A possible shock effect associated with seaquakes

The effects of earthquakes felt on board vessels at sea are discussed along with the possibility of cohesive shock wave propagating through the ocean. The large earthquake of shallow focus which occurred on 29 April 1970, in the Guatemala Basin is analyzed. The thermal information recorded by ITOS-1 spacecraft showed an anomalous temperature enhancement of +3 K in the immediate vicinity, indicating a thermal effect attributed to shock waves

Laminin receptors in the retina: sequence analysis of the chick integrin alpha 6 subunit. Evidence for transcriptional and posttranslational regulation.

The integrin alpha 6 beta 1 is a prominent laminin receptor used by many cell types. In the present work, we isolate clones and determine the primary sequence of the chick integrin alpha 6 subunit. We show that alpha 6 beta 1 is a prominent integrin expressed by cells in the developing chick retina. Between embryonic days 6 and 12, both retinal ganglion cells and other retinal neurons lose selected integrin functions, including the ability to attach and extend neurites on laminin. In retinal ganglion cells, we show that this is correlated with a dramatic decrease in alpha 6 mRNA and protein, suggesting that changes in gene expression account for the developmental regulation of the interactions of these neurons with laminin. In other retinal neurons the expression of alpha 6 mRNA and protein remains high while function is lost, suggesting that the function of the alpha 6 beta 1 heterodimer in these cells is regulated by posttranslational mechanisms

Effects of outdoor exposure on solar cell modules in the ERDA/NASA Lewis Research Center Systems Test Facility

The effects of outdoor exposure were determined by comparing standard I-V data obtained for the as-received modules with similar data obtained after removal from the field and cleaning with detergent solution. All modules measured in this way exhibited nonrecoverable degradation in P sub maximum varying from 4 to 7 percent. One module exposed for 41 days exhibited partial cell discoloration, loss of front surface metallization over the discolored portion, and a decrease in P sub maximum of 7 percent, tentatively attributed to cell damage. Measurements before and after cleaning showed a recoverable degradation due to dirt accumulation. This recoverable loss in power was 11 percent after 245 days in the field for one brand of module, 6 percent after 48 days for another brand, and 4 1/2 percent for the third brand

A New Hybrid Framework to Efficiently Model Lines of Sight to Gravitational Lenses

In strong gravitational lens systems, the light bending is usually dominated by one main galaxy, but may be affected by other mass along the line of sight (LOS). Shear and convergence can be used to approximate the contributions from less significant perturbers (e.g. those that are projected far from the lens or have a small mass), but higher order effects need to be included for objects that are closer or more massive. We develop a framework for multiplane lensing that can handle an arbitrary combination of tidal planes treated with shear and convergence and planes treated exactly (i.e., including higher order terms). This framework addresses all of the traditional lensing observables including image positions, fluxes, and time delays to facilitate lens modelling that includes the non-linear effects due to mass along the LOS. It balances accuracy (accounting for higher-order terms when necessary) with efficiency (compressing all other LOS effects into a set of matrices that can be calculated up front and cached for lens modelling). We identify a generalized multiplane mass sheet degeneracy, in which the effective shear and convergence are sums over the lensing planes with specific, redshift-dependent weighting factors.Comment: 13 pages, 2 figure

Atmospheric dispersion and the implications for phase calibration

The success of any ALMA phase-calibration strategy, which incorporates phase transfer, depends on a good understanding of how the atmospheric path delay changes with frequency (e.g. Holdaway & Pardo 2001). We explore how the wet dispersive path delay varies for realistic atmospheric conditions at the ALMA site using the ATM transmission code. We find the wet dispersive path delay becomes a significant fraction (>5 per cent) of the non-dispersive delay for the high-frequency ALMA bands (>160 GHz, Bands 5 to 10). Additionally, the variation in dispersive path delay across ALMA's 4-GHz contiguous bandwidth is not significant except in Bands 9 and 10. The ratio of dispersive path delay to total column of water vapour does not vary significantly for typical amounts of water vapour, water vapour scale heights and ground pressures above Chajnantor. However, the temperature profile and particularly the ground-level temperature are more important. Given the likely constraints from ALMA's ancillary calibration devices, the uncertainty on the dispersive-path scaling will be around 2 per cent in the worst case and should contribute about 1 per cent overall to the wet path fluctuations at the highest frequencies.Comment: 13 pages, 10 figures, ALMA Memo 59

WESTERNIZATION IN CHINA: A CASE STUDY IN PROCESSED POTATOES

Keywords: China, potatoes, westernization, food demand, convenience foods Abstract: The demand for convenience foods is growing around the world, especially in China. However, the contributing factors of this change in food preferences are still largely unknown. To measure this westernization trend, data from a survey of Chinese consumers in Beijing is evaluated using a multinomial ordered logit model to determine which consumer attributes influence the probability of consuming western foods such as French fries, mashed potatoes, and potato chips. Results show that higher income levels and positive opinions concerning western food taste have a significant influence on increased consumption of all three processed potato products. Additionally, younger ages and female gender were highly significant indicators of increased French fry and potato chip consumption.Crop Production/Industries,

