Long, paired A'A/Pahoehoe flows of Mauna Loa: Volcanological significance and insights they provide into volcano plumbing systems

The long lava flows of Mauna Loa, Hawaii have been cited as Earth's closed analogs to the large Martian flows. It is therefore important to understand the flow mechanics and characteristics of the Mauna Loa flows and to make use of these in an attempt to gain insights into Martian eruptive processes. Two fundamentally different kinds of long lava flows can be distinguished on Hawaiian volcanoes as in Martian flows. The two kinds may have identical initial viscosities, chemical compositions, flow lengths, and flow volumes, but their flow mechanisms and thermal energy budgets are radically different. One travels a distance set by the discharge rate as envisaged by Walker and Wadge, and the other travels a distance set mainly by the eruption duration and ground slope. In the Mauna Loa lavas, yield strength becomes an important flow morphology control only in the distal part of a'a lavas. The occurrence of paired flows on Mauna Loa yields insights into the internal plumbing systems of the volcano, and it is significant that all of the volume of the a'a flow must be stored in a magma chamber before eruption, while none of the volume of the pahoehoe needs to be so stored. Differentiation between the two kinds of flows on images of Martian volcanoes is possible and hence an improved understanding of these huge structures is acquired

Essays on Oil, Energy, and Oil Self-Sufficiency in the U.S.

When oil prices rise, politicians often call for improvements in energy efficiency or policies that they hope will make the U.S. more “energy independent.” The argument is that if we consume less oil, domestic supplies will constitute a larger portion of U.S. quantity demanded, mitigating our dependence on potentially unreliable foreign oil sources, thereby lessening U.S. exposure to volatile supply/price fluctuations. Three interrelated issues are addressed in this dissertation. First, the drivers and substitution patterns in U.S. oil demand are explored using structural demand system analysis for energy in the U.S. Second, world oil supply is estimated using the cost structure of world oil reservoirs, which principally depend on reservoir characteristics. Models of both supply and demand yield insight into the feasibility and unintended outcomes of policies or technological advances that reduce oil demand. Finally, the U.S. autarky equilibrium price at the intersection of the U.S. supply and demand curves is considered. Inferences on the economic feasibility for the U.S. to strive towards self-sufficiency in oil are examined including the vulnerability premium associated with national security concerns. The demand model demonstrates that U.S. oil demand is explained as a system of demands for energy, where individuals are committed in the short run to minimum quantities of consumption. In the context of pre-commitments, oil is found to have a higher own-price elasticity (more elastic) at average than is commonly found in the literature. Oil is further demonstrated to be a compliment for natural gas and electricity, and a substitute for coal. Oil production costs and quantities are heavily dependent upon reservoir geology, which has a fixed dispersion around the world. Using this premise, a supply curve composed of world oil reservoirs is generated. Scenario analysis on different world oil demand reductions suggests there are unintended costs of reducing oil demand. Oil producing countries will experience smaller gross domestic products from diminished oil production. Smaller gross domestic products may affect the countries’ political stability. The world oil supply curve and cross price elasticities from the demand model are considered together under the most likely scenario of a fall in world oil demand stemming from a 2.5% decrease in U.S. oil demand. These results are used to consider unintended consequences of changes in U.S. oil demand in attempts to achieve or pursue “energy independence.” These results include the impact on coal, natural gas, and electricity demand; the required change in gasoline demand that could precipitate a 2.5% change in oil demand; the change in U.S. GDP; the change in U.S. “energy independence” and; the change in political stability of oil producing nations. U.S. supply and demand curves for oil will not intersect in the short run with current technology. The implication is that the vulnerability premium for oil would need to be infinite to justify U.S. self-sufficiency in oil. The U.S., therefore, should not strive towards energy independence in oil

The use of TIMS for mapping different pahoehoe surfaces: Mauna Iki, Kilauea

S-type and p-type pahoehoe record different mechanisms and vigors of activity within an active flow field. There is some controversy about what these mechanisms are exactly, and this study was undertaken with the idea that an accurate map of the two surfaces within a pahoehoe flow field could be helpful in solving the problem. Thermal Infrared Multispectral Scanner (TIMS) allows discrimination between s-type and p-type pahoehoe, and this ability was used to map the two surface types on the Mauna Iki satellite shield (southwest rift zone, Kilauea Volcano). TIMS was previously used to discriminate a'a from pahoehoe as well as to determine relative age relationships of different flows. Although inter-flow variation was minor in the data published by these authors, a second goal presented is to understand such variations to better constrain intra-flow differences used for age dating

THE ELDERLY HAVE SPOKEN: IS ANYBODY LISTENING? The Impact Of Fuel Costs On The Elderly

