Multivariable statistical regression models of the areal extent of hypoxia over the Texas-Louisiana continental shelf

Observations of the areal extent of seasonal hypoxia over the Texas-Louisiana continental shelf from 1985 to 2010 are correlated with a variety of physical and biogeochemical forcing mechanisms. Significant correlation is found between hypoxic area and both nitrogen load (r(2) = 0.24) and east-west wind speed (r(2) = 0.16). There is also a significant increasing trend in the areal extent of hypoxia in time; a linearly increasing trend over the entire record (r(2) = 0.17), a step increase in area for the years 1994 and beyond (r(2) = 0.21), and a step increase for 1993 and beyond (r(2) = 0.29) were all found to be significantly correlated with area. The year 1988, often included in other studies, was found to be a statistical outlier, in that the statistical regression properties are strongly modified when this year is included. The exclusion of any other year does not have as great an effect as excluding 1988 from the record. The year 1989 is also excluded, as this year had no full shelf survey, for a total of 24 years of data for the record. Multivariable regression models using all possible combinations of the forcing variables considered were calculated. The best performing models included east-west wind, either a linear trend in time or step in time (1994 and beyond), and either nitrogen load or river discharge combined with nitrogen concentration. The range of adjusted correlation coefficients ranged from r(2) = 0.47 to 0.67. The best model (east-west wind, a step increase in time 1994 and beyond, river discharge, and nitrogen concentration) has a standard error of 3008 km(2)

The Moment Guided Monte Carlo method for the Boltzmann equation

In this work we propose a generalization of the Moment Guided Monte Carlo method developed in [11]. This approach permits to reduce the variance of the particle methods through a matching with a set of suitable macroscopic moment equations. In order to guarantee that the moment equations provide the correct solutions, they are coupled to the kinetic equation through a non equilibrium term. Here, at the contrary to the previous work in which we considered the simplified BGK operator, we deal with the full Boltzmann operator. Moreover, we introduce an hybrid setting which permits to entirely remove the resolution of the kinetic equation in the limit of infinite number of collisions and to consider only the solution of the compressible Euler equation. This modification additionally reduce the statistical error with respect to our previous work and permits to perform simulations of non equilibrium gases using only a few number of particles. We show at the end of the paper several numerical tests which prove the efficiency and the low level of numerical noise of the method.Comment: arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:0908.026

Breast cancer metastases to the thyroid gland - An uncommon sentinel for diffuse metastatic disease: A case report and literature review.

Background Metastases to the thyroid are rare. The most common primary cancer to metastasize to the thyroid is renal cell carcinoma, followed by malignancies of the gastrointestinal tract, lungs, and skin, with breast cancer metastases to the thyroid being rare. Overall, the outcomes in malignancies that have metastasized to the thyroid are poor. There are no prospective studies addressing the role of surgery in metastatic disease of the thyroid. Isolated thyroidectomy has been proposed as a local disease control option to palliate and prevent the potential morbidity of tumor extension related to the airway. Here, we present a case of a patient with breast cancer metastases to the thyroid gland and discuss the role of thyroidectomy in the context of the current literature. Case presentation A 62-year-old Afro-Caribbean woman was diagnosed as having bilateral breast carcinoma in 2004, for which she underwent bilateral mastectomy. The pathology revealed multifocal disease on the right, T2N0(0/20)M0 grade 1 and 2 invasive ductal carcinoma, and on the left side, T3N1(2/18)M0 grade 1 invasive ductal carcinoma. Surgery was followed by adjuvant chemotherapy and regional radiotherapy. The disease was under control on hormonal therapy until 2016, when she developed cervical lymphadenopathy. The fine-needle aspiration cytology of the thyroid was reported as papillary thyroid cancer; and the fine-needle biopsy of the left lateral nodal disease was more suggestive of breast malignancy. She underwent a total thyroidectomy and a clearance of the central compartment lymph nodes and a biopsy of the lateral nodal disease. The histopathological analysis was consistent with metastatic breast cancer in the thyroid and lymph nodes with no evidence of a primary thyroid malignancy. Conclusions A past history of a malignancy elsewhere should raise the index of suspicion of metastatic disease in patients presenting with thyroid lumps with or without cervical lymphadenopathy. Detection of metastases to the thyroid generally indicates poor prognosis, obviating the need of surgery in an already compromised patient. An empirical thyroidectomy should be considered in select patients for local disease control

