Digital Commons Network^™

Thumbtax, Sandra K. Lewis

Tax Adviser

No abstract provided.

Employee Benefits Under The Dra (Part Ii), Thomas G. Tracy, Deborah Walker

Tax Adviser

No abstract provided.

Analysis Ready Aerospace Wing Assembly Reconstruction Using Parameterization, Brian Shawcroft, Kendrick Shepherd

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Accurate analysis of structures in the design process are often labor intensive and computationally expensive. Isogeometric analysis (IGA) provides potential to better connect the design through analysis process and converge to accurate results more quickly. Here, methods are proposed to help in the goal of automating the process of converting design geometry to an analysis suitable model for IGA. This is done by using tools previously built in combination with a motorcycle graph algorithm to extract quadrilateral layouts of the intended geometry. This method will be demonstrated by reconstructing and analyzing an airplane structure.

A Novel Modular Spherical Joint For Truss Robots, Ivyann O. Running, Simon Charles, Eli Francom, Bryce Parkinson, Adam Rose, Hunter Pruett, Larry Howell, Nathan Usevitch

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Truss robots and structures are beneficial for lunar missions because of their high strength-to-mass ratio. Even better are robots and structures that are highly modular, allowing the same materials to be rearranged to perform various tasks. The joints of these robots are what must be connected and disconnected to create different truss forms. Therefore, it is necessary to develop highly mobile, modular spherical joints that allow multiple truss elements to attach. Moreover, these joints must be resistant to the lunar regolith. Our contribution in this paper is the design of a new spherical joint and its application to an isoperimetric …

Development And Implementation Of Compact Let Joints For Origami-Based Deployable Arrays, Katie Varela, Luke Gardner, Spencer Magleby

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Lamina emergent torsion (LET) arrays are not area efficient and exhibit significant parasitic motion. This makes them unsuitable for use in highly compact applications such as origami-based deployable arrays. This work presents a compact variation of the conventional LET array which resolves these issues. A method for fabricating these compact LET arrays, or C-LETs, from carbon fiber-reinforced polymer is given. Deflection and stress models for C-LETs are shown, and initial steps taken toward validating these models. A prototype origami-based deployable reflectarray incorporating C-LETs demonstrates that they provide the desired motion while maximizing the usable area of the array.

Civil Conflict And Aids: Implications For Post-Conflict Sierra Leone, Marda Mustapha

Journal of African Policy Studies

This paper discusses the civil conflict in Sierra Leone and its role in the transmission of HIV in the country, including the activities and role of the military population in the conflict and the spread of HIV. The paper also assesses the present capacity of the government of Sierra Leone to handle a possible explosion of the disease and the implications for HIV/AIDS in post-conflict Sierra Leone. The paper concludes with some policy suggestions for post-conflict Sierra Leone regarding possible responses to the pandemic.

Regional Dimensions And Consequences Of Africa's Internal Wars: The Case Of Liberia And Sierra Leone, F. Ugboaja Ohaegbulam

Journal of African Policy Studies

Demonstrably, internal conflicts within individual African states have tended to set off chain reactions and spillover effects in their specific regions. Indeed, this was the experience of the African continent throughout the last two decades of the twentieth century. As a result every region of Africa became a victim of several of the consequences and effects of those internal conflicts that began in specific states within it. Beyond Africa, the series of internal conflicts played into the hands of Afro-pessimists and Africa's detractors who lost faith in the continent's present and its future. This study succinctly examines the regional dynamics …

What Model For Language Planning In Education And Development?, Raymond Mopoho

Journal of African Policy Studies

The implementation of language policies by African countries after independence was very similar to what prevailed in the colonial era in that its centerpiece was the promotion of European languages, to the exclusion of native languages. The official rationale for such policies was political and economic in nature: In a multiethnic context, imposing a foreign language would promote national unity and foster the acquisition of the technical know-how necessary for development. Such a policy was characterized by several weaknesses. In its implementation, for many years, the school system seemed content with being a graduate generating machine, with little attention being …

