Apparatus and Method for Increasing the Diameter of Metal Alloy Wires Within a Molten Metal Pool

In a dip forming process the core material to be coated is introduced directly into a source block of coating material eliminating the need for a bushing entrance component. The process containment vessel or crucible is heated so that only a portion of the coating material becomes molten, leaving a solid portion of material as the entrance port of, and seal around, the core material. The crucible can contain molten and solid metals and is especially useful when coating core material with reactive metals. The source block of coating material has been machined to include a close tolerance hole of a size and shape to closely fit the core material. The core material moves first through the solid portion of the source block of coating material where the close tolerance hole has been machined, then through a solid/molten interface, and finally through the molten phase where the diameter of the core material is increased. The crucible may or may not require water-cooling depending upon the type of material used in crucible construction. The system may operate under vacuum, partial vacuum, atmospheric pressure, or positive pressure depending upon the type of source material being used

Advanced titanium processing

The Albany Research Center of the U.S. Department of Energy has been investigating a means to form useful wrought products by direct and continuous casting of titanium bars using cold-wall induction melting rather than current batch practices such as vacuum arc remelting. Continuous ingots produced by cold-wall induction melting, utilizing a bottomless water-cooled copper crucible, without slag (CaF2) additions had minor defects in the surface such as ''hot tears''. Slag additions as low as 0.5 weight percent were used to improve the surface finish. Therefore, a slag melted experimental Ti-6Al-4V alloy ingot was compared to a commercial Ti-6Al-4V alloy ingot in the areas of physical, chemical, mechanical, and corrosion attributes to address the question, ''Are any detrimental effects caused by slag addition''

Supersymmetry on the Run: LHC and Dark Matter

Supersymmetry, a new symmetry that relates bosons and fermions in particle physics, still escapes observation. Search for SUSY is one of the main aims of the recently launched Large Hadron Collider. The other possible manifestation of SUSY is the Dark Matter in the Universe. The present lectures contain a brief introduction to supersymmetry in particle physics. The main notions of supersymmetry are introduced. The supersymmetric extension of the Standard Model - the Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model - is considered in more detail. Phenomenological features of the MSSM as well as possible experimental signatures of SUSY at the LHC are described. The DM problem and its possible SUSY solution is presented.Comment: Latex, 37 pages, 35 figures. Lectures given at 48 Schladming School on Theoretical Physics, March 201

Fitting the Gamma-Ray Spectrum from Dark Matter with DMFIT: GLAST and the Galactic Center Region

We study the potential of GLAST to unveil particle dark matter properties with gamma-ray observations of the Galactic center region. We present full GLAST simulations including all gamma-ray sources known to date in a region of 4 degrees around the Galactic center, in addition to the diffuse gamma-ray background and to the dark matter signal. We introduce DMFIT, a tool that allows one to fit gamma-ray emission from pair-annihilation of generic particle dark matter models and to extract information on the mass, normalization and annihilation branching ratios into Standard Model final states. We assess the impact and systematic effects of background modeling and theoretical priors on the reconstruction of dark matter particle properties. Our detailed simulations demonstrate that for some well motivated supersymmetric dark matter setups with one year of GLAST data it will be possible not only to significantly detect a dark matter signal over background, but also to estimate the dark matter mass and its dominant pair-annihilation mode.Comment: 37 pages, 16 figures, submitted to JCA

One-piece, composite crucible with integral withdrawal/discharge section

A one-piece, composite open-bottom casting mold with integral withdrawal section is fabricated by thermal spraying of materials compatible with and used for the continuous casting of shaped products of reactive metals and alloys such as, for example, titanium and its alloys or for the gas atomization thereof

Genome-wide Association Meta-analysis of Childhood and Adolescent Internalizing Symptoms