Field Quality Measurements in a Single-Aperture 11 T Nb3Sn Demonstrator Dipole for LHC Upgrades

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Effects of Antineutrino mass on β⁻-Decay Rates Calculated Within the Gross Theory of Beta Decay

We analyze the effect of the antineutrino mass over the β⁻-decay rates calculated within the scheme of the Gross Theory of Beta Decay (GTBD). We give a non-null value to the mass of the antineutrino participating in β⁻-decay, (A,Z) → (A,Z+1) + e⁻ + ͞νₑ, which is usually neglected because we know it is small compared with electron mass. We have slightly modified the GTDB by inserting the antineutrino mass in the formalism. We have adopted a Gaussian energy distribution function with the axial-vector weak coupling constant gA = 1, as well as a new set of the adjustable parameter σN related to the standard deviation for the Gamow-Teller resonance, updated experimental mass defects, and also an improved approximation for the Fermi function. Our sample consists of a set of 94 nuclei of interest in the pre-supernova phase, which have experimental data in terrestrial conditions available in the Letter of Nuclide. We have compared the calculation without the inclusion of the antineutrino mass with that adopting a really overestimated value of 50 keV for it to illustrate the effect on the decay rates. We have shown that they are improved only by approximately one per thousand in this case. We conclude that the effect of the antineutrino mass on decay rates is not relevant.Facultad de Ciencias ExactasInstituto de Física La Plat

Uncertainty quantification for kinetic models in socio-economic and life sciences

Kinetic equations play a major rule in modeling large systems of interacting particles. Recently the legacy of classical kinetic theory found novel applications in socio-economic and life sciences, where processes characterized by large groups of agents exhibit spontaneous emergence of social structures. Well-known examples are the formation of clusters in opinion dynamics, the appearance of inequalities in wealth distributions, flocking and milling behaviors in swarming models, synchronization phenomena in biological systems and lane formation in pedestrian traffic. The construction of kinetic models describing the above processes, however, has to face the difficulty of the lack of fundamental principles since physical forces are replaced by empirical social forces. These empirical forces are typically constructed with the aim to reproduce qualitatively the observed system behaviors, like the emergence of social structures, and are at best known in terms of statistical information of the modeling parameters. For this reason the presence of random inputs characterizing the parameters uncertainty should be considered as an essential feature in the modeling process. In this survey we introduce several examples of such kinetic models, that are mathematically described by nonlinear Vlasov and Fokker--Planck equations, and present different numerical approaches for uncertainty quantification which preserve the main features of the kinetic solution.Comment: To appear in "Uncertainty Quantification for Hyperbolic and Kinetic Equations

Global Invader Impact Network (GIIN): toward standardized evaluation of the ecological impacts of invasive plants

