Mean annual runoff and peak flow estimates based on channel geometry of streams in northeastern and western Montana

USGS Publications Warehouse

Parrett, Charles; Omang, R.J.; Hull, J.A.

1983-01-01

Equations for estimating mean annual runoff and peak discharge from measurements of channel geometry were developed for western and northeastern Montana. The study area was divided into two regions for the mean annual runoff analysis, and separate multiple-regression equations were developed for each region. The active-channel width was determined to be the most important independent variable in each region. The standard error of estimate for the estimating equation using active-channel width was 61 percent in the Northeast Region and 38 percent in the West region. The study area was divided into six regions for the peak discharge analysis, and multiple regression equations relating channel geometry and basin characteristics to peak discharges having recurrence intervals of 2, 5, 10, 25, 50 and 100 years were developed for each region. The standard errors of estimate for the regression equations using only channel width as an independent variable ranged from 35 to 105 percent. The standard errors improved in four regions as basin characteristics were added to the estimating equations. (USGS)

RETRAINING AND MIGRATION AS FACTORS IN REGIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

SOMERS, GERALD G.

THIS REPORT, PREPARED FOR THE OFFICE OF REGIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, FEATURES A REVIEW OF RECENT RESEARCH ON RETRAINING AND MIGRATION AS INDEPENDENT AND INTERACTING FACTORS IN REGIONAL ECONOMIES. FINDINGS ARE ALSO RELATED TO CURRENT UNITED STATES MANPOWER POLICY AND TO RETRAINING AND RELOCATION SCHEMES IN WESTERN EUROPE. IN THE UNITED STATES,…

Unequal Exchange of Air Pollution and Economic Benefits Embodied in China's Exports.

PubMed

Zhang, Wei; Wang, Feng; Hubacek, Klaus; Liu, Yu; Wang, Jinnan; Feng, Kuishuang; Jiang, Ling; Jiang, Hongqiang; Zhang, Bing; Bi, Jun

2018-04-03

As the world's factory, China has enjoyed huge economic benefits from international export but also suffered severe environmental consequences. Most studies investigating unequal environmental exchange associated with trade took China as a homogeneous entity ignoring considerable inequality and outsourcing of pollution within China. This paper traces the regional mismatch of export-induced economic benefits and environmental costs along national supply chains by using the latest multiregional input-output model and emission inventory for 2012. The results indicate that approximately 56% of the national GDP induced by exports has been received by developed coastal regions, while about 72% of air pollution embodied in national exports, measured as aggregated atmospheric pollutant equivalents (APE), has been mainly incurred by less developed central and western regions. For each yuan of export-induced GDP, developed regions only incurred 0.4-0.6 g APE emissions, whereas less developed regions from western or central China had to suffer 4-8 times the amount of emissions. This is due to poorer regions providing lower value added and higher emission-intensive inputs and having lower environmental standards and less efficient technologies. Our results may pave a way to mitigate the unequal relationship between developed and less developed regions from the perspective of environment-economy nexus.

Projections of forestland and developed land areas in western Washington.

Treesearch

R. Alig; E. White

2007-01-01

Between 1990 and 2000, nonfederal timberland areas in western Washington declined by 5 percent, in contrast to a 3-percent reduction for the 1980-90 period. Most of this reduction is attributed to the conversion of timberland to other land uses, especially urban and other developed uses. In areas such as the Puget Sound region, population densities have more than...

Second-growth yield, stand, and volume tables for the western white pine type

Treesearch

Irvine T. Haig

1932-01-01

The western white pine type is the most important forest unit over large areas of rough uplands in northern Idaho and adjacent portions of eastern Washington and western Montana. It occupies throughout this region the cooler, moister sites between elevations of 2,000 and 5,500 feet, reaching its best development in northern Idaho between the international boundary and...

REGIONAL COORDINATION OF NOAA/NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE CLIMATE SERVICES IN THE WEST (Invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bair, A.

2009-12-01

The climate services program is an important component in the National Weather Service’s (NWS) mission, and is one of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) top five priorities. The Western Region NWS started building a regional and local climate services program in late 2001, with input from local NWS offices and key partners. The original goals of the Western Region climate services program were to strive to provide climate services that were useful, easily accessible, well understood, coordinated and supported by partners, and reflect customer needs. While the program has evolved, and lessons have been learned, these goals are still guiding the program. Regional and local level Climate Services are a fundamental part of NOAA/NWS’s current and future role in providing climate services. There is an ever growing demand for climate information and services to aid the public in decision-making and no single entity alone can provide the range of information and services needed. Coordination and building strong partnerships at the local and regional levels is the key to providing optimal climate services. Over the past 8 years, Western Region NWS has embarked on numerous coordination efforts to build the regional and local climate services programs, such as: collaboration (both internally and externally to NOAA) meetings and projects, internal staff training, surveys, and outreach efforts. In order to gain regional and local buy-in from the NWS staff, multiple committees were utilized to plan and develop goals and structure for the program. While the regional and local climate services program in the NWS Western Region has had many successes, there have been several important lessons learned from efforts that have not been as successful. These lessons, along with past experience, close coordination with partners, and the need to constantly improve/change the program as the climate changes, form the basis for future program development and goals.

An interdecadal regime shift in rainfall predictability related to the Ningaloo Nino in the late 1990s

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doi, T.; Behera, S. K.; Yamagata, T.

2016-02-01

The global warming and the Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation (IPO) started influencing the coastal ocean off Western Australia, leading to a dramatic change in the regional climate predictability. The warmer ocean started driving rainfall variability regionally there after the late 1990s. Because of this, rainfall predictability near the coastal region of Western Australia on a seasonal time scale was drastically enhanced in the late 1990s; it is significantly predictable 5 months ahead after the late 1990s. The high prediction skill of the rainfall in recent decades is very encouraging and would help to develop an early warning system of Ningaloo Nino/Nina events to mitigate possible societal as well as agricultural impacts in the granary of Western Australia.

An interdecadal regime shift in rainfall predictability related to the Ningaloo Niño in the late 1990s

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doi, Takeshi; Behera, Swadhin K.; Yamagata, Toshio

2015-02-01

The global warming and the Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation (IPO) started influencing the coastal ocean off Western Australia, leading to a dramatic change in the regional climate predictability. The warmer ocean started driving rainfall variability regionally there after the late 1990s. Because of this, rainfall predictability near the coastal region of Western Australia on a seasonal time scale was drastically enhanced in the late 1990s; it is significantly predictable 5 months ahead after the late 1990s. The high prediction skill of the rainfall in recent decades is very encouraging and would help to develop an early warning system of Ningaloo Niño/Niña events to mitigate possible societal as well as agricultural impacts in the granary of Western Australia.

A LANDSCAPE ECOLOGY APPROACH TO IDENTIFYING ECOLOGICAL VULNERABILITY IN GEOGRAPHICALLY ISOLATED WETLANDS

EPA Science Inventory

U.S. EPA 's Office of Research and Development is using a landscape approach to assess the ecological/hydrologic functions of geographically isolated wetlands in the mid-western, southern, and western regions of the United States. Geographically isolated wetlands are considered t...

Calibration of Valiantzas' reference evapotranspiration equations for the Pilbara region, Western Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahooghalandari, Matin; Khiadani, Mehdi; Jahromi, Mina Esmi

2017-05-01

Reference evapotranspiration (ET0) is a critical component of water resources management and planning. Different methods have been developed to estimate ET0 with various required data. In this study, Hargreaves, Turc, Oudin, Copais, Abtew methods and three forms of Valiantzas' formulas, developed in recent years, were used to estimate ET0 for the Pilbara region of Western Australia. The estimated ET0 values from these methods were compared with those from the FAO-56 Penman-Monteith (PM) method. The results showed that the Copais methods and two of Valiantzas' equations, in their original forms, are suitable for estimating ET0 for the study area. A modification of Honey-Bee Mating Optimization (MHBMO) algorithm was further implemented, and three Valiantzas' equations for a region located in the southern hemisphere were calibrated.

Segmentation of the Hellenides recorded by Pliocene initiation of clockwise block rotation in Central Greece

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bradley, Kyle E.; Vassilakis, Emmanuel; Hosa, Aleksandra; Weiss, Benjamin P.

2013-01-01

New paleomagnetic data from Early Miocene to Pliocene terrestrial sedimentary and volcanic rocks in Central Greece constrain the history of vertical-axis rotation along the central part of the western limb of the Aegean arc. The present-day pattern of rapid block rotation within a broad zone of distributed deformation linking the right-lateral North Anatolian and Kephalonia continental transform faults initiated after Early Pliocene time, resulting in a uniform clockwise rotation of 24.3±6.5° over a region >250 km long and >150 km wide encompassing Central Greece and the western Cycladic archipelago. Because the published paleomagnetic dataset requires clockwise rotations of >50° in Western Greece after ˜17 Ma, while our measurements resolve no vertical-axis rotation of Central Greece between ˜15 Ma and post-Early Pliocene time, a large part of the clockwise rotation of Western Greece must have occurred during the main period of contraction within the external thrust belt of the Ionian Zone between ˜17 and ˜15 Ma. Pliocene initiation of rapid clockwise rotation in Central and Western Greece reflects the development of the North Anatolia-Kephalonia Fault system within the previously extended Aegean Sea region, possibly in response to entry of dense oceanic lithosphere of the Ionian Sea into the Hellenic subduction zone and consequent accelerated slab rollback. The development of the Aegean geometric arc therefore occurred in two short-duration pulses characterized by rapid rotation and strong regional deformation.

DELP Symposium: Tectonics of eastern Asia and western Pacific Continental Margin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eastern Asia and the western Pacific make up a broad region of active plate tectonic interaction. The area is a natural laboratory for studying the processes involved in the origin and evolution of volcanic island arcs, marginal basins, accretionary prisims, oceanic trenches, accreted terranes, ophiolite emplacement, and intracontinental deformation. Many of our working concepts of plate tectonics and intraplate deformation were developed in this region, even though details of the geology and geophysics there must be considered of a reconnaissance nature.During the past few years researchers have accumulated a vast amount of new and detailed information and have developed a better understanding of the processes that have shaped the tectonic elements in this region. To bring together scientists from many disciplines and to present the wide range of new data and ideas that offer a broader perspective on the interrelations of geological, geochemical, geophysical and geodetic studies, the symposium Tectonics of Eastern Asia and Western Pacific Continental Margin was held December 13-16, 1988, at the Tokyo Institute of Technology in Japan, under the auspicies of DELP (Dynamics and Evolution of the Lithosphere Project).

Child pneumonia - focus on the Western Pacific Region.

PubMed

Nguyen, T K P; Tran, T H; Roberts, C L; Graham, S M; Marais, B J

2017-01-01

Worldwide, pneumonia is the leading cause of death in infants and young children (aged <5 years). We provide an overview of the global pneumonia disease burden, as well as the aetiology and management practices in different parts of the world, with a specific focus on the WHO Western Pacific Region. In 2011, the Western Pacific region had an estimated 0.11 pneumonia episodes per child-year with 61,900 pneumonia-related deaths in children less than 5 years of age. The majority (>75%) of pneumonia deaths occurred in six countries; Cambodia, China, Laos, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines and Viet Nam. Historically Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae were the commonest causes of severe pneumonia and pneumonia-related deaths in young children, but this is changing with the introduction of highly effective conjugate vaccines and socio-economic development. The relative contribution of viruses and atypical bacteria appear to be increasing and traditional case management approaches may require revision to accommodate increased uptake of conjugated vaccines in the Western Pacific region. Careful consideration should be given to risk reduction strategies, enhanced vaccination coverage, improved management of hypoxaemia and antibiotic stewardship. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Characterizating western juniper expansion via a fusion of Landsat 5 thematic mapper and LiDAR data

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Juniper encroachment into shrub steppe and grassland systems is one of the most prominent changes occurring in rangelands of western North America. Most studies on juniper change are conducted over small areas, although encroachment is occurring across large regions. Development of image-based met...

40 CFR 81.119 - Western Tennessee Intrastate Air Quality Control Region.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Quality Control Region. 81.119 Section 81.119 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY... Air Quality Control Regions § 81.119 Western Tennessee Intrastate Air Quality Control Region. The Western Tennessee Intrastate Air Quality Control Region consists of the territorial area encompassed by...

Geophysical reassessment of the role of ancient crustal structures on the development of western Laurentia and Selwyn Basin, Yukon and Northwest Territories, Canada.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hayward, N.

2017-12-01

The structure of the western margin of the North American craton (Laurentia) in the northern Canadian Cordillera and its role in the development of the Neoproterozoic-Early Paleozoic Selwyn Basin are reassessed through 3D inversion of a new compilation of aeromagnetic data and archival Bouguer gravity data. The region's tectonic history is obscured by partial burial beneath Selwyn Basin, and a tectonic overprint that includes terrane accretion, regional plutonism, and strike-slip faults with displacements of 100s and perhaps 1000s of kilometers. Despite the implied complexity, preliminary geological and geophysical based interpretations of the structure of the western margin of Laurentia, have been adopted with few refinements in over two decades. Regionally continuous, NE-trending, crustal lineaments, including the Fort Norman line and Leith Ridge fault, were interpreted as having had long-standing influence on the craton development, its western margin, and overlapping sedimentary basin. New results reveal limited evidence for the regional continuity of the NE-trending lineaments. Instead, models suggest that the structure of the Laurentian margin is characterised by segmentation on numerous shorter structures of varied strike. The western margin of the craton and its structures are bound by a NW-trending structure that connects with the Richardson Trough to the north and may have been active during rifting of the Misty Creek embayment. This boundary also marks the easternmost limit of both granitic intrusions in Selwyn Basin, which gravity models suggest are of greater extent than reflected on geological maps, and SEDEX occurrences. An ENE-trending structure beneath northern Selwyn Basin is interpreted as marking the southern edge of a previously unidentified cratonic promontory, akin to the Liard line that marks a transfer fault that bounds the promontory of the Macdonald Platform, south of Selwyn Basin. The ENE-trending structure is traced from the Tintina fault in the west to near to the Great Bear magmatic zone. The structure's regional continuity also limits the interpretation of a post-Cretaceous structure, inboard of the Tintina fault that could be responsible for 1000's km of dextral strike-slip ascribed to the Baja-BC terrane translation model.

Faunistic Composition, Ecological Properties, and Zoogeographical Composition of the Elateridae (Coleoptera) Family in the Western Black Sea Region of Turkey

PubMed Central

Kabalak, Mahmut; Sert, Osman

2013-01-01

The main aim of this study was to understand the faunistic composition, ecological properties, and zoogeographical composition of the family Elateridae (Coleoptera) of the Western Black Sea region of Turkey. As a result, 44 species belonging to 5 subfamilies and 19 genera were identified. After adding species reported in the literature to the analysis, the fauna in the research area consists of 6 subfamilies, 23 genera and 72 species. Most of the Elateridae fauna of the Western Black Sea region were classified in the subfamilies Elaterinae and Dendrometrinae. The genus Athous was the most species-rich genus. The species composition of the Elateridae fauna of the Western Black Sea region partially overlaps with the known Elateridae fauna of Turkey. The Western Black Sea region shares the most species with the European part of the Western Palaearctic region, including many of those in the Elateridae family, compared to other regions. Comparisons of the three geographical regions of Turkey show that fauna composition, ecological properties, and zoogeographical compositions of the Middle and Western Black Sea regions are more similar to each other than to those of the Central Anatolian region. PMID:24787627

Rapid growth in nitrogen dioxide pollution over Western China, 2005-2013

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cui, Y.-Z.; Lin, J.-T.; Song, C.; Liu, M.-Y.; Yan, Y.-Y.; Xu, Y.; Huang, B.

2015-12-01

Western China has experienced rapid industrialization and urbanization since the implementation of the National Western Development Strategies (the "Go West" movement) in 1999. This transition has affected the spatial and temporal characteristics of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) pollution. In this study, we analyze the trends and variability of tropospheric NO2 vertical column densities (VCDs) from 2005 to 2013 over Western China, based on a wavelet analysis on monthly mean NO2 data derived from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) measurements. We focus on the anthropogenic NO2 by subtracting region-specific "background" values dominated by natural sources. We find significant NO2 growth over Western China between 2005 and 2013 (8.6 ± 0.9 % yr-1 on average, relative to 2005), with the largest increments (15 % yr-1 or more) over parts of several city clusters. The NO2 pollution in most provincial regions rose rapidly from 2005 to 2011 but stabilized or declined afterwards. The NO2 trends were driven mainly by changes in anthropogenic emissions, as confirmed by a nested GEOS-Chem model simulation and a comparison with Chinese official emission statistics. The rate of NO2 growth during 2005-2013 reaches 11.3 ± 1.0 % yr-1 over Northwestern China, exceeding the rates over Southwestern China (5.9 ± 0.6 % yr-1) and the three well-known polluted regions in the east (5.3 ± 0.8 % yr-1 over Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, 4.0 ± 0.6 % yr-1} over the Yangtze River Delta, and -3.3 ± 0.3 % yr-1 over the Pearl River Delta). Additional socioeconomic analyses suggest that the rapid NO2 growth in Northwestern China is likely related to the fast developing resource- and pollution-intensive industries along with the "Go West" movement as well as relatively weak emission controls. Further efforts should be made to alleviate NOx pollution to achieve sustainable development in Western China.

Rapid growth in nitrogen dioxide pollution over Western China, 2005-2013

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cui, Yuanzheng; Lin, Jintai; Song, Chunqiao; Liu, Mengyao; Yan, Yingying; Xu, Yuan; Huang, Bo

2016-05-01

Western China has experienced rapid industrialization and urbanization since the implementation of the National Western Development Strategies (the "Go West" movement) in 1999. This transition has affected the spatial and temporal characteristics of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) pollution. In this study, we analyze the trends and variability of tropospheric NO2 vertical column densities (VCDs) from 2005 to 2013 over Western China, based on a wavelet analysis on monthly mean NO2 data derived from the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) measurements. We focus on the anthropogenic NO2 by subtracting region-specific "background" values dominated by natural sources. After removing the background influences, we find significant anthropogenic NO2 growth over Western China between 2005 and 2013 (8.6 ± 0.9 % yr-1 on average, relative to 2005), with the largest increments (15 % yr-1 or more) over parts of several city clusters. The NO2 pollution in most provincial-level regions rose rapidly from 2005 to 2011 but stabilized or declined afterwards. The NO2 trends were driven mainly by changes in anthropogenic emissions, as confirmed by a nested GEOS-Chem model simulation and a comparison with Chinese official emission statistics. The rate of NO2 growth during 2005-2013 reaches 11.3 ± 1.0 % yr-1 over Northwestern China, exceeding the rates over Southwestern China (5.9 ± 0.6 % yr-1) and the three well-known polluted regions in the east (5.3 ± 0.8 % yr-1 over Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, 4.0 ± 0.6 % yr-1 over the Yangtze River Delta, and -3.3 ± 0.3 % yr-1 over the Pearl River Delta). Subsequent socioeconomic analyses suggest that the rapid NO2 growth over Northwestern China is likely related to the fast developing resource- and pollution-intensive industries along with the "Go West" movement as well as relatively weak emission controls. Further efforts should be made to alleviate NOx pollution to achieve sustainable development in Western China.

