Upward Mobility in the American Mountain West

Upward economic and social mobility is an intrinsic element of American society. Data from the Equality of Opportunity Project (EOP) demonstrates that upward mobility is a critical issue for our nation’s metros. An analysis of Mountain West metros and the performances of colleges and universities in this region reveal how the differing economic, demographic, and social characteristics affect mobility. This brief explores upward mobility rates, measures of diversity, levels of domestic and foreign migration, and students’ family household income and their eventual individual incomes. The comparison of postsecondary institutions in Mountain West metros serves as a microcosm to better understand how metros and their universities can best serve our nation’s ever diversifying population

Making a Middle Class: Colleges and Cities in the Mountain West

A stronger middle class is important for the economic and political future of both cities and nations. Analyses focusing on the size of the middle class can be misleading, providing information on income inequality or temporary economic conditions. More important than the size of the middle class is the quality of life of the middle class. Higher education can serve students from middle-class backgrounds, helping them sustain a middle-class standard of living and rise up the economic ladder, as well as providing “on ramps” to the middle class for those from low-income backgrounds. We show that middle class wage earners bore the brunt of the Great Recession in Las Vegas. Using a new metric of mobility based on data from Opportunity Insights (formerly the Equality of Opportunity Project), we also examine the contribution of colleges in the Mountain West to serving and strengthening the middle class

Bayesian models for the determination of resonant frequencies in a DI diesel engine

A time series method for the determination of combustion chamber resonant frequencies is outlined. This technique employs the use of Markov-chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) to infer parameters in a chosen model of the data. The development of the model is included and the resonant frequency is characterised as a function of time. Potential applications for cycle-by-cycle analysis are discussed and the bulk temperature of the gas and the trapped mass in the combustion chamber are evaluated as a function of time from resonant frequency information

SPATIAL-TEMPORAL VARIATION OF THE DENSITY AND DISTRIBUTION OF STINK BUGS (HETEROPTERA: PENTATOMIDAE) IN COTTON, GOSSYPIUM HIRSUTUM (L.), AS PART OF A DIVERSE AGROECOSYSTEM

Studies were conducted during 2007 and 2008 to investigate the distribution and density of phytophagous stink bugs and boll injury in cotton as part of a variable farmscape. The goals of this research were to: (1) compare and contrast sampling techniques and correlate the density of stink bugs and associated internal boll injury with measurements of crop phenology, (2) establish the spatial and temporal distributions of stink bugs and boll injury on a whole-field scale, and (3) determine the density of stink bugs and boll injury along field margins as influenced by adjacent habitats and crops. The ground cloth was the most efficient method to directly sample stink bugs. Monitoring bolls for internal injury was the more sensitive method to detect the presence of stink bugs than the ground cloth or sweep net. The density of adult stink bugs was positively correlated to plant height and normalized difference vegetative index (NDVI). The density of bugs and boll injury were significantly greater in grids located along the periphery of fields than in grids located near the center of the fields. Along field margins, the densities of stink bugs were greatest on the first row and decreased as the distance towards the interior of the cotton field increased. Also, density of stink bugs and boll injury were greatest in cotton adjacent to soybean and peanut fields. These results demonstrate that spatial and temporal variation exists in populations of stink bugs and boll injury along field margins and within fields, and can vary significantly based on the adjacent crop

Light Elements and Cosmic Rays in the Early Galaxy

We derive constraints on the cosmic rays responsible for the Be and part of the B observed in stars formed in the early Galaxy: the cosmic rays cannot be accelerated from the ISM; their energy spectrum must be relatively hard (the bulk of the nuclear reactions should occur at $>$30 MeV/nucl); and only 10$^{49}$ erg/SNII in high metallicity, accelerated particle kinetic energy could suffice to produce the Be and B. The reverse SNII shock could accelerate the particles.Comment: 5 pages LATEX using paspconf.sty file with one embedded eps figure using psfig. In press, Proc. Goddard High Resolution Spectrograph Symposium, PASP, 199

