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Knowledge proximity refers to the strength of association between any two entities in a structural form that embodies certain aspects of a knowledge base. In this work, we operationalize knowledge proximity within the context of the US Patent Database (knowledge base) using a knowledge graph (structural form) named "PatNet" built using patent metadata, including citations, inventors, assignees, and domain classifications. We train various graph embedding models using PatNet to obtain the embeddings of entities and relations. The cosine similarity between the corresponding (or transformed) embeddings of entities denotes the knowledge proximity between these. We compare the embedding models in terms of their performances in predicting target entities and explaining domain expansion profiles of inventors and assignees. We then apply the embeddings of the best‐preferred model to associate homogeneous (e.g., patent–patent) and heterogeneous (e.g., inventor–assignee) pairs of entities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Even though cigarette smoking (CS) has been on the decline over the past 50 years, it is still the leading cause of preventable premature death in the United States. Preclinical models have investigated the cardiopulmonary effects of CS exposure (CSE), but the structure-function relationship in the respiratory system has not yet been fully explored. To evaluate these relationships, we exposed female apolipoprotein E-deficient (Apoe - / - ) mice to mainstream CS ( n = 8 ) for 5 days/week over 24 weeks with room air as a control (AE, n = 8 ). To contextualize the impact of CSE, we also assessed the natural aging effects over 24 weeks of air exposure (baseline, n = 8 ). Functional assessments were performed on a small animal mechanical ventilator (flexiVent, SCIREQ), where pressure–volume curves and impedance data at four levels of positive end-expiratory pressure ( P peep ) and with increasing doses of methacholine were collected. Constant phase model parameters ( R N : Newtonian resistance, H: coefficient of tissue elastance, and G: coefficient of tissue resistance) were calculated from the impedance data. Perfusion fixed-left lung tissue was utilized for quantification of parenchyma airspace size and tissue thickness, airway wall thickness, and measurements of elastin, cytoplasm + nucleus, fibrin, and collagen content for the parenchyma and airways. Aging caused the lung to become more compliant, with an upward–leftward shift of the pressure–volume curve and a reduction in all constant phase model parameters. This was supported by larger parenchyma airspace sizes, with a reduction in cell cytoplasm + nucleus area. Airway walls became thinner, even though low-density collagen content increased. In contrast, CSE caused a downward–rightward shift of the pressure–volume curve along with an increase in H, G, and hysteresivity ( η = G / H ). Organ stiffening was accompanied by enhanced airway hyper-responsiveness following methacholine challenge. Structurally, parenchyma airspaces enlarged, as indicated by an increase in equivalent airspace diameter ( D 0 ), and the septum thickened with significant deposition of low-density collagen along with an influx of cells. Airway walls thickened due to deposition of both high and low-density collagen, infiltration of cells, and epithelial cell elongation. In all, our data suggest that CSE in female Apoe - / - mice reduces respiratory functionality and causes morphological alterations in both central and peripheral airways that results in lung stiffening, compared to AE controls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: To improve our understanding of the Earth's interior, seismologists often have to deal with enormous amounts of data, requiring automatic tools for their analyses. It is the purpose of this study to present SeisLib, an open-source Python package for multiscale seismic imaging. At present, SeisLib includes routines for carrying out surface-wave tomography tasks based on seismic ambient noise and teleseismic earthquakes. We illustrate here these functionalities, both from the theoretical and algorithmic point of view and by application of our library to seismic data from North America. We first show how SeisLib retrieves surface-wave phase velocities from the ambient noise recorded at pairs of receivers, based on the zero crossings of their normalized cross-spectrum. We then present our implementation of the two-station method, to measure phase velocities from pairs of receivers approximately lying on the same great-circle path as the epicentre of distant earthquakes. We apply these methods to calculate dispersion curves across the conterminous United States, using continuous seismograms from the transportable component of USArray and earthquake recordings from the permanent networks. Overall, we measure 144 272 ambient-noise and 2055 earthquake-based dispersion curves, that we invert for Rayleigh-wave phase-velocity maps. To map the lateral variations in surface-wave velocity, SeisLib exploits a least-squares inversion algorithm based on ray theory. Our implementation supports both equal-area and adaptive parametrizations, with the latter allowing for a finer resolution in the areas characterized by high density of measurements. In the broad period range 4–100 s, the retrieved velocity maps of North America are highly correlated (on average, 96 per cent) and present very small average differences (0.14 ± 0.1 per cent) with those reported in the literature. This points to the robustness of our algorithms. We also produce a global phase-velocity map at the period of 40 s, combining our dispersion measurements with those collected at global scale in previous studies. This allows us to demonstrate the reliability and optimized computational speed of SeisLib, even in presence of very large seismic inverse problems and strong variability in the data coverage. The last part of the manuscript deals with the attenuation of Rayleigh waves, which can be estimated through SeisLib based on the seismic ambient noise recorded at dense arrays of receivers. We apply our algorithm to produce an attenuation map of the United States at the period of 4 s, which we find consistent with the relevant literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil moisture is a key variable of the climate system. Microwave remote sensing has become an essential means of obtaining soil moisture because of the