Long continuously chirped fibre Bragg gratings for compensation of linear- and 3rd order-dispersion

For the first time long broadband chirped fibre Bragg gratings with a dispersion profile designed to compensate 3rd order-dispersion are presented. These results demonstrate how the increased demands for dispersion compensation at very high bit-rates can be met using chirped fibre Bragg grating

A developmental investigation of the relationship between appraisals and peer self-esteem in children experiencing peer-aggression

Transactional models of stress and coping emphasize the role played by cognitive appraisals in determining psychological adjustment (Lazarus, 1999). This proposition has been supported by research examining young people's adjustment in relation to family conflict and break-up (Grych et al., 1992). Furthermore, this literature suggests that there is a change in the relationship between appraisals and adjustment at around 10 years of age: specificity of appraisal type (e.g. threat, blame) becomes relevant to outcome after 10 years, whereas before 10 there are either no effects of appraisal on adjustment or a diffuse effect of 'negative' appraisals more generally (Jouriles et al., 2000). However, it is currently unclear whether this developmental progression can be generalized from familial- to social-stressors experienced by children and young people. The current study therefore evaluates the model within the context of a commonly experienced social childhood stressor: peer-aggression

Choosing the Elite \u3ci\u3eRecmitment, Assessment, and Selection in Law Enforcement Tactical Teams and Military Special Forces\u3c/i\u3e

In the early morning hours of July 31, 2007, Gazi Abu Mezer and Lafi Khalil, two PcUestinians who had entered the United States after exploiting loopholes in the immigration system. were in the operational phase of a planned suicide bombing of the New York City fransit system. Their weapons: simple pipe bombs with electrical detonating switches packed into knapsacks. Two things would stand in the way of their attempt at martyrdom-their Egyptian roommate and the New York City Fblice Department\u27s Emergency Service Unit (ESU). Mossabah, the roommate, had been taken to the New York Fblice Department\u27s 88th Precinct. When the ESU tour commandex:, a veteran lieutenant arrived at the precinct, he interviewed Mossabah, having him start at the beginning of his recollections, interrupting him for clarifications and details. After digesting what he had heard, the commander began apprising his leadership of the situation and stressing that he believed Mossabah. He then looked at the roster of ESU officers working his shift, from midnight to 8 a.m. The urgency of the situation prohibited him from calling in people from home and handpicking a team to enter the apartment Mossabah shared with the two suspects; he would have to go with those already available. The commander called a sergeant and four police officers and told them to meet him at the precinct. After the five arrived, Mossabah was again asked to tell his stoty from the beginning. They interrupted him with even more questions and requests for clarification and had him draw an extensive diagram of his apartment building\u27s exterior and his apartment\u27s interior, highlighting the locations of the backpacks as well as the spaces Mezer and Khalil normally ocrupied. The commander took his team into another room and devised his tactical plan, giving out assignments as they progressed. The team would exerute a standard dynamic search warrant entry. Mossabah would lead them to the building. and they would enter using his key. The building the team saw upon exiting their vehicle looked nothing like the one Mossabah had sketched at the precinct. Thoughts of an ambush ran through the officers\u27minds. Mossabah then led the team through a narrow alley, at the end of which the team saw a building resembling the one he had drawn. The lead officer, protected by a hand-held body bunker, put the key in the lock, turned it, and opened the door. The team flooded the apartment, yelling. Police! Get down on the floor! The first officer through the door was met by a man who attempted to physically disarm him. The officer fired one shot from his 9-mm pistol, hitting his target. The wounded man stumbled backwards, toward a black canvas bag in the comer of the room. As he flipped one of four toggles on the front of the bag. another officer fired two 5.56-mm rounds into him, and he crumpled into a comer of the room. As the team pressed on, a second man in another room lunged toward a backpack in a comer. Two shots from an officer\u27s pistol dropped him before he could reach it. The entry was over in less than ninety seconds. Both men were taken into rustody. The FBI reconstructed both backpack improvised explosive devises, determining them to be functional with a blast mdius of more than 100 yards. Their analysis also revealed that the toggle thrown on the first backpack should have detonated the device. It is not known why it failed