Terrestrial invasive plants are a global problem and are becoming ubiquitous components of most ecosystems. They are implicated in altering disturbance regimes, reducing biodiversity, and changing ecosystem function, sometimes in profound and irreversible ways. However, the ecological impacts of most invasive plants have not been studied experimentally, and most research to date focuses on few types of impacts, which can vary greatly among studies. Thus, our knowledge of existing ecological impacts ascribed to invasive plants is surprisingly limited in both breadth and depth. Our aim was to propose a standard methodology for quantifying baseline ecological impact that, in theory, is scalable to any terrestrial plant invader (e.g., annual grasses to trees) and any invaded system (e.g., grassland to forest). The Global Invader Impact Network (GIIN) is a coordinated distributed experiment composed of an observational and manipulative methodology. The protocol consists of a series of plots located in (1) an invaded area; (2) an adjacent removal treatment within the invaded area; and (3) a spatially separate uninvaded area thought to be similar to pre-invasion conditions of the invaded area. A standardized and inexpensive suite of community, soil, and ecosystem metrics are collected allowing broad comparisons among measurements, populations, and species. The method allows for one-time comparisons and for long-term monitoring enabling one to derive information about change due to invasion over time. Invader removal plots will also allow for quantification of legacy effects and their return rates, which will be monitored for several years. GIIN uses a nested hierarchical scale approach encompassing multiple sites, regions, and continents. Currently, GIIN has network members in six countries, with new members encouraged. To date, study species include representatives of annual and perennial grasses; annual and perennial forbs; shrubs; and trees. The goal of the GIIN framework is to create a standard yet flexible platform for understanding the ecological impacts of invasive plants, allowing both individual and synthetic analyses across a range of taxa and ecosystems. If broadly adopted, this standard approach will offer unique insight into the ecological impacts of invasive plants at local, regional, and global scales.Fil: Barney, Jacob N. Virginia Tech. Department of Plant Pathology, Physiology, and Weed Science; Estados UnidosFil: Tekiela, Daniel R. Virginia Tech. Department of Plant Pathology, Physiology, and Weed Science; Estados UnidosFil: Barrios Garcia Moar, Maria Noelia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. CENAC-APN; ArgentinaFil: Dimarco, Romina Daniela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas-Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Bariloche. Grupo de Ecología de Poblaciones de Insectos; ArgentinaFil: Hufbauer, Ruth A. Colorado State University. Department of Bioagricultural Sciences and Pest Management and Graduate Degree Program in Ecology; Estados UnidosFil: Leipzig-Scott, Peter. Colorado State University. Department of Bioagricultural Sciences and Pest Management and Graduate Degree Program in Ecology; Estados UnidosFil: Nuñez, Martin A. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas-Universidad del Comahue. INIBIOMA. Laboratorio de Ecotono; ArgentinaFil: Pauchard, Anibal. Universidad de Concepción. Facultad de Ciencias Forestales. Laboratorio de Invasiones Biolóogicas; Chile. Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity (IEB); ChileFil: Pysek, Petr. The Czech Academy of Sciences. Institute of Botany. Department of Invasion Ecology; República Checa. Charles University in Prague. Faculty of Science. Department of Ecology; República ChecaFil: Viıtkov, Michaela. The Czech Academy of Sciences. Institute of Botany. Department of Invasion Ecology; República ChecaFil: Maxwell, Bruce D. Montana State University. Department of Land Resources and Environmental Sciences; Estados Unido

Measurement of higher-order harmonic azimuthal anisotropy in PbPb collisions at √(s_NN) = 2.76 TeV

Measurements are presented by the CMS Collaboration at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) of the higher-order harmonic coefficients that describe the azimuthal anisotropy of charged particles emitted in √(s_NN)=2.76 TeV PbPb collisions. Expressed in terms of the Fourier components of the azimuthal distribution, the n=3–6 harmonic coefficients are presented for charged particles as a function of their transverse momentum (0.3<p_T<8.0GeV/c), collision centrality (0%–70%), and pseudorapidity (|η|<2.0). The data are analyzed using the event plane, multiparticle cumulant, and Lee-Yang zeros methods, which provide different sensitivities to initial-state fluctuations. Taken together with earlier LHC measurements of elliptic flow (n=2), the results on higher-order harmonic coefficients develop a more complete picture of the collective motion in high-energy heavy-ion collisions and shed light on the properties of the produced medium

A Search for Neutrinos from the Solar hep Reaction and the Diffuse Supernova Neutrino Background with the Sudbury Neutrino Observatory

A search has been made for neutrinos from the hep reaction in the Sun and from the diffus