Physical habitat in the national wadeable streams assessment

EPA Science Inventory

Effective environmental policy decisions require stream habitat information that is accurate, precise, and relevant. The recent National Wadeable Streams Assessment (NWSA) carried out by the U.S. EPA required physical habitat information sufficiently comprehensive to facilitate i...

Using Algal Metrics and Biomass to Evaluate Multiple Ways of Defining Concentration-Based Nutrient Criteria in Streams and their Ecological Relevance

EPA Science Inventory

We examined the utility of nutrient criteria derived solely from total phosphorus (TP) concentrations in streams (regression models and percentile distributions) and evaluated their ecological relevance to diatom and algal biomass responses. We used a variety of statistics to cha...

Creating High-Quality Health Care Workplaces. A Background Paper for Canadian Policy Research Networks' National Roundtable (Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, October 29, 2001). CPRN Work Network Discussion Paper.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Koehoorn, Mieke; Lowe, Graham S.; Rondeau, Kent V.; Schellenberg, Grant; Wagar, Terry H.

Insights from a variety of research streams were synthesized to identify the key ingredients of a high-quality work environment in Canada's health care sector and ways of achieving high-quality workplaces in the sector. The following sets of interacting factors were considered: (1) the work environment and the human resource practices that shape…

Ice stream behaviour in the western sector of the North Sea during the end of the last glacial cycle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roberts, David; Evans, David; Clark, Chris; Bateman, Mark; Livingstone, Stephen; Medialdea, Alicia; Cofaigh, Colm O.; Grimoldi, Elena; Callard, Louise; Dove, Dayton; Stewart, Heather; Davies, Bethan; Chiverell, Richard

2016-04-01

During the last glacial cycle the East coast of the UK was overrun by the British-Irish Ice Sheet (BIIS) flowing eastwards and southwards. In recent years it has become evident that several ice streams including the Tweed, Tyne, and Stainmore Gap ice streams, as well as the late stage North Sea Lobe (NSL), all played a role in shaping the glacial landscape during this period, but understanding the flow phasing of these ice streams during advance and collapse has proved challenging. Here we present new data from the seafloor collected during recent work undertaken by the Britice Chrono and Glanam project teams during cruise JC123 in the North Sea. Sub-bottom seafloor data together with new swath data clearly show that the final phases of the collapse of the NSL were controlled by ice sourced from the Firth of Forth ice stream which deglaciated in a NNW trajectory. Other ice streams being fed from the west (e.g. Stainmore, Tyne, Tweed) were not influential in final phase ice retreat from the southern North Sea. The Forth ice imprint is characterised by several grounding zone/till wedges marking dynamic, oscillatory retreat of the ice as it retreated along an offshore corridor between North Yorkshire and Northumberland. Repeated packages of tills, ice marginal and glaciomarine sediments, which drape glacially scoured bedrock terrain and drumlins along this corridor, point to marine inundation accompanying ice retreat. New TCN ages suggest decoupling of the Tyne Gap ice stream and NSL between 17.8 and 16.5 ka and this coincides with rapid, regional collapse of the NSL between 17.2 and 16.0 ka along the Yorkshire and Durham coasts (new OSL ages; Britice Chrono). Hence, both the central and northern sectors of the BIIS were being strongly influenced by marine margin instability during the latter phases of the last glacial cycle.

Building a Sustainable Higher Education Sector in the UAE

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jose, Saju; Chacko, Jacob

2017-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to examine the relevant economic aspects that could affect the sustainability of the HE sector in the UAE. Design/methodology/approach: Data are collected mainly through secondary sources and based on the relevant information. Two constructs, namely, market factors and educational governance are identified…

MWSA's physical habitat approach - combining knowledge of habitat requirements with mechanisms of geomorphic and anthropogenic influence on stream channel form

EPA Science Inventory

Effective environmental policy decisions benefit from stream habitat information that is accurate, precise, and relevant. The recent National Wadeable Streams Assessment (NWSA) carried out by the U.S. EPA required physical habitat information sufficiently comprehensive to facilit...

A multi-sector assessment of community organizational capacity for promotion of Chinese immigrant worker health.

PubMed

Tsai, Jenny H-C; Thompson, Elaine A

2017-12-01

Community-based collaborative approaches have received increased attention as a means for addressing occupational health disparities. Organizational capacity, highly relevant to engaging and sustaining community partnerships, however, is rarely considered in occupational health research. To characterize community organizational capacity specifically relevant to Chinese immigrant worker health, we used a cross-sectional, descriptive design with 36 agencies from six community sectors in King County, Washington. Joint interviews, conducted with two representatives from each agency, addressed three dimensions of organizational capacity: organizational commitment, resources, and flexibility. Descriptive statistics were used to capture the patterning of these dimensions by community sector. Organizational capacity varied widely across and within sectors. Chinese and Pan-Asian service sectors indicated higher capacity for Chinese immigrant worker health than did Chinese faith-based, labor union, public, and Pan-ethnic nonprofit sectors. Variation in organizational capacity in community sectors can inform selection of collaborators for community-based, immigrant worker health interventions. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Larval aquatic insect responses to cadmium and zinc in experimental streams

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mebane, Christopher A.; Schmidt, Travis S.; Balistrieri, Laurie S.

2017-01-01

To evaluate the risks of metal mixture effects to natural stream communities under ecologically relevant conditions, the authors conducted 30-d tests with benthic macroinvertebrates exposed to cadmium (Cd) and zinc (Zn) in experimental streams. The simultaneous exposures were with Cd and Zn singly and with Cd+Zn mixtures at environmentally relevant ratios. The tests produced concentration–response patterns that for individual taxa were interpreted in the same manner as classic single-species toxicity tests and for community metrics such as taxa richness and mayfly (Ephemeroptera) abundance were interpreted in the same manner as with stream survey data. Effect concentrations from the experimental stream exposures were usually 2 to 3 orders of magnitude lower than those from classic single-species tests. Relative to a response addition model, which assumes that the joint toxicity of the mixtures can be predicted from the product of their responses to individual toxicants, the Cd+Zn mixtures generally showed slightly less than additive toxicity. The authors applied a modeling approach called Tox to explore the mixture toxicity results and to relate the experimental stream results to field data. The approach predicts the accumulation of toxicants (hydrogen, Cd, and Zn) on organisms using a 2-pKa bidentate model that defines interactions between dissolved cations and biological receptors (biotic ligands) and relates that accumulation through a logistic equation to biological response. The Tox modeling was able to predict Cd+Zn mixture responses from the single-metal exposures as well as responses from field data. The similarity of response patterns between the 30-d experimental stream tests and field data supports the environmental relevance of testing aquatic insects in experimental streams.

Switch of flow direction in an Antarctic ice stream.

PubMed

Conway, H; Catania, G; Raymond, C F; Gades, A M; Scambos, T A; Engelhardt, H

2002-10-03

Fast-flowing ice streams transport ice from the interior of West Antarctica to the ocean, and fluctuations in their activity control the mass balance of the ice sheet. The mass balance of the Ross Sea sector of the West Antarctic ice sheet is now positive--that is, it is growing--mainly because one of the ice streams (ice stream C) slowed down about 150 years ago. Here we present evidence from both surface measurements and remote sensing that demonstrates the highly dynamic nature of the Ross drainage system. We show that the flow in an area that once discharged into ice stream C has changed direction, now draining into the Whillans ice stream (formerly ice stream B). This switch in flow direction is a result of continuing thinning of the Whillans ice stream and recent thickening of ice stream C. Further abrupt reorganization of the activity and configuration of the ice streams over short timescales is to be expected in the future as the surface topography of the ice sheet responds to the combined effects of internal dynamics and long-term climate change. We suggest that caution is needed when using observations of short-term mass changes to draw conclusions about the large-scale mass balance of the ice sheet.

Key Financial Metrics on Australia's Higher Education Sector. Selected Insights--April 2016

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Australian Government Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency, 2016

2016-01-01

Tertiary Education Quality and Standards (TEQSA) is committed to ensuring that stakeholders in Australia's higher education sector have access to relevant information to enable and better inform decision making. TEQSA recognises that there is little publicly available information on Australia's higher education sector beyond the university sector.…

Valorization of rendering industry wastes and co-products for industrial chemicals, materials and energy: review.

PubMed

Mekonnen, Tizazu; Mussone, Paolo; Bressler, David

2016-01-01

Over the past decades, strong global demand for industrial chemicals, raw materials and energy has been driven by rapid industrialization and population growth across the world. In this context, long-term environmental sustainability demands the development of sustainable strategies of resource utilization. The agricultural sector is a major source of underutilized or low-value streams that accompany the production of food and other biomass commodities. Animal agriculture in particular constitutes a substantial portion of the overall agricultural sector, with wastes being generated along the supply chain of slaughtering, handling, catering and rendering. The recent emergence of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) resulted in the elimination of most of the traditional uses of rendered animal meals such as blood meal, meat and bone meal (MBM) as animal feed with significant economic losses for the entire sector. The focus of this review is on the valorization progress achieved on converting protein feedstock into bio-based plastics, flocculants, surfactants and adhesives. The utilization of other rendering streams such as fat and ash rich biomass for the production of renewable fuels, solvents, drop-in chemicals, minerals and fertilizers is also critically reviewed.

A new bed elevation model for the Weddell Sea sector of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jeofry, Hafeez; Ross, Neil; Corr, Hugh F. J.; Li, Jilu; Morlighem, Mathieu; Gogineni, Prasad; Siegert, Martin J.

2018-04-01

We present a new digital elevation model (DEM) of the bed, with a 1 km gridding, of the Weddell Sea (WS) sector of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS). The DEM has a total area of ˜ 125 000 km2 covering the Institute, Möller and Foundation ice streams, as well as the Bungenstock ice rise. In comparison with the Bedmap2 product, our DEM includes new aerogeophysical datasets acquired by the Center for Remote Sensing of Ice Sheets (CReSIS) through the NASA Operation IceBridge (OIB) program in 2012, 2014 and 2016. We also improve bed elevation information from the single largest existing dataset in the region, collected by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) Polarimetric radar Airborne Science Instrument (PASIN) in 2010-2011, from the relatively crude measurements determined in the field for quality control purposes used in Bedmap2. While the gross form of the new DEM is similar to Bedmap2, there are some notable differences. For example, the position and size of a deep subglacial trough (˜ 2 km below sea level) between the ice-sheet interior and the grounding line of the Foundation Ice Stream have been redefined. From the revised DEM, we are able to better derive the expected routing of basal water and, by comparison with that calculated using Bedmap2, we are able to assess regions where hydraulic flow is sensitive to change. Given the potential vulnerability of this sector to ocean-induced melting at the grounding line, especially in light of the improved definition of the Foundation Ice Stream trough, our revised DEM will be of value to ice-sheet modelling in efforts to quantify future glaciological changes in the region and, from this, the potential impact on global sea level. The new 1 km bed elevation product of the WS sector can be found at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1035488.

Morphology and channel evolution of small streams in the southern Blue Ridge mountains of western North Carolina

Treesearch

David Leigh

2010-01-01

Small streams are understudied in the Southern Blue Ridge Mountains, yet they constitute a huge portion of the drainage network and are relevant with respect to human impact on the landscape and stream restoration efforts. Morphologies of 44 streams (0.01 to 20 km2 watersheds) from western North Carolina are characterized and couched in the context of historical...

Sediment transport and channel morphology of small, forested streams.

Treesearch

Marwan A. Hassan; Michael Church; Thomas E. Lisle; Francesco Brardinoni; Lee Benda; Gordon E. Grant

2005-01-01

This paper reviews sediment transport and channel morphology in small, forested streams in the Pacific Northwest region of North America to assess current knowledge of channel stability and morphology relevant to riparian management practices around small streams. Small channels are defined as ones in which morphology and hydraulics may be significantly influenced by...

Local Gov`t assistance in commercial waste reduction & recycling

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

Hannah, C.W.

This paper outlines programs and strategies for reducing the waste stream by targeting the commercial, industrial and institutional sectors. The programs described are implemented by the Wake County Solid Waste Management Division, North Carolina. Findings and recommendations of a task force focusing on the role of the private sector in meeting state waste reduction mandates are summarized. Commercial initiatives, educational initiatives, and a grant program are described. Several case studies are provided which overview the variety of businesses and waste materials addressed.

Occupational health needs of universities: a review with an emphasis on the United Kingdom

PubMed Central

Venables, K M; Allender, S

2006-01-01

This study describes the needs of universities in relation to planning the provision of occupational health services, by detailing their occupational hazards and risks and other relevant factors. The paper presents the results of (1) an enquiry into publicly available data relevant to occupational health in the university sector in the United Kingdom, (2) a literature review on occupational health provision in universities, and (3) selected results from a survey of university occupational health services in the UK. Although the enquiry and survey, but not the literature review, were restricted to the UK, the authors consider that the results are relevant to other countries because of the broad similarities of the university sector between countries. These three approaches showed that the university sector is large, with a notably wide range of occupational hazards, and other significant factors which must be considered in planning occupational health provision for individual universities or for the sector as a whole. PMID:16497856

WaterlooClarke: TREC 2015 Microblog Track

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-11-20

interests [1]. In this track, the representative social media is Twitter , and relevant posts are tweets with respect to a user’s interest. A user’s...every day. II. TASKS EVALUATION The developed systems listen to the Twitter sample stream2 for a period of 10 days and report the relevant tweets. All...manner as qi, but using a corpus of previously collected tweets. Our corpus was collected over approximately seven days from the Twitter sample stream

Do network relationships matter? Comparing network and instream habitat variables to explain densities of juvenile coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) in mid-coastal Oregon, USA

Treesearch

Rebecca L. Flitcroft; Kelly M. Burnett; Gordon H. Reeves; Lisa M. Ganio

2012-01-01

Aquatic ecologists are working to develop theory and techniques for analysis of dynamic stream processes and communities of organisms. Such work is critical for the development of conservation plans that are relevant at the scale of entire ecosystems. The stream network is the foundation upon which stream systems are organized. Natural and human disturbances in streams...

Biological Production of a Hydrocarbon Fuel Intermediate Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) from a Process Relevant Lignocellulosic Derived Sugar (Poster)

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

Wang, W.; Mittal, A.; Mohagheghi, A.

PHAs are synthesized by many microorganisms to serve as intracellular carbon storage molecules. In some bacterial strains, PHB can account for up to 80% of cell mass. In addition to its application in the packaging sector, PHB also has great potential as an intermediate in the production of hydrocarbon fuels. PHB can be thermally depolymerized and decarboxylated to propene which can be upgraded to hydrocarbon fuels via commercial oligomerization technologies. Cupriavidus necator is the microorganism that has been most extensively studied and used for PHB production on an industrial scale; However the substrates used for producing PHB are mainly fructose,more » glucose, sucrose, fatty acids, glycerol, etc., which are expensive. In this study, we demonstrate production of PHB from a process relevant lignocellulosic derived sugar stream, i.e., saccharified slurry from pretreated corn stover. The strain was first investigated in shake flasks for its ability to utilize glucose, xylose and acetate. In addition, the strain was also grown on pretreated lignocellulose hydrolyzate slurry and evaluated in terms of cell growth, sugar utilization, PHB accumulation, etc. The mechanism of inhibition in the toxic hydrolysate generated by the pretreatment and saccharification process of biomass, was also studied.« less

Biological Production of a Hydrocarbon Fuel Intermediate Polyhydroxybutyrate (Phb) from a Process Relevant Lignocellulosic Derived Sugar

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

Wang, Wei; Mohagheghi, Ali; Mittal, Ashutosh

PHAs are synthesized by many microorganisms to serve as intracellular carbon storage molecules. In some bacterial strains, PHB can account for up to 80% of cell mass. In addition to its application in the packaging sector, PHB also has great potential as an intermediate in the production of hydrocarbon fuels. PHB can be thermally depolymerized and decarboxylated to propene which can be upgraded to hydrocarbon fuels via commercial oligomerization technologies. In recent years a great effort has been made in bacterial production of PHB, yet the production cost of the polymer is still much higher than conventional petrochemical plastics. Themore » high cost of PHB is because the cost of the substrates can account for as much as half of the total product cost in large scale fermentation. Thus searching for cheaper and better substrates is very necessary for PHB production. In this study, we demonstrate production of PHB by Cupriavidus necator from a process relevant lignocellulosic derived sugar stream, i.e., saccharified hydrolysate slurry from pretreated corn stover. Good cell growth was observed on slurry saccharified with advanced enzymes and 40~60% of PHB was accumulated in the cells. The mechanism of inhibition in the toxic hydrolysate generated by pretreatment and saccharification of biomass, will be discussed.« less

Application of the Hydroecological Integrity Assessment Process for Missouri Streams

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kennen, Jonathan G.; Henriksen, James A.; Heasley, John; Cade, Brian S.; Terrell, James W.

2009-01-01

Natural flow regime concepts and theories have established the justification for maintaining or restoring the range of natural hydrologic variability so that physiochemical processes, native biodiversity, and the evolutionary potential of aquatic and riparian assemblages can be sustained. A synthesis of recent research advances in hydroecology, coupled with stream classification using hydroecologically relevant indices, has produced the Hydroecological Integrity Assessment Process (HIP). HIP consists of (1) a regional classification of streams into hydrologic stream types based on flow data from long-term gaging-station records for relatively unmodified streams, (2) an identification of stream-type specific indices that address 11 subcomponents of the flow regime, (3) an ability to establish environmental flow standards, (4) an evaluation of hydrologic alteration, and (5) a capacity to conduct alternative analyses. The process starts with the identification of a hydrologic baseline (reference condition) for selected locations, uses flow data from a stream-gage network, and proceeds to classify streams into hydrologic stream types. Concurrently, the analysis identifies a set of non-redundant and ecologically relevant hydrologic indices for 11 subcomponents of flow for each stream type. Furthermore, regional hydrologic models for synthesizing flow conditions across a region and the development of flow-ecology response relations for each stream type can be added to further enhance the process. The application of HIP to Missouri streams identified five stream types ((1) intermittent, (2) perennial runoff-flashy, (3) perennial runoff-moderate baseflow, (4) perennial groundwater-stable, and (5) perennial groundwater-super stable). Two Missouri-specific computer software programs were developed: (1) a Missouri Hydrologic Assessment Tool (MOHAT) which is used to establish a hydrologic baseline, provide options for setting environmental flow standards, and compare past and proposed hydrologic alterations; and (2) a Missouri Stream Classification Tool (MOSCT) designed for placing previously unclassified streams into one of the five pre-defined stream types.

Construction and demolition waste indicators.

PubMed

Mália, Miguel; de Brito, Jorge; Pinheiro, Manuel Duarte; Bravo, Miguel

2013-03-01

The construction industry is one of the biggest and most active sectors of the European Union (EU), consuming more raw materials and energy than any other economic activity. Furthermore, construction waste is the commonest waste produced in the EU. Current EU legislation sets out to implement construction and demolition waste (CDW) prevention and recycling measures. However it lacks tools to accelerate the development of a sector as bound by tradition as the building industry. The main objective of the present study was to determine indicators to estimate the amount of CDW generated on site both globally and by waste stream. CDW generation was estimated for six specific sectors: new residential construction, new non-residential construction, residential demolition, non-residential demolition, residential refurbishment, and non-residential refurbishment. The data needed to develop the indicators was collected through an exhaustive survey of previous international studies. The indicators determined suggest that the average composition of waste generated on site is mostly concrete and ceramic materials. Specifically for new residential and new non-residential construction the production of concrete waste in buildings with a reinforced concrete structure lies between 17.8 and 32.9 kg m(-2) and between 18.3 and 40.1 kg m(-2), respectively. For the residential and non-residential demolition sectors the production of this waste stream in buildings with a reinforced concrete structure varies from 492 to 840 kg m(-2) and from 401 to 768 kg/m(-2), respectively. For the residential and non-residential refurbishment sectors the production of concrete waste in buildings lies between 18.9 and 45.9 kg/m(-2) and between 18.9 and 191.2 kg/m(-2), respectively.

On feathers, bifurcations and shells: the dynamics of tidal streams across the mass scale

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amorisco, N. C.

2015-06-01

I present an organic description of the spectrum of regimes of collisionless tidal streams and define the orderings between the relevant physical quantities that shape their morphology. Three fundamental dichotomies are identified and described in the form of dimensionless inequalities. These govern (i) the speed of the stream's growth, (ii) the internal coherence of the stream and (iii) its thickness or opening angle, within and outside the orbital plane. The mechanisms through which such main qualitative properties are regulated and the relevant limiting cases are analysed. For example, the slope of the host's density profile strongly influences the speed of the stream's growth, in both length and width, as steeper density profiles enhance differential streaming. Internal coherence is the natural requirement for the appearance of substructure and overdensities in tidal debris, and I concentrate on the characteristic `feathering' typical of streams of star clusters. Overdensities and substructures are associated with minima in the relative streaming velocity of the stream members. For streams with high circularity, these are caused by the epicyclic oscillations of stars; however, for highly non-circular progenitor's orbits, internal substructure is caused by the oscillating differences in energy and actions with which material is shed at different orbital phases of the progenitor. This modulation results in different streaming speeds along the tidal arm: the streakline of material shed between two successive apocentric passages is folded along its length, pulled at its centre by the faster differential streaming of particles released near pericentre, which are therefore more widely scattered. When the stream is coherent enough, the same mechanism is potentially capable of generating a bimodal profile in the density distributions of the longer wraps of more massive progenitors, which I dub `bifurcations'. The conditions that allow streams to be internally coherent are explored and I comment on the cases of Palomar 5, Willman 1, the Anticenter and Sagittarius' streams. Analytical methods are accompanied by numerical experiments, performed using a purposely built generative model, also presented here.

Waste minimisation in a hard chromiun plating Small Medium Enterprise (SME).

PubMed

Viguri, J R; Andrés, A; Irabien, A

2002-01-01

The high potential of waste stream minimisation in the metal finishing sector justifies specific studies of Small and Medium Enterprises (SME). In this work, the minimisation options of the wastes generated in a hard chromium plating activity have been analysed. The study has been performed in a small job shop company, which works in batch mode with big pieces. A process flowsheet after connecting the unit operations and determining the process inputs (raw and secondary materials) and outputs (waste streams) has been carried out. The main properties, quantity and current management of the waste streams have been shown. The obvious lack of information has been identified and finally the waste minimisation options that could be adopted by the company have been recorded.

Large-Scale Structure of Subauroral Polarization Streams During the Main Phase of a Severe Geomagnetic Storm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Fei; Zhang, Xiao-Xin; Wang, Wenbin; Liu, Libo; Ren, Zhi-Peng; Yue, Xinan; Hu, Lianhuan; Wan, Weixing; Wang, Hui

2018-04-01

In this study, we present multisatellite observations of the large-scale structures of subauroral polarization streams (SAPS) during the main phase of a severe geomagnetic storm that occurred on 31 March 2001. Observations by the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program F12 to F15 satellites indicate that the SAPS were first generated around the dusk sector at the beginning of the main phase. The SAPS channel then expanded toward the midnight sector and moved to lower latitudes as the main phase progressed. The peak velocity, latitudinal width, latitudinal alignment, and longitudinal span of the SAPS channel were highly dynamic during the storm main phase. The large westward velocities of the SAPS were located in the region of low electron densities, associated with low ionospheric conductivity. The large-scale structures of the SAPS also corresponded closely to those of the region-2 field-aligned currents, which were mainly determined by the azimuthal pressure gradient of the ring current.

Country clustering applied to the water & sanitation sector: a new tool with potential applications in research & policy

PubMed Central

Onda, Kyle; Crocker, Jonny; Kayser, Georgia Lyn; Bartram, Jamie

2013-01-01

The fields of global health and international development commonly cluster countries by geography and income to target resources and describe progress. For any given sector of interest, a range of relevant indicators can serve as a more appropriate basis for classification. We create a new typology of country clusters specific to the water and sanitation (WatSan) sector based on similarities across multiple WatSan-related indicators. After a literature review and consultation with experts in the WatSan sector, nine indicators were selected. Indicator selection was based on relevance to and suggested influence on national water and sanitation service delivery, and to maximize data availability across as many countries as possible. A hierarchical clustering method and a gap statistic analysis were used to group countries into a natural number of relevant clusters. Two stages of clustering resulted in five clusters, representing 156 countries or 6.75 billion people. The five clusters were not well explained by income or geography, and were unique from existing country clusters used in international development. Analysis of these five clusters revealed that they were more compact and well separated than United Nations and World Bank country clusters. This analysis and resulting country typology suggest that previous geography- or income-based country groupings can be improved upon for applications in the WatSan sector by utilizing globally available WatSan-related indicators. Potential applications include guiding and discussing research, informing policy, improving resource targeting, describing sector progress, and identifying critical knowledge gaps in the WatSan sector. PMID:24054545

An integrated assessment of climate change impacts for Athens- relevance to stakeholders and policy makers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Giannakopoulos, C.; Hatzaki, M.; Kostopoulou, E.; Varotsos, K.

2010-09-01

Analysing climate change and its impact needs a production of relevant elements for policy making that can be very different from the parameters considered by climate experts. In the framework of EU project CIRCE, a more realistic approach to match stakeholders and policy-makers demands is attempted. For this reason, within CIRCE selected case studies have been chosen that will provide assessments that can be integrated in practical decision making. In this work, an integrated assessment of climate change impacts on several sectors for the urban site of Athens in Greece is presented. The Athens urban case study has been chosen since it provides excellent opportunities for using an integrated approach across multiple temporal and spatial scales and sectors. In the spatial dimension, work extends from the inner city boundaries to the surrounding mountains and forests. In the temporal dimension, research ranges from the current observed time period (using available meteorological and sector data) to future time periods using data from several climate change projections. In addition, a multi-sector approach to climate change impacts is adopted. Impacts sectors covered range from direct climate impacts on natural ecosystems (such as flash floods, air pollution and forest fire risk) to indirect impacts resulting from combined climate-social-economic linkages (such as energy demand, tourism and health). Discussion of impact sector risks and adaptation measures are also exploited. Case-study work on impact sector risk to climate change is of particular interest to relevant policy makers and stakeholders, communication with who is ensured through a series of briefing notes and information sheets and through regional workshops.

A perspective on stream-catchment connections

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bencala, Kenneth E.

1993-01-01

Ecological study of the hyporheic zone is leading to recognition of a need for additional hydrologic understanding. Some of this understanding can be obtained by viewing the hyporheic zone as a succession of isolated boxes adjacent to the stream. Further understanding, particularly relevant to catchment-scale ecology, may come from studies focussed on the fluid mechanics of the flow-path connections between streams and their catchments.

Analyzing Differences Between Public and Private Sector Information Resource Management: Chief Information Officer Challenges and Critical Technologies

DTIC Science & Technology

2002-01-01

Private sector organizations have a valuable knowledge base from their CIO office implementation efforts and subsequent operations. This private sector knowledge could offer public sector CIOs invaluable insight into successful information resource management practices. However, public and private managers must take great care in deciphering which IRM prescriptions are relevant to their organizational situation. The goal of this research is to discover if public and private sector CIOs are faced with the same challenges and view

Towards a climate service for the Tunisian tourism industry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Henia, Latifa; Hlaoui, Zouhaier

2013-04-01

Until today's Tunisia, there is little communication between generators of meteorological or climatological data and stakeholders in the tourism sector. However: - A recent survey shows that professionals in the tourism sector are aware of the importance of integrating relevant climate information in their tourism management and development strategies. - Tunisia has expertise in the field of meteorology and climatology which meets the demand of the tourism sector in relevant climate information. The program CLIM RUN has created a framework allowing the introduction of a climate service in the Tunisian tourism sector. It identified the needs of the sector in climate information as well as examined together with specialized services and trained researchers the possibility of responding to these needs. The "GREVACHOT" research unit based at the University of Tunis and partner of the CLIM RUN program has developed one of the products for which great demand was formulated by tourism stakeholders: this is climate-tourism comfort indices (ICT) at regional and local scales. We here present: - The Tunisian experience in identifying climate information needs of the tourism sector, - The approach method to the development, study, mapping of ICT and results.

Academe Should Oppose Speedier Approval of Generic Drugs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Steinbach, Sheldon Elliot

2008-01-01

Biotechnology, usually commercialized in collaboration with the private sector, has been among the most fruitful university-based research endeavors, for the public as well as universities. Biological medications have made possible crucial advances in the treatment of life-threatening illnesses and yielded significant royalty streams for the…

Opaque mineralogy and resource potential of placer gold in the stream sediments between Duba and Al Wajh, Red Sea coast, northwestern Saudi Arabia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moufti, Asaad M. B.

2014-11-01

Mineralogical studies revealed that the stream sediments in northwestern Saudi Arabia between Duba and Al Wajh on the Red Sea coast are auriferous and can represent a potential source of easily recoverable placer gold. The detailed ore microscopic study supported by fire assay data of stream sediments at the southern sector of Duba-Al Wajh (Wadi Al Miyah, Wadi Haramil and Wadi Thalbah) in NW Saudi Arabia show economic concentrations of gold in their silt fraction (40-63 μm). However, particles of extremely fine “dusty” gold (⩽40 μm in size) are identified in most stations as independent grains. The maximum gold content in the samples of Wadi Al Miyah is 13.61 wt% which is reported for the light fraction (⩽40 μm). Maximum gold content in the heavy fractions of Wadi Haramil stream sediments amounts 6.90 g/t Au in a relatively coarse fraction (63-125 μm). The size still fulfills the silt fraction, but the coarsening of gold can be correlated with either original size of native gold in the Neoproterozoic mineralized zone or/and distance of transportation. It appears that the most gold-rich fractions of the analyzed samples are those from Wadi Thalbah. They have the highest index figure, which suggests that its placer gold may be economically exploitable. Gold content in the heavy fractions of samples from Wadi Thalbah is high and lies within a wide range (6.27-28.83 g/t), except for a single sample collected at the upstream with 0.77 g/t Au only. Fire assay data of samples from three wadis at the northern sector show that their gold content is clearly lower than in the samples from the southern sector. Only few samples from Wadi South Marwah are promising because they contain reasonable gold content (3.10-3.60 g/t) before heavy liquid separation. The two samples give gold content up to 11.03 g/t in their heavy mineral concentrate. The heavy fractions from both Wadi Al Amud and Wadi Salma are poor in gold where the maximum content of the metal in these concentrates are 1.32 and 1.17 g/t, respectively. Generally, the heavy mineral concentrates of both wadis contain ⩽1 g/t Au which is presently uneconomic. Generally, fire assay data of gold proved that samples from the wadis in the southern sectors are more promising for future gold exploration and exploitation.

Ecological Realism of US EPA Experimental Stream Facility ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The USEPA’s Experimental Stream Facility (ESF) conducts meso-scale ecotoxicology studies that account for both structural and functional responses of whole stream communities to contaminants or other stressors. The 16 mesocosms of ESF are indoors and consist of a tiled run section (0.152 m W x 4.268 m L x 0.105 m D) that widens to a gravel riffle section (0.305 m W x 4.268 m L x 0.19 m D). They are intermediate size among studies reporting stream mesocosm results. Their set-up is unique for their size, with a high degree of engineering controls for continuous flow-through dose-response designs, yet fixed, chronic exposures to contaminants under conditions that quantifiably mimic real stream riffle/run habitat with consistent upstream renewal. With fifty standard operating procedures serving ESF studies, the background and boundary condition information is collected to determine the realism critical to the field relevance of the results. Parallel ex situ and in situ single species exposure formats including fish survival and fecundity metrics are also included. With this framework studies at ESF provide scientifically defensible evaluation of proposed aquatic life criteria. This presentation discusses the relevance and realism of USEPA's mesocosms studies conducted using the Experimental Stream Facility in Milford, OH within the context of understanding the role meso-scale results can play in validating aquatic life criteria for streams and, more generally, man

Microbial degradation of terrigenous dissolved organic matter and potential consequences for carbon cycling in brown-water streams.

PubMed

Fasching, Christina; Behounek, Barbara; Singer, Gabriel A; Battin, Tom J

2014-05-15

Streams receive substantial terrestrial deliveries of dissolved organic matter (DOM). The chromophoric (CDOM) fraction of terrestrial deliveries confers the brown colour to streamwater, often understood as browning, and plays a central role in aquatic photochemistry and is generally considered resistant to microbial metabolism. To assess the relevance of terrigenous DOM for carbon fluxes mediated by stream microorganisms, we determined the bioavailable fraction of DOM and microbial carbon use efficiency (CUE), and related these measures to partial pressure of CO2 in headwater streams spanning across a browning gradient. Fluorescence and absorbance analyses revealed high molecular weight and aromaticity, and elevated contributions from humic-like components to characterize terrestrial CDOM. We found that microorganisms metabolized this material at the cost of low CUE and shifted its composition (from fluorescence and absorbance) towards less aromatic and low-molecular weight compounds. Respiration (from CUE) was related to CO2 supersaturation in streams and this relationship was modulated by DOM composition. Our findings imply that terrigenous DOM is respired by microorganisms rather than incorporated into their biomass, and that this channelizes terrigenous carbon to the pool of CO2 potentially outgassing from streams into the atmosphere. This finding may gain relevance as major terrigenous carbon stores become mobilized and browning progresses.

Microbial degradation of terrigenous dissolved organic matter and potential consequences for carbon cycling in brown-water streams

PubMed Central

Fasching, Christina; Behounek, Barbara; Singer, Gabriel A.; Battin, Tom J.

2014-01-01

Streams receive substantial terrestrial deliveries of dissolved organic matter (DOM). The chromophoric (CDOM) fraction of terrestrial deliveries confers the brown colour to streamwater, often understood as browning, and plays a central role in aquatic photochemistry and is generally considered resistant to microbial metabolism. To assess the relevance of terrigenous DOM for carbon fluxes mediated by stream microorganisms, we determined the bioavailable fraction of DOM and microbial carbon use efficiency (CUE), and related these measures to partial pressure of CO2 in headwater streams spanning across a browning gradient. Fluorescence and absorbance analyses revealed high molecular weight and aromaticity, and elevated contributions from humic-like components to characterize terrestrial CDOM. We found that microorganisms metabolized this material at the cost of low CUE and shifted its composition (from fluorescence and absorbance) towards less aromatic and low-molecular weight compounds. Respiration (from CUE) was related to CO2 supersaturation in streams and this relationship was modulated by DOM composition. Our findings imply that terrigenous DOM is respired by microorganisms rather than incorporated into their biomass, and that this channelizes terrigenous carbon to the pool of CO2 potentially outgassing from streams into the atmosphere. This finding may gain relevance as major terrigenous carbon stores become mobilized and browning progresses. PMID:24828296

Modeling the economics of landfilling organic processing waste streams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rosentrater, Kurt A.

2005-11-01

As manufacturing industries become more cognizant of the ecological effects that their firms have on the surrounding environment, their waste streams are increasingly becoming viewed not only as materials in need of disposal, but also as resources that can be reused, recycled, or reprocessed into valuable products. Within the food processing sector are many examples of various liquid, sludge, and solid biological and organic waste streams that require remediation. Alternative disposal methods for food and other bio-organic manufacturing waste streams are increasingly being investigated. Direct shipping, blending, extrusion, pelleting, and drying are commonly used to produce finished human food, animal feed, industrial products, and components ready for further manufacture. Landfilling, the traditional approach to waste remediation, however, should not be dismissed entirely. It does provide a baseline to which all other recycling and reprocessing options should be compared. This paper discusses the implementation of a computer model designed to examine the economics of landfilling bio-organic processing waste streams. Not only are these results applicable to food processing operations, but any industrial or manufacturing firm would benefit from examining the trends discussed here.

Digital Video: Get with It!

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Van Horn, Royal

2001-01-01

Several years after the first audiovisual Macintosh computer appeared, most educators are still oblivious of this technology. Almost every other economic sector (including the porn industry) makes abundant use of digital and streaming video. Desktop movie production is so easy that primary grade students can do it. Tips are provided. (MLH)

ForGATE - A Forest Sector Greenhouse Gas Assessment Tool for Maine: Calibration and Overview

Treesearch

Chris Hennigar; Luke Amos-Binks; Ryan Cameron; John Gunn; David A. MacLean; Mark Twery

2013-01-01

This report describes the background calibration, inputs, and outputs of ForGATE, a forest sector greenhouse gas (GHG) accounting tool designed primarily to communicate information relevant to the evaluation of projected net GHG exchange in the context of Maine's forests, the Northeast forest sector, and alternative national or regional carbon (C) accounting...

Adult Learning and Vocational Training in the Informal Sector in Developing Countries.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bakke-Seeck, Sigvor; And Others

Because a growing proportion of the world's working population is in the informal sector (in work areas generally outside the sphere of state protection), planners of vocational training for adults must pay closer attention to those concepts of teaching and learning that have relevance for the informal sector, and they must develop strategies for…

A systematic review of usability test metrics for mobile video streaming apps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hussain, Azham; Mkpojiogu, Emmanuel O. C.

2016-08-01

This paper presents the results of a systematic review regarding the usability test metrics for mobile video streaming apps. In the study, 238 studies were found, but only 51 relevant papers were eventually selected for the review. The study reveals that time taken for video streaming and the video quality were the two most popular metrics used in the usability tests for mobile video streaming apps. Besides, most of the studies concentrated on the usability of mobile TV as users are switching from traditional TV to mobile TV.

Country clustering applied to the water and sanitation sector: a new tool with potential applications in research and policy.

PubMed

Onda, Kyle; Crocker, Jonny; Kayser, Georgia Lyn; Bartram, Jamie

2014-03-01

The fields of global health and international development commonly cluster countries by geography and income to target resources and describe progress. For any given sector of interest, a range of relevant indicators can serve as a more appropriate basis for classification. We create a new typology of country clusters specific to the water and sanitation (WatSan) sector based on similarities across multiple WatSan-related indicators. After a literature review and consultation with experts in the WatSan sector, nine indicators were selected. Indicator selection was based on relevance to and suggested influence on national water and sanitation service delivery, and to maximize data availability across as many countries as possible. A hierarchical clustering method and a gap statistic analysis were used to group countries into a natural number of relevant clusters. Two stages of clustering resulted in five clusters, representing 156 countries or 6.75 billion people. The five clusters were not well explained by income or geography, and were distinct from existing country clusters used in international development. Analysis of these five clusters revealed that they were more compact and well separated than United Nations and World Bank country clusters. This analysis and resulting country typology suggest that previous geography- or income-based country groupings can be improved upon for applications in the WatSan sector by utilizing globally available WatSan-related indicators. Potential applications include guiding and discussing research, informing policy, improving resource targeting, describing sector progress, and identifying critical knowledge gaps in the WatSan sector. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Glacially-megalineated limestone terrain of Anticosti Island, Gulf of St. Lawrence, Canada; onset zone of the Laurentian Channel Ice Stream

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eyles, Nick; Putkinen, Niko

2014-03-01

Anticosti is a large elongate island (240 km long, 60 km wide) in eastern Canada within the northern part of a deep water trough (Gulf of St. Lawrence) that terminates at the Atlantic continental shelf edge. The island's Pleistocene glaciological significance is that its long axis lay transverse to ice from the Quebec and Labrador sectors of the Laurentide Ice Sheet moving south from the relatively high-standing Canadian Shield. Recent glaciological reconstructions place a fast-flowing ice stream along the axis of the Gulf of St. Lawrence but supporting geologic evidence in terms of recognizing its hard-bedded onset zone and downstream streamlined soft bed is limited. Anticosti Island consists of gently southward-dipping limestone plains composed of Ordovician and Silurian limestones (Vaureal, Becscie and Jupiter formations) with north-facing escarpments transverse to regional ice flow. Glacial deposits are largely absent and limestone plains in the higher central plateau of the island retain a relict apparently ‘preglacial’ drainage system consisting of deeply-incised dendritic bedrock valleys. In contrast, the bedrock geomorphology of the lower lying western and eastern limestone plains of the island is strikingly different having been extensively modified by glacial erosion. Escarpments are glacially megalineated with a distinct ‘zig-zag’ planform reflecting northward-projecting bullet-shaped ‘noses’ (identified as rock drumlins) up to 2 km wide at their base and 4 km in length with rare megagrooved upper surfaces. Drumlins are separated by southward-closing, funnel-shaped ‘through valleys’ where former dendritic valleys have been extensively altered by the streaming of basal ice through gaps in the escarpments. Glacially-megalineated bedrock terrain such as on the western and eastern flanks of Anticosti Island is elsewhere associated with the hard-bedded onset zones of fast flowing ice streams and provides important ground truth for the postulated Laurentian Channel Ice Stream (LCIS) within the Gulf of St. Lawrence sector of the Laurentide Ice Sheet.

Overview regarding construction and demolition waste in Spain.

PubMed

Rodríguez-Robles, Desirée; García-González, Julia; Juan-Valdés, Andrés; Morán-Del Pozo, Julia M; Guerra-Romero, M Ignacio

2015-01-01

The construction sector comprises a number of activities that may result in environmental impacts of considerable magnitude, waste generation being one of the major negative effects of this industry due to the large streams generated. Proper knowledge of the environmental problem caused by the sector is of great importance in order to achieve an effective waste management. Thus, this paper analyse the Spanish situation regarding construction and demolition waste (CDW) compared with other European Union countries; which sets out the current figures of the CDW scenario (legislation, generation, composition, treatment and market) as well as the difficulties encountered when handling this residue.

Stream mesocosm response sensitivities to simulated ion stress in produced waters from resource extraction activities

EPA Science Inventory

To increase the ecological relevance of laboratory exposures intent on determining species sensitivity to ion stress from resource extraction activities we have conducted several stream mesocosm dosing studies that pair single-species and community-level responses in-situ and all...

Larval aquatic insect responses to cadmium and zinc in experimental streams.

PubMed

Mebane, Christopher A; Schmidt, Travis S; Balistrieri, Laurie S

2017-03-01

To evaluate the risks of metal mixture effects to natural stream communities under ecologically relevant conditions, the authors conducted 30-d tests with benthic macroinvertebrates exposed to cadmium (Cd) and zinc (Zn) in experimental streams. The simultaneous exposures were with Cd and Zn singly and with Cd+Zn mixtures at environmentally relevant ratios. The tests produced concentration-response patterns that for individual taxa were interpreted in the same manner as classic single-species toxicity tests and for community metrics such as taxa richness and mayfly (Ephemeroptera) abundance were interpreted in the same manner as with stream survey data. Effect concentrations from the experimental stream exposures were usually 2 to 3 orders of magnitude lower than those from classic single-species tests. Relative to a response addition model, which assumes that the joint toxicity of the mixtures can be predicted from the product of their responses to individual toxicants, the Cd+Zn mixtures generally showed slightly less than additive toxicity. The authors applied a modeling approach called Tox to explore the mixture toxicity results and to relate the experimental stream results to field data. The approach predicts the accumulation of toxicants (hydrogen, Cd, and Zn) on organisms using a 2-pK a bidentate model that defines interactions between dissolved cations and biological receptors (biotic ligands) and relates that accumulation through a logistic equation to biological response. The Tox modeling was able to predict Cd+Zn mixture responses from the single-metal exposures as well as responses from field data. The similarity of response patterns between the 30-d experimental stream tests and field data supports the environmental relevance of testing aquatic insects in experimental streams. Environ Toxicol Chem 2017;36:749-762. Published 2016 Wiley Periodicals Inc. on behalf of SETAC. This article is a US government work and, as such, is in the public domain in the United States of America. Published 2016 Wiley Periodicals Inc. on behalf of SETAC. This article is a US government work and, as such, is in the public domain in the United States of America.

Non-Formal Education in Ethiopia: The Modern Sector. Program of Studies in Non-Formal Education. Discussion Papers. No. 6.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Niehoff, Richard O.; Wilder, Bernard

Nonformal education programs operating in the modern sector in Ethiopia are described in a perspective relevant to the Ethiopian context. The modern sector is defined as those activities concerned with the manufacture of goods, extraction of raw materials, the processing of raw materials, the provision of services, and the creation and maintenance…

Transition of Higher Education Graduates to the Labour Market: Are Employment Procedures More Meritocratic in the Public Sector?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berggren, Caroline

2011-01-01

As an employer, the public sector might be expected to be more meritocratic than the private sector, because of its democratic values and more transparent appointments procedures. In this context meritocratic means that the employer only considers characteristics such as degree and grades, relevant for the position in question. The individuals in…

Capturing Complexity: Integrating Health and Education Research to Inform Health-Promoting Schools Policy and Practice

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rowling, Louise; Jeffreys, Vicki

2006-01-01

Despite the intersectoral nature of health promotion practice many programs limit their evidence base to health sector research and do not draw on evidence from other sectors' research in program design. To help ensure programs are relevant and acceptable to intersectoral partners and intended outcomes are of value to all sectors involved,…

Innocent until proven guilty? Stable coexistence of alien rainbow trout and native marble trout in a Slovenian stream

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vincenzi, Simone; Crivelli, Alain J.; Jesensek, Dusan; Rossi, Gianluigi; de Leo, Giulio A.

2011-01-01

To understand the consequences of the invasion of the nonnative rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss on the native marble trout Salmo marmoratus, we compared two distinct headwater sectors where marble trout occur in allopatry (MTa) or sympatry (MTs) with rainbow trout (RTs) in the Idrijca River (Slovenia). Using data from field surveys from 2002 to 2009, with biannual (June and September) sampling and tagging from June 2004 onwards, we analyzed body growth and survival probabilities of marble trout in each stream sector. Density of age-0 in September over the study period was greater for MTs than MTa and very similar between MTs and RTs, while density of trout ≥age-1 was similar for MTa and MTs and greater than density of RTs. Monthly apparent survival probabilities were slightly higher in MTa than in MTs, while RTs showed a lower survival than MTs. Mean weight of marble and rainbow trout aged 0+ in September was negatively related to cohort density for both marble and rainbow trout, but the relationship was not significantly different between MTs and MTa. No clear depression of body growth of sympatric marble trout between sampling intervals was observed. Despite a later emergence, mean weight of RTs cohorts at age 0+ in September was significantly higher than weight of both MTs and MTa. The establishment of a self-sustaining population of rainbow trout does not have a significant impact on body growth and survival probabilities of sympatric marble trout. The numerical dominance of rainbow trout in streams at lower altitudes seem to suggest that while the low summer flow pattern of Slovenian streams is favorable for rainbow trout invasion, the adaptation of marble trout to headwater environments may limit the invasion success of rainbow trout in headwaters.

Effects of Nitrogen Inputs and Watershed Characteristics on Summer Stream Nitrogen Concentrations: A National-Scale Analysis

EPA Science Inventory

Nitrogen (N) inputs to the landscape have been linked previously to N loads exported from watersheds at the national scale; however, stream N concentration is arguably more relevant than N load for drinking water quality, freshwater biological responses and establishment of nutri...

Sustainable nanotechnology decision support system: bridging risk management, sustainable innovation and risk governance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Subramanian, Vrishali; Semenzin, Elena; Hristozov, Danail; Zabeo, Alex; Malsch, Ineke; McAlea, Eamonn; Murphy, Finbarr; Mullins, Martin; van Harmelen, Toon; Ligthart, Tom; Linkov, Igor; Marcomini, Antonio

2016-04-01

The significant uncertainties associated with the (eco)toxicological risks of engineered nanomaterials pose challenges to the development of nano-enabled products toward greatest possible societal benefit. This paper argues for the use of risk governance approaches to manage nanotechnology risks and sustainability, and considers the links between these concepts. Further, seven risk assessment and management criteria relevant to risk governance are defined: (a) life cycle thinking, (b) triple bottom line, (c) inclusion of stakeholders, (d) risk management, (e) benefit-risk assessment, (f) consideration of uncertainty, and (g) adaptive response. These criteria are used to compare five well-developed nanotechnology frameworks: International Risk Governance Council framework, Comprehensive Environmental Assessment, Streaming Life Cycle Risk Assessment, Certifiable Nanospecific Risk Management and Monitoring System and LICARA NanoSCAN. A Sustainable Nanotechnology Decision Support System (SUNDS) is proposed to better address current nanotechnology risk assessment and management needs, and makes. Stakeholder needs were solicited for further SUNDS enhancement through a stakeholder workshop that included representatives from regulatory, industry and insurance sectors. Workshop participants expressed the need for the wider adoption of sustainability assessment methods and tools for designing greener nanomaterials.

Alberta's and Ontario's liquor boards: why such divergent outcomes?

PubMed

Bird, Malcolm G

2010-01-01

The provinces of Alberta and Ontario have chosen very different methods to distribute alcoholic beverages: Alberta privatized the Alberta Liquor Control Board (ALCB) in 1993 and established a private market to sell beverage alcohol, while Ontario, in stark contrast, opted to retain and expand the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO). This article examines the reasons for the divergent policy choices made by Ralph Klein and Mike Harris' Conservative governments in each province. The article draws on John Kingdon's “multiple streams decision-making model,” to examine the mindsets of the key decision-makers, as well as “historical institutionalism,” to organize the pertinent structural, historical and institutional variables that shaped the milieu in which decision-makers acted. Unique, province-specific political cultures, histories, institutional configurations (including the relative influence of a number of powerful actors), as well as the fact that the two liquor control boards were on opposing trajectories towards their ultimate fates, help to explain the different decisions made by each government. Endogenous preference construction in this sector, furthermore, implies that each system is able to satisfy all relevant stakeholders, including consumers.

Traditional Faculty Resistance to the Corporatization Model in Continuing Education: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Castillo, Toni M.

2017-01-01

As a result of decreasing state and federal aid to colleges and universities, higher education administrators are seeking alternative revenue streams to help support operational expenses. Though commercial influences are not new to the higher education sector, their size and scope within traditional liberal arts and private non-profit universities…

A Software Defined Radio Based Architecture for the Reagan Test Site Telemetry Modernization (RTM) Program

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-10-26

platforms and are quickly using up available spectrum. The national need in the commercial sector with emerging technologies such as 5G is pushing for...recovered and post processed later. The Front End Server also sends selected data stream across a high speed network link to the centralized

Northern hemisphere jet stream positions indices as diagnostic tools for climate and ecosystem dynamics

USGS Publications Warehouse

Belmecheri, Soumaya; Babst, Flurin; Hudson, Amy R.; Betancourt, Julio L.; Trouet, Valerie

2017-01-01

The latitudinal position of the Northern Hemisphere jet stream (NHJ) modulates the occurrence and frequency of extreme weather events. Precipitation anomalies in particular are associated with NHJ variability; the resulting floods and droughts can have considerable societal and economic impacts. This study develops a new climatology of the 300-hPa NHJ using a bottom-up approach based on seasonally explicit latitudinal NHJ positions. Four seasons with coherent NHJ patterns were identified (January–February, April–May, July–August, and October–November), along with 32 longitudinal sectors where the seasonal NHJ shows strong spatial coherence. These 32 longitudinal sectors were then used as NHJ position indices to examine the influence of seasonal NHJ position on the geographical distribution of NH precipitation and temperature variability and their link to atmospheric circulation pattern. The analyses show that the NHJ indices are related to broad-scale patterns in temperature and precipitation variability, in terrestrial vegetation productivity and spring phenology, and can be used as diagnostic/prognostic tools to link ecosystem and socioeconomic dynamics to upper-level atmospheric patterns.

Sustainability assessment of shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alkahla, Ibrahim; Pervaiz, Salman

2017-09-01

Shielded metal arc welding (SMAW) process is one of the most commonly employed material joining processes utilized in the various industrial sectors such as marine, ship-building, automotive, aerospace, construction and petrochemicals etc. The increasing pressure on manufacturing sector wants the welding process to be sustainable in nature. The SMAW process incorporates several types of inputs and output streams. The sustainability concerns associated with SMAW process are linked with the various input and output streams such as electrical energy requirement, input material consumptions, slag formation, fumes emission and hazardous working conditions associated with the human health and occupational safety. To enhance the environmental performance of the SMAW welding process, there is a need to characterize the sustainability for the SMAW process under the broad framework of sustainability. Most of the available literature focuses on the technical and economic aspects of the welding process, however the environmental and social aspects are rarely addressed. The study reviews SMAW process with respect to the triple bottom line (economic, environmental and social) sustainability approach. Finally, the study concluded recommendations towards achieving economical and sustainable SMAW welding process.

Systematic literature review of integrated community case management and the private sector in Africa: Relevant experiences and potential next steps.

PubMed

Awor, Phyllis; Miller, Jane; Peterson, Stefan

2014-12-01

Despite substantial investments made over the past 40 years in low income countries, governments cannot be viewed as the principal health care provider in many countries. Evidence on the role of the private sector in the delivery of health services is becoming increasingly available. In this study, we set out to determine the extent to which the private sector has been utilized in providing integrated care for sick children under 5 years of age with community-acquired malaria, pneumonia or diarrhoea. We reviewed the published literature for integrated community case management (iCCM) related experiences within both the public and private sector. We searched PubMed and Google/Google Scholar for all relevant literature until July 2014. The search terms used were "malaria", "pneumonia", "diarrhoea", "private sector" and "community case management". A total of 383 articles referred to malaria, pneumonia or diarrhoea in the private sector. The large majority of these studies (290) were only malaria related. Most of the iCCM-related studies evaluated introduction of only malaria drugs and/or diagnostics into the private sector. Only one study evaluated the introduction of drugs and diagnostics for malaria, pneumonia and diarrhoea in the private sector. In contrast, most iCCM-related studies in the public sector directly reported on community case management of 2 or more of the illnesses. While the private sector is an important source of care for children in low income countries, little has been done to harness the potential of this sector in improving access to care for non-malaria-associated fever in children within the community. It would be logical for iCCM programs to expand their activities to include the private sector to achieve higher population coverage. An implementation research agenda for private sector integrated care of febrile childhood illness needs to be developed and implemented in conjunction with private sector intervention programs.

Understanding the influence of nutrients on stream ecosystems in agricultural landscapes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Munn, Mark D.; Frey, Jeffrey W.; Tesoriero, Anthony J.; Black, Robert W.; Duff, John H.; Lee, Kathy E.; Maret, Terry R.; Mebane, Christopher A.; Waite, Ian R.; Zelt, Ronald B.

