Urban Vegetative Cover Fragmentation in the U.S.: Associations With Physical Activity and BMI.

PubMed

Tsai, Wei-Lun; Floyd, Myron F; Leung, Yu-Fai; McHale, Melissa R; Reich, Brian J

2016-04-01

Urban vegetative cover provides a range of ecosystem services including contributions to human health and well-being. Urbanization exerts tremendous pressure on this natural resource, causing fragmentation and loss of urban greenspace. This study aimed to examine associations between vegetative cover fragmentation and physical activity and BMI at the county scale in the U.S. metropolitan statistical areas greater than 1 million in population. National Land Cover Database 2006 and Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System 2008 provided land cover and human health data, respectively. Analyses were performed in 2013 at the county scale where the health data were reported. Spearman rank correlation and stepwise and hierarchical regression models were applied to estimate relationships between land cover and health variables. After controlling for median household income and race, greater forest edge density (β=0.272, p<0.05) and larger size of herbaceous patches (β=0.261, p<0.01) were associated with a higher percentage of participation in physical activity within counties. More connections between forest and developed area (β=0.37, p<0.01) and greater edge density of shrubland (β=0.646, p<0.001) were positively associated with a higher percentage of normal BMI (<25) within counties. Forest land cover and some degree of fragmentation are associated with population physical activity. Future studies should examine how built environments and varying land cover configurations influence physical activity and weight status. Copyright © 2016 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

25 CFR 900.196 - Do covered services include the conduct of clinical studies and investigations and the provision...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 25 Indians 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Do covered services include the conduct of clinical studies and investigations and the provision of emergency services, including the operation of emergency... Claims § 900.196 Do covered services include the conduct of clinical studies and investigations and the...

Ex Vivo Activity of Endoperoxide Antimalarials, Including Artemisone and Arterolane, against Multidrug-Resistant Plasmodium falciparum Isolates from Cambodia

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-10-01

OCT 2014 2. REPORT TYPE N/A 3. DATES COVERED - 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE Ex Vivo Activity of Endoperoxide Antimalarials , Including Artemisone...Prescribed by ANSI Std Z39-18 Ex Vivo Activity of Endoperoxide Antimalarials , Including Artemisone and Arterolane, against Multidrug-Resistant...potent antimalarial activity (2, 3). Despite having a rapid mecha- nism of action, artemisinin resistance eventually emerged and was first detected

41 CFR 60-300.20 - Covered employment activities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 1 2011-07-01 2009-07-01 true Covered employment activities. 60-300.20 Section 60-300.20 Public Contracts and Property Management Other Provisions Relating to... REGARDING DISABLED VETERANS, RECENTLY SEPARATED VETERANS, OTHER PROTECTED VETERANS, AND ARMED FORCES SERVICE...

41 CFR 60-300.20 - Covered employment activities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 1 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Covered employment activities. 60-300.20 Section 60-300.20 Public Contracts and Property Management Other Provisions Relating to... REGARDING DISABLED VETERANS, RECENTLY SEPARATED VETERANS, OTHER PROTECTED VETERANS, AND ARMED FORCES SERVICE...

41 CFR 60-300.20 - Covered employment activities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 1 2012-07-01 2009-07-01 true Covered employment activities. 60-300.20 Section 60-300.20 Public Contracts and Property Management Other Provisions Relating to... REGARDING DISABLED VETERANS, RECENTLY SEPARATED VETERANS, OTHER PROTECTED VETERANS, AND ARMED FORCES SERVICE...

Developed land cover of Puerto Rico

Treesearch

William A. Gould; Sebastian Martinuzzi; Olga M. Ramos Gonzalez

2008-01-01

This map shows the distribution of developed land cover in Puerto Rico (Martinuzzi et al. 2007). Developed land cover refers to urban, built-up and non-vegetated areas that result from human activity. These typically include built structures, concrete, asphalt, and other infrastructure. The developed land cover was estimated using Landsat 7 ETM+ satellite images pan...

Mekong Land Cover Dasboard: Regional Land Cover Mointoring Systems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saah, D. S.; Towashiraporn, P.; Aekakkararungroj, A.; Phongsapan, K.; Triepke, J.; Maus, P.; Tenneson, K.; Cutter, P. G.; Ganz, D.; Anderson, E.

2016-12-01

SERVIR-Mekong, a USAID-NASA partnership, helps decision makers in the Lower Mekong Region utilize GIS and Remote Sensing information to inform climate related activities. In 2015, SERVIR-Mekong conducted a geospatial needs assessment for the Lower Mekong countries which included individual country consultations. The team found that many countries were dependent on land cover and land use maps for land resource planning, quantifying ecosystem services, including resilience to climate change, biodiversity conservation, and other critical social issues. Many of the Lower Mekong countries have developed national scale land cover maps derived in part from remote sensing products and geospatial technologies. However, updates are infrequent and classification systems do not always meet the needs of key user groups. In addition, data products stop at political boundaries and are often not accessible making the data unusable across country boundaries and with resource management partners. Many of these countries rely on global land cover products to fill the gaps of their national efforts, compromising consistency between data and policies. These gaps in national efforts can be filled by a flexible regional land cover monitoring system that is co-developed by regional partners with the specific intention of meeting national transboundary needs, for example including consistent forest definitions in transboundary watersheds. Based on these facts, key regional stakeholders identified a need for a land cover monitoring system that will produce frequent, high quality land cover maps using a consistent regional classification scheme that is compatible with national country needs. SERVIR-Mekong is currently developing a solution that leverages recent developments in remote sensing science and technology, such as Google Earth Engine (GEE), and working together with production partners to develop a system that will use a common set of input data sources to generate high

29 CFR 1620.6 - Coverage is not based on amount of covered activity.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 29 Labor 4 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Coverage is not based on amount of covered activity. 1620.6 Section 1620.6 Labor Regulations Relating to Labor (Continued) EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY COMMISSION THE EQUAL PAY ACT § 1620.6 Coverage is not based on amount of covered activity. The FLSA makes no...

MODIS Snow-Cover Products

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hall, Dorothy K.; Riggs, George A.; Salomonson, Vinvent V.; DiGirolamo, Nicolo; Bayr, Klaus J.; Houser, Paul (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

On December 18, 1999, the Terra satellite was launched with a complement of five instruments including the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). Many geophysical products are derived from MODIS data including global snow-cover products. These products have been available through the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC) since September 13, 2000. MODIS snow-cover products represent potential improvement to the currently available operation products mainly because the MODIS products are global and 500-m resolution, and have the capability to separate most snow and clouds. Also the snow-mapping algorithms are automated which means that a consistent data set is generated for long-term climates studies that require snow-cover information. Extensive quality assurance (QA) information is stored with the product. The snow product suite starts with a 500-m resolution swath snow-cover map which is gridded to the Integerized Sinusoidal Grid to produce daily and eight-day composite tile products. The sequence then proceeds to a climate-modeling grid product at 5-km spatial resolution, with both daily and eight-day composite products. A case study from March 6, 2000, involving MODIS data and field and aircraft measurements, is presented. Near-term enhancements include daily snow albedo and fractional snow cover.

The Potential Radiative Forcing of Global Land Use and Land Cover Change Activities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ward, D. S.; Mahowald, N. M.; Kloster, S.

2014-12-01

Given the expected increase in pressure on land resources over the next century, there is a need to understand the total impacts of activities associated with land use and land cover change (LULCC). Here we quantify these impacts using the radiative forcing metric, including forcings from changes in long-lived greenhouse gases, tropospheric ozone, aerosol effects, and land surface albedo. We estimate radiative forcings from the different agents for historical LULCC and for six future projections using simulations from the National Center for Atmospheric Research Community Land Model and Community Atmosphere Models and additional offline analyses. When all forcing agents are considered together we show that 45% (+30%, -20%) of the present-day (2010) anthropogenic radiative forcing can be attributed to LULCC. Changes in the emission of non-CO2 greenhouse gases and aerosols from LULCC enhance the total LULCC radiative forcing by a factor of 2 to 3 with respect to the forcing from CO2 alone. In contrast, the non-CO2 forcings from fossil fuel burning are roughly neutral, due largely to the negative (cooling) impact of aerosols from these sources. We partition the global LULCC radiative forcing into three major sources: direct modification of land cover (e.g. deforestation), agricultural activities, and fire regime changes. Contributions from deforestation and agriculture are roughly equal in the present day, while changes to wildfire activity impose a small negative forcing globally. In 2100, deforestation activities comprise the majority of the LULCC radiative forcing for all projections except one (Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 4.5). This suggests that realistic scenarios of future forest area change are essential for projecting the contribution of LULCC to climate change. However, the commonly used RCP land cover change projections all include decreases in global deforestation rates over the next 85 years. To place an upper bound on the potential

Microbial life under ice: Metagenome diversity and in situ activity of Verrucomicrobia in seasonally ice-covered lakes.

PubMed

Tran, Patricia; Ramachandran, Arthi; Khawasek, Ola; Beisner, Beatrix E; Rautio, Milla; Huot, Yannick; Walsh, David A

2018-06-19

Northern lakes are ice-covered for a large part of the year, yet our understanding of microbial diversity and activity during winter lags behind that of the ice-free period. In this study, we investigated under-ice diversity and metabolism of Verrucomicrobia in seasonally ice-covered lakes in temperate and boreal regions of Quebec, Canada using 16S rRNA sequencing, metagenomics and metatranscriptomics. Verrucomicrobia, particularly the V1, V3 and V4 subdivisions, were abundant during ice-covered periods. A diversity of Verrucomicrobia genomes were reconstructed from Quebec lake metagenomes. Several genomes were associated with the ice-covered period and were represented in winter metatranscriptomes, supporting the notion that Verrucomicrobia are metabolically active under ice. Verrucomicrobia transcriptome analysis revealed a range of metabolisms potentially occurring under ice, including carbohydrate degradation, glycolate utilization, scavenging of chlorophyll degradation products, and urea use. Genes for aerobic sulfur and hydrogen oxidation were expressed, suggesting chemolithotrophy may be an adaptation to conditions where labile carbon may be limited. The expression of genes for flagella biosynthesis and chemotaxis was detected, suggesting Verrucomicrobia may be actively sensing and responding to winter nutrient pulses, such as phytoplankton blooms. These results increase our understanding on the diversity and metabolic processes occurring under ice in northern lakes ecosystems. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. © 2018 Society for Applied Microbiology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Land-cover observations as part of a Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS): Progress, activities, and prospects

USGS Publications Warehouse

Herold, M.; Woodcock, C.E.; Loveland, Thomas R.; Townshend, J.; Brady, M.; Steenmans, C.; Schmullius, C. C.

2008-01-01

The international land-cover community has been working with GEO since 2005 to build the foundations for land-cover observations as an integral part of a Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS). The Group on Earth Observation (GEO) has provided the platform to elevate the societal relevance of land cover monitoring and helped to link a diverse set of global, regional, and national activities. A dedicated 2007-2009 GEO work plan task has resulted in achievements on the strategic and implementation levels. Integrated Global Observations of the Land (IGOL), the land theme of the Integrated Global Observation Strategy (IGOS), has been approved and is now in the process of transition into GEO implementation. New global land-cover maps at moderate spatial resolutions (i.e., GLOBCOVER) are being produced using guidelines and standards of the international community. The Middecadal Global Landsat Survey for 2005-2006 is extending previous 1990 and 2000 efforts for global, high-quality Landsat data. Despite this progress, essential challenges for building a sustained global land-cover-observing system remain, including: international cooperation on the continuity of global observations; ensuring consistency in land monitoring approaches; community engagement and country participation in mapping activities; commitment to ongoing quality assurance and validation; and regional networking and capacity building.

17 CFR Appendix A to Part 255 - Reporting and Recordkeeping Requirements for Covered Trading Activities

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... regarding a variety of quantitative measurements of their covered trading activities, which vary depending... entity's covered trading activities. c. The quantitative measurements that must be furnished pursuant to... prior to September 30, 2015. e. In addition to the quantitative measurements required in this appendix...

A Cutinase from Trichoderma reesei with a lid-covered active site and kinetic properties of true lipases.

PubMed

Roussel, Alain; Amara, Sawsan; Nyyssölä, Antti; Mateos-Diaz, Eduardo; Blangy, Stéphanie; Kontkanen, Hanna; Westerholm-Parvinen, Ann; Carrière, Frédéric; Cambillau, Christian

2014-11-11

Cutinases belong to the α/β-hydrolase fold family of enzymes and degrade cutin and various esters, including triglycerides, phospholipids and galactolipids. Cutinases are able to degrade aggregated and soluble substrates because, in contrast with true lipases, they do not have a lid covering their catalytic machinery. We report here the structure of a cutinase from the fungus Trichoderma reesei (Tr) in native and inhibitor-bound conformations, along with its enzymatic characterization. A rare characteristic of Tr cutinase is its optimal activity at acidic pH. Furthermore, Tr cutinase, in contrast with classical cutinases, possesses a lid covering its active site and requires the presence of detergents for activity. In addition to the presence of the lid, the core of the Tr enzyme is very similar to other cutinase cores, with a central five-stranded β-sheet covered by helices on either side. The catalytic residues form a catalytic triad involving Ser164, His229 and Asp216 that is covered by the two N-terminal helices, which form the lid. This lid opens in the presence of surfactants, such as β-octylglucoside, and uncovers the catalytic crevice, allowing a C11Y4 phosphonate inhibitor to bind to the catalytic serine. Taken together, these results reveal Tr cutinase to be a member of a new group of lipolytic enzymes resembling cutinases but with kinetic and structural features of true lipases and a heightened specificity for long-chain triglycerides. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Review of Land-Cover Mapping Activities in Coastal Alabama and Mississippi

USGS Publications Warehouse

Smith, Kathryn E.L.; Nayegandhi, Amar; Brock, John C.

2010-01-01

-based land-use classifications. Aerial photography is typically selected for smaller landscapes (watershed-basin scale), for greater definition of the land-use categories, and for increased spatial resolution. Disadvantages of using photography include time-consuming digitization, high costs for imagery collection, and lack of seasonal data. Recently, the availability of high-resolution satellite imagery has generated a new category of LULC data product. These new datasets have similar strengths to the aerial-photo-based LULC in that they possess the potential for refined definition of land-use categories and increased spatial resolution but also have the benefit of satellite-based classifications, such as repeatability for change analysis. LULC classification based on high-resolution satellite imagery is still in the early stages of development but merits greater attention because environmental-monitoring and landscape-modeling programs rely heavily on LULC data. This publication summarizes land-use and land-cover mapping activities for Alabama and Mississippi coastal areas within the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Northern Gulf of Mexico (NGOM) Ecosystem Change and Hazard Susceptibility Project boundaries. Existing LULC datasets will be described, as well as imagery data sources and ancillary data that may provide ground-truth or satellite training data for a forthcoming land-cover classification. Finally, potential areas for a high-resolution land-cover classification in the Alabama-Mississippi region will be identified.

Determining the Covering Factor of Compton-Thick Active Galactic Nuclei with NuSTAR

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brightman, M.; Balokovic, M.; Stern, D.; Arevalo, P.; Ballantyne, D. R.; Bauer, F. E.; Boggs, S. E.; Craig, W. W.; Christensen, F. E.; Zhang, W. W.

2015-01-01

The covering factor of Compton-thick (CT) obscuring material associated with the torus in active galactic nuclei (AGNs) is at present best understood through the fraction of sources exhibiting CT absorption along the line of sight (N(sub H) greater than 1.5 x 10(exp 24) cm(exp -2)) in the X-ray band, which reveals the average covering factor. Determining this CT fraction is difficult, however, due to the extreme obscuration. With its spectral coverage at hard X-rays (greater than 10 keV), Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) is sensitive to the AGNs covering factor since Compton scattering of X-rays off optically thick material dominates at these energies. We present a spectral analysis of 10 AGNs observed with NuSTAR where the obscuring medium is optically thick to Compton scattering, so-called CT AGNs. We use the torus models of Brightman and Nandra that predict the X-ray spectrum from reprocessing in a torus and include the torus opening angle as a free parameter and aim to determine the covering factor of the CT gas in these sources individually. Across the sample we find mild to heavy CT columns, with N(sub H) measured from 10(exp 24) to 10(exp 26) cm(exp -2), and a wide range of covering factors, where individual measurements range from 0.2 to 0.9. We find that the covering factor, f(sub c), is a strongly decreasing function of the intrinsic 2-10 keV luminosity, L(sub X), where f(sub c) = (-0.41 +/- 0.13)log(sub 10)(L(sub X)/erg s(exp -1))+18.31 +/- 5.33, across more than two orders of magnitude in L(sub X) (10(exp 41.5) - 10(exp 44) erg s(exp -1)). The covering factors measured here agree well with the obscured fraction as a function of LX as determined by studies of local AGNs with L(sub X) greater than 10(exp 42.5) erg s(exp -1).

MODIS Snow-Cover Products

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hall, Dorothy K.; Riggs, George A.; Salomonson, Vincent V.; DiGirolamo, Nicole E.; Bayr, Klaus J.; Houser, Paul R. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

On December 18, 1999, the Terra satellite was launched with a complement of five instruments including the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). Many geophysical products are derived from MODIS data including global snow-cover products. MODIS snow and ice products have been available through the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) Distributed Active Archive Center (DAAC) since September 13, 2000. MODIS snow-cover products represent potential improvement to or enhancement of the currently-available operational products mainly because the MODIS products are global and 500-m resolution, and have the capability to separate most snow and clouds. Also the snow-mapping algorithms are automated which means that a consistent data set may be generated for long-term climate studies that require snow-cover information. Extensive quality assurance (QA) information is stored with the products. The MODIS snow product suite begins with a 500-m resolution, 2330-km swath snow-cover map which is then gridded to an integerized sinusoidal grid to produce daily and 8-day composite tile products. The sequence proceeds to a climate-modeling grid (CMG) product at about 5.6-km spatial resolution, with both daily and 8-day composite products. Each pixel of the CMG contains fraction of snow cover from 40 - 100%. Measured errors of commission in the CMG are low, for example, on the continent of Australia in the spring, they vary from 0.02 - 0.10%. Near-term enhancements include daily snow albedo and fractional snow cover. A case study from March 6, 2000, involving MODIS data and field and aircraft measurements, is presented to show some early validation work.

Estimating Cloud Cover

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moseley, Christine

2007-01-01

The purpose of this activity was to help students understand the percentage of cloud cover and make more accurate cloud cover observations. Students estimated the percentage of cloud cover represented by simulated clouds and assigned a cloud cover classification to those simulations. (Contains 2 notes and 3 tables.)

30 CFR 280.4 - What activities are not covered by this part?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... PROSPECTING FOR MINERALS OTHER THAN OIL, GAS, AND SULPHUR ON THE OUTER CONTINENTAL SHELF General Information...) Postlease activities for mineral resources other than oil, gas, and sulphur, which are covered by regulations at 30 CFR part 282; and (d) G&G exploration or G&G scientific research activities related to oil...

DETERMINING THE COVERING FACTOR OF COMPTON-THICK ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI WITH NuSTAR

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Brightman, M.; Baloković, M.; Fuerst, F.

2015-05-20

The covering factor of Compton-thick (CT) obscuring material associated with the torus in active galactic nuclei (AGNs) is at present best understood through the fraction of sources exhibiting CT absorption along the line of sight (N{sub H} > 1.5 × 10{sup 24} cm{sup −2}) in the X-ray band, which reveals the average covering factor. Determining this CT fraction is difficult, however, due to the extreme obscuration. With its spectral coverage at hard X-rays (>10 keV), Nuclear Spectroscopic Telescope Array (NuSTAR) is sensitive to the AGNs covering factor since Compton scattering of X-rays off optically thick material dominates at these energies. Wemore » present a spectral analysis of 10 AGNs observed with NuSTAR where the obscuring medium is optically thick to Compton scattering, so-called CT AGNs. We use the torus models of Brightman and Nandra that predict the X-ray spectrum from reprocessing in a torus and include the torus opening angle as a free parameter and aim to determine the covering factor of the CT gas in these sources individually. Across the sample we find mild to heavy CT columns, with N{sub H} measured from 10{sup 24} to 10{sup 26} cm{sup −2}, and a wide range of covering factors, where individual measurements range from 0.2 to 0.9. We find that the covering factor, f{sub c}, is a strongly decreasing function of the intrinsic 2–10 keV luminosity, L{sub X}, where f{sub c} = (−0.41 ± 0.13)log{sub 10}(L{sub X}/erg s{sup −1})+18.31 ± 5.33, across more than two orders of magnitude in L{sub X} (10{sup 41.5}–10{sup 44} erg s{sup −1}). The covering factors measured here agree well with the obscured fraction as a function of L{sub X} as determined by studies of local AGNs with L{sub X} > 10{sup 42.5} erg s{sup −1}.« less

Identity of active methanotrophs in landfill cover soil as revealed by DNA-stable isotope probing.

PubMed

Cébron, Aurélie; Bodrossy, Levente; Chen, Yin; Singer, Andrew C; Thompson, Ian P; Prosser, James I; Murrell, J Colin

2007-10-01

A considerable amount of methane produced during decomposition of landfill waste can be oxidized in landfill cover soil by methane-oxidizing bacteria (methanotrophs) thus reducing greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere. The identity of active methanotrophs in Roscommon landfill cover soil, a slightly acidic peat soil, was assessed by DNA-stable isotope probing (SIP). Landfill cover soil slurries were incubated with (13)C-labelled methane and under either nutrient-rich nitrate mineral salt medium or water. The identity of active methanotrophs was revealed by analysis of (13)C-labelled DNA fractions. The diversity of functional genes (pmoA and mmoX) and 16S rRNA genes was analyzed using clone libraries, microarrays and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis. 16S rRNA gene analysis revealed that the cover soil was mainly dominated by Type II methanotrophs closely related to the genera Methylocella and Methylocapsa and to Methylocystis species. These results were supported by analysis of mmoX genes in (13)C-DNA. Analysis of pmoA gene diversity indicated that a significant proportion of active bacteria were also closely related to the Type I methanotrophs, Methylobacter and Methylomonas species. Environmental conditions in the slightly acidic peat soil from Roscommon landfill cover allow establishment of both Type I and Type II methanotrophs.

Active control of near-field radiative heat transfer between graphene-covered metamaterials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Qimei; Zhou, Ting; Wang, Tongbiao; Liu, Wenxing; Liu, Jiangtao; Yu, Tianbao; Liao, Qinghua; Liu, Nianhua

2017-04-01

In this study, the near-field radiative heat transfer between graphene-covered metamaterials is investigated. The electric surface plasmons (SPs) supported by metamaterials can be coupled with the SPs supported by graphene. The near-field heat transfer between the graphene-covered metamaterials is significantly larger than that between metamaterials because of the strong coupling in our studied frequency range. The relationship between heat flux and chemical potential is studied for different vacuum gaps. Given that the chemical potential of graphene can be tuned by the external electric field, heat transfer can be actively controlled by modulating the chemical potential. The heat flux for certain vacuum gaps can reach a maximum value when the chemical potential is at a particular value. The results of this study are beneficial for actively controlling energy transfer.

Spreading Topsoil Encourages Ecological Restoration on Embankments: Soil Fertility, Microbial Activity and Vegetation Cover

PubMed Central

Rivera, Desirée; Mejías, Violeta; Jáuregui, Berta M.; López-Archilla, Ana Isabel; Peco, Begoña

2014-01-01

The construction of linear transport infrastructure has severe effects on ecosystem functions and properties, and the restoration of the associated roadslopes contributes to reduce its impact. This restoration is usually approached from the perspective of plant cover regeneration, ignoring plant-soil interactions and the consequences for plant growth. The addition of a 30 cm layer of topsoil is a common practice in roadslope restoration projects to increase vegetation recovery. However topsoil is a scarce resource. This study assesses the effects of topsoil spreading and its depth (10 to 30 cm) on two surrogates of microbial activity (β-glucosidase and phosphatase enzymes activity and soil respiration), and on plant cover, plant species richness and floristic composition of embankment vegetation. The study also evaluates the differences in selected physic-chemical properties related to soil fertility between topsoil and the original embankment substrate. Topsoil was found to have higher values of organic matter (11%), nitrogen (44%), assimilable phosphorous (50%) and silt content (54%) than the original embankment substrate. The topsoil spreading treatment increased microbial activity, and its application increased β-glucosidase activity (45%), phosphatase activity (57%) and soil respiration (60%). Depth seemed to affect soil respiration, β-glucosidase and phosphatase activity. Topsoil application also enhanced the species richness of restored embankments in relation to controls. Nevertheless, the depth of the spread topsoil did not significantly affect the resulting plant cover, species richness or floristic composition, suggesting that both depths could have similar effects on short-term recovery of the vegetation cover. A significant implication of these results is that it permits the application of thinner topsoil layers, with major savings in this scarce resource during the subsequent slope restoration work, but the quality of topsoil relative to the

Spreading topsoil encourages ecological restoration on embankments: soil fertility, microbial activity and vegetation cover.

PubMed

Rivera, Desirée; Mejías, Violeta; Jáuregui, Berta M; Costa-Tenorio, Marga; López-Archilla, Ana Isabel; Peco, Begoña

2014-01-01

The construction of linear transport infrastructure has severe effects on ecosystem functions and properties, and the restoration of the associated roadslopes contributes to reduce its impact. This restoration is usually approached from the perspective of plant cover regeneration, ignoring plant-soil interactions and the consequences for plant growth. The addition of a 30 cm layer of topsoil is a common practice in roadslope restoration projects to increase vegetation recovery. However topsoil is a scarce resource. This study assesses the effects of topsoil spreading and its depth (10 to 30 cm) on two surrogates of microbial activity (β-glucosidase and phosphatase enzymes activity and soil respiration), and on plant cover, plant species richness and floristic composition of embankment vegetation. The study also evaluates the differences in selected physic-chemical properties related to soil fertility between topsoil and the original embankment substrate. Topsoil was found to have higher values of organic matter (11%), nitrogen (44%), assimilable phosphorous (50%) and silt content (54%) than the original embankment substrate. The topsoil spreading treatment increased microbial activity, and its application increased β-glucosidase activity (45%), phosphatase activity (57%) and soil respiration (60%). Depth seemed to affect soil respiration, β-glucosidase and phosphatase activity. Topsoil application also enhanced the species richness of restored embankments in relation to controls. Nevertheless, the depth of the spread topsoil did not significantly affect the resulting plant cover, species richness or floristic composition, suggesting that both depths could have similar effects on short-term recovery of the vegetation cover. A significant implication of these results is that it permits the application of thinner topsoil layers, with major savings in this scarce resource during the subsequent slope restoration work, but the quality of topsoil relative to the

17 CFR Appendix A to Part 75 - Reporting and Recordkeeping Requirements for Covered Trading Activities

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... reports to the Commission regarding a variety of quantitative measurements of their covered trading... the risks associated with the banking entity's covered trading activities. c. The quantitative... of the data collected prior to September 30, 2015. e. In addition to the quantitative measurements...

Hatch cover

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Allton, Charles S. (Inventor); Okane, James H. (Inventor)

1989-01-01

This invention relates to a hatch and more particularly to a hatch for a space vehicle where the hatch has a low volume sweep and can be easily manipulated from either side of the hatch. The hatch system includes an elliptical opening in a bulkhead and an elliptical hatch member. The hatch cover system includes an elliptical port opening in a housing and an elliptical cover member supported centrally by a rotational bearing for rotation about a rotational axis normal to the cover member and by pivot pins in a gimbal member for pivotal movement about axes perpendicular to the rotational axis. Arm members support the gimbal member pivotally by pivot members so that upon rotation and manipulation the cover member can be articulatedly moved from a closed position to the port opening to an out of the way position with a minimum of volume sweep by the cover member.

22 CFR 1006.220 - Are any procurement contracts included as covered transactions?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... covered transactions? 1006.220 Section 1006.220 Foreign Relations INTER-AMERICAN FOUNDATION GOVERNMENTWIDE... the consent of a(n) Inter-American Foundation official. In that case, the contract, regardless of the... appendix to this part. (3) The contract is for federally-required audit services. ...

ULF geomagnetic activity effects on tropospheric temperature, specific humidity, and cloud cover in Antarctica, during 2003-2010

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Regi, Mauro; Redaelli, Gianluca; Francia, Patrizia; De Lauretis, Marcello

2017-06-01

In the present study we investigated the possible relationship between the ULF geomagnetic activity and the variations of several atmospheric parameters. In particular, we compared the ULF activity in the Pc1-2 frequency band (100 mHz-5 Hz), computed from geomagnetic field measurements at Terra Nova Bay in Antarctica, with the tropospheric temperature T, specific humidity Q, and cloud cover (high cloud cover, medium cloud cover, and low cloud cover) obtained from reanalysis data set. The statistical analysis was conducted during the years 2003-2010, using correlation and Superposed Epoch Analysis approaches. The results show that the atmospheric parameters significantly change following the increase of geomagnetic activity within 2 days. These changes are evident in particular when the interplanetary magnetic field Bz component is oriented southward (Bz<0) and the By component duskward (By>0). We suggest that both the precipitation of electrons induced by Pc1-2 activity and the intensification of the polar cap potential difference, modulating the microphysical processes in the clouds, can affect the atmosphere conditions.

Land Cover Indicators for U.S. National Climate Assessments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Channan, S.; Thomson, A. M.; Collins, K. M.; Sexton, J. O.; Torrens, P.; Emanuel, W. R.

2014-12-01

Land is a critical resource for human habitat and for the vast majority of human activities. Many natural resources are derived from terrestrial ecosystems or otherwise extracted from the landscape. Terrestrial biodiversity depends on land attributes as do people's perceptions of the value of land, including its value for recreation or tourism. Furthermore, land surface properties and processes affect weather and climate, and land cover change and land management affect emissions of greenhouse gases. Thus, land cover with its close association with climate is so pervasive that a land cover indicator is of fundamental importance to U.S. national climate assessments and related research. Moderate resolution remote sensing products (MODIS) were used to provide systematic data on annual distributions of land cover over the period 2001-2012. Selected Landsat observations and data products further characterize land cover at higher resolution. Here we will present the prototype for a suite of land cover indicators including land cover maps as well as charts depicting attributes such as composition by land cover class, statistical indicators of landscape characteristics, and tabular data summaries indispensable for communicating the status and trends of U.S. land cover at national, regional and state levels.

Reconstitution of RPA-covered single-stranded DNA-activated ATR-Chk1 signaling.

PubMed

Choi, Jun-Hyuk; Lindsey-Boltz, Laura A; Kemp, Michael; Mason, Aaron C; Wold, Marc S; Sancar, Aziz

2010-08-03

ATR kinase is a critical upstream regulator of the checkpoint response to various forms of DNA damage. Previous studies have shown that ATR is recruited via its binding partner ATR-interacting protein (ATRIP) to replication protein A (RPA)-covered single-stranded DNA (RPA-ssDNA) generated at sites of DNA damage where ATR is then activated by TopBP1 to phosphorylate downstream targets including the Chk1 signal transducing kinase. However, this critical feature of the human ATR-initiated DNA damage checkpoint signaling has not been demonstrated in a defined system. Here we describe an in vitro checkpoint system in which RPA-ssDNA and TopBP1 are essential for phosphorylation of Chk1 by the purified ATR-ATRIP complex. Checkpoint defective RPA mutants fail to activate ATR kinase in this system, supporting the conclusion that this system is a faithful representation of the in vivo reaction. Interestingly, we find that an alternative form of RPA (aRPA), which does not support DNA replication, can substitute for the checkpoint function of RPA in vitro, thus revealing a potential role for aRPA in the activation of ATR kinase. We also find that TopBP1 is recruited to RPA-ssDNA in a manner dependent on ATRIP and that the N terminus of TopBP1 is required for efficient recruitment and activation of ATR kinase.

National land-cover pattern data

Treesearch

Kurt H. Riitters; James D. Wickham; James E. Vogelmann; K. Bruce Jones

2000-01-01

Land cover and its spatial patterns are key ingredients in ecological studies that consider large regions and the impacts of human activities. Because humanity is a principal driver of land-cover change over large regions (Turner et al. 1990), land-cover data provide direct measures of human activity, and both direct and indirect measures of ecological conditions...

Above- and below-ground methane fluxes and methanotrophic activity in a landfill-cover soil

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schroth, M.H., E-mail: martin.schroth@env.ethz.ch; Eugster, W.; Gomez, K.E.

2012-05-15

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We quantify above- and below-ground CH{sub 4} fluxes in a landfill-cover soil. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We link methanotrophic activity to estimates of CH{sub 4} loading from the waste body. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Methane loading and emissions are highly variable in space and time. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Eddy covariance measurements yield largest estimates of CH{sub 4} emissions. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Potential methanotrophic activity is high at a location with substantial CH{sub 4} loading. - Abstract: Landfills are a major anthropogenic source of the greenhouse gas methane (CH{sub 4}). However, much of the CH{sub 4} produced during the anaerobic degradation of organic waste is consumed by methanotrophic microorganismsmore » during passage through the landfill-cover soil. On a section of a closed landfill near Liestal, Switzerland, we performed experiments to compare CH{sub 4} fluxes obtained by different methods at or above the cover-soil surface with below-ground fluxes, and to link methanotrophic activity to estimates of CH{sub 4} ingress (loading) from the waste body at selected locations. Fluxes of CH{sub 4} into or out of the cover soil were quantified by eddy-covariance and static flux-chamber measurements. In addition, CH{sub 4} concentrations at the soil surface were monitored using a field-portable FID detector. Near-surface CH{sub 4} fluxes and CH{sub 4} loading were estimated from soil-gas concentration profiles in conjunction with radon measurements, and gas push-pull tests (GPPTs) were performed to quantify rates of microbial CH{sub 4} oxidation. Eddy-covariance measurements yielded by far the largest and probably most representative estimates of overall CH{sub 4} emissions from the test section (daily mean up to {approx}91,500 {mu}mol m{sup -2} d{sup -1}), whereas flux-chamber measurements and CH{sub 4} concentration profiles indicated that at the majority of locations the cover soil

Description of Workshop Series for Precollege Teachers on Women and Gender, Including Topics Covered, Readings Used, and Sample Handouts.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chapman, Anne

A 2-year curriculum transformation project for 12 humanities teachers from seven independent schools sought to help pre-college teachers integrate new information and insights based on women's studies and gender scholarship into their teaching. Topics covered during the workshops included the history of concern with women and gender; engenderment…

THE COVERING FACTOR OF WARM DUST IN WEAK EMISSION-LINE ACTIVE GALACTIC NUCLEI

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang, Xudong; Liu, Yuan, E-mail: zhangxd@ihep.ac.cn, E-mail: liuyuan@ihep.ac.cn

2016-10-20

Weak emission-line active galactic nuclei (WLAGNs) are radio-quiet active galactic nuclei (AGNs) that have nearly featureless optical spectra. We investigate the ultraviolet to mid-infrared spectral energy distributions of 73 WLAGNs (0.4 < z < 3) and find that most of them are similar to normal AGNs. We also calculate the covering factor of warm dust of these 73 WLAGNs. No significant difference is indicated by a KS test between the covering factor of WLAGNs and normal AGNs in the common range of bolometric luminosity. The implication for several models of WLAGNs is discussed. The super-Eddington accretion is unlikely to bemore » the dominant reason for the featureless spectrum of a WLAGN. The present results are still consistent with the evolution scenario, i.e., WLAGNs are in a special stage of AGNs.« less

What Medicare Covers

MedlinePlus

... your Medicare coverage — Original Medicare or a Medicare Advantage Plan (Part C). What Part A covers Medicare ... health plans cover Medicare health plans include Medicare Advantage, Medical Savings Account (MSA), Medicare Cost plans, PACE, ...

Evapotranspiration (ET) covers.

PubMed

Rock, Steve; Myers, Bill; Fiedler, Linda

2012-01-01

Evapotranspiration (ET) cover systems are increasingly being used at municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills, hazardous waste landfills, at industrial monofills, and at mine sites. Conventional cover systems use materials with low hydraulic permeability (barrier layers) to minimize the downward migration of water from the surface to the waste (percolation), ET cover systems use water balance components to minimize percolation. These cover systems rely on soil to capture and store precipitation until it is either transpired through vegetation or evaporated from the soil surface. Compared to conventional membrane or compacted clay cover systems, ET cover systems are expected to cost less to construct. They are often aesthetic because they employ naturalized vegetation, require less maintenance once the vegetative system is established, including eliminating mowing, and may require fewer repairs than a barrier system. All cover systems should consider the goals of the cover in terms of protectiveness, including the pathways of risk from contained material, the lifecycle of the containment system. The containment system needs to be protective of direct contact of people and animals with the waste, prevent surface and groundwater water pollution, and minimize release of airborne contaminants. While most containment strategies have been based on the dry tomb strategy of keeping waste dry, there are some sites where adding or allowing moisture to help decompose organic waste is the current plan. ET covers may work well in places where complete exclusion of precipitation is not needed. The U.S. EPA Alternative Cover Assessment Program (ACAP), USDOE, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and others have researched ET cover design and efficacy, including the history of their use, general considerations in their design, performance, monitoring, cost, current status, limitations on their use, and project specific examples. An on-line database has been developed with information

Consequences of land use and land cover change

USGS Publications Warehouse

Slonecker, E. Terrence; Barnes, Christopher; Karstensen, Krista; Milheim, Lesley E.; Roig-Silva, Coral M.

2013-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Climate and Land Use Change Mission Area is one of seven USGS mission areas that focuses on making substantial scientific "...contributions to understanding how Earth systems interact, respond to, and cause global change". Using satellite and other remotely sensed data, USGS scientists monitor patterns of land cover change over space and time at regional, national, and global scales. These data are analyzed to understand the causes and consequences of changing land cover, such as economic impacts, effects on water quality and availability, the spread of invasive species, habitats and biodiversity, carbon fluctuations, and climate variability. USGS scientists are among the leaders in the study of land cover, which is a term that generally refers to the vegetation and artificial structures that cover the land surface. Examples of land cover include forests, grasslands, wetlands, water, crops, and buildings. Land use involves human activities that take place on the land. For example, "grass" is a land cover, whereas pasture and recreational parks are land uses that produce a cover of grass.

Photovoltaic concentrator assembly with optically active cover

DOEpatents

Plesniak, Adam P

2014-01-21

A photovoltaic concentrator assembly that includes a housing that defines an internal volume and includes a rim, wherein the rim defines an opening into the internal volume, a photovoltaic cell positioned in the internal volume, and an optical element that includes an optically active body and a flange extending outward from the body, wherein the flange is sealingly engaged with the rim of the housing to enclose the internal volume.

24 CFR 943.140 - What programs and activities are covered by this subpart?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 24 Housing and Urban Development 4 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false What programs and activities are covered by this subpart? 943.140 Section 943.140 Housing and Urban Development Regulations Relating to Housing and Urban Development (Continued) OFFICE OF ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR PUBLIC AND INDIAN HOUSING...

49 CFR 1018.4 - Claims that are covered.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 8 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Claims that are covered. 1018.4 Section 1018.4 Transportation Other Regulations Relating to Transportation (Continued) SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BOARD, DEPARTMENT...: (1) Results from activities of the Board including fees imposed under 49 CFR part 1002; or (2) Is...

10 CFR 950.14 - Standby Support Contract: Covered events, exclusions, covered delay and covered cost provisions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... include a provision setting forth the type of events that are covered events under the contract. The type...) Litigation in State, Federal, local, or tribal courts, including appeals of Commission decisions related to..., including but not limited to the following types of events: (i) The sponsor's failure to comply with...

Monthly fractional green vegetation cover associated with land cover classes of the conterminous USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gallo, Kevin P.; Tarpley, Dan; Mitchell, Ken; Csiszar, Ivan; Owen, Timothy W.; Reed, Bradley C.

2001-01-01

The land cover classes developed under the coordination of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme Data and Information System (IGBP-DIS) have been analyzed for a study area that includes the Conterminous United States and portions of Mexico and Canada. The 1-km resolution data have been analyzed to produce a gridded data set that includes within each 20-km grid cell: 1) the three most dominant land cover classes, 2) the fractional area associated with each of the three dominant classes, and 3) the fractional area covered by water. Additionally, the monthly fraction of green vegetation cover (fgreen) associated with each of the three dominant land cover classes per grid cell was derived from a 5-year climatology of 1-km resolution NOAA-AVHRR data. The variables derived in this study provide a potential improvement over the use of monthly fgreen linked to a single land cover class per model grid cell.

Limited Impact of a Fall-Seeded, Spring-Terminated Rye Cover Crop on Beneficial Arthropods.

PubMed

Dunbar, Mike W; Gassmann, Aaron J; O'Neal, Matthew E

2017-04-01

Cover crops are beneficial to agroecosystems because they decrease soil erosion and nutrient loss while increasing within-field plant diversity. Greater plant diversity within cropping systems can positively affect beneficial arthropod communities. We hypothesized that increasing plant diversity within annually rotated corn and soybean with the addition of a rye cover crop would positively affect the beneficial ground and canopy-dwelling communities compared with rotated corn and soybean grown without a cover crop. From 2011 through 2013, arthropod communities were measured at two locations in Iowa four times throughout each growing season. Pitfall traps were used to sample ground-dwelling arthropods within the corn and soybean plots and sweep nets were used to measure the beneficial arthropods in soybean canopies. Beneficial arthropods captured were identified to either class, order, or family. In both corn and soybean, community composition and total community activity density and abundance did not differ between plots that included the rye cover crop and plots without the rye cover crop. Most taxa did not significantly respond to the presence of the rye cover crop when analyzed individually, with the exceptions of Carabidae and Gryllidae sampled from soybean pitfall traps. Activity density of Carabidae was significantly greater in soybean plots that included a rye cover crop, while activity density of Gryllidae was significantly reduced in plots with the rye cover crop. Although a rye cover crop may be agronomically beneficial, there may be only limited effects on beneficial arthropods when added within an annual rotation of corn and soybean. © The Authors 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Subpixel Snow-covered Area Including Differentiated Grain Size from AVIRIS Data Over the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hill, R.; Calvin, W. M.; Harpold, A. A.

2016-12-01

Mountain snow storage is the dominant source of water for humans and ecosystems in western North America. Consequently, the spatial distribution of snow-covered area is fundamental to both hydrological, ecological, and climate models. Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectrometer (AVIRIS) data were collected along the entire Sierra Nevada mountain range extending from north of Lake Tahoe to south of Mt. Whitney during the 2015 and 2016 snow-covered season. The AVIRIS dataset used in this experiment consists of 224 contiguous spectral channels with wavelengths ranging 400-2500 nanometers at a 15-meter spatial pixel size. Data from the Sierras were acquired on four days: 2/24/15 during a very low snow year, 3/24/16 near maximum snow accumulation, and 5/12/16 and 5/18/16 during snow ablation and snow loss. Previous retrieval of subpixel snow-covered area in alpine regions used multiple snow endmembers due to the sensitivity of snow spectral reflectance to grain size. We will present a model that analyzes multiple endmembers of varying snow grain size, vegetation, rock, and soil in segmented regions along the Sierra Nevada to determine snow-cover spatial extent, snow sub-pixel fraction and approximate grain size or melt state. The root mean squared error will provide a spectrum-wide assessment of the mixture model's goodness-of-fit. Analysis will compare snow-covered area and snow-cover depletion in the 2016 year, and annual variation from the 2015 year. Field data were also acquired on three days concurrent with the 2016 flights in the Sagehen Experimental Forest and will support ground validation of the airborne data set.

