a ‘Shelf Edge Current’ (SEC) flowing around the continental margins. In two of the models, the MOW flows northwards, but reaches only as far as the Porcupine Bank (53°N). In third model, the MOW also invades the Rockall Trough (extending to 60°N). However, none of the models allows the MOW to flow northwards into the Nordic Seas. Instead, they all support the hypothesis of there being shallow pathways, and that the saline inflows to the Nordic Seas result from NAC-derived and ENAW water masses, which meet and partially mix in the Rockall Trough. Volume and salinity transports into the southern Rockall Trough via the SEC are, in the various models, between 25 and 100% of those imported by the NAC, and are also a similarly significant proportion (20–75%) of the transports into the Nordic Seas. Moreover, the highest salinities are carried northwards by the SEC (these being between 0.13 and 0.19 psu more saline at the southern entrance to the Trough than those in the NAC-derived waters). This reveals for the first time the importance of the SEC in carrying saline water masses through the RockallTrough and into the Nordic Seas. Furthermore, the high salinities found on density surfaces appropriate to the MOW in the Nordic Seas are shown to result from the wintertime mixing of the saline near-surface waters advected northwards by the SEC/NAC system. Throughout, we have attempted to demonstrate the extent to which the models agree or disagree with interpretations derived from observations, so that the study also contributes to an ongoing community effort to assess the realism of our current generation of ocean models

PREPARATION OF CU-DOPED GLOW DISCHARGE POLYMER COATINGS FOR ICF APPLICATIONS

OAK-B135 Copper doped polymer shells can provide a very useful diagnostic for fast ignition experiments currently being performed at various laboratories around the world. The low concentration copper dopant acts as an efficient x-ray source providing information on the physics of fast ignition. They have developed copper doped glow discharge (GDP) coatings suitable for such purposes. Copper acetylacetonate (CuAcAC), a solid at room temperature, was used in a heated jacket as the dopant source. They used this technique to fabricate thin ({approx} 5-7 {micro}m) GDP shells doped with {approx} 1 at% copper through the depolymerizable mandrel process for fast ignition experiments. The details of the experimental set up and the range and limitations of the technique are discussed