Regional impacts of oil and gas development on ozone formation in the western United States.

PubMed

Rodriguez, Marco A; Barna, Michael G; Moore, Tom

2009-09-01

The Intermountain West is currently experiencing increased growth in oil and gas production, which has the potential to affect the visibility and air quality of various Class I areas in the region. The following work presents an analysis of these impacts using the Comprehensive Air Quality Model with extensions (CAMx). CAMx is a state-of-the-science, "one-atmosphere" Eulerian photochemical dispersion model that has been widely used in the assessment of gaseous and particulate air pollution (ozone, fine [PM2.5], and coarse [PM10] particulate matter). Meteorology and emissions inventories developed by the Western Regional Air Partnership Regional Modeling Center for regional haze analysis and planning are used to establish an ozone baseline simulation for the year 2002. The predicted range of values for ozone in the national parks and other Class I areas in the western United States is then evaluated with available observations from the Clean Air Status and Trends Network (CASTNET). This evaluation demonstrates the model's suitability for subsequent planning, sensitivity, and emissions control strategy modeling. Once the ozone baseline simulation has been established, an analysis of the model results is performed to investigate the regional impacts of oil and gas development on the ozone concentrations that affect the air quality of Class I areas. Results indicate that the maximum 8-hr ozone enhancement from oil and gas (9.6 parts per billion [ppb]) could affect southwestern Colorado and northwestern New Mexico. Class I areas in this region that are likely to be impacted by increased ozone include Mesa Verde National Park and Weminuche Wilderness Area in Colorado and San Pedro Parks Wilderness Area, Bandelier Wilderness Area, Pecos Wilderness Area, and Wheeler Peak Wilderness Area in New Mexico.

Rare earth element transport in the western North Atlantic inferred from Nd isotopic observations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Piepgras, D. J.; Wasserburg, G. J.

1987-01-01

The relationship between the Nd isotopic composition in the Atlantic waters and the origin and circulation of the water masses was investigated. Samples were collected in the western North Atlantic between 7 and 54 deg N. The isotopic composition (Nd-143/Nd-144 ratios) showed extensive vertical structure at all locations. In regions where a thermocline was well-developed, large isotopic shifts were observed across the base of the thermocline, while regions without a thermocline were characterized by much more gradual shifts in isotopic composition with depth. The data reveal an excellent correlation between the Nd isotopic distribution in the western North Atlantic water column and the distribution of water masses identified from temperature and salinity measurements.

Public Regulatory Arrangements for Private Higher Education in the Western Balkans

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Papadimitriou, Antigoni; Levy, Daniel C.; Stensaker, Bjørn; Kanazir, Sanja

2017-01-01

The article presents an analysis of the developments of higher education laws and regulations in the Western Balkans for the period 1990-2015, with the aim of mapping the regulatory arrangements for the private higher education sector and to explore the relationship between public and private higher education in the region. Based on a conceptual…

Factors Affecting Regional Per-Capita Carbon Emissions in China Based on an LMDI Factor Decomposition Model

PubMed Central

Dong, Feng; Long, Ruyin; Chen, Hong; Li, Xiaohui; Yang, Qingliang

2013-01-01

China is considered to be the main carbon producer in the world. The per-capita carbon emissions indicator is an important measure of the regional carbon emissions situation. This study used the LMDI factor decomposition model–panel co-integration test two-step method to analyze the factors that affect per-capita carbon emissions. The main results are as follows. (1) During 1997, Eastern China, Central China, and Western China ranked first, second, and third in the per-capita carbon emissions, while in 2009 the pecking order changed to Eastern China, Western China, and Central China. (2) According to the LMDI decomposition results, the key driver boosting the per-capita carbon emissions in the three economic regions of China between 1997 and 2009 was economic development, and the energy efficiency was much greater than the energy structure after considering their effect on restraining increased per-capita carbon emissions. (3) Based on the decomposition, the factors that affected per-capita carbon emissions in the panel co-integration test showed that Central China had the best energy structure elasticity in its regional per-capita carbon emissions. Thus, Central China was ranked first for energy efficiency elasticity, while Western China was ranked first for economic development elasticity. PMID:24353753

Factors affecting regional per-capita carbon emissions in China based on an LMDI factor decomposition model.

PubMed

Dong, Feng; Long, Ruyin; Chen, Hong; Li, Xiaohui; Yang, Qingliang

2013-01-01

China is considered to be the main carbon producer in the world. The per-capita carbon emissions indicator is an important measure of the regional carbon emissions situation. This study used the LMDI factor decomposition model-panel co-integration test two-step method to analyze the factors that affect per-capita carbon emissions. The main results are as follows. (1) During 1997, Eastern China, Central China, and Western China ranked first, second, and third in the per-capita carbon emissions, while in 2009 the pecking order changed to Eastern China, Western China, and Central China. (2) According to the LMDI decomposition results, the key driver boosting the per-capita carbon emissions in the three economic regions of China between 1997 and 2009 was economic development, and the energy efficiency was much greater than the energy structure after considering their effect on restraining increased per-capita carbon emissions. (3) Based on the decomposition, the factors that affected per-capita carbon emissions in the panel co-integration test showed that Central China had the best energy structure elasticity in its regional per-capita carbon emissions. Thus, Central China was ranked first for energy efficiency elasticity, while Western China was ranked first for economic development elasticity.

[Regional differences and development tendency of livestock manure pollution in China].

PubMed

Qiu, Huan-Guang; Liao, Shao-Pan; Jing, Yue; Luan, Jiang

2013-07-01

The rapid development of livestock production in China has brought livestock manure pollution as a serious environment problem, even threatens China's agriculture sustainable development. On the basis of public statistical data and field research data, this paper analyzed the magnitude of livestock manure excretion and pollution of China and different provinces in 2010, and predicted development tendencies of livestock manure excretion and pollution in 2020 through the Decision Support System for China's Agricultural Sustainable Development (CHINAGRO). The result shows that total livestock manure excretion of China in 2010 is 1 900 million tons, and livestock manure pollution is 227 million tons, while per hectare arable land of livestock manure pollution is 1.86 tons. Provinces in the southeast China, such as Guangdong and Fujian, are areas with high pressure of livestock manure pollution. Model simulation shows that China's total amount of livestock manure pollution will increase to 298 million tons in 2020 without government intervention. The pressure of livestock manure pollution will become higher in most regions of China, especially in east and south regions. The situation in central and western region is better than that in east regions although the pollution pressure will also increase in those areas. Policy intervention such as taxes and subsidies should be adopted to reduce the discharge of livestock manure pollution, and encourage livestock production transfer from eastern areas to the central and western regions.

Evaluation of an index of biotic integrity approach used to assess biological condition in western U.S. streams and rivers at varying spatial scales

USGS Publications Warehouse

Meador, M.R.; Whittier, T.R.; Goldstein, R.M.; Hughes, R.M.; Peck, D.V.

2008-01-01

Consistent assessments of biological condition are needed across multiple ecoregions to provide a greater understanding of the spatial extent of environmental degradation. However, consistent assessments at large geographic scales are often hampered by lack of uniformity in data collection, analyses, and interpretation. The index of biotic integrity (IBI) has been widely used in eastern and central North America, where fish assemblages are complex and largely composed of native species, but IBI development has been hindered in the western United States because of relatively low fish species richness and greater relative abundance of alien fishes. Approaches to developing IBIs rarely provide a consistent means of assessing biological condition across multiple ecoregions. We conducted an evaluation of IBIs recently proposed for three ecoregions of the western United States using an independent data set covering a large geographic scale. We standardized the regional IBIs and developed biological condition criteria, assessed the responsiveness of IBIs to basin-level land uses, and assessed their precision and concordance with basin-scale IBIs. Standardized IBI scores from 318 sites in the western United States comprising mountain, plains, and xeric ecoregions were significantly related to combined urban and agricultural land uses. Standard deviations and coefficients of variation revealed relatively low variation in IBI scores based on multiple sampling reaches at sites. A relatively high degree of corroboration with independent, locally developed IBIs indicates that the regional IBIs are robust across large geographic scales, providing precise and accurate assessments of biological condition for western U.S. streams. ?? Copyright by the American Fisheries Society 2008.

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The rise of eating disorders in Asia: a review.

PubMed

Pike, Kathleen M; Dunne, Patricia E

2015-01-01

Once concentrated among adolescent Caucasian females in high-income Western countries, today, eating disorders (EDs) are truly global. Building upon previous work describing the rise of EDs among cultures in transition, we contextualize the emergence of EDs in Asia by locating this development within the broader discourse about the processes of change that have radically transformed Asian societies over the last three decades. By identifying where EDs are emerging in the region, and by examining their particular expression, our aim is to explicate a fuller story of the relationship between culture and eating disorders. Much of the discussion of EDs in non-Western societies is predicated upon the assumption that an increase in EDs is the by-product of "Westernization", the term used to describe the process by which increased cultural contact with the West results in the transmission of so-called 'Western' ideas and cultural norms to a non-Western culture. While the Westernization literature represents a historical anchor in our understanding of EDs in Asia, we propose that this analysis is incomplete in that societal change in the form of industrialization and urbanization occurring independently from, or in tandem with, "Western" influence are critical factors contributing to the rise of EDs in Asia. Further, our review of eating disorders in Asia suggests that an understanding of the diversity and distinctiveness of the individual countries and cultures that comprise 'Asia' is crucial to understanding the emergence and rise of EDs across this vast region, suggesting that eating disorders are not culture-bound or culture-specific, but rather culture-reactive. Taking into account both the historical influence of Western culture and the more contemporary effects of Asian industrialization and urbanization, key distinctions among respective Asian cultures expands our understanding of the development and expression of EDs globally.

Neotectonic control on drainage systems: GIS-based geomorphometric and morphotectonic assessment for Crete, Greece

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Argyriou, Athanasios V.; Teeuw, Richard M.; Soupios, Pantelis; Sarris, Apostolos

2017-11-01

Geomorphic indices can be used to examine the geomorphological and tectonic processes responsible for the development of the drainage basins. Such indices can be dependent on tectonics, erosional processes and other factors that control the morphology of the landforms. The inter-relationships between geomorphic indices can determine the influence of regional tectonic activity in the shape development of drainage basins. A Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) procedure has been used to perform an integrated cluster analysis that highlights information associated with the dominant regional tectonic activity. Factor Analysis (FA) and Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) were considered within that procedure, producing a representation of the distributed regional tectonic activity of the drainage basins studied. The study area is western Crete, located in the outer fore-arc of the Hellenic subduction zone, one of the world's most tectonically active regions. The results indicate that in the landscape evolution of the study area (especially the western basins) tectonic controls dominate over lithological controls.

Tree ring-based seven-century drought records for the Western Himalaya, India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yadav, Ram R.

2013-05-01

The paucity of available instrumental climate records in cold and arid regions of the western Himalaya, India, hampers our understanding of the long-term variability of regional droughts, which seriously affect the agrarian economy of the region. Using ring width chronologies of Cedrus deodara and Pinus gerardiana together from a network of moisture-stressed sites, Palmer Drought Severity Index values for October-May back to 1310 A.D. were developed. The twentieth century features dominant decadal-scale pluvial phases (1981-1995, 1952-1968, and 1918-1934) as compared to the severe droughts in the early seventeenth century (1617-1640) as well as late fifteenth to early sixteenth (1491-1526) centuries. The drought anomalies are positively (negatively) associated with central Pacific (Indo-Pacific Warm Pool) sea surface temperature anomalies. However, non-stationarity in such relationships appears to be the major riddle in the predictability of long-term droughts much needed for the sustainable development of the ecologically sensitive region of the Himalayas.

Wildland fire deficit and surplus in the western United States, 1984-2012

Treesearch

Sean A. Parks; Carol Miller; Marc-Andre Parisien; Lisa M. Holsinger; Solomon Z. Dobrowski; John Abatzoglou

2015-01-01

Wildland fire is an important disturbance agent in the western US and globally. However, the natural role of fire has been disrupted in many regions due to the influence of human activities, which have the potential to either exclude or promote fire, resulting in a "fire deficit" or "fire surplus", respectively. In this study, we developed...

Improving regional and rural cancer services in Western Australia.

PubMed

Platt, Violet; O'Connor, Kathleen; Coleman, Rhonda

2015-02-01

This paper examines health reform which has been designed to improve cancer services across Western Australia. Western Australia is a large state divided into nine regions each with differing demographics. The diversity of the state and the distribution of the population over a large area of land create significant challenge in ensuring equality in service delivery. A comparison was conducted looking at cancer services in Western Australia pre-2005 and service delivery in 2014. A review of the partnership initiatives and programs provides a clear discussion on the need for coordination of care between service providers. The approach undertaken in Western Australia has seen an increase in the delivery of cancer services closer to the patient's home as well as greater involvement of primary care professionals in cancer care. This work has resulted in demonstrated improvements in patient care and support. Services for cancer patients need to be accessible closer to home with distance being an appreciable barrier to treatment access.A statewide approach needs to be developed to ensure all people have equitable access to service delivery. © 2015 National Rural Health Alliance Inc.

Assessment of eco-environmental quality of Western Taiwan Straits Economic Zone.

PubMed

Ma, He; Shi, Longyu

2016-05-01

Regional eco-environmental quality is the key and foundation to the sustainable socio-economic development of a region. Eco-environmental quality assessment can reveal the capacity of sustainable socio-economic development in a region and the degree of coordination between social production and the living environment. As part of a new development strategy for Fujian Province, the Western Taiwan Straits Economic Zone (hereafter referred to as the Economic Zone) provides an important guarantee for the development of China's southeastern coastal area. Based on ecological and remote sensing data on the Economic Zone obtained in 2000, 2005, and 2010, this study investigated county-level administrative regions with a comprehensive index of eco-environmental indicators. An objective weighting method was used to determine the importance of each indicator. This led to the development of an indicator system to assess the eco-environmental quality of the economic zone. ArcGIS software was used to assess the eco-environmental quality of the economic zone based on each indicator. The eco-environmental quality index (EQI) of the county-level administrative regions was calculated. The overall eco-environmental quality of the Economic Zone during the period studied is described and analyzed. The results show that the overall eco-environmental quality of the Economic Zone is satisfactory, but significant intraregional differences still exist. The key to improving the overall eco-environmental quality of this area is to restore vegetation and preserve biodiversity.

Opisthorchis felineus infection prevalence in Western Siberia: A review of Russian literature.

PubMed

Fedorova, Olga S; Fedotova, Marina M; Sokolova, Tatiana S; Golovach, Ekaterina A; Kovshirina, Yulia V; Ageeva, Tatiana S; Kovshirina, Anna E; Kobyakova, Olga S; Ogorodova, Ludmila M; Odermatt, Peter

2018-02-01

In this study we reviewed Russian scientific literature (scientific publications, book chapters, monographs) published between 1 January 1979 and 31 August 2015 from two sources: Main database of the Russian Scientific Electronic Library (eLIBRARY, http://elibrary.ru/), and the Scientific Medical Library of Siberian State Medical University (http://medlib.tomsk.ru/). Specifically, the review details the infection prevalence of Opisthorchis felineus (O. felineus) in Western Siberia, Russian Federation. From the primary key words screening, 1591 records were identified from which 32 Russian-language publications were relevant. The lowest O. felineus infection rate of 0.4% was reported in Tatarstan Republic, and the highest reached 83.9% in the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug. The infection prevalence was lower in children than in adults and increased with age. O. felineus infection was detected more often in indigenous population than in migrants. Infection intensity in western regions (Permskaya, Bryanskaya Oblast) was low and varied from 15 to 336 eggs per gram stool (epg), while in endemic regions it reached more than 2000 epg. In some settlements the mean intensity infection was 5234 epg. The high rates of intensity were registered in regions with a high prevalence of infection. Based on obtained data, a map of O. felineus infection prevalence in Western Siberia was developed. After mapping the results, the highest prevalence was detected in Tyumenskaya Oblast with over 60%, while the Tomskaya Oblast had the lowest prevalence at fewer than 19.0%. Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomus Okrug, Altaiskii Krai, Novosibirskaya Oblast and Omskaya Oblast had an average level of O. felineus infection of 20-39%. According to the results of the review, Western Siberia must be considered as highly endemic region for opisthorchiasis in the Russian Federation. The development of a control program specific for the Russian community is warranted. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Oil and gas projects in the Western Amazon: threats to wilderness, biodiversity, and indigenous peoples.

PubMed

Finer, Matt; Jenkins, Clinton N; Pimm, Stuart L; Keane, Brian; Ross, Carl

2008-08-13

The western Amazon is the most biologically rich part of the Amazon basin and is home to a great diversity of indigenous ethnic groups, including some of the world's last uncontacted peoples living in voluntary isolation. Unlike the eastern Brazilian Amazon, it is still a largely intact ecosystem. Underlying this landscape are large reserves of oil and gas, many yet untapped. The growing global demand is leading to unprecedented exploration and development in the region. We synthesized information from government sources to quantify the status of oil development in the western Amazon. National governments delimit specific geographic areas or "blocks" that are zoned for hydrocarbon activities, which they may lease to state and multinational energy companies for exploration and production. About 180 oil and gas blocks now cover approximately 688,000 km(2) of the western Amazon. These blocks overlap the most species-rich part of the Amazon. We also found that many of the blocks overlap indigenous territories, both titled lands and areas utilized by peoples in voluntary isolation. In Ecuador and Peru, oil and gas blocks now cover more than two-thirds of the Amazon. In Bolivia and western Brazil, major exploration activities are set to increase rapidly. Without improved policies, the increasing scope and magnitude of planned extraction means that environmental and social impacts are likely to intensify. We review the most pressing oil- and gas-related conservation policy issues confronting the region. These include the need for regional Strategic Environmental Impact Assessments and the adoption of roadless extraction techniques. We also consider the conflicts where the blocks overlap indigenous peoples' territories.

