A spatial decision support system evaluating energy and resources for wind turbine development: The case study of Iowa, USA

Dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Geospatial TechnologiesEnergy goals have been set to address climate change and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions in accordance with the Paris climate agreement, a result of the United Nations Convention on Climate Change in 2015. Wind turbines have received a fast-growing interest since they do not produce carbon emissions when converting wind energy to power. It is expected that wind turbines will make up 20 percent of the United States electricity market by 2030 and 35 percent by 2050. A spatial decision support system (SDSS) was developed for a quantitative research study, evaluating wind energy and resources through mathematical modeling and geographic information systems (GIS). The SDSS proposed in the study is comprised of four steps: acquisition of data, resource forecasting, simulation and analysis, and ranking of alternative strategies. The SDSS was then applied to a case study in Iowa, United States for the year 2013. Wind turbine and resource datasets were extracted from the U.S. Wind Turbine Database and WIND Toolkit, respectively. Resources were forecasted using Ordinary Kriging spatial interpolation and Weibull distribution modeling. Weibull parameters were estimated using the power density method. Wind power density, turbine rotor swept area, and the power coefficient were used to simulate power output and capacity factors of presently located wind turbines. Finally, alternative strategies for wind turbine development were ranked based on the estimated energy yields of presently located wind turbines. The results found that most of Iowa exhibits Class III wind speeds, as defined by the International Electrotechnical Commission. Overall, it can be determined that Iowa’s resources are economically suited for wind turbine development

The urban elementary school teacher : a feminist analysis.

The dissertation highlights the many deeply rooted problems elementary school teachers in Boston face in trying to be caring, effective teachers. A brief history and demographic information of the Boston Public Schools provide the context for extensive interviews with ten middle-aged, female teachers. The intellectual rationale is provided with an overview of classic theories of adult development but is most strongly grounded in feminist scholarship. The dissertation provides an analysis of how patriarchal patterns and sexist prejudice in society undermine the respect for teachers and strip them of power, and how these patterns and prejudices silence teachers\u27 voices within the Boston Public Schools. By asking these teachers to tell their stories, the dissertation reveals some of the myriad educational and societal factors that influence life in the urban classroom. The voices of the teachers, the heart of the dissertation, provide an eloquent plea for taking elementary school teachers seriously and including them as vital partners in school improvement. The voices of the women are organized according to certain issues that kept surfacing in their interviews. These issues were: the influence of patriarchy, being middle-aged and experienced teachers and a list of teacher concerns, including, sexual abuse of children, over emphasis on testing, the changing role of the school, the imposition of a single basal reader, poverty, and school administration. The reader discovers the remarkable insight, stamina and courage of these teachers in their daily encounter with the societal evils that their children fall prey to. A phenomenological style of interviewing constitutes the methodology of this dissertation. This feminist analysis makes public the lived experience and private reflections of these women who have chosen careers in service to others, often called women\u27s work. They have long spoken in private; now their public voices beg to be heard and valued as a powerful source for reform of the schools

The Effect of Acceptance Training on Psychological and Physical Health Outcomes in Elders with Chronic Conditions

This pilot trial investigated the short and long-term effects of Acceptance Training (ACT) intervention on acceptance, perceived health, functional status, anxiety, and depression in elders with chronic conditions living in retirement communities (RCs). The ACT intervention combined Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy with music, relaxation, and guided imagery during six weekly 2-hour sessions. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 16 African-American and 46 White elders across four data collection points in six randomly selected RCs using well-established measures of perceived health, functional status, anxiety, and depression, and a measure of acceptance of chronic conditions adapted from a previous measure of acceptance of diabetes. While changes were found in perceived health, functional status, anxiety, and depression, the most significant changes occurred in the elders\u27 acceptance of chronic conditions immediately after the intervention (t = -2.62, P \u3c .02), and these changes persisted for 6 and 12 weeks (t\u27s = -2.74, -3.32, p\u27s \u3c .01), respectively. Although a 40% attrition rate reduced the sample size from 62 (N = 62) to 37 (N = 37), the significant increases in acceptance over time provide initial evidence for the fidelity of the ACT intervention

Comparative Microbial Dynamics in Crassostrea virginica and Crassostrea ariakensis

Considerations to introduce the Suminoe or Asian oyster Crassostrea ariakensis along the East Coast have raised many questions regarding ecology, economics, and human health. To date, research has focused primarily on the ecological and socioeconomic implications of this initiative, yet few studies have assessed its potential impact on public health. Our work compares the rates of bioaccumulation, depuration and post harvest decay of indicator organisms (such as E. coli) and Vibrio sp. between Crassostrea virginica and Crassostrea ariakensis in the laboratory. Preliminary results suggest that the rates of bioaccumulation of E. coli in Crassostrea ariakensis were significantly lower than those for Crassostrea virginica, depuration of E. coli was variable between the two species, and Crassostrea ariakensis post harvest decay rates of Vibrio sp. were significantly lower than Crassostrea virginica. This research provides coastal managers with insight into the response of Crassostrea ariakensis to bacteria, an important consideration for determining appropriate management strategies for this species. Further field-based studies will be necessary to elucidate the mechanisms responsible for the differences in rates of bioaccumulation and depuration. (PDF contains 40 pages

Tribology and Dowson

It is with great sadness that we note the passing of Professor Duncan Dowson on 6th January 2020. Duncan was an esteemed member of the Editorial Board of this journal. He will be remembered as one of the founding fathers of tribology and as a true gentleman. He was the last living member of the Jost Committee, set up by the UK Government (1964–1966) to investigate the state of lubrication education and research, and to establish the requirements of industry in this regard [1]. This committee coined the term “tribology”.Duncan contributed to many areas of tribological research and established many of them, including elastohydrodynamic theory and biotribology

Cognitive function in people with and without freezing of gait in Parkinson’s disease

Freezing of gait (FOG) is common in people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) which is extremely debilitating. One hypothesis for the cause of FOG episodes is impaired cognitive control, however, this is still in debate in the literature. We aimed to assess a comprehensive range of cognitive tests in older adults and people with Parkinson’s with and without FOG and associate FOG severity with cognitive performance. A total of 227 participants took part in the study which included 80 healthy older adults, 81 people with PD who did not have FOG and 66 people with PD and FOG. A comprehensive battery of neuropsychological assessments tested cognitive domains of global cognition, executive function/attention, working memory, and visuospatial function. The severity of FOG was assessed using the new FOG questionnaire and an objective FOG severity score. Cognitive performance was compared between groups using an ANCOVA adjusting for age, gender, years of education and disease severity. Correlations between cognitive performance and FOG severity were analyzed using partial correlations. Cognitive differences were observed between older adults and PD for domains of global cognition, executive function/attention, and working memory. Between those with and without FOG, there were differences for global cognition and executive function/attention, but these differences disappeared when adjusting for covariates. There were no associations between FOG severity and cognitive performance. This study identified no significant difference in cognition between those with and without FOG when adjusting for covariates, particularly disease severity. This may demonstrate that complex rehabilitation programs may be undertaken in those with FOG

Child Care and Children with Special Needs - Challenges for Low Income Families: Parents\u27 Voices

While the primary focus of this research is access to child care by low income families of children with special needs, we are also looking at the related issues of welfare reform, the impact on work force participation of having a child with special needs, and the issue of coordination of early intervention services with the child care system. This is a three-year study which began on October 1, 2001. (From the Introduction.)https://digitalcommons.usm.maine.edu/facbooks/1115/thumbnail.jp

Time capsules old and new

This public records information leaflet number 28 deals with both the retrieval of old materials and creation of new time capsules