2018-06-06

Sustaining the quality of the Nation’s water resources and the health of our diverse ecosystems depends on the availability of sound water-resources data and information to develop effective, science-based policies. Effective management of water resources also brings more certainty and efficiency to important economic sectors. Taken together, these actions lead to immediate and long-term economic, social, and environmental benefits that make a difference to the lives of the almost 400 million people projected to live in the United States by 2050.In 1991, Congress established the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) to address where, when, why, and how the Nation’s water quality has changed, or is likely to change in the future, in response to human activities and natural factors. Since then, NAWQA has been a leading source of scientific data and knowledge used by national, regional, State, and local agencies to develop science-based policies and management strategies to improve and protect water resources used for drinking water, recreation, irrigation, energy development, and ecosystem needs (https://water.usgs.gov/nawqa/applications/). Plans for the third decade of NAWQA (2013–23) address priority water-quality issues and science needs identified by NAWQA stakeholders, such as the Advisory Committee on Water Information and the National Research Council, and are designed to meet increasing challenges related to population growth, increasing needs for clean water, and changing land-use and weather patterns.Excess nutrients are a pervasive problem of streams, lakes, and coastal waters. The current report, “The Quality of Our Nation’s Waters—Understanding the Effects of Nutrients on Stream Ecosystems in Agricultural Landscapes,” presents a summary of results from USGS investigations conducted from 2003 to 2011 on processes that influence nutrients and how nutrient enrichment can alter biological components of agricultural streams. This study included collecting data from 232 sites distributed among eight study areas. This report summarizes findings on processes that influence nutrients and how nutrient enrichment can alter biological communities in agricultural streams. These findings are relevant to local, State, regional, and national decision-makers involved in efforts to (1) better understand the influence of nutrients on agricultural streams, (2) develop nutrient criteria for streams and rivers, (3) reduce nutrients to streams and downstream receiving waters, and (4) develop tools for tracking nutrient and biological conditions following nutrient reduction strategies. All NAWQA reports are available online at https://water.usgs.gov/nawqa/bib/.We hope this publication will provide you with insights and information to meet your water-resource needs and will foster increased citizen awareness and involvement in the protection and restoration of our Nation’s waters. The information in this report is intended primarily for those interested or involved in resource management and protection, conservation, regulation, and policymaking at the regional and national levels.

Inter-Sectoral Bisphenol A (BPA) Flows in the 2012 Chinese Economy.

PubMed

Jiang, Daqian; Chen, Wei-Qiang; Liu, Wei; Chertow, Marian

2017-08-01

Bisphenol A (BPA), a widely used petrochemical compound, has become an emerging global environmental management challenge because its leakage is associated with potential environmental and human health impacts. Until now, available BPA statistics have been limited to the products that directly use BPA. In this study, we delineate direct and indirect BPA flows for the 2012 Chinese economy. We find that construction, production of educational and recreational products, and automobile manufacturing are the most BPA-intensive sectors in terms of total BPA flows (300, 157, and 130 Gg total BPA flows, respectively). The public management and health sectors, however, incur significant indirect BPA flows, defined as embedded and inter-sectoral BPA placed into use, even though direct BPA use by these sectors is limited. By revealing the currently overlooked indirect BPA flows, this study reveals data gaps that are highly relevant to improving the accuracy of estimated BPA flows and losses. The method used herein is transferrable to other emerging and environmentally relevant materials, thereby providing the holistic understanding needed for cities, regions, or nations to design effective policy interventions.

Nanoliter-droplet acoustic streaming via ultra high frequency surface acoustic waves.

PubMed

Shilton, Richie J; Travagliati, Marco; Beltram, Fabio; Cecchini, Marco

2014-08-06

The relevant length scales in sub-nanometer amplitude surface acoustic wave-driven acoustic streaming are demonstrated. We demonstrate the absence of any physical limitations preventing the downscaling of SAW-driven internal streaming to nanoliter microreactors and beyond by extending SAW microfluidics up to operating frequencies in the GHz range. This method is applied to nanoliter scale fluid mixing. © 2014 The Authors. Published by WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

13 CFR 301.8 - Application evaluation criteria.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... private sector investment resulting from an Investment. (b) Has strong organizational leadership. An Investment will have strong leadership, relevant Project management experience and a significant commitment... leadership and support by local elected officials; and (3) Strong cooperation among the business sector...

13 CFR 301.8 - Application evaluation criteria.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... private sector investment resulting from an Investment. (b) Has strong organizational leadership. An Investment will have strong leadership, relevant Project management experience and a significant commitment... leadership and support by local elected officials; and (3) Strong cooperation among the business sector...

13 CFR 301.8 - Application evaluation criteria.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... private sector investment resulting from an Investment. (b) Has strong organizational leadership. An Investment will have strong leadership, relevant Project management experience and a significant commitment... leadership and support by local elected officials; and (3) Strong cooperation among the business sector...

Energy finance data warehouse: Tracking revenues through the power sector

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

Claire, Zeng; Hendrickson, Stephen; Lee, Sangkeun

Reliable data is needed to understand financial relationships in the power sector. However, relevant data acquisition and visualization can be a challenge due to the fragmented nature of the power sector. The Energy Policy and Systems Analysis office of the U.S. Department of Energy led a team of data scientists at Oak Ridge National Lab to collect revenue information from a variety of sources.

Energy finance data warehouse: Tracking revenues through the power sector

DOE PAGES

Claire, Zeng; Hendrickson, Stephen; Lee, Sangkeun; ...

2017-03-24

Reliable data is needed to understand financial relationships in the power sector. However, relevant data acquisition and visualization can be a challenge due to the fragmented nature of the power sector. The Energy Policy and Systems Analysis office of the U.S. Department of Energy led a team of data scientists at Oak Ridge National Lab to collect revenue information from a variety of sources.

STREAM2016: Streaming Requirements, Experience, Applications and Middleware Workshop

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

Fox, Geoffrey; Jha, Shantenu; Ramakrishnan, Lavanya

The Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science (SC) facilities including accelerators, light sources and neutron sources and sensors that study, the environment, and the atmosphere, are producing streaming data that needs to be analyzed for next-generation scientific discoveries. There has been an explosion of new research and technologies for stream analytics arising from the academic and private sectors. However, there has been no corresponding effort in either documenting the critical research opportunities or building a community that can create and foster productive collaborations. The two-part workshop series, STREAM: Streaming Requirements, Experience, Applications and Middleware Workshop (STREAM2015 and STREAM2016), weremore » conducted to bring the community together and identify gaps and future efforts needed by both NSF and DOE. This report describes the discussions, outcomes and conclusions from STREAM2016: Streaming Requirements, Experience, Applications and Middleware Workshop, the second of these workshops held on March 22-23, 2016 in Tysons, VA. STREAM2016 focused on the Department of Energy (DOE) applications, computational and experimental facilities, as well software systems. Thus, the role of “streaming and steering” as a critical mode of connecting the experimental and computing facilities was pervasive through the workshop. Given the overlap in interests and challenges with industry, the workshop had significant presence from several innovative companies and major contributors. The requirements that drive the proposed research directions, identified in this report, show an important opportunity for building competitive research and development program around streaming data. These findings and recommendations are consistent with vision outlined in NRC Frontiers of Data and National Strategic Computing Initiative (NCSI) [1, 2]. The discussions from the workshop are captured as topic areas covered in this report's sections. The report discusses four research directions driven by current and future application requirements reflecting the areas identified as important by STREAM2016. These include (i) Algorithms, (ii) Programming Models, Languages and Runtime Systems (iii) Human-in-the-loop and Steering in Scientific Workflow and (iv) Facilities.« less

Development of the Hydroecological Integrity Assessment Process for Determining Environmental Flows for New Jersey Streams

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kennen, Jonathan G.; Henriksen, James A.; Nieswand, Steven P.

2007-01-01

The natural flow regime paradigm and parallel stream ecological concepts and theories have established the benefits of maintaining or restoring the full range of natural hydrologic variation for physiochemical processes, biodiversity, and the evolutionary potential of aquatic and riparian communities. A synthesis of recent advances in hydroecological research coupled with stream classification has resulted in a new process to determine environmental flows and assess hydrologic alteration. This process has national and international applicability. It allows classification of streams into hydrologic stream classes and identification of a set of non-redundant and ecologically relevant hydrologic indices for 10 critical sub-components of flow. Three computer programs have been developed for implementing the Hydroecological Integrity Assessment Process (HIP): (1) the Hydrologic Indices Tool (HIT), which calculates 171 ecologically relevant hydrologic indices on the basis of daily-flow and peak-flow stream-gage data; (2) the New Jersey Hydrologic Assessment Tool (NJHAT), which can be used to establish a hydrologic baseline period, provide options for setting baseline environmental-flow standards, and compare past and proposed streamflow alterations; and (3) the New Jersey Stream Classification Tool (NJSCT), designed for placing unclassified streams into pre-defined stream classes. Biological and multivariate response models including principal-component, cluster, and discriminant-function analyses aided in the development of software and implementation of the HIP for New Jersey. A pilot effort is currently underway by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection in which the HIP is being used to evaluate the effects of past and proposed surface-water use, ground-water extraction, and land-use changes on stream ecosystems while determining the most effective way to integrate the process into ongoing regulatory programs. Ultimately, this scientifically defensible process will help to quantify the effects of anthropogenic changes and development on hydrologic variability and help planners and resource managers balance current and future water requirements with ecological needs.

Linear perturbation theory for tidal streams and the small-scale CDM power spectrum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bovy, Jo; Erkal, Denis; Sanders, Jason L.

2017-04-01

Tidal streams in the Milky Way are sensitive probes of the population of low-mass dark matter subhaloes predicted in cold dark matter (CDM) simulations. We present a new calculus for computing the effect of subhalo fly-bys on cold streams based on the action-angle representation of streams. The heart of this calculus is a line-of-parallel-angle approach that calculates the perturbed distribution function of a stream segment by undoing the effect of all relevant impacts. This approach allows one to compute the perturbed stream density and track in any coordinate system in minutes for realizations of the subhalo distribution down to 105 M⊙, accounting for the stream's internal dispersion and overlapping impacts. We study the statistical properties of density and track fluctuations with large suites of simulations of the effect of subhalo fly-bys. The one-dimensional density and track power spectra along the stream trace the subhalo mass function, with higher mass subhaloes producing power only on large scales, while lower mass subhaloes cause structure on smaller scales. We also find significant density and track bispectra that are observationally accessible. We further demonstrate that different projections of the track all reflect the same pattern of perturbations, facilitating their observational measurement. We apply this formalism to data for the Pal 5 stream and make a first rigorous determination of 10^{+11}_{-6} dark matter subhaloes with masses between 106.5 and 109 M⊙ within 20 kpc from the Galactic centre [corresponding to 1.4^{+1.6}_{-0.9} times the number predicted by CDM-only simulations or to fsub(r < 20 kpc) ≈ 0.2 per cent] assuming that the Pal 5 stream is 5 Gyr old. Improved data will allow measurements of the subhalo mass function down to 105 M⊙, thus definitively testing whether dark matter is clumpy on the smallest scales relevant for galaxy formation.

Systematic literature review of integrated community case management and the private sector in Africa: Relevant experiences and potential next steps

PubMed Central

Awor, Phyllis; Miller, Jane; Peterson, Stefan

2014-01-01

Background Despite substantial investments made over the past 40 years in low income countries, governments cannot be viewed as the principal health care provider in many countries. Evidence on the role of the private sector in the delivery of health services is becoming increasingly available. In this study, we set out to determine the extent to which the private sector has been utilized in providing integrated care for sick children under 5 years of age with community–acquired malaria, pneumonia or diarrhoea. Methods We reviewed the published literature for integrated community case management (iCCM) related experiences within both the public and private sector. We searched PubMed and Google/Google Scholar for all relevant literature until July 2014. The search terms used were “malaria”, “pneumonia”, “diarrhoea”, “private sector” and “community case management”. Results A total of 383 articles referred to malaria, pneumonia or diarrhoea in the private sector. The large majority of these studies (290) were only malaria related. Most of the iCCM–related studies evaluated introduction of only malaria drugs and/or diagnostics into the private sector. Only one study evaluated the introduction of drugs and diagnostics for malaria, pneumonia and diarrhoea in the private sector. In contrast, most iCCM–related studies in the public sector directly reported on community case management of 2 or more of the illnesses. Conclusions While the private sector is an important source of care for children in low income countries, little has been done to harness the potential of this sector in improving access to care for non–malaria–associated fever in children within the community. It would be logical for iCCM programs to expand their activities to include the private sector to achieve higher population coverage. An implementation research agenda for private sector integrated care of febrile childhood illness needs to be developed and implemented in conjunction with private sector intervention programs. PMID:25520804

Modeling streams and hydrogeomorphic attributes in Oregon from digital and field data

Treesearch

Sharon E. Clarke; Kelly M. Burnett; Daniel J. Miller

2008-01-01

Managers, regulators, and researchers of aquatic ecosystems are increasingly pressed to consider large areas. However, accurate stream maps with geo-referenced attributes are uncommon over relevant spatial extents. Field inventories provide high-quality data, particularly for habitat characteristics at fine spatial resolutions (e.g., large wood), but are costly and so...

Feet Wet, Hands Dirty: Engaging Students in Science Teaching and Learning with Stream Investigations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Haines, Sarah

2016-01-01

Stream investigation and restoration projects offer unique experiential opportunities to engage students in outdoor learning experiences that are relevant to the communities in which they live. These experiences promote an understanding of watershed issues and establish positive attitudes and behaviors that benefit local watersheds and help to…

Industrial production and professional application of manufactured nanomaterials-enabled end products in Dutch industries: potential for exposure.

PubMed

Bekker, Cindy; Brouwer, Derk H; Tielemans, Erik; Pronk, Anjoeka

2013-04-01

In order to make full use of the opportunities while responsibly managing the risks of working with manufactured nanomaterials (MNM), we need to gain insight into the potential level of exposure to MNM in the industry. Therefore, the goal of this study was to obtain an overview of the potential MNM exposure scenarios within relevant industrial sectors, applied exposure controls, and number of workers potentially exposed to MNM in Dutch industrial sectors producing and applying MNM-enabled end products in the Netherlands. A survey was conducted in three phases: (i) identification of MNM-enabled end products; (ii) identification of relevant industrial sectors; and (iii) a tiered telephone survey to estimate actual use of the products among 40 sector organizations/knowledge centres (Tier 1), 350 randomly selected companies (Tier 2), and 110 actively searched companies (Tier 3). The most dominant industrial sectors producing or applying MNM-enabled end products (market penetration >5%) are shoe repair shops, automotive, construction, paint, metal, and textile cleaning industry. In the majority of the companies (76%), potential risks related to working with MNM are not a specific point of interest. The total number of workers potentially exposed to MNM during the production or application of MNM-enabled end products was estimated at approximately 3000 workers in the Netherlands. The results of this study will serve as a basis for in-depth exposure and health surveys that are currently planned in the Netherlands. In addition, the results can be used to identify the most relevant sectors for policy makers and future studies focussing on evaluating the risks of occupational exposure to MNM.

Mining the physical infrastructure: Opportunities, barriers and interventions in promoting structural components reuse.

PubMed

Iacovidou, Eleni; Purnell, Phil

2016-07-01

Construction is the most resource intensive sector in the world. It consumes more than half of the total global resources; it is responsible for more than a third of the total global energy use and associated emissions; and generates the greatest and most voluminous waste stream globally. Reuse is considered to be a material and carbon saving practice highly recommended in the construction sector as it can address both waste and carbon emission regulatory targets. This practice offers the possibility to conserve resources through the reclamation of structural components and the carbon embedded in them, as well as opportunities for the development of new business models and the creation of environmental, economic, technical and social value. This paper focuses on the identification and analysis of existing interventions that can promote the reuse of construction components, and outlines the barriers and opportunities arising from this practice as depicted from the global literature. The main conclusions that derive from this study are that the combination of incentives that promote reuse of construction components and recycling of the rest of the construction materials with the provision of specialised education, skills and training would transform the way construction sector currently operates and create opportunities for new business development. Moreover, a typology system developed based on the properties and lifetime of construction components is required in order to provide transparency and guidance in the way construction components are used and reused, in order to make them readily available to designers and contractors. Smart technologies carry the potential to aid the development and uptake of this system by enabling efficient tracking, storage and archiving, while providing information relevant to the environmental and economic savings that can be regained, enabling also better decision-making during construction and deconstruction works. However, further research is required in order to investigate the opportunities and constraints of the use of these technologies. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Identification of hotspots and trends of fecal surface water pollution in developing countries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Reder, Klara; Flörke, Martina; Alcamo, Joseph

2015-04-01

Water is the essential resource ensuring human life on earth, which can only prosper when water is available and accessible. But of importance is not only the quantity of accessible water but also its quality, which in case of pollution may pose a risk to human health. The pollutants which pose a risk to human health are manifold, covering several groups such as pathogens, nutrients, human pharmaceuticals, heavy metals, and others. With regards to human health, pathogen contamination is of major interest as 4% of all death and 5.7% of disability or ill health in the world can be attributed to poor water supply, sanitation and personal and domestic hygiene. In developing countries, 2.6 billion people lacked access to improved sanitation in 2011. The lack of sanitation poses a risk to surface water pollution which is a threat to human health. A typical indicator for pathogen pollution is fecal coliform bacteria. The objective our study is to assess fecal pollution in the developing regions Africa, Asia and Latin America using the large-scale water quality model WorldQual. Model runs were carried-out to calculate in-stream concentrations and the respective loadings reaching rivers for the time period 1990 to 2010. We identified hotspots of fecal coliform loadings and in-stream concentrations which were further analyzed and ranked in terms of fecal surface water pollution. Main findings are that loadings mainly originate from the domestic sector, thus loadings are high in highly populated areas. In general, domestic loadings can be attributed to the two subsectors domestic sewered and domestic non sewered. The spatial distribution of both sectors varies across catchments. Hotspot pattern of in-stream concentrations are similar to the loadings pattern although they are different in seasonality. As the dilution varies with climate its dilution capacity is high during seasons with high precipitation, which in turn decreases the in-stream concentrations. The fecal pollution is increasing from 1990 to 2010 with increased loadings and larger number of river kilometers with high fecal pollution. Fecal pollution is mainly caused by the domestic sector, and hence, the sanitation type, collection and treatment (level) of collected wastewater are highly important to ensure good quality of water bodies.

Documentation of a daily mean stream temperature module—An enhancement to the Precipitation-Runoff Modeling System

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sanders, Michael J.; Markstrom, Steven L.; Regan, R. Steven; Atkinson, R. Dwight

2017-09-15

A module for simulation of daily mean water temperature in a network of stream segments has been developed as an enhancement to the U.S. Geological Survey Precipitation Runoff Modeling System (PRMS). This new module is based on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Stream Network Temperature model, a mechanistic, one-dimensional heat transport model. The new module is integrated in PRMS. Stream-water temperature simulation is activated by selection of the appropriate input flags in the PRMS Control File and by providing the necessary additional inputs in standard PRMS input files.This report includes a comprehensive discussion of the methods relevant to the stream temperature calculations and detailed instructions for model input preparation.

How do health care education and training professionals learn about the environment?

PubMed

Glazer, H R; Stein, D S; Schafer, D S

1993-01-01

Preparing for the health care system of the future includes the ability to abstract information from relevant sectors of the environment. This study looked at the way health care educators scan the environment and the relationship of scanning behavior to management style. Results indicate that education and training professionals focus on the regulatory and customer sectors of the environment more than the technological and sociopolitical sectors.

Consequences of Chinese Aid in Sub-Saharan Africa

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-12-01

corruption, and erode U.S. political relevance in sub-Saharan Africa. China has empowered private enterprises, which can monopolize African market sectors...Africa. China has empowered private enterprises, which can monopolize African market sectors, marginalize African businesses, and exacerbate local...35 B. EXPANDING CHINESE MARKETS

Protecting Privacy in Big Data: A Layered Approach for Curriculum Integration

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schwieger, Dana; Ladwig, Christine

2016-01-01

The demand for college graduates with skills in big data analysis is on the rise. Employers in all industry sectors have found significant value in analyzing both separate and combined data streams. However, news reports continue to script headlines drawing attention to data improprieties, privacy breaches and identity theft. While data privacy is…

Training Welders in Advanced Manufacturing Philosophies Nets Employability

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilson, Kristin

2011-01-01

As of September 2010, the U.S. manufacturing sector grew for the 14th consecutive month, leading some economists to speculate that, as with the Great Depression, American manufacturing will lead the economy out of the recession. It is a little bit of good news in a long stream of depressing employment reports. Career and technical educators…

Economic Assessment of Zoonoses Surveillance in a 'One Health' Context: A Conceptual Framework.

PubMed

Babo Martins, S; Rushton, J; Stärk, K D C

2016-08-01

Collaboration between animal and public health sectors has been highlighted as a means to improve the management of zoonotic threats. This includes surveillance systems for zoonoses, where enhanced cross-sectoral integration and sharing of information are seen as key to improved public health outcomes. Yet, there is a lack of evidence on the economic returns of such collaboration, particularly in the development and implementation of surveillance programmes. The economic assessment of surveillance in this context needs to be underpinned by the understanding of the links between zoonotic disease surveillance in animal populations and the wider public health disease mitigation process and how these relations impact on the costs and benefits of the surveillance activities. This study presents a conceptual framework of these links as a basis for the economic assessment of cross-sectoral zoonoses surveillance with the aim of supporting the prioritization of resource allocation to surveillance. In the proposed framework, monetary, non-monetary and intermediate or intangible cost components and benefit streams of three conceptually distinct stages of zoonotic disease mitigation are identified. In each stage, as the final disease mitigation objective varies so does the use of surveillance information generated in the animal populations for public health decision-making. Consequently, the associated cost components and benefit streams also change. Building on the proposed framework and taking into account these links, practical steps for its application are presented and future challenges are discussed. © 2015 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Stream carbon dynamics in low-gradient headwaters of a forested watershed

Treesearch

April Bryant-Mason; Y. Jun Xu; Johnny M. Grace

2013-01-01

Headwater streams drain more than 70 percent of the total watershed area in the United States. Understanding of carbon dynamics in the headwater systems is of particular relevance for developing best silvicultural practices to reduce carbon export. This study was conducted in a low-gradient, predominantly forested watershed located in the Gulf Coastal Plain region, to...

Nonlinear, relativistic Langmuir waves in astrophysical magnetospheres

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chian, Abraham C.-L.

1987-01-01

Large amplitude, electrostatic plasma waves are relevant to physical processes occurring in the astrophysical magnetospheres wherein charged particles are accelerated to relativistic energies by strong waves emitted by pulsars, quasars, or radio galaxies. The nonlinear, relativistic theory of traveling Langmuir waves in a cold plasma is reviewed. The cases of streaming electron plasma, electronic plasma, and two-streams are discussed.

Barriers, invasion, and conservation of native salmonids in coldwater streams [Box 18.2

Treesearch

Bruce Rieman; Michael Young; Kurt Fausch; Jason Dunham; Douglas Peterson

2010-01-01

Habitat loss and fragmentation are threats to persistence of many native fish populations. Invading nonnative species that may restrict or displace native species are also important. These two issues are particularly relevant for native salmonids that are often limited to remnant habitats in cold, headwater streams. On the surface, reversing threats to native fishes...

Accounting for health in climate change policies: a case study of Fiji.

PubMed

Morrow, Georgina; Bowen, Kathryn

2014-01-01

Climate change is expected to affect the health of most populations in the coming decades, having the greatest impact on the poorest and most disadvantaged people in the world. The Pacific islands, including Fiji, are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. The three major health impacts of climate change in Fiji explored in this study were dengue fever, diarrhoeal disease, and malnutrition, as they each pose a significant threat to human health. The aim of this study was to investigate to what extent the Fiji National Climate Change Policy, and a selection of relevant sectoral policies, account for these human health effects of climate change. The study employed a three-pronged policy analysis to evaluate: 1) the content of the Fijian National Climate Change Policy and to what extent health was incorporated within this; 2) the context within which the policy was developed; 3) the relevant processes; and 4) the actors involved. A selection of relevant sectoral policies were also analysed to assess the extent to which these included climate change and health considerations. The policy analysis showed that these three health impacts of climate change were only considered to a minor extent, and often indirectly, in both the Fiji National Climate Change Policy and the corresponding National Climate Change Adaptation Strategy, as well as the Public Health Act. Furthermore, supporting documents in relevant sectors including water and agriculture made no mention of climate change and health impacts. The projected health impacts of climate change should be considered as part of reviewing the Fiji National Climate Change Policy and National Climate Change Adaptation Strategy, and the Public Health Act. In the interest of public health, this should include strategies for combating dengue fever, malnutrition, and water-borne disease. Related sectoral policies in water and agriculture should also be revised to consider climate change and its impact on human health. Approaches to include health aspects of climate change within sectoral and climate change specific policies should be encouraged, via a number of mechanisms, such as the Health in All Policies approach. Future research could support the Fiji health sector in developing climate change and health programmes.

Organization of work in the agricultural, forestry, and fishing sector in the US southeast: implications for immigrant workers' occupational safety and health.

PubMed

Grzywacz, Joseph G; Lipscomb, Hester J; Casanova, Vanessa; Neis, Barbara; Fraser, Clermont; Monaghan, Paul; Vallejos, Quirina M

2013-08-01

There is widespread agreement that work organization is an important element of occupational safety and health, but the health effects of many aspects of work organization are likely to vary considerably across different sectors of work and geographies. We examined existing employment policies and work organization-related research relevant specifically to immigrant workers in the Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing (AgFF) Sector of the US workforce focusing, when possible, on the southeastern US. A number of specific aspects of work organization within AgFF subsectors have been described, but most of this literature exists outside the purview of occupational health. There are few studies that directly examine how attributes of work organization relevant to the AgFF Sector affect workers', much less immigrant workers', occupational health exposures and outcomes. In contrast to the broader literature, research linking occupational health outcomes to work organization in the AgFF Sector is limited and weak. A systematic program of research and intervention is needed to develop strategies that eliminate or substantially mitigate the deleterious health effects of occupational exposures whose origins likely lie in the organization of AgFF work. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Conversion of Agricultural Streams and Food-Processing By-Products to Value-Added Compounds Using Filamentous Fungi.

PubMed

Chan, Lauryn G; Cohen, Joshua L; de Moura Bell, Juliana Maria Leite Nobrega

2018-03-25

The design of new food products and increased agricultural activities have produced a diversity of waste streams or by-products that contain a high load of organic matter. The underutilization of these streams presents a serious threat to the environment and to the financial viability of the agricultural sector and the food industry. Oleaginous microorganisms, such as yeast and microalgae, have been used to convert the organic matter present in many agricultural waste streams into an oil-rich biomass. Filamentous fungi are promising oleaginous microorganisms because of their high lipid accumulation potential and simple biomass recovery, the latter being related to their pellet-like growth morphology in submerged cultivation. This review highlights the use of oleaginous filamentous fungi to convert food by-products into value-added components, including the effect of cultivation conditions on biomass yield and composition. Special attention is given to downstream processing for the commercial production of fungal oil. Also discussed are innovative techniques to optimize the biomass oil yield and to minimize the challenges associated with biomass harvesting and oil extraction at industrial scale.

Macroscale hydrologic modeling of ecologically relevant flow metrics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wenger, Seth J.; Luce, Charles H.; Hamlet, Alan F.; Isaak, Daniel J.; Neville, Helen M.

2010-09-01

Stream hydrology strongly affects the structure of aquatic communities. Changes to air temperature and precipitation driven by increased greenhouse gas concentrations are shifting timing and volume of streamflows potentially affecting these communities. The variable infiltration capacity (VIC) macroscale hydrologic model has been employed at regional scales to describe and forecast hydrologic changes but has been calibrated and applied mainly to large rivers. An important question is how well VIC runoff simulations serve to answer questions about hydrologic changes in smaller streams, which are important habitat for many fish species. To answer this question, we aggregated gridded VIC outputs within the drainage basins of 55 streamflow gages in the Pacific Northwest United States and compared modeled hydrographs and summary metrics to observations. For most streams, several ecologically relevant aspects of the hydrologic regime were accurately modeled, including center of flow timing, mean annual and summer flows and frequency of winter floods. Frequencies of high and low flows in the summer were not well predicted, however. Predictions were worse for sites with strong groundwater influence, and some sites showed errors that may result from limitations in the forcing climate data. Higher resolution (1/16th degree) modeling provided small improvements over lower resolution (1/8th degree). Despite some limitations, the VIC model appears capable of representing several ecologically relevant hydrologic characteristics in streams, making it a useful tool for understanding the effects of hydrology in delimiting species distributions and predicting the potential effects of climate shifts on aquatic organisms.

Analysis of the economic structure of the eating-out sector: The case of Spain.

PubMed

Cabiedes-Miragaya, Laura

2017-12-01

The objective of this article is to analyse the structure of the Spanish eating-out sector from an economic point of view, and more specifically, from the supply perspective. This aspect has been studied less than the demand side, almost certainly due to the gaps which exist in available official statistics in Spain, and which have been filled basically with consumer surveys. For this reason, focus is also placed on the economic relevance of the sector and attention is drawn to the serious shortcomings regarding official statistics in this domain, in contrast to the priority that hotel industry statistics have traditionally received in Spain. Based on official statistics, a descriptive analysis was carried out, focused mainly, though not exclusively, on diverse structural aspects of the sector. Special emphasis was placed on issues such as business demography (for instance, number and types of enterprises, survival rates, size distribution, and age structure), market concentration and structure of costs. Among other conclusions, the analysis allowed us to conclude that: part of the sector is more concentrated than it may at first appear to be; the dual structure of the sector described by the literature in relation to other countries is also present in the Spanish case; and the impact of ICTs (Information and Communication Technologies) on the sector are, and will foreseeably continue to be, particularly relevant. The main conclusion of this study refers to the fact that consumers have gained prominence in their contribution to shaping the structure of the sector. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

ECOLOGICALLY-RELEVANT QUANTIFICATION OF STREAMFLOW REGIMES IN WESTERN STREAMS

EPA Science Inventory

This report describes the rationale for and application of a protocol for estimation of ecologically-relevant streamflow metrics that quantify streamflow regime for ungaged sites subject to a range of human impact. The analysis presented here is focused on sites sampled by the U....

Is Information Literacy Relevant in the Real World?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Sullivan, Carmel

2002-01-01

Considers whether the corporate sector is aware of information literacy as a new economy skills set and a solution to information overload. Discusses terminology used in the business sector to describe aspects of information literacy and explains the definition of information literacy used by Australian academic libraries. (Author/LRW)

Application of life cycle thinking in multidisciplinary multistakeholder contexts for cross-sectoral planning and implementation of sustainable development projects.

PubMed

Thabrew, Lanka; Ries, Robert

2009-07-01

Development planning and implementation is a multifaceted and multiscale task mainly because of the involvement of multiple stakeholders across sectors and disciplines. Even though top-down sectoral planning is commonly practiced, bottom-up cross-sectoral planning involving all relevant stakeholders in a transdisciplinary learning environment has been recognized as a better option, especially if the goal is to drive development projects toward sustainable implementation (Rowe and Fudge 2003; Müller et al. 2005; Global Development Research Center 2008). Even though many planning approaches have this goal, there are limited decision frameworks that are suitable for achieving consensus among stakeholders from multiple disciplines with sectoral objectives and priorities. In most instances, the upstream and downstream effects of development decisions are not thoroughly investigated or communicated with the relevant stakeholders, strongly affecting cross-sectoral integration in the real world (Wiek, Brundiers, et al. 2006). This article presents methodological aspects of developing a stakeholder based life cycle assessment framework (SBLCA) for upstream-downstream decision analysis in a multistakeholder development planning context. The applicability of the framework is demonstrated using simple examples extracted from a pilot case study conducted in Sri Lanka for sustainable posttsunami reconstruction at a village scale. The applicability of SBLCA in specific planning stages, how it promotes transdisciplinary learning and cross-sectoral stakeholder integration in phases of project cycles, and how local stakeholders can practice life cycle thinking in their village development planning and implementation are discussed.

Simultaneous film and convection cooling of a plate inserted in the exhaust stream of a gas turbine combustor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marek, C. J.; Juhasz, A. J.

1973-01-01

Data were obtained on a parallel-flow film- and convection-cooled test section placed in the exhaust stream of a rectangular-sector combustor. The combustor was operated at atmospheric pressure and at exhaust temperatures of 589 and 1033 K (600 and 1400 F). The cooling air was at ambient pressure and temperature. Test results indicate that it is better to use combined film and convection cooling rather than either film or convection cooling alone for a fixed total coolant flow. An optimum ratio of film to convection cooling flow rates was determined for the particular geometry tested. The experimental results compared well with calculated results.

Superposed Epoch Studies of the Response of the High-Latitude Magnetosphere-Ionosphere-Thermosphere System to Solar Wind High-Speed Stream Driving

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grandin, M.; Aikio, A. T.; Kozlovsky, A.; Ulich, T.; Raita, T.

2016-12-01

During the declining phase of the solar cycle, the Earth's magnetosphere-ionosphere-thermosphere system is mainly disturbed by solar wind high-speed streams (HSSs). Their ionospheric response, especially at high latitudes, is not fully understood yet. The perturbations in the ionosphere last for several days. We have examined the effect of HSS in two studies, which apply the superposed epoch method to data to reveal the statistical response in the ionospheric F, E and D regions to such perturbations. We use ionosonde, geomagnetic and cosmic noise absorption data obtained from Finnish stations during 95 high-speed stream events detected between 2006 and 2008. Results show a long-lasting decrease in the F layer critical frequency foF2 between 12 and 23 MLT in summer and equinox. This depletion of the F layer is interpreted as a result of enhanced electric fields inducing ion-neutral frictional heating in the auroral and subauroral regions. The response near noon is different, since foF2 is increased shortly upon arrival of the co-rotating stream interaction region (CIR), possibly because of precipitation of particles from the dayside plasma sheet provoked by the associated solar wind pressure pulse. In the morning sector, both foF2 and foEs show increases for several days, indicating particle precipitation having a soft component. In the study of cosmic noise absorption (CNA), we observe a different response depending on the L-value of the station. Within the auroral oval (L=5-6), CNA gets maximum values in the morning sector 0-12 MLT during the first and second day following the zero epoch. Values are greater during events with longer-lasting high solar wind speed. The CNA maximum shifts to later MLT at lower L values, and in JYV (L=3.8), the maximum takes place at 14 MLT during day 4. Substorm energization events dominate during the first days at 00-01 MLT. We also address the role of Pc5 geomagnetic pulsations observed in association with CNA events. These results may contribute to improve nowcasting and forecasting of space weather activity during high-speed stream events.

Performance analysis of medical video streaming over mobile WiMAX.

PubMed

Alinejad, Ali; Philip, N; Istepanian, R H

2010-01-01

Wireless medical ultrasound streaming is considered one of the emerging application within the broadband mobile healthcare domain. These applications are considered as bandwidth demanding services that required high data rates with acceptable diagnostic quality of the transmitted medical images. In this paper, we present the performance analysis of a medical ultrasound video streaming acquired via special robotic ultrasonography system over emulated WiMAX wireless network. The experimental set-up of this application is described together with the performance of the relevant medical quality of service (m-QoS) metrics.

Multinational Experiment 7 Cyber Domain Outcome 3. Cyber Situational Awareness. Limited Objective Experiment Report

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-02-28

situational awareness (some surprise at the value of information received from other sectors). • The visualisation technology provided, significantly...digital text and video communications; streaming information feeds; and infrastructure visualisation - all cell teams were provided identical tools...better understanding cyber of situational awareness. The visualisation technology and experiment environment were a first attempt at trying to represent

Adapting Business Models in a Changing Environment. Recession to Recovery

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Universities UK, 2010

2010-01-01

This report presents an analysis of the diversity of income streams in UK higher education institutions (HEIs) at a time when the sector is facing considerable uncertainty. The research was conducted over a six-week period from March to April 2010 and, as such, it predated the establishment of the new Coalition Government in the UK. In the period…

Archeological Phase I Survey for the Columbia Falls and Moscow OTHB-E Radar Stations, Washington and Somerset Counties, Maine

DTIC Science & Technology

2004-11-01

and Sector 2. Bluffs overlooking the incised intermittent streams are considered to be the most likely location of occupation and were a focus of...E. Baldwin for Geo-Marine, Inc. 550 East 15th Street Plano , Texas 75074 U.S. AIR FORCE AIR COMBAT COMMAND SERIES REPORTS OF INVESTIGATIONS NUMBER 25

Subauroral Ion-neutral Coupling During the March 2015 Superstorm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, S.; Erickson, P. J.; Foster, J. C.; Holt, J. M.; Coster, A. J.; Makela, J. J.; Noto, J.; Meriwether, J. W.; Otsuka, Y.; Nicolls, M. J.; McCready, M. A.

2015-12-01

The arrival of solar Coronal Mass Ejection materials overlapping a high-speed solar wind stream originated from a nearby coronal hole caused huge magnetic disturbances during March 17-18, 2015. We have coordinated an international campaign to monitor their geospace effects using ground-based facilities, including incoherent scatter radars and Fabry-Perot Interferometers in the America sectors and other instruments in East Asia sectors, forming an observational network along approximately the 60W/120E meridional circle. The presentation will provide highlights of these observations, with a focus on the ion-neutral coupling processes at subauroral and mid-latitudes. One of the most stiking findings is the northward neutral wind surge, observed in multiple sites, accompanying strong westward winds developed at earlier times. We ascribe this unexpected wind disturbances to Subauroal Polarization Stream (SAPS) asscoated strong plasma flows driving ion-neutral coupling. SAPS and strong ion flow were observed by Millstone Hill ISR and DMSP in situ measurements. We will also report the Millstone Hill ISR observations of a significant enhancement in the storm-time molecular ion composition in the F1-region height. This enhancement appears to be caused by strong vertical ion drift due to penetration electric fields.

Sensitivity Training: Relevance for Social Work Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Papell, Catherine P.

The author explores the validity of sensitivity training for professional social work education with its inherent concern for the relation between experiential and theoretical learning. The various streams in the sensitivity training movement are surveyed and the laboratory concept identified as particularly relevant. A human relations laboratory,…

Solute load concentrations in some streams in the Upper Osun and Owena drainage basins, central western Nigeria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jeje, L. K.; Ogunkoya, O. O.; Oluwatimilehin, J. M.

1999-12-01

The solute load dynamics of 12 third-order streams in central western Nigeria are presented, during storm and non-storm runoff events. The relevance of the Walling and Foster model for explaining storm period solute load dynamics in the humid tropical environment was assessed and it was found that this model was generally applicable to the study area. Exceptions appear to be streams draining settlements and/or farms where fertilizers are applied heavily. The solute load ranged from 5 mg l -1 to 580 mg l -1 with streams draining basins with tree-crop plantations ( Theobroma cacao, Cola sp.) as the dominant land cover having the highest solute load.

Foundations for Streaming Model Transformations by Complex Event Processing.

PubMed

Dávid, István; Ráth, István; Varró, Dániel

2018-01-01

Streaming model transformations represent a novel class of transformations to manipulate models whose elements are continuously produced or modified in high volume and with rapid rate of change. Executing streaming transformations requires efficient techniques to recognize activated transformation rules over a live model and a potentially infinite stream of events. In this paper, we propose foundations of streaming model transformations by innovatively integrating incremental model query, complex event processing (CEP) and reactive (event-driven) transformation techniques. Complex event processing allows to identify relevant patterns and sequences of events over an event stream. Our approach enables event streams to include model change events which are automatically and continuously populated by incremental model queries. Furthermore, a reactive rule engine carries out transformations on identified complex event patterns. We provide an integrated domain-specific language with precise semantics for capturing complex event patterns and streaming transformations together with an execution engine, all of which is now part of the Viatra reactive transformation framework. We demonstrate the feasibility of our approach with two case studies: one in an advanced model engineering workflow; and one in the context of on-the-fly gesture recognition.

Generic Airspace Concepts and Research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mogford, Richard H.

2010-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate methods for reducing the training and memorization required to manage air traffic in mid-term, Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) airspace. We contrasted the performance of controllers using a sector information display and NextGen automation tools while working with familiar and unfamiliar sectors. The airspace included five sectors from Oakland and Salt Lake City Centers configured as a "generic center" called "West High Center." The Controller Information Tool was used to present essential information for managing these sectors. The Multi Aircraft Control System air traffic control simulator provided data link and conflict detection and resolution. There were five experienced air traffic controller participants. Each was familiar with one or two of the five sectors, but not the others. The participants rotated through all five sectors during the ten data collection runs. The results addressing workload, traffic management, and safety, as well as controller and observer comments, supported the generic sector concept. The unfamiliar sectors were comparable to the familiar sectors on all relevant measures.

Guidance Counselling as a Whole School Responsibility in the Irish Post Primary Sector

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hearne, Lucy; Geary, Tom; Martin, Noelle

2017-01-01

This paper will deliberate upon the relevance of guidance counselling as a "whole school" responsibility in the context of recent policy and practice changes in the Irish post primary sector since the Government of Ireland Budget 2012. Pertinent issues including the complexities of delivering a whole school approach to guidance…

76 FR 14647 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; 2012 Economic Census Covering the Mining Sector

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-17

... Economic Census Covering the Mining Sector AGENCY: U.S. Census Bureau. ACTION: Notice. SUMMARY: The... provider of timely, relevant and quality data about the people and economy of the United States. Economic data are the Census Bureau's primary program commitment during non-decennial census years. The economic...

Analysis of inter-country input-output table based on bibliographic coupling network: How industrial sectors on the GVC compete for production resources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guan, Jun; Xu, Xiaoyu; Xing, Lizhi

2018-03-01

The input-output table is comprehensive and detailed in describing national economic systems with abundance of economic relationships depicting information of supply and demand among industrial sectors. This paper focuses on how to quantify the degree of competition on the global value chain (GVC) from the perspective of econophysics. Global Industrial Strongest Relevant Network models are established by extracting the strongest and most immediate industrial relevance in the global economic system with inter-country input-output (ICIO) tables and then have them transformed into Global Industrial Resource Competition Network models to analyze the competitive relationships based on bibliographic coupling approach. Three indicators well suited for the weighted and undirected networks with self-loops are introduced here, including unit weight for competitive power, disparity in the weight for competitive amplitude and weighted clustering coefficient for competitive intensity. Finally, these models and indicators were further applied empirically to analyze the function of industrial sectors on the basis of the latest World Input-Output Database (WIOD) in order to reveal inter-sector competitive status during the economic globalization.

Market orientation: a concept for health libraries.

PubMed

Sen, Barbara

2006-03-01

This paper is the result of exploratory research forming part of ongoing study into the value and relevance of market orientation as a strategic option for library managers. The aim of the study is to gain an understanding of the concept of market orientation relative to the health library sector. A focus group was used to gather data from health librarians working at different levels in the sector. The data was coded and categorized by an expert panel and analysed using a taxonomic map developed during the study. Health library professionals define and understand market orientation in the same way as the concept is defined in the management literature. Their understanding of the concept is developing. A greater emphasis is given to some aspects of market orientation than others. There are implications for further research. Methods used to measure market orientation in other domains are likely to be relevant for libraries. Research should be extended to different sectors to explore any cross-sector differences. Fostering an organizational culture that supports market orientation has implications for service management and development.

Neotropical Amphibian Declines Affect Stream Ecosystem Properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Connelly, S.; Pringle, C. M.; Bixby, R. J.; Whiles, M. R.; Lips, K. R.; Brenes, R.; Colon-Gaud, J. C.; Kilham, S.; Hunte-Brown, M.

2005-05-01

Global declines of amphibians are well documented, yet effects of these dramatic losses on ecosystem structure and function are poorly understood. As part of a larger collaborative project, we compared two upland Panamanian streams. Both streams are biologically and geologically similar; however, one stream (Fortuna) has recently experienced almost complete extirpation of stream-dwelling frogs, while the other (Cope) still has intact populations. We experimentally excluded tadpoles from localized areas in each stream. We then compared chlorophyll a, algal community composition, ash-free dry mass (AFDM), inorganic matter, and insect assemblages in control and exclusion areas. Additionally, we sampled the natural substrate of both streams monthly for chlorophyll a, algal community composition, AFDM, and inorganic matter. At Cope, chlorophyll a, AFDM, and inorganic matter were greater in areas where tadpoles were excluded than in their presence. Numbers of dominant algal species (e.g., Nupela praecipua and Eunotia siolii) were greater in the exclusion versus control treatments. Monthly sampling of natural substrate indicated higher chlorophyll a and AFDM at Cope compared to Fortuna. Our data suggest that stream-dwelling anuran larvae have significant impacts on algal communities. These results also have implications for predicting the relevance of short-term experimental manipulations to long-term, whole-stream processes.

United States private-sector physicians and pharmaceutical contract research: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Fisher, Jill A; Kalbaugh, Corey A

2012-01-01

There have been dramatic increases over the past 20 years in the number of nonacademic, private-sector physicians who serve as principal investigators on US clinical trials sponsored by the pharmaceutical industry. However, there has been little research on the implications of these investigators' role in clinical investigation. Our objective was to study private-sector clinics involved in US pharmaceutical clinical trials to understand the contract research arrangements supporting drug development, and specifically how private-sector physicians engaged in contract research describe their professional identities. We conducted a qualitative study in 2003-2004 combining observation at 25 private-sector research organizations in the southwestern United States and 63 semi-structured interviews with physicians, research staff, and research participants at those clinics. We used grounded theory to analyze and interpret our data. The 11 private-sector physicians who participated in our study reported becoming principal investigators on industry clinical trials primarily because contract research provides an additional revenue stream. The physicians reported that they saw themselves as trial practitioners and as businesspeople rather than as scientists or researchers. Our findings suggest that in addition to having financial motivation to participate in contract research, these US private-sector physicians have a professional identity aligned with an industry-based approach to research ethics. The generalizability of these findings and whether they have changed in the intervening years should be addressed in future studies. Please see later in the article for the Editors' Summary.

United States Private-Sector Physicians and Pharmaceutical Contract Research: A Qualitative Study

PubMed Central

Fisher, Jill A.; Kalbaugh, Corey A.

2012-01-01

Background There have been dramatic increases over the past 20 years in the number of nonacademic, private-sector physicians who serve as principal investigators on US clinical trials sponsored by the pharmaceutical industry. However, there has been little research on the implications of these investigators' role in clinical investigation. Our objective was to study private-sector clinics involved in US pharmaceutical clinical trials to understand the contract research arrangements supporting drug development, and specifically how private-sector physicians engaged in contract research describe their professional identities. Methods and Findings We conducted a qualitative study in 2003–2004 combining observation at 25 private-sector research organizations in the southwestern United States and 63 semi-structured interviews with physicians, research staff, and research participants at those clinics. We used grounded theory to analyze and interpret our data. The 11 private-sector physicians who participated in our study reported becoming principal investigators on industry clinical trials primarily because contract research provides an additional revenue stream. The physicians reported that they saw themselves as trial practitioners and as businesspeople rather than as scientists or researchers. Conclusions Our findings suggest that in addition to having financial motivation to participate in contract research, these US private-sector physicians have a professional identity aligned with an industry-based approach to research ethics. The generalizability of these findings and whether they have changed in the intervening years should be addressed in future studies. Please see later in the article for the Editors' Summary. PMID:22911055

Vacuum status-display and sector-conditioning programs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Skelly, J.; Yen, S.

1990-08-01

Two programs have been developed for observation and control of the AGS vacuum system, which include the following notable features: (1) they incorporate a graphical user interface and (2) they are driven by a relational database which describes the vacuum system. The vacuum system comprises some 440 devices organized into 28 vacuum sectors. The status-display program invites menu selection of a sector, interrogates the relational database for relevant vacuum devices, acquires live readbacks and posts a graphical display of their status. The sector-conditioning program likewise invites sector selection, produces the same status display and also implements process control logic on the sector devices to pump the sector down from atmospheric pressure to high vacuum over a period extending several hours. As additional devices are installed in the vacuum system, the devices are added to the relational database; these programs then automatically include the new devices.

Statistical characterization of the large-scale structure of the subauroral polarization stream

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kunduri, B. S. R.; Baker, J. B. H.; Ruohoniemi, J. M.; Thomas, E. G.; Shepherd, S. G.; Sterne, K. T.

2017-06-01

The subauroral polarization streams (SAPS) are latitudinally narrow regions of westward directed flows observed equatorward of the evening sector auroral oval. Previous studies have shown that SAPS generally occur during geomagnetically disturbed conditions and exhibit a strong dependence on geomagnetic activity. In this paper, we present the first comprehensive statistical study of SAPS using measurements from the U.S. midlatitude Super Dual Auroral Radar Network (SuperDARN) radars. The study period spans January 2011 to December 2014, and the results show that SuperDARN radars observe SAPS over a broad range of activity levels spanning storm time and nonstorm conditions. During relatively quiet conditions (-10 nT

Converting environmental risks to benefits by using spent coffee grounds (SCG) as a valuable resource.

PubMed

Stylianou, Marinos; Agapiou, Agapios; Omirou, Michalis; Vyrides, Ioannis; Ioannides, Ioannis M; Maratheftis, Grivas; Fasoula, Dionysia

2018-06-02

Coffee is perhaps one of the most vital ingredients in humans' daily life in modern world. However, this causes the production of million tons of relevant wastes, i.e., plastic cups, aluminum capsules, coffee chaff (silver skin), and spent coffee grounds (SCG), all thrown untreated into landfills. It is estimated that 1 kg of instant coffee generates around 2 kg of wet SCG; a relatively unique organic waste stream, with little to no contamination, separated directly in the source by the coffee shops. The produced waste has been under researchers' microscope as a useful feedstock for a number of promising applications. SCG is considered a valuable, nutrients rich source of bioactive compounds (e.g., phenolics, flavonoids, carotenoids, lipids, chlorogenic and protocatechuic acid, melanoidins, diterpenes, xanthines, vitamin precursors, etc.) and a useful resource material in other processes (e.g., soil improver and compost, heavy metals absorbent, biochar, biodiesel, pellets, cosmetics, food, and deodorization products). This paper aims to provide a holistic approach for the SCG waste management, highlighting a series of processes and applications in environmental solutions, food industry, and agricultural sector. Thus, the latest developments and approaches of SCG waste management are reviewed and discussed.

Tree-based flood damage modeling of companies: Damage processes and model performance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sieg, Tobias; Vogel, Kristin; Merz, Bruno; Kreibich, Heidi

2017-07-01

Reliable flood risk analyses, including the estimation of damage, are an important prerequisite for efficient risk management. However, not much is known about flood damage processes affecting companies. Thus, we conduct a flood damage assessment of companies in Germany with regard to two aspects. First, we identify relevant damage-influencing variables. Second, we assess the prediction performance of the developed damage models with respect to the gain by using an increasing amount of training data and a sector-specific evaluation of the data. Random forests are trained with data from two postevent surveys after flood events occurring in the years 2002 and 2013. For a sector-specific consideration, the data set is split into four subsets corresponding to the manufacturing, commercial, financial, and service sectors. Further, separate models are derived for three different company assets: buildings, equipment, and goods and stock. Calculated variable importance values reveal different variable sets relevant for the damage estimation, indicating significant differences in the damage process for various company sectors and assets. With an increasing number of data used to build the models, prediction errors decrease. Yet the effect is rather small and seems to saturate for a data set size of several hundred observations. In contrast, the prediction improvement achieved by a sector-specific consideration is more distinct, especially for damage to equipment and goods and stock. Consequently, sector-specific data acquisition and a consideration of sector-specific company characteristics in future flood damage assessments is expected to improve the model performance more than a mere increase in data.

When Synchronizing to Rhythms Is Not a Good Thing: Modulations of Preparatory and Post-Target Neural Activity When Shifting Attention Away from On-Beat Times of a Distracting Rhythm.

PubMed

Breska, Assaf; Deouell, Leon Y

2016-07-06

Environmental rhythms potently drive predictive resource allocation in time, typically leading to perceptual and motor benefits for on-beat, relative to off-beat, times, even if the rhythmic stream is not intentionally used. In two human EEG experiments, we investigated the behavioral and electrophysiological expressions of using rhythms to direct resources away from on-beat times. This allowed us to distinguish goal-directed attention from the automatic capture of attention by rhythms. The following three conditions were compared: (1) a rhythmic stream with targets appearing frequently at a fixed off-beat position; (2) a rhythmic stream with targets appearing frequently at on-beat times; and (3) a nonrhythmic stream with matched target intervals. Shifting resources away from on-beat times was expressed in the slowing of responses to on-beat targets, but not in the facilitation of off-beat targets. The shifting of resources was accompanied by anticipatory adjustment of the contingent negative variation (CNV) buildup toward the expected off-beat time. In the second experiment, off-beat times were jittered, resulting in a similar CNV adjustment and also in preparatory amplitude reduction of beta-band activity. Thus, the CNV and beta activity track the relevance of time points and not the rhythm, given sufficient incentive. Furthermore, the effects of task relevance (appearing in a task-relevant vs irrelevant time) and rhythm (appearing on beat vs off beat) had additive behavioral effects and also dissociable neural manifestations in target-evoked activity: rhythm affected the target response as early as the P1 component, while relevance affected only the later N2 and P3. Thus, these two factors operate by distinct mechanisms. Rhythmic streams are widespread in our environment, and are typically conceptualized as automatic, bottom-up resource attractors to on-beat times-preparatory neural activity peaks at rhythm-on-beat times and behavioral benefits are seen to on-beat compared with off-beat targets. We show that this behavioral benefit is reversed when targets are more frequent at off-beat compared with on-beat times, and that preparatory neural activity, previously thought to be driven by the rhythm to on-beat times, is adjusted toward off-beat times. Furthermore, the effect of this relevance-based shifting on target-evoked brain activity was dissociable from the automatic effect of rhythms. Thus, rhythms can act as cues for flexible resource allocation according to the goal relevance of each time point, instead of being obligatory resource attractors. Copyright © 2016 the authors 0270-6474/16/367154-13$15.00/0.

Hard-to-fill vacancies.

PubMed

Williams, Ruth

2010-09-29

Skills for Health has launched a set of resources to help healthcare employers tackle hard-to-fill entry-level vacancies and provide sustainable employment for local unemployed people. The Sector Employability Toolkit aims to reduce recruitment and retention costs for entry-level posts and repare people for employment through pre-job training programmes, and support employers to develop local partnerships to gain access to wider pools of candidates and funding streams.

Recommendations and Proposed Strategic Plan: Water Sector Decontamination Priorities

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-10-01

safety and health issues of the utility personnel that may be exposed to treatment processes down stream from the treatment Conducting research on...Government Coordinating Council (GCC). This letter serves as our official transmittal of the Work Group’s final product . As the Co-Chairs...Priorities Page xv LIST OF ACRONYMS ACEIH American Council of Education on Industrial Hygiene AMWA Association of Metropolitan Water Agencies ANSI

Detecting climate change oriented and human induced changes in stream temperature across the Southeastern U.S.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, X.; Voisin, N.; Cheng, Y.; Niemeyer, R. J.; Nijssen, B.; Yearsley, J. R.; Zhou, T.

