Dynamic Geomorphology of the Drumlin Coast of Southeast Cape Breton Island

The southeastern coast of Cape Breton Island from Gabarus Bay to Framboise Cove has been investigated as a typical example of a drumlin coast. Landforms have been mapped from ground observations and air photographs. Time series of coastal profiles of both beaches and eroding drumlin cliffs have been measured. Nearshore sediment distribution has been mapped. An analysis has been made of wind and wave frequency and direction data. Four coastal segments are distinguished: (1) the south coast of Gabarus Bay has rock-cored drum-11ns separated by small barrier beaches; (2) the coast around Winging Point has a relatively stable depositional tombolo coast; (3) Fourchu Bay and Framboise Cove are developed in an area of thick till drumlins, and consist of barrier bars backed by lagoons and drumlins; and (4) the Fourchu Head and Red Cape are rocky coastlines from which all till has been removed by marine erosion, The geomorphologlcal evolution is a consequence of the initial drumlin landscape, the availability of a wide range of sediment sizes, and the type and intensity of marine erosion processes including the effects of transgression. Two types of coast are developed: a) in irregular hilly areas, where the till is thin and occurs in rock-cored drumlins; and b) in valley areas, where thick till drumlins are found. In each of these types, three stages of coastal development are distinguished. These represent the effect of differing rate of maturation, dependent on the configuration of drumlins and varying type and intensity of marine erosion. RÉSUMÉ Depuis la baie de Gabarua jusqu'à l'anse Framboise, la côte sud-est de l'ile du Cap-Breton a été étudiée en tant qu'exemple type d'une côte à drumlins. Les formes de relief ont été cartographies à partlr d'observations sur le terrain et de photographies aériennes. On a mesure à différents intervalles de temps, des séries de proflis côtiers comprenant des plages ainsi que des falaises de drumlins soumises à l’érosion. La distribution des sédiments littoraux a été cartographiée. On distingue quatre environnements côtiers. Le littoral sud de la baie de Gabarus est caractérise par des drumlins à noyau rocheux separes par des plages barrières de faibles dimensions. La côte à tombolos qui entoure la pointe Winging est un environnement de déposition relativement plus stable. Dans les régions de la baie Fourchu et de l'anse Framboise, des drumlins constitues d'un till epais sont 2 l'origine d'une côte barrière appuyée par des langunes et des drumlins. Les côtes rocheuses du cap Fourchu et de Red Cape ont été denudfies de leur till par l’action érosive de la mer. L'évolution géomorphologique de la côte ressort du paysage à drumlins original, de la disponibilité d'une vaste gamme de sédiments, ainsi que du type et de l'intensité des processus d’érosion marine, y compris les effets de la transgression. On reconnect deux types de côtes: l'une caractérisée par un paysage semé de collines oul'on retrouve un till mince associé à des drumlins à noyau rocheux; l’autre, que l'on retrouve dans les vallées, se distingue par d'épais drumlins constitues de till. Chacun de ces types de côtes se développé en trois étapes correspondent à des régimes de maturation différents qui dépendent de la configuration des drumlins ainsi que de l’intenuité et du caractére particuller de l’érosion marine. [Traduit par le journal

Dietary Restriction in Drosophila: Delayed Aging or Experimental Artefact?

Lifespan can be extended by reduction of dietary intake. This practice is referred to as dietary restriction (DR), and extension of lifespan by DR is evolutionarily conserved in taxonomically diverse organisms including yeast, invertebrates, and mammals. Although these two often-stated facts carry the implication that the mechanisms of DR are also evolutionarily conserved, extension of lifespan could be a case of evolutionary convergence, with different underlying mechanisms in different taxa. Furthermore, extension of lifespan by different methods of DR in the same organism may operate through different mechanisms. These topics remain unresolved because of the very fact that the mechanisms of DR are unknown. Given these uncertainties, it is essential that work on the mechanisms of DR is not clouded by imprecise descriptions of methods or by technical problems. Here we review the recent literature on DR in Drosophila to point out some methodological issues that can obscure mechanistic interpretations. We also indicate some experiments that could be performed to determine if DR in Drosophila operates through similar mechanisms to the process in rodents

Modelling the hepatitis B vaccination programme in prisons

A vaccination programme offering hepatitis B (HBV) vaccine at reception into prison has been introduced into selected prisons in England and Wales. Over the coming years it is anticipated this vaccination programme will be extended. A model has been developed to assess the potential impact of the programme on the vaccination coverage of prisoners, ex-prisoners, and injecting drug users (IDUs). Under a range of coverage scenarios, the model predicts the change over time in the vaccination status of new entrants to prison, current prisoners and IDUs in the community. The model predicts that at baseline in 2012 57% of the IDU population will be vaccinated with up to 72% being vaccinated depending on the vaccination scenario implemented. These results are sensitive to the size of the IDU population in England and Wales and the average time served by an IDU during each prison visit. IDUs that do not receive HBV vaccine in the community are at increased risk from HBV infection. The HBV vaccination programme in prisons is an effective way of vaccinating this hard-to-reach population although vaccination coverage on prison reception must be increased to achieve this

