Programmable Trigger Logic Unit Based on FPGA Technology

A programmable trigger logic module (TRILOMO) was implemented successfully in an FPGA using their internal look-up tables to save Boolean functions. Up to 16 trigger input signals can be combined logically for a fast trigger decision. The new feature is that the trigger decision is VME register based. The changes are made without modifying the FPGA code. Additionally the module has an excellent signal delay adjustment.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

DeepFreeze: a management interface for ISEAGE

DeepFreeze is a framework designed to provide a unified command and control interface for the ISEAGE project. Besides being a graphical interface, it includes an extensive API and methodology for authoring and controlling applications executing within ISEAGE. It utilizes a wide array of technologies in the computing field to provide functions such as power management, efficient one-to-many communication, and fault tolerance for executing processes.;A concept application designed to aid in file distribution is presented. Also discussed are the modifications that were necessary to migrate the Traffic Mapper, a foundational component of ISEAGE, to the DeepFreeze environment

Observations and Laboratory Simulations of Tornadoes in Complex Topographical Regions

Aerial photos taken along the damage paths of the Joplin, MO, and Tuscaloosa-Birmingham, AL, tornadoes of 2011 captured and preserved several unique patterns of damage. In particular, a few distinct tree-fall patterns were noted along the Tuscaloosa-Birmingham tornado track that appeared highly influenced by the underlying topography. One such region was the focus of a damage survey and motivated laboratory vortex simulations with a 3-D foam representation of the underlying topography, in addition to simulations performed with idealized 2D topographic features, using Iowa State University\u27s tornado simulator. The purpose of this dissertation is to explore various aspects related to the interaction of a tornado or a tornado-like vortex with its underlying topography. Three topics are examined: 1) Analysis of tornado-induced tree-fall using aerial photography from the Joplin, MO, and Tuscaloosa-Birmingham, AL, tornadoes of 2011, 2) Laboratory investigation of topographical influences on a simulated tornado-like vortex, and 3) On the use of non-standard EF-scale damage indicators to categorize tornadoes

“I haven’t been able to do it on my own:” Experiences of teen parents on the Minnesota Family Investment Program

Teen pregnancy and welfare spending have been popular topics in the media in the recent years. The purpose of this study was to expand on previous research on the experiences of teen parents on the Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP) and allow the teen parents a chance to share their stories. Specifically, respondents were asked about their experiences leading up the decision to apply for MFIP, their current opinions of the program, and future plans. Professionals who work with teen parents were also interviewed and the responses were then compared and contrasted. Using a semi-structured interview format, four teen parents and two professionals were interviewed. Interviews were transcribed and coded by the researcher using an open coding technique. Several themes emerged from the research, including: lack of family support, experiences with violence, mental health concerns, drugs, positive and negative current experiences of the program, education as a goal, the desire to create a “normal” childhood, the need of the program to meet individual situations, and the desire for increased regulation for program participants. The findings report that MFIP participants and professionals have similar thoughts on how the program is currently working and what could be changed to make it more effective for teen parents. Ideas for positive change were shared by both participants and professionals

“I haven’t been able to do it on my own:” Experiences of teen parents on the Minnesota Family Investment Program

Teen pregnancy and welfare spending have been popular topics in the media in the recent years. The purpose of this study was to expand on previous research on the experiences of teen parents on the Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP) and allow the teen parents a chance to share their stories. Specifically, respondents were asked about their experiences leading up the decision to apply for MFIP, their current opinions of the program, and future plans. Professionals who work with teen parents were also interviewed and the responses were then compared and contrasted. Using a semi-structured interview format, four teen parents and two professionals were interviewed. Interviews were transcribed and coded by the researcher using an open coding technique. Several themes emerged from the research, including: lack of family support, experiences with violence, mental health concerns, drugs, positive and negative current experiences of the program, education as a goal, the desire to create a “normal” childhood, the need of the program to meet individual situations, and the desire for increased regulation for program participants. The findings report that MFIP participants and professionals have similar thoughts on how the program is currently working and what could be changed to make it more effective for teen parents. Ideas for positive change were shared by both participants and professionals

A Pedagogy of Provisioning: Urban Agriculture as a Mechanism for Community Renewal

This paper explores the significance of urban agriculture as a mechanism for teaching and learning to support the collective welfare of an inner-city neighborhood

Importance of fossil fuel emission uncertainties over Europe for CO2 modeling: model intercomparison

Inverse modeling techniques used to quantify surface carbon fluxes commonly assume that the uncertainty of fossil fuel CO2 (FFCO2) emissions is negligible and that intra-annual variations can be neglected. To investigate these assumptions, we analyzed the differences between four fossil fuel emission inventories with spatial and temporal differences over Europe and their impact on the model simulated CO2 concentration. Large temporal flux variations characterize the hourly fields (~40 % and ~80 % for the seasonal and diurnal cycles, peak-to-peak) and annual country totals differ by 10 % on average and up to 40 % for some countries (i.e., the Netherlands). These emissions have been prescribed to seven different transport models, resulting in 28 different FFCO2 concentrations fields. The modeled FFCO2 concentration time series at surface sites using time-varying emissions show larger seasonal cycles (+2 ppm at the Hungarian tall tower (HUN)) and smaller diurnal cycles in summer (-1 ppm at HUN) than when using constant emissions. The concentration range spanned by all simulations varies between stations, and is generally larger in winter (up to ~10 ppm peak-to-peak at HUN) than in summer (~5 ppm). The contribution of transport model differences to the simulated concentration std-dev is 2–3 times larger than the contribution of emission differences only, at typical European sites used in global inversions. These contributions to the hourly (monthly) std-dev's amount to ~1.2 (0.8) ppm and ~0.4 (0.3) ppm for transport and emissions, respectively. First comparisons of the modeled concentrations with 14C-based fossil fuel CO2 observations show that the large transport differences still hamper a quantitative evaluation/validation of the emission inventories. Changes in the estimated monthly biosphere flux (Fbio) over Europe, using two inverse modeling approaches, are relatively small (less that 5 %) while changes in annual Fbio (up to ~0.15 % GtC yr-1) are only slightly smaller than the differences in annual emission totals and around 30 % of the mean European ecosystem carbon sink. These results point to an urgent need to improve not only the transport models but also the assumed spatial and temporal distribution of fossil fuel emission inventories