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Policymakers have suggested and implemented work requirements for safety-net programs such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). If these work requirements impact program participation, they may lead to greater food insecurity. This paper investigates the effects of implementing the work requirement for the SNAP on emergency food assistance usage. Data were used from a cohort of food pantries in Alabama, Florida, and Mississippi, which imposed the SNAP work requirement in 2016. Event study models were run in 2022, leveraging geographic variation in exposure to the work requirement to measure changes in the number of households served by the food pantries. The 2016 introduction of the SNAP work requirement increased the number of households served by food pantries. The impact is concentrated among urban food pantries. On average, an urban agency exposed to the work requirement served 34% more households in the 8 months after the work requirement than an agency with no exposure. Individuals who lose SNAP eligibility owing to the work requirement remain in need of assistance and seek other sources of food. SNAP work requirements thus increase the burden on emergency food assistance programs. Work requirements for other programs may also lead to increased emergency food assistance use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We analyzed older driver at-fault crashes at unsignalized intersections in Alabama. • We estimated random parameter models. • We introduced a deep learning approach based on Artificial Neural Networks. • We identified variables that increase the likelihood of injuries and fatalities. • We discussed possible countermeasures to address older driver at-fault crashes. Introduction: The research described in this paper explored the factors contributing to the injury severity resulting from the male and female older driver (65 years and older) at-fault crashes at unsignalized intersections in Alabama. Method: Random parameter logit models of injury severity were estimated. The estimated models identified a variety of statistically significant factors influencing the injury severities resulting from older driver at-fault crashes. Results : According to these models, some variables were found to be significant only in one model (male or female) but not in the other one. For example, variables such as driver under the influence of alcohol/drugs, horizontal curve, and stop sign were found significant only in the male model. On the other hand, variables such as intersection approaches on tangents with flat grade, and driver older than 75 years were found significant only in the female model. In addition, variables such as making turning maneuver, freeway-ramp junction, high speed approach, and so forth were found significant in both models. Estimation findings showed that two parameters in the male model and another two parameters in the female model could be modeled as random parameters, indicating their varying influences on the injury severity due to unobserved effects. In addition to the random parameter logit approach, a deep learning approach based on Artificial Neural Networks was introduced to predict the outcome of the crashes based on 164 variables that are listed in the crash database. The artificial intelligence (AI)-based method achieved an accuracy of 76% indicating the role of the variables in deciding the final outcome. Practical Applications: Future plans are set to study the use of AI on large sized datasets to achieve a relatively high-performance, and hence to be able to identify which variables contribute the most to the final outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing utilization of wind energy resources has been evidenced to have had substantial positive impacts on mitigating climate change consequences. Unlike stationary wind turbines, mobile wind turbines (MWTs) can travel along the local transportation system (TS) via a truck, supplying power to microgrids (MGs). This spatiotemporal flexibility can provide significant benefits, including enhancing system resilience in the aftermath of high-impact low-probability (HILP) events and contributing to energy system decarbonization. In this paper, we propose a two-stage stochastic optimization model for the service restoration problem by coordinating the routing and scheduling of MWTs with hydrogen storage systems (HSSs) in MGs. The first-stage problem focuses on optimizing the deployment of MWTs based on the shortest-path information obtained through Dijkstra's algorithm. The second-stage problem aims to minimize the expected power outage costs while accounting for wind energy uncertainties estimated through a Monte Carlo simulation approach. Case studies on an integrated transportation and energy network – a central Alabama interstate TS and four IEEE 33-node test power systems – demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed restoration scheme in boosting MGs resilience and reducing carbon emissions. • Design a two-stage model to assign mobile wind turbines in hydrogen-based microgrids. • Use the shortest-path algorithm to enhance efficiency of MWTs' dispatch decision. • Integrate microgrids and a transportation system, enabling use of wind energy. • Discuss insight on striking balance between power outage costs and carbon emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural and induced fractures in porous media pose significant challenges in subsurface applications such as carbon storage, hydrocarbon production, and aquifer contamination mitigation. These highly permeable fractures disrupt the natural flow in porous formations, leading to issues including reduced pressure buildup and early fluid breakthrough. To address these challenges, foam injection serves as an effective method for fluid diversion, offering enhanced mobility control in fractured media. However, the foam's performance must be carefully optimized considering factors such as reservoir conditions, in-situ fluid compatibility, rock properties like pore structure, permeability, and mineralogy, as well as fracture roughness, homogeneity, and orientation. This study investigates the effects of inclination angles (0°, 5°, 10°, and 15°) of smooth, saw-cut fractures on the performance of supercritical carbon dioxide foam in three distinct carbonate rocks: Indiana limestone, Fond Du Lac dolomite, and Alabama Silver limestone. These rocks exhibit a wide range of permeabilities, from 0.4 mD to 5.4 D. The findings are compared with previous research on Berea sandstone. It is demonstrated that optimal foam performance is more readily achieved in fractured porous media with higher permeability, larger pore throat sizes, and mineralogically compatible formations. Unlike previous work where studies focused on the individual impact of specific parameters, including a previous study conducted by our group to explore the effect of fracture orientation, the novelty of this paper is that it addresses multiple parameters at the same time and the interconnected roles that they play. This interplay of fracture orientation, rock type, and flow properties is what determines the ideal conditions that must be optimized to achieve the required foam performance. