Common‐refinement‐based data transfer between non‐matching meshes in multiphysics simulations

In multiphysics simulations using a partitioned approach, each physics component solves on its own mesh, and the interfaces between these meshes are in general non‐matching. Simulation data (e.g. jump conditions) must be exchanged across the interface meshes between physics components. It is highly desirable for such data transfers to be both numerically accurate and physically conservative. This paper presents accurate, conservative, and efficient data transfer algorithms utilizing a common refinement of two non‐matching surface meshes. Our methods minimize errors in a certain norm while achieving strict conservation. Some traditional methods for data transfer and related problems are also reviewed and compared with our methods. Numerical results demonstrate significant advantages of common‐refinement based methods, especially for repeated transfers. While the comparisons are performed with matching geometries, this paper also addresses additional complexities associated with non‐matching surface meshes and presents some experimental results from 3‐D simulations using our methods. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Controlled fabrication and electrical properties of long quasi-one-dimensional superconducting nanowire arrays

We report a general method for reliably fabricating quasi-one-dimensional superconducting nanowire arrays, with good control over nanowire cross section and length, and with full compatibility with device processing methods. We investigate Nb nanowires with individual nanowire cross sectional areas that range from bulklike to 10 x 11 nm, and with lengths from 1 to 100 microm. Nanowire size effects are systematically studied. In particular, a comprehensive investigation of influence of nanowire length on superconductivity is reported for the first time. All results are interpreted within the context of phase-slip models.     

Circuit fabrication at 17 nm half-pitch by nanoimprint lithography

High density metal cross bars at 17 nm half-pitch were fabricated by nanoimprint lithography. Utilizing the superlattice nanowire pattern transfer technique, a 300-layer GaAs/AlGaAs superlattice was employed to produce an array of 150 Si nanowires (15 nm wide at 34 nm pitch) as an imprinting mold. A successful reproduction of the Si nanowire pattern was demonstrated. Furthermore, a cross-bar platinum nanowire array with a cell density of approximately 100 Gbit/cm(2) was fabricated by two consecutive imprinting processes.     

Pathological studies of wobbly possum disease in New Zealand brushtail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula)

Following an outbreak of wobbly possum disease in a colony of brush tail possums (Trichosurus vulpecula), the disease was established experimentally in captive possums by inoculating the animals intraperitoneally with tissue homogenates. Crude tissue homogenates of liver remained infectious after freezing at -75 degrees C or filtration through a 0.22 micron filter. The disease was characterised by docility, incoordination, loss of balance and wasting. Fifteen of 16 infected animals had to be euthanased owing to the severity of clinical signs. Cachexia was the only change observed postmortem. Histology revealed widespread perivascular infiltrations with plasma cells and lymphocytes which were severe in the liver and kidney and moderate to mild in a variety of other tissues, including skeletal and cardiac muscle. Changes in the brain consisted of a mild to moderate mononuclear perivascular cuffing. Most of the animals had small to large numbers of circulating nucleated red blood cells and eosinopenia when they were euthanased. There was a consistent decrease in serum albumin concentration and an increase in serum globulins, which resulted in a decreased albumin:globulin ratio. Virus-like particles were observed in preparations of liver from two animals; they appeared to be spherical or icosahedral and were 45 nm in diameter.     

Personal and family backgrounds of first-year veterinary science students at the University of Queensland

OBJECTIVE: To provide information on changes in the social and educational backgrounds of veterinary students over a 10 year period in an effort to determine the extent to which they are representative of the community. METHODS: Questionnaires were completed by first-year veterinary students at The University of Queensland in 1985 and 1986 (152 students), and 1995 and 1996 (154), and the data were analysed using the SAS System for Windows. RESULTS: The gender ratio of first-year veterinary students was 50:50 (male:female) in 1985 and 1986 but 10 years later it had changed to 38:62. In 1985 and 1986 77% had come directly from school, with 43% of the total coming from government schools, 17% from Catholic schools and 34% from other private (independent) schools. A decade later the percentage coming directly from school had decreased to 40%, that from Independent schools increased to 45% and that from cities increased from 53% to 64%. The educational backgrounds of parents varied widely though a high percentage had university degrees; mothers had received less formal education than fathers, and the educational attainments of both parents were higher at the beginning than at the end of the study. More than half (57% initially; 67% 10 years later) the fathers were in professional or managerial occupations, and a similar number (50% initially; 48% 10 years later) of mothers were teachers, nurses or clerks. The number of males from country areas decreased from 26 to 16 over this period. CONCLUSION: These veterinary students differed from the community generally in that progressively more were female, more were from Independent schools, their parents had more formal education and more of their parents were in professional, managerial or clerical occupations.     