unique advantages of its all-day and all-weather observation capability. Theoretically, low-frequency C-band observations are highly suitable for soil moisture retrieval because of their high sensitivity to soil moisture at vegetation roots. However, the quality of C-band observations suffers from radio frequency interference (RFI) over the United States. This paper used the iterative principal component analysis (PCA) method to repair RFI-contaminated second-generation Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer (AMSR-2) C-band observations, and the results of soil moisture retrieval based on restored data were evaluated. It was found that RFI could lead to nonconvergence in the retrieval of a large amount of data, and the application of repaired data in retrieval could result in the recovery of more than 80% of nonconvergent data, especially in spring and autumn. The retrieval results based on restored data attained a satisfactory correlation with ERA5 reanalysis data and European Space Agency Climate Change Initiative (ESA-CCI) soil moisture data and suitably agreed with precipitation observation data. Soil moisture generally exhibited a gradual increase from west to north and east. This feature was weakened due to the influence of monsoons in the east in summer. The western side of the Cascade Mountains is the wettest area of the United States, with soil moisture exceeding 0.4 m3 m−3. The driest region of the United States is located between the Rockies and Cordillera Mountains, and the soil moisture value is lower than 0.1 m3 m−3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study develops mathematical tools and approaches to investigate spatiotemporal patterns of firearm acquisition in the U.S. complemented by hypothesis testing and statistical analysis. First, state-level and nation-level instant background check (BC) data are employed as proxy of firearm acquisition corresponding to 1999–2021. The relative-phase time-series of BC in each U.S. state is recovered and utilized to calculate the time-series of the U.S. states' synchronization degree. We reveal that U.S. states present a high-level degree of synchronization except in 2010–2011 and after 2018. Comparing these results with respect to a sitting U.S. president provides additional information: specifically, any two presidential terms are characterized by statistically different synchronization degrees except G. W. Bush's first term and B. H. Obama's second term. Next, to detail variations of BC, short-time Fourier transform, dimensionality reduction techniques, and diffusion maps are implemented within a time-frequency representation. Firearm acquisition in the high frequency band is described by a low-dimensional embedding, in the form of a plane with two embedding coordinates. Data points on the embedding plane identify separate clusters that signify state transitions in the original BC data with respect to different time windows. Through this analysis, we reveal that the frequency content of the BC data has a time-dependent characteristic. By comparing the diffusion map at hand with respect to a presidential term, we find that at least one of the embedding coordinates presents statistically significant variations between any two presidential terms except B. H. Obama's first term and D. J. Trump's pre-COVID term. The results point at a possible interplay between firearm acquisition in the U.S. and a presidential term. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As more global satellite-derived precipitation products become available, it is imperative to evaluate them more carefully for providing guidance as to how well precipitation space–time features are captured for use in hydrologic modeling, climate studies, and other applications. Here we propose a space–time Fourier spectral analysis and define a suite of metrics that evaluate the spatial organization of storm systems, the propagation speed and direction of precipitation features, and the space–time scales at which a satellite product reproduces the variability of a reference "ground-truth" product ("effective resolution"). We demonstrate how the methodology relates to our physical intuition using the case study of a storm system with rich space–time structure. We then evaluate five high-resolution multisatellite products (CMORPH, GSMaP, IMERG-Early, IMERG-Final, and PERSIANN-CCS) over a period of 2 years over the southeastern United States. All five satellite products show generally consistent space–time power spectral density when compared to a reference ground gauge–radar dataset (GV-MRMS), revealing agreement in terms of average morphology and dynamics of precipitation systems. However, a deficit of spectral power at wavelengths shorter than 200 km and periods shorter than 4 h reveals that all satellite products are excessively "smooth." The products also show low levels of spectral coherence with the gauge–radar reference at these fine scales, revealing discrepancies in capturing the location and timing of precipitation features. From the space–time spectral coherence, the IMERG-Final product shows superior ability in resolving the space–time dynamics of precipitation down to 200-km and 4-h scales compared to the other products. Significance Statement: Precipitation estimation products are essential for understanding water cycle dynamics and climate change, and for decision support in regions lacking ground observations. Several global products exist from multiple satellites orbiting Earth, but the challenge remains that of evaluating these products for accuracy and for improving the retrieval algorithms. Here we posit that the classical "pixel-to-pixel" comparison is not adequate and propose an approach that focuses on comparing space–time dynamics through a Fourier spectral analysis, which provides information about the size, shape, and orientation of precipitation systems, as well as their motion speed and direction. We evaluate five state-of-the-art multisatellite products and identify shortcomings, in particular in their ability to capture the submesoscale variability of precipitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The goal of this study is to identify the multiple ways in which instructors take advantage of a feature designed into university textbooks that seeks to invite students to get acquainted with the content prior to attending the class in which such content will be discussed. We present an analysis of teacher instrumentation of this feature, which