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Thesis (M.Eng.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 2003., Includes bibliographical references (p. 81-83)., In order to assess the impact of human development on salt ponds, this study investigated the relationships between the chemistry of salt ponds and the hydrology of the surrounding area. Aspects of pond health such as nutrient levels, sedimentation parameters, and water quality indicators were analyzed in conjunction with development metrics, watershed descriptions, and runoff characteristics. Salt ponds were determined to be composed primarily of evaporated seawater. This determination was based on the outputs of hydrologic modeling, which predicted minimal inputs due to surface runoff, plus the results of regression analyses, which showed significant correlation between nutrient levels and salinity (R 2=0.885) and minimal deviation of measured nutrient concentrations from those predicted by evaporation. In addition, the feasibility of groundwater seepage measurement was investigated, as this seepage could play a key role in determining the role that human development may play in salt pond chemistry. Southside Pond, which met all the criteria necessary for seepage meter deployment, was analyzed for groundwater inputs; however, the information collected showed no evidence of significant groundwater inputs., by Liam Bossi and Donald Rose., M.Eng.

OBJECTIVES: Household food insecurity is a major determinant of undernutrition, yet there is little information on its prevalence in the South African population. This paper assesses household food insecurity in South Africa using a quantitative and objective measure, known as food poverty, and provides prevalence estimates by geographic area and socio-economic condition. DESIGN: Secondary data analysis combining two sources: Statistics South Africa's household-based 1995 Income and Expenditure Survey; and the University of Port Elizabeth's Household Subsistence Level series, a nationally-conducted, market-based survey. SETTING: South Africa. SUBJECTS: A nationally representative sample of the entire country - stratified by race, province, and urban and non-urban areas - consisting of 28 704 households. RESULTS: A household is defined to be in food poverty when monthly food spending is less than the cost of a nutritionally adequate very low-cost diet. The prevalence of food poverty in South Africa in 1995 was 43%. Food poverty rates were highest among households headed by Africans, followed by coloureds, Indians and whites. Higher food poverty rates were found with decreasing income, increasing household size, and among households in rural areas or those headed by females. CONCLUSIONS: The widespread nature of household food insecurity in South Africa is documented here. Prevalence rates by geographic and socio-economic breakdown provide the means for targeting of nutritional interventions and for monitoring progress in this field. The corroboration of these findings with both internal validation measures and external sources suggests that food poverty is a useful, objective measure of household food insecurity.

Most Africans enter old age after a lifetime of poverty and deprivation, poor access to health care and a diet that is usually inadequate in quantity and quality. However, nutrition interventions in African countries are directed primarily toward infants and young children, as well as pregnant and lactating women. This situational analysis focuses on two key areas to identify priorities for future research and policy development: the nutritional status of older Africans and determinants of undernutrition. Based on the scant evidence available, the prevalence of undernutrition is high in older African men (9.5-36.1%) and women (13.1-27%); however, in some urban areas there is evidence that older adults are experiencing the nutrition transition. Information on micronutrient status is sparse, yet it appears that anemia related to suboptimal folate status is a particular problem. Important determinants of poor nutritional status in the elderly in the African context include inadequate household food security, war and famine, and the indirect impact of HIV infection and AIDS. The rapidly increasing size of the older population, combined with their increased burden of care-giving responsibilities and severe socioeconomic hardship, indicates an urgent need for increased attention to this group, including applied research on nutrition problems and the development and evaluation of nutrition interventions.

This dissertation examines two eras in which armed forces faced the prospect of adjusting to operations other than war (OOTW): counterinsurgency in the early 1960s and peace operations in the early 1990s. Although the military has had considerable experience over its history with various types of OOTW, their doctrinal treatment and acceptance has been minimal. This study compares the military's reaction to counterinsurgency to more recent accommodation to peace operations. Unlike the failure to incorporate counterinsurgency in the 196Os, lessons from peace operations have been institutionalized within the armed forces and have led to important adjustments in doctrine and training. This study focuses on the changes in the US Army that followed participation in the peace operations of the 199Os. These developments raise questions about the potential for more fundamental changes in the military. This is important from a policy standpoint since the crises that precipitate peace operations are expected to continue to occur for the next fifteen to twenty years. This study's relevance addresses the question of change in military organizations and explores the nature and circumstances of such change. The dissertation reviews organization theory, focusing on the concept of change, and the literature on change in military organizations. It finds that many studies rely on a single factor external to the military to explain change: civilian intervention. They also concentrate on sweeping, fundamental change. Focusing on peripheral change in secondary missions, this study suggests a more integrative approach in which a learning cycle model is combined with contextual factors that may facilitate or impede organizational change. The body of the dissertation summarizes the key operations in the two eras and explores the depth and breadth of change in Army doctrine, and training and educational programs.

The Gravel Gertie was designed as a space in which to perform what is generally conceded to be the most hazardous operation in the assembly of a nuclear explosive, the mating of the High Explosive (HE) and fissile material in the primary of the weapon. The target of the design was to have a space which, in case of an accidental explosion of the HE, would withstand the blast and gas pressure loads from the explosion, relieve the pressure produced by the explosion, and inhibit the release of particulate matter to the atmosphere. The history of the design of the Gravel Gertie is somewhat murky, but it seems to have been developed in 1956 by the Pantex Operating Contractor, Mason and Hanger-Silas Mason Co., Inc. It is not known who the smart guy was that named the facility for a character in the Dick Tracy cartoons but as you will see, the name is well taken. The heart of the Gravel Gertie is a round room with floors and wall sturdy enough to withstand the various loads that will be impressed on them and covered with a thick gravel roof suspended on a network of bridge cables. Staging areas are connected to the round room in all the Gravel Gerties constructed up to the present. Figure 1 is a plan of a DAF Gravel Gertie with its associated staging areas, service rooms and entrance airlocks., See also ADM001002. Presented at the Proceedings of the DoD Explosives Safety Seminar (28th) Held in Orlando, FL on 18-20 August 1998.