Conservatism implications of shock test tailoring for multiple design environments

A method for analyzing shock conservation in test specifications that have been tailored to qualify a structure for multiple design environments is discussed. Shock test conservation is qualified for shock response spectra, shock intensity spectra and ranked peak acceleration data in terms of an Index of Conservation (IOC) and an Overtest Factor (OTF). The multi-environment conservation analysis addresses the issue of both absolute and average conservation. The method is demonstrated in a case where four laboratory tests have been specified to qualify a component which must survive seven different field environments. Final judgment of the tailored test specification is shown to require an understanding of the predominant failure modes of the test item

Marketing Extension Gardening Publications in Boise Nurseries and Garden Centers in 1994 and 1995

Six Boise, Idaho, garden centers began selling University of Idaho extension gardening publications in spring, 1994, on 20-slot metal racks provided by the Agricultural Communications Center (ACC)

Community unity: Experimental evidence for meiofauna and macrofauna

The response of two different size classes of marine benthos, macrofauna and meiofauna, to manipulation of disturbance/predation and size specific utilization of biogenic structural refuges by each benthic size category were studied in an intertidal sandflat in Virginia. A field investigation was conducted during August and September 1980 in the same Diopatra tube system which Woodin (1978; 1981) previously utilized for macrofauna I experiments. Predator/disturber exclusion cages were employed to experimentally evaluate changes in patterns of abundance of both meiofauna and macrofauna in areas of varying Diopatra tube densities (0, 1, 3 or 6 Diopatra 0.01 m–2). Samples were collected for macrofauna and meiofauna in areas immediately adjacent to tubes (= inner) and in outer areas with no tubes present from all treatment (caged or uncaged) and tube density (0, 1, 3, 6) combinations after 2 and 4 weeks. A significant increase in total macrofaunal polychaetes, nematodes and copepods was recorded inside cages after 2 and 4 weeks. Those species which were numerically abundant in control sites were also dominant inside cages. Adult densities of the bivalve, Gemma gemma increased inside cages after 2 weeks but declined dramatically after 4 weeks. Juvenile Gemma abundances, unlike those of the adults, increased inside enclosures after both 2 and 4 weeks. Along with the density increases noted in cages, a variety of main effects (i.e., tube number or position) and interactions were revealed, but these were not consistent even among benthos of similar sizes. Although densities of both meiofauna and selected macrofauna increased over similar time scales in response to predator/disturber exclusion, their spatial patterns and relationships with tubes were highly variable. Our analyses of spatial patterns of macrofauna and meiofauna in caged and uncaged sites do not fit our a priori predictions necessary to support a refuge hypothesis for all meiofauna and macrofauna by Diopatra tubes. The discrepancies between the findings of this study and earlier reports of macrofaunal utilization of Diopatra tube-caps as refuges may be related to yearly changes in community composition and/or predator/disturber activity or possibly the time scale of experiments reported here. We suggest that simultaneous monitoring of various size classes from soft-bottom communities, coupled with field experimentation, would provide valuable insight into the relative importance of forces organizing soft-bottom assemblages

The competitiveness of U.S. manufactured goods: recent changes and prospects

Competition ; Manufactures ; Prices ; International trade

Women’s Mental Health, Reproductive Health, and Agency in Humanitarian Crises.

Purpose With over 20 million refugee women in the world today, health of refugee women has significant global health implications. Women affected by humanitarian crisis have significant trauma related mental health concerns that may affect reproductive health. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that poor mental health status impinges upon reproductive health service use within the population of refugee women living in temporary camps and settlements. Methods This study consisted of 1) psychometric validation of the Self Report Questionnaire (SRQ) and the Self Report Questionnaire-Suicide Ideation and Behavior (SRQ-SIB), 2) a mixed methods analysis of cross-sectional data and 3) data reduction of the SRQ-SIB, using data from the Reproductive Health Assessment for Conflict Affected Women survey conducted among Congolese refugee women in the summer of 2008. A qualitative component was added post hoc with interviews and written communication with key informants. The sample size was 810 participants. Results The SRQ and the SRQ-SIB demonstrated a high level of reliability at .911 for both scales. Predictive validity revealed a highly significant model for both instruments in relation to women who experienced sexual violence. While the mean score on the SRQ-SIB was 6.2 (SD=5.6), women who had experienced a traumatic event or reported suicidal behavior had much higher mean scores; 8.2(SD=5.8) and 14.1(SD=5.5) respectively. Antenatal care rates were high (90%), as were HIV screening rates (81%); alternatively, family planning use (11%) and sexually transmitted infection (STI) treatment seeking (7%) were low among those at risk. No significant associations were found between mental health status and reproductive health service use. Qualitative interviews revealed that while reproductive health service use was strongly encouraged, mental health assessment and care were not available. Conclusion This study provides details on mental health status and reproductive health service use in Rwandan refugee camps. Reproductive health is broadly available and reaches most women for HIV testing and antenatal care. Prevalence of common mental disorders (CMDs) in this sample was high. The SRQ-5 may be a useful and important tool in the clinical setting for quickly assessing women in crisis situations for CMDs and suicidal behavior.PhDNursingUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/108966/1/sabell_1.pd

From catchment to national scale rainfall-runoff modelling: demonstration of a hydrological modelling framework

The increasing availability of digital databases (e.g. of climatology, topography, soils and land use) has enabled research into the generalisation of hydrological model parameter values from physical properties and the development of grid-based models. A hydrological modelling framework (HMF) is being developed to exploit this generalisation and provide a flexible gridded infrastructure, operational over regional, national or larger scales at a range of spatial and temporal resolutions. The capability of the framework is demonstrated through adaptation of an existing semi-distributed catchment-based rainfall-runoff model, CLASSIC, for which a generalised methodology exists to determine parameter values. The main change required was to ensure consistency of parameter values between the runoff procedure in CLASSIC and flow routing in the HMF. Assessment is by comparison of modelled and observed flow at grid points in Britain corresponding to gauging stations, both for catchments previously modelled and for new locations, for a range of catchment areas and physical properties and for four spatial resolutions (10, 5, 2.5 and 1 km). Good model performance is achieved for 90% of catchments tested, with a 5 km resolution proving adequate for catchments larger than 500 km2. Applications are outlined for which the framework could be used to test alternative modelling approaches or undertake consistent studies across the range of resolutions