Oil and Gas Projects in the Western Amazon: Threats to Wilderness, Biodiversity, and Indigenous Peoples

PubMed Central

Finer, Matt; Jenkins, Clinton N.; Pimm, Stuart L.; Keane, Brian; Ross, Carl

2008-01-01

Background The western Amazon is the most biologically rich part of the Amazon basin and is home to a great diversity of indigenous ethnic groups, including some of the world's last uncontacted peoples living in voluntary isolation. Unlike the eastern Brazilian Amazon, it is still a largely intact ecosystem. Underlying this landscape are large reserves of oil and gas, many yet untapped. The growing global demand is leading to unprecedented exploration and development in the region. Methodology/Principal Findings We synthesized information from government sources to quantify the status of oil development in the western Amazon. National governments delimit specific geographic areas or “blocks” that are zoned for hydrocarbon activities, which they may lease to state and multinational energy companies for exploration and production. About 180 oil and gas blocks now cover ∼688,000 km2 of the western Amazon. These blocks overlap the most species-rich part of the Amazon. We also found that many of the blocks overlap indigenous territories, both titled lands and areas utilized by peoples in voluntary isolation. In Ecuador and Peru, oil and gas blocks now cover more than two-thirds of the Amazon. In Bolivia and western Brazil, major exploration activities are set to increase rapidly. Conclusions/Significance Without improved policies, the increasing scope and magnitude of planned extraction means that environmental and social impacts are likely to intensify. We review the most pressing oil- and gas-related conservation policy issues confronting the region. These include the need for regional Strategic Environmental Impact Assessments and the adoption of roadless extraction techniques. We also consider the conflicts where the blocks overlap indigenous peoples' territories. PMID:18716679

Correlation of Aerogravity and BHT Data to Develop a Geothermal Gradient Map of the Northern Western Desert of Egypt using an Artificial Neural Network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mohamed, Haby S.; Abdel Zaher, Mohamed; Senosy, Mahmoud M.; Saibi, Hakim; El Nouby, Mohamed; Fairhead, J. Derek

2015-06-01

The northern part of the Western Desert of Egypt represents the second most promising area of hydrocarbon potential after the Gulf of Suez province. An artificial neural network (ANN) approach was used to develop a new predictive model for calculation of the geothermal gradients in this region based on gravity and corrected bottom-hole temperature (BHT) data. The best training data set was obtained with an ANN architecture composed of seven neurons in the hidden layer, which made it possible to predict the geothermal gradient with satisfactory efficiency. The BHT records of 116 deep oil wells (2,000-4,500 m) were used to evaluate the geothermal resources in the northern Western Desert. Corrections were applied to the BHT data to obtain the true formation equilibrium temperatures, which can provide useful constraints on the subsurface thermal regime. On the basis of these corrected data, the thermal gradient was computed for the linear sections of the temperature-versus-depth data at each well. The calculated geothermal gradient using temperature log data was generally 30 °C/km, with a few local high geothermal gradients in the northwestern parts of the study area explained by potential local geothermal fields. The Bouguer gravity values from the study area ranged from -60 mGal in the southern parts to 120 mGal in the northern areas, and exhibited NE-SW and E-W trends associated with geological structures. Although the northern Western Desert of Egypt has low regional temperature gradients (30 °C/km), several potential local geothermal fields were found (>40 °C/km). The heat flow at each well was also computed by combining sets of temperature gradients and thermal conductivity data. Aerogravity data were used to delineate the subsurface structures and tectonic framework of the region. The result of this study is a new geothermal gradient map of the northern Western Desert developed from gravity and BHT log data.

Drought variation of western Chinese Loess Plateau since 1568 and its linkages with droughts in western North America

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fang, Keyan; Guo, Zhengtang; Chen, Deliang; Linderholm, Hans W.; Li, Jinbao; Zhou, Feifei; Guo, Guoyang; Dong, Zhipeng; Li, Yingjun

2017-12-01

Understanding long-term drought variations in the past can help to evaluate ongoing and future hydroclimate change in the arid western Chinese Loess Plateau (WCLP), a region with increasing demand for water resources due to the increasing population and socioeconomic activities. Here we present a new tree-ring chronology inform the WCLP, which shows coherent interannual variations with tree-ring chronologies from 7 neighboring areas across the WCLP, suggesting a common regional climate control over tree growth. However, considerable differences are observed among their interdecadal variations, which are likely due to growth disturbances at interdecadal timescales. To deal with this issue, we use a frequency based method to develop a composite tree-ring chronology from 401 tree-ring series from these 8 sites, which shows more pronounced interdecadal variability than a chronology developed using traditional methods. The composite tree-ring chronology is used to reconstruct the annual precipitation from previous August to current July from 1568 to 2012, extending about 50 years longer than the previous longest tree-ring reconstruction from the region. The driest epoch of our reconstruction is found in the 1920s-1930s, which matches well with droughts recorded in historical documents. Over the past four centuries, a strong resemblance between drought variability in the WCLP and western North America (WNA) is evident on multidecadal timescales, but this relationship breaks down on timescales shorter than about 50 years.

Developing a palliative care service model for Muslim Middle Eastern countries.

PubMed

Al-Awamer, Ahmed; Downar, James

2014-12-01

Palliative Care (PC) was first introduced to Muslim Middle Eastern (MME) countries in 1992, but growth of PC has been slow and access to PC is still limited in the region. While most PC models have been developed in Western countries, MME societies have different cultural and religious values that are not incorporated in Western models. We conducted a qualitative study to look at these differences, in order to inform a culturally acceptable model of PC that meets the needs of MME patients and their families. We conducted semi-structured interviews of PC physicians and nurses with experience in both Western and MME countries. Participants were identified by snowball sampling. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed using a modified grounded-theory approach. We achieved conceptual saturation after 13 interviews. Participants identified four differences between PC practice in Western and MME countries including: cultural differences, legal and policy differences, stances on PC philosophy, and the availability of resources and support for PC. Participants identified five barriers to advancing PC in the MME: shortage of resources, unclear laws and policies, healthcare system barriers, unfamiliarity with the role and benefits of PC, and cultural barriers. Respondents suggested many facilitators at the institutional, regional, and societal levels. We identified a number of important differences in PC practice, as well as common barriers and facilitators for developing PC services in MME countries. This information can help clinicians who are developing PC services in a MME country.

SOAR: Showcasing Outstanding Achievements in Region 1.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Florida State Dept. of Education, Tallahassee. Div. of Workforce Development.

This document showcases 129 exemplary workforce development-related programs at elementary schools, middle schools, high schools, adult centers, school districts, vocational-technical centers, and two- and four-year colleges in 15 counties in Florida's western panhandle region. The 15 counties are: (1) Bay; (2) Calhoun; (3) Escambia; (4) Franklin;…

Assessment of Erysiphe necator ascospore release models for use in the Mediterranean climate of western Oregon

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Predictive models have been developed in several major grape growing regions to correlate environmental conditions to Erysiphe necator ascospore release; however, these models may not accurately predict ascospore release in other viticulture regions with differing climatic conditions. To assess asco...

75 FR 65964 - Version One Regional Reliability Standard for Resource and Demand Balancing

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-10-27

... Standard developed by the Western Electricity Coordinating Council and approved by the North American... Electricity Coordinating Council 6 C. WECC Regional Reliability Standard BAL-002-WECC-1... 9 II. Discussion 14... Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) and approved by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation...

Integrated Energy-Water Planning in the Western and Texas Interconnections

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

Tidwell, Vincent; Gasper, John; Goldstein, Robert

2013-07-29

While long-term regional electricity transmission planning has traditionally focused on cost, infrastructure utilization, and reliability, issues concerning the availability of water represent an emerging issue. Thermoelectric expansion must be considered in the context of competing demands from other water use sectors balanced with fresh and non-fresh water supplies subject to climate variability. An integrated Energy-Water Decision Support System (DSS) is being developed that will enable planners in the Western and Texas Interconnections to analyze the potential implications of water availability and cost for long-range transmission planning. The project brings together electric transmission planners (Western Electricity Coordinating Council and Electric Reliabilitymore » Council of Texas) with western water planners (Western Governors’ Association and the Western States Water Council). This paper lays out the basic framework for this integrated Energy-Water DSS.« less

A global map for traumatic spinal cord injury epidemiology: towards a living data repository for injury prevention.

PubMed

Cripps, R A; Lee, B B; Wing, P; Weerts, E; Mackay, J; Brown, D

2011-04-01

Literature review. To map traumatic spinal cord injury (TSCI) globally and provide a framework for an ongoing repository of data for prevention. An initiative of the ISCoS Prevention Committee. The results obtained from the search of Medline/Embase using search phrases: TSCI incidence, aetiology, prevalence and survival were analysed. Stratification of data into green/yellow/red quality 'zones' allowed comparison between data. Reported global prevalence of TSCI is insufficient (236-1009 per million). Incidence data was comparable only for regions in North America (39 per million), Western Europe (15 per million) and Australia (16 per million). The major cause of TSCI in these regions involves four-wheeled motor vehicles, in contrast to South-east Asia where two-wheeled (and non-standard) road transport predominates. Southern Asia and Oceania have falls from rooftops and trees as the primary cause. High-fall rates are also seen in developed regions with aged populations (Japan/Western Europe). Violence/self-harm (mainly firearm-related) was higher in North America (15%) than either Western Europe (6%) or Australia (2%). Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest reported violence-related TSCI in the world (38%). Rates are also high in north Africa/Middle East (24%) and Latin America (22%). Developed countries have significantly improved TSCI survival compared with developing countries, particularly for tetraplegia. Developing countries have the highest 1-year mortality rates and in some countries in sub-Saharan Africa the occurrence of a spinal injury is likely to be a fatal condition within a year. Missing prevalence and insufficient incidence data is a recurrent feature of this review. The piecemeal approach to epidemiological reporting of TSCI, particularly failing to include sound regional denominators has exhausted its utility. Minimum data collection standards are required.

Modeling Late-Summer Distribution of Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) in the Western United States

PubMed Central

Gardner, Grant

2016-01-01

Increasing development across the western United States (USA) elevates concerns about effects on wildlife resources; the golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) is of special concern in this regard. Knowledge of golden eagle abundance and distribution across the western USA must be improved to help identify and conserve areas of major importance to the species. We used distance sampling and visual mark-recapture procedures to estimate golden eagle abundance from aerial line-transect surveys conducted across four Bird Conservation Regions in the western USA between 15 August and 15 September in 2006–2010, 2012, and 2013. To assess golden eagle-habitat relationships at this scale, we modeled counts of golden eagles seen during surveys in 2006–2010, adjusted for probability of detection, and used land cover and other environmental factors as predictor variables within 20-km2 sampling units randomly selected from survey transects. We found evidence of positive relationships between intensity of use by golden eagles and elevation, solar radiation, and mean wind speed, and of negative relationships with the proportion of landscape classified as forest or as developed. The model accurately predicted habitat use observed during surveys conducted in 2012 and 2013. We used the model to construct a map predicting intensity of use by golden eagles during late summer across our ~2 million-km2 study area. The map can be used to help prioritize landscapes for conservation efforts, identify areas where mitigation efforts may be most effective, and identify regions for additional research and monitoring. In addition, our map can be used to develop region-specific (e.g., state-level) density estimates based on the latest information on golden eagle abundance from a late-summer survey and aid designation of geographic management units for the species. PMID:27556735

Modeling Late-Summer Distribution of Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) in the Western United States.

PubMed

Nielson, Ryan M; Murphy, Robert K; Millsap, Brian A; Howe, William H; Gardner, Grant

2016-01-01

Increasing development across the western United States (USA) elevates concerns about effects on wildlife resources; the golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) is of special concern in this regard. Knowledge of golden eagle abundance and distribution across the western USA must be improved to help identify and conserve areas of major importance to the species. We used distance sampling and visual mark-recapture procedures to estimate golden eagle abundance from aerial line-transect surveys conducted across four Bird Conservation Regions in the western USA between 15 August and 15 September in 2006-2010, 2012, and 2013. To assess golden eagle-habitat relationships at this scale, we modeled counts of golden eagles seen during surveys in 2006-2010, adjusted for probability of detection, and used land cover and other environmental factors as predictor variables within 20-km2 sampling units randomly selected from survey transects. We found evidence of positive relationships between intensity of use by golden eagles and elevation, solar radiation, and mean wind speed, and of negative relationships with the proportion of landscape classified as forest or as developed. The model accurately predicted habitat use observed during surveys conducted in 2012 and 2013. We used the model to construct a map predicting intensity of use by golden eagles during late summer across our ~2 million-km2 study area. The map can be used to help prioritize landscapes for conservation efforts, identify areas where mitigation efforts may be most effective, and identify regions for additional research and monitoring. In addition, our map can be used to develop region-specific (e.g., state-level) density estimates based on the latest information on golden eagle abundance from a late-summer survey and aid designation of geographic management units for the species.

Residential water usage: A case study of the major cities of the western region of Saudi Arabia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abu Rizaiza, Omar S.

1991-05-01

Socioeconomic and climatological data of the major cities of the western region of Saudi Arabia have been used to develop several models to estimate the residential water usage for different kinds of houses. The developed models correlate the residential water usages with temperature, income, family size, price of water, and availability of a garden within the house. The study shows that the residential water uses in houses supplied by a public pipe network are 1.4-2 times greater than the residential water uses in houses supplied by tankers. It also shows that the price elasticities are very similar to those estimated in the United States. Income elasticities, on the other hand, are lower than those typically found in more industrialized countries.

Spatiotemporal patterns of mercury accumulation in lake sediments of western North America

USGS Publications Warehouse

Drevnick, Paul; Cooke, Colin A.; Barraza, Daniella; Blais, Jules M.; Coale, Kenneth; Cumming, Brian F.; Curtis, Chris; Das, Biplob; Donahue, William F.; Eagles-Smith, Collin A.; Engstrom, Daniel R.; Fitzgerald, William F.; Furl, Chad V.; Gray, John R.; Hall, Roland I.; Jackson, Togwell A.; Laird, Kathleen R.; Lockhart, W. Lyle; Macdonald, Robie W.; Mast, M. Alisa; Mathieu, Callie; Muir, Derek C.G.; Outridge, Peter; Reinemann, Scott; Rothenberg, Sarah E.; Ruiz-Fernandex, Ana Carolina; St. Louis, V.L.; Sanders, Rhea; Sanei, Hamed; Skierszkan, Elliott; Van Metre, Peter C.; Veverica, Timothy; Wiklund, Johan A.; Wolfe, Brent B.

2016-01-01

For the Western North America Mercury Synthesis, we compiled mercury records from 165 dated sediment cores from 138 natural lakes across western North America. Lake sediments are accepted as faithful recorders of historical mercury accumulation rates, and regional and sub-regional temporal and spatial trends were analyzed with descriptive and inferential statistics. Mercury accumulation rates in sediments have increased, on average, four times (4×) from 1850 to 2000 and continue to increase by approximately 0.2 μg/m2 per year. Lakes with the greatest increases were influenced by the Flin Flon smelter, followed by lakes directly affected by mining and wastewater discharges. Of lakes not directly affected by point sources, there is a clear separation in mercury accumulation rates between lakes with no/little watershed development and lakes with extensive watershed development for agricultural and/or residential purposes. Lakes in the latter group exhibited a sharp increase in mercury accumulation rates with human settlement, stabilizing after 1950 at five times (5×) 1850 rates. Mercury accumulation rates in lakes with no/little watershed development were controlled primarily by relative watershed size prior to 1850, and since have exhibited modest increases (in absolute terms and compared to that described above) associated with (regional and global) industrialization. A sub-regional analysis highlighted that in the ecoregion Northwestern Forest Mountains, <1% of mercury deposited to watersheds is delivered to lakes. Research is warranted to understand whether mountainous watersheds act as permanent sinks for mercury or if export of “legacy” mercury (deposited in years past) will delay recovery when/if emissions reductions are achieved.

Influences of climate, fire, and topography on contemporary age structure patterns of Douglas-fir at 205 old forest sites in western Oregon

Treesearch

Nathan J. Poage; Peter J. Weisberg; Peter C. Impara; John C. Tappeiner; Thomas S. Sensenig

2009-01-01

Knowledge of forest development is basic to understanding the ecology, dynamics, and management of forest ecosystems. We hypothesized that the age structure patterns of Douglas-fir at 205 old forest sites in western Oregon are extremely variable with long and (or) multiple establishment periods common, and that these patterns reflect variation in regional-scale climate...

Sometimes Overlooked: Women's Small Business Development Center.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lariviere, Elizabeth A.

2001-01-01

Describes the development and growth of the Western Reserve Small Business Development Center for Women (Ohio), which promotes the advancement of women-owned businesses in the Northeastern Ohio region by assisting women in starting and maintaining their own businesses. States that the center offers low-cost training programs and counseling by a…

Brett Oakleaf | NREL

Science.gov Websites

Brett.Oakleaf@nrel.gov | 303-275-3771 Brett leads business development initiatives related to commercial ports within the oil and gas industry. In addition, he provides business development support for JISEA and CEMAC. Prior to NREL, he was the Director of Business Development Western Region for Invenergy, a

Inventory of interbasin transfers of water in the western conterminous United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Petsch, H.E.

1989-01-01

Information is presented on the quantity of water transferred from one river basin to another in the western conterminous United States. The information is needed by water system managers and planners to develop water budgets for major river basins, to examine the relative extent of existing interbasin transfers, and to define the importance of transferring water to meet regional water demands. All or parts of 11 major water resources regions and 111 complete subregions comprise the study area; water is exported from 39 of these subregions. The average quantity of water exported annually during 1973-82 was about 12 million acre-feet. (USGS)

[Differentiation of geographic biovariants of smallpox virus by PCR].

PubMed

Babkin, I V; Babkina, I N

2010-01-01

Comparative analysis of amino acid and nucleotides sequences of ORFs located in extended segments of the terminal variable regions in variola virus genome detected a promising locus for viral genotyping according to the geographic origin. This is ORF O1L of VARV. The primers were calculated for synthesis of this ORF fragment by PCR, which makes it possible to distinguish South America-Western Africa genotype from other VARV strains. Subsequent RFLP analysis reliably differentiated Asian strains from African strains (except Western Africa isolates). This method has been tested using 16 VARV strains from various geographic regions. The developed approach is simple, fast and reliable.

Relationships between stratospheric clear air turbulence and synoptic meteorological parameters over the western United States between 12-20 km altitude

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Scoggins, J. R.; Clark, T. L.; Possiel, N. C.

1975-01-01

Procedures for forecasting clear air turbulence in the stratosphere over the western United States from rawinsonde data are described and results presented. Approaches taken to relate meteorological parameters to regions of turbulence and nonturbulence encountered by the XB-70 during 46 flights at altitudes between 12-20 km include: empirical probabilities, discriminant function analysis, and mountainwave theory. Results from these techniques were combined into a procedure to forecast regions of clear air turbulence with an accuracy of 70-80 percent. A computer program was developed to provide an objective forecast directly from the rawinsonde sounding data.

