1,037 research outputs found
The Fall of Gondolin (2018) by J.R.R. Tolkien, edited by Christopher Tolkien
Book review by Douglas Charles Kane of The Fall of Gondolin (2018) by J.R.R. Tolkien, edited by Christopher Tolkie
New 2012 Precipitation Frequency Estimation Analysis for Alaska: Musings on Data Used and the Final Product
INE/AUTC 13.1
Hydrology of the Central Arctic River Basins of Alaska
The work upon which this report is based was supported in part by funds (Project A-031-ALAS) provided by the United States Department
of Interior, Office of Water Resources Research, as authorized under
the Water Resources Act of 1964, as amended
Improving School Accountability Measures
A growing number of states are using annual school-level test scores as part of their school accountability systems. We highlight an under-appreciated weakness of that approach the imprecision of school-level test score means -- and propose a method for better discerning signal from noise in annual school report cards. For an elementary school of average size in North Carolina, we estimate that 28 percent of the variance in 5th grade reading scores is due to sampling variation and about 10 percent is due to other non-persistent sources. More troubling, we estimate that less than half of the variance in the mean gain in reading performance between 4th and 5th grade is due to persistent differences between schools. We use these estimates of the variance components in an empirical Bayes framework to generate filtered' predictions of school performance, which have much greater predictive value than the mean for a single year. We also identify evidence of within-school heterogeneity in classroom level gains, which suggests the importance of teacher effects.
Heat and Mass Transfer in Cold Regions Soils
The work upon which this report is based was made possible by a cooperative
aid agreement between the U.S. Forest Service, Institute of Northern
Forestry, Fairbanks, Alaska, and the Institute of Water Resources, University
of Alaska. Contributions to this study were also made by the University of
California at Davis and Ohio State University. The collection of winter
data on pore pressures was made possible by a separate grant by the Office
of Water Research and Technology (project A-053 ALAS)
Effects of seasonability and variability of streamflow on nearshore coastal areas: final report
General nature and scope of the study:
This study examines the variability of streamflow in all
gaged Alaskan rivers and streams which terminate in the ocean.
Forty-one such streams have been gaged for varying periods of
time by the U. S. Geological Survey, Water Resources Division.
Attempts have been made to characterize streamflow statistically
using standard hydrological methods. The analysis scheme
which was employed is shown in the flow chart which follows.
In addition to the statistical characterization, the following
will be described for each stream when possible:
1. average period of break-up initiation (10-day period)
2. average period of freeze-up (10-day period)
3. miscellaneous break-up and freeze-up data.
4. relative hypsometric curve for each basin
5. observations on past ice-jam flooding
6. verbal description of annual flow variation
7. original indices developed in this study to relate streamflow
variability to basin characteristics and regional
climate.This study was supported under contract 03-5-022-56, Task Order
#4, Research Unit #111, between the University of Alaska and NOAA,
Department of Commerce to which funds were provided by the Bureau of
Land Management through an interagency agreement
Hydrologic Properties of Subarctic Organic Soils
Completion Report
for
U. S. Forest Service
Institute of Northern Forestry
Cooperative Agreement No. 16 USC 581; 581a-581iThe need for understanding the natural system and how it responds
to various stresses is important; this is especially so in an environment
where the climate not only sustains permafrost, but develops
massive seasonal frost as well. Consequently, the role of the shallow
surface organic layer is also quite important. Since a slight change in
the soil thermal regime may bring about a phase change in the water or
ice, therefore, the system response to surface alterations such as
burning can be quite severe. The need for a better understanding of the
behavior and properties of the organic layer is, therefore, accentuated.
The central theme of this study was the examination of the hydrologic
and hydraulic properties of subarctic organic soils. Summarized
in this paper are the results of three aspects of subarctic organic soil
examinations conducted during the duration of the project. First, a
field site was set up in Washington Creek with the major emphasis on
measuring numerous variables of that soil system during the summer. The
greatest variations in moisture content occur in the thick organic soils
that exist at this site. Our major emphasis was to study the soil
moisture levels in these soils. This topic is covered in the first
major section, including associated laboratory studies. Those laboratory
studies include investigations of several hydraulic and hydrologic
properties of taiga organic and mineral soils. Second, some field data
on organic moisture levels was collected at the site of prescribed burns
in Washington Creek to ascertain the sustainability of fires as a function
of moisture levels. This portion of the study is described under the
second major heading. The last element of this study was a continued
application of the two-dimensional flow model that was developed in an
earlier study funded by the U. S. Forest Service, Institute of Northern
Forestry, and reported by Kane, Luthin, and Taylor (1975a).
Many of the results and concepts gathered in the field work were
integrated into the modeling effort, which is aimed at producing better
estimates of the hydrologic effects of surface disturbances in the black
spruce taiga subarctic ecosystem. This knowledge should also contribute
to better fire management decisions of the same system.The work upon which this report is based was made possible by a
cooperative aid agreement funded by the U. S. Forest Service, Institute
of Northern Forestry, Fairbanks, Alaska. Contribution to this study was
also made by Ohio State University
The Great Tales Never End: Essays in Memory of Christopher Tolkien (2022), edited by Richard Ovenden and Catherine McIlwaine
Book review, by Douglas C. Kane, of The Great Tales Never End: Essays in Memory of Christopher Tolkien (2022), edited by Richard Ovenden and Catherine McIlwain
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