Computer program simulates design, test, and analysis phases of sensitivity experiments

Modular program with a small main program and several specialized subroutines provides a general purpose computer program to simulate the design, test and analysis phases of sensitivity experiments. This program allows a wide range of design-response function combinations and the addition, deletion, or modification of subroutines

Intertwined Functions of Separase and Caspase in Cell Division and Programmed Cell Death.

Timely sister chromatid separation, promoted by separase, is essential for faithful chromosome segregation. Separase is a member of the CD clan of cysteine proteases, which also includes the pro-apoptotic enzymes known as caspases. We report a role for the C. elegans separase SEP-1, primarily known for its essential activity in cell division and cortical granule exocytosis, in developmentally programmed cell death when the predominant pro-apoptotic caspase CED-3 is compromised. Loss of SEP-1 results in extra surviving cells in a weak ced-3(-) mutant, and suppresses the embryonic lethality of a mutant defective for the apoptotic suppressor ced-9/Bcl-2 implicating SEP-1 in execution of apoptosis. We also report apparent non-apoptotic roles for CED-3 in promoting germ cell proliferation, meiotic chromosome disjunction, egg shell formation, and the normal rate of embryonic development. Moreover, loss of the soma-specific (CSP-3) and germline-specific (CSP-2) caspase inhibitors result in CED-3-dependent suppression of embryonic lethality and meiotic chromosome non-disjunction respectively, when separase function is compromised. Thus, while caspases and separases have evolved different substrate specificities associated with their specialized functions in apoptosis and cell division respectively, they appear to have retained the residual ability to participate in both processes, supporting the view that co-option of components in cell division may have led to the innovation of programmed cell suicide early in metazoan evolution

Enhancing Motivation to Change in Clients with Alcohol Use Disorders: Video Feedback as a Brief Intervention

This research examined whether videotaped self-observation of drinking behavior combined with a one-session motivationally-based interview resulted in higher levels of motivation to change drinking behavior, lower levels of quantity and frequency of alcohol consumption, decreases in alcohol-related problem behaviors, and expectations of the positive effects of alcohol for individuals mandated to treatment for alcohol-use disorders. DUI offenders (n = 8) and heavy drinking college students (n = 13) mandated to treatment were randomly assigned to receive treatment as usual at their respective agencies or an experimental video intervention in addition to their regular treatment requirements. Participants were assessed at baseline and at one-month following treatment. Participants in both conditions self-reported significantly fewer alcohol-related problem behaviors at the one month follow-up. A non-significant trend was found between the groups over time for alcohol-related problem behaviors; participants assigned to treatment as usual reported fewer alcohol-related problem behaviors at follow-up relative to participants assigned to the experimental video intervention. An additional non-significant trend was found for movement along the stages of change. Two participants who received the video intervention regressed to previous stage levels and one participant who received treatment as usual moved forward one stage. Most participants assigned to the video intervention reported increased insight into their own drinking behavior following the video viewing. Results from this study suggest that aside from increasing awareness about drinking behavior, the data do not support the use of video self-monitoring of drinking behavior as a treatment intervention for individuals with alcohol-use disorders. Future research may want to incorporate some modified components of the video intervention into existing motivationally-based treatments as a way to increase awareness about drinking behavior

Two-dimensional hydrodynamic lattice-gas simulations of binary immiscible and ternary amphiphilic fluid flow through porous media

The behaviour of two dimensional binary and ternary amphiphilic fluids under flow conditions is investigated using a hydrodynamic lattice gas model. After the validation of the model in simple cases (Poiseuille flow, Darcy's law for single component fluids), attention is focussed on the properties of binary immiscible fluids in porous media. An extension of Darcy's law which explicitly admits a viscous coupling between the fluids is verified, and evidence of capillary effects are described. The influence of a third component, namely surfactant, is studied in the same context. Invasion simulations have also been performed. The effect of the applied force on the invasion process is reported. As the forcing level increases, the invasion process becomes faster and the residual oil saturation decreases. The introduction of surfactant in the invading phase during imbibition produces new phenomena, including emulsification and micellisation. At very low fluid forcing levels, this leads to the production of a low-resistance gel, which then slows down the progress of the invading fluid. At long times (beyond the water percolation threshold), the concentration of remaining oil within the porous medium is lowered by the action of surfactant, thus enhancing oil recovery. On the other hand, the introduction of surfactant in the invading phase during drainage simulations slows down the invasion process -- the invading fluid takes a more tortuous path to invade the porous medium -- and reduces the oil recovery (the residual oil saturation increases).Comment: 48 pages, 26 figures. Phys. Rev. E (in press

