A shipboard cable-hauling system for large electrical cables

An air -powered hauling machine and reeling device for use at sea with large electrical cable systems such as hydrophone arrays is described. The system may be used to haul cables from 0. 3 to 2 . 0 inch diameter. Hauling tensions up to 9 80 lbs . and speeds up to 4 30 ft/ min. are provided. The principal advantage of the system is that it does not cause the cable to bend while under tension. Reeling is accomplished under only sufficient tension to cause the cable to conform to the reel.Undersea Warfare Branch Office of Naval Research under Contracts Nonr-4029(00) NR 260-10

Tensor factorizations of local second-order M{\o}ller Plesset theory

Efficient electronic structure methods can be built around efficient tensor representations of the wavefunction. Here we describe a general view of tensor factorization for the compact representation of electronic wavefunctions. We use these ideas to construct low-complexity representations of the doubles amplitudes in local second order M{\o}ller-Plesset perturbation theory. We introduce two approximations - the direct orbital specific virtual approximation and the full orbital specific virtual approximation. In these approximations, each occupied orbital is associated with a small set of correlating virtual orbitals. Conceptually, the representation lies between the projected atomic orbital representation in Pulay-Saeb{\o} local correlation theories and pair natural orbital correlation theories. We have tested the orbital specific virtual approximations on a variety of systems and properties including total energies, reaction energies, and potential energy curves. Compared to the Pulay-Saeb{\o} ansatz, we find that these approximations exhibit favourable accuracy and computational times, while yielding smooth potential energy curves

How virulent should a parasite be to its vector?

Journal ArticleVector-borne parasites are commonly predicted to be less virulent to the vector than to the definitive host as the parasite gains little by harming its main route of transmission. Here we assess the empirical evidence from systems in which insects are vectors for vertebrate, plant, and invertebrate parasites

Virulence management in biocontrol agents

Journal ArticleAlthough biological control is founded upon the virulence of natural enemies to the targeted pests, there has been little effort to understand how this might change, let alone to manage it. Frank Fenner and colleagues can be credited with being the first (and last!) to monitor changes in virulence of a biological control agent, namely the myxoma virus used to control rabbits in Australia (Fenner and Fantini 1999)

Allied health manpower strategies: estimates of the potential gains from efficient task delegation

Journal ArticleThis study analyzes the potential impact of physician extenders on the productivity of primary care practices and considers the consequent implication for future health manpower requirements. A number of previous investigations have evaluated a variety of extenders in experimental settings. This study, in contrast, constructs and operates a simulation model of the representative practice permitting one to synthesize the experiences and insights of earlier demonstration projects. The model requires the practice to delegate tasks to paramedical personnel including the physician extender in such a way as to minimize the total cost of delivering a list of required medical services. The alternative acceptable techniques for delivering care are defined by the number of minutes of each type of medical personnel that must be employed in producing each service. Primary care is characterized by distinct medical services. The model reveals that physician extenders could increase the productivity of a representative primary care practice by up to 74 per cent. Alternatively, the commitment of physician time required to serve a patient load of 100 visits a week might be reduced by 14.2 hours through effective use of an extender. The article concludes with observations on the implications of physician extenders for future health manpower requirements

An Examination of Sport Fans’ Perceptions of the Impact of the Legalization of Sport Wagering on Their Fan Experience

Over the years, professional and collegiate organizations have fought attempts to increase the legalization of sport wagering. One argument presented by those in opposition is that increased legalization would negatively alter the manner in which fans and spectators follow, consume, and react to sporting events (Tuohy, 2013). The current research was designed to examine possible changes in fandom by investigating fans’ perceptions of the impact of increasing legalized sport wagering on their fan experience, interest in sport, and sport consumption. Participants (N = 580) completed a questionnaire packet assessing demographics, economic fan motivation, fandom, and perceptions of the impact of increased access to legalized sport gambling. Data and analyses indicated that expected impacts were small and generally positive (e.g., a modest increase in interest in sport and consumption) and that these effects were greatest among groups historically active in sport gambling (e.g., persons higher in economic motivation and sport fandom)

The Brown Dwarf Kinematics Project I. Proper motions and tangential velocities for a large sample of late-type M, L, and T dwarfs

We report proper-motion measurements for 427 late-type M, L, and T dwarfs, 332 of which have been measured for the first time. Combining these new proper motions with previously published measurements yields a sample of 841 M7-T8 dwarfs. We combined parallax measurements or calculated spectrophotometric distances, and computed tangential velocities for the entire sample. We find that kinematics for the full and volume-limited 20 pc samples are consistent with those expected for the Galactic thin disk, with no significant differences between late-type M, L, and T dwarfs. Applying an age-velocity relation we conclude that the average kinematic age of the 20 pc sample of ultracool dwarfs is older than recent kinematic estimates and more consistent with age results calculated with population synthesis models. There is a statistically distinct population of high tangential velocity sources (V tan > 100 km s^–1) whose kinematics suggest an even older population of ultracool dwarfs belonging to either the Galactic thick disk or halo. We isolate subsets of the entire sample, including low surface gravity dwarfs, unusually blue L dwarfs, and photometric outliers in J – Ks color and investigate their kinematics. We find that the spectroscopically distinct class of unusually blue L dwarfs has kinematics clearly consistent with old age, implying that high surface gravity and/or low metallicity may be relevant to their spectral properties. The low surface gravity dwarfs are kinematically younger than the overall population, and the kinematics of the red and blue ultracool dwarfs suggest ages that are younger and older than the full sample, respectively. We also present a reduced proper-motion diagram at 2MASS (Two Micron All Sky Survey) Ks for the entire population and find that a limit of HKs > 18 excludes M dwarfs from the L and T dwarf population regardless of near-infrared color, potentially enabling the identification of the coldest brown dwarfs in the absence of color information