Nigeria, Globalization And The Development Of Underdevelopment In The Third World, Kema Lrogbe

Journal of African Policy Studies

There are two contending opinions on the issue of globalization. There are some observers who believe that globalization has brought rapid prosperity to the underdeveloped countries while others argue that globalization serves the needs of the metropolitan countries at the expense of the peripheral countries. This paper posits that globalization is economic terrorism. Using a dependency theory to analyze the asymmetric relationships between the developed and the underdeveloped countries, the writer applies some economic indicators to highlight the widening gap between the two worlds. In doing so, it is argued that the socio-economic and political structure of the peripheral countries …

Cover And Table Of Contents, Institute On African Affairs

Journal of African Policy Studies

No abstract provided.

Tax Clinic, Stuart R. Josephs

Tax Adviser

No abstract provided.

Individual Retirement Accounts: An Update After The Dra, Labh S. Hira, Robert D. Swanson

Tax Adviser

No abstract provided.

Assessing The Effectiveness Of A Nurse-Led Family-Focused Program On The Physical Health Domain Of Children With Congenital Heart Defects, Maha Abdul Hussein Mutasher Al-Barki, Wameedh Hamid Shaker Alzubeidi

Al-Mustaqbal Journal of Pharmaceutical and Medical Sciences

Background: Assessing the effectiveness of a nurse-led family-focused program on the physical health domain of children with congenital heart defects (CHDs) is a critical area of research. CHDs are among the most common congenital anomalies, affecting nearly 1 in 100 live births. physical activity plays an important role in overall health and recovery congenital heart disease. Quality of life educational include specific directions to increase level of physical activity, such as walking daily or exercising regularly. Objectives: This study aims to assess the effectiveness of a nurse-led family-focused program in improving the physical health outcomes of children with CHDs. Methods …

Estate Planning: Significant Recent Developments Concerning Estate Planning (Part I), Byrle M. Abbin, David K. Carlson

Tax Adviser

No abstract provided.

Tax Planning For Business Or Employment Use Of An Automobile After The Dra, Anthony P. Curatola, Michael J.R. Hoffman

Tax Adviser

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of Rbc Indices And Significance Of Mentzer Index For Differentiation Between Iron Deficiency Anemia And Beta Thalassemia Trait, Raghda Hameed Jasim, Rasha Hussain Aouda

Al-Mustaqbal Journal of Pharmaceutical and Medical Sciences

Background: Anemia is a global public health problem affecting developed and adversely affecting developing countries. About 1.62 billion peoples are affected worldwide, currently pregnant women are the most vulnerable population corresponding to 24.8%. Objective: To evaluate RBC indices and significance of Mentzer index for differentiation between Iron deficiency anemia and Beta thalassemia trait. Patients and methods: Cross sectional study was conducted in Babylon Maternity and Pediatrics Teaching Hospital for a period of 4 months. Data was collected prospectively after approval of the research proposal was gained, the study involved 114 patients that were referred to the Babylon Maternity and Pediatrics …

Modeling And Optimization Of Mets: An Enveloping Tensegrity Structure For Adaptive Stiffness Control In Space Applications, Ammon E. Gallart, Jeffrey R. Hill

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Tensegrity structures, defined by rigid elements in compression balanced by tensioned members, offer lightweight, flexible solutions for adaptive space systems. Stiffness modulation is vital for space applications, such as reinforcing robotic arms, stabilizing astronaut suits, and supporting deployable structures in microgravity. Traditional systems often rely on heavy actuators or rigid components, limiting adaptability and increasing mass. This research presents the Multi-Stiffness Expandable Tensegrity Structure (METS), an enveloping tensegrity system designed to conform to spacecraft appendages and provide tunable stiffness without external power. Using control string actuation and unit cell optimization, METS achieves scalability and adaptability, validated through modeling, innovation, and …

