Surface Erosion and Sedimentation Associated with Forest Land Use in Interior Alaska

Completion reportThe magnitude of sheet-rill erosion associated with various landscape manipulations is presented. The Universal Soil Loss Equation's usefulness for predicting annual sheet-rill erosion within interior Alaska is confirmed. Investigations of sheet-rill erosion indicate that removing the trees from forested areas with only minor ground cover disturbance did not increase erosion. Removing the ground cover, however, increased erosion 18 times above that on forested areas. Erosion is substantially reduced when disturbed areas are covered with straw mulch and fertilizer. Comparison of the actual erosion and the quantity of erosion predicted with the Universal Soil Loss Equation indicates that the equation overestimates annual erosion by an average of 21 percent. It overestimates individual storm erosion by an average of 174 percent. Data are also presented concerning sheet-rill erosion in a permafrost trail, distribution of the rainfall erosion index, and suggested cover and management factor values.This work was supported by the Institute of Northern Forestry, Pacific Northwest Forest and Range Experiment Station, USDA. The Institute of Water Resources, University of Alaska, provided facilities for this research

An appetite for learning : increasing employee demand for skills development

Raising the demand for skills amongst individuals in the workforce is critical if the UK is to meet its 2020 Ambition. This edition of Praxis highlights a number of policy interventions that the evidence suggests can work, and proposes a policy framework for describing and understanding these. The paper aims to stimulate wider debate about the policy interventions most likely to address the barriers to learning faced by the UK workforce. To this end the UK Commission welcomes readers' responses to the following questions, prompted by this paper

Introduction of Florida Bass Alleles into Largemouth Bass Inhabiting NortheastArkansas Stream Systems

Florida bass (Micropterus floridanus) have been introduced throughout much of the southern U.S. over the past 50 years. This species readily hybridizes with the extant largemouth bass (M. salmoides). Within Arkansas, the Florida bass is currently stocked in the southern half of the state. Previous studies of a northern Arkansas hatchery and a reservoir revealed the existence of Florida bass alleles in each. Other studies in Oklahoma and Texas have revealed the presence of Florida bass alleles in stream systems proximal to lakes stocked. Our goal was to investigate, using microsatellite analysis of 7 diagnostic loci, the presence of Florida bass alleles in 8 northeastern Arkansas streams to determine if Florida bass or hybrids had escaped from private farm ponds as compared to stocked reservoirs. We found rare instances of Florida bass alleles in most drainages, consistent with previous studies demonstrating a lack of containment of Florida bass once stocked. In Cane Creek, which flows adjacent to privately stocked farm ponds, one-third of the individuals had Florida bass alleles

ACEE composite structures technology

Toppics addressed include: advanced composites on Boeing commercial aircraft; composite wing durability; damage tolerance technology development; heavily loaded wing panel design; and pressure containment and damage tolerance in fuselages

Invariant expectations and vanishing of bounded cohomology for exact groups

We study exactness of groups and establish a characterization of exact groups in terms of the existence of a continuous linear operator, called an invariant expectation, whose properties make it a weak counterpart of an invariant mean on a group. We apply this operator to show that exactness of a finitely generated group $G$ implies the vanishing of the bounded cohomology of $G$ with coefficients in a new class of modules, which are defined using the Hopf algebra structure of $\ell_1(G)$.Comment: Final version, to appear in the Journal of Topology and Analysi

Distribution and Population Characteristics of Lower Walleye in the Eleven Point River, Arkansas

Walleye Sander vitreus (Mitchill) distributions and ecology have been poorly studied in southern river basins. We studied the longitudinal distribution and population characteristics of walleye in an unregulated river within the Ozark region of the U.S., the lower Eleven Point River, Arkansas, which has high species diversity. Walleye were collected in a 60 km segment of the river by daytime boat electrofishing over a three year period (2002-2004). Catch rates, growth rates and size structure were high relative to other streams studied in North America. Catch per effort ( = 5.2/h) was similar seasonally, spatially and among years. Proportional stock structures were quite high ( = 80), with numerous fish collected over 600 mm total length, 4 kg in mass and greater than 10 years of age. Relative weights of all length groups (stock size, proportional size structure, relative size structure) were at or greater than 90. Stomach contents of walleye were more suggestive of a generalist strategy in a stream of high species diversity, as compared to the targeting of a single numerically dominant prey, which is common in lentic systems

Decentralized Local Governance In Fragile States: Learning From Iraq

This article examines the role that local governance plays in creating an effective state and in building constructive state—society relations. Reconstruction efforts in fragile, post-conflict states have focused largely on central government, yet decentralized local authorities offer a number of positive features. Looking at the governance reconstruction experience in Iraq, the analysis explores the extent to which these positive features have characterized Iraqi sub-national government. The article draws lessons for governance reconstruction more generally, addressing decentralization choices, capacity-building, and political factors

Decentralized Local Governance In Fragile States: Learning From Iraq

This article examines the role that local governance plays in creating an effective state and in building constructive state—society relations. Reconstruction efforts in fragile, post-conflict states have focused largely on central government, yet decentralized local authorities offer a number of positive features. Looking at the governance reconstruction experience in Iraq, the analysis explores the extent to which these positive features have characterized Iraqi sub-national government. The article draws lessons for governance reconstruction more generally, addressing decentralization choices, capacity-building, and political factors