Digital data from shuttle photography: The effects of platform variables

Two major criticisms of using Shuttle hand held photography as an Earth science sensor are that it is nondigital, nonquantitative and that it has inconsistent platform characteristics, e.g., variable look angles, especially as compared to remote sensing satellites such as LANDSAT and SPOT. However, these criticisms are assumptions and have not been systematically investigated. The spectral effects of off-nadir views of hand held photography from the Shuttle and their role in interpretation of lava flow morphology on the island of Hawaii are studied. Digitization of photography at JSC and use of LIPS image analysis software in obtaining data is discussed. Preliminary interpretative results of one flow are given. Most of the time was spent in developing procedures and overcoming equipment problems. Preliminary data are satisfactory for detailed analysis

The development of a natural language interface to a geographical information system

This paper will discuss a two and a half year long project undertaken to develop an English-language interface for the geographical information system GRASS. The work was carried out for NASA by a small business, Netrologic, based in San Diego, California, under Phase 1 and 2 Small Business Innovative Research contracts. We consider here the potential value of this system whose current functionality addresses numerical, categorical and boolean raster layers and includes the display of point sets defined by constraints on one or more layers, answers yes/no and numerical questions, and creates statistical reports. It also handles complex queries and lexical ambiguities, and allows temporarily switching to UNIX or GRASS

Jackson State University's Center for Spatial Data Research and Applications: New facilities and new paradigms

Jackson State University recently established the Center for Spatial Data Research and Applications, a Geographical Information System (GIS) and remote sensing laboratory. Taking advantage of new technologies and new directions in the spatial (geographic) sciences, JSU is building a Center of Excellence in Spatial Data Management. New opportunities for research, applications, and employment are emerging. GIS requires fundamental shifts and new demands in traditional computer science and geographic training. The Center is not merely another computer lab but is one setting the pace in a new applied frontier. GIS and its associated technologies are discussed. The Center's facilities are described. An ARC/INFO GIS runs on a Vax mainframe, with numerous workstations. Image processing packages include ELAS, LIPS, VICAR, and ERDAS. A host of hardware and software peripheral are used in support. Numerous projects are underway, such as the construction of a Gulf of Mexico environmental data base, development of AI in image processing, a land use dynamics study of metropolitan Jackson, and others. A new academic interdisciplinary program in Spatial Data Management is under development, combining courses in Geography and Computer Science. The broad range of JSU's GIS and remote sensing activities is addressed. The impacts on changing paradigms in the university and in the professional world conclude the discussion

EMPLOYMENT AND EARNINGS OF THE WORKING POOR IN RURAL AND URBAN LABOR MARKETS

We use a unique administrative database to analyze the impact of labor market conditions on the employment outcomes of working poor adults in Oregon. Stronger labor demand conditions are associated with better employment outcomes. Lower earnings and less steady employment in rural areas are largely explained by higher unemployment rates.Labor and Human Capital,

Pollution reduction technology program for small jet aircraft engines: Class T1

Small jet aircraft engines (EPA class T1, turbojet and turbofan engines of less than 35.6 kN thrust) were evaluated with the objective of attaining emissions reduction consistent with performance constraints. Configurations employing the technological advances were screened and developed through full scale rig testing. The most promising approaches in full-scale engine testing were evaluated

An Integration of Biographical Data and Personality Research Through Sherwood Forest Empiricism: Robbing From Personality to Give to Biodata.

Archival data was used to assess the effectiveness of incorporating biodata scoring into extant personality measures. Personality and biodata theories were briefly reviewed and several commonalities were noted. Hypotheses were developed for Conscientiousness, Emotional Stability, Agreeableness, and Openness to Experience. The first three dimensions were expected to predict absenteeism and all four were expected to predict turnover, and empirical scoring was expected to increase predictive validity. Data were collected from three samples (school bus drivers, bus drivers, and law enforcement) and three different personality measures were scored using England\u27s (1971) vertical percent method. Results showed that two of the three samples did not produce significant correlations between personality and two criterion measures. Only the correlation between Conscientiousness and absenteeism (r =.13) for the law enforcement sample was similar to Barrick and Mount\u27s (1991) results. Personality profiles for high and low absenteeism employees, and stayers and leavers were compared, but the profiles did not contain the hypothesized elevations. Biodata scoring improved some correlations, but inconsistently, for law enforcement employees. Biodata scoring for this sample was most useful for predicting turnover. Correlations for the other samples were small and insignificant. Whereas biodata scoring provided incremental validity over the personality scales, the results were inconsistent and therefore did not support the hypotheses. Further, profiles developed through biodata scoring diverged from those developed via personality scoring. The interpretation of biodata profiles was difficult due to possible changes in scale meaning due to scoring. The overall component of personality and biodata profiles were compared and it was shown that sometimes the biodata overall component explained incremental variance. Limitations of the study included using incumbents versus applicants, a lack of specificity of the criterion measures, and an inability to compare the results from the three samples. Future studies are needed to determine possible applicant-incumbent differences for personality and biodata measures and determine possible changes in the structure of personality tests caused by empirical scoring. These results provide disconfirming evidence for personality research and support the need to reconsider the situational specificity hypothesis

Habitat use, movements, and survival of radio-marked female mallards in the lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley

Mallard (Anas platyrhynhcos) populations in the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley (LMAV) historically averaged 1.6 million and represented the largest concentrations of wintering mallards in North America. Effective management of this wintering population requires current information on use of habitats, movements, and survival of female mallards. I used radio-telemetry techniques to assess these parameters during winters 2004-2005 and 2005-2006. Radio-marked female mallards used forested wetland habitats extensively during diurnal and nocturnal sampling periods. Proportional use of habitats varied inconsistently among time periods defined by hunting seasons and winters. Proportional use of forested wetlands ranged from 0.464 to 0.816 and from 0.280 to 0.764 during diurnal and nocturnal sampling periods, respectively. Movement distances (± SE) between diurnal and nocturnal locations averaged 2524 ± 150.1 meters and varied inconsistently by date among habitat types. The product-limit survival rate of radio-marked female mallards was 0.542 for the 140 day tracking season. Interval survival rates varied among time periods defined by hunting seasons and ranged from 0.721 to 0.981. Cause-specific mortality rates (± SE) for the tracking period were 0.177 ± 0.041 and 0.342 ± 0.119 for hunting and non-hunting sources of mortality, respectively. Continued restoration and establishment of forested wetland habitats should benefit wintering mallards in the LMAV. Finally, waterfowl managers may want to consider management actions to improve survival of female mallards in the LMAV

The Atheistic Problem of Good

The purpose of this work is to bring attention to goods in philosophical and theological circles. More precisely this thesis argues for the atheistic problem of good. The problem of good comes as a byproduct of the problem of evil. The argument seeks to show that if the atheist insists on holding to an understanding that evil exists and is problematic for theism, then the same can be stated in the reverse. The atheist will need to deal with their problem of good because if evil exists, necessarily so does good, in at least the same abundance as evils. The argument inferred by first bringing attention to the problem of evil and the responses that have successfully blunted such charges against the theist. Leaving the atheist to defend their position against theism by maintaining their view and accepting their problem of good or abandoning the problem of evil; something that they are not willing to do. Finally, the work will express a view, “The Compass Effect” that argues a theistic solution to both goods and evils found in the world