Electron shielding studies - Experimental program Technical summary report, 1 Aug. 1968 - 31 Dec. 1969

Electron shielding and bremsstrahlung energy spectra for tin, gold, and silve

Neutron capture cross sections of tungsten and rhenium Annual summary report

Neutron capture cross sections for natural tungsten and rheniu

Topological Defects in Twisted Bundles of Two-Dimensionally Ordered Filaments

Twisted assemblies of filaments in ropes, cables and bundles are essential structural elements in wide use in macroscopic materials as well as within the cells and tissues of living organisms. We develop the unique, non-linear elastic properties of twisted filament bundles that derive from generic properties of two-dimensional line-ordered materials. Continuum elasticity reveals a formal equivalence between the elastic stresses induced by bundle twist and those induced by the positive curvature in thin, elastic sheets. These geometrically-induced stresses can be screened by 5-fold disclination defects in lattice packing, and we predict a discrete spectrum elastic energy groundstates associated with integer numbers of disclinations in cylindrical bundles. Finally, we show that elastic-energy groundstates are extremely sensitive to defect position in the cross-section, with off-center disclinations driving the entire bundle to buckle, adopting globally writhing configurations.Comment: 4.1 pages; 3 figure

Applicability of Modified Effective-Range Theory to positron-atom and positron-molecule scattering

We analyze low-energy scattering of positrons on Ar atoms and N2 molecules using Modified Effective-Range Theory (MERT) developped by O'Malley, Spruch and Rosenberg [Journal of Math. Phys. 2, 491 (1961)]. We use formulation of MERT based on exact solutions of Schroedinger equation with polarization potential rather than low-energy expansions of phase shifts into momentum series. We show that MERT describes well experimental data, provided that effective-range expansion is performed both for s- and p-wave scattering, which dominate in the considered regime of positron energies (0.4 - 2 eV). We estimate the values of the s-wave scattering lenght and the effective range for e+ - Ar and e+ - N2 collisions.Comment: RevTeX, 4 pages, 2 figure

Absolute photoionization cross section measurements of the Kr I-isoelectronic sequence

Photoionization spectra have been recorded in the 4s, 4p and 3d resonance regions for the Kr Iisoelectronic sequence using both the dual laser produced plasma technique (at DCU) to produce photoabsorption spectra, and the merged ion beam and synchrotron radiation technique (at ASTRID) to measure absolute photoionization cross sections. Profile parameters are compared for the 4s − np resonances of Rb+ and Sr2+. Many new 4p " ns, md transitions are identified with the aid of Hartree-Fock calculations, and consistent quantum defects are observed for the various ns and md Rydberg series. Absolute single and double photoionization cross sections recorded in the 3d region for Rb+ and Sr2+ ions show preferential decay via double photoionization. This is only the second report where both the DLP technique and the merged beam technique have been used simultaneously to record photoionization spectra, and the advantages of both techniques (i.e. better resolution in the case of DLP and values for absolute photoionization cross sections in the case of the merged beam technique) are highlighted

Complementary Replicas of Ultra-Rapidly Frozen Specimens

Complementary freeze-fracture replicas have been prepared of ultra-rapidly cooled specimens in the absence of chemical pretreatments. The grid-sized replicas were stabilized by open mesh gold grids during the cleaning process and, after cleaning, were supported on thin Formvar films. The complementary replicas were valuable for describing artifacts, for interpreting the nature of fracture planes and for evaluating the resolution of replicas. Complementary images demonstrated that heat emitted from resistance electrodes or electron guns during evaporation can seriously distort fracture surfaces even for samples held at -150°C. Complementary images of crystalline membranous cytochrome c oxidase helped establish that fracturing reveals hydrophilic surfaces. Complementary images of proteoliposomes showed that intramembrane particles produced by an integral 140kdal protein generated complementary pits whereas intramembrane particles produced by a smaller integral 46.5kdal protein did not. The inability to observe the small pits is in part a limitation of the resolution of conventionally prepared platinum/carbon replicas

Groundwater shapes sediment biogeochemistry and microbial diversity in a submerged Great Lake sinkhole

