Descriptive Analysis of Assaults in Domestic Violence Incidents Reported to Alaska State Troopers: 2004

This project examined the characteristics of assaults in domestic violence incidents reported to the Alaska State Troopers. Assaults are only one type of criminal offense defined in Alaska statutes as a crime involving domestic violence. This report is not inclusive of all crimes involving domestic violence reported to AST, because it only includes assaults. In addition, this report is not inclusive of assaults in domestic violence incidents that were reported to municipal police departments across Alaska. Only assaults in domestic violence incidents reported to AST are described in this report. The term assault will be used throughout this report to define assault cases that are crimes involving domestic violence incidents; this includes felony and misdemeanor assaults. The sample utilized for this analysis included all assaults in domestic violence incidents reported to AST in 2004. It included information from 1,281 reports on 1,803 assault charges, 1,356 suspects, 1,523 victims, and 1,283 witnesses. This descriptive analysis documents the characteristics of these reports, charges, suspects, victims, witnesses, and legal resolutions.Index of Tables and Figures / Acknowledgements / Executive Summary / Descriptive Analysis of Assaults in Domestic Violence Incidents / Brief Overview of the State of Alaska / Brief Overview of the Alaska State Troopers / Summary of Alaska's Criminal Assault Statutes / Purpose of this Study / Methods / Report Characteristics / Suspect Characteristics / Victim Characteristics / Incident Characteristics / Witness Characteristics / Legal Resolutions / Appendix A -- Data Collection Instruments / Appendix B -- 2004 Alaska's Criminal Assault Statute

PacTrans Researchers Develop New Techniques to Assess Rock Slopes Endangering Highways

Over the past six years, the Pacific Northwest Transportation Consortium (PacTrans) has funded a group of four researchers from three partner universities to explore innovative methods for rockfall and landslide risk assessment. The four phases of this work resulted in numerous real-world implementations. Assessing rockfall and landslide risk poses significant challenges to transportation departments (DOTs). Classical slope assessment methods are laborious, unsafe, and costly. Two key factors limiting slope assessment are inadequate data, and modern observation systems. Without baseline data and monitoring systems, analysis of changing factors affecting transportation infrastructure is not feasible

Sizing Hydraulic Structures in Cold Regions to Balance Fish Passage, Stream Function, and Operation and Maintenance Cost

The purpose of this research was to evaluate how characteristics of hydraulic structures, such as slope or size, used at crossings over waterways relate to operation and maintenance (O&M) effort, fish passage, and stream function. Data on O&M concerns, fish passage concerns, and crossing characteristics were collected from 45 road-stream crossings in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, during lower and higher water periods in both 2014 and 2015 (four events total). Logistic regression and generalized mixed models were used to examine relationships between O&M effort (response) and five explanatory variables. For all data from all years combined, there were no observable associations among O&M and culvert type or constriction ratio. However, lower constriction ratios were observed for sites with O&M needs in the June 2014 data set. The proportion of sites with both fish passage and O&M concerns was 0.52; comparatively, the proportion of sites with no fish passage concern but with O&M concern was 0.35

Evaluating Management Options to Increase Roadside Carbon Sequestration

DTRT13-G-UTC49We estimated the amount of carbon sequestered along Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) roads and tested 3 different highway right-of-way (ROW) management techniques to increase carbon stocks. Using Geographic Information System techniques, the total ROW acreage owned by MDT was found to sequester 75,292 metric tons of carbon per year and to consist mostly of grasslands (70%). From 2016-2018 we tested 3 ROW management techniques to increase carbon stocks- increase mowing height, plant woody shrubs, or add legumes to reclamation seed mixes of disturbed soils - at 3 sites (Three Forks [3F], Bear Canyon [BC], and Bozeman Pass [BP]) along Interstate 90 in southwestern Montana. Soil samples generally averaged 0.75\u20131.5% soil organic carbon (SOC) at the 3F site, 2.5\u20134% SOC at the BC site, and 1.5\u20132.5% SOC at the BP site. Average SOC levels were always lower in 2018 than in 2016. Soil respiration rates were generally highest in June or July at the BC site, averaging ~4 \u3bcmol CO2 m-2 second-1. Soil respiration rates were lower at the BC site in November 2016, at the BP site in June 2018, and at the 3F site in July 2018 (all ~2\u20133 \u3bcmol CO2 m-2 s-1). Aboveground biomass carbon estimates generally mirrored belowground SOC estimates. Taken together, our findings suggest that of the three treatments implemented (raised mowing height, shrub planting, and disturbance), minimizing disturbance to soils likely makes the greatest contribution to the medium- and long-term carbon-storage potential of these roadside soils

