Density-dependent dynamics of a dominant rain forest tree change with juvenile stage and time of masting.

PubMed

Norghauer, Julian M; Newbery, David M

2016-05-01

Although negative density dependence (NDD) can facilitate tree species coexistence in forests, the underlying mechanisms can differ, and rarely are the dynamics of seedlings and saplings studied together. Herein we present and discuss a novel mechanism based on our investigation of NDD predictions for the large, grove-forming ectomycorrhizal mast fruiting tree, Microberlinia bisulcata (Caesalpiniaceae), in an 82.5-ha plot at Korup, Cameroon. We tested whether juvenile density, size, growth and survival decreases with increasing conspecific adult basal area for 3245 'new' seedlings and 540 'old' seedlings (< 75-cm tall) during an approximately 4-year study period (2008-2012) and for 234 'saplings' (≥ 75-cm tall) during an approximately 6-year study period (2008-2014). We found that the respective densities of new seedlings, old seedlings and saplings were positively, not and negatively related to increasing BA. Maximum leaf numbers and heights of old seedlings were negatively correlated with increasing basal areas, as were sapling heights and stem diameters. Whereas survivorship of new seedlings decreased by more than one-half with increasing basal area over its range in 2010-2012, that of old seedlings decreased by almost two-thirds, but only in 2008-2010, and was generally unrelated to conspecific seedling density. In 2010-2012 relative growth rates in new seedlings' heights decreased with increasing basal area, as well as with increasing seedling density, together with increasing leaf numbers, whereas old seedlings' growth was unrelated to either conspecific density or basal area. Saplings of below-average height had reduced survivorship with increasing basal area (probability decreasing from approx. 0.4 to 0.05 over the basal area range tested), but only sapling growth in terms of leaf numbers decreased with increasing basal area. These static and dynamic results indicate that NDD is operating within this system, possibly stabilizing the M. bisulcata population. However, these NDD patterns are unlikely to be caused by symmetric competition or by consumers. Instead, an alternative mechanism for conspecific adult-juvenile negative feedback is proposed, one which involves the interaction between tree phenology and ectomycorrhizal linkages.

Distribution of nearshore macroinvertebrates in lakes of the Northern Cascade Mountains, Washington, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hoffman, Robert L.; Liss, W.J.; Larson, Gary L.; Deimling, E.; Lomnicky, G.A.

1996-01-01

During the summer of 1949 studies were conducted at Princeton, New Jersey, to determine the effects on wildlife of DDT used in the control of Dutch elm disease. Direct mortality was determined by intensive search for dead birds after spraying. Twenty-six songbirds, one bat, and one gray squirrel were found. Of 11 dead birds from a study area of approximately 20 acres only one was an adult. Songbird populations were determined by censuses before and after spraying on a study area and on a similar unsprayed check area. The number of all breeding birds showed a 19.6 percent decrease on both the study and check areas during the week immediately following spraying. About two weeks after spraying the population in the treated area began to increase and within another week was back to prespray level. When only those species common to both sprayed and unsprayed areas are considered a population decline of 22 percent was measured in the sprayed area while the check area showed a 6 percent increase in numbers over the same period. Nestling mortality was studied in both areas. Among 18 young found on the study area during and following spraying 8 (44%) survived. Death of two broods of catbirds occurred four days after spraying. Of 21 young found on the check area 15 (71%) survived.

Effects on wildlife of DDT used for control of Dutch elm disease

USGS Publications Warehouse

Benton, A.H.

1951-01-01

During the summer of 1949 studies were conducted at Princeton, New Jersey, to determine the effects on wildlife of DDT used in the control of Dutch elm disease. Direct mortality was determined by intensive search for dead birds after spraying. Twenty-six songbirds, one bat, and one gray squirrel were found. Of 11 dead birds from a study area of approximately 20 acres only one was an adult. Songbird populations were determined by censuses before and after spraying on a study area and on a similar unsprayed check area. The number of all breeding birds showed a 19.6 percent decrease on both the study and check areas during the week immediately following spraying. About two weeks after spraying the population in the treated area began to increase and within another week was back to prespray level. When only those species common to both sprayed and unsprayed areas are considered a population decline of 22 percent was measured in the sprayed area while the check area showed a 6 percent increase in numbers over the same period. Nestling mortality was studied in both areas. Among 18 young found on the study area during and following spraying 8 (44%) survived. Death of two broods of catbirds occurred four days after spraying. Of 21 young found on the check area 15 (71%) survived.

Ground gamma-ray spectrometric studies of El-Sahu area, southwestern Sinai, Egypt

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abdrabboh, Ahmad M.

2017-12-01

Based on the previous airborne gamma-ray spectrometric study carried out in southwestern Sinai area, El Sahu area was selected for detail ground gamma-ray spectrometric survey. This area is considered as a good target for radioactive mineral exploration. The study area is exposed in a Paleozoic basin covered by different rocks (ranging from Precambrian to Quaternary). The ground gamma-ray spectrometric survey has been conducted along the study area through random survey. The resultant gamma-ray spectrometric maps show different levels of radioactivity over the studied area, which reflect contrasting radioelement contents for the exposed various rock types. The studied area possesses total count ranging from 2.6 to 326 Ur, 0.1 to 2.8% K, 1.7 to 316 ppm eU and 0.9 to 47.5 ppm eTh. The highest uranium concentrations are located in the northern and southern parts of El Sahu area. They are mainly associated with Um Bogma Formation occurrences. Uranium ratio maps (eU/K and eU/eTh) as well as ternary maps show sharp increase of eU content over both potassium and thorium contents associated with the ENE and NNW trends in Um Bogma Formation, indicating an increase in the U-potentiality than the surrounding rocks. This indicates that the mineralization in the study area may be structurally-controlled.

Exploring the Specifications of Spatial Adjacencies and Weights in Bayesian Spatial Modeling with Intrinsic Conditional Autoregressive Priors in a Small-area Study of Fall Injuries

PubMed Central

Law, Jane

2016-01-01

Intrinsic conditional autoregressive modeling in a Bayeisan hierarchical framework has been increasingly applied in small-area ecological studies. This study explores the specifications of spatial structure in this Bayesian framework in two aspects: adjacency, i.e., the set of neighbor(s) for each area; and (spatial) weight for each pair of neighbors. Our analysis was based on a small-area study of falling injuries among people age 65 and older in Ontario, Canada, that was aimed to estimate risks and identify risk factors of such falls. In the case study, we observed incorrect adjacencies information caused by deficiencies in the digital map itself. Further, when equal weights was replaced by weights based on a variable of expected count, the range of estimated risks increased, the number of areas with probability of estimated risk greater than one at different probability thresholds increased, and model fit improved. More importantly, significance of a risk factor diminished. Further research to thoroughly investigate different methods of variable weights; quantify the influence of specifications of spatial weights; and develop strategies for better defining spatial structure of a map in small-area analysis in Bayesian hierarchical spatial modeling is recommended. PMID:29546147

Sustained Increase in the Incidence of Acute Decompensated Heart Failure After the 2011 Japan Earthquake and Tsunami.

PubMed

Nakamura, Motoyuki; Tanaka, Fumitaka; Komi, Ryousuke; Tanaka, Kentarou; Onodera, Masayuki; Kawakami, Mikio; Koeda, Yorihiko; Sakai, Toshiaki; Tanno, Kozo; Onoda, Toshiyuki; Matsura, Yuki; Komatsu, Takashi

2016-11-01

This study investigated the long-term impact of the 2011 Japan earthquake and tsunami on the incidence of acute decompensated heart failure (HF) in the disaster area. This was a population-based study using comprehensive registration for all hospitals within the study area. The standardized incidence ratio (SIR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) for new onset of HF during the disaster year (2011) and postdisaster years (2012 to 2014) were determined. When SIR were compared between the low- and high-impact areas, as defined by the extent of tsunami inundation in residential areas, SIR showed a significant increase in high-impact areas in 2011 (1.67, 95% CI 1.45 to 1.88) and tended to return to baseline in 2012, the first postdisaster year (1.25, 95% CI 1.06 to 1.43). The rate again increased in 2013 (1.38, 95% CI 1.18 to 1.57) and 2014 (1.55, 95% CI 1.35 to 1.75). In low-impact areas, no such increase was apparent during either the disaster year or the postdisaster years. Mean postdisaster period SIR for municipalities significantly correlated with the percentage of tsunami flooding in residential areas (r = 0.52, p <0.05) and with the percentage of refugees within the population (r = 0.74, p <0.01). There was no significant relation between maximum seismic intensity and mean SIR in these municipalities. In conclusion, these results suggest that the catastrophic tsunami but not the earthquake per se resulted in a prolonged increase in the incidence of HF among the general population living in tsunami-stricken areas. Copyright © 2016 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Relationships between human population density and burned area at continental and global scales.

PubMed

Bistinas, Ioannis; Oom, Duarte; Sá, Ana C L; Harrison, Sandy P; Prentice, I Colin; Pereira, José M C

2013-01-01

We explore the large spatial variation in the relationship between population density and burned area, using continental-scale Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) based on 13 years of satellite-derived burned area maps from the global fire emissions database (GFED) and the human population density from the gridded population of the world (GPW 2005). Significant relationships are observed over 51.5% of the global land area, and the area affected varies from continent to continent: population density has a significant impact on fire over most of Asia and Africa but is important in explaining fire over < 22% of Europe and Australia. Increasing population density is associated with both increased and decreased in fire. The nature of the relationship depends on land-use: increasing population density is associated with increased burned are in rangelands but with decreased burned area in croplands. Overall, the relationship between population density and burned area is non-monotonic: burned area initially increases with population density and then decreases when population density exceeds a threshold. These thresholds vary regionally. Our study contributes to improved understanding of how human activities relate to burned area, and should contribute to a better estimate of atmospheric emissions from biomass burning.

Relationships between Human Population Density and Burned Area at Continental and Global Scales

PubMed Central

Bistinas, Ioannis; Oom, Duarte; Sá, Ana C. L.; Harrison, Sandy P.; Prentice, I. Colin; Pereira, José M. C.

2013-01-01

We explore the large spatial variation in the relationship between population density and burned area, using continental-scale Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) based on 13 years of satellite-derived burned area maps from the global fire emissions database (GFED) and the human population density from the gridded population of the world (GPW 2005). Significant relationships are observed over 51.5% of the global land area, and the area affected varies from continent to continent: population density has a significant impact on fire over most of Asia and Africa but is important in explaining fire over < 22% of Europe and Australia. Increasing population density is associated with both increased and decreased in fire. The nature of the relationship depends on land-use: increasing population density is associated with increased burned are in rangelands but with decreased burned area in croplands. Overall, the relationship between population density and burned area is non-monotonic: burned area initially increases with population density and then decreases when population density exceeds a threshold. These thresholds vary regionally. Our study contributes to improved understanding of how human activities relate to burned area, and should contribute to a better estimate of atmospheric emissions from biomass burning. PMID:24358108

Relationship between ventral hernia defect area and intra-abdominal pressure: dynamic in vivo measurement.

PubMed

Qandeel, Haitham; O'Dwyer, Patrick J

2016-04-01

It is an acceptable concept that the ventral hernia defect area will increase with a rise in intra-abdominal pressure (IAP). The literature lacks the evidence about how much this increase is in vivo. The aim of this study was to objectively measure the change in the ventral hernia defect area with increasing intra-abdominal pressure. In a prospective study of laparoscopic ventral hernia repair, the area of hernia defect was measured from inside the abdomen using a sterile paper ruler. The horizontal (width) and vertical (length) measurements of the defect were taken at two pressure points: (IAP = 8 mmHg) and (IAP = 15 mmHg). The hernia defect area was calculated as an oval shape using a standard formula. Eighteen consecutive patients with a ventral hernia were included in this study (8 males: 10 females). Median age was 60 years (30-81), body mass index (BMI) was 29.9 (22.6-37.6). Changing the IAP significantly, (P < 0.001) changed the values of horizontal and vertical measurements, and the calculated area of the ventral hernia defect. The median calculated defect area, as an oval shape, was 5.6 cm(2) (Q1-Q3 = 3.5-15.5) and 6.9 cm(2) (Q1-Q3 = 4.5-18.7) at 8 and 15 mmHg IAP, respectively. The calculated area of mesh required to cover the defect with a 5 cm overlap increased by a median of 5% (Q1-Q3 = 3-6%). The change in defect area did not differ significantly between obese and non-obese patients (P = 0.5). Dynamic, rather than static, measurements of ventral hernia area during laparoscopy provide a simple way of in vivo objective measurement that helps the surgeon choose the appropriate area of mesh. When choosing mesh area, we support the trend toward a larger overlap of at least 5 cm if less precise methods of measuring defect area are been used.

Assessment of prescription opioid intentional exposures across the rural-urban continuum in the United States using both population and drug availability rates.

PubMed

Le Lait, Marie-Claire; Martinez, Erin M; Severtson, Stevan G; Lavery, Sarah A; Bucher-Bartelson, Becki; Dart, Richard C

2014-12-01

Prescription opioid abuse and misuse are a serious problem in the U.S. today. Several studies have shown that the epidemic disproportionately affects rural areas. This paper uses three different rates to gain a more complete picture of opioid abuse in rural areas. This study examines prescription opioid intentional exposures using opioid classes tracked in the RADARS(®) System Poison Center Program. Intentional exposure rates were calculated adjusting for population and unique recipients of dispensed drug (URDD). These rates were analyzed using time (quarter) and the proportion of a three-digit zip code residing in a rural area as covariates. Additionally, the URDD per population rate was calculated to examine the proportion of the population filling prescriptions for opioids. After adjusting for population, intentional exposure cases significantly increased as the proportion of the population residing in a rural area increased. However, when adjusting for URDD, intentional exposure cases decreased with increasing rural population. The URDD per population increased as the proportion of people residing in a rural area increased. Using both population and URDD adjusted intentional exposure rates gives a more complete picture of opioid abuse in rural areas. Considering product availability can be used to develop opioid abuse prevention strategies and further the education of physicians serving rural areas about this epidemic. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Fisheries Closed Areas Strengthen Scallop Larval Settlement and Connectivity Among Closed Areas and Across International Open Fishing Grounds: A Model Study.

PubMed

Davies, Kimberley T A; Gentleman, W C; DiBacco, C; Johnson, C L

2015-09-01

This study examined whether a measured increase in average body size of adult sea scallops inside three fishery closed areas on Georges Bank (GB), United States (US), was sufficient to increase larval supply to closed areas and open fishing areas in both US and Canadian areas of the Bank. The effects of adult scallop density-at-size and fecundity-at-size on egg production were compared among open and closed fishery areas, countries, and time periods before and after the closed areas were established. Estimated egg production was then used to define spawning conditions in a coupled biological-physical larval tracking model that simulated larval development, mortality, and dispersal. Results showed that order of magnitude increases in larval settlement after closure were facilitated by increases in size-dependant egg production inside and dispersal from Closed Areas I and II, but not Nantucket Lightship Closed Area. The distributions of both egg production and larval settlement became more uniform across the Bank, causing the relative contribution of Canadian larvae to US scallop aggregations to decrease after establishment of Closed Areas I and II. Decreases in small and medium-sized scallop density in Canada and decreases in large scallops over the US-Southern Flank after closure caused local declines in egg production but were not sufficient to negatively affect larval settlement at the regional scale. Our model suggests that the establishment of fishery closed areas on GB considerably strengthened larval supply and settlement within and among several adult scallop aggregations.

Fisheries Closed Areas Strengthen Scallop Larval Settlement and Connectivity Among Closed Areas and Across International Open Fishing Grounds: A Model Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davies, Kimberley T. A.; Gentleman, W. C.; DiBacco, C.; Johnson, C. L.

2015-09-01

This study examined whether a measured increase in average body size of adult sea scallops inside three fishery closed areas on Georges Bank (GB), United States (US), was sufficient to increase larval supply to closed areas and open fishing areas in both US and Canadian areas of the Bank. The effects of adult scallop density-at-size and fecundity-at-size on egg production were compared among open and closed fishery areas, countries, and time periods before and after the closed areas were established. Estimated egg production was then used to define spawning conditions in a coupled biological-physical larval tracking model that simulated larval development, mortality, and dispersal. Results showed that order of magnitude increases in larval settlement after closure were facilitated by increases in size-dependant egg production inside and dispersal from Closed Areas I and II, but not Nantucket Lightship Closed Area. The distributions of both egg production and larval settlement became more uniform across the Bank, causing the relative contribution of Canadian larvae to US scallop aggregations to decrease after establishment of Closed Areas I and II. Decreases in small and medium-sized scallop density in Canada and decreases in large scallops over the US-Southern Flank after closure caused local declines in egg production but were not sufficient to negatively affect larval settlement at the regional scale. Our model suggests that the establishment of fishery closed areas on GB considerably strengthened larval supply and settlement within and among several adult scallop aggregations.

Prostaglandin E2 Increased Rat Cortical Bone Mass When Administered Immediately Following Ovariectomy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ke, Hua Zhu; Jee, Webster S.S.; Zeng, Qing Qiang; Li, Mei; Lin, Bai Yun

1993-01-01

To investigate the effects of ovariectomy and the simultaneous administration of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) on rat tibial shaft cortical bone histomorphometry, thirty-five 3 month-old female Sprague-Dawley rats were either ovariectomized (OVX), or sham ovariectomy (sham-OVX). The OVX rats were divided into three groups and treated with 0, 1 and 6 mg PGE2/kg/day for 90 days. The double fluorescent labeled undecalcified tibial shaft cross sections (proximal to the tibiofibular junction) of all the subjects were used for histomorphometry analysis. No differences in cross-sectional area and cortical bone area were found between sham-OVX and OVX controls, but OVX increased marrow area, intracortical porosity area and endocortical eroded perimeter. Periosteal and endocortical bone formation rates decreased with aging yet OVX prevented these changes. These OVX-induced increases in marrow area and endocortical eroded perimeter were prevented by 1 mg PGE2/kg/day treatment and added bone to periosteal and endocortical surfaces and to the marrow cavity. At the 6 mg/kg/day dose level, PGE2-treated OVX rats increased total tissue area, cortical bone area, marrow trabmular bone area, minimal cortical width and intracortical porosity area, and decreased marrow area compared to basal, sham-OVX and OVX controls. In addition, periosteal bone formation was elevated in the 6 mg PGE2/kg/day-treated OVX rats compared to OVX controls. Endocortical eroded perimeter increased from basal and sham-OVX control levels, but decreased from OVX control levels in the 6 mg PGE2/kg/day-treated OVX rats. Our study confirmed that ovariectomy does not cause osteopenia in tibial shaft cortical bone in rats, but it does stimulate endocortical bone resorption and enlarges marrow area. The new findings from the present study demonstrate that PGE2 prevents the OVX-induced increases in endocortical bone resorption and marrow area and adds additional bone to periosteal and endocortical surfaces and to marrow cavity to increase total bone mass in the tibial shaft of OVX rats when given immediately following ovafiectomy.

Planting structure adjustment and food security in major food production district: A case study on 10 main food production counties in Gansu Province, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, S. J.; Yang, C. L.; Zhou, L. Y.

2017-07-01

This paper made an empirical study on planting structure adjustment and food security, in which main data and information came from the questionnaires of 10 main food-production counties in Gansu Province, China. The investigation results showed that: 1) During 1995 and 2014, the cultivated land area per household dropped by 2.40%, in which food crop area declined by 3.16%, yet cash crop area increased by 129% in the survey area. In the same period, the revenue per household increased by 162.99%, while food income from the revenue only increased by 17.42%; 2) In Hexi and Longzhong districts, mean wheat crop area per household shows a downtrend, while cash crop area increased significantly in the past 20 years. Especially, the household food output and income did not appear a simultaneous increase trend. In Longdong district, the household food output and income showed a simultaneous uptrend, and household income came mainly from miscellaneous grain (e.g. sorghum, bean, buckwheat, etc.); 3) In order to pursue higher economic efficiency of cultivated land, the farmers were forced to adjust planting structure and develop characteristics industries, profitable agriculture and cash crop with comparative advantage, which resulted in few food stock and impacted seriously on regional food security.

Decoding Area Studies and Interdisciplinary Majors: Building a Framework for Entry-Level Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

MacPherson, Kristina Ruth

2015-01-01

Decoding disciplinary expertise for novices is increasingly part of the undergraduate curriculum. But how might area studies and other interdisciplinary programs, which require integration of courses from multiple disciplines, decode expertise in a similar fashion? Additionally, as a part of decoding area studies and interdisciplines, how might a…

Increasing Social and Economic Inequalities among Suburban Schools: A Study in Educational Administration and Finance. Final Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hickrod, G. Alan; Sabulao, Cesar M.

This study of five metropolitan areas indicates increasing social and economic inequalities among suburban schools. In addition, the metropolitan areas seemed to be developing contiguous sectors of "advantaged" school districts and "disadvantaged" school districts. Financial differences are at the base of the inequalities, with high income/low tax…

Trees for tomorrow

Treesearch

Edward A. Johnson

1980-01-01

As coal production increases, forestry will become an increasingly important land use both before and after mining activity. New studies are needed to determine the long-range effect of mining in forested areas and to maximize the production of wood products on reclaimed areas.

Incidence of thyroid cancer in the selected areas of iodine deficiency in Poland.

PubMed

Szybiński, Z; Huszno, B; Zemla, B; Bandurska-Stankiewicz, E; Przybylik-Mazurek, E; Nowak, W; Cichon, S; Buziak-Bereza, M; Trofimiuk, M; Szybiński, P

2003-01-01

The aim of the study was to evaluate the incidence rate (IR), trend and histotype of the differentiated thyroid cancer in the selected areas with varying iodine deficiency. The study was carried out in three areas: Krakow, (Carpathian endemic goiter area with 1.99 million mixed rural and urban population), Gliwice (Upper Silesia--moderate iodine deficiency area mostly industrial with 4.89 million inhabitants) and Olsztyn (slight iodine deficiency area, mainly rural with 0.77 million inhabitants). Between 1990 and 2001, in the study area 2691 newly diagnosed cases of malignant neoplasms of the thyroid gland were registered. In over 80% of patients it was differentiated thyroid cancer: mainly in women over 40 years, with F/M ratio 5.8. The highest percentage of papillary cancer 72.9% was observed in Olsztyn and lowest--50.0%--in Krakow and Nowy Sacz districts. In this period of time incidence rate of differentiated thyroid cancer in women increased in Kraków, Gliwice, and Olsztyn from 1.51 to 9.34 in 1998 1.27 to 5.74 in 1999 and from 2.52 to 11.35 in 2001 respectively. In the youngest (0-20 years) age group no significant increase of IR was observed. Between 1998 and 2001 the dynamics of increase of the thyroid cancer incidence markedly diminished. In conclusion it was hypothesised that an increase in IR of differentiated thyroid cancer in the study area was caused mainly by the suspension of iodine prophylaxis in 1980 and was diminished by the introduction of an obligatory model of iodine prophylaxis in 1996/1997. It was modified in terms of histotype and dynamics of increase by exposure to ionizing radiation. A very specific group at risk on the population level were women aged 20-40 years in the reproductive age exposed to iodine deficiency after suspension of iodine prophylaxis in 1980 and to radiation after the Chernobyl accident in 1986.

Effects of fisheries closures and gear restrictions on fishing income in a Kenyan coral reef.

PubMed

McClanahan, Timothy R

2010-12-01

The adoption of fisheries closures and gear restrictions in the conservation of coral reefs may be limited by poor understanding of the economic profitability of competing economic uses of marine resources. Over the past 12 years, I evaluated the effects of gear regulation and fisheries closures on per person and per area incomes from fishing in coral reefs of Kenya. In two of my study areas, the use of small-meshed beach seines was stopped after 6 years; one of these areas was next to a fishery closure. In my third study area, fishing was unregulated. Fishing yields on per capita daily wet weight basis were 20% higher after seine-net fishing was stopped. The per person daily fishing income adjacent to the closed areas was 14 and 22% higher than the fishing income at areas with only gear restrictions before and after the seine-net restriction, respectively. Incomes differed because larger fish were captured next to the closed area and the price per weight (kilograms) increased as fish size increased and because catches adjacent to the closure contained fish species of higher market value. Per capita incomes were 41 and 135% higher for those who fished in gear-restricted areas and near-closed areas, respectively, compared with those who fished areas with no restrictions. On a per unit area basis (square kilometers), differences in fishing income among the three areas were not large because fishing effort increased as the number of restrictions decreased. Changes in catch were, however, larger and often in the opposite direction expected from changes in effort alone. For example, effort declined 21% but nominal profits per square kilometer (not accounting for inflation) increased 29% near the area with gear restrictions. Gear restrictions also reduced the cost of fishing and increased the proportion of self-employed fishers. © 2010 Society for Conservation Biology.

Study of gas-water flow in horizontal rectangular channels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chinnov, E. A.; Ron'shin, F. V.; Kabov, O. A.

2015-09-01

The two-phase flow in the narrow short horizontal rectangular channels 1 millimeter in height was studied experimentally. The features of formation of the two-phase flow were studied in detail. It is shown that with an increase in the channel width, the region of the churn and bubble regimes increases, compressing the area of the jet flow. The areas of the annular and stratified flow patterns vary insignificantly.

Effects of study area size on home range estimates of common bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus

PubMed Central

Nekolny, Samantha R; Denny, Matthew; Biedenbach, George; Howells, Elisabeth M; Mazzoil, Marilyn; Durden, Wendy N; Moreland, Lydia; David Lambert, J

2017-01-01

Abstract Knowledge of an animal’s home range is a crucial component in making informed management decisions. However, many home range studies are limited by study area size, and therefore may underestimate the size of the home range. In many cases, individuals have been shown to travel outside of the study area and utilize a larger area than estimated by the study design. In this study, data collected by multiple research groups studying bottlenose dolphins on the east coast of Florida were combined to determine how home range estimates increased with increasing study area size. Home range analyses utilized photo-identification data collected from 6 study areas throughout the St Johns River (SJR; Jacksonville, FL, USA) and adjacent waterways, extending a total of 253 km to the southern end of Mosquito Lagoon in the Indian River Lagoon Estuarine System. Univariate kernel density estimates (KDEs) were computed for individuals with 10 or more sightings (n = 20). Kernels were calculated for the primary study area (SJR) first, then additional kernels were calculated by combining the SJR and the next adjacent waterway; this continued in an additive fashion until all study areas were included. The 95% and 50% KDEs calculated for the SJR alone ranged from 21 to 35 km and 4 to 19 km, respectively. The 95% and 50% KDEs calculated for all combined study areas ranged from 116 to 217 km and 9 to 70 km, respectively. This study illustrates the degree to which home range may be underestimated by the use of limited study areas and demonstrates the benefits of conducting collaborative science. PMID:29492031

Effects of study area size on home range estimates of common bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus.

PubMed

Nekolny, Samantha R; Denny, Matthew; Biedenbach, George; Howells, Elisabeth M; Mazzoil, Marilyn; Durden, Wendy N; Moreland, Lydia; David Lambert, J; Gibson, Quincy A

2017-12-01

Knowledge of an animal's home range is a crucial component in making informed management decisions. However, many home range studies are limited by study area size, and therefore may underestimate the size of the home range. In many cases, individuals have been shown to travel outside of the study area and utilize a larger area than estimated by the study design. In this study, data collected by multiple research groups studying bottlenose dolphins on the east coast of Florida were combined to determine how home range estimates increased with increasing study area size. Home range analyses utilized photo-identification data collected from 6 study areas throughout the St Johns River (SJR; Jacksonville, FL, USA) and adjacent waterways, extending a total of 253 km to the southern end of Mosquito Lagoon in the Indian River Lagoon Estuarine System. Univariate kernel density estimates (KDEs) were computed for individuals with 10 or more sightings ( n =  20). Kernels were calculated for the primary study area (SJR) first, then additional kernels were calculated by combining the SJR and the next adjacent waterway; this continued in an additive fashion until all study areas were included. The 95% and 50% KDEs calculated for the SJR alone ranged from 21 to 35 km and 4 to 19 km, respectively. The 95% and 50% KDEs calculated for all combined study areas ranged from 116 to 217 km and 9 to 70 km, respectively. This study illustrates the degree to which home range may be underestimated by the use of limited study areas and demonstrates the benefits of conducting collaborative science.

Analysis of Human Disturbance and Ecological Security Evolution in Oasis in Arid Area Based on LUCC: A Case Study of Oasis in the Northern Tianshan Mountain Slope Economic Zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Song, W. J.; Chen, M. H.; Zhang, Q.; Liu, S. S.; Yang, J. N.

2017-07-01

Oases in arid areas are environmentally and economically vulnerable regions. Study on ecological security of oases in arid areas is of great significance to the stability and the economic development of oases. Based on Land Use/Land Cover data in 1965, 1980, 1995, 2005 and 2015, the study analyze the temporal and spatial changes in human disturbance and ecological security of oases in the Northern Tianshan Mountain Slope Economic Zone (NTMSEZ) in recent 50 years by establishing the ecological security index (ESI) through human disturbance index and landscape vulnerability index. The results showed that: in recent 50 years, the human disturbance of the NTMSEZ has been increased to current moderate human impacts. Urban construction, oasis expansion and farmland reclamation are the main factors of the increment. The human disturbance in Urumchi, Shihezi, Kuitun, Miquan and Changji is higher than that in other oases and that in core areas of oasis is higher than other areas. The ESI of the NTMSEZ increases firstly and then decreases. In most areas, the ESI is “relatively unsafe” and “critical”. However, there are increasingly more vulnerable areas, moving northwestwards and expanding southwards. The ESI gradually presents a “NW-SE” trend of zonal distribution pattern.

Effects of Hydroelectric Dam Operations on the Restoration Potential of Snake River Fall Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) Spawning Habitat Final Report, October 2005 - September 2007.

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

Hanrahan, Timothy P.; Richmond, Marshall C.; Arntzen, Evan V.

2007-11-13

This report describes research conducted by the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory for the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) as part of the Fish and Wildlife Program directed by the Northwest Power and Conservation Council. The study evaluated the restoration potential of Snake River fall Chinook salmon spawning habitat within the impounded lower Snake River. The objective of the research was to determine if hydroelectric dam operations could be modified, within existing system constraints (e.g., minimum to normal pool levels; without partial removal of a dam structure), to increase the amount of available fall Chinook salmon spawning habitat in the lower Snakemore » River. Empirical and modeled physical habitat data were used to compare potential fall Chinook salmon spawning habitat in the Snake River, under current and modified dam operations, with the analogous physical characteristics of an existing fall Chinook salmon spawning area in the Columbia River. The two Snake River study areas included the Ice Harbor Dam tailrace downstream to the Highway 12 bridge and the Lower Granite Dam tailrace downstream approximately 12 river kilometers. These areas represent tailwater habitat (i.e., riverine segments extending from a dam downstream to the backwater influence from the next dam downstream). We used a reference site, indicative of current fall Chinook salmon spawning areas in tailwater habitat, against which to compare the physical characteristics of each study site. The reference site for tailwater habitats was the section extending downstream from the Wanapum Dam tailrace on the Columbia River. Fall Chinook salmon spawning habitat use data, including water depth, velocity, substrate size and channelbed slope, from the Wanapum reference area were used to define spawning habitat suitability based on these variables. Fall Chinook salmon spawning habitat suitability of the Snake River study areas was estimated by applying the Wanapum reference reach habitat suitability criteria to measured and modeled habitat data from the Snake River study areas. Channel morphology data from the Wanapum reference reach and the Snake River study areas were evaluated to identify geomorphically suitable fall Chinook salmon spawning habitat. The results of this study indicate that a majority of the Ice Harbor and Lower Granite study areas contain suitable fall Chinook salmon spawning habitat under existing hydrosystem operations. However, a large majority of the currently available fall Chinook salmon spawning habitat in the Ice Harbor and Lower Granite study areas is of low quality. The potential for increasing, through modifications to hydrosystem operations (i.e., minimum pool elevation of the next downstream dam), the quantity or quality of fall Chinook salmon spawning habitat appears to be limited. Estimates of the amount of potential fall Chinook salmon spawning habitat in the Ice Harbor study area decreased as the McNary Dam forebay elevation was lowered from normal to minimum pool elevation. Estimates of the amount of potential fall Chinook salmon spawning habitat in the Lower Granite study area increased as the Little Goose Dam forebay elevation was lowered from normal to minimum pool elevation; however, 97% of the available habitat was categorized within the range of lowest quality. In both the Ice Harbor and Lower Granite study areas, water velocity appears to be more of a limiting factor than water depth for fall Chinook salmon spawning habitat, with both study areas dominated by low-magnitude water velocity. The geomorphic suitability of both study areas appears to be compromised for fall Chinook salmon spawning habitat, with the Ice Harbor study area lacking significant bedforms along the longitudinal thalweg profile and the Lower Granite study area lacking cross-sectional topographic diversity. To increase the quantity of available fall Chinook salmon spawning habitat in the Ice Harbor and Lower Granite study area, modifications to hydroelectric dam operations beyond those evaluated in this study likely would be necessary. Modifications may include operational and structural changes, such as lowering downstream dam forebay elevations to less than minimum pool. There is a large amount of uncertainty as to whether or not such modifications could increase the quantity of available fall Chinook salmon spawning habitat in the Ice Harbor and Lower Granite study area. The results from this study provide some certainty that the quantity and quality of fall Chinook salmon spawning habitat within the lower Snake River are not likely to be increased within the existing hydroelectric dam operations.« less

Hydrology and snowmelt simulation of Snyderville Basin, Park City, and adjacent areas, Summit County, Utah

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brooks, Lynette E.; Mason, James L.; Susong, David D.

1998-01-01

Increasing residential and commercial development is placing increased demands on the ground- and surface-water resources of Snyderville Basin, Park City, and adjacent areas in the southwestern corner of Summit County, Utah. Data collected during 1993-95 were used to assess the quantity and quality of the water resources in the study area.Ground water within the study area is present in consolidated rocks and unconsolidated valley fill. The complex geology makes it difficult to determine the degree of hydraulic connection between different blocks of consolidated rocks. Increased ground-water withdrawal during 1983- 95 generally has not affected ground-water levels. Ground-water withdrawal in some areas, however, caused seasonal fluctuations and a decline in ground-water levels from 1994 to 1995, despite greater-than-normal recharge in the spring of 1995.Ground water generally has a dissolved-solids concentration that ranges from 200 to 600 mg/L. Higher sulfate concentrations in water from wells and springs near Park City and in McLeod Creek and East Canyon Creek than in other parts of the study area are the result of mixing with water that discharges from the Spiro Tunnel. The presence of chloride in water from wells and springs near Park City and in streams and wells near Interstate Highway 80 is probably caused by the dissolution of applied road salt. Chlorofluorocarbon analyses indicate that even though water levels rise within a few weeks of snowmelt, the water took 15 to 40 years to move from areas of recharge to areas of discharge.Water budgets for the entire study area and for six subbasins were developed to better understand the hydrologic system. Ground-water recharge from precipitation made up about 80 percent of the ground-water recharge in the study area. Ground-water discharge to streams made up about 40 percent of the surface water in the study area and ground-water discharge to springs and mine tunnels made up about 25 percent. Increasing use of ground water has the potential to decrease discharge to streams and affect both the amount and quality of surface water in the study area. A comparison of the 1995 to 1994 water budgets emphasizes that the hydrologic system in the study area is very dependent upon the amount of annual precipitation. Although precipitation on the study area was much greater in 1995 than in 1994, most of the additional water resulted in additional streamflow and spring discharge that flows out of the study area. Ground-water levels and groundwater discharge are dependent upon annual precipitation and can vary substantially from year to year.Snowmelt runoff was simulated to assist in estimating ground-water recharge to consolidated rock and unconsolidated valley fill. A topographically distributed snowmelt model controlled by independent inputs of net radiation, meteorological parameters, and snowcover properties was used to calculate the energy and mass balance of the snowcover.

Understanding land use change impacts on microclimate using Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Xia; Mitra, Chandana; Dong, Li; Yang, Qichun

2018-02-01

To explore potential climatic consequences of land cover change in the Kolkata Metropolitan Development area, we projected microclimate conditions in this area using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model driven by future land use scenarios. Specifically, we considered two land conversion scenarios including an urbanization scenario that all the wetlands and croplands would be converted to built-up areas, and an irrigation expansion scenario in which all wetlands and dry croplands would be replaced by irrigated croplands. Results indicated that land use and land cover (LULC) change would dramatically increase regional temperature in this area under the urbanization scenario, but expanded irrigation tended to have a cooling effect. In the urbanization scenario, precipitation center tended to move eastward and lead to increased rainfall in eastern parts of this region. Increased irrigation stimulated rainfall in central and eastern areas but reduced rainfall in southwestern and northwestern parts of the study area. This study also demonstrated that urbanization significantly reduced latent heat fluxes and albedo of land surface; while increased sensible heat flux changes following urbanization suggested that developed land surfaces mainly acted as heat sources. In this study, climate change projection not only predicts future spatiotemporal patterns of multiple climate factors, but also provides valuable insights into policy making related to land use management, water resource management, and agriculture management to adapt and mitigate future climate changes in this populous region.

Land Use Change and Agricultural Land Fragmentation due to Anthropogenic Activities in an Hot Spot Area: A Case Study for Thrace Region of Turkey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Altürk, Bahadır; Konukcu, Fatih

2017-04-01

Agricultural lands that supply food, energy and ecosystem services for human life have been lost due to anthropogenic activities such as construction of roads, urban and industry areas. The significant reasons for the increase of artificial surfaces were poorly planned economic decisions by the government and internal migration due to this poorly planning. Unplanned urban sprawl also give rise to land fragmentation. Fragmentation of agricultural land affects both the agricultural production capacity and rural sustainable employment. In this study: i) Land use changes between 1990-2014 period were assessed using remotely sensed data and ii) Spatial and temporal agricultural land fragmentation were investigated using landscape pattern indice (effective mesh size), Morphological Spatial Pattern Analysis (MSPA) and Entropy method for 25 years period. The selected"hot spot" study area is located on east Thrace region of Turkey, being the service and industrial development zone where agricultural activities, water resources and natural habitat have been damaged due to rapid urban and industrial development for about 25 years. The results showed that agricultural lands decreased 6.44%, urban areas increased 111.68% and industry areas increased 251.19% during this 25 years period. Additionally, fragmentation analyses demonstrated that core agricultural areas sharply decreased and relative fragmentation (effective mesh size) increased from 50.68% to 56.77% during 1990 and 2014.

Constraints on physiological function associated with branch architecture and wood density in tropical forest trees.

PubMed

Meinzer, Frederick C; Campanello, Paula I; Domec, Jean-Christophe; Genoveva Gatti, M; Goldstein, Guillermo; Villalobos-Vega, Randol; Woodruff, David R

2008-11-01

This study examined how leaf and stem functional traits related to gas exchange and water balance scale with two potential proxies for tree hydraulic architecture: the leaf area:sapwood area ratio (A(L):A(S)) and wood density (rho(w)). We studied the upper crowns of individuals of 15 tropical forest tree species at two sites in Panama with contrasting moisture regimes and forest types. Transpiration and maximum photosynthetic electron transport rate (ETR(max)) per unit leaf area declined sharply with increasing A(L):A(S), as did the ratio of ETR(max) to leaf N content, an index of photosynthetic nitrogen-use efficiency. Midday leaf water potential, bulk leaf osmotic potential at zero turgor, branch xylem specific conductivity, leaf-specific conductivity and stem and leaf capacitance all declined with increasing rho(w). At the branch scale, A(L):A(S) and total leaf N content per unit sapwood area increased with rho(w), resulting in a 30% increase in ETR(max) per unit sapwood area with a doubling of rho(w). These compensatory adjustments in A(L):A(S), N allocation and potential photosynthetic capacity at the branch level were insufficient to completely offset the increased carbon costs of producing denser wood, and exacerbated the negative impact of increasing rho(w) on branch hydraulics and leaf water status. The suite of tree functional and architectural traits studied appeared to be constrained by the hydraulic and mechanical consequences of variation in rho(w).

The Responsiveness of Biological Motion Processing Areas to Selective Attention Towards Goals

PubMed Central

Herrington, John; Nymberg, Charlotte; Faja, Susan; Price, Elinora; Schultz, Robert

2012-01-01

A growing literature indicates that visual cortex areas viewed as primarily responsive to exogenous stimuli are susceptible to top-down modulation by selective attention. The present study examines whether brain areas involved in biological motion perception are among these areas – particularly with respect to selective attention towards human movement goals. Fifteen participants completed a point-light biological motion study following a two-by-two factorial design, with one factor representing an exogenous manipulation of human movement goals (goal-directed versus random movement), and the other an endogenous manipulation (a goal identification task versus an ancillary color-change task). Both manipulations yielded increased activation in the human homologue of motion-sensitive area MT+ (hMT+) as well as the extrastriate body area (EBA). The endogenous manipulation was associated with increased right posterior superior temporal sulcus (STS) activation, whereas the exogenous manipulation was associated with increased activation in left posterior STS. Selective attention towards goals activated portion of left hMT+/EBA only during the perception of purposeful movement consistent with emerging theories associating this area with the matching of visual motion input to known goal-directed actions. The overall pattern of results indicates that attention towards the goals of human movement activates biological motion areas. Ultimately, selective attention may explain why some studies examining biological motion show activation in hMT+ and EBA, even when using control stimuli with comparable motion properties. PMID:22796987

A comparison of the influences of urbanization in contrasting environmental settings on stream benthic algal assemblages

USGS Publications Warehouse

Potapova, M.; Coles, J.F.; Giddings, E.M.P.; Zappia, H.

2005-01-01

Patterns of stream benthic algal assemblages along urbanization gradients were investigated in three metropolitan areas-Boston (BOS), Massachusetts; Birmingham (BIR), Alabama; and Salt Lake City (SLC), Utah. An index of urban intensity derived from socioeconomic, infrastructure, and land-use characteristics was used as a measure of urbanization. Of the various attributes of the algal assemblages, species composition changed along gradients of urban intensity in a more consistent manner than biomass or diversity. In urban streams, the relative abundance of pollution-tolerant species was often higher than in less affected streams. Shifts in assemblage composition were associated primarily with increased levels of conductivity, nutrients, and alterations in physical habitat. Water mineralization and nutrients were the most important determinants of assemblage composition in the BOS and SLC study areas; flow regime and grazers were key factors in the BIR study area. Species composition of algal assemblages differed significantly among geographic regions, and no particular algal taxa were found to be universal indicators of urbanization. Patterns in algal biomass and diversity along urban gradients varied among study areas, depending on local environmental conditions and habitat alteration. Biomass and diversity increased with urbanization in the BOS area, apparently because of increased nutrients, light, and flow stability in urban streams, which often are regulated by dams. Biomass and diversity decreased with urbanization in the BIR study area because of intensive fish grazing and less stable flow regime. In the SLC study area, correlations between algal biomass, diversity, and urban intensity were positive but weak. Thus, algal responses to urbanization differed considerably among the three study areas. We concluded that the wide range of responses of benthic algae to urbanization implied that tools for stream bioassessment must be region specific. ?? 2005 by the American Fisheries Society.

Analysis of Urban Growth in Edwardsville Illinois Using Remote Sensing and Population Change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Onuoha, Hilda U.

Rapid urbanization is one of the many critical, global issues. This very significant social and economic phenomenon has brought about much debate in the past twenty years and has become a very important policy issue. Understanding its dynamics and patterns is important to develop appropriate policies and make more informed planning decisions. Many dimensions to the urban land growth have been identified in related literature including drivers, relationship with other factors like population, impacts, and methods of measurement. In this study, urban growth in the Edwardsville area (composed of Edwardsville and Glen Carbon, Illinois) is analyzed spatio-temporally using remote sensing and population change from 1990 to 2015. The objectives of this study are (a) identifying the major land use changes in the Edwardsville area from 1990 to 2015, (b) analyzing the rate of urban growth and its relationship to population change in the area from 1990 to 2015, (c) identifying the general pattern and direction of urban growth in the study area. Using multi-temporal satellite images to classify and derive changes in land cover classes during the study period, results showed that the land cover classes with major changes are the urban/built-up land and agricultural/grassland, with a steady increase in the former and steady decrease in the later. Results also show the highest rate of increase in urban land was between 2000 and 2010. In comparison to population, the both show increase over the study years but urban land shows a higher rate of increase indicating dispersion. To analyze urban growth pattern in the area, the study area was divided into three zones: NE, SE, and W. The SE zone showed the highest amount of the growth and from the results, the infill type of growth was inferred.

Areas of disadvantage: a systematic review of effects of area-level socioeconomic status on substance use outcomes.

PubMed

Karriker-Jaffe, Katherine J

2011-01-01

This review examines whether area-level disadvantage is associated with increased substance use and whether study results are impacted by the size of the area examined, definition of socioeconomic status (SES), age or ethnicity of participants, outcome variables or analytic techniques. Five electronic databases and the reference sections of identified papers were searched to locate studies of the effects of area-level SES on substance use published through the end of 2007 in English-language, peer-reviewed journals or books. The 41 studies that met inclusion criteria included 238 effects, with a subsample of 34 studies (180 effects) used for the main analyses. Study findings were stratified by methodological characteristics and synthesised using generalised estimating equations to account for clustering of effects within studies. There was strong evidence that substance use outcomes cluster by geographic area, but there was limited and conflicting support for the hypothesis that area-level disadvantage is associated with increased substance use. Support for the disadvantage hypothesis appeared to vary by sample age and ethnicity, size of area examined, type of SES measure, specific outcome considered and analysis techniques. Future studies should use rigorous methods to yield more definitive conclusions about the effects of area-level SES on alcohol and drug outcomes, including composite measures of SES and both bivariate and multivariate analyses. Further research is needed to identify confounds of the relationship between area-level SES and substance use and to explain why the effects of area-level SES vary by outcome and residents' age. © 2010 Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs.

Effects of new motorway infrastructure on active travel in the local population: a retrospective repeat cross-sectional study in Glasgow, Scotland.

PubMed

Olsen, Jonathan R; Mitchell, Richard; Ogilvie, David

2016-07-07

Promoting active travel is an important part of increasing population physical activity, which has both physical and mental health benefits. A key benefit described by the then Scottish Government of the five-mile M74 motorway extension, which opened during June 2011 in the south of Glasgow, was that the forecast reduction in motor traffic on local streets would make these streets safer for walking and cycling, thus increasing active travel by the local population. The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of new motorway infrastructure on the proportion of journey stages made actively (cycling or on foot) by individuals travelling in and out of the local area. Data for the periods 2009-10 and 2012-13 were extracted from the Scottish Household Survey (SHS) travel diaries, which record each journey stage made during the previous day by a representative sample of the Scottish population aged 16 and over. Each individual journey stage was assigned to one of the following study areas surrounding existing and new transport infrastructure: (1) an area surrounding the new M74 motorway extension (n = 435 (2009-10), 543 (2012-13)), (2) a comparator area surrounding an existing motorway (n = 477 (2009-10), 560 (2012-13)), and (3) a control area containing no comparable motorway infrastructure (n = 541 (2009-10), 593 (2012-13)). Multivariable, multi-level regression analysis was performed to determine any between-area differences in change in active travel over time, which might indicate an intervention effect. Reference populations were defined using two alternative definitions, (1) Glasgow City and (2) Glasgow and surrounding local authorities. The results showed an increase in the proportion of journey stages using active travel in all study areas compared to both reference populations. However, there were no significant between-area differences to suggest an effect attributable the M74 motorway extension. There was no clear evidence that the M74 motorway extension either increased or decreased active travel in the local area. The anticipation by policy makers that reduced motorised traffic on local streets might increase journeys walked or cycled appears to have been unfounded.

Increasing prevalence of diabetes in Bangladesh: a scoping review.

PubMed

Biswas, T; Islam, A; Rawal, L B; Islam, S M S

2016-09-01

The prevalence of type 2 diabetes is increasing rapidly in Bangladesh. However, studies documenting the increasing trend of diabetes prevalence are scarce. The aim of this study was to conduct a scoping review of published literature to ascertain the changing patterns of diabetes prevalence in Bangladesh. We conducted a scoping review based on York scoping reviews framework and performed a comprehensive search of published literature through Medline, BanglaJOL, and Google Scholar published between 1994 and 2013. We summarised and calculated the time trends and pooled prevalence for type 2 diabetes among adults (≥18 years) in both urban and rural areas in Bangladesh. Of 152 studies identified, we included 22 studies for the scoping review which met the inclusion criteria. Overall, 11 studies (50%) were conducted in rural areas, eight in urban (36%) and three (14%) in semi-urban, semi-rural and tribal areas. The overall prevalence of type 2 diabetes ranged between 4.5% and 35.0%. The final estimate of diabetes prevalence obtained after pooling of data from individual studies among 51,252 participants was 7.4% (95% CI 7.2-7.7%). The prevalence of diabetes was higher in males compared to females in urban areas and vice-versa in rural areas. Analyses of exponential trend revealed an increasing trend of diabetes prevalence among urban and rural population at a rate of 0.05% (R = 0.18) and 0.06% (R = 0.35) per year, respectively. The prevalence of type 2 diabetes showed an increasing trend in both urban and rural population in Bangladesh. Our findings suggest the need for an all-out effort by the government and stakeholders to implement preventive strategies for diabetes in Bangladesh. Copyright © 2016 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Residential proximity to urban centres, local-area walkability and change in waist circumference among Australian adults.

PubMed

Sugiyama, Takemi; Niyonsenga, Theo; Howard, Natasha J; Coffee, Neil T; Paquet, Catherine; Taylor, Anne W; Daniel, Mark

2016-12-01

Consistent associations have been observed between macro-level urban sprawl and overweight/obesity, but whether residential proximity to urban centres predicts adiposity change over time has not been established. Further, studies of local-area walkability and overweight/obesity have generated mixed results. This study examined 4-year change in adults' waist circumference in relation to proximity to city centre, proximity to closest suburban centre, and local-area walkability. Data were from adult participants (n=2080) of a cohort study on chronic conditions and health risk factors in Adelaide, Australia. Baseline data were collected in 2000-03 with a follow-up in 2005-06. Multilevel regression models examined in 2015 the independent and joint associations of the three environmental measures with change in waist circumference, accounting for socio-demographic covariates. On average, waist circumference rose by 1.8cm over approximately 4years. Greater distance to city centre was associated with a greater increase in waist circumference. Participants living in distal areas (20km or further from city centre) had a greater increase in waist circumference (mean increase: 2.4cm) compared to those in proximal areas (9km or less, mean increase: 1.2cm). Counterintuitively, living in the vicinity of a suburban centre was associated with a greater increase in adiposity. Local-area walkability was not significantly associated with the outcome. Residential proximity to city centre appears to be protective against excessive increases in waist circumference. Controlled development and targeted interventions in the urban fringe may be needed to tackle obesity. Additional research needs to assess behaviours that mediate relationships between sprawl and obesity. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Higher-order Brain Areas Associated with Real-time Functional MRI Neurofeedback Training of the Somato-motor Cortex.

PubMed

Auer, Tibor; Dewiputri, Wan Ilma; Frahm, Jens; Schweizer, Renate

2018-05-15

Neurofeedback (NFB) allows subjects to learn self-regulation of neuronal brain activation based on information about the ongoing activation. The implementation of real-time functional magnetic resonance imaging (rt-fMRI) for NFB training now facilitates the investigation into underlying processes. Our study involved 16 control and 16 training right-handed subjects, the latter performing an extensive rt-fMRI NFB training using motor imagery. A previous analysis focused on the targeted primary somato-motor cortex (SMC). The present study extends the analysis to the supplementary motor area (SMA), the next higher brain area within the hierarchy of the motor system. We also examined transfer-related functional connectivity using a whole-volume psycho-physiological interaction (PPI) analysis to reveal brain areas associated with learning. The ROI analysis of the pre- and post-training fMRI data for motor imagery without NFB (transfer) resulted in a significant training-specific increase in the SMA. It could also be shown that the contralateral SMA exhibited a larger increase than the ipsilateral SMA in the training and the transfer runs, and that the right-hand training elicited a larger increase in the transfer runs than the left-hand training. The PPI analysis revealed a training-specific increase in transfer-related functional connectivity between the left SMA and frontal areas as well as the anterior midcingulate cortex (aMCC) for right- and left-hand trainings. Moreover, the transfer success was related with training-specific increase in functional connectivity between the left SMA and the target area SMC. Our study demonstrates that NFB training increases functional connectivity with non-targeted brain areas. These are associated with the training strategy (i.e., SMA) as well as with learning the NFB skill (i.e., aMCC and frontal areas). This detailed description of both the system to be trained and the areas involved in learning can provide valuable information for further optimization of NFB trainings. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Long-Term Trends in Abundance and Distribution of Manatees (Trichechus Manatus) in the Northern Banana River, Brevard County, Florida

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Provancha, J. A.; Provancha, M. J.

1988-01-01

Four aerial survey projects were conducted between 1977 and 1986 to determine the abundance, density and distribution of West Indian manatees (Trichechus manatus), in the northern Banana River, Kennedy Space Center, Florida. Manatee density and distribution within selected portions of the 78.5 sq km study area were determined. Peak numbers of manatees occurred in spring of each year. The maximum counts increased from 56 in 1978 to 297 in 1986. Manatee abundance was lowest in the winter of each year. Mean density per flight increased from 0.52 manatees/sq km in 1977-78 to 2.73/sq km in 1984-86. This increase may reflect increases in the east coast population or shifts in the population distribution. Distributional changes were observed in the study area through time, with a lower percentage of manatees occurring in industrial areas and a correspondingly higher percentage of manatees in nonindustrial areas by 1985.

Nitrogenase and Alkaline Phosphatase Activity in Wetland Metaphyton: Implications for Primary Production and CNP Composition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scott, T.; Doyle, R.

2005-05-01

Longitudinal gradients of nutrient availability often occur along the flow path of water in freshwater wetlands. Differential removal efficiencies of water column nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) may increase the severity of nutrient deficiency and possibly change the nutrient that limits primary production. A previous study demonstrated that periphyton in the Lake Waco Wetlands (LWW), near Waco, Texas, USA, are generally more P limited near the inflow and become increasingly N limited as distance from the inflow increases. Therefore, spatial heterogeneity in nutrient availability likely influences both the structure and function of periphyton assemblages within this system. In this ongoing study, we are evaluating the relationships between metaphyton primary production, nitrogenase activity, alkaline phosphatase activity, and CNP stoichiometry in areas of differing nutrient limitation within the LWW. As expected, primary production is generally greatest in areas where nitrogenase and alkaline phosphatase activities are minimal. However, expected increases in C:N ratios in areas of greatest nutrient deficiency have not been frequently observed. Decreased primary production and increased enzyme mediated nutrient uptake appear to balance metaphyton nutrient content in these areas.

Task-evoked BOLD responses are normal in areas of diaschisis after stroke.

PubMed

Fair, Damien A; Snyder, Abraham Z; Connor, Lisa Tabor; Nardos, Binyam; Corbetta, Maurizio

2009-01-01

Cerebral infarction can cause diaschisis, a reduction of blood flow and metabolism in areas of the cortex distant from the site of the lesion. Although the functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) signal is increasingly used to examine the neural correlates of recovery in stroke, its reliability in areas of diaschisis is uncertain. The effect of chronic diaschisis as measured by resting positron emission tomography on task-evoked BOLD responses during word-stem completion in a block design fMRI study was examined in 3 patients, 6 months after a single left hemisphere stroke involving the inferior frontal gyrus and operculum. The BOLD responses were minimally affected in areas of chronic diaschisis. Within the confines of this study, the mechanism underlying the BOLD signal, which includes a mismatch between neuronally driven increases in blood flow and a corresponding increase in oxygen use, appears to be intact in areas of chronic diaschisis.

The costs of housing developments on sites with elevated landslide risk in the UK

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barclay, K.; Heath, A.

2015-09-01

New housing targets are being set for local planning authorities resulting in more areas being zoned for development. There is currently no requirement for a landslide assessment prior to this zoning, and sites at elevated risk of landslides are being put forward for development without consideration of the additional costs and other impacts of building on these higher risk sites. This study aimed to reveal the increased financial, economic, social and environmental costs associated with these decisions. Case studies were focused on the city of Bath, an area of increasing population and “one of the most intensely landslipped areas in Britain’’. The case studies found the financial costs associated with building in a landslide risk area to be significantly higher than the equivalent construction in areas of greater geological stability. Furthermore, it was found that uncertainty in cost when developing in unstable areas exacerbates this problem as the final cost cannot be accurately predicted before construction.

[Descriptive study of activity of the bone marrow donor registry and bank from the Murcia Region (southeast of Spain) (1994-2004)].

PubMed

Rojas Montero, G M; Alvarez López, M R; López Bermejo, A; Moya Quiles, M R; Muro Amador, M

2006-11-01

To perform a descriptive study of the activity of the Bank of marrow donors from Murcia Region. All donors in the Bank of bone marrow from 1994 until 2004 (n=3137). This study analysed the number of donors, their origin and, performed donor searches activity. Donors were typed by serological microlymphocytotoxicity and molecular PCR-SSO and PCR-SSP techniques. The Bank of bone marrow has 3,137 voluntary donors typed in low- and high-resolution. A total of 680 donor searches have been realized. The origin of the donors according to several Areas of Health in which the Autonomous Community of Murcia is divided, is the following one: Area I (28%), Area II (18 %), Area III (23 %), Area IV (6 %), Area VI (10 %) and other provinces (12%). An increase is observed in the number of annual donors as well as an increase very marked of donor searches that are realized every year, especially in 2004.

Effect of distributor on performance of a continuous fluidized bed dryer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yogendrasasidhar, D.; Srinivas, G.; Pydi Setty, Y.

2018-03-01

Proper gas distribution is very important in fluidized bed drying in industrial practice. Improper distribution of gas may lead to non-idealities like channeling, short circuiting and accumulation which gives rise to non-uniform quality of dried product. Gas distribution depends on the distributor plate used. Gas distribution mainly depends on orifice diameter, number of orifices and opening area of the distributor plate. Small orifice diameter leads to clogging, and a large orifice diameter gives uneven distribution of gas. The present work involves experimental studies using different distributor plates and simulation studies using ASPEN PLUS steady state simulator. The effect of various parameters such as orifice diameter, number of orifices and the opening area of the distributor plate on the performance of fluidized bed dryer have been studied through simulation and experimentation. Simulations were carried out (i) with increasing air inlet temperature to study the characteristics of solid temperature and moisture in outlet (ii) with increasing orifice diameter and (iii) with increase in number orifices to study the solid outlet temperature profiles. It can be observed from the simulation that, an increase in orifice diameter and number orifices increases solid outlet temperature upto certain condition and then after there is no effect with further increase. Experiments were carried out with increasing opening area (3.4 to 42%) in the form of increasing orifice diameter keeping the number of orifices constant and increasing number of orifices of the distributor plate keeping the orifice diameter constant. It can be seen that the drying rate and solid outlet temperature increase upto certain condition and then after with further increase in the orifice diameter and number of orifices, the change in the drying rate and solid outlet temperature observed is little. The optimum values of orifice diameter and number of orifices from experimentation are found to be 5 mm and 60 (22% opening area).

Effects of forest-management activities on runoff components and ground-water recharge to Quabbin Reservoir, central Massachusetts

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bent, G.C.

2001-01-01

The effects of forest-management activities (timber cutting and herbicide application) on runoff components (total streamflow, direct runoff, and base flow) and on ground-water recharge per unit area were evaluated for two separate paired drainage basins of Quabbin Reservoir in central Massachusetts. The Cadwell Creek study area, studied from 1962-1973, included an experimental basin (Upper Cadwell Creek) and a control basin (Lower Cadwell Creek). In the experimental basin, herbicide was applied to mixed oaks, northern hardwoods, and understory vegetation in different riparian zones during the summers of 1967 and 1968, and some pine plantations were thinned or clear-cut during the winter of 1967-1968. These forest-management activities decreased the total basal area by about 34%. The decrease in total basal area resulted in an increase in total streamflow, direct runoff (total streamflow minus base flow), and ground-water recharge for six dormant seasons (October-April) and six growing seasons (May-September) during 1968-1973. Base flow increased for three dormant seasons and two growing seasons during 1968-1970 and the dormant seasons of 1971 and 1973. Base flow accounted for 34% and direct runoff accounted for 66% of the 94 mm (15%) increase in total streamflow during water years 1968-1973. Sixty-one percent of this increase in total streamflow occurred in the dormant seasons. The Dickey Brook study area, studied from 1985-1989, included an experimental basin (Dickey Brook) and a control basin (Dickey Brook Tributary). Some pine plantations were thinned or clear-cut in the headwaters of the experimental basin from October 1986 to March 1987 and October to December 1988. These forest-management activities decreased the total basal area by 24% during 1986-1987 and an additional 8% during 1988. The decrease in total basal area resulted in an increase in total streamflow, base flow, and ground-water recharge for only one dormant season and one growing season in 1987. Direct runoff only increased slightly during the 1987 dormant season. Base flow accounted for 91% and direct runoff accounted for 9% of the 92 mm (21%) increase in total streamflow during water year 1987. Seventy-seven percent of this increase in total streamflow occurred in the dormant season.

Comparative study of heavy metals in "soil-wheat" systems between sewage-irrigated areas and clean-water-irrigated areas in suburban Beijing.

PubMed

Zhao, Ye; Han, Sha-Sha; Chen, Zhi-Fan; Liu, Jing; Hu, Honq-Xia

2015-01-01

After years of irrigating farmland with wastewater, concern is increasing about health risks from heavy metals contaminating wheat grown in sewage-irrigated soils in suburban areas of Beijing, China. The study discussed in this article aimed to compare the characteristics of heavy metal distribution in a sewage-irrigated "soil-wheat" system with those from a clean-water-irrigated area by collecting and analyzing samples from both areas. The results indicated that the average concentrations of copper, chromium, lead, and zinc in sewage-irrigated soil were higher than the values in the clean-water-irrigated region. Irrigation with wastewater could lead to increased bioconcentration factors. Therefore, issues of food contamination caused by sewage irrigation deserve more attention.

Exploring spatial change and gravity center movement for ecosystem services value using a spatially explicit ecosystem services value index and gravity model.

PubMed

He, Yingbin; Chen, Youqi; Tang, Huajun; Yao, Yanmin; Yang, Peng; Chen, Zhongxin

2011-04-01

Spatially explicit ecosystem services valuation and change is a newly developing area of research in the field of ecology. Using the Beijing region as a study area, the authors have developed a spatially explicit ecosystem services value index and implemented this to quantify and spatially differentiate ecosystem services value at 1-km grid resolution. A gravity model was developed to trace spatial change in the total ecosystem services value of the Beijing study area from a holistic point of view. Study results show that the total value of ecosystem services for the study area decreased by 19.75% during the period 1996-2006 (3,226.2739 US$×10(6) in 1996, 2,589.0321 US$×10(6) in 2006). However, 27.63% of the total area of the Beijing study area increased in ecosystem services value. Spatial differences in ecosystem services values for both 1996 and 2006 are very clear. The center of gravity of total ecosystem services value for the study area moved 32.28 km northwestward over the 10 years due to intensive human intervention taking place in southeast Beijing. The authors suggest that policy-makers should pay greater attention to ecological protection under conditions of rapid socio-economic development and increase the area of green belt in the southeastern part of Beijing.

Effects of air pollution on hematological parameters in passerine birds.

PubMed

Llacuna, S; Gorriz, A; Riera, M; Nadal, J

1996-07-01

The effects of atmospheric air pollution on some hematological, and bioquimic parameters, of passerine birds were analyzed. The studies were undertaken in the area of Cercs (polluted area in Spain), where there is a coal-fired power plant that emanates SO2, NOx, and particles, and the area of St. Jaume de Frontanya (nonpolluted area) located 40 km from the area of Cercs with similar climatology, relief, and altitude, but without air pollution. The results showed that there was a significant decrease in the erythrocyte count, and an increase in erythrocyte size in specimens from the polluted area. An increase in pre-albumines and a decrease in beta-globulines in Emberiza cia was observed, while an increase in transaminases (GOT and GPT), and a decrease in weight in Turdus merula from the polluted zone was observed.

Study of the Human-Driven Mechanism of LUCC in the Shenfu Mining Area, NW of China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Tao

2018-03-01

Taking the Shenfu mining area, located in the northwest of China, as an example, temporal and spatial changes of land use/cover and its human-driven mechanism were analyzed based on the land use and MODIS NDVI data. The results show that: (1) by the implementation of the Grain for Green Project (GGP), the area of cultivated land decreased, and grassland increased. By the exploitation of coal and other resources and the development of social and economic levels, the area of construction land increased. (2) The vegetation cover level in the mining area significantly increased from 2000 to 2015, and the implementation of GGP and the increase of precipitation were the main reasons. (3) The driving force of land use to forest land and grassland could increase the level of vegetation cover, such as with the GGP, and the promotion of cultivated land and construction land will lead to the reduction of vegetation cover level, such as with urban expansion and mining area construction caused by population growth and industrial development.

Characterization of the Growth of Deep and Subcortical White Matter Hyperintensity on MR Imaging: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

PubMed

Adachi, Michito; Sato, Takamichi

2017-07-10

In elderly patients, deep and subcortical white matter hyperintense lesions are frequently observed on MRI; however, the growth process of these lesions is unclear. The aims of this retrospective cohort study were to elucidate the growth characteristics of deep and subcortical white matter hyperintense lesions, and to insight their etiology. We enrolled 103 patients (1610 lesions) whose deep and subcortical white matter hyperintense lesions were monitored for 3 or more years by MRI examination. The area of each hyperintense lesion was measured using a tracing method in the first and last MRI examinations. The annual rate of increase in the area of each lesion was calculated, and using the Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient the correlation between the annual rate of increase in area and the interval between the first and last MRI examinations was determined. The paired t-test showed a significant increase in the mean area of all the deep and subcortical white matter hyperintense lesions between the first and last MRI examinations (P < 0.001). However, hyperintense lesions had decreased in the area or disappeared in 227 (14.1%) lesions in the last MRI examination, particularly in patients with diabetes. The mean annual rate of increase in area of all hyperintense lesions was 0.013 ± 0.021 cm 2 per year. The annual rate of increase in area and the interval between the first and last MRI examinations showed a weak negative correlation (r = -0.121; P < 0.01). Decrease in the area and the disappearance of the subcortical white matter hyperintense lesions, and a decline in the annual rate of increase in the lesion area with time suggest that the interstitial fluid accumulation associated with dysfunctional drainage around the vessels may be involved in the possible etiologies of deep and subcortical white matter hyperintense lesions.

Land cover change impact on urban flood modeling (case study: Upper Citarum watershed)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siregar, R. I.

2018-03-01

The upper Citarum River watershed utilizes remote sensing technology in Geographic Information System to provide information on land coverage by interpretation of objects in the image. Rivers that pass through urban areas will cause flooding problems causing disadvantages, and it disrupts community activities in the urban area. Increased development in a city is related to an increase in the number of population growth that added by increasing quality and quantity of life necessities. Improved urban lifestyle changes have an impact on land cover. The impact in over time will be difficult to control. This study aims to analyze the condition of flooding in urban areas caused by upper Citarum watershed land-use change in 2001 with the land cover change in 2010. This modeling analyzes with the help of HEC-RAS to describe flooded inundation urban areas. Land cover change in upper Citarum watershed is not very significant; it based on the results of data processing of land cover has the difference of area that changed is not enormous. Land cover changes for the floods increased dramatically to a flow coefficient for 2001 is 0.65 and in 2010 at 0.69. In 2001, the inundation area about 105,468 hectares and it were about 92,289 hectares in 2010.

[Change trend of vegetation cover in Beijing metropolitan region before and after the 2008 Olympics].

PubMed

Sun, Xiao-Peng; Wang, Tian-Ming; Wu, Jian-Guo; Ge, Jian-Ping

2012-11-01

The MODIS-NDVI data from 2000 to 2009 were used to analyze the temporal dynamics and spatial distribution of the vegetation cover in the Beijing metropolitan region before and after the 2008 Olympics. During the study period, the proportion of the significantly increased pixels of NDVI occupied 20.7% while that of the significantly decreased pixels only occupied 4.1% of the total, and the decreasing rate of the NDVI was slightly faster than the increasing rate. The significant changes of the NDVI were mainly concentrated in the low altitude and small slope areas with intensive human activities, and two bands were formed in the plain area, i. e., the vegetation increasing band within the 5th Ring Road and the vegetation decreasing band from the 5th Ring Road to the outside areas of the 6th Ring Road. In the areas with significant vegetation change, there was an obvious transition between the high and low NDVI sections but less change in the medium NDVI section, mainly due to the conversion of land cover type. In the Capital function core area and ecological conservation zones, vegetation change represented a positive trend; while in the urban function expansion area and urban development area, vegetation change had the dual characteristics of both positive and negative trends. A series of ecological engineering projects during the preparatory period of the 2008 Olympics was the main cause of the vegetation increase in the study area.

Task-dependent enhancement of facial expression and identity representations in human cortex.

PubMed

Dobs, Katharina; Schultz, Johannes; Bülthoff, Isabelle; Gardner, Justin L

2018-05-15

What cortical mechanisms allow humans to easily discern the expression or identity of a face? Subjects detected changes in expression or identity of a stream of dynamic faces while we measured BOLD responses from topographically and functionally defined areas throughout the visual hierarchy. Responses in dorsal areas increased during the expression task, whereas responses in ventral areas increased during the identity task, consistent with previous studies. Similar to ventral areas, early visual areas showed increased activity during the identity task. If visual responses are weighted by perceptual mechanisms according to their magnitude, these increased responses would lead to improved attentional selection of the task-appropriate facial aspect. Alternatively, increased responses could be a signature of a sensitivity enhancement mechanism that improves representations of the attended facial aspect. Consistent with the latter sensitivity enhancement mechanism, attending to expression led to enhanced decoding of exemplars of expression both in early visual and dorsal areas relative to attending identity. Similarly, decoding identity exemplars when attending to identity was improved in dorsal and ventral areas. We conclude that attending to expression or identity of dynamic faces is associated with increased selectivity in representations consistent with sensitivity enhancement. Copyright © 2018 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Ionospheric irregularities and acoustic/gravity wave activity above low-latitude thunderstorms

DOE PAGES

Lay, Erin H.

2017-12-18

Ionospheric irregularities due to plasma bubbles, scintillation, and acoustic/gravity waves are studied in the low-latitude ionosphere in relation to thunderstorm activity. Ionospheric total electron content (TEC) measurements from the Low Latitude Ionospheric Sensor Network (LISN) and lightning measurements from the World-Wide Lightning Location Network (WWLLN) are compared during two summer months and two winter months in 2013. Large amplitude fluctuations in TEC are found to have a strongly-peaked diurnal pattern in the late evening and nighttime summer ionosphere. The maximum magnitude and coverage area of these fluctuations increases as thunderstorm area increases. Summertime mid-amplitude fluctuations do not exhibit the samemore » diurnal variation, but do increase in magnitude and coverage area as thunderstorm area increases. Wintertime ionospheric fluctuations do not appear to be related to thunderstorm activity. Lastly, these findings show that thunderstorms have an observable effect on magnitude and coverage area of ionospheric fluctuations.« less

Ionospheric irregularities and acoustic/gravity wave activity above low-latitude thunderstorms

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

Lay, Erin H.

Ionospheric irregularities due to plasma bubbles, scintillation, and acoustic/gravity waves are studied in the low-latitude ionosphere in relation to thunderstorm activity. Ionospheric total electron content (TEC) measurements from the Low Latitude Ionospheric Sensor Network (LISN) and lightning measurements from the World-Wide Lightning Location Network (WWLLN) are compared during two summer months and two winter months in 2013. Large amplitude fluctuations in TEC are found to have a strongly-peaked diurnal pattern in the late evening and nighttime summer ionosphere. The maximum magnitude and coverage area of these fluctuations increases as thunderstorm area increases. Summertime mid-amplitude fluctuations do not exhibit the samemore » diurnal variation, but do increase in magnitude and coverage area as thunderstorm area increases. Wintertime ionospheric fluctuations do not appear to be related to thunderstorm activity. Lastly, these findings show that thunderstorms have an observable effect on magnitude and coverage area of ionospheric fluctuations.« less

Ionospheric Irregularities and Acoustic/Gravity Wave Activity Above Low-Latitude Thunderstorms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lay, Erin H.

2018-01-01

Ionospheric irregularities due to plasma bubbles, scintillation, and acoustic/gravity waves are studied in the low-latitude ionosphere in relation to thunderstorm activity. Ionospheric total electron content (TEC) measurements from the Low Latitude Ionospheric Sensor Network and lightning measurements from the World-Wide Lightning Location Network are compared during two summer months and two winter months in 2013. Large amplitude fluctuations in TEC are found to have a strongly peaked diurnal pattern in the late evening and nighttime summer ionosphere. The maximum magnitude and coverage area of these fluctuations increases as thunderstorm area increases. Summertime midamplitude fluctuations do not exhibit the same diurnal variation but do increase in magnitude and coverage area as thunderstorm area increases. Wintertime ionospheric fluctuations do not appear to be related to thunderstorm activity. These findings show that thunderstorms have an observable effect on magnitude and coverage area of ionospheric fluctuations.

Characteristics of residential areas and transportational walking among frail and non-frail Dutch elderly: does the size of the area matter?

PubMed

Etman, Astrid; Kamphuis, Carlijn B M; Prins, Richard G; Burdorf, Alex; Pierik, Frank H; van Lenthe, Frank J

2014-03-04

A residential area supportive for walking may facilitate elderly to live longer independently. However, current evidence on area characteristics potentially important for walking among older persons is mixed. This study hypothesized that the importance of area characteristics for transportational walking depends on the size of the area characteristics measured, and older person's frailty level. The study population consisted of 408 Dutch community-dwelling persons aged 65 years and older participating in the Elderly And their Neighborhood (ELANE) study in 2011-2012. Characteristics (aesthetics, functional features, safety, and destinations) of areas surrounding participants' residences ranging from a buffer of 400 meters up to 1600 meters (based on walking path networks) were linked with self-reported transportational walking using linear regression analyses. In addition, interaction effects between frailty level and area characteristics were tested. An increase in functional features (e.g. presence of sidewalks and benches) within a 400 meter buffer, in aesthetics (e.g. absence of litter and graffiti) within 800 and 1200 meter buffers, and an increase of one destination per buffer of 400 and 800 meters were associated with more transportational walking, up to 2.89 minutes per two weeks (CI 1.07-7.32; p < 0.05). No differences were found between frail and non-frail elderly. Better functional and aesthetic features, and more destinations in the residential area of community-dwelling older persons were associated with more transportational walking. The importance of area characteristics for transportational walking differs by area size, but not by frailty level. Neighbourhood improvements may increase transportational walking among older persons, thereby contributing to living longer independently.

Widening socioeconomic inequalities in Australian suicide, despite recent declines in suicide rates.

PubMed

Too, Lay San; Law, Phillip C F; Spittal, Matthew J; Page, Andrew; Milner, Allison

2018-04-30

This study aims to investigate trends in socioeconomic inequalities of suicide from 1979 to 2013 for Australian males and females aged 15-34 years and 35-64 years. Data on suicides and population were obtained from national registries. An area-based measure of socioeconomic status (SES) was used, and categorized into low, middle, and high SES areas. Suicide rates for each SES groups were estimated using a negative binomial regression model, adjusted for confounders. Socioeconomic inequalities in suicide were assessed using absolute and relative risk of low-to-high SES areas. Secular changes in socioeconomic inequalities were assessed using trend tests for relative risk. For young males, there was an increase in socioeconomic inequality driven by a significant decrease in suicide rates in high SES areas. For older males, inequality in suicide increased by 29%, which was related to a marked increase in suicide rates in low SES areas. Inequalities in both young and older female suicides also increased. These increases occurred when corresponding suicide rates in high SES areas decreased. Recent widening socioeconomic inequalities in Australian suicide have been primarily associated with declines in suicide rates in high SES areas. However, an increasing inequality in older male suicide is linked with low SES. Efforts targeting people from poor areas, especially older males, should be considered when developing suicide prevention strategy.

Suicide Rates in Evacuation Areas After the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Disaster.

PubMed

Orui, Masatsugu; Suzuki, Yuriko; Maeda, Masaharu; Yasumura, Seiji

2018-04-05

Associations between nuclear disasters and suicide have been examined to a limited extent. To clarify the suicide rates in evacuation areas after the nuclear disaster in Fukushima, which occurred in March 2011. This descriptive study used monthly data from vital statistics between March 2009 and December 2015. Suicide rates in areas to which evacuation orders had been issued, requiring across-the-board, compulsory evacuation of residents from the entire or part of municipalities, were obtained and compared with the national average. Male suicide rates in evacuation areas increased significantly immediately after the disaster, and then began to increase again 4 years after the disaster. Female suicide rates declined slightly during the first year and then increased significantly over the subsequent 3-year period. Moreover, male rates in areas where evacuation orders were issued for the total area declined over the course of approximately 2 years, but then began to increase thereafter. Analysis by age revealed postdisaster male rates in evacuation areas decreased for those aged 50-69 years and increased for those aged ≤ 29 years and ≥ 70 years. The number of suicides among females and the female population in the evacuation area was small. Our findings suggest the need to keep in mind that, when providing post-disaster mental health services, suicide rates can eventually increase even if they initially decrease.

Estimates of future water demand for selected water-service areas in the Upper Duck River basin, central Tennessee; with a section on Methodology used to develop population forecasts for Bedford, Marshall, and Maury counties, Tennessee, from 1993 through 2050

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hutson, S.S.; Schwarz, G.E.

1996-01-01

Estimates of future water demand were determined for selected water-service areas in the upper Duck River basin in central Tennessee through the year 2050. The Duck River is the principal source of publicly-supplied water in the study area providing a total of 15.6 million gallons per day (Mgal/d) in 1993 to the cities of Columbia, Lewisburg, Shelbyville, part of southern Williamson County, and several smaller communities. Municipal water use increased 19 percent from 1980 to 1993 (from 14.5 to 17.2 Mgal/d). Based on certain assumptions about socioeconomic conditions and future development in the basin, water demand should continue to increase through 2050. Projections of municipal water demand for the study area from 1993 to 2015 were made using econometric and single- coefficient (unit-use) requirement models of the per capita type. The models are part of the Institute for Water Resources-Municipal and Industrial Needs System, IWR-MAIN. Socioeconomic data for 1993 were utilized to calibrate the models. Projections of water demand in the study area from 2015 to 2050 were made using a single- coefficient requirement model. A gross per capita use value (unit-requirement) was estimated for each water-service area based on the results generated by IWR-MAIN for year 2015. The gross per capita estimate for 2015 was applied to population projections for year 2050 to calculate water demand. Population was projected using the log-linear form of the Box-Cox regression model. Water demand was simulated for two scenarios. The scenarios were suggested by various planning agencies associated with the study area. The first scenario reflects a steady growth pattern based on present demographic and socioeconomic conditions in the Bedford, Marshall, and Maury/southern Williamson water-service areas. The second scenario considers steady growth in the Bedford and Marshall water-service areas and additional industrial and residential development in the Maury/southern Williamson water-service area beginning in 2000. For the study area, water demand for scenario one shows an increase of 121 percent (from 17.2 to 38 Mgal/d) from 1993 to 2050. In scenario two, simulated water demand increases 150 percent (17.2 to 43 Mgal/d) from 1993 to 2050.

Land use/ land cover and ecosystem functions change in the grassland restoration program areas in China from 2000 to 2010

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, H.; Fan, J.

2015-12-01

The grassland restoration areas in China, most of which was located in arid and semi-arid areas, are affected by climate change and anthropogenic activities. Using the 3S (RS, GIS, GPS) technologies, quantitative analysis method of landscape patterns and ecological simulation, this study examines the spatiotemporal characteristics of land use/ land cover and ecosystem functions change in the grassland restoration areas in China from 2000 to 2010. We apply two parameters land use transfer matrix and land use dynamic degree to explore the speed and regional differentiation of land use change. We propose vegetation coverage, net primary production (NPP), soil and water conservation capacity to assess the ecosystem functions. This study analyzes the characteristics of landscape patterns at the class and landscape levels and explores the ecological effect of land use pattern and regional ecological processes. The results show that: (1) Grassland and others were the main landscape types in the study area in the past decade. The ecosystem structure was stable. About 0.37% of the total grassland area in 2000 experienced change in land use / land cover types. The area of woodlands, wetlands, farmlands, and built-up areas expanded. The area of others has declined. (2) The dynamic degree of regional land use was less than one percent in the recent ten years. The speed of land use and land cover change was low, and regional differentiation of change between the provinces was small. (3) The matrix of the landscape did not change in the study area. Landscape fragmentation index values decreased progressively; landscape diversity rose continuously; landscape aggregation and continuity decreased slightly; the landscape maintained relative integrity. (4) Ecosystem functions has increased as a whole. The vegetation coverages with significant increase (with a 1.99% yr-1 slope of regression) in the total study area; NPP has a fluctuating and increasing tendency, ranging from 218.23 gC·m-2yr-1 in 2000, to 226.30 gC·m-2yr-1 in 2010, with a 3.70% increase; Soil and water conservation capacity has showed an obvious increment. (5) The grassland restoration program implementation evidently improved the structure and stability of the land use/ land cover. The climatic variations (temperature and precipitation) promoted vegetation growth.

Quantifying landscape pattern and connectivity in a Mediterranean coastal settlement: the case of the Urla district, Turkey.

PubMed

Coskun Hepcan, Cigdem

2013-01-01

This study was aimed at analyzing and interpreting changes in landscape pattern and connectivity in the Urla district, Turkey using core landscape metrics based on a 42-year data derived from 1963 CORONA and 2005 ASTER satellite images and ten 1/25,000 topographical maps (1963-2005). The district represents a distinctive example of re-emerged suburbanization in the Izmir metropolitan area. In order to explore landscape characteristics of the study area, nine landscape composition and configuration metrics were chosen as follows: class area, percentage of landscape, number of patches, patch density, largest patch index, landscape shape index, mean patch size, perimeter area fractal dimension, and connectance index. The landscape configurations in the Urla district changed significantly by 2005 in that the process of (sub-)urbanization in the study area evolved from a rural, monocentric urban typology to a more suburban, polycentric morphology. Agricultural, maquis-phrygana, and forest areas decreased, while the built-up, olive plantation and phrygana areas increased. There was nearly a fivefold increase in the built-up areas during the study period, and the connectivity of the natural landscape declined. To prevent further fragmentation, it is important to keep the existing natural land cover types and agricultural areas intact. More importantly, a sustainable development scenario is required that contains a green infrastructure, or an ecological network planning for conservation and rehabilitation of the vital natural resources in the study area.

