Recent changes in U. S. family finances: results from the 1998 Survey of Consumer Finances

Using data from the Federal Reserve Board's two most recent Surveys of Consumer Finances, this article provides a detailed picture of changes in the financial condition of U.S. families between 1995 and 1998. The financial situation of families changed notably in the three-year period. While income continued a moderate upward trend, net worth grew strongly, and the increase in net worth was broadly shared by different demographic groups. A booming stock market accounts for a substantial part of the rise in net worth, but the data also suggest that improvements in financial circumstances extended to many families that did not own stocks. The indebtedness of families grew, but less rapidly than their assets. Nonetheless, compared with 1995, debt repayments in 1998 accounted for a larger share of the income of the typical family with debt, and the proportion of debtors who were late with their payments by sixty days or more in the year preceding the survey was also higher.Income ; Consumer behavior ; Saving and investment

On the asymptotic enumerativity property for Fano manifolds

We study the enumerativity of Gromov-Witten invariants where the domain curve is fixed in moduli and required to pass through the maximum possible number of points. We say a Fano manifold satisfies asymptotic enumerativity if such invariants are enumerative whenever the degree of the curve is sufficiently large. Lian and Pandharipande speculate that every Fano manifold satisfies asymptotic enumerativity. We give the first counterexamples, as well as some new examples where asymptotic enumerativity holds. The negative examples include special hypersurfaces of low Fano index and certain projective bundles, and the new positive examples include many Fano threefolds and all smooth hypersurfaces of degree $d \leq (n+3)/3$ in $\mathbb{P}^n$.Comment: comments welcome

Elliptical-core two mode fiber sensors and devices incorporating photoinduced refractive index gratings

Results of experiments performed using germanium-doped, elliptical core, two-mode optical fibers whose sensitivity to strain was spatially varied through the use of chirped, refractive-index gratings permanently induced into the core using Argon-ion laser light are presented. This type of distributed sensor falls into the class of eighted-fiber sensors which, through a variety of means, weight the strain sensitivity of a fiber according to a specified spatial profile. We describe results of a weighted-fiber vibration mode filter which successfully enhances the particular vibration mode whose spatial profile corresponds to the profile of the grating chirp. We report on the high temperature survivability of such grating-based sensors and discuss the possibility of multiplexing more than one sensor within a single fiber

Ares I-X Range Safety Analyses Overview

Ares I-X was the first test flight of NASA's Constellation Program's Ares I Crew Launch Vehicle designed to provide manned access to low Earth orbit. As a one-time test flight, the Air Force's 45th Space Wing required a series of Range Safety analysis data products to be developed for the specified launch date and mission trajectory prior to granting flight approval on the Eastern Range. The range safety data package is required to ensure that the public, launch area, and launch complex personnel and resources are provided with an acceptable level of safety and that all aspects of prelaunch and launch operations adhere to applicable public laws. The analysis data products, defined in the Air Force Space Command Manual 91-710, Volume 2, consisted of a nominal trajectory, three sigma trajectory envelopes, stage impact footprints, acoustic intensity contours, trajectory turn angles resulting from potential vehicle malfunctions (including flight software failures), characterization of potential debris, and debris impact footprints. These data products were developed under the auspices of the Constellation's Program Launch Constellation Range Safety Panel and its Range Safety Trajectory Working Group with the intent of beginning the framework for the operational vehicle data products and providing programmatic review and oversight. A multi-center NASA team in conjunction with the 45th Space Wing, collaborated within the Trajectory Working Group forum to define the data product development processes, performed the analyses necessary to generate the data products, and performed independent verification and validation of the data products. This paper outlines the Range Safety data requirements and provides an overview of the processes established to develop both the data products and the individual analyses used to develop the data products, and it summarizes the results of the analyses required for the Ares I-X launch

Antimicrobial catheters for reduction of symptomatic urinary tract infection in adults requiring short-term catheterisation in hospital : a multicentre randomised controlled trial

Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. PMID: 23134837 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]Peer reviewedPostprin

Space Use and Relative Habitat Selection for Immature Green Turtles Within a Caribbean Marine Protected Area