Blind prediction of broadband coherence time at basin scales

A blind comparison with data is made with a model for the coherence time of broadband sound (133 Hz, 17-Hz bandwidth) at 3709 km. Coherence time is limited by changes in the ocean because the acoustic instruments are fixed to the Earth on the bottom of the sea with time bases maintained by atomic clocks. Although the modeled coherence time depends a bit on the difficult problem of correctly modeling relative signal-to-noise ratios, normalized correlation coefficients of the broadband signals for the data (model) are 0.90 (0.83), 0.72 (0.59), and 0.51 (0.36) at lags of 2, 4.1, and 6.2 min, respectively. In all these cases, observed coherence times are a bit longer than modeled. The temporal evolution of the model is based on the linear dispersion relation for internal waves. Acoustic propagation is modeled with the parabolic approximation and the sound-speed insensitive operator

Significance Testing of Site 41SS164, San Saba County, Texas

SWCA Environmental Consultants (SWCA) conducted significance testing excavations at site 41SS164, San Saba County, Texas on behalf of the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT). The tested portion of the site is in TxDOT’s right-of-way (ROW) of County Road (CR) 228 on the eastern bank of Richland Springs Creek, a tributary of the San Saba River. SWCA performed the investigations under General Services Contract #575XXSA007, Work Authorization #575 21 SA007, and Texas Antiquities Permit 4156. The final report was written under General Services Contract #577XXSA002, Work Authorization #577 05 SA002. In the course of the investigations, SWCA conducted backhoe trenching, hand excavations, special sampling, and other documentation at the project area. As the ROW on the eastern side of the CR 228 bridge is extremely narrow, all trench and hand excavations were conducted in the roadway after the removal of the gravel roadbed and several layers of fill. In all, approximately 3 m3 were excavated by hand at the site, beginning at the transition point between the fill layers and layers containing cultural material, or just above it. In addition to the hand excavations, the testing project included two backhoe trenches excavated perpendicular to each other. As an additional element of the investigations, SWCA excavated one 50-x-50-cm column sample to assess the site’s potential artifact recovery and potential cultural layers. The testing determined that the site contains one intact cultural component, designated Analytical Unit 1 (AU 1), in an alluvial setting. A second deposit containing cultural material above AU 1 was determined to be part of an ambiguous interface fill deposit and not an in situ component. AU 1 contains two burned sandstone rock features, debitage, bone, a dart point, lithic tools, and two charcoal samples. The radiocarbon samples yielded widely disparate dates; one is interpreted as an intrusive sample, and the other found in Feature 2 dated to the Late Archaic. A Pandale dart point dating to the Early/Middle Archaic (8,800–4,000 B.P.) was also found in Feature 2 within AU 1. The deposits appeared to be highly compressed. Geomorphological investigations of the east-west backhoe trench revealed a steady downward slope of cultural material in both AU 1 and the ambiguous interface fill deposit as one approached Richland Springs Creek. Thus, although cultural material was encountered at various depths within the site area, it was identified as one cultural component. Artifact recovery was sparse, with modest amounts of organic material preserved. Although the site contains one analytical unit with prehistoric cultural material in an observable natural stratum, the sloping stratigraphy and complex soil deposition makes it difficult to subdivide the component into more than one occupation period subject to specific research questions. Geomorphic analysis suggests a level of compression in the component. Additionally, the quantity and diversity of cultural material recovered from the site indicates the potential data yield to answer specific research questions is marginal. SWCA recommends that the portion of 41SS164 within the road ROW is not eligible for National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) listing under Criterion D, 36 CFR 60.4, and is not eligible for State Archeological Landmark (SAL) designation under Criteria 1 and 2 of the Rules of Practice and Procedure for the Antiquities Code of Texas, 13 TAC 26.8. Data recovery investigations are not recommended for the portion of the site within the ROW. Portions of the site outside of the ROW have not been fully evaluated

Oral Lesions in Passerine and Psittacine Birds: A Differential Diagnosis

Imagine that you are a recently graduated veterinarian working for a mixed animal practice which serves a moderately populated area. One of your more regular clients presents to you a cockatiel which was purchased six months ago. The owner describes a two week history of dysphagia, anorexia, loss of weight and a general loss of activity. Upon physical examination the most outstanding lesions consisted of white, moderately raised areas of well circumscribed nodules and fibronecrotic plaques in the oral cavity