Your search

We present measurements of bulk properties of the matter produced in Au+Au collisions at √sNN=7.7,11.5,19.6,27, and 39 GeV using identified hadrons (π±, K±, p, and ¯p) from the STAR experiment in the Beam Energy Scan (BES) Program at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). Midrapidity (|y|<0.1) results for multiplicity densities dN/dy, average transverse momenta ⟨pT⟩, and particle ratios are presented. The chemical and kinetic freeze-out dynamics at these energies are discussed and presented as a function of collision centrality and energy. These results constitute the systematic measurements of bulk properties of matter formed in heavy-ion collisions over a broad range of energy (or baryon chemical potential) at RHIC.

Given the frequency of stellar multiplicity in the solar neighborhood, it is important to study the impacts this can have on exoplanet properties and orbital dynamics. There have been numerous imaging survey projects established to detect possible low-mass stellar companions to exoplanet host stars. Here, we provide the results from a systematic speckle imaging survey of known exoplanet host stars. In total, 71 stars were observed at 692 and 880 nm bands using the Differential Speckle Survey Instrument at the Gemini-north Observatory. Our results show that all but two of the stars included in this sample have no evidence of stellar companions with luminosities down to the detection and projected separation limits of our instrumentation. The mass-luminosity relationship is used to estimate the maximum mass a stellar companion can have without being detected. These results are used to discuss the potential for further radial velocity follow-up and interpretation of companion signals. © 2017. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved..

Business program graduates are expected to perform with cultural sensitivity in international and intercultural professional environments. In order to support student development of the necessary mindset, a variety of assignments and activities have been integrated into the undergraduate International Business (IB) course. This article describes several types of exercises that can be used by anyone teaching this course or one where cultural sensitivity is an important component. No quantitative data are presented, nor are any claims made to the efficacy of these assignments. But student comments point to increased cultural sensitivity and a better understanding of the issues of globalization. © 2017 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

The impetus for addressing climate change is real and present, but its translation into action lacks immediacy and severity, and involves reorientating our lifestyles and economies towards sustainability. Drawing on focus groups conducted in seven UK communities, specific interventions were identified as encouraging change in the short-term, maintaining momentum in the medium-term and sustaining sustainability in the long-term to address various enablers of, and barriers to, sustainable lifestyles. The findings illustrate that there are multiple entry points and influencing periods for sustainable living. Given the importance of the temporal dimension in encouraging and sustaining practices for sustainable lifestyles, the paper advances a “what works” approach to sustainable lifestyles that can be embedded with practical solutions. This approach creates a synergy between what individuals want to do to live sustainably and how they want to do this with interventions that are known to create meaningful lifestyles changes and maintain sustainable living.

Understanding the impact of network traffic properties on performance behavior in bottleneck links or larger networks is of primary interest to traffic analysts and network designers. Among the contributing factors, variance and correlation properties have been thoroughly studied and a large set of individual results have been obtained. However, these individual contributing factors are not sufficient to predict performance behavior. In this paper we review a unifying and versatile class of ON/OFF models through which the relationship among these parameters can be characterized and their influence on network performance be understood. The analytic performance results from the model show that there is a radically different queueing behavior when the ON period duration follows truncated power-tail distributions (even if truncated), as opposed to model variants where these distribution types are used for the OFF periods. All these models create correlation functions that only decay slowly. This motivates the development of a simple data analysis scheme to distinguish performance relevant correlation. The scheme is described both for interarrival and count processes of traffic data and its effectiveness is shown using real data traces.

The forecasting of energy consumption in China is a key requirement for achieving national energy security and energy planning. In this study, multi-variable linear regression (MLR) and support vector regression (SVR) were utilized with a gated recurrent unit (GRU) artificial neural network of Chinese energy to establish a forecasting model. The derived model was validated through four economic variables; the gross domestic product (GDP), population, imports, and exports. The performance of various forecasting models was assessed via MAPE and RMSE, and three scenarios were configured based on different sources of variable data. In predicting Chinese energy consumption from 2015 to 2021, results from the established GRU model of the highest predictive accuracy showed that Chinese energy consumption would be likely to fluctuate from 2954.04 Mtoe to 5618.67 Mtoe in 2021.

