Scientific Coordination of Activities for University Participation in Mission to Planet Earth

This report describes Universities Space Research Association (USRA) activities in support of the University Participation in Mission to Planet Earth. Specifically it addresses the following areas: personnel assigned to the effort, travel, consultant participants, technical progress, and contract spending

Observation simulation experiments with regional prediction models

Research efforts in FY 1990 included studies employing regional scale numerical models as aids in evaluating potential contributions of specific satellite observing systems (current and future) to numerical prediction. One study involves Observing System Simulation Experiments (OSSEs) which mimic operational initialization/forecast cycles but incorporate simulated Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU) radiances as input data. The objective of this and related studies is to anticipate the potential value of data from these satellite systems, and develop applications of remotely sensed data for the benefit of short range forecasts. Techniques are also being used that rely on numerical model-based synthetic satellite radiances to interpret the information content of various types of remotely sensed image and sounding products. With this approach, evolution of simulated channel radiance image features can be directly interpreted in terms of the atmospheric dynamical processes depicted by a model. Progress is being made in a study using the internal consistency of a regional prediction model to simplify the assessment of forced diabatic heating and moisture initialization in reducing model spinup times. Techniques for model initialization are being examined, with focus on implications for potential applications of remote microwave observations, including AMSU and Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I), in shortening model spinup time for regional prediction

Screening for Violent Recidivism in the Juvenile Justice System: Establishing Accuracy

Recently there has been increased interest among researchers and those working in the Juvenile Justice System to develop risk assessment instruments (RAIs) to predict violence among juveniles. Although there are violence prediction instruments designed for use with adults that have been widely studied, few such instruments exist that have been specifically designed for use with juvenile populations, and none have been sufficiently evaluated for predictive accuracy. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether a RAI could be constructed to accurately predict a specific type of recidivism, violent recidivism, among juvenile offenders. Two RAIs were created using separate methods of instrument construction, the Burgess method and predictive attribute analysis. Both instruments were created and tested for predictive accuracy using a sub-sample from the Pittsburgh Youth Study. Results showed that both RAIs were able to predict violent recidivism to a degree, however, neither instrument performed well when tested on the validation sample. The limitations of commonly used measures of predictive accuracy are discussed in relation to the findings reported here and in other validation studies with similar instruments. Recommendations for constructing RAIs to predict violence among juveniles are outlined, and some cautionary remarks are made with regard to their use

The Influence of World-Sheet Boundaries on Critical Closed String Theory

This paper considers interactions between closed strings and open strings satisfying either Neumann or constant (point-like) Dirichlet boundary conditions in a BRST formalism in the critical dimension. With Neumann conditions this reproduces the well-known stringy version of the Higgs mechanism. With Dirichlet conditions the open-string states correspond to either auxiliary or Lagrange multiplier target-space fields and their coupling to the closed-string sector leads to constraints on the closed-string spectrum.Comment: 15 pages, QMW-92-18;NI9201

On the Variability of Wilson Currents by Storm Type and Phase

Storm total conduction currents from electrified clouds are thought to play a major role in maintaining the potential difference between the earth's surface and the upper atmosphere within the Global Electric Circuit (GEC). However, it is not entirely known how the contributions of these currents vary by cloud type and phase of the clouds life cycle. Estimates of storm total conduction currents were obtained from data collected over two decades during multiple field campaigns involving the NASA ER-2 aircraft. In this study the variability of these currents by cloud type and lifecycle is investigated. We also compared radar derived microphysical storm properties with total storm currents to investigate whether these storm properties can be used to describe the current variability of different electrified clouds. The ultimate goal is to help improve modeling of the GEC via quantification and improved parameterization of the conduction current contribution of different cloud types

Optimising in situ gamma measurements to identify the presence of radioactive particles in land areas

High-coverage in situ surveys with gamma detectors are the best means of identifying small hotspots of activity, such as radioactive particles, in land areas. Scanning surveys can produce rapid results, but the probabilities of obtaining false positive or false negative errors are often unknown, and they may not satisfy other criteria such as estimation of mass activity concentrations. An alternative is to use portable gamma-detectors that are set up at a series of locations in a systematic sampling pattern, where any positive measurements are subsequently followed up in order to determine the exact location, extent and nature of the target source. The preliminary survey is typically designed using settings of detector height, measurement spacing and counting time that are based on convenience, rather than using settings that have been calculated to meet requirements. This paper introduces the basis of a repeatable method of setting these parameters at the outset of a survey, for pre-defined probabilities of false positive and false negative errors in locating spatially small radioactive particles in land areas. It is shown that an un-collimated detector is more effective than a collimated detector that might typically be used in the field

Nebraska\u27s Advantage: Productive Agriculture and Bountiful Natural Resources

Nebraska\u27s Advantage: Productive Agriculture and Bountiful Natural Resources You can’t talk about healthy production systems and natural resource systems without also thinking about the resilience. We need to harmonize production agriculture in a way that ensures the resilience of our natural ecosystems and rural communities—all while addressing bundles of grand challenges

Comparative effectiveness of less commonly used systemic monotherapies and common combination therapies for moderate to severe psoriasis in the clinical setting.

BACKGROUND: The effectiveness of psoriasis therapies in real-world settings remains relatively unknown. OBJECTIVE: We sought to compare the effectiveness of less commonly used systemic therapies and commonly used combination therapies for psoriasis. METHODS: This was a multicenter cross-sectional study of 203 patients with plaque psoriasis receiving less common systemic monotherapy (acitretin, cyclosporine, or infliximab) or common combination therapies (adalimumab, etanercept, or infliximab and methotrexate) compared with 168 patients receiving methotrexate evaluated at 1 of 10 US outpatient dermatology sites participating in the Dermatology Clinical Effectiveness Research Network. RESULTS: In adjusted analyses, patients on acitretin (relative response rate 2.01; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.18-3.41), infliximab (relative response rate 1.93; 95% CI 1.26-2.98), adalimumab and methotrexate (relative response rate 3.04; 95% CI 2.12-4.36), etanercept and methotrexate (relative response rate 2.22; 95% CI 1.25-3.94), and infliximab and methotrexate (relative response rate 1.72; 95% CI 1.10-2.70) were more likely to have clear or almost clear skin compared with patients on methotrexate. There were no differences among treatments when response rate was defined by health-related quality of life. LIMITATIONS: Single time point assessment may result in overestimation of effectiveness. CONCLUSIONS: The efficacy of therapies in clinical trials may overestimate their effectiveness as used in clinical practice. Although physician-reported relative response rates were different among therapies, absolute differences were small and did not correspond to differences in patient-reported outcomes