Solving variational inequalities defined on a domain with infinitely many linear constraints

We study a variational inequality problem whose domain is defined by infinitely many linear inequalities. A discretization method and an analytic center based inexact cutting plane method are proposed. Under proper assumptions, the convergence results for both methods are given. We also provide numerical examples to illustrate the proposed method

Neutral winds in the polar thermosphere as measured from dynamics explorer

Remote sensing measurements of the meridional thermospheric neutral wind using the Fabry-Perot Interferometer on Dynamics Explorer have been combined with measurements of the zonal component using the Wind and Temperature Spectrometer on the same spacecraft. The two data sets with appropriate spatial phasing and averaging determine the vector wind along the track of the polar orbiting spacecraft. A study of fifty-eight passes over the Southern (sunlit) pole has enabled the average Universal Time dependence of the wind field to be determined for essentially a single solar local time cut. The results show the presence of a "back-ground" wind field driven by solar EUV heating upon which is superposed a circulating wind field driven by high latitude momentum and energy sources.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/24099/1/0000356.pd

The Science of Sungrazers, Sunskirters, and Other Near-Sun Comets

This review addresses our current understanding of comets that venture close to the Sun, and are hence exposed to much more extreme conditions than comets that are typically studied from Earth. The extreme solar heating and plasma environments that these objects encounter change many aspects of their behaviour, thus yielding valuable information on both the comets themselves that complements other data we have on primitive solar system bodies, as well as on the near-solar environment which they traverse. We propose clear definitions for these comets: We use the term near-Sun comets to encompass all objects that pass sunward of the perihelion distance of planet Mercury (0.307 AU). Sunskirters are defined as objects that pass within 33 solar radii of the Sun’s centre, equal to half of Mercury’s perihelion distance, and the commonly-used phrase sungrazers to be objects that reach perihelion within 3.45 solar radii, i.e. the fluid Roche limit. Finally, comets with orbits that intersect the solar photosphere are termed sundivers. We summarize past studies of these objects, as well as the instruments and facilities used to study them, including space-based platforms that have led to a recent revolution in the quantity and quality of relevant observations. Relevant comet populations are described, including the Kreutz, Marsden, Kracht, and Meyer groups, near-Sun asteroids, and a brief discussion of their origins. The importance of light curves and the clues they provide on cometary composition are emphasized, together with what information has been gleaned about nucleus parameters, including the sizes and masses of objects and their families, and their tensile strengths. The physical processes occurring at these objects are considered in some detail, including the disruption of nuclei, sublimation, and ionisation, and we consider the mass, momentum, and energy loss of comets in the corona and those that venture to lower altitudes. The different components of comae and tails are described, including dust, neutral and ionised gases, their chemical reactions, and their contributions to the near-Sun environment. Comet-solar wind interactions are discussed, including the use of comets as probes of solar wind and coronal conditions in their vicinities. We address the relevance of work on comets near the Sun to similar objects orbiting other stars, and conclude with a discussion of future directions for the field and the planned ground- and space-based facilities that will allow us to address those science topics

Completion Dissection or Observation for Sentinel-Node Metastasis in Melanoma.

Sentinel-lymph-node biopsy is associated with increased melanoma-specific survival (i.e., survival until death from melanoma) among patients with node-positive intermediate-thickness melanomas (1.2 to 3.5 mm). The value of completion lymph-node dissection for patients with sentinel-node metastases is not clear. In an international trial, we randomly assigned patients with sentinel-node metastases detected by means of standard pathological assessment or a multimarker molecular assay to immediate completion lymph-node dissection (dissection group) or nodal observation with ultrasonography (observation group). The primary end point was melanoma-specific survival. Secondary end points included disease-free survival and the cumulative rate of nonsentinel-node metastasis. Immediate completion lymph-node dissection was not associated with increased melanoma-specific survival among 1934 patients with data that could be evaluated in an intention-to-treat analysis or among 1755 patients in the per-protocol analysis. In the per-protocol analysis, the mean (±SE) 3-year rate of melanoma-specific survival was similar in the dissection group and the observation group (86±1.3% and 86±1.2%, respectively; P=0.42 by the log-rank test) at a median follow-up of 43 months. The rate of disease-free survival was slightly higher in the dissection group than in the observation group (68±1.7% and 63±1.7%, respectively; P=0.05 by the log-rank test) at 3 years, based on an increased rate of disease control in the regional nodes at 3 years (92±1.0% vs. 77±1.5%; P<0.001 by the log-rank test); these results must be interpreted with caution. Nonsentinel-node metastases, identified in 11.5% of the patients in the dissection group, were a strong, independent prognostic factor for recurrence (hazard ratio, 1.78; P=0.005). Lymphedema was observed in 24.1% of the patients in the dissection group and in 6.3% of those in the observation group. Immediate completion lymph-node dissection increased the rate of regional disease control and provided prognostic information but did not increase melanoma-specific survival among patients with melanoma and sentinel-node metastases. (Funded by the National Cancer Institute and others; MSLT-II ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00297895 .)

The PHENIX Experiment at RHIC

The physics emphases of the PHENIX collaboration and the design and current status of the PHENIX detector are discussed. The plan of the collaboration for making the most effective use of the available luminosity in the first years of RHIC operation is also presented.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figure. Further details of the PHENIX physics program available at http://www.rhic.bnl.gov/phenix

El Pensamiento Probabilístico de los Profesores de Biología en Formación

Los futuros profesores de secundaria requieren de una formación acorde a las demandas de la sociedad del siglo XXI. Ello impone el desarrollo de un pensamiento que le permita interpretar y abordar los fenómenos de naturaleza aleatoria. El objetivo de este trabajo es determinar las tendencias de pensamiento probabilístico de los estudiantes de los profesorados de Biología de la provincia de Mendoza, Argentina. Para ello se aplicó un cuestionario a los 325 estudiantes que cursan esta carrera. El mismo consta de tres partes; la primera trata sobre las variables demográficas de los estudiantes, la segunda corresponde al reconocimiento de la aleatoriedad; y la tercera a la estimación de la probabilidad de diferentes sucesos. Las respuestas se analizaron a partir de la aplicación de diferentes técnicas estadísticas; el test de independencia, el análisis de la varianza, el test de Tukey, análisis de clusters y análisis discriminante. En primer lugar, se encontraron diferencias significativas entre el reconocimiento de la aleatoriedad y el contexto del suceso, siendo mayor en el contexto de juego que en el físico natural. Mientras que, en el contexto físico natural se afirma la aleatoriedad desde la causalidad, en el de juego se afirma desde la incertidumbre. En segundo lugar, no se encontró relación de dependencia entre el reconocimiento de la aleatoriedad y la edad de los estudiantes, como así tampoco con el nivel académico de los mismos. Respecto a la estimación de la probabilidad, los estudiantes argumentan fundamentalmente desde la equiprobabilidad y desde la contingencia. El análisis de clusters y análisis discriminante permitieron encontrar cuatro tendencias de pensamiento: incertidumbre, determinista, contingente y personalista