Cognitive competence and life course change in multi-problem adolescents

The dissertation reports on two studies. The purpose of Study I was to develop and evaluate a measure of cognitive competence (the Critical Problem Solving Skills Scale – Qualitative Extension) using Relational Data Analysis (RDA) with a multi-ethnic, adolescent sample. My study builds on previous work that has been conducted to provide evidence for the reliability and validity of the RDA framework in evaluating youth development programs (Kurtines et al., 2008). Inter-coder percent agreement among the TOC and TCC coders for each of the category levels was moderate to high, with a range of .76 to .94. The Fleiss' kappa across all category levels was from substantial agreement to almost perfect agreement, with a range of .72 to .91. The correlation between the TOC and the TCC demonstrated medium to high correlation, with a range of r(40)=.68, p<.001 to r(40)=.79, p<.001. Study II reports an investigation of a positive youth development program using an Outcome Mediation Cascade (OMC) evaluation model, an integrated model for evaluating the empirical intersection between intervention and developmental processes. The Changing Lives Program (CLP) is a community supported positive youth development intervention implemented in a practice setting as a selective/indicated program for multi-ethnic, multi-problem at risk youth in urban alternative high schools in the Miami Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS). The 259 participants for this study were drawn from the CLP's archival data file. The study used a structural equation modeling approach to construct and evaluate the hypothesized model. Findings indicated that the hypothesized model fit the data (χ2 (7) = 5.651, p = .83; RMSEA = .00; CFI = 1.00; WRMR = .319). My study built on previous research using the OMC evaluation model (Eichas, 2010), and the findings are consistent with the hypothesis that in addition to having effects on targeted positive outcomes, PYD interventions are likely to have progressive cascading effects on untargeted problem outcomes that operate through effects on positive outcomes.

Developing a process to create and validate an instrument assessing student attainment of competencies at an intercultural university in Mexico

This study took place at one of the intercultural universities (IUs) of Mexico that serve primarily indigenous students. The IUs are pioneers in higher education despite their numerous challenges (Bertely, 1998; Dietz, 2008; Pineda & Landorf, 2010; Schmelkes, 2009). To overcome educational inequalities among their students (Ahuja, Berumen, Casillas, Crispín, Delgado et al., 2004; Schmelkes, 2009), the IUs have embraced performance-based assessment (PBA; Casillas & Santini, 2006). PBA allows a shared model of power and control related to learning and evaluation (Anderson, 1998). While conducting a review on PBA strategies of the IUs, the researcher did not find a PBA instrument with valid and reliable estimates. The purpose of this study was to develop a process to create a PBA instrument, an analytic general rubric, with acceptable validity and reliability estimates to assess students' attainment of competencies in one of the IU's majors, Intercultural Development Management. The Human Capabilities Approach (HCA) was the theoretical framework and a sequential mixed method (Creswell, 2003; Teddlie & Tashakkori, 2009) was the research design. IU participants created a rubric during two focus groups, and seven Spanish-speaking professors in Mexico and the US piloted using students' research projects. The evidence that demonstrates the attainment of competencies at the IU is a complex set of actual, potential and/or desired performances or achievements, also conceptualized as "functional capabilities" (FCs; Walker, 2008), that can be used to develop a rubric. Results indicate that the rubric's validity and reliability estimates reached acceptable estimates of 80% agreement, surpassing minimum requirements (Newman, Newman, & Newman, 2011). Implications for practice involve the use of PBA within a formative assessment framework, and dynamic inclusion of constituencies. Recommendations for further research include introducing this study's instrument-development process to other IUs, conducting parallel mixed design studies exploring the intersection between HCA and assessment, and conducting a case study exploring assessment in intercultural settings. Education articulated through the HCA empowers students (Unterhalter & Brighouse, 2007; Walker, 2008). This study aimed to contribute to the quality of student learning assessment at the IUs by providing a participatory process to develop a PBA instrument.

