Experiences of Gay and Lesbian Students Attending Faith-Based Colleges: Considerations for Improving Practice

The intent of this 2010 qualitative, phenomenological study was to understand the experiences of undergraduates who identified as gay/lesbian in faith-based colleges. Some of the issues students encountered were identity denial, perceptions of homosexuality on campus, exposure to off-campus cultures, concealing sexual identity, establishing a peer support network, and reconciling faith and sexual identity. Participants discussed support from faculty/staff, counseling services, school policies, male residence hall culture, and perceptions of administrators. Considerations for improving practice include making informed enrollment decisions, supporting sexual identity formation during college, reconciling faith and sexual identity, encouraging supportive networks, and developing policies regarding campus sexual behavior

SSM/I and ECMWF Wind Vector Comparison

Wentz was the first to convincingly show that satellite microwave radiometers have the potential to measure the oceanic wind vector. The most compelling evidence for this conclusion was the monthly wind vector maps derived solely from a statistical analysis of Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) observations. In a qualitative sense, these maps clearly showed the general circulation over the world's oceans. In this report we take a closer look at the SSM/I monthly wind vector maps and compare them to European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) wind fields. This investigation leads both to an empirical comparison of SSM/I calculated wind vectors with ECMWF wind vectors, and to an examination of possible reasons that the SSM/I calculated wind vector direction would be inherently more reliable at some locations than others

Assessment and Characterization of Physical Habitat, Water Quality, and Biotic Assemblages of the Tyronza River, Arkansas

Few studies within the last few decades have addressed water quality and biotic assemblages within Arkansas’s large channel-altered deltaic rivers. The Tyronza River is located in northeast Arkansas and its watershed has a heavy agricultural presence that drastically affects habitat quality. Meanwhile, the Tyronza River hosts one of the more recent documented range extensions of the federally endangered fat pocketbook mussel [Potamilus capax (Green, 1832)]. The purpose of this study was to assess physical habitat, water quality, and biotic assemblages of the Tyronza River using the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality’s (ADEQ) regional biometrics. Water samples were collected at 9 stations across 4 seasonal intervals. Physical habitat, fish, and macroinvertebrates were collected at 9 stations during summer and fall. U.S. EPA Rapid Bioassessment Protocols for habitat indicated that habitat quality was suboptimal. Distinct seasonal differences were observed among all water chemistry parameters; however, seasonality was not as clear among nutrient constituents. Macroinvertebrate assemblages varied drastically among sites: taxa richness ranged from 3 to 14 and the Arkansas Macroinvertebrate Index for Small Watersheds values ranged from 16 to 28 (poor to very good condition). Fish Community Structure Indices were less variable among sites ranging from 6 to 16 (Not Similar to Somewhat Similar). The lack of instream habitat and habitat richness is likely resulting in low taxa richness in the biotic communities. Results from this study will provide managers and scientists with valuable information on seasonal variation of select water quality parameters and into the integrity of aquatic assemblages of the Tyronza River. Keywords: Water quality, rapi

An atlas of monthly mean distributions of SSMI surface wind speed, ARGOS buoy drift, AVHRR/2 sea surface temperature, and ECMWF surface wind components during 1990

The following monthly mean global distributions for 1990 are proposed with a common color scale and geographical map: 10-m height wind speed estimated from the Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSMI) on a United States (US) Air Force Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) spacecraft; sea surface temperature estimated from the advanced very high resolution radiometer (AVHRR/2) on a U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) spacecraft; Cartesian components of free drifting buoys which are tracked by the ARGOS navigation system on NOAA satellites; and Cartesian components on the 10-m height wind vector computed by the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting (ECMWF). Charts of monthly mean value, sampling distribution, and standard deviation values are displayed. Annual mean distributions are displayed

An atlas of monthly mean distributions of SSMI surface wind speed, ARGOS buoy drift, AVHRR/2 sea surface temperature, and ECMWF surface wind components during 1991

The following monthly mean global distributions for 1991 are presented with a common color scale and geographical map: 10-m height wind speed estimated from the Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSMI) on a United States Air Force Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) spacecraft; sea surface temperature estimated from the advanced very high resolution radiometer (AVHRR/2) on a U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) spacecraft; Cartesian components of free-drifting buoys which are tracked by the ARGOS navigation system on NOAA satellites; and Cartesian components of the 10-m height wind vector computed by the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting (ECMWF). Charts of monthly mean value, sampling distribution, and standard deviation value are displayed. Annual mean distributions are displayed

Ocean Surface Emissivity at L-band (1.4 GHz): The Dependence on Salinity and Roughness

