New solar metallicity measurements

In the past years, a systematic downward revision of the metallicity of the Sun has led to the "solar modeling problem", namely the disagreement between predictions of standard solar models and inferences from helioseismology. Recent solar wind measurements of the metallicity of the Sun, however, provide once more an indication of a high-metallicity Sun. Because of the effects of possible residual fractionation, the derived value of the metallicity $Z_{\odot} = 0.0196 \pm 0.0014$ actually represents a lower limit to the true metallicity of the Sun. However, when compared with helioseismological measurements, solar models computed using these new abundances fail to restore agreement, owing to the implausibly high abundance of refractory (Mg, Si, S, Fe) elements, which correlates with a higher core temperature and hence an overproduction of solar neutrinos. Moreover, the robustness of these measurements is challenged by possible first ionization potential fractionation processes. I will discuss these solar wind measurements, which leave the "solar modeling problem" unsolved.Comment: 6 pages, extended version of contribution to proceedings of the 51st Rencontres de Moriond, Cosmology Session, published as communication in Atom

The significance of 'relationship management' as a driver of retention of clients in third party logistics (3PL) : a case study in New Zealand : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Logistics and Supply Chain Management at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand

The principal objective of this research was to explore the trend and the role relationship management plays in keeping the Third Party Logistics (3PL) outsourcing businesses together. This research also aimed at highlighting the underlying factors in the business relationships among parties involved in Third Party Logistics (3PL) business, specifically in the New Zealand logistics industry. A literature review was conducted on a significant number of related articles to justify the research objective. This multi-case study has eight participant companies who were selected as representatives of the industry; a majority of them either market leaders or have a significant role in their business category. The eight case participants were classified into two groups: logistics service provider and logistics clients. Due to their unique operational and logistics activities, some participants fell in both categories. In-depth, face-to-face interviews were conducted using semi-structured questionnaires with open-ended questions to tap into the vast industry knowledge and logistics expertise of the participants. Given the infrastructure of the Australasian logistics outsourcing industry, the result of this multi-case study has supported the results, finding, and theories of the previous researchers and academics that relationship management is the key to retaining a loyal customer base and a successful business arrangement between 3PL service providers and their clients

The Dangerous Method, or "Can Procrastination Ever Be a Good thing?"

We tell it to our clients all the time: Don't keep putting that project off! You need to get started on it now! That essay you slap-dash together at the last minute, literally printing off your first (and final) draft as you're rushing to class on the morning the project is due, will, nine times out of ten, not make the grade in any sense of the word. We've all been there. Peter Elbow even has a word for this last-minute process - he calls it "The Dangerous Method": Rather than writing a rough draft, then revising, then editing - a process that can take days, weeks, months, or years, depending on the scope of your project - when writers write by the "dangerous method," we try to get our drafts right on the first try. We want our ideas to magically come together, free of problems with organization, development, spelling, or mechanics; thus, there is no need to move ideas around, to dive back into our research to find more support for our claims, or to do more with proofreading than running a spell-check.University Writing Cente

Effects of Blood Pressure and Intraocular Pressure on Ocular Arterial Blood Flow: Studies on in vitro Models

Placed in 1st Place in the category of Cell Biology and Physiology, Denman ForumGlaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness around the world. Diagnosis of this disease often occurs after the detection of noticeable symptoms, by which point irreversible damage has already been incurred. Glaucoma develops when stress factors induce retinal ganglion cell death, resulting in vision loss. In particular, prolonged reduction in blood flow into the eye may lead to ocular tissue malnutrition and hypoxia, eventually leading to cell death. The posterior ciliary arteries are the main blood supply to the optic nerve head, where glaucoma damages occur first. These arteries traverse the posterior peripapillary sclera to penetrate the eye. This study aims to investigate the effects that different combinations of intraocular pressure, blood pressure, and scleral stiffness have on blood flow of in vitro posterior ciliary artery models. To perform this study, a modeling system of the peripapillary sclera was developed. A number of different polymers (including agarose, polydimethylsiloxane, and industrial TC-5005 gels) were explored to model scleral tissues with various compressive moduli. Multiple models of industrial TC-5005 and agarose were made to mimic sclera of increasing stiffness. The polymers were molded and cured into wall-less vessels and placed into a perfusion chamber where pressure was separately applied to the outside (intraocular) and inside (blood) the vessel at different combinations. Five models of stiffness ranging from 30 – 415 kPa were fabricated for flow tests. The resulting change in fluid flow rate was recorded to determine the combinatory effects of the two pressures through these phantoms. It was found that across all combinations of pressures, the fluid flow would initially increase with stiffness, then upon reaching ~60 kPa achieve a maximum flow. For models much stiffer than 60 kPa, a significant decrease in fluid flow as much as 87% was observed. The initial increase in fluid flow from 30 to 60 kPa may be evidence of the protective effects of scleral stiffening predicted in previous research. This study represents a first step in understanding the potential impacts of the scleral compressive modulus on the fluid flow rate under biological effects by IOP and BP, supporting the hypothesis that sclera stiffness may play an important role in glaucomatous development.Research is partially supported by NIHRO1EY020929A one-year embargo was granted for this item.Academic Major: Biomedical Engineerin

Physical Match: Unique Fracture Patterns in Wooden Popsicle Sticks

Physical match (or physical fit) evidence was considered reliable in court for years, until the Daubert case, which required standardized scientific methodology on all forensic evidence. Physical matching faces the same criticism as other forms of physical evidence (specifically, that it lacks a scientific foundation). Physical matching is based on the idea that when an object is fractured, the shape of each fragment is unique and it is not possible to recreate a fragment that is identical to any other. In this study, fifty wooden popsicle sticks were broken in half, the pieces were mixed, and then reconstructed using physical match analysis. Results of the study show that each broken fragment of the one hundred popsicle stick pieces was unique, which allowed them to be recognized and reconstructed

Evaluating the Impact of Colonialism on Economic Development: A Counterfactual Analysis

Did colonization a ect the patterns of development of the colonized territories. I draw attention to the importance of counterfactuals and claim that assessments of the colonial impact are contingent on the counterfactual employed. Paying attention to counterfactuals enables us to design an empirical strategy to assess the impact of colonialism. Inferences based on non-experimental data may su er from various biases. Statistical models make di erent assumptionsto identify the models and correct for likely biases. Causal effects are sensitive to these assumptions. I apply different matching methods and check for robustness of results. In the sample considered, the analysis indicates that colonialism had a negative on the economic development of the colonized but the causal effect was miniscule in economic terms. --