6,087 research outputs found
The MPCP Longitudinal Educational Growth Study Third Year Report
This is the third-year report in a five-year evaluation of the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program (MPCP). The MPCP, which began in 1990, provides government-funded vouchers for low-income children to attend private schools in the City of Milwaukee. The maximum voucher amount in 2008-09 was $6,607, and approximately 20,000 children used a voucher to attend either secular or religious private schools. The MPCP is the oldest and largest urban school voucher program in the United States. This evaluation was authorized by Wisconsin Act 125 enacted in 2005
Cloning of terminal transferase cDNA by antibody screening
A cDNA library was prepared from a terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase-containing thymoma in the phage vector λgt11. By screening plaques with anti-terminal transferase antibody, positive clones were identified of which some had β-galactosidase-cDNA fusion proteins identifiable after electrophoretic fractionation by immunoblotting with anti-terminal transferase antibody. The predominant class of cross-hybridizing clones was determined to represent cDNA for terminal transferase by showing that one representative clone hybridized to a 2200-nucleotide mRNA in close-matched enzyme-positive but not to enzyme-negative cells and that the cDNA selected a mRNA that translated to give a protein of the size and antigenic characteristics of terminal transferase. Only a small amount of genomic DNA hybridized to the longest available clone, indicating that the sequence is virtually unique in the mouse genome
Multi-wavelength modeling of the spatially resolved debris disk of HD 107146
(abridged) We aim to constrain the location, composition, and dynamical state
of planetesimal populations and dust around the young, sun-like (G2V) star HD
107146}. We consider coronagraphic observations obtained with the Advanced
Camera for Surveys (HST/ACS) onboard the HST in broad V and broad I filters, a
resolved 1.3mm map obtained with the Combined Array for Research in
Millimeter-Wave Astronomy (CARMA), Spitzer/IRS low resolution spectra, and the
spectral energy distribution (SED) of the object at wavelengths ranging from
3.5micron to 3.1mm. We complement these data with new coronagraphic high
resolution observations of the debris disk using the Near Infrared Camera and
Multi-Object Spectrometer (HST/NICMOS) aboard the HST in the F110W filter. The
SED and images of the disk in scattered light as well as in thermal reemission
are combined in our modeling using a parameterized model for the disk density
distribution and optical properties of the dust. A detailed analytical model of
the debris disk around HD 107146 is presented that allows us to reproduce the
almost entire set of spatially resolved and unresolved multi-wavelength
observations. Considering the variety of complementary observational data, we
are able to break the degeneracies produced by modeling SED data alone. We find
the disk to be an extended ring with a peak surface density at 131AU.
Furthermore, we find evidence for an additional, inner disk probably composed
of small grains released at the inner edge of the outer disk and moving inwards
due to Poynting-Robertson drag. A birth ring scenario (i.e., a more or less
broad ring of planetesimals creating the dust disk trough collisions) is found
to be the most likely explanation of the ringlike shape of the disk.Comment: 15 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in A&
Shear rheology and filament stretching behaviour of xanthan gum and carboxymethyl cellulose solution in presence of saliva
The objective of the work reported in this paper is to determine if saliva addition has an effect on the rheology of xanthan gum solutions. The reasons for the interest was that it has been previously reported that flavour release from high viscosity xanthan thickened foods is not reduced in the same way as foods thickened by other hydrocolloids at comparable viscosities. It was previously postulated that this could be due to an interaction between saliva and xanthan that could change the microstructure and rheology of xanthan solutions. In this work the effect of saliva on the rheology of CMC and xanthan solutions was compared. Solutions of molecularly dissolved xanthan gum and CMC mixed with water or human whole saliva at a ratio of 5:1 showed little impact of the presence of saliva on steady shear or dynamic viscosity for the two hydrocolloids. In filament thinning experiments saliva addition significantly increased filament break-up time for xanthan gum while it had little effect on the break-up time of the CMC filament. Also, filament thinning appeared a lot less even and was not as reproducible in the case of xanthan gum. Addition of CMC and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) to xanthan gum solutions showed a similar increase in break-up time to saliva, but to see this effect the viscosity of the added CMC or HPMC solution had to be very much higher than the viscosity of saliva. The results are discussed in the context of the structure of xanthan gum and the reported extensional rheology of saliva