Rainfall Modification by Major Urban Areas: Observations from Spaceborne Rain Radar on the TRMM Satellite.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shepherd, J. Marshall; Pierce, Harold; Negri, Andrew J.

2002-07-01

Data from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite's precipitation radar (PR) were employed to identify warm-season rainfall (1998-2000) patterns around Atlanta, Georgia; Montgomery, Alabama; Nashville, Tennessee; and San Antonio, Waco, and Dallas, Texas. Results reveal an average increase of about 28% in monthly rainfall rates within 30-60 km downwind of the metropolis, with a modest increase of 5.6% over the metropolis. Portions of the downwind area exhibit increases as high as 51%. The percentage changes are relative to an upwind control area. It was also found that maximum rainfall rates in the downwind impact area exceeded the mean value in the upwind control area by 48%-116%. The maximum value was generally found at an average distance of 39 km from the edge of the urban center or 64 km from the center of the city. Results are consistent with the Metropolitan Meteorological Experiment (METROMEX) studies of St. Louis, Missouri, almost two decades ago and with more recent studies near Atlanta. The study establishes the possibility of utilizing satellite-based rainfall estimates for examining rainfall modification by urban areas on global scales and over longer time periods. Such research has implications for weather forecasting, urban planning, water resource management, and understanding human impact on the environment and climate.

Understanding land use change impacts on microclimate using Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model

DOE PAGES

Li, Xia; Mitra, Chandana; Dong, Li; ...

2017-02-02

In order to explore potential climatic consequences of land cover change in the Kolkata Metropolitan Development area, we projected microclimate conditions in this area using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model driven by future land use scenarios. Specifically, we considered two land conversion scenarios including an urbanization scenario that all the wetlands and croplands would be converted to built-up areas, and an irrigation expansion scenario in which all wetlands and dry croplands would be replaced by irrigated croplands. Our results indicated that land use and land cover (LULC) change would dramatically increase regional temperature in this area under themore » urbanization scenario, but expanded irrigation tended to have a cooling effect. In the urbanization scenario, precipitation center tended to move eastward and lead to increased rainfall in eastern parts of this region. Increased irrigation stimulated rainfall in central and eastern areas but reduced rainfall in southwestern and northwestern parts of the study area. Our study also demonstrated that urbanization significantly reduced latent heat fluxes and albedo of land surface; while increased sensible heat flux changes following urbanization suggested that developed land surfaces mainly acted as heat sources. In this study, climate change projection not only predicts future spatiotemporal patterns of multiple climate factors, but also provides valuable insights into policy making related to land use management, water resource management, and agriculture management to adapt and mitigate future climate changes in this populous region.« less

Understanding land use change impacts on microclimate using Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model

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

Li, Xia; Mitra, Chandana; Dong, Li

In order to explore potential climatic consequences of land cover change in the Kolkata Metropolitan Development area, we projected microclimate conditions in this area using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model driven by future land use scenarios. Specifically, we considered two land conversion scenarios including an urbanization scenario that all the wetlands and croplands would be converted to built-up areas, and an irrigation expansion scenario in which all wetlands and dry croplands would be replaced by irrigated croplands. Our results indicated that land use and land cover (LULC) change would dramatically increase regional temperature in this area under themore » urbanization scenario, but expanded irrigation tended to have a cooling effect. In the urbanization scenario, precipitation center tended to move eastward and lead to increased rainfall in eastern parts of this region. Increased irrigation stimulated rainfall in central and eastern areas but reduced rainfall in southwestern and northwestern parts of the study area. Our study also demonstrated that urbanization significantly reduced latent heat fluxes and albedo of land surface; while increased sensible heat flux changes following urbanization suggested that developed land surfaces mainly acted as heat sources. In this study, climate change projection not only predicts future spatiotemporal patterns of multiple climate factors, but also provides valuable insights into policy making related to land use management, water resource management, and agriculture management to adapt and mitigate future climate changes in this populous region.« less

Understanding land use change impacts on microclimate using Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model

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

Li, Xia; Mitra, Chandana; Dong, Li

To explore potential climatic consequences of land cover change in the Kolkata Metropolitan Development area, we projected microclimate conditions in this area using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model driven by future land use scenarios. Specifically, we considered two land conversion scenarios including an urbanization scenario that all the wetlands and croplands would be converted to built-up areas, and an irrigation expansion scenario in which all wetlands and dry croplands would be replaced by irrigated croplands. Results indicated that land use and land cover (LULC) change would dramatically increase regional temperature in this area under the urbanization scenario, butmore » expanded irrigation tended to have a cooling effect. In the urbanization scenario, precipitation center tended to move eastward and lead to increased rainfall in eastern parts of this region. Increased irrigation stimulated rainfall in central and eastern areas but reduced rainfall in southwestern and northwestern parts of the study area. This study also demonstrated that urbanization significantly reduced latent heat fluxes and albedo of land surface; while increased sensible heat flux changes following urbanization suggested that developed land surfaces mainly acted as heat sources. In this study, climate change projection not only predicts future spatiotemporal patterns of multiple climate factors, but also provides valuable insights into policy making related to land use management, water resource management, and agriculture management to adapt and mitigate future climate changes in this populous region. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.« less

On Rainfall Modification by Major Urban Areas. Part 1; Observations from Space-borne Rain Radar on TRMM

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shepherd, J. Marshall; Pierce, Harold; Starr, David OC. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

This study represents one of the first published attempts to identify rainfall modification by urban areas using satellite-based rainfall measurements. Data from the first space-based rain-radar, the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission's (TRMM) Precipitation Radar, are employed. Analysis of the data enables identification of rainfall patterns around Atlanta, Montgomery, Nashville, San Antonio, Waco, and Dallas during the warm season. Results reveal an average increase of -28% in monthly rainfall rates within 30-60 kilometers downwind of the metropolis with a modest increase of 5.6% over the metropolis. Portions of the downwind area exhibit increases as high as 51%. The percentage chances are relative to an upwind CONTROL area. It was also found that maximum rainfall rates in the downwind impact area can exceed the mean value in the upwind CONTROL area by 48%-116%. The maximum value was generally found at an average distance of 39 km from the edge of the urban center or 64 km from the center of the city. These results are consistent with METROMEX studies of St. Louis almost two decades ago and more recent studies near Atlanta. Future work will investi(yate hypothesized factors causing rainfall modification by urban areas. Additional work is also needed to provide more robust validation of space-based rain estimates near major urban areas. Such research has implications for urban planning, water resource management, and understanding human impact on the environment.

The responsiveness of biological motion processing areas to selective attention towards goals.

PubMed

Herrington, John; Nymberg, Charlotte; Faja, Susan; Price, Elinora; Schultz, Robert

2012-10-15

A growing literature indicates that visual cortex areas viewed as primarily responsive to exogenous stimuli are susceptible to top-down modulation by selective attention. The present study examines whether brain areas involved in biological motion perception are among these areas-particularly with respect to selective attention towards human movement goals. Fifteen participants completed a point-light biological motion study following a two-by-two factorial design, with one factor representing an exogenous manipulation of human movement goals (goal-directed versus random movement), and the other an endogenous manipulation (a goal identification task versus an ancillary color-change task). Both manipulations yielded increased activation in the human homologue of motion-sensitive area MT+ (hMT+) as well as the extrastriate body area (EBA). The endogenous manipulation was associated with increased right posterior superior temporal sulcus (STS) activation, whereas the exogenous manipulation was associated with increased activation in left posterior STS. Selective attention towards goals activated a portion of left hMT+/EBA only during the perception of purposeful movement-consistent with emerging theories associating this area with the matching of visual motion input to known goal-directed actions. The overall pattern of results indicates that attention towards the goals of human movement activates biological motion areas. Ultimately, selective attention may explain why some studies examining biological motion show activation in hMT+ and EBA, even when using control stimuli with comparable motion properties. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Mesopredators in the Blackland Prairie of Texas: Occupancy, detection probability, and diversity in relation to landcover change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hawkins, Nathan Ryan

The Blackland Prairie of Texas is one of the most heavily altered and threatened ecoregions in North America. A large part of the current threats to the ecoregion are related to rapid urban growth in cities within the Blackland Prairie. Major threats are related to conversion natural and semi-natural land to urban and suburban land, and increased resource demands from the growing urban population. To quantify these changes, I generated landcover maps using unsupervised classification techniques for the years 1984, 1993, 2004, and 2009 in a portion of the central Blackland Prairie centered around Navarro County, Texas and used post-classification comparison to determine the change in landcover. The largest changes in landcover occurred due to the creation of Richland Chambers Reservoir in 1987, and the subsequent flooding of mostly bottomland forest (a loss of 11,858.4ha of water from 1985-1993). This change occurred because of increased demand for water by the population of the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington Metropolitan Study Area. Other changes that occurred in the study area included increases in cropland (26,590.14ha from 1985-2009), grass (25,368ha from 1985-2009), and developed (4,877.55ha from 1985-2009) landcover types. Increases in crop and grass landcover types suggest agricultural intensification occurring within the study area, while an increase in developed landcover indicates an increase in urbanization in a mostly rural county. Since changes in landcover have been demonstrated to affect wildlife in other areas, I used motion-sensing camera traps to survey the predator community in the area. I identified species occurring and developed occupancy models using variables that describe a number of landscape features that may be important to those species. Detections were dominated by a few common species, which included coyotes (psi4=0.7778 winter, psi=0.6667 summer), bobcats (psi=0.8889 winter, psi=0.7778 summer), raccoons (psi=1 winter, psi=0.9091 summer), striped skunks (psi=0.9167 winter, psi=0.8182 summer), and opossums (psi=0.9231 winter, psi=0.9231 summer). Uncommon species detected included river otters (psi=0.4000 winter, psi=0.2000 summer), gray foxes (psi=0.2308 winter), and one spotted skunk (psi=0.0833 summer). Results indicate that changes in landscape features will most likely affect mesopredators in the area. Some species will likely increase in abundance and distribution while others will decrease in abundance and distribution as a result of changes. I also estimated species richness using nonparametric richness estimators that use incidence (presence/absence) data. I detected 9 mesopredator species (bobcat, coyote, opossum, river otter, raccoon, striped skunk, domestic dog, and domestic cat, gray fox, and eastern spotted skunk) in the study area. Considering all study sites at once resulted in species richness estimates of 9-10 species, suggesting that most predators were sampled. When study sites were split into eastern and western groups based on habitat gradients within the study area, slightly different estimates were generated. For the western part of the study area, estimates suggest 9-10 species are present, while in the eastern part of the study area, estimates suggest 6-8 species are present. Results suggest that mesopredator richness is declining compared to historical levels. Large contiguous prairie habitats need to be protected and/or restored to conserve rare prairie communities and the mesopredators they support.

Effect of load, area of contact, and contact stress on the wear mechanisms of a bonded solid lubricant film

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fusaro, R. L.

1980-01-01

A pin on disk type of friction and wear apparatus was used to study the effect of load, contact stress and rider area of contact on the friction and wear properties of polyimide bonded graphite fluoride films. Different rider area contacts were obtained by initially generating flats (with areas of 0.0035, 0.0071, 0.0145, and 0.0240 cm) on 0.476-cm radius hemispherically tipped riders. Different projected contact stresses were obtained by applying loads of 2.5- to 58.8-N to the flats. Two film wear mechanisms were observed. The first was found to be a linear function of contact stress and was independent of rider area of contact. The second was found to increase exponentially as the stress increased. The second also appeared to be a function of rider contact area. Wear equations for each mechanism were empirically derived from the experimental data. In general, friction coefficients increased with increasing rider contact area and with sliding duration. This was related to the build up of thick rider transfer films.

Effect of load, area of contact, and contact stress on the tribological properties of polyimide bonded graphite fluoride films

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fusaro, R. L.

1981-01-01

A pin-on-disk type of friction and wear apparatus was used to study the effect of load, contact stress and rider area of contact on the friction and wear properties of polyimide-bonded graphite fluoride films. Different rider area contacts were obtained by initially generating flats (with areas of 0.0035, 0.0071, 0.0145, and 0.0240 cm) on 0.476-cm radius hemispherically-tipped riders. Different projected contact stresses were obtained by applying loads of 2.5-to 58.8-N to the flats. Two film wear mechanisms were observed. The first was found to be a linear function of contact stress and was independent of rider area of contact. The second was found to increase exponentially as the stress increased. The second also appeared to be a function of rider contact area. Wear equations for each mechanism were empirically derived from the experimental data. In general, friction coefficients increased with increasing rider contact area and with sliding duration. This was related to the build-up of thick rider transfer films.

Influence of landscape characteristics on migration strategies of white-tailed deer

USGS Publications Warehouse

Grovenburg, T.W.; Jacques, C.N.; Klaver, R.W.; Deperno, C.S.; Brinkman, T.J.; Swanson, C.C.; Jenks, J.A.

2011-01-01

A trade-off exists for migrating animals as to whether to migrate or remain residents. Few studies have documented relationships between landscape variables and deer migration strategies. From 2000 to 2007 we captured 267 adult female white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) at 7 study sites in Minnesota and South Dakota and monitored 149 individuals through ≥3 seasonal migration periods (585 deer-migration seasons). All deer classified as obligate migrators with ≥3 migrations (range 3–9 migration seasons) maintained their obligate status for the duration of the study. Multinomial logistic odds ratios from generalized estimating equations indicated that the odds of being a resident increased by 1.4 and 1.3 per 1-unit increase in forest patch density and mean area, respectively, compared to migrating deer. Odds of being an obligate migrator increased by 0.7 and 0.8 per 1-unit decrease in forest patch density and mean area, respectively, compared to resident or conditional migrating deer. Areas inhabited by resident deer were characterized by greater number of forest patches per 100 ha and larger mean forest patch area than conditional and obligate migrant areas. Odds of migrating increased by 1.1 per 1-unit increase in deer winter severity index. Migration behavior of white-tailed deer varied among regions, and land-cover and landscape characteristics provided predictive indicators of migration strategies for deer that could have important implications for conservation, metapopulation dynamics, and species management.

Differential involvement of cortical and cerebellar areas using dominant and nondominant hands: An FMRI study

PubMed Central

Pardini, Matteo; Samson, Rebecca S.; D'Angelo, Egidio; Friston, Karl J.; Toosy, Ahmed T.; Gandini Wheeler‐Kingshott, Claudia A.M.

2015-01-01

Abstract Motor fMRI studies, comparing dominant (DH) and nondominant (NDH) hand activations have reported mixed findings, especially for the extent of ipsilateral (IL) activations and their relationship with task complexity. To date, no study has directly compared DH and NDH activations using an event‐related visually guided dynamic power‐grip paradigm with parametric (three) forces (GF) in healthy right‐handed subjects. We implemented a hierarchical statistical approach aimed to: (i) identify the main effect networks engaged when using either hand; (ii) characterise DH/NDH responses at different GFs; (iii) assess contralateral (CL)/IL‐specific and hemisphere‐specific activations. Beyond confirming previously reported results, this study demonstrated that increasing GF has an effect on motor response that is contextualised also by the use of DH or NDH. Linear analysis revealed increased activations in sensorimotor areas, with additional increased recruitments of subcortical and cerebellar areas when using the NDH. When looking at CL/IL‐specific activations, CL sensorimotor areas and IL cerebellum were activated with both hands. When performing the task with the NDH, several areas were also recruited including the CL cerebellum. Finally, there were hand‐side‐independent activations of nonmotor‐specific areas in the right and left hemispheres, with the right hemisphere being involved more extensively in sensori‐motor integration through associative areas while the left hemisphere showing greater activation at higher GF. This study shows that the functional networks subtending DH/NDH power‐grip visuomotor functions are qualitatively and quantitatively distinct and this should be taken into consideration when performing fMRI studies, particularly when planning interventions in patients with specific impairments. Hum Brain Mapp 36:5079–5100, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. PMID:26415818

Assessing the Increase in Specific Surface Area for Electrospun Fibrous Network due to Pore Induction.

PubMed

Katsogiannis, Konstantinos Alexandros G; Vladisavljević, Goran T; Georgiadou, Stella; Rahmani, Ramin

2016-10-26

The effect of pore induction on increasing electrospun fibrous network specific surface area was investigated in this study. Theoretical models based on the available surface area of the fibrous network and exclusion of the surface area lost due to fiber-to-fiber contacts were developed. The models for calculation of the excluded area are based on Hertzian, Derjaguin-Muller-Toporov (DMT), and Johnson-Kendall-Roberts (JKR) contact models. Overall, the theoretical models correlated the network specific surface area to the material properties including density, surface tension, Young's modulus, Poisson's ratio, as well as network physical properties, such as density and geometrical characteristics including fiber radius, fiber aspect ratio and network thickness. Pore induction proved to increase the network specific surface area up to 52%, compared to the maximum surface area that could be achieved by nonporous fiber network with the same physical properties and geometrical characteristics. The model based on Johnson-Kendall-Roberts contact model describes accurately the fiber-to-fiber contact area under the experimental conditions used for pore generation. The experimental results and the theoretical model based on Johnson-Kendall-Roberts contact model show that the increase in network surface area due to pore induction can reach to up to 58%.

Levator hiatal area as a risk factor for cystocele recurrence after surgery: a prospective study.

PubMed

Vergeldt, T F M; Notten, K J B; Weemhoff, M; van Kuijk, S M J; Mulder, F E M; Beets-Tan, R G; Vliegen, R F A; Gondrie, E T C M; Bergmans, M G M; Roovers, J P W R; Kluivers, K B

2015-07-01

To investigate whether increased levator hiatal area, measured preoperatively, was independently associated with anatom-ical cystocele recurrence 12 months after anterior colporrhaphy. Multicentre prospective cohort study. Nine teaching hospitals in the Netherlands. Women planned for conventional anterior colporrhaphy without mesh. Women underwent physical examination, translabial three-dimensional (3D) ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) prior to surgery. At 12 months after surgery the physical examination was repeated. Women with and without anatomical cystocele recurrence were compared to assess the association with levator hiatal area on 3D ultrasound, levator hiatal area on MRI, and potential confounding factors. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was created to quantify the discriminative ability of using levator hiatal area to predict anatomical cystocele recurrence. Of 139 included women, 76 (54.7%) had anatomical cystocele recurrence. Preoperative stage 3 or 4 and increased levator hiatal area during Valsalva on ultrasound were significantly associated with cystocele recurrence, with odds ratios of 3.47 (95% confidence interval, 95% CI 1.66-7.28) and 1.06 (95% CI 1.01-1.11) respectively. The area under the ROC curve was 0.60 (95% CI 0.51-0.70) for levator hiatal area during Valsalva on ultrasound, and 0.65 (95% CI 0.55-0.71) for preoperative Pelvic Organ Prolapse Quantification (POP-Q) stage. Increased levator hiatal area during Valsalva on ultrasound prior to surgery and preoperative stage 3 or 4 are independent risk factors for anatomical cystocele recurrence after anterior colporrhaphy; however, increased levator hiatal area as the sole factor for predicting anatomical cystocele recurrence after surgery shows poor test characteristics. © 2015 Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.

Influence of height, weight, and body mass index on optic disc parameters.

PubMed

Zheng, Yingfeng; Cheung, Carol Y L; Wong, Tien Y; Mitchell, Paul; Aung, Tin

2010-06-01

To examine the influence of body height, body weight, and body mass index (BMI) on optic disc parameters in a population-based study. The Singapore Malay Eye Study examined 3280 persons of Malay ethnicity, aged 40 to 80 years, of whom 2329 (71.0%) had reliable retinal scanning confocal laser tomography images for analyses. Intraocular pressure (IOP) was ascertained by Goldmann applanation tonometry. Body height and weight were measured with standardized protocols; BMI was calculated as weight (kilograms)/height squared (meters). Sociodemographic information was collected in an interviewer-administered questionnaire. In univariate analyses, body height, weight, and BMI were significantly associated with optic cup area, rim area, and cup-to-disc area ratio (all with P < 0.05) but none of the anthropometric parameters was significantly associated with optic disc area (all with P > 0.05). In multiple regression analyses after adjustment for age, sex, optic disc size, axial length, education, family income, and IOP, each SD increase in body height was associated with a 0.042-mm(2) decrease in optic rim area and a 0.020 increase in optic cup-to-disc area ratio; each SD decrease in body weight was associated with a 0.013-mm(2) decrease in optic rim area and a 0.010 increase in optic cup-to-disc ratio; and each SD decrease in BMI was associated with a 0.021-mm(2) decrease in optic rim area and a 0.010 increase in optic cup-to-disc ratio. Persons who are taller or have lower BMI have a smaller neuroretinal rim area and a larger optic cup-to-disc area ratio.

Olive plants (Olea europaea L.) as a bioindicator for pollution.

PubMed

Eliwa, Amal Mohamed; Kamel, Ehab Abdel-Razik

2013-06-15

In the present work, olive plant (Olea europaea L.) was used as a biological indicator for pollution in which, molecular and physiological parameters were studied. Olive plants were collected from polluted and non-polluted areas in Jeddah - Saudi Arabia, traffic area as an air polluted area, sewage treatment station as water polluted area, industrial area as solid waste polluted, costal area as marine polluted area and an area without a direct source of pollution far away from the city center, which was used as control. These changes conducted with nucleic acid content, minerals content, pigments and some growth parameters. Results showed significant reductions in DNA and RNA contents under all polluted sites. Mineral contents were varied widely depending on the different pollutants and locations of olive plant. Generally, micro-elements varied (increase/decrease) significantly within collected samples and the source of pollution. All growth parameters were decreased significantly within the studied samples of all pollutant areas except the relative water content was increased. The content of chlorophyll a has decreased highly significantly in all polluted leaves. While the content of chlorophyll b has increased significantly in all polluted leaves especially in air polluted leaves. The total content of carotenoid pigments has decreased highly significantly in all polluted leaves. It was concluded that olive plant can be used as a biological indicator to the environmental pollutants.

The epidemiologic relationship between tuberculosis and non-tuberculous mycobacterial disease: a systematic review.

PubMed

Brode, S K; Daley, C L; Marras, T K

2014-11-01

Tuberculosis (TB) rates are decreasing in many areas, while non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) infection rates are increasing. The relationship between the epidemiology of TB and NTM infections is not well understood. To understand the epidemiologic relationship between TB and NTM disease worldwide. A systematic review of Medline (1946-2014) was conducted to identify studies that reported temporal trends in NTM disease incidence. TB rates for each geographic area included were then retrieved. Linear regression models were fitted to calculate slopes describing changes over time. There were 22 studies reporting trends in rates of NTM disease, representing 16 geographic areas over four continents: 75% of areas had climbing incidence rates, while 12.5% had stable rates and 12.5% had declining rates. Most studies (81%) showed declining TB incidence rates. The proportion of incident mycobacterial disease caused by NTM was shown to be rising in almost every geographic area (94%). We found an increase in the proportion of mycobacterial disease caused by NTM in many parts of the world due to a simultaneous reduction in TB and increase in NTM disease. Research into the interaction between mycobacterial infections may help explain this inverse relationship.

[Effects of different soil types on the foliar δ13C values of common local plant species in karst rocky desertification area in central Guizhou Province].

PubMed

Du, Xue-lian; Wang, Shi-jie; Luo, Xu-qiang

2014-09-01

By measuring the foliar δ13C values of common local plant species grown in different soil types in Wangjiazhai catchments, a typical karst desertification area in Qingzhen City, Central Guizhou, we studied the impact of soil type and rocky desertification grade on the foliar δ13C values. The results showed that the foliar δ13C values were more negative in yellow soil area than those in black calcareous area and there was no obvious difference in foliar δ13C values between these two soil types. The distribution interval of foliar δ13C values in yellow soil area was narrower than those in black calcareous area and the variation coefficient of foliar δ13C values in yellow soil area were smaller than those in black calcareous area. With increasing degree of karst rocky desertification, the foliar δ13C values of plant community in black calcareous area increased, whereas those in yellow soil area first increased and then decreased. The result of multiple comparison showed that the difference in foliar δ13C values of plant community among rocky desertification grade was not obvious in yellow soil area, but it was obvious in black calcareous area. Correlation analysis between the foliar δ13C values of plant species and the main environmental factors indicated that slope and soil thickness were the main factors which affected the foliar δ13C values of plants in yellow soil area and soil water contant was the main factor in black calcareous area. The impact of soil on the foliar δ13C values was realized by adjusting the soil moisture in study area.

Morphology of jack pine and tamarack needles in dense stands.

Treesearch

Terry F. Strong; J. Zavitkovski

1978-01-01

Effects of position in the crown on needle morphology and surface area were studied. Needle length, surface area, and dry weight increased and specific needs area decreased from the lower to the upper third of the crown.

The surface urban heat island response to urban expansion: A panel analysis for the conterminous United States

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

Li, Xiaoma; Zhou, Yuyu; Asrar, Ghassem R.

Abstract: Urban heat island (UHI), a major concern worldwide, affects human health and energy use. With current and anticipated rapid urbanization, improved understanding of the response of UHI to urbanization is important for impact analysis and developing effective adaptation measures and mitigation strategies. Current studies mainly focus on a single or a few big cities and knowledge on the response of UHI to urbanization for large areas is very limited. Modelling UHI caused by urbanization for large areas that encompass multiple metropolitans remains a major scientific challenge/opportunity. As a major indicator of urbanization, urban area size lends itself well formore » representation in prognostic models to investigate the impacts of urbanization on UHI and the related socioeconomic and environmental effects. However, we have little knowledge on how UHI responds to the increase of urban area size, namely urban expansion, and its spatial and temporal variation over large areas. In this study, we investigated the relationship between surface UHI (SUHI) and urban area size in the climate and ecological context, and its spatial and temporal variations, based on a panel analysis of about 5000 urban areas of 10 km2 or larger, in the conterminous U.S. We found statistically significant positive relationship between SUHI and urban area size, and doubling the urban area size led to a SUHI increase of higher than 0.7 °C. The response of SUHI to the increase of urban area size shows spatial and temporal variations, with stronger SUHI increase in the Northern region of U.S., and during daytime and summer. Urban area size alone can explain as much as 87% of the variance of SUHI among cities studied, but with large spatial and temporal variations. Urban area size shows higher association with SUHI in regions where the thermal characteristics of land cover surrounding the urban are more homogeneous, such as in Eastern U.S., and in the summer months. This study provides a practical approach for large-scale assessment and modeling of the impact of urbanization on SUHI, both spatially and temporally, for developing mitigation/adaptation measures, especially in anticipated warmer climate conditions for the rest of this century.« less

Monitoring the expansion of built-up areas in Seberang Perai region, Penang State, Malaysia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Samat, N.

2014-02-01

Rapid urbanization has caused land use transformation and encroachment of built environment into arable agriculture land. Uncontrolled expansion could bring negative impacts to society, space and the environment. Therefore, information on expansion and future spatial pattern of built-up areas would be useful for planners and decision makers in formulating policies towards managing and planning for sustainable urban development. This study demonstrates the usage of Geographic Information System in monitoring the expansion of built-up area in Seberang Perai region, Penang State, Malaysia. Built-up area has increased by approximately 20% between 1990 and 2001 and further increased by 12% between 2001 and 2007. New development is expected to continue encroach into existing open space and agriculture area since those are the only available land in this study area. The information on statistics of the expansion of built-up area and future spatial pattern of urban expansion were useful in planning and managing urban spatial growth.

The mass use of deltamethrin collars to control and prevent canine visceral leishmaniasis: A field effectiveness study in a highly endemic area.

PubMed

Leite, Bruna Martins Macedo; Solcà, Manuela da Silva; Santos, Liliane Celestino Sales; Coelho, Lívia Brito; Amorim, Leila Denise Alves Ferreira; Donato, Lucas Edel; Passos, Sandra Maria de Souza; Almeida, Adriana Oliveira de; Veras, Patrícia Sampaio Tavares; Fraga, Deborah Bittencourt Mothé

2018-05-01

Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) is a zoonosis of great importance. Limitations in current VL control measures compromise efficacy, indicating the need to implement new strategies. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the mass use of deltamethrin-impregnated collars in dogs as a public health measure to control and prevent canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL). An interventional study was implemented in two endemic areas in the district of Monte Gordo (Bahia-Brazil): an intervention area, in which VL seronegative dogs were collared, and a control area in which only conventional CVL control measures were applied. At baseline, seropositive dogs were removed and seronegative dogs were included. Dogs were then reevaluated every 7-8 months for almost two years. At each time point, dogs in the intervention area that remained seronegative received new collars and newly identified seronegative dogs were included and collared. The local zoonosis control authorities were notified of any dogs that tested seropositive in both areas, which were subsequently marked for euthanasia as mandated by the Brazilian Ministry of Health. In the first serological survey, seroprevalence was similar in both areas. At the second evaluation, significant reductions in seroprevalence were seen in both areas, while seroprevalence in the intervention area reduced to 6.0% during the final evaluation versus an increase of 11.0% in the control area. This significant increase and the estimated relative risk (RR = 0.55) indicated protection against CVL in the intervention area. Although CVL incidence did not differ significantly between the areas, an increased tendency was observed in the control area, which could be due to low seroconversion rates throughout the study or a high loss to follow-up. Although our evaluation of the effectiveness of deltamethrin-impregnated collars as a community-wide public health control measure was inconclusive, this measure likely provides protection over time. In endemic areas of Brazil, this strategy represents an operational challenge for local zoonosis control authorities, indicating the need for adjustments, including improved collar design.

Method for evaluating the reliability of compressor impeller of turbocharger for vehicle application in plateau area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Zheng; Wang, Zengquan; Wang, A.-na; Zhuang, Li; Wang, Jinwei

2016-10-01

As turbocharging diesel engines for vehicle application are applied in plateau area, the environmental adaptability of engines has drawn more attention. For the environmental adaptability problem of turbocharging diesel engines for vehicle application, the present studies almost focus on the optimization of performance match between turbocharger and engine, and the reliability problem of turbocharger is almost ignored. The reliability problem of compressor impeller of turbocharger for vehicle application when diesel engines operate in plateau area is studied. Firstly, the rule that the rotational speed of turbocharger changes with the altitude height is presented, and the potential failure modes of compressor impeller are analyzed. Then, the failure behavior models of compressor impeller are built, and the reliability models of compressor impeller operating in plateau area are developed. Finally, the rule that the reliability of compressor impeller changes with the altitude height is studied, the measurements for improving the reliability of the compressor impellers of turbocharger operating in plateau area are given. The results indicate that when the operating speed of diesel engine is certain, the rotational speed of turbocharger increases with the increase of altitude height, and the failure risk of compressor impeller with the failure modes of hub fatigue and blade resonance increases. The reliability of compressor impeller decreases with the increase of altitude height, and it also decreases as the increase of number of the mission profile cycle of engine. The method proposed can not only be used to evaluating the reliability of compressor impeller when diesel engines operate in plateau area but also be applied to direct the structural optimization of compressor impeller.

[Rice area change in Northeast China and its correlation with climate change.

PubMed

Chen, Hao; Li, Zheng Guo; Tang, Peng Qin; Hu, Ya Nan; Tan, Jie Yang; Liu, Zhen Huan; You, Liang Zhi; Yang, Peng

2016-08-01

Based on the time-series map of rice area, a spatial production allocation model (SPAM) which has been applied for mapping the global level crop allocation datasets was deve-loped to simulate the spatio-temporal dynamics of rice area in Northeast China during 1980-2010 within 5'×5' grid cells. The spatio-temporal variations of rice area with temperature and precipita-tion during past 30 years were explored. The results indicated that the rice area expanded significantly northwards to46° N before 2000. After that, the increased sown area mainly occurred in the northern parts of Northeast China. Meanwhile, rice area also expanded eastwards to 131° E and toward the higher elevation regions (above 200 m). Due to a northward movement of accumulated temperature belts, the new rice area mainly appeared in the regions with an annual accumulated temperature (AAT) between 2800 and 3400 ℃·d. The trend of precipitation during the study period increased before 2000 and decreased afterwards. The increased rice area was found mainly in the regions with precipitation range from 300 mm to 600 mm.

Does consideration of larger study areas yield more accurate estimates of air pollution health effects? An illustration of the bias-variance trade-off in air pollution epidemiology.

PubMed

Pedersen, Marie; Siroux, Valérie; Pin, Isabelle; Charles, Marie Aline; Forhan, Anne; Hulin, Agnés; Galineau, Julien; Lepeule, Johanna; Giorgis-Allemand, Lise; Sunyer, Jordi; Annesi-Maesano, Isabella; Slama, Rémy

2013-10-01

Spatially-resolved air pollution models can be developed in large areas. The resulting increased exposure contrasts and population size offer opportunities to better characterize the effect of atmospheric pollutants on respiratory health. However the heterogeneity of these areas may also enhance the potential for confounding. We aimed to discuss some analytical approaches to handle this trade-off. We modeled NO2 and PM10 concentrations at the home addresses of 1082 pregnant mothers from EDEN cohort living in and around urban areas, using ADMS dispersion model. Simulations were performed to identify the best strategy to limit confounding by unmeasured factors varying with area type. We examined the relation between modeled concentrations and respiratory health in infants using regression models with and without adjustment or interaction terms with area type. Simulations indicated that adjustment for area limited the bias due to unmeasured confounders varying with area at the costs of a slight decrease in statistical power. In our cohort, rural and urban areas differed for air pollution levels and for many factors associated with respiratory health and exposure. Area tended to modify effect measures of air pollution on respiratory health. Increasing the size of the study area also increases the potential for residual confounding. Our simulations suggest that adjusting for type of area is a good option to limit residual confounding due to area-associated factors without restricting the area size. Other statistical approaches developed in the field of spatial epidemiology are an alternative to control for poorly-measured spatially-varying confounders. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Destructive behavior of iron oxide in projectile impact

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shang, Wang; Xiaochen, Wang; Quan, Yang; Zhongde, Shan

2017-12-01

The damage strain values of Q235-A surface oxide scale were obtained by scanning electron microscopy (SEM/EDS) and universal tensile testing machine. The finite element simulation was carried out to study the destruction effects of oxidation at different impact rates. The results show that the damage value of the oxide strain is 0.08%. With the increase of the projectile velocity, the damage area of the oxide scale is increased, and the damage area is composed of the direct destruction area and the indirect failure area. The indirect damage area is caused by the stress/strain to the surrounding expansion after the impact of the steel body.

Cyclosporin A-induced gingival overgrowth in the rat: a histological, ultrastructural and histomorphometric evaluation.

PubMed

Ayanoglou, C M; Lesty, C

1999-01-01

This investigation was undertaken to further study cyclosporin A (CsA)-induced gingival overgrowth. Thirty mg/kg/d of vehicle or CsA solutions were given orally to 6-wk-old male Sprague-Dawley rats. After 4, 9, 14 and 19 wk 2 control and 2 experimental rats were anaesthetized, tissues fixed by intracardiac perfusion of fixative solution and jaws processed for Epon inclusion. Histological and ultrastructural studies conducted in a gingival portion (free gingiva) revealed the presence of hyalinization areas and of multinucleated cells (MCs) containing collagen fibrils (connective tissue), of amorphous areas and disorders of keratinization (epithelia). Histomorphometric evaluation indicated that in the CsA rats the mean cross-sectional area of the free gingiva was 2.52-fold increased compared to the controls. The connective tissue comprised 41.43% of this area (instead of 31.49% in controls). Additional histomorphometric evaluation was performed in 3 groups of free gingival portions: control (C group), CsA-non-respondent (CsA-nR) and CsA-respondent (CsA-R). The cross-sectional gingival areas studied were slightly lower than the mean area of all the control sites previously defined (groups C and CsA-nR) or showed the higher degrees of enlargement (CsA-R). In the CsA-R group the mean cross-sectioned area of the vessel profiles was increased and the number of fibroblast profiles decreased. In the CsA-nR group the number of vessel profiles and that of MCs profiles were increased. In the epithelia of the CsA-R group were increased (a) keratinized epithelia: thickness; thickness of the inner and of the outer compartments; surface area of spinous cell profiles; (b) oral gingival epithelium: number of cell layers (inner compartment); (c) oral sulcular epithelium: surface area of granular cell profiles; (d) junctional epithelium: thickness; number of cell layers. These results indicate that (a) the CsA induced modifications are not limited to enlarged gingiva (b) the overgrowth of the GCT is the result of a vasodilatation and of an increase in the volume of the extracellular matrix and (c) the increase of the epithelial thickness is mainly the result of a cell hypertrophy in the keratinized epithelia and of a cell hyperplasia in the junctional epithelium.

A comparison of 2 techniques for estimating deer density

USGS Publications Warehouse

Storm, G.L.; Cottam, D.F.; Yahner, R.H.; Nichols, J.D.

1977-01-01

We applied mark-resight and area-conversion methods to estimate deer abundance at a 2,862-ha area in and surrounding the Gettysburg National Military Park and Eisenhower National Historic Site during 1987-1991. One observer in each of 11 compartments counted marked and unmarked deer during 65-75 minutes at dusk during 3 counts in each of April and November. Use of radio-collars and vinyl collars provided a complete inventory of marked deer in the population prior to the counts. We sighted 54% of the marked deer during April 1987 and 1988, and 43% of the marked deer during November 1987 and 1988. Mean number of deer counted increased from 427 in April 1987 to 582 in April 1991, and increased from 467 in November 1987 to 662 in November 1990. Herd size during April, based on the mark-resight method, increased from approximately 700-1,400 from 1987-1991, whereas the estimates for November indicated an increase from 983 for 1987 to 1,592 for 1990. Given the large proportion of open area and the extensive road system throughout the study area, we concluded that the sighting probability for marked and unmarked deer was fairly similar. We believe that the mark-resight method was better suited to our study than the area-conversion method because deer were not evenly distributed between areas suitable and unsuitable for sighting within open and forested areas. The assumption of equal distribution is required by the area-conversion method. Deer marked for the mark-resight method also helped reduce double counting during the dusk surveys.

Adaptive management of forest fires in periurban areas in the Federal District, Brazil: A case study from the Urubu Valley rural community

Treesearch

Gabriel Constantino Zacharias; Renata Marson Teixeira de Andrade

2013-01-01

In a climate change scenario, where global warming increases the critical period of drought, the risk of wildfire is expected to increase. In the Federal District (DF) - Brazil, wildfire in periruban areas have economic, financial, environmental and public health significance, however it is poorly studied. Thus, one wonders if the DF is prepared to deal with the higher...

Lobster and cod benefit from small-scale northern marine protected areas: inference from an empirical before–after control-impact study

PubMed Central

Moland, Even; Olsen, Esben Moland; Knutsen, Halvor; Garrigou, Pauline; Espeland, Sigurd Heiberg; Kleiven, Alf Ring; André, Carl; Knutsen, Jan Atle

2013-01-01

Marine protected areas (MPAs) are increasingly implemented as tools to conserve and manage fisheries and target species. Because there are opportunity costs to conservation, there is a need for science-based assessment of MPAs. Here, we present one of the northernmost documentations of MPA effects to date, demonstrated by a replicated before–after control-impact (BACI) approach. In 2006, MPAs were implemented along the Norwegian Skagerrak coast offering complete protection to shellfish and partial protection to fish. By 2010, European lobster (Homarus gammarus) catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) had increased by 245 per cent in MPAs, whereas CPUE in control areas had increased by 87 per cent. Mean size of lobsters increased by 13 per cent in MPAs, whereas increase in control areas was negligible. Furthermore, MPA-responses and population development in control areas varied significantly among regions. This illustrates the importance of a replicated BACI design for reaching robust conclusions and management decisions. Partial protection of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) was followed by an increase in population density and body size compared with control areas. By 2010, MPA cod were on average 5 cm longer than in any of the control areas. MPAs can be useful management tools in rebuilding and conserving portions of depleted lobster populations in northern temperate waters, and even for a mobile temperate fish species such as the Atlantic cod. PMID:23303544

Heavy metal contamination in the vicinity of an industrial area near Bucharest.

PubMed

Velea, Teodor; Gherghe, Liliana; Predica, Vasile; Krebs, Rolf

2009-08-01

Heavy metals such as lead are well known to cause harmful health effects. Especially children are particularly susceptible to increased levels of lead in their blood. It is also a fact that lead concentration is increasing in the environment due to increased anthropogenic activity. The risk of heavy metal contamination is pronounced in the environment adjacent to large industrial complexes. In a combined case study, the environmental pollution by heavy metals was related to children's health in the vicinity of an industrial area located 4 km south-east from Bucharest about 2 km east from the nearest town-Pantelimon. This site includes companies processing different, nonferrous solid wastes for recovery of heavy metals and producing different nonferrous alloys and lead batteries. In this paper, mainly the results of environmental sampling and analyses are summarized. Water, soil, and atmospheric deposition samples were collected from different locations within 3 km from the industrial area. For comparison, samples were also taken from Bucharest. Water samples were filtered (<0.45 microm), extracted by salpetric acid, and quantified by ICP-OES and ICP-MS. Soil samples were dried, sieved (<2 mm), extracted by aqua regia and analyzed by AAS. In order to quantify the atmospheric deposition, three kinds of permanently open collecting pots were used on nine different sites between August and November 2006. At most sampling locations, the heavy metal concentrations in soil decrease with increasing distance to the presumably major source of pollution. Highest heavy metal concentrations were found in 10-20 cm soil depths. There were also decreasing heavy metal concentrations for atmospheric deposition with increasing distance to the industrial site. In surface and groundwater samples, traces of zinc, copper and lead were detected. The heavy metal concentrations in soil were increased in the study area, mostly under legal action limits in low-concern areas (e.g., 1,000 mg Pb/kg dry soil), but often above action limits for high-concern areas (100 mg Pb/kg dry soil) such as populated areas. The soluble lead concentrations in water samples indicate a need for monitoring and assessing water quality in more detail. The results for atmospheric deposition showed increased dust precipitation and heavy metal loads in the study area compared to Bucharest. However, based on mass flow balance calculations, the actual atmospheric deposition of heavy metals must be much lower than it was in the past decades. It was shown that highest lead values in water, soil and atmospheric deposition are rather to be found near the investigated industrial site than at the control sites in Bucharest. Our results correspond very well with results that show that children from Pantelimon have significantly increased lead concentrations in their blood compared to children in Bucharest. The increased lead contamination around the investigated industrial area is likely to have caused the increased exposure for children living in Pantelimon. In high-concern areas, such as found in populated areas, further measures have to be taken to avoid health risks for people living in these areas. The measures already taken to reduce emissions from the industrial site will help to avoid further increases in heavy metal concentrations. In areas with exceeded action limits, measures have to be taken as required by law. Detailed risk assessments could help to take necessary actions to protect public health in this area. The public should be informed about the potential hazards of eating plants grown in that area. Educational programs for schools, informing children about the contamination, should lead to a better understanding of environmental problems and a more sustainable behavior in the future.

[Relationship between image quality and cross-sectional area of phantom in three-dimensional positron emission tomography scan].

PubMed

Osawa, Atsushi; Miwa, Kenta; Wagatsuma, Kei; Takiguchi, Tomohiro; Tamura, Shintaro; Akimoto, Kenta

2012-01-01

The image quality in (18)FDG PET/CT often degrades as the body size increases. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between image quality and the body size using original phantoms of variable cross-sectional areas in PET/CT. We produced five water phantoms with different cross-sectional areas. The long axis of phantom was 925 mm, and the cross-sectional area was from 324 to 1189 cm(2). These phantoms with the sphere (diameter 10 mm) were filled with (18)F-FDG solution. The radioactivity concentration of background in the phantom was 1.37, 2.73, 4.09 and 5.46 kBq/mL. The scanning duration was 30 min in list mode acquisition for each measurement. Background variability (N(10 mm)), noise equivalent count rates (NECR(phantom)), hot sphere contrast (Q(H,10 mm)) as physical evaluation and visual score of sphere detection were measured, respectively. The relationship between image quality and the various cross-sectional areas was also analyzed under the above-mentioned conditions. As cross-sectional area increased, NECR(phantom) progressively decreased. Furthermore, as cross-sectional area increased, N(10 mm) increased and Q(H,10 mm) decreased. Image quality became degraded as body weight increased because noise and contrast contributed to image quality. The visual score of sphere detection deteriorated in high background radioactivity concentration because a false positive detection in cross-sectional area of the phantom increased. However, additional increases in scanning periods could improve the visual score. We assessed tendencies in the relationship between image quality and body size in PET/CT. Our results showed that time adjustment was more effective than dose adjustment for stable image quality of heavier patients in terms of the large cross-sectional area.

Effects of intrinsic aging and photodamage on skin dyspigmentation: an explorative study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dobos, Gabor; Trojahn, Carina; D'Alessandro, Brian; Patwardhan, Sachin; Canfield, Douglas; Blume-Peytavi, Ulrike; Kottner, Jan

2016-06-01

Photoaging is associated with increasing pigmentary heterogeneity and darkening of skin color. However, little is known about age-related changes in skin pigmentation on sun-protected areas. The aim of this explorative study was to measure skin color and dyspigmentation using image processing and to evaluate the reliability of these parameters. Twenty-four volunteers of three age-groups were included in this explorative study. Measurements were conducted at sun-exposed and sun-protected areas. Overall skin-color estimates were similar among age groups. The hyper- and hypopigmentation indices differed significantly by age groups and their correlations with age ranged between 0.61 and 0.74. Dorsal forearm skin differed from the other investigational areas (p<0.001). We observed an increase in dyspigmentation at all skin areas, including sun-protected skin areas, already in young adulthood. Associations between age and dyspigmentation estimates were higher compared to color parameters. All color and dyspigmentation estimates showed high reliability. Dyspigmentation parameters seem to be better biomarkers for UV damage than the overall color measurements.

Impact of a Malaria-Control Project in Benin That Included the Integrated Management of Childhood Illness Strategy

PubMed Central

Onikpo, Faustin; Lama, Marcel; Osterholt, Dawn M.; Deming, Michael S.

2011-01-01

Objectives. To estimate the impact of the Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) strategy on early-childhood mortality, we evaluated a malaria-control project in Benin that implemented IMCI and promoted insecticide-treated nets (ITNs). Methods. We conducted a before-and-after intervention study that included a nonrandomized comparison group. We used the preceding birth technique to measure early-childhood mortality (risk of dying before age 30 months), and we used health facility surveys and household surveys to measure process indicators. Results. Most process indicators improved in the area covered by the intervention. Notably, because ITNs were also promoted in the comparison area children's ITN use increased by about 20 percentage points in both areas. Regarding early-childhood mortality, the trend from baseline (1999–2001) to follow-up (2002–2004) for the intervention area (13.0% decrease; P < .001) was 14.1% (P < .001) lower than was the trend for the comparison area (1.3% increase; P = .46). Conclusions. Mortality decreased in the intervention area after IMCI and ITN promotion. ITN use increased similarly in both study areas, so the mortality impact of ITNs in the 2 areas might have canceled each other out. Thus, the mortality reduction could have been primarily attributable to IMCI's effect on health care quality and care-seeking. PMID:21566036

Real-time measurement of oxyhemoglobin concentration changes in the frontal micturition area: an fNIRS study.

PubMed

Sakakibara, Ryuji; Tsunoyama, Kuniko; Takahashi, Osamu; Sugiyama, Megumi; Kishi, Masahiko; Ogawa, Emina; Uchiyama, Tomoyuki; Yamamoto, Tatsuya; Yamanishi, Tomonori; Awa, Yusuke; Yamaguchi, Chiharu

2010-06-01

To explore brain activity in the frontal micturition area during natural bladder behavior. Five control subjects (one man and four women; mean age 61 years [38-70]) and four subjects with detrusor overactivity (all men; mean age 55 years [33-65]) were enrolled in the study. We performed real-time measurements of oxyhemoglobin concentration (oxy-Hb) changes in the frontal micturition area using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) in response to quasi-natural, continuous bladder filling, and voiding in a sitting position. In the control group the following results were obtained: (1) a slight increase of oxy-Hb before first sensation occurred, (2) there was a continuous increase of oxy-Hb during bladder filling to the point just after voiding began, (3) there was a continuous decrease of oxy-Hb after voiding, (4) in subjects who were unable to urinate, oxy-Hb also decreased after attempting to void, and (5) the area activated was the bilateral lateral prefrontal area, particularly Brodmann's areas 8, 10, and 46. In the detrusor overactivity group, (6) an increase of oxy-Hb before first sensation was rare and frontal cortical activation was weak, (7) at the moment detrusor overactivity appeared, fNIRS brain activity in the frontal cortex did not change significantly; and otherwise the results were almost the same as those in the control group. This study shows that the frontal micturition area is activated during natural bladder filling and voiding using fNIRS. (c) 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

The evolution of the complex sensory and motor systems of the human brain.

PubMed

Kaas, Jon H

2008-03-18

Inferences about how the complex sensory and motor systems of the human brain evolved are based on the results of comparative studies of brain organization across a range of mammalian species, and evidence from the endocasts of fossil skulls of key extinct species. The endocasts of the skulls of early mammals indicate that they had small brains with little neocortex. Evidence from comparative studies of cortical organization from small-brained mammals of the six major branches of mammalian evolution supports the conclusion that the small neocortex of early mammals was divided into roughly 20-25 cortical areas, including primary and secondary sensory fields. In early primates, vision was the dominant sense, and cortical areas associated with vision in temporal and occipital cortex underwent a significant expansion. Comparative studies indicate that early primates had 10 or more visual areas, and somatosensory areas with expanded representations of the forepaw. Posterior parietal cortex was also expanded, with a caudal half dominated by visual inputs, and a rostral half dominated by somatosensory inputs with outputs to an array of seven or more motor and visuomotor areas of the frontal lobe. Somatosensory areas and posterior parietal cortex became further differentiated in early anthropoid primates. As larger brains evolved in early apes and in our hominin ancestors, the number of cortical areas increased to reach an estimated 200 or so in present day humans, and hemispheric specializations emerged. The large human brain grew primarily by increasing neuron number rather than increasing average neuron size.

On Rainfall Modification by Major Urban Areas. Part 1; Observations from Space-borne Rain Radar Aboard TRMM

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shepherd, J. Marshell; Starr, David OC. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

A novel approach is introduced to correlating urbanization and rainfall modification. This study represents one of the first published attempts (possibly the first) to identify and quantify rainfall modification by urban areas using satellite-based rainfall measurements. Previous investigations successfully used rain gauge networks and around-based radar to investigate this phenomenon but still encountered difficulties due to limited, specialized measurements and separation of topographic and other influences. Three years of mean monthly rainfall rates derived from the first space-based rainfall radar, Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission's (TRMM) Precipitation Radar, are employed. Analysis of data at half-degree latitude resolution enables identification of rainfall patterns around major metropolitan areas of Atlanta, Montgomery, Nashville, San Antonio, Waco, and Dallas during the warm season. Preliminary results reveal an average increase of 5.6% in monthly rainfall rates (relative to a mean upwind CONTROL area) over the metropolis but an average increase of approx. 28%, in monthly rainfall rates within 30-60 kilometers downwind of the metropolis. Some portions of the downwind area exhibit increases as high as 51%. It was also found that maximum rainfall rates found in the downwind impact area exceeded the mean value in the upwind CONTROL area by 48%-116% and were generally found at an average distance of 39 km from the edge of the urban center or 64 km from the center of the city. These results are quite consistent studies of St. Louis (e.g' METROMEX) and Chicago almost two decades ago and more recent studies in the Atlanta and Mexico City areas.

Response of water temperatures and stratification to changing climate in three lakes with different morphometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Magee, Madeline R.; Wu, Chin H.

2017-12-01

Water temperatures and stratification are important drivers for ecological and water quality processes within lake systems, and changes in these with increases in air temperature and changes to wind speeds may have significant ecological consequences. To properly manage these systems under changing climate, it is important to understand the effects of increasing air temperatures and wind speed changes in lakes of different depths and surface areas. In this study, we simulate three lakes that vary in depth and surface area to elucidate the effects of the observed increasing air temperatures and decreasing wind speeds on lake thermal variables (water temperature, stratification dates, strength of stratification, and surface heat fluxes) over a century (1911-2014). For all three lakes, simulations showed that epilimnetic temperatures increased, hypolimnetic temperatures decreased, the length of the stratified season increased due to earlier stratification onset and later fall overturn, stability increased, and longwave and sensible heat fluxes at the surface increased. Overall, lake depth influences the presence of stratification, Schmidt stability, and differences in surface heat flux, while lake surface area influences differences in hypolimnion temperature, hypolimnetic heating, variability of Schmidt stability, and stratification onset and fall overturn dates. Larger surface area lakes have greater wind mixing due to increased surface momentum. Climate perturbations indicate that our larger study lakes have more variability in temperature and stratification variables than the smaller lakes, and this variability increases with larger wind speeds. For all study lakes, Pearson correlations and climate perturbation scenarios indicate that wind speed has a large effect on temperature and stratification variables, sometimes greater than changes in air temperature, and wind can act to either amplify or mitigate the effect of warmer air temperatures on lake thermal structure depending on the direction of local wind speed changes.

A comparative evaluation of the increase in root canal surface area and canal transportation in curved root canals by three rotary systems: A cone-beam computed tomographic study

PubMed Central

Prasanthi, Nalam NVD; Rambabu, Tanikonda; Sajjan, Girija S; Varma, K Madhu; Satish, R Kalyan; Padmaja, M

2016-01-01

Aim: The aim of this study was to measure the increase in root canal surface area and canal transportation after biomechanical preparation at 1, 3, and 5 mm short of the apex with three different rotary systems in both continuous rotary and reciprocating rotary motions. Materials and Methods: Sixty freshly extracted human mandibular molars with mesial root canal curvatures between 20° and 30° were included in the study. Teeth were randomly distributed into three groups (n = 20). Biomechanical preparations were done in all the mesial canals. In Group 1, instrumentation was done with ProTaper universal rotary files, Group 2, with K3XF rotary files, and Group 3, with LSX rotary files. Each group was further subdivided into subgroups A and B (n = 10) where instrumentation was done by continuous rotary and reciprocating rotary techniques, respectively. Increase in root canal surface area and canal transportation was measured using the preoperative and postoperative cone-beam computed tomography scans. Statistical Analysis: The data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA followed by Tukey pairwise multiple comparison tests. Results: Increase in root canal surface area was significantly more (P < 0.05) in ProTaper and K3XF groups when compared to LSX group. Canal transportation was significantly more (P < 0.05) in ProTaper group when compared to K3XF and LSX groups. There was no significant difference (P > 0.05) in increase of root canal surface area and canal transportation between continuous rotary and reciprocating rotary techniques for ProTaper Universal, K3XF and LSX groups. Conclusion: LSX rotary system showed minimal increase of root canal surface area and minimal canal transportation when compared to ProTaper and K3XF rotary systems. PMID:27656062

Analysis of the effects of growth hormone, exercise and food restriction on cancellous bone in different bone sites in middle-aged female rats.

PubMed

Banu, J; Orhii, P B; Okafor, M C; Wang, L; Kalu, D N

2001-06-01

The aim of this study is to determine the effects of growth hormone (GH), exercise (EX), GH+EX and food restriction on cancellous bone in middle-aged female rats. Female F344 rats aged 13 months were divided into (1) age-matched controls; (2) GH treated (2.5 mg/kg. 5 day/week); (3) EX (voluntary wheel running); (4) GH+EX; and (5) food restricted (FR) (fed 60% of the ad libitum food intake). The animals were treated for 18 weeks, at the end of which they were sacrificed. Cancellous bone and cortical bone in the fourth lumbar vertebra, proximal tibial metaphysis (PTM), distal femoral metaphysis (DFM) and femoral neck (NF) were analyzed using peripheral quantitative computerized tomography (pQCT) densitometry. Growth hormone increased cancellous bone area, cancellous bone mineral content, cortical bone area and cortical bone mineral content in the vertebra, PTM, DFM and NF. The tibial muscle wet weight was increased significantly after GH treatment. Exercise increased the cancellous bone area in the vertebra, PTM and DFM. Cortical bone area and cortical bone mineral content increased after EX in the vertebra, PTM, DFM and NF. No significant change was seen in the tibial muscle wet weight after EX. Growth hormone+EX increased cancellous bone area in the vertebra PTM and DFM but had no effect in neck of the femur. Cancellous bone mineral content, cortical bone area and cortical bone mineral content increased with GH+EX in the vertebra, PTM, DFM and NF. The tibial muscle wet weight was increased significantly with GH+EX. Food restriction decreased cancellous bone area and cancellous bone mineral content in all the bones studied. The decrease was statistically significant only at the distal femoral metaphysis. The tibial muscle wet weight decreased when compared with the age-matched control, but this decrease was not statistically significant. We conclude that the effect of the dose of GH used and the levels of voluntary wheel running EX used increased cancellous bone in intact rats; the effect of GH is much greater and different bones respond with varying intensities. The effects of combined treatment of GH and EX on cancellous bone are not always significantly higher than those of GH alone. FR at the level studied has a mostly negative effect on cancellous bone.

Improvement of left ventricular remodeling after myocardial infarction with eight weeks L-thyroxine treatment in rats.

PubMed

Chen, Yue-Feng; Weltman, Nathan Y; Li, Xiang; Youmans, Steven; Krause, David; Gerdes, Anthony Martin

2013-02-14

Left ventricular (LV) remodeling following large transmural myocardial infarction (MI) remains a pivotal clinical issue despite the advance of medical treatment over the past few decades. Identification of new medications to improve the remodeling process and prevent progression to heart failure after MI is critical. Thyroid hormones (THs) have been shown to improve LV function and remodeling in animals post-MI and in the human setting. However, changes in underlying cellular remodeling resulting from TH treatment are not clear. MI was produced in adult female Sprague-Dawley rats by ligation of the left descending coronary artery. L-thyroxine (T4) pellet (3.3 mg, 60 days sustained release) was used to treat MI rats for 8 weeks. Isolated myocyte shape, arterioles, and collagen deposition in the non-infarcted area were measured at terminal study. T4 treatment improved LV ±dp/dt, normalized TAU, and increased myocyte cross-sectional area without further increasing myocyte length in MI rats. T4 treatment increased the total LV tissue area by 34%, increased the non-infarcted tissue area by 41%, and increased the thickness of non-infarcted area by 36% in MI rats. However, myocyte volume accounted for only ~1/3 of the increase in myocyte mass in the non-infarct area, indicating the presence of more myocytes with treatment. T4 treatment tended to increase the total length of smaller arterioles (5 to 15 μm) proportional to LV weight increase and also decreased collagen deposition in the LV non-infarcted area. A tendency for increased metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) expression and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases (TIMPs) -1 to -4 expression was also observed in T4 treated MI rats. These results suggest that long-term T4 treatment after MI has beneficial effects on myocyte, arteriolar, and collagen matrix remodeling in the non-infarcted area. Most importantly, results suggest improved survival of myocytes in the peri-infarct area.

Comparison of valvular resistance, stroke work loss, and Gorlin valve area for quantification of aortic stenosis. An in vitro study in a pulsatile aortic flow model.

PubMed

Voelker, W; Reul, H; Nienhaus, G; Stelzer, T; Schmitz, B; Steegers, A; Karsch, K R

1995-02-15

Valvular resistance and stroke work loss have been proposed as alternative measures of stenotic valvular lesions that may be less flow dependent and, thus, superior over valve area calculations for the quantification of aortic stenosis. The present in vitro study was designed to compare the impacts of valvular resistance, stroke work loss, and Gorlin valve area as hemodynamic indexes of aortic stenosis. In a pulsatile aortic flow model, rigid stenotic orifices in varying sizes (0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 cm2) and geometry were studied under different hemodynamic conditions. Ventricular and aortic pressures were measured to determine the mean systolic ventricular pressure (LVSPm) and the transstenotic pressure gradient (delta Pm). Transvalvular flow (Fm) was assessed with an electromagnetic flowmeter. Valvular resistance [VR = 1333.(delta Pm/Fm)] and stroke work loss [SWL = 100.(delta Pm/LVSPm)] were calculated and compared with aortic valve area [AVA = Fm/(50 square root of delta Pm)]. The measurements were performed for a large range of transvalvular flows. At low-flow states, flow augmentation (100-->200 mL/s) increased calculated valvular resistance between 21% (2.0 cm2 orifice) and 66% (0.5-cm2 orifice). Stroke work loss demonstrated an increase from 43% (2.0 cm2) to 100% (1.0 cm2). In contrast, Gorlin valve area revealed only a moderate change from 29% (2.0 cm2) to 5% (0.5 cm2). At physiological flow rates, increase in transvalvular flow (200-->300 mL/s) did not alter calculated Gorlin valve area, whereas valvular resistance and stroke work loss demonstrated a continuing increase. Our experimental results were adopted to interpret the results of three clinical studies in aortic stenosis. The flow-dependent increase of Gorlin valve area, which was found in the cited clinical studies, can be elucidated as true further opening of the stenotic valve but not as a calculation error due to the Gorlin formula. Within the physiological range of flow, calculated aortic valve area was less dependent on hemodynamic conditions than were valvular resistance and stroke work loss, which varied as a function of flow. Thus, for the assessment of the severity of aortic stenosis, the Gorlin valve area is superior over valvular resistance and stroke work loss, which must be indexed for flow to adequately quantify the hemodynamic severity of the obstruction.

The effects of running in place in a limited area with abdominal drawing-in maneuvers on abdominal muscle thickness in chronic low back pain patients.

PubMed

Gong, Wontae

2016-11-21

Based on previous studies indicating that core stabilization exercises accompanied by abdominal drawing-in maneuvers increase the thickness of the transversus abdominis muscle. The purpose of this study was to compare the measurements of abdominal muscle thicknesses during running in place in a limited area with the abdominal drawing-in maneuver. The study classified the subjects into two experimental groups: the training group (M = 2, F = 13), and the control group (M = 2, F = 13). The training group performed three sets of running in place in a limited area with abdominal drawing-in maneuvers each time, three times a week for six weeks. The abdominal muscle thicknesses of the subjects were measured using ultrasonography. Comparing the training group's abdominal muscle thickness before and after this study, there was a statistical significance in all of the external obliquus abdominis, the internal obliquus abdominis, and the transversus abdominis. In particular, thicknesses of external obliquus abdominis and internal obliquus increased remarkably. Running in place in a limited area accompanied by abdominal drawing-in maneuvers increased the thickness of the deep abdominal muscles that are the basis of trunk stabilization.

A temporal study of urban development for the municipality of Anchorage, Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Markon, Carl J.

2003-01-01

A land use/land cover database was produced for a portion of the Municipality of Anchorage, Alaska to document the temporal and spatial extent of urbanization to assist in the analysis of changes in impervious cover and water quality. Data were derived from black and white and color infrared aerial photography, and satellite imagery from the early 1970's to 2000 in roughly ten‐year increments. Aerial photographs and satellite data were manually interpreted to identify and map land use/land cover classes which were then entered into a geographic information system, attributed, and georeferenced to a U.S. Geological Survey topographic map base. The spatial extent of the study was 31,117 hectares. In the early 1970's, approximately 7,356 hectares (24%) of the study area were mapped as urban developed. During the 30‐year analysis period, the largest increase in urban development occurred between the late 1970's and early 1980's when urban area increased to 12,263 hectares (39%). Between 1980 and 1990, and 1990 and 2000, urban area increased to 12,762 hectares (41%), and 13,980 hectares (45%) respectively. Most development occurred in forested or tall shrub areas, although some also occurred in wetlands. Between 1970 and 2000, close to 1,300 hectares of wetlands were lost due to development. Contrary to this, the amount of lake and pond area increased slightly from 261 hectares in 1973 to 334 hectares in 1980, and reduced to 310 hectares by 2000. The increase was primarily due to the filling in of gravel pits with spring melt water.

Rainfall Modification by Urban Areas: New Perspectives from TRMM

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shepherd, J. Marshall; Pierce, Harold F.; Negri, Andrew

2002-01-01

Data from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission's (TRMM) Precipitation Radar (PR) were employed to identify warm season rainfall (1998-2000) patterns around Atlanta, Montgomery, Nashville, San Antonio, Waco, and Dallas. Results reveal an average increase of -28% in monthly rainfall rates within 30-60 kilometers downwind of the metropolis with a modest increase of 5.6% over the metropolis. Portions of the downwind area exhibit increases as high as 51%. The percentage changes are relative to an upwind control area. It was also found that maximum rainfall rates in the downwind impact area exceeded the mean value in the upwind control area by 48% - 116%. The maximum value was generally found at an average distance of 39 km from the edge of the urban center or 64 km from the center of the city. Results are consistent with METROMEX studies of St. Louis almost two decades ago and with more recent studies near Atlanta. Future work is extending the investigation to Phoenix, Arizona, an arid U.S. city, and several international cities like Mexico City, Johannesburg, and Brasilia. The study establishes the possibility of utilizing satellite-based rainfall estimates for examining rainfall modification by urban areas on global scales and over longer time periods. Such research has implications for weather forecasting, urban planning, water resource management, and understanding human impact on the environment and climate.

Assessment of indoor air quality exposures and impacts on respiratory outcomes in River Rouge and Dearborn, Michigan.

PubMed

Cleary, Erika; Asher, Mary; Olawoyin, Richard; Zhang, Kuangyuan

2017-11-01

Ambient air pollution is a public health issue which could potentially exacerbate pre-existing respiratory conditions and contribute to increases in asthma incidence. This study aims to address gaps in understanding how IAQ is impacted by outdoor air quality, which was done by sampling for indoor gaseous and particulate pollutants in residence and facilities near the sources of pollution. The study areas were selected due to non-attainment status with air quality standards, as well as demographic and socioeconomic status of those residing in these areas. Samples are obtained from five locations around the study areas. The sampling procedure involves active sampling methodologies for particulate matter (PM) and gases. Average volatile organic compounds (VOC) levels of 2.71 ppm were measured at a location, while the average particulate matter (PM) concentrations in three study locations were; 15,979 pt/cc, 9533 pt/cc, 5267 pt/cc respectively, which exceeded clean background environment level of 500-2000 pt/cc. All locations had average CO concentrations above 0.3 ppm, which is potentially associated with elevated asthma symptoms. Results demonstrated that facilities in the study area have increased levels of indoor air pollutants that potentially increase asthma and respiratory issues. The study concludes that particulate and gaseous pollutant levels in the study areas are a concerning human health issue. The study outcomes have significant implications for air quality exposure modeling and potential exposure mitigation strategies, which are expected to facilitate the implementation of public policies for improved human health conditions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS ON SUPEROXIDE DISMUTASE AND CATALASE ACTIVITY AND EXPRESSION IN HONEY BEE.

PubMed

Nikolić, Tatjana V; Purać, Jelena; Orčić, Snežana; Kojić, Danijela; Vujanović, Dragana; Stanimirović, Zoran; Gržetić, Ivan; Ilijević, Konstantin; Šikoparija, Branko; Blagojević, Duško P

2015-12-01

Understanding the cellular stress response in honey bees will significantly contribute to their conservation. The aim of this study was to analyze the response of the antioxidative enzymes superoxide dismutase and catalase in honey bees related to the presence of toxic metals in different habitats. Three locations were selected: (i) Tunovo on the mountain Golija, as control area, without industry and large human impact, (ii) Belgrade as urban area, and (iii) Zajača, as mining and industrial zone. Our results showed that the concentrations of lead (Pb) in whole body of bees vary according to habitat, but there was very significant increase of Pb in bees from investigated industrial area. Bees from urban and industrial area had increased expression of both Sod1 and Cat genes, suggesting adaptation to increased oxidative stress. However, in spite increased gene expression, the enzyme activity of catalase was lower in bees from industrial area suggesting inhibitory effect of Pb on catalase. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Longitudinal study of dogs living in an area of Spain highly endemic for leishmaniasis by serologic analysis and the leishmanin skin test.

PubMed

Solano-Gallego, Laia; Llull, Joan; Ramis, Antonio; Fernández-Bellon, Hugo; Rodríguez, Alhelí; Ferrer, Lluís; Alberola, Jordi

2005-06-01

The literature contains few longitudinal studies that have assessed areas endemic for canine leishmaniasis and over the same time interval Leishmania-specific cellular and humoral immunity in healthy dogs. Fourteen dogs, three mixed breed and 11 Ibizian hounds, living in an area of Spain that was highly endemic for leishmaniasis were followed-up over a three-year period by serologic analysis and the leishmanin skin test (LST). All but one of these dogs remained clinically healthy during the study period. Seroconversion was observed in four dogs. The three mixed breed dogs had a negative reaction in the LST in the first and third years. The general trend in the Ibizian hounds was an increase in the diameter of the LST reaction at both the 48- and 72-hour readings in the third year. This study demonstrates that in addition to an increase in Leishmania-specific humoral immune response in Ibizian hounds, a parallel increase in cellular immune response was observed.

Preliminary results of hydrogeologic investigations Humboldt River Valley, Winnemucca, Nevada

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cohen, Philip M.

1964-01-01

Most of the ground water of economic importance and nearly all the ground water closely associated with the flow o# the Humboldt River in the. 40-mile reach near Winnemucca, Nev., are in unconsolidated sedimentary deposits. These deposits range in age from Pliocene to Recent and range in character from coarse poorly sorted fanglomerate to lacustrine strata of clay, silt, sand, and gravel. The most permeable deposit consists of sand and gravel of Lake Lahontan age--the so-called medial gravel unit--which is underlain and overlain by fairly impermeable silt and clay also of Lake Lahontan age. The ultimate source of nearly all the water in the study area is precpitation within the drainage basin of the Humboldt River. Much of this water reaches the study, area as flow or underflow of the Humboldt River and as underflow from other valleys tributary to the study area. Little if any flow from the tributary streams in the study area usually reaches the Humboldt River. Most of the tributary streamflow within the study area evaporates or is transpired by vegetation, but a part percolates downward through unconsolidated deposits of the alluvial fans flanking the mountains and move downgradient as ground-water underflow toward the Humboldt River. Areas that contribute significant amounts of ground-water underflow to. the valley of the Humboldt River within the study area are (1) the valley of the Humboldt River upstream from the study area, (2) the Pole Creek-Rock Creek area, (3) Paradise Valley, and (4) Grass Valley and the northwestern slope of the Sonoma Range. The total average underflow from these areas in the period 1949-61 was about 14,000-19,000 acre-feet per year. Much of this underflow discharged into the Humboldt River within the study area and constituted a large part of the base flow of the river. Streamflow in the Humboldt River increases substantially in the early spring, principally because of runoff to the river in the reaches upstream from the study area. The resulting increase of the stage of the river causes the river to lose large amounts of water by infiltration to the ground-water reservoir in the study area. In addition, there is much recharge to the ground-water reservoir in the spring and early summer as a result of seepage losses from irrigation ditches and the downward percolation of some of the excess water applied for irrigation. The average net increase of ground water in storage in the deposits beneath and adjacent to the flood plain of the Humboldt River during the spring and early summer is about 10,000 acre-feet.

Use of Landsat thermal imagery for dynamically monitoring spontaneous combustion of Datong Jurassic coalfields in China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xue, Yongan; Liu, Jin; Li, Jun; Shang, Changsheng; Zhao, Jinling; Zhang, Mingmei

2018-06-01

It is highly helpful and necessary to investigate and monitor the status of coal seam. Fortunately, remote sensing has facilitated the identification and dynamical monitoring of spontaneous combustion for a large area coal mining area, especially using the time series remotely-sensed datasets. In this paper, Datong Jurassic coal mining area is used as the study area, China, and an exclusion method and a multiple-factor analysis method are jointly used to identify the spontaneous combustion, including land surface temperature (LST), burnt rocks, and land use and land cover change (LUCC). The LST is firstly retrieved using a single-window algorithm due to a thermal infrared band of Landsat-5 TM (Thematic Mapper). Burnt rocks is then extracted using a decision-tree classification method based on a high-resolution SPOT-5 image. The thermal anomaly areas are identified and refined by the spatial overlay analysis of the above affecting factors. Three-period maps of coal fire areas are obtained and dynamically analyzed in 2007, 2009 and 2010. The results show that a total of 12 coal fire areas have been identified, which account for more than 1% of the total area of the study area. In general, there is an increasing trend yearly and a total of 771,970 m2 is increased. The average annual increase is 257,320 m2, the average annual growth rate is 3.78%, and the dynamic degree is 11.29%.

Intensity of precommercial crop-tree release increases diameter and crown growth in upland hardwoods

Treesearch

Jeffrey S. Ward

1995-01-01

In 1988 seven study areas were established in Connecticut to examine the effects of precommercial crop tree release on bole and crown growth. Each study area has 27 8x8 m plots centered on a northern red oak, black oak, or scarlet oak identified as a potential crop-tree (PCT). The 27 plots at each study area were divided into 3 treatments: no cutting, removal of all...

Plastic-covered agriculture forces the regional climate to change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, D.; Chen, J.; Chen, X.; Cao, X.

2016-12-01

The practice of plastic-covered agriculture as a solution to moderate the dilemma of global food shortage, meanwhile, brings great pressure to the local environment. This research was conducted to reveal the impacts of plastic-covered agritulture on regional climate change by experimenting in a plastic greenhouse (PG) dominated area - Weifang district, Shandong province, China. Based on a new plastic greenhouse index (PGI) proposed in this study, we reconstructed the spatial distribution of PG across 1995-2015 in the study area. With that, land surface temperature (LST) dataset combined with surface evapotranspiration, surface reflectance and precipitation data, was applied to the probe of PG's climatic impacts. Results showed that PG, in the study area, has experienced a striking spatial expansion during the past 20 years, and more important, the expansion correlated strongly to the local climate change. It showed that the annual precipitation, in the study area, decreased during these years, which constrasts to a slightly increasing trend of the adjacent districts without PG construction. In addition, resulting from the greenhouse effect, PG area presented a harsher increase of surface temperature compared to the non-PG areas. Our study also telled that the evapotranspiration of PG area has been largely cutted down ascribing to the gas tightness of plastic materials, showing a decline around 40%. This indicates a way that the development of plastic-covered agriculture may contribute to the change of the local climate.

Target surface area effects on hot electron dynamics from high intensity laser–plasma interactions

DOE PAGES

Zulick, C.; Raymond, A.; McKelvey, A.; ...

2016-06-15

Reduced surface area targets were studied using an ultra-high intensity femtosecond laser in order to determine the effect of electron sheath field confinement on electron dynamics. X-ray emission due to energetic electrons was imaged using a K α imaging crystal. Electrons were observed to travel along the surface of wire targets, and were slowed mainly by the induced fields. Targets with reduced surface areas were correlated with increased hot electron densities and proton energies. Furthermore, Hybrid Vlasov–Fokker–Planck simulations demonstrated increased electric sheath field strength in reduced surface area targets.

Study of storm surge trends in typhoon-prone coastal areas based on observations and surge-wave coupled simulations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feng, Xingru; Li, Mingjie; Yin, Baoshu; Yang, Dezhou; Yang, Hongwei

2018-06-01

This is a study of the storm surge trends in some of the typhoon-prone coastal areas of China. An unstructured-grid, storm surge-wave-tide coupled model was established for the coastal areas of Zhejiang, Fujian and Guangdong provinces. The coupled model has a high resolution in coastal areas, and the simulated results compared well with the in situ observations and satellite altimeter data. The typhoon-induced storm surges along the coast of the study areas were simulated based on the established coupled model for the past 20 years (1997-2016). The simulated results were used to analyze the trends of the storm surges in the study area. The extreme storm surge trends along the central coast of Fujian Province reached up to 0.06 m/y, significant at the 90% confidence level. The duration of the storm surges greater than 1.0 and 0.7 m had an increasing trend along the coastal area of northern Fujian Province, significant at confidence levels of 70%-91%. The simulated trends of the extreme storm surges were also validated by observations from two tide gauge stations. Further studies show that the correlation coefficient (RTE) between the duration of the storm surge greater than 1 m and the annual ENSO index can reach as high as 0.62, significant at the 99% confidence level. This occurred in a location where the storm surge trend was not significant. For the areas with significant increasing storm surge trends, RTE was small and not significant. This study identified the storm surge trends for the full complex coastline of the study area. These results are useful both for coastal management by the government and for coastal engineering design.

Relations between nature-based solutions of green-blue area accessibility and socio-economic-ethnic patterns in the urban Stockholm region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goldenberg, Romain; Kalantari, Zahra; Destouni, Georgia

2017-04-01

More than half of the world's population lives in cities, a proportion expected to increase to two thirds by 2050 (United Nations (UN), 2015). In this study, we investigate the spatial relationships that may exist between income and/or nationality homogeneity/heterogeneity levels of urban populations and their accessibility to local green-blue areas as possible nature-based solutions for sustainable urban design. For this investigation, we consider as a concrete case study the urban region of Stockholm, Sweden, for which we compile and use available land-cover and vegetation density data (the latter in terms of Normalised Difference Vegetation Index, NDVI) in order to identify and assess the spatial distributions of various green-blue area types and aspects. We further combine this data with spatial distribution data for population density, income and nationality, as well as with road-network data for assessing population travel times to nearby green-blue areas within the region. The present study results converge with those of other recent studies in showing large socio-economic-ethnic segregation in the Stockholm region. Moreover, the present data combination and analysis also show large spatial differences in and important socio-economic-ethnic correlations with accessibility to local green areas and nearby water bodies. Specifically, population income and share of Swedish nationals are well correlated in this region, with increases in both of these variables implying greater possibility to choose where to live within the region. The living choices of richer and more homogeneous (primarily Swedish) population parts are then found to be areas with greater local vegetation density (local green areas as identified by high-resolution NDVI data) and greater area extent of nearby water bodies (blue areas). For comparison, no such correlation is found between increased income or Swedish nationality homogeneity and accessibility to nearby forest areas (overall green area extent) or built facilities for recreation and sports. The found living choice correlations point at the importance of green-blue area parts as possible nature-based solutions in urban design and planning, with potential to improve wellbeing and social sustainability for the whole urban population and not just its rich component.

Spatial analysis of gastroschisis in Massachusetts and Texas

PubMed Central

Yazdy, Mahsa M.; Werler, Martha M.; Anderka, Marlene; Langlois, Peter H.; Vieira, Veronica M.

2014-01-01

Purpose Previous research has suggested gastroschisis, a congenital malformation, may be linked to environmental or infectious factors and cases can occur in clusters. The objective of this study was to identify geographic areas of elevated gastroschisis risk. Methods Cases of gastroschisis were identified from birth defect registries in Massachusetts and Texas. Random samples of live births were selected as controls. Generalized additive models were used to create a continuous map surface of odds ratios (OR) by smoothing over latitude and longitude. Maternal age, race/ethnicity, education, cigarette smoking, and insurance status (MA only) were assessed for confounding. We used permutation tests to identify statistically significant areas of increased risk. Results An area of increased risk was identified in north-central Massachusetts, but was not significant after adjustment (p-value=0.07; OR=2.0). In Texas, two statistically significant areas of increased risk were identified after adjustment (p-value=0.02; OR=1.3 and 1.2). Texas had sufficient data to assess the combination of space and time, which identified an increased risk in 2003 and 2004. Conclusion This study suggests there were areas of elevated gastroschisis risk in Massachusetts and Texas that cannot be explained by the risk factors we assessed. Additional exploration of underlying artifactual, environmental, infectious, or behavioral factors may further our understanding of gastroschisis. PMID:25454289

Temporal and Spatial Wildfire Dynamics of Northern Siberia: Larch Forests and Insect Outbreak Areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kharuk, Viacheslav; Antamoshkina, Olga; Ponomarev, Eugene

2017-04-01

Wildfire number and burned area temporal dynamics within all of Siberia and along a south-north transect in central Siberia (45 - 73°N) were studied based on NOAA/AVHRR and Terra/MODIS data and field measurements for the period since 1996. In addition, fire return interval along the south-north transect was analyzed. Third, pest outbreak (Siberian silkmoth) impact on the wildfires was studied. Both, number of forest fires and burned area in Siberia increased during recent decades. Significant correlations were found between forest fires, burned areas and air temperature (r = 0.5) and drought index (SPEI) (r = -0.43). Within larch stands along the transect wildfire frequency was strongly correlated with incoming solar radiation (r = 0.91). Fire danger period length decreased linearly from south to north along the transect. Fire return interval increased from 80 years at 62°N to 200 years at the Arctic Circle (66°33'N), and to about 300 years near the northern limit of closed forest stands ( 71+°N). That increase was negatively correlated with incoming solar radiation (r = -0.95). Siberian silkmoth outbreaks leads to an order of magnitude increase in burned area and fire frequency. Multiple fires turns former "dark needle conifer" taiga into grass and bush communities for decades.

Do natural disturbances or the forestry practices that follow them convert forests to early-successional communities?

PubMed

Brewer, J Stephen; Bertz, Christine A; Cannon, Jeffery B; Chesser, Jason D; Maynard, Erynn E

2012-03-01

Stand-replacing natural disturbances in mature forests are traditionally seen as events that cause forests to revert to early stages of succession and maintain species diversity. In some cases, however, such transitions could be an artifact of salvage logging and may increase biotic homogenization. We present initial (two-year) results of a study of the effects of tornado damage and the combined effects of tornado damage and salvage logging on environmental conditions and ground cover plant communities in mixed oak-pine forests in north central Mississippi. Plots were established in salvage-logged areas, adjacent to plots established before the storm in unlogged areas, spanning a gradient of storm damage intensity. Vegetation change directly attributable to tornado damage was driven primarily by a reduction in canopy cover but was not consistent with a transition to an early stage of succession. Although we observed post-storm increases of several disturbance indicators (ruderals), we also observed significant increases in the abundance of a few species indicative of upland forests. Increases in flowering were just as likely to occur in species indicative of forests as in species indicative of open woodlands. Few species declined as a result of the tornado, resulting in a net increase in species richness. Ruderals were very abundant in salvage-logged areas, which contained significantly higher amounts of bare ground and greater variance in soil penetrability than did damaged areas that were not logged. In contrast to unlogged areas severely damaged by the tornado, most upland forest indicators were not abundant in logged areas. Several of the forest and open-woodland indicators that showed increased flowering in damaged areas were absent or sparse in logged areas. Species richness was lower in salvage-logged areas than in adjacent damaged areas but similar to that in undamaged areas. These results suggest that salvage logging prevented positive responses of several forest and open-woodland species to tornado damage. Anthropogenic disturbances such as salvage logging appear to differ fundamentally from stand-level canopy-reducing disturbances in their effects on ground cover vegetation in the forests studied here and are perhaps more appropriately viewed as contributing to biotic homogenization than as events that maintain diversity.