The effect of coverings, including plastic bags and wraps, on mortality and morbidity in preterm and full-term neonates.

PubMed

Oatley, H K; Blencowe, H; Lawn, J E

2016-05-01

Neonatal hypothermia is an important risk factor for mortality and morbidity, and is common even in temperate climates. We conducted a systematic review to determine whether plastic coverings, used immediately following delivery, were effective in reducing the incidence of mortality, hypothermia and morbidity. A total of 26 studies (2271 preterm and 1003 term neonates) were included. Meta-analyses were conducted as appropriate. Plastic wraps were associated with a reduction in hypothermia in preterm (⩽29 weeks; risk ratio (RR)=0.57; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.46 to 0.71) and term neonates (RR=0.76; 95% CI 0.60 to 0.96). No significant reduction in neonatal mortality or morbidity was found; however, the studies were underpowered for these outcomes. For neonates, especially preterm, plastic wraps combined with other environmental heat sources are effective in reducing hypothermia during stabilization and transfer within hospital. Further research is needed to quantify the effects on mortality or morbidity, and investigate the use of plastic coverings outside hospital settings or without additional heat sources.

The effect of coverings, including plastic bags and wraps, on mortality and morbidity in preterm and full-term neonates

PubMed Central

Oatley, H K; Blencowe, H; Lawn, J E

2016-01-01

Neonatal hypothermia is an important risk factor for mortality and morbidity, and is common even in temperate climates. We conducted a systematic review to determine whether plastic coverings, used immediately following delivery, were effective in reducing the incidence of mortality, hypothermia and morbidity. A total of 26 studies (2271 preterm and 1003 term neonates) were included. Meta-analyses were conducted as appropriate. Plastic wraps were associated with a reduction in hypothermia in preterm (⩽29 weeks; risk ratio (RR)=0.57; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.46 to 0.71) and term neonates (RR=0.76; 95% CI 0.60 to 0.96). No significant reduction in neonatal mortality or morbidity was found; however, the studies were underpowered for these outcomes. For neonates, especially preterm, plastic wraps combined with other environmental heat sources are effective in reducing hypothermia during stabilization and transfer within hospital. Further research is needed to quantify the effects on mortality or morbidity, and investigate the use of plastic coverings outside hospital settings or without additional heat sources. PMID:27109095

Wheelspace windage cover plate for turbine

DOEpatents

Lathrop, Norman Douglas

2002-01-01

Windage cover plates are secured between the wheels and spacer of a turbine rotor to prevent hot flow path gas ingestion into the wheelspace cavities. Each cover plate includes a linear, axially extending body curved circumferentially with a radially outwardly directed wall at one axial end. The wall defines a axially opening recess for receiving a dovetail lug. The cover plate includes an axially extending tongue received in a circumferential groove of the spacer. The cover plate is secured with the tongue in the groove and dovetail lug in the recess. Lap joints between circumferentially adjacent cover plates are provided.

42 CFR 403.904 - Reports of payments or other transfers of value to covered recipients.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... research payment, including all research-related costs for activities outlined in a written agreement... reporting food and beverage. (1) When allocating the cost of food and beverage among covered recipients in a group setting where the cost of each individual covered recipient's meal is not separately identifiable...

42 CFR 403.904 - Reports of payments or other transfers of value to covered recipients.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... research payment, including all research-related costs for activities outlined in a written agreement... reporting food and beverage. (1) When allocating the cost of food and beverage among covered recipients in a group setting where the cost of each individual covered recipient's meal is not separately identifiable...

Reduction of Urease Activity by Interaction with the Flap Covering the Active Site

PubMed Central

Macomber, Lee; Minkara, Mona S.; Hausinger, Robert P.; Merz, Kenneth M.

2015-01-01

With the increasing appreciation for the human microbiome coupled with the global rise of antibiotic resistant organisms, it is imperative that new methods be developed to specifically target pathogens. To that end, a novel computational approach was devised to identify compounds that reduce the activity of urease, a medically important enzyme of Helicobacter pylori, Proteus mirabilis, and many other microorganisms. Urease contains a flexible loop that covers its active site; Glide was used to identify small molecules predicted to lock this loop in an open conformation. These compounds were screened against the model urease from Klebsiella aerogenes and the natural products epigallocatechin and quercetin were shown to inhibit at low and high micromolar concentrations, respectively. These molecules exhibit a strong time-dependent inactivation of urease that was not due to their oxygen sensitivity. Rather, these compounds appear to inactivate urease by reacting with a specific Cys residue located on the flexible loop. Substitution of this cysteine by alanine in the C319A variant increased the urease resistance to both epigallocatechin and quercetin, as predicted by the computational studies. Protein dynamics are integral to the function of many enzymes; thus, identification of compounds that lock an enzyme into a single conformation presents a useful approach to define potential inhibitors. PMID:25594724

Impact of cover crops on soil nitrate, crop yield and quality

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

There are multiple benefits of incorporating cover crops into current production systems including decreasing erosion, improving water infiltration, increasing soil organic matter and biological activity but in water limited areas caution should be utilized. A field study was established in the fal...

Land-cover change detection

USGS Publications Warehouse

Chen, Xuexia; Giri, Chandra; Vogelmann, James

2012-01-01

Land cover is the biophysical material on the surface of the earth. Land-cover types include grass, shrubs, trees, barren, water, and man-made features. Land cover changes continuously.  The rate of change can be either dramatic and abrupt, such as the changes caused by logging, hurricanes and fire, or subtle and gradual, such as regeneration of forests and damage caused by insects (Verbesselt et al., 2001).  Previous studies have shown that land cover has changed dramatically during the past sevearal centuries and that these changes have severely affected our ecosystems (Foody, 2010; Lambin et al., 2001). Lambin and Strahlers (1994b) summarized five types of cause for land-cover changes: (1) long-term natural changes in climate conditions, (2) geomorphological and ecological processes, (3) human-induced alterations of vegetation cover and landscapes, (4) interannual climate variability, and (5) human-induced greenhouse effect.  Tools and techniques are needed to detect, describe, and predict these changes to facilitate sustainable management of natural resources.

Pin-Retraction Mechanism On Quick-Release Cover

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Macmartin, Malcolm

1994-01-01

Quick-release cover includes pin-retraction mechanism releasing cover quickly from lower of two sets of pin connections holding cover. Cover released at top by pulling lever as described in "Lever-Arm Pin Puller" (NPO-18788). Removal of cover begins when technician or robot pulls upper-pin-release lever. Cover swings downward until tabs on lower pins are pulled through slots in their receptacles. Lower pins are then free.

Development of an Independent Global Land Cover Validation Dataset

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sulla-Menashe, D. J.; Olofsson, P.; Woodcock, C. E.; Holden, C.; Metcalfe, M.; Friedl, M. A.; Stehman, S. V.; Herold, M.; Giri, C.

2012-12-01

Accurate information related to the global distribution and dynamics in global land cover is critical for a large number of global change science questions. A growing number of land cover products have been produced at regional to global scales, but the uncertainty in these products and the relative strengths and weaknesses among available products are poorly characterized. To address this limitation we are compiling a database of high spatial resolution imagery to support international land cover validation studies. Validation sites were selected based on a probability sample, and may therefore be used to estimate statistically defensible accuracy statistics and associated standard errors. Validation site locations were identified using a stratified random design based on 21 strata derived from an intersection of Koppen climate classes and a population density layer. In this way, the two major sources of global variation in land cover (climate and human activity) are explicitly included in the stratification scheme. At each site we are acquiring high spatial resolution (< 1-m) satellite imagery for 5-km x 5-km blocks. The response design uses an object-oriented hierarchical legend that is compatible with the UN FAO Land Cover Classification System. Using this response design, we are classifying each site using a semi-automated algorithm that blends image segmentation with a supervised RandomForest classification algorithm. In the long run, the validation site database is designed to support international efforts to validate land cover products. To illustrate, we use the site database to validate the MODIS Collection 4 Land Cover product, providing a prototype for validating the VIIRS Surface Type Intermediate Product scheduled to start operational production early in 2013. As part of our analysis we evaluate sources of error in coarse resolution products including semantic issues related to the class definitions, mixed pixels, and poor spectral separation between

19 CFR 212.03 - Proceedings covered.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 3 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Proceedings covered. 212.03 Section 212.03 Customs... proceeding brought by the Commission upon its own complaint. (c) If a proceeding includes both matters covered by the Act and matters specifically excluded from coverage, any award made will include only fees...

19 CFR 212.03 - Proceedings covered.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 3 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Proceedings covered. 212.03 Section 212.03 Customs... proceeding brought by the Commission upon its own complaint. (c) If a proceeding includes both matters covered by the Act and matters specifically excluded from coverage, any award made will include only fees...

19 CFR 212.03 - Proceedings covered.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 3 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Proceedings covered. 212.03 Section 212.03 Customs... proceeding brought by the Commission upon its own complaint. (c) If a proceeding includes both matters covered by the Act and matters specifically excluded from coverage, any award made will include only fees...

19 CFR 212.03 - Proceedings covered.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 3 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Proceedings covered. 212.03 Section 212.03 Customs... proceeding brought by the Commission upon its own complaint. (c) If a proceeding includes both matters covered by the Act and matters specifically excluded from coverage, any award made will include only fees...

The impact of fall cover crops on soil nitrate and corn growth

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Incorporating cover crops into current production systems can have many beneficial impacts on the current cropping system including decreasing erosion, improving water infiltration, increasing soil organic matter and biological activity but in water limited areas caution should be utilized. A fiel...

Reusable pipe flange covers

DOEpatents

Holden, James Elliott; Perez, Julieta

2001-01-01

A molded, flexible pipe flange cover for temporarily covering a pipe flange and a pipe opening includes a substantially round center portion having a peripheral skirt portion depending from the center portion, the center portion adapted to engage a front side of the pipe flange and to seal the pipe opening. The peripheral skirt portion is formed to include a plurality of circumferentially spaced tabs, wherein free ends of the flexible tabs are formed with respective through passages adapted to receive a drawstring for pulling the tabs together on a back side of the pipe flange.

Land cover mapping of North and Central America—Global Land Cover 2000

USGS Publications Warehouse

Latifovic, Rasim; Zhu, Zhi-Liang

2004-01-01

The Land Cover Map of North and Central America for the year 2000 (GLC 2000-NCA), prepared by NRCan/CCRS and USGS/EROS Data Centre (EDC) as a regional component of the Global Land Cover 2000 project, is the subject of this paper. A new mapping approach for transforming satellite observations acquired by the SPOT4/VGTETATION (VGT) sensor into land cover information is outlined. The procedure includes: (1) conversion of daily data into 10-day composite; (2) post-seasonal correction and refinement of apparent surface reflectance in 10-day composite images; and (3) extraction of land cover information from the composite images. The pre-processing and mosaicking techniques developed and used in this study proved to be very effective in removing cloud contamination, BRDF effects, and noise in Short Wave Infra-Red (SWIR). The GLC 2000-NCA land cover map is provided as a regional product with 28 land cover classes based on modified Federal Geographic Data Committee/Vegetation Classification Standard (FGDC NVCS) classification system, and as part of a global product with 22 land cover classes based on Land Cover Classification System (LCCS) of the Food and Agriculture Organisation. The map was compared on both areal and per-pixel bases over North and Central America to the International Geosphere–Biosphere Programme (IGBP) global land cover classification, the University of Maryland global land cover classification (UMd) and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Global land cover classification produced by Boston University (BU). There was good agreement (79%) on the spatial distribution and areal extent of forest between GLC 2000-NCA and the other maps, however, GLC 2000-NCA provides additional information on the spatial distribution of forest types. The GLC 2000-NCA map was produced at the continental level incorporating specific needs of the region.

Preheating Water In The Covers Of Solar Water Heaters

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bhandari, Pradeep

1995-01-01

Solar water heaters that include glass covers over absorber plates redesigned to increase efficiencies according to proposal. Redesign includes modification of single-layer glass cover into double-layer glass cover and addition of plumbing so cool water to be heated made to flow between layers of cover before entering absorber plate.

Snow cover correlation between Mt. Villarrica and Mt. Lliama in Chile

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Jeong-Cheol; Park, Sung-Hwan; Jung, Hyung-Sup

2014-11-01

The Southern Volcanic Zone (SVZ) of Chile consists of many volcanoes, and all of the volcanoes are covered with snow at the top of mountain. Monitoring snow cover variations in these regions can give us a key parameter in order to understand the mechanisms of volcanic activity. In this study, we investigate on the volcanic activity and snow cover interaction from snow cover area mapping, snow-line extraction. The study areas cover Mt. Villarrica and Mt. Llaima, Chile. Both of them are most active volcanos in SVZ. Sixty Landsat TM and Landsat ETM+ images are used for observing snow cover variations of Mt. Villarrica and Mt. Llaima, spanning the 25 years from September 1986 to February 2011. Results show that snow cover area between volcanic activity and non-activity are largely changed from 42.84 km2 to 13.41 km2, temporarily decreased 79% at the Mt. Villarrica and from 28.98 km2 to 3.82 km2, temporarily decreased 87% at the Mt. Villarrica. The snow line elevation of snow cover retreated by approximately 260 m from 1,606m to 1,871 m at the Mt. Villarrica, approximately 266m from 1,741m to 2,007m at the Mt. Llaima. The results show that there are definitely correlations between snow cover and volcanic activity.

EnviroAtlas -Phoenix, AZ- One Meter Resolution Urban Land Cover Data (2010) Web Service

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This EnviroAtlas web service supports research and online mapping activities related to EnviroAtlas (https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas). The EnviroAtlas Phoenix, AZ land cover data and map were generated from USDA NAIP (National Agricultural Imagery Program) four band (red, green, blue and near-infrared) aerial photography taken from June through September, 2010 at 1 m spatial resolution. Seven land cover classes were mapped: water, impervious surfaces, soil and barren land, trees and forest, shrubland, grass and herbaceous non-woody vegetation, and agriculture. An accuracy assessment using a completely random sampling of 598 land cover reference points yielded an overall accuracy of 69.2%. The area mapped includes the entirety of the Central Arizona-Phoenix Long-Term Ecological Research (CAP-LTER) area, which was classified by the Environmental Remote Sensing and Geoinformatics Lab (ERSG) at Arizona State University. The land cover dataset also includes an area of approximately 625 square kilometers which is located north of Phoenix. This section was classified by the EPA land cover classification team. This dataset was produced by the US EPA to support research and online mapping activities related to EnviroAtlas. EnviroAtlas (https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas) allows the user to interact with a web-based, easy-to-use, mapping application to view and analyze multiple ecosystem services for the contiguous United States. The dataset is available as downloadable data

49 CFR 826.3 - Proceedings covered.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

....” For the Board, the type of proceeding covered includes (but may not be limited to) aviation enforcement cases appealed to the Board under sections 501, 609, 611 and 901 of the Federal Aviation Act (49 U... believes the proceeding is covered by the Act; whether the procedure is covered will then be an issue for...

49 CFR 826.3 - Proceedings covered.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

....” For the Board, the type of proceeding covered includes (but may not be limited to) aviation enforcement cases appealed to the Board under sections 501, 609, 611 and 901 of the Federal Aviation Act (49 U... believes the proceeding is covered by the Act; whether the procedure is covered will then be an issue for...

ESTIMATING IMPERVIOUS COVER FROM REGIONALLY AVAILABLE DATA

EPA Science Inventory

The objective of this study is to compare and evaluate the reliability of different approaches for estimating impervious cover including three empirical formulations for estimating impervious cover from population density data, estimation from categorized land cover data, and to ...

Macroenvironmental factors including GDP per capita and physical activity in Europe.

PubMed

Cameron, Adrian J; Van Stralen, Maartje M; Kunst, Anton E; Te Velde, Saskia J; Van Lenthe, Frank J; Salmon, Jo; Brug, Johannes

2013-02-01

Socioeconomic inequalities in physical activity at the individual level are well reported. Whether inequalities in economic development and other macroenvironmental variables between countries are also related to physical activity at the country level is comparatively unstudied. We examined the relationship between country-level data on macroenvironmental factors (gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, public sector expenditure on health, percentage living in urban areas, and cars per 1000 population) with country-level physical activity prevalence obtained from previous pan-European studies. Studies that assessed leisuretime physical activity (n = 3 studies including 27 countries in adults, n = 2 studies including 28 countries in children) and total physical activity (n = 3 studies in adults including 16 countries) were analyzed separately as were studies among adults and children. Strong and consistent positive correlations were observed between country prevalence of leisure-time physical activity and country GDP per capita in adults (average r = 0.70; all studies, P G 0.05). In multivariate analysis, country prevalence of leisure-time physical activity among adults remained associated with country GDP per capita (two of three studies) but not urbanization or educational attainment. Among school-age populations, no association was found between country GDP per capita and country prevalence of leisure-time physical activity. In those studies that assessed total physical activity (which also includes occupational and transport physical activity), no association with country GDP per capita was observed. Clear differences in national leisure-time physical activity levels throughout Europe may be a consequence of economic development. Lack of economic development of some countries in Europe may make increasing leisure-time physical activity more difficult. Further examination of the link between country GDP per capita and national physical activity levels (across

WATER COOLED RETORT COVER

DOEpatents

Ash, W.J.; Pozzi, J.F.

1962-05-01

A retort cover is designed for use in the production of magnesium metal by the condensation of vaporized metal on a collecting surface. The cover includes a condensing surface, insulating means adjacent to the condensing surface, ind a water-cooled means for the insulating means. The irrangement of insulation and the cooling means permits the magnesium to be condensed at a high temperature and in massive nonpyrophoric form. (AEC)

Soil Moisture and Snow Cover: Active or Passive Elements of Climate?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oglesby, Robert J.; Marshall, Susan; Erickson, David J., III; Robertson, Franklin R.; Roads, John O.; Arnold, James E. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

A key question in the study of the hydrologic cycle is the extent to which surface effects such as soil moisture and snow cover are simply passive elements or whether they can affect the evolution of climate on seasonal and longer time scales. We have constructed ensembles of predictability studies using the NCAR CCM3 in which we compared the relative roles of initial surface and atmospheric conditions over the central and western U.S. in determining the subsequent evolution of soil moisture and of snow cover. We have also made sensitivity studies with exaggerated soil moisture and snow cover anomalies in order to determine the physical processes that may be important. Results from simulations with realistic soil moisture anomalies indicate that internal climate variability may be the strongest factor, with some indication that the initial atmospheric state is also important. The initial state of soil moisture does not appear important, a result that held whether simulations were started in late winter or late spring. Model runs with exaggerated soil moisture reductions (near-desert conditions) showed a much larger effect, with warmer surface temperatures, reduced precipitation, and lower surface pressures; the latter indicating a response of the atmospheric circulation. These results suggest the possibility of a threshold effect in soil moisture, whereby an anomaly must be of a sufficient size before it can have a significant impact on the atmospheric circulation and hence climate. Results from simulations with realistic snow cover anomalies indicate that the time of year can be crucial. When introduced in late winter, these anomalies strongly affected the subsequent evolution of snow cover. When introduced in early winter, however, little or no effect is seen on the subsequent snow cover. Runs with greatly exaggerated initial snow cover indicate that the high reflectively of snow is the most important process by which snow cover cart impact climate, through lower

10 CFR 5.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 10 Energy 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Notice of covered programs. 5.600 Section 5.600 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION NONDISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF SEX IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES... shall periodically republish the notice of covered programs to reflect changes in covered programs...

10 CFR 5.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 10 Energy 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Notice of covered programs. 5.600 Section 5.600 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION NONDISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF SEX IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES... shall periodically republish the notice of covered programs to reflect changes in covered programs...

10 CFR 5.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 10 Energy 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Notice of covered programs. 5.600 Section 5.600 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION NONDISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF SEX IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES... shall periodically republish the notice of covered programs to reflect changes in covered programs...

10 CFR 5.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 10 Energy 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Notice of covered programs. 5.600 Section 5.600 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION NONDISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF SEX IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES... shall periodically republish the notice of covered programs to reflect changes in covered programs...

10 CFR 5.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 10 Energy 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Notice of covered programs. 5.600 Section 5.600 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION NONDISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF SEX IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES... shall periodically republish the notice of covered programs to reflect changes in covered programs...

Validation of Land Cover Maps Utilizing Astronaut Acquired Imagery

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Estes, John E.; Gebelein, Jennifer

1999-01-01

This report is produced in accordance with the requirements outlined in the NASA Research Grant NAG9-1032 titled "Validation of Land Cover Maps Utilizing Astronaut Acquired Imagery". This grant funds the Remote Sensing Research Unit of the University of California, Santa Barbara. This document summarizes the research progress and accomplishments to date and describes current on-going research activities. Even though this grant has technically expired, in a contractual sense, work continues on this project. Therefore, this summary will include all work done through and 5 May 1999. The principal goal of this effort is to test the accuracy of a sub-regional portion of an AVHRR-based land cover product. Land cover mapped to three different classification systems, in the southwestern United States, have been subjected to two specific accuracy assessments. One assessment utilizing astronaut acquired photography, and a second assessment employing Landsat Thematic Mapper imagery, augmented in some cases, high aerial photography. Validation of these three land cover products has proceeded using a stratified sampling methodology. We believe this research will provide an important initial test of the potential use of imagery acquired from Shuttle and ultimately the International Space Station (ISS) for the operational validation of the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) land cover products.

14 CFR 1253.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... BASIS OF SEX IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES RECEIVING FEDERAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE Procedures... covered programs to reflect changes in covered programs. Copies of this notice also shall be made...

Soil Moisture and Snow Cover: Active or Passive Elements of Climate

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oglesby, Robert J.; Marshall, Susan; Erickson, David J., III; Robertson, Franklin R.; Roads, John O.; Arnold, James E. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

A key question is the extent to which surface effects such as soil moisture and snow cover are simply passive elements or whether they can affect the evolution of climate on seasonal and longer time scales. We have constructed ensembles of predictability studies using the NCAR CCM3 in which we compared the relative roles of initial surface and atmospheric conditions over the central and western U.S. in determining the subsequent evolution of soil moisture and of snow cover. Results from simulations with realistic soil moisture anomalies indicate that internal climate variability may be the strongest factor, with some indication that the initial atmospheric state is also important. Model runs with exaggerated soil moisture reductions (near-desert conditions) showed a much larger effect, with warmer surface temperatures, reduced precipitation, and lower surface pressures; the latter indicating a response of the atmospheric circulation. These results suggest the possibility of a threshold effect in soil moisture, whereby an anomaly must be of a sufficient size before it can have a significant impact on the atmospheric circulation and climate. Results from simulations with realistic snow cover anomalies indicate that the time of year can be crucial. When introduced in late winter, these anomalies strongly affected the subsequent evolution of snow cover. When introduced in early winter, however, little or no effect is seen on the subsequent snow cover. Runs with greatly exaggerated initial snow cover indicate that the high reflectivity of snow is the most important process by which snow cover can impact climate, through lower surface temperatures and increased surface pressures. The results to date were obtained for model runs with present-day conditions. We are currently analyzing runs made with projected forcings for the 21st century to see if these results are modified in any way under likely scenarios of future climate change. An intriguing new statistical technique

Regional land cover characterization using Landsat thematic mapper data and ancillary data sources

USGS Publications Warehouse

Vogelmann, James E.; Sohl, Terry L.; Campbell, P.V.; Shaw, D.M.; ,

1998-01-01

As part of the activities of the Multi-Resolution Land Characteristics (MRLC) Interagency Consortium, an intermediate-scale land cover data set is being generated for the conterminous United States. This effort is being conducted on a region-by-region basis using U.S. Standard Federal Regions. To date, land cover data sets have been generated for Federal Regions 3 (Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware) and 2 (New York and New Jersey). Classification work is currently under way in Federal Region 4 (the southeastern United States), and land cover mapping activities have been started in Federal Regions 5 (the Great Lakes region) and 1 (New England). It is anticipated that a land cover data set for the conterminous United States will be completed by the end of 1999. A standard land cover classification legend is used, which is analogous to and compatible with other classification schemes. The primary MRLC regional classification scheme contains 23 land cover classes.The primary source of data for the project is the Landsat thematic mapper (TM) sensor. For each region, TM scenes representing both leaf-on and leaf-off conditions are acquired, preprocessed, and georeferenced to MRLC specifications. Mosaicked data are clustered using unsupervised classification, and individual clusters are labeled using aerial photographs. Individual clusters that represent more than one land cover unit are split using spatial modeling with multiple ancillary spatial data layers (most notably, digital elevation model, population, land use and land cover, and wetlands information). This approach yields regional land cover information suitable for a wide array of applications, including landscape metric analyses, land management, land cover change studies, and nutrient and pesticide runoff modeling.

6 CFR 17.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... THE BASIS OF SEX IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES RECEIVING FEDERAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE Procedures... covered programs to reflect changes in covered programs. Copies of this notice also shall be made...

45 CFR 2555.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... COMMUNITY SERVICE NONDISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF SEX IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES RECEIVING... periodically republish the notice of covered programs to reflect changes in covered programs. Copies of this...

14 CFR 1253.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... THE BASIS OF SEX IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES RECEIVING FEDERAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE Procedures... covered programs to reflect changes in covered programs. Copies of this notice also shall be made...

6 CFR 17.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... THE BASIS OF SEX IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES RECEIVING FEDERAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE Procedures... covered programs to reflect changes in covered programs. Copies of this notice also shall be made...

45 CFR 2555.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... COMMUNITY SERVICE NONDISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF SEX IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES RECEIVING... periodically republish the notice of covered programs to reflect changes in covered programs. Copies of this...

31 CFR 28.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... THE BASIS OF SEX IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES RECEIVING FEDERAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE Procedures... covered programs to reflect changes in covered programs. Copies of this notice also shall be made...

45 CFR 2555.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... COMMUNITY SERVICE NONDISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF SEX IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES RECEIVING... periodically republish the notice of covered programs to reflect changes in covered programs. Copies of this...

6 CFR 17.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... THE BASIS OF SEX IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES RECEIVING FEDERAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE Procedures... covered programs to reflect changes in covered programs. Copies of this notice also shall be made...

14 CFR 1253.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... THE BASIS OF SEX IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES RECEIVING FEDERAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE Procedures... covered programs to reflect changes in covered programs. Copies of this notice also shall be made...

31 CFR 28.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... THE BASIS OF SEX IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES RECEIVING FEDERAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE Procedures... covered programs to reflect changes in covered programs. Copies of this notice also shall be made...

31 CFR 28.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... THE BASIS OF SEX IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES RECEIVING FEDERAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE Procedures... covered programs to reflect changes in covered programs. Copies of this notice also shall be made...

14 CFR 1253.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... THE BASIS OF SEX IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES RECEIVING FEDERAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE Procedures... covered programs to reflect changes in covered programs. Copies of this notice also shall be made...

6 CFR 17.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... THE BASIS OF SEX IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES RECEIVING FEDERAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE Procedures... covered programs to reflect changes in covered programs. Copies of this notice also shall be made...

6 CFR 17.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... THE BASIS OF SEX IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES RECEIVING FEDERAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE Procedures... covered programs to reflect changes in covered programs. Copies of this notice also shall be made...

31 CFR 28.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... THE BASIS OF SEX IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES RECEIVING FEDERAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE Procedures... covered programs to reflect changes in covered programs. Copies of this notice also shall be made...

31 CFR 28.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... THE BASIS OF SEX IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES RECEIVING FEDERAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE Procedures... covered programs to reflect changes in covered programs. Copies of this notice also shall be made...

45 CFR 2555.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... COMMUNITY SERVICE NONDISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF SEX IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES RECEIVING... periodically republish the notice of covered programs to reflect changes in covered programs. Copies of this...

45 CFR 2555.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... COMMUNITY SERVICE NONDISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF SEX IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES RECEIVING... periodically republish the notice of covered programs to reflect changes in covered programs. Copies of this...

Multidirectional Efficacy of Biologically Active Nitro Compounds Included in Medicines.

PubMed

Olender, Dorota; Żwawiak, Justyna; Zaprutko, Lucjusz

2018-05-29

The current concept in searching for new bioactive products, including mainly original active substances with potential application in pharmacy and medicine, is based on compounds with a previously determined structure, well-known properties, and biological activity profile. Nowadays, many commonly used drugs originated from natural sources. Moreover, some natural materials have become the source of leading structures for processing further chemical modifications. Many organic compounds with great therapeutic significance have the nitro group in their structure. Very often, nitro compounds are active substances in many well-known preparations belonging to different groups of medicines that are classified according to their pharmacological potencies. Moreover, the nitro group is part of the chemical structure of veterinary drugs. In this review, we describe many bioactive substances with the nitro group, divided into ten categories, including substances with exciting activity and that are currently undergoing clinical trials.

The Regional Land Cover Monitoring System: Building regional capacity through innovative land cover mapping approaches

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saah, D.; Tenneson, K.; Hanh, Q. N.; Aekakkararungroj, A.; Aung, K. S.; Goldstein, J.; Cutter, P. G.; Maus, P.; Markert, K. N.; Anderson, E.; Ellenburg, W. L.; Ate, P.; Flores Cordova, A. I.; Vadrevu, K.; Potapov, P.; Phongsapan, K.; Chishtie, F.; Clinton, N.; Ganz, D.

2017-12-01

Earth observation and Geographic Information System (GIS) tools, products, and services are vital to support the environmental decision making by governmental institutions, non-governmental agencies, and the general public. At the heart of environmental decision making is the monitoring land cover and land use change (LCLUC) for land resource planning and for ecosystem services, including biodiversity conservation and resilience to climate change. A major challenge for monitoring LCLUC in developing regions, such as Southeast Asia, is inconsistent data products at inconsistent intervals that have different typologies across the region and are typically made in without stakeholder engagement or input. Here we present the Regional Land Cover Monitoring System (RLCMS), a novel land cover mapping effort for Southeast Asia, implemented by SERVIR-Mekong, a joint NASA-USAID initiative that brings Earth observations to improve environmental decision making in developing countries. The RLCMS focuses on mapping biophysical variables (e.g. canopy cover, tree height, or percent surface water) at an annual interval and in turn using those biophysical variables to develop land cover maps based on stakeholder definitions of land cover classes. This allows for flexible and consistent land cover classifications that can meet the needs of different institutions across the region. Another component of the RLCMS production is the stake-holder engagement through co-development. Institutions that directly benefit from this system have helped drive the development for regional needs leading to services for their specific uses. Examples of services for regional stakeholders include using the RLCMS to develop maps using the IPCC classification scheme for GHG emission reporting and developing custom annual maps as an input to hydrologic modeling/flood forecasting systems. In addition to the implementation of this system and the service stemming from the RLCMS in Southeast Asia, it is

Soil Moisture and Snow Cover: Active or Passive Elements of Climate?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Oglesby, Robert J.; Marshall, Susan; Robertson, Franklin R.; Roads, John O.; Arnold, James E. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

A key question in the study of the hydrologic cycle is the extent to which surface effects such as soil moisture and snow cover are simply passive elements or whether they can affect the evolution of climate on seasonal and longer time scales. We have constructed ensembles of predictability studies using the NCAR CCM3 in which we compared the relative roles of initial surface and atmospheric conditions over the central and western U.S. GAPP region in determining the subsequent evolution of soil moisture and of snow cover. We have also made sensitivity studies with exaggerated soil moisture and snow cover anomalies in order to determine the physical processes that may be important. Results from simulations with realistic soil moisture anomalies indicate that internal climate variability may be the strongest factor, with some indication that the initial atmospheric state is also important. The initial state of soil moisture does not appear important, a result that held whether simulations were started in late winter or late spring. Model runs with exaggerated soil moisture reductions (near-desert conditions) showed a much larger effect, with warmer surface temperatures, reduced precipitation, and lower surface pressures; the latter indicating a response of the atmospheric circulation. These results suggest the possibility of a threshold effect in soil moisture, whereby an anomaly must be of a sufficient size before it can have a significant impact on the atmospheric circulation and hence climate. Results from simulations with realistic snow cover anomalies indicate that the time of year can be crucial. When introduced in late winter, these anomalies strongly affected the subsequent evolution of snow cover. When introduced in early winter, however, little or no effect is seen on the subsequent snow cover. Runs with greatly exaggerated initial snow cover indicate that the high reflectivity of snow is the most important process by which snow cover can impact climate

18 CFR 1317.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... NONDISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF SEX IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES RECEIVING FEDERAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE... covered programs to reflect changes in covered programs. Copies of this notice also shall be made...

45 CFR 618.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... NONDISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF SEX IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES RECEIVING FEDERAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE... covered programs to reflect changes in covered programs. Copies of this notice also shall be made...

13 CFR 113.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Sex in Education Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance... covered programs to reflect changes in covered programs. Copies of this notice also shall be made...

18 CFR 1317.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... NONDISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF SEX IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES RECEIVING FEDERAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE... covered programs to reflect changes in covered programs. Copies of this notice also shall be made...

32 CFR 196.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

...) MISCELLANEOUS NONDISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF SEX IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES RECEIVING FEDERAL... republish the notice of covered programs to reflect changes in covered programs. Copies of this notice also...

36 CFR 1211.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

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13 CFR 113.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Sex in Education Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance... covered programs to reflect changes in covered programs. Copies of this notice also shall be made...

18 CFR 1317.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... NONDISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF SEX IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES RECEIVING FEDERAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE... covered programs to reflect changes in covered programs. Copies of this notice also shall be made...

24 CFR 3.600 - Notice of covered programs.

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2011-04-01

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2012-07-01

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2010-04-01

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38 CFR 23.600 - Notice of covered programs.

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2010-07-01

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2013-07-01

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45 CFR 618.600 - Notice of covered programs.

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2010-10-01

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38 CFR 23.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

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45 CFR 618.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... NONDISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF SEX IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES RECEIVING FEDERAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE... covered programs to reflect changes in covered programs. Copies of this notice also shall be made...

13 CFR 113.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Sex in Education Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance... covered programs to reflect changes in covered programs. Copies of this notice also shall be made...

32 CFR 196.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

...) MISCELLANEOUS NONDISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF SEX IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES RECEIVING FEDERAL... republish the notice of covered programs to reflect changes in covered programs. Copies of this notice also...

13 CFR 113.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Sex in Education Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance... covered programs to reflect changes in covered programs. Copies of this notice also shall be made...

24 CFR 3.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... Development NONDISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF SEX IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES RECEIVING FEDERAL... republish the notice of covered programs to reflect changes in covered programs. Copies of this notice also...

36 CFR 1211.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... ADMINISTRATION GENERAL RULES NONDISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF SEX IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES RECEIVING... periodically republish the notice of covered programs to reflect changes in covered programs. Copies of this...

18 CFR 1317.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... NONDISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF SEX IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES RECEIVING FEDERAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE... covered programs to reflect changes in covered programs. Copies of this notice also shall be made...

45 CFR 618.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... NONDISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF SEX IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES RECEIVING FEDERAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE... covered programs to reflect changes in covered programs. Copies of this notice also shall be made...

32 CFR 196.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

...) MISCELLANEOUS NONDISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF SEX IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES RECEIVING FEDERAL... republish the notice of covered programs to reflect changes in covered programs. Copies of this notice also...

36 CFR 1211.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... ADMINISTRATION GENERAL RULES NONDISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF SEX IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES RECEIVING... periodically republish the notice of covered programs to reflect changes in covered programs. Copies of this...

13 CFR 113.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Sex in Education Programs or Activities Receiving Federal Financial Assistance... covered programs to reflect changes in covered programs. Copies of this notice also shall be made...

18 CFR 1317.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... NONDISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF SEX IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES RECEIVING FEDERAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE... covered programs to reflect changes in covered programs. Copies of this notice also shall be made...

24 CFR 3.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... Development NONDISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF SEX IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES RECEIVING FEDERAL... republish the notice of covered programs to reflect changes in covered programs. Copies of this notice also...

38 CFR 23.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... (CONTINUED) NONDISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF SEX IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES RECEIVING FEDERAL... republish the notice of covered programs to reflect changes in covered programs. Copies of this notice also...

45 CFR 618.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... NONDISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF SEX IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES RECEIVING FEDERAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE... covered programs to reflect changes in covered programs. Copies of this notice also shall be made...

38 CFR 23.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... (CONTINUED) NONDISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF SEX IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES RECEIVING FEDERAL... republish the notice of covered programs to reflect changes in covered programs. Copies of this notice also...

24 CFR 3.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... Development NONDISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF SEX IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES RECEIVING FEDERAL... republish the notice of covered programs to reflect changes in covered programs. Copies of this notice also...

38 CFR 23.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... (CONTINUED) NONDISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF SEX IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES RECEIVING FEDERAL... republish the notice of covered programs to reflect changes in covered programs. Copies of this notice also...

36 CFR 1211.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... ADMINISTRATION GENERAL RULES NONDISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF SEX IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES RECEIVING... periodically republish the notice of covered programs to reflect changes in covered programs. Copies of this...

Hydrological Response to Land Cover Changes and Human Activities in Arid Regions Using a Geographic Information System and Remote Sensing

PubMed Central

Mahmoud, Shereif H.; Alazba, A. A.

2015-01-01

The hydrological response to land cover changes induced by human activities in arid regions has attracted increased research interest in recent decades. The study reported herein assessed the spatial and quantitative changes in surface runoff resulting from land cover change in the Al-Baha region of Saudi Arabia between 1990 and 2000 using an ArcGIS-surface runoff model and predicted land cover and surface runoff depth in 2030 using Markov chain analysis. Land cover maps for 1990 and 2000 were derived from satellite images using ArcGIS 10.1. The findings reveal a 26% decrease in forest and shrubland area, 28% increase in irrigated cropland, 1.5% increase in sparsely vegetated land and 0.5% increase in bare soil between 1990 and 2000. Overall, land cover changes resulted in a significant decrease in runoff depth values in most of the region. The decrease in surface runoff depth ranged from 25-106 mm/year in a 7020-km2 area, whereas the increase in such depth reached only 10 mm/year in a 243-km2 area. A maximum increase of 73 mm/year was seen in a limited area. The surface runoff depth decreased to the greatest extent in the central region of the study area due to the huge transition in land cover classes associated with the construction of 25 rainwater harvesting dams. The land cover prediction revealed a greater than twofold increase in irrigated cropland during the 2000-2030 period, whereas forest and shrubland are anticipated to occupy just 225 km2 of land area by 2030, a significant decrease from the 747 km2 they occupied in 2000. Overall, changes in land cover are predicted to result in an annual increase in irrigated cropland and dramatic decline in forest area in the study area over the next few decades. The increase in surface runoff depth is likely to have significant implications for irrigation activities. PMID:25923712

Assessing uncertainties in land cover projections.

PubMed

Alexander, Peter; Prestele, Reinhard; Verburg, Peter H; Arneth, Almut; Baranzelli, Claudia; Batista E Silva, Filipe; Brown, Calum; Butler, Adam; Calvin, Katherine; Dendoncker, Nicolas; Doelman, Jonathan C; Dunford, Robert; Engström, Kerstin; Eitelberg, David; Fujimori, Shinichiro; Harrison, Paula A; Hasegawa, Tomoko; Havlik, Petr; Holzhauer, Sascha; Humpenöder, Florian; Jacobs-Crisioni, Chris; Jain, Atul K; Krisztin, Tamás; Kyle, Page; Lavalle, Carlo; Lenton, Tim; Liu, Jiayi; Meiyappan, Prasanth; Popp, Alexander; Powell, Tom; Sands, Ronald D; Schaldach, Rüdiger; Stehfest, Elke; Steinbuks, Jevgenijs; Tabeau, Andrzej; van Meijl, Hans; Wise, Marshall A; Rounsevell, Mark D A

2017-02-01

Understanding uncertainties in land cover projections is critical to investigating land-based climate mitigation policies, assessing the potential of climate adaptation strategies and quantifying the impacts of land cover change on the climate system. Here, we identify and quantify uncertainties in global and European land cover projections over a diverse range of model types and scenarios, extending the analysis beyond the agro-economic models included in previous comparisons. The results from 75 simulations over 18 models are analysed and show a large range in land cover area projections, with the highest variability occurring in future cropland areas. We demonstrate systematic differences in land cover areas associated with the characteristics of the modelling approach, which is at least as great as the differences attributed to the scenario variations. The results lead us to conclude that a higher degree of uncertainty exists in land use projections than currently included in climate or earth system projections. To account for land use uncertainty, it is recommended to use a diverse set of models and approaches when assessing the potential impacts of land cover change on future climate. Additionally, further work is needed to better understand the assumptions driving land use model results and reveal the causes of uncertainty in more depth, to help reduce model uncertainty and improve the projections of land cover. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Assessing, understanding, and conveying the state of the Arctic sea ice cover

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Perovich, D. K.; Richter-Menge, J. A.; Rigor, I.; Parkinson, C. L.; Weatherly, J. W.; Nghiem, S. V.; Proshutinsky, A.; Overland, J. E.

2003-12-01

Recent studies indicate that the Arctic sea ice cover is undergoing significant climate-induced changes, affecting both its extent and thickness. Satellite-derived estimates of Arctic sea ice extent suggest a reduction of about 3% per decade since 1978. Ice thickness data from submarines suggest a net thinning of the sea ice cover since 1958. Changes (including oscillatory changes) in atmospheric circulation and the thermohaline properties of the upper ocean have also been observed. These changes impact not only the Arctic, but the global climate system and are likely accelerated by such processes as the ice-albedo feedback. It is important to continue and expand long-term observations of these changes to (a) improve the fundamental understanding of the role of the sea ice cover in the global climate system and (b) use the changes in the sea ice cover as an early indicator of climate change. This is a formidable task that spans a range of temporal and spatial scales. Fortunately, there are numerous tools that can be brought to bear on this task, including satellite remote sensing, autonomous buoys, ocean moorings, field campaigns and numerical models. We suggest the integrated and coordinated use of these tools during the International Polar Year to monitor the state of the Arctic sea ice cover and investigate its governing processes. For example, satellite remote sensing provides the large-scale snapshots of such basic parameters as ice distribution, melt zone, and cloud fraction at intervals of half a day to a week. Buoys and moorings can contribute high temporal resolution and can measure parameters currently unavailable from space including ice thickness, internal ice temperature, and ocean temperature and salinity. Field campaigns can be used to explore, in detail, the processes that govern the ice cover. Numerical models can be used to assess the character of the changes in the ice cover and predict their impacts on the rest of the climate system. This work

Next generation of global land cover characterization, mapping, and monitoring

USGS Publications Warehouse

Giri, Chandra; Pengra, Bruce; Long, J.; Loveland, Thomas R.

