2,894 research outputs found

    Drainage of the Teays-Stage Mount Vernon and Cambridge Rivers

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    Author Institution: U. S. Geological Survey, 85 Marconi Blvd., Columbus 15, Ohi

    Prevalence, intensity, and effect of a nematode (Philometra saltatrix) in the ovaries of bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix)

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    Examination of 203 adult bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix) from Long Island, New York, in 2002 and 2003 and 66 from the Outer Banks, North Carolina, in 2003 revealed the presence of dracunculoid nematodes (Philometra saltatrix) in the ovaries of female fish. Percent prevalence reached 88% in July and then decreased after the peak of the spawning season. Bluefish contained up to 100 parasites per fish. Infection was associated with a range of disorders, including hemorrhage, inf lammation, edema, prenecrotic and necrotic changes, and follicular atresia, that may prevent proper development of oocytes and probably affect bluefish fecundity. Historical occurrences, life cycle, and geographical distribution of this nematode remain largely unknown, but may play important roles in recruitment processes of bluefish

    Rigid unit modes in tetrahedral crystals

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    The 'rigid unit mode' (RUM) model requires unit blocks, in our case tetrahedra of SiO_4 groups, to be rigid within first order of the displacements of the O-ions. The wave-vectors of the lattice vibrations, which obey this rigidity, are determined analytically. Lattices with inversion symmetry yield generically surfaces of RUMs in reciprocal space, whereas lattices without this symmetry yield generically lines of RUMs. Only in exceptional cases as in beta-quartz a surface of RUMs appears, if inversion symmetry is lacking. The occurence of planes and bending surfaces, straight and bent lines is discussed. Explicit calculations are performed for five modifications of SiO_2 crystals.Comment: 18 pages, 6 figures, improved notatio

    Dynamics from diffraction

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    A model-independent approach for the extraction of detailed lattice dynamical information from neutron powder diffraction data is described. The technique is based on a statistical analysis of atomistic configurations generated using reverse Monte Carlo structural refinement. Phonon dispersion curves extracted in this way are shown to reproduce many of the important features found in those determined independently using neutron triple-axis spectroscopy. The extent to which diffraction data are sensitive to lattice dynamics is explored in a range of materials. The prospect that such detailed dynamical information might be accessible using comparatively facile experiments such as neutron powder diffraction is incredibly valuable when studying systems for which established spectroscopic methods are prohibitive or inappropriate

    When Can the Child Speak for Herself? The Limits of Parental Consent in Data Protection Law for Health Research.

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    Draft regulatory guidance suggests that if the processing of a child's personal data begins with the consent of a parent, then there is a need to find and defend an enduring consent through the child's growing capacity and on to their maturity. We consider the implications for health research of the UK Information Commissioner's Office's (ICO) suggestion that the relevant test for maturity is the Gillick test, originally developed in the context of medical treatment. Noting the significance of the welfare principle to this test, we examine the implications for the responsibilities of a parent to act as proxy for their child. We argue, contrary to draft ICO guidance, that a data controller might legitimately continue to rely upon parental consent as a legal basis for processing after a child is old enough to provide her own consent. Nevertheless, we conclude that data controllers should develop strategies to seek fresh consent from children as soon as practicable after the data controller has reason to believe they are mature enough to consent independently. Techniques for effective communication, recommended to address challenges associated with Big Data analytics, might have a role here in addressing the dynamic relationship between data subject and processing. Ultimately, we suggest that fair and lawful processing of a child's data will be dependent upon data controllers taking seriously the truism that consent is ongoing, rather than a one-time event: the core associated responsibility is to continue to communicate with a data subject regarding the processing of personal data

    Supercritical Gr\"uneisen parameter and its universality at the Frenkel line

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    We study thermo-mechanical properties of matter at extreme conditions deep in the supercritical state, at temperatures exceeding the critical one up to four orders of magnitude. We calculate the Gr\"{u}neisen parameter {\gamma} and find that it decreases with temperature from 3 to 1 on isochores depending on the density. Our results indicate that from the perspective of thermo-mechanical properties, the supercritical state is characterized by the wide range of {\gamma} which includes the solid-like values - an interesting finding in view of the common perception of the supercritical state as being an intermediate state between gases and liquids. We rationalize this result by considering the relative weights of oscillatory and diffusive components of the supercritical system below the Frenkel line. We also find that {\gamma} is nearly constant at the Frenkel line above the critical point and explain this universality in terms of pressure and temperature scaling of system properties along the lines where particle dynamics changes qualitatively

    The ferroelectric transition in YMnO3_3 from first principles

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    We have studied the structural phase transition of multiferroic YMnO3_3 from first principles. Using group-theoretical analysis and first-principles density functional calculations of the total energy and phonons, we perform a systematic study of the energy surface around the prototypic phase. We find a single instability at the zone-boundary which couples strongly to the polarization. This coupling is the mechanism that allows multiferroicity in this class of materials. Our results imply that YMnO3_3 is an improper ferroelectric. We suggest further experiments to clarify this point.Comment: published version, PRB (rapid comm), slight change in presentatio

    Failure mechanisms of graphene under tension

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    Recent experiments established pure graphene as the strongest material known to mankind, further invigorating the question of how graphene fails. Using density functional theory, we reveal the mechanisms of mechanical failure of pure graphene under a generic state of tension. One failure mechanism is a novel soft-mode phonon instability of the K1K_1-mode, whereby the graphene sheet undergoes a phase transition and is driven towards isolated benzene rings resulting in a reduction of strength. The other is the usual elastic instability corresponding to a maximum in the stress-strain curve. Our results indicate that finite wave vector soft modes can be the key factor in limiting the strength of monolayer materials

    Deglacial landform assemblage records fast ice-flow and retreat, Inner Hebrides, Scotland

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    High-resolution bathymetric data have been central to recent advances in the understanding of past dynamics of the former British–Irish Ice Sheet (BIIS). As approximately two-thirds of the former BIIS was probably marine-based during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) (c. 29–23 ka), geomorphic observations of the seabed are required increasingly to understand the extent, pattern and timing of past glaciation. Until recently, glacial reconstructions for the Inner Hebrides, offshore of western Scotland, have been based primarily on terrestrial observations. Previous workers have proposed generalized reconstructions in which the Inner Hebrides are located within a significant former ice-sheet flow pathway that drained the western Scottish sector of the BIIS, feeding the Barra Fan during the LGM and earlier glaciations (Fig. 1). Results from numerical ice-sheet modelling suggest that former ice-flow velocities within the region were on the order of hundreds to thousands of metres per year, but yield further insight by demonstrating how dynamic binge/purge cycles may have affected ice-sheet mass balance over time (Hubbard et al. 2009). Following the LGM, ice-sheet retreat through the area is estimated to have been in the order of 20 m per year (Clark et al. 2012). Here we present swath-bathymetric data from the Inner Hebrides that provide in situ constraints on ice-sheet flow and subsequent retreat dynamics from within this important sector of the BIIS
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