Compact 20-kiloampere pulse-forming-network capacitor bank

Bank uses commercially available high-energy-density capacitors for energy storage and silicon-controlled rectifiers for switching. Low voltage design employing solid-state switching is utilized in lieu of conventional gas discharge switching

Major League Baseball and the National Collegiate Athletic Association: Private Lotteries and Enforceable Contracts

This Note argues that both the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and Major League Baseball (MLB) have run or continue to run contests for playoff tickets that constitute lotteries under state law. For a contest to be considered a lottery in New York and Indiana, there must be a prize, consideration, and chance. Both of these schemes meet these three requirements, because entrants pay a non-refundable fee for a chance to purchase a playoff ticket to games at a time when the face value of the ticket will likely be much lower than the market value of the ticket. However, in George v. NCAA, the Indiana Supreme Court ruled that the NCAA ticket contest did not constitute a lottery because there was no prize involved. The court found that where the creator of the event determines the face value of the ticket, the market value of the ticket would be the stated face value at the time of the contest. The court cited no economic theory or precedent for this holding, and it goes against what courts have held in other contexts where the face value of the item in question does not equal the market value of the item in question. This ruling vacated the Seventh Circuit opinion, which had held that since the market value of the ticket was higher than the face value of the ticket that there was a prize involved. In the future, courts should follow the analysis proposed in the Seventh Circuit\u27s vacated NCAA v. George opinion rather than the analysis used by the Indiana Supreme Court. Courts should view both the NCAA and MLB ticket contests, and other similar schemes sure to arise in the future, as illegal lotteries run in violation of the organizations\u27 respective state laws. By doing so, courts will protect uninformed contestants and slow the proliferation of these types of contests. An organization may continue to hold similar contests in the future, but if an organization chooses to do so, it must return the consideration the contestants paid to enter the contest to those contestants who do not win the prize. When the organization returns the consideration, the organization will not be conducting an illegal lottery because there cannot be a lottery without prize, chance, and consideration. Returning the consideration allows the winner to purchase tickets at a price that he believes is fair at the time he enters the contest and returns the loser to the same position that he was in when he entered into the contest

An Inservice Training Handbook of Parental Strategies for Enhancing Sudent Learning in Grade Three

The purpose of this project was to design and develop an inservice training handbook detailing strategies/guidelines for use by parents to enhance student learning. To accomplish this purpose a review of current literature and research regarding parent involvement in the enhancement of student learning was conducted, and selected materials and strategies utilized by teacher practitioners have been included

Theoretical investigation of the lowest five ionization potentials of uranium

Quantum mechanical determination of lowest five ionization potentials of uraniu

Requirements for digitized aircraft spotting (Ouija) board for use on U.S. Navy aircraft carriers

This thesis will evaluate system and process elements to initiate requirements modeling necessary for the next generation Digitized Aircraft Spotting (Ouija) Board for use on U.S. Navy aircraft carriers to track and plan aircraft movement. The research will examine and evaluate the feasibility and suitability of transforming the existing two-dimensional static board to an electronic, dynamic display that will enhance situational awareness by using sensors and system information from various sources to display a comprehensive operational picture of the current flight and hangar decks aboard aircraft carriers. The authors will evaluate the current processes and make recommendations on elements the new system would display. These elements include what information is displayed, which external systems feed information to the display, and how intelligent agents could be used to transform the static display to a powerful decision support tool. Optimally, the Aircraft Handler will use this system to effectively manage the Flight and Hangar decks to support the projection of air power from U.S. aircraft carriers.http://archive.org/details/requirementsford109454447Lieutenant Commander, United States NavyLieutenant Commander, United States Navy ReserveApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited

Analytical study of hydrogen turbopump cycles for advanced nuclear rockets Progress report, Sep. 15, 1964 - Sep. 15, 1965

Hydrogen turbopump cycles for obtaining high engine inlet pressures in advanced nuclear rockets, and data on gaseous nuclear reactors and heavy gas containmen

