A framework of effective debris management for a resilient community

Natural disasters have an enormous physical impact on communities and generate a huge volume of debris. The amount of debris is almost five to ten times higher than the annual solid waste volume in a community, and slow debris removal can hinder both emergency response and proceeding with the tasks of recovery. The cost of debris management also can reach more than 27% of the total disaster recovery costs. Therefore, debris management teams have considerable challenges in removing disaster debris. ^ This thesis introduces a framework for an effective debris management plan based on the interrelationship between critical infrastructure systems for debris management and providing resources that would enable a community to effectively remove debris from disaster-affected areas. This research also focuses on the impact of the capacity of infrastructure systems and the resources required for debris management with respect to the general debris removal procedures of generation, collection, transportation, processing, and disposal. ^ A debris management team could benefit from this research by being able to evaluate the existing debris management system in a community at pre- or post-disaster levels and assess its current resilience and total duration for debris removal in order to set up a short- and long-term strategy. The framework also suggests the feasible capacities of debris handling facilities and the resources required to improve the resilience of a community with respect to debris management

Citizen Participation and Transparency in Local Government: Do Participation Channels and Policy Making Phases Matter?

The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationship between citizen engagement in various public participation programs and the participants’ assessment of transparency in local government. To examine this relationship, the study focused on three aspects of citizen participation: (1) citizen engagement in participation programs generally, (2) online versus offline participation, and (3) online or offline participation in policymaking phases specifically. A 2009 survey of residents of Seoul, South Korea, was used to test the study hypotheses, as it provided information from 1,014 respondents on their citizen participation and their perceptions of transparency in government. Surprisingly, citizens’ engagement in public participation programs was not significantly associated with perceptions of transparency in government. Moreover, citizen participation in online programs had a marginally negative association with assessments of government transparency. However, citizens who engaged in offline participation programs during the policy agenda setting phase indicated a more favorable assessment of transparency in local government

Selecting a Temporary Debris Management Site for Effective Debris Removal

The overall debris removal after disasters is often prolonged due to the huge amount of debris and lack of capacities such as a Temporary Debris Management Site (TDMS) in the community. This results in a delay of overall recovery and increases the total recovery cost. Strategic planning and building a TDMS will help in providing extra time for proper disposal of debris and clearing a disaster-impacted site that will facilitate the reconstruction process. This paper presents a unique approach for identifying and selecting TDMS locations for expediting debris removal from the community. A hypothetical example of a community impacted by a natural hazard is presented to explain how the the proposed model works. The research integrates data from a loss assessment report obtained from HAZUS-MH, Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA), and Geographical Information System (GIS) in a dynamic simulation model. Various TDMS locations could be evaluated based on the existing capacity and infrastructure services and considering factors such as overall debris removal time, associated cost, productivity, and availability of resources. Debris management teams would greatly benefit from the research for strategically siting TDMS for accelerating the debris removal process

Information Technology Investment and Carbon Intensity in the Era of Cloud Computing: A Cross-National Study

To tackle climate change in the digital economy, there has been increasing attention to the role of information technology (IT) investment in decoupling economic growth from greenhouse gas emissions, or reducing carbon intensity. This research examines the impact of cloud computing on carbon intensity and further scrutinizes how the advent of cloud computing has altered the relationship between IT capital and carbon intensity. We combine data on IT capital stock for 51 countries during 1995-2014 with a natural experiment involving the staggered launches of cloud data centers across countries. Our preliminary findings suggest that cloud on-ramps availability is positively associated with carbon intensity, whereas it negatively moderates the impact of IT capital on carbon intensity. Taken together, our preliminary evidence implies that the environmental impact of cloud computing may not be as adverse as conjectured if we factor in its indirect effect on making overall IT capital greener

Draft genome of methanol-oxidizing Methylobacterium fujisawaense strain LAC1

We report the draft genome of Methylobacterium fujisawaense LAC1 isolated from an acidic aquifer in Indian Head, MD, USA. The genome contains 5,883,000 bp and has a GC content of 70% with 5,434 protein-encoding genes with functional assignments. This strain can grow on methanol with lanthanum, a rare earth element

Active Citizen E-Participation in Local Governance: Do Individual Social Capital and E-Participation Management Matter?

