Dynamic responses of a 20-ton capacity feed buoy in an open ocean environment

The 20-ton capacity feed buoy in operation at the Atlantic Marine Aquaculture Center\u27s offshore demonstration site continues to serve as a leading model for marine aquaculture in the energetic ocean environment. Previous modeling and analysis proved survivability of the feed buoy in harsh storm driven seas, however, a field study was not performed at, or after, the time of deployment. This field program was conducted to find the dynamic responses of the buoy due to environmental forcing. Analysis of fair weather data shows small feed buoy responses in heave, surge, and pitch toward lower frequency waves commonly associated with storm events in the Gulf of Maine. Additionally, the study illustrated that higher frequency waves, which do not present any danger to the feed buoy or mooring, will excite the system. In general, feed buoy behavior is consistent with previous modeling, ensuring its survivability at the demonstration site

The evaluation of information systems in the organisational context of the National Health Service. Available in 2 volumes.

This thesis describes a project which has investigated the evaluation of information systems. The work took place in, and is related to, a specific organisational context, that of the National Health Service (NHS). It aims to increase understanding of the evaluation which takes place in the service and the way in which this is affected by the NHS environment. It also investigates the issues which surround some important types of evaluation and their use in this context. The first stage of the project was a postal survey in which respondents were asked to describe the evaluation which took place in their authorities and to give their opinions about it. This was used to give an overview of the practice of IS evaluation in the NHS and to identify its uses and the problems experienced. Three important types of evaluation were then examined in more detail by means of action research studies. One of these dealt with the selection and purchase of a large hospital information system. The study took the form of an evaluation of the procurement process, and examined the methods used and the influence of organisational factors. The other studies are concerned with post-implementation evaluation, and examine the choice of an evaluation approach as well as its application. One was an evaluation of a community health system which had been operational for some time but was of doubtful value, and suffered from a number of problems. The situation was explored by means of a study of the costs and benefits of the system. The remaining study was the initial review of a system which was used in the administration of a Breast Screening Service. The service itself was also newly operational and the relationship between the service and the system was of interest

Finding Joy in Our Profession: John F. Helmer on Library Consortia

John F. Helmer, executive director of the Orbis Cascade Alliance, has had an amazing career. In this interview with Valerie Horton, Helmer shares his insights, humor, and deep understanding of our profession. John sees the best of library collaborations as “entrepreneurial, spirited, ambitious,” and leading to the development of critically important working relationships. John offers many nuggets of wisdom for collaborative leaders in this interview. His insights into failure should be required reading in our profession. He argues that if you aren’t failing, you aren’t trying hard enough

Systematic limits on sin^2{2theta_{13}} in neutrino oscillation experiments with multi-reactors

Sensitivities to sin^2{2theta_{13}} without statistical errors (``systematic limit'') are investigated in neutrino oscillation experiments with multiple reactors. Using an analytical approach, we show that the systematic limit on sin^2{2theta_{13}} is dominated by the uncorrelated systematic error sigma_u of the detector. Even in an experiment with multi-detectors and multi-reactors, it turns out that most of the systematic errors including the one due to the nature of multiple sources is canceled as in the case with a single reactor plus two detectors, if the near detectors are placed suitably. The case of the KASKA plan (7 reactors and 3 detectors) is investigated in detail, and it is explicitly shown that it does not suffer from the extra uncertainty due to multiple reactors.Comment: 26 pages, 10 eps-files, revtex

Effective use of ERTS multisensor data in the Northern Great Plains

The author has identified the following significant results. ERTS imagery was used as a tool in the identification and refinement of soil association areas; to classify land use patterns between crop and fallow fields; to identify corn, soybeans, and oats; and to identify broad generalized range ecosystems. Various data handling techniques were developed and applied to accomplish these tasks. A map outlining soil associations and relative land values was completed on a base mosaic of ERTS imagery and is included as an appendix to the report