The Greening of Faith: God, the Environment, and the Good Life (20th Anniversary Edition)

The recent release of Pope Francis’s much-discussed encyclical on the environment, Laudato Si’: On Care for Our Common Home, has reinforced environmental issues as also moral and spiritual issues. This anthology, twenty years ahead of the encyclical but very much in line with its agenda, offers essays by fifteen philosophers, theologians, and environmentalists who argue for a response to ecology that recognizes the tools of science but includes a more spiritual approach—one with a more humanistic, holistic view based on inherent reverence toward the natural world. Writers whose orientations range from Buddhism to evangelical Christianity to Catholicism to Native American beliefs explore ways to achieve this paradigm shift and suggest that “the environment is not only a spiritual issue, but the spiritual issue of our time.”https://scholars.unh.edu/unh_press/1003/thumbnail.jp

Thermal-conductivity measurements of tungsten-fiber-reinforced superalloy composites using a thermal-conductivity comparator

The thermal conductivity (TC) of tungsten-fiber-reinforced superalloys was determined for two composite systems by using a thermal conductivity standard from the National Bureau of Standards and a comparator and technique developed for that purpose. The results were compared with TC data for the nickel-base alloy MAR-M200. The technique lends itself to applications involving thin specimens, such as thin-walled turbine blades. The TC's of the composite systems were considerably higher in both the longitudinal and transverse directions than that of the monolithic superalloys used as the matrices

Predicted inlet gas temperatures for tungsten fiber reinforced superalloy turbine blades

Tungsten fiber reinforced superalloy composite (TFRS) impingement cooled turbine blade inlet gas temperatures were calculated taking into account material spanwise strength, thermal conductivity, material oxidation resistance, fiber-matrix interaction, and coolant flow. Measured values of TFRS thermal conductivities are presented. Calculations indicate that blades made of 30 volume percent fiber content TFRS having a 12,000 N-m/kg stress-to-density ratio while operating at 40 atmospheres and a 0.06 coolant flow ratio could permit a turbine blade inlet gas temperature of over 1900K. This is more than 150K greater than similar superalloy blades

Small high-temperature nuclear reactors for space power

Criticality calculations for small, cylindrical, lithium cooled reactors for space power system

DISCONNECTED FROM THE FRONT LINES: LACK OF WARFIGHTER EXPERIENCE IN ACQUISITIONS YIELDS UNACCEPTABLE END STATES

Over the past few decades, the Defense Acquisition System (DAS) has been under constant fire by Congress, taxpayers, and warfighters for unacceptable cost, schedule, and performance outcomes. This plague has been well documented, discussed, and many potential corrective measures implemented over the years with futile results. This leaves the warfighter with delivered capabilities not meeting actual operational needs, routinely late to field, yielding them irrelevant, and coming with unrecoverable cost overruns. One significant area of the acquisition process, the focus of this research, has the most impact on a program’s outcome yet had the least amount of change: who represents the warfighter during requirements generation and management throughout the life cycle. A program’s requirements establish the end cost, schedule, and performance thresholds that, once a program matures, are extremely difficult to change without a sizable penalty. This research documents a correlation between troubled programs and poor requirements support due to an operational knowledge gap caused by a lack of proficient end-user warfighter representatives involved and empowered in the process. Related, due to the inherent differences in views, experience, and expectations between a career acquisition professional and a warfighter, data shows a need for a blended professional within the DAS. The research shows failure to bridge this personnel gap will predictably yield the same unacceptable results.Lieutenant Commander, United States NavyCommander, United States NavyChief Warrant Officer Three, United States NavyApproved for public release. Distribution is unlimited

Політична економія глобалізму і проблеми структурної модернізації національної економіки