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The research described in this paper explored the factors contributing to the injury severity resulting from the motorcycle at-fault accidents in rural and urban areas in Alabama. Given the occurrence of a motorcycle at-fault crash, random parameter logit models of injury severity (with possible outcomes of fatal, major, minor, and possible or no injury) were estimated. The estimated models identified a variety of statistically significant factors influencing the injury severities resulting from motorcycle at-fault crashes. According to these models, some variables were found to be significant only in one model (rural or urban) but not in the other one. For example, variables such as clear weather, young motorcyclists, and roadway without light were found significant only in the rural model. On the other hand, variables such as older female motorcyclists, horizontal curve and at intersection were found significant only in the urban model. In addition, some variables (such as, motorcyclists under influence of alcohol, non-usage of helmet, high speed roadways, etc.) were found significant in both models. Also, estimation findings showed that two parameters (clear weather and roadway without light) in the rural model and one parameter (on weekend) in the urban model could be modeled as random parameters indicating their varying influences on the injury severity due to unobserved effects. Based on the results obtained, this paper discusses the effects of different variables on injury severities resulting from rural and urban motorcycle at-fault crashes and their possible explanations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to meet government contestability policy ambitions, the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has undertaken a range of initiatives to create a competitive market for terminal air navigation services (TANS). This paper examines the critical dynamics underlying recent TANS service delivery changes at the nine United Kingdom airports that fall within the Single European Sky performance scheme (SES) using industry data and Porter's five forces model. Interviews with CAA, NATS and airport operators, along with publically available material, are used to explore the various elements impacting competition for TANS at these airports. Competition is intense among a very small number of companies. In addition to optimizing service cost, airport operators require greater value for money including alignment to strategic-operational goals, closer integration with other airside functions and payment structures that are performance based. Gatwick and Birmingham airports changed service provisions due to concerns about the value for money proposition offered by NATS Services Ltd (NSL). This paper also illustrates how competition has changed the customer orientation of NSL. It has been forced to evolve quickly from an expensive, perceived as somewhat arrogant, organisation to one that must be capable of aligning to the cost and service requirements of its customers. Importantly for the ATM industry this paper provides evidence that competition drives lower service costs and provides greater value for money for airlines and airport operators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected people's behavioral patterns and schedules because of stay-at-home orders and a reduction of social interactions. Therefore, the shape of electrical loads associated with residential buildings has also changed. In this paper, we quantify the changes and perform a detailed analysis on how the load shapes have changed, and we make potential recommendations for utilities to handle peak load and demand response. Our analysis incorporates data from before and after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, from an Alabama Power Smart Neighborhood with energy-efficient/smart devices, using around 40 advanced metering infrastructure data points. This paper highlights the energy usage pattern changes between weekdays and weekends pre– and post–COVID-19 pandemic times. The weekend usage patterns look similar pre– and post–COVID-19 pandemic, but weekday patterns show significant changes. We also compare energy use of the Smart Neighborhood with a traditional neighborhood to better understand how energy-efficient/smart devices can provide energy savings, especially because of increased work-from-home situations. HVAC and water heating remain the largest consumers of electricity in residential homes, and our findings indicate an even further increase in energy use by these systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sovereignty is not the sole province of the nation-state, or any other pre-existing scale. It is a concept that is struggled over amongst multiple entities, at multiple scales, each presenting itself as the one with the power above all others to control what happens in a given place. This paper focuses on assertions of sovereignty made in the course of what is now a thirty-year-old conflict over land-use at Hickory Ground, Alabama, a historic Creek Indian site once rescued for historic preservation but now the location of an Indian gaming facility. These assertions represent an ongoing jockeying for position that belies any type of rigid hierarchy of scale and instead reveals its continual construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract With increasing levels of atmospheric p CO 2 the oceans are becoming progressively more acidic, with the impact of a lowered pH beginning to affect the calcification of numerous invertebrate groups, including foraminifers, pteropods, heteropods and calcareous nannoplankton. Research on the ecology of foraminifera in the Mediterranean Sea, Gulf of California, Caribbean Sea and elsewhere has shown how modern assemblages are responding to acidification. Experimental work in mesocosms and laboratory cultures are also adding to our knowledge of the response to pH changes. Near Ischia (Italy), natural CO 2 vents amongst sea grass meadows are creating low pH environments in which it is possible to observe the response of benthic foraminifera. At a pH of 7.8 the foraminiferal assemblages are already becoming less diverse and below pH 7.6 there are often no calcite-secreting benthic foraminifera. In the Gulf of California, in a deeper-water setting, natural CO 2 (and methane) vents are also lowering sea floor pH. The foraminifera show the impact of this change, although the relatively high carbonate saturation ensures that calcite-secreting foraminifers are able to live and reproduce in these relatively low pH environments, only becoming impacted by dissolution effects once dead. Using data from the Cretaceous–Paleogene boundary in Texas, Alabama and north-west Europe it is clear that the plankton was severely impacted by surface water acidification while the relatively shallow water benthic foraminifera show little change and no visible signs of post-mortem dissolution due to ocean acidification. Highlights • This paper discusses the K/Pg in terms of surface