Feasibility study of alpha particle densitometers for measuring planetary atmospheric density Final report, Jul. 1968 - May 1969

Radioactive alpha particle density measuring system for atmospheric analyse

Design, fabrication and calibration of alpha particle densitometers for measuring planetary atmospheric density

An alpha particle densitometer was developed for possible application to measurement of the atmospheric density-altitude profile on Martian entry. The device uses an Am-241 radioactive-foil source, which emits a distributed energy spectrum, located about 25 to 75 cm from a semiconductor detector. System response - defined as the number of alphas per second reaching the detector with energy above a fixed threshold - is given for Ar and CO2. The altitude profile of density measurement accuracy is given for a pure CO2 atmosphere with 5 mb surface pressure. The entire unit, including dc-dc converters, requires less than 350 milliwatts of power from +28 volts, weighs about 0.85 lb and occupies less than 15 cubic inches volume

Flight of a UV spectrophotometer aboard Galileo 2, the NASA Convair 990 aircraft

An ultraviolet interference-filter spectrophotometer (UVS) fabricated for aircraft-borne use on the DOT Climatic Impact Assessment Program (CIAP) has been successfully tested in a series of flights on the NASA Convair 990, Galileo II. UV flux data and the calculated total ozone above the flight path are reported for several of the flights. Good agreement is obtained with the total ozone as deducted by integration of an ozone sonde vertical profile obtained at Wallops Island, Virginia near the time of a CV-990 underpass. Possible advantages of use of the UVS in the NASA Global Atmospheric Sampling Program are discussed

Crystallization of agility: Back to basics

There are a number of agile and traditional methodologies for software development. Agilists provide agile principles and agile values to characterize the agile methods but there is no clear and inclusive definition of agile methods; subsequently it is not feasible to draw a clear distinction between traditional and agile software development methods in practice. The purpose of this paper is to explain the concept of agility in detail; and then to suggest a definition of agile methods that would help in the ranking or differentiation of agile methods from other available methods

Offspring of parents with recurrent depression: which features of parent depression index risk for offspring psychopathology?

Background: Parental depression is associated with an increased risk of psychiatric disorder in offspring, although outcomes vary. At present relatively little is known about how differences in episode timing, severity, and course of recurrentdepression relate to risk in children. The aim of this study was to consider the offspring of parents with recurrentdepression and examine whether a recent episode of parental depressionindexesrisk for offspringpsychopathology over and above these other parental depressionfeatures. <p/>Methods: Three hundred and thirty seven recurrently depressed parents and their offspring (aged 9–17) were interviewed as part of an ongoing study, the ‘Early Prediction of Adolescent Depression Study’. The Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Assessment was used to assess two child outcomes; presence of a DSM-IV psychiatric disorder and number of DSM-IV child-rated depression symptoms. <p/>Results: Children whose parents had experienced a recent episode of depression reported significantly more depression symptoms, and odds of child psychiatric disorder were doubled relative to children whose parents had not experienced a recent episode of depression. Past severity of parental depression was also significantly associated with child depression symptoms. <p/>Limitations: Statistical analyses preclude causal conclusions pertaining to parental depression influences on offspringpsychopathology; several features of parental depression were recalled retrospectively. <p/>Conclusions: This study suggests that particular features of parental depression, specifically past depression severity and presence of a recent episode, may be important indicators of risk for child psychiatric disorder and depressive symptoms

Aharanov-Bohm excitons at elevated temperatures in type-II ZnTe/ZnSe quantum dots

Optical emission from type-II ZnTe/ZnSe quantum dots demonstrates large and persistent oscillations in both the peak energy and intensity indicating the formation of coherently rotating states. Furthermore, the Aharanov-Bohm (AB) effect is shown to be remarkably robust and persists until 180K. This is at least one order of magnitude greater than the typical temperatures in lithographically defined rings. To our knowledge this is the highest temperature at which the AB effect has been observed in semiconductor structures

Unique path partitions: Characterization and Congruences

We give a complete classification of the unique path partitions and study congruence properties of the function which enumerates such partitions.Comment: 11 page

Kidney Disease and Youth Onset Type 2 Diabetes: Considerations for the General Practitioner

Youth onset type 2 diabetes (T2DM) continues to increase worldwide, concomitant with the rising obesity epidemic. There is evidence to suggest that youth with T2DM are affected by the same comorbidities and complications as adults diagnosed with T2DM. This review highlights specifically the kidney disease associated with youth onset T2DM, which is highly prevalent and associated with a high risk of end-stage kidney disease in early adulthood. A general understanding of this complex disease by primary care providers is critical, so that at-risk individuals are identified and managed early in the course of their disease, such that progression can be modified in this high-risk group of children and adolescents. A review of the pediatric literature will include a focus on the epidemiology, risk factors, pathology, screening, and treatment of kidney disease in youth onset T2DM