Decision Support System Mine -The Management Model

The Decision Support System MINE has been developed for the analysis of regional water policies in open-pit lignite mining areas. It is based on a two-level model approach. The first-level planning model is used for the estimation of rational strategies of long-term development applying dynamic multi-criteria analysis. Therefor simplified submodels are used for a rough time discretization (yearly time steps and larger). The second-level management model considers managerial/operational aspects for shorter time steps (monthly and yearly) employing more comprehensive submodels. It is a classic simulation model. For selected submodels stochastic simulation (Monte Carlo method) is used in order to consider random inputs (e.g. hydrological inflow and water demand). This model serves for the verification of strategies obtained in the planning model, for the verification of simplified submodels used in the first-level model, and for the specification of strategies. Starting with the description of the position of the management model within the DSS MINE the structure of the management model is given. The used submodels for surface water/groundwater interaction and water quality are described. In the Appendix computer subroutines of some submodels are given being suitable for a more general application

The intravitreal injection: Variations in regulations, cost and reimbursement in Europe

Zusammenfassung: HINTERGRUND: Grosse prospektive, randomisierte, kontrollierte klinische Studien haben für den intravitrealen Einsatz von Inhibitoren des vaskulären endothelialen Wachstumsfaktors (VEGF) klare Behandlungsvorgaben mit höchstem Evidenzniveau gegeben. Dies gilt für die häufigsten exsudativen Makulaerkrankungen (neovaskuläre, altersbezogene Makuladegeneration, Makulaödem im Rahmen eines Diabetes oder eines venösen, retinalen Gefässverschlusses). Aufgrund zahlreicher Faktoren ist jedoch die Umsetzung einer optimalen, Evidenz basierten intravitrealen Therapie in kaum einem europäischen Land möglich. MATERIAL UND METHODE: Die folgende Übersicht zeigt die wesentlichsten Einflussfaktoren und deren grosse Variabilität innerhalb von Europa, die eine adäquate Patientenbehandlung in ganz Europa erschweren. Um die Unterschiede zwischen einzelnen europäischen Ländern aufzuzeigen, wurden u. a. Fragebogen an Retinologen in Europa verschickt. Zu den wesentlichsten limitierenden Faktoren gehören das in der Europäischen Union (EU) geltende Behandlungslabel für Ranibizumab und die national und teilweise regional geltenden Vorgaben für die Durchführung und Kostenerstattung der intravitrealen Therapie. Hinzu kommen teilweise regionale oder institutionelle Einschränkungen, die die Anzahl der intravitrealen Injektionen reglementieren. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass es innerhalb von Europa Unterschiede gibt. RESULTATE: Zu den wichtigen Unterschieden gehört die Dauer des nationalen Entscheidungsprozesses zur gesetzlichen Regelung der Kostenerstattung. Dieser Prozess kann in einzelnen Ländern mehrere Jahre in Anspruch nehmen. Eine weitere Einschränkung besteht in vielen Ländern in Hinblick darauf, welche Personen/Institutionen intravitreale Injektionen durchführen darf und erstattet bekommt. Dies ist in den meisten Ländern an die Kostenerstattung durch das Gesundheitssystem gebunden. Besonders in osteuropäischen Ländern sind die Institutionen, denen intravitreale Injektionen erstattet werden, Budgets unterworfen, die adäquate evidenzbasierte Versorgung der Patienten weiter deutlich erschweren. Erhebliche Unterschiede sind zudem bei den jeweils vorhandenen räumlichen Anforderungen und Auflagen an den Raum in dem die Injektion durchgeführt wird - von lediglich designiertem Injektionsraum bis zu vollwertigem Operationssaal - feststellbar. Hier zeigt sich innerhalb Europas eine deutliche Ost-West-Verteilung. Dieser Aspekt hat u. a. einen möglichen Einfluss auf die Sicherheit, aber auch auf die anfallenden Kosten und die Effizienz der Abläufe. Zum Teil sind die erheblichen Unterschiede in der Kostenerstattung für eine intravitreale Injektion innerhalb Europas durch die Vorgaben für den Injektionsraum erklärbar. Der Preis für die Durchführung einer intravitrealen Injektion an Institutionen mit Kostenerstattung durch das Gesundheitssystem variiert innerhalb Europa von etwa 80 bis etwa 600 €. Jedoch variiert die Kostenerstattung für die intravitreale Injektion mitunter sogar regional oder in Abhängigkeit vom Versicherungssystem. Fast ubiquitär zeigt sich jedoch ein Mangel an finanziellen und personellen Ressourcen, um die Untersuchungs- und Behandlungsabläufe der Ära der intravitrealen Injektionen anzupassen. Dies ist von erheblichen Nachteil für die betroffenen Patienten aber auch für viele behandelnde Ärzte. SCHLUSSFOLGERUNG: Mit einer zunehmenden Anzahl betroffener und mit intravitrealen Injektionen behandelbarer Patienten wird der Druck für einen verbesserten Behandlungszugang steigen. Einheitlichere Vorgaben für die Durchführung und Kostenerstattung intravitrealer Injektionen innerhalb Europas oder zumindest auf nationaler Ebene wären wünschenswert. Leider ist ein Trend zur weiteren Regionalisierung feststellba