Abstract While a growing body of literature has touted e-participation as a means of facilitating greater citizen participation in policy decision-making processes, little is known about the driving forces of active citizen e-participation. Active e-participation is defined as the extent to which citizens make inputs via e-participation programs. Based on a literature review of social capital and citizen participation, the study develops a model of active e-participation and tests it in the context of local governance. Three dimensions of social capital -trust in government, strength of social ties, and volunteering activitiesare classified to explore the association of individual social capital and active e-participation. The model addresses that three dimensions of citizen participation management -fairness, access to information, and government responsiveness -are positively associated with active e-participation. To test several hypotheses, the study uses the 2009 E-Participation Survey data collected from 1,076 participants of the Cheon Man Sang Sang Oasis, which is an e-participation program administered by the Seoul Metropolitan Government in South Korea since 2006. Using ordered logistic regression analysis, the study found that citizens' trust in government and their volunteer experiences are positively related to active e-participation. The results demonstrate that citizens embedded in weak offline social ties are likely to use e-participation actively. The study also found that citizens' perception of quality responsiveness during the e-participation process is positively related to active e-participation. Based on the study's findings, the paper discusses the managerial and policy implications for fostering citizens' eparticipation through effective e-participation programs in the context of local governance

Dispersion retrieval from multi-level ultra-deep reactive-ion-etched microstructures for terahertz slow-wave circuits

A multi-level microstructure is proposed for terahertz slow-wave circuits, with dispersion relation retrieved by scattering parameter measurements. The measured return loss shows strong resonances above the cutoff with negligible phase shifts compared with finite element analysis. Splitting the circuit into multi levels enables a low aspect ratio configuration that alleviates the loading effect of deep-reactive-ion etching on silicon wafers. This makes it easier to achieve flat-etched bottom and smooth sidewall profiles. The dispersion retrieved from the measurement, therefore, corresponds well to the theoretical estimation. The result provides a straightforward way to the precise determination of dispersions in terahertz vacuum electronics.</jats:p

Vitamin D and Exercise Are Major Determinants of Natural Killer Cell Activity, Which Is Age- and Gender-Specific

BackgroundThe coronavirus-19 disease (COVID-19) pandemic reminds us of the importance of immune function, even in immunologically normal individuals. Multiple lifestyle factors are known to influence the immune function.ObjectiveThe aim was to investigate the association between NK cell activity (NKA) and multiple factors including vitamin D, physical exercise, age, and gender.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional association study using health check-up and NKA data of 2,095 subjects collected from 2016 to 2018 in a health check-up center in the Republic of Korea. NKA was measured using the interferon-γ (IFN-γ) stimulation method. The association of NKA with 25-(OH)-vitamin D (25(OH)D) and other factors was investigated by multiple logistic regression analysis.ResultsThe average age of subjects was 48.8 ± 11.6 years (52.9% of subjects were female). Among 2,095 subjects, 1,427 had normal NKA (NKA ≥ 500 pg IFN-γ/mL), while 506 had low NKA (100 ≤ NKA &lt; 500 pg/mL), and 162 subjects had very low NKA (NKA &lt; 100 pg/mL). Compared to men with low 25(OH)D serum level (&lt; 20 ng/mL), vitamin D replete men (30–39.9 ng/mL) had significantly lower risk of very low NKA (OR: 0.358; 95% CI: 0.138, 0.929; P = 0.035). In women, both low exercise (OR: 0.529; 95% CI: 0.299, 0.939; P = 0.030) and medium to high exercise (OR: 0.522; 95% CI: 0.277, 0.981; P = 0.043) decreased the risk compared to lack of physical exercise. Interestingly, in men and women older than 60 years, physical exercise significantly decreased the risk. Older-age was associated with increased risk of very low NKA in men, but not in women.ConclusionPhysical exercise and vitamin D were associated with NKA in a gender- and age-dependent manner. Age was a major risk factor of very low NKA in men but not in women