Radiative Capture Reactions at Intermediate Energies

This research was sponsored by the National Science Foundation Grant NSF PHY 87-1440

Advanced development for space robotics with emphasis on fault tolerance

This paper describes the ongoing work in fault tolerance at the University of Texas at Austin. The paper describes the technical goals the group is striving to achieve and includes a brief description of the individual projects focusing on fault tolerance. The ultimate goal is to develop and test technology applicable to all future missions of NASA (lunar base, Mars exploration, planetary surveillance, space station, etc.)

CHAMPION: Chalmers Hierarchical Atomic, Molecular, Polymeric & Ionic Analysis Toolkit

We present CHAMPION: a software developed to automatically detect time-dependent bonds between atoms based on their dynamics, classify the local graph topology around them, and analyze the physicochemical properties of these topologies by statistical physics. In stark contrast to methodologies where bonds are detected based on static conditions such as cut-off distances, CHAMPION considers pairs of atoms to be bound only if they move together and act as a bound pair over time. Furthermore, the time-dependent global bond graph is possible to split into dynamically shifting connected components or subgraphs around a certain chemical motif and thereby allow the physicochemical properties of each such topology to be analyzed by statistical physics. Applicable to condensed matter and liquids in general, and electrolytes in particular, this allows both quantitative and qualitative descriptions of local structure, as well as dynamical processes such as speciation and diffusion. We present here a detailed overview of CHAMPION, including its underlying methodology, implementation and capabilities.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figure

Developmental implications of prenatal opioid exposure among school-aged children: a mixed methods and community-initiated analysis

Abstract Background Growing research points to potential long-term developmental implications of prenatal opioid exposure for children. Yet, polysubstance use and adverse childhood experiences are raised as potential confounders. Further, there is a lack of data on school-age children and the children’s strengths. Methods Parents and caregivers of children with prenatal opioid exposure worked with the study team to design, collect, and descriptively analyze mixed method data. Data were collected through survey (n = 148) and two focus groups (n = 15) from a convenience sample in mostly West Virginia and Massachusetts. Results Nearly half of the children in the sample were diagnosed with multiple developmental delays, behavioral health conditions, and specific learning disorders. Roughly 85% of children have behavioral challenges. Associations between prenatal opioid exposure and negative developmental outcomes did not vary by type of opioid nor by polysubstance use, while controlling for adverse childhood experiences. Importantly, over 80% of families also reported their child’s strengths, including empathy, social magnetism, and their resilience. Conclusions The challenges for children born with prenatal opioid exposure may extend into school-age. The results are consistent with prior research on younger children, suggesting a need for best practices for caring for these children beyond the neonatal stage

ACCELERATION ASYMMETRY DURING DROP LANDINGS IN SUBJECT WITH UNILATERAL INSERTIONAL ACHILLES TENDINITIS: A CASE STUDY

Dave P. Heller1,2, Natalie Hayes1,3, Brynn Proffitt1,4, Mary Rackers1, Alyssa Bayard1, Wen Liu2 1Rockhurst University, Kansas City, Missouri; 2University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, Kansas; 3University of Nebraska Medical Center, Lincoln, Nebraska; 4Regis University, Denver, Colorado Insertional Achilles tendinitis can result from repetitive loading and is common in runners. Symptoms include pain and noticeable swelling at the calcaneal insertion. PURPOSE: The purpose of this case study is to describe asymmetries in center of mass (CoM) acceleration during lateral drop landings (LDL) in a subject with unilateral insertional Achilles tendinitis. METHODS: A 45-year old male recreational runner was diagnosed by an orthopedist with right insertional Achilles tendinitis. Pilot data investigating the reliability of CoM acceleration during LDL showed peak acceleration differences that appeared to be limb dependent. These differences could be due to an alternate landing strategy. The study involved performing 30 alternating single leg LDL from a 30cm platform. The subject wore a smartphone with an accelerometer application in a running belt level with the CoM. We analyzed peak CoM acceleration in all three dimensions as well as net peak CoM acceleration. We compared mean peak CoM acceleration for right-(affected) vs. left-(unaffected) footed landings using unpaired ttests. RESULTS: Mean anteroposterior (AP) peak CoM acceleration differed significantly between affected (R) vs. unaffected (L) landings (R: -0.78 + 0.78g vs. L: -0.27 + 0.89g; p = 0.02). There were no significant differences between R vs. L landings in the mediolateral (p = 0.760), longitudinal (p = 0.204) or net peak CoM acceleration (p = 0.439). For a secondary analysis, we assumed the mean peak AP CoM acceleration should be 0 since the movement during a LDL occurs in the frontal plane. We compared R and L mean peak AP CoM accelerations with 0 using a one sample t-test. The R mean peak AP CoM acceleration differed significantly from 0 whereas the L mean peak AP CoM acceleration did not (p = 0.001 and 0.105, respectively). CONCLUSION: This case study explores asymmetries in CoM acceleration during a LDL in one runner with Achilles tendinitis. There was significant mean anterior (negative) peak CoM acceleration while landing on the affected foot compared to landings on the unaffected foot. This could be an indication of a compensatory landing strategy to protect the damaged Achilles or a pathological landing strategy as a result of the tendinitis. Further analyses of landings in runners with unilateral insertional Achilles tendinitis is warranted

Comparison of CFD Simulations with Experimental Measurements of Nozzle Clogging in Continuous Casting of Steels

Measurements of clog deposit thickness on the interior surfaces of a commercial continuous casting nozzle are compared with computational fluid dynamics (CFD) predictions of melt flow patterns and particle-wall interactions to identify the mechanisms of nozzle clogging. A submerged entry nozzle received from industry was encased in epoxy and carefully sectioned to allow measurement of the deposit thickness on the internal surfaces of the nozzle. CFD simulations of melt flow patterns and particle behavior inside the nozzle were performed by combining the Eulerian-Lagrangian approach and detached eddy simulation turbulent model, matching the geometry and operating conditions of the industrial test. The CFD results indicated that convergent areas of the interior cross section of the nozzle increased the velocity and turbulence of the flowing steel inside the nozzle and decreased the clog deposit thickness locally in these areas. CFD simulations also predicted a higher rate of attachment of particles in the divergent area between two convergent sections of the nozzle, which matched the observations made in the industrial nozzle measurements