How is family support related to students' GPA scores? A longitudinal study

Previous studies of the influence of family support on college students' academic performance have yielded inconsistent results. Therefore, the present study aimed to examine the link between family support and students' university-level academic performance in a more detailed way. First, we sought to clarify how two distinct aspects of perceived family support-social support and economic support-affect college students' academic performance. Second, we sought to determine how these two aspects of family support influence not only cumulative GPA scores but also the overall trend (slope) and stability (variability) of students' GPA scores across semesters. The participants in this longitudinal study were 240 university students (62 men, 178 women). The results revealed that the level of perceived family social support was important not only as a "main effect" predictor of the magnitude and stability of the students' GPA scores across three successive semesters, but also as a factor that helped female students to succeed regardless of their level of family economic support. In general, the data suggest that family social support is more important to women's success in college than to men's

EROSION AND THE LOSS OF SOIL PRODUCTIVITY ON THE TERRIL SOIL SERIES IN MINNESOTA

Land Economics/Use,

Neutron-proton effective mass splitting in neutron-rich matter at normal density from analyzing nucleon-nucleus scattering data within an isospin dependent optical model

The neutron-proton effective $k$-mass splitting in asymmetric nucleonic matter of isospin asymmetry $\delta$ and normal density is found to be $m^{*}_{n-p}\equiv(m^{*}_{n}-m^{*}_{p})/m=(0.41 \pm0.15)\delta$ from analyzing globally 1088 sets of reaction and angular differential cross sections of proton elastic scattering on 130 targets with beam energies from 0.783 MeV to 200 MeV, and 1161 sets of data of neutron elastic scattering on 104 targets with beam energies from 0.05 MeV to 200 MeV within an isospin dependent non-relativistic optical potential model. It sets a useful reference for testing model predictions on the momentum dependence of the nucleon isovector potential necessary for understanding novel structures and reactions of rare isotopes.Comment: Published version, Physics Letters B743 (2015) 40

Recovery of trace organic pollutants by solvent extraction and freeze concentration

The objective of this investigation was to evaluate the use of batch type solvent extraction and freeze concentration in recovering trace organic pollutants from water. The work was performed using a simplified water system containing known concentrations of phenol, and natural water systems collected from three sources (Meramec Spring, Gasconade River near Jerome, and Missouri River in Jefferson City) with different levels of pollution. The simplified water system was used to evaluate the effect of the number of extractions, solvent to sample ratio, extraction time, initial organic concentration, pH, and turbidity on solvent extraction; and the effect of volumetric concentration and flash freezing on freeze concentration. The natural water systems were employed to evaluate the practical application of the method, and emphasis was placed on the selection and sequence of solvents, pH adjustment, and effect of turbidity. Benzene and chloroform were the solvents used. The proper selection of solvents and the solvent to sample ratio were the most important factors in the solvent extraction method; the number of sequential extractions and pH adjustment were also important variables. Serial extraction with chloroform and benzene yielded a larger recovery at natural pH than extraction with benzene and chloroform; and extraction with chloroform sequentially at pH 4 and 10 produced a greater recovery than extraction with benzene. The concentration of trace organics in spring and river water was subject to significant seasonal variation. The efficiency of phenol recovery by freeze concentration depended on the volumetric concentration ratio and almost complete recovery was obtained at ratios ranging from 6 to 9 --Abstract, page ii

Minimizing CO2e emissions by setting a road toll

The main purpose of this paper is to develop a bi-level pricing model to minimize the CO2e emissions and the total travel time in a small road network. In the lower level of the model, it is assumed that users of the road network find a dynamic user equilibrium which minimises the total costs of those in the system. For the higher level of the model, different road toll strategies are applied in order to minimize the CO2e emissions. The model has been applied to an illustrative example. It shows the effects on traffic flows, revenues, total time and CO2e emissions for different numbers of servers collecting tolls and different pricing strategies over a morning peak traffic period. The results show that the CO2e emissions produced can be significantly affected by the number of servers and the type of toll strategy employed. The model is also used to find the best toll strategy when there is a constraint on the revenue that is required to be raised from the toll and how this affects the emissions produced. Further runs compare strategies to minimize the CO2e emissions with those that minimize total travel time in the road system. In the illustrative example, the results for minimizing CO2e emissions are shown to be similar to the results obtained from minimizing the total travel time

