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In several applied contexts (e.g., earwitness testimony), the accurate recognition of unfamiliar voices can be a critical part of the person identification process. However, recognising unfamiliar voices is prone to error. While such errors could be reduced by testing the proficiency of listeners, the established tests of unfamiliar voice matching (BVMT) and memory (GVMT) may be limited by their choice of stimuli (i.e., vowel-sounds) and their design (i.e., using identical sounds at learning and test; GVMT). Here, we examine whether these sound-based tests are predictive of performance on more naturalistic speech-based tasks, and whether performance is consistent across task-domain (matching/memory) and task-modality (voices/faces). The findings show that while the BVMT was a robust predictor of speech-based voice matching, this was not the case for the GVMT and speech-based voice memory. In addition, we provide evidence for a potential common person recognition factor ‘p’. The theoretical and applied implications are discussed.

Transliminality may be considered as the tendency for an individual to experience a blurring of boundaries between unconscious and conscious states. The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between transliminality, suggestibility (hypnotic and imaginative) and a range of other personality traits. Despite several hypotheses being proposed on the relationship between transliminality and hypnotisability, no empirical study has directly examined this link before. The assumption is that high transliminality, which relates to thin boundaries and the potential for information to flow more easily in a bi-directional manner between subconsciousness and consciousness, will be associated with suggestibility (and in particular hypnotic suggestibility and subjective experiential responses to suggestion).In the present study, participants (n=456) completed online a set of self-report personality questionnaires, where 4 scales were administered: The Revised Transliminality Scale, The Tellegen Absorption Scale, the Creative Experiences Questionnaire, and the Dissociative Experiences Scale II. To avoid context effects, in a separate and stand-alone study, hypnotic and imaginative suggestibility screenings were conducted using the Carleton University Responsiveness to Suggestion Scale (imaginative suggestibility, n = 328; hypnotic suggestibility, n=243). Of those people who completed both the online personality questionnaires and the in-person suggestibility screening, and whose data could be merged, 140 had done the imaginative suggestibility screening, and 127 had done the hypnotic suggestibility screening.Transliminality was found to be weakly correlated with the imaginative suggestibility subjective response measure (r = .19). Likewise, weak correlations were found between transliminality and the hypnotic suggestibility response measures (objective, r = .21, subjective, r = .23, involuntariness, r = .24). The results of forward multiple regression modelling reflected the observed pattern of correlations, with no model for any of the variables, including more than a single significant predictor. Transliminality served as a significant predictor for the subjective imaginative suggestibility measure, and for both the hypnotic suggestibility objective and subjective measure. In summary, this study, which avoided context effects (between the personality questionnaires and the suggestibility screenings) and which assessed suggestibility using a number of measures (hypnotic, imaginative; objective, subjective, involuntariness response), shows transliminality to be a weak predictor of response to suggestion. The pattern of correlations points towards transliminality being more closely linked to hypnotic rather than imaginative suggestibility, and to be associated more with experiential as opposed to objective measures of response to suggestion.

International students often face psychosocial, academic, financial and adaptation challenges within the Higher Education (HE) environment that may impact on their mental health. The current study explored the understandings and experiences of Asian international students (AISs) in terms of mental health, disclosure, help-seeking and adaptation specific to cultural relocation within Scotland. A sequential multi-method approach was adopted consisting of two studies: (1) a qualitative study using individual semi-structured interviews with AISs (n=10) (Study 1) and (2) a cross-section survey comparing AISs and non-AISs (n=172) in terms of mental health literacy and psychological adaptation within the Scottish context (Study 2). Qualitative data were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analysed using a thematic approach. Quantitative data were analysed using regression and mediation analysis. Study 1 revealed three themes: (1) Negative beliefs, stigma and fear of judgment impacting on understandings and disclosure of mental health issues, (2) Adaptation and acculturation difficulties (lack of sense of belonging), and (3) Barriers in communication and social disconnection. Study 2 showed that AISs reported lower levels of mental health literacy, which in turn resulted in poorer psychological adaption compared to non-AISs. Supporting AISs in HE institutions involves challenging negative judgements surrounding mental health, increasing mental health literacy and addressing barriers in overcoming adaptation, acculturation and communication difficulties that may inhibit disclosure and help-seeking behaviour. The importance of mental health policies, supports and services in embracing culturally diverse understandings of mental health, challenging stigma and having culturally competent staff supporting student mental health within a multicultural learning environment is emphasised.

