Determining Pathways and Connections Between Access to Water and High School Noncompletion Rates for Communities Along the U.S.–Mexico Border

Lack of access to potable water through a conveyance system impacts all aspects of modern life. Many colonias, communities in the Southwestern United States along the U.S.–Mexico border, continue to lack access to piped and treated water. This article discusses a model for the pathway from lack of access to water to lack of high school completion, including intermediary conditions impacting wellness, health, and quality of life for community members. A facilitated discussion with five environmental and public health experts who frequently work in the colonias of El Paso County, Texas (border communities that resemble the developing world), established common themes found in these communities. This process mapped the pathway from lack of access to water to noncompletion of high school for residents of the colonias. Further analysis of the pathway led to a model that describes these conditions in terms of built, cultural, human, and political capitals using the capital community framework (Emery & Flora, 2008). The resulting model determines local community investments for advancing positive effects on the beginning, intermediary, and end conditions in the pathway, which have the capacity to positively impact education outcomes. The resulting model can be used to inform policy makers in making investment decisions for developing communities throughout the world including those that face devastation and are in the process of rebuilding sustainable infrastructure with limited financial capital

Non-LTE line formation of Fe in late-type stars - III. 3D non-LTE analysis of metal-poor stars

As one of the most important elements in astronomy, iron abundance determinations need to be as accurate as possible. We investigate the accuracy of spectroscopic iron abundance analyses using archetypal metal-poor stars. We perform detailed 3D non-LTE radiative transfer calculations based on 3D hydrodynamic STAGGER model atmospheres, and employ a new model atom that includes new quantum-mechanical neutral hydrogen collisional rate coefficients. With the exception of the red giant HD122563, we find that the 3D non-LTE models achieve Fe I/Fe II excitation and ionization balance as well as not having any trends with equivalent width to within modelling uncertainties of 0.05 dex, all without having to invoke any microturbulent broadening; for HD122563 we predict that the current best parallax-based surface gravity is overestimated by 0.5 dex. Using a 3D non-LTE analysis, we infer iron abundances from the 3D model atmospheres that are roughly 0.1 dex higher than corresponding abundances from 1D MARCS model atmospheres; these differences go in the same direction as the non-LTE effects themselves. We make available grids of departure coefficients, equivalent widths and abundance corrections, calculated on 1D MARCS model atmospheres and horizontally and temporally averaged 3D STAGGER model atmospheres

The influence of electron collisions on non-LTE Li line formation in stellar atmospheres

The influence of the uncertainties in the rate coefficient data for electron-impact excitation and ionization on non-LTE Li line formation in cool stellar atmospheres is investigated. We examine the electron collision data used in previous non-LTE calculations and compare them to recent calculations that use convergent close-coupling (CCC) techniques and to our own calculations using the R-matrix with pseudostates (RMPS) method. We find excellent agreement between rate coefficients from the CCC and RMPS calculations, and reasonable agreement between these data and the semi-empirical data used in non-LTE calculations up to now. The results of non-LTE calculations using the old and new data sets are compared and only small differences found: about 0.01 dex (~ 2%) or less in the abundance corrections. We therefore conclude that the influence on non-LTE calculations of uncertainties in the electron collision data is negligible. Indeed, together with the collision data for the charge exchange process Li(3s) + H Li^+ + H^- now available, and barring the existence of an unknown important collisional process, the collisional data in general is not a source of significant uncertainty in non-LTE Li line formation calculations.Comment: 8 pages, accepted by Astronomy and Astrophysics; Replaced with minor corrections following proof

REMOTE REFURBISHMENT OF THE METALLOGRAPHY PREPARATION BOX AT THE INL

One of the most utilized hot cell capabilities at the Idaho National Laboratory is referred to as the containment box. This is where all destructive examination samples are prepared for analysis. This one window box is contained within the much larger Hot Fuels Examination Facility which consists of a 21x10x8 meter hot cell with an inert argon atmosphere. The refurbishment of this box entailed removing of all sample preparation equipment and support systems, as well as the design and installation of new preparation equipment. The new equipment consists of low and high speed saws, grinding and polishing equipment, water recirculation systems, and sample storage units. This paper includes the details of this refurbishment

Overview of Idaho National Laboratory's Hot Fuels Examination Facility

The Hot Fuels Examination Facility (HFEF) at the Materials and Fuels Complex (MFC) of the Idaho National Laboratory was constructed in the 1960’s and opened for operation in the 1975 in support of the liquid metal fast breeder reactor research. Specifically the facility was designed to handle spent fuel and irradiated experiments from the Experimental Breeder Reactor EBRII, the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF), and the Transient Reactor Test Facility (TREAT). HFEF is a large alpha-gamma facility designed to remotely characterize highly radioactive materials. In the late 1980’s the facility also began support of the US DOE waste characterization including characterizing contact-handled transuranic (CH-TRU) waste. A description of the hot cell as well as some of its primary capabilities are discussed herein

