Meeting the Needs of the Workforce in a Shifting Regional Economy

The tri-state region (New York/New Jersey/Connecticut) supports a highly complex and diverse labor market that has been subject not only to the shocking events of September 11th, 2001, but also to broad demographic and economic trends that have shaped the structure of work and the makeup of the available workforce. This paper examines the shifts that occurred in the regional economy throughout the past decade and discusses the possible implications of these changes for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, educational institutions, and state and local governments

Increasing support staff fluency with the content of behaviour support plans : an application of precision teaching

Background: Behaviour Support Plans (BSPs) are at the core of Positive Behavioural Support for challenging behaviour, but non-adherence to BSPs is common. Generally, non-fluent component knowledge prevents learners achieving fluent application and retention of information and we hypothesised that this may apply to staff learning BSPs. Method: We compared the effectiveness of fluency training (FT) and precision teaching on staff learning of BSPs with staff receiving consultation as usual (CAU), comprising standard support for learning BSPs. All staff completed pre- and post-intervention tests measuring frequency of component skill recall and application of component knowledge (composite skills). Results: The FT group made and maintained greater gains in component skill recall and achieved higher composite test scores, suggesting greater application of component skills. These effects were associated with moderate effect sizes. Conclusions: This study offers initial support for the application of fluency training and precision teaching for staff learning BSP content

Orbital simulations on the deflection of Near Earth Objects by directed energy

Laser ablation of a Near Earth Object (NEO) on a collision course with Earth produces a cloud of ejecta which exerts a thrust on the asteroid, deflecting it from its original trajectory. The DE-STAR system provides such a thrust by illuminating an Earth-targeting asteroid or comet from afar with a stand-off system consisting of a large phased-array laser in Earth orbit. A much smaller version of the same system called DE-STARLITE travels alongside the target, operating in a stand-on mode, slowly deflecting it over a long period. Such a stand-on system would also permit directing the thrust in any desired direction through careful positioning of the laser relative to the asteroid. We present orbital simulations comparing the effectiveness of both systems across a range of laser and asteroid parameters. Simulated parameters include magnitude, duration and, for the stand-on system, direction of the thrust, as well as the size and orbital characteristics of the target asteroid. These simulations indicate that deflection distance is, in general, proportional to the magnitude of thrust, proportional to the square of the laser on time, and inversely proportional to the mass. Furthermore, deflection distance shows strong dependence on thrust direction with optimal direction varying with the asteroid\u27s orbital eccentricity. As one example, we consider a 325 m asteroid in an orbit of eccentricity e=0.2; given 15 years of warning, a force of just 2 N from a stand-on DE-STARLITE system is sufficient to deflect the asteroid by 2 Earth radii. We discuss numerous scenarios and discuss a practical implementation of such a system consistent with current launch vehicle capabilities

Orbital Simulations for Directed Energy Deflection of Near-Earth Asteroids

Directed energy laser ablation at the surface of an asteroid or comet produces an ejection plume that will impart a thrust on the asteroid. This thrust can mitigate a threatened collision with the Earth. This technique uses the asteroid itself as the deflection propellant. The DESTAR laser system is designed to produce a sufficiently intense spot on the surface of an asteroid to accomplish this in one of two operational modes. One is a complete stand-off mode where a large space based phased-array laser directed energy system can interdict asteroids at large distances allowing sufficient time to mitigate nearly all known threats. A much smaller version of the same system, called DE-STARLITE, can be used in a stand-on mode by taking a much smaller laser to the asteroid and slowly deflecting it over a sufficiently long period of time. Here we present orbital simulations for a range of near-Earth asteroid impact scenarios for both the standoff and stand-on systems. Simulated orbital parameters include asteroid radius and composition, initial engagement time, total laser-on time and total energy delivered to target. The orbital simulations indicate that, for exposures that are less than an orbital time, the thrust required to divert an asteroid is generally inversely proportional to laser-on time, proportional to target mass and proportional to the desired miss distance. We present a detailed stand-on scenario, consistent with current dedicated mission capabilities, to show the potential for laser ablation to allow significant deflection of targets with small systems. As one example we analyze a DE-STARLITE mission scenario that is in the same mass and launch envelope as the proposed Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM) but using a multi kilowatt class laser array capable of deflecting a 325 m diameter asteroid with 2N of thrust for 15 years in a small fraction of even the smallest SLS block 1 launch vehicle configuration

