A Note on Chambers’ Method

A correction is given for one of Chambers’ second-order iteration formulae. It is shown that composition of the secant method with itself exhibits a convergence exponent of 2.414, whereas composition of the iteration function with itself yields an exponent of 2.83

The Effects of Urban Public Transit Investment on Traffic Congestion and Air Quality

Traffic congestion is ubiquitous across urban roadways, and the adverse health effects accompanying deteriorating air quality are an ongoing concern. Beyond these local effects, transportation is also a major contributor of greenhouse gas emissions and is thus a significant element of the climate change debate. A contentious issue currently confronting transportation analysts and policy-makers is what the effects of public transit investment on traffic congestion and on air quality are and therefore what the appropriate level of public transit investment should be. While public transit receives plenty of political support for its “green” reputation and its contribution to sustainability, there have been relatively few studies examining the ex post–effects of public transit investment on traffic congestion or air quality. In this chapter, we review our theoretical and empirical research on the effects of public transit investment on congestion, the demand for automobile travel, and air quality

Gourd des Aillères (Sauvain). Palynological study of the sequence 260-655 cm

Chapitre du livret-guide de XLI International Moor Excursion 2017. September 3-9, 2017, excursion Hautes Chaumes du Forez , description du diagramme pollinique sur le Tardiglaciaire du Gourd des Aillères (Sauvain, Loire

Improving Structural Lumber Quality in a Sample of Picea Mariana Logs Sawn According to the Knots

This paper examines the effect of knots on the strength recovery of black spruce lumber. A model was developed and used to simulate sawing and grading of boards from knotty logs. Since a log internal defect scanner was unavailable, the internal knot morphology was modeled from external measurements. A standard cant and flitch sawing pattern was used in the simulations and rotated about the log axis. for each 30° of log rotation, the theoretical lumber grades were obtained based on knot sizes and positions within the boards. A best and worst sawing rotation angle based on the potential lumber grade yield was retained for each of 54 logs simulated Half of the logs were sawn into 2 X 4 nominal lumber according to the best rotation angle and the other half according to the worst rotation angle. The resulting pieces of lumber were first visually graded according to the knots and then according to all defects, followed by dynamic MOE testing and finally tested to destruction using a third-point standard bending procedure. The results demonstrate that there was little difference in visual grades between the "best" and "worst" groups and that knots played a minimal role in grade determination of the boards. However, there was significant difference in terms of MOE values, where the group of "best" boards showed an overall 15% increase over the "worst" boards. This result significantly impacts the potential MSR yield of the sample pieces of lumber. Bending tests showed a lurther 25% difference in average MOR between the two groups. These results suggest that there is potential for black spruce to yield higher strength lumber when knots are considered during breakdown. Further refinements should include a model that determines quality in terms of knot position within the board section rather than one that determines quality in terms of potential visual grades

Randomized trial of paroxetine in end-stage COPD

Background: Although the underlying pathology is initially confined to the lungs, the associated emotional responses to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) contribute greatly to the resulting morbidity. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of an antidepressant drug on disease-specific quality of life in patients with end-stage COPD who present significant depressive symptoms. Methods: We conducted a 12-week, randomized double- blind placebo-controlled trial of Paroxetine in which quality of life measured by the Chronic Respiratory Questionnaire (CRQ), an evaluative COPD-specific quality-oflife questionnaire, was the primary outcome. Results: 23 patients were randomized and 15 completed the trial (8 on Paroxetine; 7 on placebo). In the per-protocol analysis, we observed statistically and clinically significant improvements favoring the active treatment in 2 of the 4 domains of the CRQ: emotional function (adjusted mean difference: 1.1; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.0 - 2.2) and mastery (difference: 1.1; CI: 0.4 - 1.8). Dyspnea and fatigue improved, but to an extent that did not reach statistical significance. In the intention-to-treat analysis, none of the differences in CRQ scores was significant. Paroxetine was not associated to any worsening of respiratory symptoms. Conclusions: The results of this small randomized trial indicated that patients with end-stage COPD may benefit from antidepressant drug therapy when significant depressive symptoms are present. This study underlined the difficulties in conducting experimental studies in frail and elderly patients with COPD

Ultra-strong light–matter coupling for designer Reststrahlen band

The strength of the light–matter interaction depends on the number of dipoles that can couple with the photon trapped in an optical cavity. The coupling strength can thus be maximized by filling the entire cavity volume with an ensemble of interacting dipoles. In this work this is achieved by inserting a highly doped semiconductor layer in a subwavelength plasmonic resonator. In our system the ultra-strong light–matter coupling occurs between a collective electronic excitation and the cavity photon. The measured coupling strength is 73% of the matter excitation energy, the highest ever reported for a light–matter coupled system at room temperature. We experimentally and theoretically demonstrate that such an ultra-strong interaction modifies the optical properties on a very wide spectral range (20–250 meV), and results in the appearance of a photonic gap of 38 meV, independently of the light polarization and angle of incidence. Light–matter ultra-strong coupling can thus be exploited to conceive metasurfaces with an engineered reflectivity band

Cuf2 Is a Novel Meiosis-Specific Regulatory Factor of Meiosis Maturation

Meiosis is the specialized form of the cell cycle by which diploid cells produce the haploid gametes required for sexual reproduction. Initiation and progression through meiosis requires that the expression of the meiotic genes is precisely controlled so as to provide the correct gene products at the correct times. During meiosis, four temporal gene clusters are either induced or repressed by a cascade of transcription factors

Ultrafast x‐ray sources@f|

Time‐resolved spectroscopy (with a 2 psec temporal resolution) of plasmas produced by the interaction between solid targets and a high contrast subpicosecond table top terawatt (T3) laser at 1016 W/cm2, is used to study the basic processes which control the x‐ray pulse duration. Short x‐ray pulses have been obtained by spectral selection or by plasma gradient scalelength control. Time‐dependent calculations of the atomic physics [Phys. Fluids B 4, 2007, 1992] coupled to a Fokker–Planck code [Phys. Rev. Lett. 53, 1461, 1984] indicate that it is essential to take into account the non‐Maxwellian character of the electron distribution for a quantitative analysis of the experimental results.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/70417/2/PFBPEI-5-7-2676-1.pd

Environmental Policies in the Transportation Sector: Taxes, Subsidies, Mandates, Restrictions, and Investment

The transportation sector is associated with many negative externalities, including air pollution, global climate change, and traffic congestion. In this paper we discuss several possible policies for addressing the emissions and other environmental externalities from the transportation sector, including taxes, subsidies, mandates, restrictions, and investment. Most economists generally recommend that policy-makers use incentive- (or market-) based instruments as opposed to command and control policies whenever possible. However, various economic and political constraints can preclude policy instruments that would in theory achieve a first-best outcome from being employed, and policy-makers have often implemented alternative policies such as subsidies, mandates, restrictions, and/or investment instead. Our discussion and analysis of these policies draws upon and synthesizes research using theoretical models, behavioral and experimental economics, empirical analyses, and structural econometric modeling