Give Me Shelter: Responding to Milwaukee County's affordable housing challenges

Few issues better capture the complex and controversial nature of urban problems facing Metropolitan Milwaukee than the issue of affordable housing. Encompassing matters of racial segregation, poverty and failed public-private partnerships, the Milwaukee metro area's struggle to provide a safe, decent and affordable supply of housing to low-income citizens has been a difficult one. Even before the national economic meltdown, countless reports documented the severe housing burden facing low-income citizens in Milwaukee County. That burden, combined with the scarcity of affordable housing in suburban parts of southeast Wisconsin, has cemented the region's place as one of the most racially segregated in the country. In today's economy, those problems have intensified

Advancements in nuclear waste assay

The research described in this thesis is directed at advancing the state of the practice of the non-destructive gamma-ray assay of nuclear waste containers. A number of potentially accuracy-limiting issues were identified and addressed, resulting in new developments which were implemented on an instrument prior to entering it into service. A set of Pu reference sources used for experimental data have been studied to determine the internal composition (density and fill height) of the sources to assist with validation of a point kernel model. This model has been used to observe the behaviour of gamma-rays in lumps of fissile material from plutonium over the mass range 0.001g to 350g, for a number of densities corresponding to Pu, PuO$_2$ and PuF$_3$. Established lump corrections have been analysed and have been found to produce large over- and under-corrected results for the range of masses. Due to the inadequacies of current techniques, a new Pu self-absorption correction method has been developed using the data from numerical simulations, allowing nature to reveal the correlations rather than traditional approaches based upon approximate models. For a 25g 1cm-high Pu flat-plate of density 15g.cm$^{-3}$, the developed Pu correction produces a result of (24.9 ± 8.8)g compared to (19.5 ± 0.9)g for the Fleissner 2-line method, and (14.7 ± 0.4)g for the Infinite Energy Extrapolation method. The developed Pu correction method has been extended to the application of uranium lumps in waste matrices, provided the enrichment of the sample is known or may be determined via sophisticated isotopic analysis methods such as MGAU or FRAM. The U self-absorption correction method has been found to produce results within 30% of the true mass of the sample for the lumps studied. An analysis of ‘real drum’ effects has been performed, including the revisiting of the Total Measurement Uncertainty (incorporating the uncertainty components of the new Pu and U self-absorption corrections) and results from known sources placed in artificial inhomogeneous waste matrices assayed inside a Canberra Auto Q2 system

Group Size, Home Range Use, and Seasonal Variation in the Ecology of Eulemur mongoz

We collected data during a 10-month study carried out on the mongoose lemur, Eulemur mongoz, at Anjamena in northwestern Madagascar, which provide baseline information on seasonal variation in the ecology, home range use and some aspects of the behavior of two neighboring groups. We monitored group size of nine groups in the study area and assessed them for seasonal variation. We present additional information collected during short-term surveys in other areas before and during the study for comparison. The study groups were small family units, and changes in group size were limited to births and emigrations of sexually mature progeny. In spite of clear seasonal changes in climate and vegetation, there is no variation in grouping patterns, so it is not possible to correlate variation in group size with seasonal variation of ecological variables. Comparison with ecological data from other field studies on lemurids reveals differences in food resource distribution in western forests versus other types of Malagasy forest. This distribution of food resources may predict home range size in mixed frugivorous-folivorous lemurs. Small home ranges, mainly in the West, could be correlated with a uniform distribution of food resources. Finally, we suggest that the dry season in the West may not present frugivorous-folivorous lemurs with major problems in finding an adequate food supply. This is supported by the lack of seasonal differences in ranging behavior of mongoose lemur

Problems With the Interpretation of Mark-Release-Recapture Data in Subterranean Termites (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae)

The Lincoln index (Peterson method) is frequently used to estimate animal population size in mark-release-recapture studies. We tested the accuracy of this method to estimate termite colony size using logs infested with termites that were maintained in the laboratory. Termites were fed paper towels dyed either with 0.05% or 0.1% (w/w) of the dye marker Nile blue and released into their host logs in the laboratory. Following recapture a week later, estimates of termite population size for termites dyed with 0.05% Nile blue, and were approximately 3 times greater for termites dyed with 0.1% Nile blue. Concentrations of 0.1% Nile blue are not used in field studies because they result in higher mortality than 0.05% in laboratory trials. However, our data suggest that greater accuracy may be obtained using the higher dye concentration. The triple-catch method is frequently used in place of the Lincoln index in order to reduce standard errors of the estimate. However, our standard errors were lower than those of many published studies using the triple-catch method. The assumptions governing the efficacy of mark-release-recapture may be violated because of the potential model biases that result from developing marking techniques in the laboratory that are intended for field use