Algorithms for efficient transaction management and consistent queries in client -server semantic object-oriented parallel databases

Large read-only or read-write transactions with a large read set and a small write set constitute an important class of transactions used in such applications as data mining, data warehousing, statistical applications, and report generators. Such transactions are best supported with optimistic concurrency, because locking of large amounts of data for extended periods of time is not an acceptable solution. The abort rate in regular optimistic concurrency algorithms increases exponentially with the size of the transaction. The algorithm proposed in this dissertation solves this problem by using a new transaction scheduling technique that allows a large transaction to commit safely with significantly greater probability that can exceed several orders of magnitude versus regular optimistic concurrency algorithms. A performance simulation study and a formal proof of serializability and external consistency of the proposed algorithm are also presented.^ This dissertation also proposes a new query optimization technique (lazy queries). Lazy Queries is an adaptive query execution scheme which optimizes itself as the query runs. Lazy queries can be used to find an intersection of sub-queries in a very efficient way, which does not require full execution of large sub-queries nor does it require any statistical knowledge about the data.^ An efficient optimistic concurrency control algorithm used in a massively parallel B-tree with variable-length keys is introduced. B-trees with variable-length keys can be effectively used in a variety of database types. In particular, we show how such a B-tree was used in our implementation of a semantic object-oriented DBMS. The concurrency control algorithm uses semantically safe optimistic virtual "locks" that achieve very fine granularity in conflict detection. This algorithm ensures serializability and external consistency by using logical clocks and backward validation of transactional queries. A formal proof of correctness of the proposed algorithm is also presented. ^

Cultural perceptions of space and place in the South Florida *environment

Public opinion polls in the United States reveal that a great majority of Americans are aware and show concern about ecological issues and the need to preserve natural areas. In South Florida, natural resources have been subjected to enormous strain as the pressure to accommodate a growing population has led to rapid development. Suburbs have been built on areas that were once natural wetlands and farmlands, and the impact today shows a landscape where natural places have all but disappeared. This dissertation examines the intersection between the perceptions that individuals living in the South Florida region have with respect to the natural environment and local ecological problems with where their relationship to nature takes place. ^ The research is based upon both quantitative and qualitative data. The principal methodology used in this research is the ethnographic method, which employed the data gathering techniques of in-depth interviewing and participant observation. The objective of the qualitative portion of the study was to determine how people perceive and relate to their immediate environment. The quantitative portion of the study employed telephone survey data from the FIU/Florida Poll 2000. Data collected through this survey provided the basis to statistically test responses to the research questions. ^ The findings show that people in South Florida have a general idea of the relationship between the human population and the environment but very little knowledge of how they individually affect each other. The experience of private places and public spaces in everyday life permits people to compartmentalize cultural values and understandings of the natural world in separate cognitive schemas. The appreciation of the natural world has almost no connection to their personal sense of obligation to preserve the environment. That obligation is only felt in their home space even though the South Florida environment overall struggles desperately with water shortages, land encroachment, and a rapidly expanding human population whose activities continuously aggravate an already delicate natural balance. ^

Race/Ethnicity-, Gender- and Age-Specific Differences in Micronutrient Intakes of US Adults with and without Diabetes

Race/ethnicity-, gender- and age-specific differences in dietary micronutrient intakes of US adults ≥ 21 years were assessed from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2007–2008. The participants included Black non-Hispanics, Mexican-American and White non-Hispanics who signed an informed consent form for the interview and who completed the in-person 24-h recall. Micronutrient intakes were based on the Institute of Medicines' classifications of recommended dietary allowances specific for age and gender. Likelihood of many micronutrient insufficiencies was associated with being female, over 65 years, having diabetes and minority status. Younger and female adults had a greater likelihood of iron insufficiency than male and older adults. These findings demonstrate the importance of considering the intersection of age, gender and race in setting policies for micronutrient deficiency screening, particularly in young female adults and minorities.

A Static Traffic Assignment Model Combined with an Artificial Neural Network Delay Model

