Fault slip-rate variations during crustal-scale strain localisation, central Italy

Rates of plate motion are generally uniform over 10–102 Myrs timescales. Faults between tectonic plates might, therefore, be expected to show temporally-uniform slip-rates if the same number of faults remain active. For an extending region of the Eurasia-Africa plate boundary, Italy, finite throw values (vertical component of the slip) for seismogenic normal faults are less than that predicted when recent throw-rates are extrapolated over the fault lifetimes. The effect correlates with distance from the fault system tips and demonstrates that the slip-rates on centrally-located faults have increased with time. Neighbouring normal faults were active in the Quaternary but show no signs of surface faulting during the latest Pleistocene to Holocene. Death of these faults has provided the extra strain per unit time to drive the increased slip-rates measured on other faults. Thus, fault interaction and death modify slip-rates and seismic hazards associated with plate tectonics

Multilayer passive RF microfabrication using jet-printed Au nanoparticle ink and aerosol-deposited dielectric

We report a bi-material additive microfabrication technique combining inkjet-printed gold films and an aerosol-deposited dielectric enamel for the realization of multilayer microsystems. Hexanethiol-encapsulated gold nanoparticle ink enables metal deposition at atmospheric pressure with a maximum temperature of 200°C. Dielectric patterning is achieved via shadow mask. Process utility is demonstrated for passive radio frequency components through the realization of spiral inductors and resonant parallel L-C tanks. The resulting device parameters agree well with theory, and the resonators exhibited a Q of 60 at 596MHz, the highest quality factor of an as-printed ink-jet microfabricated gold resonant structure to date. © 2013 IEEE.published_or_final_versio

Inkjet printed multimetal microelectrodes on PDMS for functionalized microfluidic systems

A novel direct method of metal microelectrode patterning on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) using inkjet printed gold and silver nanoparticles to form electrochemical sensors is presented. Inkjet printing is an additive microfabrication technique enabling microelectrode patterning directly over large areas at low-temperatures. (3-mercaptopropyl) trimethoxysilane (MPTMS) to promote PDMS surface wettability and improve metal adhesion and a pixel-printing subsampling method to overcome surface tension driven ink-droplet coalescence, are then employed to form a robust fabrication process. The resulting printed gold and silver microelectrodes exhibit good compactness, continuity and conductivity, and are used to manufacture functionalized microfluidic systems with in-situ three-electrode electrochemical sensors.published_or_final_versio

Josephine Niggli’s Letter to Family -­- June, 20th 1935

The following edition is based on a letter written by playwright, novelist, and poet Josefina Niggli, addressed to her family on June 20th, 1935. The letter itself, written home to her family, recounts Niggli’s experiences during auditions, a musical performance, and a school dance while at UNC Chapel Hill. Born Josephine Maria Niggli, it is worth noting that the spelling of Ms. Niggli’s first name changed throughout her life. Although she does not use her own name when signing this letter in particular, other letters written during this time period (located in the Hunter Library Special Collections) show she was still using the name Josephine while studying at Chapel Hill. This edition is titled using this spelling in order to maintain historical accuracy. Some of Niggli’s early works are published under the name Josephina and her later works use the name Josefina; additionally her death certificate lists her as Josefina Niggli. This name change signifies a move toward a more traditionally Spanish spelling, which is no surprise as Niggli always felt a strong connection to her Mexican birthplace as evidenced in her life and writing

Are Personality And Facebook Use Related To Depression And Anxiety

Different types of Facebook use can make someone more susceptible to depression or anxiety. People who use surveillance use, or passive use, are likely to develop Facebook envy, and in turn are more likely to develop Facebook depression. People who use Facebook in a way that involves negative social comparison, or those who are bullied on Facebook, are also more likely to develop FB depression. In addition, different populations are more susceptible to developing depression or anxiety as a result of their Facebook use. College students, adolescents, people who are low in extraversion or high in neuroticism, along with individuals who are already depressed are also at a higher risk of experiencing depression as a result of their Facebook use. Those who have a high level of Facebook intensity are at risk of developing anxiety. We conducted an online survey among undergraduates at Appalachian State University with questions about their Facebook use, as well as measures of depression, anxiety, personality, and social comparison. We found that bullying, social comparison, Facebook-specific social comparison, neuroticism, introversion and low conscientiousness correlate with depression and anxiety. Negative social comparison correlated with passive use and may be a mediating variable between depression and passive Facebook use

