Observed crustal uplift near the Southern Patagonian Icefield constrains improved viscoelastic Earth model

Thirty‒one GPS geodetic measurements of crustal uplift in southernmost South America determined extraordinarily high trend rates (> 35 mm/yr) in the north‒central part of the Southern Patagonian Icefield. These trends have a coherent pattern, motivating a refined viscoelastic glacial isostatic adjustment model to explain the observations. Two end‒member models provide good fits: both require a lithospheric thickness of 36.5 ± 5.3 km. However, one end‒member has a mantle viscosity near η =1.6 ×1018 Pa s and an ice collapse rate from the Little Ice Age (LIA) maximum comparable to a lowest recent estimate of 1995–2012 ice loss at about −11 Gt/yr. In contrast, the other end‒member has much larger viscosity: η = 8.0 ×1018 Pa s, half the post–LIA collapse rate, and a steadily rising loss rate in the twentieth century after AD 1943, reaching −25.9 Gt/yr during 1995–2012.Fil: Lange, H.. Technische Universitaet Dresden; AlemaniaFil: Casassa, G.. Centro de Estudios Cientificos; Chile. Universidad de Magallanes; ChileFil: Ivins, E. R.. Institute of Technology. Jet propulsion Laboratory; Estados UnidosFil: Schroeder, L.. Technische Universitaet Dresden; AlemaniaFil: Fritsche, M.. Technische Universitaet Dresden; AlemaniaFil: Richter, Andreas Jorg. Technische Universitaet Dresden; Alemania. Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísicas. Departamento de Astrometría; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Groh, A.. Technische Universitaet Dresden; AlemaniaFil: Dietrich, R.. Technische Universitaet Dresden; Alemani

Article Use in Research Papers by Master's Students in the School of Library and Information Science at UNC-Chapel Hill

The objective of this project is to understand the use of articles in the capstone papers (“master’s papers”) completed by Master’s of Library and Information Science students at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Specifically: Do articles play a major role, how current are the articles cited, and can a core group of periodicals be identified? A bibliographic analysis of MLIS capstone research papers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from 2005-2010 was conducted. The research shows that the MLIS student researchers used a median of nine different periodicals in their master’s papers and that 48% of all references were to periodicals. At least 39% of those article citations were from within the five years, with the exception of library science papers in 2009-10. Finally, 85% of all periodicals cited are used by only one author

Future Antarctic bed topography and its implications for ice sheet dynamics

The Antarctic bedrock is evolving as the solid Earth responds to the past and ongoing evolution of the ice sheet. A recently improved ice loading history suggests that the Antarctic Ice Sheet (AIS) has generally been losing its mass since the Last Glacial Maximum. In a sustained warming climate, the AIS is predicted to retreat at a greater pace, primarily via melting beneath the ice shelves. We employ the glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) capability of the Ice Sheet System Model (ISSM) to combine these past and future ice loadings and provide the new solid Earth computations for the AIS. We find that past loading is relatively less important than future loading for the evolution of the future bed topography. Our computations predict that the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) may uplift by a few meters and a few tens of meters at years AD 2100 and 2500, respectively, and that the East Antarctic Ice Sheet is likely to remain unchanged or subside minimally except around the Amery Ice Shelf. The Amundsen Sea Sector in particular is predicted to rise at the greatest rate; one hundred years of ice evolution in this region, for example, predicts that the coastline of Pine Island Bay will approach roughly 45 mm yr−1 in viscoelastic vertical motion. Of particular importance, we systematically demonstrate that the effect of a pervasive and large GIA uplift in the WAIS is generally associated with the flattening of reverse bed slope, reduction of local sea depth, and thus the extension of grounding line (GL) towards the continental shelf. Using the 3-D higher-order ice flow capability of ISSM, such a migration of GL is shown to inhibit the ice flow. This negative feedback between the ice sheet and the solid Earth may promote stability in marine portions of the ice sheet in the future

On the Measurement of the Lense-Thirring effect Using the Nodes of the LAGEOS Satellites in reply to "On the reliability of the so-far performed tests for measuring the Lense-Thirring effect with the LAGEOS satellites" by L. Iorio

In this paper, we provide a detailed description of our recent analysis and determination of the frame-dragging effect obtained using the nodes of the satellites LAGEOS and LAGEOS 2, in reply to the paper "On the reliability of the so-far performed tests for measuring the Lense-Thirring effect with the LAGEOS satellites" by L. IorioComment: Added: the precise references to the the ArXiv papers of L. Iorio: gr-qc/0411024 v9 19 Apr 2005 and gr-qc/0411084 v5 19 Apr 2005, explicitly containing his proposal to use the mean anomal

Observed crustal uplift near the Southern Patagonian Icefield constrains improved viscoelastic Earth model

Thirty‒one GPS geodetic measurements of crustal uplift in southernmost South America determined extraordinarily high trend rates (> 35 mm/yr) in the north‒central part of the Southern Patagonian Icefield. These trends have a coherent pattern, motivating a refined viscoelastic glacial isostatic adjustment model to explain the observations. Two end‒member models provide good fits: both require a lithospheric thickness of 36.5 ± 5.3 km. However, one end‒member has a mantle viscosity near η =1.6 ×1018 Pa s and an ice collapse rate from the Little Ice Age (LIA) maximum comparable to a lowest recent estimate of 1995–2012 ice loss at about −11 Gt/yr. In contrast, the other end‒member has much larger viscosity: η = 8.0 ×1018 Pa s, half the post–LIA collapse rate, and a steadily rising loss rate in the twentieth century after AD 1943, reaching −25.9 Gt/yr during 1995–2012.Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y Geofísica