2013-01-01

Land cover change is increasingly affecting the biophysics, biogeochemistry, and biogeography of the Earth's surface and the atmosphere, with far-reaching consequences to human well-being. However, our scientific understanding of the distribution and dynamics of land cover and land cover change (LCLCC) is limited. Previous global land cover assessments performed using coarse spatial resolution (300 m–1 km) satellite data did not provide enough thematic detail or change information for global change studies and for resource management. High resolution (∼30 m) land cover characterization and monitoring is needed that permits detection of land change at the scale of most human activity and offers the increased flexibility of environmental model parameterization needed for global change studies. However, there are a number of challenges to overcome before producing such data sets including unavailability of consistent global coverage of satellite data, sheer volume of data, unavailability of timely and accurate training and validation data, difficulties in preparing image mosaics, and high performance computing requirements. Integration of remote sensing and information technology is needed for process automation and high-performance computing needs. Recent developments in these areas have created an opportunity for operational high resolution land cover mapping, and monitoring of the world. Here, we report and discuss these advancements and opportunities in producing the next generations of global land cover characterization, mapping, and monitoring at 30-m spatial resolution primarily in the context of United States, Group on Earth Observations Global 30 m land cover initiative (UGLC).

Active thermography and post-processing image enhancement for recovering of abraded and paint-covered alphanumeric identification marks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Montanini, R.; Quattrocchi, A.; Piccolo, S. A.

2016-09-01

Alphanumeric marking is a common technique employed in industrial applications for identification of products. However, the realised mark can undergo deterioration, either by extensive use or voluntary deletion (e.g. removal of identification numbers of weapons or vehicles). For recovery of the lost data many destructive or non-destructive techniques have been endeavoured so far, which however present several restrictions. In this paper, active infrared thermography has been exploited for the first time in order to assess its effectiveness in restoring paint covered and abraded labels made by means of different manufacturing processes (laser, dot peen, impact, cold press and scribe). Optical excitation of the target surface has been achieved using pulse (PT), lock-in (LT) and step heating (SHT) thermography. Raw infrared images were analysed with a dedicated image processing software originally developed in Matlab™, exploiting several methods, which include thermographic signal reconstruction (TSR), guided filtering (GF), block guided filtering (BGF) and logarithmic transformation (LN). Proper image processing of the raw infrared images resulted in superior contrast and enhanced readability. In particular, for deeply abraded marks, good outcomes have been obtained by application of logarithmic transformation to raw PT images and block guided filtering to raw phase LT images. With PT and LT it was relatively easy to recover labels covered by paint, with the latter one providing better thermal contrast for all the examined targets. Step heating thermography never led to adequate label identification instead.

Mapping land cover through time with the Rapid Land Cover Mapper—Documentation and user manual

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cotillon, Suzanne E.; Mathis, Melissa L.

2017-02-15

The Rapid Land Cover Mapper is an Esri ArcGIS® Desktop add-in, which was created as an alternative to automated or semiautomated mapping methods. Based on a manual photo interpretation technique, the tool facilitates mapping over large areas and through time, and produces time-series raster maps and associated statistics that characterize the changing landscapes. The Rapid Land Cover Mapper add-in can be used with any imagery source to map various themes (for instance, land cover, soils, or forest) at any chosen mapping resolution. The user manual contains all essential information for the user to make full use of the Rapid Land Cover Mapper add-in. This manual includes a description of the add-in functions and capabilities, and step-by-step procedures for using the add-in. The Rapid Land Cover Mapper add-in was successfully used by the U.S. Geological Survey West Africa Land Use Dynamics team to accurately map land use and land cover in 17 West African countries through time (1975, 2000, and 2013).

Ligninolytic Activity at 0 °C of Fungi on Oak Leaves Under Snow Cover in a Mixed Forest in Japan.

PubMed

Miyamoto, Toshizumi; Koda, Keiichi; Kawaguchi, Arata; Uraki, Yasumitsu

2017-08-01

Despite the importance of litter decomposition under snow cover in boreal forests and tundra, very little is known regarding the characteristics and functions of litter-decomposing fungi adapted to the cold climate. We investigated the decomposition of oak leaves in a heavy snowfall forest region of Japan. The rate of litter weight loss reached 26.5% during the snow cover period for 7 months and accounted for 64.6% of the annual loss (41.1%). Although no statistically significant lignin loss was detected, decolourization portions of oak leaf litter, which was attributable to the activities of ligninolytic fungi, were observed during snow cover period. This suggests that fungi involved in litter decomposition can produce extracellular enzymes to degrade lignin that remain active at 0 °C. Fungi were isolated from oak leaves collected from the forest floor under the snow layer. One hundred and sixty-six strains were isolated and classified into 33 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) based on culture characteristics and nuclear rDNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region sequences. To test the ability to degrade lignin, the production of extracellular phenoloxidases by isolates was quantified at 0 °C. Ten OTUs (9 Ascomycota and 1 Basidiomycota) of fungi exhibited mycelial growth and ligninolytic activity. These results suggested that some litter-decomposing fungi that had the potential to degrade lignin at 0 °C significantly contribute to litter decomposition under snow cover.

Including land cover change in analysis of greenness trends using all available Landsat 5, 7, and 8 images: A case study from Guangzhou, China (2000–2014)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Zhu, Zhe; Fu, Yingchun; Woodcock, Curtis; Olofsson, Pontus; Vogelmann, James; Holden, Christopher; Wang, Min; Dai, Shu; Yu, Yang

2016-01-01

An assessment of the consistency of surface reflectance from Landsat 8 with past Landsat sensors indicates biases in the visible bands of Landsat 8, especially the blue band. Landsat 8 NDVI values were found to have a larger bias than the EVI values; therefore, EVI was used in the analysis of greenness trends for Guangzhou. In spite of massive amounts of development in Guangzhou from 2000 to 2014, greenness was found to increase, mostly as a result of gradual change. Comparison of the greening magnitudes estimated from the approach presented here and a Simple Linear Trend (SLT) method indicated large differences for certain time intervals as the SLT method does not include consideration for abrupt land cover changes. Overall, this analysis demonstrates the importance of considering land cover change when analyzing trends in greenness from satellite time series in areas where land cover change is common.

Climate Impacts of Cover Crops

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lombardozzi, D.; Wieder, W. R.; Bonan, G. B.; Morris, C. K.; Grandy, S.

2016-12-01

Cover crops are planted in agricultural rotation with the intention of protecting soil rather than harvest. Cover crops have numerous environmental benefits that include preventing soil erosion, increasing soil fertility, and providing weed and pest control- among others. In addition to localized environmental benefits, cover crops can have important regional or global biogeochemical impacts by increasing soil organic carbon, changing emissions of greenhouse trace gases like nitrous oxide and methane, and reducing hydrologic nitrogen losses. Cover crops may additionally affect climate by changing biogeophysical processes, like albedo and latent heat flux, though these potential changes have not yet been evaluated. Here we use the coupled Community Atmosphere Model (CAM5) - Community Land Model (CLM4.5) to test how planting cover crops in the United States may change biogeophysical fluxes and climate. We present seasonal changes in albedo, heat fluxes, evaporative partitioning, radiation, and the resulting changes in temperature. Preliminary analyses show that during seasons when cover crops are planted, latent heat flux increases and albedo decreases, changing the evaporative fraction and surface temperatures. Understanding both the biogeophysical changes caused by planting cover crops in this study and the biogeochemical changes found in other studies will give a clearer picture of the overall impacts of cover crops on climate and atmospheric chemistry, informing how this land use strategy will impact climate in the future.

43 CFR 5.1 - What does this subpart cover?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 1 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false What does this subpart cover? 5.1 Section 5.1 Public Lands: Interior Office of the Secretary of the Interior COMMERCIAL FILMING AND SIMILAR... does this subpart cover? This subpart covers commercial filming and still photography activities on...

43 CFR 5.1 - What does this subpart cover?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 43 Public Lands: Interior 1 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false What does this subpart cover? 5.1 Section 5.1 Public Lands: Interior Office of the Secretary of the Interior COMMERCIAL FILMING AND SIMILAR... does this subpart cover? This subpart covers commercial filming and still photography activities on...

Cover Crop Species and Management Influence Predatory Arthropods and Predation in an Organically Managed, Reduced-Tillage Cropping System.

PubMed

Rivers, Ariel N; Mullen, Christina A; Barbercheck, Mary E

2018-04-05

Agricultural practices affect arthropod communities and, therefore, have the potential to influence the activities of arthropods. We evaluated the effect of cover crop species and termination timing on the activity of ground-dwelling predatory arthropods in a corn-soybean-wheat rotation in transition to organic production in Pennsylvania, United States. We compared two cover crop treatments: 1) hairy vetch (Vicia villosa Roth) planted together with triticale (×Triticosecale Wittmack) after wheat harvest, and 2) cereal rye (Secale cereale Linnaeus) planted after corn harvest. We terminated the cover crops in the spring with a roller-crimper on three dates (early, middle, and late) based on cover crop phenology and standard practices for cash crop planting in our area. We characterized the ground-dwelling arthropod community using pitfall traps and assessed relative predation using sentinel assays with live greater waxworm larvae (Galleria mellonella Fabricius). The activity density of predatory arthropods was significantly higher in the hairy vetch and triticale treatments than in cereal rye treatments. Hairy vetch and triticale favored the predator groups Araneae, Opiliones, Staphylinidae, and Carabidae. Specific taxa were associated with cover crop condition (e.g., live or dead) and termination dates. Certain variables were positively or negatively associated with the relative predation on sentinel prey, depending on cover crop treatment and stage, including the presence of predatory arthropods and various habitat measurements. Our results suggest that management of a cover crop by roller-crimper at specific times in the growing season affects predator activity density and community composition. Terminating cover crops with a roller-crimper can conserve generalist predators.

14 CFR § 1253.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... ON THE BASIS OF SEX IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES RECEIVING FEDERAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE... covered programs to reflect changes in covered programs. Copies of this notice also shall be made...

36 CFR § 1211.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... ADMINISTRATION GENERAL RULES NONDISCRIMINATION ON THE BASIS OF SEX IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES RECEIVING... periodically republish the notice of covered programs to reflect changes in covered programs. Copies of this...

Friction-induced surface activity of some hydrocarbons with clean and oxide-covered iron

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Buckley, D. H.

1973-01-01

Sliding friction studies were conducted on a clean and oxide-covered iron surface with exposure of that surface to various hydrocarbons. The hydrocarbons included ethane, ethylene ethyl chloride, methyl chloride, and vinyl chloride. Auger cylindrical mirror analysis was used to follow interactions of the hydrocarbon with the iron surface. Results with vinyl chloride indicate friction induced surface reactivity, adsorption to surface oxides, friction sensitivity to concentration and polymerization. Variation in the loads employed influence adsorption and accordingly friction. In contrast with ethyl and vinyl chloride, friction induced surface reactivity was not observed with ethane and ethylene.

Satellite assessment of increasing tree cover 1982-2016

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, X. P.; Hansen, M.

2017-12-01

The Earth's vegetation has undergone dramatic changes as we enter the Anthropocene. Recent studies have quantified global forest cover dynamics and resulting biogeochemical and biophysical impacts to the climate for the post-2000 time period. However, long-term gradual changes in undisturbed forests are less well quantified. We mapped annual tree cover using satellite data and quantified tree cover change during 1982-2016. The dataset was produced by combining optical observations from multiple satellite sensors, including the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer, the Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus and various very high spatial resolution sensors. Contrary to current understanding of forest area change, global tree cover increased by 7%. The overall net gain in tree cover is a result of net loss in the tropics overweighed by net gain in the subtropical, temperate and boreal zones. All mountain systems, regardless of climate domain, experienced increases in tree cover. Regional patterns of tree cover gain including eastern United States, eastern Europe and southern China, indicate profound influences of socioeconomic, political or land management changes in shaping long-term environmental change. Results provide the first comprehensive record of global tree cover dynamics over the past four decades and may be used to reduce uncertainties in the quantification of the global carbon cycle.

EnviroAtlas - Phoenix, AZ - One Meter Resolution Urban Land Cover Data (2010)

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The EnviroAtlas Phoenix, AZ land cover (LC) data and map were generated from USDA NAIP (National Agricultural Imagery Program) four band (red, green, blue and near-infrared) aerial photography taken from June through September, 2010 at 1 m spatial resolution. Seven land cover classes were mapped: water, impervious surfaces, soil and barren land, trees and forest, shrubs, grass and herbaceous non-woody vegetation, and agriculture. An accuracy assessment using a completely random sampling of 598 land cover reference points yielded an overall accuracy of 69.2%. The area mapped includes the entirety of the Central Arizona-Phoenix Long-Term Ecological Research (CAP-LTER) area, which was classified by the Environmental Remote Sensing and Geoinformatics Lab (ERSG) at Arizona State University. The land cover dataset also includes an area of approximately 625 square kilometers which is located north of Phoenix. This section was classified by the EPA land cover classification team. This dataset was produced by the US EPA to support research and online mapping activities related to EnviroAtlas. EnviroAtlas (https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas) allows the user to interact with a web-based, easy-to-use, mapping application to view and analyze multiple ecosystem services for the contiguous United States. The dataset is available as downloadable data (https://edg.epa.gov/data/Public/ORD/EnviroAtlas) or as an EnviroAtlas map service. Additional descriptive information about each at

Everglades National Park Including Biscayne National Park. Activity Book.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ruehrwein, Dick

Intended to help elementary school children learn about the resources of the Everglades and Biscayne National Parks, this activity book includes information, puzzles, games, and quizzes. The booklet deals with concepts related to: (1) the seasons; (2) fire ecology; (3) water; (4) fish; (5) mammals; (6) mosquitos; (7) birds; (8) venomous snakes;…

Winter cover crops influence Amaranthus palmeri establishment

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Winter cover crops were evaluated for their effect on Palmer amaranth (PA) suppression in cotton production. Cover crops examined included rye and four winter legumes: narrow-leaf lupine, crimson clover, Austrian winter pea, and cahaba vetch. Each legume was evaluated alone and in a mixture with rye...

Monitoring Areal Snow Cover Using NASA Satellite Imagery

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Harshburger, Brian J.; Blandford, Troy; Moore, Brandon

2011-01-01

The objective of this project is to develop products and tools to assist in the hydrologic modeling process, including tools to help prepare inputs for hydrologic models and improved methods for the visualization of streamflow forecasts. In addition, this project will facilitate the use of NASA satellite imagery (primarily snow cover imagery) by other federal and state agencies with operational streamflow forecasting responsibilities. A GIS software toolkit for monitoring areal snow cover extent and producing streamflow forecasts is being developed. This toolkit will be packaged as multiple extensions for ArcGIS 9.x and an opensource GIS software package. The toolkit will provide users with a means for ingesting NASA EOS satellite imagery (snow cover analysis), preparing hydrologic model inputs, and visualizing streamflow forecasts. Primary products include a software tool for predicting the presence of snow under clouds in satellite images; a software tool for producing gridded temperature and precipitation forecasts; and a suite of tools for visualizing hydrologic model forecasting results. The toolkit will be an expert system designed for operational users that need to generate accurate streamflow forecasts in a timely manner. The Remote Sensing of Snow Cover Toolbar will ingest snow cover imagery from multiple sources, including the MODIS Operational Snowcover Data and convert them to gridded datasets that can be readily used. Statistical techniques will then be applied to the gridded snow cover data to predict the presence of snow under cloud cover. The toolbar has the ability to ingest both binary and fractional snow cover data. Binary mapping techniques use a set of thresholds to determine whether a pixel contains snow or no snow. Fractional mapping techniques provide information regarding the percentage of each pixel that is covered with snow. After the imagery has been ingested, physiographic data is attached to each cell in the snow cover image. This data

Cover Image, Volume 119, Number 1, January 2018.

PubMed

Rubio-Infante, Nestor; Ilhuicatzi-Alvarado, Damaris; Torres-Martínez, Marilu; Reyes-Grajeda, Juan Pablo; Nava-Acosta, Raúl; González-González, Edith; Moreno-Fierros, Leticia

2018-01-01

Cover: The cover image, by Nestor Rubio-Infante et al., is based on the Article The Macrophage Activation Induced by Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Ac Protoxin Involves ERK1/2 and p38 Pathways and the Interaction with Cell-Surface-HSP70, DOI: 10.1002/jcb.26216. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Human-induced shifts in geomorphic process rates: An example of landslide activity following forest cover change.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guns, Marie; Balthazar, Vincent; Vanacker, Veerle

2013-04-01

Mountain regions present unique challenges and opportunities to land use change research. Very few, if any, mountain ecosystems remain unaffected by human impact. Based on the exemplary evidence from local case studies, it is not yet possible to have an overall assessment of the extent and impact of human activities on mountain erosion as mountain regions are typically characterized by rapid changes in geomorphic, cryospheric, climatic, hydrologic, ecological and socio-economic conditions over relatively short distances. Here, we present a conceptual model that allows evaluating human-induced shifts in geomorphic process rates. The basic idea behind this model is that the magnitude-frequency distribution of geomorphic processes is dependent on the intensity of human disturbance. The conceptual model is here applied for characterising landslide activity following forest cover change. We selected a tropical Andean catchment with a deforestation rate of 1.4% over the last 45 years. Landslide inventories were established based on historical aerial photographs (1963, 1977, and 1989) and very high-resolution satellite images (2010). Statistical analyses show that the total number of landslides is rising, and that they are increasingly associated with human disturbances (deforestation, road construction). This is particularly the case for shallow landslides that become more frequent after clearcutting. As the human-induced shifts in landslide activity are significant for the low-magnitude events only, the total impact on geomorphic process rates is rather limited in this particular area. This work shows that including information on the magnitude-frequency of geomorphic events before, during and after human disturbances offers new possibilities to quantify the complex response of geomorphic processes to human disturbances.

Does grazing of cover crops impact biologically active soil C and N fractions under inversion and no tillage management

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Cover crops are a key component of conservation cropping systems. They can also be a key component of integrated crop-livestock systems by offering high-quality forage during short periods between cash crops. The impact of cattle grazing on biologically active soil C and N fractions has not receiv...

16 CFR 1611.2 - General description of products covered.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... REGULATIONS STANDARD FOR THE FLAMMABILITY OF VINYL PLASTIC FILM The Standard § 1611.2 General description of products covered. The material covered is nonrigid, unsupported, vinyl plastic film, including transparent... the scope of this standard. The vinyl plastic film covered by Commercial Standard 192-53, as...

16 CFR 1611.2 - General description of products covered.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... REGULATIONS STANDARD FOR THE FLAMMABILITY OF VINYL PLASTIC FILM The Standard § 1611.2 General description of products covered. The material covered is nonrigid, unsupported, vinyl plastic film, including transparent... the scope of this standard. The vinyl plastic film covered by Commercial Standard 192-53, as...

16 CFR 1611.2 - General description of products covered.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... REGULATIONS STANDARD FOR THE FLAMMABILITY OF VINYL PLASTIC FILM The Standard § 1611.2 General description of products covered. The material covered is nonrigid, unsupported, vinyl plastic film, including transparent... the scope of this standard. The vinyl plastic film covered by Commercial Standard 192-53, as...

16 CFR 1611.2 - General description of products covered.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... REGULATIONS STANDARD FOR THE FLAMMABILITY OF VINYL PLASTIC FILM The Standard § 1611.2 General description of products covered. The material covered is nonrigid, unsupported, vinyl plastic film, including transparent... the scope of this standard. The vinyl plastic film covered by Commercial Standard 192-53, as...

Winter rye cover crop effect on corn seedling pathogens

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Cover crops have been grown successfully in Iowa, but sometimes a cereal rye cover crop preceding corn can reduce corn yields. Our research examines the effect of a rye cover crop on infections of the succeeding corn crop by soil fungal pathogens. Plant measurements included: growth stage, height, r...

Global land cover mapping: a review and uncertainty analysis

USGS Publications Warehouse

Congalton, Russell G.; Gu, Jianyu; Yadav, Kamini; Thenkabail, Prasad S.; Ozdogan, Mutlu

2014-01-01

Given the advances in remotely sensed imagery and associated technologies, several global land cover maps have been produced in recent times including IGBP DISCover, UMD Land Cover, Global Land Cover 2000 and GlobCover 2009. However, the utility of these maps for specific applications has often been hampered due to considerable amounts of uncertainties and inconsistencies. A thorough review of these global land cover projects including evaluating the sources of error and uncertainty is prudent and enlightening. Therefore, this paper describes our work in which we compared, summarized and conducted an uncertainty analysis of the four global land cover mapping projects using an error budget approach. The results showed that the classification scheme and the validation methodology had the highest error contribution and implementation priority. A comparison of the classification schemes showed that there are many inconsistencies between the definitions of the map classes. This is especially true for the mixed type classes for which thresholds vary for the attributes/discriminators used in the classification process. Examination of these four global mapping projects provided quite a few important lessons for the future global mapping projects including the need for clear and uniform definitions of the classification scheme and an efficient, practical, and valid design of the accuracy assessment.

Expression of allelopathy in the soil environment: Soil concentration and activity of benzoxazinoid compounds released by rye cover crop residue

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The activity of allelopathic compounds is often reduced in the soil environment where processes involving release from donor plant material, soil adsorption and degradation, and uptake by receptor plants naturally result in complex interactions. Rye (Secale cereale L.) cover crops are known to supp...

Development of multi-year land cover data to assess wildfire impacts to coastal watersheds and the nearshore environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morrison, Katherine D.

In the Mediterranean ecosystems of coastal California, wildfire is a common disturbance that can significantly alter vegetation in watersheds that transport sediment and nutrients to the adjacent nearshore oceanic environment. We assess the impact of two wildfires that burned in 2008 on land cover and to the nearshore environment along the Big Sur coast in central California. We created a multi-year land cover dataset to assess changes to coastal watersheds as a result of fire. This land cover dataset was then used to model changes in nonpoint source pollutants transported to the nearshore environment. Results indicate post-fire increases in percent export compared to pre-fire years and also link wildfire severity to the specific land cover changes that subsequently increase exports of pollutants and sediment to the nearshore environment. This approach is a replicable across watersheds and also provides a framework for including the nearshore environment as a value at risk terrestrial land management revolving around wildfire, including suppression, thinning, and other activities that change land cover at a landscape scale.

BOREAS AFM-12 1-km AVHRR Seasonal Land Cover Classification

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Steyaert, Lou; Hall, Forrest G.; Newcomer, Jeffrey A. (Editor); Knapp, David E. (Editor); Loveland, Thomas R.; Smith, David E. (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

The Boreal Ecosystem-Atmosphere Study (BOREAS) Airborne Fluxes and Meteorology (AFM)-12 team's efforts focused on regional scale Surface Vegetation and Atmosphere (SVAT) modeling to improve parameterization of the heterogeneous BOREAS landscape for use in larger scale Global Circulation Models (GCMs). This regional land cover data set was developed as part of a multitemporal one-kilometer Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) land cover analysis approach that was used as the basis for regional land cover mapping, fire disturbance-regeneration, and multiresolution land cover scaling studies in the boreal forest ecosystem of central Canada. This land cover classification was derived by using regional field observations from ground and low-level aircraft transits to analyze spectral-temporal clusters that were derived from an unsupervised cluster analysis of monthly Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) image composites (April-September 1992). This regional data set was developed for use by BOREAS investigators, especially those involved in simulation modeling, remote sensing algorithm development, and aircraft flux studies. Based on regional field data verification, this multitemporal one-kilometer AVHRR land cover mapping approach was effective in characterizing the biome-level land cover structure, embedded spatially heterogeneous landscape patterns, and other types of key land cover information of interest to BOREAS modelers.The land cover mosaics in this classification include: (1) wet conifer mosaic (low, medium, and high tree stand density), (2) mixed coniferous-deciduous forest (80% coniferous, codominant, and 80% deciduous), (3) recent visible bum, vegetation regeneration, or rock outcrops-bare ground-sparsely vegetated slow regeneration bum (four classes), (4) open water and grassland marshes, and (5) general agricultural land use/ grasslands (three classes). This land cover mapping approach did not detect small subpixel-scale landscape

Global land-cover and land-use change of the last 6000 years for climate modelling studies: the PAGES LandCover6k initiative and its first achievements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gaillard, Marie-Jose; Morrison, Kathleen; Madella, Marco; Whitehouse, Nicki J.; Pages Landcover6k Sub-Coordinators

2016-04-01

The goal of the PAGES LandCover6k initiative is to provide relevant, empirical data on past anthropogenic land-cover change (land-use change) to climate modellers (e.g. the CMIP5 initiative). Land-use change is one of many climate forcings and its effect on climate is still badly understood. Among the effects of land-cover change on climate, the best known are the biogeochemical effects, and in particular the influence on the exchange of CO2 between the land surface and the atmosphere. The biogeophysical effects are less well understood, i.e. the net effect of changes in the albedo and evapotranspiration is complex. Moreover, the net effect of both biogeochemical and biogeophysical processes due to land-use change is still a matter of debate. The LandCover6k working group infers land-use data from fossil pollen records from lake sediments and peat deposits, and from historical archives and archaeological records (including pollen and other palaeoecological records such as wood and plant micro/macroremains). The working group is divided into two activities, i) pollen-based reconstructions of past land cover using pollen-vegetation modelling approaches, and mapping of pollen-based land-cover change using spatial statistics (e.g. Trondman et al., 2015; Pirzimanbein et al., 2014), and ii) upscaling and summarizing historical and archaeological data into maps of major land-use categories linked to quantitative attributes. Studies on pollen productivity of major plant taxa are an essential part of activity i). Pollen productivity estimates are available for a large number of the northern hemisphere, major plant taxa, but are still missing for large parts of the tropics for which research is currently in progress. The results of both activities are then used to revise existing Anthropogenic Land-Cover Change (ALCC) scenarios, the HYDE database (Klein-Goldewijk et al.,) and KK (Kaplan et al.,). Climate modellers (e.g. the CMIP5 initiative) can use the LandCover6k products

49 CFR 225.39 - FRA policy on covered data.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION RAILROAD ACCIDENTS/INCIDENTS: REPORTS CLASSIFICATION, AND INVESTIGATIONS § 225.39 FRA policy on covered data. FRA will not include covered data (as defined in § 225.5) in its...

49 CFR 225.39 - FRA policy on covered data.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION RAILROAD ACCIDENTS/INCIDENTS: REPORTS CLASSIFICATION, AND INVESTIGATIONS § 225.39 FRA policy on covered data. FRA will not include covered data (as defined in § 225.5) in its...

MODIS Vegetative Cover Conversion and Vegetation Continuous Fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carroll, Mark; Townshend, John; Hansen, Matthew; DiMiceli, Charlene; Sohlberg, Robert; Wurster, Karl

Land cover change occurs at various spatial and temporal scales. For example, large-scale mechanical removal of forests for agro-industrial activities contrasts with the small-scale clearing of subsistence farmers. Such dynamics vary in spatial extent and rate of land conversion. Such changes are attributable to both natural and anthropogenic factors. For example, lightning- or human-ignited fires burn millions of acres of land surface each year. Further, land cover conversion requires ­contrasting with the land cover modification. In the first instance, the dynamic represents extensive categorical change between two land cover types. Land cover modification mechanisms such as selective logging and woody encroachment depict changes within a given land cover type rather than a conversion from one land cover type to another. This chapter describes the production of two standard MODIS land products used to document changes in global land cover. The Vegetative Cover Conversion (VCC) product is designed primarily to serve as a global alarm for areas where land cover change occurs rapidly (Zhan et al. 2000). The Vegetation Continuous Fields (VCF) product is designed to continuously ­represent ground cover as a proportion of basic vegetation traits. Terra's launch in December 1999 afforded a new opportunity to observe the entire Earth every 1.2 days at 250-m spatial resolution. The MODIS instrument's appropriate spatial and ­temporal resolutions provide the opportunity to substantially improve the characterization of the land surface and changes occurring thereupon (Townshend et al. 1991).

A globally complete map of supraglacial debris cover and a new toolkit for debris cover research

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Herreid, Sam; Pellicciotti, Francesca

2017-04-01

A growing canon of literature is focused on resolving the processes and implications of debris cover on glaciers. However, this work is often confined to a handful of glaciers that were likely selected based on criteria optimizing their suitability to test a specific hypothesis or logistical ease. The role of debris cover in a glacier system is likely to not go overlooked in forthcoming research, yet the magnitude of this role at a global scale has not yet been fully described. Here, we present a map of debris cover for all glacierized regions on Earth including the Greenland Ice Sheet using 30 m Landsat data. This dataset will begin to open a wider context to the high quality, localized findings from the debris-covered glacier research community and help inform large-scale modeling efforts. A global map of debris cover also facilitates analysis attempting to isolate first order geomorphological and climate controls of supraglacial debris production. Furthering the objective of expanding the inclusion of debris cover in forthcoming research, we also present an under development suite of open-source, Python based tools. Requiring minimal and often freely available input data, we have automated the mapping of: i) debris cover, ii) ice cliffs, iii) debris cover evolution over the Landsat era and iv) glacier flow instabilities from altered debris structures. At the present time, debris extent is the only globally complete quantity but with the expanding repository of high quality global datasets and further tool development minimizing manual tasks and computational cost, we foresee all of these tools being applied globally in the near future.

2 CFR 180.220 - Are any procurement contracts included as covered transactions?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 2 Grants and Agreements 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Are any procurement contracts included as... contracts awarded directly by a Federal agency; but (2) Do include some procurement contracts awarded by non... expected to equal or exceed $25,000. (2) The contract requires the consent of an official of a Federal...

Magneto-photonic crystal optical sensors with sensitive covers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dissanayake, Neluka; Levy, Miguel; Chakravarty, A.; Heiden, P. A.; Chen, N.; Fratello, V. J.

2011-08-01

We report on a magneto-photonic crystal on-chip optical sensor for specific analyte detection with polypyrrole and gold nano particles as modified photonic crystal waveguide cover layers. The reaction of the active sensor material with various analytes modifies the electronic structure of the sensor layer causing changes in its refractive index and a strong transduction signal. Magneto-photonic crystal enhanced polarization rotation sensitive to the nature of the cover layer detects the index modification upon analyte adsorption. A high degree of selectivity and sensitivity are observed for aqueous ammonia and methanol with polypyrrole and for thiolated-gold- with gold-nanoparticles covers.

The 1980 land cover for the Puget Sound region

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shinn, R. D.; Westerlund, F. V.; Eby, J. R.

1982-01-01

Both LANDSAT imagery and the video information communications and retrieval software were used to develop a land cover classifiction of the Puget Sound of Washington. Planning agencies within the region were provided with a highly accurate land cover map registered to the 1980 census tracts which could subsequently be incorporated as one data layer in a multi-layer data base. Many historical activities related to previous land cover mapping studies conducted in the Puget Sound region are summarized. Valuable insight into conducting a project with a large community of users and in establishing user confidence in a multi-purpose land cover map derived from LANDSAT is provided.

16 CFR § 1611.2 - General description of products covered.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... REGULATIONS STANDARD FOR THE FLAMMABILITY OF VINYL PLASTIC FILM The Standard § 1611.2 General description of products covered. The material covered is nonrigid, unsupported, vinyl plastic film, including transparent... the scope of this standard. The vinyl plastic film covered by Commercial Standard 192-53, as...

Development of integral covers on solar cells

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stella, P.; Somberg, H.

1971-01-01

The electron-beam technique for evaporating a dielectric material onto solar cells is investigated. A process has been developed which will provide a highly transparent, low stress, 2 mil thick cover capable of withstanding conventional space type qualification tests including humidity, thermal shock, and thermal cycling. The covers have demonstrated the ability to withstand 10 to the 15th power 1 MeV electrons and UV irradiation with minor darkening. Investigation of the cell AR coating has produced a space qualifiable titanium oxide coating which will give an additional 6% current output over similar silicon oxide coated cells when covered by glass.

Increase of Longevity of High Filled Composite Polymeric Materials Intended for Covering of Highways

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Negmatov, S. S.; Sobirov, B. B.; Abdullaev, A. X.; Salimsakov, Yu. A.; Raxmonov, B. Sh.; Negmatova, K. S.; Ergashev, E.; Jonuzokov, A. A.

2008-08-01

In work the results of researches of influence of various components included in structure of high filled asphalt-concrete coverings and composite polymeric hermetic materials for sealing them deformed seams and cracks are given. The opportunity of increase of long lived operation of highways was shown using as filler the mechano-activated river and dune sands in a combination to secondary polyethylene.

A Quantitative Method to Identify Lithology Beneath Cover

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gettings, M. E.

2008-12-01

Geophysical terranes (map areas of similar potential field data response) can be used in the estimation of geological map units beneath cover (bedrock, alluvium, or tectonic block). Potential field data over nearby bedrock terranes defines "candidate terranes". Geophysical anomaly dimensions, shapes, amplitudes, trends/structural grain, and fractal measures yield a vector of measures characterizing the terrane. To compare candidate terranes fields with those for covered areas, the effect of depth of cover must be taken into account. Gravity anomaly data yields depth estimates by which the aeromagnetic data of candidate terranes are then upward continued. Comparison of characteristics of the upward continued fields from the candidate terranes to those of covered areas rank the candidates. Because of signal loss in upward continuation and overlap of physical properties, the vectors of measures for the candidate terranes are usually not unique. Possibility theory offers a relatively objective and robust method that can be used to rank terrane types that includes uncertainty. The strategy is to prepare membership functions for each measure of each candidate terrane and the covered area, based on observed values and degree of knowledge, and then form the fuzzy-logical combination of these to estimate the possibility and its uncertainty for each candidate terrane. Membership functions include uncertainty by the degree of membership for various possibility values. With no other information, uncertainty is based on information content from survey specifications and geologic features dimensions. Geologic data can also be included, such as structural trends, proximity, and tectonic history. Little knowledge implies wide membership functions; perfect knowledge, a delta function. This and the combination rules in fuzzy logic yield a robust estimation method. An uncertain membership function of a characteristic contributes much less to the possibility than a precise one. The

A comparative analysis of the Global Land Cover 2000 and MODIS land cover data sets

USGS Publications Warehouse

Giri, C.; Zhu, Z.; Reed, B.

2005-01-01

Accurate and up-to-date global land cover data sets are necessary for various global change research studies including climate change, biodiversity conservation, ecosystem assessment, and environmental modeling. In recent years, substantial advancement has been achieved in generating such data products. Yet, we are far from producing geospatially consistent high-quality data at an operational level. We compared the recently available Global Land Cover 2000 (GLC-2000) and MODerate resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MODIS) global land cover data to evaluate the similarities and differences in methodologies and results, and to identify areas of spatial agreement and disagreement. These two global land cover data sets were prepared using different data sources, classification systems, and methodologies, but using the same spatial resolution (i.e., 1 km) satellite data. Our analysis shows a general agreement at the class aggregate level except for savannas/shrublands, and wetlands. The disagreement, however, increases when comparing detailed land cover classes. Similarly, percent agreement between the two data sets was found to be highly variable among biomes. The identified areas of spatial agreement and disagreement will be useful for both data producers and users. Data producers may use the areas of spatial agreement for training area selection and pay special attention to areas of disagreement for further improvement in future land cover characterization and mapping. Users can conveniently use the findings in the areas of agreement, whereas users might need to verify the informaiton in the areas of disagreement with the help of secondary information. Learning from past experience and building on the existing infrastructure (e.g., regional networks), further research is necessary to (1) reduce ambiguity in land cover definitions, (2) increase availability of improved spatial, spectral, radiometric, and geometric resolution satellite data, and (3) develop advanced

Astrobiology of Antarctic ice Covered Lakes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doran, P. T.; Fritsen, C. H.

2005-12-01

Antarctica contains a number of permanently ice-covered lakes which have often been used as analogs of purported lakes on Mars in the past. Antarctic subglacial lakes, such as Lake Vostok, have also been viewed as excellent analogs for an ice covered ocean on the Jovian moon Europa, and to a lesser extend on Mars. Lakes in the McMurdo Dry Valleys of East Antarctica have ice covers that range from 3 to 20 meters thick. Water salinities range from fresh to hypersaline. The thinner ice-covered lakes have a well-documented ecology that relies on the limited available nutrients and the small amount of light energy that penetrates the ice covers. The thickest ice-covered lake (Lake Vida in Victoria Valley) has a brine beneath 20 m of ice that is 7 times sea water and maintains a temperature below -10 degrees Celsius. This lake is vastly different from the thinner ice-covered lakes in that there is no communication with the atmosphere. The permanent ice cover is so thick, that summer melt waters can not access the sub-ice brine and so the ice grows from the top up, as well as from the bottom down. Brine trapped beneath the ice is believed to be ancient, stranded thousands of years ago when the ice grew thick enough to isolate it from the surface. We view Lake Vida as an excellent analog for the last aquatic ecosystem to have existed on Mars under a planetary cooling. If, as evidence is now increasingly supporting, standing bodies of water existed on Mars in the past, their fate under a cooling would be to go through a stage of permanent ice cover establishment, followed by a thickening of that ice cover until the final stage just prior to a cold extinction would be a Lake Vida-like lake. If dust storms or mass movements covered these ancient lakes, remnants may well be in existence in the subsurface today. A NASA Astrobiology Science and Technology for Exploring Planets (ASTEP) project will drill the Lake Vida ice cover and access the brine and sediments beneath in

Regulatory guidance on soil cover systems

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kane, J.D.

1991-12-31

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in September 1991, completed revisions to 14 sections of the Standard Review Plan (SRP) for the Review of a License Application for a Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Facility. The major purposes of the SRP are to ensure the quality and uniformity of the NRC staff`s safety reviews, and to present a well-defined base from which to evaluate the acceptability of information and data provided in the Safety Analysis Report (SAR) portion of the license application. SRP 3.2, entitled, Design Considerations for Normal and Abnormal/Accident Conditions, was one of the sections that was revised bymore » the NRC staff. This revision was completed to provide additional regulatory guidance on the important considerations that need to be addressed for the proper design and construction of soil cover systems that are to be placed over the LLW. The cover system over the waste is acknowledged to be one of the most important engineered barriers for the long-term stable performance of the disposal facility. The guidance in revised SRP 3.2 summarizes the previous efforts and recommendations of the US Army Corps of Engineers (COE), and a peer review panel on the placement of soil cover systems. NRC published these efforts in NUREG/CR-5432. The discussions in this paper highlight selected recommendations on soil cover issues that the NRC staff considers important for ensuring the safe, long-term performance of the soil cover systems. The development phases to be discussed include: (1) cover design; (2) cover material selection; (3) laboratory and field testing; (4) field placement control and acceptance; and (5) penetrations through the constructed covers.« less

Covered Storage. Design Manual 32.2.

DTIC Science & Technology

1982-06-01

laboratories, snack bars, stairways, etc., are covered in the PBS Mechanical and Elec’rical Engineering Handbook and/or the Illuminating Engineering...laid. Scuttles shall be gasketed and fitted with inside and outside locks. d. Doors. Active cargo doors shall be gasketed by means of extruded

Cover/Frequency (CF)

Treesearch

John F. Caratti

2006-01-01

The FIREMON Cover/Frequency (CF) method is used to assess changes in plant species cover and frequency for a macroplot. This method uses multiple quadrats to sample within-plot variation and quantify statistically valid changes in plant species cover, height, and frequency over time. Because it is difficult to estimate cover in quadrats for larger plants, this method...

Crown cover chart for oak savannas. Forest Service technical brief

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Law, J.R.; Johnson, P.S.; Houf, G.

1994-07-01

Although oak savannas have been defined in many ways, they are characterized by scattered trees, largely comprised of oaks, and a sparse ground layer rich in grasses and forbs. The crown cover chart can be used to estimate the crown cover of trees as a percent of total area. Potential applications of the chart include monitoring changes in savanna crown cover, determining needed reductions in crown cover, and defining the savanna state. in restoring savannas that have grown into closed canopy stands, one can use the chart to estimate initial crown cover before restoration work is begun and again aftermore » crown cover has been reduced.« less

Cover crops to improve soil health and pollinator habitat in nut orchards

Treesearch

Jerry Van Sambeek

2017-01-01

Recently several national programs have been initiated calling for improving soil health and creating pollinator habitat using cover crops. Opportunities exist for nut growers to do both with the use of cover crops in our nut orchards. Because we can include perennial ground covers as cover crops, we have even more choices than landowners managing cover crops during...

Increased plastic litter cover affects the foraging activity of the sandy intertidal gastropod Nassarius pullus.

PubMed

Aloy, Alexander B; Vallejo, Benjamin M; Juinio-Meñez, Marie Antonette

2011-08-01

This study analyzed the foraging behavior of the gastropod Nassarius pullus on garbage-impacted sandy shores of Talim Bay, Batangas, Philippines. The effect of different levels of plastic garbage cover on foraging efficiency was investigated. Controlled in situ baiting experiments were conducted to quantify aspects of foraging behavior as affected by the levels of plastic litter cover in the foraging area. The results of the study indicated that the gastropod's efficiency in locating and in moving towards a food item generally decreased as the level of plastic cover increased. Prolonged food searching time and increased self-burial in sand were highly correlated with increased plastic cover. The accuracy of orientation towards the actual position of the bait decreased significantly when the amount of plastic cover increased to 50%. These results are consistent with the significant decreases in the abundance of the gastropod observed during periods of deposition of large amounts of plastic and other debris on the shore. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Spatial and temporal land cover changes in Terminos Lagoon Reserve, Mexico.

PubMed

Soto-Galera, Ernesto; Piera, Jaume; López, Pilar

2010-06-01

Terminos Lagoon ecosystem is the largest fluvial-lagoon estuarine system in the country and one of the most important reserves of coastal flora and fauna in Mexico. Since the seventies, part of the main infrastructure for country's oil extraction is located in this area. Its high biodiversity has motivated different type of studies including deforestation processes and land use planning. In this work we used satellite image analysis to determine land cover changes in the area from 1974 to 2001. Our results indicate that tropical forest and mangroves presented the most extensive losses in its coverage. In contrast, urban areas and induced grassland increased considerably. In 2001 more than half of the ecosystem area showed changes from its original land cover, and a third part of it was deteriorated. The main causes of deforestation were both the increase in grassland and the growth of urban areas. However, deforestation was attenuated by natural reforestation and plant canopy recovery. We conclude that the introduction of cattle and urban development were the main causes for the land cover changes; however, the oil industry activity located in the ecosystem, has promoted indirectly to urban growth and rancher boom.

12 CFR 7.2013 - Fidelity bonds covering officers and employees.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Fidelity bonds covering officers and employees. 7.2013 Section 7.2013 Banks and Banking COMPTROLLER OF THE CURRENCY, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY BANK ACTIVITIES AND OPERATIONS Corporate Practices § 7.2013 Fidelity bonds covering officers and employees. (a...

12 CFR 7.2013 - Fidelity bonds covering officers and employees.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 12 Banks and Banking 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Fidelity bonds covering officers and employees. 7.2013 Section 7.2013 Banks and Banking COMPTROLLER OF THE CURRENCY, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY BANK ACTIVITIES AND OPERATIONS Corporate Practices § 7.2013 Fidelity bonds covering officers and employees. (a...

Modeled impact of anthropogenic land cover change on climate

USGS Publications Warehouse

Findell, K.L.; Shevliakova, E.; Milly, P.C.D.; Stouffer, R.J.

