Effects of heat input rates on T-1 and T-1A steel welds

Technology of T-1 and T-1A steels is emphasized in investigation of their weld-fabrication. Welding heat input rate, production weldment circumstances, and standards of welding control are considered

UV chromospheric and circumstellar diagnostic features among F supergiant stars

A survey of F supergiant stars to evaluate the extension of chromospheric and circumstellar characteristics commonly observed in the slightly cooler G, K, and M supergiant is discussed. An ultraviolet survey was elected since UV features of Mg II and Fe II might persist in revealing outer atmosphere phenomena even among F supergiants. The encompassed spectral types F0 to G0, and luminosity classes Ib, Ia, and Ia-0. In addition, the usefulness of the emission line width-to-luminosity correlation for the G-M stars in both the Ca II and Mg II lines is examined

The Stanford equivalence principle program

The Stanford Equivalence Principle Program (Worden, Jr. 1983) is intended to test the uniqueness of free fall to the ultimate possible accuracy. The program is being conducted in two phases: first, a ground-based version of the experiment, which should have a sensitivity to differences in rate of fall of one part in 10(exp 12); followed by an orbital experiment with a sensitivity of one part in 10(exp 17) or better. The ground-based experiment, although a sensitive equivalence principle test in its own right, is being used for technology development for the orbital experiment. A secondary goal of the experiment is a search for exotic forces. The instrument is very well suited for this search, which would be conducted mostly with the ground-based apparatus. The short range predicted for these forces means that forces originating in the Earth would not be detectable in orbit. But detection of Yukawa-type exotic forces from a nearby large satellite (such as Space Station) is feasible, and gives a very sensitive and controllable test for little more effort than the orbiting equivalence principle test itself

Competing Interactions among Supramolecular Structures on Surfaces

A simple model was constructed to describe the polar ordering of non-centrosymmetric supramolecular aggregates formed by self assembling triblock rodcoil polymers. The aggregates are modeled as dipoles in a lattice with an Ising-like penalty associated with reversing the orientation of nearest neighbor dipoles. The choice of the potentials is based on experimental results and structural features of the supramolecular objects. For films of finite thickness, we find a periodic structure along an arbitrary direction perpendicular to the substrate normal, where the repeat unit is composed of two equal width domains with dipole up and dipole down configuration. When a short range interaction between the surface and the dipoles is included the balance between the up and down dipole domains is broken. Our results suggest that due to surface effects, films of finite thickness have a none zero macroscopic polarization, and that the polarization per unit volume appears to be a function of film thickness.Comment: 3 pages, 3 eps figure

The Mg 2 h and k lines in a sample of dMe and dM stars

Both Mg II h and k line fluxes are presented for a sample of 4 dMe and 3 dM stars obtained with the IUE satellite in the long wavelength, low dispersion mode. The observed fluxes are converted to stellar surface flux units and the importance of chromospheric non radiative heating in this sample of M dwarf stars is intercompared. In addition, the net chromospheric radiative losses due to the Ca II H and K lines in those stars in the sample for which calibrated Ca II H and K line data exist are compared. Active region filling factors which likely give rise to the observed optical and ultraviolet chromospheric emission are estimated. The implications of the results for homogeneous, single component stellar model chromospheres analyses are discussed

Hamiltonian analysis of subcritical stochastic epidemic dynamics

We extend a technique of approximation of the long-term behavior of a supercritical stochastic epidemic model, using the WKB approximation and a Hamiltonian phase space, to the subcritical case. The limiting behavior of the model and approximation are qualitatively different in the subcritical case, requiring a novel analysis of the limiting behavior of the Hamiltonian system away from its deterministic subsystem. This yields a novel, general technique of approximation of the quasistationary distribution of stochastic epidemic and birth-death models, and may lead to techniques for analysis of these models beyond the quasistationary distribution. For a classic SIS model, the approximation found for the quasistationary distribution is very similar to published approximations but not identical. For a birth-death process without depletion of susceptibles, the approximation is exact. Dynamics on the phase plane similar to those predicted by the Hamiltonian analysis are demonstrated in cross-sectional data from trachoma treatment trials in Ethiopia, in which declining prevalences are consistent with subcritical epidemic dynamics

