Block Motion Changes in Japan Triggered by the 2011 Great Tohoku Earthquake

Plate motions are governed by equilibrium between basal and edge forces. Great earthquakes may induce differential static stress changes across tectonic plates, enabling a new equilibrium state. Here we consider the torque balance for idealized circular plates and find a simple scalar relationship for changes in relative plate speed as a function of its size, upper mantle viscosity, and coseismic stress changes. Applied to Japan, the 2011 $\mathrm{M}_{\mathrm{W}}=9.0$ Tohoku earthquake generated coseismic stresses of $10^2-10^5$~Pa that could have induced changes in motion of small (radius $\sim100$~km) crustal blocks within Honshu. Analysis of time-dependent GPS velocities, with corrections for earthquake cycle effects, reveals that plate speeds may have changed by up to $\sim3$ mm/yr between $\sim3.75$-year epochs bracketing this earthquake, consistent with an upper mantle viscosity of $\sim 5\times10^{18}$Pa$\cdot$s, suggesting that great earthquakes may modulate motions of proximal crustal blocks at frequencies as high as $10^-8$~Hz

Preprint: Using RF-DNA Fingerprints To Classify OFDM Transmitters Under Rayleigh Fading Conditions

The Internet of Things (IoT) is a collection of Internet connected devices capable of interacting with the physical world and computer systems. It is estimated that the IoT will consist of approximately fifty billion devices by the year 2020. In addition to the sheer numbers, the need for IoT security is exacerbated by the fact that many of the edge devices employ weak to no encryption of the communication link. It has been estimated that almost 70% of IoT devices use no form of encryption. Previous research has suggested the use of Specific Emitter Identification (SEI), a physical layer technique, as a means of augmenting bit-level security mechanism such as encryption. The work presented here integrates a Nelder-Mead based approach for estimating the Rayleigh fading channel coefficients prior to the SEI approach known as RF-DNA fingerprinting. The performance of this estimator is assessed for degrading signal-to-noise ratio and compared with least square and minimum mean squared error channel estimators. Additionally, this work presents classification results using RF-DNA fingerprints that were extracted from received signals that have undergone Rayleigh fading channel correction using Minimum Mean Squared Error (MMSE) equalization. This work also performs radio discrimination using RF-DNA fingerprints generated from the normalized magnitude-squared and phase response of Gabor coefficients as well as two classifiers. Discrimination of four 802.11a Wi-Fi radios achieves an average percent correct classification of 90% or better for signal-to-noise ratios of 18 and 21 dB or greater using a Rayleigh fading channel comprised of two and five paths, respectively.Comment: 13 pages, 14 total figures/images, Currently under review by the IEEE Transactions on Information Forensics and Securit

Short arc optical survey techniques

The effect of the gravity parameter, mu, the choice and local survey of the fixed origin station, and the choice of initial datum on the results of short arc satellite survey adjustments were investigated using GEOS 1 MOTS optical observations from 13 stations. It is concluded that each of these parameters has an effect on derived network scale on the order of 0.000002 for the nominal variations used. A particular solution using assumed best available values for these parameters is recommended

A satellite altimeter bias recovery simulation

GEOS-3 altimeter bias recovery simulation using range and angle tracking dat

BioScript: programming safe chemistry on laboratories-on-a-chip

This paper introduces BioScript, a domain-specific language (DSL) for programmable biochemistry which executes on emerging microfluidic platforms. The goal of this research is to provide a simple, intuitive, and type-safe DSL that is accessible to life science practitioners. The novel feature of the language is its syntax, which aims to optimize human readability; the technical contributions of the paper include the BioScript type system and relevant portions of its compiler. The type system ensures that certain types of errors, specific to biochemistry, do not occur, including the interaction of chemicals that may be unsafe. The compiler includes novel optimizations that place biochemical operations to execute concurrently on a spatial 2D array platform on the granularity of a control flow graph, as opposed to individual basic blocks. Results are obtained using both a cycle-accurate microfluidic simulator and a software interface to a real-world platform

Crisis en el Líbano: ¿campamentos para refugiados sirios?

