Wal-Mart in the Garden District: Does the Arbitrary and Capricious Standard of Review in NEPA Cases Undermine Citizen Participation?

The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), enacted in 1969, requires that agencies of the U.S. government or those seeking to use federal funds to construct projects study the environmental and social impacts of said projects. Under the provisions of NEPA, a first-level review must be conducted for all projects not otherwise exempted. If the entity conducting the review deems that the project will result in a significant impact on humans or the environment, an environmental impact statement (EIS) must be prepared. The decision about whether or not to prepare an EIS can be controversial due to the fact that the entity charged with preparing the initial review ultimately makes decisions regarding the necessity of the preparation of the EIS. This paper explains the NEPA review process and the controversy that may result when the entity preparing the EIS does not respond to public concerns that a proposed project has a significant impact on the environment. The legal history of Coliseum Square Ass\u27n, Inc. v. Jackson, 465 F.3d 215 (5th Cir. 2006), provides a glimpse of a growing concern that the standard of review employed in these cases undermines efforts to involve citizens in the public comment process. The paper concludes with a discussion of how NEPA might be modified to ensure that citizens are given an adequate opportunity to participate in NEPA review

\u3cem\u3eArabidopsis\u3c/em\u3e AZI1 Family Proteins Mediate Signal Mobilization for Systemic Defence Priming

Priming is a major mechanism behind the immunological \u27memory\u27 observed during two key plant systemic defences: systemic acquired resistance (SAR) and induced systemic resistance (ISR). Lipid-derived azelaic acid (AZA) is a mobile priming signal. Here, we show that the lipid transfer protein (LTP)-like AZI1 and its closest paralog EARLI1 are necessary for SAR, ISR and the systemic movement and uptake of AZA in Arabidopsis. Imaging and fractionation studies indicate that AZI1 and EARLI1 localize to expected places for lipid exchange/movement to occur. These are the ER/plasmodesmata, chloroplast outer envelopes and membrane contact sites between them. Furthermore, these LTP-like proteins form complexes and act at the site of SAR establishment. The plastid targeting of AZI1 and AZI1 paralogs occurs through a mechanism that may enable/facilitate their roles in signal mobilization

ATTDES: An Expert System for Satellite Attitude Determination and Control

The design, analysis, and flight operations of satellite attitude determintion and attitude control systems require extensive mathematical formulations, optimization studies, and computer simulation. This is best done by an analyst with extensive education and experience. The development of programs such as ATTDES permit the use of advanced techniques by those with less experience. Typical tasks include the mission analysis to select stabilization and damping schemes, attitude determination sensors and algorithms, and control system designs to meet program requirements. ATTDES is a system that includes all of these activities, including high fidelity orbit environment models that can be used for preliminary analysis, parameter selection, stabilization schemes, the development of estimators covariance analyses, and optimization, and can support ongoing orbit activities. The modification of existing simulations to model new configurations for these purposes can be an expensive, time consuming activity that becomes a pacing item in the development and operation of such new systems. The use of an integrated tool such as ATTDES significantly reduces the effort and time required for these tasks

BioNet Digital Communications Framework

BioNet v2 is a peer-to-peer middleware that enables digital communication devices to talk to each other. It provides a software development framework, standardized application, network-transparent device integration services, a flexible messaging model, and network communications for distributed applications. BioNet is an implementation of the Constellation Program Command, Control, Communications and Information (C3I) Interoperability specification, given in CxP 70022-01. The system architecture provides the necessary infrastructure for the integration of heterogeneous wired and wireless sensing and control devices into a unified data system with a standardized application interface, providing plug-and-play operation for hardware and software systems. BioNet v2 features a naming schema for mobility and coarse-grained localization information, data normalization within a network-transparent device driver framework, enabling of network communications to non-IP devices, and fine-grained application control of data subscription band width usage. BioNet directly integrates Disruption Tolerant Networking (DTN) as a communications technology, enabling networked communications with assets that are only intermittently connected including orbiting relay satellites and planetary rover vehicles

Spectrum Sharing Dynamic Protection Area Neighborhoods for Radio Astronomy

To enforce incumbent protection through a spectrum access system (SAS) or future centralized shared spectrum system, dynamic protection area (DPA) neighborhood distances are employed. These distances are distance radii, in which citizen broadband radio service devices (CBSDs) are considered as potential interferers for the incumbent spectrum users. The goal of this paper is to create an algorithm to define DPA neighborhood distances for radio astronomy (RA) facilities with the intent to incorporate those distances into existing SASs and to adopt for future frameworks to increase national spectrum sharing. This paper first describes an algorithm to calculate sufficient neighborhood distances. Verifying this algorithm by recalculating previously calculated and currently used neighborhood distances for existing DPAs then proves its viability for extension to radio astronomy facilities. Applying the algorithm to the Hat Creek Radio Observatory (HCRO) with customized parameters results in distance recommendations, 112 kilometers for category A (devices with 30 dBm/10 MHz max EIRP) and 144 kilometers for category B (devices with 47 dBm/10MHz max EIRP), for HCRO's inclusion into a SAS and shows that the algorithm can be applied to RA facilities in general. Calculating these distances identifies currently used but likely out-of-date metrics and assumptions that should be revisited for the benefit of spectrum sharing.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, 5 tables, published to WCNC 202