The response of vegetation to rising CO2 concentrations plays an important role in future changes in the hydrological cycle

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hong, Tao; Dong, Wenjie; Ji, Dong; Dai, Tanlong; Yang, Shili; Wei, Ting

2018-04-01

The effects of increasing CO2 concentrations on plant and carbon cycle have been extensively investigated; however, the effects of changes in plants on the hydrological cycle are still not fully understood. Increases in CO2 modify the stomatal conductance and water use of plants, which may have a considerable effect on the hydrological cycle. Using the carbon-climate feedback experiments from CMIP5, we estimated the responses of plants and hydrological cycle to rising CO2 concentrations to double of pre-industrial levels without climate change forcing. The mode results show that rising CO2 concentrations had a significant influence on the hydrological cycle by changing the evaporation and transpiration of plants and soils. The increases in the area covered by plant leaves result in the increases in vegetation evaporation. Besides, the physiological effects of stomatal closure were stronger than the opposite effects of changes in plant structure caused by the increases in LAI (leaf area index), which results in the decrease of transpiration. These two processes lead to overall decreases in evaporation, and then contribute to increases in soil moisture and total runoff. In the dry areas, the stronger increase in LAI caused the stronger increases in vegetation evaporation and then lead to the overall decreases in P - E (precipitation minus evaporation) and soil moisture. However, the soil moisture in sub-arid and wet areas would increase, and this may lead to the soil moisture deficit worse in the future in the dry areas. This study highlights the need to consider the different responses of plants and the hydrological cycle to rising CO2 in dry and wet areas in future water resources management, especially in water-limited areas.

Hydrodynamic and transport responses to land reclamation in different areas of semi-enclosed subtropical bay

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Ye; Chui, Ting Fong May

2017-07-01

Many coastal areas worldwide have been reclaimed to meet the increasing land demand. Understanding the effects of land reclamation on the hydrodynamics and transport processes of a semi-enclosed bay is therefore of significance. From a case study of Deep Bay (DB) in China and referring to idealized bay models, the effects of two types of land reclamation, one that narrows the bay mouth and another that reduces the water area inside the bay, were examined in this study. Simulation results of idealized models show that the current velocity at the bay mouth and the incoming tidal energy flux are negatively correlated with the width of bay mouth, as the tidal prism remains almost constant when the bay mouth width reduces. The bay mouth width reduction would also increase the tidal energy dissipation inside of the bay due to friction increase. In DB, a 30% reduction in the mouth width increased the bay mouth current velocity by up to 5% and the total incoming energy flux by 18%. The narrowed bay mouth also substantially changed the bay's vertical structure of salinity, increasing the stratification strength by 1.7×10-4 s-2. For reductions in the water surface area in the head of the bay, results from idealized bay simulations show that the current velocity throughout the bay, the incoming tidal energy flux, and salinity at the inner bay all decrease with water area reduction. Reclaiming 14% of area in DB, the current velocity reduced by 9% at the bay mouth, but increased in the middle and inner parts. The incoming tidal energy flux also increased as the coastline became more streamlined after reclamation, and the salinity at inner bay decreased. Both reclamation types have substantially altered the water and salt transport processes and increased the water exchange ability of the bay with the adjacent sea.

Increase in the Risk of Respiratory Disorders in Adults and Children Related to Crop-Growing in Niger.

PubMed

Mamane, Ali; Tessier, Jean-François; Bouvier, Ghislaine; Salamon, Roger; Lebailly, Pierre; Raherison, Chantal; Baldi, Isabelle

2016-01-01

Background and Objective. Environmental factors are an increasing concern for respiratory health in developing countries. The objective of this study was to investigate whether Nigerien people living in cultivated areas have more respiratory symptoms than those living in pastoral areas. Method. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2013 in two populations during the rainy season when land is cultivated. Environmental factors including pesticide use and respiratory symptoms were collected in adults and children during face-to-face interviews. Multivariate analysis between exposures and symptoms was performed in children and in adults separately. Results. The study included 471 adults and 229 children. Overall, none of the households reported the use of pesticides for agricultural purposes. However, 87.2% reported the use of insecticides at home. Multivariate analysis showed that people living in agricultural areas compared to those in pastoral areas had an increased risk of respiratory symptoms in adults (wheezing, dyspnea, sudden shortness of breath, and cough without fever) and in children (cough without fever). The use of insecticides showed no effect on respiratory symptoms after adjustment. Conclusion. This first epidemiological study on the environment and respiratory health conducted in Niger demonstrates a significant relationship between respiratory manifestations and the agricultural characteristics of the living area. However only the effect of insecticides in the home on respiratory health was observed.

Studying the time trend of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in Norway by use of non-stationary γ-Poisson distributions.

PubMed

Moxnes, John F; Moen, Aina E Fossum; Leegaard, Truls Michael

2015-10-05

Study the time development of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and forecast future behaviour. The major question: Is the number of MRSA isolates in Norway increasing and will it continue to increase? Time trend analysis using non-stationary γ-Poisson distributions. Two data sets were analysed. The first data set (data set I) consists of all MRSA isolates collected in Oslo County from 1997 to 2010; the study area includes the Norwegian capital of Oslo and nearby surrounding areas, covering approximately 11% of the Norwegian population. The second data set (data set II) consists of all MRSA isolates collected in Health Region East from 2002 to 2011. Health Region East consists of Oslo County and four neighbouring counties, and is the most populated area of Norway. Both data sets I and II consist of all persons in the area and time period described in the Settings, from whom MRSA have been isolated. MRSA infections have been mandatory notifiable in Norway since 1995, and MRSA colonisation since 2004. In the time period studied, all bacterial samples in Norway have been sent to a medical microbiological laboratory at the regional hospital for testing. In collaboration with the regional hospitals in five counties, we have collected all MRSA findings in the South-Eastern part of Norway over long time periods. On an average, a linear or exponential increase in MRSA numbers was observed in the data sets. A Poisson process with increasing intensity did not capture the dispersion of the time series, but a γ-Poisson process showed good agreement and captured the overdispersion. The numerical model showed numerical internal consistency. In the present study, we find that the number of MRSA isolates is increasing in the most populated area of Norway during the time period studied. We also forecast a continuous increase until the year 2017. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Trend of Occupational Injuries/Diseases in Pakistan: Index Value Analysis of Injured Employed Persons from 2001-02 to 2012-13.

PubMed

Abbas, Mohsin

2015-09-01

The present study aimed to analyze the index value trends of injured employed persons (IEPs) covered in Pakistan Labour Force Surveys from 2001-02 to 2012-13. The index value method based on reference years and reference groups was used to analyze the IEP trends in terms of different criteria such as gender, area, employment status, industry types, occupational groups, types of injury, injured body parts, and treatment received. The Pearson correlation coefficient analysis was also performed to investigate the inter-relationship of different occupational variables. The values of IEP increased at the end of the studied year in industry divisions such as agriculture, forestry, hunting, and fishing, followed by in manufacturing and construction industry divisions. People associated with major occupations (such as skilled agricultural and fishery workers) and elementary (unskilled) occupations were found to be at an increasing risk of occupational injuries/diseases with an increasing IEP trend. Types of occupational injuries such as sprain or strain, superficial injury, and dislocation increased during the studied years. Major injured parts of body such as upper limb and lower limb found with increasing trend. Types of treatment received, including hospitalization and no treatment, were found to decrease. Increased IEP can be justified due to inadequate health care facilities, especially in rural areas by increased IEP in terms of gender, areas, received treatment, occupational groups and employment status as results found after Pearson correlation coefficient analysis. The increasing trend in the IEP% of the total employed persons due to agrarian activities shows that there is a need to improve health care setups in rural areas of Pakistan.

Trend of Occupational Injuries/Diseases in Pakistan: Index Value Analysis of Injured Employed Persons from 2001–02 to 2012–13

PubMed Central

Abbas, Mohsin

2015-01-01

Background The present study aimed to analyze the index value trends of injured employed persons (IEPs) covered in Pakistan Labour Force Surveys from 2001–02 to 2012–13. Methods The index value method based on reference years and reference groups was used to analyze the IEP trends in terms of different criteria such as gender, area, employment status, industry types, occupational groups, types of injury, injured body parts, and treatment received. The Pearson correlation coefficient analysis was also performed to investigate the inter-relationship of different occupational variables. Results The values of IEP increased at the end of the studied year in industry divisions such as agriculture, forestry, hunting, and fishing, followed by in manufacturing and construction industry divisions. People associated with major occupations (such as skilled agricultural and fishery workers) and elementary (unskilled) occupations were found to be at an increasing risk of occupational injuries/diseases with an increasing IEP trend. Types of occupational injuries such as sprain or strain, superficial injury, and dislocation increased during the studied years. Major injured parts of body such as upper limb and lower limb found with increasing trend. Types of treatment received, including hospitalization and no treatment, were found to decrease. Increased IEP can be justified due to inadequate health care facilities, especially in rural areas by increased IEP in terms of gender, areas, received treatment, occupational groups and employment status as results found after Pearson correlation coefficient analysis. Conclusion The increasing trend in the IEP% of the total employed persons due to agrarian activities shows that there is a need to improve health care setups in rural areas of Pakistan. PMID:26929831

Colorado River campsite monitoring, Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona, 1998-2012

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kaplinski, Matt; Hazel, Joe; Parnell, Rod; Hadley, Daniel R.; Grams, Paul

2014-01-01

River rafting trips and hikers use sandbars along the Colorado River in Marble and Grand Canyons as campsites. The U.S. Geological Survey evaluated the effects of Glen Canyon Dam operations on campsite areas on sandbars along the Colorado River in Grand Canyon National Park. Campsite area was measured annually from 1998 to 2012 at 37 study sites between Lees Ferry and Diamond Creek, Arizona. The primary purpose of this report is to present the methods and results of the project. Campsite area surveys were conducted using total station survey methods to outline the perimeter of camping area at each study site. Campsite area is defined as any region of smooth substrate (most commonly sand) with no more than an 8 degree slope and little or no vegetation. We used this definition, but relaxed the slope criteria to include steeper areas near boat mooring locations where campers typically establish their kitchens. The results show that campsite area decreased over the course of the study period, but at a rate that varied by elevation zone and by survey period. Time-series plots show that from 1998 to 2012, high stage-elevation (greater than the 25,000 ft3/s stage-elevation) campsite area decreased significantly, although there was no significant trend in low stage-elevation (15,000–20,000 ft3/s) campsite area. High stage-elevation campsite area increased after the 2004 and 2008 high flows, but decreased in the intervals between high flows. Although no overall trend was detected for low stage-elevation campsite areas, they did increase after high-volume dam releases equal to or greater than about 20,000 ft3/s. We conclude that dam operations have not met the management objectives of the Glen Canyon Adaptive Management program to increase the size of camping beaches in critical and non-critical reaches of the Colorado River between Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Mead.

Can Better Outdoor Environments Lead to Cost Benefits in Assisted Living Facilities Through Increased Word-of-Mouth Referrals?

PubMed

Rodiek, Susan; Boggess, May M; Lee, Chanam; Booth, Geoffrey J; Morris, Alisan

2013-01-01

This study explores how better outdoor environments may produce cost benefits for assisted living providers by raising occupancy levels through increased resident satisfaction and word-of-mouth referrals. Older adults who spend even minimal time outdoors may reap substantial health benefits. However, many existing outdoor areas in assisted living facilities are reportedly underutilized, in part because of design issues. Providers may be more willing to improve outdoor areas if they produce cost benefits for provider organizations. This study used data from a recent assisted living survey to assess the relationship between satisfaction with outdoor spaces, time spent outdoors, and resulting improvements in mood. A financial analysis was developed to estimate potential benefits from improved outdoor areas attributable to increased occupancy and decreased marketing costs associated with increased word-of-mouth referrals. Increasing resident satisfaction with outdoor areas (from approximately 29% to 96%) results in residents spending more time outdoors (increase of 1½ hours per week per resident) and improved psychological well-being (12% increase in feeling better). This greater overall satisfaction leads to 8% more residents willing to refer potential residents to their community. Because word-of-mouth referrals by current residents are a major factor in resident recruitment, improving outdoors areas leads to an estimated 4% increase in new residents, resulting in over $170,000 of increased revenue per year for a community of 100 residents. Improved outdoor space can provide substantial cost benefits for assisted living providers. Increasing resident well-being and satisfaction, and thereby generating additional word-of-mouth referrals, can result in higher occupancy levels. Outdoor environments, assisted living, cost benefits, resident satisfaction, occupancy levels, seniors, rental income, word-of-mouth referralPreferred Citation: Rodiek, S., Boggess, M. M., Lee, C., Booth, G. J., & Morris, A. (2013). Can better outdoor environments lead to cost benefits in assisted living facilities through increased word-of-mouth referrals? Health Environments Research & Design Journal 6(2), pp. 12-26.

Can Increasing Faculty Professionalism Raise Instructional Quality at a Chinese University?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lindgren, Jeffrey D.

2013-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine if increasing faculty professionalism is a viable strategy for raising the quality of instruction at a Chinese university. In this study, increasing faculty professionalism refers to increases in regards to six areas of faculty work: academic freedom, work balance, governance, reward systems, salary, and…

Forest cover change and fragmentation using Landsat data in Maçka State Forest Enterprise in Turkey.

PubMed

Cakir, Günay; Sivrikaya, Fatih; Keleş, Sedat

2008-02-01

Monitoring forest cover change and understanding the dynamic of forest cover is increasingly important in sustainable development and management of forest ecosystems. This paper uses remote sensing (RS) techniques to monitor forest cover change in Maçka State Forest Enterprise (MSFE) located in NE of Turkey through 1975 to 2000 and then analyses spatial and temporal changes in forest cover by Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and FRAGSTATStrade mark. Forest cover changes were detected from a time series of satellite images of Landsat MSS in 1975, Landsat TM in 1987, and Landsat ETM+ in 2000 using RS and GIS. The results showed that total forest area, productive forest area and degraded forest area increased while broadleaf forest area and non forest area decreased. Mixed forest and degraded forest increased during the first (1975-1987) period, but decreased during the second (1987-2000) period. During the whole study period, the annual forestation rate was 152 ha year(-1), equivalent to 0.27% year(-1) using the compound-interest-rate formula. The total number of patches increased from 36,204 to 48,092 (33%), and mean size of forest patch (MPS) decreased from 2.8 ha to 2.1 ha during a 25 year period. Number of smaller patches (patches in 0-100 ha size class) increased, indicating more fragmented landscape over time that might create a risk for the maintenance of biodiversity of the area. While total population increased from 1975 to 2000 (3.7%), rural population constantly decreased. The increase of forest areas may well be explained by the fact that demographic movement of rural areas concentrated into Maçka City Center. These figures also indicated that decrease in the rural population might likely lead to the release of human pressure to forest areas, probably resulting in a positive development of forest areas.

Changes in suicide rates in disaster-stricken areas following the Great East Japan Earthquake and their effect on economic factors: an ecological study.

PubMed

Orui, Masatsugu; Harada, Shuichiro; Hayashi, Mizuho

2014-11-01

Devastating disasters may increase suicide rates due to mental distress. Previous domestic studies have reported decreased suicide rates among men following disasters. Few reports are available regarding factors associated with disasters, making it difficult to discuss how these events affect suicide rates. This study aimed to observe changes in suicide rates in disaster-stricken and neighboring areas following the Great East Japan Earthquake, and examine associations between suicide rates and economic factors. Monthly suicide rates were observed from March 2009 to February 2013, during which time the earthquake occurred on March, 2011. Data were included from disaster-stricken (Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima Prefectures) and neighboring (control: Aomori, Akita, and Yamagata Prefectures) areas. The association between changes in suicide rates and economic variables was evaluated based on the number of bankruptcy cases and ratio of effective job offers. In disaster-stricken areas, post-disaster male suicide rates decreased during the 24 months following the earthquake. This trend differed relative to control areas. Female suicide rates increased during the first seven months. Multiple regression analysis showed that bankruptcy cases (β = 0.386, p = 0.038) and ratio of effective job offers (β = -0.445, p = 0.018) were only significantly associated with male post-disaster suicide rates in control areas. Post-disaster suicide rates differed by gender following the earthquake. Our findings suggest that considering gender differences might be important for developing future post-disaster suicide prevention measures. This ecological study revealed that increasing effective job offers and decreasing bankruptcy cases can affect protectively male suicide rates in control areas.

Effects of a Public Education Campaign on the Association Between Knowledge of Early Stroke Symptoms and Intention to Call an Ambulance at Stroke Onset: The Acquisition of Stroke Knowledge (ASK) Study

PubMed Central

Nishikawa, Tomofumi; Okamura, Tomonori; Nakayama, Hirofumi; Miyamatsu, Naomi; Morimoto, Akiko; Toyoda, Kazunori; Suzuki, Kazuo; Toyota, Akihiro; Hata, Takashi; Yamaguchi, Takenori

2016-01-01

Background An immediate ambulance call offers the greatest opportunity for acute stroke therapy. Effectively using ambulance services requires strengthening the association between knowledge of early stroke symptoms and intention to call an ambulance at stroke onset, and encouraging the public to use ambulance services. Methods The present study utilized data from the Acquisition of Stroke Knowledge (ASK) study, which administered multiple-choice, mail-in surveys regarding awareness of early stroke symptoms and response to a stroke attack before and after a 2-year stroke education campaign in two areas subject to intensive and moderate intervention, as well as in a control area, in Japan. In these three areas, 3833 individuals (1680, 1088 and 1065 participants in intensive intervention, moderate intervention, and control areas, respectively), aged 40 to 74 years, who responded appropriately to each survey were included in the present study. Results After the intervention, the number of correctly identified symptoms significantly associated with intention to call an ambulance (P < 0.05) increased (eg, from 4 to 5 correctly identified symptoms), without increasing choice of decoy symptoms in the intensive intervention area. Meanwhile, in other areas, rate of identification of not only correct symptoms but also decoy symptoms associated with intention to call an ambulance increased. Furthermore, the association between improvement in the knowledge of stroke symptoms and intention to call an ambulance was observed only in the intensive intervention area (P = 0.009). Conclusions Our results indicate that intensive interventions are useful for strengthening the association between correct knowledge of early stroke symptoms and intention to call an ambulance, without strengthening the association between incorrect knowledge and intention to call an ambulance. PMID:26441211

Effect of solution and leaf surface polarity on droplet spread area and contact angle.

PubMed

Nairn, Justin J; Forster, W Alison; van Leeuwen, Rebecca M

2016-03-01

How much an agrochemical spray droplet spreads on a leaf surface can significantly influence efficacy. This study investigates the effect solution polarity has on droplet spreading on leaf surfaces and whether the relative leaf surface polarity, as quantified using the wetting tension dielectric (WTD) technique, influences the final spread area. Contact angles and spread areas were measured using four probe solutions on 17 species. Probe solution polarity was found to affect the measured spread area and the contact angle of the droplets on non-hairy leaves. Leaf hairs skewed the spread area measurement, preventing investigation of the influence of surface polarity on hairy leaves. WTD-measured leaf surface polarity of non-hairy leaves was found to correlate strongly with the effect of solution polarity on spread area. For non-polar leaf surfaces the spread area decreases with increasing solution polarity, for neutral surfaces polarity has no effect on spread area and for polar leaf surfaces the spread area increases with increasing solution polarity. These results attest to the use of the WTD technique as a means to quantify leaf surface polarity. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry.

Changes in intervertebral disc cross-sectional area with bed rest and space flight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

LeBlanc, A. D.; Evans, H. J.; Schneider, V. S.; Wendt, R. E. 3rd; Hedrick, T. D.

1994-01-01

STUDY DESIGN. We measured the cross-sectional area of the intervertebral discs of normal volunteers after an overnight rest; before, during, and after 5 or 17 weeks of bed rest; and before and after 8 days of weightlessness. OBJECTIVES. This study sought to determine the degree of expansion of the lumbar discs resulting from bed rest and space flight. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA. Weightlessness and bed rest, an analog for weightlessness, reduce the mechanical loading on the musculoskeletal system. When unloaded, intervertebral discs will expand, increasing the nutritional diffusion distance and altering the mechanical properties of the spine. METHODS. Magnetic resonance imaging was used to measure the cross-sectional area and transverse relaxation time (T2) of the intervertebral discs. RESULTS. Overnight or longer bed rest causes expansion of the disc area, which reaches an equilibrium value of about 22% (range 10-40%) above baseline within 4 days. Increases in disc area were associated with modest increases in disc T2. During bed rest, disc height increased approximately 1 mm, about one-half of previous estimates based on body height measurements. After 5 weeks of bed rest, disc area returned to baseline within a few days of ambulation, whereas after 17 weeks, disc area remained above baseline 6 weeks after reambulation. After 8 days of weightlessness, T2, disc area, and lumbar length were not significantly different from baseline values 24 hours after landing. CONCLUSIONS. Significant adaptive changes in the intervertebral discs can be expected during weightlessness. These changes, which are rapidly reversible after short-duration flights, may be an important factor during and after long-duration missions.

Analysis of the spatial-temporal change and impact factors of the vegetation index in Yulin of China: the effect of forest conservation and grain for green

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, D.; Luan, J.; Lin, M.; Huang, Q.

2017-12-01

Since 1999, China began the Grain for Green program to conserve the forest in the north of China. After 17 years, the vegetation in the north has changed. Vegetation index is an important method to study the regional vegetation change. This study is based on MODIS/Terra NDVI remote sensing data, and analyzes the spatial-temporal changes and the impact factors of the NDVI in August from 2000 to 2016 at pixel scale in Yulin City of Shaanxi Province in China. The results showed that, on about 96.44% of the region in the Yulin city, vegetation index increased, and the area with increasing NDVI between 0-0.02/a accounts for 93.63% of Yulin city. The area with significant increasing trend accounts for 80.72%. The complex linear regression analysis showed that, the meteorological factors play a positive role in the growth and evolution of vegetation, and human activities also make the vegetation index become more uniform. The area, where the human activities restrain the growth and evolution of the vegetation, is 45.04% of the Yulin area. It is mainly distributed in Fugu County which located in the north of Yulin, and most areas of southern and western parts of Yulin. The area where human activities promote the increase of the vegetation index, accounted for 54.96% of the Yulin area, which indicated that on more than half of the region, human activities have played a positive role in the growth of vegetation. In these areas, the effect of forest conservation, and grain for green (i.e. returning farmland to forests, and returning pasturage to natural grassland) is better.

An easy-to-use approach for determining the disintegration ability of disintegrants by analysis of available surface area.

PubMed

Iwao, Yasunori; Tanaka, Shoko; Uchimoto, Takeaki; Noguchi, Shuji; Itai, Shigeru

2013-05-01

With the aim of directly predicting the functionality and mechanism of disintegrants during the disintegration and dissolution of tablets, we investigated an analysis method based on available surface area, which is the surface area of a drug in a formulation in direct contact with the external solvent during dissolution. We evaluated the following disintegrants in this study: sodium starch glycolate (Glycolys), crospovidone (Kollidon CL), carboxymethylcellulose calcium (CMC-Ca), low-substituted hydroxypropylcellulose (L-HPC), and croscarmellose sodium (Ac-Di-Sol). When disintegrant was added to a 50% ethenzamide tablet formulation, an increase in the dissolution rate dependent on disintegrant concentration was observed, according to the type of disintegrant. In addition, the available surface area also differed between disintegrants. For Glycolys, CMC-Ca, and Ac-Di-Sol, a rapid increase in available surface area and a large increase in maximum available surface area (Smax) were observed due to high swellability and wicking, even when the disintegrant concentration was only 1.0%. In contrast, for Kollidon CL and LH-21, a gradual increase in available surface area was observed, depending on the disintegrant concentration. To evaluate the disintegrant ability, Δtmax and ΔSmax were calculated by subtracting peak time (tmax) at 5.0% from that at 1.0% and subtracting Smax at 1.0% from that at 5.0%, respectively, and it was found that the water absorption ratio had strong negative correlations with Δtmax and ΔSmax. Therefore, this study demonstrates that analysis of only available surface area and parameters thereby obtained can directly provide useful information, especially about the disintegration ability of disintegrants. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Remote sensing monitoring study of ecological environment change in Qingtu Lake

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Han, Tao; Wang, Dawei; Jiang, Youyan; Qian, Li; Chen, Lei; Hao, Xiaocui

2018-03-01

Based on the Environmental Mitigation Satellite (HJ-1) data, this paper has carried on the remote sensing monitoring to change of the surrounding vegetation and water area of the Qingtu Lake since 2009. The result shows that the average area of water has increased by 3.59 square kilometres annually since the reappearance of the waters with the Qingtu Lake in 2010. The area of Qingtu Lake and surrounding vegetation cover has presented an average increase of 1.09 square kilometres per year. Since 2010, the precipitation of the Qingtu Lake and its surrounding area in Minqin county have a significant increase in the trend, the average increase rate of 6.0 mm/year. Compared to 2010 years ago, the average precipitation increased 36.4 mm. And it shows that the change of the Qingtu Lake underlying surface has a positive feedback effect to local heavy rainfall according to the comparative analysis of the precipitation observation in the surrounding weather station.

Increase in quantity and quality of suitable areas for invasive species as climate changes.

PubMed

Bertelsmeier, Cleo; Luque, Gloria M; Courchamp, Franck

2013-12-01

As climatically suitable range projections become increasingly used to assess distributions of species, we recommend systematic assessments of the quality of habitat in addition to the classical binary classification of habitat. We devised a method to assess occurrence probability, captured by a climatic suitability index, through which we could determine variations in the quality of potential habitat. This relative risk assessment circumvents the use of an arbitrary suitability threshold. We illustrated our method with 2 case studies on invasive ant species. We estimated invasion potential of the destroyer ant (Monomorium destructor) and the European fire ant (Myrmica rubra) on a global scale currently and by 2080 with climate change. We found that 21.1% of the world's landmass currently has a suitable climate for the destroyer ant and 16% has a suitable climate for European fire ant. Our climatic suitability index showed that both ant species would benefit from climate change, but in different ways. The size of the potential distribution increased by 35.8% for the destroyer ant. Meanwhile, the total area of potential distribution remained the same for the European fire ant (>0.05%), but the level of climatic suitability within this range increased greatly and led to an improvement in habitat quality (i.e., of invasive species' establishment likelihood). Either through quantity or quality of suitable areas, both invasive ant species are likely to increase the extent of their invasion in the future, following global climate change. Our results show that species may increase their range if either more areas become suitable or if the available areas present improved suitability. Studies in which an arbitrary suitability threshold was used may overlook changes in area quality within climatically suitable areas and as a result reach incorrect predictions. Incremento de la Cantidad y Calidad de Áreas Idóneas para Especies Invasoras a Medida que Cambia el Clima. © 2013 Society for Conservation Biology.

Analog Model Study of Ground-Water Flow in the Rehoboth Bay Area, Delaware.

DTIC Science & Technology

The study concerns ground- water flow in the Rehoboth Bay area, Delaware, a coastal area which depends on ground water for its fresh- water supply...Increased pumping demands may threaten to lower the water table and allow salt- water intrusion into the wells. The study was conducted using a viscous...use two different glycerin solutions to make observations and predict interactions between fresh and salt water in nature. Results indicate the

A comparative analysis of 7.0-Tesla magnetic resonance imaging and histology measurements of knee articular cartilage in a canine posterolateral knee injury model: a preliminary analysis.

PubMed

Pepin, Scott R; Griffith, Chad J; Wijdicks, Coen A; Goerke, Ute; McNulty, Margaret A; Parker, Josh B; Carlson, Cathy S; Ellermann, Jutta; LaPrade, Robert F

2009-11-01

There has recently been increased interest in the use of 7.0-T magnetic resonance imaging for evaluating articular cartilage degeneration and quantifying the progression of osteoarthritis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate articular cartilage cross-sectional area and maximum thickness in the medial compartment of intact and destabilized canine knees using 7.0-T magnetic resonance images and compare these results with those obtained from the corresponding histologic sections. Controlled laboratory study. Five canines had a surgically created unilateral grade III posterolateral knee injury that was followed for 6 months before euthanasia. The opposite, noninjured knee was used as a control. At necropsy, 3-dimensional gradient echo images of the medial tibial plateau of both knees were obtained using a 7.0-T magnetic resonance imaging scanner. Articular cartilage area and maximum thickness in this site were digitally measured on the magnetic resonance images. The proximal tibias were processed for routine histologic analysis with hematoxylin and eosin staining. Articular cartilage area and maximum thickness were measured in histologic sections corresponding to the sites of the magnetic resonance slices. The magnetic resonance imaging results revealed an increase in articular cartilage area and maximum thickness in surgical knees compared with control knees in all specimens; these changes were significant for both parameters (P <.05 for area; P <.01 for thickness). The average increase in area was 14.8% and the average increase in maximum thickness was 15.1%. The histologic results revealed an average increase in area of 27.4% (P = .05) and an average increase in maximum thickness of 33.0% (P = .06). Correlation analysis between the magnetic resonance imaging and histology data revealed that the area values were significantly correlated (P < .01), but the values for thickness obtained from magnetic resonance imaging were not significantly different from the histology sections (P > .1). These results demonstrate that 7.0-T magnetic resonance imaging provides an alternative method to histology to evaluate early osteoarthritic changes in articular cartilage in a canine model by detecting increases in articular cartilage area. The noninvasive nature of 7.0-T magnetic resonance imaging will allow for in vivo monitoring of osteoarthritis progression and intervention in animal models and humans for osteoarthritis.

Assessing environmental risks for high intensity agriculture using the material flow analysis method--a case study of the Dongting Lake basin in South Central China.

PubMed

Yin, Guanyi; Liu, Liming; Yuan, Chengcheng

2015-07-01

This study primarily examined the assessment of environmental risk in high intensity agricultural areas. Dongting Lake basin was taken as a case study, which is one of the major grain producing areas in China. Using data obtained from 1989 to 2012, we applied Material Flow Analysis (MFA) to show the material consumption, pollutant output and production storage in the agricultural-environmental system and assessed the environmental risk index on the basis of the MFA results. The results predicted that the status of the environmental quality of the Dongting Lake area is unsatisfactory for the foreseeable future. The direct material input (DMI) declined by 13.9%, the domestic processed output (DPO) increased by 28.21%, the intensity of material consumption (IMC) decreased by 36.7%, the intensity of material discharge (IMD) increased by 10%, the material productivity (MP) increased by 27 times, the environmental efficiency (EE) increased by 15.31 times, and the material storage (PAS) increased by 0.23%. The DMI and DPO was higher at rural places on the edge of cities, whereas the risk of urban agriculture has arisen due to the higher increasing rate of DMI and DPO in cities compared with the counties. The composite environmental risk index increased from 0.33 to 0.96, indicating that the total environmental risk changed gradually but seriously during the 24 years assessed. The driving factors that affect environmental risk in high intensity agriculture can be divided into five classes: social, economic, human, natural and disruptive incidents. This study discussed a number of effective measures for protecting the environment while ensuring food production yields. Additional research in other areas and certain improvements of this method in future studies may be necessary to develop a more effective method of managing and controlling agricultural-environmental interactions.

A longitudinal study: changes in cortical thickness and surface area during pubertal maturation.

PubMed

Herting, Megan M; Gautam, Prapti; Spielberg, Jeffrey M; Dahl, Ronald E; Sowell, Elizabeth R

2015-01-01

Sex hormones have been shown to contribute to the organization and function of the brain during puberty and adolescence. Moreover, it has been suggested that distinct hormone changes in girls versus boys may contribute to the emergence of sex differences in internalizing and externalizing behavior during adolescence. In the current longitudinal study, the influence of within-subject changes in puberty (physical and hormonal) on cortical thickness and surface area was examined across a 2-year span, while controlling for age. Greater increases in Tanner Stage predicted less superior frontal thinning and decreases in precuneus surface area in both sexes. Significant Tanner Stage and sex interactions were also seen, with less right superior temporal thinning in girls but not boys, as well as greater decreases in the right bank of the superior temporal sulcus surface area in boys compared to girls. In addition, within-subject changes in testosterone over the 2-year follow-up period were found to relate to decreases in middle superior frontal surface area in boys, but increases in surface area in girls. Lastly, larger increases in estradiol in girls predicted greater middle temporal lobe thinning. These results show that within-subject physical and hormonal markers of puberty relate to region and sex-specific changes in cortical development across adolescence.

Temporal and spatial characteristics of water resources in the Yeerqiang River Basin based on remote sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Y Ran, Q.; Y Bai, L.; Feng, J. Z.; Yang, Y. M.; Guo, M. Q.; Li, H. L.; Zhang, Q.; Zhang, P.; Cao, D.

2017-07-01

Surface water resources play an important role in the economic and social developments as well as the protection of natural ecological environment in the Yeerqiang River Basin. Based upon the six stages of land use data from 1990 to 2015, the temporal and spatial variation of surface water resources in the Yerqiang River Basin have been explored and analyzed. The results show that: (1) From 1990 to 2015, the area of natural landscape initially increased and then decreased, while the area of artificial landscape increased, which caused a slight increase in the land use degree in the study area. (2) The dynamic changes of water and glacier areas are somewhat consistent over the past 25 years, with a sharp decline between 2005-2010 and a small increase in the remaining years. The dynamic changes in areas of non-glacial water were moderate, with decrease in area of 9 km2 from 1990 to 2015. The beach area decreased, and the other water sub-classes initially increased and then decreased. (3) Over the past 25 years, the proportion of unchanged water area is 73.22%, the transfer-out proportion is 19.19%, and the transfer-in proportion is 7.59%. Generally, water types transferred to grassland and unused land. Additionally, significant transfers were observed for the conversions between glaciers and woodland, conversions between canal, lake, reservoir and beach, and conversions between beach and farmland.

Cumulative effects of restoration efforts on ecological characteristics of an open water area within the Upper Mississippi River

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gray, B.R.; Shi, W.; Houser, J.N.; Rogala, J.T.; Guan, Z.; Cochran-Biederman, J. L.

2011-01-01

Ecological restoration efforts in large rivers generally aim to ameliorate ecological effects associated with large-scale modification of those rivers. This study examined whether the effects of restoration efforts-specifically those of island construction-within a largely open water restoration area of the Upper Mississippi River (UMR) might be seen at the spatial scale of that 3476ha area. The cumulative effects of island construction, when observed over multiple years, were postulated to have made the restoration area increasingly similar to a positive reference area (a proximate area comprising contiguous backwater areas) and increasingly different from two negative reference areas. The negative reference areas represented the Mississippi River main channel in an area proximate to the restoration area and an open water area in a related Mississippi River reach that has seen relatively little restoration effort. Inferences on the effects of restoration were made by comparing constrained and unconstrained models of summer chlorophyll a (CHL), summer inorganic suspended solids (ISS) and counts of benthic mayfly larvae. Constrained models forced trends in means or in both means and sampling variances to become, over time, increasingly similar to those in the positive reference area and increasingly dissimilar to those in the negative reference areas. Trends were estimated over 12- (mayflies) or 14-year sampling periods, and were evaluated using model information criteria. Based on these methods, restoration effects were observed for CHL and mayflies while evidence in favour of restoration effects on ISS was equivocal. These findings suggest that the cumulative effects of island building at relatively large spatial scales within large rivers may be estimated using data from large-scale surveillance monitoring programs. Published in 2010 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

PETROLEUM HYDROCARBONS IN THE NORTHERN PUGET SOUND AREA. A PILOT DESIGN STUDY

EPA Science Inventory

Hydrocarbon baseline data are needed to assess the potential impact of oil contamination from increased tanker traffic in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Initial studies were directed to intertidal sediments, mussels and snails from two physically similar areas: Port Angeles, WA and ...

Climate, lightning ignitions, and fire severity in Yosemite National Park, California, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lutz, J.A.; van Wagtendonk, J.W.; Thode, A.E.; Miller, J.D.; Franklin, J.F.

2009-01-01

Continental-scale studies of western North America have attributed recent increases in annual area burned and fire size to a warming climate, but these studies have focussed on large fires and have left the issues of fire severity and ignition frequency unaddressed. Lightning ignitions, any of which could burn a large area given appropriate conditions for fire spread, could be the first indication of more frequent fire. We examined the relationship between snowpack and the ignition and size of fires that occurred in Yosemite National Park, California (area 3027 km2), between 1984 and 2005. During this period, 1870 fires burned 77 718 ha. Decreased spring snowpack exponentially increased the number of lightning-ignited fires. Snowpack mediated lightning-ignited fires by decreasing the proportion of lightning strikes that caused lightning-ignited fires and through fewer lightning strikes in years with deep snowpack. We also quantified fire severity for the 103 fires >40 ha with satellite fire-severity indices using 23 years of Landsat Thematic Mapper data. The proportion of the landscape that burned at higher severities and the complexity of higher-severity burn patches increased with the log10 of annual area burned. Using one snowpack forecast, we project that the number of lightning-ignited fires will increase 19.1% by 2020 to 2049 and the annual area burned at high severity will increase 21.9%. Climate-induced decreases in snowpack and the concomitant increase in fire severity suggest that existing assumptions may be understated-fires may become more frequent and more severe. ?? IAWF 2009.

Wind turbine noise, annoyance and self-reported health and well-being in different living environments.

PubMed

Pedersen, Eja; Persson Waye, Kerstin

2007-07-01

To evaluate the prevalence of perception and annoyance due to wind turbine noise among people living near the turbines, and to study relations between noise and perception/annoyance, with focus on differences between living environments. A cross-sectional study was carried out in seven areas in Sweden across dissimilar terrain and different degrees of urbanisation. A postal questionnaire regarding living conditions including response to wind turbine noise was completed by 754 subjects. Outdoor A-weighted sound pressure levels (SPLs) were calculated for each respondent. Perception and annoyance due to wind turbine noise in relation to SPLs was analysed with regard to dissimilarities between the areas. The odds of perceiving wind turbine noise increased with increasing SPL (OR 1.3; 95% CI 1.25 to 1.40). The odds of being annoyed by wind turbine noise also increased with increasing SPLs (OR 1.1; 95% CI 1.01 to 1.25). Perception and annoyance were associated with terrain and urbanisation: (1) a rural area increased the risk of perception and annoyance in comparison with a suburban area; and (2) in a rural setting, complex ground (hilly or rocky terrain) increased the risk compared with flat ground. Annoyance was associated with both objective and subjective factors of wind turbine visibility, and was further associated with lowered sleep quality and negative emotions. There is a need to take the unique environment into account when planning a new wind farm so that adverse health effects are avoided. The influence of area-related factors should also be considered in future community noise research.

The Evolution and Development of Cephalopod Chambers and Their Shape.

PubMed

Lemanis, Robert; Korn, Dieter; Zachow, Stefan; Rybacki, Erik; Hoffmann, René

2016-01-01

The Ammonoidea is a group of extinct cephalopods ideal to study evolution through deep time. The evolution of the planispiral shell and complexly folded septa in ammonoids has been thought to have increased the functional surface area of the chambers permitting enhanced metabolic functions such as: chamber emptying, rate of mineralization and increased growth rates throughout ontogeny. Using nano-computed tomography and synchrotron radiation based micro-computed tomography, we present the first study of ontogenetic changes in surface area to volume ratios in the phragmocone chambers of several phylogenetically distant ammonoids and extant cephalopods. Contrary to the initial hypothesis, ammonoids do not possess a persistently high relative chamber surface area. Instead, the functional surface area of the chambers is higher in earliest ontogeny when compared to Spirula spirula. The higher the functional surface area the quicker the potential emptying rate of the chamber; quicker chamber emptying rates would theoretically permit faster growth. This is supported by the persistently higher siphuncular surface area to chamber volume ratio we collected for the ammonite Amauroceras sp. compared to either S. spirula or nautilids. We demonstrate that the curvature of the surface of the chamber increases with greater septal complexity increasing the potential refilling rates. We further show a unique relationship between ammonoid chamber shape and size that does not exist in S. spirula or nautilids. This view of chamber function also has implications for the evolution of the internal shell of coleoids, relating this event to the decoupling of soft-body growth and shell growth.

Land Use and Land Cover Change in the Qinghai Lake Region of the Tibetan Plateau and Its Impact on Ecosystem Services

PubMed Central

Gong, Jian; Yang, Jianxin; Tang, Wenwu

2017-01-01

Exploration of land use and land cover change (LULCC) and its impacts on ecosystem services in Tibetan plateau is valuable for landscape and environmental conservation. In this study, we conduct spatial analysis on empirical land use and land cover data in the Qinghai Lake region for 1990, 2000, and 2010 and simulate land cover patterns for 2020. We then evaluate the impacts of LULCC on ecosystem service value (ESV), and analyze the sensitivity of ESV to LULCC to identify the ecologically sensitive area. Our results indicate that, from 1990 to 2010, the area of forest and grassland increased while the area of unused land decreased. Simulation results suggest that the area of grassland and forest will continue to increase and the area of cropland and unused land will decrease for 2010–2020. The ESV in the study area increased from 694.50 billion Yuan in 1990 to 714.28 billion Yuan in 2000, and to 696.72 billion Yuan in 2020. Hydrology regulation and waste treatment are the top two ecosystem services in this region. The towns surrounding the Qinghai Lake have high ESVs, especially in the north of the Qinghai Lake. The towns with high ESV sensitivity to LULCC are located in the northwest, while the towns in the north of the Qinghai Lake experienced substantial increase in sensitivity index from 2000–2010 to 2010–2020, especially for three regulation services and aesthetic landscape provision services. PMID:28754029

Land Use and Land Cover Change in the Qinghai Lake Region of the Tibetan Plateau and Its Impact on Ecosystem Services.

PubMed

Gong, Jian; Li, Jingye; Yang, Jianxin; Li, Shicheng; Tang, Wenwu

2017-07-21

Exploration of land use and land cover change (LULCC) and its impacts on ecosystem services in Tibetan plateau is valuable for landscape and environmental conservation. In this study, we conduct spatial analysis on empirical land use and land cover data in the Qinghai Lake region for 1990, 2000, and 2010 and simulate land cover patterns for 2020. We then evaluate the impacts of LULCC on ecosystem service value (ESV), and analyze the sensitivity of ESV to LULCC to identify the ecologically sensitive area. Our results indicate that, from 1990 to 2010, the area of forest and grassland increased while the area of unused land decreased. Simulation results suggest that the area of grassland and forest will continue to increase and the area of cropland and unused land will decrease for 2010-2020. The ESV in the study area increased from 694.50 billion Yuan in 1990 to 714.28 billion Yuan in 2000, and to 696.72 billion Yuan in 2020. Hydrology regulation and waste treatment are the top two ecosystem services in this region. The towns surrounding the Qinghai Lake have high ESVs, especially in the north of the Qinghai Lake. The towns with high ESV sensitivity to LULCC are located in the northwest, while the towns in the north of the Qinghai Lake experienced substantial increase in sensitivity index from 2000-2010 to 2010-2020, especially for three regulation services and aesthetic landscape provision services.

Performance of an Axisymmetric Rocket Based Combined Cycle Engine During Rocket Only Operation Using Linear Regression Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, Timothy D.; Steffen, Christopher J., Jr.; Yungster, Shaye; Keller, Dennis J.

1998-01-01

The all rocket mode of operation is shown to be a critical factor in the overall performance of a rocket based combined cycle (RBCC) vehicle. An axisymmetric RBCC engine was used to determine specific impulse efficiency values based upon both full flow and gas generator configurations. Design of experiments methodology was used to construct a test matrix and multiple linear regression analysis was used to build parametric models. The main parameters investigated in this study were: rocket chamber pressure, rocket exit area ratio, injected secondary flow, mixer-ejector inlet area, mixer-ejector area ratio, and mixer-ejector length-to-inlet diameter ratio. A perfect gas computational fluid dynamics analysis, using both the Spalart-Allmaras and k-omega turbulence models, was performed with the NPARC code to obtain values of vacuum specific impulse. Results from the multiple linear regression analysis showed that for both the full flow and gas generator configurations increasing mixer-ejector area ratio and rocket area ratio increase performance, while increasing mixer-ejector inlet area ratio and mixer-ejector length-to-diameter ratio decrease performance. Increasing injected secondary flow increased performance for the gas generator analysis, but was not statistically significant for the full flow analysis. Chamber pressure was found to be not statistically significant.

The evolution of the complex sensory and motor systems of the human brain

PubMed Central

Kaas, Jon H.

2008-01-01

Inferences about how the complex sensory and motor systems of the human brain evolved are based on the results of comparative studies of brain organization across a range of mammalian species, and evidence from the endocasts of fossil skulls of key extinct species. The endocasts of the skulls of early mammals indicate that they had small brains with little neocortex. Evidence from comparative studies of cortical organization from small-brained mammals of the six major branches of mammalian evolution supports the conclusion that the small neocortex of early mammals was divided into roughly 20–25 cortical areas, including primary and secondary sensory fields. In early primates, vision was the dominant sense, and cortical areas associated with vision in temporal and occipital cortex underwent a significant expansion. Comparative studies indicate that early primates had 10 or more visual areas, and somatosensory areas with expanded representations of the forepaw. Posterior parietal cortex was also expanded, with a caudal half dominated by visual inputs, and a rostral half dominated by somatosensory inputs with outputs to an array of seven or more motor and visuomotor areas of the frontal lobe. Somatosensory areas and posterior parietal cortex became further differentiated in early anthropoid primates. As larger brains evolved in early apes and in our hominin ancestors, the number of cortical areas increased to reach an estimated 200 or so in present day humans, and hemispheric specializations emerged. The large human brain grew primarily by increasing neuron number rather than increasing average neuron size. PMID:18331903

Simulation of the spatial stresses due to territorial land development on Yellow River Delta Nature Reserve using a GIS-based assessment model.

PubMed

Zhang, Baolei; Zhang, Qiaoyun; Feng, Qingyu; Cui, Bohao; Zhang, Shumin

2017-07-01

This study aimed at assessing the stresses from land development in or around Yellow River Delta Nature Reserve (YRDNR) and identifying the impacted areas. Major land development types (reservoirs, pond, aquafarm, salt pan, road, residential land, industry land, farming land, and fishing land) in or around the YRDNR from 1995 to 2014 were identified using spatial data sets derived from remote sensing imageries. The spatial stresses were simulated by considering disturbance due to land development activities and accessibility of disturbance using a geographic information system based model. The stresses were then used to identify the impacted area by land development (IALD). The results indicated that main increasing land development types in the study area from 1995 to 2014 were salt pan and construction land. The 98.2% of expanded land development area and 93.7% of increased pump number showed a good control of reserve function zone on land development spread. The spatial stress values and percentages of IALD increased from 1995 to 2014, and IALD percentage exceeded 50% for both parts of YRDNR in 2014. The results of this study also provided the information that detailed planning of the YRDNR (2014-2020) could decrease the spatial stress and IALD percentage of the whole YRDNR on the condition that the area of land development activities increased by 24.4 km 2 from 2014 to 2020. Effective measures should be taken to protect such areas from being further disturbed in order to achieve the goal of a more effective conservation of the YRDNR, and attention should be paid to the disordered land development activities in or around the natural reserves.

The ethnic density effect on alcohol use among ethnic minority people in the UK.

PubMed

Bécares, Laia; Nazroo, James; Stafford, Mai

2011-01-01

Despite lower alcohol drinking rates of UK ethnic minority people (excluding Irish) compared with those of the white majority, events of racial discrimination expose ethnic minorities to unique stressors that elevate the risk for escapist drinking. Studies of ethnic density, the geographical concentration of ethnic minorities in an area, have found racism to be less prevalent in areas of increased ethnic density, and this study hypothesises that ethnic minority people living in areas of high ethnic density will report less alcohol use relative to their counterparts, due to decreased experienced racism and increased sociocultural norms. Multilevel logistic regressions were applied to data from the 1999 and 2004 Health Survey for England linked to ethnic density data from 2001 census. Respondents living in non-White area types and areas of higher coethnic density reported decreased odds of being current drinkers relative to their counterparts. A statistically significant reduction in the odds of exceeding sensible drinking recommendations was observed for Caribbeans in Black area types, Africans in areas of higher coethnic density and Indian people living in Indian area types. Results confirmed a protective ethnic density effect for current alcohol consumption, but showed a less consistent picture of an ethnic density effect for adherence to sensible drinking guidelines. Previous research has shown that alcohol use is increasing among ethnic minorities, and so a greater understanding of alcohol-related behaviour among UK ethnic minority people is important to establish their need for preventive care and advice on safe drinking practices.

Increased tornado hazard in large metropolitan areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cusack, Stephen

2014-11-01

The tornado climate was compared between large metropolitan areas and neighbouring non-metro cities using modern tornado reports in the Storm Prediction Center (SPC) archives. Twenty large metro areas in the higher-risk region of the U.S. were used to boost sample sizes hence robustness of results. Observational biases were minimised by using the most densely populated zips. The analysis found 50% greater tornado frequency and a thicker-tailed severity distribution in metro areas compared to the non-metro cities. These differences are significant at the 1% level. Regarding tornado frequency, the primary question is whether the raised occurrence rates in metro areas are due to observation biases or real differences in tornado climate. Past studies found no relative biases at the population densities used here, whereas there are two potential urban drivers of tornadogenesis. First, the urban heat island raises the storm severity above and downwind of main urban areas, as recorded in precipitation and lightning datasets. Second, the increased surface roughness over metro areas raises low-level shear which in turn has been found to be favourable for tornadogenesis. Modification of convective storms over large metro areas is the more plausible explanation of raised tornado frequency. The drivers of a thicker-tailed tornado severity distribution in metro areas are less certain. Potential causes include: increased debris-loading in metro tornadoes; modification of storms' lower boundary layer by increased surface roughness in metro areas; the reduced density of damage indicators in non-metro cities.

[Estimation of spur dike-affected fish habitat area].

PubMed

Ray-Shyan, Wu; Yan-Ru, Chen; Yi-Liang, Ge

2012-04-01

Based on the HEC-RAS and River 2D modes, and taking 5% change rate of weighted usable area (WUA) as the threshold to define the spur dike- affected area of target fish species Acrossocheilus paradoxus in Fazi River in Taiwan, this paper studied the affected area of the fish habitat by spur dike, and, in combining with the references about the installations of spur dikes in Taiwan in recent 10 years, analyzed the relative importance of related affecting factors such as dike height, dike length (water block rate), average slope gradient of river way, single or double spur dike, and flow discharge. In spite of the length of the dike, the affected area in downstream was farther, and was about 2-6 times as large as that in upstream. The ratio of the affected area in downstream / upstream decreased with increasing slope gradient, but increased with increasing dike length and flow discharge. When the discharge was approximate to 10 years return periods, the ratio of the affected area would be close to a constant of 2. Building double spur dike would produce a better WUA than building single spur dike.

Increased Earthquake Rates in the Central and Eastern US Portend Higher Earthquake Hazards

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Llenos, A. L.; Rubinstein, J. L.; Ellsworth, W. L.; Mueller, C. S.; Michael, A. J.; McGarr, A.; Petersen, M. D.; Weingarten, M.; Holland, A. A.

2014-12-01

Since 2009 the central and eastern United States has experienced an unprecedented increase in the rate of M≥3 earthquakes that is unlikely to be due to natural variation. Where the rates have increased so has the seismic hazard, making it important to understand these changes. Areas with significant seismicity increases are limited to areas where oil and gas production take place. By far the largest contributor to the seismicity increase is Oklahoma, where recent studies suggest that these rate changes may be due to fluid injection (e.g., Keranen et al., Geology, 2013; Science, 2014). Moreover, the area of increased seismicity in northern Oklahoma that began in 2013 coincides with the Mississippi Lime play, where well completions greatly increased the year before the seismicity increase. This suggests a link to oil and gas production either directly or from the disposal of significant amounts of produced water within the play. For the purpose of assessing the hazard due to these earthquakes, should they be treated differently from natural earthquakes? Previous studies suggest that induced seismicity may differ from natural seismicity in clustering characteristics or frequency-magnitude distributions (e.g., Bachmann et al., GJI, 2011; Llenos and Michael, BSSA, 2013). These differences could affect time-independent hazard computations, which typically assume that clustering and size distribution remain constant. In Oklahoma, as well as other areas of suspected induced seismicity, we find that earthquakes since 2009 tend to be considerably more clustered in space and time than before 2009. However differences between various regional and national catalogs leave unclear whether there are significant changes in magnitude distribution. Whether they are due to natural or industrial causes, the increased earthquake rates in these areas could increase the hazard in ways that are not accounted for in current hazard assessment practice. Clearly the possibility of induced earthquakes needs to be considered in seismic hazard assessments.

Mercury Underpotential Deposition to Determine Iridium and Iridium Oxide Electrochemical Surface Areas

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

Alia, Shaun M.; Hurst, Katherine E.; Kocha, Shyam S.

Determining the surface areas of electrocatalysts is critical for separating the key properties of area-specific activity and electrochemical surface area from mass activity. Hydrogen underpotential deposition and carbon monoxide oxidation are typically used to evaluate iridium (Ir) surface areas, but are ineffective on oxides and can be sensitive to surface oxides formed on Ir metals. Mercury underpotential deposition is presented in this study as an alternative, able to produce reasonable surface areas on Ir and Ir oxide nanoparticles, and able to produce similar surface areas prior to and following characterization in oxygen evolution. Reliable electrochemical surface areas allow for comparativemore » studies of different catalyst types and the characterization of advanced oxygen evolution catalysts. Lastly, they also enable the study of catalyst degradation in durability testing, both areas of increasing importance within electrolysis and electrocatalysis.« less

Mercury Underpotential Deposition to Determine Iridium and Iridium Oxide Electrochemical Surface Areas

DOE PAGES

Alia, Shaun M.; Hurst, Katherine E.; Kocha, Shyam S.; ...

2016-06-02

Determining the surface areas of electrocatalysts is critical for separating the key properties of area-specific activity and electrochemical surface area from mass activity. Hydrogen underpotential deposition and carbon monoxide oxidation are typically used to evaluate iridium (Ir) surface areas, but are ineffective on oxides and can be sensitive to surface oxides formed on Ir metals. Mercury underpotential deposition is presented in this study as an alternative, able to produce reasonable surface areas on Ir and Ir oxide nanoparticles, and able to produce similar surface areas prior to and following characterization in oxygen evolution. Reliable electrochemical surface areas allow for comparativemore » studies of different catalyst types and the characterization of advanced oxygen evolution catalysts. Lastly, they also enable the study of catalyst degradation in durability testing, both areas of increasing importance within electrolysis and electrocatalysis.« less

Study area description

Treesearch

Mary M. Rowland; Matthias Leu

2011-01-01

The boundary for the Wyoming Basins Ecoregional Assessment (WBEA) was largely determined by the co-occurrence of some of the largest tracts of intact sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) remaining in the western United States with areas of increasing resource extraction. The WBEA area includes two ecoregions in their entirety, Wyoming Basins and Utah-Wyoming...

Assessment of Surface Water Storage trends for increasing groundwater areas in India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Banerjee, Chandan; Kumar, D. Nagesh

2018-07-01

Recent studies based on Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) satellite mission suggested that groundwater has increased in central and southern parts of India. However, surface water, which is an equally important source of water in these semi-arid areas has not been studied yet. In the present study, the study areas were outlined based on trends in GRACE data followed by trend identification in surface water storages and checking the hypothesis of causality. Surface Water Extent (SWE) and Surface Soil Moisture (SSM) derived from Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer - Earth Observing System (AMSR-E) respectively, are selected as proxies of surface water storage (SWS). Besides SWE and SSM, trend test was performed for GRACE derived terrestrial water storage (TWS) for the study areas named as R1, R2, GOR1 and KOR1. Granger-causality test is used to test the hypothesis that rainfall is a causal factor of the inter-annual variability of SWE, SSM and TWS. Positive trends were observed in TWS for R1, R2 and GOR1 whereas SWE and SSM show increasing trends for all the study regions. Results suggest that rainfall is the granger-causal of all the storage variables for R1 and R2, the regions exhibiting the most significant positive trends in TWS.

Agricultural recovery of a formerly contaminated area: Establishment of a high-resolution quantitative protein map of mature flax seeds harvested from the remediated chernobyl area

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

In recent years there has been an increasing tendency toward remediation of contaminated areas for agricultural purposes. The study described herein is part of a comprehensive, long-term characterization of crop plants grown in the area formerly contaminated with radioactivity. As a first step, we ...

Wildfire air pollution and daily mortality in a large urban area.

PubMed

Vedal, Sverre; Dutton, Steven J

2006-09-01

Unusual air pollution episodes, such as when smoke from wildfires covers a large urban area, can be used to attempt to detect associations between short-term increases in particulate matter (PM) concentrations and subsequent mortality without relying on the sophisticated statistical models that are typically required in the absence of such episodes. The objective of this study was to explore whether acute increases in PM concentrations from wildfire smoke cause acute increases in daily mortality. The temporal patterns of daily nonaccidental deaths and daily cardiorespiratory deaths for June of 2002 in the Denver metropolitan area were examined and compared to those in two nearby counties in Colorado that were not affected by the wildfire smoke and to daily deaths in Denver in June of 2001. Abrupt increases in PM concentrations in Denver occurred on 2 days in June of 2002 as a result of wildfire smoke drifting over the Denver area. Small peaks in mortality corresponded to both of the PM peaks, but the first mortality peak also corresponded to a peak of mortality in the control counties, and cardiorespiratory deaths began to increase on the day before the second peak. Further, there was no detectable increase in cardiorespiratory deaths in the hours immediately following the PM peaks. Although the findings from this study do not rule out the possibility of small increases in mortality due to abrupt and dramatic increases in PM concentrations from wildfire smoke, in a population of over 2 million people no perceptible increases in daily mortality could be attributed to such events.

Induced seismicity in Carbon and Emery counties, Utah

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brown, Megan R. M.

Utah is one of the top producers of oil and natural gas in the United States. Over the past 18 years, more than 4.2 billion gallons of wastewater from the petroleum industry have been injected into the Navajo Sandstone, Kayenta Formation, and Wingate Sandstone in two areas in Carbon and Emery County, Utah, where seismicity has increased during the same period. In this study, I investigated whether or not wastewater injection is related to the increased seismicity. Previous studies have attributed all of the seismicity in central Utah to coal mining activity. I found that water injection might be a more important cause. In the coal mining area, seismicity rate increased significantly 1-5 years following the commencement of wastewater injection. The increased seismicity consists almost entirely of earthquakes with magnitudes of less than 3, and is localized in areas seismically active prior to the injection. I have established the spatiotemporal correlations between the coal mining activities, the wastewater injection, and the increased seismicity. I used simple groundwater models to estimate the change in pore pressure and evaluate the observed time gap between the start of injection and the onset of the increased seismicity in the areas surrounding the injection wells. To ascertain that the increased seismicity is not fluctuation of background seismicity, I analyzed the magnitude-frequency relation of these earthquakes and found a clear increase in the b-value following the wastewater injection. I conclude that the marked increase of seismicity rate in central Utah is induced by both mining activity and wastewater injection, which raised pore pressure along pre-existing faults.

Has upwelling strengthened along worldwide coasts over 1982-2010?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Varela, R.; Álvarez, I.; Santos, F.; Decastro, M.; Gómez-Gesteira, M.

2015-05-01

Changes in coastal upwelling strength have been widely studied since 1990 when Bakun proposed that global warming can induce the intensification of upwelling in coastal areas. Whether present wind trends support this hypothesis remains controversial, as results of previous studies seem to depend on the study area, the length of the time series, the season, and even the database used. In this study, temporal and spatial trends in the coastal upwelling regime worldwide were investigated during upwelling seasons from 1982 to 2010 using a single wind database (Climate Forecast System Reanalysis) with high spatial resolution (0.3°). Of the major upwelling systems, increasing trends were only observed in the coastal areas of Benguela, Peru, Canary, and northern California. A tendency for an increase in upwelling-favourable winds was also identified along several less studied regions, such as the western Australian and southern Caribbean coasts.

Has upwelling strengthened along worldwide coasts over 1982-2010?

PubMed Central

Varela, R.; Álvarez, I.; Santos, F.;  deCastro, M.; Gómez-Gesteira, M.

2015-01-01

Changes in coastal upwelling strength have been widely studied since 1990 when Bakun proposed that global warming can induce the intensification of upwelling in coastal areas. Whether present wind trends support this hypothesis remains controversial, as results of previous studies seem to depend on the study area, the length of the time series, the season, and even the database used. In this study, temporal and spatial trends in the coastal upwelling regime worldwide were investigated during upwelling seasons from 1982 to 2010 using a single wind database (Climate Forecast System Reanalysis) with high spatial resolution (0.3°). Of the major upwelling systems, increasing trends were only observed in the coastal areas of Benguela, Peru, Canary, and northern California. A tendency for an increase in upwelling-favourable winds was also identified along several less studied regions, such as the western Australian and southern Caribbean coasts. PMID:25952477

The effects of gender, motor skills and play area on the free play activities of 8-11 year old school children.

PubMed

Harten, Nathan; Olds, Tim; Dollman, Jim

2008-09-01

Two studies were conducted to examine the interactions between gender, play area, motor skills and free play activity in 8-11 year old school children. In both studies, boys were more active than girls. In boys, but not in girls, energy expenditure was greater for high-skill than for low-skill children (p = 0.0002), and increased as play area increased (p = 0.01). These results suggest that motor skills and play space are important variables in determining the free play activity of boys, but not of girls. This may be related to widely different play styles among boys and girls.

Addressing the contribution of climate and vegetation cover on hillslope denudation, Chilean Coastal Cordillera (26°-38°S)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schaller, M.; Ehlers, T. A.; Lang, K. A. H.; Schmid, M.; Fuentes-Espoz, J. P.

2018-05-01

The Earth surface is modulated by interactions among tectonics, climate, and biota. The influence of each of these factors on hillslope denudation rates is difficult to disentangle. The Chilean Coastal Cordillera offers a strong climate and vegetation gradient from arid and unvegetated in the North to humid and vegetated in the South. A similar (convergent) plate tectonic boundary lies to the West of the Coastal Cordillera. We present eight depth profiles analyzed for in situ-produced cosmogenic 10Be in four study areas. These profiles reveal denudation rates of soil-mantled hillslopes and the depth of mobile layers. Depth profiles were investigated from both S- and N-facing mid-slope positions. Results indicate the depth of the mobile layers in the four study areas increase from N to S in latitude. When mixing is present in the mobile layers they are completely mixed. In the S- and N-facing hillslopes of each study area, mid-slope positions do not show a systematic change in depth of the mobile layers nor in denudation rates based on cosmogenic depth profiles. From N to S in latitude, modelled denudation rates of hillslopes increase from ∼0.46 to ∼5.65 cm/kyr and then decrease to ∼3.22 cm/kyr in the southernmost, highest vegetation cover, study area. Calculated turnover times of soils decrease from ∼30 to ∼11 kyr and then increase to ∼22 kyr. In this work, the increasing denudation rates are attributed to increasing mean annual precipitation from N to S. However, despite the ongoing increase in precipitation from N to S, the denudation rate in the southernmost location does not continue to increase due to the protective nature of increasing vegetation cover. This indicates a vegetation induced non-linear relationship with denudation rates.

Compression of Semesters or Intensity of Study: What is it that Increases Student Success?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Spurling, Steven

This study examined the relationship between intensity of study (defined as more hours per week of class within a subject matter area) and student success. The researcher identified two possible methods for increasing the intensity of study: (1) Compression Hypothesis--shortening the length of terms and increasing the amount of time per week spent…

Water quality in shallow alluvial aquifers, Upper Colorado River Basin, Colorado, 1997

USGS Publications Warehouse

Apodaca, L.E.; Bails, J.B.; Smith, C.M.

2002-01-01

Shallow ground water in areas of increasing urban development within the Upper Colorado River Basin was sampled for inorganic and organic constituents to characterize water-quality conditions and to identify potential anthropogenic effects resulting from development. In 1997, 25 shallow monitoring wells were installed and sampled in five areas of urban development in Eagle, Grand, Gunnison, and Summit Counties, Colorado. The results of this study indicate that the shallow ground water in the study area is suitable for most uses. Nonparametric statistical methods showed that constituents and parameters measured in the shallow wells were often significantly different between the five developing urban areas. Radon concentrations exceeded the proposed USEPA maximum contaminant level at all sites. The presence of nutrients, pesticides, and volatile organic compounds indicate anthropogenic activities are affecting the shallow ground-water quality in the study area. Nitrate as N concentrations greater than 2.0 mg/L were observed in ground water recharged between the 1980s and 1990s. Low concentrations of methylene blue active substances were detected at a few sites. Total coliform bacteria were detected at ten sites; however, E. coli was not detected. Continued monitoring is needed to assess the effects of increasing urban development on the shallow ground-water quality in the study area.

Brain activity and connectivity changes in response to glucose ingestion.

PubMed

van Opstal, A M; Hafkemeijer, A; van den Berg-Huysmans, A A; Hoeksma, M; Blonk, C; Pijl, H; Rombouts, S A R B; van der Grond, J

2018-05-27

The regulatory role of the brain in directing eating behavior becomes increasingly recognized. Although many areas in the brain have been found to respond to food cues, very little data is available after actual caloric intake. The aim of this study was to determine normal whole brain functional responses to ingestion of glucose after an overnight fast. Twenty-five normal weight, adult males underwent functional MRI on two separate visits. In a single-blind randomized study setup, participants received either glucose solution (50 g/300 ml of water) or plain water. We studied changes in Blood Oxygen Level Dependent (BOLD) signal, voxel-based connectivity by Eigenvector Centrality Mapping, and functional network connectivity. Ingestion of glucose led to increased centrality in the thalamus and to decreases in BOLD signal in various brain areas. Decreases in connectivity in the sensory-motor and dorsal visual stream networks were found. Ingestion of water resulted in increased centrality across the brain, and increases in connectivity in the medial and lateral visual cortex network. Increased BOLD intensity was found in the intracalcarine and cingulate cortex. Our data show that ingestion of glucose leads to decreased activity and connectivity in brain areas and networks linked to energy seeking and satiation. In contrast, drinking plain water leads to increased connectivity probably associated with continued food seeking and unfulfilled reward. Trail registration: This study combines data of two studies registered at clinicaltrails.gov under numbers NCT03202342 and NCT03247114.

Impact of varying area of polluting surface materials on perceived air quality.

PubMed

Sakr, W; Knudsen, H N; Gunnarsen, L; Haghighat, F

2003-06-01

A laboratory study was performed to investigate the impact of the concentration of pollutants in the air on emissions from building materials. Building materials were placed in ventilated test chambers. The experimental set-up allowed the concentration of pollution in the exhaust air to be changed either by diluting exhaust air with clean air (changing the dilution factor) or by varying the area of the material inside the chamber when keeping the ventilation rate constant (changing the area factor). Four different building materials and three combinations of two or three building materials were studied in ventilated small-scale test chambers. Each individual material and three of their combinations were examined at four different dilution factors and four different area factors. An untrained panel of 23 subjects assessed the air quality from the chambers. The results show that a certain increase in dilution improves the perceived air quality more than a similar decrease in area. The reason for this may be that the emission rate of odorous pollutants increases when the concentration in the chamber decreases. The results demonstrate that, in some cases the effect of increased ventilation on the air quality may be less than expected from a simple dilution model.

Potentiometric surface and specific conductance of the Sparta and Memphis aquifers in eastern Arkansas, 1995

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stanton, Gregory P.

1997-01-01

The Sparta and Memphis aquifers in eastern and south-central Arkansas are a major source of water for industrial, public supply, and agricultural uses. An estimated 240 million gallons per day was withdrawn from the Sparta and Memphis aquifers in 1995, an increase of about 17 million gallons per day from 1990. During the spring and early summer of 1995, the water level in the Sparta and Memphis aquifers was measured in 145 wells, the specific conductance of 101 ground-water samples collected from those aquifers was measured. Maps of areal distribution of potentiometric surface and specific conductance generated from these data reveal spatial trends in these parameters across the eastern and south-central Arkansas study area. The altitude of the potentiometric surface ranged from about 206 feet below sea level in Union County to about 307 feet above sea level in Saline County. The potentiometric surface of the Sparta and Memphis aquifers contains cones of depression descending below sea level in the central and southern portions of the study area, and a potentiometric high along the western study area boundary. Major recharge areas exhibit potentiometric highs greater than 200 feet above sea level and specific conductance values less than 200 microsiemens per centimeter, and generally are located in the outcrop/subcrop areas on the southern one-third of the western boundary and the northern portion of the study area. The regional direction of ground-water flow is from the north and west to the south and east, away from the outcrop and subcrop and northern regions, except near areas affected by intense ground-water withdrawals; such areas are manifested by large cones of depression centered in Columbia, Jefferson, and Union Counties. The cones of depression in adjoining Columbia and Union Counties are coalescing at or near sea level. The lowest water level measured was about 206 feet below sea level in Union County. Increased specific conductance values were measured in the areas of the cones of depression in Columbia and Union Counties. The cones of depression centered in Jefferson County coincides with an elongate area where ground water in the aquifer has low specific conductance. This area extends eastward from the outcrop/subcrop region of recharge. This extension of ground water with low specific conductance possibly indicates increased ground-water movement to the east-southeast from the outcrop/subcrop area induced by ground- water withdrawals in Jefferson County. Specific conductance increases markedly to the northeast and gradually to the south of this area. Long-term hydrographs of eight wells in the study areas, during the period 1970-1995, reveal water-level declines ranging from less than 0.5 foot per year in Phillips County to more than 2.0 feet per year in Union County. Water-level declines of greater than 1.5 feet per year generally are associated with the cones of depression centered in Columbia, Jefferson, and Union Counties.

Projected change in East Asian summer monsoon by dynamic downscaling: Moisture budget analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jung, Chun-Yong; Shin, Ho-Jeong; Jang, Chan Joo; Kim, Hyung-Jin

2015-02-01

The summer monsoon considerably affects water resource and natural hazards including flood and drought in East Asia, one of the world's most densely populated area. In this study, we investigate future changes in summer precipitation over East Asia induced by global warming through dynamical downscaling with the Weather Research and Forecast model. We have selected a global model from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 based on an objective evaluation for East Asian summer monsoon and applied its climate change under Representative Concentration Pathway 4.5 scenario to a pseudo global warming method. Unlike the previous studies that focused on a qualitative description of projected precipitation changes over East Asia, this study tried to identify the physical causes of the precipitation changes by analyzing a local moisture budget. Projected changes in precipitation over the eastern foothills area of Tibetan Plateau including Sichuan Basin and Yangtze River displayed a contrasting pattern: a decrease in its northern area and an increase in its southern area. A local moisture budget analysis indicated the precipitation increase over the southern area can be mainly attributed to an increase in horizontal wind convergence and surface evaporation. On the other hand, the precipitation decrease over the northern area can be largely explained by horizontal advection of dry air from the northern continent and by divergent wind flow. Regional changes in future precipitation in East Asia are likely to be attributed to different mechanisms which can be better resolved by regional dynamical downscaling.

Study on induced strain in direct nanoimprint lithography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Watanabe, Kenta; Iida, Tatsuya; Yasuda, Masaaki; Kawata, Hiroaki; Hirai, Yoshihiko

2018-06-01

The induced shear strain distribution in a polymer film is investigated by computational study in a direct nanoimprint process. The effects of the polymer thickness, mold pattern shape such as rectangular, triangular or overcut pattern shape, and the coefficient of friction between the mold and the polymer are studied by computational work. As the coefficient of friction increases, the induced shear strain increases along the mold surface. Depending on the polymer thickness, the shear strain is induced in the residual and/or pattern area. In the triangular pattern, the strain is induced in the pattern central area. The results suggest that shear stress remains in the triangular pattern area in the direct nanoimprint process. On the other hand, the rectangular pattern is suitable for suppressing the induced strain inside the pattern.

Density-dependent effects of non-native brown trout Salmo trutta on the species-area relationship in stream fish assemblages.

PubMed

Hasegawa, K; Mori, T; Yamazaki, C

2017-01-01

The spatial scale and density-dependent effects of non-native brown trout Salmo trutta on species richness of fish assemblages were examined at 48 study sites in Mamachi Stream, a tributary of Chitose River, Hokkaido, Japan. The density of age ≥1 year S. trutta was high in the upstream side of the main stem of Mamachi Stream. Fish species richness increased with increasing area of study sites (habitat size), but the increasing magnitude of the species richness with area decreased with increasing age of ≥1 year S. trutta density. The relationships between age ≥1 year S. trutta, however, and presence-absence of each species seemed to be different among species. Species richness was also determined by location and physical environmental variables, i.e. it was high on the downstream side and in structurally complex environments. © 2016 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.

Study of landscape patterns of variation and optimization based on non-point source pollution control in an estuary.

PubMed

Jiang, Mengzhen; Chen, Haiying; Chen, Qinghui; Wu, Haiyan

2014-10-15

Appropriate increases in the "sink" of a landscape can reduce the risk of non-point source pollution (NPSP) to the sea at relatively lower costs and at a higher efficiency. Based on high-resolution remote sensing image data taken between 2003 and 2008, we analyzed the "source" and "sink" landscape pattern variations of nitrogen and phosphorus pollutants in the Jiulongjiang estuary region. The contribution to the sea and distribution of each pollutant in the region was calculated using the LCI and mGLCI models. The results indicated that an increased amount of pollutants was contributed to the sea, and the "source" area of the nitrogen NPSP in the study area increased by 32.75 km(2). We also propose a landscape pattern optimization to reduce pollution in the Jiulongjiang estuary in 2008 through the conversion of cultivated land with slopes greater than 15° and paddy fields near rivers, and an increase in mangrove areas. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Serologic evidence of canine parvovirus in domestic dogs, wild carnivores, and marsupials in the Argentinean Chaco.

PubMed

Orozco, María Marcela; Miccio, Luciano; Enriquez, Gustavo Fabián; Iribarren, Fabián Eduardo; Gürtler, Ricardo Esteban

2014-09-01

The transmission of pathogens between domestic dogs and generalist wildlife species may be modified by environmental degradation, biodiversity losses, host densities, and increased contact rates in remnant forest patches. A serologic survey of canine parvovirus (CPV) in rural domestic dogs and wild mammals was conducted in two neighboring rural areas (disturbed and protected) from Pampa del Indio, northeastern Argentina, between 2008 and 2011. A total of 174 domestic dogs and 26 wild mammals-4 crab-eating foxes (Cerdocyon thous), 3 crab-eating raccoons (Procyon cancrivorus), 17 white-eared opossums (Didelphis albiventris), and 2 gray four-eyed opossums (Philander opossum)-were examined for antibodies to CPV using a hemagglutination inhibition assay. Domestic dogs were numerous and their movements unrestricted. The main function of dogs differed significantly between areas, with more dogs used for herding or hunting around the protected area. The seroprevalence of antibodies to CPV in dogs from both areas was very high (93.9-94.6%) and increased steeply with age. Nearly all carnivores and marsupials showed high exposure to CPV. Although a higher exposure to CPV was expected in wild mammals from disturbed areas as a result of enhanced contact between dogs and wildlife, no significant differences were found between areas. To the authors' knowledge, this study is the first to document exposure to CPV of free-ranging Pr. cancrivorus, D. albiventris, and Ph. opossum, and include a detailed demographic study of the domestic dog populations living in the area. This study highlights that dogs and wildlife have potential opportunities for contact and shows that the edges of the protected area may be as suitable as other fragmented areas for the transmission of CPV. Rural domestic dogs may pose serious threats to the health and conservation of wild carnivores in both disturbed and protected areas, especially in the Gran Chaco, where habitat fragmentation is severely increasing.

Comparison of positive allergy skin tests among asthmatic children from rural and urban areas living within small geographic area.

PubMed

Bibi, Haim; Shoseyov, David; Feigenbaum, David; Nir, Pnina; Shiachi, Rosa; Scharff, Shimon; Peled, Ronit

2002-04-01

Evidence of increased asthma and allergic response among urban versus rural residents has been reported. To evaluate the prevalence of allergic response among asthmatic children from urban and rural areas living within close proximity. In all, 448 asthmatic children from urban (363) and rural (85) areas were studied. The study group consisted of 234 9-year-olds and 214 12-year-olds. A health questionnaire was completed on each child who subsequently underwent allergic skin prick tests (SPTs). There was significantly more positive SPT response to house-dust mite, mold, cat, and cypress among asthmatic children from urban areas compared with children living in rural areas: 58.3% versus 37.6%, 46.1% versus 31.8%, 17.45 versus 5.9%, and 26.2% versus 15.3%, respectively. Positive SPT for indoor allergens were significantly greater among asthmatic urban residents than asthmatic rural residents: 63.3% versus 45.5%, respectively (P < 0.02). Positive SPT response to all the allergens checked was higher among the 12-year-old age group when compared with the 9-year-olds, 34.6% versus 22.7%, respectively (P = 0.05). Allergic response measured by SPT is significantly more common among asthmatic children from urban areas as opposed to rural, even though both areas are within small distance of one another. Further, asthmatic children living in urban areas demonstrated more allergic response to both indoor and outdoor allergens. The allergic response tends to increase with increased age in both urban and rural asthmatic children.

A GIS Approach to Prioritizing Habitat for Restoration Using Neotropical Migrant Songbird Criteria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Holzmueller, Eric J.; Gaskins, Michael D.; Mangun, Jean C.

2011-07-01

Restoration efforts to increase wildlife habitat quality in agricultural landscapes have limited funding and are typically done on a first come, first serve basis. In order to increase the efficiency of these restoration efforts, a prioritized ranking system is needed to obtain the greatest increase in habitat quality possible for the fewest amount of hectares restored. This project examines the use of a GIS based multi-criteria approach to prioritize lands for reforestation along the Kaskaskia River in Illinois. Loss of forested area and corresponding increase in forest fragmentation has decreased songbird habitat quality across the Midwestern United States. We prioritized areas for reforestation based on nine landscape metrics: available agricultural land, forest cover gaps, edge density, proximity to river, 200 m corridor area, total forest core area, fringe core area, distance to primary core value, and primary core area. The multi-criteria analysis revealed that high priority areas for reforestation were most likely to be close to the riparian corridor and existing large blocks of forest. Analysis of simulated reforestation (0, 0.5, 1.0, 5.0 10.0, 25.0, and 50.0% of highest priority parcels reforested) revealed different responses for multiple landscape metrics used to quantify forest fragmentation following reforestation, but indicated that the study area would get the greatest rate of return on reforestation efforts by reforesting 10.0% of the highest priority areas. This project demonstrates how GIS and a multi-criteria analysis approach can be used to increase the efficiency of restoration projects. This approach should be considered by land managers when attempting to identify the location and quantity of area for restoration within a landscape.

A GIS approach to prioritizing habitat for restoration using neotropical migrant songbird criteria.

PubMed

Holzmueller, Eric J; Gaskins, Michael D; Mangun, Jean C

2011-07-01

Restoration efforts to increase wildlife habitat quality in agricultural landscapes have limited funding and are typically done on a first come, first serve basis. In order to increase the efficiency of these restoration efforts, a prioritized ranking system is needed to obtain the greatest increase in habitat quality possible for the fewest amount of hectares restored. This project examines the use of a GIS based multi-criteria approach to prioritize lands for reforestation along the Kaskaskia River in Illinois. Loss of forested area and corresponding increase in forest fragmentation has decreased songbird habitat quality across the Midwestern United States. We prioritized areas for reforestation based on nine landscape metrics: available agricultural land, forest cover gaps, edge density, proximity to river, 200 m corridor area, total forest core area, fringe core area, distance to primary core value, and primary core area. The multi-criteria analysis revealed that high priority areas for reforestation were most likely to be close to the riparian corridor and existing large blocks of forest. Analysis of simulated reforestation (0, 0.5, 1.0, 5.0 10.0, 25.0, and 50.0% of highest priority parcels reforested) revealed different responses for multiple landscape metrics used to quantify forest fragmentation following reforestation, but indicated that the study area would get the greatest rate of return on reforestation efforts by reforesting 10.0% of the highest priority areas. This project demonstrates how GIS and a multi-criteria analysis approach can be used to increase the efficiency of restoration projects. This approach should be considered by land managers when attempting to identify the location and quantity of area for restoration within a landscape.

An investigation of age and yield of fresh fruit bunches of oil palm based on ALOS PALSAR 2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Darmawan, S.; Takeuchi, W.; Haryati, A.; M, R. Najib A.; Na'aim, M.

2016-06-01

The objective on this study is to investigate age and yield of FFB of oil palms based on ALOS PALSAR 2. Study areas in oil palm plantations areas of Jerantut, Pahang Malaysia. Methodology consists collecting of ALOS PALSAR 2 and tabular data on the study area, processing of ALOS PALSAR 2 including of converting digital numbers to normalize radar cross sections (NRCS), topography correction and filtering, making of regions of interest according to areas of age and yield of FFB of oil palms and making of relationship analysis between backscatter value of HH, HV and age and yield of FFB of oil palm. The results have showed relationship between HH, HV and age of oil palm which R2 of 0.63 for HH and 0.42 for HV that indicated increasing of age of oil palm as increasing of HH and HV value. Also relationship between HH, HV and yield of FFB of oil palm which R2 of 0.26 for HH and 0.15 for HV, that indicated increasing of yield of FFB as decreasing of HH and HV value.

Outmigration patterns in development transition of rural areas.

PubMed

Kaistha, K C

1987-01-01

Using a broadened concept of migration, which includes circulatory migration and commuting, this paper maintains that the patterns of outmigration vary a great deal when the level of development of a rural area is treated as an independent variable. This study uses a stratified conditional sample of 192 households selected from 3 areas: 53 households from a low developed (LDL) area, 56 from a medium (MDL), and 83 from a high (HDL). Data were collected by personal observation, interview, and genealogical methods at both the household and individual level. The households are divided into 3 main categories: 1) non-migrating, 2) commuting only, and 3) migrating (which is further divided into migrating within and migrating outside the boundaries of the district). Results show that 1) 37.51% of household members neither commute nor have migrated outside the village; 2) using the narrow definition of migration, only 10% of males over age 15 migrate, while including commuting in the definition increases the percentage to 40; 3) proportions of non-migrating households decrease from 58.4% for the LDL, to 35.7% for the MDL, to 25.3% for the HDL area; 4) the proportion of commuting only households increases from 26.4% for the LDL, to 35.7% to the MDL, and 55.4% for the HDL area; 5) 15.2% of households in the LDL, 28.6% in the MDL, and 19.3% in the HDL area experience a permanent change in residence; 6) as development accelerates, the overall volume of outmigration increases; 7) the flow of migration from rural to rural areas is mostly limited to the MDL area, while cityward migration increasingly occurs on both LDL and HDL areas; 8) the median age of commuters increases with rising levels of development; and 9) almost all migrants from the LDL area are employed in low prestige occupations, most from the HDL area have higher prestige jobs, and those from the MDL area have both high and low prestige jobs.