2017-12-01

In many areas, climate change is expected to alter the flow regime and increase stream temperature, especially during summer low flow periods. During these low flow periods, water management increases flows in order to sustain human activities such as water for irrigation and hydroelectric power generation. Water extraction from rivers during warm season can increase stream temperature while reservoir regulation may cool downstream river temperatures by releasing cool water from deep layers. Thus, it is reasonable to hypothesize that water management changes the sensitivity of the stream temperature regime to climate change when compared to unmanaged resources. The time of emergence of change refers to the point in time when observations, or model simulations, show statistically significant changes from a given baseline period, i.e. above natural variability. Here we aim to address two questions by investigating the time of emergence of changes in stream temperature in the southeastern United States: what is the sensitivity of stream temperature under regulated flow conditions to climate change and what is the contribution of water management in increasing or decreasing stream temperature sensitivity to climate change. We simulate regulated flow by using runoff from the Variable Infiltration Capacity (VIC) macroscale hydrological model as input into a large scale river routing and reservoir model MOSART-WM. The River Basin Model (RBM), a distributed stream temperature model, includes a two-layer thermal stratification module to simulate stream temperature in regulated river systems. We evaluate the timing of emergence of changes in flow and stream temperature based on climate projections from two representative concentration pathways (RCPs; RCP4.5 and RCP8.5) from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5). We analyze the difference in emergence of change between natural and regulated streamflow. Insights will be provided toward applications for multiple sectors of activities including electrical resources adequacy studies over the southeastern U.S.

Modelling dendritic ecological networks in space: anintegrated network perspective

USGS Publications Warehouse

Peterson, Erin E.; Ver Hoef, Jay M.; Isaak, Dan J.; Falke, Jeffrey A.; Fortin, Marie-Josée; Jordon, Chris E.; McNyset, Kristina; Monestiez, Pascal; Ruesch, Aaron S.; Sengupta, Aritra; Som, Nicholas; Steel, E. Ashley; Theobald, David M.; Torgersen, Christian E.; Wenger, Seth J.

2013-01-01

the context of stream ecology. Within this context, we summarise the key innovations of a new family of spatial statistical models that describe spatial relationships in DENs. Finally, we discuss how different network analyses may be combined to address more complex and novel research questions. While our main focus is streams, the taxonomy of network analyses is also relevant anywhere spatial patterns in both network and 2-D space can be used to explore the influence of multi-scale processes on biota and their habitat (e.g. plant morphology and pest infestation, or preferential migration along stream or road corridors).

Making Secondary Education Relevant for All: Reflections on Science Education in an Expanding Sub-Sector

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barrett, Angeline M.

2017-01-01

This think piece focuses on relevance in secondary science education to propose a research agenda for contexts in sub-Saharan Africa, where enrolments are expanding from a low base. The notion of sustainable work is used to consider what kind of science education is relevant for students who will continue to become science specialists and those…

Fertility -- A new trend for a global business.

PubMed

Farley, J U

1969-01-01

Cooperation between the public and private sectors in helping control population is possible. The usual public outlet for contraceptives, the clinic, is unsatisfactory for 3 reasons: coverage is sparse; there is no simple, repetitive supply activity; and more immediate medical problems take precedence. The public sector is not conversant with advertising and merchandising techniques and research which aid dissemination of both information and the product. Common marketing notions, e.g., 'trading up' may be relevant, i.e., many new aspects of oral contraceptives, IUDs, had already used conventional methods of contraception. The private sector is less sensitive to the political and religious aspects of contraception than the public sector.

Morbidity and Health Risk Factors Among New Mexico Miners: A Comparison Across Mining Sectors.

PubMed

Shumate, Alice M; Yeoman, Kristin; Victoroff, Tristan; Evans, Kandace; Karr, Roger; Sanchez, Tami; Sood, Akshay; Laney, Anthony Scott

2017-08-01

This study examines differences in chronic health outcomes between coal, uranium, metal, and nonmetal miners. In a cross-sectional study using data from a health screening program for current and former New Mexico miners, log-binomial logistic regression models were used to estimate relative risks of respiratory and heart disease, cancer, osteoarthritis, and back pain associated with mining in each sector as compared with coal, adjusting for other relevant risk factors. Differential risks in angina, pulmonary symptoms, asthma, cancer, osteoarthritis, and back pain between mining sectors were found. New Mexico miners experience different chronic health challenges across sectors. These results demonstrate the importance of using comparable data to understand how health risks differ across mining sectors. Further investigation among a broader geographic population of miners will help identify the health priorities and needs in each sector.

Accounting for health in climate change policies: a case study of Fiji

PubMed Central

Morrow, Georgina; Bowen, Kathryn

2014-01-01

Background Climate change is expected to affect the health of most populations in the coming decades, having the greatest impact on the poorest and most disadvantaged people in the world. The Pacific islands, including Fiji, are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Objective The three major health impacts of climate change in Fiji explored in this study were dengue fever, diarrhoeal disease, and malnutrition, as they each pose a significant threat to human health. The aim of this study was to investigate to what extent the Fiji National Climate Change Policy, and a selection of relevant sectoral policies, account for these human health effects of climate change. Design The study employed a three-pronged policy analysis to evaluate: 1) the content of the Fijian National Climate Change Policy and to what extent health was incorporated within this; 2) the context within which the policy was developed; 3) the relevant processes; and 4) the actors involved. A selection of relevant sectoral policies were also analysed to assess the extent to which these included climate change and health considerations. Results The policy analysis showed that these three health impacts of climate change were only considered to a minor extent, and often indirectly, in both the Fiji National Climate Change Policy and the corresponding National Climate Change Adaptation Strategy, as well as the Public Health Act. Furthermore, supporting documents in relevant sectors including water and agriculture made no mention of climate change and health impacts. Conclusions The projected health impacts of climate change should be considered as part of reviewing the Fiji National Climate Change Policy and National Climate Change Adaptation Strategy, and the Public Health Act. In the interest of public health, this should include strategies for combating dengue fever, malnutrition, and water-borne disease. Related sectoral policies in water and agriculture should also be revised to consider climate change and its impact on human health. Approaches to include health aspects of climate change within sectoral and climate change specific policies should be encouraged, via a number of mechanisms, such as the Health in All Policies approach. Future research could support the Fiji health sector in developing climate change and health programmes. PMID:24836442

Influence of ENSO on Gulf Stream cyclogenesis and the North Atlantic storm track

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, C.; Schemm, S.; Ciasto, L.; Kvamsto, N. G.

2015-12-01

There is emerging evidence that climate in the North Atlantic-European sector is sensitive to vacillations of tropical Pacific sea surface temperatures, in particular, the central Pacific flavour of the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and concomitant trends in atmospheric heating. The frequency of central Pacific ENSOs appears to have increased over the last decades and some studies suggest it may continue increasing in the future, but the precise mechanisms by which these events affect the North Atlantic synoptic scale circulation are poorly understood. Here, we show that central Pacific ENSOs influence where midlatitude cyclogenesis occurs over the Gulf Stream, producing more cyclogenesis in the jet exit region rather than in the climatologically preferred jet entrance region. The cyclones forming over the Gulf Stream in central Pacific ENSO seasons tend to veer north, penetrating deeper into the Arctic rather than into continental Europe. The shift in cyclogenesis is linked to changes in the large scale circulation, namely, the upper-level trough formed in the lee of the Rocky Mountains.

Observations of Energetic Particle Escape at the Magnetopause: Early Results from the MMS Energetic Ion Spectrometer (EIS)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cohen, I. J.; Mauk, B. H.; Anderson, B. J.; Westlake, J. H.; Sibeck, David Gary; Giles, Barbara L.; Pollock, C. J.; Turner, D. L.; Fennell, J. F.; Blake, J. B.;

Online feature selection with streaming features.

PubMed

Wu, Xindong; Yu, Kui; Ding, Wei; Wang, Hao; Zhu, Xingquan

2013-05-01

We propose a new online feature selection framework for applications with streaming features where the knowledge of the full feature space is unknown in advance. We define streaming features as features that flow in one by one over time whereas the number of training examples remains fixed. This is in contrast with traditional online learning methods that only deal with sequentially added observations, with little attention being paid to streaming features. The critical challenges for Online Streaming Feature Selection (OSFS) include 1) the continuous growth of feature volumes over time, 2) a large feature space, possibly of unknown or infinite size, and 3) the unavailability of the entire feature set before learning starts. In the paper, we present a novel Online Streaming Feature Selection method to select strongly relevant and nonredundant features on the fly. An efficient Fast-OSFS algorithm is proposed to improve feature selection performance. The proposed algorithms are evaluated extensively on high-dimensional datasets and also with a real-world case study on impact crater detection. Experimental results demonstrate that the algorithms achieve better compactness and higher prediction accuracy than existing streaming feature selection algorithms.

Applications of spatial statistical network models to stream data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Isaak, Daniel J.; Peterson, Erin E.; Ver Hoef, Jay M.; Wenger, Seth J.; Falke, Jeffrey A.; Torgersen, Christian E.; Sowder, Colin; Steel, E. Ashley; Fortin, Marie-Josée; Jordan, Chris E.; Ruesch, Aaron S.; Som, Nicholas; Monestiez, Pascal

2014-01-01

Streams and rivers host a significant portion of Earth's biodiversity and provide important ecosystem services for human populations. Accurate information regarding the status and trends of stream resources is vital for their effective conservation and management. Most statistical techniques applied to data measured on stream networks were developed for terrestrial applications and are not optimized for streams. A new class of spatial statistical model, based on valid covariance structures for stream networks, can be used with many common types of stream data (e.g., water quality attributes, habitat conditions, biological surveys) through application of appropriate distributions (e.g., Gaussian, binomial, Poisson). The spatial statistical network models account for spatial autocorrelation (i.e., nonindependence) among measurements, which allows their application to databases with clustered measurement locations. Large amounts of stream data exist in many areas where spatial statistical analyses could be used to develop novel insights, improve predictions at unsampled sites, and aid in the design of efficient monitoring strategies at relatively low cost. We review the topic of spatial autocorrelation and its effects on statistical inference, demonstrate the use of spatial statistics with stream datasets relevant to common research and management questions, and discuss additional applications and development potential for spatial statistics on stream networks. Free software for implementing the spatial statistical network models has been developed that enables custom applications with many stream databases.

Effects of selective attention on the electrophysiological representation of concurrent sounds in the human auditory cortex.

PubMed

Bidet-Caulet, Aurélie; Fischer, Catherine; Besle, Julien; Aguera, Pierre-Emmanuel; Giard, Marie-Helene; Bertrand, Olivier

2007-08-29

In noisy environments, we use auditory selective attention to actively ignore distracting sounds and select relevant information, as during a cocktail party to follow one particular conversation. The present electrophysiological study aims at deciphering the spatiotemporal organization of the effect of selective attention on the representation of concurrent sounds in the human auditory cortex. Sound onset asynchrony was manipulated to induce the segregation of two concurrent auditory streams. Each stream consisted of amplitude modulated tones at different carrier and modulation frequencies. Electrophysiological recordings were performed in epileptic patients with pharmacologically resistant partial epilepsy, implanted with depth electrodes in the temporal cortex. Patients were presented with the stimuli while they either performed an auditory distracting task or actively selected one of the two concurrent streams. Selective attention was found to affect steady-state responses in the primary auditory cortex, and transient and sustained evoked responses in secondary auditory areas. The results provide new insights on the neural mechanisms of auditory selective attention: stream selection during sound rivalry would be facilitated not only by enhancing the neural representation of relevant sounds, but also by reducing the representation of irrelevant information in the auditory cortex. Finally, they suggest a specialization of the left hemisphere in the attentional selection of fine-grained acoustic information.

Dynamic Grouping of Hippocampal Neural Activity During Cognitive Control of Two Spatial Frames

PubMed Central

Kelemen, Eduard; Fenton, André A.

2010-01-01

Cognitive control is the ability to coordinate multiple streams of information to prevent confusion and select appropriate behavioral responses, especially when presented with competing alternatives. Despite its theoretical and clinical significance, the neural mechanisms of cognitive control are poorly understood. Using a two-frame place avoidance task and partial hippocampal inactivation, we confirmed that intact hippocampal function is necessary for coordinating two streams of spatial information. Rats were placed on a continuously rotating arena and trained to organize their behavior according to two concurrently relevant spatial frames: one stationary, the other rotating. We then studied how information about locations in these two spatial frames is organized in the action potential discharge of ensembles of hippocampal cells. Both streams of information were represented in neuronal discharge—place cell activity was organized according to both spatial frames, but almost all cells preferentially represented locations in one of the two spatial frames. At any given time, most coactive cells tended to represent locations in the same spatial frame, reducing the risk of interference between the two information streams. An ensemble's preference to represent locations in one or the other spatial frame alternated within a session, but at each moment, location in the more behaviorally relevant spatial frame was more likely to be represented. This discharge organized into transient groups of coactive neurons that fired together within 25 ms to represent locations in the same spatial frame. These findings show that dynamic grouping, the transient coactivation of neural subpopulations that represent the same stream of information, can coordinate representations of concurrent information streams and avoid confusion, demonstrating neural-ensemble correlates of cognitive control in hippocampus. PMID:20585373

Deforestation and stream warming affect body size of Amazonian fishes.

PubMed

Ilha, Paulo; Schiesari, Luis; Yanagawa, Fernando I; Jankowski, KathiJo; Navas, Carlos A

2018-01-01

Declining body size has been suggested to be a universal response of organisms to rising temperatures, manifesting at all levels of organization and in a broad range of taxa. However, no study to date evaluated whether deforestation-driven warming could trigger a similar response. We studied changes in fish body size, from individuals to assemblages, in streams in Southeastern Amazonia. We first conducted sampling surveys to validate the assumption that deforestation promoted stream warming, and to test the hypothesis that warmer deforested streams had reduced fish body sizes relative to cooler forest streams. As predicted, deforested streams were up to 6 °C warmer and had fish 36% smaller than forest streams on average. This body size reduction could be largely explained by the responses of the four most common species, which were 43-55% smaller in deforested streams. We then conducted a laboratory experiment to test the hypothesis that stream warming as measured in the field was sufficient to cause a growth reduction in the dominant fish species in the region. Fish reared at forest stream temperatures gained mass, whereas those reared at deforested stream temperatures lost mass. Our results suggest that deforestation-driven stream warming is likely to be a relevant factor promoting observed body size reductions, although other changes in stream conditions, like reductions in organic matter inputs, can also be important. A broad scale reduction in fish body size due to warming may be occurring in streams throughout the Amazonian Arc of Deforestation, with potential implications for the conservation of Amazonian fish biodiversity and food supply for people around the Basin.

Deforestation and stream warming affect body size of Amazonian fishes

PubMed Central

Yanagawa, Fernando I.; Jankowski, KathiJo; Navas, Carlos A.

2018-01-01

Declining body size has been suggested to be a universal response of organisms to rising temperatures, manifesting at all levels of organization and in a broad range of taxa. However, no study to date evaluated whether deforestation-driven warming could trigger a similar response. We studied changes in fish body size, from individuals to assemblages, in streams in Southeastern Amazonia. We first conducted sampling surveys to validate the assumption that deforestation promoted stream warming, and to test the hypothesis that warmer deforested streams had reduced fish body sizes relative to cooler forest streams. As predicted, deforested streams were up to 6 °C warmer and had fish 36% smaller than forest streams on average. This body size reduction could be largely explained by the responses of the four most common species, which were 43–55% smaller in deforested streams. We then conducted a laboratory experiment to test the hypothesis that stream warming as measured in the field was sufficient to cause a growth reduction in the dominant fish species in the region. Fish reared at forest stream temperatures gained mass, whereas those reared at deforested stream temperatures lost mass. Our results suggest that deforestation-driven stream warming is likely to be a relevant factor promoting observed body size reductions, although other changes in stream conditions, like reductions in organic matter inputs, can also be important. A broad scale reduction in fish body size due to warming may be occurring in streams throughout the Amazonian Arc of Deforestation, with potential implications for the conservation of Amazonian fish biodiversity and food supply for people around the Basin. PMID:29718960

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

Yan, Rui; Praggastis, Brenda L.; Smith, William P.

While streaming data have become increasingly more popular in business and research communities, semantic models and processing software for streaming data have not kept pace. Traditional semantic solutions have not addressed transient data streams. Semantic web languages (e.g., RDF, OWL) have typically addressed static data settings and linked data approaches have predominantly addressed static or growing data repositories. Streaming data settings have some fundamental differences; in particular, data are consumed on the fly and data may expire. Stream reasoning, a combination of stream processing and semantic reasoning, has emerged with the vision of providing "smart" processing of streaming data. C-SPARQLmore » is a prominent stream reasoning system that handles semantic (RDF) data streams. Many stream reasoning systems including C-SPARQL use a sliding window and use data arrival time to evict data. For data streams that include expiration times, a simple arrival time scheme is inadequate if the window size does not match the expiration period. In this paper, we propose a cache-enabled, order-aware, ontology-based stream reasoning framework. This framework consumes RDF streams with expiration timestamps assigned by the streaming source. Our framework utilizes both arrival and expiration timestamps in its cache eviction policies. In addition, we introduce the notion of "semantic importance" which aims to address the relevance of data to the expected reasoning, thus enabling the eviction algorithms to be more context- and reasoning-aware when choosing what data to maintain for question answering. We evaluate this framework by implementing three different prototypes and utilizing five metrics. The trade-offs of deploying the proposed framework are also discussed.« less

US cities can manage national hydrology and biodiversity using local infrastructure policy.

PubMed

McManamay, Ryan A; Surendran Nair, Sujithkumar; DeRolph, Christopher R; Ruddell, Benjamin L; Morton, April M; Stewart, Robert N; Troia, Matthew J; Tran, Liem; Kim, Hyun; Bhaduri, Budhendra L

2017-09-05

Cities are concentrations of sociopolitical power and prime architects of land transformation, while also serving as consumption hubs of "hard" water and energy infrastructures. These infrastructures extend well outside metropolitan boundaries and impact distal river ecosystems. We used a comprehensive model to quantify the roles of anthropogenic stressors on hydrologic alteration and biodiversity in US streams and isolate the impacts stemming from hard infrastructure developments in cities. Across the contiguous United States, cities' hard infrastructures have significantly altered at least 7% of streams, which influence habitats for over 60% of North America's fish, mussel, and crayfish species. Additionally, city infrastructures have contributed to local extinctions in 260 species and currently influence 970 indigenous species, 27% of which are in jeopardy. We find that ecosystem impacts do not scale with city size but are instead proportionate to infrastructure decisions. For example, Atlanta's impacts by hard infrastructures extend across four major river basins, 12,500 stream km, and contribute to 100 local extinctions of aquatic species. In contrast, Las Vegas, a similar size city, impacts <1,000 stream km, leading to only seven local extinctions. So, cities have local policy choices that can reduce future impacts to regional aquatic ecosystems as they grow. By coordinating policy and communication between hard infrastructure sectors, local city governments and utilities can directly improve environmental quality in a significant fraction of the nation's streams reaching far beyond their city boundaries.

Quality control in the recycling stream of PVC from window frames by hyperspectral imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luciani, Valentina; Serranti, Silvia; Bonifazi, Giuseppe; Di Maio, Francesco; Rem, Peter

2013-05-01

Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) is one of the most commonly used thermoplastic materials in respect to the worldwide polymer consumption. PVC is mainly used in the building and construction sector, products such as pipes, window frames, cable insulation, floors, coverings, roofing sheets, etc. are realised utilising this material. In recent years, the problem of PVC waste disposal gained increasing importance in the public discussion. The quantity of used PVC items entering the waste stream is gradually increased as progressively greater numbers of PVC products approach to the end of their useful economic lives. The quality of the recycled PVC depends on the characteristics of the recycling process and the quality of the input waste. Not all PVC-containing waste streams have the same economic value. A transparent relation between value and composition is required to decide if the recycling process is cost effective for a particular waste stream. An objective and reliable quality control technique is needed in the recycling industry for the monitoring of both recycled flow streams and final products in the plant. In this work hyperspectral imaging technique in the near infrared (NIR) range (1000-1700 nm) was applied to identify unwanted plastic contaminants and rubber present in PVC coming from windows frame waste in order to assess a quality control procedure during its recycling process. Results showed as PVC, PE and rubber can be identified adopting the NIR-HSI approach.

Analysis of Turkish Communications Sector and Determination of Critical Success Factors

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-09-01

payments, video streaming, socializing, and online gaming , OTT providers can now easily provide mainstream services such as text messaging and voice...above the regional average as it has sufficient provisions for management of spectra. On the other hand, Ministry can imitate tenders for spectrum...which creates uncertainty about who will initiate tenders . Moreover, the ICTA is free to announce frequency allocation tenders openly and may decide to

Short Course on Design for Production Integration, Course Notes

DTIC Science & Technology

1995-01-01

to come on stream in Germany, South Korea and China . This could upset the fine balance in this sector. Thus, it can be seen from Figure 5 that... international conventions by national governments. Because of this, IMO held a convention in 1970 that agreed on a simplified approach to be applied...APPROXIMATELY HALF BEST WORLD PRACTICE MATERIAL COST 30-50% HIGHER THAN INTERNATIONAL COMPETITORS OVERHEAD HIGHER THAN INTERNATIONAL COMPETITORS LARGE

Knowledge Management as an Approach to Learning and Instructing Sector University Students in Post-Soviet Professional Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Volegzhanina, Irina S.; Chusovlyanova, Svetlana V.; Adolf, Vladimir A.; Bykadorova, Ekaterina S.; Belova, Elena N.

2017-01-01

The relevance of the study depends on addressing to the issue of knowledge management in learning and instructing students of post-Soviet sector universities. In this regard, the article is intended to reveal the nature of knowledge management approach compared to the knowledge-based one predominated in Soviet education. The flagship approach of…

Scientific-Theoretical Background the Organization of Geobotany Employees of the Micro Enterprises Sport and Recreation Sector

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Andruhina, Tatyana V.; Dorozhkin, Evgenij M.; Zaitseva, Ekaterina V.; Komleva, Svetlana V.; Sosnin, Alexander S.; Savinova, Valentina A.

2016-01-01

The relevance of the research problem due to the needs of the labor market, terms of developing economy of micro-entrepreneurship in sport and recreation sector and the demands of the subject of labour activity to professional training without discontinuing work. The purpose of the article is to understand the current issues aspects of pedagogical…

Exploring Teacher and School Resilience as a New Perspective to Solve Persistent Problems in the Educational Sector

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schelvis, Roosmarijn M. C.; Zwetsloot, Gerard I. J. M.; Bos, Evelien H.; Wiezer, Noortje M.

2014-01-01

In this paper, we will explore the relevance, meaning and perspectives of teacher, team and school resilience. The central research questions are: does the concept of teacher, team and school resilience offer new and promising perspectives on persistent problems in the educational sector? And secondly; how can resilience at individual, team and…

Analysis of inter-country input-output table based on citation network: How to measure the competition and collaboration between industrial sectors on the global value chain

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

The input-output table is comprehensive and detailed in describing the national economic system with complex economic relationships, which embodies information of supply and demand among industrial sectors. This paper aims to scale the degree of competition/collaboration on the global value chain from the perspective of econophysics. Global Industrial Strongest Relevant Network models were established by extracting the strongest and most immediate industrial relevance in the global economic system with inter-country input-output tables and then transformed into Global Industrial Resource Competition Network/Global Industrial Production Collaboration Network models embodying the competitive/collaborative relationships based on bibliographic coupling/co-citation approach. Three indicators well suited for these two kinds of weighted and non-directed networks with self-loops were introduced, including unit weight for competitive/collaborative power, disparity in the weight for competitive/collaborative amplitude and weighted clustering coefficient for competitive/collaborative intensity. Finally, these models and indicators were further applied to empirically analyze the function of sectors in the latest World Input-Output Database, to reveal inter-sector competitive/collaborative status during the economic globalization. PMID:28873432

The Development of Sensor Applications in the Sectors of Energy and Environment in Italy, 1976–2015

PubMed Central

Di Francia, Girolamo

2017-01-01

Although sensor technologies have been developing quite similarly all over the world, the investigation of their applications has been more affected by the specific industrial and economic characteristics of each country. This paper aims to investigate the development of applications based on sensor devices in the sectors of energy and the environment, in Italy, throughout the last forty years (1976–2015), examining the most relevant papers published by Italian R & D groups working in this field. Italy depends on foreign imports for more than 80% of its primary energy needs, and this has directed the research effort on the development of sensor applications both to improve load shaping and consumers’ awareness and to develop specific equipment to maximize renewable energy production. Similarly, for the environment sector, there are increasing efforts to develop solutions to support a more and more capillary control of the environment itself using a cooperative approach. In both the sectors it seems that the solutions proposed can help to relieve the structural problems that Italy suffers and that the scientific and technical results obtained so far also have significant international relevance. PMID:28387739

Analysis of inter-country input-output table based on citation network: How to measure the competition and collaboration between industrial sectors on the global value chain.

PubMed

Xing, Lizhi

2017-01-01

The input-output table is comprehensive and detailed in describing the national economic system with complex economic relationships, which embodies information of supply and demand among industrial sectors. This paper aims to scale the degree of competition/collaboration on the global value chain from the perspective of econophysics. Global Industrial Strongest Relevant Network models were established by extracting the strongest and most immediate industrial relevance in the global economic system with inter-country input-output tables and then transformed into Global Industrial Resource Competition Network/Global Industrial Production Collaboration Network models embodying the competitive/collaborative relationships based on bibliographic coupling/co-citation approach. Three indicators well suited for these two kinds of weighted and non-directed networks with self-loops were introduced, including unit weight for competitive/collaborative power, disparity in the weight for competitive/collaborative amplitude and weighted clustering coefficient for competitive/collaborative intensity. Finally, these models and indicators were further applied to empirically analyze the function of sectors in the latest World Input-Output Database, to reveal inter-sector competitive/collaborative status during the economic globalization.

Knickpoint retreat and landscape evolution of the Amatlán de Cañas half-graben (northern sector of Jalisco Block, western Mexico)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Castillo, Miguel; Ferrari, Luca; Muñoz-Salinas, Esperanza

2017-08-01

Rivers are known to respond to changes in the rate of rock uplift by propagating knickpoints through the fluvial network. Downstream of knickpoints, river incision increases local relief producing also the steepening of hillslopes. Thus, knickpoints convey information about the amount of rock uplift to which the fluvial system must respond. Because the incisional pulse produced by the rapid rock uplift is recorded in the topography of channels, the analysis of longitudinal profiles can be used for evaluating the response of landscape to tectonic activity. Here we analyse the longitudinal profile of rivers (n = 84) and the river basin topography (n = 72) with the aim of unravelling the evolution of the Amatlán de Cañas half-graben (ACHG), a Plio-Quaternary structure located in the northern sector of the Jalisco Block (west-central Mexico). Our results indicate that two rock uplift pulses formed the footwall of the ACHG. The distance of knickpoint retreat from the fault scarp exhibit a strong correlation with the stream length (R2 = 0.80), highlighting the importance of stream discharge on knickpoint migration. Clustering of high values of relief, river incision and normalised channel steepness index (ksn) around the centre of the footwall confirms that this is the zone of maximum throw. The propagation of knickpoints along Ameca river is producing the degradation of fans and relief rejuvenation. Using compiled data of knickpoint retreat rates of other tectonically active landscapes, it was found that the stream discharge and the timing and rate of rock uplift are together a first order control on the rate of knickpoint recession. This study supports the idea that the understanding of knickpoints is crucial to unravel the evolution of tectonically active landscapes.

Discharge of water and sediment from ice-streams on the southeastern Laurentide Ice Sheet during Heinrich events: timing and magnitude

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rashid, H.; Piper, D.

2017-12-01

Several ice-streams on the southeastern sector of the Laurentide Ice Sheet discharged icebergs, meltwater, and fine-grained sediments into the North Atlantic during Heinrich (H) events. The principal contribution was through Hudson Strait, which is the only source clearly identified in H ice-rafted layers in the central North Atlantic. The role of direct supply of meltwater in modifying the Atlantic meridional circulation generally has been regarded as secondary. The relative chronology of discharge in different ice-streams is poorly known. Here, we re-assess these questions using continental margin cores constrained by high-resolution seismic profiles and multibeam bathymetry data. Relative importance of ice streams likely scales with cross-sectional area of their erosional troughs. On that basis, the Hudson Strait ice stream was twice as large as that in the Laurentian Channel and 3-4 times larger than smaller troughs. Several ice streams supplied petrographically and geochemically distinct sediment including black shales from Cumberland Sound, limestone and dolomite in particular proportions from Frobisher Bay and Hudson Strait, and red sandstones and shales ± carbonates from NE Newfoundland and Laurentian Channel. In several cases, detrital carbonate H layers derived predominantly from Hudson Strait are preceded by enhanced IRD deposition from smaller ice streams, e.g. deposits from Cumberland Sound on the Labrador slope, from NE Newfoundland in Orphan Basin, and from Laurentian Channel on the Nova Scotian margin. Gravel petrology indicates that Hudson Strait sources make up >90% of the ice-rafted component of distal H layers. H layers proximal to the Hudson Strait ice-streams are 4 to 12 meters thick compared to a few centimeters thick seaward of the Trinity Trough and Laurentian ice-streams, comparable to the thickness of the North Atlantic. This underscores the great importance of meltwater and suspended sediment close to ice stream outlets. Morphological features and plume deposits show that meltwater becomes much more abundant in more southerly ice streams and some local plume deposits contribute to the thickness of H layers. The contribution of freshwater from melting icebergs and from direct meltwater discharge are approximately similar during H events.

Environmental and economic development consequences of forest and agricultural sector policies in Latin America (a synthesis of case studies of Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Bolivia)

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

Stewart, R.; Gibson, D.

This paper draws heavily on the results of case studies in Bolivia, Costa Rica, and Ecuador to explain how sectoral policies have tilted land use decisions against forestry and in favor of agriculture, and to present estimates of the economic development effects of those decisions. The paper summarizes information on forests and forest industries of the three countries, and it describes the framework within which policies are designed. It presents the effects of sectoral policies on land use and forest management, and then quantifies and discusses economic costs of relevant sectoral policies. Conclusions and recommendations for policy reform are offered.

Thinking beyond the Bioreactor Box: Incorporating Stream Ecology into Edge-of-Field Nitrate Management.

PubMed

Goeller, Brandon C; Febria, Catherine M; Harding, Jon S; McIntosh, Angus R

2016-05-01

Around the world, artificially drained agricultural lands are significant sources of reactive nitrogen to stream ecosystems, creating substantial stream health problems. One management strategy is the deployment of denitrification enhancement tools. Here, we evaluate the factors affecting the potential of denitrifying bioreactors to improve stream health and ecosystem services. The performance of bioreactors and the structure and functioning of stream biotic communities are linked by environmental parameters like dissolved oxygen and nitrate-nitrogen concentrations, dissolved organic carbon availability, flow and temperature regimes, and fine sediment accumulations. However, evidence of bioreactors' ability to improve waterway health and ecosystem services is lacking. To improve the potential of bioreactors to enhance desirable stream ecosystem functioning, future assessments of field-scale bioreactors should evaluate the influences of bioreactor performance on ecological indicators such as primary production, organic matter processing, stream metabolism, and invertebrate and fish assemblage structure and function. These stream health impact assessments should be conducted at ecologically relevant spatial and temporal scales. Bioreactors have great potential to make significant contributions to improving water quality, stream health, and ecosystem services if they are tailored to site-specific conditions and implemented strategically with land-based and stream-based mitigation tools within watersheds. This will involve combining economic, logistical, and ecological information in their implementation. Copyright © by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, Inc.

Community care: the independent sector.

PubMed Central

Barodawala, S.

1996-01-01

The independent sector, which consists of the voluntary and private sectors, is a vital element in supporting older people in the community. The voluntary sector, coordinated by the Council for Voluntary Service and the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, provides a variety of services, including practical help, reassurance and companionship, and advice, information, campaigning, and advocacy. The private sector owns all of the nursing homes and most of the residential homes and is gradually becoming more involved with the provision of services to help support older people in their own homes. With this increase in size and importance of the independent sector over recent years, there is now a real need for greater communication between the private, voluntary, and statutory agencies in any one region. In some areas, forums made up of representatives of these various sectors meet to discuss relevant issues and construct local policies, thus allowing a more coordinated approach to the delivery of services. Images p740-a p742-a PMID:8819449

Comparison of animated jet stream visualizations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nocke, Thomas; Hoffmann, Peter

2016-04-01

The visualization of 3D atmospheric phenomena in space and time is still a challenging problem. In particular, multiple solutions of animated jet stream visualizations have been produced in recent years, which were designed to visually analyze and communicate the jet and related impacts on weather circulation patterns and extreme weather events. This PICO integrates popular and new jet animation solutions and inter-compares them. The applied techniques (e.g. stream lines or line integral convolution) and parametrizations (color mapping, line lengths) are discussed with respect to visualization quality criteria and their suitability for certain visualization tasks (e.g. jet patterns and jet anomaly analysis, communicating its relevance for climate change).

Development and Performance of Alternative Electricity Sector Pathways Subject to Multiple Climate and Water Projections

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Newmark, R. L.; Vorosmarty, C. J.; Miara, A.; Cohen, S.; Macknick, J.; Sun, Y.; Corsi, F.; Fekete, B. M.; Tidwell, V. C.

2017-12-01

Climate change impacts on air temperatures and water availability have the potential to alter future electricity sector investment decisions as well as the reliability and performance of the power sector. Different electricity sector configurations are more or less vulnerable to climate-induced changes. For example, once-through cooled thermal facilities are the most cost-effective and efficient technologies under cooler and wetter conditions, but can be substantially affected by and vulnerable to warmer and drier conditions. Non-thermal renewable technologies, such as PV and wind, are essentially "drought-proof" but have other integration and reliability challenges. Prior efforts have explored the impacts of climate change on electric sector development for a limited set of climate and electricity scenarios. Here, we provide a comprehensive suite of scenarios that evaluate how different electricity sector pathways could be affected by a range of climate and water resource conditions. We use four representative concentration pathway (RCP) scenarios under five global circulation models (GCM) as climate drivers to a Water Balance Model (WBM), to provide twenty separate future climate-water conditions. These climate-water conditions influence electricity sector development from present day to 2050 as determined using the Regional Energy Deployment Systems (ReEDS) model. Four unique electricity sector pathways will be considered, including business-as-usual, carbon cap, high renewable energy technology costs, and coal reliance scenarios. The combination of climate-water and electricity sector pathway scenarios leads to 80 potential future cases resulting in different national and regional electricity infrastructure configurations. The vulnerability of these configurations in relation to climate change (including in-stream thermal pollution impacts and environmental regulations) is evaluated using the Thermoelectric Power and Thermal Pollution (TP2M) model, providing quantitative estimates of the power sector's ability to meet loads, given changes in air temperature, water temperature, and water availability.

Getting to FP2020: Harnessing the private sector to increase modern contraceptive access and choice in Ethiopia, Nigeria, and DRC.

PubMed

Riley, Christina; Garfinkel, Danielle; Thanel, Katherine; Esch, Keith; Workalemahu, Endale; Anyanti, Jennifer; Mpanya, Godéfroid; Binanga, Arsène; Pope, Jen; Longfield, Kim; Bertrand, Jane; Shaw, Bryan

2018-01-01

An estimated 214 million women have unmet need for family planning in developing regions. Improved utilization of the private sector is key to achieving universal access to a range of safe and effective modern contraceptive methods stipulated by FP2020 and SDG commitments. Until now, a lack of market data has limited understanding of the private sector's role in increasing contraceptive coverage and choice. In 2015, the FPwatch Project conducted representative outlet surveys in Ethiopia, Nigeria, and DRC using a full census approach in selected administrative areas. Every public and private sector outlet with the potential to sell or distribute modern contraceptives was approached. In outlets with modern contraceptives, product audits and provider interviews assessed contraceptive market composition, availability, and price. Excluding general retailers, 96% of potential outlets in Ethiopia, 55% in Nigeria, and 41% in DRC had modern contraceptive methods available. In Ethiopia, 41% of modern contraceptive stocking outlets were in the private sector compared with approximately 80% in Nigeria and DRC where drug shops were dominant. Ninety-five percent of private sector outlets in Ethiopia had modern contraceptive methods available; 37% had three or more methods. In Nigeria and DRC, only 54% and 42% of private sector outlets stocked modern contraceptives with 5% and 4% stocking three or more methods, respectively. High prices in Nigeria and DRC create barriers to consumer access and choice. There is a missed opportunity to provide modern contraception through the private sector, particularly drug shops. Subsidies and interventions, like social marketing and social franchising, could leverage the private sector's role in increasing access to a range of contraceptives. Achieving global FP2020 commitments depends on the expansion of national contraceptive policies that promote greater partnership and cooperation with the private sector and improvement of decisions around funding streams of countries with large populations and high unmet need like Ethiopia, Nigeria, and DRC.

Stream gradient Hotspot and Cluster Analysis (SL-HCA) for improving the longitudinal profiles metrics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Troiani, Francesco; Piacentini, Daniela; Seta Marta, Della

2016-04-01

Many researches successfully focused on stream longitudinal profiles analysis through Stream Length-gradient (SL) index for detecting, at different spatial scales, either tectonic structures or hillslope processes. The analysis and interpretation of spatial variability of SL values, both at a regional and local scale, is often complicated due to the concomitance of different factors generating SL anomalies, including the bedrock composition. The creation of lithologically-filtered SL maps is often problematic in areas where homogeneously surveyed geological maps, with a sufficient resolution are unavailable. Moreover, both the SL map classification and the unbiased anomaly detection are rather difficult. For instance, which is the best threshold to define the anomalous SL values? Further, is there a minimum along-channel extent of anomalous SL values for objectively defining over-steeped segments on long-profiles? This research investigates the relevance and potential of a new approach based on Hotspot and Cluster Analysis of SL values (SL-HCA) for detecting knickzones on long-profiles at a regional scale and for fine-tuning the interpretation of their geological-geomorphological meaning. We developed this procedure within a 2800 km2-wide area located in the mountainous sector of the Northern Apennines of Italy. The Getis-Ord Gi∗ statistic is applied for the SL-HCA approach. The value of SL, calculated starting from a 5x5 m Digital Elevation Model, is used as weighting factor and the Gi∗ index is calculated for each 50 m-long channel segment for the whole fluvial system. The outcomes indicate that high positive Gi∗ values imply the clustering of SL anomalies, thus the occurrence of knickzones on the stream long-profiles. Results show that high and very high Gi* values (i.e. values beyond two standard deviations from the mean) correlate well with the principal knickzones detected with existent lithologically-filtered SL maps. Field checks and remote sensing analysis conducted on 52 clusters of high and very high Gi* values indicate that mass movement of slope material represents the dominant process producing over-steeped long-profiles along connected streams, whereas the litho-structure accounts for the main anomalies along disconnected steams. Tectonic structures generally provide to the largest clusters. Our results demonstrate that SL-HCA maps have the same potential of lithologically-filtered SL maps for detecting knickzones due to hillslope processes and/or tectonic structures. The reduced-complexity model derived from SL-HCA approach highly improve the readability of the morphometric outcomes, thus the interpretation at a regional scale of the geological-geomorphological meaning of over-steeped segments on long-profiles. SL-HCA maps are useful to investigate and better interpret knickzones within regions poorly covered by geological data and where field surveys are difficult to be performed.

Transition from the Unipolar Region to the Sector Zone: Voyager 2, 2013 and 2014

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Burlaga, L. F.; Ness, N. F.; Richardson, J. D.

2017-05-01

We discuss magnetic field and plasma observations of the heliosheath made by Voyager 2 (V2) during 2013 and 2014 near solar maximum. A transition from a unipolar region to a sector zone was observed in the azimuthal angle λ between ˜2012.45 and 2013.82. The distribution of λ was strongly singly peaked at 270^\\circ in the unipolar region and double peaked in the sector zone. The δ-distribution was strongly peaked in the unipolar region and very broad in the sector zone. The distribution of daily averages of the magnetic field strength B was Gaussian in the unipolar region and lognormal in the sector zone. The correlation function of B was exponential with an e-folding time of ˜5 days in both regions. The distribution of hourly increments of B was a Tsallis distribution with nonextensivity parameter q = 1.7 ± 0.04 in the unipolar region and q = 1.44 ± 0.12 in the sector zone. The CR-B relationship qualitatively describes the 2013 observations, but not the 2014 observations. A 40 km s-1 increase in the bulk speed associated with an increase in B near 2013.5 might have been produced by the merging of streams. A “D sheet” (a broad depression in B containing a current sheet moved past V2 from days 320 to 345, 2013. The R- and N-components of the plasma velocity changed across the current sheet.

Stream Classification Tool User Manual: For Use in Applications in Hydropower-Related Evironmental Mitigation

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

McManamay, Ryan A.; Troia, Matthew J.; DeRolph, Christopher R.

Stream classifications are an inventory of different types of streams. Classifications help us explore similarities and differences among different types of streams, make inferences regarding stream ecosystem behavior, and communicate the complexities of ecosystems. We developed a nested, layered, and spatially contiguous stream classification to characterize the biophysical settings of stream reaches within the Eastern United States (~ 900,000 reaches). The classification is composed of five natural characteristics (hydrology, temperature, size, confinement, and substrate) along with several disturbance regime layers, and each was selected because of their relevance to hydropower mitigation. We developed the classification at the stream reach levelmore » using the National Hydrography Dataset Plus Version 1 (1:100k scale). The stream classification is useful to environmental mitigation for hydropower dams in multiple ways. First, it creates efficiency in the regulatory process by creating an objective and data-rich means to address meaningful mitigation actions. Secondly, the SCT addresses data gaps as it quickly provides an inventory of hydrology, temperature, morphology, and ecological communities for the immediate project area, but also surrounding streams. This includes identifying potential reference streams as those that are proximate to the hydropower facility and fall within the same class. These streams can potentially be used to identify ideal environmental conditions or identify desired ecological communities. In doing so, the stream provides some context for how streams may function, respond to dam regulation, and an overview of specific mitigation needs. Herein, we describe the methodology in developing each stream classification layer and provide a tutorial to guide applications of the classification (and associated data) in regulatory settings, such as hydropower (re)licensing.« less

Endogenous Delta/Theta Sound-Brain Phase Entrainment Accelerates the Buildup of Auditory Streaming.

PubMed

Riecke, Lars; Sack, Alexander T; Schroeder, Charles E

2015-12-21

In many natural listening situations, meaningful sounds (e.g., speech) fluctuate in slow rhythms among other sounds. When a slow rhythmic auditory stream is selectively attended, endogenous delta (1‒4 Hz) oscillations in auditory cortex may shift their timing so that higher-excitability neuronal phases become aligned with salient events in that stream [1, 2]. As a consequence of this stream-brain phase entrainment [3], these events are processed and perceived more readily than temporally non-overlapping events [4-11], essentially enhancing the neural segregation between the attended stream and temporally noncoherent streams [12]. Stream-brain phase entrainment is robust to acoustic interference [13-20] provided that target stream-evoked rhythmic activity can be segregated from noncoherent activity evoked by other sounds [21], a process that usually builds up over time [22-27]. However, it has remained unclear whether stream-brain phase entrainment functionally contributes to this buildup of rhythmic streams or whether it is merely an epiphenomenon of it. Here, we addressed this issue directly by experimentally manipulating endogenous stream-brain phase entrainment in human auditory cortex with non-invasive transcranial alternating current stimulation (TACS) [28-30]. We assessed the consequences of these manipulations on the perceptual buildup of the target stream (the time required to recognize its presence in a noisy background), using behavioral measures in 20 healthy listeners performing a naturalistic listening task. Experimentally induced cyclic 4-Hz variations in stream-brain phase entrainment reliably caused a cyclic 4-Hz pattern in perceptual buildup time. Our findings demonstrate that strong endogenous delta/theta stream-brain phase entrainment accelerates the perceptual emergence of task-relevant rhythmic streams in noisy environments. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Extensive Holocene ice sheet grounding line retreat and uplift-driven readvance in West Antarctica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kingslake, J.; Scherer, R. P.; Albrecht, T.; Coenen, J. J.; Powell, R. D.; Reese, R.; Stansell, N.; Tulaczyk, S. M.; Whitehouse, P. L.

2017-12-01

The West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) reached its Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) extent 29-14 kyr before present. Numerical models used to project future ice-sheet contributions to sea-level rise exploit reconstructions of post-LGM ice mass loss to tune model parameterizations. Ice-sheet reconstructions are poorly constrained in areas where floating ice shelves or a lack of exposed geology obstruct conventional glacial-geological techniques. In the Weddell and Ross Sea sectors, ice-sheet reconstructions have traditionally assumed progressive grounding line (GL) retreat throughout the Holocene. Contrasting this view, using three distinct lines of evidence, we show that the GL retreated hundreds of kilometers inland of its present position, before glacial isostatic rebound during the Mid to Late Holocene caused the GL to readvance to its current position. Evidence for retreat and readvance during the last glacial termination includes (1) widespread radiocarbon in sediment cores recovered from beneath ice streams along the Siple and Gould Coasts, indicating marine exposure at least 200 km inland of the current GL, (2) ice-penetrating radar observations of relic crevasses and other englacial structures preserved in slow-moving grounded ice, indicating ice-shelf grounding and (3) an ensemble of new ice-sheet simulations showing widespread post-LGM retreat of the GL inland of its current location and later readvance. The model indicates that GL readvance across low slope ice-stream troughs requires uplift-driven grounding of the ice shelf on topographic highs (ice rises). Our findings highlight ice-shelf pinning points and lithospheric response to unloading as drivers of major ice-sheet fluctuations. Full WAIS collapse likely requires GL retreat well beyond its current position in the Ronne and Ross Sectors and linkage via Amundsen Sea sector glaciers.

Ecologically relevant geomorphic attributes of streams are impaired by even low levels of watershed effective imperviousness

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vietz, Geoff J.; Sammonds, Michael J.; Walsh, Christopher J.; Fletcher, Tim D.; Rutherfurd, Ian D.; Stewardson, Michael J.

2014-02-01

Urbanization almost inevitably results in changes to stream morphology. Understanding the mechanisms for such impacts is a prerequisite to minimizing stream degradation and achieving restoration goals. However, investigations of urban-induced changes to stream morphology typically use indicators of watershed urbanization that may not adequately represent degrading mechanisms and commonly focus on geomorphic attributes such as channel dimensions that may be of little significance to the ecological goals for restoration. We address these shortcomings by testing if a measure characterizing urban stormwater drainage system connections to streams (effective imperviousness, EI) is a better predictor of change to ecologically relevant geomorphic attributes than a more general measure of urban density (total imperviousness, TI). We test this for 17 sites in independent watersheds across a gradient of urbanization. We found that EI was a better predictor of all geomorphic variables tested than was TI. Bank instability was positively correlated with EI, while width/depth (a measure of channel incision), bedload sediment depth, and frequency of bars, benches, and large wood were negatively correlated. Large changes in all geomorphic variables were detected at very low levels of EI (< 2-3%). Excess urban stormwater runoff, as represented by EI, drives geomorphic change in urban streams, highlighting the dominant role of the stormwater drainage system in efficiently transferring stormwater runoff from impervious surfaces to the stream, as found for ecological indicators. It is likely that geomorphic condition of streams in urbanizing watersheds, particularly those attributes of ecological relevance, can only be maintained if excess urban stormwater flows are kept out of streams through retention and harvesting. The extent to which EI can be reduced within urban and urbanizing watersheds, through techniques such as distributed stormwater harvesting and infiltration, and the components of the hydrologic regime to be addressed, requires further investigation. Urbanization influences stream morphology more than any other land use (Douglas, 2011): it alters hydrology and sediment inputs leading to deepening and widening of streams (Chin, 2006). Concomitantly, urbanization often directly impairs stream morphology through channel and riparian zone interventions, e.g., culverts (Hawley et al., 2012), rock protection (Vietz et al., 2012b), and constricted floodplains (Gurnell et al., 2007). These changes to channel geomorphology in turn contribute to poor in-stream ecological condition (Morley and Karr, 2002; Walsh et al., 2005b; Gurnell et al., 2007; Elosegi et al., 2010).The common conception is that channels undergo gross morphologic alterations if > 10-20% of their watershed is covered by impervious surfaces (total imperviousness, TI; Bledsoe and Watson, 2001; Chin, 2006; Table 1). Many of these studies may, however, underestimate the influence of urbanization by using insensitive channel metrics and assessing streams in early stages of urbanization. Most importantly, TI, as a measure of urban density, may not adequately represent the way in which urbanization alters the master variables of flow and sediment within a watershed.Hydrologists have long recognized that, rather than the proportion of impervious cover within a watershed, it is the proportion that is directly connected to the stream through stormwater drainage systems that may be a better predictor of urban-induced hydrologic change (Leopold, 1968). Referred to as effective imperviousness (EI) the proportion of impervious cover directly connected to the stream through stormwater drainage systems may also be a better predictor of geomorphic response than is TI. Over the last decade a direct measure of EI has been found to be a better predictor of ecological response in urban streams (Walsh et al., 2012), but use of such a metric has not found its way into geomorphic studies even though TI has been found to be ineffective (e.g., Bledsoe et al., 2012). A direct measure of EI - one that specifically accounts for the drainage from each impervious surface rather than using a generic reduction factor (e.g., Booth and Jackson, 1997; Wang et al., 2001) - has not previously been used in geomorphic investigations. In this paper, we advance on past studies by testing if EI is a stronger predictor than TI for urban-induced channel change.A second limitation of previous studies of urban-induced morphologic change is the common focus on channel dimensions (Chin, 2006). These are important for infrastructure and flood protection but do not necessarily have a strong mechanistic link to stream ecosystems. While some notable exceptions exist (Finkenbine et al., 2000; McBride and Booth, 2005), other geomorphic attributes are rarely investigated.This study examines how urbanization of a watershed can result in the impairment of a suite of geomorphic attributes of relevance to aquatic ecosystem condition, such as large wood, sediment availability, and structural and hydraulic complexity (of the bed, bank, and water column), represented by the following variables:

Environmental Characteristics and Geographic Information System Applications for the Development of Nutrient Thresholds in Oklahoma Streams

USGS Publications Warehouse

Masoner, Jason R.; Haggard, Brian E.; Rea, Alan

2002-01-01

The U.S.Environmental Protection Agency has developed nutrient criteria using ecoregions to manage and protect rivers and streams in the United States. Individual states and tribes are encouraged by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to modify or improve upon the ecoregion approach. The Oklahoma Water Resources Board uses a dichotomous process that stratifies streams using environmental characteristics such as stream order and stream slope. This process is called the Use Support Assessment Protocols, subchapter15. The Use Support Assessment Protocols can be used to identify streams threatened by excessive amounts of nutrients, dependant upon a beneficial use designation for each stream. The Use Support Assessment Protocols, subchapter 15 uses nutrient and environmental characteristic thresholds developed from a study conducted in the Netherlands, but the Oklahoma Water Resources Board wants to modify the thresholds to reflect hydrologic and ecological conditions relevant to Oklahoma streams and rivers. Environmental characteristics thought to affect impairment from nutrient concentrations in Oklahoma streams and rivers were determined for 798 water-quality sites in Oklahoma. Nutrient, chlorophyll, water-properties, and location data were retrieved from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency STORET database including data from the U.S. Geological Survey, Oklahoma Conservation Commission, and Oklahoma Water Resources Board. Drainage-basin area, stream order, stream slope, and land-use proportions were determined for each site using a Geographic Information System. The methods, procedures, and data sets used to determine the environmental characteristics are described.

Arsenic in the health of ecosystems: spatial distribution in water, sediment and aquatic biota of Pampean streams.

PubMed

Rodríguez Castro, M C; Marcó P, L; Ranieri, M C; Vázquez, C; Giorgi, A

2017-10-07

A survey of arsenic and phosphorus in Pampean streams of Buenos Aires province was performed. Nitrates and ammonia were also determined. Stream water was sampled as well as stream sediment and filamentous algae. Results show that 32 streams exceeded the arsenic recommended guidelines for human consumption of 10 μg L -1 and six exceeded recommended values for aquatic organisms' protection of 50 μg L -1 . The average concentration found was 36.54 μg L -1 and areas with more concentration of As are located in the southern region of the province, in streams that are tributaries of the Atlantic Ocean. Other regions with high As concentration are the Matanza River tributaries and the Arrecifes River tributaries. No differences of As concentration was found between stream sediments. Also, no seasonal pattern of As concentration was observed in one stream sampled during a year, but a positive correlation between As and the conductivity (p = 0.0002) and pH (p = 0.01) of the streams was found. Also, As bioaccumulation was detected for all the algae sampled, but no correlation between As accumulated and As in the stream water was found. Ammonia levels exceeded recommended guidelines for human consumption in the Argentinean law in 30 streams. The characterization performed in this study provides relevant information on the distribution of arsenic and its origin and mobility.