Application of Al-Cu-W-Ta graded density impactors in dynamic ramp compression experiments

Graded density impactors (GDIs) are used to dynamically compress materials to extreme conditions. Two modifications to a previously developed Mg-Cu-W GDI are made in this work before using it in a dynamic compression experiment: Mg is replaced with Al and a Ta disk is glued to the back. The Mg phase is replaced by Al because FCC Al remains solid to higher pressure along its Hugoniot compared to Mg. The addition of the Ta disk creates a constant particle velocity regime and facilitates a definition of peak pressure states. Microstructure analysis, profilometry, and ultrasonic C-scans of the Al-Cu-W GDI all confirm excellent uniformity. We evaluated signal variation in the radial direction of a dynamically compressed Al-LiF bilayer target to evaluate the contribution of spatial nonuniformity to errors. Velocity traces from five photon Doppler velocimetry (PDV) probes located at different radial distances from the center of the target varied at most by 1.1% with a root mean square of 0.3% during the compression ramp, demonstrating low PDV measurement error over a relatively large experimental area. The experimental PDV data also agrees well with 1D simulations that use inputs from predictive characterization models developed for the material properties resulting from tape casting, laminating, and powder consolidation processes. Low measurement error during quasi-isentropic compression, leading to better precision, ensures a robust platform to reach extreme compression and low-temperature recovery states and facilitates discovery via synthesis, quenching, and preservation of new high-pressure phases

Application of Al-Cu-W-Ta graded density impactors in dynamic ramp compression experiments

Graded density impactors (GDIs) are used to dynamically compress materials to extreme conditions. Two modifications to a previously developed Mg-Cu-W GDI are made in this work before using it in a dynamic compression experiment: Mg is replaced with Al and a Ta disk is glued to the back. The Mg phase is replaced by Al because FCC Al remains solid to higher pressure along its Hugoniot compared to Mg. The addition of the Ta disk creates a constant particle velocity regime and facilitates a definition of peak pressure states. Microstructure analysis, profilometry, and ultrasonic C-scans of the Al-Cu-W GDI all confirm excellent uniformity. We evaluated signal variation in the radial direction of a dynamically compressed Al-LiF bilayer target to evaluate the contribution of spatial nonuniformity to errors. Velocity traces from five photon Doppler velocimetry (PDV) probes located at different radial distances from the center of the target varied at most by 1.1% with a root mean square of 0.3% during the compression ramp, demonstrating low PDV measurement error over a relatively large experimental area. The experimental PDV data also agrees well with 1D simulations that use inputs from predictive characterization models developed for the material properties resulting from tape casting, laminating, and powder consolidation processes. Low measurement error during quasi-isentropic compression, leading to better precision, ensures a robust platform to reach extreme compression and low-temperature recovery states and facilitates discovery via synthesis, quenching, and preservation of new high-pressure phases

