Mean proton and alpha-particle reduced widths of the Porter-Thomas distribution and astrophysical applications

The Porter-Thomas distribution is a key prediction of the Gaussian orthogonal ensemble in random matrix theory. It is routinely used to provide a measure for the number of levels that are missing in a given resonance analysis. The Porter-Thomas distribution is also of crucial importance for estimates of thermonuclear reaction rates where the contributions of certain unobserved resonances to the total reaction rate need to be taken into account. In order to estimate such contributions by randomly sampling over the Porter-Thomas distribution, the mean value of the reduced width must be known. We present mean reduced width values for protons and α particles of compound nuclei in the A = 28–67 mass range. The values are extracted from charged-particle elastic scattering and reaction data that weremeasured at the riangle Universities Nuclear Laboratory over several decades. Our new values differ significantly from those previously reported that were based on a preliminary analysis of a smaller data set. As an example for the application of our results, we present new thermonuclear rates for the 40Ca(α,γ)44Ti reaction, which is important for 44Ti production in core-collapse supernovae, and compare with previously reported results.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Modeling Circular Urban Metabolism in Santiago de Chile: Waste Tire Management

Cities account for over 70% of greenhouse gas emissions and consume over two-thirds of the world’s energy. With the continued rise of urbanization, 68% by 2050 as projected by the UN, cities must be redesigned to ensure emissions, and the associated negative impacts of climate change, do not also increase proportionately. One framework through which a city’s sustainability can be analyzed is through the lens of urban metabolism; the inflows, use, and outflows of a city’s resources are viewed as analogous to the functions and processes of an organism. To truly become sustainable, city metabolisms must become “circular,” with high quality resources being recirculated and reused throughout the system, thus diminishing the rate of resource exploitation. Through better understanding of a city’s urban metabolism, governments can implement policies targeting the points of the system with the biggest impact and increase their city’s environmental resilience. Our research focus is on Santiago de Chile, Region Metropolitana, and future management of waste tires. Santiago, as a densely populated city experiencing economic growth paired with rising inequality and environmental sustainability challenges, is an ideal testing ground for innovative environmental policies that could be applied elsewhere in urban Latin America. This material flow is particularly topical as it is one of six products covered by the new Ley de Responsibilidad Extendida del Productor (REP), an extended producer liability law that shifts responsibility of a products’ end-of-life phase from the consumer to the producer. REP is a critical area of interest for the Chilean Ministry of the Environment as well as our client, the EARTH Institute at Universidad Adolfo Ibáñez. We conduct a Material Flow and Impact Analysis of future tire streams in Santiago. Using this analysis, we compare scenarios for managing end-of-life tires (ELTs) to understand which tire circularity strategies will have the greatest positive environmental, social, and economic impact. We find that promoting ELT management strategies that focus on energyrecovery will best promote environmental sustainability and human health while minimizing consumption of water and fossil fuels. There is a tradeoff as energy recovery is more expensive and has a minimal impact on material circularity compared to a baseline scenario and we discuss a potential impact score through the lens of Chilean environmental policy. We further recommend that both an Advanced Disposal Fee (ADF) and a Deposit Refund System (DRS) are considered as potential economic policy instruments to facilitate ELT collection.Master of ScienceSchool for Environment and SustainabilityUniversity of Michiganhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/163335/1/Modeling Circular Urban Metabolism in Santiago de Chile_356.pd

Type 2 Diabetes and Memory: Using Neuroimaging to Understand the Mechanisms

The most robust and frequently reported cognitive deficits in type 2 diabetes (DM2) are those that relate to memory. Behavioural research has identified a number of potential contributory physiological factors, including abnormalities in glucose metabolism, such as hyperglycaemia and hypoglycaemia. The impact of these mechanisms on memory has been further investigated through the use of both structural and functional neuroimaging. Structural brain imaging has indicated that memory impairments in DM2 are associated with global atrophy of the brain. Further data suggest that localised atrophy in the hippocampal area, a brain region critical to memory formation and consolidation, may be primarily responsible for the memory deficits seen in this population. Functional imaging data has corroborates these findings, with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) suggesting reduced connectivity between the hippocampus and surrounding brain regions, particularly the frontal and temporal gyri. Despite this, little functional neuroimaging research has directly investigated differences in regional brain activity between healthy and DM2 participants whilst memory tasks are being performed. By using neuroimaging techniques to their full potential, we can acquire a fuller, more comprehensive picture of the impact that DM2 has on memory

A psychobiography of Helen Martins

Helen Martins devoted approximately the last thirty years of her life to converting her family home into a unique fantasy world which she named the Owl House. Since her death in 1976 the Owl House has become a national monument and museum in South Africa. Throughout her life Helen was considered by most of the surrounding villagers to have been strange, and she withdrew increasingly from society. However, she appeared to have contained a desire for human connection. There are several instances in which she expressed this desire, such as through the numerous letters which she wrote to fellow artists. The existing body of literature on Helen illustrates the complex nature of her personality; however the question of which personality style she best typifies has remained unanswered. In order to answer this question a psychobiography was conducted on Helen. Psychobiographies entail a biographical representation of a person's life history to which a psychological theory is applied. The psychological theory utilised within the current study was Millon's (1969/1996) Biosocial- Learning Theory. Thus, the chief objective of this study was to describe and interpret Helen's personality style through the use of Millon's (1969/1996) Biosocial-Learning Theory. Alexander's model of data extraction and Miles and Huberman's three step approach were implemented in order to reduce, organise and analyse the data. The findings of this study reflected that Helen deteriorated from one of Millon's (1969/1996) proposed personality styles to another as she aged. The current findings may illuminate Helen's motives for obsessively devoting her life to the creation of her fantasy world

