After the Prestige: A Postmodern Analysis of Penn and Teller

By mocking the magic community and revealing the secret behind some of their tricks, Penn and Teller perform a kind of parodic and post-modern “anti-magic.” Penn and Teller display an artful use of rhetoric; in exposing the secrets and shortcomings of conjuring, they are revolutionizing the way people think about both the art of magic and the magic community. Individuals such as Penn and Teller may use parody to subvert the hegemonic interpretations. However, we also know that it is difficult to bring down a system while operating within that system. Thus, this article explores the way Penn and Teller are challenging the metanarrative of the magic community, using several of the duo’s more popular illusions as examples for analysis. Ultimately, this paper should help us gain a better understanding of the way parody can be used to challenge hegemonic conceptions, and the limitations of this type of rhetorical approach

Unmanned Aerial Systems Modeling in a Geographic Information System

The abilities of UAS to gather high-resolution imagery over a given area on a frequent basis are now well-known to those in the construction and excavation industries. Less well known, however, are the ways that UAS data can be used in value-added data analysis. Using real-world examples, this talk explores how UAS data can be used for modeling and monitoring in a geo-graphic information system (GIS)

Method of remotely characterizing thermal properties of a sample

A sample in a wind tunnel is radiated from a thermal energy source outside of the wind tunnel. A thermal imager system, also located outside of the wind tunnel, reads surface radiations from the sample as a function of time. The produced thermal images are characteristic of the heat transferred from the sample to the flow across the sample. In turn, the measured rates of heat loss of the sample are characteristic of the flow and the sample

Radio Variability of Radio Quiet and Radio Loud Quasars

The majority of quasars are weak in their radio emission, with flux densities comparable to those in the optical, and energies far lower. A small fraction, about 10%, are hundreds to thousands of times stronger in the radio. Conventional wisdom holds that there are two classes of quasars, the radio quiets and radio louds, with a deficit of sources having intermediate power. Are there really two separate populations, and if so, is the physics of the radio emission fundamentally different between them? This paper addresses the second question, through a study of radio variability across the full range of radio power, from quiet to loud. The basic findings are that the root mean square amplitude of variability is independent of radio luminosity or radio-to-optical flux density ratio, and that fractionally large variations can occur on timescales of months or less in both radio quiet and radio loud quasars. Combining this with similarities in other indicators, such as radio spectral index and the presence of VLBI-scale components, leads to the suggestion that the physics of radio emission in the inner regions of all quasars is essentially the same, involving a compact, partially opaque core together with a beamed jet.Comment: 32 pages, 9 figures. Astrophysical Journal, in pres

Biology and utilization of anadromous alosids: Annual progress report (October 1, 1967 - September 30, 1968)

Scales were collected from alewife, blueback, American shad and hickory shad in each tidal river system in Virginia at weekly intervals. Reading of alewife scales is complete to date and the alewife catch from the York and Rappahannock Rivers has been analyzed for sex composition and spawning history. Lack of catch records from the James and Potomac Rivers precludes analysis of these populations. Fishing effort in the major rivers during 1968 was equal to that of 1967. The catch of river herring increased approximately .4 million pounds over 19_67 increasing catch per unit of effort to the highest level on record. Catch by pound nets in the upper Rappahannock River was estimated to be 1,654,015 pounds of river herring and 303,731 pounds of shad. In the upper York River, pound nets caught a minimum of 557,486 pounds of river herring and 129,702 pounds of shad with stake gill catch estimated .at 221,124 pounds of shad. River herring spawn in all but a few smaller tributaries of the Rappahannock River between RA32 and RA93; in the Potomac River herring spawn in most Virginia tributaries between PT35 and PT90. Maryland tributaries.were not investigated. Juvenile alosids in.the Rappahannock River began seaward migration during October coincident with lowering river water temperatures

Late Cretaceous to Paleocene Metamorphism and Magmatism in the Funeral Mountains Metamorphic Core Complex, Death Valley, California

Amphibolite-facies Proterozoic metasedimentary rocks below the low-angle Cenozoic Boundary Canyon Detachment record deep crustal processes related to Mesozoic crustal thickening and subsequent extension. A 91.5 ± 1.4 Ma Th-Pb SHRIMP-RG (sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe–reverse geometry) monazite age from garnet-kyanite-staurolite schist constrains the age of prograde metamorphism in the lower plate. Between the Boundary Canyon Detachment and the structurally deeper, subparallel Monarch Spring fault, prograde metamorphic fabrics are overprinted by a pervasive greenschist-facies retrogression, high-strain subhorizontal mylonitic foliation, and a prominent WNW-ESE stretching lineation parallel to corrugations on the Boundary Canyon Detachment. Granitic pegmatite dikes are deformed, rotated into parallelism, and boudinaged within the mylonitic foliation. High-U zircons from one muscovite granite dike yield an 85.8 ± 1.4 Ma age. Below the Monarch Spring fault, retrogression is minor, and amphibolite-facies mineral elongation lineations plunge gently north to northeast. Multiple generations of variably deformed dikes, sills, and leucosomal segregations indicate a more complex history of partial melting and intrusion compared to that above the Monarch Spring fault, but thermobarometry on garnet amphibolites above and below the Monarch Spring fault record similar peak conditions of 620–680 °C and 7–9 kbar, indicating minor (\u3c3–5 km) structural omission across the Monarch Spring fault. Discordant SHRIMP-RG U-Pb zircon ages and 75–88 Ma Th-Pb monazite ages from leucosomal segregations in paragneisses suggest that partial melting of Proterozoic sedimentary protoliths was a source for the structurally higher 86 Ma pegmatites. Two weakly deformed two-mica leucogranite dikes that cut the high-grade metamorphic fabrics below the Monarch Spring fault yield 62.3 ± 2.6 and 61.7 ± 4.7 Ma U-Pb zircon ages, and contain 1.5–1.7 Ga cores. The similarity of metamorphic, leucosome, and pegmatite ages to the period of Sevier belt thrusting and the period of most voluminous Sierran arc magmatism suggests that both burial by thrusting and regional magmatic heating contributed to metamorphism and subsequent partial melting

