Study to investigate the effects of ionizing radiation on transistor surfaces Third quarterly report, period ending, 31 Mar. 1966

Ionizing radiation effects on transistor surface

Analysis of normalized radar cross section (sigma-O) signature of Amazon rain forest using SEASAT scatterometer data

The normalized radar cross section (NRCS) signature of the Amazon rain forest was SEASAT scatterometer data. Statistics of the measured (NRCS) values were determined from multiple orbit passes for three local time periods. Plots of mean normalized radar cross section, dB against incidence angle as a function of beam and polarization show that less than 0.3 dB relative bias exists between all beams over a range of incidence angle from 30 deg to 53 deg. The backscattered measurements analyzed show the Amazon rain forest to be relatively homogeneous, azimuthally isotropic and insensitive to polarization. The return from the rain forest target appears relatively consistent and stable, except for the small diurnal variation (0.75 dB) that occurs at sunrise. Because of the relative stability of the rain forest target and the scatterometer instrument, the response of versus incidence angle was able to detect errors in the estimated yaw altitude angle. Also, small instrument gain biases in some of the processing channels were detected. This led to the development of an improved NRCS algorithm, which uses a more accurate method for estimating the system noise power

Data display and analysis

Graphical character recognizer and data displa

Assessment of the microbial communities associated with white syndrome and brown jelly syndrome in aquarium corals

Bacterial and ciliate assemblages associated with aquarium corals displaying white syndrome (WS) and brown jelly syndrome (BJS) were investigated. Healthy (n = 10) and diseased corals (WS n = 18; BJS n = 3) were analysed for 16S rRNA gene bacterial diversity, total bacterial abundance and vibrio-specific 16S rRNA gene abundance. This was conducted alongside analysis of 18S rRNA gene sequenc-ing targeting ciliates, a group of organisms largely overlooked for their potential as causal agents of coral disease. Despite significant differences between healthy and diseased corals in their 16S rRNA gene bacterial diversity, total bacterial abundance and vibrio-specific rRNA gene abundance, no domi-nant bacterial ribotypes were found consistently within the diseased samples. In contrast, one ciliate morphotype, named Morph 3 in this study (GenBank Accession Numbers JF831358 for the ciliate isolated from WS and JF831359 for the ciliate isolated from BJS) was observed to burrow into and underneath the coral tissues at the disease lesion in both disease types and contained algal endosym-bionts indicative of coral tissue ingestion. This ciliate was observed in larger numbers in BJS compared to WS, giving rise to the characteristic jelly like substance in BJS. Morph 3 varied by only 1 bp over 549 bp from the recently described Morph 1 ciliate (GenBank Accession No. JN626268), which has been shown to be present in field samples of WS and Brown Band Disease (BrB) in the Indo-Pacific. This result indicates a close relationship between these aquarium diseases and those observed in the wild

Experimental antibiotic treatment identifies potential pathogens of white band disease in the endangered Caribbean coral Acropora cervicornis

Coral diseases have been increasingly reported over the past few decades and are a major contributor to coral decline worldwide. The Caribbean, in particular, has been noted as a hotspot for coral disease, and the aptly named white syndromes have caused the decline of the dominant reef building corals throughout their range. White band disease (WBD) has been implicated in the dramatic loss of Acropora cervicornis and Acropora palmata since the 1970s, resulting in both species being listed as critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red list. The causal agent of WBD remains unknown, although recent studies based on challenge experiments with filtrate from infected hosts concluded that the disease is probably caused by bacteria. Here, we report an experiment using four different antibiotic treatments, targeting different members of the disease-associated microbial community. Two antibiotics, ampicillin and paromomycin, arrested the disease completely, and by comparing with community shifts brought about by treatments that did not arrest the disease, we have identified the likely candidate causal agent or agents of WBD. Our interpretation of the experimental treatments is that one or a combination of up to three specific bacterial types, detected consistently in diseased corals but not detectable in healthy corals, are likely causal agents of WBD. In addition, a histophagous ciliate (Philaster lucinda) identical to that found consistently in association with white syndrome in Indo-Pacific acroporas was also consistently detected in allWBDsamples and absent in healthy coral. Treatment with metronidazole reduced it to below detection limits, but did not arrest the disease. However, the microscopic disease signs changed, suggesting a secondary role in disease causation for this ciliate. In future studies to identify a causal agent ofWBDvia tests of Henle–Koch’s postulates, it will be vital to experimentally control for populations of the other potential pathogens identified in this study

Letter from J. S. Sweet to B. R. Colson

Letter from J. S. Sweet to B. R. Colson dated 11 January 1913. The hand-written letter is three pages long. There is a typewritten transcript of the document included in the item PDF

\u3ci\u3eThe College Scorecard:\u3c/i\u3e A New Player in the Game

Almost all products and services offered in the world today are evaluated on any number of criteria such as reputation, quality, popularity, or value, which results in a ranking or a rating of those products or services. In the world of higher education, colleges and universities are ranked and rated based on numerous factors such as academic quality, competitiveness in the admission process, academic programs, experiential programs, geographic location, size, and more by companies like US News and World Report and Kiplinger. In February 2013, President Obama and the US Department of Education launched the College Scorecard (https://collegescorecard.ed.gov), an online tool that “highlights key indicators about the cost and value of institutions across the country to help students choose a school that is well-suited to meet their needs, priced affordably, and is consistent with their educational and career goals” (Duncan, 2013). With the introduction of the College Scorecard, the purpose of this paper is to examine the communication feedback that has occurred since its launch and evaluate that feedback. The study also provides implications for the various stakeholders regarding the College Scorecard. The results included the evaluation of 375 comments which were grouped into four main constituencies; (1) High School teachers, (2) members of the public, (3) College and University faculty and staff, and (4) Special Interest Groups. Within these groups, the top 5 most frequently used words were students, institutions, ratings, systems, and data. The overall findings of the present study indicate the overall reception of the College Scorecard by constituencies with a vested interest in higher education to be the Scorecard is similar to rankings and ratings already executed each year by companies like USNWR and Kiplinger, meaning that while the ideology and intent may be good, the execution is lacking in its ability to achieve fair and equal unilateral comparisons between institutions