US Army in the Iraq War Volume 2 Surge and Withdrawal

https://press.armywarcollege.edu/monographs/1932/thumbnail.jp

The critical power concept and bench press: Modeling 1RM and repetitions to failure

International Journal of Exercise Science 7(2) : 152-160, 2014. Introduction: We demonstrate application of the 3-parameter critical power (CP) model derived for cycling and running, to performance at bench press exercise. We apply the model to both performance of a single repetition maximum (1RM) and multiple repetitions (reps) to failure at different sub-maximal weights. Methods: Sixteen weight-trained young adult male participants each performed a modified YMCA 1RM test and four sets of fixed cadence reps to failure at different sub-maximal weights. The CP model equation takes the form: n = ALC/(m – CL) + ALC/(CL – Lmax,), where n is the number of reps to failure and m is the sub-maximal weight lifted (kg). ALC is the anaerobic lift capacity (kg), CL is the critical lift (the maximal continuous aerobic ability at bench pressing, kg), and Lmax is the maximal ‘instantaneous’ lift (kg). Results: The 3-parameter critical power model fits recorded reps to failure very well in almost all subjects (0.9556 \u3c R2 \u3c 0.9999), and provides estimates of the three model parameters for each individual. CL was not significantly different from zero, suggesting that the aerobic energy contribution to short duration bench press sessions is negligible. When used to estimate 1RM for each subject, the CP model produces estimates significantly greater (p \u3c 0.05) than those obtained using the YMCA procedure. Conclusion: The CP concept can be used to accurately model bench press reps to failure at different submaximal weights in a homogeneous group of individuals. Prediction of 1RM is possible, but caution should be exercised in interpreting and using the prediction

The U.S. Army in the Iraq War – Volume 1: Invasion – Insurgency – Civil War, 2003-2006

The Iraq War has been the costliest U.S. conflict since the Vietnam War. To date, few official studies have been conducted to review what happened, why it happened, and what lessons should be drawn. The U.S. Army in the Iraq War is the Army\u27s initial operational level analysis of this conflict, written in narrative format, with assessments and lessons embedded throughout the work. This study reviews the conflict from a Landpower perspective and includes the contributions of coalition allies, the U.S. Marine Corps, and special operations forces. Presented principally from the point of view of the commanders in Baghdad, the narrative examines the interaction of the operational and strategic levels, as well as the creation of theater level strategy and its implementation at the tactical level. Volume 1 begins in the truce tent at Safwan Airfield in southern Iraq at the end of Operation DESERT STORM and briefly examines actions by U.S. and Iraqi forces during the interwar years. The narrative continues by examining the road to war, the initially successful invasion, and the rise of Iraqi insurgent groups before exploring the country\u27s slide toward civil war. This volume concludes with a review of the decision by the George W. Bush administration to “surge” additional forces to Iraq, placing the conduct of the “surge” and its aftermath in the second volume. This study was constructed over a span of 4 years and relied on nearly 30,000 pages of handpicked declassified documents, hundreds of hours of original interviews, and thousands of hours of previously unavailable interviews. Original interviews conducted by the team included President George W. Bush, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Secretaries of Defense Leon Panetta and Robert Gates, Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and every theater commander for the war, among many others. With its release, this publication, The U.S. Army in the Iraq War, represents the U.S. Government\u27s longest and most detailed study of the Iraq conflict thus far.https://digitalcommons.usmalibrary.org/books/1018/thumbnail.jp

