Investigations of the interaction of solar flare particle with the coronal plasma Final report

Bibliography from research on interaction of solar flare particles with coronal plasm

Residential photovoltaic module and array requirements study

Design requirements for photovoltaic modules and arrays used in residential applications were identified. Building codes and referenced standards were reviewed for their applicability to residential photovoltaic array installations. Four installation types were identified - integral (replaces roofing), direct (mounted on top of roofing), stand-off (mounted away from roofing), and rack (for flat or low slope roofs, or ground mounted). Installation costs were developed for these mounting types as a function of panel/module size. Studies were performed to identify optimum module shapes and sizes and operating voltage cost drivers. It is concluded that there are no perceived major obstacles to the use of photovoltaic modules in residential arrays. However, there is no applicable building code category for residential photovoltaic modules and arrays and additional work with standards writing organizations is needed to develop residential module and array requirements

Parameters of undergraduate gambling

Students from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas were surveyed about gambling behavior. Over 92% of the students under 21 years of age had gambled, with over 50% having gambled in a casino, and 22% gambled weekly. As measured by the South Oaks Gambling Screen (SOGS), 11.2% of the sample scored in the pathological gambling range. Gambling and pathological gambling behaviors displayed a significant relationship to male gender, non-residency status, being over 21 years-old, and getting drunk often. The DSM-III-R, proposed DSM-IV, and the SOGS criteria measured pathological gambling at 5.1%, 4.2%, and 11.2%, respectively. No relationship was found linking the subjects\u27 college major or underage drinking with pathological gambling for the entire sample. The SOGS scores of the UNLV students were consistently higher than found in previous studies. Particularly critical are the elevated scores of non-resident students. Recommendations for future research and the university\u27s role in educating students, especially non-resident students, about the perils of gambling are discussed

An Administrative Guide for Developing A TECH PREP Program for Horticulture Education at South Kitsap High School

The purpose of this study was to develop a Tech Prep Program for horticulture education. This program focused on career goals of students enrolled at South Kitsap High School and South Seattle Community College. To accomplish this purpose, current research and literature on Tech Prep models, career paths, and the horticulture industry were reviewed. Additionally, selected materials were obtained from model Tech Prep programs throughout the State of Washington

Speleothem Paleoclimatology for the Caribbean, Central America, and North America

Speleothem oxygen isotope records from the Caribbean, Central, and North America reveal climatic controls that include orbital variation, deglacial forcing related to ocean circulation and ice sheet retreat, and the influence of local and remote sea surface temperature variations. Here, we review these records and the global climate teleconnections they suggest following the recent publication of the Speleothem Isotopes Synthesis and Analysis (SISAL) database. We find that low-latitude records generally reflect changes in precipitation, whereas higher latitude records are sensitive to temperature and moisture source variability. Tropical records suggest precipitation variability is forced by orbital precession and North Atlantic Ocean circulation driven changes in atmospheric convection on long timescales, and tropical sea surface temperature variations on short timescales. On millennial timescales, precipitation seasonality in southwestern North America is related to North Atlantic climate variability. Great Basin speleothem records are closely linked with changes in Northern Hemisphere summer insolation. Although speleothems have revealed these critical global climate teleconnections, the paucity of continuous records precludes our ability to investigate climate drivers from the whole of Central and North America for the Pleistocene through modern. This underscores the need to improve spatial and temporal coverage of speleothem records across this climatically variable region

The Frequency, Form, and Perceived Benefits of Service Learning in Speech Communication Departments

This article focuses on the frequency, form and perceived benefits of service learning in speech communication departments. The widespread availability of service learning opportunities for students in speech communication departments reflects the national trend, across disciplines, to emphasize service learning on college and university campuses. Service learning provides yet another benefit in that it can substitute for traditional internships when such opportunities are lacking. Phelps and Timmis (1984) explain that the availability of traditional internships with profit-seeking corporations is often limited. Increasing participation by speech communication students in service learning, however, may be restricted by a lack of resources. Most departments lack the resources necessary to grant release time to faculty whose students complete traditional internships. These limitations are perhaps even more intense for service learning

Why Is Infant Mortality Higher in the United States than in Europe?

The United States has higher infant mortality than peer countries. In this paper, we combine microdata from the United States with similar data from four European countries to investigate this US infant mortality disadvantage. The US disadvantage persists after adjusting for potential differential reporting of births near the threshold of viability. While the importance of birth weight varies across comparison countries, relative to all comparison countries the United States has similar neonatal (<1 month) mortality but higher postneonatal (1–12 months) mortality. We document similar patterns across census divisions within the United States. The postneonatal mortality disadvantage is driven by poor birth outcomes among lower socioeconomic status individuals. (JEL I12, I14, I32, J14)National Institute on Aging (Grant Number T32-AG000186)National Science Foundation (U.S.) (Grant Number 1151497

Residential photovoltaic module and array requirements study, appendices

Regional building code variations, federal and city codes, and the national electric code are reviewed for their possible effects on the design of photovoltaic modules. Problems that photovoltaic arrays may impose on the insurability of residences are also discussed. Mounting configurations are developed for the modules, and grounding, wiring, terminal, and voltage requirements are established. Installation and materials costs are presented along with performance criteria

A modified Oster-Murray-Harris mechanical model of morphogenesis

There are two main modeling paradigms for biological pattern formation in developmental biology: chemical prepattern models and cell aggregation models. This paper focuses on an example of a cell aggregation model, the mechanical model developed by Oster, Murray, and Harris [Development, 78 (1983), pp. 83--125]. We revisit the Oster--Murray--Harris model and find that, due to the infinitesimal displacement assumption made in the original version of this model, there is a restriction on the types of boundary conditions that can be prescribed. We derive a modified form of the model which relaxes the infinitesimal displacement assumption. We analyze the dynamics of this model using linear and multiscale nonlinear analysis and show that it has the same linear behavior as the original Oster--Murray--Harris model. Nonlinear analysis, however, predicts that the modified model will allow for a wider range of parameters where the solution evolves to a bounded steady state. The results from both analyses are verified through numerical simulations of the full nonlinear model in one and two dimensions. The increased range of boundary conditions that are well-posed, as well as a wider range of parameters that yield bounded steady states, renders the modified model more applicable to, and more robust for, comparisons with experiments

Water reuse for irrigated agriculture in Jordan: challenges of soil sustainability and the role of management strategies

Reclaimed water provides an important contribution to the water balance in water-scarce Jordan, but the quality of this water presents both benefits and challenges. Careful management of reclaimed water is required to maximize the nutrient benefits while minimizing the salinity risks. This work uses a multi-disciplinary research approach to show that soil response to irrigation with reclaimed water is a function of the management strategies adopted on the farm by the water user. The adoption of management methods to maintain soil productivity can be seen to be a result of farmers’ awareness to potentially plant-toxic ions in the irrigation water (70% of Jordan Valley farmers identified salinization as a hazard from irrigation with reclaimed water). However, the work also suggests that farmers’ management capacity is affected by the institutional management of water. About a third (35%) of farmers in the Jordan Valley claimed that their ability to manage salinization was limited by water shortages. Organizational interviews revealed that institutional awareness of soil management challenges was quite high (34% of interviewees described salinization as a risk from water reuse), but strategies to address this challenge at the institutional level require greater development