Pismo Beach Lions Club Sidewalk Replacement

The objective of this senior project was to provide a long lasting and safe sidewalk for all the people that attend the Lions Club for future events. The idea came to be after talking to Karen Walsh, and how many previous visitors had tripped and fallen from the uneven sidewalk. The sidewalk was originally poured over 30+ years ago, and it was time for a newly built pathway. The project involved creating an estimate, schedule and coordinating with the club to see the project all the way through. The new sidewalk is now built stronger than ever before and is now reinforced with concrete Ramesh which will help with cracks in the future. The sidewalk is now suitable for any events being hosted at the Lions Club and there will be no need to worry about an uneven and cracked pathway

From the Battlefield to the Civilian Labor Force: What are the Obstacles Facing Military Veterans in Successful Reintegration to the Civilian Workforce?

The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological research study was to explore and understand the difficulties and challenges that thousands of combat veterans have encountered in their reintegration into society and the civilian workforce. The research study was guided by the four research questions: What were the lived experiences of combat veterans as they transitioned from military service to civilian employment? What were the challenges and difficulties that combat veterans experienced when seeking civilian employment? What are the successes that combat veterans have experienced in transitioning to the civilian workforce? What perceptions do human resource managers have about combat veterans and their transferable skills? In seeking answers to the research questions, an exhaustive literature review was conducted, as well as in-depth interviews with fifteen combat veterans. The data that was collected, was analyzed, and numerous themes emerged. The themes were depression with a sub-theme of self-medication, loss of identity, PTSD, and suicidal ideation. Additional themes were education, waste of time, ignorance, and discrimination. The themes consistent with the conceptual and the literature review. Findings were presented, as well as applications to professional practice, and Biblical implications. Recommendations for action, and further study were made. The researcher reflected on the entire journey. The findings accurately reported the lived experiences of the fifteen research participants

Latina/o leadership: Transforming community colleges

The historic mission of community colleges has focused on serving the need of their local communities. From vocational training, lifelong learning courses, to the postsecondary transfer pathway; the scope of community college has remained expansive since their founding as extensions of local secondary schools. Today\u27s community colleges enroll the largest proportion of Latina/o students than any institutional type in higher education, yet the leadership composition of these schools does not reflect the students who enroll. The purpose of this study was to use Bordas\u27 (2001) Latina/o Leadership Model to make sense of Latina/o community college leaders\u27 demographics, career pathways, participation in leadership programs, and educational preparation. A geographic distribution of Latina/o leaders in U.S. community colleges helped inform and challenge what we know about the regional enclaves where Latina/os live and work. The members of the National Community College Hispanic Council (NCCHC) an affiliate council of the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) served as participants in this study. Major findings of the study included; challenging the dominance of the race-neutral AACC competencies and the importance for Latina/o leaders to tell their stories to challenges dominant knowledge claims about Latina/os in higher education and community colleges

Flight measured and calculated exhaust jet conditions for an F100 engine in an F-15 airplane

The exhaust jet conditions, in terms of temperature and Mach number, were determined for a nozzle-aft end acoustic study flown on an F-15 aircraft. Jet properties for the F100 EMD engines were calculated using the engine manufacturer's specification deck. The effects of atmospheric temperature on jet Mach number, M10, were calculated. Values of turbine discharge pressure, PT6M, jet Mach number, and jet temperature were calculated as a function of aircraft Mach number, altitude, and power lever angle for the test day conditions. At a typical test point with a Mach number of 0.9, intermediate power setting, and an altitude of 20,000 ft, M10 was equal to 1.63. Flight measured and calculated values of PT6M were compared for intermediate power at altitudes of 15500, 20500, and 31000 ft. It was found that at 31000 ft, there was excellent agreement between both, but for lower altitudes the specification deck overpredicted the flight data. The calculated jet Mach numbers were believed to be accurate to within 2 percent

The Across-Shelf Distribution of Larval, Postlarval and Juvenile Fishes Collected at Oil and Gas Platforms and a Coastal Jetty Off Louisiana West of the Mississippi River Delta.

A cross-shelf transect of three petroleum platforms and a coastal rock jetty (another hard-substrate, artificial habitat) in the northcentral Gulf were sampled to examine the role that oil and gas platforms (hard substrate habitat) may play in the early life history stages of reef-dependent and reef-associated fishes. The ichthyoplankton and juvenile fish assemblages were sampled at Green Canyon 18 (GC 18; 230 m depth, shelf slope); Grand Isle 94 (GI 94; 60 m depth, mid-shelf); and South Timbalier 54 (ST 54; 20 m depth, inner shelf) with passive plankton nets and light-traps and at a coastal rock jetty (Belle Pass; 3--5 m depth) with a light-trap and a plankton pushnet. At all sites clupeiforms dominated samples, comprising 59--97% of the total catch. Results of Kolmogorov-Smirnov length-frequency comparisons of fish collected in plankton nets vs. light-traps (platforms) indicated light-traps generally collected significantly larger individuals. At the jetties, greater overlap in size distributions was observed for comparisons of the pushnet and light-trap. Reef-dependent (e.g., pomacentrids, scarids, chaetodontids and labrids) and reef-associated (e.g., serranids, lutjanids, blenniids and holocentrids) taxa were relatively rare in our collections compared to coastal pelagic (scombrids and carangids) and demersal taxa (sciaenids), which are also often associated with petroleum platforms. Taxonomic richness and diversity was highest at mid-shelf platform (GI 94), possibly a result of its proximity to a high density of upstream and surrounding platforms which may create generally favorable conditions for the recruitment of reef taxa. Preflexion and early larval stages of reef-dependent and reef-associated fishes were collected at the outer shelf platform (blenniids, holocentrids, serranids, lutjanids and scarids), mid-shelf platform (pomacentrids, blenniids, holocentrids, lutjanids and serranids), and inner shelf platform (blenniids and lutjanids), suggesting nearby spawning or local supply. Similarly, presettlement and settlement-sized reef-dependent and reef-associated fishes were collected at the outer shelf (pomacentrids, scarids, blenniids, serranids, lutjanids and holocentrids), midshelf (pomacentrids, blenniids, serranids, lutjanids and holocentrids), and inner shelf (labrids, blenniids, serranids and lutjanids) platforms. With the limited amount of hard-substrate habitat available in the northern Gulf, the addition of artificial habitats (platforms) may increase the chances of finding suitable spawning or settlement habitat

