Theory and operation of the real-time data acquisition system for the NASA-LaRC differential absorption lidar (DIAL)

The improvement of computer hardware and software of the NASA Multipurpose Differential Absorption Lidar (DIAL) system is documented. The NASA DIAL system has undergone development and experimental deployment at NASA/Langley Res. Center for the remote measurement of atmospheric trace gas concentrations from ground and aircraft platforms. A viable DIAL system was developed capable of remotely measuring O3 and H2O concentrations from an aircraft platform. The DIAL Data Acquisition System (DAS) has undergone a number of improvements also. Due to the participation of the DIAL in the Global Tropospheric Experiment, modifications and improvements of the system were tested and used both in the lab and in air. Therefore, this is an operational manual for the DIAL DAS

Chiral Perturbation Theory for B→D∗B \rightarrow D^* and B→DB \rightarrow D Semileptonic Transition Matrix Elements at Zero Recoil

Heavy quark symmetry predicts the value of $B \rightarrow D$ and $B \rightarrow D^*$ transition matrix elements of the current $\bar c \gamma_\mu (1 - \gamma_5)b$, at zero recoil (where in the rest frame of the $B$ the $D$ or $D^*$ is also at rest). We use chiral perturbation theory to compute the leading corrections to these predictions which are generated at low momentum, below the chiral symmetry breaking scale.Comment: 10 pages, 1 figure (not included), CALT-68-1844, MIT-CTP-217

Alveolar Variant of Invasive Lobular Carcinoma in a Fibroadenoma

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/94471/1/tbj12016.pd

Numerical approximation of statistical solutions of scalar conservation laws

We propose efficient numerical algorithms for approximating statistical solutions of scalar conservation laws. The proposed algorithms combine finite volume spatio-temporal approximations with Monte Carlo and multi-level Monte Carlo discretizations of the probability space. Both sets of methods are proved to converge to the entropy statistical solution. We also prove that there is a considerable gain in efficiency resulting from the multi-level Monte Carlo method over the standard Monte Carlo method. Numerical experiments illustrating the ability of both methods to accurately compute multi-point statistical quantities of interest are also presented

The New England Emigrant Aid Company and the response in Massachusetts to its goals and efforts to create a free Kansas, 1854-1856

A wave of indignation and shock swept over the North following Stephen A. Douglas\u27 introduction of the Kansas-Nebraska Bill in the United States Senate in January, 1854. The South conceded Nebraska to the North, because of the Territory\u27s geographic proximity to Northern transportation routes and the free-state of Iowa. In return, the South expected the North to concede the loss of Kansas as a future slave state. But many Northerners were not willing to assent to this new compromising proposal without a struggle. Eli Thayer, a freshman Congressman in the Massachusetts State Legislature, invisioned a scheme to use Douglas\u27 concept of squatter sovereignty to the North\u27s advantage. He proposed and guided through the Bay State Legislature a charter for a large moneyed corporation over a month before President Franklin Pierce signed the Territorial Bill and made it an act of law. Thayer\u27s plan called for the corporation to aid Northern settlers willing to emigrate to Kansas, by obtaining group ticket rates on railroads and steamboats going West. He also planned to use the money raised from the selling of company stock on internal improvements in Kansas, including saw and grist mills, cabins, hotels, churches, and schools. Because of several organizational problems and the question of the amount of liability of each stockholder, the condition of the corporation remained unsettled until its re-organization in March, 1855. The New England Emigrant Aid Company was most active in the affairs of Kansas from March, 1855, through the spring of 1857. The Company was especially active in Kansas during the Bleeding Kansas crisis of 1856, assisting the Territory\u27s beleaguered settlers. The Company\u27s work officially ended in Kansas in 1862, following several years of relatively little activity. The Company was not a financial success. It never paid any stock dividends, and its officers and agents were only able to raise a little more than $190,000, nearly all of which was expended in Kansas. Also, only about 1,300 people traveled to Kansas under the auspices of the Company; however, many of the Company\u27s agents and settlers became prominent local businessmen and politicians, and several established political careers in Washington, D. C. The overall influence of the New England Emigrant Aid Company in the Kansas free-state cause was far greater than the above statistics seem to indicate. The influence of the Company within Kansas and upon the nation as a whole, has been admirably portrayed by Dr. Samuel A. Johnson. There have been no recorded attempts prior to this thesis to evaluate the response in Massachusetts to the Company\u27s goals and efforts to create a free state in Kansas. It is to this point that this thesis is addressed and provides an original contribution. The writer of this thesis fervently subscribes to the belief that the Company played a very significant role in popularizing the Bleeding Kansas issue, and in galvanizing the attitude of the people of the Bay State to the free-state cause. Extensive newspaper files, correspondence, and diaries of prominent men associated directly or indirectly with the Company are utilized to support this belief. Careful research reveals that many of New England\u27s most prominent businessmen, especially the conservative Whig faction, actively supported the Company. Most clergymen also lent their moral support to the cause, although their financial support was disappointing. Most disappointing of all, was the initial lack of strong support from the more prominent Bay State politicians. The Company began to enjoy more political and moral support following the Republican Party\u27s emphasis on Bleeding Kansas, and especially after the beating of Charles Sumner. However, Eli Thayer remained the only active politician within the Company\u27s organization. The most vigorous and nearly unanimous support of the Company\u27s goals and efforts was secured from the editors of the Republican, Whig, and Know-Nothing newspapers. The Abolitionists\u27 Liberator and the Democratic press were almost alone in denouncing the Company\u27s activities. Although the people of Massachusetts did not flock en masse by aid of the Company to Kansas, and gave of their financial means somewhat guardedly, this thesis concludes that they did in all other ways rally behind the Company\u27s crusade to save Kansas