Interactions between deep bedrock aquifers and surface water in function of recharge and topography: a numerical study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Goderniaux, P.; Davy, P.; Le Borgne, T.; Bresciani, E.; Jimenez-Martinez, J.

2011-12-01

In crystalline rock regions, such as Brittany (France), important reserves of groundwater into deep fractured aquifers are increasingly used and provide high quality water compared to shallow aquifers which can be subject to agricultural contamination. However, recharge processes of these deep aquifers and interactions with surface water are not yet fully understood. In some areas, intensive pumping is carried out without guarantee of the resource quantity and quality. Understanding these processes is crucial for sustainable management of the resource. In this study, we study how deep groundwater fluxes, pathways, ages, and river-aquifer interactions vary according to recharge. We assume that water flowing from the ground surface is distributed between shallow more permeable layers and deep layers. This repartition mostly depends on recharge rates. With high recharge, groundwater levels are high and subsurface streamlines are relatively short between recharge areas and existing draining rivers, which constitutes a very dense network. Therefore, most of the groundwater fluxes occur through the more permeable shallow layers. With low recharge, groundwater levels are lower, and river and shallow permeable levels are partly disconnected from each other. This induces a general increase of the groundwater streamlines length from the recharge areas to more sporadic discharge areas, and more fluxes occur through the deep layers. Recharge conditions and river-aquifer interactions have changed over the last thousands of years, due to change in precipitation, temperatures, existence of permafrost, etc. They have strongly influenced deep groundwater fluxes and can explain current groundwater age and flux distribution. To study these interactions, a regional-scale finite difference flow model was implemented. The model covers an area of 1400 km 2 , a depth of 1 km, and the topography is characteristic of Brittany. As rivers are mainly fed by groundwater drainage, seepages faces are used on the whole modelled area, so that the river network is not prescribed but dependent on simulated groundwater conditions. Different recharge conditions were tested (from 20 to 500 mm/yr). Results show that streamline lengths and groundwater ages have exponential distributions with characteristic lengths increasing with decreasing recharge. The total area of discharge zones decreases with recharge. Groundwater age is quite variable and increases with depth, but the variability is much more important in discharge areas than recharge areas. The proportion of groundwater discharge into the sea (compared to total recharge) increases when total recharge decreases. The model was also used to test the influence of heterogeneity or hydraulic conductivity contrast between shallow and deep layers on deep groundwater fluxes. In a completely homogeneous model, deep fluxes are correlated with recharge fluxes. Correlation decreases while contrast increases. If the permeability of the shallow weather zone is now 3 orders of magnitude larger than of deep aquifer, we observed that simulated deep groundwater fluxes increase locally, despite total recharge at the level of the ground surface decreases.

Can it be done? Implementing adolescent clinical preventive services.

PubMed Central

Ozer, E M; Adams, S H; Lustig, J L; Millstein, S G; Camfield, K; El-Diwany, S; Volpe, S; Irwin, C E

2001-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the implementation of an intervention to increase the delivery of adolescent preventive services within a large managed care organization. Target health areas were tobacco, alcohol, sexual behavior, and safety (seat belt and helmet use). DATA SOURCE/STUDY DESIGN: Adolescent reports of clinician screening and counseling were obtained from adolescents who attended well visits with their primary care providers. A prepost study design was used to evaluate the preventive services intervention. The intervention had three components: (1) 89 clinicians from three outpatient pediatric clinics attended a training to increase the delivery of preventive services; (2) customized adolescent screening and provider charting forms were integrated into the clinics; and (3) the resources of a health educator were provided to the clinics. DATA COLLECTION: Following a visit, adolescents completed surveys reporting on clinician screening and counseling for each of the target risk areas. Preimplementation (three months), 104 adolescents completed surveys. Postimplementation of the training, tools, and health educator intervention, 211 adolescents completed surveys (five months). For 18 months postimplementation clinicians delivered services and 998 adolescents completed surveys. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Chi-square analyses of changes in screening from preimplementation to postimplementation showed that screening increased in all areas (p < .000), with an average increase in screening rates from 47 percent to 94 percent. Postimplementation counseling in all areas also increased significantly, with an average increase in counseling rates from 39 percent to 91 percent. There were slight decreases in screening from postimplementation to follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: This study offers support for the efficacy of providing training, tools, and resources as a method for increasing preventive screening and counseling of adolescents across multiple risky health behaviors during a routine office visit. PMID:16148966

Senior Studies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sanfield, Ronald

This report describes and evaluates an adult education experiment for the elderly of the Uptown Model Cities area of Chicago. The purpose of the "Senior Studies" program was to increase opportunities for adult and continuing education for the older people of the area through the development of a curriculum that encompassed art, literature, music,…

DISTRIBUTION AND FREQUENCY OF CORAL DISEASES IN THE FLORIDA KEYS AND THE DRY TORTUGAS

EPA Science Inventory

Reports of coral diseases affecting reefs in the Western Atlantic have been increasing. Few studies have attempted to document the incidences of different coral diseases in a single geographic area. Most studies have focused on a single disease within a small geographic area. Thi...

Trends in the incidences of acute myocardial infarction in coastal and inland areas in Japan: The Yamagata AMI Registry.

PubMed

Wanezaki, Masahiro; Watanabe, Tetsu; Nishiyama, Satoshi; Hirayama, Atsushi; Arimoto, Takanori; Takahashi, Hiroki; Shishido, Tetsuro; Miyamoto, Takuya; Kawasaki, Ryo; Fukao, Akira; Kubota, Isao

2016-08-01

It has been reported that there are regional differences in the incidence of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in Japan. The purpose of this study was to investigate trends in regional differences in AMI incidence and dyslipidemia between coastal and inland areas. We investigated trends in AMI incidence and risk factors in 5325 first-ever AMI patients residing in a coastal area (n=1817), a rural inland area (n=1959), or an urban inland area (n=1549) for the periods 1994-2002, and 2003-2010, using data from the Yamagata AMI Registry. Patients in the coastal area were significantly older than those in rural and urban inland areas and had a lower prevalence of dyslipidemia. The age-adjusted incidence rate of AMI was significantly lower in coastal and rural inland areas patients than those from urban inland area (males: 43.3, 42.2, and 51.3/10(5) person-years; females: 17.4, 20.0, and 23.7/10(5) person-years, respectively) during 2 observation periods. Due to a large increase in AMI incidence in younger males of the coastal area and a decrease in AMI incidence in late elderly females of the urban inland area, no significant regional differences in the age-adjusted incidence rates of AMI were observed during the 2003-2010 period in both genders. The increase in AMI incidence in males in the coastal area was associated with an increasing prevalence of dyslipidemia. There were no longer any regional differences observed in AMI incidence, which was considered to be associated with increased dyslipidemia especially in the coastal area. Copyright © 2015 Japanese College of Cardiology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Spatial and Temporal Variations of Rice Paddy as Influenced by Climate Change in the Sanjiang Plain, Northeastern China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, J.; Liu, Q.; Ma, L.; Hou, S.; Tao, B.

2014-12-01

The Sanjiang Plain is located in the eastern part of Heilongjiang Province, Northeastern China, and represents one of major agricultural regions nationwide. Over past decades, this region has seen intensive cropland reclamation and a sharp shrinkage of natural vegetation and water bodies, driven by not only policy-making and economic development, but also a warming climate. However, it still remains unclear how climate change has influenced the magnitude and spatial patterns of land use changes. In this study, we examined spatial and temporal variations of rice paddy planting area during 1980-2008 through an integration of the remote-sensing images, the census data, and other existing land use/cover data sets. The daily gridded climate data sets were generated by using an interpolation method of thin plate smoothing splines, based on observations from over 70 meteorological stations across the study area. Our results suggest that the rice paddy planting area increased by more than 10-fold during 1980-2008, with more obvious upward trends during two sub-periods, i.e. 1995-1998 and 2004-2008. Further analyses indicated that the rice paddy planting area accounted for approximately 20.3% of total cropland area in 2008, increasing more than seven-fold as compared to 1980. When investigating spatially, we found that the planting boundary of rice paddy expanded northward for roughly 2 degree, comparing to 1984 when most of rice paddies were found in the north of the 48o N. Most of increases of rice paddy planting area occurred in the northeast of the study region. The climate analyses showed a significant warming trend, with a slightly decrease in precipitation. During the study period, the suitable areas for rice production increased about 25% and expanded northward clearly. Our study demonstrated how climate change influenced the magnitude and spatial patterns of rice paddy planting area in the Sanjiang Plain, which could provide scientific information for the environmental assessment and related policy-making. It implies that climate change could result in substantial land use/cover changes through climate adaption strategies that humans adopted. While, how to compromise those adaption strategies and environmental sustainability (e.g., preserving water resources and biodiversity) need further invstigation.

The impacts of climate change on irrigation and crop production in Northeast China and implications for energy use and GHG Emission

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yan, Tingting; Wang, Jinxia; Huang, Jikun; Xie, Wei; Zhu, Tingju

2018-06-01

The water-food-energy-GHG nexus under climate change has been gaining increasing attention from both the research and policy communities, especially over the past several years. However, most existing nexus studies are qualitative and explorative in nature. So far, very few studies provide integrated analysis of this nexus across all the four sectors. The purpose of this paper is to examine this nexus by assessing the effects of climate change on agricultural production through the change in water availability, evaluating the adjustment responses and resulting energy consumption and GHG emission, with the Northeast China as a case study. Based on our simulation results, by 2030, climate change is projected to increase water supply and demand gap for irrigation in Northeast China. Due to the increase in water scarcity, irrigated areas will decrease, and the cropping pattern will be adjusted by increasing maize sown areas and decreasing rice sown areas. As a result, the total output of crops and profits will clearly be reduced. Finally, energy consumption and GHG emission from irrigation will be reduced. This study suggests that climate change impact assessment fully consider the nexus among water, food, energy and GHG; however, more studies need to be conducted in the future.

[Spatiotemporal differentiation of construction land expansion in a typical town of south Jiangsu Province].

PubMed

Zhou, Rui; Li, Yue-hui; Hu, Yuan-man; Su, Hai-long; Wang, Jin-nian

2011-03-01

Choosing Xinzhuang Town in south Jiangsu Province as study area, and by using 1980, 1991, 2001, and 2009 high-resolution remote sensing images and GIS spatial analysis technology, an integrated expansion degree index model was established based on the existing indicators of construction land expansion, and the general and spatiotemporal differentiation characteristics of construction land expansion in the Town in three time periods of 1980-2009 were quantitatively analyzed. In 1980-2009, with the acceleration of rural urbanization and industrialization, the area of construction land in the Town increased significantly by 19.24 km2, and especially in 2001-2009, the expanded area, expanded contribution rate, and expansion intensity reached the maximum. The construction land expansion had an obvious spatial differentiation characteristic. In 1980-1991, the newly increased construction land mainly concentrated in town area. After 1991, the focus of construction land gradually spread to the villages with developed industries. Most of the increased construction lands were converted from paddy field and dry land, accounting for 88.1% of the total increased area, while the contribution from other land types was relatively small.

Traumatic stress: effects on the brain

PubMed Central

Bremner, J. Douglas

2006-01-01

Brain areas implicated in the stress response include the amygdala, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex. Traumatic stress can be associated with lasting changes in these brain areas. Traumatic stress is associated with increased cortisol and norepinephrine responses to subsequent stressors. Antidepressants have effets on the hippocampus that counteract the effects of stress. Findings from animal studies have been extended to patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) showing smaller hippocampal and anterior cingulate volumes, increased amygdala function, and decreased medial prefrontal/anterior cingulate function. In addition, patients with PTSD show increased cortisol and norepinephrine responses to stress. Treatments that are efficacious for PTSD show a promotion of neurogenesis in animal studies, as well as promotion of memory and increased hippocampal volume in PTSD. PMID:17290802

Effect modification of the association between short-term meteorological factors and mortality by urban heat islands in Hong Kong.

PubMed

Goggins, William B; Chan, Emily Y Y; Ng, Edward; Ren, Chao; Chen, Liang

2012-01-01

Prior studies from around the world have indicated that very high temperatures tend to increase summertime mortality. However possible effect modification by urban micro heat islands has only been examined by a few studies in North America and Europe. This study examined whether daily mortality in micro heat island areas of Hong Kong was more sensitive to short term changes in meteorological conditions than in other areas. An urban heat island index (UHII) was calculated for each of Hong Kong's 248 geographical tertiary planning units (TPU). Daily counts of all natural deaths among Hong Kong residents were stratified according to whether the place of residence of the decedent was in a TPU with high (above the median) or low UHII. Poisson Generalized Additive Models (GAMs) were used to estimate the association between meteorological variables and mortality while adjusting for trend, seasonality, pollutants and flu epidemics. Analyses were restricted to the hot season (June-September). Mean temperatures (lags 0-4) above 29 °C and low mean wind speeds (lags 0-4) were significantly associated with higher daily mortality and these associations were stronger in areas with high UHII. A 1 °C rise above 29 °C was associated with a 4.1% (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.7%, 7.6%) increase in natural mortality in areas with high UHII but only a 0.7% (95% CI: -2.4%, 3.9%) increase in low UHII areas. Lower mean wind speeds (5(th) percentile vs. 95(th) percentile) were associated with a 5.7% (95% CI: 2.7, 8.9) mortality increase in high UHII areas vs. a -0.3% (95% CI: -3.2%, 2.6%) change in low UHII areas. The results suggest that urban micro heat islands exacerbate the negative health consequences of high temperatures and low wind speeds. Urban planning measures designed to mitigate heat island effects may lessen the health effects of unfavorable summertime meteorological conditions.

Assessment of sea water inundation along Daboo creek area in Indus Delta Region, Pakistan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zia, Ibrahim; Zafar, Hina; Shahzad, Muhammad I.; Meraj, Mohsin; Kazmi, Jamil H.

2017-12-01

Indus Deltaic Region (IDR) in Pakistan is an erosion vulnerable coast due to the high deep water wave energy. Livelihood of millions of people depends on the fisheries and mangrove forests in IDR. IDR consists of many creeks where Daboo is a major creek located at southeast of the largest city of Pakistan, Karachi. Unfortunately, there has been no detailed study to analyze the damages of sea water intrusion at a large temporal and spatial scale. Therefore, this study is designed to estimate the effects of sea water inundation based on changing sea water surface salinity and sea surface temperature (SST). Sea surface salinity and SST data from two different surveys in Daboo creek during 1986 and 2010 are analyzed to estimate the damages and extent of sea water intrusion. Mean salinity has increased 33.33% whereas mean SST decreased 13.79% from 1987 to 2010. Spatio-temporal analysis of creek area using LANDSAT 5 Thematic mapper (TM) data for the years 1987 and 2010 shows significant amount of erosion at macro scale. Creek area has increased approximately 9.93% (260.86 m2 per year) which is roughly equal to 60 extensive sized shrimp farms. Further Land Use Land Cover (LULC) analyses for years 2001 and 2014 using LANDSAT 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) has indicated 42.3% decrease in cultivated land. Wet mud flats have spread out at the inner mouth of creek with enormous increase of 123.3%. Significant sea water intrusion has increased the area of barren land by 37.9%. This also resulted in overall decrease of 6.7% in area covered by mangroves. Therefore, this study recorded a significant evidence of sea water intrusion in IDR that has caused serious damages to community living in the area, economical losses. Additionally, it has also changed the environment by reducing creek biological productivity as reported by earlier studies over other regions of the world.

Association between environmental exposure to pesticides and neurodegenerative diseases

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

Parron, Tesifon; Andalusian Council of Health at Almeria province, Almeria; Requena, Mar

Preliminary studies have shown associations between chronic pesticide exposure in occupational settings and neurological disorders. However, data on the effects of long-term non-occupational exposures are too sparse to allow any conclusions. This study examines the influence of environmental pesticide exposure on a number of neuropsychiatric conditions and discusses their underlying pathologic mechanisms. An ecological study was conducted using averaged prevalence rates of Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, cerebral degeneration, polyneuropathies, affective psychosis and suicide attempts in selected Andalusian health districts categorized into areas of high and low environmental pesticide exposure based on the number of hectares devoted to intensivemore » agriculture and pesticide sales per capita. A total of 17,429 cases were collected from computerized hospital records (minimum dataset) between 1998 and 2005. Prevalence rates and the risk of having Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis and suicide were significantly higher in districts with greater pesticide use as compared to those with lower pesticide use. The multivariate analyses showed that the population living in areas with high pesticide use had an increased risk for Alzheimer's disease and suicide attempts and that males living in these areas had increased risks for polyneuropathies, affective disorders and suicide attempts. In conclusion, this study supports and extends previous findings and provides an indication that environmental exposure to pesticides may affect the human health by increasing the incidence of certain neurological disorders at the level of the general population. -- Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Environmental exposure to pesticides and neurodegenerative-psychiatric disorders. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Increased risk for Alzheimer's disease and suicide attempts in high exposure areas. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Males from areas with high pesticide exposure had a higher risk of polyneuropathy. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Males from high exposure areas had a higher risk of affective psychosis and suicide. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Nerve tissue degeneration due to oxidative damage may underlie the pathomechanism.« less

Use of conventional tomography to evaluate changes in the nasal cavity with rapid palatal expansion.

PubMed

Palaisa, Jacqueline; Ngan, Peter; Martin, Chris; Razmus, Thomas

2007-10-01

The relationship between nasal airway resistance and the use of rapid palatal expansion appliances remains controversial. The purpose of this study was to use conventional tomography to determine the anatomical changes in the nasal cavity after maxillary expansion. Nineteen patients (aged 8-15 years) were included in the study. Tomograms were taken before expansion (T1), immediately after expansion (T2), and 3 months after expansion (T3). Areas for the left and right anterior, middle, and posterior nasal cavity and total volume were calculated by using the computer software, AutoCAD LT 2005. Data were analyzed with paired t tests. Significant increases in area were found in the anterior nasal cavity from T1 to T2 (0.85 +/- 1.19 cm2, 11.7% increase), T2 to T3 (1.18 +/- 1.2 cm2, 22.2% increase), and T1 to T3 (2.6 +/- 1.7 cm2, 35.7% increase) (P <.05). Similar increases were found in the middle and posterior nasal cavity. Significant increases in volume were found from T1 to T2 (2.1 +/- 2.7 cm3, 10.7% increase), T2 to T3 (4.9 +/- 2.3 cm3, 22.6% increase), and T1 to T3 (6.99 +/- 2.45 cm3, 27.8% increase). No significant differences were found in the area or the volume of the left and right sides of the nasal cavity. Individual variations in response to maxillary expansion were large for most of the parameters tested. These data suggest that rapid palatal expansion is usually accompanied by increases in area and volume of the nasal cavity, and these changes remain stable 3 months after maxillary expansion.

Deployment Area Selection and Land Withdrawal/Acquisition. Chapter 4. M-X/MPS (M-X/Multiple Protective Shelter). Volume 1. Environmental Consequences to the Study Regions and Operating Base Vicinities.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-10-02

to the point of energy imbalance and declining reproductive rates. Increased human population would also increase poaching of pronghorn in areas...reduced. Such effects, however, could be mitigated as discussed below and in ETR-38. Increased human activity, including poaching , harassment, habitat...when intense activity would be widespread in their habitat. Mortality resulting from habitat loss and poaching would decrease herd size during 4-205 4

Sharp-Tailed Grouse Nest Survival and Nest Predator Habitat Use in North Dakota's Bakken Oil Field.

PubMed

Burr, Paul C; Robinson, Aaron C; Larsen, Randy T; Newman, Robert A; Ellis-Felege, Susan N

2017-01-01

Recent advancements in extraction technologies have resulted in rapid increases of gas and oil development across the United States and specifically in western North Dakota. This expansion of energy development has unknown influences on local wildlife populations and the ecological interactions within and among species. Our objectives for this study were to evaluate nest success and nest predator dynamics of sharp-tailed grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus) in two study sites that represented areas of high and low energy development intensities in North Dakota. During the summers of 2012 and 2013, we monitored 163 grouse nests using radio telemetry. Of these, 90 nests also were monitored using miniature cameras to accurately determine nest fates and identify nest predators. We simultaneously conducted predator surveys using camera scent stations and occupancy modeling to estimate nest predator occurrence at each site. American badgers (Taxidea taxus) and striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis) were the primary nest predators, accounting for 56.7% of all video recorded nest depredations. Nests in our high intensity gas and oil area were 1.95 times more likely to succeed compared to our minimal intensity area. Camera monitored nests were 2.03 times more likely to succeed than non-camera monitored nests. Occupancy of mammalian nest predators was 6.9 times more likely in our study area of minimal gas and oil intensity compared to the high intensity area. Although only a correlative study, our results suggest energy development may alter the predator community, thereby increasing nest success for sharp-tailed grouse in areas of intense development, while adjacent areas may have increased predator occurrence and reduced nest success. Our study illustrates the potential influences of energy development on the nest predator-prey dynamics of sharp-tailed grouse in western North Dakota and the complexity of evaluating such impacts on wildlife.

Carbon dioxide emission and bio-capacity indexing for transportation activities: A methodological development in determining the sustainability of vehicular transportation systems.

PubMed

Labib, S M; Neema, Meher Nigar; Rahaman, Zahidur; Patwary, Shahadath Hossain; Shakil, Shahadat Hossain

2018-06-09

CO 2 emissions from urban traffic are a major concern in an era of increasing ecological disequilibrium. Adding to the problem net CO 2 emissions in urban settings are worsened due to the decline of bio-productive areas in many cities. This decline exacerbates the lack of capacity to sequestrate CO 2 at the micro and meso-scales resulting in increased temperatures and decreased air quality within city boundaries. Various transportation and environmental strategies have been implemented to address traffic related CO 2 emissions, however current literature identifies difficulties in pinpointing these critical areas of maximal net emissions in urban transport networks. This study attempts to close this gap in the literature by creating a new lay-person friendly index that combines CO 2 emissions from vehicles and the bio-capacity of specific traffic zones to identify these areas at the meso-scale within four ranges of values with the lowest index values representing the highest net CO 2 levels. The study used traffic volume, fuel types, and vehicular travel distance to estimate CO 2 emissions at major links in Dhaka, Bangladesh's capital city's transportation network. Additionally, using remote-sensing tools, adjacent bio-productive areas were identified and their bio-capacity for CO 2 sequestration estimated. The bio-productive areas were correlated with each traffic zone under study resulting in an Emission Bio-Capacity index (EBI) value estimate for each traffic node. Among the ten studied nodes in Dhaka City, nine had very low EBI values, correlating to very high CO 2 emissions and low bio-capacity. As a result, the study considered these areas unsustainable as traffic nodes going forward. Key reasons for unsustainability included increasing use of motorized traffic, absence of optimized signal systems, inadequate public transit options, disincentives for fuel free transport (FFT), and a decline in bio-productive areas. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Association of Long-term Proton Pump Inhibitor Therapy with Bone Fractures and effects on Absorption of Calcium, Vitamin B12, Iron, and Magnesium

PubMed Central

Ito, Tetsuhide; Jensen, Robert T.

2010-01-01

Proton pump inhibitors (PPI) are now one of the most widely used classes of drugs. PPIs have proven to have a very favorable safety profile and it is unusual for a patient to stop these drugs because of side effects. However, increasing numbers of patients are chronically taking PPIs for gastroesophageal reflux disease and a number of other common persistent conditions, therefore the long-term potential adverse effects are receiving increasing attention. One area that is receiving much attention and generally has been poorly studied, is the long-term effects of chronic acid suppression on the absorption of vitamins and nutrients. This area has received increased attention because of the reported potential adverse effect of chronic PPI treatment leading to an increased occurrence of bone fractures. This has led to an increased examination of the effects of PPIs on calcium absorption/metabolism as well as numerous cohort, case control and prospective studies of their ability to affect bone density and cause bone fractures. In this article these studies are systematically examined, as well as the studies of the effects of chronic PPI usage on VB12, iron and magnesium absorption. In general the studies in each of thee areas have led to differing conclusions, but when examined systematically, a number of the studies are showing consistent results that support the conclusion that long-term adverse effects on these processes can have important clinical implications. PMID:20882439

Training of the executive component of working memory: subcortical areas mediate transfer effects.

PubMed

Dahlin, Erika; Bäckman, Lars; Neely, Anna Stigsdotter; Nyberg, Lars

2009-01-01

Several recent studies show that training can improve working memory (WM) performance. In this review, many issues related to WM training, such as neural basis, transfer effects, and age-related changes are addressed. We focus on our own studies investigating training on tasks taxing the executive updating function and discuss our findings in relation to results from other studies investigating training of the executive component of WM. The review confirms positive behavioral effects of training on working memory. The most common neural pattern following training is fronto-parietal activity decreases. Increases in sub-cortical areas are also frequently reported after training, and we suggest that such increases indicate changes in the underlying skill following training. Transfer effects are in general difficult to demonstrate. Some studies show that older adults increase their performance after WM training. However, transfer effects are small or nonexistent in old age. The main finding in this review is that sub-cortical areas seem to have a critical role in mediating transfer effects to untrained tasks after at least some forms of working memory training (such as updating).

Analysis of the spatial-temporal change of the vegetation index in the upper reach of Han River Basin in 2000-2016

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luan, Jinkai; Liu, Dengfeng; Zhang, Lianpeng; Huang, Qiang; Feng, Jiuliang; Lin, Mu; Li, Guobao

2018-06-01

Han River is the water source region of the middle route of South-to-North Water Diversion in China and the ecological projects were implemented since many years ago. In order to monitor the change of vegetation in Han River and evaluate the effect of ecological projects, it is needed to reveal the spatial-temporal change of the vegetation in the upper reach of Han River quantitatively. The study is based on MODIS/Terra NDVI remote sensing data, and analyzes the spatial-temporal changes of the NDVI in August from 2000 to 2016 at pixel scale in the upper reach of Han River Basin. The results show that, the area with increasing NDVI between 0 and 0.005 per year accounts for 62.07 % of the area of upper reach of Han River Basin, and the area with changing rate between -0.005 and 0 per year accounts for 26.65 % of the research area. The area with significant decreasing trend only accounts for 2.76 %, while area significant increasing trend accounts for 13.47 %, and the area with increasing NDVI is much larger than the area with reducing NDVI. The vegetation index of each county is evaluated and found that, the areal proportion with significant decreasing trend in Hantai is the biggest, reaching 35.57 %. The areal proportion with significant increasing trend in Zhenba County, Ziyang County, Xunyang County, Zhashui County, Shangzhou District, Shanyang County and Yun County is larger than the others, and the areal proportions are more than 20 %. The largest areal proportion with significant increasing trend is in Shangzhou District and it reaches 31.11 %. On the whole, the area ratio in all districts and counties with increasing NDVI is much larger than the area ratio with decreasing NDVI.

Factors associated with persons with disability employment in India: a cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Naraharisetti, Ramya; Castro, Marcia C

2016-10-07

Over twenty million persons with disability in India are increasingly being offered poverty alleviation strategies, including employment programs. This study employs a spatial analytic approach to identify correlates of employment among persons with disability in India, considering sight, speech, hearing, movement, and mental disabilities. Based on 2001 Census data, this study utilizes linear regression and spatial autoregressive models to identify factors associated with the proportion employed among persons with disability at the district level. Models stratified by rural and urban areas were also considered. Spatial autoregressive models revealed that different factors contribute to employment of persons with disability in rural and urban areas. In rural areas, having mental disability decreased the likelihood of employment, while being female and having movement, or sight impairment (compared to other disabilities) increased the likelihood of employment. In urban areas, being female and illiterate decreased the likelihood of employment but having sight, mental and movement impairment (compared to other disabilities) increased the likelihood of employment. Poverty alleviation programs designed for persons with disability in India should account for differences in employment by disability types and should be spatially targeted. Since persons with disability in rural and urban areas have different factors contributing to their employment, it is vital that government and service-planning organizations account for these differences when creating programs aimed at livelihood development.

Enhanced Area of Secondary Hyperalgesia in Women with Multiple Stressful Life Events: A Pilot Study.

PubMed

You, Dokyoung S; Creech, Suzannah K; Meagher, Mary W

2016-10-01

Stressful life events are associated with increased pain severity and chronicity. However, the mechanism underlying this association remains disputed. Recent animal studies suggest that chronic stress increases pain sensitivity and persistence by enhancing peripheral and central sensitization mechanisms. To test this hypothesis in humans, the authors examined whether sensitization is enhanced in healthy women reporting more stressful life events using the topical capsaicin test. Thirty-two healthy young women reporting varying levels of stressful life events were invited for laboratory pain testing. Capsaicin was applied topically to the volar forearm. Measurements included capsaicin-induced spontaneous pain and area of secondary hyperalgesia in the region surrounding capsaicin application. Physiological (heart rate and skin conductance) and self-reported affective (emotional valence and arousal) states were also measured. The results indicate that more stressful life events predicted a linear increase in the area of secondary hyperalgesia (β = 0.40, p = 0.023, R 2 = 0.16), but not the intensity of secondary hyperalgesia nor capsaicin-induced spontaneous pain. These findings suggest that life stressors may be associated with heightened central sensitization manifested by an increased area of secondary hyperalgesia. Additionally, life stressors were related to greater sympathetic cardiac, but not to affective responses to capsaicin-induced pain. This study shows that women reporting more stressful life events show a larger area of secondary mechanical hyperalgesia. These preliminary findings suggest that life stressors may facilitate pain processing by enhancing central sensitization. © 2016 American Academy of Pain Medicine. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Assessing the role of the medial preoptic area in ethanol-induced hypothermia.

PubMed

Westerman, Ashley T; Roma, Peter G; Price, Rebecca C; Dominguez, Juan M

2010-05-07

Administration of ethanol produces hypothermia. The preoptic area/anterior hypothalamus (POA/AH) contains warm- and cold-sensitive neurons that are important for temperature regulation. The present study evaluated the effect of ethanol on Fos immunoreactivity (Fos-ir) in the medial preoptic area (MPOA) and the effect of lesions to the MPOA on ethanol-induced hypothermia. Rats receiving 1.5-g/kg ethanol showed an increase in Fos-ir in the MPOA. However, lesions to the MPOA did not affect core body temperature. These findings indicate that ethanol increases neural activity in the MPOA, but this increased activity does not influence ethanol-induced changes in core body temperature. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Leaf area compounds height-related hydraulic costs of water transport in Oregon White Oak trees.

Treesearch

N. Phillips; B. J. Bond; N. G. McDowell; Michael G. Ryan; A. Schauer

2003-01-01

The ratio of leaf to sapwood area generally decreases with tree size, presumably to moderate hydraulic costs of tree height. This study assessed consequences of tree size and leaf area on water flux in Quercus garryana Dougl. ex. Hook (Oregon White Oak), a species in which leaf to sapwood area ratio increases with tree size. We tested hypotheses that...

Spatial distribution of temperature trends and extremes over Maharashtra and Karnataka States of India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dhorde, Amit G.; Korade, Mahendra S.; Dhorde, Anargha A.

2017-10-01

Earth surface temperatures are changing worldwide together with the changes in the extreme temperatures. The present study investigates trends and variations of monthly maximum and minimum temperatures and their effects on seasonal fluctuations at different climatological stations of Maharashtra and Karnataka states of India. Trend analysis was performed on annual and seasonal mean maximum temperature (TMAX) and mean minimum temperature (TMIN) for the period 1969 to 2006. During the last 38 years, an increase in annual TMAX and TMIN has occurred. At most of the locations, the increase in TMAX was faster than the TMIN, resulting in an increase in diurnal temperature range. At the same time, annual mean temperature (TM) showed a significant increase over the study area. Percentiles were used to identify extreme temperature indices. An increase in occurrence of warm extremes was observed at southern locations, and cold extremes increased over the central and northeastern part of the study area. Occurrences of cold wave conditions have decreased rapidly compared to heat wave conditions.

An analysis of sitting areas and pressures of man.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1962-01-01

Studies of sitting area on a plane rigid surface for a group of 104 male subjects were made. Area was found to vary with height and weight and to increase with age up to 40 years after which there is a steady decline. Means were 179.4 sq. in. for are...

Retrofitting the suburbs to increase walking: evidence from a land-use-travel study.

PubMed

Boarnet, Marlon G; Joh, Kenneth; Siembab, Walter; Fulton, William; Nguyen, Mai Thi

2011-01-01

This paper reports results from a detailed travel diary survey of 2125 residents in the South Bay area of Los Angeles County - a mature, auto-oriented suburban region. Study areas were divided into four centres, typical of compact development or smart growth, and four linear, auto-oriented corridors. Results show substantial variation in the amount of walking across study areas. Trips are shorter and more likely to be via walking in centres. A key to the centres' increased walking travel is the concentration of local shopping and service destinations in a commercial core. Yet the amount of business concentration that is associated with highly pedestrian-oriented neighbourhoods is from three to four times as large as what can be supported by the local resident base, suggesting that pedestrian-oriented neighbourhoods necessarily import shopping trips, and hence driving trips, from larger surrounding catchment areas. The results suggest both land use and mobility strategies that can be appropriate for suburban regions.

A Study on the Land Use Characteristics of Urban Medium and Small stream Depending on the Width of stream

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seok, Song Young; Ho, Song Yang; Ho, Lee Jung; Moo Jong, Park

2015-04-01

Due to the increase of impervious layers caused by increased rainfall and urbanization which were brought about by the climate change after the late 1990s, the flood damage in urban watersheds is rising. The recent flood damage is occurring in medium and small stream rather than in large stream. Particularly, in medium stream which pass the cities, sudden flood occurs due to the short concentration of rainfall and urban areas suffer large damage, even though the flood damage is small, since residential areas and social infrastructures are concentrated. In spite of the importance of medium and small stream to pass the cities, there is no certain standard for classification of natural or urban stream and existing studies are mostly focused on the impervious area among the land use characteristics of watersheds. Most of existing river studies are based on the watershed scale, but in most urban watersheds where stream pass, urban areas are concentrated in the confluence, so urban areas only occupy less than 10% of the whole watershed and there is a high uncertainty in the classification of urban areas, based the watershed of stream. This study aims to suggest a classification standard of medium and small stream between local stream and small stream where suffer flood damage. According to the classified medium and small stream, this study analyzed the stream area to the stream width and distance using Arcgis Buffer tool, based on the stream line, not the existing watershed scale. This study then chose urban watersheds by analyzing the river area at certain intervals from the center of the chosen medium and small stream, in different ways. Among the land use characteristics in urban areas, the impervious area was applied to the selection standard of urban watersheds and the characteristics of urban watersheds were presented by calculating the ratio of the stream area to the impervious area using the Buffer tool. Acknowledgement "This research was supported by a grant [NEMA-NH-2011-45] from the Natural Hazard Mitigation Research Group, National Emergency Management Agency of Korea." Keywords: land use, urban watershed, medium and smaill stream, impervious area

The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness: Examining changes in use, users, and management challenges

Treesearch

Robert G. Dvorak; Alan E. Watson; Neal Christensen; William T. Borrie; Ann Schwaller

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study was to determine trends in use and user characteristics at the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Based on data from 1969, 1991, and 2007, the average age of visitors has increased significantly, education levels have increased, and visitors remain predominantly male. Visitors in 2007 report seeing twice as many groups since 1961 and 1991...

Contact mechanics of reverse total shoulder arthroplasty during abduction: the effect of neck-shaft angle, humeral cup depth, and glenosphere diameter.

PubMed

Langohr, G Daniel G; Willing, Ryan; Medley, John B; Athwal, George S; Johnson, James A

2016-04-01

Implant design parameters can be changed during reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA) to improve range of motion and stability; however, little is known regarding their impact on articular contact mechanics. The purpose of this finite element study was to investigate RSA contact mechanics during abduction for different neck-shaft angles, glenosphere sizes, and polyethylene cup depths. Finite element RSA models with varying neck-shaft angles (155°, 145°, 135°), sizes (38 mm, 42 mm), and cup depths (deep, normal, shallow) were loaded with 400 N at physiological abduction angles. The contact area and maximum contact stress were computed. The contact patch and the location of maximum contact stress were typically located inferomedially in the polyethylene cup. On average for all abduction angles investigated, reducing the neck-shaft angle reduced the contact area by 29% for 155° to 145° and by 59% for 155° to 135° and increased maximum contact stress by 71% for 155° to 145° and by 286% for 155° to 135°. Increasing the glenosphere size increased the contact area by 12% but only decreased maximum contact stress by 2%. Decreasing the cup depth reduced the contact area by 40% and increased maximum contact stress by 81%, whereas increasing the depth produced the opposite effect (+52% and -36%, respectively). The location of the contact patch and maximum contact stress in this study matches the area of damage seen frequently on clinical retrievals. This finding suggests that damage to the inferior cup due to notching may be potentiated by contact stresses. Increasing the glenosphere diameter improved the joint contact area and did not affect maximum contact stress. However, although reducing the neck-shaft angle and cup depth can improve range of motion, our study shows that this also has some negative effects on RSA contact mechanics, particularly when combined. Copyright © 2016 Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery Board of Trustees. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Metropolitan area racial residential segregation, neighborhood racial composition, and breast cancer mortality.

PubMed

Russell, Emily F; Kramer, Michael R; Cooper, Hannah L F; Gabram-Mendola, Sheryl; Senior-Crosby, Diana; Jacob Arriola, Kimberly R

2012-09-01

There are significant relationships between racial residential segregation (RRS) and a range of health outcomes, including cancer-related outcomes. This study explores the contribution of metropolitan area RRS, census tract racial composition and breast cancer and all-cause mortality among black and white breast cancer patients. This study has three units of analysis: women diagnosed with breast cancer (n = 22,088), census tracts where they lived at diagnosis (n = 1,373), and the metropolitan statistical area (MSA)/micropolitan statistical area (MiSA) where they lived at diagnosis (n = 37). Neighborhood racial composition was measured as the percent of black residents in the census tract. Metropolitan area RRS was measured using the Information Theory Index. Multilevel Cox proportional hazards models examined the association of metropolitan area RRS and census tract racial composition with breast cancer and all-cause mortality. Survival analysis explored and compared the risk of death in women exposed to environments where a higher and lower proportion of residents were black. Breast cancer mortality disparities were largest in racially mixed tracts located in high MSA/MiSA segregation areas (RR = 2.06, 95 % CI 1.70, 2.50). For black but not white women, as MSA/MiSA RRS increased, there was an increased risk for breast cancer mortality (HR = 2.20, 95 % CI 1.09, 4.45). For all-cause mortality, MSA/MiSA segregation was not a significant predictor, but increasing tract percent black was associated with increased risk for white but not black women (HR 1.29, 95 % CI 1.05, 1.58). Racial residential segregation may influence health for blacks and whites differently. Pathways through which RRS patterns impact health should be further explored.

Water resources of the Park City area, Utah, with emphasis on ground water

USGS Publications Warehouse

Holmes, Walter F.; Thompson, Kendall R.; Enright, Michael

1986-01-01

The Park City area is a rapidly growing residential and recreational area about 30 miles east of Sal t Lake City (fig. 1). The area of study is about 140 square miles in which the principle industries are agriculture, skiing, and other recreational activities. The area once was a major lead- and silver-mining district, but no mines were active in 1984. A resumption in mining activity, however, could take place with an increase in the price of metals.The population of the Park City area is expected to increase rapidly in the near future; and the provision of an adequate water supply for the growing population, while avoiding harmful affects of development, is a major concern for local municipalities, developers, and the Utah Division of Water Rights. In addition, agricultural interests in and below the area are concerned about the effects of increased ground-water withdrawals on streamflow, which is fully appropriated by downstream users. The area also contains the proposed site for the Jordanelle dam, a part of the Bonneville unit of the central Utah Project. The damsite is near an historic mining area; and mining companies are concerned that if mining is resumed, the reservoir may create some additional dewatering problems in the mines.

Using endemic road features to create self-explaining roads and reduce vehicle speeds.

PubMed

Charlton, Samuel G; Mackie, Hamish W; Baas, Peter H; Hay, Karen; Menezes, Miguel; Dixon, Claire

2010-11-01

This paper describes a project undertaken to establish a self-explaining roads (SER) design programme on existing streets in an urban area. The methodology focussed on developing a process to identify functional road categories and designs based on endemic road characteristics taken from functional exemplars in the study area. The study area was divided into two sections, one to receive SER treatments designed to maximise visual differences between road categories, and a matched control area to remain untreated for purposes of comparison. The SER design for local roads included increased landscaping and community islands to limit forward visibility, and removal of road markings to create a visually distinct road environment. In comparison, roads categorised as collectors received increased delineation, addition of cycle lanes, and improved amenity for pedestrians. Speed data collected 3 months after implementation showed a significant reduction in vehicle speeds on local roads and increased homogeneity of speeds on both local and collector roads. The objective speed data, combined with residents' speed choice ratings, indicated that the project was successful in creating two discriminably different road categories. 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Trends in thoracic radiology over a decade at a large academic medical center.

PubMed

Wittram, Conrad; Meehan, Margaret J; Halpern, Elkan F; Shepard, Jo-Anne O; McLoud, Theresa C; Thrall, James H

2004-07-01

To investigate thoracic radiology usage over and above the secular trends associated with hospital-wide changes in the number of patients over a decade. We retrospectively reviewed administrative data from our 905-bed tertiary-care hospital between January 1, 1992, to December 31, 2001. Three points of entry to the radiology department were identified: inpatient (IP), outpatient (OP), and the emergency room (ER). The total numbers of patients, imaging studies, chest radiographs, chest CTs, CTs for pulmonary embolism, pulmonary angiograms, ventilation/perfusion scintigrams (V/Qs), lung biopsies, cardiac and chest MRIs, and FDG-PET scans for lung nodules and masses were collected. The significance of trends using linear regression analysis was evaluated. IP and OP numbers have significantly increased over a decade (P = 0.04 and P = 0.01 respectively); ER patient numbers have not. There has been an increase in the ratio of chest radiographs per patient arising from the ER area (P = 0.0002). All 3 areas demonstrated an increase in the ratio of chest CTs per patient: IP (P = 0.0002), OP (P = <0.0001), and ER (P = <0.0001). IP and ER areas demonstrated an increase in the ratio of CTs for pulmonary embolism per patient (P = 0.006, P = 0.04 respectively). There was a decrease in the ratios of pulmonary angiograms and V/Qs per IP (P = 0.02 & P = 0.0003 respectively). Cardiac MRIs per patient demonstrated an increase (IP P = 0.01, OP P = 0.02). FDG-PET for lung nodules and masses per patient demonstrated an increase in IP (P = 0.03) and OP (P = 0.003) areas. The total number of chest imaging studies divided by the total number of imaging studies demonstrated an increase in IP and ER areas (P = 0.02 and P = 0.02 respectively). There has been an increase in thoracic radiology usage above secular trends, particularly in the regions of chest CT and FDG-PET. CT is replacing more traditional techniques to diagnose pulmonary embolism for inpatients.

Nested taxa-area curves for eastern United States floras

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bennett, J.P.

1997-01-01

The slopes of log-log species-area curves have been studied extensively and found to be influenced by the range of areas under study. Two such studies of eastern United States floras have yielded species-area curve slopes which differ by more than 100%: 0.251 and 0.113. The first slope may be too steep because the flora of the world was included, and both may be too steep because noncontiguous areas were used. These two hypotheses were tested using a set of nested floras centered in Ohio and continuing up to the flora of the world. The results suggest that this set of eastern United States floras produces a log-log species-area curve with a slope of approximately 0.20 with the flora of the world excluded, and regardless of whether or not the floras are from nested areas. Genera- and family-area curves are less steep than species-area curves and show similar patterns. Taxa ratio curves also increase with area, with the species/family ratio showing the steepest slope.

Mapping face encoding using functional MRI in multiple sclerosis across disease phenotypes.

PubMed

Rocca, Maria A; Vacchi, Laura; Rodegher, Mariaemma; Meani, Alessandro; Martinelli, Vittorio; Possa, Francesca; Comi, Giancarlo; Falini, Andrea; Filippi, Massimo

2017-10-01

Using fMRI during a face encoding (FE) task, we investigated the behavioral and fMRI correlates of FE in patients with relapse-onset multiple sclerosis (MS) at different stages of the disease and their relation with attentive-executive performance and structural MRI measures of disease-related damage. A fMRI FE task was administered to 75 MS patients (11 clinically isolated syndromes - CIS, 40 relapsing-remitting - RRMS - and 24 secondary progressive - SPMS) and 22 healthy controls (HC). fMRI activity during the face encoding condition was correlated with behavioral, clinical, neuropsychological and structural MRI variables. All study subjects activated brain regions belonging to face perception and encoding network, and deactivated areas of the default-mode network. Compared to HC, MS patients had the concomitant presence of areas of increased and decreased activations as well as increased and decreased deactivations. Compared to HC or RRMS, CIS patients experienced an increased recruitment of posterior-visual areas. Thalami, para-hippocampal gyri and right anterior cingulum were more activated in RRMS vs CIS or SPMS patients, while an increased recruitment of frontal areas was observed in SPMS vs RRMS. Areas of abnormal activations were significantly correlated with clinical, cognitive-behavioral and structural MRI measures. Abnormalities of FE network occur in MS and vary across disease clinical phenotypes. Early in the disease, an increased recruitment of areas typically devoted to face perception and encoding occurs. In SPMS patients, abnormal functional recruitment of frontal lobe areas might contribute to the severity of clinical manifestations.

Long-term trends in submersed aquatic vegetation (SAV) in Chesapeake Bay, USA, related to water quality

USGS Publications Warehouse

Orth, Robert J.; Williams, Michael R.; Marion, Scott R.; Wilcox, David J.; Carruthers, Tim J.B.; Moore, Kenneth A.; Kemp, W.M.; Dennison, William C.; Rybicki, Nancy B.; Peter Bergstrom,; Batiuk, Richard A.

2010-01-01

Chesapeake Bay supports a diverse assemblage of marine and freshwater species of submersed aquatic vegetation (SAV) whose broad distributions are generally constrained by salinity. An annual aerial SAV monitoring program and a bi-monthly to monthly water quality monitoring program have been conducted throughout Chesapeake Bay since 1984. We performed an analysis of SAV abundance and up to 22 environmental variables potentially influencing SAV growth and abundance (1984-2006). Historically, SAV abundance has changed dramatically in Chesapeake Bay, and since 1984, when SAV abundance was at historic low levels, SAV has exhibited complex changes including long-term (decadal) increases and decreases, as well as some large, single-year changes. Chesapeake Bay SAV was grouped into three broad-scale community-types based on salinity regime, each with their own distinct group of species, and detailed analyses were conducted on these three community-types as well as on seven distinct case-study areas spanning the three salinity regimes. Different trends in SAVabundance were evident in the different salinity regimes. SAV abundance has (a) continually increased in the low-salinity region; (b) increased initially in the medium-salinity region, followed by fluctuating abundances; and (c) increased initially in the high-salinity region, followed by a subsequent decline. In all areas, consistent negative correlations between measures of SAV abundance and nitrogen loads or concentrations suggest that meadows are responsive to changes in inputs of nitrogen. For smaller case-study areas, different trends in SAV abundance were also noted including correlations to water clarity in high-salinity case-study areas, but nitrogen was highly correlated in all areas. Current maximum SAV coverage for almost all areas remain below restoration targets, indicating that SAV abundance and associated ecosystem services are currently limited by continued poor water quality, and specifically high nutrient concentrations, within Chesapeake Bay. The nutrient reductions noted in some tributaries, which were highly correlated to increases in SAV abundance, suggest management activities have already contributed to SAV increases in some areas, but the strong negative correlation throughout the Chesapeake Bay between nitrogen and SAV abundance also suggests that further nutrient reductions will be necessary for SAV to attain or exceed restoration targets throughout the bay.

Evaluating Landscape Connectivity for Puma concolor and Panthera onca Among Atlantic Forest Protected Areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Castilho, Camila S.; Hackbart, Vivian C. S.; Pivello, Vânia R.; dos Santos, Rozely F.

2015-06-01

Strictly Protected Areas and riparian forests in Brazil are rarely large enough or connected enough to maintain viable populations of carnivores and animal movement over time, but these characteristics are fundamental for species conservation as they prevent the extinction of isolated animal populations. Therefore, the need to maintain connectivity for these species in human-dominated Atlantic landscapes is critical. In this study, we evaluated the landscape connectivity for large carnivores (cougar and jaguar) among the Strictly Protected Areas in the Atlantic Forest, evaluated the efficiency of the Mosaics of Protected Areas linked to land uses in promoting landscape connectivity, identified the critical habitat connections, and predicted the landscape connectivity status under the implementation of legislation for protecting riparian forests. The method was based on expert opinion translated into land use and land cover maps. The results show that the Protected Areas are still connected by a narrow band of landscape that is permeable to both species and that the Mosaics of Protected Areas increase the amount of protected area but fail to increase the connectivity between the forested mountain ranges (Serra do Mar and Serra da Mantiqueira). Riparian forests greatly increase connectivity, more than tripling the cougars' priority areas. We note that the selection of Brazilian protected areas still fails to create connectivity among the legally protected forest remnants. We recommend the immediate protection of the priority areas identified that would increase the structural landscape connectivity for these large carnivores, especially paths in the SE/NW direction between the two mountain ranges.

Evaluating Landscape Connectivity for Puma concolor and Panthera onca Among Atlantic Forest Protected Areas.

PubMed

Castilho, Camila S; Hackbart, Vivian C S; Pivello, Vânia R; dos Santos, Rozely F

2015-06-01

Strictly Protected Areas and riparian forests in Brazil are rarely large enough or connected enough to maintain viable populations of carnivores and animal movement over time, but these characteristics are fundamental for species conservation as they prevent the extinction of isolated animal populations. Therefore, the need to maintain connectivity for these species in human-dominated Atlantic landscapes is critical. In this study, we evaluated the landscape connectivity for large carnivores (cougar and jaguar) among the Strictly Protected Areas in the Atlantic Forest, evaluated the efficiency of the Mosaics of Protected Areas linked to land uses in promoting landscape connectivity, identified the critical habitat connections, and predicted the landscape connectivity status under the implementation of legislation for protecting riparian forests. The method was based on expert opinion translated into land use and land cover maps. The results show that the Protected Areas are still connected by a narrow band of landscape that is permeable to both species and that the Mosaics of Protected Areas increase the amount of protected area but fail to increase the connectivity between the forested mountain ranges (Serra do Mar and Serra da Mantiqueira). Riparian forests greatly increase connectivity, more than tripling the cougars' priority areas. We note that the selection of Brazilian protected areas still fails to create connectivity among the legally protected forest remnants. We recommend the immediate protection of the priority areas identified that would increase the structural landscape connectivity for these large carnivores, especially paths in the SE/NW direction between the two mountain ranges.

Area-socioeconomic disparities in mental health service use among children involved in the child welfare system.

PubMed

Kim, Minseop; Garcia, Antonio R; Yang, Shuyan; Jung, Nahri

2018-06-01

Relying on data from a nationally representative sample of youth involved in the child welfare system (CWS) in 1999-2000 (the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being, Cohort 1) and 2008-2009 (Cohort 2), this study implemented a diverse set of disparity indicators to estimate area-socioeconomic disparities in mental health (MH) services use and changes in area-socioeconomic disparities between the two cohorts. Our study found that there are area-socioeconomic disparities in MH service use, indicating that the rates of MH service use among youth referred to the CWS differ by area-socioeconomic positions defined by county-level poverty rates. We also found that area-socioeconomic disparities increased over time. However, the magnitude of the increase varied widely across disparity measures, suggesting that there are different conclusions about the trend and magnitude of area-socioeconomic disparities, depending upon which disparity measures are implemented. A greater understanding of the methodological differences among disparity measures is warranted, which will in turn impact how interventions are designed to reduce socioeconomic disparities among children in the CWS. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Intestinal parasitic diseases in children].

PubMed

Mare, Anca; Man, A; Toma, Felicia; Székely, Edit; Lôrinczi, Lilla; Sipoş, Anca

2007-01-01

To compare the incidence of intestinal parasitosis between children with residence in urban and rural areas: to compare the efficacy of parasitologic diagnostic methods. In our study we included two lots of children. The first lot consisted in 74 children from rural areas from which we collected 44 samples of feces and 55 samples for the "Scotch tape" test. The second lot consisted in 214 children from urban areas from which we collected 44 samples of feces. We examined each sample of feces by three different methods. The study was performed between April to June 2006. The incidence of intestinal parasitosis increases in children from urban areas towards rural areas, and in children between 5 and 10 years. Ascariasis is the most frequent disease in both urban and rural areas. By examination of each fecal sample by three different methods, the number of positive cases increased. The residence in rural areas and age between 5 to 10 years are risk factors for intestinal parasitosis. The "Scotch tape" test was more efficient in Enterobius vermicularis infection than the methods performed from feces. We recommend using at the same time three diagnostic methods for feces examination to improve the diagnostic sensibility.

Measuring contact area in a sliding human finger-pad contact.

PubMed

Liu, X; Carré, M J; Zhang, Q; Lu, Z; Matcher, S J; Lewis, R

2018-02-01

The work outlined in this paper was aimed at achieving further understanding of skin frictional behaviour by investigating the contact area between human finger-pads and flat surfaces. Both the static and the dynamic contact areas (in macro- and micro-scales) were measured using various techniques, including ink printing, optical coherence tomography (OCT) and Digital Image Correlation (DIC). In the studies of the static measurements using ink printing, the experimental results showed that the apparent and the real contact area increased with load following a piecewise linear correlation function for a finger-pad in contact with paper sheets. Comparisons indicated that the OCT method is a reliable and effective method to investigate the real contact area of a finger-pad and allow micro-scale analysis. The apparent contact area (from the DIC measurements) was found to reduce with time in the transition from the static phase to the dynamic phase while the real area of contact (from OCT) increased. The results from this study enable the interaction between finger-pads and contact object surface to be better analysed, and hence improve the understanding of skin friction. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Modelling drivers and distribution of lead and zinc concentrations in soils of an urban catchment (Sydney estuary, Australia).

PubMed

Johnson, L E; Bishop, T F A; Birch, G F

2017-11-15

The human population is increasing globally and land use is changing to accommodate for this growth. Soils within urban areas require closer attention as the higher population density increases the chance of human exposure to urban contaminants. One such example of an urban area undergoing an increase in population density is Sydney, Australia. The city also possesses a notable history of intense industrial activity. By integrating multiple soil surveys and covariates into a linear mixed model, it was possible to determine the main drivers and map the distribution of lead and zinc concentrations within the Sydney estuary catchment. The main drivers as derived from the model included elevation, distance to main roads, main road type, soil landscape, population density (lead only) and land use (zinc only). Lead concentrations predicted using the model exceeded the established guideline value of 300mgkg -1 over a large portion of the study area with concentrations exceeding 1000mgkg -1 in the south of the catchment. Predicted zinc did not exceed the established guideline value of 7400mgkg -1 ; however concentrations were higher to the south and west of the study area. Unlike many other studies we considered the prediction uncertainty when assessing the contamination risk. Although the predictions indicate contamination over a large area, the broadness of the prediction intervals suggests that in many of these areas we cannot be sure that the site is contaminated. More samples are required to determine the contaminant distribution with greater precision, especially in residential areas where contamination was highest. Managing sources and addressing areas of elevated lead and zinc concentrations in urban areas has the potential to reduce the impact of past human activities and improve the urban environment of the future. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Increased nitrogen export from eastern North America to the Atlantic Ocean due to climatic and anthropogenic changes during 1901-2008

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Qichun; Tian, Hanqin; Friedrichs, Marjorie A. M.; Hopkinson, Charles S.; Lu, Chaoqun; Najjar, Raymond G.

2015-06-01

We used a process-based land model, Dynamic Land Ecosystem Model 2.0, to examine how climatic and anthropogenic changes affected riverine fluxes of ammonium (NH4+), nitrate (NO3-), dissolved organic nitrogen (DON), and particulate organic nitrogen (PON) from eastern North America, especially the drainage areas of the Gulf of Maine (GOM), Mid-Atlantic Bight (MAB), and South Atlantic Bight (SAB) during 1901-2008. Model simulations indicated that annual fluxes of NH4+, NO3-, DON, and PON from the study area during 1980-2008 were 0.019 ± 0.003 (mean ± 1 standard deviation) Tg N yr-1, 0.18 ± 0.035 Tg N yr-1, 0.10 ± 0.016 Tg N yr-1, and 0.043 ± 0.008 Tg N yr-1, respectively. NH4+, NO3-, and DON exports increased while PON export decreased from 1901 to 2008. Nitrogen export demonstrated substantial spatial variability across the study area. Increased NH4+ export mainly occurred around major cities in the MAB. NO3- export increased in most parts of the MAB but decreased in parts of the GOM. Enhanced DON export was mainly distributed in the GOM and the SAB. PON export increased in coastal areas of the SAB and northern parts of the GOM but decreased in the Piedmont areas and the eastern parts of the MAB. Climate was the primary reason for interannual variability in nitrogen export; fertilizer use and nitrogen deposition tended to enhance the export of all nitrogen species; livestock farming and sewage discharge were also responsible for the increases in NH4+ and NO3- fluxes; and land cover change (especially reforestation of former agricultural land) reduced the export of the four nitrogen species.

Monitoring urban land cover with the use of satellite remote sensing techniques as a means of flood risk assessment in Cyprus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alexakis, Dimitris; Hadjimitsis, Diofantos; Agapiou, Athos; Themistocleous, Kyriacos; Retalis, Adrianos

2011-11-01

The increase of flood inundation occuring in different regions all over the world have enhanced the need for effective flood risk management. As floods frequency is increasing with a steady rate due to ever increasing human activities on physical floodplains there is a respectively increasing of financial destructive impact of floods. A flood can be determined as a mass of water that produces runoff on land that is not normally covered by water. However, earth observation techniques such as satellite remote sensing can contribute toward a more efficient flood risk mapping according to EU Directives of 2007/60. This study strives to highlight the need of digital mapping of urban sprawl in a catchment area in Cyprus and the assessment of its contribution to flood risk. The Yialias river (Nicosia, Cyprus) was selected as case study where devastating flash floods events took place at 2003 and 2009. In order to search the diachronic land cover regime of the study area multi-temporal satellite imagery was processed and analyzed (e.g Landsat TMETM+, Aster). The land cover regime was examined in detail by using sophisticated post-processing classification algorithms such as Maximum Likelihood, Parallelepiped Algorithm, Minimum Distance, Spectral Angle and Isodata. Texture features were calculated using the Grey Level Co-Occurence Matrix. In addition three classification techniques were compared : multispectral classification, texture based classification and a combination of both. The classification products were compared and evaluated for their accuracy. Moreover, a knowledge-rule method is proposed based on spectral, texture and shape features in order to create efficient land use and land cover maps of the study area. Morphometric parameters such as stream frequency, drainage density and elongation ratio were calculated in order to extract the basic watershed characteristics. In terms of the impacts of land use/cover on flooding, GIS and Fragstats tool were used to detect identifying trends, both visually and statistically, resulting from land use changes in a flood prone area such as Yialias by the use of spatial metrics. The results indicated that there is a considerable increase of urban areas cover during the period of the last 30 years. All these denoted that one of the main driving force of the increasing flood risk in catchment areas in Cyprus is generally associated to human activities.

Blood flow and vascular reactivity during attacks of classic migraine--limitations of the Xe-133 intraarterial technique

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

Skyhoj Olsen, T.; Lassen, N.A.

1989-01-01

The present study reports cerebral blood flow (CBF) measurements in 11 patients during attacks of classic migraine (CM)--migraine with aura. In 6 and 7 patients, respectively, cerebral vascular reactivity to increased blood pressure and to hypocapnia was also investigated during the CM attacks. The Xenon-133 intraarterial injection technique was used to measure CBF. In this study, based in part on previously published data, methodological limitations, in particular caused by scattered radiation (Compton scatter), are critically analysed. Based on this analysis and the results of the CBF studies it is concluded: During CM attacks CBF appears to decrease focally in themore » posterior part of the brain to a level around 20 ml/100 g/min which is consistent with a mild degree of ischemia. Changes of CBF in focal low flow areas are difficult to evaluate accurately with the Xe-133 technique. In most cases true CBF may change 50% or more in the low flow areas without giving rise to significantly measurable changes of CBF. This analysis suggests that the autoregulation response cannot be evaluated in the low flow areas with the technique used while the observations are compatible with the concept that a vasoconstrictive state, unresponsive to hypocapnia, prevails in the low flow areas during CM attacks. The gradual increase in size of the low flow area seen in several cases may be interpreted in two different ways. A spreading process may actually exist. However, due to Compton scatter, a gradual decrease of CBF in a territory that does not increase in size will also appear as a gradually spreading low flow area when studied with the Xe-133 intracarotid technique.« less

Two-year follow-up of changes in bite force and occlusal contact area after intraoral vertical ramus osteotomy with and without Le Fort I osteotomy.

PubMed

Choi, Y J; Lim, H; Chung, C J; Park, K H; Kim, K H

2014-06-01

This study was performed to examine the longitudinal changes in bite force and occlusal contact area after mandibular setback surgery via intraoral vertical ramus osteotomy (IVRO). Patients with mandibular prognathism who underwent IVRO (surgical group: 39 men and 39 women) were compared with subjects with class I skeletal and dental relationships (control group; 32 men and 35 women). The surgical group was divided into two subgroups: 1-jaw surgery (n = 30) and 2-jaw surgery (n = 48). Bite force and contact area were measured in maximum intercuspation with the Dental Prescale System before treatment, within 1 month before surgery, and at 1, 3, 6, 9, 12, and 24 months postsurgery. A linear mixed model was used to investigate the time-dependent changes and associated factors. Bite force and contact area decreased during presurgical orthodontic treatment, were minimal at 1 month postsurgery, and increased gradually thereafter. The 1-jaw and 2-jaw subgroups showed no significant differences in bite force. The time-dependent changes in bite force were significantly different according to the contact area (P < 0.05). The results of this study suggest that bite force and occlusal contact area gradually increase throughout the postsurgical evaluation period. Increasing the occlusal contact area may be essential for improving bite force after surgery. Copyright © 2014 International Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Modeling the impacts of climate change and technical progress on the wheat yield in inland China: An autoregressive distributed lag approach.

PubMed

Zhai, Shiyan; Song, Genxin; Qin, Yaochen; Ye, Xinyue; Lee, Jay

2017-01-01

This study aims to evaluate the impacts of climate change and technical progress on the wheat yield per unit area from 1970 to 2014 in Henan, the largest agricultural province in China, using an autoregressive distributed lag approach. The bounded F-test for cointegration among the model variables yielded evidence of a long-run relationship among climate change, technical progress, and the wheat yield per unit area. In the long run, agricultural machinery and fertilizer use both had significantly positive impacts on the per unit area wheat yield. A 1% increase in the aggregate quantity of fertilizer use increased the wheat yield by 0.19%. Additionally, a 1% increase in machine use increased the wheat yield by 0.21%. In contrast, precipitation during the wheat growth period (from emergence to maturity, consisting of the period from last October to June) led to a decrease in the wheat yield per unit area. In the short run, the coefficient of the aggregate quantity of fertilizer used was negative. Land size had a significantly positive impact on the per unit area wheat yield in the short run. There was no significant short-run or long-run impact of temperature on the wheat yield per unit area in Henan Province. The results of our analysis suggest that climate change had a weak impact on the wheat yield, while technical progress played an important role in increasing the wheat yield per unit area. The results of this study have implications for national and local agriculture policies under climate change. To design well-targeted agriculture adaptation policies for the future and to reduce the adverse effects of climate change on the wheat yield, climate change and technical progress factors should be considered simultaneously. In addition, adaptive measures associated with technical progress should be given more attention.

Modeling the impacts of climate change and technical progress on the wheat yield in inland China: An autoregressive distributed lag approach

PubMed Central

Qin, Yaochen; Lee, Jay

2017-01-01

This study aims to evaluate the impacts of climate change and technical progress on the wheat yield per unit area from 1970 to 2014 in Henan, the largest agricultural province in China, using an autoregressive distributed lag approach. The bounded F-test for cointegration among the model variables yielded evidence of a long-run relationship among climate change, technical progress, and the wheat yield per unit area. In the long run, agricultural machinery and fertilizer use both had significantly positive impacts on the per unit area wheat yield. A 1% increase in the aggregate quantity of fertilizer use increased the wheat yield by 0.19%. Additionally, a 1% increase in machine use increased the wheat yield by 0.21%. In contrast, precipitation during the wheat growth period (from emergence to maturity, consisting of the period from last October to June) led to a decrease in the wheat yield per unit area. In the short run, the coefficient of the aggregate quantity of fertilizer used was negative. Land size had a significantly positive impact on the per unit area wheat yield in the short run. There was no significant short-run or long-run impact of temperature on the wheat yield per unit area in Henan Province. The results of our analysis suggest that climate change had a weak impact on the wheat yield, while technical progress played an important role in increasing the wheat yield per unit area. The results of this study have implications for national and local agriculture policies under climate change. To design well-targeted agriculture adaptation policies for the future and to reduce the adverse effects of climate change on the wheat yield, climate change and technical progress factors should be considered simultaneously. In addition, adaptive measures associated with technical progress should be given more attention. PMID:28950027

Four decades urban growth and land use change in Samara Russia through remote sensing and GIS techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boori, Mukesh Singh; Choudhary, Komal; Kupriyanov, Alexander; Kovelskiy, Viktor

2015-12-01

This study illustrates the spatio-temporal dynamics of urban growth and land use changes in Samara city, Russia from 1975 to 2015. Landsat satellite imageries of five different time periods from 1975 to 2015 were acquired and quantify the changes with the help of ArcGIS 10.1 Software. By applying classification methods to the satellite images four main types of land use were extracted: water, built-up, forest and grassland. Then, the area coverage for all the land use types at different points in time were measured and coupled with population data. The results demonstrate that, over the entire study period, population was increased from 1146 thousand people to 1244 thousand from 1975 to 1990 but later on first reduce and then increase again, now 1173 thousand population. Built-up area is also change according to population. The present study revealed an increase in built-up by 37.01% from 1975 to 1995, than reduce -88.83% till 2005 and an increase by 39.16% from 2005 to 2015, along with the increase in population, migration from rural areas owing to the economic growth and technological advantages associated with urbanization. Information on urban growth, land use and land cover change study is very useful to local government and urban planners for the betterment of future plans to sustainable development of the city.

Increase of flood exposure on the Spanish Mediterranean coast over the last decades. The influence of spatial planning.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lopez-Martinez, Francisco; Perez-Morales, Alfredo; Gil-Guirado, Salvador; Illan-Fernandez, Emilio Jose

2017-04-01

Since the 1960's, the Spanish Mediterranean coastal area is one of the main tourist destinations in the world and one of the highest rates of population, building and economic growth of Spain. Despite this growth have involved a lot of preventive flood management measures, especially structural measures (dams, water derivations, channelling, etc…), the area has registered an increase in the intensity, frequency and economic losses related to floods in recent decades. However, according to climatic records, this trend is more related to an exposure multiplication derived from economic growth than with the increase of extreme rainfall events produced by climate change. Within this framework it is interesting to evaluate how local governments (institution responsible for the process of spatial planning) have influence on exposure through allowing the construction in flood-prone areas. In this regard, this study quantifies the evolution of number of housing in flood-prone areas according to the cadastral information and the hydrological modelling data for the return periods of 10, 50, 100 and 500 years, respectively. Results highlight an increase in the number of building in flood-prone areas over the years. This increase in physical and economic exposure without any non-structural risk mitigation measure is one of the main factors for flood events. Therefore, results report that local governments did not consider the floodable areas into spatial planning and have made future scenarios characterized by an increase in the number of floods and their consequential damages.

Quantitative evaluation of bone resorption activity of osteoclast-like cells by measuring calcium phosphate resorbing area using incubator-facilitated and video-enhanced microscopy.

PubMed

Morimoto, Yoshitaka; Hoshino, Hironobu; Sakurai, Takashi; Terakawa, Susumu; Nagano, Akira

2009-04-01

Quantitative evaluation of the ability of bone resorption activity in live osteoclast-like cells (OCLs) has not yet been reported on. In this study, we observed the sequential morphological change of OCLs and measured the resorbing calcium phosphate (CP) area made by OCLs alone and with the addition of elcatonin utilizing incubator facilitated video-enhanced microscopy. OCLs, which were obtained from a coculture of ddy-mouse osteoblastic cells and bone marrow cells, were cultured on CP-coated quartz cover slips. The CP-free area increased constantly in the OCLs alone, whereas it did not increase after the addition of elcatonin. This study showed that analysis of the resorbed areas under the OCL body using this method enables the sequential quantitative evaluation of the bone resorption activity and the effect of several therapeutic agents on bone resorption in vitro.

Assessing the drivers of gully formation and development using participatory geographic information systems (PGIS) in Suswa Catchment, Narok County

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Konana, Charity

2017-04-01

This study investigated drivers of gully formation and development using participatory geographic information systems (PGIS) with the local communities. Changes in land use and land cover for 1985-2000, 2000-2011 and 1985-2011 were determined using PGIS. The results showed that land use and land cover changes occurred in the 4 villages (Eluai, Olepolos, Olesharo and Enkiloriti) in the study area. There were significant changes in shrubland which decreased in Eluai village (p < 0.002) and no significant changes in built up areas, bareland, agricultural land, waterbodies, grassland and shrubland in the 3 villages (Enkiloriti, Olepolos and Olesharo). It was observed that between 1985 and 2011 (26 years), there was an overall increase in built up area and bareland and decrease in shrubland and grassland in the 4 villages (Olepolos, Enkiloriti, Eluai and Olesharo). Land use change benefits noted by communities included increased access to grazing areas and firewood. Undesirable land use change effects noted were a decrease in shrubland, food production, grazing area and rainfall, and an increase in wind erosion, gully formation and flooding. Community recommendations included afforestation programmes, construction of terraces for water harvesting, training on soil conservation measures and use of appropriate alternative sources of energy other than charcoal. PGIS maps produced will help to understand the driving forces of gully erosion (built up areas, bareland, agricultural land, grassland and shrubland) that are heavily affecting the study area over the years. Participatory mapping of land use and land cover changes is therefore useful for targeting land management interventions. Key words: Land use and cover change, Soil Erosion, Narok County, PGIS

Effect of soil organic matter on antimony bioavailability after the remediation process.

PubMed

Nakamaru, Yasuo Mitsui; Martín Peinado, Francisco José

2017-09-01

We evaluated the long-term (18 year) and short-term (4 weeks) changes of Sb in contaminated soil with SOM increase under remediation process. In the Aznalcóllar mine accident (1998) contaminated area, the remediation measurement implemented the Guadiamar Green Corridor, where residual pollution is still detected. Soils of the re-vegetated area (O2) with high pH and high SOM content, moderately re-vegetated area (O1) and unvegetated area (C) were sampled. Soil pH, CEC, SOM amount and soil Sb forms were evaluated. Soil Sb was measured as total, soluble, exchangeable, EDTA extractable, acid oxalate extractable, and pyro-phosphate extractable fractions. Further, the short-term effect of artificial organic matter addition was also evaluated with incubation study by adding compost to the sampled soil from C, O1 and O2 areas. After 4 weeks of incubation, soil chemical properties and Sb forms were evaluated. In re-vegetated area (O2), soil total Sb was two times lower than in unvegetated area (C); however, soluble, exchangeable, and EDTA extractable Sb were 2-8 times higher. The mobile/bioavailable Sb increase was also observed after 4 weeks of incubation with the addition of compost. Soluble, exchangeable, and EDTA extractable Sb was increased 2-4 times by compost addition. By the linear regression analysis, the significantly related factors for soluble, exchangeable, and EDTA extractable Sb values were pH, CEC, and SOM, respectively. Soluble Sb increase was mainly related to pH rise. Exchangeable Sb should be bound by SOM-metal complex and increased with CEC. EDTA extractable fraction should be increased with increase of SOM as SOM-Fe associated Sb complex. From these results, it was shown that increase of SOM under natural conditions or application of organic amendment under remediation process should increase availability of Sb to plants. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of laser irradiation on surface hardness and structural parameters of 7178 aluminium alloy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maryam, Siddra; Bashir, Farooq

2018-04-01

Aluminium 7178 samples were prepared and irradiated with Nd:YAG laser. The surfaces of exposed samples were investigated using optical microscopy, which revealed that the surface morphology of the samples is changed drastically as a function of laser shots. It is revealed from the micrographs that the laser heat effected area increases with the increase in the number of the laser pulses. Furthermore morphological and mechanical properties were studied using XRD and Vickers hardness testing. XRD study shows an increasing trend in Grain size with the increasing number of laser shots. And the hardness of the samples as a function of the laser shots shows that the hardness first increases and then it decreases gradually. It was observed that the grain size has no pronouncing effect on the hardness. Hardness profile has a decreasing trend with the increase in linear distance from the boundary of the laser heat affected area.

Asynchronous Computer-Mediated Corrective Feedback and the Correct Use of Prepositions: Is It Really Effective?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hosseini, Seyyed Behrooz

2012-01-01

An area that has recently attracted increasing attention is providing feedback on learners' writing accuracy through the Internet. However, research in this area has largely focused on synchronous communication, i.e., chatting, with fewer studies assessing asynchronous technologies, i.e., e-mailing. Therefore, this study investigates the…

Does habitat fragmentation influence nest predation in the shortgrass prairie?

USGS Publications Warehouse

Howard, M.N.; Skagen, S.K.; Kennedy, P.L.

2001-01-01

We examined the effects of habitat fragmentation and vegetation structure of shortgrass prairie and Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) lands on predation rates of artificial and natural nests in northeastern Colorado. The CRP provides federal payments to landowners to take highly erodible cropland out of agricultural production. In our study area, CRP lands have been reseeded primarily with non-native grasses, and this vegetation is taller than native shortgrass prairie. We measured three indices of habitat fragmentation (patch size, degree of matrix fragmentation, and distance from edge), none of which influenced mortality rates of artificial or natural nests. Vegetation structure did influence predation rates of artificial nests; daily mortality decreased significantly with increasing vegetation height. Vegetation structure did not influence predation rates of natural nests. CRP lands and shortgrass sites did not differ with respect to mortality rates of artificial nests. Our study area is only moderately fragmented; 62% of the study area is occupied by native grassland. We conclude that the extent of habitat fragmentation in our study area does not result in increased predation in remaining patches of shortgrass prairie habitat.

The Evolution and Development of Cephalopod Chambers and Their Shape

PubMed Central

Lemanis, Robert; Korn, Dieter; Zachow, Stefan; Rybacki, Erik; Hoffmann, René

2016-01-01

The Ammonoidea is a group of extinct cephalopods ideal to study evolution through deep time. The evolution of the planispiral shell and complexly folded septa in ammonoids has been thought to have increased the functional surface area of the chambers permitting enhanced metabolic functions such as: chamber emptying, rate of mineralization and increased growth rates throughout ontogeny. Using nano-computed tomography and synchrotron radiation based micro-computed tomography, we present the first study of ontogenetic changes in surface area to volume ratios in the phragmocone chambers of several phylogenetically distant ammonoids and extant cephalopods. Contrary to the initial hypothesis, ammonoids do not possess a persistently high relative chamber surface area. Instead, the functional surface area of the chambers is higher in earliest ontogeny when compared to Spirula spirula. The higher the functional surface area the quicker the potential emptying rate of the chamber; quicker chamber emptying rates would theoretically permit faster growth. This is supported by the persistently higher siphuncular surface area to chamber volume ratio we collected for the ammonite Amauroceras sp. compared to either S. spirula or nautilids. We demonstrate that the curvature of the surface of the chamber increases with greater septal complexity increasing the potential refilling rates. We further show a unique relationship between ammonoid chamber shape and size that does not exist in S. spirula or nautilids. This view of chamber function also has implications for the evolution of the internal shell of coleoids, relating this event to the decoupling of soft-body growth and shell growth. PMID:26963712

Intensity-duration threshold of rainfall-triggered debris flows in the Wenchuan Earthquake affected area, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Xiaojun; Cui, Peng; Li, Yong; Ma, Li; Ge, Yonggang; Mahoney, William B.

2016-01-01

The Ms 8.0 Wenchuan Earthquake has greatly altered the rainfall threshold for debris flows in the affected areas. This study explores the local intensity-duration (I-D) relationship based on 252 post-earthquake debris flows. It was found that I = 5.25 D-0.76 accounts for more than 98% of the debris flow occurrences with rainfall duration between 1 and 135 h; therefore the curve defines the threshold for debris flows in the study area. This gives much lower thresholds than those proposed by the previous studies, suggesting that the earthquake has greatly decreased the thresholds in the past years. Moreover, the rainfall thresholds appear to increase annually in the period of 2008-2013, and present a logarithmic increasing tendency, indicating that the thresholds will recover in the future decades.

Area deprivation and the food environment over time: A repeated cross-sectional study on takeaway outlet density and supermarket presence in Norfolk, UK, 1990–2008

PubMed Central

Maguire, Eva R.; Burgoine, Thomas; Monsivais, Pablo

2015-01-01

Socioeconomic disparities in the food environment are known to exist but with little understanding of change over time. This study investigated the density of takeaway food outlets and presence of supermarkets in Norfolk, UK between 1990 and 2008. Data on food retail outlet locations were collected from telephone directories and aggregated within electoral wards. Supermarket presence was not associated with area deprivation over time. Takeaway food outlet density increased overall, and was significantly higher in more deprived areas at all time points; furthermore, socioeconomic disparities in takeaway food outlet density increased across the study period. These findings add to existing evidence and help assess the need for environmental interventions to reduce disparities in the prevalence of unhealthy food outlets. PMID:25841285

Mid-21st-century climate changes increase predicted fire occurrence and fire season length, Northern Rocky Mountains, United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Riley, Karin L.; Loehman, Rachel A.

2016-01-01

Climate changes are expected to increase fire frequency, fire season length, and cumulative area burned in the western United States. We focus on the potential impact of mid-21st-century climate changes on annual burn probability, fire season length, and large fire characteristics including number and size for a study area in the Northern Rocky Mountains. Although large fires are rare they account for most of the area burned in western North America, burn under extreme weather conditions, and exhibit behaviors that preclude methods of direct control. Allocation of resources, development of management plans, and assessment of fire effects on ecosystems all require an understanding of when and where fires are likely to burn, particularly under altered climate regimes that may increase large fire occurrence. We used the large fire simulation model FSim to model ignition, growth, and containment of wildfires under two climate scenarios: contemporary (based on instrumental weather) and mid-century (based on an ensemble average of global climate models driven by the A1B SRES emissions scenario). Modeled changes in fire patterns include increased annual burn probability, particularly in areas of the study region with relatively short contemporary fire return intervals; increased individual fire size and annual area burned; and fewer years without large fires. High fire danger days, represented by threshold values of Energy Release Component (ERC), are projected to increase in number, especially in spring and fall, lengthening the climatic fire season. For fire managers, ERC is an indicator of fire intensity potential and fire economics, with higher ERC thresholds often associated with larger, more expensive fires. Longer periods of elevated ERC may significantly increase the cost and complexity of fire management activities, requiring new strategies to maintain desired ecological conditions and limit fire risk. Increased fire activity (within the historical range of frequency and severity, and depending on the extent to which ecosystems are adapted) may maintain or restore ecosystem functionality; however, in areas that are highly departed from historical fire regimes or where there is disequilibrium between climate and vegetation, ecosystems may be rapidly and persistently altered by wildfires, especially those that burn under extreme conditions.

Alpha power indexes task-related networks on large and small scales: A multimodal ECoG study in humans and a non-human primate.

PubMed

de Pesters, A; Coon, W G; Brunner, P; Gunduz, A; Ritaccio, A L; Brunet, N M; de Weerd, P; Roberts, M J; Oostenveld, R; Fries, P; Schalk, G

2016-07-01

Performing different tasks, such as generating motor movements or processing sensory input, requires the recruitment of specific networks of neuronal populations. Previous studies suggested that power variations in the alpha band (8-12Hz) may implement such recruitment of task-specific populations by increasing cortical excitability in task-related areas while inhibiting population-level cortical activity in task-unrelated areas (Klimesch et al., 2007; Jensen and Mazaheri, 2010). However, the precise temporal and spatial relationships between the modulatory function implemented by alpha oscillations and population-level cortical activity remained undefined. Furthermore, while several studies suggested that alpha power indexes task-related populations across large and spatially separated cortical areas, it was largely unclear whether alpha power also differentially indexes smaller networks of task-related neuronal populations. Here we addressed these questions by investigating the temporal and spatial relationships of electrocorticographic (ECoG) power modulations in the alpha band and in the broadband gamma range (70-170Hz, indexing population-level activity) during auditory and motor tasks in five human subjects and one macaque monkey. In line with previous research, our results confirm that broadband gamma power accurately tracks task-related behavior and that alpha power decreases in task-related areas. More importantly, they demonstrate that alpha power suppression lags population-level activity in auditory areas during the auditory task, but precedes it in motor areas during the motor task. This suppression of alpha power in task-related areas was accompanied by an increase in areas not related to the task. In addition, we show for the first time that these differential modulations of alpha power could be observed not only across widely distributed systems (e.g., motor vs. auditory system), but also within the auditory system. Specifically, alpha power was suppressed in the locations within the auditory system that most robustly responded to particular sound stimuli. Altogether, our results provide experimental evidence for a mechanism that preferentially recruits task-related neuronal populations by increasing cortical excitability in task-related cortical areas and decreasing cortical excitability in task-unrelated areas. This mechanism is implemented by variations in alpha power and is common to humans and the non-human primate under study. These results contribute to an increasingly refined understanding of the mechanisms underlying the selection of the specific neuronal populations required for task execution. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A Century of the Evolution of the Urban Area in Shenyang, China

PubMed Central

Liu, Miao; Xu, Yanyan; Hu, Yuanman; Li, Chunlin; Sun, Fengyun; Chen, Tan

2014-01-01

Analyzing spatiotemporal characteristics of the historical urbanization process is essential in understanding the dynamics of urbanization and scientifically planned urban development. Based on historical urban area maps and remote sensing images, this study examined the urban expansion of Shenyang from 1910 to 2010 using area statistics, typology identification, and landscape metrics approaches. The population and gross domestic product were analyzed as driving factors. The results showed that the urban area of Shenyang increased 43.39-fold during the study period and that the growth rate has accelerated since the 1980s. Three urban growth types were distinguished: infilling, edge-expansion, and spontaneous growth. Edge-expansion was the primary growth type. Infilling growth became the main growth type in the periods 1946–70, 1988–97, and 2004–10. Spontaneous growth was concentrated in the period of 1997 to 2000. The results of landscape metrics indicate that the urban landscape of Shenyang originally was highly aggregated, but has become increasingly fragmented. The urban fringe area was the traditional hot zone of urbanization. Shenyang was mainly located north of the Hun River before 1980; however, the south side of the river has been the hot zone of urbanization since the 1980s. The increase of urban area strongly correlated with the growth of GDP and population. Over a long time scale, the urbanization process has been affected by major historical events. PMID:24893167

Age-dependent trigeminal and female-specific lumbosacral increase in herpes zoster distribution in the elderly.