Orbital Simulations on Deflecting Near-Earth Objects by Directed Energy

Laser ablation of a Near Earth Object (NEO) on a collision course with Earth produces a cloud of ejecta which exerts a thrust on the NEO, deflecting it from its original trajectory. Ablation may be performed from afar by illuminating an Earth-targeting asteroid or comet with a stand-off “DE-STAR” system consisting of a large phased-array laser in Earth orbit. Alternatively, a much smaller stand-on “DE-STARLITE” system may travel alongside the target, slowly deflecting it from nearby over a long period. This paper presents orbital simulations comparing the effectiveness of both systems across a range of laser and NEO parameters. Simulated parameters include magnitude, duration and, for the stand-on system, direction of the thrust, as well as the type, size and orbital characteristics of the target NEO. These simulations indicate that deflection distance is approximately proportional to the magnitude of thrust and to the square of the duration of ablation, and is inversely proportional to the mass. Furthermore, deflection distance shows strong dependence on thrust direction with the optimal direction of thrust varying with the duration of laser activity. As one example, consider a typical 325m asteroid: beginning 15 yr in advance, just 2N of thrust from a ∼ 20kW stand-on DE-STARLITE system is sufficient to deflect the asteroid by 2R⊕. Numerous scenarios are discussed as is a practical implementation of such a system consistent with current launch vehicle capabilities

Ecological resilience, climate change, and the Great Barrier Reef

The vulnerability assessments in this volume frequently refer to the resilience of various ecosystem elements in the face of climate change. This chapter provides an introduction to the concept of ecological resilience, and its application as part of a management response to climate change threats. As defined in the glossary, resilience refers to the capacity of a system to absorb shocks, resist dramatic changes in condition, and maintain or recover key functions and processes, without undergoing "phase shifts" to a qualitatively different state (Figure 4.1)32, 72. For example, people who are physically and mentally fit and strong will have good prospect of recovery from disease, injury or trauma: they are resilient. In Figure 4.1, a ball placed at position 1 is dynamically stable: not only will it remain in position, but if pushed in any direction, it will return to its original position; thus the ball in this state is resilient, in that it can absorb shocks and return to a similar condition or state. In contrast, a ball placed at position 2 may be initially stable (it will remain in position if undisturbed) but not dynamically stable: if disturbed, it will move away. Thus the ball at position 2 is not resilient, and disturbances will result in a shift in state. If the ball at position 1 is disturbed to anywhere within the red circle, the ball will return to position 1; however, if disturbed further, the ball may not return, but may move to a new, alternate stable state (eg position 3). This system is resilient to disturbances that push it within the red boundary. However, if external factors decreased the depth of position 1, or lowered the saddle at point 2, then the system's resilience would be reduced. By analogy to coral reef ecosystems, position 1 might be a coral-dominated reef, and position 3 algal dominated. A disturbance such as killing coral that is overgrown by algae would move the reef toward an algal-dominated state; if the reef is resilient, this change would be temporary and natural processes would allow coral to re-establish and recover. If not, the algal dominance might be sufficient to preclude coral regrowth or recruitment, and the reef would change trajectory, moving toward algal dominance. Ecological resilience refers to the capacity of an ecosystem, habitat, population or taxon to withstand, recover from or adapt to impacts and stressors, such as climate change, and retain the same structure, processes and functions³². For example, coral reefs are naturally very dynamic, undergoing constant change and disturbances, but, under natural conditions, they have considerable capacity to recover or maintain key processes and functions in the face of such disturbances or pressures. Tropical storms may cause dramatic damage to coral populations, and hence to the physical habitat structure, with dead coral being overgrown by various forms of algae. This will result in a temporarily changed state, and changes in ecological functions. On a resilient reef, over a period of five to 20 years, the altered state is unstable: coral fragments will regrow, and new corals will settle, grow and gradually replace the algae, restoring the reef to coral dominance, and restoring ecological structure and processes. In contrast, however, if human impacts have undermined that resilience, algal growth may be exacerbated, coral regrowth and colonisation may be suppressed, and the altered state and processes may become stable, causing a long-term "phase shift", or change, to algal dominance

Orbital simulations of laser-propelled spacecraft

Spacecraft accelerate by directing propellant in the opposite direction. In the traditional approach, the propellant is carried on board in the form of material fuel. This approach has the drawback of being limited in Delta v by the amount of fuel launched with the craft, a limit that does not scale well to high Delta v due to the massive nature of the fuel. Directed energy photon propulsion solves this problem by eliminating the need for on-board fuel storage. We discuss our system which uses a phased array of lasers to propel the spacecraft which contributes no mass to the spacecraft beyond that of the reflector, enabling a prolonged acceleration and much higher final speeds. This paper compares the effectiveness of such a system for propelling spacecraft into interplanetary and interstellar space across various laser and sail configurations. Simulated parameters include laser power, optics size and orbit as well as payload mass, reflector size and the trajectory of the spacecraft. As one example, a 70 GW laser with 10 km optics could propel a 1 kg craft past Neptune (~30 au) in 5 days at 4% the speed of light, or a 1 g “wafer-sat” past Mars (~0.5 au) in 20 minutes at 21% the speed of light. However, even lasers down to 2 kW power and 1 m optics show noticeable effect on gram-class payloads, boosting their altitude in low Earth orbits by several kilometers per day which is already sufficient to be of practical use