The U.S. Army in the Iraq War – Volume 2: Surge and Withdrawal, 2007-2011

The Iraq War has been the costliest U.S. conflict since the Vietnam War. To date, few official studies have been conducted to review what happened, why it happened, and what lessons should be drawn. The U.S. Army in the Iraq War is the Army\u27s initial operational level analysis of this conflict, written in narrative format, with assessments and lessons embedded throughout the work. This study reviews the conflict from a Landpower perspective and includes the contributions of coalition allies, the U.S. Marine Corps, and special operations forces. Presented principally from the point of view of the commanders in Baghdad, the narrative examines the interaction of the operational and strategic levels, as well as the creation of theater level strategy and its implementation at the tactical level. Volume 1 begins in the truce tent at Safwan Airfield in southern Iraq at the end of Operation DESERT STORM and briefly examines actions by U.S. and Iraqi forces during the interwar years. The narrative continues by examining the road to war, the initially successful invasion, and the rise of Iraqi insurgent groups before exploring the country\u27s slide toward civil war. This volume concludes with a review of the decision by the George W. Bush administration to “surge” additional forces to Iraq, and reviews the conduct of the “surge” and its aftermath. This study was constructed over a span of 4 years and relied on nearly 30,000 pages of handpicked declassified documents, hundreds of hours of original interviews, and thousands of hours of previously unavailable interviews. Original interviews conducted by the team included President George W. Bush, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Secretaries of Defense Leon Panetta and Robert Gates, Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and every theater commander for the war, among many others. With its release, this publication, The U.S. Army in the Iraq War, represents the U.S. Government\u27s longest and most detailed study of the Iraq conflict thus far.https://digitalcommons.usmalibrary.org/books/1019/thumbnail.jp

K2p3.1 protein is expressed as a transmural gradient across the rat left ventricular free wall

Introduction: K 2p 3.1, also known as TASK-1, is a twin-pore acid-sensitive repolarizing K + channel, responsible for a background potassium current that significantly contributes to setting the resting membrane potential of cardiac myocytes. Inhibition of I K2p3.1 alters cardiac repolarization and is proarrhythmogenic. In this study, we have examined the expression of K 2p 3.1 and function of this channel in tissue and myocytes from across the left ventricular free wall. Methods and Results: Using fluorescence immunocytochemistry, the expression of K 2p 3.1 protein in myocytes from the subendocardial region was found to be twice (205% ± 13.5%) that found in myocytes from the subepicardial region of the left ventricle (100% ± 5.3%). The left ventricular free wall exhibited a marked transmural gradient of K 2p 3.1 protein expression. Western blot analysis confirmed significantly higher K 2p 3.1 protein expression in subendocardial tissue (156% ± 2.5%) than subepicardial tissue (100% ± 5.0%). However, there was no difference in K 2p 3.1 messenger RNA expression. Whole-cell patch clamp identified I K2p3.1 current density to be significantly greater in myocytes isolated from the subendocardium (7.66 ± 0.53 pA/pF) compared with those from the subepicardium (3.47 ± 0.74 pA/pF). Conclusions: This is the first study to identify a transmural gradient of K 2p 3.1 in the left ventricle. This gradient has implications for understanding ventricular arrhythmogenesis under conditions of ischemia but also in response to other modulatory factors, such as adrenergic stimulation and the presence of anesthetics that inhibits or activates this channel

Endothelin-B Receptor Activation in Astrocytes Regulates the Rate of Oligodendrocyte Regeneration during Remyelination.

Reactive astrogliosis is an essential and ubiquitous response to CNS injury, but in some cases, aberrant activation of astrocytes and their release of inhibitory signaling molecules can impair endogenous neural repair processes. Our lab previously identified a secreted intercellular signaling molecule, called endothelin-1 (ET-1), which is expressed at high levels by reactive astrocytes in multiple sclerosis (MS) lesions and limits repair by delaying oligodendrocyte progenitor cell (OPC) maturation. However, as ET receptors are widely expressed on neural cells, the cell- and receptor-specific mechanisms of OPC inhibition by ET-1 action remain undefined. Using pharmacological approaches and cell-specific endothelin receptor (EDNR) ablation, we show that ET-1 acts selectively through EDNRB on astrocytes-and not OPCs-to indirectly inhibit remyelination. These results demonstrate that targeting specific pathways in reactive astrocytes represents a promising therapeutic target in diseases with extensive reactive astrogliosis, including MS

Orbital Orientations of Exoplanets: HAT-P-4b is Prograde and HAT-14b is Retrograde

