Immigrant Legal-Aid Organizations in the United states

An immigration reform bill has passed the US Senate and is being deliberated in the House of Representatives. Any enacted immigration reform that is comprehensive will include a path to legalization for the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants. The Congressional Budget Office projects about 8 million of these individuals will be eligible and apply for regularization of status. This brief gives a snapshot of nonprofits that provide legal-aid services to immigrants and their families. These organizations will be at the forefront of immigration reform, guiding millions of unauthorized immigrants through the path to legalization

Imputation and Price Indexes: Theory and Evidence from the International Price Program

The goal of this paper is to theoretically and empirically demonstrate the consequences of different imputation methods, using recent data from the International Price Program. We suppose that prices are missing due to random or erratic reporting. We consider three different imputation methods: carry-forward, which just assumes that the missing price is the same as in the previous period; cell-mean, which imputes the missing price using either the short-term or long-term index for related commodities; and linear interpolation, which uses the last and next observations for the item to linearly interpolate. Certain hybrid techniques, combining either carry-forward or cell-mean with linear interpolation, are also considered. Our conclusions are: (1) Some imputation is better than no imputation; (2) the short term cell-mean introduces some â??noiseâ?? into the price index: (3) linear interpolation results in less fluctuation of prices than the true series: (4) combining either carry-forward or cell-mean with linear interpolation gives similar results.imputation, price index, interpolation

Molecular-Kinetic Simulations of Escape from the Ex-planet and Exoplanets: Criterion for Transonic Flow

The equations of gas dynamics are extensively used to describe atmospheric loss from solar system bodies and exoplanets even though the boundary conditions at infinity are not uniquely defined. Using molecular-kinetic simulations that correctly treat the transition from the continuum to the rarefied region, we confirm that the energy-limited escape approximation is valid when adiabatic expansion is the dominant cooling process. However, this does not imply that the outflow goes sonic. In fact in the sonic regime, the energy limited approximation can significantly under estimate the escape rate. Rather large escape rates and concomitant adiabatic cooling can produce atmospheres with subsonic flow that are highly extended. Since this affects the heating rate of the upper atmosphere and the interaction with external fields and plasmas, we give a criterion for estimating when the outflow goes transonic in the continuum region. This is applied to early terrestrial atmospheres, exoplanet atmospheres, and the atmosphere of the ex-planet, Pluto, all of which have large escape rates. The paper and its erratum, combined here, are published: ApJL 768, L4 (2013); ApJ, 779, L30 (2013).Comment: 11 pages, 3 figure

Ultraviolet radiation effects on aging hams in high moisture conditions

Hams were aged in two rooms thermostatically controlled at 78°F. with a relative humidity of 80 percent. In one of the rooms a germicidal lamp was installed with the hams placed so that the exposure distance approximated 3, 6, 9 and 12 feet or were shielded entirely from the ultraviolet radiation. There were no significant or definite trends in shrinkage loss among the treatments during the periods of salting, equalizing, smoking and aging. Free fatty acids increased significantly with aging time; however, the FFA content among all treatments did not show a significant difference. The control and shielded hams had significantly more mold growth than those exposed to ultraviolet light rays. The physical appearance of the exposed hams was significantly more oily than the control group even though there was a fat exudate in all treatments as aging time increased. Although there were no significant differences among treatments in fat color within the four exposed groups the color blended from a bright yellow to medium yellow as the exposure distance was lengthened. Flavor of the hams as scored by a laboratory panel rated only fair. The reason for this relatively low score is not definitely known; however, the high moisture conditions may be a possible contributing factor

Statistical Analysis of Observed Iceberg Drift

Eight iceberg trajectories observed by the U.S. Coast Guard during 1965, 1967, and 1968 have been subjected to preliminary analysis. The data were obtained by tracking the icebergs relative to fixed reference markers using visual bearings and radar ranges. Speed ratios and drift angles were calculated for each half hour of iceberg trajectory. It was found that at low wind speeds the effects of permanent currents, older wind-driven currents, and tidal currents predominate over wind drag and new wind-driven currents, whereas at wind speeds of over 10 knots the wind has a significant effect on the drift of an iceberg. The ratio of the drag coefficient for the iceberg's above-water portion to the drag coefficient for its submerged portion was found to range from 1.5 to approximately 7