3D NLTE analysis of the most iron-deficient star, SMSS0313-6708

Context. Models of star formation in the early universe require a detailed understanding of accretion, fragmentation and radiative feedback in metal-free molecular clouds. Different simulations predict different initial mass functions of the first stars, ranging from predominantly low-mass (0.1−10 MU+2609), to massive (10−100 MU+2609), or even supermassive (100−1000 MU+2609). The mass distribution of the first stars should lead to unique chemical imprints on the low-mass second and later generation metal-poor stars still in existence. The chemical composition of SMSS0313-6708, which has the lowest abundances of Ca and Fe of any star known, indicates it was enriched by a single massive supernova. Aims. The photospheres of metal-poor stars are relatively transparent in the UV, which may lead to large three-dimensional (3D) effects as well as departures from local thermodynamical equilibrium (LTE), even for weak spectral lines. If 3D effects and departures from LTE (NLTE) are ignored or treated incorrectly, errors in the inferred abundances may significantly bias the inferred properties of the polluting supernovae. We redetermine the chemical composition of SMSS0313-6708by means of the most realistic methods available, and compare the results to predicted supernova yields. Methods. A 3D hydrodynamical Staggermodel atmosphere and 3D NLTE radiative transfer were applied to obtain accurate abundances for Li, Na, Mg, Al, Ca and Fe. The model atoms employ realistic collisional rates, with no calibrated free parameters. Results. We find significantly higher abundances in 3D NLTE than 1D LTE by 0.8 dex for Fe, and 0.5 dex for Mg, Al and Ca, while Li and Na are unaffected to within 0.03 dex. In particular, our upper limit for [Fe/H] is now a factor ten larger, at [Fe/H] < −6.53 (3σ), than previous estimates based on ⟨ 3D ⟩NLTE (i.e., using averaged 3D models). This higher estimate is due to a conservative upper limit estimation, updated NLTE data, and 3D−⟨ 3D ⟩NLTE differences, all of which lead to a higher abundance determination. Conclusions. We find that supernova yields for models in a wide range of progenitor masses reproduce the revised chemical composition. In addition to massive progenitors of 20−60 MU+2609 exploding with low energies (1−2 B, where 1 B = 1051 erg), we also find good fits for progenitors of 10 MU+2609, with very low explosion energies (<1 B). We cannot reconcile the new abundances with supernovae or hypernovae with explosion energies above 2.5 B, nor with pair-instability supernovaeT.N. acknowledges support from the Swedish National Space Board (Rymdstyrelsen), and hosting at the ANU for part of this work. A.M.A. and M.A. are supported by the Australian Research Council (ARC) grant FL110100012. K.L. acknowledges funds from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in the framework of the Sofja Kovalevskaja Award endowed by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research as well as funds from the Swedish Research Council (Grant nr. 2015-00415_3) and Marie Sklodowska Curie Actions (Cofund Project INCA 600398). P.S.B. acknowledges support from the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Wenner-Gren Foundation, Goran Gustafssons Stiftelse and the Swedish Research Council. For much of this work PSB was a Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences Research Fellow supported by a grant from the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation. P.S.B. is presently partially supported by the project grant “The New Milky Way” from the Knut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation. The computations were performed on resources provided by the Swedish National Infrastructure for Computing (SNIC) at HPC2N under project SNIC2015-1-309 and at UPPMAX under project p2013234

Pure point diffraction implies zero entropy for Delone sets with uniform cluster frequencies

Delone sets of finite local complexity in Euclidean space are investigated. We show that such a set has patch counting and topological entropy 0 if it has uniform cluster frequencies and is pure point diffractive. We also note that the patch counting entropy is 0 whenever the repetitivity function satisfies a certain growth restriction.Comment: 16 pages; revised and slightly expanded versio

Natriuretic peptides and integrated risk assessment for cardiovascular disease. an individual-participant-data meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Guidelines for primary prevention of cardiovascular diseases focus on prediction of coronary heart disease and stroke. We assessed whether or not measurement of N-terminal-pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) concentration could enable a more integrated approach than at present by predicting heart failure and enhancing coronary heart disease and stroke risk assessment. METHODS: In this individual-participant-data meta-analysis, we generated and harmonised individual-participant data from relevant prospective studies via both de-novo NT-proBNP concentration measurement of stored samples and collection of data from studies identified through a systematic search of the literature (PubMed, Scientific Citation Index Expanded, and Embase) for articles published up to Sept 4, 2014, using search terms related to natriuretic peptide family members and the primary outcomes, with no language restrictions. We calculated risk ratios and measures of risk discrimination and reclassification across predicted 10 year risk categories (ie, <5%, 5% to <7·5%, and ≥7·5%), adding assessment of NT-proBNP concentration to that of conventional risk factors (ie, age, sex, smoking status, systolic blood pressure, history of diabetes, and total and HDL cholesterol concentrations). Primary outcomes were the combination of coronary heart disease and stroke, and the combination of coronary heart disease, stroke, and heart failure. FINDINGS: We recorded 5500 coronary heart disease, 4002 stroke, and 2212 heart failure outcomes among 95 617 participants without a history of cardiovascular disease in 40 prospective studies. Risk ratios (for a comparison of the top third vs bottom third of NT-proBNP concentrations, adjusted for conventional risk factors) were 1·76 (95% CI 1·56-1·98) for the combination of coronary heart disease and stroke and 2·00 (1·77-2·26) for the combination of coronary heart disease, stroke, and heart failure. Addition of information about NT-proBNP concentration to a model containing conventional risk factors was associated with a C-index increase of 0·012 (0·010-0·014) and a net reclassification improvement of 0·027 (0·019-0·036) for the combination of coronary heart disease and stroke and a C-index increase of 0·019 (0·016-0·022) and a net reclassification improvement of 0·028 (0·019-0·038) for the combination of coronary heart disease, stroke, and heart failure. INTERPRETATION: In people without baseline cardiovascular disease, NT-proBNP concentration assessment strongly predicted first-onset heart failure and augmented coronary heart disease and stroke prediction, suggesting that NT-proBNP concentration assessment could be used to integrate heart failure into cardiovascular disease primary prevention