Enabling organizational strategy through effective capital programming

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2000.Vita.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 128-131).America's infrastructure assets are in a state of decay. There are too many needs with too few funds available for investment. Exacerbating the problem is the continuing decline of government infrastructure appropriations and poor public infrastructure management techniques. This thesis proposes the integration of organizational strategy and capital programming to produce an efficient infrastructure portfolio able to be financially managed by the owner agency. The strategic capital programming process aims to enable the owner agency to base investment decisions on prior agency performance, long-term agency goals, and realistic analyses of market trends. The iterative process incorporates six core steps: 1) an audit of the agency's past performance, 2) a strategic assessment of the agency's goals and market environment concluding with the development of a corresponding list of potential capital projects, 3) the compilation of a baseline resource profile of the portfolio of projects, 4) an iterative portfolio analysis of the capital projects using schedule, scope, delivery method, and financing as variables, 5) the choice of a capital program that most closely fits agency resource constraints and strategic goals, and 6) program execution, performance tracking, and feedback. There are three major advantages to implementing a capital programming process that is focused on achieving strategic agency goals through the use of performance analysis and variable project delivery strategies. The process results in an effective and efficient long-term infrastructure investment strategy. Through the use of the process, the agency enables the achievement of their goals rather than hindering them with poor management methods. Finally, the agency can satisfy public demand by becoming more accountable for their investment of funds and strategic decision-making due to increased stakeholder participation and market analysis in the programming process. This thesis presents a detailed description and analysis of a strategic capital programming model and its applicability to government agencies. A case study of the Massachusetts Port Authority compares the proposed process to capital programming processes currently in use in advanced government agencies. The case study validates the inclusion of agency audit and strategic programming processes in capital programming and establishes the need for a new standard of market- and performance- oriented decision-making incorporating increased communication and feedback within the organization.by Katie J. Adams.S.M

Are visual threats prioritized without awareness? A critical review and meta analysis involving 3 behavioral paradigms and 2696 observers

Given capacity limits, only a subset of stimuli 1 give rise to a conscious percept. Neurocognitive models suggest that humans have evolved mechanisms that operate without awareness and prioritize threatening stimuli over neutral stimuli in subsequent perception. In this meta analysis, we review evidence for this ‘standard hypothesis’ emanating from three widely used, but rather different experimental paradigms that have been used to manipulate awareness. We found a small pooled threat-bias effect in the masked visual probe paradigm, a medium effect in the binocular rivalry paradigm and highly inconsistent effects in the breaking continuous flash suppression paradigm. Substantial heterogeneity was explained by the stimulus type: the only threat stimuli that were robustly prioritized across all three paradigms were fearful faces. Meta regression revealed that anxiety may modulate threat biases, but only under specific presentation conditions. We also found that insufficiently rigorous awareness measures, inadequate control of response biases and low level confounds may undermine claims of genuine unconscious threat processing. Considering the data together, we suggest that uncritical acceptance of the standard hypothesis is premature: current behavioral evidence for threat-sensitive visual processing that operates without awareness is weak

Near-Surface Response of Beach Sand : An Experimental Investigation

The near-surface region of a coastal sediment bed is complex and dynamic. At some sites, near-surface sediment deposits are susceptible to extreme events, such as tsunamis or other large overflows, which induce high shear stresses on the sediment bed. The specific properties of sediment beds subjected to such extreme loading govern the response. Current sediment instability and transport models employ index characteristics of the sediment bed to predict the response; however, additional geotechnical factors could be considered in the models. The work herein aims to connect geotechnical and coastal engineering communities by characterizing near-surface beach sediments with geotechnical methods to inform more inclusive sediment instability and transport models as they continue to develop. A sediment bed investigation is performed in South Beach, Newport, Oregon, which is susceptible to a sizable tsunami following the impending Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake. A laboratory program is completed to determine the index properties and near-surface response trends of the sediment sampled from South Beach and to populate a database. More specifically, sieve analyses, particle shape analyses, specific gravity testing, minimum and maximum packing density testing, triaxial testing, simple shear testing, angle of repose testing, and inclined plane testing are performed and the methodology and results are discussed. Low confinement strength testing is performed using a simple shear device, which is thought to roughly mimic the type of shearing caused by tsunami-induced bed-shear stresses. Angle of repose and inclined plane testing are also performed to observe the response of the exposed sediment at the surface. In addition, existing correlations are evaluated for South Beach sediment that relate index properties to the response (e.g., using particle roundness to estimate the critical state friction angle) to observe the accuracy of the correlations for the fine sand. The results show similar trends found by other researchers using various testing techniques; however, the simple shear device shows some weaknesses when performing low confinement tests. A specific interest of the current study is understanding how the friction angle changes with decreasing confinement (i.e., as the in situ location of the deposit approaches the surface of the sediment bed) for the South Beach sand investigated. The friction angle is an important property that governs the response of sediment to various types of loading, including sediment exposed to bed-shear stresses. The results show that the investigated cross section of South Beach appears to be a generally stable and homogeneous environment; therefore, the sediment properties and response trends defined herein are expected to be applicable to the specific location for the foreseeable future, notwithstanding significant morphological changes from impending natural disasters or human-induced changes. The results also show that established correlations that utilize particle shape to estimate limiting packing densities and friction angle are generally applicable for the South Beach sediment. Although there are challenges with performing low confinement simple shear testing, the friction angle near the surface of the respective sediment bed is found to increase following the comprehensive interpretation of the test results. In addition, the laboratory results show that at depths less than about 3 m below the surface of a simulated dry, medium density sediment bed, the critical state and peak friction angles increase, and may be well estimated by the angle of repose and pocket-friction angles at the surface. The application of the sediment properties defined herein is focused towards sediment instability and transport models for the investigated location of South Beach; however, defining near-surface sediment properties and response trends is also important for many other engineering applications. Applications involving shallow soil response, including foundations, retaining structures, landslides, and lunar construction (where the ‘near-surface’ region would be a much larger zone due to the low stress environment of the moon), would be influenced by accounting for the effect of the altered loading response trends of soils near the surface. Considering the altered response trends (i.e., sediment strength properties) would improve the accuracy of analyses for the noted applications. The results of the current study imply that considering near-surface sediment characteristics will lead to improved sediment instability and transport model predictions, as expected. The improved predictions will help researchers determine appropriate input parameters to model their application of interest and result in better infrastructure design when the response of the near-surface region to extreme overflow events is of concern. For similar granular soil studies, laboratory procedures are suggested following the evaluation of methods performed herein while developing the database of properties for South Beach sand.Keywords: granular characteristics, low confinement, friction angle, shear strength, particle shape, near-surface respons

