Workshop on Antarctic Glaciology and Meteorites

The state of knowledge of meteorites and glaciology is summarized, and directions for research are suggested

Spatial curvature endgame: Reaching the limit of curvature determination

Current constraints on spatial curvature show that it is dynamically negligible: $|\Omega_{\rm K}| \lesssim 5 \times 10^{-3}$ (95% CL). Neglecting it as a cosmological parameter would be premature however, as more stringent constraints on $\Omega_{\rm K}$ at around the $10^{-4}$ level would offer valuable tests of eternal inflation models and probe novel large-scale structure phenomena. This precision also represents the "curvature floor", beyond which constraints cannot be meaningfully improved due to the cosmic variance of horizon-scale perturbations. In this paper, we discuss what future experiments will need to do in order to measure spatial curvature to this maximum accuracy. Our conservative forecasts show that the curvature floor is unreachable - by an order of magnitude - even with Stage IV experiments, unless strong assumptions are made about dark energy evolution and the $\Lambda$CDM parameter values. We also discuss some of the novel problems that arise when attempting to constrain a global cosmological parameter like $\Omega_{\rm K}$ with such high precision. Measuring curvature down to this level would be an important validation of systematics characterisation in high-precision cosmological analyses.Comment: 9 pages, 1 figure. Updated to match version published in Phys. Rev.

Design Parameters in Multimodal Games for Rehabilitation

Published under the Liebert "Open Option"Objectives: The repetitive and sometimes mundane nature of conventional rehabilitation therapy provides an ideal opportunity for development of interactive and challenging therapeutic games that have the potential to engage and motivate the players. Certain game design parameters that may encourage patients to actively participate by making the games more enjoyable have been identified. In this article, we describe a formative study in which we designed and evaluated some of these parameters with healthy subjects. Materials and Methods: The ‘‘operant conditioning’’ and ‘‘scoring’’ design parameters were incorporated in a remake of a classic labyrinth game, ‘‘Marble Maze.’’ A group of participants (n = 37) played the game twice: Once in the control condition without both modalities and then with either one of the parameters or with both. Measures of game duration and number of fails in the game were recorded along with survey questionnaires to measure player perceptions of intrinsic motivation on the game. Results: Longer playtimes, higher levels of interest/enjoyment, and effort to play the game were recorded with the introduction of these parameters. Conclusions: This study provides an understanding on how game design parameters can be used to motivate and encourage people to play longer. With these positive results, future aims are to test the parameters with stroke patients, providing much clearer insight as to what influences these parameters have on patients un- dergoing therapy. The ultimate goal is to utilize game design in order to maintain longer therapeutic interaction between a patient and his or her therapy medium.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio

Synthetic Mechanochemical Molecular Swimmer

A minimal design for a molecular swimmer is proposed that is a based on a mechanochemical propulsion mechanism. Conformational changes are induced by electrostatic actuation when specific parts of the molecule temporarily acquire net charges through catalyzed chemical reactions involving ionic components. The mechanochemical cycle is designed such that the resulting conformational changes would be sufficient for achieving low Reynolds number propulsion. The system is analyzed within the recently developed framework of stochastic swimmers to take account of the noisy environment at the molecular scale. The swimming velocity of the device is found to depend on the concentration of the fuel molecule according to the Michaelis-Menten rule in enzymatic reactions.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Alien Registration- Bull, Zelda C. (Portland, Cumberland County)

https://digitalmaine.com/alien_docs/24098/thumbnail.jp

Gravity Survey of the Serpent Mound Area, Southern Ohio

Author Institution: Department of Geology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210Over most of south-central Ohio, the sedimentary Paleozoic rocks exposed at the surface are relatively flat-lying, but in the Serpent Mound area of Highland and Adams Counties they show a circular feature, four miles in diameter, in which the rocks are complexly faulted. This structure has not yet been satisfactorily explained; two of the hypotheses proposed to explain its origin are 1) that it was caused by a "cryptovolcanic" event and 2) that it is an "astrobleme," produced by the impact of a meteoritic body. These two possible mechanisms might be distinguished by the attendant differences in the density variations produced: the cryptovolcanic structure could be associated with large lateral variations in density at the level of the basement rocks, while the meteoritic impact could produce shatter zones and brecciated layers, and small reductions in density in the rock lying closer to the surface. A closely-spaced network of gravity stations extending beyond the limits of the surface expression of the ring structure shows no gravity anomaly pattern that can be related to the surface features. Supporters of the astrobleme hypothesis are more likely to find this evidence useful than are the cryptovolcanists

