Autumn Foods of White-Tailed Deer in Arkansas

Rumen contents from 65 hunter-harvested deer were collected and analyzed during 1985-86 to estimate the principal autumn foods consumed by white-tailed deer inhabiting the Ozark Mountains, Arkansas River Valley, and Gulf Coastal Plain regions of Arkansas. Deer in the Ozarks and Coastal Plain fed heavily on woody browse species, which comprised 99% of rumina identified from these 2 regions. Acorns were the primary food of deer in these heavily forested areas. Acorns and other woody browse were less important to deer inhabiting the Arkansas River Valley. In this region of interspersed agricultural fields and bottomland forests, soybeans and corn comprised 75% of the diet, and acorns accounted for only 2%

Droplet activation, separation, and compositional analysis: laboratory studies and atmospheric measurements

Droplets produced in a cloud condensation nuclei chamber (CCNC) as a function of supersaturation have been separated from unactivated aerosol particles using counterflow virtual impaction. Residual material after droplets were evaporated was chemically analyzed with an Aerodyne Aerosol Mass Spectrometer (AMS) and the Particle Analysis by Laser Mass Spectrometry (PALMS) instrument. Experiments were initially conducted to verify activation conditions for monodisperse ammonium sulfate particles and to determine the resulting droplet size distribution as a function of supersaturation. Based on the observed droplet size, the counterflow virtual impactor cut-size was set to differentiate droplets from unactivated interstitial particles. Validation experiments were then performed to verify that only droplets with sufficient size passed through the counterflow virtual impactor for subsequent analysis. A two-component external mixture of monodisperse particles was also exposed to a supersaturation which would activate one of the types (hygroscopic salts) but not the other (polystyrene latex spheres or adipic acid). The mass spectrum observed after separation indicated only the former, validating separation of droplets from unactivated particles. Results from ambient measurements using this technique and AMS analysis were inconclusive, showing little chemical differentiation between ambient aerosol and activated droplet residuals, largely due to low signal levels. When employing as single particle mass spectrometer for compositional analysis, however, we observed enhancement of sulfate in droplet residuals

Droplet activation, separation, and compositional analysis: laboratory studies and atmospheric measurements [Discussion paper]

Droplets produced in a cloud condensation nucleus chamber as a function of supersaturation have been separated from unactivated aerosol particles using counterflow virtual impaction. Residual material after droplets were evaporated was chemically analyzed with an Aerodyne Aerosol Mass Spectrometer and the Particle Analysis by Laser Mass Spectrometry instrument. Experiments were initially conducted to verify activation conditions for monodisperse ammonium sulfate particles and to determine the resulting droplet size distribution as a function of supersaturation. Based on the observed droplet size, the counterflow virtual impactor cut-size was set to differentiate droplets from unactivated interstitial particles. Validation experiments were then performed to verify that only droplets with sufficient size passed through the counterflow virtual impactor for subsequent analysis. A two-component external mixture of monodisperse particles was also exposed to a supersaturation which would activate one of the types (ammonium sulfate) but not the other (polystyrene latex spheres). The mass spectrum observed after separation indicated only the former, validating separation of droplets from unactivated particles. Results from atmospheric measurements using this technique indicate that aerosol particles often activate predominantly as a function of particle size. Chemical composition is not irrelevant, however, and we observed enhancement of sulfate in droplet residuals using single particle analysis

On the Correlation of Torque and Luminosity in GX 1+4

Over five years of daily hard X-ray (>20 keV) monitoring of the 2-min accretion-powered pulsar GX 1+4 with the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory/BATSE large-area detectors has found nearly continuous rapid spin-down, interrupted by a bright 200-d spin-up episode. During spin-down, the torque becomes more negative as the luminosity increases (assuming that the 20-60 keV pulsed flux traces bolometric luminosity), the opposite of what is predicted by standard accretion torque theory. No changes in the shape of the 20-100 keV pulsed energy spectrum were detected, so that a very drastic change in the spectrum below 20 keV or the pulsed fraction would be required to make the 20-60 keV pulsed flux a poor luminosity tracer. These are the first observations which flatly contradict standard magnetic disk accretion theory, and they may have important implications for understanding the spin evolution of X-ray binaries, cataclysmic variables, and protostars. We briefly discuss the possibility that GX 1+4 may be accreting from a retrograde disk during spin-down, as previously suggested.Comment: 10 pages including 3 PS figures. To appear in ApJ Letter

Description of the Columbia Basin Wind Energy Study (CBWES)

