Numerical Method For Tsunami Calculation Using Full Navier -Stokes Equations And The Volume Of Fluid Method

Thesis (Ph.D.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2006A two-dimensional numerical model was developed to study tsunami wave generation, propagation and runup. The model is based on solving the Navier-Stokes (NS) equations. The free-surface motion is tracked using the Volume of Fluid technique. The finite difference two-step projection method is used to solve NS equations and the forward time difference method to discretize the time derivative. A structured mesh is used to discretize the spatial domain. The model has been conceived as a versatile, efficient and practical numerical tool for tsunami computation, which could address a comprehensive understanding of tsunami physics with the ultimate aim of mitigating tsunami hazards. The prediction capability of tsunami generation, propagation and runup is improved by including more accurately the effects of vertical velocity/acceleration, dispersion and wave breaking. The model has the capability to represent complex curved boundaries within a Cartesian grid system and to deal with arbitrary transient-deformed moving boundaries. The numerical model was validated using laboratory experiments and analytical solutions. The model was used as a tool to determine the adequacy of the shallow water (SW) approximation in the application of tsunami simulations. Numerical results were compared with experimental data, analytical solutions and SW results in terms of the time-history free surface elevations and velocity. Reasonable agreements were observed based on the spatial and temporal distributions of the free surface and velocity

Welcoming Latino youth to California 4-H!

The University of California, Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) invested close to $2,000,000 over a period of three years to welcome Latino youth, families and volunteers to 4-H. The counties selected to participate in the pilot program encompass rural, suburban, and urban areas and include: Sonoma, Santa Barbara, Kern, Orange, Riverside, Monterey, and Merced. The objective of the pilot, called UC ANR 4-H Latino Initiative, is to develop, deliver, and assess culturally responsive program models to attract and retain Latino youth, families, and volunteers into 4-H. Seven 4-H Program Representatives (equivalent to Extension Educators in other states) were hired to work under the supervision of the county-based Advisors and the Assistant Director for 4-H Diversity and Expansion. This effort faced challenges and opportunities while designing the job description and conducting the selection process to ensure success of the program, even though research and promising practices from the literature were used to develop the position description and identify the qualifications of successful hires. This article shares the challenges, opportunities, and successful strategies used. Hiring staff with strong cultural capacities and positioning them in key roles is critical to building a cultural competent organization and addressing structural discrimination

Morphodynamic evolution of an estuary inlet

This paper presents the application of a morphodynamic model based on 2D reduced-physics principles to investigate morphology change of a complex estuary inlet system in the United Kingdom. The model combines a simple governing equation with a set of measured bathymetry data in order to model morphology change. The modelling method suggests that this simplified approach is able to recognise principal medium term morphodynamic trends in the estuary. However, the length and quality of the estuary bathymetry data set limits the applicability of the model to inter-annual scale

Embracing Diversity and Inclusion: An Organizational Change Model to Increase Intercultural Competence

Professionals in Extension who develop intercultural competence are better prepared to meet the needs of multicultural populations. This article addresses University of California Extension\u27s formation of an intercultural competence professional development initiative. We describe our use of an integrated conceptual framework that includes Hammer\u27s Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) and Kotter\u27s eight-step organizational change process to institutionalize the initiative. IDI pretest and posttest results indicate that California 4-H professionals are more culturally competent. The impact of the initiative also is reflected in the significant growth (151% increase) in Latino youth participation in 4-H. We provide recommendations for replicating our effort

Social Pressure or Rational Reactions to Incentives? A Historical Analysis of Reasons for Referee Bias in the Spanish Football

A relevant question in social science is whether cognitive bias can be instigated by social pressure or is it just a rational reaction to incentives in place. Sport, and association football in particular, offers settings in which to gain insights into this question. In this paper we estimate the determinants of the length of time between referee appointments in Spanish soccer as a function of referee decisions in favour of the home and away team in the most recent match by means of a deep-learning model. This approach allows us to capture all interactions among a high-dimensional set of variables without the necessity of specifying them beforehand. Furthermore, deep-learning models are nowadays the state of the art among the predicting models which are needed and here used for estimating effects of a cause. We do not find strong evidence of an incentive scheme that counteracts well-known home referee biases. Our results also suggest that referees are incentivised to deliver a moderate amount of surprise in the outcome of the game what is consistent with the objective function of consumers and tournament organisers

Two-dimensional reduced-physics model to describe historic morphodynamic behaviour of an estuary inlet

Understanding medium to long term morphodynamic change is important for sustainable coastal and estuary management. This paper analyses morphodynamic change of a complex estuary inlet which is subjected to multiple environmental drivers and proposes a reduced physics model to explain the historic medium term morphodynamic change of the inlet. The analysis shows that even though the estuary inlet undergoes multiscale morphological change, the changes that take place over a timescale of several years are more significant and important. The reduced physics model suggests that this simplified modelling approach is able to recognise principal historic morphodynamic trends in the estuary. However, the length and quality of the inlet bathymetry data set limits the applicability of the models and the quality of model outputs

Cortistain is expressed in a distinct subset of cortical interneurons

Cortistatin is a presumptive neuropeptide that shares 11 of its 14 amino acids with somatostatin. In contrast to somatostatin, administration of cortistatin into the rat brain ventricles specifically enhances slow wave sleep, apparently by antagonizing the effects of acetylcholine on cortical excitability. Here we show that preprocortistatin mRNA is expressed in a subset of GABAergic cells in the cortex and hippocampus that partially overlap with those containing somatostatin. A significant percentage of cortistatin-positive neurons is also positive for parvalbumin. In contrast, no colocalization was found between cortistatin and calretinin, cholecystokinin, or vasoactive intestinal peptide. During development there is a transient increase in cortistatin-expressing cells in the second postnatal week in all cortical areas and in the dentate gyrus. A transient expression of preprocortistatin mRNA in the hilar region at P16 is paralleled by electrophysiological changes in dentate granule cells. Together, these observations suggest mechanisms by which cortistatin may regulate cortical activity

National 4-H Common Measures: Initial Evaluation from California 4-H

Evaluation is a key component to learning about the effectiveness of a program. This article provides descriptive statistics of the newly developed National 4-H Common Measures (science, healthy living, citizenship, and youth development) based on data from 721 California 4-H youth. The measures were evaluated for their reliability and validity of individual items and overall measures using exploratory factor analysis. The measures overall appear to assess what they are intended to assess, but there are several methodological issues, such as cross-loading items and low variance. Recommendations for scale refinement and modifications are made