SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL WATER ALLOCATION IN THE KISSIMMEE RIVER BASIN

Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Educational Reform Through the Implementation of National Standards: A Response

At this writing, federal initiatives for education reform seem to be taking their last gasps. There is a question as to whether Goals 2000 will make it to the year 2000. The development of voluntary, national standards has generated considerable debate both as to the desirability of such standards and the enlarged federal role in education. What is killing these initiatives and are they worth saving

Ionization, Kinematics, and Extent of the Diffuse Ionized Gas Halo of NGC 5775

We present key results from deep spectra of the Diffuse Ionized Gas (DIG) halo of the edge-on galaxy NGC 5775. [NII]6583 has been detected up to about z=13 kpc above the plane in one of two vertically oriented long slits -- making this the spiral galaxy with the greatest spectroscopically detected halo extent in emission. Key diagnostic line ratios have been measured up to about z=8 kpc, allowing the source of ionization and physical state to be probed. Ionization by a dilute radiation field from massive stars in the disk can explain some of the line ratio behavior, but departures from this picture are clearly indicated, most strongly by the rise of [OIII]/Halpha with z. Velocities of the gas in both slits approach the systemic velocity of the galaxy at several kpc above the plane. We interpret this trend as a decrease in rotation velocity with z, with essentially no rotation at heights of several kpc. Such a trend was observed in the edge-on galaxy NGC 891, but here much more dramatically. This falloff is presumably due to the gravitational potential changing with z, but will also depend on the hydrodynamic nature of the disk-halo cycling of gas and projection effects. More detailed modeling of the ionization and kinematics of this and other edge-ons will be presented in future papers.Comment: figures 1, 2a-d and 3 included. ApJ Letters, in pres

Ionization Sources and Physical Conditions in the Diffuse Ionized Gas Halos of Four Edge-On Galaxies

Deep long-slit spectra of the diffuse ionized gas halos of the edge-on spiral galaxies NGC 4302 and UGC 10288 are presented. These data, along with previously presented data for NGC 5775 and NGC 891, are used to address the issue of how DIG halos are energized. Composite photo-ionization/shock models are generally better at explaining runs of line ratios in these galaxies than photo-ionization models alone. Models of line ratios in NGC 5775 require a greater contribution from shocks for filamentary regions than for non-filamentary regions to explain the run of [OIII]/Halpha. In either case, the [SII]/[NII] ratio is not well fit by the models. Composite models for UGC 10288 are successful at reproducing the run of [SII]/[NII] for all but the the highest values of [NII]/Halpha; however, the run of [OIII]/Halpha vs. [NII]/Halpha does not show any discernible trend, making it difficult to determine whether or not shocks make a contribution. We also examine whether the data can be explained simply by an increase in temperature with z in a pure photo-ionization model. Runs of [SII]/Halpha, [NII]/Halpha, and [SII]/[NII] in each of the four galaxies are consistent with such an increase. However, the runs of [OIII]/Halpha vs. z in NGC 5775 and UGC 10288 require unusually high ionization fractions of O^{++} that can not be explained without invoking a secondary ionization source or at the very least a much higher temperature for the [OIII]-emitting component than for the [SII]- and [NII]-emitting component. An increase in temperature with z is generally more successful at explaining the [OIII]/Halpha run in NGC 891.Comment: 42 pages in aaspp4.sty format. This includes the 19 figures. Reference added. Accepted for publication in Ap

The Swift BAT Survey Detects Two Optical Broad Line, X-ray Heavily Obscured Active Galaxies: NVSS 193013+341047 and IRAS 05218-1212

The Swift Burst Alert Telescope (BAT) is discovering interesting new objects while monitoring the sky in the 14-195 keV band. Here we present the X-ray properties and spectral energy distributions for two unusual AGN sources. Both NVSS 193013+341047 and IRAS 05218-1212 are absorbed, Compton-thin, but heavily obscured (NH \sim 10^23 cm-2), X-ray sources at redshifts < 0.1. The spectral energy distributions reveal these galaxies to be very red, with high extinction in the optical and UV. A similar SED is seen for the extremely red objects (EROs) detected in the higher redshift universe. This suggests that these unusual BAT-detected sources are a low- redshift (z << 1) analog to EROs, which recent evidence suggests are a class of the elusive type II quasars. Studying the multi-wavelength properties of these sources may reveal the properties of their high redshift counterparts.Comment: 20 pages, accepted to Ap

A frequency weighting for the evaluation of steering wheel rotational vibration

The human perception of rotational hand-arm vibration has been investigated by means of a test rig consisting of a rigid frame, an electrodynamic shaker unit, a rigid steering wheel, a shaft assembly, bearings and an automobile seat. Fifteen subjects were tested while seated in a driving posture. Four equal sensation tests and one annoyance threshold test were performed using sinusoidal excitation at 18 frequencies in the range from 3 to 315 Hz. In order to guarantee the generality of the equal sensation data the four tests were defined to permit checks of the possible influence of three factors: reference signal amplitude, psychophysical test procedure and temporary threshold shift (TTSv) caused by the test exposure. All equal sens ation tests used a reference sinusoid of 63 Hz at either 1.0 or 1.5 m/s2 r.m.s. in amplitude. The four equal sensation curves were similar in shape and suggested a decrease in human sensitivity to hand-arm rotational vibration with increasing frequency. The slopes of the equal sensation curves changed at transition points of approximately 6.3 and 63 Hz. A frequency weighting, called Ws, was developed for the purpose of evaluating steering wheel rotational vibration. The proposed Ws has a slope of 0 dB per octave over the frequency range from 3 to 6.3 Hz, a slope of -6 dB per octave from 6.3 to 50 Hz, a slope of 0 dB per octave from 50 to 160 Hz and a slope of -10 dB per octave from 160 to 315 Hz. Ws provides a possible alternative to the existing Wh frequency weighting defined in International Standards Organisation 5349-1 (2001) and British Standards Institution 6842 (1987)

Hydrogeologic Appraisal of a Stratified-drift Aquifer Near Smyrna, Chenango County, New York

A broad, Y-shaped valley near Smyrna, New York, contains extensive water-table and confined aquifers that are largely hydraulically separated from the nearby Chenango River to the east. Accordingly, ground-water withdrawals from this valley would not appreciably decrease streamflow in the Chenango River by induced infiltration and could be used for specialized needs. The aquifers in the valley are capable of sustaining a long-term total withdrawal of about 12.7 million gallons per day during prolonged drought conditions. Larger withdrawals could be made on a short-term basis or during periods of normal or above-normal precipitation. Saturated thickness of undifferentiated stratified-drift deposits in the valley ranges from 20 feet in the northwestern part of the valley to more than 300 feet at its southern end. Direct areal recharge accounts for about 56 percent of the total recharge to the valley aquifer infiltration from streams accounts for 24 percent, and runoff from the adjacent till-mantled hillsides accounts for 20 percent. The water-table and confined aquifers within the valley hold at least 19.6 billion gallons of usable ground water in storage. (USGS