QUANTIFYING VARIABILITY IN COORDINATION DURING RUNNING

It has been suggested that within-participant variability in coordination may have a functional role to play in human movement. The purpose of this study was to compare the variability in coordination for one participant, quantified utilising two previously used techniques. Hip and knee flexion- xtension angles during the stance phase were calculated and interpolated to 100 data points, for 10 trials of running at 3.8 m/s. The standard deviation in continuous relative phase and coefficient of correspondence from vector coding were calculated at each data point. The two techniques gave similar indications of coordination variability in early stance, but were contradictory towards the end of stance. The results of this investigation suggest that authors conducting independent studies, using different analysis techniques, may draw conflicting conclusions about the variability in coordination

Plasma focus as a pulsed power source

The plasma focus is a remarkable natural phenomena that achieves significant space-time compression of both particle and field energy. Depending on the mode of operation, about 20 percent of the bank energy can be concentrated into the kinetic energy of a thin, dense, cylindrically convergent gas shell, or into a small-diameter, high-$nu$/$gamma$ relativistic electron burst and oppositely directed ion burst. The kinetic energy of the fast ions and electrons can exceed the applied voltage by a factor of greater than 100. The different modes of energy concentration by the plasma focus are presented and discussed both in terms of their role in the direct yield of the focus and for the case of a plasma focus supplemented by various fusionable targets. (auth

Scaling behavior of giant magnetotransport effects in Co/Cu superlattices

We have observed two forms of scaling in magnetotransport properties of (111) Co/Cu superlattices: (1) the extraoridnary Hall coefficient Rs correlates with the resistivity xx(0) in the form Rsxx2(0), and (2) the magnetothermopower S(H) correlates with the magnetoresistivity xx(H) in the form S(H)/Txx(0)/xx(H). The first effect relates to quantum mechanical side jump while the other relates to interfacial spin-dependent density of states (DOS). These results revel the different roles of bulklike spin-dependent scattering in Co layers and spin-dependent DOS of interfacial layers in causing the observed large positive extraodinary Hall effect and giant longitudinal magnetotransport

Anatomy of a glacial meltwater discharge event in an Antarctic Cove

Glacial meltwater discharge from Antarctica is a key influence on the marine environment, impacting ocean circulation, sea level and productivity of the pelagic and benthic ecosystems. The responses elicited depend strongly on the characteristics of the meltwater releases, including timing, spatial structure and geochemical composition. Here we use isotopic tracers to reveal the time-varying pattern of meltwater during a discharge event from the Fourcade Glacier into Potter Cove, northern Antarctic Peninsula. The discharge is strongly dependent on local air temperature, and accumulates into an extremely thin, buoyant layer at the surface. This layer showed evidence of elevated turbidity, and responded rapidly to changes in atmospherically driven circulation to generate a strongly pulsed outflow from the cove to the broader ocean. These characteristics contrast with those further south along the Peninsula, where strong glacial frontal ablation is driven oceanographically by intrusions of warm deep waters from offshore. The Fourcade Glacier switched very recently to being land-terminating; if retreat rates elsewhere along the Peninsula remain high and glacier termini progress strongly landward, the structure and impact of the freshwater discharges are likely to increasingly resemble the patterns elucidated here

A Time Purified Separated Antiproton Beam At The AGS

Physic

Langevin-like giant magnetoresistance in Co-Cu superlattices

We present evidence for a new type of giant magnetoresistance in (111) cobalt-copper superlattices with atomically smooth interfaces. We propose that the lowered dimensionality of the structure leads to an enhancement of the scattering of conduction electrons from paramagnetic interfaces obeying a Langevin-like saturation at very high fields, well beyond the switching field of the Co layers. The findings help to explain similarities in magnetotransport behavior with recently reported granular systems as well as differences with antiferromagnetically coupled multilayers

Inter-decadal variability of phytoplankton biomass along the coastal West Antarctic Peninsula

The West Antarctic Peninsula (WAP) is a climatically sensitive region where periods of strong warming have caused significant changes in the marine ecosystem and food-web processes. Tight coupling between phytoplankton and higher trophic levels implies that the coastal WAP is a bottom-up controlled system, where changes in phytoplankton dynamics may largely impact other food-web components. Here, we analysed the inter-decadal time series of year-round chlorophyll-a (Chl) collected from three stations along the coastal WAP: Carlini Station at Potter Cove (PC) on King George Island, Palmer Station on Anvers Island and Rothera Station on Adelaide Island. There were trends towards increased phytoplankton biomass at Carlini Station (PC) and Palmer Station, while phytoplankton biomass declined significantly at Rothera Station over the studied period. The impacts of two relevant climate modes to the WAP, the El Niño-Southern Oscillation and the Southern Annular Mode, on winter and spring phytoplankton biomass appear to be different among the three sampling stations, suggesting an important role of local-scale forcing than large-scale forcing on phytoplankton dynamics at each station. The inter-annual variability of seasonal bloom progression derived from considering all three stations together captured ecologically meaningful, seasonally co-occurring bloom patterns which were primarily constrained by water-column stability strength. Our findings highlight a coupled link between phytoplankton and physical and climate dynamics along the coastal WAP, which may improve our understanding of overall WAP food-web responses to climate change and variability

Patterns of patient-reported symptoms and association with sociodemographic and systemic sclerosis disease characteristics: a scleroderma Patient-centered Intervention Network (SPIN) Cohort cross-sectional study

Background Systemic sclerosis is a heterogenous disease in which little is known about patterns of patient-reported symptom clusters. We aimed to identify classes of individuals with similar anxiety, depression, fatigue, sleep disturbance, and pain symptoms and to evaluate associated sociodemographic and disease-related characteristics. Methods This multi-centre cross-sectional study used baseline data from Scleroderma Patient-centered Intervention Network Cohort participants enrolled from 2014 to 2020. Eligible participants completed the PROMIS-29 v2.0 measure. Latent profile analysis was used to identify homogeneous classes of participants based on patterns of anxiety, depression, fatigue, sleep disturbance, and pain scores. Sociodemographic and disease-related characteristics were compared across classes. Findings Among 2212 participants, we identified five classes, including four classes with “Low” (565 participants, 26%), “Normal” (651 participants, 29%), “High” (569 participants, 26%), or “Very High” (193 participants, 9%) symptom levels across all symptoms. Participants in a fifth class, “High Fatigue/Sleep/Pain and Low Anxiety/Depression” (234 participants, 11%) had similar levels of fatigue, sleep disturbance, and pain as in the “High” class but low anxiety and depression symptoms. There were significant and substantive trends in sociodemographic characteristics (age, education, race or ethnicity, marital or partner status) and increasing disease severity (diffuse disease, tendon friction rubs, joint contractures, gastrointestinal symptoms) across severity-based classes. Disease severity and sociodemographic characteristics of “High Fatigue/Sleep/Pain and Low Anxiety/Depression” class participants were similar to the “High” severity class. Interpretation Most people with systemic sclerosis can be classified by levels of patient-reported symptoms, which are consistent across symptoms and highly associated with sociodemographic and disease-related variables, except for one group which reports low mental health symptoms despite high levels of other symptoms and substantial disease burden. Studies are needed to better understand resilience in systemic sclerosis and to identify and facilitate implementation of cognitive and behavioural strategies to improve coping and overall quality of life