Needs Assessment: Veterans in the Western United States

In this report, the authors focus on the diverse challenges facing veterans in 12 states and communities that account for nearly one-third of all veterans nationwide. They report on the specific challenges of mental health care, employment, housing, family support, reintegration and legal matters with which veterans in the region are contending and propose steps to address them. Among their recommendations, Mr. Carter and Ms. Kidder urge private philanthropists, as well as public funders, to encourage communities to build collaboration and coordination mechanisms that allocate increasingly scarce resources efficiently an

Needs Assessment: Veterans in Southwest Pennsylvania

This assessment by the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) finds that Southwest Pennsylvania veterans are struggling with issues pertaining to education, access to benefits and economic security immediately after leaving military service. It also finds that the region's 235,000 veterans differ dramatically in how they feel about veterans benefits and their own well-being depending on whether they served before 9/11 or after. This mixed methods study provides a comprehensive portrait of veterans in Southwest Pennsylvania, one of the nation's largest and densest veterans communities. CNAS researchers used cutting-edge analytical tools from the Veterans Data Project to better understand the population, leveraging public data sets made available by DoD, VA, and the Census Bureau to understand macro-level trends in the area. In addition to this data, the CNAS team conducted interviews and working group discussions with individuals representing more than 50 public, private and nonprofit sector organizations serving veterans in the region, and conducted surveys of area veterans as well

Questioning the Definition of Sex in Title VII: Bostock v. Clayton County, Ga.

In October of 2019, the Supreme Court heard the arguments of two cases presenting the same inquiry: whether Title VII’s prohibition on sex discrimination encompasses discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Currently, twenty-one states as well as the District of Columbia expressly prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation by statute or regulation. Other states offer protection in the form of agency interpretation or court ruling. However, for the remaining states with no established protections, Title VII stands as the only potential safeguard against sexual orientation discrimination. The following Commentary considers the case of Gerald Bostock, a gay man from the state of Georgia who was fired from his job in 2013. The Eleventh Circuit held that Title VII does not prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation, but Bostock appealed the case and was granted certiorari. The Supreme Court consolidated this case with Altitude Express Inc. v. Zarda and allotted a single hour for oral argument that took place on October 8, 2019. The Supreme Court is expected to come to a decision in the first half of 2020.The Court will decide whether to expand the definition of the term “sex” in Title VII to include sexual orientation, which is a desirable policy on its face. Discrimination in the workplace—based on anything other than work performance—is not only archaic, but abhorrent. A redefinition of the term “sex” would also help resolve the circuit court split on the issue. However, these cases might instead push the Supreme Court to make a more consequential decision, one stretching the bounds of Constitutional separation of powers

A comparative study of two methods of estimating quotients when learning to divide by two-figure divisors.

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Boston University

The construction and analysis of a readiness test for the addition of fractions.

Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston Universit

TOLERANCE OF SEEDLING TURFGRASS SPECIES TO ALS INHIBITING HERBICIDES

Acetolactate synthase (ALS) inhibiting herbicides are commonly used to eliminate weeds from mature turfgrasses. Field trials were conducted from 2004-2006, testing ALS herbicides for preemergence and early postemergence activity on newly seeded turfgrasses, using four species: Riviera bermuda, Zenith and Companion zoysia, L- 93 creeping bentgrass, and Poa annua L. Data collected were phytotoxicity and percent turf cover. Bermuda and zoysia herbicides were metsulfuron-methyl (42 g ha-1), trifloxysulfuron (29 g ha-1), flazasulfuron (53 g ha-1), foramsulfuron (30 g ha-1), bispyribac-sodium (112 g ha-1), and rimsulfuron (35 g ha-1). Treatments occurred the day of seeding and two-three weeks after seeding. Flazasulfuron, trifloxysulfuron and bispyribac-sodium caused significant damage in all treatments. Data suggests that bermuda and zoysia are tolerant of seedling treatments of foramsulfuron, rimsulfuron, and metsulfuron-methyl at these rates. Bentgrass and P. annua herbicides were foramsulfuron (15 and 30 g ha-1), siduron (2803 g ha-1), bispyribac-sodium (49 g ha-1), and paclobutrazol (281 g ha-1). Treatments occurred the day of seeding, two and four weeks after seeding. Foramsulfuron at 15 and 30 g ha-1 caused significant damage regardless of when it was applied. Data suggests that bentgrass and P. annua are tolerant of seedling treatments of siduron, paclobutrazol, and bispyribac-sodium at these rates

Shear banding in polymeric fluids under large amplitude oscillatory shear flow

In this thesis, I theoretically explore shear banding of entangled linear polymer solutions and melts in large amplitude oscillatory shear strain (LAOStrain) and stress (LAOStress) protocols. This work moves beyond that of Moorcroft and Fielding [2013, 2014] who showed time-dependent shear banding in shear startup and step stress protocols. These protocols are only transiently time-dependent. LAOStrain and LAOStress have a sustained time-dependence. I consider the criteria derived in [Moorcroft and Fielding 2013] to predict the onset of shear banding in the transient material response for shear startup and step stress, relative to the triggers of shear banding in LAOStrain and LAOStress. I find that stability to the formation of shear banded flow in the LAOS protocols can be understood - to a good approximation - by the known triggers of shear banding in these simpler transiently time-dependent protocols. I employ the Rolie-Poly (RP) model [Graham et al. 2003] to investigate the existence of shear banding in LAOStrain and LAOStress over a wide range of imposed amplitudes and frequencies. I find shear banding to occur in the alternance state (where time-translational invariance is achieved), even in materials that are known to remain homogeneous at the steady state. For each protocol I consider the relative influence of the constraint-release stress relaxation RP parameter and entanglement number (Z) on the intensity of shear banding across the phase space. I find significant shear banding to occur in both LAOStrain and LAOStress for experimentally-realistic values of Z, both in materials that shear band to steady state, and those that don't. The main results of these investigations are submitted for publication in the Journal of Rheology [Carter et al. 2016]. Finally, I consider the shortcomings of using a single-mode RP model when characterising the full chain dynamics of entangled linear polymers in flow. I employ a multimode approach and fit a power-law spectrum to experimental linear rheology data and investigate time-dependent shear banding in the presence of higher-order relaxation dynamics. For this, I use the simpler shear startup protocol and investigate the limits under which significant shear banding exists for well-entangled polymers and discuss the possible importance of considering edge fracture as a mechanism for shear banding

Charting the Sea of Goodwill

"Charting The Sea Of Goodwill," conducts a comprehensive landscape analysis of the military and veteran-service organization space and its funding sources, and finds that while the support needed by more than 21 million veterans in America is growing, philanthropic support is fragmented and charitable contributions are not keeping pace. The authors of the report provide a comprehensive overview of the state of philanthropy for the military and veteran community from 2001 until now