Voyager radio occultation investigations at Saturn

Voyager will use dual-frequency 3.5 and 13 cm wavelength radio occultation techniques to study the atmospheres and ionospheres of Saturn and Titan, and the rings of Saturn. At Titan radio occultation is predicted to probe the atmosphere to the surface. The existence of a surface could be confirmed by detection of an obliquely scattered echo. At Saturn the two Voyager encounters will provide occultation measurements of temperate and equatorial regions of the atmosphere and ionosphere, and of the rings. The atmosphere will also be probed in polar regions during the deepest portions of the occultation. Both frequency and intensity data will be collected and jointly analyzed to study temperature-pressure profiles, and to derive information on atmospheric shape, turbulence, and weather. For the rings, Voyager will provide measurements of the complex (amplitude and phase) radio extinction and angular scattering functions of the ring particles as a function of wavelength, polarization, and radial distance from Saturn

Efficacy and Residue Comparisons between Two Slow-release Formulations of Fluridone

Residue profiles and efficacy of Avast and Sonar, two slow release pellet formulations of fluridone {1-methyl-3-phenyl-5- [3-(trifluoromethyl)phenly]-4(1H)-pyridinone}, were compared in outdoor tanks. Hydrilla (Hydrilla verticillata (L.f.) Royle) and southern naiad (Najas guadalupensis (Sprengel) Magnus) were treated with a split application of 6, 12, 18 and 24 μg/l a.i. fluridone and the concentrations of both formulations compared over a 134-day period. Both pellet formulations exhibited very similar residues over time for each respective treatment, resulted in peak concentrations of fluridone 40 to 50 days after application, and effectively and similarly controlled southern naiad and hydrilla at all rates tested by 92 days after initial application. (PDF contains 3 pages.

Estimation of inertial platform errors

Equations for inertial platform error mode

On the maximum bias functions of MM-estimates and constrained M-estimates of regression

We derive the maximum bias functions of the MM-estimates and the constrained M-estimates or CM-estimates of regression and compare them to the maximum bias functions of the S-estimates and the $\tau$-estimates of regression. In these comparisons, the CM-estimates tend to exhibit the most favorable bias-robustness properties. Also, under the Gaussian model, it is shown how one can construct a CM-estimate which has a smaller maximum bias function than a given S-estimate, that is, the resulting CM-estimate dominates the S-estimate in terms of maxbias and, at the same time, is considerably more efficient.Comment: Published at http://dx.doi.org/10.1214/009053606000000975 in the Annals of Statistics (http://www.imstat.org/aos/) by the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (http://www.imstat.org

The Boogeyman: Derek Boogaard and the Detrimental Effects of Section 301 Preemption

This Note focuses on the preemptive effect of section 301 of the Labor Management Relations Act (LMRA) in the suit against the National Hockey League (NHL) by the Estate of former NHL player Derek Boogaard. The Note will contrast Boogaard v. National Hockey League, in which section 301 preempted the Estate’s negligence claims, with several National Football League (NFL) cases. Boogaard will also be contrasted with In re National Hockey League Players’ Concussion Injury Litigation, a similar case brought by a class of NHL players in which the court declared that section 301 did not preempt claims for negligence at the motion to dismiss stage.3 The following analysis of section 301 preemption and Boogaard will reveal inequities and flaws inherent in section 301 preemption that should be removed by Congress. It also analyzes avenues future litigants may pursue to circumvent section 301 preemption altogether. First, this Note will discuss Derek Boogaard’s career as an NHL enforcer. Then, it will explain the history of the LMRA and section 301 preemption. A synopsis of relevant NFL cases will follow and provide examples of when section 301 has, and has not, preempted negligence claims brought by former players. Next, the Note will analyze Boogaard and contrast its outcome with the aforementioned NFL cases. An analysis of Concussion Injury will follow that discusses why its outcome differed from Boogaard. Finally, this Note will argue that the preemptive effect of section 301 did not serve its intended purpose in Boogaard and that Congress should place restrictions in its application—such as extending the statute of limitations period—and show how future NHL players can apply lessons learned from Boogaard and Concussion Injury to circumvent section 301 preemption in state-law tort claims

Do Foreigners Crowd Natives out of STEM Degrees and Occupations? Evidence from the U.S. Immigration Act of 1990

This paper examines effects of the U.S. Immigration Act of 1990 on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) degree completion and labor market outcomes for native-born Americans. The Act increased the in-flow and stock of foreign STEM workers in the U.S., both by increasing green card allotments and by expanding temporary work visas via the H-1B visa program. These policy changes potentially altered the relative desirability of various college majors and occupations for natives. We examine effects of the policy on STEM degree completion, STEM occupational choice, and employment rates separately for black and white males and females. We identify the effects using variation in natives' exposure to foreign STEM workers and the geographic dispersion in foreign-born STEM workers in 1980, which precedes the Act and predicts future foreign STEM flows. We find that the Immigration Act changed natives' skill investment and utilization in three ways: (1) it pushed black males out of STEM majors; (2) it pushed white male STEM graduates out of STEM occupations; and (3) it pushed white female STEM graduates out of the workforce

Characterizing the Host and Symbiont Proteomes in the Association between the Bobtail Squid, Euprymna scolopes, and the Bacterium, Vibrio fischeri

The beneficial symbiosis between the Hawaiian bobtail squid, Euprymna scolopes, and the bioluminescent bacterium, Vibrio fischeri, provides a unique opportunity to study host/microbe interactions within a natural microenvironment. Colonization of the squid light organ by V. fischeri begins a lifelong association with a regulated daily rhythm. Each morning the host expels an exudate from the light organ consisting of 95% of the symbiont population in addition to host hemocytes and shed epithelial cells. We analyzed the host and symbiont proteomes of adult squid exudate and surrounding light organ epithelial tissue using 1D- and 2D-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and multidimensional protein identification technology (MudPIT) in an effort to understand the contribution of both partners to the maintenance of this association. These proteomic analyses putatively identified 1581 unique proteins, 870 proteins originating from the symbiont and 711 from the host. Identified host proteins indicate a role of the innate immune system and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in regulating the symbiosis. Symbiont proteins detected enhance our understanding of the role of quorum sensing, two-component signaling, motility, and detoxification of ROS and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) inside the light organ. This study offers the first proteomic analysis of the symbiotic microenvironment of the adult light organ and provides the identification of proteins important to the regulation of this beneficial association