The administration of the transport service during the war against revolutionary France, 1793-1802

During the war against revolutionary France, in order to carry out the ambitious policy of Henry Dundas, Secretary of State for War, the King's forces were conveyed to the far distant East and West Indies, to the Continent, the Mediterranean and Egypt and to the Cape of Good Hope. For the first eighteen months the war was conducted in a sluggish and haphazard manner resulting in failure on the Continent and in an inefficient transport service. The disorganization of the Navy Office and abuses in the Royal dockyards, defects in the transport system which had been revealed by a commission of naval enquiry appointed in 1785, still existed. It became increasingly difficult to hire, inspect and fit out enough ships to be used as transports. By July 1794 the lack of success of the Continental campaigns and the realization that war would continue caused the ministry to make important changes in the government and in the transport system. The business of hiring vessels to be used as troopships, victuallers, and ordnance vessels was now centered in a Transport Board and the competition in the engagement of shipping that before existed between the Navy, Victualling and Ordnance offices was eliminated. A board set up to deal specifically with transport affairs was able to give undivided attention to them. Thus a more organized and efficiently run transport service was inaugurated. Since the war against France was conducted through a series of campaigns and expeditions the Transport Board did not have to maintain a large army overseas for an extended period of time. However, it carried out some of the greatest troop movements of the eighteenth century, particularly the Abercromby-Christian expedition of November 1795 which involved the conveyance of 27,000 men, their equipment, provisions and ordnance to the West Indies, and the expedition to North Holland in 1799 which involved the transportation of 46,000 men from England and the Baltic. The progress of the transport service in getting the expeditions out to sea, especially those going to the West Indies, was often impeded by the slowness of other departments, particularly the Ordnance, in preparing for the military enterprise and by the natural foibles of storms and contrary winds. Throughout the war the Transport Board also had to cope with a dangerous shipping shortage, due to a vast increase in every branch of trade. This was a time of unprecedented commercial prosperity when it became more advantageous for the merchant to put his ship to a trade than to let it to the government. Hiring space on merchant vessels that traded regularly between Britain and the areas where the army was being sent was one method the Transport Board employed in an attempt to meet its tonnage requirements. Many troops and almost all officers were sent to the West Indies in this manner and a great part of the provisions sent to the British army overseas were conveyed in victuallers hired on freight. The Transport Board chartered eighty ships at Hamburg in order to satisfy its shipping needs in 1795. However, this venture proved a great and costly disappointment. More beneficial was the Board's practice of keeping the freight rate offered by the government to the owners of merchant vessels consistent with the high cost of provisions and stores and increased wages. The freight rate was increased by over seven shillings per ton or by two thirds over an eight-year period. Previously, it had remained almost static throughout the eighteenth century. By these wise and practical methods the Transport Board was able to meet the logistical requirements of Dundas' ambitious policy throughout the war

Recurrence and differential relations for spherical spinors

We present a comprehensive table of recurrence and differential relations obeyed by spin one-half spherical spinors (spinor spherical harmonics) $\Omega_{\kappa\mu}(\mathbf{n})$ used in relativistic atomic, molecular, and solid state physics, as well as in relativistic quantum chemistry. First, we list finite expansions in the spherical spinor basis of the expressions $\mathbf{A}\cdot\mathbf{B}\,\Omega_{\kappa\mu}(\mathbf{n})$ and {$\mathbf{A}\cdot(\mathbf{B}\times\mathbf{C})\, \Omega_{\kappa\mu}(\mathbf{n})$}, where $\mathbf{A}$, $\mathbf{B}$, and $\mathbf{C}$ are either of the following vectors or vector operators: $\mathbf{n}=\mathbf{r}/r$ (the radial unit vector), $\mathbf{e}_{0}$, $\mathbf{e}_{\pm1}$ (the spherical, or cyclic, versors), $\boldsymbol{\sigma}$ (the $2\times2$ Pauli matrix vector), $\hat{\mathbf{L}}=-i\mathbf{r}\times\boldsymbol{\nabla}I$ (the dimensionless orbital angular momentum operator; $I$ is the $2\times2$ unit matrix), $\hat{\mathbf{J}}=\hat{\mathbf{L}}+1/2\boldsymbol{\sigma}$ (the dimensionless total angular momentum operator). Then, we list finite expansions in the spherical spinor basis of the expressions $\mathbf{A}\cdot\mathbf{B}\,F(r)\Omega_{\kappa\mu}(\mathbf{n})$ and $\mathbf{A}\cdot(\mathbf{B}\times\mathbf{C})\, F(r)\Omega_{\kappa\mu}(\mathbf{n})$, where at least one of the objects $\mathbf{A}$, $\mathbf{B}$, $\mathbf{C}$ is the nabla operator $\boldsymbol{\nabla}$, while the remaining ones are chosen from the set $\mathbf{n}$, $\mathbf{e}_{0}$, $\mathbf{e}_{\pm1}$, $\boldsymbol{\sigma}$, $\hat{\mathbf{L}}$, $\hat{\mathbf{J}}$.Comment: LaTeX, 12 page