PubMed

Shiraki, Kimiyasu; Toyama, Nozomu; Shiraki, Atsuko; Yajima, Misako

2018-05-01

Varicella-zoster virus causes herpes zoster (HZ) along specific dermatomes, but the effects of age and sex on HZ distribution are unclear. We investigated the age- and sex-dependent distribution characteristics of HZ. Patients with HZ were monitored by members of the Miyazaki Dermatologist Society. Questionnaires containing information on age, sex, and dermatome distribution and lesion specimens from 2730 patients were collected, and 2508 PCR-diagnosed cases were analyzed. The ratio of lesions in the thoracic area to lesions in the whole body decreased with age, whereas those of other areas increased. HZ incidence increased with age to about four times that of the basic incidence in the dermatome areas at age 0-29 years; the incidence in the trigeminal area in both sexes increased 11-fold, and the incidence in the thoracic and lumbosacral areas increased in females more than in males. Furthermore, the fact that the highest incidence was found along the first branch of the trigeminal nerve suggests an association with long-term ultraviolet ray exposure. Segmental dermatomes comprising thoracic 10-lumbar 1/sacral 2-4 and thoracic 5-6 were significantly more frequently affected in female patients at age 50-59 years and are consistent with areas of obstetric anesthesia for childbirth and of breastfeeding, respectively. HZ incidence increased with age; moreover, exposure to ultraviolet rays, childbirth, and breastfeeding might increase the incidence at specific dermatomes in older individuals. This study provides important information on the etiology of HZ. Copyright © 2018 Japanese Society for Investigative Dermatology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Influence of socioeconomic status on the effectiveness of bicycle helmet legislation for children: a prospective observational study.

PubMed

Parkin, Patricia C; Khambalia, Amina; Kmet, Leanne; Macarthur, Colin

2003-09-01

To evaluate the influence of average family income in a geographic area on the effectiveness of helmet legislation on observed helmet use by children (5-14 years). The study was conducted in East York, a health district of Metropolitan Toronto, in collaboration with the East York Health Unit. In 1996, the total population was 107 822, 11 340 of which were children 5 to 14 years. Census data were used to group the 21 census tracts in East York into 7 geographically distinct areas. The boundaries of these areas are natural barriers to travel, such as expressways, ravines, railway tracks, and hydroelectric power lines. The areas were also ranked according to average family income (based on Statistics Canada data). For analytical purposes, areas were defined as low-, mid-, and high-income areas. Census data profiles of the areas have been previously described. For each consecutive year from 1990 to 1997 inclusive, direct observations of children riding bicycles in East York during the months of April through October were made. In 1995, observations were completed before the introduction of the law on October 1, 1995. Only children who were between 5 and 14 years of age and riding a 2-wheeled bicycle were included in the study. In total, 111 sites across all 7 areas were selected for observation. Observational sites included school yards of all elementary and middle schools (kindergarten to grade 8) and all parks in East York. In addition, 5 major intersections and 5 residential streets from each area were randomly selected. Observers were trained and used a standardized data collection form. A pilot study showed that the data collected by observers were reliable and valid. Observers remained at each site for 1 hour and collected data on helmet use and sex. Ethical approval for the study was obtained from the Hospital for Sick Children Research Ethics Board, the East York Board of Education, and the Metropolitan Separate School Board. The proportion of children who were wearing a bicycle helmet was estimated by year (1990-1997, inclusive), sex (male, female), location (school, park, major intersection, residential street), and income area (low, mid, high). For estimating the effect of legislation on helmet use, data from the year immediately after legislation (1996) were compared with data from the year preceding legislation (1995). The relative risk (RR) of helmet use (after vs before legislation) was calculated along with a 95% confidence interval (CI). Logistic regression analysis was used to adjust for potential confounding variables (sex and location). During the 8-year study period, 9768 observations were made (range: 914-1879 observations per year). The proportion of child cyclists who wore a bicycle helmet increased steadily during the first 4 years of the study period, from 4% in 1990 (34 of 914), to 16% in 1991 (303 of 1879), to 25% in 1992 (383 of 1563), and to 45% in 1993 (438 of 984). During 1994 (460 of 1083) and 1995 (568 of 1227), helmet use remained relatively stable at approximately 44%. Helmet use rose markedly in 1996 (the first year after helmet legislation was introduced) to 68% (818 of 1202) and remained stable at 66% (609 of 916) in 1997. Throughout the study period, girls were consistently more likely to wear helmets than were boys. In total, 47% (1420 of 3047) of girls wore helmets, compared with 33% (2193 of 6721) of boys (RR: 1.43; 95% CI: 1.36-1.50). In addition, children who were riding to school were more likely to use helmets, compared with children who were riding on residential streets, major intersections, and parks. Overall, 48% (1497 of 3129) of children who were riding to school wore bicycle helmets, compared with 32% (2116 of 6639) of children who were riding at other locations (RR: 1.50; 95% CI: 1.43-1.58). Children in the high-income areas were consistently more likely to wear helmets, compared with children in the mid- and low-income areas. Helmet legislation was associated with a significant increase in helmet use by children in East York. In 1995, 46% (ast York. In 1995, 46% (568 of 1227) of children wore bicycle helmets, compared with 68% (818 of 1202) of children in 1996 (RR: 1.47; 95% CI: 1.37-1.58). The effect of legislation, however, varied by income area. In low-income areas, helmet use increased by 28% after legislation, from 33% (213 of 646) in 1995 to 61% (442 of 721) in 1996 (RR: 1.86; 95% CI: 1.64-2.11). In mid-income areas, helmet use increased by 29% after legislation, from 50% (150 of 300) in 1995 to 79% (185 of 234) in 1996 (RR: 1.58; 95% CI: 1.39-1.80). In high-income areas, helmet use increased by only 4%, from 73% (205 of 281) in 1995 to 77% (191 of 247) in 1996 (RR: 1.06; 95% CI: 0.96-1.17). This finding of a significant increase in helmet use after legislation in low- and mid-income areas but not in high-income areas remained even after logistic regression analysis adjusted for sex and location. This study showed that bicycle helmet use by children increased significantly after helmet legislation. In this urban area with socioeconomic diversity and in the context of prelegislation promotion and educational activities, the legislative effect was most powerful among children who resided in low-income areas.

Intake of Boron, Cadmium, and Molybdenum enhances rat thyroid cell transformation.

PubMed

Luca, Emilia; Fici, Laura; Ronchi, Anna; Marandino, Ferdinando; Rossi, Esther Diana; Caristo, Maria Emiliana; Malandrino, Pasqualino; Russo, Marco; Pontecorvi, Alfredo; Vigneri, Riccardo; Moretti, Fabiola

2017-06-02

Epidemiologic data in volcanic areas suggest that environmental factors might be involved in the increase of thyroid cancer (TC) incidence. Recent reports indicate that several heavy metals and metalloids are increased in volcanic areas. This study aims to evaluate the combined effect of three of these elements Boron (B), Cadmium (Cd), and Molybdenum (Mo) - all increased in the volcanic area of Mt. Etna, in Italy - on thyroid tumorigenesis in the rat. Female Wistar rats prone to develop thyroid tumors by low-iodine diet and methimazole treatment received ad libitum drinking water supplemented with B, Cd, and Mo at concentrations in the range found in the urine samples of residents of the volcanic area. At 5 and 10 months animals were euthanized, and their thyroid analysed. Statistical analysis was performed with a 2-way unpaired t-test. No toxic effect of the three elements on the growth of the animals was observed. A significant increase of histological features of transformation was observed in thyroid follicular cells of rats treated with B, Cd, and Mo compared with those of control group. These abnormalities were associated with decreased iodine content in the thyroid. This study provides the evidence that slightly increased environmental concentrations of B, Cd, and Mo can accelerate the appearance of transformation marks in the thyroid gland of hypothyroid rats.

Variation of Vegetation Ecological Water Consumption and Its Response to Vegetation Coverage Changes in the Rocky Desertification Areas in South China

PubMed Central

Zhou, Jinxing; Guo, Hongyan; Cui, Ming; Liu, Yuguo; Ning, Like; Tang, Fukai

2016-01-01

Over the past several decades, rocky desertification has led to severe ecological problems in karst areas in South China. After a rocky desertification treatment project was completed, the vegetation coverage changed greatly and, consequently, increased the ecology water consumption (approximately equal to the actual evapotranspiration) of the regional vegetation. Thus, it intensified the regional water stresses. This study explored the changes in the actual evapotranspiration (ETa) response to the vegetation coverage changes in the rocky desertification areas in South China based on the precipitation (P), potential evapotranspiration (ETp) and NDVI (the normalized difference vegetation index) datasets. The revised Bagrov model was used to simulate the actual evapotranspiration changes with the supposed increasing NDVI. The results indicated that the average NDVI value was lower when the rocky desertification was more severe. The ETa, evapotranspiration efficiency (ETa/ETp) and potential humidity (P/ETp) generally increased with the increasing NDVI. The sensitivity of the ETa response to vegetation coverage changes varied due to different precipitation conditions and different rocky desertification severities. The ETa was more sensitive under drought conditions. When a drought occurred, the ETa exhibited an average increase of 40~60 mm with the NDVI increasing of 0.1 in the rocky desertification areas. Among the 5 different severity categories of rocky desertification, the ETa values’ responses to NDVI changes were less sensitive in the severe rocky desertification areas but more sensitive in the extremely and potential rocky desertification areas. For example, with the NDVI increasing of 0.025, 0.05, 0.075, and 0.1, the corresponding ETa changes increased by an average of 2.64 mm, 10.62 mm, 19.19 mm, and 27.58 mm, respectively, in severe rocky desertification areas but by 4.94 mm, 14.99 mm, 26.80, and 37.13 mm, respectively, in extremely severe rocky desertification areas. Understanding the vegetation ecological water consumption response to the vegetation coverage changes is essential for the vegetation restoration and water stresses mitigation in rocky desertification areas. PMID:27798642

Variation of Vegetation Ecological Water Consumption and Its Response to Vegetation Coverage Changes in the Rocky Desertification Areas in South China.

PubMed

Wan, Long; Tong, Jing; Zhou, Jinxing; Guo, Hongyan; Cui, Ming; Liu, Yuguo; Ning, Like; Tang, Fukai

2016-01-01

Over the past several decades, rocky desertification has led to severe ecological problems in karst areas in South China. After a rocky desertification treatment project was completed, the vegetation coverage changed greatly and, consequently, increased the ecology water consumption (approximately equal to the actual evapotranspiration) of the regional vegetation. Thus, it intensified the regional water stresses. This study explored the changes in the actual evapotranspiration (ETa) response to the vegetation coverage changes in the rocky desertification areas in South China based on the precipitation (P), potential evapotranspiration (ETp) and NDVI (the normalized difference vegetation index) datasets. The revised Bagrov model was used to simulate the actual evapotranspiration changes with the supposed increasing NDVI. The results indicated that the average NDVI value was lower when the rocky desertification was more severe. The ETa, evapotranspiration efficiency (ETa/ETp) and potential humidity (P/ETp) generally increased with the increasing NDVI. The sensitivity of the ETa response to vegetation coverage changes varied due to different precipitation conditions and different rocky desertification severities. The ETa was more sensitive under drought conditions. When a drought occurred, the ETa exhibited an average increase of 40~60 mm with the NDVI increasing of 0.1 in the rocky desertification areas. Among the 5 different severity categories of rocky desertification, the ETa values' responses to NDVI changes were less sensitive in the severe rocky desertification areas but more sensitive in the extremely and potential rocky desertification areas. For example, with the NDVI increasing of 0.025, 0.05, 0.075, and 0.1, the corresponding ETa changes increased by an average of 2.64 mm, 10.62 mm, 19.19 mm, and 27.58 mm, respectively, in severe rocky desertification areas but by 4.94 mm, 14.99 mm, 26.80, and 37.13 mm, respectively, in extremely severe rocky desertification areas. Understanding the vegetation ecological water consumption response to the vegetation coverage changes is essential for the vegetation restoration and water stresses mitigation in rocky desertification areas.

A slight recovery of soils from Acid Rain over the last three decades is not reflected in the macro nutrition of beech (Fagus sylvatica) at 97 forest stands of the Vienna Woods✰

PubMed Central

Berger, Pétra; Lindebner, Leopold

2016-01-01

Rigorous studies of recovery from soil acidification are rare. Hence, we resampled 97 old-growth beech stands in the Vienna Woods. This study exploits an extensive data set of soil (infiltration zone of stemflow and between trees area at different soil depths) and foliar chemistry from three decades ago. It was hypothesized that declining acidic deposition is reflected in soil and foliar chemistry. Top soil pH within the stemflow area increased significantly by 0.6 units in both H2O and KCl extracts from 1984 to 2012. Exchangeable Ca and Mg increased markedly in the stemflow area and to a lower extent in the top soil of the between trees area. Trends of declining base cations in the lower top soil were probably caused by mobilization of organic S and associated leaching with high amounts of sulfate. Contents of C, N and S decreased markedly in the stemflow area from 1984 to 2012, suggesting that mineralization rates of organic matter increased due to more favorable soil conditions. It is concluded that the top soil will continue to recover from acidic deposition. However, in the between trees areas and especially in deeper soil horizons recovery may be highly delayed. The beech trees of the Vienna Woods showed no sign of recovery from acidification although S deposition levels decreased. Release of historic S even increased foliar S contents. Base cation levels in the foliage declined but are still adequate for beech trees. Increasing N/nutrient ratios over time were considered not the result of marginally higher N foliar contents in 2012 but of diminishing nutrient uptake due to the decrease in ion concentration in soil solution. The mean foliar N/P ratio already increased to the alarming value of 31. Further nutritional imbalances will predispose trees to vitality loss. PMID:27344089

Stable occupancy by breeding hawks (Buteo spp.) over 25 years on a privately managed bunchgrass prairie in northeastern Oregon, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kennedy, Patricia L.; Bartuszevige, Anne M.; Houle, Marcy; Humphrey, Ann B.; Dugger, Katie M.; Williams, John

2014-01-01

Potential for large prairie remnants to provide habitat for grassland-obligate wildlife may be compromised by nonsustainable range-management practices. In 1979–1980, high nesting densities of 3 species of hawks in the genus Buteo—Ferruginous Hawk (Buteo regalis), Red-tailed Hawk (B. jamaicensis), and Swainson's Hawk (B. swainsoni)—were documented on the Zumwalt Prairie and surrounding agricultural areas (34,361 ha) in northeastern Oregon, USA. This area has been managed primarily as livestock summer range since it was homesteaded. Unlike in other prairie remnants, land management on the Zumwalt Prairie was consistent over the past several decades; thus, we predicted that territory occupancy of these 3 species would be stable. We also predicted that territory occupancy would be positively related to local availability of nesting structures within territories. We evaluated these hypotheses using a historical dataset, current survey and habitat data, and occupancy models. In support of our predictions, territory occupancy of all 3 species has not changed over the study period of ∼25 yr, which suggests that local range-management practices are not negatively affecting these taxa. Probability of Ferruginous Hawk occupancy increased with increasing area of aspen, an important nest structure for this species in grasslands. Probability of Swainson's Hawk occupancy increased with increasing area of large shrubs, and probability of Red-tailed Hawk occupancy was weakly associated with area of conifers. In the study area, large shrubs and conifers are commonly used as nesting structures by Swainson's Hawks and Red-tailed Hawks, respectively. Availability of these woody species is changing (increases in conifers and large shrubs, and decline in aspen) throughout the west, and these changes may result in declines in Ferruginous Hawk occupancy and increases in Swainson's Hawk and Red-tailed Hawk occupancy in the future.

Geothermal Exploration Case Studies on OpenEI (Presentation)

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

Young, K.; Bennett, M.; Atkins, D.

2014-03-01

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) resource assessment (Williams et al., 2008) outlined a mean 30 GWe of undiscovered hydrothermal resource in the western United States. One goal of the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Geothermal Technology Office (GTO) is to accelerate the development of this undiscovered resource. DOE has focused efforts on helping industry identify hidden geothermal resources to increase geothermal capacity in the near term. Increased exploration activity will produce more prospects, more discoveries, and more readily developable resources. Detailed exploration case studies akin to those found in oil and gas (e.g. Beaumont and Foster, 1990-1992) will give developersmore » central location for information gives models for identifying new geothermal areas, and guide efficient exploration and development of these areas. To support this effort, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has been working with GTO to develop a template for geothermal case studies on the Geothermal Gateway on OpenEI. In 2012, the template was developed and tested with two case studies: Raft River Geothermal Area (http://en.openei.org/wiki/Raft_River_Geothermal_Area) and Coso Geothermal Area (http://en.openei.org/wiki/Coso_Geothermal_Area). In 2013, ten additional case studies were completed, and Semantic MediaWiki features were developed to allow for more data and the direct citations of these data. These case studies are now in the process of external peer review. In 2014, NREL is working with universities and industry partners to populate additional case studies on OpenEI. The goal is to provide a large enough data set to start conducting analyses of exploration programs to identify correlations between successful exploration plans for areas with similar geologic occurrence models.« less

Control of petroleum-hydrocarbon contaminated groundwater by intrinsic and enhanced bioremediation.

PubMed

Chen, Ku-Fan; Kao, Chih-Ming; Chen, Chiu-Wen; Surampalli, Rao Y; Lee, Mu-Sheng

2010-01-01

In the first phase of this study, the effectiveness of intrinsic bioremediation on the containment of petroleum hydrocarbons was evaluated at a gasoline spill site. Evidences of the occurrence of intrinsic bioremediation within the BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes) plume included (1) decreased BTEX concentrations; (2) depletion of dissolved oxygen (DO), nitrate, and sulfate; (3) production of dissolved ferrous iron, methane, and CO2; (4) deceased pH and redox potential; and (5) increased methanogens, total heterotrophs, and total anaerobes, especially within the highly contaminated areas. In the second phase of this study, enhanced aerobic bioremediation process was applied at site to enhance the BTEX decay rates. Air was injected into the subsurface near the mid-plume area to biostimulate the naturally occurring microorganisms for BTEX biodegradation. Field results showed that enhanced bioremediation process caused the change of BTEX removal mechanisms from anaerobic biodegradation inside the plume to aerobic biodegradation. This variation could be confirmed by the following field observations inside the plume due to the enhanced aerobic bioremediation process: (1) increased in DO, CO2, redox potential, nitrate, and sulfate, (2) decreased in dissolved ferrous iron, sulfide, and methane, (3) increased total heterotrophs and decreased total anaerobes. Field results also showed that the percentage of total BTEX removal increased from 92% to 99%, and the calculated total BTEX first-order natural attenuation rates increased from 0.0092% to 0.0188% per day, respectively, after the application of enhanced bioremediation system from the spill area to the downgradient area (located approximately 300 m from the source area).

The increased risk of predation enhances cooperation

PubMed Central

Krams, Indrikis; Bērziņš, Arnis; Krama, Tatjana; Wheatcroft, David; Igaune, Kristīne; Rantala, Markus J.

2010-01-01

Theory predicts that animals in adverse conditions can decrease individual risks and increase long-term benefits by cooperating with neighbours. However, some empirical studies suggest that animals often focus on short-term benefits, which can reduce the likelihood that they will cooperate with others. In this experimental study, we tested between these two alternatives by evaluating whether increased predation risk (as a correlate of environmental adversity) enhances or diminishes the occurrence of cooperation in mobbing, a common anti-predator behaviour, among breeding pied flycatchers Ficedula hypoleuca. We tested whether birds would join their mobbing neighbours more often and harass a stuffed predator placed near their neighbours' nests more intensely in areas with a higher perceived risk of predation. Our results show that birds attended mobs initiated by their neighbours more often, approached the stuffed predator significantly more closely, and mobbed it at a higher intensity in areas where the perceived risk of predation was experimentally increased. In such high-risk areas, birds also were more often involved in between-pair cooperation. This study demonstrates the positive impact of predation risk on cooperation in breeding songbirds, which might help in explaining the emergence and evolution of cooperation. PMID:19846454

Impact of Exposure to Pressure of 50 MPa on the Specific Surface Area of Clay

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koszela-Marek, Ewa

2017-12-01

The paper presents results of laboratory tests conducted to determine the impact of pressure of 50 MPa on specific surface area of clay. These tests were carried out in an original, high-pressure test stand. The specific surface area of clay extracted directly from an open pit mine was compared with the specific surface area of the same clay subjected to the pressure of 50 MPa in a high-pressure chamber. The study found that the specific surface area of the clay subjected to the pressure of 50 MPa increased distinctly by over 35 %. The increase in specific surface can be a result of changes in the microstructure of clay particles and microstructural alteration in the soil skeleton, caused by the pressure.

Subject-Specific Finite Element Analysis of the Carpal Tunnel Cross-Sectional to Examine Tunnel Area Changes in Response to Carpal Arch Loading

PubMed Central

Walia, Piyush; Erdemir, Ahmet; Li, Zong-Ming

2017-01-01

Background Manipulating the carpal arch width (i.e. distance between hamate and trapezium bones) has been suggested as a means to increase carpal tunnel cross-sectional area and alleviate median nerve compression. The purpose of this study was to develop a finite element model of the carpal tunnel and to determine an optimal force direction to maximize area. Methods A planar geometric model of carpal bones at hamate level was reconstructed from MRI with inter-carpal joint spaces filled with a linear elastic surrogate tissue. Experimental data with discrete carpal tunnel pressures (50, 100, 150, and 200 mmHg) and corresponding carpal bone movements were used to obtain material property of surrogate tissue by inverse finite element analysis. The resulting model was used to simulate changes of carpal arch widths and areas with directional variations of a unit force applied at the hook of hamate. Findings Inverse finite element model predicted the experimental area data within 1.5% error. Simulation of force applications showed that carpal arch width and area were dependent on the direction of force application, and minimal arch width and maximal area occurred at 138° (i.e. volar-radial direction) with respect to the hamate-to-trapezium axis. At this force direction, the width changed to 24.4 mm from its initial 25.1 mm (3% decrease), and the area changed to 301.6 mm2 from 290.3 mm2 (4% increase). Interpretation The findings of the current study guide biomechanical manipulation to gain tunnel area increase, potentially helping reduce carpal tunnel pressure and relieve symptoms of compression median neuropathy. PMID:28073093

Prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus among inland residents in China (2000-2014): A meta-analysis.

PubMed

Yang, Lili; Shao, Jing; Bian, Yaoyao; Wu, Huiqun; Shi, Lili; Zeng, Li; Li, Wenlin; Dong, Jiancheng

2016-11-01

Besides the aging population in China, the following have become serious public health problems: increasing urban population, lifestyle changes and diabetes. We assessed the epidemiology of type 2 diabetes mellitus in China between 2000 and 2014, and analyzed time trends to better determine the prevalence status of diabetes in China and to provide a basis for prevention and decision-making. In our systematic review, we searched China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese VIP Information, Wanfang and PubMed databases for studies on type 2 diabetes mellitus between 2000 and 2014 in China. Two investigators extracted the data and assessed the quality of the included literature independently. We excluded studies that did not use 1999 World Health Organization criteria for diabetes. We also excluded reviews and viewpoints, studies with insufficient data, studies that were not carried out in mainland China and studies on troops, community, schools or physical examination people. We used stata 12.0 to combine the prevalence of all studies, calculated the pooled prevalence and its 95% confidence interval, and analyzed the differences among men/women, urban/rural areas and year of study. We calculated the prevalence of seven geographic areas of China, respectively, and mapped the distribution in the whole country to estimate the pooled prevalence of each area. Our search returned 4,572 studies, 77 of which satisfied the inclusion criteria. The included studies had a total of 1,287,251 participants, in which 680,574 cases of type 2 diabetes mellitus were recorded. The overall prevalence (9.1%) has been increasing since the 1970s, and it increased rapidly with age. The prevalence of the 65-74 years group was as high as 14.1%. Meanwhile, the prevalence among men/women and urban/rural areas was significantly different. The prevalence was 9.9% for men and 11.6% for women, which were significantly higher than the average at the end of the last century and the beginning of this century. The prevalence rate in urban areas (11.4%) was significantly higher than that in rural areas and in urban-rural fringe areas, and the prevalence in rural areas (8.2%) was slightly higher than that in urban-rural fringe areas (7.5%). In addition, the prevalence in each geographic area were estimated and mapped, which showed a large imbalance in the map. Our analysis suggested that type 2 diabetes mellitus is highly prevalent in China. These results underscore the urgent need for the government to vigorously strengthen the management of diabetes prevention and control. © 2016 The Authors. Journal of Diabetes Investigation published by Asian Association for the Study of Diabetes (AASD) and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

Surface water change as a significant contributor to global evapotranspiration change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhan, S.; Song, C.

2017-12-01

Water comprises a critical component of global/regional hydrological and biogeochemical cycles and is essential to all organisms including humans. In the past several decades, climate change has intensified the hydrological cycle, with significant implications for ecosystem services and feedback to regional and global climate. Evapotranspiration (ET) as a linking mechanism between land surface and atmosphere is central to the water cycle and an excellent indicator of the intensity of water cycle. Knowledge of the temporal changes of ET is crucial for accurately estimating global or regional water budgets and better understanding climate and hydrological interactions. While studies have examined changes in global ET, they were conducted using a constant land and surface water (SW) area. However, as many studies have found that global SW is very dynamic and their surface areas have generally been increasing since the 1980s. The conversion from land to water and vice versa significantly changes the local ET since water bodies evaporate at a rate that can be much higher than that of the land. Here, we quantify the global changes in ET caused by such land-water conversion using remotely-sensed SW area and various ET and potential ET products. New SW and lost SW between circa-1985 and circa-2015 were derived from remote sensing and were used to modify the local ET estimates. We found an increase in ET in all continents as consistent with the net increase in SW area. The increasing SW area lead to a global increase in ET by 30.38 ± 5.28 km3/yr. This is a significant contribution when compared to the 92.95 km3/yr/yr increase in ET between 1982-1997 and 103.43 km3/yr/yr decrease between 1998-2008 by Jung et al., (2010) assuming a constant SW. The results enhance our understanding of the water fluxes between the land and atmosphere and supplement land water budget estimates. We conclude that changes in SW lead to a significant change in global ET that cannot be neglected in global ET trend studies and should also be included in global water budget studies.

Environmental variation and macrofauna response in a coastal area influenced by land runoff

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akoumianaki, Ioanna; Papaspyrou, Sokratis; Kormas, Konstantinos Ar.; Nicolaidou, Artemis

2013-11-01

Macrofauna community interactions with environmental variables in the water column (salinity, temperature, turbidity, transparency, suspended particulate matter, particulate organic matter, choloroplastic pigments) and in the sediment (granulometric variables, organic carbon and pigments) were investigated in a coastal area with high land runoff due to riverine and temporary stream discharges (Greece, Aegean Sea, Maliakos Gulf). Samples were taken along a distance-depositional gradient from the river mouth to the open sea at eight stations, at times of different precipitation regime from August 2000 to May 2001. The physical variables, such as transparency and median grain size, generally increased seawards, and parallelled the depositional gradient as opposed to measures of food inputs and hydrodynamic regime. High environmental heterogeneity was observed during peak precipitation. The total number of species increased seawards and from August (122 species) to May (170 species). Maximum abundance also increased from August (4953 m-2) to May (10,220 individuals m-2), irrespective of distance from river mouth. Species belonging to different functional groups, as to recolonization, feeding, motility and substrate preferences, coexisted at all times indicating high functional diversity. Non-parametric multivariate regression showed that at times of low, rising and falling precipitation 78-81% of community variation was explained by environmental variables, indicating that macrofauna distribution and species composition respond to food inputs and sediment characteristics. During peak land runoff the community-environment relationship weakened (57% of the variability explained). The diversity of functional traits of the most abundant species indicates that the macrofauna community can absorb the impact of increased turbidity, sedimentation and current-driven dispersion. The study offers baseline information for the integrated coastal zone management in microtidal areas with high land runoff under Mediterranean-type climate conditions. During peak land runoff the community-environment relationship weakened (57% of the variability explained) whilst species distribution ranges increased. The study shows that the functional diversity in the study area prior to high discharge period enable macrofauna community to absorb the impact of increased turbidity, sedimentation and current-driven dispersion. The study offers baseline information for the impact of high land runoff in microtidal areas under Mediterranean-type climate conditions.

Added sugar intake in South Africa: findings from the Adult Prospective Urban and Rural Epidemiology cohort study.

PubMed

Vorster, Hester H; Kruger, Annamarie; Wentzel-Viljoen, Edelweiss; Kruger, H Salome; Margetts, Barrie M

2014-06-01

Obesity and other noncommunicable disease (NCD) risk factors are increasing in low- and middle-income countries. There are few data on the association between increased added sugar intake and NCD risk in these countries. We assessed the relation between added sugar intake and NCD risk factors in an African cohort study. Added sugars were defined as all monosaccharides and disaccharides added to foods and beverages during processing, cooking, and at the table. We conducted a 5-y follow-up of a cohort of 2010 urban and rural men and women aged 30-70 y of age at recruitment in 2005 from the North West Province in South Africa. Added sugar intake, particularly in rural areas, has increased rapidly in the past 5 y. In rural areas, the proportion of adults who consumed sucrose-sweetened beverages approximately doubled (for men, from 25% to 56%; for women, from 33% to 63%) in the past 5 y. After adjustment, subjects who consumed more added sugars (≥10% energy from added sugars) compared with those who consumed less added sugars had a higher waist circumference [mean difference (95% CI): 1.07 cm (0.35, 1.79 cm)] and body mass index (in kg/m²) [0.43 (0.12, 0.74)] and lower HDL cholesterol [-0.08 mmol/L (-0.14, 0.002 mmol/L)]. This cohort showed dramatic increases in added sugars and sucrose-sweetened beverage consumption in both urban and rural areas. Increased consumption was associated with increased NCD risk factors. In addition, the study showed that the nutrition transition has reached a remote rural area in South Africa. Urgent action is needed to address these trends. © 2014 American Society for Nutrition.

[Ecological vulnerability of coal mining area: a case study of Shengli Coalfield in Xilinguole of Inner Mongolia, China].

PubMed

Quan, Zhan-Jun; Li, Yuan; Li, Jun-Sheng; Han, Yu; Xiao, Neng-Wen; Fu, Meng-Di

2013-06-01

In this paper, an ecological vulnerability evaluation index system for the Shengli Coalfield in Xilinguole of Inner Mongolia was established, which included 16 factors in ecological sensitivity, natural and social pressure, and ecological recovery capacity, respectively. Based on the expert scoring method and analytic hierarchy process (AHP), an ecological vulnerability model was built for the calculation of the regional ecological vulnerability by means of RS and GIS spatial analysis. An analysis of the relationships between land use and ecological vulnerability was also made, and the results were tested by spatial auto-correlation analysis. Overall, the ecological vulnerability of the study area was at medium-high level. The exploitation of four opencast areas in the Coalfield caused a significant increase of ecological vulnerability. Moreover, due to the effects of mine drained water and human activities, the 300 -2000 m around the opencast areas was turning into higher ecologically fragile area. With further exploitation, the whole Coalfield was evolved into moderate and heavy ecological vulnerability area, and the coal resources mining was a key factor in this process. The cluster analysis showed that the spatial distribution of the ecological vulnerability in the study area had reasonable clustering characteristics. To decrease the population density, control the grazing capacity of grassland, and regulate the ratios of construction land and cultivated land could be the optimal ways for resolving the natural and social pressure, and to increase the investment and improve the vegetation recovery coefficient could be the fundamental measures for decreasing the ecological vulnerability of the study area.

Individual and area-level socioeconomic associations with fast food purchasing.

PubMed

Thornton, Lukar E; Bentley, Rebecca J; Kavanagh, Anne M

2011-10-01

It has been suggested that those with lower socioeconomic characteristics would be more likely to seek energy-dense food options such as fast food because of cheaper prices; however, to date the evidence has been inconsistent. This study examines both individual- and area-level socioeconomic characteristics and their independent associations with chain-brand fast food purchasing. Data from the 2003 Victorian Lifestyle and Neighbourhood Environments Study (VicLANES); a multilevel study of 2,547 adults from 49 small-areas in Melbourne, Australia, were used. Multilevel multinomial models adjusted for confounders were used to assess associations between individual socioeconomic position (education, occupation and income) and area socioeconomic characteristics in relation to fast food purchasing from five major fast food chains with outcome categories: never, at least monthly and at least weekly. The study finally assessed whether any potential area-level associations were mediated by fast food access. Increased fast food purchasing was independently associated with lower education, being a blue-collar employee and decreased household income. Results for area-level disadvantage were marginally insignificant after adjustment for individual-level characteristics, although they were suggestive that living in an area with greater levels of disadvantage increased an individual's odds of more frequent fast food purchasing. This effect was further attenuated when measures of fast food restaurant access were included in the models. Independent effects of lower individual-level socioeconomic characteristics and more frequent fast food purchasing for home consumption are demonstrated. Although evidence was suggestive of an independent association with area-level disadvantage this did not reach statistical significance.

Measuring accessibility of sustainable transportation using space syntax in Bojonggede area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suryawinata, B. A.; Mariana, Y.; Wijaksono, S.

2017-12-01

Changes in the physical structure of regional space as a result of the increase of planned and unplanned settlements in the Bojonggede area have an impact on the road network pattern system. Changes in road network patterns will have an impact on the permeability of the area. Permeability measures the extent to which road network patterns provide an option in traveling. If the permeability increases the travel distance decreases and the route of travel choice increases, permeability like this can create an easy access system and physically integrated. This study aims to identify the relationship of physical characteristics of residential area and road network pattern to the level of space permeability in Bojonggede area. By conducting this research can be a reference for the arrangement of circulation, accessibility, and land use in the vicinity of Bojonggede. This research uses quantitative method and space syntax method to see global integration and local integration on the region which become the parameter of permeability level. The results showed that the level of permeability globally and locally high in Bojonggede physical area is the physical characteristics of the area that has a grid pattern of road network grid.

Peripouch Fat Area Measured on MRI Image and Its Association With Adverse Pouch Outcomes.

PubMed

Gao, Xian Hua; Chouhan, Hanumant; Liu, Gang Lei; Lan, Nan; Remer, Erick; Stocchi, Luca; Ashburn, Jean; Hull, Tracy L; Shen, Bo

2018-03-19

There are no published studies on the impact of peripouch fat on pouch outcomes in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients. Patients with pelvic MRI-DIXON scans from our prospectively maintained Pouch Database between 2002 and 2016 were evaluated. Peripouch fat area was measured on MRI-DIXON-F images at the middle height level of the pouch (area M) and the highest level of the pouch (area H). Of all 1863 patients in the database, 197 eligible patients were included in this study. The median of area M was 52.4 cm2, so the 197 patients were classified into 2 groups: group 1 (Area-M <52.4 cm2) and group 2 (Area-M ≥52.4 cm2). Compared with group 1, group 2 was found to have thicker perianal fat, more Caucasian and more males. Group 2 also had a higher Area-H, more weight, height, and body mass index, along with greater age at IBD diagnosis, age at pouch construction and pouch age, and a higher frequency of total pouch complication (86.7% versus 66.7%, P = 0.001), chronic pouch complication (68.4% versus 51.5%, P = 0.016), and chronic antibiotic-refractory pouchitis (16.3% versus 7.1%, P = 0.043). Multivariate logistic analysis showed that Area-M was an independent risk factor for chronic antibiotic-refractory pouchitis (odds ratio [OR]: 1.025; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.007-1.042, P = 0.005). The 22 patients with 2 or more pelvic MRI-DIXON scans were further classified into 2 groups by the change from the initial to latest MRI-DIXON scans. Patients with Area-M increase ≥10% and Area-M/height increase ≥10% were found to have shorter pouch survivals than those with increase <10%. A new method was established for measuring peripouch fat using pelvic MRI-DIXON-F image. Our study suggests that accumulation of peripouch fat may be associated with poor outcomes in selected IBD patients suspected of inflammatory or mechanical disorders of the pouch. Whether this association is causal warrants further investigation.

Tree growth in thinned and unthinned White fir stands 20 years after a Douglas-fir tussock moth outbreak.

Treesearch

Boyd E. Wickman

1988-01-01

Twenty-year postoutbreak growth was compared in thinned and unthinned, severely defoliated stands. Basal area of unthinned white fir has declined 37 percent and pine basal area has increased 32 percent since 1964. The stand thinned in 1960 has the lowest basal area in the study area, but the greatest tree growth before and after the outbreak. All defoliated fir are...

Elevated atmospheric CO2 concentration leads to increased whole-plant isoprene emission in hybrid aspen (Populus tremula × Populus tremuloides).

PubMed

Sun, Zhihong; Niinemets, Ülo; Hüve, Katja; Rasulov, Bahtijor; Noe, Steffen M

2013-05-01

Effects of elevated atmospheric [CO2] on plant isoprene emissions are controversial. Relying on leaf-scale measurements, most models simulating isoprene emissions in future higher [CO2] atmospheres suggest reduced emission fluxes. However, combined effects of elevated [CO2] on leaf area growth, net assimilation and isoprene emission rates have rarely been studied on the canopy scale, but stimulation of leaf area growth may largely compensate for possible [CO2] inhibition reported at the leaf scale. This study tests the hypothesis that stimulated leaf area growth leads to increased canopy isoprene emission rates. We studied the dynamics of canopy growth, and net assimilation and isoprene emission rates in hybrid aspen (Populus tremula × Populus tremuloides) grown under 380 and 780 μmol mol(-1) [CO2]. A theoretical framework based on the Chapman-Richards function to model canopy growth and numerically compare the growth dynamics among ambient and elevated atmospheric [CO2]-grown plants was developed. Plants grown under elevated [CO2] had higher C : N ratio, and greater total leaf area, and canopy net assimilation and isoprene emission rates. During ontogeny, these key canopy characteristics developed faster and stabilized earlier under elevated [CO2]. However, on a leaf area basis, foliage physiological traits remained in a transient state over the whole experiment. These results demonstrate that canopy-scale dynamics importantly complements the leaf-scale processes, and that isoprene emissions may actually increase under higher [CO2] as a result of enhanced leaf area production. © 2013 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2013 New Phytologist Trust.

Area racism and birth outcomes among Blacks in the United States.

PubMed

Chae, David H; Clouston, Sean; Martz, Connor D; Hatzenbuehler, Mark L; Cooper, Hannah L F; Turpin, Rodman; Stephens-Davidowitz, Seth; Kramer, Michael R

2018-02-01

There is increasing evidence that racism is a cause of poor health outcomes in the United States, including adverse birth outcomes among Blacks. However, research on the health consequences of racism has faced measurement challenges due to the more subtle nature of contemporary racism, which is not necessarily amenable to assessment through traditionally used survey methods. In this study, we circumvent some of these limitations by examining a previously developed Internet query-based proxy of area racism (Stephens-Davidowitz, 2014) in relation to preterm birth and low birthweight among Blacks. Area racism was measured in 196 designated market areas as the proportion of total Google searches conducted between 2004 and 2007 containing the "n-word." This measure was linked to county-level birth data among Blacks between 2005 and 2008, which were compiled by the National Center for Health Statistics; preterm birth and low birthweight were defined as <37 weeks gestation and <2500 g, respectively. After adjustment for maternal age, Census region, and county-level measures of urbanicity, percent of the Black population, education, and poverty, we found that each standard deviation increase in area racism was associated with relative increases of 5% in the prevalence of preterm birth and 5% in the prevalence of low birthweight among Blacks. Our study provides evidence for the utility of an Internet query-based measure as a proxy for racism at the area-level in epidemiologic studies, and is also suggestive of the role of racism in contributing to poor birth outcomes among Blacks. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hydrostatic constraints on morphological exploitation of light in tall Sequoia sempervirens trees.

PubMed

Ishii, Hiroaki T; Jennings, Gregory M; Sillett, Stephen C; Koch, George W

2008-07-01

We studied changes in morphological and physiological characteristics of leaves and shoots along a height gradient in Sequoia sempervirens, the tallest tree species on Earth, to investigate whether morphological and physiological acclimation to the vertical light gradient was constrained by hydrostatic limitation in the upper crown. Bulk leaf water potential (Psi) decreased linearly and light availability increased exponentially with increasing height in the crown. During the wet season, Psi was lower in the outer than inner crown. C isotope composition of leaves (delta(13)C) increased with increasing height indicating greater photosynthetic water use efficiency in the upper crown. Leaf and shoot morphology changed continuously with height. In contrast, their relationships with light availability were discontinuous: morphological characteristics did not correspond to increasing light availability above 55-85 m. Mass-based chlorophyll concentration (chl) decreased with increasing height and increasing light availability. In contrast, area-based chl remained constant or increased with increasing height. Mass-based maximum rate of net photosynthesis (P (max)) decreased with increasing height, whereas area-based P (max) reached maximum at 78.4 m and decreased with increasing height thereafter. Mass-based P (max) increased with increasing shoot mass per area (SMA), whereas area-based P (max) was not correlated with SMA in the upper crown. Our results suggest that hydrostatic limitation of morphological development constrains exploitation of light in the upper crown and contributes to reduced photosynthetic rates and, ultimately, reduced height growth at the tops of tall S. sempervirens trees.

Degradation in landscape matrix has diverse impacts on diversity in protected areas

PubMed Central

Brotons, Lluís; Rajasärkkä, Ari; Tornberg, Risto

2017-01-01

Introduction A main goal of protected areas is to maintain species diversity and the integrity of biological assemblages. Intensifying land use in the matrix surrounding protected areas creates a challenge for biodiversity conservation. Earlier studies have mainly focused on taxonomic diversity within protected areas. However, functional and especially phylogenetic diversities are less studied phenomena, especially with respect to the impacts of the matrix that surrounds protected areas. Phylogenetic diversity refers to the range of evolutionary lineages, the maintenance of which ensures that future evolutionary potential is safeguarded. Functional diversity refers to the range of ecological roles that members of a community perform. For ecosystem functioning and long-term resilience, they are at least as important as taxonomic diversity. Aim We studied how the characteristics of protected areas and land use intensity in the surrounding matrix affect the diversity of bird communities in protected boreal forests. We used line-transect count and land-cover data from 91 forest reserves in Northern Finland, and land-cover data from buffer zones surrounding these reserves. We studied if habitat diversity and productivity inside protected areas, and intensity of forest management in the matrix have consistent effects on taxonomic, functional and phylogenetic diversities, and community specialization. Results We found that habitat diversity and productivity inside protected areas have strong effects on all diversity metrics, but matrix effects were inconsistent. The proportion of old forest in the matrix, reflecting low intensity forest management, had positive effects on community specialization. Interestingly, functional diversity increased with increasing logging intensity in the matrix. Conclusions Our results indicate that boreal forest reserves are not able to maintain their species composition and abundances if embedded in a severely degraded matrix. Our study also highlights the importance of focusing on different aspects of biodiversity. PMID:28950017

Relationship between screw sagittal angle and stress on endplate of adjacent segments after anterior cervical corpectomy and fusion with internal fixation: a Chinese finite element study.

PubMed

Zhang, Yu; Tang, Yibo; Shen, Hongxing

2017-12-01

In order to reduce the incidence of adjacent segment disease (ASD), the current study was designed to establish Chinese finite element models of normal 3rd~7th cervical vertebrae (C3-C7) and anterior cervical corpectomy and fusion (ACCF) with internal fixation , and analyze the influence of screw sagittal angle (SSA) on stress on endplate of adjacent cervical segments. Mimics 8.1 and Abaqus/CAE 6.10 softwares were adopted to establish finite element models. For C4 superior endplate and C6 inferior endplate, their anterior areas had the maximum stress in anteflexion position, and their posterior areas had the maximum stress in posterior extension position. As SSA increased, the stress reduced. With an increase of 10° in SSA, the stress on anterior areas of C4 superior endplate and C6 inferior endplate reduced by 12.67% and 7.99% in anteflexion position, respectively. With an increase of 10° in SSA, the stress on posterior areas of C4 superior endplate and C6 inferior endplate reduced by 9.68% and 10.22% in posterior extension position, respectively. The current study established Chinese finite element models of normal C3-C7 and ACCF with internal fixation , and demonstrated that as SSA increased, the stress on endplate of adjacent cervical segments decreased. In clinical surgery, increased SSA is able to play important role in protecting the adjacent cervical segments and reducing the incidence of ASD.

Coupling of Markov chains and cellular automata spatial models to predict land cover changes (case study: upper Ci Leungsi catchment area)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marko, K.; Zulkarnain, F.; Kusratmoko, E.

2016-11-01

Land cover changes particular in urban catchment area has been rapidly occur. Land cover changes occur as a result of increasing demand for built-up area. Various kinds of environmental and hydrological problems e.g. floods and urban heat island can happen if the changes are uncontrolled. This study aims to predict land cover changes using coupling of Markov chains and cellular automata. One of the most rapid land cover changes is occurs at upper Ci Leungsi catchment area that located near Bekasi City and Jakarta Metropolitan Area. Markov chains has a good ability to predict the probability of change statistically while cellular automata believed as a powerful method in reading the spatial patterns of change. Temporal land cover data was obtained by remote sensing satellite imageries. In addition, this study also used multi-criteria analysis to determine which driving factor that could stimulate the changes such as proximity, elevation, and slope. Coupling of these two methods could give better prediction model rather than just using it separately. The prediction model was validated using existing 2015 land cover data and shown a satisfactory kappa coefficient. The most significant increasing land cover is built-up area from 24% to 53%.

Assessing the impact of urbanization on net primary productivity using multi-scale remote sensing data: a case study of Xuzhou, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tan, Kun; Zhou, Songyang; Li, Erzhu; Du, Peijun

2015-06-01

An improved Carnegie Ames Stanford Approach (CASA) model based on two kinds of remote sensing (RS) data, Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM +) and Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectro-radiometer (MODIS), and climate variables were applied to estimate the Net Primary Productivity (NPP) of Xuzhou in June of each year from 2001 to 2010. The NPP of the study area decreased as the spatial scale increased. The average NPP of terrestrial vegetation in Xuzhou showed a decreasing trend in recent years, likely due to changes in climate and environment. The study area was divided into four sub-regions, designated as highest, moderately high, moderately low, and lowest in NPP. The area designated as the lowest sub-region in NPP increased with expanding scale, indicating that the NPP distribution varied with different spatial scales. The NPP of different vegetation types was also significantly influenced by scale. In particular, the NPP of urban woodland produced lower estimates because of mixed pixels. Similar trends in NPP were observed with different RS data. In addition, expansion of residential areas and reduction of vegetated areas were the major reasons for NPP change. Land cover changes in urban areas reduced NPP, which could chiefly be attributed to human-induced disturbance.

Dental caries and vitamin D3 in children with growth hormone deficiency: A STROBE compliant study.

PubMed

Wójcik, Dorota; Krzewska, Aleksandra; Szalewski, Leszek; Pietryka-Michałowska, Elżbieta; Szalewska, Magdalena; Krzewski, Szymon; Pels, Elżbieta; Beń-Skowronek, Iwona

2018-02-01

Vitamin D may prevent dental caries. To date, no attempts have been made to examine the correlation between the incidence of caries and the concentrations of vitamin D in children with pituitary growth hormone deficiency.The study observed patients of the Department of Endocrinology and Diabetology of the University Paediatric Hospital of the Medical University of Lublin treated with human recombinant growth hormone for pituitary growth hormone deficiency (GHD). The study was conducted between October 2014 and June 2015. The study group consisted of 121 children and adolescents (6-17 years old), including 56 children from rural areas and 65 children from urban areas. The study group was stratified by area of residence.In our study, the increase in vitamin D3 [25(OH)D] levels reduced the D component by 0.66 per each 10 ng/mL of vitamin D3 concentration. The percentage of children with active caries in rural areas is 91.07% (n = 51), which is significantly higher than the percentage of children with active caries in urban areas (81.54%, n = 53).To date, information regarding the potential possibility of reducing the incidence of dental caries by means of increasing the levels of vitamin D was sidelined by paediatricians and dentists alike. Therefore, this aspect of caries prevention should be highlighted.

Mid-21st- century climate changes increase predicted fire occurrence and fire season length, Northern Rocky Mountains, United States

Treesearch

Karin L. Riley; Rachel A. Loehman

2016-01-01

Climate changes are expected to increase fire frequency, fire season length, and cumulative area burned in the western United States. We focus on the potential impact of mid-21st- century climate changes on annual burn probability, fire season length, and large fire characteristics including number and size for a study area in the Northern Rocky Mountains....

Increasing amounts of chemical weed control increase growth of white ash, white oak, and black walnut saplings in a tall fescue sod

Treesearch

Jonathan D. Carlisle; Wayne A. Geyer; J. W. Van Sambeek

2003-01-01

Effective weed control in young deciduous plantations is often prescribed to enhance survivability and growth (Bey and others 1975). Chemical weed control often employs broadcast, strip, and spot applications that markedly affect the ground surface area treated. Our study investigates the effect of four levels of treated surface area of a tank mix of glyphosate and...

Using semi-analytic solutions to approximate the area of potential impact for carbon dioxide injection

EPA Science Inventory

This study examines using the threshold critical pressure increase and the extent of the carbon dioxide (CO2) plume to delineate the area of potential impact (AoPI) for geologic CO2 storage projects. The combined area covering both the CO2 plume and the region where the pressure ...

Effects of satellite image spatial aggregation and resolution on estimates of forest land area

Treesearch

M.D. Nelson; R.E. McRoberts; G.R. Holden; M.E. Bauer

2009-01-01

Satellite imagery is being used increasingly in association with national forest inventories (NFIs) to produce maps and enhance estimates of forest attributes. We simulated several image spatial resolutions within sparsely and heavily forested study areas to assess resolution effects on estimates of forest land area, independent of other sensor characteristics. We...

Forest/non-forest mapping using inventory data and satellite imagery

Treesearch

Ronald E. McRoberts

2002-01-01

For two study areas in Minnesota, USA, one heavily forested and one sparsely forested, maps of predicted proportion forest area were created using Landsat Thematic Mapper imagery, forest inventory plot data, and two prediction techniques, logistic regression and a k-Nearest Neighbours technique. The maps were used to increase the precision of forest area estimates by...

Monitoring surface urban heat island formation in a tropical mountain city using Landsat data (1987-2015)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Estoque, Ronald C.; Murayama, Yuji

2017-11-01

Since it was first described about two centuries ago and due to its adverse impacts on urban ecological environment and the overall livability of cities, the urban heat island (UHI) phenomenon has been, and still is, an important research topic across various fields of study. However, UHI studies on cities in mountain regions are still lacking. This study aims to contribute to this endeavor by monitoring and examining the formation of surface UHI (SUHI) in a tropical mountain city of Southeast Asia -Baguio City, the summer capital of the Philippines- using Landsat data (1987-2015). Based on mean surface temperature difference between impervious surface (IS) and green space (GS1), SUHI intensity (SUHII) in the study area increased from 2.7 °C in 1987 to 3.4 °C in 2015. Between an urban zone (>86% impervious) and a rural zone (<10% impervious) along the urban-rural gradient, it increased from 4.0 °C in 1987 to 8.2 °C in 2015. These results are consistent with the rapid urbanization of the area over the same period, which resulted in a rapid expansion of impervious surfaces and substantial loss of green spaces. Together with landscape composition variables (e.g. fraction of IS), topographic variables (e.g. hillshade) can help explain a significant amount of spatial variations in surface temperature in the area (R2 = 0.56-0.85) (p < 0.001). The relative importance of the 'fraction of IS' variable also increased, indicating that its unique explanatory and predictive power concerning the spatial variations of surface temperature increases as the city size becomes bigger and SUHI gets more intense. Overall, these results indicate that the cool temperature of the study area being situated in a mountain region did not hinder the formation of SUHI. Thus, the formation and effects of UHIs, including possible mitigation and adaptation measures, should be considered in landscape planning for the sustainable urban development of the area.

Shifting the urban heat island clock in a megacity: a case study of Hong Kong

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Xuan; Jeong, Su-Jong

2018-01-01

With increasing levels of urbanization in the near future, understanding the impact of urbanization on urban heat islands (UHIs) is critical to adapting to regional climate and environmental changes. However, our understanding of the UHI effect relies mainly on its intensity or magnitude. The present study evaluates the impact of urbanization on UHI duration changes by comparing three stations with different rates of urbanization, including highly developed and developing urban areas throughout Hong Kong, from 1990-2015. Results show that the 26 year average UHI intensity in highly urbanized regions is much higher than that in developing areas, and the 26 year average of UHI duration is similar. Over the past 25 years, however, UHI duration has increased only in developing urban areas, from 13.59-17.47 hours. Both earlier UHI starting and later UHI ending times concurrently contribute to the UHI effect being experienced for a longer duration. The differences in UHI duration change between the two areas are supported by population and by night light changes from space. Increasing night light, which suggests enhancements in the economic infrastructure, occurred only in the developing urban areas. Our results suggest that changes in UHI duration should be included in an assessment of regional climate change as well as in urban planning in a megacity.

Assessment of geometrical characteristics of dental endodontic micro-instruments utilizing X-ray micro computed tomography

PubMed Central

Al JABBARI, Youssef S.; TSAKIRIDIS, Peter; ELIADES, George; AL-HADLAQ, Solaiman M.; ZINELIS, Spiros

2012-01-01

Objective The aim of this study was to quantify the surface area, volume and specific surface area of endodontic files employing quantitative X-ray micro computed tomography (mXCT). Material and Methods Three sets (six files each) of the Flex-Master Ni-Ti system (Nº 20, 25 and 30, taper .04) were utilized in this study. The files were scanned by mXCT. The surface area and volume of all files were determined from the cutting tip up to 16 mm. The data from the surface area, volume and specific area were statistically evaluated using the one-way ANOVA and SNK multiple comparison tests at α=0.05, employing the file size as a discriminating variable. The correlation between the surface area and volume with nominal ISO sizes were tested employing linear regression analysis. Results The surface area and volume of Nº 30 files showed the highest value followed by Nº 25 and Nº 20 and the differences were statistically significant. The Nº 20 files showed a significantly higher specific surface area compared to Nº 25 and Nº 30. The increase in surface and volume towards higher file sizes follows a linear relationship with the nominal ISO sizes (r2=0.930 for surface area and r2=0.974 for volume respectively). Results indicated that the surface area and volume demonstrated an almost linear increase while the specific surface area exhibited an abrupt decrease towards higher sizes. Conclusions This study demonstrates that mXCT can be effectively applied to discriminate very small differences in the geometrical features of endodontic micro-instruments, while providing quantitative information for their geometrical properties. PMID:23329248

Land use change impacts on discharge analysis using SWAT model at Ciherang Pondok DAM catchment area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Utamahadi, M. A.; Pandjaitan, N. H.; Rau, M. I.

2018-05-01

The prompt increase of population influenced the requirement for new regions to fulfill people’s primary needs. Its increased land use change and caused many impacts on the environment, including watersheds as well. Ciherang Pondok DAM catchment area is part of Cisadane watershed and was selected as the research area. This research aimed to analyse the water supply and water discharge change caused by the Urban Planning (RTRW) in 2020. The analysis was conducted using soil and water assessment tools (SWAT) model. Stages of this research were catchment area delineation, HRU identification, calibration and validation of models, and prediction of discharge and water demand. The result showed that RTRW of 2020 increased the maximum discharge of 1.6 m3/s and decreased the minimum discharge of 0.01 m3/s, hence the maximum and minimum discharge ratio increased 0.26% from 2016. Output discharge in 2020 at Ciherang Pondok Dam Catchment Area was classified as well, with discharge of 6.72 – 126.2 m3/s, and could fulfil water demand. For the best result, it is better to use climate data from weather stations inside the study area and it is required an improvement in data archiving system.

Changing pattern in the risk factors for diabetes in young adults from the rural area of Baluchistan.

PubMed

Fawwad, Asher; Alvi, Syed Faraz Danish; Basit, Abdul; Ahmed, Khursheed; Ahmedani, Muhammad Yakoob; Hakeem, Rubina

2013-09-01

To observe changing pattern in the risk factors for diabetes as overweight, obesity, smoking, hypertension and family history of diabetes in young adults in the rural area of Baluchistan. A community based observational study was carried out in the rural area of Baluchistan by conducting two surveys, in the years 2002 and 2009 respectively. The survey was further subdivided into two groups i.e. young adults (15-25 years) and adults (> or = 25 years). In this study, data of young adults was analyzed. Data obtained in 2002 was also analyzed according to the current guidelines and compared with 2009 survey. A total of 230 and 197 young adults participated in 2002 and 2009 surveys respectively. Obesity increased significantly (p < 0.001) from 20 (10.15%) young adults in the year 2002 to 64 (27.82%) in 2009. Similarly 15 (7.61%) young adults were overweight in 2002 which increased to 24 (10.43%) in 2009 (p < 0.317). Smoking increased from 8 (4.06%) to 49 (21.3%) in 2009 (p < 0.001). Family history of diabetes mellitus also showed a significant increase (p < 0.005). Hypertension increased from 13 (6.6%) young adults in 2002 survey to 17 (7.39%) in 2009, the increase was not statistically significant (p < 0.749). The present study showed that risk factors for diabetes such as overweight, obesity, smoking, hypertension and family history of diabetes increased over time in the young adults of rural Baluchistan.

Prioritizing subwatersheds for stormwater pollution to Wachusett Reservoir.

PubMed

Cho, Kyung Hwa; Park, Mi-Hyun

2013-02-01

The Wachusett Reservoir is a primary drinking water resource for the greater Boston, Massachusetts, area. With a drainage area of 280 km2, the watershed has been gradually urbanized with increased residential, commercial, industrial, and transportation land uses. Increased impervious surface area as a result of urbanization results in increased runoff volume and pollutant loads to the reservoir. This study estimated annual stormwater pollutant mass loads in the watershed to prioritize sub-basins and to identify areas susceptible to stormwater pollution. Catchment Prioritization Index (CPI) was calculated using annual stormwater pollutant mass loads, which were further used to identify clustered hotspots through application of the Getis-Ord Gi* statistic. Validation with observed data showed higher levels of fecal coliform bacteria loading from identified hotspots. This approach will be useful to prioritize sub-basins for future (1) development of stormwater monitoring strategies and (2) best management practices (BMPs) in the watershed.

Why mushrooms form gills: efficiency of the lamellate morphology

PubMed Central

FISCHER, Mark W. F.; MONEY, Nicholas P.

2009-01-01

Gilled mushrooms are produced by multiple orders within the Agaricomycetes. Some species form a single array of unbranched radial gills beneath their caps, many others produce multiple files of lamellulae between the primary gills, and branched gills are also common. In this largely theoretical study we modeled the effects of different gill arrangements on the total surface area for spore production. Relative to spore production over a flat surface, gills achieve a maximum 20-fold increase in surface area. The branching of gills produces the same increase in surface area as the formation of freestanding lamellulae (short gills). The addition of lamellulae between every second gill would offer a slightly greater increase in surface area in comparison to the addition of lamellulae between every pair of opposing gills, but this morphology does not appear in nature. Analysis of photographs of mushrooms demonstrates an excellent match between natural gill arrangements and configurations predicted by our model. PMID:20965062

Effect of a participatory multisectoral maternal and newborn intervention on birth preparedness and knowledge of maternal and newborn danger signs among women in Eastern Uganda: a quasi-experiment study.

PubMed

Muhumuza Kananura, Rornald; Tetui, Moses; Bua, John; Ekirapa-Kiracho, Elizabeth; Mutebi, Aloysius; Namazzi, Gertrude; Namusoke Kiwanuka, Suzanne; Waiswa, Peter

2017-08-01

Knowledge of obstetric danger signs and adequate birth preparedness (BP) are critical for improving maternal services utilization. This study assessed the effect of a participatory multi-sectoral maternal and newborn intervention on BP and knowledge of obstetric danger signs among women in Eastern Uganda. The Maternal and Neonatal Implementation for Equitable Systems (MANIFEST) study was implemented in three districts from 2013 to 2015 using a quasi-experimental pre-post comparison design. Data were collected from women who delivered in the last 12 months. Difference-in-differences (DiD) and generalized linear modelling analysis were used to assess the effect of the intervention on BP practices and knowledge of obstetric danger signs. The overall BP practices increased after the intervention (DiD = 5, p < 0.05). The increase was significant in both intervention and comparison areas (7-39% vs. 7-36%, respectively), with a slightly higher increase in the intervention area. Individual savings, group savings, and identification of a transporter increased in both intervention and comparison area (7-69% vs. 10-64%, 0-11% vs. 0-5%, and 9-14% vs. 9-13%, respectively). The intervention significantly increased the knowledge of at least three obstetric danger signs (DiD = 31%) and knowledge of at least two newborn danger signs (DiD = 21%). Having knowledge of at least three BP components and attending community dialogue meetings increased the odds of BP practices and obstetric danger signs' knowledge, respectively. Village health teams' home visits, intervention area residence, and being in the 25+ age group increased the odds of both BP practices and obstetric danger signs' knowledge. The intervention resulted in a modest increase in BP practices and knowledge of obstetric danger signs. Multiple strategies targeting women, in particular the adolescent group, are needed to promote behavior change for improved BP and knowledge of obstetric danger signs.

Trend and recovery of the total ozone column in South America and Antarctica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Toro A., Richard; Araya, Consuelo; Labra O., Felipe; Morales, Luis; Morales, Raúl G. E.; Leiva G., Manuel A.

2017-12-01

South America is one of the most vulnerable areas to stratospheric ozone depletion; consequently, an increased amount of UV radiation reaches the Earth's surface in this region. In this study, we analyzed the long-term trend in the total ozone column (TOC) over the southern part of the South American continent from 1980 to 2009. The database used was obtained by combining several satellite measurements of the TOC on a 1° (latitude) × 1.25° (longitude) grid. Analysis of the long-term trend was performed by applying the Theil-Sen estimator and the Mann-Kendall significance test to the deseasonalized time series. The long-term trend was also analyzed over several highly populated urban zones in the study area. Finally, multiple linear regression (MLR) modeling was used to identify and quantify the drivers of interannual variability in the TOC over the study area with a pixel-by-pixel approach. The results showed a decrease in the TOC ranging from -0.3 to -4% dec-1 from 1980 to 2009. On a decadal timescale, there is significant variability in this trend, and a decrease of more than -10% dec-1 was found at high latitudes (1980-1989). However, the trends obtained over much of the study area were not statistically significant. Considering the period from 1980 to 1995, we found a decrease in the TOC of -2.0 ± 0.6% dec-1 at latitudes below 40° S and -6.9 ± 2.0% dec-1 at latitudes above 40° S, for a 99.9% confidence level over most of the study area. Analysis of the period from 1996 to 2009 showed a statistically significant increase of 2.3 ± 0.1% dec-1 at high latitudes (> 60° S), confirming the initial TOC recovery in the Antarctic. Despite evidence for initial recovery of the TOC in some parts of the study area between 1996 and 2009, the long-term increase from September to November is not yet statistically significant. In addition, large parts of the study area and most of the urban areas continue to show a decreasing trend in the TOC. The MLR results show that at high latitudes, the main driver of interannual variability in the TOC is the total effective amount of halogens, followed by the eddy heat flux.

Demographic controls of future global fire risk

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Knorr, W.; Arneth, A.; Jiang, L.

2016-08-01

Wildfires are an important component of terrestrial ecosystem ecology but also a major natural hazard to societies, and their frequency and spatial distribution must be better understood. At a given location, risk from wildfire is associated with the annual fraction of burned area, which is expected to increase in response to climate warming. Until recently, however, only a few global studies of future fire have considered the effects of other important global environmental change factors such as atmospheric CO2 levels and human activities, and how these influence fires in different regions. Here, we contrast the impact of climate change and increasing atmospheric CO2 content on burned area with that of demographic dynamics, using ensembles of climate simulations combined with historical and projected population changes under different socio-economic development pathways for 1901-2100. Historically, humans notably suppressed wildfires. For future scenarios, global burned area will continue to decline under a moderate emissions scenario, except for low population growth and fast urbanization, but start to increase again from around mid-century under high greenhouse gas emissions. Contrary to common perception, we find that human exposure to wildfires increases in the future mainly owing to projected population growth in areas with frequent wildfires, rather than by a general increase in burned area.

Changes in ectocervical surface area in women throughout pregnancy compared to non-pregnant and postpartum states.

PubMed

Qian, Xueya; Jiang, Yanmin; Liu, Lei; Shi, Shao-Qing; Garfield, Robert E; Liu, Huishu

2016-11-01

The objective of this study is to estimate changes in the surface area of the ectocervix (CA) in women during pregnancy and compare this to postpartum and non-pregnant states. CA was evaluated in 210 normal nulliparous women divided into groups from early to late gestation, 40 postpartum women, and 25 non-pregnant women. CA in cm(2) was estimated from analysis of images taken with an endoscope of the cervical face and an mm scale. An mm scale was also used to determine fornix length and fornix area computed. The face, fornix, and total areas of the CA of non-pregnant and postpartum groups are significantly smaller (p < 0.001) than these areas in groups during pregnancy. Generally, the CA of the face, fornix, and total area are also less in early pregnancy compared with late gestation (p < 0.01 to <0.001). Total CA correlates with gestational age (r = 0.196, p < 0.004). (1) During pregnancy, CA slowly and progressively increases to >75% area compared with CA of non-pregnant patients and then reverts back to low CA postpartum. (2) Increases in CA during pregnancy occur in both the face and fornix areas. (3) Increases in CA reflect enlargement in cervical volume and remodeling during pregnancy.

A method for examining temporal changes in cyanobacterial ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (CyanoHAB) are thought to be increasing globally over the past few decades, but relatively little quantitative information is available about the spatial extent of blooms. Satellite remote sensing provides a potential technology for identifying cyanoHABs in multiple water bodies and across geo-political boundaries. An assessment method was developed using MEdium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer (MERIS) imagery to quantify cyanoHAB surface area extent, transferable to different spatial areas, in Florida, Ohio, and California for the test period of 2008 to 2012. Temporal assessment was used to evaluate changes in satellite resolvable inland waterbodies for each state of interest. To further assess cyanoHAB risk within the states, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) recreational guidance level thresholds were used to categorize surface area of cyanoHABs into three risk categories: low, moderate, and high-risk bloom area. Results showed that in Florida, the area of cyanoHABs increased largely due to observed increases in high-risk bloom area. California exhibited a slight decrease in cyanoHAB extent, primarily attributed to decreases in Northern California. In Ohio (excluding Lake Erie), little change in cyanoHAB surface area was observed. This study uses satellite remote sensing to quantify changes in inland cyanoHAB surface area across numerous water bodies within an entire state. The temporal assessment method developed here

Impact of land cover change on the environmental hydrology characteristics in Kelantan river basin, Malaysia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saadatkhah, Nader; Mansor, Shattri; Khuzaimah, Zailani; Asmat, Arnis; Adnan, Noraizam; Adam, Siti Noradzah

2016-09-01

Changing the land cover/ land use has serious environmental impacts affecting the ecosystem in Malaysia. The impact of land cover changes on the environmental functions such as surface water, loss water, and soil moisture is considered in this paper on the Kelantan river basin. The study area at the east coast of the peninsular Malaysia has suffered significant land cover changes in the recent years. The current research tried to assess the impact of land cover changes in the study area focused on the surface water, loss water, and soil moisture from different land use classes and the potential impact of land cover changes on the ecosystem of Kelantan river basin. To simulate the impact of land cover changes on the environmental hydrology characteristics, a deterministic regional modeling were employed in this study based on five approaches, i.e. (1) Land cover classification based on Landsat images; (2) assessment of land cover changes during last three decades; (3) Calculation the rate of water Loss/ Infiltration; (4) Assessment of hydrological and mechanical effects of the land cover changes on the surface water; and (5) evaluation the impact of land cover changes on the ecosystem of the study area. Assessment of land cover impact on the environmental hydrology was computed with the improved transient rainfall infiltration and grid based regional model (Improved-TRIGRS) based on the transient infiltration, and subsequently changes in the surface water, due to precipitation events. The results showed the direct increased in surface water from development area, agricultural area, and grassland regions compared with surface water from other land covered areas in the study area. The urban areas or lower planting density areas tend to increase for surface water during the monsoon seasons, whereas the inter flow from forested and secondary jungle areas contributes to the normal surface water.

[Land Use Pattern Change and Regional Sustainability Evaluation of Wetland in Jiaogang Lake].

PubMed

Yang, Yang; Cai, Yi-min; Bai, Yan-ying; Chen, Wei-ping; Yang, Xiu-chao

2015-06-01

Changes in land use and sustainability evaluation of wetland in Jiaogang Lake from 1995 to 2013 were analyzed, based on the land use change models and an index system, supported by RS, GIS, and social statistical data. The results showed: (1) dry land, paddy field, and building land were the predominant landscape in the study area. The arable land was mainly converted during 1995-2000, which was driven by the extension of agriculture, and the building land increased significantly during 2010-2013, which was driven by the tourism development. (2) Compared to the beginning research area, the building land increased by 123.3%, and the wetland decreased by 23.15%. The land system was at risk for a low proportion of wetland, scarcity of unused land, and the fragmented landscape. (3) The regional sustainability results were bad level, bad level, poor level, good level, and poor level during the different periods, with some room for improvement. (4) The fitness of regional sustainability in study area yielded satisfactory results in 2010, owing to the rapid growth of regional productivity and the regional stability. Since 2010, with the increasing environmental load, the regional sustainability fell down to the poor level. The obstruction of sustainable development is necessary to be addressed in the study area.

Enhanced reactivity of nanoscale iron particles through a vacuum annealing process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Riba, Olga; Barnes, Robert J.; Scott, Thomas B.; Gardner, Murray N.; Jackman, Simon A.; Thompson, Ian P.

2011-10-01

A reactivity study was undertaken to compare and assess the rate of dechlorination of chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons (CAHs) by annealed and non-annealed nanoscale iron particles. The current study aims to resolve the uncertainties in recently published work studying the effect of the annealing process on the reduction capability of nanoscale Fe particles. Comparison of the normalized rate constants (m2/h/L) obtained for dechlorination reactions of trichloroethene (TCE) and cis-1,2-dichloroethene (cis-1,2-DCE) indicated that annealing nanoscale Fe particles increases their reactivity 30-fold. An electron transfer reaction mechanism for both types of nanoscale particles was found to be responsible for CAH dechlorination, rather than a reduction reaction by activated H2 on the particle surface (i.e., hydrogenation, hydrogenolysis). Surface analysis of the particulate material using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) together with surface area measurement by Brunauer, Emmett, Teller (BET) indicate that the vacuum annealing process decreases the surface area and increases crystallinity. BET surface area analysis recorded a decrease in nanoscale Fe particle surface area from 19.0 to 4.8 m2/g and crystallite dimensions inside the particle increased from 8.7 to 18.2 nm as a result of annealing.

Response of changes in seasonal soil freeze/thaw state to climate change from 1950 to 2010 across china

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peng, Xiaoqing; Frauenfeld, Oliver W.; Cao, Bin; Wang, Kang; Wang, Huijuan; Su, Hang; Huang, Zhe; Yue, Dongxia; Zhang, Tingjun

2016-11-01

Variations in seasonal soil freeze/thaw state are important indicators of climate change and influence ground temperature, hydrological processes, surface energy, and the moisture balance. Previous studies mainly focused on the active layer and permafrost, while seasonally frozen ground research in nonpermafrost regions has received less attention. In this study, we investigate the response of changes in seasonal soil freeze/thaw state to changes in air temperatures by combining observations from more than 800 stations with gridded mean monthly air temperature data across China. The results show that mean annual air temperature (MAAT) increased statistically significantly by 0.29 ± 0.03°C/decade from 1967 to 2013, with greater warming on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. There is a statistically significant decrease in the freeze/thaw cycle (FTC) at 0.39 ± 0.05 cycles/decade. In addition, there are strong negative correlations between FTC and MAAT. Estimating the soil freeze/thaw state classification based on the number of days in the month, we find that changes of mean annual area extent of seasonal soil freeze/thaw state decreased significantly for completely frozen (CF) ground, while the area extent of partially frozen (PF) and unfrozen (UF) ground both increased. Changes in mean monthly area extent of seasonal soil freeze/thaw state indicate that the extent of CF and UF area was decreasing and increasing, respectively. But for the extent of PF areas, both increasing and decreasing trends were observed. Quantifying the spatial pattern of the seasonal soil freeze/thaw, we find that CF and PF areas are located in northern China and the Tibetan Plateau from December to March, and UF areas are located in southern China. The variations of mean annual area extent departure of soil freeze/thaw states are consistent with MAAT changes in different land cover types across China.

Increasing flood exposure in the Netherlands: implications for risk financing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jongman, B.; Koks, E. E.; Husby, T. G.; Ward, P. J.

2014-05-01

The effectiveness of disaster risk management and financing mechanisms depends on an accurate assessment of current and future hazard exposure. The increasing availability of detailed data offers policy makers and the insurance sector new opportunities to understand trends in risk, and to make informed decisions on ways to deal with these trends. In this paper we show how comprehensive property level information can be used for the assessment of exposure to flooding on a national scale, and how this information provides valuable input to discussions on possible risk financing practices. The case study used is the Netherlands, which is one of the countries most exposed to flooding globally, and which is currently undergoing a debate on strategies for the compensation of potential losses. Our results show that flood exposure has increased rapidly between 1960 and 2012, and that the growth of the building stock and its economic value in flood-prone areas has been higher than in non-flood-prone areas. We also find that property values in flood-prone areas are lower than those in non-flood-prone areas. We argue that the increase in the share of economic value located in potential flood-prone areas can have a negative effect on the feasibility of private insurance schemes in the Netherlands. The methodologies and results presented in this study are relevant for many regions around the world where the effects of rising flood exposure create a challenge for risk financing.

Financing increasing flood risk: evidence from millions of buildings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jongman, B.; Koks, E. E.; Husby, T. G.; Ward, P. J.

2014-01-01

The effectiveness of disaster risk management and financing mechanisms depends on the accurate assessment of current and future hazard exposure. The increasing availability of detailed data offers policy makers and the insurance sector new opportunities to understand trends in risk, and to make informed decisions on the ways to deal with these trends. In this paper we show how comprehensive property level information can be used for the assessment of exposure to flooding on a national scale, and how this information can contribute to discussions on possible risk financing practices. The case-study used is the Netherlands, which is one of the countries most exposed to flooding globally, and which is currently undergoing a debate on strategies for the compensation of potential losses. Our results show that flood exposure has increased rapidly between 1960 and 2012, and that the growth of the building stock and its economic value in flood prone areas has been higher than in not flood prone areas. We also find that property values in flood prone areas are lower than those in not flood prone areas. We argue that the increase in the share of economic value located in potential flood prone areas can have a negative effect on the feasibility of private insurance schemes in the Netherlands. The methodologies and results presented in this study are relevant for many regions around the world where the effects of rising flood exposure create a challenge for risk financing.

Assessing the Impact of Urbanization on Direct Runoff Using Improved Composite CN Method in a Large Urban Area.

PubMed

Li, Chunlin; Liu, Miao; Hu, Yuanman; Shi, Tuo; Zong, Min; Walter, M Todd

2018-04-17

Urbanization is one of the most widespread anthropogenic activities, which brings a range of physical and biochemical changes to hydrological system and processes. Increasing direct runoff caused by land use change has become a major challenge for urban ecological security. Reliable prediction of the quantity and rate of surface runoff is an inherently difficult and time-consuming task for large ungauged urban areas. In this study, we combined Geographic Information System and remote sensing technology with an improved Soil Conservation Service curve number model to evaluate the effects of land use change on direct runoff volume of the four-ring area in Shenyang, China, and analyzed trends of direct runoff at different scales. Through analyzing trends of direct runoff from 1984 to 2015 at different scales, we explored how urbanization and other potential factors affect direct runoff changes. Total direct runoff volume increased over time, and trends varied from the inner urban area to suburban area. Zones 1 and 2 had a tendency toward decreasing direct runoff volume and risks, while Zones 3 and 4 showed gradual increases at both regional and pixel scales. The most important influence on direct runoff change was urban surface change caused by urbanization. This study presents a framework for identifying hotspots of runoff increase, which can provide important guidance to urban managers in future green infrastructure planning, in the hopes of improving the security of urban water ecological patterns.

Emissions from an international airport increase particle number concentrations 4-fold at 10 km downwind.

PubMed

Hudda, Neelakshi; Gould, Tim; Hartin, Kris; Larson, Timothy V; Fruin, Scott A

2014-06-17

We measured the spatial pattern of particle number (PN) concentrations downwind from the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) with an instrumented vehicle that enabled us to cover larger areas than allowed by traditional stationary measurements. LAX emissions adversely impacted air quality much farther than reported in previous airport studies. We measured at least a 2-fold increase in PN concentrations over unimpacted baseline PN concentrations during most hours of the day in an area of about 60 km(2) that extended to 16 km (10 miles) downwind and a 4- to 5-fold increase to 8-10 km (5-6 miles) downwind. Locations of maximum PN concentrations were aligned to eastern, downwind jet trajectories during prevailing westerly winds and to 8 km downwind concentrations exceeded 75 000 particles/cm(3), more than the average freeway PN concentration in Los Angeles. During infrequent northerly winds, the impact area remained large but shifted to south of the airport. The freeway length that would cause an impact equivalent to that measured in this study (i.e., PN concentration increases weighted by the area impacted) was estimated to be 280-790 km. The total freeway length in Los Angeles is 1500 km. These results suggest that airport emissions are a major source of PN in Los Angeles that are of the same general magnitude as the entire urban freeway network. They also indicate that the air quality impact areas of major airports may have been seriously underestimated.

Assessing the Impact of Urbanization on Direct Runoff Using Improved Composite CN Method in a Large Urban Area

PubMed Central

Li, Chunlin; Liu, Miao; Hu, Yuanman; Shi, Tuo; Zong, Min; Walter, M. Todd

2018-01-01

Urbanization is one of the most widespread anthropogenic activities, which brings a range of physical and biochemical changes to hydrological system and processes. Increasing direct runoff caused by land use change has become a major challenge for urban ecological security. Reliable prediction of the quantity and rate of surface runoff is an inherently difficult and time-consuming task for large ungauged urban areas. In this study, we combined Geographic Information System and remote sensing technology with an improved Soil Conservation Service curve number model to evaluate the effects of land use change on direct runoff volume of the four-ring area in Shenyang, China, and analyzed trends of direct runoff at different scales. Through analyzing trends of direct runoff from 1984 to 2015 at different scales, we explored how urbanization and other potential factors affect direct runoff changes. Total direct runoff volume increased over time, and trends varied from the inner urban area to suburban area. Zones 1 and 2 had a tendency toward decreasing direct runoff volume and risks, while Zones 3 and 4 showed gradual increases at both regional and pixel scales. The most important influence on direct runoff change was urban surface change caused by urbanization. This study presents a framework for identifying hotspots of runoff increase, which can provide important guidance to urban managers in future green infrastructure planning, in the hopes of improving the security of urban water ecological patterns. PMID:29673182

Study on body composition and its correlation with obesity: A Cohort Study in 5121 Chinese Han participants.

PubMed

Liang, Xiongfei; Chen, Xianhua; Li, Jing; Yan, Mengdan; Yang, Yifeng

2018-05-01

Rare reports can be found about sex- and age-specific body composition survey among Chinese population. The aim of this study is to explore the change of body composition with aging in Chinese males and females respectively.The present cross-sectional study was carried out in Central South University Xiangya School of Medicine Affiliate Haikou Hospital, on a random sample consisting of 5121 participants. Inbody720 body composition analyzer was used to detect the human body composition. Data collection was based on the assessment of anthropometric body composition measurements done with the help of bioelectric impedance. And the data were analyzed with SPSS19.0.We selected 5121 participants, 3276 males and 1845 females. A significant trend (P < 0.05) for all anthropometric indices was observed with age for both genders. Body fat in men and women were 18.33 kg and 19.82 kg, respectively. Body fat percentage in men and women were 25.74% and 34.01%, respectively. Visceral fat area in men and women were 91.98 cm and 77 cm, respectively And, with the increase of age, body fat, body fat percentages and visceral fat area also increased, both in men and in women. Meanwhile, with the increase of BMI, the body fat, body fat percentages, and visceral fat area also increased, both in men and in women.Significant trends were observed for body fat, body fat percentages and visceral fat area for both genders with age and both genders with BMI. Focusing on obesity-related lifestyle and prevent weight gain.

High Incidence of Breast Cancer in Light-Polluted Areas with Spatial Effects in Korea.

PubMed

Kim, Yun Jeong; Park, Man Sik; Lee, Eunil; Choi, Jae Wook

2016-01-01

We have reported a high prevalence of breast cancer in light-polluted areas in Korea. However, it is necessary to analyze the spatial effects of light polluted areas on breast cancer because light pollution levels are correlated with region proximity to central urbanized areas in studied cities. In this study, we applied a spatial regression method (an intrinsic conditional autoregressive [iCAR] model) to analyze the relationship between the incidence of breast cancer and artificial light at night (ALAN) levels in 25 regions including central city, urbanized, and rural areas. By Poisson regression analysis, there was a significant correlation between ALAN, alcohol consumption rates, and the incidence of breast cancer. We also found significant spatial effects between ALAN and the incidence of breast cancer, with an increase in the deviance information criterion (DIC) from 374.3 to 348.6 and an increase in R2 from 0.574 to 0.667. Therefore, spatial analysis (an iCAR model) is more appropriate for assessing ALAN effects on breast cancer. To our knowledge, this study is the first to show spatial effects of light pollution on breast cancer, despite the limitations of an ecological study. We suggest that a decrease in ALAN could reduce breast cancer more than expected because of spatial effects.

The stork, the plow, rural social structure and tropical deforestation in poor countries?

