About My Ways

Moving about my ways Finding problems, new goals, and even battles, But finding a way for success! Feelings change constantly like hours of the day

Down By The Riverside: Recovery Efforts Of The Minot Community And School District After The Souris River Flood Of 2011

The purpose of this case study was to evaluate the flood recovery process for the Minot Public School District after the devastating Souris River Flood of 2011, and to provide a definitive study of the recovery of a school district after a natural disaster. This study identified the school community\u27s processes involved with financial, emotional, and social aspects of recovery, and identified key players in the recovery process. The research consisted of nine focus groups; three groups of teachers, three groups of parents, and three groups of community members. Formal interviews were also conducted with community leaders and subject matter experts identified by focus group data. Questions for formal interviews were developed, in part, with input provided during focus group discussions. The study utilized a qualitative approach to identify (a) the factors of recovery; (b) the key players in the recovery process; and (c) an evaluation of the success of recovery as a whole, as noted by individuals directly affected by the flood. Eight themes developed during analysis of this research: (a) the pre-flood and evacuation period was a traumatic experience and was the first crisis faced by Minot residents directly affected by the flood; (b) the assessment and recovery period was a traumatic experience and was the second crisis faced by Minot residents who were directly affected by the flood; (c) the FEMA Individual Assistance program, while expeditious in nature, received mixed reviews by Minot residents who were directly affected by the flood; (d) the FEMA Public Assistance program was a contentious process subject to intervention by political leaders before consensus could be reached and recovery could begin; (e) crisis management is a collaborative process involving federal, state, and local government, as well as volunteer services from charitable organizations; (f) long-term effects of a natural disaster span far beyond the physical recovery of homes, businesses, and school buildings. The Minot Public School District community was drastically changed as a result of the Souris River Flood of 2011; (g) effective communication has been lacking during all phases of crisis and recovery, and has created a layer of confusion and mistrust throughout the Souris River Valley; and (h) the Souris River Flood of 2011 negatively affected survivors; negative effects have included social, emotional, and financial hardships. The study indicated that pre-flood social, emotional and economic stability, combined with the ability to self-advocate and self-perform during reconstruction were key components in the recovery process. For the purpose of this study, key stakeholders included: teachers, parents, students, school administrators, school board members, community members, community leaders, and government officials

Capillary Flow in an Interior Corner

The design of fluids management processes in the low-gravity environment of space requires an accurate model and description of capillarity-controlled flow in containers of irregular geometry. Here we consider the capillary rise of a fluid along an interior corner of a container following a rapid reduction in gravity. The analytical portion of the work presents an asymptotic formulation in the limit of a slender fluid column, slight surface curvature along the corner, small inertia, and low gravity. New similarity solutions are found and a list of closed form expressions is provided for flow rate and column length. In particular, it is found that the flow is proportional to t(exp 1/2) for a constant height boundary condition, t(exp 2/5) for a spreading drop, and t(exp 3/5) for constant flow. In the experimental portion of the work, measurements from a 2.2s drop tower are reported. An extensive data set, collected over a previously unexplored range of flow parameters, includes estimates of repeatability and accuracy, the role of inertia and column slenderness, and the effects of corner angle, container geometry, and fluid properties. Comprehensive comparisons are made which illustrate the applicability of the analytic results to low-g fluid systems design

Benthic invertebrates that form habitat on deep banks off southern California, with special reference to deep sea coral

There is increasing interest in the potential impacts that fishing activities have on megafaunal benthic invertebrates occurring in continental shelf and slope ecosystems. We examined how the structure, size, and high-density aggregations of invertebrates provided structural relief for fishes in continental shelf and slope ecosystems off southern California. We made 112 dives in a submersible at 32−320 m water depth, surveying a variety of habitats from high-relief rock to flat sand and mud. Using quantitative video transect methods, we made 12,360 observations of 15 structure-form-ing invertebrate taxa and 521,898 individuals. We estimated size and incidence of epizoic animals on 9105 sponges, black corals, and gorgonians. Size variation among structure-form-ing invertebrates was significant and 90% of the individuals were <0.5 m high. Less than 1% of the observations of organisms actually sheltering in or located on invertebrates involved fishes. From the analysis of spatial associations between fishes and large invertebrates, six of 108 fish species were found more often adjacent to invertebrate colonies than the number of fish predicted by the fish-density data from transects. This finding indicates that there may be spatial associations that do not necessarily include physical contact with the sponges and corals. However, the median distances between these six fish species and the invertebrates were not particularly small (1.0−5.5 m). Thus, it is likely that these fishes and invertebrates are present together in the same habitats but that there is not necessarily a functional relationship between these groups of organisms. Regardless of their associations with fishes, these invertebrates provide structure and diversity for continental shelf ecosystems off southern California and certainly deserve the attention of scientists undertaking future conservation efforts

Transport and Elastic Properties of Fractal Media

We investigate the influence of fractal structure on material properties. We calculate the statistical correlation functions of fractal media defined by level-cut Gaussian random fields. This allows the modeling of both surface fractal and mass fractal materials. Variational bounds on the conductivity, diffusivity and elastic moduli of the materials are evaluated. We find that a fractally rough interface has a relatively strong influence on the properties of composites. In contrast a fractal volume (mass) has little effect on material properties.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figure

Discovery of a Probiotic to Reduce the Risk of Lactic Acidosis in Cattle

Experiments described here were designed to find a way to reduce the productivity loss that is associated with rumen acidosis. A strain of Prevotella bryantii was selected and isolated based on its ability to grow rapidly on starch and to produce organic acids other than lactic acid. Tests with this strain in vitro and in goats and dairy cows support the concept that this bacterium is able to compete for substrate with lactic acid bacteria and that it has promise as a probiotic inoculant to protect ruminants from lactic acidosis