Digital Commons Network^™

Volume 41 - Issue 00 - Friday, August 26, 2005, Rose Thorn Staff

The Rose Thorn Archive

The Rose Thorn, Rose-Hulman's independent student newspaper.

2005 Ursinus College Academic Convocation Program, Ursinus College

Academic Convocation Programs

This Ursinus College Academic Convocation program lists speakers and events for the opening of the 2005 academic year.

Modeling Tephra Sedimentation From A Ruapehu Weak Plume Eruption, Costanza Bonadonna, J. C. Phillips, B. F. Houghton

Geology Faculty Publications

We present a two-dimensional model for sedimentation of well-mixed weak plumes, accounting for lateral spreading of the cloud, downwind advection, increase of volumetric flux in the rising stage, and particle transport during fallout. The 17 June 1996 subplinian eruption of Ruapehu produced a bent-over plume that rose to a height of 8.5 km in a wind field with an average velocity of 24 m s⁻¹ and generated a narrow deposit on land extending up to 200 km from vent. The sedimentation from the Ruapehu plume was dominated by coarse ash, with all the blocks and most of the lapilli …

Newscope - August 26, 2005

Newscope

No abstract provided.

Washington University Record, August 26, 2005

Washington University Record

No abstract provided.

Generation Of Biomarkers From Anthrax Spores By Catalysis And Analytical Pyrolysis, Phillip R. Smith

Theses and Dissertations

Anthrax spores, in weaponized form, are dangerous biological warfare agents. Handheld technology for the rapid detection of anthrax is greatly needed to improve national security. Methods to detect anthrax spores are diverse, with most taking at least an hour for positive identification. A viable option for rapid detection is analytical pyrolysis (AP), which produces chemicals containing taxonomical information (biomarkers). AP methods are reviewed and critically analyzed to show that reproducible detection of anthrax spores in a rapid manner (< 5 min) with a handheld device is not currently possible. A promising alternative to AP is the use of a catalyst to produce biomarkers from anthrax spores with improved selectivity and reproducibility. Catalytic materials having promise for this include platinum, nickel, and superacids. Experiments evaluating several of these materials are described. A biomarker mass spectral library was created, based on information available in the scientific literature, to facilitate analysis and identification of the biomarkers produced experimentally. The RAMFAC algorithm was used to deconvolute chromatographic peaks to produce clean mass spectra and match them against entries in the biomarker library. While the library is not complete, its use with the RAMFAC algorithm enabled detection of many important biomarkers in experiments involving catalytic breakdown of anthrax spores. Experimental results from preliminary tests of several catalysts are presented and discussed. Addition of catalysts in the form of platinum nanoclusters and superacids to bacterial spores in a commercial pyrolyzer effected an increase in the amount of biomarkers produced at mild conditions over traditional pyrolysis methods. Electroformed nickel mesh, on the other hand, demonstrated low catalytic activity for the production of biomarkers, likely due to poor contact of the spores with the mesh. Biomarkers similar to those published in the literature were observed, including dipicolinic acid, picolinic acid, propionamide, acetamide, diketopiperazines, fatty acids, furfuryl alcohol, and DNA bases. A statistically designed factorial study was used to determine the importance of temperature, spore loading, and nanocluster loading on the production of three important biomarkers. The relative importance of these variables differs for each of the three important biomarkers, suggesting they are produced by different reaction mechanisms.

The Relationship Between Teaching Experience And Style And Primary Student Gains In Mathematics Using An Integrated Learning System, Marilyn N. Meub

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to ascertain using multiple tools and methods, the impact of teachers' interaction with primary students on mathematics performance using the Successmaker Integrated Learning System to determine effective teacher practices. The sample of nineteen primary teachers from an elementary school in southwest Florida included five first grade teachers, seven second grade teachers, and seven third grade teachers.

Data analysis included total years of teaching experience, years of experience in Florida schools, and years of experience at each grade. Both the total years of teaching and the years of teaching at the research site …

The Cord Weekly (September 28, 2005)

The Cord

No abstract provided.

Direct Effect Models, Mark J. Van Der Laan, Maya L. Petersen

U.C. Berkeley Division of Biostatistics Working Paper Series

The causal effect of a treatment on an outcome is generally mediated by several intermediate variables. Estimation of the component of the causal effect of a treatment that is mediated by a given intermediate variable (the indirect effect of the treatment), and the component that is not mediated by that intermediate variable (the direct effect of the treatment) is often relevant to mechanistic understanding and to the design of clinical and public health interventions. Under the assumption of no-unmeasured confounders for treatment and the intermediate variable, Robins & Greenland (1992) define an individual direct effect as the counterfactual effect of …

Statistical Inference For Variable Importance, Mark J. Van Der Laan

U.C. Berkeley Division of Biostatistics Working Paper Series

Many statistical problems involve the learning of an importance/effect of a variable for predicting an outcome of interest based on observing a sample of n independent and identically distributed observations on a list of input variables and an outcome. For example, though prediction/machine learning is, in principle, concerned with learning the optimal unknown mapping from input variables to an outcome from the data, the typical reported output is a list of importance measures for each input variable. The typical approach in prediction has been to learn the unknown optimal predictor from the data and derive, for each of the input …

Minutes, Arts & Sciences Academic Affairs Committee Meeting, Thursday, August 25, 2005, Arts & Sciences Academic Affairs Committee

Academic Affairs Committee Minutes

No abstract provided.