2007-01-01

Equilibrium experiments with the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory's climate model are used to investigate the impact of anthropogenic land cover change on climate. Regions of altered land cover include large portions of Europe, India, eastern China, and the eastern United States. Smaller areas of change are present in various tropical regions. This study focuses on the impacts of biophysical changes associated with the land cover change (albedo, root and stomatal properties, roughness length), which is almost exclusively a conversion from forest to grassland in the model; the effects of irrigation or other water management practices and the effects of atmospheric carbon dioxide changes associated with land cover conversion are not included in these experiments. The model suggests that observed land cover changes have little or no impact on globally averaged climatic variables (e.g., 2-m air temperature is 0.008 K warmer in a simulation with 1990 land cover compared to a simulation with potential natural vegetation cover). Differences in the annual mean climatic fields analyzed did not exhibit global field significance. Within some of the regions of land cover change, however, there are relatively large changes of many surface climatic variables. These changes are highly significant locally in the annual mean and in most months of the year in eastern Europe and northern India. They can be explained mainly as direct and indirect consequences of model-prescribed increases in surface albedo, decreases in rooting depth, and changes of stomatal control that accompany deforestation. ?? 2007 American Meteorological Society.

Patterns of crop cover under future climates.

PubMed

Porfirio, Luciana L; Newth, David; Harman, Ian N; Finnigan, John J; Cai, Yiyong

2017-04-01

We study changes in crop cover under future climate and socio-economic projections. This study is not only organised around the global and regional adaptation or vulnerability to climate change but also includes the influence of projected changes in socio-economic, technological and biophysical drivers, especially regional gross domestic product. The climatic data are obtained from simulations of RCP4.5 and 8.5 by four global circulation models/earth system models from 2000 to 2100. We use Random Forest, an empirical statistical model, to project the future crop cover. Our results show that, at the global scale, increases and decreases in crop cover cancel each other out. Crop cover in the Northern Hemisphere is projected to be impacted more by future climate than the in Southern Hemisphere because of the disparity in the warming rate and precipitation patterns between the two Hemispheres. We found that crop cover in temperate regions is projected to decrease more than in tropical regions. We identified regions of concern and opportunities for climate change adaptation and investment.

Delivery of cosmetic covers to persons with transtibial and transfemoral amputations in an outpatient prosthetic practice.

PubMed

Highsmith, M Jason; Kahle, Jason T; Knight, Molly; Olk-Szost, Ayla; Boyd, Melinda; Miro, Rebecca M

2016-06-01

Limb loss negatively impacts body image to the extent that functional activity and societal participation are affected. Scientific literature is lacking on the subject of cosmetic covering for prostheses and the rate of cosmetic cover utilization by cover type, gender, amputation level, and type of healthcare reimbursement. To describe the delivery of cosmetic covers in lower limb prostheses in a sample of people with lower extremity amputation. Cross-sectional design Patient records from an outpatient practice were reviewed for people who received a transtibial or transfemoral prosthesis within a selected 2-year period. A total of 294 records were reviewed. Regardless of the amputation level, females were significantly (p ≤ 0.05) more likely to receive a cover. Type of insurance did not affect whether or not a cover was used, but Medicare reimbursed more pull-up skin covers. There were differences regarding cosmetic cover delivery based on gender, and Medicare reimbursed for more pull-up skin covers at the transtibial level than other reimbursors did. This analysis was conducted in a warm, tropical geographic region of the United States. Results may differ in other parts of the world based on many factors including climate and local views of body image and disability. Cosmetic covering rates are clinically relevant because they provide insight into which gender is utilizing more cosmetic covers. Furthermore, it can be determined which type of covers are being utilized with greater frequency and which insurance type is providing more coverage for them. © The International Society for Prosthetics and Orthotics 2015.

Simulation of regional temperature change effect of land cover change in agroforestry ecotone of Nenjiang River Basin in China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Tingxiang; Zhang, Shuwen; Yu, Lingxue; Bu, Kun; Yang, Jiuchun; Chang, Liping

2017-05-01

The Northeast China is one of typical regions experiencing intensive human activities within short time worldwide. Particularly, as the significant changes of agriculture land and forest, typical characteristics of pattern and process of agroforestry ecotone change formed in recent decades. The intensive land use change of agroforestry ecotone has made significant change for regional land cover, which had significant impact on the regional climate system elements and the interactions among them. This paper took agroforestry ecotone of Nenjiang River Basin in China as study region and simulated temperature change based on land cover change from 1950s to 1978 and from 1978 to 2010. The analysis of temperature difference sensitivity to land cover change based on Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model showed that the land cover change from 1950s to 1978 induced warming effect over all the study area, including the change of grassland to agriculture land, grassland to deciduous broad-leaved forest, and deciduous broad-leaved forest to shrub land. The land cover change from 1978 to 2010 induced cooling effect over all the study area, including the change of deciduous broad-leaved forest to agriculture land, grassland to agriculture land, shrub land to agriculture land, and deciduous broad-leaved forest to grassland. In addition, the warming and cooling effect of land cover change was more significant in the region scale than specific land cover change area.

28 CFR 54.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... SEX IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES RECEIVING FEDERAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE Procedures § 54.600... to reflect changes in covered programs. Copies of this notice also shall be made available upon...

28 CFR 54.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... SEX IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES RECEIVING FEDERAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE Procedures § 54.600... to reflect changes in covered programs. Copies of this notice also shall be made available upon...

28 CFR 54.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... SEX IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES RECEIVING FEDERAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE Procedures § 54.600... to reflect changes in covered programs. Copies of this notice also shall be made available upon...

28 CFR 54.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... SEX IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES RECEIVING FEDERAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE Procedures § 54.600... to reflect changes in covered programs. Copies of this notice also shall be made available upon...

28 CFR 54.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... SEX IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES RECEIVING FEDERAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE Procedures § 54.600... to reflect changes in covered programs. Copies of this notice also shall be made available upon...

49 CFR 826.3 - Proceedings covered.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

....” For the Board, the type of proceeding covered includes (but may not be limited to) aviation enforcement cases appealed to the Board under sections 501, 609, 611 and 901 of the Federal Aviation Act (49 U...

Shuttle landing facility cloud cover study: Climatological analysis and two tenths cloud cover rule evaluation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Atchison, Michael K.; Schumann, Robin; Taylor, Greg; Warburton, John; Wheeler, Mark; Yersavich, Ann

1993-01-01

The two-tenths cloud cover rule in effect for all End Of Mission (EOM) STS landings at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) states: 'for scattered cloud layers below 10,000 feet, cloud cover must be observed to be less than or equal to 0.2 at the de-orbit burn go/no-go decision time (approximately 90 minutes before landing time)'. This rule was designed to protect against a ceiling (below 10,000 feet) developing unexpectedly within the next 90 minutes (i.e., after the de-orbit burn decision and before landing). The Applied Meteorological Unit (AMU) developed and analyzed a database of cloud cover amounts and weather conditions at the Shuttle Landing Facility for a five-year (1986-1990) period. The data indicate the best time to land the shuttle at KSC is during the summer while the worst time is during the winter. The analysis also shows the highest frequency of landing opportunities occurs for the 0100-0600 UTC and 1300-1600 UTC time periods. The worst time of the day to land a shuttle is near sunrise and during the afternoon. An evaluation of the two-tenths cloud cover rule for most data categorizations has shown that there is a significant difference in the proportions of weather violations one and two hours subsequent to initial conditions of 0.2 and 0.3 cloud cover. However, for May, Oct., 700 mb northerly wind category, 1500 UTC category, and 1600 UTC category there is some evidence that the 0.2 cloud cover rule may be overly conservative. This possibility requires further investigation. As a result of these analyses, the AMU developed nomograms to help the Spaceflight Meteorological Group (SMG) and the Cape Canaveral Forecast Facility (CCFF) forecast cloud cover for EOM and Return to Launch Site (RTLS) at KSC. Future work will include updating the two tenths database, further analysis of the data for several categorizations, and developing a proof of concept artificial neural network to provide forecast guidance of weather constraint violations for shuttle

Multiple layer insulation cover

DOEpatents

Farrell, James J.; Donohoe, Anthony J.

1981-11-03

A multiple layer insulation cover for preventing heat loss in, for example, a greenhouse, is disclosed. The cover is comprised of spaced layers of thin foil covered fabric separated from each other by air spaces. The spacing is accomplished by the inflation of spaced air bladders which are integrally formed in the cover and to which the layers of the cover are secured. The bladders are inflated after the cover has been deployed in its intended use to separate the layers of the foil material. The sizes of the material layers are selected to compensate for sagging across the width of the cover so that the desired spacing is uniformly maintained when the cover has been deployed. The bladders are deflated as the cover is stored thereby expediting the storage process and reducing the amount of storage space required.

43 CFR 41.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... OF SEX IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES RECEIVING FEDERAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE Procedures § 41.600... to reflect changes in covered programs. Copies of this notice also shall be made available upon...

43 CFR 41.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... OF SEX IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES RECEIVING FEDERAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE Procedures § 41.600... to reflect changes in covered programs. Copies of this notice also shall be made available upon...

43 CFR 41.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... OF SEX IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES RECEIVING FEDERAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE Procedures § 41.600... to reflect changes in covered programs. Copies of this notice also shall be made available upon...

43 CFR 41.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... OF SEX IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES RECEIVING FEDERAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE Procedures § 41.600... to reflect changes in covered programs. Copies of this notice also shall be made available upon...

43 CFR 41.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... OF SEX IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES RECEIVING FEDERAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE Procedures § 41.600... to reflect changes in covered programs. Copies of this notice also shall be made available upon...

Updating the 2001 National Land Cover Database land cover classification to 2006 by using Landsat imagery change detection methods

USGS Publications Warehouse

Xian, George; Homer, Collin G.; Fry, Joyce

2009-01-01

The recent release of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Land Cover Database (NLCD) 2001, which represents the nation's land cover status based on a nominal date of 2001, is widely used as a baseline for national land cover conditions. To enable the updating of this land cover information in a consistent and continuous manner, a prototype method was developed to update land cover by an individual Landsat path and row. This method updates NLCD 2001 to a nominal date of 2006 by using both Landsat imagery and data from NLCD 2001 as the baseline. Pairs of Landsat scenes in the same season in 2001 and 2006 were acquired according to satellite paths and rows and normalized to allow calculation of change vectors between the two dates. Conservative thresholds based on Anderson Level I land cover classes were used to segregate the change vectors and determine areas of change and no-change. Once change areas had been identified, land cover classifications at the full NLCD resolution for 2006 areas of change were completed by sampling from NLCD 2001 in unchanged areas. Methods were developed and tested across five Landsat path/row study sites that contain several metropolitan areas including Seattle, Washington; San Diego, California; Sioux Falls, South Dakota; Jackson, Mississippi; and Manchester, New Hampshire. Results from the five study areas show that the vast majority of land cover change was captured and updated with overall land cover classification accuracies of 78.32%, 87.5%, 88.57%, 78.36%, and 83.33% for these areas. The method optimizes mapping efficiency and has the potential to provide users a flexible method to generate updated land cover at national and regional scales by using NLCD 2001 as the baseline.

[Cover motifs of the Tidsskrift. A 14-year cavalcade].

PubMed

Nylenna, M

1998-12-10

In 1985 the Journal of the Norwegian Medical Association changed its cover policy, moving the table of contents inside the Journal and introducing cover illustrations. This article provides an analysis of all cover illustrations published over this 14-year period, 420 covers in all. There is a great variation in cover motifs and designs and a development towards more general motifs. The initial emphasis on historical and medical aspects is now less pronounced, while the use of works of art and nature motifs has increased, and the cover now more often has a direct bearing on the specific contents of the issue. Professor of medical history Oivind Larsen has photographed two thirds of the covers and contributed 95% of the inside essay-style reflections on the cover motif. Over the years, he has expanded the role of the historian of medicine disseminating knowledge to include that of the raconteur with a personal tone of voice. The Journal's covers are now one of its most characteristic features, emblematic of the Journal's ambition of standing for quality and timelessness vis-à-vis the news media, and of its aim of bridging the gap between medicine and the humanities.

Mine Waste Technology Program Electrochemical Tailings Cover

EPA Science Inventory

This report summarizes the results of Mine Waste Technology Program (MWTP) Activity III, Project 40, Electrochemical Tailings Cover, funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and jointly administered by EPA and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). MSE Technology A...

40 CFR 5.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... BASIS OF SEX IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES RECEIVING FEDERAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE Procedures § 5... programs to reflect changes in covered programs. Copies of this notice also shall be made available upon...

40 CFR 5.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... BASIS OF SEX IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES RECEIVING FEDERAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE Procedures § 5... programs to reflect changes in covered programs. Copies of this notice also shall be made available upon...

40 CFR 5.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... BASIS OF SEX IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES RECEIVING FEDERAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE Procedures § 5... programs to reflect changes in covered programs. Copies of this notice also shall be made available upon...

40 CFR 5.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... BASIS OF SEX IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES RECEIVING FEDERAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE Procedures § 5... programs to reflect changes in covered programs. Copies of this notice also shall be made available upon...

40 CFR 5.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... BASIS OF SEX IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES RECEIVING FEDERAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE Procedures § 5... programs to reflect changes in covered programs. Copies of this notice also shall be made available upon...

Model of land cover change prediction in West Java using cellular automata-Markov chain (CA-MC)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Virtriana, Riantini; Sumarto, Irawan; Deliar, Albertus; Pasaribu, Udjianna S.; Taufik, Moh.

2015-04-01

Land is a fundamental factor that closely related to economic growth and supports the needs of human life. Land-use activity is a major issue and challenge for country planners. The cause of change in land use type activity may be due to socio economic development or due to changes in the environment or may be due to both. In an effort to understand the phenomenon of land cover changes, can be approached through land cover change modelling. Based on the facts and data contained, West Java has a high economic activity that will have an impact on land cover change. CA-MC is a model that used to determine the statistical change probabilistic for each of land cover type from land cover data at different time periods. CA-MC is able to provide the output of land cover type that should occurred. Results from a CA-MC modelling in predicting land cover changes showed an accuracy rate of 95.42%.

Land cover characterization and land surface parameterization research

USGS Publications Warehouse

Steyaert, Louis T.; Loveland, Thomas R.; Parton, William J.

1997-01-01

The understanding of land surface processes and their parameterization in atmospheric, hydrologic, and ecosystem models has been a dominant research theme over the past decade. For example, many studies have demonstrated the key role of land cover characteristics as controlling factors in determining land surface processes, such as the exchange of water, energy, carbon, and trace gases between the land surface and the lower atmosphere. The requirements for multiresolution land cover characteristics data to support coupled-systems modeling have also been well documented, including the need for data on land cover type, land use, and many seasonally variable land cover characteristics, such as albedo, leaf area index, canopy conductance, surface roughness, and net primary productivity. Recently, the developers of land data have worked more closely with the land surface process modelers in these efforts.

Field-Scale Stable-Isotope Probing of Active Methanotrophs in a Landfill-Cover Soil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schroth, M. H.; Henneberger, R.; Chiri, E.

2012-12-01

The greenhouse gas methane (CH4) is an important contributor to global climate change. While its atmospheric concentration is increasing, a large portion of produced CH4 never reaches the atmosphere, but is consumed by aerobic methane-oxidizing bacteria (MOB). The latter are ubiquitous in soils and utilize CH4 as sole source of energy and carbon. Among other methods, MOB may be differentiated based on characteristic phospholipid fatty acids (PLFA). Stable-isotope probing (SIP) on PLFA has been widely applied to identify active members of MOB communities in laboratory incubation studies, but results are often difficult to extrapolate to the field. Thus, novel field-scale approaches are needed to link activity and identity of MOB in their natural environment. We present results of field experiments in which we combined PLFA-SIP with gas push-pull tests (GPPTs) to label active MOB at the field-scale while simultaneously quantifying CH4 oxidation activity. During a SIP-GPPT, a mixture of reactive (here 13CH4, O2) and non-reactive tracer gases (e.g., Ar, Ne, He) is injected into the soil at a location of interest. Thereafter, gas flow is reversed and the gas mixture diluted with soil air is extracted from the same location and sampled periodically. Rate constants for CH4 oxidation can be calculated by analyzing breakthrough curves of 13CH4 and a suitable non-reactive tracer gas. SIP-GPPTs were performed in a landfill-cover soil, and feasibility of this novel approach was tested at several locations along a gradient of MOB activity and soil temperature. Soil samples were collected before and after SIP-GPPTs, total PLFA were extracted, and incorporation of 13C in the polar lipid fraction was analyzed. Potential CH4 oxidation rates derived from SIP-GPPTs were similar to those derived from regular GPPTs (using unlabeled CH4) performed at the same locations prior to SIP-GPPTs, indicating that application of 13CH4 did not adversely affect bacterial CH4 oxidation rates. Rates

Geomorphology and dynamics of supraglacial debris covers in the Western Alps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deline, P.; Gardent, M.; Kirkbride, M. P.; Le Roy, M.; Martin, B.

2012-04-01

In the alpine regions of France and NW Italy, many glaciers of a variety of sizes are at least partly debris-covered, but these have received less scientific research than clean glaciers. During the present period of glacier shrinkage - the area of glacier cover in France has reduced by 26% over the last 40 years -, growing debris cover needs to be understood as an influence on continuing retreat, with consequences for natural hazards, water resources and tourism. We present the results of a combined ongoing study of an inventory of debris-covered glaciers in France with site-specific studies of c. 12 glaciers of contrasting types, in order to understand spatial and temporal changes in supraglacial debris cover. Our specific aims are: 1. To understand the geomorphology of debris-covers and their formation, investigating the types of debris cover in relation to formative processes including extraglacial supply and development during transport. 2. To document the changing extents of supraglacial debris covers, using historical documents and aerial photographs. 3. To interpret areal changes in terms of glaciological and topographical controls on different glacier and debris cover types (catchment morphology, glacier structure, mass balance history, and rock wall collapse magnitude and frequency). 4. To understand the effect of debris cover on glacier dynamics and geomorphological evolution, related to insulation-related modifications to AAR, long profiles, and length changes on both short and long timescales. This includes investigation of the characteristics of debris-covered glacier depositional systems resulting from their modified dynamics.

Covered stent graft for treatment of a pseudoaneurysm and carotid blowout syndrome

PubMed Central

Janjua, Nazli; Alkawi, Ammar; Georgiadis, Alexandros L.; Kirmani, Jawad F.; Qureshi, Adnan I.

2008-01-01

Background Carotid blowout syndrome with pseudoaneurysm, a rapidly progressive pathology, may present emergently with massive oral hemorrhage. Use of an endograft prosthesis offers a treatment strategy with salvation of the carotid artery. Case History: A 55 year old man with advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck presented with recurrent transoral hemorrhage, requiring endovascular treatment. Technical Report: Coil embolization was initially performed with little impact on the hemorrhage. A 7 x 40 mm Fluency® Plus covered stent (Bard Peripheral Vascular, Tempe, Arizona, USA) was placed and was supplemented by a second 8 x 40 mm Fluency Plus stent, with resulting cessation of active contrast extravasation. Discussion: The risks and benefits of various treatment options of carotid pseudoaneurysm with blowout are discussed including the use or omission of antiplatelet and anticoagulant regimens, with reference to previously reported cases. Conclusion: Tandem, overlapping covered stent placement in the common carotid artery is feasible and offers a treatment option for carotid blowout syndrome. Risks of aggravation of hemorrhage versus long-term thromboembolic events without antiplatelet therapy must be considered in cases of active ongoing hemorrhage. PMID:22518207

Land cover change of watersheds in Southern Guam from 1973 to 2001.

PubMed

Wen, Yuming; Khosrowpanah, Shahram; Heitz, Leroy

2011-08-01

Land cover change can be caused by human-induced activities and natural forces. Land cover change in watershed level has been a main concern for a long time in the world since watersheds play an important role in our life and environment. This paper is focused on how to apply Landsat Multi-Spectral Scanner (MSS) satellite image of 1973 and Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) satellite image of 2001 to determine the land cover changes of coastal watersheds from 1973 to 2001. GIS and remote sensing are integrated to derive land cover information from Landsat satellite images of 1973 and 2001. The land cover classification is based on supervised classification method in remote sensing software ERDAS IMAGINE. Historical GIS data is used to replace the areas covered by clouds or shadows in the image of 1973 to improve classification accuracy. Then, temporal land cover is utilized to determine land cover change of coastal watersheds in southern Guam. The overall classification accuracies for Landsat MSS image of 1973 and Landsat TM image of 2001 are 82.74% and 90.42%, respectively. The overall classification of Landsat MSS image is particularly satisfactory considering its coarse spatial resolution and relatively bad data quality because of lots of clouds and shadows in the image. Watershed land cover change in southern Guam is affected greatly by anthropogenic activities. However, natural forces also affect land cover in space and time. Land cover information and change in watersheds can be applied for watershed management and planning, and environmental modeling and assessment. Based on spatio-temporal land cover information, the interaction behavior between human and environment may be evaluated. The findings in this research will be useful to similar research in other tropical islands.

Rye cover crop effects on direct and indirect nitrous oxide emissions

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Winter cover crops can have a pronounced effect on N cycling in agricultural ecosystems. By reducing available soil mineral N during active growth and by providing a substrate for denitrifying bacteria after they are killed, cover crops can potentially influence soil N2O emissions. However, there ha...

Possible external sources of terrestrial cloud cover variability: the solar wind

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Voiculescu, Mirela; Usoskin, Ilya; Condurache-Bota, Simona

2014-05-01

Cloud cover plays an important role in the terrestrial radiation budget. The possible influence of the solar activity on cloud cover is still an open question with contradictory answers. An extraterrestrial factor potentially affecting the cloud cover is related to fields associated with solar wind. We focus here on a derived quantity, the interplanetary electric field (IEF), defined as the product between the solar wind speed and the meridional component, Bz, of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) in the Geocentric Solar Magnetospheric (GSM) system. We show that cloud cover at mid-high latitudes systematically correlates with positive IEF, which has a clear energetic input into the atmosphere, but not with negative IEF, in general agreement with predictions of the global electric circuit (GEC)-related mechanism. Since the IEF responds differently to solar activity than, for instance, cosmic ray flux or solar irradiance, we also show that such a study allows distinguishing one solar-driven mechanism of cloud evolution, via the GEC, from others. We also present results showing that the link between cloud cover and IMF varies depending on composition and altitude of clouds.

Focusing on Concepts by Covering Them Simultaneously

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shwartz, Pete

2017-01-01

"Parallel" pedagogy covers the four mechanics concepts of momentum, energy, forces, and kinematics simultaneously instead of building each concept on an understanding of the previous one. Course content is delivered through interactive videos, allowing class time for group work and student-centered activities. We start with simple…

Ground cover management in walnut and other hardwood plantings

Treesearch

J.W. Van Sambeek; H.E. Garrett

2004-01-01

Ground cover management in walnut plantings and established stands can include (1) manipulating the resident vegetation, (2) mechanical control, (3) chemical control, (4) mulching, (5) planting cover crops, or (6) interplanting woody nurse crops. Data from over 110 reports were used to compile a database that compared growth of black walnut and other hardwoods under...

RSRM top hat cover simulator lightning test, volume 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1990-01-01

The test sequence was to measure electric and magnetic fields induced inside a redesigned solid rocket motor case when a simulated lightning discharge strikes an exposed top hat cover simulator. The test sequence was conducted between 21 June and 17 July 1990. Thirty-six high rate-of-rise Marx generator discharges and eight high current bank discharges were injected onto three different test article configurations. Attach points included three locations on the top hat cover simulator and two locations on the mounting bolts. Top hat cover simulator and mounting bolt damage and grain cover damage was observed. Overall electric field levels were well below 30 kilowatts/meter. Electric field levels ranged from 184.7 to 345.9 volts/meter and magnetic field levels were calculated from 6.921 to 39.73 amperes/meter. It is recommended that the redesigned solid rocket motor top hat cover be used in Configuration 1 or Configuration 2 as an interim lightning protection device until a lightweight cover can be designed.

Microbial community structure and abundance in the rhizosphere and bulk soil of a tomato cropping system that includes cover crops

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

In this report we use Terminal Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphisms (TRFLP) in a tomato production system to “finger printing” the soil microbial community structure with Phylum specific primer sets. Factors influencing the soil microbes are a cover crop of Hairy Vetch (Vicia villosa) or Rye (...

The association between urban tree cover and gun assault: A case-control and case-crossover study

Treesearch

Michelle C. Kondo; Eugenia C. South; Charles C. Branas; Therese S. Richmond; Douglas J. Wiebe

2017-01-01

Green space and vegetation may play a protective role against urban violence. We investigated whether being near urban tree cover during outdoor activities was related to being assaulted with a gun. We conducted geographic information systems–assisted interviews with boys andmen aged 10–24 years in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, including 135 patients who had been shot...

Air plasma treatment of liquid covered tissue: long timescale chemistry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lietz, Amanda M.; Kushner, Mark J.

2016-10-01

Atmospheric pressure plasmas have shown great promise for the treatment of wounds and cancerous tumors. In these applications, the sample is usually covered by a thin layer of a biological liquid. The reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) generated by the plasma activate and are processed by the liquid before the plasma produced activation reaches the tissue. The synergy between the plasma and the liquid, including evaporation and the solvation of ions and neutrals, is critical to understanding the outcome of plasma treatment. The atmospheric pressure plasma sources used in these procedures are typically repetitively pulsed. The processes activated by the plasma sources have multiple timescales—from a few ns during the discharge pulse to many minutes for reactions in the liquid. In this paper we discuss results from a computational investigation of plasma-liquid interactions and liquid phase chemistry using a global model with the goal of addressing this large dynamic range in timescales. In modeling air plasmas produced by a dielectric barrier discharge over liquid covered tissue, 5000 voltage pulses were simulated, followed by 5 min of afterglow. Due to the accumulation of long-lived species such as ozone and N x O y , the gas phase dynamics of the 5000th discharge pulse are different from those of the first pulse, particularly with regards to the negative ions. The consequences of applied voltage, gas flow, pulse repetition frequency, and the presence of organic molecules in the liquid on the gas and liquid reactive species are discussed.

14 CFR 120.215 - Covered employees.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... AND OPERATORS FOR COMPENSATION OR HIRE: CERTIFICATION AND OPERATIONS DRUG AND ALCOHOL TESTING PROGRAM Alcohol Testing Program Requirements § 120.215 Covered employees. (a) Each employee, including any... in this subpart must be subject to alcohol testing under an alcohol testing program implemented in...

14 CFR 120.215 - Covered employees.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... AND OPERATORS FOR COMPENSATION OR HIRE: CERTIFICATION AND OPERATIONS DRUG AND ALCOHOL TESTING PROGRAM Alcohol Testing Program Requirements § 120.215 Covered employees. (a) Each employee, including any... in this subpart must be subject to alcohol testing under an alcohol testing program implemented in...

14 CFR 120.215 - Covered employees.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... AND OPERATORS FOR COMPENSATION OR HIRE: CERTIFICATION AND OPERATIONS DRUG AND ALCOHOL TESTING PROGRAM Alcohol Testing Program Requirements § 120.215 Covered employees. (a) Each employee, including any... in this subpart must be subject to alcohol testing under an alcohol testing program implemented in...

Electrochemical monitoring of native catalase activity in skin using skin covered oxygen electrode.

PubMed

Nocchi, Sarah; Björklund, Sebastian; Svensson, Birgitta; Engblom, Johan; Ruzgas, Tautgirdas

2017-07-15

A skin covered oxygen electrode, SCOE, was constructed with the aim to study the enzyme catalase, which is part of the biological antioxidative system present in skin. The electrode was exposed to different concentrations of H 2 O 2 and the amperometric current response was recorded. The observed current is due to H 2 O 2 penetration through the outermost skin barrier (referred to as the stratum corneum, SC) and subsequent catalytic generation of O 2 by catalase present in the underlying viable epidermis and dermis. By tape-stripping the outermost skin layers we demonstrate that SC is a considerable diffusion barrier for H 2 O 2 penetration. Our experiments also indicate that skin contains a substantial amount of catalase, which is sufficient to detoxify H 2 O 2 that reaches the viable epidermis after exposure of skin to high concentrations of peroxide (0.5-1mM H 2 O 2 ). Further, we demonstrate that the catalase activity is reduced at acidic pH, as compared with the activity at pH 7.4. Finally, experiments with often used penetration enhancer thymol shows that this compound interferes with the catalase reaction. Health aspect of this is briefly discussed. Summarizing, the results of this work show that the SCOE can be utilized to study a broad spectrum of issues involving the function of skin catalase in particular, and the native biological antioxidative system in skin in general. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Output-increasing, protective cover for a solar cell

DOEpatents

Hammerbacher, Milfred D.

1995-11-21

A flexible cover (14) for a flexible solar cell (12) protects the cell from the ambient and increases the cell's efficiency. The cell(12)includes silicon spheres (16) held in a flexible aluminum sheet matrix (20,22). The cover (14) is a flexible, protective layer (60) of light-transparent material having a relatively flat upper, free surface (64) and an irregular opposed surface (66). The irregular surface (66) includes first portions (68) which conform to the polar regions (31R) of the spheres (16) and second convex (72) or concave (90) portions (72 or 90) which define spaces (78) in conjunction with the reflective surface (20T) of one aluminum sheet (20). Without the cover (14) light (50) falling on the surface (20T) between the spheres (16) is wasted, that is, it does not fall on a sphere (16). The surfaces of the second portions are non-parallel to the direction of the otherwise wasted light (50), which fact, together with a selected relationship between the refractive indices of the cover and the spaces, result in sufficient diffraction of the otherwise wasted light (50) so that about 25% of it is reflected from the surface (20T) onto a sphere (16).

Improvements to the FATOLA computer program including added actively controlled landing gear subroutines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mall, G. H.

1983-01-01

Modifications to a multi-degree-of-freedom flexible aircraft take-off and landing analysis (FATOLA) computer program, including a provision for actively controlled landing gears to expand the programs simulation capabilities, are presented. Supplemental instructions for preparation of data and for use of the modified program are included.

An Analysis of the Learning Activities Covered in the 5th Grade Science Textbooks Based on 2005 and 2013 Turkish Science Curricula

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aydogdu, Cemil; Idin, Sahin

2015-01-01

The aim of this study is to analyze the learning activities covered in 5th grade elementary science textbooks which depend on 2005 and 2013 elementary science curricula. Two elementary science textbooks depends on 2005 science curriculum and two elementary science textbooks depend on 2013 science curriculum were researched. The study is a…

An Analysis of the Learning Activities Covered in the 5th Grade Science Textbooks Based on 2005 and 2013 Turkish Science Curricula

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Aydogdu, Cemil; Idin, Sahin

2015-01-01

The aim of this study is to analyze the learning activities covered in 5th grade elementary science textbooks which depend on 2005 and 2013 elementary science curricula. Two elementary science textbooks [which] depend on 2005 science curriculum and two elementary science textbooks [which] depend on 2013 science curriculum were researched. The…

Application of Biofilm Covered Activated Carbon Particles as a Microbial Inoculum Delivery System for Enhanced Bioaugmentation of PCBs in Contaminated Sediment

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-09-01

after anaerobic digestion at thermophilic conditions (60- 70C). Application of biofilm covered activated carbon particles as a microbial inoculum...Sludge Thickener; Sludge = Sludge after anaerobic digestion at thermophilic conditions (60- 70C). C3. Microscopic evaluation of dechlorinating...associated enzymes are capable of opening the biphenyl ring structure and transform the molecule into a linear structure, this changed structure was not

Livelihood profiling and sensitivity of livelihood strategies to land cover dynamics and agricultural variability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berchoux, Tristan; Hutton, Craig; Watmough, Gary; Amoako Johnson, Fiifi; Atkinson, Peter

2017-04-01

With population increase and the urbanisation of rural areas, land scarcity is one of the biggest challenges now faced by communities in agrarian societies. At the household level, loss of land can be due to physical processes such as erosion, to social constraints such as inheritance, or to financial constraints such as loan reimbursement or the need of cash. For rural households, whose livelihoods are mainly based on agriculture, a decrease in the area of land cultivated can have significant consequences on their livelihood strategies, thus on their livelihood outcomes. However, it is still unclear how changes in cultivated area and agricultural productivity influence households' livelihood systems, including community capitals and households' livelihood strategies. This study aims to answer this gap by combining together earth observation from space, national census and participatory qualitative data into a community-wise analysis of the relationships between land cover dynamics, variability in agricultural production and livelihood activities. Its overarching aim is to investigate how land cover dynamics relates to changes in livelihood strategies and livelihood capitals. The study demonstrates that a change in land cover influences livelihood activities differently depending on the community capitals that households have access to. One significant aspect of integrating land dynamics with livelihood activities is its capacity to provide insights on the relationships between climate, agriculture, livelihood dynamics and rural development. More broadly, it gives policymakers new methods to characterise livelihood dynamics, thus to monitor some of the key Sustainable Development Goals: food security (SDG2), employment dynamics (SDG8), inequalities (SDG10) and sustainability of communities (SDG11).

MODIS land cover uncertainty in regional climate simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Xue; Messina, Joseph P.; Moore, Nathan J.; Fan, Peilei; Shortridge, Ashton M.

2017-12-01

MODIS land cover datasets are used extensively across the climate modeling community, but inherent uncertainties and associated propagating impacts are rarely discussed. This paper modeled uncertainties embedded within the annual MODIS Land Cover Type (MCD12Q1) products and propagated these uncertainties through the Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (RAMS). First, land cover uncertainties were modeled using pixel-based trajectory analyses from a time series of MCD12Q1 for Urumqi, China. Second, alternative land cover maps were produced based on these categorical uncertainties and passed into RAMS. Finally, simulations from RAMS were analyzed temporally and spatially to reveal impacts. Our study found that MCD12Q1 struggles to discriminate between grasslands and croplands or grasslands and barren in this study area. Such categorical uncertainties have significant impacts on regional climate model outputs. All climate variables examined demonstrated impact across the various regions, with latent heat flux affected most with a magnitude of 4.32 W/m2 in domain average. Impacted areas were spatially connected to locations of greater land cover uncertainty. Both biophysical characteristics and soil moisture settings in regard to land cover types contribute to the variations among simulations. These results indicate that formal land cover uncertainty analysis should be included in MCD12Q1-fed climate modeling as a routine procedure.

Multidecadal Changes in Near-Global Cloud Cover and Estimated Cloud Cover Radiative Forcing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Norris, Joel

2005-01-01

The first paper was Multidecadal changes in near-global cloud cover and estimated cloud cover radiative forcing, by J. R. Norris (2005, J. Geophys. Res. - Atmos., 110, D08206, doi: lO.l029/2004JD005600). This study examined variability in zonal mean surface-observed upper-level (combined midlevel and high-level) and low-level cloud cover over land during 1971-1 996 and over ocean during 1952-1997. These data were averaged from individual synoptic reports in the Extended Edited Cloud Report Archive (EECRA). Although substantial interdecadal variability is present in the time series, long-term decreases in upper-level cloud cover occur over land and ocean at low and middle latitudes in both hemispheres. Near-global upper-level cloud cover declined by 1.5%-sky-cover over land between 1971 and 1996 and by 1.3%-sky-cover over ocean between 1952 and 1997. Consistency between EECRA upper-level cloud cover anomalies and those from the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project (ISCCP) during 1984-1 997 suggests the surface-observed trends are real. The reduction in surface-observed upper-level cloud cover between the 1980s and 1990s is also consistent with the decadal increase in all-sky outgoing longwave radiation reported by the Earth Radiation Budget Satellite (EMS). Discrepancies occur between time series of EECRA and ISCCP low-level cloud cover due to identified and probable artifacts in satellite and surface cloud data. Radiative effects of surface-observed cloud cover anomalies, called "cloud cover radiative forcing (CCRF) anomalies," are estimated based on a linear relationship to climatological cloud radiative forcing per unit cloud cover. Zonal mean estimated longwave CCRF has decreased over most of the globe. Estimated shortwave CCRF has become slightly stronger over northern midlatitude oceans and slightly weaker over northern midlatitude land areas. A long-term decline in the magnitude of estimated shortwave CCRF occurs over low-latitude land and ocean

Vineyard microclimate and yield under different plastic covers.

PubMed

Holcman, Ester; Sentelhas, Paulo Cesar; Conceição, Marco Antônio Fonseca; Couto, Hilton Thadeu Zarate

2018-06-01

The use of plastic cover in vineyards minimizes effects of adverse weather conditions. The northwest of São Paulo State is one of the largest grape producing regions in Brazil; however, few studies investigate the effects of different plastic covers on vineyards in this region. This study compared the effect of black shading screen (BSS) and braided polypropylene film (BPF) on BRS Morena vineyard microclimate, grown on an overhead trellis system in the northwestern São Paulo. The experiments were carried out during three growing seasons (2012-2014). BSS allowed superior incoming solar radiation (SR) transmissivity, resulting in higher net radiation (Rn), and higher ratio between photosynthetically active (PAR) and SR. No differences were observed between the average air temperatures (T) and relative humidity (RH) of covered environments (BPF and BSS) and outside condition (automatic weather station-AWS), due to high air circulation, despite wind speed (WS) reduction caused by plastic covers. BPF provided better conditions for vineyard growth with higher fruit yield than vineyard under BSS regarding the number of shoots with bunches per plant, bunch and stem weights, longitudinal diameter of berries, quantity of fertile buds per shoot, and yield per shoot and per plant. BPF covers also influenced leaf size and growth speed of plants in vineyards.

Vineyard microclimate and yield under different plastic covers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holcman, Ester; Sentelhas, Paulo Cesar; Conceição, Marco Antônio Fonseca; Couto, Hilton Thadeu Zarate

2017-12-01

The use of plastic cover in vineyards minimizes effects of adverse weather conditions. The northwest of São Paulo State is one of the largest grape producing regions in Brazil; however, few studies investigate the effects of different plastic covers on vineyards in this region. This study compared the effect of black shading screen (BSS) and braided polypropylene film (BPF) on BRS Morena vineyard microclimate, grown on an overhead trellis system in the northwestern São Paulo. The experiments were carried out during three growing seasons (2012-2014). BSS allowed superior incoming solar radiation (SR) transmissivity, resulting in higher net radiation (Rn), and higher ratio between photosynthetically active (PAR) and SR. No differences were observed between the average air temperatures (T) and relative humidity (RH) of covered environments (BPF and BSS) and outside condition (automatic weather station-AWS), due to high air circulation, despite wind speed (WS) reduction caused by plastic covers. BPF provided better conditions for vineyard growth with higher fruit yield than vineyard under BSS regarding the number of shoots with bunches per plant, bunch and stem weights, longitudinal diameter of berries, quantity of fertile buds per shoot, and yield per shoot and per plant. BPF covers also influenced leaf size and growth speed of plants in vineyards.

Vineyard microclimate and yield under different plastic covers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holcman, Ester; Sentelhas, Paulo Cesar; Conceição, Marco Antônio Fonseca; Couto, Hilton Thadeu Zarate

2018-06-01

The use of plastic cover in vineyards minimizes effects of adverse weather conditions. The northwest of São Paulo State is one of the largest grape producing regions in Brazil; however, few studies investigate the effects of different plastic covers on vineyards in this region. This study compared the effect of black shading screen (BSS) and braided polypropylene film (BPF) on BRS Morena vineyard microclimate, grown on an overhead trellis system in the northwestern São Paulo. The experiments were carried out during three growing seasons (2012-2014). BSS allowed superior incoming solar radiation (SR) transmissivity, resulting in higher net radiation (Rn), and higher ratio between photosynthetically active (PAR) and SR. No differences were observed between the average air temperatures (T) and relative humidity (RH) of covered environments (BPF and BSS) and outside condition (automatic weather station-AWS), due to high air circulation, despite wind speed (WS) reduction caused by plastic covers. BPF provided better conditions for vineyard growth with higher fruit yield than vineyard under BSS regarding the number of shoots with bunches per plant, bunch and stem weights, longitudinal diameter of berries, quantity of fertile buds per shoot, and yield per shoot and per plant. BPF covers also influenced leaf size and growth speed of plants in vineyards.

Towards Seamless Validation of Land Cover Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chuprikova, Ekaterina; Liebel, Lukas; Meng, Liqiu

2018-05-01

This article demonstrates the ability of the Bayesian Network analysis for the recognition of uncertainty patterns associated with the fusion of various land cover data sets including GlobeLand30, CORINE (CLC2006, Germany) and land cover data derived from Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) such as Open Street Map (OSM). The results of recognition are expressed as probability and uncertainty maps which can be regarded as a by-product of the GlobeLand30 data. The uncertainty information may guide the quality improvement of GlobeLand30 by involving the ground truth data, information with superior quality, the know-how of experts and the crowd intelligence. Such an endeavor aims to pave a way towards a seamless validation of global land cover data on the one hand and a targeted knowledge discovery in areas with higher uncertainty values on the other hand.

Effects of spatial resolution and landscape structure on land cover characterization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Wenli

This dissertation addressed problems in scaling, problems that are among the main challenges in remote sensing. The principal objective of the research was to investigate the effects of changing spatial scale on the representation of land cover. A second objective was to determine the relationship between such effects, characteristics of landscape structure and scaling procedures. Four research issues related to spatial scaling were examined. They included: (1) the upscaling of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI); (2) the effects of spatial scale on indices of landscape structure; (3) the representation of land cover databases at different spatial scales; and (4) the relationships between landscape indices and land cover area estimations. The overall bias resulting from non-linearity of NDVI in relation to spatial resolution is generally insignificant as compared to other factors such as influences of aerosols and water vapor. The bias is, however, related to land surface characteristics. Significant errors may be introduced in heterogeneous areas where different land cover types exhibit strong spectral contrast. Spatially upscaled SPOT and TM NDVIs have information content comparable with the AVHRR-derived NDVI. Indices of landscape structure and spatial resolution are generally related, but the exact forms of the relationships are subject to changes in other factors including the basic patch unit constituting a landscape and the proportional area of foreground land cover under consideration. The extent of agreement between spatially aggregated coarse resolution land cover datasets and full resolution datasets changes with the properties of the original datasets, including the pixel size and class definition. There are close relationships between landscape structure and class areas estimated from spatially aggregated land cover databases. The relationships, however, do not permit extension from one area to another. Inversion calibration across different

Criterion-Validity of Commercially Available Physical Activity Tracker to Estimate Step Count, Covered Distance and Energy Expenditure during Sports Conditions

PubMed Central

Wahl, Yvonne; Düking, Peter; Droszez, Anna; Wahl, Patrick; Mester, Joachim

2017-01-01

Background: In the past years, there was an increasing development of physical activity tracker (Wearables). For recreational people, testing of these devices under walking or light jogging conditions might be sufficient. For (elite) athletes, however, scientific trustworthiness needs to be given for a broad spectrum of velocities or even fast changes in velocities reflecting the demands of the sport. Therefore, the aim was to evaluate the validity of eleven Wearables for monitoring step count, covered distance and energy expenditure (EE) under laboratory conditions with different constant and varying velocities. Methods: Twenty healthy sport students (10 men, 10 women) performed a running protocol consisting of four 5 min stages of different constant velocities (4.3; 7.2; 10.1; 13.0 km·h−1), a 5 min period of intermittent velocity, and a 2.4 km outdoor run (10.1 km·h−1) while wearing eleven different Wearables (Bodymedia Sensewear, Beurer AS 80, Polar Loop, Garmin Vivofit, Garmin Vivosmart, Garmin Vivoactive, Garmin Forerunner 920XT, Fitbit Charge, Fitbit Charge HR, Xaomi MiBand, Withings Pulse Ox). Step count, covered distance, and EE were evaluated by comparing each Wearable with a criterion method (Optogait system and manual counting for step count, treadmill for covered distance and indirect calorimetry for EE). Results: All Wearables, except Bodymedia Sensewear, Polar Loop, and Beurer AS80, revealed good validity (small MAPE, good ICC) for all constant and varying velocities for monitoring step count. For covered distance, all Wearables showed a very low ICC (<0.1) and high MAPE (up to 50%), revealing no good validity. The measurement of EE was acceptable for the Garmin, Fitbit and Withings Wearables (small to moderate MAPE), while Bodymedia Sensewear, Polar Loop, and Beurer AS80 showed a high MAPE up to 56% for all test conditions. Conclusion: In our study, most Wearables provide an acceptable level of validity for step counts at different constant and

15 CFR 8a.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... BASIS OF SEX IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES RECEIVING FEDERAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE Procedures § 8a... programs to reflect changes in covered programs. Copies of this notice also shall be made available upon...