75 FR 30852 - Hydroelectric Power Development at Ridgway Dam, Dallas Creek Project, Colorado

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-06-02

... Gold, Assistant Regional Director, Upper Colorado Region. [FR Doc. 2010-13149 Filed 6-1-10; 8:45 am..., Dallas Creek Project, Colorado AGENCY: Bureau of Reclamation, Interior. ACTION: Notice of intent to..., Area Manager, Western Colorado Area Office, Bureau of Reclamation, 2764 Compass Drive, Suite 106, Grand...

Outlook: The Growing Latino Presence in the Tri-State Region.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Latino Commission of Tri-State, New York, NY.

This study uses 1980 Census information and post-Census trends to develop an information base for the Latino community in the tri-state region of Southern New York, Northern New Jersey, and Western Connecticut. This reference base provides a demographic and socioeconomic profile of the Latino community in the following categories: (1) the…

Human Capital Formation in the Gulf and MENA Region.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shaw, Ken E.

2001-01-01

Recent developments in human capital formation theories are particularly relevant to the Gulf and Middle Eastern and North African regions. Discusses recent western reconfigurations of the theory, noting how much local work must be done to reshape theory appropriately in the Middle East and explaining how issues relating to employment, education,…

Ocean Carbon Flux, Transport, and Burial Within the Western and Eastern US Coastal Zones

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McWilliams, James C.; Moisan, John R.; Haidvogel, Dale B.; Miller, Arthur J.; Cornuelle, Bruce; Stolzenbach, Keith D.

2004-01-01

This project has been to develop and apply a regional. eddy-resolving circulation and biogeochemistry model of both the western and eastern U.S. coastal regions, capable of simulating the processes that control the carbon cycle. Validation has been by statistical comparison with analyses from various satellite measurements, including those from EOS sensors, as well as from in situ measurements. Sensitivity studies were carried out to investigate how the coastal ecosystem and biogeochemical cycles respond to changes in climate, large-scale eutrophication from indus- trial pollution, and other anthropogenic induced changes. The research has been conducted in collaboration with research groups at UCLA. NASA/GSFC (Wallops), Rutgers, and SIO. Overall. the project was focused on several key modeling issues, each of which tie back into completing the primary task of developing a coastal carbon model for both the eastern and western US. coasts. Individual groups within the entire program are still collaborating to address these specific tasks. These include: implementation of the coupled circulation/biogeochemical model within the U.S. West Coast. including high-resolution, embedded subdomains for the Southern California Bight and Monterey Bay region; development of a biogeochemical model with resolved carbon, nitrogen and oxygen cycles; development of data assimilation techniques for use of satellite data sets; reconfiguration of the model domain to U.S. East Coast; development of coastal forcing fields: development of methods to compare the model against remotely sensed data; and, the test of model sensitivity to environmental conditions. Below, we present a summary of the progress made toward achieving these soak. Because this has been a multi-institutional, collaborative effort, we note the groups involved with particular activities.

Growth and invasive potential of Sapium sebiferum (Euphorbiaceae) within the coastal prairie region: the effects of soil and moisture regime

USGS Publications Warehouse

Barrilleaux, T.C.; Grace, J.B.

2000-01-01

The introduced tree Sapium sebiferum (Euphorbiaceae) is considered a serious threat to the preservation of the coastal prairie region of Louisiana and Texas, although it is currently uncommon in the western part of the region. The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential effects of location, soils, and available moisture on the growth and survival of S. sebiferum in coastal prairie. In a field experiment, S. sebiferum mortality was significantly greater at a western site than at central and eastern sites. The greatest mortality and least growth of surviving plants occurred on a soil from the western region, regardless of site. A greenhouse study also found that S. sebiferum growth was lowest on the western soil. Watering frequency significantly affected S. sebiferum growth, except on the western soil. Sapium sebiferum growth responded to both nitrogen and phosphorum additions for all soils. Soil analyses revealed the highest sand, sodium, and phosphorus contents, and much higher electrical conductivity in the western soil. It is concluded that the soil examined from the western region is unfavorable for S. sebiferum growth, though not to the extent to preclude S. sebiferum completely. Evidence suggests that soil salinity may be the primary cause of the poor S. sebiferum growth at the western site.

SERVIR Support to NSDI Efforts in Mesoamerica, Africa and the Himalayas

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Delgado, Francisco

2014-01-01

SERVIR is a joint effort between NASA, USAID to build or improve capacities in developing regions to help adaptation to climate change by taking advantage of Earth Observation data for decision making. The project began in 2004, in Mesoamerica, partnering with the Central American Commission for Environment and Development(CCAD), the World Bank and CATHALAC. CATHALAC, located in Panama, serves as the regional hub for Mesoamerica since 2005. Two additional regional hubs have been established (in Easters & Western Africa - at RCMRD, Kenya, and The Himalayas- at ICIMOD, Nepal), and two more regional hubs are soon to be launched.

Developing Regionalized Models of Lithospheric Thickness and Velocity Structure Across Eurasia and the Middle East from Jointly Inverting P-Wave and S-Wave Receiver Functions with Rayleigh Wave Group and Phase Velocities

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-09-01

lithospheric velocity structure for a wide variety of tectonic regions throughout Eurasia and the Middle East. We expect the regionalized models will improve...constructed by combining the 1D joint inversion models within each tectonic region and validated through regional waveform modeling. The velocity models thus...important differences in lithospheric structure between the cratonic regions of Eastern Europe and the tectonic regions of Western Europe and the

Health disparities among the western, central and eastern rural regions of China after a decade of health promotion and disease prevention programming.

PubMed

Zhang, Xi-Fan; Tian, Xiang-Yang; Cheng, Yu-Lan; Feng, Zhan-Chun; Wang, Liang; Southerland, Jodi

2015-08-01

Health disparities between the western, central and eastern regions of rural China, and the impact of national health improvement policies and programming were assessed. A total of 400 counties were randomly sampled. ANOVA and Logistic regression modeling were employed to estimate differences in health outcomes and determinants. Significant differences were found between the western, central and eastern rural regions in community infrastructure and health outcomes. From 2000 to 2010, health indicators in rural China were improved significantly, and the infant mortality rate (IMR), maternal mortality rate (MMR) and under 5 mortality rate (U5MR) had fallen by 62.79%, 71.74% and 61.92%, respectively. Central rural China had the greatest decrease in IMR (65.05%); whereas, western rural China had the greatest reduction in MMR (72.99%) but smallest reduction in U5MR (57.36%). Despite these improvements, Logistic regression analysis showed regional differences in key health outcome indicators (odds ratios): IMR (central: 2.13; western: 5.31), U5MR (central: 2.25; western: 5.69), MMR (central: 1.94; western: 3.31), and prevalence of infectious diseases (central: 1.62; western: 3.58). The community infrastructure and health outcomes of the western and central rural regions of China have been improved markedly during the first decade of the 21st century. However, health disparities still exist across the three regions. National efforts to increase per capita income, community empowerment and mobilization, community infrastructure, capacity of rural health facilities, and health literacy would be effective policy options to attain health equity.

Annual peak streamflow and ancillary data for small watersheds in central and western Texas

USGS Publications Warehouse

Harwell, Glenn R.; Asquith, William H.

2011-01-01

Estimates of annual peak-streamflow frequency are needed for flood-plain management, assessment of flood risk, and design of structures, such as roads, bridges, culverts, dams, and levees. Regional regression equations have been developed and are used extensively to estimate annual peak-streamflow frequency for ungaged sites in natural (unregulated and rural or nonurbanized) watersheds in Texas (Asquith and Slade, 1997; Asquith and Thompson, 2008; Asquith and Roussel, 2009). The most recent regional regression equations were developed by using data from 638 Texas streamflow-gaging stations throughout the State with eight or more years of data by using drainage area, channel slope, and mean annual precipitation as predictor variables (Asquith and Roussel, 2009). However, because of a lack of sufficient historical streamflow data from small, rural watersheds in certain parts of the State (central and western), substantial uncertainity exists when using the regional regression equations for the purpose of estimating annual peak-streamflow frequency.

The tectonic setting of the Seychelles, Mascarene and Amirante Plateaus in the Western Equatorial Indian Ocean

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mart, Y.

1988-01-01

A system of marine plateaus occurs in the western equatorial Indian Ocean, forming an arcuate series of wide and shallow banks with small islands in places. The oceanic basins that surround the Seychelles - Amirante region are of various ages and reflect a complex seafloor spreading pattern. The structural analysis of the Seychelle - Amirante - Mascarene region reflects the tectonic evolution of the western equatorial Indian Ocean. It is suggested that due to the seafloor spreading during a tectonic stage, the Seychelles continental block drifted southwestwards to collide with the oceanic crust of the Mascarene Basin, forming an elongated folded structure at first, and then a subduction zone. The morphological similarity, the lithological variability and the different origin of the Seychelles Bank, the Mascarene Plateau and the Amirante Arc emphasizes the significant convergent effects of various plate tectonic processes on the development of marine plateaus.

Regionally Specific Tasks of Non-Western English Language Use

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lanteigne, Betty

2006-01-01

Many English tests based on Western culture are inappropriate for regions where English use differs from that of Europe and North America. In these non-Western settings, it is desirable that English assessments be based on real-world English use. Therefore, identifying tasks of non-Western English language use is a beginning step in developing…

75 FR 76975 - 2015 Resource Pool-Sierra Nevada Region

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-12-10

...The Western Area Power Administration (Western), a Federal power marketing administration of DOE, announces the Final 2015 Resource Pool allocations pursuant to its 2004 Power Marketing Plan (Marketing Plan) for the Sierra Nevada Customer Service Region (SNR). This notice includes a summary of the comments received on Western's proposed 2015 Resource Pool allocations and Western's responses.

Innovative Technological Development of Russian Mining Regions (on Example of Kemerovo Region)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shavina, Evgeniya; Kalenov, Oleg

2017-11-01

A characteristic trend of many countries modern development is the transition to an innovative economy. At present, this is the only opportunity to secure and maintain a high standard of living for the population. Moreover, innovative development of Russian can be achieved during technological progress in its regions. In this regard, it is necessary to assess the innovative potential of the region and identify the most actual problems that impede the transition to the trajectory of innovative development. The authors outline several main indicators that help to determine the level of innovation and technological development of one of the largest industrial areas of Russia - Kemerovo region. The special economic role of Kemerovo region as a large territorial old-industrial complex of Western Siberia requires a large-scale work to solve the most acute problems of regional development. It is necessary to find the answer for existing problems through the implementation of a system of state regulation aimed at making the innovation component a leading factor of the regional economy competitiveness.

Western Washington and Oregon Community Tree Guide: Benefits, Costs and Strategic Planting

Treesearch

E.G. McPherson; S.E. Maco; J.R. Simpson; P.J. Peper; Q. Xiao; A. VanDerZanden; N. Bell

2002-01-01

Communities in Western Washington and Oregon include nearly 7.4 million people (State of Washington 2001, US Census Bureau 2001) comprising almost 80% of the states’ total populations. The region’s rapid growth, development, and increasing congestion belie the area’s verdant repute. Forests continue to be a quintessential component of the Pacific Northwest’s economic,...

A Statistical Model of Tropical Cyclone Tracks in the Western North Pacific with ENSO-Dependent Cyclogenesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Yonekura, Emmi; Hall, Timothy M.

2011-01-01

A new statistical model for western North Pacific Ocean tropical cyclone genesis and tracks is developed and applied to estimate regionally resolved tropical cyclone landfall rates along the coasts of the Asian mainland, Japan, and the Philippines. The model is constructed on International Best Track Archive for Climate Stewardship (IBTrACS) 1945-2007 historical data for the western North Pacific. The model is evaluated in several ways, including comparing the stochastic spread in simulated landfall rates with historic landfall rates. Although certain biases have been detected, overall the model performs well on the diagnostic tests, for example, reproducing well the geographic distribution of landfall rates. Western North Pacific cyclogenesis is influenced by El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO). This dependence is incorporated in the model s genesis component to project the ENSO-genesis dependence onto landfall rates. There is a pronounced shift southeastward in cyclogenesis and a small but significant reduction in basinwide annual counts with increasing ENSO index value. On almost all regions of coast, landfall rates are significantly higher in a negative ENSO state (La Nina).

Application and calibration of the subsurface mapping capability of SIR-B in desert regions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schaber, G. G.; Mccauley, J. F.; Breed, C. S.; Grolier, M. J.; Issawi, B.; Haynes, C. V.; Mchugh, W.; Walker, A. S.; Blom, R.

1984-01-01

The penetration capability of the shuttle imaging radar (SIR-B) sensor in desert regions is investigated. Refined models to explain this penetration capability in terms of radar physics and regional geologic conditions are devised. The sand-buried radar-rivers discovered in the Western Desert in Egypt and Sudan are defined. Results and procedures developed during previous SIR-A investigation of the same area are extrapolated.

Education for Sustainable Development: Enhancing Climate Change Adaptation Expertise in Developing Countries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fahey, Shireen; Verstraten, Luke; Berry, Ashton J.

2016-01-01

This article presents the results of an innovative education capacity assessment and delivery project to promote sustainable development in large ocean states in the Western Indian Ocean (WIO) region. Science education can help prepare the present and coming generations for stability in an uncertain future. Limited financial, geographical and…

Potential for tree rings to reveal spatial patterns of past drought variability across western Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

O'Donnell, Alison J.; Cook, Edward R.; Palmer, Jonathan G.; Turney, Chris S. M.; Grierson, Pauline F.

2018-02-01

Proxy records have provided major insights into the variability of past climates over long timescales. However, for much of the Southern Hemisphere, the ability to identify spatial patterns of past climatic variability is constrained by the sparse distribution of proxy records. This is particularly true for mainland Australia, where relatively few proxy records are located. Here, we (1) assess the potential to use existing proxy records in the Australasian region—starting with the only two multi-century tree-ring proxies from mainland Australia—to reveal spatial patterns of past hydroclimatic variability across the western third of the continent, and (2) identify strategic locations to target for the development of new proxy records. We show that the two existing tree-ring records allow robust reconstructions of past hydroclimatic variability over spatially broad areas (i.e. > 3° × 3°) in inland north- and south-western Australia. Our results reveal synchronous periods of drought and wet conditions between the inland northern and southern regions of western Australia as well as a generally anti-phase relationship with hydroclimate in eastern Australia over the last two centuries. The inclusion of 174 tree-ring proxy records from Tasmania, New Zealand and Indonesia and a coral record from Queensland did not improve the reconstruction potential over western Australia. However, our findings suggest that the addition of relatively few new proxy records from key locations in western Australia that currently have low reconstruction skill will enable the development of a comprehensive drought atlas for the region, and provide a critical link to the drought atlases of monsoonal Asia and eastern Australia and New Zealand.

Utilizing harmonization and common surveillance methods to consolidate 4 cohorts: the Western Alaska Tribal Collaborative for Health (WATCH) study

PubMed Central

Koller, Kathryn R.; Wolfe, Abbie W.; Metzger, Jesse S.; Austin, Melissa A.; Hopkins, Scarlett E.; Kaufmann, Cristiane; Jolly, Stacey E.; Ebbesson, Sven O.E.; Umans, Jason G.; Howard, Barbara V.; Boyer, Bert B.

2013-01-01

Background According to health status reports, chronic disease prevalence appears to be rising in western Alaska Native (AN) people, and accurate population-based data are needed. Four cohort studies of western AN people were conducted in the Norton Sound and Yukon-Kuskokwim regions, but none have been large enough to allow reliable estimates of rates of chronic diseases and evaluate their risk factors. Objective In this article, the methods used to combine 4 major cohort studies of rural western AN people are described and the benefits and challenges encountered in combining data and standardizing surveillance methods for these studies are discussed. Design Tribal permission was obtained for each cohort study and the consolidated study. Data from baseline exams were directly combined or harmonized into new variables. Common surveillance methods were developed and implemented to identify incidence and risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) events and type 2 diabetes. Results A cohort of 4,569 western AN participants (2,116 men and 2,453 women), aged 18–95 years, was established to study CVD and diabetes prevalence. Prospective surveillance data over an average 6.7-year follow-up can now be used to study CVD and diabetes incidence and associated risk factors in a subset of 2,754 western AN participants (1,218 men and 1,536 women) who consented to initial surveillance. Conclusions The combined cohort provides statistical power to examine incidence rates and risk factors for CVD and diabetes and allows for analyses by geographic region. The data can be used to develop intervention programmes in these populations and others. PMID:23671836

Atmospheric correction using near-infrared bands for satellite ocean color data processing in the turbid western Pacific region.

PubMed

Wang, Menghua; Shi, Wei; Jiang, Lide

2012-01-16

A regional near-infrared (NIR) ocean normalized water-leaving radiance (nL(w)(λ)) model is proposed for atmospheric correction for ocean color data processing in the western Pacific region, including the Bohai Sea, Yellow Sea, and East China Sea. Our motivation for this work is to derive ocean color products in the highly turbid western Pacific region using the Geostationary Ocean Color Imager (GOCI) onboard South Korean Communication, Ocean, and Meteorological Satellite (COMS). GOCI has eight spectral bands from 412 to 865 nm but does not have shortwave infrared (SWIR) bands that are needed for satellite ocean color remote sensing in the turbid ocean region. Based on a regional empirical relationship between the NIR nL(w)(λ) and diffuse attenuation coefficient at 490 nm (K(d)(490)), which is derived from the long-term measurements with the Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on the Aqua satellite, an iterative scheme with the NIR-based atmospheric correction algorithm has been developed. Results from MODIS-Aqua measurements show that ocean color products in the region derived from the new proposed NIR-corrected atmospheric correction algorithm match well with those from the SWIR atmospheric correction algorithm. Thus, the proposed new atmospheric correction method provides an alternative for ocean color data processing for GOCI (and other ocean color satellite sensors without SWIR bands) in the turbid ocean regions of the Bohai Sea, Yellow Sea, and East China Sea, although the SWIR-based atmospheric correction approach is still much preferred. The proposed atmospheric correction methodology can also be applied to other turbid coastal regions.

Application of regional climate models to the Indian winter monsoon over the western Himalayas.

