A developing model to meet counseling needs through the local church

https://place.asburyseminary.edu/ecommonsatsdissertations/1921/thumbnail.jp

A Comment on the Implementation of the Ziggurat Method

We show that the short period of the uniform random number generator in the published implementation of Marsaglia and Tsang's Ziggurat method for generating random deviates can lead to poor distributions. Changing the uniform random number generator used in its implementation fixes this issue.

Prediction of Pavement Maintenance Performance Using an Expert System

The pavement experiences deterioration due to traffic and environment, i.e., unsatisfactory riding quality and structural inadequacy, over time. Thus, predicting pavement performance over time is one of the key elements of any pavement maintenance management system (PMMS). It can be used as an efficient tool to program/schedule the maintenance applications and expenditures, and thus the necessary funds can be allocated. Using a combination of independent variables for any selected pavement section can generate section-wise condition assessment and prediction models. Moreover, these models can be used to select the most cost-effective maintenance alternative to be applied to that pavement section. The present study developed an expert system based on pavement performance models which combines the available maintenance data with the knowledge acquired from the experts of the General Administration of Operation and Maintenance in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Eight regression models were first developed for four maintenance and rehabilitation (M&R) strategies, i.e., no maintenance, routine maintenance, overlay, and reconstruction for low and high traffic. Then, a practical expert system was developed to aid pavement maintenance engineers in finding the most effective and efficient M&R strategies and suitable time for the application. The regression models revealed that the effect of routine maintenance and reconstruction is greater in low traffic than in high traffic, while the effect of overlay is greater in high traffic than in low traffic. Based on this initial system, another improved one can be developed using the machine learning technique

Validation of the particle size distribution obtained with the laser in-situ scattering and transmission (LISST) meter in flow-through mode

High spatial and temporal resolution estimates of the particle size distribution (PSD) in the surface ocean can enable improved understanding of biogeochemistry and ecosystem dynamics. Oceanic PSD measurements remain rare due to the time-consuming, manual sampling methods of common particle sizing instruments. Here, we evaluate the utility of measuring particle size data at high spatial resolution with a commercially-available submersible laser di raction particle sizer (LISST-100X, Sequoia Scientific), operating in an automated mode with continuously flowing seawater. The LISST PSD agreed reasonably well with discrete PSD measurements obtained with a Coulter Counter and data from the flow-through sampling Imaging Flow-Cytobot, validating our methodology. Total particulate area and Volume derived from the LISST PSD agreed well with beam-attenuation and particulate organic carbon respectively, further validating the LISST PSD. Furthermore, When compared to the measured spectral characteristics of particulate beam attenuation, we find a significant correlation. However, no significant relationship between the PSD and spectral particulate backscattering was found

Generic Airspace Survey

This paper reports on an extension of generic airspace research to explore the amount of memorization and specialized skills required to manage sectors with specific characteristics or factors. Fifty-five retired controllers were given an electronic survey where they rated the amount of memorization or specialized skills needed for sixteen generic airspace factors. The results suggested similarities in the pattern of ratings between different areas of the US (East, Central, and West). The average of the ratings for each area also showed some differences between regions, with ratings being generally higher in the East area. All sixteen factors were rated as moderately to highly important and may be useful for future research on generic airspace, air traffic controller workload, etc

Generic Airspace Research Phase 5 Report

Human-in-the-loop testing was completed to assess the subjective preferences, usage, and operational benefits of Integrated and Separated Controller Information Tools (CITs) in support of Generic Airspace Research. Participants controlled traffic in in a busy, high altitude sector with the aid of the CITs. When the participants were asked which CIT that they preferred to use, they overwhelmingly chose the integrated version of the CIT. The primary reason for this seemed to be that it allowed participants to remain focused on the traffic situation, whereas the Standalone CIT required them to focus their attention for short periods away from the radar presentation. In contrast to their preference, there were little or no differences in the CIT usage and the operational differences. There were similar numbers of losses of separation and participants accessed each CIT equally. Although the information accessed was the similar for the two conditions, participants actively turned off the data on the Integrated CIT, presumably to reduce the clutter on the radar scope. Further work is needed to isolate which information can and should be available to controllers in the Integrated vs. Standalone format

Egy hazai matematikai felmérés eredményei nemzetközi összehasonlításban

<p><b>Comparisons of the effect of different dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitor treatment for 1 year on adjusted mean changes in fasting plasma glucose (FPG) (A) and glycated hemoglobin (HbA</b>_<b>1</b><b>c) (B) in the patients with a low and high hemoglobin glycation index (HGI).</b> Factors included in the analysis of variance statistical model were baseline oral anti-diabetes drugs, age, sex and renal function. VI = vildagliptin (n = 24 in the low HGI and n = 36 in the high HGI groups), LI = linagliptin (n = 33 in the low HGI and n = 31 in the high HGI groups), SA = saxagliptin (n = 45 in low HGI and n = 64 in the high HGI groups), SI = sitagliptin (n = 97 in the low HGI and n = 138 in the high HGI group). Error bars represent 95% confidence interval (CI). p-value for between-group difference. (To convert glucose to millimoles per liter, multiply by 0.0555)</p