Reduction of female copulatory damage by resilin represents evidence for tolerance in sexual conflict

Intergenomic evolutionary conflicts increase biological diversity. In sexual conflict, female defence against males is generally assumed to be resistance, which, however, often leads to trait exaggeration but not diversification. Here, we address whether tolerance, a female defence mechanism known from interspecific conflicts, exists in sexual conflict. We examined the traumatic insemination of female bed bugs via cuticle penetration by males, a textbook example of sexual conflict. Confocal laser scanning microscopy revealed large proportions of the soft and elastic protein resilin in the cuticle of the spermalege, the female defence organ. Reduced tissue damage and haemolymph loss were identified as adaptive female benefits from resilin. These did not arise from resistance because microindentation showed that the penetration force necessary to breach the cuticle was significantly lower at the resilin-rich spermalege than at other cuticle sites. Furthermore, a male survival analysis indicated that the spermalege did not impose antagonistic selection on males. Our findings suggest that the specific spermalege material composition evolved to tolerate the traumatic cuticle penetration. They demonstrate the importance of tolerance in sexual conflict and genitalia evolution, extend fundamental coevolution and speciation models and contribute to explaining the evolution of complexity. We propose that tolerance can drive trait diversity

Structure of hard-hypersphere fluids in odd dimensions

The structural properties of single component fluids of hard hyperspheres in odd space dimensionalities $d$ are studied with an analytical approximation method that generalizes the Rational Function Approximation earlier introduced in the study of hard-sphere fluids [S. B. Yuste and A. Santos, Phys. Rev. A {\bf 43}, 5418 (1991)]. The theory makes use of the exact form of the radial distribution function to first order in density and extends it to finite density by assuming a rational form for a function defined in Laplace space, the coefficients being determined by simple physical requirements. Fourier transform in terms of reverse Bessel polynomials constitute the mathematical framework of this approximation, from which an analytical expression for the static structure factor is obtained. In its most elementary form, the method recovers the solution of the Percus-Yevick closure to the Ornstein-Zernike equation for hyperspheres at odd dimension. The present formalism allows one to go beyond by yielding solutions with thermodynamic consistency between the virial and compressibility routes to any desired equation of state. Excellent agreement with available computer simulation data at $d=5$ and $d=7$ is obtained. As a byproduct of this study, an exact and explicit polynomial expression for the intersection volume of two identical hyperspheres in arbitrary odd dimensions is given.Comment: 18 pages, 7 figures; v2: new references added plus minor changes; to be published in PR