HIV/AIDS policy agenda setting in Iran

PubMed Central

Khodayari - Zarnaq, Rahim; Ravaghi, Hamid; Mohammad Mosaddeghrad, Ali; Sedaghat, Abbas; Mohraz, Minoo

2016-01-01

Background: HIV/AIDS control are one of the most important goals of the health systems. The aim of this study was to determine how HIV/AIDS control was initiated among policy makers’ agenda setting in Iran. Methods: A qualitative research (semi-structured interview) was conducted using Kingdon’s framework (problem, policy and politics streams, and policy windows and policy entrepreneurs) to analysis HIV/AIDS agenda setting in Iran. Thirty-two policy makers, managers, specialists, and researchers were interviewed. Also, 30 policy documents were analyzed. Framework analysis method was used for data analysis. Results: the increase of HIV among Injecting drug users (IDUs) and Female Sex Workers (FSWs), lack of control of their high-risk behaviors, and exceeding the HIV into concentrated phase were examples of problem stream. Policy stream was evidence-based solutions that highlighted the need for changing strategies for dealing with such a problem and finding technically feasible and acceptable solutions. Iran’s participation in United Nations General Assembly special sessions on HIV/AIDS (UNGASS), the establishment of National AIDS Committee; highlighting AIDS control in Iran’s five years development program and the support of the judiciary system of harm reduction policies were examples of politics stream. Policy entrepreneurs linking these streams put the HIV/AIDS on the national agenda (policy windows) and provide their solutions. Conclusion: There were mutual interactions among these three streams and sometimes, they weakened or reinforced each other. Future studies are recommended to understand the interactions between these streams’ parts and perhaps develop further Kingdon’s framework, especially in the health sector. PMID:27579283

Hydrogen Energy Storage and Power-to-Gas: Establishing Criteria for Successful Business Cases

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

Eichman, Joshua; Melaina, Marc

As the electric sector evolves and increasing amounts of variable generation are installed on the system, there are greater needs for system flexibility, sufficient capacity and greater concern for overgeneration. As a result there is growing interest in exploring the role of energy storage and demand response technologies to support grid needs. Hydrogen is a versatile feedstock that can be used in a variety of applications including chemical and industrial processes, as well as a transportation fuel and heating fuel. Traditionally, hydrogen technologies focus on providing services to a single sector; however, participating in multiple sectors has the potential tomore » provide benefits to each sector and increase the revenue for hydrogen technologies. The goal of this work is to explore promising system configurations for hydrogen systems and the conditions that will make for successful business cases in a renewable, low-carbon future. Current electricity market data, electric and gas infrastructure data and credit and incentive information are used to perform a techno-economic analysis to identify promising criteria and locations for successful hydrogen energy storage and power-to-gas projects. Infrastructure data will be assessed using geographic information system applications. An operation optimization model is used to co-optimizes participation in energy and ancillary service markets as well as the sale of hydrogen. From previous work we recognize the great opportunity that energy storage and power-to-gas but there is a lack of information about the economic favorability of such systems. This work explores criteria for selecting locations and compares the system cost and potential revenue to establish competitiveness for a variety of equipment configurations. Hydrogen technologies offer unique system flexibility that can enable interactions between multiple energy sectors including electric, transport, heating fuel and industrial. Previous research established that hydrogen technologies, and in particular electrolyzers, can respond fast enough and for sufficient duration to participate in electricity markets. This work recognizes that participation in electricity markets and integration with the gas system can enhance the revenue streams available for hydrogen storage systems and quantifies the economic competitiveness and of these systems. A few of the key results include 1) the most valuable revenue stream for hydrogen systems is to sell the produced hydrogen, 2) participation in both energy and ancillary service markets yields the greatest revenue and 3) electrolyzers acting as demand response devices are particularly favorable.« less

Reflecting the Context of MPA Education in the Time of Economic Crisis in Public Sectors in Britain and the Netherlands

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Oldfield, Chrissie; Berg, Mireille van den

2013-01-01

The reality of the economic crisis and subsequent cuts in public sector funding in some European countries means that the context for public management education is significantly changing. In a period of economic constraint there is the obvious questioning of the cost of public management education programmes and even more of their relevance and…

Multiscale Models for the Two-Stream Instability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Joseph, Ilon; Dimits, Andris; Banks, Jeffrey; Berger, Richard; Brunner, Stephan; Chapman, Thomas

2017-10-01

Interpenetrating streams of plasma found in many important scenarios in nature and in the laboratory can develop kinetic two-stream instabilities that exchange momentum and energy between the streams. A quasilinear model for the electrostatic two-stream instability is under development as a component of a multiscale model that couples fluid simulations to kinetic theory. Parameters of the model will be validated with comparison to full kinetic simulations using LOKI and efficient strategies for numerical solution of the quasilinear model and for coupling to the fluid model will be discussed. Extending the kinetic models into the collisional regime requires an efficient treatment of the collision operator. Useful reductions of the collision operator relative to the full multi-species Landau-Fokker-Plank operator are being explored. These are further motivated both by careful consideration of the parameter orderings relevant to two-stream scenarios and by the particular 2D+2V phase space used in the LOKI code. Prepared for US DOE by LLNL under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344 and LDRD project 17- ERD-081.

76 FR 44337 - Comments and Information Relevant to Mid Decade Review of NORA

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-07-25

... NIOSH-244] Comments and Information Relevant to Mid Decade Review of NORA AGENCY: Department of Health...) is conducting a review of the processes of the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA). In 2006, NORA entered its second decade with an industry sector-based structure. In 2011, as NORA reaches the...

Biological relevance of streamflow metrics: Regional and national perspectives

USGS Publications Warehouse

Carlisle, Daren M.; Grantham, Theodore E.; Eng, Kenny; Wolock, David M.

2017-01-01

Protecting the health of streams and rivers requires identifying ecologically significant attributes of the natural flow regime. Streamflow regimes are routinely quantified using a plethora of hydrologic metrics (HMs), most of which have unknown relevance to biological communities. At regional and national scales, we evaluated which of 509 commonly used HMs were associated with biological indicators of fish and invertebrate community integrity. We quantified alteration of each HM by using statistical models to predict site-specific natural baseline values for each of 728 sites across the USA where streamflow monitoring data were available concurrent with assessments of invertebrate or fish community integrity. We then ranked HMs according to their individual association with biological integrity based on random forest models that included HMs and other relevant covariates, such as land cover and stream chemistry. HMs were generally the most important predictors of biological integrity relative to the covariates. At a national scale, the most influential HMs were measures of depleted high flows, homogenization of flows, and erratic flows. Unique combinations of biologically relevant HMs were apparent among regions. We discuss the implications of our findings to the challenge of selecting HMs for streamflow research and management.

Selective representation of task-relevant objects and locations in the monkey prefrontal cortex.

PubMed

Everling, Stefan; Tinsley, Chris J; Gaffan, David; Duncan, John

2006-04-01

In the monkey prefrontal cortex (PFC), task context exerts a strong influence on neural activity. We examined different aspects of task context in a temporal search task. On each trial, the monkey (Macaca mulatta) watched a stream of pictures presented to left or right of fixation. The task was to hold fixation until seeing a particular target, and then to make an immediate saccade to it. Sometimes (unilateral task), the attended pictures appeared alone, with a cue at trial onset indicating whether they would be presented to left or right. Sometimes (bilateral task), the attended picture stream (cued side) was accompanied by an irrelevant stream on the opposite side. In two macaques, we recorded responses from a total of 161 cells in the lateral PFC. Many cells (75/161) showed visual responses. Object-selective responses were strongly shaped by task relevance - with stronger responses to targets than to nontargets, failure to discriminate one nontarget from another, and filtering out of information from an irrelevant stimulus stream. Location selectivity occurred rather independently of object selectivity, and independently in visual responses and delay periods between one stimulus and the next. On error trials, PFC activity followed the correct rules of the task, rather than the incorrect overt behaviour. Together, these results suggest a highly programmable system, with responses strongly determined by the rules and requirements of the task performed.

In-Stream Sediment Dynamics for predicted environmental concentration calculations of plant protection products in the FOCUSSW Scenarios

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Strehmel, Alexander; Erzgräber, Beate; Gottesbüren, Bernhard

2016-04-01

The exposure assessment for the EU registration procedure of plant protection products (PPP), which is based on the 'Forum for the co-ordination of pesticide fate models and their use' (FOCUS), currently considers only periods of 12-16 months for the exposure assessment in surface water bodies. However, in a recent scientific opinion of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) it is argued that in a multi-year exposure assessment, the accumulation of PPP substances in river sediment may be a relevant process. Therefore, the EFSA proposed to introduce a sediment accumulation factor in order to account for enrichment of PPP substances over several years in the sediment. The calculation of this accumulation factor, however, would consider degradation in sediment as the only dissipation path, and does not take into account riverine sediment dynamics. In order to assess the influence of deposition and the possible extent of substance accumulation in the sediment phase, the hydraulic model HEC-RAS was employed for an assessment of in-stream sediment dynamics of the FOCUS stream scenarios. The model was parameterized according to the stream characteristics of the FOCUS scenarios and was run over a period of 20 years. The results show that with the distribution of grain sizes and the ranges of flow velocity in the FOCUS streams the main sediment process in the streams is transport. First modeling results suggest that about 80% of the eroded sediment mass from the adjacent field are transported to the downstream end of the stream and out of the system, while only about 20% are deposited in the river bed. At the same time, only about 30% of in-stream sediment mass stems from the adjacent field and is associated with PPP substance, while the remaining sediment consists of the substance-free base sediment concentration regarded in the scenarios. With this, the hydraulic modelling approach is able to support the development of a meaningful sediment accumulation factor by considering in-stream sediment dynamics and estimating long-term sediment deposition and substance burial in the river bed. At last, the study shows that the development of a scientifically sound and justifiable sediment accumulation factor for a long-term exposure assessment is only possible by considering the relevant riverine sediment processes.

An ecohydraulic view on stream resilience and ecosystem functioning - what can science teach management?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Battin, Tom J.; Dzubakova, Katharina; Boodoo, Kyle; Ulseth, Amber

2017-04-01

Streams and rivers are increasingly exposed to environmental change across various spatial and temporal scales. Consequently, ecosystem health and integrity are becoming compromised. Most management strategies designed to recover and maintain stream ecosystem health involve engineering measures of geomorphology. The success of such engineering measures relies on a thorough understanding of the underlying physical, chemical and biological process coupling across scales. First, we present results from experimental work unraveling the relevance of streambed heterogeneity for the resilience of phototrophic biofilms. This is critical as phototrophic biofilms are key for nutrient removal and hence for keeping the water clean. These biofilms are also the machinery of primary production and related carbon fluxes in stream ecosystems. Next, we show how climate change may affect primary production, including CO2, in streams and the networks they form. In fact, streams are now recognized as major sources of CO2 to the atmosphere and contributors to the global carbon cycle. Despite this, we do not yet understand how geomorphological features, themselves continuously reworked by hydrology and sedimentary dynamics, affect CO2 fluxes in streams. We show that gravel bars, clearly conspicuous geomorphological features, are hotspots of CO2 fluxes compared to the streamwater itself. This has major implications for carbon cycling and stream ecosystem functioning. Finally, we discuss what stream management could learn from ecohydraulic insights from young scientists doing excellent basic research.

Water Stress on U.S. Power Production at Decadal Time Horizons

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

Ganguly, Auroop R.; Ganguli, Poulomi; Kumar, Devashish

2014-09-01

Thermoelectric power production at risk, owing to current and projected water scarcity and rising stream temperatures, is assessed for the contiguous United States at decadal scales. Regional water scarcity is driven by climate variability and change, as well as by multi-sector water demand. While a planning horizon of zero to about thirty years is occasionally prescribed by stakeholders, the challenges to risk assessment at these scales include the difficulty in delineating decadal climate trends from intrinsic natural or multiple model variability. Current generation global climate or earth system models are not credible at the spatial resolutions of power plants, especiallymore » for surface water quantity and stream temperatures, which further exacerbates the assessment challenge. Population changes, which are difficult to project, cannot serve as adequate proxies for changes in the water demand across sectors. The hypothesis that robust assessments of power production at risk are possible, despite the uncertainties, has been examined as a proof of concept. An approach is presented for delineating water scarcity and temperature from climate models, observations and population storylines, as well as for assessing power production at risk by examining geospatial correlations of power plant locations within regions where the usable water supply for energy production happens to be scarcer and warmer. Our analyses showed that in the near term, more than 200 counties are likely to be exposed to water scarcity in the next three decades. Further, we noticed that stream gauges in more than five counties in the 2030s and ten counties in the 2040s showed a significant increase in water temperature, which exceeded the power plant effluent temperature threshold set by the EPA. Power plants in South Carolina, Louisiana, and Texas are likely to be vulnerable owing to climate driven water stresses. In all, our analysis suggests that under various combinations of plausible climate change and population growth scenarios, anywhere between 4.5 and 9 quads of delivered electricity (from existing plants) would be generated in counties that are at risk of water scarcity and/or unacceptably high stream temperatures.« less

Frequent statistics of link-layer bit stream data based on AC-IM algorithm

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cao, Chenghong; Lei, Yingke; Xu, Yiming

2017-08-01

At present, there are many relevant researches on data processing using classical pattern matching and its improved algorithm, but few researches on statistical data of link-layer bit stream. This paper adopts a frequent statistical method of link-layer bit stream data based on AC-IM algorithm for classical multi-pattern matching algorithms such as AC algorithm has high computational complexity, low efficiency and it cannot be applied to binary bit stream data. The method's maximum jump distance of the mode tree is length of the shortest mode string plus 3 in case of no missing? In this paper, theoretical analysis is made on the principle of algorithm construction firstly, and then the experimental results show that the algorithm can adapt to the binary bit stream data environment and extract the frequent sequence more accurately, the effect is obvious. Meanwhile, comparing with the classical AC algorithm and other improved algorithms, AC-IM algorithm has a greater maximum jump distance and less time-consuming.

Evaluating digital libraries in the health sector. Part 1: measuring inputs and outputs.

PubMed

Cullen, Rowena

2003-12-01

This is the first part of a two-part paper which explores methods that can be used to evaluate digital libraries in the health sector. In this first part, some approaches to evaluation that have been proposed for mainstream digital information services are examined for their suitability to provide models for the health sector. The paper summarizes some major national and collaborative initiatives to develop measures for digital libraries, and analyses these approaches in terms of their relationship to traditional measures of library performance, which are focused on inputs and outputs, and their relevance to current debates among health information specialists. The second part* looks more specifically at evaluative models based on outcomes, and models being developed in the health sector.

A national econometric forecasting model of the dental sector.

PubMed Central

Feldstein, P J; Roehrig, C S

1980-01-01

The Econometric Model of the the Dental Sector forecasts a broad range of dental sector variables, including dental care prices; the amount of care produced and consumed; employment of hygienists, dental assistants, and clericals; hours worked by dentists; dental incomes; and number of dentists. These forecasts are based upon values specified by the user for the various factors which help determine the supply an demand for dental care, such as the size of the population, per capita income, the proportion of the population covered by private dental insurance, the cost of hiring clericals and dental assistants, and relevant government policies. In a test of its reliability, the model forecast dental sector behavior quite accurately for the period 1971 through 1977. PMID:7461974

Percentile Distributions of Median Nitrite Plus Nitrate as Nitrogen, Total Nitrogen, and Total Phosphorus Concentrations in Oklahoma Streams, 1973-2001

USGS Publications Warehouse

Haggard, Brian E.; Masoner, Jason R.; Becker, Carol J.

2003-01-01

Nutrients are one of the primary causes of water-quality impairments in streams, lakes, reservoirs, and estuaries in the United States. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has developed regional-based nutrient criteria using ecoregions to protect streams in the United States from impairment. However, nutrient criteria were based on nutrient concentrations measured in large aggregated nutrient ecoregions with little relevance to local environmental conditions in states. The Oklahoma Water Resources Board is using a dichotomous process known as Use Support Assessment Protocols to define nutrient criteria in Oklahoma streams. The Oklahoma Water Resources Board is modifying the Use Support Assessment Protocols to reflect nutrient informa-tion and environmental characteristics relevant to Oklahoma streams, while considering nutrient information grouped by geographic regions based on level III ecoregions and state boundaries. Percentile distributions of median nitrite plus nitrate as nitrogen, total nitrogen, and total phosphorous concentrations were calculated from 563 sites in Oklahoma and 4 sites in Arkansas near the Oklahoma and Arkansas border to facilitate development of nutrient criteria for Oklahoma streams. Sites were grouped into four geographic regions and were categorized into eight stream categories by stream slope and stream order. The 50th percentiles of median nitrite plus nitrate as nitrogen, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus concentrations were greater in the Ozark Highland ecoregion and were less in the Ouachita Mountains ecoregion when compared to other geographic areas used to group sites. The 50th percentiles of median concentrations of nitrite plus nitrate as nitrogen, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus were least in first, second, and third order streams. The 50th percentiles of median nitrite plus nitrate as nitrogen, total nitrogen and total phosphorus concentrations in the Ozark Highland and Ouachita Mountains ecoregions were least in first, second, and third order streams with streams slopes greater than 17 feet per mile. Nitrite plus nitrate as nitrogen and total nitrogen criteria determined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for the Ozark Highland ecoregion were less than the 25th percentiles of median nitrite plus nitrate as nitrogen, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus concentrations in the Ozark Highland ecoregion calculated for this report. Nitrite plus nitrate as nitrogen and total nitrogen criteria developed by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for the Ouachita Mountains ecoregion were similar to the 25th percentiles of median nitrite plus nitrate as nitrogen and total nitrogen concentrations in the Ouachita Mountains ecoregion calculated for this report. Nitrate as nitrogen and total phosphorus concentrations currently (2002) used in the Use Support Assessment Protocols for Oklahoma were greater than the 75th percentiles of median nitrite plus nitrate as nitrogen and total phosphorus concentrations calculated for this report.

Where the rubber meets the road: long-term in-stream data collection to inform regional land management monitoring in the Pacific Northwest

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hirsch, C.

2017-12-01

The initiation of the Northwest Forest Plan (NWFP) in 1994 brought a sea change to federal land management agencies of the Pacific Northwest. The NWFP was developed in response to the listing of the Northern Spotted Owl and concern about declining populations of Pacific Salmon. The Aquatic and Riparian Effectiveness Monitoring Program (AREMP) was developed to track changes that occurred as a result of active and passive management on the landscape. A significant management change affecting riparian areas was the creation of buffers around fish bearing and non-fish bearing streams. Two monitoring arms of the AREMP program focus on upslope and in-stream conditions in order to capture watershed-scale effects of land management changes. Field data to support the in-stream monitoring mission of AREMP began in 2002 with a study design based on an 8-year re-survey rotation. The sampling design was intended to capture watershed-scale variability across the broad and diverse study area in western Washington, western Oregon, and northwest California. 2017 marks repeat visits of every site and opens the door to more detailed assessments of changes that have occurred at local and regional extents over this time period. Results so far show improving trends in characteristics such as water temperature and macroinvertebrate community diversity. Maintaining an ongoing and relevant monitoring program over time has required a strong commitment to quality control in terms of data collection and analysis, and an openness to how AREMP can provide management relevant information as new challenges occur. AREMP's mandated role as the aquatic monitoring arm of the NWFP provides the overarching framework within which the program operates. However, new emerging topics of relevance to aquatic managers such as climate change and aquatic invasive species have been rolled into the mission over time. By being responsive to new challenges, and providing consistent feedback, AREMP has been able to evolve over time. AREMP is now poised to provide relevant feedback on changes to date, while also informing the emerging challenges faced by federal land managers in the west.

Emotions and leadership. Reasons and impact of emotions in organizational context.

PubMed

Siebert-Adzic, Meike

2012-01-01

Emotions as reasons for dissatisfaction, decreasing job performance or physical and mental strain at work are becoming more and more important. Especially psycho-social interactions with conflicts between employees and managers, caused by leadership behavior, as a source of negative emotions are relevant in this context. Which relevance emotions can have in order to influence human behavior and in order to influence work climate will be demonstrated by two qualitative field surveys in the automotive and the energy sector. The study in the energy sector will explain which leadership behavior fosters an improved employee behavior concerning occupational health and safety. A second study in the automotive industry shows that leadership behavior which causes positive emotions is essential for successful teamwork.

Do Canadian Civil Servants Care About the Health of Populations?

PubMed Central

Lavis, John N.; Ross, Suzanne E.; Stoddart, Gregory L.; Hohenadel, Joanne M.; McLeod, Christopher B.; Evans, Robert G.

2003-01-01

Objectives. This article describes Canadian civil servants’ awareness of, attitudes toward, and self-reported use of ideas about the determinants of health. Methods. Federal and provincial civil servants in departments of finance, labor, social services, and health were surveyed. Results. With civil servants in finance departments a notable exception, most Canadian civil servants see the health of populations as a relevant outcome for their sectors. Many (65%) report that ideas about the determinants of health have already influenced policymaking in their sector, but most (83%) say they need more information about the health consequences of the policy alternatives their departments face. Conclusions. Civil servants should consider developing accountability structures for health and researchers should consider producing and transferring more policy-relevant research. PMID:12660214

US cities can manage national hydrology and biodiversity using local infrastructure policy

PubMed Central

Surendran Nair, Sujithkumar; DeRolph, Christopher R.; Ruddell, Benjamin L.; Morton, April M.; Stewart, Robert N.; Troia, Matthew J.; Tran, Liem; Kim, Hyun; Bhaduri, Budhendra L.

2017-01-01

Cities are concentrations of sociopolitical power and prime architects of land transformation, while also serving as consumption hubs of “hard” water and energy infrastructures. These infrastructures extend well outside metropolitan boundaries and impact distal river ecosystems. We used a comprehensive model to quantify the roles of anthropogenic stressors on hydrologic alteration and biodiversity in US streams and isolate the impacts stemming from hard infrastructure developments in cities. Across the contiguous United States, cities’ hard infrastructures have significantly altered at least 7% of streams, which influence habitats for over 60% of North America’s fish, mussel, and crayfish species. Additionally, city infrastructures have contributed to local extinctions in 260 species and currently influence 970 indigenous species, 27% of which are in jeopardy. We find that ecosystem impacts do not scale with city size but are instead proportionate to infrastructure decisions. For example, Atlanta’s impacts by hard infrastructures extend across four major river basins, 12,500 stream km, and contribute to 100 local extinctions of aquatic species. In contrast, Las Vegas, a similar size city, impacts <1,000 stream km, leading to only seven local extinctions. So, cities have local policy choices that can reduce future impacts to regional aquatic ecosystems as they grow. By coordinating policy and communication between hard infrastructure sectors, local city governments and utilities can directly improve environmental quality in a significant fraction of the nation’s streams reaching far beyond their city boundaries. PMID:28827332

Geographical Network Analysis and Spatial Econometrics as Tools to Enhance Our Understanding of Student Migration Patterns and Benefits in the U.S. Higher Education Network

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

González Canché, Manuel S.

2018-01-01

This study measures the extent to which student outmigration outside the 4-year sector takes place and posits that the benefits from attracting non-resident students exist regardless of sector of enrollment. The study also provides empirical evidence about the relevance of employing geographical network analysis (GNA) and spatial econometrics in…

Does the Dragon Soar Higher than the Eagle?

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-09-01

established bilateral ties with Ecuador and Colombia in January 1980.25 2. China and Latin America: 1981 to 1984 Chinese foreign policy underwent... tourism sector. A new Housing Bank was established. Workers were forced to deposit retirement savings in government banks. Public sector inefficiencies...handful of goods, in which case , the manufacturing industry begins to lose their relevance in the export market. Brazil’s success has been possible

Complex mixtures of dissolved pesticides show potential aquatic toxicity in a synoptic study of Midwestern U.S. streams

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nowell, Lisa H.; Moran, Patrick W.; Schmidt, Travis S.; Norman, Julia E.; Nakagaki, Naomi; Shoda, Megan E.; Mahler, Barbara J.; Van Metre, Peter C.; Stone, Wesley W.; Sandstrom, Mark W.; Hladik, Michelle L.

2018-01-01

Aquatic organisms in streams are exposed to pesticide mixtures that vary in composition over time in response to changes in flow conditions, pesticide inputs to the stream, and pesticide fate and degradation within the stream. To characterize mixtures of dissolved-phase pesticides and degradates in Midwestern streams, a synoptic study was conducted at 100 streams during May–August 2013. In weekly water samples, 94 pesticides and 89 degradates were detected, with a median of 25 compounds detected per sample and 54 detected per site. In a screening-level assessment using aquatic-life benchmarks and the Pesticide Toxicity Index (PTI), potential effects on fish were unlikely in most streams. For invertebrates, potential chronic toxicity was predicted in 53% of streams, punctuated in 12% of streams by acutely toxic exposures. For aquatic plants, acute but likely reversible effects on biomass were predicted in 75% of streams, with potential longer-term effects on plant communities in 9% of streams. Relatively few pesticides in water—atrazine, acetochlor, metolachlor, imidacloprid, fipronil, organophosphate insecticides, and carbendazim—were predicted to be major contributors to potential toxicity. Agricultural streams had the highest potential for effects on plants, especially in May–June, corresponding to high spring-flush herbicide concentrations. Urban streams had higher detection frequencies and concentrations of insecticides and most fungicides than in agricultural streams, and higher potential for invertebrate toxicity, which peaked during July–August. Toxicity-screening predictions for invertebrates were supported by quantile regressions showing significant associations for the Benthic Invertebrate-PTI and imidacloprid concentrations with invertebrate community metrics for MSQA streams, and by mesocosm toxicity testing with imidacloprid showing effects on invertebrate communities at environmentally relevant concentrations. This study documents the most complex pesticide mixtures yet reported in discrete water samples in the U.S. and, using multiple lines of evidence, predicts that pesticides were potentially toxic to nontarget aquatic life in about half of the sampled streams.

Retinotopic patterns of background connectivity between V1 and fronto-parietal cortex are modulated by task demands

PubMed Central

Griffis, Joseph C.; Elkhetali, Abdurahman S.; Burge, Wesley K.; Chen, Richard H.; Visscher, Kristina M.

2015-01-01

Attention facilitates the processing of task-relevant visual information and suppresses interference from task-irrelevant information. Modulations of neural activity in visual cortex depend on attention, and likely result from signals originating in fronto-parietal and cingulo-opercular regions of cortex. Here, we tested the hypothesis that attentional facilitation of visual processing is accomplished in part by changes in how brain networks involved in attentional control interact with sectors of V1 that represent different retinal eccentricities. We measured the strength of background connectivity between fronto-parietal and cingulo-opercular regions with different eccentricity sectors in V1 using functional MRI data that were collected while participants performed tasks involving attention to either a centrally presented visual stimulus or a simultaneously presented auditory stimulus. We found that when the visual stimulus was attended, background connectivity between V1 and the left frontal eye fields (FEF), left intraparietal sulcus (IPS), and right IPS varied strongly across different eccentricity sectors in V1 so that foveal sectors were more strongly connected than peripheral sectors. This retinotopic gradient was weaker when the visual stimulus was ignored, indicating that it was driven by attentional effects. Greater task-driven differences between foveal and peripheral sectors in background connectivity to these regions were associated with better performance on the visual task and faster response times on correct trials. These findings are consistent with the notion that attention drives the configuration of task-specific functional pathways that enable the prioritized processing of task-relevant visual information, and show that the prioritization of visual information by attentional processes may be encoded in the retinotopic gradient of connectivty between V1 and fronto-parietal regions. PMID:26106320

Drought Characterisation Using Ground and Remote Sensing Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hore, Sudipta Kumar; Werner, Micha; Maskey, Shreedhar

2016-04-01

The North-West of Bangladesh is frequently affected by drought, which may have profound impacts to different water related sectors. The characterisation and identification of drought is, however, challenging. Despite several standard drought indices being available it is important that indicators proposed in support of an effective drought management are related to the impacts drought may have. In this study we present the characterisation of drought in the districts of Rajshahi and Rangpur in North-Western Bangladesh. Drought indicators were developed using available temperature, precipitation, river discharge and groundwater level data, as well as from remotely sensed NDVI data. We compare these indicators to records of drought impacts to agriculture, fisheries and migration collected from relevant organisations, as well as through interviews with key stakeholders, key informants, and community leaders. The analysis shows that droughts occur frequently, with nine occurrences in the last 42 years, as found using common meteorological drought indicators. NDVI data corroborated these events, despite being only available from 2001. The agricultural sector was adversely impacted in all events, with impacts correlated to drought severity. Impacts to the fisheries sector were, however, reported only three times, though impacts to fisheries are less well recorded. Interestingly, the good relationship between meteorological drought indicators and agricultural impacts weakens in the last decade. This appears to be due to the intensification of irrigation using groundwater, with the declining groundwater levels found in Rajshahi district suggesting overexploitation of the resource, and the increasing importance of groundwater drought indicators. The study reveals the drought indicators that are important to the agriculture and fisheries sectors, and also tentative threshold values at which drought start to impact these sectors. Such sector relevant drought indicators, as well as appropriate thresholds, can be useful in drought identification and management.

Information management for clinicians.

PubMed

Mehta, Neil B; Martin, Stephen A; Maypole, Jack; Andrews, Rebecca

2016-08-01

Clinicians are bombarded with information daily by social media, mainstream television news, e-mail, and print and online reports. They usually do not have much control over these information streams and thus are passive recipients, which means they get more noise than signal. Accessing, absorbing, organizing, storing, and retrieving useful medical information can improve patient care. The authors outline how to create a personalized stream of relevant information that can be scanned regularly and saved so that it is readily accessible. Copyright © 2016 Cleveland Clinic.

A Hybrid Model of Mathematics Support for Science Students Emphasizing Basic Skills and Discipline Relevance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jackson, Deborah C.; Johnson, Elizabeth D.

2013-01-01

The problem of students entering university lacking basic mathematical skills is a critical issue in the Australian higher-education sector and relevant globally. The Maths Skills programme at La Trobe University has been developed to address under preparation in the first-year science cohort in the absence of an institutional mathematics support…

Sources of magnetic fields in recurrent interplanetary streams

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burlaga, L. F.; Behannon, K. W.; Hansen, S. F.; Pneuman, G. W.; Feldman, W. C.

1978-01-01

The paper examines sources of magnetic fields in recurrent streams observed by the Imp 8 and Heos spacecraft at 1 AU and by Mariner 10 en route to Mercury between October 31, 1973 and February 9, 1974, during Carrington rotations 1607-1610. Although most fields and plasmas at 1 AU were related to coronal holes and the magnetic field lines were open in those holes, some of the magnetic fields and plasmas at 1 AU were related to open field line regions on the sun which were not associated with known coronal holes, indicating that open field lines may be more basic than coronal holes as sources of the solar wind. Magnetic field intensities in five equatorial coronal holes, certain photospheric magnetic fields, and the coronal footprints of the sector boundaries on the source surface are characterized.

Investigating Perturbation Electric Fields and Their Effects on the Coupled Low-, Mid- and High-latitude Ionosphere

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-08-14

stream (SAPS) E field had been strong. During these E field events, the repeated development of equatorial ionization anomaly ( EIA ), storm-enhanced...density (SED) bulge and SED plume occurred in those longitude sectors that covered the local dusk-midnight hours. Thus, a well-formed EIA - SED...Observational results and CTIPe simulated wind vector maps suggest that 1) the enhanced growth of the EIA transported solar produced plasma to the

Water Stress on U.S. Power Production at Decadal Time Horizons

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ganguli, P.; Kumar, D.; Yun, J.; Short, G.; Klausner, J.; Ganguly, A. R.

2014-12-01

Thermoelectric power production at risk, owing to current and projected water scarcity and rising stream temperatures, is assessed for the continental United States (US) at decadal scales. Regional water scarcity is driven by climate variability and change, as well as by multi-sector water demand. While a planning horizon of zero to about thirty years is occasionally prescribed by stakeholders, the challenges to risk assessment at these scales include the difficulty in delineating decadal climate trends from intrinsic natural or multiple model variability. Current generation global climate or earth system models are not credible at the spatial resolutions of power plants, especially for surface water quantity and stream temperatures, which further exacerbates the assessment challenge. Population changes, which are anyway difficult to project, cannot serve as adequate proxies for changes in the water demand across sectors. The hypothesis that robust assessments of power production at risks are possible, despite the uncertainties, has been examined as a proof of concept. An approach is presented for delineating water scarcity and temperature from climate models, observations and population storylines, as well as for assessing power production at risk by examining geospatial correlations of power plant locations within regions where the usable water supply for energy production happens to be scarcer and warmer. Acknowledgment: Funding provided by US DOE's ARPA-E through Award DE-AR0000374.

Knowledge mobilisation in healthcare: a critical review of health sector and generic management literature.

PubMed

Ferlie, Ewan; Crilly, Tessa; Jashapara, Ashok; Peckham, Anna

2012-04-01

The health policy domain has displayed increasing interest in questions of knowledge management and knowledge mobilisation within healthcare organisations. We analyse here the findings of a critical review of generic management and health-related literatures, covering the period 2000-2008. Using 29 pre-selected journals, supplemented by a search of selected electronic databases, we map twelve substantive domains classified into four broad groups: taxonomic and philosophical (e.g. different types of knowledge); theoretical discourse (e.g. critical organisational studies); disciplinary fields (e.g. organisational learning and Information Systems/Information Technology); and organisational processes and structures (e.g. organisational form). We explore cross-overs and gaps between these traditionally separate literature streams. We found that health sector literature has absorbed some generic concepts, notably Communities of Practice, but has not yet deployed the performance-oriented perspective of the Resource Based View (RBV) of the Firm. The generic literature uses healthcare sites to develop critical analyses of power and control in knowledge management, rooted in neo-Marxist/labour process and Foucauldian approaches. The review generates three theoretically grounded statements to inform future enquiry, by: (a) importing the RBV stream; (b) developing the critical organisational studies perspective further; and (c) exploring the theoretical argument that networks and other alternative organisational forms facilitate knowledge sharing. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Pan-European household and industrial water demand: regional relevant estimations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bernhard, Jeroen; Reynaud, Arnaud; de Roo, Ad

2016-04-01

Sustainable water management is of high importance to provide adequate quality and quantity of water to European households, industries and agriculture. Especially since demographic, economic and climate changes are expected to increase competition for water between these sectors in the future. A shortage of water implies a reduction in welfare of households or damage to economic sectors. This socio-economic component should be incorporated into the decision-making process when developing water allocation schemes, requiring detailed water use information and cost/benefit functions. We now present the results of our study which is focused at providing regionally relevant pan-European water demand and cost-benefit estimations for the household and industry sector. We gathered consistent data on water consumption, water prices and other relevant variables at the highest spatial detail available from national statistical offices and other organizational bodies. This database provides the most detailed up to date picture of present water use and water prices across Europe. The use of homogeneous data allowed us to compare regions and analyze spatial patterns. We applied econometric methods to determine the main determinants of water demand and make a monetary valuation of water for both the domestic and industry sector. This monetary valuation is important to allow water allocation based on economic damage estimates. We also attempted to estimate how population growth, as well as socio-economic and climatic changes impact future water demand up to 2050 using a homogeneous method for all countries. European projections for the identified major drivers of water demand were used to simulate future conditions. Subsequently, water demand functions were applied to estimate future water use and potential economic damage caused by water shortages. We present our results while also providing some estimation of the uncertainty of our predictions.

Development of Performance Dashboards in Healthcare Sector: Key Practical Issues.

PubMed

Ghazisaeidi, Marjan; Safdari, Reza; Torabi, Mashallah; Mirzaee, Mahboobeh; Farzi, Jebraeil; Goodini, Azadeh

2015-10-01

Static nature of performance reporting systems in health care sector has resulted in inconsistent, incomparable, time consuming, and static performance reports that are not able to transparently reflect a round picture of performance and effectively support healthcare managers' decision makings. So, the healthcare sector needs interactive performance management tools such as performance dashboards to measure, monitor, and manage performance more effectively. The aim of this article was to identify key issues that need to be addressed for developing high-quality performance dashboards in healthcare sector. A literature review was established to search electronic research databases, e-journals collections, and printed journals, books, dissertations, and theses for relevant articles. The search strategy interchangeably used the terms of "dashboard", "performance measurement system", and "executive information system" with the term of "design" combined with operator "AND". Search results (n=250) were adjusted for duplications, screened based on their abstract relevancy and full-text availability (n=147) and then assessed for eligibility (n=40). Eligible articles were included if they had explicitly focused on dashboards, performance measurement systems or executive information systems design. Finally, 28 relevant articles included in the study. Creating high-quality performance dashboards requires addressing both performance measurement and executive information systems design issues. Covering these two fields, identified contents were categorized to four main domains: KPIs development, Data Sources and data generation, Integration of dashboards to source systems, and Information presentation issues. This study implies the main steps to develop dashboards for the purpose of performance management. Performance dashboards developed on performance measurement and executive information systems principles and supported by proper back-end infrastructure will result in creation of dynamic reports that help healthcare managers to consistently measure the performance, continuously detect outliers, deeply analyze causes of poor performance, and effectively plan for the future.

Health-Related Resource-Use Measurement Instruments for Intersectoral Costs and Benefits in the Education and Criminal Justice Sectors.

PubMed

Mayer, Susanne; Paulus, Aggie T G; Łaszewska, Agata; Simon, Judit; Drost, Ruben M W A; Ruwaard, Dirk; Evers, Silvia M A A

2017-09-01

Intersectoral costs and benefits (ICBs), i.e. costs and benefits of healthcare interventions outside the healthcare sector, can be a crucial component in economic evaluations from the societal perspective. Pivotal to their estimation is the existence of sound resource-use measurement (RUM) instruments; however, RUM instruments for ICBs in the education or criminal justice sectors have not yet been systematically collated or their psychometric quality assessed. This review aims to fill this gap. To identify relevant instruments, the Database of Instruments for Resource Use Measurement (DIRUM) was searched. Additionally, a systematic literature review was conducted in seven electronic databases to detect instruments containing ICB items used in economic evaluations. Finally, studies evaluating the psychometric quality of these instruments were searched. Twenty-six unique instruments were included. Most frequently, ICB items measured school absenteeism, tutoring, classroom assistance or contacts with legal representatives, police custody/prison detainment and court appearances, with the highest number of items listed in the Client Service Receipt Inventory/Client Sociodemographic and Service Receipt Inventory/Client Service Receipt Inventory-Children's Version (CSRI/CSSRI/CSRI-C), Studying the Scope of Parental Expenditures (SCOPE) and Self-Harm Intervention, Family Therapy (SHIFT) instruments. ICBs in the education sector were especially relevant for age-related developmental disorders and chronic diseases, while criminal justice resource use seems more important in mental health, including alcohol-related disorders or substance abuse. Evidence on the validity or reliability of ICB items was published for two instruments only. With a heterogeneous variety of ICBs found to be relevant for several disease areas but many ICB instruments applied in one study only (21/26 instruments), setting-up an international task force to, for example, develop an internationally adaptable instrument is recommended.

Stream ichthyofauna of the Tapajós National Forest, Pará, Brazil

PubMed Central

Silva-Oliveira, Cárlison; Canto, André Luiz Colares; Ribeiro, Frank Raynner Vasconcelos

2016-01-01

Abstract The fish fauna of freshwater streams in the Tapajos National Forest was surveyed and a list of species is presented. The sampling was conducted from 2012 to 2013 during the dry season. Fish were collected with dip nets and seine nets in 22 streams of 1st to 3rd order. Sampling resulted in 3035 specimens belonging to 117 species, 27 families and six orders. The most abundant species were Bryconops aff. melanurus, Hemigrammus belottii, and Hemigrammus analis. Four undescribed species were recognized, one of which is known only from the area of this study. A significant dissimilarity was observed in fish species composition among drainage systems. This is the first survey of the stream ichthyofauna in the Tapajós National Forest, and it presents relevant information for future studies and decision-making in the management and conservation of fish fauna in this conservation unit. PMID:27110209

Dynamics of ionospheric convection during disturbed periods observed by the mid-latitude SuperDARN radars in the premidnight and postmidnight sector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nishitani, N.; Hori, T.; Baker, J. B.; Ruohoniemi, J. M.; Shepherd, S. G.; Bristow, W. A.; Matsuoka, A.; Teramoto, M.

2017-12-01

Sub-Auroral Polarization Streams (SAPS) are one of the main disturbance signatures in the ionospheric convection at subauroral latitudes. Their generation is related to a wide variety of factors such as ring current distribution, solar wind / magnetospheric conditions, ionospheric conductivity etc. Expansion of the Super Dual Auroral Radar Network (SuperDARN) field of view into mid-latitudes and the launch of the inner magnetosphere spacecraft made it possible to study the SAPS dynamics in the framework of the global convection and magnetospheric disturbances. In this paper we discuss one event of the SAPS and concurrent convection signatures on Apr 4, 2017, observed by the mid-latitude SuperDARN radars. Together with the enhancement / decay of the SAPS in the premidnight sector, the mid-latitude SuperDARN radar observed the intensification / weakening of the eastward convective flows in the postmidnight sector. Furthermore, these eastward flows were enhanced together with the magnetic perturbations observed by the ERG / Arase satellite located in the same local time sector, probably associated with the substorm expansion onset. Detailed study of the ionospheric convection dynamics including SAPS, as well as their relation to solar wind / IMF condition changes, or substorm / storm developments will be reported in the presentation.

Spreading Effect in Industrial Complex Network Based on Revised Structural Holes Theory.

PubMed

Xing, Lizhi; Ye, Qing; Guan, Jun

2016-01-01

This paper analyzed the spreading effect of industrial sectors with complex network model under perspective of econophysics. Input-output analysis, as an important research tool, focuses more on static analysis. However, the fundamental aim of industry analysis is to figure out how interaction between different industries makes impacts on economic development, which turns out to be a dynamic process. Thus, industrial complex network based on input-output tables from WIOD is proposed to be a bridge connecting accurate static quantitative analysis and comparable dynamic one. With application of revised structural holes theory, flow betweenness and random walk centrality were respectively chosen to evaluate industrial sectors' long-term and short-term spreading effect process in this paper. It shows that industries with higher flow betweenness or random walk centrality would bring about more intensive industrial spreading effect to the industrial chains they stands in, because value stream transmission of industrial sectors depends on how many products or services it can get from the other ones, and they are regarded as brokers with bigger information superiority and more intermediate interests.

Invasion and Colonisation of a Tropical Stream by an Exotic Loricariid Fish: Indices of Gradual Displacement of the Native Common Pleco (Hypostomus punctatus) by the Red Fin Dwarf Pleco (Parotocinclus maculicauda) over Fifteen Years

PubMed Central

Mazzoni, Rosana; Costa da Silva, Raquel; Pinto, Míriam Plaza

2015-01-01

The introduction of invasive species represents a major threat to the integrity of stream-dwelling fish populations worldwide, and this issue is receiving increasing attention from scientists, in particular because of potential impact on biodiversity. In this study, we analysed the dispersal of an exotic loricariid fish the red fin dwarf pleco (Parotocinclus maculicauda) in a stream of the Atlantic Forest biome in coastal south-eastern Brazil and evaluated the effects of this invasion on the native loricariid common pleco (Hypostomus punctatus). Specimens were collected at eight sites located along the course of the stream over a 15-year period. The distribution and density of the two species were determined by the Successive Removal Method. The introduction of P. maculicauda occurred in the medium sector of the stream, and during the course of the study, the species dispersed to new sites further upstream. By the end of the study, it was found at all points upstream from the original site. Hypostomus punctatus was registered at all sample sites both before and after the introduction of P. maculicauda, but its density decreased at all upstream sites after the arrival of the exotic species. Our analysis shows that colonisation by P. maculicauda seems to have a negative effect on H. punctatus densities. The maintenance of H. punctatus densities at the sites not colonised by P. maculicauda reinforces the conclusion that the colonisation of the stream by the exotic species had deleterious effects on the density of the resident H. punctatus populations, either by direct or indirect action. PMID:26440412

Tracer-based characterization of hyporheic exchange and benthic biolayers in streams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Knapp, Julia L. A.; González-Pinzón, Ricardo; Drummond, Jennifer D.; Larsen, Laurel G.; Cirpka, Olaf A.; Harvey, Judson W.

2017-02-01

Shallow benthic biolayers at the top of the streambed are believed to be places of enhanced biogeochemical turnover within the hyporheic zone. They can be investigated by reactive stream tracer tests with tracer recordings in the streambed and in the stream channel. Common in-stream measurements of such reactive tracers cannot localize where the processing primarily takes place, whereas isolated vertical depth profiles of solutes within the hyporheic zone are usually not representative of the entire stream. We present results of a tracer test where we injected the conservative tracer bromide together with the reactive tracer resazurin into a third-order stream and combined the recording of in-stream breakthrough curves with multidepth sampling of the hyporheic zone at several locations. The transformation of resazurin was used as an indicator of metabolism, and high-reactivity zones were identified from depth profiles. The results from our subsurface analysis indicate that the potential for tracer transformation (i.e., the reaction rate constant) varied with depth in the hyporheic zone. This highlights the importance of the benthic biolayer, which we found to be on average 2 cm thick in this study, ranging from one third to one half of the full depth of the hyporheic zone. The reach-scale approach integrated the effects of processes along the reach length, isolating hyporheic processes relevant for whole-stream chemistry and estimating effective reaction rates.

Effects of chronic pollution and water flow intermittency on stream biofilms biodegradation capacity.

PubMed

Rožman, Marko; Acuña, Vicenç; Petrović, Mira

2018-02-01

A mesocosm case study was conducted to gain understanding and practical knowledge on biofilm emerging contaminants biodegradation capacity under stressor and multiple stressor conditions. Two real life scenarios: I) biodegradation in a pristine intermittent stream experiencing acute pollution and II) biodegradation in a chronically polluted intermittent stream, were examined via a multifactorial experiment using an artificial stream facility. Stream biofilms were exposed to different water flow conditions i.e. permanent and intermittent water flow. Venlafaxine, a readily biodegradable pharmaceutical was used as a measure of biodegradation capacity while pollution was simulated by a mixture of four emerging contaminants (erythromycin, sulfisoxazole, diclofenac and imidacloprid in addition to venlafaxine) in environmentally relevant concentrations. Biodegradation kinetics monitored via LC-MS/MS was established, statistically evaluated, and used to link biodegradation with stress events. The results suggest that the effects of intermittent flow do not hinder and may even stimulate pristine biofilm biodegradation capacity. Chronic pollution completely reduced biodegradation in permanent water flow experimental treatments while no change in intermittent streams was observed. A combined effect of water flow conditions and emerging contaminants exposure on biodegradation was found. The decrease in biodegradation due to exposure to emerging contaminants is significantly greater in streams with permanent water flow suggesting that the short and medium term biodegradation capacity in intermittent systems may be preserved or even greater than in perennial streams. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Tracer-based characterization of hyporheic exchange and benthic biolayers in streams

USGS Publications Warehouse

Knapp, Julia L.A.; González-Pinzón, Ricardo; Drummond, Jennifer D.; Larsen, Laurel G.; Cirpka, Olaf A.; Harvey, Judson W.

2017-01-01

Shallow benthic biolayers at the top of the streambed are believed to be places of enhanced biogeochemical turnover within the hyporheic zone. They can be investigated by reactive stream tracer tests with tracer recordings in the streambed and in the stream channel. Common in-stream measurements of such reactive tracers cannot localize where the processing primarily takes place, whereas isolated vertical depth profiles of solutes within the hyporheic zone are usually not representative of the entire stream. We present results of a tracer test where we injected the conservative tracer bromide together with the reactive tracer resazurin into a third-order stream and combined the recording of in-stream breakthrough curves with multidepth sampling of the hyporheic zone at several locations. The transformation of resazurin was used as an indicator of metabolism, and high-reactivity zones were identified from depth profiles. The results from our subsurface analysis indicate that the potential for tracer transformation (i.e., the reaction rate constant) varied with depth in the hyporheic zone. This highlights the importance of the benthic biolayer, which we found to be on average 2 cm thick in this study, ranging from one third to one half of the full depth of the hyporheic zone. The reach-scale approach integrated the effects of processes along the reach length, isolating hyporheic processes relevant for whole-stream chemistry and estimating effective reaction rates.

Watershed Land Use and Seasonal Variation Constrain the ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

While watershed and local scale controls on stream metabolism have been independently investigated, little is known about how controls exerted at these different scales interact to determine stream metabolic rates, or how these interactions vary across seasons. To address this knowledge gap, we measured ecosystem metabolism in four urban and four reference streams in northern Kentucky, USA, with paired closed and open riparian canopies, during each of the four seasons of the year. Gross primary production (GPP), ecosystem respiration (ER), and net ecosystem production (NEP) were all best predicted by models with season as a main effect, but interactions between season, canopy and watershed varied for each response. Urban streams exhibited higher GPP during most seasons, likely due to elevated nutrient loads. Open canopy reaches in both urban and forested streams supported higher rates of GPP than the closed canopy reaches during the summer and fall when the overhead vegetation shaded the closed reaches. Surprisingly, the effect of canopy cover on GPP was similar among urban and forested streams. The combination of watershed and local-scale controls resulted in urban streams that alternated between net heterotrophy (NEP 0) between seasons with and without dense canopy cover. This finding has management relevance because net production can lead to accumulation of algal biomass and associated issues like dissolved oxygen sags at night. Our study reinforces

Using a Temperature Model and GIS Analysis of Landscape Features to Assess Headwater Resilience to Climate Change in the Driftless Area of Wisconsin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schuster, Z.; Potter, K. W.

2015-12-01

Cold groundwater discharges in the headwaters of streams in the Driftless Area of Wisconsin help support cold-water fisheries that are valued by anglers throughout the Midwestern U.S. With climate change expected to increase temperatures and threaten the cold-water habitat of species such as brook and brown trout, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is focusing resources on restoration as means of adapting to climate change. One of the challenges they face is a lack of site-specific temperature data in the headwaters streams that they are targeting for restoration activities. Previous work has shown that there is a strong relationship between air and stream temperature. In this study, we calculated weekly mean air-stream temperature relationships for Driftless region headwaters streams and used air temperature projections from a set of statistically-downscaled GCM models to model thermal metrics relevant to fish species suitability described by Lyons et al. (2009) for historical (1961-2000) and future (2046-2065) conditions. We then combined the stream temperature projections with a GIS analysis of physiographic and geologic features to attempt to develop a way of predicting ungaged headwaters streams in the region that are likely to be resilient to temperature increases due to climate change.

Experimental study of streaming flows associated with ultrasonic levitators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trinh, E. H.; Robey, J. L.

1994-11-01

Steady-state acoustic streaming flow patterns have been observed during the operation of a variety of resonant single-axis ultrasonic levitators in a gaseous environment and in the 20-37 kHz frequency range. Light sheet illumination and scattering from smoke particles have revealed primary streaming flows which display different characteristics at low and high sound pressure levels. Secondary macroscopic streaming cells around levitated samples are superimposed on the primary streaming flow pattern generated by the standing wave. These recorded flows are quite reproducible, and are qualitatively the same for a variety of levitator physical geometries. An onset of flow instability can also be recorded in nonisothermal systems, such as levitated spot-heated samples when the resonance conditions are not exactly satisfied. A preliminary qualitative interpretation of these experimental results is presented in terms of the superposition of three discrete sets of circulation cells operating on different spatial scales. These relevant length scales are the acoustic wavelength, the levitated sample size, and finally the acoustic boundary layer thickness. This approach fails, however, to explain the streaming flow-field morphology around liquid drops levitated on Earth. Observation of the interaction between the flows cells and the levitated samples also suggests the existence of a steady-state torque induced by the streaming flows.

Fishing for Space: Fine-Scale Multi-Sector Maritime Activities Influence Fisher Location Choice

PubMed Central

Tidd, Alex N.; Vermard, Youen; Marchal, Paul; Pinnegar, John; Blanchard, Julia L.; Milner-Gulland, E. J.

2015-01-01

The European Union and other states are moving towards Ecosystem Based Fisheries Management to balance food production and security with wider ecosystem concerns. Fishing is only one of several sectors operating within the ocean environment, competing for renewable and non-renewable resources that overlap in a limited space. Other sectors include marine mining, energy generation, recreation, transport and conservation. Trade-offs of these competing sectors are already part of the process but attempts to detail how the seas are being utilised have been primarily based on compilations of data on human activity at large spatial scales. Advances including satellite and shipping automatic tracking enable investigation of factors influencing fishers’ choice of fishing grounds at spatial scales relevant to decision-making, including the presence or avoidance of activities by other sectors. We analyse the determinants of English and Welsh scallop-dredging fleet behaviour, including competing sectors, operating in the eastern English Channel. Results indicate aggregate mining activity, maritime traffic, increased fishing costs, and the English inshore 6 and French 12 nautical mile limits negatively impact fishers’ likelihood of fishing in otherwise suitable areas. Past success, net-benefits and fishing within the 12 NM predispose fishers to use areas. Systematic conservation planning has yet to be widely applied in marine systems, and the dynamics of spatial overlap of fishing with other activities have not been studied at scales relevant to fisher decision-making. This study demonstrates fisher decision-making is indeed affected by the real-time presence of other sectors in an area, and therefore trade-offs which need to be accounted for in marine planning. As marine resource extraction demands intensify, governments will need to take a more proactive approach to resolving these trade-offs, and studies such as this will be required as the evidential foundation for future seascape planning. PMID:25625555

Fishing for space: fine-scale multi-sector maritime activities influence fisher location choice.

PubMed

Tidd, Alex N; Vermard, Youen; Marchal, Paul; Pinnegar, John; Blanchard, Julia L; Milner-Gulland, E J

2015-01-01

The European Union and other states are moving towards Ecosystem Based Fisheries Management to balance food production and security with wider ecosystem concerns. Fishing is only one of several sectors operating within the ocean environment, competing for renewable and non-renewable resources that overlap in a limited space. Other sectors include marine mining, energy generation, recreation, transport and conservation. Trade-offs of these competing sectors are already part of the process but attempts to detail how the seas are being utilised have been primarily based on compilations of data on human activity at large spatial scales. Advances including satellite and shipping automatic tracking enable investigation of factors influencing fishers' choice of fishing grounds at spatial scales relevant to decision-making, including the presence or avoidance of activities by other sectors. We analyse the determinants of English and Welsh scallop-dredging fleet behaviour, including competing sectors, operating in the eastern English Channel. Results indicate aggregate mining activity, maritime traffic, increased fishing costs, and the English inshore 6 and French 12 nautical mile limits negatively impact fishers' likelihood of fishing in otherwise suitable areas. Past success, net-benefits and fishing within the 12 NM predispose fishers to use areas. Systematic conservation planning has yet to be widely applied in marine systems, and the dynamics of spatial overlap of fishing with other activities have not been studied at scales relevant to fisher decision-making. This study demonstrates fisher decision-making is indeed affected by the real-time presence of other sectors in an area, and therefore trade-offs which need to be accounted for in marine planning. As marine resource extraction demands intensify, governments will need to take a more proactive approach to resolving these trade-offs, and studies such as this will be required as the evidential foundation for future seascape planning.

Solar wind composition from sector boundary crossings and coronal mass ejections

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ogilvie, K. W.; Coplan, M. A.; Geiss, J.

1992-01-01

Using the Ion Composition Instrument (ICI) on board the ISEE-3/ICE spacecraft, average abundances of He-4, He-3, O, Ne, Si, and Fe have been determined over extended periods. In this paper the abundances of He-4, O, Ne, Si, and Mg obtained by the ICI in the region of sector boundary crossings (SBCs), magnetic clouds and bidirectional streaming events (BDSs) are compared with the average abundances. Both magnetic clouds and BDSs are associated with coronal mass ejections (CMEs). No variation of abundance is seen to occur at SBCs except for helium, as has already been observed. In CME-related material, the abundance of neon appears to be high and variable, in agreement with recent analysis of spectroscopic observations of active regions. We find that our observations can be correlated with the magnetic topology in the corona.

