Local Interactions and Switching Costs

We study the impact of switching costs on the long run outcome in 2 x 2 coordination games played in the circular city model of local interactions. For low levels of switching costs the predictions are in line with the previous literature and the risk dominant convention is the unique long run equilibrium. For intermediate levels of switching costs the set of long run equilibria still contains the risk dominant convention but may also contain conventions that are not risk dominant. For high levels of switching costs also non-monomorphic states will be included in the set of long run equilibria. Finally, we reconcile our result with a recent paper by Norman (2009) by considering the case of large interaction neighborhoods in large populations

Mid-Neoproterozoic (ca. 830-800 Ma) metamorphic P-T paths link Tarim to the circum-Rodinia subduction-accretion system

Long-lived exterior accretionary orogeny shapes tectonothermal evolution of the peripheral building blocks of supercontinents and leads to considerable crustal growth. However, such accretionary orogeny has only been locally recognized for the Rodinia supercontinent. Here a suite of newly discovered mid-Neoproterozoic high-grade metamorphic rocks in the northern Tarim Craton, NW China, are used to test the exterior accretion hypothesis for Rodinia. These rocks occur as dark-colored mafic and calc-silicate boudins in impure marbles and mica schists. Geochemical data suggest a protolith of arc-related basalts metasomatized by Ca-rich fluids. Mineral assemblages, phase diagram modeling, and mineral compositions for a garnet pyroxenite and a garnet clinopyroxene gneiss reveal upper amphibolite to high-pressure granulite facies peak metamorphism (660–700°C, 11–12 kbar) following a counterclockwise P-T path, which is characterized by prograde burial and heating, followed by near-isothermal burial and retrograde exhumation and cooling. This P-T path is interpreted to have recorded crustal thickening of an earlier magmatic arc transformed to a fore arc by subduction erosion and subsequent burial along bent isotherms near the subduction channel. All studied samples record ca. 830–800 Ma metamorphic zircon U-Pb ages, which probably date the early exhumation and cooling according to Ti-in-zircon temperatures, zircon rare earth element patterns, and Hf isotopes. This is the first mid-Neoproterozoic P-T-t path in Tarim, and it provides metamorphic evidence for a mid-Neoproterozoic advancing-type accretionary orogeny, which is coeval with the initial breakup events of Rodinia and thus links Tarim to the circum-Rodinia accretion system, supporting the peripheral subduction model

Hofstadter butterflies and metal/insulator transitions for moir\'e heterostructures

We consider a tight-binding model recently introduced by Timmel and Mele for strained moir\'e heterostructures. We consider two honeycomb lattices to which layer antisymmetric shear strain is applied to periodically modulate the tunneling between the lattices in one distinguished direction. This effectively reduces the model to one spatial dimension and makes it amenable to the theory of matrix-valued quasi-periodic operators. We then study the transport and spectral properties of this system, explaining the appearance of a Hofstadter-type butterfly. For sufficiently incommensurable moir\'e length and strong coupling between the lattices this leads to the occurrence of localization phenomena

T1ρ-based fibril-reinforced poroviscoelastic constitutive relation of human articular cartilage using inverse finite element technology

BackgroundMapping of T1ρ relaxation time is a quantitative magnetic resonance (MR) method and is frequently used for analyzing microstructural and compositional changes in cartilage tissues. However, there is still a lack of study investigating the link between T1ρ relaxation time and a feasible constitutive relation of cartilage which can be used to model complicated mechanical behaviors of cartilage accurately and properly.MethodsThree-dimensional finite element (FE) models of ten in vitro human tibial cartilage samples were reconstructed such that each element was assigned by material-level parameters, which were determined by a corresponding T1ρ value from MR maps. A T1ρ-based fibril-reinforced poroviscoelastic (FRPE) constitutive relation for human cartilage was developed through an inverse FE optimization technique between the experimental and simulated indentations.ResultsA two-parameter exponential relationship was obtained between the T1ρ and the volume fraction of the hydrated solid matrix in the T1ρ-based FRPE constitutive relation. Compared with the common FRPE constitutive relation (i.e., without T1ρ), the T1ρ-based FRPE constitutive relation indicated similar indentation depth results but revealed some different local changes of the stress distribution in cartilages.ConclusionsOur results suggested that the T1ρ-based FRPE constitutive relation may improve the detection of changes in the heterogeneous, anisotropic, and nonlinear mechanical properties of human cartilage tissues associated with joint pathologies such as osteoarthritis (OA). Incorporating T1ρ relaxation time will provide a more precise assessment of human cartilage based on the individual in vivo MR quantification

