Analysis of effluents and associated sediments and tissue for toxic organic compounds, 1987-1988 : final report to Virginia State Water Control Board

Effluent and sediment samples were collected from 30 point source discharge sites within tributaries to the Chesapeake Bay, and analyzed for the presence of toxic organic compounds. The facilities selected included: municipal treatment plants, oil refining and storage operations, shipyards, military bases, paper companies, electrical power generators and various other manufacturing enterprises. In addition to sediment, shellfish were collected from the receiving streams. Unfortunately, environmental conditions in the vicinity of many of the facilities were unsatisfactory for the long-term survival of shellfish. As a consequence their availability was limited. ...

Correlations between heterozygosity and measures of genetic similarity: implications for understanding mate choice

There is currently considerable interest in testing the effects of genetic compatibility and heterozygosity on animal mate preferences. Evidence for either effect is rapidly accumulating, although results are not always clear-cut. However, correlations between mating preferences and either genetic similarity or heterozygosity are usually tested independently, and the possibility that similarity and heterozygosity may be confounded has rarely been taken into account. Here we show that measures of genetic similarity (allele-sharing, relatedness) may be correlated with heterozygosity, using data from 441 human individuals genotyped at major loci in the major histocompatibility complex, and 281 peafowl (Pavo cristatus) individuals genotyped at 13 microsatellite loci. We show that average levels of allele-sharing and relatedness are each significantly associated with heterozygosity in both humans and peafowl, that these relationships are influenced by the level of polymorphism, and that these similarity measures may correlate with heterozygosity in qualitatively different ways. We discuss the implications of these inter-relationships for interpretation of mate choice studies. It has recently become apparent that mating preferences for'‘good genes' and 'compatible genes' may introduce discordant choice amongst individuals, since the optimal mate for one trait may not be optimal for the other, and our results are consistent with this idea. The inter-relationship between these measures of genetic quality also carries implications for the way in which mate choice studies are designed and interpreted, and generates predictions that can be tested in future research

Evaluating Metacognitive Self-reports: Systematic Reviews of the value of self-report in metacognitive research

Metacognitive skills have been shown to be strongly associated with academic achievement and serve as the basis of many therapeutic treatments for mental health conditions. Thus, it is likely that training metacognitive skills can lead to improved academic skills and health and well-being. Because metacognition is an awareness of one’s own thoughts, and as such is not directly observable, it is often measured by self-report. This study reviews and critiques the use of self-report in evaluating metacognition by conducting systematic reviews and a meta-analysis of studies assessing metacognitive skills. Keyword searches were performed in EbscoHost, ERIC, PsycINFO, PsycArticles, Scopus, Web of Science, and WorldWideScience.org to locate all articles evaluating metacognition through self-report. 24,396 articles from 1982 through 2018 were screened for inclusion in the study. Firstly, a systematic review of twenty-two articles was conducted to review the ability of self-report measures to evaluate a proposed taxonomy of metacognition. Secondly, a systematic review and meta-analyses of 37 studies summarizes the ability of self-report to relate to metacognitive behavior and the possible effects of differences in research methods. Results suggest that self-reports provide a useful overview of two factors – metacognitive knowledge and metacognitive regulation. However, metacognitive processes as measured by self-report subscales are unclear. Conversely, the two factors of metacognition do not adequately relate to metacognitive behavior, but subscales strongly correlate across self-reports and metacognitive tasks. Future research should carefully consider the role of self-reports when designing research evaluating metacognition

APPLICATIONOFSPECTROSCOPIC ELLIPSOMETRY TO IN-STU. REAL-TIME FABRICATION OF MULTIPLE LAYER ALTERNATING HIGH/LOW REFRACTIVE INDEX FILTERS

Disclosed is application of oblique angle of incidence, reflection and/or transmission mode spectroscopic ellipsometry PSI and/or DELTA, (including combinations thereof and/or mathematical equivalents), vs. wavelength data to monitor and/or control fabrication of multiple layer high/low refractive index band-pass, band-reject and varied attenuation vs. wavelength filters, either alone or in combination with transmissive non-ellipsometric electromagnetic beam turning point vs. layer data obtained at an essentially normal angle of incidence

APPLICATION OF INTERMEDIATE WAVELENGTH BAND SPECTROSCOPIC ELLIPSOMETRY TO IN-STU. REAL TIME FABRICATION OF MULTIPLE LAYER ALTERNATING HGHALOW REFRACTIVE INDEX FILTERS

Disclosed is application of oblique angle of incidence, reflection and/or transmission mode spectroscopic ellipsometry PSI and/or DELTA, (including combinations thereof and/or mathematical equivalents), vs. wavelength data over an intermediate wavelength band range around a pass or reject band, to monitor and/or control fabrication of multiple layer high/low refractive index band-pass, band-reject and varied attenuation vs. wavelength thin film interference filters, either alone or in combination with transmissive non-ellipsometric electromagnetic beam turning point vs. layer data obtained at an essentially normal angle of incidence