Development of improved low-strain creep strength in Cabot alloy R-41 sheet

The feasibility of improving the low-strain creep properties of a thin gauge nickel base sheet alloy through modified heat treatment or through development of a preferred crystal-lographic texture was investigated. The basic approach taken to improve the creep strength of the material by heat treatment was to increase grain size by raising the solution treatment temperature for the alloy to the range of 1420 K to 1475 K (2100 F to 2200 F). The key technical issue involved was maintenance of adequate tensile ductility following the solutioning of M6C primary carbides during the higher temperature solution treatment. The approach to improve creep properties by developing a sheet texture involved varying both annealing temperatures and the amount of prior cold work. Results identified a heat treatment for alloy R-14 sheet which yields a substantial creep-life advantage at temperatures above 1090 K (1500 F) when compared with material given the standard heat treatment. At the same time, this treatment provides reasonable tensile ductility over the entire temperature range of interest. The mechanical properties of the material given the new heat treatment are compared with those for material given the standard heat treatment. Attempts to improve creep strength by developing a sheet texture were unsuccessful

Simulating Three-Dimensional Hydrodynamics on a Cellular-Automata Machine

We demonstrate how three-dimensional fluid flow simulations can be carried out on the Cellular Automata Machine 8 (CAM-8), a special-purpose computer for cellular-automata computations. The principal algorithmic innovation is the use of a lattice-gas model with a 16-bit collision operator that is specially adapted to the machine architecture. It is shown how the collision rules can be optimized to obtain a low viscosity of the fluid. Predictions of the viscosity based on a Boltzmann approximation agree well with measurements of the viscosity made on CAM-8. Several test simulations of flows in simple geometries -- channels, pipes, and a cubic array of spheres -- are carried out. Measurements of average flux in these geometries compare well with theoretical predictions.Comment: 19 pages, REVTeX and epsf macros require

Instability of Extremal Relativistic Charged Spheres

With the question, ``Can relativistic charged spheres form extremal black holes?" in mind, we investigate the properties of such spheres from a classical point of view. The investigation is carried out numerically by integrating the Oppenheimer-Volkov equation for relativistic charged fluid spheres and finding interior Reissner-Nordstr\"om solutions for these objects. We consider both constant density and adiabatic equations of state, as well as several possible charge distributions, and examine stability by both a normal mode and an energy analysis. In all cases, the stability limit for these spheres lies between the extremal ($Q = M$) limit and the black hole limit ($R = R_+$). That is, we find that charged spheres undergo gravitational collapse before they reach $Q = M$, suggesting that extremal Reissner-Nordtr\"om black holes produced by collapse are ruled out. A general proof of this statement would support a strong form of the cosmic censorship hypothesis, excluding not only stable naked singularities, but stable extremal black holes. The numerical results also indicate that although the interior mass-energy $m(R)$ obeys the usual $m/R < 4/9$ stability limit for the Schwarzschild interior solution, the gravitational mass $M$ does not. Indeed, the stability limit approaches $R_+$ as $Q \to M$. In the Appendix we also argue that Hawking radiation will not lead to an extremal Reissner-Nordstr\"om black hole. All our results are consistent with the third law of black hole dynamics, as currently understood

Referencing Sources of Molecular Spectroscopic Data in the Era of Data Science: Application to the HITRAN and AMBDAS Databases

The application described has been designed to create bibliographic entries in large databases with diverse sources automatically, which reduces both the frequency of mistakes and the workload for the administrators. This new system uniquely identifies each reference from its digital object identifier (DOI) and retrieves the corresponding bibliographic information from any of several online services, including the SAO/NASA Astrophysics Data Systems (ADS) and CrossRef APIs. Once parsed into a relational database, the software is able to produce bibliographies in any of several formats, including HTML and BibTeX, for use on websites or printed articles. The application is provided free-of-charge for general use by any scientific database. The power of this application is demonstrated when used to populate reference data for the HITRAN and AMBDAS databases as test cases. HITRAN contains data that is provided by researchers and collaborators throughout the spectroscopic community. These contributors are accredited for their contributions through the bibliography produced alongside the data returned by an online search in HITRAN. Prior to the work presented here, HITRAN and AMBDAS created these bibliographies manually, which is a tedious, time-consuming and error-prone process. The complete code for the new referencing system can be found at \url{https://github.com/hitranonline/refs}.Comment: 11 pages, 5 figures, already published online at https://doi.org/10.3390/atoms802001

Geometry of Valley Growth

Although amphitheater-shaped valley heads can be cut by groundwater flows emerging from springs, recent geological evidence suggests that other processes may also produce similar features, thus confounding the interpretations of such valley heads on Earth and Mars. To better understand the origin of this topographic form we combine field observations, laboratory experiments, analysis of a high-resolution topographic map, and mathematical theory to quantitatively characterize a class of physical phenomena that produce amphitheater-shaped heads. The resulting geometric growth equation accurately predicts the shape of decimeter-wide channels in laboratory experiments, 100-meter wide valleys in Florida and Idaho, and kilometer wide valleys on Mars. We find that whenever the processes shaping a landscape favor the growth of sharply protruding features, channels develop amphitheater-shaped heads with an aspect ratio of pi