we call questioning devices, using data from 15 instructors who taught calculus, linear algebra, or abstract algebra over one semester. The instructors taught at 14 different universities in the United States. We identified four utilization schemes of the questioning devices in which instructors: completed questioning devices for pre-planning, required students to complete the questioning devices for the purpose of lesson planning, used the questioning devices for the purpose of instruction, and required students complete the questioning devices for the purpose of assessment. These schemes are supported by various operational invariants related to self-perception as competent instructors and implicit theories of teaching and learning. The identified utilization schemes inform textbook developers and author-designers, making them aware of whether these features fulfill their design purposes, and possibly think about changes that might be needed to support instructors in achieving their instructional goals and improve learning. We suggest some further areas of inquiry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the time–frequency dynamics of return and volatility spillovers between the stock market and three commodity markets: natural gas, crude oil, and gold via a comparative analysis between the United States and China is conducted with the help of new empirical methods. Our findings are as follows. First, in terms of time, return spillovers between crude oil and the stock market are strongest in two of the three commodity markets. Crude oil emits a net negative return spillover to the US stock market, and a net positive return spillover to the Chinese stock market. By contrast, the strongest volatility spillover effect is transmitted to the stock markets of both countries through gold. However, gold has a net positive volatility spillover effect on the US stock market and a net negative effect on the Chinese stock market. In the frequency domain, most of the return spillover is produced in the short term, and most of the volatility spillover occurs in the long term. In addition, the moving-window method reveals the dynamic nature of the spillover effect. Some extreme events can have a dramatic effect on the spillover index. Conversely, the spillover effect differs significantly between the two countries and is characterized by time variation and frequency dependence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

US Soccer eliminated soccer heading for youth players ages 10 years and younger and limited soccer heading for children ages 11–13 years. Limited empirical evidence associates soccer heading during early adolescence with medium-to-long-term behavioral deficits. The purpose of this study was to compare sensory reweighting for upright stance between college-aged soccer players who began soccer heading ages 10 years and younger (AFE ≤ 10) and those who began soccer heading after age 10 (AFE > 10). Thirty soccer players self-reported age of first exposure (AFE) to soccer heading. Sensory reweighting was compared between AFE ≤ 10 and AFE > 10. To evaluate sensory reweighting, we simultaneously perturbed upright stance with visual, vestibular, and proprioceptive stimulation. The visual stimulus was presented at two different amplitudes to measure the change in gain to vision, an intra-modal effect; and change in gain to galvanic vestibular stimulus (GVS) and vibration, both inter-modal effects. There were no differences in gain to vision (p=0.857, η2=0.001), GVS (p=0.971, η2=0.000), or vibration (p=0.974, η2=0.000) between groups. There were no differences in sensory reweighting for upright stance between AFE ≤ 10 and AFE > 10, suggesting that soccer heading during early adolescence is not associated with balance deficits in college-aged soccer players, notwithstanding potential deficits in other markers of neurological function [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Remotely sensed snow cover observations provide an opportunity to improve operational snowmelt and streamflow forecasting in remote regions. This is particularly true in Alaska, where remote basins and a spatially and temporally sparse gaging network plague efforts to understand and forecast the hydrology of subarctic boreal basins and where climate change is leading to rapid shifts in basin function. In this study, the operational framework employed by the United States (US) National Weather Service, including the Alaska Pacific River Forecast Center, is adapted to integrate Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) remotely sensed observations of fractional snow cover area (fSCA) to determine if these data improve streamflow forecasts in interior Alaska river basins. Two versions of MODIS fSCA are tested against a base case extent of snow cover derived by aerial depletion curves: the MODIS 10A1 (MOD10A1) and the MODIS Snow Cover Area and Grain size (MODSCAG) product over the period 2000–2010. Observed runoff is compared to simulated runoff to calibrate both iterations of the model. MODIS-forced simulations have improved snow depletion timing compared with snow telemetry sites in the basins, with discernable increases in skill for the streamflow simulations. The MODSCAG fSCA version provides moderate increases in skill but is similar to the MOD10A1 results. The basins with the largest improvement in streamflow simulations have the sparsest streamflow observations. Considering the numerous low-quality gages (discontinuous, short, or unreliable) and ungauged systems throughout the high-latitude regions of the globe, this result is valuable and indicates the utility of the MODIS fSCA data in these regions. Additionally, while improvements in predicted discharge values are subtle, the snow model better represents the physical conditions of the snowpack and therefore provides more robust simulations, which are consistent with the US National Weather Service's move toward a physically based National Water Model. Physically based models may also be more capable of adapting to changing climates than statistical models corrected to past regimes. This work provides direction for both the Alaska Pacific River Forecast Center and other forecast centers across the US to implement remote-sensing observations within their operational framework, to refine the representation of snow, and to improve streamflow forecasting skill in basins with few or poor-quality observations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Asian Politics & Policy is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