Bi-Level Route Optimization And Path Planning With Hazard Exploration, Grant Stagg, Cameron K. Peterson

Utah Space Grant Consortium

Effective risk monitoring in dynamic environments such as disaster zones requires an adaptive exploration strategy to detect hidden threats. We propose a bi-level unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) monitoring strategy that efficiently integrates high-level route optimization with low-level path planning for known and unknown hazards. At the high level, we formulate the route optimization as a vehicle routing problem (VRP) to determine the optimal sequence for visiting known hazard locations. To strategically incorporate exploration efficiency, we introduce an edge-based centroidal Voronoi tessellation (CVT), which refines baseline routes using pseudo-nodes and allocates path budgets based on the UAV's battery capacity using a …

Globalization And Sub-Saharan Africa: Will The Promise Of Shared Prosperity Ever Be Realized?, Donald L. Sparks

Journal of African Policy Studies

Globalization, the accelerated economic integration among nations, clearly has brought benefits in terms of worldwide economic growth. However, these benefits have not been evenly distributed, and income disparities between rich and poor countries, and even within countries, have increased. This is most pronounced in sub-Saharan Africa. Globalization was supposed to provide gains for all, or at least the gains were supposed to outweigh the losses. Despite adherence to market liberalization and the rapid pace of globalization, during the past three decades sub-Saharan Africa has continued to be marginalized in the world economic system. At the same time, however, many other …

Rationale Underlying The Conceptualization Of The Component Of The Model M-D Dem, Girmay Berhie

Journal of African Policy Studies

The purpose of the study is to show the need of developing an evaluation model called The Multi-Dimensional Developmental Evaluation Model (M-D DEM) for Third World countries and what structural components to include and the rationale of why these structural components for the evaluation model are crucial to be included.

A number of evaluation research guidelines for use in Third World countries can be found for conducting evaluation research on social programs and projects. However, no systemic approach could be found in the literature review for appraising the systemic impact of the social programs, the relevance of the program to …

Sudan-Ethiopia Relations And Islamization Policy, Solomon Hailu

Journal of African Policy Studies

The central focus of this paper is on Sudan's islamization policy under Al-Bashire's regime and its regional impact. In the past, some African countries have officially protested against Sudan's Muslim fundamentalism policy while other states have officially broken relations with Sudan and have come close to taking military measures against it. Ethiopia has become one of Sudan's neighbors which had her relations severely stained due to Sudan's cross-border Islamic expansionist agenda. The study will analyze the fact that the quest for Ethiopia's internal opposition have always been characterized as having fully political motives rather than religious ambitions. It would appear …

Globalization And The Impact Of Multinational Corporations On Developing Economies: A Case Study Of Nigeria's Oil Sector, Dennis A. Ogirri

Journal of African Policy Studies

This study examines the meaning and significance of globalization, especially the role and impact of multinational corporations on developing economies. Specifically, there is more emphasis on the impact of globalization and multinational corporations on Africa in general, and specific focus on Nigeria as a case study because of the large and significant role of foreign multinational corporations, such as Shell, Elf, Agip, Chevron, Mobil, Texaco, Phillips, and Ashland, in the exploration, production, refining, management, and marketing of the country's crude oil reserves. The environmental impact of the multinational oil corporations on Nigeria's oil sector receives special attention.

The Technological Dimension Of Africa's Crsis Of Development: An Agenda For The 21st Century, Osita Agbu

Journal of African Policy Studies

This article critically examined the ways that technological underdevelopment had contributed to the deepening crises of Africa's technological backwardness. Adopting a holistic and historical approach, it tried to show how technological underdevelopment and the dearth of technologically driven approaches to addressing developmental questions had adversely affected the continent.

The article opines that beyond the technological is the fundamental understanding that the problem which Africa is facing is not just a technical one, but involves also a polical dimension which must not be ignored. It sought to explicate the question of whose technology for what, and in whose interest? It maintained …

Cover And Table Of Contents, Institute On African Affairs

Journal of African Policy Studies

No abstract provided.