Law and society in a time of transition

This dissertation is used to analyze the reform of the US divorce and custody laws – with special consideration for the legal development in California. A particular focus is on the reasons, which led to the no-fault-reform in the 1960s – an era of socio-political upheaval. First, a portrayal of the concept of society and family in the light of the changes in contemporary history is shown. Here, the basics of the American system of values and the reasons for the changes in society since the 1960s are explained. Following an excursion into legal history and legal tradition, the larger second part discusses the liberalization of divorce law and the resulting withdrawal of governmental intervention from divorce proceedings. Due to the abolition of the fault principle and the introduction of the failure principle, problem solving was shifted from the courts to the spouses. Individuals were now allocated a greater level of personal responsibility. The impulse for this change in the law came from the State of New York, which was to reduce the “divorce tourism“ in federal states with less restrictive laws. As a result, the custody law was also reformed and joint custody was introduced. The development from patriarchal role relations within the family to the introduction of joint custody is the subject of the final part of this work.In dieser Dissertation wird die Reform des Scheidungs- und Sorgerechts in den Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika – unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der Rechtsentwicklung im Bundesstaat Kalifornien – untersucht. Ein besonderes Augenmerk richtet sich hierbei auf die Gründe, die in den 1960er-Jahren – eine Phase gesellschaftspolitischer Umbrüche – zum Wegfall des Schuldprinzips (No-Fault-Reform) führten. Zunächst erfolgt eine Darstellung des Verständnisses von Gesellschaft und Familie im zeitgeschichtlichen Wandel. Hierbei werden die Grundlagen des amerikanischen Wertesystems und die Ursachen der gesellschaftlichen Veränderungen seit den sechziger Jahren des 20. Jahrhunderts verdeutlicht. Im umfangreichen zweiten Teil wird nach einem vorangestellten Exkurs zur Rechtsgeschichte und Rechtstradition die Liberalisierung des Scheidungsrechts und damit der Rückzug staatlicher Intervention bei der Scheidung erörtert. Mit dem Wegfall des Schuldprinzips und der Einführung des Zerrüttungsprinzips verlagerte sich die Problemlösung von den Gerichten hin zu den Ehepaaren. Den beteiligten Individuen wurde damit eine höhere Eigenverantwortung zugewiesen. Der Anstoß für die Gesetzesänderung ging vom Bundesstaat New York aus, der den „Scheidungstourismus“ der Eheleute in Bundesstaaten mit weniger restriktiven Gesetzen einschränken wollte. In der Folge wurde auch das Sorgerecht reformiert und das gemeinsame Sorgerecht eingeführt. Die Entwicklung von einem patriarchalischen Rollenverständnis innerhalb der Familie bis zur Einführung des gemeinsamen Sorgerechts von Mutter und Vater ist Gegenstand des letzten Teils der Arbeit

Seasonal and topographic variations in porewaters of a southeastern USA salt marsh as revealed by voltammetric profiling†

We report electrochemical profiles from unvegetated surficial sediments of a Georgia salt marsh. In creek bank sediments, the absence of ΣH(2)S or FeS(aq )and the presence of Fe(III)–organic complexes suggest that Mn and Fe reduction dominates over at least the top ca. 5 cm of the sediment column, consistent with other recent results. In unvegetated flats, accumulation of ΣH(2)S indicates that SO(4)(2- )reduction dominates over the same depth. A summer release of dissolved organic species from the dominant tall form Spartina alterniflora, together with elevated temperatures, appears to result in increased SO(4)(2- )reduction intensity and hence high summer concentrations of ΣH(2)S in flat sediments. However, increased bioturbation and/or bioirrigation seem to prevent this from happening in bank sediments. Studies of biogeochemical processes in salt marshes need to take such spatial and temporal variations into account if we are to develop a good understanding of these highly productive ecosystems. Furthermore, multidimensional analyses are necessary to obtain adequate quantitative pictures of such heterogeneous sediments