Low graduation rate is a significant and growing problem in U.S. higher education systems. Although previous studies have demonstrated the usefulness of building statistical models for predicting students' graduation outcomes, advanced machine learning models promise to improve the effectiveness of these models, and hone in on the “difference that makes a difference” not only on the group level, but also on the level of the individual student. In this paper we propose an ensemble support vector machines based model for predicting students' graduation. Up to about 100 features, including a set of psychological-educational factors, were employed to construct the predicting model. We evaluated the proposed model using data taken from a state university's longitudinal, cohort data sets from the incoming classes of students from 2011-2012 (n=350). The experimental results demonstrated the effectiveness of the model, with considerable accuracy, precision, and recall. This paper presents the results of analysis that were conducted in order to gauge the predictive capability of a machine learning algorithm to predict on-time graduation that took into consideration students' learning and development.

Let’s twin and twine together two primary aspects of how America can see herself—the good atoms of Whitman’s leaves of grass, and the engines humming their freedom on the highways that cut across those 19th century fields. Now, Jason Labbe well knows, as Whitman’s atoms become pixels, we find ourselves at a crossroads, learning again and again the consequences of “the indescribable way you shape / a past of little use.” Seeking to find that law or logic to shattering, be it in the memory-echo of personal trauma caught on infinite loop in the mind, or be it the dismal virtualities of the post-modern ether, the poems of Spleen Elegy unfold their rueful nostalgia: “I have something accurate to say that lacks perspective.” That may well be the very accuracy we most need, riding the routes of America, the byways and frontage roads, seeking anyone who is willing for a poem or two to see. —Dan Beachy-Quick "A chunk of broken tar”—that's the color of this book. And the sound of this book is "a train in the static." Its poems count time in "decaseconds of dusk." To read this book is to feel the uneasy passivity and unerring stuckness, the particular absurdity, of certain citizens stuck in this millennium. So many lines made me laugh. And sigh. But not cry. Jason Labbe is great at melancholy. Baudelaire's mosquito is definitely here: "I am Past / who passing lit and sucked your life and left." The future is unthinkable and unalterable. Except. Except! Lucretius' swerve is also here. Atoms may veer randomly, which is extra significant in a book that takes place mostly on the road. "My sutures are beautiful as a tread pattern," he says, and it is easy (and dangerous) to fall in love with Labbe's strangled version of optimism. —Darcie Dennigan

In this Handbook leading researchers, teacher educators, and expert practitioners speak to current and future educators and educational leaders in understandable language about the research that informs best practices for English language learners integrated into the K-12 public school system. Responding to current state and federal mandates that require educators to link their practices to sound research results, it is designed to help educators to define, select, and defend realistic educational practices that include and serve well their English language learning student populations.  A critical and distinctive feature of this volume is its non-technical language that is accessible to general educators who have not been trained in the fields of second-language development and applied linguistics. Each chapter begins with a thorough discussion of the recommended practices, followed by a description of the research that supports these practices. The rigor of reported research is contained, but this research is written in a lay person’s terminology, accompanied by bibliographies for readers who wish to read about the research in technical detail. The volume is structured around four themes:• In the Elementary Classroom• In the Middle and Secondary Classroom• School and Community Collaboration• School and District Reform. Inclusive Pedagogy for English Language Learners is intended for current and future educational administrators, all educators who have a keen interest in school reform at the classroom, school, or district level, and staff developers, policy makers, parents and community groups, and anyone interested in the successful education of linguistically and culturally diverse students.

Research on homeless shelter implementation is limited. Some shelters have lengthy waitlists, which raises important questions about implications of waitlists for individuals with immediate shelter needs. This study used qualitative methods to understand the experiences of shelter seekers who were on a shelter waitlist (N = 59), including individuals who entered the shelter from the waitlist, and those removed from the shelter waitlist for procedural reasons. The average waitlist time was nearly 3 weeks, and 22.0% stayed at least one night on the street or another public place while on the waitlist. Responses to open-ended questions regarding barriers and effectiveness of the shelter referral procedures revealed 4 themes: procedural challenges, procedural benefits, benefits of the temporary stay, and communication challenges. Further research is needed to inform shelter implementation on a larger scale in accordance with current community-wide efforts to coordinate shelter services.

Opioid addiction is a problem within the United States that is impacting all age groups. The elderly are a population that is seldom discussed as being affected by opioids. Physiologically, the older adult is more susceptible for complications associated with an alteration in pharmacokinetics and late diagnosis of diseases such as viral hepatitis C. Health promotion for this population is imperative in the prevention and treatment of opioid addiction problems.