How to Increase Value in the Footwear Supply Chain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fornasiero, Rosanna; Tescaro, Mauro; Scarso, Enrico; Gottardi, Giorgio

The Lean approach has been implemented in many different sectors as a methodology to improve industrial performance at company level. In the latest years this approach has been further developed in literature and in practice to integrate the principles of agility, adaptability and the mass customization paradigm where product and services have to be designed together to meet specific requirements, and where value originated by the supply chain enhance the value of single company thanks to the use of ICT and remote control. In this paper we analyze the Beyond-Lean paradigm and propose a path for companies in the footwear sector to improve their performance based on high-value-added products and processes. A detailed process analysis based on Value Stream Mapping is used to define criticalities and suggest improvements paths both at technological and organizational level.

The changing tide: Federal support of civilian-sector R and D

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fusfeld, H. I.; Langlois, R. N.; Nelson, R. R.

1981-01-01

The involvement of the Federal government in civilian sector research and development is discussed. Relevant policies are put in an historical perspective. The roles played by industrial research and public funding are reveiwed. Government support of basic an generic research, clientele-oriented applied research, and research with commercial ends is studied. Procurement, anti-trust, and patent policies, all of which affect the climate for private research and development, are examined.

Rethinking Twenty-First Century Acquisition: Emerging Trends for Efficiency Ends

DTIC Science & Technology

1997-01-01

improve the quality of their services. However, dispari- ties in current accounting methods and rules between the two sectors make evalu- ating costs ...are facilitated by the grow- ing use of ABC methods in the account - ing community. These methods tie the to- tal costs of production or services more...Acquisition program man- agers can learn by studying recent devel- opments in the private sector accounting community. Knowledge of relevant total costs and

Unified origin for baryonic visible matter and antibaryonic dark matter.

PubMed

Davoudiasl, Hooman; Morrissey, David E; Sigurdson, Kris; Tulin, Sean

2010-11-19

We present a novel mechanism for generating both the baryon and dark matter densities of the Universe. A new Dirac fermion X carrying a conserved baryon number charge couples to the standard model quarks as well as a GeV-scale hidden sector. CP-violating decays of X, produced nonthermally in low-temperature reheating, sequester antibaryon number in the hidden sector, thereby leaving a baryon excess in the visible sector. The antibaryonic hidden states are stable dark matter. A spectacular signature of this mechanism is the baryon-destroying inelastic scattering of dark matter that can annihilate baryons at appreciable rates relevant for nucleon decay searches.

Searching for photon-sector Lorentz violation using gravitational-wave detectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kostelecký, V. Alan; Melissinos, Adrian C.; Mewes, Matthew

2016-10-01

We study the prospects for using interferometers in gravitational-wave detectors as tools to search for photon-sector violations of Lorentz symmetry. Existing interferometers are shown to be exquisitely sensitive to tiny changes in the effective refractive index of light occurring at frequencies around and below the microhertz range, including at the harmonics of the frequencies of the Earth's sidereal rotation and annual revolution relevant for tests of Lorentz symmetry. We use preliminary data obtained by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) in 2006-2007 to place constraints on coefficients for Lorentz violation in the photon sector exceeding current limits by about four orders of magnitude.

Electrostatic streaming instability modes in complex viscoelastic quantum plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karmakar, P. K.; Goutam, H. P.

2016-11-01

A generalized quantum hydrodynamic model is procedurally developed to investigate the electrostatic streaming instability modes in viscoelastic quantum electron-ion-dust plasma. Compositionally, inertialess electrons are anticipated to be degenerate quantum particles owing to their large de Broglie wavelengths. In contrast, inertial ions and dust particulates are treated in the same classical framework of linear viscoelastic fluids (non-Newtonian). It considers a dimensionality-dependent Bohmian quantum correction prefactor, γ = [(D - 2)/3D], in electron quantum dynamics, with D symbolizing the problem dimensionality. Applying a regular Fourier-formulaic plane-wave analysis around the quasi-neutral hydrodynamic equilibrium, two distinct instabilities are explored to exist. They stem in ion-streaming (relative to electrons and dust) and dust-streaming (relative to electrons and ions). Their stability is numerically illustrated in judicious parametric windows in both the hydrodynamic and kinetic regimes. The non-trivial influential roles by the relative streams, viscoelasticities, and correction prefactor are analyzed. It is seen that γ acts as a stabilizer for the ion-stream case only. The findings alongside new entailments, as special cases of realistic interest, corroborate well with the earlier predictions in plasma situations. Applicability of the analysis relevant in cosmic and astronomical environments of compact dwarf stars is concisely indicated.

Getting to FP2020: Harnessing the private sector to increase modern contraceptive access and choice in Ethiopia, Nigeria, and DRC

PubMed Central

Garfinkel, Danielle; Thanel, Katherine; Esch, Keith; Workalemahu, Endale; Anyanti, Jennifer; Mpanya, Godéfroid; Binanga, Arsène; Pope, Jen; Longfield, Kim; Bertrand, Jane; Shaw, Bryan

2018-01-01

Background An estimated 214 million women have unmet need for family planning in developing regions. Improved utilization of the private sector is key to achieving universal access to a range of safe and effective modern contraceptive methods stipulated by FP2020 and SDG commitments. Until now, a lack of market data has limited understanding of the private sector’s role in increasing contraceptive coverage and choice. Methods In 2015, the FPwatch Project conducted representative outlet surveys in Ethiopia, Nigeria, and DRC using a full census approach in selected administrative areas. Every public and private sector outlet with the potential to sell or distribute modern contraceptives was approached. In outlets with modern contraceptives, product audits and provider interviews assessed contraceptive market composition, availability, and price. Findings Excluding general retailers, 96% of potential outlets in Ethiopia, 55% in Nigeria, and 41% in DRC had modern contraceptive methods available. In Ethiopia, 41% of modern contraceptive stocking outlets were in the private sector compared with approximately 80% in Nigeria and DRC where drug shops were dominant. Ninety-five percent of private sector outlets in Ethiopia had modern contraceptive methods available; 37% had three or more methods. In Nigeria and DRC, only 54% and 42% of private sector outlets stocked modern contraceptives with 5% and 4% stocking three or more methods, respectively. High prices in Nigeria and DRC create barriers to consumer access and choice. Discussion There is a missed opportunity to provide modern contraception through the private sector, particularly drug shops. Subsidies and interventions, like social marketing and social franchising, could leverage the private sector’s role in increasing access to a range of contraceptives. Achieving global FP2020 commitments depends on the expansion of national contraceptive policies that promote greater partnership and cooperation with the private sector and improvement of decisions around funding streams of countries with large populations and high unmet need like Ethiopia, Nigeria, and DRC. PMID:29444140

Differential coding of conspecific vocalizations in the ventral auditory cortical stream.

PubMed

Fukushima, Makoto; Saunders, Richard C; Leopold, David A; Mishkin, Mortimer; Averbeck, Bruno B

2014-03-26

The mammalian auditory cortex integrates spectral and temporal acoustic features to support the perception of complex sounds, including conspecific vocalizations. Here we investigate coding of vocal stimuli in different subfields in macaque auditory cortex. We simultaneously measured auditory evoked potentials over a large swath of primary and higher order auditory cortex along the supratemporal plane in three animals chronically using high-density microelectrocorticographic arrays. To evaluate the capacity of neural activity to discriminate individual stimuli in these high-dimensional datasets, we applied a regularized multivariate classifier to evoked potentials to conspecific vocalizations. We found a gradual decrease in the level of overall classification performance along the caudal to rostral axis. Furthermore, the performance in the caudal sectors was similar across individual stimuli, whereas the performance in the rostral sectors significantly differed for different stimuli. Moreover, the information about vocalizations in the caudal sectors was similar to the information about synthetic stimuli that contained only the spectral or temporal features of the original vocalizations. In the rostral sectors, however, the classification for vocalizations was significantly better than that for the synthetic stimuli, suggesting that conjoined spectral and temporal features were necessary to explain differential coding of vocalizations in the rostral areas. We also found that this coding in the rostral sector was carried primarily in the theta frequency band of the response. These findings illustrate a progression in neural coding of conspecific vocalizations along the ventral auditory pathway.

Differential Coding of Conspecific Vocalizations in the Ventral Auditory Cortical Stream

PubMed Central

Saunders, Richard C.; Leopold, David A.; Mishkin, Mortimer; Averbeck, Bruno B.

2014-01-01

The mammalian auditory cortex integrates spectral and temporal acoustic features to support the perception of complex sounds, including conspecific vocalizations. Here we investigate coding of vocal stimuli in different subfields in macaque auditory cortex. We simultaneously measured auditory evoked potentials over a large swath of primary and higher order auditory cortex along the supratemporal plane in three animals chronically using high-density microelectrocorticographic arrays. To evaluate the capacity of neural activity to discriminate individual stimuli in these high-dimensional datasets, we applied a regularized multivariate classifier to evoked potentials to conspecific vocalizations. We found a gradual decrease in the level of overall classification performance along the caudal to rostral axis. Furthermore, the performance in the caudal sectors was similar across individual stimuli, whereas the performance in the rostral sectors significantly differed for different stimuli. Moreover, the information about vocalizations in the caudal sectors was similar to the information about synthetic stimuli that contained only the spectral or temporal features of the original vocalizations. In the rostral sectors, however, the classification for vocalizations was significantly better than that for the synthetic stimuli, suggesting that conjoined spectral and temporal features were necessary to explain differential coding of vocalizations in the rostral areas. We also found that this coding in the rostral sector was carried primarily in the theta frequency band of the response. These findings illustrate a progression in neural coding of conspecific vocalizations along the ventral auditory pathway. PMID:24672012

Using Video to Communicate Scientific Findings -- Habitat Connections in Urban Streams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harned, D. A.; Moorman, M.; Fitzpatrick, F. A.; McMahon, G.

2011-12-01

The U.S Geological Survey (USGS) National Water-Quality Assessment Program (NAWQA) provides information about (1) water-quality conditions and how those conditions vary locally, regionally, and nationally, (2) water-quality trends, and (3) factors that affect those conditions. As part of the NAWQA Program, the Effects of Urbanization on Stream Ecosystems (EUSE) study examined the vulnerability and resilience of streams to urbanization. Completion of the EUSE study has resulted in over 20 scientific publications. Video podcasts are being used in addition to these publications to communicate the relevance of these scientific findings to more general audiences such as resource managers, educational groups, public officials, and the general public. An example of one of the podcasts is a film examining effects of urbanization on stream habitat. "Habitat Connections in Urban Streams" explores how urbanization changes some of the physical features that provide in-stream habitat and examines examples of stream restoration projects designed to improve stream form and function. The "connections" theme is emphasized, including the connection of in-stream habitats from the headwaters to the stream mouth; connections between stream habitat and the surrounding floodplains, wetlands and basin; and connections between streams and people-- resource managers, public officials, scientists, and the general public. Examples of innovative stream restoration projects in Baltimore Maryland; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; and Portland Oregon are shown with interviews of managers, engineers, scientists, and others describing the projects. The film is combined with a website with links to extended film versions of the stream-restoration project interviews. The website and films are an example of USGS efforts aimed at improving science communication to a general audience. The film is available for access from the EUSE website: http://water.usgs.gov/nawqa/urban/html/podcasts.html. Additional films are planned to be released in 2012 on other USGS project results and programs.

13 CFR 301.8 - Proposal evaluation criteria.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Investment. (b) Has strong organizational leadership. An Investment will have strong leadership, relevant... private sector leverage; (2) Clear and unified leadership and support by local elected officials; and (3...

Assessment of Electronic Banking Service's Impact on the Economic Parameters of the Bank Activity

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kiselev, Sergey V.; Chernyavskaya, Yana S.; Bardasova, Eleonora V.; Galeeva, Gulnaz M.; Fazlieva, Elena P.; Krokhina, Julia A.

2016-01-01

The relevance of the study: The relevance of the research problem is conditioned by the intensification of innovative processes in modern economy and in the banking sector, in particular, as one of the most sensitive areas for innovation and innovative types of services and information and communication innovations today is one of the major…

Emerging Climate-data Needs in the Air Transport Sector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thompson, T. R.

2014-12-01

This paper addresses the nature of climate information needed within the air-transport sector. Air transport is not a single economic sector with uniform needs for climate data: airport, airline, and air-navigation services are the principal sub-sectors, each with their own particular climate-related decision contexts. For example, airports function as fixed infrastructure that is primarily affected by probabilities of extreme events that could hamper runway/taxiway operations, interfere with worker availability, or impede travel to and from the airport by passengers. Airlines, in contrast, are more concerned with changes in atmospheric conditions (upper-air turbulence, convective weather events, etc.) that might require consideration in long-term decisions related to flight-planning processes and aircraft equipage. Air-navigation service providers have needs that are primarily concerned with assurance of safe spatial separation of aircraft via sensor data and communications links. In addition to present-day commercial air transport, we discuss what climate data may be needed for new types of air transport that may emerge in the next couple of decades. These include, for example, small aircraft provided on-demand to non-pilot travelers, high-altitude supersonic business and commercial jets, and very large numbers of un-manned aircraft. Finally, we give examples relating to key technical challenges in providing decision-relevant climate data to the air-transport sector. These include: (1) identifying what types of climate data are most relevant the different decisions facing the several segments of this industry; (2) determining decision-appropriate time horizons for forecasts of this data; and (3) coupling the uncertainties inherent in these forecasts to the decision process.

Petroleum Sector (NAICS 324)

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Find relevant environmental regulations for the petroleum industry (NAICS 324), including National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP)s for petroleum refineries and gasoline dispensing & effluent guidelines for oil and gas extraction

Notes from the Stanford Sun-Weather Workshop, 11-15 August 1980.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-12-01

34open". 4. The baseball seam model is consistent with eclipse pictures of the corona 5. Coronal holes are generally found near the center of the "open...olar wind and the Earth’s magnetosphere (from the announcement of the advanced sumner institute of reference 23.3). -3- 8/11/80 c. If one integrates...the original result. 2. MEV proton streams which are associated with some sector boundaries select an interesting subset of events, Wilcox, 1979b 3

Water chemistry in 179 randomly selected Swedish headwater streams related to forest production, clear-felling and climate.

PubMed

Löfgren, Stefan; Fröberg, Mats; Yu, Jun; Nisell, Jakob; Ranneby, Bo

2014-12-01

From a policy perspective, it is important to understand forestry effects on surface waters from a landscape perspective. The EU Water Framework Directive demands remedial actions if not achieving good ecological status. In Sweden, 44 % of the surface water bodies have moderate ecological status or worse. Many of these drain catchments with a mosaic of managed forests. It is important for the forestry sector and water authorities to be able to identify where, in the forested landscape, special precautions are necessary. The aim of this study was to quantify the relations between forestry parameters and headwater stream concentrations of nutrients, organic matter and acid-base chemistry. The results are put into the context of regional climate, sulphur and nitrogen deposition, as well as marine influences. Water chemistry was measured in 179 randomly selected headwater streams from two regions in southwest and central Sweden, corresponding to 10 % of the Swedish land area. Forest status was determined from satellite images and Swedish National Forest Inventory data using the probabilistic classifier method, which was used to model stream water chemistry with Bayesian model averaging. The results indicate that concentrations of e.g. nitrogen, phosphorus and organic matter are related to factors associated with forest production but that it is not forestry per se that causes the excess losses. Instead, factors simultaneously affecting forest production and stream water chemistry, such as climate, extensive soil pools and nitrogen deposition, are the most likely candidates The relationships with clear-felled and wetland areas are likely to be direct effects.

US cities can manage national hydrology and biodiversity using local infrastructure policy

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

McManamay, Ryan A.; Surendran Nair, Sujithkumar; DeRolph, Christopher R.

Cities are concentrations of socio-political power and prime architects of land transformation, while also serving as consumption hubs of “hard” water and energy infrastructures (e.g. electrical power, stormwater management, zoning, water supply, and wastewater). These infrastructures extend well outside metropolitan boundaries and impact distal river ecosystems. We used a comprehensive model to quantify the roles of anthropogenic stressors on hydrologic alteration and biodiversity in US streams and isolated the impacts stemming from hard infrastructure developments in cities. Across the conterminous US, cities’ hard infrastructures have significantly altered at least 7% of streams, which influence habitats for over 60% of Northmore » America’s fish, mussel, and crayfish species. Additionally, city infrastructures have contributed to local extinctions in 260 species and currently influence 970 indigenous species, 27% of which are in jeopardy. We find that ecosystem impacts do not scale with city size but are instead proportionate to infrastructure decisions. For example, Atlanta’s impacts by hard infrastructures extend across four major river basins, 12,500 stream km, and contribute to 100 local extinctions of aquatic species. In contrast, Las Vegas, a similar size city, impacts < 1000 stream km, leading to only 7 local extinctions. So, cities have local policy choices that can reduce future impacts to regional aquatic ecosystems as cities grow. Furthermore, by coordinating policy and communication between hard infrastructure sectors, local city governments and utilities can directly improve environmental quality in a significant fraction of the nation’s streams and aquatic biota reaching far beyond their city boundaries.« less

US cities can manage national hydrology and biodiversity using local infrastructure policy

DOE PAGES

McManamay, Ryan A.; Surendran Nair, Sujithkumar; DeRolph, Christopher R.; ...

2017-08-21

Cities are concentrations of socio-political power and prime architects of land transformation, while also serving as consumption hubs of “hard” water and energy infrastructures (e.g. electrical power, stormwater management, zoning, water supply, and wastewater). These infrastructures extend well outside metropolitan boundaries and impact distal river ecosystems. We used a comprehensive model to quantify the roles of anthropogenic stressors on hydrologic alteration and biodiversity in US streams and isolated the impacts stemming from hard infrastructure developments in cities. Across the conterminous US, cities’ hard infrastructures have significantly altered at least 7% of streams, which influence habitats for over 60% of Northmore » America’s fish, mussel, and crayfish species. Additionally, city infrastructures have contributed to local extinctions in 260 species and currently influence 970 indigenous species, 27% of which are in jeopardy. We find that ecosystem impacts do not scale with city size but are instead proportionate to infrastructure decisions. For example, Atlanta’s impacts by hard infrastructures extend across four major river basins, 12,500 stream km, and contribute to 100 local extinctions of aquatic species. In contrast, Las Vegas, a similar size city, impacts < 1000 stream km, leading to only 7 local extinctions. So, cities have local policy choices that can reduce future impacts to regional aquatic ecosystems as cities grow. Furthermore, by coordinating policy and communication between hard infrastructure sectors, local city governments and utilities can directly improve environmental quality in a significant fraction of the nation’s streams and aquatic biota reaching far beyond their city boundaries.« less

Development of a resource protection and waste strategy for water use by the agricultural sector.

PubMed

Ligthelm, M E; Ranwedzi, R; Morokane, M; Senne, M

2007-01-01

The South African Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF) has started developing a strategy to regulate activities and water uses by the agricultural sector that could impact on the water resource quality. The aim would not be to over-regulate the sector, but to protect the water resource where necessary. Most of these activities constitute diffuse sources of potential pollution. The strategic process will start with investigative discussions with major stakeholders and determining the strategic context and current situation. The latter will consist of a detailed literature and stakeholder survey, and an evaluation of existing agricultural activities. The next steps of determining a vision and the setting of strategic objectives will be done with active participation by the major players. An action plan will be developed to achieve the set objectives. Important components of the strategy will be to: classify activities according to their risk to the water resource, taking into account the sensitivity of the water resource; set regulatory measures in accordance with the risk posed by the activity (measures could include the promulgation of regulations, general authorisations and/or issuing of licenses); harmonise and link the process with existing relevant processes and guidelines within DWAF and other government departments; review existing guidelines; sign agreements with relevant government departments and the agricultural sector; and provide training, built capacity and raise awareness during and after the process.

Measuring surface-water loss in Honouliuli Stream near the ‘Ewa Shaft, O‘ahu, Hawai‘i

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rosa, Sarah N.

2017-05-30

The Honolulu Board of Water Supply is currently concerned with the possibility of bacteria in the pumped water of the ‘Ewa Shaft (State well 3-2202-21). Groundwater from the ‘Ewa Shaft could potentially be used to meet future potable water needs in the ‘Ewa area on the island of O‘ahu. The source of the bacteria in the pumped water is unknown, although previous studies indicate that surface water may be lost to the subsurface near the site. The ‘Ewa Shaft consists of a vertical shaft, started near the south bank of Honouliuli Stream at an altitude of about 161 feet, and two horizontal infiltration tunnels near sea level. The shaft extracts groundwater from near the top of the freshwater lens in the Waipahu-Waiawa aquifer system within the greater Pearl Harbor Aquifer Sector, a designated Water Management Area.The surface-water losses were evaluated with continuous groundwater-level data from the ‘Ewa Shaft and a nearby monitoring well, continuous stream-discharge data from U.S. Geological Survey streamflow-gaging station 16212490 (Honouliuli Stream at H-1 Freeway near Waipahu), and seepage-run measurements in Honouliuli Stream and its tributary. During storms, discharge at the Honouliuli Stream gaging station increases and groundwater levels at ‘Ewa Shaft and a nearby monitoring well also increase. The concurrent increase in water levels at ‘Ewa Shaft and the nearby monitoring well during storms indicates that regional groundwater-level changes related to increased recharge, reduced withdrawals (due to a decrease in demand during periods of rainfall), or both may be occurring; although these data do not preclude the possibility of local recharge from Honouliuli Stream. Discharge measurements from two seepage runs indicate that surface water in the immediate area adjacent to ‘Ewa Shaft infiltrates into the streambed and may later reach the groundwater system developed by the ‘Ewa Shaft. The estimated seepage loss rates in the vicinity of ‘Ewa Shaft from the two seepage runs generally ranged from 0.27 to 1.78 million gallons per day per mile of stream reach; although higher seepage rates may occur during periods of higher discharge in Honouliuli Stream. A potential source of bacteria in ‘Ewa Shaft maybe related to seepage from Honouliuli Stream; however, other sources of bacteria were not studied and cannot be excluded.

Assessing the chemical contamination dynamics in a mixed land use stream system.

PubMed

Sonne, Anne Th; McKnight, Ursula S; Rønde, Vinni; Bjerg, Poul L

2017-11-15

Traditionally, the monitoring of streams for chemical and ecological status has been limited to surface water concentrations, where the dominant focus has been on general water quality and the risk for eutrophication. Mixed land use stream systems, comprising urban areas and agricultural production, are challenging to assess with multiple chemical stressors impacting stream corridors. New approaches are urgently needed for identifying relevant sources, pathways and potential impacts for implementation of suitable source management and remedial measures. We developed a method for risk assessing chemical stressors in these systems and applied the approach to a 16-km groundwater-fed stream corridor (Grindsted, Denmark). Three methods were combined: (i) in-stream contaminant mass discharge for source quantification, (ii) Toxic Units and (iii) environmental standards. An evaluation of the chemical quality of all three stream compartments - stream water, hyporheic zone, streambed sediment - made it possible to link chemical stressors to their respective sources and obtain new knowledge about source composition and origin. Moreover, toxic unit estimation and comparison to environmental standards revealed the stream water quality was substantially impaired by both geogenic and diffuse anthropogenic sources of metals along the entire corridor, while the streambed was less impacted. Quantification of the contaminant mass discharge originating from a former pharmaceutical factory revealed that several 100 kgs of chlorinated ethenes and pharmaceutical compounds discharge into the stream every year. The strongly reduced redox conditions in the plume result in high concentrations of dissolved iron and additionally release arsenic, generating the complex contaminant mixture found in the narrow discharge zone. The fingerprint of the plume was observed in the stream several km downgradient, while nutrients, inorganics and pesticides played a minor role for the stream health. The results emphasize that future investigations should include multiple compounds and stream compartments, and highlight the need for holistic approaches when risk assessing these dynamic systems. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparing stream-specific to generalized temperature models to guide salmonid management in a changing climate

USGS Publications Warehouse

Andrew K. Carlson,; William W. Taylor,; Hartikainen, Kelsey M.; Dana M. Infante,; Beard, Douglas; Lynch, Abigail

2017-01-01

Global climate change is predicted to increase air and stream temperatures and alter thermal habitat suitability for growth and survival of coldwater fishes, including brook charr (Salvelinus fontinalis), brown trout (Salmo trutta), and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). In a changing climate, accurate stream temperature modeling is increasingly important for sustainable salmonid management throughout the world. However, finite resource availability (e.g. funding, personnel) drives a tradeoff between thermal model accuracy and efficiency (i.e. cost-effective applicability at management-relevant spatial extents). Using different projected climate change scenarios, we compared the accuracy and efficiency of stream-specific and generalized (i.e. region-specific) temperature models for coldwater salmonids within and outside the State of Michigan, USA, a region with long-term stream temperature data and productive coldwater fisheries. Projected stream temperature warming between 2016 and 2056 ranged from 0.1 to 3.8 °C in groundwater-dominated streams and 0.2–6.8 °C in surface-runoff dominated systems in the State of Michigan. Despite their generally lower accuracy in predicting exact stream temperatures, generalized models accurately projected salmonid thermal habitat suitability in 82% of groundwater-dominated streams, including those with brook charr (80% accuracy), brown trout (89% accuracy), and rainbow trout (75% accuracy). In contrast, generalized models predicted thermal habitat suitability in runoff-dominated streams with much lower accuracy (54%). These results suggest that, amidst climate change and constraints in resource availability, generalized models are appropriate to forecast thermal conditions in groundwater-dominated streams within and outside Michigan and inform regional-level salmonid management strategies that are practical for coldwater fisheries managers, policy makers, and the public. We recommend fisheries professionals reserve resource-intensive stream-specific models for runoff-dominated systems containing high-priority fisheries resources (e.g. trophy individuals, endangered species) that will be directly impacted by projected stream warming.

Status of waste tyres and management practice in Botswana.

PubMed

Mmereki, Daniel; Machola, Bontle; Mokokwe, Kentlafetse

2017-02-22

Waste tyres (WTs) are becoming a significant environmental, economical and technological challenge due to their high contents of combustible composition and potential for valuable materials and energy resources. Fewer studies in developing and even developed countries have been carried out to assess the challenges regarding waste tyres management, and suggested the best alternative solutions for managing this waste stream. While developed countries made progress in waste tyres management needs by implementing more efficient innovative recovery and recycling methods, and restrictive regulations regarding the management of used tyres, in many developing countries the management of waste tyres has not received adequate interest, and the processing, treatment and disposal of waste tyre is still nascent. In recent years, worldwide, several methods for managing used tyres, including other principal alternatives for managing end-of-life tyres defined in the 4Rs, reduction, re-use, recovery and recycling have been adopted and applied to minimize serious threats to both the natural environment environment and human. The paper attempted to establish stakeholders' action that has the responsibility in waste tyre management in Botswana. This study also analyzed important aspects on waste tyres management in Botswana. A synthesis of approaches was employed in the present investigation to determine the factors influencing effective performance of waste tyres management practice in Botswana. Data for the present study was obtained using relevant published literature, scientific journals, other third sector sources, academic sources, and research derived from governments and other agencies and field observations. Group discussions with the participants and semi-structured interviews with professionals were carried out. The outcomes of this investigation are a wide-range outline concerning the participants that are important in waste tyres management, and a set of aspects affecting the management of waste tyres. The information provided by this study is very critical for reviewing and updating the methods and tools to update waste tyres data and trends to improve waste tyres management efficiency, suggesting innovative methods of recovering and recycling this waste stream in Botswana.

Protein sectors: evolutionary units of three-dimensional structure

PubMed Central

Halabi, Najeeb; Rivoire, Olivier; Leibler, Stanislas; Ranganathan, Rama

2011-01-01

Proteins display a hierarchy of structural features at primary, secondary, tertiary, and higher-order levels, an organization that guides our current understanding of their biological properties and evolutionary origins. Here, we reveal a structural organization distinct from this traditional hierarchy by statistical analysis of correlated evolution between amino acids. Applied to the S1A serine proteases, the analysis indicates a decomposition of the protein into three quasi-independent groups of correlated amino acids that we term “protein sectors”. Each sector is physically connected in the tertiary structure, has a distinct functional role, and constitutes an independent mode of sequence divergence in the protein family. Functionally relevant sectors are evident in other protein families as well, suggesting that they may be general features of proteins. We propose that sectors represent a structural organization of proteins that reflects their evolutionary histories. PMID:19703402

Insights into the Geographic Sequence of Deglaciation in the Weddell Sea Embayment by Provenance of Ice-Rafted Debris

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williams, T.; Hemming, S. R.; Licht, K.; Agrios, L.; Brachfeld, S. A.; van de Flierdt, T.; Hillenbrand, C. D.; Ehrmann, W. U.; Zhai, X.; Cai, Y.; Corley, A. D.; Kuhn, G.

2017-12-01

The geochemical and geochronological fingerprint of rock debris eroded and carried by ice streams may be used to identify the provenance of iceberg-rafted debris (IRD) in the marine sediment record. During ice retreat following glacial maxima, it has been shown that there is an increase in IRD accumulation in marine sediments underlying the western limb of the Weddell Gyre. Here we present IRD provenance records from sediment core PS1571-1 in the NW Weddell Sea, and interpret these records in terms of the geographic sequence of ice sheet retreat in the Weddell Sea embayment during the most recent deglaciation. We first characterize the source areas of eroded debris around the Weddell Sea Embayment, using published mapping of the embayment and new material from: 1. Till in modern moraines at the edges of ice streams, including the Foundation Ice Stream, the Academy Glacier, and the Recovery Glacier; and 2. Subglacial till and proximal glaciomarine sediment from existing cores located along the front of the Filchner and Ronne Ice Shelves, collected on past expeditions of the RV Polarstern. The analyses on these samples include 40Ar/39Ar hornblende and biotite thermochronology and U-Pb zircon geochronology on individual mineral grains, and K-Ar thermochronology, Nd isotopes, and clay mineralogy on the clay grain size fraction. Results so far indicate that samples along the front of the Filchner and Ronne Ice Shelves record the geochemical and geochronological fingerprint that would be expected from tracing ice flow lines back to the bedrock terranes. The Ronne (west), Hughes (central), and Filchner (east) sectors have distinguishable provenance source signatures, and further subdivision is possible. In core PS1571-1, downcore IRD provenance changes reflect iceberg output and ice sheet retreat from the different sectors of the embayment through the last deglaciation. The detrital provenance method of interpreting the geographic sequence of ice retreat can equally be applied to previous deglaciations of the Weddell Sea Embayment.

Environmental performance policy indicators for the public sector: the case of the defence sector.

PubMed

Ramos, Tomás B; Alves, Inês; Subtil, Rui; Joanaz de Melo, João

2007-03-01

The development of environmental performance policy indicators for public services, and in particular for the defence sector, is an emerging issue. Despite a number of recent initiatives there has been little work done in this area, since the other sectors usually focused on are agriculture, transport, industry, tourism and energy. This type of tool can be an important component for environmental performance evaluation at policy level, when integrated in the general performance assessment system of public missions and activities. The main objective of this research was to develop environmental performance policy indicators for the public sector, specifically applied to the defence sector. Previous research included an assessment of the environmental profile, through the evaluation of how environmental management practices have been adopted in this sector and an assessment of environmental aspects and impacts. This paper builds upon that previous research, developing an indicator framework--SEPI--supported by the selection and construction of environmental performance indicators. Another aim is to discuss how the current environmental indicator framework can be integrated into overall performance management. The Portuguese defence sector is presented and the usefulness of this methodology demonstrated. Feasibility and relevancy criteria are applied to evaluate the set of indicators proposed, allowing indicators to be scored and indicators for the policy level to be obtained.

Climate impacts on human livelihoods: where uncertainty matters in projections of water availability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lissner, T. K.; Reusser, D. E.; Schewe, J.; Lakes, T.; Kropp, J. P.

2014-10-01

Climate change will have adverse impacts on many different sectors of society, with manifold consequences for human livelihoods and well-being. However, a systematic method to quantify human well-being and livelihoods across sectors is so far unavailable, making it difficult to determine the extent of such impacts. Climate impact analyses are often limited to individual sectors (e.g. food or water) and employ sector-specific target measures, while systematic linkages to general livelihood conditions remain unexplored. Further, recent multi-model assessments have shown that uncertainties in projections of climate impacts deriving from climate and impact models, as well as greenhouse gas scenarios, are substantial, posing an additional challenge in linking climate impacts with livelihood conditions. This article first presents a methodology to consistently measure what is referred to here as AHEAD (Adequate Human livelihood conditions for wEll-being And Development). Based on a trans-disciplinary sample of concepts addressing human well-being and livelihoods, the approach measures the adequacy of conditions of 16 elements. We implement the method at global scale, using results from the Inter-Sectoral Impact Model Intercomparison Project (ISI-MIP) to show how changes in water availability affect the fulfilment of AHEAD at national resolution. In addition, AHEAD allows for the uncertainty of climate and impact model projections to be identified and differentiated. We show how the approach can help to put the substantial inter-model spread into the context of country-specific livelihood conditions by differentiating where the uncertainty about water scarcity is relevant with regard to livelihood conditions - and where it is not. The results indicate that livelihood conditions are compromised by water scarcity in 34 countries. However, more often, AHEAD fulfilment is limited through other elements. The analysis shows that the water-specific uncertainty ranges of the model output are outside relevant thresholds for AHEAD for 65 out of 111 countries, and therefore do not contribute to the overall uncertainty about climate change impacts on livelihoods. In 46 of the countries in the analysis, water-specific uncertainty is relevant to AHEAD. The AHEAD method presented here, together with first results, forms an important step towards making scientific results more applicable for policy decisions.

Hyporheic zone influences on concentration-discharge relationships in a headwater sandstone stream

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hoagland, Beth; Russo, Tess A.; Gu, Xin; Hill, Lillian; Kaye, Jason; Forsythe, Brandon; Brantley, Susan L.

2017-06-01

Complex subsurface flow dynamics impact the storage, routing, and transport of water and solutes to streams in headwater catchments. Many of these hydrogeologic processes are indirectly reflected in observations of stream chemistry responses to rain events, also known as concentration-discharge (CQ) relations. Identifying the relative importance of subsurface flows to stream CQ relationships is often challenging in headwater environments due to spatial and temporal variability. Therefore, this study combines a diverse set of methods, including tracer injection tests, cation exchange experiments, geochemical analyses, and numerical modeling, to map groundwater-surface water interactions along a first-order, sandstone stream (Garner Run) in the Appalachian Mountains of central Pennsylvania. The primary flow paths to the stream include preferential flow through the unsaturated zone ("interflow"), flow discharging from a spring, and groundwater discharge. Garner Run stream inherits geochemical signatures from geochemical reactions occurring along each of these flow paths. In addition to end-member mixing effects on CQ, we find that the exchange of solutes, nutrients, and water between the hyporheic zone and the main stream channel is a relevant control on the chemistry of Garner Run. CQ relationships for Garner Run were compared to prior results from a nearby headwater catchment overlying shale bedrock (Shale Hills). At the sandstone site, solutes associated with organo-mineral associations in the hyporheic zone influence CQ, while CQ trends in the shale catchment are affected by preferential flow through hillslope swales. The difference in CQ trends document how the lithology and catchment hydrology control CQ relationships.

A MULTIDISCIPLINARY APPROACH TO STORMWATER MANAGEMENT AT THE WATERSHED SCALE.

EPA Science Inventory

Stormwater runoff from extensive impervious surfaces in urban and suburban areas has led to human safety risks and stream ecosystem impairment, triggering an interest in watershed-scale retrofit stormwater management. Such stormwater management is of multidisciplinary relevance, ...

A MULTIDISCIPLINARY APPROACH TO STORMWATER MANAGEMENT AT THE catchment SCALE

EPA Science Inventory

Stormwater runoff from extensive impervious surfaces in urban and suburban areas has led to human safety risks and stream ecosystem impairment, triggering an interest in catchment-scale retrofit stormwater management. Such stormwater management is of multidisciplinary relevance, ...

RETROFIT STORMWATER MANAGEMENT: NAVIGATING MULTIDISCIPLINARY HURDLES AT THE WATERSHED SCALE

EPA Science Inventory

Stormwater runoff from extensive impervious surfaces in urban and suburban areas has led to human safety risks and stream ecosystem impairment, triggering an interest in watershed-scale retrofit stormwater management. Such stormwater management is of multidisciplinary relevance, ...

Stream fish colonization but not persistence varies regionally across a large North American river basin

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wheeler, Kit; Wengerd, Seth J.; Walsh, Stephen J.; Martin, Zachary P.; Jelks, Howard L.; Freeman, Mary C.

2018-01-01

Many species have distributions that span distinctly different physiographic regions, and effective conservation of such taxa will require a full accounting of all factors that potentially influence populations. Ecologists recognize effects of physiographic differences in topography, geology and climate on local habitat configurations, and thus the relevance of landscape heterogeneity to species distributions and abundances. However, research is lacking that examines how physiography affects the processes underlying metapopulation dynamics. We used data describing occupancy dynamics of stream fishes to evaluate evidence that physiography influences rates at which individual taxa persist in or colonize stream reaches under different flow conditions. Using periodic survey data from a stream fish assemblage in a large river basin that encompasses multiple physiographic regions, we fit multi-species dynamic occupancy models. Our modeling results suggested that stream fish colonization but not persistence was strongly governed by physiography, with estimated colonization rates considerably higher in Coastal Plain streams than in Piedmont and Blue Ridge systems. Like colonization, persistence was positively related to an index of stream flow magnitude, but the relationship between flow and persistence did not depend on physiography. Understanding the relative importance of colonization and persistence, and how one or both processes may change across the landscape, is critical information for the conservation of broadly distributed taxa, and conservation strategies explicitly accounting for spatial variation in these processes are likely to be more successful for such taxa.

Investigating category- and shape-selective neural processing in ventral and dorsal visual stream under interocular suppression.

PubMed

Ludwig, Karin; Kathmann, Norbert; Sterzer, Philipp; Hesselmann, Guido

2015-01-01

Recent behavioral and neuroimaging studies using continuous flash suppression (CFS) have suggested that action-related processing in the dorsal visual stream might be independent of perceptual awareness, in line with the "vision-for-perception" versus "vision-for-action" distinction of the influential dual-stream theory. It remains controversial if evidence suggesting exclusive dorsal stream processing of tool stimuli under CFS can be explained by their elongated shape alone or by action-relevant category representations in dorsal visual cortex. To approach this question, we investigated category- and shape-selective functional magnetic resonance imaging-blood-oxygen level-dependent responses in both visual streams using images of faces and tools. Multivariate pattern analysis showed enhanced decoding of elongated relative to non-elongated tools, both in the ventral and dorsal visual stream. The second aim of our study was to investigate whether the depth of interocular suppression might differentially affect processing in dorsal and ventral areas. However, parametric modulation of suppression depth by varying the CFS mask contrast did not yield any evidence for differential modulation of category-selective activity. Together, our data provide evidence for shape-selective processing under CFS in both dorsal and ventral stream areas and, therefore, do not support the notion that dorsal "vision-for-action" processing is exclusively preserved under interocular suppression. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

An Algebraic Formulation of Level One Wess-Zumino Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Böckenhauer, Jens

The highest weight modules of the chiral algebra of orthogonal WZW models at level one possess a realization in fermionic representation spaces; the Kac-Moody and Virasoro generators are represented as unbounded limits of even CAR algebras. It is shown that the representation theory of the underlying even CAR algebras reproduces precisely the sectors of the chiral algebra. This fact allows to develop a theory of local von Neumann algebras on the punctured circle, fitting nicely in the Doplicher-Haag-Roberts framework. The relevant localized endomorphisms which generate the charged sectors are explicitly constructed by means of Bogoliubov transformations. Using CAR theory, the fusion rules in terms of sector equivalence classes are proven.

Action without frontiers. SADC meeting.

PubMed

Klouda, T

1997-02-01

The factors which affect AIDS and the transmission of HIV transcend national, racial, cultural, religious, political, and programmatic boundaries. The European Union and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) jointly held a conference in Lilongwe, Malawi, during December 4-6 to bring together senior officials from a wide range of development sectors in the 12 countries of the SADC region to examine the potential for regional, comprehensive action on relevant issues. Conference outcomes will be reviewed and agreed upon at a future regional ministerial meeting. Origins of the conference, innovative aspects of the conference, and regional and sectoral involvement are discussed. Employment, mining, medical drugs, education, and tourism were discussed extensively at the conference as separate sectors.

Searching for photon-sector Lorentz violation using gravitational-wave detectors

DOE PAGES

Kostelecký, V. Alan; Melissinos, Adrian C.; Mewes, Matthew

2016-08-04

Here, we study the prospects for using interferometers in gravitational-wave detectors as tools to search for photon-sector violations of Lorentz symmetry. Existing interferometers are shown to be exquisitely sensitive to tiny changes in the effective refractive index of light occurring at frequencies around and below the microhertz range, including at the harmonics of the frequencies of the Earth's sidereal rotation and annual revolution relevant for tests of Lorentz symmetry. We use preliminary data obtained by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) in 2006-2007 to place constraints on coefficients for Lorentz violation in the photon sector exceeding current limits by aboutmore » four orders of magnitude.« less

Improving data management practices in the Portuguese HIV/AIDS surveillance system during a time of public sector austerity.

PubMed

Shivaji, Tara; Cortes Martins, Helena

2015-01-01

In a climate of public sector austerity, the demand for accurate information about disease epidemiology rises as health program managers try to align spending to health needs. A policy of case re-notification to improve HIV information quality resulted in a nine-fold increase in the number of case reports received in 2013 by the Portuguese HIV surveillance office. We used value stream mapping to introduce improvements to data processing practices, identify and reduce waste. Two cycles of improvement were trialled. Before intervention, processing time was nine minutes and 28 seconds (95%CI 8:53-10:58) per report. Two months post intervention, it was six minutes and 34 seconds (95% CI 6:25-6:43). One year after the start of the project, processing time was five minutes and 20 seconds (95% CI 1:46-8:52).

Improving data management practices in the Portuguese HIV/AIDS surveillance system during a time of public sector austerity

PubMed Central

Shivaji, Tara; Cortes Martins, Helena

2015-01-01

In a climate of public sector austerity, the demand for accurate information about disease epidemiology rises as health program managers try to align spending to health needs. A policy of case re-notification to improve HIV information quality resulted in a nine-fold increase in the number of case reports received in 2013 by the Portuguese HIV surveillance office. We used value stream mapping to introduce improvements to data processing practices, identify and reduce waste. Two cycles of improvement were trialled. Before intervention, processing time was nine minutes and 28 seconds (95%CI 8:53–10:58) per report. Two months post intervention, it was six minutes and 34 seconds (95% CI 6:25–6:43). One year after the start of the project, processing time was five minutes and 20 seconds (95% CI 1:46–8:52). PMID:26734448

A Framework for Drought Risk Management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Apurv, T.; Cai, X.

2016-12-01

Drought is one of the most expensive natural disasters as it affects many sectors of the economy. The threat posed by droughts is expected to further increase due to increasing water demands fuelled by increasing population and also due to climate change in many regions. Management of the increasing drought risk requires shift from traditional crisis management approaches to long term strategic planning for reduction of drought risk. This study proposes a framework for management of long term drought risk. The framework uses the system based approach proposed by Tsakiris et al. (2013), in which a watershed is considered as a system and different water sources in the watershed (like groundwater, reservoirs, streams etc.) are considered as subsystems associated with certain water requirements of different sectors. Droughts are defined separately for each subsystem considering water availability and requirement. The percentile based drought indicator framework proposed by Steinemann et al. (2015) is used for defining drought for each subsystem, allowing the selection of thresholds, variables of interest, and time scale which are most relevant for stakeholders dependent on a particular subsystem. Future drought risk under different drought management strategies are assessed using hydrologic models that model both hydrologic and human components of a watershed. The robustness of a management strategy is assessed by simulating system response across a wide range of stochastically generated future climate scenarios. The framework is useful for operational drought management as it allows direct management of drought risks with consideration of different water sources and water users. Steinemann, A., Iacobellis, S.F., Cayan, D.R., (2015) "Developing and evaluating drought indicators for decision-making" J. Hydrometeor. 16 (4), 1793-1803 Tsakiris, G, Nalbantis, I, Vangelis, H, Verbeiren, B, Huysmans, M, Tychon, B, Jacquemin, I, Canters, F, Vanderhaegen, S, Engelen, G, Poelmans, L, De Becker, P, Batelaan, O, (2013) "A system-based paradigm of drought analysis for operational management" Water Resour Manag 27(15):5281-5297

Coaxial airblast atomizers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hardalupas, Y.; Whitelaw, J. H.

1993-01-01

An experimental investigation was performed to quantify the characteristics of the sprays of coaxial injectors with particular emphasis on those aspects relevant to the performance of rocket engines. Measurements for coaxial air blast atomizers were obtained using air to represent the gaseous stream and water to represent the liquid stream. A wide range of flow conditions were examined for sprays with and without swirl for gaseous streams. The parameters varied include Weber number, gas flow rate, liquid flow rate, swirl, and nozzle geometry. Measurements were made with a phase Doppler velocimeter. Major conclusions of the study focused upon droplet size as a function of Weber number, effect of gas flow rate on atomization and spray spread, effect of nozzle geometry on atomization and spread, effect of swirl on atomization, spread, jet recirculation and breakup, and secondary atomization.

Value Streams in Microgrids: A literature Review

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

Stadler, Michael; Center for Energy and Innovative Technologies; Cardoso, Gonçalo

2015-10-01

Microgrids are an increasingly common component of the evolving electricity grids with the potential to improve local reliability, reduce costs, and increase penetration rates for distributed renewable generation. The additional complexity of microgrids often leads to increased investment costs, creating a barrier for widespread adoption. These costs may result directly from specific needs for islanding detection, protection systems and power quality assurance that would otherwise be avoided in simpler system configurations. However, microgrids also facilitate additional value streams that may make up for their increased costs and improve the economic viability of microgrid deployment. This paper analyses the literature currentlymore » available on research relevant to value streams occurring in microgrids that may contribute to offset the increased investment costs. A review on research related to specific microgrid requirements is also presented.« less

Fragility issues of medical video streaming over 802.11e-WLAN m-health environments.

PubMed

Tan, Yow-Yiong Edwin; Philip, Nada; Istepanian, Robert H

2006-01-01

This paper presents some of the fragility issues of a medical video streaming over 802.11e-WLAN in m-health applications. In particular, we present a medical channel-adaptive fair allocation (MCAFA) scheme for enhanced QoS support for IEEE 802.11 (WLAN), as a modification for the standard 802.11e enhanced distributed coordination function (EDCF) is proposed for enhanced medical data performance. The medical channel-adaptive fair allocation (MCAFA) proposed extends the EDCF, by halving the contention window (CW) after zeta consecutive successful transmissions to reduce the collision probability when channel is busy. Simulation results show that MCAFA outperforms EDCF in-terms of overall performance relevant to the requirements of high throughput of medical data and video streaming traffic in 3G/WLAN wireless environments.

Optimisation Issues of High Throughput Medical Data and Video Streaming Traffic in 3G Wireless Environments.

PubMed

Istepanian, R S H; Philip, N

2005-01-01

In this paper we describe some of the optimisation issues relevant to the requirements of high throughput of medical data and video streaming traffic in 3G wireless environments. In particular we present a challenging 3G mobile health care application that requires a demanding 3G medical data throughput. We also describe the 3G QoS requirement of mObile Tele-Echography ultra-Light rObot system (OTELO that is designed to provide seamless 3G connectivity for real-time ultrasound medical video streams and diagnosis from a remote site (robotic and patient station) manipulated by an expert side (specialists) that is controlling the robotic scanning operation and presenting a real-time feedback diagnosis using 3G wireless communication links.

Guide To The Transport Acquis

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1999-10-01

This "Guide to the Transport Acquis" is an informal document which provides an overview of current EU transport legislation. Following a description of each transport sector, relevant legal instruments are presented along with subsequent amendments o...

Technological Diversification of Japanese Industry.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kodama, Fumio

1986-01-01

Describes an approach for measuring industrial technological diversification behavior. Identifies sectoral patterns of Japanese industry as related to diversification behaviors. Delineates the mechanisms and effectiveness of Japanese corporate and government policies relevant to diversification. (ML)

Water scarcity and economic damage in Europe: regionally relevant simulations from 2000 to 2050

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bernhard, Jeroen; de Roo, Ad; Bisselink, Bernard; Gelati, Emiliano; Karssenberg, Derek; de Jong, Steven

2017-04-01

Water availability is unequally distributed across Europe. Where certain regions experience a surplus of water, other areas have limited water availability which causes economic damage to the water using sectors such as households, industries or agriculture. Future changes in climatic and socio-economic conditions are expected to further increase the competition for available water that is already present in Europe. This means there is an increasing need for models that are able to simulate this multi-sectorial system of water availability and demand and incorporate the socio-economic component required for robust decisions and policy support. We present our modelling study which is focused at providing regionally relevant pan-European water scarcity and economic damage simulations. First we developed regionally relevant pan-European water demand simulations for the household and industry sector from 2000 up to 2050. For the household sector we developed a model to simulate water use based on water price, income and several other relevant variables at NUTS-3 level (over 1200 regions in Europe). Alternatively, we modelled industrial water use based on regionally downscaled water productivity values at the national level for ten sub-sections of the NACE (Nomenclature of Economic Activities) classification for economic activities. Subsequently we used scenario projections of our explanatory variables to make scenario simulations of water demand from 2000 up to 2050 at pan-European scale with unprecedented spatial and sub-sectorial detail. In order to analyze the European water use system we integrated these water demand scenarios into the hydrological rainfall-runoff model called LISFLOOD (Distributed Water Balance and Flood Simulation Model), which incorporates a vegetation module for the simulation of crop yield and irrigation water demand of the agriculture sector. We simulated river discharge and groundwater availability for abstractions of water using sectors across Europe from 2000 up to 2050 at 5km grid level for multiple climate and socio-economic scenarios. This allowed us to identify regions with water scarcity problems from the recent past up to 2050 and quantify the economic damage that can be attributed to the limited water availability. Results showed several regions where substantially more water is extracted from the system than what would be sustainable into the future. Furthermore, we analyzed how changing water prices or relocation of economic activities could reduce future water scarcity problems and decrease the related economical damage. We found that for some regions, relatively small measurers already could have a positive impact on water scarcity problems.

Data on the solute concentration within the subsurface flows of Little Lost Man Creek in response to a transport experiment, Redwood National Park, northwest California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Zellweger, Gary W.; Kennedy, V.C.; Bencala, K.E.; Avanzino, R.J.; Jackman, A.P.; Triska, F.J.

1986-01-01

A solute transport experiment was conducted on a 327-m reach of Little Lost Man Creek, a small stream in Humboldt County, California. Solutes were injected for 20 days. Chloride was used as a conservative tracer; lithium, potassium, and strontium were used as reactive tracers. In addition, nitrate and phosphate were added as biological reactants. Eighteen shallow wells were dug along the length of the study reach, 1-10 m laterally from the edge of the stream. The wells and sites in the stream were monitored for the injected solutes during and after the injection. Solute concentrations in the wells and stream are indicative of transport properties of stream and subsurface channel flow. This report presents the results of the analyses of the well samples and chemical data relevant to the interpretation of hydrological and chemical interaction between the stream and adjacent channel subsurface flows in the streambed. Calculations of the percentage of streamwater in the wellwater were made from conservative tracer measurements. The composition of wellwater ranged from 47% to 100% streamwater with most values above 90%. The time for water to travel from the beginning of the study reach to the wells was approximately three times as great as the travel time in the stream at the same distance down the reach. The three conclusions that can be drawn are (1) water in the stream exchanges extensively with water in the rest of the channel; (2) the interstitial water in the channel gravels achieves almost the same composition as the stream; and (3) under low flow conditions the stream gravels contain a significant portion of the stream volume. Plots of normalized chloride, lithium, and strontium concentrations at three stream sites are included. (Author 's abstract)

BBN constraints on MeV-scale dark sectors. Part I. Sterile decays

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hufnagel, Marco; Schmidt-Hoberg, Kai; Wild, Sebastian

2018-02-01

We study constraints from Big Bang Nucleosynthesis on inert particles in a dark sector which contribute to the Hubble rate and therefore change the predictions of the primordial nuclear abundances. We pay special attention to the case of MeV-scale particles decaying into dark radiation, which are neither fully relativistic nor non-relativistic during all temperatures relevant to Big Bang Nucleosynthesis. As an application we discuss the implications of our general results for models of self-interacting dark matter with light mediators.

China Macroeconomic Model. Specification Report, User’s Guide, Scenario Report, Trade Data Sources Report.

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-11-01

model, all linked to input-output flows from the relevant sector to all of the eleven sectors. They form an important analytical tool for gauging the...with very little in the way of intermediate inputs. However, most of coal is used up in intermediate inputs, as fuel for steel and other industrial...machine tools be developed even more rapidly as a domestic resource, rather than being imported? What about agricultural chemicals? China is unlikely

The heliospheric sector boundary as a distented magnetic cloud

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Crooker, N. U.; Intriligator, D. S.

1995-01-01

A magnetic cloud was detected both near Earth and by Pioneer 11 located 43 deg east of Earth at 4.8 AU. The magnetic field within the cloud rotated smoothly from toward to away polarity, marking sector boundary passage. Interpreted as a flux rope, the cloud had a vertical axis, implying that its cylindrical cross-section in the ecliptic plane was distended along the sector boundary by at least 43, forming an extensive occlusion in the heliospheric current sheet. At 1 AU the cloud had plasma signatures typical of a fast coronal mass ejection with low temperature and a leading shock. In contrast, at 4.8 AU, only the cloud signature remained. Its radial dimension was the same at both locations, consistent with little expansion beyond 1 AU. Energetic particle data at 4.8 AU show high fluxes preceding the cloud but not extending forward to the corotating shock that marked entry into the interaction region containing the cloud. The streaming direction was antisunward, consistent with possible acceleration in a low-beta region of field line draping around the cloud's western (upstream) end. The fluxes dropped upon entry into the cloud and became essentially isotropic one third of the way through it. On the basis of sector boundary characteristics published in the past, we suggest that distended clouds may be common heliospheric current sheet occlusions.

