SSI and Postsecondary Education Support for Students with Disabilities

Young adults with disabilities who receive Supplementary Security Income (SSI) may think that postsecondary education is beyond their financial reach because their SSI benefits do not provide them with enough income for living and medical expenses after the costs of education have been met. Employment in addition to schooling may not seem a viable option because earned income can result in a decrease in, or disqualification from, the receipt of SSI and related medical benefits. However, there are ways that students with disabilities can finance postsecondary education and retain all or some of their SSI benefits. The option of retaining benefits while financing postsecondary education is especially important for students with disabilities given findings that only approximately 27% of these students go on to postsecondary education as compared to 68% of students without disabilities (Blackorby and Wagner, 1996; Wittenburg, Fishman, Golden & Allen, 2000). Further, data shows that youth who participate in and complete postsecondary education or vocational training are more likely to secure employment than are those who do not (Benz, Doren and Yvanoff, 1998; Blackorby & Wagner, 1996; National Organization on Disabilities, 1998). The remainder of this article examines ways in which SSI can be compatible with postsecondary education support

ACSB: A minimum performance assessment

Amplitude companded sideband (ACSB) is a new modulation technique which uses a much smaller channel width than does conventional frequency modulation (FM). Among the requirements of a mobile communications system is adequate speech intelligibility. This paper explores this aspect of minimum required performance. First, the basic principles of ACSB are described, with emphasis on those features that affect speech quality. Second, the appropriate performance measures for ACSB are reviewed. Third, a subjective voice quality scoring method is used to determine the values of the performance measures that equate to the minimum level of intelligibility. It is assumed that the intelligibility of an FM system operating at 12 dB SINAD represents that minimum. It was determined that ACSB operating at 12 dB SINAD with an audio-to-pilot ratio of 10 dB provides approximately the same intelligibility as FM operating at 12 dB SINAD

Rails to Trails: Converting America\u27s Abandoned Railroads into Nature Trails

As America becomes more populated, people escape urban pressures through bicycling, horseback riding and hiking. To this end, several old railroad beds have been converted to trails. In 1987, over ten million Americans used over 2,400 miles of such trails in thirty-one states. In 1920, the nation\u27s railway system reached its peak of 272,000 miles; however, the system has been losing track since that time. Approximately 141,000 miles are now in use, but it is predicted that another 3,000 miles will be abandoned every year through the end of this century. Many would like to see the abandoned railway lines converted to trails suitable for bicycling, horseback riding and hiking. The Rails-to-Trails Conservancy seeks to stop the piecemeal sale of old railbeds that cover tens of thousands of miles in every state, and to develop the land for trails. Opponents consist primarily of farmers and other adjacent landowners. They claim that the nation\u27s railroads obtained easements for their lines and that the right of passage was granted only for the limited purpose of running their trains. They also claim that when the railroad line is abandoned, the easement disappears and the land reverts to the adjacent landowners

Compatibility of reed canarygrass with alfalfa and birdsfoot trefoil

Perennial grass-legume mixtures are an important component of the hectareage harvested for hay and by grazing ruminants in the U.S.A. An ideal perennial grass-legume mixture has an intermediate botanical composition, but competitive exclusion of one component by the other is a common problem. Our objectives were to (1) characterize competitive relationships between reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea L.) and alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) and birdsfoot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus L.) in binary reed canarygrass-legume mixture, (2) describe mechanisms of competition displayed by these species, and (3) define traits amenable to selection which could improve legume compatibility of reed canarygrass. Both legumes dominated reed canarygrass following an initial establishment period. Niche divergence, apparent in reed canarygrass-birdsfoot trefoil mixtures, was responsible for their stability relative to reed canarygrass-alfalfa mixtures, which did not exhibit niche divergence. At early harvests, when competitive forces were rapidly changing botanical composition, legumes were taller and more mature in mixture than in monoculture, resulting in increased shading of reed canarygrass. Height and early maturity of reed canarygrass genotypes were associated with competitiveness against legumes. Tiller density, the more important reed canarygrass yield component in our study, exhibited a greater competitive effect against legumes than tiller weight. Mechanisms of competition changed over time. Increased height and advanced maturity of legumes in mixture relative to monoculture were present only at early harvests. Likewise, residual variation for legume dry-matter yield (DMY) among mixtures with 14 reed canarygrass clones, beyond that explained by the clones\u27 mixture reed canarygrass DMY, was important only at early harvests. Both at early harvests, when reed canarygrass dominated, and at late harvests, when legumes dominated, suppression (defined as DMY reduction of a given component per unit DMY of its competitor) of the dominant component exceeded suppression of the dominated component. Selection for high DMY, height, early maturity, and low rhizomatous spreading ability should improve legume compatibility of reed canarygrass

Hot Gas Structure in the Elliptical Galaxy NGC 4472

We present X-ray spectroscopic and morphological analyses using Chandra ACIS and ROSAT observations of the giant elliptical galaxy NGC 4472 in the Virgo cluster. We discuss previously unobserved X-ray structures within the extended galactic corona. In the inner 2' of the galaxy, we find X-ray holes or cavities with radii of ~2 kpc, corresponding to the position of radio lobes. These holes were produced during a period of nuclear activity that began 1.2 x 10^7 years ago and may be ongoing. We also find an asymmetrical edge in the galaxy X-ray emission 3' (14 kpc) northeast of the core and an ~8' tail (36 kpc) extending southwest of the galaxy. These two features probably result from the interaction of NGC 4472 gas with the Virgo gas, which produces compression in the direction of NGC 4472's infall and an extended tail from ram pressure stripping. Assuming the tail is in pressure equilibrium with the surrounding gas, we compute its angle to our line of sight and estimate that its true extent exceeds 100 kpc. Finally, in addition to emission from the nucleus (first detected by Soldatenkov, Vikhlinin & Pavlinsky), we detect two small extended sources within 10'' of the nucleus of the galaxy, both of which have luminosities of ~7 x 10^38 erg/s.Comment: 25 pages, 11 figures, accepted by Ap

Modelling the ability of legumes to suppress weeds

The ability of different legume cover crops to suppress annual weeds during the early establishment phase was compared using a simulation model of inter-plant competition and field observations. Height, partitioning parameters, extinction coefficients, crop density and time of emergence were recorded for 11 species sown in monocultures. A naturally occurring population of fat hen (Chenopodium album) was present on the experiment. The competition model was run to compare the expected suppressive ability of the different species on this weed. Samples of C. album were also taken from each plot immediately prior to cutting to provide some empirical observations. Predicted suppressive ability was correlated with seed size and height with large seeded, tall species such as white sweet clover being the most competitive. However, these species may recover poorly from mowing compromising their potential to suppress perennial weeds and a mixture of contrasting species may provide the optimum weed control

Evaluation of innovative sprayed-concrete-lined tunnelling

The front-shunt tunnel was the first tunnel of the Terminal 5 project at Heathrow to be constructed, and was the first section of sprayed-concrete-lined (SCL) tunnel to be constructed using the method known as LaserShell. This innovation represented a significant deviation from the methods previously used in SCL construction. Therefore it was subjected to a careful examination before and during construction using sophisticated 3D numerical modelling and monitoring during construction. The paper presents typical results from surface settlement levelling, inclinometers and extensometers, pressure cells and tunnel lining displacement measurements, and comments on the performance of the methods and instruments used. The paper then presents the methodology and typical results of the numerical modelling, and shows that the predictions of displacements and stresses compared well with the field measurements. In terms of the control of ground deformations and structural safety the tunnel performed well