Debtor relationships in the public assistance programs of the states

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Boston University, 1940In general no arbitrarily established income line can be drawn in order to determine when, and to what extent, a legally responsible relative should be required to give to a needy recipient. The answers to these questions can be determined only in terms of the facts of each individual case. It must be remembered that under normal conditions recipients either have to live with or to associate with their relatives. Relatives should be encourage to do what they can, rather than to be reminded of a compulsory support law. The exemption principle with regard to the amount of property a recipient may own without having it subject to recovery provisions is recommended. Each state should determine through its own legislation the maximum value of the property--real and personal--which should be exempted from any form of recovery

Polyethylene Sheeting as a Water Surface Cover in Sub-zero Temperatures

The occurrence of temperatures below -20°C in central Alaska produces a situation conducive to the formation of ice fog. By far the largest source of ice fog in the Fairbanks area is the evaporation of water in the cooling ponds of power plants. In an attempt to find methods to reduce this evaporation and subsequent fogging, a study was conducted during the winter of 1973 in order to examine the feasibility of using po1yethylene sheeting as a water surface cover. An uncovered insulated tank of water was placed on the roof of the Engineering Building of the University of Alaska. The water was circulated to prevent stratification and kept from freezing by a thermostatically controlled heater. From January 23 through February 2, the water surface was 1eft uncovered. Evaporation rates were measured daily by maintaining the water surface at a constant level. During the period of February 2 through 11, the water surface was covered with a sheet of clear polyethylene, thereby eliminating evaporation. Throughout the period of study, daily readings were made of the power consumption of the heater and pump. Temperatures within and above the tank were also frequently measured with copper-constantine thermocouples. From the data co11ected, a daily energy balance for the tank was calculated. Taken into consideration were the net short-wave and long-wave energy exchange, heat loss due to evaporation and sensible heat transfer, heat loss through the sides of the tank, change in stored energy, and energy input from heater and pump. Results indicate that polyethylene is an effective water surface cover that could be used to virtually eliminate evaporation from cooling ponds.The authors wish to acknowledge the assistance of the Institute of Water Resources, University of Alaska, who provided the funds for the construction of the tank and the instrumentation used in the study, and M. Gavin and B. Strickler, who helped in its construction

Fuelwood Scarcity, Energy Substitution and Rural Livelihoods in Namibia

In Namibia, as in many parts of Africa, households are highly dependent on fastdegrading forest resources for their livelihoods, including energy needs. Using data originally collected for Namibia's forest resource accounts and insights from a nonseparable household model, this paper empirically estimates household fuelwood demand. In particular, the factors underlying the substitution between fuelwood collected from open access forest resources, cow dung and fuelwood purchased from the market are analysed. Heckman two-step estimates show that households respond to forest scarcity, as measured by the opportunity costs of collecting fuelwood, by increasing labour input to collection more than by reducing energy consumption. There is limited evidence for substitution from fuelwood to other energy sources, particularly with the declining availability of forest stocks. All of the estimated elasticities are low confirming observations made elsewhere, particularly in South Asia. Policy interventions including energy efficiency measures and tree planting schemes are considered in the Namibian context. --Africa,forests,fuelwood,scarcity,energy,substitution,livelihoods