Drugs, local politics and the subversion of global counter-narcotics ideology in Burma’s eastern borderlands, 1988-2012

This chapter shows how the emergence of new international poverty reduction strategies at the turn of the 2000s put governance issues and their key principles at the forefront of the development agenda. It analyzes the transposition and customization of global stance with respect to the specific circumstances of Vietnam. The chapter focuses on ethnic communes to explicitly consider better governance as a way to overcome the deceiving economic performances of ethnic groups. It examines the primary quantitative and anthropological data, and aims to assess the effectiveness of participation and ownership principles applied by P135 program. The chapter presents the emblematic program P135 with a special focuses on its participatory component. It presents the qualitative and quantitative assessment of the participatory approach. The chapter draws on the 2007 baseline survey conducted by the General Statistics Office (GSO) using an impact evaluation protocol and then anthropological field work implemented over the years in the northern areas of the program

Design and Evaluation of a Stepped Diaphragm Intensity Scale Graphic Arts Sensitometer

An Intensity Scale Sensitometer for testing the photographic response of Graphic Arts materials was built and evaluated. The sensitometer utilizes a stepped area diaphragm and a cylindrical lens to produce a stepped illuminance distribution at the film plane. Both tungsten and pulsed xenon lamps are provided. A computer aided study was used to find the optimum lamp position with respect to the reflector. A scanning aperture type shutter located at the stepped diaphragm and a knife edge aperture located at the lens are used to control exposure duration and intensity. The main advantage of this sensitometer is the production of an intensity scale without interposing a light absorbing step wedge. This permits graphic arts screens to be overlayed directly on the film simulating practical exposures. The unique ability of this sensitometer to provide complete system photographic response (density - vs – log exposure or percent dot - vs - log exposure) was demonstrated through the use of practical exposures. The spectral distribution at the exposure plane and absolute Irradiance at each exposure step were measured. Exposure uniformity is estimated to be better than 2% for tungsten and 4% for pulsed xenon

Design of a Stepped Diaphragm Intensity Scale Sensitometer

Design of a Stepped Diaphragm Intensity Scale Sensitometer for testing the photographic response of Graphic Arts materials is presented. The sensitometer utalizes a stepped area target and a cylindrical lens to produce a stepped illuminance distribution at the film plane. A computer aided study is used to find the optimum lamp positions with respect to the reflector

Investigations into the fate and behavior of selected inorganic compounds during biomass gasification

Two sets of gasification experiments were performed in an effort to understand the fate of biomass nutrients and the effects of feedstock potassium on carbon conversion during gasification. The purpose of this research was to develop a comprehensive understanding of the issues of sustainability and efficiency facing biomass gasification. The results of these studies are described in detail within this thesis. The first study evaluated the fate of biomass nutrients in an integrated system of biomass production and gasification. Eight plots of switchgrass were grown and harvested for use in this study. Four plots were fertilized with 65 kg ha-1 of nitrogen (N) and four plots were not fertilized. Three essential biomass nutrients N, phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) as well as carbon (C) were individually tracked through a fluidized bed gasifier and subsequent gas clean up equipment. Mass balances were performed on each element to determine the percentage of that element that was able to be accounted for and the percentage that was able to be recovered in a form suitable for use as a soil amendment. The percentage of C recovered in a form suitable for field sequestration was independent of fertilizer N input and represented 13y1% (meanySD) of switchgrass C. Recovery of N in a form suitable for soil amendment was 55y7% of switchgrass N and was also independent of fertilizer N. The percentages of P and K recovered in forms suitable for soil amendment were both higher for the fertilized treatment of switchgrass than the unfertilized treatment. Recovery of P in a form suitable for soil amendment was 73y21% for the unfertilized treatment and 104y24% for the fertilized treatment. Likewise for K, recovery percentages for unfertilized and fertilized treatments were 61y9% and 71y9% respectively. The second study investigated the role of potassium and reaction temperature on carbon conversion during air blown fluidized bed gasification. To accomplish this, corn fiber, a low potassium biomass, was doped with varying amounts of potassium chloride and gasified at different temperatures. A statistical design of experiments consisting of 12 experiments was completed. Mass balances were performed and carbon conversion was determined. The results were used to generate a statistical model that was subsequently analyzed. The model predicted maximum carbon conversion for a feedstock potassium content of 1.85 wt% K and a bed temperature of 817 yC. The model also showed that carbon conversion was affected more by changes in bed temperature than changes in feedstock potassium content over the range of operating conditions used in this study. The observation that carbon conversion decreased above 817 yC was surprising but may be the result of increased volatilization of K, which would decrease the amount of K in contact with gasifying biomass. The apparently negligible effect of feedstock K on carbon conversion could be due to the potency of K as a gasification catalyst at concentrations as low as 0.3 wt%

Alien Registration- Meehan, Patrick J. (Portland, Cumberland County)

https://digitalmaine.com/alien_docs/21630/thumbnail.jp

MI-SEED Investment Funds and Account Growth: Implications for Achieving Higher Rates of Return in CDA Programs

In 2004, the Michigan Saving for Education, Entrepreneurship and Down Payment initiative (MI-SEED) recruited 430 families through 14 Head Start centers, enrolling 497 children in Child Development Accounts (CDAs). Designed to begin to address wealth disparities between low- and high-income families, the MI-SEED CDA used the state 529 college savings plan as the investment instrument. This brief presents results on MI-SEED savings and withdrawals through 2019. The results suggest that investment strategy greatly influences account growth, and the authors offer recommendations for ensuring acceptable growth in CDAs

Detroit Summer Youth Employment Program: Results of Employer and Youth Employee Exit Surveys

http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/108561/1/Emp_Youth_ExitSurvey_2010.pd