Parameter identification of nonuniform distributed RC networks

The problem of the unique parameter identification of nonuniform distributed RC networks is addressed in this dissertation. Previous literature provides for the equivalence of distributed networks with respect to the terminal characteristics. Therefore, the question is whether unique parameter identification is even possible. This work settles that question by presenting the sufficient conditions to insure a unique solution to the parameter identification problem. One theorem requires the knowledge of a driving-point impedance, the knowledge of the physical length, and the constraint that the r(x)c(x) product remains constant to insure uniqueness of the parameters r(x) and c(x). Relaxation of the r(x)c(x) product constraint allows for other combinations of r(x) and c(x) which produce identical terminal characteristics, thus destroying the uniqueness property. However, knowledge of a driving-point impedance, of the physical length, and of r(x) is sufficient to uniquely determine c(x). Sufficiency theorems which involve one of the [A,B,C,D] parameters rather than a driving-point impedance are also included. A practical parameter identification routine is then presented in order to find the unknown parameters. A Fletcher-Powell/Davidon unconstrained minimization technique is used although any routine with appropriate convergence properties may be utilized. Examples of parameter identification of known networks are given --Abstract, page iii

“Don\u27t Buy Another Vote. I Won\u27t Pay for a Landslide : The Sordid and Continuing History of Political Corruption in West Virginia

This study documents the long and sordid history of corruption--both perceived and corroborated--in the West Virginia political process. The researcher explores the considerable amounts of money spent by wealthy individuals for election or re-election. It documents the effect of high-cost elections, an effect which in many instances has spawned criminal activity. The author relates ostensibly ceaseless measures of corruption at the executive, legislative, and judicial levels. The findings indicate the existence of problems in West Virginia politics since the State\u27s inception in 1863, including vote buying, vote rigging, undue geographical barriers, and lawlessness leading to numerous declarations of martial law. The research chronicles a weak, ineffectual Ethics Act as well as a lack of statewide prosecutorial power and illuminates a lack of accountability for numerous criminal actions. The data attests that the ongoing practice of corruption has not been confined to one level of government as city, county, state, and even federal candidates have been subject to well warranted scrutiny including the nationally pivotal 1960 West Virginia Primary involving victorious candidate John F. Kennedy, Jr. The author examines Clean Money legislation as one potential avenue to reform providing that no reform will be successful without the elimination of the many advantages available only to incumbents. The researcher obtained information from books, magazines, state and federal cases, national and state newspapers, personal interviews of current and former candidates, elected officials, campaign workers, and citizens. Moreover, the author garnered information from his personal employment history in a governor\u27s office, a United States Congressional office, two state supreme courts, a county prosecuting attorney\u27s office, his work as a Senior Assistant Attorney General, as well as his experiences in campaign work on the county, state, and national levels. The principal initiative of this body of work is to serve as an educational tool promoting a grass roots effort to clean up the State\u27s unfortunate political problems and mitigate voter apathy and cynicism

“Don\u27t Buy Another Vote. I Won\u27t Pay for a Landslide : The Sordid and Continuing History of Political Corruption in West Virginia

This study documents the long and sordid history of corruption--both perceived and corroborated--in the West Virginia political process. The researcher explores the considerable amounts of money spent by wealthy individuals for election or re-election. It documents the effect of high-cost elections, an effect which in many instances has spawned criminal activity. The author relates ostensibly ceaseless measures of corruption at the executive, legislative, and judicial levels. The findings indicate the existence of problems in West Virginia politics since the State\u27s inception in 1863, including vote buying, vote rigging, undue geographical barriers, and lawlessness leading to numerous declarations of martial law. The research chronicles a weak, ineffectual Ethics Act as well as a lack of statewide prosecutorial power and illuminates a lack of accountability for numerous criminal actions. The data attests that the ongoing practice of corruption has not been confined to one level of government as city, county, state, and even federal candidates have been subject to well warranted scrutiny including the nationally pivotal 1960 West Virginia Primary involving victorious candidate John F. Kennedy, Jr. The author examines Clean Money legislation as one potential avenue to reform providing that no reform will be successful without the elimination of the many advantages available only to incumbents. The researcher obtained information from books, magazines, state and federal cases, national and state newspapers, personal interviews of current and former candidates, elected officials, campaign workers, and citizens. Moreover, the author garnered information from his personal employment history in a governor\u27s office, a United States Congressional office, two state supreme courts, a county prosecuting attorney\u27s office, his work as a Senior Assistant Attorney General, as well as his experiences in campaign work on the county, state, and national levels. The principal initiative of this body of work is to serve as an educational tool promoting a grass roots effort to clean up the State\u27s unfortunate political problems and mitigate voter apathy and cynicism

Journal of African Christian Biography: v. 3, no. 1

A publication of the Dictionary of African Christian Biography with U.S. offices located at the Center for Global Christianity and Mission at Boston University. This issue focuses on: 1. “Creole Saga”: The Gambia’s Liberated African Community in the 19th Century: The Stories of J. A. B. Horton, G. C. Nicol, J. R. Maxwell, and J. D. Richards by Asi Florence Mahoney. Introduction by Gabriel Leonard Allen. 2. The Contribution of Daniel William Alexander to the Birth and Growth of Eastern Orthodoxy in East Africa. 3. Biographies by Stephan Hayes and Louise Pirouet. Introduction by Fr. Evangelos Thiani. 4. Recent Print and Digital Resources Related to Christianity in Africa

Rewarding Persistence: Effects of a Performance-Based Scholarship Program for Low-Income Parents

This report describes the impacts of a performance-based scholarship program with a counseling component on academic success and persistence among low-income parents. Students who participated in the program, which was operated at two New Orleans-area colleges as part of MDRC's multisite Opening Doors demonstration, were more likely to stay in school, get higher grades, and earn more credits

On the use of empirical bolometric corrections for stars

When making use of tabulations of empirical bolometric corrections for stars (BC_V), a commonly overlooked fact is that while the zero point is arbitrary, the bolometric magnitude of the Sun (Mbol_Sun) that is used in combination with such tables cannot be chosen arbitrarily. It must be consistent with the zero point of BC_V so that the apparent brightness of the Sun is reproduced. The latter is a measured quantity, for which we adopt the value V_Sun = -26.76 +/- 0.03. Inconsistent values of Mbol_Sun are listed in many of the most popular sources of BC_V. We quantify errors that are introduced by not paying attention to this detail. We also take the opportunity to reprint the BC_V coefficients of the often used polynomial fits by Flower (1996), which were misprinted in the original publication.Comment: 5 pages including 3 tables. To appear in The Astronomical Journa

The astroclimatological comparison of the Paranal Observatory and El Roque de Los Muchachos Observatory

The new extremely large telescope projects need accurate evaluation of the candidate sites. In this paper we present the astroclimatological comparison between the Paranal Observatory, located on the coast of the Atacama Desert (Chile), and the Observatorio del Roque de Los Muchachos (ORM), located in La Palma (Canary Islands). We apply a statistical analysis using long term databases from Paranal and Carlsberg Meridian Telescope (CAMC) weather stations. Significant differences between the two analyzed sites have been found.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS. 11 pages, 12 figures, 12 table