У статті досліджується політична економія глобалізму як транзитивної системи зі своїми протиріччями та внутрішніми конфліктами. Розкриваються негативні наслідки і ризики функціонування системи силового глобалізму та його відмінності від об’єктивної природної глобалізації як форми глобальної інтеграції. Увага також акцентується на ролі держави в сучасних глобалізаційних процесах та на проблемі структурної модернізації національної економіки в умовах глобальної конкурентності. Проаналізовано основні вектори і характер глобальних зрушень на початку ХХІ ст. та спрогнозовано їх тенденції до середини століття.В статье исследуется политическая экономия глобализма как транзитивной системы со своими противоречиями и внутренними конфликтами. Раскрываются негативные последствия и риски функционирования системы силового глобализма и его отличия от объективной естественной глобализации как формы глобальной интеграции. Внимание также акцентируется на роли государства в современных глобализационных процессах и на проблеме структурной модернизации национальной экономики в условиях глобальной конкурентности. Проанализированы основные векторы и характер глобальных сдвигов в начале ХХІ века и спрогнозированы их тенденции к середине века.In this article the political economy of globalism as a transitive system with its contradictions and internal conflicts is investigated. Negative consequences and risks of functioning of power globalism system and its differences from objective natural globalization as form of global integration are covered. Attention is also accented on the role of the state in modern globalization processes and on the problem of structural modernization of national economy in the global competition conditions. Basic vectors and character of global changes at the beginning of the XXIst century are analysed and their tendencies to the middle of age are predicted

Crop Fertilization on Coast Prairie and Coastal Bend Soils.

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Predicting the distributions of under-recorded Odonata using species distribution models

1. Absences in distributional data may result either from the true absence of a species or from a false absence due to lack of recording effort. I use general linear models (GLMs) and species distribution models (SDMs) to investigate this problem in North American Odonata and present a potential solution. 2. I use multi-model selection methods based on Akaike's information criterion to evaluate the ability of water-energy variables, human population density, and recording effort to explain patterns of odonate diversity in the USA and Canada using GLMs. Water-energy variables explain a large proportion of the variance in odonate diversity, but the residuals of these models are significantly related to recorder effort. 3. I then create SDMs for 176species that are found solely in the USA and Canada using model averaging of eight different methods. These give predictions of hypothetical true distributions of each of the 176species based on climate variables, which I compare with observed distributions to identify areas where potential under-recording may occur. 4. Under-recording appears to be highest in northern Canada, Alaska, and Quebec, as well as the interior of the USA. The proportion of predicted species that have been observed is related to recorder effort and population density. Maps for individual species have been made available online () to facilitate recording in the future. 5. This analysis has illustrated a problem with current odonate recording in the form of unbalanced recorder effort. However, the SDM approach also provides the solution, targeting recorder effort in such a way as to maximise returns from limited resources

Resilience perspective on healthcare professionals' adaptations to changes and challenges resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic: a meta-synthesis

Objective To identify, review and synthesise qualitative literature on healthcare professionals’ adaptations to changes and challenges resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Design Systematic review with meta-synthesis. Data sources Academic Search Elite, CINAHL, MEDLINE, PubMed, Science Direct and Scopus. Eligibility criteria Qualitative or mixed-methods studies published between 2019 and 2021 investigating healthcare professionals’ adaptations to changes and challenges resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. Data extraction and synthesis Data were extracted using a predesigned data extraction form that included details about publication (eg, authors, setting, participants, adaptations and outcomes). Data were analysed using thematic analysis. Results Forty-seven studies were included. A range of adaptations crucial to maintaining healthcare delivery during the COVID-19 pandemic were found, including taking on new roles, conducting self and peer education and reorganising workspaces. Triggers for adaptations included unclear workflows, lack of guidelines, increased workload and transition to digital solutions. As challenges arose, many health professionals reported increased collaboration across wards, healthcare teams, hierarchies and healthcare services. Conclusion Healthcare professionals demonstrated significant adaptive capacity when faced with challenges imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Several adaptations were identified as beneficial for future organisational healthcare service changes, while others exposed weaknesses in healthcare system designs and capacity, leading to dysfunctional adaptations. Healthcare professionals’ experiences working during the COVID-19 pandemic present a unique opportunity to learn how healthcare systems rapidly respond to changes, and how resilient healthcare services can be built globally.publishedVersio