Remotely sensed and laboratory spectral signatures of an ocean-dumped acid waste

An ocean-dumped acid waste plume was studied by using a rapid scanning spectrometer to remotely measure ocean radiance from a helicopter. The results of these studies are presented and compared with results from sea truth samples and laboratory experiments. An ocean spectral reflectance signature and a laboratory spectral transmission signature were established for the iron-acid waste pollutant. The spectrally and chemically significant component of the acid waste pollutant was determined to be ferric iron

Can clinicians and scientists explain and prevent unexplained underperformance syndrome in elite athletes: an interdisciplinary perspective and 2016 update

The coach and interdisciplinary sports science and medicine team strive to continually progress the athlete's performance year on year. In structuring training programmes, coaches and scientists plan distinct periods of progressive overload coupled with recovery for anticipated performances to be delivered on fixed dates of competition in the calendar year. Peaking at major championships is a challenge, and training capacity highly individualised, with fine margins between the training dose necessary for adaptation and that which elicits maladaptation at the elite level. As such, optimising adaptation is key to effective preparation. Notably, however, many factors (eg, health, nutrition, sleep, training experience, psychosocial factors) play an essential part in moderating the processes of adaptation to exercise and environmental stressors, for example, heat, altitude; processes which can often fail or be limited. In the UK, the term unexplained underperformance syndrome (UUPS) has been adopted, in contrast to the more commonly referenced term overtraining syndrome, to describe a significant episode of underperformance with persistent fatigue, that is, maladaptation. This construct, UUPS, reflects the complexity of the syndrome, the multifactorial aetiology, and that ‘overtraining’ or an imbalance between training load and recovery may not be the primary cause for underperformance. UUPS draws on the distinction that a decline in performance represents the universal feature. In our review, we provide a practitioner-focused perspective, proposing that causative factors can be identified and UUPS explained, through an interdisciplinary approach (ie, medicine, nutrition, physiology, psychology) to sports science and medicine delivery, monitoring, and data interpretation and analysis

P-wave heavy-light mesons using NRQCD and D234

The masses of S- and P-wave heavy-light mesons are computed in quenched QCD using a classically and tadpole-improved action on anisotropic lattices. Of particular interest are the splittings among P-wave states, which have not yet been resolved experimentally; even the ordering of these states continues to be discussed in the literature. The present work leads to upper bounds for these splittings, and is suggestive, but not conclusive, about the ordering.Comment: LATTICE99(heavy quarks) - 3 pages including 3 figure

Interactions of Soybean Arthropods and Crop Weeds: Diversity, Moth Nutrition, and Stability (Foraging Behavior, Nectar Analysis, Lepidopterous).

Weeds which occur in crop ecosystems may cause suppressive or stimulating effects on arthropod abundance. Yet, little is known about the weed-insect interactions in Louisiana soybean. A three-part study was conducted from 1980-1983 to measure the abundance of arthropods in soybean, Glycine max Merr., as affected by the presence of absence of various weeds. A survey of arthropod abundance was conducted in commercial soybean fields which were either weedy or weed-free in central and south central Louisiana during 1980. Weedy fields had greater abundance of spiders, Geocoris punctipes (Say), and Lebia analis Dejean. Late instar green cloverworm, Anticarsia gemmatalis Hubner, were higher in clean fields. In 1981-1982 herbicides were used in field plots to manipulate weed populations and again predators were most numerous in weedy plots. The effect that weed species had on soybean looper, Pseudoplusia includens (Walker), and velvetbean caterpillar (VBC) abundance was not always consistent, but data indicated that an interrelationship existed between weeds, VBC, and soybean looper (SBL) populations. The relationship between SBL moths to 5 different nectar producing plants was investigated in greenhouse experiments conducted in 1981. Exposure of moths to cotton resulted in greatest egg production. In field cage experiments in 1982, fecundity of both SBL and VBC demonstrated significant increases (P \u3c 0.05) when exposed to soybean containing weeds. SBL moths had a mean of 163.3 and 86.7 eggs in ovaries when exposed to weedy and weed-free soybean, respectively. Ovaries of VBC moths contained a mean of 107.5 and 27.2 eggs when exposed to weedy and weed-free soybean, respectively. Laboratory studies substantiated the importance of sugars in the diets of adult SBL and VBC and revealed that salts were required for highest egg production. Chromatographic techniques were used to determine ratios of sucrose, fructose, glucose, and arabinose in certain natural food sources. Nectar mimics and other sugars were given to moths with most sugars providing the necesssary nutrients for high egg production. In another test, rate of oviposition, longevity, and total egg numbers were greatly affected by timing and interval of exposure to carbohydrates

A comparison of the half-day school to the full-day school in relation to total educational achievement, reading achievement, and arithmetic achievement.

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston Universit

Collin\u27s Historical Sketches of Kentucky: History of Kentucky

Entry in Richard H. Collins\u27 History of Kentucky on the Indian Head Rock from September 14, 1854.https://scholarworks.moreheadstate.edu/indian_head_rock/1019/thumbnail.jp

ARAS: an automated radioactivity aliquoting system for dispensing solutions containing positron-emitting radioisotopes.

