UHMLE: Program description user guide

A program which computes maximum likelihood estimates for the general normal mixture is introduced. The program allows the user to fix any subsets of the mixture parameters; this fixed set may be redefined at various times in the iteration process. There is considerable time saved in computing the likelihoods if the diagonal form is specified. Hence, in the early iterations the diagonal assumption might be used, changing over to the full covariance mode later in the iteration process for a more refined solution. This flexibility allows the user to choose the sequence of parameter configurations in the iteration process which he feels will optimize the computation time required as well as possibly avoid convergence to suboptimal local maxima of the likelihood function

ATLAS 1: Encountering Planet Earth

Several NASA science programs examine the dynamic balance of sunlight, atmosphere, water, land, and life that governs Earth's environment. Among these is a series of Space Shuttle-Spacelab missions, named the Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science (ATLAS). During the ATLAS missions, international teams of scientists representing many disciplines combine their expertise to seek answers to complex questions about the atmospheric and solar conditions that sustain life on Earth. The ATLAS program specifically investigates how Earth's middle atmosphere and upper atmospheres and climate are affected by both the Sun and by products of industrial and agricultural activities on Earth

A Place to Stand on Your Own Two Feet: The Role of Community Housing in Immigrant Integration in Montréal, Quebec

Research on the housing conditions of immigrant households has tended to focus on their spatial distribution in metropolitan areas, the discrimination they face in the search for housing, and their housing trajectories, in particular their access to homeownership.  Little research has been done on what role, if any, housing plays in their integration in their host society.  This research tests the hypothesis that community housing, in which tenants participate actively in the management of their buildings, gives immigrants social contacts and skills that help in their integration.  The authors conducted interviews and focus groups with renters, homeowners and housing specialists in order to understand better what respondents understand by “integration” and to investigate the possible causal relationship between life in community housing and social integration.  The findings both support and contradict the original hypothesis and are the basis for recommendations for community housing developers. The most important lesson to be drawn from the research is that participation in in-house activities in community housing are not necessarily a positive factor in social integration—it may actually be perceived negatively by some immigrants—and are clearly secondary to questions of housing quality and affordability

LIVING WITH TRAUMA: A MULTIMETHOD STUDY OF POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS, HIV RISK, & RESILIENCE AMONG CISGENDER SEXUAL MINORITY MEN IN THE UNITED STATES

Background Cisgender sexual minority men (SMM) in the United States (US) are disproportionately burdened by trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Limited but growing research has linked PTSD symptoms to sexual risk behaviors among SMM but minimally accounted for PTSD symptomology’s heterogeneity. Moreover, resilience processes in response to trauma remain poorly understood and understudied among SMM. This dissertation aimed to identify latent classes of posttraumatic stress symptoms, assess associations between class membership and serodiscordant condomless anal sex, and explore trauma’s impact and associated resilience processes among SMM. Methods Trauma-exposed SMM’s responses (6,319/11,069) to a PTSD symptom scale in the American Men’s Internet Survey were subjected to latent class analysis; latent classes were then regressed on sociodemographic and other variables. In a subsample of non-Hispanic Black and white SMM (N=4,286), associations between latent classes and serodiscordant condomless anal sex were determined via the manual three-step Bolck, Croon, and Hagenaars method; moderation by race and social cohesion was also examined. An interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) approach with multiple in-depth interviews and photo/image-elicitation was used to explore trauma’s impact and resilience processes among Black SMM (N=9). Results Four latent classes of posttraumatic stress symptoms emerged: “Intrusive-Avoidant”; “Dysphoric-Inattentive”; “Pervasive”; and “Resistant.” Relative to white participants, non-Hispanic Black participants were overrepresented in the Intrusive-Avoidant class. Relative to HIV-negative participants, those living with HIV were overrepresented in the Pervasive class. Higher prevalence of serodiscordant condomless anal sex was associated with Pervasive and Dysphoric-Inattentive class membership relative to Resistant class membership, as was higher prevalence of serodiscordant condomless anal sex with a high-risk partner. There were no significant moderation effects. Black SMM perceived trauma as transformative, experiencing a sense of depletion/disconnection, encumbrance/fixation, and pain/turmoil. Participants overcame trauma’s impact via resilience processes involving purpose-giving/meaning-making, restoring self-worth/belief in goodness in the world, and reconstituting/cultivating self. Conclusions Posttraumatic stress symptoms emerge in diverse patterns among trauma-exposed SMM in the US, necessitating nuanced assessment and intervention approaches. As patterns are differentially linked to HIV transmission risk behaviors, integrated trauma-focused, sexual risk-reduction interventions tailored to each pattern may be warranted. Engaging Black SMM and leveraging their inherent resilience may improve psychosocial wellness

First International Microgravity Laboratory

This colorful booklet presents capsule information on every aspect of the International Microgravity Laboratory (IML). As part of Spacelab, IML is divided into Life Science Experiments and Materials Science Experiments. Because the life and materials sciences use different Spacelab resources, they are logically paired on the IML missions. Life science investigations generally require significant crew involvement, and crew members often participate as test subjects or operators. Materials missions capitalize on these complementary experiments. International cooperation consists in participation by the European Space Agency, Canada, France, Germany, and Japan who are all partners in developing hardware and experiments of IML missions. IML experiments are crucial to future space ventures, like the development of Space Station Freedom, the establishment of lunar colonies, and the exploration of other planets. Principal investigators are identified for each experiment

Locust Grove, GA

Prepared by the Spring 2013 Preservation Planning Class. The Locust Grove Design Guidelines were developed to help guide the community of Locust Grove in preservation efforts. These Design Guidelines are created to assist the public and the Locust Grove Historic Preservation Commission in the appropriate rehabilitation of historic properties in the district based on the Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties.https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/history_heritagepreservation/1024/thumbnail.jp

Thomas H. Moore House

Prepared by the Fall 2013 Conservation of Historic Building Materials class. This Historic Structure Report contains historical context, building chronology, physical descriptions, current conditions assessment, and recommended treatment and use for the historic property. The purpose of this report is to provide a current assessment of the condition of the property, recommendations for needed repairs and options for future consideration.https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/history_heritagepreservation/1030/thumbnail.jp

The Application of LiDAR to Assessment of Rooftop Solar Photovoltaic Deployment Potential in a Municipal District Unit

A methodology is provided for the application of Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) to automated solar photovoltaic (PV) deployment analysis on the regional scale. Challenges in urban information extraction and management for solar PV deployment assessment are determined and quantitative solutions are offered. This paper provides the following contributions: (i) a methodology that is consistent with recommendations from existing literature advocating the integration of cross-disciplinary competences in remote sensing (RS), GIS, computer vision and urban environmental studies; (ii) a robust methodology that can work with low-resolution, incomprehensive data and reconstruct vegetation and building separately, but concurrently; (iii) recommendations for future generation of software. A case study is presented as an example of the methodology. Experience from the case study such as the trade-off between time consumption and data quality are discussed to highlight a need for connectivity between demographic information, electrical engineering schemes and GIS and a typical factor of solar useful roofs extracted per method. Finally, conclusions are developed to provide a final methodology to extract the most useful information from the lowest resolution and least comprehensive data to provide solar electric assessments over large areas, which can be adapted anywhere in the world