Sample records for united states typically

  1. Ozone injury across the Southern United States, 2002–06

    Treesearch

    Anita K. Rose; John W. Coulston

    2009-01-01

    In the Eastern United States, hourly concentrations of ozone typically range from 30 to 50 parts per billion(ppb), with events that may exceed 100 ppb. Typical exposure levels can cause visible foliar injury to

  2. 78 FR 46686 - Privacy Act of 1974; Treasury/United States Mint .013-United States Mint National Electronic...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-08-01

    ... following: Individual names, addresses, phone numbers, dates of birth, driver's license numbers, social security numbers, license plate numbers, medical information (typically in the case of accidents or... numbers, social security numbers, license plate numbers, medical information (typically in the case of...

  3. Characteristics, Similarities, and Differences among Four-Year Cooperative Engineering Programs in the United States

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Egbert, Robert I.; Stone, Lorene H.; Adams, David L.

    2011-01-01

    Four-year cooperative engineering programs are becoming more common in the United States. Cooperative engineering programs typically involve a "parent" institution with an established engineering program and one or more "satellite" institutions which typically have few or no engineering programs and are located in an area where…

  4. Coal-tar-based pavement sealants—a potent source of PAHs

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Mahler, Barbara J.; Van Metre, Peter C.

    2017-01-01

    P avement sealants are applied to the asphalt pavement of many parking lots, driveways, and even playgrounds in North America (Figure 1), where, when first applied, they render the pavement glossy black and looking like new. Sealant products used commercially in the central, eastern, and northern United States typically are coal-tarbased, whereas those used in the western United States typically are asphalt-based. Although the products look similar, they are chemically different. Coal-tarbased pavement sealants typically are 25-35 percent (by weight) coal tar or coal-tar pitch, materials that are known human carcinogens and that contain high concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and related chemicals (unless otherwise noted, all Figure 1. Pavement sealant is commonly used to seal parking lots, playgrounds, and driveways throughout the United States. Sealants used in the central, northern, eastern, and southern United States typically contain coal tar or coal-tar pitch, both of which are known human carcinogens. Photos by the U.S. Geological Survey. data in this article are from Mahler et al. 2012 and references therein).

  5. Intellectual Disabilities and Mental Health: United States-Based Research

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Charlot, Lauren; Beasley, Joan B.

    2013-01-01

    In the United States, research directed specifically at improving our understanding of the psychiatric assessment and treatment of individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID) has grown, yet lags far behind efforts for typically developing children and adults. In the United States, a lack of a national approach to the mental health problems of…

  6. Professional Development of the Early Childhood Education Teaching Workforce in the United States: An Overview

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gomez, Rebecca E.; Kagan, Sharon Lynn; Fox, Emily A.

    2015-01-01

    Resulting from a fragmented landscape of policies for and uneven investments in the early childhood education (ECE) field in the United States, the qualifications of the ECE teaching workforce are typically quite low. This article first reviews the history and status of the ECE teaching workforce in the United States, focusing on the evolution of…

  7. Geographic Variation of District-Level Gender Achievement Gaps within the United States

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Reardon, Sean; Fahle, Erin; Kalogrides, Demetra; Podolsky, Anne; Zarate, Rosalia

    2016-01-01

    Gender achievement gaps on national and state assessments have been a popular research topic over the last few decades. Many prior studies examine these gaps in different subjects (e.g., mathematics, reading, and science) and grades (typically kindergarten through eighth grade) for students living in various regions (typically states or countries)…

  8. Why Is the Teen Birth Rate in the United States so High and Why Does It Matter? NBER Working Paper No. 17965

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kearney, Melissa Schettini; Levine, Phillip B.

    2012-01-01

    This paper examines two aspects of teen childbearing in the United States. First, it reviews and synthesizes the evidence on the reasons why teen birth rates are so uniquely high in the United States and especially in some states. Second, it considers why and how it matters. We argue that economists' typical explanations are unable to account for…

  9. The State of Black America, 1999: The Impact of Color-Consciousness in the United States.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Spriggs, William, Ed.

    The economic state of black America has never been healthier, yet persistent racial gaps leave African American unemployment at levels more typical of recession for whites in the United States. By challenging the predominant use of race, this compilation refocuses attention on the effects of discrimination and on the lost term "institutional…

  10. Climate change vulnerability assessment in Georgia

    Treesearch

    Binita KC; J. Marshall Shepherd; Cassandra Johnson Gaither

    2015-01-01

    Climate change is occurring in the Southeastern United States, and one manifestation is changes in frequency and intensity of extreme events. A vulnerability assessment is performed in the state of Georgia (United States) at the county level from 1975 to 2012 in decadal increments. Climate change vulnerability is typically measured as a function of exposure to physical...

  11. The Public Understanding of Assessment in Educational Reform in the United States

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brookhart, Susan M.

    2013-01-01

    The United States education system depends on legislation and funding at the federal, state and local levels. Public understanding of assessment therefore is important to educational reform in the USA. Educational reformers often invoke assessment information as a reason for reform, typically by citing unacceptable achievement on some measure or…

  12. Microscopic Polyangiitis

    MedlinePlus

    ... but possess sufficient differences as to justify separate classifications. Who gets Microscopic Polyangiitis? A typical patient MPA can affect individuals from all ethnic backgrounds and any age group. In the United States, the typical MPA patient ...

  13. Nuclear Power Plants. Revised.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lyerly, Ray L.; Mitchell, Walter, III

    This publication is one of a series of information booklets for the general public published by the United States Atomic Energy Commission. Among the topics discussed are: Why Use Nuclear Power?; From Atoms to Electricity; Reactor Types; Typical Plant Design Features; The Cost of Nuclear Power; Plants in the United States; Developments in Foreign…

  14. Preschool Inclusion in the United States: A Review of Research from an Ecological Systems Perspective

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Odom, Samuel L.; Vitztum, Joann; Wolery, Ruth; Lieber, Joan; Sandall, Susan; Hanson, Marci J.; Beckman, Paula; Schwartz, Ilene; Horn, Eva

    2004-01-01

    Using an ecological systems conceptual framework proposed by Bronfenbrenner, research on the inclusion of preschool children with disabilities in programs with typically developing children was reviewed. Drawing mainly from studies conducted in the United States, research on child characteristics (biosystem), classroom practices (microsystem),…

  15. A guide to soil samplng and analysis on the National Forests of the Inland Northwest United States

    Treesearch

    Deb Page-Dumroese; Al Harvey; Marty Jurgensen

    1995-01-01

    This guide details soil collection methods, sample analysis, and data translation. It outlines what field soil scientists need to make accurate interpretations of site information. Included are instructions for sampling typical Andisols found on National Forests of the Inland Northwest United States.

  16. Predictors of heavy episodic drinking and weekly drunkenness among immigrant Latinos in North Carolina

    PubMed Central

    Daniel-Ulloa, J.; Reboussin, B.A.; Gilbert, P.A.; Mann, L.; Alonzo, J.; Downs, M.; Rhodes, S.D.

    2014-01-01

    Few studies have examined correlates of heavy drinking among rural immigrant Latino men. This analysis identified correlates of typical week drunkenness and past 30-day heavy episodic drinking, within a sample of immigrant Latino men in rural North Carolina (n = 258). In the bivariate analyses, Mexican birth, entering the United States as an adult, and year-round employment were associated with increased odds of typical week drunkenness, and higher acculturation and affiliation with a religion with strict prohibitions against drinking alcohol were associated with lower odds of typical week drunkenness. Being older, Mexican birth, and entering the United States as an adult were associated with increased odds of heavy episodic drinking, and affiliation with a religion with strict prohibitions against drinking alcohol was associated with decreased odds of heavy episodic drinking. In multivariable modeling, only religious affiliation was associated with typical week drunkenness. Mexican birth, entering the United States as an adult and were associated with increased odds of heavy episodic drinking, and affiliation with a religion with strict prohibitions against drinking alcohol and completing high school was associated with lower odds of heavy episodic drinking. The health of minority men in the United States has been neglected, and immigrant Latino men comprise a particularly vulnerable population. This analysis provides initial data on some factors associated with heavy drinking within a population about whom little is known. Future studies should examine moderating or mediating factors between age, acculturation, religiosity, and heavy drinking that might be targets for behavioral interventions. PMID:24457467

  17. Patent and Trademark Depository Libraries and the United States Patent and Trademark Office: A Model for Information Dissemination

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jenda, Claudine Arnold

    2005-01-01

    This paper describes the network of Patent and Trademark Depository Libraries (PTDLs), a collaborative partnership with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for disseminating patent and trademark information in every state plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. Typical information sources and services provided at PTDLs are…

  18. Large-scale, long-term silvicultural experiments in the United States: historical overview and contemporary examples.

    Treesearch

    R. S. Seymour; J. Guldin; D. Marshall; B. Palik

    2006-01-01

    This paper provides a synopsis of large-scale, long-term silviculture experiments in the United States. Large-scale in a silvicultural context means that experimental treatment units encompass entire stands (5 to 30 ha); long-term means that results are intended to be monitored over many cutting cycles or an entire rotation, typically for many decades. Such studies...

  19. Contraceptive failure in the United States

    PubMed Central

    Trussell, James

    2013-01-01

    This review provides an update of previous estimates of first-year probabilities of contraceptive failure for all methods of contraception available in the United States. Estimates are provided of probabilities of failure during typical use (which includes both incorrect and inconsistent use) and during perfect use (correct and consistent use). The difference between these two probabilities reveals the consequences of imperfect use; it depends both on how unforgiving of imperfect use a method is and on how hard it is to use that method perfectly. These revisions reflect new research on contraceptive failure both during perfect use and during typical use. PMID:21477680

  20. Homicide-suicide in the United States, 1968-1975.

    PubMed

    Bridges, F Stephen; Lester, David

    2011-03-20

    This paper describes for the first time the epidemiology of homicide-suicide events in the whole of the United States using archival data. From 1968 to 1975, there were 2215 homicide-suicide events out of 123,467 homicides. The mean rate of homicide-suicide events was 0.134 per 100,000 per year. The murderers in these events differ from the typical murderer and the typical suicide in socio-demographic characteristics. Details of the characteristics of this population may be valuable for understanding the circumstances of homicide-suicide events and planning preventive measures. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. 12 CFR 408.6 - Typical classes of action.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 12 Banks and Banking 4 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Typical classes of action. 408.6 Section 408.6 Banks and Banking EXPORT-IMPORT BANK OF THE UNITED STATES PROCEDURES FOR COMPLIANCE WITH THE NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ACT Eximbank Implementing Procedures § 408.6 Typical classes of action. (a) Section 1507.3...

  2. A Review of Technical Communication Programs Outside the United States.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Alred, Gerald J.

    2001-01-01

    Examines technical communication programs outside the United States and comments on such features as their location in the university structure, links with public relations, the inclusion of internships or practicums, the balance of theory and practice, and typical course offerings. Lists a dozen major programs in seven countries. Concludes that…

  3. What Can the U.S. Learn from National Health Accounting Elsewhere?

    PubMed Central

    Berman, Peter

    1999-01-01

    The United States is typically seen as an outlier in health spending when compared with other advanced nations. Recent improvements in health accounting in lower- and middle-income countries suggest some common features with the high and pluralistic spending in the United States. The author discusses recent developments and findings in health accounting outside the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and their relevance for the United States. He argues that we should expect more fruitful exchanges in the future. PMID:11481785

  4. Characterization of extended-spectrum cephalosporin-resistant Salmonella enterica serovar Heidelberg isolated from food animals, retail meat, and humans in the United States 2009

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Salmonella enterica is one of the most common causes of foodborne illness in the United States. Although salmonellosis is usually self-limiting, severe infections typically require antimicrobial treatment and ceftriaxone, an extended-spectrum cephalosporin, is commonly used in both adults and child...

  5. The Rise of Student Trusteeship in the United States: A Case Study at Indiana University

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lozano, Jon M.

    2016-01-01

    Colleges and universities across the United States have, over the centuries of their existence, gradually developed the systems of governance that we see today. Typically, this has taken the form of a governing board comprised of individuals with some connection to the institution. Although major restructuring of institutional governance may seem…

  6. Race and wildfire risk perceptions among rural forestland owners in north-central Florida

    Treesearch

    Miriam Wyman; Sparkle Malone; Taylor Stein; Cassandra Johnson

    2012-01-01

    The southern United States is susceptible to wildfire, from its climate, growing seasons, lightning frequency, and decades of fire suppression. With much known about wildfire’s biophysical risks, less is understood about sociodemographic obstacles, including race, income, and education. Blacks in the rural southeastern United States are typically among the most...

  7. Geohydrology of the Valley-Fill Aquifers between the Village of Greene, Chenango County and Chenango Valley State Park, Broome County, New York

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Hetcher-Aguila, Kari K.; Miller, Todd S.

    2005-01-01

    The confined aquifer is widely used by people living and working in the Chenango River valley. The confined aquifer consists of ice-contact sand and gravel, typically overlies bedrock, and underlies a confining unit consisting of lacustrine fine sand, silt, and clay. The confining unit is typically more than 100 feet thick in the central parts of the valley between Greene Landing Field and along the northern edge of the Chenango Valley State Park. The thickness of the confined aquifer is more than 40 feet near the Greene Landing Field.

  8. The Value of Non-Work Time in Cross-National Quality of Life Comparisons: The Case of the United States vs. the Netherlands

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Verbakel, Ellen; DiPrete, Thomas A.

    2008-01-01

    Comparisons of wellbeing between the United States and Western Europe generally show that most Americans have higher standards of living than do Western Europeans at comparable locations in their national income distributions. These comparisons of wellbeing typically privilege disposable income and cash transfers while ignoring other aspects of…

  9. From Policy to Practice: How Competency-Based Education Is Evolving in New Hampshire

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Freeland, Julia

    2014-01-01

    In 2005, New Hampshire abolished the Carnegie unit--the core unit around which schools typically measure credit hours. In its place, the state mandated that all high schools measure credit according to students' mastery of material, rather than time spent in class. This policy shift created the first-ever state-wide effort to create a…

  10. Christ-Centered, Diverse, and Academically Excellent: The Origins of a Possible Model for Christian Schooling in the Twenty-First Century

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Green, James

    2006-01-01

    During the last third of the twentieth century, Christian schooling in the United States was typically identified with the growing conservative, evangelical Protestant movement of that time period. After several United States Supreme Court cases had effectively secularized public schooling by the mid-1960s, the American educational landscape was…

  11. The Relative Effectiveness of 10 Adolescent Substance Abuse Treatment Programs in the United States. Technical Report

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Morral, Andrew R.; McCaffrey, Daniel F.; Ridgeway, Greg; Mukherji, Arnab; Beighley, Christopher

    2006-01-01

    Each year, substance abuse treatment programs in the United States record approximately 150,000 admissions of youths under the age of 18. Nevertheless, little is known about the effectiveness of the types of community-based services typically available to youths and their families. Recognizing the need for better information on the effectiveness…

  12. PreK-6 Teachers' Beliefs about Inclusive Practices in the United States and South Korea: Cross Cultural Perspectives

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jeong, Hyunjeong

    2013-01-01

    The educational practice known as inclusion, which is based on values of equal opportunity and diversity, enables students with disabilities to attend the same general education classes as typically developing peers. Inclusion is a legal requirement in the United States and South Korea, but factors facilitating inclusion likely differ across…

  13. Nonpecuniary Returns to Postsecondary Education: Examining Early Non-Wage Labor Market Outcomes among College-Goers in the United States. A CAPSEE Working Paper

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schudde, Lauren

    2017-01-01

    While research consistently finds positive earnings returns to educational attainment, there is little evidence on postsecondary education's impact on other employment-related outcomes. Yet nonpecuniary returns to schooling are particularly important in the United States, where fringe benefits are typically tied to employment and there is a great…

  14. "Social, technological, and research responses to potential erosion and sediment disasters in the western United States, with examples from California"

    Treesearch

    R. M. Rice

    1985-01-01

    Synopsis - Examples from California are used to illustrate typical responses to erosion and debris flow disasters the United States. Political institutions leave virtually all responsibility for disaster prevention to the lowest levels of government or to individuals. Three circumstances in which disasters occur are discussed: urbanized debris cones, urbanized unstable...

  15. Social, technological, and research responses to potential erosion and sediment disasters in the western United States, with examples from California

    Treesearch

    R. M. Rice

    1985-01-01

    Examples from California are used to illustrate typical responses to erosion and debris flow disasters in the United States. Political institutions leave virtually all responsibility for disaster prevention to the lowest levels of government or to individuals. Three circumstances in which disasters occur are discussed: urbanized debris cones, urbanized unstable...

  16. Comparison of Quality of Life Perceptions of Caregivers of Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities in the United States and the Czech Republic

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Raver, Sharon A.; Michalek, Anne M.; Michalik, Jan; Valenta, Milan

    2010-01-01

    Caregivers of individuals with disabilities in the United States have been reported to experience additional hardships than families with typical children as they attempt to balance family and work (Parish, Rose, Grinstein-Weiss, Richman, & Andrews, 2008). In this study, 31 caregivers of individuals with intellectual disabilities from the…

  17. Education Savings Accounts: Key Provisions and State Variations. Education Trends

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Railey, Hunter

    2016-01-01

    In 2011, the Arizona State Legislature adopted a law creating the first education savings account (ESA) in the United States. Following Arizona's lead, several other states, including Florida Tennessee,Mississippi and Nevada, have implemented ESA policies. Typical eligibility requirements include conditions such as a pupil's diagnosed disability,…

  18. A review of basin morphology and pool hydrology of isolated ponded wetlands: implications for seasonal forest pools of the northeastern United States

    Treesearch

    Robert T. Brooks; Robert T. Brooks

    2005-01-01

    Seasonal forest pools (SFPs) are geographically- and hydrologically- isolated ponded wetlands, in that they are topographically isolated from other surface waters. SFPs occur commonly throughout the temperate forests of the eastern United States and adjacent Canada. SFPs are ephemeral in occurrence, typically drying annually. The regular drying of SFPs excludes fish...

  19. Whole genome sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of Bluetongue virus serotype 2 strains isolated in the Americas including a novel strain from the western United States

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Bluetongue is caused by an arbovirus which produces widespread edema and tissue necrosis in domestic and wild ruminants that can be fatal. Bluetongue virus serotypes 10, 11, 13, and 17 are typically found throughout the United States (US), while serotype 2 was previously only detected in the southea...

  20. Advancing the Quality and Equity of Education for Latino Students: A White Paper. Research Report. ETS RR-12-01

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Young, John W.; Lakin, Joni; Courtney, Rosalea; Martiniello, María

    2012-01-01

    This white paper provides an overview of the issues that affect the quality and equity of education in grades K-16 for Latino students in the United States. This paper is organized chronologically to reflect the typical educational timeline for students in the United States, and we focused on several key transition points in the educational…

  1. Do Merit-Aid Programs Help States Build Skilled Workforces?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Groen, Jeffrey A.

    2011-01-01

    One of the major developments in financing undergraduate education in the United States in the past 20 years has been the introduction of broad-based merit-aid programs by state governments. The typical program waives tuition and fees at public colleges and universities for state residents who have attained a respectable grade-point average…

  2. Worlds of Higher Education Transformed: Toward Varieties of Academic Capitalism

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schulze-Cleven, Tobias; Olson, Jennifer R.

    2017-01-01

    This article explores the changing character and consequences of state authorities' evolving relationships with universities in the United States, Germany, and Norway--typical cases for different national worlds of higher education. It argues that across the three OECD countries, welfare states have strengthened market principles in university…

  3. Dendrochemical response to soil fertilization

    Treesearch

    David R. DeWalle; Jeffrey S. Tepp; Bryan R. Swistock; Pamela J. Edwards; William E. Sharpe; Mary Beth Adams; James N. Kochenderfer

    2003-01-01

    Use of chemical element content of tree rings to detect soil acid or base changes was tested at 13 sites of former forest fertilization trials in the eastern United States and Canada. Ammonium sulfate or nitrogen fertilization was the typical acidification treatment, while lime added with or without other fertilizer was the typical base treatment. Molar ratios of...

  4. Three Contemporary Dilemmas for Rural Superintendents

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Howley, Aimee; Howley, Craig B.; Rhodes, Megan Eliason; Yahn, Jacqueline J.

    2014-01-01

    The school district is the fundamental administrative unit of schooling in the United States and the superintendent the lead official. The nature and the challenges of this position, however, vary across the landscape. Because most superintendents lead rural districts, the challenges facing those districts are the ones that typically bedevil the…

  5. 41 CFR 102-36.35 - What is the typical process for disposing of excess personal property?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-07-01

    ... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false What is the typical... agency property or by obtaining excess property from other federal agencies in lieu of new procurements... eligible non-federal activities. Title 40 of the United States Code requires that surplus personal property...

  6. Screening for Autism Spectrum Disorder in Underserved Communities: Early Childcare Providers as Reporters

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Janvier, Yvette M.; Harris, Jill F.; Coffield, Caroline N.; Louis, Barbara; Xie, Ming; Cidav, Zuleyha; Mandell, David S.

    2016-01-01

    Early diagnosis of autism typically is associated with earlier access to intervention and improved outcomes. Daycares and preschools largely have been ignored as possible venues for early identification. This may be especially important for minority children in the United States who are typically diagnosed with autism later than White children,…

  7. The Relation of El Nino Southern Oscillation to Winter Tornado Outbreaks

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Robinson Cook, A. D.; Schaefer, J. T.

    2007-12-01

    Winter tornado activity (January, February, and March) between 1950 and 2003 was analyzed to determine the possible effect of seasonally averaged sea surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific Ocean, the ENSO phase, on the location and strength of tornado outbreaks in the United States. Tornado activity was gauged through analyses of tornadoes occurring on tornado days (a calendar day featuring 6 or more tornadoes within the contiguous United States) and strong and violent tornado days (a calendar day featuring 5 or more tornadoes rated F-2 and greater within the contiguous United States). The tornado days were then stratified according to warm (37 tornado days, 14 violent days), cold (51 tornado days, 28 violent days), and neutral (74 tornado days, 44 violent days) winter ENSO phase. It is seen that during winter periods of neutral tropical Pacific sea surface temperatures, there is a tendency for United States tornado outbreaks to be stronger and more frequent than they are during winter periods of anomalously warm tropical Pacific sea surface temperatures (El Nino). During winter periods with anomalously cool Pacific sea surface temperatures (La Nina), the frequency and strength of United States tornado activity lies between that of the neutral and El Nino phase. ENSO related shifts in the preferred location of tornado activity are also observed. Historically, during the neutral phase, tornado outbreaks typically occurred from central Oklahoma and Kansas eastward through the Carolinas. During cold phases, tornado outbreaks have typically occurred in a zone stretching from southeastern Texas northeastward into Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan. During anomalously warm phases activity was mainly limited to the Gulf Coast States including central Florida. The data are statistically and synoptically analyzed to show that they are not only statistically significant, but also meteorologically reasonable.

  8. The Common Core State Standards and Evidence-Based Educational Practices: The Case of Writing

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Troia, Gary A.; Olinghouse, Natalie G.

    2013-01-01

    Although writing plays an important role in the academic, psychosocial, and economic success of individuals, typical writing instruction and assessment in the United States generally does not reflect evidence-based practices. The Common Core State Standards (CCSS) place a great deal of emphasis on written expression and may encourage an increased…

  9. Bidis and Kreteks

    MedlinePlus

    ... referred to as clove cigarettes—are imported from Indonesia and typically contain a mixture of tobacco, cloves, ... in the United States. However, research studies from Indonesia indicate that kretek smoking is associated with lung ...

  10. Adolescent Risk Behaviors: Studying Typical and Atypical Individuals via Multidimensional Scaling Profile Analysis

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dong, Yang; Ding, Cody

    2012-01-01

    Within the framework of problem behavior theory, the purpose of this study was to examine risk behavior profiles of typical and atypical adolescents and the differential outcomes of well-beings for these individuals in the United States. Based on the data from the survey of Health Behavior of School-Aged Children by World Health Organization,…

  11. Charter Schools. Trends and Issues.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hadderman, Margaret

    This document looks at the increasing popularity of charter schools for intradistrict school choice. During 2000, about 1,700 charter schools were serving some 250,000 students in the United States. Charter schools typically begin as preexisting schools or as "startups" born with charters. States seem to have ambivalent attitudes toward charter…

  12. Roof Overhangs for Solar Houses

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Gracey, W.

    1985-01-01

    Convenient graphical method determines both width and vertical position of overhangs for standard wall section having "typical" window arrangement. Overhangs for this wall section determined for two extremes of latitude in United States.

  13. Chimera states in bipartite networks of FitzHugh-Nagumo oscillators

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wu, Zhi-Min; Cheng, Hong-Yan; Feng, Yuee; Li, Hai-Hong; Dai, Qiong-Lin; Yang, Jun-Zhong

    2018-04-01

    Chimera states consisting of spatially coherent and incoherent domains have been observed in different topologies such as rings, spheres, and complex networks. In this paper, we investigate bipartite networks of nonlocally coupled FitzHugh-Nagumo (FHN) oscillators in which the units are allocated evenly to two layers, and FHN units interact with each other only when they are in different layers. We report the existence of chimera states in bipartite networks. Owing to the interplay between chimera states in the two layers, many types of chimera states such as in-phase chimera states, antiphase chimera states, and out-of-phase chimera states are classified. Stability diagrams of several typical chimera states in the coupling strength-coupling radius plane, which show strong multistability of chimera states, are explored.

  14. An Introduction to Medical Malpractice in the United States

    PubMed Central

    2008-01-01

    Medical malpractice law in the United States is derived from English common law, and was developed by rulings in various state courts. Medical malpractice lawsuits are a relatively common occurrence in the United States. The legal system is designed to encourage extensive discovery and negotiations between adversarial parties with the goal of resolving the dispute without going to jury trial. The injured patient must show that the physician acted negligently in rendering care, and that such negligence resulted in injury. To do so, four legal elements must be proven: (1) a professional duty owed to the patient; (2) breach of such duty; (3) injury caused by the breach; and (4) resulting damages. Money damages, if awarded, typically take into account both actual economic loss and noneconomic loss, such as pain and suffering. PMID:19034593

  15. An introduction to medical malpractice in the United States.

    PubMed

    Bal, B Sonny

    2009-02-01

    Medical malpractice law in the United States is derived from English common law, and was developed by rulings in various state courts. Medical malpractice lawsuits are a relatively common occurrence in the United States. The legal system is designed to encourage extensive discovery and negotiations between adversarial parties with the goal of resolving the dispute without going to jury trial. The injured patient must show that the physician acted negligently in rendering care, and that such negligence resulted in injury. To do so, four legal elements must be proven: (1) a professional duty owed to the patient; (2) breach of such duty; (3) injury caused by the breach; and (4) resulting damages. Money damages, if awarded, typically take into account both actual economic loss and noneconomic loss, such as pain and suffering.

  16. Considering Institutional Character and Leadership Domains in K-12 Principal Training, Licensing, and Selection

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Painter, Suzanne R.

    2006-01-01

    Selection of educational leaders in the United States typically involves four decision points controlled by three types of institutions: admission to and graduation from a principal preparation program controlled by an institution of higher education, certification controlled by the state, and employment controlled by a local school district.…

  17. Home Language Survey Data Quality Self-Assessment. REL 2017-198

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Henry, Susan F.; Mello, Dan; Avery, Maria-Paz; Parker, Caroline; Stafford, Erin

    2017-01-01

    Most state departments of education across the United States recommend or require that districts use a home language survey as the first step in a multistep process of identifying students who qualify for English learner student services. School districts typically administer the home language survey to parents and guardians during a student's…

  18. Self-Advocacy Groups: 1994-95 Directory for North America.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hayden, Mary F.; Senese, Dick

    This 1994-95 directory of disability self-advocacy groups contains listings of over 700 organizations in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. The associations are organized by country and state or province. Listings typically contain the following information: the name of a contact (the name of the member who is the chair, president, or…

  19. Women in Medicine

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mandelbaum, Dorothy Rosenthal

    1978-01-01

    Literature written since 1973 about the individual woman physician and the situation of United States women in medicine is examined and reviewed. Discrimination problems, identity conflicts, and a "typical" personality profile are some of the issues addressed. (Author/ KR)

  20. Data Encoding using Periodic Nano-Optical Features

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Vosoogh-Grayli, Siamack

    Successful trials have been made through a designed algorithm to quantize, compress and optically encode unsigned 8 bit integer values in the form of images using Nano optical features. The periodicity of the Nano-scale features (Nano-gratings) have been designed and investigated both theoretically and experimentally to create distinct states of variation (three on states and one off state). The use of easy to manufacture and machine readable encoded data in secured authentication media has been employed previously in bar-codes for bi-state (binary) models and in color barcodes for multiple state models. This work has focused on implementing 4 states of variation for unit information through periodic Nano-optical structures that separate an incident wavelength into distinct colors (variation states) in order to create an encoding system. Compared to barcodes and magnetic stripes in secured finite length storage media the proposed system encodes and stores more data. The benefits of multiple states of variation in an encoding unit are 1) increased numerically representable range 2) increased storage density and 3) decreased number of typical set elements for any ergodic or semi-ergodic source that emits these encoding units. A thorough investigation has targeted the effects of the use of multi-varied state Nano-optical features on data storage density and consequent data transmission rates. The results show that use of Nano-optical features for encoding data yields a data storage density of circa 800 Kbits/in2 via the implementation of commercially available high resolution flatbed scanner systems for readout. Such storage density is far greater than commercial finite length secured storage media such as Barcode family with maximum practical density of 1kbits/in2 and highest density magnetic stripe cards with maximum density circa 3 Kbits/in2. The numerically representable range of the proposed encoding unit for 4 states of variation is [0 255]. The number of typical set elements for an ergodic source emitting the optical encoding units compared to a bi-state encoding unit (bit) shows a 36 orders of magnitude decrease for the error probability interval of [0 0.01]. The algorithms for the proposed encoding system have been implemented in MATLAB and the Nano-optical structures have been fabricated using Electron Beam Lithography on optical medium.

  1. Listening to Historys Rhyme:Preparing the United States Army for Future Irregular Warfare

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2014-04-01

    of the most likely, which typically results in developing technologically advanced, conventional solutions to potential rivals, options poorly...What makes hybrid wars so challenging is that different elements execute the various modes of warfare and are typically coordinated at various... Morocco to train its forces on logistics, combined arms maneuver, and other skills. 72 Atlas Accord is a new exercise started in 2012 to provide

  2. Median u-turn intersection : informational guide.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2014-08-01

    This document provides information and guidance on Median U-Turn (MUT) intersections, resulting in designs suitable for a : variety of typical conditions commonly found in the United States. To the extent possible, the guide provides information on t...

  3. Proceedings of Image Understanding Workshop Held in Los Angeles, California on 23-25 February 1987. Volume 1

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1987-02-01

    planning tasks. Reflexive behaviors are procedural units with high demands for immediacy. Typical obstacle related behaviors might be "slow-for...PERFORMING ORG. REPORT NUMBER 8. CONTRACT OR GRANT NUMBERf«) N00014-86-C-0700 10. PROGRAM ELEMENT. PROJECT. TASK AREA A WORK UNIT NUMBERS...either expressed or implied of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency or the United States Government. TABLE OF CONTENTS / Page AUTHOR

  4. Wildlife management in southwestern Pinon-juniper woodlands

    Treesearch

    Jeffery C. Whitney

    2008-01-01

    Pinon-juniper woodlands in the southwestern United States (Arizona and New Mexico) represent approximately 54,000 square miles, equivalent to roughly 20% of the land base for the two states. Within this broad habitat type, there is a high degree of variability of vegetation in terms of species composition, their relative abundance, percent canopy cover, and typically...

  5. Repair and Dredging of Bear Creek Marina Final Environmental Assessment

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2007-06-01

    vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil conditions” (USACE, 1987). The majority of jurisdictional wetlands in the United States are...invertebrates, including amphipods, lancelets, insect larvae, mollusks, polychaetes, gastropods , shrimp, isopods, brachiopods, and crustaceans. Little is

  6. Pilot information system for cross-border hazmat transportation.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2009-10-01

    Under NAFTA requirements, all hazardous materials that are shipped into Mexico or generated during the : manufacturing process must be shipped back to its point of origin, typically the United States. Thus, the delivery : and return of hazardous mate...

  7. Guidelines for model calibration and application to flow simulation in the Death Valley regional groundwater system

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Hill, M.C.; D'Agnese, F. A.; Faunt, C.C.

    2000-01-01

    Fourteen guidelines are described which are intended to produce calibrated groundwater models likely to represent the associated real systems more accurately than typically used methods. The 14 guidelines are discussed in the context of the calibration of a regional groundwater flow model of the Death Valley region in the southwestern United States. This groundwater flow system contains two sites of national significance from which the subsurface transport of contaminants could be or is of concern: Yucca Mountain, which is the potential site of the United States high-level nuclear-waste disposal; and the Nevada Test Site, which contains a number of underground nuclear-testing locations. This application of the guidelines demonstrates how they may be used for model calibration and evaluation, and also to direct further model development and data collection.Fourteen guidelines are described which are intended to produce calibrated groundwater models likely to represent the associated real systems more accurately than typically used methods. The 14 guidelines are discussed in the context of the calibration of a regional groundwater flow model of the Death Valley region in the southwestern United States. This groundwater flow system contains two sites of national significance from which the subsurface transport of contaminants could be or is of concern: Yucca Mountain, which is the potential site of the United States high-level nuclear-waste disposal; and the Nevada Test Site, which contains a number of underground nuclear-testing locations. This application of the guidelines demonstrates how they may be used for model calibration and evaluation, and also to direct further model development and data collection.

  8. Magmatic sulfide-rich nickel-copper deposits related to picrite and (or) tholeiitic basalt dike-sill complexes-A preliminary deposit model

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Schulz, Klaus J.; Chandler, Val W.; Nicholson, Suzanne W.; Piatak, Nadine M.; Seal, Robert R.; Woodruff, Laurel G.; Zientek, Michael L.

    2010-01-01

    Magmatic sulfide deposits containing nickel (Ni) and copper (Cu), with or without (?) platinum-group elements (PGEs), account for approximately 60 percent of the world's Ni production and are active exploration targets in the United States and elsewhere. On the basis of their principal metal production, magmatic sulfide deposits in mafic rocks can be divided into two major types: those that are sulfide-rich, typically with 10 to 90 percent sulfide minerals, and have economic value primarily because of their Ni and Cu contents; and those that are sulfide-poor, typically with 0.5 to 5 percent sulfide minerals, and are exploited principally for PGE. Because the purpose of this deposit model is to facilitate the assessment for undiscovered, potentially economic magmatic Ni-Cu?PGE sulfide deposits in the United States, it addresses only those deposits of economic significance that are likely to occur in the United States on the basis of known geology. Thus, this model focuses on deposits hosted by small- to medium-sized mafic and (or) ultramafic dikes and sills that are related to picrite and tholeiitic basalt magmatic systems generally emplaced in continental settings as a component of large igneous provinces (LIPs). World-class examples (those containing greater than 1 million tons Ni) of this deposit type include deposits at Noril'sk-Talnakh (Russia), Jinchuan (China), Pechenga (Russia), Voisey's Bay (Canada), and Kabanga (Tanzania). In the United States, this deposit type is represented by the Eagle deposit in northern Michigan, currently under development by Kennecott Minerals.

  9. Occurrence and Distribution of Ordinary High Water Mark (OHWM) Indicators in Non-Perennial Streams in the Western Mountains, Valleys, and Coast Region of the United States

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2014-08-01

    1 Common hydrogeomorphic units that form in stream systems in response to spatially and temporally varying hydrologic and geomorphic processes... geomorphic , and vegetative indica- tors for use in OHWM delineations in arid streams and categorized their typical landscape positions with respect...the presence of a bed and banks. Hydrogeomorphic units are distinct macro- scale geomorphic features formed within stream systems in response to

  10. Employment Trends; Eating and Beverage Establishments 1958 to 1968, Louisiana.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Louisiana State Dept. of Employment Security, Baton Rouge

    Employment in eating and beverage establishments has grown tremendously in Louisiana. In 1940, United States Census figures showed that 18,400 were employed in the industry, and by 1969, the number had increased to 31,000. The situation in Louisiana may not be typical of other states because of a sharp increase in catering services to offshore oil…

  11. Optimism in Enrollment Management

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Buster-Williams, Kimberley

    2016-01-01

    Enrollment managers, like most managers, have goals that must be focused on with precision, excitement, and vigor. Enrollment managers must excel at enrollment planning. Typically, enrollment planning unites undergraduate and graduate recruitment plans, out-of-state recruitment plans, marketing plans, retention plans, international enrollment…

  12. PERCHLORATE CROP INTERACTIONS VIA CONTAMINATED IRRIGATION WATER

    EPA Science Inventory

    Perchlorate has contaminated water and sods at several locations in the United States. Perchlorate is water soluble, exceedingly mobile in aqueous systems, and can persist for many decades under typical ground- and surface water conditions. Perchlorate is of concern because of un...

  13. Amenity or necessity? street standards as parking policy [research brief].

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2012-06-01

    Single family homes, cul de sacs, spacious garages, wide streets, etc. are among the typical features of suburban developments across the United States. Despite the abundant parking spaces available on the premises (inside garages or in driveways), m...

  14. Results from an absolute gravity survey in the United States

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Zumberge, M. A.; Faller, J. E.; Gschwind, J.

    1983-01-01

    Using the recently completed JTLA absolute gravity meter, we made a survey of twelve sites in the United States. Over a period of eight weeks, the instrument was driven a total distance of nearly 20,000 km to sites in California, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Maryland and Massachusetts. The time spent in carrying out a measurement at a single location was typically one day. We report the results of the measurements in this survey along with earlier measurements made with the instrument, discuss the measurement accuracy and compare our results with other measurements. Previously announced in STAR as N83-20480

  15. 2011 Cost of Wind Energy Review

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Tegen, S.; Lantz, E.; Hand, M.

    2013-03-01

    This report describes the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) for a typical land-based wind turbine installed in the United States in 2011, as well as the modeled LCOE for a fixed-bottom offshore wind turbine installed in the United States in 2011. Each of the four major components of the LCOE equation are explained in detail, such as installed capital cost, annual energy production, annual operating expenses, and financing, and including sensitivity ranges that show how each component can affect LCOE. These LCOE calculations are used for planning and other purposes by the U.S. Department of Energy's Wind Program.

  16. Impacts of Electrification of Light-Duty Vehicles in the United States, 2010 - 2017

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Gohlke, David; Zhou, Yan

    This report examines the sales of plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) in the United States from 2010 to 2017, exploring vehicle sales, electricity consumption, petroleum reduction, and battery production, among other factors. Over 750,000 PEVs have been sold, driving nearly 16 billion miles on electricity, thereby reducing gasoline consumption by 0.1% in 2016 and 600 million gallons cumulatively through 2017, while using over 5 terawatt-hours of electricity. Over 23 gigawatt-hours of battery capacity has been placed in vehicles, and 98% of this is still on the road, assuming typical scrappage rates.

  17. Results from an absolute gravity survey in the United States

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zumberge, M. A.; Faller, J. E.; Gschwind, J.

    1983-09-01

    Using the recently completed JTLA absolute gravity meter, we made a survey of twelve sites in the United States. Over a period of eight weeks, the instrument was driven a total distance of nearly 20,000 km to sites in California, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Maryland and Massachusetts. The time spent in carrying out a measurement at a single location was typically one day. We report the results of the measurements in this survey along with earlier measurements made with the instrument, discuss the measurement accuracy and compare our results with other measurements. Previously announced in STAR as N83-20480

  18. 34 CFR 380.9 - What definitions apply?

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-07-01

    ...: Designated State unit Community rehabilitation program Individual with a severe disability (c) Other... means a setting typically found in the community in which an individual with the most severe... individual and the rehabilitation counselor and established in the individual's program of services, before...

  19. First Look: TRADEMARKSCAN Database.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fernald, Anne Conway; Davidson, Alan B.

    1984-01-01

    Describes database produced by Thomson and Thomson and available on Dialog which contains over 700,000 records representing all active federal trademark registrations and applications for registrations filed in United States Patent and Trademark Office. A typical record, special features, database applications, learning to use TRADEMARKSCAN, and…

  20. DISTRIBUTION OF SELECTED INVASIVE PLANTS IN RIPARIAN ECOSYSTEMS OF THE WESTERN UNITED STATES

    EPA Science Inventory

    Riparian ecosystems typically exhibit high levels of plant species richness, physical disturbance, and interconnectedness; characteristics that may favor establishment and spread of invasive plant species. To assess the magnitude of this invasion, we organized an extensive surve...

  1. PERCHLORATE PHYTOREMEDIATION USING HARDWOOD TREES AND VASCULAR PLANTS

    EPA Science Inventory

    Perchlorate has contaminated water and soils at several locations in the United States. Perchlorate is
    water soluble, exceedingly mobile in aqueous systems, and can persist for many decades under typical ground and surface water conditions. Perchlorate is of concern because of...

  2. Supporting Students with Autism

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chalfant, Logan; Rose, Karen; Whalon, Kelly

    2017-01-01

    Approximately one in 68 children in the United States has an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), according to official estimates (CDC 2016). Although students with ASD have no typical learning profile, many have trouble organizing information, connecting past and present experiences/events, linking concepts, determining relevant from extraneous…

  3. Concepts in Environmental Education.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hopkins, Sally

    Presented is a discussion of the components and concepts of an ecology typical of the coastal southeastern United States. Principles presented are applicable to other areas. The discussion includes several major sections: the environment, wildlife management, freshwater ecosystems, and the estuarine environment. Numerous figures and illustrations…

  4. Changes in Woodland Use from Longleaf Pine to Loblolly Pine

    Treesearch

    Yaoqi Zhang; Indrajit Majumdar; John Schelhas

    2010-01-01

    Abstract: There is growing evidence suggesting that the United States’ roots are not in a state of pristine nature but rather in a human-modified landscape over which Native people have since long exerted vast control and use. The longleaf pine is a typical woodland use largely shaped by fires, lightning and by Native Americans. The frequent fires, which were used to...

  5. Educational Activities and the Role of the Parent in Homeschool Families with High School Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Carpenter, Dan; Gann, Courtney

    2016-01-01

    Using a qualitative case study approach, this study looked at the educational activities that constitute a typical day in a homeschool family and the role that the parent has within those activities. Three homeschooling families with high school students in a single community in a southern state in the United States participated in the case study.…

  6. Strategic removal of host trees in isolated, satellite infestations of emerald ash borer can reduce population growth

    Treesearch

    Samuel J. Fahrner; Mark Abrahamson; Robert C. Venette; Brian H. Aukema

    2017-01-01

    Emerald ash borer is an invasive beetle causing significant mortality of ash trees (Fraxinus spp.) in North America and western Russia. The invasive range has expanded to more than half of the states in the United States since the initial detection in Michigan, USA in 2002. Emerald ash borer is typically managed with a combination of techniques...

  7. Three Empowering Curricular Innovations for Service-Learning in ESL Programs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Perren, James; Grove, Nuray; Thornton, Julie

    2013-01-01

    This article describes three service-learning projects implemented in three different ESL programs in the United States. Each description includes typical course goals, service-learning assignments, reflection activities, student learning outcomes, and pedagogical challenges. The first project was developing digital literacy through…

  8. Breath test refusals and DWI prosecution : traffic tech.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2012-08-01

    There are typically about 1.4 million DWI (driving while : impaired) arrests each year in the United States. An officers : request to a driver for a breath (or blood, or urine) test is an : important part of the arrest process. The percentage of d...

  9. Development of maintenance practices for Oregon F-Mix : Interim report

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1999-08-01

    The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) produces an open-graded asphalt pavement(F-mix) unlike most open-graded pavements used in the United States. Its 25 mm maximum aggregate size and typical lift thickness of 50 mm is more like the porous a...

  10. Use of risk quotient and probabilistic approaches to assess risks of pesticides to birds

    EPA Science Inventory

    When conducting ecological risk assessments for pesticides, the United States Environmental Protection Agency typically relies upon the risk quotient (RQ). This approach is intended to be conservative in nature, making assumptions related to exposure and effects that are intended...

  11. Feasibility study of two-lift concrete paving : technical report.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2014-04-01

    Two-lift concrete paving (2LCP) involves placing two layers of concrete (wet-on-wet) instead of a single : homogeneous layer, as is typically done in the United States. 2LCP offers the opportunity to optimize the use of local : aggregates, recycled m...

  12. PERCHLORATE-CROP INTERACTIONS FROM CONTAMINATED IRRIGATION WATER AND FERTILIZER APPLICATIONS

    EPA Science Inventory

    Perchlorate has contaminated water and soils at several locations in the United States. Perchlorate is water soluble, exceedingly mobile in aqueous systems, and can persist for many decades under typical ground and surface water conditions. Perchlorate is of concern because of un...

