Team Loving and Loathing: Emotional Determinants of Consumption in Collegiate Football

The popularity of collegiate football in America is unprecedented. The fan frenzy surrounding teams, games, and the sport itself, is borderline barmy. Aptly described as the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat, fan emotions in college football are rampant; yet, research exploring such hedonic-related consumption is scant. To help close this gap, two studies, grounded in Mehrabian & Russell’s (1974) pleasure, arousal, and dominance (PAD) typology of emotions, were developed to help explain collegiate football sport consumption for loved and loathed teams. Study 1 examined PAD emotional determinants of fans’ purchase intentions and willingness to attend games of their favorite team. The findings indicated that the emotional dimension of arousal related positively with fans’ apparel and memorabilia purchase intentions and willingness to attend games; also, the pleasure and dominance emotional dimensions related positively to purchase intentions of apparel and memorabilia, respectively. Study 2 explored PAD emotional determinants of fans’ willingness to attend games involving their least favorite team. The findings revealed significant positive effects for the emotional dimensions of pleasure, arousal, and dominance on willingness to attend collegiate football games. Implications for sports marketers and future research suggestions are offered

Meteorological services annual data report for 2012

This document presents the meteorological data collected at Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL) by Meteorological Services (Met Services) for the calendar year 2012. The purpose is to publicize the data sets available to emergency personnel, researchers and facility operations. Met services has been collecting data at BNL since 1949. Data from 1994 to the present is available in digital format. Data is presented in monthly plots of one-minute data. This allows the reader the ability to peruse the data for trends or anomalies that may be of interest to them. Full data sets are available to BNL personnel and to a limited degree outside researchers. The full data sets allow plotting the data on expanded time scales to obtain greater details (e.g., daily solar variability, inversions, etc.)

Pumping Capacity of Pitched Blade Impellers in a Tall Vessel with a Draught Tube

A study was made of the pumping capacity of pitched blade impellers (two, three, four, five and six blade pitched blade impellers with pitch angles α = 35° and 45°) coaxially located in a cylindrical pilot plant vessel with cylindrical draught tube provided with a standard dished bottom. The draught tube was equipped with four equally spaced radial baffles above the impeller pumping liquid upwards towards the liquid surface. In all investigated cases the liquid aspect ratio H/T = 1.2 - 1.5, the draught tube / vessel diameter ratios DT /T = 0.2 and 0.4 and the impeller / draught tube diameter ratio D/DT = 0.875. The pumping capacity of the impeller was calculated from the radial profile of the axial component of the mean velocity in the draught tube below the impeller at such an axial distance from the impeller that the rotor does not affect the vorticity of the flow. The mean velocity was measured using a laser Doppler anemometer with forward scatter mode in a transparent draught tube and a transparent vessel of diameter T = 400 mm. Two series of experiments were performed, both of them under a turbulent regime of flow of the agitated liquid. First, the optimum height of the dished bottom was sought, and then the dependences of the dimensionless flow rate criterion and the impeller power number on the number of impeller blades were determined for both pitch angles tested under conditions of optimum ratio HT /DT. It follows from the results of the experiments that the optimum ratio HT /DT = 0.25 when the cross sectional areas of the horizontal flow around the bottom and the vertical inflow to the draught tube are the same. For all the tested pitched blade impellers the impeller power number when α = 45° exceeds the value of this quantity when pitch angle α  =   35°, while the flow rate number when α = 35° exceeds this quantity when α = 45°. On the other hand, the absolute values of the impeller power number when the draught tube was introduced correspond fairly well to the dimensionless impeller power input measured in a system without a draught tube. However, the absolute values of the flow rate number found in the former system are significantly lower than the dimensionless impeller pumping capacity determined in the latter system. The hydraulic efficiency of pitched blade impellers N3Qp/Po for the investigated geometry of the agitated systems does not depend on the number of impeller blades, but it is significantly lower than the quantity determined in an agitated system with a dished bottom but without the draught tube