15 CFR 8a.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... BASIS OF SEX IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES RECEIVING FEDERAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE Procedures § 8a... programs to reflect changes in covered programs. Copies of this notice also shall be made available upon...

15 CFR 8a.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... BASIS OF SEX IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES RECEIVING FEDERAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE Procedures § 8a... programs to reflect changes in covered programs. Copies of this notice also shall be made available upon...

15 CFR 8a.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... BASIS OF SEX IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES RECEIVING FEDERAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE Procedures § 8a... programs to reflect changes in covered programs. Copies of this notice also shall be made available upon...

15 CFR 8a.600 - Notice of covered programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... BASIS OF SEX IN EDUCATION PROGRAMS OR ACTIVITIES RECEIVING FEDERAL FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE Procedures § 8a... programs to reflect changes in covered programs. Copies of this notice also shall be made available upon...

Cover Your Cough

MedlinePlus

... KB] Spanish [153 KB] Cover Your Cough, Flyer & Poster for Health Care Settings Flyer : English Portuguese [268 ... KB] Chinese [246 KB] Cover Your Cough, Flyer & Poster for Community and Public Settings Flyer : English Portuguese [ ...

Guide for In-Place Treatment of Covered and Timber Bridges

Treesearch

Stan Lebow; Grant Kirker; Robert White; Terry Amburgey; H. Michael Barnes; Michael Sanders; Jeff Morrell

2012-01-01

Historic covered bridges and current timber bridges can be vulnerable to damage from biodeterioration or fire. This guide describes procedures for selecting and applying in-place treatments to prevent or arrest these forms of degradation. Vulnerable areas for biodeterioration in covered bridges include members contacting abutments, members near the ends of bridges...

A comparison of the light-reduction capacity of commonly used incubator covers.

PubMed

Lee, Yi-Hui; Malakooti, Nima; Lotas, Marilyn

2005-01-01

The use of incubator covers to enhance preterm infants' rest and recovery is common in the NICU. However, the kinds of covers used vary extensively among and within nurseries. Few data exist on the effectiveness of different types of covers in reducing light levels to the infant. This study compared several types of commonly used incubator covers as to efficacy of light reduction. A descriptive, comparative design was used in this study. Twenty-three incubator covers were tested, including professional, receiving blanket, hand-crocheted, three-layer quilt, and flannel. The percentage of light level reduction of different incubator covers under various ambient light level settings. The amount of light reduction provided by incubator covers varies depending on type of fabric as well as percentage of incubator surface shielded by the cover. Dark-colored covers provided greater light reduction than bright/light-colored covers when covers identical in fabric type were compared. The light-reduction efficiency of the covers varied depending on the level of ambient light. Covers provided less light reduction in higher ambient light levels.

Dimer covering and percolation frustration.

PubMed

Haji-Akbari, Amir; Haji-Akbari, Nasim; Ziff, Robert M

2015-09-01

Covering a graph or a lattice with nonoverlapping dimers is a problem that has received considerable interest in areas, such as discrete mathematics, statistical physics, chemistry, and materials science. Yet, the problem of percolation on dimer-covered lattices has received little attention. In particular, percolation on lattices that are fully covered by nonoverlapping dimers has not evidently been considered. Here, we propose a procedure for generating random dimer coverings of a given lattice. We then compute the bond percolation threshold on random and ordered coverings of the square and the triangular lattices on the remaining bonds connecting the dimers. We obtain p_{c}=0.367713(2) and p_{c}=0.235340(1) for random coverings of the square and the triangular lattices, respectively. We observe that the percolation frustration induced as a result of dimer covering is larger in the low-coordination-number square lattice. There is also no relationship between the existence of long-range order in a covering of the square lattice and its percolation threshold. In particular, an ordered covering of the square lattice, denoted by shifted covering in this paper, has an unusually low percolation threshold and is topologically identical to the triangular lattice. This is in contrast to the other ordered dimer coverings considered in this paper, which have higher percolation thresholds than the random covering. In the case of the triangular lattice, the percolation thresholds of the ordered and random coverings are very close, suggesting the lack of sensitivity of the percolation threshold to microscopic details of the covering in highly coordinated networks.

Mean species cover: a harmonized indicator of shrub cover for forest inventories

Treesearch

Iciar Alberdi; Sonia Condés; Ronald E. Mcroberts; Susanne Winter

2018-01-01

Because shrub cover is related to many forest ecosystem functions, it is one of the most relevant variables for describing these communities. Nevertheless, a harmonized indicator of shrub cover for large-scale reporting is lacking. The aims of the study were threefold: to define a shrub indicator that can be used by European countries for harmonized shrub cover...

Percent canopy cover and stand structure statistics from the Forest Vegetation Simulator

Treesearch

Nicholas L. Crookston; Albert R. Stage

1999-01-01

Estimates of percent canopy cover generated by the Forest Vegetation Simulator (FVS) are corrected for crown overlap using an equation presented in this paper. A comparison of the new cover estimate to some others is provided. The cover estimate is one of several describing stand structure. The structure descriptors also include major species, ranges of diameters, tree...

Land-Cover Change in the Central Irregular Plains, 1973-2000

USGS Publications Warehouse

Karstensen, Krista A.

2009-01-01

Spearheaded by the Geographic Analysis and Monitoring Program of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in collaboration with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Land Cover Trends is a research project focused on understanding the rates, trends, causes, and consequences of contemporary United States land-use and land-cover change. Using the EPA Level III ecoregions as the geographic framework, scientists process geospatial data collected between 1973 and 2000 to characterize ecosystem responses to land-use changes. The 27-year study period was divided into five temporal periods: 1973-1980, 1980-1986, 1986-1992, 1992-2000 and 1973-2000. General land-cover classes for these periods were interpreted from Landsat Multispectral Scanner, Thematic Mapper, and Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus imagery to categorize land-cover change and evaluate using a modified Anderson Land Use Land Cover Classification System for image interpretation. The rates of land-cover change are estimated using a stratified, random sampling of 10-kilometer (km) by 10-km blocks allocated within each ecoregion. For each sample block, satellite images are used to interpret land-cover change. Additionally, historical aerial photographs from similar timeframes and other ancillary data such as census statistics and published literature are used. The sample block data are then incorporated into statistical analyses to generate an overall change matrix for the ecoregion. These change statistics are applicable for different levels of scale, including total change for the individual sample blocks and change estimates for the entire ecoregion. The results illustrate that there is no single profile of land-cover change but instead point to geographic variability that results from land uses within ecoregions continuously adapting to various factors including environmental, technological, and socioeconomic.

Optimization of composite sandwich cover panels subjected to compressive loadings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cruz, Juan R.

1991-01-01

An analysis and design method is presented for the design of composite sandwich cover panels that includes transverse shear effects and damage tolerance considerations. This method is incorporated into an optimization program called SANDOP (SANDwich OPtimization). SANDOP is used in the present study to design optimized composite sandwich cover panels for transport aircraft wing applications as a demonstration of its capabilities. The results of this design study indicate that optimized composite sandwich cover panels have approximately the same structural efficiency as stiffened composite cover panels designed to identical constraints. Results indicate that inplane stiffness requirements have a large effect on the weight of these composite sandwich cover panels at higher load levels. Increasing the maximum allowable strain and the upper percentage limit of the 0 degree and plus or minus 45 degree plies can yield significant weight savings. The results show that the structural efficiency of these optimized composite sandwich cover panels is relatively insensitive to changes in core density.

Cloud cover estimation: Use of GOES imagery in development of cloud cover data base for insolation assessment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Huning, J. R.; Logan, T. L.; Smith, J. H.

1982-01-01

The potential of using digital satellite data to establish a cloud cover data base for the United States, one that would provide detailed information on the temporal and spatial variability of cloud development are studied. Key elements include: (1) interfacing GOES data from the University of Wisconsin Meteorological Data Facility with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory's VICAR image processing system and IBIS geographic information system; (2) creation of a registered multitemporal GOES data base; (3) development of a simple normalization model to compensate for sun angle; (4) creation of a variable size georeference grid that provides detailed cloud information in selected areas and summarized information in other areas; and (5) development of a cloud/shadow model which details the percentage of each grid cell that is cloud and shadow covered, and the percentage of cloud or shadow opacity. In addition, comparison of model calculations of insolation with measured values at selected test sites was accomplished, as well as development of preliminary requirements for a large scale data base of cloud cover statistics.

Integrated assessment of land use and cover changes in the Malagarasi river catchment in Tanzania

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kashaigili, J. J.; Majaliwa, A. M.

Malagarasi river catchment represents one of the largest and most significant transboundary natural ecosystems in Africa. The catchment constitutes about one third of the catchment area of Lake Tanganyika and contains ecosystems of both national and international importance (i.e. Muyovozi Wetland Ramsar site). It has been increasingly said that increased anthropogenic activities have had negative impacts on the Muyovozi wetland in particular and other catchment resources. Nevertheless, these beliefs are little supported by quantitative data. A study on the dynamics of land use and cover in the Malagarasi river catchment therefore investigated long-term and seasonal changes that have occurred as a result of human activities in the area for the periods between 1984 and 2001. Landsat TM and ETM+ images were used to locate and quantify the changes. Perceptions of local people on historical changes and drivers for the changes were also collected and integrated in the assessment. The study revealed a significant change in land use and cover within a period of 18 year. Between 1984 and 2001, the woodland and wetland vegetation covers declined by 0.09% and 2.51% per year. Areas with settlements and cultivation increased by 1.05% annually while bushed grassland increased at 1.93% annually. The perceived principal drivers for the changes were found to include fire, cultivation along rivers and lake shores, overgrazing, poor law enforcement, insufficient knowledge on environmental issues, increasing poverty, deforestation and population growth. The human population growth rate stands at 4.8% against a national figure of 2.9%. The most perceived environmental problems include drying of streams and rivers, change in rainfall, loss of soil fertility, soil erosion and reduced crop yield. The study concludes that, there has been significant changes in land use and cover in the catchment and these require concerted actions to reverse the changes. The study highlights the importance

Cover crops for Alabama

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Cover crops are grown to benefit the following crop as well as to improve the soil, but they are normally not intended for harvest. Selecting the right cover crops for farming operations can improve yields, soil and water conservation and quality, and economic productivity. Properly managed cover ...

Thematic Accuracy Assessment of the 2011 National Land Cover Database (NLCD)

EPA Science Inventory

Accuracy assessment is a standard protocol of National Land Cover Database (NLCD) mapping. Here we report agreement statistics between map and reference labels for NLCD 2011, which includes land cover for ca. 2001, ca. 2006, and ca. 2011. The two main objectives were assessment o...

West Africa land use and land cover time series

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cotillon, Suzanne E.

2017-02-16

Started in 1999, the West Africa Land Use Dynamics project represents an effort to map land use and land cover, characterize the trends in time and space, and understand their effects on the environment across West Africa. The outcome of the West Africa Land Use Dynamics project is the production of a three-time period (1975, 2000, and 2013) land use and land cover dataset for the Sub-Saharan region of West Africa, including the Cabo Verde archipelago. The West Africa Land Use Land Cover Time Series dataset offers a unique basis for characterizing and analyzing land changes across the region, systematically and at an unprecedented level of detail.

Cover crops increase foraging activity of omnivorous predators in seed patches and facilitate weed biological control

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Omnivores are important consumers of both weed seeds and insect pests, and habitat provisions like cover crops are suggested to promote their ecosystem services in agricultural systems. However, few studies establish direct links between cover, food, and pest suppression because they are entangled a...

Revealing Land Cover Change in California With Satellite Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Potter, Christopher; Genovese, Vanessa; Gross, Peggy; Boriah, Shyam; Steinbach, Michael; Kumar, Vipin

2007-06-01

The conversion of natural land cover into human-dominated cover types continues to be a change of global proportions with many unknown environmental consequences. Noteworthy conversions of this type include tree stand harvests in forested regions, urbanization, and agricultural intensification in former woodland and natural grassland areas. Determining where, when, and why natural ecosystem conversions occur is a crucial scientific concern [Foley et al., 2005]. Characteristics of the land cover can have important impacts on local climate, radiation balance, biogeochemistry, hydrology and the diversity and abundance of terrestrial species [Randerson et al., 2006]. Consequently, understanding trends in land cover conversion at local scales is a requirement for making useful numerical predictions about other regional and global changes. It is urgent that accurate, timely, and economical tools be made available to document these conversions and aid in the management of their impacts.

Coordination and standardization of federal sedimentation activities

USGS Publications Warehouse

Glysson, G. Douglas; Gray, John R.

1997-01-01

- precipitation information critical to water resources management. Memorandum M-92-01 covers primarily freshwater bodies and includes activities, such as "development and distribution of consensus standards, field-data collection and laboratory analytical methods, data processing and interpretation, data-base management, quality control and quality assurance, and water- resources appraisals, assessments, and investigations." Research activities are not included.

Diseases of Ornamental and Shade Trees, Shrubs, Vines, and Ground Covers.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nichols, Lester P.

This agriculture extension service publication from Pennsylvania State University covers the identification and control of common ornamental trees, shrubs, and ground cover diseases. The publication is divided into sections. The first section discusses the diseases of ornamental and shade trees, including general diseases and diseases of specific…

Controls on the extent of sediment cover in bedrock-alluvial channels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hodge, Rebecca; Johnson, Joel; Tranmer, Andy; Yager, Elowyn

2017-04-01

The amount and location of sediment cover in a bedrock-alluvial channel is a key factor that controls the morphological evolution of the channel, sediment transport pathways and channel roughness. The amount of sediment cover is often predicted as a function of relative sediment supply (sediment supply over transport capacity). However, several different forms of this relationship have been produced using a range of different approaches, and there is not yet agreement as to the controlling factors that need to be included. Part of this lack of agreement is because of the need for a more processed-based understanding of the way in which sediment cover is formed and eroded in bedrock-alluvial channels. We start to address this knowledge gap by assessing the factors that control the location of sediment cover in a field setting. We present field data from two channels in the Henry Mountains, USA. The field data includes measurement of channel geometry, slope, sediment cover location, bedrock roughness, grain size and boulder occurrence. Relative sediment supply is estimated by assuming that downstream changes are primarily accounted for by changes in transport capacity, rather than sediment supply. Preliminary results suggest that there is a relationship between local sediment cover extent and relative sediment supply, but that this relationship is altered as a function of local bedrock roughness. We consider the implications of our findings for the form of sediment cover relationships.

Multi-well sample plate cover penetration system

DOEpatents

Beer, Neil Reginald [Pleasanton, CA

2011-12-27

An apparatus for penetrating a cover over a multi-well sample plate containing at least one individual sample well includes a cutting head, a cutter extending from the cutting head, and a robot. The cutting head is connected to the robot wherein the robot moves the cutting head and cutter so that the cutter penetrates the cover over the multi-well sample plate providing access to the individual sample well. When the cutting head is moved downward the foil is pierced by the cutter that splits, opens, and folds the foil inward toward the well. The well is then open for sample aspiration but has been protected from cross contamination.

32 CFR 232.5 - Identification of covered borrower.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... (CONTINUED) MISCELLANEOUS LIMITATIONS ON TERMS OF CONSUMER CREDIT EXTENDED TO SERVICE MEMBERS AND DEPENDENTS § 232.5 Identification of covered borrower. (a) This part shall not apply to a consumer credit... important protections to active duty members of the Armed Forces and their dependents. To ensure that these...

Recent land cover history and nutrient retention in riparian wetlands

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hogan, D.M.; Walbridge, M.R.

2009-01-01

Wetland ecosystems are profoundly affected by altered nutrient and sediment loads received from anthropogenic activity in their surrounding watersheds. Our objective was to compare a gradient of agricultural and urban land cover history during the period from 1949 to 1997, with plant and soil nutrient concentrations in, and sediment deposition to, riparian wetlands in a rapidly urbanizing landscape. We observed that recent agricultural land cover was associated with increases in Nitrogen (N) and Phosphorus (P) concentrations in a native wetland plant species. Conversely, recent urban land cover appeared to alter receiving wetland environmental conditions by increasing the relative availability of P versus N, as reflected in an invasive, but not a native, plant species. In addition, increases in surface soil Fe content suggests recent inputs of terrestrial sediments associated specifically with increasing urban land cover. The observed correlation between urban land cover and riparian wetland plant tissue and surface soil nutrient concentrations and sediment deposition, suggest that urbanization specifically enhances the suitability of riparian wetland habitats for the invasive species Japanese stiltgrass [Microstegium vimenium (Trinius) A. Camus]. ?? 2009 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.

Trees grow on money: urban tree canopy cover and environmental justice.

PubMed

Schwarz, Kirsten; Fragkias, Michail; Boone, Christopher G; Zhou, Weiqi; McHale, Melissa; Grove, J Morgan; O'Neil-Dunne, Jarlath; McFadden, Joseph P; Buckley, Geoffrey L; Childers, Dan; Ogden, Laura; Pincetl, Stephanie; Pataki, Diane; Whitmer, Ali; Cadenasso, Mary L

2015-01-01

This study examines the distributional equity of urban tree canopy (UTC) cover for Baltimore, MD, Los Angeles, CA, New York, NY, Philadelphia, PA, Raleigh, NC, Sacramento, CA, and Washington, D.C. using high spatial resolution land cover data and census data. Data are analyzed at the Census Block Group levels using Spearman's correlation, ordinary least squares regression (OLS), and a spatial autoregressive model (SAR). Across all cities there is a strong positive correlation between UTC cover and median household income. Negative correlations between race and UTC cover exist in bivariate models for some cities, but they are generally not observed using multivariate regressions that include additional variables on income, education, and housing age. SAR models result in higher r-square values compared to the OLS models across all cities, suggesting that spatial autocorrelation is an important feature of our data. Similarities among cities can be found based on shared characteristics of climate, race/ethnicity, and size. Our findings suggest that a suite of variables, including income, contribute to the distribution of UTC cover. These findings can help target simultaneous strategies for UTC goals and environmental justice concerns.

Trees Grow on Money: Urban Tree Canopy Cover and Environmental Justice

PubMed Central

Schwarz, Kirsten; Fragkias, Michail; Boone, Christopher G.; Zhou, Weiqi; McHale, Melissa; Grove, J. Morgan; O’Neil-Dunne, Jarlath; McFadden, Joseph P.; Buckley, Geoffrey L.; Childers, Dan; Ogden, Laura; Pincetl, Stephanie; Pataki, Diane; Whitmer, Ali; Cadenasso, Mary L.

2015-01-01

This study examines the distributional equity of urban tree canopy (UTC) cover for Baltimore, MD, Los Angeles, CA, New York, NY, Philadelphia, PA, Raleigh, NC, Sacramento, CA, and Washington, D.C. using high spatial resolution land cover data and census data. Data are analyzed at the Census Block Group levels using Spearman’s correlation, ordinary least squares regression (OLS), and a spatial autoregressive model (SAR). Across all cities there is a strong positive correlation between UTC cover and median household income. Negative correlations between race and UTC cover exist in bivariate models for some cities, but they are generally not observed using multivariate regressions that include additional variables on income, education, and housing age. SAR models result in higher r-square values compared to the OLS models across all cities, suggesting that spatial autocorrelation is an important feature of our data. Similarities among cities can be found based on shared characteristics of climate, race/ethnicity, and size. Our findings suggest that a suite of variables, including income, contribute to the distribution of UTC cover. These findings can help target simultaneous strategies for UTC goals and environmental justice concerns. PMID:25830303

How Scientists Differentiate Between Land Cover Types

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2002-01-01

Before scientists can transform raw satellite image data into land cover maps, they must decide on what categories of land cover they would like to use. Categories are simply the types of landscape that the scientists are trying to map and can vary greatly from map to map. For flood maps, there may be only two categories-dry land and wet land-while a standard global land cover map may have seventeen categories including closed shrub lands, savannas, evergreen needle leaf forest, urban areas, and ice/snow. The only requirement for any land cover category is that it have a distinct spectral signature that a satellite can record. As can be seen through a prism, many different colors (wavelengths) make up the spectra of sunlight. When sunlight strikes objects, certain wavelengths are absorbed and others are reflected or emitted. The unique way in which a given type of land cover reflects and absorbs light is known as its spectral signature. Anyone who has flown over the midwestern United States has seen evidence of this phenomenon. From an airplane window, the ground appears as a patchwork of different colors formed by the fields of crops planted there. The varying pigments of the leaves, the amount of foliage per square foot, the age of the plants, and many other factors create this tapestry. Most imaging satellites are sensitive to specific wavelengths of light, including infrared wavelengths that cannot be seen with the naked eye. Passive satellite remote sensors-such as those flown on Landsat 5, Landsat 7, and Terra-have a number of light detectors (photoreceptors) on board that measure the energy reflected or emitted by the Earth. One light detector records only the blue part of the spectrum coming off the Earth. Another observes all the yellow-green light and still another picks up on all the near-infrared light. The detectors scan the Earth's surface as the satellite travels in a circular orbit very nearly from pole-to-pole. To differentiate between types of

Statistical analysis of multivariate atmospheric variables. [cloud cover

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tubbs, J. D.

1979-01-01

Topics covered include: (1) estimation in discrete multivariate distributions; (2) a procedure to predict cloud cover frequencies in the bivariate case; (3) a program to compute conditional bivariate normal parameters; (4) the transformation of nonnormal multivariate to near-normal; (5) test of fit for the extreme value distribution based upon the generalized minimum chi-square; (6) test of fit for continuous distributions based upon the generalized minimum chi-square; (7) effect of correlated observations on confidence sets based upon chi-square statistics; and (8) generation of random variates from specified distributions.

Peptidase inhibitors reduce opiate narcotic withdrawal signs, including seizure activity, in the rat.

PubMed

Pinsky, C; Dua, A K; LaBella, F S

1982-07-15

Narcotic withdrawal was precipitated by administration of naloxone in a low dose at 2 h after the final dose of morphine in a 9-day dependency-inducing schedule. Withdrawal was characterized by leaps, increased nocifensor activity and by cerebral cortical epileptiform activity, the latter not generally reported to be prominent in narcotic withdrawal. Single large doses of morphine did not provoke epileptiform activity at 2 h postinjection but did induce an acute opioid dependency wherein a moderately high dose of naloxone, ineffective in non-dependent rats, provoked upward leaping and electrocortical epileptiform activity. Pretreatment of the 9-day dependent rats with peptidase inhibitors, administered intracerebroventricularly, significantly reduced withdrawal severity including the epileptiform activity. We propose that peptidase inhibitors protect certain species of endogenous opioids and/or other neuropeptides that tend to suppress expression of the narcotic withdrawal syndrome. Furthermore, our findings suggest that epileptiform activity is a nascent form of cerebral activity hitherto largely unnoticed in narcotic withdrawal and that neuropeptides may be involved in certain epileptic states.

How to Write Effective Resumes and Cover Letters.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nienkamp, Roger L.

This guide to writing effective resumes and cover letters to employers first emphasizes the value of writing skills in job hunting, and explains what a resume is and why it is important. Next, steps to undertake in preparing to write a resume are reviewed including developing a personal inventory sheet to help determine facts to include in the…

Thematic accuracy of the National Land Cover Database (NLCD) 2001 land cover for Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Selkowitz, D.J.; Stehman, S.V.

2011-01-01

The National Land Cover Database (NLCD) 2001 Alaska land cover classification is the first 30-m resolution land cover product available covering the entire state of Alaska. The accuracy assessment of the NLCD 2001 Alaska land cover classification employed a geographically stratified three-stage sampling design to select the reference sample of pixels. Reference land cover class labels were determined via fixed wing aircraft, as the high resolution imagery used for determining the reference land cover classification in the conterminous U.S. was not available for most of Alaska. Overall thematic accuracy for the Alaska NLCD was 76.2% (s.e. 2.8%) at Level II (12 classes evaluated) and 83.9% (s.e. 2.1%) at Level I (6 classes evaluated) when agreement was defined as a match between the map class and either the primary or alternate reference class label. When agreement was defined as a match between the map class and primary reference label only, overall accuracy was 59.4% at Level II and 69.3% at Level I. The majority of classification errors occurred at Level I of the classification hierarchy (i.e., misclassifications were generally to a different Level I class, not to a Level II class within the same Level I class). Classification accuracy was higher for more abundant land cover classes and for pixels located in the interior of homogeneous land cover patches. ?? 2011.

Land-Cover Trends of the Southern California Mountains Ecoregion

USGS Publications Warehouse

Soulard, Christopher E.; Raumann, Christian G.; Wilson, Tamara S.

2007-01-01

This report presents an assessment of land-use and land-cover (LU/LC) change in the Southern California Mountains ecoregion for the period 1973-2001. The Southern California Mountains is one of 84 Level-III ecoregions as defined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Ecoregions have served as a spatial framework for environmental resource management, denoting areas that contain a geographically distinct assemblage of biotic and abiotic phenomena including geology, physiography, vegetation, climate, soils, land use, wildlife, and hydrology. The established Land Cover Trends methodology generates estimates of change for ecoregions using a probability sampling approach and change-detection analysis of thematic land-cover images derived from Landsat satellite imagery.

Litter box preference in domestic cats: covered versus uncovered.

PubMed

Grigg, Emma K; Pick, Lindsay; Nibblett, Belle

2013-04-01

Feline inappropriate elimination (periuria and/or perichezia) remains a very common behavioral complaint of cat owners. Treatment recommendations often include improving the attractiveness of the litter boxes available to the cat. One frequent recommendation is to avoid covered litter boxes, although this has not previously been tested experimentally. The goal of this study was to assess whether, all else being equal, cats preferentially used uncovered litter boxes over covered litter boxes. Twenty-eight cats were enrolled in the study and offered the choice of a covered or uncovered box. Waste was scooped daily from each box, and the weight of waste in the different box styles was compared and evaluated using paired t-tests and χ(2) analyses. Overall, there was no significant difference between use of the two box styles. Eight individual cats did exhibit a preference (four for covered, four for uncovered), but individual preference results are not evenly distributed, with more cats than expected showing no preference between litter box types. We postulate that, if boxes are kept sufficiently clean (ie, once daily minimum cleaning), most cats will not show a preference for either box type. The observation that a minority of cats in the study exhibited a preference supports the recommendation of providing individual cats with a 'cafeteria' of litter box styles, including a covered box, to determine whether such a preference exists. These findings add to existing literature on the topic of feline inappropriate elimination and provide additional information for clinicians recommending treatment options for cats exhibiting this behavior.

Hatch Cover Slides Through Hatch

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Alton, Charles; Okane, James H.

1989-01-01

Hatch cover for pressurized vessel provides tight seal but opened quickly from either side. In opening or closing, cover sweeps out relatively little volume within vessel, so it does not hinder movement of people or objects from vessel to outside or placement of people or objects near hatch. Cover uses internal pressure to create seal when closed. Design of cover eliminates leakage paths, and cover immune to hazards of sudden decompression or jamming when bolts and latches fail.

Comprehensive data set of global land cover change for land surface model applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sterling, Shannon; Ducharne, AgnèS.

2008-09-01

To increase our understanding of how humans have altered the Earth's surface and to facilitate land surface modeling experiments aimed to elucidate the direct impact of land cover change on the Earth system, we create and analyze a database of global land use/cover change (LUCC). From a combination of sources including satellite imagery and other remote sensing, ecological modeling, and country surveys, we adapt and synthesize existing maps of potential land cover and layers of the major anthropogenic land covers, including a layer of wetland loss, that are then tailored for land surface modeling studies. Our map database shows that anthropogenic land cover totals to approximately 40% of the Earth's surface, consistent with literature estimates. Almost all (92%) of the natural grassland on the Earth has been converted to human use, mostly grazing land, and the natural temperate savanna with mixed C3/C4 is almost completely lost (˜90%), due mostly to conversion to cropland. Yet the resultant change in functioning, in terms of plant functional types, of the Earth system from land cover change is dominated by a loss of tree cover. Finally, we identify need for standardization of percent bare soil for global land covers and for a global map of tree plantations. Estimates of land cover change are inherently uncertain, and these uncertainties propagate into modeling studies of the impact of land cover change on the Earth system; to begin to address this problem, modelers need to document fully areas of land cover change used in their studies.

Enhanced Cover Assessment Project:Soil Manipulation and Revegetation Tests

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Waugh, W. Joseph; Albright, Dr. Bill; Benson, Dr. Craig

2014-02-01

The U.S. Department of Energy Office of Legacy Management is evaluating methods to enhance natural changes that are essentially converting conventional disposal cell covers for uranium mill tailings into water balance covers. Conventional covers rely on a layer of compacted clayey soil to limit exhalation of radon gas and percolation of rainwater. Water balance covers rely on a less compacted soil “sponge” to store rainwater, and on soil evaporation and plant transpiration (evapotranspiration) to remove stored water and thereby limit percolation. Over time, natural soil-forming and ecological processes are changing conventional covers by increasing hydraulic conductivity, loosening compaction, and increasingmore » evapotranspiration. The rock armor on conventional covers creates a favorable habitat for vegetation by slowing soil evaporation, increasing soil water storage, and trapping dust and organic matter, thereby providing the water and nutrients needed for plant germination, survival, and sustainable transpiration. Goals and Objectives Our overall goal is to determine if allowing or enhancing these natural changes could improve cover performance and reduce maintenance costs over the long term. This test pad study focuses on cover soil hydrology and ecology. Companion studies are evaluating effects of natural and enhanced changes in covers on radon attenuation, erosion, and biointrusion. We constructed a test cover at the Grand Junction disposal site to evaluate soil manipulation and revegetation methods. The engineering design, construction, and properties of the test cover match the upper three layers of the nearby disposal cell cover: a 1-foot armoring of rock riprap, a 6-inch bedding layer of coarse sand and gravel, and a 2-foot protection layer of compacted fine soil. The test cover does not have a radon barrier—cover enhancement tests leave the radon barrier intact. We tested furrowing and ripping as means for creating depressions parallel to the

Optimization of composite sandwich cover panels subjected to compressive loadings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cruz, Juan R.

1991-01-01

An analysis and design method is presented for the design of composite sandwich cover panels that include the transverse shear effects and damage tolerance considerations. This method is incorporated into a sandwich optimization computer program entitled SANDOP. As a demonstration of its capabilities, SANDOP is used in the present study to design optimized composite sandwich cover panels for for transport aircraft wing applications. The results of this design study indicate that optimized composite sandwich cover panels have approximately the same structural efficiency as stiffened composite cover panels designed to satisfy individual constraints. The results also indicate that inplane stiffness requirements have a large effect on the weight of these composite sandwich cover panels at higher load levels. Increasing the maximum allowable strain and the upper percentage limit of the 0 degree and +/- 45 degree plies can yield significant weight savings. The results show that the structural efficiency of these optimized composite sandwich cover panels is relatively insensitive to changes in core density. Thus, core density should be chosen by criteria other than minimum weight (e.g., damage tolerance, ease of manufacture, etc.).

Close association of active nitrifiers with Beggiatoa mats covering deep-sea hydrothermal sediments.

PubMed

Winkel, Matthias; de Beer, Dirk; Lavik, Gaute; Peplies, Jörg; Mußmann, Marc

2014-06-01

Hydrothermal sediments in the Guaymas Basin are covered by microbial mats that are dominated by nitrate-respiring and sulphide-oxidizing Beggiatoa. The presence of these mats strongly correlates with sulphide- and ammonium-rich fluids venting from the subsurface. Because ammonium and oxygen form opposed gradients at the sediment surface, we hypothesized that nitrification is an active process in these Beggiatoa mats. Using biogeochemical and molecular methods, we measured nitrification and determined the diversity and abundance of nitrifiers. Nitrification rates ranged from 74 to 605 μmol N l(-1)  mat day(-1), which exceeded those previously measured in hydrothermal plumes and other deep-sea habitats. Diversity and abundance analyses of archaeal and bacterial ammonia monooxygenase subunit A genes, archaeal 16S ribosomal RNA pyrotags and fluorescence in situ hybridization confirmed that ammonia- and nitrite-oxidizing microorganisms were associated with Beggiatoa mats. Intriguingly, we observed cells of bacterial and potential thaumarchaeotal ammonia oxidizers attached to narrow, Beggiatoa-like filaments. Such a close spatial coupling of nitrification and nitrate respiration in mats of large sulphur bacteria is novel and may facilitate mat-internal cycling of nitrogen, thereby reducing loss of bioavailable nitrogen in deep-sea sediments. © 2013 Society for Applied Microbiology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Rye cover crop effects on soil properties in no-till corn silage/soybean agroecosystems

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Farmers in the U.S. Corn Belt are showing increasing interest in winter cover crops. Known benefits of winter cover crops include reductions in nutrient leaching, erosion mitigation, and weed suppression, however little research has investigated the effects of winter cover crops on soil properties. ...

Integrated approach using multi-platform sensors for enhanced high-resolution daily ice cover product

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bonev, George; Gladkova, Irina; Grossberg, Michael; Romanov, Peter; Helfrich, Sean

2016-09-01

The ultimate objective of this work is to improve characterization of the ice cover distribution in the polar areas, to improve sea ice mapping and to develop a new automated real-time high spatial resolution multi-sensor ice extent and ice edge product for use in operational applications. Despite a large number of currently available automated satellite-based sea ice extent datasets, analysts at the National Ice Center tend to rely on original satellite imagery (provided by satellite optical, passive microwave and active microwave sensors) mainly because the automated products derived from satellite optical data have gaps in the area coverage due to clouds and darkness, passive microwave products have poor spatial resolution, automated ice identifications based on radar data are not quite reliable due to a considerable difficulty in discriminating between the ice cover and rough ice-free ocean surface due to winds. We have developed a multisensor algorithm that first extracts maximum information on the sea ice cover from imaging instruments VIIRS and MODIS, including regions covered by thin, semitransparent clouds, then supplements the output by the microwave measurements and finally aggregates the results into a cloud gap free daily product. This ability to identify ice cover underneath thin clouds, which is usually masked out by traditional cloud detection algorithms, allows for expansion of the effective coverage of the sea ice maps and thus more accurate and detailed delineation of the ice edge. We have also developed a web-based monitoring system that allows comparison of our daily ice extent product with the several other independent operational daily products.

"Proximal Sensing" capabilities for snow cover monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Valt, Mauro; Salvatori, Rosamaria; Plini, Paolo; Salzano, Roberto; Giusti, Marco; Montagnoli, Mauro; Sigismondi, Daniele; Cagnati, Anselmo

2013-04-01

The seasonal snow cover represents one of the most important land cover class in relation to environmental studies in mountain areas, especially considering its variation during time. Snow cover and its extension play a relevant role for the studies on the atmospheric dynamics and the evolution of climate. It is also important for the analysis and management of water resources and for the management of touristic activities in mountain areas. Recently, webcam images collected at daily or even hourly intervals are being used as tools to observe the snow covered areas; those images, properly processed, can be considered a very important environmental data source. Images captured by digital cameras become a useful tool at local scale providing images even when the cloud coverage makes impossible the observation by satellite sensors. When suitably processed these images can be used for scientific purposes, having a good resolution (at least 800x600x16 million colours) and a very good sampling frequency (hourly images taken through the whole year). Once stored in databases, those images represent therefore an important source of information for the study of recent climatic changes, to evaluate the available water resources and to analyse the daily surface evolution of the snow cover. The Snow-noSnow software has been specifically designed to automatically detect the extension of snow cover collected from webcam images with a very limited human intervention. The software was tested on images collected on Alps (ARPAV webcam network) and on Apennine in a pilot station properly equipped for this project by CNR-IIA. The results obtained through the use of Snow-noSnow are comparable to the one achieved by photo-interpretation and could be considered as better as the ones obtained using the image segmentation routine implemented into image processing commercial softwares. Additionally, Snow-noSnow operates in a semi-automatic way and has a reduced processing time. The analysis

AVHRR channel selection for land cover classification

USGS Publications Warehouse

Maxwell, S.K.; Hoffer, R.M.; Chapman, P.L.

2002-01-01

Mapping land cover of large regions often requires processing of satellite images collected from several time periods at many spectral wavelength channels. However, manipulating and processing large amounts of image data increases the complexity and time, and hence the cost, that it takes to produce a land cover map. Very few studies have evaluated the importance of individual Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) channels for discriminating cover types, especially the thermal channels (channels 3, 4 and 5). Studies rarely perform a multi-year analysis to determine the impact of inter-annual variability on the classification results. We evaluated 5 years of AVHRR data using combinations of the original AVHRR spectral channels (1-5) to determine which channels are most important for cover type discrimination, yet stabilize inter-annual variability. Particular attention was placed on the channels in the thermal portion of the spectrum. Fourteen cover types over the entire state of Colorado were evaluated using a supervised classification approach on all two-, three-, four- and five-channel combinations for seven AVHRR biweekly composite datasets covering the entire growing season for each of 5 years. Results show that all three of the major portions of the electromagnetic spectrum represented by the AVHRR sensor are required to discriminate cover types effectively and stabilize inter-annual variability. Of the two-channel combinations, channels 1 (red visible) and 2 (near-infrared) had, by far, the highest average overall accuracy (72.2%), yet the inter-annual classification accuracies were highly variable. Including a thermal channel (channel 4) significantly increased the average overall classification accuracy by 5.5% and stabilized interannual variability. Each of the thermal channels gave similar classification accuracies; however, because of the problems in consistently interpreting channel 3 data, either channel 4 or 5 was found to be a more

Design of top covers supporting aerobic in situ stabilization of old landfills - An experimental simulation in lysimeters

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hrad, Marlies; Huber-Humer, Marion, E-mail: marion.huber-humer@boku.ac.at; Wimmer, Bernhard

2012-12-15

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Tested engineered covers as surrogate to gas extraction during and after in situ aeration. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Examined how covers influence gas emissions, water balance and leachate generation. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Investigated effect of top covers on air-distribution in waste mass during aeration. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer We suggest criteria and cover design to meet the demands during and after aeration. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Such cover systems may offer greenhouse gas emission reduction also after active aeration. - Abstract: Landfill aeration by means of low pressure air injection is a promising tool to reduce long term emissions from organic waste fractions through accelerated biological stabilization. Top coversmore » that enhance methane oxidation could provide a simple and economic way to mitigate residual greenhouse gas emissions from in situ aerated landfills, and may replace off-gas extraction and treatment, particularly at smaller and older sites. In this respect the installation of a landfill cover system adjusted to the forced-aerated landfill body is of great significance. Investigations into large scale lysimeters (2 Multiplication-Sign 2 Multiplication-Sign 3 m) under field conditions have been carried out using different top covers including compost materials and natural soils as a surrogate to gas extraction during active low pressure aeration. In the present study, the emission behaviour as well as the water balance performance of the lysimeters has been investigated, both prior to and during the first months of in situ aeration. Results reveal that mature sewage sludge compost (SSC) placed in one lysimeter exhibits in principle optimal ambient conditions for methanotrophic bacteria to enhance methane oxidation. Under laboratory conditions the mature compost mitigated CH{sub 4} loadings up to 300 l CH{sub 4}/m{sup 2} d. In addition, the compost material provided high air

Silostop Bunker Covers

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The quality of the seal provided by the plastic cover is a key issue for minimizing losses in bunker and pile silos. Most bunker covers are 6 to 8 mil polyethylene sheets held in place by tires or tire sidewalls. Frequently there are problems with spoilage at the shoulders (i.e., against the walls),...

Plants as sources of airborne bacteria, including ice nucleation-active bacteria.

PubMed

Lindemann, J; Constantinidou, H A; Barchet, W R; Upper, C D

1982-11-01

Vertical wind shear and concentration gradients of viable, airborne bacteria were used to calculate the upward flux of viable cells above bare soil and canopies of several crops. Concentrations at soil or canopy height varied from 46 colony-forming units per m over young corn and wet soil to 663 colony-forming units per m over dry soil and 6,500 colony-forming units per m over a closed wheat canopy. In simultaneous samples, concentrations of viable bacteria in the air 10 m inside an alfalfa field were fourfold higher than those over a field with dry, bare soil immediately upwind. The upward flux of viable bacteria over alfalfa was three- to fourfold greater than over dry soil. Concentrations of ice nucleation-active bacteria were higher over plants than over soil. Thus, plant canopies may constitute a major source of bacteria, including ice nucleation-active bacteria, in the air.

Land cover changes assessment using object-based image analysis in the Binah River watershed (Togo and Benin)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Badjana, Hèou Maléki; Helmschrot, Jörg; Selsam, Peter; Wala, Kpérkouma; Flügel, Wolfgang-Albert; Afouda, Abel; Akpagana, Koffi

2015-10-01

In this study, land cover changes between 1972 and 2013 were investigated in the Binah River watershed (North of Togo and Benin) using remote sensing and geographic information system technologies. Multitemporal satellite images—Landsat MSS (1972), TM (1987), and OLI-TIRS (2013)—were processed using object-based image analysis and post-classification comparison methods including landscape metrics and changes trajectories analysis. Land cover maps referring to five main land cover classes, namely, agricultural land, forest land, savannah, settlements, and water bodies, were produced for each acquisition date. The overall accuracies were 76.64% (1972), 83.52% (1987), and 88.84% (2013) with respective Kappa statistics of 0.69, 0.78, and 0.86. The assessment of the spatiotemporal pattern of land cover changes indicates that savannah, the main vegetation type, has undergone the most dominant change, decreasing from 67% of the basin area in 1972 to 56% in 1987 and 33% in 2013. At the same time, agricultural land has significantly increased from 15% in 1972 to 24% in 1987 and 43% in 2013, while some proportions of agricultural land were converted to savannah relating to fallow agriculture. In total, more than 55% of the landscape experienced changes between 1972 and 2013. These changes are primarily due to human activities and population growth. In addition, agricultural activities significantly contributed to the increase in the number of patches, degree of division, and splitting index of forest and savannah vegetations and the decrease in their effective mesh sizes. These results indicate further fragmentation of forest and savannah vegetations between 1972 and 2013. Further research is needed to quantitatively evaluate the influences of individual factors of human activities and to separate these from the impacts of climate change-driven disturbances.

