Dynamic Modeling Of The Hydrologic Processes In Areas Of Discontinuous Permafrost

Thesis (Ph.D.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2006The overarching hypothesis of this dissertation is "in the sub-arctic environment, the presence or absence of permafrost is dominant influence on hydrologic processes." The presence or absence of permafrost is the defining hydrologic characteristic in the sub-arctic environment. Discontinuous permafrost introduces very distinct changes in soil hydraulic properties, which introduce sharp discontinuities in hydrologic processes and ecosystem characteristics. Hydraulic properties vary over short and long time scales as the active layer thaws over the course of a summer or with changes in permafrost extent. The influence of permafrost distribution, active layer thaw depth, and wildfire on the soil moisture regime and stream flow were explored through a combination of field-based observations and computer simulations. Ice-rich conditions at the permafrost table do not allow significant percolation of surface waters, which result in saturated soils near the ground surface and limited subsurface storage capacity, compared to well-drained non-permafrost sites. The removal of vegetation by wildfire results in short-term (10 years) drying of soils in moderate to severe wildfire sites is the result of an increased active layer depth and storage capacity. A spatially-distributed, process-based hydrologic model, TopoFlow, was modified to allow spatial and temporal variation in the hydraulic conductivity and porosity of soils. By continual variation of the hydraulic conductivity (proxy for permafrost distribution and active layer thaw depth) and porosity (proxy for storage capacity), the dynamic soil properties found in the sub-arctic environment are adequately represented. The sensitivity of TopoFlow to changes in permafrost condition, vegetation regime, and evapotranspiration is analyzed. The net result of the field observations and computer simulations conducted in this research suggest the presence or absence of permafrost is the dominant influence on soil moisture dynamics and has an important, but secondary role in the stream flow processes

Juvenile delinquency in rural areas : an exploratory study in East Tennessee

Juvenile delinquency has become a major concern in both large cities and small communities. However, in the past most research under-taken has dealt with those delinquency problems in city and suburban areas. Very little research has been addressed specifically to rural settings. This study was a modest attempt to examine delinquency problems and services in rural Tennessee. The analysis included three components: 1) compilation of existing secondary data about rural-urban delinquency patterns in the United States and Tennessee, 2) a survey of officials and professionals working with juvenile problems in East Tennessee, and 3) preliminary estimation of costs associated with some possibilities for improving juvenile services in rural counties. Analysis of available data showed that serious crime in the United States increased 38 percent between 1969 and 1974. In general, suburban areas experienced the greatest increases, followed by cities and rural areas. In Tennessee, the crime rate has been somewhat below the national level. However, from 1969 through 1974, its crime rate rose far more than the nation-wide trend. Secondary data showed that juvenile involvement in crime has risen rapidly. Juveniles accounted for nearly half of all arrests for serious crimes in the United States in 1974. Nation-wide, urban areas experienced higher juvenile delinquency rates than did rural areas. In Tennessee the same pattern holds true, with urban counties reporting a 1974 juvenile delinquency rate of 32.1 per 1,000 inhabitants under 18 years of age, compared with a mean rural county rate of 12.1. During the summer of 1975, interviews were conducted with 51 judges, sheriffs, probation workers, counselors, and others concerned with juvenile problems in 15 East Tennessee Development District counties. Respondents felt that juvenile delinquency was on the increase and that offenders were younger than in the past. The major cause of delinquency, as perceived by the respondents, was an unfavorable home environment. The respondents saw no major differences between rural and urban areas as to the major causes of delinquency or the types of offenses committed. Judges, law enforcement personnel, human service workers and others interviewed within this area seemed very interested in alternatives to institutionalization (detention homes, training schools). Most respond-ents felt that not enough time and money was being spent on delinquency problems. Major areas needing more attention in their view were: professional counseling, better probation services, improved recreation facilities, and better detention facilities. Nine preventive and rehabili-tational programs were discussed in the survey. Of these, the majority of respondents felt that recreation facilities, special classes, probation and parole services, foster homes, and volunteer programs could be organized at the individual county level. The majority of respondents felt that detention and treatment centers would best be suited to a more District-wide operation, while respondents were some-what undecided about the service area for continued training programs, group homes, and professional counseling services. Because of low population and limited tax bases, many rural counties cannot afford to provide their own youth services. Pooling of resources among counties may be the most feasible way to provide a high quality level of some services. An attempt was made to study four specific services—group homes, expanded probation and parole services, volunteer programs, and professional counseling services—and two or three alternative ways of providing each of these services using a simulated budget approach. Detailed cost information based on actual programs was scarce, so it was necessary to rely heavily on subjective estimates when constructing these budgets. The preliminary results of this analysis suggested that 1) pooling or contractual arrangements can in some cases lower costs, and 2) noncost considerations are very important in the decision-making process. In the course of conducting this study, several program-support needs related to juvenile services in rural areas became apparent. Some of these are: needs for better collection and distribution of data about delinquency patterns, better training for juvenile officials and workers, and improved communications among agencies and individuals. In each of these areas, attention must be given to the fact that many rural workers and officials often carry several responsibilities and, therefore, can devote only part-time to juvenile problems. Also, programs must be organized so as to eliminate as much travel as possible for these persons. While state and federal assistance is important, local officials and workers can take some positive steps of their own toward improvement of juvenile services. In general, rural areas experience many of the same problems as urban areas. However, because the resources available in rural areas (funds, personnel, etc.) are often limited, solutions may be more diffi-cult to achieve

