Representing anisotropic subduction zones with isotropic velocity models: A characterization of the problem and some steps on a possible path forward

Despite the widely known fact that mantle flow in and around subduction zones produces the development of considerable seismic anisotropy, most P-wave tomography efforts still rely on the assumption of isotropy. In this study, we explore the potential effects of erroneous assumption on tomographic images and explore an alternative approach. We conduct a series of synthetic tomography tests based on a geodynamic simulation of subduction and rollback. The simulation results provide a self-consistent distribution of isotropic (thermal) anomalies and seismic anisotropy which we use to calculate synthetic delay times for a number of realistic and hypothetical event distributions. We find that anisotropy-induced artifacts are abundant and significant for teleseismic, local and mixed event distributions. The occurrence of artifacts is not reduced, and indeed can be exacerbated, by increasing richness in ray-path azimuths and incidence angles. The artifacts that we observe are, in all cases, important enough to significantly impact the interpretation of the images. We test an approach based on prescribing the anisotropy field as an a priori constraint and find that even coarse approximations to the true anisotropy field produce useful results. Using approximate anisotropy, fields can result in reduced RMS misfit to the travel time delays and reduced abundance and severity of imaging artifacts. We propose that the use of anisotropy fields derived from geodynamic modeling and constrained by seismic observables may constitute a viable alternative to isotropic tomography that does not require the inversion for anisotropy parameters in each node of the model

S++ : A Hybrid Textile for Healthcare and Well-Being Contexts

This paper presents a collaborative, design-led research project between KYOTO Design Lab (DLab),t he Department of Advanced Fibro Science, Kyoto Institute of Technology (KIT) and the Royal College of Art’s Textiles Programme (RCA). The project involved an initial one-week workshop, followed by a 6-month design research associateship at KIT’s D-Lab – an innovation incubator delivered through practical design methodologies and interdisciplinary collaboration. The focus of this project was to investigate the possibility of re-engineering chirimen, a traditional ‘intelligent’ silk crepe fabric being woven in the Tango Peninsula, in northern Kyoto Prefecture. Varying the weave structure itself and introducing PTT, a thermoplastic polymer, enabled the creation of a hybrid textile of silk which is hydrophilic and Polytrimethylene terephthalate (PTT) which is hydrophobic. This hybrid textiles structure offers new product applications for chirimen silk in healthcare contexts against a background of industry decline and shrinking markets for this highly sophisticated textile

The effects of sun exposure on carotenoid accumulation and oxidative stress in the retina of the House Finch (Haemorhous mexicanus)

Additional file 1: Tables S1–8. Detailed data tables from each of the experimental comparisons

Stability of the nonlinear dynamics of an optically injected VCSEL

Automated protocols have been developed to characterize time series data in terms of stability. These techniques are applied to the output power time series of an optically injected vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) subject to varying injection strength and optical frequency detuning between master and slave lasers. Dynamic maps, generated from high resolution, computer controlled experiments, identify regions of dynamic instability in the parameter space. © 2012 Optical Society of America

Breast Self-Examination Among College-Aged Females: An Intervention Study

Although 95% of women report awareness of recommendations to perform monthly breast self-examinations (BSEs), only about 17-36% of women conduct BSEs regularly. This study investigated whether combining Motivational Interviewing (MI) and a Health Belief Model-based (HBM) intervention would promote BSE behaviors. Thirty-three females were randomly assigned to a HBM-based psychoeducational intervention using MI (PE/MI; n = 17) or a no-treatment control group (n = 16). Together, the HBM constructs predicted intentions to engage in BSE. Also, results indicated that the PE/MI participants reported significantly greater self-efficacy, awareness of BSE cues, and intentions, to conduct monthly BSE at posttest than control participants. The groups did not differ on other HBM constructs. Overall, results indicate that MI appears to be a promising strategy for promoting BSE