Genetic and environmental contributions to alcohol dependence risk in a national twin sample: consistency of findings in women and men

BACKGROUND: Genetic influences on alcoholism risk are well-documented in men, but uncertain in women. We tested for gender differences in genetic influences on, and risk-factors for, DSM-III-R alcohol dependence (AD). METHOD: Diagnostic follow-up interviews were conducted in 1992-3 by telephone with twins from an Australian twin panel first surveyed in 1980-82 (N = 5889 respondents). Data were analysed using logistic regression models. RESULTS: Significantly higher twin pair concordances were observed in MZ compared to DZ same-sex twin pairs in women and men, even when data were weighted to adjust for over-representation of well-educated respondents, and for selective attrition. AD risk was increased in younger birth cohorts, in Catholic males or women reporting no religious affiliation, in those reporting a history of conduct disorder or major depression and in those with high Neuroticism, Social Non-conformity, Toughmindedness, Novelty-Seeking or (in women only) Extraversion scores; and decreased in 'Other Protestants', weekly church attenders, and university-educated males. Controlling for these variables, however, did not remove the significant association with having an alcoholic MZ co-twin, implying that much of the genetic influence on AD risk remained unexplained. No significant gender difference in the genetic variance in AD was found (64% heritability, 95% confidence interval 32-73%). CONCLUSIONS: Genetic risk-factors play as important a role in determining AD risk in women as in men. With the exception of certain sociocultural variables such as religious affiliation, the same personality, sociodemographic and axis I correlates of alcoholism risk are observed in women and men.     

Care of persons with AIDS in the nursing home

BACKGROUND: AIDS is becoming a chronic illness for some patients whose significant accumulated functional impairments may limit community-based care. Nursing homes can provide an appropriate level of care, although reported experience caring for persons with AIDS in this setting is limited. METHODS: A retrospective case-series review was conducted in a 242-bed community teaching nursing home to describe the initial 26-month experience in providing care for patients with AIDS requiring nursing home admission. RESULTS: A total of 42 admissions by 32 patients with AIDS (mean age = 33.5 years, 81% male) involved a shorter length of stay (mean 63.1 days) and higher numbers of medications (mean = 11.2), facility charges (mean $11,971/admission, $189/day), and greater clinical management complexity than usual nursing home patients. Thirteen patients were discharged, seven for rehospitalization and six into community settings, although ultimately 29 of the 32 patients died in the facility. CONCLUSIONS: AIDS care in the nursing home presents significant, distinct challenges in complex management and terminal care prioritization.     

Impact of newspaper crime reports on fear of crime: Multimethodological investigation.

Investigated the impact of components of newspaper crime reports on fear of crime in an examination in which key newspaper components were based on theorizing in the areas of downward comparison, attribution, and normative behavior. In Study 1, 36 newspapers were classified according to the proportion of crime reports that involved local crimes, sensational crimes, and random crimes; the levels of fear of crime among 335 readers of these newspapers were assessed through telephone interviews. Results indicate that Ss who read newspapers that printed a high proportion of local crime news reported higher levels of fear if the crimes were predominantly sensational or appeared to be random, whereas Ss whose newspapers printed a low proportion of local crime news reported lower levels of fear if the crimes were predominantly sensational or random. These findings were replicated in Study 2: college students (N?=?80) who read reports of local crimes expressed higher levels of fear if the crimes were random rather than precipitated, whereas the opposite pattern emerged in regard to nonlocal crimes. Implications for psychologists and journalists are discussed. (35 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Visual pigments and oil droplets from six classes of photoreceptor in the retinas of birds

Microspectrophotometric examination of the retinal photoreceptors of the budgerigar (shell parakeet), Melopsittacus undulatus (Psittaciformes) and the zebra finch, Taeniopygia guttata (Passeriformes), demonstrate the presence of four, spectrally distinct classes of single cone that contain visual pigments absorbing maximally at about 565, 507, 430-445 and 360-380 nm. The three longer-wave cone classes contain coloured oil droplets acting as long pass filters with cut-offs at about 570, 500-520 and 445 nm, respectively, whereas the ultraviolet-sensitive cones contain a transparent droplet. The two species possess double cones in which both members contain the long-wave-sensitive visual pigment, but only the principal member contains an oil droplet, with cut-off at about 420 nm. A survey of the cones of the pigeon, Columba livia (Columbiformes), confirms the presence of the three longer-wave classes of single cone, but also reveals the presence of a fourth class containing a visual pigment with maximum absorbance at about 409 nm, combined with a transparent droplet. No evidence was found for a fifth, ultraviolet-sensitive receptor. In the chicken, Gallus gallus (Galliformes), the cone class with a transparent droplet contains "chicken violet" with maximum absorbance at about 418 nm. The rods of all four species contain visual pigments that are spectrally similar, with maximum absorbance between about 506 and 509 nm. Noticeably, in any given species, the maximum absorbance of the rods is spectrally very similar to the maximum absorbance of the middle-wavelength-sensitive cone pigments.     

cDNA sequence analysis, gene expression and protein localisation of the inhibin alpha-subunit of Australian brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula)

A reliable source of human neural tissue would be of immense practical value to both neuroscientists and clinical neural transplantation trials. In this study, human precursor cells were isolated from the developing human cortex and, in the presence of both epidermal and fibroblast growth factor-2, grew in culture as sphere shaped clusters. Using traditional passaging techniques and culture mediums the rate of growth was extremely slow, and only a 12-fold expansion in total cell number could be achieved. However, when intact spheres were sectioned into quarters, rather than mechanically dissociated, cell cell contacts were maintained and cellular trauma minimised which permitted the rapid and continual growth of each individual quarter. Using this method we have achieved a 1.5 million-fold increase in precursor cell number over a period of less than 200 days. Upon differentiation by exposure to a substrate, cells migrated out from the spheres and formed a monolayer of astrocytes and neurons. No oligodendrocytes were found to develop from these human neural precursor cells at late passages when whole spheres were differentiated. This simple and novel culture method allows the rapid expansion of large numbers of non-transformed human neural precursor cells which may be of use in drug discovery, ex vivo gene therapy and clinical neural transplantation.