Tuning direct current streaming dielectrophoresis of proteins

PubMed Central

Nakano, Asuka; Camacho-Alanis, Fernanda; Chao, Tzu-Chiao; Ros, Alexandra

2012-01-01

Dielectrophoresis (DEP) of biomolecules has large potential to serve as a novel selectivity parameter for bioanalytical methods such as (pre)concentration, fractionation, and separation. However, in contrast to well-characterized biological cells and (nano)particles, the mechanism of protein DEP is poorly understood, limiting bioanalytical applications for proteins. Here, we demonstrate a detailed investigation of factors influencing DEP of diagnostically relevant immunoglobulin G (IgG) molecules using insulator-based DEP (iDEP) under DC conditions. We found that the pH range in which concentration of IgG due to streaming iDEP occurs without aggregate formation matches the pH range suitable for immunoreactions. Numerical simulations of the electrokinetic factors pertaining to DEP streaming in this range further suggested that the protein charge and electroosmotic flow significantly influence iDEP streaming. These predictions are in accordance with the experimentally observed pH-dependent iDEP streaming profiles as well as the determined IgG molecular properties. Moreover, we observed a transition in the streaming behavior caused by a change from positive to negative DEP induced through micelle formation for the first time experimentally, which is in excellent qualitative agreement with numerical simulations. Our study thus relates molecular immunoglobulin properties to observed iDEP, which will be useful for the future development of protein (pre)concentration or separation methods based on DEP. PMID:23908679

Coupled SWAT-MODFLOW Model Development for Large Basins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aliyari, F.; Bailey, R. T.; Tasdighi, A.

2017-12-01

Water management in semi-arid river basins requires allocating water resources between urban, industrial, energy, and agricultural sectors, with the latter competing for necessary irrigation water to sustain crop yield. Competition between these sectors will intensify due to changes in climate and population growth. In this study, the recently developed SWAT-MODFLOW coupled hydrologic model is modified for application in a large managed river basin that provides both surface water and groundwater resources for urban and agricultural areas. Specific modifications include the linkage of groundwater pumping and irrigation practices and code changes to allow for the large number of SWAT hydrologic response units (HRU) required for a large river basin. The model is applied to the South Platte River Basin (SPRB), a 56,980 km2 basin in northeastern Colorado dominated by large urban areas along the front range of the Rocky Mountains and agriculture regions to the east. Irregular seasonal and annual precipitation and 150 years of urban and agricultural water management history in the basin provide an ideal test case for the SWAT-MODFLOW model. SWAT handles land surface and soil zone processes whereas MODFLOW handles groundwater flow and all sources and sinks (pumping, injection, bedrock inflow, canal seepage, recharge areas, groundwater/surface water interaction), with recharge and stream stage provided by SWAT. The model is tested against groundwater levels, deep percolation estimates, and stream discharge. The model will be used to quantify spatial groundwater vulnerability in the basin under scenarios of climate change and population growth.

Cosmological Signatures of a Mirror Twin Higgs

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

Chacko, Zackaria; Curtin, David; Geller, Michael

We explore the cosmological signatures associated with the twin baryons, electrons, photons and neutrinos in the Mirror Twin Higgs framework. We consider a scenario in which the twin baryons constitute a subcomponent of dark matter, and the contribution of the twin photon and neutrinos to dark radiation is suppressed due to late asymmetric reheating, but remains large enough to be detected in future cosmic microwave background (CMB) experiments. We show that this framework can lead to distinctive signals in large scale structure and in the cosmic microwave background. Baryon acoustic oscillations in the mirror sector prior to recombination lead tomore » a suppression of structure on large scales, and leave a residual oscillatory pattern in the matter power spectrum. This pattern depends sensitively on the relative abundances and ionization energies of both twin hydrogen and helium, and is therefore characteristic of this class of models. Although both mirror photons and neutrinos constitute dark radiation in the early universe, their effects on the CMB are distinct. This is because prior to recombination the twin neutrinos free stream, while the twin photons are prevented from free streaming by scattering off twin electrons. In the Mirror Twin Higgs framework the relative contributions of these two species to the energy density in dark radiation is predicted, leading to testable effects in the CMB. These highly distinctive cosmological signatures may allow this class of models to be discovered, and distinguished from more general dark sectors.« less

Research gaps related to forest management and stream sediment in the United States.

PubMed

Anderson, Christopher J; Lockaby, B Graeme

2011-02-01

Water quality from forested landscapes tends to be very high but can deteriorate during and after silvicultural activities. Practices such as forest harvesting, site preparation, road construction/use, and stream crossings have been shown to contribute sediment, nutrients, and other pollutants to adjacent streams. Although advances in forest management accompanied with Best Management Practices (BMPs) have been very effective at reducing water quality impacts from forest operations, projected increases in demand for forest products may result in unintended environmental degradation. Through a review of the pertinent literature, we identified several research gaps related to water yield, aquatic habitat, sediment source and delivery, and BMP effectiveness that should be addressed for streams in the United States to better understand and address the environmental ramifications of current and future levels of timber production. We explored the current understanding of these topics based on relevant literature and the possible implications of increased demand for forest products in the United States.

Household hazardous waste management: a review.

PubMed

Inglezakis, Vassilis J; Moustakas, Konstantinos

2015-03-01

This paper deals with the waste stream of household hazardous waste (HHW) presenting existing management systems, legislation overview and other relevant quantitative and qualitative information. European Union legislation and international management schemes are summarized and presented in a concise manner by the use of diagrams in order to provide crucial information on HHW. Furthermore, sources and types, numerical figures about generation, collection and relevant management costs are within the scope of the present paper. The review shows that the term used to refer to hazardous waste generated in households is not clearly defined in legislation, while there is absence of specific acts regulating the management of HHW. The lack of obligation to segregate HHW from the household waste and the different terminology used makes it difficult to determine the quantities and composition of this waste stream, while its generation amount is relatively small and, therefore, is commonly overlooked in waste statistics. The paper aims to cover the gap in the related literature on a subject that is included within the crucial waste management challenges at world level, considering that HHW can also have impact on other waste streams by altering the redox conditions or causing direct reactions with other non hazardous waste substances. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An inventory and evaluation of biological investigations that relate to stream-water quality in the upper Illinois River basin of Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin

USGS Publications Warehouse

Steffeck, D.W.; Striegl, Robert G.

1989-01-01

Results of studies of the aquatic biology of the upper Illinois River basin provide a historical data source from which inferences can be made about changes in the quality of water in the main stem river and its tributaries. The results of biological investigations that have been conducted throughout the basin since 1900 are summarized and their relevance to stream-water-quality assessment is described, particularly their relevance to the upper Illinois River basin pilot project for the National Water Quality Assessment program. Four general categories of biological investigations were identified: Populations and community structure, chemical concentrations in tissue, organism health, and toxicity measurements. Biological investigations were identified by their location in the basin and by their relevance to each general investigation category. The most abundant literature was in the populations and community structure category. Tissue data were limited to polychlorinated biphenyls, organochlorine pesticides, dioxin, and several metals. The most cited measure of organism health was a condition factor for fish that associates body length with weight or body depth. Toxicity measurements included bioassays and the Ames Tests. The bioassays included several testing methods and test organism. (USGS)

The industrial division of labor among immigrants and internal migrants to the Los Angeles economy.

PubMed

Ellis, M; Wright, R

1999-01-01

This study examined the industrial division of labor among immigrants and in-migrants in the Los Angeles, California, metropolitan area. It addresses debates about channeling of new arrivals into jobs among similar ethnic groups and human capital views. Data were obtained from the 1990 Census on resident native-born, resident foreign-born, in-migrants, and recent immigrants who arrived during 1985-90. Light and Rosenstein's (1995) concepts of groups and their resources were used to organize ideas about ethnic networks and their effectiveness in channeling migrant workers into 15 industrial sectors. Sectoral differences were revealed with the familiarity index of dissimilarity. Findings reveal that social networks were the strongest for Koreans, who supplied work for recent arrivals in the same sectors as Korean-born residents, regardless of education. Mexican new arrivals were less likely to work in the same sectors as their resident Mexican counterparts. Mexican networks placed new arrivals in durable manufacturing in the 1960s and 1970s when it was a key source of employment. By the 1980s and 1990s, the economy shifted and employment went down in durable manufacturing. Mexicans thus found employment elsewhere. Native White and Black in-migrants had the strongest channeling into same sector jobs. This is attributed to the small streams, the ability of the labor market to absorb these workers, and the availability of job vacancies among native out-migrants. Filipino migrants had similar patterns as Whites and Blacks. Mexican and Central American residents had more inter-ethnic competition over jobs than Whites or Blacks.

Energy from waste in Europe: an analysis and comparison of the EU 27.

PubMed

Sommer, Manuel; Ragossnig, Arne

2011-10-01

This article focuses on analysing the development of waste-generated energy in the countries of the European Union (EU 27). Besides elaborating the relevant legal and political framework in the waste and energy sector as well as climate protection, the results from correlation analyses based on the databases of the energy statistics from Eurostat are discussed. The share of energy from waste is correlated with macro-economic, waste- and energy-sector-related data, which have been defined as potentially relevant for energy recovery from waste in the countries of the European Union. The results show that a single factor influencing the extent of waste-generated energy could not be isolated as it is being influenced not only by the state of economic development and the state of development of waste management systems in the respective countries but also by energy-sector-related factors and the individual priority settings in those countries. Nevertheless the main driving force for an increase in the utilization of waste for energy generation can be seen in the legal and political framework of the European Union leading to the consequence that market conditions influence the realization of waste management infrastructure for waste-generated energy.

Deming meets Braverman: toward a progressive analysis of the continuous quality improvement paradigm.

PubMed

Schiff, G D; Goldfield, N I

1994-01-01

The continuous quality improvement (CQI) model has rapidly become the dominant management paradigm in U.S. industrial and health care leadership circles. Despite its widespread corporate acceptance and its relevance to public sector policy issues, there has been a paucity of progressive analysis of CQI. The authors begin by noting remarkable similarities between CQI critiques of Taylorism (so-called scientific management of work) with those made by Braverman, a leading Marxist analyst of the work process. Each of the 14 principles of CQI pioneer W. E. Deming are explained and analyzed for their progressive content. These pluses are then contrasted with 18 problematic issues in an attempt to challenge and go beyond the constraints of CQI as it is currently being applied in health care and other sectors. These issues include (1) mismatch between rhetoric and reality, (2) public sector issues, and (3) broader contradictions. The authors emphasize the genuine need for improving health care quality and the relevance of CQI for addressing this need. They challenge progressives to grapple with the profound contradictions by the CQI paradigm inviting a broader dialogue on CQI's meaning for improving the public's health.

Multifractality, efficiency analysis of Chinese stock market and its cross-correlation with WTI crude oil price

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhuang, Xiaoyang; Wei, Yu; Ma, Feng

2015-07-01

In this paper, the multifractality and efficiency degrees of ten important Chinese sectoral indices are evaluated using the methods of MF-DFA and generalized Hurst exponents. The study also scrutinizes the dynamics of the efficiency of Chinese sectoral stock market by the rolling window approach. The overall empirical findings revealed that all the sectoral indices of Chinese stock market exist different degrees of multifractality. The results of different efficiency measures have agreed on that the 300 Materials index is the least efficient index. However, they have a slight diffidence on the most efficient one. The 300 Information Technology, 300 Telecommunication Services and 300 Health Care indices are comparatively efficient. We also investigate the cross-correlations between the ten sectoral indices and WTI crude oil price based on Multifractal Detrended Cross-correlation Analysis. At last, some relevant discussions and implications of the empirical results are presented.

Measuring the influence of industry sector membership on supply chain disruption reporting.

PubMed

Alcantara, Patrick

2015-01-01

The global Supply Chain Resilience Survey by the Business Continuity Institute and Zurich Insurance is a comprehensive study on the state of supply chains in different organisations worldwide. As a benchmarking tool, it also contains data about business continuity arrangements in place to ensure supply chain resilience. Given this study's historically qualitative approach to reporting, this paper aims to introduce quantitative analysis. In this paper, responses that report membership in Standard Industrial Classification 2007 industry sectors from the 2013 Supply Chain Resilience Survey were disaggregated and related to supply chain disruption reporting. A chi-square test of independence reveals that membership in a particular industry sector influences reporting of supply chain disruption. Nonetheless, the relationship between these variables is weak. This study demonstrates interesting differences between industry sectors in terms of supply chain resilience. Further research is required in terms of other variables in order to provide granularity and relevant findings to supply chain planners.

Bridging a gap between continuum-QCD and ab initio predictions of hadron observables

DOE PAGES

Binosi, Daniele; Chang, Lei; Papavassiliou, Joannis; ...

2015-03-01

Within contemporary hadron physics there are two common methods for determining the momentum- dependence of the interaction between quarks: the top-down approach, which works toward an ab initiocomputation of the interaction via direct analysis of the gauge-sector gap equations; and the bottom-up scheme, which aims to infer the interaction by fitting data within a well-defined truncation of those equations in the matter sector that are relevant to bound-state properties. We unite these two approaches by demonstrating that the renormalisation-group-invariant running-interaction predicted by contemporary analyses of QCD’s gauge sector coincides with that required in order to describe ground-state hadron observables usingmore » a nonperturbative truncation of QCD’s Dyson–Schwinger equations in the matter sector. This bridges a gap that had lain between nonperturbative continuum-QCD and the ab initio prediction of bound-state properties.« less

How to improve collaboration between the public health sector and other policy sectors to reduce health inequalities? - A study in sixteen municipalities in the Netherlands.

PubMed

Storm, Ilse; den Hertog, Frank; van Oers, Hans; Schuit, Albertine J

2016-06-22

The causes of health inequalities are complex. For the reduction of health inequalities, intersectoral collaboration between the public health sector and both social policy sectors (e.g. youth affairs, education) and physical policy sectors (e.g. housing, spatial planning) is essential, but in local practice difficult to realize. The aim of this study was to examine the collaboration between the sectors in question more closely and to identify opportunities for improvement. A qualitative descriptive analysis of five aspects of collaboration within sixteen Dutch municipalities was performed to examine the collaboration between the public health sector and other policy sectors: 1) involvement of the sectors in the public health policy network, 2) harmonisation of objectives, 3) use of policies by the relevant sectors, 4) formalised collaboration, and 5) previous experience. Empirical data on these collaboration aspects were collected based on document analysis, questionnaires and interviews. The study found that the policy workers of social sectors were more involved in the public health network and more frequently supported the objectives in the field of health inequality reduction. Both social policy sectors and physical policy sectors used policies and activities to reduce health inequalities. More is done to influence the determinants of health inequality through policies aimed at lifestyle and social setting than through policies aimed at socioeconomic factors and the physical environment. Where the physical policy sectors are involved in the public health network, the collaboration follows a very similar pattern as with the social policy sectors. All sectors recognise the importance of good relationships, positive experiences, a common interest in working together and coordinated mechanisms. This study shows that there is scope for improving collaboration in the field of health inequality reduction between the public health sector and both social policy sectors and physical policy sectors. Ways in which improvement could be realised include involving physical policy sectors in the network, pursuing widely supported policy goals, making balanced efforts to influence determinants of health inequalities, and increasing the emphasis on a programmatic approach.

On the patterns and processes of wood in northern California streams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benda, Lee; Bigelow, Paul

2014-03-01

Forest management and stream habitat can be improved by clarifying the primary riparian and geomorphic controls on streams. To this end, we evaluated the recruitment, storage, transport, and the function of wood in 95 km of streams (most drainage areas < 30 km2) in northern California, crossing four coastal to inland regions with different histories of forest management (managed, less-managed, unmanaged). The dominant source of variability in stream wood storage and recruitment is driven by local variation in rates of bank erosion, forest mortality, and mass wasting. These processes are controlled by changes in watershed structure, including the location of canyons, floodplains and tributary confluences; types of geology and topography; and forest types and management history. Average wood storage volumes in coastal streams are 5 to 20 times greater than inland sites primarily from higher riparian forest biomass and growth rates (productivity), with some influence by longer residence time of wood in streams and more wood from landsliding and logging sources. Wood recruitment by mortality (windthrow, disease, senescence) was substantial across all sites (mean 50%) followed by bank erosion (43%) and more locally by mass wasting (7%). The distances to sources of stream wood are controlled by recruitment process and tree height. Ninety percent of wood recruitment occurs within 10 to 35 m of channels in managed and less-managed forests and upward of 50 m in unmanaged Sequoia and coast redwood forests. Local landsliding extends the source distance. The recruitment of large wood pieces that create jams (mean diameter 0.7 m) is primarily by bank erosion in managed forests and by mortality in unmanaged forests. Formation of pools by wood is more frequent in streams with low stream power, indicating the further relevance of environmental context and watershed structure. Forest management influences stream wood dynamics, where smaller trees in managed forests often generate shorter distances to sources of stream wood, lower stream wood storage, and smaller diameter stream wood. These findings can be used to improve riparian protection and inform spatially explicit riparian management.

Managerial competencies of hospital managers in South Africa: a survey of managers in the public and private sectors.

PubMed

Pillay, Rubin

2008-02-08

South Africa has large public and private sectors and there is a common perception that public sector hospitals are inefficient and ineffective while the privately owned and managed hospitals provide superior care and are more sustainable. The underlying assumption is that there is a potential gap in management capacity between the two sectors. This study aims to ascertain the skills and competency levels of hospital managers in South Africa and to determine whether there are any significant differences in competency levels between managers in the different sectors. A survey using a self administered questionnaire was conducted among hospital managers in South Africa. Respondents were asked to rate their proficiency with seven key functions that they perform. These included delivery of health care, planning, organizing, leading, controlling, legal and ethical, and self-management. Ratings were based on a five point Likert scale ranging from very low skill level to very high skill level. The results show that managers in the private sector perceived themselves to be significantly more competent than their public sector colleagues in most of the management facets. Public sector managers were also more likely than their private sector colleagues to report that they required further development and training. The findings confirm our supposition that there is a lack of management capacity within the public sector in South Africa and that there is a significant gap between private and public sectors. It provides evidence that there is a great need for further development of managers, especially those in the public sector. The onus is therefore on administrators and those responsible for management education and training to identify managers in need of development and to make available training that is contextually relevant in terms of design and delivery.

Sensitivity of health sector indicators' response to climate change in Ghana.

PubMed

Dovie, Delali B K; Dzodzomenyo, Mawuli; Ogunseitan, Oladele A

2017-01-01

There is accumulating evidence that the emerging burden of global climate change threatens the fidelity of routine indicators for disease detection and management of risks to public health. The threat partially reflects the conservative character of the health sector and the reluctance to adopt new indicators, despite the growing awareness that existing environmental health indicators were developed to respond to risks that may no longer be relevant, and are too simplistic to also act as indicators for newer global-scale risk factors. This study sought to understand the scope of existing health indicators, while aiming to discover new indicators for building resilience against three climate sensitive diseases (cerebro spinal meningitis, malaria and diarrhea). Therefore, new potential indicators derived from human and biophysical origins were developed to complement existing health indicators, thereby creating climate-sensitive battery of robust composite indices of resilience in health planning. Using Ghana's health sector as a case study systematic international literature review, national expert consultation, and focus group outcomes yielded insights into the relevance, sensitivity and impacts of 45 indicators in 11 categories in responding to climate change. In total, 65% of the indicators were sensitive to health impacts of climate change; 24% acted directly; 31% synergistically; and 45% indirectly, with indicator relevance strongly associated with type of health response. Epidemiological indicators (e.g. morbidity) and health demographic indicators (e.g. population structure) require adjustments with external indicators (e.g. biophysical, policy) to be resilient to climate change. Therefore, selective integration of social and ecological indicators with existing public health indicators improves the fidelity of the health sector to adopt more robust planning of interdependent systems to build resilience. The study highlights growing uncertainties in translating research into protective policies when new indicators associated with non-health sources are needed to complement existing health indicators that are expected to respond to climate change. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Development of Performance Dashboards in Healthcare Sector: Key Practical Issues

PubMed Central

Ghazisaeidi, Marjan; Safdari, Reza; Torabi, Mashallah; Mirzaee, Mahboobeh; Farzi, Jebraeil; Goodini, Azadeh

2015-01-01

Background: Static nature of performance reporting systems in health care sector has resulted in inconsistent, incomparable, time consuming, and static performance reports that are not able to transparently reflect a round picture of performance and effectively support healthcare managers’ decision makings. So, the healthcare sector needs interactive performance management tools such as performance dashboards to measure, monitor, and manage performance more effectively. The aim of this article was to identify key issues that need to be addressed for developing high-quality performance dashboards in healthcare sector. Methods: A literature review was established to search electronic research databases, e-journals collections, and printed journals, books, dissertations, and theses for relevant articles. The search strategy interchangeably used the terms of “dashboard”, “performance measurement system”, and “executive information system” with the term of “design” combined with operator “AND”. Search results (n=250) were adjusted for duplications, screened based on their abstract relevancy and full-text availability (n=147) and then assessed for eligibility (n=40). Eligible articles were included if they had explicitly focused on dashboards, performance measurement systems or executive information systems design. Finally, 28 relevant articles included in the study. Results: Creating high-quality performance dashboards requires addressing both performance measurement and executive information systems design issues. Covering these two fields, identified contents were categorized to four main domains: KPIs development, Data Sources and data generation, Integration of dashboards to source systems, and Information presentation issues. Conclusion: This study implies the main steps to develop dashboards for the purpose of performance management. Performance dashboards developed on performance measurement and executive information systems principles and supported by proper back-end infrastructure will result in creation of dynamic reports that help healthcare managers to consistently measure the performance, continuously detect outliers, deeply analyze causes of poor performance, and effectively plan for the future. PMID:26635442

Acoustic Streaming and Heat and Mass Transfer Enhancement

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Trinh, E. H.; Gopinath, A.

1996-01-01

A second order effect associated with high intensity sound field, acoustic streaming has been historically investigated to gain a fundamental understanding of its controlling mechanisms and to apply it to practical aspects of heat and mass transfer enhancement. The objectives of this new research project are to utilize a unique experimental technique implementing ultrasonic standing waves in closed cavities to study the details of the generation of the steady-state convective streaming flows and of their interaction with the boundary of ultrasonically levitated near-spherical solid objects. The goals are to further extend the existing theoretical studies of streaming flows and sample interactions to higher streaming Reynolds number values, for larger sample size relative to the wavelength, and for a Prandtl and Nusselt numbers parameter range characteristic of both gaseous and liquid host media. Experimental studies will be conducted in support to the theoretical developments, and the crucial impact of microgravity will be to allow the neglect of natural thermal buoyancy. The direct application to heat and mass transfer in the absence of gravity will be emphasized in order to investigate a space-based experiment, but both existing and novel ground-based scientific and technological relevance will also be pursued.

Occurrence and in-stream attenuation of wastewater-derived pharmaceuticals in Iberian rivers.

PubMed

Acuña, Vicenç; von Schiller, Daniel; García-Galán, Maria Jesús; Rodríguez-Mozaz, Sara; Corominas, Lluís; Petrovic, Mira; Poch, Manel; Barceló, Damià; Sabater, Sergi

2015-01-15

A multitude of pharmaceuticals enter surface waters via discharges of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), and many raise environmental and health concerns. Chemical fate models predict their concentrations using estimates of mass loading, dilution and in-stream attenuation. However, current comprehension of the attenuation rates remains a limiting factor for predictive models. We assessed in-stream attenuation of 75 pharmaceuticals in 4 river segments, aiming to characterize in-stream attenuation variability among different pharmaceutical compounds, as well as among river segments differing in environmental conditions. Our study revealed that in-stream attenuation was highly variable among pharmaceuticals and river segments and that none of the considered pharmaceutical physicochemical and molecular properties proved to be relevant in determining the mean attenuation rates. Instead, the octanol-water partition coefficient (Kow) influenced the variability of rates among river segments, likely due to its effect on sorption to sediments and suspended particles, and therefore influencing the balance between the different attenuation mechanisms (biotransformation, photolysis, sorption, and volatilization). The magnitude of the measured attenuation rates urges scientists to consider them as important as dilution when aiming to predict concentrations in freshwater ecosystems. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Hydrological landscape analysis based on digital elevation data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seibert, J.; McGlynn, B.; Grabs, T.; Jensco, K.

2008-12-01

Topography is a major factor controlling both hydrological and soil processes at the landscape scale. While this is well-accepted qualitatively, quantifying relationships between topography and spatial variations of hydrologically relevant variables at the landscape scale still remains a challenging research topic. In this presentation, we describe hydrological landscape analysis HLA) as a way to derive relevant topographic indicies to describe the spatial variations of hydrological variables at the landscape scale. We demonstrate our HLA approach with four high-resolution digital elevation models (DEMs) from Sweden, Switzerland and Montana (USA). To investigate scale effects HLA metrics, we compared DEMs of different resolutions. These LiDAR-derived DEMs of 3m, 10m, and 30m, resolution represent catchments of ~ 5 km2 ranging from low to high relief. A central feature of HLA is the flowpath-based analysis of topography and the separation of hillslopes, riparian areas, and the stream network. We included the following metrics: riparian area delineation, riparian buffer potential, separation of stream inflows into right and left bank components, travel time proxies based on flowpath distances and gradients to the channel, and as a hydrologic similarity to the hypsometric curve we suggest the distribution of elevations above the stream network (computed based on the location where a certain flow pathway enters the stream). Several of these indices depended clearly on DEM resolution, whereas this effect was minor for others. While the hypsometric curves all were S-shaped the 'hillslope-hypsometric curves' had the shape of a power function with exponents less than 1. In a similar way we separated flow pathway lengths and gradients between hillslopes and streams and compared a topographic travel time proxy, which was based on the integration of gradients along the flow pathways. Besides the comparison of HLA-metrics for different catchments and DEM resolutions we present examples from experimental catchments to illustrate how these metrics can be used to describe catchment scale hydrological processes and provide context for plot scale observations.

Heavy metal contamination in an urban stream fed by contaminated air-conditioning and stormwater discharges.

PubMed

O'Sullivan, Aisling; Wicke, Daniel; Cochrane, Tom

2012-03-01

Urban waterways are impacted by diffuse stormwater runoff, yet other discharges can unintentionally contaminate them. The Okeover stream in Christchurch, New Zealand, receives air-conditioning discharge, while its ephemeral reach relies on untreated stormwater flow. Despite rehabilitation efforts, the ecosystem is still highly disturbed. It was assumed that stormwater was the sole contamination source to the stream although water quality data were sparse. We therefore investigated its water and sediment quality and compared the data with appropriate ecotoxicological thresholds from all water sources. Concentrations of metals (Zn, Cu and Pb) in stream baseflow, stormwater runoff, air-conditioning discharge and stream-bed sediments were quantified along with flow regimes to ascertain annual contaminant loads. Metals were analysed by ICP-MS following accredited techniques. Zn, Cu and Pb concentrations from stormflow exceeded relevant guidelines for the protection of 90% of aquatic species by 18-, 9- and 5-fold, respectively, suggesting substantial ecotoxicity potential. Sporadic copper (Cu) inputs from roof runoff exceeded these levels up to 3,200-fold at >4,000 μg L⁻¹ while Cu in baseflow from air-conditioning inputs exceeded them 5.4-fold. There was an 11-fold greater annual Cu load to the stream from air-conditioning discharge compared to stormwater runoff. Most Zn and Cu were dissolved species possibly enhancing metal bioavailability. Elevated metal concentrations were also found throughout the stream sediments. Environmental investigations revealed unsuspected contamination from air-conditioning discharge that contributed greater Cu annual loads to an urban stream compared to stormwater inputs. This discovery helped reassess treatment strategies for regaining ecological integrity in the ecosystem.

Lieve Laurens, Ph.D. | NREL

Science.gov Websites

Research Interests Dynamic biochemical composition of bioenergy-relevant biomass Coproduct development from lipid streams. Lieve Laurens's research interests in this realm are primarily focused on analytical selective, quantitative tradeoffs in biochemical composition of three strains of algae, grown in distinct

Part 1: Laboratory Culture of Centroptilum triangulifer (Ephemeroptera: BAETIDAE) Using a Standardized Diet of Three Diatoms.

EPA Science Inventory

Development of methods for assessing exposure and effects of waterborne toxicants on stream invertebrate species is important to elucidate environmentally relevant information. United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) laboratory protocols for invertebrate toxicity te...

INDICATORS OF GENETIC DAMAGE IN MODEL STREAM FISH USING CONTROLLED LABORATORY EXPOSURES

EPA Science Inventory

The micronucleus (MN) and single cell gel electrophoresis (SCG) assays are being applied to peripheral blood cells from several fish species using model genotoxicants and envirornmentally relevant pollutants. In initial studies, bluegill sunfish (Lepomis macrochirus, 4 to 5 per ...

Impacts of acidification on macroinvertebrate communities in streams of the western Adirondack Mountains, New York, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Baldigo, Barry P.; Lawrence, G.B.; Bode, R.W.; Simonin, H.A.; Roy, K.M.; Smith, A.J.

2009-01-01

Limited stream chemistry and macroinvertebrate data indicate that acidic deposition has adversely affected benthic macroinvertebrate assemblages in numerous headwater streams of the western Adirondack Mountains of New York. No studies, however, have quantified the effects that acidic deposition and acidification may have had on resident fish and macroinvertebrate communities in streams of the region. As part of the Western Adirondack Stream Survey, water chemistry from 200 streams was sampled five times and macroinvertebrate communities were surveyed once from a subset of 36 streams in the Oswegatchie and Black River Basins during 2003-2005 and evaluated to: (a) document the effects that chronic and episodic acidification have on macroinvertebrate communities across the region, (b) define the relations between acidification and the health of affected species assemblages, and (c) assess indicators and thresholds of biological effects. Concentrations of inorganic Al in 66% of the 200 streams periodically reached concentrations toxic to acid-tolerant biota. A new acid biological assessment profile (acidBAP) index for macroinvertebrates, derived from percent mayfly richness and percent acid-tolerant taxa, was strongly correlated (R2 values range from 0.58 to 0.76) with concentrations of inorganic Al, pH, ANC, and base cation surplus (BCS). The BCS and acidBAP index helped remove confounding influences of natural organic acidity and to redefine acidification-effect thresholds and biological-impact categories. AcidBAP scores indicated that macroinvertebrate communities were moderately or severely impacted by acidification in 44-56% of 36 study streams, however, additional data from randomly selected streams is needed to accurately estimate the true percentage of streams in which macroinvertebrate communities are adversely affected in this, or other, regions. As biologically relevant measures of impacts caused by acidification, both BCS and acidBAP may be useful indicators of ecosystem effects and potential recovery at the local and regional scale.

Relative Linkages of Stream Dissolved Oxygen with the Climatic, Hydrological, and Biogeochemical Drivers across the East Coast of U.S.A.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdul-Aziz, O. I.; Ahmed, S.

2017-12-01

Dissolved oxygen (DO) is a key indicator of stream water quality and ecosystem health. However, the temporal dynamics of stream DO is controlled by a multitude of interacting environmental drivers. The relative linkages of stream DO with the relevant environmental drivers were determined in this study across the U.S. East Coast by employing a systematic data analytics approach. The study analyzed temporal data for 51 water quality monitoring stations from USGS NWIS and EPA STORET databases. Principal component analysis and factor analysis, along with Pearson's correlation analysis, were applied to identify the interrelationships and unravel latent patterns among DO and the environmental drivers. Power law based partial least squares regression models with a bootstarp Monte-Carlo procedure (1000 iterations) were developed to reliably estimate the environmental linkages of DO by resolving multicollinearity. Based on the similarity of dominant drivers, the streams were categorized into three distinct environmental regimes. Stream DO in the northern part of temperate zone (e.g., northeast coast) had the strongest linkage with water temperature; suggesting an environmental regime with dominant climatic control. However, stream DO in the tropical zones (e.g., southeast Florida) was mostly driven by pH; indicating an environmental regime likely controlled by redox chemistry. Further, a transitional regime was found between the temperate and tropical zones, where stream DO was controlled by both water temperature and pH. The results suggested a strong effect of the climatic gradient (temperate to tropical) on stream DO along the East Coast. The identified environmental regimes and the regime-specific relative linkages provided new information on the dominant controls of coastal stream water quality dynamics. The findings would guide the planning and management of coastal stream water quality and ecosystem health across the U.S. East Coast and around the world.

Inferring watershed hydraulics and cold-water habitat persistence using multi-year air and stream temperature signals.

PubMed

Briggs, Martin A; Johnson, Zachary C; Snyder, Craig D; Hitt, Nathaniel P; Kurylyk, Barret L; Lautz, Laura; Irvine, Dylan J; Hurley, Stephen T; Lane, John W

2018-09-15

Streams strongly influenced by groundwater discharge may serve as "climate refugia" for sensitive species in regions of increasingly marginal thermal conditions. The main goal of this study is to develop paired air and stream water annual temperature signal analysis techniques to elucidate the relative groundwater contribution to stream water and the effective groundwater flowpath depth. Groundwater discharge to streams attenuates surface water temperature signals, and this attenuation can be diagnostic of groundwater gaining systems. Additionally, discharge from shallow groundwater flowpaths can theoretically transfer lagged annual temperature signals from aquifer to stream water. Here we explore this concept using multi-year temperature records from 120 stream sites located across 18 mountain watersheds of Shenandoah National Park, VA, USA and a coastal watershed in Massachusetts, USA. Both areas constitute important cold-water habitat for native brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis). Observed annual temperature signals indicate a dominance of shallow groundwater discharge to streams in the National Park, in contrast to the coastal watershed that has strong, apparently deeper, groundwater influence. The average phase lag from air to stream signals in Shenandoah National Park is 11 d; however, extended lags of approximately 1 month were observed in a subset of streams. In contrast, the coastal stream has pronounced attenuation of annual temperature signals without notable phase lag. To better understand these observed differences in signal characteristics, analytical and numerical models are used to quantify mixing of the annual temperature signals of surface and groundwater. Simulations using a total heat budget numerical model indicate groundwater-induced annual temperature signal phase lags are likely to show greater downstream propagation than the related signal amplitude attenuation. The measurement of multi-seasonal paired air and water temperatures offers great promise toward understanding catchment processes and informing current cold-water habitat management at ecologically-relevant scales. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Interaction dynamics: The case of the water sector skills plan in South Africa.

PubMed

Moyo, Laurane; Wehn, Uta

2017-02-01

Despite extensive and continuous efforts to strengthen the capacity of people, organizations and institutions, there is evidence of an increasing gap between the existing and required capacities within the water sector. Consensus seems to be emerging regarding the need for national strategies to improve water sector capacity development. This paper analyses the dynamics of actors' interactions and their characteristics (motivation, cognition and power) during the formulation and implementation of a specific capacity development strategy, namely the Water Sector Skills Plan (SSP) in South Africa. Based on the Contextual Interactive Theory and empirical findings, our analysis indicates slow progression and challenges with implementing the SSP, mainly due to the lack of consultation with key stakeholders during the formulation stage, a lack of data sharing among the target group (the Sector Education Training Authorities), and a lack of capacities within the key implementing organizations. These policy dynamics need to be taken into account when advocating for national capacity development strategies as a solution for challenges with water sector capacity development. The paper proposes the recommendations that are of relevance for the SSP as well as similar initiatives in other countries. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Biofuels and Bioproducts from Wet and Gaseous Waste Streams: Challenges and Opportunities

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

None, None

This report draws together activities related to wet and gaseous waste feedstocks into a single document. It enables an amplified focus on feedstocks in the relevant technology and potential markets category. Also, this report helps to inform and support ongoing wet and gaseous resource recovery activities in the Bioenergy Technologies Office (BETO) and in the broader federal space. Historically, the office has identified wet and gaseous waste feedstocks as potentially advantageous, but has not pursued them with a sustained focus. This document seeks to position these waste streams appropriately alongside more traditional feedstocks in BETO efforts.

Environmental Assessment for the Construction and Operation of a Battalion Headquarters for the U.S. Army Priority Air Transport at Joint Base Andrews-Naval Air Facility Washington, Prince George’s County, Maryland

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-12-01

counts for gate accessible off-base roadways..........................3-10 Table 3-9 Labor force and unemployment ...association with steep stream banks . JBA sits on a plateau between the Anacostia River and the Patuxent River. Surface elevations at JBA range from...storm sewer lines cause isolated ponding during low-intensity rainfalls (URS 2012). The base operates under two general NPDES permits: (1) Multi- Sector

Interpretation of the electric fields measured in an ionospheric critical ionization velocity experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brenning, N.; Faelthammar, C.-G.; Marklund, G.; Haerendel, G.; Kelley, M. C.; Pfaff, R.

1991-01-01

The quasi-dc electric fields measured in the CRIT I ionospheric release experiment are studied. In the experiment, two identical barium shaped charges were fired toward a main payload, and three-dimensional measurements of the electric field inside the streams were made. The relevance of proposed mechanisms for electron heating in the critical ionization velocity (CIV) mechanism is addressed. It is concluded that both the 'homogeneous' and the 'ionizing front' models probably are valid, but in different parts of the streams. It is also possible that electrons are directly accelerated by a magnetic field-aligned component of the electric field. The coupling between the ambient ionosphere and the ionized barium stream is more complicated that is usually assumed in CIV theories, with strong magnetic-field-aligned electric fields and probably current limitation as important processes.

StreamSqueeze: a dynamic stream visualization for monitoring of event data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mansmann, Florian; Krstajic, Milos; Fischer, Fabian; Bertini, Enrico

2012-01-01

While in clear-cut situations automated analytical solution for data streams are already in place, only few visual approaches have been proposed in the literature for exploratory analysis tasks on dynamic information. However, due to the competitive or security-related advantages that real-time information gives in domains such as finance, business or networking, we are convinced that there is a need for exploratory visualization tools for data streams. Under the conditions that new events have higher relevance and that smooth transitions enable traceability of items, we propose a novel dynamic stream visualization called StreamSqueeze. In this technique the degree of interest of recent items is expressed through an increase in size and thus recent events can be shown with more details. The technique has two main benefits: First, the layout algorithm arranges items in several lists of various sizes and optimizes the positions within each list so that the transition of an item from one list to the other triggers least visual changes. Second, the animation scheme ensures that for 50 percent of the time an item has a static screen position where reading is most effective and then continuously shrinks and moves to the its next static position in the subsequent list. To demonstrate the capability of our technique, we apply it to large and high-frequency news and syslog streams and show how it maintains optimal stability of the layout under the conditions given above.

Modeling fecal contamination in the Aljezur coastal stream (Portugal)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodrigues, Marta; Oliveira, Anabela; Guerreiro, Martha; Fortunato, André Bustorff; Menaia, José; David, Luís Mesquita; Cravo, Alexandra

2011-06-01

This study aims at understanding the fecal contamination behavior in a small coastal stream (Aljezur, Portugal), which has significant economic and ecological values. Like in most small coastal systems, circulation and water renewal in the Aljezur stream exhibit a strong variability due to their dependence on tides, waves, intermittent river flows, and a highly variable morphology. Hence, the problem was approached through a combination of field surveys and the development and application of a hard-coupled three-dimensional hydrodynamic and fecal contamination model. Salinity and temperature results have shown that mixing and transport in the stream are very sensitive to the river flow and wind forcing. The model is able to represent the main patterns and trends observed in Escherichia coli and fecal enterococcus concentrations along the stream, for different environmental and contamination conditions, suggesting die-off rates on the order of 0.50-0.55 day-1. Die-off rate and the representation of the sediment-associated processes were identified as the major remaining sources of uncertainty in the model. Results show that, owing to the processes that occur along the stream, fecal bacteria reach the beaches water in numbers that comply with the European Bathing Waters Directive, even during the summer periods when the upstream concentrations are larger. In particular, results suggest a direct relation between the tidal propagation upstream and the reduction of the fecal bacteria concentrations along the stream that can be relevant for the development of a strategy for the management of the system's water safety.

Rate and style of ice stream retreat constrained by new surface-exposure ages: The Minch, NW Scotland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bradwell, Tom; Small, David; Fabel, Derek; Dove, Dayton; Cofaigh, Colm O.; Clark, Chris; Consortium, Britice-Chrono

2016-04-01

Chronologically constrained studies of former ice-sheet extents and dynamics are important for understanding past cryospheric responses and modelling future ice-sheet and sea-level change. As part of the BRITICE-CHRONO project, we present new geomorphological and chronological data from a marine-terminating ice stream system in NW Europe that operated during the Late Weichselian Glaciation. A suite of 51 cosmogenic-nuclide exposure ages from ice sheet moraines and glacially transported boulders constrain the maximum extent of the ice sheet on the continental shelf (~28 ka BP) and its subsequent retreat, between ~27 and 16 ka BP, into a large marine embayment (ca. 7000 km2; the Minch, NW Scotland). Recently acquired swath bathymetry and acoustic sub-bottom profiler data reveal several large transverse grounding-zone wedges up to 40 m thick and 5 km wide with diagnostic acoustic-facies architecture. These seabed sediment wedges mark former quasi-stable positions of grounded marine-terminating ice-stream fronts; their size and thickness suggest long-lived stillstands of the order of centuries. Statistically significant clusters of exposure ages from glacial deposits on islands and intervening headlands shed important new light on the age of these marine grounding-zone wedges and, by inference, the rate and timing of Minch palaeo-ice stream retreat. We find strong evidence for episodic ice stream retreat on the continental shelf between ~28-24 ka BP, in the outer Minch between ~24-22 ka BP, and in the central Minch between 22-18.5 ka BP. In contrast, final ice stream deglaciation (<18 ka) across the deepest parts of the inner Minch embayment, was probably rapid and uninterrupted - with the ice sheet margin at or close to the present-day coastline in NW Scotland by 16.1 ka BP. It is hoped that these results will form the empirical basis for future ice-sheet modelling of this dynamically sensitive sector of the British-Irish Ice Sheet.

Overview of the Implementation of the Climate Data Initiative

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tilmes, C.; Goodman, H. M.; Privette, A. P.

2014-12-01

One of the efforts described in the President's Climate Action Plan is the Climate Data Initiative, a broad effort to leverage the federal government's extensive, freely-available climate-relevant data resources data to spur innovation and private-sector entrepreneurship in order to advance awareness of and preparedness for the impacts of climate change. The Climate Data Initiative, launched in March 2014, leverages commitments from government and the private sector to unleash data and make it accessible in ways that can be used by communities and companies to prepare for climate change. It builds on the White House's other Open Data Initiatives—in areas such as health, education, and safety. The Climate Data Initiative unleashes federal data relevant to addressing climate-related risks and vulnerabilities through the Climate.Data.gov web site. This talk will describe the Climate Data Initiative and its support and interactions with the Climate Resilience Toolkit.

[Health effects of occupational endotoxin exposure: a review and relevance to veterinary practice].

PubMed

Smit, Lidwien A M; Wouters, Inge M; Heederik, Dick; Douwes, Jeroen

2009-10-15

Endotoxins are cell-wall components of Gram-negative bacteria that are commonly present in plants and plant products and in faecal matter. This review presents an overview of endotoxin exposure levels, associated health effects, and relevance regarding veterinary practice. Exposure to airborne endotoxin is especially high in the agricultural sector and among veterinarians, and in particular among those working with horses or farm animals. Inhalation of endotoxins may cause acute airway inflammation and respiratory symptoms that can lead to (non-allergic) asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in individuals with prolonged exposure to high levels of endotoxins. Interestingly, recent studies have shown that individuals exposed to high levels of endotoxin also have a lower risk of allergic conditions such as hay fever. Although endotoxin may protect against allergies, it is essential to reduce exposure levels in the agricultural sector in order to prevent workers from developing chronic non-allergic respiratory disorders.

Multi-sectoral action for child safety-a European study exploring implicated sectors.

PubMed

Scholtes, Beatrice; Schröder-Bäck, Peter; Förster, Katharina; MacKay, Morag; Vincenten, Joanne; Brand, Helmut

2017-06-01

Injury to children in Europe, resulting in both death and disability, constitutes a significant burden on individuals, families and society. Inequalities between high and low-income countries are growing. The World Health Organisation Health 2020 strategy calls for inter-sectoral collaboration to address injury in Europe and advocates the whole of government and whole of society approaches to wicked problems. In this study we explore which sectors (e.g. health, transport, education) are relevant for four domains of child safety (intentional injury, water, road and home safety). We used the organigraph methodology, originally developed to demonstrate how organizations work, to describe the governance of child safety interventions. Members of the European Child Safety Alliance, working in the field of child safety in 24 European countries, drew organigraphs of evidence-based interventions. They included the different actors involved and the processes between them. We analyzed the organigraphs by counting the actors presented and categorizing them into sectors using a pre-defined analysis framework. We received 44 organigraphs from participants in 24 countries. Twenty-seven sectors were identified across the four domains. Nine of the 27 identified sectors were classified as 'core sectors' (education, health, home affairs, justice, media, recreation, research, social/welfare services and consumers). This study reveals the multi-sectoral nature of child safety in practice. It provides information for stakeholders working in child safety to help them implement inter-sectoral child safety interventions taking a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach to health governance. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the European Public Health Association. All rights reserved.

Detection and Interpretation of Low-Level and High-Level Surprising and Important Events in Large-Scale Data Streams

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-06-28

Likewise, we have developed a new general theory of relevance that quanti - fies how new data observations may or not affect an observer’s beliefs about how...which suggests that relevance is not an inherent attribute but rather is dependent on the knowledge or beliefs of the subject evaluating the...subjects. This allowed us to evaluate the accuracy of each person as the number of image pairs for which they selected the majority image. The average

'Going private': a qualitative comparison of medical specialists' job satisfaction in the public and private sectors of South Africa.

PubMed

Ashmore, John

2013-01-03

There is a highly inequitable distribution of health workers between public and private sectors in South Africa, partly due to within-country migration trends. This article elaborates what South African medical specialists find satisfying about working in the public and private sectors, at present, and how to better incentivize retention in the public sector. Seventy-four qualitative interviews were conducted - among specialists and key informants - based in one public and one private urban hospital in South Africa. Interviews were coded to determine common job satisfaction factors, both financial and non-financial in nature. This served as background to a broader study on the impacts of specialist 'dual practice', that is, moonlighting. All qualitative specialist respondents were engaged in dual practice, generally working in both public and private sectors. Respondents were thus able to compare what was satisfying about these sectors, having experience of both. Results demonstrate that although there are strong financial incentives for specialists to migrate from the public to the private sector, public work can be attractive in some ways. For example, the public hospital sector generally provides more of a team environment, more academic opportunities, and greater opportunities to feel 'needed' and 'relevant'. However, public specialists suffer under poor resource availability, lack of trust for the Department of Health, and poor perceived career opportunities. These non-financial issues of public sector dissatisfaction appeared just as important, if not more important, than wage disparities. The results are useful for understanding both what brings specialists to migrate to the private sector, and what keeps some working in the public sector. Policy recommendations center around boosting public sector resources and building trust of the public sector through including health workers more in decision-making, inter alia. These interventions may be more cost-effective for retention than wage increases, and imply that it is not necessarily just a matter of putting more money into the public sector to increase retention.

Comparative sensitivity of centroptilum triangulifer, ceriodaphnia dubia and daphnia magna to standard salt and copper reference toxicants

EPA Science Inventory

Development of methods for assessing exposure and effects of produced waters from energy and mineral resource extraction operations on stream invertebrate species is important in order to elucidate environmentally relevant information. Centroptilum triangulifer is a parthenogene...

Experimentally Isolating the Contributions of a Disturbed Ephemeral Drainage to a Headwater Stream in the Southern Appalachians

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gannon, J. P.; Lord, M.; Kinner, D. A.

2015-12-01

A growing body of evidence suggests contributions to runoff from ephemeral channels during events can exhibit significant control over water quality in higher order streams. Furthermore, field observations from a steep Appalachian catchment influenced by human activity suggest these disturbed ephemeral drainages exhibit significant control over turbidity, water temperature, and conductivity levels downstream. High turbidity during stormflow is a water quality problem in many areas of the Southern Appalachians. However, upland ephemeral channels are not included in the jurisdiction of the Clean Water Act. This offers little recourse if their contributions degrade the water quality of larger-scale streams and highlights the need for robust evidence of the potential impacts of ephemeral drainages. The aim of this research is to isolate the contribution of a disturbed ephemeral drainage by diverting its flow from the study stream network. Spatially and temporally distributed stream water samples taken during storms, when the channel is diverted or allowed to flow normally, will allow us to assess its contribution. In this poster, we present initial spatial and temporal streamwater chemistry and turbidity data as well as a detailed description of the stream network, study design, and diversion construction. We anticipate the findings of this study will be relevant to describing the environmental impact of disturbed ephemeral channels and to describing their potential influence on other water chemistry parameters downstream.

Constraints on the Lee-Wick Higgs sector

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

Carone, Christopher D.; Primulando, Reinard

2009-09-01

Lee-Wick partners to the standard model Higgs doublet may appear at a mass scale that is significantly lower than that of the remaining Lee-Wick partner states. The relevant effective theory is a two-Higgs doublet model in which one doublet has wrong-sign kinetic and mass terms. We determine bounds on this effective theory, including those from neutral B-meson mixing, b{yields}X{sub s}{gamma}, and Z{yields}bb. The results differ from those of conventional two-Higgs doublet models and lead to meaningful constraints on the Lee-Wick Higgs sector.

13 CFR 301.8 - Application evaluation criteria.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... private sector investment resulting from an Investment. (b) Has strong organizational leadership. An Investment will have strong leadership, relevant Project management experience and a significant commitment... Regional industry clusters and leverage and link technology innovators and local universities to the...

Adaptation to hydrological extremes through insurance: a financial fund simulation model under changing scenarios

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guzman, Diego; Mohor, Guilherme; Câmara, Clarissa; Mendiondo, Eduardo

2017-04-01

Researches from around the world relate global environmental changes with the increase of vulnerability to extreme events, such as heavy and scarce precipitations - floods and droughts. Hydrological disasters have caused increasing losses in recent years. Thus, risk transfer mechanisms, such as insurance, are being implemented to mitigate impacts, finance the recovery of the affected population, and promote the reduction of hydrological risks. However, among the main problems in implementing these strategies, there are: First, the partial knowledge of natural and anthropogenic climate change in terms of intensity and frequency; Second, the efficient risk reduction policies require accurate risk assessment, with careful consideration of costs; Third, the uncertainty associated with numerical models and input data used. The objective of this document is to introduce and discuss the feasibility of the application of Hydrological Risk Transfer Models (HRTMs) as a strategy of adaptation to global climate change. The article shows the development of a methodology for the collective and multi-sectoral vulnerability management, facing the hydrological risk in the long term, under an insurance funds simulator. The methodology estimates the optimized premium as a function of willingness to pay (WTP) and the potential direct loss derived from hydrological risk. The proposed methodology structures the watershed insurance scheme in three analysis modules. First, the hazard module, which characterizes the hydrologic threat from the recorded series input or modelled series under IPCC / RCM's generated scenarios. Second, the vulnerability module calculates the potential economic loss for each sector1 evaluated as a function of the return period "TR". Finally, the finance module determines the value of the optimal aggregate premium by evaluating equiprobable scenarios of water vulnerability; taking into account variables such as the maximum limit of coverage, deductible, reinsurance schemes, and incentives for risk reduction. The methodology tested by members of the Integrated Nucleus of River Basins (NIBH) (University of Sao Paulo (USP) School of Engineering of São Carlos (EESC) - Brazil) presents an alternative to the analysis and planning of insurance funds, aiming to mitigate the impacts of hydrological droughts and stream flash floods. The presented procedure is especially important when information relevant to studies and the development and implementation of insurance funds are difficult to access and of complex evaluation. A sequence of academic applications has been made in Brazil under the South American context, where the market of hydrological insurance has a low penetration compared to developed economies and insurance markets more established as the United States and Europe, producing relevant information and demonstrating the potential of the methodology in development.

Differences in the sensitivity of fungi and bacteria to season and invertebrates affect leaf litter decomposition in a Mediterranean stream.

PubMed

Mora-Gómez, Juanita; Elosegi, Arturo; Duarte, Sofia; Cássio, Fernanda; Pascoal, Cláudia; Romaní, Anna M

2016-08-01

Microorganisms are key drivers of leaf litter decomposition; however, the mechanisms underlying the dynamics of different microbial groups are poorly understood. We investigated the effects of seasonal variation and invertebrates on fungal and bacterial dynamics, and on leaf litter decomposition. We followed the decomposition of Populus nigra litter in a Mediterranean stream through an annual cycle, using fine and coarse mesh bags. Irrespective of the season, microbial decomposition followed two stages. Initially, bacterial contribution to total microbial biomass was higher compared to later stages, and it was related to disaccharide and lignin degradation; in a later stage, bacteria were less important and were associated with hemicellulose and cellulose degradation, while fungi were related to lignin decomposition. The relevance of microbial groups in decomposition differed among seasons: fungi were more important in spring, whereas in summer, water quality changes seemed to favour bacteria and slowed down lignin and hemicellulose degradation. Invertebrates influenced litter-associated microbial assemblages (especially bacteria), stimulated enzyme efficiencies and reduced fungal biomass. We conclude that bacterial and fungal assemblages play distinctive roles in microbial decomposition and differ in their sensitivity to environmental changes, ultimately affecting litter decomposition, which might be particularly relevant in highly seasonal ecosystems, such as intermittent streams. © FEMS 2016. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

An overview of waste crime, its characteristics, and the vulnerability of the EU waste sector.

PubMed

Baird, J; Curry, R; Cruz, P

2014-02-01

While waste is increasingly viewed as a resource to be globally traded, increased regulatory control on waste across Europe has created the conditions where waste crime now operates alongside a legitimate waste sector. Waste crime,is an environmental crime and a form of white-collar crime, which exploits the physical characteristics of waste, the complexity of the collection and downstream infrastructure, and the market opportunities for profit. This paper highlights some of the factors which make the waste sector vulnerable to waste crime. These factors include new legislation and its weak regulatory enforcement, the economics of waste treatment, where legal and safe treatment of waste can be more expensive than illegal operations, the complexity of the waste sector and the different actors who can have some involvement, directly or indirectly, in the movement of illegal wastes, and finally that waste can be hidden or disguised and creates an opportunity for illegal businesses to operate alongside legitimate waste operators. The study also considers waste crime from the perspective of particular waste streams that are often associated with illegal shipment or through illegal treatment and disposal. For each, the nature of the crime which occurs is shown to differ, but for each, vulnerabilities to waste crime are evident. The paper also describes some approaches which can be adopted by regulators and those involved in developing new legislation for identifying where opportunities for waste crime occurs and how to prevent it.

English Teachers' Journal (Israel), No. 26.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ministry of Education and Culture, Jerusalem (Israel). English Inspectorate.

The following articles on teaching English as a second language appear in this issue: (1) "Information for English Teachers" (on testing, literature, teaching reading skills, English in the weakest streams, and new publications); (2) "Relevant Issues in Contemporary Humanism--R.I.C.H.," by O. Zohar; (3) "Matriculation…

Reconciling records of ice streaming and ice margin retreat to produce a palaeogeographic reconstruction of the deglaciation of the Laurentide Ice Sheet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Margold, Martin; Stokes, Chris R.; Clark, Chris D.

