Spectral mixture modeling: Further analysis of rock and soil types at the Viking Lander sites

A new image processing technique was applied to Viking Lander multispectral images. Spectral endmembers were defined that included soil, rock and shade. Mixtures of these endmembers were found to account for nearly all the spectral variance in a Viking Lander image

Compositional variability of the Martian surface

Spectral reflectance data from Viking Landers and Orbiters and from telescopic observations were analyzed with the objective of isolating compositional information about the Martian surface and assessing compositional variability. Two approaches were used to calibrate the data to reflectance to permit direct comparisons with laboratory reference spectra of well characterized materials. In Viking Lander multispectral images (six spectral bands) most of the spectral variation is caused by changes in lighting geometry within individual scenes, from scene to scene, and over time. Lighting variations are both wavelength independent and wavelength dependent. By calibrating lander image radiance values to reflectance using spectral mixture analysis, the possible range of compositions was assessed with reference to a collection of laboratory samples, also resampled to the lander spectral bands. All spectra from the lander images studied plot (in six-space) within a planar triangle having at the apexes the respective spectra of tan basaltic palagonite, gray basalt, and shale. Within this plane all lander spectra fit as mixtures of these three endmembers. Reference spectra that plot outside of the triangle are unable to account for the spectral variation observed in the images

First Results from Photon Multiplicity Detector at RHIC

We present the first measurement of multiplicity and pseudorapidity distributions of photons in the pseudorapidity region 2.3 < eta < 3.7 for different centralities in Au + Au collisions at sqrt{s_NN} = 62.4 GeV. The pseudorapidity distribution of photons, dominated by neutral pion decays, has been compared to those of identified charged pions, photons, and inclusive charged particles from heavy ion and nucleon-nucleon collisions at various energies. Scaling of photon yield with number of participating nucleons and limiting fragmentation scenario for inclusive photon production has been studied.Comment: Talk given at 5th International Conference on Physics and Astrophysics of Quark Gluon Plasma (February 8 - 12, 2005); 4 pages and 6 figure

Exploring Design Thinking Practices in Evaluation

Background: Design thinking is the process by which the core principles of design are used to problem solve and identify innovative solutions that enahance user experience.   Purpose: The purpose of this article is to introduce the concept of design thinking and explore the basic principles of design thinking within the context of the evaluation. Setting: The design thinking process has been used in various fields to enhance innovation and consumer experience. This article explores how the concepts of design thinking can enhance evaluation practice. Intervention: This article did not require an intervention Research Design: Not applicable  Data Collection and Analysis: Not applicable Findings: We present ideas for adopting design thinking principles into everyday evaluation practice

Properties of particle production at large transverse momentum in Au+Au and Cu+Cu collisions at RHIC

We present the incident energy and system size dependence of the pT spectra for charged pions, protons, and anti-protons using Au+Au and Cu+Cu collisions at Sqrt(sNN) = 62.4 and 200 GeV in STAR experiment at RHIC. Through these measurements in the pT range of 0.2 < pT < 10 GeV/c we conduct a systematic study of the beam energy, system size and particle species dependence of nuclear modification factors and address specific predictions from the quark coalescence models regarding the beam energy dependence of baryon enhancement in the intermediate pT (2 < pT < 6 GeV/c) region.Comment: Talk given at 19th International Conference on Ultra-relativistic Nucleus-Nucleus Collisions: Quark Matter 2006 (QM 2006), Shanghai, China, 14-20 Nov. 200

Women and men with coronary heart disease in three countries : are they treated differently?

Non-medical determinants of medical decision making were investigated in an international research project in the US, in the UK and in Germany. The key question in this paper is whether and to what extent doctors' diagnostic and therapeutic decisions in coronary heart disease (CHD) are influenced by the patients' gender. A factorial experiment with a videotaped patient consultation was conducted. Professional actors played the role of patients with symptoms of CHD. Several alternative versions were taped featuring the same script with patient-actors of different sex, age, race and socio-economic status. The videotapes were presented to a randomly selected sample of 128 primary care physicians in each country. Using an interview with standardized and open-ended questions, physicians were asked how they would diagnose and treat such a patient after they had seen the video. Results show gender differences in the diagnostic strategies of the doctors. Women were asked different questions, a CHD was mentioned more often as a possible diagnosis for men than for women, and physicians were less certain about their diagnosis with female patients. Moreover, results indicate that gender differences in management decisions (therapy and lifestyle advice) are less pronounced and less consistent than in diagnostic decisions. Magnitude of gender effect on doctors' decisions varies between countries with smaller influences in the US. Although patients with identical symptoms were presented, primary care doctors’ behavior differed by patients' gender in all three countries under study. These gender differences suggest that women may be less likely to receive an accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment than men