Road Safety Audits for County Road X-23 from IA 2 to the South Corporate Limits of West Point and for County Road W-62 from US 218 to IA 27 in Lee County, Iowa, 2010

On October 20–21, 2009, two road safety audits were conducted in Lee County, Iowa: one for a 6 mile section of County Road X-23 from IA 2 to the south corporate limits of West Point and one for a 9.7 mile section of County Road W-62 from US 218 to IA 27. Both roads have high severe crash histories for the years of 2001 through 2008. Using these crash data, the Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa DOT) has identified County Road X-23 as being in the top 5 percent of similar roads for run-off-road crashes. The Iowa DOT lists County Road W-62 as a high-risk rural road that has above-average crash numbers and is eligible for funding under the Federal High-Risk Rural Road Program. Considering these issues, the Lee County Engineer and Iowa DOT requested that road safety audits be conducted to address the safety concerns and to suggest possible mitigation strategies.

1245-02IJ West Tarkio Final Report

Initiated in 2001, the West Tarkio Creek Watershed Project has a proven track record of implementing an enormous amount of structural conservation practices. To date, over $925,000 has been spent to build 69 miles of terraces on 63 cooperators' land. The success of the Project was due in large part to the conservation ethic of the landowners to improve their farms, preserve the productivity of the land, and protect West Tarkio Creek. This has been made possible through funding from DSC Watershed Protection Funds (WSPF) which has provided $1,362,592 in cost share funds since 2001 but is has been severely limited in recent years due to shortages within the State’s budget. The original project goals called for the construction of 750,000 feet (142 miles) of terraces to effectively treat the watershed. In order to meet these goals and bring the project to a successful endpoint, another 153,000 feet (29 miles) remain to be constructed by the landowners with the help of the SWCD staff. Severe rain events in recent years have caused an enormous amount of damage throughout the region, these storms were helpful in identifying where watershed work remains to be completed. Scars on the landscape in the aftermath of the storms clearly etched out the specific location where additional practices are needed in addition to those proposed in the original project work plan. Project supporters are confident that the WIRB Program can unlock this potential and pave the way for what can become known as one of the most effective land treatment projects in Iowa.

Health consultation : Buchanan Bulk Oil -- Ma & Pa Stores West 6th Avenue and South F Street, Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa (2006)

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) has requested the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) Hazardous Waste Site Health Assessment Program to evaluate the potential health impacts of the future development at the Buchanan Bulk Oil – Ma & Pa Stores site. A Targeted Brownfields Assessment was completed by the IDNR at this site to measure existing on-site contaminants. Assistance was sought from the IDPH to determine potential health risks if the site was developed for residential use. This health consultation addresses potential health risks to people from exposure to the contaminants found in the soil and groundwater within the property boundary. The information in this health consultation was current at the time of writing. Data that emerges later could alter this document’s conclusions and recommendations.

Audit report on the City of West Union, Iowa for the year ended June 30, 2015

Audit report on the City of West Union, Iowa for the year ended June 30, 2015

Ebola Information for West Africans Living in the United States, November 14, 2014

West Africans in the United States may face negative responses from people in their community because of the current Ebola outbreak. People may say bad things about you, or try to stop you or your family from everyday activities like work, school, shopping, or spending time with friends. This is known as stigma. Stigma mostly occurs because of fear—people fear Ebola and the disease is linked with a specific region of the world. You are not more at risk for Ebola because of your specific race or country of origin.

Audit report on the City of West Liberty, Iowa for the year ended June 30, 2015

Audit report on the City of West Liberty, Iowa for the year ended June 30, 2015

Public health assessment : Railroad Avenue groundwater contamination, West Des Moines, Polk County, Iowa EPA facility ID: IA0001610963 (2004)

The Railroad Avenue groundwater contamination site (the site) is in West Des Moines, Polk County, Iowa. Located on approximately 120 acres. The site comprises mixed residential, industrial and commercial properties. Underneath the site, chlorinated volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have contaminatcd the shallow (i.e., 30-50 feet deep) groundwater. These compounds have compromised several shallow wells within the West Des Moines water works system. A contamination source, however, has not yet been identified. In 1993, routine water analysis by the City of West Des Moines identified 1, 2 cis-dichlorocthylcne (1, 2 cis-DCE) at a concentration of 1.2 μg/L (micrograms) per liter of water) in the water supply. Subsequently. several shallow municipal wells were found to be contaminated by VOCs, including 1. 2 cis-DCE, trichloroethylene (TCE), tetrachloroethylene (PCE) and benzene. Five of these wells have been taken out of service. Because of the impact on the West Des Moines water supply, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) has assigned the site to the National Priorities List. Surface water und sediment at the site have not been impacted by the VOCs. Testing for VOCs in surface soils has not revealed any significant VOC contamination. Subsurface soils -- generally 8 feet or greater in depth -- are contaminated with VOCs, but at levels which should not present a health hazard. The past, present, and future health hazard category chosen for this site is no apparent public health hazard. This category is used when exposure to toxins might be occurring or might have occurrcd in the past, but at levels below any known health hazard. Analysis of available environmental data has not revealed that residental or commercial water customers are or have been exposed to VOCs at concentrations that might cause any adverse health effects.

