In Situ Geophysical Exploration by Humans in Mars Analog Environments

We carried out three geophysical experiments in Mars analog environments in order to better understand the challenges future astronauts will face when conducting similar surveys on Mars or the Moon. The experiments included a passive seismometer deployment and a time-domain electromagnetic survey at the Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station (FMARS) on Devon Island, Canada and a seismic refraction survey in southeastern Utah at the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS). FMARS is located on the rim of the 23 Ma Haughton Crater in a polar desert environment. MDRS is located in an area with sedimentary plateaus and canyons of Jurassic to Cretaceous age. Both facilities were built by The Mars Society to help develop key knowledge about human Mars exploration. Crews of six spend 2-4 weeks in the habitats and conduct eld research on simulated extravehicular activities (EVAs) wearing mock spacesuits. The work reported here was conducted in July 2009 at FMARS and February 2010 at MDRS

The Still Secret Ballot: The Limited Privacy Cost of Transparent Election Results

After an election, should election officials release an electronic record of each ballot? The release of such cast vote records could bolster the legitimacy of the certified result. But it may also facilitate vote revelation, where an analyst unravels the secret ballot by uniquely linking vote choices on the anonymous ballot to the voter's name and address in the public voter file. We provide the first empirical study of the extent of vote revelation under several possible election-reporting regimes, ranging from precinct-level results to the individual ballot records known as cast vote records. Using Maricopa County, Arizona, as a case study, we find that cast vote records could reveal less than 0.2% of any voters' choices in the 2020 general election. Perhaps counterintuitively, releasing cast vote records coded by precinct and vote method are no more revelatory than releasing aggregate vote tallies for each precinct and vote method. We conclude that cast vote records are sufficiently privacy-protecting, and suggest how the privacy violations that do remain could be reduced.Comment: Initial draft, 42 pages, 6 figures, 2 table

Numerical study of pi-junction using spin filtering barriers

We numerically investigate the Josephson transport through ferromagnetic insulators (FIs) by taking into account its band structure. By use of the recursive Green's function method, we found the formation of the pi junction in the case of the fully spin-polarized FI (FPFI), e.g., La$_2$BaCuO$_5$. Moreover, the 0-pi transition is induced by increasing the thickness of FPFI. On the other hand, Josephson current through the Eu chalcogenides shows the pi junction behavior in the case of the strong d-f hybridization between the conduction d and the localized f electrons of Eu. Such FI-based Josephson junctions may become a element in the architecture of future quantum information devices.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figure

Six‐Axis Ground Motion Measurements of Caldera Collapse at Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai'i—More Data, More Puzzles?

Near‐field recordings of large earthquakes and volcano‐induced events using traditional seismological instrumentation often suffer from unaccounted effects of local tilt and saturation of signals. Recent hardware advances have led to the development of the blueSeis‐3A, a very broadband, highly sensitive rotational motion sensor. We installed this sensor in close proximity to permanently deployed classical instrumentation (i.e., translational seismometer, accelerometer, and tiltmeter) at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (USGS). There, we were able to record three ~Mw 5 earthquakes associated with large collapse events during the later phase of the 2018 Kīlauea summit eruption. Located less than 2 km from the origins of these sources, the combined six‐axis translational and rotational measurements revealed clear static rotations around all three coordinate axes. With these six component recordings, we have been able to reconstruct the complete time history of ground motion of a fixed point during an earthquake for the first time

Prospects of Spin Catalysis on Spin-Polarized Graphene Heterostructures

Extreme points on potential energy surfaces of Ni adatom on free-standing graphene and top:fcc and hcp:fcc graphene/ Ni(111) heterostructures in different spin states were studied using periodic boundary conditions density functional theory approach. It was found that the spin states of the substrates strongly influence the energy of the Ni adatom extreme points on potential energy surface by decreasing (top:fcc heterostructure) or increasing (hcp:fcc heterostructure) the total energies of Z1, Z1 , and Z2 Ni adatom coordinations on graphene. This phenomenon offers unique possibilities to control the potential energy surfaces of transition metal adatoms and promote surface chemical reactions using induced spin polarization of graphene substrates

Berry phase and persistent current in disordered mesoscopic rings

A novel quantum interference effect in disordered quasi-one-dimensional rings in the inhomogeneous magnetic field is reported. We calculate the canonical disorder averaged persistent current using the diagrammatic perturbation theory. It is shown that within the adiabatic regime the average current oscillates as a function of the geometric flux which is related to the Berry phase and the period becomes half the value of the case of a single one-dimensional ring. We also discuss the magnetic dephasing effect on the averaged current.Comment: 6 pages, RevTeX, 2 figures. To appear in Phys. Rev. B Rapid Communications Vol.60 No.12 (1999

Initial severity of depression and efficacy of cognitive-behavioural therapy: individual-participant data meta-analysis of pill-placebo-controlled trials

BACKGROUND: The influence of baseline severity has been examined for antidepressant medications but has not been studied properly for cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) in comparison with pill placebo. AIMS: To synthesise evidence regarding the influence of initial severity on efficacy of CBT from all randomised controlled trials (RCTs) in which CBT, in face-to-face individual or group format, was compared with pill-placebo control in adults with major depression. METHOD: A systematic review and an individual-participant data meta-analysis using mixed models that included trial effects as random effects. We used multiple imputation to handle missing data. RESULTS: We identified five RCTs, and we were given access to individual-level data (n = 509) for all five. The analyses revealed that the difference in changes in Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression between CBT and pill placebo was not influenced by baseline severity (interaction P = 0.43). Removing the non-significant interaction term from the model, the difference between CBT and pill placebo was a standardised mean difference of -0.22 (95% CI -0.42 to -0.02, P = 0.03, I2 = 0%). CONCLUSIONS: Patients suffering from major depression can expect as much benefit from CBT across the wide range of baseline severity. This finding can help inform individualised treatment decisions by patients and their clinicians.R01 MH060998 - NIMH NIH HHS; R34 MH086668 - NIMH NIH HHS; R01 AT007257 - NCCIH NIH HHS; R21 MH101567 - NIMH NIH HHS; K02 MH001697 - NIMH NIH HHS; R01 MH060713 - NIMH NIH HHS; R34 MH099311 - NIMH NIH HHS; R21 MH102646 - NIMH NIH HHS; K23 MH100259 - NIMH NIH HHS; R01 MH099021 - NIMH NIH HH

Distinct polymorphisms in a single herpesvirus gene are capable of enhancing virulence and mediating vaccinal resistance

Modified-live herpesvirus vaccines are widely used in humans and animals, but field strains can emerge that have a higher virulence and break vaccinal protection. Since the introduction of the first vaccine in the 1970s, Marek's disease virus overcame the vaccine barrier by the acquisition of numerous genomic mutations. However, the evolutionary adaptations in the herpesvirus genome responsible for the vaccine breaks have remained elusive. Here, we demonstrate that point mutations in the multifunctional meq gene acquired during evolution can significantly alter virulence. Defined mutations found in highly virulent strains also allowed the virus to overcome innate cellular responses and vaccinal protection. Concomitantly, the adaptations in meq enhanced virus shedding into the environment, likely providing a selective advantage for the virus. Our study provides the first experimental evidence that few point mutations in a single herpesviral gene result in drastically increased virulence, enhanced shedding, and escape from vaccinal protection