For a large part of earth’s history, cyanobacterial mats thrived in lowâ oxygen conditions, yet our understanding of their ecological functioning is limited. Extant cyanobacterial mats provide windows into the putative functioning of ancient ecosystems, and they continue to mediate biogeochemical transformations and nutrient transport across the sedimentâ water interface in modern ecosystems. The structure and function of benthic mats are shaped by biogeochemical processes in underlying sediments. A modern cyanobacterial mat system in a submerged sinkhole of Lake Huron (LH) provides a unique opportunity to explore such sedimentâ mat interactions. In the Middle Island Sinkhole (MIS), seeping groundwater establishes a lowâ oxygen, sulfidic environment in which a microbial mat dominated by Phormidium and Planktothrix that is capable of both anoxygenic and oxygenic photosynthesis, as well as chemosynthesis, thrives. We explored the coupled microbial community composition and biogeochemical functioning of organicâ rich, sulfidic sediments underlying the surface mat. Microbial communities were diverse and vertically stratified to 12 cm sediment depth. In contrast to previous studies, which used lowâ throughput or shotgun metagenomic approaches, our highâ throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing approach revealed extensive diversity. This diversity was present within microbial groups, including putative sulfateâ reducing taxa of Deltaproteobacteria, some of which exhibited differential abundance patterns in the mats and with depth in the underlying sediments. The biological and geochemical conditions in the MIS were distinctly different from those in typical LH sediments of comparable depth. We found evidence for active cycling of sulfur, methane, and nutrients leading to high concentrations of sulfide, ammonium, and phosphorus in sediments underlying cyanobacterial mats. Indicators of nutrient availability were significantly related to MIS microbial community composition, while LH communities were also shaped by indicators of subsurface groundwater influence. These results show that interactions between the mats and sediments are crucial for sustaining this hot spot of biological diversity and biogeochemical cycling.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/136330/1/gbi12215_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/136330/2/gbi12215.pd

Achieving unequal error protection with convolutional codes

This paper examines the unequal error protection capabilities of convolutional codes. Both time-invariant and periodically time-varying convolutional encoders are examined. The effective free distance vector is defined and is shown to be useful in determining the unequal error protection (UEP) capabilities of convolutional codes. A modified transfer function is used to determine an upper bound on the bit error probabilities for individual input bit positions in a convolutional encoder. The bound is heavily dependent on the individual effective free distance of the input bit position. A bound relating two individual effective free distances is presented. The bound is a useful tool in determining the maximum possible disparity in individual effective free distances of encoders of specified rate and memory distribution. The unequal error protection capabilities of convolutional encoders of several rates and memory distributions are determined and discussed

Measuring the Impact of Nextstep Career Advice in the North East of England

In September, 2007, the main contractors of the four nextstep networks in the North East (referred to in this paper as the ‘consortium’) successfully submitted a proposal to the Learning & Skills Council (LSC) for funding to develop a framework for measuring the impact of career advice. It was agreed that the project would result in a practice-based ‘Impact Toolkit’ that would include:- • a set of impact measures that should be used in the new adult careers service with a rationale for their inclusion; • methodologies for each of the impact measures identified; • approaches to obtaining information on progression in learning and work – with templates and case study material; • approaches to measuring soft outcomes; and • suggested Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Circle talks as situated experiential learning: Context, identity, and knowledgeability in \u27learning from reflection\u27

This article presents research that used ethnographic and sociolinguistic methods to study ways participants learn through reflection when carried out as a “circle talk.” The data indicate that participants in the event (a) invoked different contextual frames that (b) implicated them in various identity positions, which (c) affected how they could express their knowledge. These features worked together to generate socially shared meanings that enabled participants to jointly achieve conceptualization—the ideational role “reflection” is presumed to play in the experiential learning process. The analysis supports the claim that participants generate new knowledge in reflection, but challenges individualistic and cognitive assumptions regarding how this occurs. The article builds on situated views of experiential learning by showing how knowledge can be understood as socially shared and how learning and identity formation are mutually entailing processes