water acidification caused by the K/Pg impact event. • describes depositional environments at K/Pg boundary • provides depositional model for the K/Pg boundary • provides correlaton of the boundary events [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper examines, with reservoir simulation, the impact of applying “best practices” and capitalizing on reservoir architecture to restrict CO2 plume movement and maximize reservoir storage capacity. Specifically, the paper explores the value gained from using horizontal CO2 injection wells and taking advantage of any existing shale “baffles” in conjunction with other reservoir characteristics that influence flow such as capillary pressure, pore volume trapping, and CO2 dissolution. Recent geologic and reservoir data collected from the Tuscaloosa Formation at the Mississippi Test Site (a Southeastern Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership CO2 sequestration pilot test) will be used as the case study for evaluating alternative CO2 injection and storage engineering concepts. The Tuscaloosa Formation is a thick, porous, permeable, regionally extensive saline reservoir occurring throughout the Gulf Coast and is considered a high priority setting for large-scale CO2 storage. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Ethanol is produced from organic material and is important as a strategic and cleaner alternative to fossil fuels. The cost of producing ethanol, which ultimately affects its price and demand, depends to a large extent on the delivered cost of raw materials. For a planned ethanol production facility, the cost of raw material is a function of (1) the facility location, (2) the facility size, and (3) the method of procurement. In a previous paper, two of the authors provided a methodology for computing a marginal price “surface” to better understand the location decision under several facility size scenarios. The methodology was implemented in a GIS-based decision support system to investigate the economic feasibility of locating a switchgrass-to-ethanol conversion facility in Alabama. In this paper, we use the methodology to construct delivered cost surfaces in order to evaluate two methods of procurement pricing; fixed and discriminatory. In the fixed pricing method of procurement, the facility pays one fixed price per delivered tonne. In the discriminatory pricing method of procurement, the facility pays a source-specific price per tonne before delivery and then pays the cost of delivery transportation. The results from the current study confirm the cost advantage of discriminatory over fixed pricing. However, it was observed that the relative cost advantage showed considerable variation as a function of location and facility size. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The 3D modeling method based on parallel geological cross-sections is suitable for modeling large-scale bedrock geological bodies. However, there are usually more branching, pinch-out strata, deformation structures (such as faults and folds), and the correspondence problem of geological boundaries between adjacent cross-sections. These problems have become the most crucial obstacle in the current application of 3D geological modeling based on parallel geological cross-sections. To this end, this paper proposes a topological reasoning automatic processing method for the consistency of parallel geological cross-sections to obtain topologically consistent adjacent cross-sections efficiently. The method involves (1) Stratigraphic inference based on the distance and topological relationships, transforming strata with m:n relationships into three relatively simple cases of 1:1, 1:n, and 1:0; (2) Splitting branching strata based on the Voronoi diagram, transforming strata with 1:n relationships into 1:1 relationships; (3) Dealing pinch-out strata based on the method of filling virtual strata, transforming strata with 1:0 relationships into 1:1 relationships (4) Topologically consistent processing of stratigraphic boundaries based on automatic recognition of no-corresponding arcs and addition of virtual stratum. Based on experiments in the Longtoushan Hill area in Jiangsu Province, China, and the southeast side of Chandler Mountain, Alabama, USA, this method can effectively replace the many manual processes such as determining the location of pinch-out adding auxiliary cross-sections and performing branching strata correspondence in the current application of 3D geological modeling based on arc segments. The geological cross-sections processed based on this method have an exemplary data structure and consistent topological relationships. The 3D geological modeling algorithm based on parallel cross-sections has the advantages of low algorithm complexity, high automation, and stable modeling quality. • An automated method for topology-consistent processing of parallel geological cross-sections was developed. • The strata with corresponding complex relationships can be converted into one-to-one corresponding arc segment sets. • The method lays a sound data foundation for 3D modeling using parallel cross-sections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports the results of scratch tests on three rocks (Bonne Terre Dolomite, Alabama Marble and Dunnville Sandstone) conducted at depths of cut ranging from 0.2 mm to 2.6 mm. The experiments were performed on slabs of thickness slightly smaller than the cutter width, with a camera recording the entire cutting process. The test results reveal the existence of three cutting regimes: ductile, fragmentation, and brittle with increasing depth of cut. The regimes differ by the failure mode, the dependence of the specific energy ϵ on the depth of cut d , and the fragment shapes. In the ductile regime, ϵ ∼ d 0 and the fragments are constitutive grains of the rock or powder as a result of intense shearing. In the fragmentation regime, ϵ ∼ d − 1 / 2 and the fragments is a mix of ductile-type particles and flake-like chips also the product of shear failure. Finally, the brittle regime is characterized by ϵ ∼ d − 1 and is essentially associated with chip-like fragments that come in two varieties depending on whether they are created by shear or by tension. The d − 1 -dependence of the specific energy can only be observed if the rock is sufficiently homogeneous at the scale of the experiment. The distinction between different modes of failure is based on evidence from video recording and fractography with a Scanning Electron Microscope. It is shown that the dominance of tensile over shear fracture is intimately related to the existence of a crushed zone, which acts as a wedge to initiate a tensile macrocrack in a compressive stress field. Finally, an analysis of the energy partitioning in the brittle regime indicates that the energy dissipated in creating new surfaces with a tensile crack is actually negligible compared to the energy expended in the formation of the wedge. This result indicates that the mode I toughness cannot be determined from the specific energy in the brittle regime, on the basis of a model of a crack parallel to the free surface, in contradiction with published claims to that effect. Finally, this experimental investigation clarifies some confusion in the literature, rooted on assuming the existence of only two modes of failure, ductile and brittle. • Scratch tests on rock slabs reveal ductile, fragmentation, and brittle regimes. • The scaling of the specific energy with depth of cut depends on the cutting regime. • Flake-like chips produced in the fragmentation regime are created by shear. • The crushed zone acts as a wedge to initiate tensile cracks in brittle regime. • The energy dissipated in the propagation of a tensile crack is negligible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper I recall some of the experiences in having the great opportunity to work with Dr. Wernher von Braun, Krafft Ehricke, and other members of the Peenemunde Group, beginning in September 1951 who were developing the Redstone liquid propellant rocket at Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville, Alabama. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This paper presents a novel method to separate past lotic and lentic habitats. • The method also visualizes and quantifies the spatiotemporal evolution process. • It visualizes the spatiotemporal expansion of the Blue Lentic Belt. • The evolution of the Blue Lentic Belt is driven by the inland catfish industry. • The Blue Lentic Belt needs multidisciplinary environmental investigations. The Blue Lentic Belt is a spatial belt of dense lentic habitats formed in the Mobile River Basin since the 1990s, and it is imposing considerable environmental stress on local and downstream aquatic habitats. Depicting the spatiotemporal evolution of the Blue Lentic Belt is essential to understanding its formation and consequential impacts on local environments. However, relevant discussion on it is absent since the Blue Lentic Belt is a new discovery. In this study, we developed a retrospective delineation method to visualize the spatiotemporal evolution of the lentic habitats in the Mobile River Basin and a tesseral model to numerically analyze the spatiotemporal expansion of the Blue Lentic Belt. In the developed method, the baseline inventory of lentic habitats is first delineated from 2019 Sentinel-2 satellite imagery at a spatial resolution of 10 m. The baseline inventory is then used to retrospectively delineate the past lentic habitats in the Mobile River Basin using the National Land Cover Database (NLCD). Kernel density surfaces of lentic habitat image objects are estimated to detect the regions of dense lentic habitats, which sequentially form spatiotemporal objects of dense lentic habitats. The spatiotemporal objects of dense lentic habitats are projected onto planar space and are then structuralized as groups of spatial tesserae, namely α-peaks, β-slopes, and γ-edges. Attributes of these tesserae are numerically derived to quantify the spatiotemporal expansion of the Blue Lentic Belt. The results indicate that the Blue Lentic Belt has 4 α-peaks, 3 β-slopes, and a single γ-edge. It is formed from 4 stable hotspots (α-peaks) of the densest lentic habitats. The expansion of the Blue Lentic Belt ranges about 15.42 km. The expansion distance is about 0.57 of the average range of the β-slopes in the Blue Lentic Belt, indicating a significant change of landscape in the Mobile River Basin. The development of the farm-raised catfish industry is considered the main driving force in the formation of the Blue Lentic Belt. The outcomes of this study have emphasized the rapid expansion of the Blue Lentic Belt and its negative impacts on local and downstream aquatic habitats, which calls for attention to systemic investigations by multiple disciplines. [Display omitted]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Alabama imports coal from other states to generate electricity. This paper assessed the direct and indirect economic impacts of small-scale wood pellet production to be co-fired with coal for power generation in Alabama. Three sizes of wood pellet plants and a regional input–output model were used for the analysis. The results showed that the economic impact increases with the size of the plant. Wood pellet production will have a multiplier effect on the economy, especially forest-related services, retail stores, the health service industry, and tax revenue for the government. Domestic wood pellet production can reduce the use of imported coal, allow the use of local woody biomass, and create economic activities in Alabama's rural communities. A policy to support the production of wood pellet will serve to encourage the use of wood for power generation and the local economy. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The goal of this paper is to develop a random-parameter hazard-based model to understand hurricane evacuation timing by individual households. The choice of departure time during disasters is a complex dynamic process and depends on the risk that the hazard represents, the characteristics of the household and the built environment features. However, the risk responses are heterogeneous across the households; this unobserved heterogeneity is captured through random parameters in the model. The model is estimated with data from Hurricane Ivan including households from Alabama, Louisiana, Florida and Mississippi. It is found that the variables related to household location, destination characteristics, socio-economic characteristics, evacuation notice and household decision making are key determinants of the departure time. As such the developed model provides some fundamental inferences about hurricane evacuation timing behavior. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The Black Warrior Basin of Alabama is one of the most important coal mining and coalbed methane production areas in the United States. Methane control efforts through degasification that started almost 25 years ago for the sole purpose of ensuring mining safety resulted in more than 5000 coalbed methane wells distributed within various fields throughout the basin. The wells are completed mostly in the Pratt, Mary Lee, and Black Creek coal groups of the Upper Pottsville formation and present a unique opportunity to understand methane reservoir properties of these coals and to improve their degasification performances. The Brookwood and Oak Grove fields in the Black Warrior Basin are probably two of the most important fields in the basin due to current longwall coal mining activities. In this work, methane and water productions of 92 vertical wellbores drilled, some completed 20 years ago, over a current large coal mine district located in these two fields, were analyzed by history matching techniques. The boreholes were completed at the Mary Lee coal group, or at combinations of the Pratt, Mary Lee, and Black Creek groups. History matching models were prepared and performed according to properties of each coal group. Decline curve analyses showed that effective exponential decline rates of the wells were between 2% and 25% per year. Results of production history matching showed, although they varied by coal group, that pressure decreased as much as 80% to nearly 25 psi in some areas and resulted in corresponding decreases in methane content. Water saturation in coals decreased from 100% to between 20 and 80%, improving gas relative permeabilities to as much as 0.8. As a result of primary depletion, permeability of coal seams increased between 10 and 40% compared to their original permeability, which varied between 1 and 10 md depending on depth and coal seam. These results not only can be used for diagnostic and interpretation purposes, but can be used as parameter distributions in probabilistic simulations, as illustrated in the last section of this paper. They can also be used in conjunction with spatial modeling and geological considerations to calculate potential methane emissions in operating mines. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The 42nd Annual Binghamton Geomorphology Symposium convened on October 21–23, 2011, in Mobile, Alabama, USA. The topic of the meeting was zoogeomorphology and ecosystem engineering. Speakers represented a variety of perspectives from the disciplines of geomorphology and ecology, and 21 posters were also presented covering a wide range of topics in biogeomorphology. This special issue presents the 15 invited papers presented at the symposium. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Fault-propagation folding associated with an upward propagating fault in the Gilbertown graben system is revealed by well-based 3-D subsurface mapping and dipmeter analysis. The fold is developed in the Selma chalk, which is an oil reservoir along the southern margin of the graben. Area-depth-strain analysis suggests that the Cretaceous strata were growth units, the Jurassic strata were pregrowth units, and the graben system is detached in the Louann Salt. The growth trishear model has been applied in this paper to study the evolution and kinematics of extensional fault-propagation folding. Models indicate that the propagation to slip (p/s) ratio of the underlying fault plays an important role in governing the geometry of the resulting extensional fault-propagation fold. With a greater p/s ratio, the fold is more localized in the vicinity of the propagating fault. The extensional fault-propagation fold in the Gilbertown graben is modeled by both a compactional and a non-compactional growth trishear model. Both models predict a similar geometry of the extensional fault-propagation fold. The trishear model with compaction best predicts the fold geometry. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper examines how national and local newspapers in the United States frame Chinese product recalls in 2007. First, it reviews literature on international communication and framing. Second, it content analyzes the presentations of the Chinese product recalls in two leading national newspapers, including the New York Times and the USA today, and six major newspapers from five Southern states, including Georgia, South Carolina, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Third, it compares media representations of Chinese products in the two national newspapers with those in Southern newspapers. We argue that American media are still dominated by stories from the U.S. perspectives and Chinese sources are less likely to be cited. Even though Southern newspapers play an important role in constructing local knowledge, their limited scope of coverage and perspectives constrain their role in reporting international news. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The technique of positron emission particle tracking (PEPT), developed at Birmingham in the early 1990s, enables a radioactively labelled tracer particle to be accurately tracked as it moves between the detectors of a “positron camera”. In 1999 the original Birmingham positron camera, which consisted of a pair of MWPCs, was replaced by a system comprising two NaI(Tl) gamma camera heads operating in coincidence. This system has been successfully used for PEPT studies of a wide range of granular and fluid flow processes. More recently a modular positron camera has been developed using a number of the bismuth germanate (BGO) block detectors from standard PET scanners (CTI ECAT 930 and 950 series). This camera has flexible geometry, is transportable, and is capable of delivering high data rates. This paper presents simple models of its performance, and initial experience of its use in a range of geometries and applications. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• A novel method to map and inventory lentic habitats. • Automated separation of lotic habitats from lentic habitats. • Coupling object-oriented and hydrologic analysis. • A distinct Blue Lentic Belt in the Mobile River Basin. Aquatic habitats are essential for aquaculture, agriculture, and municipal water supply. The geographical location and quantitative information about the aquatic habitats are critical for inventorying, monitoring, and managing these valuable resources. This paper presents a novel method that integrates the object-oriented image analysis and DEM-based stream network analysis to map and quantify lentic aquatic habitats, using freely available ESA Sentinel-2 multispectral imagery and USGS DEMs. This integrated method has been applied to the entire Mobile River Basin, USA, and lentic habitats at the basin scale have been delineated and inventoried at the 10-m spatial resolution. The surface water pixels of aquatic habitats are extracted through the Iterative Self-Organizing Data Analysis Technique (ISODATA) unsupervised classification of the Sentinel-2 multispectral images. An object-oriented image analysis approach is then used to group contiguous water pixels to form and map discrete aquatic habitat objects. The stream network in the basin has been hydrologically derived from the USGS DEMs at the 10-m spatial resolution. The combination of the geometric and shape information from the object-oriented image analysis and hydrological information from the DEM-based stream network analysis enables the separation of lotic and lentic habitats. A set of planimetric, geometric, and shape attributes has been numerically derived for each lentic habitat object. The abundance pattern, shape pattern, and spatial distribution pattern of the lentic habitats in the basin have been analyzed. The vast majority of the aquatic habitat objects identified in the Mobile River Basin are lentic habitats. The most striking spatial pattern of lentic habitats is that small, oblong lakes and fish ponds are densely distributed along the Black Prairie Belt in the basin, laying the foundation for the catfish aquacultural industry in the regions of mid-west Alabama and east Mississippi. This research demonstrates that the integration of the recently emerged Sentinel-2A/B satellite multispectral imagery with USGS DEMs represents an effective approach to the inventory and environmental investigation of lentic habitats at a basin scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) decline has been present in upland sites of central Alabama since the 1960s. Symptoms of loblolly pine decline (fine root deterioration, short chlorotic needles, sparse crowns, reduced radial growth) begin in the 30–40 year age class, resulting in premature death at ages 35–50. Loblolly pine decline occurs on sandy, well-drained soils and is associated with Leptographium spp., as well as with root-feeding bark beetles and weevils. The present article discusses the results of a comparison of biological factors associated with pine decline and topographical features, using the analysis of tree health at the Talladega National Forest and Westervelt (formerly Gulf State Paper) Company in central Alabama. Results of this study suggest that an ecological pattern of tree decline and mortality exists. Loblolly stands were more prone to develop symptoms at sites with increased slope and south/southwest orientation. This report indicates that the dominant determinants, or predictors, of loblolly decline are identifiable topographical features. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Interchange technologies facilitate seamless interactions between applications, tools and services with datasets in heterogeneous formats. The Information Technology and Systems Center at the University of Alabama in Huntsville is developing an interchange technology focused on scientific data in general, and particularly on the vast amounts of remotely sensed Earth Science data. This interchange technology consists of the Earth Science Markup Language (ESML) and a related library of programming utilities. ESML, based on the eXtensible Markup Language (XML), allows data format structure descriptions to be written in a standard manner. ESML is unique in that it is not another new data format, instead it is a external structural metadata based solution for decoding existing formats. The effort involved to describe legacy data formats in ESML is small. ESML and the associated software library will allow wider interoperability of Earth Science services and tools, enabling Earth Scientists to work more easily with data in a variety of formats. This interchange technology will facilitate the development of data format independent search, visualization, and analysis tools. This paper will describe this interchange technology and compare it with similar XML based efforts. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The Wetumpka structure, an arcuate, 7.6 km diameter, rimmed feature of the inner Coastal Plain, Alabama, is a Late Cretaceous shallow-marine impact crater. In this paper, we show unequivocal evidence of Wetumpka’s impact origin. Within and about this structure, pre-existing Upper Cretaceous stratigraphy was resedimented and(or) deformed, thus creating distinctive intra-structure and extra-structure terrains. These terrains are located, respectively, within Wetumpka’s crystalline-rim terrain and adjacent to the structure on the southern side. Core drilling near the structure’s geographic center revealed that Wetumpka’s basin-filling sequence has two distinctive units, suggestive of a two-stage filling process consisting of (1) fall-back plus resurge followed by (2) a later secondary seawater resurge event. Wetumpka’s lower subsurface unit includes polymict impact breccias, which contain quartz grains displaying shock-characteristic multiple sets of planar deformation features. Selected subsurface samples of this breccia also contain elevated Ir, Co, Ni and Cr concentrations indicative of a minor extraterrestrial component. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Presents two advanced econometric modeling methods, random parameters duration modeling and latent class duration modeling in understanding the factors that impact freeway incident clearance times in the State of Alabama. • Identifies which of these two modeling approaches provides the best fit for the data with respect to accounting for unobserved heterogeneity. • Verifies the statewide efforts of Alabama Service and Assistance Patrol (ASAP) program in significantly reducing the duration of freeway incident clearance time. • Provides a data-driven evidence-based assessment of the ASAP program to help Traffic Incident Management (TIM) agencies in developing and executing strategies to minimize incident clearance times. The effects of freeway incident clearance times on the flow of traffic have recently increased interests in understanding what factors influence incident durations. This has particularly become topical due to the financial and economic implications of traffic gridlocks caused by freeway incidents on industries and personal mobility. This paper presents two advanced econometric modeling methods, random parameters duration modeling and latent class duration modeling in understanding the factors that impact freeway incident clearance times in the State of Alabama. These two modeling approaches were further compared to identify which of them provides the best fit for the data with respect to accounting for unobserved heterogeneity. A total of 2206 freeway crash incident data from January 1 to December 31, 2018 were examined in developing the models. The study was based on a unique dataset that involved merging and matching Traffic Incident Management response data from the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) Traffic Management Center (TMC), freeway crash data from the Center for Advanced Public Safety (CAPS) at the University of Alabama, Alabama Service and Assistance Patrol (ASAP) data from ALDOT and traffic volume from ALDOT's Highway Performance Management System (HPMS). The model estimation results reveal that a total of nineteen variables were found statistically significant with five random variables (on-road, nighttime, rain, AADT, and ASAP existing coverage area) and fourteen fixed effects variables for the random parameters model. For latent class model, a total of eighteen variables were observed statistically significant within two distinct latent classes (Latent Class 1 with class membership probability of 0.23 and Latent Class 2 with class membership probability of 0.77) at a 0.05 significance level. A comparison of the two models reveals that the latent class model provides the better fit for the incident duration data. The findings of this study are expected to contribute to the body of knowledge on incident duration by employing two advanced econometric modeling methods and to inform statewide efforts in significantly reducing the duration of freeway incident clearance time. Moreover, this is to ensure that policy decisions that may arise from the findings of the study are sound and based on data-driven evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organizations carry out a variety of business processes in order to serve their clients. Usually supported by information technology and systems, process execution data is logged in an event log. Process mining uses this event log to discover the process' control-flow, its performance, information about the resources, etc. A common assumption is that the cases are executed independently of each other. However, batch work – the collective execution of cases for specific activities – is a common phenomenon in operational processes to save costs or time. Existing research has mainly focused on discovering individual batch tasks. However, beyond this narrow setting, batch processing may consist