National Population Policy And Fertility Decline In Senegal, Keita Ohashi

Journal of African Policy Studies

This study reviews the relationship between population policy and fertility decline in Senegal. In 1988, Senegal officially announced a national population policy, the first such population policy declaration among Francophone sub-Saharan African countries. Shortly thereafter, in the early 1990s, Senegal's total fertility rate did in fact start to decline. The establishment of the national population policy, however, did not directly influence the current fertility decline. Rather, effective population policies in the areas of education, reproductive health, and family planning services together are likely to determine the pace of overall fertility decline in Senegal. In this study, current fertility trends are …

Fertility Transition In Urban And Rural Sub-Saharan Africa: Preliminary Evidence Of A Three-Stage Process, David Shapiro, B. Oleko Tambashe

Journal of African Policy Studies

This paper provides an overview and analyses of the relatively recently-emerged and ongoing fertility transition in sub-Saharan Africa. We use data from 49 Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) that have been carried out in 29 different countries to examine fertility levels and trends, overall and separately for urban and rural settings. We also look at levels and changes in age-specific fertility for a selected subset of these countries. Our examination of trends, using the 15 countries in which multiple DHS surveys have been carried out, suggests that there may be a three-stage transition process, with fertility initially declining in urban …

Patterns And Determinants Of Fertility In Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 1974-1998, Asfaw Yitna

Journal of African Policy Studies

Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia, reported a surprisingly low TFR level of 1.8 births per woman in the year 1994. Such a low level has never been experienced by any other large African city. In this paper, we attempt to confirm the adjusted level fertility of 2.1 births per woman and thus the fertility decline reported by the Central Statistical Authority (CSA), and to explore the important demographics, socio-economic and proximate determinants of fertility decline of Addis Ababa from 1974 to 1998.

We use data from fertility surveys of 1990 and 1995, conducted in Addis Ababa by CSA, …

Fertility Transition In West Africa, Samuel Agyei-Mensah

Journal of African Policy Studies

This paper examines the fertility transition in West Africa against the background of recent declines in fertility in Sub-Saharan Africa. Two major questions are addressed: First, what is the status of the West African fertility transition at the end of the 20th century? Second, what are the facilitators of the West African fertility transition? Using data from Demographic and Health Surveys as well as localized studies the paper provides insights into the historical pattern of the West African fertility transition. It attempts to push the interpretation of the West African fertility transition into new theoretical directions by highlighting the importance …

The Persistence Of High Fertility In Sub-Saharan Africa, Ellen Brennan-Galvin, Elizabeth Gould

Journal of African Policy Studies

This paper examines the factors that have contributed to the persistence of high fertility in sub-Saharan Africa. It begins with an overview of the current fertility situation. It then traces historical colonial trends that are still influencing population growth in present-day Africa and examines traditional cultural supports for high fertility, such as the practice of polygyny and the strong aversion to childlessness. Some countries in sub-Saharan Africa already have begun a transition to lower fertility, whereas in others, women still bear an average of seven or eight children.

Even if there were greater demand for family planning services, the disruptions …

Fertility Decline In Francophone Sub-Saharan Africa: 1980-2010, Pierre Ngom, Soukeynatou Fall

Journal of African Policy Studies

This paper examines fertility levels (1990-2000) and trends (1980-2000) in francophone sub-Saharan Africa, and suggests likely prospects for further decline during the 2000-2010 period. Data are from the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), the World Fertility Surveys (WFS), and the World Bank. Fertility levels are still high in francophone sub-Saharan Africa, but vary widely from a total fertility rate (TFR) of 4.6 children per woman in Cameroon (1998) to 7.2 in Niger (1998). Overall, fertility has been declining in francophone sub-Saharan Africa, although the pace has been much slower than the one prevailing in English-speaking countries. Age at marriage, but …