Kansas standard of need and self-sufficiency study, 1999: final report.

Supported by a grant from the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services

Retail/wholesale trade employment directly related to population change in the nonmetro great plains

During 1950-90, the nonmetro civilian labor force declined except during the 1970’s. In the 1970’s, nonmetro manufacturing increased substantially, and the baby boom generation entered the labor force. By contrast, the retail/wholesale labor force increased in every decade except for the 1980’s. Several factors could have contributed to the decline in the retail/wholesale labor force, including population decline and the effects of large retail establishments

The dynamic geophysical environment of (101955) Bennu based on OSIRIS-REx measurements

The top-shaped morphology characteristic of asteroid (101955) Bennu, often found among fast-spinning asteroids and binary asteroid primaries, may have contributed substantially to binary asteroid formation. Yet a detailed geophysical analysis of this morphology for a fast-spinning asteroid has not been possible prior to the Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) mission. Combining the measured Bennu mass and shape obtained during the Preliminary Survey phase of the OSIRIS-REx mission, we find a notable transition in Bennu’s surface slopes within its rotational Roche lobe, defined as the region where material is energetically trapped to the surface. As the intersection of the rotational Roche lobe with Bennu’s surface has been most recently migrating towards its equator (given Bennu’s increasing spin rate), we infer that Bennu’s surface slopes have been changing across its surface within the last million years. We also find evidence for substantial density heterogeneity within this body, suggesting that its interior is a mixture of voids and boulders. The presence of such heterogeneity and Bennu’s top shape are consistent with spin-induced failure at some point in its past, although the manner of its failure cannot yet be determined. Future measurements by the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft will provide insight into and may resolve questions regarding the formation and evolution of Bennu’s top-shape morphology and its link to the formation of binary asteroids

Evidence for widespread hydrated minerals on asteroid (101955) Bennu

Early spectral data from the Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) mission reveal evidence for abundant hydrated minerals on the surface of near-Earth asteroid (101955) Bennu in the form of a near-infrared absorption near 2.7 µm and thermal infrared spectral features that are most similar to those of aqueously altered CM-type carbonaceous chondrites. We observe these spectral features across the surface of Bennu, and there is no evidence of substantial rotational variability at the spatial scales of tens to hundreds of metres observed to date. In the visible and near-infrared (0.4 to 2.4 µm) Bennu’s spectrum appears featureless and with a blue (negative) slope, confirming previous ground-based observations. Bennu may represent a class of objects that could have brought volatiles and organic chemistry to Earth

Rural Manufacturing Gets Mixed Reviews

The number of manufacturing jobs grew faster in rural areas than in urban over the past decade and a half. While most rural manufacturers specialize in "routine" (assembly-line) manufacturing, the South and West have seen dramatic growth in jobs in "complex" (often high-tech) manufacturing, which generally pay more and withstand better the assault from imports. Key to further growth of complex manufacturing and to higher pay is worker education

Kansas household self-sufficiency standard, 2004. Second edition.

Supported by a grant from Kansas Action for Children Inc

Specialization is Tied to Natural Resources, People

An industry thrives in an area because it has access to resources important for the production of its goods and services. Thus, the type of industrial specialization in an area is related to the natural and human resources there. Over half of the Nation's rural LMA's (labor market areas) are specialized in a single industry (that is, 10 percent or more of total employment is concentrated in one industry). A third of the specialized LMA's are agricultural and over a fourth specialize in public education and administration. Other industrial specializations of rural LMA's include mining, wood products, textiles and apparel, and durable manufacturing

Too Few Jobs for Workfare to Put Many to Work

The recently passed welfare reform bill stresses training and education to help welfare families achieve economic independence. The feasibility of these programs hinges on the ability of family members to work and on the availability of jobs. After estimating the number of potential workfare workers and available jobs, we conclude there are only enough jobs for, at most, one in six welfare recipients