The Synthesis of Ethyl Alcohol from Acetylene

Introduction. Ethyl Alcohol, its ordinary formation and physical properties. Acetylene and its properties. Its formation from calcium carbide

Remote sensing of physiographic soil units of Bennett County, South Dakota

A study was conducted in Bennett County, South Dakota, to establish a rangeland test site for evaluating the usefulness of ERTS data for mapping soil resources in rangeland areas. Photographic imagery obtained in October, 1970, was analyzed to determine which type of imagery is best for mapping drainage and land use patterns. Imagery of scales ranging from 1:1,000,000 to 1.20,000 was used to delineate soil-vegetative physiographic units. The photo characteristics used to define physiographic units were texture, drainage pattern, tone pattern, land use pattern and tone. These units will be used as test data for evaluating ERTS data. The physiographic units were categorized into a land classification system. The various categories which were delineated at the different scales of imagery were designed to be useful for different levels of land use planning. The land systems are adequate only for planning of large areas for general uses. The lowest category separated was the facet. The facets have a definite soil composition and represent different soil landscapes. These units are thought to be useful for providing natural resource information needed for local planning

LANDSAT-1 data, its use in a soil survey program

The following applications of LANDSAT imagery were investigated: assistance in recognizing soil survey boundaries, low intensity soil surveys, and preparation of a base map for publishing thematic soils maps. The following characteristics of LANDSAT imagery were tested as they apply to the recognition of soil boundaries in South Dakota and western Minnesota: synoptic views due to the large areas covered, near-orthography and lack of distortion, flexibility of selecting the proper season, data recording in four parts of the spectrum, and the use of computer compatible tapes. A low intensity soil survey of Pennington County, South Dakota was completed in 1974. Low intensity inexpensive soil surveys can provide the data needed to evaluate agricultural land for the remaining counties until detailed soil surveys are completed. In using LANDSAT imagery as a base map for publishing thematic soil maps, the first step was to prepare a mosaic with 20 LANDSAT scenes from several late spring passes in 1973

ReCount: A multi-experiment resource of analysis-ready RNA-seq gene count datasets

<p>Abstract</p> <p>1 Background</p> <p>RNA sequencing is a flexible and powerful new approach for measuring gene, exon, or isoform expression. To maximize the utility of RNA sequencing data, new statistical methods are needed for clustering, differential expression, and other analyses. A major barrier to the development of new statistical methods is the lack of RNA sequencing datasets that can be easily obtained and analyzed in common statistical software packages such as R. To speed up the development process, we have created a resource of analysis-ready RNA-sequencing datasets.</p> <p>2 Description</p> <p>ReCount is an online resource of RNA-seq gene count tables and auxilliary data. Tables were built from raw RNA sequencing data from 18 different published studies comprising 475 samples and over 8 billion reads. Using the Myrna package, reads were aligned, overlapped with gene models and tabulated into gene-by-sample count tables that are ready for statistical analysis. Count tables and phenotype data were combined into Bioconductor ExpressionSet objects for ease of analysis. ReCount also contains the Myrna manifest files and R source code used to process the samples, allowing statistical and computational scientists to consider alternative parameter values.</p> <p>3 Conclusions</p> <p>By combining datasets from many studies and providing data that has already been processed from. fastq format into ready-to-use. RData and. txt files, ReCount facilitates analysis and methods development for RNA-seq count data. We anticipate that ReCount will also be useful for investigators who wish to consider cross-study comparisons and alternative normalization strategies for RNA-seq.</p

Remote sensing techniques for mapping range sites and estimating range yield

Image interpretation procedures for determining range yield and for extrapolating range information were investigated for an area of the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in southwestern South Dakota. Soil and vegetative data collected in the field utilizing a grid sampling design and digital film data from color infrared film and black and white films were analyzed statistically using correlation and regression techniques. The pattern recognition techniques used were K-class, mode seeking, and thresholding. The herbage yield equation derived for the detailed test site was used to predict yield for an adjacent similar field. The herbage yield estimate for the adjacent field was 1744 lbs. of dry matter per acre and was favorably compared to the mean yield of 1830 lbs. of dry matter per acre based upon ground observations. Also an inverse relationship was observed between vegetative cover and the ratio of MSS 5 to MSS 7 of ERTS-1 imagery

Distance Functions and Attribute Weighting in a K-Nearest Neighbors Classifier

To assess environmental health of a stream, field, or other ecological object, characteristics of that object should be compared to a set of reference objects known to be healthy. Using streams as objects, we propose a k-nearest neighbors algorithm (Bates Prins and Smith, 2006) to find the appropriate set of reference streams to use as a comparison set for any given test stream. Previously, investigations of the k-nearest neighbors algorithm have utilized a variety of distance functions, the best of which has been the Interpolated Value Difference Metric (IVDM), proposed by Wilson and Martinez (1997). We propose two alternatives to the IVDM: Wilson and Martinez\u27s Windowed Value Difference Metric (WVDM) and the Density-Based Value Difference Metric (DBVDM) developed by Wojna (2005). We extend the WVDM and DBVDM to handle continuous response variables and compare these distance measures to the IVDM within the ecological k-nearest neighbors context. Additionally, we compare two existing attribute weighting schemes (Wojna 2005) when applied to the IVDM, WVDM, and DBVDM, and we propose a new attribute weighting method for use with these distance functions as well. In assessing environmental impairment, the WVDM and DBVDM were slight improvements over the IVDM. Attribute weighting also increased the effectiveness of the k-nearest neighbors algorithm in this ecological setting. This research was supported by NSF grant NSF-DMS 0552577 and was conducted during an 8-week summer research experience for undergraduates (REU)

