3,502 research outputs found
Nuclear reactor descriptions for space power systems analysis
For the small, high performance reactors required for space electric applications, adequate neutronic analysis is of crucial importance, but in terms of computational time consumed, nuclear calculations probably yield the least amount of detail for mission analysis study. It has been found possible, after generation of only a few designs of a reactor family in elaborate thermomechanical and nuclear detail to use simple curve fitting techniques to assure desired neutronic performance while still performing the thermomechanical analysis in explicit detail. The resulting speed-up in computation time permits a broad detailed examination of constraints by the mission analyst
POTENTIAL ECONOMIC CONSEQUENCES OF AFRICAN SWINE FEVER AND ITS CONTROL IN THE UNITED STATES
Livestock Production/Industries,
An evaluation of the effectiveness of the crew resource management programme in naval aviation
The US Navy’s Crew Resource Management (CRM) training
programme has not been evaluated within the last decade. Reactions were
evaluated by analysing 51,570 responses to an item pertaining to CRM that is
part of a safety climate survey. A total of 172 responses were obtained on a
knowledge test. The attitudes of 553 naval aviators were assessed using an
attitudes questionnaire. The CRM mishap rate from 1997 until 2007 was
evaluated. It was found that naval aviators appear to think than CRM training is
useful, are generally knowledgeable of, and display positive attitudes towards,
the concepts addressed in the training. However, there is a lack of evidence to
support the view that CRM training is having an effect on the mishap rate. As
the next generation of highly automated aircraft becomes part of naval aviation,
there is a need to ensure that CRM training evolves to meet this new challenge
Variability in H9N2 haemagglutinin receptor-binding preference and the pH of fusion
H9N2 avian influenza viruses are primarily a disease of poultry; however, they occasionally infect humans and are considered a potential pandemic threat. Little work has been performed to assess the intrinsic biochemical properties related to zoonotic potential of H9N2 viruses. The objective of this study, therefore, was to investigate H9N2 haemagglutinins (HAs) using two well-known correlates for human adaption: receptor-binding avidity and pH of fusion. Receptor binding was characterized using bio-layer interferometry to measure virus binding to human and avian-like receptor analogues and the pH of fusion was assayed by syncytium formation in virus-infected cells at different pHs. We characterized contemporary H9N2 viruses of the zoonotic G1 lineage, as well as representative viruses of the zoonotic BJ94 lineage. We found that most contemporary H9N2 viruses show a preference for sulphated avian-like receptor analogues. However, the ‘Eastern’ G1 H9N2 viruses displayed a consistent preference in binding to a human-like receptor analogue. We demonstrate that the presence of leucine at position 226 of the HA receptor-binding site correlated poorly with the ability to bind a human-like sialic acid receptor. H9N2 HAs also display variability in their pH of fusion, ranging between pH 5.4 and 5.85 which is similar to that of the first wave of human H1N1pdm09 viruses but lower than the pH of fusion seen in zoonotic H5N1 and H7N9 viruses. Our results suggest possible molecular mechanisms that may underlie the relatively high prevalence of human zoonotic infection by particular H9N2 virus lineages
Computation and visualization of photonic quasicrystal spectra via Blochs theorem
Previous methods for determining photonic quasicrystal (PQC) spectra have
relied on the use of large supercells to compute the eigenfrequencies and/or
local density of states (LDOS). In this manuscript, we present a method by
which the energy spectrum and the eigenstates of a PQC can be obtained by
solving Maxwells equations in higher dimensions for any PQC defined by the
standard cut-and-project construction, to which a generalization of Blochs
theorem applies. In addition, we demonstrate how one can compute band
structures with defect states in the higher-dimensional superspace with no
additional computational cost. As a proof of concept, these general ideas are
demonstrated for the simple case of one-dimensional quasicrystals, which can
also be solved by simple transfer-matrix techniques.Comment: Published in Physical Review B, 77 104201, 200
