Method of joining metals of significantly different expansion rates

To join a refractory metal to a dissimilar high-temperature metal, braze a section of high elasticity, high ductility metal /such as columbium or columbium alloy/ between the metals to be joined, using a fork-type joint to hold the braze and transition member in place during expansion

A PRODUCER-LEVEL CROSS-HEDGE FOR ROUGH RICE USING WHEAT FUTURES

This study explores the potential of routine preharvest cross-hedging of rough rice using wheat futures contract prices. A numerical simulation approach combined with risk efficiency analysis evaluates a wide rage of cross-hedging alternatives. Results establish that farm-level cross-hedging can be considered a viable marketing alternative.Marketing,

Componentes de la tasa de crecimiento poblacional en el negrón especulado de Saskatchewan, Canadá

Breeding range and abundance of White–winged Scoters (Melanitta fusca deglandi) have declined in northwestern North America. Hypotheses proposed to account for this trend are that survival and/or recruitment of females had declined. Thus, we used a reverse–time capture–recapture approach to directly estimate survival, seniority and capture probabilities for females of breeding age at Redberry Lake, Saskatchewan, Canada for 1975–1980 and 2000–2003. We also estimated population size of breeding females for 1975–1985 and 2000–2003 using capture–recapture data. Initially, this local population was in serious decline [95% CL ( ) = 0.89 ± 0.09], but has since stabilized and may be slowly increasing [95% CL ( ) = 1.07 ± 0.11]. This reversal in trajectory apparently resulted from increased recruitment rather than increased apparent survival. Importantly, recent recruitment of adult females appeared to be driven solely by immigration of adult females with no detectable in situ recruitment, suggesting a hypothesis that the local population is being rescued by females produced elsewhere.El rango reproductivo y la abundancia del negrón especulado (Melanitta fusca deglandi) han disminuido en la zona noroeste de América del Norte. La hipótesis propuesta para explicar esta tendencia es que se ha producido una disminución en la supervivencia y/o el reclutamiento de hembras. Por consiguiente, utilizamos un enfoque de captura–recaptura con el tiempo invertido para estimar directamente la supervivencia, la jerarquía y las probabilidades de captura de las hembras en edad reproductora del lago Redberry, Saskatchewan, Canadá, durante los periodos 1975–1980 y 2000– 2003. También estimamos el tamaño poblacional de las hembras reproductoras durante los periodos 1975–1985 y 2000–2003, mediante el empleo de datos de captura–recaptura. En un principio, esta población local experimentó una importante disminución [95% CL ( ) = 0,89 ± 0,09], pero posteriormente se estabilizó, y es posible que poco a poco vaya aumentando [95% CL ( ) = 1,07 ± 0,11]. Por lo visto, la inversión de esta trayectoria se produjo como consecuencia de un mayor reclutamiento, en lugar de una mayor supervivencia aparente. Es importante destacar que el reclutamiento reciente de hembras adultas parece haber obedecido exclusivamente a la migración de hembras adultas sin un reclutamiento detectable in situ, lo que sugiere la hipótesis de que la población local está siendo rescatada por hembras procedentes de otros lugares

Direct imaging of short-range order and its impact on deformation in Ti-6Al.

Chemical short-range order (SRO) within a nominally single-phase solid solution is known to affect the mechanical properties of alloys. While SRO has been indirectly related to deformation, direct observation of the SRO domain structure, and its effects on deformation mechanisms at the nanoscale, has remained elusive. Here, we report the direct observation of SRO in relation to deformation using energy-filtered imaging in a transmission electron microscope (TEM). The diffraction contrast is enhanced by reducing the inelastically scattered electrons, revealing subnanometer SRO-enhanced domains. The destruction of these domains by dislocation planar slip is observed after ex situ and in situ TEM mechanical testing. These results confirm the impact of SRO in Ti-Al alloys on the scale of angstroms. The direct confirmation of SRO in relationship to dislocation plasticity in metals can provide insight into how the mechanical behavior of concentrated solid solutions by the material's thermal history