  13. Effects of Molecular Stresses on Energy Transfer Pathways in Opto- and Electro-Excited Conjugated Polymers for High-Efficiency Optoelectronic Devices

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2014-10-20

    unless it hops, and lead to obstructed recombination for PL or charge separation for solar cells and the reduced quantum efficiencies of the...excitons (Fig. 1a and 1b). For the free-moving delocalized states of the Wannier-Mott excitons, the binding energy in silicon , for example, is around...typically encompass many unit cells and typically exist in materials of small bandgap and large dielectric constant. In converse, the the tightly

  14. Energy Savings Measure Packages. Existing Homes

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Casey, Sean; Booten, Chuck

    2011-11-01

    This document presents the most cost effective Energy Savings Measure Packages (ESMP) for existing mixed-fuel and all electric homes to achieve 15% and 30% savings for each BetterBuildings grantee location across the United States. These packages are optimized for minimum cost to homeowners for source energy savings given the local climate and prevalent building characteristics (i.e. foundation types). Maximum cost savings are typically found between 30% and 50% energy savings over the reference home; this typically amounts to $300 - $700/year.

  15. Hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy with proximal predominance (HMSN-P).

    PubMed

    Campellone, Joseph V

    2013-06-01

    Hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy with proximal predominance (HMSN-P) is a rare disorder inherited in an autosomal dominant fashion. Patients present with slowly progressive proximal-predominant weakness, painful muscle cramps, fasciculations, large-fiber sensory loss, and areflexia. Electrodiagnostic (EDX) studies typically reveal abnormalities consistent with a sensorimotor neuronopathy. A patient with HMSN-P underwent EDX studies, revealing ongoing and chronic neurogenic denervation, motor unit instability, and neuromyotonic discharges, further defining the spectrum of EDX findings in HMSN-P. The clinical, pathological, and genetic features are also reviewed. The appearance of HMSN-P in the United States and elsewhere calls for clinicians in nonendemic regions to be familiar with this rare disorder, which has typically been geographically confined.

  16. Airspace Complexity and its Application in Air Traffic Management

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Sridhar, Banavar; Chatterji, Gano; Sheth, Kapil; Edwards, Thomas (Technical Monitor)

    1998-01-01

    The United States Air Traffic Management (ATM) system provides services to enable safe, orderly and efficient aircraft operations within the airspace over the continental United States and over large portions of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, and the Gulf of Mexico. It consists of two components, Air Traffic Control (ATC) and Traffic Flow Management (TFM). The ATC function ensures that the aircraft within the airspace are separated at all times while the TFM function organizes the aircraft into a flow pattern to ensure their safe and efficient movement. In order to accomplish the ATC and TFM functions, the airspace over United States is organized into 22 Air Route Traffic Control Centers (ARTCCs). The Center airspace is stratified into low-altitude, high-altitude and super-high altitude groups of Sectors. Each vertical layer is further partitioned into several horizontal Sectors. A typical ARTCC airspace is partitioned into 20 to 80 Sectors. These Sectors are the basic control units within the ATM system.

  17. Karst in evaporite rocks of the United States

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Johnson, Kenneth S.

    2002-01-01

    Evaporites are the most soluble of common rocks; they are dissolved readily to form the same range of karst features that typically are found in limestones and dolomites. Evaporites, including gypsum (or anhydrite) and salt, are present in 32 of the 48 contiguous United States, and they underlie about 35-40% of the land area. Evaporite outcrops typically contain sinkholes, caves, disappearing streams, and springs. Other evidence of active karst in evaporites includes surface-collapse features and saline springs or saline plumes that result from dissolution of salt. Many evaporites, including some in the deeper subsurface, also contain evidence of paleokarst that is no longer active; this evidence includes dissolution breccias, breccia pipes, slumped beds, and collapse structures. Evaporites occur in 24 separate structural basins or geographic districts in the United States, and either local or extensive evaporite karst is known in almost all of these basins or districts. Human activities also have caused development of evaporite karst, primarily in salt deposits. Boreholes or underground mines may enable (either intentionally or inadvertently) unsaturated water to flow through or against salt deposits, thus allowing development of small to large dissolution cavities. If the dissolution cavity is large enough and shallow enough, successive roof failures can cause land subsidence or catastrophic collapse. Evaporite karst, both natural and human-induced, is far more prevalent than commonly believed.

  18. Contextualizing the Trauma Experience of Women Immigrants From Central America, South America, and Mexico

    PubMed Central

    Kaltman, Stacey; de Mendoza, Alejandra Hurtado; Gonzales, Felisa A.; Serrano, Adriana; Guarnaccia, Peter J.

    2012-01-01

    Trauma has been understudied among Latina immigrants from Central and South America. This study examined the types and context of trauma exposure experienced by immigrant women from Central America, South America, and Mexico living in the United States. Twenty-eight women seeking care in primary care or social service settings completed life history interviews. The majority of the women reported some type of trauma exposure in their countries of origin, during immigration, and/or in the United States. In the interviews, we identified types of trauma important to the experience of these immigrants that are not queried by trauma assessments typically used in the United States. We also identified factors that are likely to amplify the impact of trauma exposure. The study highlights the importance of utilizing a contextualized approach when assessing trauma exposure among immigrant women. PMID:22144133

  19. Guidelines for cognitive behavioral training within doctoral psychology programs in the United States: report of the Inter-organizational Task Force on Cognitive and Behavioral Psychology Doctoral Education.

    PubMed

    Klepac, Robert K; Ronan, George F; Andrasik, Frank; Arnold, Kevin D; Belar, Cynthia D; Berry, Sharon L; Christofff, Karen A; Craighead, Linda W; Dougher, Michael J; Dowd, E Thomas; Herbert, James D; McFarr, Lynn M; Rizvi, Shireen L; Sauer, Eric M; Strauman, Timothy J

    2012-12-01

    The Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies initiated an interorganizational task force to develop guidelines for integrated education and training in cognitive and behavioral psychology at the doctoral level in the United States. Fifteen task force members representing 16 professional associations participated in a year-long series of conferences, and developed a consensus on optimal doctoral education and training in cognitive and behavioral psychology. The recommendations assume solid foundational training that is typical within applied psychology areas such as clinical and counseling psychology programs located in the United States. This article details the background, assumptions, and resulting recommendations specific to doctoral education and training in cognitive and behavioral psychology, including competencies expected in the areas of ethics, research, and practice. Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  20. At the forefront of thought: the effect of media exposure on airplane typicality.

    PubMed

    Novick, Laura R

    2003-12-01

    The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 provided a unique opportunity to investigate the causal status of frequency on typicality for one exemplar of a common conceptual category--namely, the typicality of airplane as a member of the category of vehicles. The extensive media coverage following the attacks included numerous references to the hijacked airplanes and to the consequences of suspending air travel to and from the United States for several days. The present study, involving 152 undergraduates, assessed airplane typicality at three time points ranging from 5 h to 1 month after the attacks and then again at 4.5 months after the attacks. Airplane was judged to be a more typical vehicle for 1 month following the attacks, relative to a baseline calculated from data collected yearly for 5 years preceding the attacks. By 4.5 months, however, typicality was back to baseline.

  1. Speed limit-related issues on gravel roads.

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2009-03-01

    In the United States, there are nearly 1.6 million miles of unpaved roads. Total length of unpaved roads in Kansas is : about 98,000 miles, of which about 78,000 miles are gravel roads. Most of the gravel roads are not typically posted : with speed l...

  2. Application of Computer Technology to Educational Administration in the United States.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bozeman, William C.; And Others

    1991-01-01

    Description of evolution of computer applications in U.S. educational administration is followed by an overview of the structure and governance of public education and Visscher's developmental framework. Typical administrative computer applications in education are discussed, including student records, personnel management, budgeting, library…

  3. Algebra, Home Mortgages, and Recessions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mariner, Jean A. Miller; Miller, Richard A.

    2009-01-01

    The current financial crisis and recession in the United States present an opportunity to discuss relevant applications of some topics in typical first-and second-year algebra and precalculus courses. Real-world applications of percent change, exponential functions, and sums of finite geometric sequences can help students understand the problems…

  4. Teaching EFL outside the United States.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages.

    The guide contains profiles of the linguistic situation and English language teaching conditions, in both public and private sectors, in 48 foreign countries. Descriptions include such information as official language(s), qualifications and requirements for teaching English as a Second Language (ESL), typical class sizes and hours, accessibility…

  5. MODELING THE POTENTIAL SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF BEEF CATTLE GRAZING USING A GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM

    EPA Science Inventory

    Data regarding grazing utilization in the western United States are typically compiled within administrative boundaries(e.g. allotment,pasture). For large areas, an assumption of uniform distribution is seldom valid. Previous studies show that vegetation type, degree of slope, an...

  6. Assimilating Foreign-Born Employees into Organizations through Effective Orientation Programs.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stull, James B.; And Others

    Since research suggests that a direct relationship exists between effective orientation and employee productivity, careful consideration must be given to content, design, and delivery issues when developing orientation training programs for foreign-born employees. The United States typically does not provide adequate employee orientation.…

  7. Project 0-6749 : feasibility study of two-lift concrete paving : [project summary].

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    2013-08-01

    Two-lift concrete paving (2LCP) involves placing two layers of : concrete (wet-on-wet) instead of a single homogeneous layer, as is : typically done in the United States. 2LCP offers the opportunity to optimize the use of local aggregates and : recyc...

  8. NEW APPLICATION OF PASSIVE SAMPLING DEVICES FOR ASSESSMENT OF RESPIRATORY EXPOSURE TO PESTICIDES IN INDOOR AIR

    EPA Science Inventory

    The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has long maintained an interest in potential applications of passive sampling devices (PSDs) for estimating the concentrations of various pollutants in air. Typically PSDs were designed for the workplace monitoring of vola...

  9. Population Genetic Analysis of “Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus” From Multiple Continents

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Huanglongbing (HLB) is currently the most destructive citrus disease in the world and has caused enormous economic losses in the citrus industry. In the United States (US), HLB is typically associated with the presence of a fastidious phloem-limited bacterium named Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus...

  10. Design and Management Criteria for Fish, Amphibian, and Reptile Communities Within Created Agricultural Wetlands

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Design and management criteria for created agricultural wetlands in the midwestern United States typically focus on maximizing the ability to process agricultural runoff. Ecological benefits for fish, amphibian, and reptiles are often secondary considerations. One example of this water quality focu...

  11. A Customized DNA Microarray for Microbial Source Tracking in Environmental Systems

    EPA Science Inventory

    It is estimated that more than 160, 000 miles of rivers and streams in the United States are impaired due to the presence of waterborne pathogens. These pathogens typically originate from human and other animal fecal pollution sources; therefore, a rapid microbial source tracking...

  12. Aberdeen polygons: computer displays of physiological profiles for intensive care.

    PubMed

    Green, C A; Logie, R H; Gilhooly, K J; Ross, D G; Ronald, A

    1996-03-01

    The clinician in an intensive therapy unit is presented regularly with a range of information about the current physiological state of the patients under care. This information typically comes from a variety of sources and in a variety of formats. A more integrated form of display incorporating several physiological parameters may be helpful therefore. Three experiments are reported that explored the potential use of analogue, polygon diagrams to display physiological data from patients undergoing intensive therapy. Experiment 1 demonstrated that information can be extracted readily from such diagrams comprising 8- or 10-sided polygons, but with an advantage for simpler polygons and for information displayed at the top of the diagram. Experiment 2 showed that colour coding removed these biases for simpler polygons and the top of the diagram, together with speeding the processing time. Experiment 3 used polygons displaying patterns of physiological data that were consistent with typical conditions observed in the intensive care unit. It was found that physicians can readily learn to recognize these patterns and to diagnose both the nature and severity of the patient's physiological state. These polygon diagrams appear to have some considerable potential for use in providing on-line summary information of a patient's physiological state.

  13. Participation in Physical Activity, Fitness, and Risk for Obesity in Children with Developmental Coordination Disorder: A Cross-cultural Study.

    PubMed

    Cermak, S A; Katz, N; Weintraub, N; Steinhart, S; Raz-Silbiger, S; Munoz, M; Lifshitz, N

    2015-12-01

    Decreased physical activity has been linked to poor fitness and obesity, resulting in increased risk for health concerns. The objective is to study the relationships between children's motor coordination and their physical activity, sedentary behaviour, fitness and weight status in a cross-cultural study in the United States and Israel. Participants included 118 children 6-11 years of age: 53 children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) and 65 typical children. The US sample included 31 DCD children and 44 typical children. The Israeli sample included 22 DCD children and 21 typical children. Participants were assessed on Movement Assessment Battery for Children 2, strength test of the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency 2 and Six-minute Walk Test and wore an accelerometer. Parents completed physical activity questionnaires and demographic information. Body mass index was calculated based on height and weight. Testing took place in two sessions. Findings are that in both Israel and the United States, children with DCD demonstrated significantly reduced physical activity, increased sedentary behaviour, poorer fitness and increased overweight compared with typical children. No significant differences were found for country. With relevance to clinical practice, fitness and obesity are major concerns for children with DCD in both countries. Inclusion of occupational therapy in health promotion for this population is critical. Additional studies with testers blind to group, larger samples and other countries are recommended. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  14. Recovery of consciousness in broilers following combined dc and ac stunning

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Broilers in the United States are typically electrically stunned using low voltage-high frequency pulsed DC water bath stunners and in the European Union broilers are electrocuted using high voltage-low frequency AC. DC stunned broilers regain consciousness in the absence of exsanguination and AC st...

  15. First report of Colletotrichum nigrum causing anthracnose disease on tomato fruit in New Jersey

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Anthracnose fruit rot is one of the most serious diseases affecting the production of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) in the United States and is typically incited by Colletotrichum coccodes, C. gloeosporioides or C. dematium (Farr and Rossman 2016). During the summer of 2013, symptoms characteris...

  16. Using Technology Effectively to Teach about Fractions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hensberry, Karina K. R.; Moore, Emily B.; Perkins, Katherine

    2015-01-01

    In this article, the authors describe classroom use of technology that successfully engaged fourth grade students (typically aged 9-10) in the United States in learning about fractions. The activities involved the use of an interactive simulation designed to support student learning of fractions, and whole-class discussion where students were…

  17. SPATIAL VARIABILITY OF PM2.5 IN URBAN AREAS IN THE UNITED STATES

    EPA Science Inventory

    Epidemiologic time-series studies typically use either daily 24-hour PM concentrations averaged across several monitors in a city or data obtained at a ?central monitoring site' to relate to human health effects. If 24-hour average concentrations differ substantially across an ur...

  18. Exploring Sources of Punitiveness among German Citizens

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cochran, Joshua C.; Piquero, Alex R.

    2011-01-01

    Prior research examining punitive attitudes has typically focused on the United States and citizens' support for the death penalty or American "get-tough" criminal policies. Yet, little is known as to how punitive attitudes and their sources vary internationally. Using Germany as a case study, this article expands the scope of…

  19. Signing and pavement marking for concurrent-flow high-occupancy-vehicle lanes : summary of current practice

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1997-01-01

    Concurrent-flow lanes account for more than half of existing high-occupancy-vehicle (HOV) mileage in the United States. Traffic on this type of HOV lane operates in the same direction as the adjacent traffic, typically in the far-left lane. Limited n...

  20. Navigating College

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Arum, Richard

    2016-01-01

    Students moving from high school to college in the United States typically confront a bewildering set of largely unstructured options. In the absence of clear signals about how to get the most out of college, they often choose pathways that involve limited academic rigor and engagement. In this article, Richard Arum describes a study that followed…

  1. Examining the impact of heterogeneous nitryl chloride production on air quality across the United States

    EPA Science Inventory

    The heterogeneous hydrolysis of dinitrogen pentoxide (N2O5) has typically been modeled as only producing nitric acid. However, recent field studies have confirmed that the presence of particulate chloride can alter the reaction product to produce nitryl chlo...

  2. Greenhouse gas emissions and management practices that impact them in US rice systems

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Previous reviews have quantified factors affecting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from Asian rice (Oryza sativa L.) systems, but not from rice systems typical for the United States, which often vary considerably particularly in practices (i.e., water and carbon management) that affect emissions. Usi...

  3. Sheltered Workshops and Transition: Old Bottles, New Wine?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Coombe, Edmund

    This paper provides a historical overview of sheltered workshops and presents information about service innovations and mission expansion. The first workshop in the United States was the Perkins Institute, opened in 1837 for individuals with visual handicaps. This workshop was typical of "categorical" workshops that were established during this…

  4. Windows on Achievement and Inequality. Policy Information Report

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Barton, Paul E.; Coley, Richard J.

    2008-01-01

    Shifting focus from typical data and information about the status of educational achievement in the United States and about gaps in achievement among the nation's students, this report undertakes investigation of less-frequently-asked questions. As required by the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), educators are continuously monitoring whether more…

  5. Politics of Ethnicity

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jaipaul

    In the late 1960's there was the beginning of a movement toward ethnic identity in the United States. Ethnic leaders have typically attributed to the term "ethnicity" certain sociocultural traits. The author of this monograph examines the ethnic movement as both a cultural and socioeconomic phenomenon. Many of the traits attributed to ethnicity…

  6. A General Study of Intermarriage in the United States.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bowser, Andrew G.; Hejazinia-Bowser, Sussan

    Intermarriage is a term applied to a married couple whose religious, racial, or ethnic backgrounds are different. There are three classifications under which an intermarriage can fall: interfaith, interracial, and interethnic. There are two typical patterns of intermarriage. In the first pattern, which has to do with ethnic identity, individuals…

  7. Poor Results for High Achievers

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bui, Sa; Imberman, Scott; Craig, Steven

    2012-01-01

    Three million students in the United States are classified as gifted, yet little is known about the effectiveness of traditional gifted and talented (G&T) programs. In theory, G&T programs might help high-achieving students because they group them with other high achievers and typically offer specially trained teachers and a more advanced…

  8. The Big Top

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Markham. Jared

    2008-01-01

    Schools and universities throughout the United States now appear to be embracing green roofs as one of many environmentally friendly initiatives. However, once a green roof is in place, school managers soon realize they are not the same as typical landscaping. Although they tend to be relatively low-maintenance, the location and highly specialized…

  9. Reuse and Disposal

    Treesearch

    Carol A. Clausen; Stan T. Lebow

    2011-01-01

    Although preservative-treated wood is a durable construction material, it is eventually removed from service. The typical fate of treated wood removed from service varies depending on the original application and the type of preservative used. Currently, most treated wood removed from service in the United States is placed in landfills (Clausen 2003). Treated wood is...

  10. Ecophysiological parameters for Pacific Northwest trees.

    Treesearch

    Amy E. Hessl; Cristina Milesi; Michael A. White; David L. Peterson; Robert E. Keane

    2004-01-01

    We developed a species- and location-specific database of published ecophysiological variables typically used as input parameters for biogeochemical models of coniferous and deciduous forested ecosystems in the Western United States. Parameters are based on the requirements of Biome-BGC, a widely used biogeochemical model that was originally parameterized for the...

  11. Investigating the Relation between Kindergarten Preparation and Child Socio-Behavioral School Outcomes

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Wildenger, Leah K.; McIntyre, Laura Lee

    2012-01-01

    Research suggests that many typically developing children in the United States experience problems during the transition from preschool to kindergarten. Despite the fact that early school experiences impact educational trajectories, few empirical studies investigate the effect of kindergarten preparation variables on child outcomes. The primary…

  12. Newly homeless youth typically return home.

    PubMed

    Milburn, Norweeta G; Rosenthal, Doreen; Rotheram-Borus, Mary Jane; Mallett, Shelley; Batterham, Philip; Rice, Eric; Solorio, Rosa

    2007-06-01

    Newly homeless adolescents from Melbourne, Australia (n = 165) and Los Angeles, United States (n = 261) were surveyed and followed for 2 years. Most newly homeless adolescents returned home (70% U.S., 47% Australia) for significant amounts of time (39% U.S., 17% Australia more than 12 months) within 2 years of becoming homeless.

  13. Afforestation effects on soil carbon storage in the United States: a synthesis

    Treesearch

    L.E. Nave; C.W. Swanston; U. Mishra; K.J. Nadelhoffer

    2013-01-01

    Afforestation (tree establishment on nonforested land) is a management option for increasing terrestrial C sequestration and mitigating rising atmospheric carbon dioxide because, compared to nonforested land uses, afforestation increases C storage in aboveground pools. However, because terrestrial ecosystems typically store most of their C in soils, afforestation...

  14. Epidemiology of Vocal Health in Young Adults Attending College in the United States

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hartley, Naomi A.; Breen, Ellen; Thibeault, Susan L.

    2016-01-01

    Purpose: The purpose of this study was to document typical vocal health characteristics (including voice-related activities, behaviors, and symptomatology) of young adults attending college and to determine lifetime and point prevalence rates of voice disorders. Method: Undergraduates at University of Wisconsin-Madison completed an anonymous…

  15. MEETING IN MEXICO: NOWCASTING AND FORECASTING BEACH BACTERIA CONCENTRATION USING EPA'S VIRTUAL BEACH SOFTWARE

    EPA Science Inventory

    Beaches in the United States of (North) America are subject to closure when bacterial counts exceed water quality criteria. Many authorities base these decisions on water samples that typically require at least 18 hours to analyze. This persistence approach, or model, often leads...

  16. Rethinking Remedial Education and the Academic-Vocational Divide

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rose, Mike

    2012-01-01

    In the United States and in other countries as well there are a number of government and philanthropic initiatives to help more people, particularly those from low-income backgrounds, enter and succeed in postsecondary education. These initiatives typically involve remedial education (because a significant number of students are academically…

  17. Do We Value Caring?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Weissbourd, Richard; Anderson, Trisha Ross

    2016-01-01

    When asked about their child-rearing priorities, parents in the United States are likely to say it's more important to raise children who are caring than to raise high achievers. Schools, too, typically trumpet values such as caring, honesty, and fairness. These values are posted on walls, reiterated in assemblies, and included in mission…

  18. A Comparative Analysis of Black American and Mexican-American Cultural Norms and Expectations.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Underwood, Willard A.; And Others

    Although Mexican-American and Black-American movements in the United States have typically been compared, significant differences between the two minorities--especially in cultural norms and expectations--make comparisons inaccurate and misleading. This paper explores the differences between the Black-American and Mexican-American minorities,…

  19. Biochars impact on water infiltration and water quality through a compacted subsoil layer

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Soils in the Southeastern United States Coastal Plain region frequently have a compacted subsoil layer, which is a barrier for water movement. Four different biochars were evaluated to increase water movement through a compacted horizon from a Norfolk soil (fine-loamy, kaolinitic, thermic, Typic Ka...

  20. National scale biomass estimators for United States tree species

    Treesearch

    Jennifer C. Jenkins; David C. Chojnacky; Linda S. Heath; Richard A. Birdsey

    2003-01-01

    Estimates of national-scale forest carbon (C) stocks and fluxes are typically based on allometric regression equations developed using dimensional analysis techniques. However, the literature is inconsistent and incomplete with respect to large-scale forest C estimation. We compiled all available diameter-based allometric regression equations for estimating total...

  1. Scheduling for Public Service in International Operations

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Brenner, M. A.

    1972-01-01

    The factors involved in scheduling airline services for international operations are discussed. Charts are presented to show the transatlantic pattern of flights for a typical airline during the summer and winter months. The operations of a domestic airline operating overseas and a foreign airline operating to the United States are compared.

  2. And the Survey Says…

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    White, Susan C.

    2016-01-01

    As we near the close of another academic year, we highlight departments in the United States that consistently award more physics bachelor's degrees than other similar departments. We categorize departments by the highest physics degree they award. Typically, departments that award a doctorate have more faculty members and more students; thus, one…

  3. Groundwater withdrawals under drought: reconciling GRACE and land surface models in the United States High Plains Aquifer

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Advanced Land Surface Models (LSM) offer a powerful tool for studying hydrological variability. Highly managed systems, however, present a challenge for these models, which typically have simplified or incomplete representations of human water use. Here we examine recent groundwater declines in the ...

  4. 77 FR 48542 - United States

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-08-14

    ... subsurface oil and natural gas on these federal lands. Private parties, such as oil and gas companies, typically acquire oil and gas leases on federal lands at regional auctions conducted by the BLM. Defendants GEC and SGI are oil and gas companies engaged in the exploration and development of natural gas...

  5. OCCURRENCE OF VIRTUENCE FACTOR ACTIVITY RELATIONSHIP (VFAR) IN ESCHERICHIA COLI ISOLATED FROM MUNICIPAL WASTEWATER

    EPA Science Inventory

    Escherichia coli O157 H:7 has been linked to waterborne outbreaks in the United States and abroad. Methods employed to detect this pathogen typically are cultural based and take advantage of phenotypic traits that are specific for this serotype. These phenotypic characteristics...

  6. OCCURRENCE OF VIRULENCE FACTOR ACTIVITY RELATIONSHIP (VFAR) IN ESCHERICHIA COLI ISOLATED FROM MUNICIPAL WASTEWATER EFFLUENTS

    EPA Science Inventory

    Escherichia coli O157:H7 has been linked to waterborne outbreaks in the United States and abroad. Methods employed to detect this pathogen typically are cultural based and take advantage of phenotypic traits that are specific for this serotype, including slow sorbitol fermentati...

  7. Ecosystem carbon stocks in Pinus palustris forests

    Treesearch

    Lisa Samuelson; Tom Stokes; John R. Butnor; Kurt H. Johnsen; Carlos A. Gonzalez-Benecke; Pete Anderson; Jason Jackson; Lorenzo Ferrari; Tim A. Martin; Wendell P. Cropper

    2014-01-01

    Longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) restoration in the southeastern United States offers opportunities for carbon (C) sequestration. Ecosystem C stocks are not well understood in longleaf pine forests, which are typically of low density and maintained by prescribed fire. The objectives of this research were to develop allometric equations for...

  8. Brock BaseCamp--Outdoor Orientation Programs Come to Canada

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    O'Connell, Tim

    2011-01-01

    What exactly is an "outdoor orientation program?" First offered in the United States in the 1930s by Dartmouth College, outdoor orientation programs (OOPs) use adventure programming to help incoming students adjust to university or college. Typically, these programs are conducted in a wilderness or backcountry setting, are several days…

  9. Now Hiring: The Faculty of the Future

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Green, Donald W.; Ciez-Volz, Kathleen

    2010-01-01

    Community colleges across the United States are experiencing an extraordinarily high demand for new instructors. Hiring exemplary instructors is at once an educational and an economic imperative, for the typical community college spends over $3 million on the career of one faculty member. Institutions must make sound, long-term decisions by…

  10. In-vitro Cell Culture and Real-time Reverse Transcriptase PCR-based Assays to Detect Infective Toxoplas gondii Oocysts

    EPA Science Inventory

    Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular, apicomplexan parasite that infects humans. It is ubiquitous in nature and seroprevalence in the United States and in Europe ranges from 25->70%. Although typically associated with causing foodborne outbreaks, recent studies in Canad...

  11. Current and Future Developments in Air Traffic Control

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Jackson, Joseph; Green, Steven M.

    1999-01-01

    Current and future energy demands, end uses, and cost used to characterize typical applications services in the industrial sector of the United States are examined. A review and evaluation of existing industrial energy data bases was undertaken to assess their potential for supporting SERI research market suitability analysis; (2) market development; (3) end use matching; (4) industrial application studies; and (5) identification of cost and performance goals for solar systems and typical information requirements for industrial energy end use. The focus was on fuels and electric energy used for heat and power purchased by the manufacturing subsector and listed by 2, 3, and 4 digit SIC, primary fuel. The effects of federal and state industrial energy conservation programs on future industrial sector demands were assessed.

  12. A multi-level simulation platform of natural gas internal reforming solid oxide fuel cell-gas turbine hybrid generation system - Part II. Balancing units model library and system simulation

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bao, Cheng; Cai, Ningsheng; Croiset, Eric

    2011-10-01

    Following our integrated hierarchical modeling framework of natural gas internal reforming solid oxide fuel cell (IRSOFC), this paper firstly introduces the model libraries of main balancing units, including some state-of-the-art achievements and our specific work. Based on gPROMS programming code, flexible configuration and modular design are fully realized by specifying graphically all unit models in each level. Via comparison with the steady-state experimental data of Siemens-Westinghouse demonstration system, the in-house multi-level SOFC-gas turbine (GT) simulation platform is validated to be more accurate than the advanced power system analysis tool (APSAT). Moreover, some units of the demonstration system are designed reversely for analysis of a typically part-load transient process. The framework of distributed and dynamic modeling in most of units is significant for the development of control strategies in the future.

  13. Deep Ensemble Learning for Monaural Speech Separation

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2015-02-01

    cse.ohio- state.edu). typically predict the ideal binary mask (IBM) or ideal ratio mask ( IRM ). For the IBM [21], a T-F unit is assigned 1, if the signal...dominance. For the IRM [17], a T- F unit is assigned some ratio of target energy and mixture energy. Kim et al. [15] used Gaussian mixture models (GMM...significantly outperforms earlier separation methods. Subsequently, Wang et al. [23] examined a number of training targets and suggested that the IRM should be

  14. Using Clickers in the Classroom to Increase the Level of Student Interaction

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2008-12-01

    CRS)— commonly known as “clickers” or “ key -pads” in the United States and “handsets” or “zappers” in the United Kingdom (Barber & Njus, 2007)—are...and Menachem Jona believe “experience is the best teacher” and “ the best teachers are typically the best storytellers ” (Schank & Jona, 1991). Keeping...completion (Wlodkowski, 1978). If one area of student motivation breaks down, the entire process may come to a complete halt (Christophel, 1990

  15. Notes from the field: Shigella with decreased susceptibility to azithromycin among men who have sex with men - United States, 2002-2013.

    PubMed

    Heiman, Katherine E; Karlsson, Maria; Grass, Julian; Howie, Becca; Kirkcaldy, Robert D; Mahon, Barbara; Brooks, John T; Bowen, Anna

    2014-02-14

    Bacteria of the genus Shigella cause approximately 500,000 illnesses each year in the United States. Diarrhea (sometimes bloody), fever, and stomach cramps typically start 1-2 days after exposure and usually resolve in 5-7 days. For patients with severe disease, bloody diarrhea, or compromised immune systems, antibiotic treatment is recommended, but resistance to traditional first-line antibiotics (e.g., ampicillin and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole) is common. For multidrugresistant cases, azithromycin, the most frequently prescribed antibiotic in the United States, is recommended for both children and adults. However, not all Shigellae are susceptible to azithromycin. Nonsusceptible isolates exist but are not usually identified because there are no clinical laboratory guidelines for azithromycin susceptibility testing. However, to monitor susceptibility of Shigellae in the United States, CDC's National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) has, since 2011, routinely measured the azithromycin minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for every 20th Shigella isolate submitted from public health laboratories to CDC, as well as outbreak-associated isolates. All known U.S. Shigella isolates with decreased susceptibility to azithromycin (DSA-Shigella), and the illnesses caused by them, are described in this report.

  16. Estimation of the protein content of US imports of milk protein concentrates.

    PubMed

    Bailey, K W

    2003-12-01

    Recent declines in milk prices in the United States have sparked renewed concern that imports of milk protein concentrates (MPC) are increasingly entering the United States with very low tariff rates and is having an adverse impact on the US dairy industry. Milk protein concentrates are used in the United States in many different products, including the starter culture of cheese, or in nonstandard cheeses such as baker's cheese, ricotta, Feta and Hispanic cheese, processed cheese foods, and nutritional products. One of the difficult aspects of trying to assess the impact of MPC imports on the US dairy industry is to quantify the protein content of these imports. The protein content of MPC imports typically ranges from 40 to 88%. The purpose of this study is to develop a methodology that can be used to estimate the protein content of MPC on a country by country basis. Such an estimate would not only provide information regarding the quantity of protein entering the United States, but would also provide a profile of low- and high-value MPC importers. This is critical for market analysis, since it is the lower valued MPC imports that more directly displaces US-produced skim milk powder.

  17. 76 FR 1339 - Pine Shoot Beetle; Additions to Quarantined Areas

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-01-10

    ..., a pest of pine trees, into noninfested areas of the United States. DATES: Effective on January 10... managed and natural stands of pine and especially affects weak and dying trees. The beetle has been found... distorted growth in host trees. Large infestations of PSB typically kill most of the lateral shoots near the...

  18. 78 FR 14230 - Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Atlantic Mackerel, Squid, and Butterfish Fisheries...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2013-03-05

    ... mortality cap allocation for 2013. Final Research Set-Aside (RSA) allocations for a given year are typically not available until final specifications, and the exclusion of the final RSA allocation results in... to account for allocated butterfish RSA. The proposed rule included the 13-percent reduction to the...

  19. Dissolved oxygen and aeration in ictalurid catfish aquaculture

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Feed-based production of ictalurid catfish in ponds is the largest aquaculture sector in the United States. The feed biochemical oxygen demand (FBOD) typically is 1.1-1.2 kg O2/kg feed. Feed also results in a substantial increase of carbon dioxide, ammonia nitrogen, and phosphate to ponds, and this ...

  20. Later Education Start Times in Adolescence: Time for Change

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kelley, Paul; Lee, Clark

    2015-01-01

    School start times for adolescents in the United States are typically too early to be healthy for this age group. There is significant evidence from the research literature that early starts have serious negative impacts on students. In particular, early education start times in adolescence cause chronic sleep deprivation, which damages both…

  1. Multiple view image analysis of freefalling U.S. wheat grains for damage assessment

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Currently, inspection of wheat in the United States for grade and class is performed by human visual analysis. This is a time consuming operation typically taking several minutes for each sample. Digital imaging research has addressed this issue over the past two decades, with success in recognition...

  2. Crowding out Latinos: Mexican Americans in the Public Consciousness.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Portales, Marco

    Despite efforts to improve perceptions about Mexican Americans and other Spanish-speaking people in the United States, Chicanos and other Latinos are not yet seen as typical American citizens. Latinos continue to receive poor educations, and the media continue to represent them in ways unaffected by the emergence of Chicano literature. This book…

  3. Teaching Geographic Field Methods to Cultural Resource Management Technicians

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mires, Peter B.

    2004-01-01

    There are perhaps 10,000 technicians in the United States who work in the field known as cultural resource management (CRM). The typical field technician possesses a bachelor's degree in anthropology, geography, or a closely allied discipline. The author's experience has been that few CRM field technicians receive adequate undergraduate training…

  4. The Implications of Summer Learning Loss for Value-Added Estimates of Teacher Effectiveness

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gershenson, Seth; Hayes, Michael S.

    2018-01-01

    School districts across the United States increasingly use value-added models (VAMs) to evaluate teachers. In practice, VAMs typically rely on lagged test scores from the previous academic year, which necessarily conflate summer with school-year learning and potentially bias estimates of teacher effectiveness. We investigate the practical…

  5. Education and Racial-Ethnic Differences in Types of Exercise in the United States

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Saint Onge, Jarron M.; Krueger, Patrick M.

    2011-01-01

    Epidemiological research typically focuses on the intensity, frequency, or duration of physical activity, without consideration of the socially meaningful dimensions of exercise. The authors use data from the 1998 National Health Interview Survey (N = 17,455) and information on participation in 15 exercise behaviors to examine educational…

  6. Short Skirts and Breast Juts: Cheerleading, Eroticism and Schools

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bettis, Pamela J.; Adams, Natalie Guice

    2006-01-01

    Cheerleading, an American invention, has 3.8 million participants in the United States, 97% of whom are female. It is an adult-sanctioned and typically school-affiliated activity that remains popular in spite of the increase in sports' opportunities for girls in schools. Drawing from popular culture and a middle school ethnography, the authors…

  7. University Research Funding: The United States Is Behind and Falling

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Atkinson, Robert D.; Stewart, Luke A.

    2011-01-01

    Research and development drives innovation and innovation drives long-run economic growth, creating jobs and improving living standards in the process. University-based research is of particular importance to innovation, as the early-stage research that is typically performed at universities serves to expand the knowledge pool from which the…

  8. Logging deck organization with a bundler

    Treesearch

    Dana. Mitchell

    2009-01-01

    The original John Deere 1490D Slash Bundler is mounted on a forwarder so that it can collect woody biomass scattered throughout a tract. However, typical logging operations in the southeastern United States delimb and top at the landing, so logging residues are concentrated at the landing. In a current study by researchers at Auburn...

  9. First Nations and Higher Education: The Four R's--Respect, Relevance, Reciprocity, Responsibility

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kirkness, Verna J.; Barnhardt, Ray

    2016-01-01

    American Indian/First Nations/Native People have been historically under-represented in the ranks of college and university graduates in Canada and the United States. From an institutional perspective, the problem has been typically defined in terms of low achievement, high attrition, poor retention, weak persistence, etc., thus placing the onus…

  10. Gun Dealers, USA.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Duker, Laurie; And Others

    In the United States, more than 11,500 adolescents' and young adults' lives are taken each year by firearms. Although Federal law prohibits minors from purchasing handguns, they typically get them by asking someone of legal age (18 years or older) to purchase them from one of the 256,771 Federally licensed gun dealers. This pamphlet answers…

  11. Bibliotherapy for Gay and Lesbian Youth: Overcoming the Structure of Silence

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Vare, Jonatha W.; Norton, Terry L.

    2004-01-01

    Gay and lesbian youth encounter most of the typical biological and cognitive changes of adolescence. However, cultural circumstances create differences in the social and emotional development of many gay and lesbian teens. In the United States, these teens often live within social environments characterized by a hostile fear and an active…

  12. Chapter 3. Phoradendron in Mexico and the United States

    Treesearch

    B. W. Geils; D. Wiens; F. G. Hawksworth

    2002-01-01

    The generally familiar mistletoes are the leafy Phoradendron that typically infest hardwood trees and are placed at doorways for winter celebrations. Several of these mistletoes, however, more resemble the dwarf mistletoes by their apparently leafless stems and presence on conifers; but their large, fleshy berries that are attractive to birds clearly...

  13. The Afterschool Hours: A New Focus for America's Cities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ouellette, Mark; Hutchinson, Audrey M.; Frant, Nina

    2005-01-01

    During a typical week, as many as 14 million children and youth across the United States lack adult supervision during non-school hours. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the lack of structured and supervised afterschool programs in American communities contributes to a higher incidence of drug and alcohol use and delinquent…

  14. Pupil Transportation Management.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Miller, Anthony R.

    The safest means of transportation in the United States is the school bus fleet. Each school day, over 350,000 school buses transport about 22,000,000 children ages 3 to 21--from wheelchair pupils to varsity football players--to and from school in weather conditions ranging from those for Fairbanks, Alaska, to those typical of Cave Creek, Arizona.…

  15. Inequalities in Parental Spending on Young Children: 1980-2010

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kornrich, Sabino

    2016-01-01

    Using 1972-2000 data from the Consumer Expenditure Survey (CES), a nationally representative survey of spending conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, this paper investigates changes in the income-based gap in monetary investments in children under the age of six, when most children typically have entered school in the United States. The…

  16. Research Writing in a Foreign Language.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Simpson, JoEllen M.

    1998-01-01

    Reports on the application of a North American system of research writing in a high-intermediate class of English-as-foreign-language learners in Colombia. The system was adapted from a variety of sources representing typical approaches to the introduction of academic research writing at the university level in the United States. (Author/VWL)

  17. 3 CFR 8352 - Proclamation 8352 of March 13, 2009. National Poison Prevention Week, 2009

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... children and adults alike, as both remain susceptible to poison exposure. According to the American... children aged five and under. The AAPCC also reports that more than one thousand deaths due to poisoning take place in the United States every year. Poisoning most frequently involves medicines and typical...

  18. Demographic response of a shrubland bird to habitat creation, succession, and disturbance in a dynamic landscape

    Treesearch

    Michael E. Akresh; David I. King; Robert T. Brooks

    2015-01-01

    Shrubland birds have experienced widespread declines in the eastern United States. Habitat for shrubland birds is typically dynamic, in which available habitat changes temporally and spatially in response to disturbance and succession. Despite widespread concerns among conservationists about shrubland birds, much is still poorly understood regarding fundamental...

  19. Walnut Notes

    Treesearch

    E. Lucy Burde

    1988-01-01

    Black walnut is one of America's most highly prized tree species. Its natural range extends throughout the central and eastern parts of the United States and into southern Ontario. However, it is commercially significant primarily in the central part of its range. It typically grows as scattered individuals or in small groups mixed with a wide variety of other...

  20. Carbon Dioxide: an alternative processing method for milk

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    The shelf life of refrigerated fluid milk pasteurized at high temperature for a short time (HTST) in the United States is typically about 14 days, due to the eventual growth of heat-resistant bacteria and the off-flavors they produce. Fluid milk processors would like to achieve a shelf life of 60 t...

  1. 50 Million Strong for All: Universally Designing CSPAPs to Align with APE Best Practices

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brian, Ali; Grenier, Michelle; Lieberman, Lauren J.; Egan, Cate; Taunton, Sally

    2017-01-01

    Many children in the United States fail to meet the national recommendations for daily moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). However, children with disabilities are more sedentary than their typically developed peers. Comprehensive school physical activity programming (CSPAP) is a whole-of-school approach to provide children with…

  2. Injections of Emamectin Benzoate protect Engelmann Spruce from mortality attributed to Spruce Beetle (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) for two years

    Treesearch

    Christopher J. Fettig; Darren C. Blackford; Donald M. Grosman; A. Steven Munson

    2017-01-01

    In the western United States, protection of individual conifers from bark beetles typically involves liquid formulations of insecticides applied to the tree bole. Researchers attempting to find safer, more portable, and longer-lasting alternatives have evaluated injecting systemic insecticides directly into the tree.

  3. Next generation sequencing of rabbiteye blueberry (Vaccinium virgatum 'Premier') and transcriptome comparisons to highbush (Vaccinium corymbosum) genomic resources

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Vaccinium virgatum (syn V. ashei) is commonly known as rabbiteye blueberry and native to the Southeastern United States. Cultivars are typically grown from North Carolina south to Florida and west to Texas for commercial blueberry production. In the Southeast, plants exhibit superior environmental ...

  4. Old Pedagogies: ESL Students as Problems in the Composition Classroom.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Agnew, Eleanor

    Nonnative English speaking students have usually felt intense pressure and loss of self-esteem in the typical English classroom in the United States. This is a direct result of America's longstanding distrust of foreigners, and the condescension with which the educational system has sometimes treated nonnative speakers. According to C. B. Stein,…

  5. Electronic Resource Expenditure and the Decline in Reference Transaction Statistics in Academic Libraries

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dubnjakovic, Ana

    2012-01-01

    The current study investigates factors influencing increase in reference transactions in a typical week in academic libraries across the United States of America. Employing multiple regression analysis and general linear modeling, variables of interest from the "Academic Library Survey (ALS) 2006" survey (sample size 3960 academic libraries) were…

  6. Predictors, spatial distribution, and occurrence of woody invasive plants in subtropical urban ecosystems

    Treesearch

    Christina L. Staudhammer; Francisco J. Escobedo; Nathan Holt; Linda J. Young; Thomas J. Brandeis; Wayne Zipperer; Other

    2015-01-01

    We examined the spatial distribution, occurrence, and socioecological predictors of woody invasive plants (WIP) in two subtropical, coastal urban ecosystems: San Juan, Puerto Rico and Miami-Dade, United States. These two cities have similar climates and ecosystems typical of subtropical regions but differ in socioeconomics, topography, and urbanization processes. Using...

  7. Alkalinity generation in snowmelt and rain runoff during short distance flow over rock

    Treesearch

    James L. Clayton

    1998-01-01

    High-elevation ecosystems in the western United States typically have patchy, discontinuous areas of surficial soils surrounded by large areas of rock outcrop, talus, and scree. Snowmelt and precipitation that percolate through soil increase in alkalinity, principally by increasing base cation concentration through cation exchange, and by decreasing acid anion...

  8. Surface fuel loadings within mulching treatments in Colorado coniferous forests

    Treesearch

    Mike A. Battaglia; Monique E. Rocca; Charles C. Rhoades; Michael G. Ryan

    2010-01-01

    Recent large-scale, severe wildfires in the western United States have prompted extensive mechanical fuel treatment programs to reduce potential wildfire size and severity. Fuel reduction prescriptions typically target non-merchantable material so approaches to mechanically treat and distribute residue on site are becoming increasingly common. We examined how mulch...

  9. Transplanting native dominant plants to facilitate community development in restored coastal plain wetlands

    Treesearch

    Diane De Steven; Rebecca R. Sharitz

    2007-01-01

    Drained depressional wetlands are typically restored by plugging ditches or breaking drainage tiles to allow recovery of natural ponding regimes, while relying on passive recolonization from seed banks and dispersal to establish emergent vegetation. However, in restored depressions of the southeastern United States Coastal Plain, certain characteristic rhizomatous...

  10. Contributions to the anatomy of birds

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Shufeldt, R. W.