A characterization of the emissivity of sea water at L-band is important for the remote sensing of sea surface salinity. Measurements of salinity are currently being made in the radio astronomy band at 1.413 GHz by ESA's Soil Moisture and Ocean Salinity (SMOS) mission and NASA's Aquarius instrument aboard the Aquarius/SAC-D observatory. The goal of both missions is accuracy on the order of 0.1 psu. This requires accurate knowledge of the dielectric constant of sea water as a function of salinity and temperature and also the effect of waves (roughness). The former determines the emissivity of an ideal (i.e. flat) surface and the later is the major source of error from predictions based on a flat surface. These two aspects of the problem of characterizing the emissivity are being addressed in the context of the Aquarius mission. First, laboratory measurements are being made of the dielectric constant of sea water. This is being done at the George Washington University using a resonant cavity. In this technique, sea water of known salinity and temperature is fed into the cavity along its axis through a narrow tube. The sea water changes the resonant frequency and Q of the cavity which, if the sample is small enough, can be related to the dielectric constant of the sample. An extensive set of measurements have been conducted at 1.413 GHz to develop a model for the real and imaginary part of the dielectric constant as a function of salinity and temperature. The results are compared to the predictions of models based on parameterization of the Debye resonance of the water molecule. The models and measurements are close; however, the differences are significant for remote sensing of salinity. This is especially true at low temperatures where the sensitivity to salinity is lowest

Mussel Inventory and Population Status of the Federally Endangered Potamilus capax (Green 1832) in the Tyronza River, Arkansas

Currently, few data exist for the mussel assemblages of the Tyronza River, Arkansas. The goal of this project was to inventory the freshwater mussel assemblages of the Tyronza River and determine the status of the federally endangered Potamilus capax. We qualitatively and quantitatively sampled mussel assemblages and documented the occurrence of S1 (extremely rare), S2 (very rare), and S3 (rare to uncommon) species. A total of 70.4 river kilometers were sampled in 2006 and 2007 resulting in 363 sampling sites, 4030 live individuals, and 25 species. We observed a total of 1 S1, 2 S2, and 9 S3 species. Mean catch-per-unit-of-effort was 0.9 (1.2 SD) individuals / min. and mean species richness and individual abundance were 3.4 (2.7 SD) species / site and 11.1 (15.1 SD) individuals / site, respectively. Thirteen Potamilus capax were collected during this survey, with only 1 gravid female and 2 juveniles. Quantitative survey mean densities per site ranged from 1.0 to 1.9 mussels / m2 with an overall mean of 1.4 individuals / m2 (0.3 SD). A total of 7 Potamilus capax were observed during quantitative sampling. Community Numerical Standing Crop estimates ranged from 70 ± 30 to 22,986 ± 7,905 individuals. The data collected from this survey provide a valuable baseline on the mussel assemblages of an altered-alluvial river and the location and status of all S1, S2 and S3 species. This information is essential to the management of this imperiled fauna in the Tyronza River

An atlas of monthly mean distributions of SSMI surface wind speed, AVHRR/2 sea surface temperature, AMI surface wind velocity, TOPEX/POSEIDON sea surface height, and ECMWF surface wind velocity during 1993

The following monthly mean global distributions for 1993 are presented with a common color scale and geographical map: 10-m height wind speed estimated from the Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSMI) on a United States (U.S.) Air Force Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) spacecraft; sea surface temperature estimated from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR/2) on a U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) satellite; 10-m height wind speed and direction estimated from the Active Microwave Instrument (AMI) on the European Space Agency (ESA) European Remote Sensing (ERS-1) satellite; sea surface height estimated from the joint U.S.-France Topography Experiment (TOPEX)/POSEIDON spacecraft; and 10-m height wind speed and direction produced by the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting (ECMWF). Charts of annual mean, monthly mean, and sampling distributions are displayed

Status of Remote Sensing of Salinity by Aquarius

Aquarius is an L-band instrument designed to measure sea surface salinity from space. The instrument was launched in 2011 and data acquisition ended in June 2015 when control of the spacecraft was lost. Aquarius produced global maps of salinity with accuracy of 0.2 psu (Practical Salinity Unit) and special resolution of 150 kilometers as well as other products such as global maps of RFI (Radio Frequency Interference) and soil moisture. The mission will formally end December 2017

Washington State Dependency Best Practices Report

The judge\u27s work in child abuse and neglect cases is among the most challenging of any judicial proceeding. The complexities are substantial. Such cases depend upon the exercise of discretion and good judgment together with the application of sound legal principles. The judge must call upon his or her most cherished skills—objectivity, wisdom, patience, and foresight—in circumstances of acute stress. Lives are literally at stake—the lives of the most vulnerable children and youth in our communities and the lives of families wracked by generations of poverty and despair. Families, children, and youth who have experienced intense trauma; who may be mentally ill; where domestic violence may have become a way of life; where substance abuse, alcoholism, and the experience of incarceration have become normal, all rely on the dependency judge for timely and just resolution. The judge is called upon to bring safety, well-being, and permanence to the child. Decisions must be made. Problems must be solved. The stakes are high. What makes this work possible is judicial leadership and system collaboration: the internal system in your courtroom and your courthouse; the external system among the community of stakeholders, service providers, other branches of government, and the like. Embracing these internal and external resources not only makes your job easier but also richer, and good results are more likely to ensue for the troubled children and families we serve. This collection of practices provides options for this important work—options that have been proven to result in better outcomes. They provide real, achievable, cost-effective, and efficient means to improve the process as well. Use them. They will enhance the already extraordinary work you are doing every day.https://digitalcommons.law.uw.edu/faculty-books/1046/thumbnail.jp