The effect of baffles on tank sloshing, part i

Testing of cantilevered flexible, hinged, and slamming baffles by subjection to sinusoidal variation in water far from free surface - effect on tank sloshin

Discretization of Information Collecting Situations and Continuity of Compensation Rules

A canonical procedure is described, which associates to each infinite information collecting situation a related information collecting situation with finite state and action spaces, in such a way that the two corresponding IC-games are near to each other.Compensations for informants are then also near to each other in the two IC-situations, if they are based on continuous compensation rules.cooperative games;information

Operational modules for space station construction

Identification of an effective space construction concept is a current objective of NASA studies. One concept, described in this memorandum, consists of repetitive use of operational modules, which minimizes on-orbit stay time for the shuttle. A space station constructed of operational modules may benefit from fabrication and system checkout in ground-based facilities, and since the modules are the primary structure of the space station, a minimum of additional structure, and trips and on-orbit stay time of the shuttle are required

Optical monitoring of gamma-ray source fields

The three gamma-ray burst source fields GBS1028+46, GBS1205+24, and GBS2252-03 have been monitored for transient optical emission for a combined total of 52 hours. No optical events were seen. The limiting magnitude for the search was M sub V = 15.8 longer and M sub V = 17.0 for 6.0 s or longer

Pulsed laser deposition of SrTiO3/LaGaO3 and SrTiO3/LaAlO3: plasma plume effects

Pulsed laser deposition of SrTiO3/LaGaO3 and SrTiO3/LaAlO3 interfaces has been analyzed with a focus on the kinetic energy of the ablated species. LaGaO3 and LaAlO3 plasma plumes were studied by fast photography and space-resolved optical emission spectroscopy. Reflection high energy electron diffraction was performed proving a layer-by-layer growth up to 10-1 mbar oxygen pressure. The role of the energetic plasma plume on the two-dimensional growth and the presence of interfacial defects at different oxygen growth pressure has been discussed in view of the conducting properties developing at such polar/non-polar interfaces

The motivating operation and negatively reinforced problem behavior. A systematic review.

The concept of motivational operations exerts an increasing influence on the understanding and assessment of problem behavior in people with intellectual and developmental disability. In this systematic review of 59 methodologically robust studies of the influence of motivational operations in negative reinforcement paradigms in this population, we identify themes related to situational and biological variables that have implications for assessment, intervention, and further research. There is now good evidence that motivational operations of differing origins influence negatively reinforced problem behavior, and that these might be subject to manipulation to facilitate favorable outcomes. There is also good evidence that some biological variables warrant consideration in assessment procedures as they predispose the person's behavior to be influenced by specific motivational operations. The implications for assessment and intervention are made explicit with reference to variables that are open to manipulation or that require further research and conceptualization within causal models

Recent evolution of the Punta San Matteo serac (Ortles-Cevedale Group, Italian Alps)

This paper summarizes the main results of surveys carried out on the Punta San Matteo serac (Ortles-Cevedale Group, Italy). The monitoring campaigns mainly consisted in surveying the serac with a Total Station (over the period from July 2005 to November 2005) and with a laser scanner. The displacements of the unstable ice mass (about 12 m) and its geometry and volume (about 560,000 m') have been calculated. In addition several photographs collected during the field campaigns made it possible to describe the evolution of this unstable ice mass and recorded its partial collapse and gradual breaking into tiny parts. The air temperature trend was also evaluated; the serac displacements resulted not strongly correlated with temperature evolution and the main falling events occurred in the autumn and not in summer when air temperature reached the highest peaks

News from the front: Estimation of excess mortality and life expectancy in the major epicenters of the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy

Existing studies commonly rely on national official reports to estimate the impact of COVID-19 on human life. This is problematic because classification, estimation and reporting of COVID-19 mortality are not consistent across countries. To overcome these problems, this study exploits all cause daily death registrations data provided by the Italian Statistical Office (ISTAT) from January 1 to April 15, 2020. This allows us to: 1) calculate excess mortality in 2020 compared to the average of the years 2015 to 2019; and 2) estimate life expectancy on a seasonal and annual basis. Focusing on the five most severely hit provinces in Italy (Bergamo, Brescia, Cremona, Lodi and Piacenza) and Lombardy region, this analysis captures the impact of COVID-19 on mortality and life expectancy, which are likely to be underestimated when only national level data are considered. We find that seasonal life expectancy in 2020 in the five provinces reduced by 5.1 to 7.8 and 3.2 to 5.8 years for men and women, respectively. For annual life expectancy for the year 2020, in a scenario with no harvesting effect i.e. mortality rates resume to an average level of the years 2015-2019 after the end of the first epidemic wave, the years of life lost is equivalent to 2 to 3.5 years for men and 1.1. to 2.5 years for women in the five provinces. This represents the largest decline in life expectancy after the 1918 influenza pandemic and the Second World War