Prison-Based Education and Re-Entry into the Mainstream Labor Market

We estimate the post-release economic effects of participation in prison-based General Educational Development (GED) programs using a panel of earnings records and a rich set of individual information from administrative data in the state of Florida. Fixed effects estimates of the impact of participating in the GED education program show post-release quarterly earnings gains of about 15 percent for program participants relative to observationally similar non-participants. We also show, however, that these earnings gains accrue only to racial/ethnic minority offenders and any GED-related earnings gains for this group seem to fade in the third year after release from prison. Estimates comparing offenders who obtained a GED to those who participated in GED-related prison education programs but left prison without a GED show no systematic evidence of an independent impact of the credential itself on post-release quarterly earnings.

Prison-Based Education and Re-Entry into the Mainstream Labor Market

incarceration, GED, earnings

Two-Dimensional Temperature Analysis of Nuclear Fireballs Using Digitized Film

Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have begun digitizing technical films spanning the atmospheric nuclear testing operations conducted by the United States from 1945 through 1962. Each atmospheric nuclear test was filmed by Edgerton, Germeshausen, and Grier, Inc., using between 20 to 40 cameras per test. These technical film test data represent a primary source for advancing the knowledge of nuclear weapon output as well as the understanding of nonnuclear high-temperature gases. This manuscript outlines the procedures followed in order to perform two-dimensional temperature calculations for early time nuclear fireballs using digitized film. The digitized optical densities of the film were converted into irradiance on the film that was then used to determine an effective power temperature. The events Wasp Prime and Tesla of Operation Teapot were analyzed using this technique. Film temperature results agreed within uncertainties with historic data collected by calorimeters. Results were also validated by comparison to a thermal heat flux solution that utilizes historic thermal yield values to normalize radiant flux. Additionally, digital imaging and remote sensing image generation was used to demonstrate that the two-dimensional temperature calculation was self-consistent

Saturation Effects in a Tunable Coherent Near-Infrared Source

A Saturation Effect in a Tunable Infrared Source Utilizing Four-Wave Parametric Conversion in Potassium Vapor is Reported and is Shown to Be the Result of Parasitic Oscillations. a Hundredfold Increase over Previously Attained Power Levels Has Been Affected Via Elimination of These Oscillations

Inhibition of adenovirus serotype 14 infection by octadecyloxyethyl esters of (S)-[(3-hydroxy-2-phosphonomethoxy)propyl]- nucleosides in vitro.

On September 22, 2008, a physician on Prince of Wales Island, Alaska, notified the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services (ADHSS) of an unusually high number of adult patients with recently diagnosed pneumonia (n = 10), including three persons who required hospitalization and one who died. ADHSS and CDC conducted an investigation to determine the cause and distribution of the outbreak, identify risk factors for hospitalization, and implement control measures. This report summarizes the results of that investigation, which found that the outbreak was caused by adenovirus 14 (Ad14), an emerging adenovirus serotype in the United States that is associated with a higher rate of severe illness compared with other adenoviruses. Among the 46 cases identified in the outbreak from September 1 through October 27, 2008, the most frequently observed characteristics included the following: male (70%), Alaska Native (61%), underlying pulmonary disease (44%), aged > or = 65 years (26%), and current smoker (48%). Patients aged > or = 65 years had a fivefold increased risk for hospitalization. The most commonly reported symptoms were cough (100%), shortness of breath (87%), and fever (74%). Of the 11 hospitalized patients, three required intensive care, and one required mechanical ventilation. One death was reported. Ad14 isolates obtained during the outbreak were identical genetically to those in recent community-acquired outbreaks in the United States which suggests the emergence of a new, and possibly more virulent Ad14 variant. Clinicians should consider Ad14 infection in the differential diagnosis for patients with community-acquired pneumonia, particularly when unexplained clusters of severe respiratory infections are detected

Omni-gravity Hydroponics for Space Exploration

As part of the NASA Plant Water Management technology demonstration experiments, a capillary fluidics hydroponic system that can function in a variety of gravity environments has been developed and tested for crop production in space. A passive liquid delivery method is employed that drastically reduces the number of contaminable moving parts providing a high reliability solution requiring minimal resources for operation. The terrestrial, lunar, and Martian environments are managed in a gravity-dominated mode, while the low-gravity transit and orbit environments are managed in a capillary fluidics mode, where the role of gravity is replaced by the equally passive effects of surface tension, conduit shape, and wettability. The unique considerations for priming, germination, aeration, nutrient supply, root accommodation, layout, crew interaction, etc. are highlighted. Design guides for system function are provided along with high Technology Readiness Level demonstrations of the system during terrestrial and drop tower tests. Long duration tests are planned on short schedule aboard the International Space Station in 2019

Protostellar accretion traced with chemistry. High resolution C18O and continuum observations towards deeply embedded protostars in Perseus

Context: Understanding how accretion proceeds is a key question of star formation, with important implications for both the physical and chemical evolution of young stellar objects. In particular, very little is known about the accretion variability in the earliest stages of star formation. Aims: To characterise protostellar accretion histories towards individual sources by utilising sublimation and freeze-out chemistry of CO. Methods: A sample of 24 embedded protostars are observed with the Submillimeter Array (SMA) in context of the large program "Mass Assembly of Stellar Systems and their Evolution with the SMA" (MASSES). The size of the C$^{18}$O emitting region, where CO has sublimated into the gas-phase, is measured towards each source and compared to the expected size of the region given the current luminosity. The SMA observations also include 1.3 mm continuum data, which are used to investigate whether a link can be established between accretion bursts and massive circumstellar disks. Results: Depending on the adopted sublimation temperature of the CO ice, between 20% and 50% of the sources in the sample show extended C$^{18}$O emission indicating that the gas was warm enough in the past that CO sublimated and is currently in the process of refreezing; something which we attribute to a recent accretion burst. Given the fraction of sources with extended C$^{18}$O emission, we estimate an average interval between bursts of 20000-50000 yr, which is consistent with previous estimates. No clear link can be established between the presence of circumstellar disks and accretion bursts, however the three closest known binaries in the sample (projected separations <20 AU) all show evidence of a past accretion burst, indicating that close binary interactions may also play a role in inducing accretion variability.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A, 21 pages, 13 figure