Sighting of the western gentle lemur Hapalemur griseus occidentalis in north-west Madagascar

The grey gentle lemur Hapalemur griseus is currently divided into three subspecies. Of these, very little is known about the western gentle lemur H. g. occidentalis and survey work to assess its distribution and numbers is urgently needed. The sighting of this species approximately 200 km to the south and 200 km to the north of the previously recorded populations further highlights this need. The Tsiombikibo Forest, where Hapalemur was sighted, may harbour further surprises and should be investigated more extensively in order to assess habitat condition and the species presen

Potential for digital monitoring to enhance wellbeing at home for people with mild dementia and their family carers

Digital technologies have the potential to assist people with dementia to monitor day to day activities and mitigate the risks of living independently. This purposive pilot study surveyed participants for frailty, wellbeing, and perceived carer burden using the 3Rings™ digital plug. 30 paired participants used the digital device for four months. People with dementia reported a decline in wellbeing and increased frailty. Family carers reported a decline in wellbeing but 18 reported a reduction in burden. The use of digital monitoring by family carers demonstrated a reduction in their perceived burden and the device was acceptable to people with mild dementia living alone

Surveys on Propithecus verreauxi deckeni, a melanistic variant, and P. v. coronatus in north-west Madagascar

Propithecus verreauxi is currently divided into three or four subspecies. Decken's sifaka, P. v. deckeni, and the crowned sifaka, P. v. coronatus, are believed to be synonymous by some authors, while others regard them as separate subspecies. The results of a survey on an isolated melanistic population of Decken's sifaka, known from museum specimens collected in Ambararatabe, as well as the results of additional surveys carried out within the ranges of P. v. deckeni and P. v. coronatus are presented. A detailed description and photographs of the melanistic variant are provided. The data are employed to argue the case for recognition of the subspecific status of the endangered P. v. coronatus. The consistency of sightings of P. v. coronatus to the east of the river Mahavavy and to the west of the river Betsiboka, and sightings of P. v. deckeni to the west of the Mahavavy indicate clear separation of the two subspecies in the lower reaches of two rivers. Clarification of the status of the enigmatic museum specimens from Ambararatabe, representing a melanisticform rather than hybridization of P. v. deckeni and P. v. coronatus, lends further support to this argumen

Group size, home range use, and seasonal variation in the ecology of Eulemur mongoz

We collected data during a 10-month study carried out on the mongoose lemur, Eulemur mongoz, at Anjamena in northwestern Madagascar, which provide baseline information on seasonal variation in the ecology, home range use and some aspects of the behavior of two neighboring groups. We monitored group size of nine groups in the study area and assessed them for seasonal variation. We present additional information collected during short-term surveys in other areas before and during the study for comparison. The study groups were small family units, and changes in group size were limited to births and emigrations of sexually mature progeny. In spite of clear seasonal changes in climate and vegetation, there is no variation in grouping patterns, so it is not possible to correlate variation in group size with seasonal variation of ecological variables. Comparison with ecological data from other field studies on lemurids reveals differences in food resource distribution in western forests versus other types of Malagasy forest. This distribution of food resources may predict home range size in mixed frugivorous-folivorous lemurs. Small home ranges, mainly in the West, could be correlated with a uniform distribution of food resources. Finally, we suggest that the dry season in the West may not present frugivorous-folivorous lemurs with major problems in finding an adequate food supply. This is supported by the lack of seasonal differences in ranging behavior of mongoose lemur

Cornell Cooperative Extension Gains Efficiencies and Increases Capacity with a Central Database

Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) has developed a central database system that replaces many manual processes and streamlines many other administrative procedures. The history of the Central Database Project is provided, and major accomplishments are described. These improvements have increased CCE\u27s ability to comply with state and Federal regulations and with human resources policies. Daily operations are improved with easier access to data and analysis and administrative overhead is controlled, allowing staff to focus on program development and delivery. Finally, the improved technological capacity should increase technological credibility