Testing Lorentz and CPT Invariance with MINOS Near Detector Neutrinos

We present an analysis designed to search for Lorentz and CPT violations as predicted by the SME framework using the charged current neutrino events in the MINOS near detector. In particular we develop methods to identify periodic variations in the normalized number of charged current neutrino events as a function of sidereal phase. To test these methods, we simulated a set of 1,000 experiments without Lorentz and CPT violation signals using the standard MINOS Monte Carlo. We performed an FFT on each of the simulated experiments to find the distribution of powers in the sidereal phase diagram without a signal. We then injected a signal of increasing strength into the sidereal neutrino oscillation probability until we found a 5$\sigma$ deviation from the mean in the FFT power spectrum. By this method, we can establish upper limits for the Lorentz and CPT violating terms in the SME.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, CPT'07 Conference proceeding

A Skylab program for the International Hydrological Decade (IHD)

There are no author-identified significant results in this report

A Skylab program for the International Hydrological Decade (IHD)

The author has identified the following significant results. Demonstration of the procedure for utilizing the model relating red and IR reflectance to surface soil moisture over regions of variable vegetation cover indicates that remote sensing may be able to make direct inputs into determination of this hydrologic parameter

An ERTS-1 investigation for Lake Ontario and its basin

The author has identified the following significant results. Methods of manual, semi-automatic, and automatic (computer) data processing were evaluated, as were the requirements for spatial physiographic and limnological information. The coupling of specially processed ERTS data with simulation models of the watershed precipitation/runoff process provides potential for water resources management. Optimal and full use of the data requires a mix of data processing and analysis techniques, including single band editing, two band ratios, and multiband combinations. A combination of maximum likelihood ratio and near-IR/red band ratio processing was found to be particularly useful

A Skylab program for the International Hydrological Decade (IHD)

There are no author-identified significant results in this report

Use of LANDSAT data to assess waterfowl habitat quality

The author has identified the following significant results. The capability of mapping ponds over a very large area was demonstrated, with multidate, multiframe LANDSAT imagery. A small double sample of aircraft data made it possible to adjust a LANDSAT large area census. Terrain classification was improved by using multitemporal LANDSAT data. Waterfowl production was estimated, using remotely determined pond data, in conjunction with FWS estimates of breeding population. Relative waterfowl habitat quality was characterized on a section by section basis

Cultivating Textbook Alternatives From the Ground Up: One Public University’s Sustainable Model for Open and Alternative Educational Resource Proliferation

This note from the field reviews the sustainability of an institution-wide program for adopting and adapting open and alternative educational resources (OAER) at Kansas State University (K-State). Developed in consult of open textbook initiatives at other institutions and modified around the needs and expectations of K-State students and faculty, this initiative proposes a sustainable means of incentivizing faculty participation via institutional support, encouraging the creation and maintenance of OAER through recurring funding, promoting innovative realizations of “educational resources” beyond traditional textbooks, and rallying faculty participation in adopting increasingly open textbook alternatives. The history and resulting structure of the initiative raise certain recommendations for how public universities may sustainably offset student textbook costs while also empowering the pedagogies of educators via a more methodical approach to adopting open materials