2018-06-01

This paper reconstructs the deglaciation of the Laurentide Ice Sheet (LIS; including the Innuitian Ice Sheet) from the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), with a particular focus on the spatial and temporal variations in ice streaming and the associated changes in flow patterns and ice divides. We build on a recent inventory of Laurentide ice streams and use an existing ice margin chronology to produce the first detailed transient reconstruction of the ice stream drainage network in the LIS, which we depict in a series of palaeogeographic maps. Results show that the drainage network at the LGM was similar to modern-day Antarctica. The majority of the ice streams were marine terminating and topographically-controlled and many of these continued to function late into the deglaciation, until the ice sheet lost its marine margin. Ice streams with a terrestrial ice margin in the west and south were more transient and ice flow directions changed with the build-up, peak-phase and collapse of the Cordilleran-Laurentide ice saddle. The south-eastern marine margin in Atlantic Canada started to retreat relatively early and some of the ice streams in this region switched off at or shortly after the LGM. In contrast, the ice streams draining towards the north-western and north-eastern marine margins in the Beaufort Sea and in Baffin Bay appear to have remained stable throughout most of the Late Glacial, and some of them continued to function until after the Younger Dryas (YD). The YD influenced the dynamics of the deglaciation, but there remains uncertainty about the response of the ice sheet in several sectors. We tentatively ascribe the switching-on of some major ice streams during this period (e.g. M'Clintock Channel Ice Stream at the north-west margin), but for other large ice streams whose timing partially overlaps with the YD, the drivers are less clear and ice-dynamical processes, rather than effects of climate and surface mass balance are viewed as more likely drivers. Retreat rates markedly increased after the YD and the ice sheet became limited to the Canadian Shield. This hard-bed substrate brought a change in the character of ice streaming, which became less frequent but generated much broader terrestrial ice streams. The final collapse of the ice sheet saw a series of small ephemeral ice streams that resulted from the rapidly changing ice sheet geometry in and around Hudson Bay. Our reconstruction indicates that the LIS underwent a transition from a topographically-controlled ice drainage network at the LGM to an ice drainage network characterised by less frequent, broad ice streams during the later stages of deglaciation. These deglacial ice streams are mostly interpreted as a reaction to localised ice-dynamical forcing (flotation and calving of the ice front in glacial lakes and transgressing sea; basal de-coupling due to large amount of meltwater reaching the bed, debuttressing due to rapid changes in ice sheet geometry) rather than as conveyors of excess mass from the accumulation area of the ice sheet. At an ice sheet scale, the ice stream drainage network became less widespread and less efficient with the decreasing size of the deglaciating ice sheet, the final elimination of which was mostly driven by surface melt.

The globular cluster NGC 7492 and the Sagittarius tidal stream: together but unmixed

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carballo-Bello, J. A.; Corral-Santana, J. M.; Catelan, M.; Martínez-Delgado, D.; Muñoz, R. R.; Sollima, A.; Navarrete, C.; Duffau, S.; Côté, P.; Mora, M. D.

2018-03-01

We have derived from VIMOS spectroscopy the radial velocities for a sample of 71 stars selected from CFHT/Megacam photometry around the Galactic globular cluster NGC 7492. In the resulting velocity distribution, it is possible to distinguish two relevant non-Galactic kinematic components along the same line of sight: a group of stars at 〈vr〉 ˜ 125 km s-1 which is compatible with the velocity of the old leading arm of the Sagittarius tidal stream, and a larger number of objects at 〈vr〉 ˜ -110 km s-1 that might be identified as members of the trailing wrap of the same stream. The systemic velocity of NGC 7492 set at vr ˜ -177 km s-1 differs significantly from that of both components, thus our results confirm that this cluster is not one of the globular clusters deposited by the Sagittarius dwarf spheroidal in the Galactic halo, even if it is immersed in the stream. A group of stars with 〈vr〉 ˜ - 180 km s-1 might be comprised of cluster members along one of the tidal tails of NGC 7492.

Side Streams of Plant Food Processing As a Source of Valuable Compounds: Selected Examples.

PubMed

Schieber, Andreas

2017-02-28

Industrial processing of plant-derived raw materials generates enormous amounts of by-products. On one hand, these by-products constitute a serious disposal issue because they often emerge seasonally and are prone to microbial decay. On the other hand, they are an abundant source of valuable compounds, in particular secondary plant metabolites and cell wall materials, which may be recovered and used to functionalize foods and replace synthetic additives with ingredients of natural origin. This review covers 150 references and presents select studies performed between 2001 and 2016 on the recovery, characterization, and application of valuable constituents from grape pomace, apple pomace, potato peels, tomato pomace, carrot pomace, onion peels, by-products of citrus, mango, banana, and pineapple processing, side streams of olive oil production, and cereal by-products. The criteria used were economic importance, amounts generated, relevance of side streams as a source of valuable compounds, and reviews already published. Despite a plethora of studies carried out on the utilization of side streams, relatively few processes have yet found industrial application.

Comparative performance of private and public healthcare systems in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review.

PubMed

Basu, Sanjay; Andrews, Jason; Kishore, Sandeep; Panjabi, Rajesh; Stuckler, David

2012-01-01

Private sector healthcare delivery in low- and middle-income countries is sometimes argued to be more efficient, accountable, and sustainable than public sector delivery. Conversely, the public sector is often regarded as providing more equitable and evidence-based care. We performed a systematic review of research studies investigating the performance of private and public sector delivery in low- and middle-income countries. Peer-reviewed studies including case studies, meta-analyses, reviews, and case-control analyses, as well as reports published by non-governmental organizations and international agencies, were systematically collected through large database searches, filtered through methodological inclusion criteria, and organized into six World Health Organization health system themes: accessibility and responsiveness; quality; outcomes; accountability, transparency, and regulation; fairness and equity; and efficiency. Of 1,178 potentially relevant unique citations, data were obtained from 102 articles describing studies conducted in low- and middle-income countries. Comparative cohort and cross-sectional studies suggested that providers in the private sector more frequently violated medical standards of practice and had poorer patient outcomes, but had greater reported timeliness and hospitality to patients. Reported efficiency tended to be lower in the private than in the public sector, resulting in part from perverse incentives for unnecessary testing and treatment. Public sector services experienced more limited availability of equipment, medications, and trained healthcare workers. When the definition of "private sector" included unlicensed and uncertified providers such as drug shop owners, most patients appeared to access care in the private sector; however, when unlicensed healthcare providers were excluded from the analysis, the majority of people accessed public sector care. "Competitive dynamics" for funding appeared between the two sectors, such that public funds and personnel were redirected to private sector development, followed by reductions in public sector service budgets and staff. Studies evaluated in this systematic review do not support the claim that the private sector is usually more efficient, accountable, or medically effective than the public sector; however, the public sector appears frequently to lack timeliness and hospitality towards patients.

Developing a national programme for textiles and clothing recovery.

PubMed

Bukhari, Mohammad Abdullatif; Carrasco-Gallego, Ruth; Ponce-Cueto, Eva

2018-04-01

Textiles waste is relatively small in terms of weight as compared to other waste streams, but it has a large impact on human health and environment, and its rate is increasing due to the 'fast fashion' model. In this paper, we examine the French national programme for managing post-consumer textiles and clothing through a case study research. To date, France is the only country in the world implementing an extended producer responsibility (EPR) policy for end-of-use clothing, linen and shoes. The case highlights the benefits of using an EPR policy and provides interesting insights about the challenges faced by the textiles waste sector. For instance, the EPR policy has contributed to a threefold increase in the collection and recycling rates of post-consumer textiles since 2006. In addition, the material recovery rate of the post-consumer textiles can reach 90%, 50% of which can be directly reused. However, the 'reuse' stream is facing some challenges because its main market is in Africa and many African countries are considering banning the import of used textiles to encourage a competitive textiles industry locally and internationally. The EPR policy shows a great potential to identify new markets for 'reuse' and to improve the textiles waste sector. Such an EPR policy also could drive societies to financially support innovation and research to provide feasible solutions for fashion producers to adopt eco-design and design for recycling practices. This paper provides guidance for policy makers, shareholders, researchers and practitioners interested in diverting post-consumer textiles and clothing waste from landfills and promoting circular textiles transition.

Carbon emissions and resources use by Chinese economy 2007: A 135-sector inventory and input-output embodiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, G. Q.; Chen, Z. M.

2010-11-01

A 135-sector inventory and embodiment analysis for carbon emissions and resources use by Chinese economy 2007 is presented in this paper by an ecological input-output modeling based on the physical entry scheme. Included emissions and resources belong to six categories as: (1) greenhouse gas (GHG) in terms of CO 2, CH 4, and N 2O; (2) energy in terms of coal, crude oil, natural gas, hydropower, nuclear power, and firewood; (3) water in terms of freshwater; (4) exergy in terms of coal, crude oil, natural gas, grain, bean, tuber, cotton, peanut, rapeseed, sesame, jute, sugarcane, sugar beet, tobacco, silkworm feed, tea, fruits, vegetables, wood, bamboo, pulp, meat, egg, milk, wool, aquatic products, iron ore, copper ore, bauxite, lead ore, zinc ore, pyrite, phosphorite, gypsum, cement, nuclear fuel, and hydropower; (5) and (6) solar and cosmic emergies in terms of sunlight, wind power, deep earth heat, chemical power of rain, geopotential power of rain, chemical power of stream, geopotential power of stream, wave power, geothermal power, tide power, topsoil loss, coal, crude oil, natural gas, ferrous metal ore, non-ferrous metal ore, non-metal ore, cement, and nuclear fuel. Accounted based on the embodied intensities are carbon emissions and resources use embodied in the final use as rural consumption, urban consumption, government consumption, gross fixed capital formation, change in inventories, and export, as well as in the international trade balance. The resulted database is basic to environmental account of carbon emissions and resources use at various levels.

Coupled oxygen-carbon dioxide modelling to partition potential external contribution to stream carbon dioxide concentrations.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Butman, D. E.; Holtgrieve, G. W.

2017-12-01

Recent modelling studies in large catchments have estimated that in excess of 74% of the dissolved carbon dioxide found in first and second order streams originate from allochthonous sources. Stable isotopes of carbon-13 in carbon dioxide have been used to identify ground water seeps in stream systems, where decreases in δ13CO2 occur along gaining stream reaches, suggesting that carbon dioxide in ground water is more depleted than what is found in surface water due to fractionation of CO2 during emissions across the air water interface. Although isotopes represent a chemical tracer in stream systems for potential groundwater contribution, the temporal resolution of discrete samples make partitioning allochthonous versus autochthonous sources of CO2 difficult on hydrologically relevant time scales. Here we show results of field deployments of high frequent dissolved CO2, O2, PAR, Temperature and pH from the Thornton Creek Watershed, the largest urban watershed in Seattle, WA. We present an exploration into using high resolution time series of dissolved oxygen and carbon dioxide in a dual gas approach to separate the contribution of in stream respiration from external sources. We extend upon previous efforts to model stream metabolism across diel cycles by incorporating simultaneous direct measurements of dissolved oxygen, PCO2, and pH within an inverse modeling framework and Bayesian parameter estimation. With an initial assumption of a stoichiometric ratio of 1:1 for O2 and CO2 for autochthonous driven metabolism, we investigate positive or negative departures from this ratio as an indicator of external CO2 to the stream (terrestrial or atmospheric) and factors contributing to this flux.

Quantifying the effects of stream channels on storm water quality in a semi-arid urban environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gallo, Erika L.; Lohse, Kathleen A.; Brooks, Paul D.; McIntosh, Jennifer C.; Meixner, Thomas; McLain, Jean E. T.

2012-11-01

SummaryStormwater drainage systems can have a large effect on urban runoff quality, but it is unclear how ephemeral urban streams alter runoff hydrochemistry. This problem is particularly relevant in semi-arid regions, where urban storm runoff is considered a renewable water resource. Here we address the question: how do stream channels alter urban runoff hydrochemistry? We collected synoptic stormwater samples during three rainfall-runoff events from nine ephemeral streams reaches (three concrete or metal, three grass, three gravel) in Tucson, Arizona. We identified patterns of temporal and spatial (longitudinal) variability in concentrations of conservative (chloride and isotopes of water) and reactive solutes (inorganic-N, soluble reactive phosphorous, sulfate-S, dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and nitrogen, and fecal indicator bacteria). Water isotopes and chloride (Cl) concentrations indicate that solute flushing and evapoconcentration alter temporal patterns in runoff hydrochemistry, but not spatial hydrochemical responses. Solute concentrations and stream channel solute sourcing and retention during runoff were significantly more variable at the grass reaches (CV = 2.3 - 144%) than at the concrete or metal (CV = 1.6 - 107%) or gravel reaches (CV = 1.9 - 60%), which functioned like flow-through systems. Stream channel soil Cl and DOC decreased following a runoff event (Cl: 12.1-7.3 μg g-1 soil; DOC: 87.7-30.1 μg g-1 soil), while soil fecal indicator bacteria counts increased (55-215 CFU g-1 soil). Finding from this study suggest that the characteristics of the ephemeral stream channel substrate control biogeochemical reactions between runoff events, which alter stream channel soil solute stores and the hydrochemistry of subsequent runoff events.

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

Sager, P.H.

Studies were carried out on the FED Baseline to improve design definition, establish feasibility, and reduce cost. Emphasis was placed on cost reduction, but significant feasibility concerns existed in several areas, and better design definition was required to establish feasibility and provide a better basis for cost estimates. Design definition and feasibility studies included the development of a labyrinth shield ring concept to prevent radiation streaming between the torus spool and the TF coil cryostat. The labyrinth shield concept which was developed reduced radiation streaming sufficiently to permit contact maintenance of the inboard EF coils. Various concepts of preventing arcingmore » between adjacent shield sectors were also explored. It was concluded that installation of copper straps with molybdenum thermal radiation shields would provide the most reliable means of preventing arcing. Other design studies included torus spool electrical/structural concepts, test module shielding, torus seismic response, poloidal conditions in the magnets, disruption characteristics, and eddy current effects. These additional studies had no significant impact on cost but did confirm the feasibility of the basic FED Baseline concept.« less

Event Management of RFID Data Streams: Fast Moving Consumer Goods Supply Chains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mo, John P. T.; Li, Xue

Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is a wireless communication technology that uses radio-frequency waves to transfer information between tagged objects and readers without line of sight. This creates tremendous opportunities for linking real world objects into a world of "Internet of things". Application of RFID to Fast Moving Consumer Goods sector will introduce billions of RFID tags in the world. Almost everything is tagged for tracking and identification purposes. This phenomenon will impose a new challenge not only to the network capacity but also to the scalability of processing of RFID events and data. This chapter uses two national demonstrator projects in Australia as case studies to introduce an event managementframework to process high volume RFID data streams in real time and automatically transform physical RFID observations into business-level events. The model handles various temporal event patterns, both simple and complex, with temporal constraints. The model can be implemented in a data management architecture that allows global RFID item tracking and enables fast, large-scale RFID deployment.

Policy entrepreneurship in the development of public sector strategy: the case of London health reform.

PubMed

Oborn, Eivor; Barrett, Michael; Exworthy, Mark

2011-01-01

The development of health policy is recognized as complex; however, there has been little development of the role of agency in this process. Kingdon developed the concept of policy entrepreneur (PE) within his ‘windows’ model. He argued inter-related ‘policy streams' must coincide for important issues to become addressed. The conjoining of these streams may be aided by a policy entrepreneur. We contribute by clarifying the role of the policy entrepreneur and highlighting the translational processes of key actors in creating and aligning policy windows. We analyse the work in London of Professor Sir Ara Darzi as a policy entrepreneur. An important aspect of Darzi's approach was to align a number of important institutional networks to conjoin related problems. Our findings highlight how a policy entrepreneur not only opens policy windows but also yokes together a network to make policy agendas happen. Our contribution reveals the role of clinical leadership in health reform.

Main-streaming NFP into the Department of Health of the Philippines: opportunities and challenges.

PubMed

Infantado, R B

1997-01-01

In 1994, the Department of Health (DOH) of the Philippines issued a circular which reaffirmed natural family planning (NFP) as one of the basic services to be offered in all government family planning service sites and urged family planning workers to develop competence in teaching NFP methods. Although the circular represented a major policy breakthrough for the main-streaming of NFP it found the department without the capability or experience to directly provide NFP services. The two approaches the department is taking to respond to this new policy initiative are described in this paper. The selection of these approaches was influenced by the devolution of central government authority to local government units. The approaches include developing department capability in NFP training, service provision and service installation and creating a supportive program and policy environment. DOH partnership with an NFP non-government organization (NGO) has been critical in developing NFP capability within the government sector, particularly in NFP training and service installation.

Energetic Electron Injections Deep Into the Inner Magnetosphere: A Result of the Subauroral Polarization Stream (SAPS) Potential Drop

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lejosne, Solène; Kunduri, B. S. R.; Mozer, F. S.; Turner, D. L.

2018-05-01

It has been reported that the dynamics of energetic (tens to hundreds of keV) electrons and ions is inconsistent with the theoretical picture in which the large-scale electric field is a superposition of corotation and convection electric fields. Combining one year of measurements by the Super Dual Auroral Radar Network, DMSP F-18, and the Van Allen Probes, we show that subauroral polarization streams (SAPSs) are observed when energetic electrons have penetrated below L = 4. Outside the plasmasphere in the premidnight region, potential energy is subtracted from the total energy of ions and added to the total energy of electrons during SAPS onset. This potential energy is converted into radial motion as the energetic particles drift around Earth and leave the SAPS azimuthal sector. As a result, energetic electrons are injected deeper than energetic ions when SAPSs are included in the large-scale electric field picture, in line with observations.

Learning about the history of landscape use for the future: consequences for ecological and social systems in Swedish Bergslagen.

PubMed

Angelstam, Per; Andersson, Kjell; Isacson, Maths; Gavrilov, Dmitri V; Axelsson, Robert; Bäckström, Mattias; Degerman, Erik; Elbakidze, Marine; Kazakova-Apkarimova, Elena Yu; Sartz, Lotta; Sädbom, Stefan; Törnblom, Johan

2013-03-01

Barriers and bridges to implement policies about sustainable development and sustainability commonly depend on the past development of social-ecological systems. Production of metals required integration of use of ore, streams for energy, and wood for bioenergy and construction, as well as of multiple societal actors. Focusing on the Swedish Bergslagen region as a case study we (1) describe the phases of natural resource use triggered by metallurgy, (2) the location and spatial extent of 22 definitions of Bergslagen divided into four zones as a proxy of cumulative pressure on landscapes, and (3) analyze the consequences for natural capital and society. We found clear gradients in industrial activity, stream alteration, and amount of natural forest from the core to the periphery of Bergslagen. Additionally, the legacy of top-down governance is linked to today's poorly diversified business sector and thus municipal vulnerability. Comparing the Bergslagen case study with other similar regions in Russia and Germany, we discuss the usefulness of multiple case studies.

Sources of magnetic fields in recurrent interplanetary streams

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Burlaga, L. F.; Behannon, K. W.; Hansen, S. F.; Pneuman, G. W.; Feldman, W. C.

1977-01-01

The sources of magnetic fields in recurrent streams were examined. Most fields and plasmas at 1 AU were related to coronal holes, and the magnetic field lines were open in those holes. Some of the magnetic fields and plasmas were related to open field line regions on the sun which were not associated with known coronal holes, indicating that open field lines are more basic than coronal holes as sources of the solar wind. Magnetic field intensities in five equatorial coronal holes ranged from 2G to 18G. Average measured photospheric magnetic fields along the footprints of the corresponding unipolar fields on circular equatorial arcs at 2.5 solar radii had a similar range and average, but in two cases the intensities were approximately three times higher than the projected intensities. The coronal footprints of the sector boundaries on the source surface at 2.5 solar radii, meandered between -45 deg and +45 deg latitude, and their inclination ranged from near zero to near ninety degrees.

Developing a long-term condition's information service in collaboration with third sector organisations.

PubMed

McShane, Lesley; Greenwell, Kate; Corbett, Sally; Walker, Richard

2014-06-01

People with long-term conditions need to be signposted to high quality information and advice to understand and manage their condition. Information seeking tools combined with third sector information could help address their information needs. To describe the development and implementation of an information service for people living with long-term conditions at one NHS acute trust in the Northeast of England. An information service was trialled using bespoke information models for three long-term conditions in collaboration with third sector organisations. These guided people to relevant, timely and reliable information. Both clinician and service user questionnaires were used to evaluate satisfaction with the service. Appropriately designed information models can be used interchangeably across all services. Between 75% and 91% of users agreed that they were satisfied with various aspects of the service. Generally, users received relevant, understandable and high quality information at the right time. Nearly all health professionals (94-100%) felt the service was accessible, provided high quality information and did not significantly impact on their consultation time. The developed information service was well received by service users and health professionals. Specifically, the use of information prescriptions and menus facilitated access to information for people with long-term conditions. © 2014 The authors. Health Information and Libraries Journal © 2014 Health Libraries Group.

Strategies for probing nonminimal dark sectors at colliders: The interplay between cuts and kinematic distributions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dienes, Keith R.; Su, Shufang; Thomas, Brooks

2015-03-01

In this paper, we examine the strategies and prospects for distinguishing between traditional dark-matter models and models with nonminimal dark sectors—including models of Dynamical Dark Matter—at hadron colliders. For concreteness, we focus on events with two hadronic jets and large missing transverse energy at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). As we discuss, simple "bump-hunting" searches are not sufficient; probing nonminimal dark sectors typically requires an analysis of the actual shapes of the distributions of relevant kinematic variables. We therefore begin by identifying those kinematic variables whose distributions are particularly suited to this task. However, as we demonstrate, this then leads to a number of additional subtleties, since cuts imposed on the data for the purpose of background reduction can at the same time have the unintended consequence of distorting these distributions in unexpected ways, thereby obscuring signals of new physics. We therefore proceed to study the correlations between several of the most popular relevant kinematic variables currently on the market, and investigate how imposing cuts on one or more of these variables can impact the distributions of others. Finally, we combine our results in order to assess the prospects for distinguishing nonminimal dark sectors in this channel at the upgraded LHC.

A Review of Occupational Injury Research In Malaysia.

PubMed

Ganesh, C S; Krishnan, R

2016-06-01

A literature review of 16 papers on occupational injury research in Malaysia published during a 13-year period from 2000-2013 was carried out. The objective of this review and article selection was based on relevance to the research theme and mention of areas for future research. Most of the publications have focused on descriptive epidemiology, management practices, worker's knowledge, attitude, training, and rehabilitation services. The transportation, agriculture and construction sectors were found to be the most hazardous sectors and would benefit the most from Occupational Safety & Health (OSH) research and interventions. There is a strong need to develop a national injury surveillance system and also a mechanism to ensure adherence to the Occupational Safety & Health Act(OSHA) 1994. Detailed description and identification of risk factors for occupational injury in the environment, including machinery and equipment used was generally lacking. Future research on occupational injury should focus on surveillance to determine the magnitude of occupational injuries, determination of risk factors, identifying costeffective interventions (such as enforcement of OSHA regulations), and assessment of rehabilitation services. Relevant government agencies, universities, corporate sector and occupational safety organizations need to play a proactive role in identifying priority areas and research capacity building. Funding for occupational injury should be commensurate with the magnitude of the problem.

A Community-Powered, Asset-Based Approach to Intersectoral Urban Health System Planning in Chicago

PubMed Central

Vickery, Katherine Diaz; Choi, HwaJung; Makelarski, Jennifer; Matthews, Amber; Davis, Matthew

2016-01-01

Objectives. To describe, and provide a nomenclature and taxonomy for classifying, the economic sectors and functional assets that could be mobilized as partners in an intersectoral health system. Methods. MAPSCorps (Meaningful, Active, Productive Science in Service to Community) employed local youths to conduct a census of all operating assets (businesses and organizations) on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois, in 2012. We classified assets by primary function into sectors and described asset and sector distribution and density per 100 000 population. We compared empirical findings with the Institute of Medicine’s (IOM’s) conceptual representation and description of intersectoral health system partners. Results. Fifty-four youths mapped a 62-square-mile region over 6 weeks; we classified 8376 assets into 23 sectors. Sectors with the most assets were food (n = 1214; 230/100 000 population), trade services (n = 1113; 211/100 000), and religious worship (n = 974;185/100 000). Several large, health-relevant sectors (2499 assets) were identified in the region but not specified in the IOM’s representation. Governmental public health, central to the IOM concept, had no physical presence in the region. Conclusions. Local youths identified several thousand assets across a broad diversity of sectors that could partner in an intersectoral health system. Empirically informed iteration of the IOM concept will facilitate local translation and propagation. PMID:27552280

Multiple jet study data correlations. [data correlation for jet mixing flow of air jets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Walker, R. E.; Eberhardt, R. G.

1975-01-01

Correlations are presented which allow determination of penetration and mixing of multiple cold air jets injected normal to a ducted subsonic heated primary air stream. Correlations were obtained over jet-to-primary stream momentum flux ratios of 6 to 60 for locations from 1 to 30 jet diameters downstream of the injection plane. The range of geometric and operating variables makes the correlations relevant to gas turbine combustors. Correlations were obtained for the mixing efficiency between jets and primary stream using an energy exchange parameter. Also jet centerplane velocity and temperature trajectories were correlated and centerplane dimensionless temperature distributions defined. An assumption of a Gaussian vertical temperature distribution at all stations is shown to result in a reasonable temperature field model. Data are presented which allow comparison of predicted and measured values over the range of conditions specified above.

Recommending personally interested contents by text mining, filtering, and interfaces

DOEpatents

Xu, Songhua

2015-10-27

A personalized content recommendation system includes a client interface device configured to monitor a user's information data stream. A collaborative filter remote from the client interface device generates automated predictions about the interests of the user. A database server stores personal behavioral profiles and user's preferences based on a plurality of monitored past behaviors and an output of the collaborative user personal interest inference engine. A programmed personal content recommendation server filters items in an incoming information stream with the personal behavioral profile and identifies only those items of the incoming information stream that substantially matches the personal behavioral profile. The identified personally relevant content is then recommended to the user following some priority that may consider the similarity between the personal interest matches, the context of the user information consumption behaviors that may be shown by the user's content consumption mode.

Evidence of Adaptive Evolutionary Divergence during Biological Invasion

PubMed Central

Lucek, Kay; Sivasundar, Arjun; Seehausen, Ole

2012-01-01

Rapid phenotypic diversification during biological invasions can either arise by adaptation to alternative environments or by adaptive phenotypic plasticity. Where experimental evidence for adaptive plasticity is common, support for evolutionary diversification is rare. Here, we performed a controlled laboratory experiment using full-sib crosses between ecologically divergent threespine stickleback populations to test for a genetic basis of adaptation. Our populations are from two very different habitats, lake and stream, of a recently invaded range in Switzerland and differ in ecologically relevant morphological traits. We found that in a lake-like food treatment lake fish grow faster than stream fish, resembling the difference among wild type individuals. In contrast, in a stream-like food treatment individuals from both populations grow similarly. Our experimental data suggest that genetically determined diversification has occurred within less than 140 years after the arrival of stickleback in our studied region. PMID:23152900

Waste streams in a typical crewed space habitat: An update

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Golub, M. A.; Wydeven, T.

1992-01-01

A compilation of generation rates and chemical compositions of potential waste streams in a typical crewed space habitat, reported in a prior NASA Technical Memorandum and a related journal article, was updated. This report augments that compilation by the inclusion of the following new data: those data uncovered since completion of the prior report; those obtained from Soviet literature relevant to life support issues; and those for various minor human body wastes not presented previously (saliva, flatus, hair, finger- and toenails, dried skin and skin secretions, tears, and semen), but included here for purposes of completeness. These waste streams complement those discussed previously: toilet waste (urine, feces, etc.), hygiene water (laundry, shower/handwash, dishwasher water and cleansing agents), trash, humidity condensate, perspiration and respiration water, trace contaminants, and dust generation. This report also reproduces the latest information on the environmental control and life support system design parameters for Space Station Freedom.

Impact of Cross-Sectoral Alcohol Policy on Youth Alcohol Consumption.

PubMed

de Goeij, Moniek C M; Jacobs, Monique A M; van Nierop, Peter; van der Veeken-Vlassak, Ivanka A G; van de Mheen, Dike; Schoenmakers, Tim M; Harting, Janneke; Kunst, Anton E

2016-07-01

Cross-sectoral alcohol policy is recommended to reduce youth alcohol consumption, but little evidence is available on its effectiveness. Therefore, we examined whether regions and municipalities in the Dutch province of Noord-Brabant with stronger cross-sectoral alcohol policy showed larger reductions in alcohol consumption among adolescents aged 12-15. Strong regional cross-sectoral alcohol policy was defined as participation in a regional alcohol prevention program. Strong municipal cross-sectoral alcohol policy was operationalized by measures on (a) sector variety: involvement of different policy sectors, and (b) strategy variety: formulation of different policy strategies. Relevant data from policy documents were searched for on the Internet. Data on trends in alcohol consumption were extracted from the 2007 and 2011 cross-sectional Youth Health Monitor that includes a random subset of adolescents aged 12-15 (n = 15,380 in 2007 and n = 15,437 in 2011). We used multilevel regression models. Two of the three regions in which municipalities participated in a regional alcohol prevention program showed a larger reduction in weekly drinking than the region in which municipalities did not participate (-12.2% and -13.4% vs. -8.3%). Municipalities with strong compared to weak sector variety showed a larger increase in adolescents' age at consuming their first alcoholic drink (0.63 vs. 0.42 years). Municipalities with strong strategy variety showed a decrease (-3.8%) in heavy weekly drinking, whereas those with weak variety showed an increase (5.1%). Cross-sectoral alcohol policy did not affect trends in other alcohol outcomes. Our results suggest that strong cross-sectoral alcohol policy may contribute to reducing some aspects of youth alcohol consumption. Monitoring policy implementation is needed to assess the full impact.

Understanding the menstrual hygiene management challenges facing displaced girls and women: findings from qualitative assessments in Myanmar and Lebanon.

PubMed

Schmitt, Margaret L; Clatworthy, David; Ratnayake, Ruwan; Klaesener-Metzner, Nicole; Roesch, Elizabeth; Wheeler, Erin; Sommer, Marni

2017-01-01

There is a significant gap in empirical evidence on the menstrual hygiene management (MHM) challenges faced by adolescent girls and women in emergency contexts, and on appropriate humanitarian response approaches to meet their needs in diverse emergency contexts. To begin filling the gap in the evidence, we conducted a study in two diverse contexts (Myanmar and Lebanon), exploring the MHM barriers facing girls and women, and the various relevant sectoral responses being conducted (e.g. water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), Protection, Health, Education and Camp Management). Two qualitative assessments were conducted: one in camps for internally displaced populations in Myanmar, and one with refugees living in informal settlements and host communities in Lebanon. Key informant interviews were conducted with emergency response staff in both sites, and focus group discussion and participatory mapping activities conducted with adolescent girls and women. Key findings included that there was insufficient access to safe and private facilities for MHM coupled with displacement induced shifts in menstrual practices by girls and women. Among staff, there was a narrow interpretation of what an MHM response includes, with a focus on supplies; significant interest in understanding what an improved MHM response would include and acknowledgement of limited existing MHM guidance across various sectors; and insufficient consultation with beneficiaries, related to discomfort asking about menstruation, and limited coordination between sectors. There is a significant need for improved guidance across all relevant sectors for improving MHM response in emergency context, along with increased evidence on effective approaches for integrating MHM into existing responses.

Thermochemical Wastewater Valorization via Enhanced Microbial Toxicity Tolerance

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

Beckham, Gregg T; Thelhawadigedara, Lahiru Niroshan Jayakody; Johnson, Christopher W

Thermochemical (TC) biomass conversion processes such as pyrolysis and liquefaction generate considerable amounts of wastewater, which often contains highly toxic compounds that are incredibly challenging to convert via standard wastewater treatment approaches such as anaerobic digestion. These streams represent a cost for TC biorefineries, and a potential valorization opportunity, if effective conversion methods are developed. The primary challenge hindering microbial conversion of TC wastewater is toxicity. In this study, we employ a robust bacterium, Pseudomonas putida, with TC wastewater streams to demonstrate that aldehydes are the most inhibitory compounds in these streams. Proteomics, transcriptomics, and fluorescence-based immunoassays of P. putidamore » grown in a representative wastewater stream indicate that stress results from protein damage, which we hypothesize is a primary toxicity mechanism. Constitutive overexpression of the chaperone genes, groEL, groES, and clpB, in a genome-reduced P. putida strain improves the tolerance towards multiple TC wastewater samples up to 200-fold. Moreover, the concentration ranges of TC wastewater are industrially relevant for further bioprocess development for all wastewater streams examined here, representing different TC process configurations. Furthermore, we demonstrate proof-of-concept polyhydroxyalkanoate production from the usable carbon in an exemplary TC wastewater stream. Overall, this study demonstrates that protein quality control machinery and repair mechanisms can enable substantial gains in microbial tolerance to highly toxic substrates, including heterogeneous waste streams. When coupled to other metabolic engineering advances such as expanded substrate utilization and enhanced product accumulation, this study generally enables new strategies for biological conversion of highly-toxic, organic-rich wastewater via engineered aerobic monocultures or designer consortia.« less

Heat as a tracer to determine streambed water exchanges

USGS Publications Warehouse

Constantz, J.

2010-01-01

This work reviews the use of heat as a tracer of shallow groundwater movement and describes current temperature-based approaches for estimating streambed water exchanges. Four common hydrologic conditions in stream channels are graphically depicted with the expected underlying streambed thermal responses, and techniques are discussed for installing and monitoring temperature and stage equipment for a range of hydrological environments. These techniques are divided into direct-measurement techniques in streams and streambeds, groundwater techniques relying on traditional observation wells, and remote sensing and other large-scale advanced temperatureacquisition techniques. A review of relevant literature suggests researchers often graphically visualize temperature data to enhance conceptual models of heat and water flow in the near-stream environment and to determine site-specific approaches of data analysis. Common visualizations of stream and streambed temperature patterns include thermographs, temperature envelopes, and one-, two-, and three-dimensional temperature contour plots. Heat and water transport governing equations are presented for the case of transport in streambeds, followed by methods of streambed data analysis, including simple heat-pulse arrival time and heat-loss procedures, analytical and time series solutions, and heat and water transport simulation models. A series of applications of these methods are presented for a variety of stream settings ranging from arid to continental climates. Progressive successes to quantify both streambed fluxes and the spatial extent of streambeds indicate heat-tracing tools help define the streambed as a spatially distinct field (analogous to soil science), rather than simply the lower boundary in stream research or an amorphous zone beneath the stream channel.

Accuracy of stream habitat interpolations across spatial scales

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sheehan, Kenneth R.; Welsh, Stuart A.

2013-01-01

Stream habitat data are often collected across spatial scales because relationships among habitat, species occurrence, and management plans are linked at multiple spatial scales. Unfortunately, scale is often a factor limiting insight gained from spatial analysis of stream habitat data. Considerable cost is often expended to collect data at several spatial scales to provide accurate evaluation of spatial relationships in streams. To address utility of single scale set of stream habitat data used at varying scales, we examined the influence that data scaling had on accuracy of natural neighbor predictions of depth, flow, and benthic substrate. To achieve this goal, we measured two streams at gridded resolution of 0.33 × 0.33 meter cell size over a combined area of 934 m2 to create a baseline for natural neighbor interpolated maps at 12 incremental scales ranging from a raster cell size of 0.11 m2 to 16 m2 . Analysis of predictive maps showed a logarithmic linear decay pattern in RMSE values in interpolation accuracy for variables as resolution of data used to interpolate study areas became coarser. Proportional accuracy of interpolated models (r2 ) decreased, but it was maintained up to 78% as interpolation scale moved from 0.11 m2 to 16 m2 . Results indicated that accuracy retention was suitable for assessment and management purposes at various scales different from the data collection scale. Our study is relevant to spatial modeling, fish habitat assessment, and stream habitat management because it highlights the potential of using a single dataset to fulfill analysis needs rather than investing considerable cost to develop several scaled datasets.

Connectivity of streams and wetlands to downstream waters: An integrated systems framework

USGS Publications Warehouse

Leibowitz, Scott G.; Wigington, Parker J.; Schoefield, Kate A.; Alexander, Laurie C.; Vanderhoof, Melanie; Golden, Heather E.

2018-01-01

Interest in connectivity has increased in the aquatic sciences, partly because of its relevance to the Clean Water Act. This paper has two objectives: (1) provide a framework to understand hydrological, chemical, and biological connectivity, focusing on how headwater streams and wetlands connect to and contribute to rivers; and (2) briefly review methods to quantify hydrological and chemical connectivity. Streams and wetlands affect river structure and function by altering material and biological fluxes to the river; this depends on two factors: (1) functions within streams and wetlands that affect material fluxes; and (2) connectivity (or isolation) from streams and wetlands to rivers that allows (or prevents) material transport between systems. Connectivity can be described in terms of frequency, magnitude, duration, timing, and rate of change. It results from physical characteristics of a system, e.g., climate, soils, geology, topography, and the spatial distribution of aquatic components. Biological connectivity is also affected by traits and behavior of the biota. Connectivity can be altered by human impacts, often in complex ways. Because of variability in these factors, connectivity is not constant but varies over time and space. Connectivity can be quantified with field‐based methods, modeling, and remote sensing. Further studies using these methods are needed to classify and quantify connectivity of aquatic ecosystems and to understand how impacts affect connectivity.

Streaming driven by sessile microbubbles: Explaining flow patterns and frequency response

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rallabandi, Bhargav; Wang, Cheng; Guo, Lin; Hilgenfeldt, Sascha

2013-11-01

Ultrasound excitation of bubbles drives powerful steady streaming flows which have found widespread applications in microfluidics, where bubbles are typically of semicircular cross section and attached to walls of the device (sessile). While bubble-driven streaming in bulk fluid is well understood, this practically relevant case presents additional complexity introduced by the wall and contact lines. We develop an asymptotic theory that takes into account the presence of the wall as well as the oscillation dynamics of the bubble, providing a complete description of the streaming flow as a function only of the driving frequency, the bubble size, and the physical properties of the fluid. We show that the coupling between different bubble oscillation modes sustains the experimentally observed streaming flow vortex pattern over a broad range of frequencies, greatly exceeding the widths of individual mode resonances. Above a threshold frequency, we predict, and observe in experiment, reversal of the flow direction. Our analytical theory can be used to guide the design of microfluidic devices, both in situations where robust flow patterns insensitive to parameter changes are desired (e.g. lab-on-a-chip sorters), and in cases where intentional modulation of the flow field appearance is key (e.g. efficient mixers). Current address: Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Missouri University of Science and Technology.

Selection of Two-Phase Flow Patterns at a Simple Junction in Microfluidic Devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Engl, W.; Ohata, K.; Guillot, P.; Colin, A.; Panizza, P.

2006-04-01

We study the behavior of a confined stream made of two immiscible fluids when it reaches a T junction. Two flow patterns are witnessed: the stream is either directed in only one sidearm, yielding a preferential flow pathway for the dispersed phase, or splits between both. We show that the selection of these patterns is not triggered by the shape of the junction nor by capillary effects, but results from confinement. It can be anticipated in terms of the hydrodynamic properties of the flow. A simple model yielding universal behavior in terms of the relevant adimensional parameters of the problem is presented and discussed.

Effects of urban development on stream ecosystems alongthe Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, Colorado and Wyoming

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sprague, Lori A.; Zuellig, Robert E.; Dupree, Jean A.

2006-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conducted a study from 2002 through 2003 through its National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) Program to determine the effects of urbanization on the physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of stream ecosystems along the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains. The objectives of the study were to (1) examine physical, chemical, and biological responses at sites ranging from minimally to highly developed; (2) determine the major physical, chemical, and landscape variables affecting aquatic communities at these sites; and (3) evaluate the relevance of the results to the management of water resources in the South Platte River Basin.

Assessment of the Economic Structure of Brazilian Agribusiness.

PubMed

Rodrigues Moreira, Vilmar; Kureski, Ricardo; Pereira da Veiga, Claudimar

2016-01-01

This paper presents an economic assessment of Brazilian agribusiness and its relationship with other economic sectors. It was found that, in 2011, agribusiness had a share of 18.45% (basic prices) and 19.77% (market prices) of Brazilian GDP. The tax burden of agribusiness (20.68%) was higher than that of other sectors (13.59%), despite agribusiness being a major contributor to the generation of foreign exchange, employment, and essential products, such as food. Brazilian agribusiness is a major employer, responsible for 29.39% of national employment. However, its average income is lower than in the other sectors of the Brazilian economy. Finally, agribusiness was found to be the biggest generator of foreign exchange, with a positive balance of trade. It was possible to conclude that agribusiness forms a strong link between agriculture and livestock, industry, and services in other economic sectors. For this reason, it can be said that the development of agribusiness is highly relevant to the process of Brazilian economic development and is therefore important to the progress of economic policies.

Global Mental Health: sharing and synthesizing knowledge for sustainable development.

PubMed

O'Donnell, K; O'Donnell, M Lewis

2016-01-01

Global mental health (GMH) is a growing domain with an increasing capacity to positively impact the world community's efforts for sustainable development and wellbeing. Sharing and synthesizing GMH and multi-sectoral knowledge, the focus of this paper, is an important way to support these global efforts. This paper consolidates some of the most recent and relevant 'context resources' [global multi-sector (GMS) materials, emphasizing world reports on major issues] and 'core resources' (GMH materials, including newsletters, texts, conferences, training, etc.). In addition to offering a guided index of materials, it presents an orientation framework (global integration) to help make important information as accessible and useful as possible. Mental health colleagues are encouraged to stay current in GMH and global issues, to engage in the emerging agendas for sustainable development and wellbeing, and to intentionally connect and contribute across sectors. Colleagues in all sectors are encouraged to do likewise, and to take advantage of the wealth of shared and synthesized knowledge in the GMH domain, such as the materials featured in this paper.

An overview of methods to identify and manage uncertainty for modelling problems in the water-environment-agriculture cross-sector

DOE PAGES

Jakeman, Anthony J.; Jakeman, John Davis

2018-03-14

Uncertainty pervades the representation of systems in the water–environment–agriculture cross-sector. Successful methods to address uncertainties have largely focused on standard mathematical formulations of biophysical processes in a single sector, such as partial or ordinary differential equations. More attention to integrated models of such systems is warranted. Model components representing the different sectors of an integrated model can have less standard, and different, formulations to one another, as well as different levels of epistemic knowledge and data informativeness. Thus, uncertainty is not only pervasive but also crosses boundaries and propagates between system components. Uncertainty assessment (UA) cries out for more eclecticmore » treatment in these circumstances, some of it being more qualitative and empirical. Here in this paper, we discuss the various sources of uncertainty in such a cross-sectoral setting and ways to assess and manage them. We have outlined a fast-growing set of methodologies, particularly in the computational mathematics literature on uncertainty quantification (UQ), that seem highly pertinent for uncertainty assessment. There appears to be considerable scope for advancing UA by integrating relevant UQ techniques into cross-sectoral problem applications. Of course this will entail considerable collaboration between domain specialists who often take first ownership of the problem and computational methods experts.« less

An overview of methods to identify and manage uncertainty for modelling problems in the water-environment-agriculture cross-sector

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

Jakeman, Anthony J.; Jakeman, John Davis

Uncertainty pervades the representation of systems in the water–environment–agriculture cross-sector. Successful methods to address uncertainties have largely focused on standard mathematical formulations of biophysical processes in a single sector, such as partial or ordinary differential equations. More attention to integrated models of such systems is warranted. Model components representing the different sectors of an integrated model can have less standard, and different, formulations to one another, as well as different levels of epistemic knowledge and data informativeness. Thus, uncertainty is not only pervasive but also crosses boundaries and propagates between system components. Uncertainty assessment (UA) cries out for more eclecticmore » treatment in these circumstances, some of it being more qualitative and empirical. Here in this paper, we discuss the various sources of uncertainty in such a cross-sectoral setting and ways to assess and manage them. We have outlined a fast-growing set of methodologies, particularly in the computational mathematics literature on uncertainty quantification (UQ), that seem highly pertinent for uncertainty assessment. There appears to be considerable scope for advancing UA by integrating relevant UQ techniques into cross-sectoral problem applications. Of course this will entail considerable collaboration between domain specialists who often take first ownership of the problem and computational methods experts.« less

Strategic Planning of small and medium industries. Case study: Hulu Sungai Selatan Regency, South Borneo Province

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Elya, N.; Shoimah, F.; Kartika, A. P.; Sukanto, A. B.

2017-06-01

Hulu Sungai Selatan Regency has a potential of SMI (Small and Medium Industries) sectors can be developed as economic development. Based on RTRW of Hulu Sungai Selatan Regency, the region has 14 SMI are a propeller, pottery, blacksmith, dried fish, purun webbing, pastries, dodol, crackers, imitation jewelry, woven water hyacinth, bamboo, syrup, brown sugar, and saber. There are several issues related to SMI development such as low quality and quantity of human resources, local raw material, limited capital, low competitiveness, conventional production equipment, and lack of media for marketing the product. The purpose of this study is to develop the leading sectors of SMI and improve the economy and quality of the resident. The research method is descriptive qualitative, leading sectors analysis and force field analysis. Data were obtained from primary and secondary survey of relevant institutions and interview to the community. Based on leading sectors analysis, there is six leading sector is a propeller, blacksmith, dodol, dried fish, pottery, and crackers. Based on force field analysis, determined the strategy for using operational excellence’s concept, so that we can develop the industrial sector by minimizing productions cost so SMI’s product can compete by the price and efficient production process.

Universal industrial sectors integrated solutions module for the pulp and paper industry.

PubMed

Bhander, Gurbakhash; Jozewicz, Wojciech

2017-09-01

The U.S. is the world's second-leading producer of pulp and paper products after China. Boilers, recovery furnaces, and lime kilns are the dominant sources of emissions from pulp and paper mills, collectively accounting for more than 99 % of the SO 2 , almost 96 % of the NO X , and more than 85 % of the particulate matter (PM) emitted to the air from this sector in the U.S. The process of developing industrial strategies for managing emissions can be made efficient, and the resulting strategies more cost-effective, through the application of modeling that accounts for relevant technical, environmental and economic factors. Accordingly, the United States Environmental Protection Agency is developing the Universal Industrial Sectors Integrated Solutions module for the Pulp and Paper Industry (UISIS-PNP). It can be applied to evaluate emissions and economic performance of pulp and paper mills separately under user-defined pollution control strategies. In this paper, we discuss the UISIS-PNP module, the pulp and paper market and associated air emissions from the pulp and paper sector. After illustrating the sector-based multi-product modeling structure, a hypothetical example is presented to show the engineering and economic considerations involved in the emission-reduction modeling of the pulp and paper sector in the U.S.

TREHS (Temporary Rivers Ecological and Hydrological Status): new software for investigating the degree of hydrologic alteration of temporary streams.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gallart, Francesc; Llorens, Pilar; Cid, Núria; latron, Jérôme; Bonada, Núria; Prat, Narcís

2017-04-01

The evaluation of the hydrological alteration of a stream due to human activities is a first step to assess its overall quality and to design management strategies for its potential restoration. This task is currently made comparing impacted against unimpacted hydrographs, with the help of software tools, such as the IHA (Indicators of Hydrologic Alteration). Then, the environmental evaluation of the hydrological alteration is to be made in terms of its expectable menace for the original biological communities and/or its help for the spread of invasive species. However, when the regime of the target stream is not perennial, there are four main difficulties for implementing methods for assessing hydrological alteration: i) the main hydrological features relevant for biological communities in a temporary stream are not quantitative (discharges) but qualitative (temporal patterns of states such as flowing water, stagnant pools or lack of surface water), ii) stream flow records do not inform on the temporal occurrence of stagnant pools, which act as refugees for many species during the cessation of flow, iii) as most of the temporary streams are ungauged, the evaluation of their regime must be determined by using alternative methods such as remote sensing or citizen science, and iv) the biological quality assessment of the ecological status of a temporary stream must be conducted following a sampling schedule adapted to the flow regime and using adequate reference conditions. In order to overcome these challenges using an operational approach, the TREHS freely available software tool has been developed within the EU LIFE TRIVERS project (LIFE13 ENV/ES/000341). This software allows for the input of information coming from flow simulations obtained using any rainfall-runoff model (to set an unimpacted reference stream regime) and compares them with the information obtained from flow gauging records, interviews made to local citizens, instantaneous observations made by individuals, and by interpretation of aerial photographs. Up to six metrics defining the permanence of water flow, the presence of stagnant pools and their temporal patterns of occurrence are used to determine the natural and observed river regime, and to assess the degree of hydrological alteration. Here, given the lack of agreed standards to evaluate the ecological relevance of the observed alterations, the thresholds that define quality class boundaries are provisional and may be updated using expert knowledge. Finally, the software characterizes the differences between the natural and actual regimes, performs a diagnosis of the hydrological status (degree of hydrologic alteration) along with an assessment of the significance and robustness of the diagnosis, and recommends the best period for biological quality samplings.

A note on acoustic measurements of turbulence, suspended sediment, and bed forms in mobile bed experiments

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

One of the challenges of hydraulic experimentation is designing experiments that are complex enough to capture relevant processes while retaining the simplicity necessary for useful, accurate measurements. The intricacy of the interactions between turbulent flows and mobile beds in rivers and stream...

Third Stream, Fourth Mission: Perspectives on University Engagement with Economic Relevance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kretz, Andrew; Sa, Creso

2013-01-01

Over the past three decades, university research activities have increasingly become organized towards external economic and social worlds. In this essay, we reflect on the observations and explanations made in papers published in Higher Education Policy on this topic, and discuss their contributions towards understanding university third stream…

On critiques of “Stationarity is dead: Whither water management?”

USGS Publications Warehouse

Milly, Paul C.D.; Betancourt, Julio L.; Falkenmark, Malin; Hirsch, Robert M.; Kundzewicz, Zbigniew W.; Lettenmaier, Dennis P.; Stouffer, Ronald J.; Dettinger, Michael; Krysanova, Valentina

2015-01-01

We review and comment upon some themes in the recent stream of critical commentary on the assertion that “stationarity is dead,” attempting to clear up some misunderstandings; to note points of agreement; to elaborate on matters in dispute; and to share further relevant thoughts.

A CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK FOR ADDRESSING INFORMATION NEEDS FOLLOWING THE US SUPREME COURT'S RAPANOS AND CARABELL DECISIONS

EPA Science Inventory

In June 2006, the US Supreme Court issued decisions in two cases concerning the Clean Water Act (CWA). The decisions discuss factors potentially relevant to CWA jurisdiction, including the hydrological permanence of non-navigable streams and adjacent wetlands (NNSAWs) and their ...

Salinity mobilization and transport from rangelands: assessment, recommendations, and knowledge gaps

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The purpose of the salinity project is to improve the understanding of sources and transport mechanisms in rangeland catchments that deliver dissolved solids (salts) to streams within the Upper Colorado River Basin (UCRB) through a review of relevant literature on what is known about the impact of r...

Human and bovine viruses in urban and rural streams: Hydrologic and season patterns of wastewater influence

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Viruses are the cause of many waterborne diseases contracted from fecal-contaminated waters. Collection of samples that properly represent virus concentrations throughout relevant hydrologic periods has historically been difficult due to the large water volume collection and filtration required for ...

Gaps Between What We Measure and What We Want to Know to Value Streams

EPA Science Inventory

We have found the concept “Final Ecosystem Goods and Services” (FEGS) useful in linking ecosystems and human well-being. We define FEGS as ecological features people perceive to be directly relevant to their welfare, as opposed to the larger set of essential intermed...

Macroscale hydrologic modeling of ecologically relevant flow metrics

Treesearch

Seth J. Wenger; Charles H. Luce; Alan F. Hamlet; Daniel J. Isaak; Helen M. Neville

2010-01-01

Stream hydrology strongly affects the structure of aquatic communities. Changes to air temperature and precipitation driven by increased greenhouse gas concentrations are shifting timing and volume of streamflows potentially affecting these communities. The variable infiltration capacity (VIC) macroscale hydrologic model has been employed at regional scales to describe...

Human and bovine viruses in the Milwaukee river watershed: hydrologically relevant representation and relations with environmental variables

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

To examine the occurrence, hydrologic variability, and seasonal variability of human and bovine viruses in surface water, three stream locations were monitored in the Milwaukee River watershed in Wisconsin, USA, from February 2007 through June 2008. Monitoring sites included an urban subwatershed, ...

Comparative Performance of Private and Public Healthcare Systems in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review

PubMed Central

Basu, Sanjay; Andrews, Jason; Kishore, Sandeep; Panjabi, Rajesh; Stuckler, David

2012-01-01

Introduction Private sector healthcare delivery in low- and middle-income countries is sometimes argued to be more efficient, accountable, and sustainable than public sector delivery. Conversely, the public sector is often regarded as providing more equitable and evidence-based care. We performed a systematic review of research studies investigating the performance of private and public sector delivery in low- and middle-income countries. Methods and Findings Peer-reviewed studies including case studies, meta-analyses, reviews, and case-control analyses, as well as reports published by non-governmental organizations and international agencies, were systematically collected through large database searches, filtered through methodological inclusion criteria, and organized into six World Health Organization health system themes: accessibility and responsiveness; quality; outcomes; accountability, transparency, and regulation; fairness and equity; and efficiency. Of 1,178 potentially relevant unique citations, data were obtained from 102 articles describing studies conducted in low- and middle-income countries. Comparative cohort and cross-sectional studies suggested that providers in the private sector more frequently violated medical standards of practice and had poorer patient outcomes, but had greater reported timeliness and hospitality to patients. Reported efficiency tended to be lower in the private than in the public sector, resulting in part from perverse incentives for unnecessary testing and treatment. Public sector services experienced more limited availability of equipment, medications, and trained healthcare workers. When the definition of “private sector” included unlicensed and uncertified providers such as drug shop owners, most patients appeared to access care in the private sector; however, when unlicensed healthcare providers were excluded from the analysis, the majority of people accessed public sector care. “Competitive dynamics” for funding appeared between the two sectors, such that public funds and personnel were redirected to private sector development, followed by reductions in public sector service budgets and staff. Conclusions Studies evaluated in this systematic review do not support the claim that the private sector is usually more efficient, accountable, or medically effective than the public sector; however, the public sector appears frequently to lack timeliness and hospitality towards patients. Please see later in the article for the Editors' Summary PMID:22723748

Prospects and problems of medical tourism in Bangladesh.

