scholarly journals Long-term stability and efficacy of historic activated carbon (AC) deployments at diverse freshwater and marine remediation sites

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Todd Bridges ◽  
Sandra Newell ◽  
Alan Kennedy ◽  
David Moore ◽  
Upal Ghosh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Activated Carbon ◽  
Research Effort ◽  
Field Performance ◽  
The United States ◽  
Pilot Scale ◽  
Long Term Stability ◽  
Core Samples ◽  
Physical Environments

A number of sites around the United States have used activated carbon (AC) amendments to remedy contaminated sediments. Variation in site-specific characteristics likely influences the long-term fate and efficacy of AC treatment. The long-term effectiveness of an AC amendment to sediment is largely unknown, as the field performance has not been monitored for more than three years. As a consequence, the focus of this research effort was to evaluate AC’s long-term (6–10 yr) performance. These assessments were performed at two pilot-scale demonstration sites, Grasse River, Massena, New York and Canal Creek, Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG), Aberdeen, Maryland, representing two distinct physical environments. Sediment core samples were collected after 6 and 10 years of remedy implementation at APG and Grasse River, respectively. Core samples were collected and sectioned to determine the current vertical distribution and persistence of AC in the field. The concentration profile of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in sediment pore water with depth was measured using passive sampling. Sediment samples from the untreated and AC-treated zones were also assessed for bioaccumulation in benthic organisms. The data collected enabled comparison of AC distribution, PCB concentrations, and bioaccumulation measured over the short- and long-term (months to years).

Mafias on the Move

2011 ◽  
Author(s):  
Federico Varese
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
New York ◽  
Organized Crime ◽  
The United States ◽  
The West ◽  
Market Expansion ◽  
The North ◽  
Economic Transformations ◽  
At Will

Organized crime is spreading like a global virus as mobs take advantage of open borders to establish local franchises at will. That at least is the fear, inspired by stories of Russian mobsters in New York, Chinese triads in London, and Italian mafias throughout the West. As this book explains, the truth is more complicated. The author has spent years researching mafia groups in Italy, Russia, the United States, and China, and argues that mafiosi often find themselves abroad against their will, rather than through a strategic plan to colonize new territories. Once there, they do not always succeed in establishing themselves. The book spells out the conditions that lead to their long-term success, namely sudden market expansion that is neither exploited by local rivals nor blocked by authorities. Ultimately the inability of the state to govern economic transformations gives mafias their opportunity. In a series of matched comparisons, the book charts the attempts of the Calabrese 'Ndrangheta to move to the north of Italy, and shows how the Sicilian mafia expanded to early twentieth-century New York, but failed around the same time to find a niche in Argentina. The book explains why the Russian mafia failed to penetrate Rome but succeeded in Hungary. A pioneering chapter on China examines the challenges that triads from Taiwan and Hong Kong find in branching out to the mainland. This book is both a compelling read and a sober assessment of the risks posed by globalization and immigration for the spread of mafias.

Improving the Fate of Nursing Homes During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Need for Policy

2021 ◽  
pp. e1-e3
Author(s):  
R. Tamara Konetzka
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United States ◽  
New York ◽  
Nursing Homes ◽  
Long Term Care ◽  
New York Times ◽  
The United States ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Care Facilities

Approximately 40% of all COVID-19 deaths in the United States have been linked to long-term care facilities.1 Early in the pandemic, as the scope of the problem became apparent, the nursing home sector generated significant media attention and public alarm. A New York Times article in mid-April referred to nursing homes as “death pits”2 because of the seemingly uncontrollable spread of the virus through these facilities. This devastation continued during subsequent surges,3 but there is a role for policy to change this trajectory. (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print January 28, 2021: e1–e3. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2020.306107 )

Business-Inspired School Reform in the Era of Financialization: Not Business as Usual

2020 ◽  
pp. 089590482090473
Author(s):  
Michael Ian Cohen
Keyword(s):  
Public Schools ◽  
School Reform ◽  
Social Institution ◽  
The United States ◽  
Multiple Stakeholders ◽  
Business World ◽  
Long Term Stability ◽  
Recent Trends ◽  
Business As Usual

Business-inspired school reform policies in the United States date back to the late 19th century. In the last four decades, however, while school reformers have continued to borrow policies and practices from the business world, the dominant business model itself has changed dramatically as part of the financialization of the economy. Once a bureaucratically governed social institution, focused on long-term stability and committed to multiple stakeholders, the corporation has become a destabilized network of temporary contracting relationships, singularly focused on maximizing shareholder value. This conceptual article explores what it means for schools, as public and democratic institutions, to emulate business in the era of financialization. Through analysis of several recent trends in business-inspired school reform policy, I demonstrate the diffusion of financialization logic and practices into public schools. I argue that while business may have historically been a problematic model for educational policy, business is now a uniquely unqualified model.

scholarly journals Optomechanics based soft artificial skin

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abhijit Chandra Roy ◽  
Navin Kumar ◽  
Shreyas B S ◽  
Ananya Gupta ◽  
Aloke Kumar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Research Effort ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Artificial Skin ◽  
Large Area ◽  
Long Term Stability ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Fundamental Understanding ◽  
Extreme Sensitivity ◽  
Consistent Performance

Abstract Soft artificial skin capable of sensing touch, pressure and bending similar to soft human skin is important in many modern-day applications including socially interactive robotics, modern healthcare, augmented reality, etc. However, most of the research effort on soft artificial skin are confined to the lab-scale demonstration. We have demonstrated how a fundamental understanding of the contact mechanics of soft material and a specially constructed soft optical waveguide let us develop a highly efficient, resilient, and large-area soft artificial skin for futuristic applications. The soft artificial skin capable of detect touch, load and bending shows extreme sensitivity (up to \({150 \text{k}\text{P}\text{a}}^{-1}\)) to touch, and load, which is 750 times higher than earlier work. The soft-a-skin shows excellent long-term stability i.e. it shows consistent performance up to almost a year. In addition, we describe a 3D printing process capable of producing large areas, large numbers yet cost-effective soft artificial skin. We have shown the functioning of the soft-a-skin in various means.