Using ignimbrites to quantify structural relief growth and understand deformation processes: implications for the development of the Western Andean Slope, northernmost Chile

Large-volume ignimbrites are excellent spatial and temporal markers for local deformation and structural relief growth because they completely inundate and bury the underlying paleotopography and leave planar surfaces with relatively uniform, low-gradient slopes dipping less than 2°. Using one of these planar surfaces as a reference frame, we employed a line-balanced technique to reconstruct the original morphology of an ignimbrite that has undergone postemplacement deformation. This method allowed us to constrain both the amount of posteruptive deformation and the topography of the pre-eruptive paleolandscape. Our test case was the unwelded surface of the 21.9 Ma Cardones ignimbrite, located on the western slope of the Central Andes in northernmost Chile (18°20′S). By reconstructing the original surface slope of this ignimbrite, we demonstrate that the pre–21.9 Ma topography of the Western Andean Slope was characterized by structural relief growth and erosion in the east, and the creation of accommodation space and sedimentation in the west. The paleoslope at that time was dissected by river valleys of up to 450 ± 150 m deep that accumulated great thicknesses (>1000 m) of the Cardones ignimbrite, and likely controlled the location of the present-day Lluta Quebrada as a result of differential welding compaction of the ignimbrite. Our reconstruction suggests that growth of the Western Andean Slope had already started by ca. 23 Ma, consistent with slow and steady models for uplift of the Central Andes. Subsequent deformation in the Miocene generated up to 1725 ± 165 m of structural relief, of which more than 90% can be attributed to fault-related folding of the ∼40-km-wide Huaylillas anticline. Uplift related to regional forearc tilting is less than 10% and could have been zero. The main phase of folding likely occurred in the mid- to late Miocene and had ceased by ca. 6 Ma

Application of time-dependent density functional theory to optical activity

As part of a general study of the time-dependent local density approximation (TDLDA), we here report calculations of optical activity of chiral molecules. The theory automatically satisfies sum rules and the Kramers-Kronig relation between circular dichroism and optical rotatory power. We find that the theory describes the measured circular dichroism of the lowest states in methyloxirane with an accuracy of about a factor of two. In the chiral fullerene C_76 the TDLDA provides a consistent description of the optical absorption spectrum, the circular dichroism spectrum, and the optical rotatory power, except for an overall shift of the theoretical spectrum.Comment: 17 pages and 13 PostScript figure

Formation and control of electron molecules in artificial atoms: Impurity and magnetic-field effects

Interelectron interactions and correlations in quantum dots can lead to spontaneous symmetry breaking of the self-consistent mean field resulting in formation of Wigner molecules. With the use of spin-and-space unrestricted Hartree-Fock (sS-UHF) calculations, such symmetry breaking is discussed for field-free conditions, as well as under the influence of an external magnetic field. Using as paradigms impurity-doped (as well as the limiting case of clean) two-electron quantum dots (which are analogs to helium-like atoms), it is shown that the interplay between the interelectron repulsion and the electronic zero-point kinetic energy leads, for a broad range of impurity parameters, to formation of a singlet ground-state electron molecule, reminiscent of the molecular picture of doubly-excited helium. Comparative analysis of the conditional probability distributions for the sS-UHF and the exact solutions for the ground state of two interacting electrons in a clean parabolic quantum dot reveals that both of them describe formation of an electron molecule with similar characteristics. The self-consistent field associated with the triplet excited state of the two-electron quantum dot (clean as well as impurity-doped) exhibits symmetry breaking of the Jahn-Teller type, similar to that underlying formation of nonspherical open-shell nuclei and metal clusters. Furthermore, impurity and/or magnetic-field effects can be used to achieve controlled manipulation of the formation and pinning of the discrete orientations of the Wigner molecules. Impurity effects are futher illustrated for the case of a quantum dot with more than two electrons.Comment: Latex/Revtex, 10 pages with 4 gif figures. Small changes to explain the difference between Wigner and Jahn-Teller electron molecules. A complete version of the paper with high quality figures inside the text is available at http://shale.physics.gatech.edu/~costas/qdhelium.html For related papers, see http://www.prism.gatech.edu/~ph274c