Genetic Structure of Grass Carp Populations in the Missouri and Mississippi River Basins, USA

We provided an early characterization of the genetic structure of the grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) population as it expands its distribution in both the Missouri and Mississippi River basins. Further, we provided initial comparisons of allelic richness at 17 polymorphic microsatellite markers between 56 grass carp from the USA, and six from the Yangtze River in China. The number of alleles per locus ranged from two to eight and size ranges of alleles for fish collected from the invaded and native ranges were similar (P ≤ 0.001; 107–226 bp) to those previously reported in the literature. Distance-based clustering methods did not suggest significant groupings by river reaches. Using allele frequencies, we identified a possible population bottleneck (heterozygosity excess in the Missouri River upstream sample group) between the uppermost Missouri River reach and all other samples which may indicate a difference in the level of diversity between the locations. Within population allelic diversity (AS) was 1.56, 2.27, and 1.39 for samples from the Missouri River in South Dakota and Nebraska, samples from the Missouri River in Missouri, and samples from the Mississippi River respectively. Despite isolation from the native population and exposure to a novel environment, in the nearly 50 years since their first introduction from China, the genome at these 17 microsatellite loci has diverged little from fish collected in their native range. We found only weak evidence to suggest that grass carp throughout the Missouri and upper Mississippi River basins are reproductively isolated from one another at this time. Range expansion can result in divergent genetic structure of subpopulations, which may provide clues about the mechanism of invasion success and inform fisheries scientists how to focus management efforts most effectively. These results provided a unique glimpse at a species early in the process of range expansion in the USA and provide a benchmark for future assessments of grass carp genetic structure in the Great Plains

Monocyte and Cytokine Responses are improved by Baker’s Yeast β-Glucan Supplementation following Exercise in a Hot, Humid Environment

Strenuous exercise is known to suppress the immune system, which can increase the chances of getting sick in the hours after exercise. The purpose of this study was to determine if 10-d of supplementation with yeast b-glucan alters monocyte concentration, LPS-stimulated cytokine production, and plasma cytokine concentration in recreationally active subjects. Recreationally active subjects (29 men, 31 women, 22±4 y) completed 49±6 min of cycling (37±2°C, 45±5% relative humidity) after consuming either yeast b-glucan (250 mg/d, BG) or a placebo (sugar pill, PL) for 10-days prior to each exercise session. The investigators were blinded to the supplement conditions until all data was collected and analyzed. Venous blood was collected at baseline (prior to supplement), pre-, post-, and 2-hours (2H) post exercise. Total and subset monocyte concentration was measured by flow cytometry. LPS-stimulated production of 12 cytokines was measured using a whole blood assay. Plasma concentration of 13 cytokines was measured using a high-sensitivity MagPix assay. Monocyte (CD14+) concentration was significantly greater at 2H (P=0.05) with BG. Also, compared to PL, BG boosted LPS-stimulated production IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, and IFN-g at PRE and POST (P\u3c0.05). Plasma concentration of IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-7, IL-10, and IFN-g were significantly greater at 2H in the BG compared to PL. In the placebo condition we observed the traditional response to strenuous exercise (rise at POST and suppression at 2H). It appears that 10-days of supplementation with BG primed blood leukocytes for the production of IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, and IFN-g. These cytokines were elevated prior to and immediately after exercise in LPS-stimulated cultures and subsequent elevation were observed at 2H with unstimulated plasma measures. In addition to cytokine changes, BG appeared to blunt post-exercise reduction in blood monocyte concentration, which may have implication of immune-surveillance. The key findings of the present study demonstrate that BG may be a suitable countermeasure to protect and boost the immune system following stressful exercise. Such boost is likely to lower the duration of the “open window” response. This study was funded by Biothera, The Immune Health Company

Archives Magazine

The first issue of The Archives Magazine, a student project, in cooperation with the Profesional Writing Program of the English Department at Kutztown University. The scope of this publication is the history of Kutztown University of Pennsylvania

2010 Ruby Yearbook

A digitized copy of the 2010 Ruby, the Ursinus College yearbook.https://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/ruby/1113/thumbnail.jp