Objective: To investigate the genetic architecture of internalizing symptoms in childhood and adolescence. Method: In 22 cohorts, multiple univariate genome-wide association studies (GWASs) were performed using repeated assessments of internalizing symptoms, in a total of 64,561 children and adolescents between 3 and 18 years of age. Results were aggregated in meta-analyses that accounted for sample overlap, first using all available data, and then using subsets of measurements grouped by rater, age, and instrument. Results: The meta-analysis of overall internalizing symptoms (INToverall) detected no genome-wide significant hits and showed low single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) heritability (1.66%, 95% CI = 0.84-2.48%, n(effective) = 132,260). Stratified analyses indicated rater-based heterogeneity in genetic effects, with self-reported internalizing symptoms showing the highest heritability (5.63%, 95% CI = 3.08%-8.18%). The contribution of additive genetic effects on internalizing symptoms appeared to be stable over age, with overlapping estimates of SNP heritability from early childhood to adolescence. Genetic correlations were observed with adult anxiety, depression, and the well-being spectrum (vertical bar r(g)vertical bar > 0.70), as well as with insomnia, loneliness, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autism, and childhood aggression (range vertical bar r(g)vertical bar = 0.42-0.60), whereas there were no robust associations with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, or anorexia nervosa. Conclusion: Genetic correlations indicate that childhood and adolescent internalizing symptoms share substantial genetic vulnerabilities with adult internalizing disorders and other childhood psychiatric traits, which could partially explain both the persistence of internalizing symptoms over time and the high comorbidity among childhood psychiatric traits. Reducing phenotypic heterogeneity in childhood samples will be key in paving the way to future GWAS success.Peer reviewe

All-sky search for gravitational-wave bursts in the second joint LIGO-Virgo run

We present results from a search for gravitational-wave bursts in the data collected by the LIGO and Virgo detectors between July 7, 2009 and October 20, 2010: data are analyzed when at least two of the three LIGO-Virgo detectors are in coincident operation, with a total observation time of 207 days. The analysis searches for transients of duration < 1 s over the frequency band 64-5000 Hz, without other assumptions on the signal waveform, polarization, direction or occurrence time. All identified events are consistent with the expected accidental background. We set frequentist upper limits on the rate of gravitational-wave bursts by combining this search with the previous LIGO-Virgo search on the data collected between November 2005 and October 2007. The upper limit on the rate of strong gravitational-wave bursts at the Earth is 1.3 events per year at 90% confidence. We also present upper limits on source rate density per year and Mpc^3 for sample populations of standard-candle sources. As in the previous joint run, typical sensitivities of the search in terms of the root-sum-squared strain amplitude for these waveforms lie in the range 5 10^-22 Hz^-1/2 to 1 10^-20 Hz^-1/2. The combination of the two joint runs entails the most sensitive all-sky search for generic gravitational-wave bursts and synthesizes the results achieved by the initial generation of interferometric detectors.Comment: 15 pages, 7 figures: data for plots and archived public version at https://dcc.ligo.org/cgi-bin/DocDB/ShowDocument?docid=70814&version=19, see also the public announcement at http://www.ligo.org/science/Publication-S6BurstAllSky

Elevated protein concentrations in newborn blood and the risks of autism spectrum disorder, and of social impairment, at age 10 years among infants born before the 28th week of gestation

Among the 1 of 10 children who are born preterm annually in the United States, 6% are born before the third trimester. Among children who survive birth before the 28th week of gestation, the risks of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and non-autistic social impairment are severalfold higher than in the general population. We examined the relationship between top quartile inflammation-related protein concentrations among children born extremely preterm and ASD or, separately, a high score on the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS total score ≥65) among those who did not meet ASD criteria, using information only from the subset of children whose DAS-II verbal or non-verbal IQ was ≥70, who were assessed for ASD, and who had proteins measured in blood collected on ≥2 days (N = 763). ASD (N = 36) assessed at age 10 years is associated with recurrent top quartile concentrations of inflammation-related proteins during the first post-natal month (e.g., SAA odds ratio (OR); 95% confidence interval (CI): 2.5; 1.2–5.3) and IL-6 (OR; 95% CI: 2.6; 1.03–6.4)). Top quartile concentrations of neurotrophic proteins appear to moderate the increased risk of ASD associated with repeated top quartile concentrations of inflammation-related proteins. High (top quartile) concentrations of SAA are associated with elevated risk of ASD (2.8; 1.2–6.7) when Ang-1 concentrations are below the top quartile, but not when Ang-1 concentrations are high (1.3; 0.3–5.8). Similarly, high concentrations of TNF-α are associated with heightened risk of SRS-defined social impairment (N = 130) (2.0; 1.1–3.8) when ANG-1 concentrations are not high, but not when ANG-1 concentrations are elevated (0.5; 0.1–4.2)

