An adaptive pseudo-spectral method for reaction diffusion problems

The spectral interpolation error was considered for both the Chebyshev pseudo-spectral and Galerkin approximations. A family of functionals I sub r (u), with the property that the maximum norm of the error is bounded by I sub r (u)/J sub r, where r is an integer and J is the degree of the polynomial approximation, was developed. These functionals are used in the adaptive procedure whereby the problem is dynamically transformed to minimize I sub r (u). The number of collocation points is then chosen to maintain a prescribed error bound. The method is illustrated by various examples from combustion problems in one and two dimensions

The boiling suppression of liquid nitrogen

When He gas is injected from room temperature into boiling liquid N$_{2}$, boiling is suppressed, leaving liquid surface flat like a mirror. Although the qualitative explanation for this phenomenon is known [Minkoff G J \textit{et al}. Nature 1957;180(4599):1413-4.], it has not been studied quantitatively and comprehensively yet. In this report, we made careful simultaneous measurements of temperature and weight variation of the liquid. The results clearly indicate that the boiling suppression is caused by cooling of the liquid with "internal evaporation" of N$_{2}$ into the He bubbles.Comment: 14 pages, 7 figure

Where have all the IP Firms gone?

In following with the recent trend, earlier this week yet another one of the previously prominent Intellectual Property Boutiques, Kenyon & Kenyon moved its practice and joined Andrews Kurth, a full-service Texas based firm.[i] As a current law student hoping to practice IP law after graduation this trend is something I have been monitoring closely. This post was originally published on the Cardozo Arts & Entertainment Law Journal website on September 6, 2016. The original post can be accessed via the Archived Link button above

The effect of secondarily enriched rotifers on growth and survival of marine fish larvae

Nutritional aspects of three species of marine fish larvae, herring Clupea harengus L., plaice Pleuronectes platessa L. and turbot, Scophthalmus maximus L. were examined. Larvae were fed three different diets all of which were derived from rotifers Brachionus plicatilis (O.F. Mtlller). These rotifers had been mass cultivated on baker's yeast and then enriched with baker's yeast, or with one of two unicellular algae, Isochrysis galbana Park or Nannochloropsis (Nannochloris) oculata (Droop) Hibberd. The biochemical changes that these enrichments conferred on the rotifer were examined. There was little difference in proximate and amino acid compositions. Dry weights, and calorific contents of the rotifers fluctuated according to the type, temperature and duration of enrichment, with the yeast enriched rotifers tending to weigh less (200-320 ng) than their algal counterparts (250-370ng). Major differences were found in the total fatty acid profiles of the rotifers. Yeast-enriched rotifers had no 18:3n-3 or 20:5n-3 and only trace amounts of 22:6n-3 fatty acids. The Nanrinochioropsis-enriched rotifers had substantial amounts of n-3 fatty acids though only of 20:5n-3 (11-14%), while rotifers enriched with Isochrysis had only trace amounts of 20:5n-3 (2-4%). All three species of fish responded similarly to the yeast enriched rotifer diet. Their growth, in terms of length and weight, was minimal and they never developed any fin ray elements. Both flatfishes developed a looped gut in the short growth duration on this diet and some turbot (20%) inflated their swim bladder. This retardation of growth was attributed to the lack of long chain highly unsaturated n-3 fatty acids (n-3 HUFA) in the diet. During one month feeding trials it was shown that herring and plaice were able to exploit both algal-enriched rotifer diets equally well. Turbot, on the other hand grew better, over 14 days, on rotifers enriched with lsochrysis compared with Nannochioropsis. The reaction of the different species was linked to the fatty acid profiles of the diet. Hence, turbot require a dietary input of 22:6n-3 while herring and plaice thrived equally well on diets containing only 20:n-3. Juvenile plaice consistently exhibited improved pigmentation when Isochrysis compared to Nannochloropsis were used as the rotifer enrichment. The effect was attributed to specific nutrients particular to algal chloroplasts, which need to be present in the diet of the larvae up to metamorphosis. Assessment of daily rations, employing the rotifer enriched with Isochrysis diet only, showed herring to reduce their food intake from 46 to 19% body dry weight/d between days 10-21 post hatch while turbot consumed between 34-169% body dry weight/d with no apparent age related effects. The gross growth efficiencies (Ki, Brett & Groves, 1979) for both species were seemingly unaffected by age related processes and fluctuated between 15-50% in turbot and 20-61% in herring according to fluctuations in daily food intake. Ingestion is further described for both species with a linear model that related food intake to larval weight. The weight-specific ingestion was found to be a constant 13% and 43% of body dry weight in herring and turbot respectively. The weight-specific ingestion and specific growth rate estimates were combined with other data available from the literature, revealing that larvae tend to consume food (in dry weight) at a level equivalent to approximately twice their daily dry weight increase