    1882-01-01

    At the present writing we know of but one species of the so-called Burrowing Owls inhabiting America, and this is represented by three existing races, the typical and largest of those being the Athene cunicularia, a species confined to South America, while its two varieties occur with the limits of the United States.

  11. TLD measurements of in vivo mammographic exposures and the calculated mean glandular dose across the United States.

    PubMed

    Gentry, J R; DeWerd, L A

    1996-06-01

    An analysis is presented of the exposures received by TLDs placed on the breasts of 4400 women obtaining mammograms at 170 institutions across the United States. Mean glandular dose and exposure were examined as a function of compressed breast thickness. The exposure and mean glandular dose were found to increase linearly with breast thickness. The mean glandular dose typically delivered by the institutions was well below the limit of 3.0 mGy for the 4.5-cm breast. However, some institutions tend to uniformly give higher doses. In such institutions approximately 25% of 4.5-cm-thick breasts received a mean glandular dose exceeding 3.0 mGy.

  12. Basic Student Charges at Postsecondary Institutions: Academic Year 1992-93. Tuition and Required Fees and Room and Board Charges at 4-year, 2-year, and Public Less-than-2-year Institutions. Statistical Analysis Report.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Broyles, Susan G.; Morgan, Frank B.

    This report lists the typical tuition and required fees and room and board charges for academic year 1992-93 at nearly 5,000 4-year, 2-year, and public less-than-2-year postsecondary institutions in the United States and its outlying areas. Included are tuition and fee charges to in-state and out-of-state students at the undergraduate and graduate…

  13. Evaluating the SF-36 Health Survey (Version 2) in Older Vietnamese Americans

    PubMed Central

    Ngo-Metzger, Quyen; Sorkin, Dara H.; Mangione, Carol M.; Gandek, Barbara; Hays, Ron D.

    2014-01-01

    Objectives The SF-36® Health Survey (Version 2; SF-36) was evaluated among older Vietnamese Americans to determine whether underlying dimensions of physical and mental health were similar to those of other groups in the United States. Method Field testing of participants from senior centers. Results The study provided support for the reliability and validity of the SF-36. Structural equation modeling provided confirmation of physical and mental health factors. However, the factor loadings for the SF-36 scales were more consistent with previous results from Asian countries than the typical pattern observed in the United States. Discussion As the older populations in the United States become more diverse, it is important to have standardized health-related quality of life measures. However, the conceptualization of physical and mental health and associations among different scales may be different for Asian immigrants than for other groups. Thus, the interpretation of the SF-36 scores needs to account for cultural differences. PMID:18381886

  14. Cholera on a Gulf Coast oil rig.

    PubMed

    Johnston, J M; Martin, D L; Perdue, J; McFarland, L M; Caraway, C T; Lippy, E C; Blake, P A

    1983-09-01

    A single case of severe diarrhea on a floating Texas oil rig was followed two days later by what proved to be the largest outbreak of cholera in the United States in over a century. After isolation of toxigenic Vibrio cholerae El Tor Inaba of the typical United States phage type from the index patient's stool, the ensuing investigation detected 14 additional cases of cholera and one asymptomatic infection serologically. Infection was associated with eating rice on the oil rig on a particular day (P = 0.03) when an open valve permitted the rig's drinking-water system to be contaminated by canal water containing sewage (including that from the index patient) discharged from the rig. The rice had been rinsed in the contaminated water after cooking, and before being served it had been maintained at a temperature that allows V. cholerae 01 to multiply. Toxigenic V. cholerae 01 is persisting in the United States, and large common-source outbreaks of cholera can occur if proper sanitation is not maintained.

  15. Condition assessment survey of onsite sewage disposal systems (OSDSs) in Hawaii.

    PubMed

    Babcock, Roger W; Lamichhane, Krishna M; Cummings, Michael J; Cheong, Gloria H

    2014-01-01

    Onsite sewage disposal systems (OSDSs) are the third leading cause of groundwater contamination in the USA. The existing condition of OSDSs in the State of Hawaii was investigated to determine whether a mandatory management program should be implemented. Based on observed conditions, OSDSs were differentiated into four categories: 'pass', 'sludge scum', 'potential failure' and 'fail'. Of all OSDSs inspected, approximately 68% appear to be in good working condition while the remaining 32% are failing or are in danger of failing. Homeowner interviews found that 80% of OSDSs were not being serviced in any way. About 70% of effluent samples had values of total-N and total-P greater than typical values and 40% had total suspended solids (TSS) and 5-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5) greater than typical values. The performance of aerobic treatment units (ATUs) was no better than septic tanks and cesspools indicating that the State's approach of requiring but not enforcing maintenance contracts for ATUs is not working. In addition, effluent samples from OSDSs located in drinking water wells estimated 2-year capture zones had higher average concentrations of TSS, BOD5, and total-P than units outside of these zones, indicating the potential for contamination. These findings suggest the need to introduce a proactive, life-cycle OSDS management program in the State of Hawaii.

  16. HIV-1 Encephalopathy among Perinatally Infected Children: Neuropathogenesis and Response to Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mitchell, Charles D.

    2006-01-01

    HIV-1 encephalopathy among perinatally infected children in the United States was initially defined by a classic triad of findings that included: (1) developmental delay, (2) secondary or acquired microcephaly, and (3) pyramidal tract neuromotor deficits. The most severe form of this disorder typically occurred among young children who developed…

  17. Till Death Do Us Part: Lived Experiences of HIV-Positive Married African American Women

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Edwards, Lorece V.; Irving, Shalon M.; Hawkins, Anita S.

    2011-01-01

    HIV/AIDS disease continues to be an escalating health problem, particularly among women. However, African American women are among the leading demographic groups for HIV prevalence in the United States. The typical woman with HIV/AIDS is young, in her late twenties, economically challenged, and of childbearing age. Participants were recruited from…

  18. Reimagining Our Inexperienced Adolescent Readers: From Struggling, Striving, Marginalized, and Reluctant to Thriving

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Greenleaf, Cynthia L.; Hinchman, Kathleen

    2009-01-01

    This commentary invites Americans to confront what these authors view as the travesty that typically passes for literacy instruction for older youth in the United States who struggle with reading. In too many U.S. schools, these young people face an impoverished curriculum, receiving literacy instruction that is ill suited to their needs, or…

  19. Weed Growth and Efficacy of Pre-Applied Herbicides in Alternative Rooting Substrates Used in Container-Grown Nursery Crops

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Container-grown nursery crops in the Southeastern United States are typically grown in a rooting substrate comprised primarily of the ground bark of pine trees. However pine bark is becoming less available and more costly due to changes in production and marketed practices within Southeastern pine f...

  20. Water Quality Response to Forest Biomass Utilization

    Treesearch

    Benjamin Rau; Augustine Muwamba; Carl Trettin; Sudhanshu Panda; Devendra Amatya; Ernest Tollner

    2017-01-01

    Forested watersheds provide approximately 80% of freshwater drinking resources in the United States (Fox et al. 2007). The water originating from forested watersheds is typically of high quality when compared to agricul¬tural watersheds, and concentrations of nitrogen and phosphorus are nine times higher, on average, in agricultur¬al watersheds when compared to...

  1. Aqueous-phase mechanism for secondary organic aerosol formation from isoprene: application to the southeast United States and co-benefit of SO2 emission controls

    EPA Science Inventory

    Isoprene emitted by vegetation is an important precursor of secondary organic aerosol (SOA), but the mechanism and yields are uncertain. Aerosol is prevailingly aqueous under the humid conditions typical of isoprene-emitting regions. Here we develop an aqueous-phase mechanism for...

  2. HIV Infection among People Who Inject Drugs: The Challenge of Racial/Ethnic Disparities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Des Jarlais, Don C.; McCarty, Dennis; Vega, William A.; Bramson, Heidi

    2013-01-01

    Racial/ethnic disparities in HIV infection, with minority groups typically having higher rates of infection, are a formidable public health challenge. In the United States, among both men and women who inject drugs, HIV infection rates are elevated among Hispanics and non-Hispanic Blacks. A meta-analysis of international research concluded that…

  3. Social Phobia and Subtypes in the National Comorbidity Survey-Adolescent Supplement: Prevalence, Correlates, and Comorbidity

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Burstein, Marcy; He, Jian-Ping; Kattan, Gabriela; Albano, Anne Marie; Avenevoli, Shelli; Merikangas, Kathleen R.

    2011-01-01

    Objective: Social phobia typically develops during the adolescent years, yet no nationally representative studies in the United States have examined the rates and features of this condition among youth in this age range. The objectives of this investigation were to: (1) present the lifetime prevalence, sociodemographic and clinical correlates, and…

  4. Understanding How Biculturalism Contributes to Latinas' Pursuit of Higher Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dominguez, Mariana

    2013-01-01

    Latina/os are the fastest growing minority group in the United States and in California, yet they have not been able to maintain an adequate educational attainment and achievement level in comparison to other ethnic groups (Marin & Marin, 1991). Typically, Latinas are not able to achieve the amount of education they set out to accomplish…

  5. Reforming Long-Term Care in the United States: Findings from a National Survey of Specialists

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Miller, Edward Alan; Mor, Vincent; Clark, Melissa

    2010-01-01

    Purpose: Theories of the policy process recognize that policy proposals are typically generated, debated, redrafted, and accepted for consideration through the gradual accumulation of knowledge within communities of specialists. Thus, to inform long-term care (LTC) reform efforts, we conducted a Web-based survey of 1,147 LTC specialists…

  6. National Efforts to Bring Reform to Scale in High-Poverty Schools: Outcomes and Implications

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Borman, Geoffrey D.

    2005-01-01

    Education in the United States is a decentralized system composed of highly variable practices, programs, and school contexts. The primary technology of education, teaching, is highly complex and is typically designed and implemented by teachers who have traditionally enjoyed a great deal of autonomy and independence from regular inspection. The…

  7. Reactive Transport Modeling Of Remedial Scenarios To Predict Cadmium, Copper, And Zinc In North Fork of Clear Creek, Colorado

    EPA Science Inventory

    The North Fork of Clear Creek (NFCC), Colorado is an acid-mine-drainage-impacted stream typical of many mountain surface waters affected by historic metal mining in the western United States. The stream is devoid of fish primarily because of high metal concentrations in the wate...

  8. Who Stole the Soul: Black Student Sociopolitical Solidarity in the Twenty-First Century

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Peterson, Brian F.

    2013-01-01

    The 1960s and '70s marked the most historic transformational period of Black college student enrollments and sociopolitical presence at predominantly White institutions in the United States. Research on Black student solidarity and social movements typically refers back to this era, with very little attention given to the ways that today's Black…

  9. Response to Intervention and Students Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Luckner, John; Pierce, Corey

    2013-01-01

    Students who are deaf or hard of hearing are increasingly being educated in regular education classrooms along with their typical hearing peers. Establishing educational environments that address their unique needs is essential for their success. Response to intervention (RtI), as it is being implemented in the United States, provides a framework…

  10. Evaluation of various insecticides applied to the bark to control emerald ash borer

    Treesearch

    Robert A. Haack; Toby R. Petrice

    2005-01-01

    The emerald ash borer (EAB), Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire (Buprestidae), a native of Asia, was first discovered in the United States and Canada in 2002. Within the area that is generally infested with EAB, homeowners and communities are typically either removing infested trees or treating them with various insecticides to protect them from further...

  11. Identifying and Working with Elementary Asperger's Students in Rural America

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Allen, Barton; Loiacono, Vito; Vacca, James S.

    2010-01-01

    Currently, somewhere in a rural American school sits an elementary-aged student who has been labeled by a teacher and his/her peers as the "Little Professor" according to the Asperger's Syndrome Coalition of the United States. The onset of Asperger's Syndrome is recognized and occurs later than what is typical of autism. A significant…

  12. A World-Class Education: Learning from International Models of Excellence and Innovation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stewart, Vivien

    2012-01-01

    Typical comparisons of schools in the United States to those in other countries ignore critical factors and overlook potential lessons learned. But here's a book that reveals what the best schools from around the world are doing to educate students for a rapidly changing innovation-based world. Find out that American education has not "gotten…

  13. Diet of southern toads (Bufo terrestris) in loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) stands subject to coarse woody debris manipulations

    Treesearch

    Kurtis R. Moseley; Steven B. Castleberry; James L. Hanula; W. Mark Ford

    2004-01-01

    In the southeastern United States, coarse woody debris (CWD) typically harbors high densities of invertebrates. However, its importance as a foraging substrate for southeastern amphibians is relatively unknown. We examined effects of CWD manipulations on diet composition of southern toads (Bufo tmrestns) in upland loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) stands...

  14. Impact of extended stun duration and voltage on the recovery of consciousness in broilers

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Typical electrical stun duration for broilers in the United States is from 5 to 15 s (depending on voltage), but would be considerably longer if and when the kill-line stopped. The welfare and conscious/unconscious status of broilers within the stunner cabinet is a concern while the line is stopped...

  15. Determining the suitability of Lactobacilli antifungal metabolites for inhibiting mould growth

    Treesearch

    Vina W. Yang; Carol A. Clausen

    2005-01-01

    In recent years, public concern about indoor mould growth has increased dramatically in the United States. In this study, lactic acid bacteria (LAB), which are known to produce antimicrobial compounds important in the biopreservation of food, were evaluated to determine if the same antimicrobial properties can be used to inhibit mould fungi that typically colonize wood...

  16. Knowledge of Social Anxiety Disorder Relative to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Among Educational Professionals

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Herbert, James D.; Crittenden, Kia; Dalrymple, Kristy L.

    2004-01-01

    Social anxiety disorder (SAD), the 3rd most common psychiatric disorder in the United States, follows a chronic and unremitting course, often resulting in severe impairments in multiple areas of functioning. Despite a typical age of onset in early adolescence, the disorder is rarely recognized and treated in adolescent populations. Given its early…

  17. The "Real Experience" Industry: Student Development Projects and the Depoliticisation of Poverty

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hickel, Jason

    2013-01-01

    Participation in development projects in the Global South has become one of the most sought-after activities among American and British high school graduates and college students. In the United States this often takes the form of Alternative Spring Break trips, while in Britain students typically pursue development work during their "gap…

  18. Mining Available Data from the United States Environmental Protection Agency to Support Rapid Life Cycle Inventory Modeling of Chemical Manufacturing

    EPA Science Inventory

    Demands for quick and accurate life cycle assessments create a need for methods to rapidly generate reliable life cycle inventories (LCI). Data mining is a suitable tool for this purpose, especially given the large amount of available governmental data. These data are typically a...

  19. "Drenched in the Past:" the Evolution of Market-Oriented Reforms in New Orleans

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jabbar, Huriya

    2015-01-01

    As the city with the largest charter-school market share in the United States, New Orleans, Louisiana exemplifies market-oriented models in education. For a city that is so "drenched in the past," the reform movement in New Orleans typically neglects historical context, often dismissing the education system pre-Katrina as simply corrupt…

  20. Ten Cities, 1997-1998: A Snapshot of Family Homelessness across America.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Homes for the Homeless, Inc., New York, NY.

    In 1997, the Institute for Children and Poverty of Homes for the Homeless joined with more than 58 organizations from 10 cities across the country to develop a national snapshot of family homelessness in the United States. Nearly 800 families were surveyed. This report presents the results of this research. The typical homeless family in the…

  1. The Adoption of Innovation in Youth Organizations: Creating the Conditions for Youth-Adult Partnerships

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Zeldin, Shepherd; Camino, Linda; Mook, Carrie

    2005-01-01

    Youth-adult partnerships (Y-APs) for organizational and community change represent an innovative practice in the United States. Innovations are typically a challenge to implement, so it is not surprising that youth organizations are seeking guidance on how to adopt and sustain Y-APs. This article brings contemporary scholarship to bear on the…

  2. A Structural Equation Model of the Writing Process in Typically Developing Sixth Grade Children

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Koutsoftas, Anthony D.

    2010-01-01

    Educational reform initiatives of the last decade have focused on the three R's: reading, writing, and arithmetic, with writing receiving the least attention in the research literature (National Commission on Writing, 2003). Studies of writing performance in United States schoolchildren indicate that many are writing only at basic levels. The…

  3. A Cross-Cultural Examination of Typically Developing Children's Attitudes toward Individuals with Special Needs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nikolaraizi, Magda; Kumar, Poonam; Favazza, Paddy; Sideridis, Georgios; Koulousiou, Dafni; Riall, Ann

    2005-01-01

    This study explores children's attitudes toward individuals with special needs in Greece and in the United States. A total of 196 kindergarten-age children participated in the study. Children's attitudes were examined using the "Acceptance Scale for Kindergartners-Revised" (ASK-R) and were further explored with the use of an open-ended…

  4. Successful Researcher-Practitioner RCT Partnership: Increasing Attendance by 15,000 Days

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rogers, Todd; Wolford, Tonya; Reitano, Adrienne; Feller, Avi; Subramanyam, Shruthi; Ternovski, John

    2016-01-01

    While the adjusted cohort graduation rate of students in the United States has reached 80 percent during the 2011-12 school year (Stetser & Stillwell, 2014), in the School District of Philadelphia (SDP) only 57% of its students graduate from high school in four years, which is typical of large urban school districts (Swanson, 2009). Moreover,…

  5. New value-added co-products from grain-based ethanol production by a patent-pending recovery method

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    The production of fuel ethanol in the United States and elsewhere is a quickly growing industry. At present, a major co-product of the ethanol industry is corn distiller's dried grains with solubles (DDGS), the primary use is in the livestock industry. However, DDGS typically has characteristics t...

  6. Whole genome sequence analysis of recently circulating Bluetongue virus serotype 11 strains from the United States including two domestic canine isolates

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Bluetongue virus (BTV) is a vector-transmitted pathogen that that typically infects and causes disease in domestic and wild ruminants. BTV is also known to infect domestic canines as discovered when dogs were vaccinated with a BTV-contaminated vaccine. Canine BTV infections have been documented thro...

  7. A Continental United States High Resolution NLCD Land Cover – MODIS Albedo Database to Examine Albedo and Land Cover Change Relationships

    EPA Science Inventory

    Surface albedo influences climate by affecting the amount of solar radiation that is reflected at the Earth’s surface, and surface albedo is, in turn, affected by land cover. General Circulation Models typically use modeled or prescribed albedo to assess the influence of land co...

  8. Pension-Induced Rigidities in the Labor Market for School Leaders. Working Paper 67

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Koedel, Cory; Grissom, Jason A.; Ni, Shawn; Podgursky, Michael

    2012-01-01

    Educators in public schools in the United States are typically enrolled in defined-benefit pension plans, which penalize across-plan mobility. We use administrative data from Missouri to examine how the mobility penalties affect the labor market for school leaders, and show that pension borders greatly reduce leadership flows across schools. Our…

  9. Evaluation of a Weight Loss Treatment Program for Individuals with Mild Mental Retardation

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sailer, Angela B.; Miltenberger, Raymond G.; Johnson, Brigitte; Zetocha, Kim; Egemo, Kristin; Hegstad, Holly

    2006-01-01

    Obesity is a major problem for people in the United States. Individuals with mental retardation also are prone to obesity. The most successful programs for treating obesity typically are treatment packages consisting of multiple behavioral components. Research in the area of weight loss and mental retardation has not evaluated programs for…

  10. 77 FR 17479 - Star Pipe Products, Ltd.; Analysis of Proposed Consent Order To Aid Public Comment

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-03-26

    ... largest sellers of DIPF in the United States are Star, McWane, Inc. (``McWane''), and Sigma Corporation (``Sigma''). DIPF are used in municipal water distribution systems to change pipe diameter or pipeline... projects. The end users of DIPF are typically municipal and regional water authorities. DIPF prices are...

  11. Ecological risk assessment to support fuels treatment project decisions

    Treesearch

    Jay O' Laughlin

    2010-01-01

    Risk is a combined statement of the probability that something of value will be damaged and some measure of the damage’s adverse effect. Wildfires burning in the uncharacteristic fuel conditions now typical throughout the Western United States can damage ecosystems and adversely affect environmental conditions. Wildfire behavior can be modified by prefire fuel...

  12. An initial assessment of SMAP soil moisture disaggregation scheme using TIR surface evaporation data over the continental United States

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    The Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) mission is dedicated toward global soil moisture mapping. Typically, an L-band microwave radiometer has a spatial resolution on the order of 36-40 km, which is too coarse for many specific hydro-meteorological and agricultural applications. With the failure of...

  13. The Perceptions of Japanese Students toward Academic English Reading: Implications for Effective ESL Reading Strategies

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Iwai, Yuko

    2008-01-01

    The population of English as a Second Language (ESL) learners has increased significantly in higher education settings in the United States today. It has been reported that Japanese ESL students are generally unsuccessful when studying in English speaking countries. The typical way of reading in English for Japanese students is the…

  14. Taking Care of Business: Equipping Students to Become Business Journalists

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hannis, Grant

    2016-01-01

    Informed, critical business journalism is vital to a well-functioning society. But students are typically reluctant to study business journalism, often finding the topic intimidating. This article outlines how the author has taught a business journalism course in New Zealand and the United States. The course uses a variety of methods to help the…

  15. Cost-Savings Achieved in Two Semesters through the Adoption of Open Educational Resources

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hilton, John Levi, III; Robinson, Jared; Wiley, David; Ackerman, J. Dale

    2014-01-01

    Textbooks represent a significant portion of the overall cost of higher education in the United States. The burden of these costs is typically shouldered by students, those who support them, and the taxpayers who fund the grants and student loans which pay for textbooks. Open educational resources (OER) provide students a way to receive…

  16. Supporting Mathematics Teachers in the United States and Finland: Proceedings of a Workshop

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Beatty, Alexandra; Ferreras, Ana

    2018-01-01

    For the past 17 years, the U.S. National Commission on Mathematics Instruction (USNC/MI) has held workshops with mathematics educators from countries that typically perform well on international assessments and have a history of strong mathematics education programs, such as Japan, China, and South Korea. Finland is among this group. Even though…

  17. A Study of the Vestiges of Studio Classroom Projects in Two Middle School Mathematics Departments

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Nordquist, Lora

    2010-01-01

    Lesson study, a form of school-based professional development widely practiced in Japan, has gained popularity in the United States over the last two decades. However, research on its effectiveness has been limited in scope, typically conducted shortly after the conclusion of the professional learning and focused primarily on the practices of…

  18. Effects of repeated burning on snag abundance in shortleaf pine woodlands

    Treesearch

    Roger W. Perry; Phillip N. Jordan; Virginia L. McDaniel

    2017-01-01

    Forest managers are restoring and maintaining forest woodlands across substantial areas of the United States, and these efforts typically require the use of frequent prescribed fire. The effects of frequent prescribed fire on important habitat components such as snags remain unknown. We conducted a study to determine how snag densities are affected by repeated...

  19. How Public Is the Web?: Robots, Access, and Scholarly Communication.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Snyder, Herbert; Rosenbaum, Howard

    1998-01-01

    Examines the use of Robot Exclusion Protocol (REP) to restrict the access of search engine robots to 10 major United States university Web sites. An analysis of Web site searching and interviews with Web server administrators shows that the decision to use this procedure is largely technical and is typically made by the Web server administrator.…

  20. The current status of mapping karst areas and availability of public sinkhole-risk resources in karst terrains of the United States

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Kuniansky, Eve L.; Weary, David J.; Kaufmann, James E.

    2016-01-01

    Subsidence from sinkhole collapse is a common occurrence in areas underlain by water-soluble rocks such as carbonate and evaporite rocks, typical of karst terrain. Almost all 50 States within the United States (excluding Delaware and Rhode Island) have karst areas, with sinkhole damage highest in Florida, Texas, Alabama, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Pennsylvania. A conservative estimate of losses to all types of ground subsidence was $125 million per year in 1997. This estimate may now be low, as review of cost reports from the last 15 years indicates that the cost of karst collapses in the United States averages more than $300 million per year. Knowing when a catastrophic event will occur is not possible; however, understanding where such occurrences are likely is possible. The US Geological Survey has developed and maintains national-scale maps of karst areas and areas prone to sinkhole formation. Several States provide additional resources for their citizens; Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Pennsylvania maintain databases of sinkholes or karst features, with Florida, Kentucky, Missouri, and Ohio providing sinkhole reporting mechanisms for the public.

  1. Raccoon Roundworm Infection Associated with Central Nervous System Disease and Ocular Disease - Six States, 2013-2015.

    PubMed

    Sircar, Anita D; Abanyie, Francisca; Blumberg, Dean; Chin-Hong, Peter; Coulter, Katrina S; Cunningham, Dennis; Huskins, W Charles; Langelier, Charles; Reid, Michael; Scott, Brian J; Shirley, Debbie-Ann; Babik, Jennifer M; Belova, Aleksandra; Sapp, Sarah G H; McAuliffe, Isabel; Rivera, Hilda N; Yabsley, Michael J; Montgomery, Susan P

    2016-09-09

    Baylisascaris procyonis, predominantly found in raccoons, is a ubiquitous roundworm found throughout North America. Although raccoons are typically asymptomatic when infected with the parasite, the larval form of Baylisascaris procyonis can result in fatal human disease or severe neurologic outcomes if not treated rapidly. In the United States, Baylisascaris procyonis is more commonly enzootic in raccoons in the midwestern and northeastern regions and along the West Coast (1). However, since 2002, infections have been documented in other states (Florida and Georgia) and regions (2). Baylisascariasis is not a nationally notifiable disease in the United States, and little is known about how commonly it occurs or the range of clinical disease in humans. Case reports of seven human baylisascariasis cases in the United States diagnosed by Baylisascaris procyonis immunoblot testing at CDC are described, including review of clinical history and laboratory data. Although all seven patients survived, approximately half were left with severe neurologic deficits. Prevention through close monitoring of children at play, frequent handwashing, and clearing of raccoon latrines (communal sites where raccoons defecate) are critical interventions in curbing Baylisascaris infections. Early treatment of suspected cases is critical to prevent permanent sequelae.

  2. The current status of mapping karst areas and availability of public sinkhole-risk resources in karst terrains of the United States

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kuniansky, Eve L.; Weary, David J.; Kaufmann, James E.

    2016-05-01

    Subsidence from sinkhole collapse is a common occurrence in areas underlain by water-soluble rocks such as carbonate and evaporite rocks, typical of karst terrain. Almost all 50 States within the United States (excluding Delaware and Rhode Island) have karst areas, with sinkhole damage highest in Florida, Texas, Alabama, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Pennsylvania. A conservative estimate of losses to all types of ground subsidence was 125 million per year in 1997. This estimate may now be low, as review of cost reports from the last 15 years indicates that the cost of karst collapses in the United States averages more than 300 million per year. Knowing when a catastrophic event will occur is not possible; however, understanding where such occurrences are likely is possible. The US Geological Survey has developed and maintains national-scale maps of karst areas and areas prone to sinkhole formation. Several States provide additional resources for their citizens; Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, and Pennsylvania maintain databases of sinkholes or karst features, with Florida, Kentucky, Missouri, and Ohio providing sinkhole reporting mechanisms for the public.

  3. Report of the Jacksonville, Florida, Electric Authority on typical residential electric bills for August in 60 areas of the United States. [60 areas in U. S

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Not Available

    1976-08-01

    The report of the Jacksonville, Florida, Electric Authority on typical residential electric bills for August 1976 in 60 areas of the U. S. is presented. The report includes both publicly and privately owned systems. The calculation includes Alabama Power Company's monthly energy adjustment factor. Data are included from New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Delaware, Massachusetts, Florida, Virginia, Maryland, Michigan, New Hampshire, Illinois, Georgia, Arizona, California, Connecticut, Texas, Ohio, West Virgina, Missouri, North Carolina, Mississippi, Maine, Alabama, and Tennessee. (MCW)

  4. Zoophilia and the law: legal responses to a rare paraphilia.

    PubMed

    Holoyda, Brian; Newman, William

    2014-01-01

    Although societies' responses to bestiality have varied internationally, the response in the United States has typically involved condemnation and prosecution. Currently, there are 31 states with statutes prohibiting human-animal sexual contact. Despite the prevalence of antibestiality legislation, there is limited case law in the United States. Most commonly, bestiality arises in legal cases involving sexually violent predator (SVP) civil commitments. Identifying offenders who commit acts of bestiality is important, since these individuals may be at increased risk of committing a variety of other sexually and nonsexually violent acts against humans. Because of the different laws among the states, however, commonly used forensic risk assessment tools for sexual recidivism can yield different scores for individuals charged with or convicted of bestiality offenses. Forensic evaluators should consider this factor when conducting risk assessments. State legislatures should also consider modernizing their bestiality statutes to accord with current terminology and objectives for such laws. © 2014 American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law.

  5. Credit USAF, ca. 1945. Original housed in the Muroc Flight ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    Credit USAF, ca. 1945. Original housed in the Muroc Flight Test Base, Unit History, 1 September 1942 - 30 June 1945. Alfred F. Simpson Historical Research Agency. United States Air Force. Maxwell AFB, Alabama. View looks north at a hutment typical of several structures erected at the Muroc Flight Test Base (North Base) ca. 1943-1945. Similar structures, Buildings T-61, T-62 and T-63, lie in the distance behind T-40 - Edwards Air Force Base, North Base, Barracks T-40, Second & A Streets, Boron, Kern County, CA

  6. Gastronomic nostalgia: Salvadoran immigrants' cravings for their ideal meal.

    PubMed

    Stowers, Sharon L

    2012-01-01

    Immigrants typically express cravings for the food of their homeland, but for undocumented and temporarily documented Salvadoran immigrants living in the United States, the hunger for their traditional cuisine is particularly poignant. To cope with a history of food scarcity in El Salvador and their documentation liminality in the United States, Salvadoran immigrants in this study crave symbolically rich foods. Salvadoran women provide these foods by recreating for their families an ideal Salvadoran meal into which they "groom" meanings of an imagined past and a hoped for present and future. Salvadoran immigrants' cravings, more cultural than physiological, are not readily satisfied, thus contributing to the overconsumption of food and the high rate of overweight among first-generation Salvadoran-American children.

  7. Using pupil size and heart rate to infer affective states during behavioral neurophysiology and neuropsychology experiments

    PubMed Central

    Mitz, Andrew R.; Chacko, Ravi V.; Putnam, Philip T.; Rudebeck, Peter H.; Murray, Elisabeth A.

    2017-01-01

    Background Nonhuman primates (NHPs) are a valuable research model because of their behavioral, physiological and neuroanatomical similarities to humans. In the absence of language, autonomic activity can provide crucial information about cognitive and affective states during single-unit recording, inactivation and lesion studies. Methods standardized for use in humans are not easily adapted to NHPs and detailed guidance has been lacking. New Method We provide guidance for monitoring heart rate and pupil size in the behavioral neurophysiology setting by addressing the methodological issues, pitfalls and solutions for NHP studies. The methods are based on comparative physiology to establish a rationale for each solution. We include examples from both electrophysiological and lesion studies. Results Single-unit recording, pupil responses and heart rate changes represent a range of decreasing temporal resolution, a characteristic that impacts experimental design and analysis. We demonstrate the unexpected result that autonomic measures acquired before and after amygdala lesions are comparable despite disruption of normal autonomic function. Comparison with Existing Methods Species and study design differences can render standard techniques used in human studies inappropriate for NHP studies. We show how to manage data from small groups typical of NHP studies, data from the short behavioral trials typical of neurophysiological studies, issues associated with longitudinal studies, and differences in anatomy and physiology. Conclusions Autonomic measurement to infer cognitive and affective states in NHP is neither off-the-shelf nor onerous. Familiarity with the issues and solutions will broaden the use of autonomic signals in NHP single unit and lesion studies. PMID:28089759

  8. Occurrence and persistence of fungicides in bed sediments and suspended solids from three targeted use areas in the United States

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Smalling, Kelly L.; Reilly, Timothy J.; Sandstrom, Mark W.; Kuivila, Kathryn

    2013-01-01

    To document the environmental occurrence and persistence of fungicides, a robust and sensitive analytical method was used to measure 34 fungicides and an additional 57 current-use pesticides in bed sediments and suspended solids collected from areas of intense fungicide use within three geographic areas across the United States. Sampling sites were selected near or within agricultural research farms using prophylactic fungicides at rates and types typical of their geographic location. At least two fungicides were detected in 55% of the bed and 83% of the suspended solid samples and were detected in conjunction with herbicides and insecticides. Six fungicides were detected in all samples including pyraclostrobin (75%), boscalid (53%), chlorothalonil (41%) and zoxamide (22%). Pyraclostrobin, a strobilurin fungicide, used frequently in the United States on a variety of crops, was detected more frequently than p,p′-DDE, the primary degradate of p,p′-DDT, which is typically one of the most frequently occurring pesticides in sediments collected within highly agricultural areas. Maximum fungicide concentrations in bed sediments and suspended solids were 198 and 56.7 μg/kg dry weight, respectively. There is limited information on the occurrence, fate, and persistence of many fungicides in sediment and the environmental impacts are largely unknown. The results of this study indicate the importance of documenting the persistence of fungicides in the environment and the need for a better understanding of off-site transport mechanisms, particularly in areas where crops are grown that require frequent treatments to prevent fungal diseases.

  9. Postdoctoral training in clinical neuropsychology in America: how did we get here and where do recent applicants suggest we go next?

    PubMed

    Bodin, Doug; Butts, Alissa M; Grote, Christopher L

    2016-11-01

    The United States appears to be the only country which typically requires completion of a two-year postdoctoral fellowship for one to be considered competent to practice clinical neuropsychology. We review the history of how this came to be in the United States. Further, we describe obstacles that postdoctoral trainees face during this stage of training. We first describe the most significant events leading to the requirement of a two-year fellowship in clinical neuropsychology. Next, we describe factors that trainees face when selecting and completing postdoctoral training. Finally, we review the results of the most recent annual survey of applicants for postdoctoral training to measure their experiences. Postdoctoral training in the United States is a relatively recent requirement in neuropsychology. Trainees face many obstacles when obtaining a postdoctoral position some of which can be addressed by the field. Training in Clinical Neuropsychology in the United States has evolved considerably over at least the last 45 or so years to the point that a two-year postdoctoral fellowship is now required for one to be a candidate for board certification through the American Board of Clinical Neuropsychology. We review many of the challenges that postdoctoral trainees face and provide survey data to describe their experiences and preferences.

  10. What Happened to the Amateurs After Professionalization? The Amateurization of Astronomy in Britain and the United States

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Williams, T. R.

    2003-12-01

    For nearly two centuries, astronomers have felt the need for a journal in which to publish their results, a venue for meetings in which to discuss those results, and a means for standardizing techniques and coordinating programs within the discipline. These factors are typically the basis on which professional associations have been formed, but in many countries some form of an amateur organization now exists to serve these same purposes. In two case studies, this paper will explore the different paths along which amateur organizations have developed in response to radically different dynamics in the professionalization of astronomy. In Britain, several failures preceded the successful formation of the British Astronomical Association (BAA). Within no more than a decade after its founding, the BAA's specialized observing sections and credible journal were admired by professional and amateur astronomers alike, and served as a model for at least three failed attempts to form a similar organization in the United States. What emerged in the United States instead were six separate specialized observing associations, some of which now legitimately claim international status. This talk will consider how the radically different circumstances under which the professionalization of astronomy occurred in Britain and the United States influenced the amateurization of astronomy in both countries.

  11. Delineation of Magnesium-rich Ultramafic Rocks Available for Mineral Carbon Sequestration in the United States

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Krevor, S.C.; Graves, C.R.; Van Gosen, B. S.; McCafferty, A.E.

    2009-01-01

    The 2005 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report on Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage suggested that a major gap in mineral carbon sequestration is locating the magnesium-silicate bedrock available to sequester CO2. It is generally known that silicate minerals with high concentrations of magnesium are suitable for mineral carbonation. However, no assessment has been made covering the entire United States detailing their geographical distribution and extent, or evaluating their potential for use in mineral carbonation. Researchers at Columbia University and the U.S. Geological Survey have developed a digital geologic database of ultramafic rocks in the continental United States. Data were compiled from varied-scale geologic maps of magnesium-silicate ultramafic rocks. These rock types are potentially suitable as source material for mineral carbon-dioxide sequestration. The focus of the national-scale map is entirely on suitable ultramafic rock types, which typically consist primarily of olivine and serpentine minerals. By combining the map with digital datasets that show non-mineable lands (such as urban areas and National Parks), estimates on potential depth of a surface mine, and the predicted reactivities of the mineral deposits, one can begin to estimate the capacity for CO2 mineral sequestration within the United States. ?? 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Recycled Cell Phones - A Treasure Trove of Valuable Metals

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Sullivan, Daniel E.

    2006-01-01

    This U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Fact Sheet examines the potential value of recycling the metals found in obsolete cell phones. Cell phones seem ubiquitous in the United States and commonplace throughout most of the world. There were approximately 1 billion cell phones in use worldwide in 2002. In the United States, the number of cell phone subscribers increased from 340,000 in 1985 to 180 million in 2004. Worldwide, cell phone sales have increased from slightly more than 100 million units per year in 1997 to an estimated 779 million units per year in 2005. Cell phone sales are projected to exceed 1 billion units per year in 2009, with an estimated 2.6 billion cell phones in use by the end of that year. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimated that, by 2005, as many as 130 million cell phones would be retired annually in the United States. The nonprofit organization INFORM, Inc., anticipated that, by 2005, a total of 500 million obsolete cell phones would have accumulated in consumers' desk drawers, store rooms, or other storage, awaiting disposal. Typically, cell phones are used for only 1 1/2 years before being replaced. Less than 1 percent of the millions of cell phones retired and discarded annually are recycled. When large numbers of cell phones become obsolete, large quantities of valuable metals end up either in storage or in landfills. The amount of metals potentially recoverable would make a significant addition to total metals recovered from recycling in the United States and would supplement virgin metals derived from mining.

  13. Impact of alternative electrical stunning parameters on the ability of broilers to recover consciousness and meat quality

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Broilers in the United States are typically electrically stunned using low voltage-high frequency (12-38V, =400Hz) DC or AC water bath stunners. In the European Union, however, broilers are required to be electrocuted using high voltage-low frequency (50-150V, 50-350Hz) AC. Low voltage stunned broil...

  14. Identifying potential heirs properties in the Southeastern United States: a new GIS methodology utilizing mass appraisal data

    Treesearch

    Scott Pippin; Shana Jones; Cassandra Johnson Gaither

    2017-01-01

    This report presents a methodology for identifying land parcels that have an increased probability of being heirs property. Heirs property is inherited land passed to successive generations intestate, without clear title, typically to family members. This land ownership type is widespread among rural, African-American populations and is also thought to be pervasive in...

  15. Dissolved organic nitrogen budgets for upland, forested ecosystems in New England

    Treesearch

    John L. Campbell; James W. Hornbeck; William H. McDowell; Donald C. Buso; James B. Shanley; Gene E. Likens

    2000-01-01

    Relatively high deposition of nitrogen (N) in the northeastern United States has caused concern because sites could become N saturated. In the past, mass-balance studies have been used to monitor the N status of sites and to investigate the impact of increased N deposition. Typically, these efforts have focused on dissolved inorganic forms of N (DIN = NH4-...

  16. Comparing an Economic Model of News Selection with One Based on Professional Norms in Local Television Newscasts.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McManus, John

    A study compared two models (economic and journalistic) of news selection in an attempt to explain what becomes news. The news gathering and news decisionmaking processes of three western United States network-affiliated television stations, one each in a small, medium, and large market, were observed during 12 "typical" days.…

  17. An Old-Growth Definition for Tropical and Subtropical Forests in Florida

    Treesearch

    Kenneth W. Outcalt

    1997-01-01

    In the United States, tropical and subtropical forests are found only in south Florida, covering the southern part of the Floridian Coastal Plain and the Florida Keys. The climate is typically hot and humid with abundant rainfall, although droughts do occur. Soils range widely depending on landform and parent material, and can be organic, fine-textured silts, or coarse...

  18. Air-quality bioindication in the greater central valley of California, with epiphytic macrolichen communities.

    Treesearch

    Sarah Jovan; Bruce McCune

    2005-01-01

    Air-quality monitoring in the United States is typically focused on urban areas even though the detrimental effects of pollution often extend into surrounding ecosystems. The purpose of this study was to construct a model, based upon epiphytic macrolichen community data, to indicate air-quality and climate in forested areas throughout the greater Central Valley of...

  19. Lack of evidence for erm(B) infiltration into erythromycin-resistant Campylobacter spp. from commercial turkey production in the southeastern United States

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    In Campylobacter spp., resistance to erythromycin and other macrolides has typically implicated ribosomal mutations, especially substitutions in the 23S rRNA gene. In 2014, the macrolide resistance gene erm(B) was reported for the first time in Campylobacter, and shown to be harbored in a multidrug ...

  20. 76 FR 52972 - United States v. Regal Beloit Corp. and A.O. Smith Corp.; Proposed Final Judgment and Competitive...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2011-08-24

    ... magnet technology, thereby allowing the motor to run more efficiently. 15. Motors sold for use in pool...-efficient motors because pool pumps typically run for many hours a day, sometimes even continuously. Pool... and fan blades are among the more difficult design aspects of furnace draft inducers. 51. Furnaces are...

  1. Climate Change Education in the Southeastern U.S. Through Public Dialogue: Not Just Preaching to the Choir

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McNeal, Karen S.; Hammerman, James K. L.; Christiansen, Jonathan A.; Carroll, F. Julian

    2014-01-01

    Climate change education in the southeastern United States can be challenging. Due to economic factors, as well as the conservative political and faith perspectives typical of the region, high proportions (40%) of the population are not engaged, not convinced, or doubt Earth's climate is changing or that climate change has anthropogenic causes.…

  2. From Foster Care to College: The Seita Scholars Program at Western Michigan University

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Unrau, Yvonne A.

    2011-01-01

    More than 32,000 young people in the United States exit the foster care system in a typical year by aging out to independence (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2011). Despite available financial support for post-secondary education through the Foster Care Independence Act of 1999, only 20% of college-qualified foster youth attend college and…

  3. Understanding the Molecular Basis of Psoriasis | Center for Cancer Research

    Cancer.gov

    Unsightly red patches, itchy, flaky skin, and disfigured nails are typical symptoms of psoriasis, one of the most common chronic inflammatory diseases of the skin. An estimated 7.5 million people in the United States are affected. The disease is characterized by increased production of skin cells and inflammation in the skin, but it is unclear if the primary trigger is

  4. Heritage tourism development in rural Russia: A case study in collaborative tourism planning in an international setting

    Treesearch

    Roy Ramthun; Susan Williams; Vladimir Shalaev; Svetlana Guseva; Irina Polinkova; Sofia Chervakova; Svetlana Ivanova; Anna Pahkmutova; Anastasia Shalaev

    2010-01-01

    In the United States, advisers from such organizations as universities and extension services often assist rural communities with community planning and development efforts. These outside groups typically facilitate communication and discussion among stakeholders and help to lay out a process by which the community may proceed towards its shared goals. Faculty members...

  5. The Muddy-Booted Boys: A Case Study of Working-Class Youth in a Rural Community

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kleiderlein, Marie

    2013-01-01

    This case study describes the high school experiences of White working-class boys in a rural community in the northeast United States. It examines the identity formation of these youth, key characteristics of those identities, as well as a prominent and significant group identity among them. These youth are typically kinesthetic learners and…

  6. Sediment movement from forest road systems-roads: a major contributor to erosion and stream sedimentation

    Treesearch

    Johnny M. Grace

    2002-01-01

    Nonpoint source pollution is a major concern related to natural resource management throughout the United States. Undisturbed forest lands typically have minimal erosion, less than 0.13 ton/acre (0.30 ton/hectare), due to the increased cover and surface roughness found in these areas. However, disturbances caused by forest management practices can result in...

  7. Alternative timing of carbaryl treatments for protecting lodgepole pine from mortality attributed to mountain pine beetle

    Treesearch

    Christopher J. Fettig; A.Steve Munson; Kenneth E. Gibson

    2015-01-01

    Carbaryl is regarded among the most effective, economically viable, and ecologically-compatible insecticides available for protecting conifers from bark beetle attack in the western United States. Treatments are typically applied in spring prior to initiation of bark beetle flight for that year. We evaluated the efficacy of spring and fall applications for protecting...

  8. The Role of the Scientific Discovery Narrative in Middle School Science Education: An Experimental Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Arya, Diana J.; Maul, Andrew

    2012-01-01

    In an experimental study (N = 209), the authors compared the effects of exposure to typical middle-school written science content when presented in the context of the scientific discovery narrative and when presented in a more traditional nonnarrative format on 7th and 8th grade students in the United States. The development of texts was…

  9. Change in oak abundance in the eastern United States from 1980 to 2008

    Treesearch

    Songlin Fei; Ningning Kong; Kim C. Steiner; W. Keith Moser; Eric B. Steiner

    2011-01-01

    Although oaks (Quercus spp.) have historically dominated much of the forest land in eastern North America, a great deal of fragmentary and sometimes anecdotal evidence suggests that they have been yielding dominance in recent decades to other, typically more shade-tolerant species. Using FIA data, our work formally quantifies the change in oak abundance in the eastern...