[Effectiveness of mental health training including active listening for managers].

PubMed

Ikegami, Kazunori; Tagawa, Yoshimasa; Mafune, Kosuke; Hiro, Hisanori; Nagata, Shoji

2008-07-01

significant increases post-training in "Job demands", "Worksite support by supervisor" and "Worksite support by co-worker", subscales of the BJSQ 12 items version. Particularly, the "Worksite support by supervisor" subscale increased significantly in 8 of the 47 sections in a comparison among sections. In this present study, we investigated the effectiveness of mental health training including Active Listening for managers, and suggest that to train Active Listening and use it at the worksite possibly strengthens "Worksite support by supervisor".

Merging the MODIS and NESDIS Monthly Snow-Cover Records to Study Decade-Scale Changes in Northern Hemisphere Snow Cover

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hall, Dorothy K.; Foster, James L.; Robinson, David A.; Riggs, George A.

2004-01-01

A decade-scale record of Northern Hemisphere snow cover has been available from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Environmental Satellite Data and Information Service (NESDIS) and has been reconstructed and validated by Rutgers University following adjustments for inconsistencies that were discovered in the early years of the data set. This record provides weekly, monthly (and, in recent years, daily) snow cover from 1966 to the present for the Northern Hemisphere. With the December 1999 launch of NASA's Earth observing System (EOS) Terra satellite, snow maps are being produced globally, using automated algorithms, on a daily, weekly and monthly basis from the Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) instrument. The resolution of the MODIS monthly snow maps (0.05deg or about 5 km) is an improvement over that of the NESDIS-derived monthly snow maps (>approx.10 km) the maps, it is necessary to study the datasets carefully to determine if it is possible to merge the datasets into a continuous record. The months in which data are available for both the NESDIS and MODIS maps (March 2000 to the present) will be compared quantitatively to analyze differences in North American and Eurasian snow cover. Results from the NESDIS monthly maps show that for North America (including all 12 months), there is a trend toward slightly less snow cover in each succeeding decade. Interannual snow-cover extent has varied significantly since 2000 as seen in both the NESDIS and MODIS maps. As the length of the satellite record increases through the MODIS era, and into the National Polar-orbiting Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) era, it should become easier to identify trends in areal extent of snow cover, if present, that may have climatic significance. Thus it is necessary to analyze the validity of merging the NESDIS and MODIS, and, in the future, the NPOESS datasets for determination of long-term continuity in measurement of Northern

Modeling Land Use/Cover Changes in an African Rural Landscape

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kamusoko, C.; Aniya, M.

2006-12-01

Land use/cover changes are analyzed in the Bindura district of Zimbabwe, Africa through the integration of data from a time series of Landsat imagery (1973, 1989 and 2000), a household survey and GIS coverages. We employed a hybrid supervised/unsupervised classification approach to generate land use/cover maps from which landscape metrics were calculated. Population and other household variables were derived from a sample of surveyed villages, while road accessibility and slope were obtained from topographic maps and digital elevation model, respectively. Markov-cellular automata modeling approach that incorporates Markov chain analysis, cellular automata and multi-criteria evaluation (MCE) / multi-objective allocation (MOLA) procedures was used to simulate land use/cover changes. A GIS-based MCE technique computed transition potential maps, whereas transition areas were derived from the 1973-2000 land use/cover maps using the Markov chain analysis. A 5 x 5 cellular automata filter was used to develop a spatially explicit contiguity- weighting factor to change the cells based on its previous state and those of its neighbors, while MOLA resolved land use/cover class allocation conflicts. The kappa index of agreement was used for model validation. Observed trends in land use/cover changes indicate that deforestation and the encroachment of cultivation in woodland areas is a continuous trend in the study area. This suggests that economic activities driven by agricultural expansion were the main causes of landscape fragmentation, leading to landscape degradation. Rigorous calibration of transition potential maps done by a MCE algorithm and Markovian transition probabilities produced accurate inputs for the simulation of land use/cover changes. Overall standard kappa index of agreement ranged from 0.73 to 0.83, which is sufficient for simulating land use/cover changes in the study area. Land use/cover simulations under the 1989 and 2000 scenario indicated further

Crop cover the principal influence on non-crop ground beetle (Coleoptera, Carabidae) activity and assemblages at the farm scale in a long-term assessment.

PubMed

Eyre, M D; Sanderson, R A; McMillan, S D; Critchley, C N R

2016-04-01

Ground beetle data were generated using pitfall traps in the 17-year period from 1993 to 2009 and used to investigate the effects of changes in surrounding crop cover on beetle activity and assemblages, together with the effects of weather variability. Beetles were recorded from non-crop field margins (overgrown hedges). Crop cover changes explained far more variation in the beetle assemblages recorded than did temperature and rainfall variation. A reduction in management intensity and disturbance in the crops surrounding the traps, especially the introduction and development of willow coppice, was concomitant with changes in individual species activity and assemblage composition of beetles trapped in non-crop habitat. There were no consistent patterns in either overall beetle activity or in the number of species recorded over the 17-year period, but there was a clear change from assemblages dominated by smaller species with higher dispersal capability to ones with larger beetles with less dispersal potential and a preference for less disturbed agroecosystems. The influence of surrounding crops on ground beetle activity in non-crop habitat has implications for ecosystem service provision by ground beetles as pest predators. These results are contrary to conventional assumptions and interpretations, which suggest activity of pest predators in crops is influenced primarily by adjacent non-crop habitat. The long-term nature of the assessment was important in elucidation of patterns and trends, and indicated that policies such as agri-environment schemes should take cropping patterns into account when promoting management options that are intended to enhance natural pest control.

Specifications for updating USGS land use and land cover maps

USGS Publications Warehouse

Milazzo, Valerie A.

1983-01-01

To meet the increasing demands for up-to-date land use and land cover information, a primary goal of the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) national land use and land cover mapping program is to provide for periodic updating of maps and data in a timely and uniform manner. The technical specifications for updating existing USGS land use and land cover maps that are presented here cover both the interpretive aspects of detecting and identifying land use and land cover changes and the cartographic aspects of mapping and presenting the change data in conventional map format. They provide the map compiler with the procedures and techniques necessary to then use these change data to update existing land use and land cover maps in a manner that is both standardized and repeatable. Included are specifications for the acquisition of remotely sensed source materials, selection of compilation map bases, handling of data base corrections, editing and quality control operations, generation of map update products for USGS open file, and the reproduction and distribution of open file materials. These specifications are planned to become part of the National Mapping Division's Technical Instructions.

Continental land cover classification using meteorological satellite data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tucker, C. J.; Townshend, J. R. G.; Goff, T. E.

1983-01-01

The use of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's advanced very high resolution radiometer satellite data for classifying land cover and monitoring of vegetation dynamics over an extremely large area is demonstrated for the continent of Africa. Data from 17 imaging periods of 21 consecutive days each were composited by a technique sensitive to the in situ green-leaf biomass to provide cloud-free imagery for the whole continent. Virtually cloud-free images were obtainable even for equatorial areas. Seasonal variation in the density and extent of green leaf vegetation corresponded to the patterns of rainfall associated with the inter-tropical convergence zone. Regional variations, such as the 1982 drought in east Africa, were also observed. Integration of the weekly satellite data with respect to time produced a remotely sensed assessment of biological activity based upon density and duration of green-leaf biomass. Two of the 21-day composited data sets were used to produce a general land cover classification. The resultant land cover distributions correspond well to those of existing maps.

Design and Installation of a Disposal Cell Cover Field Test

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Benson, C.H.; Waugh, W.J.; Albright, W.H.

2011-02-27

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Legacy Management (LM) initiated a cover assessment project in September 2007 to evaluate an inexpensive approach to enhancing the hydrological performance of final covers for disposal cells. The objective is to accelerate and enhance natural processes that are transforming existing conventional covers, which rely on low-conductivity earthen barriers, into water balance covers, that store water in soil and release it as soil evaporation and plant transpiration. A low conductivity cover could be modified by deliberately blending the upper layers of the cover profile and planting native shrubs. A test facility was constructed atmore » the Grand Junction, Colorado, Disposal Site to evaluate the proposed methodology. The test cover was constructed in two identical sections, each including a large drainage lysimeter. The test cover was constructed with the same design and using the same materials as the existing disposal cell in order to allow for a direct comparison of performance. One test section will be renovated using the proposed method; the other is a control. LM is using the lysimeters to evaluate the effectiveness of the renovation treatment by monitoring hydrologic conditions within the cover profile as well as all water entering and leaving the system. This paper describes the historical experience of final covers employing earthen barrier layers, the design and operation of the lysimeter test facility, testing conducted to characterize the as-built engineering and edaphic properties of the lysimeter soils, the calibration of instruments installed at the test facility, and monitoring data collected since the lysimeters were constructed.« less

Aviation Maintenance Technology. Airframe. A203. Aircraft Fabric Covering, Painting, and Finishing. Instructor Material.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oklahoma State Board of Vocational and Technical Education, Stillwater. Curriculum and Instructional Materials Center.

This teacher's guide is designed to aid teachers in leading students through a module on airframe building and repair, including fabric covering, painting, and finishing. The module contains two units that cover the following topics: (1) inspecting, testing, and installing aircraft fabric coverings and (2) applying dope, paint, and trim. Each unit…

EnviroAtlas - Cleveland, OH - Estimated Percent Tree Cover Along Walkable Roads

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This EnviroAtlas dataset estimates tree cover along walkable roads. The road width is estimated for each road and percent tree cover is calculated in a 8.5 meter strip beginning at the estimated road edge. Percent tree cover is calculated for each block between road intersections. In this community, tree cover is defined as Trees & Forest and Woody Wetlands. Tree cover provides valuable benefits to neighborhood residents and walkers by providing shade, improved aesthetics, and outdoor gathering spaces. This dataset was produced by the US EPA to support research and online mapping activities related to EnviroAtlas. EnviroAtlas (https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas) allows the user to interact with a web-based, easy-to-use, mapping application to view and analyze multiple ecosystem services for the contiguous United States. The dataset is available as downloadable data (https://edg.epa.gov/data/Public/ORD/EnviroAtlas) or as an EnviroAtlas map service. Additional descriptive information about each attribute in this dataset can be found in its associated EnviroAtlas Fact Sheet (https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas/enviroatlas-fact-sheets)

LAND-COVER CHANGE DETECTION USING MULTI-TEMPORAL MODIS NDVI DATA

EPA Science Inventory

Monitoring the locations and spatial distributions of land-cover changes and patterns is important for establishing links between policy decisions, regulatory actions and resulting landuse activities. The monitoring of change patterns across the landscape can also supply valuable...

Impacts of land use/cover classification accuracy on regional climate simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ge, Jianjun; Qi, Jiaguo; Lofgren, Brent M.; Moore, Nathan; Torbick, Nathan; Olson, Jennifer M.

2007-03-01

Land use/cover change has been recognized as a key component in global change. Various land cover data sets, including historically reconstructed, recently observed, and future projected, have been used in numerous climate modeling studies at regional to global scales. However, little attention has been paid to the effect of land cover classification accuracy on climate simulations, though accuracy assessment has become a routine procedure in land cover production community. In this study, we analyzed the behavior of simulated precipitation in the Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (RAMS) over a range of simulated classification accuracies over a 3 month period. This study found that land cover accuracy under 80% had a strong effect on precipitation especially when the land surface had a greater control of the atmosphere. This effect became stronger as the accuracy decreased. As shown in three follow-on experiments, the effect was further influenced by model parameterizations such as convection schemes and interior nudging, which can mitigate the strength of surface boundary forcings. In reality, land cover accuracy rarely obtains the commonly recommended 85% target. Its effect on climate simulations should therefore be considered, especially when historically reconstructed and future projected land covers are employed.

LAND-COVER CHANGE DETECTION USING MULTI-TEMPORAL MODIS NDVI DATA

EPA Science Inventory

Monitoring the locations and distributions of land-cover changes is important for establishing linkages between policy decisions, regulatory actions and subsequent land-use activities. Past studies incorporating two-date change detection using Landsat data have tended to be perfo...

Land-Cover Change Detection Using Multi-Temporal MODIS NDVI Imagery

EPA Science Inventory

Monitoring the locations and distributions of land-cover change is important for establishing linkages between policy decisions, regulatory actions and subsequent land-use activities. Past studies incorporating two-date change detection using Landsat data have tended to be perfor...

Study on Classification Accuracy Inspection of Land Cover Data Aided by Automatic Image Change Detection Technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xie, W.-J.; Zhang, L.; Chen, H.-P.; Zhou, J.; Mao, W.-J.

2018-04-01

The purpose of carrying out national geographic conditions monitoring is to obtain information of surface changes caused by human social and economic activities, so that the geographic information can be used to offer better services for the government, enterprise and public. Land cover data contains detailed geographic conditions information, thus has been listed as one of the important achievements in the national geographic conditions monitoring project. At present, the main issue of the production of the land cover data is about how to improve the classification accuracy. For the land cover data quality inspection and acceptance, classification accuracy is also an important check point. So far, the classification accuracy inspection is mainly based on human-computer interaction or manual inspection in the project, which are time consuming and laborious. By harnessing the automatic high-resolution remote sensing image change detection technology based on the ERDAS IMAGINE platform, this paper carried out the classification accuracy inspection test of land cover data in the project, and presented a corresponding technical route, which includes data pre-processing, change detection, result output and information extraction. The result of the quality inspection test shows the effectiveness of the technical route, which can meet the inspection needs for the two typical errors, that is, missing and incorrect update error, and effectively reduces the work intensity of human-computer interaction inspection for quality inspectors, and also provides a technical reference for the data production and quality control of the land cover data.

Completion of the National Land Cover Database (NLCD) 1992-2001 Land Cover Change Retrofit Product

EPA Science Inventory

The Multi-Resolution Land Characteristics Consortium has supported the development of two national digital land cover products: the National Land Cover Dataset (NLCD) 1992 and National Land Cover Database (NLCD) 2001. Substantial differences in imagery, legends, and methods betwe...

25 CFR 170.623 - How are IRR Program projects and activities included in a self-governance agreement?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 25 Indians 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false How are IRR Program projects and activities included in a self-governance agreement? 170.623 Section 170.623 Indians BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE... self-governance agreement? To include an IRR Program project or activity in a self-governance agreement...

Marshall Space Flight Center ECLSS technology activities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wieland, Paul

1990-01-01

Viewgraphs on Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) technology activities are presented. Topics covered include: analytical development; ECLSS modeling approach; example of water reclamation modeling needs; and hardware development and testing.

Development of a land-cover characteristics database for the conterminous U.S.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Loveland, Thomas R.; Merchant, J.W.; Ohlen, D.O.; Brown, Jesslyn F.

1991-01-01

Information regarding the characteristics and spatial distribution of the Earth's land cover is critical to global environmental research. A prototype land-cover database for the conterminous United States designed for use in a variety of global modelling, monitoring, mapping, and analytical endeavors has been created. The resultant database contains multiple layers, including the source AVHRR data, the ancillary data layers, the land-cover regions defined by the research, and translation tables linking the regions to other land classification schema (for example, UNESCO, USGS Anderson System). The land-cover characteristics database can be analyzed, transformed, or aggregated by users to meet a broad spectrum of requirements. -from Authors

42 CFR 435.201 - Individuals included in optional groups.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 42 Public Health 4 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Individuals included in optional groups. 435.201... Individuals included in optional groups. (a) The agency may choose to cover as optional categorically needy any group or groups of the following individuals who are not receiving cash assistance and who meet...

Cover crops and N credits

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Cover crops often provide many short- and long-term benefits to cropping systems. Legume cover crops can significantly reduce the N fertilizer requirement of non-legume cash crops that follow. The objectives of this presentation were to: I) educate stakeholders about the potential benefits of cover ...

29 CFR 776.28 - Covered preparatory activities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... claims, surveying, clearing the land, assembling materials and equipment, erecting sheds, derricks or.... 28 Devine v. Levy, 39 F. Supp. 44. 29 Straughn v. Schlumberger Well Surveying Corp., 72 F. Supp. 511... to the Act, preliminary activities, such as surveying, clearing, draining and leveling the land...

29 CFR 776.28 - Covered preparatory activities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... claims, surveying, clearing the land, assembling materials and equipment, erecting sheds, derricks or.... 28 Devine v. Levy, 39 F. Supp. 44. 29 Straughn v. Schlumberger Well Surveying Corp., 72 F. Supp. 511... to the Act, preliminary activities, such as surveying, clearing, draining and leveling the land...

29 CFR 776.28 - Covered preparatory activities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... claims, surveying, clearing the land, assembling materials and equipment, erecting sheds, derricks or.... 28 Devine v. Levy, 39 F. Supp. 44. 29 Straughn v. Schlumberger Well Surveying Corp., 72 F. Supp. 511... to the Act, preliminary activities, such as surveying, clearing, draining and leveling the land...

29 CFR 776.28 - Covered preparatory activities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... claims, surveying, clearing the land, assembling materials and equipment, erecting sheds, derricks or.... 28 Devine v. Levy, 39 F. Supp. 44. 29 Straughn v. Schlumberger Well Surveying Corp., 72 F. Supp. 511... to the Act, preliminary activities, such as surveying, clearing, draining and leveling the land...

29 CFR 776.28 - Covered preparatory activities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... claims, surveying, clearing the land, assembling materials and equipment, erecting sheds, derricks or.... 28 Devine v. Levy, 39 F. Supp. 44. 29 Straughn v. Schlumberger Well Surveying Corp., 72 F. Supp. 511... to the Act, preliminary activities, such as surveying, clearing, draining and leveling the land...

Forest service contributions to the national land cover database (NLCD): Tree Canopy Cover Production

Treesearch

Bonnie Ruefenacht; Robert Benton; Vicky Johnson; Tanushree Biswas; Craig Baker; Mark Finco; Kevin Megown; John Coulston; Ken Winterberger; Mark Riley

2015-01-01

A tree canopy cover (TCC) layer is one of three elements in the National Land Cover Database (NLCD) 2011 suite of nationwide geospatial data layers. In 2010, the USDA Forest Service (USFS) committed to creating the TCC layer as a member of the Multi-Resolution Land Cover (MRLC) consortium. A general methodology for creating the TCC layer was reported at the 2012 FIA...

Rye cover crop effects on soil quality in no-till corn silage-soybean cropping systems

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Corn and soybean farmers in the upper Midwest are showing increasing interest in winter cover crops. Known benefits of winter cover crops include reductions in nutrient leaching, erosion prevention, and weed suppression; however, the effects of winter cover crops on soil quality in this region have ...

Land-Cover Trends of the Central Basin and Range Ecoregion

USGS Publications Warehouse

Soulard, Christopher E.

2006-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Land Cover Trends research project is focused on understanding the amounts, rates, trends, causes, and implications of contemporary land-use and land-cover (LU/LC) change in the United States. This project is supported by the USGS Geographic Analysis and Monitoring Program in collaboration with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). LU/LC change is a pervasive process that modifies landscape characteristics and affects a broad range of socioeconomic, biologic, and hydrologic systems. Understanding the impacts and feedbacks of LU/LC change on environmental systems requires an understanding of the rates, patterns, and driving forces of past, present, and future LU/LC change. The objectives of the Land Cover Trends project are to (1) determine and describe the amount, rates, and trends of contemporary LU/LC change by ecoregion for the period 1973-2000 for the conterminous United States, (2) document the causes, driving forces, and implications of change, and (3) synthesize individual ecoregion results into a national assessment of LU/LC change. The Land Cover Trends research team includes staff from the USGS National Center for Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS), Rocky Mountain Geographic Science Center, Eastern Geographic Science Center, Mid-Continent Geographic Science Center, and the Western Geographic Science Center. Other partners include researchers at South Dakota State University, University of Southern Mississippi, and State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry. This report presents an assessment of LU/LC change in the Central Basin and Range ecoregion for the period 1973-2000. The Central Basin and Range ecoregion is one of 84 Level-III ecoregions as defined by the Environmental Protection Agency. Ecoregions have served as a spatial framework for environmental resource management and to denote areas that contain

45 CFR 287.1 - What does this part cover?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... specifies.” (c) We call this Tribal work activities program the Native Employment Works (NEW) program. (d...), ADMINISTRATION FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES THE NATIVE EMPLOYMENT WORKS (NEW) PROGRAM General NEW Provisions § 287.1 What does this part cover? (a) The regulations in this...

Completion of the National Land Cover Database (NLCD) 1992–2001 Land Cover Change Retrofit product

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fry, J.A.; Coan, Michael; Homer, Collin G.; Meyer, Debra K.; Wickham, J.D.

2009-01-01

The Multi-Resolution Land Characteristics Consortium has supported the development of two national digital land cover products: the National Land Cover Dataset (NLCD) 1992 and National Land Cover Database (NLCD) 2001. Substantial differences in imagery, legends, and methods between these two land cover products must be overcome in order to support direct comparison. The NLCD 1992-2001 Land Cover Change Retrofit product was developed to provide more accurate and useful land cover change data than would be possible by direct comparison of NLCD 1992 and NLCD 2001. For the change analysis method to be both national in scale and timely, implementation required production across many Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) and Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) path/rows simultaneously. To meet these requirements, a hybrid change analysis process was developed to incorporate both post-classification comparison and specialized ratio differencing change analysis techniques. At a resolution of 30 meters, the completed NLCD 1992-2001 Land Cover Change Retrofit product contains unchanged pixels from the NLCD 2001 land cover dataset that have been cross-walked to a modified Anderson Level I class code, and changed pixels labeled with a 'from-to' class code. Analysis of the results for the conterminous United States indicated that about 3 percent of the land cover dataset changed between 1992 and 2001.

77 FR 48733 - Transitional Program for Covered Business Method Patents-Definitions of Covered Business Method...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-08-14

... Office 37 CFR Part 42 Transitional Program for Covered Business Method Patents--Definitions of Covered Business Method Patent and Technological Invention; Final Rule #0;#0;Federal Register / Vol. 77 , No. 157... Business Method Patents-- Definitions of Covered Business Method Patent and Technological Invention AGENCY...

Including the Excluded: One School for All.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

EFA 2000 Bulletin, 1998

1998-01-01

This issue of "EFA 2000" focuses on the theme of inclusive education, i.e., including children with disabilities in general education classrooms. The cover story discusses a 1995 UNESCO survey of 63 countries that showed that integration of children with disabilities in regular schools is a declared policy in almost every country.…

Modeling cover Crop Effectiveness on Maryland's Eastern Shore

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Cover cropping has become a widely used conservation practice on Maryland’s Eastern shore. It is one of the main practices funded by the Maryland Department of Agriculture’s (MDA) Maryland Agricultural Water Quality Cost Share (MACS) program. The major benefits of this practice include reduction of ...

Design of top covers supporting aerobic in situ stabilization of old landfills--an experimental simulation in lysimeters.

PubMed

Hrad, Marlies; Huber-Humer, Marion; Wimmer, Bernhard; Reichenauer, Thomas G

2012-12-01

Landfill aeration by means of low pressure air injection is a promising tool to reduce long term emissions from organic waste fractions through accelerated biological stabilization. Top covers that enhance methane oxidation could provide a simple and economic way to mitigate residual greenhouse gas emissions from in situ aerated landfills, and may replace off-gas extraction and treatment, particularly at smaller and older sites. In this respect the installation of a landfill cover system adjusted to the forced-aerated landfill body is of great significance. Investigations into large scale lysimeters (2 × 2 × 3m) under field conditions have been carried out using different top covers including compost materials and natural soils as a surrogate to gas extraction during active low pressure aeration. In the present study, the emission behaviour as well as the water balance performance of the lysimeters has been investigated, both prior to and during the first months of in situ aeration. Results reveal that mature sewage sludge compost (SSC) placed in one lysimeter exhibits in principle optimal ambient conditions for methanotrophic bacteria to enhance methane oxidation. Under laboratory conditions the mature compost mitigated CH(4) loadings up to 300 lCH(4)/m(2)d. In addition, the compost material provided high air permeability even at 100% water holding capacity (WHC). In contrast, the more cohesive, mineral soil cover was expected to cause a notably uniform distribution of the injected air within the waste layer. Laboratory results also revealed sufficient air permeability of the soil materials (TS-F and SS-Z) placed in lysimeter C. However, at higher compaction density SS-Z became impermeable at 100% WHC. Methane emissions from the reference lysimeter with the smaller substrate cover (12-52 g CH(4)/m(2)d) were significantly higher than fluxes from the other lysimeters (0-19 g CH(4)/m(2)d) during in situ aeration. Regarding water balance, lysimeters covered with

Snow-cover dynamics monitored by automatic digital photography at the rooting zone of an active rock glacier in the Hinteres Lantal Cirque, Austria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kellerer-Pirklbauer, Andreas; Rieckh, Matthias; Avian, Michael

2010-05-01

Knowledge regarding snow-cover dynamics and climatic conditions in the rooting zone of active rock glaciers is still limited. The number of meteorological stations on the surface of or close to active rock glaciers is increasing. However, areal information on snow-cover distribution and its spatial dynamics caused by different processes on rock glaciers surfaces with a high temporal resolution from such remote alpine areas are mostly difficult to obtain. To face this problem an automatic remote digital camera (RDC) system was proprietary developed. The core parts of the RDC system are a standard hand-held digital camera, a remote control, a water proof casing with a transparent opening, a 12V/25Ah battery and solar panels with a charge controller. Three such devices were constructed and installed at different sites in the Central Alps of Austria. One RDC system is used to monitor the rooting zone of the highly active rock glacier in the Hinteres Langtal Cirque (46°59'N, 12°47'E), Central Schober Mountains, Austria. The 0.15 km² large NW-facing rock glaciers is tongue-shaped with a fast moving lower part (>1m/a) and a substantially slower upper part, ranging in elevation between 2455-2700 m a.s.l. The RDC system was set up in September 2006 and is located since than at 2770 m a.s.l. on a pronounced ridge crest that confines the Hinteres Langtal Cirque to the SW. The water proof casing was attached to a 1.5 m high metal pole which itself was fixed to the bedrock by screws and concrete glue. The viewing direction of the camera is NE. Hence, the image section of the RDC focuses on the rooting zone of the rock glacier and its headwalls up to c. 3000 m a.s.l. Photographs were taken daily at 3 pm providing the optimal lighting conditions in the relevant part of the cirque. 720 photographs were taken continuously in the period 12.09.2006 to 31.08.2008. These optical data were analysed by applying GIS and remote sensing techniques regarding snow-cover distribution

Development of a global land cover characteristics database and IGBP DISCover from 1 km AVHRR data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Loveland, Thomas R.; Reed, B.C.; Brown, Jesslyn F.; Ohlen, D.O.; Zhu, Z.; Yang, L.; Merchant, J.W.

2000-01-01

Researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey, University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the European Commission's Joint Research Centre, Ispra, Italy produced a 1 km resolution global land cover characteristics database for use in a wide range of continental-to global-scale environmental studies. This database provides a unique view of the broad patterns of the biogeographical and ecoclimatic diversity of the global land surface, and presents a detailed interpretation of the extent of human development. The project was carried out as an International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme, Data and Information Systems (IGBP-DIS) initiative. The IGBP DISCover global land cover product is an integral component of the global land cover database. DISCover includes 17 general land cover classes defined to meet the needs of IGBP core science projects. A formal accuracy assessment of the DISCover data layer will be completed in 1998. The 1 km global land cover database was developed through a continent-by-continent unsupervised classification of 1 km monthly Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) composites covering 1992-1993. Extensive post-classification stratification was necessary to resolve spectral/temporal confusion between disparate land cover types. The complete global database consists of 961 seasonal land cover regions that capture patterns of land cover, seasonality and relative primary productivity. The seasonal land cover regions were aggregated to produce seven separate land cover data sets used for global environmental modelling and assessment. The data sets include IGBP DISCover, U.S. Geological Survey Anderson System, Simple Biosphere Model, Simple Biosphere Model 2, Biosphere-Atmosphere Transfer Scheme, Olson Ecosystems and Running Global Remote Sensing Land Cover. The database also includes all digital sources that were used in the classification. The complete database can be sourced from the website: http://edcwww.cr.usgs.gov/landdaac/glcc/glcc.html.

New Spectral Model for Constraining Torus Covering Factors from Broadband X-Ray Spectra of Active Galactic Nuclei

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baloković, M.; Brightman, M.; Harrison, F. A.; Comastri, A.; Ricci, C.; Buchner, J.; Gandhi, P.; Farrah, D.; Stern, D.

2018-02-01

The basic unified model of active galactic nuclei (AGNs) invokes an anisotropic obscuring structure, usually referred to as a torus, to explain AGN obscuration as an angle-dependent effect. We present a new grid of X-ray spectral templates based on radiative transfer calculations in neutral gas in an approximately toroidal geometry, appropriate for CCD-resolution X-ray spectra (FWHM ≥ 130 eV). Fitting the templates to broadband X-ray spectra of AGNs provides constraints on two important geometrical parameters of the gas distribution around the supermassive black hole: the average column density and the covering factor. Compared to the currently available spectral templates, our model is more flexible, and capable of providing constraints on the main torus parameters in a wider range of AGNs. We demonstrate the application of this model using hard X-ray spectra from NuSTAR (3–79 keV) for four AGNs covering a variety of classifications: 3C 390.3, NGC 2110, IC 5063, and NGC 7582. This small set of examples was chosen to illustrate the range of possible torus configurations, from disk-like to sphere-like geometries with column densities below, as well as above, the Compton-thick threshold. This diversity of torus properties challenges the simple assumption of a standard geometrically and optically thick toroidal structure commonly invoked in the basic form of the unified model of AGNs. Finding broad consistency between our constraints and those from infrared modeling, we discuss how the approach from the X-ray band complements similar measurements of AGN structures at other wavelengths.

New cytotoxic natural products from the mangrove biome: covering the period 2007-2015.

PubMed

Pejin, Boris; Glumac, Miodrag

2018-01-15

Nowadays, the mangrove biome is considered to be a profound resource of natural products usually possessing cytotoxicity of a broader range. Covering the period 2007-2015, a total of 21 new naturally occurring compounds has stood out. For example, xylogranin B and swietephragmin C were found to exhibit very potent cytotoxic activity against the colon HCT-116 cells reaching IC 50 values of 0.05 and 0.06 μM, respectively. Bearing in mind the efficacy of the majority compounds in the preliminary in vitro screens, these studies should be expanded to both ex vivo and in vivo screens including the evaluation of the relevant toxicological profiles.

Including students with moderate and severe intellectual disabilities in school extracurricular and community recreation activities.

PubMed

Kleinert, Harold L; Miracle, Sally; Sheppard-Jones, Kathy

2007-02-01

We conducted an online statewide survey of teachers of students with moderate and severe intellectual disabilities to determine the extent to which their students were included in school extracurricular and community recreation activities. For the 252 teacher respondents who indicated that their primary caseload consisted of students with significant intellectual disabilities, we report the numbers of students participating in school and community activities and the primary type of support students required to participate in each activity. Finally, we identify implications for practitioners who want to increase the participation of students with significant disabilities in school and community activities.

Fully covered stents versus partially covered stents for palliative treatment of esophageal cancer: Is there a difference?

PubMed

Alonso Lárraga, J O; Flores Carmona, D Y; Hernández Guerrero, A; Ramírez Solís, M E; de la Mora Levy, J G; Sánchez Del Monte, J C

2018-02-26

Malignant dysphagia is difficulty swallowing resulting from esophageal obstruction due to cancer. The goal of palliative treatment is to reduce the dysphagia and improve oral dietary intake. Self-expandable metallic stents are the current treatment of choice, given that they enable the immediate restoration of oral intake. The aim of the present study was to describe the results of using totally covered and partially covered esophageal stents for palliating esophageal cancer. A retrospective study was conducted on patients with inoperable esophageal cancer treated with self-expandable metallic stents. The 2 groups formed were: group A, which consisted of patients with a fully covered self-expandable stent (SX-ELLA ® ), and group B, which was made up of patients with a partially covered self-expandable stent (Ultraflex ® ). Of the 69-patient total, 50 were included in the study. Group A had 19 men and 2 women and their mean age was 63.6 years (range 41-84). Technical success was achieved in 100% (n=21) of the cases and clinical success in 90.4% (n=19). Group B had 24 men and 5 women and their mean age was 67.5 years (range 43-92). Technical success was achieved in 100% (n=29) of the cases and clinical success in 89.6% (n=26). Complications were similar in both groups (33.3 vs. 51.7%). There was no difference between the 2 types of stent for the palliative treatment of esophageal cancer with respect to technical success, clinical success, or complications. Copyright © 2018 Asociación Mexicana de Gastroenterología. Publicado por Masson Doyma México S.A. All rights reserved.

Case study of a full-scale evapotranspiration cover

USGS Publications Warehouse

McGuire, Patrick E.; Andraski, Brian J.; Archibald, Ryan E.

2009-01-01

The design, construction, and performance analyses of a 6.1ha evapotranspiration (ET) landfill cover at the semiarid U.S. Army Fort Carson site, near Colorado Springs, Colo. are presented. Initial water-balance model simulations, using literature reported soil hydraulic data, aided selection of borrow-source soil type(s) that resulted in predictions of negligible annual drainage (⩽1mm∕year). Final construction design was based on refined water-balance simulations using laboratory determined soil hydraulic values from borrow area natural soil horizons that were described with USDA soil classification methods. Cover design components included a 122cmthick clay loam (USDA), compaction ⩽80% of the standard Proctor maximum dry density (dry bulk density ∼1.3Mg∕m3), erosion control measures, top soil amended with biosolids, and seeding with native grasses. Favorable hydrologic performance for a 5year period was documented by lysimeter-measured and Richards’-based calculations of annual drainage that were all <0.4mm∕year. Water potential data suggest that ET removed water that infiltrated the cover and contributed to a persistent driving force for upward flow and removal of water from below the base of the cover.

ENGINEERING BULLETIN: LANDFILL COVERS

EPA Science Inventory

Landfill covers are used at Superfund sites to minimize surface water infiltration and control gas migration. In many cases covers are used in conjunction with other waste treatment technologies, such as slurry walls, ground water pump-and-treat systems, and gas collection. This ...

Supraglacial lakes on Himalayan debris-covered glacier (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sakai, A.; Fujita, K.

2013-12-01

Debris-covered glaciers are common in many of the world's mountain ranges, including in the Himalayas. Himalayan debris-covered glacier also contain abundant glacial lakes, including both proglacial and supraglacial types. We have revealed that heat absorption through supraglacial lakes was about 7 times greater than that averaged over the whole debris-covered zone. The heat budget analysis elucidated that at least half of the heat absorbed through the water surface was released with water outflow from the lakes, indicating that the warm water enlarge englacial conduits and produce internal ablation. We observed some portions at debris-covered area has caved at the end of melting season, and ice cliff has exposed at the side of depression. Those depression has suggested that roof of expanded water channels has collapsed, leading to the formation of ice cliffs and new lakes, which would accelerate the ablation of debris-covered glaciers. Almost glacial lakes on the debris-covered glacier are partially surrounded by ice cliffs. We observed that relatively small lakes had non-calving, whereas, calving has occurred at supraglacial lakes with fetch larger than 80 m, and those lakes expand rapidly. In the Himalayas, thick sediments at the lake bottom insulates glacier ice and lake water, then the lake water tends to have higher temperature (2-4 degrees C). Therefore, thermal undercutting at ice cliff is important for calving processes in the glacial lake expansion. We estimated and subaqueous ice melt rates during the melt and freeze seasons under simple geomorphologic conditions. In particular, we focused on valley wind-driven water currents in various fetches during the melt season. Our results demonstrate that the subaqueous ice melt rate exceeds the ice-cliff melt rate above the water surface when the fetch is larger than 20 m with the water temperature of 2-4 degrees C. Calculations suggest that onset of calving due to thermal undercutting is controlled by water

Automatic design of magazine covers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jahanian, Ali; Liu, Jerry; Tretter, Daniel R.; Lin, Qian; Damera-Venkata, Niranjan; O'Brien-Strain, Eamonn; Lee, Seungyon; Fan, Jian; Allebach, Jan P.

2012-03-01

In this paper, we propose a system for automatic design of magazine covers that quantifies a number of concepts from art and aesthetics. Our solution to automatic design of this type of media has been shaped by input from professional designers, magazine art directors and editorial boards, and journalists. Consequently, a number of principles in design and rules in designing magazine covers are delineated. Several techniques are derived and employed in order to quantify and implement these principles and rules in the format of a software framework. At this stage, our framework divides the task of design into three main modules: layout of magazine cover elements, choice of color for masthead and cover lines, and typography of cover lines. Feedback from professional designers on our designs suggests that our results are congruent with their intuition.

Importance of scale, land cover, and weather on the abundance of bird species in a managed forest

USGS Publications Warehouse

Grinde, Alexis R.; Hiemi, Gerald J.; Sturtevant, Brian R.; Panci, Hannah; Thogmartin, Wayne E.; Wolter, Peter

2017-01-01

Climate change and habitat loss are projected to be the two greatest drivers of biodiversity loss over the coming century. While public lands have the potential to increase regional resilience of bird populations to these threats, long-term data are necessary to document species responses to changes in climate and habitat to better understand population vulnerabilities. We used generalized linear mixed models to determine the importance of stand-level characteristics, multi-scale land cover, and annual weather factors to the abundance of 61 bird species over a 20-year time frame in Chippewa National Forest, Minnesota, USA. Of the 61 species modeled, we were able to build final models with R-squared values that ranged from 26% to 69% for 37 species; the remaining 24 species models had issues with convergence or low explanatory power (R-squared < 20%). Models for the 37 species show that stand-level characteristics, land cover factors, and annual weather effects on species abundance were species-specific and varied within guilds. Forty-one percent of the final species models included stand-level characteristics, 92% included land cover variables at the 200 m scale, 51% included land cover variables at the 500 m scale, 46% included land cover variables at the 1000 m scale, and 38% included weather variables in best models. Three species models (8%) included significant weather and land cover interaction terms. Overall, models indicated that aboveground tree biomass and land cover variables drove changes in the majority of species. Of those species models including weather variables, more included annual variation in precipitation or drought than temperature. Annual weather variability was significantly more likely to impact abundance of species associated with deciduous forests and bird species that are considered climate sensitive. The long-term data and models we developed are particularly suited to informing science-based adaptive forest management plans that

Structural characteristics for superoxide anion radical scavenging and productive activities of green tea polyphenols including proanthocyanidin dimers.

PubMed

Sato, Masashi; Toyazaki, Hajime; Yoshioka, Yu; Yokoi, Nobutoshi; Yamasaki, Toru

2010-01-01

The purpose of this paper is to report structural characteristics for superoxide anion radical (O(2(-))) scavenging and productive activities of green tea polyphenols. (-)-Epicatechin 3-O-gallate (5), (-)-epigallocatechin (6), (-)-epigallocatechin 3-O-gallate (7), (+)-gallocatechin-(4alpha-->8')-epigallocatechin (8), and (-)-epigallocatechin-(2beta-->O-->7', 4beta-->8')-epicatechin 3'-O-gallate (9) were isolated from the tea plant Camellia sinensis L. (+)-Epigallocatechin-(2beta-->O-->7, 4beta-->8')-epicatechin (10) was prepared by hydrolyzing 9. The polyphenols, as well as commercially available pyrogallol (1), methyl gallate (2), (+)-catechin (3), (-)-epicatechin (4), and the flavonol myricetin (11), produced O(2(-)) in descending order 1, 6 asymptotically equal to11 asymptotically equal to8, 7, 10, 2 asymptotically equal to9, 5 asymptotically equal to4. In the polyphenols with the pyrogallol-type B-ring and/or galloyl group, electron-withdrawing substituents (carbonyl and ketal carbons) and/or intramolecular hydrogen bonding constituted structural characteristics against the autoxidation reaction. The O(2(-))-productive activity partially counteracted O(2(-))-scavenging activity. However, such structural characteristics appeared to enhance the scavenging activity, accordingly the polyphenols in effect served as O(2(-))-scavengers in descending order 9 asymptotically equal to7, 2, 11, 8, 10, 3 asymptotically equal to4. On the other hand, 6, having no such structural characteristic, acted as a O(2(-))-generator, as well as 1. Further assessments covering tannins (e.g., A-type proanthocyanidin dimer 9) are needed to identify which green tea polyphenols are the most desirable chemopreventive agents.

Life Skills Activities for Secondary Students with Special Needs.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mannix, Darlene

This resource for life skills activities for adolescents with special needs covers aspects of interpersonal relationships, communication skills, academic and school skills, practical living skills, vocational skills, problem-solving skills, and lifestyle choices. Included are 190 illustrated activity sheets with related exercises, discussion…

Coastal regime shifts: rapid responses of coastal wetlands to changes in mangrove cover.

PubMed

Guo, Hongyu; Weaver, Carolyn; Charles, Sean P; Whitt, Ashley; Dastidar, Sayantani; D'Odorico, Paolo; Fuentes, Jose D; Kominoski, John S; Armitage, Anna R; Pennings, Steven C

2017-03-01

Global changes are causing broad-scale shifts in vegetation communities worldwide, including coastal habitats where the borders between mangroves and salt marsh are in flux. Coastal habitats provide numerous ecosystem services of high economic value, but the consequences of variation in mangrove cover are poorly known. We experimentally manipulated mangrove cover in large plots to test a set of linked hypotheses regarding the effects of changes in mangrove cover. We found that changes in mangrove cover had strong effects on microclimate, plant community, sediment accretion, soil organic content, and bird abundance within 2 yr. At higher mangrove cover, wind speed declined and light interception by vegetation increased. Air and soil temperatures had hump-shaped relationships with mangrove cover. The cover of salt marsh plants decreased at higher mangrove cover. Wrack cover, the distance that wrack was distributed from the water's edge, and sediment accretion decreased at higher mangrove cover. Soil organic content increased with mangrove cover. Wading bird abundance decreased at higher mangrove cover. Many of these relationships were non-linear, with the greatest effects when mangrove cover varied from zero to intermediate values, and lesser effects when mangrove cover varied from intermediate to high values. Temporal and spatial variation in measured variables often peaked at intermediate mangrove cover, with ecological consequences that are largely unexplored. Because different processes varied in different ways with mangrove cover, the "optimum" cover of mangroves from a societal point of view will depend on which ecosystem services are most desired. © 2016 by the Ecological Society of America.

Testing of solar cell covers and encapsulants conducted in a simulated space environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Russell, D. A.

1981-01-01

The materials included in the evaluation were 0211 micro-sheet, FEP-A used as a cover and as an adhesive, DC 93-500 adhesive, PFA "hard coat" used as a cover, GE 615/UV-24 used as a cover, GR 650 used as a cover, and electrostatically bonded 7070 glass. The test environments were 1 MeV electron irradiation interspersed with thermal cycling, 0.5 MeV proton irradiation interspersed with thermal cycling and UV exposure interspersed with thermal cycling. Summary data is given describing the response of the test materials both visually and electrically to the three different environments.

