A Data Warehouse Solution Emphasizing the Use in Geographic Information Systems

This paper will explore use of a data warehouse solution for an electric utility that generates and transmits power across four US states. The pseudonym Utility will be used to represent the electric utility for security reasons. At Utility X several systems store information that is managed in silos that, in some cases, operate on proprietary database formats. This type of usage is identified as a barrier in the development of an enterprise-wide data source. A data warehouse can ultimately help to bridge the Utility X information gap, and provide added accessibility for the company to further develop technology, such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The use of a data warehouse can create an environment that increases the usability and accessibility of data. This project will focus on a method of using a data hub; data warehouse; and extract, transform, and load (ETL) processes to compile data from the proprietary equipment maintenance database, the meter system database, and the plant information database to provide one cohesive dataset in a data warehouse, which would ensure easier access to sets of processed electric meter data. The combination of these three sources offers advantages to other departments within the company that need meter information. A data warehouse does not require alteration of source systems that would cause deviation from their primary functions. For example, when a data warehouse solution is not used, there is pressure for existing databases to conform to new uses, such as GIS applications. This adaptation can include costly new system changes, database changes, and interface changes. However, a system that is set up for one purpose might also contain data that is useful for another purpose. By leveraging a data warehouse solution and developing a new use of the existing data, the company can avoid changing the current system configuration. This research will define an approach to building a data warehouse based on qualitative action research methods. Research was conducted at the company by using an iterative interview process wherein information from interviews was gathered and classified based on information from primary sources on the topic of data warehousing. An example using electric meter data from the company was identified that showed several solutions to problems by use of a data warehouse environment

On Statutory Rape, Strict Liability, and the Public Welfare Offense Model

Statutory Rape. At the center of a long-standing debate on whether its commission should require proof of a criminal mens rea, the prosecution of statutory rape offers a revealing look at the struggle to demarcate the parameters of the public welfare offense doctrine. Specifically, with respect to statutory rape, disagreement is deep and entrenched on whether statutory rape should be categorized as a public welfare offense, which would render irrelevant defendant\u27s lack of knowledge of the victim\u27s age. And despite wholesale revamping of state statutory rape laws on issues of age, gender, and potential grading and punishment, the debate on whether to require a criminal mens rea or embrace strict liability continues. So, how has it come to pass that this particular crime has engendered such serious division of thought regarding the requirement of a mens rea? This Article argues that, fueled in part by a misplaced reliance on dicta from the landmark decision of Morissette v. United States, most states have concluded that statutory rape is a strict liability offense. But as this Article shows, the landscape has changed dramatically since Morissette was written in 1952. Like the child\u27s puzzle book that asks the question, Which item doesn\u27t belong? this Article argues that the public welfare offense model\u27s application to statutory rape is, by current standards, strained and outmoded. Statutory rape as a strict liability crime only works because blameworthiness - a cornerstone of punishment - has been replaced by a different sensibility: the strict assumption of the risk that the actor bears when engaging in sexual activity. This paradigmatic shift from blameworthiness to assumption of the risk remains a vital rationale in statutory rape only if the actor can be expected to appreciate that engaging in a broad range of sexual activities may be proscribed by statute. As this Article demonstrates, because of Lawrence v. Texas and its progeny, it may no longer be accurate to say that engaging in sexual activity is the criminally risky business envisioned by the Morissette Court in 1952 when statutory rape was just one of many statutes criminalizing sexual activity. And without notice that engaging in adult sexual behavior may be subject to widespread regulation, this Article concludes that it is time for the United States Supreme Court to redefine the parameters of the public welfare offense doctrine as it applies to statutory rape and allow defendants to mount a reasonable mistake-of-age defense

On Statutory Rape, Strict Liability, and the Public Welfare Offense Model

Statutory Rape. At the center of a long-standing debate on whether its commission should require proof of a criminal mens rea, the prosecution of statutory rape offers a revealing look at the struggle to demarcate the parameters of the public welfare offense doctrine. Specifically, with respect to statutory rape, disagreement is deep and entrenched on whether statutory rape should be categorized as a public welfare offense, which would render irrelevant defendant\u27s lack of knowledge of the victim\u27s age. And despite wholesale revamping of state statutory rape laws on issues of age, gender, and potential grading and punishment, the debate on whether to require a criminal mens rea or embrace strict liability continues. So, how has it come to pass that this particular crime has engendered such serious division of thought regarding the requirement of a mens rea? This Article argues that, fueled in part by a misplaced reliance on dicta from the landmark decision of Morissette v. United States, most states have concluded that statutory rape is a strict liability offense. But as this Article shows, the landscape has changed dramatically since Morissette was written in 1952. Like the child\u27s puzzle book that asks the question, Which item doesn\u27t belong? this Article argues that the public welfare offense model\u27s application to statutory rape is, by current standards, strained and outmoded. Statutory rape as a strict liability crime only works because blameworthiness - a cornerstone of punishment - has been replaced by a different sensibility: the strict assumption of the risk that the actor bears when engaging in sexual activity. This paradigmatic shift from blameworthiness to assumption of the risk remains a vital rationale in statutory rape only if the actor can be expected to appreciate that engaging in a broad range of sexual activities may be proscribed by statute. As this Article demonstrates, because of Lawrence v. Texas and its progeny, it may no longer be accurate to say that engaging in sexual activity is the criminally risky business envisioned by the Morissette Court in 1952 when statutory rape was just one of many statutes criminalizing sexual activity. And without notice that engaging in adult sexual behavior may be subject to widespread regulation, this Article concludes that it is time for the United States Supreme Court to redefine the parameters of the public welfare offense doctrine as it applies to statutory rape and allow defendants to mount a reasonable mistake-of-age defense