  10. Winter supplementation of ground whole flaxseed impacts milk fatty acid composition on organic dairy farms in the northeastern United States

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    The objective of this study was to evaluate supplementation of ground whole flaxseed to organic dairy cows during the non-grazing season to maintain levels of beneficial fatty acid concentrations in milk typically observed during the grazing season. During the winters of 2013-14 and 2014-15, 9 organ...

  11. Advances in threat assessment and their application to forest and rangeland management—Volume 2

    Treesearch

    H. Michael Rauscher; Yasmeen Sands; Danny C. Lee; Jerome S. Beatty

    2010-01-01

    Risk is a combined statement of the probability that something of value will be damaged and some measure of the damage’s adverse effect. Wildfires burning in the uncharacteristic fuel conditions now typical throughout the Western United States can damage ecosystems and adversely affect environmental conditions. Wildfire behavior can be modified by prefire fuel...

  12. Probability of occurrence and habitat features for oriental bittersweet in an oak forest in the southern Appalachian mountains, USA

    Treesearch

    W. Henry McNab; David L. Loftis

    2002-01-01

    Oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus), an introduced vine from southeast Asia, has become a serious threat to native forests in the eastern United States. It is typical of many exotic species in that quantitative ecological relationships are unavailable for assessment or management. We devised a rapid survey technique useful for hazard rating...

  13. Low Imazapyr Concentrations in Streamflow From Forest Sites

    Treesearch

    J.L. Michael

    1989-01-01

    This study evaluated the fate of the herbicide, ARSENAL(R) from large, forest-land watersheds in typical soils of the southern United States. Imazapyr is active over a range of rates and is recommended at rates up to 1.68 kilograms acid equivalent per hectare (kg/ha) for the control of annual and perennial grasses, broadleaved weeds, and woody competition. The...

  14. Diabetes Self-Management Education Enhanced by the Low Vision Professional

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Sokol-McKay, Debra A.

    2007-01-01

    Diabetes currently affects 20.8 million people in the United States and is the leading cause of blindness in people between the ages of 20 and 74 years. The author uses a fictional but typical example to explain the ways in which low vision specialists can improve the diabetes self-management program of a person with low vision and demonstrates…

  15. The Sixties and the Cold War University: Madison, Wisconsin and the Development of the New Left

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Levin, Matthew

    2009-01-01

    The history of the sixties at the University of Wisconsin-Madison is both typical of other large universities in the United States and, at the same time, distinctive within the national and even international upheaval that marked the era. Madison's history shows how higher education transformed in the decades after World War II, influenced…

  16. Adolescent Brain Development and Underage Drinking in the United States: Identifying Risks of Alcohol Use in College Populations

    PubMed Central

    Silveri, Marisa M.

    2015-01-01

    Alcohol use typically is initiated during adolescence, an age period that overlaps with critical structural and functional maturation of the brain. Brain maturation and associated improvements in decision-making continue into the second decade of life, reaching plateaus within the period referred to as “emerging adulthood” (18–24 years). Emerging adulthood is the typical age span of the traditionally aged college student, which includes the age (21 years) when alcohol consumption becomes legal in the United States. This review highlights neurobiological evidence indicating the vulnerabilities of the emerging adult brain to alcohol effects. This review also identifies that reduced sensitivity to alcohol sedation and increased sensitivity to alcohol-related disruptions in memory, positive family history of alcoholism effects on brain structure and function, and emerging co-morbid psychiatric conditions serve as unique vulnerabilities that increase the risks associated with underage alcohol use. These vulnerabilities likely contribute to excessive and unsupervised drinking in college students. Discouraging alcohol consumption until neurobiological adulthood is reached is important for minimizing alcohol-related disruptions in brain development and decision-making capacity, and reducing the negative behavioral consequences associated with underage alcohol use. PMID:22894728

  17. A primer on medical education in the United States through the lens of a current resident physician.

    PubMed

    Mowery, Yvonne M

    2015-10-01

    Physician training and standards for medical licensure differ widely across the globe. The medical education process in the United States (US) typically involves a minimum of 11 years of formal training and multiple standardized examinations between graduating from secondary school and becoming an attending physician with full medical licensure. Students in the US traditionally enter a 4-year medical school after completing an undergraduate bachelor's degree, in contrast to most other countries where medical training begins after graduation from high school. Medical school seniors planning to practice medicine in the US must complete postgraduate clinical training, referred to as residency, within the specialty of their choosing. The duration of residency varies depending on specialty, typically lasting between 3 and 7 years. For subspecialty fields, additional clinical training is often required in the form of a fellowship. Many experts have called for changes in the medical education system to shorten medical training in the US, and reforms are ongoing in some institutions. However, physician education in the US generally remains a progression from undergraduate premedical coursework to 4 years of medical school, followed by residency training with an optional subspecialty fellowship.

  18. A primer on medical education in the United States through the lens of a current resident physician

    PubMed Central

    2015-01-01

    Physician training and standards for medical licensure differ widely across the globe. The medical education process in the United States (US) typically involves a minimum of 11 years of formal training and multiple standardized examinations between graduating from secondary school and becoming an attending physician with full medical licensure. Students in the US traditionally enter a 4-year medical school after completing an undergraduate bachelor’s degree, in contrast to most other countries where medical training begins after graduation from high school. Medical school seniors planning to practice medicine in the US must complete postgraduate clinical training, referred to as residency, within the specialty of their choosing. The duration of residency varies depending on specialty, typically lasting between 3 and 7 years. For subspecialty fields, additional clinical training is often required in the form of a fellowship. Many experts have called for changes in the medical education system to shorten medical training in the US, and reforms are ongoing in some institutions. However, physician education in the US generally remains a progression from undergraduate premedical coursework to 4 years of medical school, followed by residency training with an optional subspecialty fellowship. PMID:26623123

  19. A primer on medical education in the United States through the lens of a current resident physician

    PubMed Central

    2015-01-01

    Physician training and standards for medical licensure differ widely across the globe. The medical education process in the United States (US) typically involves a minimum of 11 years of formal training and multiple standardized examinations between graduating from secondary school and becoming an attending physician with full medical licensure. Students in the US traditionally enter a 4-year medical school after completing an undergraduate bachelor’s degree, in contrast to most other countries where medical training begins after graduation from high school. Medical school seniors planning to practice medicine in the US must complete postgraduate clinical training, referred to as residency, within the specialty of their choosing. The duration of residency varies depending on specialty, typically lasting between 3 and 7 years. For subspecialty fields, additional clinical training is often required in the form of a fellowship. Many experts have called for changes in the medical education system to shorten medical training in the US, and reforms are ongoing in some institutions. However, physician education in the US generally remains a progression from undergraduate premedical coursework to 4 years of medical school, followed by residency training with an optional subspecialty fellowship. PMID:26605316

  20. Affordability of Meteorology Graduate Programs in the United States and Canada.

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gilmore, Matthew S.; Toracinta, E. Richard

    1998-06-01

    The authors surveyed 55 university departments in the United States and Canada that grant doctor of philosophy and/or master of science degrees in meteorology or the atmospheric sciences. Two-thirds of university departments responded. Survey topics included graduate student income (stipends and health insurance benefits) and mandatory costs (tuition, fees, and health insurance costs) incurred for fall 1996.Results show that most graduate students do have funding but only one-quarter of departments indicate that health insurance benefits are provided to graduate assistants. The largest mandatory cost is typically housing, which was estimated (except for Canadian schools) with 1996 Fair Market Rent data from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. For schools not providing it, the second largest cost is typically health insurance. The smallest costs are typically tuition (waived for graduate assistants in most cases) and fees.The difference between income and mandatory costs over a nine-month period gives an "effective income." Evidence was found associating greater effective income with larger departments and with locations where housing costs are larger. No significant evidence was found to associate differences in effective income with city size or geographic region. The broad range in effective income between the departments suggests that some graduate programs may be much more affordable than others.This information can aid university departments in planning budgets that keep them competitive with one another. This paper will also help prospective graduate students by raising awareness about important issues of graduate program affordability.

  1. Integrating BalloonSAT and Atmospheric Dynamic Concepts into the Secondary Classroom

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fong, B. N.; Kennon, J. T.; Roberts, E.

    2016-05-01

    Arkansas BalloonSAT is an educational outreach and scientific research program that is part of Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, AR. The following is a unit of instruction to incorporate BalloonSAT measurements into secondary science classes. Students interpret graphs and identify several atmospheric trends and properties of a typical balloon flight. Students engage critical thinking skills in developing and answering their own questions relevant to the BalloonSAT program. Prerequisite concepts students should know are how to interpret graphs and unit conversions. Students should have a basic understanding of gravity, units of temperature and distance, and error in measurements. The unit is designed for one week after end-of-course exams and before the end of school. The unit may take two to five 50-minute periods, depending on how many activities are completed.

  2. Nitric oxide measurements at a nonurban eastern United States site - Wallops instrument results from July 1983 GTE/CITE mission

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Torres, A. L.

    1985-01-01

    The NASA Goddard Space Flight Center/Wallops Flight Facility nitric oxide detector used in the July 1983 GTE/CITE 1 instrument intercomparison is a chemiluminescence system which, at that time, had a detection limit of about 2 pptv (S/N = 1) for 60-s integrations. A substantial amount of NO concentration data was taken with this system at Wallops Island, VA, a site that should be typical of numerous nonurban coastal areas of the eastern United States and for which little other data are available. Midday concentrations under conditions of northwest winds averaged about 200 pptv, a value low enough to imply lower NO(x) amounts than are generally thought to exist in the eastern United States. During a 2-day period when the sampled air had spent 1-2 days over the Atlantic Ocean, average NO concentrations of 70 and 33 ptv were observed. Measurements at night indicated an average NO concentration of 16 pptv under wind conditions making contamination of the sampled air by local anthropogenic sources unlikely.

  3. Analysis of southwest propagating TIDs in the western United States

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kendall, E. A.; Bhatt, A.

    2016-12-01

    The MANGO network of 630 nm all-sky imagers in the continental United States has observed a number of westward propagating traveling ionospheric disturbances (TIDs). These TIDs include southwestward waves typically associated with Perkins electrodynamic instability, and also northwestward waves of unknown cause. A peak in the wave activity was observed during the summer of 2016 in the western US. Many of the observed structures evolve during their passage through the camera field of view. The southwestward propagating TIDs observed over California are often tilted westward or slightly northward, which may be a function of magnetic field declination. We will present analysis of MANGO network data along with GPS TEC data. This analysis will include shapes and sizes of the observed structures along with their velocities. We will present results from geomagnetic, seasonal and local time variations associated with observed TIDs. Wherever possible, we will include data from the broader MANGO network that is now taking data over the continental United States and compare with data from Boston University imagers in Massachusetts and Texas.

  4. S. 1383, Children's Protection from Violent Programming Act of 1993; S. 973, Television Report Card Act of 1993; and S. 943, Children's Television Violence Protection Act of 1993. Hearing before the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. United States Senate, One Hundred Third Congress, First Session.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Congress of the U.S., Washington, DC. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

    It is estimated that the typical American child will watch 8,000 murders and 100,000 acts of violence before finishing elementary school. Concern for the impact television violence may have on American society prompted this Senate hearing. As stated by Senator Hollings, the goals of the hearing were the following: (1) to determine the compelling…

  5. Flight evaluation of LORAN-C in the State of Vermont

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Mackenzie, F. D.; Lytle, C. D.

    1981-01-01

    A flight evaluation of LORAN C as a supplement to existing navigation aids for general aviation aircraft, particularly in mountainous regions of the United States and where VOR coverage is limited was conducted. Flights, initiated in the summer months, extend through four seasons and practically all weather conditions typical of northeastern U.S. operations. Assessment of all the data available indicates that LORAN C signals are suitable as a means of navigation during enroute, terminal and nonprecision approach operations and the performance exceeds the minimum accuracy criteria.

  6. The SI-Gap: How British Units Are Impeding Advances in STEM

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jones, M. P.; Cook, Courtney J.

    2017-11-01

    The United States is one of only three countries in the world that remain uncommitted to the metric system. Perhaps to policymakers the decision to hang on to miles, pounds, and gallons is one of tradition. However, as a physics teacher I have seen firsthand how growing up with U.S. Customary Units (commonly called by the pseudonym "British Units") has negatively impacted my students. Sure, they can convert between "British" and SI units; and they can effectively toggle between SI prefixes. However, they typically lack intuition regarding the values they express in SI. This is a major problem, but is by no means a criticism against them. Their disadvantage is the result of a unique learning gap that exists in the United States. I call it the SI(sī)-gap. The SI-gap not only impedes our ability as teachers to inspire students when it comes to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM); it also prevents our students from properly assessing the validity of their own results. As we shall soon see, the SI-gap carries consequences beyond the classroom. If we are to solve the problems that relate to the SI-gap, we need to reform the way we introduce SI units to the current generation of students.

  7. Mathematics Beliefs and Achievement of Elementary School Students in Japan and the United States: Results from the Third International Mathematics and Science Study

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    House, J. Daniel

    2006-01-01

    Student self-beliefs are significantly related to several types of academic achievement. In addition, results from international assessments have indicated that students in Japan have typically scored above international averages (D. L. Kelly, I. V. S. Mullis, & M. O. Martin, 2000). In this study, the author examined relationships between…

  8. Seedling Responses of Five Species of Western Conifers to Simulated Ambient Sulfur Dioxide Exposures

    Treesearch

    Theodor D. Leininger; Paul R. Miller; Susan L. Schilling; Paul H. Dunn

    1991-01-01

    Seedlings of ponderosa pine, Douglas-fir, white fir, Engelmann spruce, and subalpine fir were exposed continuously to charcoal-filtered (CF) air or one of three levels of a simulated ambient exposure typical of SO, pollution near smelters in the western United States. Seedlings were exposed during winter-spring experiments for 60 days to hourly means of 17, 38, and 54...

  9. A Brief Overview of the Southern United States Fire Situation January - July 1998

    Treesearch

    Dale D. Wade

    1998-01-01

    Unusually wet conditions associated with El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) this past winter had a significant negative impact on prescribed burning operations. In spite of the high rainfall, natural resource managers in Florida still succeeded in treating more than 500,000 acres during the first three months of 1998. (In a typical year about 2,000,000 acres are...

  10. Characterization and Comparison of New Concepts in Neutron Detection

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2010-05-12

    because a single detector can be reused many times. The TLDs used in this experiment were typical of those used in the United States Navy for dosimetry ...5 1.5.1 TLD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 1.5.2 Bubble Dosimeters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 1.5.3...67 v List of Figures 1.1 TLD card (left) and holder (right). The four sensitive areas are on the card and contain

  11. Increasing the Cultural Competence & Responsiveness of Family Nurse Practitioners Preparing to Work with Children with Behavioral Challenges from High-Minority Low-Income Communities

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Robinson, Tyrone; Clark, Christine

    2017-01-01

    While discussions involving multicultural education have typically concerned advocating for equity and social justice within the K-12 public schools and higher education institutions across the United States, similar advocacy and initiatives can and should be applied to the preparation of other professionals who serve the needs of the American…

  12. Relationship of invasive groundcover plant presence to evidence of disturbance in the forests of the upper midwest of the United States. Chapter 3.

    Treesearch

    W. Keith Moser; Mark H. Hansen; Mark D. Nelson; William H. McWilliams

    2009-01-01

    Nonnative invasive plants (NNIPs) have been introduced to North America by humans since European settlement. Much like other exotic-invasive organisms, NNIPs typically have some advantage over native plants, such as prolific seed production and dispersal. Native forest ecosystems that developed over centuries are limited in their ability to compete against these...

  13. Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorders: Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, United States, 2006. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Surveillance Summaries. Volume 58, Number SS-10

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Rice, Catherine

    2009-01-01

    Problem/Condition: Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are a group of developmental disabilities characterized by atypical development in socialization, communication, and behavior. ASDs typically are apparent before age 3 years, with associated impairments affecting multiple areas of a person's life. Because no biologic marker exists for ASDs,…

  14. Evaluation of the Barr & Stroud FP15 and Criterion 400 laser dendrometers for measuring upper stem diameters and heights

    Treesearch

    Michael S. Williams; Kenneth L. Cormier; Ronald G. Briggs; Donald L. Martinez

    1999-01-01

    Calibrated Barr & Stroud FP15 and Criterion 400 laser dendrometers were tested for reliability in measuring upper stem diameters and heights under typical field conditions. Data were collected in the Black Hills National Forest, which covers parts of South Dakota and Wyoming in the United States. Mixed effects models were employed to account for differences between...

  15. Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorders: Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, 14 Sites, United States, 2008. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Surveillance Summaries. Volume 61, Number 3

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Baio, Jon

    2012-01-01

    Problem/Condition: Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are a group of developmental disabilities characterized by impairments in social interaction and communication and by restricted, repetitive, and stereotyped patterns of behavior. Symptoms typically are apparent before age 3 years. The complex nature of these disorders, coupled with a lack of…

  16. Prevalence and characterization of Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella, and Shiga-toxin producing Escherichia coli isolated from small Mexican retail makers of queso fresco

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Queso fresco (QF) is a handmade cheese consumed and produced in Latin America and some regions of the United States. In Mexico, QF production is associated with a microbiological risk, as it is typically manufactured using raw milk. The aims of the study were to determine the incidence and characte...

  17. Canada-U.S. Relations

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2006-05-01

    which were announced in June 2005. Additional measures were announced at the trilateral Cancun summit between Presidents Bush and Fox and Prime...adjustments that would make it more competitive with the United States. In addition, business would also reap significant savings in transaction costs...and pricing of timber. U.S. federal and other government-owned forests are regionally important, but the timber is typically sold in a competitive

  18. Studying Online: Student Motivations and Experiences in ALA-Accredited LIS Programs

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Oguz, Fatih; Chu, Clara M.; Chow, Anthony S.

    2015-01-01

    This paper presents a large scale study of online MLIS students (n = 910), who completed at least one online course and were enrolled in 36 of the 58 ALA-accredited MLIS programs in Canada and the United States. The results indicate that the typical student is female, White, lives in an urban setting, and is in her mid-30s. Online students were…

  19. The Effect of Teacher-Support Programs on Teacher Attrition in a Rural Pre-Kindergarten through Twelfth Grade Public School System

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Thomas, Carol R.

    2013-01-01

    Many new teachers are leaving the profession during their first 3 years in a rural pre-kindergarten through 12th grade public school classroom in the southeastern United States. This study reviewed the teacher-support programs typically used in this school that assisted new teachers and encouraged their retention. This work is important because…

  20. An apparent case of long-distance breeding dispersal by a Mexican spotted owl in New Mexico

    Treesearch

    Joseph L. Ganey; Jeffrey S. Jenness

    2013-01-01

    The Mexican spotted owl (Strix occidentalis lucida) is widely but patchily distributed throughout the southwestern United States and the Republic of Mexico (Gutiérrez and others 1995, Ward and others 1995). This owl typically occurs in either rocky canyonlands or forested mountain and canyon systems containing mixed-conifer or pine-oak (Pinus spp. - Quercus spp.)...

  1. Environmental Fate of Sulfometuron Methyl in Southern Forest Watersheds

    Treesearch

    J.L. Michael; D.G. Neary

    1988-01-01

    This study evaluated the fate of sulfometuron methyl in large forest-land watersheds in typical soils of the southern United States. Sulfometuron methyl is active over a range of rates and is recommended at rates up to 0.63 kilograms active ingredient per hectare (kg ai/ha) in non-crop areas for the control of annual and perennial grasses, and broadleaved weeds. The...

  2. Tactical Level Commander and Staff Toolkit

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2010-01-01

    Sites Geodata.gov (for maps) http://gos2.geodata.gov Google Earth for .mil (United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) site) https...the eyes, ears, head, hands, back, and feet. When appropriate, personnel should wear protective lenses, goggles, or face shields . Leaders should...Typical hurricanes are about 300 miles wide, although they can vary considerably. Size is not necessarily an indication of hurricane intensity. The

  3. Defense AT and L. Volume 43, Number 4

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2014-08-01

    nature , guidance can become dated soon after it is published since it is typically anticipatory or reactive in na- ture. Tearing down boundaries and...how we pro- tect and defend the United States and its allies. Those technologies began as ideas that were nurtured , guarded and secured by...intimidation by criminals /insurgents, and safe facilities for their workers. They also need reliable infrastructure for their manufacturing facilities

  4. Airborne reduced nitrogen: ammonia emissions from agriculture and other sources.

    PubMed

    Anderson, Natalie; Strader, Ross; Davidson, Cliff

    2003-06-01

    Ammonia is a basic gas and one of the most abundant nitrogen-containing compounds in the atmosphere. When emitted, ammonia reacts with oxides of nitrogen and sulfur to form particles, typically in the fine particle size range. Roughly half of the PM(2.5) mass in eastern United States is ammonium sulfate, according to the US EPA. Results from recent studies of PM(2.5) show that these fine particles are typically deposited deep in the lungs and may lead to increased morbidity and/or mortality. Also, these particles are in the size range that will degrade visibility. Ammonia emission inventories are usually constructed by multiplying an activity level by an experimentally determined emission factor for each source category. Typical sources of ammonia include livestock, fertilizer, soils, forest fires and slash burning, industry, vehicles, the oceans, humans, pets, wild animals, and waste disposal and recycling activities. Livestock is the largest source category in the United States, with waste from livestock responsible for about 3x10(9) kg of ammonia in 1995. Volatilization of ammonia from livestock waste is dependent on many parameters, and thus emission factors are difficult to predict. Despite a seasonal variation in these values, the emission factors for general livestock categories are usually annually averaged in current inventories. Activity levels for livestock are from the USDA Census of Agriculture, which does not give information about animal raising practices such as housing types and grazing times, waste handling systems, and approximate animal slurry spreading times or methods. Ammonia emissions in the United States in 1995 from sources other than livestock are much lower; for example, annual emissions are roughly 8x10(8) kg from fertilizer, 7x10(7) kg from industry, 5x10(7) kg from vehicles and 1x10(8) kg from humans. There is considerable uncertainty in the emissions from soil and vegetation, although this category may also be significant. Recommendations for future directions in ammonia research include designing experiments to improve emission factors and their resolution in all significant source categories, developing mass balance models, and refining of the livestock activity level data by eliciting judgment from experts in this field.

  5. Recent improvement and projected worsening of weather in the United States.

    PubMed

    Egan, Patrick J; Mullin, Megan

    2016-04-21

    As climate change unfolds, weather systems in the United States have been shifting in patterns that vary across regions and seasons. Climate science research typically assesses these changes by examining individual weather indicators, such as temperature or precipitation, in isolation, and averaging their values across the spatial surface. As a result, little is known about population exposure to changes in weather and how people experience and evaluate these changes considered together. Here we show that in the United States from 1974 to 2013, the weather conditions experienced by the vast majority of the population improved. Using previous research on how weather affects local population growth to develop an index of people’s weather preferences, we find that 80% of Americans live in counties that are experiencing more pleasant weather than they did four decades ago. Virtually all Americans are now experiencing the much milder winters that they typically prefer, and these mild winters have not been offset by markedly more uncomfortable summers or other negative changes. Climate change models predict that this trend is temporary, however, because US summers will eventually warm more than winters. Under a scenario in which greenhouse gas emissions proceed at an unabated rate (Representative Concentration Pathway 8.5), we estimate that 88% of the US public will experience weather at the end of the century that is less preferable than weather in the recent past. Our results have implications for the public’s understanding of the climate change problem, which is shaped in part by experiences with local weather. Whereas weather patterns in recent decades have served as a poor source of motivation for Americans to demand a policy response to climate change, public concern may rise once people’s everyday experiences of climate change effects start to become less pleasant.

  6. Investigation on Improvements in Lightning Retest Criteria for Spacecraft

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Terseck, Alex; Trout, Dawn

    2016-01-01

    Spacecraft are generally protected from a direct strike by launch the vehicle and ground structures, but protocols to evaluate the impact of nearby strikes are not consistent. Often spacecraft rely on the launch vehicle constraints to trigger a retest, but launch vehicles can typically evaluate the impact of a strike within minutes while spacecraft evaluation times can be on the order of hours or even days. For launches at the Kennedy Space Center where lightning activity is among the highest in the United States, this evaluation related delay could be costly with the possibility of missing the launch window altogether. This paper evaluated available data from local lightning measurements systems and computer simulations to predict the coupled effect from various nearby strikes onto a typical payload umbilical. Recommendations are provided to reduce the typical trigger criteria and costly delays.

  7. Homicide, suicide, motor vehicle crash, and fall mortality: United States' experience in comparative perspective.

    PubMed Central

    Rockett, I R; Smith, G S

    1989-01-01

    US mortality data on motor vehicle crashes, falls, suicide, and homicide for 1980 are compared with corresponding data for France, Japan, West Germany, and the United Kingdom. Unadjusted and age-specific death rates are presented, together with age-adjusted rates of years of life lost (YLL). A large male excess in rates is typical outside the fall category. Motor vehicle crashes are the predominant cause of YLL, and the United States manifests the highest YLL rates for each sex. US fall death rates at the older ages are exceeded by those of France and West Germany. The elderly generally manifest the greatest risk of suicide; American females exhibit a unique rate decline after ages 45-54 years, however. Beyond early adulthood, US suicide rates are lower than those of France, Japan, and West Germany. US homicide rates dwarf those of the comparison countries with 16- to 29-fold differentials separating prime-risk American males aged 25-34 years from their foreign counterparts. PMID:2782511

  8. Is there a shortage of neurosurgeons in the United States?

    PubMed

    Rosman, Judy; Slane, Steve; Dery, Beth; Vogelbaum, Michael A; Cohen-Gadol, Aaron A; Couldwell, William T

    2013-08-01

    Neurosurgical workforce decision-making is typically driven by the 1 neurosurgeon per 100,000 population ratio proposed in 1977 in the Study on Surgical Services for the United States report. The actual ratio has always been higher than suggested. We evaluated whether the 1:100,000 ratio from the Study on Surgical Services for the United States report is still valid, whether there are enough neurosurgeons in the United States to meet patient needs, and whether demand is driven by patient need. For our analysis, the distribution of practicing US neurosurgeons was merged with census data to yield density indices of neurosurgeons by state; a survey assessing practice characteristics was e-mailed to practicing neurosurgeons; and a compilation of job advertisements for US neurosurgeons was evaluated. Multivariant statistical analyses yielded inconclusive results regarding patient demand because existing data sets are not designed to establish patient demand and many neurosurgeons are subspecialized. The data indicated that the ratio of neurosurgeons to total US population is 1:65,580. In the survey responses, neurosurgeon-to-patient ratios varied dramatically by state and were inconsistently correlated with whether neurosurgeons indicated they were overworked or underworked. The 305 job advertisements may indicate a shortage. Twenty-four percent of advertising practices indicated that they are recruiting only for emergency department coverage, and an additional 26% indicated that they might not be recruiting if not for the need for emergency coverage. Demand ratios should be reevaluated by region and subspecialty to consider changes in neurosurgery practice. A "shortage" in the employment market may reflect factors other than patient need.

  9. Methods for Estimating Annual Wastewater Nutrient Loads in the Southeastern United States

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    McMahon, Gerard; Tervelt, Larinda; Donehoo, William

    2007-01-01

    This report describes an approach for estimating annual total nitrogen and total phosphorus loads from point-source dischargers in the southeastern United States. Nutrient load estimates for 2002 were used in the calibration and application of a regional nutrient model, referred to as the SPARROW (SPAtially Referenced Regression On Watershed attributes) watershed model. Loads from dischargers permitted under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System were calculated using data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Permit Compliance System database and individual state databases. Site information from both state and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency databases, including latitude and longitude and monitored effluent data, was compiled into a project database. For sites with a complete effluent-monitoring record, effluent-flow and nutrient-concentration data were used to develop estimates of annual point-source nitrogen and phosphorus loads. When flow data were available but nutrient-concentration data were missing or incomplete, typical pollutant-concentration values of total nitrogen and total phosphorus were used to estimate load. In developing typical pollutant-concentration values, the major factors assumed to influence wastewater nutrient-concentration variability were the size of the discharger (the amount of flow), the season during which discharge occurred, and the Standard Industrial Classification code of the discharger. One insight gained from this study is that in order to gain access to flow, concentration, and location data, close communication and collaboration are required with the agencies that collect and manage the data. In addition, the accuracy and usefulness of the load estimates depend on the willingness of the states and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to provide guidance and review for at least a subset of the load estimates that may be problematic.

  10. Crystallographic features of the approximant H (Mn7Si2V) phase in the Mn-Si-V alloy system

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nakayama, Kei; Komatsuzaki, Takumi; Koyama, Yasumasa

    2018-07-01

    The intermetallic compound H (Mn7Si2V) phase in the Mn-Si-V alloy system can be regarded as an approximant phase of the dodecagonal quasicrystal as one of the two-dimensional quasicrystals. To understand the features of the approximant H phase, in this study, the crystallographic features of both the H phase and the (σ → H) reaction in Mn-Si-V alloy samples were investigated, mainly by transmission electron microscopy. It was found that, in the H phase, there were characteristic structural disorders with respect to an array of a dodecagonal structural unit consisting of 19 dodecagonal atomic columns. Concretely, penetrated structural units consisting of two dodecagonal structural units were presumed to be typical of such disorders. An interesting feature of the (σ → H) reaction was that regions with a rectangular arrangement of penetrated structural units (RAPU) first appeared in the σ matrix as the initial state, and H regions were then nucleated in contact with RAPU regions. The subsequent conversion of RAPU regions into H regions eventually resulted in the formation of the approximant H state as the final state. Furthermore, atomic positions in both the H structure and the dodecagonal quasicrystal were examined using a simple plane-wave model with 12 plane waves.

  11. Terrestrial Ecosystems-Surficial Lithology of the Conterminous United States

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Cress, Jill; Soller, David; Sayre, Roger G.; Comer, Patrick; Warner, Harumi

    2010-01-01

    As part of an effort to map terrestrial ecosystems, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has generated a new classification of the lithology of surficial materials to be used in creating maps depicting standardized, terrestrial ecosystem models for the conterminous United States. The ecosystems classification used in this effort was developed by NatureServe. A biophysical stratification approach, developed for South America and now being implemented globally, was used to model the ecosystem distributions. This ecosystem mapping methodology is transparent, replicable, and rigorous. Surficial lithology strongly influences the differentiation and distribution of terrestrial ecosystems, and is one of the key input layers in this biophysical stratification. These surficial lithology classes were derived from the USGS map 'Surficial Materials in the Conterminous United States,' which was based on texture, internal structure, thickness, and environment of deposition or formation of materials. This original map was produced from a compilation of regional surficial and bedrock geology source maps using broadly defined common map units for the purpose of providing an overview of the existing data and knowledge. For the terrestrial ecosystem effort, the 28 lithology classes of Soller and Reheis (2004) were generalized and then reclassified into a set of 17 lithologies that typically control or influence the distribution of vegetation types.

  12. Component-Level Selection and Qualification for the Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) Laser Altimeter Transmitter

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Frese, Erich A.; Chiragh, Furqan L.; Switzer, Robert; Vasilyev, Aleksey A.; Thomes, Joe; Coyle, D. Barry; Stysley, Paul R.

    2018-01-01

    Flight quality solid-state lasers require a unique and extensive set of testing and qualification processes, both at the system and component levels to insure the laser's promised performance. As important as the overall laser transmitter design is, the quality and performance of individual subassemblies, optics, and electro-optics dictate the final laser unit's quality. The Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) laser transmitters employ all the usual components typical for a diode-pumped, solid-state laser, yet must each go through their own individual process of specification, modeling, performance demonstration, inspection, and destructive testing. These qualification processes and results for the laser crystals, laser diode arrays, electro-optics, and optics, will be reviewed as well as the relevant critical issues encountered, prior to their installation in the GEDI flight laser units.

  13. [From the Residency Training in the United States to See the Challenges and Directions of China Residency Standardized Training].

    PubMed

    Cui, Yong; Wang, Tianyou

    2016-06-20

    Resident standardization training has been started and spreaded out gradually in China. Resident standardization training is crucial to ensure the clinician homogenization, improve medical service quality and level of medical treatment and health care, so it received much attention from all sides. Residency training in American has a history of nearly a century. Systematic model of residency training in the United States had been established for nearly 50 years, and it is a typical representative and successful example of the western medical education. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the institutional arrangements and development direction of the resident standardization training in China, based on comparison of the two residency training system between the two countries on target, schedule, management institution, evaluation and remuneration.

  14. Timber type separability in Southeastern United States on LANDSAT-1 MSS data

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Kan, E. P.; Dillman, R. D.

    1975-01-01

    A quantitative, computer-aided study was made on the spectral separability of timber types and condition classes in the Southeastern United States, using LANDSAT-1 multispectral scanner data. It was concluded that LANDSAT-1 could be used effectively to discriminate the gross forest features of softwood, hardwood, and regeneration. The only significant detectable age difference would be between an established forest versus a young (or denuded) forest. The red or near infrared bands would be better for discrimination; phenological early and late spring data would be better than winter. And a temporal analysis would be superior to single-season analysis. Lastly, two spectral bands would be most cost effective for computer analysis. The study site was Sam Houston National Forest of East Texas, a typical forest in the Flatwoods Zone, Southern Region, U. S. Forest Service.

  15. The importance of social context in cross-cultural comparisons: first graders in Colombia and the United States.

    PubMed

    Pilgrim, Colleen; Rueda-Riedle, Alba

    2002-09-01

    The authors explored the cultural constructs of individualism and collectivism by investigating the prosocial behavior of 1st graders (N = 202; 110 girls, 92 boys) in countries typically classified as collectivist (Colombia, South America) and individualist (United States). Contrary to expectations, U.S. children shared more than Colombian children did. However, U.S. children were more likely to take candy from another child without permission (demonstrating individualism). Results indicated that in both countries sharing was greater with friends than with other fellow classmates, and children frequently reported friendship as the reason they shared. Findings support the importance of the social context, such as the relationship between participants, in cross-cultural research and suggest that simple dichotomies of culture often overlook complex associations between culture and behavioral differences.

  16. TRMM-3B43 Bias Correction over the High Elevations of the Contiguous United States

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hashemi, H.; Nordin, K. M.; Lakshmi, V.; Knight, R. J.

    2016-12-01

    Precipitation can be quantified using a rain gauge network, or a remotely sensed precipitation product. Ultimately, the choice of dataset depends on the particular application, the catchment size, climate and the time period of study. In a region with a long record and a dense rain gauge network, the elevation-modified ground-based precipitation product, PRISM, has been found to work well. However, in poorly gauged regions the use of remotely sensed precipitation products is an absolute necessity. The Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) has provided valuable precipitation datasets for hydrometeorological studies over the past two decades (1998-2015). One concern regarding the usage of TRMM data is the accuracy of the precipitation estimates, when compared to those obtained using PRISM. The reason for this concern is that TRMM and PRISM do not always agree and, typically, TRMM underestimates PRISM over the mountainous regions of the United States. In this study, we develop a correction function to improve the accuracy of the TRMM monthly product (TRMM-3B43) by estimating and removing the bias in the satellite data using the ground-based precipitation product, PRISM. We observe a strong relationship between the bias and land surface elevation; TRMM-3B43 tends to underestimate the PRISM product at altitudes greater than 1500 m above mean sea level (m.amsl) in the contiguous United States. A relationship is developed between TRMM-PRISM bias and elevation. The correction function is used to adjust the TRMM monthly precipitation using PRISM and elevation data. The model is calibrated using 25% of the available time period and the remaining 75% of the time period is used for validation. The corrected TRMM-3B43 product is verified for the high elevations over the contiguous United States and two local regions in the mountainous areas of the western United States. The results show a significant improvement in the accuracy of the TRMM product in the high elevations of the contiguous United States.

  17. Smart Water Conservation System for Irrigated Landscape. ESTCP Cost and Performance Report

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2016-10-01

    water use by as much as 70% in support of meeting EO 13693. Additional performance objectives were to validate energy reduction, cost effectiveness ...Additional performance objectives were to validate energy reduction, cost effectiveness , and system reliability while maintaining satisfactory plant health...developments. The demonstration was conducted for two different climatic regions in the southwestern part of the United States (U.S.), where a typical

  18. Low Titer Group O Whole Blood in Emergency Situations

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2014-01-01

    ABO incompatibility is defined as transfusion of donor anti-A and/or anti-B to a patient whose RBCs carry A or B antigens . Clinical consequences are...typically minor and frequently subclinical (12). Platelet transfusions with ABO- incompatible plasma occur routinely in hospitals in the United States...minor ABO incompatibility as nonidentical platelet transfusion . It is therefore a paradox that in some countries the regula- tory authorities have

  19. Preliminary Guide to the Onsite Identification and Delineation of the Wetlands of the South Atlantic United States.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1982-05-01

    freshwater aquatic zone. ...... 16 3 Generalized profile of a high salinity saltmarsh and coastal flat ... ................... 21 4 Generalized profile of a...low salinity marsh .. ........ 23 5 Generalized profile of a freshwater marsh .. ......... 27 6 Generalized profile of a swamp. ................33 3...habitat for associated biota. c. Wetlands typically have a major influence on drainage, salinities , flushing characteristics, current, and

  20. Preliminary Guide to the Onsite Identification and Delineation of the Wetlands of the Interior United States.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1982-05-01

    salinity or alkalinity. Salicornia rubra (Glasswort) Salicornia spp. (Pickleweed) Seauvium verrwuoeu (Sea purslane ) 18 is I 4 ’F : #.. Suaeda depreaea (Sea... salinity or alkalinity. The innermost vegetated zone is often composed of halophytes such as sea purslane , pickleweed or glasswort (usually Salicornia...c. Wetlands typically have a major influence on drainage, salinities , flushing characteristics, current, and sedi- mentation patterns. d. Certain

  1. Method and apparatus for secondary laser pumping by electron beam excitation

    DOEpatents

    George, E. Victor; Krupke, William F.; Murray, John R.; Powell, Howard T.; Swingle, James C.; Turner, Jr., Charles E.; Rhodes, Charles K.

    1978-01-01

    An electron beam of energy typically 100 keV excites a fluorescer gas which emits ultraviolet radiation. This radiation excites and drives an adjacent laser gas by optical pumping or photolytic dissociation to produce high efficiency pulses. The invention described herein was made in the course of, or under, United States Energy Research and Development Administration Contract No. W-7405-Eng-48 with the University of California.

  2. The Neuroanatomy of Sexual Dimorphism in Opioid Analgesia

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2014-04-13

    2012 for review). Studies utilizing orofacial , somatosensory or visceral pain assays typically report that morphine produces a significantly greater...Review The neuroanatomy of sexual dimorphism in opioid analgesia Dayna R. Loyd a, Anne Z. Murphy b,⁎ a Pain Management Research Area, United States...online 13 April 2014 Keywords: Pain Periaqueductal gray Morphine Mu opioid receptor The influence of sex has been neglected in clinical studies on pain

  3. Profile of Ritualistic and Religion-Related Abuse Allegations Reported to Clinical Psychologists in the United States.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bottoms, Bette L.; And Others

    One of the most shocking claims about child abuse in recent years is that satanic, occult, or ritualistic abuse is occurring and on the rise. To date, no one has attempted to assess the prevalence of claims of such abuse, or to determine the range of cases and the nature of the typical case. This study is currently surveying approximately 41,000…

  4. Feed-In Tariffs and similar programs

    EIA Publications

    2013-01-01

    Feed-in tariffs (FITs) are a policy mechanism used to encourage deployment of renewable electricity technologies. FITs are used to a limited extent around the United States as listed. A FIT program typically guarantees that customers who own a FIT-eligible renewable electricity generation facility, such as a roof-top solar photovoltaic system, will receive a set price from their utility for all of the electricity they generate and provide to the grid.

  5. Relative importance of root grafts and bark beetles to the spread of Dutch elm disease

    Treesearch

    R. A. Cuthbert; W. N., Jr. Cannon; J. W. Peacock

    1975-01-01

    Root-graft transmission of Dutch elm disease (DED) is sometimes ignored in both research studies and city programs to control DED. Our results indicate that elms adjacent to 1-, 2-, or 3-year-old stumps have a disease rate three to five times higher than elms not adjacent to stumps. We conclude that in Detroit, which has elm plantings typical of many United States...

  6. Planned Burn-Piedmont. A local operational numerical meteorological model for tracking smoke on the ground at night: Model development and sensitivity tests

    Treesearch

    Gary L. Achtemeier

    2005-01-01

    Smoke from both prescribed fires and wildfires can, under certain meteorological conditions, become entrapped within shallow layers of air near the ground at night and get carried to unexpected destinations as a combination of weather systems push air through interlocking ridge-valley terrain typical of the Piedmont of the Soutthern United States. Entrapped smoke...

  7. Reflections on End of Life: Comparison of American Indian and Non-Indian Peoples in South Dakota

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Schrader, Susan L.; Nelson, Margot L.; Eidsness, LuAnn M.

    2009-01-01

    During the past century, dramatic changes have occurred in the way death is experienced in the United States. A death in 1900 typically occurred as a result of sudden illness and injury among the young at home. Today, Americans are more likely to die from long-term, chronic illness in later life, often in institutional settings. In addition to the…

  8. The influence of protein and energy density in commercial diets on growth, body composition, and nutrient retention of sunshine bass Morone chrysops x Morone saxatilis reared at extreme temperature

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Three growth trials were conducted with juvenile sunshine bass reared at temperatures typical of winter or summer pond culture in the Southeastern United States. The trials were designed to determine if there was an advantage to feeding a commercial high-protein/high-fat diet during winter and a lo...

  9. Imaging-Assisted Large-Format Breast Pathology: Program Rationale and Development in a Nonprofit Health System in the United States

    PubMed Central

    Tucker, F. Lee

    2012-01-01

    Modern breast imaging, including magnetic resonance imaging, provides an increasingly clear depiction of breast cancer extent, often with suboptimal pathologic confirmation. Pathologic findings guide management decisions, and small increments in reported tumor characteristics may rationalize significant changes in therapy and staging. Pathologic techniques to grossly examine resected breast tissue have changed little during this era of improved breast imaging and still rely primarily on the techniques of gross inspection and specimen palpation. Only limited imaging information is typically conveyed to pathologists, typically in the form of wire-localization images from breast-conserving procedures. Conventional techniques of specimen dissection and section submission destroy the three-dimensional integrity of the breast anatomy and tumor distribution. These traditional methods of breast specimen examination impose unnecessary limitations on correlation with imaging studies, measurement of cancer extent, multifocality, and margin distance. Improvements in pathologic diagnosis, reporting, and correlation of breast cancer characteristics can be achieved by integrating breast imagers into the specimen examination process and the use of large-format sections which preserve local anatomy. This paper describes the successful creation of a large-format pathology program to routinely serve all patients in a busy interdisciplinary breast center associated with a community-based nonprofit health system in the United States. PMID:23316372

  10. Impact of Installation Faults on Heat Pump Performance

    DOE PAGES

    Hourahan, Glenn; Baxter, Van D.

    2015-01-01

    Numerous studies and surveys indicate that typically-installed HVAC equipment operate inefficiently and waste considerable energy due to varied installation errors (faults) such as improper refrigerant charge, incorrect airflow, oversized equipment, and leaky ducts. This article summarizes the results of a large United States (U.S.) experimental/analytical study (U.S. contribution to IEA HPP Annex 36) of the impact that different faults have on the performance of an air-source heat pump (ASHP) in a typical U.S. single-family house. It combines building effects, equipment effects, and climate effects in an evaluation of the faults impact on seasonal energy consumption through simulations of the house/ASHPmore » pump system.« less

  11. Acute care nurse practitioners in trauma care: results of a role survey and implications for the future of health care delivery.

    PubMed

    Noffsinger, Dana L

    2014-01-01

    The role of acute care nurse practitioners (ACNPs) in trauma care has evolved over time. A survey was performed with the aim of describing the role across the United States. There were 68 respondents who depicted the typical trauma ACNP as being a 42-year-old woman who works full-time at a level I American College of Surgeons verified trauma center. Trauma ACNPs typically practice with 80% of their time for clinical care and are based on a trauma and acute care surgery service. They are acute care certified and hold several advanced certifications to supplement their nursing license.

  12. A nationwide survey of state-mandated evaluation practices for domestic violence agencies.

    PubMed

    Riger, Stephanie; Staggs, Susan L

    2011-01-01

    Many agencies serving survivors of domestic violence are required to evaluate their services. Three possible evaluation strategies include: a) process measurement, which typically involves a frequency count of agency activities, such as the number of counseling hours given; b) outcome evaluation, which measures the impact of agency activities on clients, such as increased understanding of the dynamics of abuse; or c) performance measurement, which assesses the extent to which agencies achieve their stated goals. Findings of a telephone survey of state funders of domestic violence agencies in the United States revealed that most states (67%) require only process measurement, while fewer than 10% require performance measurement. Most (69%) funders reported satisfaction with their evaluation strategy and emphasized the need for involvement of all stakeholders, especially grantees, in developing an evaluation.