Increasing rates of sea-level rise (SLR) threaten to submerge coastal wetlands unless they increase soil elevation at similar pace, often by storing soil organic carbon (OC). Coastal wetlands face increasing salinity, marine-derived nutrients, and inundation depths from increasing rates of SLR. To quantify the effects of SLR on soil OC stocks and fluxes and elevation change, we conducted two mesocosm experiments using the foundation species sawgrass (Cladium jamaicense) and organic soils from freshwater and brackish Florida Everglades marshes for 1 year. In freshwater mesocosms, we compared ambient and elevated salinity (fresh, 9 ppt) and phosphorus (ambient, + 1 g P m−2 year−1) treatments with a 2 × 2 factorial design. Salinity addition reduced root biomass (48%), driving 2.8 ± 0.3 cm year−1 of elevation loss, while soil elevation was maintained in freshwater conditions. Added P increased root productivity (134%) but also increased breakdown rates (k) of roots (31%) and leaves (42%) with no effect on root biomass or soil elevation. In brackish mesocosms, we compared ambient and elevated salinity (10, 19 ppt) and inundated and exposed conditions (water level 5-cm below and 4-cm above soil). Elevated salinity decreased root productivity (70%) and root biomass (37%) and increased k in litter (33%) and surface roots (11%), whereas inundation decreased subsurface root k (10%). All brackish marshes lost elevation at similar rates (0.6 ± 0.2 cm year−1). In conclusion, saltwater intrusion in freshwater and brackish wetlands may reduce net OC storage and increase vulnerability to SLR despite inundation or marine P supplies.

C4 photosynthesis is a remarkable complex trait, elucidations of the evolutionary trajectory of C4 photosynthesis from its ancestral C3 pathway can help us better understand the generic principles of the evolution of complex traits and guide the engineering of C3 crops for higher yields. Here, we used the genus Flaveria that contains C3, C3–C4, C4-like and C4 species as a system to study the evolution of C4 photosynthesis. We first mapped transcript abundance, protein sequence and morphological features onto the phylogenetic tree of the genus Flaveria, and calculated the evolutionary correlation of different features; we then predicted the relative changes of ancestral nodes of those features to illustrate the major events during the evolution of C4 photosynthesis. We found that gene expression and protein sequence showed consistent modification patterns in the phylogenetic tree. High correlation coefficients ranging from 0.46 to 0.9 among gene expression, protein sequence and morphology were observed. The greatest modification of those different features consistently occurred at the transition between C3-C4 species and C4-like species. Our results show highly coordinated changes in gene expression, protein sequence and morphological features, which support evolutionary major events during the evolution of C4 metabolism.

We explored the piezoelectric behavior of diphenylalanine (FF) peptide using multiphysics finite element models. We compared the piezoelectric potential developed in a finite element model of an FF peptide nanowire with the potential developed in conventional piezoelectric materials. The simulation showed that the FF peptide nanowire can generate significantly higher voltage than nanowires made from piezoelectric materials such as zinc oxide, lead zirconate titanate, and barium titanate under the same force. The simulation work was expanded to create a complete model of a flexible nanogenerator based on FF peptide microrods. Based on the piezoelectric potentials calculated in the nanogenerator model, we estimated an open circuit voltage for the FF nanogenerator. To validate the model, we fabricated and demonstrated the first flexible piezoelectric nanogenerator based on vertical arrays of FF peptide microrods. We characterized the electrical behavior of the fabricated nanogenerators, and measured an open circuit voltage of up to − 0.6 V. The estimated open circuit voltage predicted by the model was in close agreement with the measured value from the fabricated nanogenerator. The results illustrate the promising potential of FF peptide as a piezoelectric material, and show the importance of finite element models for providing insight into the development of a new generation of FF peptide-enabled devices.