Genetic Study of White Matter Integrity in UK Biobank (N=8448) and the Overlap With Stroke, Depression, and Dementia.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Structural integrity of the white matter is a marker of cerebral small vessel disease, which is the major cause of vascular dementia and a quarter of all strokes. Genetic studies provide a way to obtain novel insights in the disease mechanism underlying cerebral small vessel disease. The aim was to identify common variants associated with microstructural integrity of the white matter and to elucidate the relationships of white matter structural integrity with stroke, major depressive disorder, and Alzheimer disease. METHODS: This genome-wide association analysis included 8448 individuals from UK Biobank-a population-based cohort study that recruited individuals from across the United Kingdom between 2006 and 2010, aged 40 to 69 years. Microstructural integrity was measured as fractional anisotropy- (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD)-derived parameters on diffusion tensor images. White matter hyperintensity volumes (WMHV) were assessed on T2-weighted fluid-attenuated inversion recovery images. RESULTS: We identified 1 novel locus at genome-wide significance (VCAN [versican]: rs13164785; P=3.7×10-18 for MD and rs67827860; P=1.3×10-14 for FA). LD score regression showed a significant genome-wide correlation between FA, MD, and WMHV (FA-WMHV rG 0.39 [SE, 0.15]; MD-WMHV rG 0.56 [SE, 0.19]). In polygenic risk score analysis, FA, MD, and WMHV were significantly associated with lacunar stroke, MD with major depressive disorder, and WMHV with Alzheimer disease. CONCLUSIONS: Genetic variants within the VCAN gene may play a role in the mechanisms underlying microstructural integrity of the white matter in the brain measured as FA and MD. Mechanisms underlying white matter alterations are shared with cerebrovascular disease, and inherited differences in white matter microstructure impact on Alzheimer disease and major depressive disorder

Estimates of Critical Power and Anaerobic Work Capacity from a Single, All-Out Test of Less than 3-Min

The purpose of this study was to determine if Critical Power (CP) and Anaerobic Work Capacity (AWC) could be estimated from a single, all-out test of less than 3-min. Twenty-eight subjects (mean ± SD: age 23.3 ± 3.3 years, body mass 71.6 ± 16 kg) performed an incremental cycle ergometer test to exhaustion to determine peak oxygen consumption rate and heart rate peak. The 3-min all-out test was used to determine the criterion and six estimated values of CP and AWC. The criterion critical power (CP180) and anaerobic work capacity (AWC180) values were determined from the 3-min all-out test and were expressed as 30-s averages (155-180-s). The six estimated CP and AWC values were calculated from 30-s averages at decreasing 10-s intervals from 145 to 170-s (CP170 and AWC170), 135 to 160-s (CP160 and AWC160), 125 to 150-s (CP150 and AWC150), 115 to 140-s (CP140 and AWC140), 105 to 130-s (CP130 and AWC130), and 95 to 120-s (CP120 and AWC120). Mean differences, total error, constant error, standard error of the estimate, and correlations were used to compare the criterion to the estimated CP and AWC values. The results of the present study indicated that 150-s was the shortest test duration that resulted in non-significant differences between the criterion (CP180 and AWC180) and estimated CP (CP150) and AWC (AWC150) values. The subsequent validation analyses showed that there were close agreements for the estimated CP150 and AWC150 versus the criterion (CP180 and AWC180) values. Therefore, the current findings indicated that estimates of CP and AWC were not affected by shortening the test by 30-s. Reducing the length of the test to 2.5 minutes provides a less strenuous, yet valid protocol for estimating CP and AWC

A recipe for postfledging survival in great tits Parus major: be large and be early (but not too much)

Survival of juveniles during the postfledging period can be markedly low, which may have major consequences on avian population dynamics. Knowing which factors operating during the nesting phase affect postfledging survival is crucial to understand avian breeding strategies. We aimed to obtain a robust set of predictors of postfledging local survival using the great tit (Parus major) as a model species. We used mark–recapture models to analyze the effect of hatching date, temperatures experienced during the nestling period, fledging size and body mass on first-year postfledging survival probability of great tit juveniles. We used data from 5192 nestlings of first clutches ringed between 1993 and 2010. Mean first-year postfledging survival probability was 15.2%, and it was lower for smaller individuals, as well as for those born in either very early or late broods. Our results stress the importance of choosing an optimum hatching period, and raising large chicks to increase first-year local survival probability in the studied population.Secretaría de Estado de Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación (Grant/Award Number: ‘CGL2013-48001-C2-1-P’)Peer reviewe