Using CO2 Lidar for Standoff Detection of a Perfluorocarbon Tracer in Air

The Tag, Track and Location System Program (TTL) is investigating the use of PFTs as tracers for tagging and tracking items of interest or fallen soldiers. In order for the tagging and tracking to be valuable there must be a location system that can detect the PFTs. This report details the development of an infrared lidar platform for standoff detection of PFTs released into the air from a tagged object or person. Furthering work performed using a table top lidar system in an indoor environment; a mobile mini lidar platform was assembled using an existing Raman lidar platform, a grating tunable CO{sub 2} IR laser, Judson HgCdTe detector and miscellaneous folding optics and electronics. The lidar achieved {approx}200 ppb-m sensitivity in laboratory and indoor testing and was then successfully demonstrated at an outdoor test. The lidar system was able to detect PFTs released into a vehicle from a distance of 100 meters. In its final, fully optimized configuration the lidar was capable of repeatedly detecting PFTs in the air released from tagged vehicles. Responses were immediate and clear. This report details the results of a proof-of-concept demonstration for standoff detection of a perfluorocarbon tracer (PFT) using infrared lidar. The project is part of the Tag, Track and Location System Program and was performed under a contract with Tracer Detection Technology Corp. with funding from the Office of Naval Research. A lidar capable of detecting PFT releases at distance was assembled by modifying an existing Raman lidar platform by incorporating a grating tunable CO{sub 2} IR laser, Judson HgCdTe detector and miscellaneous folding optics and electronics. The lidar achieved {approx}200 ppb-m sensitivity in laboratory and indoor testing and was successfully demonstrated at an outdoor test. The demonstration test (scripted by the sponsor) consisted of three parked cars, two of which were tagged with the PFT. The cars were located 70 (closest) to 100 meters (farthest) from the lidar (the lidar beam path was limited by site constraints and was {approx}100 meters). When one door of each of the cars was opened (sequentially), the lidar was clearly able to determine which vehicles had been tagged and which one was not. The lidar is probably capable of greater than 0.5 kilometer standoff distances based on the extreme amount of signal return achieved (so much that the system had to be de-tuned). The BNL lidar system, while optimized to the extent possible with available parts and budget, was not as sensitive as it could be. Steps to improve the lidar are detailed in this report and include using a better laser system (for more stable power output), dual wavelengths (to improve the sensitivity and allow common mode noise reduction and to allow the use of the lidar in a scanning configuration), heterodyning (for range resolved PFT detection) and an off-axis optical configuration (for improved near field sensitivity)

Nanoscale mobility mapping in semiconducting polymer films

This work was supported by grant No 19-12-00066 of the Russian Science Foundation.Local electrical properties of thin films of the polymer PTB7 are studied by conductive atomic force microscopy (C-AFM). Non-uniform nanoscale current distribution in the neat PTB7 film is revealed and connected with the existence of ordered PTB7 crystallites. The shape of local I-V curves is explained by the presence of space charge limited current. We modify an existing semi-empirical model for estimation of the nanoscale hole mobility from our experimental C-AFM measurements. The procedure of nanoscale charge mobility estimation was described and applied to the PTB7 films. The calculated average C-AFM hole mobility is in good agreement with macroscopic values reported for this material. Mapping of nanoscale hole mobility was achieved using the described procedure. Local mobility values, influenced by nanoscale structure, vary more than two times in value and have a root-mean-square value 0.22 × 10−8 m2/(Vs), which is almost 20% from average hole mobility.PostprintPeer reviewe

Development of a cement-polymer close-coupled subsurface barrier technology

The primary objective of this project was to further develop close-coupled barrier technology for the containment of subsurface waste or contaminant migration. A close-coupled barrier is produced by first installing a conventional cement grout curtain followed by a thin inner lining of a polymer grout. The resultant barrier is a cement polymer composite that has economic benefits derived from the cement and performance benefits from the durable and chemically resistant polymer layer. The technology has matured from a regulatory investigation of issues concerning barriers and barrier materials to a pilot-scale, multiple individual column injections at Sandia National Labs (SNL) to full scale demonstration. The feasibility of this barrier concept was successfully proven in a full scale ``cold site`` demonstration at Hanford, WA. Consequently, a full scale deployment of the technology was conducted at an actual environmental restoration site at Brookhaven National Lab (BNL), Long Island, NY. This paper discusses the installation and performance of a technology deployment implemented at OU-1 an Environmental Restoration Site located at BNL

Angle-Resolved Photoelectron Spectroscopy of C60

Angle-resolved photoelectron spectra of gaseous C60 were recorded in the photon energy regions from 21 to 108 eV and from 295 to 320 eV. Partial cross sections σ and the angular distribution anisotropy parameter β vary significantly with photon energy, particularly in the near-threshold region of the valence and the core ionization regimes. Some of these effects may be attributed to scattering of the outgoing photoelectron by the atoms of the ionized C60 molecule. Our results indicate that the observed satellites of the C(1s) main line are most likely of shake-up character. Low-energy electrons emitted below the shake-off threshold indicate the occurrence of K-shell vacancy filling double Auger decay

