Reducing Violent Crime in Dallas, Texas

Goal Statement: This project targets adolescent males aged 10-18 years who have been exposed to violence using Multisystemic Therapy-Prevention to reduce violent crime in Dallas County, Texas, by 10% in five years. Significant Findings: According to recent statistics published for Dallas County, Texas, violent crime presents the most prominent health challenge. It reveals an almost 30% increase in violent crimes per person above the national average (Dallas (DAS) County, Texas, n.d.). Given that the problem of violent crime is typically young and male and that 99% of perpetrators report having been victims of violence themselves, the target population for this project is adolescent males exposed to violence (Walsh, 2020). Key findings indicate that Multisystemic Therapy-Prevention programs have been successfully applied in evidence-based programs in several locations in the United States. This project includes recommendations for including Multisystemic Therapy-Prevention programs, diversity and ethical considerations, and several ideas regarding advocacy for the targeted population. Objectives/Strategies/Interventions/Next Steps: The objective is to reduce violent crime in Dallas County, Texas, by 10% over five years by implementing a Multisystemic Therapy-Prevention program targeting adolescent males aged 10-18 that have been exposed to violence. This strategy utilizes insight regarding protective and risk factors gained from research and social-ecological contexts, with interventions occurring at the individual, relationship, community, and societal levels. The next steps include implementing the prevention program accompanied by an advocacy action plan in partnering with the Dallas County District Attorney\u27s Office to ensure that every judge is required to review an assessment of every perpetrator\u27s adverse childhood experiences before any judgment or sentencing

Alien Registration- Sullivan, Mike (Rumford, Oxford County)

https://digitalmaine.com/alien_docs/14096/thumbnail.jp

Hollow Cathode and Low-Thrust Extraction Grid Analysis for a Miniature Ion Thruster

Miniature ion thrusters are well suited for future space missions that require high efficiency, precision thrust, and low contamination in the mN to sub-mN range. JPL’s miniature xenon Ion (MiXI) thruster has demonstrated an efficient discharge and ion extraction grid assembly using filament cathodes and the internal conduction (IC) cathode. JPL is currently preparing to incorporate a miniature hollow cathode for the MiXI discharge. Computational analyses anticipate that an axially upstream hollow cathode location provides the most favorable performance and beam profile; however, the hot surfaces of the hollow cathode must be sufficiently downstream to avoid demagnetization of the cathode magnet at the back of the chamber, which can significantly reduce discharge performance. MiXI’s ion extraction grids are designed to provide >3mN of thrust; however, previous to this effort, the low-thrust characteristics had not been investigated. Experimental results obtained with the MiXI-II thruster (a near replica or the original MiXI thruster) show that sparse average discharge plasma densities of ∼5×10^15–5×10^16 m^−3 allow the use of very low beamlet focusing extraction voltages of only ∼250–500 V, thus providing thrust levels as low as 0.03 mN for focused beamlet conditions. Consequently, the thrust range thus far demonstrated by MiXI in this and other tests is 0.03–1.54 mN

Ceramic matrix composite environmental barrier coating durability model

Under NASA STTR Phase II funding, Materials Research & Design (MR&D) is currently enhancing a durability model for environmental barrier coatings (EBC) applied to ceramic matrix composites (CMC). The model treats the EBC as a porous material and tracks the flow of gases by solving the mass continuity equations. The model considers gas flux due to pressure gradient driven flow, or Darcy flow, and concentration gradient driven flow, or Fickian flow. Using the partial pressures of the oxidizing gas species, the model computes the rate of oxidation of the EBC. The presentation will discuss the successful Phase I program; specifically the ability to predict oxide thickness and stresses in the oxide layer. The presentation will also discuss the Phase II program which focuses on enhancing the model by including the silicon bond coat, allowing for stress to feed back into the oxidation model, and introducing direction dependent properties which are functions of stress, temperature, and amount of oxidation. The experimental work is being conducted by Dr. Beth Opila (University of Virginia) and includes steam jet testing, steam cycling, laser-steam-load testing, 18O diffusion studies, thermal expansion measurements, and grain orientation mapping. A description of each test and how it will be used to validate the model will be presented. Experimental data for tests which have been completed will be discussed and compared to the durability model wherever applicable

Equivariant Flow Equivalence of Shifts of Finite Type by Matrix Equivalence over Group Rings

Let G be a finite group. We classify G-equivariant flow equivalence of non-trivial irreducible shifts of finite type in terms of (i) elementary equivalence of matrices over ZG and (ii) the conjugacy class in ZG of the group of G-weights of cycles based at a fixed vertex. In the case G = Z/2, we have the classification for twistwise flow equivalence. We include some algebraic results and examples related to the determination of E(ZG) equivalence, which involves K1(ZG)

Appropriate Climate Smart Technologies for Smallholder Farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa

Nearly 70 per cent of the population in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) live in rural areas and rely mainly on agriculture for livelihood security. Low agricultural productivity in the region keeps this population under constant pressure, even though investment in agriculture is a proven way to reduce regional poverty. Studies have shown that Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth in agriculture is at least twice as effective in reducing poverty as GDP growth originating outside agriculture. It is therefore necessary to develop and implement appropriate agricultural policies to support proven practices to alleviate poverty in this region where the majority of the population live on less than US$ 2 per day