As traffic congestion continues to worsen in large urban areas, solutions are urgently sought. However, transportation planning models, which estimate traffic volumes on transportation network links, are often unable to realistically consider travel time delays at intersections. Introducing signal controls in models often result in significant and unstable changes in network attributes, which, in turn, leads to instability of models. Ignoring the effect of delays at intersections makes the model output inaccurate and unable to predict travel time. To represent traffic conditions in a network more accurately, planning models should be capable of arriving at a network solution based on travel costs that are consistent with the intersection delays due to signal controls. This research attempts to achieve this goal by optimizing signal controls and estimating intersection delays accordingly, which are then used in traffic assignment. Simultaneous optimization of traffic routing and signal controls has not been accomplished in real-world applications of traffic assignment. To this end, a delay model dealing with five major types of intersections has been developed using artificial neural networks (ANNs). An ANN architecture consists of interconnecting artificial neurons. The architecture may either be used to gain an understanding of biological neural networks, or for solving artificial intelligence problems without necessarily creating a model of a real biological system. The ANN delay model has been trained using extensive simulations based on TRANSYT-7F signal optimizations. The delay estimates by the ANN delay model have percentage root-mean-squared errors (%RMSE) that are less than 25.6%, which is satisfactory for planning purposes. Larger prediction errors are typically associated with severely oversaturated conditions. A combined system has also been developed that includes the artificial neural network (ANN) delay estimating model and a user-equilibrium (UE) traffic assignment model. The combined system employs the Frank-Wolfe method to achieve a convergent solution. Because the ANN delay model provides no derivatives of the delay function, a Mesh Adaptive Direct Search (MADS) method is applied to assist in and expedite the iterative process of the Frank-Wolfe method. The performance of the combined system confirms that the convergence of the solution is achieved, although the global optimum may not be guaranteed.

Transitional areas between public and private space

This study analyzes transitional areas between public and private space in order to develop a design that might improve social interaction in the city. Architectural elements in specific pedestrian friendly spaces within the Miami area were identified and analyzed as social spaces in terms developed by Ali Mandanipour. Proximity, visual permeability, intersection, layering, and monumentality are design strategies used in many projects to enhance individual encounters. These strategies typically apply to transitional areas and serve as the direct physical links perceived by individuals moving between public and private areas. This project explores the different approaches to transitional areas in the design of an art gallery and surrounding artists' studios on Lincoln Road.

Improved Criteria for Estimating Calibration Factors for Highway Safety Manual (HSM) Applications

The Highway Safety Manual (HSM) estimates roadway safety performance based on predictive models that were calibrated using national data. Calibration factors are then used to adjust these predictive models to local conditions for local applications. The HSM recommends that local calibration factors be estimated using 30 to 50 randomly selected sites that experienced at least a total of 100 crashes per year. It also recommends that the factors be updated every two to three years, preferably on an annual basis. However, these recommendations are primarily based on expert opinions rather than data-driven research findings. Furthermore, most agencies do not have data for many of the input variables recommended in the HSM. This dissertation is aimed at determining the best way to meet three major data needs affecting the estimation of calibration factors: (1) the required minimum sample sizes for different roadway facilities, (2) the required frequency for calibration factor updates, and (3) the influential variables affecting calibration factors. In this dissertation, statewide segment and intersection data were first collected for most of the HSM recommended calibration variables using a Google Maps application. In addition, eight years (2005-2012) of traffic and crash data were retrieved from existing databases from the Florida Department of Transportation. With these data, the effect of sample size criterion on calibration factor estimates was first studied using a sensitivity analysis. The results showed that the minimum sample sizes not only vary across different roadway facilities, but they are also significantly higher than those recommended in the HSM. In addition, results from paired sample t-tests showed that calibration factors in Florida need to be updated annually. To identify influential variables affecting the calibration factors for roadway segments, the variables were prioritized by combining the results from three different methods: negative binomial regression, random forests, and boosted regression trees. Only a few variables were found to explain most of the variation in the crash data. Traffic volume was consistently found to be the most influential. In addition, roadside object density, major and minor commercial driveway densities, and minor residential driveway density were also identified as influential variables.

Annotated record of the detailed examination of Mn deposits from the QUEBRADA (1969) and SIQUEIROS (1974) expeditions around the East Pacific Rise

