HARDBALL: Local Government’s Foray Into Sports Franchise Ownership

Smaller cities seeking new economic development vehicles have embraced the growth of minor league sports. In an attempt to eliminate the threat of competition and maintain a sense of stability, four local governments purchased their respective minor league baseball franchise. This action may serve as a model for local governments that have invested heavily in professional sports as an economic development strategy. This study investigates the benefits of ownership in terms of stability for development, economic gain, and increased civic spirit. The study finds that publicly owned teams can be successfully used to anchor comprehensive plans for economic development, and that public ownership provides a way to pay the costs of the sports facilities and the debt service. There is little evidence to show that publicly owned teams increase civic spirit. However, this model presents some challenges that may prevent its widespread utilization.     

Neurovisceral integration in cardiac and emotional regulation

The utility of heart-rate variability (HRV) to index important aspects of neural control of the heart has made it one of the most valuable tools for researchers interested in health and behavior. However, most of the literature and extant data on the central origins of HRV have been derived from animal models. As yet little is known about the central nervous system (CNS) origins and concomitants in humans. In the following we will briefly detail a set of neural structures that have been associated with important CNS functions including cardiac regulation and emotional regulation. We will briefly summarize recent data using pharmacological, neuroimaging, and psychophysiological techniques that have examined CNS concomitants of HRV especially during emotion. Based on these and other data will we report the results of a computational model that examined the interactions of several neural structures and their effect on emotion-related HRV.     

CD Moisture Profile Disturbances in Tissue Production - Their Origins and possible Control

The origins of poor CD (cross machine) moisture profiles In tissue production are discussed generally. CD line force distribution at the first and second presser roll has a significant influence on the CD moisture profile. The crowning of cylinder and presser rolls compensates for the deformation of the Yankee cylinder shell (due to nip load, internal steam pressure and hood operating conditions) and of the presser rolls but only for any one given operating condition. However, during operation the parameters often have to be varied. in a sensitivity analysis the resulting CD line force deviations were calculated and typical figures are given here to demonstrate the relative effect. The shape of the resulting line load curves are drawn and from these the typical shape of the resulting CD moisture- profile can be derived. Means for possible control such as controllable presser rolls, sectionally adjustable hoods and steam boxes as well as eddy current and infra-red -heating are discussed and evaluated.     

Magnetic separations in biotechnology—a review

Magnetic separation technology has a broad range of potential applications in both small and large scale biotechnology. This review considers a selection of magnetic techniques and their possible uses.     

Changes in physicochemical properties of active carbon within a grain

Commercial active carbons were subjected to abrasion in a spouted bed and as a result, active carbons, with external layers removed to different degrees, were obtained. For active carbons so obtained, physicochemical properties were determined from densimetric and adsorption investigation.It was found that radial changes in the properties of active carbons resulted from the nature of the activation reaction.It seems that the method of working by abrasion in spouted beds can also be used for investigating other processes taking place in fluid—solid system.     

Temperature control of buildings by adobe wall design

The adobe house developed in the hot arid climate of the American Southwest has the virtue of being cool in the day and warm in the night. The adobe wall acts as a filter giving nearly a 12-hr phase lag in the outside temperature oscillation. However, on reaching the inside, the oscillation suffers a strong attenuation in amplitude. In a previous paper it was shown that if the resistivity of the wall could be varied in a certain way from outside to inside, thenthe attenuation would be considerably reduced. In this paper a formula is given for the minimum possible attenuation under given design restrictions. Then it is shown how to make an optimum wall by suitably proportioning two or three layers of different materials. Numerical illustrations are given.