HISPANICS IN TEXAS HIGHER EDUCATION: AN ASSESSMENT OF THE STATE “CLOSING THE GAPS” INITIATIVE

Demographic changes associated with growth of the Hispanic and black population in the U.S. state of Texas have led politicians and policymakers to recognize that academic success in their ethnic and racial minority populations is a key to future statewide economic success. These demographic transitions require proactive state intervention to assure the earning power and intellectual prowess of the next generation. This study assesses the degree to which the Texas “Closing the Gaps” initiative has addressed the disparities in higher education among the state’s diverse populations

On the Perturbations of Viscous Rotating Newtonian Fluids

The perturbations of weakly-viscous, barotropic, non-self-gravitating, Newtonian rotating fluids are analyzed via a single partial differential equation. The results are then used to find an expression for the viscosity-induced normal-mode complex eigenfrequency shift, with respect to the case of adiabatic perturbations. However, the effects of viscosity are assumed to have been incorporated in the unperturbed (equilibrium) model. This paper is an extension of the normal-mode formalism developed by Ipser & Lindblom for adiabatic pulsations of purely-rotating perfect fluids. The formulas derived are readily applicable to the perturbations of thin and thick accretion disks. We provide explicit expressions for thin disks, employing results from previous relativistic analyses of adiabatic normal modes of oscillation. In this case, we find that viscosity causes the fundamental p- and g- modes to grow while the fundamental c-mode could have either sign of the damping rate.Comment: Accepted for publication by The Astrophysical Journal. 11 pages, no figure

The Ovaherero/Nama Genocide: A Case for an Apology and Reparations

This research examines the consequences of the Ovaherero and Nama massacres occurring in modern Namibia from 1904-08 and perpetuated by Imperial Germany. Recent political advances made by, among other groups, the Association of the Ovaherero Genocide in the United States of America, toward mutual understanding with the Federal Republic of Germany necessitates a comprehensive study about the event itself, its long-term implications, and the more current vocalization toward an apology and reparations for the Ovaherero and Nama peoples. Resulting from the Extermination Orders of 1904 and 1905 as articulated by Kaiser Wilhelm II’s Imperial Germany, over 65,000 Ovaherero and 10,000 Nama peoples perished in what was the first systematic genocide of the twentieth century. This study assesses the historical circumstances surrounding these genocidal policies carried out by Imperial Germany, and seeks to place the devastating loss of life, culture, and property within its proper historical context. The question of restorative justice also receives analysis, as this research evaluates the case made by the Ovaherero and Nama peoples in their petitions for compensation. Beyond the history of the event itself and its long-term effects, the paper adopts a comparative approach by which to integrate the Ovaherero and Nama calls for reparations into an established precedent

County-Level Hispanic Ethnic Density and Cardiovascular Disease Mortality.

Background Hispanics are the fastest growing ethnic group in the United States, and little is known about how Hispanic ethnic population density impacts cardiovascular disease ( CVD ) mortality. Methods and Results We examined county-level deaths for Hispanics and non-Hispanic whites from 2003 to 2012 using data from the National Center for Health Statistics' Multiple Cause of Death mortality files. Counties with more than 20 Hispanic deaths (n=715) were included in the analyses. CVD deaths were identified using International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10), I00 to I78, and population estimates were calculated using linear interpolation from 2000 and 2010 census data. Multivariate linear regression was used to examine the association of Hispanic ethnic density with Hispanic and non-Hispanic white age-adjusted CVD mortality rates. County-level age-adjusted CVD mortality rates were adjusted for county-level demographic, socioeconomic, and healthcare factors. There were a total of 4 769 040 deaths among Hispanics (n=382 416) and non-Hispanic whites (n=4 386 624). Overall, cardiovascular age-adjusted mortality rates were higher among non-Hispanic whites compared with Hispanics (244.8 versus 189.0 per 100 000). Hispanic density ranged from 1% to 96% in each county. Counties in the highest compared with lowest category of Hispanic density had 60% higher Hispanic mortality (215.3 versus 134.2 per 100 000 population). In linear regression models, after adjusting for county-level demographic, socioeconomic, and healthcare factors, increasing Hispanic ethnic density remained strongly associated with mortality for Hispanics but not for non-Hispanic whites. Conclusions CVD mortality is higher in counties with higher Hispanic ethnic density. County-level characteristics do not fully explain the higher CVD mortality among Hispanics in ethnically concentrated counties

VLA Observations of H I in the Helix Nebula (NGC 7293)

We report the detection of 21-cm line emission from H I in the planetary nebula NGC 7293 (the Helix). The observations, made with the Very Large Array, show the presence of a ring of atomic hydrogen that is associated with the outer portion of the ionized nebula. This ring is most probably gas ejected in the AGB phase that has been subsequently photodissociated by radiation from the central star. The H I emission spreads over about 50 km/s in radial velocity. The mass in H I is approximately 0.07 solar masses, about three times larger than the mass in molecular hydrogen and comparable with the mass in ionized hydrogen.Comment: 19 pages, 9 figure

Lower Willamette River Model: Boundary Conditions and Model Setup

Water Environment Services of Clackamas County is in the process of planning upgrades on several of its sewage treatment plants which discharge into the Lower Willamette River. The goals of the modeling effort are to: • Gather data to construct a computer simulation model of the Lower Willamette River system including part of the Lower Columbia River and the Willamette River above the Oregon City Falls; Because of the tidal influence in the Lower Willamette River, portions of the Columbia River that might affect the Lower Willamette River water quality were also modeled. Also, a section of the Willamette River above the head of tide, the Oregon City Falls, was modeled because of the lack of good boundary condition data at the Falls. • Ensure that the model accurately represents the system physics and chemistry (flow, temperature, dissolved oxygen and nutrient dynamics); • Use the model to evaluate how to meet various future discharge scenarios for the sewage district. A hydrodynamic and water quality model, CE-QUAL-W2 Version 3 (Wells, 1997), is being applied to model the Willamette-Columbia system. CE-QUAL-W2 is a two dimensional (longitudinal-vertical), laterally averaged, hydrodynamic and water quality model that has been under development by the Corps of Engineers Waterways Experiments Station (Cole and Wells, 2000). In order to model the system, the following data were required: • Willamette and Columbia River flow, water level and water quality data • Tributary inflows and water quality • Meteorological conditions • Bathymetry of the Columbia and Willamette Rivers and several side channels • Point source inflows and water quality characteristics Many local, state and federal agencies have been collecting data in the Lower Willamette and Columbia Rivers. This report summarizes data used in the modeling effort