Applications of remote sensing techniques to county land use and flood hazard mapping

The application of remote sensing in Arizona is discussed. Land use and flood hazard mapping completed by the Applied Remote Sensing Program is described. Areas subject to periodic flood inundation are delineated and land use maps monitoring the growth within specific counties are provided

Landau-Ginzburg method applied to finite fermion systems: Pairing in Nuclei

Given the spectrum of a Hamiltonian, a methodology is developed which employs the Landau-Ginsburg method for characterizing phase transitions in infinite systems to identify phase transition remnants in finite fermion systems. As a first application of our appproach we discuss pairing in finite nuclei.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figure

The Soviet defense debate: Possible outcomes and impacts for NATO

Arms Control & Domestic and International Security (ACDIS

Ejecta detection in the middle-aged Galactic supernova remnant G296.1-0.5 observed with Suzaku

In this paper, we report the detection of ejecta in the middle-aged Galactic supernova remnant G296.1-0.5 with the X-ray Imaging Spectrometer onboard the Suzaku satellite. The spectra of three lobes, north, southeast and southwest and inter-lobe regions, consist of soft (0.3-2.0 keV) emission originated from non-equilibrium ionization plasma. In north, southeast and inter-lobe regions, the thermal emission can be represented by a one-component, in southwest region it can be represented by two- component non-equilibrium ionization (VNEI) model. The spectra of studied regions have lines of N, O, Ne, Mg and Si elements. Si emission from this remnant is shown for the first time in this work. Enhanced abundances of Ne, Mg and Si elements obtained show the ejecta contribution in all regions. Assuming that the remnant is in Sedov phase, we obtained ambient density n0 ~ 0.45 cm-3, age t ~ 2.8 x 104 yr, shock velocity Vs ~ 320 km s-1, shock temperature Ts ~ 1.2 x 106 K, and swept-up mass Msw ~ 340 M at an adopted distance of d=3 kpc.Comment: 9 pages, 5 figures, 2 table

Access to Emergency Contraception After Removal of Age Restrictions

BACKGROUND: Levonorgestrel emergency contraception (EC) is safe and effective for postcoital pregnancy prevention. Starting in 2013, the US Food and Drug Administration removed age restrictions, enabling EC to be sold over the counter to all consumers. We sought to compare the availability and access for female adolescents with the 2012 study, using the same study design. METHODS: Female mystery callers posing as 17-year-old adolescents in need of EC used standardized scripts to telephone 979 pharmacies in 5 US cities. Using 2015 estimated census data and the federal poverty level, we characterized income levels of pharmacy neighborhoods. RESULTS: Of 979 pharmacies, 827 (83%) indicated that EC was available. This proportion did not vary by pharmacy neighborhood income level, nor was significantly different from the 2012 study (P = .78). When examining access, 8.3% of the pharmacies reported it was impossible to obtain EC under any circumstances, which occurred more often in low-income neighborhoods (10.3% vs 6.3%, adjusted odds ratio 1.5; 95% confidence interval 1.20-1.94). This was not significantly different from 2012 (P = .66). Correct information regarding over-the-counter access was conveyed only 51.6% of the time; accuracy did not differ by pharmacy's neighborhood income (47.9% vs 55.3%, adjusted odds ratio 0.89; 95% confidence interval 0.71-1.11) and was not significantly different from 2012 (P = .37). CONCLUSIONS: A majority of pharmacies have EC available; however, barriers to and disparities in access for adolescents persist and have not changed since the previous study despite regulatory changes that were designed to improve access to EC