Age as the Second Parameter in NGC 288 / NGC 362? I. Turnoff Ages: a Purely Differential Comparison

We present deep V,I photometry of the globular clusters NGC 288, NGC 362 and NGC 1851 obtained during a single observational run under strictly homogeneous conditions. We use the bimodal horizontal branch (HB) of NGC 1851 as a ``bridge'' to obtain the optimum relative match between the HBs of NGC 288 and NGC 362. In this way we can effectively remove the uncertainties associated with distance, reddening and inhomogeneities in the absolute calibration, thus obtaining a very robust, purely differential estimate of the age difference between these two clusters. According to the bridge test, NGC 288 is found to be older than NGC 362 by 2 +- 1 Gyr. This result is fully confirmed also by all classical differential age diagnostics, either based on the luminosity or color of the main sequence turnoff point.Comment: Accepted by The Astronomical Journal - 30 pages, 6 tables, 14 figures, LaTeX, the emulateapj5.sty macro is used. Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 are provided in reduced resolution. Full resolution versions available upon request to the first author ([email protected]). Minor changes due to modifications in the companion paper (Pap II

Polymorphisms in HSD17B1: Early Onset and Increased Risk of Alzheimer's Disease in Women with Down Syndrome

Background/Aims. Genetic variants that affect estrogen activity may influence the risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD). In women with Down syndrome, we examined the relation of polymorphisms in hydroxysteroid-17beta-dehydrogenase (HSD17B1) to age at onset and risk of AD. HSD17B1 encodes the enzyme 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (HSD1), which catalyzes the conversion of estrone to estradiol. Methods. Two hundred and thirty-eight women with DS, nondemented at baseline, 31–78 years of age, were followed at 14–18-month intervals for 4.5 years. Women were genotyped for 5 haplotype-tagging single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the HSD17B1 gene region, and their association with incident AD was examined. Results. Age at onset was earlier, and risk of AD was elevated from two- to threefold among women homozygous for the minor allele at 3 SNPs in intron 4 (rs676387), exon 6 (rs605059), and exon 4 in COASY (rs598126). Carriers of the haplotype TCC, based on the risk alleles for these three SNPs, had an almost twofold increased risk of developing AD (hazard ratio = 1.8, 95% CI, 1.1–3.1). Conclusion. These findings support experimental and clinical studies of the neuroprotective role of estrogen

Spectroscopic Characterization of Aqua [ fac-Tc(CO)3]+ Complexes at High Ionic Strength.

Understanding fundamental Tc chemistry is important to both the remediation of nuclear waste and the reprocessing of nuclear fuel; however, current knowledge of the electronic structure and spectral signatures of low-valent Tc compounds significantly lags behind the remainder of the d-block elements. In particular, identification and treatment of Tc speciation in legacy nuclear waste is challenging due to the lack of reference data especially for Tc compounds in the less common oxidation states (I-VI). In an effort to establish a spectroscopic library corresponding to the relevant conditions of extremely high ionic strength typical for the legacy nuclear waste, compounds with the general formula of [ fac-Tc(CO)3(OH2)3- n(OH) n]1- n (where n = 0-3) were examined by a range of spectroscopic techniques including 99Tc/13C NMR, IR, XPS, and XAS. In the series of monomeric aqua species, stepwise hydrolysis results in the increase of the Tc metal center electron density and corresponding progressive decrease of the Tc-C bond distances, Tc electron binding energies, and carbonyl stretching frequencies in the order [ fac-Tc(CO)3(OH2)3]+ &gt; [ fac-Tc(CO)3(OH2)2(OH)] &gt; [ fac-Tc(CO)3(OH2)(OH)2]-. These results correlate with established trends of the 99Tc upfield chemical shift and carbonyl 13C downfield chemical shift. The lone exception is [ fac-Tc(CO)3(OH)]4 which exhibits a comparatively low electron density at the metal center attributed to the μ3-bridging nature of the -OH ligands causing less σ-donation and no π-donation. This work also reports the first observations of these compounds by XPS and [ fac-Tc(CO)3Cl3]2- by XAS. The unique and distinguishable spectral features of the aqua [ fac-Tc(CO)3]+ complexes lay the foundation for their identification in the complex aqueous matrixes