We propose a new framework for measuring connectedness among financial variables that arise due to heterogeneous frequency responses to shocks. To estimate connectedness in short-, medium-, and long-term financial cycles, we introduce a framework based on the spectral representation of variance decompositions. In an empirical application, we document the rich time-frequency dynamics of volatility connectedness in U.S. financial institutions. Economically, periods in which connectedness is created at high frequencies are periods when stock markets seem to process information rapidly and calmly, and a shock to one asset in the system will have an impact mainly in the short term. When the connectedness is created at lower frequencies, it suggests that shocks are persistent and are being transmitted for longer periods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hawkes processes are a class of simple point processes that are self-exciting and have a clustering effect, with wide applications in finance, social networks and many other fields. This paper considers a self-exciting Hawkes process where the baseline intensity is time-dependent, the exciting function is a general function and the jump sizes of the intensity process are independent and identically distributed nonnegative random variables. This Hawkes model is non-Markovian in general. We obtain closed-form formulas for the Laplace transform, moments and the distribution of the Hawkes process. To illustrate the applications of our results, we use the Hawkes process to model the clustered arrival of trades in a dark pool and analyse various performance metrics including time-to-first-fill, time-to-complete-fill and the expected fill rate of a resting dark order. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Phase analyses of the annual cycle of monthly temperature time series that date back to the eighteenth century show trending behavior that has been difficult to interpret. Negative trends in the estimated phase have been identified with precession of Earth's axis of rotation, but the implied later onset of seasons is at odds with recent satellite measurements and with the phenological record. Positive trends in the phase and the occurrence of trends of both signs in temperature time series from geographically nearby locations have remained mysterious. This paper shows that there is a mathematical equivalence between trends in phases and seasonally differing warming trends, in particular more intense warming in winters than in summers. Using temperature time series from 16 Northern Hemispheric locations reaching back to the eighteenth century and a statistical model that can estimate the seasonal warming trends, the authors reject the hypothesis that the timing of the seasons in these locations is jointly driven by precession. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We use wavelet analysis to conclude that individual U.S. states' business cycles are very well synchronized. We also find evidence of a strong and significant correlation between business cycle dissimilitudes and the distance between each pair of states, consistent to gravity type mechanisms where distance affects trade. Trade, in turn, increases business cycle synchronization, while a higher degree of industry specialization is associated with a higher dissimilitude of the state cycle with the aggregate economy. Finally, there is evidence that business cycle dissimilitudes have been decreasing with time, consistent with the previous findings coupled with the idea that information and communications technology make distances smaller. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Casino gaming has emerged in the United States in a variety of new locations as a source of economic development. In 2010 commercial casino gambling expanded into a major United States city, when a casino opened in Philadelphia. The city currently has one open casino and a second proposed casino, this, along with three other casinos in the metropolitan area, makes Philadelphia an important case study to examine the impacts of casino gaming in a major urban area in the United States. Through interviews and media/policy analysis, the casinos interaction with the local community during the planning process, and since the one casino has opened are analyzed. It is revealed that a variety of stakeholders were involved in the casino location process, and the community has been impacted by the casino in a variety of areas including economic effects, a community benefits agreement, crime, potential gambling addiction and gentrification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Previous research has shown the usefulness of utilizing auditory chimeras in assessing a listener’s perception of the envelope and fine structure for an acoustic stimulus. However, research comparing and contrasting behavioral and electrophysiological responses to this stimulus type is scarce.Design: Two sets of chimeric stimuli were constructed by interchanging the envelopes and fine-structures of the rising/yi2/and falling/yi4/Mandarin pitch contours that were filtered through 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, 32, and 64 frequency banks. Behavioral pitch-perception tasks were administered through a two-alternative, forced-choice paradigm. Electrophysiological responses were measured through scalp-recorded frequency-following responses (FFRs) to the lexical-tone chimeras.Study sample: Twenty American and twenty Chinese adults were recruited.Results: A two-way analysis of variance showed significance (p < 0.05) within and across the filter bank and language background factors for the behavioral measurements, while the frequency-following response demonstrated a significance only across the filter banks.Conclusions: Perceptual importance of envelope cues increases starting from 16 filter banks, while the FFR accuracy and magnitude decreases with increasing number of filter banks. These results can be useful in assessing experience-dependent neuroplasticity and in designing speech processing strategies for cochlear-implant users who speak tonal or non-tonal languages around the globe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses a descriptive correlational study to describe professional values held by nurses and their attitudes toward physician-nurse collaboration and explore the relationships between nurses' characteristics and professional values. Topics discussed include findings that nurses and physicians value collaboration differently and do not often appreciate the role of the other and the need for organizations to adapt processes and culture to reflect nurses' professional values.

