The Aging Effect on Optical and Chemical Properties on Collected SOA

The enhanced greenhouse effect can be considered one the greatest global environmental concerns. The amount of radiation absorbed by greenhouse gases is known to high certainty, absorbance from atmospheric aerosols particles is not. Experiments were aimed at the study of the chemical composition of secondary organic aerosols (SOA). The SOA were created in a temperature controlled chamber at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and collected on filters. The SOA were then analyzed for chemical composition using Fourier Transform Spectroscopy (FTIR). Analysis of the FTIR showed that certain peaks were degrading over time while others had increased. Peaks at \u3e2350 cm-1 had decreases in absorbance overtime. However, at wavelengths \u3c1600 cm-1, absorbance increased. After relating the areas under these peaks, we were able to model a clear relationship between time and the individual absorbance peaks

Paper Session IV-B - A Practical Introduction To Aerospace Vehicle Design

This paper is a blueprint for a unique rocket design course taught to senior level students majoring in Astronautical Engineering at the United States Air Force Academy. In the course Aerospace Vehicle Systems Design, cadets are given the opportunity to apply their knowledge of engineering concepts to an aerospace design problem at a practical, hands-on level. As a team, the cadets design, build, test, and launch a rocket powered vehicle. This paper will overview the course, discuss specific requirements expected of the students, and provide information concerning course administration

Calcium signaling components and their effect on synaptic morphology during neuronal development

Along with regulating synaptic transmission, voltage-gated calcium channel (VGCC) function is responsible for a myriad of cellular outputs, ranging from gene expression to shaping synaptic morphology. Despite the morphological role of VGCCs, the proteins working downstream of VGCCs to regulate synaptic morphology remain mostly unknown, and their identification would provide insight into the shaping of synapses through calcium signaling. Chapter I introduces the Caenorhabditis elegans VGCC subunits unc-2 and unc-36 as regulators of D-type GABAergic neuromuscular junction morphology. In addition to synaptic defects found in single mutants, loss-of-function mutations in VGCC subunits, independent of neurotransmission, suppressed the enlarged synaptic areas resulting from mutations in the extracellular matrix protein nidogen (nid-1). Furthermore, time-lapse microscopy revealed UNC-2 function was required for proper synaptic dynamics that occurred during the L4 larval stage of organismal growth. Specifically, the dynamics observed in wild-type animals were slowed or absent in unc-2 mutants. Since wild-type synapses undergo enlargement - increasing to areas similar to nid-1 - and subsequently divide into two smaller puncta, we conclude UNC-2 is responsible for a temporal switch between synaptic stability and growth to add synapses during development. In chapter III, I detail the characterization of the calm-1 (ortholog of calmyrin), a gene encoding an EF hand protein that was identified in a nid-1 suppressor screen. Double mutant analysis between calm-1 and VGCC subunits suggests calm-1 acts downstream of VGCCs to regulate synaptic morphology. This result is the first to find a calmyrin protein that affects synapse morphology downstream of VGCCs. A calcium-dependent CALM-1 pulldown identified the intracellular scaffolding protein RACK-1 as a protein that may be targeted via VGCC/CALM-1 signaling. Similar to nid-1, rack-1 mutants displayed abnormally shaped synaptic areas that were suppressed by calm-1 mutants. In conclusion, my genetic analyses suggest synaptic growth through VGCCs is normally inhibited by NID-1. But this inhibition is relieved during development to allow synaptogenesis to occur, commensurate with increases in organismal size, from the expansion and budding of existing synaptic connections. Thus, the cycling between synaptic adhesion and growth allows for a rapid and localized mechanism to add new synapses

A Standard CMOS Compatible Bandgap Voltage Reference with Post-Process Digitally Tunable Temperature Coefficient

