Reconnaissance surveying of Bechevin Bay, AK using satellite-derived bathymetry

Recently, a remote sensing study has been conducted over Bechevin Bay Channel, Alaska as part of a collaboration project between NOAA and the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG). The goal of the study to develop a procedure to prioritize survey areas and plan the annual deployment of Aids to Navigation (AtoN) along the channel. Bechevin Bay is considered a priority for marine surveying because it constitutes the easternmost passage through the Aleutians from the Bering Sea to the Gulf of Alaska. The channel is located in a mud flat area, where every winter the passage is closed due to ice cover. As a result, the path of the channel may change after sea ice has melted. Because of the geographic location of Bechevin Bay, many resources are required in order to conduct an annual survey to map the channel’s path. The surveys are typically conducted by the USCG buoy tenders using small boats and reconnaissance-style single beam lines. This paper presents the use of single-image satellite-derived bathymetry (SDB) as an economic alternative approach. The study compares the performance using different band ratios. Datasets that were used in the study included Landsat 8 and WorldView 2 (WV-2) imagery

Inheritance of resistance to soybean mosaic virus in Phaseolus vulgaris

In cross and backcross populations of the bean cultivar Great Northem 1140 (resistant to soybeam mosaic virus (SMV)) with the susceptible line Black Turtle 2 (a selection of Black Turtle Soup), resistance was conferred by a single but incompletely dominant gene (Smv). In seed lots of individual plants of SMV infected Black Turtle 2 and the cultivar Pioneer, which had been kept in storage for more than a year, virus transmission ranged from 0 to 4 percen

W production at large transverse momentum at the Large Hadron Collider

We study the production of W bosons at large transverse momentum in pp collisions at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). We calculate the complete next-to-leading order (NLO) corrections to the differential cross section. We find that the NLO corrections provide a large increase to the cross section but, surprisingly, do not reduce the scale dependence relative to leading order (LO). We also calculate next-to-next-to-leading-order (NNLO) soft-gluon corrections and find that, although they are small, they significantly reduce the scale dependence thus providing a more stable theoretical prediction.Comment: 12 pages, 7 figure

Calculation of an optimized telescope apodizer for Terrestrial Planet Finder coronagraphic telescope

One of two approaches to implementing NASA's Terrestrial Planet Finder is to build a space telescope that utilizes the techniques of coronagraphy and apodization to suppress diffraction and image exo-planets. We present a method for calculation of a telescope's apodizer which suppresses the side lobes of the image of a star so as to optimally detect an Earth-like planet. Given the shape of a telescope's aperture and given a search region for a detector, we solve an integral equation to determine an amplitude modulation (an apodizer) which suppresses the star's energy in the focal plane search region. The method is quite general and yields as special cases the product apodizer reported by Nisenson and Papaliolios (2001) and the Prolate spheroidal apodizer of Kasdin et al (2002), and Aime et al (2002). We show computer simulations of the apodizers and the corresponding point spread functions for various aperture-detector configurations.Comment: 16 Pages, 9 figures, Accepted for publication in June issue of PAS

Nomenclature of grapevine leafroll-associated putative closteroviruses

Comparative immunoenzymatic (ELISA), immunoelectron microscopic (IEM) and immunoblotting tests were carried out with antisera produced in different laboratories and commercial diagnostic kits on closterolike viruses reported in the literature under the name of grapevine corky bark-associated virus (GCBaV) and grapevine leafroll-associated viruses IIa and IIb (GLRaV IIa and GLRaV IIb). The results of these studies have established that GCBaV is the same as GLRaV IIb and that both viruses are apparently identical to an isolate of GLRaV-2 identified in France, whose designation as the authentic GLRaV 2 is proposed. GLRaV IIa is serologically distinct from all known clostero-like viruses of the grapevine and, therefore, the provisional name of grapevine leafroll-associated Virus 6 (GLRaV-6) is suggested for it

Regulating pharmacists as contraception providers: a qualitative study from Coastal Kenya on injectable contraception provision to youth

Introduction Young people worldwide are often reticent to access family planning services from public health facilities: instead, they choose to get contraception from private, retail pharmacies. In Kenya, certain contraceptives are available in pharmacies: these include injectables, which can be dispensed but not administered, according national guidelines. However, Kenya struggles with enforcement of its pharmacy regulations and addressing illegal activity. Therefore, in this qualitative study, we assessed private pharmacies as an existing source of injectable contraception for young Kenyans (age 18–24), and investigated the perceived quality of service provision. Methods This study used: focus group discussions (6) with young community members; in-depth interviews (18) with youth who had purchased contraception from pharmacies; key informant interviews with pharmacy personnel and pharmacy stakeholders (25); and a mystery shopper (visiting 45 pharmacies). Results The study found that for injectable contraception, private pharmacies had expanded to service provision, and pharmacy personnel’s roles had transcended formal or informal training previously received–young people could both purchase and be injected in many pharmacies. Pharmacies were perceived to lack consistent quality or strong regulation, resulting in young clients, pharmacy personnel, and regulators being concerned about illegal activity. Participants’ suggestions to improve pharmacy service quality and regulation compliance focused on empowering consumers to demand quality service; strengthening regulatory mechanisms; expanding training opportunities to personnel in private pharmacies; and establishing a quality-based ‘brand’ for pharmacies. Discussion Kenya’s recent commitments to universal health coverage and interest in revising pharmacy policy provide an opportunity to improve pharmacy quality. Multi-pronged initiatives with both public and private partners are needed to improve pharmacy practice, update and enforce regulations, and educate the public. Additionally, the advent of self-administrable injectables present a new possible role for pharmacies, and could offer young clients a clean, discreet place to self-inject, with pharmacy personnel serving as educators and dispensers

Determining shelving accuracy via sampling in a community college library

During the Fall 2017 semester, staff at the Hudson County Community College (HCCC), Library began to notice that many books listed as available in the catalog were often not being found on the shelves when patrons attempted to retrieve them. This situation puzzled library leadership because HCCC had recently conducted an inventory and removed all missing items from its holdings. To determine the cause of this discrepancy, HCCC staff decided to sample the library’s collection to determine if books were available at the expected locations. From this, the library found that a high percentage of its books were not present where they were expected to be. In response, library staff implemented a variety of changes to HCCC\u27s shelving and access services operations

Laser and electron deflection from transverse asymmetries in laser-plasma accelerators.

We report on the deflection of laser pulses and accelerated electrons in a laser-plasma accelerator (LPA) by the effects of laser pulse front tilt and transverse density gradients. Asymmetry in the plasma index of refraction leads to laser steering, which can be due to a density gradient or spatiotemporal coupling of the laser pulse. The transverse forces from the skewed plasma wave can also lead to electron deflection relative to the laser. Quantitative models are proposed for both the laser and electron steering, which are confirmed by particle-in-cell simulations. Experiments with the BELLA Petawatt Laser are presented which show controllable 0.1-1 mrad laser and electron beam deflection from laser pulse front tilt. This has potential applications for electron beam pointing control, which is of paramount importance for LPA applications