GOES satellite time code dissemination

The GOES time code system, the performance achieved to date, and some potential improvements in the future are discussed. The disseminated time code is originated from a triply redundant set of atomic standards, time code generators and related equipment maintained by NBS at NOAA's Wallops Island, VA satellite control facility. It is relayed by two GOES satellites located at 75 W and 135 W longitude on a continuous basis to users within North and South America (with overlapping coverage) and well out into the Atlantic and Pacific ocean areas. Downlink frequencies are near 468 MHz. The signals from both satellites are monitored and controlled from the NBS labs at Boulder, CO with additional monitoring input from geographically separated receivers in Washington, D.C. and Hawaii. Performance experience with the received time codes for periods ranging from several years to one day is discussed. Results are also presented for simultaneous, common-view reception by co-located receivers and by receivers separated by several thousand kilometers

Factors Influencing Oviposition in \u3ci\u3eAedes Triseriatus\u3c/i\u3e (Diptera: Culicidae)

Five factors associated with natural oviposition sites were tested for their attractancy to ovipositing Aedes triseriatus, including dyed oviposition water, presence of decaying organic matter, a dark oviposition container, water in which conspecific larvae have been reared to the 4th instar and the presence of eggs on the balsa wood oviposition substrate. A replicated fractional factorial design was used to examine the effects of the above factors on oviposition behavior in laboratory experiments. Regression analysis showed dyed oviposition water and eggs on the oviposition substrate to be statistically significant attractants for ovipositing A. triseriatus females. The attraction to dyed oviposition water indicated that dyed water in oviposition traps may greatly increase their competiveness with naturally occurring oviposition sites

Greenway Trail Viewshed Characteristics: Planning Applications Using GIS and Remote Sensing

This study applies theoretical findings relating greenway trail viewshed characteristics to a proposed greenway trail. Utilizing geographic information systems and remote sensing techniques, this study compares the viewshed characteristics of two proposed routes to connect an existent greenway trail system to Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield in Greene County, MO. Light Detection and Ranging data is then used to map the viewshed of each route and calculate the openness and interconnectedness of each viewshed. High-resolution multispectral imagery is then used to calculate the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index measuring the “greenness” within each viewshed. Finally, parcel-level land use data is used to calculate the diversity of land use within each viewshed. The values from these measurements are then compared between the two routes to determine the potential for each in promoting increased trail use. The study sheds light on the uncertainties and limitations of applying these geospatial techniques to not-yet-existent trails, but the outcomes are promising. Even without further research, this study shows that objective viewshed criteria can be gathered to help inform greenway planning and development. This research aids planners by demonstrating methods for evaluating potential greenway trail construction sites remotely. This research also provides researchers with an applied case study adding to the existing body of literature

Tetzlaff: Has the Undue Hardship Test Become Undue?

As the wage-market remains stagnant, and student indebtedness continues to rise, many graduates struggle to balance their student loan debt. Generally, when a debtor files for bankruptcy, her student loan debt is not dischargeable. However, under 11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(8), debtors can discharge their student loans through bankruptcy if they can prove that maintaining those student loan debts would impose an undue hardship upon themselves. Unfortunately, Congress did not define what undue hardship meant when enacting the bankruptcy code. Courts have since been left to interpret the definition of undue hardship, and many do so in different ways. Across the various circuits, “undue hardship” is evaluated similarly—but the differences in definitions can sometimes be outcome determinative. While rare, a jurisdiction employing a “totality-of-the-circumstances” approach to undue hardship may discharge a debtor’s student loans when a different jurisdiction employing a more rigid test would not. This is a problem because the United States Constitution requires uniform federal bankruptcy laws to be applied throughout the states. This Comment calls for the legislature to further define undue hardship to avoid the rare circumstances when debtors are treated dissimilarly solely because of what court they appear in. Since there has been no further definition of “undue hardship,” it is important to understand how the student loan discharge process works within the states of Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin. The Seventh Circuit, after the recent holding in Tetzlaff v. Educational Credit Management Corp., now has one of the strictest tests for evaluating undue hardship. The unanimous Tetzlaff opinion reiterated that the Seventh Circuit employs a three-pronged test to determine whether undue hardship exists. The debtor must show that: (1) he cannot currently maintain a “minimal” standard of living for himself and his dependents if forced to repay the loans; (2) additional circumstances show that this state of affairs is likely to persist for a significant portion of the repayment period; and (3) he made a good faith effort to repay the loans in question. The Seventh Circuit clarified that the dischargeability of loans should be based on a certainty of hopelessness standard, not a present inability to fulfill a financial commitment. In light of that rationale, the second prong of the undue hardship analysis requires a debtor to show his “certainty of hopelessness.” Further, the Seventh Circuit held that the third prong of the analysis—the good faith requirement—requires payment on the specific loans the debtor is attempting to discharge. Paying private student loans in lieu of paying federal loans does not allow debtors to discharge those federal loans. Ultimately, this Comment argues that this strict application of the “undue hardship” definition is more exacting than the language of “undue hardship” itself, and that the Seventh Circuit should reconsider its rigid application of the undue hardship analysis

Elucidating a Mechanism of Growth Cessation in Heterocysts of (\u3cem\u3eAnabaena\u3c/em\u3e)

Oral presentation abstract

Order of Operations and Commutativity in Calculus: An Examination of Student Thought and Reasoning With Respect to the Product Rule

Previous research has investigated the prevalence of algebraic and order-of-operations errors within the calculus classroom. The purpose of this study was to investigate student reasoning and sense-making surrounding order of operations in the context of the derivative, specifically investigating the product rule, by examining student responses to a questionnaire from a college calculus course. Findings from this study indicate that college calculus students lack understanding of order of operations both in arithmetic expressions and in the context of differentiation, and students are not comfortable with the idea of commuting operators and the differentiation rules that result. Additionally, we asked students to explain their visualizations of the commutativity of addition with differentiation, as well as the non-commutativity of multiplication with differentiation. The findings from the study motivated the proposition of a new framework for student thinking, a definitional and conceptual framework. To this end, we reviewed student errors and visuals from this study through the lens of this new framework, offering insight into student reasoning and understanding.</p

Distribution and Abundance of Kelp in the Alaskan Beaufort Sea near Prudhoe Bay

Seventeen stations on five transects near Prudhoe Bay were quantitatively sampled for kelp. The easternmost transect was located along the fringe of the Boulder Patch, an area of cobbles and boulders supporting a dense kelp community. The transects progressed westwards for 26 km. Low densities of Laminaria solidungula and L. saccharina were found throughout the area. Approximately one-half of the specimens were attached, usually to a pebble or shell buried in the sand-silt substrate. Kelp was most abundant in depths of 4-7 m. No density gradient from the Boulder Patch was found within the study area. Kelp may exist over additional areas of the Beaufort Sea in sufficient numbers to affect faunal diversity and biomass.Key words: Kelp, Laminaria solidungula, Laminaria saccharina, Boulder PatchMots cl&eacute;s: varech, Laminaria solidungula, Laminaria saccharina, Boulder patc