PubMed

Rock, M T

1996-01-01

This study is an exploration of the relationships between income, demographic pressure, technological change in agriculture, and the structure of political economies in light of cross-country differences in deforestation. The study focuses on small farmers and shifting cultivation. The analysis is based on a model developed by Larson (1994) that accounts for rural poverty, rootlessness, and distribution of landholdings. Regression equations model the average annual rate of deforestation, the relative area under forests, and a recursive model that includes both the deforestation rate and the forested area. Deforestation was reasonably well explained by a dummy variable for Asia, a rank order variable of the amount of forested area in 1980, the gross domestic product per capita in 1990, the average annual population growth rate during 1981-90, and the percentage increase in value added to agriculture during 1981-90 in 1990 dollars. Findings indicate that a 10% increase in the population growth rate increased the rate of deforestation by 10.6%. A 10% increase in income per capita increased deforestation by 49.5%. The influence of income on deforestation followed Kuznet's U-shaped curve. The turning point for reduced deforestation was income of $3500 per capita. Only Central and South America are near this income level. An increase in 1 agricultural worker per household increased deforestation by 50%. A 10% increase in smallholders' share of agricultural land reduced deforestation by 3.4%. Countries with high rural rootlessness had 23.6% less relative area under forests, suggesting that rural rootlessness rather than poverty per se leads to deforestation. The recursive model shows that demographic pressures led to deforestation and were mediated by technological change. Political economy theories of deforestation received strong empirical support.

Top-down and bottom-up modulation of language related areas – An fMRI Study

PubMed Central

Noesselt, Tömme; Shah, Nadim Jon; Jäncke, Lutz

2003-01-01

Background One major problem for cognitive neuroscience is to describe the interaction between stimulus and task driven neural modulation. We used fMRI to investigate this interaction in the human brain. Ten male subjects performed a passive listening and a semantic categorization task in a factorial design. In both tasks, words were presented auditorily at three different rates. Results We found: (i) as word presentation rate increased hemodynamic responses increased bilaterally in the superior temporal gyrus including Heschl's gyrus (HG), the planum temporale (PT), and the planum polare (PP); (ii) compared to passive listening, semantic categorization produced increased bilateral activations in the ventral inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and middle frontal gyrus (MFG); (iii) hemodynamic responses in the left dorsal IFG increased linearly with increasing word presentation rate only during the semantic categorization task; (iv) in the semantic task hemodynamic responses decreased bilaterally in the insula with increasing word presentation rates; and (v) in parts of the HG the hemodynamic response increased with increasing word presentation rates during passive listening more strongly. Conclusion The observed "rate effect" in primary and secondary auditory cortex is in accord with previous findings and suggests that these areas are driven by low-level stimulus attributes. The bilateral effect of semantic categorization is also in accord with previous studies and emphasizes the role of these areas in semantic operations. The interaction between semantic categorization and word presentation in the left IFG indicates that this area has linguistic functions not present in the right IFG. Finally, we speculate that the interaction between semantic categorization and word presentation rates in HG and the insula might reflect an inhibition of the transfer of unnecessary information from the temporal to frontal regions of the brain. PMID:12828789

Monitoring gradual ecosystem change using Landsat time series analyses: case studies in selected forest and rangeland ecosystems

USGS Publications Warehouse

Vogelmann, James E.; Xian, George; Homer, Collin G.; Tolk, Brian

2012-01-01

The focus of the study was to assess gradual changes occurring throughout a range of natural ecosystems using decadal Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) and Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM +) time series data. Time series data stacks were generated for four study areas: (1) a four scene area dominated by forest and rangeland ecosystems in the southwestern United States, (2) a sagebrush-dominated rangeland in Wyoming, (3) woodland adjacent to prairie in northwestern Nebraska, and (4) a forested area in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Through analyses of time series data, we found evidence of gradual systematic change in many of the natural vegetation communities in all four areas. Many of the conifer forests in the southwestern US are showing declines related to insects and drought, but very few are showing evidence of improving conditions or increased greenness. Sagebrush communities are showing decreases in greenness related to fire, mining, and probably drought, but very few of these communities are showing evidence of increased greenness or improving conditions. In Nebraska, forest communities are showing local expansion and increased canopy densification in the prairie–woodland interface, and in the White Mountains high elevation understory conifers are showing range increases towards lower elevations. The trends detected are not obvious through casual inspection of the Landsat images. Analyses of time series data using many scenes and covering multiple years are required in order to develop better impressions and representations of the changing ecosystem patterns and trends that are occurring. The approach described in this paper demonstrates that Landsat time series data can be used operationally for assessing gradual ecosystem change across large areas. Local knowledge and available ancillary data are required in order to fully understand the nature of these trends.

Increasing Student Awareness of Global and Future Issues through a Secondary Level Mini-Course.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Decker, Dianna K.

This study examines the problem of high school students as future leaders entering the adult world unprepared in the areas of global and international issues. The study was conducted with 145 students, teachers, and administrators in a private high school with university affiliations in a large suburban area. Eventually two students became the…

Policy Learning to Internationalize European Science: Possibilities and Limitations of Open Coordination

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tamtik, Merli; Sá, Creso M.

2014-01-01

Mutual learning exercises have become increasingly employed in Europe over the last decade. This study examines the policy learning process in the area of internationalization of science and technology, which has been targeted as a priority for Europe. Through a case study of the open method of coordination expert group in this area, the analysis…

The immediate effects of deep breathing exercises on atelectasis and oxygenation after cardiac surgery.

PubMed

Westerdahl, Elisabeth; Lindmark, Birgitta; Eriksson, Tomas; Hedenstierna, Göran; Tenling, Arne

2003-12-01

Objective--To investigate the effects of deep breathing performed on the second postoperative day after coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Design--The immediate effects of 30 deep breaths performed without a mechanical device (n = 21), with a blow bottle device (n = 20) and with an inspiratory resistance-positive expiratory pressure mask (n = 20) were studied. Spiral computed tomography and arterial blood gas analyses were performed immediately before and after the intervention. Results--Deep breathing caused a significant decrease in atelectatic area from 12.3 +/- 7.3% to 10.2 +/- 6.7% (p < 0.0001) of total lung area 1 cm above the diaphragm and from 3.9 +/- 3.5% to 3.3 +/- 3.1% (p < 0.05) 5 cm above the diaphragm. No difference between the breathing techniques was found. The aerated lung area increased by 5% (p < 0.001). The PaO (2) increased by 0.2 kPa (p < 0.05), while PaCO (2) was unchanged in the three groups. Conclusion--A significant decrease of atelectatic area, increase in aerated lung area and a small increase in PaO (2) were found after performance of 30 deep breaths. No difference between the three breathing techniques was found.

Community acquired pneumonia by Legionella pneumophila: Study of 136 cases.

PubMed

Romay-Lema, Eva; Corredoira-Sánchez, Juan; Ventura-Valcárcel, Pablo; Iñiguez-Vázquez, Iria; García Pais, María-José; García-Garrote, Fernando; Rabuñal Rey, Ramón

2018-04-25

Most of the data on Legionella pneumonia in our country come from the Mediterranean area, and there are few studies from the Northwest area. This study tries to assess the situation of this infection in this area. Retrospective study of all patients with positive Legionella antigenuria treated at the University Hospital Lucus Augusti in Lugo (Spain) from 2001, the year in which this test was introduced in our centre, until 2015. We analysed epidemiological data, risk factors, clinical, radiological and biochemical findings, and clinical outcome. The sampled included 136 patients. When comparing the first five years of the study with the last five, the incidence increased from 10.9 to 64.5 cases/1,000,000; the number of antigenuria requests increased 3.4 times, and compared to other pneumonia aetiologies Legionella increased from 0.9% to 15%. The mean age was 64.1years and 84.6% were males; 74.3% had comorbidities. Males were significantly younger (62.7±16.6 vs 71.9±17.3) and consumed more alcohol (26.1% vs 0%) and tobacco (67.8% vs 14.3%). Diagnosis was established within the first 72hours in 88.9% of cases and most received levofloxacin (95.6%). Hospitalisation was needed in 85% of cases, 11.7% in ICU and 4.4% died. After the introduction of antigenuria there was an increase in the incidence of Legionella pneumonia recorded in our health area. Its rate in recent years has been one of the highest in our country. Despite the fact that the patients had advanced age and comorbidities, mortality was low. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Noise levels associated with urban land use.

PubMed

King, Gavin; Roland-Mieszkowski, Marek; Jason, Timothy; Rainham, Daniel G

2012-12-01

Recent trends towards the intensification of urban development to increase urban densities and avoid sprawl should be accompanied by research into the potential for related health impacts from environmental exposure. The objective of the current study was to examine the effect of the built environment and land use on levels of environmental noise. Two different study areas were selected using a combination of small area census geography, land use information, air photography, and ground-truthing. The first study area represented residential land use and consisted of two- to three-story single-family homes. The second study area was characteristic of mixed-use urban planning with apartment buildings as well as commercial and institutional development. Study areas were subdivided into six grids, and a location was randomly selected within each grid for noise monitoring. Each location was sampled four times over a 24-h day, resulting in a total of 24 samples for each of the two areas. Results showed significant variability in noise within study areas and significantly higher levels of environmental noise in the mixed-use area. Both study areas exceeded recommended noise limits when evaluated against World Health Organization guidelines and yielded average noise events values in the moderate to serious annoyance range with the potential to obscure normal conversation and cause sleep disturbance.

Does alcohol outlet density differ by area-level disadvantage in metropolitan Perth?

PubMed

Foster, Sarah; Hooper, Paula; Knuiman, Matthew; Trapp, Georgina; Wood, Lisa

2017-09-01

Research suggests that there are area-level disparities in alcohol outlets, with greater density in disadvantaged areas. In part, this might be explained by the inequitable distribution of retail, attracted by lower rents to disadvantaged neighbourhoods. This ecological study examines the distribution of liquor licences in Perth, Australia, and whether discrepancies in the distribution of retail land-uses could account for a socio-economic gradient. Area disadvantage was determined for each Statistical Area 1 (SA1) using the Australian Bureau of Statistics Index of Relative Socio-economic Disadvantage, and licence locations were mapped in GIS. Negative binomial loglinear models examined whether licence densities within SA1s differed by area disadvantage, controlling for demographics and spatial correlation. Models included an offset term, so the estimated effects of area-level disadvantage were on licences per km 2 , or licences per retail destination. In the area-based analyses, for every unit increase in disadvantage decile (i.e. a reduction in relative disadvantage), general licences reduced by 15% (P = 0.000) and liquor stores reduced by 7% (P = 0.004). These gradients were not apparent when licences were examined as a function of retail; however, for every unit increase in disadvantage decile, the density of on-premise licences per retail destination increased by 14% (P = 0.000). The direction of the socio-economic gradient for general licences and liquor stores in Perth is concerning, as all licences selling packaged alcohol were more abundant in disadvantaged areas. However, the over-representation of packaged liquor in disadvantaged areas may relate to the increased provision of retail. © 2017 Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs.

The Relationship between Anatomy and Photosynthetic Performance of Heterobaric Leaves1

PubMed Central

Nikolopoulos, Dimosthenis; Liakopoulos, Georgios; Drossopoulos, Ioannis; Karabourniotis, George

2002-01-01

Heterobaric leaves show heterogeneous pigmentation due to the occurrence of a network of transparent areas that are created from the bundle sheaths extensions (BSEs). Image analysis showed that the percentage of photosynthetically active leaf area (Ap) of the heterobaric leaves of 31 plant species was species dependent, ranging from 91% in Malva sylvestris to only 48% in Gynerium sp. Although a significant portion of the leaf surface does not correspond to photosynthetic tissue, the photosynthetic capacity of these leaves, expressed per unit of projected area (Pmax), was not considerably affected by the size of their transparent leaf area (At). This means that the photosynthetic capacity expressed per Ap (P*max) should increase with At. Moreover, the expression of P*max could be allowing the interpretation of the photosynthetic performance in relation to some critical anatomical traits. The P*max, irrespective of plant species, correlated with the specific leaf transparent volume (λt), as well as with the transparent leaf area complexity factor (CFAt), parameters indicating the volume per unit leaf area and length/density of the transparent tissues, respectively. Moreover, both parameters increased exponentially with leaf thickness, suggesting an essential functional role of BSEs mainly in thick leaves. The results of the present study suggest that although the Ap of an heterobaric leaf is reduced, the photosynthetic performance of each areole is increased, possibly due to the light transferring capacity of BSEs. This mechanism may allow a significant increase in leaf thickness and a consequent increase of the photosynthetic capacity per unit (projected) area, offering adaptive advantages in xerothermic environments. PMID:12011354

"A remote sensing approach to determining susceptibility of national park forest areas to forecasted changes in precipitation and temperature"

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Finley, T.; Griffin, R.

2016-12-01

The United States designates 59 protected areas around the country as national parks, totaling around 51.9 million acres. With the exception of a few, the majority of these parks feature forested areas of biological and/or historical importance. Depending on their location, these forested areas are threatened by climate change in the form of decreasing precipitation and/or increasing temperatures, which can result in significant drying resulting in increased susceptibility to threats and resultant tree mortality. This study aims to survey the forested areas of America's national parks and determine their susceptibility to climate-induced drying. Land cover derived from remotely sensed multispectral data was used to characterize forested areas within national parks. Multiple climate change scenarios to end of century were taken from the NASA Earth Exchange Downscaled Climate Projections (DEX _DCP30) dataset and were compared with the forested areas. Forests projected to experience both an increase in temperature and decrease in precipitation were considered most at risk. A susceptibility analysis was performed to develop an index that would identify these areas most prone to negative effects from climate change in low (B1), medium (A1B), and high (A2) emissions scenarios. With this information, park officials can better focus efforts to monitor and preserve their forested areas.

Risk assessment predictions of open dumping area after closure using Monte Carlo simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pauzi, Nur Irfah Mohd; Radhi, Mohd Shahril Mat; Omar, Husaini

2017-10-01

Currently, there are many abandoned open dumping areas that were left without any proper mitigation measures. These open dumping areas could pose serious hazard to human and pollute the environment. The objective of this paper is to determine the risk assessment at the open dumping area after they has been closed using Monte Carlo Simulation method. The risk assessment exercise is conducted at the Kuala Lumpur dumping area. The rapid urbanisation of Kuala Lumpur coupled with increase in population lead to increase in waste generation. It leads to more dumping/landfill area in Kuala Lumpur. The first stage of this study involve the assessment of the dumping area and samples collections. It followed by measurement of settlement of dumping area using oedometer. The risk of the settlement is predicted using Monte Carlo simulation method. Monte Carlo simulation calculates the risk and the long-term settlement. The model simulation result shows that risk level of the Kuala Lumpur open dumping area ranges between Level III to Level IV i.e. between medium risk to high risk. These settlement (ΔH) is between 3 meters to 7 meters. Since the risk is between medium to high, it requires mitigation measures such as replacing the top waste soil with new sandy gravel soil. This will increase the strength of the soil and reduce the settlement.

Monitored Natural Attenuation of ino9rganic Contaminants Treatability Study Final Report

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

Crapse, K

2004-05-19

The identification and quantification of key natural attenuation processes for inorganic contaminants at D-Area is detailed herein. Two overarching goals of this evaluation of monitored natural attenuation (MNA) as a remediation strategy were (1) to better define the availability of inorganic contaminants as potential sources for transport to groundwater and uptake by environmental receptors and (2) to understand the site-specific mechanisms controlling attenuation of these inorganic contaminants through tandem geochemical and biological characterization. Data collected in this study provides input for more appropriate site groundwater transport models. Significant natural attenuation is occurring at D-Area as evidenced by relatively low aqueousmore » concentrations of constituents of concern (COCs) (Be, Ni, U, and As) at all locations characterized and the decrease in groundwater concentrations with increasing distance from the source. The observed magnitude of decrease in groundwater concentrations of COCs with distance from the D-Area Coal Pile Runoff Basin (DCPRB) could not be accounted for by the modeled physical attenuation processes of dilution/dispersion. This additional attenuation, i.e., the observed difference between the groundwater concentrations of COCs and the modeled physical attenuation, is due to biogeochemical processes occurring at the D-Area. In tandem geochemical and microbiological characterization studies designed to evaluate the mechanisms contributing to natural attenuation, pH was the single parameter found to be most predictive of contaminant attenuation. The increasing pH with distance from the source is likely responsible for increased sorption of COCs to soil surfaces within the aquifer at D-Area. Importantly, because the sediments appear to have a high buffering capacity, the acid emanating from the DCPRB has been neutralized by the soil, and these conditions have led to large Kd values at the site. Two major types of soils are present at D-Area and were evaluated in this study: upland subsurface soils associated with a low pH/high sulfate/metals plume down-gradient of the D-Area Coal Pile Runoff Basin (DCPRB) and surface ash material discharged to the wetland from the D-Area Ash Basin (488-D). Sequential extraction studies were carried out to better define the availability of inorganic contaminant sources at D-Area.« less

Area deprivation and the food environment over time: A repeated cross-sectional study on takeaway outlet density and supermarket presence in Norfolk, UK, 1990-2008.

PubMed

Maguire, Eva R; Burgoine, Thomas; Monsivais, Pablo

2015-05-01

Socioeconomic disparities in the food environment are known to exist but with little understanding of change over time. This study investigated the density of takeaway food outlets and presence of supermarkets in Norfolk, UK between 1990 and 2008. Data on food retail outlet locations were collected from telephone directories and aggregated within electoral wards. Supermarket presence was not associated with area deprivation over time. Takeaway food outlet density increased overall, and was significantly higher in more deprived areas at all time points; furthermore, socioeconomic disparities in takeaway food outlet density increased across the study period. These findings add to existing evidence and help assess the need for environmental interventions to reduce disparities in the prevalence of unhealthy food outlets. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Gray Matter Increase in Motor Cortex in Pediatric ADHD: A Voxel-Based Morphometry Study.

PubMed

Sutcubasi Kaya, Bernis; Metin, Baris; Tas, Zeynep Cubukcuoglu; Buyukaslan, Ayse; Soysal, Aysegul; Hatiloglu, Deniz; Tarhan, Nevzat

2018-05-01

Several studies report that ADHD is associated with reduced gray matter (GM), whereas others report no differences in GM volume between ADHD patients and controls, and some even report more GM volume in individuals with ADHD. These conflicting findings suggest that reduced GM is not a universal finding in ADHD, and that more research is needed to delineate with greater accuracy the range of GM alterations. The present study aimed to identify GM alterations in ADHD using pediatric templates. 19 drug-naïve ADHD patients and 18 controls, all aged 7 to 14 years, were scanned using magnetic resonance imaging. Relative to the controls, the ADHD patients had more GM, predominantly in the precentral and supplementary motor areas. Moreover, there were positive correlations between GM volume in these areas and ADHD scale scores. The clinical and pathophysiological significance of increased GM in the motor areas remains to be elucidated by additional research.

Training and education in religion/spirituality within APA-accredited clinical psychology programs: 8 years later.

PubMed

Schafer, Rachel M; Handal, Paul J; Brawer, Peter A; Ubinger, Megan

2011-06-01

This study was a follow up investigation of Brawer et al.'s (Prof Psychol Res Pr 33(2):203-206, 2002) survey of education and training of clinical psychologists in religion/spirituality. Directors of clinical training were surveyed to determine whether changes had occurred in the coverage of religion and spirituality through course work, research, supervision, and in the systematic coverage of the content area. Results indicated an increased coverage in the areas of supervision, dedicated courses, inclusion as part of another course, and research. There was no increase in systematic coverage, but significantly more programs provided at least some coverage. The current study also assesses other areas of incorporation as well as directors' opinions regarding the importance of religion/spirituality in the field of psychology.

Secondary succession of arthropods and plants in the Arizona Sonoran Desert in response to transmission-line construction

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

Johnson, C.D.; Beley, J.R.; Ditsworth, T.M.

1983-03-01

At a site about 16 km south of Black Canyon City, Arizona, density of arthropods on an undisturbed plot after an access road was built for powerline construction was much greater than on a disturbed plot. Mites, springtails, leafhoppers, scale insects, ants and thrips were significantly reduced on the disturbed area. Diversity increased on the disturbed plot after construction, but density decreased. A slight increase in similarity (H', Clambda) of the arthropod communities of the two plots appears to be related to the modest increase in cover on the disturbed area. Globe-mallow, goosefoot and a four-o'clock were pioneer species andmore » occurred only on the disturbed area. There was a significant reduction in cover of all plant species on the disturbed plot after construction, but there was a steady increase of annual forbs at the end of the study. The results indicate that restoration of numbers of arthropods on the disturbed area is dependent on the total plant cover on the plot, apparently regardless of the composition of the plant species involved. It is obvious in this area that the plant communities will remain dissimilar, with the pioneering herbaceous plants on the disturbed plot dominating. Construction of a powerline apparently has had little impact on the structure of the arthropod community on the disturbed area, as proportions of three trophic categories of arthropods have not been radically altered. The results of this study, when compared to other studies in the Sonoran Desert and in desert grasslands disturbed by powerline construction, indicate that lengthy secondary succession does occur in the Sonoran Desert. Early arthropod invaders were found to be mainly herbivores, with few parasites or predators, and an equilibrium was eventually reached between colonizers and space requirements. 35 references, 3 figures, 3 tables« less

Deformation processes within wheel-rail adhesion in contact area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Albagachiev, A. Yu; Keropyan, A. M.

2018-03-01

The study of working surface deformation during interaction of open-pit locomotive tires allowed defining outstanding features of phenomena occurring in the contact area of interacting surfaces. It was found that processes typical for plastic saturated contact occur in the area of wheel-rail interaction of industrial railway transport. In case of plastic deformation exposed to heavy loads typical for open-pit locomotives, upon all rough surfaces of the contour contact area being fully deformed, the frame on which they are found is exposed to plastic deformation. Plastic deformation of roughness within the contact area of interacting surfaces leads to the increase in the actual area of their contact and, therefore, increases the towing capacity of mining machines. Finally, the available data on deformation characteristics with regard to processes occurring in the contact area of wheel-rail interaction will allow making theoretical forecasts on the expected design value of friction coefficient and, therefore, the towing capacity of open-pit locomotives.

Racial and Ethnic Differences: Sociocultural and Contextual Explanations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chao, Ruth K.; Otsuki-Clutter, Michiko

2011-01-01

With the increasing focus on racial and ethnic diversity in studies of adolescence, this review highlights trends in this research over the past decade. Not only is the sheer number of studies incorporating diverse youth increasing, this research has penetrated many areas of the study of adolescence. Some of this research has attempted to…

Naturally acidic surface and ground waters draining porphyry-related mineralized areas of the Southern Rocky Mountains, Colorado and New Mexico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Verplanck, P.L.; Nordstrom, D. Kirk; Bove, D.J.; Plumlee, G.S.; Runkel, R.L.

2009-01-01

Acidic, metal-rich waters produced by the oxidative weathering and resulting leaching of major and trace elements from pyritic rocks can adversely affect water quality in receiving streams and riparian ecosystems. Five study areas in the southern Rocky Mountains with naturally acidic waters associated with porphyry mineralization were studied to document variations in water chemistry and processes that control the chemical variations. Study areas include the Upper Animas River watershed, East Alpine Gulch, Mount Emmons, and Handcart Gulch in Colorado and the Red River in New Mexico. Although host-rock lithologies in all these areas range from Precambrian gneisses to Cretaceous sedimentary units to Tertiary volcanic complexes, the mineralization is Tertiary in age and associated with intermediate to felsic composition, porphyritic plutons. Pyrite is ubiquitous, ranging from ???1 to >5 vol.%. Springs and headwater streams have pH values as low as 2.6, SO4 up to 3700 mg/L and high dissolved metal concentrations (for example: Fe up to 400 mg/L; Cu up to 3.5 mg/L; and Zn up to 14.4 mg/L). Intensity of hydrothermal alteration and presence of sulfides are the primary controls of water chemistry of these naturally acidic waters. Subbasins underlain by intensely hydrothermally altered lithologies are poorly vegetated and quite susceptible to storm-induced surface runoff. Within the Red River study area, results from a storm runoff study documented downstream changes in river chemistry: pH decreased from 7.80 to 4.83, alkalinity decreased from 49.4 to <1 mg/L, SO4 increased from 162 to 314 mg/L, dissolved Fe increased from to 0.011 to 0.596 mg/L, and dissolved Zn increased from 0.056 to 0.607 mg/L. Compared to mine drainage in the same study areas, the chemistry of naturally acidic waters tends to overlap but not reach the extreme concentrations of metals and acidity as some mine waters. The chemistry of waters draining these mineralized but unmined areas can be used to estimate premining conditions at sites with similar geologic and hydrologic conditions. For example, the US Geological Survey was asked to estimate premining ground-water chemistry at the Questa Mo mine, and the proximal analog approach was used because a mineralized but unmined area was located adjacent to the mine property. By comparing and contrasting water chemistry from different porphyry mineralized areas, this study not only documents the range in concentrations of constituents of interest but also provides insight into the primary controls of water chemistry.

Dental caries and vitamin D3 in children with growth hormone deficiency

PubMed Central

Wójcik, Dorota; Krzewska, Aleksandra; Szalewski, Leszek; Pietryka-Michałowska, Elżbieta; Szalewska, Magdalena; Krzewski, Szymon; Pels, Elżbieta; Beń-Skowronek, Iwona

2018-01-01

Abstract Vitamin D may prevent dental caries. To date, no attempts have been made to examine the correlation between the incidence of caries and the concentrations of vitamin D in children with pituitary growth hormone deficiency. The study observed patients of the Department of Endocrinology and Diabetology of the University Paediatric Hospital of the Medical University of Lublin treated with human recombinant growth hormone for pituitary growth hormone deficiency (GHD). The study was conducted between October 2014 and June 2015. The study group consisted of 121 children and adolescents (6–17 years old), including 56 children from rural areas and 65 children from urban areas. The study group was stratified by area of residence. In our study, the increase in vitamin D3 [25(OH)D] levels reduced the D component by 0.66 per each 10 ng/mL of vitamin D3 concentration. The percentage of children with active caries in rural areas is 91.07% (n = 51), which is significantly higher than the percentage of children with active caries in urban areas (81.54%, n = 53). To date, information regarding the potential possibility of reducing the incidence of dental caries by means of increasing the levels of vitamin D was sidelined by paediatricians and dentists alike. Therefore, this aspect of caries prevention should be highlighted. PMID:29465564

[Multiple sclerosis epidemiological situation update: pertinence and set-up of a population based registry of new cases in Catalonia].

PubMed

Otero, S; Batlle, J; Bonaventura, I; Brieva, Ll; Bufill, E; Cano, A; Carmona, O; Escartín, A; Marco, M; Moral, E; Munteis, E; Nos, C; Pericot, I; Perkal, H; Ramió-Torrentà, Ll; Ramo-Tello, C; Saiz, A; Sastre-Garriga, J; Tintoré, M; Vaqué, J; Montalban, X

2010-05-16

The first epidemiological studies on multiple sclerosis (MS) around the world pictured a north to south latitudinal gradient that led to the first genetic and environmental pathogenic hypothesis. MS incidence seems to be increasing during the past 20 years based on recent data from prospective studies performed in Europe, America and Asia. This phenomenon could be explained by a better case ascertainment as well as a change in causal factors. The few prospective studies in our area together with the increase in the disease in other regions, justifies an epidemiological MS project in order to describe the incidence and temporal trends of MS. A prospective multicenter MS registry has been established according to the actual requirements of an epidemiological surveillance system. Case definition is based on the fulfillment of the McDonald diagnostic criteria. The registry setting is the geographical area of Cataluna (northeastern Spain), using a wide network of hospitals specialized in MS management. Recent epidemiological studies have described an increase in MS incidence. In order to contrast this finding in our area, we consider appropriate to set up a population based registry.

Incredible Years Parent Training Support for Nursery Staff Working within a Disadvantaged Flying Start Area in Wales: A Feasibility Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bywater, Tracey Jane; Hutchings, Judith Mary; Gridley, Nicole; Jones, Karen

2011-01-01

Parenting programmes are effective interventions for preventing and treating conduct problems in young children. Up to 20% of children in disadvantaged areas have conduct disorder. Recent government initiatives such as targeting early years services to designated disadvantaged Flying Start areas in Wales have resulted in increased nursery-care…

Resting-State Brain Activity in Adult Males Who Stutter

PubMed Central

Zhu, Chaozhe; Wang, Liang; Yan, Qian; Lin, Chunlan; Yu, Chunshui

2012-01-01

Although developmental stuttering has been extensively studied with structural and task-based functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), few studies have focused on resting-state brain activity in this disorder. We investigated resting-state brain activity of stuttering subjects by analyzing the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (ALFF), region of interest (ROI)-based functional connectivity (FC) and independent component analysis (ICA)-based FC. Forty-four adult males with developmental stuttering and 46 age-matched fluent male controls were scanned using resting-state fMRI. ALFF, ROI-based FCs and ICA-based FCs were compared between male stuttering subjects and fluent controls in a voxel-wise manner. Compared with fluent controls, stuttering subjects showed increased ALFF in left brain areas related to speech motor and auditory functions and bilateral prefrontal cortices related to cognitive control. However, stuttering subjects showed decreased ALFF in the left posterior language reception area and bilateral non-speech motor areas. ROI-based FC analysis revealed decreased FC between the posterior language area involved in the perception and decoding of sensory information and anterior brain area involved in the initiation of speech motor function, as well as increased FC within anterior or posterior speech- and language-associated areas and between the prefrontal areas and default-mode network (DMN) in stuttering subjects. ICA showed that stuttering subjects had decreased FC in the DMN and increased FC in the sensorimotor network. Our findings support the concept that stuttering subjects have deficits in multiple functional systems (motor, language, auditory and DMN) and in the connections between them. PMID:22276215

HMO growth and the geographical redistribution of generalist and specialist physicians, 1987-1997.

PubMed Central

Escarce, J J; Polsky, D; Wozniak, G D; Kletke, P R

2000-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of the growth in HMO penetration in different metropolitan areas on the change in the number of generalists, specialists, and total physicians, and on the change in the proportion of physicians who are generalists. DATA SOURCES/STUDY SETTING: The American Medical Association Physician Masterfile, to obtain the number of patient care generalists and specialists in 1987 and in 1997 who were practicing in each of 316 metropolitan areas in the United States. Additional data for each metropolitan area were obtained from a variety of sources, and included HMO penetration in 1986 and 1996. STUDY DESIGN: We estimated multivariate regression models in which the change in the number of physicians between 1987 and 1997 was a function of HMO penetration in 1986, the change in HMO penetration between 1986 and 1996, population characteristics and physician fees in 1986, and the change in population characteristics and fees between 1986 and 1996. Each model was estimated using ordinary least squares (OLS) and two-stage least squares (TSLS). PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: HMO penetration did not affect the number of generalist physicians or hospital-based specialists, but faster HMO growth led to smaller increases in the numbers of medical/surgical specialists and total physicians. Faster HMO growth also led to larger increases in the proportion of physicians who were generalists. Our best estimate is that an increase in HMO penetration of .10 between 1986 and 1996 reduced the rate of increase in medical/surgical specialists by 10.3 percent and reduced the rate of increase in total physicians by 7.2 percent. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study support the notion that HMOs reduce the demand for physician services, particularly for specialists' services. The findings also imply that, during the past decade, there has been a redistribution of physicians-especially medical/surgical specialists-from metropolitan areas with high HMO penetration to low-penetration areas. PMID:11055451

Did the Great Recession affect mortality rates in the metropolitan United States? Effects on mortality by age, gender and cause of death.

PubMed

Strumpf, Erin C; Charters, Thomas J; Harper, Sam; Nandi, Arijit

2017-09-01

Mortality rates generally decline during economic recessions in high-income countries, however gaps remain in our understanding of the underlying mechanisms. This study estimates the impacts of increases in unemployment rates on both all-cause and cause-specific mortality across U.S. metropolitan regions during the Great Recession. We estimate the effects of economic conditions during the recent and severe recessionary period on mortality, including differences by age and gender subgroups, using fixed effects regression models. We identify a plausibly causal effect by isolating the impacts of within-metropolitan area changes in unemployment rates and controlling for common temporal trends. We aggregated vital statistics, population, and unemployment data at the area-month-year-age-gender-race level, yielding 527,040 observations across 366 metropolitan areas, 2005-2010. We estimate that a one percentage point increase in the metropolitan area unemployment rate was associated with a decrease in all-cause mortality of 3.95 deaths per 100,000 person years (95%CI -6.80 to -1.10), or 0.5%. Estimated reductions in cardiovascular disease mortality contributed 60% of the overall effect and were more pronounced among women. Motor vehicle accident mortality declined with unemployment increases, especially for men and those under age 65, as did legal intervention and homicide mortality, particularly for men and adults ages 25-64. We find suggestive evidence that increases in metropolitan area unemployment increased accidental drug poisoning deaths for both men and women ages 25-64. Our finding that all-cause mortality decreased during the Great Recession is consistent with previous studies. Some categories of cause-specific mortality, notably cardiovascular disease, also follow this pattern, and are more pronounced for certain gender and age groups. Our study also suggests that the recent recession contributed to the growth in deaths from overdoses of prescription drugs in working-age adults in metropolitan areas. Additional research investigating the mechanisms underlying the health consequences of macroeconomic conditions is warranted. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Assessing Seasonal and Inter-Annual Variations of Lake Surface Areas in Mongolia during 2000-2011 Using Minimum Composite MODIS NDVI

PubMed Central

Kang, Sinkyu; Hong, Suk Young

2016-01-01

A minimum composite method was applied to produce a 15-day interval normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) dataset from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) daily 250 m reflectance in the red and near-infrared bands. This dataset was applied to determine lake surface areas in Mongolia. A total of 73 lakes greater than 6.25 km2in area were selected, and 28 of these lakes were used to evaluate detection errors. The minimum composite NDVI showed a better detection performance on lake water pixels than did the official MODIS 16-day 250 m NDVI based on a maximum composite method. The overall lake area detection performance based on the 15-day minimum composite NDVI showed -2.5% error relative to the Landsat-derived lake area for the 28 evaluated lakes. The errors increased with increases in the perimeter-to-area ratio but decreased with lake size over 10 km2. The lake area decreased by -9.3% at an annual rate of -53.7 km2 yr-1 during 2000 to 2011 for the 73 lakes. However, considerable spatial variations, such as slight-to-moderate lake area reductions in semi-arid regions and rapid lake area reductions in arid regions, were also detected. This study demonstrated applicability of MODIS 250 m reflectance data for biweekly monitoring of lake area change and diagnosed considerable lake area reduction and its spatial variability in arid and semi-arid regions of Mongolia. Future studies are required for explaining reasons of lake area changes and their spatial variability. PMID:27007233

Assessing Seasonal and Inter-Annual Variations of Lake Surface Areas in Mongolia during 2000-2011 Using Minimum Composite MODIS NDVI.

PubMed

Kang, Sinkyu; Hong, Suk Young

2016-01-01

A minimum composite method was applied to produce a 15-day interval normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) dataset from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) daily 250 m reflectance in the red and near-infrared bands. This dataset was applied to determine lake surface areas in Mongolia. A total of 73 lakes greater than 6.25 km2in area were selected, and 28 of these lakes were used to evaluate detection errors. The minimum composite NDVI showed a better detection performance on lake water pixels than did the official MODIS 16-day 250 m NDVI based on a maximum composite method. The overall lake area detection performance based on the 15-day minimum composite NDVI showed -2.5% error relative to the Landsat-derived lake area for the 28 evaluated lakes. The errors increased with increases in the perimeter-to-area ratio but decreased with lake size over 10 km(2). The lake area decreased by -9.3% at an annual rate of -53.7 km(2) yr(-1) during 2000 to 2011 for the 73 lakes. However, considerable spatial variations, such as slight-to-moderate lake area reductions in semi-arid regions and rapid lake area reductions in arid regions, were also detected. This study demonstrated applicability of MODIS 250 m reflectance data for biweekly monitoring of lake area change and diagnosed considerable lake area reduction and its spatial variability in arid and semi-arid regions of Mongolia. Future studies are required for explaining reasons of lake area changes and their spatial variability.

Environmental gradients explain species richness and community composition of coastal breeding birds in the Baltic Sea.

PubMed

Nord, Maria; Forslund, Pär

2015-01-01

Scientifically-based systematic conservation planning for reserve design requires knowledge of species richness patterns and how these are related to environmental gradients. In this study, we explore a large inventory of coastal breeding birds, in total 48 species, sampled in 4646 1 km2 squares which covered a large archipelago in the Baltic Sea on the east coast of Sweden. We analysed how species richness (α diversity) and community composition (β diversity) of two groups of coastal breeding birds (specialists, i.e. obligate coastal breeders; generalists, i.e. facultative coastal breeders) were affected by distance to open sea, land area, shoreline length and archipelago width. The total number of species per square increased with increasing shoreline length, but increasing land area counteracted this effect in specialists. The number of specialist bird species per square increased with decreasing distance to open sea, while the opposite was true for the generalists. Differences in community composition between squares were associated with differences in land area and distance to open sea, both when considering all species pooled and each group separately. Fourteen species were nationally red-listed, and showed similar relationships to the environmental gradients as did all species, specialists and generalists. We suggest that availability of suitable breeding habitats, and probably also proximity to feeding areas, explain much of the observed spatial distributions of coastal birds in this study. Our findings have important implications for systematic conservation planning of coastal breeding birds. In particular, we provide information on where coastal breeding birds occur and which environments they seem to prefer. Small land areas with long shorelines are highly valuable both in general and for red-listed species. Thus, such areas should be prioritized for protection against human disturbance and used by management in reserve selection.

Environmental Gradients Explain Species Richness and Community Composition of Coastal Breeding Birds in the Baltic Sea

PubMed Central

Nord, Maria; Forslund, Pär

2015-01-01

Scientifically-based systematic conservation planning for reserve design requires knowledge of species richness patterns and how these are related to environmental gradients. In this study, we explore a large inventory of coastal breeding birds, in total 48 species, sampled in 4646 1 km2 squares which covered a large archipelago in the Baltic Sea on the east coast of Sweden. We analysed how species richness (α diversity) and community composition (β diversity) of two groups of coastal breeding birds (specialists, i.e. obligate coastal breeders; generalists, i.e. facultative coastal breeders) were affected by distance to open sea, land area, shoreline length and archipelago width. The total number of species per square increased with increasing shoreline length, but increasing land area counteracted this effect in specialists. The number of specialist bird species per square increased with decreasing distance to open sea, while the opposite was true for the generalists. Differences in community composition between squares were associated with differences in land area and distance to open sea, both when considering all species pooled and each group separately. Fourteen species were nationally red-listed, and showed similar relationships to the environmental gradients as did all species, specialists and generalists. We suggest that availability of suitable breeding habitats, and probably also proximity to feeding areas, explain much of the observed spatial distributions of coastal birds in this study. Our findings have important implications for systematic conservation planning of coastal breeding birds. In particular, we provide information on where coastal breeding birds occur and which environments they seem to prefer. Small land areas with long shorelines are highly valuable both in general and for red-listed species. Thus, such areas should be prioritized for protection against human disturbance and used by management in reserve selection. PMID:25714432

Evaluation of rural areas in terms of landscape quality: Salacik Village (Trabzon/Turkey) example.

PubMed

Düzgüneş, Ertan; Demirel, Öner

2015-06-01

As a result of the increasing urbanization and fast pace of work life, people started to turn to rural areas so as to regenerate both socially and psychologically. Increasing interest in the rural areas made the importance of landscape quality of these areas more significant. This improvement gave way to the idea of the necessity of preserving the resourceful landscape areas in terms of visual characteristics and bringing them under the spotlight, and it became the driving power in reconciling the planners and administrators. From this point of view, a study was conducted in Salacık Village of Akçaabat district of Trabzon (Turkey) in order to identify the visually resourceful landscape areas and maintain the sustainability of the resource values by preserving them. In this respect, the area was divided into seven individual landscape types, visual landscape evaluation including the opinions of the experts, and a survey that is used in planning of the rural areas was implemented. It is thought that the results attained with the evaluations made taking the principles of Gestalt theory into consideration will constitute an essential fundamental for urban and regional planners, natural resource administrators, and other planning parties in their planning decisions relating the specific area. Apart from that, among the goals of this study are contributing in the preservation of visually resourceful landscapes, maintaining their sustainability, and integration of these areas into the development strategies.

Changes in the structure and function of soil ecosystems in soils contaminated with heavy metals

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

Kuperman, R.; Parmelee, R.; Carreiro, M.

1995-09-01

The structure and function of soil communities in an area with a wide range of concentrations of heavy metals was studied in portions of the U.S. Army`s Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. The study included survey of soil macro- and microinvertebrate communities, soil microorganisms, enzyme activities and the rates of nutrient dynamics in soil. Soil macroinvertebrate communities showed significant reductions in the adundance of several taxonomic and functional groups in contaminated areas. The total numbers of nematodes and numbers of fungivore, bacterivore and omnivore-predator nematodes were lower in the more contaminated areas. The numbers of active bacteria and fungi were lowermore » in areas of soil contamination. Significant reduction in the activities of all enzymes closely paralleled the increase in heavy metal concentrations. Ten-to-fifty fold reductions in enzyme activities were observed as heavy metal concentrations increased. These results suggest that soil contamination with heavy metals may have detrimental effects on soil biota and the rates of organic matter degradation and subsequent release of nutrients to aboveground communities in the area.« less

Changes in the structure and function of soil ecosystems in soils contaminated with heavy metals

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

Kuperman, R.; Parmelee, R.; Carreiro, M.

1995-06-01

The structure and function of soil communities in an area with a wide range of concentrations of heavy metals was studied in portions of the U.S. Army`s Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. The study included survey of soil macro- and microinvertebrate communities, soil microorganisms, enzyme activities and the rates of nutrient dynamics in soil. Soil macroinvertebrate communities showed significant reductions in the abundance of several taxonomic and functional groups in contaminated areas. The total numbers of nematodes and numbers of fungivore, bacterivore and omnivore-predator nematodes were lower in the more contaminated areas. The numbers of active bacteria and fungi were lowermore » in areas of soil contamination. Significant reduction in the activities of all enzymes closely paralleled the increase in heavy metal concentrations. Ten-to-fifty fold reductions in enzyme activities were observed as heavy metal concentrations increased. These results suggest that soil contamination with heavy metals may have detrimental effects on soil biota and the rates of organic matter degradation and subsequent release of nutrients to aboveground communities in the area.« less

Surface States and Effective Surface Area on Photoluminescent P-Type Porous Silicon

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weisz, S. Z.; Porras, A. Ramirez; Resto, O.; Goldstein, Y.; Many, A.; Savir, E.

1997-01-01

The present study is motivated by the possibility of utilizing porous silicon for spectral sensors. Pulse measurements on the porous-Si/electrolyte system are employed to determine the surface effective area and the surface-state density at various stages of the anodization process used to produce the porous material. Such measurements were combined with studies of the photoluminescence spectra. These spectra were found to shift progressively to the blue as a function of anodization time. The luminescence intensity increases initially with anodization time, reaches a maximum and then decreases with further anodization. The surface state density, on the other hand, increases with anodization time from an initial value of about 2 x 10(exp 12)/sq cm surface to about 1013 sq cm for the anodized surface. This value is attained already after -2 min anodization and upon further anodization remains fairly constant. In parallel, the effective surface area increases by a factor of 10-30. This behavior is markedly different from the one observed previously for n-type porous Si.

Geometrical effects of conventional and digital prosthodontic planning wax-ups on lateral occlusal contact number, contact area, and steepness.

PubMed

Abduo, Jaafar

2017-01-01

This study evaluated and compared the effect of conventional and digital wax-ups on three lateral occlusion variables: contact number, contact area, and steepness. Dental casts of 10 patients with Angle Class I relationship were included in the study. All patients required fixed prosthodontic treatment that would affect lateral occlusion. The casts of all patients received conventional and digital wax-ups. For pretreatment, conventional wax-up, and digital wax-up casts, contact number, contact area, and occlusion steepness were measured at four lateral positions, that is, at excursions of 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, and 3.0 mm from maximal intercuspation. Lateral occlusion scheme variables were affected by use of diagnostic wax-ups. For all types of casts, contact number decreased as excursion increased. The two types of wax-ups had similar contact number patterns, and contact number was significantly greater for these casts than for pretreatment casts in the earlier stages of excursion. Similarly, contact area gradually decreased with increasing excursion in the pretreatment and conventional and digital wax-up casts. There was only a minimal decrease in occlusion steepness as excursion increased. However, lateral occlusion was generally steeper for digital wax-up casts.

Monitoring Ground Deformation Using Persistent Scatters Interferometry (PSI) and Small Baselines (SBAS) Techniques Integrated in the ESA RSS Service: The Case Study of Valencia, Rome and South Sardinia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Delgado, Manuel J.; Cuccu, Roberto; Rivolta, Giancarlo

2015-05-01

This work is focused on the infrastructure monitoring of areas which had experienced significant urbanization and therefore, also an increase of the exploitation of natural resources. Persistent Scatters Interferometry (PS-InSAR) and Small Baselines (SBAS) approaches are applied to three study areas for which large datasets of SAR images are available in ascending and descending modes to finally deploy deformation maps of different buildings and infrastructures. Valencia, Rome and South Sardinia areas have been selected for this study, having experienced an increase of the exploitation of natural resources in parallel with their urban expansion. Moreover, Rome is a very special case, where Cultural Heritage permeating the city and its surroundings would suggest the necessity of a tool for monitoring the stability of the different sites. This work wants to analyse the potential deformation that had occurred in these areas during the period 1992 to 2010, by applying Persistent Scatters Interferometry to ESA ERS SAR and Envisat ASAR data.

Unequal socioeconomic distribution of the primary care workforce: whole-population small area longitudinal study

PubMed Central

Cookson, Richard; Fleetcroft, Robert; Ali, Shehzad

2016-01-01

Objective To measure changes in socioeconomic inequality in the distribution of family physicians (general practitioners (GPs)) relative to need in England from 2004/2005 to 2013/2014. Design Whole-population small area longitudinal data linkage study. Setting England from 2004/2005 to 2013/2014. Participants 32 482 lower layer super output areas (neighbourhoods of 1500 people on average). Main outcome measures Slope index of inequality (SII) between the most and least deprived small areas in annual full-time equivalent GPs (FTE GPs) per 100 000 need adjusted population. Results In 2004/2005, inequality in primary care supply as measured by the SII in FTE GPs was 4.2 (95% CI 3.1 to 5.3) GPs per 100 000. By 2013/2014, this SII had fallen to −0.7 (95% CI −2.5 to 1.1) GPs per 100 000. The number of FTE GPs per 100 000 serving the most deprived fifth of small areas increased over this period from 54.0 to 60.5, while increasing from 57.2 to 59.9 in the least deprived fifth, so that by the end of the study period there were more GPs per 100 000 need adjusted population in the most deprived areas than in the least deprived. The increase in GP supply in the most deprived fifth of neighbourhoods was larger in areas that received targeted investment for establishing new practices under the ‘Equitable Access to Primary Medical Care’. Conclusions There was a substantial reduction in socioeconomic inequality in family physician supply associated with national policy. This policy may not have completely eliminated socioeconomic inequality in family physician supply since existing need adjustment formulae do not fully capture the additional burden of multimorbidity in deprived neighbourhoods. The small area approach introduced in this study can be used routinely to monitor socioeconomic inequality of access to primary care and to indicate workforce shortages in particular neighbourhoods. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 PMID:26787245

Unequal socioeconomic distribution of the primary care workforce: whole-population small area longitudinal study.

PubMed

Asaria, Miqdad; Cookson, Richard; Fleetcroft, Robert; Ali, Shehzad

2016-01-19

To measure changes in socioeconomic inequality in the distribution of family physicians (general practitioners (GPs)) relative to need in England from 2004/2005 to 2013/2014. Whole-population small area longitudinal data linkage study. England from 2004/2005 to 2013/2014. 32,482 lower layer super output areas (neighbourhoods of 1500 people on average). Slope index of inequality (SII) between the most and least deprived small areas in annual full-time equivalent GPs (FTE GPs) per 100,000 need adjusted population. In 2004/2005, inequality in primary care supply as measured by the SII in FTE GPs was 4.2 (95% CI 3.1 to 5.3) GPs per 100,000. By 2013/2014, this SII had fallen to -0.7 (95% CI -2.5 to 1.1) GPs per 100,000. The number of FTE GPs per 100,000 serving the most deprived fifth of small areas increased over this period from 54.0 to 60.5, while increasing from 57.2 to 59.9 in the least deprived fifth, so that by the end of the study period there were more GPs per 100,000 need adjusted population in the most deprived areas than in the least deprived. The increase in GP supply in the most deprived fifth of neighbourhoods was larger in areas that received targeted investment for establishing new practices under the 'Equitable Access to Primary Medical Care'. There was a substantial reduction in socioeconomic inequality in family physician supply associated with national policy. This policy may not have completely eliminated socioeconomic inequality in family physician supply since existing need adjustment formulae do not fully capture the additional burden of multimorbidity in deprived neighbourhoods. The small area approach introduced in this study can be used routinely to monitor socioeconomic inequality of access to primary care and to indicate workforce shortages in particular neighbourhoods. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

Wind turbine noise, annoyance and self‐reported health and well‐being in different living environments

PubMed Central

Pedersen, Eja

2007-01-01

Objectives To evaluate the prevalence of perception and annoyance due to wind turbine noise among people living near the turbines, and to study relations between noise and perception/annoyance, with focus on differences between living environments. Methods A cross‐sectional study was carried out in seven areas in Sweden across dissimilar terrain and different degrees of urbanisation. A postal questionnaire regarding living conditions including response to wind turbine noise was completed by 754 subjects. Outdoor A‐weighted sound pressure levels (SPLs) were calculated for each respondent. Perception and annoyance due to wind turbine noise in relation to SPLs was analysed with regard to dissimilarities between the areas. Results The odds of perceiving wind turbine noise increased with increasing SPL (OR 1.3; 95% CI 1.25 to 1.40). The odds of being annoyed by wind turbine noise also increased with increasing SPLs (OR 1.1; 95% CI 1.01 to 1.25). Perception and annoyance were associated with terrain and urbanisation: (1) a rural area increased the risk of perception and annoyance in comparison with a suburban area; and (2) in a rural setting, complex ground (hilly or rocky terrain) increased the risk compared with flat ground. Annoyance was associated with both objective and subjective factors of wind turbine visibility, and was further associated with lowered sleep quality and negative emotions. Conclusion There is a need to take the unique environment into account when planning a new wind farm so that adverse health effects are avoided. The influence of area‐related factors should also be considered in future community noise research. PMID:17332136

Irrigation drainage studies of the Angostura Reclamation Unit and the Belle Fourche Reclamation Project, western South Dakota : results of 1994 sampling and comparisons with 1988 data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sando, Steven K.; Williamson, Joyce E.; Dickerson, Kimberly K.; Wesolowski, Edwin A.

2001-01-01

The U.S. Department of the Interior started the National Irrigation Water Quality Program in 1985 to identify the nature and extent of irrigation-induced water-quality problems that might exist in the western U.S. The Angostura Reclamation Unit (ARU) and Belle Fourche Reclamation Project (BFRP) in western South Dakota were included as part of this program. The ARU and BFRP reconnaissance studies were initiated in 1988, during below-normal streamflow conditions in both study areas. Surface water, bottom sediment, and fish were resampled in 1994 at selected sites in both study areas during generally near-normal streamflow conditions to compare with 1988 study results. Concentrations of major ions in water for both the ARU and BFRP study areas are high relative to national baseline levels. Major-ion concentrations for both areas generally are lower for 1994 than for 1988, when low-flow conditions prevailed, but ionic proportions are similar between years. For ARU, dissolved-solids concentrations probably increase slightly downstream from Angostura Reservoir; however, the available data sets are insufficient to confidently discern effects of ARU operations on dissolved-solids loading. For BFRP, dissolved-solids concentrations are slightly higher at sites that are affected by irrigation drainage; again, however, the data are inconclusive to determine whether BFRP operations increase dissolved-solids loading. Most trace-element concentrations in water samples for both study areas are similar between 1988 and 1994, and do not show strong relations with discharge. ARU operations probably are not contributing discernible additional loads of trace elements to the Cheyenne River. For BFRP, concentrations of some trace elements are slightly higher at sites downstream from irrigation operations than at a site upstream from irrigation operations. BFRP operations might contribute to trace-element concentrations in the Belle Fourche River, but available data are insufficient to quantify increases. For both study areas, concentrations of several trace elements occasionally exceed National Irrigation Water Quality Program guidelines. Selenium routinely occurs in concentrations that could be problematic at sites upstream and downstream from both study areas. Elevated selenium concentrations at sites upstream from irrigation operations indicate that naturally occurring selenium concentrations are relatively high in and near the study areas. While ARU operations probably do not contribute discernible additional loads of selenium to the Cheyenne River, BFRP operations might contribute additional selenium loads to the Belle Fourche River. Concentrations of most trace elements in bottom sediment, except arsenic and selenium, are similar to typical concentrations for western U.S. soils for both study areas. Bottom-sediment arsenic and selenium (1988) concentrations in both study areas can reach levels that might be of concern; however, there is insufficient information to determine whether irrigation operations contribute to these elevated concentrations. Concentrations of most trace elements in fish in both study areas are less than values known to adversely affect fish or birds, although there are occasional exceedances of established criteria. However, selenium concentrations in fish samples routinely are within the National Irrigation Water Quality Program level of concern, and also commonly exceed the dietary guideline for avian consumers for both study areas. Selenium concentrations in fish samples generally are higher at sites downstream from irrigation operations. For BFRP, arsenic and mercury concentrations are elevated in fish samples from site B-18, which is influenced by mine tailings.

In vivo tibiofemoral cartilage-to-cartilage contact area of females with medial osteoarthritis under acute loading using MRI.

PubMed

Shin, Choongsoo S; Souza, Richard B; Kumar, Deepak; Link, Thomas M; Wyman, Bradley T; Majumdar, Sharmila

2011-12-01

To investigate the effect of acute loading on in vivo tibiofemoral contact area changes in both compartments, and to determine whether in vivo tibiofemoral contact area differs between subjects with medial knee osteoarthritis (OA) and healthy controls. Ten subjects with medial knee OA (KL3) and 11 control subjects (KL0) were tested. Coronal three-dimensional spoiled gradient-recalled (3D-SPGR) and T(2) -weighted fast spin-echo FSE magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the knee were acquired under both unloaded and loaded conditions. Tibiofemoral cartilage contact areas were measured using image-based 3D models. Tibiofemoral contact areas in both compartments significantly increased under loading (P < 0.001) and the increased contact area in the medial compartment was significantly larger than in the lateral compartment (P < 0.05). Medial compartment contact area was significantly larger in KL3 subjects than KL0 subjects, both at unloaded and loaded conditions (P < 0.05). Contact areas measured from 3D-SPGR and T(2) -weighted FSE images were strongly correlated (r = 0.904). Females with medial OA increased tibiofemoral contact area in the medial compartment compared to healthy subjects under both unloaded and loaded conditions. The contact area data presented in this study may provide a quantitative reference for further cartilage contact biomechanics such as contact stress analysis and cartilage biomechanical function difference between osteoarthritic and healthy knees. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Study of the malaria situation in forested foothill and nearby plain areas of Myanmar.

PubMed

Myint, L; Ye, H

1991-12-01

A longitudinal demographic-parasitological survey on malaria was conducted at 10 weekly intervals starting from September in one foothill village with the population of 1,095 and one epidemiologically comparable plain village with the population of 962 in Kyauktaga township, Bago division, 120 miles north of Yangon. The objective was to describe and analyse the current malaria situation in a forested foothill area and an adjacent plain area. Ten weekly blood film collections for malaria parasite examination, six monthly sera collections on filter paper for serological examination from the whole study population and ten weekly splenic measurements from 2-9 year children were done. The malaria parasite rate in the foothill area was invariably higher than that in the plain area in all age groups throughout the study period. Moreover, the parasite rate decreased with the increase in distance from the forested foothill area indicating that the deep forest malaria may have some influence on the foothill villages. The total age specific parasite rate in foothill villages was found to be highest in the 5-8 year age group and decreased as the age advanced which may be due to the increasing immunity. The study revealed the presence of local transmission in the foothill village. From these data it is evident that new village sites should be chosen at least 5 miles away from the forest fringe and the malaria control measures in the plain area should utilize chemoprophylaxis and effective chemotherapy focusing on the people who travel into the forest.

GIS-Based Sub-Basin Scale Identification of Dominant Runoff Processes for Soil and Water Management in Anambra Area of Nigeria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fagbohun, Babatunde Joseph; Olabode, Oluwaseun Franklin; Adebola, Abiodun Olufemi; Akinluyi, Francis Omowonuola

2017-12-01

Identifying landscapes having comparable hydrological characteristics is valuable for the determination of dominant runoff process (DRP) and prediction of flood. Several approaches used for DRP-mapping vary in relation to data and time requirement. Manual approaches which are based on field investigation and expert knowledge are time demanding and difficult to implement at regional scale. Automatic GIS-based approach on the other hand require simplification of data but is easier to implement and it is applicable on a regional scale. In this study, GIS-based automated approach was used to identify the DRPs in Anambra area. The result showed that Hortonian overland flow (HOF) has the highest coverage of 1508.3 km2 (33.5%) followed by deep percolation (DP) with coverage of 1455.3 km2 (32.3%). Subsurface flow (SSF) is the third dominant runoff process covering 920.6 km2 (20.4%) while saturated overland flow (SOF) covers the least area of 618.4 km2 (13.7%) of the study area. The result reveal that considerable amount of precipitated water would be infiltrated into the subsurface through deep percolation process contributing to groundwater recharge in the study area. However, it is envisaged that HOF and SOF will continue to increase due to the continuous expansion of built-up area. With the expected increase in HOF and SOF, and the change in rainfall pattern associated with perpetual problem of climate change, it is paramount that groundwater conservation practices should be considered to ensure continued sustainable utilization of groundwater in the study area.

Effects of natural factors on the spatial distribution of heavy metals in soils surrounding mining regions.

PubMed

Ding, Qian; Cheng, Gong; Wang, Yong; Zhuang, Dafang

2017-02-01

Various studies have shown that soils surrounding mining areas are seriously polluted with heavy metals. Determining the effects of natural factors on spatial distribution of heavy metals is important for determining the distribution characteristics of heavy metals in soils. In this study, an 8km buffer zone surrounding a typical non-ferrous metal mine in Suxian District of Hunan Province, China, was selected as the study area, and statistical, spatial autocorrelation and spatial interpolation analyses were used to obtain descriptive statistics and spatial autocorrelation characteristics of As, Pb, Cu, and Zn in soil. Additionally, the distributions of soil heavy metals under the influences of natural factors, including terrain (elevation and slope), wind direction and distance from a river, were determined. Layout of sampling sites, spatial changes of heavy metal contents at high elevations and concentration differences between upwind and downwind directions were then evaluated. The following results were obtained: (1) At low elevations, heavy metal concentrations decreased slightly, then increased considerably with increasing elevation. At high elevations, heavy metal concentrations first decreased, then increased, then decreased with increasing elevation. As the slope increased, heavy metal contents increased then decreased. (2) Heavy metal contents changed consistently in the upwind and downwind directions. Heavy metal contents were highest in 1km buffer zone and decreased with increasing distance from the mining area. The largest decrease in heavy metal concentrations was in 2km buffer zone. Perennial wind promotes the transport of heavy metals in downwind direction. (3) The spatial extent of the influence of the river on Pb, Zn and Cu in the soil was 800m. (4) The influence of the terrain on the heavy metal concentrations was greater than that of the wind. These results provide a scientific basis for preventing and mitigating heavy metal soil pollution in areas surrounding mines. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effects of exercise training on brain-derived neurotrophic factor in skeletal muscle and heart of rats post myocardial infarction.

PubMed

Lee, Heow Won; Ahmad, Monir; Wang, Hong-Wei; Leenen, Frans H H

2017-03-01

What is the central question of this study? Exercise training increases brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the hippocampus, which depends on a myokine, fibronectin type III domain-containing protein 5 (FNDC5). Whether exercise training after myocardial infarction induces parallel increases in FNDC5 and BDNF expression in skeletal muscle and the heart has not yet been studied. What is the main finding and its importance? Exercise training after myocardial infarction increases BDNF protein in skeletal muscle and the non-infarct area of the LV without changes in FNDC5 protein, suggesting that BDNF is not regulated by FNDC5 in skeletal muscle and heart. An increase in cardiac BDNF may contribute to the improvement of cardiac function by exercise training. Exercise training after myocardial infarction (MI) attenuates progressive left ventricular (LV) remodelling and dysfunction, but the peripheral stimuli induced by exercise that trigger these beneficial effects are still unclear. We investigated as possible mediators fibronectin type III domain-containing protein 5 (FNDC5) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the skeletal muscle and heart. Male Wistar rats underwent either sham surgery or ligation of the left descending coronary artery, and surviving MI rats were allocated to either a sedentary (Sed-MI) or an exercise group (ExT-MI). Exercise training was done for 4 weeks on a motor-driven treadmill. At the end, LV function was evaluated, and FNDC5 and BDNF mRNA and protein were assessed in soleus muscle, quadriceps and non-, peri- and infarct areas of the LV. At 5 weeks post MI, FNDC5 mRNA was decreased in soleus muscle and all areas of the LV, but FNDC5 protein was increased in the soleus muscle and the infarct area. Mature BDNF (mBDNF) protein was decreased in the infarct area without a change in mRNA. Exercise training attenuated the decrease in ejection fraction and the increase in LV end-diastolic pressure post MI. Exercise training had no effect on FNDC5 mRNA and protein, but increased mBDNF protein in soleus muscle, quadriceps and the non-infarct area of the LV. The mBDNF protein in the non-infarct area correlated positively with ejection fraction and inversely with LV end-diastolic pressure. In conclusion, mBDNF is induced by exercise training in skeletal muscle and the non-infarct area of the LV, which may contribute to improvement of muscle dysfunction and cardiac function post MI. © 2017 The Authors. Experimental Physiology © 2017 The Physiological Society.

Is Yield Increase Sufficient to Achieve Food Security in China?

PubMed Central

Wei, Xing; Zhang, Zhao; Shi, Peijun; Wang, Pin; Chen, Yi; Song, Xiao; Tao, Fulu

2015-01-01

Increasing demand for food, driven by unprecedented population growth and increasing consumption, will keep challenging food security in China. Although cereal yields have substantially improved during the last three decades, whether it will keep thriving to meet the increasing demand is not known yet. Thus, an integrated analysis on the trends of crop yield and cultivated area is essential to better understand current state of food security in China, especially on county scale. So far, yield stagnation has extensively dominated the main cereal-growing areas across China. Rice yield is facing the most severe stagnation that 53.9% counties tracked in the study have stagnated significantly, followed by maize (42.4%) and wheat (41.9%). As another important element for production sustainability, but often neglected is the planted area patterns. It has been further demonstrated that the loss in productive arable land for rice and wheat have dramatically increased the pressure on achieving food security. Not only a great deal of the planted areas have stagnated since 1980, but also collapsed. 48.4% and 54.4% of rice- and wheat-growing counties have lost their cropland areas to varying degrees. Besides, 27.6% and 35.8% of them have retrograded below the level of the 1980s. The combined influence (both loss in yield and area) has determined the crop sustainable production in China to be pessimistic for rice and wheat, and consequently no surprise to find that more than half of counties rank a lower level of production sustainability. Therefore, given the potential yield increase in wheat and maize, as well as substantial area loss of rice and wheat, the possible targeted adaptation measures for both yield and cropping area is required at county scale. Moreover, policies on food trade, alongside advocation of low calorie diets, reducing food loss and waste can help to enhance food security. PMID:25680193

Recent patterns of crop yield growth and stagnation.

PubMed

Ray, Deepak K; Ramankutty, Navin; Mueller, Nathaniel D; West, Paul C; Foley, Jonathan A

2012-01-01

In the coming decades, continued population growth, rising meat and dairy consumption and expanding biofuel use will dramatically increase the pressure on global agriculture. Even as we face these future burdens, there have been scattered reports of yield stagnation in the world's major cereal crops, including maize, rice and wheat. Here we study data from ∼2.5 million census observations across the globe extending over the period 1961-2008. We examined the trends in crop yields for four key global crops: maize, rice, wheat and soybeans. Although yields continue to increase in many areas, we find that across 24-39% of maize-, rice-, wheat- and soybean-growing areas, yields either never improve, stagnate or collapse. This result underscores the challenge of meeting increasing global agricultural demands. New investments in underperforming regions, as well as strategies to continue increasing yields in the high-performing areas, are required.

Studies in the wilderness areas of the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge: fire, bark beetles, human development, and climate change

Treesearch

Edward E. Berg

2000-01-01

Wilderness areas comprise 65% of the 1.92 million acre Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska. Fire history studies indicate that fire frequency increased substantially in both white and black spruce forests after European settlement. Dendrochronolgy studies indicate that regional-scale spruce bark beetle outbreaks occurred in the 1820s, 1880s, and 1970s. None of these...

Quantitative Classification of Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Root Length and Diameter Using Image Analysis.

PubMed

Gu, Dongxiang; Zhen, Fengxian; Hannaway, David B; Zhu, Yan; Liu, Leilei; Cao, Weixing; Tang, Liang

2017-01-01

Quantitative study of root morphological characteristics of plants is helpful for understanding the relationships between their morphology and function. However, few studies and little detailed and accurate information of root characteristics were reported in fine-rooted plants like rice (Oryza sativa L.). The aims of this study were to quantitatively classify fine lateral roots (FLRs), thick lateral roots (TLRs), and nodal roots (NRs) and analyze their dynamics of mean diameter (MD), lengths and surface area percentage with growth stages in rice plant. Pot experiments were carried out during three years with three rice cultivars, three nitrogen (N) rates and three water regimes. In cultivar experiment, among the three cultivars, root length of 'Yangdao 6' was longest, while the MD of its FLR was the smallest, and the mean diameters for TLR and NR were the largest, the surface area percentage (SAP) of TLRs (SAPT) was the highest, indicating that Yangdao 6 has better nitrogen and water uptake ability. High N rate increased the length of different types of roots and increased the MD of lateral roots, decreased the SAP of FLRs (SAPF) and TLRs, but increased the SAP of NRs (SAPN). Moderate decrease of water supply increased root length and diameter, water stress increased the SAPF and SAPT, but decreased SAPN. The quantitative results indicate that rice plant tends to increase lateral roots to get more surface area for nitrogen and water uptake when available assimilates are limiting under nitrogen and water stress environments.

Quantitative Classification of Rice (Oryza sativa L.) Root Length and Diameter Using Image Analysis

PubMed Central

Gu, Dongxiang; Zhen, Fengxian; Hannaway, David B.; Zhu, Yan; Liu, Leilei; Cao, Weixing; Tang, Liang

2017-01-01

Quantitative study of root morphological characteristics of plants is helpful for understanding the relationships between their morphology and function. However, few studies and little detailed and accurate information of root characteristics were reported in fine-rooted plants like rice (Oryza sativa L.). The aims of this study were to quantitatively classify fine lateral roots (FLRs), thick lateral roots (TLRs), and nodal roots (NRs) and analyze their dynamics of mean diameter (MD), lengths and surface area percentage with growth stages in rice plant. Pot experiments were carried out during three years with three rice cultivars, three nitrogen (N) rates and three water regimes. In cultivar experiment, among the three cultivars, root length of ‘Yangdao 6’ was longest, while the MD of its FLR was the smallest, and the mean diameters for TLR and NR were the largest, the surface area percentage (SAP) of TLRs (SAPT) was the highest, indicating that Yangdao 6 has better nitrogen and water uptake ability. High N rate increased the length of different types of roots and increased the MD of lateral roots, decreased the SAP of FLRs (SAPF) and TLRs, but increased the SAP of NRs (SAPN). Moderate decrease of water supply increased root length and diameter, water stress increased the SAPF and SAPT, but decreased SAPN. The quantitative results indicate that rice plant tends to increase lateral roots to get more surface area for nitrogen and water uptake when available assimilates are limiting under nitrogen and water stress environments. PMID:28103264

Deforestation change detection in North Korea between 1999 and 2008 using multi temporal satellite image

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

KIM, K. M.

2017-12-01

After the mid-1990s, North Korea has gone through a hard time of shortage of food and fuel due to the large scale flood and landslide. This became a vicious circle, which has kept accelerating the deforestation in North Korea. This study aims to analyze the change of deforestation in North Korea using two different seasonal satellite images of Landsat 5-TM and SPOT-5 between 1999 and 2008. The Land cover was classified into 6 categories: forest, cropland, grassland, bare land, built area and water body. And the deforested and degraded forest area was extracted considering forest land boundary and classified into 3 categories: the cultivated, the unstocked forest land and the bare mountain. For the all classification process, unsupervised classification method was used since North Korea is inaccessible area. The results of the study showed that the stocked forest area has decreased 1,379,000 ha compared with those in 1999, whereas the deforested and degraded forest area has increased 1,207,000 ha in 2008. The increase of 880,000 ha in the unstocked forest land was the biggest expansion among 3 categories of the deforested and degraded forest area during 9 yrs. It is resulted from an increase of firewood usage, which is presumably owing to the severe shortage of fuel and food. I look forward for the outcome of this study to being used as baseline data for inter-Korean forest cooperation. Especially, it is expected to serve as important input data for the potential REDD project site selection with results of the 3rd forest monitoring(2018) of North Korea.

A Century of Change in Kenya's Mammal Communities: Increased Richness and Decreased Uniqueness in Six Protected Areas

PubMed Central

Tóth, Anikó B.; Lyons, S. Kathleen; Behrensmeyer, Anna K.

2014-01-01

The potential for large-scale biodiversity losses as a result of climate change and human impact presents major challenges for ecology and conservation science. Governments around the world have established national parks and wildlife reserves to help protect biodiversity, but there are few studies on the long-term consequences of this strategy. We use Kenya as a case study to investigate species richness and other attributes of mammal communities in 6 protected areas over the past century. Museum records from African expeditions that comprehensively sampled mammals from these same areas in the early 1900's provide a baseline for evaluating changes in species richness and community structure over time. We compare species lists assembled from archived specimens (1896–1950) to those of corresponding modern protected areas (1950–2013). Species richness in Kenya was stable or increased at 5 out of 6 sites from historical to modern times. Beta-diversity, in contrast, decreased across all sites. Potential biases such as variable historical vs. modern collection effort and detection of small-bodied, rare, and low-visibility species do not account for the observed results. We attribute the pattern of decreased beta diversity primarily to increased site occupancy by common species across all body size classes. Despite a decrease in land area available to wildlife, our data do not show the extinctions predicted by species-area relationships. Moreover, the results indicate that species-area curves based solely on protected areas could underestimate diversity because they do not account for mammal species whose ranges extend beyond protected area boundaries. We conclude that the 6 protected areas have been effective in preserving species richness in spite of continuing conversion of wild grasslands to cropland, but the overall decrease in beta diversity indicates a decline in the uniqueness of mammal communities that historically characterized Kenya's varied landscape. PMID:24718262

A century of change in Kenya's mammal communities: increased richness and decreased uniqueness in six protected areas.

PubMed

Tóth, Anikó B; Lyons, S Kathleen; Behrensmeyer, Anna K

2014-01-01

The potential for large-scale biodiversity losses as a result of climate change and human impact presents major challenges for ecology and conservation science. Governments around the world have established national parks and wildlife reserves to help protect biodiversity, but there are few studies on the long-term consequences of this strategy. We use Kenya as a case study to investigate species richness and other attributes of mammal communities in 6 protected areas over the past century. Museum records from African expeditions that comprehensively sampled mammals from these same areas in the early 1900's provide a baseline for evaluating changes in species richness and community structure over time. We compare species lists assembled from archived specimens (1896-1950) to those of corresponding modern protected areas (1950-2013). Species richness in Kenya was stable or increased at 5 out of 6 sites from historical to modern times. Beta-diversity, in contrast, decreased across all sites. Potential biases such as variable historical vs. modern collection effort and detection of small-bodied, rare, and low-visibility species do not account for the observed results. We attribute the pattern of decreased beta diversity primarily to increased site occupancy by common species across all body size classes. Despite a decrease in land area available to wildlife, our data do not show the extinctions predicted by species-area relationships. Moreover, the results indicate that species-area curves based solely on protected areas could underestimate diversity because they do not account for mammal species whose ranges extend beyond protected area boundaries. We conclude that the 6 protected areas have been effective in preserving species richness in spite of continuing conversion of wild grasslands to cropland, but the overall decrease in beta diversity indicates a decline in the uniqueness of mammal communities that historically characterized Kenya's varied landscape.

A national cross-sectional study on effects of fluoride-safe water supply on the prevalence of fluorosis in China.

PubMed

Wang, Cheng; Gao, Yanhui; Wang, Wei; Zhao, Lijun; Zhang, Wei; Han, Hepeng; Shi, Yuxia; Yu, Guangqian; Sun, Dianjun

2012-01-01

To assess the effects of provided fluoride-safe drinking-water for the prevention and control of endemic fluorosis in China. A national cross-sectional study in China. In 1985, randomly selected villages in 27 provinces (or cities and municipalities) in 5 geographic areas all over China. Involved 81 786 children aged from 8 to 12 and 594 698 adults aged over 16. The prevalence of dental fluorosis and clinical skeletal fluorosis, the fluoride concentrations in the drinking-water in study villages and in the urine of subjects. The study showed that in the villages where the drinking-water fluoride concentrations were higher than the government standard of 1.2 mg/l, but no fluoride-safe drinking-water supply scheme was provided (FNB areas), the prevalence rate and index of dental fluorosis in children, and prevalence rate of clinical skeletal fluorosis in adults were all significantly higher than those in the historical endemic fluorosis villages after the fluoride-safe drinking-water were provided (FSB areas). Additionally, the prevalence rate of dental fluorosis as well as clinical skeletal fluorosis, and the concentration of fluoride in urine were found increased with the increase of fluoride concentration in drinking-water, with significant positive correlations in the FNB areas. While, the prevalence rate of dental fluorosis and clinical skeletal fluorosis in different age groups and their degrees of prevalence were significantly lower in the FSB areas than those in the FNB areas. The provision of fluoride-safe drinking-water supply schemes had significant effects on the prevention and control of dental fluorosis and skeletal fluorosis. The study also indicated that the dental and skeletal fluorosis is still prevailing in the high-fluoride drinking-water areas in China.

Effect Modification of the Association between Short-term Meteorological Factors and Mortality by Urban Heat Islands in Hong Kong

PubMed Central

Goggins, William B.; Chan, Emily Y. Y.; Ng, Edward; Ren, Chao; Chen, Liang

2012-01-01

Background Prior studies from around the world have indicated that very high temperatures tend to increase summertime mortality. However possible effect modification by urban micro heat islands has only been examined by a few studies in North America and Europe. This study examined whether daily mortality in micro heat island areas of Hong Kong was more sensitive to short term changes in meteorological conditions than in other areas. Method An urban heat island index (UHII) was calculated for each of Hong Kong’s 248 geographical tertiary planning units (TPU). Daily counts of all natural deaths among Hong Kong residents were stratified according to whether the place of residence of the decedent was in a TPU with high (above the median) or low UHII. Poisson Generalized Additive Models (GAMs) were used to estimate the association between meteorological variables and mortality while adjusting for trend, seasonality, pollutants and flu epidemics. Analyses were restricted to the hot season (June-September). Results Mean temperatures (lags 0–4) above 29°C and low mean wind speeds (lags 0–4) were significantly associated with higher daily mortality and these associations were stronger in areas with high UHII. A 1°C rise above 29°C was associated with a 4.1% (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.7%, 7.6%) increase in natural mortality in areas with high UHII but only a 0.7% (95% CI: −2.4%, 3.9%) increase in low UHII areas. Lower mean wind speeds (5th percentile vs. 95th percentile) were associated with a 5.7% (95% CI: 2.7, 8.9) mortality increase in high UHII areas vs. a −0.3% (95% CI: −3.2%, 2.6%) change in low UHII areas. Conclusion The results suggest that urban micro heat islands exacerbate the negative health consequences of high temperatures and low wind speeds. Urban planning measures designed to mitigate heat island effects may lessen the health effects of unfavorable summertime meteorological conditions. PMID:22761684

Improving biodiversity knowledge with dataset synergy: A case study of non-native plants in Colorado

USGS Publications Warehouse

Crosier, C.S.; Stohlgren, T.J.

2004-01-01

Species lists are important tools for managing biodiversity, including controlling nonnative species, but they are either incomplete or lacking for many areas. Our objective was to illustrate how the synergy of disparate data sets can increase knowledge of species distributions while minimizing further field expenditures. We compared five different data types (two species lists, weed surveys, vegetation plots, and weed maps) of nonnative plant locations at the county level from 45 data sets covering Colorado. Species lists captured the highest number of species, but they missed many of the noxious weeds recorded by weed-mapping data. The number of species recorded per county increased by 30% on average with data synergy even in the most intensively surveyed areas. Each data type also followed the same pattern of survey intensity, leaving some areas in the state consistently unsurveyed or undersurveyed. On average, there was a 44% increase in species recorded per county with all data types included. Overall, inclusion of more data types greatly increased knowledge of the nonnative species in Colorado. Therefore, harnessing the synergy of disparate data sets seems to be a cost-effective first step to increase knowledge of species richness (presence) in an area.

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

Stairs, G. R.

The production of pollen under conditions of chronic gamma irradiation was investigated for three oak species. Two chronically irradiated areas were studied: a low level (1 to 15r/day) area where trees had received varying amounts of radiation over a period of 11 years, and a second area receiving gamma radiation for about five months previous to the investigation. In the latter study dose levels ranged from lethal (45r/day) to a region of no detectable effect. In both areas pollen abortion showed a significant increase with increasing radiation exposure, although germinable pollen was produced at all survival levels examined. The germinatingmore » pollen tube length did not show a significant decrease in the irradiated material examined. In addition to cytological effects there was a marked deiny in floral phenology for both areas. Acute irradiation of male flower buds at different stages of meiosis, and of mature pollen were reported. The radiosensitivity of microsporogenesis was evaluated by cytological scoring at anaphase I, and by pollen abortion, germination, and tube lengih. Both the number of chromosome fragments/100 cells scored at anaphase I and pollen abortion showed a linear increase with an increase in radiation exposure. Pollen germination and tube length were less effected by radiation (based on a percent of unaborted grains). It was suggested that a range of 1 kr to 4 kr will be appropriate for irradiating male flower buds of oak to be utilized in a mutation breeding program. Contingent upon additional studies the range of radiation recommended for flower buds is also suggested for the induction of mutations in pollen. Pollen was found to be highly resistant to radiation when evaluated by germination and tube growth studies. No effect was found with irradiation of 100 kr; at 300 kr both germination and tube lengths were depressed. At these levels it is probable that germination is an expression of cytoplasmic growth and not of nuclear viability. No significant difference was found between responses of the two species for either chronic or acute irradiation. (auth)« less

Satellite-Based Evidence for Shrub and Graminoid Tundra Expansion in Northern Quebec from 1986-2010

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McManus, K. M.; Morton, D. C.; Masek, J. G.; Wang, D.; Sexton, J. O.; Nagol, J.; Ropars, P.; Boudreau, S.

2012-01-01

Global vegetation models predict rapid poleward migration of tundra and boreal forest vegetation in response to climate warming. Local plot and air-photo studies have documented recent changes in high-latitude vegetation composition and structure, consistent with warming trends. To bridge these two scales of inference, we analyzed a 24-year (1986-2010) Landsat time series in a latitudinal transect across the boreal forest-tundra biome boundary in northern Quebec province, Canada. This region has experienced rapid warming during both winter and summer months during the last forty years. Using a per-pixel (30 m) trend analysis, 30% of the observable (cloud-free) land area experienced a significant (p < 0.05) positive trend in the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). However, greening trends were not evenly split among cover types. Low shrub and graminoid tundra contributed preferentially to the greening trend, while forested areas were less likely to show significant trends in NDVI. These trends reflect increasing leaf area, rather than an increase in growing season length, because Landsat data were restricted to peak-summer conditions. The average NDVI trend (0.007/yr) corresponds to a leaf-area index (LAI) increase of 0.6 based on the regional relationship between LAI and NDVI from the Moderate Resolution Spectroradiometer (MODIS). Across the entire transect, the area-averaged LAI increase was 0.2 during 1986-2010. A higher area-averaged LAI change (0.3) within the shrub-tundra portion of the transect represents a 20-60% relative increase in LAI during the last two decades. Our Landsat-based analysis subdivides the overall high-latitude greening trend into changes in peak-summer greenness by cover type. Different responses within and among shrub, graminoid, and tree-dominated cover types in this study indicate important fine-scale heterogeneity in vegetation growth. Although our findings are consistent with community shifts in low-biomass vegetation types over multi-decadal time scales, the response in tundra and forest ecosystems to recent warming was not uniform.

Large scale afforestation projects mitigate degradation and increase the stability of the karst ecosystems in southwest China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yue, Y.; Tong, X.; Wang, K.; Fensholt, R.; Brandt, M.

2017-12-01

With the aim to combat desertification and improve the ecological environment, mega-engineering afforestation projects have been launched in the karst regions of southwest China around the turn of the new millennium. A positive impact of these projects on vegetation cover has been shown, however, it remains unclear if conservation efforts have been able to effectively restore ecosystem properties and reduce the sensitivity of the karst ecosystem to climate variations at large scales. Here we use passive microwave and optical satellite time series data combined with the ecosystem model LPJ-GUESS and show widespread increase in vegetation cover with a clear demarcation at the Chinese national border contrasting the conditions of neighboring countries. We apply a breakpoint detection to identify permanent changes in vegetation time series and assess the vegetation's sensitivity against climate before and after the breakpoints. A majority (74%) of the breakpoints were detected between 2001 and 2004 and are remarkably in line with the implementation and spatial extent of the Grain to Green project. We stratify the counties of the study area into four groups according to the extent of Grain to Green conservation areas and find distinct differences between the groups. Vegetation trends are similar prior to afforestation activities (1982-2000), but clearly diverge at a later stage, following the spatial extent of conservation areas. Moreover, vegetation cover dynamics were increasingly decoupled from climatic influence in areas of high conservation efforts. Whereas both vegetation resilience and resistance were considerably improved in areas with large conservation efforts thereby showing an increase in ecosystem stability, ongoing degradation and an amplified sensitivity to climate variability was found in areas with limited project implementation. Our study concludes that large scale conservation projects can regionally contribute to a greening Earth and are able to mitigate desertification by increasing the vegetation cover and reducing the ecosystem sensitivity to climate change, however, degradation remains a serious issue in the karst ecosystem of southwest China.

