The Deployment Of Directed Energy Weapons In Outer Space: An Evaluation

This thesis evaluates the logic of deploying directed energy weapons in outer space for use in anti-satellite and in anti-ballistic missile operations. The purpose of this evaluation is to determine if it is in the best interests of the United States to deploy directed energy weapons or to seek a treaty which would ban the development of such weapons

Stephen F Austin State University Journal of Education Vol. 3 No. 1

https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/edjournal/1002/thumbnail.jp

Comparison of General Fungal and Basidiomycete-specific ITS Primers for Identification of Wood Decay Fungi

The identity of the fungi associated with and responsible for wood decay could lead to the development of more environmentally benign wood preservative systems. In this study we have reconstructed the phylogenetic tree of a select group of basidiomycete fungi using nucleotide sequences of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region. We then compared this to trees generated from restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis using two different primers to see if the latter procedures can correctly identify multiple isolates of select wood decay fungi. The phylogenetic tree using maximum likelihood analysis revealed three well-supported genera, Trametes, Phanerochaete, and Gloeophyllum, with bootstrap values of 75 or greater. Trametes and Phanerochaete were sister taxa, and Gloeophyllum was a sister taxon to the Trametes/Phanerochaete clade. Neither set of RFLP data could resolve the three genera into monophyletic groups. The RFLP tree based on general fungal primers also did not resolve species, while the basidiomycete-specific data could resolve species. In the basidiomycete-specific tree, all isolates of both G. striatum and G. trabeum comprised monophyletic groups. Eight of nine T. versicolor isolates, 10 of 11 G. sepiarium isolates, and nine of 10 T. hirsuta isolates comprised monophyletic groups. Phanerochaete could not be consistently resolved into monophyletic groups at either the generic or specific level. Our studies indicate that RFLP analysis using general fungal primers are not likely to be useful in identifying species or reconstructing phylogenetic relationships. RFLP analysis using basidiomycete-specific primers may be useful in identifying some species but not in reconstructing phylogenetic relationships although it is a simpler procedure than sequencing

An Evaluation of the Feasibility of Combining Carbon Dioxide Flooding Technologies with Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery Technologies in Order To Sequester Carbon Dioxide

The need for more energy as our population grows results in an increase in the amount of CO2 introduced into the atmosphere. The effect of this introduction is currently debated intensely as to the severity of the effect of this. The bjective of this investigation was to determine if the production of more energy (i.e. petroleum) and the sequestration of CO2 could be coupled into one process. Carbon dioxide flooding is a well-established technique that introduces Compressed CO2 into a subsurface oil-bearing formation to aide in liquefying harder to extract petroleum and enhancing its mobility towards the production wells

Protecting the integrity of survey research.

Although polling is not irredeemably broken, changes in technology and society create challenges that, if not addressed well, can threaten the quality of election polls and other important surveys on topics such as the economy. This essay describes some of these challenges and recommends remediations to protect the integrity of all kinds of survey research, including election polls. These 12 recommendations specify ways that survey researchers, and those who use polls and other public-oriented surveys, can increase the accuracy and trustworthiness of their data and analyses. Many of these recommendations align practice with the scientific norms of transparency, clarity, and self-correction. The transparency recommendations focus on improving disclosure of factors that affect the nature and quality of survey data. The clarity recommendations call for more precise use of terms such as representative sample and clear description of survey attributes that can affect accuracy. The recommendation about correcting the record urges the creation of a publicly available, professionally curated archive of identified technical problems and their remedies. The paper also calls for development of better benchmarks and for additional research on the effects of panel conditioning. Finally, the authors suggest ways to help people who want to use or learn from survey research understand the strengths and limitations of surveys and distinguish legitimate and problematic uses of these methods