Paddlefish Management, Propagation, and Conservation in the 21st Century

2009 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
New York ◽  
Mississippi River ◽  
The United States ◽  
Habitat Destruction ◽  
Resource Managers ◽  
The Status ◽  
Survey Results ◽  
Similar Survey

<em>Abstract</em>.—The status of paddlefish <em>Polyodon spathula </em>in the United States was first described in two surveys published in 1986 and 1997; in this paper, we report the results of a similar survey of state and federal agency personnel that we conducted in 2006. From the 1970s through the 1990s, the status of paddlefish stocks was on a downward trend throughout much of the species’ range. The 2006 survey results suggest that the status of paddlefish stocks has improved since the first survey was conducted; 17 of 26 states in 2006 reported that their paddlefish populations were stable or increasing, compared to only 14 states in 1983 and 1994. The number of states with closed fisheries (i.e., no commercial or sport harvest) increased to 12 in 2006 from 8 in 1983. The number of states reporting declining or stable/declining paddlefish populations dropped from seven states in 1983 to only three states in 2006. The two principal reasons cited for reported declines have remained the same for more than three decades: habitat loss and overfishing. Two states where paddlefish were listed as extirpated (New York and Pennsylvania) have begun restoration efforts that may one day allow the status of paddlefish in those states to be changed. As long as the demand for caviar remains strong, pressure on paddlefish stocks will undoubtedly remain high in the seven states where they are commercially exploited. However, earlier fears of a basin-wide collapse in paddlefish stocks should continue to diminish if resource managers are successful in combating overfishing and continued habitat destruction, which will always threaten the long-term viability of paddlefish stocks throughout the Mississippi River basin.

Playing Politics with Natural Disaster

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy W. Kneeland
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Emergency Management ◽  
Emergency Preparedness ◽  
The United States ◽  
Local State ◽  
Disaster Victims ◽  
Disaster Policy ◽  
Disaster Preparation ◽  
The Impact

Hurricane Agnes struck the United States in June of 1972, just months before a pivotal election and at the dawn of the deindustrialization period across the Northeast. The response by local, state, and national officials had long-term consequences for all Americans. President Richard Nixon used the tragedy for political gain by delivering a generous relief package to the key states of New York and Pennsylvania in a bid to win over voters. After his landslide reelection in 1972, Nixon cut benefits for disaster victims and then passed legislation to push responsibility for disaster preparation and mitigation onto states and localities. The impact led to the rise of emergency management and inspired the development of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). With a particular focus on events in New York and Pennsylvania, this book narrates how local, state, and federal authorities responded to the immediate crisis of Hurricane Agnes and managed the long-term recovery. The impact of Agnes was horrific, as the storm left 122 people dead, forced tens of thousands into homelessness, and caused billions of dollars in damage from Florida to New York. In its aftermath, local officials and leaders directed disaster relief funds to rebuild their shattered cities and reshaped future disaster policies. The book explains how the political decisions by local, state, and federal officials shaped state and national disaster policy and continues to influence emergency preparedness and response to this day.

Comparison of the Relative Long-Term Field Performance among Various Warm Mix Asphalt (WMA) Pavements

2018 ◽  
Vol 2672 (28) ◽  
pp. 200-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weiguang Zhang ◽  
Shihui Shen ◽  
Shenghua Wu
Keyword(s):  
Field Performance ◽  
The United States ◽  
Warm Mix Asphalt ◽  
Traffic Volumes ◽  
Pavement Structures ◽  
Potential Factors ◽  
Reduce Emissions ◽  
Term Performance ◽  
Fracture Work

The use of warm mix asphalt (WMA) has increased greatly over the past decade because it provides potential to lower energy demands, reduce emissions, and increase haul distances. However, questions remain about the long-term performance of WMA pavements, including whether different WMA technologies can provide the same field performance. In this paper, field rutting and cracking (transverse and longitudinal) performance data for chemical, organic, and foaming WMA technologies are compared pairwise. Thirty-four WMA-WMA pairs from 13 field test roads are included, which cover different pavement ages, traffic volumes, pavement structures, WMA technologies, and four climate zones across the United States. For the WMA-WMA pairs that exhibited statistically different performance, their material properties were investigated further to identify potential factors that could be used to characterize such field differences. The results indicate that, generally, no statistical performance differences are evident between the WMA-WMA pairs. However, it is worth noting that over the longer term, there are individual projects whose organic pavement sections showed statistically higher amounts of cracking than the chemical and foaming sections. Based on the laboratory testing results on field cores, it is suggested that the greater amounts of transverse cracking exhibited by organic pavements may be caused by organic’s lower mixture fracture work density and lower binder failure strain values compared with those of the chemical and foaming sections. The greater amounts of longitudinal cracking exhibited by the organic pavements may be caused by organic’s higher mixture indirect tensile strength, lower mixture fracture work density, and lower binder fracture energy values compared with those of the chemical and foaming sections.

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