The Spectroscopically Determined Substellar Mass Function of the Orion Nebula Cluster

We present a spectroscopic study of candidate brown dwarf members of the Orion Nebula Cluster (ONC). We obtained new J- and/or K-band spectra of ~100 objects within the ONC which are expected to be substellar based on their K,(H-K) magnitudes and colors. Spectral classification in the near-infrared of young low mass objects is described, including the effects of surface gravity, veiling due to circumstellar material, and reddening. From our derived spectral types and existing near-infrared photometry we construct an HR diagram for the cluster. Masses are inferred for each object and used to derive the brown dwarf fraction and assess the mass function for the inner 5.'1 x 5.'1 of the ONC, down to ~0.02 solar masses. The derived logarithmic mass function rises to a peak at ~0.2 solar masses, similar to previous IMF determinations derived from purely photometric methods, but falls off more sharply at the hydrogen-burning limit before leveling through the substellar regime. We compare the mass function derived here for the inner ONC to those presented in recent literature for the sparsely populated Taurus cloud members and the rich cluster IC 348. We find good agreement between the shapes and peak values of the ONC and IC 348 mass distributions, but little similarity between the ONC and Taurus results.Comment: Accepted for Publication in Apj. Added Erratu

A Large-Area Search for Low-Mass Objects in Upper Scorpius II: Age and Mass Distributions

We present continued results from a wide-field, ~150 deg^2, optical photometric and spectroscopic survey of the northern part of the ~5 Myr-old Upper Scorpius OB Association. Photometry and spectral types were used to derive effective temperatures and luminosities and place newly identified association members onto a theoretical Hertzsprung-Russell diagram. From our survey, we have discovered 145 new low mass members of the association, and determined ~10% of these objects to be actively accreting material from a surrounding circumstellar disk. Based on comparison of the spatial distributions of low and high mass association members, we find no evidence for spatial segregation by mass within the northern portion of the association. Measured data are combined with pre-main sequence evolutionary models to derive a mass and age for each star. Using Monte Carlo simulations we show that, taking into account known observational uncertainties, the observed age dispersion for the low mass population in USco is consistent with all stars forming in a single burst ~5 Myr ago, and place an upper limit of +/-3 Myr on the age spread if the star formation rate has been constant in time. We derive the first spectroscopic mass function for USco that extends into the substellar regime, and compare these results to those for three other young clusters and associations.Comment: 22 pages plus 3 tables. Acccepted for publication in Ap

Arginine and antioxidant supplement on performance in elderly male cyclists: a randomized controlled trial

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Human exercise capacity declines with advancing age. These changes often result in loss of physical fitness and more rapid senescence. Nitric oxide (NO) has been implicated in improvement of exercise capacity through vascular smooth muscle relaxation in both coronary and skeletal muscle arteries, as well as via independent mechanisms. Antioxidants may prevent nitric oxide inactivation by oxygen free radicals. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of an L-arginine and antioxidant supplement on exercise performance in elderly male cyclists.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This was a two-arm prospectively randomized double-blinded and placebo-controlled trial. Sixteen male cyclists were randomized to receive either a proprietary supplement (Niteworks^®, Herbalife International Inc., Century City, CA) or a placebo powder. Exercise parameters were assessed by maximal incremental exercise testing performed on a stationary cycle ergometer using breath-by-breath analysis at baseline, week one and week three.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>There was no difference between baseline exercise parameters. In the supplemented group, anaerobic threshold increased by 16.7% (2.38 ± 0.18 L/min, p < 0.01) at week 1, and the effect was sustained by week 3 with a 14.2% (2.33 ± 0.44 L/min, p < 0.01). In the control group, there was no change in anaerobic threshold at weeks 1 and 3 compared to baseline (1.88 ± 0.20 L/min at week 1, and 1.86 ± 0.21 L/min at week 3). The anaerobic threshold for the supplement groups was significantly higher than that of placebo group at week 1 and week 3. There were no significant changes noted in VO₂max between control and intervention groups at either week 1 or week 3 by comparison to baseline.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>An arginine and antioxidant-containing supplement increased the anaerobic threshold at both week one and week three in elderly cyclists. No effect on VO₂max was observed. This study indicated a potential role of L-arginine and antioxidant supplementation in improving exercise performance in elderly.</p