PubMed

Mamun, Muhammad Z; Andaleeb, Syed Saad

2013-01-01

The growing trend of Bangladeshi patients travelling abroad for medical services has led to some soul-searching in policy circles. While other countries of the Southeast Asia region are profiting from medical tourism, Bangladesh not only lags behind, it also loses patients to these countries in a continuous stream. This exodus for medical treatment is seemingly driven by the higher perceived quality of treatment abroad, despite the fact that similar treatment is available more cost-effectively within the country. Certainly the Bangladesh health care system is not without its problenis, which have diminished the perception of quality in the sector. Thus, this study focuses on key factors for Bangladeshi health service providers to address. By doing so, they will be better able to develop the local health care sector and retain Bangladeshi patients within the country. Subsequently, by identifying strategic niches, Bangladesh could focus on delivering higher quality health care services to develop medical tourism and attract patients from abroad in specific categories of health care.

Health impact assessment in Australia: A review and directions for progress

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

Harris, Patrick, E-mail: patrick.harris@unsw.edu.a; Spickett, Jeff, E-mail: J.Spickett@curtin.edu.a

2011-07-15

This article provides an overview of Health Impact Assessment (HIA) within Australia. We discuss the development and current position of HIA and offer some directions for HIA's progression. Since the early 1990s HIA activity in Australia has increased and diversified in application and practice. This article first highlights the emergent streams of HIA practice across environmental, policy and health equity foci, and how these have developed within Australia. The article then provides summaries of current practice provided by each Australian state and territory. We then offer some insight into current issues that require further progression or resolution if HIA ismore » to progress effectively in Australia. This progress rests both on developing broad system support for HIA across government, led by the health sector, and developing system capacity to undertake, commission or review HIAs. We argue that a unified and clear HIA approach is required as a prerequisite to gaining the understanding and support for HIA in the public and private sectors and the wider community.« less

FTR GO14246

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

Bentley, Martha

2008-06-30

The Maine Forest Bioproducts Research and Development project originally focused on the State’s interest in the development of an integrated forest products refinery (IFPR). The original intent was that Research and Development (R&D) funded by this award will allow Maine to refine its strategy and pursue development of an integrated biorefinery. Activities were to be divided into three major R&D projects: (a) Establish the potential for a forest products biorefinery in Maine, by determining the technical and economic feasibility and resource availability. (b) Investigate and develop conversion processes for forest bioproducts to utilize the sugars available from hemicellulose. Research projectsmore » will determine how to best utilize refinery waste streams to recover heat value and recycle remaining components. (c) Cost share very early stage R&D efforts to engage the private sector and stimulate innovative efforts that will build upon the research efforts in (b) above, utilize the information gleaned from (a), and lead to commercialization of new products or services and development of the forest bioproducts industrial sector in Maine.« less

Managerial competencies of hospital managers in South Africa: a survey of managers in the public and private sectors

PubMed Central

Pillay, Rubin

2008-01-01

Background South Africa has large public and private sectors and there is a common perception that public sector hospitals are inefficient and ineffective while the privately owned and managed hospitals provide superior care and are more sustainable. The underlying assumption is that there is a potential gap in management capacity between the two sectors. This study aims to ascertain the skills and competency levels of hospital managers in South Africa and to determine whether there are any significant differences in competency levels between managers in the different sectors. Methods A survey using a self administered questionnaire was conducted among hospital managers in South Africa. Respondents were asked to rate their proficiency with seven key functions that they perform. These included delivery of health care, planning, organizing, leading, controlling, legal and ethical, and self-management. Ratings were based on a five point Likert scale ranging from very low skill level to very high skill level. Results The results show that managers in the private sector perceived themselves to be significantly more competent than their public sector colleagues in most of the management facets. Public sector managers were also more likely than their private sector colleagues to report that they required further development and training. Conclusion The findings confirm our supposition that there is a lack of management capacity within the public sector in South Africa and that there is a significant gap between private and public sectors. It provides evidence that there is a great need for further development of managers, especially those in the public sector. The onus is therefore on administrators and those responsible for management education and training to identify managers in need of development and to make available training that is contextually relevant in terms of design and delivery. PMID:18257936

SEE Action Guide for States: Energy Efficiency as a Least-Cost Strategy to Reduce Greenhouse Gases and Air Pollution and Meet Energy Needs in the Power Sector

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

Schwartz, Lisa; Leventis, Greg; Schiller, Steven R.

This guide is designed to provide information to state decision makers and staff on options to advance energy efficiency through strategies designed or implemented at the state and local levels of government and in the private sector.1 The information in this guide is intended to be useful to a wide variety of partners and stakeholders involved in energy-related discussions and decision-making at state and local levels. These energy efficiency options, or “pathways” as they are identified in this guide, can assist states in using energy efficiency to meet air pollution reduction and other policy objectives such as energy affordability andmore » reliability. A pathway is a set of interdependent actions that results in measurable energy savings streams and associated avoided air emissions and other benefits over a period of time. These activities can include state, local, or private sector regulations, policies, programs and other activities. For each of five broad pathways that offer sizable cost-effective energy savings, the guide addresses likely questions policy makers and regulators face when screening for the best opportunities to advance energy efficiency in their state.« less

76 FR 36137 - National Infrastructure Advisory Council

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-06-21

... Homeland Security with advice on the security of the critical infrastructure sectors and their information systems. The NIAC will meet to address issues relevant to the protection of critical infrastructure as... DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY [Docket No. DHS-2011-0034] National Infrastructure Advisory...

Analysis of multi drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) financial protection policy: MDR-TB health insurance schemes, in Chhattisgarh state, India.

PubMed

Kundu, Debashish; Sharma, Nandini; Chadha, Sarabjit; Laokri, Samia; Awungafac, George; Jiang, Lai; Asaria, Miqdad

2018-01-27

There are significant financial barriers to access treatment for multi drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) in India. To address these challenges, Chhattisgarh state in India has established a MDR-TB financial protection policy by creating MDR-TB benefit packages as part of the universal health insurance scheme that the state has rolled out in their effort towards attaining Universal Health Coverage for all its residents. In these schemes the state purchases health insurance against set packages of services from third party health insurance agencies on behalf of all its residents. Provider payment reform by strategic purchasing through output based payments (lump sum fee is reimbursed as per the MDR-TB benefit package rates) to the providers - both public and private health facilities empanelled under the insurance scheme was the key intervention. To understand the implementation gap between policy and practice of the benefit packages with respect to equity in utilization of package claims by the poor patients in public and private sector. Data from primary health insurance claims from January 2013 to December 2015, were analysed using an extension of 'Kingdon's multiple streams for policy implementation framework' to explain the implementation gap between policy and practice of the MDR-TB benefit packages. The total number of claims for MDR-TB benefit packages increased over the study period mainly from poor patients treated in public facilities, particularly for the pre-treatment evaluation and hospital stay packages. Variations and inequities in utilizing the packages were observed between poor and non-poor beneficiaries in public and private sector. Private providers participation in the new MDR-TB financial protection mechanism through the universal health insurance scheme was observed to be much lower than might be expected given their share of healthcare provision overall in India. Our findings suggest that there may be an implementation gap due to weak coupling between the problem and the policy streams, reflecting weak coordination between state nodal agency and the state TB department. There is a pressing need to build strong institutional capacity of the public and private sector for improving service delivery to MDR-TB patients through this new health insurance mechanism.

Microbial availability and size fractionation of dissolved organic carbon after drought in an intermittent stream: biogeochemical link across the stream-riparian interface.

PubMed

Romaní, Anna M; Vázquez, Eusebi; Butturini, Andrea

2006-10-01

The evolution of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) molecular-weight fractions, DOC biodegradability (BDOC), DOC origin [fluorescence index (FI)], and enzyme activities between the stream waters (main and ephemeral channel) and ground waters (riparian and hillslope) were analyzed during the transition from drought to precipitation in a forested Mediterranean stream. After the first rains, DOC content in stream water reached its maximum value (10-18 mg L(-1)), being explained by the leaching of deciduous leaves accumulated on the stream bed during drought. During this period, the largest molecules (>10 kDa), were the most biodegradable, as indicated by high BDOC values measured during storm events and high enzymatic activities (especially for leucine-aminopeptidase). DOC >100 kDa was strongly immobilized (78%) at the stream-riparian interface, whereas the smallest molecules (<1 kDa) were highly mobile and accumulated in ground waters, indicating their greater recalcitrance. Differential enzymatic patterns between compartments showed a fast utilization of polysaccharides in the flowing water but a major protein utilization in the ground water. The results of the FI indicated a more terrestrial origin of the larger molecules in the flowing water, also suggesting that transformation of material occurs through the stream-riparian interface. Microbial immobilization and fast utilization of the most biodegradable fraction at the stream-riparian interface is suggested as a relevant DOC retention mechanism just after initial recharging of the ground water compartment. Large and rapid DOC inputs entering the intermittent river system during the transition from drought to precipitation provide available N and C sources for the heterotrophs. Heterotrophs efficiently utilize these resources that were in limited supply during the period of drought. Such changes in C cycling may highlight possible changes in organic matter dynamics under the prediction of extended drying periods in aquatic ecosystems.

Highway deicing salt dynamic runoff to surface water and subsequent infiltration to groundwater during severe UK winters.

PubMed

Rivett, Michael O; Cuthbert, Mark O; Gamble, Richard; Connon, Lucy E; Pearson, Andrew; Shepley, Martin G; Davis, John

2016-09-15

Dynamic impact to the water environment of deicing salt application at a major highway (motorway) interchange in the UK is quantitatively evaluated for two recent severe UK winters. The contaminant transport pathway studied allowed controls on dynamic highway runoff and storm-sewer discharge to a receiving stream and its subsequent leakage to an underlying sandstone aquifer, including possible contribution to long-term chloride increases in supply wells, to be evaluated. Logged stream electrical-conductivity (EC) to estimate chloride concentrations, stream flow, climate and motorway salt application data were used to assess salt fate. Stream loading was responsive to salt applications and climate variability influencing salt release. Chloride (via EC) was predicted to exceed the stream Environmental Quality Standard (250mg/l) for 33% and 18% of the two winters. Maximum stream concentrations (3500mg/l, 15% sea water salinity) were ascribed to salt-induced melting and drainage of highway snowfall without dilution from, still frozen, catchment water. Salt persistance on the highway under dry-cold conditions was inferred from stream observations of delayed salt removal. Streambed and stream-loss data demonstrated chloride infiltration could occur to the underlying aquifer with mild and severe winter stream leakage estimated to account for 21 to 54% respectively of the 70t of increased chloride (over baseline) annually abstracted by supply wells. Deicing salt infiltration lateral to the highway alongside other urban/natural sources were inferred to contribute the shortfall. Challenges in quantifying chloride mass/fluxes (flow gauge accuracy at high flows, salt loading from other roads, weaker chloride-EC correlation at low concentrations), may be largely overcome by modest investment in enhanced data acquisition or minor approach modification. The increased understanding of deicing salt dynamic loading to the water environment obtained is relevant to improved groundwater resource management, highway salt application practice, surface-water - ecosystem management, and decision making on highway drainage to ground. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A data mining approach to derive flood-related economic vulnerability of companies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sieg, Tobias; Kreibich, Heidi; Vogel, Kristin; Merz, Bruno

2017-04-01

The assessment of vulnerability gained more and more attention in flood risk research during the recent years. However, there is still not much knowledge available about flood vulnerability of companies and its influencing factors. This study follows the natural sciences concept which defines vulnerability as the degree of loss to a given element at risk resulting from flooding of a given magnitude. Machine learning algorithms like Random Forests (RFs) are promising approaches, since they consider many influencing variables and as such allow for a detailed assessment of flood vulnerability. Only these variables which are meaningful for the differentiation of a certain target variable are used by the derived models. This allows for an identification of relevant damage influencing variables and hence for a more detailed picture of flood vulnerability of companies. This study aims to identify relevant damage influencing variables by means of the variable importance provided by Random Forests. The data sets used are taken from two surveys conducted after the floods in the Elbe and Danube catchments in the years 2002 and 2013 in Germany. Damage to buildings (n = 430), equipment (n = 651) as well as goods and stock (n = 530) are taken into account. The analysis is done for the entire data set as well as for four groups of different company sectors and the corresponding data subsets. Relevant damage influencing variables separated by sector and assets are identified as, for example, the degree of contamination or precautionary measures undertaken before the flood event. The results provide insight into the damage processes and improve data-acquisition in future surveys by, for instance, asking specific questions for company sectors and assets.

Benefits briefing notebook: The secondary application of aerospace technology in other sectors of the economy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1976-01-01

Resource information on the transfer of aerospace technology to other sectors of the U.S. economy is presented. The contents of this notebook are divided into three sections: (1) benefit cases, (2) transfer overview, and (3) indexes. Transfer examples relevant to each subject area are presented. Pertinent transfer data are given. The Transfer Overview section provides a general perspective for technology transfer from NASA to other organizations. In addition to a description of the basic transfer modes, the selection criteria for notebook examples and the kinds of benefit data they contain are also presented.

Competitiveness measurement system in the advertising sector.

PubMed

Poveda-Bautista, Rocío; García-Melón, Mónica; Baptista, Doris C

2013-01-01

In this paper a new approach to find indicators that can be used to measure companies' competitiveness and performance in an efficient and reliable way is presented. The aim is to assist managers of companies within a specific industrial sector by providing information about their relative position in the market so as to define better action plans that may improve the company's performance. The approach combines the use of the Analytic Network Process, a multicriteria decision method, with the Balanced Scorecard. It allows the definition of a number of competitiveness indicators based on the performance and setting of the advertising sector. In this way it is possible to obtain a Competitiveness Index that allows a company to know its relative position with respect to other companies in the sector, and establish a ranking of the companies ordered by their competitiveness level. A case study in the advertising industry of Venezuela is provided. Results show that improvement plans for the agencies analyzed should promote creativity, innovation and the use of new technologies, as a particular form of innovation. These factors were considered to be the most relevant indicators in the advertising sector. The participating experts agreed that the methodology is useful and an improvement over current competitiveness assessment methods.

Conformal field algebras with quantum symmetry from the theory of superselection sectors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mack, Gerhard; Schomerus, Volker

1990-11-01

According to the theory of superselection sectors of Doplicher, Haag, and Roberts, field operators which make transitions between different superselection sectors—i.e. different irreducible representations of the observable algebra—are to be constructed by adjoining localized endomorphisms to the algebra of local observables. We find the relevant endomorphisms of the chiral algebra of observables in the minimal conformal model with central charge c=1/2 (Ising model). We show by explicit and elementary construction how they determine a representation of the braid group B ∞ which is associated with a Temperley-Lieb-Jones algebra. We recover fusion rules, and compute the quantum dimensions of the superselection sectors. We exhibit a field algebra which is quantum group covariant and acts in the Hilbert space of physical states. It obeys local braid relations in an appropriate weak sense.

Competitive Intelligence: Significance in Higher Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barrett, Susan E.

2010-01-01

Historically noncompetitive, the higher education sector is now having to adjust dramatically to new and increasing demands on numerous levels. To remain successfully operational within the higher educational market universities today must consider all relevant forces which can impact present and future planning. Those institutions that were…

Harnessing the Power of Digital Data for Science and Society

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-01-01

development and that the research process is responsive to the real-world needs of the implementation sector. Relationship to the Scientific Collections IWG...The Scientific Collections Interagency Working Group focuses on collections of physical objects relevant to science (e.g., biological specimens

77 FR 19300 - National Infrastructure Advisory Council

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-30

... Homeland Security with advice on the security of the critical infrastructure sectors and their information systems. The NIAC will meet to address issues relevant to the protection of critical infrastructure as... Group regarding the scope of the next phase of the Working Group's critical infrastructure resilience...

40 CFR 60.48Da - Compliance provisions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 60.48Da Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED... extensions shall be granted by the relevant air division or office director of the appropriate Regional... Protection Agency (U.S. EPA); Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards; Sector Policies and Programs...

40 CFR 60.48Da - Compliance provisions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 60.48Da Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED... extensions shall be granted by the relevant air division or office director of the appropriate Regional... Protection Agency (U.S. EPA); Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards; Sector Policies and Programs...

Tuberculosis Notification by Private Sector' Physicians in Tehran.

PubMed

Ahmadi, Ayat; Nedjat, Saharnaz; Gholami, Jaleh; Majdzadeh, Reza

2015-01-01

A small proportion of physicians adhere to tuberculosis (TB) notification regulations, particularly in the private sector. In most developing countries, the private sector has dominance over delivering services in big cities. In such circumstances deviation from the TB treatment protocol is frequently happening. This study sought to estimate TB notification in the private sector and settle on determinants of TB notification by private sector physicians. A population-based study has been conducted; private physicians at their clinics were interviewed. The total number of 443 private sectors' physicians has been chosen by the stratified random sampling method. Appropriate descriptive analysis was used to describe the study's participants. Logistic regression was used for bivariable and multivariable analysis. The response rate of the study was 90.06 (399%). Among responders, who had stated that they were suspicious of TB over the recent year, 62 (16.45%) stated that they reported cases of TB at least once during the same period. Having reporting requirements and the number of visited patients was significantly related to TB suspicious (odds ratio = 2.84, confidence interval: 1.62-5, P < 0.01). Workplace and access to relevant resources are associated with TB notification (P < 0.05). In poor resource settings with a high burden of TB, the public health administration can promote notification activities in the private sector by simple and quick interventions. It seems that a considerable fraction of private sector physicians, not all of them, will notify TB if they are provided with primary information and primary resources. To optimize the TB notification, however, intersectoral interventions are more likely to be successful.

The contribution of health selection to occupational status inequality in Germany - differences by gender and between the public and private sectors.

PubMed

Kröger, H

2016-04-01

Estimating the size of health inequalities between hierarchical levels of job status and the contribution of direct health selection to these inequalities for men and women in the private and public sector in Germany. The study uses prospective data from the Socio-Economic Panel study on 11,788 women and 11,494 men working in the public and private sector in Germany. Direct selection effects of self-rated health on job status are estimated using fixed-effects linear probability models. The contribution of health selection to overall health-related inequalities between high and low status jobs is calculated. Women in the private sector who report very good health have a 1.9 [95% CI: 0.275; 3.507] percentage point higher probability of securing a high status job than women in poor self-rated health. This direct selection effect constitutes 20.12% of total health inequalities between women in high and low status jobs. For men in the private and men and women in the public sector no relevant health selection effects were identified. The contribution of health selection to total health inequalities between high and low status jobs varies with gender and public versus private sector. Women in the private sector in Germany experience the strongest health selection. Possible explanations are general occupational disadvantages that women have to overcome to secure high status jobs. Copyright © 2015 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cardiac imaging with multi-sector data acquisition in volumetric CT: variation of effective temporal resolution and its potential clinical consequences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Xiangyang; Hsieh, Jiang; Taha, Basel H.; Vass, Melissa L.; Seamans, John L.; Okerlund, Darin R.

2009-02-01

With increasing longitudinal detector dimension available in diagnostic volumetric CT, step-and-shoot scan is becoming popular for cardiac imaging. In comparison to helical scan, step-and-shoot scan decouples patient table movement from cardiac gating/triggering, which facilitates the cardiac imaging via multi-sector data acquisition, as well as the administration of inter-cycle heart beat variation (arrhythmia) and radiation dose efficiency. Ideally, a multi-sector data acquisition can improve temporal resolution at a factor the same as the number of sectors (best scenario). In reality, however, the effective temporal resolution is jointly determined by gantry rotation speed and patient heart beat rate, which may significantly lower than the ideal or no improvement (worst scenario). Hence, it is clinically relevant to investigate the behavior of effective temporal resolution in cardiac imaging with multi-sector data acquisition. In this study, a 5-second cine scan of a porcine heart, which cascades 6 porcine cardiac cycles, is acquired. In addition to theoretical analysis and motion phantom study, the clinical consequences due to the effective temporal resolution variation are evaluated qualitative or quantitatively. By employing a 2-sector image reconstruction strategy, a total of 15 (the permutation of P(6, 2)) cases between the best and worst scenarios are studied, providing informative guidance for the design and optimization of CT cardiac imaging in volumetric CT with multi-sector data acquisition.

Assessment of district health system within inter-sectoral context in Nepal.

PubMed

Bhusal, C L; Singh, S P; Aryal, K K; Jha, B K; Ghimire, N; Shah, N; Khatiwada, D; Magar, A

2013-05-01

Inter-sectoral coordination has been one of the different factors in the district health system that produces efficient output which has been identified by the Alma Ata declaration as an essential component to achieve notion of 'Health for All'. This study was therefore aimed to describe the major four key functions of the health systems and to find out the situation of inter-sectoral coordination in Nepal. A mixed method with Focus Group Discussion (FGD) and In-Depth Interview with relevant personnel to collect the majority of the data was carried out from June 2012 to November 2012 from six districts selected purposively based on the health performance indicators. The major findings in relation to the key functions of district health systems showed that the overall management of the district health system happens under the leadership of chief of District Health Office of Public health office with the cooperation of all the personnel in different sections in a predetermined pattern and inter-sectoral coordination and collaboration exist only to a very limited extent. The major constraints for inter-sectoral coordination to be effective is lack of its planning and enforcement where inter-sectoral coordination could be important for both preventive and promotive health care, waste management, water supply and sanitation, health service utilization, pesticides and human health, agriculture and nutrition, air pollution. The main components in the district health system needs an immediate attention and inter-sectoral effort should be initiated from the central level and implemented in all the levels.

Engaging Middle School Students with Technology: Using Real-Time Data to Test Predictions in Aquatic Ecosystems

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Adams, Lisa G.

2011-01-01

Take advantage of teen internet savvy and redirect students' online travels toward exploration of our environment through streaming real-time data (RTD). Studies have shown that using RTD adds relevancy to students' learning experiences and engages them in scientific investigations. (Contains 14 online resources and 5 figures.)

75 FR 70331 - Self-Regulatory Organizations; NASDAQ OMX PHLX LLC; Notice of Filing of Proposed Rule Change To...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-11-17

... filing that, among other things, transferred all relevant duties from the Options Allocation, Evaluation... Streaming Quote Traders. The Allocation and Assignment Rules also indicate, among other things, under what... evaluations and certain allocation procedures. Currently, Rule 511 indicates, among other things, that...

Toward a Video Pedagogy: A Teaching Typology with Learning Goals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Andrist, Lester; Chepp, Valerie; Dean, Paul; Miller, Michael V.

2014-01-01

Given the massive volume of course-relevant videos now available on the Internet, this article outlines a pedagogy to facilitate the instructional employment of such materials. First, we describe special features of streaming media that have enabled their use in the classroom. Next, we introduce a typology comprised of six categories (conjuncture,…

Visualizing TZVOLCANO GNSS Data with Grafana via the EarthCube Cyberinfrastructure CHORDS: an Example of Dashboard Creation for the Geosciences

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nguyen, T. T.; Stamps, D. S.

2017-12-01

Visualizing societally relevant data in easy to comprehend formats is necessary for making informed decisions by non-scientist stakeholders. Despite scientists' efforts to inform the public, there continues to be a disconnect in information between stakeholders and scientists. Closing the gap in knowledge requires increased communication between the two groups facilitated by models and data visualizations. In this work we use real-time streaming data from TZVOLCANO, a network of GNSS/GPS sensors that monitor the active volcano Ol Doinyo Lengai in Tanzania, as a test-case for visualizing societally relevant data. Real-time data from TZVOLCANO is streamed into the US NSF Geodesy Facility UNAVCO archive (www.unavco.org) from which data are made available through the EarthCube cyberinfrastructure CHORDS (Cloud-Hosted Real-Time Data Services for the geosciences). CHORDS uses InfluxDB to make streaming data accessible in Grafana: an open source software that specializes in the display of time series analysis. With over 350 downloadable "dashboards", Grafana serves as an emerging software for data visualizations. Creating user-friendly visualizations ("dashboards") for the TZVOLCANO GNSS/GPS data in Tanzania can help scientists and stakeholders communicate effectively so informed decisions can be made about volcanic hazards during a time-sensitive crisis. Our use of Grafana's dashboards for one specific case-study provides an example for other geoscientists to develop analogous visualizations with the objectives of increasing the knowledge of the general public and facilitating a more informed decision-making process.

A novel cell factory for efficient production of ethanol from dairy waste.

PubMed

Liu, Jianming; Dantoft, Shruti Harnal; Würtz, Anders; Jensen, Peter Ruhdal; Solem, Christian

2016-01-01

Sustainable and economically feasible ways to produce ethanol or other liquid fuels are becoming increasingly relevant due to the limited supply of fossil fuels and the environmental consequences associated with their consumption. Microbial production of fuel compounds has gained a lot of attention and focus has mostly been on developing bio-processes involving non-food plant biomass feedstocks. The high cost of the enzymes needed to degrade such feedstocks into its constituent sugars as well as problems due to various inhibitors generated in pretreatment are two challenges that have to be addressed if cost-effective processes are to be established. Various industries, especially within the food sector, often have waste streams rich in carbohydrates and/or other nutrients, and these could serve as alternative feedstocks for such bio-processes. The dairy industry is a good example, where large amounts of cheese whey or various processed forms thereof are generated. Because of their nutrient-rich nature, these substrates are particularly well suited as feedstocks for microbial production. We have generated a Lactococcus lactis strain which produces ethanol as its sole fermentation product from the lactose contained in residual whey permeate (RWP), by introducing lactose catabolism into a L. lactis strain CS4435 (MG1363 Δ(3) ldh, Δpta, ΔadhE, pCS4268), where the carbon flow has been directed toward ethanol instead of lactate. To achieve growth and ethanol production on RWP, we added corn steep liquor hydrolysate (CSLH) as the nitrogen source. The outcome was efficient ethanol production with a titer of 41 g/L and a yield of 70 % of the theoretical maximum using a fed-batch strategy. The combination of a low-cost medium from industrial waste streams and an efficient cell factory should make the developed process industrially interesting. A process for the production of ethanol using L. lactis and a cheap renewable feedstock was developed. The results demonstrate that it is possible to achieve sustainable bioconversion of waste products from the dairy industry (RWP) and corn milling industry (CSLH) to ethanol and the process developed shows great potential for commercial realization.

Determination of Baseline Periods of Record for Selected Streamflow-Gaging Stations in New Jersey for Determining Ecologically Relevant Hydrologic Indices (ERHI)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Esralew, Rachel A.; Baker, Ronald J.

2008-01-01

Hydrologic changes in New Jersey stream basins resulting from human activity can affect the flow and ecology of the streams. To assess future changes in streamflow resulting from human activity an understanding of the natural variability of streamflow is needed. The natural variability can be classified using Ecologically Relevant Hydrologic Indices (ERHIs). ERHIs are defined as selected streamflow statistics that characterize elements of the flow regime that substantially affect biological health and ecological sustainability. ERHIs are used to quantitatively characterize aspects of the streamflow regime, including magnitude, duration, frequency, timing, and rate of change. Changes in ERHI values can occur as a result of human activity, and changes in ERHIs over time at various stream locations can provide information about the degree of alteration in aquatic ecosystems at or near those locations. New Jersey streams can be divided into four classes (A, B, C, or D), where streams with similar ERHI values (determined from cluster analysis) are assigned the same stream class. In order to detect and quantify changes in ERHIs at selected streamflow-gaging stations, a 'baseline' period is needed. Ideally, a baseline period is a period of continuous daily streamflow record at a gaging station where human activity along the contributing stream reach or in the stream's basin is minimal. Because substantial urbanization and other development had already occurred before continuous streamflow-gaging stations were installed, it is not possible to identify baseline periods that meet this criterion for many reaches in New Jersey. Therefore, the baseline period for a considerably altered basin can be defined as a period prior to a substantial human-induced change in the drainage basin or stream reach (such as regulations or diversions), or a period during which development did not change substantially. Index stations (stations with minimal urbanization) were defined as streamflow-gaging stations in basins that contain less than 15 percent urban land use throughout the period of continuous streamflow record. A minimum baseline period of record for each stream class was determined by comparing the variability of selected ERHIs among consecutive 5-, 10-, 15-, and 20-year time increments for index stations. On the basis of this analysis, stream classes A and D were assigned a minimum of 20 years of continuous record as a baseline period and stream classes B and C, a minimum of 10 years. Baseline periods were calculated for 85 streamflow-gaging stations in New Jersey with 10 or more years of continuous daily streamflow data, and the values of 171 ERHIs also were calculated for these baseline periods for each station. Baseline periods were determined by using historical streamflow-gaging station data, estimated changes in impervious surface in the drainage basin, and statistically significant changes in annual base flow and runoff. Historical records were reviewed to identify years during which regulation, diversions, or withdrawals occurred in the drainage basins. Such years were not included in baseline periods of record. For some sites, the baseline period of record was shorter than the minimum period of record specified for the given stream class. In such cases, the baseline period was rated as 'poor'. Impervious surface was used as an indicator of urbanization and change in streamflow characteristics owing to increases in storm runoff and decreases in base flow. Percentages of impervious surface were estimated for 85 streamflow-gaging stations from available municipal population-density data by using a regression model. Where the period of record was sufficiently long, all years after the impervious surface exceeded 10 to 20 percent were excluded from the baseline period. The percentage of impervious surface also was used as a criterion in assigning qualitative ratings to baseline periods. Changes in trends of annual base fl

Identifying hidden voice and video streams

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fan, Jieyan; Wu, Dapeng; Nucci, Antonio; Keralapura, Ram; Gao, Lixin

2009-04-01

Given the rising popularity of voice and video services over the Internet, accurately identifying voice and video traffic that traverse their networks has become a critical task for Internet service providers (ISPs). As the number of proprietary applications that deliver voice and video services to end users increases over time, the search for the one methodology that can accurately detect such services while being application independent still remains open. This problem becomes even more complicated when voice and video service providers like Skype, Microsoft, and Google bundle their voice and video services with other services like file transfer and chat. For example, a bundled Skype session can contain both voice stream and file transfer stream in the same layer-3/layer-4 flow. In this context, traditional techniques to identify voice and video streams do not work. In this paper, we propose a novel self-learning classifier, called VVS-I , that detects the presence of voice and video streams in flows with minimum manual intervention. Our classifier works in two phases: training phase and detection phase. In the training phase, VVS-I first extracts the relevant features, and subsequently constructs a fingerprint of a flow using the power spectral density (PSD) analysis. In the detection phase, it compares the fingerprint of a flow to the existing fingerprints learned during the training phase, and subsequently classifies the flow. Our classifier is not only capable of detecting voice and video streams that are hidden in different flows, but is also capable of detecting different applications (like Skype, MSN, etc.) that generate these voice/video streams. We show that our classifier can achieve close to 100% detection rate while keeping the false positive rate to less that 1%.

Simulating Streamflow and Dissolved Organic Matter Export from small Forested Watersheds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, N.; Wilson, H.; Saiers, J. E.

2010-12-01

Coupling the rainfall-runoff process and solute transport in catchment models is important for understanding the dynamics of water-quality-relevant constituents in a watershed. To simulate the hydrologic and biogeochemical processes in a parametrically parsimonious way remains challenging. The purpose of this study is to quantify the export of water and dissolved organic matter (DOM) from a forested catchment by developing and testing a coupled model for rainfall-runoff and soil-water flushing of DOM. Natural DOM plays an important role in terrestrial and aquatic systems by affecting nutrient cycling, contaminant mobility and toxicity, and drinking water quality. Stream-water discharge and DOM concentrations were measured in a first-order stream in Harvard Forest, Massachusetts. These measurements show that stream water DOM concentrations are greatest during hydrologic events induced by rainfall or snowmelt and decline to low, steady levels during periods of baseflow. Comparison of the stream-discharge data to calculations of a simple rainfall-runoff model reveals a hysteretic relationship between stream-flow rates and the storage of water within the catchment. A modified version of the rainfall-runoff model that accounts for hysteresis in the storage-discharge relationship in a parametrically simple way is capable of describing much, but not all, of the variation in the time-series data on stream discharge. Our ongoing research is aimed at linking the new rainfall-runoff formulation with coupled equations that predict soil-flushing and stream-water concentrations of DOM as functions of the temporal change in catchment water storage. This model will provide a predictive tool for examining how changes in climatic variables would affect the runoff generation and DOM fluxes from terrestrial landscape.

Data Streams: An Overview and Scientific Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aggarwal, Charu C.

In recent years, advances in hardware technology have facilitated the ability to collect data continuously. Simple transactions of everyday life such as using a credit card, a phone, or browsing the web lead to automated data storage. Similarly, advances in information technology have lead to large flows of data across IP networks. In many cases, these large volumes of data can be mined for interesting and relevant information in a wide variety of applications. When the volume of the underlying data is very large, it leads to a number of computational and mining challenges: With increasing volume of the data, it is no longer possible to process the data efficiently by using multiple passes. Rather, one can process a data item at most once. This leads to constraints on the implementation of the underlying algorithms. Therefore, stream mining algorithms typically need to be designed so that the algorithms work with one pass of the data. In most cases, there is an inherent temporal component to the stream mining process. This is because the data may evolve over time. This behavior of data streams is referred to as temporal locality. Therefore, a straightforward adaptation of one-pass mining algorithms may not be an effective solution to the task. Stream mining algorithms need to be carefully designed with a clear focus on the evolution of the underlying data. Another important characteristic of data streams is that they are often mined in a distributed fashion. Furthermore, the individual processors may have limited processing and memory. Examples of such cases include sensor networks, in which it may be desirable to perform in-network processing of data stream with limited processing and memory [1, 2]. This chapter will provide an overview of the key challenges in stream mining algorithms which arise from the unique setup in which these problems are encountered. This chapter is organized as follows. In the next section, we will discuss the generic challenges that stream mining poses to a variety of data management and data mining problems. The next section also deals with several issues which arise in the context of data stream management. In Sect. 3, we discuss several mining algorithms on the data stream model. Section 4 discusses various scientific applications of data streams. Section 5 discusses the research directions and conclusions.

Controls on hillslope stability in a mountain river catchment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Golly, Antonius; Turowski, Jens; Hovius, Niels; Badoux, Alexandre

2015-04-01

Sediment transport in fluvial systems accounts for a large fraction of natural hazard damage costs in mountainous regions and is an important factor for risk mitigation, engineering and ecology. Although sediment transport in high-gradient channels gathered research interest over the last decades, sediment dynamics in steep streams are generally not well understood. For instance, the sourcing of the sediment and when and how it is actually mobilized is largely undescribed. In the Erlenbach, a mountain torrent in the Swiss Prealps, we study the mechanistic relations between in-channel hydrology, channel morphology, external climatic controls and the surrounding sediment sources to identify relevant process domains for sediment input and their characteristic scales. Here, we analyze the motion of a slow-moving landslide complex that was permanently monitored by time-lapse cameras over a period of 70 days at a 30 minutes interval. In addition, data sets for stream discharge, air temperature and precipitation rates are available. Apparent changes in the channel morphology, e.g. the destruction of channel-spanning bed forms, were manually determined from the time-lapse images and were treated as event marks in the time series. We identify five relevant types of sediment displacement processes emerging during the hillslope motion: concentrated mud flows, deep seated hillslope failure, catastrophic cavity failure, hillslope bank erosion and individual grain loss. Generally, sediment displacement occurs on a large range of temporal and spatial scales and sediment dynamics in steep streams not only depend on large floods with long recurrence intervals. We find that each type of displacement acts in a specific temporal and spatial domain with their characteristic scales. Different external climatic forcing (e.g. high-intensity vs. long-lasting precipitation events) promote different displacement processes. Stream morphology and the presence of boulders have a large effect on sediment input through deep seated failures and cavity failures while they have only minor impact on the other process types. In addition to large floods, which are generally recognized to produce huge amounts of sediment, we identify two relevant climatic regimes that play an important role for the sediment dynamics: a) long-lasting but low-intensity rainfall that explicitly trigger specific sediment displacement processes on the hillslopes and b) smaller discharge events with recurrence intervals of approximately one year that mobilize sediments from the hillslope's toes along the channel.

Acoustic streaming in simplified liquid rocket engines with transverse mode oscillations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fischbach, Sean R.; Flandro, Gary A.; Majdalani, Joseph

2010-06-01

This study considers a simplified model of a liquid rocket engine in which uniform injection is imposed at the faceplate. The corresponding cylindrical chamber has a small length-to-diameter ratio with respect to solid and hybrid rockets. Given their low chamber aspect ratios, liquid thrust engines are known to experience severe tangential and radial oscillation modes more often than longitudinal ones. In order to model this behavior, tangential and radial waves are superimposed onto a basic mean-flow model that consists of a steady, uniform axial velocity throughout the chamber. Using perturbation tools, both potential and viscous flow equations are then linearized in the pressure wave amplitude and solved to the second order. The effects of the headwall Mach number are leveraged as well. While the potential flow analysis does not predict any acoustic streaming effects, the viscous solution carried out to the second order gives rise to steady secondary flow patterns near the headwall. These axisymmetric, steady contributions to the tangential and radial traveling waves are induced by the convective flow motion through interactions with inertial and viscous forces. We find that suppressing either the convective terms or viscosity at the headwall leads to spurious solutions that are free from streaming. In our problem, streaming is initiated at the headwall, within the boundary layer, and then extends throughout the chamber. We find that nonlinear streaming effects of tangential and radial waves act to alter the outer solution inside a cylinder with headwall injection. As a result of streaming, the radial wave velocities are intensified in one-half of the domain and reduced in the opposite half at any instant of time. Similarly, the tangential waves are either enhanced or weakened in two opposing sectors that are at 90° angle to the radial velocity counterparts. The second-order viscous solution that we obtain clearly displays both an oscillating and a steady flow component. The steady part can be an important contributor to wave steepening, a mechanism that is often observed during the onset of acoustic instability.

Jumpstarting post-conflict strategic water resources protection from a changing global perspective: gaps and prospects in Afghanistan.

PubMed

Habib, H; Anceno, A J; Fiddes, J; Beekma, J; Ilyuschenko, M; Nitivattananon, V; Shipin, O V

2013-11-15

Notwithstanding ambiguities, long-term economic resurgence in Afghanistan amidst water insecurity exacerbated by climate change decisively requires a water protection strategy that will complement a multitude of agroindustrial and socioeconomic activities in an environmentally sustainable and climate resilient manner. In this paper, we begin with a perspective on institutions, legislation, and key issues in the water sector of Afghanistan. We then embark on linking the integrated water resources management (IWRM) and strategic environmental assessment (SEA) approaches as a novel framework for strategic water management and subsequently propose a strategy for post-conflict water protection based on the coalesced IWRM and SEA. Context relevant good practices worldwide are presented to provide empirical evidence for this approach whereas perceived opportunities and vulnerabilities in the Afghan context are discussed. Examination of post-conflict water sector initiatives in Afghanistan reveals the critical role of foreign assistance in both water infrastructure rehabilitation and modernization of the institutional aspect of water management. The introduction of IWRM as the basis for a progressive water sector strategy has been seen as a major milestone which is detrimentally matched by substantial deficiency in national capacity for implementation. Concurrently, the role of extra-national actors in relevant policy interventions has been considered catalytic despite criticisms of proposed regulations as being anachronistic to field realities. Therefore the view is maintained to practicable policies by accelerating policy learning in the country's water and environment sectors to encourage homegrown water strategy innovations. Demonstratively, mainstreaming IWRM-SEA coalescence will bridge institutional gaps for better feedback between local and national water stakeholders, providing a venue for improved delivery of water services to sustain post-conflict socioeconomic recovery and promote environmental stewardship. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Regulation and safety implementation of nanotechnology for chemical enterprises in the Central Europe Space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Falk, A.; Hartl, S.; Sinner, F.

2013-04-01

As result of the gradually increasing nanotechnology sector there is the necessity of a contemporary analysis of the present regulations used for nanomaterials, to outline the current situation of the nanotechnology sector, to promote international cooperation and research's coordination to overcome disciplinary boundaries, to fill the gap between more and less experienced regions and to turn investments in R&D in industrial innovations. The general objective of the Central Europe project NANOFORCE, which is developed by national and regional chemistry associations and R&D Centres of the Central Europe area, is to foster the innovative nanotechnology-sector networks across Central Europe regions by bringing together public and private organizations to carry out collaborative and interdisciplinary researches on nanomaterials (in the frame of REACH Regulation) and to turn the most promising laboratory results into innovative industrial applications. To build up a legal advisory board for chemical enterprises starting in nanotechnology, a state of the art report on existing safety procedures and nanotech related regulations was produced to give an overview on currently available regulations used by chemical industries and manufacturing companies within the European region to secure their products. The main emphasis was placed on REACH regulation to search for relevant sections concentrating on nanomaterials which are applicable for nanotechnology. In addition, all relevant directives and amendments of REACH were screened with regard to identify gaps where action is still needed and give possible recommendations for the European Commission. Beyond literature research a questionnaire for producers, users, researchers and financiers was developed with the goal to collect information about the nanotechnology sector in the CE region concerning development, financial status, and international cooperation within joint ventures, safety and nanotoxicology.

Sectorized psychiatry. A methodological study of the effects of reorganization on patients treated at a mental hospital.

PubMed

Lindholm, H

1983-01-01

The aim of the study was to find relevant methods and use them to investigate the effects of sectorized psychiatry on former mental hospital patients. Seventeen hypotheses were formulated, concerning both positive and negative effects of sectorized psychiatry. Relevance and expected availability decided the variables, which were based on information from medical registers, case records, death certificates, social authorities, courts of law, public health insurance, census office and personal interviews. The hypotheses were tested by the use of two groups of patients, 377 in one experimental group, and 377 in one control group. A matched control method was used. The study patients were domiciled in the catchment area for the first complete trial of sectorized psychiatric service in the Stockholm area. The control patients were domiciled in the catchment area for the remaining divisions of Beckomberga Mental Hospital. During the actual years, an experimental situation was at hand. Comparisons in each pair were performed, regarding the experimental year 1980. A methodological description of variables for measurement of the effects and changes in psychiatric care is presented. The comparison showed no significant differences in the analyses, regarding utilization of inpatient care at Beckomberga Hospital in 1980. Study patients had significantly more outpatient visits and day-care days compared to controls. Study patients reported significantly shorter time of public transportation between home and psychiatric service. Study patients were significantly more often discharged to the division's own agencies compared to controls. Study patients reported significantly less satisfaction with ward staff than controls. No significant differences in direct cost of treatment during the experimental year were registered. The conclusion is, that there are no consistent tendencies proving the new organization superior to the traditional one for these former mental hospital patients.

Numerical study of droplet evaporation in an acoustic levitator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bänsch, Eberhard; Götz, Michael

2018-03-01

We present a finite element method for the simulation of all relevant processes of the evaporation of a liquid droplet suspended in an acoustic levitation device. The mathematical model and the numerical implementation take into account heat and mass transfer across the interface between the liquid and gaseous phase and the influence of acoustic streaming on this process, as well as the displacement and deformation of the droplet due to acoustic radiation pressure. We apply this numerical method to several theoretical and experimental examples and compare our results with the well-known d2-law for the evaporation of spherical droplets and with theoretical predictions for the acoustic streaming velocity. We study the influence of acoustic streaming on the distribution of water vapor and temperature in the levitation device, with special attention to the vapor distribution in the emerging toroidal vortices. We also compare the evaporation rate of a droplet with and without acoustic streaming, as well as the evaporation rates in dependence of different temperatures and sound pressure levels. Finally, a simple model of protein inactivation due to heat damage is considered and studied for different evaporation settings and their respective influence on protein damage.

Objective assessment of MPEG-2 video quality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gastaldo, Paolo; Zunino, Rodolfo; Rovetta, Stefano

2002-07-01

The increasing use of video compression standards in broadcasting television systems has required, in recent years, the development of video quality measurements that take into account artifacts specifically caused by digital compression techniques. In this paper we present a methodology for the objective quality assessment of MPEG video streams by using circular back-propagation feedforward neural networks. Mapping neural networks can render nonlinear relationships between objective features and subjective judgments, thus avoiding any simplifying assumption on the complexity of the model. The neural network processes an instantaneous set of input values, and yields an associated estimate of perceived quality. Therefore, the neural-network approach turns objective quality assessment into adaptive modeling of subjective perception. The objective features used for the estimate are chosen according to the assessed relevance to perceived quality and are continuously extracted in real time from compressed video streams. The overall system mimics perception but does not require any analytical model of the underlying physical phenomenon. The capability to process compressed video streams represents an important advantage over existing approaches, like avoiding the stream-decoding process greatly enhances real-time performance. Experimental results confirm that the system provides satisfactory, continuous-time approximations for actual scoring curves concerning real test videos.

SEURAT: Safety Evaluation Ultimately Replacing Animal Testing--recommendations for future research in the field of predictive toxicology.

PubMed

Daston, George; Knight, Derek J; Schwarz, Michael; Gocht, Tilman; Thomas, Russell S; Mahony, Catherine; Whelan, Maurice

2015-01-01

The development of non-animal methodology to evaluate the potential for a chemical to cause systemic toxicity is one of the grand challenges of modern science. The European research programme SEURAT is active in this field and will conclude its first phase, SEURAT-1, in December 2015. Drawing on the experience gained in SEURAT-1 and appreciating international advancement in both basic and regulatory science, we reflect here on how SEURAT should evolve and propose that further research and development should be directed along two complementary and interconnecting work streams. The first work stream would focus on developing new 'paradigm' approaches for regulatory science. The goal here is the identification of 'critical biological targets' relevant for toxicity and to test their suitability to be used as anchors for predicting toxicity. The second work stream would focus on integration and application of new approach methods for hazard (and risk) assessment within the current regulatory 'paradigm', aiming for acceptance of animal-free testing strategies by regulatory authorities (i.e. translating scientific achievements into regulation). Components for both work streams are discussed and may provide a structure for a future research programme in the field of predictive toxicology.

Neuronal basis of speech comprehension.

PubMed

Specht, Karsten

2014-01-01

Verbal communication does not rely only on the simple perception of auditory signals. It is rather a parallel and integrative processing of linguistic and non-linguistic information, involving temporal and frontal areas in particular. This review describes the inherent complexity of auditory speech comprehension from a functional-neuroanatomical perspective. The review is divided into two parts. In the first part, structural and functional asymmetry of language relevant structures will be discus. The second part of the review will discuss recent neuroimaging studies, which coherently demonstrate that speech comprehension processes rely on a hierarchical network involving the temporal, parietal, and frontal lobes. Further, the results support the dual-stream model for speech comprehension, with a dorsal stream for auditory-motor integration, and a ventral stream for extracting meaning but also the processing of sentences and narratives. Specific patterns of functional asymmetry between the left and right hemisphere can also be demonstrated. The review article concludes with a discussion on interactions between the dorsal and ventral streams, particularly the involvement of motor related areas in speech perception processes, and outlines some remaining unresolved issues. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Human Auditory Neuroimaging. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Indication of pesticide effects and recolonization in streams.

PubMed

Knillmann, Saskia; Orlinskiy, Polina; Kaske, Oliver; Foit, Kaarina; Liess, Matthias

2018-07-15

The agricultural use of pesticides leads to environmentally relevant pesticide concentrations that cause adverse effects on stream ecosystems. These effects on invertebrate community composition can be identified by the bio-indicator SPEAR pesticides . However, refuge areas have been found to partly confound the indicator. On the basis of three monitoring campaigns of 41 sites in Central Germany, we identified 11 refuge taxa. The refuge taxa, mainly characterized by dispersal-based resilience, were observed only nearby uncontaminated stream sections and independent of the level of pesticide pressure. Through incorporation of this information into the revised SPEAR pesticides indicator, the community structure specifically identified the toxic pressure and no longer depended on the presence of refuge areas. With regard to ecosystem functions, leaf litter degradation was predicted by the revised SPEAR pesticides and the median water temperature at a site (R 2  = 0.38, P = 0.003). Furthermore, we designed the bio-indicator SPEAR refuge to quantify the magnitude of general recolonization at a given stream site. We conclude that the taxonomic composition of aquatic invertebrate communities enables a specific indication of anthropogenic stressors and resilience of ecosystems. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

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

Lychuk, Taras; Evans, Meredydd; Halverson, Mark A.

This report provides analysis of the Russian energy efficiency market for the building sector from the perspective of U.S. businesses interested in exporting relevant technologies, products and experience to Russia. We aim to help U.S. energy efficiency and environmental technologies businesses to better understand the Russian building market to plan their market strategy.

Employees.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sorenson, Gail Paulus

This chapter analyzes more than 200 cases reported in 1986 involving public-sector employees in elementary and secondary education. Also included, where appropriate, are relevant 1986 Supreme Court cases from outside the field of education, as well as leading cases from prior years. Legal issues covered by the review include the following: (1)…

Environmental Trends.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Council on Environmental Quality, Washington, DC.

This document consists of data which highlight trends in all sectors relevant to environmental policy. These data are presented in the form of charts and maps contained in 13 sections under the following headings: people and the land; critical areas (wetlands, wild areas, parks, historic places, and risk zones); human settlements; transportation;…

75 FR 81284 - National Protection and Programs Directorate; National Infrastructure Advisory Council Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-12-27

... Homeland Security with advice on the security of the critical infrastructure sectors and their information systems. The NIAC will meet to address issues relevant to the protection of critical infrastructure as... Directorate; National Infrastructure Advisory Council Meeting AGENCY: National Protection and Programs...

Bridge over troubled waters: A Synthesis Session to connect scientific and decision making sectors

EPA Science Inventory

Lack of access to relevant scientific data has limited decision makers from incorporating scientific information into their management and policy schemes. Yet, there is increasing interest among decision makers and scientists to integrate coastal and marine science into the polic...

Responsibility without legal authority? Tackling alcohol-related health harms through licensing and planning policy in local government.

PubMed

Martineau, F P; Graff, H; Mitchell, C; Lock, K

2014-09-01

The power to influence many social determinants of health lies within local government sectors that are outside public health's traditional remit. We analyse the challenges of achieving health gains through local government alcohol control policies, where legal and professional practice frameworks appear to conflict with public health action. Current legislation governing local alcohol control in England and Wales is reviewed and analysed for barriers and opportunities to implement effective population-level health interventions. Case studies of local government alcohol control practices are described. Addressing alcohol-related health harms is constrained by the absence of a specific legal health licensing objective and differences between public health and legal assessments of the relevance of health evidence to a specific place. Local governments can, however, implement health-relevant policies by developing local evidence for alcohol-related health harms; addressing cumulative impact in licensing policy statements and through other non-legislative approaches such as health and non-health sector partnerships. Innovative local initiatives-for example, minimum unit pricing licensing conditions-can serve as test cases for wider national implementation. By combining the powers available to the many local government sectors involved in alcohol control, alcohol-related health and social harms can be tackled through existing local mechanisms. © The Author 2013. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Faculty of Public Health.

A Systematic Review of Techniques and Sources of Big Data in the Healthcare Sector.

PubMed

Alonso, Susel Góngora; de la Torre Díez, Isabel; Rodrigues, Joel J P C; Hamrioui, Sofiane; López-Coronado, Miguel

2017-10-14

The main objective of this paper is to present a review of existing researches in the literature, referring to Big Data sources and techniques in health sector and to identify which of these techniques are the most used in the prediction of chronic diseases. Academic databases and systems such as IEEE Xplore, Scopus, PubMed and Science Direct were searched, considering the date of publication from 2006 until the present time. Several search criteria were established as 'techniques' OR 'sources' AND 'Big Data' AND 'medicine' OR 'health', 'techniques' AND 'Big Data' AND 'chronic diseases', etc. Selecting the paper considered of interest regarding the description of the techniques and sources of Big Data in healthcare. It found a total of 110 articles on techniques and sources of Big Data on health from which only 32 have been identified as relevant work. Many of the articles show the platforms of Big Data, sources, databases used and identify the techniques most used in the prediction of chronic diseases. From the review of the analyzed research articles, it can be noticed that the sources and techniques of Big Data used in the health sector represent a relevant factor in terms of effectiveness, since it allows the application of predictive analysis techniques in tasks such as: identification of patients at risk of reentry or prevention of hospital or chronic diseases infections, obtaining predictive models of quality.

Shaping climate change in the North Atlantic sector: The role of the atmospheric response to local SST changes vs. large-scale changes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hand, Ralf; Keenlyside, Noel; Omrani, Nour-Eddine; Greatbatch, Richard; Bader, Jürgen

2017-04-01

Climate change simulations robustly show a warming hole in the sub-polar North Atlantic that results from slowing of the AMOC countering the global warming signal. Here we investigate how the distinct SST spatial structures, which include a sharpening of the Gulf Stream SST gradients, influence climate change in the NA sector in winter. For this we analyse the RCP8.5 scenario simulation of the MPI Earth System Model. Additional sensitivity experiments with the atmospheric model component, ECHAM5, are performed to deconstruct the effect of the local spatial structure of the SST change from those arising from large-scale warming of the ocean, remote SST pattern changes and changed radiative forcings. The MPI model simulation shows a signifcant decrease in precipitation to the south of the GS extension region in the future, despite a strong increase in underlying SST. While directly to the north there is a significant increase in precipitation. These distinct features in the precipitation response over the North Atlantic result from the local SST. Over the Gulf Stream, the differential structure of the precipitation changes reflects the changes of the local SST gradients there. Over the subpolar gyre the increase in precipitation is partly suppressed. In this region the Subpolar Gyre the weakened AMOC causes a SST warming, that is much weaker than the warming other regions of the ocean show at the same latitude. The large-scale response, which includes the overall increase in precipitation over the NA is due to the overall warming, remote SSTs and/or directly connected to the radiative forcing.

Subauroral polarization stream on the outer boundary of the ring current during an energetic ion injection event

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuan, Zhigang; Qiao, Zheng; Li, Haimeng; Huang, Shiyong; Wang, Dedong; Yu, Xiongdong; Yu, Tao

2017-04-01

Subauroral polarization stream (SAPS) electric field can play an important role in the coupling between the inner magnetosphere and ionosphere; however, the production mechanism of SAPS has not been yet solved. During an energetic ion injection event on 26 March 2004, at latitudes lower than the equatorward boundaries of precipitating plasma sheet electrons and ions, the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) F13 satellite simultaneously observed a strong SAPS with the peak velocity of 1294 m/s and downward flowing field-aligned currents (FACs). Conjugate observations of DMSP F13 and NOAA 15 satellites have shown that FACs flowing into the ionosphere just lie in the outer boundary of the ring current (RC). The downward flowing FACs were observed in a region of positive latitudinal gradients of the ion energy density, implying that the downward flowing FACs are more likely linked to the azimuthal gradient than the radial gradient of the RC ion pressure. Our result demonstrates that RC ion pressure gradients on the outer boundary of the RC in the evening sector during energetic ion injection events can lead to downward flowing FACs so as to cause strong SAPS in condition of low ionospheric conductivities.