The article discusses the understanding of teachers' knowledge in the U.S. It highlights the criticism towards their examination along with its application and social inference for the amelioration of their assessment. An overview of the utilization of oral interviews for evaluating them is also presented.

Mathematical knowledge at school entry predicts school achievement, and children from low-income families are at risk for low math achievement. The study purpose was to observe low-income parents' numeracy guidance in two contexts, a board game and a number concept assessment, and to compare preschoolers' independent and guided math performances. Eighteen four-year-olds enrolled in Head Start participated with one parent. Although parents employed guidance for a wider range of math activities during the number assessment activity as compared with the board game, the total guidance provided in each context did not differ. In both contexts, children performed at a higher level when guided by a parent as compared with independent math performance. Parental reports of home numeracy practices were positively correlated with children's math abilities but not with observed parent guidance. The findings provide further support for the importance of adult guidance in order to enhance children's opportunities to reinforce known skills and develop new mathematical understandings. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Copyright of Brazilian Journal of Applied Economics / Economía Aplicada is the property of FEA-RP, Universidade de Sao Paulo and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Examining the systematic and private records of a former D.C. Circuit Court Judge, we examine the process by which federal circuit court judges craft legal opinions. We discover that private and contextual factors influence legal outcomes. More specifically, we find that workload considerations strongly influence circuit opinions, that some visiting and senior judges effect the process differently than do active circuit court judges, and that panel effects play but a minimal role in the creation of opinions. In short, we move the literature on circuit court decision making forward by employing private archival material that illuminates how private and contextual features influence opinion writing and legal policy. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The history of the Bank of Canada and the U.S. Federal Reserve System is intertwined not only because of geographical proximity but because of the reciprocal influence on the way they have evolved their structures to conduct monetary policy. While both find their origins in financial crises, the environment in which they were embedded in the early twentieth century was quite different. Before central banking, the U.S. banking structure was decentralized and susceptible to recurrent breakdowns, thereby necessitating a lender of last resort, while the Canadian banking system was oligopolistic and highly centralized from its inception. For most of the postwar period, the Bank of Canada tended to follow policies that generally originated south of the Canadian border; but over the past quarter-century, the Bank of Canada has been at the forefront of policy innovations, particularly in seeking to restructure its policy system along Wicksellian lines. A detailed account of these institutional changes is provided, including the recent changes that have taken place in the aftermath of the financial crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We take a new look at electoral sectionalism and dynamic nationalization in presidential elections. We treat this problem as one of synchronism of electoral cycles, which we estimate by using wavelets. After providing a self-contained introduction to wavelet analysis, we use it to assess the degree and the dynamics of electoral synchronization in the United States. We determine clusters of states where electoral swings have been more and less in sync with each other and with the national cycle. Then, we analyze how the degree of synchronism of electoral cycles has changed through time, answering questions as to when, to what extent, and where has a tendency towards a 'universality of political trends' in presidential elections been more strongly felt. We present evidence strongly in favor of an increase in the dynamic nationalization of presidential elections taking place since the 1950s, largely associated with a convergence in most (but not all) Southern states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Students in private schools routinely outperform those in public schools both in the United States and around the world. But do private schools make students better or do they simply cream skim better students? In this article I take advantage of the remarkable fact that in many districts in India a majority of students attend private schools. As the private share of school enrollment increases, cream skimming becomes less plausible as the explanation for a higher rate of achievement in private schools. Evidence for cream skimming is found when the private share of schooling is low, in the range of 0-15%, and thus private schools have a large public pool from which to skim. But the private effect on achievement does not appear to diminish greatly even in districts where more than 70% of students are in private schools. Most importantly, mean scores taken over the entire population of students, private and public, increase with the share of private schooling. These findings support a significant productivity effect of private schools. ( JEL I25, I2, L33) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the role that U.S. scientists, engineers, and designers played in the planning of weapons research and the production of military weapons during World War II. Special emphasis is given to the collaboration among all three professions in the war effort. Topics addressed include the U.S. military at the start of the war, weapons procurement and production, advancements in military aviation, the design and production of small weapons, the Office of Scientific Research and Development, operations research, and the development of the first computers.

