Hydrology Of Small Reservoirs In Semi-Arid Northern Ghana

This thesis analyzes the suitability of radar satellite images for monitoring small reservoir surfaces, the suitability of remotely sensed time series of their surface areas to calibrate hydrological models, and small reservoir evaporation losses. Radar remote sensing of small reservoirs is suitable especially during the rainy season, but is affected by wind and lack of vegetation context during the dry season. Reservoirs could be extracted from the radar images most often with a quasi-manual classification approach, as stringent classification rules often failed under less than optimal conditions. Failure to extract reservoirs was due to the backscattered radar signal that occurred above wind speeds of 2.6 m s exp(-1) (Bragg scattering). Due to lower wind speeds, the use of night time acquisitions was more effective than the use of daytime images. As optical systems perform well under low vegetation contrast, and independent of wind conditions, radar and optical systems can be used complimentary. Time series of remotely sensed small reservoir surface areas, translated into storage volume changes, were successfully used to calibrate hydrological rainfall-runoff models. Eight small reservoirs in the Upper East Region of Ghana, and Togo, were monitored to calibrate modified Thornthwaite-Mather models, in which increasing precipitation leads to exponentially increasing contributing areas. The model results indicate that the overall impact of the reservoirs largely depends on the ratios of reservoir and watershed areas. For this two year study, the reservoirs captured on the average 34% of quick flow, and 15% of overall watershed runoff. Reservoir evaporation losses were measured directly with a floating evaporation pan (E sub(o) ) and were compared to evaporation rates determined from the reservoir?s energy budget (E sub(B) ) and Penman's equation (E sub(t) ). The direct E sub(o) measurements were generally lower than E sub(t) and E sub(B) . Compared to land based E sub(t) Land , the reservoir evaporation E sub(t) was not excessive. Regional wind patterns influence evaporation dynamics from the reservoir. Northeast winds with a high saturation deficit lead to significant evaporation losses, while the evaporation losses under moister, more prevalent southwest winds were moderate

Water in the Green Economy: Capacity Development Aspects

This book discusses needs related to capacity development for water resources management, including water supply and sanitation, in the context of the green economy. It showcases theoretical and practical approaches with proven success. Most contributions come from members and partners within the interagency mechanism, UN-Water. The 11 case studies in this book range from innovative design and delivery of capacity development programs related to water in the green economy, market mechanisms, and quality control procedures supporting capacity development success towards the practical implementation of programs to enhance individual and institutional capacity

Small multi-purpose reservoir ensemble planning

People living in arid areas with highly variable rainfall, experience droughts and floods and often have insecure livelihoods. Small multi-purpose reservoirs are a widely used form of infrastructure for the provision of water. They supply water for domestic use, livestock watering, small scale irrigation, and other beneficial uses. The reservoirs are hydrologically linked by the streams that have been dammed. Although reservoirs store a large quantity of water and have a significant effect on downstream flows, they have rarely been considered as systems, with synergies and tradeoffs resulting from the number and density of their structures. Often reservoirs were constructed in a series of projects funded by different agencies, at different times, with little or no coordination among the implementing partners. A significant number are functioning sub-optimally and/or are falling into disrepair. This indicates that there is room for improvement in the planning, operation, and maintenance of small reservoirs. The water management institutions in Volta, Limpopo, and Sao Francisco Basins are being revamped to better serve their constituencies. We have an opportunity to collaborate with government officials, stakeholders, and farmers who are actively looking for ways to improve the planning process. The Small Reservoir Project team developed a tool kit to support the planning, development, and management of small reservoir ensembles on the basin level and the use of small multi-purpose reservoirs that are properly located, well designed, operated and maintained in sustainable fashion, and economically viable on the local/community level. There are tools to improve intervention planning, storage estimation and the analysis of the hydrology, ecology and health of small reservoirs. There ara also tools for the analysis of institutional and economic aspects of the reservoirs. The toolkit not only includes the necessary analytical instruments, but also a set of process oriented tools for improved participatory decision making. The Tool Kit is meant to be a living “document” with additional tools and experiences to be added as they are developed

Zwischen Schattendasein, Governance und Entrepreneurship - Eine empirische Bestandsaufnahme zum Professionalisierungsgrad des IT-Managements in deutschen Krankenhäusern