PubMed

Dimri, A P; Yasunari, T; Wiltshire, A; Kumar, P; Mathison, C; Ridley, J; Jacob, D

2013-12-01

The Himalayan region is characterized by pronounced topographic heterogeneity and land use variability from west to east, with a large variation in regional climate patterns. Over the western part of the region, almost one-third of the annual precipitation is received in winter during cyclonic storms embedded in westerlies, known locally as the western disturbance. In the present paper, the regional winter climate over the western Himalayas is analyzed from simulations produced by two regional climate models (RCMs) forced with large-scale fields from ERA-Interim. The analysis was conducted by the composition of contrasting (wet and dry) winter precipitation years. The findings showed that RCMs could simulate the regional climate of the western Himalayas and represent the atmospheric circulation during extreme precipitation years in accordance with observations. The results suggest the important role of topography in moisture fluxes, transport and vertical flows. Dynamical downscaling with RCMs represented regional climates at the mountain or even event scale. However, uncertainties of precipitation scale and liquid-solid precipitation ratios within RCMs are still large for the purposes of hydrological and glaciological studies. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Regional Interstate Planning Project Program . . . Vol. IX. California Program Evaluation Improvement Project. Seminar Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dearmin, Evalyn, Ed.; And Others

Program evaluation strategies and techniques based on materials developed by the California Evaluation Improvement Project were discussed at this meeting of the Regional Interstate Planning Project (RIPP). RIPP members represent the State Departments of Education of ten western states, and have met periodically over the past nine years to discuss…

The seasonality and geographic dependence of ENSO impacts on U.S. surface ozone variability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Li; Yu, Jin-Yi; Schnell, Jordan L.; Prather, Michael J.

2017-04-01

We examine the impact of El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) on surface ozone abundance observed over the continental United States (U.S.) during 1993-2013. The monthly ozone decreases (increases) during El Niño (La Niña) years with amplitude up to 1.8 ppb per standard deviation of Niño 3.4 index. The largest ENSO influences occur over two southern U.S. regions during fall when the ENSO develops and over two western U.S. regions during the winter to spring after the ENSO decays. ENSO affects surface ozone via chemical processes during warm seasons in southern regions, where favorable meteorological conditions occur, but via dynamic transport during cold seasons in western regions, where the ENSO-induced circulation variations are large. The geographic dependence and seasonality of the ENSO impacts imply that regulations regarding air quality and its exceedance need to be adjusted for different seasons and U.S. regions to account for the ENSO-driven patterns in surface ozone.

Mechanics of monoclinal systems in the Colorado Plateau during the Laramide orogeny

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yin, An

1994-11-01

Monoclines developed in the Colorado Plateau region during the Laramide orogeny are divided into western and eastern groups by a broad NNW trending antiform through the central part of the plateau. In the western group the major monoclines verge to the east, whereas in the eastern group the major monoclines verge to the west. Paleogeographic reconstruction based on paleocurrent indicators and sedimentary facies distribution suggests that the broad antiform was developed during the Laramide orogeny and was coeval with the formation of the monoclines in the plateau. This relationship implies that the monoclines were drag folds verging towards the center of the plateau as a response to the antiformal warping of the plateau. To simulate the warping of the plateau region and the stress distribution that produced the variable trends of the monoclines, an elastic thin plate model considering in-plane stress was developed. This model assumes that (1) sedimentation in the Laramide basins provided vertical loading along the edge of the plateau region, (2) frictional sliding was operating along the Laramide faults on the northern and eastern boundaries, and (3) the greatest regional compressive stress was oriented in the N 60 deg E direction and was applied uniformly along the western and southwestern sides of the plateau. Buoyancy due to instantaneous isostatic adjustment of crustal thickening or magmatic addition was also considered. The result of the model suggests that the frictional strength of the Uinta thrust system on the northern side of the plateau is at least 2 times greater than that along the Park Range and Sangre de Cristo thrust systems on the eastern side of the plateau in order to explain the observed monoclinal trends and the warping pattern within the plateau during the Laramide orogeny.

Mapping, monitoring, and modeling Western Gateway Community landscape dynamics

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hester, David J.

2013-01-01

Federal public lands in the western United States are becoming increasingly surrounded by Gateway Communities. These communities are undergoing landscape change due to population growth, economic growth, and the resulting land-use development. Socioeconomic, demographic, and land-use changes in Gateway Communities are often perceived as threats to Federal land resources, natural amenities, cultural resources, and recreational opportunities. However, land-surface disturbances on Federal public lands, such as conventional and alternative energy development (which impact surrounding Gateway Communities), are also environmental and societal issues that Federal land and adjacent regional community planners need to consider in their long-range land-use planning.

Demonstration of enhanced human service transportation models: phase 1 - system development and design : the purchase area regional travel management coordination center (TMCC).

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2009-03-23

This report provides a comprehensive review of the policy, operational, and : technical design and development of the Purchase Area Transportation Management Coordination Center (TMCC) for : western Kentucky. The Purchase Area TMCC will facilitate si...

Developing Attitudinal Metrics for Induction-Year Agricultural Education Teachers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rayfield, John; McKim, Billy R.; Lawrence, Shannon; Stair, Kristin

2014-01-01

This study was part of a larger regional study of induction-year agricultural education teachers in three Western states. Studies have purported that attitude toward teaching is important for understanding and helping induction-year teachers. Thus, developing an instrument to assess induction-year agricultural education teachers' attitudes toward…

Long-term ecosystem monitoring and change detection: the Sonoran initiative

Treesearch

Robert Lozar; Charles Ehlschlaeger

2005-01-01

Ecoregional Systems Heritage and Encroachment Monitoring (ESHEM) examines issues of land management at an ecosystem level using remote sensing. Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), in partnership with Western Illinois University, has developed an ecoregional database and monitoring capability covering the Sonoran region. The monitoring time horizon will...

Pathways from Poverty.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Baldwin, Barbara, Ed.

1995-01-01

Articles in this theme issue are based on presentations at the Pathways from Poverty Workshop held in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on May 18-25, 1995. The event aimed to foster development of a network to address rural poverty issues in the Western Rural Development Center (WRDC) region. Articles report on outcomes from the Pathways from Poverty…

Population structure and group composition of western lowland gorillas in north-western Republic of Congo.

PubMed

Magliocca, F; Querouil, S; Gautier-Hion, A

1999-01-01

Population studies are an essential part of conservation actions. Under exceptional observation conditions we studied a western lowland gorilla population visiting the Maya salt-clearing (north of the Parc national d'Odzala, P.N.O., Congo) over an 8 month period; 36 groups and 18 solitary individuals (a total of 420 individuals) have been identified visiting the clearing, which suggests a high gorilla density in the region. Ninety-six percent of the gorillas entered the clearing in groups. One-male groups had a mean size of 11.2. Ninety percent of solitary individuals were silver-back males. Compared with other populations of both lowland gorillas and mountain gorillas, the Maya population had the highest immature rate and the highest number of infants per female. Ecological correlates that could explain the attractiveness of the Maya clearing are discussed. The present status and the renewal rate of the Maya population indicate the need for further studies and confirm the importance of developing eco-tourism in this region as part of the sustainable park management activities developed by the ECOFAC programme (European Union). The results also provide arguments to support the proposal for extending the P.N.O. to include this region, which is rich in salt-clearings and attracts many other key-species of mammal such as forest elephants.

[On the rational distribution of Chinese population].

PubMed

Zhu, Z

1980-01-01

In 1949, the population distribution in China was characterized by the following distinct features. First, it was unbalanced, with high density in the eastern regions, in the plains, and in areas adjacent to railroads, river navigation routes and other transportation axes. Low population density was found in the western regions, mountainous regions, and areas far from transportation routes. Second, Hans were largest in number and distributed throughout the country, with major concentration in the eastern regions, while the minorities constituted about 10% of the total population and were distributed mainly in the far southwestern and northwestern areas. Third, over 89% of the 540 million of the population was distributed in rural areas while only about 10% in towns and cities, with high densities in some coastal cities. During the past 3 decades, the unbalanced nature of China's population has remained basically unchanged. This can be attributed to factors relating to natural conditions and resources, productivities, socioeconomic conditions, and technological development in different regions. In order to achieve a rational distribution of the Chinese population the following measures should be taken: 1) controlling the birth rate of the Hans and increasing the population of minorities; 2) moving the population of the dense areas to the border provinces in the western regions to develop their natural resources and to elevate the living standards; 3) modernizing the rural areas; 4) strictly controlling the industrial developments of large cities and their population growth; and 5) strictly restricting the unplanned migration of population to and from cities.

Does Late Miocene Exhumation Along the Western Slope of the Colorado Rockies Reflect Differential Rock Uplift?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rosenberg, R. H.; Kirby, E.; Aslan, A.; Karlstrom, K. E.; Heizler, M. T.; Kelley, S. A.; Piotraschke, R. E.; Furlong, K. P.

2011-12-01

It is increasingly recognized that dynamic effects associated with changes in mantle flow and buoyancy can influence the evolution of surface topography. In the Rocky Mountain province of the western United States, recent seismic deployments reveal intriguing correlations between anomalies in the velocity structure of the upper mantle and regions of high topography. Here, we investigate whether regional correlations between upper-mantle structure and topography are associated with the history of Late Cenozoic fluvial incision and exhumation. Major tributaries of the upper Colorado River, including the Gunnison and Dolores Rivers, which drain high topography in central and western Colorado overlie upper mantle with slow seismic wave velocities; these drainages exhibit relatively steep longitudinal profiles (normalized for differences in drainage area and discharge) and are associated with ~1000-1500 m of incision over the past 10 Ma. In contrast, tributaries of the Green River that drain the western slope in northern Colorado (White, Yampa, and Little Snake Rivers) overlie mantle of progressively higher seismic wave velocities. River profiles in northern Colorado are two to three times less steep along reaches with comparable bedrock lithologies. New Ar39/Ar40 ages on ~11 Ma basalt flows capping the Tertiary Brown's Park Formation in northern Colorado indicate that the magnitude of exhumation along these profiles ranges from ~400 - 600 m over this time interval. The correspondence of steep river profiles in regions of greater incision implies that the fluvial systems are dynamically adjusting to an external forcing. New constraints on the exhumation history of the upper Colorado River from apatite fission track ages in boreholes near Rifle, Colorado are best explained by an onset of exhumation at ca. 8-10 Ma. Thus, relative base level fall associated with development of Grand Canyon (ca. 6-5 Ma) does not explain the regional onset of incision along the western slope of the Rockies. Additionally, new cosmogenic burial ages from fan-terrace complexes near Rifle, Colorado show that Colorado River incision occurred at similar rates over both 10 Ma and 2 Ma timescales. Fluvial incision in response to relative base level fall or to changes in regional climate cannot easily explain the history of differential incision along the western slope. Given the correspondence of steep channels, large magnitude incision and regions of low seismic velocity mantle, we suggest that differential rock uplift, driven, in part, by differences in the buoyancy and/or convective flow of the mantle beneath western Colorado is the likely driver for Neogene incision.

Energy Futures Synthesis for West-Wide Section 368 Energy Corridors

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

O'Neill, Barbara L.; Gagne, Douglas A.; Cook, Jeffrey J.

To comply with Section 368(a) of the Energy Policy Act of 2005 (EPAct), the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Forest Service designated 6,000 miles of energy corridors on public and national forest lands in the western United States in 2009. The corridors, commonly referred to as 'West-wide' or 'Section 368' energy corridors, are intended as preferred locations for future siting of electric transmission and distribution lines and for oil, gas, and hydrogen pipelines. In response to a lawsuit filed by several organizations over the corridor designations, the BLM, Forest Service, and the U.S. Department of Energymore » entered into a Settlement Agreement, directing the formation of the Section 368 Interagency Workgroup to periodically review the energy corridors on a regional basis. In conducting the reviews, the Workgroup identifies new, relevant, existing, publicly available information to make recommendations for revisions, deletions, and additions to the Section 368 energy corridors. This report synthesizes information in available contemporary transmission, pipeline, and energy future studies to inform the regional reviews by providing a snapshot of what the western energy and transmission system will look like generally 10-15 years in the future. After an overview of the western grid implications, the analysis narrows to Region 2 and Region 3 of the BLM Section 368 energy corridors and focuses on the implications of potential developments in the oil, natural gas, and electricity markets in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and portions of Arizona and Nevada that could inform the current regional review. This analysis will help inform the Workgroup on potential development within existing corridors and the need for new corridors that have not yet been designated.« less

Western environment/lifestyle is associated with increased genome methylation and decreased gene expression in Chinese immigrants living in Australia.

PubMed

Zhang, Guicheng; Wang, Kui; Schultz, Ennee; Khoo, Siew-Kim; Zhang, Xiaopeng; Annamalay, Alicia; Laing, Ingrid A; Hales, Belinda J; Goldblatt, Jack; Le Souëf, Peter N

2016-01-01

Several human diseases and conditions are disproportionally distributed in the world with a significant "Western-developed" vs. "Eastern-developing" gradient. We compared genome-wide DNA methylation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells in 25 newly arrived Chinese immigrants living in a Western environment for less than 6 months ("Newly arrived") with 23 Chinese immigrants living in the Western environment for more than two years ("Long-term") with a mean of 8.7 years, using the Infinium HumanMethylation450 BeadChip. In a sub-group of both subject groups (n = 12 each) we also investigated genome-wide gene expression using a Human HT-12 v4 expression beadChip. There were 62.5% probes among the total number of 382,250 valid CpG sites with greater mean Beta (β) in "Long-term" than in "Newly arrived". In the regions of CpG islands and gene promoters, compared with the CpG sites in all other regions, lower percentages of CpG sites with mean methylation levels in "Long-term" greater than "Newly arrived" were observed, but still >50%. The increase of methylation was associated with a general decrease of gene expression in Chinese immigrants living in the Western environment for a longer period of time. After adjusting for age, gender and other confounding factors the findings remained. Chinese immigrants living in Australia for a longer period of time have increased overall genome methylation and decreased overall gene expression compared with newly arrived immigrants. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Multi-dimension and Comprehensive Assessment on the Utilizing and Sharing of Regional Large-Scale Scientific Equipment

PubMed Central

Li, Chen; Yongbo, Lv; Chi, Chen

2015-01-01

Based on the data from 30 provincial regions in China, an assessment and empirical analysis was carried out on the utilizing and sharing of the large-scale scientific equipment with a comprehensive assessment model established on the three dimensions, namely, equipment, utilization and sharing. The assessment results were interpreted in light of relevant policies. The results showed that on the whole, the overall development level in the provincial regions in eastern and central China is higher than that in western China. This is mostly because of the large gap among the different provincial regions with respect to the equipped level. But in terms of utilizing and sharing, some of the Western provincial regions, such as Ningxia, perform well, which is worthy of our attention. Policy adjustment targeting at the differentiation, elevation of the capacity of the equipment management personnel, perfection of the sharing and cooperation platform, and the promotion of the establishment of open sharing funds, are all important measures to promote the utilization and sharing of the large-scale scientific equipment and to narrow the gap among different regions. PMID:25937850

The migrant as a factor in regional development--the case of Ghana returnees in Western Nigeria.

PubMed

Abegbola, O

1976-09-01

The role of the returnee migrant in the development of the Savannah region of Western Nigeria is examined within the framework of a general hypothesis about the characteristics of the migrants and nonmigrants. From the socioeconomic data on these groups, significant differences emerge. It is assumed that return migrants are more enterprising than nonmigrants and that the type of skills acquired by migrants are those needed for development. 91% of return migrants are not involved in primary activities (e.g., farming) and have a better socioeconomic status even if they do return to agriculture. The majority have learned skills, organized cooperative unions, accumulated money and are given government loans on their return. They returnees as a group tend to establish "footloose" industries, speak more languages, have attained some Western type education (53% are literate), own a radio (90%), read newspapers and correspond with their colleagues who have moved to other parts of the country. Over 66% use modern credit facilities in banks and 23% insure their shops against risks of fire and theft. Educational levels of the children of migrants are significantly higher than nonmigrant's children; 78% of the return migrants had formulated plans for their children's future compared to 42% of the nonmigrants. Therefore, the return migrant represents a net gain in skills and entrepreneurship on the basis of which a spatial settlement strategy for the regeneration of the less developed parts of the country could be planned. Strategies for wide diffusion or concentration of the returnees in one area are rejected. The paper recommends settling a minimum of 1000 returnees in a central development unit surrounded by settlements in a region with a population density of 100/square mile. Services should be prioritized and emphasis placed on the marketing of food crops. 1 such development is described in Ogbomosho district in the Savannah region. Policy implications examined include the need for coordination and integration of the use of return migrants, the need for additional infrastructural (phsyical) facilities to realize development potential, and the need for a pricing policy on commodities.

Ionospheric foF2 at EIA region: comparison between observations and IRI model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chuo, Y. J.; Lee, C. C.

We have used data from an equatorial ionization anomaly area station in the western Pacific region to study the monthly variability of foF2 Diurnal seasonal and solar activity effects were investigated The data established by this study are proposed as valid input values for the development of URSI and CCIR options for the International Reference Ionosphere

"XSEL" Virtual Selective High School Provision: Delivering Academically Selective Secondary Curriculum in Regional, Rural and Remote NSW

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Furney, Ann-Marie; McDiarmid, Carole

2014-01-01

This paper describes the development and implementation of the "xsel" program in Western NSW. The program supports identified high school students from regional, rural and remote communities to access the study of English, maths and science at an academically selective level. A program review was undertaken during 2012 using a structured…

The Revised Institution: The Community College Mission at the End of the 20th Century.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Levin, John S.

This study examines the changed and changing mission of community colleges in the 1990s in the United States and Canada. By narrowing the focus to the geographical area of the Pacific/ Western region, the study seeks to identify the development of international cultural connections consistent with the region and to explain how the globalization…

Site Index Comparisons for Several Tree Species in the Virginia- Carolina Piedmont

Treesearch

David F. Olson; Lino Della-Bianca

1959-01-01

The Piedmont of southern Virginia and the Carolinas contains thousands of acres of pine-hardwood forests. The most widespread commercial timber type of the region is the shortleaf pine-hardwood type. The less extensive Virginia pine-hardwood type lies along the western edge of the Piedmont, but reaches its peak development in the adjacent Appalachian Mountain region (...

Environmental determinants of radiolarian assemblages in the western Pacific since the last deglaciation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hernández-Almeida, I.; Cortese, G.; Yu, P.-S.; Chen, M.-T.; Kucera, M.

2017-08-01

Radiolarians are a very diverse microzooplanktonic group, often distributed in regionally restricted assemblages and responding to specific environmental factors. These properties of radiolarian assemblages make the group more conducive for the development and application of basin-wide ecological models. Here we use a new surface sediment data set from the western Pacific to demonstrate that ecological patterns derived from basin-wide open-ocean data sets cannot be transferred on semirestricted marginal seas. The data set consists of 160 surface sediment samples from three tropical-subtropical regions (East China Sea, South China Sea, and western Pacific), combining 54 new assemblage counts with taxonomically harmonized data from previous studies. Multivariate statistical analyses indicate that winter sea surface temperature at 10 m depth (SSTw) was the most significant environmental variable affecting the composition of radiolarian assemblages, allowing the development of an optimal calibration model (Locally Weighted-Weighted Averaging regression inverse deshrinking, R2cv = 0.88, root-mean-square error of prediction = 1.6°C). The dominant effect of SSTw on radiolarian assemblage composition in the western Pacific is attributed to the East Asian Winter Monsoon (EAWM), which is particularly strong in the marginal seas. To test the applicability of the calibration model on fossil radiolarian assemblages from the marginal seas, the calibration model was applied to two downcore records from the Okinawa Trough, covering the last 18 ka. We observe that these assemblages find most appropriate analogs among modern samples from the marginal basins (East China Sea and South China Sea). Downcore temperature reconstructions at both sites show similarities to known regional SST reconstructions, providing proof of concept for the new radiolarian-based SSTw calibration model.