Design of Modular, Shape-transitioning Inlets for a Conical Hypersonic Vehicle

For a hypersonic vehicle, propelled by scramjet engines, integration of the engines and airframe is highly desirable. Thus, the forward capture shape of the engine inlet should conform to the vehicle body shape. Furthermore, the use of modular engines places a constraint on the shape of the inlet sidewalls. Finally, one may desire a combustor cross- section shape that is different from that of the inlet. These shape constraints for the inlet can be accommodated by employing a streamline-tracing and lofting technique. This design technique was developed by Smart for inlets with a rectangular-to-elliptical shape transition. In this paper, we generalise that technique to produce inlets that conform to arbitrary shape requirements. As an example, we show the design of a body-integrated hypersonic inlet on a winged-cone vehicle, typical of what might be used in a three-stage orbital launch system. The special challenge of inlet design for this conical vehicle at an angle-of-attack is also discussed. That challenge is that the bow shock sits relatively close to the vehicle body

Recognizing Treelike k-Dissimilarities

A k-dissimilarity D on a finite set X, |X| >= k, is a map from the set of size k subsets of X to the real numbers. Such maps naturally arise from edge-weighted trees T with leaf-set X: Given a subset Y of X of size k, D(Y) is defined to be the total length of the smallest subtree of T with leaf-set Y . In case k = 2, it is well-known that 2-dissimilarities arising in this way can be characterized by the so-called "4-point condition". However, in case k > 2 Pachter and Speyer recently posed the following question: Given an arbitrary k-dissimilarity, how do we test whether this map comes from a tree? In this paper, we provide an answer to this question, showing that for k >= 3 a k-dissimilarity on a set X arises from a tree if and only if its restriction to every 2k-element subset of X arises from some tree, and that 2k is the least possible subset size to ensure that this is the case. As a corollary, we show that there exists a polynomial-time algorithm to determine when a k-dissimilarity arises from a tree. We also give a 6-point condition for determining when a 3-dissimilarity arises from a tree, that is similar to the aforementioned 4-point condition.Comment: 18 pages, 4 figure

Feeding synthetic zeolite to transition dairy cows alters neutrophil gene expression.

Synthetic zeolites are used to control the availability of dietary minerals (e.g., Ca, Mg, and P) in dairy cows. Due to calcium demand increasing with lactation onset, most cows become hypocalcemic immediately postpartum, which likely contributes to poorer immune function because calcium is important for immune cell signaling. To overcome postpartum hypocalcemia, we fed transition cows synthetic zeolite A (sodium aluminosilicate) precalving and hypothesized that it would alter calcium and thus neutrophil function during the transition period. Multiparous Holstein-Friesian cows in late gestation were randomly allocated to an untreated control group (n = 10) or a treatment group in which each cow received 500 g of zeolite A daily (n = 10) for 14 d prior to the expected calving date (actual duration = 17 ± 3 d prepartum). The cows grazed pasture, and each was supplemented with 2 kg/d of maize silage (dry matter basis), with or without zeolite, until calving. Blood samples for neutrophil isolation and analysis of plasma indicators of mineral status, energy status, liver function, and inflammation were collected pretreatment (covariate; d -19); on d -14 and -7 precalving; on the day of calving (d 0); and on d 1, 4, 7, and 28 postcalving. Neutrophils were isolated and gene expression was analyzed using microfluidic gene expression arrays. Neutrophil respiratory burst was assessed using stimulation with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate and flow cytometry. Plasma calcium and phosphorus revealed a treatment by time interaction; cows offered zeolite had greater plasma calcium concentrations at d 0, 1, and 4 postcalving and plasma phosphorus concentrations were lower in zeolite-treated cows during the precalving period until d 1 postcalving compared with control animals. Zeolite treatment downregulated neutrophil gene expression of CXCR4 and S100A8 and tended to lower gene expression for other immune mediators (CXCR1, IFNG, S100A12, and S100A9) compared with the control. Zeolite treatment did not affect neutrophil respiratory burst or expression of the other genes investigated. Plasma concentrations of cytokine IL-6 were reduced with zeolite treatment, which was most evident immediately postcalving (d 0, 1, and 7). Overall, feeding zeolite precalving had few effects on neutrophil gene expression and function; however, the lower gene expression of neutrophil inflammatory mediators may be due to altered availability of dietary minerals prepartum and indicates that zeolite A may control inflammation during the transition period