Charring ablation performance in turbulent flow. Volume 2 - Computer program

FORTRAN 4 program for predicting charring ablation performance of Apollo heat shield in turbulent flo

Reconstructing the origin and trajectory of drifting Arctic sea ice

Recent studies have indicated that drifting Arctic sea ice plays an important role in the redistribution of sediments and contaminants. Here we present a method to reconstruct the backward trajectory of sea ice from its sampling location in the Eurasian Arctic to its possible site of origin on the shelf, based on historical drift data from the International Arctic Buoy Program. This method is verified by showing that origins derived from the backward trajectories are generally consistent with other indicators, such as comparison of the predicted backward trajectories with known buoy drifts and matching the clay mineralogy of sediments sampled from the sea ice with that of the seafloor in the predicted shelf source regions. The trajectories are then used to identify regions where sediment‐laden ice is exported to the Transpolar Drift Stream: from the New Siberian Islands and the Central Kara Plateau. Calculation of forward trajectories shows that the Kara Sea is a major contributor of ice to the Barents Sea and the southern limb of the Transpolar Drift Stream

The genomic psychiatry cohort: Partners in discovery

The Genomic Psychiatry Cohort (GPC) is a longitudinal resource designed to provide the necessary population-based sample for large-scale genomic studies, studies focusing on Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) and/or other alternate phenotype constructs, clinical and interventional studies, nested case-control studies, long-term disease course studies, and genomic variant-to-phenotype studies. We provide and will continue to encourage access to the GPC as an international resource. DNA and other biological samples and diagnostic data are available through the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Repository. After appropriate review and approval by an advisory board, investigators are able to collaborate in, propose, and co-lead studies involving cohort participants

Provenance, transport and composition of Dendê Coast beach sands in Bahia, central coast of Brazil

The great physiographic diversity of the Dendê Coast favors the production of different beach sediment types, including bioclastic components. In this study 74 beach samples collected at 2 km intervals were used to evaluate beach sediment composition. For each sample, 300 grains were identified for each grain size class coarser than 0.125 mm, using a binocular microscope. The beach sediments of the Dendê Coast are essentially siliciclastic (80-100%). Quartz is the major component (70-100%). Only at the Tinharé and Boipeba islands bioclasts are major components of beach sands reaching up to 80-100%. These sediments are made up essentially of fragments of Halimeda, reaching percentages up to 70%. Coralline algae and mollusks also contribute significantly to these sediments (up to 30%). The results obtained show that the spatial distribution of the bioclastic components provide important information on the environmental conditions present at the shoreline (energy levels, availability of hard substrates and protected areas, pattern of sediment dispersion) and on the sediment sources as well. The composition of the beach sediments on the Dendê Coast reflects the present day environmental conditions and show that these sediments do not experience significant lateral transport. This situation is favored by an impeded longshore transport that characterizes most of the region. Although, in general, the rivers that discharge on the Dendê Coast appear to transport few sediments to the coastal zone, the presence of heavy minerals, micas and feldspars suggests river contributions to the beach sediments. On the other hand, the coral and coralline algae reefs, besides offering a natural protection to the shoreline, also represent an important source of beach sands.A grande diversidade fisiográfica da Costa do Dendê favorece a deposição de diferentes tipos de sedimentos em suas praias, inclusive sedimentos ricos em carbonato de cálcio. Neste estudo 86 amostras de sedimento foram coletadas, em intervalos de 2 km, para avaliação da composição dos sedimentos praiais. Para cada amostra foram identificados 300 grãos por fração granulométrica maior que 0.125mm, usando uma lupa binocular. Os sedimentos das praias da Costa do Dendê são essencialmente siliciclásticos (80 -100%). O quartzo é o principal componente (70 -100%). Apenas nas ilhas de Tinharé e Boipeba, os bioclastos são os principais componentes alcançando teores entre 80 e 100%. Estes sedimentos são compostos essencialmente de fragmentos de Halimeda, com teores de até 70%. Algas coralinas e moluscos também contribuem significativamente para a composição das areias deste trecho (com teores acima de até 30%). Os resultados obtidos mostram que a análise da distribuição espacial dos componentes bioclásticos fornece informações importantes sobre as condições ambientais na linha de costa (níveis de energia, disponibilidade de substratos duros e suprimento de sedimento), assim como sobre as possíveis fontes de sedimento para a praia. A composição dos sedimentos das praias da Costa do Dendê reflete as condições ambientais atuais, e evidenciam que estes sedimentos não experimentam transporte lateral. Essa situação é favorecida pela situação de transporte litorâneo impedido que caracteriza a maior parte da região. Embora, os rios da região pareçam transportar poucos sedimentos para a zona costeira, a presença de minerais pesados, micas e feldspatos sugerem contribuições fluviais para os sedimentos das praias. Por outro lado, os recifes de coral e algas coralinas, além de oferecerem uma proteção natural para a linha de costa, também representam uma importante fonte de sedimentos para as praias

Contributions of common genetic variants to risk of schizophrenia among individuals of African and Latino ancestry.

Schizophrenia is a common, chronic and debilitating neuropsychiatric syndrome affecting tens of millions of individuals worldwide. While rare genetic variants play a role in the etiology of schizophrenia, most of the currently explained liability is within common variation, suggesting that variation predating the human diaspora out of Africa harbors a large fraction of the common variant attributable heritability. However, common variant association studies in schizophrenia have concentrated mainly on cohorts of European descent. We describe genome-wide association studies of 6152 cases and 3918 controls of admixed African ancestry, and of 1234 cases and 3090 controls of Latino ancestry, representing the largest such study in these populations to date. Combining results from the samples with African ancestry with summary statistics from the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC) study of schizophrenia yielded seven newly genome-wide significant loci, and we identified an additional eight loci by incorporating the results from samples with Latino ancestry. Leveraging population differences in patterns of linkage disequilibrium, we achieve improved fine-mapping resolution at 22 previously reported and 4 newly significant loci. Polygenic risk score profiling revealed improved prediction based on trans-ancestry meta-analysis results for admixed African (Nagelkerke's R = 0.032; liability R = 0.017; P < 10), Latino (Nagelkerke's R = 0.089; liability R = 0.021; P < 10), and European individuals (Nagelkerke's R = 0.089; liability R = 0.037; P < 10), further highlighting the advantages of incorporating data from diverse human populations.VoRSUNY DownstatePsychiatry and Behavioral SciencesInstitute for Genomics in HealthN/

Decadal variability in the Arctic Ocean shown in hydrochemical data

The recent distribution of Russian hydrochemical data collected from the Arctic Basin provides useful information on ocean interior variabilities. Among various chemical components, silicate is the most valuable for showing the boundary between the silicate-rich Pacific Water and the opposite Atlantic Water. Here, it is assumed that the silicate distribution receives minor influence from seasonal biological productivity and Siberian Rivers outflow. It shows a clear maximum around 100-m depth in the Canada Basin. The vertical gradient below 100 m provides information on the vertical motion of the upper boundary of the Atlantic Water at a decadal time scale: i.e., the boundary shifts upward (downward), as realized by the silicate reduction (increase) at a fixed depth, responding to a more intense (weaker) Polar Vortex or the positive (negative) phase of the Arctic Oscillation. This valuable hydrochemical data set has provided a tool for verifying Arctic Ocean models with decadal responses to atmospheric variabilities.An edited version of this paper was published by AGU. Copyright 2005, American Geophysical Union, Geophysical Research Letters, Issue 2