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\"The first half of the book details the design of a modern 3D graphics engine: a shader-based architecture with an abstract rendering API fed by hierarchical culling and state sorting. The second half of the book upgrades the generic 3D engine to a virtual globe engine by adding high precision rendering, accurate globe rendering, vector data rendering, out-of-core rendering, and terrain rendering. The algorithms and techniques in the book are not tied to any particular programming language or rendering API but they will provide concrete examples in C#, OpenGL, and GLSL\"--Provided by publisher.

While virtual globes have achieved widespread popularity, from Google Earth to NASA World Wind, no single book covers the topic of globe rendering. Filling this gap, 3D Engine Design for Virtual Globes presents an in-depth treatment of rendering algorithms utilized by virtual globes. The book illustrates how to accurately render real-world data sets through core rendering algorithms for globes, terrain, imagery, and vector data. Example code, the latest book-related news, and other resources are available on a companion website.

10% copper-substituted (BiCUVOX/Bi2V0.9Cu0.1O5.5−δ) and 5% copper/titanium double-substituted bismuth vanadate (BiCUTIVOX/Bi2V0.9(Cu0.05Ti0.05)O5.5−δ) platelets were formed by molten salt synthesis (MSS) using a eutectic KCl/NaCl salt mixture. The product was phase-pure within the limits of X-ray diffraction. The size and form of the platelets could be controlled by changing the heating temperature and time. The crystallite growth rate at a synthesis temperature of 650 °C and the activation energy for grain growth were determined for BICUTIVOX, which experienced inhibited growth compared to BICUVOX. Quasi-equilibrium, multifoil shapes consisting of lobes around the perimeter of the platelets were observed and explained in the context of relative two-dimensional nucleation and edge growth rates.

In the search for a material that can exceed the performance of YSZ as an ionic oxide conductor at intermediate temperatures (300°C to 600°C) a group of Aurivillius phase ceramics dubbed the BIMEVOX (Bi 2V1-xMexO5.5-δ) family has garnered much attention over the past 20 years. Novel results regarding the influence of microstructure on electrical properties were obtained by non-conventional methods of fabrication and characterization. Approaches included: uniaxial, load assisted sintering, molten salt synthesis, templated grain growth, and the use of ion blocking electrodes to measure the partial electronic conductivity. Molten salt synthesis methods successfully produced high aspect ratio platelets of both BiCuVOx (Bi2V0.9Cu0.1O 5.5-δ) and BiCuTiVOx (Bi2V0.9Cu0.05 Ti0.05O5.5-δ), at a variety of temperatures and times. Uniaxial load assisted sintering (or “hot-forging”) when combined with templated grain growth produced high density (ρ>95% theoretical) samples of moderate texture (F(00l) up to 29%). Impedance spectroscopy measurements indicated that increased texture and grain size reduce the thermal stability of BiCuVOx below the critical γ-phase transition temperature. Measurements of total conductivity were made with changing oxygen partial pressure down to 10-4 atm of oxygen between temperatures of 400°C and 550°C. Under those conditions, total conductivity was invariant, confirming published results of operation within the ionic compensated regime. Partial electronic conductivity and electronic transference numbers were estimated by asymmetric DC polarization measurements down to 10-6 atm of oxygen between 500°C and 550°C. The results indicate that the partial pressure of oxygen in normal air is already below the intrinsic minimum of conductivity at 500°C and that electronic conductivity may become significant (te>0.01) no lower than 10-6 atm of oxygen. The culmination of research since its first publication poses uncertainty regarding the longevity of BIMEVOX compounds in long term and intermediate temperature electrochemical devices. The work performed on samples of BiCuVOx corroborates many of the conclusions found in the literature and does not support the use of these formulations as a continuous use electrolyte at temperatures greater than 500°C. Results also indicate that operation at temperatures below 500°C might be possible if the phase stability issues are addressed by tailoring the microstructure or use of dual substitutions, such as BiCuTiVOx.

[...]most of the employees are working from home. Because Charlotte is right near the state line, many employees live in South Carolina. Agents who are prepared to assist their clients and prospective clients will stand out from those who haven't invested the energy to stay on top of things. 2020 was hard enough for many businesses without having to pay workers compensation premium they don't rightly owe. * The author Kevin Ring is the lead workers compensation analyst for the Institute of WorkComp Professionals, which trains insurance agents to help employers reduce workers compensation expenses. A licensed property and casualty insurance agent, he is the co-developer of a new workers comp software suite that will help insurance professionals in working with employers.

Recovery at Work Building an effective Recovery at Work program is another crucial piece in controlling workers' comp costs.Complex cases may benefit from the involvement of legal professionals, but most cases are not complex and attorney involvement serves to dramatically extend the cost and duration of the workers' comp injury process.Kevin Ring is the lead workers' compensation analyst for the Institute of WorkCompProfessionals, the Asheville, N.C.-based organization that trains insurance agents to help employers reduce workers' compensation expenses.

β2-Adrenergic receptors (β2-AR) contribute to cardiovascular regulation by influencing several functions and previous studies suggest that a decreased function of the β2-AR may be involved in essential hypertension. β2-AR are polymorphic and certain polymorphisms of these receptors are of functional importance. We focus here on the Arg16→Gly16 β2-AR polymorphism, which shows enhanced agonist-promoted downregulation of the receptor and which, in two recent studies, yielded opposite results in terms of association with essential hypertension: an increased frequency of the Gly16 variant in African–Caribbean hypertensives and of the Arg16 variant in offspring of Norwegian white hypertensive parents. In the current study, we genotyped 243 subjects, including both African-American and white individuals, for codon 16 polymorphism and assessed blood pressure and cardiovascular function using impedance cardiography and pressor sensitivity to phenylephrine. We found similar patterns of cardiovascular function and expression of hypertension with the two genotypes of codon 16. There was no statistically significant difference in the overall allelic distribution of the two genotypes: among African-Americans, 51% of the hypertensives and 50% of the normotensives carried the Arg16 allele, whereas among the white subjects 40% of the hypertensives and 47% of the normotensives were carriers of the Arg16 allele. Although we observed a statistically significant increase in the Arg16/Gly16 heterozygotes in the African-American population, the Gly16 allele was not significantly increased in the African-Americans compared to whites. These findings indicate that the codon 16 polymorphisms are not associated with hypertension in a mixed American study population nor do they appear to substantially impact on a variety of hemodynamic variables.