Is the critical Shields stress for incipient sediment motion dependent on channel-bed slope?

Data from laboratory flumes and natural streams show that the critical Shields stress for initial sediment motion increases with channel slope, which indicates that particles of the same size are more stable on steeper slopes. This observation is contrary to standard models that predict reduced stability with increasing slope due to the added downstream gravitational force. Processes that might explain this discrepancy are explored using a simple force-balance model, including increased drag from channel walls and bed morphology, variable friction angles, grain emergence, flow aeration, and changes to the local flow velocity and turbulent fluctuations. Surprisingly, increased drag due to changes in bed morphology does not appear to be the cause of the slope dependency because both the magnitude and trend of the critical Shields stress are similar for flume experiments and natural streams, and significant variations in bed morphology in flumes is unlikely. Instead, grain emergence and changes in local flow velocity and turbulent fluctuations seem to be responsible for the slope dependency due to the coincident increase in the ratio of bed-roughness scale to flow depth (i.e., relative roughness). A model for the local velocity within the grain-roughness layer is proposed based on a 1-D eddy viscosity with wake mixing. In addition, the magnitude of near-bed turbulent fluctuations is shown to depend on the depth-averaged flow velocity and the relative roughness. Extension of the model to mixed grain sizes indicates that the coarser fraction becomes increasingly difficult to transport on steeper slopes

Tagging Prosody and Discourse Structure in Elicited Spontaneous Speech

This paper motivates and describes the annotation and analysis of prosody and discourse structure for several large spoken language corpora. The annotation schema are of two types: tags for prosody and intonation, and tags for several aspects of discourse structure. The choice of the particular tagging schema in each domain is based in large part on the insights they provide in corpus-based studies of the relationship between discourse structure and the accenting of referring expressions in American English. We first describe these results and show that the same models account for the accenting of pronouns in an extended passage from one of the Speech Warehouse hotel-booking dialogues. We then turn to corpora described in Venditti [Ven00], which adapts the same models to Tokyo Japanese. Japanese is interesting to compare to English, because accent is lexically specified and so cannot mark discourse focus in the same way. Analyses of these corpora show that local pitch range expansion serves the analogous focusing function in Japanese. The paper concludes with a section describing several outstanding questions in the annotation of Japanese intonation which corpus studies can help to resolve.Work reported in this paper was supported in part by a grant from the Ohio State University Office of Research, to Mary E. Beckman and co-principal investigators on the OSU Speech Warehouse project, and by an Ohio State University Presidential Fellowship to Jennifer J. Venditti

Modeling Sediment Transport in Ice-Walled Subglacial Channels and Its Implications for Esker Formation and Proglacial Sediment Yields

Sediment yields from glacierized basins are used to quantify erosion rates on seasonal to decadal timescales as well as conditions at the glacier bed, and eskers hold valuable information about past subglacial hydraulic conditions in their spatial organization, geometry, and sedimentary structures. Ultimately, eskers are a record of past glacio‐fluvial sediment transport, but there is currently no physical model for this process. We develop a 1‐D model of morphodynamics in semicircular bedrock‐floored subglacial channels. We adapt a sediment conservation law developed for mixed alluvial‐bedrock conditions to subglacial channels. Channel evolution is a function of melt opening by viscous heat dissipation from flowing water and creep closure of the overlying ice, to which we add the closure or enlargement due to sediment deposition or removal, respectively. We apply the model to an idealized land‐terminating glacier and find that temporary sediment accumulation in the vicinity of the terminus, or the formation of an incipient esker, is inherent to the dynamics of the channelized water flow. The alluviation of the bed combined with the pressurized channel flow produces unexpected patterns of sediment evacuation: We show that the direction of hysteresis between sediment and water discharge is not necessarily linked to a supply‐ or transport‐limited system, as has been hypothesized for proglacial sediment yields. We also find that the deposition of an incipient esker is a function of a compromise between water discharge and sediment supply, but perhaps more importantly, ice‐surface slope and the temporal pattern of water delivery to the bed

Spatial properties of π−π\pi-\pi conjugated network in semicrystalline polymer thin films studied by intensity x-ray cross-correlation functions

We present results of x-ray study of spatial properties of $\pi-\pi$ conjugated networks in polymer thin films. We applied the x-ray cross-correlation analysis to x-ray scattering data from blends of poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) and gold nanoparticles. The Fourier spectra of the intensity cross-correlation functions for different films contain non-zero components of orders $n=2,4$ and $6$ measuring the degree of structural order in the system.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures, Proceedings ICXOM22 Conference, 2-6 September 2013, Hamburg, German