Heavy Meson Masses in Chiral Perturbation Theory with Heavy Quark Symmetry

The $SU(3)$ and hyperfine mass splittings of mesons containing a single heavy quark are computed to one-loop order in chiral perturbation theory with heavy quark spin symmetry. Electromagnetic contributions of order $\alpha_em$ are included. The observed values of the mass splittings are consistent with the one-loop chiral perturbation theory calculation. The $d-u$ hyperfine splitting $(D^{* +} - D^+) - (D^{*0} - D^0)$ is equal to $(m_d - m_u)/ m_s$ times the $s-d$ hyperfine splitting $(D_s^{* +} - D_s^+) - (D^{*+} - D^+)$ upto electromagnetic contributions. The small observed value of the $s-d$ hyperfine splitting implies that the $d-u$ hyperfine splitting is completely dominated by electromagnetic mass contributions.Comment: (28 pages, 2 figures included using uufiles, uses harvmac), CERN-TH.6765/9

EFFECTS OF STATIC STRETCHING ON MAXIMAL ISOKINETIC TORQUE

The effects of 20 seconds of agonist (AGO), antagonist (ANT) or no (NO) pre-exercise stretch on concentric (CON) and eccentric (ECC) maximal isokinetic torque produced at the knee were examined. Twelve male semi-pro rugby players performed dominant isokinetic knee extension following the specified stretch protocol. One-way Repeated Measures ANOVA revealed AGO to be significantly less (p < 0.05) than the other protocols for both CON (270 28 Nm) and ECC (309 42 Nm) torque. There was no difference between the ANT or NO for either CON (303 35 Nm and 304 38 Nm, respectively) or ECC (341 40 Nm and 33644 Nm). The results support the theory that pre-exercise agonist stretching may lead to performance decrements in maximal concentric torque production

The impact of primary care access on autism spectrum disorder awareness in an underserved population

American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommendations for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) screening do not specifically address safety-net clinics, which provide multidisciplinary healthcare services to underserved patients. This project explored the potential for ASD screening in safety-net clinics by assessing parental perceived knowledge of ASD at JayDoc Free Clinic, a student-run safety-net clinic in Wyandotte County, Kansas. May through December 2022, patients who reported to be the parent of a minor received a demographic survey and a Likert-style questionnaire assessing perceived knowledge of ASD, including understanding the importance of ASD screening and ASD signs and symptoms. Responses were categorized into positive, negative, and unsure. Demographic variables included the minor’s primary care provider (PCP) status. Results were analyzed using bivariate analysis, with chi-square tests for significance (p-value ≤ 0.05). Of the 52 participants who completed at least one Likert response, 55.8% reported their child had a PCP. Responses were somewhat balanced with 44.2% positive for understanding the importance of ASD screening and 53.8% positive for understanding ASD signs and symptoms. For understanding the signs and symptoms of ASD, an unsure response (32.7% of responses) was statistically associated with a lack of PCP (p = 0.017). The balance of positive with negative and unsure responses could reflect lack of ASD knowledge and may relate to healthcare inaccessibility. This is consistent with the significant association between lack of PCP and unsure responses for understanding ASD signs and symptoms. ASD screening and education in safety-net clinics like JayDoc could be valuable, particularly for children without a PCP

Impaired coordination of nutrient intake and substrate oxidation in melanocortin-4 receptor knockout mice

Mutations in the melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) are associated with obesity. The obesity syndrome observed in humans with MC4R haploinsufficiency is similar to that observed in MC4R knockout mice: increased longitudinal growth, hyperphagia, and fasting hyperinsulinemia. For comparison with other commonly investigated models of obesity and insulin resistance, we have backcrossed Mc4r-/- mice into the C57BL/6J (B6) background. Female obese Mc4r-/- mice exhibit reduced energy expenditure and an attenuated increase in fatty acid oxidation following exposure to high fat diets compared to obese Lep ob/Lepob mice. The reduced energy expenditure and fatty acid oxidation correlates with changes in hepatic gene expression. The expression of genes involved in fatty acid oxidation increased in obese Lep ob/Lepob mice compared to wild type and obese Mc4r-/- mice. In contrast, a key lipogenic enzyme (fatty acid synthase) is increased in obese Mc4r-/- mice compared to obese Lepob/Lepob mice. Hyperinsulinemia, increased FAS mRNA expression and hepatic steatosis appear to be secondary to obesity in B6 Mc4r-/- mice. However, Mc4r-/- mice in a mixed genetic background develop severe hepatic steatosis at an early age. This might suggest an important role of the MC4R in regulating liver fatty acid metabolism this is masked on the B6 background. Interestingly, the 10- to 20-fold increase in liver triglyceride in this strain of Mc4r-/- mice is not always associated with fasting hyperinsulinemia or increased FAS mRNA expression. This observation suggests changes in liver secondary to triglyceride accumulation lead to hyperinsulinemia and increased hepatic FAS expression in Mc4r-/- mice

Radiative Leptonic Decays of Heavy Mesons

We compute the photon spectrum and the rate for the decays $B(D)\to l\nu_l\gamma$ These photonic modes constitute a potentially large background for the purely leptonic decays which are used to extract the heavy meson decay constants. While the rate for D\to l\n\g is small, the radiative decay in the $B$ meson case could be of comparable magnitude or even larger than B\to\m\n. This would affect the determination of $f_B$ if the $\tau$ channel cannot be identified. We obtain theoretical estimates for the photonic rates and disscuss their possible experimental implications.Comment: 12 pages, RevTex, 3 uuencoded figures include