Moment of Truth: The Special Relationship of the Federal Government to Alaska Natives and Their Tribes — Update and Issue Analysis

Beyond considering the present state of the statutory relationship between the federal government and Alaska Natives, this analysis focuses on the power of Congress and the Executive Branch to change the relationship. Absent congressional acts which mandate some level of federal responsibility to Natives, the Executive Branch possesses an independent power over Native affairs which can be exercised to expand, reduce, or deny a special relationship as an enforceable federal obligation. Includes an appendix by Stephen Haycox, "Historical Aspects of the Federal Obligation to Alaska Natives."Report prepared pursuant to a planning grant from Rural Alaska Community Action Program, Inc., to Alaska Federation of Natives.Prologue / I. The Current Trust Relationship / II. ANCSA: Its Role in an Age of Self-Determination / III. The Threat of Termination / IV. Conclusion / Footnotes / Appendix I: "Historical Aspects of the Federal Obligation to Alaska Natives" by Stephen Hayco

Research in NASA History: A Guide to the NASA History Program

This monograph details the archival and other related resources held by the NASA History Office at Headquarters, and at NASA's Field Centers and other related government agencies. It also gives information on the NASA History publications, World Wide Web pages and the like

MP 2009-09

As the price of traditional fossil fuels escalates, there is increasing interest in using renewable resources, such as biomass, to meet our energy needs. Biomass resources are of particular interest to communities in interior Alaska, where they are abundant (Fresco, 2006). Biomass has the potential to partially replace heating oil, in addition to being a possible source for electric power generation (Crimp and Adamian, 2000; Nicholls and Crimp, 2002; Fresco, 2006). The communities of Tanana and Dot Lake have already installed small Garn boilers to provide space heating for homes and businesses (Alaska Energy Authority, 2009). A village-sized combined heat and power (CHP) demonstration project has been proposed in North Pole. In addition, several Fairbanks area organizations are interested in using biomass as a fuel source. For example, the Fairbanks North Star Borough is interested in using biomass to supplement coal in a proposed coal-to-liquids project, the Cold Climate Housing Research Center is planning to test a small biomass fired CHP unit, and the University of Alaska is planning an upgrade to its existing coal-fired power plant that could permit co-firing with biomass fuels. The challenge for all of these projects is in ensuring that biomass can be harvested on both an economically and ecologically sustainable basis

State Enforcement of Alaska Native Tribal Law: The Congressional Mandate of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act

This paper, as revised, was published as: Conn, Stephen; & Garber, Bart Kaloa. (1990). "State Enforcement of Alaska Native Tribal Law: The Congressional Mandate of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act." 1989 Harvard Indian Law Symposium, pp. 99–133. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Law School Publications Center.Law journals, newspapers, and the courts all document Native unrest and dissatisfaction with state management of Native subsistence lifestyles. It is the thesis of this paper that the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) requires the state to discover and incorporate community-derived tribal law — customs and traditions regarding the taking and gathering of wild, renewable resources — as the applicable minimum federal standard to the extent that conservation of the resource permits.Travel to symposium partially funded by the Alaska Federation of NativesI. Introduction / II. Indian Hunting and Fishing Rights / III. Alaska Native Hunting and Fishing Rights / IV. ANILCA Compared With Off-Reservation Indian Hunting and Fishing Rights / V. How Are Customary and Traditional Subsistence Practices Guided By Tribal Law

Mathematical Problem Posing as a Measure of Curricular Effect on Students\u27 Learning

In this study, we used problem posing as a measure of the effect of middle-school curriculum on students\u27 learning in high school. Students who had used a standards-based curriculum in middle school performed equally well or better in high school than students who had used more traditional curricula. The findings from this study not only show evidence of strengths one might expect of students who used the standards-based reform curriculum but also bolster the feasibility and validity of problem posing as a measure of curriculum effect on student learning. In addition, the findings of this study demonstrate the usefulness of employing a qualitative rubric to assess different characteristics of students\u27 responses to the posing tasks. Instructional and methodological implications of this study, as well as future directions for research, are discussed

