104 research outputs found

    Dust Devil Tracks

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    Dust devils that leave dark- or light-toned tracks are common on Mars and they can also be found on the Earth’s surface. Dust devil tracks (hereinafter DDTs) are ephemeral surface features with mostly sub-annual lifetimes. Regarding their size, DDT widths can range between ∼1 m and ∼1 km, depending on the diameter of dust devil that created the track, and DDT lengths range from a few tens of meters to several kilometers, limited by the duration and horizontal ground speed of dust devils. DDTs can be classified into three main types based on their morphology and albedo in contrast to their surroundings; all are found on both planets: (a) dark continuous DDTs, (b) dark cycloidal DDTs, and (c) bright DDTs. Dark continuous DDTs are the most common type on Mars. They are characterized by their relatively homogenous and continuous low albedo surface tracks. Based on terrestrial and martian in situ studies, these DDTs most likely form when surficial dust layers are removed to expose larger-grained substrate material (coarse sands of ≥500 μm in diameter). The exposure of larger-grained materials changes the photometric properties of the surface; hence leading to lower albedo tracks because grain size is photometrically inversely proportional to the surface reflectance. However, although not observed so far, compositional differences (i.e., color differences) might also lead to albedo contrasts when dust is removed to expose substrate materials with mineralogical differences. For dark continuous DDTs, albedo drop measurements are around 2.5 % in the wavelength range of 550–850 nm on Mars and around 0.5 % in the wavelength range from 300–1100 nm on Earth. The removal of an equivalent layer thickness around 1 μm is sufficient for the formation of visible dark continuous DDTs on Mars and Earth. The next type of DDTs, dark cycloidal DDTs, are characterized by their low albedo pattern of overlapping scallops. Terrestrial in situ studies imply that they are formed when sand-sized material that is eroded from the outer vortex area of a dust devil is redeposited in annular patterns in the central vortex region. This type of DDT can also be found in on Mars in orbital image data, and although in situ studies are lacking, terrestrial analog studies, laboratory work, and numerical modeling suggest they have the same formation mechanism as those on Earth. Finally, bright DDTs are characterized by their continuous track pattern and high albedo compared to their undisturbed surroundings. They are found on both planets, but to date they have only been analyzed in situ on Earth. Here, the destruction of aggregates of dust, silt and sand by dust devils leads to smooth surfaces in contrast to the undisturbed rough surfaces surrounding the track. The resulting change in photometric properties occurs because the smoother surfaces have a higher reflectance compared to the surrounding rough surface, leading to bright DDTs. On Mars, the destruction of surficial dust-aggregates may also lead to bright DDTs. However, higher reflective surfaces may be produced by other formation mechanisms, such as dust compaction by passing dust devils, as this may also cause changes in photometric properties. On Mars, DDTs in general are found at all elevations and on a global scale, except on the permanent polar caps. DDT maximum areal densities occur during spring and summer in both hemispheres produced by an increase in dust devil activity caused by maximum insolation. Regionally, dust devil densities vary spatially likely controlled by changes in dust cover thicknesses and substrate materials. This variability makes it difficult to infer dust devil activity from DDT frequencies. Furthermore, only a fraction of dust devils leave tracks. However, DDTs can be used as proxies for dust devil lifetimes and wind directions and speeds, and they can also be used to predict lander or rover solar panel clearing events. Overall, the high DDT frequency in many areas on Mars leads to drastic albedo changes that affect large-scale weather patterns

    Predicting oral anticoagulant response using a pharmacodynamic model

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    We developed a pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic model of warfarin absorption, metabolism, and anticoagulant action appropriate for guiding anticoagulant therapy. The model requires only two independently adjustable parameters to describe warfarin's effect on individual patients. For any given individual, these parameters are rapidly and inexpensively identified using a computer program based on the model. Test data were generated by superimposing Gaussian noise on dose-response curves calculated with the model. Then the computer program was applied to the test data. Future prothrombin complex activities (PCA's) and maintenance doses were predicted accurately early in the course of drug administration. In addition, the program accurately predicted PCA response in two groups of normal volunteers.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/44006/1/10439_2006_Article_BF02363455.pd