Periphyton plays key ecological roles in karstic, freshwater wetlands and is extremely sensitive to environmental change making it a powerful tool to detect saltwater intrusion into these vulnerable and valuable ecosystems. We conducted field mesocosm experiments in the Florida Everglades, USA to test the effects of saltwater intrusion on periphyton metabolism, nutrient content, and diatom species composition, and how these responses differ between mats from a freshwater versus a brackish marsh. Pulsed saltwater intrusion was simulated by dosing treatment chambers monthly with a brine solution for 15 months; control chambers were simultaneously dosed with site water. Periphyton from the freshwater marsh responded to a 1-ppt increase in surface water salinity with reduced productivity and decreased concentrations of total carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus. These functional responses were accompanied by significant shifts in periphytic diatom assemblages. Periphyton mats at the brackish marsh were more functionally resilient to the saltwater treatment (~ 2 ppt above ambient), but nonetheless experienced significant shifts in diatom composition. These findings suggest that freshwater periphyton is negatively affected by small, short-term increases in salinity and that periphytic diatom assemblages, particularly at the brackish marsh, are a better metric of salinity increases compared with periphyton functional metrics due to functional redundancy. This research provides new and valuable information regarding periphyton dynamics in response to changing water sources in the southern Everglades that will allow us to extend the use of periphyton, and their diatom assemblages, as tools for environmental assessments related to saltwater intrusion.

Summary To discover mechanisms that controlled the growth of the rooting system in the earliest land plants, we identified genes that control the development of rhizoids in the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha. 336,000 T-DNA transformed lines were screened for mutants with defects in rhizoid growth, and a de novo genome assembly was generated to identify the mutant genes. We report the identification of 33 genes required for rhizoid growth, of which 6 had not previously been functionally characterized in green plants. We demonstrate that members of the same orthogroup are active in cell wall synthesis, cell wall integrity sensing, and vesicle trafficking during M. polymorpha rhizoid and Arabidopsis thaliana root hair growth. This indicates that the mechanism for constructing the cell surface of tip-growing rooting cells is conserved among land plants and was active in the earliest land plants that existed sometime more than 470 million years ago [1, 2]., Highlights • 336,000 T-DNA lines and a genome assembly were generated in Marchantia polymorpha • 33 genes required for rhizoid growth were identified • Six of the 33 genes were functionally characterized in plants for the first time • Genes belonging to these orthogroups were active in the first land plant roots, Honkanen et al. identify 33 genes required for the growth of rhizoid rooting cells in the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha in a screen of 336,000 T-DNA-mutagenized lines and using a de novo genome assembly. Related genes were active during the development of the first plant rooting structures sometime before 460 million years ago.

Highlights • VSG mRNA copy number varies with the identity of the VSG. • Early premature termination codons result in degradation of VSG mRNA. • Late premature termination codons translated to produce incomplete VSG result in an increase in VSG mRNA. • There is a feedback pathway between non-functional VSG production and VSG mRNA levels., The bloodstream form of Trypanosoma brucei persists in mammalian hosts through a population survival strategy depending on antigenic variation of a cell surface coat composed of the variant surface glycoprotein (VSG). The integrity of the VSG coat is essential and blocking its synthesis results in a cell division cycle arrest just prior to cytokinesis. This observation indicates that VSG levels are monitored and that the cell has mechanisms to respond to a disruption of synthesis. Here, the regulation of VSG mRNA levels has been investigated by first measuring VSG mRNA copy number, and second using ectopic expression of VSG transgenes containing premature termination codons. The findings are that (i) VSG mRNA copy number varies with the identity of the VSG and (ii) a pathway detects synthesis of non-functional VSG protein and results in an increase in VSG mRNA levels.