3058 – Sars-Cov-2 Binding in Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cells Under Low Oxygen Conditions

This article is made available for unrestricted research re-use and secondary analysis in any form or be any means with acknowledgement of the original source. These permissions are granted for the duration of the World Health Organization (WHO) declaration of COVID-19 as a global pandemic.The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic highlighted a need for in-depth understanding of interaction/identification of receptors and mechanisms/functional consequences of viral binding/entry. SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (SBP) facilitates viral entry via ACE2 and/or NRP1 binding, with DPP4 as a potential co-receptor. These binding partners are expressed on various cell types including hematopoietic stem and progenitor (HSC/HSPC) cells [1-3]. HSC/HSPCs generate blood cells and reside in the low oxygen (lowO2, 1-4%) bone marrow niches that provide critical signals for maintenance, self-renewal, and differentiation. To investigate aspects of SARS-CoV-2 interactions with HSC/HSPC such as endogenous receptor expression, SPB binding and subsequent functional alterations in native low O2, we performed transcriptional and phenotypic/functional analysis. In lowO2, we identified increased surface expression of ACE2, DPP4 and NRP1, and enhanced binding of SBP to HSC/HSPC populations which amplified proliferation of SBP bound in lowO2. ACE2 and DPP4 surface expression were ∼2-fold higher in HSPCs (p=0.017, p=0.001) and HSCs (p=0.010, p=0.03), and NRP1 was ∼1.5-fold (p=0.002) higher in HSPCs in lowO2 compared to air. Interestingly, in lowO2, overall SBP binding was enhanced in HSPC (2.2-fold, p<.001) and HSC (2.6-fold, p=.018). Although not all cells expressing ACE2/DPP4/NRP1 bind SBP (∼50%), all cells exhibiting SBP binding in HSC/HSPC populations are triple positive for ACE2, NRP1, and DPP4. Additionally, we observed greater than a 2-fold increase in proliferation of SBP bound vs unbound cells in replating assays in lowO2 (p<.001). These data impart compelling evidence that SBP binding/functional outcomes are unique in low O2, providing a foundation that may have potential clinical implications for COVID19 treatment and expanding our baseline understanding of SARS-CoV-2 viral binding implications

Work-life enrichment and work outcomes: a meta-analysis

This project will examine common outcomes of the work-life enrichment construct, along with relevant moderators of those relationships (i.e., demographic variables). Current work-life scholars have called for a greater emphasis on the positive side of the work-life interface, so we employed this meta-analysis as a means to aggregate much of the more recent literature on work-life enrichment. By doing this, our goal is to create a clearer picture of the work-life enrichment nomological network. The present findings focus on seven of the most prominent work-related outcomes of work-life enrichment. Our preliminary results how positive relationships between work-life enrichment and job satisfaction, organizational commitment, engagement, job performance, and organizational citizenship behaviors, as well as negative relationships with turnover intentions and burnout. Specifically, these analyses and the remaining analyses will reveal general relationships of work-life enrichment and possible work- and family-related outcomes. The implications of our results should provide researchers with a more definitive scope of the work-life enrichment construct which can aid future research and the overall conceptualization of work-life enrichment