Use of remote sensing techniques for inventorying and planning utilization of land resources in South Dakota

The basic procedures for interpreting remote sensing imagery to rapidly develop general soils and land use inventories were developed and utilized in Pennington County, South Dakota. These procedures and remote sensing data products were illustrated and explained to many user groups, some of whom are interested in obtaining similar data. The general soils data were integrated with land soils data supplied by the county director of equalization to prepare a land value map. A computer print-out of this map indicating a land value for each quarter section is being used in tax reappraisal of Pennington County. The land use data provided the land use planners with the present use of land in Pennington County. Additional uses of remote sensing applications are also discussed including tornado damage assessment, hail damage evaluation, and presentation of soil and land value information on base maps assembled from ERTS-1 imagery

Distance Functions and Attribute Weighting in a K-Nearest Neighbors Classifier

To assess environmental health of a stream, field, or other ecological object, characteristics of that object should be compared to a set of reference objects known to be healthy. Using streams as objects, we propose a k-nearest neighbors algorithm (Bates Prins and Smith, 2006) to find the appropriate set of reference streams to use as a comparison set for any given test stream. Previously, investigations of the k-nearest neighbors algorithm have utilized a variety of distance functions, the best of which has been the Interpolated Value Difference Metric (IVDM), proposed by Wilson and Martinez (1997). We propose two alternatives to the IVDM: Wilson and Martinez\u27s Windowed Value Difference Metric (WVDM) and the Density-Based Value Difference Metric (DBVDM) developed by Wojna (2005). We extend the WVDM and DBVDM to handle continuous response variables and compare these distance measures to the IVDM within the ecological k-nearest neighbors context. Additionally, we compare two existing attribute weighting schemes (Wojna 2005) when applied to the IVDM, WVDM, and DBVDM, and we propose a new attribute weighting method for use with these distance functions as well. In assessing environmental impairment, the WVDM and DBVDM were slight improvements over the IVDM. Attribute weighting also increased the effectiveness of the k-nearest neighbors algorithm in this ecological setting. This research was supported by NSF grant NSF-DMS 0552577 and was conducted during an 8-week summer research experience for undergraduates (REU)

Thermodynamic Modeling of the Chemical Composition of Calcine at the Idaho Nuclear Technology and Engineering Center

To send calcine produced at Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory to the Yucca Mountain Project for disposal, characterization information will be required. To sample calcine from its existing storage location would require extensive personnel exposure. Sufficient analyses of the chemical composition of the calcine would be extremely difficult and very expensive. In support of characterization development, the chemical composition of calcine from Bin 3 of Calcine Solid Storage Facility II was thermodynamic modeled. This calcine was produced in the Waste Calcination Facility during its second processing campaign, operating with indirect heating at 400 C and 0.744 bar (0.734 atm) during processing of aluminum high-level liquid waste (first cycle extraction raffinate from reprocessing aluminum-clad fuels) from tanks WM-180 and -182 from December 27, 1966 through August 26, 1967. The current modeling effort documents the input compositional data (liquid feed and calciner off-gas) for Batches 300 - 620 and a methodology for estimating the calcine chemical composition. The results, along with assumptions and limitations of the thermodynamic calculations, will serve as a basis for benchmarking subsequent calculations. This will be done by comparing the predictions against extensive analytical results that are currently being obtained on representative samples of the modeled calcine. A commercial free-energy minimization program and database, HSC 5.1, was used to perform the thermodynamic calculations. Currently available experimental data and process information on the calcine were used to make judgments about specific phases and compounds to include and eliminate in the thermodynamic calculations. Some off-gas species were eliminated based on kinetics restrictions evidenced by experimental data and other estimates, and some calcine components and off-gas compounds were eliminated as improbable species (unreliable thermodynamic data). The current Yucca Mountain Project level of concern is 0.1 wt % of individual cations in the waste package. Chemical composition of the individual calcine components was calculated down to 0.02 mol % and 0.09 wt % of metal components of the calcine. The results reproduce closely existing experimental information on calcine chemical and phase composition. This paper discusses specific conditions accepted for the final calculations. The major calcine components, exceeding 0.15 mol % and 0.65 wt %, are: amorphous Al2O3 (85.30 mol %, 81.20 wt %); amorphous NaNO3 (8.23 mol %, 6.53 wt %); dolomite – CaMg 0.9235 (CO3)1.9235 (1.66 mol %, 2.75 wt %); amorphous HgO (0.99 mol %, 2.00 wt %); CaSO4 (0.64 mol %, 0.82 wt %); amorphous KNO3 (0.63 mol %, 0.59 wt %); amorphous Al4B2O9 (0.54 mol %, 1.37 wt %); and amorphous Al18B4O33 (0.16 mol %, 1.57 wt %). Na is present 99.8 % as NaNO3, 99.9 % of K is present as KNO3, and 53 % NOx is NO2(g), showing that the kinetics limiting effects have been empirically accounted for in the modeling. Approximately 87 % of the mercury is in calcine

Characterizing Community-Based Mental Health Services for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Disruptive Behavior Problems

This study describes the characteristics of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) with disruptive behavior problems served in community-based mental health clinics, characterizes psychotherapy process and outcome, and examines differences between children with ASD and a non-ASD comparison group. Results indicate that children with ASD served in this setting are high functioning and diagnostically complex. Certain research-based behavioral and cognitive behavioral psychotherapeutic strategies were observed frequently, while parent training strategies and active teaching strategies were observed less frequently. The intensity or thoroughness with which strategies were pursued was relatively low. Outcome analyses indicate improvement in child symptoms and family functioning. Treatment delivery and outcome were similar for children with and without ASD. These findings represent the first detailed observational data characterizing community-based mental health services for children with ASD