Adaptive Evaluation Methodology Prototypes: Examples

Flexibility or adaptivity in public program evaluation can lead to large savings in time and money, with little or no loss in accuracy, if used properly. In this paper, guidelines are suggested for the employment of classical statistics in adaptive evaluation methodology. Through the case setting of a flu clinic, candidate techniques are demonstrated for handling problems in hypothesis testing, estimation, adaptive allocation of information-gathering resources, and before-and-after-type comparisons. In some cases, classical statistics proves quite adaptable to the requirements of the situation, while in others, its introduction is more artificial

Preliminary Survey of Classical Statistical Techniques for Incorporation into Adaptive Evaluation Methodology

Evaluation of public programming currently tends toward plans that are set in advance of any sampling and adhered to throughout. Because increments in the knowledge profile during the course of an evaluation might beckon adjustment of the working procedure, fixed evaluation methodology may be cost-inefficient. It is desired to develop a methodology that is adaptive to changes in the knowledge profile. This might be most easily accomplished by borrowing ideas from some of the disciplines in which relevant problems occur. The most promising fields for this task include classical and Bayesian statistics, reliability theory, and dynamic programming. This paper reviews the techniques in classical statistics that seem most apt for handling the problem of adaptive changes in an evaluation to updated knowledge profiles, and considers the paths along which future research ought to be conducted

Where you live and who your neighbors are influences whether or not you think closing the income gap is important

Income inequality and its effects has become a pressing concern for politicians across the political spectrum. But what makes people sit up and take notice of the inequality that may surround them? In new research which focuses on income diversity in New York, Scott Minkoff and Jeffrey Lyons find that those who live in areas with a greater diversity of incomes are more likely to perceive that there is a larger income gap compared to those who live in areas which tend to be generally poor or generally wealthy

The New American Farmer

An examination of Latino/a immigrant farmers as they transition from farmworkers to farm owners that offers a new perspective on racial inequity and sustainable farming. Although the majority of farms in the United States have US-born owners who identify as white, a growing number of new farmers are immigrants, many of them from Mexico, who originally came to the United States looking for work in agriculture. In The New American Farmer, Laura-Anne Minkoff-Zern explores the experiences of Latino/a immigrant farmers as they transition from farmworkers to farm owners, offering a new perspective on racial inequity and sustainable farming. She finds that many of these new farmers rely on farming practices from their home countries—including growing multiple crops simultaneously, using integrated pest management, maintaining small-scale production, and employing family labor—most of which are considered alternative farming techniques in the United States. Drawing on extensive interviews with farmers and organizers, Minkoff-Zern describes the social, economic, and political barriers immigrant farmers must overcome, from navigating USDA bureaucracy to racialized exclusion from opportunities. She discusses, among other topics, the history of discrimination against farm laborers in the United States; the invisibility of Latino/a farmers to government and universities; new farmers' sense of agrarian and racial identity; and the future of the agrarian class system. Minkoff-Zern argues that immigrant farmers, with their knowledge and experience of alternative farming practices, are—despite a range of challenges—actively and substantially contributing to the movement for an ecological and sustainable food system. Scholars and food activists should take notice

Novel Influenza H1N1 in Pregnancy: A Report of Two Cases

Background. Pregnant women are a high-risk group for morbidity and mortality from influenza. During the current pandemic of H1N1 influenza, few cases of H1N1 have been reported in pregnancy. Cases. We report two cases of H1N1 influenza which occurred in single institution in the course of one month. The first patient developed acute respiratory distress syndrome, required intubation, and eventually died. The second patient had influenza H1N1 that did not have any major sequela. Conclusion. H1N1 influenza in pregnancy can be associated with severe complications. Widespread vaccination, when available, prompt diagnosis, and adequate treatment with antiviral medications when infection occurs are required