Gainesville's urban forest canopy cover

Treesearch

Francisco Escobedo; Jennifer A. Seitz; Wayne Zipperer

2009-01-01

Ecosystem benefits from trees are linked directly to the amount of healthy urban forest canopy cover. Urban forest cover is dynamic and changes over time due to factors such as urban development, windstorms, tree removals, and growth. The amount of a city's canopy cover depends on its land use, climate, and people's preferences. This fact sheet examines how...

EnviroAtlas - Portland, ME - Land Cover by Block Group

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This EnviroAtlas dataset describes the percentage of each block group that is classified as impervious, forest, green space, wetland, and agriculture. Impervious is a combination of dark and light impervious. Forest is combination of trees and forest and woody wetlands. Green space is a combination of trees and forest, grass and herbaceous, agriculture, woody wetlands, and emergent wetlands. Wetlands includes both Woody and Emergent Wetlands. This dataset also includes the area per capita for each block group for impervious, forest, and green space land cover. This dataset was produced by the US EPA to support research and online mapping activities related to EnviroAtlas. EnviroAtlas (https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas) allows the user to interact with a web-based, easy-to-use, mapping application to view and analyze multiple ecosystem services for the contiguous United States. The dataset is available as downloadable data (https://edg.epa.gov/data/Public/ORD/EnviroAtlas) or as an EnviroAtlas map service. Additional descriptive information about each attribute in this dataset can be found in its associated EnviroAtlas Fact Sheet (https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas/enviroatlas-fact-sheets).

Effect of using different cover image quality to obtain robust selective embedding in steganography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdullah, Karwan Asaad; Al-Jawad, Naseer; Abdulla, Alan Anwer

2014-05-01

One of the common types of steganography is to conceal an image as a secret message in another image which normally called a cover image; the resulting image is called a stego image. The aim of this paper is to investigate the effect of using different cover image quality, and also analyse the use of different bit-plane in term of robustness against well-known active attacks such as gamma, statistical filters, and linear spatial filters. The secret messages are embedded in higher bit-plane, i.e. in other than Least Significant Bit (LSB), in order to resist active attacks. The embedding process is performed in three major steps: First, the embedding algorithm is selectively identifying useful areas (blocks) for embedding based on its lighting condition. Second, is to nominate the most useful blocks for embedding based on their entropy and average. Third, is to select the right bit-plane for embedding. This kind of block selection made the embedding process scatters the secret message(s) randomly around the cover image. Different tests have been performed for selecting a proper block size and this is related to the nature of the used cover image. Our proposed method suggests a suitable embedding bit-plane as well as the right blocks for the embedding. Experimental results demonstrate that different image quality used for the cover images will have an effect when the stego image is attacked by different active attacks. Although the secret messages are embedded in higher bit-plane, but they cannot be recognised visually within the stegos image.

The seasonal cycle of snow cover, sea ice and surface albedo

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Robock, A.

1980-01-01

The paper examines satellite data used to construct mean snow cover caps for the Northern Hemisphere. The zonally averaged snow cover from these maps is used to calculate the seasonal cycle of zonally averaged surface albedo. The effects of meltwater on the surface, solar zenith angle, and cloudiness are parameterized and included in the calculations of snow and ice albedo. The data allows a calculation of surface albedo for any land or ocean 10 deg latitude band as a function of surface temperature ice and snow cover; the correct determination of the ice boundary is more important than the snow boundary for accurately simulating the ice and snow albedo feedback.

National Level Assessment of Mangrove Forest Cover in Pakistan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abbas, S.; Qamer, F. M.; Hussain, N.; Saleem, R.; Nitin, K. T.

2011-09-01

Mangroves ecosystems consist of inter tidal flora and fauna found in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Mangroves forest is a collection of halophytic trees, shrubs, and other plants receiving inputs from regular tidal flushing and from freshwater streams and rivers. A global reduction of 25 % mangroves' area has been observed since 1980 and it is categorized as one of to the most threatened and vulnerable ecosystems of the world. Forest resources in Pakistan are being deteriorating both quantitatively and qualitatively due to anthropogenic activities, climatic v and loose institutional management. According to the FAO (2007), extent of forest cover of Pakistan in 2005 is 1,902,000 ha, which is 2.5% of its total land area. Annual change rate during 2000-2005 was -2.1% which is highest among all the countries in Asia. The Indus delta region contains the world's fifth-largest mangrove forest which provides a range of important ecosystem services, including coastal stabilisation, primary production and provision of nursery habitat for marine fish. Given their ecological importance in coastal settings, mangroves receive special attention in the assessment of conservation efforts and sustainable coastal developments. Coastline of Pakistan is 1050km long shared by the provinces, Sind (350km) and Baluchistan (700 km). The coastline, with typical arid subtropical climate, possesses five significant sites that are blessed with mangroves. In the Sindh province, mangroves are found in the Indus Delta and Sandspit. The Indus Delta is host to the most extensive mangroves areas and extends from Korangi Creek in the West to Sir Creek in the East, whereas Sandspit is a small locality in the West of Karachi city. In the Balochistan province, mangroves are located at three sites, Miani Hor, Kalmat Khor and Jiwani. Contemporary methods of Earth observation sciences are being incorporated as an integral part of environmental assessment related studies in coastal areas

Soil Water Improvements with the Long Term Use of a Winter Rye Cover Crop

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Basche, A.; Kaspar, T.; Archontoulis, S.; Jaynes, D. B.; Sauer, T. J.; Parkin, T.; Miguez, F.

2015-12-01

The Midwestern United States, a region that produces one-third of maize and one-quarter of soybeans globally, is projected to experience increasing rainfall variability with future climate change. One approach to mitigate climate impacts is to utilize crop and soil management practices that enhance soil water storage, reducing the risks of flooding and runoff as well as drought-induced crop water stress. While some research indicates that a winter cover crop in a maize-soybean rotation increases soil water, producers continue to be concerned that water use by cover crops will reduce water for a following cash crop. We analyzed continuous in-field soil moisture measurements over from 2008-2014 at a Central Iowa research site that has included a winter rye cover crop in a maize-soybean rotation for thirteen years. This period of study included years in the top third of wettest years on record (2008, 2010, 2014) as well as years in the bottom third of driest years (2012, 2013). We found the cover crop treatment to have significantly higher soil water storage from 2012-2014 when compared to the no cover crop treatment and in most years greater soil water content later in the growing season when a cover crop was present. We further found that the winter rye cover crop significantly increased the field capacity water content and plant available water compared to the no cover crop treatment. Finally, in 2012 and 2013, we measured maize and soybean biomass every 2-3 weeks and did not see treatment differences in crop growth, leaf area or nitrogen uptake. Final crop yields were not statistically different between the cover and no cover crop treatment in any of the years of this analysis. This research indicates that the long-term use of a winter rye cover crop can improve soil water dynamics without sacrificing cash crop growth.

Spatial Heterogeneity of Ice Cover Sediment and Thickness and Its Effects on Photosynthetically Active Radiation and Chlorophyll-a Distribution: Lake Bonney, Antarctica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Obryk, M.; Doran, P. T.; Priscu, J. C.; Morgan-Kiss, R. M.; Siebenaler, A. G.

2012-12-01

The perennially ice-covered lakes in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica have been extensively studied under the Long Term Ecological Research project. But sampling has been spatially restricted due to the logistical difficulty of penetrating the 3-6 m of ice cover. The ice covers restrict wind-driven turbulence and its associated mixing of water, resulting in a unique thermal stratification and a strong vertical gradient of salinity. The permanent ice covers also shade the underlying water column, which, in turn, controls photosynthesis. Here, we present results of a three-dimensional record of lake processes obtained with an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV). The AUV was deployed at West Lake Bonney, located in Taylor Valley, Dry Valleys, to further understand biogeochemical and physical properties of the Dry Valley lakes. The AUV was equipped with depth, conductivity, temperature, under water photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), turbidity, chlorophyll-and-DOM fluorescence, pH, and REDOX sensors. Measurements were taken over the course of two years in a 100 x 100 meter spaced horizontal sampling grid (and 0.2 m vertical resolution). In addition, the AUV measured ice thickness and collected 200 images looking up through the ice, which were used to quantify sediment distribution. Comparison with high-resolution satellite QuickBird imagery demonstrates a strong correlation between aerial sediment distribution and ice cover thickness. Our results are the first to show the spatial heterogeneity of lacustrine ecosystems in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, significantly improving our understanding of lake processes. Surface sediment is responsible for localized thinning of ice cover due to absorption of solar radiation, which in turn increases total available PAR in the water column. Higher PAR values are negatively correlated with chlorophyll-a, presenting a paradox; historically, long-term studies of PAR and chlorophyll-a have shown positive trends. We hypothesized

Cover Image, Volume 176A, Number 3, March 2018.

PubMed

Tamai, Kei; Tada, Katsuhiko; Takeuchi, Akihito; Nakamura, Makoto; Marunaka, Hidenori; Washio, Yosuke; Tanaka, Hiroyuki; Miya, Fuyuki; Okamoto, Nobuhiko; Kageyama, Misao

2018-03-01

The cover image, by Kei Tamai et al., is based on the Clinical Report Fetal ultrasonographic findings including cerebral hyperechogenicity in a patient with non-lethal form of Raine syndrome, DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.a.38598. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Extraction of land cover change information from ENVISAT-ASAR data in Chengdu Plain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Wenbo; Fan, Jinlong; Huang, Jianxi; Tian, Yichen; Zhang, Yong

2006-10-01

Land cover data are essential to most global change research objectives, including the assessment of current environmental conditions and the simulation of future environmental scenarios that ultimately lead to public policy development. Chinese Academy of Sciences generated a nationwide land cover database in order to carry out the quantification and spatial characterization of land use/cover changes (LUCC) in 1990s. In order to improve the reliability of the database, we will update the database anytime. But it is difficult to obtain remote sensing data to extract land cover change information in large-scale. It is hard to acquire optical remote sensing data in Chengdu plain, so the objective of this research was to evaluate multitemporal ENVISAT advanced synthetic aperture radar (ASAR) data for extracting land cover change information. Based on the fieldwork and the nationwide 1:100000 land cover database, the paper assesses several land cover changes in Chengdu plain, for example: crop to buildings, forest to buildings, and forest to bare land. The results show that ENVISAT ASAR data have great potential for the applications of extracting land cover change information.

46 CFR 171.117 - Dead covers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 46 Shipping 7 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Dead covers. 171.117 Section 171.117 Shipping COAST... Dead covers. (a) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, each port light with the sill located below the margin line must have a hinged, inside dead cover. (b) The dead cover on a port light...

46 CFR 171.117 - Dead covers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 46 Shipping 7 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Dead covers. 171.117 Section 171.117 Shipping COAST... Dead covers. (a) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, each port light with the sill located below the margin line must have a hinged, inside dead cover. (b) The dead cover on a port light...

46 CFR 171.117 - Dead covers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 46 Shipping 7 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Dead covers. 171.117 Section 171.117 Shipping COAST... Dead covers. (a) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, each port light with the sill located below the margin line must have a hinged, inside dead cover. (b) The dead cover on a port light...

46 CFR 171.117 - Dead covers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 46 Shipping 7 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Dead covers. 171.117 Section 171.117 Shipping COAST... Dead covers. (a) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, each port light with the sill located below the margin line must have a hinged, inside dead cover. (b) The dead cover on a port light...

46 CFR 171.117 - Dead covers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 7 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Dead covers. 171.117 Section 171.117 Shipping COAST... Dead covers. (a) Except as provided in paragraph (b) of this section, each port light with the sill located below the margin line must have a hinged, inside dead cover. (b) The dead cover on a port light...

Estimating impervious cover and riparian zone condition in New England watersheds.

EPA Science Inventory

Under EPA’s Green Infrastructure Initiative, research activities are underway to evaluate the effectiveness of green infrastructure in mitigating the effects of urbanization and stormwater impacts on stream biota and habitat. Preliminary analyses, using impervious cover es...

Estimating impervious cover and riparian zone condition in New England watersheds

EPA Science Inventory

Under EPA’s Green Infrastructure Initiative, research activities are underway to evaluate the effectiveness of green infrastructure in mitigating the effects of urbanization and stormwater impacts on stream biota and habitat. Preliminary analyses, using impervious cover estimate...

Multiple microbial activity-based measures reflect effects of cover cropping and tillage on soils

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Agricultural producers, conservation professionals, and policy makers are eager to learn of soil analytical techniques and data that document improvement in soil health by agricultural practices such as no-till and incorporation of cover crops. However, there is considerable uncertainty within the r...

Landsat continuity: Issues and opportunities for land cover monitoring

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wulder, M.A.; White, Joanne C.; Goward, S.N.; Masek, J.G.; Irons, J.R.; Herold, M.; Cohen, W.B.; Loveland, Thomas R.; Woodcock, C.E.

2008-01-01

Initiated in 1972, the Landsat program has provided a continuous record of earth observation for 35 years. The assemblage of Landsat spatial, spectral, and temporal resolutions, over a reasonably sized image extent, results in imagery that can be processed to represent land cover over large areas with an amount of spatial detail that is absolutely unique and indispensable for monitoring, management, and scientific activities. Recent technical problems with the two existing Landsat satellites, and delays in the development and launch of a successor, increase the likelihood that a gap in Landsat continuity may occur. In this communication, we identify the key features of the Landsat program that have resulted in the extensive use of Landsat data for large area land cover mapping and monitoring. We then augment this list of key features by examining the data needs of existing large area land cover monitoring programs. Subsequently, we use this list as a basis for reviewing the current constellation of earth observation satellites to identify potential alternative data sources for large area land cover applications. Notions of a virtual constellation of satellites to meet large area land cover mapping and monitoring needs are also presented. Finally, research priorities that would facilitate the integration of these alternative data sources into existing large area land cover monitoring programs are identified. Continuity of the Landsat program and the measurements provided are critical for scientific, environmental, economic, and social purposes. It is difficult to overstate the importance of Landsat; there are no other systems in orbit, or planned for launch in the short-term, that can duplicate or approach replication, of the measurements and information conferred by Landsat. While technical and political options are being pursued, there is no satellite image data stream poised to enter the National Satellite Land Remote Sensing Data Archive should system failures

Optimal shortening of uniform covering arrays

PubMed Central

Rangel-Valdez, Nelson; Avila-George, Himer; Carrizalez-Turrubiates, Oscar

2017-01-01

Software test suites based on the concept of interaction testing are very useful for testing software components in an economical way. Test suites of this kind may be created using mathematical objects called covering arrays. A covering array, denoted by CA(N; t, k, v), is an N × k array over Zv={0,…,v-1} with the property that every N × t sub-array covers all t-tuples of Zvt at least once. Covering arrays can be used to test systems in which failures occur as a result of interactions among components or subsystems. They are often used in areas such as hardware Trojan detection, software testing, and network design. Because system testing is expensive, it is critical to reduce the amount of testing required. This paper addresses the Optimal Shortening of Covering ARrays (OSCAR) problem, an optimization problem whose objective is to construct, from an existing covering array matrix of uniform level, an array with dimensions of (N − δ) × (k − Δ) such that the number of missing t-tuples is minimized. Two applications of the OSCAR problem are (a) to produce smaller covering arrays from larger ones and (b) to obtain quasi-covering arrays (covering arrays in which the number of missing t-tuples is small) to be used as input to a meta-heuristic algorithm that produces covering arrays. In addition, it is proven that the OSCAR problem is NP-complete, and twelve different algorithms are proposed to solve it. An experiment was performed on 62 problem instances, and the results demonstrate the effectiveness of solving the OSCAR problem to facilitate the construction of new covering arrays. PMID:29267343

High-resolution land cover classification using low resolution global data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carlotto, Mark J.

2013-05-01

A fusion approach is described that combines texture features from high-resolution panchromatic imagery with land cover statistics derived from co-registered low-resolution global databases to obtain high-resolution land cover maps. The method does not require training data or any human intervention. We use an MxN Gabor filter bank consisting of M=16 oriented bandpass filters (0-180°) at N resolutions (3-24 meters/pixel). The size range of these spatial filters is consistent with the typical scale of manmade objects and patterns of cultural activity in imagery. Clustering reduces the complexity of the data by combining pixels that have similar texture into clusters (regions). Texture classification assigns a vector of class likelihoods to each cluster based on its textural properties. Classification is unsupervised and accomplished using a bank of texture anomaly detectors. Class likelihoods are modulated by land cover statistics derived from lower resolution global data over the scene. Preliminary results from a number of Quickbird scenes show our approach is able to classify general land cover features such as roads, built up area, forests, open areas, and bodies of water over a wide range of scenes.

Analysis of effects of manhole covers on motorcycle driver maneuvers: a nonparametric classification tree approach.

PubMed

Chang, Li-Yen

2014-01-01

A manhole cover is a removable plate forming the lid over the opening of a manhole to allow traffic to pass over the manhole and to prevent people from falling in. Because most manhole covers are placed in roadway traffic lanes, if these manhole covers are not appropriately installed or maintained, they can represent unexpected hazards on the road, especially for motorcycle drivers. The objective of this study is to identify the effects of manhole cover characteristics as well as driver factors and traffic and roadway conditions on motorcycle driver maneuvers. A video camera was used to record motorcycle drivers' maneuvers when they encountered an inappropriately installed or maintained manhole cover. Information on 3059 drivers' maneuver decisions was recorded. Classification and regression tree (CART) models were applied to explore factors that can significantly affect motorcycle driver maneuvers when passing a manhole cover. Nearly 50 percent of the motorcycle drivers decelerated or changed their driving path to reduce the effects of the manhole cover. The manhole cover characteristics including the level difference between manhole cover and pavement, the pavement condition over the manhole cover, and the size of the manhole cover can significantly affect motorcycle driver maneuvers. Other factors, including traffic conditions, lane width, motorcycle speed, and loading conditions, also have significant effects on motorcycle driver maneuvers. To reduce the effects and potential risks from the manhole covers, highway authorities not only need to make sure that any newly installed manhole covers are as level as possible but also need to regularly maintain all the manhole covers to ensure that they are in good condition. In the long run, the size of manhole covers should be kept as small as possible so that the impact of manhole covers on motorcycle drivers can be effectively reduced. Supplemental materials are available for this article. Go to the publisher

Including Students with Moderate and Severe Disabilities in Extracurricular and Community Recreation Activities: Steps to Success

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kleinert, Harold L.; Miracle, Sally A.; Sheppard-Jones, Kathy

2007-01-01

Recreation and leisure activities play a vital role in all people's lives, and educators have long recognized that such activities are an important instructional emphasis for students with moderate and severe disabilities. This article offers teachers practical strategies for including their students with disabilities in school extracurricular…

EnviroAtlas - Austin, TX - Land Cover by Block Group

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This EnviroAtlas dataset describes the percentage of each block group that is classified as impervious, forest, green space, and agriculture. Forest is defined as Trees & Forest. Green space is defined as Trees & Forest, Grass & Herbaceous, and Agriculture. This dataset also includes the area per capita for each block group for some land cover types. This dataset was produced by the US EPA to support research and online mapping activities related to EnviroAtlas. EnviroAtlas (https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas) allows the user to interact with a web-based, easy-to-use, mapping application to view and analyze multiple ecosystem services for the contiguous United States. The dataset is available as downloadable data (https://edg.epa.gov/data/Public/ORD/EnviroAtlas) or as an EnviroAtlas map service. Additional descriptive information about each attribute in this dataset can be found in its associated EnviroAtlas Fact Sheet (https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas/enviroatlas-fact-sheets).

7 CFR 65.135 - Covered commodity.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

..., PEANUTS, AND GINSENG General Provisions Definitions § 65.135 Covered commodity. (a) Covered commodity... nuts; (6) Pecans; and (7) Ginseng. (b) Covered commodities are excluded from this part if the commodity...

7 CFR 65.135 - Covered commodity.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

..., PEANUTS, AND GINSENG General Provisions Definitions § 65.135 Covered commodity. (a) Covered commodity... nuts; (6) Pecans; and (7) Ginseng. (b) Covered commodities are excluded from this part if the commodity...

7 CFR 65.135 - Covered commodity.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

..., PEANUTS, AND GINSENG General Provisions Definitions § 65.135 Covered commodity. (a) Covered commodity... nuts; (6) Pecans; and (7) Ginseng. (b) Covered commodities are excluded from this part if the commodity...

7 CFR 65.135 - Covered commodity.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

..., PEANUTS, AND GINSENG General Provisions Definitions § 65.135 Covered commodity. (a) Covered commodity... nuts; (6) Pecans; and (7) Ginseng. (b) Covered commodities are excluded from this part if the commodity...

Population and Human Development: A Course Curriculum Including Lesson Plans, Activities, and Bibliography. Revised.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Murphy, Elaine M.; Long, Alison T.

This course outline suggests materials and learning activities on the interrelated causes and consequences of population growth and other population matters. The document describes 15 class sessions which integrate information for sociology, anthropology, psychology, biology, animal behavior, and education. Topics include the history of human…

Land Cover Change in the Boston Mountains, 1973-2000

USGS Publications Warehouse

Karstensen, Krista A.

2009-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Land Cover Trends project is focused on understanding the rates, trends, causes, and consequences of contemporary U.S. land-cover change. The objectives of the study are to: (1) to develop a comprehensive methodology for using sampling and change analysis techniques and Landsat Multispectral Scanner (MSS), Thematic Mapper (TM), and Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) data to measure regional land-cover change across the United States; (2) to characterize the types, rates, and temporal variability of change for a 30-year period; (3) to document regional driving forces and consequences of change; and (4) to prepare a national synthesis of land-cover change (Loveland and others, 1999). The 1999 Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Level III ecoregions derived from Omernik (1987) provide the geographic framework for the geospatial data collected between 1973 and 2000. The 27-year study period was divided into five temporal periods: 1973-1980, 1980-1986, 1986-1992, 1992-2000, and 1973-2000, and the data are evaluated using a modified Anderson Land Use Land Cover Classification System (Anderson and others, 1976) for image interpretation. The rates of land-cover change are estimated using a stratified, random sampling of 10-kilometer (km) by 10-km blocks allocated within each ecoregion. For each sample block, satellite images are used to interpret land-cover change for the five time periods previously mentioned. Additionally, historic aerial photographs from similar time frames and other ancillary data, such as census statistics and published literature, are used. The sample block data are then incorporated into statistical analyses to generate an overall change matrix for the ecoregion. Field data of the sample blocks include direct measurements of land cover, particularly ground-survey data collected for training and validation of image classifications (Loveland and others, 2002). The field experience allows for additional

The Effect of Conservation Tillage and Cover Crop Residue on Beneficial Arthropods and Weed Seed Predation in Acorn Squash.

PubMed

Quinn, N F; Brainard, D C; Szendrei, Z

2016-12-01

Conservation tillage combined with cover crops or mulching may enhance natural enemy activity in agroecosystems by reducing soil disturbance and increasing habitat structural complexity. In particular, weed seed predation can increase with vegetation cover and reduced tillage, indicating that mulches may improve the quality of the habitat for weed seed foraging. The purpose of this study was to quantify the effects of tillage and mulching for conservation biological control in cucurbit fields. The effects of mulch and reduced tillage on arthropods and rates of weed seed loss from arenas were examined in field trials on sandy soils in 2014 and 2015. Experimental factors included tillage and cover crop, each with two levels: strip-tillage or full-tillage, and cover crop mulch (rye residue) or no cover crop mulch (unmulched). Arthropod abundance on the crop foliage was not affected by tillage or cover crops. Contrary to expectations, epigeal natural enemies of insects and rates of weed seed removal either did not respond to treatments or were greater in full-tilled plots and plots without mulch. Our study demonstrates the potential importance of weed seed predators in reducing weed seedbanks in vegetable agroecosystems, and suggests that early-season tillage may not be detrimental to epigeal predator assemblages. © The Authors 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

United states national land cover data base development? 1992-2001 and beyond

USGS Publications Warehouse

Yang, L.

2008-01-01

An accurate, up-to-date and spatially-explicate national land cover database is required for monitoring the status and trends of the nation's terrestrial ecosystem, and for managing and conserving land resources at the national scale. With all the challenges and resources required to develop such a database, an innovative and scientifically sound planning must be in place and a partnership be formed among users from government agencies, research institutes and private sectors. In this paper, we summarize major scientific and technical issues regarding the development of the NLCD 1992 and 2001. Experiences and lessons learned from the project are documented with regard to project design, technical approaches, accuracy assessment strategy, and projecti imiplementation.Future improvements in developing next generation NLCD beyond 2001 are suggested, including: 1) enhanced satellite data preprocessing in correction of atmospheric and adjacency effect and the topographic normalization; 2) improved classification accuracy through comprehensive and consistent training data and new algorithm development; 3) multi-resolution and multi-temporal database targeting major land cover changes and land cover database updates; 4) enriched database contents by including additional biophysical parameters and/or more detailed land cover classes through synergizing multi-sensor, multi-temporal, and multi-spectral satellite data and ancillary data, and 5) transform the NLCD project into a national land cover monitoring program. ?? 2008 IEEE.

[Snow cover pollution monitoring in Ufa].

PubMed

Daukaev, R A; Suleĭmanov, R A

2008-01-01

The paper presents the results of examining the snow cover polluted with heavy metals in the large industrial town of Ufa. The level of man-caused burden on the snow cover of the conventional parts of the town was estimated and compared upon exposure to a wide range of snow cover pollutants. The priority snow cover pollutants were identified among the test heavy metals.

Candidates, Campaigns, & Elections: Projects, Activities, Literature Links. Grades 4-8.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Scher, Linda; Johnson, Mary Oates

This resource book provides activities about elections and campaigns that involve students in active learning. The book introduces students to the organization of government and how politicians present themselves and are covered by the media. The activities include literature links, primary sources, and maps and charts for tracking results. The…

Land-cover change in the Lower Mississippi Valley, 1973-2000

USGS Publications Warehouse

Karstensen, Krista A.; Sayler, Kristi L.

2009-01-01

The Land Cover Trends is a research project focused on understanding the rates, trends, causes, and consequences of contemporary United States land-use and land-cover change. The project is coordinated by the Geographic Analysis and Monitoring Program of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in conjunction with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Using the EPA Level III ecoregions as the geographic framework, scientists process geospatial data collected between 1973 and 2000 were processed to characterize ecosystem responses to land-use changes. The 27-year study period was divided into four temporal periods: 1973 to1980, 1980 to 1986, 1986 to 1992, 1992 to 2000 and overall from 1973 to 2000. General land-cover classes for these periods were interpreted from Landsat Multispectral Scanner, Thematic Mapper, and Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus imagery to categorize and evaluate land-cover change using a modified Anderson Land Use Land Cover Classification System (Anderson and others, 1976) for image interpretation.The rates of land-cover change were estimated using a stratified, random sampling of 10-kilometer (km) by 10-km blocks allocated within each ecoregion. For each sample block, satellite images were used to interpret land-cover change. The sample block data then were incorporated into statistical analyses to generate an overall change matrix for the ecoregion. These change statistics are applicable for different levels of scale, including total change for the individual sample blocks and change estimates for the entire ecoregion.

Cereal Box Design: An Interdisciplinary Graphics Activity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fitzgerald, Mike; Tsosie, Teri

2012-01-01

The cereal box design activity is intriguing both for its simplicity and the resourcefulness that it can generate in young people. Also, it lends itself to a variety of curriculums. It covers both consumerism and Design for the Environment (DfE) concepts broadly and in depth. The activity introduces a wide range of topics. They include graphic…

InP MMIC Chip Set for Power Sources Covering 80-170 GHz

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ngo, Catherine

2001-01-01

We will present a Monolithic Millimeter-wave Integrated Circuit (MMIC) chip set which provides high output-power sources for driving diode frequency multipliers into the terahertz range. The chip set was fabricated at HRL Laboratories using a 0.1-micrometer gate-length InAlAs/InGaAs/InP high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) process, and features transistors with an f(sub max) above 600 GHz. The HRL InP HEMT process has already demonstrated amplifiers in the 60-200 GHz range. In this paper, these high frequency HEMTs form the basis for power sources up to 170 GHz. A number of state-of-the-art InP HEMT MMICs will be presented. These include voltage-controlled and fixed-tuned oscillators, power amplifiers, and an active doubler. We will first discuss an 80 GHz voltage-controlled oscillator with 5 GHz of tunability and at least 17 mW of output power, as well as a 120 GHz oscillator providing 7 mW of output power. In addition, we will present results of a power amplifier which covers the full WRIO waveguide band (75-110 GHz), and provides 40-50 mW of output power. Furthermore, we will present an active doubler at 164 GHz providing 8% bandwidth, 3 mW of output power, and an unprecedented 2 dB of conversion loss for an InP HEMT MMIC at this frequency. Finally, we will demonstrate a power amplifier to cover 140-170 GHz with 15-25 mW of output power and 8 dB gain. These components can form a power source in the 155-165 GHz range by cascading the 80 GHz oscillator, W-band power amplifier, 164 GHz active doubler and final 140-170 GHz power amplifier for a stable, compact local oscillator subsystem, which could be used for atmospheric science or astrophysics radiometers.

Human impacts drive a global topographic signature in tree cover.

PubMed

Sandel, Brody; Svenning, Jens-Christian

2013-01-01

The Anthropocene is a geological epoch marked by major human influences on processes in the atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere and geosphere. One of the most dramatic features of the Anthropocene is the massive alteration of the Earth's vegetation, including forests. Here we investigate the role of topography in shaping human impacts on tree cover from local to global scales. We show that human impacts have resulted in a global tendency for tree cover to be constrained to sloped terrain and losses to be concentrated on flat terrain. This effect increases in strength with increasing human pressure and is most pronounced in countries with rapidly growing economies, limited human population stress and highly effective governments. These patterns likely reflect the relative inaccessibility of sloped topography and have important implications for conservation and modelling of future tree cover.

Increased Risk of Insect Injury to Corn Following Rye Cover Crop.

PubMed

Dunbar, Mike W; O'Neal, Matthew E; Gassmann, Aaron J

2016-08-01

Decreased pest pressure is sometimes associated with more diverse agroecosystems, including the addition of a rye cover crop (Secale cereale L.). However, not all pests respond similarly to greater vegetational diversity. Polyphagous pests, such as true armyworm (Mythimna unipuncta Haworth), black cutworm (Agrotis ipsilon Hufnagel), and common stalk borer (Papaipema nebris Guenee), whose host range includes rye have the potential to cause injury to crops following a rye cover crop. The objectives of this study were to compare the abundance of early-season insect pests and injury to corn (Zea mays L.) from fields with and without a rye cover crop on commercial farms. Fields were sampled weekly to quantify adult and larval pests and feeding injury to corn plants from mid-April until corn reached V8 stage, during 2014 and 2015. Measurements within fields were collected along transects that extended perpendicularly from field edges into the interior of cornfields. Adult true armyworm and adult black cutworm were captured around all cornfields, but most lepidopteran larvae captured within cornfields were true armyworm and common stalk borer. Cornfields with a rye cover crop had significantly greater abundance of true armyworm and greater proportion of injured corn. Both true armyworm abundance and feeding injury were significantly greater in the interior of cornfields with rye. Common stalk borer abundance did not differ between cornfields with or without rye cover. Farmers planting corn following a rye cover crop should be aware of the potential for increased presence of true armyworm and for greater injury to corn. © The Authors 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Percutaneous biliary covered stent insertion in patients with malignant duodenobiliary obstruction.

PubMed

Lee, Eunsol; Gwon, Dong Il; Ko, Gi-Young; Sung, Kyu-Bo; Yoon, Hyun-Ki; Shin, Ji Hoon; Kim, Jin Hyoung; Ko, Heung Kyu; Song, Ho-Young

2015-02-01

Although the use of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE)-covered biliary stents has proven to be feasible for the treatment of benign and malignant biliary disease, less is known regarding the outcomes of percutaneous placement of a covered stent in patients with malignant duodenobiliary obstruction. To investigate the technical and clinical efficacy of the percutaneous placement of a PTFE-covered biliary stent in patients with malignant duodenobiliary obstruction. From April 2007 to September 2012, the medical records of 45 consecutive patients with malignant duodenobiliary obstruction were retrospectively reviewed. All percutaneous biliary stent deployment was performed using PTFE-covered stents, whereas duodenal stent insertion was performed either fluoroscopically or endoscopically using covered or uncovered stents. Biliary stent deployment was technically successful in all patients. None of the stents migrated after deployment. Procedure-related minor complications, including self-limiting hemobilia, occurred in three (7%) patients. Successful internal drainage was achieved in 39 (87%) of the 45 patients. The median survival time after biliary stent placement was 62 days (95% confidence interval, 8-116 days), and the cumulative stent patency rates at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months were 96%, 92%, 75%, and 38%, respectively. The causes of biliary stent dysfunction included stent occlusion caused by a subsequently inserted duodenal stent (n = 7), food impaction (n = 3), and sludge incrustation (n = 1). One patient developed acute cholecystitis 131 days after biliary stent placement and underwent percutaneous transhepatic gallbladder drainage. Percutaneous insertion of a PTFE-covered stent is a safe and effective method for palliative treatment of patients with malignant duodenobiliary obstruction. If possible, subsequent biliary stent insertion is preferable in order to prevent possible biliary stent dysfunction caused by subsequent insertion of a duodenal stent. �

[Study of the microwave emissivity characteristics over different land cover types].

PubMed

Zhang, Yong-Pan; Jiang, Ling-Mei; Qiu, Yu-Bao; Wu, Sheng-Li; Shi, Jian-Cheng; Zhang, Li-Xin

2010-06-01

The microwave emissivity over land is very important for describing the characteristics of the lands, and it is also a key factor for retrieving the parameters of land and atmosphere. Different land covers have their emission behavior as a function of structure, water content, and surface roughness. In the present study the global land surface emissivities were calculated using six month (June, 2003-August, 2003, Dec, 2003-Feb, 2004) AMSR-E L2A brightness temperature, MODIS land surface temperature and the layered atmosphere temperature, and humidity and pressure profiles data retrieved from MODIS/Aqua under clear sky conditions. With the information of IGBP land cover types, "pure" pixels were used, which are defined when the fraction cover of each land type is larger than 85%. Then, the emissivity of sixteen land covers at different frequencies, polarization and their seasonal variation were analyzed respectively. The results show that the emissivity of vegetation including forests, grasslands and croplands is higher than that over bare soil, and the polarization difference of vegetation is smaller than that of bare soil. In summer, the emissivity of vegetation is relatively stable because it is in bloom, therefore the authors can use it as its emissivity in our microwave emissivity database over different land cover types. Furthermore, snow cover can heavily impact the change in land cover emissivity, especially in winter.

Land Application of Wastes: An Educational Program. Role of Vegetative Cover - Module 7, Objectives, and Script.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clarkson, W. W.; And Others

This module discusses some of the objectives of incorporating vegetative cover in land treatment systems. Specific crops and forest cover are mentioned in relation to benefits associated with each, and specific treatment alternatives (irrigation, overland flow, and rapid infiltration) are included in relation to vegetative cover considerations.…

Estimating Achievable Accuracy for Global Imaging Spectroscopy Measurement of Non-Photosynthetic Vegetation Cover

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dennison, P. E.; Kokaly, R. F.; Daughtry, C. S. T.; Roberts, D. A.; Thompson, D. R.; Chambers, J. Q.; Nagler, P. L.; Okin, G. S.; Scarth, P.

2016-12-01

Terrestrial vegetation is dynamic, expressing seasonal, annual, and long-term changes in response to climate and disturbance. Phenology and disturbance (e.g. drought, insect attack, and wildfire) can result in a transition from photosynthesizing "green" vegetation to non-photosynthetic vegetation (NPV). NPV cover can include dead and senescent vegetation, plant litter, agricultural residues, and non-photosynthesizing stem tissue. NPV cover is poorly captured by conventional remote sensing vegetation indices, but it is readily separable from substrate cover based on spectral absorption features in the shortwave infrared. We will present past research motivating the need for global NPV measurements, establishing that mapping seasonal NPV cover is critical for improving our understanding of ecosystem function and carbon dynamics. We will also present new research that helps determine a best achievable accuracy for NPV cover estimation. To test the sensitivity of different NPV cover estimation methods, we simulated satellite imaging spectrometer data using field spectra collected over mixtures of NPV, green vegetation, and soil substrate. We incorporated atmospheric transmittance and modeled sensor noise to create simulated spectra with spectral resolutions ranging from 10 to 30 nm. We applied multiple methods of NPV estimation to the simulated spectra, including spectral indices, spectral feature analysis, multiple endmember spectral mixture analysis, and partial least squares regression, and compared the accuracy and bias of each method. These results prescribe sensor characteristics for an imaging spectrometer mission with NPV measurement capabilities, as well as a "Quantified Earth Science Objective" for global measurement of NPV cover. Copyright 2016, all rights reserved.

EnviroAtlas - Memphis, TN - Estimated Percent Tree Cover Along Walkable Roads

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This EnviroAtlas dataset estimates tree cover along walkable roads. The road width is estimated for each road and percent tree cover is calculated in a 8.5 meter strip beginning at the estimated road edge. Percent tree cover is calculated for each block between road intersections. Tree cover provides valuable benefits to neighborhood residents and walkers by providing shade, improved aesthetics, and outdoor gathering spaces. This dataset was produced by the US EPA to support research and online mapping activities related to EnviroAtlas. EnviroAtlas (https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas) allows the user to interact with a web-based, easy-to-use, mapping application to view and analyze multiple ecosystem services for the contiguous United States. The dataset is available as downloadable data (https://edg.epa.gov/data/Public/ORD/EnviroAtlas) or as an EnviroAtlas map service. Additional descriptive information about each attribute in this dataset can be found in its associated EnviroAtlas Fact Sheet (https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas/enviroatlas-fact-sheets).

EnviroAtlas - Portland, ME - Estimated Percent Tree Cover Along Walkable Roads

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This EnviroAtlas dataset estimates tree cover along walkable roads. The road width is estimated for each road and percent tree cover is calculated in a 8.5 meter strip beginning at the estimated road edge. Percent tree cover is calculated for each block between road intersections. Tree cover provides valuable benefits to neighborhood residents and walkers by providing shade, improved aesthetics, and outdoor gathering spaces. This dataset was produced by the US EPA to support research and online mapping activities related to EnviroAtlas. EnviroAtlas (https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas) allows the user to interact with a web-based, easy-to-use, mapping application to view and analyze multiple ecosystem services for the contiguous United States. The dataset is available as downloadable data (https://edg.epa.gov/data/Public/ORD/EnviroAtlas) or as an EnviroAtlas map service. Additional descriptive information about each attribute in this dataset can be found in its associated EnviroAtlas Fact Sheet (https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas/enviroatlas-fact-sheets).

EnviroAtlas - Pittsburgh, PA - Estimated Percent Tree Cover Along Walkable Roads

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This EnviroAtlas dataset estimates tree cover along walkable roads. The road width is estimated for each road and percent tree cover is calculated in a 8.5 meter strip beginning at the estimated road edge. Percent tree cover is calculated for each block between road intersections. Tree cover provides valuable benefits to neighborhood residents and walkers by providing shade, improved aesthetics, and outdoor gathering spaces. This dataset was produced by the US EPA to support research and online mapping activities related to EnviroAtlas. EnviroAtlas (https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas) allows the user to interact with a web-based, easy-to-use, mapping application to view and analyze multiple ecosystem services for the contiguous United States. The dataset is available as downloadable data (https://edg.epa.gov/data/Public/ORD/EnviroAtlas) or as an EnviroAtlas map service. Additional descriptive information about each attribute in this dataset can be found in its associated EnviroAtlas Fact Sheet (https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas/enviroatlas-fact-sheets).

EnviroAtlas - Portland, OR - Estimated Percent Tree Cover Along Walkable Roads

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This EnviroAtlas dataset estimates tree cover along walkable roads. The road width is estimated for each road and percent tree cover is calculated in a 8.5 meter strip beginning at the estimated road edge. Percent tree cover is calculated for each block between road intersections. Tree cover provides valuable benefits to neighborhood residents and walkers by providing shade, improved aesthetics, and outdoor gathering spaces. This dataset was produced by the US EPA to support research and online mapping activities related to EnviroAtlas. EnviroAtlas (https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas) allows the user to interact with a web-based, easy-to-use, mapping application to view and analyze multiple ecosystem services for the contiguous United States. The dataset is available as downloadable data (https://edg.epa.gov/data/Public/ORD/EnviroAtlas) or as an EnviroAtlas map service. Additional descriptive information about each attribute in this dataset can be found in its associated EnviroAtlas Fact Sheet (https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas/enviroatlas-fact-sheets).

EnviroAtlas - Paterson, NJ - Estimated Percent Tree Cover Along Walkable Roads

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This EnviroAtlas dataset estimates tree cover along walkable roads. The road width is estimated for each road and percent tree cover is calculated in a 8.5 meter strip beginning at the estimated road edge. Percent tree cover is calculated for each block between road intersections. Tree cover provides valuable benefits to neighborhood residents and walkers by providing shade, improved aesthetics, and outdoor gathering spaces. This dataset was produced by the US EPA to support research and online mapping activities related to EnviroAtlas. EnviroAtlas (https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas) allows the user to interact with a web-based, easy-to-use, mapping application to view and analyze multiple ecosystem services for the contiguous United States. The dataset is available as downloadable data (https://edg.epa.gov/data/Public/ORD/EnviroAtlas) or as an EnviroAtlas map service. Additional descriptive information about each attribute in this dataset can be found in its associated EnviroAtlas Fact Sheet (https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas/enviroatlas-fact-sheets).

EnviroAtlas - Phoenix, AZ - Estimated Percent Tree Cover Along Walkable Roads

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This EnviroAtlas dataset estimates tree cover along walkable roads. The road width is estimated for each road and percent tree cover is calculated in a 8.5 meter strip beginning at the estimated road edge. Percent tree cover is calculated for each block between road intersections. Tree cover provides valuable benefits to neighborhood residents and walkers by providing shade, improved aesthetics, and outdoor gathering spaces. This dataset was produced by the US EPA to support research and online mapping activities related to EnviroAtlas. EnviroAtlas (https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas) allows the user to interact with a web-based, easy-to-use, mapping application to view and analyze multiple ecosystem services for the contiguous United States. The dataset is available as downloadable data (https://edg.epa.gov/data/Public/ORD/EnviroAtlas) or as an EnviroAtlas map service. Additional descriptive information about each attribute in this dataset can be found in its associated EnviroAtlas Fact Sheet (https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas/enviroatlas-fact-sheets).

EnviroAtlas - Milwaukee, WI - Estimated Percent Tree Cover Along Walkable Roads

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This EnviroAtlas dataset estimates tree cover along walkable roads. The road width is estimated for each road and percent tree cover is calculated in a 8.5 meter strip beginning at the estimated road edge. Percent tree cover is calculated for each block between road intersections. Tree cover provides valuable benefits to neighborhood residents and walkers by providing shade, improved aesthetics, and outdoor gathering spaces. This dataset was produced by the US EPA to support research and online mapping activities related to EnviroAtlas. EnviroAtlas (https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas) allows the user to interact with a web-based, easy-to-use, mapping application to view and analyze multiple ecosystem services for the contiguous United States. The dataset is available as downloadable data (https://edg.epa.gov/data/Public/ORD/EnviroAtlas) or as an EnviroAtlas map service. Additional descriptive information about each attribute in this dataset can be found in its associated EnviroAtlas Fact Sheet (https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas/enviroatlas-fact-sheets).