The Statesman, V. 49, I. 01, Stony Brook University

Stony Brook Statesman-Sucolian

v. 49, i. 01

Daily Eastern News: August 25, 2005, Eastern Illinois University

August

No abstract provided.

Dark-Energy Evolution Across The Cosmological-Constant Boundary, Robert R. Caldwell, Michael Doran

Dartmouth Scholarship

We explore the properties of dark-energy models for which the equation of state, w, defined as the ratio of pressure to energy density, crosses the cosmological-constant boundary w=−1. We adopt an empirical approach, treating the dark energy as an uncoupled fluid or a generalized scalar field. We describe the requirements for a viable model, in terms of the equation of state and sound speed. A generalized scalar field cannot safely traverse w=−1, although a pair of scalars with w>−1 and w<−1 will work. A fluid description with a well-defined sound speed can also cross the boundary. Contrary to expectations, such a crossing model does not instantaneously resemble a cosmological constant at the moment w=−1 since the density and pressure perturbations do not necessarily vanish. But because a dark energy with w<−1 dominates only at very late times, and because the dark energy is not generally prone to gravitational clustering, then crossing the cosmological-constant boundary leaves no distinct imprint.

The Impact Of Eu Membership On Baltic Investors' Portfolio Management, Christina Vricella

Honors College Theses

This paper investigates the impact of European Union membership on Baltic investors' ability to diversify. The research addresses the impact of E.U. membership on effectiveness of country-based diversificatin versus industry-based diversification strategies for Latvian investors. I compared correlation matrices of country index returns before and after the Baltic entry date of May 1,2004. Then, I created similar correlation matrices for the Baltic industries. In the pre-unification period, Latvian equity returns were inversely correlated with other European and U.S. indices after translating into the Latvian currency. However, after joining EU, cross-country correlations increased dramatically. As a result, Latvian investors have lost …

The Development Of Double Entry Bookkeeping And Its Relevance In Today's Business Environment, Regina Libina

Honors College Theses

Many civilizations developed accounting theories based on the specific needs in their societies. One of those developments was the double entry bookkeeping system. Some of the factors that contributed to the creation of double entry bookkeeping were techniques in math, the invention of coins and money as a medium of exchange, the introduction of paper, the development of a banking system, and various economic conditions that required a system of proper recording. This thesis will analyze the double entry bookkeeping system and its benefits. It will also discuss the differences between the complex capitalistic structure we operate in today with …

Cut-And-Solve: A Linear Search Strategy For Combinatorial Optimization Problems, Sharlee Climer, Weixiong Zhang

All Computer Science and Engineering Research

Branch-and-bound and branch-and-cut use search trees to identify optimal solutions. In this paper, we introduce a linear search strategy which we refer to as cut-and-solve and prove optimality and completeness for this method. This search is different from traditional tree searching as there is no branching. At each node in the search path, a relaxed problem and a sparse problem are solved and a constraint is added to the relaxed problem. The sparse problems provide incumbent solutions. When the constraining of the relaxed problem becomes tight enough, its solution value becomes no better than the incumbent solution value. At this …

Opnet, Arne, And The Classroom, Philip Doane

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

This paper examines OPNET Technology, Inc's management programs, and Regis University's Academic Research Network (ARNe) needs to find out which OPNET programs can meet the needs of ARNe. The method used was to examine ARNe's needs, and research Microsoft's SMF/MOF management framework, research OPNET's program and module offerings, research OPNET's University Program, and research how OPNET's programs are used at some other universities. The research was used to create a match up between Microsoft's Service Management Functions and OPNET's programs and modules. And it was used to create a list of textbooks, labs, and lab manuals that would work with …

Life V. Death: Or Why The Death Penalty Should Marginally Deter, Charles N. W. Keckler

George Mason University School of Law Working Papers Series

Econometric measures of the effect of capital punishment have increasingly provided evidence that it deters homicides. However, most researchers on both sides of the death penalty debate continue to rely on rather simple assumptions about criminal behavior. I attempt to provide a more nuanced and predictive rational choice model of the incentives and disincentives to kill, with the aim of assessing to what extent the statistical findings of deterrence are in line with theoretical expectations. In particular, I examine whether it is plausible to suppose there is a marginal increase in deterrence created by increasing the penalty from life imprisonment …

The Role Of White Hat Hackers In Information Security, Amit Anand Jagnarine

Honors College Theses

No abstract is available.

