Improving recall through graded study lessons in grade four

Page quality of lessons in the physical thesis at the end is extremely poor and could not be corrected for. Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston Universit

Judicial Review of an Administrative Agency Rescission: Motor Vehicle Manufacturers Association v. State Farm Mutal Automobile Insurance Company

This casenote will summarize the legislative and political history of Standard 208. The casenote will then analyze the Supreme Court\u27s recent decision in Motor Vehicle Manufacturers Association v. State Farm Mutual. It will conclude by considering the judicial review of administrative rulemaking and how the Court\u27s decision will affect such review in the area of rescission of an agency action

Social media usage patterns during natural hazards

Natural hazards are becoming increasingly expensive as climate change and development are exposing communities to greater risks. Preparation and recovery are critical for climate change resilience, and social media are being used more and more to communicate before, during, and after disasters. While there is a growing body of research aimed at understanding how people use social media surrounding disaster events, most existing work has focused on a single disaster case study. In the present study, we analyze five of the costliest disasters in the last decade in the United States (Hurricanes Irene and Sandy, two sets of tornado outbreaks, and flooding in Louisiana) through the lens of Twitter. In particular, we explore the frequency of both generic and specific food-security related terms, and quantify the relationship between network size and Twitter activity during disasters. We find differences in tweet volume for keywords depending on disaster type, with people using Twitter more frequently in preparation for Hurricanes, and for real-time or recovery information for tornado and flooding events. Further, we find that people share a host of general disaster and specific preparation and recovery terms during these events. Finally, we find that among all account types, individuals with “average” sized networks are most likely to share information during these disasters, and in most cases, do so more frequently than normal. This suggests that around disasters, an ideal form of social contagion is being engaged in which average people rather than outsized influentials are key to communication. These results provide important context for the type of disaster information and target audiences that may be most useful for disaster communication during varying extreme events

Enhancing Cognitive Function of Healthy Wistar Rats with Aqueous Extract of Centella Asiatica

Background: Centella asiatica (L.) Urb is a native herb from Asian countries such as India, China, and Indonesia. This herb has been widely used as a cure for various diseases. However, studies investigating the aqueous extract of Centella asiatica as a nootropic in healthy individuals are still very limited.Objective: This study aims to investigate the potential of aqueous extract of Centella asiatica in enhancing cognitive function of healthy male Wistar rats.Methods: Rats were randomly allocated to four treatment groups, i.e. without treatment and aqueous Centella asiatica extract at doses of 200, 400 and 800 mg/kg. To determine enhancement of cognitive function, novel object recognition (NOR) test was conducted after the course of treatment. Acetylcholine content was assessed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.Results: There was a significantly high preference index towards the novel object in the NOR test in groups treated with 200 mg/kg and 800 mg/kg of the aqueous extract compared to control. This was further confirmed by a significant increase of brain acetylcholine content in rats treated with 200 mg/kg of the extract.Conclusion: Therefore, this study confirms that the aqueous extract is effective in enhancing cognitive performance of healthy Wistar rats

Attention Maintenance in Novice Drivers: Assessment and Training

All programs assessing attention maintenance inside the vehicle have required eye trackers and either a driving simulator or a specially equipped field vehicle. Ideally, one would like a way to assess attention maintenance that could be implemented on a desktop PC. Additionally, one would like to have a program that could be used to train novice drivers to maintain their attention more safely on the forward roadway. An experiment was run (a) to determine whether a program FOCAL (Focused Concentration and Attention Learning) using a desktop PC could differentiate between the attention maintenance skills of novice and experienced drivers and (b) to determine whether a program that improved the hazard anticipation skills of novice drivers might also improve their attention maintenance skills. FOCAL was able to differentiate between the attention maintenance skills of novice and experienced drivers. However, hazard anticipation training did not improve the attention maintenance skills of the novice drivers

NASA's Analog Missions: Driving Exploration Through Innovative Testing

Human exploration beyond low-Earth orbit (LEO) will require a unique collection of advanced, innovative technologies and the precise execution of complex and challenging operational concepts. One tool we in the Analog Missions Project at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) utilize to validate exploration system architecture concepts and conduct technology demonstrations, while gaining a deeper understanding of system-wide technical and operational challenges, is our analog missions. Analog missions are multi-disciplinary activities that test multiple features of future spaceflight missions in an integrated fashion to gain a deeper understanding of system-level interactions and integrated operations. These missions frequently occur in remote and extreme environments that are representative in one or more ways to that of future spaceflight destinations. They allow us to test robotics, vehicle prototypes, habitats, communications systems, in-situ resource utilization, and human performance as it relates to these technologies. And they allow us to validate architectural concepts, conduct technology demonstrations, and gain a deeper understanding of system-wide technical and operational challenges needed to support crewed missions beyond LEO. As NASA develops a capability driven architecture for transporting crew to a variety of space environments, including the moon, near-Earth asteroids (NEA), Mars, and other destinations, it will use its analog missions to gather requirements and develop the technologies that are necessary to ensure successful human exploration beyond LEO. Currently, there are four analog mission platforms: Research and Technology Studies (RATS), NASA s Extreme Environment Mission Operations (NEEMO), In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU), and International Space Station (ISS) Test bed for Analog Research (ISTAR)

