Plane turbulent buoyant jets. Part 1. Integral properties

An integral technique suggested for the analysis of turbulent jets by Corrsin & Uberoi (1950) and Morton, Taylor & Turner (1956) is re-examined in an attempt to improve the description of the entrainment. It is determined that the hypothesis of Priestley & Ball (1955), that the entrainment coefficient is a linear function of the jet Richardson number, is reasonable, and that two empirically determined plume parameters are sufficient to describe the transition of buoyant jets to plumes. The results of a series of experiments in which both time-averaged velocity and time-averaged temperature profiles were recorded in a substantial number of plane turbulent buoyant jets of varying initial Richardson numbers are used to verify the basic ideas. In addition, measurements of the mean tracer flux in a series of buoyant jets indicate that as much as 40% of the transport in plumes is by the turbulent flux

Field Experiments on Anchoring of Economic Valuations

A pillar of behavioral research is the view that preferences are constructed during the value elicitation process, but it is unclear whether, and to what extent, such biases influence real market equilibria. This paper examines the “anchoring” phenomenon in the field. The first experiment produces evidence that inexperienced consumers can be anchored in the value elicitation process, yet there is little evidence that experienced agents are influenced by anchors. The second experiment finds that anchors have only transient effects on prices and quantities traded: aggregate market outcomes converge to the intersection of supply and demand after a few market periods.field experiment, anchoring, valuation, experience

Is the Endangered Species Act Endangering Species?

We develop theory and present a suite of theoretically consistent empirical measures to explore the extent to which market intervention inadvertently alters resource allocation in a sequentialmove principal/agent game. We showcase our approach empirically by exploring the extent to which the U.S. Endangered Species Act has altered land development patterns. We report evidence indicating significant acceleration of development directly after each of several events deemed likely to raise fears among owners of habitat land. Our preferred estimate suggests an overall acceleration of land development by roughly one year. We also find from complementary hedonic regression models that habitat parcels declined in value when the habitat map was published, which is consistent with our estimates of the degree of preemption. These results have clear implications for policymakers, who continue to discuss alternative regulatory frameworks for species preservation. More generally, our modeling strategies can be widely applied -- from any particular economic environment that has a sequential-move nature to the narrower case of the political economy of regulation.

Rural Neighborhoods for Crime Prevention

There is increasing concern throughout the state for the growing incidence of burglary, theft and vandalism in rural areas. Whatever the reasons, these crimes have increased sharply in the past few years. Rural residents are taking steps to assist law enforcement officials to deal with this growing problem. These efforts have come to be known as neighborhood crime prevention or neighborhood crime watches.Reviewed October 1993

A Plan for Small Group Discussion

Participation Training for Adult Education, written by Indiana University professors Paul Burgevin and John McKinley, describes in detail a unique small group discussion model. Certain aspects of this discussion technique have been found to be quite applicable to community problems that require thorough discussion by citizen groups before decisions are made and action is taken. The procedure allows for a certain amount of flexibility but demands logical thinking and orderly consideration of the items chosen for discussion. In this way, less time is wasted on extraneous matters and the group can better focus on the major issues at hand. Such an adaptation might resemble the following example.Reviewed October 1993

An exact solution for a diffusive flow in a porous medium

It is shown that Yih's exact solution for the non-diffusive flow of a non-homogeneous fluid into a sink in a confined porous medium is equivalent to a class of diffusive flows with isopycnic lateral boundaries

Unique Virtues of Plurality Rule: Generalizing May's Theorem

May's theorem famously shows that, in social decisions between two options, simple majority rule uniquely satisfies four appealing conditions. Although this result is often cited as a general argument for majority rule, it has never been extended beyond pairwise decisions. Here we generalize May's theorem to decisions between many options where voters each cast one vote. We show that, surprisingly, plurality rule uniquely satisfies May's conditions. Our result suggests a conditional defense of plurality rule: If a society's balloting procedure collects only a single vote from each voter, then plurality rule is the uniquely compelling procedure for electoral decisions. First version: 15 September 2004; this version version 22 December 2005.May's theorem, plurality rule, simple majority rule

Inhibition of PaCaMKII-E isoform in the dorsal unpaired median neurosecretory cells of cockroach reduces nicotine- and clothianidin-induced currents

Cellular responses to Ca(2+) require intermediary proteins such as calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII), which transduces the signal into downstream effects. We recently demonstrated that the cockroach genome encodes five different CaMKII isoforms, and only PaCaMKII-E isoform is specifically expressed in the dorsal unpaired median neurosecretory cells. In the present study, using antisense oligonucleotides, we demonstrated that PaCaMKII-E isoform inhibition reduced nicotine-induced currents through alpha-bungarotoxin-sensitive and -insensitive nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subtypes. Specifically, PaCaMKII-E isoform is sufficient to repress nicotinic current amplitudes as a result of its depression by antisense oligonucleotides. Similar results were found using the neonicotinoid insecticide clothianidin, which acted as a full agonist of dorsal unpaired median neuron nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. Clothianidin current amplitudes are strongly reduced under bath application of PaCaMKII-E antisense oligonucleotides but no significant results are found with alpha-bungarotoxin co-applied, demonstrating that CaMKII-E isoform affects nicotine currents through alpha-bungarotoxin-sensitive and -insensitive receptor subtypes whereas clothianidin currents are reduced via alpha-bungarotoxin-insensitive receptors. In addition, we found that intracellular calcium increase induced by nicotine and clothianidin were reduced by PaCaMKII-E antisense oligonucleotides, demonstrating that intracellular calcium increase induced by nicotine and clothianidin are affected by PaCaMKII-E inhibition. Cellular responses to Ca(2+) require intermediary proteins such as calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII). We recently demonstrated that the cockroach genome encodes five different CaMKII isoforms and only PaCaMKII-E isoform was specifically expressed in the dorsal unpaired median neurosecretory cells. Here we show that specific inhibition of PaCaMKII-E isoform is associated with a decrease in nicotine- and clothianidin-induced currents. In addition, analysis of calcium changes demonstrates that PaCaMKII-E inhibition induces a decrease in intracellular calcium concentration

Water resource problems of energy projects in the Colorado River Basin

The successful development of western coal and oil shale deposits is dependent, to a significant degree, on the availability of adequate water supplies. EQL is involved in a study of the aggregate effects of various energy activities in the upper Colorado River Basin on downstream water quantity and quality. These activities will tend to reduce the available water in the river, and could increase its salinity, which is already so high as to interfere with downstream domestic and agricultural use