Unified Communications for Space Inventory Management

To help assure mission success for long-duration exploration activities, NASA is actively pursuing wireless technologies that promote situational awareness and autonomy. Wireless technologies are typically extensible, offer freedom from wire tethers, readily support redundancy, offer potential for decreased wire weight, and can represent dissimilar implementation for increased reliability. In addition, wireless technologies can enable additional situational awareness that otherwise would be infeasible. For example, addition of wired sensors, the need for which might not have been apparent at the outset of a program, night be extremely costly due in part to the necessary routing of cables through the vehicle. RFID, or radio frequency identification, is a wireless technology with the potential for significant savings and increased reliability and safety in space operations. Perhaps the most obvious savings relate to the application of inventory management. A fully automated inventory management system is highly desirable for long-term sustaining operations in space environments. This assertion is evidenced by inventory activities on the International Space Station, which represents the most extensive inventory tracking experience base in the history of space operations. In the short tern, handheld RFID readers offer substantial savings owing to reduced crew time for inventory audits. Over the long term, a combination of improved RFID technology and operational concepts modified to fully utilize the technology should result in space based inventory management that is highly reliable and requires very little crew time. In addition to inventory management, RFID is likely to find space applications in real-time location and tracking systems. These could vary from coarse-resolution RFID portals to the high resolution afforded by ultra-wideband (UWB) RFID. Longer range RFID technologies that leverage passive surface acoustic wave (SAW) devices are being investigated to track assets on a lunar or planetary surface

Application of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in Emergency Medical Situations

Introduction One of the significant impacts on patient outcome in emergency medical situations is the response time taken for trained personnel and equipment arrival on scene. The National EMS Information System states the average response time to reach adult patients in the United States is 9.4 minutes (1). We are exploring the whether the application of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) technology in emergency situations would shorten response time and subsequently could improve patients’ outcome In this reported on first phase (Phase 1) of an envisioned multi-stage project, we tested the ability of a UAV to properly, efficiently transport a a portable ECG device to a mock emergency site and successfully take an ECG reading when used by an untrained personnel on hand. MethodsOur UAV was a DJI Phantom 2 Vision model, a quadcopter equipped with a 14 Megapixel camera and HD video recording capabilities. The onboard camera allows for real time transmission of patient status and appearance, while the quadcopter model allows for maximum weight to lift ratio. In order to record a portable ECG, we equipped an iPhone 5 with an AliveCor Kardia mobile ECG monitor. We included an easy to use protocol for the AliveCor so that a layperson would be able to operate the machine. DataThe total flight time for 100 yards across an open field was two and a half minutes , or approximately 2 feet/second. This data shows a chi-squared distribution of 5.065, with a p-value of .01 (df=1, p\u3c.05). DiscussionDue to the statistically significant p-value, Phase 1 data demonstrates that our UAV was capable of traversing an appropriate distance in an amount of time that drastically improves upon the emergency response call time taken by traditional methods. In addition to our flight data, we were also able to properly operate the ECG and apply it to a mock patient in under 90 seconds, showing that our protocol, with instructions for usage, was clear and precise. Conclusion: This study is considered Phase 1 of a multi-stage investigation. Moving forward, we hope to improve the efficacy of our UAV, while expanding its the technological and medical capabilities, allowing it to not only carry ECG but also possibly AEDs and pharmaceuticals. Ultimately, We hope to apply such technology to emergencies in both rural and urban environments, as well as adapt it for use within the military

DTN Implementation and Utilization Options on the International Space Station

This slide presentation reviews the implementation and future uses of Delay/Disruption Tolerant Networking (DTN) for space communication, using the International Space Station as the primary example. The presentation includes: (1) A brief introduction of the current communications architecture of the ISS (2) How current payload operations are handled in the non-DTN environment (3) Making the case to implement DTN into the current payload science operations model (4) Phase I DTN Operations: early implementation with BioServe's CGBA Payload (5) Phase II DTN Operations: Developing the HOSC DTN Gatewa

Automation of Space Inventory Management

This viewgraph presentation describes the utilization of automated space-based inventory management through handheld RFID readers and BioNet Middleware. The contents include: 1) Space-Based INventory Management; 2) Real-Time RFID Location and Tracking; 3) Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) RFID; and 4) BioNet Middleware

Early Agriculture in the Maya Lowlands

Wetland research in northern Belize provides the earliest evidence for development of agriculture in the Maya Lowlands. Pollen data confirm the introduction of maize and manioc before 3000 B.C. Dramatic deforestation, beginning ca. 2500 B.C. and intensifying in wetland environments ca. 1500-1300 B.C., marks an expansion of agriculture, which occurred in the context of a mixed foraging economy. By 1000 B.C. a rise in groundwater levels led farmers to construct drainage ditches coeval with the emergence of Maya complex society ca. 1000-400 B.C. Field manipulations often involved minor modifications of natural hummocks. Canal systems are not as extensive in northern Belize as previously reported, nor is there evidence of artificially raised planting platforms. By the Classic period, wetland fields were flooded and mostly abandoned