  13. Fractional quantization of the magnetic flux in cylindrical unconventional superconductors.

    PubMed

    Loder, F; Kampf, A P; Kopp, T

    2013-07-26

    The magnetic flux threading a conventional superconducting ring is typically quantized in units of Φ0=hc/2e. The factor of 2 in the denominator of Φ0 originates from the existence of two different types of pairing states with minima of the free energy at even and odd multiples of Φ0. Here we show that spatially modulated pairing states exist with energy minima at fractional flux values, in particular, at multiples of Φ0/2. In such states, condensates with different center-of-mass momenta of the Cooper pairs coexist. The proposed mechanism for fractional flux quantization is discussed in the context of cuprate superconductors, where hc/4e flux periodicities were observed.

  14. Maternal health care at a Japanese American relocation camp, 1942-1945: a historical study.

    PubMed

    McKay, S

    1997-09-01

    From late summer of 1942 until the fall of 1945, approximately 120,000 ethnic Japanese were confined behind barbed wire within 10 relocation camps in the United States. Although histories have been written about the relocation camps, little data are available about women's lives. This study explored women's lives and experiences with pregnancy, childbirth, and child care in a Japanese-American relocation camp. Twenty women who were ages 18 to 31 years at the time of internment at Heart Mountain, Wyoming Japanese American Relocation Camp, and one caucasian nurse who worked in the obstetric unit of the camp's hospital were interviewed. Archival, demographic, and historical data, including some prenatal records, provided information about maternity and public health care for pregnant women and new mothers. Obstetric hospital practices were typical of the 1940s in the United States. Community public health services for new mothers included formula kitchens and well-baby clinics. Infant mortality statistics from 1942 to 1945 at Heart Mountain were comparatively better for the same time period than for the state of Wyoming or the United States. These outcomes may have reflected the camp's extensive social and family support, adequate housing and food, and universal access to maternity services. The Heart Mountain internment provides a story about how women's lives are impacted by war. Since World War II, civilians, especially women and children, have increasingly been targeted during wars with profound impact upon the health of mothers and babies.

  15. DoD Computer Network Operations: Time to Hit the Send Button

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2008-03-10

    Civil Authorities ( MACA ) Employment of military forces within the borders of the United States under the heading of civil support typically falls...under the broad mission of MACA which includes three main areas—military support to civil authorities (MSCA), military support to civilian law...providing military assistance to civil authorities.90 The Directive defines MACA as “[t]hose DoD activities and measures covered under MSCA plus DoD

  16. Managing the Nuclear Fuel Cycle: Policy Implications of Expanding Global Access to Nuclear Power

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2007-11-01

    critical aspect of the nuclear fuel cycle for the United States, where longstanding nonproliferation policy discouraged commercial nuclear fuel...perhaps the most critical question in this decade for strengthening the nuclear nonproliferation regime: how can access to sensitive fuel cycle...process can take advantage of the slight difference in atomic mass between 235U and 238U. The typical enrichment process requires about 10 lbs of uranium

  17. Project summary: Application of a trailer-mounted slash bundler for southern logging

    Treesearch

    S. Meadows; T. Gallagher; D. Mitchell

    2010-01-01

    The John Deere bundler was originally designed to collect material behind a cut‐to‐length (CTL) operation, where the biomass feedstock is distributed across the harvested site. While the occurrence of a CTL operation is common in Europe, it is rarely used in the southern United States. Southern logging typically involves a tree‐length operation, where the whole tree is...

  18. Lyme Disease: What the Wilderness Provider Needs to Know.

    PubMed

    Forrester, Joseph D; Vakkalanka, J Priyanka; Holstege, Christopher P; Mead, Paul S

    2015-12-01

    Lyme disease is a multisystem tickborne illness caused by the spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi and is the most common vectorborne disease in the United States. Prognosis after initiation of appropriate antibiotic therapy is typically good if treated early. Wilderness providers caring for patients who live in or travel to high-incidence Lyme disease areas should be aware of the basic biology, epidemiology, clinical manifestations, and treatment of Lyme disease. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  19. Battery Calendar Life Estimator Manual Modeling and Simulation

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Jon P. Christophersen; Ira Bloom; Ed Thomas

    2012-10-01

    The Battery Life Estimator (BLE) Manual has been prepared to assist developers in their efforts to estimate the calendar life of advanced batteries for automotive applications. Testing requirements and procedures are defined by the various manuals previously published under the United States Advanced Battery Consortium (USABC). The purpose of this manual is to describe and standardize a method for estimating calendar life based on statistical models and degradation data acquired from typical USABC battery testing.

  20. Battery Life Estimator Manual Linear Modeling and Simulation

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Jon P. Christophersen; Ira Bloom; Ed Thomas

    2009-08-01

    The Battery Life Estimator (BLE) Manual has been prepared to assist developers in their efforts to estimate the calendar life of advanced batteries for automotive applications. Testing requirements and procedures are defined by the various manuals previously published under the United States Advanced Battery Consortium (USABC). The purpose of this manual is to describe and standardize a method for estimating calendar life based on statistical models and degradation data acquired from typical USABC battery testing.

  1. Final Environmental Assessment for Long-Term Vegetation Control for Eglin Air Force Base, Florida

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2008-07-14

    of vegetation typically adapted for life in saturated soil conditions” (USACE, 1987). The majority of jurisdictional wetlands in the United States...hardwood, sand pine, and titi encroachment. Longleaf Pine Sandhills consist of a high diversity of species adapted to fire and the heterogeneous...fire frequency in flatwoods is one to eight years, with nearly all of the plants and animals inhabiting this community adapted to recurrent fires

  2. Understanding the Molecular Basis of Psoriasis | Center for Cancer Research

    Cancer.gov

    Unsightly red patches, itchy, flaky skin, and disfigured nails are typical symptoms of psoriasis, one of the most common chronic inflammatory diseases of the skin. An estimated 7.5 million people in the United States are affected. The disease is characterized by increased production of skin cells and inflammation in the skin, but it is unclear if the primary trigger is dysregulation of the immune system, abnormalities in skin cells, or both.

  3. A History of Spacecraft Environmental Control and Life Support Systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Daues, Katherine R.

    2006-01-01

    A spacecraft's Environmental Control and Life Support (ECLS) system enables and maintains a habitable and sustaining environment for its crew. A typical ECLS system provides for atmosphere consumables and revitalization, environmental monitoring, pressure, temperature and humidity control, heat rejection (including equipment cooling), food and water supply and management, waste management, and fire detection and suppression. The following is a summary of ECLS systems used in United States (US) and Russian human spacecraft.

  4. A Qualitative Study of Affordability: Virginia and San Antonio Class Programs

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2014-06-01

    that actual costs and operational tempos resemble original assumptions is the most uncertain aspect of sustainment costs. Operators must respond to a...SSN 774 through SSN 787; this represents 47% of the total inventory, a typical variation for ships from the acquisition standard of 10%. Even... Goldberg , M., … MacKinnon, M. (1994). The U.S. submarine production base (MR-456-OSD). Santa Monica, CA: RAND. Blickstein, I. United States. Department

  5. Road map to esophagectomy for nurses.

    PubMed

    Logue, Barbara; Griffin, Scott

    2011-08-01

    Esophageal cancer, although considered uncommon in the United States, continues to exhibit increased incidence. Esophageal cancer now ranks seventh among cancers in mortality for men in the United States. Even as treatment continues to advance, the mortality rate remains high, with a 5-year survival rate less than 35%. Esophageal cancer typically is discovered in advanced stages, which reduces the treatment options. When disease is locally advanced, esophagectomy remains the standard for treatment. Surgery remains challenging and complicated. Multiple surgical approaches are available, with the choice determined by tumor location and stage of disease. Recovery is often fraught with complications-both physical and emotional. Nursing care revolves around complex care managing multiple body systems and providing effective education and emotional support for both patients and patients' families. Even after recovery, local recurrence and distant metastases are common. Early diagnosis, surgical advancement, and improvements in postoperative care continue to improve outcomes.

  6. Caripito itch: dermatitis from contact with Hylesia moths.

    PubMed

    Dinehart, S M; Archer, M E; Wolf, J E; McGavran, M H; Reitz, C; Smith, E B

    1985-11-01

    Caripito itch, a pruritic dermatosis rarely seen in the United States, is caused by contact with moths of the genus Hylesia--specifically, with urticating abdominal hairs of the adult female moth. The purpose of this study was to investigate an outbreak of Caripito itch that occurred in thirty-four of thirty-five crew members of a British oil tanker who were exposed to Hylesia moths at the port of Caripito, Venezuela. Methods of investigation included general history and physical examination of all crew members, complete inspection of the ship, transparent-tape slide preparations from involved skin, cutaneous histopathologic studies, and entomologic examination of the moths. The patients had a typical papulourticarial eruption, primarily on exposed surfaces. Although Hylesia moths do not occur in the United States, primary care physicians and dermatologists, especially those located in port cities, should be aware of cutaneous lepidopterism caused by Hylesia moths.

  7. River flow changes related to land and water management practices across the conterminous United States

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Eng, Ken; Wolock, David M.; Carlisle, Daren M.

    2013-01-01

    The effects of land and water management practices (LWMP)—such as the construction of dams and roads—on river flows typically have been studied at the scale of single river watersheds or for a single type of LWMP. For the most part, assessments of the relative effects of multiple LWMP within many river watersheds across regional and national scales have been lacking. This study assesses flow alteration—quantified as deviation of several flow metrics from natural conditions—at 4196 gauged rivers affected by a variety of LWMP across the conterminous United States. The most widespread causes of flow changes among the LWMP considered were road density and dams. Agricultural development and wastewater discharges also were associated with flow changes in some regions. Dams generally reduced most attributes of flow, whereas road density, agriculture and wastewater discharges tended to be associated with increased flows compared to their natural condition.

  8. Similarities and Differences in Maternal Responsiveness in Three Societies: Evidence From Fiji, Kenya, and the United States.

    PubMed

    Broesch, Tanya; Rochat, Philippe; Olah, Kata; Broesch, James; Henrich, Joseph

    2016-05-01

    The first relationship between an infant and her caregiver, typically the mother, lays the foundation for cognitive, social, and emotional development. Maternal responsiveness and affect mirroring have been studied extensively in Western societies yet very few studies have systematically examined these caregiving features in non-Western settings. Sixty-six mother-infant dyads (7 months, SD = 3.1) were observed in a small-scale, rural island society in Fiji, a village in Kenya, and an urban center in the United States. Mothers responded similarly to infant bids overall, but differences were found across societies in the ways mothers selectively respond to affective displays. This has implications for understanding early emotion socialization as well as understanding variation in infant social ecologies across the globe. © 2016 The Authors. Child Development © 2016 Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.

  9. Mycotic Infections Acquired outside Areas of Known Endemicity, United States.

    PubMed

    Benedict, Kaitlin; Thompson, George R; Deresinski, Stan; Chiller, Tom

    2015-11-01

    In the United States, endemic mycoses--blastomycosis, coccidioidomycosis, and histoplasmosis--pose considerable clinical and public health challenges. Although the causative fungi typically exist within broadly defined geographic areas or ecologic niches, some evidence suggests that cases have occurred in humans and animals not exposed to these areas. We describe cases acquired outside regions of traditionally defined endemicity. These patients often have severe disease, but diagnosis may be delayed because of a low index of suspicion for mycotic disease, and many more cases probably go entirely undetected. Increased awareness of these diseases, with a specific focus on their potential occurrence in unusual areas, is needed. Continued interdisciplinary efforts to reevaluate and better describe areas of true endemicity are warranted, along with a more nuanced view of the notion of endemicity. The term "nonendemic" should be used with care; mycoses in such regions might more accurately be considered "not known to be endemic."

  10. Mycotic Infections Acquired outside Areas of Known Endemicity, United States

    PubMed Central

    Thompson, George R.; Deresinski, Stan; Chiller, Tom

    2015-01-01

    In the United States, endemic mycoses—blastomycosis, coccidioidomycosis, and histoplasmosis—pose considerable clinical and public health challenges. Although the causative fungi typically exist within broadly defined geographic areas or ecologic niches, some evidence suggests that cases have occurred in humans and animals not exposed to these areas. We describe cases acquired outside regions of traditionally defined endemicity. These patients often have severe disease, but diagnosis may be delayed because of a low index of suspicion for mycotic disease, and many more cases probably go entirely undetected. Increased awareness of these diseases, with a specific focus on their potential occurrence in unusual areas, is needed. Continued interdisciplinary efforts to reevaluate and better describe areas of true endemicity are warranted, along with a more nuanced view of the notion of endemicity. The term “nonendemic” should be used with care; mycoses in such regions might more accurately be considered “not known to be endemic.” PMID:26485441

  11. Employment in Adults with Down Syndrome in the United States: Results from a National Survey.

    PubMed

    Kumin, Libby; Schoenbrodt, Lisa

    2016-07-01

    There is no current data about employment/unemployment of adults with Down syndrome in the United States. The data that exists includes adults with Down syndrome as part of the larger group of people with disabilities or people with intellectual disability. This study used a survey to investigate paid and volunteer employment, unemployment, types of jobs, job training, job settings, job schedules and job satisfaction in adults with Down syndrome. There were 511 survey responses received. Findings were that there is high unemployment for adults with Down syndrome and that current employment is in a limited number of fields, primarily in the areas of food, janitorial work, landscaping, and office work. A small percentage of respondents have full time paid employment. A combination of part time paid employment and unpaid volunteer work is typical. Implications for educators, counselors, legislators and employers are discussed. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  12. State cigarette minimum price laws - United States, 2009.

    PubMed

    2010-04-09

    Cigarette price increases reduce the demand for cigarettes and thereby reduce smoking prevalence, cigarette consumption, and youth initiation of smoking. Excise tax increases are the most effective government intervention to increase the price of cigarettes, but cigarette manufacturers use trade discounts, coupons, and other promotions to counteract the effects of these tax increases and appeal to price-sensitive smokers. State cigarette minimum price laws, initiated by states in the 1940s and 1950s to protect tobacco retailers from predatory business practices, typically require a minimum percentage markup to be added to the wholesale and/or retail price. If a statute prohibits trade discounts from the minimum price calculation, these laws have the potential to counteract discounting by cigarette manufacturers. To assess the status of cigarette minimum price laws in the United States, CDC surveyed state statutes and identified those states with minimum price laws in effect as of December 31, 2009. This report summarizes the results of that survey, which determined that 25 states had minimum price laws for cigarettes (median wholesale markup: 4.00%; median retail markup: 8.00%), and seven of those states also expressly prohibited the use of trade discounts in the minimum retail price calculation. Minimum price laws can help prevent trade discounting from eroding the positive effects of state excise tax increases and higher cigarette prices on public health.

  13. Linguistic and pragmatic aspects of narration in Finnish typically developing children and children with specific language impairment.

    PubMed

    Mäkinen, Leena; Loukusa, Soile; Laukkanen, Päivi; Leinonen, Eeva; Kunnari, Sari

    2014-06-01

    This study investigates narratives of Finnish children with specific language impairment (SLI) from linguistic and pragmatic perspectives, in order to get a comprehensive overview of these children's narrative abilities. Nineteen children with SLI (mean age 6;1 years) and 19 typically developing age-matched children participated in the study. Their picture-elicited narrations were analysed for linguistic productivity and complexity, grammatical and referential accuracy, event content, the use of mental state expressions and narrative comprehension. Children with SLI showed difficulties in every aspect of narration in comparison to their peers. Only one measure of productivity, the number of communication units, did not reach statistical significance. Not only was linguistic structure fragile but also pragmatic aspects of storytelling (referencing, event content, mental state expressions and inferencing) were demanding for children with SLI. Results suggest that pragmatic aspects of narration should be taken into account more often when assessing narrative abilities of children with SLI.

  14. 21. Detail of typical refrigeration unit in the southwest corner ...

    Library of Congress Historic Buildings Survey, Historic Engineering Record, Historic Landscapes Survey

    21. Detail of typical refrigeration unit in the southwest corner of the fruit and vegetable storage room - Fort Hood, World War II Temporary Buildings, Cold Storage Building, Seventeenth Street, Killeen, Bell County, TX

  15. Managing the Nuclear Fuel Cycle: Policy Implications of Expanding Global Access to Nuclear Power

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2008-09-03

    Spent nuclear fuel disposal has remained the most critical aspect of the nuclear fuel cycle for the United States, where longstanding nonproliferation...inalienable right and by and large, neither have U.S. government officials. However, the case of Iran raises perhaps the most critical question in...the enrichment process can take advantage of the slight difference in atomic mass between 235U and 238U. The typical enrichment process requires

  16. Managing the Nuclear Fuel Cycle: Policy Implications of Expanding Global Access to Nuclear Power

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2008-01-20

    critical aspect of the nuclear fuel cycle for the United States, where longstanding nonproliferation policy discouraged commercial nuclear fuel...have U.S. government officials. However, the case of Iran raises perhaps the most critical question in this decade for strengthening the nuclear...slight difference in atomic mass between 235U and 238U. The typical enrichment process requires about 10 lbs of uranium U3O8 to produce 1 lb of low

  17. Autumn migration of Northern Saw-whet Owls (Aegolius acadicus) in the Middle Atlantic and Northeastern United States: what observations from 1995 suggest

    Treesearch

    David F. Brinker; Katharine E. Duffy; David M. Whalen; Bryan D. Watts; Kevin M. Dodge

    1997-01-01

    During the autumn of 1995 more than 5,900 migrant Northern Saw-whet Owls were banded in eastern and central North America. Though typical numbers of owls were banded at most Great Lakes stations during 1995, a record number were netted at Hawk Ridge, near Duluth, Minnesota and, when compared with more normal years, a remarkably disproportionate 40 percent of the total...

  18. Analysis of shadowing effects on spacecraft power systems

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Fincannon, H. J.

    1995-01-01

    This paper describes the Orbiting Spacecraft Shadowing Analysis (OSSA) computer program that was developed at NASA Lewis Research Center in order to assess the shadowing effects on various power systems. The algorithms, inputs and outputs are discussed. Examples of typical shadowing analyses that have been performed for the International Space Station Freedom, International Space Station Alpha and the joint United States/Russian Mir Solar Dynamic Flight Experiment Project are covered. Effects of shadowing on power systems are demonstrated.

  19. An Overview of Acoustic Detection Analysis.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1983-01-01

    PL(r) and NL are typically determined from publica - tions that give geographic and seasonal values for these parameters. The left-hand side of the...In Seguridad hence) 14 p., Oct 1980, AD A092 733 wiorthwstern University, Evanston, IL PP 297 - Classified PP 3o9 Bowes, Marianne, Brchling, Frank P...Siultaneous PP 36 Determination of Income and Employment in United States-- U’NeIll, Thomas, Řool ltv riels for the Na.y," I oc., Mexico Border

  20. Sensitivity of IFM/GAIM-GM Model to High-cadence Kp and F10.7 Input

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2014-03-27

    2014 DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT A . APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE; DISTRIBUTION IS UNLIMITED AFIT-ENP-14- M -17 SENSITIVITY OF IFM ...and is not subject to copyright protection in the United States. AFIT-ENP-14- M -17 SENSITIVITY OF IFM /GAIM-GM MODEL TO...observed data and ingests it into the IFM background ionosphere, which is highly dependent on Kp and F10.7. The Air Force Weather Agency typically uses a

  1. Preliminary Map of Potentially Karstic Carbonate Rocks in the Central and Southern Appalachian States

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Weary, David J.

    2008-01-01

    Karst is a landscape produced by dissolution of rocks and the development of integrated subterranean drainages dominated by the flow of ground water in solutionally enlarged conduits. Karst landscapes typically include cave entrances, sinkholes, blind valleys, losing streams, springs, and large and small-scale solution features on bedrock surfaces. Water-bearing rocks beneath the surface containing solutionally enlarged pores, fractures, or conduits are referred to as karst aquifers. About 40 percent of all ground water extracted in the United States comes from karst aquifers (Karst Waters Institute). Karst means many things to many people. To most cavers and many speleologists, karst means areas containing caves. To engineers, home builders, local governments, and insurance companies, karst is exemplified by the occurrence of sinkholes and subsidence hazard. To hydrologists, well drillers, and environmental consultants, the focus on karst may be more limited to karst aquifers and springs. Precise figures are not available, but ground collapses in karst areas in the United States require hundreds of millions of dollars in repair and mitigation costs each year. Most karst in the United States is formed in either carbonate or evaporite rocks. This map depicts only areas of carbonate rock outcrop, the chief host for karst formation in the eastern United States. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the National Cave and Karst Research Institute (NCKRI), the National Speleological Society (NSS), and various State geological surveys, is working on a new national karst map that will delineate areas of karst and karst-like features nationwide. This product attempts to identify potentially karstic areas of the Appalachian states as defined by the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC), with the addition of the state of Delaware. This map is labeled preliminary because there is an expectation that it will be revised and updated as part of a new national karst map.

  2. Nutrient loadings to streams of the continental United States from municipal and industrial effluent?

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Maupin, Molly A.; Ivahnenko, Tamara

    2011-01-01

    Data from the United States Environmental Protection Agency Permit Compliance System national database were used to calculate annual total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) loads to surface waters from municipal and industrial facilities in six major regions of the United States for 1992, 1997, and 2002. Concentration and effluent flow data were examined for approximately 118,250 facilities in 45 states and the District of Columbia. Inconsistent and incomplete discharge locations, effluent flows, and effluent nutrient concentrations limited the use of these data for calculating nutrient loads. More concentrations were reported for major facilities, those discharging more than 1 million gallons per day, than for minor facilities, and more concentrations were reported for TP than for TN. Analytical methods to check and improve the quality of the Permit Compliance System data were used. Annual loads were calculated using "typical pollutant concentrations" to supplement missing concentrations based on the type and size of facilities. Annual nutrient loads for over 26,600 facilities were calculated for at least one of the three years. Sewage systems represented 74% of all TN loads and 58% of all TP loads. This work represents an initial set of data to develop a comprehensive and consistent national database of point-source nutrient loads. These loads can be used to inform a wide range of water-quality management, watershed modeling, and research efforts at multiple scales.

  3. Addressing consumer grievances in medicine: policies and practices of newborn screening programs in the United States.

    PubMed

    Natowicz, Marvin R; Hiller, Elaine H

    2002-01-01

    Newborn screening programs collectively administer the largest genetic testing initiative in the United States. The redress of grievances is an important mechanism for consumers to provide input into clinical and public health programs. In this study, we evaluated mechanisms for addressing consumer grievances in newborn screening programs. To do this, we surveyed all 50 state plus the District of Columbia newborn screening programs by questionnaire regarding protocols for receipt and redress of problems reported by parents of newborns and ascertained the existence and nature of complaints and how complaints were documented and addressed. Pertinent state and federal legislation and regulation were also reviewed. Six of 49 newborn screening programs reported having formal policies for handling consumer grievances. Four states reported having pertinent legislation or regulation. Thirty-eight of 49 states reported having received complaints from 1993 to 1995. Thirteen of 49 newborn screening programs reported that they actively seek feedback from consumers. Consumer grievances ranged from minor complaints to potentially life-threatening concerns. In general, complaints are managed on an ad hoc basis; formal policies are typically lacking. As newborn screening programs affect a vast number of Americans, a proactive and comprehensive approach, including solicitation of consumer feedback, could benefit both newborn screening programs and the public served by them.

  4. Real-time simulations for automated rendezvous and capture

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Cuseo, John A.

    1991-01-01

    Although the individual technologies for automated rendezvous and capture (AR&C) exist, they have not yet been integrated to produce a working system in the United States. Thus, real-time integrated systems simulations are critical to the development and pre-flight demonstration of an AR&C capability. Real-time simulations require a level of development more typical of a flight system compared to purely analytical methods, thus providing confidence in derived design concepts. This presentation will describe Martin Marietta's Space Operations Simulation (SOS) Laboratory, a state-of-the-art real-time simulation facility for AR&C, along with an implementation for the Satellite Servicer System (SSS) Program.

  5. Assessment of an alternative housing reconstruction policy after the 1995 Grevena-Kozani (N.Greece) earthquake: Construction of standardized units in private lots

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Mousteraki, K.; Dandoulaki, M.; Symeonidis, S.

    2009-04-01

    In Greece, the reconstruction of earthquake damaged building stock is technically and financially supported by the state. Housing reconstruction typically comprises three subsequent phases that is emergency shelter, temporary housing and permanent housing in buildings after their reconstruction. The latter is based on financial support by the state to the owner for the repair or reconstruction of each individual building. A different approach was tried after the 1995 Kozani-Grevena (N.Greece) earthquake. The earthquake (M=6.6) affected mainly the countryside of the two prefectures and devastated a great number of small settlements with aged and decreasing population. The experience from the 1986 Kalamata earthquake had demonstrated that low income and elderly households had difficulties in using reconstruction loans and tented to remain longer in temporary housing. In an attempt to take in the Kalamata experience and the development features of the disaster area, certain categories of homeless households were offered the choice to select either the typical financial and technical support to reconstruct their damaged house under their own responsibility or a small standard house (50 to 60m2) constructed by the state in their lot. About 4,000 housing units were constructed in villages all over the disaster area. The paper focuses on this new housing policy. It presents the institutional framework, the procedures for the selection of eligible households, the geography of the constructed housing units, issues of project management and involved costs. It also attempts to highlight strong and weak points of the new approach and to make some comparisons with the long-established approach to recovery of damaged building stock. The overall conclusion is that despite huge complexities in project management and higher costs, this new policy contributed in retaining the population and enhancing development in the area.

  6. Modeling to Evaluate Contribution of Oil and Gas Emissions to Air Pollution.

    PubMed

    Thompson, Tammy M; Shepherd, Donald; Stacy, Andrea; Barna, Michael G; Schichtel, Bret A

    2017-04-01

    Oil and gas production in the Western United States has increased considerably over the past 10 years. While many of the still limited oil and gas impact assessments have focused on potential human health impacts, the typically remote locations of production in the Intermountain West suggests that the impacts of oil and gas production on national parks and wilderness areas (Class I and II areas) could also be important. To evaluate this, we utilize the Comprehensive Air quality Model with Extensions (CAMx) with a year-long modeling episode representing the best available representation of 2011 meteorology and emissions for the Western United States. The model inputs for the 2011 episodes were generated as part of the Three State Air Quality Study (3SAQS). The study includes a detailed assessment of oil and gas (O&G) emissions in Western States. The year-long modeling episode was run both with and without emissions from O&G production. The difference between these two runs provides an estimate of the contribution of the O&G production to air quality. These data were used to assess the contribution of O&G to the 8 hour average ozone concentrations, daily and annual fine particulate concentrations, annual nitrogen deposition totals and visibility in the modeling domain. We present the results for the Class I and II areas in the Western United States. Modeling results suggest that emissions from O&G activity are having a negative impact on air quality and ecosystem health in our National Parks and Class I areas. In this research, we use a modeling framework developed for oil and gas evaluation in the western United States to determine the modeled impacts of emissions associated with oil and gas production on air pollution metrics. We show that oil and gas production may have a significant negative impact on air quality and ecosystem health in some national parks and other Class I areas in the western United States. Our findings are of particular interest to federal land managers as well as regulators in states heavy in oil and gas production as they consider control strategies to reduce the impact of development.

  7. Policy challenges for the pediatric rheumatology workforce: Part II. Health care system delivery and workforce supply

    PubMed Central

    2011-01-01

    The United States pediatric population with chronic health conditions is expanding. Currently, this demographic comprises 12-18% of the American child and youth population. Affected children often receive fragmented, uncoordinated care. Overall, the American health care delivery system produces modest outcomes for this population. Poor, uninsured and minority children may be at increased risk for inferior coordination of services. Further, the United States health care delivery system is primarily organized for the diagnosis and treatment of acute conditions. For pediatric patients with chronic health conditions, the typical acute problem-oriented visit actually serves as a barrier to care. The biomedical model of patient education prevails, characterized by unilateral transfer of medical information. However, the evidence basis for improvement in disease outcomes supports the use of the chronic care model, initially proposed by Dr. Edward Wagner. Six inter-related elements distinguish the success of the chronic care model, which include self-management support and care coordination by a prepared, proactive team. United States health care lacks a coherent policy direction for the management of high cost chronic conditions, including rheumatic diseases. A fundamental restructure of United States health care delivery must urgently occur which places the patient at the center of care. For the pediatric rheumatology workforce, reimbursement policies and the actions of health plans and insurers are consistent barriers to chronic disease improvement. United States reimbursement policy and overall fragmentation of health care services pose specific challenges for widespread implementation of the chronic care model. Team-based multidisciplinary care, care coordination and self-management are integral to improve outcomes. Pediatric rheumatology demand in the United States far exceeds available workforce supply. This article reviews the career choice decision-making process at each medical trainee level to determine best recruitment strategies. Educational debt is an unexpectedly minor determinant for pediatric residents and subspecialty fellows. A two-year fellowship training option may retain the mandatory scholarship component and attract an increasing number of candidate trainees. Diversity, work-life balance, scheduling flexibility to accommodate part-time employment, and reform of conditions for academic promotion all need to be addressed to ensure future growth of the pediatric rheumatology workforce. PMID:21843335

  8. Policy challenges for the pediatric rheumatology workforce: Part II. Health care system delivery and workforce supply.

    PubMed

    Henrickson, Michael

    2011-01-01

    The United States pediatric population with chronic health conditions is expanding. Currently, this demographic comprises 12-18% of the American child and youth population. Affected children often receive fragmented, uncoordinated care. Overall, the American health care delivery system produces modest outcomes for this population. Poor, uninsured and minority children may be at increased risk for inferior coordination of services. Further, the United States health care delivery system is primarily organized for the diagnosis and treatment of acute conditions. For pediatric patients with chronic health conditions, the typical acute problem-oriented visit actually serves as a barrier to care. The biomedical model of patient education prevails, characterized by unilateral transfer of medical information. However, the evidence basis for improvement in disease outcomes supports the use of the chronic care model, initially proposed by Dr. Edward Wagner. Six inter-related elements distinguish the success of the chronic care model, which include self-management support and care coordination by a prepared, proactive team. United States health care lacks a coherent policy direction for the management of high cost chronic conditions, including rheumatic diseases. A fundamental restructure of United States health care delivery must urgently occur which places the patient at the center of care. For the pediatric rheumatology workforce, reimbursement policies and the actions of health plans and insurers are consistent barriers to chronic disease improvement. United States reimbursement policy and overall fragmentation of health care services pose specific challenges for widespread implementation of the chronic care model. Team-based multidisciplinary care, care coordination and self-management are integral to improve outcomes. Pediatric rheumatology demand in the United States far exceeds available workforce supply. This article reviews the career choice decision-making process at each medical trainee level to determine best recruitment strategies. Educational debt is an unexpectedly minor determinant for pediatric residents and subspecialty fellows. A two-year fellowship training option may retain the mandatory scholarship component and attract an increasing number of candidate trainees. Diversity, work-life balance, scheduling flexibility to accommodate part-time employment, and reform of conditions for academic promotion all need to be addressed to ensure future growth of the pediatric rheumatology workforce.

  9. Sociodemographic Factors, Population Density, and Bicycling for Transportation in the United States.

    PubMed

    Nehme, Eileen K; Pérez, Adriana; Ranjit, Nalini; Amick, Benjamin C; Kohl, Harold W

    2016-01-01

    Transportation bicycling is a behavior with demonstrated health benefits. Population-representative studies of transportation bicycling in United States are lacking. This study examined associations between sociodemographic factors, population density, and transportation bicycling and described transportation bicyclists by trip purposes, using a US-representative sample. This cross-sectional study used 2009 National Household Travel Survey datasets. Associations among study variables were assessed using weighted multivariable logistic regression. On a typical day in 2009, 1% of Americans older than 5 years of age reported a transportation bicycling trip. Transportation cycling was inversely associated with age and directly with being male, with being white, and with population density (≥ 10,000 vs < 500 people/square mile: odd ratio, 2.78, 95% confidence interval, 1.54-5.05). Those whose highest level of education was a high school diploma or some college were least likely to bicycle for transportation. Twenty-one percent of transportation bicyclists reported trips to work, whereas 67% reported trips to social or other activities. Transportation bicycling in the United States is associated with sociodemographic characteristics and population density. Bicycles are used for a variety of trip purposes, which has implications for transportation bicycling research based on commuter data and for developing interventions to promote this behavior.

  10. Opportunities and Barriers to Resource Recovery and Recycling from Shredder Residue in the United States

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nayak, Naren; Apelian, Diran

    2014-11-01

    Shredder residue is the by-product remaining after ferrous and nonferrous metals have been recovered from the processing of vehicles, white goods, and peddler scrap. Shredder residue consists of glass, plastics, rubber, dirt, and small amounts of metal. It is estimated that 5-7 million tons of this shredder residue are landfilled each year in the United States. Technical advancements, coupled with European Union directives and the economic climate, have transformed the recycling of shredder residue in Europe. In the United States, however, regulatory controls and the cheap cost of landfill have worked against the advancement of recycling and recovery of this resource. The Argonne National Laboratory, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, has investigated the effectiveness of recycling shredder residue into polymers. Other research has examined the use of shredder residue in waste-to-energy applications. To improve our ability to process and recycle shredder residue, an investigation of the regulatory, economic, and technological challenges was undertaken. The objective was to conduct a comprehensive review of work done to date, to document the composition of typical shredder output and to identify potential recoverable items (residual metals, plastics, rubber, foam, etc.). Along with uncovering potential new markets, the research would identify the technical, regulatory, and economic barriers to developing those markets.

  11. Uncertainty in gridded CO 2 emissions estimates

    DOE PAGES

    Hogue, Susannah; Marland, Eric; Andres, Robert J.; ...

    2016-05-19

    We are interested in the spatial distribution of fossil-fuel-related emissions of CO 2 for both geochemical and geopolitical reasons, but it is important to understand the uncertainty that exists in spatially explicit emissions estimates. Working from one of the widely used gridded data sets of CO 2 emissions, we examine the elements of uncertainty, focusing on gridded data for the United States at the scale of 1° latitude by 1° longitude. Uncertainty is introduced in the magnitude of total United States emissions, the magnitude and location of large point sources, the magnitude and distribution of non-point sources, and from themore » use of proxy data to characterize emissions. For the United States, we develop estimates of the contribution of each component of uncertainty. At 1° resolution, in most grid cells, the largest contribution to uncertainty comes from how well the distribution of the proxy (in this case population density) represents the distribution of emissions. In other grid cells, the magnitude and location of large point sources make the major contribution to uncertainty. Uncertainty in population density can be important where a large gradient in population density occurs near a grid cell boundary. Uncertainty is strongly scale-dependent with uncertainty increasing as grid size decreases. In conclusion, uncertainty for our data set with 1° grid cells for the United States is typically on the order of ±150%, but this is perhaps not excessive in a data set where emissions per grid cell vary over 8 orders of magnitude.« less

  12. How the states stack up: disparities in substance abuse outpatient treatment completion rates for minorities.

    PubMed

    Arndt, Stephan; Acion, Laura; White, Kristin

    2013-10-01

    This study was an exploratory investigation of state-level minority disparities in successfully completing outpatient treatment, a major objective for attending substance abuse treatment and a known process outcome measure. This was a retrospective analysis of state discharge and admission data from the 2006 to 2008 Treatment Episode Datasets-Discharge (TEDS-D). Data were included representing all discharges from outpatient substance abuse treatment centers across the United States. All first treatment episode clients with admission/discharge records meeting inclusion criteria who could be classified as White, Latino, or Black/African American were used (n=940,058). States demonstrated racial and ethnic disparities in their crude and adjusted completion rates, which also varied considerably among the states. Minorities typically showed a disadvantage. A few states showed significantly higher completion rates for Blacks or Latinos. Realistically, a variety of factors likely cause the state race/ethnic differences in successful completion rates. States should investigate their delivery systems to reduce completion disparities. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Uses and biases of volunteer water quality data

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Loperfido, J.V.; Beyer, P.; Just, C.L.; Schnoor, J.L.

    2010-01-01

    State water quality monitoring has been augmented by volunteer monitoring programs throughout the United States. Although a significant effort has been put forth by volunteers, questions remain as to whether volunteer data are accurate and can be used by regulators. In this study, typical volunteer water quality measurements from laboratory and environmental samples in Iowa were analyzed for error and bias. Volunteer measurements of nitrate+nitrite were significantly lower (about 2-fold) than concentrations determined via standard methods in both laboratory-prepared and environmental samples. Total reactive phosphorus concentrations analyzed by volunteers were similar to measurements determined via standard methods in laboratory-prepared samples and environmental samples, but were statistically lower than the actual concentration in four of the five laboratory-prepared samples. Volunteer water quality measurements were successful in identifying and classifying most of the waters which violate United States Environmental Protection Agency recommended water quality criteria for total nitrogen (66%) and for total phosphorus (52%) with the accuracy improving when accounting for error and biases in the volunteer data. An understanding of the error and bias in volunteer water quality measurements can allow regulators to incorporate volunteer water quality data into total maximum daily load planning or state water quality reporting. ?? 2010 American Chemical Society.

  14. Use of remote-sensing techniques to survey the physical habitat of large rivers

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Edsall, Thomas A.; Behrendt, Thomas E.; Cholwek, Gary; Frey, Jeffery W.; Kennedy, Gregory W.; Smith, Stephen B.; Edsall, Thomas A.; Behrendt, Thomas E.; Cholwek, Gary; Frey, Jeffrey W.; Kennedy, Gregory W.; Smith, Stephen B.

    1997-01-01

    Remote-sensing techniques that can be used to quantitatively characterize the physical habitat in large rivers in the United States where traditional survey approaches typically used in small- and medium-sized streams and rivers would be ineffective or impossible to apply. The state-of-the-art remote-sensing technologies that we discuss here include side-scan sonar, RoxAnn, acoustic Doppler current profiler, remotely operated vehicles and camera systems, global positioning systems, and laser level survey systems. The use of these technologies will permit the collection of information needed to create computer visualizations and hard copy maps and generate quantitative databases that can be used in real-time mode in the field to characterize the physical habitat at a study location of interest and to guide the distribution of sampling effort needed to address other habitat-related study objectives. This report augments habitat sampling and characterization guidance provided by Meador et al. (1993) and is intended for use primarily by U.S. Geological Survey National Water Quality Assessment program managers and scientists who are documenting water quality in streams and rivers of the United States.

  15. West Nile Virus and Other Nationally Notifiable Arboviral Diseases - United States, 2016.

    PubMed

    Burakoff, Alexis; Lehman, Jennifer; Fischer, Marc; Staples, J Erin; Lindsey, Nicole P

    2018-01-12

    Arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) are transmitted to humans primarily through the bites of infected mosquitoes and ticks. West Nile virus (WNV) is the leading cause of domestically acquired arboviral disease in the continental United States (1,2). Other arboviruses, including La Crosse, Powassan, Jamestown Canyon, St. Louis encephalitis, and eastern equine encephalitis viruses, cause sporadic cases of disease and occasional outbreaks. This report summarizes surveillance data reported to CDC for 2016 for nationally notifiable arboviruses. It excludes dengue, chikungunya, and Zika viruses, as these are primarily nondomestic viruses typically acquired through travel. Forty-seven states and the District of Columbia (DC) reported 2,240 cases of domestic arboviral disease, including 2,150 (96%) WNV disease cases. Of the WNV disease cases, 1,310 (61%) were classified as neuroinvasive disease (e.g., meningitis, encephalitis, acute flaccid paralysis), for a national incidence of 0.41 cases per 100,000 population. After WNV, the most frequently reported arboviruses were La Crosse (35 cases), Powassan (22), and Jamestown Canyon (15) viruses. Because arboviral diseases continue to cause serious illness, maintaining surveillance is important to direct prevention activities.

  16. West Nile Virus and Other Nationally Notifiable Arboviral Diseases - United States, 2015.

    PubMed

    Krow-Lucal, Elisabeth; Lindsey, Nicole P; Lehman, Jennifer; Fischer, Marc; Staples, J Erin

    2017-01-20

    Arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) are transmitted to humans primarily through the bites of infected mosquitoes and ticks. The leading cause of domestically acquired arboviral disease in the United States is West Nile virus (WNV) (1). Other arboviruses, including La Crosse, St. Louis encephalitis, Jamestown Canyon, Powassan, and eastern equine encephalitis viruses, also cause sporadic cases and outbreaks. This report summarizes surveillance data reported to CDC in 2015 for nationally notifiable arboviruses. It excludes dengue, chikungunya, and Zika viruses, which are primarily nondomestic viruses typically acquired through travel (and are addressed in other CDC reports). In 2015, 45 states and the District of Columbia (DC) reported 2,282 cases of domestic arboviral disease. Among these cases, 2,175 (95%) were WNV disease and 1,455 (67%) of those were classified as neuroinvasive disease (meningitis, encephalitis, or acute flaccid paralysis). The national incidence of WNV neuroinvasive disease was 0.45 cases per 100,000 population. Because arboviral diseases continue to cause serious illness, maintaining surveillance is important to direct prevention activities such as reduction of vector populations and screening of blood donors.

  17. Green Power Marketing in the United States: A Status Report (Ninth Edition)

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Bird, L.; Swezey, B.

    Voluntary consumer decisions to purchase electricity supplied by renewable energy sources represent a powerful market support mechanism for renewable energy development. Beginning in the early 1990s, a small number of U.S. utilities began offering ''green power'' options to their customers. Since then, these products have become more prevalent, both from traditional utilities and from marketers operating in states that have introduced competition into their retail electricity markets. Today, more than half of all U.S. consumers have an option to purchase some type of green power product from a retail electricity provider. Currently, more than 600 utilities, or about 20% ofmore » utilities nationally, offer green power programs to customers. These programs allow customers to purchase some portion of their power supply as renewable energy--almost always at a higher price--or to contribute funds for the utility to invest in renewable energy development. The term ''green pricing'' is typically used to refer to these utility programs offered in regulated or noncompetitive electricity markets. This report documents green power marketing activities and trends in the United States.« less

  18. National Directory of NASA Space Grant Contacts

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    2002-01-01

    Congress enacted the National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program (also known as Space Grant). NASA's Space Grant Program funds education, research, and public service programs in all 50 States, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico through 52 university-based Space Grant consortia. These consortia form a network of colleges and universities, industry partners, State and local Government agencies, other Federal agencies, museum and science centers, and nonprofit organizations, all with interests in aerospace education, research, and training. Space Grant programs emphasize the diversity of human resources, the participation of students in research, and the communication of the benefits of science and technology to the general public. Each year approximately one-third of the NASA Space Grant funds support scholarships and fellowships for United States students at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Typically, at least 20 percent of these awards go to students from underrepresented groups, and at least 40 percent go to women. Most Space Grant student awards include a mentored research experience with university faculty or NASA scientists or engineers. Space Grant consortia also fund curriculum enhancement and faculty development programs. Consortia members administer precollege and public service education programs in their States. The 52 consortia typically leverage NASA funds with matching contributions from State, local, and other university sources, which more than double the NASA funding. For more information, consult the Space Grant Web site at http://education.nasa.gov/spacegrant/

  19. Compilation of VS30 Data for the United States

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Yong, Alan; Thompson, Eric M.; Wald, David J.; Knudsen, Keith L.; Odum, Jack K.; Stephenson, William J.; Haefner, Scott

    2016-01-01

    VS30, the time-averaged shear-wave velocity (VS) to a depth of 30 meters, is a key index adopted by the earthquake engineering community to account for seismic site conditions. VS30 is typically based on geophysical measurements of VS derived from invasive and noninvasive techniques at sites of interest. Owing to cost considerations, as well as logistical and environmental concerns, VS30 data are sparse or not readily available for most areas. Where data are available, VS30 values are often assembled in assorted formats that are accessible from disparate and (or) impermanent Web sites. To help remedy this situation, we compiled VS30 measurements obtained by studies funded by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and other governmental agencies. Thus far, we have compiled VS30 values for 2,997 sites in the United States, along with metadata for each measurement from government-sponsored reports, Web sites, and scientific and engineering journals. Most of the data in our VS30 compilation originated from publications directly reporting the work of field investigators. A small subset (less than 20 percent) of VS30 values was previously compiled by the USGS and other research institutions. Whenever possible, VS30 originating from these earlier compilations were crosschecked against published reports. Both downhole and surface-based VS30 estimates are represented in our VS30 compilation. Most of the VS30 data are for sites in the western contiguous United States (2,141 sites), whereas 786 VS30 values are for sites in the Central and Eastern United States; 70 values are for sites in other parts of the United States, including Alaska (15 sites), Hawaii (30 sites), and Puerto Rico (25 sites). An interactive map is hosted on the primary USGS Web site for accessing VS30 data (http://earthquake.usgs.gov/research/vs30/).

