Weighing Neutrinos with Galaxy Cluster Surveys

Large future galaxy cluster surveys, combined with cosmic microwave background observations, can achieve a high sensitivity to the masses of cosmologically important neutrinos. We show that a weak lensing selected sample of ~100,000 clusters could tighten the current upper bound on the sum of masses of neutrino species by an order of magnitude, to a level of 0.03 eV. Since this statistical sensitivity is below the best existing lower limit on the mass of at least one neutrino species, a future detection is likely, provided that systematic errors can be controlled to a similar level.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure, version accepted for publication in PR

Immediate Effects of Cervical Spine Manipulation on Gait Parameters in Individuals with and without Mechanical Neck Pain

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine 1) if there were any differences in gait parameters between participants with mechanical neck pain and those without and 2) if cervical spine manipulation has an immediate effect on these gait parameters. Methods: Twenty participants with mechanical neck pain and twenty participants without neck pain were randomly assigned into either the sham or manipulation group. The two intervention groups participated in walking across a GAITRite Walkway that recorded gait parameters such as stride length, cadence and step width before and after cervical spine manipulation. The participants walked at their own cadence with 1) head forward, 2) head turning up and down and 3) head turning side-to-side. T-tests were used to assess 8 different gait parameters between groups before and after intervention and to assess cervical range of motion differences between groups and before and after intervention in the sagittal, transverse and coronal plane. Repeated measures two-way ANOVA was used to assess pre and post intervention differences between groups in the NDI, NPRS and GROC. Post-hoc pair-wise corrections were to be used in the event of significant interactions between treatments and groups. Statistical significant was set at p \u3c0.05. Results: Compared to pain-free subjects, the T-tests demonstrated that patients with mechanical neck pain had smaller values of gait velocity, stride length, and step length before any treatment was provided (p\u3c0.05). Prior to treatment, T-tests revealed no differences in cervical ROMs between persons with and without neck pain for the sagittal plane motion (P = 0.182); frontal plane motion (P = 0.347); and transverse plane (P = 0.181). The 2-way ANOVAs revealed a significant “group” main effect in gait velocity during normal walking (P=0.004), indicating participants with neck pain increased their velocity whereas participants without neck pain demonstrated decreased velocity regardless of intervention given. A separate independent t-test indicated that there was a significant interaction in GROC score changes between treatment and group (P =0.043). Conclusion: Our study indicated that patients with neck pain walked more slowly with shorter stride length and step length. . These gait characteristics observed might be strategies to compensate for gait instability, which involves proprioceptive deficits from the cervical spine. Additionally participants with neck pain increased their gait velocity post intervention whereas participants without neck pain demonstrated decreased velocity post intervention (manipulation/sham). While our results suggest TJM did improve gait velocity in those with neck pain post manipulation, we did not see significant changes in other gait parameters. This study suggests that clinicians should consider the assessment and management of gait performance, balance and risk of falling in patients with acute mechanical neck pain

Second Annual Idaho Public Policy Survey

The Second Annual Idaho Public Policy Survey was conducted December 3-8, 2016 and surveyed 1000 adults currently living in the state of Idaho. Respondents were asked about their attitudes concerning several key policy issues, including significant focus on revenue and spending, transportation, education, refugees, and energy and climate change. The survey sample was designed to be representative of all regions of the state and was administered on behalf of the School of Public Service by GS Strategy Group, a Boise-based polling firm. Statewide results have a margin of error of +/- 3.1

For Complex Orientations Preserving Power Operations, p-typicality is Atypical

We show, for primes p less than or equal to 13, that a number of well-known MU_(p)-rings do not admit the structure of commutative MU_(p)-algebras. These spectra have complex orientations that factor through the Brown-Peterson spectrum and correspond to p-typical formal group laws. We provide computations showing that such a factorization is incompatible with the power operations on complex cobordism. This implies, for example, that if E is a Landweber exact MU_(p)-ring whose associated formal group law is p-typical of positive height, then the canonical map MU_(p) --> E is not a map of H_\infty ring spectra. It immediately follows that the standard p-typical orientations on BP, E(n), and E_n do not rigidify to maps of E_\infty ring spectra. We conjecture that similar results hold for all primes.Comment: Minor revisions, results extended up to the prime 13. Accepted for publication. 22 page

The Fragility of Persistently Economically Distressed Counties in Central Appalachia and the Promise of Public Leadership