EnviroAtlas - Tampa, FL - Estimated Percent Tree Cover Along Walkable Roads

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This EnviroAtlas dataset estimates tree cover along walkable roads. The road width is estimated for each road and percent tree cover is calculated in a 8.5 meter strip beginning at the estimated road edge. Percent tree cover is calculated for each block between road intersections. Tree cover provides valuable benefits to neighborhood residents and walkers by providing shade, improved aesthetics, and outdoor gathering spaces. This dataset was produced by the US EPA to support research and online mapping activities related to EnviroAtlas. EnviroAtlas (https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas) allows the user to interact with a web-based, easy-to-use, mapping application to view and analyze multiple ecosystem services for the contiguous United States. The dataset is available as downloadable data (https://edg.epa.gov/data/Public/ORD/EnviroAtlas) or as an EnviroAtlas map service. Additional descriptive information about each attribute in this dataset can be found in its associated EnviroAtlas Fact Sheet (https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas/enviroatlas-fact-sheets).

EnviroAtlas - Durham, NC - Estimated Percent Tree Cover Along Walkable Roads

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This EnviroAtlas dataset estimates tree cover along walkable roads. The road width is estimated for each road and percent tree cover is calculated in a 8.5 meter strip beginning at the estimated road edge. Percent tree cover is calculated for each block between road intersections. Tree cover provides valuable benefits to neighborhood residents and walkers by providing shade, improved aesthetics, and outdoor gathering spaces. This dataset was produced by the US EPA to support research and online mapping activities related to EnviroAtlas. EnviroAtlas (https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas) allows the user to interact with a web-based, easy-to-use, mapping application to view and analyze multiple ecosystem services for the contiguous United States. The dataset is available as downloadable data (https://edg.epa.gov/data/Public/ORD/EnviroAtlas) or as an EnviroAtlas map service. Additional descriptive information about each attribute in this dataset can be found in its associated EnviroAtlas Fact Sheet (https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas/enviroatlas-fact-sheets).

EnviroAtlas - Fresno, CA - Estimated Percent Tree Cover Along Walkable Roads

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This EnviroAtlas dataset estimates tree cover along walkable roads. The road width is estimated for each road and percent tree cover is calculated in a 8.5 meter strip beginning at the estimated road edge. Percent tree cover is calculated for each block between road intersections. Tree cover provides valuable benefits to neighborhood residents and walkers by providing shade, improved aesthetics, and outdoor gathering spaces. This dataset was produced by the US EPA to support research and online mapping activities related to EnviroAtlas. EnviroAtlas (https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas) allows the user to interact with a web-based, easy-to-use, mapping application to view and analyze multiple ecosystem services for the contiguous United States. The dataset is available as downloadable data (https://edg.epa.gov/data/Public/ORD/EnviroAtlas) or as an EnviroAtlas map service. Additional descriptive information about each attribute in this dataset can be found in its associated EnviroAtlas Fact Sheet (https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas/enviroatlas-fact-sheets).

EnviroAtlas - Woodbine, IA - Estimated Percent Tree Cover Along Walkable Roads

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This EnviroAtlas dataset estimates tree cover along walkable roads. The road width is estimated for each road and percent tree cover is calculated in a 8.5 meter strip beginning at the estimated road edge. Percent tree cover is calculated for each block between road intersections. Tree cover provides valuable benefits to neighborhood residents and walkers by providing shade, improved aesthetics, and outdoor gathering spaces. This dataset was produced by the US EPA to support research and online mapping activities related to EnviroAtlas. EnviroAtlas (https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas) allows the user to interact with a web-based, easy-to-use, mapping application to view and analyze multiple ecosystem services for the contiguous United States. The dataset is available as downloadable data (https://edg.epa.gov/data/Public/ORD/EnviroAtlas) or as an EnviroAtlas map service. Additional descriptive information about each attribute in this dataset can be found in its associated EnviroAtlas Fact Sheet (https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas/enviroatlas-fact-sheets).

EnviroAtlas - Austin, TX - Estimated Percent Tree Cover Along Walkable Roads

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This EnviroAtlas dataset estimates tree cover along walkable roads. The road width is estimated for each road and percent tree cover is calculated in a 8.5 meter strip beginning at the estimated road edge. Percent tree cover is calculated for each block between road intersections. Tree cover provides valuable benefits to neighborhood residents and walkers by providing shade, improved aesthetics, and outdoor gathering spaces. This dataset was produced by the US EPA to support research and online mapping activities related to EnviroAtlas. EnviroAtlas (https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas) allows the user to interact with a web-based, easy-to-use, mapping application to view and analyze multiple ecosystem services for the contiguous United States. The dataset is available as downloadable data (https://edg.epa.gov/data/Public/ORD/EnviroAtlas) or as an EnviroAtlas map service. Additional descriptive information about each attribute in this dataset can be found in its associated EnviroAtlas Fact Sheet (https://www.epa.gov/enviroatlas/enviroatlas-fact-sheets).

Vegetative covers for waste containment.

PubMed

Rock, Steven A

2003-01-01

Disposal of municipal and hazardous waste in the United States is primarily accomplished by containment in lined and capped landfills. Evapotranspiration cover systems offer an alternative to conventional landfill cap systems. These covers work on completely different principles than traditional covers do, and that difference may slow understanding and acceptance by site owners, regulators, and stakeholders. This chapter provides an introduction to this alternative technique and explains some of the common concerns regarding its implementation.

41 CFR 60-741.20 - Covered employment activities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

..., organizational structures, position descriptions, lines of progression, and seniority lists; (e) Leaves of... apprenticeships, professional meetings, conferences and other related activities, and selection for leaves of...

41 CFR 60-741.20 - Covered employment activities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

..., organizational structures, position descriptions, lines of progression, and seniority lists; (e) Leaves of... apprenticeships, professional meetings, conferences and other related activities, and selection for leaves of...

41 CFR 60-741.20 - Covered employment activities.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

..., organizational structures, position descriptions, lines of progression, and seniority lists; (e) Leaves of... apprenticeships, professional meetings, conferences and other related activities, and selection for leaves of...

Enzymatic activity of a mine soil varies according to vegetation cover and level of compost applied.

PubMed

de Varennes, Amerilis; Abreu, Maria Manuela; Qu, Guiwei; Cunha-Queda, Cristina

2010-01-01

We applied three doses of compost from mixed municipal solid waste (0, 15, and 30 g kg(-1) of soil) to a soil developed on pyrite mine wastes. Part of the soil was planted with young Erica australis L. collected at the mine; part was fertilized with N-P-K-Mg and sown with Dactylis glomerata L .Bare soil without mineral fertilization was included in the experiment, as well. Compost application to bare soil increased pH, provided plant nutrients, and enhanced the activity of the six soil enzymes tested. Growth of D. glomerata, and E. australis was stimulated in compost-amended soil compared with unamended controls. The presence of D. glomerata led to the greatest activities of soil acid phosphatase, beta-glucosidase, and cellulase compared with bare soil or with soil with E. australis. The presence of E. australis increased the activities of protease and cellulase in amended soil, compared with control, but it impaired dehydrogenase, fl-glucosidase, and acid phosphatase activities. These negative impacts probably derived from phenolic compounds known to be released from roots of this species. The survival strategy of this species seems to include a small need for P in the shoots, and the release of exudates that impair microbial activity and P cycling.

Forest Cover Estimation in Ireland Using Radar Remote Sensing: A Comparative Analysis of Forest Cover Assessment Methodologies.

PubMed

Devaney, John; Barrett, Brian; Barrett, Frank; Redmond, John; O Halloran, John

2015-01-01

Quantification of spatial and temporal changes in forest cover is an essential component of forest monitoring programs. Due to its cloud free capability, Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) is an ideal source of information on forest dynamics in countries with near-constant cloud-cover. However, few studies have investigated the use of SAR for forest cover estimation in landscapes with highly sparse and fragmented forest cover. In this study, the potential use of L-band SAR for forest cover estimation in two regions (Longford and Sligo) in Ireland is investigated and compared to forest cover estimates derived from three national (Forestry2010, Prime2, National Forest Inventory), one pan-European (Forest Map 2006) and one global forest cover (Global Forest Change) product. Two machine-learning approaches (Random Forests and Extremely Randomised Trees) are evaluated. Both Random Forests and Extremely Randomised Trees classification accuracies were high (98.1-98.5%), with differences between the two classifiers being minimal (<0.5%). Increasing levels of post classification filtering led to a decrease in estimated forest area and an increase in overall accuracy of SAR-derived forest cover maps. All forest cover products were evaluated using an independent validation dataset. For the Longford region, the highest overall accuracy was recorded with the Forestry2010 dataset (97.42%) whereas in Sligo, highest overall accuracy was obtained for the Prime2 dataset (97.43%), although accuracies of SAR-derived forest maps were comparable. Our findings indicate that spaceborne radar could aid inventories in regions with low levels of forest cover in fragmented landscapes. The reduced accuracies observed for the global and pan-continental forest cover maps in comparison to national and SAR-derived forest maps indicate that caution should be exercised when applying these datasets for national reporting.

Forest Cover Estimation in Ireland Using Radar Remote Sensing: A Comparative Analysis of Forest Cover Assessment Methodologies

PubMed Central

Devaney, John; Barrett, Brian; Barrett, Frank; Redmond, John; O`Halloran, John

2015-01-01

Quantification of spatial and temporal changes in forest cover is an essential component of forest monitoring programs. Due to its cloud free capability, Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) is an ideal source of information on forest dynamics in countries with near-constant cloud-cover. However, few studies have investigated the use of SAR for forest cover estimation in landscapes with highly sparse and fragmented forest cover. In this study, the potential use of L-band SAR for forest cover estimation in two regions (Longford and Sligo) in Ireland is investigated and compared to forest cover estimates derived from three national (Forestry2010, Prime2, National Forest Inventory), one pan-European (Forest Map 2006) and one global forest cover (Global Forest Change) product. Two machine-learning approaches (Random Forests and Extremely Randomised Trees) are evaluated. Both Random Forests and Extremely Randomised Trees classification accuracies were high (98.1–98.5%), with differences between the two classifiers being minimal (<0.5%). Increasing levels of post classification filtering led to a decrease in estimated forest area and an increase in overall accuracy of SAR-derived forest cover maps. All forest cover products were evaluated using an independent validation dataset. For the Longford region, the highest overall accuracy was recorded with the Forestry2010 dataset (97.42%) whereas in Sligo, highest overall accuracy was obtained for the Prime2 dataset (97.43%), although accuracies of SAR-derived forest maps were comparable. Our findings indicate that spaceborne radar could aid inventories in regions with low levels of forest cover in fragmented landscapes. The reduced accuracies observed for the global and pan-continental forest cover maps in comparison to national and SAR-derived forest maps indicate that caution should be exercised when applying these datasets for national reporting. PMID:26262681

10 CFR 950.14 - Standby Support Contract: Covered events, exclusions, covered delay and covered cost provisions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... environmental laws or regulations such as those related to pollution abatement or human health and the... a covered event(s) is determined to be the cause of delay in attainment of full power operation...

10 CFR 950.14 - Standby Support Contract: Covered events, exclusions, covered delay and covered cost provisions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... environmental laws or regulations such as those related to pollution abatement or human health and the... a covered event(s) is determined to be the cause of delay in attainment of full power operation...

10 CFR 950.14 - Standby Support Contract: Covered events, exclusions, covered delay and covered cost provisions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... environmental laws or regulations such as those related to pollution abatement or human health and the... a covered event(s) is determined to be the cause of delay in attainment of full power operation...

10 CFR 950.14 - Standby Support Contract: Covered events, exclusions, covered delay and covered cost provisions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... environmental laws or regulations such as those related to pollution abatement or human health and the... a covered event(s) is determined to be the cause of delay in attainment of full power operation...

Economic Development and Forest Cover: Evidence from Satellite Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Crespo Cuaresma, Jesús; Danylo, Olha; Fritz, Steffen; McCallum, Ian; Obersteiner, Michael; See, Linda; Walsh, Brian

2017-01-01

Ongoing deforestation is a pressing, global environmental issue with direct impacts on climate change, carbon emissions, and biodiversity. There is an intuitive link between economic development and overexploitation of natural resources including forests, but this relationship has proven difficult to establish empirically due to both inadequate data and convoluting geo-climactic factors. In this analysis, we use satellite data on forest cover along national borders in order to study the determinants of deforestation differences across countries. Controlling for trans-border geo-climactic differences, we find that income per capita is the most robust determinant of differences in cross-border forest cover. We show that the marginal effect of per capita income growth on forest cover is strongest at the earliest stages of economic development, and weakens in more advanced economies, presenting some of the strongest evidence to date for the existence of at least half of an environmental Kuznets curve for deforestation.

Economic Development and Forest Cover: Evidence from Satellite Data

PubMed Central

Crespo Cuaresma, Jesús; Danylo, Olha; Fritz, Steffen; McCallum, Ian; Obersteiner, Michael; See, Linda; Walsh, Brian

2017-01-01

Ongoing deforestation is a pressing, global environmental issue with direct impacts on climate change, carbon emissions, and biodiversity. There is an intuitive link between economic development and overexploitation of natural resources including forests, but this relationship has proven difficult to establish empirically due to both inadequate data and convoluting geo-climactic factors. In this analysis, we use satellite data on forest cover along national borders in order to study the determinants of deforestation differences across countries. Controlling for trans-border geo-climactic differences, we find that income per capita is the most robust determinant of differences in cross-border forest cover. We show that the marginal effect of per capita income growth on forest cover is strongest at the earliest stages of economic development, and weakens in more advanced economies, presenting some of the strongest evidence to date for the existence of at least half of an environmental Kuznets curve for deforestation. PMID:28091593

Economic Development and Forest Cover: Evidence from Satellite Data.

PubMed

Crespo Cuaresma, Jesús; Danylo, Olha; Fritz, Steffen; McCallum, Ian; Obersteiner, Michael; See, Linda; Walsh, Brian

2017-01-16

Ongoing deforestation is a pressing, global environmental issue with direct impacts on climate change, carbon emissions, and biodiversity. There is an intuitive link between economic development and overexploitation of natural resources including forests, but this relationship has proven difficult to establish empirically due to both inadequate data and convoluting geo-climactic factors. In this analysis, we use satellite data on forest cover along national borders in order to study the determinants of deforestation differences across countries. Controlling for trans-border geo-climactic differences, we find that income per capita is the most robust determinant of differences in cross-border forest cover. We show that the marginal effect of per capita income growth on forest cover is strongest at the earliest stages of economic development, and weakens in more advanced economies, presenting some of the strongest evidence to date for the existence of at least half of an environmental Kuznets curve for deforestation.

Earth Observing System (EOS) Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) Global Snow-Cover Maps

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hall, Dorothy K.; Riggs, George A.; Salomonson, Vincent V.; Scharfen, Greg R.

2000-01-01

Following the 1999 launch of the Earth Observing System (EOS) Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), the capability exists to produce global snow-cover maps on a daily basis at 500-m resolution. Eight-day composite snow-cover maps will also be available. MODIS snow-cover products are produced at Goddard Space Flight Center and archived and distributed by the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) in Boulder, Colorado. The products are available in both orbital and gridded formats. An online search and order tool and user-services staff will be available at NSIDC to assist users with the snow products. The snow maps are available at a spatial resolution of 500 m, and 1/4 degree x 1/4 degree spatial resolution, and provide information on sub-pixel (fractional) snow cover. Pre-launch validation work has shown that the MODIS snow-mapping algorithms perform best under conditions of continuous snow cover in low vegetation areas, but can also map snow cover in dense forests. Post-launch validation activities will be performed using field and aircraft measurements from a February 2000 validation mission, as well as from existing satellite-derived snow-cover maps from NOAA and Landsat-7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+).

Land-use/land-cover drives variation in the specific inherent optical properties of estuaries

EPA Science Inventory

Changes in land-use/land-cover (LULC) can impact the exports of optically and biogeochemically active constituents to estuaries. Specific inherent optical properties (SIOPs) of estuarine optically active constituents (OACs) are directly related to the composition of the OACs, and...

Antimalarial Activity of Plant Metabolites.

PubMed

Pan, Wen-Hui; Xu, Xin-Ya; Shi, Ni; Tsang, Siu Wai; Zhang, Hong-Jie

2018-05-06

Malaria, as a major global health problem, continues to affect a large number of people each year, especially those in developing countries. Effective drug discovery is still one of the main efforts to control malaria. As natural products are still considered as a key source for discovery and development of therapeutic agents, we have evaluated more than 2000 plant extracts against Plasmodium falciparum . As a result, we discovered dozens of plant leads that displayed antimalarial activity. Our phytochemical study of some of these plant extracts led to the identification of several potent antimalarial compounds. The prior comprehensive review article entitled “Antimalarial activity of plant metabolites” by Schwikkard and Van Heerden (2002) reported structures of plant-derived compounds with antiplasmodial activity and covered literature up to the year 2000. As a continuation of this effort, the present review covers the antimalarial compounds isolated from plants, including marine plants, reported in the literature from 2001 to the end of 2017. During the span of the last 17 years, 175 antiplasmodial compounds were discovered from plants. These active compounds are organized in our review article according to their plant families. In addition, we also include ethnobotanical information of the antimalarial plants discussed.

COVER (cover of vaccination evaluated rapidly): description of the England and Wales scheme.

PubMed

Begg, N T; Gill, O N; White, J M

1989-03-01

The COVER scheme, a method for the rapid evaluation of vaccine coverage in England and Wales, is described. The primary aim of the scheme is to improve cover by providing health district vaccination programme coordinators with relevant timely information. Quarterly data were obtained from, analysed and promptly fed back to, 126 health districts on cohorts of children who had recently attained the target ages for receiving the selected sentinel vaccines; 18 months for third diphtheria and third pertussis and 2 years for measles. Although the data suggested that vaccination cover is improving, national performance still falls well short of 90%, the 1990 target set by the World Health Organisation for countries in Europe.

Evaluating fire-damaged components of historic covered bridges

Treesearch

Brian Kukay; Charles Todd; Tyler Jahn; Jenson Sannon; Logan Dunlap; Robert White; Mark Dietenberger

2016-01-01

Arson continues to claim many historic covered bridges. Site-specific, post-fire evaluations of the structural integrity of a bridge are often necessary in a fire’s aftermath. Decisions on whether individual wood components can be rehabilitated, reconstructed, or replaced must be made. This report includes coverage of existing approaches and exploratory approaches that...

How to model moon signals using 2-dimensional Gaussian function: Classroom activity for measuring nighttime cloud cover

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gacal, G. F. B.; Lagrosas, N.

2016-12-01

Nowadays, cameras are commonly used by students. In this study, we use this instrument to look at moon signals and relate these signals to Gaussian functions. To implement this as a classroom activity, students need computers, computer software to visualize signals, and moon images. A normalized Gaussian function is often used to represent probability density functions of normal distribution. It is described by its mean m and standard deviation s. The smaller standard deviation implies less spread from the mean. For the 2-dimensional Gaussian function, the mean can be described by coordinates (x0, y0), while the standard deviations can be described by sx and sy. In modelling moon signals obtained from sky-cameras, the position of the mean (x0, y0) is solved by locating the coordinates of the maximum signal of the moon. The two standard deviations are the mean square weighted deviation based from the sum of total pixel values of all rows/columns. If visualized in three dimensions, the 2D Gaussian function appears as a 3D bell surface (Fig. 1a). This shape is similar to the pixel value distribution of moon signals as captured by a sky-camera. An example of this is illustrated in Fig 1b taken around 22:20 (local time) of January 31, 2015. The local time is 8 hours ahead of coordinated universal time (UTC). This image is produced by a commercial camera (Canon Powershot A2300) with 1s exposure time, f-stop of f/2.8, and 5mm focal length. One has to chose a camera with high sensitivity when operated at nighttime to effectively detect these signals. Fig. 1b is obtained by converting the red-green-blue (RGB) photo to grayscale values. The grayscale values are then converted to a double data type matrix. The last conversion process is implemented for the purpose of having the same scales for both Gaussian model and pixel distribution of raw signals. Subtraction of the Gaussian model from the raw data produces a moonless image as shown in Fig. 1c. This moonless image can be

Development of LANDSAT Derived Forest Cover Information for Integration into Adirondack Park GIS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Curran, R. P.; Banta, J. S.

1982-01-01

Based upon observed changes in timber harvest practices partially attributable to forest biomass removable for energy supply purposes, the Adirondack Park Agency began in 1979 a multi-year project to implement a digital geographic information system (GIS). An initial developmental task was an inventory of forest cover information and analysis of forest resource change and availability. While developing the GIS, a pilot project was undertaken to evaluate the usefulness of LANDSAT derived land cover information for this purpose, and to explore the integration of LANDSAT data into the GIS. The prototype LANDSAT analysis project involved: (1) the use of both recent and historic data to derive land cover information for two dates; and (2) comparison of land cover over time to determine quantitative and geographic changes. The "recent data," 1978 full foliage data over portions of four LANDSAT scenes, was classified, using ground truth derived training samples in various forested and non-forested categories. Forested categories include the following: northern hardwoods, pine, spruce-fir, and pine plantation, while nonforested categories include wet-conifer, pasture, grassland, urban, exposed soil, agriculture, and water.

LANSCE Activity Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Amy Robinson; Audrey Archuleta; Barbara Maes

1999-02-01

The Los Alamos Neutron Science Center Activity Report describes scientific and technological progress and achievements in LANSCE Division during the period of 1995 to 1998. This report includes a message from the Division Director, an overview of LANSCE, sponsor overviews, research highlights, advanced projects and facility upgrades achievements, experimental and user program accomplishments, news and events, and a list of publications. The research highlights cover the areas of condensed-matter science and engineering, accelerator science, nuclear science, and radiography. This report also contains a compact disk that includes an overview, the Activity Report itself, LANSCE operations progress reports for 1996 andmore » 1997, experiment reports from LANSCE users, as well as a search capability.« less

Establishment of three permanent cover crop seed mixtures in Hungarian vineyards

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Miglécz, Tamas; Valkó, Orsolya; Donkó, Ádám; Deák, Balázs; Török, Péter; Kelemen, András; Drexler, Dóra; Tóthmérész, Béla

2015-04-01

In organic vineyard farming sowing high diversity cover crop seed mixtures offers a great opportunity to overcome high-priority problems mitigating vineyard cultivation, such as gain erosion control, save soil fertility, improve soil microbial activity and control weeds. Furthermore, we can also improve the biodiversity and ecosystem services of vineyards. Mainly non-native or low diversity seed mixtures are used for cover cropping containing some grass, grain or Fabaceae species. We studied vegetation development after sowing native high-diversity seed mixtures in four vineyards in an on farm field trial. We compared the effects of 4 treatments: (i) Biocont-Ecowin mixture (12 species), (ii) Fabaceae mixture (9 species), (iii) Grass-forb mixture (16 species) and control (no seed sowing). Study sites were located in Tokaj wine region, East Hungary. Seed mixtures were sown in March, 2012. After sowing, we recorded the percentage cover of vascular plant species in the end of June 2012, 2013 and 2014 in altogether 80 permanent plots. In the first year the establishment and weed control of Biocont-Ecowin and Legume seed mixture was the best. For the second year in inter-rows sown with Grass-herb and Legume seed mixtures we detected decreasing weed cover scores, while in inter-rows sown with Biocont-Ecowin seed mixture and in control inter-rows we detected higher weed cover scores. In the third year we still detected lower weed cover scores in inter-rows sown with Grass-forb and Legume seed mixtures, however on several sites we also detected decreasing cover of sown species. All sown species were detected in our plots during the time of the study, however some species were present only with low cover scores or only in a few plots. Out of the sown species Lotus corniculatus, Medicago lupulina, Plantago lanceolata, Trifolium repens, T. pratense and Coronilla varia established the most successfully, and had high cover scores on most sites even in the second and third year

Covered Bridge Security Manual

Treesearch

Brett Phares; Terry Wipf; Ryan Sievers; Travis Hosteng

2013-01-01

The design, construction, and use of covered timber bridges is all but a lost art in these days of pre-stressed concrete, high-performance steel, and the significant growth both in the volume and size of vehicles. Furthermore, many of the existing covered timber bridges are preserved only because of their status on the National Registry of Historic Places or the...

Multitemporal Snow Cover Mapping in Mountainous Terrain for Landsat Climate Data Record Development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Crawford, Christopher J.; Manson, Steven M.; Bauer, Marvin E.; Hall, Dorothy K.

2013-01-01

A multitemporal method to map snow cover in mountainous terrain is proposed to guide Landsat climate data record (CDR) development. The Landsat image archive including MSS, TM, and ETM+ imagery was used to construct a prototype Landsat snow cover CDR for the interior northwestern United States. Landsat snow cover CDRs are designed to capture snow-covered area (SCA) variability at discrete bi-monthly intervals that correspond to ground-based snow telemetry (SNOTEL) snow-water-equivalent (SWE) measurements. The June 1 bi-monthly interval was selected for initial CDR development, and was based on peak snowmelt timing for this mountainous region. Fifty-four Landsat images from 1975 to 2011 were preprocessed that included image registration, top-of-the-atmosphere (TOA) reflectance conversion, cloud and shadow masking, and topographic normalization. Snow covered pixels were retrieved using the normalized difference snow index (NDSI) and unsupervised classification, and pixels having greater (less) than 50% snow cover were classified presence (absence). A normalized SCA equation was derived to independently estimate SCA given missing image coverage and cloud-shadow contamination. Relative frequency maps of missing pixels were assembled to assess whether systematic biases were embedded within this Landsat CDR. Our results suggest that it is possible to confidently estimate historical bi-monthly SCA from partially cloudy Landsat images. This multitemporal method is intended to guide Landsat CDR development for freshwaterscarce regions of the western US to monitor climate-driven changes in mountain snowpack extent.

Decadal changes in tundra land cover on Yamal Peninsula, Northwest Siberia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Forbes, B. C.; Kumpula, T.; Macias-Fauria, M.

2017-12-01

The Yamal-Nenets Okrug in Russia has experienced significant changes in land use and climate in recent decades. Average year-round air temperatures have increased ca. 2°C since the 1970's, with much - but not all - of the warming taking place in winter. In association with ongoing summer warming, the annual growth of erect deciduous shrubs has been accelerating while growing season seasonality has diminished, characterized by shifts in the spatial patterns of key phenological parameters. We prepared LANDSAT-derived land cover classifications for 1988 and 2014 using change detection analysis, supported by extensive ground truthing bolstered with data from Very High-Resolution (VHR) imagery (e.g. Quickbird-2, Worldview-2/3). Research was conducted within summer reindeer pastures utilized by the Yarsalinksi sovhoz, whose animals are collectively owned, as well as many privately-owned herds. The area represents bioclimatic Subzone D of the Circumpolar Arctic Vegetation Map and covers about 8500 km2. This is a key subzone for several reasons: (1) it includes Bovanenkovo, the first and largest gas deposit on Yamal to be developed; (2) it is a zone of extremely active periglacial processes (e.g. active layer detachment slides, lake drainage and recent methane-mediated craters); and (3) it is characterized by steadily increasing growth of tall willow shrubs (Salix spp.), which comprise an important source of fodder by reindeer migrating through the area in summer. These results are unique as our dataset: (1) covers sizable inland regions lying entirely within the Russian tundra zone; (2) derives from extensive ground truthing; and (3) treats all plant taxonomic groups (vascular, bryophytes, lichens) at the plot scale. Here we present the first such classifications, based on LANDSAT images from 1988 and 2014. We identify 16 classes ranging from bare ground and drained lakes, anthropogenic disturbances, through several wetland types, to various dwarf and erect tundra shrub

Rye cover crop effects on soil properties in no-till corn silage/soybean agroecosystems

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Farmers in the U.S. Corn Belt are showing increasing interest in winter cover crops. The known benefits of winter cover crops include reduced nitrate leaching, soil erosion, and weed germination, but evidence of improvements in soil productivity would provide further incentive for famers to implemen...

An Intercomparison of Large-Extent Tree Canopy Cover Geospatial Datasets

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bender, S.; Liknes, G.; Ruefenacht, B.; Reynolds, J.; Miller, W. P.

2017-12-01

As a member of the Multi-Resolution Land Characteristics Consortium (MRLC), the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) is responsible for producing and maintaining the tree canopy cover (TCC) component of the National Land Cover Database (NLCD). The NLCD-TCC data are available for the conterminous United States (CONUS), coastal Alaska, Hawai'i, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The most recent official version of the NLCD-TCC data is based primarily on reference data from 2010-2011 and is part of the multi-component 2011 version of the NLCD. NLCD data are updated on a five-year cycle. The USFS is currently producing the next official version (2016) of the NLCD-TCC data for the United States, and it will be made publicly-available in early 2018. In this presentation, we describe the model inputs, modeling methods, and tools used to produce the 30-m NLCD-TCC data. Several tree cover datasets at 30-m, as well as datasets at finer resolution, have become available in recent years due to advancements in earth observation data and their availability, computing, and sensors. We compare multiple tree cover datasets that have similar resolution to the NLCD-TCC data. We also aggregate the tree class from fine-resolution land cover datasets to a percent canopy value on a 30-m pixel, in order to compare the fine-resolution datasets to the datasets created directly from 30-m Landsat data. The extent of the tree canopy cover datasets included in the study ranges from global and national to the state level. Preliminary investigation of multiple tree cover datasets over the CONUS indicates a high amount of spatial variability. For example, in a comparison of the NLCD-TCC and the Global Land Cover Facility's Landsat Tree Cover Continuous Fields (2010) data by MRLC mapping zones, the zone-level root mean-square deviation ranges from 2% to 39% (mean=17%, median=15%). The analysis outcomes are expected to inform USFS decisions with regard to the next cycle (2021) of NLCD-TCC production.

Sensitivity of selected landscape pattern metrics to land-cover misclassification and differences in land-cover composition

Treesearch

James D. Wickham; Robert V. O' Neill; Kurt H. Riitters; Timothy G. Wade; K. Bruce Jones

1997-01-01

Calculation of landscape metrics from land-cover data is becoming increasingly common. Some studies have shown that these measurements are sensitive to differences in land-cover composition, but none are known to have tested also their a sensitivity to land-cover misclassification. An error simulation model was written to test the sensitivity of selected land-scape...

Land cover changes associated with recent energy development in the Williston Basin; Northern Great Plains, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Preston, Todd M.; Kim, Kevin

2016-01-01

The Williston Basin in the Northern Great Plains has experienced rapid energy development since 2000. To evaluate the land cover changes resulting from recent (2000 – 2015) development, the area and previous land cover of all well pads (pads) constructed during this time was determined, the amount of disturbed and reclaimed land adjacent to pads was estimated, land cover changes were analyzed over time for three different well types, and the effects from future development were predicted. The previous land cover of the 12,990 ha converted to pads was predominately agricultural (49.5%) or prairie (47.4%) with lesser amounts of developed (2.3%), aquatic (0.5%), and forest (0.4%). Additionally, 12,121 ha have likely been disturbed and reclaimed. The area required per gas well remained constant through time while the land required per oil well increased initially and then decreased as development first shifted from conventional to unconventional drilling and then to multi-bore pads. For non-oil-and- gas wells (i.e. stratigraphic test wells, water wells, injection wells, etc.), the area per well increased through time likely due to increased produced water disposal requirements. Future land cover change is expected to be 2.7 times greater than recent development with much of the development occurring in five counties in the core Bakken development area. Direct land cover change and disturbance from recent and expected development are predicted to affect 0.4% of the landscape across the basin; however, in the core Bakken development area, 2.3% of the landscape will be affected including 2.1% of the remaining grassland. Although future development will result in significant land cover change, evolving industry practices and proactive siting decisions, such as development along energy corridors and placing pads in areas previously altered by human activity, have the potential to reduce the ecological effects of future energy development in the Williston Basin.

THE ALTERNATIVE COVERS ASSESSMENT PROGRAM (ACAP)

EPA Science Inventory

Alternative covers attempt to achieve equivalent performance to conventional impermeable covers through an action that has been described as 'sponge and pump'. In this type of cover system, the soil and plants absorb moisture from precipitation, store it in the plant and soil str...

Comprehensive monitoring of Bangladesh tree cover inside and outside of forests, 2000-2014

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Potapov, P.; Siddiqui, B. N.; Iqbal, Z.; Aziz, T.; Zzaman, B.; Islam, A.; Pickens, A.; Talero, Y.; Tyukavina, A.; Turubanova, S.; Hansen, M. C.

2017-10-01

A novel approach for satellite-based comprehensive national tree cover change assessment was developed and applied in Bangladesh, a country where trees outside of forests play an important role in the national economy and carbon sequestration. Tree cover change area was quantified using the integration of wall-to-wall Landsat-based mapping with a higher spatial resolution sample-based assessment. The total national tree canopy cover area was estimated as 3165 500 ± 186 600 ha in the year 2000, with trees outside forests making up 54% of total canopy cover. Total tree canopy cover increased by 135 700 (± 116 600) ha (4.3%) during the 2000-2014 time interval. Bangladesh exhibits a national tree cover dynamic where net change is rather small, but gross dynamics significant and variable by forest type. Despite the overall gain in tree cover, results revealed the ongoing clearing of natural forests, especially within the Chittagong hill tracts. While forests decreased their tree cover area by 83 600 ha, the trees outside forests (including tree plantations, village woodlots, and agroforestry) increased their canopy area by 219 300 ha. Our results demonstrated method capability to quantify tree canopy cover dynamics within a fine-scale agricultural landscape. Our approach for comprehensive monitoring of tree canopy cover may be recommended for operational implementation in Bangladesh and other countries with significant tree cover outside of forests.

Land-Cover Trends of the Sierra Nevada Ecoregion, 1973-2000

USGS Publications Warehouse

Raumann, Christian G.; Soulard, Christopher E.

2007-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey has developed and is implementing the Land Cover Trends project to estimate and describe the temporal and spatial distribution and variability of contemporary land-use and land-cover change in the United States. As part of the Land Cover Trends project, the purpose of this study was to assess land-use/land-cover change in the Sierra Nevada ecoregion for the period 1973 to 2000 using a probability sampling technique and satellite imagery. We randomly selected 36 100-km2 sample blocks to derive thematic images of land-use/land-cover for five dates of Landsat imagery (1973, 1980, 1986, 1992, 2000). We visually interpreted as many as 11 land-use/land-cover classes using a 60-meter minimum mapping unit from the five dates of imagery yielding four periods for analysis. Change-detection results from post-classification comparison of our mapped data showed that landscape disturbance from fire was the dominant change from 1973-2000. The second most-common change was forest disturbance resulting from harvest of timber resources by way of clear-cutting. The rates of forest regeneration from temporary fire and harvest disturbances coincided with the rates of disturbance from the previous period. Relatively minor landscape changes were caused by new development and reservoir drawdown. Multiple linear regression analysis suggests that land ownership and the proportion of forest and developed cover types were significant determinants of the likelihood of direct human-induced change occurring in sampling units. Driving forces of change include land ownership, land management such as fire suppression policy, and demand for natural resources.

34 CFR 21.10 - Adversary adjudications covered by the Act.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 34 Education 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Adversary adjudications covered by the Act. 21.10 Section 21.10 Education Office of the Secretary, Department of Education EQUAL ACCESS TO JUSTICE Which... Assistance for Local Educational Agencies in Areas Affected by Federal Activity) (20 U.S.C. 240(g)). (2...

Land cover trends dataset, 1973-2000

USGS Publications Warehouse

Soulard, Christopher E.; Acevedo, William; Auch, Roger F.; Sohl, Terry L.; Drummond, Mark A.; Sleeter, Benjamin M.; Sorenson, Daniel G.; Kambly, Steven; Wilson, Tamara S.; Taylor, Janis L.; Sayler, Kristi L.; Stier, Michael P.; Barnes, Christopher A.; Methven, Steven C.; Loveland, Thomas R.; Headley, Rachel; Brooks, Mark S.

2014-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey Land Cover Trends Project is releasing a 1973–2000 time-series land-use/land-cover dataset for the conterminous United States. The dataset contains 5 dates of land-use/land-cover data for 2,688 sample blocks randomly selected within 84 ecological regions. The nominal dates of the land-use/land-cover maps are 1973, 1980, 1986, 1992, and 2000. The land-use/land-cover maps were classified manually from Landsat Multispectral Scanner, Thematic Mapper, and Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus imagery using a modified Anderson Level I classification scheme. The resulting land-use/land-cover data has a 60-meter resolution and the projection is set to Albers Equal-Area Conic, North American Datum of 1983. The files are labeled using a standard file naming convention that contains the number of the ecoregion, sample block, and Landsat year. The downloadable files are organized by ecoregion, and are available in the ERDAS IMAGINETM (.img) raster file format.

Factors affecting the thermal environment of Agassiz’s Desert Tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) cover sites in the Central Mojave Desert during periods of temperature extremes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mack, Jeremy S.; Berry, Kristin H.; Miller, David; Carlson, Andrea S.

2015-01-01

Agassiz's Desert Tortoises (Gopherus agassizii) spend >95% of their lives underground in cover sites that serve as thermal buffers from temperatures, which can fluctuate >40°C on a daily and seasonal basis. We monitored temperatures at 30 active tortoise cover sites within the Soda Mountains, San Bernardino County, California, from February 2004 to September 2006. Cover sites varied in type and structural characteristics, including opening height and width, soil cover depth over the opening, aspect, tunnel length, and surficial geology. We focused our analyses on periods of extreme temperature: in summer, between July 1 and September 1, and winter, between November 1 and February 15. With the use of multivariate regression tree analyses, we found cover-site temperatures were influenced largely by tunnel length and subsequently opening width and soil cover. Linear regression models further showed that increasing tunnel length increased temperature stability and dampened seasonal temperature extremes. Climate change models predict increased warming for southwestern North America. Cover sites that buffer temperature extremes and fluctuations will become increasingly important for survival of tortoises. In planning future translocation projects and conservation efforts, decision makers should consider habitats with terrain and underlying substrate that sustain cover sites with long tunnels and expanded openings for tortoises living under temperature extremes similar to those described here or as projected in the future.

A multitemporal (1979-2009) land-use/land-cover dataset of the binational Santa Cruz Watershed

USGS Publications Warehouse

2011-01-01

Trends derived from multitemporal land-cover data can be used to make informed land management decisions and to help managers model future change scenarios. We developed a multitemporal land-use/land-cover dataset for the binational Santa Cruz watershed of southern Arizona, United States, and northern Sonora, Mexico by creating a series of land-cover maps at decadal intervals (1979, 1989, 1999, and 2009) using Landsat Multispectral Scanner and Thematic Mapper data and a classification and regression tree classifier. The classification model exploited phenological changes of different land-cover spectral signatures through the use of biseasonal imagery collected during the (dry) early summer and (wet) late summer following rains from the North American monsoon. Landsat images were corrected to remove atmospheric influences, and the data were converted from raw digital numbers to surface reflectance values. The 14-class land-cover classification scheme is based on the 2001 National Land Cover Database with a focus on "Developed" land-use classes and riverine "Forest" and "Wetlands" cover classes required for specific watershed models. The classification procedure included the creation of several image-derived and topographic variables, including digital elevation model derivatives, image variance, and multitemporal Kauth-Thomas transformations. The accuracy of the land-cover maps was assessed using a random-stratified sampling design, reference aerial photography, and digital imagery. This showed high accuracy results, with kappa values (the statistical measure of agreement between map and reference data) ranging from 0.80 to 0.85.

Interactive Design and Visualization of Branched Covering Spaces.

PubMed

Roy, Lawrence; Kumar, Prashant; Golbabaei, Sanaz; Zhang, Yue; Zhang, Eugene

2018-01-01

Branched covering spaces are a mathematical concept which originates from complex analysis and topology and has applications in tensor field topology and geometry remeshing. Given a manifold surface and an -way rotational symmetry field, a branched covering space is a manifold surface that has an -to-1 map to the original surface except at the ramification points, which correspond to the singularities in the rotational symmetry field. Understanding the notion and mathematical properties of branched covering spaces is important to researchers in tensor field visualization and geometry processing, and their application areas. In this paper, we provide a framework to interactively design and visualize the branched covering space (BCS) of an input mesh surface and a rotational symmetry field defined on it. In our framework, the user can visualize not only the BCSs but also their construction process. In addition, our system allows the user to design the geometric realization of the BCS using mesh deformation techniques as well as connecting tubes. This enables the user to verify important facts about BCSs such as that they are manifold surfaces around singularities, as well as the Riemann-Hurwitz formula which relates the Euler characteristic of the BCS to that of the original mesh. Our system is evaluated by student researchers in scientific visualization and geometry processing as well as faculty members in mathematics at our university who teach topology. We include their evaluations and feedback in the paper.

No-till snap bean performance and weed response following rye and vetch cover crops

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Fall-planted cover crops offer many benefits including weed suppressive residues in spring sown crops when controlled and left on the soil surface. However, vegetable growers have been slow to adapt direct seeding (no-till) into cover crop residues. Field studies were conducted in 2009 and 2010 near...

Continental estimates of forest cover and forest cover changes in the dry ecosystems of Africa between 1990 and 2000

PubMed Central

Bodart, Catherine; Brink, Andreas B; Donnay, François; Lupi, Andrea; Mayaux, Philippe; Achard, Frédéric

2013-01-01

Aim This study provides regional estimates of forest cover in dry African ecoregions and the changes in forest cover that occurred there between 1990 and 2000, using a systematic sample of medium-resolution satellite imagery which was processed consistently across the continent. Location The study area corresponds to the dry forests and woodlands of Africa between the humid forests and the semi-arid regions. This area covers the Sudanian and Zambezian ecoregions. Methods A systematic sample of 1600 Landsat satellite imagery subsets, each 20 km × 20 km in size, were analysed for two reference years: 1990 and 2000. At each sample site and for both years, dense tree cover, open tree cover, other wooded land and other vegetation cover were identified from the analysis of satellite imagery, which comprised multidate segmentation and automatic classification steps followed by visual control by national forestry experts. Results Land cover and land-cover changes were estimated at continental and ecoregion scales and compared with existing pan-continental, regional and local studies. The overall accuracy of our land-cover maps was estimated at 87%. Between 1990 and 2000, 3.3 million hectares (Mha) of dense tree cover, 5.8 Mha of open tree cover and 8.9 Mha of other wooded land were lost, with a further 3.9 Mha degraded from dense to open tree cover. These results are substantially lower than the 34 Mha of forest loss reported in the FAO's 2010 Global Forest Resources Assessment for the same period and area. Main conclusions Our method generates the first consistent and robust estimates of forest cover and change in dry Africa with known statistical precision at continental and ecoregion scales. These results reduce the uncertainty regarding vegetation cover and its dynamics in these previously poorly studied ecosystems and provide crucial information for both science and environmental policies. PMID:23935237

Measuring and Reducing Off-Target Activities of Programmable Nucleases Including CRISPR-Cas9

PubMed Central

Koo, Taeyoung; Lee, Jungjoon; Kim, Jin-Soo

2015-01-01