  20. The United States Air Force and the Culture of Innovation, 1945-1965

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2002-01-01

    US Dept of Transportation; typically they hover between 85 and 95 percent. 16. Kent C. Redmond and Thomas M. Smith, Project Whirlwind: A Case Histo...Washing- ton, D.C.: AF Hist and Museums Prog, 1994). 14. Thomas A . Sturm, The USAF SAB: Its First Twenty Years 1944–1964 (Washington, D.C.: USAF...allegations at Ramo-Wooldridge and the Air Force’s approach. Schriever answered them in a letter to Lt. Gen. Thomas Power, the commander of ARDC, in

  1. Occurrence, distribution, and concentrations of selected contaminants in streambed- and suspended-sediment samples collected in Bexar County, Texas, 2007-09

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Wilson, Jennifer T.

    2011-01-01

    High concentrations of sediment-associated contaminants are typically associated with urban areas such as San Antonio, Texas, in Bexar County, the seventh most populous city in the United States. U.S. Geological Survey personnel periodically collected surficial streambed-sediment samples during 2007-09 and collected suspended-sediment samples from selected streams after storms during 2008 and 2009. All sediment samples were analyzed for major and trace elements, pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.

  2. A Regional Analysis of Non-Methane Hydrocarbons And Meteorology of The Rural Southeast United States

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1996-01-01

    Zt is an ARIMA time series. This is a typical regression model , except that it allows for autocorrelation in the error term Z. In this work, an ARMA...data=folder; var residual; run; II Statistical output of 1992 regression model on 1993 ozone data ARIMA Procedure Maximum Likelihood Estimation Approx...at each of the sites, and to show the effect of synoptic meteorology on high ozone by examining NOAA daily weather maps and climatic data

  3. 2013 National Park visitor spending effects: economic contributions to local communities, states, and the nation

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Cullinane Thomas, Catherine M.; Huber, Christopher C.; Koontz, Lynne

    2014-01-01

    While it is typical for visitation levels to fluctuate across the park units each year, system-wide visitation estimates in 2013 declines by 3.2% (or 9.1 million visits) compared ro 2012 (Street, 2014). Although many factors can influence park visitsation, two events signficiantly contrubuterd to this decline: the Government shutdown in October 2013, and lonf-term park closures related to the lasting effects of Hurrican Sandt from October 2012 through July 2013.

  4. High-Throughput and Label-Free Single Nanoparticle Sizing Based on Time-Resolved On-Chip Microscopy

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2015-02-17

    12,13 soot ,6,14 ice crystals in clouds,15 and engineered nano- materials,16 among others. While there exist various nanoparticle detection and sizing...the sample of interest is placed on an optoelectronic sensor -array with typically less than 0.5 mm gap (z2) between the sample and sensor planes such...that, under unit mag- nification, the entire sensor active area serves as the imaging FOV, easily reaching >2030 mm2 with state-of-the-art CMOS

  5. Audience Analysis for "The Making, Shaping and Treating of Steel": A Pilot Study. Final Report Presented to United States Steel and the Association of Iron and Steel Engineers. CDC Technical Report No. 10.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stein, Mark J.; And Others

    Prompted by the realization that a reference text presents special problems in audience address since there is typically a diverse set of users, a study was designed to provide preliminary data on the use of the reference text, "The Making, Shaping and Treating of Steel," a landmark book in the steel industry. Data on the use of the text were…

  6. Diagnostic Tools for Performance Evaluation of Innovative In-Situ Remediation Technologies at Chlorinated Solvent-Contaminated Sites

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2011-07-01

    Florida: Dr. Michael Annable, Dr. Kirk Hatfield • Air Force Institute of Technology: Dr. Mark Goltz , Dr. Junqi Huang • United States (U.S.) Environmental...somewhat less than (e.g., 70% of) the natural groundwater flow through the transect (Yoon, 2006; Goltz et al., 2007b). Once the calculated mass...approach ( Goltz et al., 2007a; Wheeldon, 2008) is then used to estimate the mass discharge through the transect. Each RFM application typically

  7. Competence to stand trial evaluations of sovereign citizens: a case series and primer of odd political and legal beliefs.

    PubMed

    Parker, George F

    2014-01-01

    Sovereign citizens hold a variety of beliefs that challenge the legitimacy of the United States government and criminal justice system. In criminal cases, sovereign citizens typically raise a variety of seemingly strange objections to the proceedings that can cause court participants to believe the defendant is not competent to stand trial. The author's case files were reviewed to identify all defendants who espoused sovereign citizen beliefs during a court-ordered competence-to-stand-trial evaluation. This case series consisted of nine evaluations completed between 2003 and 2012. A review of the outcomes in these cases showed that sovereign citizens typically have the capacity to understand criminal proceedings and assist an attorney. © 2014 American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law.

  8. Reducing nonpoint source pollution through collaboration: policies and programs across the U.S. States.

    PubMed

    Hardy, Scott D; Koontz, Tomas M

    2008-03-01

    Nonpoint source (NPS) pollution has emerged as the largest threat to water quality in the United States, influencing policy makers and resource managers to direct more attention toward NPS prevention and remediation. In response, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) spent more than $204 million in fiscal year (FY) 2006 on the Clean Water Act's Section 319 program to combat NPS pollution, much of it on the development and implementation of watershed-based plans. State governments have also increasingly allocated financial and technical resources to collaborative watershed efforts within their own borders to fight NPS pollution. With increased collaboration among the federal government, states, and citizens to combat NPS pollution, more information is needed to understand how public resources are being used, by whom, and for what, and what policy changes might improve effectiveness. Analysis from a 50-state study suggests that, in addition to the average 35% of all Section 319 funds per state that are passed on to collaborative watershed groups, 35 states have provided financial assistance beyond Section 319 funding to support collaborative watershed initiatives. State programs frequently provide technical assistance and training, in addition to financial resources, to encourage collaborative partnerships. Such assistance is typically granted in exchange for requirements to generate a watershed action plan and/or follow a mutually agreed upon work plan to address NPS pollution. Program managers indicated a need for greater fiscal resources and flexibility to achieve water quality goals.

  9. Tibet revisited: TIPMEX-86

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Reiter, E.R.; Sheaffer, J.D.; Bossert, J.E.

    1987-06-01

    A long-planned field-measurement program to determine surface-energy budgets at two sites in Tibet was carried out during June 1986 in collaboration with scientists from the State Meteorological Administration, Academy of Meteorological Sciences, People's Republic of China. The data set obtained in Tibet is unique for this remote region of the world. The present report describes some of the experiences of the United States scientific team and its medical officer, M. Otteman of Ft. Collins, Colorado. The data are presently being archived on computer tapes. Preliminary analysis results are presented as typical examples of the conditions encountered at the two experimentalmore » sites near Lhasa (3635 m) and Nagqu (4500 m).« less

  10. Predicting earthquake effects—Learning from Northridge and Loma Prieta

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Holzer, Thomas L.

    1994-01-01

    The continental United States has been rocked by two particularly damaging earthquakes in the last 4.5 years, Loma Prieta in northern California in 1989 and Northridge in southern California in 1994. Combined losses from these two earthquakes approached $30 billion. Approximately half these losses were reimbursed by the federal government. Because large earthquakes typically overwhelm state resources and place unplanned burdens on the federal government, it is important to learn from these earthquakes how to reduce future losses. My purpose here is to explore a potential implication of the Northridge and Loma Prieta earthquakes for hazard-mitigation strategies: earth scientists should increase their efforts to map hazardous areas within urban regions. 

  11. The Future of Centrally-Organized Wholesale Electricity Markets

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Glazer, Craig; Morrison, Jay; Breakman, Paul

    The electricity grid in the United States is organized around a network of large, centralized power plants and high voltage transmission lines that transport electricity, sometimes over large distances, before it is delivered to the customer through a local distribution grid. This network of centralized generation and high voltage transmission lines is called the “bulk power system.” Costs relating to bulk power generation typically account for more than half of a customer’s electric bill.1 For this reason, the structure and functioning of wholesale electricity markets have major impacts on costs and economic value for consumers, as well as energy securitymore » and national security. Diverse arrangements for bulk power wholesale markets have evolved over the last several decades. The Southeast and Western United States outside of California have a “bilateral-based” bulk power system where market participants enter into long-term bilateral agreements — using competitive procurements through power marketers, direct arrangements among utilities or with other generation owners, and auctions and exchanges.« less

  12. Evaluation of global horizontal irradiance to plane-of-array irradiance models at locations across the United States

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Lave, Matthew; Hayes, William; Pohl, Andrew

    2015-02-02

    We report an evaluation of the accuracy of combinations of models that estimate plane-of-array (POA) irradiance from measured global horizontal irradiance (GHI). This estimation involves two steps: 1) decomposition of GHI into direct and diffuse horizontal components and 2) transposition of direct and diffuse horizontal irradiance (DHI) to POA irradiance. Measured GHI and coincident measured POA irradiance from a variety of climates within the United States were used to evaluate combinations of decomposition and transposition models. A few locations also had DHI measurements, allowing for decoupled analysis of either the decomposition or the transposition models alone. Results suggest that decompositionmore » models had mean bias differences (modeled versus measured) that vary with climate. Transposition model mean bias differences depended more on the model than the location. Lastly, when only GHI measurements were available and combinations of decomposition and transposition models were considered, the smallest mean bias differences were typically found for combinations which included the Hay/Davies transposition model.« less

  13. A Manufacturing Cost and Supply Chain Analysis of SiC Power Electronics Applicable to Medium-Voltage Motor Drives

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Horowitz, Kelsey; Remo, Timothy; Reese, Samantha

    Wide bandgap (WBG) semiconductor devices are increasingly being considered for use in certain power electronics applications, where they can improve efficiency, performance, footprint, and, potentially, total system cost compared to systems using traditional silicon (Si) devices. Silicon carbide (SiC) devices in particular -- which are currently more mature than other WBG devices -- are poised for growth in the coming years. Today, the manufacturing of SiC wafers is concentrated in the United States, and chip production is split roughly equally between the United States, Japan, and Europe. Established contract manufacturers located throughout Asia typically carry out manufacturing of WBG powermore » modules. We seek to understand how global manufacturing of SiC components may evolve over time by illustrating the regional cost drivers along the supply chain and providing an overview of other factors that influence where manufacturing is sited. We conduct this analysis for a particular case study where SiC devices are used in a medium-voltage motor drive.« less

  14. Public Sector Employment Inequality in the United States and the Great Recession.

    PubMed

    Laird, Jennifer

    2017-02-01

    Historically in the United States, the public sector has served as an equalizing institution through the expansion of job opportunities for minority workers. This study examines whether the public sector continues to serve as an equalizing institution in the aftermath of the Great Recession. Using data from the Current Population Survey, I investigate changes in public sector employment between 2003 and 2013. My results point to a post-recession double disadvantage for black public sector workers: they are concentrated in a shrinking sector of the economy, and they are more likely than white and Hispanic public sector workers to experience job loss. These two trends are a historical break for the public sector labor market. I find that race and ethnicity gaps in public sector employment cannot be explained by differences in education, occupation, or any of the other measurable factors that are typically associated with employment. Among unemployed workers who most recently worked for the public sector, black women are the least likely to transition into private sector employment.

  15. Asian Indians in America: The influence of values and culture on mental health.

    PubMed

    Chandra, Rohit M; Arora, Lily; Mehta, Urvakhsh M; Asnaani, Anu; Radhakrishnan, Rajiv

    2016-08-01

    Asian Indians represent a significant portion of the largest growing race of Asians in the past decade in the United States. This selective review examines major cultural themes related to first- and second-generation Asian Indians living in the United States as they impact psychological and psychiatric dysfunction in this population. Specifically, we review the impact of Asian Indian culture on mental health, discuss the impact of acculturation and ethnic identity development on the mental health of Indian-Americans, and focus on typical mental health problems of Asian Indian adolescents, women and elderly in America. Finally, we provide a brief overview of empirically-supported treatment approaches and cultural considerations for additional treatments relevant to this population. This review is intended to provide an important foundation for more systematic empirically-driven investigation into better understanding how Asian Indian cultural themes impact mental health for Indian-Americans, and how to develop effective treatments for these issues in this cultural group. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. Use of intravenous acetaminophen (paracetamol) in a pediatric patient at the end of life: case report.

    PubMed

    Marks, Adam D; Keefer, Patricia; Saul, D'Anna

    2013-12-01

    For the better part of 100 years, acetaminophen (or paracetamol as it is known outside of the United States) has been a common first-line analgesic in pediatrics and is typically well tolerated with minimal side effects. Its use as an anti-pyretic is also well-documented and thus it is used broadly for symptom control in the general pediatric population. In pediatric palliative care, acetaminophen is also used as an adjuvant to opioid therapy for pain as well as an anti-pyretic. For many pediatric patients near end-of-life, however, the ability to tolerate oral intake is diminished and rectal suppository administration can be distressing or contraindicated as in the setting of neutropenia, thus limiting use of acetaminophen by its usual routes. In Europe and Australia, an intravenous formulation of acetaminophen has been used for many years and has only recently become available in the United States. Here, we describe a case using intravenous acetaminophen in a pediatric patient at the end of life.

  17. Licensed physicians who work in prisons: a profile.

    PubMed Central

    Lichtenstein, R L; Rykwalder, A

    1983-01-01

    A profile of the personal and professional characteristics of the physicians who work in America's prisons was obtained by analyzing data from a larger study of all licensed physicians in the United States who worked in a prison at least 12 hours a month during the fall of 1979. Psychiatrists were not included, nor were physicians working in jails. The population of 382 prison physicians comprised two major groups--those who worked in prisons full time and those who worked in them part time. Part-time physicians, who represented the majority of physicians involved in prison work (58 percent), were found to resemble closely the typical physician in the United States; they were predominantly trained in America, specialized, and board certified. In contrast, full-time prison physicians, who accounted for 73 percent of the total hours physicians spent working in prisons, differed significantly from the typical U.S. physician. They were older, less specialized, less likely to be board certified, and more likely to be graduates of non-U.S. medical schools. The professional characteristics of the full-time prison physicians raise serious questions about the quality of medical care they are likely to provide. It would seem, based on their professional attributes, that the part-time physicians are able to provide better quality care than their full-time colleagues. Prison health system could thus assure higher quality care to inmates by relying primarily on part-time rather than full-time practitioners. PMID:6419274

  18. Increased mechanical cost of walking in children with diplegia: the role of the passenger unit cannot be neglected.

    PubMed

    Van de Walle, P; Hallemans, A; Truijen, S; Gosselink, R; Heyrman, L; Molenaers, G; Desloovere, K

    2012-01-01

    Gait efficiency in children with cerebral palsy is decreased. To date, most research did not include the upper body as a separate functional unit when exploring these changes in gait efficiency. Since children with spastic diplegia often experience problems with trunk control, they could benefit from separate evaluation of the so-called 'passenger unit'. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to improve insights in the role of the passenger unit in decreased gait efficiency in children with diplegia. Mechanical cost of walking was investigated by calculating work by the integrated joint power approach in 18 children with diplegia and 25 age-related typical developing controls. The total mechanical work in children with diplegia was 1.5 times higher than in typical children. In children with diplegia work at the lower limbs was increased by 37% compared to typical children. Substantially higher increases, up to 222%, were noted at the passenger unit. Trunk and head were the main contributors to the increased work of the passenger unit, but the role of the arms cannot be neglected. Due to these disproportional increases in locomotor and passenger unit, the demands of the passenger unit in pathological gait can no longer be considered minor, as in typical gait. Therefore, the role of the passenger unit must be recognized in the decrease of gait efficiency in children with spastic diplegia and should be part of the evaluation of gait efficiency in clinical practice. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Managing future Gulf War Syndromes: international lessons and new models of care

    PubMed Central

    Engel, Charles C; Hyams, Kenneth C; Scott, Ken

    2006-01-01

    After the 1991 Gulf War, veterans of the conflict from the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and other nations described chronic idiopathic symptoms that became popularly known as ‘Gulf War Syndrome’. Nearly 15 years later, some 250 million dollars in United States medical research has failed to confirm a novel war-related syndrome and controversy over the existence and causes of idiopathic physical symptoms has persisted. Wartime exposures implicated as possible causes of subsequent symptoms include oil well fire smoke, infectious diseases, vaccines, chemical and biological warfare agents, depleted uranium munitions and post-traumatic stress disorder. Recent historical analyses have identified controversial idiopathic symptom syndromes associated with nearly every modern war, suggesting that war typically sets into motion interrelated physical, emotional and fiscal consequences for veterans and for society. We anticipate future controversial war syndromes and maintain that a population-based approach to care can mitigate their impact. This paper delineates essential features of the model, describes its public health and scientific underpinnings and details how several countries are trying to implement it. With troops returning from combat in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere, the model is already getting put to the test. PMID:16687273

  20. Managing future Gulf War Syndromes: international lessons and new models of care.

    PubMed

    Engel, Charles C; Hyams, Kenneth C; Scott, Ken

    2006-04-29

    After the 1991 Gulf War, veterans of the conflict from the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and other nations described chronic idiopathic symptoms that became popularly known as 'Gulf War Syndrome'. Nearly 15 years later, some 250 million dollars in United States medical research has failed to confirm a novel war-related syndrome and controversy over the existence and causes of idiopathic physical symptoms has persisted. Wartime exposures implicated as possible causes of subsequent symptoms include oil well fire smoke, infectious diseases, vaccines, chemical and biological warfare agents, depleted uranium munitions and post-traumatic stress disorder. Recent historical analyses have identified controversial idiopathic symptom syndromes associated with nearly every modern war, suggesting that war typically sets into motion interrelated physical, emotional and fiscal consequences for veterans and for society. We anticipate future controversial war syndromes and maintain that a population-based approach to care can mitigate their impact. This paper delineates essential features of the model, describes its public health and scientific underpinnings and details how several countries are trying to implement it. With troops returning from combat in Afghanistan, Iraq and elsewhere, the model is already getting put to the test.

  1. STS-50 Columbia, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 102, crew insignia

    NASA Image and Video Library

    1999-07-26

    STS050-S-001 (January 1992) --- Designed by the flight crew, the insignia for the United States Microgravity Laboratory (USML-1), captures a space shuttle traveling above Earth while trailing the USML banner. The orbiter is oriented vertically in a typical attitude for microgravity science and in this position represents the numeral 1 in the mission's abbreviated title. This flight represents the first in a series of USML flights on which the primary objective is microgravity science, planned and executed through the combined efforts of the United States of America's government, industry and academia. Visible in the payload bay are the Spacelab module, and the extended duration orbiter "cryo" pallet which will be making its first flight. The small g and Greek letter mu on the Spacelab module symbolize the microgravity environment being used for research in the areas of materials science and fluid physics. The large block letter U extends outside the patch perimeter, symbolizing the potential for the experiments on this flight to expand the current boundaries of knowledge in microgravity science. The Stars and Stripes of the USML block letters and the United States landmass in the Earth scene below reflect the crew's pride in the United States origin of all onboard experiments. The NASA insignia design for space shuttle flights is reserved for use by the astronauts and for other official use as the NASA Administrator may authorize. Public availability has been approved only in the forms of illustrations by the various news media. When and if there is any change in this policy, which is not anticipated, the change will be publicly announced. Photo credit: NASA

  2. Proximity to the US-Mexico border: a key to explaining geographic variation in US methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin purity.

    PubMed

    Cunningham, James K; Maxwell, Jane Carlisle; Campollo, Octavio; Cunningham, Kathryn I; Liu, Lon-Mu; Lin, Hui-Lin

    2010-10-01

    Although illicit drug purity is a widely discussed health risk, research explaining its geographic variation within a country is rare. This study examines whether proximity to the US-Mexico border, the United States' primary drug import portal, is associated with geographic variation in US methamphetamine, heroin and cocaine purity. Distances (proximity) between the US-Mexico border and locations of methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin seizures/acquisitions (n = 239,070) recorded in STRIDE (System to Retrieve Information from Drug Evidence) were calculated for the period of 1990-2004. The association of drug purity with these distances and other variables, including time and seizure/acquisition size, was examined using hierarchical multivariate linear modeling (HMLM). Coterminous United States. Methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin purity generally decreased with distance from the US-Mexico border. Heroin purity, however, after initially declining with distance, turned upwards-a U-shaped association. During 2000-04, methamphetamine purity also had a U-shaped association with distance. For each of the three drugs, temporal changes in the purity of small acquisitions (<10 g) were typically more dynamic in areas closer to the US-Mexico border. Geographic variance in methamphetamine, cocaine and heroin purity throughout the coterminous United States was associated with US-Mexico border proximity. The U-shaped associations between border-distance and purity for heroin and methamphetamine may be due to imports of those drugs via the eastern United States and southeast Canada, respectively. That said, areas closer to the US-Mexico border generally had relatively high illicit drug purity, as well as more dynamic change in the purity of small ('retail level') drug amounts. © 2010 The Authors, Addiction © 2010 Society for the Study of Addiction.

  3. Factors related to building loss due to wildfires in the conterminous United States.

    PubMed

    Alexandre, Patricia M; Stewart, Susan I; Keuler, Nicholas S; Clayton, Murray K; Mockrin, Miranda H; Bar-Massada, Avi; Syphard, Alexandra D; Radeloff, Volker C

    2016-10-01

    Wildfire is globally an important ecological disturbance affecting biochemical cycles and vegetation composition, but also puts people and their homes at risk. Suppressing wildfires has detrimental ecological effects and can promote larger and more intense wildfires when fuels accumulate, which increases the threat to buildings in the wildland-urban interface (WUI). Yet, when wildfires occur, typically only a small proportion of the buildings within the fire perimeter are lost, and the question is what determines which buildings burn. Our goal was to examine which factors are related to building loss when a wildfire occurs throughout the United States. We were particularly interested in the relative roles of vegetation, topography, and the spatial arrangement of buildings, and how their respective roles vary among ecoregions. We analyzed all fires that occurred within the conterminous United States from 2000 to 2010 and digitized which buildings were lost and which survived according to Google Earth historical imagery. We modeled the occurrence as well as the percentage of buildings lost within clusters using logistic and linear regression. Overall, variables related to topography and the spatial arrangement of buildings were more frequently present in the best 20 regression models than vegetation-related variables. In other words, specific locations in the landscape have a higher fire risk, and certain development patterns can exacerbate that risk. Fire policies and prevention efforts focused on vegetation management are important, but insufficient to solve current wildfire problems. Furthermore, the factors associated with building loss varied considerably among ecoregions suggesting that fire policy applied uniformly across the United States will not work equally well in all regions and that efforts to adapt communities to wildfires must be regionally tailored. © 2016 by the Ecological Society of America.

  4. Health insurance premium increases for the 5 largest school districts in the United States, 2004-2008.

    PubMed

    Cantillo, John R

    2010-03-01

    Local school districts are often one of the largest, if not the largest, employers in their respective communities. Like many large employers, school districts offer health insurance to their employees. There is a lack of information about the rate of health insurance premiums in US school districts relative to other employers. To assess the change in the costs of healthcare insurance in the 5 largest public school districts in the United States, between 2004 and 2008, as representative of large public employers in the country. Data for this study were drawn exclusively from a survey sent to the 5 largest public school districts in the United States. The survey requested responses on 3 data elements for each benefit plan offered from 2004 through 2008; these included enrollment, employee costs, and employer costs. The premium growth for the 5 largest school districts has slowed down and is consistent with other purchasers-Kaiser/Health Research & Educational Trust and the Federal Employee Health Benefit Program. The average increase in health insurance premium for the schools was 5.9% in 2008, and the average annual growth rate over the study period was 7.5%. For family coverage, these schools provide the most generous employer contribution (80.8%) compared with the employer contribution reported by other employers (73.5%) for 2008. Often the largest employers in their communities, school districts demonstrate a commitment to provide choice of benefits and affordability for employees and their families. Despite constraints typical of public employers, the 5 largest school districts in the United States have decelerated in premium growth consistent with other purchasers, albeit at a slower pace.

  5. Health Insurance Premium Increases for the 5 Largest School Districts in the United States, 2004–2008

    PubMed Central

    Cantillo, John R.

    2010-01-01

    Background Local school districts are often one of the largest, if not the largest, employers in their respective communities. Like many large employers, school districts offer health insurance to their employees. There is a lack of information about the rate of health insurance premiums in US school districts relative to other employers. Objective To assess the change in the costs of healthcare insurance in the 5 largest public school districts in the United States, between 2004 and 2008, as representative of large public employers in the country. Methods Data for this study were drawn exclusively from a survey sent to the 5 largest public school districts in the United States. The survey requested responses on 3 data elements for each benefit plan offered from 2004 through 2008; these included enrollment, employee costs, and employer costs. Results The premium growth for the 5 largest school districts has slowed down and is consistent with other purchasers—Kaiser/Health Research & Educational Trust and the Federal Employee Health Benefit Program. The average increase in health insurance premium for the schools was 5.9% in 2008, and the average annual growth rate over the study period was 7.5%. For family coverage, these schools provide the most generous employer contribution (80.8%) compared with the employer contribution reported by other employers (73.5%) for 2008. Conclusions Often the largest employers in their communities, school districts demonstrate a commitment to provide choice of benefits and affordability for employees and their families. Despite constraints typical of public employers, the 5 largest school districts in the United States have decelerated in premium growth consistent with other purchasers, albeit at a slower pace. PMID:25126311

  6. Mapping the Mineral Resource Base for Mineral Carbon-Dioxide Sequestration in the Conterminous United States

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Krevor, S.C.; Graves, C.R.; Van Gosen, B. S.; McCafferty, A.E.

    2009-01-01

    This database provides information on the occurrence of ultramafic rocks in the conterminous United States that are suitable for sequestering captured carbon dioxide in mineral form, also known as mineral carbon-dioxide sequestration. Mineral carbon-dioxide sequestration is a proposed greenhouse gas mitigation technology whereby carbon dioxide (CO2) is disposed of by reacting it with calcium or magnesium silicate minerals to form a solid magnesium or calcium carbonate product. The technology offers a large capacity to permanently store CO2 in an environmentally benign form via a process that takes little effort to verify or monitor after disposal. These characteristics are unique among its peers in greenhouse gas disposal technologies. The 2005 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report on Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage suggested that a major gap in mineral CO2 sequestration is locating the magnesium-silicate bedrock available to sequester the carbon dioxide. It is generally known that silicate minerals with high concentrations of magnesium are suitable for mineral carbonation. However, no assessment has been made in the United States that details their geographical distribution and extent, nor has anyone evaluated their potential for use in mineral carbonation. Researchers at Columbia University and the U.S. Geological Survey have developed a digital geologic database of ultramafic rocks in the conterminous United States. Data were compiled from varied-scale geologic maps of magnesium-silicate ultramafic rocks. The focus of our national-scale map is entirely on ultramafic rock types, which typically consist primarily of olivine- and serpentine-rich rocks. These rock types are potentially suitable as source material for mineral CO2 sequestration.

  7. Evidence of Intermediate Hydrogen States in the Formation of a Complex Hydride

    DOE PAGES

    Sato, Toyoto; Ramirez-Cuesta, Anibal J.; Daemen, Luke L.; ...

    2017-12-26

    A complex hydride (LaMg 2NiH 7) composed of La 3+, two Mg 2+, [NiH 4] 4– with a covalently bonded hydrogen, and three H – was formed from an intermetallic LaMg 2Ni via an intermediate phase (LaMg 2NiH 4.6) composed of La, Mg, NiH 2, NiH 3 units, and H atoms at tetrahedral sites. The NiH 2 and NiH 3 units in LaMg 2NiH 4.6 were reported as precursors for [NiH 4] 4– in LaMg 2NiH 7 [Miwa et al. J. Phys. Chem. C 2016, 120, 5926–5931]. To further understand the hydrogen states in the precursors (the NiH 2 andmore » NiH 3 units) and H atoms at the tetrahedral sites in the intermediate phase, LaMg 2NiH 4.6, we observed the hydrogen vibrations in LaMg 2NiH 4.6 and LaMg 2NiH 7 by using inelastic neutron scattering. A comparison of the hydrogen vibrations of the NiH 2 and NiH 3 units with that of [NiH 4] 4– shows that the librational modes of the NiH 2 and NiH 3 units were nonexistent; librational modes are characteristic modes for complex anions, such as [NiH 4] 4–. Furthermore, the hydrogen vibrations for the H atoms in the tetrahedral sites showed a narrower wavenumber range than that for H – and a wider range than that for typical interstitial hydrogen. The results indicated the presence of intermediate hydrogen states before the formation of [NiH 4] 4– and H –.« less

  8. Evidence of Intermediate Hydrogen States in the Formation of a Complex Hydride

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Sato, Toyoto; Ramirez-Cuesta, Anibal J.; Daemen, Luke L.

    A complex hydride (LaMg 2NiH 7) composed of La 3+, two Mg 2+, [NiH 4] 4– with a covalently bonded hydrogen, and three H – was formed from an intermetallic LaMg 2Ni via an intermediate phase (LaMg 2NiH 4.6) composed of La, Mg, NiH 2, NiH 3 units, and H atoms at tetrahedral sites. The NiH 2 and NiH 3 units in LaMg 2NiH 4.6 were reported as precursors for [NiH 4] 4– in LaMg 2NiH 7 [Miwa et al. J. Phys. Chem. C 2016, 120, 5926–5931]. To further understand the hydrogen states in the precursors (the NiH 2 andmore » NiH 3 units) and H atoms at the tetrahedral sites in the intermediate phase, LaMg 2NiH 4.6, we observed the hydrogen vibrations in LaMg 2NiH 4.6 and LaMg 2NiH 7 by using inelastic neutron scattering. A comparison of the hydrogen vibrations of the NiH 2 and NiH 3 units with that of [NiH 4] 4– shows that the librational modes of the NiH 2 and NiH 3 units were nonexistent; librational modes are characteristic modes for complex anions, such as [NiH 4] 4–. Furthermore, the hydrogen vibrations for the H atoms in the tetrahedral sites showed a narrower wavenumber range than that for H – and a wider range than that for typical interstitial hydrogen. The results indicated the presence of intermediate hydrogen states before the formation of [NiH 4] 4– and H –.« less

  9. A fair wind blows for one green technology

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Marshall, E.

    1993-06-25

    The newest windmills are small and robust, typically capable of generating 50 to 500 kilowatts each. Sales have been helped along, both in Europe and the United States, by laws requiring utility companies to offer fixed purchase-price contracts to suppliers of wind electricity. Another boost comes from the National Energy Policy Act, signed into law last fall by George Bush. It permits a 1.5 cent per kilowatt-hour tax credit for generators of electricity from renewable sources. Emphasizing energy production is [open quotes]a much smarter approach[close quotes] than just rewarding construction of new windmills, says Alexander Ellis, an executive at Kenetech/USmore » Windpower, because it encourages companies to deliver durable products. Today, the wind energy business seems to be booming, bearing out the Administration's faith that environmental technologies can open new markets. There are now more than 16,000 wind turbines installed in the United States, according to DeMeo, most of them still in California. Europe is also moving ahead. Although European countries have installed fewer machines to date, DeMeo says, the European Community has ambitious plans, calling for double the current US wind energy capacity by the end of the decade. About 10 major manufacturers in the United States and abroad are vying for this business. It took some fine-tuning, but government incentives to nurture this green technology seem to be working.« less

  10. A retrospective analysis of American football hyperthermia deaths in the United States

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Grundstein, Andrew J.; Ramseyer, Craig; Zhao, Fang; Pesses, Jordan L.; Akers, Pete; Qureshi, Aneela; Becker, Laura; Knox, John A.; Petro, Myron

    2012-01-01

    Over the period 1980-2009, there were 58 documented hyperthermia deaths of American-style football players in the United States. This study examines the geography, timing, and meteorological conditions present during the onset of hyperthermia, using the most complete dataset available. Deaths are concentrated in the eastern quadrant of the United States and are most common during August. Over half the deaths occurred during morning practices when high humidity levels were common. The athletes were typically large (79% with a body mass index >30) and mostly (86%) played linemen positions. Meteorological conditions were atypically hot and humid by local standards on most days with fatalities. Further, all deaths occurred under conditions defined as high or extreme by the American College of Sports Medicine using the wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT), but under lower threat levels using the heat index (HI). Football-specific thresholds based on clothing (full football uniform, practice uniform, or shorts) were also examined. The thresholds matched well with data from athletes wearing practice uniforms but poorly for those in shorts only. Too few cases of athletes in full pads were available to draw any broad conclusions. We recommend that coaches carefully monitor players, particularly large linemen, early in the pre-season on days with wet bulb globe temperatures that are categorized as high or extreme. Also, as most of the deaths were among young athletes, longer acclimatization periods may be needed.

  11. Insomnia Associated with Valerian and Melatonin Usage in the 2002 National Health Interview Survey

    PubMed Central

    Bliwise, Donald L.; Ansari, Farzaneh Pour

    2007-01-01

    Study Objective: Many people use dietary supplements or herbal products to help them sleep. We analyzed the associations between melatonin use and insomnia and between valerian use and insomnia in a representative sample of the United States population. Design and Participants: The data reported upon here were collected in the 2002 Alternative Health/Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) Supplement to the National Health Interview Survey. This was a survey of 31,044 personal interviews that constituted an age-representative and socioeconomically representative sample of the civilian noninstitutionalized population of the United States. Results: Of the survey sample, 5.9% used valerian and 5.2% used melatonin. Of those using valerian, 29.9% endorsed insomnia as 1 reason for CAM use, and, of melatonin users, 27.5% endorsed insomnia as 1 reason for CAM use. Relatively greater use occurred in individuals under age 60 years. The decision to use such substances was made in consultation with a health care provider less than half of the time. Conclusions: Large segments of the United States population used valerian or melatonin for insomnia within the year preceding the survey, and usage typically fell outside the purview of the health care system. Citation: Bliwise DL; Ansari FP. Insomnia associated with valerian and melatonin usage in the 2002 National Health Interview Survey. SLEEP 2007;30(7):881-884. PMID:17682659

  12. Update: Influenza Activity - United States, October 1-November 25, 2017.

    PubMed

    Dugan, Vivien G; Blanton, Lenee; Elal, Anwar Isa Abd; Alabi, Noreen; Barnes, John; Brammer, Lynnette; Burns, Erin; Cummings, Charisse N; Davis, Todd; Flannery, Brendan; Fry, Alicia M; Garg, Shikha; Garten, Rebecca; Gubareva, Larisa; Jang, Yunho; Kniss, Krista; Kramer, Natalie; Lindstrom, Stephen; Mustaquim, Desiree; O'Halloran, Alissa; Olsen, Sonja J; Sessions, Wendy; Taylor, Calli; Trock, Susan; Xu, Xiyan; Wentworth, David E; Katz, Jacqueline; Jernigan, Daniel

    2017-12-08

    Influenza activity in the United States was low during October 2017, but has been increasing since the beginning of November. Influenza A viruses have been most commonly identified, with influenza A(H3N2) viruses predominating. Several influenza activity indicators were higher than is typically seen for this time of year. The majority of influenza viruses characterized during this period were genetically or antigenically similar to the 2017-18 Northern Hemisphere cell-grown vaccine reference viruses. These data indicate that currently circulating viruses have not undergone significant antigenic drift; however, circulating A(H3N2) viruses are antigenically less similar to egg-grown A(H3N2) viruses used for producing the majority of influenza vaccines in the United States. It is difficult to predict which influenza viruses will predominate in the 2017-18 influenza season; however, in recent past seasons in which A(H3N2) viruses predominated, hospitalizations and deaths were more common, and the effectiveness of the vaccine was lower. Annual influenza vaccination is recommended for all persons aged ≥6 months who do not have contraindications. Multiple influenza vaccines are approved and recommended for use during the 2017-18 season, and vaccination should continue to be offered as long as influenza viruses are circulating and unexpired vaccine is available. This report summarizes U.S. influenza activity* during October 1-November 25, 2017 (surveillance weeks 40-47). † .

  13. Uranium, its impact on the national and global energy mix; and its history, distribution, production, nuclear fuel-cycle, future, and relation to the environment

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Finch, Warren Irvin

    1997-01-01

    The many aspects of uranium, a heavy radioactive metal used to generate electricity throughout the world, are briefly described in relatively simple terms intended for the lay reader. An adequate glossary of unfamiliar terms is given. Uranium is a new source of electrical energy developed since 1950, and how we harness energy from it is explained. It competes with the organic coal, oil, and gas fuels as shown graphically. Uranium resources and production for the world are tabulated and discussed by country and for various energy regions in the United States. Locations of major uranium deposits and power reactors in the United States are mapped. The nuclear fuel-cycle of uranium for a typical light-water reactor is illustrated at the front end-beginning with its natural geologic occurrence in rocks through discovery, mining, and milling; separation of the scarce isotope U-235, its enrichment, and manufacture into fuel rods for power reactors to generate electricity-and at the back end-the reprocessing and handling of the spent fuel. Environmental concerns with the entire fuel cycle are addressed. The future of the use of uranium in new, simplified, 'passively safe' reactors for the utility industry is examined. The present resource assessment of uranium in the United States is out of date, and a new assessment could aid the domestic uranium industry.

  14. The epidemiology and phenomenology of compulsive sexual behavior.

    PubMed

    Black, D W

    2000-01-01

    Compulsive sexual behavior (CSB) is characterized by inappropriate or excessive sexual behaviors or cognitions that lead to subjective distress or impaired functioning. Both abnormal (paraphilic) and conventional (nonparaphilic) forms of sexual behavior are usually included in the definition. CSB is reported to affect 3% to 6% of the general population in the United States, occurring more frequently in men. It typically begins in the late teens or early twenties and is chronic or intermittent. The disorder has been described as a progression through four stages: preoccupation, ritualization, gratification, and despair. Men with CSB typically focus on physical sexual gratification; women focus on romantic or emotional aspects of sexuality. Psychiatric comorbidity is common, particularly substance use, mood, anxiety, and personality disorders. CSB can lead to medical complications. Risk factors are thought to include family history and childhood abuse.

  15. Herb-drug interactions. Interactions between saw palmetto and prescription medications.

    PubMed

    Bressler, Rubin

    2005-11-01

    Patients over age 50 typically present with one chronic disease per decade. Each chronic disease typically requires long-term drug therapy, meaning most older patients require several drugs to maintain health. Simultaneously, use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) has increased in the United States in the last 20 years, reaching 36% in 2002; herbal medicine use accounts for approximately 22% of all CAM use. Older adults often add herbal medicines to prescription medications, yet do not always inform their physicians. The drug metabolizing enzyme systems process all compounds foreign to the body, including prescription and herbal medications. Therefore use of both medicinals simultaneously has a potential for adverse interactions. This review, which discusses saw palmetto, is the last in a series covering the documented interactions among the top 5 efficacious herbal medicines and prescription drugs.

  16. Rocky Mountains

    NASA Image and Video Library

    2015-05-06

    On April 29, 2015 the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Terra satellite captured a true-color image of a typical spring scene in the western United State: snow-crowned Rocky Mountains rising above the faintly greening plains. The Rocky Mountains stretch from British Columbia, Canada to the Rio Grande in New Mexico, a span of roughly 3,000 miles, and contains many of the highest peaks in the continental United States. The tallest, Mount Elbert, rises 14,400 ft. (4,401 m) above sea level, and is located in the San Isabel National Forest, near Leadville, Colorado. This image covers seven Rocky Mountain states. From north to south they are: Montana and Idaho, Wyoming; Utah (with the Great Salt Lake visible) and Colorado; Arizona and New Mexico. To the east, the Great Plain states captured are, from north to south: North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and northwestern Texas. Credit: NASA/GSFC/Jeff Schmaltz/MODIS Land Rapid Response Team NASA image use policy. NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission. Follow us on Twitter Like us on Facebook Find us on Instagram

  17. A Study to Identify the Transitional Training Needs for United States Army Medical Residents

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1988-07-29

    34 workshops in the earlv 1970s, the issues cOn tinleld to have onlv ma rg ina l interests from teach ing inst itut ions for nearlv a decade. In 1982, the...Perspectives ( PRO VIEWS): These were presentations typically given by senior physicians who occupy positions of considerable administrative...n) JCAHO std day PRO -VIFW! %td dev I NE-VIEWS std dev qPAD-VIEWS std dev CAREI std oev Family Pract 27 3.4074 0 95 35769 I 12 36296 095 35185 1.03 3

  18. Transmission Loss Prediction for the AN/TRC-97A Over a Tropospheric Scatter Path.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1980-12-12

    that they have so willingly provided. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page Preface............................. .... ...... .. . . ... List of Figures...recorded by these units and does not reflect any data collected specifically for this research. Al t hou;i the content of the data varies, typically included...several years in diftcr,.nt locations w1Lth1n tL’,. continntal Fnited States. DuratiLon o i ’ac h ,,xer ’- I not v ’r in , n , r~in,in ii t rom two

  19. Environmental Assessment: BRAC Construction and Operation of Armed Forces Reserve Center at Malmstrom Air Force Base, Great Falls, Montana

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2009-06-01

    Day-Night Levels in Urban Areas in the United States .................................4-31 4-5 Typical Construction Equipment and Composite Site...ramp 2 Reefer 4 1.5-ton Trailer 1 2.5-ton Trailer 1 5-ton Trailer 4 Mobile Kitchen Trailer 1 4-kilovolt (kV) Generator sets 3 10-kV generator...encountered in urban areas of the U.S. In general, 30 to 50 dB represents a quiet classification, 65 to 70 dB represents a moderately noisy

  20. “Have not our weary feet come to the place for which our fathers sighed?”: heirs’ property in the southern United States

    Treesearch

    Cassandra Johnson Gaither

    2016-01-01

    Heirs’ property is inherited land or real estate owned by two or more people as tenants in common. The property is typically passed to heirs without a will or with “clouded title” outside the formal probate process. This type of land tenure presents problems to its owners because it is very difficult for heirs to leverage such assets to enhance property values—for...

  1. Final Environmental Impact Statement. Permit Application by United States Steel Corp., Proposed Lake Front Steel Mill, Conneaut, Ohio. Volume 2.

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1979-01-01

    Horticultural products are also important. Production of trees, shrubs , vines and ornamental plants as well as cut flowers, potted plants, florist greens and... shrubs are beginning to die off and invasion by red maple or other woody plants was found to be typical. No prevernal flowering plants were encountered and...is low and only sparsely vegetated. However, the east bank is higher and supports woody shrubs and trees which provide a minimal amount of shade. At

  2. CO2 lidar backscatter profiles over Hawaii during fall 1988

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Post, Madison J.; Cupp, Richard E.

    1992-01-01

    Aerosol and cloud backscatter data, obtained over a 24-day period in fall 1988 with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Doppler lidar at 10.59-micron wavelength, are analyzed by using a new technique to lessen biases that are due to dropouts. Typical backscatter cross sections were significantly lower than those routinely observed over the continental United States, although episodic backscatter enhancements caused by cirrus and mineral dust also occurred. Implications of these data on the proposed Laser Atmospheric Wind Sounder wind profiling satellite sensor are discussed.

  3. Coccidioides immitis identified in soil outside of its known range - Washington, 2013.

    PubMed

    Marsden-Haug, Nicola; Hill, Heather; Litvintseva, Anastasia P; Engelthaler, David M; Driebe, Elizabeth M; Roe, Chandler C; Ralston, Cindy; Hurst, Steven; Goldoft, Marcia; Gade, Lalitha; Wohrle, Ron; Thompson, George R; Brandt, Mary E; Chiller, Tom

    2014-05-23

    Coccidioidomycosis ("valley fever") is caused by inhaling spores of the soil-dwelling fungi Coccidioides immitis or Coccidioides posadasii. Most infections are subclinical. When clinical manifestations do occur (typically 1-4 weeks after exposure), they are similar to those associated with influenza or community-acquired pneumonia. Disseminated disease is rare. Residual pulmonary nodules can lead to chronic lung disease. Fluconazole or other triazoles often are used for treatment, but mild cases often resolve without specific therapy. A total of 17,802 cases were reported in the United States in 2012.

  4. Sunburn, Thermal, and Chemical Injuries to the Skin.

    PubMed

    Monseau, Aaron J; Reed, Zebula M; Langley, Katherine Jane; Onks, Cayce

    2015-12-01

    Sunburn, thermal, and chemical injuries to the skin are common in the United States and worldwide. Initial management is determined by type and extent of injury with special care to early management of airway, breathing, and circulation. Fluid management has typically been guided by the Parkland formula, whereas some experts now question this. Each type of skin injury has its own pathophysiology and resultant complications. All primary care physicians should have at least a basic knowledge of management of acute and chronic skin injuries. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. Results from a U.S. absolute gravity survey

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zumberge, M. A.; Faller, J. E.; Gschwind, J.