Combined Atomic Force Microscope and Volumetric Light Sheet System for Correlative Force and Fluorescence Mechanobiology Studies

The central goals of mechanobiology are to understand how cells generate force and how they respond to environmental mechanical stimuli. A full picture of these processes requires high-resolution, volumetric imaging with time-correlated force measurements. Here we present an instrument that combines an open-top, single-objective light sheet fluorescence microscope with an atomic force microscope (AFM), providing simultaneous volumetric imaging with high spatiotemporal resolution and high dynamic range force capability (10 pN – 100 nN). With this system we have captured lysosome trafficking, vimentin nuclear caging, and actin dynamics on the order of one second per single-cell volume. To showcase the unique advantages of combining Line Bessel light sheet imaging with AFM, we measured the forces exerted by a macrophage during FcɣR-mediated phagocytosis while performing both sequential two-color, fixed plane and volumetric imaging of F-actin. This unique instrument allows for a myriad of novel studies investigating the coupling of cellular dynamics and mechanical forces

A Person-Centered Approach to Poststroke Care: The COMprehensive Post-Acute Stroke Services Model

Many individuals who have had a stroke leave the hospital without postacute care services in place. Despite high risks of complications and readmission, there is no standard in the United States for postacute stroke care after discharge home. We describe the rationale and methods for the development of the COMprehensive Post-Acute Stroke Services (COMPASS) care model and the structure and quality metrics used for implementation. COMPASS, an innovative, comprehensive extension of the TRAnsition Coaching for Stroke (TRACS) program, is a clinician-led quality improvement model providing early supported discharge and transitional care for individuals who have had a stroke and have been discharged home. The effectiveness of the COMPASS model is being assessed in a cluster-randomized pragmatic trial in 41 sites across North Carolina, with a recruitment goal of 6,000 participants. The COMPASS model is evidence based, person centered, and stakeholder driven. It involves identification and education of eligible individuals in the hospital; telephone follow-up 2, 30, and 60 days after discharge; and a clinic visit within 14 days conducted by a nurse and advanced practice provider. Patient and caregiver self-reported assessments of functional and social determinants of health are captured during the clinic visit using a web-based application. Embedded algorithms immediately construct an individualized care plan. The COMPASS model's pragmatic design and quality metrics may support measurable best practices for postacute stroke care

Early Miocene large-volume ignimbrites of the Oxaya Formation, Central Andes

During the early Miocene ignimbrite flare-up, significant parts of the Central Andes (17–20°S) were covered by large-volume ignimbrites. High-precision 206Pb/238U zircon dates constrain the flare-up in northern Chile at c. 18°S to a 3 myr period, starting with the deposition of the Poconchile ignimbrite at 22.736 ± 0.021 Ma. Of four main pulses, the two largest occurred at 21.924 ± 0.017 and 19.711 ± 0.036 Ma, when the >1000 km3 in volume Cardones and Oxaya ignimbrites erupted, respectively. The ignimbrites are high-SiO2 rhyolites and show significant heterogeneities in crystal content, mineral proportions and trace-element compositions. The zoned Oxaya ignimbrite implies incremental extraction of a crystal-poor magma overlying a crystal-rich magma. In contrast, petrological and textural heterogeneities in pumice clasts are spread throughout the Cardones ignimbrite and we propose magma mixing caused by destabilization of multiple magma bodies within a magmatic mush system. Distal and medial deposits of the Cardones ignimbrite, with a maximum welded thickness of at least 1000 m, entirely covered the western flank of the Central Andes, which implies infill of a significant topographic relief. Both compaction and welding resulted in a maximum thickness reduction of around 30% for the Cardones ignimbrite. Supplementary material: U–Pb method and complete data tables, ICP-OES and ICP-MS method and complete data tables, and detailed stratigraphic description of the Cardones ignimbrite are available at http://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.2858707