Basalt samples obtained from the Siqueiros transform fault/fracture zone and the adjacent East Pacific Rise are mostly very fresh oceanic tholeiite and fractionated oceanic tholeiite with Fe+3/ Fe+2 ? 0.25; however, alkali basalts occur in the area as well. The rocks of the tholeiitic suite are ol + pl phyric and ol + pl + cpx phyric basalts, while the alkali basalts are ol and ol + pl phyric. Microprobe analyses of the tholeiitic suite phenocrysts indicate that they are Fo68-Fo86, An58-An75, and augite (Ca34Mg50Fe16). The range of olivine and plagioclase compositions represents the chemical variation of the phenocryst compositions with fractionation. The phenocyrsts in the alkali basalts are Fo81 and An69. The suite of tholeiites comprises a fractionation series characterized by relative enrichment of Fe, Ti, Mn, V, Na, K, and P and depletion of Ca, Al, Mg, Ni, and Cr. The fractionated tholeiites occur on the median ridge (which is a sliver of normal oceanic crust) of the double Siqueiros transform fault, on the western Siqueiros fracture zone, and on the adjoining East Pacific Rise, while the two transform fault troughs contain mostly unfractionated or only slightly fractionated tholeiite. We suggest that the fractionated tholeiites are produced by fractional crystallization of more 'primitive' tholeiitic liquid in a crustal magma chamber below the crest of the East Pacific Rise. This magma chamber may be disrupted by the transform fault troughs, thus explaining the paucity of fractionated tholeiites in the troughs. The alkali basalts are found only on the flanks of a topographic high near the intersection of the northern transform trough with the East Pacific Rise.

Ações de cuidado nas relações intrageracionais em crianças em acolhimento institucional

According to the Statute of Children and Adolescents (1990) children and adolescents are conceived as subjects of rights, with absolute priority and development peculiar condition. Thus, if these rights were violated or threatened, will be applied protection measures. Within these measures, in that Statute, the foster institutional is proposed, with transitional and exceptional character. When the child goes out from family and community life, and she is upheld in an institution, the child is placed in a new development context, therefore, with new people, new places, and new relationships. According with Socio-Historical Psychology, theoretical support of this study, each context presents specific demands of socialization that influence child development and her subjectivity is constituted through the relations that the subject establishes in each context. These contexts bring challenges and proposals for the child and she needs to respond these. Then, whereas he is in relation to the other, in this moment, the subject is constituted, the interactions established during the foster institutional will be of paramount importance to the child. Among these interactions, we can cite situations involving aspects of moral development, specifically those that can ask (or not) the exercise of the virtues. About the intersection between these actions can then arise care actions beyond those involving the attending of an emerging need. The objective of this study is to investigate the presence of relation everyday permeated by care actions among children in foster institutional. For the scope of the objective three children were participated, with three years old and in foster care measure. The research is qualitative and the procedure for building the corpus was, mainly, the participant observation. Procedures with video and history in books were also used as supplementary procedures. The analysis of the corpus was made through Thematic Content Analysis, the episodes were grouped into analysis categories pre-and post-established. The preestablished were care actions related to body care, care actions related to socio affective aspects, and care actions related to body care and socio affective aspects simultaneously. The two post-established categories were dismemberment of the preceding categories, called care actions developed in child-child interaction, without the intervention of an adult, and care actions developed in child-child interaction, with direct intervention of the educator. The analysis indicated that in the everyday interaction between foster children, they identify the physical and emotional needs of each other foster member, and they are willing to help them in whatever way they can, emphasizing the importance of play and playful moments like mediators about these interactions. The care actions observed are based on children´s concepts and interpretations made from their experiences and largely refer to maternal care. The condition of being away from their family life can be an element that enables these actions. Finally, this study reaffirms the importance of designing the foster institution as a socialization and care space. It follows the importance of valuing and strengthening the positive aspects that arise in the relationships established by the children in this context, including the care actions, the research objective, which are components of the subjectivity of these children

Influência da estratigrafia mecânica no desenvolvimento de falhas distensionais em bacias do tipo Rifte: contribuição da modelagem física

In the last decades, analogue modelling has been used in geology to improve the knowledge of how geological structures are nucleated, how they grow and what are the main important points in such processes. The use of this tool in the oil industry, to help seismic interpretations and mainly to search for structural traps contributed to disseminate the use of this tool in the literature. Nowadays, physical modelling has a large field of applications, since landslide to granite emplacement along shear zones. In this work, we deal with physical modelling to study the influence of mechanical stratifications in the nucleation and development of faults and fractures in a context of orthogonal and conjugated oblique basins. To simulate a mechanical stratigraphy we used different materials, with distinct physical proprieties, such as gypsum powder, glass beads, dry clay and quartz sand. Some experiments were run along with a PIV (Particle Image Velocimetry), an instrument that shows the movement of the particles to each deformation moment. Two series of experiments were studied: i) Series MO: We tested the development of normal faults in a context of an orthogonal (to the extension direction) basin. Experiments were run taking into account the change of materials and strata thickness. Some experiments were done with sintectonic sedimentation. We registered differences in the nucleation and growth of faults in layers with different rheological behavior. The gypsum powder layer behaves in a more competent mode, which generates a great number of high angle fractures. These fractures evolve to faults that exhibit a higher dip than when they cross less competent layers, like the one of quartz sand. This competent layer exhibits faulted blocks arranged in a typical domino-style. Cataclastic breccias developed along the faults affecting the competent layers and showed different evolutional history, depending on the deforming stratigraphic sequence; ii) Series MOS2: Normal faults were analyzed in conjugated sub-basins (oblique to the extension direction) developed in a sequence with and without rheological contrast. In experiments with rheological contrast, two important grabens developed along the faulted margins differing from the subbasins with mechanical stratigraphy. Both experiments developed oblique fault systems and, in the area of sub-basins intersection, faults traces became very curved.