of the execution of several linked tasks. In this work, we present a novel algorithm which can also detect parallel, sequential and concurrent batching over several connected tasks, i.e., subprocesses. The proposed algorithm is evaluated on synthetic logs generated by a business process simulator, as well as on a real-world log obtained from a hospital's digital whiteboard system. The evaluation shows that batch processing at the subprocess level can be reliably detected. • This paper presents the novel Batch Activity Mining Algorithm (BAMA). • BAMA automatically detects batching behavior in process execution data (event log). • BAMA is the first to detect batching at both the task and the subprocess level. • BAMA is empirically evaluated using both synthetic and real-world data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A fine-scale spatial analytics is developed to quantify and map buildings and population exposed to urban flood. • Urban flooding factors are assessed to form an urban flood risk model. • Commercial buildings and different types of family buildings are identified and mapped within each flood risk level. • Unbiased estimations of populations at different risk levels are quantified and mapped. • Fine-scale risk assessments of populations and buildings provide a key to flood mitigation and urban planning. Nowadays, urban flooding is becoming a severe issue in most of the developing and developed countries. The growth of the urbanization rate is also increasing, and the United Nations (UN) projected that 68 % of the world's population would live in urban areas by 2050. People tend to migrate from rural to urban areas, which expose them more vulnerable to urban floods. The flood-related damages and deaths are increasing every year globally. Using the Birmingham city, Alabama (AL), USA as the study area, the objective of this research is to assess potential damage risks due to flood exposure of buildings and population in an urban area. Different social and environmental factors influence urban floods in an urban area. This paper considered elevation, slope, flow accumulation, land-use, soil types, and distance from the river as significant influential factors to urban flooding. The flood risk model hence can be developed by using an integrated GIS and cartrographic approach, in which we assessed and assigned weights to these factors and formed a GIS risk assessment model, which shows the level of flood risks in the floodplain areas of Birmingham and quantifies and maps both commercial buildings, home buildings, and populations' exposed to flooding risks. This study found that the Valley Creek area is the highest flood risk zone in Birmingham, and about 48.85 percent of Valley Creek's floodplain area will face very high flood risk. The findings further reveal that total number of 5602 people are living in high and very high flood risk zones in Birmingham that approximates 44.04 % of the total population in this floodplain area. The physical vulnerability is also assessed, and findings suggest that the Valley Creek zone has the highest percentage of residential (i.e., 56.14 %) and commercial (i.e., 75.34 %) buildings located in very high flood risk areas. Our study providing a GIS risk assessment approach to locating and mapping the areas, buildings, and populations from the most to the least at risks with a fine spatical scale for urban flood risk management. The numbers of vulnerable buildings and populations within each risk category are quantified and their distributions are mapped. Therefore, revealing population's and buildings' risks and their geographic information, this flood risk assessment can help local governments and communities prepare better to take actions against future urban flood events in Birmingham, and this integrated GIS and cartographic analysis for fine flooding assessments can be applied to other urban areas for flood mitigation and risk management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information on the economic value of changes in harvest regulations such as bag limits is necessary to understand the economic benefits and costs of recreational fishing policies. As fishery managers consider policies that vary across space, time, and angler groups we need information on the distribution of angler willingness-to-pay (WTP) for regulations across these dimensions. In this paper we ask whether angler WTP for changes in bag limits varies by state of license. We estimated an angler choice model using data from a stated preference choice experiment in the Gulf of Mexico. The parameters of the model were used to calculate the distribution of WTP for changes in bag limits for dolphinfish, snapper, red snapper, grouper, and king mackerel. Using the bag limit WTP distributions for each species we examined whether WTP varied by state in a statistically significant and economically meaningful way. We found that anglers with a license to fish in Florida were willing to pay relatively more for grouper bag limits than anglers with a license to fish in Louisiana. We also found that anglers with a license to fish in Alabama or Mississippi were willing to pay relatively more for red snapper bag limits than anglers with a license to fish in Florida. There were not significant differences in the WTP for the bag limits among anglers with a license to fish in Louisiana and anglers with a license to fish in Alabama or Mississippi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A high degree of uncertainty exists for understanding and predicting coastal estuarine response to changing climate, land-use, and sea-level conditions, leaving geologic records as a best-proxy for constraining potential outcomes. With the majority of the world's population focused in coastal regions, understanding how local systems respond to global, regional, and even local pressures is key in developing mitigation, adaptation, and management plans. The geomorphology of Mobile Bay in southeast Alabama (USA) has evolved considerably (e.g., bayhead delta back-stepping) over the late Holocene in response to global and regional sea-level and climate change. Smaller-scale geomorphic changes (e.g., spit and beach ridge development) have also had a significant influence on the evolution of the estuary. Organic matter characteristics, inorganic sediment geochemistry, benthic microfossils, and pollen in a ~ 3500 cal yr BP sediment sequence recovered in a gravity core (20GC) from Bon Secour Bay, a small sub-bay in the southeast corner of Mobile Bay, record time-varying marine influence. Increases in marine influence during ~3500 to 2300 cal yr BP and 1930 to 1160 cal yr BP are defined as zones with high-density and pre-dominantly calcareous foraminiferal species, abundant sand (>10%) and more marine-like geochemical signatures, which contrast the low-density and pre-dominantly agglutinated foraminiferal and more terrestrially influenced estuarine muds observed in other intervals of the sedimentary record (2300–1930 and 1160–400 cal yr BP) and the modern bay. Hydrodynamic models constrained by geomorphic boundary conditions for the time ~ 3500 cal yr BP, consistent with the most prominent