A deep knowledge of the 3D microstructure is essential for optimizing performance in Lithium ion battery electrodes. Tomography methods like focused ion beam-secondary electron microscopy (FIB-SEM) and X-ray tomography are the most frequently used 3D characterization techniques for battery electrodes. While each method has advantages and disadvantages, understanding the complex morphology of electrodes requires a complementary, multi-scale 3D approach. In this work, the possibilities and limitations for both 3D techniques, X-ray and FIB-SEM tomography, are studied using the example of a LiNiCoAlO2-LiCoO2 blend cathode from a commercial cell. The same cathode sample was analyzed with both techniques and moreover with different devices to enable a comparison of the obtained data quality. The material fractions, porosity, surface area and tortuosity are calculated from the different data sets and the results are compared with special emphasis on the differentiation of the different active materials and the carbon-binder phase. The reliable determination of these parameters is essential because they are needed, for example, to compare different electrode structures or to study the influence of the microstructure on the electrode performance to optimize the electrode structure. Figure 1

BackgroundC4 photosynthesis is a remarkable complex trait, elucidations of the evolutionary trajectory of C4 photosynthesis from its ancestral C3 pathway can help us to better understand the generic principles of complex trait evolution and guide engineering of C3 crops for higher yields. We used the genus Flaveria that contains C3, C3-C4, C4-like and C4 species as a system to study the evolution of C4 photosynthesis.ResultsWe mapped transcript abundance, protein sequence, and morphological features to the phylogenetic tree of the genus Flaveria, and calculated the evolutionary correlation of different features. Besides, we predicted the relative changes of ancestral nodes of those features to illustrate the key stages during the evolution of C4 photosynthesis. Gene expression and protein sequence showed consistent modification pattern along the phylogenetic tree. High correlation coefficients ranging from 0.46 to 0.9 among gene expression, protein sequence and morphology were observed, and the greatest modification of those different features consistently occurred at the transition between C3-C4 species and C4-like species.ConclusionsOur data shows highly coordinated changes in gene expression, protein sequence and morphological features. Besides, our results support an obviously evolutionary jump during the evolution of C4 metabolism.

SummaryThe colonization of the land by plants, sometime before 470 million years ago, was accompanied by the evolution tissue systems [1–3]. Specialized structures with diverse functions—from nutrient acquisition to reproduction—derived from single cells in the outermost layer (epidermis) were important sources of morphological innovation at this time [2, 4, 5]. In extant plants, these structures may be unicellular extensions, such as root hairs or rhizoids [6–9], or multicellular structures, such as asexual propagules or secretory hairs (papillae) [10–12]. Here, we show that a ROOTHAIR DEFECTIVE SIX-LIKE (RSL) class I basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor positively regulates the development of the unicellular and multicellular structures that develop from individual cells that expand out of the epidermal plane of the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha; mutants that lack MpRSL1 function do not develop rhizoids, slime papillae, mucilage papillae, or gemmae. Furthermore, we discovered that RSL class I genes are also required for the development of multicellular axillary hairs on the gametophyte of the moss Physcomitrella patens. Because class I RSL proteins also control the development of rhizoids in mosses and root hairs in angiosperms [13, 14], these data demonstrate that the function of RSL class I genes was to control the development of structures derived from single epidermal cells in the common ancestor of the land plants. Class I RSL genes therefore controlled the generation of adaptive morphological diversity as plants colonized the land from the water.

Problems with joint attention are core features of autism spectrum disorders. Here, we investigated changes in the pupil diameter of children with ASD and typically developing children, when they initiate joint attention with a gaze contingent avatar. 31 participants with ASD and 33 TD matched controls, directed the avatar’s gaze to face images. We sought to use the pupil diameter as a metric to differentiate these two groups. We will show the difference in pupil behaviour through an unsupervised k-means classification.

