Distribution of the Georgia Corporate and Net Worth Tax Liabilities, 1998 and 2005 - Brief

This brief illustrates the distribution of corporate and net worth income tax liabilities among Georgia corporations. FRC Brief 18

Evaluating the Efficacy of Educational Games in Promoting Interest and Understanding of Gravitational Wave Physics

The LIGO Scientific Collaboration Education and Public Outreach group seeks to ameliorate the lack of public understanding of gravitational wave physics. One such effort is Black Hole Pong, a remake of the 1972 arcade classic developed by researchers at University of Birmingham, UK. Black Hole Pong differs from other educational games in that it stretches the laws of physics to make the user experience more exciting. Another effort has been my own work in developing a game called Chickens in Space where players can create mass, which coalesces and eventually forms black holes, which serve as obstacles to the players. I present the results of a set of pre-tests and post-tests from Andrews University and Sheboygan North High School which measure Black Hole Pong\u27s and Chickens in Space\u27s effectiveness in teaching the concepts and benefits of gravitational wave astronomy

P-23 Evaluating the Efficacy of Black Hole Master and Other Research Awareness Promoting Games for Educational and Research Awareness Merit in High Schools

The LIGO Scientific Collaboration\u27s Education and Public Outreach group seeks to ameliorate the lack of public understanding of gravitational wave physics. One such effort is Black Hole Pong, a remake of the 1972 arcade classic developed by researchers at University of Birmingham, UK. Black Hole Pong differs from other educational games in that it stretches the laws of physics to make the user experience more exciting. I present the results of a set of pre-tests and post-tests from a public high school which measures Black Hole Pong\u27s effectiveness in teaching the concepts and benefits of gravitational wave astronomy

Evaluating the Efficacy of Gravitational Wave Games in Arousing Interest and Promoting Understanding of Gravitational wave Research

The LIGO Scientific Collaboration’s Education and Public Outreach Group seeks to ameliorate the lack of public understanding of gravitational wave physics. I present the results of a set of pre-tests and post-tests from a public high school which measures Black Hole Pong’s effectiveness in teaching the concepts and benefits of gravitational wave astronomy. Results of this test can be used in the development of other outreach games, such as Black Hole Master and Chickens in Space

Analysis of Rapidly Developing Low Cloud Ceilings in a Stable Environment

This report describes the work done by the Applied Meteorology Unit (AMU) in developing a database of days that experienced rapid (< 90 minutes) low cloud formation in a stable atmosphere, resulting in ceilings at the Shuttle Landing Facility (TTS) that violated Space Shuttle Flight Rules (FR). The meteorological conditions favoring the rapid formation of low ceilings include the presence of any inversion below 8000 ft, high relative humidity beneath the inversion, and a clockwise turning of the winds from the surface to the middle troposphere (approx. 15000 ft). The AMU compared and contrasted the atmospheric and thermodynamic conditions between days with rapid low ceiling formation and days with low ceiling resulting from other mechanism. The AMU found that the vertical wind profile is the probable discerning factor between the rapidly-forming ceiling days and other low ceiling days at TTS. Most rapidly-developing low ceiling days had a clockwise turning of the winds with height, whereas other low ceiling days typically had a counter-clockwise turning of the winds with height or negligible vertical wind shear. Forecasters at the Space Meteorology Group (SMG) issue 30 to 90 minute forecasts for low cloud ceilings at TTS to support Space Shuttle landings. Mission verification statistics have shown ceilings to be the number one forecast challenge. More specifically, forecasters at SMG are concerned with any rapidly developing clouds ceilings below 8000 ft in a stable, capped thermodynamic environment, Therefore, the AMU was tasked to examine archived events of rapid stable cloud formation resulting in ceilings below 8000 ft, and document the atmospheric regimes favoring this type of cloud development. The AMU examined the cool season months of November to March during the years of 1993-2003 for days that had low-level inversions and rapid, stable low cloud formation that resulted in ceilings violating the Space Shuttle FR. The AMU wrote and modified existing code to identify inversions from the morning Cape Canaveral, FL rawinsonde (XMR) during the cool season and output pertinent sounding information. They parsed all days with cloud ceilings below 8000 ft at TTS, forming a database of possible rapidly-developing low ceiling events. Days with precipitation or noticeable fog bum-off situations were excluded from the database. Only the daytime hours were examined for possible ceiling development events since low clouds are easier to diagnose with visible satellite imagery. Follow-on work would expand the database to include nighttime cases, using a special enhancement of the infrared imagery for identifying areas of low clouds. The report presents two sample cases of rapidly-developing low cloud ceilings. These cases depict the representative meteorological and thermodynamic characteristics of such events. The cases also illustrate how quickly the cloud decks can develop, sometimes forming in 30 minutes or less. The report also summarizes the composite meteorological conditions for 20 event days with rapid low cloud ceiling formation and 48 non-events days consisting of advection or widespread low cloud ceilings. The meteorological conditions were quite similar for both the event and non-event days, since both types of days experienced low cloud ceilings. Both types of days had a relatively moist environment beneath the inversion based below 8000 ft. In the 20 events identified, de onset of low ceilings occurred between 1200-1800 UTC in every instance. The distinguishing factor between the event and non-event days appears to be the vertical wind profile in the XMR sounding. Eighty-five percent of the event days had a clockwise turning of the winds with height in the lower to middle troposphere whereas 83% of the non-events had a counter-clockwise turning of the winds with height or negligible vertical wind shear. A clockwise turning of the winds with height indicates a warm advection regime, which supports large-scale rising motn and possible cloud formation. Meanwhile, a counter-clockwise turning of the winds with height indicates cold advection or sinking motion in a post-cold frontal environment