Joergensenium rotatile n. gen., n. sp (Entactinaria, Radiolaria): its distribution in west Norwegian fjords

A new radiolarian genus and species, Joergensenium rotatile, is described. This species is restricted to recent sediments and plankton samples from the North Atlantic. Its recent distribution in the Norwegian Sea and West Norwegian fjords shows a strong affinity to the neritic province and reaches almost 2% in Hryangerfjord. This species is only known from late Glacial and Holocene sediments in the Nordic seas. This genus shows, however, a patchy stratigraphic distribution with its first occurrence in the south-west Pacific within Palcocene, in the Middle to Late Miocene from the Norwegian Sea, and in the Labrador Sea at the base of biozone NN 21. Two fjords are compared for the general radiolarian distribution, but with special emphasis on the occurrence of J. rotatile in both sediment and plankton.

P-wave velocities of samples from the Penninic of the western Alps along NFP20-west seismic-reflection profiles

Using the transit pulse method, we have determined compressional wave velocities of rocks from various geological units belonging to the Penninic zone along the NFP20-West profiles of the Swiss western Alps. The velocities have been measured at confining pressures up to 400 MPa, along three orthogonal axes defined by the macrostructure of the rocks. The samples analysed show a degree of metamorphism ranging from greenschist to eclogite facies. This collection includes schists, dolomites, gneisses and ophiolitic rocks. The mean velocities range from 5.9 km/s for a quartzitic calcschist to 7.9 km/s for an eclogitic metagabbro. The velocity anisotropy is as high as 20 %. The range of acoustic impedance is wide, from 15 to 27 10(6) kg/m2s. From these measurements, normal incident reflection coefficients for likely rock assemblages within and between geological units were estimated in order to interpret zone of the strong reflections recorded along the seismic profiles. Reflection coefficients as high as 0.17 could be determined.

Distributed Energy Production in the North-West Region of Russia

The energy system of Russia is the world's fourth largest measured by installed power. The largest are that of the the United States of America, China and Japan. After 1990, the electricity consumption decreased as a result of the Russian industry crisis. The vivid economic growth during the latest few years explains the new increase in the demand for energy resources within the State. In 2005 the consumption of electricity achieved the maximum level of 1990 and continues to growth. In the 1980's, the renewal of power facilities was already very slow and practically stopped in the 1990's. At present, the energy system can be very much characterized as outdated, inefficient and uneconomic because of the old equipment, non-effective structure and large losses in the transmission lines. The aim of Russia's energy reform, which was started in 2001, is to achieve a market based energy policy by 2011. This would thus remove the significantly state-controlled monopoly in Russia's energy policy. The reform will stimulateto decrease losses, improve the energy system and employ energy-saving technologies. The Russian energy system today is still based on the use of fossil fuels, and it almost totally ignores the efficient use of renewable sources such as wind, solar, small hydro and biomass, despite of their significant resources in Russia. The main target of this project is to consider opportunities to apply renewable energy production in the North-West Federal Region of Russia to partly solve the above mentioned problems in the energy system.

Scenarios for electricity power sector development in the North-West of Russia

Focus of this thesisis made on development of electricity sector of Russian North-West. The objective was to determine the most likely scenarios for development of the most critical (western) part of Interregional Power System of North-West, from where the most part of Russian electricity exports to the countries of European Union take place. For this purpose all the involved sides were analyzed: generation, transmission system and electricity consumption in different regions of Russian North-West. The analysis was performed through investigation of existing generation andtransmission capacities and plans for their development to be performed by the generation and transmission companies operating in the region. Principles of Russian electricity sector restructuring and electricity market design are also discussed as well as factors that may influence on future electricity price in the region.

Reduction of Greenhouse Gas Emissions in North-West Russia - Finnish Business Opportunities

Tutkimus suomalaisten yritysten liiketoimintamahdollisuuksista hiilidoksidipäästöjen vähentämisen parissa Luoteis-Venäjällä.