Exoplanet Transit Parallax

The timing and duration of exoplanet transits has a dependency on observer position due to parallax. In the case of an Earth-bound observer with a 2 AU baseline the dependency is typically small and slightly beyond the limits of current timing precision capabilities. However, it can become an important systematic effect in high-precision repeated transit measurements for long period systems due to its relationship to secular perspective acceleration phenomena. In this short paper we evaluate the magnitude and characteristics of transit parallax in the case of exoplanets using simplified geometric examples. We also discuss further implications of the effect, including its possible exploitation to provide immediate confirmation of planetary transits and/or unique constraints on orbital parameters and orientations.Comment: 12 Pages, 3 Figures, Accepted for publication in Ap

Population Synthesis of Normal Radio and Gamma-ray Pulsars Using Markov Chain Monte Carlo Techniques

We present preliminary results of a pulsar population synthesis of normal pulsars from the Galactic disk using a Markov Chain Monte Carlo method to better understand the parameter space of the assumed model. We use the Kuiper test, similar to the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, to compare the cumulative distributions of chosen observables of detected radio pulsars with those simulated for various parameters. Our code simulates pulsars at birth using Monte Carlo techniques and evolves them to the present assuming initial spatial, kick velocity, magnetic field, and period distributions. Pulsars are spun down to the present, given radio and gamma-ray emission characteristics, filtered through ten selected radio surveys, and a {\it Fermi} all-sky threshold map. Each chain begins with a different random seed and searches a ten-dimensional parameter space for regions of high probability for a total of one thousand different simulations before ending. The code investigates both the "large world" as well as the "small world" of the parameter space. We apply the K-means clustering algorithm to verify if the chains reveal a single or multiple regions of significance. The outcome of the combined set of chains is the weighted average and deviation of each of the ten parameters describing the model. While the model reproduces reasonably well the detected distributions of normal radio pulsars, it does not replicate the predicted detected $\dot P - P$ distribution of {\it Fermi} pulsars. The simulations do not produce sufficient numbers of young, high-$\dot E$ pulsars in the Galactic plane.Comment: 4 pages, 2 figures, The proceedings from the Pulsar Conference: Electromagnetic Radiation from Pulsars and Magnetars will be published in the Astronomical Society of the Pacific Conference Serie

Cryptocurrencies Are Taxable and Not Free From Fraud

In this report, the authors discuss cryptocurrencies — especially bitcoin — and argue that because the IRS lists them as property, they are taxable, and because they are not as anonymous as once thought, they are not free from fraud. Cryptocurrencies are digital assets used as a medium of exchange, but they are not really coins. They can be sent electronically from one entity to another almost anywhere in the world with an internet connection. There are many cryptocurrencies in the market, including bitcoin, ethereum, ethereum classic, litecoin, nem, dash, iota, bitshares, monero, neo, and ripple. Many of the cryptocurrency networks are not controlled by a single entity or company; instead, a decentralized network of computers keeps track of the currency using a token ID. A ledger maintains a continuously growing list of date stamped transactions in real time called “blocks.” This technology is known as blockchain, which records, verifies, and stores transactions without a trusted central authority. The network instead relies on decentralized autonomous organizations (DAOs) with uncertain legal standing

Malibu Jackson 3: Boldest Move Yet - A Study of Screenwriting, Parody, and Mullet-Clad Action Heroes

This project is a parody short film script, targeting blockbuster action films of the 1980s. It is written in accordance with the traditional three-act structure of screenplays, which plays an important role in the writing arena of the film industry. It is a comedy, the theory of which is discussed in this paper, and more specifically parody. Like most short films and their scripts, it does not seek to be profitable, but rather serves the purpose of demonstrating skill and achievement on behalf of the screenwriter and filmmaker. This paper also includes a brief synopsis of the project

Better Measurement of Governments through the Application of Accrual Accounting for Government-Wide Financial Statements

In this paper, we will look at and discuss the differences and similarities between governmental entities and for-profit business. We will mainly discuss the different goals, purposes, users, and issues between government and for-profit accounting in order to show that changes to governmental accounting standards would lead to more transparency and accountability, which in turn would help determine the success of an individual governmental entity. We will conclude by looking at countries that have implemented accrual accounting for government-wide financial statements, and we will explain how the adoption of accrual accounting for government-wide financial statements in the United States will lead to more transparency and accountability

Remembering the Movement & Reminiscing on Achievements: An Interview with Professor Emeritus Raphael Cassimere, Jr.