You are set free

You Are Set Free is a four-movement orchestra work depicting the story of the disabled woman in Luke 13. The first movement is a picture of her inner conflict of hope and hopelessness she had as a disabled person during the time of Jesus. Her hope is represented in tonal melodies, while her hopelessness is represented in harsh harmonies. In the next movement, the woman’s inner conflict continues. Hopelessness is represented by a twelve-tone row and hope is represented by a tonal melody drawn from movement one. The third movement encompasses the meeting of Jesus and the woman. Jesus is represented by a strong and beautiful melody and the woman’s melody is accompanied by the harsh twelve-tone row. At the end of the movement, the two melodies meet and the woman is freed of her disability, her hopelessness, and her twelve-tone melody. The work continues directly into the final movement, which depicts the woman’s joyful celebration

Variation in Sex Allocation and Floral Morphology in an Expanding Distylous Plant Hybrid Complex

Premise of research. Sex allocation, the relative energy devoted to producing pollen, ovules, and floral displays, can significantly affect reproductive output and population dynamics. In this study, we investigated floral morphology and gamete production in bisexual, distylous plants from a self-incompatible hybrid complex (Piriqueta cistoides ssp. caroliniana Walter [Arbo]; Turneraceae). Sampling focused on two parent types (C, V) and their stable hybrid derivative (H). Since H morphotypes are heterotic for growth and fruit production, we hypothesized that they would produce larger flowers with more gametes. We also anticipated that plants with long styles (long morphs) would produce less pollen than short morphs, since long-morph pollen is larger. Methodology. Over two consecutive summers, flowers were collected from 1465 individual plants in 28 field populations. Floral parameters were measured digitally, and each flower’s pollen number, ovule number, and stigma-anther separation was quantified under a dissecting microscope. Gamete production (n = 332) and stigma-anther separation (n = 119) were also quantified for plants from a greenhouse accession. Pivotal results. Floral display differed among morphotypes, with H plants producing the largest flowers and C plants displaying the least petal separation. Hybrid morphotypes produced significantly more pollen than parental morphotypes, and pollen quantity was significantly greater for long morphs. Ovule production, however, was greatest for V flowers. Stigma-anther separation differed between years and style morphs (greater for short morphs) but not among morphotypes or within a single season. Conclusions. Differences in pollen production between morphs were not consistent with trade-offs in pollen size and number or selection for increased male function in short morphs. Greater stigma-anther separation in short morphs supported the hypothesis of selection to reduce pollen interference. Enhanced floral display and pollen production followed other heterotic traits observed in H morphotypes. The superior ability of H morphotypes to attract pollinators and sire seeds might partially explain this hybrid zone’s continuing expansion

Early childhood lung function is a stronger predictor of adolescent lung function in cystic fibrosis than early Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection

Pseudomonas aeruginosa has been suggested as a major determinant of poor pulmonary outcomes in cystic fibrosis (CF), although other factors play a role. Our objective was to investigate the association of early childhood Pseudomonas infection on differences in lung function in adolescence with CF

Mycobacterium bovis: A model pathogen at the interface of livestock, wildlife, and humans

Complex and dynamic interactions involving domestic animals, wildlife, and humans create environments favorable to the emergence of new diseases, or reemergence of diseases in new host species. Today, reservoirs of Mycobacterium bovis, the causative agent of tuberculosis in animals, and sometimes humans, exist in a range of countries and wild animal populations. Free-ranging populations of white-tailed deer in the US, brushtail possum in New Zealand, badger in the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom, and wild boar in Spain exemplify established reservoirs of M. bovis. Establishment of these reservoirs is the result of factors such as spillover from livestock, translocation of wildlife, supplemental feeding of wildlife, and wildlife population densities beyond normal habitat carrying capacities. As many countries attempt to eradicate M. bovis from livestock, efforts are impeded by spillback from wildlife reservoirs. It will not be possible to eradicate this important zoonosis from livestock unless transmission between wildlife and domestic animals is halted. Such an endeavor will require a collaborative effort between agricultural, wildlife, environmental, and political interests.Peer Reviewe

Reduction and stabilization of bilirubin with obeticholic acid treatment in patients with primary biliary cholangitis

Total bilirubin is a predictor of survival in primary biliary cholangitis, with the main elevated component being direct bilirubin. The purpose of this post hoc analysis was to assess the efficacy and safety of obeticholic acid across quartiles of varying baseline levels of direct bilirubin in the phase 3, randomized, placebo-controlled Primary Biliary Cholangitis Obeticholic Acid International Study of Efficacy. This analysis assessed patients on the basis of their baseline direct bilirubin level (divided by quartile). Biochemistry and safety outcomes were evaluated within each quartile over time. In the quartile with the highest baseline direct bilirubin (>5.47 µmol/L), there was a significant reduction in both direct and total bilirubin at Month 12 compared with placebo. Least squares mean (standard error) change from baseline in direct bilirubin at Month 12 was 4.17 (1.42) µmol/L for placebo, −3.48 (1.63) µmol/L for obeticholic acid 5-10 mg and −3.66 (1.51) µmol/L for obeticholic acid 10 mg (P < .0001, obeticholic acid vs placebo); the corresponding values for total bilirubin at Month 12 were 4.38 (1.55) µmol/L for placebo, −4.53 (1.83) µmol/L for obeticholic acid 5-10 mg and −5.06 (1.64) µmol/L for obeticholic acid 10 mg (P < .0001, obeticholic acid vs placebo). Obeticholic acid treatment was associated with significant reductions in total and direct bilirubin, particularly in patients with high baseline direct bilirubin. Because raised direct bilirubin levels, even within the normal range, are predictive of survival in primary biliary cholangitis, these results suggest substantial benefits of obeticholic acid in at-risk patients