Localized truncation error analysis with complex derivatives was applied to compute target element sizes for tidal flow in the South Atlantic Bight (SAB) and its estuaries. An existing finite element mesh was used to generate a tidal solution that is fed into this code, which assesses the truncation error and drives it to a more uniform value through selective mesh gradation, and results in a target element size distribution for the SAB and its estuaries. The target element size distribution is compared to the element size distribution of the existing mesh. The code prescribes larger than the initial elements for the shelf and deeper waters and smaller than the initial elements for the shallow-water region. Along the coast, elements similarly sized as the initial elements are prescribed at the inlets, but larger elements are prescribed between adjacent inlets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We derive the pricing formula for catastrophe equity put options (CatEPuts) by assuming catastrophic events follow a Markov Modulated Poisson process (MMPP) whose intensity varies according to the change of the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) signal. U.S. hurricanes events from 1960 to 2007 show that the CatEPuts pricing errors under the MMPP(2) are smaller than the PP by 30 percent to 66 percent. The scenario analysis indicates that the MMPP outperforms the exponential growth pattern (EG) if the hurricane intensity is the AMO signal, whereas the EG may outperform the MMPP if the future climate is warming rapidly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Folded patch antennas were investigated for the development of low-cost and wireless smart-skin sensors that monitor the strain in metallic structures. When the patch antenna is under strain/deformation, its resonance frequency varies accordingly. The variation can be easily interrogated and recorded by a wireless reader. The patch antenna adopts a specially chosen substrate material with low dielectric attenuation, as well as an inexpensive off-the-shelf radiofrequency identification (RFID) chip for signal modulation. Since the RFID chip harvests electromagnetic power from the interrogation signal emitted by the reader, the patch antenna itself does not require other (internal) power sources and, thus, serves as a battery-less (passive) and wireless strain sensor. In this preliminary investigation, a prototype folded patch antenna has been designed and manufactured. Tensile testing results show strong linearity between the interrogated resonance frequency and the strain experienced by the antenna. Through experiments, the strain sensing resolution is demonstrated to be under 50 με, and the wireless interrogation distance is shown to be over a few feet for this preliminary prototype. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The southeastern coastal plain of the United States is a region marked by extraordinary phylogeographic congruence that is frequently attributed to the changing sea levels that occurred during the glacial-interglacial cycles of the Pleistocene epoch. A phylogeographic break corresponding to the Apalachicola River has been suggested for many species studied to date that are endemic to this region. Here, we used this pattern of phylogeographic congruence to develop and test explicit hypotheses about the genetic structure in the ornate chorus frog ( Pseudacris ornata). Using 1299 bp of mtDNA sequence and seven nuclear microsatellite markers in 13 natural populations of P. ornata, we found three clades corresponding to geographically distinct regions; one spans the Apalachicola River (Southern Clade), one encompasses Georgia and South Carolina (Central Clade) and a third comprises more northerly individuals (Northern Clade). However, it does not appear that typical phylogeographic barriers demarcate these clades. Instead, isolation by distance across the range of the entire species explained the pattern of genetic variation that we observed. We propose that P. ornata was historically widespread in the southeastern United States, and that a balance between genetic drift and migration was the root of the genetic divergence among populations. Additionally, we investigated fine-scale patterns of genetic structure and found the spatial scale at which there was significant genetic structure varied among the regions studied. Furthermore, we discuss our results in light of other phylogeographic studies of southeastern coastal plain organisms and in relation to amphibian conservation and management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the perspective of two major Islamic nations-Saudi Arabia and Indonesia-toward the United States' War on terror and how this war shaped and influenced the behavior of the two Islamic governments toward domestic challenges and their partnership with the United States, as they have declared their support of the United States. Indeed the war against terror has developed several security concerns for both Saudi Arabia and Indonesia. However, each state has followed different methods to fight Islamic radical movements as well as a different framework of partnership with the United States on its war against terrorism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An interview with Dr. Roy E. Rice, president of Military Operations Research Society (MORS) in the U.S., is presented. When asked about his family background, he mentions his father Charles J. Rice, a runner and a football player, and Mary Lois Rice who has been married to his father for 61 years. According to Rice, his choice of entering college at the U.S. Air Force Academy was due to an invitation by a close family friend helping him do all the preparations.