    Is American Public Administration Detached From Historical Context?: On the Nature of Time and the Need to Understand It in Government and Its Study

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    The study of public administration pays little attention to history. Most publications are focused on current problems (the present) and desired solutions (the future) and are concerned mainly with organizational structure (a substantive issue) and output targets (an aggregative issue that involves measures of both individual performance and organizational productivity/services). There is much less consideration of how public administration (i.e., organization, policy, the study, etc.) unfolds over time. History, and so administrative history, is regarded as a “past” that can be recorded for its own sake but has little relevance to contemporary challenges. This view of history is the product of a diminished and anemic sense of time, resulting from organizing the past as a series of events that inexorably lead up to the present in a linear fashion. To improve the understanding of government’s role and position in society, public administration scholarship needs to reacquaint itself with the nature of time.Yeshttps://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/manuscript-submission-guideline

    Factors determining segmental reflex action in normal and decerebrate cats

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    1. In the companion paper the gain of the stretch reflex in the ankle extensor muscles of normal cats was shown to increase after decerebration. The objectives of this study were 1) to identify the origin of the increased reflex and 2) to evaluate the contribution from afferents other than ankle extensor muscle afferents to the short-latency reflex. 2. Six cats were trained to stand unaided on four pedestals. Three cats were also trained to control the force exerted with the left hindlimb. The left soleus (SOL) and lateral gastrocnemius (LG) electromyogram (EMG), length, force, and temperature were recorded by chronically implanted electrodes and transducers. Measurements were taken before and after decerebration at the premammillary level. After decerebration limb temperature was returned to its normal range by the use of radiant heat. 3. Reproducible ramp-and-hold stretches and releases of the ankle extensor muscles were produced by a servo-controlled motor that rotated the left rear pedestal about the ankle joint. The length of the ankle extensor muscles changed by 2-3 mm within 30-35 ms after the onset of a ramp perturbation. Reflex responses before and after decerebration were compared at matched background values of muscle length and force. 4. In both the SOL and LG muscles, a short-latency EMG burst appeared 8-12 ms after stretch onset and lasted approximately 20 ms. After decerebration the onset of the rectified and smoothed EMG burst remained unchanged, but its area was increased by 36-89%. 5. The lateral gastrocnemius-soleus (LG-S) electroneurogram (ENG) was chronically recorded in two cats with a nerve cuff recording electrode implanted on the LG-S nerve. LG-S ENG activity started to increase soon after stretch onset and remained high during the entire ramp phase. The stretch-evoked LG-S ENG burst started approximately 8 ms earlier than the short-latency SOL and LG EMG bursts. It was interpreted to reflect mainly an increase in the activity of Group Ia and Ib muscle afferents, caused by increases in both muscle length and muscle force during the stretch. After the cats were decerebrated, for matched postural conditions, the area of the stretch-evoked LG-S ENG burst was increased by 29-35%. Because the length and force changes sensed by the muscle receptors before and after decerebration were similar, this suggests that the sensitivity of muscle spindles was increased as a consequence of altered activity in fusimotor neurons after decerebration.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS) </jats:p

    E-commerce, Location and IT Aspects of Kent Cancer Centre Network

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    The internet has facilitated the reorganisation of various parts of the commercial world, and e-commerce is the term used to describe the products of this reorganisation. The National Health Service (NHS), for a variety of reasons, some political some economic, some ''Old Conservative'' some ''New Labour'', but not as a result of improvements in networking, has also experienced reorganisation in recent years. This paper first revues the pressure for change on the NHS's provision of services for sufferers of cancer within Kent and then relates the possibilities for beneficial reorganisation to those changes in the commercial world, which can be attributed to the internet

    Resolving Impassiveness in Service Oriented Architecture

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