Raphael Cassimere, Jr. (1942-) is a nationally recognized champion of social justice and civil rights veteran. He received his B.A.(1966) and M.A. (1968) degrees in History from LSUNO (now the University of New Orleans (UNO)). In 1971, he received a PhD in History from Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He also became the first African American professor of UNO shortly after obtaining his PhD. In 2015, the institution established The Ralph Cassimere, Jr. Professorship in African American History. His rise to prominence began as an undergraduate student during the heyday of the civil rights movement. In 1960, he became president of the NAACP’s Youth Council. Since then, he has a held multiple local, regional, and national offices within the NAACP. Cassimere maintained his commitment to human and civil rights while teaching at UNO. He is a recipient of the ACLU’s Benjamin E. Smith Civil Liberties Award, the Louisiana NAACP’s Lifetime Presidential Award, U.S. State Department’s Outstanding Citizen Diplomacy Award and many of other accolades. In the following interview, Cassimere reflects on his early days in the civil rights movement

Upstream Methods for Enhancing Engineered Curcumin Biosynthesis

Curcumin is a bright orange compound with myriad applications for human health and wellness. Curcumin occurs naturally in the plant Curcuma longa (commonly known as turmeric) but must be extracted from the roots in an environmentally unfriendly fashion to obtain commercially relevant amounts of the compound. In addition, extraction of curcumin from turmeric spice yields a mixture of various curcuminoids, presenting an issue for isolating it in its pure form and complicating its use in clinical settings. Heterologous biosynthetic production of curcumin in Escherichia coli has been used extensively as a viable alternative to plant extraction but suffers from poor yield. This thesis describes the application of various upstream biological engineering methods for enhancing the production of curcumin in an engineered E. coli platform. Among these, the enzyme combination for achieving curcumin biosynthesis is optimized, including the use of bacterial and plant enzymes for improving the overall yield. Since curcumin is mainly produced as an intracellular metabolite with cytotoxic effects on the production host, the use of a handful of transferases that can improve curcumin water solubility is also explored to improve excretion from the cell. These approaches led to the establishment of an efficient curcumin biosynthetic pathway, the identification of several feruloyl-CoA synthases (FCSs) that may be used in place of 4-coumarate-CoA ligase (4CL), and methods for improving curcumin excretion from the cell together with more bioavailable curcumin derivatives. We also discuss the use of a bacterial long-chain fatty acid-CoA ligase for the efficient production of a curcuminoid known as dicinnamoylmethane

Improving the Efficiency of the Preconditioning of Iterative Solutions to the Kinetic Equation

To achieve the reality of fusion, a greater understanding of plasma is required. The kinetic equation can be evolved simultaneously alongside the fluid equations to solve for kinetic closures. NIMROD performs this with numerical solvers where the General Minimum Residual (GMRES) solver becomes more efficient with a preconditioning matrix as input. Using a GPU-enabled library, the efficiency of GPU offloading to the preconditioning step was tested. A significant decrease in the factoring time of preconditioning matrix was observed. This suggests that the allocation of GPUs is worth investigating for NIMROD’s own benefit, but also anyone seeking to improve the efficiency of their scientific program

Exploring the Process of Mindful Breathing With Stressed Mothers

Mindfulness exists in many parenting and family interventions and are intended to decrease stress, improve familial relationships, and indirectly improve child wellness, and these mindfulness-based interventions (MBI) are relatively effective at doing so. However, critical issues remain related to designing effective and useful interventions for school-based and other community practitioners. Specifically, research has not demonstrated clear relationships between parent mindfulness practice increasing generalized mindfulness behaviors (i.e., awareness and acceptance), experiencing subsequent parental stress reduction, and reporting decreased behavior problems in children. The current study examined these relationships between practicing mindfulness and experiencing changes in parents’ mindfulness process, wellbeing, and perceptions of difficult child behavior problems in four mothers. Results showed that mindful practice was related to changes in mindful awareness but not necessarily mindful acceptance. Mindfulness practice elicited changes in parental wellbeing, including the decreased stress and increased happiness. Results did not indicate clarity between mothers\u27 mindful breathing and perceptions of child behavior problems; however, mothers practicing mindfulness may reduce child internalizing problems compared to externalizing problems. These findings raise questions for advancing research, such as investigating single-item scales to measure internal experiences and further exploring relationships between decreasing parental stress and influencing various child behavior problems