Addressing the Issue of Microplastics in the Wake of the Microbead-Free Waters Act - A New Standard Can Facilitate Improved Policy

The United States Microbead-Free Waters Act was signed into law in December 2015. It is a bipartisan agreement that will eliminate one preventable source of microplastic pollution in the United States. Still, the bill is criticized for being too limited in scope, and also for discouraging the development of biodegradable alternatives that ultimately are needed to solve the bigger issue of plastics in the environment. Due to a lack of an acknowledged, appropriate standard for environmentally safe microplastics, the bill banned all plastic microbeads in selected cosmetic products. Here, we review the history of the legislation and how it relates to the issue of microplastic pollution in general, and we suggest a framework for a standard (which we call “Ecocyclable”) that includes relative requirements related to toxicity, bioaccumulation, and degradation/assimilation into the natural carbon cycle. We suggest that such a standard will facilitate future regulation and legislation to reduce pollution while also encouraging innovation of sustainable technologies

NASA Multidisciplinary Design and Analysis Fellowship Program

This report summarizes the results of a multi-year training grant for the development and implementation of a Multidisciplinary Design and Analysis (MDA) Fellowship Program at Georgia Tech. The Program funded the creation of graduate MS and PhD degree programs in aerospace systems design, analysis and integration. It also provided prestigious Fellowships with associated Industry Internships for outstanding engineering students. The graduate program has become the foundation for a vigorous and productive research effort and has produced: 20 MS degrees, 7 Ph.D. degrees, and has contributed to 9 ongoing Ph.D. students. The results of the research are documented in 32 publications (23 of which are included on a companion CDROM) and 4 annual student design reports (included on a companion CDROM). The legacy of this critical funding is the Center for Aerospace Systems Analysis at Georgia Tech which is continuing the graduate program, the research, and the industry internships established by this grant

A Lean-Server Approach to Enabling Collaboration Using Advanced Design Methods

Proceedings of the ASME Design Technical Conferences, September 12-15, 1999, Las Vegas, NV.The design framework research community utilizes the internet as a facilitator for collaborative activities. The internet provides a platform independent interface and geographic distribution. Information can be easily represented to the end-user using the HyperText Markup Language and can be coded in a reasonable timeframe. A shortcoming of exploiting this technology further is the reliance on existing Web servers to interface with analysis tools and design services. In this case, interactive components require auxiliary processes (called CGI scripts) to be started by the server that are used in an inefficient manner. This model does not provide the user-oriented capability required by standalone applications. Java offers improvements in client-side processing but a server bottleneck still exists. A novel approach using lean-servers is introduced as an alternative method for providing an efficient server-side computing model. In this case, internet requests are brokered directly by the design application by providing a gateway to the application? programming interface using a HyperText Transfer Protocol compliant layer. This allows requests to be managed directly by the application rather than requiring auxiliary services. Step-by-step directions for implementing this approach using a case study of an existing design framework are given in this paper. A prototype system, called the Systems Programming Architecture for Collaborative Engineering, is described as one scenario for implementing the lean-server technology. Usability of the approach is demonstrated through a Design of Experiments example that is representative of modern design methods. This example also demonstrates collaboration because it executes asynchronously with multi-user intervention at any time during the process. In hindsight, the lean-server approach is an enabling technology for collaborative design and focuses future research direction on the establishment of collaborative design practices

From Forbidden Coronal Lines to Meaningful Coronal Magnetic Fields

We review methods to measure magnetic fields within the corona using the polarized light in magnetic-dipole (M1) lines. We are particularly interested in both the global magnetic-field evolution over a solar cycle, and the local storage of magnetic free energy within coronal plasmas. We address commonly held skepticisms concerning angular ambiguities and line-of-sight confusion. We argue that ambiguities are in principle no worse than more familiar remotely sensed photospheric vector-fields, and that the diagnosis of M1 line data would benefit from simultaneous observations of EUV lines. Based on calculations and data from eclipses, we discuss the most promising lines and different approaches that might be used. We point to the S-like [Fe {\sc XI}] line (J=2 to J=1) at 789.2nm as a prime target line (for ATST for example) to augment the hotter 1074.7 and 1079.8 nm Si-like lines of [Fe {\sc XIII}] currently observed by the Coronal Multi-channel Polarimeter (CoMP). Significant breakthroughs will be made possible with the new generation of coronagraphs, in three distinct ways: (i) through single point inversions (which encompasses also the analysis of MHD wave modes), (ii) using direct comparisons of synthetic MHD or force-free models with polarization data, and (iii) using tomographic techniques.Comment: Accepted by Solar Physics, April 201

Combined Spatial Filter and Relay Systems in Rotating Compensator Ellipsometer/Polimeter

Low aberration relay systems modified to perform as spatial filters in rotating compensator ellipsometer, polarimeter and the like systems