Self-esteem, shyness, and sociability in adolescents with specific language impairment (SLI)

Purpose: To determine if lower global self-esteem, shyness, and low sociability are outcomes associated with SLI in adolescence. Possible concurrent predictive relationships and gender differences were also examined. Method: Fifty-four adolescents with SLI, aged between 16 and 17 years, were compared with a group of 54 adolescents with typical language abilities on the Rosenberg Self-Esteem scale (Rosenberg, 1965) and the Cheek and Buss Shyness and Sociability scales (Cheek & Buss, 1981). Results: The SLI group had significantly lower global self-esteem scores than the group with typical language abilities. The adolescents with SLI were more shy than their peers, but the groups did not differ in their sociability ratings. Regression analysis found that language ability was not concurrently predictive of self-esteem but shyness was. Mediation analysis suggested that shyness could be a partial but significant mediator in the relationship between language ability and global self-esteem. Conclusions: Older adolescents with SLI are at risk of lower global self-esteem and experience shyness, although they want to interact socially. The relationship between language ability and self-esteem at this point in adolescence is complex, with shyness potentially playing an important mediating role

A Technique of Direct Tension Measurement of a Strung Fine Wire

We present a new technique of direct measurement of wire tensions in wire chambers. A specially designed circuit plucks the wire using the Lorentz force and measures the frequency of damped transverse oscillations of the wire. The technique avoids the usual time-consuming necessity of tuning circuit parameter to a resonance. It allows a fast and convenient determination of tensions and is straightforward to implement.Comment: 15 pages with 9 figure

Nondevelopmental item acquisition initiatives: a comparative study of implementation within Department of Defense services

Nondevelopmental item acquisition represents a viable approach to meet the procurement needs of the Defense Department. The reduced acquisition cycle time and resultant cost savings of this acquisition methodology/strategy presents significant potential benefits to the DoD. The objective of this research was to identify alternative solutions to counter the current impediments to the NDI acquisition initiatives defined in 10 USC SS 2325. This research provides an overview of the NDI concept and the problems associated with procuring NDIs. This study analyzed the major issue of increasing the effectiveness of NDI acquisitions. Major conclusions are: NDI acquisitions represent a viable means of acquiring goods and services, many impediments (both statutory and regulatory) continue to exist despite significant study efforts, and lessons learned exist that may be exploited to facilitate more effective use of NDI acquisitions. Major recommendations are: increased awareness, training and education is required to shift the acquisition process paradigm; a more proactive measurement process should be implemented to increase the efficiency of the process; and legislative changes should incorporate more commercial standards and practices in order to more fully exploit the benefits associated with NDI acquisitions.http://archive.org/details/nondevelopmental1094539677Major, United States Marine CorpsApproved for public release; distribution is unlimited

Do coping variables mediate the effect of social identity on psychological wellbeing for bullied children?

Prsentation examining how coping variables mediate the effect of social identity on psychological wellbeing for bullied children. Demonstrates a need to understand how children interpret their situation, not just how they cope with it. This is independent of minority/majority ethnic status

Frequency of educational computer use as a longitudinal predictor of educational outcomes in young people with specific language impairment

Computer use draws on linguistic abilities. Using this medium thus presents challenges for young people with Specific Language Impairment (SLI) and raises questions of whether computer-based tasks are appropriate for them. We consider theoretical arguments predicting impaired performance and negative outcomes relative to peers without SLI versus the possibility of positive gains. We examine the relationship between frequency of computer use (for leisure and educational purposes) and educational achievement; in particular examination performance at the end of compulsory education and level of educational progress two years later. Participants were 49 young people with SLI and 56 typically developing (TD) young people. At around age 17, the two groups did not differ in frequency of educational computer use or leisure computer use. There were no associations between computer use and educational outcomes in the TD group. In the SLI group, after PIQ was controlled for, educational computer use at around 17 years of age contributed substantially to the prediction of educational progress at 19 years. The findings suggest that educational uses of computers are conducive to educational progress in young people with SLI