A Class-C amplifier linearized by a constant conduction angle biasing circuit

This work presents a dynamic biasing topology capable of linearizing a Class-C power amplifier (PA). The topology utilizes a control loop that senses the operating conditions of the power device by means of a scaled replica. The loop operates on the principle of keeping the conduction angle constant and thereby ensuring linearity. The work details some of the design considerations that should prove useful to a designer wanting to implement the topology in an RF integrated circuit. Measurement results from a fully-functional low-frequency prototype bring merit to the topology

Exploring the Unknown: Selected Documents in the History of the US Civilian Space Program

One of the most important developments of the twentieth century has been the movement of humanity into space with machines and people. The underpinnings of that movement -why it took the shape it did; which individuals and organizations were involved; what factors drove a particular choice of scientific objectives and technologies to be used; and the political, economic, managerial, and international contexts in which the events of the space age unfolded- are all important ingredients of this epoch transition from an earthbound to spacefaring people. This desire to understand the development of spaceflight in the United States sparked this documentary history series. 'Exploring the Unknown' is a multi-volume series containing a selection of key documents in history of the U.S. civil space program. This current volume, Volume III, focusing on the use of space for practical applications, prints 112 key documents on the history of satellite communications, remote sensing of earth, and space as an investment in economic growth, edited for ease of use. Each is introduced by a headnote providing context, bibliographical information, and background information necessary to understanding the document

A Composite of Multiple Signals Distinguishes Causal Variants in Regions of Positive Selection

The human genome contains hundreds of regions whose patterns of genetic variation indicate recent positive natural selection, yet for most the underlying gene and the advantageous mutation remain unknown. We developed a method, composite of multiple signals (CMS), that combines tests for multiple signals of selection and increases resolution by up to 100-fold. By applying CMS to candidate regions from the International Haplotype Map, we localized population-specific selective signals to 55 kilobases (median), identifying known and novel causal variants. CMS can not just identify individual loci but implicates precise variants selected by evolution.Organismic and Evolutionary BiologyOther Research Uni

Remarks on Causality in Relativistic Quantum Field Theory

It is shown that the correlations predicted by relativistic quantum field theory in locally normal states between projections in local von Neumann algebras \cA(V_1),\cA(V_2) associated with spacelike separated spacetime regions $V_1,V_2$ have a (Reichenbachian) common cause located in the union of the backward light cones of $V_1$ and $V_2$. Further comments on causality and independence in quantum field theory are made.Comment: 10 pages, Latex, Quantum Structures 2002 Conference Proceedings submission. Minor revision of the order of definitions on p.

Interoperability standards enabling cross-border patient summary exchange

Abstract. In an increasingly mobile world, many citizens and professionals are frequent travellers. Access during unplanned care to their patient summary, their most essential health information, in a form physicians in another country can understand can impact not only their safety, but also the quality and effectiveness of healthcare. International health information technology (HIT) standards such as HL7 CDA have been developed to advance interoperability. Implementation guides (IG) and IHE profiles constrain standards and make them fit for the purpose of specific use cases. A joint effort between HL7, IHE, and HealthStory created Consolidated CDA (C-CDA), a set of harmonized CDA IGs for the US that is cited in the Meaning Use II (MU-II) regulation. In the EU, the Patient Summary (PS) Guideline recently adopted, cites the epSOS IG also based on HL7 CDA, to support cross-border care in the EU and inform national eHealth programs. The Trillium Bridge project supports international standards development by extending the EU PS Guideline to meet MU-II C-CDA in the transatlantic exchange of Electronic Health Records (EHRs). This paper presents preliminary findings from comparing patient summaries in the EU and US and reflects on the challenge of implementing interoperable eHealth systems in the cross-border or transatlantic setting