An Analysis of a Need-Based Student Aid Program for Georgia - Brief

This report explores issues associated with establishing a need-based student aid program in Georgia. FRC Brief 17

An Analysis of a Need-Based Student Aid Program for Georgia

This report explores issues associated with establishing a need-based student aid program in Georgia. FRC Report 17

Optimal sliding scale regulation: An application to regional electricity distribution in England and Wales

This paper examines optimal price (i.e. ‘sliding scale’) regulation of a monopoly when productivity and managerial effort are not observed. We show how to operationalise this model of incentive regulation and use actual data from electricity distribution in England and Wales to make welfare comparisons of sliding scale regulation with a stylised price cap regime and the First-Best (the full information case). Our method enables us to quantify technical uncertainty as faced by the electricity regulator in the 1990s and shows that there are significant welfare gains from a sliding scale relative to the stylised price cap regime.Sliding scale, regulation, electricity distribution

Efficient determination of thermodynamic properties from a single simulation

A method for calculating the density of states of a system directly from its trajectory in phase space is described. As a specific example, the method is applied to the Monte Carlo simulation of a two‐dimensional Ising model. The energy distribution function is calculated from the density of states and the associated Helmholtz free energy per spin is calculated for various system sizes and temperatures and shown to be in excellent agreement with the exact results.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/69798/2/JCPSA6-99-10-7993-1.pd

Now Is the Time: Experts vs. the Uninitiated as Future Nominees to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims

Two-thirds of judges appointed to the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims ( CAVC or Court ) could and should be drawn from among lawyers experienced in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs ( VA ) benefits claims adjudication system. It is a specialty court, and like other such courts, its judges would benefit from specialized experience. All stakeholders in the claims system and the Court\u27s work, and most importantly, veterans, would benefit from a Court that has appointees steeped in VA law and adjudication

Multilayer film stability

We apply a linear stability analysis to examine the effect of misfit stress on the interface diffusion controlled morphological stability of multilayer microstructures. The stresses could be the result of misfit strains between the individual film layers and/or between film and substrate. We find that misfit between the layers in the film can destabilize the multilayer structure in cases where the thinner layer is elastically stiffer than the thicker layer. The rate at which these instabilities develop increase with increasing misfit and decreasing interfacial energy. Even when there is no misfit between layers, the misfit between the multilayer film and substrate can destabilize the interfaces. This type of instability occurs whether the thinner layers are stiffer or more compliant than the thicker ones. By appropriate choice of the elastic moduli mismatch between layers and relative layer thicknesses, the presence of an interlayer misfit can suppress the instability caused by the substrate misfit. We present stability diagrams that can be used to design stable, multilayer films using all of the degrees of freedom commonly available in multilayer film deposition. © 1997 American Institute of Physics.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/71112/2/JAPIAU-82-10-4852-1.pd

Now Is the Time: Experts vs. the Uninitiated as Future Nominees to the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims

Two-thirds of judges appointed to the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims ( CAVC or Court ) could and should be drawn from among lawyers experienced in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs ( VA ) benefits claims adjudication system. It is a specialty court, and like other such courts, its judges would benefit from specialized experience. All stakeholders in the claims system and the Court\u27s work, and most importantly, veterans, would benefit from a Court that has appointees steeped in VA law and adjudication

Defect interactions on solid surfaces

A unified approach to the calculation of the elastic interaction between defects on a surface that describe, for example, steps, islands, and stress domains is presented. This is accomplished by determining the spatial dependence of the elastic displacement fields generated by the idealized point and line forces representing these defects and applying a power counting argument. This argument is then extended to determine the dependence of the interaction energy of two such elastic defects on their separation. In order to apply this analysis to a spatially extended surface defect we develop a multipole expansion of the displacement field that can be used to easily classify the force distribution of this defect in terms of its moments and, hence, determine the dependence of defect-defect interaction energies on separation. As a specific example, we calculate the elastic interaction between two separated circular islands on the surface of an elastic half-space and interpret the results in terms of power counting arguments.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/30906/1/0000575.pd

Identifying Geographic Areas at Risk of Soil-transmitted Helminthes Infection Using Remote Sensing and Geographical Information Systems: Boaco, Nicaragua as a Case Study

Several types of intestinal nematodes, that can infect humans and specially school-age children living in poverty, develop part of their life cycle in soil. Presence and survival of these parasites in the soil depend on given environmental characteristics like temperature and moisture that can be inferred with remote sensing (RS) technology. Prevalence of diseases caused by these parasitic worms can be controlled and even eradicated with anthelmintic drug treatments and sanitation improvement. Reliable and updated identification of geographic areas at risk is required to implement effective public health programs; to calculate amount of drug required and to distribute funding for sanitation projects. RS technology and geographical information systems (GIS) will be used to analyze for associations between in situ prevalence and remotely sensed data in order to establish RS proxies of environmental parameters that indicate the presence of these parasits. In situ data on helminthisasis will be overlaid over an ecological map derived from RS data using ARC Map 9.3 (ESRI). Temperature, vegetation, and distance to bodies of water will be inferred using data from Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and Landsat TM and ETM+. Elevation will be estimated with data from The Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM). Prevalence and intensity of infections are determined by parasitological survey (Kato Katz) of children enrolled in rural schools in Boaco, Nicaragua, in the communities of El Roblar, Cumaica Norte, Malacatoya 1, and Malacatoya 2). This study will demonstrate the importance of an integrated GIS/RS approach to define clusters and areas at risk. Such information will help to the implementation of time and cost efficient control programs and sanitation efforts

Pilot Feasibility Study of a Campaign Intervention for Weight Loss among Overweight and Obese Adults

Background: Behavioral interventions produce significant short-term weight loss. However, these interventions typically require regular in-person sessions, which may not be feasible for all individuals. Purpose: The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the feasibility of a 12-week campaign intervention (CI) compared to a standard on-site, group-based behavioral weight loss intervention (SBWL) among overweight/obese adults. Methods: SBWL participants (n=13; age: 42.5 ± 9.1 years; BMI: 33.4 ± 3.8 kg/m²) attended weekly group meetings, were prescribed a daily reduced caloric goal and 200 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week. CI participants (n=13; age: 43.8 ± 9.0 years; BMI: 33.2 ± 3.8 kg/m²) received the same recommendations as the SBWL, attended in-person group meetings at weeks 0 and 12, and received e-mail messages weeks 2-11. Additional CI features included a thematic framework and an incentive-based point system targeting behavioral goals. Results: Significant weight loss was demonstrated for intention-to-treat (SBWL: -5.6 ± 2.9 kg; CI: -3.1 ± 3.4 kg) (