BackgroundAutomated protocols for measuring and dispensing solutions containing radioisotopes are essential not only for providing a safe environment for radiation workers but also to ensure accuracy of dispensed radioactivity and an efficient workflow. For this purpose, we have designed ARAS, an automated radioactivity aliquoting system for dispensing solutions containing positron-emitting radioisotopes with particular focus on fluorine-18 ((18)F).MethodsThe key to the system is the combination of a radiation detector measuring radioactivity concentration, in line with a peristaltic pump dispensing known volumes.ResultsThe combined system demonstrates volume variation to be within 5 % for dispensing volumes of 20 μL or greater. When considering volumes of 20 μL or greater, the delivered radioactivity is in agreement with the requested amount as measured independently with a dose calibrator to within 2 % on average.ConclusionsThe integration of the detector and pump in an in-line system leads to a flexible and compact approach that can accurately dispense solutions containing radioactivity concentrations ranging from the high values typical of [(18)F]fluoride directly produced from a cyclotron (~0.1-1 mCi μL(-1)) to the low values typical of batches of [(18)F]fluoride-labeled radiotracers intended for preclinical mouse scans (~1-10 μCi μL(-1))

Bianchi Model CMB Polarization and its Implications for CMB Anomalies

We derive the CMB radiative transfer equation in the form of a multipole hierarchy in the nearly-Friedmann-Robertson-Walker limit of homogeneous, but anisotropic, universes classified via their Bianchi type. Compared with previous calculations, this allows a more sophisticated treatment of recombination, produces predictions for the polarization of the radiation, and allows for reionization. Our derivation is independent of any assumptions about the dynamical behaviour of the field equations, except that it requires anisotropies to be small back to recombination; this is already demanded by observations. We calculate the polarization signal in the Bianchi VIIh case, with the parameters recently advocated to mimic the several large-angle anomalous features observed in the CMB. We find that the peak polarization signal is ~ 1.2 micro K for the best-fit model to the temperature anisotropies, and is mostly confined to multipoles l<10. Remarkably, the predicted large-angle EE and TE power spectra in the Bianchi model are consistent with WMAP observations that are usually interpreted as evidence of early reionization. However, the power in B-mode polarisation is predicted to be similar to the E-mode power and parity-violating correlations are also predicted by the model; the WMAP non-detection of either of these signals casts further strong doubts on the veracity of attempts to explain the large-angle anomalies with global anisotropy. On the other hand, given that there exist further dynamical degrees of freedom in the VIIh universes that are yet to be compared with CMB observations, we cannot at this time definitively reject the anisotropy explanation.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS. Minor grammatical and typographical changes to reflect version in press. 13 pages, 6 figure

The Influence of Weekly Sprint Volume and Maximal Velocity Exposures on Eccentric Hamstring Strength in Professional Football Players

Background: Hamstring strains are the most common moderate-major severity injuries in football. The majority of hamstring injuries occur during sprinting, with low eccentric hamstring strength being associated with an elevated risk. Objective: To examine the relationship between sprinting and eccentric hamstring strength by monitoring total weekly sprint distance and weekly efforts > 90% and >95% of maximum velocity. Methods: Fifty-eight professional male footballers were observed over one-and-a-half seasons. Players’ running was monitored during training and matches using GPS, and eccentric hamstring strength was measured weekly. Results: Weekly sprint distance (ρ = −0.13, p 90% of maximum velocity (ρ = −0.08, p = 0.01) both displayed significant inverse relationships with the percentage change in eccentric hamstring strength; weekly efforts >95% of maximum velocity showed no relationship with hamstring strength (ρ = −0.02, p = 0.45). Only weekly efforts >90% of maximum velocity significantly influenced the mean percentage change in eccentric hamstring force, F((3,58)) = 3.71, p = 0.01, with significant differences occurring when comparing 7–8 sprint efforts with 0–2 efforts (0.11%, p = 0.03) and 5–6 efforts (0.12%, p = 0.03). Conclusions: Eccentric hamstring strength levels significantly decrease when 7–8 weekly sprint efforts are completed at >90% of maximum velocity. Monitoring weekly sprint loading at velocities > 90% of maximum velocity may be valuable to help to reduce the risk of hamstring injuries in professional football

An assessment of the performance of grip enhancing agents used in sports applications

The performances of four grip enhancing agents, powdered and liquid chalk, rosin and Venice turpentine, were assessed using a bespoke finger friction rig and compared against an agent-free finger. The effectiveness of these agents was measured in dry, damp and wet conditions, to simulate the different environments in which the agents are used. The tests were first done on a polished steel surface and then the powdered and liquid chalk and agent-free finger were tested on sandstone. The tests on the steel showed that in a dry condition, only the Venice turpentine significantly increased the coefficient of friction, compared to no application of agent, with the rosin and powdered chalk actually decreasing the coefficient of friction. It is thought that the reduction in the coefficient of friction is caused by the solid particles acting as a lubricant between the two surfaces. When the fingers were wet, only the granular powder-based agents increased the coefficient of friction. This is because the Venice turpentine cannot adhere well to a wet finger, and therefore is not as effective. When the surface is wet, there is very little difference between the agents due to the water separating the finger surface from the steel. The tests on the sandstone showed no real difference between the lubricants or the different conditions, except for the dry, chalk-free finger, which had a decreased coefficient of friction due to the lubricating properties of the sandstone particles. These results highlight that the use of grip enhancing agents should take into account the moisture in the contact, as in dry conditions, the grip may be optimum when there is no agent used. It also shows that in different sports, different grip enhancing agents should be used