Effect of Obesity on Acute Ozone-Induced Changes in Airway Function, Reactivity, and Inflammation in Adult Females

We previously observed greater ozone-induced lung function decrements in obese than non-obese women. Animal models suggest that obesity enhances ozone-induced airway reactivity and inflammation. In a controlled exposure study, we compared the acute effect of randomized 0.4ppm ozone and air exposures (2 h with intermittent light exercise) in obese (N = 20) (30<BMI<40Kg/m2) vs. non-obese (N = 20) (BMI<25Kg/m2) non-smoking 18–35 year old women. We measured spirometry and bronchial reactivity to inhaled methacholine (3h post-exposure). Inflammation and obesity markers were assessed in the blood (pre, 4h post, and 20h post exposures) and induced-sputum (4h post-exposures and on 24h pre-exposure training day, no exercise): measures of C reactive protein (CRP) (blood only), leptin (blood only), adiponectin, interleukins IL-6, IL-1b, and IL-8, and tumor necrosis factor alpha, and sputum cell differential cell counts. The pre- to post-exposure decrease in forced vital capacity after ozone (adjusted for the change after air exposure) was significantly greater in the obese group (12.5+/-7.5 vs. 8.0+/-5.8%, p<0.05). Post ozone exposure, 6 obese and 6 non-obese subjects responded to methacholine at ≤ 10mg/ml (the maximum dose); the degree of hyperresponsiveness was similar for the two groups. Both BMI groups showed similar and significant ozone-induced increases in sputum neutrophils. Plasma IL-6 was increased by exercise (4 hr post air exposure vs. pre) only in the obese but returned to pre-air exposure levels at 20hr post-exposure. Plasma IL-6 was significantly increased at 4hr post ozone exposure in both groups and returned to pre-exposure levels by 20h post-exposure. These results confirm our previous findings of greater post-ozone spirometric decrements in obese young women. However, acute ozone-induced airway reactivity to methacholine and airway inflammation did not differ by obesity at the exposure and exercise levels used

Observation-Driven Estimation of the Spatial Variability of 20th Century Sea Level Rise

Over the past two decades, sea level measurements made by satellites have given clear indications of both global and regional sea level rise. Numerous studies have sought to leverage the modern satellite record and available historic sea level data provided by tide gauges to estimate past sea level rise, leading to several estimates for the 20th century trend in global mean sea level in the range between 1 and 2 mm/yr. On regional scales, few attempts have been made to estimate trends over the same time period. This is due largely to the inhomogeneity and quality of the tide gauge network through the 20th century, which render commonly used reconstruction techniques inadequate. Here, a new approach is adopted, integrating data from a select set of tide gauges with prior estimates of spatial structure based on historical sea level forcing information from the major contributing processes over the past century. The resulting map of 20th century regional sea level rise is optimized to agree with the tide gauge-measured trends, and provides an indication of the likely contributions of different sources to regional patterns. Of equal importance, this study demonstrates the sensitivities of this regional trend map to current knowledge and uncertainty of the contributing processes

An attenuated strain of Bacillus anthracis (CDC 684) has a large chromosomal inversion and altered growth kinetics

BackgroundAn isolate originally labeled Bacillus megaterium CDC 684 was found to contain both pXO1 and pXO2, was non-hemolytic, sensitive to gamma-phage, and produced both the protective antigen and the poly-D-glutamic acid capsule. These phenotypes prompted Ezzell et al., (J. Clin. Microbiol. 28:223) to reclassify this isolate to Bacillus anthracis in 1990.ResultsWe demonstrate that despite these B. anthracis features, the isolate is severely attenuated in a guinea pig model. This prompted whole genome sequencing and closure. The comparative analysis of CDC 684 to other sequenced B. anthracis isolates and further analysis reveals: a) CDC 684 is a close relative of a virulent strain, Vollum A0488; b) CDC 684 defines a new B. anthracis lineage (at least 51 SNPs) that includes 15 other isolates; c) the genome of CDC 684 contains a large chromosomal inversion that spans 3.3 Mbp; d) this inversion has caused a displacement of the usual spatial orientation of the origin of replication (ori) to the termination of replication (ter) from 180&deg; in wild-type B. anthracis to 120&deg; in CDC 684 and e) this isolate also has altered growth kinetics in liquid media.ConclusionsWe propose two alternative hypotheses explaining the attenuated phenotype of this isolate. Hypothesis 1 suggests that the skewed ori/ter relationship in CDC 684 has altered its DNA replication and/or transcriptome processes resulting in altered growth kinetics and virulence capacity. Hypothesis 2 suggests that one or more of the single nucleotide polymorphisms in CDC 684 has altered the expression of a regulatory element or other genes necessary for virulence

Argonne National Laboratory Report ANL-76-9

Progress report describing the research and management efforts of Argonne National Laboratory's program on high-performance lithium/metal sulfide batteries during the period July-December 1975. The batteries are being developed for two applications: off-peak energy storage in electric utility networks and electric-vehicle propulsion. The battery designs for the two applications differ, particularly in cell configuration and electrode design because of the differing performance requirements