Responses of lactating holstein cows to differing levels and direction of supplemental airflow

Seven heat-stressed, lactating Holstein cows were exposed to six different cooling systems to evaluate the effects of air velocity and direction of airflow. Cows were arranged in a 7 x 7 Latin-square design. Six cooling treatments were compared with a control. Supplemental airflow was provided by axial flow at one of three velocities: 500, 750, or 900 cubic feet per minute (CFM). Airflow was either from the front to rear (FRT) or from the right side (SIDE) of the cow. Combined cooling treatments were FRT-500, FRT- 750, FRT-900, SIDE-500, SIDE-750, or SIDE-900. All cooling systems used a lowpressure soaking system that operated 1 minute every 5 minutes. Respiration rates, rearudder skin surface temperature, and vaginal temperature were measured and recorded during 2 hours of treatment during seven hot and humid afternoons. Cooling systems reduced respiration rate, rear-udder skin surface temperature, and vaginal temperature. When airflow was 750 or 900 CFM, no differences were observed among treatments. When airflow was 500 CFM, rate of decline of rearudder skin surface temperature and vaginal temperature were reduced, compared with those of other treatments. These results indicate that there was no advantage to increasing airflow more than 750 CFM when using a low-pressure soaking system that wets the cattle every 5 minutes. Differences due to airflow direction were only observed when airflow was reduced to 500 CFM. At 500 CFM, airflow from head to tail was not as effective as from the side. Current recommendations of 750 CFM of airflow directed at the side of the cow are effective in reducing heat stress of lactating dairy cattle.; Dairy Day, 2004, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, 2004

Responses of lactating holstein cows to low-pressure soaking or high-pressure misting during heat stress

Lactating dairy cattle were used to evaluate three different cooling systems. Eight cows were arranged in a replicated Latinsquare design and assigned to each of four treatments. Treatments were control, lowpressure soaking (LPS), high-pressure misting with 1.7 gallons per minute of water (HP-1.7), or high-pressure misting with 3.4 gallons per minute of water (HP-3.4). Cows were allowed to become heat stressed in a free-stall facility, and then were moved to a tie-stall barn for 2 hours of observations during four hot and humid afternoons. Respiration rates declined when heat abatement systems were used. Respiration rates at the end of the observation period were reduced by 20, 36, and 48% for HP-1.7, HP-3.4, and LPS, respectively. Rearudder skin surface temperature was reduced at a faster rate under the HP-4 treatment than with LPS, but the two treatments did not differ in final rear-udder skin surface temperature or vaginal temperature. The HP-3.4 treatment used the greatest amount of water during the 2-hour testing period. The result was a combination of air-cooling and soaking. Results indicated that a combination of air cooling and soaking may result in faster reduction of surface temperature. When only air cooling was used (HP-1.7), heat stress was reduced, but it was less effective than either LPS or HP-3.4. Use of a low-pressure soaking system is superior to high-pressure misting unless cattle become soaked by the high-pressure system.; Dairy Day, 2004, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, 2004

Effect of soaking and misting on respiration rate, body surface temperature, and body temperature of heat stressed dairy cattle

Reducing heat stress is a key issue for dairy producers. Use of feedline soaking and supplemental airflow effectively reduces heat stress and increases milk production and profitability. High-pressure misting allows water to evaporate in the air, reduces air temperature, and increases relative humidity. Misting also soaks the skin of cattle, resulting in additional cooling as water evaporates from skin surfaces, similar to the cooling effect of feedline soaking. Impact of soaking frequency (5-, 10-, or 15-minute intervals) was compared to continuous high-pressure misting. Cows cooled with either system had lower respiration rates, body surface temperatures, and internal body temperatures than controls. Soaking cattle every 5 minutes or 5-minute soaking plus high-pressure misting produced similar body temperatures, but lower (P\u3c0.01) than those when soaking occurred every 10 or 15 minutes. Skin surface temperatures from the thurl, shoulder, and rear udder were less when cattle were cooled with high-pressure misting. Cattle cooled with high-pressure misting became soaked, thus the cooling effect is the combination of cooler air and water evaporation from the skin. These results indicate that either frequent soaking (every 5 minutes) or continuous high-pressure misting that soaks the skin could be equally effective in reducing heat stress in dairy cattle.; Dairy Day, 2003, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, 2003