Reusable Agena study. Volume 2: Technical

The application of the existing Agena vehicle as a reusable upper stage for the space shuttle is discussed. The primary objective of the study is to define those changes to the Agena required for it to function in the reusable mode in the 100 percent capture of the NASA-DOD mission model. This 100 percent capture is achieved without use of kick motors or stages by simply increasing the Agena propellant load by using optional strap-on-tanks. The required shuttle support equipment, launch and flight operations techniques, development program, and cost package are also defined

Photoemission evidence for crossover from Peierls-like to Mott-like transition in highly strained VO2_2

We present a spectroscopic study that reveals that the metal-insulator transition of strained VO$_2$ thin films may be driven towards a purely electronic transition, which does not rely on the Peierls dimerization, by the application of mechanical strain. Comparison with a moderately strained system, which does involve the lattice, demonstrates the crossover from Peierls- to Mott-like transitions

Band gap reduction in GaNSb alloys due to the anion mismatch

The structural and optoelectronic properties in GaNxSb1–x alloys (0<=x<0.02) grown by molecular-beam epitaxy on both GaSb substrates and AlSb buffer layers on GaAs substrates are investigated. High-resolution x-ray diffraction (XRD) and reciprocal space mapping indicate that the GaNxSb1–x epilayers are of high crystalline quality and the alloy composition is found to be independent of substrate, for identical growth conditions. The band gap of the GaNSb alloys is found to decrease with increasing nitrogen content from absorption spectroscopy. Strain-induced band-gap shifts, Moss-Burstein effects, and band renormalization were ruled out by XRD and Hall measurements. The band-gap reduction is solely due to the substitution of dilute amounts of highly electronegative nitrogen for antimony, and is greater than observed in GaNAs with the same N content

Direct observation of delithiation as the origin of analog memristance in LixNbO2

The discovery of analog LixNbO2 memristors revealed a promising new memristive mechanism wherein the diffusion of Li+ rather than O2- ions enables precise control of the resistive states. However, directly correlating lithium concentration with changes to the electronic structure in active layers remains a challenge and is required to truly understand the underlying physics. Chemically delithiated single crystals of LiNbO2 present a model system for correlating lithium variation with spectroscopic signatures from operando soft x-ray spectroscopy studies of device active layers. Using electronic structure modeling of the x-ray spectroscopy of LixNbO2 single crystals, we demonstrate that the intrinsic memristive behavior in LixNbO2 active layers results from field-induced degenerate p-type doping. We show that electrical operation of LixNbO2-based memristors is viable even at marginal Li deficiency and that the analog memristive switching occurs well before the system is fully metallic. This study serves as a benchmark for material synthesis and characterization of future LixNbO2-based memristor devices and suggests that valence change switching is a scalable alternative that circumvents the electroforming typically required for filamentary-based memristors

Band anticrossing in GaNxSb1–x

Fourier transform infrared absorption measurements are presented from the dilute nitride semiconductor GaNSb with nitrogen incorporations between 0.2% and 1.0%. The divergence of transitions from the valence band to E– and E+ can be seen with increasing nitrogen incorporation, consistent with theoretical predictions. The GaNSb band structure has been modeled using a five-band k·p Hamiltonian and a band anticrossing fitting has been obtained using a nitrogen level of 0.78 eV above the valence band maximum and a coupling parameter of 2.6 eV

Global net carbon exchange and intra-annual atmospheric CO2 concentrations predicted by an Ecosystem Process Model and Three-Dimensional Atmospheric Transport Model

A generalized terrestrial ecosystem process model, BIOME-BGC (for BIOME BioGeoChemical Cycles), was used to simulate the global fluxes of CO2 resulting from photosynthesis, autotrophic respiration, and heterotrophic respiration. Daily meteorological data for the year 1987, gridded to 1° by 1°, were used to drive the model simulations. From the maximum value of the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) for 1987, the leaf area index for each grid cell was computed. Global NPP was estimated to be 52 Pg C, and global Rh was estimated to be 66 Pg C. Model predictions of the stable carbon isotopic ratio 13C/12C for C3 and C4 vegetation were in accord with values published in the literature, suggesting that our computations of total net photosynthesis, and thus NPP, are more reliable than Rh. For each grid cell, daily Rh was adjusted so that the annual total was equal to annual NPP, and the resulting net carbon fluxes were used as inputs to a three-dimensional atmospheric transport model (TM2) using wind data from 1987. We compared the spatial and seasonal patterns of NPP with a diagnostic NDVI model, where NPP was derived from biweekly NDVI data and Rh was tuned to fit atmospheric CO2 observations from three northern stations. To an encouraging degree, predictions from the BIOME-BGC model agreed in phase and amplitude with observed atmospheric CO2 concentrations for 20° to 55°N, the zone in which the most complete data on ecosystem processes and meteorological input data are available. However, in the tropics and high northern latitudes, disagreements between simulated and measured CO2 concentrations indicated areas where the model could be improved. We present here a methodology by which terrestrial ecosystem models can be tested globally, not by comparisons to homogeneous-plot data, but by seasonal and spatial consistency with a diagnostic NDVI model and atmospheric CO2 observations