Current Use of Augmentative and Alternative Communication in Music Therapy: A Survey and Case Study

The researcher investigated the use of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) in music therapy with individuals with developmental disabilities. Respondents (N = 42) were members of the American Music Therapy Association who indicated working with individuals who have developmental disabilities. Respondents reported their use of clients’ AAC devices in music therapy sessions. Results were gathered using an Internet based survey. Results indicated that a majority of music therapists working with clients who use AAC devices incorporate these devices into music therapy sessions in a variety of ways. The results implied that the greater amount of education regarding AAC devices the greater number of ways AAC devices are incorporated into music therapy sessions. A case study regarding implementation of music therapy sessions with a child who used AAC was included for the purpose of demonstrating possible methods of implementation and to gain perspective of the rewards and challenges with this inclusion of the client’s AAC device

On the Road to Healthy Communities: Cyclists’ Perceptions of the Environment

This focus of this research was to gain insight into environmental perception as it relates to the connection between ecological and human health. Methodology for this task involved a photo elicitation process, which asked cyclists to photograph certain environments that they experience on a regular basis and discuss them during a formal interview. Findings supported the literature related to traditional ideas of nature as well the scenic aesthetic as popular environmental views. Appearance played a dominant role in perception of environmental quality, although sense of place, visual literacy, and other personal connections were highly important as well. Subjects displayed traits of anthropocentric, biocentric, or ecocentric viewpoints, with the majority of the participants falling into the biocentric category

Great Women of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park: Defining Nature and the National Park Service

Utilizing the cases of three previously overlooked women—Anne May Davis, Laura Thornburgh, and the Walker Sisters—who participated in the creation of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park this thesis argues that the GSMNP was representative of this change in the National Park system. Sources reveal three very different cases that support a move away from the scenic nationalism that inspired previous park promotion. This thesis addresses how these women shaped their definitions of nature and actions towards it, looking closely at class, broader developments in American and Appalachian cultures, and gender. Understanding how each of these women defined nature—whether as a commodity, a moral authority, a means of extraction, or a combination of these—allows one to understand not only how, but why the movement to create the Great Smoky Mountains National Park succeeded. The women’s definitions of and actions towards nature reveal a park movement based heavily—though not entirely—on its potential economic worth through tourism. The case of Great Smoky Mountains National Park reveals that the National Park system was not born in a complete and final form. Rather, it has evolved and continues to evolve with changing American definitions of nature

An interstitial fluid transdermal extraction system for continuous glucose monitoring

A novel microfluidic system which is fabricated with five polydimethylsiloxane layers for interstitial fluid (ISF) extraction, collection, and measurement toward the application of continuous and real-time glucose monitoring is presented in this paper. The system consists of a micro vacuum generator for ISF transdermal extraction and fluid manipulation, micro chambers for the collection of ISF, micro pneumatic valves for fluid management, and a micro flow sensor for ISF volume measurement. Sequentially controlled by the pneumatic valves, the ISF extraction, collection, and volumetric measurement functions of the system were demonstrated using the stable vacuum generated by the integrated vacuum generator. Through low-frequency ultrasound pretreated full-thickness pig skin, the normal saline solution with different glucose concentrations was transdermally extracted, collected, and measured. The absolute error in the volume measurement of the transdermally extracted ISF analog was less than 0.05 μ L. The microfluidic system makes it possible to realize the clinical application of continuous glucose monitoring based on ISF transdermal extraction technology. © 2012 IEEE.published_or_final_versio

Theoretical aspects of high--Q^2 deep inelastic scattering

We present an overview of the theory of high--Q^2 deep inelastic scattering. We focus in particular on the theoretical uncertainties in the predictions for neutral and charged current cross sections obtained by extrapolating from lower Q^2.Comment: 10 (Latex) pages, including 6 embedded figures, uses epsfig.sty, ioplppt.sty and iopl12.sty; Plenary talk presented at the 3rd UK Phenomenology Workshop on HERA Physics, Durham, September 1998, to be published in the Proceeding