ECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT OF THE MISSOURI RIVER FROM GAVINS POINT DAM TO PONCA STATE PARK, NEBRASKA

•Authorized by a 1978 amendment to the National Parks and Recreation Act (PL 95- 625) which amended the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968 (PL 90-542) • Corps is authorized to construct recreational development, bank stabilization, and other recreational river features as necessary to support the values for which the river was designated • Life-of-project funding ceiling of $21 million; approximately$3.2 million spent to date • The Corps and National Park Service signed a 1980 Cooperative Agreement outlining each agency\u27s responsibilities • The General Management Plan has recently been updated (1999) with an environmental emphasi

Ecosystem Management of the Missouri River from Gavins Point Dam to Ponca State Park, Nebraska

•Authorized by a 1978 amendment to the National Parks and Recreation Act (PL 95- 625) which amended the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act of 1968 (PL 90-542) • Corps is authorized to construct recreational development, bank stabilization, and other recreational river features as necessary to support the values for which the river was designated • Life-of-project funding ceiling of $21 million; approximately$3.2 million spent to date • The Corps and National Park Service signed a 1980 Cooperative Agreement outlining each agency\u27s responsibilities • The General Management Plan has recently been updated (1999) with an environmental emphasi

Qualitative spatial representation and reasoning: A hierarchical approach

The ability to reason in space is crucial for agents in order to make informed decisions. Current high-level qualitative approaches to spatial reasoning have serious deficiencies in not reflecting the hierarchical nature of spatial data and human spatial cognition. This article proposes a framework for hierarchical representation and reasoning about topological information, where a continuous model of space is approximated by a collection of discrete sub-models, and spatial information is hierarchically represented in discrete sub-models in a rough set manner. The work is based on the Generalized Region Connection Calculus theory, where continuous and discrete models of space are coped in a unified way. Reasoning issues such as determining the mereological (part-whole) relations between two rough regions are also discussed. Moreover, we consider an important problem that is closely related to map generalization in cartography and Geographical Information Science. Given a spatial configuration at a finer level, we show how to construct a configuration at a coarser level while preserving the mereological relations. © The Author 2007. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of The British Computer Society. All rights reserved

Reliability and validity study of the motiviation for fear (MOTIF) survey

The aim of this study was to determine psychometric properties of a newly created, 24-item functional measure of fear and anxiety for typically-developing adults (the Motivation for Fear; MOTIF). Participants initially included 1,277 college students ranging in age from 18-35. Participants were asked to complete the MOTIF, the Questions About Behavioral Function (QABF), the Sensation Seeking Scale- Form V, and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS). Analyses were conducted on those scoring above a minimum threshold on a well-normed measure of anxiety (the DASS). An exploratory factory analysis, using scree plot and parallel analysis, as well as oblique rotation was run on the qualifying 583 participants. Scree plot indicated either a 3, 4, or 5 factor solution. Parallel analysis indicated no more than 5 factors. Results converged on a 4-factor simple structure solution with 18 items. The four functions (labeled distress, comfort-seeking, tangible, and escape) explained 43% of the variance. Internal consistency was .739, .809, .636, and .506 for the distress, comfort-seeking, tangible, and escape functions, respectively. Validity assessments were conducted using the QABF, the DASS, and the SSS-V. Results from these analyses revealed preliminary support for convergent validity (i.e., for distress and tangible functions) and discriminant validity was established. Recommendations for improving the psychometrics of this measure include increasing content validity, improving internal consistency, and determining test-retest reliability. Strengths, limitations, clinical implications, and future directions are discussed

Expression of the DNA mismatch repair proteins hMLH1 and hPMS2 in normal human tissues.

hMLH1 and hPMS2 are part of the DNA mismatch repair complex. Mutations in these genes have been linked to hereditary non-polyposis colon cancer; they also occur in a variety of sporadic cancers. Western blot analysis and immunohistochemistry demonstrated that hMLH1 and hPMS2 are widely expressed nuclear proteins with a distribution pattern very similar to that previously described for hMSH2. These observations showing similar localization of hMLH1 and hPMS2 with hMSH2 are consistent with the biochemical function of these proteins in DNA mismatch repair

On the Complexity of Case-Based Planning

We analyze the computational complexity of problems related to case-based planning: planning when a plan for a similar instance is known, and planning from a library of plans. We prove that planning from a single case has the same complexity than generative planning (i.e., planning "from scratch"); using an extended definition of cases, complexity is reduced if the domain stored in the case is similar to the one to search plans for. Planning from a library of cases is shown to have the same complexity. In both cases, the complexity of planning remains, in the worst case, PSPACE-complete

