Empirical studies of upper atmospheric species

The first month of spin-scan ozone imaging (SOI) data (October 1981) was processed and compared with total ozone mapping spectrometer and ground based data. Short term variations in the ozone field have been revealed using animated sequences of SOI data. High correlations were observed between SOI ozone and upper tropospheric meteorological data. The relationship between ozone and temperature in the stratosphere was investigated by examining Nimbus 4 backscattered ultraviolet ozone and selective chopper radiometer temperature measurements as well as solar Nimbus 7 solar backscattered ultraviolet ozone and stratospheric and mesospheric sounder temperature measurements. Results from these ozone temperature studies were compared with calculations from theoretical 2-D models. All of the lims infrared monitor of the stratosphere data was processed at 10 pressure levels and correlations between various species have been performed. The Venus Atmospheric Drag model was modified taking into account recent investigations on the Venus thermosphere and the resulting model was considered for incorporation into the Venus International Reference Atmosphere

Study of Chromium-Frit-Type Coatings for High-Temperature Protection of Molybdenum

The achievement of more compact and efficient power plants for aircraft is dependent, among other factors, on the perfection of heat-resisting materials that are superior to those in current use. Molybdenum is one of the high-melting metals (melting point, 4750 F). It is fairly abundant and also can be worked into many of the shapes required in modern power plants. To permit its widespread use at elevated temperatures, however, some means must first be found to prevent its rapid oxidation. The application of a protective coating is one method that might be used to achieve this goal. In the present work, a number of chromium-frit-type coatings were studied. These were bonded to molybdenum specimens by firing in controlled atmospheres to temperatures in the range of 2400 to 2700 F

Projecting a High-School Quarterback’s Performance at the Collegiate Level: A Comparison of the Rivals, 247 Sports, and ESPN Recruiting Ratings

We examine recruiting ratings for high-school quarterbacks over the period 2006-2012 from Rivals, 247 Sports, and ESPN.  Using Lee & Preacher’s (2013) test of the difference between two dependent correlations with one variable in common and ordinary least squares regression, we determine that the Rivals ratings have the strongest correlation with quarterback performance over the time-period examined.  The 247 Sports ratings follow closely behind the Rivals ratings; however, the ESPN ratings correlate more weakly with a quarterback’s career performance in college

Exposure of bald eagle nestlings to contaminants on National Park Service lands within the Chesapeake Bay

We examined breeding performance (N=921) and nestling exposure (N=25 nests) to heavy metals (cadmium, lead, mercury), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs - 91 congeners) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs - 11 compounds) for bald eagles nesting on National Park Service (NPS) and associated lands within the Chesapeake Bay (2016-2018). Nesting pairs on NPS lands were consistently more successful and had higher reproductive rates compared to other pairs along the James/York River study area but these differences were not statistically significant. Mean reproductive rates were above the level believed to be required for population maintenance for all areas examined. Blood concentrations of heavy metals were generally low and varied between metals examined. Cadmium did not exceed the level-of-detection (LOD) for any sample. Detection frequencies for Lead and Mercury were 86 and 100% respectively. Lead concentrations (range = 0.21-0.88, geometric mean = 0.49 ?g/g ww) were low and no sample exceeded the level (?g/dL) believed to represent background for raptors. Blood concentrations (range = 0.106-0.903, geometric mean = 0.335 ?g/g ww) of mercury were toward the lower to middle range of values reported from other studies of nestlings. Broods reared around lakes or tidal-fresh reaches had higher concentrations than broods reared around high-saline waters. No samples approached the general threshold (\u3e3.0 ?g/g ww) believed to result in possible reproductive impacts. Total PCB concentrations estimated during this study (range = 1.35-23.51, geometric mean = 6.34 ng/g ww) were on the low end of values reported from other regions. A cluster of the highest values were found within the lower James River. However, the highest values represented approximately 10% of the threshold (190 ng/g ww) suggested for reproductive impairment and 50% of the threshold (36 µg/kg) suggested for no-observed-adverse-effect-level (NOEL). Total OCP concentrations (range = 0.87-8.78, geometric mean = 2.68 ng/g ww) were lower than those reported from most other populations. p,p\u27-DDE was the most widespread pesticide compound and accounted for 93% of the total OCP values. Concentrations of p,p\u27-DDE (range = 0.6-8.78, geometric mean of 2.41 ng/g ww) were all below the level suggested for reproductive impairment (28 ng/g ww) and below the NOEL (11.4 ng/g ww) for productivity. Total concentrations of PCBs and OCPs were positively correlated (r=0.62,

Fresh-Register Automata

What is a basic automata-theoretic model of computation with names and fresh-name generation? We introduce Fresh-Register Automata (FRA), a new class of automata which operate on an infinite alphabet of names and use a finite number of registers to store fresh names, and to compare incoming names with previously stored ones. These finite machines extend Kaminski and Francez’s Finite-Memory Automata by being able to recognise globally fresh inputs, that is, names fresh in the whole current run. We exam-ine the expressivity of FRA’s both from the aspect of accepted languages and of bisimulation equivalence. We establish primary properties and connections between automata of this kind, and an-swer key decidability questions. As a demonstrating example, we express the theory of the pi-calculus in FRA’s and characterise bisimulation equivalence by an appropriate, and decidable in the finitary case, notion in these automata

State Differentiation by Transient Truncation in Coupled Threshold Dynamics

Dynamics with a threshold input--output relation commonly exist in gene, signal-transduction, and neural networks. Coupled dynamical systems of such threshold elements are investigated, in an effort to find differentiation of elements induced by the interaction. Through global diffusive coupling, novel states are found to be generated that are not the original attractor of single-element threshold dynamics, but are sustained through the interaction with the elements located at the original attractor. This stabilization of the novel state(s) is not related to symmetry breaking, but is explained as the truncation of transient trajectories to the original attractor due to the coupling. Single-element dynamics with winding transient trajectories located at a low-dimensional manifold and having turning points are shown to be essential to the generation of such novel state(s) in a coupled system. Universality of this mechanism for the novel state generation and its relevance to biological cell differentiation are briefly discussed.Comment: 8 pages. Phys. Rev. E. in pres