Electric superbike racing: the design and construction of a championship winning electric superbike

The electric superbikes recently developed at The University of Nottingham have to be considered as a high performance vehicles, competing with its internal combustion engine driven counterparts. This paper presents the motivations for this work as well the design decisions taken to maximize performance in race conditions, along with modelling undertaken to gain an insight into the system interaction as a whole. Data recorded during races and on a rolling road are presented to validate the simulation work

Corticosterone Acts in the Nucleus Accumbens to Enhance Dopamine Signaling and Potentiate Reinstatement of Cocaine Seeking

Stressful life events are important contributors to relapse in recovering cocaine addicts, but the mechanisms by which they influence motivational systems are poorly understood. Studies suggest that stress may “set the stage” for relapse by increasing the sensitivity of brain reward circuits to drug-associated stimuli. We examined the effects of stress and corticosterone on behavioral and neurochemical responses of rats to a cocaine prime after cocaine self-administration and extinction. Exposure of rats to acute electric footshock stress did not by itself reinstate drug-seeking behavior but potentiated reinstatement in response to a subthreshold dose of cocaine. This effect of stress was not observed in adrenalectomized animals, and was reproduced in nonstressed animals by administration of corticosterone at a dose that reproduced stress-induced plasma levels. Pretreatment with the glucocorticoid receptor antagonist RU38486 did not block the corticosterone effect. Corticosterone potentiated cocaine-induced increases in extracellular dopamine in the nucleus accumbens (NAc), and pharmacological blockade of NAc dopamine receptors blocked corticosterone-induced potentiation of reinstatement. Intra-accumbens administration of corticosterone reproduced the behavioral effects of stress and systemic corticosterone. Corticosterone treatment acutely decreased NAc dopamine clearance measured by fast-scan cyclic voltammetry, suggesting that inhibition of uptake2-mediated dopamine clearance may underlie corticosterone effects. Consistent with this hypothesis, intra-accumbens administration of the uptake2 inhibitor normetanephrine potentiated cocaine-induced reinstatement. Expression of organic cation transporter 3, a corticosterone-sensitive uptake2 transporter, was detected on NAc neurons. These findings reveal a novel mechanism by which stress hormones can rapidly regulate dopamine signaling and contribute to the impact of stress on drug intake

Applied Meteorology Unit (AMU) Quarterly Report. First Quarter FY-05

This report summarizes the Applied Meteorology Unit (AMU) activities for the first quarter of Fiscal Year 2005 (October - December 2005). Tasks reviewed include: (1) Objective Lightning Probability Forecast: Phase I, (2) Severe Weather Forecast Decision Aid, (3) Hail Index, (4) Stable Low Cloud Evaluation, (5) Shuttle Ascent Camera Cloud Obstruction Forecast, (6) Range Standardization and Automation (RSA) and Legacy Wind Sensor Evaluation, (7) Advanced Regional Prediction System (ARPS) Optimization and Training Extension, and (8) User Control Interface for ARPS Data Analysis System (ADAS) Data Inges