Accounting for Georgia's Public Water Supply

Abstract not available. Working Paper Number 2005-00

Review of the Current State of Desalination

Abstract not available. Working Paper Number 2005-00

Comparison of different sources for laboratory X-ray microscopy

This paper describes the setup of two different solutions for laboratory X-ray microscopy working with geometric magnification. One setup uses thin-film transmission targets with an optimized tungsten-layer thickness and the electron gun and optics of an electron probe micro analyzer to generate a very small X-ray source. The other setup is based on a scanning electron microscope and uses microstructured reflection targets. We also describe the structuring process for these targets. In both cases we show that resolutions of 100 nm can be achieved. Also the possibilities of computed tomography for 3D imaging are explored and we show first imaging examples of high-absorption as well as low-absorption specimens to demonstrate the capabilities of the setups.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, proceedings of the 14th International Workshop on Radiation Imaging Detector

Coastal River Basins Water Resource Assessment An Evaluation of Water Use and Availability in Seven Coastal River Basins

Georgia has experienced a persistent drought for the last four years. While the drought conditions have subsided, the need for effective river basin planning continues. Effective water planning for our river basins will ensure adequate resource availability for the immediate future as well as over the long run.Basin planning consists of four primary steps: 1) understanding current and future water demands, 2) understanding existing resources (water supply), 3) anticipating potential shortfalls and other issues that might arise from the discrepancies between supply and demand, and 4) devising policy solutions which adequately resolve items identified in step 3).This report explores the available data for water demands and supplies across the seven river basins that make up the coastal region served by the Coastal Rivers Water Planning and Policy Center at Georgia Southern University. The permit issuing and water use reporting processes have made it difficult to accurately estimate water demand across the region. Moreover, the river data is sparse, sporadic, and insufficient to determine the unimpaired flows for any of our rivers. Our intent is to highlight the areas for future data collection such that our state policy makers may successfully establish river basin water use plans that ensure sustainable economic growth, with minimal environmental impacts. Working Paper # 2003-00

How Does Individual Recognition Evolve? Comparing Responses to Identity Information in P olistes Species with and Without Individual Recognition

A wide range of complex social behaviors are facilitated by the recognition of individual conspecifics. Individual recognition requires sufficient phenotypic variation to provide identity information as well as receivers that process and respond to identity information. Understanding how a complex trait such as individual recognition evolves requires that we consider how each component has evolved. Previous comparative studies have examined phenotypic variability in senders and receiver learning abilities, although little work has compared receiver responses to identity information among related species with and without individual recognition. Here, we compare responses to identity information in two Polistes paper wasps: P. fuscatus, which visually recognizes individuals, and P. metricus , which does not normally show evidence of individual recognition. Although the species differ in individual recognition, the results of this study show that receiver responses to experimentally manipulated identity information are surprisingly similar in both species. Receivers direct less aggression toward identifiable individuals than unidentifiable individuals. Therefore, the responses necessary for individual recognition may pre‐date its evolution in the P. fuscatus lineage. Additionally, our data demonstrate the apparent binary differences in a complex behavior between the two species, such as individual recognition, likely involve incremental differences along a number of axes.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/102093/1/eth12191.pd

Infanticide and infant defence by males--modelling the conditions in primate multi-male groups

Infanticide by primate males was considered rare if groups contain more than one adult male because, owing to lower paternity certainty, a male should be less likely to benefit from infanticide. Guided by recent evidence for strong variation of infanticide in primate multi-male groups, we modelled the conditions for when infanticide should occur for a group with a resident and an immigrant male. Setting the parameters (e.g. infant mortality, reduction of interbirth interval, life-time reproductive success, genetic representation) to fit the conditions most commonly found in nature, we develop a game-theoretic model to explore the influence of age and dominance on the occurrence of infanticide and infant defence. Male age strongly impacts the likelihood of an attack which is modified by the father's defence. If the new male is dominant he is likely to attack under most circumstances whereas a subordinate male will only attack if the father does not defend. These model scenarios fit the conditions under which infanticide is known to occur in primate multi-male groups and offer an explanation why infanticide is common in some multi-male groups and rare in others. Overall, the benefits for infanticidal males are strongly governed by a reduced interbirth interval while advantages via improved genetic representation in the gene pool contribute but a minor fraction

The placental pursuit for an adequate oxidant balance between the mother and the fetus

The placenta is the exchange organ that regulates metabolic processes between the mother and her developing fetus. The adequate function of this organ is clearly vital for a physiologic gestational process and a healthy baby as final outcome. The umbilico-placental vasculature has the capacity to respond to variations in the materno-fetal milieu. Depending on the intensity and the extensity of the insult, these responses may be immediate-, mediate-, and long-lasting, deriving in potential morphostructural and functional changes later in life. These adjustments usually compensate the initial insults, but occasionally may switch to long-lasting remodeling and dysfunctional processes, arising maladaptation. One of the most challenging conditions in modern perinatology is hypoxia and oxidative stress during development, both disorders occurring in high-altitude and in low-altitude placental insufficiency. Hypoxia and oxidative stress may induce endothelial dysfunction and thus, reduction

Diseño por vida útil de infraestructura marítima en hormigón armado: enfoque holístico con experiencias de casos chilenos

The consideration of the service life of reinforced concrete in the different stages of the life cycle assessment LCA of a structure, as a differentiating element, when proceeding with the performance design associated with the in-place aggressive conditions of the environment, has generated new construction challenges. In addition with the development of new regulations that include innovative engineering materials, the incorporation of performance tests and modeling processes to estimate the development of concrete deterioration over time, and construction processes that ensure adequate Quality Assurance and Quality Control QAQC. This has led to infrastructure that could even exceed their period of use, maintenance serviceability levels for more than 100 years. Such is the case, for example, of the Chacao Bridge project, currently underway, in southern Chile. In this paper, the different stages of a project are reviewed considering a holistic approach, concentrating on those aspects that should be inherent to all planning, including complementary to the design and construction process. The stage of control of the deterioration levels through diagnostics, with a defined frequency, and monitoring if relevant, to support at any moment the Structural Health Management SHM. Some cases of service life design of real cases made with own created models are presented.La consideración de la vida útil del hormigón armado en las distintas etapas del ciclo de vida de una estructura, como un elemento diferenciador al momento de proceder con el diseño por desempeño asociado a las condiciones de agresividad del ambiente en que ésta se ubique, ha generado nuevos desafíos constructivos. Junto al desarrollo de nuevas normativas que incluyen materiales innovadores de ingeniería, la incorporación de ensayos de desempeño y a procesos de modelamiento para la estimación del desarrollo del deterioro del hormigón en el tiempo, y a procesos constructivos que aseguren un adecuado Control de Calidad y Aseguramiento de la Calidad QAQC. Lo anterior ha llevado a obras de infraestructura que incluso podrían sobrepasar su período de uso manteniendo niveles de serviciabilidad por más de 100 años. Tal es el caso, por ejemplo, del proyecto del puente Chacao, actualmente en ejecución, en el sur de Chile. En este trabajo se revisan las distintas etapas de un proyecto considerando un enfoque holístico, concentrándose en aquellos aspectos que debieran considerarse inherentes a toda planificación, incluyendo complementariamente al proceso de diseño y constructivo, las etapas de control de los niveles de deterioro a través de diagnósticos con una frecuencia determinada, y monitoreos si fuera pertinente, para apoyar en todo momento la Gestión del Estado de Salud de la estructura. Se presentan algunos casos de diseño de casos reales efectuados con modelos creados para cada caso