[Effect of terracing project on temporal-spatial variation of non-point source pollution load in Hujiashan watershed, China].

PubMed

Han, Qiang; Yu, Xing Xiu; Wang, Wei; Xu, Miao Miao; Ren, Rui; Zhang, Jia Peng

2017-04-18

Taking Hujiashan small watershed as the study area, based on the classified result of Landsat TM/ETM images of 2005, 2010 and 2015, combined with long-term field observation data, and used the export coefficient model, our study explored the effect of small watershed management project on temporal and spatial variation of total nitrogen (TN) load of non-point source pollution under the support of GIS technology. The results indicated that, due to the implementation of slope modification project, the area of cultivated land was significantly increased, while forest and bareland were decreased. The load of non-point source TN increased from 63208 kg in 2005 to 72778 kg in 2010, but reduced to 46876 kg in 2015. The contribution rate from residential areas was higher, the average contribution rate of the three periods was 53.5%, but it showed a decreasing trend year by year. The contribution rate of land use types was 45%, which showed an increasing trend year by year. The contribution rate of livestock was always low. From the spatial distribution, TN loading intensity was changed obviously after the terracing project. High load intensity zone was mainly concentrated on the slope of 5°-15° before terracing project. Nevertheless, high load intensity zone was concentrated on the slope of 15°-35° after terracing project, and 5°-8° had become a low load strength area. The TN load intensity changed little with time on the slope of 0°-8°, and it increased first and then decreased on the slope above 8°. With the treatment of sewage, garbage and livestock manure in rural areas, the output of nitrogen in the living and livestock breeding were significantly reduced. Due to the implementation of the project, the cultivated land area increased by 31%.

Food Vulnerability and Alluvial Farming for Food Security in Central Dry Zone Area of Myanmar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boori, M. S.; Choudhary, K.; Evers, M.; Kupriyanov, A.

2017-10-01

The central dry zone area of Myanmar is the most water stressed and also one of the most food insecure regions in the country. In the Dry Zone area, the total population is 10.1 million people in 54 townships, in which approximately 43 % live in below poverty line and 40-50 % of the rural population is landless. Agriculture is the most important economic sector in Myanmar as it is essential for national food security and a major source of livelihood for its people. In this region the adverse effects of climate change such as late or early onset of monsoon season, longer dry spells, erratic rainfall, increasing temperature, heavy rains, stronger typhoons, extreme spatial-temporal variability of rainfall, high intensities, limited rainfall events in the growing season, heat stress, drought, flooding, sea water intrusion, land degradation, desertification, deforestation and other natural disasters are believed to be a major constraint to food insecurity. For food vulnerability, we use following indicators: slope, precipitation, vegetation, soil, erosion, land degradation and harvest failure in ArcGIS software. The erosion is influenced by rainfall and slope, while land degradation is directly related to vegetation, drainage and soil. While harvest failure can be generate by rainfall and flood potential zones. Results show that around 45 % study area comes under very high erosion danger level, 70 % under average harvest failure, 59 % intermediate land degradation area and the overall around 45 % study area comes under insecure food vulnerability zone. Our analysis shows an increase in alluvial farming by 1745.33 km2 since 1988 to reduce the insecure food vulnerability. Food vulnerability map is also relevant to increased population and low income areas. The extreme climatic events are likely increase in frequency and magnitude of serious drought periods and extreme floods. Food insecurity is an important thing that must be reviewed because it relates to the lives of many people. This paper is helpful for identifying the areas of food needs in central dry zone area of Myanmar.

Secular trends in the prevalence of overweight and obesity in Sicilian schoolchildren aged 11-13 years during the last decade.

PubMed

Parrino, Cristina; Rossetti, Paola; Baratta, Roberto; La Spina, Nadia; La Delfa, Lavinia; Squatrito, Sebastiano; Vigneri, Riccardo; Frittitta, Lucia

2012-01-01

The present study evaluates trends in the prevalence of overweight and obesity in relation to gender and area of residence between two cohorts of students aged 11-13 years in Sicily. The analysis was performed on 1,839 schoolchildren, with 924 and 915 children being studied in 1999-2001 and 2009-2010, respectively. The children who were enrolled during 2009-2010 had significantly higher body mass indexes (BMI), BMI z-scores, and waist circumferences than the children who were studied during 1999-2001 (p<0.0001 for all); these differences was also observed when the cohort was subdivided according to gender or residence area The prevalence of obesity increased significantly from 7.9% in 1999-2001 to 13.7% in 2009-2010 (p<0.0001), whereas thinness decreased significantly from 10.1% to 2.3% (p<0.0001) in the same periods. The increase of trends in the prevalence of obesity was significantly higher in males (9.7% vs. 17.6%, p = 0.0006) than in females (6.3% vs. 9.8%, p = 0.04) and was slightly higher in urban areas (8.8% vs. 14.3%, p = 0.002) than in rural areas (7.8% vs. 13.0%, p = 0.012). The male gender was associated with a higher risk of being overweight or obese (odds ratio: 1.63; 95% confidence intervals: 1.24-2.15; p = 0.0005) in 2009-2010 than in 1999-2001, after adjusting for age and the residence area. In conclusion, this study showed an increasing trend in the prevalence of overweight and obesity in Sicilian schoolchildren during the last decade and that this trend was related to gender, age and the area of residence. More specifically, our data indicated that the prevalence of obesity increased by 5.8%, the prevalence of thinness decreased by 7.8% and the prevalence of normal-weight children did not change over the course of a decade. These results suggest a shift in the body weights of Sicilian children toward the upper percentiles.

Secular Trends in the Prevalence of Overweight and Obesity in Sicilian Schoolchildren Aged 11–13 Years During the Last Decade

PubMed Central

Baratta, Roberto; La Spina, Nadia; La Delfa, Lavinia; Squatrito, Sebastiano; Vigneri, Riccardo; Frittitta, Lucia

2012-01-01

The present study evaluates trends in the prevalence of overweight and obesity in relation to gender and area of residence between two cohorts of students aged 11–13 years in Sicily. The analysis was performed on 1,839 schoolchildren, with 924 and 915 children being studied in 1999–2001 and 2009–2010, respectively. The children who were enrolled during 2009–2010 had significantly higher body mass indexes (BMI), BMI z-scores, and waist circumferences than the children who were studied during 1999–2001 (p<0.0001 for all); these differences was also observed when the cohort was subdivided according to gender or residence area The prevalence of obesity increased significantly from 7.9% in 1999–2001 to 13.7% in 2009–2010 (p<0.0001), whereas thinness decreased significantly from 10.1% to 2.3% (p<0.0001) in the same periods. The increase of trends in the prevalence of obesity was significantly higher in males (9.7% vs. 17.6%, p = 0.0006) than in females (6.3% vs. 9.8%, p = 0.04) and was slightly higher in urban areas (8.8% vs. 14.3%, p = 0.002) than in rural areas (7.8% vs. 13.0%, p = 0.012). The male gender was associated with a higher risk of being overweight or obese (odds ratio: 1.63; 95% confidence intervals: 1.24–2.15; p = 0.0005) in 2009–2010 than in 1999–2001, after adjusting for age and the residence area. In conclusion, this study showed an increasing trend in the prevalence of overweight and obesity in Sicilian schoolchildren during the last decade and that this trend was related to gender, age and the area of residence. More specifically, our data indicated that the prevalence of obesity increased by 5.8%, the prevalence of thinness decreased by 7.8% and the prevalence of normal-weight children did not change over the course of a decade. These results suggest a shift in the body weights of Sicilian children toward the upper percentiles. PMID:22506027

Michigan Technician Need Study. The Present and Projected Demand for Technically Trained People in Michigan.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ferris State Coll., Big Rapids, MI. Office of Administrative Studies.

This study undertakes to determine (1) the extent of crucial manpower shortages in Michigan by technical area and skill, by the areas of occupation or industry, and whether these shortages will decrease or increase over the next few years, and (2) the opportunities for technical education now available or necessary to assure Michigan industry and…

Heavy thinning of ponderosa pine stands: An Arizona case study

Treesearch

Peter F. Ffolliott; Jr. Baker; Gerald J. Gottfried

2000-01-01

Growth and structural changes in a mosaic of even-aged ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) stands were studied for 25 years to determine the long-term impacts of a heavy thinning treatment to a basal-area level of 25 ft2/acre. Basal area and volume growth of these stands has increased since thinning and likely will continue to...

Climate, lightning ignitions, and fire severity in Yosemite National Park, California, USA

Treesearch

James A. Lutz; Jan W. van Wagtendonk; Andrea E. Thode; Jay D. Miller; Jerry F. Franklin

2009-01-01

Continental-scale studies of western North America have attributed recent increases in annual area burned and fire size to a warming climate, but these studies have focused on large fires and have left the issues of fire severity and ignition frequency unaddressed. Lightning ignitions, any of which could burn a large area given appropriate conditions for fire spread,...

Global assessment of rural-urban interface in Portugal related to land cover changes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tonini, Marj; Parente, Joana; Pereira, Mário G.

2018-06-01

The rural-urban interface (RUI), known as the area where structures and other human developments meet or intermingle with wildland and rural area, is at present a central focus of wildfire policy and its mapping is crucial for wildfire management. In the Mediterranean Basin, humans cause the vast majority of fires and fire risk is particularly high in the proximity of infrastructure and of rural/wildland areas. RUI's extension changes under the pressure of environmental and anthropogenic factors, such as urban growth, fragmentation of rural areas, deforestation and, more in general, land use/land cover change (LULCC). As with other Mediterranean countries, Portugal has experienced significant LULCC in the last decades in response to migration, rural abandonment, ageing of population and trends associated with the high socioeconomic development. In the present study, we analyzed the LULCC occurring in this country in the 1990-2012 period with the main objective of investigating how these changes affected RUI's evolution. Moreover, we performed a qualitative and quantitative characterization of burnt areas within the RUI in relation to the observed changes. Obtained results disclose important LULCC and reveal their spatial distribution, which is far from uniform within the territory. A significant increase in artificial surfaces was registered near the main metropolitan communities of the northwest, littoral-central and southern regions, whilst the abandonment of agricultural land near the inland urban areas led to an increase in uncultivated semi-natural and forest areas. Within agricultural areas, heterogeneous patches suffered the greatest changes and were the main contributors to the increase in urban areas; moreover, this land cover class, together with forests, was highly affected by wildfires in terms of burnt area. Finally, from this analysis and during the investigated period, it appears that RUI increased in Portugal by more than two-thirds, while the total burnt area decreased by one-third; nevertheless, burnt area within RUI doubled, which emphasizes the significance of RUI monitoring for land and fire managers.

Risk of limb birth defects and mother's home proximity to cornfields.

PubMed

Ochoa-Acuña, Hugo; Carbajo, Cristina

2009-07-15

Although previous studies have linked proximity to crops and birth defects, they lacked individual-level exposure data and none was based on using planted area instead of linear proximity to crops as the exposure metric. We studied birth defects in relation to the area of corn or soybeans within 500 m of the mother's residence. We selected all singleton births from rural areas conceived during the 2000-2004 spring-summer months (n=48,216). We determined whether the area with corn or soybeans around the home was associated with birth defects using multiple unconditional logistic regression. We found that limb birth defects (ICD-9-CM 754.5, 755) increased in relation to cornfields (Adjusted OR=1.22; 95 % CI=1.01, 1.47 per additional 10 ha planted with corn within 500 m). None of the birth defect types studied was associated with soybeans. In the Midwest, a significant and expanding proportion of the population is now living in close proximity to cornfields. Our results suggest that additional studies should be conducted to identify which factor(s) associated with cornfields are behind the observed increase in limb birth defects.

Drought offset ecological restoration program-induced increase in vegetation activity in the Beijing-Tianjin Sand Source Region, China.

PubMed

Wu, Zhitao; Wu, Jianjun; He, Bin; Liu, Jinghui; Wang, Qianfeng; Zhang, Hong; Liu, Yong

2014-10-21

To improve the ecological conditions, the Chinese government adopted six large-scale ecological restoration programs including 'Three-North Shelterbelt Project', "Grain for Green Project" and "Beijing-Tianjin Sand Source Control Project". Meanwhile, these ecologically vulnerable areas have experienced frequent droughts. However, little attention has been paid to the impact of drought on the effectiveness of these programs. Taking Beijing-Tianjin Sand Source Region (BTSSR) as study area, we investigated the role of droughts and ecological restoration program on trends of vegetation activities and to address the question of a possible "drought signal" in assessing effectiveness of ecological restoration program. The results demonstrate the following: (1) Vegetation activity increased in the BTSSR during 2000-2010, with 58.44% of the study area showing an increased NDVI, of which 11.80% had a significant increase at 0.95 confidential level. The decreasing NDVI trends were mainly concentrated in a southwest-to-northeast strip in the study area. (2) Drought was the main driving force for a decreasing trend of vegetation activity in the southwest-to-northeast regions of the BTSSR at the regional and spatial scales. Summer droughts in 2007 and 2009 contributed to the decreasing trend in NDVI. The severe and extreme droughts in summer reduced the NDVI by approximately 13.06% and 23.55%, respectively. (3) The residual analysis result showed that human activities, particularly the ecological restoration programs, have a positive impact on vegetation change. Hence, the decreasing trends in the southwest-to-northeast regions of the BTSSR cannot be explained by the improper ecological restoration program and is partly explained by droughts, especially summer droughts. Therefore, drought offset the ecological restoration program-induced increase in vegetation activity in the BTSSR.

[Attaching importance to study on acute health risk assessment and adaptation of air pollution and climate change].

PubMed

Shi, X M

2017-03-10

Air pollution and climate change have become key environmental and public health problems around the world, which poses serious threat to human health. How to assess and mitigate the health risks and increase the adaptation of the public have become an urgent topic of research in this area. The six papers in this issue will provide important and rich information on design, analysis method, indicator selection and setting about acute health risk assessment and adaptation study of air pollution and climate change in China, reflecting the advanced conceptions of multi-center and area-specific study and multi-pollutant causing acute effect study. However, the number and type of the cities included in these studies were still limited. In future, researchers should further expand detailed multi-center and multi-area study coverage, conduct area specific predicting and early warning study and strengthen adaptation study.

[Spatiotemporal patterns and driving forces of land use change in industrial relocation area: a case study of old industrial area in Tiexi of Shenyang, Northeast China].

PubMed

Wang, Mei-Ling; Bing, Long-Fei; Xi, Feng-Ming; Wu, Rui; Geng, Yong

2013-07-01

Based on the QuickBird remote sensing images and with the support of GIS, this paper analyzed the spatiotemporal characteristics of land use change and its driving forces in old industrial area of Tiexi, Shenyang City of Liaoning Province in 2000-2010. During the study period, the industrial and mining warehouse land pattern had the greatest change, evolving from the historical pattern of residential land in the south and of industrial land in the north into residential land as the dominant land use pattern. In the last decade, the residential land area increased by 9%, mainly transferred from the industrial and mining warehouse land located in the north of Jianshe Road, while the industrial and mining warehouse land area decreased by 20%. The land areas for the commercial service and for the administrative and public services were increased by 1.3% and 3.1%, respectively. The land area for construction had a greater change, with an overall change rate being 76.9%. The land use change rate in 2000-2005 was greater than that in 2005-2010. National development strategies and policies, regional development planning, administrative reform, and industrial upgrading were the main driving forces of the land use change in old industrial area of Tiexi.

Coexistence of coyotes (Canis latrans) and red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in an urban landscape.

PubMed

Mueller, Marcus A; Drake, David; Allen, Maximilian L

2018-01-01

Urban environments are increasing worldwide and are inherently different than their rural counterparts, with a variety of effects on wildlife due to human presence, increased habitat fragmentation, movement barriers, and access to anthropogenic food sources. Effective management of urban wildlife requires an understanding of how urbanization affects their behavior and ecology. The spatial activity and interactions of urban wildlife, however, have not been as rigorously researched as in rural areas. From January 2015 to December 2016, we captured, radio-collared, and tracked 11 coyotes and 12 red foxes in Madison, WI. Within our study area, coyotes strongly selected home ranges with high proportions of natural areas; conversely, red foxes selected home ranges with open space and moderately developed areas. Use of highly developed areas best explained variation among individual home range sizes and inversely affected home range size for coyotes and red foxes. Coyote and red fox home ranges showed some degree of spatial and temporal overlap, but generally appeared partitioned by habitat type within our study area. Coyotes and red foxes were both active at similar times of the day, but their movement patterns differed based on species-specific habitat use. This spatial partitioning may promote positive co-existence between these sympatric canids in urban areas, and our findings of spatial activity and interactions will better inform wildlife managers working in urban areas.

Residential area characteristics and disabilities among Dutch community-dwelling older adults.

PubMed

Etman, Astrid; Kamphuis, Carlijn B M; Pierik, Frank H; Burdorf, Alex; Van Lenthe, Frank J

2016-11-15

Living longer independently may be facilitated by an attractive and safe residential area, which stimulates physical activity. We studied the association between area characteristics and disabilities and whether this association is mediated by transport-related physical activity (TPA). Longitudinal data of 271 Dutch community-dwelling adults aged 65 years and older participating in the Elderly And their Neighbourhood (ELANE) study in 2011-2013 were used. Associations between objectively measured aesthetics (range 0-22), functional features (range 0-14), safety (range 0-16), and destinations (range 0-15) within road network buffers surrounding participants' residences, and self-reported disabilities in instrumental activities of daily living (range 0-8; measured twice over a 9 months period) were investigated by using longitudinal tobit regression analyses. Furthermore, it was investigated whether self-reported TPA mediated associations between area characteristics and disabilities. A one unit increase in aesthetics within the 400 m buffer was associated with 0.86 less disabilities (95% CI -1.47 to -0.25; p < 0.05), but other area characteristics were not related to disabilities. An increase in area aesthetics was associated with more TPA, and more minutes of TPA were associated with less disabilities. TPA however, only partly mediated the associated between area aesthetics and disabilities. Improving aesthetic features in the close by area around older persons' residences may help to prevent disability.

Alterations of whole-brain cortical area and thickness in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease.

PubMed

Li, Chuanming; Wang, Jian; Gui, Li; Zheng, Jian; Liu, Chen; Du, Hanjian

2011-01-01

Gray matter volume and density of several brain regions, determined by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), are decreased in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Animal studies have indicated that changes in cortical area size is relevant to thinking and behavior, but alterations of cortical area and thickness in the brains of individuals with AD or its likely precursor, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), have not been reported. In this study, 25 MCI subjects, 30 AD subjects, and 30 age-matched normal controls were recruited for brain MRI scans and Functional Activities Questionnaire (FAQ) assessments. Based on the model using FreeSurfer software, two brain lobes were divided into various regions according to the Desikan-Killiany atlas and the cortical area and thickness of every region was compared and analyzed. We found a significant increase in cortical area of several regions in the frontal and temporal cortices, which correlated negatively with MMSE scores, and a significant decrease in cortical area of several regions in the parietal cortex and the cingulate gyrus in AD subjects. Increased cortical area was also seen in some regions of the frontal and temporal cortices in MCI subjects, whereas the cortical thickness of the same regions was decreased. Our observations suggest characteristic differences of the cortical area and thickness in MCI, AD, and normal control subjects, and these changes may help diagnose both MCI and AD.

Social Environment and Hospitalisation after Release from Prison: A Prospective Cohort Study

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

This study examined the association between remoteness and area disadvantage, and the rate of subsequent hospitalisation, in a cohort of adults released from prisons in Queensland. A baseline survey of 1267 adult prisoners within 6 weeks of expected release was prospectively linked with hospital, mortality and reincarceration records. Postcodes were used to assign remoteness and area disadvantage categories. Multivariate Andersen–Gill regression models were fitted to test for associations between remoteness, area disadvantage and hospitalisation after release from prison. Over a total of 3090.9 person-years of follow-up, the highest crude incidence rates were observed in areas characterised by remoteness and area disadvantage (crude incidence rate (IR) = 649; 95%CI: 526–791), followed by remoteness only (IR = 420; 95%CI: 349–501), severe area disadvantage only (IR = 403; 95%CI: 351–461), and neither of these factors (IR = 361; 95%CI: 336–388). Unadjusted analyses indicated that remoteness (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.32; 95%CI: 1.04–1.69; p = 0.024) was associated with increased risk of hospitalisation; however, this attenuated to the null after adjustment for covariate factors. The incidence of hospitalisation for those who live in remote or socio-economically disadvantaged areas is increased compared to their counterparts in more urban and less socio-economically disadvantaged areas. Experiencing both these factors together may compound the hospitalisation in the community. PMID:29149091

Coexistence of coyotes (Canis latrans) and red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in an urban landscape

PubMed Central

Drake, David; Allen, Maximilian L.

2018-01-01

Urban environments are increasing worldwide and are inherently different than their rural counterparts, with a variety of effects on wildlife due to human presence, increased habitat fragmentation, movement barriers, and access to anthropogenic food sources. Effective management of urban wildlife requires an understanding of how urbanization affects their behavior and ecology. The spatial activity and interactions of urban wildlife, however, have not been as rigorously researched as in rural areas. From January 2015 to December 2016, we captured, radio-collared, and tracked 11 coyotes and 12 red foxes in Madison, WI. Within our study area, coyotes strongly selected home ranges with high proportions of natural areas; conversely, red foxes selected home ranges with open space and moderately developed areas. Use of highly developed areas best explained variation among individual home range sizes and inversely affected home range size for coyotes and red foxes. Coyote and red fox home ranges showed some degree of spatial and temporal overlap, but generally appeared partitioned by habitat type within our study area. Coyotes and red foxes were both active at similar times of the day, but their movement patterns differed based on species-specific habitat use. This spatial partitioning may promote positive co-existence between these sympatric canids in urban areas, and our findings of spatial activity and interactions will better inform wildlife managers working in urban areas. PMID:29364916

Local Increases in Coronary Heart Disease Mortality Among Blacks and Whites in the United States, 1985–1995

PubMed Central

Barnett, Elizabeth; Halverson, Joel

2001-01-01

Objectives. This study analyzed coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality trends from 1985 to 1995, by race and sex, among Black and White adults 35 years and older to determine whether adverse trends were evident in any US localities. Methods. Log-linear regression models of annual age-adjusted death rates provided a quantitative measure of local mortality trends. Results. Increasing trends in CHD mortality were observed in 11 of 174 labor market areas for Black women, 23 of 175 areas for Black men, 10 of 394 areas for White women, and 4 of 394 areas for White men. Nationwide, adverse trends affected 1.7% of Black women, 8.0% of Black men, 1.1% of White women, and 0.3% of White men. Conclusions. From 1985 to 1995, moderate to strong local increases in CHD mortality were observed, predominantly in the southern United States. Black men evidenced the most unfavorable trends and were 25 times as likely as White men to be part of a local population experiencing increases in coronary heart disease mortality. PMID:11527788

Excess surface area in bioelectrochemical systems causes ion transport limitations.

PubMed

Harrington, Timothy D; Babauta, Jerome T; Davenport, Emily K; Renslow, Ryan S; Beyenal, Haluk

2015-05-01

We investigated ion transport limitations on 3D graphite felt electrodes by growing Geobacter sulfurreducens biofilms with advection to eliminate external mass transfer limitations. We characterized ion transport limitations by: (i) showing that serially increasing NaCl concentration up to 200 mM increased current linearly up to a total of +273% vs. 0 mM NaCl under advective conditions; (ii) growing the biofilm with a starting concentration of 200 mM NaCl, which led to a maximum current increase of 400% vs. current generation without NaCl, and (iii) showing that un-colonized surface area remained even after steady-state current was reached. After accounting for iR effects, we confirmed that the excess surface area existed despite a non-zero overpotential. The fact that the biofilm was constrained from colonizing and producing further current under these conditions confirmed the biofilms under study here were ion transport-limited. Our work demonstrates that the use of high surface area electrodes may not increase current density when the system design allows ion transport limitations to become dominant. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Recent changes in annual area burned in interior Alaska: The impact of fire management

USGS Publications Warehouse

Calef, M.P.; Varvak, Anna; McGuire, A. David; Chapin, F. S.; Reinhold, K. B.

2015-01-01

The Alaskan boreal forest is characterized by frequent extensive wildfires whose spatial extent has been mapped for the past 70 years. Simple predictions based on this record indicate that area burned will increase as a response to climate warming in Alaska. However, two additional factors have affected the area burned in this time record: the Pacific decadal oscillation (PDO) switched from cool and moist to warm and dry in the late 1970s and the Alaska Fire Service instituted a fire suppression policy in the late 1980s. In this paper a geographic information system (GIS) is used in combination with statistical analyses to reevaluate the changes in area burned through time in Alaska considering both the influence of the PDO and fire management. The authors found that the area burned has increased since the PDO switch and that fire management drastically decreased the area burned in highly suppressed zones. However, the temporal analysis of this study shows that the area burned is increasing more rapidly in suppressed zones than in the unsuppressed zone since the late 1980s. These results indicate that fire policies as well as regional climate patterns are important as large-scale controls on fires over time and across the Alaskan boreal forest.

Use of and short-term impacts of new cycling infrastructure in inner-Sydney, Australia: a quasi-experimental design.

PubMed

Rissel, Chris; Greaves, Stephen; Wen, Li Ming; Crane, Melanie; Standen, Chris

2015-10-06

Given increasing investment in new cycling infrastructure, it is important to understand its impacts. The Sydney Transport and Health Study evaluates a new 2.4 km bi-directional separated bicycle path in inner-Sydney. This paper describes the users of the new bicycle path, and examines its short-term impacts upon cycling behaviour and perceptions of the local environment. Data were collected from two bike counts at two intersections on the new bicycle path in the intervention area in 2013 and 2014. On-line surveys collected individual participant data in the intervention area and a similar comparison area before the bicycle path was built (2013), and 12 months later (four months after completion) (n = 512). The data included self-reported cycling behaviour, use of the new bicycle path and perceptions of changes in the local environment. Bike counts at two sites on the new bicycle path reported an increase of 23% and 97% respectively at 12 months. However, among the participants in the cohort, there was no change in the self-reported weekly frequency of cycling. One in six (approximately 15%) participants reported using the new bicycle path, with most users (76%) living in the intervention area. Bicycle path users were most likely to be frequent riders (at least weekly) [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 7.50, 95 % CI 3.93-14.31], be a high intensity recreational rider (AOR = 4.38, 95 % CI 1.53-12.54) or a low intensity transport rider (AOR = 2.42, 95 % CI 1.17-5.04) and live closer to the bicycle path (AOR = 1.24, 1.13-1.37). Perceptions that the neighbourhood was more pleasant, that there were more people walking and cycling were significantly higher in the intervention area at 12 months (both P values <0.05). Existing cycling behaviour and proximity to the bicycle path were associated with the use of the new bicycle path. Increased use of the new bicycle path as reported by the participants in the intervention area and increased cycling recorded by the bike counts may be due to existing cyclists changing routes to use the new path, and more cyclists from outside the study area using the new path, as study participants did not increase their frequency of cycling. Increases in cycling frequency in the intervention neighbourhood may require a longer lead time, additional promotional activities and further maturation of the Sydney bicycle path network. Understanding how new cycling infrastructure impacts communities can influence the promotion of such infrastructure.

1984–2010 trends in fire burn severity and area for the conterminous US

USGS Publications Warehouse

Picotte, Joshua J.; Peterson, Birgit E.; Meier, Gretchen; Howard, Stephen M.

2016-01-01

Burn severity products created by the Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (MTBS) project were used to analyse historical trends in burn severity. Using a severity metric calculated by modelling the cumulative distribution of differenced Normalized Burn Ratio (dNBR) and Relativized dNBR (RdNBR) data, we examined burn area and burn severity of 4893 historical fires (1984–2010) distributed across the conterminous US (CONUS) and mapped by MTBS. Yearly mean burn severity values (weighted by area), maximum burn severity metric values, mean area of burn, maximum burn area and total burn area were evaluated within 27 US National Vegetation Classification macrogroups. Time series assessments of burned area and severity were performed using Mann–Kendall tests. Burned area and severity varied by vegetation classification, but most vegetation groups showed no detectable change during the 1984–2010 period. Of the 27 analysed vegetation groups, trend analysis revealed burned area increased in eight, and burn severity has increased in seven. This study suggests that burned area and severity, as measured by the severity metric based on dNBR or RdNBR, have not changed substantially for most vegetation groups evaluated within CONUS.

Northern protected areas will become important refuges for biodiversity tracking suitable climates.

PubMed

Berteaux, Dominique; Ricard, Marylène; St-Laurent, Martin-Hugues; Casajus, Nicolas; Périé, Catherine; Beauregard, Frieda; de Blois, Sylvie

2018-03-15

The Northern Biodiversity Paradox predicts that, despite its globally negative effects on biodiversity, climate change will increase biodiversity in northern regions where many species are limited by low temperatures. We assessed the potential impacts of climate change on the biodiversity of a northern network of 1,749 protected areas spread over >600,000 km 2 in Quebec, Canada. Using ecological niche modeling, we calculated potential changes in the probability of occurrence of 529 species to evaluate the potential impacts of climate change on (1) species gain, loss, turnover, and richness in protected areas, (2) representativity of protected areas, and (3) extent of species ranges located in protected areas. We predict a major species turnover over time, with 49% of total protected land area potentially experiencing a species turnover >80%. We also predict increases in regional species richness, representativity of protected areas, and species protection provided by protected areas. Although we did not model the likelihood of species colonising habitats that become suitable as a result of climate change, northern protected areas should ultimately become important refuges for species tracking climate northward. This is the first study to examine in such details the potential effects of climate change on a northern protected area network.

Brain perfusion alterations in tick-borne encephalitis-preliminary report.

PubMed

Tyrakowska-Dadełło, Zuzanna; Tarasów, Eugeniusz; Janusek, Dariusz; Moniuszko-Malinowska, Anna; Zajkowska, Joanna; Pancewicz, Sławomir

2018-03-01

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) changes in tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) are non-specific and the pathophysiological mechanisms leading to their formation remain unclear. This study investigated brain perfusion in TBE patients using dynamic susceptibility-weighted contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance perfusion imaging (DSC-MRI perfusion). MRI scans were performed for 12 patients in the acute phase, 3-5days after the diagnosis of TBE. Conventional MRI and DSC-MRI perfusion studies were performed. Cerebral blood flow (CBF), cerebral blood volume (CBV), mean transit time (MTT), and time to peak (TTP) parametric maps were created. The bilateral frontal, parietal, and temporal subcortical regions and thalamus were selected as regions of interest. Perfusion parameters of TBE patients were compared to those of a control group. There was a slight increase in CBF and CBV, with significant prolongation of TTP in subcortical areas in the study subjects, while MTT values were comparable to those of the control group. A significant increase in thalamic CBF (p<0.001) and increased CBV (p<0.05) were observed. Increased TTP and a slight reduction in MTT were also observed within this area. The DSC-MRI perfusion study showed that TBE patients had brain perfusion disturbances, expressed mainly in the thalami. These results suggest that DSC-MRI perfusion may provide important information regarding the areas affected in TBE patients. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Spatio-Temporal Variability of Urban Heat Island and Urban Mobility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kar, B.; Omitaomu, O.

2017-12-01

A 2016 report by the U.S. Census stated that while the rural areas cover 97% of the U.S. landmass, these areas house only 19.7% of the nation's population. Given that the U.S. coastal counties are home to more than 50% of the U.S. population, these urban areas are clustered along the coast that is susceptible to sea level rise induced impacts. In light of increasing climate variability and extreme events, it is pertinent to understand the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect that results from increasing population density and mobility in the urban areas, and that contributes to increased energy consumption and temperature as well as unmitigated flooding events. For example, in Illinois, warmer summers contribute to heavy precipitation that overwhelms the region's drainage capacity. This study focuses on understanding the spatio-temporal variability of the relationship between population density and mobility distribution, and creation of UHI due to temperature change in selected cities across the U.S. This knowledge will help us understand the role of UHI in energy-water nexus in urban areas, specifically, energy consumption.

Human population growth and temperature increase along with the increase in urbanisation, motor vehicle numbers and green area amount in the sample of Erzurum city, Turkey.

PubMed

Yilmaz, Sevgi; Toy, Süleyman; Demircioglu Yildiz, Nalan; Yilmaz, Hasan

2009-01-01

In the study, main purpose was to determine the effect of population growth along with the increase in urbanisation, motor vehicle use and green area amount on the temperature values using a 55-year data set in Erzurum, which is hardly industrialised, and one of the coldest cities with highest elevation in Turkey. Although the semi-decadal increases, means of which are 0.1 degrees C for mean, minimum and maximum temperatures, are not clear enough to make a strong comment even in the lights of figures or tables, it was found as the result of the statistical analysis that population growth and increases in the number of vehicles, the number of buildings and the green area amount in the city have no significant effect on mean temperatures. However, the relationships between population growth and maximum temperature; and the number of vehicles and minimum temperature were found to be statistically significant.

Dense downtown living more carbon intense due to higher consumption: a case study of Helsinki

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Heinonen, Jukka; Kyrö, Riikka; Junnila, Seppo

2011-07-01

Hindering urban sprawl is one of the main goals for contemporary urban planning. Urban density is considered crucial in climate change mitigation since it reduces automobile dependence and decreases unit sizes, for example. This letter analyzes the effect of density in a city context. In the study the Finnish capital Helsinki is divided into two areas of different urban densities: the high density downtown area and the more scarcely populated suburbs. The study is a continuation of a recently published study on the implications of urban structure on carbon emissions, and analyzes further the main finding of the first study—that higher urban density might have negligible or even reverse effect on the per capita carbon emissions. Similarly to the previous study, a consumption based tiered hybrid life cycle assessment (LCA) approach is employed in order to produce a comprehensive assessment, free of territorial boundaries and system cutoffs typical of traditional LCAs. Based on the findings of the previous study, it is hypothesized that when assessing city level carbon dioxide emissions from a wider, consumer oriented LCA perspective, increased urban density may not necessarily reduce carbon emissions. Surprisingly, the study finds that carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) emissions are substantially higher in the dense downtown area than in the surrounding suburbs, which is suggested to imply that the increased consumption due to the higher standard of living increases emissions more than the higher density is able to reduce them. The results demonstrate that, while increasing urban density can be justified from a number of ecological, social and economic viewpoints, density is not necessarily a key parameter in the particular case of climate change. In cities like Helsinki, where wealth is concentrated in the downtown area, climate policies should give higher priority to the energy consumption of buildings, to alternative energy production and distribution modes, as well as to low carbon consumption within the city.

Analysis of Urban Forest Needs as Anthropogenic (CO2) Gas Absorbent in Semarang City

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Febriani, Anisa Putri; Retnaningsih Soeprobowati, Tri; Maryono

2018-02-01

Green open space in cities in significant needs to maintenance environment quality. On of the critical function is to absorb increasing number of gas CO2. Therefore, developing urban forest in cities is very importance. The objective of the study is to determine the area of urban forest as CO2 gas anthropogenic absorb which is formed from fuel, diesel fuel, liquid petroleum gas. The study consists of (1) Analyzing the number of CO2 gas emission by calculating the needs of petroleum and gas based on the number of population, (2) Analyzing the power of gas absorption, (3) Measuring the air concentration of CO2 gas ambient based on daily traffic activities. This study shown that from year 2013 to year 2017, the increasing of urban forest is not so significant. For year 2013 the green open space in Semarang City are 373.67 hectares (7.5 percent from Semarang City area), consists of 239 parks, 11 public cemeteries, production forests, community forests, and urban forests, however the area of urban forest is not increase. The study assess that Antidesmabunius is one of the green species which high absorb capacity planted for Semarang. This trees produce 31,31 ton annually. This study proposed to fostering Antidesmabunius as one principle threes in Semarang urban forest.

Widening rural-urban disparities in all-cause mortality and mortality from major causes of death in the USA, 1969-2009.

PubMed

Singh, Gopal K; Siahpush, Mohammad

2014-04-01

This study examined trends in rural-urban disparities in all-cause and cause-specific mortality in the USA between 1969 and 2009. A rural-urban continuum measure was linked to county-level mortality data. Age-adjusted death rates were calculated by sex, race, cause-of-death, area-poverty, and urbanization level for 13 time periods between 1969 and 2009. Cause-of-death decomposition and log-linear and Poisson regression were used to analyze rural-urban differentials. Mortality rates increased with increasing levels of rurality overall and for non-Hispanic whites, blacks, and American Indians/Alaska Natives. Despite the declining mortality trends, mortality risks for both males and females and for blacks and whites have been increasingly higher in non-metropolitan than metropolitan areas, particularly since 1990. In 2005-2009, mortality rates varied from 391.9 per 100,000 population for Asians/Pacific Islanders in rural areas to 1,063.2 for blacks in small-urban towns. Poverty gradients were steeper in rural areas, which maintained higher mortality than urban areas after adjustment for poverty level. Poor blacks in non-metropolitan areas experienced two to three times higher all-cause and premature mortality risks than affluent blacks and whites in metropolitan areas. Disparities widened over time; excess mortality from all causes combined and from several major causes of death in non-metropolitan areas was greater in 2005-2009 than in 1990-1992. Causes of death contributing most to the increasing rural-urban disparity and higher rural mortality include heart disease, unintentional injuries, COPD, lung cancer, stroke, suicide, diabetes, nephritis, pneumonia/influenza, cirrhosis, and Alzheimer's disease. Residents in metropolitan areas experienced larger mortality reductions during the past four decades than non-metropolitan residents, contributing to the widening gap.

Front gardens to car parks: changes in garden permeability and effects on flood regulation.

PubMed

Warhurst, Jennifer R; Parks, Katherine E; McCulloch, Lindsay; Hudson, Malcolm D

2014-07-01

This study addresses the consequences of widespread conversion of permeable front gardens to hard standing car parking surfaces, and the potential consequences in high-risk urban flooding hotspots, in the city of Southampton. The last two decades has seen a trend for domestic front gardens in urban areas to be converted for parking, driven by the lack of space and increased car ownership. Despite media and political attention, the effects of this change are unknown, but increased and more intense rainfall, potentially linked to climate change, could generate negative consequences as runoff from impermeable surfaces increases. Information is limited on garden permeability change, despite the consequences for ecosystem services, especially flood regulation. We focused on eight flooding hotspots identified by the local council as part of a wider urban flooding policy response. Aerial photographs from 1991, 2004 and 2011 were used to estimate changes in surface cover and to analyse permeability change within a digital surface model in a GIS environment. The 1, 30 and 100 year required attenuation storage volumes were estimated, which are the temporary storage required to reduce the peak flow rate given surface permeability. Within our study areas, impermeable cover in domestic front gardens increased by 22.47% over the 20-year study period (1991-2011) and required attenuation storage volumes increased by 26.23% on average. These increases suggest that a consequence of the conversion of gardens to parking areas will be a potential increase in flooding frequency and severity - a situation which is likely to occur in urban locations worldwide. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Thirty-year survey on airborne pollen concentrations in Genoa, Italy: relationship with sensitizations, meteorological data, and air pollution.

PubMed

Negrini, Arsenio Corrado; Negrini, Simone; Giunta, Vania; Quaglini, Silvana; Ciprandi, Giorgio

2011-01-01

Pollen allergy represents a relevant health issue. Betulaceae sensitization significantly increased in Genoa, Italy, in the last decades. This study investigated possible relationships among pollen count, meteorological changes, air pollution, and sensitizations in this city during a 30-year period. Betulaceae, Urticaceae, Gramineae, and Oleaceae pollen counts were measured from 1981 to 2010 in Genoa. Sensitization to these pollens was also considered in large populations of allergic patients. Meteorological parameters and pollutants were also measured in the same area. Betulaceae sensitization increased over time. All pollen species significantly increased over this time. Pollen season advanced for Betulaceae and Urticaceae. Only Urticaceae season significantly increased. Temperature increased while rainfall decreased over the time. Pollutants significantly decreased. There were some relationships between pollen changes and climatic and air pollution parameters. This 30-year study conducted in an urbanized area provided evidence that Betulaceae sensitization significantly increased, pollen load significantly augmented, and climate and air pollution changed with a possible influence on pollen release.

The Psychoeducational Characteristics of Children with Turner Syndrome.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rovet, Joanne F.

1993-01-01

This study compared psychoeducational characteristics of 67 children (ages 6-16) with Turner syndrome and 27 nonaffected controls. Subjects exhibited selective impairments in visuospatial and memory areas; significant underachievement in arithmetic; poor social competence; and increased behavior problems, particularly in the area of hyperactivity.…

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

DeVelice, R.L.; Hubbard, C.; Potkin, M.

This study documents ecological characteristics of areas in the Exxon Valdez oil spill area in southcentral Alaska with contrasting marbled murelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus) detection levels. A total of 73 vegetation and 41 physical site variables were evaluated. Marbled murrelet activity level (number of detections) and the frequency of occupied behavior (behaviors indicative of nesting) increased with increasing area of coniferous forest. There was a positive relationship between activity level and the number of mossy platforms in trees. Significant correlations with an index of incoming solar radiation are interpreted as indicating a preference of marbled murrelets for sites sheltered from highmore » winds and severe cold during the nesting period.« less

Spatial Correlations of Anomaly Time Series of AIRS Version-6 Land Surface Skin Temperatures with the Nino-4 Index

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Susskind, Joel; Lee, Jae N.; Iredell, Lena

2013-01-01

The AIRS Science Team Version-6 data set is a valuable resource for meteorological studies. Quality Controlled earth's surface skin temperatures are produced on a 45 km x 45 km spatial scale under most cloud cover conditions. The same retrieval algorithm is used for all surface types under all conditions. This study used eleven years of AIRS monthly mean surface skin temperature and cloud cover products to show that land surface skin temperatures have decreased significantly in some areas and increased significantly in other areas over the period September 2002 through August 2013. These changes occurred primarily at 1:30 PM but not at 1:30 AM. Cooling land areas contained corresponding increases in cloud cover over this time period, with the reverse being true for warming land areas. The cloud cover anomaly patterns for a given month are affected significantly by El Nino/La Nina activity, and anomalies in cloud cover are a driving force behind anomalies in land surface skin temperature.

Shielding design of an underground experimental area at point 5 of the CERN Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS).

PubMed

Mueller, Mario J; Stevenson, Graham R

2005-01-01

Increasing projected values of the circulating beam intensity in the Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS) and decreasing limits to radiation exposure, taken with the increasing non-acceptance of unjustified and unoptimised radiation exposures, have led to the need to re-assess the shielding between the ECX and ECA5 underground experimental areas of the SPS. Twenty years ago, these experimental areas at SPS-Point 5 housed the UA1 experiment, where Carlo Rubbia and his team verified the existence of W and Z bosons. The study reported here describes such a re-assessment based on simulations using the multi-purpose FLUKA radiation transport code. This study concludes that while the main shield which is made of concrete blocks and is 4.8 m thick satisfactorily meets the current design limits even at the highest intensities presently planned for the SPS, dose rates calculated for liaison areas on both sides of the main shield significantly exceed the design limits. Possible ways of improving the shielding situation are discussed.

Tree species composition affects the abundance of rowan (Sorbus aucuparia L.) in urban forests in Finland.

PubMed

Hamberg, Leena; Lehvävirta, Susanna; Kotze, D Johan; Heikkinen, Juha

2015-03-15

Recent studies have shown a considerable increase in the abundance of rowan (Sorbus aucuparia) saplings in urban forests in Finland, yet the reasons for this increase are not well understood. Here we investigated whether canopy cover or tree species composition, i.e., the basal areas of different tree species in Norway spruce dominated urban forests, affects the abundances of rowan seedlings, saplings and trees. Altogether 24 urban forest patches were investigated. We sampled the number of rowan and other saplings, and calculated the basal areas of trees. We showed that rowan abundance was affected by tree species composition. The basal area of rowan trees (≥ 5 cm in diameter at breast height, dbh) decreased with increasing basal area of Norway spruce, while the cover of rowan seedlings increased with an increase in Norway spruce basal area. However, a decrease in the abundance of birch (Betula pendula) and an increase in the broad-leaved tree group (Acer platanoides, Alnus glutinosa, Alnus incana, Amelanchier spicata, Prunus padus, Quercus robur, Rhamnus frangula and Salix caprea) coincided with a decreasing number of rowans. Furthermore, rowan saplings were scarce in the vicinity of mature rowan trees. Although it seems that tree species composition has an effect on rowan, the relationship between rowan saplings and mature trees is complex, and therefore we conclude that regulating tree species composition is not an easy way to keep rowan thickets under control in urban forests in Finland. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of mountain pine beetle-killed forests on source water contributions to streamflow in headwater streams of the Colorado Rocky Mountains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wehner, Christine E.; Stednick, John D.

2017-09-01

Natural or human-influenced disturbances are important to the health and diversity of forests, which in turn, are important to the water quantity and quality exported from a catchment. However, human-induced disturbances (prescribed fire and harvesting) have been decreasing, and natural disturbances (fires and insects) have been increasing in frequency and severity. One such natural disturbance is the mountain pine beetle (MPB), ( Dendroctonus ponderosae) an endemic species. A recent epidemic resulted in the mortality of millions of hectares of lodgepole pine ( Pinus contorta) forests in Colorado, USA. Beetle-induced tree mortality brings about changes to the hydrologic cycle, including decreased transpiration and interception with the loss of canopy cover. This study examined the effect of the mountain pine beetle kill on source water contributions to streamflow in snowmeltdominated headwater catchments using stable isotopes (2H and 18O) as tracers. Study catchments with varying level of beetle-killed forest area (6% to 97%) were sampled for groundwater, surface water, and precipitation. Streams were sampled to assess whether beetle-killed forests have altered source water contributions to streamflow. Groundwater contributions increased with increasing beetle-killed forest area ( p = 0.008). Both rain and snow contributions were negatively correlated with beetle-killed forest area ( p = 0.035 and p = 0.011, respectively). As the beetle-killed forest area increases, so does fractional groundwater contribution to streamflow.

Associations of supermarket accessibility with obesity and fruit and vegetable consumption in the conterminous United States.

PubMed

Michimi, Akihiko; Wimberly, Michael C

2010-10-08

Limited access to supermarkets may reduce consumption of healthy foods, resulting in poor nutrition and increased prevalence of obesity. Most studies have focused on accessibility of supermarkets in specific urban settings or localized rural communities. Less is known, however, about how supermarket accessibility is associated with obesity and healthy diet at the national level and how these associations differ in urban versus rural settings. We analyzed data on obesity and fruit and vegetable (F/V) consumption from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System for 2000-2006 at the county level. We used 2006 Census Zip Code Business Patterns data to compute population-weighted mean distance to supermarket at the county level for different sizes of supermarket. Multilevel logistic regression models were developed to test whether population-weighted mean distance to supermarket was associated with both obesity and F/V consumption and to determine whether these relationships varied for urban (metropolitan) versus rural (nonmetropolitan) areas. Distance to supermarket was greater in nonmetropolitan than in metropolitan areas. The odds of obesity increased and odds of consuming F/V five times or more per day decreased as distance to supermarket increased in metropolitan areas for most store size categories. In nonmetropolitan areas, however, distance to supermarket had no associations with obesity or F/V consumption for all supermarket size categories. Obesity prevalence increased and F/V consumption decreased with increasing distance to supermarket in metropolitan areas, but not in nonmetropolitan areas. These results suggest that there may be a threshold distance in nonmetropolitan areas beyond which distance to supermarket no longer impacts obesity and F/V consumption. In addition, obesity and food environments in nonmetropolitan areas are likely driven by a more complex set of social, cultural, and physical factors than a single measure of supermarket accessibility. Future research should attempt to more precisely quantify the availability and affordability of foods in nonmetropolitan areas and consider alternative sources of healthy foods besides supermarkets.

Associations of supermarket accessibility with obesity and fruit and vegetable consumption in the conterminous United States

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Limited access to supermarkets may reduce consumption of healthy foods, resulting in poor nutrition and increased prevalence of obesity. Most studies have focused on accessibility of supermarkets in specific urban settings or localized rural communities. Less is known, however, about how supermarket accessibility is associated with obesity and healthy diet at the national level and how these associations differ in urban versus rural settings. We analyzed data on obesity and fruit and vegetable (F/V) consumption from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System for 2000-2006 at the county level. We used 2006 Census Zip Code Business Patterns data to compute population-weighted mean distance to supermarket at the county level for different sizes of supermarket. Multilevel logistic regression models were developed to test whether population-weighted mean distance to supermarket was associated with both obesity and F/V consumption and to determine whether these relationships varied for urban (metropolitan) versus rural (nonmetropolitan) areas. Results Distance to supermarket was greater in nonmetropolitan than in metropolitan areas. The odds of obesity increased and odds of consuming F/V five times or more per day decreased as distance to supermarket increased in metropolitan areas for most store size categories. In nonmetropolitan areas, however, distance to supermarket had no associations with obesity or F/V consumption for all supermarket size categories. Conclusions Obesity prevalence increased and F/V consumption decreased with increasing distance to supermarket in metropolitan areas, but not in nonmetropolitan areas. These results suggest that there may be a threshold distance in nonmetropolitan areas beyond which distance to supermarket no longer impacts obesity and F/V consumption. In addition, obesity and food environments in nonmetropolitan areas are likely driven by a more complex set of social, cultural, and physical factors than a single measure of supermarket accessibility. Future research should attempt to more precisely quantify the availability and affordability of foods in nonmetropolitan areas and consider alternative sources of healthy foods besides supermarkets. PMID:20932312

Assessing fire effects on forest spatial structure using a fusion of Landsat and airborne LiDAR data in Yosemite National Park

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kane, Van R.; North, Malcolm P.; Lutz, James A.; Churchill, Derek J.; Roberts, Susan L.; Smith, Douglas F.; McGaughey, Robert J.; Kane, Jonathan T.; Brooks, Matthew L.

2014-01-01

Mosaics of tree clumps and openings are characteristic of forests dominated by frequent, low- and moderate-severity fires. When restoring these fire-suppressed forests, managers often try to reproduce these structures to increase ecosystem resilience. We examined unburned and burned forest structures for 1937 0.81 ha sample areas in Yosemite National Park, USA. We estimated severity for fires from 1984 to 2010 using the Landsat-derived Relativized differenced Normalized Burn Ratio (RdNBR) and measured openings and canopy clumps in five height strata using airborne LiDAR data. Because our study area lacked concurrent field data, we identified methods to allow structural analysis using LiDAR data alone. We found three spatial structures, canopy-gap, clump-open, and open, that differed in spatial arrangement and proportion of canopy and openings. As fire severity increased, the total area in canopy decreased while the number of clumps increased, creating a patchwork of openings and multistory tree clumps. The presence of openings > 0.3 ha, an approximate minimum gap size needed to favor shade-intolerant pine regeneration, increased rapidly with loss of canopy area. The range and variation of structures for a given fire severity were specific to each forest type. Low- to moderate-severity fires best replicated the historic clump-opening patterns that were common in forests with frequent fire regimes. Our results suggest that managers consider the following goals for their forest restoration: 1) reduce total canopy cover by breaking up large contiguous areas into variable-sized tree clumps and scattered large individual trees; 2) create a range of opening sizes and shapes, including ~ 50% of the open area in gaps > 0.3 ha; 3) create multistory clumps in addition to single story clumps; 4) retain historic densities of large trees; and 5) vary treatments to include canopy-gap, clump-open, and open mosaics across project areas to mimic the range of patterns found for each forest type in our study.

Social safety, self-rated general health and physical activity: changes in area crime, area safety feelings and the role of social cohesion.

PubMed

Ruijsbroek, Annemarie; Droomers, Mariël; Groenewegen, Peter P; Hardyns, Wim; Stronks, Karien

2015-01-01

The aim of this study was to examine whether changes over time in reported area crime and perceived area safety were related to self-rated general health and physical activity (PA), in order to provide support for a causal relationship between social safety and health. Additionally, we investigated whether social cohesion protects the residents against the negative impact of unsafe areas on health and PA. Multilevel logistic regression analyses were performed on Dutch survey data, including 47,926 respondents living in 2974 areas. An increase in area level unsafety feelings between 2009 and 2011 was associated with more people reporting poor general health in 2012 in that area, but was not related to PA. Changes in reported area crime were not related to either poor general health or PA. The social cohesion in the area did not modify the effect of changes in social safety on health and PA. The results suggest that tackling feelings of unsafety in an area might contribute to the better general health of the residents. Because changes in area social safety were not associated with PA, we found no leads that such health benefits were achieved through an increase in physical activity. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Basal area or stocking percent: which works best in controlling density in natural shortleaf pine stands

Treesearch

Ivan L. Sander

1986-01-01

Results from a shortleaf pine thinning study in Missouri show that continually thinning a stand to the same basal area will eventually create an understocked stand and reduce yields. Using stocking percent to control thinning intensity allows basal area to increase as stands get older. The best yield should occur when shortleaf pine is repeatedly thinned to 60 percent...

Relation of snowpack Accumulation to Red Pine Stocking

Treesearch

Edward A. Hansen

1969-01-01

A snow accumulation study was conducted in a 33-year-old red pine plantation thinned to different stocking levels. Snowpack water content increased an average of 2 percent for each 10 square feet of basal area reduction, within the range of 60 to 180 square feet of basal area. Reducing plantation stocking from 180 to 60 square feet of basal area per acre would result...

Forest Area Trends in Puerto Rico

Treesearch

Richard A. Birdsey; Peter L. Weaver

1987-01-01

Forest area trends in Puerto Rico from 1980 to 1985 are included in this update of earlier studies. Total forest area has increased from 279,000 ha in 1980 to 300,000 ha in 1985. Most of the new forest is growing on abandoned pasture. Secondary forest and abandoned coffee shade account for 78 percent of all forest land. Xeric scrub and active coffee shade account for...

Effects of land use and climate change on ecosystem services in Central Asia's arid regions: A case study in Altay Prefecture, China.

PubMed

Fu, Qi; Li, Bo; Hou, Ying; Bi, Xu; Zhang, Xinshi

2017-12-31

The sustainable use of ecosystem services (ES) can contribute to enhancing human well-being. Understanding the effects of land use and climate change on ES can provide scientific and targeted guidance for the sustainable use of ES. The objective of this study was to reveal the way in which land use and climate change influence the spatial and temporal variations of ES in the mountain-oasis-desert system (MODS). In this study, we assessed water yield, soil conservation, crop production, and sand fixation in 1990, 2000, and 2010 in Altay Prefecture, which is representative of the MODS, based on widely used biophysical models. Moreover, we analyzed the effects of different land use and climate change conditions on ES. The results show that the area of forest and bare land decreased in Altay Prefecture. In contrast, the area of grassland with low coverage and cropland increased. The climate of this area presented an overall warming-wetting trend, with warming-drying and cooling-wetting phenomena in some areas. Soil conservation in the mountain zone, water yield in the oasis zone, and sand fixation in the desert zone all decreased under the influence of land use change alone. The warming-drying trend led to decreased water yield in the oasis zone and increased wind erosion in the desert zone. Based on the results, we recommend that local governments achieve sustainable use of ES by planting grasslands with high coverage in the oasis zone, increasing investment in agricultural science and technology, and establishing protected areas in the mountain and desert zones. The methodology in our study can also be applied to other regions with a MODS structure. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Aspen height, stem-girth and survivorship in an area of high ungulate use

USGS Publications Warehouse

Keigley, R.B.; Frisina, M.R.

2008-01-01

An increase in ungulate population size potentially exposes aspen suckers, saplings, and trees to increased use. This study examined how stem height and girth influenced the selection of stems by ungulates for browsing, rubbing, and gnawing, and reconstructed the history of ungulate use for the study area. Transects were run through each of three aspen clones growing in southwestern Montana to determine height, circumference, and the surface area from which bark was totally and partially removed by rubbing and gnawing. Stems 20-250 cm tall were browsed. Stems 2-13 cm diameter were preferentially selected for rubbing and gnawing. The area of totally removed bark on dead saplings was twice the area of removed bark on live stems of similar diameter, suggesting that bark removal played a major role in the death of some stems. Based on an analysis of stem height and age, ungulate browsing was inferred to have increased from a light-to-moderate level to an intense level in 1991. The depth of scars was used to date scarring events. An increase in rubbing and gnawing was determined to have occurred about 1985. We concluded that elk were primarily responsible for the observed impacts. The combined effect of rubbing, gnawing, and browsing affects a broader span of ages compared to the effect of browsing alone. If prescribed fire is used to rejuvenate aspen stands, the resulting young stems should be protected from heavy browsing, rubbing and gnawing until they reach about 13 cm diameter and have grown out of the browse zone.

Emissions from an International Airport Increase Particle Number Concentrations 4-fold at 10 km Downwind

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

We measured the spatial pattern of particle number (PN) concentrations downwind from the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) with an instrumented vehicle that enabled us to cover larger areas than allowed by traditional stationary measurements. LAX emissions adversely impacted air quality much farther than reported in previous airport studies. We measured at least a 2-fold increase in PN concentrations over unimpacted baseline PN concentrations during most hours of the day in an area of about 60 km2 that extended to 16 km (10 miles) downwind and a 4- to 5-fold increase to 8–10 km (5–6 miles) downwind. Locations of maximum PN concentrations were aligned to eastern, downwind jet trajectories during prevailing westerly winds and to 8 km downwind concentrations exceeded 75 000 particles/cm3, more than the average freeway PN concentration in Los Angeles. During infrequent northerly winds, the impact area remained large but shifted to south of the airport. The freeway length that would cause an impact equivalent to that measured in this study (i.e., PN concentration increases weighted by the area impacted) was estimated to be 280–790 km. The total freeway length in Los Angeles is 1500 km. These results suggest that airport emissions are a major source of PN in Los Angeles that are of the same general magnitude as the entire urban freeway network. They also indicate that the air quality impact areas of major airports may have been seriously underestimated. PMID:24871496

Mycorrhiza Symbiosis Increases the Surface for Sunlight Capture in Medicago truncatula for Better Photosynthetic Production

PubMed Central

Adolfsson, Lisa; Keresztes, Áron; Uddling, Johan; Schoefs, Benoît; Spetea, Cornelia

2015-01-01

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi play a prominent role in plant nutrition by supplying mineral nutrients, particularly inorganic phosphate (Pi), and also constitute an important carbon sink. AM stimulates plant growth and development, but the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. In this study, Medicago truncatula plants were grown with Rhizophagus irregularis BEG141 inoculum (AM), mock inoculum (control) or with Pi fertilization. We hypothesized that AM stimulates plant growth through either modifications of leaf anatomy or photosynthetic activity per leaf area. We investigated whether these effects are shared with Pi fertilization, and also assessed the relationship between levels of AM colonization and these effects. We found that increased Pi supply by either mycorrhization or fertilization led to improved shoot growth associated with increased nitrogen uptake and carbon assimilation. Both mycorrhized and Pi-fertilized plants had more and longer branches with larger and thicker leaves than the control plants, resulting in an increased photosynthetically active area. AM-specific effects were earlier appearance of the first growth axes and increased number of chloroplasts per cell section, since they were not induced by Pi fertilization. Photosynthetic activity per leaf area remained the same regardless of type of treatment. In conclusion, the increase in growth of mycorrhized and Pi-fertilized Medicago truncatula plants is linked to an increase in the surface for sunlight capture, hence increasing their photosynthetic production, rather than to an increase in the photosynthetic activity per leaf area. PMID:25615871

Mycorrhiza symbiosis increases the surface for sunlight capture in Medicago truncatula for better photosynthetic production.

PubMed

Adolfsson, Lisa; Solymosi, Katalin; Andersson, Mats X; Keresztes, Áron; Uddling, Johan; Schoefs, Benoît; Spetea, Cornelia

2015-01-01

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi play a prominent role in plant nutrition by supplying mineral nutrients, particularly inorganic phosphate (Pi), and also constitute an important carbon sink. AM stimulates plant growth and development, but the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. In this study, Medicago truncatula plants were grown with Rhizophagus irregularis BEG141 inoculum (AM), mock inoculum (control) or with P(i) fertilization. We hypothesized that AM stimulates plant growth through either modifications of leaf anatomy or photosynthetic activity per leaf area. We investigated whether these effects are shared with P(i) fertilization, and also assessed the relationship between levels of AM colonization and these effects. We found that increased P(i) supply by either mycorrhization or fertilization led to improved shoot growth associated with increased nitrogen uptake and carbon assimilation. Both mycorrhized and P(i)-fertilized plants had more and longer branches with larger and thicker leaves than the control plants, resulting in an increased photosynthetically active area. AM-specific effects were earlier appearance of the first growth axes and increased number of chloroplasts per cell section, since they were not induced by P(i) fertilization. Photosynthetic activity per leaf area remained the same regardless of type of treatment. In conclusion, the increase in growth of mycorrhized and P(i)-fertilized Medicago truncatula plants is linked to an increase in the surface for sunlight capture, hence increasing their photosynthetic production, rather than to an increase in the photosynthetic activity per leaf area.

Individual boldness traits influenced by temperature in male Siamese fighting fish.

PubMed

Forsatkar, Mohammad Navid; Nematollahi, Mohammad Ali; Biro, Peter A; Beckmann, Christa

2016-10-15

Temperature has profound effects on physiology of ectothermic animals. However, the effects on temperature variation on behavioral traits are poorly studied in contrast to physiological endpoints. This may be important as even small differences in temperatures have large effects on physiological rates including overall metabolism, and behavior is known to be linked to metabolism at least in part. The primary aim of this study was to determine the effects of ambient temperature on boldness responses of a species of fish commonly used in behavioral experiments, the Siamese fighting fish (Betta splendens). At 26°C, subjects were first examined for baseline behaviors over three days, using three different (but complementary) 'open field' type assays tested in a fixed order. Those same fish were next exposed to either the same temperature (26°C) or a higher temperature (30°C) for 10days, and then the same behavioral assays were repeated. Those individuals exposed to increased temperatures reduced their latency to leave the release area (area I), spent more time in area III (farthest from release area), and were more active overall; together we infer these behaviors to reflect an increase in general 'boldness' with increased temperature. Our results add to a limited number of studies of temperature effects on behavioral tendencies in ectotherms that are evident even after some considerable acclimation. From a methodological perspective, our results indicate careful temperature control is needed when studying behavior in this and other species of fish. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Numerical simulation of groundwater flow in the Columbia Plateau Regional Aquifer System, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ely, D. Matthew; Burns, Erick R.; Morgan, David S.; Vaccaro, John J.

2014-01-01

Groundwater pumping has increased substantially over the past 40–50 years; this increase resulted in declining water levels at depth and decreased base flows over much of the study area. The effects of pumping are mitigated somewhat by the increase of surface-water irrigation, especially in the shallow Overburden unit, and commingling wells in some areas. During dry to average years, groundwater pumping causes a net loss of groundwater in storage and current condition (2000–2007) groundwater pumping exceeds recharge in all but the wettest of years.

Compensatory enlargement of the left main coronary artery: insights from the PROSPECT study.

PubMed

Inaba, Shinji; Mintz, Gary S; Shimizu, Takehisa; Weisz, Giora; Mehran, Roxana; Marso, Steven P; Xu, Ke; de Bruyne, Bernard; Serruys, Patrick W; Stone, Gregg W; Maehara, Akiko

2014-03-01

Glagov proposed that remodeling delayed development of significant coronary artery stenoses until plaque occupied, on average, 40% of arterial area (40% plaque burden). The aim of the current study was to confirm the previously proposed concept of coronary remodeling as first described by Glagov who studied postmortem left main coronary arteries (LMCAs). Using the in-vivo intravascular ultrasound data from the Providing Regional Observations to Study Predictors of Events in the Coronary Tree (PROSPECT) study, we evaluated 552 LMCAs in 552 patients. External elastic membrane cross-sectional areas (CSAs) increased in proportion to the increase in plaque and media CSAs (r=0.61, P<0.0001), especially when the plaque burden was 20% or lower (r=0.88, P<0.0001). For more advanced atherosclerosis (>40% plaque burden), there was an inverse relationship between lumen CSA and plaque burden (r=-0.57, P<0.0001), whereas this relationship was weak in the presence of less than 40% plaque burden. The frequency of virtual histology derived thin-cap fibroatheroma increased with increasing plaque burden. In contrast, the frequency of pathological intimal thickening decreased. The previously proposed remodeling concept of Glagov was validated in vivo in the PROSPECT study patients. In addition, the present study suggested that plaque phenotype worsened with increasing LMCA plaque growth.

Effects of young poplar plantations on understory plant diversity in the Dongting Lake wetlands, China

PubMed Central

Li, Youzhi; Chen, Xinsheng; Xie, Yonghong; Li, Xu; Li, Feng; Hou, Zhiyong

2014-01-01

This study evaluated the effects of young poplar plantations on understory plant diversity in the Dongting Lake wetlands, China. Poplar plantations resulted in a higher species number and Shannon's diversity. Species compositions were different between areas with poplar and reed populations: a lower ratio of hygrophytes but a higher ratio of mesophytes, and a higher ratio of heliophytes but a lower ratio of neutrophilous or shade plants in poplar areas compared to reed areas. Poplar plantations supported a higher ratio of ligneous plants in the entire Dongting Lake area, but there was no difference in the monitored plots. Unlike reedy areas, poplar plantations had higher light availability but lower soil water content during the growing seasons. These data suggest that young poplar plantations generally increased species richness and plant diversity, but significantly changed species composition due to the reduced soil water and increased light availability. PMID:25208975

Outbreak of acute fasciolosis in sheep farms in a Mediterranean area arising as a possible consequence of climate change.

PubMed

Bosco, Antonio; Rinaldi, Laura; Musella, Vincenzo; Amadesi, Alessandra; Cringoli, Giuseppe

2015-03-19

The objective of the present study was to investigate whether climate change in recent years have influenced the onset of acute outbreaks of Fasciola hepatica in ovine farms in southern Italy. In May-June 2014, a severe outbreak of F. hepatica occurred in three sheep farms in the Campania region. Clinical, coprological and necroscopic examinations were performed. Morbidity and mortality due to F. hepatica were 3-67% and 3-50%, respectively. Coprological examinations showed high values of F. hepatica eggs per gram (EPG) of faeces (860-1,240). Similarly, high adult parasitic burdens were found in animals that had sucombed (124-426 flukes). The study area was georeferenced and climatic data (temperature, humidity, days of rain and total amount of rainfall) were recorded at four georeferenced meterological stations in the study area. Montly data were processed and analyzed for the period 2000-2013 to evaluate the change of the climatic parameters during these years. The results show that there was a significant increase (P<0.001) of temperature, increased rainfall and increase in the number of rainy days compared to previous years. In addition to the outbreak reported here, we discuss the potential effects of climate change on the epidemiology of F. hepatica and the implications for sheep farming in the Mediterranean area.

Impacts of urbanization on Indian summer monsoon rainfall extremes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shastri, Hiteshri; Paul, Supantha; Ghosh, Subimal; Karmakar, Subhankar

2015-01-01

areas have different climatology with respect to their rural surroundings. Though urbanization is a worldwide phenomenon, it is especially prevalent in India, where urban areas have experienced an unprecedented rate of growth over the last 30 years. Here we take up an observational study to understand the influence of urbanization on the characteristics of precipitation (specifically extremes) in India. We identify 42 urban regions and compare their extreme rainfall characteristics with those of surrounding rural areas. We observe that, on an overall scale, the urban signatures on extreme rainfall are not prominently and consistently visible, but they are spatially nonuniform. Zonal analysis reveals significant impacts of urbanization on extreme rainfall in central and western regions of India. An additional examination, to understand the influences of urbanization on heavy rainfall climatology, is carried with station level data using a statistical method, quantile regression. This is performed for the most populated city of India, Mumbai, in pair with a nearby nonurban area, Alibaug; both having similar geographic location. The derived extreme rainfall regression quantiles reveal the sensitivity of extreme rainfall events to the increased urbanization. Overall the study identifies the climatological zones in India, where increased urbanization affects regional rainfall pattern and extremes, with a detailed case study of Mumbai. This also calls attention to the need of further experimental investigation, for the identification of the key climatological processes, in different regions of India, affected by increased urbanization.

Aviation-Related Impacts on Ultrafine Particle Number Concentrations Outside and Inside Residences near an Airport

PubMed Central

2018-01-01

Jet engine exhaust is a significant source of ultrafine particles and aviation-related emissions can adversely impact air quality over large areas surrounding airports. We investigated outdoor and indoor ultrafine particle number concentrations (PNC) from 16 residences located in two study areas in the greater Boston metropolitan area (MA, USA) for evidence of aviation-related impacts. During winds from the direction of Logan International Airport, that is, impact-sector winds, an increase in outdoor and indoor PNC was clearly evident at all seven residences in the Chelsea study area (∼4–5 km from the airport) and three out of nine residences in the Boston study area (∼5–6 km from the airport); the median increase during impact-sector winds compared to other winds was 1.7-fold for both outdoor and indoor PNC. Across all residences during impact-sector and other winds, median outdoor PNC were 19 000 and 10 000 particles/cm3, respectively, and median indoor PNC were 7000 and 4000 particles/cm3, respectively. Overall, our results indicate that aviation-related outdoor PNC infiltrate indoors and result in significantly higher indoor PNC. Our study provides compelling evidence for the impact of aviation-related emissions on residential exposures. Further investigation is warranted because these impacts are not expected to be unique to Logan airport. PMID:29411612

Pattern of Hepatitis A Incidence According to Area Characteristics Using National Health Insurance Data

PubMed Central

Seo, Joo Youn; Seo, Jae Hee; Kim, Myoung Hee; Ki, Moran; Park, Hee Suk

2012-01-01

Objectives Over the past several years, the incidence of hepatitis A infection has been increasing rapidly in the young-adult population in Korea. We examined the effects of area-level socioeconomic status and environmental hygiene on the incidence of hepatitis A. Methods This study is based on the registered national population of Korea and the national health insurance data from 2004 to 2008. A total of 73 459 individuals were confirmed to have had hepatitis A. The standardized incidences of hepatitis A in 232 districts adjusted for sex and age of people were calculated for each year, and the rate ratios of the incidence rates were estimated according to area-level socioeconomic status and environmental hygiene using multiple Poisson regression models. Results The incidence rates of hepatitis A infection were 15.6 (per 100 000) in 2004, 19.0 (per 100 000) in 2005, 27.2 (per 100 000) in 2006, 25.1 (per 100 000) in 2007, and 61.7 (per 100 000) in 2008. The analysis of the area-level effects showed that residential areas of the less deprived than other regions, areas with higher levels of education, and heavily populated areas were significantly associated with increased risk. Conclusions There is a very strong possibility that both area-level socioeconomic status and environmental hygiene play a role in increasing the risk of hepatitis A infection in Korea. Therefore, to reduce hepatitis A infection, we need a nationwide strategy that considers these area-level characteristics. PMID:22712043

Cougar survival and source-sink structure on Greater Yellowstone's Northern Range

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ruth, T.K.; Haroldson, M.A.; Murphy, K.M.; Buotte, P.C.; Hornocker, M.G.; Quigley, H.B.

2011-01-01

We studied survival and causes of mortality of radiocollared cougars (Puma concolor) on the Greater Yellowstone Northern Range (GYNR) prior to (1987–1994) and after wolf (Canis lupus) reintroduction (1998–2005) and evaluated temporal, spatial, and environmental factors that explain variation in adult, subadult, and kitten survival. Using Program MARK and multimodel inference, we modeled cougar survival based on demographic status, season, and landscape attributes. Our best models for adult and independent subadults indicated that females survived better than males and survival increased with age until cougars reached older ages. Lower elevations and increasing density of roads, particularly in areas open to cougar hunting north of Yellowstone National Park (YNP), increased mortality risks for cougars on the GYNR. Indices of ungulate biomass, cougar and wolf population size, winter severity, rainfall, and individual characteristics such as the presence of dependent young, age class, and use of Park or Wilderness were not important predictors of survival. Kitten survival increased with age, was lower during winter, increased with increasing minimum estimates of elk calf biomass, and increased with increasing density of adult male cougars. Using our best model, we mapped adult cougar survival on the GYNR landscape. Results of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis indicated a good model fit for both female (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.81, 95%CI = 0.70–0.92, n = 35 locations) and male cougars (AUC = 0.84, 95%CI = 0.74–0.94, n = 49 locations) relative to hunter harvest locations in our study area. Using minimum estimates of survival necessary to sustain the study population, we developed a source-sink surface and we identify several measures that resource management agencies can take to enhance cougar population management based on a source-sink strategy.

Synergistic effects of the components of global change: Increased vegetation dynamics in open, forest-steppe grasslands driven by wildfires and year-to-year precipitation differences

PubMed Central

Aszalós, Réka; Lengyel, Attila

2017-01-01

Climate change and land use change are two major elements of human-induced global environmental change. In temperate grasslands and woodlands, increasing frequency of extreme weather events like droughts and increasing severity of wildfires has altered the structure and dynamics of vegetation. In this paper, we studied the impact of wildfires and the year-to-year differences in precipitation on species composition changes in semi-arid grasslands of a forest-steppe complex ecosystem which has been partially disturbed by wildfires. Particularly, we investigated both how long-term compositional dissimilarity changes and species richness are affected by year-to-year precipitation differences on burnt and unburnt areas. Study sites were located in central Hungary, in protected areas characterized by partially-burnt, juniper-poplar forest-steppe complexes of high biodiversity. Data were used from two long-term monitoring sites in the Kiskunság National Park, both characterized by the same habitat complex. We investigated the variation in species composition as a function of time using distance decay methodology. In each sampling area, compositional dissimilarity increased with the time elapsed between the sampling events, and species richness differences increased with increasing precipitation differences between consecutive years. We found that both the long-term compositional dissimilarity, and the year-to-year changes in species richness were higher in the burnt areas than in the unburnt ones. The long-term compositional dissimilarities were mostly caused by perennial species, while the year-to-year changes of species richness were driven by annual and biennial species. As the effect of the year-to-year variation in precipitation was more pronounced in the burnt areas, we conclude that canopy removal by wildfires and extreme inter-annual variability of precipitation, two components of global environmental change, act in a synergistic way. They enhance the effect of one another, resulting in greater long-term and year-to-year changes in the composition of grasslands. PMID:29149208

Synergistic effects of the components of global change: Increased vegetation dynamics in open, forest-steppe grasslands driven by wildfires and year-to-year precipitation differences.

PubMed

Kertész, Miklós; Aszalós, Réka; Lengyel, Attila; Ónodi, Gábor

2017-01-01

Climate change and land use change are two major elements of human-induced global environmental change. In temperate grasslands and woodlands, increasing frequency of extreme weather events like droughts and increasing severity of wildfires has altered the structure and dynamics of vegetation. In this paper, we studied the impact of wildfires and the year-to-year differences in precipitation on species composition changes in semi-arid grasslands of a forest-steppe complex ecosystem which has been partially disturbed by wildfires. Particularly, we investigated both how long-term compositional dissimilarity changes and species richness are affected by year-to-year precipitation differences on burnt and unburnt areas. Study sites were located in central Hungary, in protected areas characterized by partially-burnt, juniper-poplar forest-steppe complexes of high biodiversity. Data were used from two long-term monitoring sites in the Kiskunság National Park, both characterized by the same habitat complex. We investigated the variation in species composition as a function of time using distance decay methodology. In each sampling area, compositional dissimilarity increased with the time elapsed between the sampling events, and species richness differences increased with increasing precipitation differences between consecutive years. We found that both the long-term compositional dissimilarity, and the year-to-year changes in species richness were higher in the burnt areas than in the unburnt ones. The long-term compositional dissimilarities were mostly caused by perennial species, while the year-to-year changes of species richness were driven by annual and biennial species. As the effect of the year-to-year variation in precipitation was more pronounced in the burnt areas, we conclude that canopy removal by wildfires and extreme inter-annual variability of precipitation, two components of global environmental change, act in a synergistic way. They enhance the effect of one another, resulting in greater long-term and year-to-year changes in the composition of grasslands.

River bed Elevation Changes and Increasing Flood Hazards in the Nisqually River at Mount Rainier National Park, Washington

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Halmon, S.; Kennard, P.; Beason, S.; Beaulieu, E.; Mitchell, L.

2006-12-01

Mount Rainier, located in Southwestern Washington, is the most heavily glaciated volcano of the Cascade Mountain Range. Due to the large quantities of glaciers, Mount Rainier also has a large number of braided rivers, which are formed by a heavy sediment load being released from the glaciers. As sediment builds in the river, its bed increases, or aggrades,its floodplain changes. Some contributions to a river's increased sediment load are debris flows, erosion, and runoff, which tend to carry trees, boulders, and sediment downstream. Over a period of time, the increased sediment load will result in the river's rise in elevation. The purpose of this study is to monitor aggradation rates, which is an increase in height of the river bed, in one of Mount Rainier's major rivers, the Nisqually. The studied location is near employee offices and visitor attractions in Longmire. The results of this study will also provide support to decision makers regarding geological hazard reduction in the area. The Nisqually glacier is located on the southern side of the volcano, which receives a lot of sunlight, thus releasing large amounts of snowmelt and sediment in the summer. Historical data indicate that several current features which may contribute to future flooding, such as the unnatural uphill slope to the river, which is due to a major depositional event in the late 1700s where 15 ft of material was deposited in this area. Other current features are the glaciers surrounding the Nisqually glacier, such as the Van Trump and Kaultz glaciers that produced large outbursts, affecting the Nisqually River and the Longmire area in 2001, 2003, and 2005. In an effort to further explore these areas, the research team used a surveying device, total station, in the Nisqually River to measure elevation change and angles of various positions within ten cross sections along the Longmire area. This data was then put into GIS for analyzation of its current sediment level and for comparison to previous cross sections, which were in 1993 and 2005. Results of the data analysis revealed changes in altitude of the sediment, as well as new areas of built up sediment. For example, a 7 foot increase in elevation, which was not revealed in the 2005 data, indicated there was an increased amount of debris that traveled from upstream. Further data will be obtained once all the cross sections are completed and data is closer analyzed.

Temporal trends in coverage of historical cardiac arrests using a volunteer-based network of automated external defibrillators accessible to laypersons and emergency dispatch centers.

PubMed

Hansen, Carolina Malta; Lippert, Freddy Knudsen; Wissenberg, Mads; Weeke, Peter; Zinckernagel, Line; Ruwald, Martin H; Karlsson, Lena; Gislason, Gunnar Hilmar; Nielsen, Søren Loumann; Køber, Lars; Torp-Pedersen, Christian; Folke, Fredrik

2014-11-18

Although increased dissemination of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) has been associated with more frequent AED use, the trade-off between the number of deployed AEDs and coverage of cardiac arrests remains unclear. We investigated how volunteer-based AED dissemination affected public cardiac arrest coverage in high- and low-risk areas. All public cardiac arrests (1994-2011) and all registered AEDs (2007-2011) in Copenhagen, Denmark, were identified and geocoded. AED coverage of cardiac arrests was defined as historical arrests ≤100 m from an AED. High-risk areas were defined as those with ≥1 arrest every 2 years and accounted for 1.0% of the total city area. Of 1864 cardiac arrests, 18.0% (n=335) occurred in high-risk areas throughout the study period. From 2007 to 2011, the number of AEDs and the corresponding coverage of cardiac arrests increased from 36 to 552 and from 2.7% to 32.6%, respectively. The corresponding increase for high-risk areas was from 1 to 30 AEDs and coverage from 5.7% to 51.3%, respectively. Since the establishment of the AED network (2007-2011), few arrests (n=55) have occurred ≤100 m from an AED with only 14.5% (n=8) being defibrillated before the arrival of emergency medical services. Despite the lack of a coordinated public access defibrillation program, the number of AEDs increased 15-fold with a corresponding increase in cardiac arrest coverage from 2.7% to 32.6% over a 5-year period. The highest increase in coverage was observed in high-risk areas (from 5.7% to 51.3%). AED networks can be used as useful tools to optimize AED placement in community settings. © 2014 American Heart Association, Inc.

Analysis of Variations in Hospital Use by Medicare Patients in Psro Areas, 1974-1977

PubMed Central

Deacon, Ronald; Lubitz, James; Gornick, Marian; Newton, Marilyn

1979-01-01

A study of the use of short-stay hospitals in PSRO areas by Medicare enrollees aged 65 and over for the period 1974 through 1977 revealed that discharge rates increased, average length of stay (ALOS) decreased, and days-of-care rates remained relatively constant in nearly all of the PSRO areas. The data show large variations in hospital use in PSRO areas within States and HEW regions, and suggest that factors within the area are critical determinants of hospital utilization. This study presents important implications for PSRO program policy for it suggests that factors other than physician and hospital behavior should also be considered when setting objectives for reducing misutilization and improving the quality of health care. PMID:10309054

A functional MRI study of happy and sad affective states induced by classical music.

PubMed

Mitterschiffthaler, Martina T; Fu, Cynthia H Y; Dalton, Jeffrey A; Andrew, Christopher M; Williams, Steven C R

2007-11-01

The present study investigated the functional neuroanatomy of transient mood changes in response to Western classical music. In a pilot experiment, 53 healthy volunteers (mean age: 32.0; SD = 9.6) evaluated their emotional responses to 60 classical musical pieces using a visual analogue scale (VAS) ranging from 0 (sad) through 50 (neutral) to 100 (happy). Twenty pieces were found to accurately induce the intended emotional states with good reliability, consisting of 5 happy, 5 sad, and 10 emotionally unevocative, neutral musical pieces. In a subsequent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study, the blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) signal contrast was measured in response to the mood state induced by each musical stimulus in a separate group of 16 healthy participants (mean age: 29.5; SD = 5.5). Mood state ratings during scanning were made by a VAS, which confirmed the emotional valence of the selected stimuli. Increased BOLD signal contrast during presentation of happy music was found in the ventral and dorsal striatum, anterior cingulate, parahippocampal gyrus, and auditory association areas. With sad music, increased BOLD signal responses were noted in the hippocampus/amygdala and auditory association areas. Presentation of neutral music was associated with increased BOLD signal responses in the insula and auditory association areas. Our findings suggest that an emotion processing network in response to music integrates the ventral and dorsal striatum, areas involved in reward experience and movement; the anterior cingulate, which is important for targeting attention; and medial temporal areas, traditionally found in the appraisal and processing of emotions. Copyright 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Climate change trends, grape production, and potential alcohol concentration in wine from the "Romagna Sangiovese" appellation area (Italy)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Teslić, Nemanja; Zinzani, Giordano; Parpinello, Giuseppina P.; Versari, Andrea

2018-01-01

The trend of climate change and its effect on grape production and wine composition was evaluated using a real case study of seven wineries located in the "Romagna Sangiovese" appellation area (northern Italy), one of the most important wine producing region of Italy. This preliminary study focused on three key aspects: (i) Assessment of climate change trends by calculating bioclimatic indices over the last 61 years (from 1953 to 2013) in the Romagna Sangiovese area: significant increasing trends were found for the maximum, mean, and minimum daily temperatures, while a decreasing trend was found for precipitation during the growing season period (April-October). Mean growing season temperature was 18.49 °C, considered as warm days in the Romagna Sangiovese area and optimal for vegetative growth of Sangiovese, while nights during the ripening months were cold (13.66 °C). The rise of temperature shifted studied area from the temperate/warm temperate to the warm temperate-/warm grape-growing region (according to the Huglin classification). (ii) Relation between the potential alcohol content from seven wineries and the climate change from 2001 to 2012: dry spell index (DSI) and Huglin index (HI) suggested a large contribution to increasing level of potential alcohol in Sangiovese wines, whereas DSI showed higher correlation with potential alcohol respect to the HI. (iii) Relation between grape production and the climate change from 1982 to 2012: a significant increasing trend was found with little effect of the climate change trends estimated with used bioclimatic indices. Practical implication at viticultural and oenological levels is discussed.