Do marketing margins change with food scares?: Examining the effects of food recalls and disease outbreaks in the us red meat industry

This paper examines the impact of food scares on marketing margins in the US beef and pork industry. We analyze how market stresses induced by different food recalls and disease outbreaks affect price margins and the extent of price transmission at the slaughter-to-wholesale and wholesale-to-retail levels. We use monthly data for the period 1986–2008. The results indicate that marketing margins are differentially affected by Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) recalls and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) outbreaks at different levels of the beef and pork marketing chain, although the effects are generally quite modest. Only BSE discoveries in the United States considerably affect marketing margins in the beef industry, specifically at the wholesale-to-retail level, as well as the extent of price transmission at the bottom of the beef and pork marketing channel. We also find that food safety incidents have minor cross-industry and cross-country effects on marketing margins.marketing margins, price transmission, food recalls, BSE outbreaks, red meat industry,

Seasonal variability in ichthyoplankton abundance and assemblage composition in the northern Gulf of Mexico off Alabama

Multiyear ichthyoplankton surveys used to monitor larval fish seasonality, abundance, and assemblage structure can provide early indicators of regional ecosystem changes. Numerous ichthyoplankton surveys have been conducted in the northern Gulf of Mexico, but few have had high levels of temporal resolution and sample replication. In this study, ichthyoplankton samples were collected monthly (October 2004–October 2006) at a single station off the coast of Alabama as part of a long-term biological survey. Four seasonal periods were identified from observed and historic water temperatures, including a relatively long (June–October) “summer” period (water temperature >26°C). Fish egg abundance, total larval abundance, and larval taxonomic diversity were significantly related to water temperature (but not salinity), with peaks in the spring, spring–summer, and summer periods, respectively. Larvae collected during the survey represented 58 different families, of which engraulids, sciaenids, carangids, and clupeids were the most prominent. The most abundant taxa collected were unidentified engraulids (50%), sand seatrout (Cynoscion arenarius, 7.5%), Atlantic bumper (Chloroscombrus chrysurus, 5.4%), Atlantic croaker (Micropogonias undulatus, 4.4%), Gulf menhaden (Brevoortia patronus, 3.8%), and unidentified gobiids (3.6%). Larval concentrations for dominant taxa were highly variable between years, but the timing of seasonal occurrence for these taxa was relatively consistent. Documented increases in sea surface temperature on the Alabama shelf may have various implications for larval fish dynamics, as indicated by the presence of tropical larval forms (e.g., fistularids, labrids, scarids, and acanthurids) in our ichthyoplankton collections and in recent juvenile surveys of Alabama and northern Gulf of Mexico seagrass habitats

An Investigation of the Prevalence of Upper Limb Neuropathies in Different Types of College Musicians by Use of Neurometrix Device

In general, people who perform repetitive motions are often vulnerable to repetitive strain injuries. Because musicians must execute the same motion over and over again while practicing and performing their music, they are an example of a group that often develops these repetitive strain injuries. More specifically, musicians are known for developing neuropathies in their upper limbs, with carpal tunnel syndrome and cubital tunnel syndrome being most common. However, because of varying playing postures, all musicians may not be at equal risk for developing these two neuropathies, so the purpose of this study was to identify which musician group has the highest risk of developing median and ulnar neuropathies. Results of this study show that the prevalence of carpal tunnel syndrome and cubital tunnel syndrome is fairly low, and that tingling is one of the first signs of these diseases. Also, brass players may have the highest risk of developing carpal tunnel syndrome, as only this musician group had a significant p-value when its incidence rate of carpal tunnel syndrome was compared to the incidence rate found in the general population. Finally, the results suggest that there may be a negative correlation between performing a warm-up routine and experiencing tingling. Therefore, music schools should teach all students, and especially brass players, to be aware of tingling and to take appropriate preventative measure such as warming-up in order to keep the incidence rates of carpal tunnel syndrome and cubital tunnel syndrome as low as possible

A Case Study of the Development of a Career Academy: Good Intentions Not Enough?

The purpose of this study was to explore how a career academy featuring an information technology (IT) theme approached the adoption of the model and the particular curricular focus. We used a case study design to explore the experiences of school personnel and community partners associated with the implementation of the career academy. We found that growing enrollment in the local district was a major driver to pursue small school designs as an alternative to the traditional high school comprehensive model. The small school size associated with small learning communities was valued by stakeholders and used to adopt and implement a career academy around a technology curricular theme. Another factor in the adoption decision was the availability of existing building infrastructure in the community. While the premises of the career academy model appeared to be a good fit in the district and community, we also found that good intentions are not enough to guarantee consistent fidelity throughout the career academy implementation. When new crises arise, input from all stakeholders may be shortchanged and decisions can turn into a top-down approach