Probing the origin of the dark material on Iapetus

Among the icy satellites of Saturn, Iapetus shows a striking dichotomy between its leading and trailing hemispheres, the former being significantly darker than the latter. Thanks to the VIMS imaging spectrometer on-board Cassini, it is now possible to investigate the spectral features of the satellites in Saturn system within a wider spectral range and with an enhanced accuracy than with previously available data. In this work, we present an application of the G-mode method to the high resolution, visible and near infrared data of Phoebe, Iapetus and Hyperion collected by Cassini/VIMS, to search for compositional correlations. We also present the results of a dynamical study on the efficiency of Iapetus in capturing dust grains travelling inward in Saturn system to evaluate the viability of Poynting-Robertson drag as the physical mechanism transferring the dark material to the satellite. The results of spectroscopic classification are used jointly with the ones of the dynamical study to describe a plausible physical scenario for the origin of Iapetus' dichotomy. Our work shows that mass transfer from the outer Saturnian system is an efficient mechanism, particularly for the range of sizes hypothesised for the particles composing the newly discovered outer ring around Saturn. Both spectral and dynamical data indicate Phoebe as the main source of the dark material. However, we suggest a multi-source scenario where now extinct prograde satellites and the disruptive impacts that generated the putative collisional families played a significant role in supplying the original amount of dark material.Comment: 20 pages, 4 tables, 11 figures, major revision (manuscript extended and completed, figures added and corrected, new results added), minor revision and finalization of author list, moderate revision (update of the manuscript following reviewer's feedback and discovery of the new Saturnian outer ring

Nonclassic lipoid congenital adrenal hyperplasia masquerading as familial glucocorticoid deficiency

Context: Familial glucocorticoid deficiency (FGD) is an autosomal recessive disorder resulting from resistance to the action of ACTH on the adrenal cortex. Affected individuals are deficient in cortisol and, if untreated, are likely to succumb to hypoglycemia and/or overwhelming infection. Mutations of the ACTH receptor (MC2R) and the melanocortin 2 receptor accessory protein (MRAP), FGD types 1 and 2 respectively, account for approximately 45% of cases. Objective: A locus on chromosome 8 has previously been linked to the disease in three families, but no underlying gene defect has to date been identified. Design: The study design comprised single-nucleotide polymorphism genotyping and mutation detection. Setting: The study was conducted at secondary and tertiary referral centers. Patients: Eighty probands from families referred for investigation of the genetic cause of FGD participated in the study. Interventions: There were no interventions. Results: Analysis by single-nucleotide polymorphism array of the genotype of one individual with FGD previously linked to chromosome 8 revealed a large region of homozygosity encompassing the steroidogenic acute regulatory protein gene, STAR. We identified homozygous STAR mutations in this patient and his affected siblings. Screening of our total FGD patient cohort revealed homozygous STAR mutations in a further nine individuals from four other families. Conclusions: Mutations in STAR usually cause lipoid congenital adrenal hyperplasia, a disorder characterized by both gonadal and adrenal steroid deficiency. Our results demonstrate that certain mutations in STAR (R192C and the previously reported R188C) can present with a phenotype indistinguishable from that seen in FGD

Anticipatory Resilience Bringing Back the Future into Urban Planning and Knowledge Systems

Anticipatory thinking is a critical component in urban planning practices and knowledge systems in an era of unpredictability and conflicting expectations of the future. This chapter introduces “anticipatory resilience” as a futures-oriented knowledge system that intentionally addresses uncertain climate conditions and explores alternative, desirable future states. It suggests a portfolio of tools suitable for building long-term foresight capacity in urban planning. Examples of knowledge systems interventions are presented to explore the trade-offs, constraints, possibilities, and desires of diverse future scenarios co-generated in settings with people that hold different perspectives, knowledge, and expectations

Influence of temperature gradients on tunnel junction thermometry below 1 K: cooling and electron-phonon coupling

We have studied thermal gradients in thin Cu and AlMn wires, both experimentally and theoretically. In the experiments, the wires were Joule heated non-uniformly at sub-Kelvin temperatures, and the resulting temperature gradients were measured using normal metal-insulator-superconducting tunnel junctions. The data clearly shows that even in reasonably well conducting thin wires with a short ($\sim 10 \mu$m) non-heated portion, significant temperature differences can form. In most cases, the measurements agree well with a model which includes electron-phonon interaction and electronic thermal conductivity by the Wiedemann-Franz law.Comment: J. Low Temp. Phys. in pres