Movements, activities, and survival of translocated raccoons in East Tennessee

A study of the movements, activities, and survival of translocated raccoons (Procyon lotor) was conducted from March 1977 to November 1978 in portions of Blount and Loudon Counties, eastern Tennessee. From July 1975 to May 1978, 286 raccoons live-trapped in West Tennessee were ear-tagged and released in the study area. Seventeen of these animals were equipped with radio transmitters. As of November 1978, 29 (10.1%) of the raccoons were recovered, after an average time of 344 days (range = 2 to 1207 days) in the field. Illegal kills comprised 41.4% of all tag returns. Of 11 females recovered after 1 breeding season, 7 (63.6%) had apparently given birth to offspring while in the study area. Nine recovered raccoons had gained an average of 1.14 kg (29% increase) in weight over a mean period of 432 days. During a 4-night experimental hunt, 46 hunting parties harvested 19 raccoons, 6 of which (32%) were transplanted animals. The average minimum dispersal for all raccoons was 3.8 km over a mean period of 294 days. There was no significant relationship between the number of days to recovery and dispersal distances. Dispersal of males was not significantly greater than that of females. Dispersal directions were randomly distributed. Home ranges were calculated from approximately 1500 radio locations recorded over 630 days for 14 of the 17 radio monitored raccoons. Three methods of home range estimation were used: Minimal polygon, convex polygon, and a bivariate home range model (ellipse). Differences and advantages of each method are discussed. Home ranges of males were significantly larger than those of females, but home ranges of trans located raccoons v/ere not significantly larger than those reported for resident raccoons in the same area. Minimal polygon home ranges averaged 106.4 ha; convex polygon ranges averaged 226.05 ha; and elliptical areas averaged 383.75 ha at the 95% confidence interval and 290.16 ha at the 90% confidence interval. Raccoons released in areas containing large pastures and intensive illegal hunting or dog training activities established significantly larger home ranges. The influence of intensive human disturbances on raccoon movements are discussed. Approximately 5000 activity readings were used to analyze activity patterns. During adjustment to the new area, translocated raccoons were significantly more active and exhibited greater movements at all times of the day than during post-adjustment periods following release in the study area. After a 30-day adjustment period, raccoons were most active from 2101 to 0300 hours EST. Least active times were from 1201 to 1500 hours EST. Males were significantly more active and moved significantly farther over a 24-hour period than females. Of 328 den sites and day beds located, 70% were tree dens, 21% were ground dens, and 10% were gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinesis) leaf nests. No preference for individual tree species was evident. The advantages of the 3 types of den sites are discussed. The linear distance moved between consecutive den sites averaged 623 m and was significantly larger for males than females. Of approximately 1500 radio locations, 71.4% were recorded in forest habitat 15,7% in edge habitat, 7.1% in old-field situations, and 0.9% in agricultural row crops. Differences in habitat utilization appeared more related to habitat availability than preference. Conclusions were that the translocation of raccoons for population restoration is a valid wildlife management technique, provided that suitable habitat exists, the resident raccoon population is low, and illegal hunting and dog training-related mortality can be controlled. Other management implications and recommendations are discussed

Modeling the Formation of Clouds in Brown Dwarf Atmospheres

Because the opacity of clouds in substellar mass object (SMO) atmospheres depends on the composition and distribution of particle sizes within the cloud, a credible cloud model is essential for accurately modeling SMO spectra and colors. We present a one--dimensional model of cloud particle formation and subsequent growth based on a consideration of basic cloud microphysics. We apply this microphysical cloud model to a set of synthetic brown dwarf atmospheres spanning a broad range of surface gravities and effective temperatures (g_surf = 1.78 * 10^3 -- 3 * 10^5 cm/s^2 and T_eff = 600 -- 1600 K) to obtain plausible particle sizes for several abundant species (Fe, Mg2SiO4, and Ca2Al2SiO7). At the base of the clouds, where the particles are largest, the particle sizes thus computed range from ~5 microns to over 300 microns in radius over the full range of atmospheric conditions considered. We show that average particle sizes decrease significantly with increasing brown dwarf surface gravity. We also find that brown dwarfs with higher effective temperatures have characteristically larger cloud particles than those with lower effective temperatures. We therefore conclude that it is unrealistic when modeling SMO spectra to apply a single particle size distribution to the entire class of objects.Comment: 25 pages; 8 figures. We have added considerable detail describing the physics of the cloud model. We have also added discussions of the issues of rainout and the self-consistent coupling of clouds with brown dwarf atmospheric models. We have updated figures 1, 3, and 4 with new vertical axis labels and new particle sizes for forsterite and gehlenite. Accepted to the Astrophysical Journal, Dec. 2, 200