Bei der Umsetzung der digitalen Transformation bewegt sich das ITManagement in Krankenhäusern in einem Spannungsfeld aus historischkulturellen Vorbedingungen und den besonderen Herausforderungen wissensintensiver Expertenorganisation. Um zu untersuchen, wie professionell das ITManagement vor diesem Hintergrund ist, wurde in der vorliegenden Studie der Professionalisierungsgrad des IT-Managements als Beschreibungsgröße vorgeschlagen. Darüber hinaus wurden Ausprägungen der IT-Governance und des IT-Entrepreneurships als mögliche Determinanten des Professionalisierungsgrades konzeptionalisiert. Ein entsprechend aufgestelltes, hypothesengeleitetes Untersuchungsmodell wurde anhand der Daten von 164 CIOs deutscher Krankenhäuser überprüft. Die Ergebnisse der Studie deuten auf Professionalisierungspotenziale des IT-Managements im strategischen und evaluierenden Bereich hin. Etablierte Kommunikationskanäle zwischen CIO und Krankenhausleitung sowie eine ausgewiesene IT-Budgetverantwortungen wirkten sich positiv auf den Professionalisierungsgrad aus. Zudem Das agierte das ITManagement umso professioneller, je stärker der IT-Entrepreneurship auf organisatorischer und individueller Ebene ausgeprägt war. Die Ergebnisse können den theoretischen Erkenntnisstand über die Wirkungsweise von IT-Governance und IT-Entrepreneurship erweitern und auf ähnliche, wissensintensive Expertenorganisationen übertragen werden

In-Orbit Performance of the GRACE Follow-on Laser Ranging Interferometer

The Laser Ranging Interferometer (LRI) instrument on the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) Follow-On mission has provided the first laser interferometric range measurements between remote spacecraft, separated by approximately 220 km. Autonomous controls that lock the laser frequency to a cavity reference and establish the 5 degrees of freedom two-way laser link between remote spacecraft succeeded on the first attempt. Active beam pointing based on differential wave front sensing compensates spacecraft attitude fluctuations. The LRI has operated continuously without breaks in phase tracking for more than 50 days, and has shown biased range measurements similar to the primary ranging instrument based on microwaves, but with much less noise at a level of 1 nm/Hz at Fourier frequencies above 100 mHz. © 2019 authors. Published by the American Physical Society

Acute mountain sickness.

Acute mountain sickness (AMS) is a clinical syndrome occurring in otherwise healthy normal individuals who ascend rapidly to high altitude. Symptoms develop over a period ofa few hours or days. The usual symptoms include headache, anorexia, nausea, vomiting, lethargy, unsteadiness of gait, undue dyspnoea on moderate exertion and interrupted sleep. AMS is unrelated to physical fitness, sex or age except that young children over two years of age are unduly susceptible. One of the striking features ofAMS is the wide variation in individual susceptibility which is to some extent consistent. Some subjects never experience symptoms at any altitude while others have repeated attacks on ascending to quite modest altitudes. Rapid ascent to altitudes of 2500 to 3000m will produce symptoms in some subjects while after ascent over 23 days to 5000m most subjects will be affected, some to a marked degree. In general, the more rapid the ascent, the higher the altitude reached and the greater the physical exertion involved, the more severe AMS will be. Ifthe subjects stay at the altitude reached there is a tendency for acclimatization to occur and symptoms to remit over 1-7 days

Are Public-Private Partnerships a Healthy Option? A Systematic Literature Review of “Constructive” Partnerships between Public and Private Actors

Governments around the world, but especially in Europe, have increasingly used private sector involvement in developing, financing and providing public health infrastructure and service delivery through public-private partnerships (PPPs). Although PPPs have attracted practitioner and academic interest over the last two decades, there has been no attempt to integrate the general management and health management literatures to provide a holistic view of PPPs in healthcare delivery. This study analyzes over 1,400 publications from a wide range of disciplines over a 20-year time period. We find that despite the scale and significance of the phenomenon, there is relatively limited conceptualization and in-depth empirical investigation. Based on bibliographic and content analyses, we synthesize formerly dispersed research perspectives into a comprehensive multi-dimensional framework of public-private partnerships. In so doing, we provide new directions for further research and practice