1,780 research outputs found
Broadband Records of Earthquakes in Deep Gold Mines and a Comparison with Results from SAFOD, California
For one week during September 2007, we deployed a temporary network of field recorders and accelerometers at four sites within two deep, seismically active mines. The ground-motion data, recorded at 200 samples/sec, are well suited to determining source and ground-motion parameters for the mining-induced earthquakes within and adjacent to our network. Four earthquakes with magnitudes close to 2 were recorded with high signal/noise at all four sites. Analysis of seismic moments and peak velocities, in conjunction with the results of laboratory stick-slip friction experiments, were used to estimate source processes that are key to understanding source physics and to assessing underground seismic hazard. The maximum displacements on the rupture surfaces can be estimated from the parameter Rv, where v is the peak ground velocity at a given recording site, and R is the hypocentral distance. For each earthquake, the maximum slip and seismic moment can be combined with results from laboratory friction experiments to estimate the maximum slip rate within the rupture zone. Analysis of the four M 2 earthquakes recorded during our deployment and one of special interest recorded by the in-mine seismic network in 2004 revealed maximum slips ranging from 4 to 27 mm and maximum slip rates from 1.1 to 6:3 m=sec. Applying the same analyses to an M 2.1 earthquake within a cluster of repeating earthquakes near the San Andreas Fault Observatory at Depth site, California, yielded similar results for maximum slip and slip rate, 14 mm and 4:0 m=sec
Stellar Variability in the Globular Cluster Terzan 5
We present the results of a search for variability in and near the core of
the metal-rich, obscured globular cluster Terzan 5, using NICMOS on HST. This
extreme cluster has approximately solar metallicity and a central density that
places it in the upper few percent of all clusters. It is estimated to have the
highest interaction rate of any galactic globular cluster. The large extinction
towards Terzan 5 and the severe stellar crowding near the cluster center
present a substantial observational challenge. Using time series analysis we
discovered two variable stars in this cluster. The first is a RRab Lyrae
variable with a period of ~0.61 days, a longer period than that of field stars
with similar high metallicities. This period is, however, shorter than the
average periods of RR Lyraes found in the metal-rich globular clusters NGC
6441, NGC 6388 and 47 Tuc. The second variable is a blue star with a 7-hour
period sinusoidal variation and a likely orbital period of 14 hours. This star
is probably an eclipsing blue straggler, or (less likely) the infrared
counterpart to the low mass X-ray binary known in Terzan 5. Due to the extreme
crowding and overlapping Airy profile of the IR PSF, we fall short of our
original goal of detecting CVs via Palpha emission and detecting variable
infrared emission from the location of the binary MSP in Terzan 5.Comment: 17 pages including 12 figures. Accepted for publication in Ap
Embryonic Pattern Scaling Achieved by Oppositely Directed Morphogen Gradients
Morphogens are proteins, often produced in a localised region, whose
concentrations spatially demarcate regions of differing gene expression in
developing embryos. The boundaries of expression must be set accurately and in
proportion to the size of the one-dimensional developing field; this cannot be
accomplished by a single gradient. Here, we show how a pair of morphogens
produced at opposite ends of a developing field can solve the pattern-scaling
problem. In the most promising scenario, the morphogens effectively interact
according to the annihilation reaction and the switch occurs
according to the absolute concentration of or . In this case embryonic
markers across the entire developing field scale approximately with system
size; this cannot be achieved with a pair of non-interacting gradients that
combinatorially regulate downstream genes. This scaling occurs in a window of
developing-field sizes centred at a few times the morphogen decay length.Comment: 24 pages; 11 figures; uses iopar
HST-NICMOS Observations of Terzan 5: Stellar Content and Structure of the Core
We report results from HST-NICMOS imaging of the extremely dense core of the
globular cluster Terzan 5. This highly obscured bulge cluster has been
estimated to have one of the highest collision rates of any galactic globular
cluster, making its core a particularly conducive environment for the
production of interacting binary systems. We have reconstructed high-resolution
images of the central 19"x19" region of Terzan 5 by application of the drizzle
algorithm to dithered NIC2 images in the F110W, F187W, and F187N near-infrared
filters. We have used a DAOPHOT/ALLSTAR analysis of these images to produce the
deepest color-magnitude diagram (CMD) yet obtained for the core of Terzan 5. We
have also analyzed the parallel 11"X11" NIC1 field, centered 30" from the
cluster center and imaged in F110W and F160W, and an additional NIC2 field that
is immediately adjacent to the central field. This imaging results in a clean
detection of the red-giant branch and horizontal branch in the central NIC2
field, and the detection of these plus the main-sequence turnoff and the upper
main sequence in the NIC1 field. We have constructed an H versus J-H CMD for
the NIC1 field. We obtain a new distance estimate of 8.7 kpc, which places
Terzan 5 within less than 1 kpc of the galactic center. We have also determined
a central surface-density profile which results in a maximum likelihood
estimate of 7.9" +/- 0.6" for the cluster core radius. We discuss the
implications of these results for the dynamical state of Terzan 5.Comment: 17 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in ApJ, for May 20,
200
Preferences related to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and its treatment
