Analysis of U.S. Senate Web Sites For Disability Accessibility

U.S. federal government web sites have increased significantly the level of services and information offered to various internal and external stakeholders. The Workforce Investment Act of 1998 amended Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which complemented the intent and aims of the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). As a result, federal agencies and departments were mandated to provide disabled stakeholders with access to key information from federal web sites. However, since this enactment, some federal web sites still do not meet fully the legal requirements to accommodate users with disabilities. Additionally, web sites of members of the U.S. Congress technically do not fall under regulation. Without regulation, non-adherence to accessibility standards by congressional web sites may result in poor or ineffective utilization by citizen consumers or other stakeholders with disabilities. The purpose of this study is to examine the accessibility statistics for a pseudo-random sample of 50 web sites of U.S. Senators. The main web page of each site was evaluated with an online web site analysis software tool – Truwex. Three factors were used to gauge the level of accessibility: criteria based on Section 508, WCAG 1.0 standards, and WCAG 2.0 standards. Results suggest that the vast majority of the U.S. Senate web sites do not meet the federal legal guidelines that otherwise are imposed on other U.S. governmental agencies and departments. Many of the sites contain consistent patterns of non-compliance, and some minor changes could result in increased accessibility for disabled stakeholders

AgRISTARS. Supporting research: MARS x-band scatterometer

The design, construction, and data collection procedures of the mobile agricultural radar sensor (MARS) x band scatterometer are described. This system is an inexpensive, highly mobile, truck mounted FM-CW radar operating at a center frequency of 10.2 GHz. The antennas, which allow for VV and VH polarizations, are configured in a side looking mode that allows for drive by data collection. This configuration shortens fieldwork time considerably while increasing statistical confidence in the data. Both internal calibration, via a delay line, and external calibration with a Luneberg lens are used to calibrate the instrument in terms of sigma(o). The radar scattering cross section per unit area, sigma(o), is found using the radar equation

Similarity Measure Development for Case-Based Reasoning- A Data-driven Approach

In this paper, we demonstrate a data-driven methodology for modelling the local similarity measures of various attributes in a dataset. We analyse the spread in the numerical attributes and estimate their distribution using polynomial function to showcase an approach for deriving strong initial value ranges of numerical attributes and use a non-overlapping distribution for categorical attributes such that the entire similarity range [0,1] is utilized. We use an open source dataset for demonstrating modelling and development of the similarity measures and will present a case-based reasoning (CBR) system that can be used to search for the most relevant similar cases

Elemental Abundances in NGC 3516

We present RGS data from an XMM-Newton observation of the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 3516, taken while the continuum source was in an extreme low state. The spectrum shows numerous emission lines including the H-like lines of C, N and O and the He-like lines of N, O and Ne. These data show that the N lines are far stronger than would be expected from gas of solar abundances. Based on our photoionization models, we find that N is overabundant compared to C, O and Ne by at least a factor of 2.5. We suggest this is the result of secondary production of N in intermediate mass stars, and indicative of the history of star formation in NGC 3516.Comment: 19 pages, 3 color figures. ApJ in pres

One dimensional chain of quantum molecule motors as a mathematical physics model for muscle fibre

A quantum chain model of many molecule motors is proposed as a mathematical physics theory on the microscopic modeling of classical force-velocity relation and tension transients of muscle fibre. We proposed quantum many-particle Hamiltonian to predict the force-velocity relation for the slow release of muscle fibre which has no empirical relation yet, it is much more complicate than hyperbolic relation. Using the same Hamiltonian, we predicted the mathematical force-velocity relation when the muscle is stimulated by alternative electric current. The discrepancy between input electric frequency and the muscle oscillation frequency has a physical understanding by Doppler effect in this quantum chain model. Further more, we apply quantum physics phenomena to explore the tension time course of cardiac muscle and insect flight muscle. Most of the experimental tension transients curves found their correspondence in the theoretical output of quantum two-level and three-level model. Mathematically modeling electric stimulus as photons exciting a quantum three-level particle reproduced most tension transient curves of water bug Lethocerus Maximus.Comment: 16 pages, 12 figures, Arguments are adde

Antarctic meteorite newsletter. Volume 4: Number 1, February 1981: Antarctic meteorite descriptions, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979

This issue of the Newsletter is essentially a catalog of all antarctic meteorites in the collections of the Johnson Space Center Curation Facility and the Smithsonian except for 288 pebbles now being classed. It includes listings of all previously distributed data sheets plus a number of new ones for 1979. Indexes of samples include meteorite name/number, classification, and weathering category. Separate indexes list type 3 and 4 chondrites, all irons, all achondrites, and all carbonaceous chondrites

Antarctic meteorite descriptions 1976-1977-1978-1979

All previously distributed meteorite data sheets, plus a number of new ones for 1979 chondrites are included. A comprehensive sample index listing meteorite name/number, classification, and weathering category is also included. Separate indexes listing all petrologic type 3 and type 4 chondrites, all irons, all achondrites, and all carbonaceous chondrites in the collection is provided