We classify full-waveform inversion (FWI) projects according to the types of events used to invert marine streamer data. In general, an adequate model update requires the seamless introduction of wavenumbers that are missing in the starting model. It has been our experience that a seamless update may require extraction of the lowest possible wavenumbers from the data, as well as the application of preprocessing procedures and scattering kernels that are optimal for each type of arrival. In a shallow-water environment, and with sufficient offsets, refracted arrivals and diving waves can provide an adequate inversion for shallow velocity structures. We demonstrate this principle using the linearized (Born) scattering kernel for field data from the North Sea.

The number of paralogs of proteins involved in translation initiation is larger in trypanosomes than in yeasts or many metazoan and includes two poly(A) binding proteins, PABP1 and PABP2, and four eIF4E variants. In many cases, the paralogs are individually essential and are thus unlikely to have redundant functions although, as yet, distinct functions of different isoforms have not been determined. Here, trypanosome PABP1 and PABP2 have been further characterised. PABP1 and PABP2 diverged subsequent to the differentiation of the Kinetoplastae lineage, supporting the existence of specific aspects of translation initiation regulation. PABP1 and PABP2 exhibit major differences in intracellular localization and distribution on polysome fractionation under various conditions that interfere with mRNA metabolism. Most striking are differences in localization to the four known types of inducible RNP granules. Moreover, only PABP2 but not PABP1 can accumulate in the nucleus. Taken together, these observations indicate that PABP1 and PABP2 likely associate with distinct populations of mRNAs. The differences in localization to inducible RNP granules also apply to paralogs of components of the eIF4F complex: eIF4E1 showed similar localization pattern to PABP2, whereas the localisation of eIF4E4 and eIF4G3 resembled that of PABP1. The grouping of translation initiation as either colocalizing with PABP1 or with PABP2 can be used to complement interaction studies to further define the translation initiation complexes in kinetoplastids.

Many high-quality genomes are available for dixenous (two hosts) trypanosomatid species of the genera Trypanosoma, Leishmania, and Phytomonas, but only fragmentary information is available for monoxenous (single-host) trypanosomatids. In trypanosomatids, monoxeny is ancestral to dixeny, thus it is anticipated that the genome sequences of the key monoxenous parasites will be instrumental for both understanding the origin of parasitism and the evolution of dixeny. Here, we present a high-quality genome for Leptomonas pyrrhocoris, which is closely related to the dixenous genus Leishmania. The L. pyrrhocoris genome (30.4 Mbp in 60 scaffolds) encodes 10,148 genes. Using the L. pyrrhocoris genome, we pinpointed genes gained in Leishmania. Among those genes, 20 genes with unknown function had expression patterns in the Leishmania mexicana life cycle suggesting their involvement in virulence. By combining differential expression data for L. mexicana, L. major and Leptomonas seymouri, we have identified several additional proteins potentially involved in virulence, including SpoU methylase and U3 small nucleolar ribonucleoprotein IMP3. The population genetics of L. pyrrhocoris was also addressed by sequencing thirteen strains of different geographic origin, allowing the identification of 1,318 genes under positive selection. This set of genes was significantly enriched in components of the cytoskeleton and the flagellum.

Summary Objective To evaluate the cost-utility of adding tiotropium to usual care versus usual care alone for patients with moderate to very severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in the UK and Belgium. Methods A four-state Markov model was developed with three disease severity states (moderate, severe, very severe) and death. Severity was based on post-bronchodilator FEV 1 and transitions were based on outcomes of the Understanding Potential Long Term Impacts on Function with Tiotropium (UPLIFT ® ) trial. Utilities were derived from EQ-5D scores for a subset of UPLIFT ® patients. UK costs were evaluated separately for England (E), and for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland (SWNI). Belgian (B) costs were obtained from local sources. Uncertainty was assessed by deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analysis (PSA). Results Adding tiotropium to usual care resulted in an incremental cost per patient of €969 (B), £796 (E), and £812 (SWNI), and incremental QALYs of 0.052 (B), and 0.051 (E, SWNI). The four-year incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICER) were €18,617 (B), £15,567 (E) and £15,890 (SWNI) per QALY. Probability of tiotropium being cost-effective at £30,000 (€50,000) per QALY gained was greater than 60%. Conclusions At willingness to pay thresholds of £(€) 30,000 per QALY gained, adding tiotropium to usual care is cost-effective.

