Persistent Optimism: The Inherency of Security within International Space Law

When thinking about security in the realm of outer space, it is tempting to focus on areas like militarization, defense from attacks, hacking systems, and espionage; however, in doing so, we overlook the fundamental principles that attempt to ensure security in space law from its inception. By taking a moment to reflect on the guiding principles and goals of space exploration as laid out in treaty and domestic law from a broader perspective, it becomes clear that space is overwhelmingly hopeful in continuing the reign of peace

Compounding Crisis Events and the Organizational Response

Given the high visibility of big-time sport organizations, decisions made regarding hiring and firing, salaries and promotions, and strategic planning are subject to scrutiny from a number of sources, including employees, fans, alumni, boosters, competitors, political leaders, and the media. In this article, a decision-making model that illustrates three paths sport managers may take when responding to crisis events is presented. These paths include: resolution, escalation, and pacification. In every case, decision makers engage in organizational perception management to protect (or repair) their organization’s reputation and image. The model is applied to several recent crisis events in sport to further illustrate the unique decision-making options

Brand management in top-tier college athletics: Examining and explaining mark-usage policies

The practice of an interscholastic athletic department reproducing the logo of a collegiate team for its own use is becoming increasingly visible. Qualitative questionnaire responses from collegiate brand managers suggest that licensing departments differ in their perceptions of the outcomes associated with allowing logo replication in high school athletic departments. Perceived consequences of two enforcement strategies—prohibitive and cooperative—are highlighted, as are implications and directions for future research

Benthic Macroinvertebrates as Indexes of Water Quality in the Upper Cuyahoga River

Author Institution: Department of Biology and Center for Environmental Studies, The University of AkronThe upper Cuyahoga River in northeastern Ohio is the major source of domestic water for the City of Akron, an important recreational area, and a designated Ohio Scenic River. Indexes of water quality based on benthic invertebrate community composition indicate a wide range in water quality along the river, but overall water quality is relatively high compared to areas of the Cuyahoga River below Akron and to most nearby river systems. Highest quality areas are located in the most headwater region and in the lowermost region near Lake Rockwell. These areas are characterized by a large number of taxa (>50), moderate density of organisms (= 2,000/m2), high ratios of scraper-grazers to detritivores (>0.5), high ratios of amphipods to isopods, and less than 1% organic pollution-tolerant organisms. Moderate degradation of water quality due to organic sedimentation in these areas is indicated by large proportions of organic pollution-facultative organisms (27-66%), especially a great variety of chironomids. Lowest quality areas occur 1-2 km below waste water outfalls from small villages and below groups of rural streamside dwellings. These areas are characterized by up to 62% fewer species, very low ratios of amphipods to isopods (usually <2), and large proportions of organic pollution-facultative and tolerant organisms (43-95%), especially chironomids and oligochaetes

Waveguide-Pumping Gain-Guided Index Anti Guided Fiber Lasers

Methods, systems and devices for a waveguide pumping gain guided index antiguided fiber laser having a fiber selected for a refractive index crossover at a wavelength between a pump wavelength and a laser emission wavelength. A waveguide pumping system pumps a light having a pump wavelength into the fiber allowing a laser light to be captured by a gain guided process in the core while the pump light, propagating in the cladding is coupled to the core. The fiber selection includes selecting a fiber with a cladding material having a refractive index less than a core material refractive index for a pump wavelength and a core refractive index at the laser emission wavelength is less than the cladding refractive index at the same laser emission wavelength to allow the pump light to propagate through the cladding as a conventional wave guided fiber laser, while the laser emission is captured within the core as an index antiguided, gain guided wave

Finite difference time domain modelling of sound scattering by the dynamically rough surface of a turbulent open channel flow

The problem of scattering of airborne sound by a dynamically rough surface of a turbulent, open channel flow is poorly understood. In this work, a laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) technique is used to capture accurately a representative number of the instantaneous elevations of the dynamically rough surface of 6 turbulent, subcritical flows in a rectangular flume with Reynolds numbers of 10; 800 6 Re 6 47; 300 and Froude numbers of 0:36 6 Fr 6 0:69. The surface elevation data were then used in a finite difference time domain (FDTD) model to predict the directivity pattern of the airborne sound pressure scattered by the dynamically rough flow surface. The predictions obtained with the FDTD model were compared against the sound pressure data measured in the flume and against that obtained with the Kirchhoff approximation. It is shown that the FDTD model agrees with the measured data within 22.3%. The agreement between the FDTD model and stationary phase approximation based on Kirchhoff integral is within 3%. The novelty of this work is in the direct use of the LIF data and FDTD model to predict the directivity pattern of the airborne sound pressure scattered by the flow surface. This work is aimed to inform the design of acoustic instrumentation for non-invasive measurements of hydraulic processes in rivers and in partially filled pipes

Challenges in implementing The Institute of Medicine systematic review standards

Abstract: In 2011, The Institute of Medicine (IOM) identified a set of methodological standards to improve the validity, trustworthiness, and usefulness of systematic reviews. These standards, based on a mix of theoretical principles, empiric evidence, and commonly considered best practices, set a high bar for authors of systematic reviews. Based on over 15 years of experience conducting systematic reviews, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Evidence-based Practice Center (EPC) program has examined the EPC’s adherence and agreement with the IOM standards. Even such a large program, with infrastructure and resource support, found challenges in implementing all of the IOM standards. We summarize some of the challenges in implementing the IOM standards as a whole and suggest some considerations for individual or smaller research groups needing to prioritize which standards to adhere to, yet still achieve the highest quality and utility possible for their systematic reviews