An essential element of most robust analog/mixed-signal systems is a stable and precise bandgap voltage reference (BGR). CMOS compatible BGR circuits are generally limited by variability in output drift over temperature due to process variations. In this work a CMOS BGR is developed that provides simple, digitally-controlled post-process (i.e., post fabrication) trimming. The trimming is achieved through MOSFET switches used to adjust a current gain factor for the thermal voltage referenced current within the BGR circuit. This current is proportional to absolute temperature (PTAT). The PTAT current is injected into a series connected resistor and diode to ultimately provide an output voltage. The output voltage\u27s temperature coefficient is correlated to the current gain factor applied to the internally generated PTAT current. Thus, the BGR circuit\u27s temperature coefficient (and therefore drift) is adjusted or tuned using a digital input word to control switch settings and therefore the PTAT current. By providing post-process trimming, chip-to-chip and wafer-to-wafter variations can be minimized through simple digitally controlled tuning. This trimming capability also extends the BGR to broad temperature range applications. A complete CMOS-compatible post-process trimmable BGR implementation is described and measurement results are provided. Design considerations to enhance the circuit\u27s tolerance to radiation induced single-event transients are also addressed

The Upgraded Measurement of the Neutron Lifetime Using the In-Beam Method

Precision measurements of neutron beta decay can provide answers to some of the most fundamental questions in particle physics, astrophysics and cosmology. Neutron beta decay is the simplest semi-leptonic decay; therefore, it provides a clean test of the charged current sector of the Standard Model (SM). A precise measurement of the neutron lifetime and λ, the ratio of axial vector and vector coupling constants of the weak interaction, allows for a determination of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Moskawa (CKM) matrix element Vud that is free from nuclear structure effects. The SM predicts that the CKM matrix is unitary; therefore, the measurement of the neutron lifetime provides an important test of the SM. The neutron lifetime is also an important input parameter into early universe Big Bang Nucleosynthesis calculations. The neutron lifetime remains one of the most uncertain parameters in the calculation of cosmic 4He abundance. The in-beam method of measuring the neutron lifetime requires the absolute counting of decay protons in a neutron beam of precisely known flux. Improvements in the neutron and proton detection systems as well as the use of a new analysis technique and apparatus upgrades allow for a rigorous re-examination of the systematic effects associated with this method. This work will discuss the development and optimization of new analysis techniques that provide improved proton energy resolution as well as an absolute timing comparison to simulation. The results of new proton systematic studies and a new simulation model will also be discussed

社会生態システムの空間的レジリアンス ― ザンビア南部州における世帯レベルのリスクと対処戦略 ―

Spatial relationships and spatial interactions affect the resilience in social-ecological systems in complex ways. This report reviews relevant literature to demonstrate the utility of a spatial perspective for the analysis of resilience in social-ecological systems, and provides selective examples from preliminary analysis of the extensive household survey in the Eastern Province (Zambia). We employ the term “spatial resilience” to characterize how spatial arrangement, spatial interactions and spatial context relate to the resilience of smallholders to climate variability. We also present a basic framework for transitioning this preliminary work to a more comprehensive analysis of the Eastern and Southern Province study areas.和文のものは、英文の報告の内容を要約したものとなってい

Influence Of Physically Attractive People On Consumers In Advertising

When meeting another person for the first time, the most prominent factor in formulating an impression is the person\u27s physical attractiveness. It has been stated that A person\u27s physical appearance, along with his sexual identity, is the personal characteristic most obvious and accessible to others in the social interaction (Dion, Berscheid, and Walster 1972). There are numerous studies in this area and they will be examined and analyzed with respect to their immediate and long-term implications within the marketing and advertising arenas of the business world

Virtual water trade and development in Africa

A debate has long existed on the relationships between human population, natural resources, and development. Recent research has expanded this debate to include the impacts of trade; specifically, virtual water trade, or the water footprint of traded commodities. We conduct an empirical analysis of the relationships between virtual water trade, population, and development in Africa. We find that increases in virtual water imports do not lead to increases in population growth nor do they diminish human welfare. We establish a new index of virtual water trade openness and show that levels of undernourishment tend to fall with increased values of virtual water trade openness. Countries with small dam storage capacity obtain a higher fraction of their agricultural water requirements from external sources, which may indicate implicit "infrastructure sharing" across nations. Globally, increased crop exports tend to correlate with increased crop water use efficiency, though this relationship does not hold for Africa. However, internal African trade is much more efficient in terms of embodied water resources than any other region in the world. Thus, internal African trade patterns may be compensating for poor internal production systems