marine-influenced sediment, provide insight to potential coastal configuration that might have permitted such marine water intrusion into the bay. Of several scenarios evaluated, a breach in Morgan Peninsula produces tidal circulation within the basin supportive of persistent marine incursions in the bay between ~3500 to 2300 cal yr BP. The findings show that slight variations in coastal configuration can have broad-scale effects on bays and estuaries with consequences that may relate to water quality, vertebrate and invertebrate habitat, and coastal vulnerability to episodic events like (extra)tropical storms. • Paleonenvironmental data identify frequent-to-periodic marine intrusions into Mobile/Bon Secour Bays over the past 3500 years. • Hydrodynamic modeling find that breaching of Morgan Peninsula is the likely explanation of early documented marine intrusions • Paper demonstrates the utility applying scenario-based model simulations to evaluate geologic and stratigraphic interpretations [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Developed a methodology for sequential Bayesian design of experiments. • Minimized the maximum model prediction uncertainty for key output variables. • Methodology applied to an aqueous monoethanolamine pilot plant. • Two iteration resulted in 50% reduction in uncertainty of CO 2 capture prediction. • Methodology is generic and can be readily applied to other process systems. In this paper, a methodology is developed for sequential design of experiments (SDoE) for process systems and applied to a solvent-based CO 2 capture system. In this approach, the prior knowledge of the system is used to prioritize process data collection at specific operating conditions. These data are then incorporated into a Bayesian inference methodology for updating a stochastic model by refining estimations of its underlying parameters, and the updated model is then used to generate the next set of test runs. Thus, the new knowledge obtained from the data is used to guide subsequent iterations of the experimental runs, ensuring that the overall data collection is maximally informative given that most experimental campaigns, especially at pilot or higher-scale plants, are costly, time-consuming, and resource-limited. The test run objective for this work was to minimize the maximum model prediction uncertainty for key output variables, but the methodology is generic and can be readily applied to other test run objectives. This methodology is applied to an aqueous monoethanolamine (MEA) pilot plant campaign at the National Carbon Capture Center (NCCC) in Wilsonville, Alabama, USA. The SDoE framework was utilized for two iterations, while collecting 18 sets of data representing different process conditions, and this resulted in an overall average reduction in uncertainty of approximately 50% in the prediction of CO 2 capture percentage. Moreover, 11 additional data sets were obtained with variation of absorber packing height for further model validation. This work shows the capability of the SDoE framework to maximize learning given limited resources, allowing for the reduction of model uncertainty, which is of great importance for many applications including reduction of technical risk associated with scale-up and economic analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large mussels of the mytilid subfamily Bathymodiolinae are common inhabitants of deep-sea hydrothermal vents and cold seeps, where gill-borne symbionts allow them to utilize energy-rich compounds such as hydrogen sulfide and methane to support abundant growth. This subfamily also includes smaller symbiont-bearing mussels found on deep-sea wood and organic deposits. Phylogenetic analyses suggest that wood association is ancestral to bathymodiolin evolution. This observation led to the "wooden steps" hypothesis, which proposed that wood and other large organic deposits have acted as evolutionary steppingstones, introducing the progenitors of the modern vent and seep Bathymodiolinae to their remote environments. Although this hypothesis implies an evolutionary trajectory from shallow to deep water, no bathymodiolin species that grows and reproduces at depths less than 100 m has yet been formally described. Here we describe a new bathymodiolin genus and species, Vadumodiolus teredinicola, found growing and reproducing at a depth of 18 m in uninhabited shipworm burrows in the remnants of an ancient submerged bald cypress forest off the coast of Alabama. These results demonstrate that the bathymodiolin radiation has not been limited to deep water and that specific association with wood has led to the successful invasion of both deep and shallow marine environments. • Bathymodiolinae are mussels that harbor chemoautrophic symbionts. • Bathymodiolinae inhabit deep-sea vents, cold seeps, wood, and other organic deposits. • Previous reports restrict Bathymodiolinae to depths >100 m. • We describe a new bathymodiolin genus and species that inhabits wood at 18 m depth. • The new species harbors symbionts related to those of deep-sea Bathymodiolinae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oil exploration and production in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) reached an all-time high in 2017 and projections for 2018 and 2019 suggest that production will continue to increase. As extraction activities continue their movement to deep and ultra-deep water environments, operational complexities that increase the risks associated with uncontrolled release events remain omnipresent. In addition to oil spills posing a critical threat to sensitive coastal environments, the geographic and economic implications of spill response need consideration. Specifically, given limited budgets, human resources and equipment, regional stakeholders must identify locations that improve the strategic value for siting spill mitigation resources. Not only can this help to improve the efficiency of spill response, an improved combination of equipment storage locations can help reduce the social and environmental costs of spills over time. The purpose of this paper is to detail an innovative strategic planning approach to protect sensitive coastlines from oil spills. Using a combination of mathematical programming and geographic information systems (GIS), we explore a range of alternative, geographic configurations of spill response resources, attempting to improve their overall proximity to environmentally sensitive shoreline areas using a case study in coastal Alabama, Mississippi and Florida. • Oil spill response equipment is optimally sited in the Gulf of Mexico. • Maximum coverage of sensitive shoreline determines where equipment is placed. • Existing storage location coverage is compared to optimal configuration. • Optimal locations can protect more shoreline with a decrease in cost. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An abstract of the paper "Changes in Fruit and Vegetable Consumption of Third Grade Students in Body Quest: Food of the Warrior" by Barb Struempler and colleagues presented at the Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior's Annual Conference in 2013, is presented.