Spatio-temporal changes in agrochemical inputs and the risk assessment before and after the Grain-For-Green Policy in China.

PubMed

Wang, Xiuhong

2013-02-01

China's Grain-For-Green Policy (GFGP) of returning marginal cropland to forest or grassland is one of the most important large-scale initiatives to combat land degradation in its ecologically vulnerable regions. In order to maintain and increase crop production from decreasing areas of cropland, substantial spatio-temporal changes in agrochemical inputs have occurred, which have strongly influenced the ecological and environmental status of land in China. Based on the agrochemical inputs (chemical fertilizer, pesticide, plastic sheeting, and agricultural diesel oil) at the provincial level between 1993 and 2009, cluster analysis and gravity center modeling were used to trace these spatio-temporal changes. A regional comparative study was also undertaken to investigate the changes in the relative size of agrochemical inputs in the eastern, central, and western regions of China. It was found that the agrochemical inputs increased considerably at the nation level after the GFGP, which in order of increasing rate were: plastic sheeting > agricultural diesel oil > pesticide > chemical fertilizer. The gravity centers of agrochemical inputs moved substantially towards the northwest or west during the latter period of GFGP and regional comparative analysis showed that the agrochemical inputs increased substantially in the western region between 2004 and 2009. The ecological degradation caused by the expansion of the area devoted to crop production in the western region and the potential risk of agricultural non-point pollution caused by the increasing agrochemical inputs are the main factors restricting this area's sustainable development.

Empirical relations to convert magnitudes of the earthquake catalogue for the north western of Algeria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belayadi, Ilyes; Bezzeghoud, Mourad; Fontiela, João; Nadji, Amansour

2017-04-01

North Algeria is one of the most seismically active regions on the western Mediterranean basin and it is related with the boundaries of the Eurasian and Nubian plates. We compiled an earthquake catalogue for the north western of Algeria, within the area -2°W-1°E and 34°N-37°N for the time span 1790 - 2016. To compile the earthquake catalogue we merge all available catalogues either national and international. Then we remove all duplicates and fake earthquakes. The lower level of the catalogue entries is set at M = 2.5. Nevertheless, the magnitudes reported on the catalogue are ML, Ms, Mb, Mw and macroseismic intensity. Thus, we develop new empirical relations to calculate the Mw from the different magnitudes and intensity suitable to the seismic hazard and geodynamic context of North Algeria. Acknowledgements: Ilyes Belayadi is funded entirely by the University of Oran 2 Mohamed Ben Ahmed (Algeria). This work is co-financed by the European Union through the European Regional Development Fund under COMPETE 2020 (Operational Program for Competitiveness and Internationalization) through the ICT project (UID / GEO / 04683/2013) under the reference POCI-01-0145 -FEDER-007690.

The report on The Western Hemisphere Energy Cooperation Study

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

Not Available

1990-10-01

The Report on the Western Hemisphere Energy Cooperation Study is forwarded in accordance with Public Law 100-373, which directed the Secretary of Energy, in cooperation with the Secretaries of State and Commerce, to conduct a study on how best to enhance cooperation between the United States and other countries of the Western Hemisphere with respect to energy policy including stable supplies of, and stable prices for, energy.'' This report highlights the direct relationship between US national energy security and energy developments in the rest of the world, particularly in the Americas. The recommendations of the report are designed to identifymore » new opportunities for effective energy cooperation leading to the adoption of market-based energy policies. The recommendations of the report will, however, have no effect on the current budgets of the applicable agencies. The report calls for: the establishment of active relationships with regional energy organizations; the expansion of the network of bilateral energy consultations with key countries in the region; greater utilization of US energy technologies in the Hemisphere; and the establishment of a policy working group to assure that energy programs of the aid agencies are consistent and support economic development and environmental goals.« less

Toward a Caribbean psychology: an African-centered approach.

PubMed

Sutherland, Marcia Elizabeth

2011-01-01

Although the Americas and Caribbean region are purported to comprise different ethnic groups, this article’s focus is on people of African descent, who represent the largest ethnic group in many countries. The emphasis on people of African descent is related to their family structure, ethnic identity, cultural, psychohistorical, and contemporary psychosocial realities. This article discusses the limitations of Western psychology for theory, research, and applied work on people of African descent in the Americas and Caribbean region. In view of the adaptations that some people of African descent have made to slavery, colonialism, and more contemporary forms of cultural intrusions, it is argued that when necessary, notwithstanding Western psychology’s limitations, Caribbean psychologists should reconstruct mainstream psychology to address the psychological needs of these Caribbean people. The relationship between theory and psychological interventions for the optimal development of people of African descent is emphasized throughout this article. In this regard, the African-centered and constructionist viewpoint is argued to be of utility in addressing the psychological growth and development of people of African descent living in the Americas and Caribbean region.

76 FR 70703 - Agenda and Notice of Public Meeting of the California Advisory Committee

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-11-15

... meeting, or who desire additional information should contact Angelica Trevino, Office Manager, Western... must be received in the Western Regional Office of the Commission by January 5, 2012. The address is Western Regional Office, U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, 300 N. Los Angeles Street, Suite 2010, Los...

Leadership for Turning Around Low-Performing Schools: A Western Regional Roundtable. Issue Brief

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Governors Association, 2004

2004-01-01

In April 2004, teams of policymakers and practitioners from eight Western states joined Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano and the National Governors Association (NGA) at "Leadership for Turning Around Low-Performing Schools: A Western Regional Roundtable," a two-day meeting that explored the connection between educational leadership and…

Development of a Digital Aquifer Permeability Map for the Pacific Southwest in Support of Hydrologic Landscape Classification: Methods

EPA Science Inventory

Researchers at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Western Ecology Division have been developing hydrologic landscape maps for selected U.S. states in an effort to create a method to identify the intrinsic watershed attributes of landscapes in regions with little dat...

Hepatitis B control in the World Health Organization's Western Pacific Region: targets, strategies, status.

PubMed

Hennessey, Karen; Mendoza-Aldana, Jorge; Bayutas, Benjamin; Lorenzo-Mariano, Kayla Mae; Diorditsa, Sergey

2013-12-27

WHO's Western Pacific Region has the highest rates of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in the world; most countries have >8% prevalence of HBV chronic infection in their adult population. In 2005, Member States of the Region adopted a resolution to reduce chronic hepatitis B infection prevalence to less than 2% among children by 2012 as an interim milestone toward a regional goal of less than 1% prevalence. Country commitments to hepatitis B control and successes represent a remarkable public health achievement by preventing over 1 million chronic infections and 300,000 HBV-related deaths per birth cohort. Reported here is a review of the process and strategies for translating this public health initiative into practice including such activities as setting up an Expert Resource Panel, developing implementation guidelines, focusing on facility births while supporting efforts to reach home births, providing guidance for conducting seroprevalence surveys, and establishing a verification process. Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Reducing variability that is due to secondary pigments in the retrieval of chlorophyll a concentration from marine reflectance: a case study in the western equatorial Pacific Ocean.

PubMed

Gross, Lydwine; Frouin, Robert; Dupouy, Cécile; André, Jean Michel; Thiria, Sylvie

2004-07-10

A neural network is developed to retrieve chlorophyll a concentration from marine reflectance by use of the five visible spectral bands of the Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor (SeaWiFS). The network, dedicated to the western equatorial Pacific Ocean, is calibrated with synthetic data that vary in terms of atmospheric content, solar zenith angle, and secondary pigments. Pigment variability is based on in situ data collected in the study region and is introduced through nonlinear modeling of phytoplankton absorption as a function of chlorophyll a, b, and c and photosynthetic and photoprotectant carotenoids. Tests performed on simulated yet realistic data show that chlorophyll a retrievals are substantially improved by use of the neural network instead of classical algorithms, which are sensitive to spectrally uncorrelated effects. The methodology is general, i.e., is applicable to regions other than the western equatorial Pacific Ocean.

[Study on the factors impacting on early cochlear implantation between the eastern and western region of China].

PubMed

Xiao, Hanqiong; Li, Wei; Ma, Ruixia; Gong, Zhengpeng; Shi, Haibo; Li, Huawei; Chen, Bing; Jiang, Ye; Dai, Chunfu

2015-06-01

To describe tne regional different factors which impact on early cochlear implantation in prelingual deaf children between eastern and western regions of China. The charts of 113 children who received the cochlear implantation after 24 months old were reviewed and analyzed. Forty-five of them came from the eastern region (Jiangsu, Zhejiang or Shanghai) while 68 of them came from the western region (Ningxia or Guizhou). Parental interviews were conducted to collect information regarding the factors that impact on early cochlear implantation. Result:Based on the univariate logistic regression analysis, the odds ratio (OR) value of universal newborn hearing screening (UNHS) was 5. 481, which indicated the correlation of UNHS with early cochlear implantation is significant. There was statistical difference between the 2 groups (P<0. 01). For the financial burden, the OR value was 3. 521(strong correlation) and there was statistical difference between the 2 groups (P<0. 01). For the communication barriers and community location, the OR value was 0. 566 and 1. 128 respectively, and there was no statistical difference between the 2 groups (P>0. 05). The multivariate analysis indicated that the UNHS and financial burden are statistically different between the eastern and western regions (P=0. 00 and 0. 040 respectively). The UNHS and financial burden are statistically different between the eastern reinforced in the western region. In addition, the government and society should provide powerful policy and more financial support in the western region of China. The innovation of management system is also helpful to the early cochlear implantation.

A Dramatic Regime Shift in Rainfall Predictability Related to the Ningaloo Niño/Niña in the Late 1990s

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Doi, T.; Behera, S. K.; Yamagata, T.

2014-12-01

The global warming and the Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation (IPO) started influencing the coastal ocean off Western Australia, leading to a dramatic change in the regional climate predictability.　The warmed ocean started driving rainfall regionally there after the late 1990s. Because of this, rainfall predictability off Western Australia on a seasonal time scale was drastically enhanced in the late 1990s; it is significantly predictable 5 months ahead after the late 1990s. The high prediction skill of the rainfall in recent decades encourages development of an early warning system of Ningaloo Niño/Niña events to mitigate possible societal as well as agricultural impacts in the granary.

Desertification and its effect on the erosion of vegetation in the south-western region of Saudi Arabia.

PubMed

Abd El-Salam, Magda Magdy; Elhakem, Abeer Hamdy

2016-03-01

This study was conducted in Jazan region of south-western Saudi Arabia. Vegetation cover, frequency, abundance and soil characteristics were analysed at three locations with different quantitative and descriptive vegetation characteristics. Plant species were classified into three primary communities dominated by Salvadora persic, Acacia tortilis and Ziziphus spini-Christi. The results indicated that the distribution of plant species is controlled by soil characteristics. Very limited water resources are also limiting factor in vegetation growth. Among the three studied sites, desert and coastal environments are affected by desertification. Rehabilitation of the degraded lands requires collaborative efforts and support from the different related governmental sectors. Ecological conservation and sustainable development must be adopted as tools of rehabilitation.

Chronostratigraphic cross section of Cretaceous formations in western Montana, western Wyoming, eastern Utah, northeastern Arizona, and northwestern New Mexico, U.S.A.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Merewether, E. Allen; McKinney, Kevin C.

2015-01-01

In this transect for time-stratigraphic units of the Cretaceous, lateral changes in lithologies, regional differences in thicknesses, and the abundance of associated disconformities possibly reflect local and regional tectonic events. Examples of evidence of those events follow: (1) Disconformities and the absence of strata of lowest Cretaceous age in western Montana, western Wyoming, and northern Utah indicate significant tectonism and erosion probably during the Late Jurassic and earliest Cretaceous; ( 2) stages of Upper Cretaceous deposition in the transect display major lateral changes in thickness, which probably reflect regional and local tectonism.

The Novaya Zemlya Bora: Analysis and Numerical Modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Efimov, V. V.; Komarovskaya, O. I.

2018-01-01

We consider the data of an ASRI reanalysis to distinguish the properties of velocity and temperature fields in the region of Novaya Zemlya (NZ). A numerical simulation of the bora development is performed using the WRF-ARW regional model of atmospheric circulation for two cases with different directions of the wind. In the case of southeastern winds, the wind speed and temperature fields are reproduced and the characteristics of the bora are defined: temperature and wind speed increase over the lee slope of mountains and coastal western area of the Barents Sea. In the case of a western wind, the bora does not appear. The estimates of temperature contrasts in the flow of the air stream over the NZ mountains found in the processing of the ASRI data are reported. The region of high velocities and fluxes of sensible and latent heat indicating the climatic role of the NZ archipelago noted earlier in [12] is determined.

Observational evidence for cloud cover enhancement over western European forests.

PubMed

Teuling, Adriaan J; Taylor, Christopher M; Meirink, Jan Fokke; Melsen, Lieke A; Miralles, Diego G; van Heerwaarden, Chiel C; Vautard, Robert; Stegehuis, Annemiek I; Nabuurs, Gert-Jan; de Arellano, Jordi Vilà-Guerau

2017-01-11

Forests impact regional hydrology and climate directly by regulating water and heat fluxes. Indirect effects through cloud formation and precipitation can be important in facilitating continental-scale moisture recycling but are poorly understood at regional scales. In particular, the impact of temperate forest on clouds is largely unknown. Here we provide observational evidence for a strong increase in cloud cover over large forest regions in western Europe based on analysis of 10 years of 15 min resolution data from geostationary satellites. In addition, we show that widespread windthrow by cyclone Klaus in the Landes forest led to a significant decrease in local cloud cover in subsequent years. Strong cloud development along the downwind edges of larger forest areas are consistent with a forest-breeze mesoscale circulation. Our results highlight the need to include impacts on cloud formation when evaluating the water and climate services of temperate forests, in particular around densely populated areas.

Observational evidence for cloud cover enhancement over western European forests

PubMed Central

Teuling, Adriaan J.; Taylor, Christopher M.; Meirink, Jan Fokke; Melsen, Lieke A.; Miralles, Diego G.; van Heerwaarden, Chiel C.; Vautard, Robert; Stegehuis, Annemiek I.; Nabuurs, Gert-Jan; de Arellano, Jordi Vilà-Guerau

2017-01-01

Forests impact regional hydrology and climate directly by regulating water and heat fluxes. Indirect effects through cloud formation and precipitation can be important in facilitating continental-scale moisture recycling but are poorly understood at regional scales. In particular, the impact of temperate forest on clouds is largely unknown. Here we provide observational evidence for a strong increase in cloud cover over large forest regions in western Europe based on analysis of 10 years of 15 min resolution data from geostationary satellites. In addition, we show that widespread windthrow by cyclone Klaus in the Landes forest led to a significant decrease in local cloud cover in subsequent years. Strong cloud development along the downwind edges of larger forest areas are consistent with a forest-breeze mesoscale circulation. Our results highlight the need to include impacts on cloud formation when evaluating the water and climate services of temperate forests, in particular around densely populated areas. PMID:28074840

The Western Energy Corridor Initiative: Unconventional Fuel Development Issues, Impacts, and Management Assessment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wolfsberg, A.; Hagood, M.; Pasqualini, D.; Wood, T.; Wilson, C.; Witkowski, M.; Levitt, D.; Pawar, R.; Keating, G.; Ziock, H.

2008-12-01

The United States is increasingly dependent on imported oil and gas; commodities for which other nations are competing and for which future supply may be inadequate to support our transportation fuel needs. Therefore, a renewed interest in 'harder-to-get' unconventional fuels has emerged in both industry and government with directed focus on world class hydrocarbon resources within a corridor extending from Canada southward through the Rocky Mountain States. Within this Western Energy Corridor, co-located with significant conventional hydrocarbon and renewable energy resources, lie some of the world's richest unconventional hydrocarbon resources in oil shales, oil sands and coal for coal-to-liquid conversion. However, development of these resources poses substantial environmental concerns as well as increasing competition for limited resources of water and habitat. With large-scale energy development in the predominantly rural region, local communities, infrastructures, and economies will face increasing demands for roads, electricity, law enforcement, labor, and other support services. The Western Energy Corridor Initiative (WECI) seeks to develop an integrated assessment of the impacts of unconventional fuel development, the interrelationships of planned energy developments in different basins, and the resultant demands placed on the region. This initial WECI study focuses on two of the most important current issues for industry, regulators, and stakeholders -- the assessment of carbon and water resources issues, impacts, and management strategies. Through scenario analyses using coupled systems and process level models, this study investigates the viability of integrated development of multiple energy resources in a carbon neutral and environmentally acceptable manner, and the interrelationships of various energy resource development plans. The modeling framework is designed to extend to include infrastructure, employment, training, fiscal and economic demands placed on the region as a result of various development and climate change scenarios. The multi-scale modeling approach involves a systems dynamics (SD) modeling framework linked with more detailed models such as one for basin-scale hydrology investigating the spatial relationships of water rights and requirements, reservoir locations, and climate change impacts (the details of the SD model and the hydrologic model are presented in other contributions by Pasqualini et al. and Wilson et al.). A link to a CO2 sequestration performance assessment model is also being built to enable analysis of alternative carbon management options. With these evolving capabilities, our analyses consider interdependent demands and impacts placed on the region for various development scenarios.

Recent crustal movements and seismicity in the western coastal region of peninsular India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kailasam, L. N.

1983-09-01

Recent crustal movements, tectonics and seismicity of the western coastal region of peninsular India have been studied in detail in the very recent past. Prominent geomorphic features and large-scale manifestation of Holocene deformation and crustal movements have been noticed and studied over this coastal region from the Gulf of Cambay to the southernmost parts of Kerala, evidence for which is afforded in the form of Recent and sub-Recent raised beaches, sandbars, raised old terraces, pebble beds, etc. The sedimentary formations in this narrow coastal belt include Neogene and Quaternary sediments. The Bouguer gravity map of the western coastal tract shows some prominent gravity features extending into the offshore regions, suggestive of some significant tectonic and structural features. The seismic data in the offshore regions bring out some prominent roughly northwest-southeast as well as east-west faults and shears, in addition to prominent structural "highs" off the Bombay and Ratnagiri coast which have proved oil. The seismicity in this coastal tract as well as the faulted western margin of the western continental shelf in the Arabian Sea is generally of magnitude 3-6.