Background A better understanding of sea turtle spatial ecology is critical for the continued conservation of imperiled sea turtles and their habitats. For resource managers to develop the most effective conservation strategies, it is especially important to examine how turtles use and select for habitats within their developmental foraging grounds. Here, we examine the space use and relative habitat selection of immature green turtles (Chelonia mydas) using acoustic telemetry within the marine protected area, Buck Island Reef National Monument (BIRNM), St. Croix, United States Virgin Islands. Results Space use by turtles was concentrated on the southern side of Buck Island, but also extended to the northeast and northwest areas of the island, as indicated by minimum convex polygons (MCPs) and 99%, 95%, and 50% kernel density estimations (KDEs). On average space use for all categories was \u3c 3 km2 with mean KDE area overlap ranging from 41.9 to 67.7%. Cumulative monthly MCPs and their proportions to full MCPs began to stabilize 3 to 6 detection months after release, respectively. Resource selection functions (RSFs) were implemented using a generalized linear mixed effects model with turtle ID as the random effect. After model selection, the accuracy of the top model was 77.3% and showed relative habitat selection values were highest at shallow depths, for areas in close proximity to seagrass, and in reef zones for both day and night, and within lagoon zones at night. The top model was also extended to predict across BIRNM at both day and night. Conclusion More traditional acoustic telemetry analyses in combination with RSFs provide novel insights into animal space use and relative resource selection. Here, we demonstrated immature green turtles within the BIRNM have small, specific home ranges and core use areas with temporally varying relative selection strengths across habitat types. We conclude the BIRNM marine protected area is providing sufficient protection for immature green turtles, however, habitat protection could be focused in both areas of high space use and in locations where high relative selection values were determined. Ultimately, the methodologies and results presented here may help to design strategies to expand habitat protection for immature green turtles across their greater distribution

The EUCAMS gear partnership - a model of industry/academic collaboration

Challenges in maintenance systems can pose multi-faceted problems, which are difficult to resolve alone. Over a four year period, a partnership evolved a vision for tackling the understanding of fundamentally difficult mechanical failures and their detection, with potential for practical exploitation of the solutions. The partnership assembled a team of researchers and far-sighted project management, to undertake a study of gearbox failures, including finite element modelling, gear testing, and signal analysis. The partnership trained a series of doctoral and postdoctoral staff in running an integrated project, coping with changes in staffing and locations. The final stages of the work will validate the models and signal processing

UReCA, the NCHC Web journal of Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity

Our vision is an academic community without borders, a connected network of aspirational students committed to the advancement of knowledge and appreciation of the arts. UReCA fosters the exchange of intellectual and creative work between undergraduate students, providing a platform where students can engage with and contribute to the advancement of their individual fields. UReCA was first conceived by Johnny MacLean (Southern Utah University) and Brian White (Graceland University) at an annual NCHC conference in Phoenix, Arizona. MacLean and White noticed that while several academic outlets existed for honors faculty and administrators, there was an absence of student-focused publications within the NCHC community. Inspired by the experiential education model used by Partners in the Parks, Johnny and Brian saw another opportunity for honors students to engage in experiential learning. Their vision: an international undergraduate journal, peer reviewed and produced for the web by an interdisciplinary community of honors students

Aerocapture Systems Analysis for a Neptune Mission

A Systems Analysis was completed to determine the feasibility, benefit and risk of an aeroshell aerocapture system for Neptune and to identify technology gaps and technology performance goals. The systems analysis includes the following disciplines: science; mission design; aeroshell configuration; interplanetary navigation analyses; atmosphere modeling; computational fluid dynamics for aerodynamic performance and aeroheating environment; stability analyses; guidance development; atmospheric flight simulation; thermal protection system design; mass properties; structures; spacecraft design and packaging; and mass sensitivities. Results show that aerocapture is feasible and performance is adequate for the Neptune mission. Aerocapture can deliver 1.4 times more mass to Neptune orbit than an all-propulsive system for the same launch vehicle and results in a 3-4 year reduction in trip time compared to all-propulsive systems. Enabling technologies for this mission include TPS manufacturing; and aerothermodynamic methods for determining coupled 3-D convection, radiation and ablation aeroheating rates and loads