Simon\u27s fundamental rich-get-richer model entails a dominant first-mover advantage

Herbert Simon\u27s classic rich-get-richer model is one of the simplest empirically supported mechanisms capable of generating heavy-tail size distributions for complex systems. Simon argued analytically that a population of flavored elements growing by either adding a novel element or randomly replicating an existing one would afford a distribution of group sizes with a power-law tail. Here, we show that, in fact, Simon\u27s model does not produce a simple power-law size distribution as the initial element has a dominant first-mover advantage, and will be overrepresented by a factor proportional to the inverse of the innovation probability. The first group\u27s size discrepancy cannot be explained away as a transient of the model, and may therefore be many orders of magnitude greater than expected. We demonstrate how Simon\u27s analysis was correct but incomplete, and expand our alternate analysis to quantify the variability of long term rankings for all groups. We find that the expected time for a first replication is infinite, and show how an incipient group must break the mechanism to improve their odds of success. We present an example of citation counts for a specific field that demonstrates a first-mover advantage consistent with our revised view of the rich-get-richer mechanism. Our findings call for a reexamination of preceding work invoking Simon\u27s model and provide an expanded understanding going forward

The AMMA mulid network for aerosol characterization in West Africa

Three ground based portable low power consumption microlidars (MULID) have been built and deployed at three remote sites in Banizoumbou (Niger), Cinzana (Mali) and M'Bour (Senegal) in the framework of the African Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analyses (AMMA) project for the characterization of aerosols optical properties. A description of the instrument and a discussion of the data inversion method, including a careful analysis of measurement uncertainties (systematic and statistical errors) are presented. Some case studies of typical lidar profiles observed over the Banizoumbou site during 2006 are shown and discussed with respect to the AERONET 7-day back-trajectories and the biomass burning emissions from the Combustion Emission database for the AMMA campaign

Majorana: from atomic and molecular, to nuclear physics

In the centennial of Ettore Majorana's birth (1906-1938?), we re-examine some aspects of his fundamental scientific production in atomic and molecular physics, including a not well known short communication. There, Majorana critically discusses Fermi's solution of the celebrated Thomas-Fermi equation for electron screening in atoms and positive ions. We argue that some of Majorana's seminal contributions in molecular physics already prelude to the idea of exchange interactions (or Heisenberg-Majorana forces) in his later workson theoretical nuclear physics. In all his papers, he tended to emphasize the symmetries at the basis of a physical problem, as well as the limitations, rather than the advantages, of the approximations of the method employed.Comment: to appear in Found. Phy

Optimizing technical and economic aspects of off-grid hybrid renewable systems: A case study of Manoka Island, Cameroon

The lack of accessible and reliable electrical energy in Cameroon has become a pervasive obstacle to the nation\u27s progress, with energy availability, quality, and cost identified as key hindrances to development over the past 15 years. Conventional solutions that rely on combustion engines and electrochemical storage systems have proven to be cost-prohibitive, limited in power output, and constrained in capacity. The dependence on traditional diesel generators has perpetuated maintenance challenges and a continuous demand for fuel supply, while the accompanying noise and pollution have restricted their use in residential areas. Recognizing the imperative of reducing dependence on fossil fuels and curbing greenhouse gas emissions, the need for clean and sustainable energy sources has emerged as a critical concern for the advancement of civilization. Against this backdrop, this research endeavors to identify the most cost-effective and efficient blend of renewable energy sources capable of meeting the power requirements of three small communities on Manoka Island, a district of Douala, Cameroon. Through a comprehensive technical, environmental, and economic analysis, this study addresses the substantial energy needs of 334 households, with an average daily power consumption of 1082.90 kWh and a peak electrical load of 183.99 kW. Leveraging the Hybrid Optimization Model for Electric Renewables (HOMER) program, this investigation assesses the feasibility of implementing Hybrid Renewable Energy Systems (HRES) to meet the region\u27s energy demands. The research highlights the most optimal scenario integrating solar panels, wind turbines, battery cells, fuel cell generators, biogas, and an electrolyzer within an off-grid HRES system. Notably, the study demonstrated an absence of idle load, resulting in remarkably low unit energy costs of { \ } $0.1981 and a compelling net present value of$ { \ } 2,209,741. The cost-effective arrangement featured 201 batteries, yielding a project profit of { \ } $ 57,387, with an impressive Internal Rate of Return (IRR) of 9.09%, Return on Investment (ROI) of 6.19%, and a payback period of 8.76 years over a 25-year term. In essence, the insights gleaned from this exploration of hybrid energy systems represent a pioneering case study in sustainable electricity provision. This research significantly contributes to the knowledge base on renewable energy within the nation, underscoring its tremendous potential for sustainable development and energy security