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Geologic and Hydrologic Investigations Reese Air Force Base, Lubbock, Texas
The Bureau of Economic Geology has characterized the geology and hydrology of the Ogallala and Blackwater Draw Formations at Reese Air Force Base to provide baseline information for better delineation of contamination on the base. Examination of five cores identified two predominant depositional facies: eolian sands and fluvial gravels. The gravels appear to be continuous across the base and may represent the major water-bearing unit; therefore, they may be the prime conduit for contaminant migration in the groundwater beneath the base. Continuous water-level recorder data from water-supply wells and monitoring wells on the base indicated typically confined and unconfined conditions. The degree of confinement may be controlled by the wells' proximity to the playa lakes on the base or by the relation of the water levels in the wells relative to the top of the water-bearing gravel unit. This variability in the degree of confinement indicates a more complex hydrologic setting than is normally recognized for the Ogallala aquifer.Bureau of Economic Geolog
Propagation of Bose-Einstein condensates in a magnetic waveguide
Gaseous Bose-Einstein condensates of 2-3 million atoms were loaded into a
microfabricated magnetic trap using optical tweezers. Subsequently, the
condensates were released into a magnetic waveguide and propagated 12 mm.
Single-mode propagation was observed along homogeneous segments of the
waveguide. Inhomogeneities in the guiding potential arose from geometric
deformations of the microfabricated wires and caused strong transverse
excitations. Such deformations may restrict the waveguide physics that can be
explored with propagating condensates.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Teaching physics with 670 nm diode lasersâconstruction of stabilized lasers and lithium cells
We describe the construction and operation of stabilized 670 nm diode lasers for use in undergraduate teaching labs. Because they emit lowâpower visible radiation, 670 nm lasers are safe and aesthetically pleasing, and thus are an attractive alternative to nearâinfrared diode lasers in the undergraduate laboratory. We also describe the fabrication of a robust and reliable lithium atomic vapor cell, which can be used with the 670 nm diode lasers to perform a variety of atomic physics experiments
The impact of maternal smoking during pregnancy on depressive and anxiety behaviors in children: the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study.
BACKGROUND: Maternal smoking during pregnancy (MSDP) is associated with multiple adverse childhood outcomes including externalizing behaviors. However, the association between MSDP and internalizing (anxiety and depressive) behaviors in offspring has received less investigation. We aimed to assess the association between MSDP and childhood internalizing (anxiety and depressive) behaviors in a very large, well-characterized cohort study. METHODS: We assessed the association between MSDP and internalizing behaviors in offspring utilizing information drawn from 90,040 mother-child pairs enrolled in the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study. Mothers reported smoking information, including status and frequency of smoking, twice during pregnancy. Mothers also reported their child\u27s internalizing behaviors at 18 months, 36 months, and 5 years. Associations between MSDP and childhood internalizing behaviors, including dose-response and timing of smoking in pregnancy, were assessed at each time point. RESULTS: MSDP was associated with increased internalizing behaviors when offspring were aged 18 months (B = 0.11, P <0.001) and 36 months (B = 0.06, P <0.01), adjusting for numerous potential confounders. Higher rates of smoking (e.g., >20 cigarettes per day) were associated with higher levels of internalizing behaviors. Maternal smoking during early pregnancy appeared to be the critical period for exposure. CONCLUSIONS: We found evidence supporting a potential role for MSDP in increasing internalizing (anxiety and depressive) behaviors in offspring. We also found evidence supportive of a possible causal relationship, including dose-dependency and support for a predominant role of early pregnancy exposure. Further investigation utilizing genetically informed designs are warranted to assess this association
Bohr-Sommerfeld Quantization of Periodic Orbits
We show, that the canonical invariant part of corrections to the
Gutzwiller trace formula and the Gutzwiller-Voros spectral determinant can be
computed by the Bohr-Sommerfeld quantization rules, which usually apply for
integrable systems. We argue that the information content of the classical
action and stability can be used more effectively than in the usual treatment.
We demonstrate the improvement of precision on the example of the three disk
scattering system.Comment: revte
A Storage Ring for Neutral Atoms
We have demonstrated a storage ring for ultra-cold neutral atoms. Atoms with
mean velocities of 1 m/s corresponding to kinetic energies of ~100 neV are
confined to a 2 cm diameter ring by magnetic forces produced by two
current-carrying wires. Up to 10^6 atoms are loaded at a time in the ring, and
7 revolutions are clearly observed. Additionally, we have demonstrated multiple
loading of the ring and deterministic manipulation of the longitudinal velocity
distribution of the atoms using applied laser pulses. Applications of this ring
include large area atom interferometers and cw monochromatic atomic beam
generation.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure
Spatial Transferability of an AgentâBased Model to Simulate Taenia solium control interventions
Background
Models can be used to study and predict the impact of interventions aimed at controlling the spread of infectious agents, such as Taenia solium, a zoonotic parasite whose larval stage causes epilepsy and economic loss in many rural areas of the developing nations. To enhance the credibility of model estimates, calibration against observed data is necessary. However, this process may lead to a paradoxical dependence of model parameters on location-specific data, thus limiting the modelâs geographic transferability. Methods
In this study, we adopted a non-local model calibration approach to assess whether it can improve the spatial transferability of CystiAgent, our agent-based model of local-scale T. solium transmission. The calibration dataset for CystiAgent consisted of cross-sectional data on human taeniasis, pig cysticercosis and pig serology collected in eight villages in Northwest Peru. After calibration, the model was transferred to a second group of 21 destination villages in the same area without recalibrating its parameters. Model outputs were compared to pig serology data collected over a period of 2 years in the destination villages during a trial of T. solium control interventions, based on mass and spatially targeted human and pig treatments. Results
Considering the uncertainties associated with empirical data, the model produced simulated pre-intervention pig seroprevalences that were successfully validated against data collected in 81% of destination villages. Furthermore, the model outputs were able to reproduce validated pig seroincidence values in 76% of destination villages when compared to the data obtained after the interventions. The results demonstrate that the CystiAgent model, when calibrated using a non-local approach, can be successfully transferred without requiring additional calibration. Conclusions
This feature allows the model to simulate both baseline pre-intervention transmission conditions and the outcomes of control interventions across villages that form geographically homogeneous regions, providing a basis for developing large-scale models representing T. solium transmission at a regional level
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