Property Tax and School Choice in Pennsylvania K-12 Education

For many years now, Pennsylvanian lawmakers have debated the merits of changing the funding method of public schools, with the elimination of property taxes drawing headlines in the media but never being realized through legislative amendments to the school funding formulas. Still today, legislation is being proposed to eliminate property tax as a funding source. The purpose of this study is to determine whether there is demographic or geographic support for these efforts among those who budget and utilize these funds: school board members. The theoretical framework employed will be that of social choice theory. A survey was conducted among school board members from the 501 individual districts in Pennsylvania to determine if there was support for a change to sales and income taxes in lieu of property taxes for school funding and subjected to analysis using SPSS via independent samples Kruskal-Wallis H and Mann Whitney-U testing, along with Crosstab analysis. Additional questions explore support for school choice and voucher systems with Pennsylvania K-12 education. The findings of this study showed that there exists support among certain geographic and demographic groups for these concepts

In-Duct Measurement of Turbocharger Noise

As yet there appear to have been no turbocharger noise measurements reported in the open literature. Described here is the development and verification of a procedure for in-duct measurement of the noise generated by the turbine side of a turbocharger typical of those used on large diesel engines

Evaluation of the 100,000 Homes Campaign in Chicago Final Quantitative Data Report

The AIDS Foundation of Chicago (AFC) partnered with CURL to conduct a process evaluation of the Chicago 100,000 Homes Campaign, with a focus on outreach and housing  coordination. Qualitative analysis consisted of observations, telephone and in person interviews, as well as, focus groups. Quantitative analysis consisted of analyzing participant data and administrative records. The evaluation is informing key stakeholders of Chicago's homeless system in their efforts to develop a centralized housing placement system citywide.

Improving Surgical Outcomes in Low and Middle-Income Countries through Surgical Technology Innovation

Improving global surgical care is essential to achieve the World Health Organisation’s goal of Universal Health Coverage by 2030. In 2015 the Lancet Commission on Global Surgery recognised that novel surgical technologies and innovations are key enabling factors in this aim. Globally, only 9.8% of surgical technology innovation reach clinical trial and less than 1% achieve widespread adoption. The aim of this Thesis was to investigate how surgical innovation occurs in LMICs, the barriers to innovation, strategies to increase innovation research capacity and capability, and the steps needed to increase the efficiency of clinical translation and adoption of surgical innovation for LMICs globally. Data from two surgical trials, qualitative studies involving healthcare staff, surgeons, and researchers from within LMICs, and the presentation of a novel Global Surgical Innovation IDEAL Sub-Framework provide a compelling pathway to improve innovation evaluation and adoption in global surgery. By combining literature in the field with a comprehensive range of mixed methodologies, it can be concluded that given the significant barriers, it is important to explore context-specific evaluation approaches, with in-built researcher training and qualitative methodologies along the innovation pathway. Importantly, technology enhanced learning tools such as virtual reality appear feasible in low-resource settings and will be important in addressing the substantial human resource barrier. This work also led to a Sub-Framework that guides the evaluation and appropriate adoption of technology and innovation in global surgery and aims to be widely applicable across contexts. This can now be used to inform future work, in which the Sub-Framework itself can be tested, iterated, and validated in wider populations and contexts, to improve the subsequent dissemination of innovation in global surgery

Programable Sound Absorption Performance Enabled by 3D Printing

Design of acoustic materials can be achieved through the connection between their geometry and acoustical performance. Here, we propose 3D-printing as an enabling technology that allows us to precisely control an acoustic material’s micro-geometry and orientation, which then eliminates microscopic geometry bias due to conventional manufacturing process, thus realizing precise material characterization at the 3D-printing CAD programming stage. This concept was practiced in the current study focusing on 3D-printing fibrous sound absorbing layers. A fused deposition modeling (FDM) method was applied to produce the fibers. A Tarnow-based airflow resistivity model was implemented together with Johnson-Champoux-Allard and Biot theories for modeling the geometry-performance connection for the fibers. The sound absorption prediction accuracy of the model was validated by E-1050 standing wave tube measurements on the printed sample

Direct Communication to Earth from Probes

A viewgraph presentation on outer planetary probe communications to Earth is shown. The topics include: 1) Science Rational for Atmospheric Probes to the Outer Planets; 2) Controlling the Scientific Appetite; 3) Learning more about Jupiter before we send more probes; 4) Sample Microwave Scan From Juno; 5) Jupiter s Deep Interior; 6) The Square Kilometer Array (SKA): A Breakthrough for Radio Astronomy; 7) Deep Space Array-based Network (DSAN); 8) Probe Direct-to-Earth Data Rate Calculations; 9) Summary; and 10) Enabling Ideas