A case of persistent bacteraemia by Ralstonia mannitolilytica and Ralstonia pickettii in an intensive care unit

The Ralstonia spp. genus is a group of non-fermentative, Gram-negative bacteria often resistant to many antibiotics, which are emerging as opportunistic pathogens frequently associated with infections in hospital settings. We present herein a case of combined R. pickettii and R. mannitolilytica persisting and relapsing bacteraemia, possibly caused by a septic arterial thrombosis secondary to the rupture of an internal carotid artery aneurysm. Microbiology studies showed that both Ralstonia isolates produced biofilm and carried class D oxacillinase genes. When confronted with infections caused by members of the Ralstonia genus, identification to the species level is crucial for correct clinical management, as the two species show different antibiotic susceptibility patterns

The intrinsic topological information of the wild-type and of up-promoter mutations of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae alcohol dehydrogenase II regulatory region.

A 569-base pair fragment encompassing the upstream regulatory region, the RNA initiation sites, and the initial part of the coding region of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae alcohol dehydrogenase II gene has been analyzed for the presence of sites which undergo conformational modification under torsional stress. Fine mapping of P1 and S1 endonuclease-sensitive sites was obtained on single topoisomers produced by in vitro ligation. It was shown that the upstream activator sequence, the TATA sequence, a region directly upstream to the RNA initiation sites, and several positions in the first segment of the transcribed region change conformation as a function of the applied torsional stress in a precisely coordinate fashion. The superhelical density optima for this coordinate modifications have been determined. Analysis of the conformational changes of the promoter sequence in several naturally occurring (Young, E. T., Williamson, V. M., Taguchi, A., Smith, M., Sledziewski, L., Russel, D., Osterman, J., Denis, C., Cox, D., and Beier, D., (1982) in Genetic Engineering of Microorganisms for Chemicals (Hollander, A., De Moss, R. D., Kaplan, S., Konisky, J., Savage, D., and Wolle, R. S., eds) pp. 335-361, Plenum Publishing Corp., New York) up-promoter constitutive mutants was performed. This analysis has shown that the conformation of functionally relevant sites changes as a function of sequence mutations that have taken place elsewhere; this shows that the conformational behavior of the whole promoter region is linked and suggests transmission in cis of topological effects in RNA polymerase II promoters

Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura: current concepts in pathophysiology and management.

Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) is characterized by a low platelet count, which is the result of both increased pla- telet destruction and insufficient platelet production. Although the development of autoantibodies against platelet glycoproteins remains central in the pathophysiology of ITP, several abnormalities involving the cellular mechanisms of immune modu- lation have been identified. Conventional treatments for ITP aim at reducing platelet destruction, either by immunosuppression or splenectomy. Two new thrombopoietic agents,AMG 531 and eltrombopag, have been used in clinical trials to stimulate platelet production in ITP patients not responsive to standard treatments. These new molecules bear no structural resemblance to thrombopoietin, but still bind and activate the thrombopoietin receptor. This review will focus on the pathophysiology and treatment of ITP in adults, highlighting recent advances in both fields

The use of ash at Late Lower Paleolithic Qesem Cave, Israel—An integrated study of use-wear and residue analysis

Employing an integrated approach to investigate the use of Late Lower Paleolithic flint tools found at the site of Qesem Cave (Israel), we revealed a particular trace pattern related to the employment of ashes at the site. Using a designated collection of replica items and combining use-wear and residue (morphological analysis, FTIR, SEM-EDX) analyses, we revealed the intentional use of ashes in preserving foods for delayed consumption as well as hide for delayed processing. Our interpretation, we believe is the most plausible one since we were able to delineate the specific use-wear fingerprints of the intentional use of ashes for such purposes, suggesting that our approach might be useful for the recognition of other similar functional-behavioral patterns. Lastly, in support of previous findings at Qesem Cave, our current findings present evidence for the processing of organic matters intentionally mixed with ash, leading us to suggest that the inhabitants of Qesem Cave were proficient not only in the habitual use of fire but also of its main by-product, ash. Hence, we call for a reassessment of the timeline currently assigned to hominins’ utilization of ash for storing and processing vegetal foods and hide

Aortic aneurysm: a surgical point of view

Aortic aneurysms are of different types as different ones are the types of treatment available to us. Following the advent of endovascular surgery, perioperative mortality has been significantly reduced, but open surgery remains the first choice under some occurrences. The purpose of this chapter is to try to clarify the dichotomy between open and endovascular aortic aneurysms in the several types of aortic aneurysms, highlighting the indications and complications to guide to the best therapeutic choice