THE OPTICAL SCANNER - FRIEND OR FOE?

Examines pros and cons of the optical scanner for various institutions in the distribution channel. Concludes it's good.Agribusiness,

A cross impact methodology for the assessment of US telecommunications system with application to fiber optics development, volume 1

A cross impact model of the U.S. telecommunications system was developed. It was necessary to prepare forecasts of the major segments of the telecommunications system, such as satellites, telephone, TV, CATV, radio broadcasting, etc. In addition, forecasts were prepared of the traffic generated by a variety of new or expanded services, such as electronic check clearing and point of sale electronic funds transfer. Finally, the interactions among the forecasts were estimated (the cross impact). Both the forecasts and the cross impacts were used as inputs to the cross impact model, which could then be used to stimulate the future growth of the entire U.S. telecommunications system. By varying the inputs, technology changes or policy decisions with regard to any segment of the system could be evaluated in the context of the remainder of the system. To illustrate the operation of the model, a specific study was made of the deployment of fiber optics throughout the telecommunications system

Connecting One and Many - Reinventing the Procession of the Cinema Experience

In the past, going to the movies was an event. The grand lit marquee made a statement, ushering you inside. The elaborately decorated lobby transported you to a place in your dreams where riches and opulence abound. The curtained screen marked the start of a true storied spectacle as you sat close to your friends and neighbors dressed in their Sunday best. There was no denying that the cinema was the place to see, be seen and to socialize. In contrast, today’s movie-going can be classified as more of a singular experience. You wait in long, solemn cattle lines to enter a cluttered lobby with loud video games, tacky candy machines and tunnel-like hallways. You sit in plush recliners in a sea of strangers and rush out of the theater before even the lights come up. In response to this cultural shift, my proposed design solution will challenge the isolation of today’s cinema by recreating the procession associated with neighborhood movie-going of the early 1900s. I will reinvent a cinema built in 1937, the Bellevue Theater, and develop a design that is contemporary, incorporating both modern technology and interests of today. The design will explore the spatial connections between one and many, fostering both the individual and group experience associated with the big screen – the cinema procession of the past

A cross impact methodology for the assessment of US telecommunications system with application to fiber optics development, volume 2

The appendices for the cross impact methodology are presented. These include: user's guide, telecommunication events, cross impacts, projection of historical trends, and projection of trends in satellite communications

Lessons Learned in Decommissioning of NPP A-1 After Accident

Decommissioning of the NPP A-1 in Jaslovske Bohunice is encountered with great variation of the problems connected primarily with the high radiation fields and the high activity of the contaminated materials. Decontamination of the contaminated objects and the thorough radiological protection of decontamination workers are therefore the tasks of top priority. The successful realization of these jobs is based on the experience, good working practice and the utilization of all proven methods together with the newly developed ones. Since 1996, AllDeco Ltd. has applied the decontamination methods and processes in a wide scale in the decommissioning and dismantling of the NPP A-1 in the cooperation with SE-VYZ Inc. The monitoring of the radiation situation and the investigation of the type and character of the radioactive waste were first steps in the decontamination of all objects. For this works, remote controlled mechanical manipulators and remote controlled electrical carriage equipped with instruments recording the levels of dose rates and with telemetric data transmission system were used. The recorded data were used for the modeling and 3D visualization of the radiation fields and for following planning and preparation of the decontamination projects or ''working programs'' based on the ALARA principle. The minimization of the radioactive waste was also taken into consideration. A lot of time and energy was spent on the preparation and training of the staff including non-active trials of planned procedures. The gained experience was evaluated and lessons learned were given in the final reports

Impact of an Extreme Storm Event on River Corridor Bank Erosion and Phosphorus Mobilization in a Mountainous Watershed in the Northeastern United States

Movement of sediment, and associated phosphorus, from stream banks to freshwater lakes is predicted to increase with greater frequency of extreme precipitation events. This higher phosphorus load may accelerate harmful algal blooms in affected water bodies, such as Lake Champlain in Vermont, New York, and Québec. In the Mad River, a subwatershed in central Vermont\u27s Lake Champlain Basin, extreme flooding from Tropical Storm Irene in 2011 caused extensive erosion. We measured stream channel change along the main stem between 2008 and 2011 by digitizing available prestorm and poststorm aerial imagery. Soils were sampled post Irene at six active stream erosion sites, using an experimental design to measure differences in soil texture and phosphorus both with depth (90 cm) and distance from the stream. In addition to total phosphorus (TP), we determined bioavailable (soil test) phosphorus (STP) and the degree of phosphorus saturation (DPS). The six sites represented a 0.87-km length of stream bank that contributed an estimated 17.6 × 10 3 Mg of sediment and 15.8 Mg of TP, roughly the same as average annual watershed export estimates. At four sites, the STP and DPS were low and suggested little potential for short-term phosphorus release. At two agricultural sites where the lateral extent of erosion was high, imagery showed a clear loss of well-established riparian buffer. Present-day near-stream soils were elevated in STP and DPS. An increase in these extreme events will clearly increase sediment loads. There will also be increasing concentration of sediment phosphorus if stream banks continue to erode into actively managed agricultural fields

The Effect of Diagnostic Terminology on Cognitive, Emotional, and Somatic Outcomes Following Mild Traumatic Brain Injury

Although used interchangeably to represent similar acute injury characteristics, mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and concussion may result in different functional outcomes. This investigation sought to determine whether varying diagnostic terminology resulted in differences in perceived cognitive, emotional, somatic symptom sequalae, and expected recovery time. A total of 108 university students were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: concussion (n=31), mTBI (n=44), or undiagnosed injury (n=33), and were instructed to simulate on a battery of cognitive, emotional, and somatic measures. There were no differences between the mTBI and concussion groups on cognitive (d=.09), emotional (d=.09), and somatic (d=.09) variables; however, the mTBI group perceived greater cognitive (d=.15), emotional (d=.33), and somatic (d=.28) consequences compared to the no diagnosis group. These findings provide preliminary support for the potential iatrogenic effects that may arise as a result of providing participants with a list of common brain injury symptoms.M.A