A Naturalist Version of Confucian Morality for Human Rights

This article analyzes the source of Confucian universal morality and human dignity from the perspective of the classic saying, “what follows the dao is good, and what dao forms is nature” (jishan chengxing) found in the Great Commentaries of the Book of Changes. From a Classical Confucian perspective, human nature is generated by the natural dao of tian, so human dignity and morality also emerge from the natural dao of tian. This article discusses the relationship between the Confucian dao of tian and the moral notion of human rights which ensues from the historical tradition of Chinese exegesis on this subject. Specifically, the authors reconstruct a naturalist version of Confucian morality which inherently motivates the beneficial outcomes generally associated with the modern Western conception of human rights. The authors argue that such a framework, which would draw upon Confucian “natural goodness within human nature” differs significantly from the more commonly accepted Mencian version of human morality dependent upon the premise that “human nature is good”. This intra-mural differentiation within Chinese philosophy can be helpful in structuring dialogue with various Western theories of human rights

Retrieval of sizes and total masses of particles in volcanic clouds using AVHRR bands 4 and 5

The advanced very high resolution radiometer (AVHRR) sensor on polar orbiting NOAA satellites can discriminate between volcanic clouds and meteorological clouds using two-band data in the thermal infrared. This paper is aimed at developing a retrieval of the particle sizes, optical depth, and total masses of particles from AVHRR two-band data of volcanic clouds. Radiative transfer calculations are used with a semi-transparent cloud model that is based on assumptions of spherical particle shape, a homogeneous underlying surface, and a simple thin cloud parallel to the surface. The model is applied to observed AVHRR data from a 13-hour old drifting cloud from the August 19, 1992, eruption of Crater Peak/Spurr Volcano, Alaska. The AVHRR data fit in the range of results calculated by the model, which supports its credibility. According to the model results, the average of effective particle radius in the test frame of this cloud is in the range of 2 to 2.5 μm, the optical depth at 12 μm is about 0.60–0.65. The total estimated mass of ash in the air amounts to 0.24–0.31×106 tons, which is about 0.7–0.9% of the mass measured in the ashfall blanket. Sensitivity tests show that the mass estimate is more sensitive to the assumed ash size distribution than it is to the ash composition

The Role of CD4 T Cells in the Pathogenesis of Murine AIDS

LP-BM5, a retroviral isolate, induces a disease featuring retrovirus-induced immunodeficiency, designated murine AIDS (MAIDS). Many of the features of the LP-BM5-induced syndrome are shared with human immunodeficiency virus-induced disease. For example, CD4 T cells are critical to the development of MAIDS. In vivo depletion of CD4 T cells before LP-BM5 infection rendered genetically susceptible B6 mice MAIDS resistant. Similarly, MAIDS did not develop in B6.nude mice. However, if reconstituted with CD4 T cells, B6.nude mice develop full-blown MAIDS. Our laboratory has shown that the interaction of B and CD4 T cells that is central to MAIDS pathogenesis requires ligation of CD154 on CD4 T cells with CD40 on B cells. However, it is not clear which additional characteristics of the phenotypically and functionally heterogeneous CD4 T-cell compartment are required. Here, in vivo adoptive transfer experiments using B6.nude recipients are employed to compare the pathogenic abilities of CD4 T-cell subsets defined on the basis of cell surface phenotypic or functional differences. Th1 and Th2 CD4 T cells equally supported MAIDS induction. The rare Thy1.2(-) CD4 subset that expands upon LP-BM5 infection was not necessary for MAIDS. Interestingly, CD45RB(low) CD4 T cells supported significantly less disease than CD45RB(high) CD4 T cells. Because the decreased MAIDS pathogenesis could not be attributed to inhibition by CD45RB(low) CD25(+) natural T-regulatory cells, an intrinsic property of the CD45RB(low) cells appeared responsible. Similarly, there was no evidence that natural T-regulatory cells played a role in LP-BM5-induced pathogenesis in the context of the intact CD4 T-cell population