Grain Refinement in Iron-Based Materials

A process for manufacturing an iron-based alloy comprising forming targeted fine oxide and/or carbide dispersoids in a melt, and sequentially precipitating transition-metal nitrides on the dispersoids for heterogeneous nucleation of equiaxed grains. An iron-based cast alloy having a highly equiaxed fine grain structure

The Waiting And Mating Game: Condition Dependent Mate Sampling In Female Gray Treefrogs (Hyla Versicolor)

Strong sexual selection by receivers can lead to the evolution of elaborate courtship behaviors in signalers. However the process by which receivers sample signalers and execute mate choice under complex signaling conditions—and thus the realized strength of sexual section—is poorly understood. Moreover, receivers can vary in condition, which can further influence mate sampling strategies. Using wild female frogs we tested two hypotheses at the intersection of these important problems: that some of the individual variation in mate sampling is explained by (1) the reproductive urgency hypothesis, which predicts that receivers in a more urgent reproductive state will sample mates less and/or (2) the reproductive investment hypothesis, which predicts that receivers that have invested less in the current reproductive effort will sample mates less. Eastern gray treefrogs, Hyla versicolor, were collected in amplexus and repeatedly tested for phonotaxis behavior using a dynamic playback assay. To evaluate if hormonal mechanisms explained variation in the mate sampling, three steroid hormones, estradiol, progesterone, and corticosterone, were collected using a noninvasive water-borne hormone assay, validated for this species in the present study. Finally, we measured clutch size (investment) and the duration of time required for each female to oviposit after being reunited with their male mate (urgency). We found repeatability in many of the behaviors, including mate sampling. We found that females with higher concentrations estradiol and corticosterone made quicker choices, and that females with higher progesterone sampled mates more. We also found that female frogs in a more urgent reproductive state had lower concentrations of progesterone and estradiol, thereby providing the first evidence of a relationship between gonadal hormones and reproductive urgency. Collectively we found some support for the reproductive urgency but not the investment hypothesis. Thus, even though a female frog\u27s reproductive readiness is a highly transient life history stage, fine scale variation in her reproductive timeline could mitigate the strength of directional selection

Undergraduate medical textbooks do not provide adequate information on intravenous fluid therapy: a systematic survey and suggestions for improvement

<b>Background</b><p></p> Inappropriate prescribing of intravenous (IV) fluid, particularly 0.9% sodium chloride, causes post-operative complications. Fluid prescription is often left to junior medical staff and is frequently poorly managed. One reason for poor intravenous fluid prescribing practices could be inadequate coverage of this topic in the textbooks that are used.<p></p> <b>Methods</b><p></p> We formulated a comprehensive set of topics, related to important common clinical situations involving IV fluid therapy, (routine fluid replacement, fluid loss, fluids overload) to assess the adequacy of textbooks in common use. We assessed 29 medical textbooks widely available to students in the UK, scoring the presence of information provided by each book on each of the topics. The scores indicated how fully the topics were considered: not at all, partly, and adequately. No attempt was made to judge the quality of the information, because there is no consensus on these topics.<p></p> <b>Results</b><p></p> The maximum score that a book could achieve was 52. Three of the topics we chose were not considered by any of the books. Discounting these topics as “too esoteric”, the maximum possible score became 46. One textbook gained a score of 45, but the general score was poor (median 11, quartiles 4, 21). In particular, coverage of routine postoperative management was inadequate.<p></p> <b>Conclusions</b><p></p> Textbooks for undergraduates cover the topic of intravenous therapy badly, which may partly explain the poor knowledge and performance of junior doctors in this important field. Systematic revision of current textbooks might improve knowledge and practice by junior doctors. Careful definition of the remit and content of textbooks should be applied more widely to ensure quality and “fitness for purpose”, and avoid omission of vital knowledge

Berry Phase in Atom-Molecule Conversion Systems and Fractional Monopole

We investigate the geometric phase or Berry phase of adiabatic quantum evolution in an atom-molecule conversion system, and find that the Berry phase in such system consists of two parts: the usual Berry connection term and a novel term from the nonlinearity brought forth by the atom-molecule conversion. The geometric phase can be viewed as the flux of the magnetic field of a monopole through the surface enclosed by a closed path in parameter space. The charge of the monopole, however, is found to be one third of the elementary charge of the usual quantized monopole.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figur