25,012 research outputs found
Metamorphism, Transient Mid-Crustal Rheology, Strain Localization and the Exhumation of High-Grade Metamorphic Rocks
We present a series of three-dimensional numerical models investigating the effects of metamorphic strengthening and weakening on the geodynamic evolution of convergent orogens that are constrained by observations from an exposed mid-crustal section in the New England Appalachians. The natural mid-crustal section records evidence for spatially and temporally variable mid-crustal strength as a function of metamorphic grade during prograde polymetamorphism. Our models address changes in strain rate partitioning and topographic uplift as a function of strengthening/weakening in the middle crust, as well as the resultant changes in deformation kinematics and potential exhumation patterns of high-grade metamorphic rock. Results suggest that strengthening leads to strain rate partitioning around the zone and suppressed topographic uplift rates whereas weakening leads to strain rate partitioning into the zone and enhanced topographic uplift rates. Deformation kinematics recorded in the orogen are also affected by strengthening/weakening, with complete reversals in shear sense occurring as a function of strengthening/weakening without changes in plate boundary kinematics
Racial Disparities in Intravenous Recombinant Tissue Plasminogen Activator Use Persist at Primary Stroke Centers.
BACKGROUND: Primary stroke centers (PSCs) utilize more recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) than non-PSCs. The impact of PSCs on racial disparities in rt-PA use is unknown.
METHODS AND RESULTS: We used data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample from 2004 to 2010, limited to states that publicly reported hospital identity and race. Hospitals certified as PSCs by The Joint Commission were identified. Adults with a diagnosis of ischemic stroke were analyzed. Rt-PA use was defined by the International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision procedure code 99.10. Discharges (304 152 patients) from 26 states met eligibility criteria, and of these 71.5% were white, 15.0% black, 7.9% Hispanic, and 5.6% other. Overall, 24.7% of white, 27.4% of black, 16.2% of Hispanic, and 29.8% of other patients presented to PSCs. A higher proportion received rt-PA at PSCs than non-PSCs in all race/ethnic groups (white 7.6% versus 2.6%, black 4.8% versus 2.0%, Hispanic 7.1% versus 2.4%, other 7.2% versus 2.5%, all P
CONCLUSIONS: Racial disparities in intravenous rt-PA use were not reduced by presentation to PSCs. Black patients were less likely to receive thrombolytic treatment than white patients at both non-PSCs and PSCs. Hispanic patients were less likely to be seen at PSCs relative to white patients and were less likely to receive intravenous rt-PA in the fully adjusted model
Dynamical approach to chains of scatterers
Linear chains of quantum scatterers are studied in the process of
lengthening, which is treated and analysed as a discrete dynamical system
defined over the manifold of scattering matrices. Elementary properties of such
dynamics relate the transport through the chain to the spectral properties of
individual scatterers. For a single-scattering channel case some new light is
shed on known transport properties of disordered and noisy chains, whereas
translationally invariant case can be studied analytically in terms of a simple
deterministic dynamical map. The many-channel case was studied numerically by
examining the statistical properties of scatterers that correspond to a certain
type of transport of the chain i.e. ballistic or (partially) localised.Comment: 16 pages, 7 figure
Quantum corrections for pion correlations involving resonance decays
A method is presented to include quantum corrections into the calculation of
two-pion correlations for the case where particles originate from resonance
decays. The technique uses classical information regarding the space-time
points at which resonances are created. By evaluating a simple thermal model,
the method is compared to semiclassical techniques that assume exponential
decaying resonances moving along classical trajectories. Significant
improvements are noted when the resonance widths are broad as compared to the
temperature.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figure
Triaxial orbit based galaxy models with an application to the (apparent) decoupled core galaxy NGC 4365
We present a flexible and efficient method to construct triaxial dynamical
models of galaxies with a central black hole, using Schwarzschild's orbital
superposition approach. Our method is general and can deal with realistic
luminosity distributions, which project to surface brightness distributions
that may show position angle twists and ellipticity variations. The models are
fit to measurements of the full line-of-sight velocity distribution (wherever
available). We verify that our method is able to reproduce theoretical
predictions of a three-integral triaxial Abel model. In a companion paper (van
de Ven, de Zeeuw & van den Bosch), we demonstrate that the method recovers the
phase-space distribution function. We apply our method to two-dimensional
observations of the E3 galaxy NGC 4365, obtained with the integral-field
spectrograph SAURON, and study its internal structure, showing that the
observed kinematically decoupled core is not physically distinct from the main
body and the inner region is close to oblate axisymmetric.Comment: 21 Pages, 14 (Colour) Figures, Companion paper is arXiv:0712.0309
Accepted to MNRAS. Full resolution version at
http://www.strw.leidenuniv.nl/~bosch/papers/RvdBosch_triaxmethod.pd
X-Ray flares in Orion Young Stars. II. Flares, Magnetospheres, and Protoplanetary Disks
We study the properties of powerful X-ray flares from 161 pre-main sequence
(PMS) stars observed with the Chandra X-ray Observatory in the Orion Nebula
region. Relationships between flare properties, protoplanetary disks and
accretion are examined in detail to test models of star-disk interactions at
the inner edge of the accretion disks. Previous studies had found no
differences in flaring between diskfree and accreting systems other than a
small overall diminution of X-ray luminosity in accreting systems. The most
important finding is that X-ray coronal extents in fast-rotating diskfree stars
can significantly exceed the Keplerian corotation radius, whereas X-ray loop
sizes in disky and accreting systems do not exceed the corotation radius. This
is consistent with models of star-disk magnetic interaction where the inner
disk truncates and confines the PMS stellar magnetosphere. We also find two
differences between flares in accreting and diskfree PMS stars. First, a
subclass of super-hot flares with peak plasma temperatures exceeding 100 MK are
preferentially present in accreting systems. Second, we tentatively find that
accreting stars produce flares with shorter durations. Both results may be
consequences of the distortion and destabilization of the stellar magnetosphere
by the interacting disk. Finally, we find no evidence that any flare types,
even slow-rise flat-top flares are produced in star-disk magnetic loops. All
are consistent with enhanced solar long-duration events with both footprints
anchored in the stellar surface.Comment: Accepted for publication in ApJ (07/17/08); 46 pages, 14 figures, 2
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Pilot study to train dentists to communicate about oral cancer:the impact on dentists' self-reported behaviour, confidence and beliefs
Electronic structure and ferroelectricity in SrBi2Ta2O9
The electronic structure of SrBi2Ta2O9 is investigated from first-principles,
within the local density approximation, using the full-potential linearized
augmented plane wave (LAPW) method. The results show that, besides the large
Ta(5d)-O(2p) hybridization which is a common feature of the ferroelectric
perovskites, there is an important hybridization between bismuth and oxygen
states. The underlying static potential for the ferroelectric distortion and
the primary source for ferroelectricity is investigated by a lattice-dynamics
study using the Frozen Phonon approach.Comment: 17 pages, 7 figures. Phys. Rev. B, in pres
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