This article describes the way a multidisciplinary research team set about 'Aboriginalising' their research processes in the initial phase of a project that aimed to develop a culturally appropriate model of care for urban Aboriginal people with diabetes. Although academic conventions and protocols tended to dominate, the project incorporated the innovative approach that the Aboriginal researchers brought to the process of recruiting and facilitating focus groups, which they likened to 'hunting and gathering'. In developing and strengthening partnerships between research institutions and Aboriginal communities, it is important that Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal researchers challenge the conventional academic models of research in ways that are culturally appropriate and informed by Aboriginal scholarship. This article illustrates the difficulties and challenges on both sides of the partnership. It concludes by outlining the key principles learnt during the first phase of the project.

AIMS: This study presents a cost-effectiveness and budget impact analysis comparing cost and outcomes for UK patients with COPD treated with either tiotropium, ipratropium or salmeterol. METHODS: A previously-published COPD cost-effectiveness model was adapted for the UK, then used to estimate the cost-effectiveness of tiotropium compared to salmeterol and ipratropium. Additional epidemiological data were used to estimate the budget impact of switching patients from ipratropium or salmeterol to tiotropium. RESULTS: In England, the estimated annual cost per patient on tiotropium was £1350, on salmeterol was £1404, and on ipratropium was £1427; in Scotland/Wales/Northern Ireland (S/W/NI) these costs were £1439, £1565, and £1631, respectively. Tiotropium patients experienced better quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) across all comparisons, and this option was therefore dominant compared to salmeterol and ipratropium. The probability of tiotropium being dominant ranged from 72% to 87% across comparisons. At a willingness-to-pay threshold of £20,000 per QALY, tiotropium had at least a 97% chance of being cost-effective. The estimated annual saving per primary care trust (PCT) of switching patients from salmeterol and ipratropium to tiotropium in England was £230,000 and in S/W/NI was £160,000. CONCLUSIONS: Tiotropium is a cost-effective alternative to ipratropium and salmeterol, and switching COPD patients from ipratropium and salmeterol to tiotropium could result in considerable cost savings for PCTs along with improvements in quality-of-life.

Translating a desired user's input using conventional methods such as a keyboard and mouse for the computer, or a joystick for a wheelchair is a major challenge faced by users whom have no limb control. This paper describes an iteration of Resistopalatography, a method using the tongue as a pointing device to emulate the use of the hand for cursor movement and wheelchair control. The system employs force sensitive sensors located within the mouth on a dental retainer plate to measure the tongue's pressure against the hard palate. The position and force of tongue against the sensors can be translated into mouse cursor or wheelchair joystick equivalents.

Reported herein is technical progress on a U.S. Department of Energy CRADA project with industry cost-share aimed at developing the technical basis and demonstrate the viability of innovative in-situ weld residual stresses mitigation technology that can substantially improve the weld fatigue performance and durability of auto-body structures. The developed technology would be costeffective and practical in high-volume vehicle production environment. Enhancing weld fatigue performance would address a critical technology gap that impedes the widespread use of advanced high-strength steels (AHSS) and other lightweight materials for auto body structure light-weighting. This means that the automotive industry can take full advantage of the AHSS in strength, durability and crashworthiness without the concern of the relatively weak weld fatigue performance. The project comprises both technological innovations in weld residual stress mitigation and due-diligence residual stress measurement and fatigue performance evaluation. Two approaches were investigated. The first one was the use of low temperature phase transformation (LTPT) weld filler wire, and the second focused on novel thermo-mechanical stress management technique. Both technical approaches have resulted in considerable improvement in fatigue lives of welded joints made of high-strength steels. Synchrotron diffraction measurement confirmed the reduction of high tensile weld residual stresses by the two weld more » residual stress mitigation techniques. « less

To help management make better decisions, employee research must explore the relationship between levels of engagement and actual performance, and provide insight into what drives engagement. This article explains how to move your research program beyond descriptive, silo data to show the links between key measures and profit drivers.