The purpose of this Technical Report is to provide background information about the Columbia Basin Wind Energy Study (CBWES). This study, which was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Wind and Water Power Program, was conducted from 16 November 2010 through 21 March 2012 at a field site in northeastern Oregon. The primary goal of the study was to provide profiles of wind speed and wind direction over the depth of the boundary layer in an operating wind farm located in an area of complex terrain. Measurements from propeller and vane anemometers mounted on a 62 m tall tower, Doppler Sodar, and Radar Wind Profiler were combined into a single data product to provide the best estimate of the winds above the site during the first part of CBWES. An additional goal of the study was to provide measurements of Turbulence Kinetic Energy (TKE) near the surface. To address this specific goal, sonic anemometers were mounted at two heights on the 62 m tower on 23 April 2011. Prior to the deployment of the sonic anemometers on the tall tower, a single sonic anemometer was deployed on a short tower 3.1 m tall that was located just to the south of the radar wind profiler. Data from the radar wind profiler, as well as the wind profile data product are available from the Atmospheric Radiation Measurements (ARM) Data Archive (http://www.arm.gov/data/campaigns). Data from the sonic anemometers are available from the authors

Rapid Spin-Up Episodes in the Wind-Fed Accreting Pulsar GX 301-2

The accreting pulsar GX 301-2 (P = 680 s) has been observed continuously by the large-area detectors of the Burst and Transient Source Experiment (BATSE) instrument on the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory since 1991 April 5. Orbital parameters determined from these data are consistent with previous measurements, with improved accuracy in the current orbital epoch. The most striking features in the pulsar frequency history are two steady and rapid spin-up episodes, with ν˙~(3-5)×10^(-12) Hz s^(-1), each lasting for about 30 days. They probably represent the formation of transient accretion disks in this wind-fed pulsar. Except for these spin-up episodes, there are virtually no net changes in the neutron star spin frequency on long timescales. We suggest that the long-term spin-up trend observed since 1984 (ν˙~2×10^(-13) Hz s^(-1)) may be due entirely to brief (~20 days) spin-up episodes similar to those we have discovered. We assess different accretion models and their ability to explain the orbital phase dependence of the observed flux. In addition to the previously observed preperiastron peak at orbital phase 0.956 +/- 0.022, we also find a smaller peak close to apastron at orbital phase 0.498 +/- 0.057. We show that if the companion star's effective temperature is less than 22,000 K, then it must have a mass M_c < 70 M_⊙ and a radius R_c < 85 R_⊙ so as not to overfill the tidal lobe at periastron. In order not to overflow the Roche lobe at periastron, the corresponding values are M_c < 55 M_⊙ and R_c < 68 R_⊙. These constraints are nearly at odds with the reclassification by Kaper et al. of the companion as a B1 Ia + hypergiant

Implementation of the Fissile Mass Flow Monitor Source Verification and Confirmation

This report presents the verification procedure for neutron sources installed in U.S. Department of Energy equipment used to measure fissile material flow. The Fissile Mass Flow Monitor (FMFM) equipment determines the {sup 235}U fissile mass flow of UF{sub 6} gas streams by using {sup 252}Cf neutron sources for fission activation of the UF{sub 6} gas and by measuring the fission products in the flow. The {sup 252}Cf sources in each FMFM are typically replaced every 2 to 3 years due to their relatively short half-life ({approx} 2.65 years). During installation of the new FMFM sources, the source identity and neutronic characteristics provided by the manufacturer are verified with the following equipment: (1) a remote-control video television (RCTV) camera monitoring system is used to confirm the source identity, and (2) a neutron detection system (NDS) is used for source-strength confirmation. Use of the RCTV and NDS permits remote monitoring of the source replacement process and eliminates unnecessary radiation exposure. The RCTV, NDS, and the confirmation process are described in detail in this report

Brain arteriolosclerosis

Brain arteriolosclerosis (B-ASC), characterized by pathologic arteriolar wall thickening, is a common finding at autopsy in aged persons and is associated with cognitive impairment. Hypertension and diabetes are widely recognized as risk factors for B-ASC. Recent research indicates other and more complex risk factors and pathogenetic mechanisms. Here we describe aspects of the unique architecture of brain arterioles, histomorphologic features of B-ASC, relevant neuroimaging findings, epidemiology and association with aging, established genetic risk factors, and the co-occurrence of B-ASC with other neuropathologic conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease and limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy (LATE). There may also be complex physiologic interactions between metabolic syndrome (e.g. hypertension and inflammation) and brain arteriolar pathology. Although there is no universally applied diagnostic methodology, several classification schemes and neuroimaging techniques are used to diagnose and categorize cerebral small vessel disease pathologies that include B-ASC, microinfarcts, microbleeds, lacunar infarcts, and cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA). In clinical-pathologic studies that include consideration of comorbid diseases, B-ASC is independently associated with impairments in global cognition, episodic memory, working memory, and perceptual speed, and has been linked to autonomic dysfunction and motor symptoms including parkinsonism. We conclude by discussing critical knowledge gaps related to B-ASC and suggest that there are probably subcategories of B-ASC that differ in pathogenesis. Observed in over 80% of autopsied individuals beyond 80 years of age, B-ASC is a complex and under-studied contributor to neurologic disability