Diamond electro-optomechanical resonators integrated in nanophotonic circuits

Diamond integrated photonic devices are promising candidates for emerging applications in nanophotonics and quantum optics. Here we demonstrate active modulation of diamond nanophotonic circuits by exploiting mechanical degrees of freedom in free-standing diamond electro-optomechanical resonators. We obtain high quality factors up to 9600, allowing us to read out the driven nanomechanical response with integrated optical interferometers with high sensitivity. We are able to excite higher order mechanical modes up to 115 MHz and observe the nanomechanical response also under ambient conditions.Comment: 15 pages, 4 figure

Existence of Monetary Steady States in a Matching Model: Indivisible Money

Existence of a monetary steady state is established for a random matching model with divisible goods, indivisible money, and take-it-or-leave-it offers by consumers. There is no restriction on individual money holdings. The background environment is that in papers by Shi and by Trejos and Wright. The monetary steady state shown to exist has nice properties: the value function, defined on money holdings, is increasing and strictly concave, and the measure over money holdings has full support.

Environmental Impacts of Multi-Storey Buildings Using Different Construction Materials

The Research Goals and Objectives for this project were set out in the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry (MAF) RFP POR/7811, April 2007. The University of Canterbury responded with a collaborative research programme ‘to fill the information gap about what is the greatest amount of wood that can be used in the construction and fit-out of commercial, large-scale buildings in New Zealand (and) …… to provide Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) information about the benefits of maximising the use of wood in sustainable buildings’. This research project modelled the performance of four similar office building designs – Concrete, Steel, Timber and TimberPlus – all based on an actual six-storey 4,200m2 building, to investigate the influence of construction materials on life cycle energy use and global warming potential (GWP). All four buildings were designed for a 60 year lifetime, with very similar low operational energy consumption. The Concrete and Steel buildings employed conventional structural design and construction methods. The Timber buildings were designed with an innovative post-tensioned timber structure using laminated veneer lumber (LVL). The TimberPlus design further increased the use of timber in architectural features such as exterior cladding, windows and ceilings. All timber materials are renewable and durable, sourced from sustainably managed forests. Predicted construction times for all four buildings are similar. The LCA study by Scion considered the full life cycle of the buildings including initial embodied energy of the materials, and maintenance, transport, operational energy and two endof- life scenarios, where deconstructed materials were either landfilled or reutilised. Increasing the amount of timber in the buildings decreased the initial embodied energy and GWP of materials and also decreased the total energy consumption and GWP over the 60 year lifetime. The TimberPlus design clearly had the lowest environmental impacts, whilst the Steel building had the highest impacts. A significant benefit could be obtained in the Steel, Concrete and Timber buildings by replacing high embodied energy components (especially aluminium windows and louvres) with timber. The final destination of deconstruction waste at the end of the 60 year life-cycle is extremely important. Landfilling of timber waste, with the permanent storage of most of the carbon in the timber, was slightly more beneficial than burning of wood waste for energy. The benefits of landfilling timber waste will increase as modern and future landfill construction and management capture and utilise more of the methane generated by decomposition. Recycling of steel and concrete is more beneficial than landfilling. It is important to note that looking at a single environmental indicator, such as GWP, could lead to unintended outcomes. For example, for the TimberPlus building the landfilling scenario would be slightly better in terms of climate change. However, looking at the energy results alongside the GWP results, the reutilisation scenario shows both an energy reutilisation benefit, as well as still being beneficial to climate change. Therefore, the use of multiple indicators may be necessary to inform the environmental decision-making process.An alternative end-of-life scenario which assumed permanent storage of carbon in wood materials showed that net total GWP for the materials in the TimberPlus building is negative, because the long-term storage of over 630 tonnes of carbon dioxide removed from the atmosphere more than cancels out all the greenhouse gases emitted in the manufacture of all the other building materials. In this scenario, the TimberPlus building could be considered to be ‘carbon-neutral’ for at least the first 12 years of its operation. With NZ-specific energy and GWP coefficients now available, a simple model can be developed for assessing the energy and GWP impacts of individual buildings. This study shows that the Green Star Office rating tool does not capture all the benefits of using more wood in buildings which are identified by the simple model or a full LCA study. Support of on-going research is essential to further develop the potential for Timber buildings to be more widely used in NZ, with subsequent reductions in greenhouse gas emissions