A Targeted Approach to High-Volume Fly Ash Concrete Pavement (Phase I Report)

Unlike the conventional method of admixing nanomaterials directly in fresh concrete mixture, a more targeted approach was explored. Specifically, nanomaterials were used to improve the interface between coarse aggregate and cement paste, by coating the coarse aggregate with cement paste that contained graphene oxide or nanosilica. Using coated coarse aggregates, the mechanical and transport properties of high-volume fly ash (HVFA) concrete were tested to evaluate the effect of nanomaterial coating on the interface transition zone of concrete. The compressive and splitting strengths of HVFA concrete at 3, 7, 14, and 28 days and the water sorptivity and chloride migration coefficient at 28 days were studied. Results show that nanomaterial-coated coarse aggregate can improve the transport properties of HVFA concrete by reducing permeability. However, no improvement was seen in the compressive and splitting strengths when incorporating coated coarse aggregate, compared with direct mixing of nanomaterials in fresh concrete. Resistance to freezing/thawing cycles and scanning electron microscope/energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy of concrete samples were also investigated to obtain a more comprehensive and mechanistic understanding of nanomaterial coating

The Long-Term Effect of Earthquakes: Using Geospatial Solutions to Evaluate Heightened Rockfall Activity on Critical Lifelines

69A3551747110Rockfall is a chronic slope hazard along transportation corridors throughout the Pacific Northwest (PNW), resulting in frequent road closures and lane restrictions, and directly impacting driver safety, mobility, and accessibility for many critical lifelines. These impacts are amplified by moderate- to large-magnitude seismic events \u2013 both during and after shaking, making earthquakes a driver of persistent rockfall hazards. For this project, we performed continued monitoring of rockfall activity on a series of rock slopes via repeat terrestrial laser scanning, geologic characterization, and imagery collection. These data, as well as custom-generated shakemaps and a database creation (Alaska GAM, ODOT unstable slopes database) of rockfall events throughout the PNW and New Zealand, enable extrapolation of potential coseismic and post-seismic hazards to a variety of earthquake scenarios in Alaska. We extend and modify the Rockfall Activity Rate System (RoARS) model to rock slope sites in two Alaskan transportation corridors to evaluate coseismic and post-seismic rockfall hazard at a regional scale, as well as estimate rockfall volumes and associated closure times. We find that both corridors are prone to earthquake-induced rockfall activity, but the magnitude and long-term persistence of this activity is highly dependent on the given rupture event, as are closure times along each corridor. While scenario-dependent, this database and model creation explores a new avenue for decision-makers to evaluate potential rockfall scenarios considering seismic disturbance, and consequently, plan accordingly for closures and restoration of mobility following shaking

Review of school vision screening guidelines

Abstract: Background: Vision screenings are important in identifying visual anomalies likely to disrupt the physical, intellectual, social and emotional development of children. School health services globally include vision screenings, complementing a variety of associated screening services. Aim: This review article provides evidence for content, provision and efficacy of the vision screening services for children of school-going age and reports on the current practice of children’s vision screenings worldwide including in South Africa. Methods: Studies were identified from PubMed, Ebscohost and Science Direct with the search terms utilised during the selection of electronic articles and journals for the review. The target population includes children of school-going age from 6 to 19 years without previously known conditions associated with visual anomalies and learning-related problems. The quality of vision screening programmes and policies for the school-going age children in different countries were evaluated using Wilson and Jungner criteria.1 Results: Vision screening programmes worldwide appear to support comprehensive vision screening methods among pre-schoolers (from birth to ≤ 6 years vs. children of school-going age). The development of vision screening procedures in some countries in the United States of America (USA) was found to be grounded on epidemiologic findings and principles. These may have contributed towards the formulation of national vision screening guidelines for preschoolers that supported the detection of amblyopia and its associated conditions such as strabismus, anisometropia and myopia. School-going children’s vision screenings are not supported worldwide as research has shown that there is lack of benefits for detecting other visual anomalies such as vergence and accommodative dysfunctions. This is despite evidence provided by the literature reviewed that an association exists between prevalent accommodation and vergence dysfunctions including poor ocular motilities and poor near-vision, among children of school-going age with poor academic performance. Conclusion: The guidelines worldwide support school vision screenings, especially for the pre-schoolers by the school health nurses, with other programs having considered the teachers, optometrists or orthoptists as the appropriate personnel to conduct the school vision screenings. There is still a need for the effectiveness of the school vision-screening programmes to be investigated related to the importance of detecting convergence and accommodative dysfunctions for the school going age children