Microstructure Effects for Casimir Forces in Chiral Metamaterials
We examine a recent prediction for the chirality-dependence of the Casimir
force in chiral metamaterials by numerical computation of the forces between
the exact microstructures, rather than homogeneous approximations. We compute
the exact force for a chiral bent-cross pattern, as well as forces for an
idealized "omega"-particle medium in the dilute approximation and identify the
effects of structural inhomogeneity (i.e. proximity forces and anisotropy). We
find that these microstructure effects dominate the force for separations where
chirality was predicted to have a strong influence. To get observations of
chirality free from microstructure effects, one must go to large separations
where the effect of chirality is at most of the total force.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
On the Geometry and Entropy of Non-Hamiltonian Phase Space
We analyze the equilibrium statistical mechanics of canonical, non-canonical
and non-Hamiltonian equations of motion by throwing light into the peculiar
geometric structure of phase space. Some fundamental issues regarding time
translation and phase space measure are clarified. In particular, we emphasize
that a phase space measure should be defined by means of the Jacobian of the
transformation between different types of coordinates since such a determinant
is different from zero in the non-canonical case even if the phase space
compressibility is null. Instead, the Jacobian determinant associated with
phase space flows is unity whenever non-canonical coordinates lead to a
vanishing compressibility, so that its use in order to define a measure may not
be always correct. To better illustrate this point, we derive a mathematical
condition for defining non-Hamiltonian phase space flows with zero
compressibility. The Jacobian determinant associated with time evolution in
phase space is altogether useful for analyzing time translation invariance. The
proper definition of a phase space measure is particularly important when
defining the entropy functional in the canonical, non-canonical, and
non-Hamiltonian cases. We show how the use of relative entropies can circumvent
some subtle problems that are encountered when dealing with continuous
probability distributions and phase space measures. Finally, a maximum
(relative) entropy principle is formulated for non-canonical and
non-Hamiltonian phase space flows.Comment: revised introductio
Nicotine Bitartrate Reduces Falls and Freezing of Gait in Parkinson Disease: A Reanalysis
Objective: Determine if NC001, an oral formulation of nicotine that reduces levodopa-induced dyskinesias (LIDs) in MPTP-Parkinson monkeys, could reduce falls, freezing of gait (FOG), and LIDs in Parkinson disease (PD) patients. Methods: Previously collected data from a study analyzing the effects of NC001 on LIDs in PD patients were reanalyzed. Because indirect-acting cholinergic drugs are sometimes helpful in reducing falls, we hypothesized that NC001, a direct-acting cholinergic agonist, could reduce falls in PD. The original 12-center, double-blind, randomized trial enrolled 65 PD patients. NC001 or placebo was administered 4 times per day for 10 weeks, beginning at 4 mg/day and escalating to 24 mg/day. Assessments included the Unified Dyskinesia Rating Scale (UDysRS) and Parts II-III of the original Unified Parkinson\u27s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS). Results: Randomization (1:1) resulted in 35 patients on NC001 and 30 on placebo at baseline. Thirty and 27 patients, respectively, had data available for an intent-to-treat analysis. NC001 was safe and well-tolerated. After 10 weeks, NC001 patients (14/30) had a significant reduction in falls vs. placebo patients (3/27) (p = 0.0041) as assessed by UPDRS Part II. NC001 patients (12/30) also had significantly reduced FOG vs. placebo patients (4/27) (p = 0.0043). NC001 patients, compared with placebo patients, had a significant improvement (p = 0.01) in UDysRS ambulation subtest (40% vs. 3%, respectively). Although NC001 patients had a greater reduction in dyskinesias on the UDysRS than placebo patients (30% vs. 19%, respectively), this was not significant (p = 0.09). Conclusions: NC001 significantly improved two refractory symptoms of PD, falls and FOG. The reduction in falls and FOG is attributed to selective stimulation of nicotinic receptors
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