Identifying Older People at Risk of Abuse During Routine Screening Practices
To examine the association between various characteristics of community-based older people and a constructed measure of potential elder abuse. DESIGN: Cross-sectional design. SETTING: Public community-based long-term care programs in Michigan. PARTICIPANTS: Individuals aged 60 and older seeking home and community-based services in Michigan between November 1996 and October 1997 (N = 701). MEASUREMENTS: Data were collected using the Minimum Data Set for Home Care (MDS-HC) assessment. The dependent variable is a constructed measure of potential elder abuse reflecting physical and emotional abuse and neglect. Independent variables include demographic characteristics; diagnoses; behavioral measures; and cognitive, physical, and social functioning. RESULTS: Several measures of social support and social function were strongly associated with the signs of a potentially abusive environment: brittle support (odds ratio (OR) = 3.5, 90% confidence interval (CI) = 1.5–8.1), older person feels lonely (OR = 2.4, 90% CI = 1.3–4.5), and older person expresses conflict with family/friends (OR = 2.3, 90% CI = 1.2–4.3). Home care participants' alcohol abuse, psychiatric illness, lack of ease interacting with others, and short-term memory problems were also significantly associated with the signs of potential elder abuse. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study suggest that the signs of potential elder abuse are associated with a diminishing social network and poor social functioning, although some characteristics of the older person's health are contributing factors. Improved understanding of the link between those characteristics and potential abuse will help healthcare providers, case managers, and others identify older people at high risk of abuse.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/65922/1/j.1601-5215.2002.51005.x.pd
Generalized optical theorem for reflection, transmission, and extinction of power for electromagnetic fields
We present a generalization of the optical theorem for electromagnetic fields. This result is used to obtain the power extinguished from a field by a scatterer contained in a dielectric half space. Applications to microscopy and tomography are described
Navigation in Curved Space-Time
A covariant and invariant theory of navigation in curved space-time with
respect to electromagnetic beacons is written in terms of J. L. Synge's
two-point invariant world function. Explicit equations are given for navigation
in space-time in the vicinity of the Earth in Schwarzschild coordinates and in
rotating coordinates. The restricted problem of determining an observer's
coordinate time when their spatial position is known is also considered
The dust, planetesimals and planets of HD 38529
HD 38529 is a post-main sequence G8III/IV star (3.5 Gyr old) with a planetary
system consisting of at least two planets having Msin(i) of 0.8 MJup and 12.2
MJup, semimajor axes of 0.13 AU and 3.74 AU, and eccentricities of 0.25 and
0.35, respectively. Spitzer observations show that HD 38529 has an excess
emission above the stellar photosphere, with a signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) at
70 micron of 4.7, a small excess at 33 micron (S/N=2.6) and no excess <30
micron. We discuss the distribution of the potential dust-producing
planetesimals from the study of the dynamical perturbations of the two known
planets, considering in particular the effect of secular resonances. We
identify three dynamically stable niches at 0.4-0.8 AU, 20-50 AU and beyond 60
AU. We model the spectral energy distribution of HD 38529 to find out which of
these niches show signs of harboring dust-producing plantesimals. The secular
analysis, together with the SED modeling resuls, suggest that the planetesimals
responsible for most of the dust emission are likely located within 20-50 AU, a
configuration that resembles that of the Jovian planets + Kuiper Belt in our
Solar System. Finally, we place upper limits (8E-6 lunar masses of 10 micron
particles) to the amount of dust that could be located in the dynamically
stable region that exists between the two planets (0.25--0.75 AU).Comment: 23 pages, including 1 table and 5 figures. Accepted for publication
in Ap
- …