El Líbano ha asimilado la enorme afluencia de Siria, pero a un alto costo para las poblaciones de refugiados y libaneses. Los actuales programas humanitarios ya no pueden hacerle frente y se necesitan nuevos enfoques

PFK-1 Transcript Amounts in the Liver and Skeletal Muscle of Pigeons and Quail Acutely Exposed to High Embryonic Incubation Temperatures

The developing avian embryo is reliant on external sources of heat. Incubation temperatures above or below optimal alter development and metabolic function, and may compromise emergence and post-hatch adaptation. Studies in chick embryos indicate that high incubation temperature increases glycolysis and reduces hepatic glycogen needed during hatching. As a key glycolytic enzyme, phosphofructokinase-1 (PFK-1) is a likely target for the temperature-induced effects on pathways of glucose metabolism. However, there is limited data characterizing PFK-1 in avians exposed to high incubation temperatures. This study used real time PCR to compare PFK-1 mRNA transcript amounts within the breast muscle and liver tissue of the precocial japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) and the semi-altricial domestic pigeon (Columbia livia). Tissue samples were collected previously from birds exposed to increased incubation temperatures (40.8˚ for 3 hours during embryonic d 10 and 11 for quail, and d 13 and 14 for pigeon, equivalent to Hamburg and Hamilton stages 39 and 40) or a control temperature (37.6˚ C throughout incubation). Total RNA was isolated, reverse transcribed, and cDNA was pooled by species and heat treatment for analysis. High incubation temperatures resulted in a down regulation in PFK-1 transcript amounts in both liver and breast muscle in pigeons. Transcript amounts were 50 and 2.78 fold greater for liver and breast muscle, respectively, for birds incubated under control temperatures compared to high heat. Similarly, PFK-1 transcript amounts in quail liver of birds exposed to high incubation temperatures was 80% the value of the control, but breast muscle PFK-1 transcript amounts increased to 165%. Findings suggest unique effects of incubation temperature for precocial compared to altricial species.College of Food, Agriculture, and Environmental SciencesNo embargoAcademic Major: Animal Science

The 2017 Brown Center Report on American Education: How Well Are American Students Learning?

This Brown Center Report (BCR) on American Education is the sixth and final edition in the third volume and the 16th issue overall. The series began in 2000. As in the past, the report comprises three studies. Also in keeping with tradition, the first section features recent results from state, national, or international assessments; the second section investigates a thematic topic in education, either by collecting new data or by analyzing existing empirical evidence in a novel way; and the third section looks at one or more education policies

Exploring Burnout Amongst Mental Health Counselors Within Three Workplace Settings

Throughout recent years, the work setting of many mental health counselors has changed from the in-person work setting to working from home and hybrid (i.e., a combination of working in-person and working from home). However, limited research has been conducted to explore burnout among these three work settings. Burnout is a condition which develops due to chronic feelings of stress and can cause negative repercussions on one’s health and overall wellbeing. Burnout is related to one’s experience within the work-setting and is characterized by extreme exhaustion, the inability to regulate emotions and cognitions, and mental distancing. Research regarding burnout has concluded that burnout is an ongoing concern for those working in helping professions, such as counseling. The literature has determined that mental health counselors experience burnout, which results in negative consequences for the counselor, the field of counseling, and for the client. The purpose of this study was to analyze the burnout levels of mental health counselors working within the work settings of working from home, hybrid, and working in-person to determine if work setting had an impact on burnout. This study examined a national sample of 232 counselors who were recruited by email to complete a quantitative survey. The instruments used included a demographic survey and the Burnout Assessment Tool (BAT). To gain an initial understanding regarding possible relationships between the demographic variables and the dependent variable (i.e., level of burnout), the researcher conducted a preliminary analyses using the Pearson bivariate correlation analysis and found that there was a statistically significant correlation between age and BAT average. Though a statistically significant correlation was found, the correlation was weak. Due to the weak correlation, the researcher did not control age in the main analysis. This study used a one-way analysis of variance test to compare burnout averages among the three groups. Results of the study indicate that there was no statistically significant difference in level of burnout among the three groups based on work setting. This study also found that high to very high ranged levels of burnout were experienced by over 54% of participants, and each group mean fell into the high burnout level range

The 2016 Brown Center Report on American Education: How Well Are American Students Learning?

The 2016 edition of the Brown Center Report (BCR) is number five in the third volume and the 15th issue overall. The series began in 2000, making this the fifth consecutive presidential election year in which an issue has been published. As is customary, this year's BCR contains three studies. Part one is on the Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and instruction in math and reading. National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) data indicate that nonfiction is receiving greater emphasis in both fourth and eighth grade reading instruction, data and geometry are receding in importance in fourth grade math, and course enrollments in eighth grade math are shifting away from advanced courses toward a single, general math course. The CCSS supports all of these trends. The second section investigates whether tracking in eighth grade is related to Advanced Placement (AP) outcomes in high school. Tracking, the practice of grouping students into different classes based on ability or prior achievement, is a controversial topic. Critics argue that tracking creates or reinforces social inequities. Middle school is when students first experience tracking, typically in mathematics. In eighth grade, the tracking question currently boils down to whether high achieving students who are ready for a formal algebra course will get one -- or whether all students will take the same general math course. Part three examines school leadership from an international perspective. All around the world, school principals are called on to provide instructional leadership. Data from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) are examined to see whether principals' instructional activities are associated with student achievement. No association was found