Application of Remote Sensing to the Chesapeake Bay Region. Volume 2: Proceedings

A conference was held on the application of remote sensing to the Chesapeake Bay region. Copies of the papers, resource contributions, panel discussions, and reports of the working groups are presented

Application of Remote Sensing to the Chesapeake Bay Region. Volume 1: Executive summary

The proceedings are presented of a conference, jointly sponsored by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the University of Maryland. The purpose of the Conference was to assemble representatives of federal and state government agencies engaged in research on the condition and evolution of the Chesapeake Bay to compose a status report, to present current activities and future plans, and to recommend a long-range future course of policies and programs

Illicit Activity Detection in Large-Scale Dark and Opaque Web Social Networks

Many online chat applications live in a grey area between the legitimate web and the dark net. The Telegram network in particular can aid criminal activities. Telegram hosts “chats” which consist of varied conversations and advertisements. These chats take place among automated “bots” and human users. Classifying legitimate activity from illegitimate activity can aid law enforcement in finding criminals. Social network analysis of Telegram chats presents a difficult problem. Users can change their username or create new accounts. Users involved in criminal activity often do this to obscure their identity. This makes establishing the unique identity behind a given username challenging. Thus we explored classifying users from their language usage in their chat messages.The volume and velocity of Telegram chat data place it well within the domain of big data. Machine learning and natural language processing (NLP) tools are necessary to classify this chat data. We developed NLP tools for classifying users and the chat group to which their messages belong. We found that legitimate and illegitimate chat groups could be classified with high accuracy. We also were able to classify bots, humans, and advertisements within conversations

GeneLink: a database to facilitate genetic studies of complex traits

BACKGROUND: In contrast to gene-mapping studies of simple Mendelian disorders, genetic analyses of complex traits are far more challenging, and high quality data management systems are often critical to the success of these projects. To minimize the difficulties inherent in complex trait studies, we have developed GeneLink, a Web-accessible, password-protected Sybase database. RESULTS: GeneLink is a powerful tool for complex trait mapping, enabling genotypic data to be easily merged with pedigree and extensive phenotypic data. Specifically designed to facilitate large-scale (multi-center) genetic linkage or association studies, GeneLink securely and efficiently handles large amounts of data and provides additional features to facilitate data analysis by existing software packages and quality control. These include the ability to download chromosome-specific data files containing marker data in map order in various formats appropriate for downstream analyses (e.g., GAS and LINKAGE). Furthermore, an unlimited number of phenotypes (either qualitative or quantitative) can be stored and analyzed. Finally, GeneLink generates several quality assurance reports, including genotyping success rates of specified DNA samples or success and heterozygosity rates for specified markers. CONCLUSIONS: GeneLink has already proven an invaluable tool for complex trait mapping studies and is discussed primarily in the context of our large, multi-center study of hereditary prostate cancer (HPC). GeneLink is freely available at

Experiments to Determine the Radiation Stability of UN Dispersions in Stainless Steel

A controlled radiation experiment was performed to determine the stability of fuel containing 28 wt.% UN dispersed in and clad with Type 318 stainless steel as compared with fuel containing 30 wt.% UO/sub 2/ dispersed in the same material. The specimens were prepared by hot rolling the fuel coupons in Type 318 stainless steel using the picture-frame technique for initial bonding and reduction. Final dimensions were obtained by cold rolling. A special radiation capsule was designed which contained heat control and enough thermocouples to ensure a good continuoustemperature history throughout the test. This capsule and the method by which the specimens were loaded are discussed in some detail. Because of the capsule instrumentatton. the known MTR position into which the capsule was placed. and the dostmeters placed tn the capsule it was possible to obtain a complete flux and temperature history of the capsule during the irradiation. When it was estimated that the specimen burnup was about 7.2 at.% of uranium-235 the capsule was removed from the reactor and returned to the Battelle Hot-Cell Facility. The postirradiation examination which consisted of fission-gas analysis, density and dimensional determinations, radiochemical and isotropic burnup analysis, and metallography is discussed completely in the report. The results of the various phases of the experiment are discussed and conclusions are drawn on the basis of an integrated evaluation. These results indicate that the UN dispersions withstood irradiation at temperatures of 1500 to 2000 tained F and at burnups of 3.5 to 5.0 at.% of the uranium-235 at least as well as the UO/sub 2/ dispersions. These conclusions indicate the potential of UN as a high-temperature fuel, however, it is also obvious that many additional radiation experiments are required. (auth