Appalachia has long experienced economic distress, but significant progress has been made since the establishment of the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) in the 1960s. However, many counties in central Appalachia continue to experience persistent economic distress despite several advantages that are normally conducive to progress. This study examines Rowan County, Kentucky in comparison to four other rural Kentucky counties with varying degrees of economic progress. Quantitative comparisons were made on the basis of out-migration, educational attainment, and industrial diversity. Qualitative data was then gathered till·ough interviews to understand decisive events that affected progress as well as long-term causes of change over time. Findings indicate that rural counties that experience persistent economic distress are comparatively fragile. Single events, such as a general economic downturn or departure of a company, can be devastating and long lasting. At the same time, interviews showed that political and community leadership can be decisive. This includes deliberate long-term planning; communication and cooperation between local governments, business, and community leaders; enthusiastic fostering of small business and local entrepreneurship; and a willingness to revise local policies and regulations (e.g., zoning, alcohol sales, and property taxes) in order to attract business and improve quality of life

Using Light Charged Particles to Probe the Asymmetry Dependence of the Nuclear Caloric Curve

Recently, we observed a clear dependence of the nuclear caloric curve on neutron-proton asymmetry $\frac{N-Z}{A}$ through examination of fully reconstructed equilibrated quasi-projectile sources produced in heavy ion collisions at E/A = 35 MeV. In the present work, we extend our analysis using multiple light charged particle probes of the temperature. Temperatures are extracted with five distinct probes using a kinetic thermometer approach. Additionally, temperatures are extracted using two probes within a chemical thermometer approach (Albergo method). All seven measurements show a significant linear dependence of the source temperature on the source asymmetry. For the kinetic thermometer, the strength of the asymmetry dependence varies with the probe particle species in a way which is consistent with an average emission-time ordering.Comment: 7 pages, 4 figure

Response to Questions in the First White Paper, \u27Modernizing the Communications Act\u27

The House Energy and Commerce Committee has begun a process to review and update the Communications Act of 1934, last revised in any material way in 1996. As the Committee begins the review process, this paper responds to questions posed by the Committee that all relate, in fundamental ways, to the question: What should a modern Communications Act look like? The Response advocates a clean slate approach under which the regulatory silos that characterize the current statute would be eliminated, along with almost all of the ubiquitous \u27public interest\u27 delegation of authority found throughout the Communications Act. The replacement regime would have at its core a new competition-based standard that, except in limited circumstances, would require that the FCC\u27s regulatory activities be tied to findings of consumer harm resulting from lack of sufficient competition. The FCC\u27s authority to adopt broad anticipatory rules on an ex ante basis would be substantially circumscribed, and the agency would be required to rely more heavily than is presently the case on ex post adjudication of individual complaints alleging specific abuses of market power and consumer harm. Some aspects of the FCC\u27s current jurisdiction, such as privacy and data security regulation, might be transferred to the FTC in light of the FTC\u27s institutional competence in these areas

Response to Questions in the First White Paper, \u27Modernizing the Communications Act\u27

The House Energy and Commerce Committee has begun a process to review and update the Communications Act of 1934, last revised in any material way in 1996. As the Committee begins the review process, this paper responds to questions posed by the Committee that all relate, in fundamental ways, to the question: What should a modern Communications Act look like? The Response advocates a clean slate approach under which the regulatory silos that characterize the current statute would be eliminated, along with almost all of the ubiquitous \u27public interest\u27 delegation of authority found throughout the Communications Act. The replacement regime would have at its core a new competition-based standard that, except in limited circumstances, would require that the FCC\u27s regulatory activities be tied to findings of consumer harm resulting from lack of sufficient competition. The FCC\u27s authority to adopt broad anticipatory rules on an ex ante basis would be substantially circumscribed, and the agency would be required to rely more heavily than is presently the case on ex post adjudication of individual complaints alleging specific abuses of market power and consumer harm. Some aspects of the FCC\u27s current jurisdiction, such as privacy and data security regulation, might be transferred to the FTC in light of the FTC\u27s institutional competence in these areas

World Conference on Drowning Prevention 2019, Durban, South Africa

No Abstract

Virginia Institute of Marine Science 2011 Greenhouse Gas Inventory Report

During the spring of 2011, members of the VIMS Green Team, with support from the College of William and Mary’s Committee on Sustainability, collected data on resource use at the VIMS Gloucester Point campus in order to monitor our greenhouse gas emissions and develop methods for reducing our carbon footprint in the future. We processed these data using the Campus Carbon Calculator, a tool developed by Clean Air Cool Planet, a nonprofit organization. This program, used by over 1,200 colleges and universities, calculates the total greenhouse gas emissions of a campus using emissions factors developed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change