Remarkable Spectral Variability of PDS 456

We report on the highest to date signal-to-noise-ratio X-ray spectrum of the luminous quasar PDS 456, as obtained during two XMM-Newton orbits in September 2007. The present spectrum is considerably different from several previous X-ray spectra recorded for PDS 456 since 1998. The ultra-high-velocity outflow seen as recently as February 2007 is not detected in absorption. Conversely, a significant reflection component is detected. The reflection model suggests the reflecting medium may be outflowing at a velocity v/c = -0.06 +/- 0.02. The present spectrum is analyzed in the context of the previous ones in an attempt to understand all spectra within the framework of a single model. We examine whether an outflow with variable partial covering of the X-ray source along the line of sight that also reflects the source from other lines of sight can explain the dramatic variations in the broad-band spectral curvature of PDS 456. It is established that absorption plays a major role in shaping the spectrum of other epochs, while the 2007 XMM-Newton spectrum is dominated by reflection, and the coverage of the source by the putative outflow is small (< 20%).Comment: submitted to Ap

A survey of science reporting in representative American newspapers

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston Universit

The Eccentric Compositional Style of Mark Applebaum: An Analysis of his Acoustic Percussion Works

Mark Applebaum is an American composer and Professor of Composition at Stanford University who has made significant contributions to contemporary music. His music has been performed all over the world and his popularity as a composer continues to increase. The experimental nature of his music and his continual innovation and creativity makes his music worthy of study. However, there has been no scholarly research done on his music. Because of this void, a study of his music is needed and would be valuable to both performers and scholars alike. The oeuvre of Mark Applebaum is vast and includes music written in traditional mediums as well as those that are unorthodox. The author has chosen to limit the focus of this document to nine acoustic percussion works. Using these selected works, this document will provide an analysis of certain compositional traits that illustrate the composer’s eccentric compositional style. Applebaum has written many other pieces for chamber ensembles and, large ensembles, as well as electro-acoustic compositions that contain similar compositional traits, as well as exceptional percussion writing. While in general these works are beyond the scope of this document, some will be referenced briefly if they are pertinent to the concepts being discussed. As of the date of completion of this paper, there is no existing research on these works and it is intended that the document may be used in further research of the music of Mark Applebaum. In addition, given that this document focuses on Mark Applebaum’s acoustic percussion works, it is the writer’s hope that it will be a valuable source of information in the percussion community. The document is divided into five chapters. Chapter one contains a biography of Mark Applebaum as well as an introduction to his music. Chapter two focuses on specific compositional ideas that illustrate Mark Applebaum’s unorthodox method of composition. This involves an analysis of four major percussion works, each of which were constructed using compositional ideas that involve a complex process of generating musical material. Chapter three focuses on ways that rhythm and meter are used with examples taken from several works. Chapter four focuses on the use of indeterminacy and improvisation. Finally, chapter five will take a detailed look at the visual and theatrical elements found in much of Mark Applebaum’s music

Thought imitates life : the case of John Stuart Mill

In this essay, I relate material in the original published work – John Stuart Mill – Victorian Firebrand (Atlantic Books, 2007) to the claim that the central features of Mill’s thought can be seen more clearly through a biographical lens. The original contribution of the main work lies in the excavation and application of biographical material to the development of Mill’s philosophy. The poor development of Mill’s utilitarianism results in part from a lack of personal investment and aspiration. Mill’s motivation was to atone for earlier, premature assaults on Jeremy Bentham’s philosophy - rather than to develop it further. As a consequence, his mature utilitarianism is hard to integrate with his liberalism, which was where his primary interest lay. Elements of Mill’s liberalism also bear a biographical imprint. The central emphasis on self-creation in Mill’s liberal ethic results, in part, from his own ‘crisis’ and subsequent departure from the rationalist utilitarianism of his father and Bentham. Similarly, Mill’s focus on individuality stemmed in part from a concern to demonstrate he was not, himself, a ‘made man’. Openmindedness became a central liberal virtue, for Mill, following his criticism of Bentham’s (and his father’s) narrowness of thought. Character was also essential to liberty, since only those of strong character could create themselves and express their individuality, rather than succumbing to custom. Mill’s partner and later wife, Harriet Taylor Mill, had an influence on Mill’s thought. The experience of gossip and ostracism, in the years before their marriage, strengthened Mill’s opposition to the ‘despotism of custom’. More substantively, Harriet’s views on socialism, the ballot and feminism clearly influenced Mill’s own treatment. Without Harriet, he would have been a less committed socialist and feminist – and would have remained a supporter of the right to vote in secret