    Using the recently completed JILA absolute gravity meter, we made a survey of twelve sites in the United States. Over a period of eight weeks, the instrument was driven a total distance of nearly 20,000 km to sites in California, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Maryland and Massachusetts. The time spent in carrying out a measurement at a single location was typically one day. We report the results of the measurements in this survey along with earlier measurements made with the instrument, discuss the measurement accuracy and compare our results with other measurements.

  6. HIV in Pregnancy.

    PubMed

    Roth, Cheryl; Hrenchir, Pauline F; Pacheco, Christine J

    2016-01-01

    In the United States, women with HIV have the ability to make informed choices relating to their reproductive lives more now than ever before. The increasing availability of antiretroviral therapy has spurred renewed interest among many HIV-positive women in their decisions about whether to have children. It is important for perinatal nurses to understand the maternal and fetal implications of HIV in pregnancy, including parameters for treatment and the drug regimens typically used during the antepartum, intrapartum, and postpartum periods. © 2016 AWHONN, the Association of Women’s Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses.

  7. Notes from the field: hospitalizations for respiratory disease among unaccompanied children from Central America - multiple States, June-July 2014.

    PubMed

    Nyangoma, Edith N; Arriola, Carmen Sofia; Hagan, Jose; Socias, Christina; Tomczyk, Sara; Watkins, Louise Francois; Westercamp, Matthew; Kim, Curi

    2014-08-15

    During October 2013-June 2014, approximately 54,000 unaccompanied children, mostly from the Central American countries of El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras, were identified attempting entry into the United States from Mexico, exceeding numbers reported in previous years. Once identified in the United States, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, an agency of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, processes the unaccompanied children and transfers them to the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), an office of the Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. ORR cares for the children in shelters until they can be released to a sponsor, typically a parent or relative, who can care for the child while their immigration case is processed. In June 2014, in response to the increased number of unaccompanied children, U.S. Customs and Border Protection expanded operations to accommodate children at a processing center in Nogales, Arizona. ORR, together with the U.S. Department of Defense, opened additional large temporary shelters for the children at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas; U.S. Army Garrison Ft. Sill, Oklahoma; and Naval Base Ventura County, California.

  8. Salmonella Prevalence and Antimicrobial Susceptibility from the National Animal Health Monitoring System Sheep 2011 Study.

    PubMed

    Dargatz, David A; Marshall, Katherine L; Fedorka-Cray, Paula J; Erdman, Matthew M; Kopral, Christine A

    2015-12-01

    Salmonella is a major cause of foodborne illness and can cause clinical disease in animals. Understanding the on-farm ecology of Salmonella will be helpful in decreasing the risk of foodborne transmission. An objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of Salmonella among fecal samples collected on sheep operations in the United States. Another objective was to compare the use of composite fecal samples with fecal samples collected from individual sheep as a tool for screening sheep flocks for Salmonella. Sheep fecal samples (individual and composite) were collected on operations in 22 states. Salmonella isolates were characterized with regard to species, serotype, and antimicrobial susceptibility profile. Most operations (72.1%) had at least one positive sample and overall 26.9% of samples were positive. The percentage of positive samples varied by animal age class. Composite and individual samples gave similar results. The majority of the isolates (94%) were Salmonella enterica subspecies diarizonae serotype 61:-:1,5,7. Nearly all of the isolates (91.2%) tested for antimicrobial susceptibility were susceptible to all antimicrobials in the panel. The findings suggest that salmonellae typically associated with foodborne disease transmission are infrequently found on sheep operations in the United States.

  9. Applying the Theory of Constraints to a Base Civil Engineering Operations Branch

    DTIC Science & Technology

    1991-09-01

    Figure Page 1. Typical Work Order Processing . .......... 7 2. Typical Job Order Processing . .......... 8 3. Typical Simplified In-Service Work Plan for...Customers’ Customer Request Service Planning Unit Production] Control Center Material Control Scheduling CE Shops Figure 1.. Typical Work Order Processing 7

  10. HESS Opinions: Functional units: a novel framework to explore the link between spatial organization and hydrological functioning of intermediate scale catchments

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zehe, E.; Ehret, U.; Pfister, L.; Blume, T.; Schröder, B.; Westhoff, M.; Jackisch, C.; Schymanski, S. J.; Weiler, M.; Schulz, K.; Allroggen, N.; Tronicke, J.; Dietrich, P.; Scherer, U.; Eccard, J.; Wulfmeyer, V.; Kleidon, A.

    2014-03-01

    This opinion paper proposes a novel framework for exploring how spatial organization alongside with spatial heterogeneity controls functioning of intermediate scale catchments of organized complexity. Key idea is that spatial organization in landscapes implies that functioning of intermediate scale catchments is controlled by a hierarchy of functional units: hillslope scale lead topologies and embedded elementary functional units (EFUs). We argue that similar soils and vegetation communities and thus also soil structures "co-developed" within EFUs in an adaptive, self-organizing manner as they have been exposed to similar flows of energy, water and nutrients from the past to the present. Class members of the same EFU (class) are thus deemed to belong to the same ensemble with respect to controls of the energy balance and related vertical flows of capillary bounded soil water and heat. Class members of superordinate lead topologies are characterized by the same spatially organized arrangement of EFUs along the gradient driving lateral flows of free water as well as a similar surface and bedrock topography. We hence postulate that they belong to the same ensemble with respect to controls on rainfall runoff transformation and related vertical and lateral fluxes of free water. We expect class members of these functional units to have a distinct way how their architecture controls the interplay of state dynamics and integral flows, which is typical for all members of one class but dissimilar among the classes. This implies that we might infer on the typical dynamic behavior of the most important classes of EFU and lead topologies in a catchment, by thoroughly characterizing a few members of each class. A major asset of the proposed framework, which steps beyond the concept of hydrological response units, is that it can be tested experimentally. In this respect, we reflect on suitable strategies based on stratified observations drawing from process hydrology, soil physics, geophysics, ecology and remote sensing which are currently conducted in replicates of candidate functional units in the Attert basin (Luxembourg), to search for typical and similar functional and structural characteristics. A second asset of this framework is that it blueprints a way towards a structurally more adequate model concept for water and energy cycles in intermediate scale catchments, which balances necessary complexity with falsifiability. This is because EFU and lead topologies are deemed to mark a hierarchy of "scale breaks" where simplicity with respect to the energy balance and stream flow generation emerges from spatially organized process-structure interactions. This offers the opportunity for simplified descriptions of these processes that are nevertheless physically and thermodynamically consistent. In this respect we reflect on a candidate model structure that (a) may accommodate distributed observations of states and especially terrestrial controls on driving gradients to constrain the space of feasible model structures and (b) allows testing the possible added value of organizing principles to understand the role of spatial organization from an optimality perspective.

  11. Design of RF energy harvesting platforms for power management unit with start-up circuits

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Costanzo, Alessandra; Masotti, Diego

    2013-12-01

    In this contribution we discuss an unconventional rectifier design dedicated to RF energy harvesting from ultra-low sources, such as ambient RF sources which are typically of the order of few to few tens of μW. In such conditions unsuccessful results may occur if the rectenna is directly connected to its actual load since either the minimum power or the minimum activation voltage may not be simultaneously available. For this reason a double-branch rectifier topology is considered for the power management unit (PMU), instead of traditional single-branch one. The new PMU, interposed between the rectenna and application circuits, allows the system to operate with significantly lower input power with respect to the traditional solution, while preserving efficiency during steady-state power conversion.

  12. Analysis of multiple instructional techniques on the understanding and retention of select mechanical topics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Fetsco, Sara Elizabeth

    There are several topics that introductory physics students typically have difficulty understanding. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate if multiple instructional techniques will help students to better understand and retain the material. The three units analyzed in this study are graphing motion, projectile motion, and conservation of momentum. For each unit students were taught using new or altered instructional methods including online laboratory simulations, inquiry labs, and interactive demonstrations. Additionally, traditional instructional methods such as lecture and problem sets were retained. Effectiveness was measured through pre- and post-tests and student opinion surveys. Results suggest that incorporating multiple instructional techniques into teaching will improve student understanding and retention. Students stated that they learned well from all of the instructional methods used except the online simulations.

  13. Trends in groundwater quality in principal aquifers of the United States, 1988-2012

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Lindsey, Bruce D.; Rupert, Michael G.

    2014-01-01

    The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program analyzed trends in groundwater quality throughout the nation for the sampling period of 1988-2012. Trends were determined for networks (sets of wells routinely monitored by the USGS) for a subset of constituents by statistical analysis of paired water-quality measurements collected on a near-decadal time scale. The data set for chloride, dissolved solids, and nitrate consisted of 1,511 wells in 67 networks, whereas the data set for methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) consisted of 1, 013 wells in 46 networks. The 25 principal aquifers represented by these networks account for about 75 percent of withdrawals of groundwater used for drinking-water supply for the nation. Statistically significant changes in chloride, dissolved-solids, or nitrate concentrations were found in many well networks over a decadal period. Concentrations increased significantly in 48 percent of networks for chloride, 42 percent of networks for dissolved solids, and 21 percent of networks for nitrate. Chloride, dissolved solids, and nitrate concentrations decreased significantly in 3, 3, and 10 percent of the networks, respectively. The magnitude of change in concentrations was typically small in most networks; however, the magnitude of change in networks with statistically significant increases was typically much larger than the magnitude of change in networks with statistically significant decreases. The largest increases of chloride concentrations were in urban areas in the northeastern and north central United States. The largest increases of nitrate concentrations were in networks in agricultural areas. Statistical analysis showed 42 or the 46 networks had no statistically significant changes in MTBE concentrations. The four networks with statistically significant changes in MTBE concentrations were in the northeastern United States, where MTBE was widely used. Two networks had increasing concentrations, and two networks had decreasing concentrations. Production and use of MTBE peaked in about 2000 and has been effectively banned in many areas since about 2006. The two networks that had increasing concentrations were sampled for the second time close to the peak of MTBE production, whereas the two networks that had decreasing concentrations were sampled for the second time 10 years after the peak of MTBE production.

  14. Habitual alcohol consumption associated with reduced semen quality and changes in reproductive hormones; a cross-sectional study among 1221 young Danish men.

    PubMed

    Jensen, Tina Kold; Gottschau, Mads; Madsen, Jens Otto Broby; Andersson, Anne-Maria; Lassen, Tina Harmer; Skakkebæk, Niels E; Swan, Shanna H; Priskorn, Lærke; Juul, Anders; Jørgensen, Niels

    2014-10-02

    Study associations between three measures of alcohol consumption (recent, typical/habitual, binging), semen quality and serum reproductive hormones. Cross-sectional population based study. 1221 young Danish men, aged 18-28 years were recruited when they attended a compulsory medical examination to determine their fitness for military service from 2008 to 2012. Total alcohol consumption: (1) in the week preceding (habitual/typical) the visit (recent alcohol intake), (2) in a typical week and (3) frequency of 'binge drinking' (consuming more than 5 units/day)) in the past 30 days was estimated. Semen quality (volume, sperm concentration, total sperm count, and percentages of motile and morphologically normal spermatozoa) and serum concentration of reproductive hormones (follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinising hormone, testosterone, sex hormone binding globulin, oestradiol, free testosterone and inhibin B). Sperm concentration, total sperm count and percentage of spermatozoa with normal morphology were negatively associated with increasing habitual alcohol intake. This association was observed in men reporting at least 5 units in a typical week but was most pronounced for men with a typical intake of more than 25 units/week. Men with a typical weekly intake above 40 units had a 33% (95% CI 11% to 59%) reduction in sperm concentration compared to men with an intake of 1-5 units/week. A significant increase in serum free testosterone with increasing alcohol consumption the week preceding the visit was found. Binging was not independently associated with semen quality. Our study suggests that even modest habitual alcohol consumption of more than 5 units per week had adverse effects on semen quality although most pronounced associations were seen in men who consumed more than 25 units per week. Alcohol consumption was also linked to changes in testosterone and SHBG levels. Young men should be advised to avoid habitual alcohol intake. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

  15. Design of a 15N Molecular Unit to Achieve Long Retention of Hyperpolarized Spin State

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Nonaka, Hiroshi; Hirano, Masashi; Imakura, Yuki; Takakusagi, Yoichi; Ichikawa, Kazuhiro; Sando, Shinsuke

    2017-01-01

    Nuclear hyperpolarization is a phenomenon that can be used to improve the sensitivity of magnetic resonance molecular sensors. However, such sensors typically suffer from short hyperpolarization lifetime. Herein we report that [15N, D14]trimethylphenylammonium (TMPA) has a remarkably long spin-lattice relaxation time (1128 s, 14.1 T, 30 °C, D2O) on its 15N nuclei and achieves a long retention of the hyperpolarized state. [15N, D14]TMPA-based hyperpolarized sensor for carboxylesterase allowed the highly sensitive analysis of enzymatic reaction by 15N NMR for over 40 min in phophate-buffered saline (H2O, pH 7.4, 37 °C).

  16. 32nd International Conference on the Physics of Semiconductors

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Chelikowsky, James

    The International Conference on the Physics of Semiconductors (ICPS) continues a series of biennial conferences that began in the 1950's. ICPS is the premier meeting for reporting all aspects of semiconductor physics including electronic, structural, optical, magnetic and transport properties with an emphasis on new materials and their applications. The meeting will reflect the state of art in the semiconductor physics field and will serve as a forum where scholars, researchers, and specialists can interact to discuss future research directions and technological advancements. The conference typically draws 1,000 international physicists, scientists, and students. This is one of the largest sciencemore » meetings on semiconductors and related materials to be held in the United States.« less

  17. Method of realizing catalytic processes under unsteady state conditions

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Noskov, A.S.; Lakhmostov, V.S.; Matros, Yu.S.

    1988-07-01

    The operation of a system with the catalyst bed divided into three parts was investigated theoretically and experimentally. The conditions under which the system will efficiently convert a reaction mixture with a low inlet temperature in an unsteady state regime are determined. Calculations were performed for the industrially typical process of afterburning CO on a copper-chrome catalyst in the form of Raschig rings. A flow sheet of the unit with the catalyst divided into three is shown with temperature profiles along the bed at various moments in time. The method can be used for processing large volumes of gaseous wastesmore » on very active catalysts and for catalytic reactions with optimum temperature profiles close to those presented.« less

  18. How Do Technology-Enhanced Inquiry Science Units Impact Classroom Learning?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lee, Hee-Sun; Linn, Marcia C.; Varma, Keisha; Liu, Ou Lydia

    2010-01-01

    We investigated how student understanding of complex science topics was impacted when 27 teachers switched from typical to inquiry instruction in a delayed cohort comparison design study. For the same set of science topics, the teachers used typical methods of instruction in the first year and online, visualization rich inquiry units in the second…

  19. Bringing Exoplanet Habitability Investigations to High School

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Woody, Mary Anne; Sohl, Linda

    2016-01-01

    Habitability, a.k.a. habitat suitability, is a topic typically discussed in Biology class. We present here a curriculum unit that introduces the topic of global-scale planetary habitability in a Physics classroom, allowing students to emulate the process of doing cutting-edge science and re-framing an otherwise "typical" physics unit in a more engaging and interactive way.

  20. Geographic variation in opinions on climate change at state and local scales in the USA

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Howe, Peter D.; Mildenberger, Matto; Marlon, Jennifer R.; Leiserowitz, Anthony

    2015-06-01

    Addressing climate change in the United States requires enactment of national, state and local mitigation and adaptation policies. The success of these initiatives depends on public opinion, policy support and behaviours at appropriate scales. Public opinion, however, is typically measured with national surveys that obscure geographic variability across regions, states and localities. Here we present independently validated high-resolution opinion estimates using a multilevel regression and poststratification model. The model accurately predicts climate change beliefs, risk perceptions and policy preferences at the state, congressional district, metropolitan and county levels, using a concise set of demographic and geographic predictors. The analysis finds substantial variation in public opinion across the nation. Nationally, 63% of Americans believe global warming is happening, but county-level estimates range from 43 to 80%, leading to a diversity of political environments for climate policy. These estimates provide an important new source of information for policymakers, educators and scientists to more effectively address the challenges of climate change.

  1. Nutrient Loadings to Streams of the Continental United States from Municipal and Industrial Effluent

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Maupin, M.A.; Ivahnenko, T.

    2011-01-01

    Data from the United States Environmental Protection Agency Permit Compliance System national database were used to calculate annual total nitrogen (TN) and total phosphorus (TP) loads to surface waters from municipal and industrial facilities in six major regions of the United States for 1992, 1997, and 2002. Concentration and effluent flow data were examined for approximately 118,250 facilities in 45 states and the District of Columbia. Inconsistent and incomplete discharge locations, effluent flows, and effluent nutrient concentrations limited the use of these data for calculating nutrient loads. More concentrations were reported for major facilities, those discharging more than 1million gallons per day, than for minor facilities, and more concentrations were reported for TP than for TN. Analytical methods to check and improve the quality of the Permit Compliance System data were used. Annual loads were calculated using "typical pollutant concentrations" to supplement missing concentrations based on the type and size of facilities. Annual nutrient loads for over 26,600 facilities were calculated for at least one of the three years. Sewage systems represented 74% of all TN loads and 58% of all TP loads. This work represents an initial set of data to develop a comprehensive and consistent national database of point-source nutrient loads. These loads can be used to inform a wide range of water-quality management, watershed modeling, and research efforts at multiple scales. ?? 2011 American Water Resources Association. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

  2. Comparison of USDA Forest Service and Stakeholder Motivations and Experiences in Collaborative Federal Forest Governance in the Western United States

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Davis, Emily Jane; White, Eric M.; Cerveny, Lee K.; Seesholtz, David; Nuss, Meagan L.; Ulrich, Donald R.

    2017-11-01

    In the United States, over 191 million acres of land is managed by the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service, a federal government agency. In several western U.S. states, organized collaborative groups have become a de facto governance approach to providing sustained input on management decisions on much public land. This is most extensive in Oregon, where at least 25 "forest collaboratives" currently exist. This affords excellent opportunities for studies of many common themes in collaborative governance, including trust, shared values, and perceptions of success. We undertook a statewide survey of participants in Oregon forest collaboratives to examine differences in motivations, perceptions of success, and satisfaction among Forest Service participants ("agency participants"), who made up 31% of the sample, and other respondents ("non-agency") who represent nonfederal agencies, interest groups, citizens, and non-governmental groups. We found that agency participants differed from non-agency participants. They typically had higher annual incomes, and were primarily motivated to participate to build trust. However, a majority of all respondents were similar in not indicating any other social or economic motivations as their primary reason for collaborating. A majority also reported satisfaction with their collaborative—despite not ranking collaborative performance on a number of specific potential outcomes highly. Together, this suggests that collaboration in Oregon is currently perceived as successful despite not achieving many specific outcomes. Yet there were significant differences in socioeconomic status and motivation that could affect the ability of agency and nonagency participants to develop and achieve mutually-desired goals.

  3. Comparison of USDA Forest Service and Stakeholder Motivations and Experiences in Collaborative Federal Forest Governance in the Western United States.

    PubMed

    Davis, Emily Jane; White, Eric M; Cerveny, Lee K; Seesholtz, David; Nuss, Meagan L; Ulrich, Donald R

    2017-11-01

    In the United States, over 191 million acres of land is managed by the United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service, a federal government agency. In several western U.S. states, organized collaborative groups have become a de facto governance approach to providing sustained input on management decisions on much public land. This is most extensive in Oregon, where at least 25 "forest collaboratives" currently exist. This affords excellent opportunities for studies of many common themes in collaborative governance, including trust, shared values, and perceptions of success. We undertook a statewide survey of participants in Oregon forest collaboratives to examine differences in motivations, perceptions of success, and satisfaction among Forest Service participants ("agency participants"), who made up 31% of the sample, and other respondents ("non-agency") who represent nonfederal agencies, interest groups, citizens, and non-governmental groups. We found that agency participants differed from non-agency participants. They typically had higher annual incomes, and were primarily motivated to participate to build trust. However, a majority of all respondents were similar in not indicating any other social or economic motivations as their primary reason for collaborating. A majority also reported satisfaction with their collaborative-despite not ranking collaborative performance on a number of specific potential outcomes highly. Together, this suggests that collaboration in Oregon is currently perceived as successful despite not achieving many specific outcomes. Yet there were significant differences in socioeconomic status and motivation that could affect the ability of agency and nonagency participants to develop and achieve mutually-desired goals.

  4. Green Care: A Review of the Benefits and Potential of Animal-Assisted Care Farming Globally and in Rural America

    PubMed Central

    Artz, Brianna; Bitler Davis, Doris

    2017-01-01

    Simple Summary The term Green Care encompasses a number of therapeutic strategies that can include farm-animal-assisted therapy, horticultural therapy, and general, farm-based therapy. This review article provides an overview of how Green Care has been used as part of the therapeutic plan for a variety of psychological disorders and related physical disabilities in children, adolescents and adults. While many countries have embraced Green Care, and research-based evidence supports its efficacy in a variety of therapeutic models, it has not yet gained widespread popularity in the United States. We suggest that Green Care could prove to be an effective approach to providing mental health care in the U.S., particularly in rural areas that are typically underserved by more traditional mental health facilities, but have an abundance of farms, livestock, and green spaces where care might be effectively provided. Abstract The term Green Care includes therapeutic, social or educational interventions involving farming; farm animals; gardening or general contact with nature. Although Green Care can occur in any setting in which there is interaction with plants or animals, this review focuses on therapeutic practices occurring on farms. The efficacy of care farming is discussed and the broad utilization of care farming and farm care communities in Europe is reviewed. Though evidence from care farms in the United States is included in this review, the empirical evidence which could determine its efficacy is lacking. For example, the empirical evidence supporting or refuting the efficacy of therapeutic horseback riding in adults is minimal, while there is little non-equine care farming literature with children. The health care systems in Europe are also much different than those in the United States. In order for insurance companies to cover Green Care techniques in the United States, extensive research is necessary. This paper proposes community-based ways that Green Care methods can be utilized without insurance in the United States. Though Green Care can certainly be provided in urban areas, this paper focuses on ways rural areas can utilize existing farms to benefit the mental and physical health of their communities. PMID:28406428

  5. Joint Facial Action Unit Detection and Feature Fusion: A Multi-conditional Learning Approach.

    PubMed

    Eleftheriadis, Stefanos; Rudovic, Ognjen; Pantic, Maja

    2016-10-05

    Automated analysis of facial expressions can benefit many domains, from marketing to clinical diagnosis of neurodevelopmental disorders. Facial expressions are typically encoded as a combination of facial muscle activations, i.e., action units. Depending on context, these action units co-occur in specific patterns, and rarely in isolation. Yet, most existing methods for automatic action unit detection fail to exploit dependencies among them, and the corresponding facial features. To address this, we propose a novel multi-conditional latent variable model for simultaneous fusion of facial features and joint action unit detection. Specifically, the proposed model performs feature fusion in a generative fashion via a low-dimensional shared subspace, while simultaneously performing action unit detection using a discriminative classification approach. We show that by combining the merits of both approaches, the proposed methodology outperforms existing purely discriminative/generative methods for the target task. To reduce the number of parameters, and avoid overfitting, a novel Bayesian learning approach based on Monte Carlo sampling is proposed, to integrate out the shared subspace. We validate the proposed method on posed and spontaneous data from three publicly available datasets (CK+, DISFA and Shoulder-pain), and show that both feature fusion and joint learning of action units leads to improved performance compared to the state-of-the-art methods for the task.

  6. Global toxocariasis research trends from 1932 to 2015: a bibliometric analysis.

    PubMed

    Zyoud, Sa'ed H

    2017-02-23

    Toxocariasis is a highly prevalent parasitic disease in the tropical regions of the world, with its impact on public health being typically underestimated. To better recognise the trends and characteristics of toxocariasis research, this study is a bibliometric analysis of the global toxocariasis research. Searches were completed on April 5, 2016, using the Scopus database. A search without any language restriction was performed to extract publications dealing with toxocariasis. Terms related to toxocariasis were used to perform a title keyword search. A total of 2765 publications comprising 11 document types and published between 1932 and 2015 were included in the analysis. Articles were the most popular document form, accounting for 83.62% of all publications, followed by letters (3.80%) and reviews (3.4%). The annual number of research publications increased from 30 in 1980 to 111 in 2015, indicating that the number of publications on toxocariasis has increased slowly over the past 35 years. The United States of America and Japan are the predominant countries of origin, with 303 articles and 207 articles, respectively, followed by Brazil and the United Kingdom, with 180 (6.5%) each. The h-index for all the publications was 60. The highest h-index were for publications from the United Kingdom (h-index value = 43) and the United States (h-index value = 39); these two countries were also involved with the highest number of international collaborations, with 27 and 28 countries, respectively. Developed countries, including the United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Italy, are the world's leaders in toxocariasis research, contributing to more than 34% of the total published literature. In addition, developing countries, such as Brazil, Poland, Argentina and India, showed a noticeable increase in published papers on toxocariasis research in recent years. A push for more collaboration is needed to achieve a superior research strategy related to toxocariasis at the global level from the viewpoint of epidemiological data, clinical aspects, medical ecology, molecular aspects and treatment practices associated with toxocariasis.

  7. Impact of Rate Design Alternatives on Residential Solar Customer Bills. Increased Fixed Charges, Minimum Bills and Demand-based Rates

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Bird, Lori; Davidson, Carolyn; McLaren, Joyce

    With rapid growth in energy efficiency and distributed generation, electric utilities are anticipating stagnant or decreasing electricity sales, particularly in the residential sector. Utilities are increasingly considering alternative rates structures that are designed to recover fixed costs from residential solar photovoltaic (PV) customers with low net electricity consumption. Proposed structures have included fixed charge increases, minimum bills, and increasingly, demand rates - for net metered customers and all customers. This study examines the electricity bill implications of various residential rate alternatives for multiple locations within the United States. For the locations analyzed, the results suggest that residential PV customers offset,more » on average, between 60% and 99% of their annual load. However, roughly 65% of a typical customer's electricity demand is non-coincidental with PV generation, so the typical PV customer is generally highly reliant on the grid for pooling services.« less

  8. Public health implications of components of plastics manufacture. Flame retardants.

    PubMed Central

    Pearce, E M; Liepins, R

    1975-01-01

    The four processes involved in the flammability of materials are described and related to the various flame retardance mechanisms that may operate. Following this the four practical approaches used in improving flame retardance of materials are described. Each approach is illustrated with a number of typical examples of flame retardants or synthetic procedures used. This overview of flammability, flame retardance, and flame retardants used is followed by a more detailed examination of most of the plastics manufactured in the United States during 1973, their consumption patterns, and the primary types of flame retardants used in the flame retardance of the most used plastics. The main types of flame retardants are illustrated with a number of typical commercial examples. Statistical data on flame retardant market size, flame retardant growth in plastics, and price ranges of common flame retardants are presented. Images FIGURE 1. FIGURE 2. FIGURE 3. FIGURE 4. PMID:1175568

  9. H.sub.2 /C.sub.12 fuel cells for power and HCl production - chemical cogeneration

    DOEpatents

    Gelb, Alan H.

    1991-01-01

    A fuel cell for the electrolytic production of hydrogen chloride and the generation of electric energy from hydrogen and chlorine gas is disclosed. In typical application, the fuel cell operates from the hydrogen and chlorine gas generated by a chlorine electrolysis generator. The hydrogen chloride output is used to maintain acidity in the anode compartment of the electrolysis cells, and the electric energy provided from the fuel cell is used to power a portion of the electrolysis cells in the chlorine generator or for other chlorine generator electric demands. The fuel cell itself is typically formed by a passage for the flow of hydrogen chloride or hydrogen chloride and sodium chloride electrolyte between anode and cathode gas diffusion electrodes, the HCl increa This invention was made with Government support under Contract No. DE-AC02-86ER80366 with the Department of Energy and the United States Government has certain rights thereto.

  10. Utility of video-EEG monitoring in a tertiary care epilepsy center.

    PubMed

    Kumar-Pelayo, M; Oller-Cramsie, M; Mihu, N; Harden, C

    2013-09-01

    Our video-EEG monitoring (VEEG) unit is part of a typical metropolitan tertiary care center that services a diverse patient population. We aimed to determine if the specific clinical reason for inpatient VEEG was actually resolved. Our method was to retrospectively determine the stated goal of inpatient VEEG and to analyze the outcome of one hundred consecutive adult patients admitted for VEEG. The reason for admission fit into one of four categories: 1) to characterize paroxysmal events as either epileptic or nonepileptic, 2) to localize epileptic foci, 3) to characterize the epilepsy syndrome, and 4) to attempt safe antiepileptic drug adjustment. We found that VEEG was successful in accomplishing the goal of admission in 77% of cases. The remaining 23% failed primarily due to lack of typical events during monitoring. Furthermore, of the overall study cohort, VEEG outcomes altered medical management in 53% and surgery was pursued in 5%. © 2013.

  11. Present knowledge of electronic properties and charge transport of icosahedral boron-rich solids

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Werheit, Helmut

    2009-06-01

    B12 icosahedra or related structure elements determine the different modifications of elementary boron and numerous boron-rich compounds from α-rhombohedral boron with 12 to YB66 type with about 1584 atoms per unit cell. Typical are well-defined high density intrinsic defects: Jahn-Teller distorted icosahedra, vacancies, incomplete occupancies, statistical occupancies and antisite defects. The correlation between intrinsic point defects and electron deficiencies solves the discrepancy between theoretically predicted metal and experimentally proved semiconducting character. The electron deficiencies generate split-off valence states, which are decisive for the electronic transport, a superposition of band-type and hopping-type conduction. Their share depends on actual conditions like temperature or pre-excitation. The theoretical model of bipolaron hopping is incompatible with numerous experiments. Technical application of the typically p-type icosahedral boron-rich solids requires suitable n-type counterparts; doping and other possibilities are discussed.

  12. Modeling the potential impacts of climate change on the water table level of selected forested wetlands in the southeastern United States

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Zhu, Jie; Sun, Ge; Li, Wenhong; Zhang, Yu; Miao, Guofang; Noormets, Asko; McNulty, Steve G.; King, John S.; Kumar, Mukesh; Wang, Xuan

    2017-12-01

    The southeastern United States hosts extensive forested wetlands, providing ecosystem services including carbon sequestration, water quality improvement, groundwater recharge, and wildlife habitat. However, these wetland ecosystems are dependent on local climate and hydrology, and are therefore at risk due to climate and land use change. This study develops site-specific empirical hydrologic models for five forested wetlands with different characteristics by analyzing long-term observed meteorological and hydrological data. These wetlands represent typical cypress ponds/swamps, Carolina bays, pine flatwoods, drained pocosins, and natural bottomland hardwood ecosystems. The validated empirical models are then applied at each wetland to predict future water table changes using climate projections from 20 general circulation models (GCMs) participating in Coupled Model Inter-comparison Project 5 (CMIP5) under the Representative Concentration Pathways (RCPs) 4.5 and 8.5 scenarios. We show that combined future changes in precipitation and potential evapotranspiration would significantly alter wetland hydrology including groundwater dynamics by the end of the 21st century. Compared to the historical period, all five wetlands are predicted to become drier over time. The mean water table depth is predicted to drop by 4 to 22 cm in response to the decrease in water availability (i.e., precipitation minus potential evapotranspiration) by the year 2100. Among the five examined wetlands, the depressional wetland in hot and humid Florida appears to be most vulnerable to future climate change. This study provides quantitative information on the potential magnitude of wetland hydrological response to future climate change in typical forested wetlands in the southeastern US.

  13. Energy efficiency improvement and cost saving opportunities for the Corn Wet Milling Industry: An ENERGY STAR Guide for Energy and Plant Managers

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Galitsky, Christina; Worrell, Ernst; Ruth, Michael

    2003-07-01

    Corn wet milling is the most energy intensive industry within the food and kindred products group (SIC 20), using 15 percent of the energy in the entire food industry. After corn, energy is the second largest operating cost for corn wet millers in the United States. A typical corn wet milling plant in the United States spends approximately $20 to $30 million per year on energy, making energy efficiency improvement an important way to reduce costs and increase predictable earnings, especially in times of high energy-price volatility. This report shows energy efficiency opportunities available for wet corn millers. It beginsmore » with descriptions of the trends, structure and production of the corn wet milling industry and the energy used in the milling and refining process. Specific primary energy savings for each energy efficiency measure based on case studies of plants and references to technical literature are provided. If available, typical payback periods are also listed. The report draws upon the experiences of corn, wheat and other starch processing plants worldwide for energy efficiency measures. The findings suggest that given available resources and technology, there are opportunities to reduce energy consumption cost-effectively in the corn wet milling industry while maintaining the quality of the products manufactured. Further research on the economics of the measures, as well as the applicability of these to different wet milling practices, is needed to assess the feasibility of implementation of selected technologies at individual plants.« less

  14. Explicit parametric solutions of lattice structures with proper generalized decomposition (PGD) - Applications to the design of 3D-printed architectured materials

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Sibileau, Alberto; Auricchio, Ferdinando; Morganti, Simone; Díez, Pedro

    2018-01-01

    Architectured materials (or metamaterials) are constituted by a unit-cell with a complex structural design repeated periodically forming a bulk material with emergent mechanical properties. One may obtain specific macro-scale (or bulk) properties in the resulting architectured material by properly designing the unit-cell. Typically, this is stated as an optimal design problem in which the parameters describing the shape and mechanical properties of the unit-cell are selected in order to produce the desired bulk characteristics. This is especially pertinent due to the ease manufacturing of these complex structures with 3D printers. The proper generalized decomposition provides explicit parametic solutions of parametric PDEs. Here, the same ideas are used to obtain parametric solutions of the algebraic equations arising from lattice structural models. Once the explicit parametric solution is available, the optimal design problem is a simple post-process. The same strategy is applied in the numerical illustrations, first to a unit-cell (and then homogenized with periodicity conditions), and in a second phase to the complete structure of a lattice material specimen.

  15. Expedient antibiotics production: Final report

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Bienkowski, P.R.; Byers, C.H.; Lee, D.D.

    The literature on the manufacture, separation and purification, and clinical uses of antibiotics was reviewed, and a bibliography of the pertinent material was completed. Five antimicrobial drugs, penicillin V and G, (and amoxicillin with clavulanic acid), Cephalexin (a cephalosporin), tetracycline and oxytetracycline, Bacitracin (topical), and sulfonamide (chemically produced) were identified for emergency production. Plants that manufacture antibiotics in the continental United States, Mexico, and Puerto Rico have been identified along with potential alternate sites such as those where SCP, enzyme, and fermentation ethanol are produced. Detailed process flow sheets and process descriptions have been derived from the literature and documented.more » This investigation revealed that a typical antibiotic-manufacturing facility is composed of two main sections: (1) a highly specialized, but generic, fermentation unit and (2) a multistep, complex separation and purification unit which is specific to a particular antibiotic product. The fermentation section requires specialized equipment for operation in a sterile environment which is not usually available in other industries. The emergency production of antibiotics under austere conditions will be feasible only if a substantial reduction in the complexity and degree of separation and purity normally required can be realized. Detailed instructions were developed to assist state and federal officials who would be directing the resumption of antibiotic production after a nuclear attack. 182 refs., 54 figs., 26 tabs.« less

  16. Supporting Knowledge Integration in Chemistry with a Visualization-Enhanced Inquiry Unit

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Chiu, Jennifer L.; Linn, Marcia C.

    2014-02-01

    This paper describes the design and impact of an inquiry-oriented online curriculum that takes advantage of dynamic molecular visualizations to improve students' understanding of chemical reactions. The visualization-enhanced unit uses research-based guidelines following the knowledge integration framework to help students develop coherent understanding by connecting and refining existing and new ideas. The inquiry unit supports students to develop connections among molecular, observable, and symbolic representations of chemical reactions. Design-based research included a pilot study, a study comparing the visualization-enhanced inquiry unit to typical instruction, and a course-long comparison study featuring a delayed posttest. Students participating in the visualization-enhanced unit outperformed students receiving typical instruction and further consolidated their understanding on the delayed posttest. Students who used the visualization-enhanced unit formed more connections among concepts than students with typical textbook and lecture-based instruction. Item analysis revealed the types of connections students made when studying the curriculum and suggested how these connections enabled students to consolidate their understanding as they continued in the chemistry course. Results demonstrate that visualization-enhanced inquiry designed for knowledge integration can improve connections between observable and atomic-level phenomena and serve students well as they study subsequent topics in chemistry.

  17. Dendroclimate evidence for extreme hydrologic events over the late Holocene in the Northeastern United States

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Pearl, J. K.; Anchukaitis, K. J.; Pederson, N.; Donnelly, J. P.

    2017-12-01

    Extreme hydrologic events pose a present and future threat to cities and infrastructure in the densely populated coastal corridor of the northeastern United States (NE). An understanding of the potential range and return interval of storms, floods, and droughts is important for improving coastal management and hazard planning, as well as the detection and attribution of trends in regional climate phenomena. Here, we examine a suite of evidence for Common Era paleohydroclimate extreme events in the NE. Our study analyzes a network of hydroclimate sensitive trees, subfossil 'drowned' forests and co-located sediment records, using both classical and isotope dendrochronology, radiocarbon analyses, and sediment stratigraphy. Atlantic White cedar (AWC) forests grow along the NE coast and are exposed to severe coastal weather, as they are typically most successful in near-shore, glacially formed depressions. Many coastal AWC sites are ombrotrophic and contain a precipitation or drought signal in their ring widths. Sub-fossil AWC forests are found where near-shore swamps were drowned and exposed to the ocean. Additionally, the rings of coastal AWC may contain the geochemical signature of landfalling tropical cyclones, which bring with them a large influx of precipitation with distinct oxygen isotopes, which can be used to identify these large storms. Dendrochronology, radiocarbon dating, and analysis of sediment cores are used here to identify and date the occurrence of large overwash events along the coastline of the northeastern United States associated with extreme storms.

  18. Composition Formulas of Inorganic Compounds in Terms of Cluster Plus Glue Atom Model.

    PubMed

    Ma, Yanping; Dong, Dandan; Wu, Aimin; Dong, Chuang

    2018-01-16

    The present paper attempts to identify the molecule-like structural units in inorganic compounds, by applying the so-called "cluster plus glue atom model". This model, originating from metallic glasses and quasi-crystals, describes any structure in terms of a nearest-neighbor cluster and a few outer-shell glue atoms, expressed in the cluster formula [cluster](glue atoms). Similar to the case for normal molecules where the charge transfer occurs within the molecule to meet the commonly known octet electron rule, the octet state is reached after matching the nearest-neighbor cluster with certain outer-shell glue atoms. These kinds of structural units contain information on local atomic configuration, chemical composition, and electron numbers, just as for normal molecules. It is shown that the formulas of typical inorganic compounds, such as fluorides, oxides, and nitrides, satisfy a similar octet electron rule, with the total number of valence electrons per unit formula being multiples of eight.

  19. Cellulosic biofuels from crop residue and groundwater extraction in the US Plains: the case of Nebraska.

    PubMed

    Sesmero, Juan P

    2014-11-01

    This study develops a model of crop residue (i.e. stover) supply and derived demand for irrigation water accounting for non-linear effects of soil organic matter on soil's water holding capacity. The model is calibrated for typical conditions in central Nebraska, United States, and identifies potential interactions between water and biofuel policies. The price offered for feedstock by a cost-minimizing plant facing that stover supply response is calculated. Results indicate that as biofuel production volumes increase, soil carbon depletion per unit of biofuel produced decreases. Consumption of groundwater per unit of biofuel produced first decreases and then increases (after a threshold of 363 dam(3) of biofuels per year) due to plants' increased reliance on the extensive margin for additional biomass. The analysis reveals a tension between biofuel and water policies. As biofuel production raises the economic benefits of relaxing water conservation policies (measured by the "shadow price" of water) increase. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. The transmissibility and control of pandemic influenza A (H1N1) virus.

    PubMed

    Yang, Yang; Sugimoto, Jonathan D; Halloran, M Elizabeth; Basta, Nicole E; Chao, Dennis L; Matrajt, Laura; Potter, Gail; Kenah, Eben; Longini, Ira M

    2009-10-30

    Pandemic influenza A (H1N1) 2009 (pandemic H1N1) is spreading throughout the planet. It has become the dominant strain in the Southern Hemisphere, where the influenza season has now ended. Here, on the basis of reported case clusters in the United States, we estimated the household secondary attack rate for pandemic H1N1 to be 27.3% [95% confidence interval (CI) from 12.2% to 50.5%]. From a school outbreak, we estimated that a typical schoolchild infects 2.4 (95% CI from 1.8 to 3.2) other children within the school. We estimated the basic reproductive number, R0, to range from 1.3 to 1.7 and the generation interval to range from 2.6 to 3.2 days. We used a simulation model to evaluate the effectiveness of vaccination strategies in the United States for fall 2009. If a vaccine were available soon enough, vaccination of children, followed by adults, reaching 70% overall coverage, in addition to high-risk and essential workforce groups, could mitigate a severe epidemic.

  1. On the cross-cultural replicability of the resilient, undercontrolled, and overcontrolled personality types.

    PubMed

    Alessandri, Guido; Vecchione, Michele; Donnellan, Brent M; Eisenberg, Nancy; Caprara, Gian Vittorio; Cieciuch, Jan

    2014-08-01

    Personality types reflect typical configurations of personality attributes within individuals. Over the last 20 years, researchers have identified a set of three replicable personality types: resilient (R), undercontrolled (U), and overcontrolled (O) types. In this study, we examined the cross-cultural replicability of the RUO types in Italy, Poland, Spain, and the United States. Personality types were identified using cluster analyses of Big Five profiles in large samples of college students from Italy (n = 322), the United States (n = 499), Spain (n = 420), and Poland (n = 235). Prior to clustering the profiles, the measurement invariance of the Big Five measure across samples was tested. We found evidence for the RUO types in all four samples. The three-cluster solution showed a better fit over alternative solutions and had a relatively high degree of cross-cultural generalizability. The RUO types are evident in samples from four countries with distinct linguistic and cultural traditions. Results were discussed in light of the importance of considering how traits are organized within individuals for advancing contemporary personality psychology. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  2. On the probability distribution of daily streamflow in the United States

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Blum, Annalise G.; Archfield, Stacey A.; Vogel, Richard M.

    2017-01-01

    Daily streamflows are often represented by flow duration curves (FDCs), which illustrate the frequency with which flows are equaled or exceeded. FDCs have had broad applications across both operational and research hydrology for decades; however, modeling FDCs has proven elusive. Daily streamflow is a complex time series with flow values ranging over many orders of magnitude. The identification of a probability distribution that can approximate daily streamflow would improve understanding of the behavior of daily flows and the ability to estimate FDCs at ungaged river locations. Comparisons of modeled and empirical FDCs at nearly 400 unregulated, perennial streams illustrate that the four-parameter kappa distribution provides a very good representation of daily streamflow across the majority of physiographic regions in the conterminous United States (US). Further, for some regions of the US, the three-parameter generalized Pareto and lognormal distributions also provide a good approximation to FDCs. Similar results are found for the period of record FDCs, representing the long-term hydrologic regime at a site, and median annual FDCs, representing the behavior of flows in a typical year.

  3. Scenarios of land use and land cover change in the conterminous United States: Utilizing the special report on emission scenarios at ecoregional scales

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Sleeter, Benjamin M.; Sohl, Terry L.; Bouchard, Michelle A.; Reker, Ryan R.; Soulard, Christopher E.; Acevedo, William; Griffith, Glenn E.; Sleeter, Rachel R.; Auch, Roger F.; Sayler, Kristi L.; Prisley, Stephen; Zhu, Zhi-Liang

    2012-01-01

    Global environmental change scenarios have typically provided projections of land use and land cover for a relatively small number of regions or using a relatively coarse resolution spatial grid, and for only a few major sectors. The coarseness of global projections, in both spatial and thematic dimensions, often limits their direct utility at scales useful for environmental management. This paper describes methods to downscale projections of land-use and land-cover change from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's Special Report on Emission Scenarios to ecological regions of the conterminous United States, using an integrated assessment model, land-use histories, and expert knowledge. Downscaled projections span a wide range of future potential conditions across sixteen land use/land cover sectors and 84 ecological regions, and are logically consistent with both historical measurements and SRES characteristics. Results appear to provide a credible solution for connecting regionalized projections of land use and land cover with existing downscaled climate scenarios, under a common set of scenario-based socioeconomic assumptions.

  4. U.S. Geological Survey resource assessment of selected Tertiary coal zones in Wyoming, Montana and North Dakota

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Nichols, D.J.; Ellis, M.S.

    2003-01-01

    In 1999, 1 Gt (1.1 billion st) of coal was produced in the United States. Of this total, 37% was produced in Wyoming, Montana and North Dakota. Coals of Tertiary age from these states typically have low ash contents. Most of these coals have sulfur contents that are in compliance with Clean Air Act standards and most have low concentrations of the trace elements that are of environmental concern. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Coal Resource Assessment for these states includes geologic, stratigraphic, palynologic and geochemical studies and resource calculations for major Tertiary coal zones in the Powder River, Williston, Greater Green River, Hanna and Carbon Basins. Calculated resources are 595 Gt (655 billion st). Results of the study are available in a USGS Professional Paper and a USGS Open-File Report, both in CD-ROM format.