Parents can profoundly influence the long-term academic success of their children. Parental involvement with their children's schools has consistently been associated with much better long-term academic and social outcomes. Unfortunately, same-sex parents often feel disconnected and unwelcome in schools. In order to extend the research supporting parent practices and strong family-school collaboration, the present study used the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Cohort (ECLS-K) data set to examine the following: (1) How same-sex families compare to heterosexual families with respect to the parental practices of helping and communicating; (2) How home-school partnerships compare across same-sex and heterosexual families; and (3) Whether a strong home-school partnership is more important for the academic achievement and social adjustment of children with same-sex parents given the societal context in which these children are embedded. Results indicated that same-sex and heterosexual parents did not differ with respect to their parent practices or home-school partnerships. Further, home-school partnerships were not differentially important for children with same-sex parents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper tests the hypothesis that the links and dependency relationships between China and her special regions have changed over the past 20 years with the industrialisation of China, and the emergence of Taiwan as a source of investment and sophisticated manufactures, and Hong Kong as financial centre and supplier of services. Has this changed the size and direction of spillovers in the region, and has it curtailed or eliminated American economic leadership? We use time-varying spectral methods to decompose the links between six advanced Asian economies and the US. We find: (a) the links with the US have been weakening, while those within a bloc based on China have strengthened; (b) that this is not new – it has been happening since the 1980s, but has now been reversed by the surge in trade; (c) that Taiwan is more integrated with, and dependent on, the Chinese economy, while Hong Kong continues her separate development based on specialisation and comparative advantage; (d) that the links with the US are rather complex, with the US able to shape the cycles elsewhere through her control of monetary conditions, but the China zone able to control the size of their cycles; and (e) there appears to be no real evidence that pegged exchange rates encourage convergence; in fact the reverse may be true. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the research on computational mathematics for undergraduate students. It is said that Christopher P. Bendel from the University of Wisconsin-Stout has received a research grant from the National Science Foundation. Bendel has involved students in his study, having them make mathematical computations through the use of computer. It is cited that computational tools were developed by people who have programming skills and a graduate-level mathematical knowledge to understand mathematical ideas.

The range of acceptable positions about important political issues defines the political space of society. This article presents a model of how political space is transformed over time based upon linear differential equations. Constructable transformations of political space are ones that can be modeled by such equations and thus can result from gradual evolutionary change. A constructable transformation also preserves the distinctness of political positions, which means that distinct political positions remain different throughout the process of change. Non-constructable transformations, on the other hand, cannot be represented in this way because they embody political discontinuities of some kind. A simple typology of constructable transformations is discussed and illustrated. Methods of estimating the political space transformation model are outlined and applied to General Social Survey data for 1982, 1993, and 2002. This leads to an analysis of how American political space transformed from 1982 to 1993 and then from 1993 to 2002. The former transformation proves to be constructable while the latter is not, probably due to the effects of 9/11. The 1982-1993 period witnessed a tentative simplification of American political space featuring some left-right polarization. The 1993-2002 period is characterized by a conservatizing transformation of American political space which, the analysis suggests, could result from the attacks of 9/11. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the impact of investment-relevant pension fund regulations and accounting rules on contribution and investment strategies within the context of asset-liability model (ALM). It focuses particularly on the situation and regulations in Germany, Japan, Great Britain, Netherlands, and the U.S. The ALM model reveals that the regulations could affect the funding costs through the choice of investment strategy. Moreover, it is noted that the regulations of strict funding may impel the sponsors to make up funding shortfalls in bad economic times and lead them to invest more.

