Use of satellite data in runoff forecasting in the heavily forested, cloud-covered Pacific Northwest

The author has identified the following significant results. Satellite-derived snow cover data improves forecasts of stream flow but not at a statistically significant amount and should not be used exclusively because of persistent cloud cover. Based upon reconstruction runs, satellite data can be used to augment snow-flight data in the Upper Snake, Boise, Dworshak, and Hungry Horse basins. Satellite data does not compare well with aerial snow-flight data in the Libby basin

An approach for configuring space photovoltaic tandem arrays based on cell layer performance

Meeting solar array performance goals of 300 W/Kg requires use of solar cells with orbital efficiencies greater than 20 percent. Only multijunction cells and cell layers operating in tandem produce this required efficiency. An approach for defining solar array design concepts that use tandem cell layers involve the following: transforming cell layer performance at standard test conditions to on-orbit performance; optimizing circuit configuration with tandem cell layers; evaluating circuit sensitivity to cell current mismatch; developing array electrical design around selected circuit; and predicting array orbital performance including seasonal variations

A Texas State Plan and Guidelines for the Education of the Gifted and Talented: Is There Evidence of Discrimination Toward Minority Children?

This paper addresses The Texas State Plan and Guidelines for the Education of the Gifted and Talented which was developed by the Texas Education Agency in 1980 to assist local school districts in planning and implementing programs for the gifted. The purpose of the paper is to address the plan and guidelines and determine whether or not they tend to lead to discrimination against the minority populations within schools. It examines five major areas of concern: the local definition of gifted and talented, the biases and attitudes of members of the community and educators in the school system, the criteria selected for identifying gifted children in the district, the validity and reliability of the testing measures selected by the local district, and the funding of such programs. The paper then attempts to address how The Texas State Plan addresses these issues, as well as how it fails to address them

Mountain Biking as a Means to Encourage Public Health and Wellbeing

Mountain biking is a popular form of outdoor exercise. There are 8.3 million riders in the U.S., 2.8% of the population (The Outdoor Foundation, 2016). The National Survey on Recreation and the Environment (https://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/trends/nsre-directory/) places the number of participants much higher at 42.7 million riders, but their definition is less restrictive (Cordell, 2012). The National Survey includes anyone who has ridden a mountain or hybrid bicycle in the last twelve months, regardless of riding surface, while Outdoor Recreation Participation Top Line Report (The Outdoor Foundation, 2016) estimates are based on riding surface. Therefore, to avoid confirmation bias, the lower Outdoor Recreation Participation Top Line Report figures will be used for the remainder of this paper. Bicycling (including road and bicycle motor cross) is the second most frequently participated outdoor activity in America with an average of 63 annual outings, just behind running/jogging with 91 annual outings (The Outdoor Foundation, 2016). Off-road cycling has its origins at the invention of the bicycle, but modern mountain biking is a child of 1970s California. Though a young sport, there are now many disciplines within the sport ranging from cross country, enduro (all-mountain), downhill, dirt jump, and freeride (see Table 1). There are competitions at the youth, high school, collegiate, olympic, and professional levels. There are specialized bikes for each purpose. Bikes may range from a few hundred dollars for an entry level bike to ten thousand dollars for the lightest bike with the most current technology (https://www.specialized.com/us/en/bikes/mountain). Although mountain biking is a popular form of outdoor exercise in America, legal access to suitable trails is limited and under constant threat to be further limited. This manuscript explains how mountain biking is related to public health and the issues underlying trail access in the United States. The author argues that public health organizations at local, state, and national levels should be advocates for mountain bike trail access

The Relationship Between Regulatory Water Resource Protections and Common Law Property Rights in South Carolina

Water resource owners are protected both by (a) regulatory restrictions on the discharge of pollut-ants and (b) common law property rights (e.g., rights enforceable through trespass and nuisance lawsuits). A common misperception is that regulatory com-pliance constitutes a legal safe harbor against liability for violations of common law rights in water resources. However, as illustrated on the main graph (left), common law property rights provide protection over and above minimum regulatory re-strictions of pollutant discharges. The degree of this additional protection varies across different catego-ries of polluting activities

A comparative analysis of geometric morphometrics across two Pseudemys turtle species in east central Virginia

The phylogeny of the turtle genus Pseudemys is poorly understood. In Virginia, many turtles have been found with indicator traits of both eastern river cooters (Pseudemys concinna concinna) and northern red bellied cooters (Pseudemys rubriventris). This study explores morphological evidence for hybridization between the two species across three riverine sites in east central Virginia. Museum voucher groups for each species were analyzed for relative shell height and plastron length. The shape of the plastral scutes and upper jaw were analyzed using landmark-based morphometric software. These metrics were compared with measurements taken from 188 field-caught Pseudemys specimens. Across phenotypic metrics, field specimens resembled northern red bellied cooters. Geometric morphometric analysis showed extreme variation. Thirteen field specimens exhibited indicator traits of both species. Because species boundaries do not appear to be well-resolved using accepted phenotypes and morphometrics, we suggest that additional research utilizing molecular methods and genetic analysis be conducted