Development of vegetation based soil quality indices for mineralized terrane in arid and semi-arid regions

Treesearch

S. W. Blecker; L. L. Stillings; M. C. Amacher; J. A. Ippolito; N. M. DeCrappeo

2012-01-01

Soil quality indices (SQIs) are often management driven and attempt to describe key relationships between above- and below-ground parameters. In terrestrial systems, indices that were initially developed and modified for agroecosystems have been applied to non-agricultural systems in increasing number. We develop an SQI in arid and semi-arid ecosystems of the Western...

[Features of sexual development of adolescent boys in cities of Caspian region of the Republic of Kazakhstan].

PubMed

Kurmangaliev, O M; Gumarova, Zh Zh; Zasorin, B V

2014-01-01

The complex estimation of parameters of the sexual development of adolescent boys aged 14-16 years had been done in cities of Aktay and Atyrau, in Caspian region of Western Kazakhstan. Adolescent boys in cities of Caspian region of the Republic of Kazakhstan were found to have tendency to the delayed puberty according to Tanner score. Retarded sexual development is manifested by the some retardation in growth of genitals and escutcheon, in comparison with their peers from control group. The absence of differences in general physical development, as evidenced by anthropometry data, does not exclude the specific (elective) character of the impact of urbanogenic factors on growing male body, which is typical impact of hard metals salts.

JPRS Report, China.

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-04-28

greatly diminished, but regional clashes situation in development occurring in Asia, and read- and elements for insecurity have increased. Regional...because of the three way division of the world. The seven western failure to eradicate internal causes . nations heads-of-state conference, the controversy...security. At the same time, the degree of cause a major upheaval of the world economy. The militarization of international society remains very high; overall

The economic situation and construction sector developments in the UNECE region, 2010-2011

Treesearch

Delton Alderman; Robert Shelburne

2011-01-01

The speed of the global recovery from the worst economic crisis since the 1930s varies significantly by region; growth is much faster in the emerging economies than in the advanced economies. Economic growth in the coming year is likely to remain weak in North America and western Europe, as austerity is implemented to address increasing sovereign debt levels. Given...

Evaluation of Sugar Maple Dieback in the Upper Great Lakes Region and Development of a Forest Health Youth Education Program

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bal, Tara L.

2013-01-01

Sugar Maple, "Acer saccharum" Marsh., is one of the most valuable trees in the northern hardwood forests. Severe dieback was recently reported by area foresters in the western Upper Great Lakes Region. Sugar Maple has had a history of dieback over the last 100 years throughout its range and different variables have been identified as…

Western Region Mines Community Involvement Plan

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Factsheets related to the Western Abandoned Uranium Mine Region, generally located along the Little Colorado River and Highway 89, and are in the Cameron, Coalmine Canyon, Bodaway/Gap, and Leupp Chapters.

29 CFR Appendix A to Part 71 - Responsible Officials

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... Policy Development & Research Administrator, Office of Financial & Administrative Management Director... Research Director, Operations Office of the Inspector General (OIG) Disclosure Officer Office of Public... Griffin Street, Suite 800, Dallas, TX 75202 Western Region 71 Stevenson Street, Suite 930, San Francisco...

29 CFR Appendix A to Part 71 - Responsible Officials

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... Policy Development & Research Administrator, Office of Financial & Administrative Management Director... Research Director, Operations Office of the Inspector General (OIG) Disclosure Officer Office of Public... Griffin Street, Suite 800, Dallas, TX 75202 Western Region 71 Stevenson Street, Suite 930, San Francisco...

29 CFR Appendix A to Part 71 - Responsible Officials

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Policy Development & Research Administrator, Office of Financial & Administrative Management Director... Research Director, Operations Office of the Inspector General (OIG) Disclosure Officer Office of Public... Griffin Street, Suite 800, Dallas, TX 75202 Western Region 71 Stevenson Street, Suite 930, San Francisco...

29 CFR Appendix A to Part 71 - Responsible Officials

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... Policy Development & Research Administrator, Office of Financial & Administrative Management Director... Research Director, Operations Office of the Inspector General (OIG) Disclosure Officer Office of Public... Griffin Street, Suite 800, Dallas, TX 75202 Western Region 71 Stevenson Street, Suite 930, San Francisco...

29 CFR Appendix A to Part 71 - Responsible Officials

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... Policy Development & Research Administrator, Office of Financial & Administrative Management Director... Research Director, Operations Office of the Inspector General (OIG) Disclosure Officer Office of Public... Griffin Street, Suite 800, Dallas, TX 75202 Western Region 71 Stevenson Street, Suite 930, San Francisco...

Impacts of agricultural land use on biological integrity: A causal analysis

USGS Publications Warehouse

Riseng, C.M.; Wiley, M.J.; Black, R.W.; Munn, M.D.

2011-01-01

Agricultural land use has often been linked to nutrient enrichment, habitat degradation, hydrologic alteration, and loss of biotic integrity in streams. The U.S. Geological Survey's National Water Quality Assessment Program sampled 226 stream sites located in eight agriculture-dominated study units across the United States to investigate the geographic variability and causes of agricultural impacts on stream biotic integrity. In this analysis we used structural equation modeling (SEM) to develop a national and set of regional causal models linking agricultural land use to measured instream conditions. We then examined the direct, indirect, and total effects of agriculture on biotic integrity as it acted through multiple water quality and habitat pathways. In our nation-wide model, cropland affected benthic communities by both altering structural habitats and by imposing water quality-related stresses. Regionspecific modeling demonstrated that geographic context altered the relative importance of causal pathways through which agricultural activities affected stream biotic integrity. Cropland had strong negative total effects on the invertebrate community in the national, Midwest, and Western models, but a very weak effect in the Eastern Coastal Plain model. In theWestern Arid and Eastern Coastal Plain study regions, cropland impacts were transmitted primarily through dissolved water quality contaminants, but in the Midwestern region, they were transmitted primarily through particulate components of water quality. Habitat effects were important in the Western Arid model, but negligible in the Midwest and Eastern Coastal Plain models. The relative effects of riparian forested wetlands also varied regionally, having positive effects on biotic integrity in the Eastern Coastal Plain andWestern Arid region models, but no statistically significant effect in the Midwest. These differences in response to cropland and riparian cover suggest that best management practices and planning for the mitigation of agricultural land use impacts on stream ecosystems should be regionally focused. ?? 2011 by the Ecological Society of America.

Conservation Motivation, Social Equality and Left-Right Ideological Preferences in Western and Eastern Europe

PubMed Central

Hadarics, Márton

2017-01-01

We investigated how attitudes towards social equality can influence the relationship between conservation motivation (or openness) and personal ideological preferences on the left-right dimension, and how this relationship pattern differs between Western and Central & Eastern European (CEE) respondents. Using data from the European Social Survey (2012) we found that individual-level of conservation motivation reduces cultural egalitarianism in both the Western European and the CEE regions, but its connection with economic egalitarianism is only relevant in the CEE region where it fosters economic egalitarianism. Since both forms of egalitarianism were related to leftist ideological preferences in Western Europe, but in the CEE region only economic egalitarianism was ideologically relevant, we concluded that the classic “rigidity of the right” phenomenon is strongly related to cultural (anti)egalitarianism in Western Europe. At the same time, conservation motivation serves as a basis for the “rigidity of the left” in the post-socialist CEE region, in a great part due to the conventional egalitarian economic views. PMID:28580030

Conservation Motivation, Social Equality and Left-Right Ideological Preferences in Western and Eastern Europe.

PubMed

Hadarics, Márton

2017-05-01

We investigated how attitudes towards social equality can influence the relationship between conservation motivation (or openness) and personal ideological preferences on the left-right dimension, and how this relationship pattern differs between Western and Central & Eastern European (CEE) respondents. Using data from the European Social Survey (2012) we found that individual-level of conservation motivation reduces cultural egalitarianism in both the Western European and the CEE regions, but its connection with economic egalitarianism is only relevant in the CEE region where it fosters economic egalitarianism. Since both forms of egalitarianism were related to leftist ideological preferences in Western Europe, but in the CEE region only economic egalitarianism was ideologically relevant, we concluded that the classic "rigidity of the right" phenomenon is strongly related to cultural (anti)egalitarianism in Western Europe. At the same time, conservation motivation serves as a basis for the "rigidity of the left" in the post-socialist CEE region, in a great part due to the conventional egalitarian economic views.

Timber harvesting, processing, and employment in the Northwest Economic Adjustment Initiative region: changes and economic assistance.

Treesearch

Terry L. Raettig; Harriet H. Christensen

1999-01-01

The Northwest economic adjustment initiative (NWEAI) provides economic assistance to a region including western Washington, western Oregon, and northern California. Timber harvests have fallen markedly in this region since 1990. The forest products industry is the largest manufacturing sector in the region, and employment has followed the downward trend in timber...

Particulate air pollution and health inequalities: a Europe-wide ecological analysis.

PubMed

Richardson, Elizabeth A; Pearce, Jamie; Tunstall, Helena; Mitchell, Richard; Shortt, Niamh K

2013-07-16

Environmental disparities may underlie the unequal distribution of health across socioeconomic groups. However, this assertion has not been tested across a range of countries: an important knowledge gap for a transboundary health issue such as air pollution. We consider whether populations of low-income European regions were a) exposed to disproportionately high levels of particulate air pollution (PM10) and/or b) disproportionately susceptible to pollution-related mortality effects. Europe-wide gridded PM10 and population distribution data were used to calculate population-weighted average PM10 concentrations for 268 sub-national regions (NUTS level 2 regions) for the period 2004-2008. The data were mapped, and patterning by mean household income was assessed statistically. Ordinary least squares regression was used to model the association between PM10 and cause-specific mortality, after adjusting for regional-level household income and smoking rates. Air quality improved for most regions between 2004 and 2008, although large differences between Eastern and Western regions persisted. Across Europe, PM10 was correlated with low household income but this association primarily reflected East-West inequalities and was not found when Eastern or Western Europe regions were considered separately. Notably, some of the most polluted regions in Western Europe were also among the richest. PM10 was more strongly associated with plausibly-related mortality outcomes in Eastern than Western Europe, presumably because of higher ambient concentrations. Populations of lower-income regions appeared more susceptible to the effects of PM10, but only for circulatory disease mortality in Eastern Europe and male respiratory mortality in Western Europe. Income-related inequalities in exposure to ambient PM10 may contribute to Europe-wide mortality inequalities, and to those in Eastern but not Western European regions. We found some evidence that lower-income regions were more susceptible to the health effects of PM10.

Particulate air pollution and health inequalities: a Europe-wide ecological analysis

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Environmental disparities may underlie the unequal distribution of health across socioeconomic groups. However, this assertion has not been tested across a range of countries: an important knowledge gap for a transboundary health issue such as air pollution. We consider whether populations of low-income European regions were a) exposed to disproportionately high levels of particulate air pollution (PM10) and/or b) disproportionately susceptible to pollution-related mortality effects. Methods Europe-wide gridded PM10 and population distribution data were used to calculate population-weighted average PM10 concentrations for 268 sub-national regions (NUTS level 2 regions) for the period 2004–2008. The data were mapped, and patterning by mean household income was assessed statistically. Ordinary least squares regression was used to model the association between PM10 and cause-specific mortality, after adjusting for regional-level household income and smoking rates. Results Air quality improved for most regions between 2004 and 2008, although large differences between Eastern and Western regions persisted. Across Europe, PM10 was correlated with low household income but this association primarily reflected East–West inequalities and was not found when Eastern or Western Europe regions were considered separately. Notably, some of the most polluted regions in Western Europe were also among the richest. PM10 was more strongly associated with plausibly-related mortality outcomes in Eastern than Western Europe, presumably because of higher ambient concentrations. Populations of lower-income regions appeared more susceptible to the effects of PM10, but only for circulatory disease mortality in Eastern Europe and male respiratory mortality in Western Europe. Conclusions Income-related inequalities in exposure to ambient PM10 may contribute to Europe-wide mortality inequalities, and to those in Eastern but not Western European regions. We found some evidence that lower-income regions were more susceptible to the health effects of PM10. PMID:23866049

FY-09 Summary Report to the Office of Petroleum Reserves on the Western Energy Corridor Initiative Activities and Accomplishments

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

Thomas R. Wood

2010-01-01

To meet its programmatic obligations under the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the Office of Naval Petroleum and Shale Oil Reserves (NPSOR) has initiated the Western Energy Corridor Initiative (WECI). The WECI will implement the Unconventional Strategic Fuels Task Force recommendations for accelerating and promoting the development of domestic unconventional fuels to help meet the nations’ energy needs. The mission of the WECI is to bolster America’s future fuel security by facilitating socially and environmentally responsible development of unconventional fuels resources in the Western Energy Corridor, using sound engineering principles and science-based methods to define and assess benefits, impacts, uncertainties,more » and mitigation options and to resolve impediments. The Task Force proposed a three-year program in its commercialization plan. The work described herein represents work performed by Idaho National Laboratory (INL) in support of the DOE’s WECI. This effort represents an interim phase of work, designed to initiate only select portions of the initiative, limited by available funding resources within NPOSR. Specifically, the work presented here addresses what was accomplished in FY-09 with the remaining carryover (~$420K) from NPOSR FY-08 funds. It was the intent of the NPOSR program to seek additional funding for full implementation of the full scope of work; however, the original tasks were reduced in scope, terminated, or eliminated (as noted below). An effort is ongoing to obtain funding to continue the tasks initiated under this project. This study will focus on the integrated development of multiple energy resources in a carbon-neutral and environmentally acceptable manner. Emphasis will be placed on analyses of the interrelationships of various energy-resource development plans and the infrastructure, employment, training, fiscal, and economic demands placed on the region as a result of various development scenarios. The interactions at build-out during the design, permitting, and construction of individual and multiple energy developments are not fully considered at the local, state, regional, or national levels. The net impacts to the Western Energy Corridor cannot be understood and the design optimized under the current approach. A regional development plan is needed to model cumulative impacts, determine the carrying capacity of the basin, and provide valuable technically based information to both skeptics and advocates. The INL scope of work for FY-09 involved six tasks: 1. Evaluation of the ASPEN Code as a dynamic systems model for application and use under the WECI and communications with Alberta Oil Sands Research Institutions as an “analog” resource development in the Western Energy Corridor 2. Application of the Aspen Plus computer model to several oil shale processes to consider energy balances and inputs and outputs (e.g. water consumption, CO2 production, etc.) 3. Development of a regulatory roadmap for oil shale developments 4. Defining of the physiographic extent of the natural resource reserves that comprise the Western Energy Corridor 5. A review of the Unconventional Fuels Task Force Report to Congress for ideas, concepts and recommendations that crosscutting plans 6. Program development with stakeholders, including industry, academics, state and federal agencies, and non government organizations. This task also includes project management, strategic development and reporting.« less

EarthScope Transportable Array Siting Outreach Activities in Alaska and Western Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dorr, P. M.; Gardine, L.; Tape, C.; McQuillan, P.; Cubley, J. F.; Samolczyk, M. A.; Taber, J.; West, M. E.; Busby, R.

2015-12-01

The EarthScope Transportable Array is deploying about 260 stations in Alaska and western Canada. IRIS and EarthScope are partnering with the Alaska Earthquake Center, part of the University of Alaska's Geophysical Institute, and Yukon College to spread awareness of earthquakes in Alaska and western Canada and the benefits of the Transportable Array for people living in these regions. We provide an update of ongoing education and outreach activities in Alaska and Canada as well as continued efforts to publicize the Transportable Array in the Lower 48. Nearly all parts of Alaska and portions of western Canada are tectonically active. The tectonic and seismic variability of Alaska, in particular, requires focused attention at the regional level, and the remoteness and inaccessibility of most Alaskan and western Canadian villages and towns often makes frequent visits difficult. When a community is accessible, every opportunity to engage the residents is made. Booths at state fairs and large cultural gatherings, such as the annual convention of the Alaska Federation of Natives, are excellent venues to distribute earthquake information and to demonstrate a wide variety of educational products and web-based applications related to seismology and the Transportable Array that residents can use in their own communities. Meetings and interviews with Alaska Native Elders and tribal councils discussing past earthquakes has led to a better understanding of how Alaskans view and understand earthquakes. Region-specific publications have been developed to tie in a sense of place for residents of Alaska and the Yukon. The Alaska content for IRIS's Active Earth Monitor emphasizes the widespread tectonic and seismic features and offers not just Alaska residents, but anyone interested in Alaska, a glimpse into what is going on beneath their feet. The concerted efforts of the outreach team will have lasting effects on Alaskan and Canadian understanding of the seismic hazard and tectonics of the region.

75 FR 1359 - Notice of Availability of Final Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Construction of...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-01-11

... Environmental Impact Statement for the Proposed Construction of the Western Wake Regional Wastewater Management Facilities; Which Includes Regional Wastewater Pumping, Conveyance, Treatment, and Discharge Facilities To... Environmental Impact Statement for the proposed construction of the Western Wake Regional Wastewater Management...

The Western Apache home: landscape management and failing ecosystems

Treesearch

Seth Pilsk; Jeanette C. Cassa

2005-01-01

The traditional Western Apache home lies largely within the Madrean Archipelago. The natural resources of the region make up the basis of the Apache home and culture. Profound landscape changes in the region have occurred over the past 150 years. A survey of traditional Western Apache place names documents many of these changes. An analysis of the history and Apache...

Is there a correlation between malaria incidence and IRS coverage in western Zambezi region, Namibia?

PubMed Central

Sturrock, H.; Hsiang, M.; Roberts, K.; Kleinschmidt, I.; Nghipumbwa, M.; Uusiku, P.; Smith, J.; Bennet, A.; Kizito, W.; Takarinda, K.; Ade, S.; Gosling, R.