The article discusses the information concerning the solving of a cubic equation in the U.S. The first step is to calculate the coefficients of the Hessian quadratic and use them to find the discriminant. Then perform a coordinate transform to depress the cubic. Some algebra gives three new coefficients that are polynomial functions of the values that parameterize the transformation. Several mathematical computations, formulas, and geometric graphs in solving a cubic equation are also emphasized in the article.

Backscattering properties of the ocean surface have been widely used as a calibration reference for airborne and spaceborne microwave sensors. However, at millimeter-wave frequencies, the ocean surface backscattering mechanism is still not well understood, in part, due to the lack of experimental measurements. During the Cirrus Regional Study of Tropical Anvils and Cirrus Layers-Florida Area Cirrus Experiment (CRYSTAL-FACE), measurements of ocean surface backscattering were made using a 94-GHz (W band) cloud radar on board a NASA ER-2 high-altitude aircraft. This unprecedented dataset enhances our knowledge about the ocean surface scattering mechanism at 94 GHz. The measurement set includes the normalized ocean surface cross section over a range of the incidence angles under a variety of wind conditions. It was confirmed that even at 94 GHz, the normalized ocean surface radar cross section, σo, is insensitive to surface wind conditions near a 10° incidence angle, a finding similar to what has been found in the literature for lower frequencies. Analysis of the radar measurements also shows good agreement with a quasi-specular scattering model at low incidence angles. The results of this work support the proposition of using the ocean surface as a calibration reference for airborne millimeter-wave cloud radars and for the ongoing NASA CloudSat mission, which will use a 94-GHz spaceborne cloud radar for global cloud measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents mathematical equations formulated by college students in several universities in the United States. Calculation of the square of the modulus of a complex number; Illustration of the need for a caution in dealing with exponents in a complex field; Solutions to the problem involving logarithmic functions.

It is useful to consider the WKB method on the phase space via the global FBI transformation. It enables us to avoid the difficulty arising from caustics. As an application, the Bohr-Sommerfeld quantization condition is obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Environmental history in the Midwestern Corn Belt includes changes through time in landowners and their consequent effect on agricultural and uncultivated land resources. We examined these changes in Israel Township, southwestern Ohio, using archival accounts from the mid 1800s, land-cover maps compiled from 1935, 1956, and 1984 aerial images, and land-ownership records from 1912, 1940, 1968, 1974, 1983, and 1989 parcel maps. Historical records document the clearing of beech-maple forests for agriculture and show the economic contributions of forests to early settlement. Between 1935 and 1984, agricultural lands declined from 84 percent to 78 percent and forests increased from 10 percent to 19 percent. These are slight changes in comparison with the more than 90 percent of the uncultivated lands that experienced transitions among land uses. We document a decline in land-cover diversity, with losses in successional lands and most forest growth localized to lower stream valleys and Hueston Woods State Park. The amount of land in farms (≥3-ha tracts) declined slightly, from 99 percent to 88 percent, but 79 percent of the land showed two to three changes in landowners and 16 percent showed four to five changes over the study period. Parcels with low turnover had the greatest percent of their land in forest, larger mean forest-patch sizes, and the greatest percent gains in forest area. Our results support coordinated efforts focused on factors that influence stable farm ownership and promote a diversity of environmental and economic gains from forests in the rural landscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chironomus (Chironomus) calligraphus Goeldi, 1905, previouslyknown from the Neotropics, is newly identified as a member of midge communitiesacross the southern U.S.A.. The karyotype is described for the first time,as is that of the related Chironomus spec. WOC, known only as larvaefrom the southeastern United States. Morphological descriptions for the adultmale, pupa, and larva of C. calligraphus are emended, including charactersdistinguishing the species in the southern Nearctic. Intraspecific variationdiminishes the diagnostic value of certain standard morphometrics. The firstgene sequences for C. calligraphus are offered based on a fragmentof mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit II. Patterns of variation arenot congruent among data sets. Morphology and karyology show minor and clinalregional differences, whereas mtDNA sequences suggest the sympatric coexistenceof two haplotype groups. However, taxonomic distinctions are considered unwarrantedpending further evidence. C. calligraphus thrives in a range of conditionsand habitats, including small and temporary waters. This ability is presumedto have facilitated the species' wide Pan-American distribution, butalso its high potential as a nuisance to humans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a debate on the implications of urbanism in the United States. Perception of urban planning as obsolete; Failure to influence the city planning profession; Provision of a systematic and comprehensive theory for urbanism.