Dynamical response of the "GGG" rotor to test the Equivalence Principle: theory, simulation and experiment. Part I: the normal modes

Recent theoretical work suggests that violation of the Equivalence Principle might be revealed in a measurement of the fractional differential acceleration $\eta$ between two test bodies -of different composition, falling in the gravitational field of a source mass- if the measurement is made to the level of $\eta\simeq 10^{-13}$ or better. This being within the reach of ground based experiments, gives them a new impetus. However, while slowly rotating torsion balances in ground laboratories are close to reaching this level, only an experiment performed in low orbit around the Earth is likely to provide a much better accuracy. We report on the progress made with the "Galileo Galilei on the Ground" (GGG) experiment, which aims to compete with torsion balances using an instrument design also capable of being converted into a much higher sensitivity space test. In the present and following paper (Part I and Part II), we demonstrate that the dynamical response of the GGG differential accelerometer set into supercritical rotation -in particular its normal modes (Part I) and rejection of common mode effects (Part II)- can be predicted by means of a simple but effective model that embodies all the relevant physics. Analytical solutions are obtained under special limits, which provide the theoretical understanding. A simulation environment is set up, obtaining quantitative agreement with the available experimental data on the frequencies of the normal modes, and on the whirling behavior. This is a needed and reliable tool for controlling and separating perturbative effects from the expected signal, as well as for planning the optimization of the apparatus.Comment: Accepted for publication by "Review of Scientific Instruments" on Jan 16, 2006. 16 2-column pages, 9 figure

Spatial heterogeneity in projected leprosy trends in India

Background: Leprosy is caused by infection with Mycobacterium leprae and is characterized by peripheral nerve damage and skin lesions. The disease is classified into paucibacillary (PB) and multibacillary (MB) leprosy. The 2012 London Declaration formulated the following targets for leprosy control: (1) global interruption of transmission or elimination by 2020, and (2) reduction of grade-2 disabilities in newly detected cases to below 1 per million population at a global level by 2020. Leprosy is treatable, but diagnosis, access to treatment and treatment adherence (all necessary to curtail transmission) represent major challenges. Globally, new case detection rates for leprosy have remained fairly stable in the past decade, with India responsible for more than half of cases reported annually. Methods: We analyzed publicly available data from the Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and fit linear mixed-effects regression models to leprosy case detection trends reported at the district level. We assessed correlation of the new district-level case detection rate for leprosy with several state-level regressors: TB incidence, BCG coverage, fraction of cases exhibiting grade 2 disability at diagnosis, fraction of cases in children, and fraction multibacillary. Results: Our analyses suggest an endemic disease in very slow decline, with substantial spatial heterogeneity at both district and state levels. Enhanced active case finding was associated with a higher case detection rate. Conclusions: Trend analysis of reported new detection rates from India does not support a thesis of rapid progress in leprosy control

Short-term leprosy forecasting from an expert opinion survey.

We conducted an expert survey of leprosy (Hansen's Disease) and neglected tropical disease experts in February 2016. Experts were asked to forecast the next year of reported cases for the world, for the top three countries, and for selected states and territories of India. A total of 103 respondents answered at least one forecasting question. We elicited lower and upper confidence bounds. Comparing these results to regression and exponential smoothing, we found no evidence that any forecasting method outperformed the others. We found evidence that experts who believed it was more likely to achieve global interruption of transmission goals and disability reduction goals had higher error scores for India and Indonesia, but lower for Brazil. Even for a disease whose epidemiology changes on a slow time scale, forecasting exercises such as we conducted are simple and practical. We believe they can be used on a routine basis in public health