Nutrient load analysis of Lago de Yojoa, Honduras

Thesis (M. Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2006.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 47-49).Lake Yojoa, Honduras is an important natural resource to the people of Honduras. The lake's water quality has been a controversial subject. This thesis describes a nutrient load analysis performed to gain a better understanding of the water quality. Loads were calculated for point sources, non-point sources, and other sources. These loads were applied to a trophic model to determine the lake's trophic status. The results of this study seem to point out that much about tropical limnology is unknown. Lake Yojoa appears to be a mesotrophic lake with nitrogen as the limiting nutrient. However, further field evaluation of the limiting nutrient and nutrient loadings is recommended in order to provide information for better management of the lake.by Tia M. Trate.M.Eng

Item Parameter Drift as an Indication of Differential Opportunity to Learn: An Exploration of item Flagging Methods & Accurate Classification of Examinees

The presence of outlying anchor items is an issue faced by many testing agencies. The decision to retain or remove an item is a difficult one, especially when the content representation of the anchor set becomes questionable by item removal decisions. Additionally, the reason for the aberrancy is not always clear, and if the performance of the item has changed due to improvements in instruction, then removing the anchor item may not be appropriate and might produce misleading conclusions about the proficiency of the examinees. This study is conducted in two parts consisting of both a simulation and empirical data analysis. In these studies, the effect on examinee classification was investigated when the decision was made to remove or retain aberrant anchor items. Three methods of detection were explored; (1) delta plot, (2) IRT b-parameter plots, and (3) the RPU method. In the simulation study, degree of aberrancy was manipulated as well as the ability distribution of examinees and five aberrant item schemes were employed. In the empirical data analysis, archived statewide science achievement data that was suspected to possess differential opportunity to learn between administrations was re-analyzed using the various item parameter drift detection methods. The results for both the simulation and empirical data study provide support for eliminating the use of flagged items for linking assessments when a matrix-sampling design is used and a large number of items are used within that anchor. While neither the delta nor the IRT b-parameter plot methods produced results that would overwhelmingly support their use, it is recommended that both methods be employed in practice until further research is conducted for alternative methods, such as the RPU method since classification accuracy increases when such methods are employed and items are removed and most often, growth is not misrepresented by doing so

Diet Recommendations for Patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Introduction Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a very common chronic functional gastrointestinal (GI) disease that is characterized by abdominal pain in association with defecation and change in bowel habits.1 The condition has a multifactorial and incompletely understood pathophysiology, including altered brain-gut interactions, microbiome changes, differed GI motility, psychological factors, and food hypersensitivity.2 With the heterogenicity of the disorder, there is no standardized treatment for IBS, leading its therapy to rely on symptomatic treatments.2 The influence of dietary triggers on the generation of IBS symptoms is well-known and includes different mechanisms including immune activation, mast cell inflammation, and luminal distention.2 Studies show that 50% of patients with IBS have postprandial exacerbations of symptoms within 90 minutes of eating with the prevalence of food intolerance being as high as 70%.3 More specifically, Fermentable Oligo-, Di-, and Mono-saccharides And Polyols (FODMAPs) have been recognized as triggers to IBS symptoms, as they ultimately lead to increased gas production as a consequence of food fermentation.1 Therapeutic gains offered by medications are only 8-20% more than that of placebo use, thereby improving the conditions of less than half of patients.3 Given the limitations of drug therapy, the long course of IBS, and the role of food in symptom development, diet and lifestyle play an essential role in managing IBS.2,3 Unfortunately, there is currently little high-quality evidence regarding a dietary approach.2 Nevertheless, many different approaches have been suggested including the low-FODMAP diet (LFD), gluten-free diet (GFD), wheat-free diet (WFD), and lactose-free diet, with the first two mentioned diets being the most suggested.2 This article will focus on comparing the diets used for those with IBS and discuss how providers today can best implement these diets in current practice

Mobilizations and Movements of Foreign Fighters From Southeast Asia to Syria and Iraq

This article examines foreign fighter movements, in particular those who joined the Islamic State and al-Nusra front from Southeast Asia to Syria and Iraq. It will analyze the dynamics of the movements in Southeast Asia and Syria and Iraq, provide a discussion of the potential threats of the returnees and how state and civil society respond to the threats of the groups. It is based on interviews to Afghan veterans in Indonesia and analyses of primary and secondary sources of the Syrian and Iraq conflicts. It argues that it is urgent to strengthen unity and partnership between state and civil society in coping the rise of the terrorism movements and to prevent violent attacks after the returns of Southeast Asian fighters from Syria and Iraq

Development of a snorkel for unmanned underwater vehicles

Thesis (S.B.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 2012.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (p. 33).The development of unmanned underwater vehicles (UUV) has provided a bevy of opportunities for the exploration of the ocean. However, one limitation has kept UUVs from truly becoming mass produced, its limited range. The problem with traditional snorkel designs built for submarines is that they are far too large to be effective on a small underwater vehicle. This paper thus explores the design and development of an air snorkel for a hybrid power system for UUVs. The process beginning with concept generation and ending with manufacture will be discussed. Features discussed include the outer shell, float mechanism, and filtration system. The goal is to provide further advancement on snorkel design because through the development of a hybrid power system, UUVs will be able to perform a larger variety of tasks that are limited due to the low energy density of battery powered systems.by Peter Tia.S.B