Projected impacts of urbanisation on hydrological resource flows: A case study within the uMngeni Catchment, South Africa.

PubMed

Schütte, S; Schulze, R E

2017-07-01

Significant land use changes from natural/agricultural to urban land uses have been proposed within the Mpushini/Mkhondeni sub-catchments of the uMngeni Catchment in South Africa. A better understanding of the influences which such land use changes are likely to have on hydrological flows, is required, in order to make informed land use decisions for a sustainable future. As a point of departure, an overview of linkages between urbanisation and hydrological flow responses within this sub-humid study area is given. The urban characteristics of increased impervious areas and the potential return flows from transfers of potable water from outside the catchment were identified as being important in regard to hydrological flow responses. A methodology was developed to model urban response scenarios with urban characteristics as variables, using the daily time-step process based ACRU model. This is a hydrological multi-process model and not an urban hydraulic model and it addresses the landscape as well as the channel components of a catchment, and in addition to runoff components includes evaporation and transpiration losses as outputs. For the study area strong links between proposed urbanisation and hydrological resource flow responses were found, with increases in stormflows, together with increased and more regulated baseflows, and with impacts varying markedly between dry or wet years and by season. The impacts will depend on the fractions of impervious areas, whether or not these are connected to permeable areas, the amount of imported water and water system leaks. Furthermore, the urban hydrological impacts were found to be relatively greater in more arid than humid areas because of changes in the rainfall to runoff conversion. Flow changes due to urbanisation are considered to have important environmental impacts, requiring mitigation. The methodology used in this paper could be used for other urbanising areas. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of increasing forest plantation area and management practices on carbon storage and water use in the United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, G.; Hayes, D. J.; Tian, H.

2013-12-01

Planted forest area in the United States gradually increased during the last half century, and by 2007 accounted for about 20% of the total forest area in the southern United States and about 13% in the entire country. Intensive plantation management activities - such as slash burning, thinning, weed control, fertilization and the use of genetically improved seedlings - are routinely applied during the forest rotation. However, no comprehensive assessments have been made to examine the impacts of this increased forest plantation area and associated management practices on ecosystem function. In this study, we integrated field measurement data and process-based modeling to quantitatively estimate the changes in carbon storage, nitrogen cycling and water use as influenced by forest plantations in the United States from 1925 to 2007. The results indicated that forest plantations and management practices greatly increased forest productivity, vegetation carbon, and wood product carbon storage in the United States, but slightly reduce soil carbon storage at some areas; however, the carbon sink induced by forest plantations was at the expense of more water use as represented by higher evapotranspiration. Stronger nitrogen and water limitations were found for forest plantations as compared to natural or naturally-regenerated forests.

Acupuncture attenuates cognitive deficits and increases pyramidal neuron number in hippocampal CA1 area of vascular dementia rats.

PubMed

Li, Fang; Yan, Chao-Qun; Lin, Li-Ting; Li, Hui; Zeng, Xiang-Hong; Liu, Yi; Du, Si-Qi; Zhu, Wen; Liu, Cun-Zhi

2015-04-28

Decreased cognition is recognized as one of the most severe and consistent behavioral impairments in dementia. Experimental studies have reported that acupuncture may improve cognitive deficits, relieve vascular dementia (VD) symptoms, and increase cerebral perfusion and electrical activity. Multi-infarction dementia was modeled in rats with 3% microemboli saline suspension. Two weeks after acupuncture at Zusanli (ST36), all rats were subjected to a hidden platform trial to test their 3-day spatial memory using the Morris water maze test. To estimate the numbers of pyramidal neuron, astrocytes, and synaptic boutons in hippocampal CA1 area, we adopted an unbiased stereology method to accurately sample and measure the size of cells. We found that acupuncture at ST36 significantly decreased the escape latency of VD rats. In addition, acupuncture significantly increased the pyramidal neuron number in hippocampal CA1 area (P < 0.05) and tended to decrease the number of astrocytes (P = 0.063). However, there was no significant change in the synaptic bouton number of hippocampal CA1 area in any of the groups (P > 0.05). These findings suggest that acupuncture may improve cognitive deficits and increase pyramidal neuron number of hippocampal CA1 area in VD rats.

Temperature, ozone, and mortality in urban and non-urban counties in the northeastern United States.

PubMed

Madrigano, Jaime; Jack, Darby; Anderson, G Brooke; Bell, Michelle L; Kinney, Patrick L

2015-01-07

Most health effects studies of ozone and temperature have been performed in urban areas, due to the available monitoring data. We used observed and interpolated data to examine temperature, ozone, and mortality in 91 urban and non-urban counties. Ozone measurements were extracted from the Environmental Protection Agency's Air Quality System. Meteorological data were supplied by the National Center for Atmospheric Research. Observed data were spatially interpolated to county centroids. Daily internal-cause mortality counts were obtained from the National Center for Health Statistics (1988-1999). A two-stage Bayesian hierarchical model was used to estimate each county's increase in mortality risk from temperature and ozone. We examined county-level associations according to population density and compared urban (≥1,000 persons/mile(2)) to non-urban (<1,000 persons/mile(2)) counties. Finally, we examined county-level characteristics that could explain variation in associations by county. A 10 ppb increase in ozone was associated with a 0.45% increase in mortality (95% PI: 0.08, 0.83) in urban counties, while this same increase in ozone was associated with a 0.73% increase (95% PI: 0.19, 1.26) in non-urban counties. An increase in temperature from 70°F to 90°F (21.2°C 32.2°C) was associated with a 8.88% increase in mortality (95% PI: 7.38, 10.41) in urban counties and a 8.08% increase (95% PI: 6.16, 10.05) in non-urban counties. County characteristics, such as population density, percentage of families living in poverty, and percentage of elderly residents, partially explained the variation in county-level associations. While most prior studies of ozone and temperature have been performed in urban areas, the impacts in non-urban areas are significant, and, for ozone, potentially greater. The health risks of increasing temperature and air pollution brought on by climate change are not limited to urban areas.

Effects of changed aircraft noise exposure on experiential qualities of outdoor recreational areas.

PubMed

Krog, Norun Hjertager; Engdahl, Bo; Tambs, Kristian

2010-10-01

The literature indicates that sound and visual stimuli interact in the impression of landscapes. This paper examines the relationship between annoyance with sound from aircraft and annoyance with other area problems (e.g., careless bicycle riding, crowding, etc.), and how changes in noise exposure influence the perceived overall recreational quality of outdoor recreational areas. A panel study (telephone interviews) conducted before and after the relocation of Norway's main airport in 1998 examined effects of decreased or increased noise exposure in nearby recreational areas (n = 591/455). Sound from aircraft annoyed the largest proportion of recreationists, except near the old airport after the change. The decrease in annoyance with sound from aircraft was accompanied by significant decreases in annoyance with most of the other area problems. Near the new airport annoyance with most factors beside sound from aircraft increased slightly, but not significantly. A relationship between aircraft noise annoyance and perceived overall recreational quality of the areas was found.

Effects of Changed Aircraft Noise Exposure on Experiential Qualities of Outdoor Recreational Areas

PubMed Central

Krog, Norun Hjertager; Engdahl, Bo; Tambs, Kristian

2010-01-01

The literature indicates that sound and visual stimuli interact in the impression of landscapes. This paper examines the relationship between annoyance with sound from aircraft and annoyance with other area problems (e.g., careless bicycle riding, crowding, etc.), and how changes in noise exposure influence the perceived overall recreational quality of outdoor recreational areas. A panel study (telephone interviews) conducted before and after the relocation of Norway’s main airport in 1998 examined effects of decreased or increased noise exposure in nearby recreational areas (n = 591/455). Sound from aircraft annoyed the largest proportion of recreationists, except near the old airport after the change. The decrease in annoyance with sound from aircraft was accompanied by significant decreases in annoyance with most of the other area problems. Near the new airport annoyance with most factors beside sound from aircraft increased slightly, but not significantly. A relationship between aircraft noise annoyance and perceived overall recreational quality of the areas was found. PMID:21139858

The sustainable arable land use pattern under the tradeoff of agricultural production, economic development, and ecological protection-an analysis of Dongting Lake basin, China.

PubMed

Yin, Guanyi; Liu, Liming; Jiang, Xilong

2017-11-01

To find a solution regarding sustainable arable land use pattern in the important grain-producing area during the rapid urbanization process, this study combined agricultural production, locational condition, and ecological protection to determine optimal arable land use. Dongting Lake basin, one of the major grain producing areas in China, was chosen as the study area. The analysis of land use transition, the calculation of arable land barycenter, the landscape indices of arable land patches, and the comprehensive evaluation of arable land quality(productivity, economic location, and ecological condition) were adopted in this study. The results showed that (1) in 1990-2000, the arable land increased by 11.77%, and the transformation between arable land and other land use types actively occurred; in 2000-2010, the arable land decreased by 0.71%, and more ecological area (forestland, grassland, and water area) were disturbed and transferred into arable land; (2) urban expansion of the Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan city cluster (the major economy center of this area) induced the northward movement of the arable land barycenter; (3) the landscape fragmentation and decentralization degree of arable land patches increased during 1990-2010; (4) potential high-quality arable land is located in the zonal area around Dongting Lake, which contains the Li County, Linli County, Jinshi County, Taoyuan County, Taojiang County, Ningxiang County, Xiangxiang County, Shaoshan County, Miluo County, and Zhuzhou County. The inferior low-quality arable land is located in the northwestern Wuling mountainous area, the southeastern hilly area, and the densely populated big cities and their surrounding area. In the optimized arable land use pattern, the high-quality land should be intensively used, and the low-quality arable land should be reduced used or prohibitively used. What is more, it is necessary to quit the arable land away from the surrounding area of cities appropriately, in order to allow more space for urban expansion. This study could provide guidance for sustainable arable land use by both satisfying the future agricultural production and the local economic development, which can be used for the other major grain-producing areas in this rapid developing country.

Sarcopenia as a predictor of mortality in elderly blunt trauma patients: Comparing the masseter to the psoas using computed tomography.

PubMed

Wallace, James D; Calvo, Richard Y; Lewis, Paul R; Brill, Jason B; Shackford, Steven R; Sise, Michael J; Sise, C Beth; Bansal, Vishal

2017-01-01

Sarcopenia, or age-related loss of muscle mass, is measurable by computed tomography (CT). In elderly trauma patients, increased mortality is associated with decreased psoas muscle cross-sectional area (P-Area) on abdominal CT. Fall is the leading cause of injury in the elderly, and head CT is more often obtained. Masseter muscle cross-sectional area (M-Area) is readily measured on head CT. Hypothesizing that M-Area is a satisfactory surrogate for P-Area, we compared the two as markers of sarcopenia and increased mortality in elderly trauma patients. All blunt-injured patients aged 65 years or older admitted to our trauma center during 2010 were included. Two-year postdischarge mortality was identified by matching records to county, state, and national death indices. Bilateral M-Area was measured on admission head CT at 2 cm below the zygomatic arch. Bilateral P-Area was measured on abdominal CT at the fourth vertebral body. Average M-Area and P-Area values were calculated for each patient. Cox proportional hazards models evaluated the relationship of M-Area and P-Area with mortality. Model predictive performance was calculated using concordance statistics. Among 487 patients, 357 with M-Area and 226 with P-Area were identified. Females had smaller M-Area (3.43 cm vs 4.18 cm; p < 0.050) and P-Area (6.50 cm vs 10.9 cm; p < 0.050) than males. Masseter muscle cross-sectional area correlated with P-Area (rho, 0.38; p < 0.001). Adjusted Cox regression models revealed decreased survival associated with declining M-Area (hazard ratio, 0.76; 95% confidence interval, 0.60-0.96) and P-Area (hazard ratio, 0.68; 95% confidence interval, 0.46-1.00). Masseter muscle cross-sectional area and P-Area discriminated equally well in best-fit models. In elderly trauma patients, M-Area is an equally valid and more readily available marker of sarcopenia and 2-year mortality than P-Area. Future study should validate M-Area as a metric to identify at-risk patients who may benefit from early intervention. Prognostic study, level III.

Changes in pore structure of coal caused by coal-to-gas bioconversion

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

Zhang, Rui; Liu, Shimin; Bahadur, Jitendra

Microbial enhanced coalbed methane (ME-CBM) recovery is critically examined as a viable technology for natural gas recovery from coalbed methane (CBM) reservoirs. Since the majority of gas-in-place (GIP) is stored as an adsorbed phase in fine pores of coal matrix, the nano-pore structure directly influences gas storage and transport properties. Only limited studies have quantified the alteration of the nano-pore structure due to ME-CBM treatment. This study examines the evolution of the pore structure using a combination of small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), low-pressure N 2 and CO 2 adsorption (LPGA) and high-pressure methane adsorption methods. The results show thatmore » the surface fractal dimension decreases for the two bioconverted coals compared to the untreated coal. After bio-treatment, the mesopore surface area and pore volume decrease with the average pore diameter increases, while the micropore surface area increases with pore volume decreases. Both inaccessible meso-/micropore size distributions decrease after bioconversion, while the accessible micropore size distribution increases, making a portion of closed micropore network accessible. In addition, the methane adsorption capacities increase after bio-treatment, which is confirmed by the increase of micropore surface area. A conceptual physical model of methanogenesis is proposed based on the evolution of the pore structure.« less

Changes in pore structure of coal caused by coal-to-gas bioconversion

DOE PAGES

Zhang, Rui; Liu, Shimin; Bahadur, Jitendra; ...

2017-06-19

Microbial enhanced coalbed methane (ME-CBM) recovery is critically examined as a viable technology for natural gas recovery from coalbed methane (CBM) reservoirs. Since the majority of gas-in-place (GIP) is stored as an adsorbed phase in fine pores of coal matrix, the nano-pore structure directly influences gas storage and transport properties. Only limited studies have quantified the alteration of the nano-pore structure due to ME-CBM treatment. This study examines the evolution of the pore structure using a combination of small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), low-pressure N 2 and CO 2 adsorption (LPGA) and high-pressure methane adsorption methods. The results show thatmore » the surface fractal dimension decreases for the two bioconverted coals compared to the untreated coal. After bio-treatment, the mesopore surface area and pore volume decrease with the average pore diameter increases, while the micropore surface area increases with pore volume decreases. Both inaccessible meso-/micropore size distributions decrease after bioconversion, while the accessible micropore size distribution increases, making a portion of closed micropore network accessible. In addition, the methane adsorption capacities increase after bio-treatment, which is confirmed by the increase of micropore surface area. A conceptual physical model of methanogenesis is proposed based on the evolution of the pore structure.« less

Changes in micro-relief during different water erosive stages of purple soil under simulated rainfall.

PubMed

Luo, Jian; Zheng, Zicheng; Li, Tingxuan; He, Shuqin

2018-02-22

This study investigated the variation characteristics of micro-topography during successive erosive stages of water erosion: splash erosion (SpE), sheet erosion (ShE), and rill erosion (RE). Micro-topography was quantified using surface elevation change, soil roughness (SR) and multifractal model. Results showed that the area of soil surface elevation decay increased gradually with the development of water erosion. With rainfall, the combined effects of the detachment by raindrop impact and the transport of runoff decreased SR, whereas rill erosion contributed to increase SR. With the increase in slope gradient, soil erosion area gradually decreased at the splash erosion stage. By contrast, soil erosion area initially decreased and then increased at the sheet and rill erosion stages. The width of the D q spectra (ΔD) values increased at the splash erosion stage and then decreased at the sheet and rill erosion stages on the 10° slope, opposite to that on the 15° slope. The ΔD values decreased with the evolution of water erosive stages on the 20° slope. The slope had an enhancing effect on the evolution of water erosion. In this study, we clarified the essence of micro-topography and laid a theoretical foundation for further understanding diverse hydrological processes.

[Peculiarities of mitosis and nucleolar characteristics of the birch plantlets under antropogenous pollution].

PubMed

Butorina, A K; Kalaev, V N; Karpova, S S

2002-01-01

A study was made of some cytogenetic characteristics (mitotic activity, the level and spectrum of pathological mitosis, nucleolar features in root tip cells) in birch plantlets. The seeds were collected in four districts of Voronezh and in the ecologically clean territory. The index of mitotic activity has a considerable resistance to anthropogenous pollution. In the experimental areas, the level and spectrum of pathological mitosis increase. In contaminated areas we observed changes of nucleolar characteristics (the increased surface area of nucleoli and their higher number in cells, the increased number of cells with highly active types of nucleoli, the appearance of residual nucleoli). These changes can be considered as possible mechanisms of adaptation to stress due to antropogenous pollution. It is suggested that the use of such indices as single nucleolar surface area or the level of pathological mitosis may be perspective for cytogenetic monitoring of the environment, and for prognostification of environmental conditions suitable or unsuitable for the human health.

Why mushrooms form gills: efficiency of the lamellate morphology.

PubMed

Fischer, Mark W F; Money, Nicholas P

2010-01-01

Gilled mushrooms are produced by multiple orders within the Agaricomycetes. Some species form a single array of unbranched radial gills beneath their caps, many others produce multiple files of lamellulae between the primary gills, and branched gills are also common. In this largely theoretical study we modeled the effects of different gill arrangements on the total surface area for spore production. Relative to spore production over a flat surface, gills achieve a maximum 20-fold increase in surface area. The branching of gills produces the same increase in surface area as the formation of free-standing lamellulae (short gills). The addition of lamellulae between every second gill would offer a slightly greater increase in surface area in comparison to the addition of lamellulae between every pair of opposing gills, but this morphology does not appear in nature. Analysis of photographs of mushrooms demonstrates an excellent match between natural gill arrangements and configurations predicted by our model. Copyright © 2009 The British Mycological Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Precommitting to Serve the Underserved

PubMed Central

Eyal, Nir; Bärnighausen, Till

2014-01-01

In many countries worldwide, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa, a shortage of physicians limits the provision of lifesaving interventions. One existing strategy to increase the number of physicians in areas of critical shortage is conditioning medical school scholarships on a precommitment to work in medically underserved areas later. Current practice is usually to demand only one year of service for each year of funded studies. We show the effectiveness of scholarships conditional on such precommitment for increasing physician supplies in underserved areas. Then we defend these scholarships against ethical worries that they constitute slavery contracts; rely on involuntary, biased, or unauthorized early consent by a young signatory; put excessive strains on signed commitments; give rise to domination; and raise suspicion of slavery contracts. Importantly, we find that scholarships involving far longer commitment than current practice allows would also withstand these worries. Policymakers should consider introducing conditional scholarships, including long-term versions, as a means to increasing the supply of physicians to medically underserved areas. PMID:22548519

Precommitting to serve the underserved.

PubMed

Eyal, Nir; Bärnighausen, Till

2012-01-01

In many countries worldwide, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, a shortage of physicians limits the provision of lifesaving interventions. One existing strategy to increase the number of physicians in areas of critical shortage is conditioning medical school scholarships on a precommitment to work in medically underserved areas later. Current practice is usually to demand only one year of service for each year of funded studies. We show the effectiveness of scholarships conditional on such precommitment for increasing physician supplies in underserved areas. Then we defend these scholarships against ethical worries that they constitute slavery contracts; rely on involuntary, biased, or unauthorized early consent by a young signatory; put excessive strains on signed commitments; give rise to domination; and raise suspicion of slavery contracts. Importantly, we find that scholarships involving far longer commitment than current practice allows would also withstand these worries. Policymakers should consider introducing conditional scholarships, including long-term versions, as a means to increasing the supply of physicians to medically underserved areas.

Needs Assessment of the Healthcare Sector in the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Area. Research Report. Business Needs Assessment Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Northern Virginia Community Coll., Annandale. Office of Institutional Research.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the growing population of elderly citizens will result in an increased demand for healthcare services that will rise for a full 50 years. This study assesses the need for healthcare sector workers in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Information on the skills, education, and experience that…

The Educational Development of Students Following Participation in a Pre-School Programme in a Disadvantaged Area in Ireland. Studies and Evaluation Papers 12.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kellaghan, Thomas; Greaney, Betty Jane

This longitudinal study evaluated the effects of a preschool project designed to serve children between 3 and 5 years of age in a disadvantaged inner-city area in Dublin, Ireland. The preschool, established in 1969, emphasized the development of children's cognitive skills and established structures to increase parents' involvement in their…

Corridors affect plants, animals, and their interactions in fragmented landscapes

PubMed Central

Tewksbury, Joshua J.; Levey, Douglas J.; Haddad, Nick M.; Sargent, Sarah; Orrock, John L.; Weldon, Aimee; Danielson, Brent J.; Brinkerhoff, Jory; Damschen, Ellen I.; Townsend, Patricia

2002-01-01

Among the most popular strategies for maintaining populations of both plants and animals in fragmented landscapes is to connect isolated patches with thin strips of habitat, called corridors. Corridors are thought to increase the exchange of individuals between habitat patches, promoting genetic exchange and reducing population fluctuations. Empirical studies addressing the effects of corridors have either been small in scale or have ignored confounding effects of increased habitat area created by the presence of a corridor. These methodological difficulties, coupled with a paucity of studies examining the effects of corridors on plants and plant–animal interactions, have sparked debate over the purported value of corridors in conservation planning. We report results of a large-scale experiment that directly address this debate. In eight large-scale experimental landscapes that control for patch area and test alternative mechanisms of corridor function, we demonstrate that corridors not only increase the exchange of animals between patches, but also facilitate two key plant–animal interactions: pollination and seed dispersal. Our results show that the beneficial effects of corridors extend beyond the area they add, and suggest that increased plant and animal movement through corridors will have positive impacts on plant populations and community interactions in fragmented landscapes. PMID:12239344

Fluoride in weathered rock aquifers of southern India: Managed Aquifer Recharge for mitigation.

PubMed

Brindha, K; Jagadeshan, G; Kalpana, L; Elango, L

2016-05-01

Climatic condition, geology, and geochemical processes in an area play a major role on groundwater quality. Impact of these on the fluoride content of groundwater was studied in three regions-part of Nalgonda district in Telangana, Pambar River basin, and Vaniyar River basin in Tamil Nadu, southern India, which experience semi-arid climate and are predominantly made of Precambrian rocks. High concentration of fluoride in groundwater above 4 mg/l was recorded. Human exposure dose for fluoride through groundwater was higher in Nalgonda than the other areas. With evaporation and rainfall being one of the major contributors for high fluoride apart from the weathering of fluoride rich minerals from rocks, the effect of increase in groundwater level on fluoride concentration was studied. This study reveals that groundwater in shallow environment of all three regions shows dilution effect due to rainfall recharge. Suitable managed aquifer recharge (MAR) methods can be adopted to dilute the fluoride rich groundwater in such regions which is explained with two case studies. However, in deep groundwater, increase in fluoride concentration with increase in groundwater level due to leaching of fluoride rich salts from the unsaturated zone was observed. Occurrence of fluoride above 1.5 mg/l was more in areas with deeper groundwater environment. Hence, practicing MAR in these regions will increase the fluoride content in groundwater and so physical or chemical treatment has to be adopted. This study brought out the fact that MAR cannot be practiced in all regions for dilution of ions in groundwater and that it is essential to analyze the fluctuation in groundwater level and the fluoride content before suggesting it as a suitable solution. Also, this study emphasizes that long-term monitoring of these factors is an important criterion for choosing the recharge areas.

Environmental Impacts of Large Scale Biochar Application Through Spatial Modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huber, I.; Archontoulis, S.

2017-12-01

In an effort to study the environmental (emissions, soil quality) and production (yield) impacts of biochar application at regional scales we coupled the APSIM-Biochar model with the pSIMS parallel platform. So far the majority of biochar research has been concentrated on lab to field studies to advance scientific knowledge. Regional scale assessments are highly needed to assist decision making. The overall objective of this simulation study was to identify areas in the USA that have the most gain environmentally from biochar's application, as well as areas which our model predicts a notable yield increase due to the addition of biochar. We present the modifications in both APSIM biochar and pSIMS components that were necessary to facilitate these large scale model runs across several regions in the United States at a resolution of 5 arcminutes. This study uses the AgMERRA global climate data set (1980-2010) and the Global Soil Dataset for Earth Systems modeling as a basis for creating its simulations, as well as local management operations for maize and soybean cropping systems and different biochar application rates. The regional scale simulation analysis is in progress. Preliminary results showed that the model predicts that high quality soils (particularly those common to Iowa cropping systems) do not receive much, if any, production benefit from biochar. However, soils with low soil organic matter ( 0.5%) do get a noteworthy yield increase of around 5-10% in the best cases. We also found N2O emissions to be spatial and temporal specific; increase in some areas and decrease in some other areas due to biochar application. In contrast, we found increases in soil organic carbon and plant available water in all soils (top 30 cm) due to biochar application. The magnitude of these increases (% change from the control) were larger in soil with low organic matter (below 1.5%) and smaller in soils with high organic matter (above 3%) and also dependent on biochar application rate.

Differential Effects of Red Meat/Refined Grain Diet and Dairy/Chicken/Nuts/Whole Grain Diet on Glucose, Insulin and Triglyceride in a Randomized Crossover Study.

PubMed

Kim, Yoona; Keogh, Jennifer B; Clifton, Peter M

2016-10-30

Epidemiological studies suggest that a diet high in processed meat, with a high glycemic index is associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes. It is not clear if this is due to altered insulin sensitivity or an enhanced postprandial glucose. We aimed to compare the acute metabolic response of two different types of meals after ingestion of the matching diet for four weeks. The study was a randomized, crossover acute meal study. Volunteers consumed either a red meat/refined grain meal or a dairy/chicken/nuts/wholegrain meal after four weeks of the matching diet. After a three-week washout period and four weeks of the alternate diet, they consumed the matching meal. The diets differed with respect to both protein and carbohydrate sources. Blood samples were taken for 180 min for the measurement of glucose, insulin, C-peptide and triglyceride. Fifty-one participants (age: 35.1 ± 15.6 years; body mass index: 27.7 ± 6.9 kg/m², 17 with normal and 34 with impaired glucose tolerance) completed two meal tests. The area under the curve ( p < 0.001) and incremental area under the curve ( p = 0.001) for insulin was significantly higher after the red meat/refined grain diet than after the dairy/chicken/nuts/whole grain diet. There was an interaction between meal and glucose tolerance group ( p < 0.05) in the area under the curve (AUC) and the incremental area under the curve (iAUC) of glucose; the red meat/refined grain diet increased glucose relative to the dairy/chicken/nuts/whole grain diet only in the normal group (+2.5 mmol/L/3 h). The red meat/refined grain diet increased glucose and insulin responses compared with the dairy/chicken/nuts/whole grain diet. This meal pattern would increase pancreatic stress long term and may account for the increased risk of type 2 diabetes with this diet.

Use of Mixed Methods Research in Research on Coronary Artery Disease, Diabetes Mellitus, and Hypertension: A Scoping Review.

PubMed

Campbell, David J T; Tam-Tham, Helen; Dhaliwal, Kirnvir K; Manns, Braden J; Hemmelgarn, Brenda R; Sanmartin, Claudia; King-Shier, Kathryn

2017-01-01

Mixed methods research, the use of both qualitative and quantitative methods within 1 program of study, is becoming increasingly popular to allow investigators to explore patient experiences (qualitative) and also measure outcomes (quantitative). Coronary artery disease and its risk factors are some of the most studied conditions; however, the extent to which mixed methods studies are being conducted in these content areas is unknown. We sought to comprehensively describe the characteristics of published mixed methods studies on coronary artery disease and major risk factors (diabetes mellitus and hypertension). We conducted a scoping review of the literature indexed in PubMed, Medline, EMBASE, and CINAHL. We identified 811 abstracts for screening, of which 254 articles underwent full-text review and 97 reports of 81 studies met criteria for inclusion. The majority of studies in this area were conducted in the past 10 years by nurse researchers from the United States and United Kingdom. Diabetes mellitus was the most common content area for mixed methods investigation (compared with coronary artery disease and hypertension). Most authors described their rationale for using mixed methods as complementarity and did not describe study priority or how they reconciled differences in methodological paradigms. Some mixed methods study designs were more commonly used than others, including concurrent timing and integration at the interpretation stage. Qualitative strands were most commonly descriptive studies using interviews for data collection. Quantitative strands were most commonly cross-sectional observational studies, which relied heavily on self-report data such as surveys and scales. Although mixed methods research is becoming increasingly popular in the area of coronary artery disease and its risk factors, many of the more advanced mixed methods, qualitative, and quantitative techniques have not been commonly used in these areas. © 2016 American Heart Association, Inc.

Evaluation of the effects of sea-level change and coastal canal management on saltwater intrusion in the Biscayne aquifer of south Florida, USA

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hughes, J. D.; Sifuentes, D. F.; White, J.

2015-12-01

Sea-level increases are expected to have an effect on the position of the freshwater-saltwater interface in the Biscayne aquifer in south Florida as a result of the low topographic relief of the area and high rates of groundwater withdrawal from the aquifer. To study the effects that future sea-level increases will have on saltwater intrusion in the Biscayne aquifer in Broward County, Florida, a three-dimensional, variable-density, groundwater-flow and transport model was developed. The model was calibrated to observed groundwater heads and chloride concentrations for a 62-year period that includes historic increases in sea level, development of a surface-water management system to control flooding, and increases in groundwater withdrawals as the area transitioned from agricultural to urban land uses. Sensitivity analyses indicate that downward leakage of saltwater from coastal canals and creeks was the primary source of saltwater to the Biscayne aquifer during the last 62-years in areas where the surface-water system is not actively managed and is tidally influenced. In areas removed from the coastal canals and creeks or under active surface-water management, historic groundwater withdrawals were the primary cause of saltwater intrusion into the aquifer. Simulation of future conditions suggests that possible increases in sea level will result in additional saltwater intrusion. Model scenarios suggest that additional saltwater intrusion will be greatest in areas where coastal canals and creeks were historically the primary source of seawater. Future saltwater intrusion in those areas, however, may be reduced by relocation of salinity-control structures.

Soil water trends after clearcutting in the Blue Mountains of Oregon.

Treesearch

G.O. Klock; W. Lopushinsky

1980-01-01

A 20-percent reduction in evapotranspiration as measured by a 20-cm increase in soil water content is expected to result in an insignificant increase in streamflow by clearcut lodging in the study area.

Effects of anthropogenic land-subsidence on inundation dynamics: the case study of Ravenna, Italy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carisi, Francesca; Domeneghetti, Alessio; Castellarin, Attilio

2016-05-01

Can differential land-subsidence significantly alter river flooding dynamics, and thus flood risk in flood prone areas? Many studies show how the lowering of the coastal areas is closely related to an increase in the flood-hazard due to more important tidal flooding and see level rise. The literature on the relationship between differential land-subsidence and possible alterations to riverine flood-hazard of inland areas is still sparse, although several geographical areas characterized by significant land-subsidence rates during the last 50 years experienced intensification in both inundation magnitude and frequency. We investigate the possible impact of a significant differential ground lowering on flood hazard over a 77 km2 area around the city of Ravenna, in Italy. The rate of land-subsidence in the study area, naturally in the order of a few mm year-1, dramatically increased up to 110 mm year-1 after World War II, primarily due to groundwater pumping and gas production platforms. The result was a cumulative drop that locally exceeds 1.5 m. Using a recent digital elevation model (res. 5 m) and literature data on land-subsidence, we constructed a ground elevation model over the study area in 1897 and we characterized either the current and the historical DEM with or without road embankments and land-reclamation channels in their current configuration. We then considered these four different topographic models and a two-dimensional hydrodynamic model to simulate and compare the inundation dynamics associated with a levee failure scenario along embankment system of the river Montone, which flows eastward in the southern portion of the study area. For each topographic model, we quantified the flood hazard in terms of maximum water depth (h) and we compared the actual effects on flood-hazard dynamics of differential land-subsidence relative to those associated with other man-made topographic alterations, which resulted to be much more significant.

Evaluating Quality of Life in Urban Areas (Case Study: Noorabad City, Iran)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rezvani, Mohammad Reza; Mansourian, Hossain; Sattari, Mohammad Hossain

2013-01-01

Quality of urban life (QOUL) has become an important field within urban studies. The increased level of attention to this topic is due to the increasing importance of QoL studies in monitoring public policies and in the role they can play as effective tools in urban management and planning. The main objective of this study is to measure the QOUL…

Ecological conservation through aesthetic landscape planning: a case study of the Lower Wisconsin State Riverway.

PubMed

Hale, Brack W; Steen-Adams, Michelle M; Predick, Katie; Fisher, Nick

2005-04-01

A consequence of expanding residential development into rural areas is the potential alteration of ecological communities. Certain novel land-use policies seek practical solutions by accommodating social needs for housing while conserving biodiversity. This study investigates whether regulations designed to protect the aesthetic characteristics of a river corridor simultaneously mitigate negative effects of development on avian biodiversity, despite the absence of explicit conservation objectives. Using housing data from the US Census (1990 and 2000) and the Audubon Christmas Bird Count (1987-2000), we examined changes in housing density, avian communities, and the relationship between these two variables in a location that has adopted aesthetic landscape planning, the Lower Wisconsin State Riverway. We found that overall species diversity increased in the Riverway, but remained constant in reference areas, although the relative increase in housing density in the two areas did not differ. We also found that omnivore populations decreased in the Riverway and increased in reference sites. On the whole, our study provides preliminary evidence that aesthetic landscape planning, such as employed in the Lower Wisconsin State Riverway, might constitute a politically viable approach to conserve ecological resources.

Ground-water resources in the lower Milliken--Sarco--Tulucay Creeks area, southeastern Napa County, California, 2000-2002

USGS Publications Warehouse

Farrar, Christopher D.; Metzger, Loren F.

2003-01-01

Ground water obtained from individual private wells is the sole source of water for about 4,800 residents living in the lower Milliken-Sarco-Tulucay Creeks area of southeastern Napa County. Increases in population and in irrigated vineyards during the past few decades have increased water demand. Estimated ground-water pumpage in 2000 was 5,350 acre-feet per year, an increase of about 80 percent since 1975. Water for agricultural irrigation is the dominant use, accounting for about 45 percent of the total. This increase in ground-water extraction has resulted in the general decline of ground-water levels. The purpose of this report is to present selected hydrologic data collected from 1975 to 2002 and to quantify changes in the ground-water system during the past 25 years. The study area lies in one of several prominent northwest-trending structural valleys in the North Coast Ranges. The area is underlain by alluvial deposits and volcanic rocks that exceed 1,000 feet in thickness in some places. Alluvial deposits and tuff beds in the volcanic sequence are the principal source of water to wells. The ground-water system is recharged by precipitation that infiltrates, in minor amounts, directly on the valley floor but mostly by infiltration in the Howell Mountains. Ground water moves laterally from the Howell Mountains into the study area. Although the area receives abundant winter precipitation in most years, nearly half of the precipitation is lost as surface runoff to the Napa River. Evapotranspiration also is high, accounting for nearly one-half of the total precipitation received. Because of the uncertainties in the estimates of precipitation, runoff, and evapotranspiration, a precise estimate of potential ground-water recharge cannot be made. Large changes in ground-water levels occurred between 1975 and 2001. In much of the western part of the area, water levels increased; but in the central and eastern parts, water levels declined by 25 to 125 feet. Ground-water extraction produced three large pumping depressions in the northern and east-central parts of the area. The general decline in ground-water levels is a result of increases in ground-water pumpage and possibly changes in infiltration capacity caused by changes in land use. Ground-water-level declines during 1960-2002 are evident in the records for 9 of 10 key monitoring wells. In five of these wells, water levels dropped by greater than 20 feet since the 1980s. The largest water-level declines have occurred since the mid 1970s, corresponding with a period of accelerated well construction and ground-water extraction. Analysis of samples from 15 wells indicates that the chemical quality of ground water in the study generally is acceptable. However, arsenic concentrations in samples from five wells exceed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency primary drinking-water standard of 10 micrograms per liter, and iron concentrations in samples from five wells exceed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the California Department of Health Services secondary drinking-water standard of 300 micrograms per liter. Water from 12 of 15 wells sampled contained concentrations of manganese that exceed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the California Department of Health Services secondary drinking-water standard of 50 micrograms per liter. Two wells produced water that had boron in excess of the California Department of Health Services action level of 1 milligram per liter. Stable isotope, chlorofluorocarbon, and tritium data indicate that ground water in the area is a mixture of waters that recharged the aquifer system at different times. The presence of chlorofluorocarbons and tritium in water from the study area is evidence that modern recharge (post 1950) does take place. Water-temperature logs indicate that ground-water temperatures throughout the study area exceed 30?C at depths in excess of 600 feet. Further, water at

Incidence of cancer in the area around Amsterdam Airport Schiphol in 1988-2003: a population-based ecological study.

PubMed

Visser, Otto; van Wijnen, Joop H; van Leeuwen, Flora E

2005-12-06

Amsterdam Airport Schiphol is a major source of complaints about aircraft noise, safety risks and concerns about long term adverse health effects, including cancer. We investigated whether residents of the area around Schiphol are at higher risk of developing cancer than the general Dutch population. In a population-based study using the regional cancer registry, we estimated the cancer incidence during 1988-2003 in residents of the area surrounding Schiphol. We defined a study area based on aircraft noise contours and 4-digit postal code areas, since historical data on ambient air pollution were not available and recent emission data did not differ from the background urban air quality. In residents of the study area 13 207 cancer cases were diagnosed, which was close to the expected number, using national incidence rates as a reference (standardized incidence ratio [SIR] 1.02). We found a statistically significantly increased incidence of hematological malignancies (SIR 1.12, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.05, 1.19), mainly due to high rates for non-Hodgkin lymphoma (SIR 1.22, 95% CI: 1.12, 1.33) and acute lymphoblastic leukemia (SIR 1.34, 95% CI: 0.95, 1.83). The incidence of cancer of the respiratory system was statistically significantly decreased (SIR 0.94, 95% CI: 0.90, 0.99), due to the low rate in males (SIR 0.89). In the core zone of the study area, cancer incidence was slightly higher than in the remaining ring zone (rate ratio of the core zone compared to the ring zone 1.05, 95% CI 1.01, 1.10). This was caused by the higher incidence of cancer of the respiratory system, prostate and the female genital organs in the core zone in comparison to the ring zone. The overall cancer incidence in the Schiphol area was similar to the national incidence. The moderately increased risk of hematological malignancies could not be explained by higher levels of ambient air pollution in the Schiphol area. This observation warrants further research, for example in a study with focus on substances in urban ambient air pollution, as similar findings were observed in Greater Amsterdam.

Elevated air humidity affects hydraulic traits and tree size but not biomass allocation in young silver birches (Betula pendula)

PubMed Central

Sellin, Arne; Rosenvald, Katrin; Õunapuu-Pikas, Eele; Tullus, Arvo; Ostonen, Ivika; Lõhmus, Krista

2015-01-01

As changes in air temperature, precipitation, and air humidity are expected in the coming decades, studies on the impact of these environmental shifts on plant growth and functioning are of major importance. Greatly understudied aspects of climate change include consequences of increasing air humidity on forest ecosystems, predicted for high latitudes. The main objective of this study was to find a link between hydraulic acclimation and shifts in trees’ resource allocation in silver birch (Betula pendula Roth) in response to elevated air relative humidity (RH). A second question was whether the changes in hydraulic architecture depend on tree size. Two years of application of increased RH decreased the biomass accumulation in birch saplings, but the biomass partitioning among aboveground parts (leaves, branches, and stems) remained unaffected. Increased stem Huber values (xylem cross-sectional area to leaf area ratio) observed in trees under elevated RH did not entail changes in the ratio of non-photosynthetic to photosynthetic tissues. The reduction of stem–wood density is attributable to diminished mechanical load imposed on the stem, since humidified trees had relatively shorter crowns. Growing under higher RH caused hydraulic conductance of the root system (KR) to increase, while KR (expressed per unit leaf area) decreased and leaf hydraulic conductance increased with tree size. Saplings of silver birch acclimate to increasing air humidity by adjusting plant morphology (live crown length, slenderness, specific leaf area, and fine-root traits) and wood density rather than biomass distribution among aboveground organs. The treatment had a significant effect on several hydraulic properties of the trees, while the shifts were largely associated with changes in tree size but not in biomass allocation. PMID:26528318

Evaluating sampling strategy for DNA barcoding study of coastal and inland halo-tolerant Poaceae and Chenopodiaceae: A case study for increased sample size

PubMed Central

Yao, Peng-Cheng; Gao, Hai-Yan; Wei, Ya-Nan; Zhang, Jian-Hang; Chen, Xiao-Yong

2017-01-01

Environmental conditions in coastal salt marsh habitats have led to the development of specialist genetic adaptations. We evaluated six DNA barcode loci of the 53 species of Poaceae and 15 species of Chenopodiaceae from China's coastal salt marsh area and inland area. Our results indicate that the optimum DNA barcode was ITS for coastal salt-tolerant Poaceae and matK for the Chenopodiaceae. Sampling strategies for ten common species of Poaceae and Chenopodiaceae were analyzed according to optimum barcode. We found that by increasing the number of samples collected from the coastal salt marsh area on the basis of inland samples, the number of haplotypes of Arundinella hirta, Digitaria ciliaris, Eleusine indica, Imperata cylindrica, Setaria viridis, and Chenopodium glaucum increased, with a principal coordinate plot clearly showing increased distribution points. The results of a Mann-Whitney test showed that for Digitaria ciliaris, Eleusine indica, Imperata cylindrica, and Setaria viridis, the distribution of intraspecific genetic distances was significantly different when samples from the coastal salt marsh area were included (P < 0.01). These results suggest that increasing the sample size in specialist habitats can improve measurements of intraspecific genetic diversity, and will have a positive effect on the application of the DNA barcodes in widely distributed species. The results of random sampling showed that when sample size reached 11 for Chloris virgata, Chenopodium glaucum, and Dysphania ambrosioides, 13 for Setaria viridis, and 15 for Eleusine indica, Imperata cylindrica and Chenopodium album, average intraspecific distance tended to reach stability. These results indicate that the sample size for DNA barcode of globally distributed species should be increased to 11–15. PMID:28934362

Evaluating sampling strategy for DNA barcoding study of coastal and inland halo-tolerant Poaceae and Chenopodiaceae: A case study for increased sample size.

PubMed

Yao, Peng-Cheng; Gao, Hai-Yan; Wei, Ya-Nan; Zhang, Jian-Hang; Chen, Xiao-Yong; Li, Hong-Qing

2017-01-01

Environmental conditions in coastal salt marsh habitats have led to the development of specialist genetic adaptations. We evaluated six DNA barcode loci of the 53 species of Poaceae and 15 species of Chenopodiaceae from China's coastal salt marsh area and inland area. Our results indicate that the optimum DNA barcode was ITS for coastal salt-tolerant Poaceae and matK for the Chenopodiaceae. Sampling strategies for ten common species of Poaceae and Chenopodiaceae were analyzed according to optimum barcode. We found that by increasing the number of samples collected from the coastal salt marsh area on the basis of inland samples, the number of haplotypes of Arundinella hirta, Digitaria ciliaris, Eleusine indica, Imperata cylindrica, Setaria viridis, and Chenopodium glaucum increased, with a principal coordinate plot clearly showing increased distribution points. The results of a Mann-Whitney test showed that for Digitaria ciliaris, Eleusine indica, Imperata cylindrica, and Setaria viridis, the distribution of intraspecific genetic distances was significantly different when samples from the coastal salt marsh area were included (P < 0.01). These results suggest that increasing the sample size in specialist habitats can improve measurements of intraspecific genetic diversity, and will have a positive effect on the application of the DNA barcodes in widely distributed species. The results of random sampling showed that when sample size reached 11 for Chloris virgata, Chenopodium glaucum, and Dysphania ambrosioides, 13 for Setaria viridis, and 15 for Eleusine indica, Imperata cylindrica and Chenopodium album, average intraspecific distance tended to reach stability. These results indicate that the sample size for DNA barcode of globally distributed species should be increased to 11-15.

In-home air pollution is linked to respiratory morbidity in former smokers with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

PubMed

Hansel, Nadia N; McCormack, Meredith C; Belli, Andrew J; Matsui, Elizabeth C; Peng, Roger D; Aloe, Charles; Paulin, Laura; Williams, D'Ann L; Diette, Gregory B; Breysse, Patrick N

2013-05-15

The effect of indoor air pollutants on respiratory morbidity among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in developed countries is uncertain. The first longitudinal study to investigate the independent effects of indoor particulate matter (PM) and nitrogen dioxide (NO(2)) concentrations on COPD morbidity in a periurban community. Former smokers with COPD were recruited and indoor air was monitored over a 1-week period in the participant's bedroom and main living area at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months. At each visit, participants completed spirometry and questionnaires assessing respiratory symptoms. Exacerbations were assessed by questionnaires administered at clinic visits and monthly telephone calls. Participants (n = 84) had moderate or severe COPD with a mean FEV1 of 48.6% predicted. The mean (± SD) indoor PM(2.5) and NO(2) concentrations were 11.4 ± 13.3 µg/m(3) and 10.8 ± 10.6 ppb in the bedroom, and 12.2 ± 12.2 µg/m(3) and 12.2 ± 11.8 ppb in the main living area. Increases in PM(2.5) concentrations in the main living area were associated with increases in respiratory symptoms, rescue medication use, and risk of severe COPD exacerbations. Increases in NO(2) concentrations in the main living area were independently associated with worse dyspnea. Increases in bedroom NO(2) concentrations were associated with increases in nocturnal symptoms and risk of severe COPD exacerbations. Indoor pollutant exposure, including PM(2.5) and NO(2), was associated with increased respiratory symptoms and risk of COPD exacerbation. Future investigations should include intervention studies that optimize indoor air quality as a novel therapeutic approach to improving COPD health outcomes.

Vegetation, substrate, and eolian sediment transport at Teesto Wash, Navajo Nation, 2009-2012

USGS Publications Warehouse

Draut, Amy E.; Redsteer, Margaret Hiza; Amoroso, Lee

2012-01-01

On the Navajo Nation, southwestern United States, warming temperatures and recent drought have increased eolian (windblown) sediment mobility such that large, migrating sand dunes affect grazing lands, housing, and road access. We present an assessment of seasonal variations in sand transport, mobility, and ground cover (vegetation and substrate) within a 0.2-km2 study area near Teesto Wash, southern Navajo Nation, as part of a multiyear study measuring the effects of drought on landscape stability. Sand mobility in the study area decreased substantially as one year (2010) with near-normal monsoon rainfall somewhat abated a decade-long drought, temporarily doubling vegetation cover. The invasive annual plant Russian thistle (Salsola sp.), in particular, thrived after the monsoon rains of 2010. Vegetation that grew during that year with adequate rain died off rapidly during drier conditions in 2011 and 2012, and the proportion of bare, open sand area increased steadily after summer 2010. We infer that isolated seasonal increases in rainfall will not improve landscape stability in the long term because sustained increase in perennial plants, which are more effective than annual plants at stabilizing sand against wind erosion, requires multiple consecutive seasons of adequate rain. On the basis of climate projections, a warmer, drier climate and potentially enhanced sediment supply from ephemeral washes may further increase eolian sediment transport and dune activity, worsening the present challenges to people living in this region. Connections between climate, vegetation cover, and eolian sediment erodibility in this region also are highly relevant for studies in other regions worldwide with similar environmental characteristics.

Hydrogeological Studies of Mendhwan Watershed, Ahmadnagar District, Maharashtra, India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muley, R. B.; Babar, Md.; Kulkarni, P. S.

2011-07-01

The Mendhwan watershed area is a part of chronic drought prone region of Ahmadnagar district of Maharashtra state, India which is considered for the study with reference to hydrogeological characteristics in Deccan basaltic terrain. In order to enhance groundwater availability and to demarcate the area of high groundwater potential, Geoforum, Parbhani Chapter has carried out hydrological investigation of this watershed area. Geologically, the study area belongs to the Deccan trap basalts of late Cretaceous to early Eocene period. The entire study area consists of thin irregular vesicular-amygdaloidal basalt flows also known as compound pahoehoe flows. The area is traversed by two prominent dykes, which are almost perpendicular to each other. In most of the southern part of the area, amygdaloidal basalt is exposed at the surface. The fresh amygdaloidal basalt flow is free from joints and occurs as homogeneous watertight mass. As dykes are jointed, they provide favorable conditions for percolation and ground water potential of this area is found to be satisfactory. It was observed that in Mendhwan area a large number of water conservation structures have been constructed across the streams. Incidentally groundwater potential shows notable increase only in those localities where the structures had been constructed on the dyke rock. The result of the study is found to be very much beneficial to the rural populace of this draught prone area so as to plan the optimum utilization of this precious natural resource.

A multi-scale study of Orthoptera species richness and human population size controlling for sampling effort

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cantarello, Elena; Steck, Claude E.; Fontana, Paolo; Fontaneto, Diego; Marini, Lorenzo; Pautasso, Marco

2010-03-01

Recent large-scale studies have shown that biodiversity-rich regions also tend to be densely populated areas. The most obvious explanation is that biodiversity and human beings tend to match the distribution of energy availability, environmental stability and/or habitat heterogeneity. However, the species-people correlation can also be an artefact, as more populated regions could show more species because of a more thorough sampling. Few studies have tested this sampling bias hypothesis. Using a newly collated dataset, we studied whether Orthoptera species richness is related to human population size in Italy’s regions (average area 15,000 km2) and provinces (2,900 km2). As expected, the observed number of species increases significantly with increasing human population size for both grain sizes, although the proportion of variance explained is minimal at the provincial level. However, variations in observed Orthoptera species richness are primarily associated with the available number of records, which is in turn well correlated with human population size (at least at the regional level). Estimated Orthoptera species richness (Chao2 and Jackknife) also increases with human population size both for regions and provinces. Both for regions and provinces, this increase is not significant when controlling for variation in area and number of records. Our study confirms the hypothesis that broad-scale human population-biodiversity correlations can in some cases be artefactual. More systematic sampling of less studied taxa such as invertebrates is necessary to ascertain whether biogeographical patterns persist when sampling effort is kept constant or included in models.

Hydraulic-Geometry Relations for Rivers in Coastal and Central Maine

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dudley, Robert W.

2004-01-01

Hydraulic-geometry relations (curves) were derived for 15 sites on 12 rivers in coastal and central Maine on the basis of site-specific (at-a-station) hydraulic-geometry relations and hydraulic models. At-a-station hydraulic-geometry curves, expressed as well-established power functions, describe the relations between channel geometry, velocity, and flow at a given point on a river. The derived at-a-station hydraulic-geometry curves indicate that, on average, a given increase in flow at a given river cross section in the study area will be nearly equally conveyed by increases in velocity and channel cross-sectional area. Regional curves describing the bankfull streamflow and associated channel geometry as functions of drainage area were derived for use in stream-channel assessment and restoration projects specific to coastal and central Maine. Regional hydraulic-geometry curves were derived by combining hydraulic-geometry information for 15 river cross sections using bankfull flow as the common reference streamflow. The exponents of the derived regional hydraulic-geometry relations indicate that, in the downstream direction, most of the conveyance of increasing contribution of flow is accommodated by an increase in cross-sectional area?with about 50 percent of the increase in flow accommodated by an increase in channel width, and 32 percent by an increase in depth. The remaining 18 percent is accommodated by an increase in streamflow velocity. On an annual-peak-series basis, results of this study indicate that the occurrence of bankfull streamflow for rivers in Maine is more frequent than the 1.5-year streamflow. On a flow-duration basis, bankfull streamflow for rivers in coastal and central Maine is equaled or exceeded approximately 8.1 percent of the time on mean?or about 30 days a year. Bankfull streamflow is roughly three times that of the mean annual streamflow for the sites investigated in this study. Regional climate, snowmelt hydrology, and glacial geology may play important roles in dictating the magnitude and frequency of occurrence of bankfull streamflows observed for rivers in coastal and central Maine.

Quantitative estimation of dust fall and smoke particles in Quetta Valley*

PubMed Central

Sami, Muhammad; Waseem, Amir; Akbar, Sher

2006-01-01

Tightening of air quality standards for populated urban areas has led to increasing attention to assessment of air quality management areas, where violation of air quality standards occurs, and development of control strategies to eliminate such violation of air quality standards. The Quetta urban area is very densely built and has heavy motorized traffic. The increase of emissions mainly from traffic and industry are responsible for the increase in atmospheric pollution levels during the last years. The dust examined in the current study was collected by both deposit gauge and Petri dish methods at various sites of Quetta Valley. Smoke particles were obtained by bladder method from the exhausts of various types of motor vehicles. The concentration of lead found in the smoke ranged from 1.5×10−6 to 4.5×10−6. PMID:16773727

Topographic mapping of electroencephalography coherence in hypnagogic state.

PubMed

Tanaka, H; Hayashi, M; Hori, T

1998-04-01

The present study examined the topographic characteristics of hypnagogic electroencephalography (EEG), using topographic mapping of EEG power and coherence corresponding to nine EEG stages (Hori's hypnagogic EEG stages). EEG stages 1 and 2, the EEG stages 3-8, and the EEG stage 9 each correspond with standard sleep stage W, 1 and 2, respectively. The dominant topographic components of delta and theta activities increased clearly from the vertex sharp-wave stage (the EEG stages 6 and 7) in the anterior-central areas. The dominant topographic component of alpha 3 activities increased clearly from the EEG stage 9 in the anterior-central areas. The dominant topographic component of sigma activities increased clearly from the EEG stage 8 in the central-parietal area. These results suggested basic sleep process might start before the onset of sleep stage 2 or of the manually scored spindles.

Increased Diversity in Rural Areas: One School's Response to Change

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rhodes, Megan E.

2011-01-01

This qualitative case study examined the ways in which one rural Midwestern high school and its surrounding community responded to increased diversity. The purpose of the study was to explore how teachers, administrators, school staff, and community members in the district understood the character of the community's demographic changes and the…

Factors That Influence the Attrition of Mentors in Rural Areas

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Givens, Sharon Leenese

2012-01-01

This research is a qualitative case study exploring the factors that influence the attrition of mentors in rural areas. Mentoring initiatives and programs have proliferated throughout schools in an effort to provide students with positive role models, increase graduation rates and improve overall performance Mentoring programs are an increasingly…

Community empowerment program for increasing knowledge and awareness of tuberculosis patients, cadres and community in Medan city

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harahap, J.; Amelia, R.; Wahyuni, A. S.; Andayani, L. S.

2018-03-01

Tuberculosis is one of a major health problem in Indonesia. WHO expressed the need for the participation of various stakeholders in addition to government. TB CEPAT Program aimed to increase knowledge and awareness in combating tuberculosis. This study aimed to compare the knowledge and awareness of community, cadres and TB patients in the program areas and non-program areas, and assess the role of the program in combating tuberculosis in Medan. The study used quantitative and qualitative methods, where 300 people (community, cadres, TB patients) as respondents and three key persons as informants. The findings revealed that in the program areas the knowledge, attitude and practice of the respondents generally are better compare to those in the non-program areas. There was a significant difference in knowledge and practice for community, cadres, and TB patients (p<0.05) and there was a significant difference in attitude for community, cadres (p<0.05), but no significant difference for TB patients (p>0.05) in program areas and non-program areas. The community empowerment through TB CEPAT Program plays an important role in improving knowledge, attitude, and practice of community, cadres, and TB patients. It would help the effort of TB control and prevention in Medan City.

Excess black mortality in the United States and in selected black and white high-poverty areas, 1980-2000.

PubMed

Geronimus, Arline T; Bound, John; Colen, Cynthia G

2011-04-01

Black working-aged residents of urban high-poverty areas suffered severe excess mortality in 1980 and 1990. Our goal in this study was to determine whether this trend persisted in 2000. We analyzed death certificate and census data to estimate age-standardized all-cause and cause-specific mortality among 16- to 64-year-old Blacks and Whites nationwide and in selected urban and rural high-poverty areas. Urban men's mortality rate estimates peaked in 1990 and declined between 1990 and 2000 back to or below 1980 levels. Evidence of excess mortality declines among urban or rural women and among rural men was modest, with some increases. Between 1980 and 2000, there was little decline in chronic disease mortality among men and women in most areas, and in some instances there were increases. In 2000, despite improved economic conditions, working-age residents of the study areas still died disproportionately of early onset of chronic disease, suggesting an entrenched burden of disease and unmet health care needs. The lack of consistent improvement in death rates among working-age residents of high-poverty areas since 1980 necessitates reflection and concerted action given that sustainable progress has been elusive for this age group.

Covariance of lichen and vascular plant floras

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bennett, J.P.; Wetmore, C.M.

1999-01-01

The geographic relationships among taxonomic groups are important to study to determine patterns of biodiversity and whether or not associations occur between large groups, e.g., birds and vascular plants. This study was undertaken to determine relationships between higher plants and lower plants, specifically vascular plant and lichen floras in nine national parks of the Great Lakes region. No significant relationship was found between vascular plant floras and lichen floras in this area, which spans 1200 km longitudinally, or between an additional 19 areas from North America that were less than 1000 km(2) in area. For areas larger than 1000 km(2), however, a significant positive relationship existed for 33 areas that span one to approximately 150 million km(2). The ratio of numbers of vascular plants to lichens appeared to average just over 6 across the 33 areas. In the Great Lakes parks, between 28-30% of either the vascular plant or lichen species were singletons (occurring in only one park), but the parks that contained the most singletons were not congruent: Isle Royale had the most singleton lichens, while Indiana Dunes had the most vascular plant singletons. Fewer lichen species (2%) than vascular plants (4%) occurred in all nine parks. Latitude appeared to explain some of the variation between the two groups: vascular plants decreased with increasing latitude, while lichens increased.

Quantifying the Influence of Urbanization on a Coastal Floodplain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sebastian, A.; Juan, A.; Bedient, P. B.

2016-12-01

The U.S. Gulf Coast is the fastest growing region in the United States; between 1960 and 2010, the number of housing units along the Gulf of Mexico increased by 246%, vastly outpacing growth in other parts of the country (NOAA 2013). Numerous studies have shown that increases in impervious surface associated with urbanization reduce infiltration and increase surface runoff. While empirical evidence suggests that changes in land use are leading to increased flood damage in overland areas, earlier studies have largely focused on the impacts of urbanization on surface runoff and watershed hydrology, rather than quantifying its influence on the spatial extent of flooding. In this study, we conduct a longitudinal assessment of the evolution of flood risk since 1970 in an urbanizing coastal watershed. Utilizing the distributed hydrologic model, Vflo®, in combination with the hydraulic model, HEC-RAS, we quantify the impact of localized land use/land cover (LULC) change on the spatial extent of flooding in the watershed and the underlying flood hazard structure. The results demonstrate that increases in impervious cover between 1970 and 2010 (34%) and 2010 and 2040 (18%) increase the size of the floodplain by 26 and 17%, respectively. Furthermore, the results indicate that the depth and frequency of flooding in neighborhoods within the 1% floodplain have increased substantially (see attached figure). Finally, this analysis provides evidence that outdated FEMA floodplain maps could be underestimating the extent of the floodplain by upwards of 25%, depending on the rate of urbanization in the watershed; and, that by incorporating physics-based distributed hydrologic models into floodplain studies, floodplain maps can be easily updated to reflect the most recent LULC information available. The methods presented in this study have important implications for the development of mitigation strategies in coastal areas, such as deterring future development in flood prone areas and directing flood mitigation efforts in already flood prone communities. ReferencesNational Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). (2013). National Coastal Population Report: Population Trends from 1970 to 2020.

Photoaging versus intrinsic aging: a morphologic assessment of facial skin.

PubMed

Bhawan, J; Andersen, W; Lee, J; Labadie, R; Solares, G

1995-04-01

Histologic studies have become increasingly important in recognizing morphologic differences in photoaged versus intrinsically aged skin. Earlier histologic studies have attempted to evaluate these changes by examining anatomical sites which are not comparable, such as face and buttocks. As part of a multicenter study, we have quantitatively examined a panel of 16 histologic features in baseline facial skin biopsies from 158 women with moderate to severe photodamage. When compared to the postauricular area (photo protected), biopsies of the crow's feet area (photo exposed) had a twofold increase in melanocytes and a statistically significant increase in melanocytic atypia (p < .0001) and epidermal melanin (p < .0001). Other epidermal changes included reduced epidermal thickness (p < .01), more compact stratum corneum (p < .0001) and increased granular layer thickness (p < .0001) in the crow's feet skin. There was increased solar elastosis (p < .0001), dermal elastic tissue (p < .0001), melanophages (p < .0001), perivascular inflammation (p < .05) and perifollicular fibrosis (p < .01) but no change in the number of mast cells or dermal mucin in the photo exposed skin. Our data document quantitative differences in photoaged versus intrinsically aged facial skin and provides the groundwork for future studies to evaluate the efficacy of new treatments for photoaged skin.

Morphometric changes in the aortic arch with advancing age in fetal to mature thoroughbred horses.

PubMed

Endoh, Chihiro; Matsuda, Kazuya; Okamoto, Minoru; Tsunoda, Nobuo; Taniyama, Hiroyuki

2017-03-28

Aortic rupture is a well recognized cause of sudden death in thoroughbred horses. Some microscopic lesions, such as those caused by cystic medial necrosis and medionecrosis, can lead to aortic rupture. However, these microscopic lesions are also observed in normal horses. On the other hand, a previous study of aortic rupture suggested that underlying elastin and collagen deposition disorders might be associated with aortic rupture. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare the structural components of the tunica media of the aortic arch, which is composed of elastin, collagen, smooth muscle cells and mucopolysaccharides (MPS), in fetal to mature thoroughbred horses. The percentage area of elastin was greatest in the young horses and subsequently decreased with aging. The percentage area of collagen increased with aging, and the elderly horses (aged ≥20) exhibited significantly higher percentage areas of collagen than the young horses. The percentage area of smooth muscle cells did not change with age. The percentage area of MPS was inversely proportional to the percentage area of elastin. The fetuses exhibited a markedly larger percentage area of MPS than the mature horses. We concluded that the medial changes seen in the aortic arch, which included a reduction in the amount of elastin and increases in the amounts of collagen and MPS, were age-related variations.

Environmental Quality Assessment of Built Areas with High Vacancy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jiang, Y.; Yuan, Y.; Neale, A. C.

2015-12-01

Around the world, many urban areas are challenged by vacant and abandoned residential and business property. High vacancy areas have often been associated with increasing public safety problems and declining property values and subsequent tax base. High vacancy can lead to visible signs of city decline and significant barriers to the revitalization of cities. Addressing the problem of vacancy requires knowledge of vacancy patterns and their possible contributing factors. In this study, we evaluated the ten year (2005-2015) urban environmental changes for some high vacancy areas. Social and economic variables derived from U.S. census data such as non-white population, employment rate, housing price, and environmental variables derived from National Land Cover Data such as land cover and impervious area, were used as the basis for analysis. Correlation analysis and principle components analysis were performed at the Census Block Group level. Three components were identified and interpreted as economic status, urbanness, and greenness. A synthetic Urban Environmental Quality (UEQ) index was developed by integrating the three principle components according to their weights. Comparisons of the UEQ indices between the 2005 and 2015 in the increasingly high vacancy area provided useful information for investigating the possible associations between social, economic, and environmental factors, and the vacancy status. This study could provide useful information for understanding the complex issues leading to vacancy and facilitating future rehabilitation of vacant urban area.

Neural Correlates of Exposure to Traumatic Pictures and Sound in Vietnam Combat Veterans with and without Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Positron Emission Tomography Study

PubMed Central

Bremner, J. Douglas; Staib, Lawrence H.; Kaloupek, Danny; Southwick, Steven M.; Soufer, Robert; Charney, Dennis S.

2011-01-01

Background Patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) show a reliable increase in PTSD symptoms and physiological reactivity following exposure to traumatic pictures and sounds. In this study neural correlates of exposure to traumatic pictures and sounds were measured in PTSD. Methods Positron emission tomography and H2[15O] were used to measure cerebral blood flow during exposure to combat-related and neutral pictures and sounds in Vietnam combat veterans with and without PTSD. Results Exposure to traumatic material in PTSD (but not non-PTSD) subjects resulted in a decrease in blood flow in medial prefrontal cortex (area 25), an area postulated to play a role in emotion through inhibition of amygdala responsiveness. Non-PTSD subjects activated anterior cingulate (area 24) to a greater degree than PTSD patients. There were also differences in cerebral blood flow response in areas involved in memory and visuospatial processing (and by extension response to threat), including posterior cingulate (area 23), precentral (motor) and inferior parietal cortex, and lingual gyrus. There was a pattern of increases in PTSD and decreases in non-PTSD subjects in these areas. Conclusions The findings suggest that functional alterations in specific cortical and subcortical brain areas involved in memory, visuospatial processing, and emotion underlie the symptoms of patients with PTSD. PMID:10202567

Incidence of multiple sclerosis among European Economic Area populations, 1985-2009: the framework for monitoring

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background A debate surrounding multiple sclerosis epidemiology has centred on time-related incidence increases and the need of monitoring. The purpose of this study is to reassess multiple sclerosis incidence in the European Economic Area. Methods We conducted a systematic review of literature from 1965 onwards and integrated elements of original research, including requested or completed data by surveys authors and specific analyses. Results The review of 5323 documents yielded ten studies for age- and sex-specific analyses, and 21 studies for time-trend analysis of single data sets. After 1985, the incidence of multiple sclerosis ranged from 1.12 to 6.96 per 100,000 population, was higher in females, tripled with latitude, and doubled with study midpoint year. The north registered increasing trends from the 1960s and 1970s, with a historic drop in the Faroe Islands, and fairly stable data in the period 1980-2000; incidence rose in Italian and French populations in the period 1970-2000, in Evros (Greece) in the 1980s, and in the French West Indies in around 2000. Conclusions We conclude that the increase in multiple sclerosis incidence is only apparent, and that it is not specific to women. Monitoring of multiple sclerosis incidence might be appropriate for the European Economic Area. PMID:23758972

Right Ventricular Function in Preterm and Term Neonates: Reference Values for Right Ventricle Areas and Fractional Area of Change

PubMed Central

Levy, Philip T.; Diodena, Brittney; Holland, Mark R.; Sekarski, Timothy J.; Lee, Caroline K.; Mathur, Amit; Cade, W. Todd; Cahill, Alison G.; Hamvas, Aaron; Singh, Gautam K.

2015-01-01

Background Right Ventricle fractional area of change (RV FAC) is a quantitative two- dimensional echocardiographic measurement of RV function. RV FAC expresses the percentage change in the RV chamber area between end-diastole (RVEDA) to end-systole (RVESA). The objectives of this study were to determine the maturational (age- and weight- related) changes of RV FAC and RV areas and to establish reference values in healthy preterm and term neonates. Methods A prospective longitudinal study was conducted in 115 preterm infants (23-28 weeks gestational age at birth, 500-1500 gram). RV FAC was measured at 24 hours of age, 72 hours of age, 32 weeks and 36 weeks postmenstrual age (PMA). The maturational patterns of RVEDA, RVESA, and RV FAC were compared to 60 healthy full term infants in a cross sectional study (> 37 weeks, 3.5 +/− 1 kg), who received echocardiograms at birth (n=25) and one month of age (n=35). RVEDA and RVESA were traced in the RV focused apical 4-chamber view, and FAC was calculated using the formula: 100 * [(RVEDA – RVESA)/RVEDA)]. Premature infants that developed chronic lung disease or had a clinically and hemodynamically significant PDA were excluded (n=55) from the reference values. Intra- and inter- observer reproducibility analysis was performed. Results RV FAC ranged from 26% at birth to 35% by 36 weeks PMA in preterm infants (n=60) and increased almost two times faster in the first month of age as compared to healthy term infants (n=60). Similarly, RVEDA and RVESA increased throughout maturation in both term and preterm infants. RV FAC and RV areas correlated with weight (r=0.81, p<0.001), but were independent of gestational age at birth (r=0.3, p=0.45). RVEDA and RVESA correlated with PMA in weeks (r=0.81, p<0.001). RV FAC trended lower in preterm infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (p=0.04), but did not correlate to size of PDA (p=0.56). There was no difference in RV FAC based on gender or need for mechanical ventilation. Conclusions This study establishes reference values of RV areas (RVEDA and RVESA) and RV fractional area of change (RV FAC) in healthy term and preterm infants and tracks their maturational changes during postnatal development. These measures increase from birth to 36 weeks PMA, and this is reflective of the postnatal cardiac growth as a contributor to the maturation of cardiac function These measures are also linearly associated with increasing weight throughout maturation. This study suggests that two-dimensional RV FAC can be used as a complementary modality to assess global RV systolic function in neonates and facilitates its incorporation into clinical pediatric and neonatal guidelines. PMID:25753503

Measurement and properties of the dose-area product ratio in external small-beam radiotherapy.

PubMed

Niemelä, Jarkko; Partanen, Mari; Ojala, Jarkko; Sipilä, Petri; Björkqvist, Mikko; Kapanen, Mika; Keyriläinen, Jani

2017-06-21

In small-beam radiation therapy (RT) the measurement of the beam quality parameter, i.e. the tissue-phantom ratio or TPR 20,10 , using a conventional point detector is a challenge. To obtain reliable results, one has to consider potential sources of error, including volume averaging and adjustment of the point detector into the narrow beam. To overcome these challenges, a different type of beam quality parameter in small beams was studied, namely the dose-area product ratio, or DAPR 20,10 . With this method, the measurement of a dose-area product (DAP) using a large-area plane-parallel chamber (LAC) eliminates the uncertainties in detector positioning and volume averaging that are present when using a point detector. In this study, the properties of the DAPR 20,10 of a cone-collimated 6 MV photon beam were investigated using Monte Carlo (MC) calculations and the obtained values were compared to measurements obtained using two LAC detectors, PTW Type 34073 and PTW Type 34070. In addition, the possibility of determining the DAP using EBT3 film and a Razor diode detector was studied. The determination of the DAPR 20,10 value was found to be feasible in external small-beam radiotherapy using cone-collimated beams with diameters from 4-40 mm, based on the results of the two LACs, the MC calculations and the Razor diode. The measurements indicated a constant DAPR 20,10 value for fields 20-40 mm in diameter, with a maximum relative change of 0.6%, but an increase of 7.0% for fields from 20-4 mm in diameter for the PTW Type 34070 chamber. Simulations and measurements showed an increase of DAPR 20,10 with increasing LAC size or dose integral area for the studied 4-40 mm cone-collimated 6 MV photon beams. This has the consequence that there should be a reference to the size of the used LAC active area or the DAP integration area with the reported DAPR 20,10 value.

An Investigation of the Influence of Urban Areas on Rainfall Using the TRMM Satellite and a Cloud-Mesoscale Model

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shepherd, J. Marshall; OCStarr, David (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

A recent paper by Shepherd and Pierce (in press at Journal of Applied Meteorology) used rainfall data from the Precipitation Radar on NASA's Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission's (TRMM) satellite to identify warm season rainfall anomalies downwind of major urban areas. Data (PR) were employed to identify warm season rainfall (1998-2000) patterns around Atlanta, Montgomery, Nashville, San Antonio, Waco, and Dallas. Results reveal an average increase of approx. 28% in monthly rainfall rates within 30-60 kilometers downwind of the metropolis with a modest increase of 5.6% over the metropolis. Portions of the downwind area exhibit increases as high as 51%. The percentage changes are relative to an upwind control area. It was also found that maximum rainfall rates in the downwind impact area exceeded the mean value in the upwind control area by 48%-116%. The maximum value was generally found at an average distance of 39 km from the edge of the urban center or 64 km from the center of the city. Results are consistent with METROMEX studies of St. Louis almost two decades ago and with more recent studies near Atlanta. A convective-mesoscale model with extensive land-surface processes is currently being employed to (a) determine if an urban heat island (UHI) thermal perturbation can induce a dynamic response to affect rainfall processes and (b) quantify the impact of the following three factors on the evolution of rainfall: (1) urban surface roughness, (2) magnitude of the UHI temperature anomaly, and (3) physical size of the UHI temperature anomaly. The sensitivity experiments are achieved by inserting a slab of land with urban properties (e.g. roughness length, albedo, thermal character) within a rural surface environment and varying the appropriate lower boundary condition parameters. The study will discuss the feasibility of utilizing satellite-based rainfall estimates for examining rainfall modification by urban areas on global scales and over longer time periods. The talk also introduces very preliminary results from the modeling component of the study. Such research has implications for weather forecasting, urban planning, water resource management, and understanding human impact on the environment and climate.

Estimating coastal wetland gain and losses in Galveston County and Cameron County, Texas, USA.

PubMed

Entwistle, Clare; Mora, Miguel A; Knight, Robert

2018-01-01

Coastal wetlands serve many important ecological services. One of these important ecological services is their use as storm buffers. Coastal wetlands provide habitat for migratory birds and aquatic species and can improve water quality. In the late 1990s, the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) published a study outlining the trends of coastal wetlands from the 1950s to early 1990s. In the present study, wetland gains and losses were calculated for Galveston County and Cameron County, Texas, USA, between 2001 and 2011. Maps from the National Land Cover Database were used to determine wetland areas for the years 2001, 2006, and 2011. ArcGIS was used to compare land cover between the study periods to determine overall wetland losses and gains. A statistical analysis was performed between wetland loss and population data to determine whether increased population density led to a higher loss of wetlands. Our analysis indicates that wetland loss is still occurring, however at a lower rate of loss (0.14%-0.18% annually) than the USFWS study predicted earlier (2.7%). In addition, the majority of wetland losses were due to conversion to upland areas. We found a positive correlation between increased population density and decreased wetland area; however, the trend was not significant. The present study shows how the majority of wetland loss in Galveston and Cameron counties is occurring as a result of increased upland areas. In addition, the present study shows that the use of online mapping systems can be used as a low-cost alternative to assess land changes when field tests are not feasible. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2018;14:120-129. © 2017 SETAC. © 2017 SETAC.

Roles of surface water areas for water and solute cycle in Hanoi city, Viet Nam

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hayashi, Takeshi; Kuroda, Keisuke; Do Thuan, An; Tran Thi Viet, Nga; Takizawa, Satoshi

2013-04-01

Hanoi city, the capital of Viet Nam, has developed beside the Red river. Recent rapid urbanization of this city has reduced a large number of natural water areas such as lakes, ponds and canals not only in the central area but the suburban area. Contrary, the urbanization has increased artificial water areas such as pond for fish cultivation and landscaping. On the other hand, the urbanization has induced the inflow of waste water from households and various kinds of factories to these water areas because of delay of sewerage system development. Inflow of the waste water has induced eutrophication and pollution of these water areas. Also, there is a possibility of groundwater pollution by infiltration of polluted surface water. However, the role of these water areas for water cycle and solute transport is not clarified. Therefore, this study focuses on the interaction between surface water areas and groundwater in Hanoi city to evaluate appropriate land development and groundwater resource management. We are carrying out three approaches: a) understanding of geochemical characteristics of surface water and groundwater, b) monitoring of water levels of pond and groundwater, c) sampling of soil and pond sediment. Correlation between d18O and dD of precipitation (after GNIP), the Red River (after GNIR) and the water samples of this study showed that the groundwater is composed of precipitation, the Red River and surface water that has evaporation process. Contribution of the surface water with evaporation process was widely found in the study area. As for groundwater monitoring, the Holocene aquifers at two sites were in unconfined condition in dry season and the groundwater levels in the aquifer continued to increase through rainy season. The results of isotopic analysis and groundwater level monitoring showed that the surface water areas are one of the major groundwater sources. On the other hand, concentrations of dissolved Arsenic (filtered by 0.45um) in the pore water of the pond sediments were much higher than the pond water and closed to that of groundwater. Also, other metal elements showed the same trend. This result suggested that Arsenic and other metal elements recharged to these ponds is probably adsorbed and removed by sediments (including organic matters). That is, pond sediment plays an important role for solute transport as a filter of Arsenic and metal elements. The results of this study strongly suggest that the natural and artificial surface water areas have important roles for water cycle and solute transport in Hanoi city. Although the number of the natural water areas is decreasing, dredging of artificial water areas increases the infiltration from the surface to aquifers. Therefore, qualitative and quantitative preservation of the surface water areas is important for conservation of groundwater environment and contribute to sustainable groundwater management in Hanoi city.

Surgical Procedures in Health Professional Shortage Areas: Impact of a Surgical Incentive Payment Plan.

PubMed

Diaz, Adrian; Merath, Katiuscha; Bagante, Fabio; Chen, Qinyu; Akgul, Ozgur; Beal, Eliza; Idrees, Jay; Olsen, Griffin; Gani, Faiz; Pawlik, Timothy M

2018-05-15

The Affordable Care Act established a Center for Medicare/Medicaid Services based 10% reimbursement bonus for general surgeons in Health Professional Shortage Areas. We sought to assess the impact of the Affordable Care Act Surgery Incentive Payment on surgical procedures performed in Health Professional Shortage Areas. Hospital utilization data from the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development between January 1, 2006, and December 31, 2015, were used to categorize hospitals according to Health Professional Shortage Area location. A difference-in-differences analysis measured the effect of the Surgery Incentive Payment on year-to-year differences for inpatient and outpatient surgical procedures by hospital type pre- (2006-2010) versus post- (2011-2015) Surgery Incentive Payment implementation. Among 409 unique hospitals that performed surgical procedures for at least 1 year of the study period, 2 performed surgery in a designated Health Professional Shortage Area. The two Health Professional Shortage Area -designated hospitals were located in a rural area, were non-teaching hospitals, and had 196 and 202 hospital beds, respectively. After the enactment of the Surgery Incentive Payment, while non- Health Professional Shortage Areas had only a modest relative decrease in total inpatient procedures (Pre-Surgery Incentive Payment: 4,666,938 versus Post-Surgery Incentive Payment: 4,451,612; Δ-4.6%), the proportional decrease in inpatient surgical procedures at Health Professional Shortage Area hospitals was more marked (Pre-Surgery Incentive Payment: 25,830 versus Post-Surgery Incentive Payment: 21,503; Δ-16.7%). In contrast, Health Professional Shortage Area hospitals proportionally had a greater increase in total outpatient procedures (Pre-Surgery Incentive Payment: 17,840 versus Post-Surgery Incentive Payment: 22,375: Δ+25.4%) versus non- Health Professional Shortage Area hospitals (Pre-Surgery Incentive Payment: 5,863,300 versus Post-Surgery Incentive Payment: 6,156,138; Δ+4.9%). Based on the difference-in-differences analysis, the increase in the trend of surgical procedures at Health Professional Shortage Area hospitals was much more notable after Surgery Incentive Payment implementation (Δ+75.2%). The Medicare Surgery Incentive Payment program was associated with an increase in the number of surgical procedures performed at Health Professional Shortage Area hospitals relative to non-Health Professional Shortage Area hospitals during the study period, reversing the trend from negative to positive. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of Impacts of Landuse Changes on Air Quality in Hyderabad Metropolis Using Remote Sensing and GIS - A Case Study from Indian Sub-Continent

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vuppala, P.; S. S, A.; Mareddy, A.

2004-12-01

Around the world cities in developing countries are rapidly growing as more and more people become urban dwellers resulting in increased level of air pollution caused by changes in transportation, energy production and industrial activities. Air quality is an issue of critical importance in view of the accumulating evidence showing the adverse effects of pollution on human health, agricultural crops, manmade environments and ecosystems. An integrated study for identification of appropriate sites for representative evaluation of air pollution, novel means of monitoring air quality, identifying the predominant sources of pollution, effective assessment of air quality and evaluation of different management strategies essential for the development of a healthy and livable region is carried out for Hyderabad metropolis in India using Remote sensing and Geographical Information System (GIS) based assessment tools. Correlation studies between the concentration level of pollutants in urban air and urban land use are also dealt with. Municipal Corporation of Hyderabad (MCH) is divided into eleven planning zones out of which the present study area i.e. Zone I & IIA comprises of industrial, highly commercial and densely populated areas, apart from medium and sparse residential areas making it environmentally sensitive. Sampling locations were identified based on the land use/ land cover of the region and air samples were collected from areas having varying land use patterns using a high volume air sampler. The samples were then analyzed for the presence of Sulphur oxides(SO--x), Oxides of Nitrogen(NO--x), Total Suspended Particulate Matter(TSPM) and Respirable Suspended Particulate Matter(RSPM) using standard protocols and maps showing spatial distribution of SOx, NO--x, TSPM & RSPM were prepared using curve fitting technique of Arc/Info & ArcView GIS software. Air Quality Index (AQI), indicating the overall quality of air and extent of pollution is also calculated, based on which the entire study area is classified into severely, highly, moderately and lightly polluted areas. Concentration of SOx and NOx were observed to be within limits, while particulate pollutants exceeded the standards prescribed by Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). The major cause of pollution in the study area is attributed to the increasing vehicular movements and presence of commercial and public related activities such as shopping malls. It is observed for the category of severe air pollution that 42% of pollution is from dense residential areas, 19% from medium residential and 1% load of pollution from other public related activities. Based on the results obtained suitable remedial measures to combat the increasing urban air pollution are suggested in the study area. Key words: Air pollution, Remote sensing, Geographical Information System, Spatial distribution, Air quality index.