Triple redundant hydrogen sensor with in situ calibration

To meet sensing and calibration needs, an in situ calibration technique was developed. It is based on electrolytic generation of a hydrogen/air atmosphere within a hydrogen sensor. The hydrogen is generated from water vapor in the air, and being electrical in nature, the in situ calibration can be performed completely automatically in remote locations. Triply redundant sensor elements are integrated within a single, compact housing, and digital logic provides inter-sensor comparisons to warn of and identify malfunctioning sensor elements. An evaluation of this concept is presented

Assessing movements of three buoy line types using DSTmilli Loggers: Implications for entanglements of bottlenose dolphins in the crab pot fishery

A study was conducted in October 2006 in the Charleston, South Carolina area to test the movements of three different buoy line types to determine which produced a preferred profile that could reduce the risk of dolphin entanglement. Tests on diamond-braided nylon commonly used in the crab pot fishery were compared with stiffened line of Esterpro and calf types in both shallow and deep water environments using DSTmilli data loggers. Loggers were placed at intervals along the lines to record depth, and thus movements, over a 24 hour period. Three observers viewed video animations and charts created for each of the six trial days from the collected logger data and provided their opinions on the most desirable line type that fit set criteria. A quantitative analysis (ANCOVA) of the data was conducted taking into consideration daily tidal fluctuations and logger movements. Loggers tracking the tides had an r2 value approaching 1.00 and produced little movement other than with the tides. Conversely, r2 values approaching 0.00 were less affected by tidal movement and influenced by currents that cause more erratic movement. Results from this study showed that stiffened line, in particular the medium lay Esterpro type, produced the more desirable profiles that could reduce risk of dolphin entanglement. Combining the observer’s results with the ANCOVA results, Esterpro was chosen nearly 60% of the time as opposed to the nylon line which was only chosen 10% of the time. ANCOVA results showed that the stiffened lines performed better in both the shallow and deep water environments, while the nylon line only performed better during one trial in a deep water set, most probably due to the increased current velocities experienced that day. (58pp.)(PDF contains 68 pages

'Tweaking' the model for understanding and preventing maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality in low income countries : "inserting new ideas into a timeless wine skin"

Background: Maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality in Low Income Countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa involves numerous interrelated causes. The three-delay model/framework was advanced to better understand the causes and associated Contextual factors. It continues to inform many aspects of programming and research on combating maternal and child morbidity and mortality in the said countries. Although this model addresses some of the core areas that can be targeted to drastically reduce maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality, it potentially omits other critical facets especially around primary prevention, and pre- and post-hospitalization continuum of care. Discussion: The final causes of Maternal and Neonatal mortality and morbidity maybe limited to a few themes largely centering on infections, preterm births, and pregnancy and childbirth related complications. However, to effectively tackle these causes of morbidity and mortality, a broad based approach is required. Some of the core issues that need to be addressed include:-i) prevention of vertically transmitted infections, intra-partum related adverse events and broad primary prevention strategies, ii) overall health care seeking behavior and delays therein, iii) quality of care at point of service delivery, and iv) post-insult treatment follow up and rehabilitation. In this article we propose a five-pronged framework that takes all the above into consideration. This frameworks further builds on the three-delay model and offers a more comprehensive approach to understanding and preventing maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality in Low Income Countries Conclusion: In shaping the post 2015 agenda, the scope of engagement in maternal and newborn health need to be widened if further gains are to be realized and sustained. Our proposed five pronged approach incorporates the need for continued investment in tackling the recognized three delays, but broadens this to also address earlier aspects of primary prevention, and the need for tertiary prevention through ongoing follow up and rehabilitation. It takes into perspective the spectrum of new evidence and how it can be used to deepen overall understanding of prevention strategies for maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality in LICS

U.S. Supreme Court Decision in Tennessee Valley Authority v. Hill et Al., No. 76-1701

U.S. Supreme Court decision in the case of TVA v. Hill. The court\u27s opinion, written by Chief Justice Warren E. Burger, orders the TVA to cease construction on the Tellico Dam. The decision includes dissenting opinions authored by Lewis F. Powell, Jr. and William H. Rehnquist. The opinion was published in West\u27s Supreme Court Reporter at 437 U.S. 153 (1978)

Exchange bias and interface electronic structure in Ni/Co3O4(011)

A detailed study of the exchange bias effect and the interfacial electronic structure in Ni/Co3O4(011) is reported. Large exchange anisotropies are observed at low temperatures, and the exchange bias effect persists to temperatures well above the Neel temperature of bulk Co3O4, of about 40 K: to ~80 K for Ni films deposited on well ordered oxide surfaces, and ~150 K for Ni films deposited on rougher Co3O4 surfaces. Photoelectron spectroscopy measurements as a function of Ni thickness show that Co reduction and Ni oxidation occur over an extended interfacial region. We conclude that the exchange bias observed in Ni/Co3O4, and in similar ferromagnetic metallic/Co3O4 systems, is not intrinsic to Co3O4 but rather due to the formation of CoO at the interface.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures. Accepted for publication in Physical Review B

Critical exponents and phase transition in gold nuclei fragmentation at energies 10.6 and 4.0 GeV/nucleon

An attempt to extract critical exponents gamma, beta and tau from data on gold nuclei fragmentation due to interactions with nuclear emulsion at energies 4.0 A GeV and 10.6 A GeV is presented. Based on analysis of Campi's 2nd charge moments, two subsets of data at each energy are selected from the inclusive data, corresponding to 'liquid' and 'gas' phases. The extracted values of critical exponents from the selected data sets are in agreement with predictions of 'liquid-gas' model of phase transition.Comment: 21 pages, 15 figure

The separation of rare earths by ion exchange. IV. Further investigations concerning variables involved in the separation of samarium, neodynium and praseodymium

Previous papers of this series have dealt with some of the variables concerned with the separation of rare earths by means of ion exchange. It has been apparent from the first that the many variables involved should be investigated more thoroughly in order to improve the degree of separation of certain pairs of the rare earths. It was decided, therefore, to study further the effect of such variables as temperature, pH of eluant, size of resin particles and flow rate

The declining representativeness of the British party system, and why it matters

In a recent article, Michael Laver has explained ‘Why Vote-Seeking Parties May Make Voters Miserable’. His model shows that, while ideological convergence may boost congruence between governments and the median voter, it can reduce congruence between the party system and the electorate as a whole. Specifically, convergence can increase the mean distance between voters and their nearest party. In this article we show that this captures the reality of today’s British party system. Policy scale placements in British Election Studies from 1987 to 2010 confirm that the pronounced convergence during the past decade has left the Conservatives and Labour closer together than would be optimal in terms of minimising the policy distance between the average voter and the nearest major party. We go on to demonstrate that this comes at a cost. Respondents who perceive themselves as further away from one of the major parties in the system tend to score lower on satisfaction with democracy. In short, vote-seeking parties have left the British party system less representative of the ideological diversity in the electorate, and thus made at least some British voters miserable