Characterizing water quality and hydrologic properties of urban streams in central Virginia

The objective of this study was to characterize water quality and hydrologic properties of urban streams in the Richmond metropolitan area. Water quality data were analyzed for six urban sites and two non-urban sites. Geomorphological surveys and conservative tracer studies were performed at four urban sites and one non-urban site to describe intra- and inter- site variability in transient storage, channel geomorphology, and related hydrologic parameters. Urban sites showed elevated concentrations of nitrogen and more variable TSS concentrations relative to reference sites. Urban channels were deeply incised with unstable banks and low sinuosity. Little Westham Creek exhibited the greatest transient storage. This site was characterized by large, deep pools and therefore it is likely that transient storage was associated with surface water storage. Transient storage was low at all other sites, particularly for the study reach at Reedy Creek, which flowed through a concrete channel. Lowest transient storage was observed at this site in spring, though higher values were measured in summer corresponding to the presence of biofilms, A lower, more naturalized section of the concrete channel was found to have greater transient storage suggesting the possibility of passive restoration of concrete channels in urban environments. This study documents variability in the structure and function of urban streams. Restoration projects should work to improve impairments that are specific to each site at both the reach and watershed scale to maximize the efficacy of restoration

Daylighting applications of micro-textured optical surfaces

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.Daylighting is the use of natural light to replace artificial light. In traditional rooms sunlight will only illuminate the area closest to the window due to the high solar angle. The rear of the room appears gloomy and occupants will use electric lighting even though there is sufficient daylight to illuminate the interior. The first section of this thesis reports on the application of micro-prisms to glazing. Such systems could improve the penetration of the light and reduce the energy bill. Fig 1: (Left): A traditional window. (Right) A window with the top third coated in microprisms. The aim of the work is to develop suitable structures than can be easily and cheaply mass produced using an industrial UV embossing process. Whenever possible the requirements of this process dictate the physical characteristics of the microstructures. The development process includes all the stages from design to full-scale testing of the prototypes in an office. Several different mechanical methods are used to produce prismatic arrays that conform to an initial design calculation. Each sample is evaluated in terms of its physical characteristics, its optical properties and finally its ability to improve illumination within a room. The latter aspect is determined, not only by measurement, but also the subjective assessment of occupants. The second micro-textured surface to be examined is the microlens. Three systems are investigated: - A controlled diffuser incorporating cylindrical lenses to improve the distribution of the daylight. - An afocal pair of lenses to improve the penetration of daylight through beam-steering. - An angular filter to exclude direct sunlight while admitting diffuse light. Most of the research is concerned with the third system. On sunny days windows can cause sufficient glare that occupants will pull the venetian blinds. Not only will this exclude the direct sunlight but also the diffuse daylight, cause darkening of the room and leading to the use of artificial light. The angular filter or 'solar shade' uses microlenses to image the direct sunlight which can then be blocked by circular obturations. The diffuse sunlight is not focused and therefore transmitted so the room is not darkened. The research is based on experimentation with small-scale systems and computer modelling to optimise the system. The results show potential improvements over new 'smart' windows although mechanical tolerances are high

There should be greater public involvement in deciding what is a legitimate ‘nudge’

The coalition government has been at the forefront of using insights from behavioural research to craft more effective policies, ‘nudging’ citizens in other words. Rikki Dean argues that ‘nudges’, especially those that rely on deception or concealment, should be subject to a ‘participatory principle’. Only citizens themselves can legitimately rule on what is in their own interest, and therefore there should be greater exploration around how to involve the public in decisions about their use

Child Marriage in Ghana: A ProjectsAbroad Internship

For her Community Engaged Learning internship, Rikki travelled to Ghana with ProjectsAbroad to volunteer in Ghana for several weeks in the summer of 2017. Accompanied by a friend, the two worked together to study several key issues in child marriage that occur in Ghana, and to produce a list of recommended points of action for future volunteers

Multi-brand hospitality operations branding strategies

The purpose of this professional paper is to identify the optimal brand architecture for MGM MIRAGE’s Project CityCenter through synthesis of a review of branding strategies throughout the hospitality industry and a review of Project CityCenter’s goals. As Project CityCenter represents such a massive undertaking from both a financial and marketing perspective, a review of strategies external to MGM MIRAGE is critical; this paper endeavors to highlight branding strategies for potential adoption at Project CityCenter. The project’s significance is affirmed by Terri Lanni, Chairman and CEO of MGM MIRAGE, “Project CityCenter confirms a cultural and lifestyle revival of city living, reaffirms the growing sophistication and maturity of Las Vegas and sets a benchmark for new growth and exciting new experiences as the city moves into the next 100 years” (World Class Architects, 2005)

Cerebral Palsy Center: 2016 Wage Study

From the first paragraph: The goal of this wage study was to compare the salaries offered by the Cerebral Palsy Center to Green Bay market salaries. The Cerebral Palsy Center has thirty-eight positions that needed to be evaluated and compared with salaries offered in the Green Bay market. The study the CP Center conducted in 2013 comparing its specific positions’ salaries to the area was used as a reference. This helped to illustrate how much the market wage has changed and served as a basis to compare newly researched data. A variety of resources were used to find the specific positions listed by the CP Center. Depending on how specific the position was, the search was refined to the position requirements and location.https://digitalcommons.snc.edu/collaborative_presentations/1002/thumbnail.jp

PEMANFAATAN MIKROKONTROLER AT89S51 SEBAGAI PENGGESER FASA PADA ANTENA ARRAY

Utilization of microcontroller especially MCS-51 family has been widely implemented in various applications, such as control and telecommunications applications. One of them is the phase shifting array antenna in the telecommunication field. The Array Antenna was designed from some of dipole antenna.  Each element at dipole antenna has a different phase and can be controlled electronically. The phase shifting was done using AT89S51 microcontroller that functioned as an electronic switch on the transmission cable connection. The phase of the array antenna will be moved without moving the structure of the array antenna itself, so that the direction of radiation pattern can be changed in accordance with the phase shifting between the antenna elements

Sketchnotes as an Analytical Tool in a Large Qualitative Study

I will discuss using a technique called sketchnotes to render concepts pictorially and keep track of emerging themes in a dataset of 3 million words from discussions with more than 850 participants. I will show samples of sketchnotes from the project and discuss their value in working with a large set of complex qualitative data