  5. REACH. Electricity Units. Secondary.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Smith, Gene; Sappe, Hoyt

    As a part of the REACH (Refrigeration, Electro-Mechanical, Air-Conditioning, Heating) electromechanical cluster, this student manual contains individualized instructional units in the area of electricity. The instructional units focus on electricity fundamentals and electric motors. Each unit follows a typical format that includes a unit sheet,…

  6. Child Passenger Deaths Involving Alcohol-Impaired Drivers

    PubMed Central

    Quinlan, Kyran; Shults, Ruth A.; Rudd, Rose A.

    2017-01-01

    BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Approximately 1 in 5 child passenger deaths in the United States involves an alcohol-impaired driver, most commonly the child’s own driver. The objective of this study was to document recent trends and state-specific rates of these deaths. METHODS A descriptive analysis of 2001–2010 Fatality Analysis Reporting System data for child passengers aged <15 years killed in alcohol-impaired driving crashes. Driver impairment was defined as a blood alcohol concentration of ≥0.08 g/dL. RESULTS During 2001–2010, 2344 children <15 years were killed in crashes involving at least 1 alcohol-impaired driver. Of these children, 1515 (65%) were riding with an impaired driver. Annual deaths among children riding with an alcohol-impaired driver decreased by 41% over the decade. Among the 37 states included in the state-level analysis, Texas (272) and California (135) had the most children killed while riding with an impaired driver and South Dakota (0.98) and New Mexico (0.86) had the highest annualized child passenger death rates (per 100 000 children). Most (61%) child passengers of impaired drivers were unrestrained at the time of the crash. One-third of the impaired drivers did not have a valid driver’s license. CONCLUSIONS Alcohol-impaired driving remains a substantial threat to the safety of child passengers in the United States, and typically involves children being driven by impaired drivers. This risk varies meaningfully among states. To make further progress, states and communities could consider increased use of effective interventions and efforts aimed specifically at protecting child passengers from impaired drivers. PMID:24799550

  7. Hand-Held Units for Short-Range Wireless Biotelemetry

    NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

    Miranda, Felix A.; Simons, Rainee N.

    2008-01-01

    Special-purpose hand-held radiotransceiver units have been proposed as means of short-range radio powering and interrogation of surgically implanted microelectromechanical sensors and actuators. These units are based partly on the same principles as those of the units described in "Printed Multi- Turn Loop Antennas for RF Biotelemetry" (LEW-17879-1), NASA Tech Briefs, Vol. 31, No. 6 (June 2007), page 48. Like the previously reported units, these units would make it unnecessary to have wire connections between the implanted devices and the external equipment used to activate and interrogate them. Like a unit of the previously reported type, a unit of the type now proposed would include a printed-circuit antenna on a dielectric substrate. The antenna circuitry would include integrated surface-mount inductors for impedance tuning. Circuits for processing the signals transmitted and received by the antenna would be included on the substrate. During operation, the unit would be positioned near (but not in electrical contact with) a human subject, in proximity to a microelectromechanical sensor or actuator that has been surgically implanted in the subject. It has been demonstrated that significant electromagnetic coupling with an implanted device could be established at a distance of as much as 4 in. (.10 cm). During operation in the interrogation mode, the antenna of the unit would receive a radio telemetry signal transmitted by the surgically implanted device. The antenna substrate would have dimensions of approximately 3.25 by 3.75 inches (approximately 8.3 by 9.5 cm). The substrate would have a thickness of the order of 30 mils (of the order of a somewhat less than a millimeter). The substrate would be made of low-radiofrequency- loss dielectric material that could be, for example, fused quartz, alumina, or any of a number of commercially available radio-frequency dielectric composite materials. The antenna conductors would typically be made of copper or a combination of chromium and gold. The choice of metal and the thickness of the metal layer(s) would depend on the choice of substrate material. For example, on a quartz or alumina substrate, one would typically use a layer of chromium 150 A thick and a layer of gold 2 m thick. The proposed units and the implanted devices that they would interrogate or activate would be inherently safe to use. They would operate at low radiated-power levels for short interrogation times (typically, milliseconds). Hence, there would be little local heating of tissues surrounding the implanted devices and little absorption of radio energy by such sensitive body parts as the eyes and the brain. Because the implanted devices would not depend on battery power and would be activated only during short interrogation intervals and would otherwise be in the goff h state most of the time, the useful lifetimes of the implanted devices would be greater than those of comparable battery-powered implanted devices. The compactness of the hand-held transceiver units would facilitate transport and storage and would facilitate self-diagnosis by patients able to handle the units while away from medical facilities.

  8. Bringing Exoplanet Habitability Investigations to High School

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Woody, M. A.; Sohl, L. E.

    2016-12-01

    Habitability, a.k.a. habitat suitability, is a topic typically discussed in Biology class. We present here a curriculum unit that introduces the topic in a Physics classroom, allowing students to engage in cutting-edge science and re-framing an otherwise "typical" unit. Unit development was made possible by the Climate Change Research Initiative (CCRI) at the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, a year-long program that partners a scientist-mentor with a high school educator to engage in research and curriculum development. At its core, habitability is a temperature-dependent quality that is introduced and explored during the Energy unit. Students conducted a research project with the goal of determining the habitability state for a chosen exoplanet. Classroom implementation was modeled after the scientist-mentor's actual research plan, with content and resources for lesson activities also contributed by the scientist. Students first engaged in discussion of 5 basic habitability factors and explored these variables through climate modeling software. Students then chose an exoplanet to examine through the lens of those habitability factors, an activity that required them to perform authentic research on the exoplanet and its host star. Students also developed hypotheses about factors beyond currently available mission data, such as atmospheric composition and surface albedo of their exoplanet. They then used the modeling software to collect data, test hypotheses, and draw conclusions. Lastly, students communicated their findings in a poster session and presentation at the high school's annual science symposium. This scientist/educator partnership had a strongly positive impact on the high school students involved. By bringing actual science and research practices to the classroom, the students were not only more actively engaged with the required Physics course content, but also gained a better understanding of how scientific research is done.

  9. The Dose–Response Relationship Between Tobacco Education Advertising and Calls to Quitlines in the United States, March–June, 2012

    PubMed Central

    Alexander, Robert L.; Shafer, Paul; Mann, Nathan; Malarcher, Ann; Zhang, Lei

    2015-01-01

    Introduction We estimated changes in call volume in the United States in response to increases in advertising doses of the Tips From Former Smokers (Tips) campaign, the first federal national tobacco education campaign, which aired for 12 weeks from March 19 to June 10, 2012. We also measured the effectiveness of ad taglines that promoted calls directly with a quitline number (1-800-QUIT-NOW) and indirectly with a cessation help website (Smokefree.gov). Methods Multivariate regressions estimated the weekly number of calls to 1–800-QUIT-NOW by area code as a function of weekly market-level gross rating points (GRPs) from CDC’s Tips campaign in 2012. The number of quitline calls attributable solely to Tips was predicted. Results For quitline-tagged ads, an additional 100 television GRPs per week was associated with an increase of 89 calls per week in a typical area code in the United States (P < .001). The same unit increase in advertising GRPs for ads tagged with Smokefree.gov was associated with an increase of 29 calls per week in any given area code (P < .001). We estimated that the Tips campaign was responsible for more than 170,000 additional calls to 1–800-QUIT-NOW during the campaign and that it would have generated approximately 140,000 additional calls if all ads were tagged with 1–800-QUIT-NOW. Conclusion For campaign planners, these results make it possible to estimate 1) the likely impact of tobacco prevention media buys and 2) the additional quitline capacity needed at the national level should future campaigns of similar scale use 1–800-QUIT-NOW taglines exclusively. PMID:26542143

  10. The Dose-Response Relationship Between Tobacco Education Advertising and Calls to Quitlines in the United States, March-June, 2012.

    PubMed

    Davis, Kevin C; Alexander, Robert L; Shafer, Paul; Mann, Nathan; Malarcher, Ann; Zhang, Lei

    2015-11-05

    We estimated changes in call volume in the United States in response to increases in advertising doses of the Tips From Former Smokers (Tips) campaign, the first federal national tobacco education campaign, which aired for 12 weeks from March 19 to June 10, 2012. We also measured the effectiveness of ad taglines that promoted calls directly with a quitline number (1-800-QUIT-NOW) and indirectly with a cessation help website (Smokefree.gov). Multivariate regressions estimated the weekly number of calls to 1-800-QUIT-NOW by area code as a function of weekly market-level gross rating points (GRPs) from CDC's Tips campaign in 2012. The number of quitline calls attributable solely to Tips was predicted. For quitline-tagged ads, an additional 100 television GRPs per week was associated with an increase of 89 calls per week in a typical area code in the United States (P < .001). The same unit increase in advertising GRPs for ads tagged with Smokefree.gov was associated with an increase of 29 calls per week in any given area code (P < .001). We estimated that the Tips campaign was responsible for more than 170,000 additional calls to 1-800-QUIT-NOW during the campaign and that it would have generated approximately 140,000 additional calls if all ads were tagged with 1-800-QUIT-NOW. For campaign planners, these results make it possible to estimate 1) the likely impact of tobacco prevention media buys and 2) the additional quitline capacity needed at the national level should future campaigns of similar scale use 1-800-QUIT-NOW taglines exclusively.

  11. The nitrate to ammonia and ceramic (NAC) process for the denitration and immobilization of low-level radioactive liquid waste (LLW)

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Muguercia, Ivan

    Hazardous radioactive liquid waste is the legacy of more than 50 years of plutonium production associated with the United States' nuclear weapons program. It is estimated that more than 245,000 tons of nitrate wastes are stored at facilities such as the single-shell tanks (SST) at the Hanford Site in the state of Washington, and the Melton Valley storage tanks at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) in Tennessee. In order to develop an innovative, new technology for the destruction and immobilization of nitrate-based radioactive liquid waste, the United State Department of Energy (DOE) initiated the research project which resulted in the technology known as the Nitrate to Ammonia and Ceramic (NAC) process. However, inasmuch as the nitrate anion is highly mobile and difficult to immobilize, especially in relatively porous cement-based grout which has been used to date as a method for the immobilization of liquid waste, it presents a major obstacle to environmental clean-up initiatives. Thus, in an effort to contribute to the existing body of knowledge and enhance the efficacy of the NAC process, this research involved the experimental measurement of the rheological and heat transfer behaviors of the NAC product slurry and the determination of the optimal operating parameters for the continuous NAC chemical reaction process. Test results indicate that the NAC product slurry exhibits a typical non-Newtonian flow behavior. Correlation equations for the slurry's rheological properties and heat transfer rate in a pipe flow have been developed; these should prove valuable in the design of a full-scale NAC processing plant. The 20-percent slurry exhibited a typical dilatant (shear thickening) behavior and was in the turbulent flow regime due to its lower viscosity. The 40-percent slurry exhibited a typical pseudoplastic (shear thinning) behavior and remained in the laminar flow regime throughout its experimental range. The reactions were found to be more efficient in the lower temperature range investigated. With respect to leachability, the experimental final NAC ceramic waste form is comparable to the final product of vitrification, the technology chosen by DOE to treat these wastes. As the NAC process has the potential of reducing the volume of nitrate-based radioactive liquid waste by as much as 70 percent, it not only promises to enhance environmental remediation efforts but also effect substantial cost savings.

  12. Child sexual abuse: consequences and implications.

    PubMed

    Hornor, Gail

    2010-01-01

    Sexual abuse is a problem of epidemic proportions in the United States. Given the sheer numbers of sexually abused children, it is vital for pediatric nurse practitioners to understand both short-term and long-term consequences of sexual abuse. Understanding consequences of sexual abuse can assist the pediatric nurse practitioner in anticipating the physical and mental health needs of patients and also may assist in the identification of sexual abuse victims. Sexual abuse typically does not occur in isolation. Implications for practice will be discussed. Copyright © 2010 National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Electrowetting-driven variable-focus microlens on flexible surfaces

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Li, Chenhui; Jiang, Hongrui

    2012-06-01

    We demonstrate a flexible, electrowetting-driven, variable-focus liquid microlens. The microlens is fabricated using a soft polymer polydimethylsiloxane. The lens can be smoothly wrapped onto a curved surface. A low-temperature fabrication process was developed to reduce the stress on and to avoid any damage to the polymer. The focal length of the microlens varies between -15.0 mm to +28.0 mm, depending on the applied voltage. The resolving power of the microlens is 25.39 line pairs per mm using a 1951 United States Air Force resolution chart. The typical response time of the lens is around 50 ms.

  14. Democratizing Implementation and Innovation in Mental Health Care.

    PubMed

    Saxe, Glenn; Acri, Mary

    2017-03-01

    Improvements in the quality of mental health care in the United States depend on the successful implementation of evidence-based treatments (EBT's) in typical settings of care. Unfortunately, there is little evidence that EBT's are used in ways that would approximate their established fidelity standards in such settings. This article describes an approach to more successful implementation of EBT's via a collaborative process between intervention developers and intervention users (e.g. providers, administrators, consumers) called Lead-user Innovation. Lead-user Innovation democratizes the implementation process by integrating the expertise of lead-users in the delivery, adaptation, innovation and evaluation of EBT's.

  15. Wyoming Infrared Observatory's Summer Undergraduate Research Assistantship Program: 10 Years of REU

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Canterna, R.; Beck, K.; Hickman, M. A.

    1996-05-01

    The Wyoming Infrared Observatory's Summer Undergraduate Research Assistantship Program (SURAP) will complete its tenth year as an NSF REU site. Using the theme, a tutorial in research, SURAP has provided research experience for over 90 students from all regions of the United States. We will present typical histories of past students to illustrate the impact an REU experience has on the scientific careers of these students. Demographic data will be presented to show the diverse backgrounds of our SURAP students. A short film describing our science ethics seminar will be available for later presentation.

  16. Temperature logging of groundwater in bedrock wells for geothermal gradient characterization in New Hampshire, 2012

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Degnan, James; Barker, Gregory; Olson, Neil; Wilder, Leland

    2012-01-01

    Maximum groundwater temperatures at the bottom of the logs were between 11.7 and 17.3 degrees Celsius. Geothermal gradients were generally higher than typically reported for other water wells in the United States. Some of the high gradients were associated with high natural gamma emissions. Groundwater flow was discernible in 5 of the 10 wells studied but only obscured the portion of the geothermal gradient signal where groundwater actually flowed through the well. Temperature gradients varied by mapped bedrock type but can also vary by differences in mineralogy or rock type within the wells.

  17. Interacting quasi-band model for electronic states in compound semiconductor alloys: Zincblende structure

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Shinozuka, Yuzo; Oda, Masato

    2015-09-01

    The interacting quasi-band model proposed for electronic states in simple alloys is extended for compound semiconductor alloys with general lattice structures containing several atoms per unit cell. Using a tight-binding model, a variational electronic wave function for quasi-Bloch states yields a non-Hermitian Hamiltonian matrix characterized by matrix elements of constituent crystals and concentration of constituents. Solving secular equations for each k-state yields the alloy’s energy spectrum for any type of randomness and arbitrary concentration. The theory is used to address III-V (II-VI) alloys with a zincblende lattice with crystal band structures well represented by the sp3s* model. Using the resulting 15 × 15 matrix, the concentration dependence of valence and conduction bands is calculated in a unified scheme for typical alloys: Al1-xGaxAs, GaAs1-xPx, and GaSb1-xPx. Results agree well with experiments and are discussed with respect to the concentration dependence, direct-indirect gap transition, and band-gap-bowing origin.

  18. Reservoir computing on the hypersphere

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Andrecut, M.

    Reservoir Computing (RC) refers to a Recurrent Neural Network (RNNs) framework, frequently used for sequence learning and time series prediction. The RC system consists of a random fixed-weight RNN (the input-hidden reservoir layer) and a classifier (the hidden-output readout layer). Here, we focus on the sequence learning problem, and we explore a different approach to RC. More specifically, we remove the nonlinear neural activation function, and we consider an orthogonal reservoir acting on normalized states on the unit hypersphere. Surprisingly, our numerical results show that the system’s memory capacity exceeds the dimensionality of the reservoir, which is the upper bound for the typical RC approach based on Echo State Networks (ESNs). We also show how the proposed system can be applied to symmetric cryptography problems, and we include a numerical implementation.

  19. Superconducting cuprate heterostructures for hot electron bolometers

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wen, B.; Yakobov, R.; Vitkalov, S. A.; Sergeev, A.

    2013-11-01

    Transport properties of the resistive state of quasi-two dimensional superconducting heterostructures containing ultrathin La2-xSrxCuO4 layers synthesized using molecular beam epitaxy are studied. The electron transport exhibits strong deviation from Ohm's law, δV ˜γI3, with a coefficient γ(T) that correlates with the temperature variation of the resistivity dρ /dT. Close to the normal state, analysis of the nonlinear behavior in terms of electron heating yields an electron-phonon thermal conductance per unit area ge -ph≈1 W/K cm2 at T = 20 K, one-two orders of magnitude smaller than in typical superconductors. This makes superconducting LaSrCuO heterostructures to be attractive candidate for the next generation of hot electron bolometers with greatly improved sensitivity.

  20. Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Fission Fragment Damage in Nuclear Fuel and Surrogate Material

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Devanathan, Ram

    ABSTRACT We have performed classical molecular dynamics simulations of swift heavy ion damage, typical of fission fragments, in nuclear fuel (UO 2) for energy deposition per unit length of 3.9 keV/nm. We did not observe amorphization. The damage mainly consisted of isolated point defects. Only about 1% of the displacements occur on the uranium sublattice. Oxygen Frenkel pairs are an order of magnitude more numerous than uranium Frenkel pairs in the primary damage state. In contrast, previous results show that the ratio of Frenkel pairs on the two sublattices is close to the stoichiometric ratio in ceria. These differences inmore » the primary damage state may lead to differences in radiation response of UO 2and CeO 2.« less

  1. Past, present, and future roles of child protective services.

    PubMed

    Schene, P A

    1998-01-01

    Contemporary social issues typically spring from historical roots, and, as this article points out, that is particularly true of the effort to find a balanced, fair, and helpful way of responding to child abuse and neglect. This article examines how today's child protective services system evolved from a past of almshouses, orphan trains, anticruelty societies, and legislation establishing the protection of children as a government function. The author finds that the history of child protection in the United States is marked by a continuing, unresolved tension between the aim of rescuing children from abusive homes and that of strengthening the care their families can provide. Against that backdrop, this article explains the structure of the typical child protective services (CPS) agency (the unit within a broader public child welfare department that focuses on abuse and neglect) and outlines the roles in child protection that are played by the police, the courts, private and public social service agencies, and the community at large. According to the author's analysis, the fundamental challenges facing CPS can be captured in two questions regarding appropriate boundaries for the agency: Which situations require the agency's intervention? And how can the broader resources of the community be mobilized in the effort to protect children?

  2. The use of phenological data to calculate chilling units in Olea europaea L. in relation to the onset of reproduction

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Orlandi, F.; Fornaciari, M.; Romano, B.

    2002-02-01

    The aim of this study was to develop a practical method to evaluate the effective relationship between the amount of winter chilling and the response expressed as the spring reproductive re-starting dates in the olive ( Olea europaea L.). Two olive cultivars growing in a special olive orchard in Umbria (central Italy) were studied over a 3-year period (1998-2000): the cultivar Ascolana, typical of central Italy, and the cultivar Giarraffa, typical of southern Italy. The spring reproductive re-starts were assessed using data from detailed phenological observations made on 60 trees of each cultivar in an effort to establish the exact date of reproductive bud swelling. The chilling phenomenon was evaluated by using 341 functions derived from a formula developed by researchers at Utah State University to calculate chilling units. The mathematical functions are defined, and show the very close relationship between the amount of winter chilling and the spring reproductive response in the two cultivars in the orchard studied. The results can be used to define the relationship between local climate and plant development, and the mathematical approach can be used to draw maps that can show the suitability of different cultivars on the basis of local climatic conditions.

  3. The fall of the black hole firewall: natural nonmaximal entanglement for the Page curve

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hotta, Masahiro; Sugita, Ayumu

    2015-12-01

    The black hole firewall conjecture is based on the Page curve hypothesis, which claims that entanglement between a black hole and its Hawking radiation is almost maximum. Adopting canonical typicality for nondegenerate systems with nonvanishing Hamiltonians, we show the entanglement becomes nonmaximal, and energetic singularities (firewalls) do not emerge for general systems. An evaporating old black hole must evolve in Gibbs states with exponentially small error probability after the Page time as long as the states are typical. This means that the ordinarily used microcanonical states are far from typical. The heat capacity computed from the Gibbs states should be nonnegative in general. However, the black hole heat capacity is actually negative due to the gravitational instability. Consequently the states are not typical until the last burst. This requires inevitable modification of the Page curve, which is based on the typicality argument. For static thermal pure states of a large AdS black hole and its Hawking radiation, the entanglement entropy equals the thermal entropy of the smaller system.

  4. Fatal crash involvement and laws against alcohol-impaired driving.

    PubMed

    Zador, P L; Lund, A K; Fields, M; Weinberg, K

    1989-01-01

    It is estimated that in 1985 about 1,560 fewer drivers were involved in fatal crashes because of three types of drinking-driving laws. The laws studied were per se laws that define driving under the influence using blood alcohol concentration (BAC) thresholds; laws that provide for administrative license suspension or revocation prior to conviction for driving under the influence (often referred to as "administrative per se" laws); and laws that mandate jail or community service for first convictions of driving under the influence. It is estimated that if all 48 of the contiguous states adopted laws similar to those studied here, and if these new laws had effects comparable to those reported here, another 2,600 fatal driver involvements could be prevented each year. During hours when typically at least half of all fatally injured drivers have a BAC over 0.10 percent, administrative suspension/revocation is estimated to reduce the involvement of drivers in fatal crashes by about 9 percent; during the same hours, first offense mandatory jail/community service laws are estimated to have reduced driver involvement by about 6 percent. The effect of per se laws was estimated to be a 6 percent reduction during hours when fatal crashes typically are less likely to involve alcohol. These results are based on analyses of drivers involved in fatal crashes in the 48 contiguous states of the United States during the years 1978 to 1985.

  5. Assessing the need for communication training for specialists in poison information.

    PubMed

    Planalp, Sally; Crouch, Barbara; Rothwell, Erin; Ellington, Lee

    2009-07-01

    Effective communication has been shown to be essential to physician-patient communication and may be even more critical for poison control center (PCC) calls because of the absence of visual cues, the need for quick and accurate information exchange, and possible suboptimal conditions such as call surges. Professionals who answer poison control calls typically receive extensive training in toxicology but very little formal training in communication. An instrument was developed to assess the perceived need for communication training for specialists in poison information (SPIs) with input from focus groups and a panel of experts. Requests to respond to an online questionnaire were made to PCCs throughout the United States and Canada. The 537 respondents were 70% SPIs or poison information providers (PIPs), primarily educated in nursing or pharmacy, working across the United States and Canada, and employed by their current centers an average of 10 years. SPIs rated communication skills as extremely important to securing positive outcomes for PCC calls even though they reported that their own training was not strongly focused on communication and existing training in communication was perceived as only moderately useful. Ratings of the usefulness of 21 specific training units were consistently high, especially for new SPIs but also for experienced SPIs. Directors rated the usefulness of training for experienced SPIs higher for 5 of the 21 challenges compared to the ratings of SPIs. Findings support the need for communication training for SPIs and provide an empirical basis for setting priorities in developing training units.

  6. Coalification of organic matter in coal balls of the Pennsylvanian (upper Carboniferous) of the Illinois Basin, United States

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Lyons, P.C.; Thompson, C.L.; Hatcher, P.G.; Brown, F.W.; Millay, M.A.; Szeverenyi, N.; Maciel, G.E.

    1984-01-01

    An evaluation was made of the degree of coalification of two coal balls from the Illinois Basin of the Pennsylvanian (upper Carboniferous) of the United States. Previous interpretations are mainly misleading and contradictory, primarily because of the assumption that the brown color and exceptional cellular and subcellular preservation typical of American coal balls imply chemical preservation of cellulose and lignin, the primary components of peat. Xylem tissue from a medullosan seed fern contained in a coal ball and the coal attached to the coal ball from the Calhoun coal bed, Mattoon Formation, Illinois, was analyzed by elemental, petrographic, and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques to determine the degree of coalification. The NMR and elemental data indicate the lack of cellulose and lignin and a probable rank of high-volatile C bituminous coal. These data corroborate data for a coal ball from the Herrin (No. 6) coal bed (Carbondale Formation, Middle Pennsylvanian) and support our hypothesis that the organic matter in coal balls of the Pennsylvanian strata of the United States is coalified to about the same degree as the surrounding coal. Data presented show a range of lower reflectances for xylem tissue and vitrinite in the analyzed coal balls compared with vitrinite in the attached coal. The data reported indicate that physical preservation of organic matter in coal balls does not imply chemical preservation. Also our study supports the hypothesis that compactional (static load) pressure is not a prerequisite for coalification up to a rank of high-volatile C bituminous coal. A whole-rock analysis of the Calhoun coal ball indicates a similarity to other carbonate coal balls from the United States. It consists primarily of calcium carbonate and 1-2% organic matter; silica and alumina together make up less than 0.5%, indicating the lack of minerals such as quartz and clays. ?? 1984.

  7. Source Attribution of Cyanides Using Anionic Impurity Profiling, Stable Isotope Ratios, Trace Elemental Analysis and Chemometrics.

    PubMed

    Mirjankar, Nikhil S; Fraga, Carlos G; Carman, April J; Moran, James J

    2016-02-02

    Chemical attribution signatures (CAS) for chemical threat agents (CTAs), such as cyanides, are being investigated to provide an evidentiary link between CTAs and specific sources to support criminal investigations and prosecutions. Herein, stocks of KCN and NaCN were analyzed for trace anions by high performance ion chromatography (HPIC), carbon stable isotope ratio (δ(13)C) by isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS), and trace elements by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES). The collected analytical data were evaluated using hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA), Fisher-ratio (F-ratio), interval partial least-squares (iPLS), genetic algorithm-based partial least-squares (GAPLS), partial least-squares discriminant analysis (PLSDA), K nearest neighbors (KNN), and support vector machines discriminant analysis (SVMDA). HCA of anion impurity profiles from multiple cyanide stocks from six reported countries of origin resulted in cyanide samples clustering into three groups, independent of the associated alkali metal (K or Na). The three groups were independently corroborated by HCA of cyanide elemental profiles and corresponded to countries each having one known solid cyanide factory: Czech Republic, Germany, and United States. Carbon stable isotope measurements resulted in two clusters: Germany and United States (the single Czech stock grouped with United States stocks). Classification errors for two validation studies using anion impurity profiles collected over five years on different instruments were as low as zero for KNN and SVMDA, demonstrating the excellent reliability associated with using anion impurities for matching a cyanide sample to its factory using our current cyanide stocks. Variable selection methods reduced errors for those classification methods having errors greater than zero; iPLS-forward selection and F-ratio typically provided the lowest errors. Finally, using anion profiles to classify cyanides to a specific stock or stock group for a subset of United States stocks resulted in cross-validation errors ranging from 0 to 5.3%.

  8. REACH. Residential Electrical Wiring Units.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ansley, Jimmy; Ennis, Mike

    As a part of the REACH (Refrigeration, Electro-Mechanical, Air-Conditioning, Heating) electromechanical cluster, this student manual contains individualized instructional units in the area of residential electrical wiring. The instructional units focus on grounded outlets, service entrance, and blueprint reading. Each unit follows a typical format…

  9. [A day in the busy obstetric unit from the anesthesiologist point of view, experience at the Cleveland clinic; Cleveland, Ohio].

    PubMed

    Ootaki, Chiyo; Barsoum, Sabri

    2009-10-01

    Cleveland Clinic Labor and Delivery Unit is a syntactical delivery facility and comprised of 16 delivery rooms, 3 operating rooms, 3 triage rooms, and 1 recovery room that has a capacity of 6 beds, 43 postpartum rooms, 2 nurseries, and 1 neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Cleveland Clinic Labor and Delivery Unit (LDU) had 3,691 delivery cases in 2007. The ratio of neuraxial analgesia (NA) during labor is 84.2% (2,348/ 2,787), using epidural anesthesia or combined spinalepidural anesthesia (CSEA). This article introduces the obstetrical (OB) anesthesia practice at the Cleveland Clinic and our novel anesthetic regime as typical of one typical busy day.

  10. A review of changes in composition of hot mix asphalt in the United States.

    PubMed

    Mundt, Diane J; Marano, Kristin M; Nunes, Anthony P; Adams, Robert C

    2009-11-01

    This review researched the materials, methods, and practices in the hot mix asphalt industry that might impact future exposure assessments and epidemiologic research on road paving workers. Since World War II, the U.S. interstate highway system, increased traffic volume, transportation speeds, and vehicle axle loads have necessitated an increase in demand for hot mix asphalt for road construction and maintenance, while requiring a consistent road paving product that meets state-specific physical performance specifications. We reviewed typical practices in hot mix asphalt paving in the United States to understand the extent to which materials are and have been added to hot mix asphalt to meet specifications and how changes in practices and technology could affect evaluation of worker exposures for future research. Historical documents were reviewed, and industry experts from 16 states were interviewed to obtain relevant information on industry practices. Participants from all states reported additive use, with most being less than 2% by weight. Crumb rubber and recycled asphalt pavement were added in concentrations approximately 10% per unit weight of the mix. The most frequently added materials included polymers and anti-stripping agents. Crumb rubber, sulfur, asbestos, roofing shingles, slag, or fly ash have been used in limited amounts for short periods of time or in limited geographic areas. No state reported using coal tar as an additive to hot mix asphalt or as a binder alternative in hot mix pavements for high-volume road construction. Coal tar may be present in recycled asphalt pavement from historical use, which would need to be considered in future exposure assessments of pavers. Changes in hot mix asphalt production and laydown emission control equipment have been universally implemented over time as the technology has become available to reduce potential worker exposures. This work is a companion review to a study undertaken in the petroleum refining sector that investigated current and historical use of additives in producing petroleum-derived asphalt cements.

  11. REACH. Heating Units.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Stanfield, Carter; And Others

    As a part of the REACH (Refrigeration, Electro-Mechanical, Air-Conditioning, Heating) electromechanical cluster, this student manual contains individualized units in the area of heating. The instructional units focus on electric heating systems, gas heating systems, and oil burning systems. Each unit follows a typical format that includes a unit…

  12. The economic value added (EVA) resulting from medical care of functional amblyopia, strabismus, (pathologies of binocular vision) and asthma.

    PubMed

    Beauchamp, Cynthia L; Felius, Joost; Beauchamp, George R

    2010-01-01

    Value analysis in health care calculates the economic value added (EVA) that results from improvements in health and health care. Our purpose was to develop an EVA model and to apply the model to typical and hypothetical (instantaneous and perfect) cures for amblyopia, surgical strabismus and asthma, as another, but non-ophthalmological disease standard for comparison, in the United States. The model is based on changes in utility and longevity, the associated incremental costs, and an estimate of the value of life. Univariate sensitivity analyses were performed to arrive at a plausible range of outcomes. For the United States, the EVA for current practice amblyopia care is 12.9B dollars (billion) per year, corresponding to a return on investment (ROI) of 10.4% per yr. With substantial increases in investment aimed at maximal improvement ("perfect cure"), the EVA is 32.7B per yr, with ROI of 5.3% per yr. The EVA for typical surgical strabismus care is 10.3B per yr. A perfect cure may yield EVA of 9.6B per yr. The EVA for asthma is 1317B per yr (ROI 20.4% per yr.., while a perfect cure may yield EVA of 110 B per yr. Sensitivity analysis demonstrated the relatively large effects of incidence, utility, and longevity, while incremental costs have a relatively minor effect on the EVA. The economic value added by improvements in patient-centered outcomes is very large. Failing to make the necessary investments in research, prevention, detection, prompt treatment and rehabilitation of these diseases, at virtually any conceivable cost, appears economically, medically, morally and ethically deficient and consequently wasteful at very least economically for our society.

  13. DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Birkholzer, Jens; Apps, John; Zheng, Liange

    One promising approach to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is injecting CO{sub 2} into suitable geologic formations, typically depleted oil/gas reservoirs or saline formations at depth larger than 800 m. Proper site selection and management of CO{sub 2} storage projects will ensure that the risks to human health and the environment are low. However, a risk remains that CO{sub 2} could migrate from a deep storage formation, e.g. via local high-permeability pathways such as permeable faults or degraded wells, and arrive in shallow groundwater resources. The ingress of CO{sub 2} is by itself not typically a concern to the water qualitymore » of an underground source of drinking water (USDW), but it will change the geochemical conditions in the aquifer and will cause secondary effects mainly induced by changes in pH, in particular the mobilization of hazardous inorganic constituents present in the aquifer minerals. Identification and assessment of these potential effects is necessary to analyze risks associated with geologic sequestration of CO{sub 2}. This report describes a systematic evaluation of the possible water quality changes in response to CO{sub 2} intrusion into aquifers currently used as sources of potable water in the United States. Our goal was to develop a general understanding of the potential vulnerability of United States potable groundwater resources in the event of CO{sub 2} leakage. This goal was achieved in two main tasks, the first to develop a comprehensive geochemical model representing typical conditions in many freshwater aquifers (Section 3), the second to conduct a systematic reactive-transport modeling study to quantify the effect of CO{sub 2} intrusion into shallow aquifers (Section 4). Via reactive-transport modeling, the amount of hazardous constituents potentially mobilized by the ingress of CO{sub 2} was determined, the fate and migration of these constituents in the groundwater was predicted, and the likelihood that drinking water standards might be exceeded was evaluated. A variety of scenarios and aquifer conditions was considered in a sensitivity evaluation. The scenarios and conditions simulated in Section 4, in particular those describing the geochemistry and mineralogy of potable aquifers, were selected based on the comprehensive geochemical model developed in Section 3.« less

  14. Sizing the cannabis market: a demand-side and user-specific approach in seven European countries.

    PubMed

    van Laar, Margriet; Frijns, Tom; Trautmann, Franz; Lombi, Linda

    2013-06-01

    Demand-based estimates of total cannabis consumption rarely consider differences among different user types and variation across countries. To describe cannabis consumption patterns and estimate annual consumption for different user types across EU Member States, a web survey in Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Sweden and United Kingdom (England & Wales) collected data on cannabis use patterns from 3,922 persons who had consumed cannabis at least once in the past year. They were classified into four groups based on their number of use days in the past 12 months: infrequent users or chippers (<11 days), occasional users (11-50 days), regular users (51-250 days) and intensive users (>250 days). User type specific data on typical amounts consumed were matched with data on numbers of users per user type estimated from existing population surveys, taking differences in mode of consumption, age and gender into account. Estimates were supplemented with data from populations of problem users to compensate for under coverage. Results showed remarkably consistent differences among user groups across countries. Both the average number of units consumed per typical use day and the average amount of cannabis consumed per unit increased across user types of increasing frequency of use. In all countries except Portugal, intensive users formed the smallest group of cannabis users but were responsible for the largest part of total annual cannabis consumption. Annual cannabis consumption varied across countries but confidence intervals were wide. Results are compared with previous estimates and discussed in the context of improving estimation methods.

  15. The brown iron ores of west-middle Tennessee: Chapter D in Contributions to economic geology (short papers and preliminary reports), 1927: Part I - Metals and nonmetals except fuels

    USGS Publications Warehouse

    Burchard, E.F.

    1927-01-01

    A study of the brown iron ore deposits of west-middle Tennessee has been carried on recently under a cooperative agreement between the Tennessee State Geological Survey and the United States Geological Survey. A detailed report on the subject was submitted in the spring of 1925 to the State Survey for publication as a bulletin, and the writing of the present report was completed in March, 1926. The field work was done mainly between October 22 and November 2, 1921, and April 26 and July 18, 1923; but in October, 1924, a visit was made to the mine at Napier. The writer was assisted in the field in 1921 by. R. W. Smith, assistant geologist, and in 1923 by C. C. Anderson, topographer, both of the Tennessee Survey. Mr. Wilbur A. Nelson, State geologist at the time the work was in progress, visited several mines with the writer and on these occasions as well as many times during the preparation of the report rendered helpful suggestions and guidance. Mr. H. D. Miser, of the United States Geological Survey, State geologist from September 1, 1925, to July 1, 1926, who is especially familiar with the southern part of this area, also cooperated heartily in the preparation of this report; and Mr. H. W. Davis, of the United States Bureau of Mines, compiled the statistical data on iron ore and pig iron. To all these gentlemen the writer desires to express his appreciation. Acknowledgments are also due to the officials and employees of the iron mining and manufacturing companies and to people living in the vicinity of inactive mining properties for their courteous attention and for the large amount of information furnished.In the present paper the general features of the region and of the iron-ore deposits are delineated, but only a few typical ore deposits in each county are described, as the State bulletin will contain detailed descriptions of all properties.

  16. Liver injury from herbal and dietary supplements.

    PubMed

    Navarro, Victor J; Khan, Ikhlas; Björnsson, Einar; Seeff, Leonard B; Serrano, Jose; Hoofnagle, Jay H

    2017-01-01

    Herbal and dietary supplements (HDS) are used increasingly both in the United States and worldwide, and HDS-induced liver injury in the United States has increased proportionally. Current challenges in the diagnosis and management of HDS-induced liver injury were the focus of a 2-day research symposium sponsored by the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease and the National Institutes of Health. HDS-induced liver injury now accounts for 20% of cases of hepatotoxicity in the United States based on research data. The major implicated agents include anabolic steroids, green tea extract, and multi-ingredient nutritional supplements. Anabolic steroids marketed as bodybuilding supplements typically induce a prolonged cholestatic but ultimately self-limiting liver injury that has a distinctive serum biochemical as well as histological phenotype. Green tea extract and many other products, in contrast, tend to cause an acute hepatitis-like injury. Currently, however, the majority of cases of HDS-associated liver injury are due to multi-ingredient nutritional supplements, and the component responsible for the toxicity is usually unknown or can only be suspected. HDS-induced liver injury presents many clinical and research challenges in diagnosis, identification of the responsible constituents, treatment, and prevention. Also important are improvements in regulatory oversight of nonprescription products to guarantee their constituents and ensure purity and safety. The confident identification of injurious ingredients within HDS will require strategic alignments among clinicians, chemists, and toxicologists. The ultimate goal should be to prohibit or more closely regulate potentially injurious ingredients and thus promote public safety. (Hepatology 2017;65:363-373). © 2016 by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.

  17. Africans in the American Labor Market

    PubMed Central

    Elo, Irma T.; Frankenberg, Elizabeth; Gansey, Romeo; Thomas, Duncan

    2015-01-01

    The number of migrants to the United States from Africa has grown exponentially since the 1930s. For the first time in America’s history, migrants born in Africa are growing at a faster rate than migrants from any other continent. The composition of African-origin migrants has also changed dramatically: in the mid-twentieth century, the majority were white and came from only three countries; but today, about one-fifth are white, and African-origin migrants hail from across the entire continent. Little is known about the implications of these changes for their labor market outcomes in the United States. Using the 2000–2011 waves of the American Community Survey, we present a picture of enormous heterogeneity in labor market participation, sectoral choice, and hourly earnings of male and female migrants by country of birth, race, age at arrival in the United States, and human capital. For example, controlling a rich set of human capital and demographic characteristics, some migrants—such as those from South Africa/Zimbabwe and Cape Verde, who typically enter on employment visas—earn substantial premiums relative to other African-origin migrants. These premiums are especially large among males who arrived after age 18. In contrast, other migrants—such as those from Sudan/Somalia, who arrived more recently, mostly as refugees—earn substantially less than migrants from other African countries. Understanding the mechanisms generating the heterogeneity in these outcomes—including levels of socioeconomic development, language, culture, and quality of education in countries of origin, as well as selectivity of those who migrate—remain important unresolved research questions. PMID:26304845

  18. Africans in the American Labor Market.

    PubMed

    Elo, Irma T; Frankenberg, Elizabeth; Gansey, Romeo; Thomas, Duncan

    2015-10-01

    The number of migrants to the United States from Africa has grown exponentially since the 1930s. For the first time in America's history, migrants born in Africa are growing at a faster rate than migrants from any other continent. The composition of African-origin migrants has also changed dramatically: in the mid-twentieth century, the majority were white and came from only three countries; but today, about one-fifth are white, and African-origin migrants hail from across the entire continent. Little is known about the implications of these changes for their labor market outcomes in the United States. Using the 2000-2011 waves of the American Community Survey, we present a picture of enormous heterogeneity in labor market participation, sectoral choice, and hourly earnings of male and female migrants by country of birth, race, age at arrival in the United States, and human capital. For example, controlling a rich set of human capital and demographic characteristics, some migrants-such as those from South Africa/Zimbabwe and Cape Verde, who typically enter on employment visas-earn substantial premiums relative to other African-origin migrants. These premiums are especially large among males who arrived after age 18. In contrast, other migrants-such as those from Sudan/Somalia, who arrived more recently, mostly as refugees-earn substantially less than migrants from other African countries. Understanding the mechanisms generating the heterogeneity in these outcomes-including levels of socioeconomic development, language, culture, and quality of education in countries of origin, as well as selectivity of those who migrate-figures prominently among important unresolved research questions.

  19. Extreme heat reduces and shifts United States premium wine production in the 21st century

    PubMed Central

    White, M. A.; Diffenbaugh, N. S.; Jones, G. V.; Pal, J. S.; Giorgi, F.

    2006-01-01

    Premium wine production is limited to regions climatically conducive to growing grapes with balanced composition and varietal typicity. Three central climatic conditions are required: (i) adequate heat accumulation; (ii) low risk of severe frost damage; and (iii) the absence of extreme heat. Although wine production is possible in an extensive climatic range, the highest-quality wines require a delicate balance among these three conditions. Although historical and projected average temperature changes are known to influence global wine quality, the potential future response of wine-producing regions to spatially heterogeneous changes in extreme events is largely unknown. Here, by using a high-resolution regional climate model forced by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Special Report on Emission Scenarios A2 greenhouse gas emission scenario, we estimate that potential premium winegrape production area in the conterminous United States could decline by up to 81% by the late 21st century. While increases in heat accumulation will shift wine production to warmer climate varieties and/or lower-quality wines, and frost constraints will be reduced, increases in the frequency of extreme hot days (>35°C) in the growing season are projected to eliminate winegrape production in many areas of the United States. Furthermore, grape and wine production will likely be restricted to a narrow West Coast region and the Northwest and Northeast, areas currently facing challenges related to excess moisture. Our results not only imply large changes for the premium wine industry, but also highlight the importance of incorporating fine-scale processes and extreme events in climate-change impact studies. PMID:16840557

  20. Alpine lakes preserve mineral dust signatures: Implications for long-range mineral dust transport and Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) tornado frequency in the United States

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Bhattacharya, A.; Lora, J. M.; Pollen, A.; Vollmer, T.; Thomas, M.; Leithold, E. L.; Mitchell, J.; Tripati, A.

    2016-12-01

    The net amount of mineral dust accumulation in arid and semi-arid regions might not be entirely sourced locally or even regionally; in fact, new evidence suggests that there could be significant contributions from distal sources. The contribution from the distal sources needs to be identified, and accounted for, in order to accurately understand the meteorological and climatologic factors, both regional and global, that control mineral dust accumulation in arid and semi-arid regions. Most importantly, if identified, the two components of mineral dust accumulation- fine fraction (typically <4 microns) and coarse fraction (typically >25 microns)- could provide critical information about regional as well as global climate. There are large-scale climatological controls on the finer fraction of mineral dust, while the coarser fraction is related to intense invents (i.e., the occurrence of cyclones). However, studies attempting to separate these two size fractions in terrestrial archives have been limited. Here we separate the two size fractions using grain size analysis, and use trace element analysis in each size fraction to identify contributing source regions. We apply this technique to well-dated cores collected from three lakes that are distributed across the western, southwestern and Great Plains in the United States: Pear Lake in the Sierra Nevada Mountains (CA), Senator Beck Lake in the San Juan Mountains (CO), and North Lake (WY). These lakes are uniquely situated to monitor dust fluxes; previous studies have demonstrated that sedimentation in these lakes are dominated by mineral dust accumulation; there is also evidence of remotely and locally sourced dust in these lakes, and of textural differences between the two types of dust fractions. We compare our results with previously published data on dust from loess deposits in the United States, and isotopic modeling (LMDZ). We find evidence that the finer-grain size fraction in alpine lake cores could be of remote origin; work is underway to quantify this contribution. Most importantly, we find that during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) the Great Plains may not have witnessed an increase in the incidence of tornado frequency. Acknowledgements: James Sigman, Jacob Ashford, Jason Neff and Amato Evan

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