Background The genus Flaveria has been extensively used as a model to study the evolution of C4 photosynthesis as it contains C3 and C4 species as well as a number of species that exhibit intermediate types of photosynthesis. The current phylogenetic tree of the genus Flaveria contains 21 of the 23 known Flaveria species and has been previously constructed using a combination of morphological data and three non-coding DNA sequences (nuclear encoded ETS, ITS and chloroplast encoded trnL-F). Results Here we developed a new strategy to update the phylogenetic tree of 16 Flaveria species based on RNA-Seq data. The updated phylogeny is largely congruent with the previously published tree but with some modifications. We propose that the data collection method provided in this study can be used as a generic method for phylogenetic tree reconstruction if the target species has no genomic information. We also showed that a “F. pringlei” genotype recently used in a number of labs may be a hybrid between F. pringlei (C3) and F. angustifolia (C3-C4). Conclusions We propose that the new strategy of obtaining phylogenetic sequences outlined in this study can be used to construct robust trees in a larger number of taxa. The updated Flaveria phylogenetic tree also supports a hypothesis of stepwise and parallel evolution of C4 photosynthesis in the Flavaria clade. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12862-015-0399-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

This paper quantifies the imaging errors that result from the assumptions of time migration and a preliminary, laterally-variable ``stretch' of the data, in the presence of lateral velocity gradients. The analysis is restricted to media that are approximately homogeneous in the vertical direction, with dip in the same direction as for the velocity gradient. It is shown that a time migration that explicitly recognizes the lateral variation in velocity results in underestimation of steep dips by only a few degrees, even for large gradients of 0.1 s-1. A preliminary stretch of the data, followed by time migration and stretch removal, however, results in a net overestimation of moderate dips by a few degrees and overestimation of steep dips by 15° or more. The errors increase with increasing gradient and decreasing average velocity.

Point-source synthetic seismic responses for a thin, fractured bed are generated, interpreted and processed. The synthesis is carried out for a compressional source and multicomponent surface receivers. The anisotropy considered has hexagonal symmetry, with a horizontal symmetry axis, and represents oil- and gas-filled, aligned vertical fractures for a broad range of fracture densities and aspect ratios. P-to-S reflected conversions recorded on the horizontal geophones show both kinematic and dynamic anomalies that increase with increasing fracture density and are only weakly dependent on aspect ratio. In contrast, the vertical component P-wave reflections provide a much poorer diagnostic of fracturing. Analytic expressions for the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of a vertically fractured system are presented, that have the same simplicity as those for transverse isotropy. New linearized expressions for mode-converted amplitudes are developed for small angles of incidence and are used to interpret the synthetic response.

This paper illustrates the concept of passive tongue touch and tongue proximity wireless sensors. The sensors use the principle of changing the capacitive loading of the tag feed network by moving the tongue closer to the sensor. The application of these devices could be as control actuators for people with severe physical disability.

