Integrated planning of water and land-use

The role of water in spatial planning has received increasing attention in recent years. It was, for example, one of the leading motives in the preparation of the latest National Spatial Planning Note for The Netherlands. For the preparation of such spatial plans, and to support the associated policy analysis, there is a need to fully identify and characterize the interactions between the water sector and spatial planning and establish the process for making consistent joint projections for the water sector and land-use. This should account for spatial claims from the water sector, balance those claims with claims from other sectors, and feed back spatial constraints and opportunities. Land-use markets and government policies (translated e.g. in spatial reservations) form an important input in this balance. Modeling is indispensable to keep track of spatial characteristics and trace changes. Most of the available modeling considers a layered structure with a layer for national/regional projections and a GIS based layer to keep track of land use changes. Basically such model makes a distribution (rule based) of the national projections into the GIS based spatial raster, followed by an impact assessment based on the changes in the raster. Those models are generally weak in representing the processes driving land use changes such as the housing and labor market and – the water sector. The challenge remains to set up a suitable module covering these spatial - and water sector development processes. Based on the experience of the authors with many water studies and the recent development of a space-transport modeling tool (integration of transport and land-use), a sketch will be made of the requirements for such module. The scope for such planning tool will be illustrated (with data for The Netherlands), addressing key aspects such as competition for space, costs, risk, and environmental impact.

EVALUATING FARMLAND INVESTMENTS CONSIDERING DYNAMIC STOCHASTIC RETURNS AND FARMLAND PRICES

This paper examines farmland investment decisions using a stochastic dynamic programming framework. Consideration is given to the dynamic, stochastic nature of farmland returns, linkages between farmland returns and farmland prices, and the effects of the above dynamic factors on a farmÂ’s financial structure. Optimal decisions to purchase or sell farmland are found for a central Illinois farm with high quality farmland. Sizes and debt distributions are then determined, given that the optimal decision rule is followed. Decisions from the dynamic programming model also are compared to a capital budgeting model.Land Economics/Use,

Triple-wavelength fiber ring laser based on a hybrid gain medium actively mode-locked at 10 GHz

A fiber ring laser based on a hybrid gain medium that produces three simultaneously mode-locked wavelength channels is presented. The lithium niobate based modulator used to actively mode-lock the laser cavity at 10 GHz is birefringence compensated to reduce its polarization sensitivity. A Lyot filter defines the lasers multiwavelength spectrum which has a wavelength spacing of 1 nm. The polarization sensitive nature of the laser cavity and its affect on the performance of the laser is discussed

Water quality evaluation of regionalized wastewater systems

U.S. Department of the InteriorU.S. Geological SurveyOpe

Homelessness: A Post-Industrial Society Faces a Legislative Dilemma

In American social welfare history, the intent with which one became poor has determined their eligibility for aid from the state. This intent has never been clearly labeled as such. Rather, it has taken the form of equating intentional poverty with those voluntarily in need, not truly needy or willfully unemployed. There has not been a distinction between the intention with which one seeks aid, and the intention with which one becomes poor. Recently, such a distinction is emerging in new homelessness legislation. However, the new poverty legislation which grapples with intent will be doing so in a post-industrial society. Intent minimally denotes some type of control over one\u27s life, but the ability to control one\u27s life decreases in a post-industrial society. As will be discussed, this dynamic has many implications for poverty legislation. The main problem caused by the blurring of states of intent for public assistance is the failure to aid the needy. It also exacerbates economic class differences. In addition, income-maintenance programs effect the bargaining power of workers in the labor market. The main result of the failure to aid the needy is the rise in the number of homeless individuals in American society. The problem of homelessness has reached such national proportions that state legislatures have begun to react., It is in this context that the blurred states of intent clash with the emerging homelessness legislation

Testing milk by the babcock procedure

The Babcock test for butterfat is the legally recognized standard test for marketing milk and cream in Missouri. It employs the use of sulphuric acid to digest milk solids other than far and to increase the specific gravity of the serum. Far separates and comes to the top of the mixture when the specific gravity of the non-fat portion is increased; the butter fat is melted by heat from acid digestion of milk solids and by centrifugal force. All calibrated glassware used in making the Babcock test must conform to official specifications prescribed in USDA Circular 434, National Bureau of Standards, Testing Volumetric Glassware, 1941, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D. C.Barry J. Steevens (Department of Dairy Husbandry), Robert T. Marshall (Department of Food Science and Nutrition, College of Agriculture)Revised 1/7

Functional Outcomes of the Low Vision Depression Prevention Trial in Age-Related Macular Degeneration.

Purpose: To compare the efficacy of behavioral activation (BA) plus low vision rehabilitation with an occupational therapist (OT-LVR) with supportive therapy (ST) on visual function in patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Methods: Single-masked, attention-controlled, randomized clinical trial with AMD patients with subsyndromal depressive symptoms (n = 188). All subjects had two outpatient low vision rehabilitation optometry visits, then were randomized to in-home BA + OT-LVR or ST. Behavioral activation is a structured behavioral treatment aiming to increase adaptive behaviors and achieve valued goals. Supportive therapy is a nondirective, psychological treatment that provides emotional support and controls for attention. Functional vision was assessed with the activity inventory (AI) in which participants rate the difficulty level of goals and corresponding tasks. Participants were assessed at baseline and 4 months. Results: Improvements in functional vision measures were seen in both the BA + OT-LVR and ST groups at the goal level (d = 0.71; d = 0.56 respectively). At the task level, BA + OT-LVR patients showed more improvement in reading, inside-the-home tasks and outside-the-home tasks, when compared to ST patients. The greatest effects were seen in the BA + OT-LVR group in subjects with a visual acuity ≥20/70 (d = 0.360 reading; d = 0.500 inside the home; d = 0.468 outside the home). Conclusions: Based on the trends of the AI data, we suggest that BA + OT-LVR services, provided by an OT in the patient\u27s home following conventional low vision optometry services, are more effective than conventional optometric low vision services alone for those with mild visual impairment. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00769015.)