Dynamic Effects Of Antibody-Dependent Enhancement On The Fitness Of Viruses, Derek Cummings, Ira Schwartz, Lora Billings, Leah Shaw, Donald Burke

Department of Mathematics Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE), a phenomenon in which viral replication is increased rather than decreased by immune sera, has been observed in vitro for a large number of viruses of public health importance, including flaviviruses, coronaviruses, and retroviruses. The most striking in vivo example of ADE in humans is dengue hemorrhagic fever, a disease in which ADE is thought to increase the severity of clinical manifestations of dengue virus infection by increasing virus replication. We examine the epidemiological impact of ADE on the prevalence and persistence of viral serotypes. Using a dynamical system model of n cocirculating dengue serotypes, we find …

Post-Translational Regulation Of Adipose Differentiation-Related Protein By The Ubiquitin/Proteasome Pathway, John Tansey

Chemistry Faculty Scholarship

Adipose differentiation-related protein (ADRP) is localized to lipid droplets in most mammalian cells. ADRP, proposed to regulate
fatty acid mobilization and lipid droplet formation, is linked to lipid accumulation in foam cells of human atherosclerotic
lesions. In this report, we show that ADRP protein accumulates in Chinese hamster ovary fibroblastic cells cultured in the
presence of oleic acid but is destabilized when fatty acid sources are removed from culture serum. The latter effect was blocked
by the proteasome inhibitor MG132, whereas inhibitors of other proteolytic processes were ineffective. Pulse-chase experiments
confirmed that ADRP degradation is inhibited by MG132. Conditions that …

Final Environmental Assessment: Proposed Demolition Of 12 Structures, Hill Air Force Base, Utah, Randal Klein, Kay Winn

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

Hill AFB proposes to accommodate current United States Air Force (USAF) missions by demolishing 12 structures on Hill AFB. All 12 buildings have both aged and deteriorated to the point they cannot be economically repaired or remodeled. Seven of the 12 buildings would be demolished without being replaced in kind. For five of the 12 buildings, military construction (MILCON) projects would provide new facilities to house the activities that are or were being performed in the deteriorated structures. The proposed action and the no action alternative were both considered in detail. Following the demolition phase, backfill and revegetation operations would …

Building Efficient Systems From Data In A Computational Intelligence Framework, Debrup Chakraborty Dr.

Doctoral Theses

There are problems of interest for which precise mathematical or physical understanding is yet to come. Let us illustrate this with an example. Suppose, for a mining operation one needs to blast a certain portion of the soil/rock using some specific ex- plosives. Before the blast is made, the miners want to know the intensity of vibration that would be produced at a certain distance from the site of blasting. The intensity of vibration may de pend on several factors. For example, it will depend on the characteristics and quantity of the explosive used, the rock characteristics of the region, …

Achieving Minimum Coverage Breach Under Bandwidth Constraints In Wireless Sensor Networks, Maggie Xiaoyan Cheng, Lu Ruan, Weili Wu

Computer Science Faculty Research & Creative Works

This paper addresses the coverage breach problem in wireless sensor networks with limited bandwidths. In wireless sensor networks, sensor nodes are powered by batteries. To make efficient use of battery energy is critical to sensor network lifetimes. When targets are redundantly covered by multiple sensors, especially in stochastically deployed sensor networks, it is possible to save battery energy by organizing sensors into mutually exclusive subsets and alternatively activating only one subset at any time. Active nodes are responsible for sensing, computing and communicating. While the coverage of each subset is an important metric for sensor organization, the size of each …

The Murray Ledger And Times, August 22, 2005, The Murray Ledger And Times

The Murray Ledger & Times

No abstract provided.

Deafdigest: Blue Edition, August 21, 2005, Barry Strassler

DeafDigest Blue 2005

No abstract provided.

Chemical Composition In The Globular Cluster M71 From Keck Hires Spectra Of Turnoff Stars, Ann Merchant Boesgaard, Jeremy R. King, Ann Marie Cody, Alex Stephens, Constantine P. Deliyannis

Publications

We have made observations with the Keck I telescope and HIRES at a resolution of ∼45,000 of five nearly identical stars at the turn-off of the metal-rich globular cluster M 71. Our mean Fe abundance, [Fe/H]=-0.80 +-0.02, is in excellent agreement with previous cluster determinations from both giants and near-turnoff stars. There is no clear evidence for any star-to-star abundance differences or correlations in our sample. Abundance ratios of the Fe-peak elements (Cr, Ni) are similar to Fe. The turn-off stars in M71 have remarkably consistent enhancements of 0.2 - 0.3 dex in [Si/Fe], [Ca/Fe] and [Ti/Fe] -- like the …

Computing The Total Sample Size When Group Sizes Are Not Fixed, Mithat Gonen

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Dept. of Epidemiology & Biostatistics Working Paper Series

This article is concerned with computing the total sample size required for a two-sample comparison when the sizes of the two groups to be compared cannot be fixed in advance. This is frequently encountered when group membership depends on a variable which is observable only after the subject is enrolled to the study, such as a genetic or a biological marker. The most common way of circumventing this problem is assuming a fixed number for the prevalence of the condition that will determine the group membership and compute the required sample size conditionally. In this article this practice is formalized …

Day 3: Friday, 19 August 2005: Section 7 Consultation, Susan Linner, Leslie Elwood, Steve Culver

Endangered Species Act Congressional Field Tour (August 17-19)

10 pages (includes color illustrations and map).

Contains references.