Functional Neuroimaging Techniques to Examine Falls and Cognition in Older Adults: A Systematic Review

Falls in older adults have been attributed to impaired cognition. There is potential for neuroimaging techniques to understand the biological components that are involved in the cognitive processes pertaining to falls. Therefore, the purpose of this systematic review was to analyze how functional neuroimaging can be used to examine the relationship between falls and cognition among older adults. The following five electronic databases were selected to identify peer-reviewed articles in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses: 1) Medline (via OVID), 2) PsycINFO (via OVID), 3) CINAHL (via EBSCO), 4) EMBASE (via OVID), and 5) Pubmed. From the search, 9 articles were included that fit the inclusion criteria. The articles suggest that functional neuroimaging techniques can be efficacious for predicting falls in older adults

Analisis Peranan Indonesia dalam Pemberian Bantuan Kemanusiaan Terhadap Etnis Rohingya di Era Jokowi

The Rohingya ethnicity is one of the most sensitive ethnic groups in the world due to the violence that this ethnic group received in their own territory, and in the end, people from this ethnic group became stateless as a result of policies issued by the Myanmar government. Indonesia as one of the countries that upholds and elevates the value of Human Rights as well as being a leader in Southeast Asia, under Jokowi's leadership, Indonesia is trying to show its participation in efforts to resolve this long-standing conflict with various efforts that prioritize humanity and peace such as by how to issue foreign policy with diplomacy, as well as the allocation of foreign aid with a focus on kindness that is mostly given to people of that ethnicity. This then raises the question of how the role given by the Indonesian government in the Jokowi era through the many humanitarian assistance provided by Indonesia to these ethnic groups. A qualitative descriptive method was chosen to explain this research using data collection techniques through literature review and using an approach to the concept of foreign policy and aid as well as the theory of aid allocation. The results of this study itself show that there was a significant contribution made by Indonesia in responding to the conflict.Etnis Rohingya merupakan salah satu etnis paling sensitif di dunia diakibatkan oleh kekerasan yang didapatkan oleh etnis tersebut di wilayahnya sendiri, bahkan pada akhirnya orang-orang dari etnis ini menjadi stateless akibat dari kebijakan yang dikeluarkan oleh Pemerintah Myanmmmar. Indonesia sebagai salah satu negara yang menjunjung tinggi serta mengangkat nilai Hak Asasi Manusia sekaligus menjadi pemimpin di Asia Tenggara, di bawah kepemimpinan Jokowi, Indonesia berusaha untuk menunjukan keikutsertaanya dalam upaya penyelesaian konflik yang telah berlangsung lama ini dengan berbagai upaya yang mengedepankan kemanusiaan dan perdamaian seperti dengan cara mengeluarkan kebijakan luar negeri dengan diplomasi, serta alokasi bantuan luar negeri dengan fokus kemusiaan yang banyak diberikan kepada orang-orang dari etnis tersebut. Hal tersebut kemudian memunculkan pertanyaan tentang bagaimana peranan yang diberikan oleh pemerintah Indonesia di era Jokowi dengan melalui banyaknya bantuan kemusiaan yang diberikan oleh Indonesia kepada etnis tersebut. Metode deskriptif kualitatif dipilih untuk menjelaskan penelitian ini dengan teknik pengumpulan data melalui kajian pustaka serta menggunakan pendekatan pada konsep kebijakan dan bantuan luar negeri serta teori alokasi bantuan. Hasil dari penelitian ini sendiri menunjukan adanya significant contribution yang dilakukan oleh Indonesia dalam menanggapi konflik tersebut

Pengaruh Program CSR PT Jasa Raharja (Persero) Cabang Riau terhadap Keberhasilan UMKM di Kota Pekanbaru

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a social responsibility for a business organization against its stakeholder group. PKBL is a form of BUMN social responsibility. According to Law No.19 of 2003 on BUMN, where one of the purposes and objectives of BUMN establishment is to actively provide guidance and assistance to weak economic entrepreneurs, cooperatives and communities, as well as policies that state that BUMN can set aside a portion of their net profit for the purpose of business development small, cooperative as well as community development around BUMN, then PT Jasa Raharja (Persero) is committed in the implementation of Partnership Program. Partnership Program is a program to increase the ability of small business to be tough and independent. The purpose of this study, namely to determine how much influence CSR program PT Jasa Raharja (Persero) branch of Riau to the success of UMKM in the city of Pekanbaru.The theory used in this research is Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) theory. The method used in this research is explanative quantitative method. Technique of collecting data in this research using direct questionnaires distributing to UMKM which have become Partners of PT Jasa Raharja (Persero) Branch of Riau with sample 68 determined by random sampling technique. To know the influence of both variables, the researcher use simple linear regression analysis.Based on the results of research on the influence of CSR program PT Jasa Raharja (Persero) Riau branch on the success of UMKM in the city of Pekanbaru, obtained regression coefficient value in this study is Y = 8.282 + 0.577 X with a significance level of 0.000. Of course smaller than α = 0.05. This means that there is influence CSR program PT Jasa Raharja (Persero) branch of Riau to the success of SMEs in the city of Pekanbaru by 75.7% and enter the category strongly influenced. The percentage indicates that the PT Jasa Raharja (Persero) branch of CSR program is very influential towards the happening of UMKM in Pekanbaru city. Thus H0 is rejected and Ha accepted