Repercussão da integração de conteúdos das disciplinas nos trabalhos finais de graduação de CAU-UFRN (2003 a 2010)

The changes in the teaching of Architecture in Brazilian Universities, from the 1990s onwards, with the upgrading of the Architecture project as an object of research and scientific knowledge and more specifically, the adoption by the Architecture and Urbanism Course (CAU) from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN) of the principle of content integration of the disciplines, aroused the interest in research on issues related to the Design process and the teaching of design in this context. After 20 years of its implementation and recognized as being a major step forward in teaching the teaching/learning process, the integration is the central focus of this research, which will seek to identify changes in the teaching design and its refutation in projects developed by students at the end of their course. In general, it is understood that the need to integrate knowledge from diverse areas of Architect’s professional activity, who seeks through an exercise of summary, identify solutions to the issues involved in a project. On the assumption that the integration of content of disciplines fosters the teaching/learning of Architecture project, which can be evident in the Final Course Assignment (FCA), it becomes necessary to understand, in the light of theories of education, such as the principles of curriculum organization, such as interdisciplinarity and multidisciplinarity, transdisciplinarity and transversality are related to the term integration, is more understood and disseminated among the professors of the Architecture courses. The object of this study is consequently the relationship between the integration of subject content and Architecture projects developed by students from CAU-UFRN, in the context of Final Graduation projects (FCAs) completed in the period of duration of the Teaching Project A5-from 2003. The study has the main objective of investigating to what extent the integration of disciplinary content affects the development of the Final Assignment of UFRN, from the analysis of drawings and texts of the projects of the learners and the testimonies of teachers and undergraduate students. From a methodological point of view, the research “Architecture, Project and Knowledge Production: Academic Production – FCAs, Thesis and dissertations in PA/Brazil” carried out by the PROJETAR/UFRN team has been adopted as the basis for the construction of the analytical instruments. In order to identify aspects of their experience by various actors which were not recorded in FCA, electronic forms were applied between teachers and students, through the internet. The integration of subject content based Teaching Project of CAU-UFRN institutionalises the interdisciplinarity, organizing the curriculum by thematic semesters, in which the disciplines work the same focus and at the same site. The integrated work which derives from there tries to articulate the content of each discipline of the period and represents a general practice and has been evaluated by teachers and students, and considered as a facilitator of the teaching/learning process. The analysis of the data collected from the textual content and graphic of the sample of FCAs of CAU-UFRN suggests that the content of the various areas of knowledge are assimilated by the student and used as a resource for the design and development of Architecture projects. In other words, there is in the end product of the students record of the integration of content, whether in speech or in drawing, reaffirming the importance of the convergence of various knowledge in the Architectonic project. However, the integration of content from the point of view of their articulation and operationalization, which involves teachers and students in the same period, has as a condition sine qua non for the success of this educational principle, the provision of these to work as part of a team, for the dialogic practice, which creates areas of intersection not only between disciplines, but between the knowledge of each of the participants.