Kate Van Brunt1, Louis S Matza1, Peter M Classi2, Joseph A Johnston21Center for Health Outcomes Research at United BioSource Corporation, Bethesda, MD, USA; 2Eli Lilly and Company, Indianapolis, IN, USAObjectives: A growing body of literature has highlighted the importance of considering patient preferences as part of the medical decision-making process. The purpose of the current review was to identify and summarize published research on preferences related to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and its treatment, while suggesting directions for future research.Methods: A literature search identified 15 articles that included a choice-based assessment of preferences related to ADHD.Results: The 15 studies were grouped into four categories based on preference content: preference for a treatment directly experienced by the respondent or the respondent's child; preference for general treatment approaches; preference for a specific treatment attribute or outcome; and preference for aspects of ADHD-related treatment. Preference assessment methods ranged from global single items to detailed choice-based procedures, with few studies using rigorously developed assessment methods. Respondents included patients with ADHD, clinicians, parents, teachers, and survey respondents from the general population. Factors influencing preference include treatment characteristics, effectiveness for specific symptoms, side effects, and respondent demographics. Minimal research has examined treatment preferences of adults with ADHD.Discussion: Because there is no dominant treatment known to be the first choice for all patients, ADHD is a condition for which individual preferences can play an important role when making treatment decisions for individual patients. Given the potential role of preferences in clinical decision-making, more research is needed to better understand the preferences of patients with ADHD and other individuals who are directly affected by the disorder, such as parents and teachers.Keywords: patient preference, ADHD, parent preference, utilit
"No Going Back?" The final report of the Effective Records Management Project
The overall objective of the Effective Records Management project was the provision of âprotocols and tools for the effective management of information in the digital order, with particular attention to information held in a document-based formâ . The project developed a demonstrator system which addressed the full range of issues involved in the management of a âtestbedâ of digital records in the form of documents, from their creation through distribution and use to their final disposal or permanent retention. The testbed selected was the records of a subset of the universityâs committees and was used to develop ideas and to assess how well they worked in practice. This project report indicates that the ERM project provides an investment in the future, opportunities for better information use or re-use, identification of legal risks and identification of good practice whether you be an administrator, a computing scientist, an archivist, a librarian or an information services manager
"No Going Back?" The final report of the Effective Records Management Project
The overall objective of the Effective Records Management project was the provision of âprotocols and tools for the effective management of information in the digital order, with particular attention to information held in a document-based formâ . The project developed a demonstrator system which addressed the full range of issues involved in the management of a âtestbedâ of digital records in the form of documents, from their creation through distribution and use to their final disposal or permanent retention. The testbed selected was the records of a subset of the universityâs committees and was used to develop ideas and to assess how well they worked in practice. This project report indicates that the ERM project provides an investment in the future, opportunities for better information use or re-use, identification of legal risks and identification of good practice whether you be an administrator, a computing scientist, an archivist, a librarian or an information services manager
Effects of stratospheric aerosol surface processes on the LLNL two-dimensional zonally averaged model
We have investigated the effects of incorporating representations of heterogeneous chemical processes associated with stratospheric sulfuric acid aerosol into the LLNL two-dimensional, zonally averaged, model of the troposphere and stratosphere. Using distributions of aerosol surface area and volume density derived from SAGE II satellite observations, we were primarily interested in changes in partitioning within the Cl- and N- families in the lower stratosphere, compared to a model including only gas phase photochemical reactions. We have considered the heterogeneous hydrolysis reactions N2O5 + H2O(aerosol) yields 2 HNO3 and ClONO2 + H2O(aerosol) yields HOCl + HNO3 alone and in combination with the proposed formation of nitrosyl sulfuric acid (NSA) in the aerosol and its reaction with HCl. Inclusion of these processes produces significant changes in partitioning in the NO(y) and ClO(y) families in the middle stratosphere
Picosecond electric-field-induced threshold switching in phase-change materials
Many chalcogenide glasses undergo a breakdown in electronic resistance above
a critical field strength. Known as threshold switching, this mechanism enables
field-induced crystallization in emerging phase-change memory. Purely
electronic as well as crystal nucleation assisted models have been employed to
explain the electronic breakdown. Here, picosecond electric pulses are used to
excite amorphous AgInSbTe. Field-dependent reversible
changes in conductivity and pulse-driven crystallization are observed. The
present results show that threshold switching can take place within the
electric pulse on sub-picosecond time-scales - faster than crystals can
nucleate. This supports purely electronic models of threshold switching and
reveals potential applications as an ultrafast electronic switch.Comment: 6 pages manuscript with 3 figures and 8 pages supplementary materia
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