This report contains the findings of a study carried out by the Gerontology Program at the University of Massachusetts Boston concerning the effects of the escalating fuel costs on the lives of the elderly who must pay for their own heat. Through the use of an interview format known as modified critical incident technique, a team of mostly elderly students spent several weeks during the winter of 1980 eliciting responses from more than 100 elderly individuals from throughout the greater Boston area. Not surprisingly , this study has revealed a number of profound impacts that the radical turn of economic events has already had on the lives of older Americans. To begin, standards of living must be adjusted as a larger proportion of the monthly budget is spent on fuel. Living arrangements change as the thermostat is lowered and utilized living areas are reduced by closing off rooms to conserve fuel. Nutrition is often sacrificed for warmth. Health frequently suffers as a result, with colder room temperatures further aggravating certain perennial afflictions of old age, such as arthritis. Social contacts diminish as mobility lessens. Cars become an unaffordable luxury Embarrassment over the coldness of the home and concern over visitors\u27 health in such cold are additional disincentives to entertaining. Pride in oneself, as a self-sufficient person, as a hospitable person, as a responsible member of society, falters. In this timely report, the researchers rely heavily on the words of the elderly themselves to describe the circumstances and conditions they have experienced most recently. Selections from these interviews have been grouped thematically with sections on general trends and recommendations included. After listening to the elderly, their message has become painfully clear: something has gone terribly wrong and these people have become the unfortunate victims. The important question remains, however, who is listening and willing to do something about it!

A nursing home ... not for my folks! : Families Caring for their Elderly at Home

This booklet is the second in a series of reports about elderly issues. The first, entitled The Elderly Have Spoken: Is Anybody Listening? The Impact of Fuel Costs on the Elderly, documented the impact of rising fuel costs on the elderly in Massachusetts. Each of the series reports seeks to capture the actual words, expressions, and feelings of elderly people and their loved ones. For the most part, the interviews were conducted by interviewers who are themselves 60 years old or older. We find that this age match provides greater insight and openness to the problems confronting the elderly in today\u27s society. In the following pages, you will find the stories of 68 families that have decided to care for their aging relatives in their own homes. Whenever possible, we have attempted to present the words of the family members themselves. These are telling words, unraveled in a moving document in which the authors\u27 job was merely to serve as organizer and communicator of the experience

Job Satisfaction of Home Care Case Managers: An Evaluative Look at One Home Care Corporation

Senior Home Care Services — Boston III, Inc. is a six year old private non-profit corporation with an annual budget of nearly $5 million. The agency currently delivers services to approximately 2,500 functionally impaired senior citizens per month in the Boston neighborhoods of South Boston, East Dorchester/Mattapan, East Boston, Beacon Hill, West End, North End, Charlestown, and South Cove. Over 5 7% of the case management staff has worked at the agency less than one year and 92.9% of the case management staff has worked at SHC for less than two years. The high turnover rate is well known to SHC administration and possible reasons for this turnover will be outlined later in this section of the report. Other descriptions of the SHC case management staff include: nearly 93% female; 97% white, primarily having SHC their first professional employer since college. In fact, 60.7% of the staff are younger than 24 years old, and nearly 79% are under 29 years of age. Just under half of the 28 case managers we talked to selected case management as their first job choice, but 60.7% indicated that they wanted to make a career in the human services working with the lederly. The tough economic times in human services was the reason most often given for accepting a position at SHC by those less eager to work with elderly or in case management. Therefore, for an agency serving urban elderly we have for the most part young white females with limited employment experience. The implications of this cultural homogeneity is a subject for further research, but is an area for policy examination and attention by SHC. To further test whether this staff description was applicable to other home care corporations and hence a matter for DEA review, we surveyed home care corporations throughout the Commonwealth. Every home care corporation in Massachusetts completed the survey. Results presented in Table 1 indicate a substantially wider spread in the ages of case managers than found at SHC. In fact, 52% of the 492 case managers identified in the study were under 30 years old. Only 28% were under 25 years old compared to 60.7% at SHC. (At the same time, only 10% of the state sample were over 55 years old.) Further descriptions of the case manager population statewide, however, do show some similarities to SHC. For example, 82% of the case managers in the agencies surveyed were female, and 93% were white (the others being 6% black, 0.6% Hispanic, 0.4% Cape Verdian) . Regarding job turnover, two agencies did not provide responses and two very small agencies reported very low turnover. Still, in averaging the job turnover rate for the twenty-five responding agencies the average tenure was 2.19 years — better, but not substantially different from SHC

Camera-trapping density estimates suggest critically low population sizes for the Wet Tropics subspecies of the spotted-tailed quoll (Dasyurus maculatus gracilis)

Accurate estimates of distribution and population density are critical for the management of threatened species. This is particularly pertinent for mammalian predators, whose generally low population density, elusive nature, and large home range requirements make it difficult to detect declines. We aimed to refine population estimates of the northern spotted-tailed quoll (Dasyurus maculatus gracilis) in the Wet Tropics bioregion, to estimate the total number of adults, the likely size of subpopulations across the known distribution of the subspecies, and its associated conservation status. We performed targeted upland camera-trapping surveys from June 2017 to May 2019. To calculate population densities, we used a combination of the number of individuals identified from each survey and the mean maximum distance moved from three life history stages. We then extrapolated these estimates to modelled suitable habitat areas, refined by the camera-trapping surveys. Population sizes for the six defined subpopulations were estimated, and ranged from approximately 5 to 105 individuals. The total population was estimated to be 221 individuals. This total population estimate, and the estimates for each of the subpopulations, are lower than previous published estimates and are cause for concern. Given the low population estimates presented here and unresolved threats driving declines in some subpopulations, we suggest elevation of this subspecies to Critically Endangered under the EPBC Act