The effects of anatabine on non-invasive indicators of muscle damage: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study

Background: Anatabine (ANA), a minor tobacco alkaloid found in the Solanaceae family of plants, may exhibit anti-inflammatory activity, which may be useful to aid in recovery from exercise-induced muscle damage. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to examine the effects of ANA supplementation on the recovery of isometric strength and selected non-invasive indicators of muscle damage. Methods: A double-blinded, placebo-controlled, crossover design was used to study eighteen men (mean ± SD age = 22.2 ± 3.1 yrs; body mass = 80.3 ± 15.7 kg) who participated in two randomly-ordered conditions separated by a washout period. The ANA condition consisted of consuming 6–12 mg anatabine per day for 10 days, while testing took place during days 7–10. The placebo (PLA) condition was identical except that the PLA supplement contained no ANA. Maximal voluntary isometric peak torque (PT) of the forearm flexors, arm circumference, hanging joint angle, and subjective pain ratings were measured before (PRE), immediately after (POST), and 24, 48, and 72 h after six sets of 10 maximal, eccentric isokinetic forearm flexion muscle actions. Resting heart rate and blood pressure were measured at PRE and 72 h in each condition. Results: For PT, hanging joint angle, arm circumference, and subjective pain ratings, there were no condition x time (p \u3e 0.05) interactions, there were no main effects for condition (p \u3e 0.05), but there were main effects for time (p \u3c 0.001). There were no condition x time (p \u3e 0.05) interactions and no main effects for condition (p \u3e 0.05) or time (p \u3e 0.05) for blood pressure or resting heart rate. Conclusions: ANA supplementation had no effect on the recovery of muscle strength, hanging joint angle, arm swelling, or subjective pain ratings after a bout of maximal eccentric exercise in the forearm flexors. Therefore, ANA may not be beneficial for those seeking to improve recovery from heavy eccentric exercise. Future studies should examine the effects of ANA on the pro-inflammatory cytokine responses to exercise-induced muscle damage and the chronic low-grade inflammation observed in obese and elderly individuals

Quasiparticle interfacial level alignment of highly hybridized frontier levels: H2_2O on TiO2_2(110)

Knowledge of the frontier levels' alignment prior to photo-irradiation is necessary to achieve a complete quantitative description of H$_2$O photocatalysis on TiO$_2$(110). Although H$_2$O on rutile TiO$_2$(110) has been thoroughly studied both experimentally and theoretically, a quantitative value for the energy of the highest H$_2$O occupied levels is still lacking. For experiment, this is due to the H$_2$O levels being obscured by hybridization with TiO$_2$(110) levels in the difference spectra obtained via ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy (UPS). For theory, this is due to inherent difficulties in properly describing many-body effects at the H$_2$O-TiO$_2$(110) interface. Using the projected density of states (DOS) from state-of-the-art quasiparticle (QP) $G_0W_0$, we disentangle the adsorbate and surface contributions to the complex UPS spectra of H$_2$O on TiO$_2$(110). We perform this separation as a function of H$_2$O coverage and dissociation on stoichiometric and reduced surfaces. Due to hybridization with the TiO$_2$(110) surface, the H$_2$O 3a$_1$ and 1b$_1$ levels are broadened into several peaks between 5 and 1 eV below the TiO$_2$(110) valence band maximum (VBM). These peaks have both intermolecular and interfacial bonding and antibonding character. We find the highest occupied levels of H$_2$O adsorbed intact and dissociated on stoichiometric TiO$_2$(110) are 1.1 and 0.9 eV below the VBM. We also find a similar energy of 1.1 eV for the highest occupied levels of H$_2$O when adsorbed dissociatively on a bridging O vacancy of the reduced surface. In both cases, these energies are significantly higher (by 0.6 to 2.6 eV) than those estimated from UPS difference spectra, which are inconclusive in this energy region. Finally, we apply self-consistent QP$GW$ (scQP$GW$1) to obtain the ionization potential of the H$_2$O-TiO$_2$(110) interface.Comment: 12 pages, 12 figures, 1 tabl