We present observations of the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect for two exoplanetary systems, revealing the orientations of their orbits relative to the rotation axes of their parent stars. HAT-P-4b is prograde, with a sky-projected spin-orbit angle of λ = –4.9 ± 11.9 deg. In contrast, HAT-P-14b is retrograde, with λ = 189.1 ± 5.1 deg. These results conform with a previously noted pattern among the stellar hosts of close-in giant planets: hotter stars have a wide range of obliquities and cooler stars have low obliquities. This, in turn, suggests that three-body dynamics and tidal dissipation are responsible for the short-period orbits of many exoplanets. In addition, our data revealed a third body in the HAT-P-4 system, which could be a second planet or a companion star

International Space Station Active Thermal Control Sub-System On-Orbit Pump Performance and Reliability Using Liquid Ammonia as a Coolant

The International Space Station (ISS) contains two Active Thermal Control Sub-systems (ATCS) that function by using a liquid ammonia cooling system collecting waste heat and rejecting it using radiators. These subsystems consist of a number of heat exchangers, cold plates, radiators, the Pump and Flow Control Subassembly (PFCS), and the Pump Module (PM), all of which are Orbital Replaceable Units (ORU's). The PFCS provides the motive force to circulate the ammonia coolant in the Photovoltaic Thermal Control Subsystem (PVTCS) and has been in operation since December, 2000. The Pump Module (PM) circulates liquid ammonia coolant within the External Active Thermal Control Subsystem (EATCS) cooling the ISS internal coolant (water) loops collecting waste heat and rejecting it through the ISS radiators. These PM loops have been in operation since December, 2006. This paper will discuss the original reliability analysis approach of the PFCS and Pump Module, comparing them against the current operational performance data for the ISS External Thermal Control Loops

Orbital Orientations of Exoplanets: HAT-P-4b is Prograde and HAT-P-14b is Retrograde

We present observations of the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect for two exoplanetary systems, revealing the orientations of their orbits relative to the rotation axes of their parent stars. HAT-P-4b is prograde, with a sky-projected spin-orbit angle of lambda = -4.9 +/- 11.9 degrees. In contrast, HAT-P-14b is retrograde, with lambda = 189.1 +/- 5.1 degrees. These results conform with a previously noted pattern among the stellar hosts of close-in giant planets: hotter stars have a wide range of obliquities and cooler stars have low obliquities. This, in turn, suggests that three-body dynamics and tidal dissipation are responsible for the short-period orbits of many exoplanets. In addition, our data revealed a third body in the HAT-P-4 system, which could be a second planet or a companion star.Comment: AJ, in press [8 pages

The Evolution of Ga and as Core Levels in the Formation of Fe/GaAs (001): A High Resolution Soft X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopic Study

A high resolution soft x-ray photoelectron spectroscopic study of Ga and as 3d core levels has been conducted for Fe/GaAs (001) as a function of Fe thickness. This work has provided unambiguous evidence of substrate disrupting chemical reactions induced by the Fe overlayer—a quantitative analysis of the acquired spectra indicates significantly differing behavior of Ga and as during Fe growth, and our observations have been compared with existing theoretical models. Our results demonstrate that the outdiffusing Ga and as remain largely confined to the interface region, forming a thin intermixed layer. Whereas at low coverages Fe has little influence on the underlying GaAs substrate, the onset of substrate disruption when the Fe thickness reaches 3.5 Å results in major changes in the energy distribution curves (EDCs) of both as and Ga 3d cores. Our quantitative analysis suggests the presence of two additional as environments of metallic character: one bound to the interfacial region and another which, as confirmed by in situ oxidation experiments, surface segregates and persists over a wide range of overlayer thickness. Analysis of the corresponding Ga 3d EDCs found not two, but three additional environments—also metallic in nature. Two of the three are interface resident whereas the third undergoes outdiffusion at low Fe coverages. Based on the variations of the integrated intensities of each component, we present a schematic of the proposed chemical makeup of the Fe/GaAs (001) system