Nano- and micro-scale structural characterization, in 3D, are critical to understanding the structure-property relationships in energy materials. In solid oxide fuel cells, long-term structural degradation due to such effects as Ni coarsening or oxidation mean that additionally these structures are not static. Such issues have plagued widespread SOFC adoption, and are inherently difficult to study due to the length and time scales of the heterogeneous material systems. Recent approaches to the problem have largely employed synchrotron X-ray tomography and FIB-SEM tomography as microstructure characterization techniques. To date, however, there has been very limited application of laboratory X-ray microscopy which has the potential to offer the combined benefits of round-the-clock access and nondestructive 3D nanoscale imaging. Recently, simultaneous improvements in X-ray optics and detection have greatly increased the application space of lab nanoscale XRM, which now serves as a viable solution for SOFC characterization. In this work, multiple lab-based imaging techniques are combined in a correlative manner to probe SOFC microstructure. Specifically, the nondestructive nature of laboratory XRM is combined with the high resolution of FIB-SEM microscopy and EDS to characterize SOFC components through a 4D evolution experiment and spanning the relevant length scales from microns to nanometers. As an initial test, an as-fabricated un-reduced SOFC sample (NiO/YSZ anode) was examined using nanoscale XRM operating at 5.4 keV and 50 nm spatial resolution. Whereas synchrotron imaging approaches have frequently exploited the tunable nature of the incident beam to perform absorption edge imaging and enhance material contrast, the laboratory-based instrument used in this work operates at a single, fixed beam energy. Nonetheless, it was found that the 5.4 keV X-rays produced sufficient contrast to discern solid phases of the multiple cell components contained in the sample: NiO/YSZ anode, YSZ electrolyte, and LSM cathode. Furthermore, additional data collection in phase contrast mode by employing a Zernike phase ring was used to highlight the existence of small features including nanoporosity (defects) in the electrolyte layer. A second SOFC anode sample was sourced, this time in the reduced Ni/YSZ state with small particle sizes characteristic of the active layer of the electrode. A 3D scan was first performed with the XRM, and an advanced segmentation algorithm based on both grayscale and texture-based contrast was used to segment the Ni, YSZ, and pore phases. The sample was then mounted in a FIB-SEM instrument which was used to shave a small amount of material from the sample to create a flat, polished surface for EDS mapping. An EDS map was generated and compared to the corresponding 2D plane of the XRM dataset to validate the XRM capability to accurately characterize the structure. The sample was then degraded by an oxidation process by holding the sample at 700C in ambient air for 1 hour. A second XRM scan with the same imaging conditions was performed after oxidation. The before and after datasets were spatially registered and compared to evaluate the effects of Ni oxidation. Substantial swelling of the Ni upon oxidation, at the expense of the void space, with minimal modification of the YSZ were observed as expected. Furthermore, it is realized there may be additional modification of the microstructure at a length scale smaller than can be viewed with the XRM (less than 50 nm). To probe these finer structures, the sample was subsequently brought back to the FIB-SEM, which was used to perform 2D EDS as well as 3D FIB tomography. Results from the FIB tomography were then correlated back to the 4D before-and-after data set obtained by XRM.

The January 1994 grounding and discharge of over 800,000 gallons (3,028,000 liters/3,028 m3) of low API gravity No. 6 oil from the tank barge Morris J. Berman at San Juan, Puerto Rico was one of those infrequent but typically major events that set in motion a massive skimming and shoreline cleanup operation. As these actions proceeded effectively along the northern coast of Puerto Rico, it quickly became apparent that significant quantities of oil from the Berman had submerged and continued to recontaminate economic, historic, and environmentally sensitive coastal areas after the leaking barge and floating oil had been removed. Recognizing the unique nature of the problem and general lack of Coast Guard or industry-wide experience in the emerging field of submerged oil recovery, the federal on-scene coordinator (FOSC) formed a group within the overall organization to respond to the situation. The methods implemented by this group recovered approximately 145,000 gallons of oil from the seabed at an estimated cost of $8 million.

This paper illustrates the idea of passive strain gauge wireless sensors. The sensors use the principle of detuning slots as a surrounding patch is stretched. The application of these devices could be as control actuators for disabled people.

In this abstract, we explore the feasibility of applying fullwaveform inversion for sand channels that lie near the water bottom in a shallow, marine environment. A modelling study shows that the kinematic effect of these sand channels on the first breaks may be quite small, although the effect is sufficient to enable them to be inverted. The first phase of our inversion effort for a field dataset thus consists of a synthetics inversion study in which we demonstrate accurate recovery of sand channels as small as 500 m in width using frequencies below 15 Hz.

The ICmetrics technology is concerned with identifying acceptable features in an electronic system's operation for encryption purposes. Ideally, the nature of the features should be identical for all of the systems considered, while the values of these features should allow for unique identification of each of the systems. This paper looks at the properties of the Program Counter of a processor core as a potential ICmetrics feature, and explores how the number of its samples being inputted into the ICmetrics system affects stability of the system's performance.