Estudo de viabilidade técnico-ambiental para implantação de parques eólicos: um estudo de caso em um fragmento do litoral setentrional do Rio Grande do Norte/Brasil

The use of energy from renewable sources is increasingly demanded by society, especially aeolian - whose raw material is wind. Investments in wind power have become significant in Brazil with emphasis on the Northeast and in particular the Rio Grande do Norte state. According to the Empresa de Pesquisa Energética (Energy Research Company) (2012 ) , investments in the state grew significantly since 2002 with a total accumulated power, by 2013, of approximately 3,400 MW . Even with the early experiences of exploitation of wind energy in 2002, it is still considered new and requires further study referring to the likely changes in the environment and society. In this case, it is of growing and urgent importance to deeply study the wind still in the survey phase of the project, ie , at the beginning of decision making on the most feasible to implement these parks site. Given the above, the question is: from a technical and environmental analysis, how to identify viable areas to install Aeolian parks, taking into account the factors of the environmental dynamics that are relevant to minimize the negative results to the environment and the society? Thus, this study conducted a study on technical and environmental feasibility, proposing a methodology of exploration of feasible wind farms in coastal areas. The study area was a fragment of the northern coast of Rio Grande do Norte and its natural landscape units were identified through the environmental characterization of the area, as well as it was elaborated the map of the land cover, restriction homes and urban areas and Permanent Preservation Areas - PPAs. The environmental fragility was subdivided in the fragility of the natural dynamic, mapped through relief, soils and geology of natural units, and the fragility of the ecosystem, originated by the land cover map. In addition to these maps, it was generated the wind resource for an area from a height of 50 and 100 meters. The intersection between the fragility maps, PPAs and Restriction of homes superimposed on maps of wind potential, provided the map of feasibility of Aeolian parks, resulting in the most favorable areas for its facilities in a technical and environmental point of view. From this study, the entrepreneur can evaluate whether or not to proceed with the studies in this area and especially decrease potential conflicts with society.

Criação de zonas de alta permeabilidade em fraturas: modelagem numérica do Lajedo de Soledade, Formação Jandaíra, Bacia Potiguar

The fracturing in carbonate rocks has been attracting increasingly attention due to new oil discoveries in carbonate reservoirs. This study investigates how the fractures (faults and joints) behave when subjected to different stress fields and how their behavior may be associated with the generation of karst and consequently to increased secondary porosity in these rocks. In this study I used satellite imagery and unmanned aerial vehicle UAV images and field data to identify and map faults and joints in a carbonate outcrop, which I consider a good analogue of carbonate reservoir. The outcrop comprises rocks of the Jandaíra Formation, Potiguar Basin. Field data were modeled using the TECTOS software, which uses finite element analysis for 2D fracture modeling. I identified three sets of fractures were identified: NS, EW and NW-SE. They correspond to faults that reactivate joint sets. The Ratio of Failure by Stress (RFS) represents stress concentration and how close the rock is to failure and reach the Mohr-Coulomb envelopment. The results indicate that the tectonic stresses are concentrated in preferred structural zones, which are ideal places for carbonate dissolution. Dissolution was observed along sedimentary bedding and fractures throughout the outcrop. However, I observed that the highest values of RFS occur in fracture intersections and terminations. These are site of karst concentration. I finally suggest that there is a relationship between stress concentration and location of karst dissolution in carbonate rocks.

Criação de zonas de alta permeabilidade em fraturas: modelagem numérica do Lajedo de Soledade, Formação Jandaíra, Bacia Potiguar

The fracturing in carbonate rocks has been attracting increasingly attention due to new oil discoveries in carbonate reservoirs. This study investigates how the fractures (faults and joints) behave when subjected to different stress fields and how their behavior may be associated with the generation of karst and consequently to increased secondary porosity in these rocks. In this study I used satellite imagery and unmanned aerial vehicle UAV images and field data to identify and map faults and joints in a carbonate outcrop, which I consider a good analogue of carbonate reservoir. The outcrop comprises rocks of the Jandaíra Formation, Potiguar Basin. Field data were modeled using the TECTOS software, which uses finite element analysis for 2D fracture modeling. I identified three sets of fractures were identified: NS, EW and NW-SE. They correspond to faults that reactivate joint sets. The Ratio of Failure by Stress (RFS) represents stress concentration and how close the rock is to failure and reach the Mohr-Coulomb envelopment. The results indicate that the tectonic stresses are concentrated in preferred structural zones, which are ideal places for carbonate dissolution. Dissolution was observed along sedimentary bedding and fractures throughout the outcrop. However, I observed that the highest values of RFS occur in fracture intersections and terminations. These are site of karst concentration. I finally suggest that there is a relationship between stress concentration and location of karst dissolution in carbonate rocks.