Hysterisis in Food Safety Investments

Concerns regarding the safety and integrity of the fresh produce supply chain are becoming all too common in the media. In 2006, an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 from farms in Central California sickened almost two hundred people and lead to the deaths of three. Estimated costs to the industry ranged from $100 per month to$200 million until spinach sales returned to normal. By some accounts, the spinach industry has yet to recover and may not for years to come. The incident, however, has lead to a host of initiatives from industry officials, legislators and fresh produce retailers to ensure the safety of fresh produce. The necessary technology and best practices knowledge exists, yet some growers have not made the investment required to ensure that such outbreaks do not happen again in the future.Agribusiness, Agricultural and Food Policy, Farm Management, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, Industrial Organization,

Development of Viscous Techniques for Application to Weapons Configuration Throughout the Flight Regime. A Review. G.U. Aero Report 9119

This report provides a review of current technology on the prediction of viscous flows using numerical techniques for applications to weapons configurations. The work is aimed at aiding the preparation of a strategy for advising a capability for predicting the aerodynamics of weapon configuration and to eventually bring such a strategy to fruition. Such a strategy would have to involve a long term research and development programme

The continuing relevance of customary arbitration in Nigeria: Critical Evaluation of Contemporary Developments

Dispute is a natural consequence of human interactions and dispute resolution mechanisms are critical to the peace and harmonious coexistence of every society. In pre-colonial times when there were no western styled public courts in many African societies, customary arbitration was an integral part of the dispute resolution mechanisms, and it is argued that it has remained even so today. In Nigeria, customary arbitration remains relevant and has received judicial approval by the Supreme Court in a plethora of cases. This paper discusses recent judicial developments on customary arbitration focusing on a recent judgment of the Nigerian Supreme Court - Umeadi v Chibunze and its implications on customary arbitration in the highly plural Nigerian legal system. Chibunze v Umeadi recognised the validity of traditional oath-taking as a feature of customary arbitration for parties who rely on it. This paper argues that customary arbitration remains one of the most common indigenous dispute resolution mechanisms in Nigeria. This paper seeks to interrogate the practice of customary arbitration in Nigeria, ascertain the conditions for its validity and evaluate the utility of traditional oath-taking as a constituent process or feature of customary arbitration in Nigeria. This paper will also suggest some reforms to improve the utility of customary arbitration in Nigeria

SFDN-α-GMRES and SQN-α-GMRES Methods for Fast High Resolution N-S Simulations. G.U. Aero Report 9230

No abstract available

The effect of parallel static and microwave electric fields on excited hydrogen atoms

Motivated by recent experiments we analyse the classical dynamics of a hydrogen atom in parallel static and microwave electric fields. Using an appropriate representation and averaging approximations we show that resonant ionisation is controlled by a separatrix, and provide necessary conditions for a dynamical resonance to affect the ionisation probability. The position of the dynamical resonance is computed using a high-order perturbation series, and estimate its radius of convergence. We show that the position of the dynamical resonance does not coincide precisely with the ionisation maxima, and that the field switch-on time can dramatically affect the ionisation signal which, for long switch times, reflects the shape of an incipient homoclinic. Similarly, the resonance ionisation time can reflect the time-scale of the separatrix motion, which is therefore longer than conventional static field Stark ionisation. We explain why these effects should be observed in the quantum dynamics. PACs: 32.80.Rm, 33.40.+f, 34.10.+x, 05.45.Ac, 05.45.MtComment: 47 pages, 20 figure

Assessing the Challenges to a Geosynchronous Space Tug System

A space tug vehicle is designed to rendezvous and dock with a space object; make an assessment of its current position, orientation, and operational status; and then either stabilize the object in its current orbit or move the object to a new location with subsequent release. A subset of on-orbit servicing, space tug missions in the geosynchronous belt include stationkeeping of satellites which have lost attitude control and repositioning of satellites. Repositioning of spacecraft may be desirable as a means to rescue satellites launched into incorrect orbits, for the retirement of satellites into “graveyard” orbits, and for on-demand maneuvers that support flexible mission requirements. This paper aims to unify the political, legal, operational, and financial aspects of the space tug concept and highlight the challenges that stand in the way of an operational space tug vehicle. U.S. Space Transportation Policy is reviewed, and a space tug operation is recognized as an enabler of emerging national space transportation requirements. Customary international and United States laws are explored as potential constraining forces on future tug missions. A concept of operations in geosynchronous orbit, including parking orbit selection and approach strategies, is analyzed with emphasis placed on safety and reliability. Potential financing models and the issue of insurance for space tugs are discussed and identified as the principal challenges facing implementation of a space tug system. This paper offers a positive forecast for the future of on-orbit servicing and endorses continued government support for proof-of-concept missions

The Overall Coefficient of the Two-loop Superstring Amplitude Using Pure Spinors

Using the results recently obtained for computing integrals over (non-minimal) pure spinor superspace, we compute the coefficient of the massless two-loop four-point amplitude from first principles. Contrasting with the mathematical difficulties in the RNS formalism where unknown normalizations of chiral determinant formulae force the two-loop coefficient to be determined only indirectly through factorization, the computation in the pure spinor formalism can be smoothly carried out.Comment: 29 pages, harvmac TeX. v2: add reference

An advanced 10.6-micro laser communication experiment

Carbon dioxide laser capability of high data rate intersatellite communicatio

A shallow water ferrous-hulled shipwreck reveals a distinct microbial community.

This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY).Shipwrecks act as artificial reefs and provide a solid surface in aquatic systems for many different forms of life to attach to, especially microbial communities, making them a hotspot of biogeochemical cycling. Depending on the microbial community and surrounding environment, they may either contribute to the wreck’s preservation or deterioration. Even within a single wreck, preservation and deterioration processes may vary, suggesting that the microbial community may also vary. This study aimed to identify the differences through widespread sampling of the microbial communities associated with the Pappy Lane shipwreck (NC shipwreck site #PAS0001), a shallow water ferrous-hulled shipwreck in Pamlico Sound, North Carolina to determine if there are differences across the wreck as well as from its surrounding environment. Loose shipwreck debris, drilled shipcores, surrounding sediment, and seawater samples were collected from the Pappy Lane shipwreck to characterize the microbial communities on and around the shipwreck. Results indicated that the shipwreck samples were more similar to each other than the surrounding sediment and aquatic environments suggesting they have made a specialized niche associated with the shipwreck. There were differences between the microbial community across the shipwreck, including between visibly corroded and non-corroded shipwreck debris pieces. Relative abundance estimates for neutrophilic iron-oxidizing bacteria (FeOB), an organism that may contribute to deterioration through biocorrosion, revealed they are present across the shipwreck and at highest abundance on the samples containing visible corrosion products. Zetaproteobacteria, a known class of marine iron-oxidizers, were also found in higher abundance on shipwreck samples with visible corrosion. A novel Zetaproteobacteria strain, Mariprofundus ferrooxydans O1, was isolated from one of the shipwreck pieces and its genome analyzed to elucidate the functional potential of the organism. In addition to iron oxidation pathways, the isolate has the genomic potential to perform carbon fixation in both high and low oxygen environments, as well as perform nitrogen fixation, contributing to the overall biogeochemical cycling of nutrients and metals in the shipwreck ecosystem. By understanding the microbial communities associated with shallow water ferrous-hulled shipwrecks, better management strategies and preservation plans can be put into place to preserve these artificial reefs and non-renewable cultural resources.ECU Open Access Publishing Support Fun

Can community volunteers work to trace patients defaulting from scheduled psychiatric clinic appointments?

Reproduced with permission of the publisher