Adaptive Management of Stream Channel Maintenance at Bridge Crossings in the Northern Tier Region,Pennsylvania1

Abstract: An adaptive management framework is applied to the problem of identifying mitigation measures for sediment deposition near bridge crossings in small streams in the Northern Tier region of northern Pennsylvania. The presence of the rigid bridge infrastructure introduces a challenge for applying adaptive management practices, because the integrity of the bridge structure itself has to be maintained regardless of the mitigation practices used in the stream channel near the bridge. In an effort to overcome the unacceptable risk that field‐scale adaptive management experiments present to rigid bridge infrastructure, an adaptive management approach for laboratory‐scale experimentation of mitigation methods at bridge crossings in the Northern Tier region is presented as a way to decrease the level of uncertainty about channel response to mitigation measures and increase the rate of learning about the effectiveness of these measures. Four cycles of adaptive management experiments are discussed to demonstrate that this approach results in fast and efficient learning about channel response to mitigation methods for the given conditions. The value of monitoring and of assessment of monitored data in the overall efficiency of the adaptive management approach is highlighted. Assessment of what was learned in the adaptive management experiment cycles presented here leads to new directions to continually improve management policies and practices in stream channels at bridge crossings in the Northern Tier region. The adaptive management process, rather than continuing with a normally risk‐averse management approach, results in opportunities for learning new information about a system’s response.     

Fast firing of tiles containing paper mill sludge, glass cullet and clay

The paper describes results obtained in the development of a previous research. We study here, in fast firing, the sintering behaviour and measure some properties of tiles containing a mixture of 60 wt% of paper mill sludge and 40 wt% of glass cullet. The behaviour of this material is compared to those displayed by materials obtained by the same mixture added with 10, 20 and 30 wt% of a natural red clay. In parallel, the same properties are measured also on a reference blend, which is presently used to produce commercial tiles. We show that powders containing 60 wt% of paper sludge and 40 wt% of glass cullet to which 30 wt% of clay is added give rise to materials that display a stable sintering process and have good hardness and strength and therefore could be used for the industrial production of tiles.     

Investigations on CO2 storage capacity in saline aquifers—Part 2: Estimation of storage capacity coefficients

Many studies on geological carbon dioxide (CO₂) storage capacity neglect the influence of complex coupled processes which occur during and after the injection of CO₂. Storage capacity is often overestimated since parts of the reservoirs cannot be reached by the CO₂ plume due to gravity segregation and are thus not accessible for storage. This work investigates the effect of reservoir parameters like depth, temperature, absolute and relative permeability, and capillary pressure on the processes during CO₂ injection and thus on estimates of effective storage capacity. The applied statistical characteristics of parameters are based on a large reservoir parameter database. Different measured relative permeability relations are considered. The methodology of estimating storage capacity is discussed. Using numerical 1D and 3D experiments, detailed time-dependent storage capacity estimates are derived. With respect to the concept developed in this work, it is possible to estimate effective CO₂ storage capacity in saline aquifers. It is shown that effective CO₂ mass stored in the reservoir varies by a factor of 20 for the reservoir setups considered. A high influence of the relative permeability relation on storage capacity is shown.     

The modelling of a hybrid combined cycle with pressurised fluidised bed combustion and CO2 capture

This study investigates the possibility of capturing CO₂ from flue gas under pressurised conditions, which could prove to be beneficial in comparison to working under atmospheric conditions. Simulations of two hybrid combined cycles with pressurised fluidised bed combustion and CO₂ capture are presented. CO₂ is captured from pressurised flue gas by means of chemical absorption after the boiler but before expansion. The results show a CO₂ capture penalty of approximately 8 percentage points (including 90% CO₂ capture rate and compression to 110 bar), which makes the efficiency for the best performing cycle 43.9%. It is 5.2 percentage points higher than the most probable alternative, i.e. using a natural gas fired combined cycle and a pulverised coal fired condensing plant separately with the same fuel split ratio. The largest part of the penalty is associated with the lower mass flow of flue gas after CO₂ capture, which leads to a decrease in work output in the expander and potential for feed water heating. The penalty caused by the regeneration of absorbent is quite low, since the high pressure permits the use of potassium carbonate, which requires less regeneration heat than for example the more commonly proposed monoethanolamine. Although the efficiencies of the cycles look promising it will be important to perform a cost estimate to be able to make a fair comparison with other systems. Such a cost estimate has not been done in this study. A significant drawback of these hybrid cycles in that respect is the complex nature of the systems that will have a negative effect on the economy.     

Preferred modes of travel among older adults: What factors affect the choice to walk instead of drive?

Introduction

There are many factors that influence older adults' travel choices. This paper explores the associations between mode of travel choice for a short trip and older adults' personal characteristics.

Methods

This study included 406 drivers over the age of 64 who were enrolled in a large integrated health plan in the United States between 1991 and 2001. Bivariate analyses and generalized linear modeling were used to examine associations between choosing to walk or drive and respondents' self-reported general health, physical and functional abilities, and confidence in walking and driving.

Results

Having more confidence in their ability to walk versus drive increased an older adult's likelihood of walking to make a short trip by about 20% (PR = 1.22; 95% CI: 1.06-1.40), and walking for exercise increased the likelihood by about 50% (PR = 1.53; 95% CI = 1.22-1.91). Reporting fair or poor health decreased the likelihood of walking, as did cutting down on the amount of driving due to a physical problem.

Discussion

Factors affecting a person's decision to walk for exercise may not be the same as those that influence their decision to walk as a mode of travel. It is important to understand the barriers to walking for exercise and walking for travel to develop strategies to help older adults meet both their exercise and mobility needs. Impact on Industry: Increasing walking over driving among older adults may require programs that increase confidence in walking and encourage walking for exercise.     

Implications of turnover and trust for safety attitudes and behaviour in work teams

Turnover potentially leads to a new individual being selected into a work team. This study investigated the safety-specific trust which team members place in their organisation’s selection and induction processes, and related this to the perceived risk from new employees. The research was conducted with teams working in forest harvesting, an occupation which has high-turnover, high risk and a high accident rate. Results indicate that trust in induction processes was negatively correlated with perceived risk from a new employee. Team members also engaged in a number of safety ensuring behaviours when a new individual joined the team, and these were related to the level of perceived risk, and how much they cared about their team members’ safety. It is argued that trust in the safety-specific characteristics of an organisation’s selection and induction process may have negative consequences for safety.     

A method for ranking components importance in presence of epistemic uncertainties

Importance Measures (IMs) are used to rank the contributions of components or basic events to the system performance, e.g. its reliability or risk. Most times, IMs are calculated without due account of the uncertainties in the model of the behavior of the system. The objective of this work is to investigate how uncertainties can influence IMs and to develop a method for giving them due account in the corresponding ranking of the components or basic events. The uncertainties considered in this work affect the model parameters values and are assumed to be described by probability density functions. The method for ranking the contributors to the system performance measure is applied to the auxiliary feedwater system of a nuclear pressurized water reactor.     

Organizational justice,voluntary learning behavior,and job performance: A test of the mediating effects of identification and leader‐member exchange

This paper presents and tests an integrative model of voluntary learning behavior. Drawing on social exchange theory, we argue that individuals are more likely to pursue learning activities when they identify with their employing organization and have a high quality leader–member exchange (LMX) relationship with their supervisor. We further argue that organizational identification is enhanced by both distributive and procedural fairness, whereas LMX quality is enhanced by interpersonal and informational fairness. Moreover, we contend that effective learning behavior improves job performance. The model was tested with a sample of 398 employees from a large automobile dealership. Results supported most predictions. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.