Velocity autocorrelations of decaying isotropic homogeneous turbulence

Velocity autocorrelations and the mean-square displacements of fluid particles are obtained for decaying, isotropic homogeneous turbulence by numerical simulation of the flow field, using 1283 and 2563 grids, and tracking several tens of thousands of fluid particles, using a third-order interpolation scheme. A self-preserving Lagrangian velocity autocorrelation coefficient is found in terms of a dimensionless time variable s, defined by ds=dt/[script T]s(t), under the observation of a power-law energy decay and the assumption that [script T]s(t) is proportional to the Lagrangian integral timescale [script T][script L]. This timescale is in turn assumed to be proportional to the length scale of the energy-containing eddies [script L]e~K3/2/epsilon divided by the turbulent velocity u[prime], where K=3/2u[prime]2 is turbulent energy and epsilon is the energy dissipation rate

Medicare Advantage Plan Star Ratings and Bonus Payments in 2012

Estimates total Medicare spending on and distribution of quality ratings-based bonus payments for Medicare Advantage plans in 2012 by company, tax status, state and county and in relation to cuts in plan payments under federal health reform

Reaching for the Stars: Quality Ratings of Medicare Advantage Plans, 2011

Outlines the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' quality ratings of Medicare Advantage plans, including locations and types of highly rated plans, and a proposed demonstration to modify the quality-based payments authorized by the reform law

Quality Ratings of Medicare Advantage Plans: Key Changes in the Health Reform Law and 2010 Enrollment Data

Examines performance measures used to set plans' quality ratings, 2010 healthcare reform provisions for bonus payments to plans with high ratings, plan enrollment by rating, and ratings by plan type, analyzed by state and county. Considers implications

Measurement of permeability for ferrous metallic plates using a novel lift-off compensation technique on phase signature

Lift-off of sensor affects the prediction of electromagnetic properties for both ferrous and non-ferrous steel plates. In this paper, we developed a strategy to address this issue for ferrous plates. With increased lift-off, the phase of the measured impedance for steel plates reduces. Meanwhile, the magnitude of the impedance signal decreases. Based on these facts, a phase compensation algorithm is developed which corrects the phase change due to lift-off considering the magnitude of the impedance signal. Further, a new magnetic permeability prediction technique is presented, which has been validated by analytical and measured results. With this new technique, the error in permeability prediction is less than 2% within the range of lift-offs tested

Development of a map service

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) a computerized mapping system for capturing, storing, retrieving, analysing, and displaying spatial data (the type of data that has a geographic location). It is one of the fastest growing high tech fields and has been widely used in my areas where analysis of spatial referenced data is needed. In this paper we developed and implemented a GIS-based personalized Travel Planning application. Our goal is to provide a map based information system that gives recommendation information (e.g. closeby sights, must-see sights) to travellers according to their destinations, locations and preferences. Furthermore, the TP application was developed as a client-side service under the Tourist Information Provider System. It runs on client machines and uses the spatial referenced data stored at the TIP server-side database

Increasing Atmospheric Humidity and CO\u3csub\u3e2\u3c/sub\u3e Concentration Alleviate Forest Mortality Risk

Climate-induced forest mortality is being increasingly observed throughout the globe. Alarmingly, it is expected to exacerbate under climate change due to shifting precipitation patterns and rising air temperature. However, the impact of concomitant changes in atmospheric humidity and CO2 concentration through their influence on stomatal kinetics remains a subject of debate and inquiry. By using a dynamic soil–plant–atmosphere model, mortality risks associated with hydraulic failure and stomatal closure for 13 temperate and tropical forest biomes across the globe are analyzed. The mortality risk is evaluated in response to both individual and combined changes in precipitation amounts and their seasonal distribution, mean air temperature, specific humidity, and atmospheric CO2 concentration. Model results show that the risk is predicted to significantly increase due to changes in precipitation and air temperature regime for the period 2050–2069. However, this increase may largely get alleviated by concurrent increases in atmospheric specific humidity and CO2 concentration. The increase in mortality risk is expected to be higher for needleleaf forests than for broadleaf forests, as a result of disparity in hydraulic traits. These findings will facilitate decisions about intervention and management of different forest types under changing climate