2018-01-01

Setting: A comparison of routine Namibia National Malaria Programme data (reported) vs. household survey data (administrative) on indoor residual spraying (IRS) in western Zambezi region, Namibia, for the 2014–2015 malaria season. Objectives: To determine 1) IRS coverage (administrative and reported), 2) its effect on malaria incidence, and 3) reasons for non-uptake of IRS in western Zambezi region, Namibia, for the 2014–2015 malaria season. Design: This was a descriptive study. Results: IRS coverage in western Zambezi region was low, ranging from 42.3% to 52.2% for administrative coverage vs. 45.9–66.7% for reported coverage. There was no significant correlation between IRS coverage and malaria incidence for this region (r = −0.45, P = 0.22). The main reasons for households not being sprayed were that residents were not at home during spraying times or that spray operators did not visit the households. Conclusions: IRS coverage in western Zambezi region, Namibia, was low during the 2014–2015 malaria season because of poor community engagement and awareness of times for spray operations within communities. Higher IRS coverage could be achieved through improved community engagement. Better targeting of the highest risk areas by the use of malaria surveillance will be required to mitigate malaria transmission. PMID:29713594

Regional and Seasonal Diet of the Western Burrowing Owl in South-Central Nevada

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

Derek B. Hall, Paul D. Greger, Jeffrey R. Rosier

2009-04-01

We examined diets of Western Burrowing Owls (Athene cunicularia hypugaea) based on contents of pellets and large prey remains collected year-round at burrows in each of the 3 regions in south central Nevada (Mojave Desert, Great Basin Desert, and Transition region). The most common prey items, based on percent frequency of occurrence, were crickets and grasshoppers, beetles, rodents, sun spiders, and scorpions. The most common vertebrate prey was kangaroo rats (Dipodomys spp.). True bugs (Hemiptera), scorpions, and western harvest mice (Reithrodontomys megalotis) occurred most frequently in pellets from the Great Basin Desert region. Kangaroo rats (Dipodomys spp.) and pocket micemore » (Perognathinae) were the most important vertebrate prey items in the Transition and Mojave Desert regions, respectively. Frequency of occurrence of any invertebrate prey was high (>80%) in samples year-round but dropped in winter samples, with scorpions and sun spiders exhibiting the steepest declines. Frequency of occurrence of any vertebrate prey peaked in spring samples, was intermediate for winter and summer samples, and was lowest in fall samples. With the possible exception of selecting for western harvest mice in the Great Basin Desert region, Western Burrowing Owls in our study appeared to be opportunistic foragers with a generalist feeding strategy.« less

Is there a correlation between malaria incidence and IRS coverage in western Zambezi region, Namibia?

PubMed

Mumbengegwi, D R; Sturrock, H; Hsiang, M; Roberts, K; Kleinschmidt, I; Nghipumbwa, M; Uusiku, P; Smith, J; Bennet, A; Kizito, W; Takarinda, K; Ade, S; Gosling, R

2018-04-25

Setting: A comparison of routine Namibia National Malaria Programme data (reported) vs. household survey data (administrative) on indoor residual spraying (IRS) in western Zambezi region, Namibia, for the 2014-2015 malaria season. Objectives: To determine 1) IRS coverage (administrative and reported), 2) its effect on malaria incidence, and 3) reasons for non-uptake of IRS in western Zambezi region, Namibia, for the 2014-2015 malaria season. Design: This was a descriptive study. Results: IRS coverage in western Zambezi region was low, ranging from 42.3% to 52.2% for administrative coverage vs. 45.9-66.7% for reported coverage. There was no significant correlation between IRS coverage and malaria incidence for this region ( r = -0.45, P = 0.22). The main reasons for households not being sprayed were that residents were not at home during spraying times or that spray operators did not visit the households. Conclusions: IRS coverage in western Zambezi region, Namibia, was low during the 2014-2015 malaria season because of poor community engagement and awareness of times for spray operations within communities. Higher IRS coverage could be achieved through improved community engagement. Better targeting of the highest risk areas by the use of malaria surveillance will be required to mitigate malaria transmission.

With Agriculture Knowledge and Wisdom (Me Ka Ike Ame Ka Na'auao). Proceedings of the Annual Western Region Agricultural Education Research Meeting (Honolulu, Hawaii, April 13-16, 1994). Volume XIII, Number 1.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cox, David E., Ed.; Walton, Frank C., Ed.

This proceedings includes the following papers: "Examining Learning Styles of Students in College of Agriculture" (Torres, Cano); "Developing a Scale to Research and Evaluate Youth Leadership Life Skills Development" (Seevers, Dormody, Clason); "Predicting Youth Leadership Life Skills Development among FFA (Future Farmers…

The tropospheric biennial oscillation defined by a biennial mode of sea surface temperature and its impact on the atmospheric circulation and precipitation in the tropical eastern Indo-western Pacific region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Jinju; Kim, Kwang-Yul

2016-10-01

Temporal and spatial patterns of anomalous atmospheric circulation and precipitation over the Indo-Pacific region are analyzed in conjunction with the Tropospheric Biennial Oscillation as represented by the biennial mode of sea surface temperature anomalies (SSTA). The biennial components of key variables are identified independently of other variability via CSEOF analysis. Then, its impact on the Asian-Australian monsoon is examined. The biennial mode exhibits a seasonally distinctive atmospheric response over the tropical eastern Indo-western Pacific (EIWP) region (90°-150°E, 20°S-20°N). In boreal summer, local meridional circulation is a distinguishing characteristic over the tropical EIWP region, whereas a meridionally expanded branch of intensified zonal circulation develops in austral summer. Temporally varying evolution and distinct timing of SSTA phase transition in the Indian and Pacific Oceans is considered a main factor for this variation of circulation in the tropical EIWP region. The impact of the biennial mode is not the same between the two seasons, with different impacts over ocean areas in Asian monsoon and Australian monsoon regions.

Past and future hydro-climatic change and the 2015 drought in the interior of western Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DeBeer, C. M.; Wheater, H. S.; Pomeroy, J. W.; Stewart, R. E.; Szeto, K.; Brimelow, J.; Chun, K. P.; Masud, M. B.; Bonsal, B. R.

2015-12-01

The interior of western Canada has experienced rapid and severe hydro-climatic change in recent decades. This is projected to continue in future. Since 1950, mean annual air temperature has increased by 2 °C (4 °C increase in winter daily means) with associated changes in cryospheric regime. Changes in precipitation have varied regionally; in the Prairies there has been a decrease in winter precipitation, shift from snowfall to rainfall, and increased clustering of summer rainfall events into multiple day storms. Regionally, river discharge indicates an earlier spring freshet and increased incidence of rain-on-snow peak flow events, but otherwise mixed responses due to multiple process interactions. In winter/spring 2015, persistent anomalous ridging conditions developed over western North America causing widespread drought. This produced abnormally warm and dry conditions over the Rocky Mountain headwaters of the Mackenzie and Saskatchewan Rivers, resulting in low spring snowpacks that melted earlier than normal and were followed by an atypical lack of spring rainfall. By summer 2015, most of western Canada was subject to extreme drought conditions leading to record dry soil moisture conditions in parts of the Prairies during a key crop growth time, streamflows that were greatly diminished, and extensive wildfires across the Boreal Forest. The importance of the warmer winter to this drought and the contextual trend for increasing winter warmth provide new insight into the impact of climate warming on droughts in cold regions. This talk will discuss efforts by the Changing Cold Regions Network (CCRN; www.ccrnetwork.ca) to understand and diagnose the 2015 drought, its potential linkages with the concurrent California drought and other continental events, and its relevance in the context of historical and predicted future climate change.

Prevalence of Hypertension and Associated Risk Factors in Western Alaska Native People: The Western Alaska Tribal Collaborative for Health (WATCH) Study.

PubMed

Jolly, Stacey E; Koller, Kathryn R; Metzger, Jesse S; Day, Gretchen M; Silverman, Angela; Hopkins, Scarlett E; Austin, Melissa A; Boden-Albala, Bernadette; Ebbesson, Sven O E; Boyer, Bert B; Howard, Barbara V; Umans, Jason G

2015-10-01

Hypertension is a common chronic disease and a key risk factor in the development of cardiovascular disease. The Western Alaska Tribal Collaborative for Health study consolidates baseline data from four major cohorts residing in the Norton Sound and Yukon-Kuskokwim regions of western Alaska. This consolidated cohort affords an opportunity for a systematic analysis of high blood pressure and its correlates in a unique population with high stroke rates over a wide age range. While the prevalence of hypertension among western Alaska Native people (30%, age-standardized) is slightly less than that of the US general population (33%), cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of mortality in this rural population. The authors found that improvement is needed in hypertension awareness as about two thirds (64%) of patients reported awareness and only 39% with hypertension were controlled on medication. Future analyses assessing risk and protective factors for incident hypertension in this population are indicated. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Prevalence of Hypertension and Associated Risk Factors in Western Alaska Native People: The Western Alaska Tribal Collaborative for Health (WATCH) Study

PubMed Central

Jolly, Stacey E.; Koller, Kathryn R.; Metzger, Jesse S.; Day, Gretchen M.; Silverman, Angela; Hopkins, Scarlett E.; Austin, Melissa A.; Boden-Albala, Bernadette; Ebbesson, Sven O.E.; Boyer, Bert B.; Howard, Barbara V.; Umans, Jason G.

2014-01-01

Hypertension is a common chronic disease and a key risk factor in the development of cardiovascular disease. The Western Alaska Tribal Collaborative for Health Study consolidates baseline data from four major cohorts residing in the Norton Sound and Yukon-Kuskokwim regions of western Alaska. This consolidated cohort affords an opportunity for a systematic analysis of high blood pressure and its correlates in a unique population that has high stroke rates over a wide age range. While the prevalence of hypertension among western Alaska Native people (30%, age-standardized) is slightly less than that of the U.S. general population (33%), cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of mortality in this rural population. We found that improvement is needed in hypertension awareness as about two-thirds (64%) reported awareness and only 39% with hypertension were controlled on medication. Future analyses assessing risk and protective factors for incident hypertension in this population are indicated. PMID:25644577

Western Arizona Region State-Tribal Transportation Forum : proceedings report.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2003-09-01

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Arizona Department of : Transportation (ADOT), in conjunction with the ADOT Tribal Strategic Partnering : Team (ATSPT), sponsored the Western Arizona Region State-Tribal : Transportation Forum to prov...

Land Use, Land Conservation, and Wind Energy Development Outcomes in New England

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weimar, William Cameron

This dissertation provides three independent research inquiries. The first examines how inter-governmental policy, site-specific, and social factors lead to the success, prolonged delay, or failure of inland wind power projects in New England. The three case studies examined include the 48 megawatt Glebe Mountain Wind Farm proposal in southern Vermont, the 30 megawatt Hoosac Wind Farm in western Massachusetts, and the 24 megawatt Lempster Wind Farm in southern New Hampshire. To ascertain why the project outcomes varied, 45 semi-structured interviews were conducted with a range of stakeholders, including wind development firms, utility companies, state regulatory agencies, regional planning commissions, town officials, land conservation organizations, and opposition groups. The second study establishes a comprehensive set of thirty-seven explanatory variables to determine the amount of suitable land and the corresponding electricity generation potential within the prime wind resource areas of Western Massachusetts. The explanatory variables are incorporated into Boolean GIS suitability models which represent the two divergent positions towards wind power development in Massachusetts, and a third, balanced model. The third study determines that exurban residential development is not the only land use factor that reduces wind power development potential in Western Massachusetts. A set of Boolean GIS models for 1985 and 2009 find the onset of conservation easements on private lands having the largest impact. During this 25 year period a combination of land use conversion and land conservation has reduced the access to prime wind resource areas by 18% (11,601 hectares), an equivalent loss of 5,800--8,700 GWh/year of zero carbon electricity generation. The six main findings from this research are: (1) Visual aesthetics remain the main factor of opposition to specific projects; (2) The Not-in-my Backyard debate for wind power remains unsettled; (3) Widespread support exists for regional land use energy plans; (4) The wind resources of Western Massachusetts can significantly contribute to the state's current renewable portfolio standard while balancing conservation and renewable energy development objectives; However, (5) a combination of exurban residential development and conservation easements significantly reduces wind power development potential over time; and (6) a need exists to legally define wind as a publicly beneficial resource.

Nucleotide variability and linkage disequilibrium patterns in the porcine MUC4 gene.

PubMed

Yang, Ming; Yang, Bin; Yan, Xueming; Ouyang, Jing; Zeng, Weihong; Ai, Huashui; Ren, Jun; Huang, Lusheng

2012-07-13

MUC4 is a type of membrane anchored glycoprotein and serves as the major constituent of mucus that covers epithelial surfaces of many tissues such as trachea, colon and cervix. MUC4 plays important roles in the lubrication and protection of the surface epithelium, cell proliferation and differentiation, immune response, cell adhesion and cancer development. To gain insights into the evolution of the porcine MUC4 gene, we surveyed the nucleotide variability and linkage disequilibrium (LD) within this gene in Chinese indigenous breeds and Western commercial breeds. A total of 53 SNPs covering the MUC4 gene were genotyped on 5 wild boars and 307 domestic pigs representing 11 Chinese breeds and 3 Western breeds. The nucleotide variability, haplotype phylogeny and LD extent of MUC4 were analyzed in these breeds. Both Chinese and Western breeds had considerable nucleotide diversity at the MUC4 locus. Western pig breeds like Duroc and Large White have comparable nucleotide diversity as many of Chinese breeds, thus artificial selection for lean pork production have not reduced the genetic variability of MUC4 in Western commercial breeds. Haplotype phylogeny analyses indicated that MUC4 had evolved divergently in Chinese and Western pigs. The dendrogram of genetic differentiation between breeds generally reflected demographic history and geographical distribution of these breeds. LD patterns were unexpectedly similar between Chinese and Western breeds, in which LD usually extended less than 20 kb. This is different from the presumed high LD extent (more than 100 kb) in Western commercial breeds. The significant positive Tajima'D, and Fu and Li's D statistics in a few Chinese and Western breeds implied that MUC4 might undergo balancing selection in domestic breeds. Nevertheless, we cautioned that the significant statistics could be upward biased by SNP ascertainment process. Chinese and Western breeds have similar nucleotide diversity but evolve divergently in the MUC4 region. Western breeds exhibited unusual low LD extent at the MUC4 locus, reflecting the complexity of nucleotide variability of pig genome. The finding suggests that high density (e.g. 1SNP/10 kb) markers are required to capture the underlying causal variants at such regions.

Review: Regional groundwater flow modeling in heavily irrigated basins of selected states in the western United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rossman, Nathan R.; Zlotnik, Vitaly A.

2013-09-01

Water resources in agriculture-dominated basins of the arid western United States are stressed due to long-term impacts from pumping. A review of 88 regional groundwater-flow modeling applications from seven intensively irrigated western states (Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Nebraska and Texas) was conducted to provide hydrogeologists, modelers, water managers, and decision makers insight about past modeling studies that will aid future model development. Groundwater models were classified into three types: resource evaluation models (39 %), which quantify water budgets and act as preliminary models intended to be updated later, or constitute re-calibrations of older models; management/planning models (55 %), used to explore and identify management plans based on the response of the groundwater system to water-development or climate scenarios, sometimes under water-use constraints; and water rights models (7 %), used to make water administration decisions based on model output and to quantify water shortages incurred by water users or climate changes. Results for 27 model characteristics are summarized by state and model type, and important comparisons and contrasts are highlighted. Consideration of modeling uncertainty and the management focus toward sustainability, adaptive management and resilience are discussed, and future modeling recommendations, in light of the reviewed models and other published works, are presented.

Final Report Navajo Transmission Project (NTP)

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

Bennie Hoisington; Steven Begay

2006-09-14

The Diné Power Authority is developing the Navajo Transmission Project (NTP) to relieve the constraints on the transmission of electricity west of the Four Corners area and to improve the operation flexibility and reliability of the extra-high-voltage transmission system in the region. The NTP creates the wholesale transmission capacity for more economical power transfers, sales, and purchases in the region. It will facilitate the development of Navajo energy resources, improve economic conditions on the Navajo Nation as well as allow DPA to participate in the western electrical utility industry.

Pedotransfer functions to estimate soil water content at field capacity and permanent wilting point in hot Arid Western India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Santra, Priyabrata; Kumar, Mahesh; Kumawat, R. N.; Painuli, D. K.; Hati, K. M.; Heuvelink, G. B. M.; Batjes, N. H.

2018-04-01

Characterization of soil water retention, e.g., water content at field capacity (FC) and permanent wilting point (PWP) over a landscape plays a key role in efficient utilization of available scarce water resources in dry land agriculture; however, direct measurement thereof for multiple locations in the field is not always feasible. Therefore, pedotransfer functions (PTFs) were developed to estimate soil water retention at FC and PWP for dryland soils of India. A soil database available for Arid Western India ( N=370) was used to develop PTFs. The developed PTFs were tested in two independent datasets from arid regions of India ( N=36) and an arid region of USA ( N=1789). While testing these PTFs using independent data from India, root mean square error (RMSE) was found to be 2.65 and 1.08 for FC and PWP, respectively, whereas for most of the tested `established' PTFs, the RMSE was >3.41 and >1.15, respectively. Performance of the developed PTFs from the independent dataset from USA was comparable with estimates derived from `established' PTFs. For wide applicability of the developed PTFs, a user-friendly soil moisture calculator was developed. The PTFs developed in this study may be quite useful to farmers for scheduling irrigation water as per soil type.

Regional differences in pathogen prevalence and defensive reactions to the "swine flu" outbreak among East Asians and Westerners.

PubMed

Hamamura, Takeshi; Park, Justin H

2010-09-24

Research has found that contagion-minimizing behavioral tendencies are amplified in pathogen-prevalent regions. We investigated whether reactions to the "swine flu" outbreak of 2009 were stronger among East Asians than Westerners, populations residing in regions that now enjoy comparable advances in healthcare but that are characterized by relatively high and low historical pathogen prevalence, respectively. In a survey, East Asians reported greater concerns about infection, especially from foreigners. Analyses of international air travel data around the time of the outbreak provided corroborating evidence: Immediately following the outbreak, airports in the Asia-Pacific region lost more international traffic relative to their Western counterparts, and East Asian airlines reported greater declines in international traffic compared to Western airlines. These differences are unlikely to reflect objective threat posed by swine flu (whose casualties were concentrated in the Americas); rather, they appear to reflect culturally adapted behavioral patterns forged and sustained by regionally variable levels of pathogen prevalence.

The Western New York Health Resources Project: developing access to local health information.

PubMed

Gray, S A; O'Shea, R; Petty, M E; Loonsk, J

1998-07-01

The Western New York Health Resources Project was created to fill a gap in online access to local health information resources describing the health of a defined geographic area. The project sought to identify and describe information scattered among many institutions, agencies, and individuals, and to create a database that would be widely accessible. The project proceeded in three phases with initial phases supported by grant funding. This paper describes the database development and selection of content, and concludes that a national online network of local health data representing the various geographic regions of the United States would contribute to the quality of health care in general.

The Western New York Health Resources Project: developing access to local health information.

PubMed Central

Gray, S A; O'Shea, R; Petty, M E; Loonsk, J

1998-01-01

The Western New York Health Resources Project was created to fill a gap in online access to local health information resources describing the health of a defined geographic area. The project sought to identify and describe information scattered among many institutions, agencies, and individuals, and to create a database that would be widely accessible. The project proceeded in three phases with initial phases supported by grant funding. This paper describes the database development and selection of content, and concludes that a national online network of local health data representing the various geographic regions of the United States would contribute to the quality of health care in general. PMID:9681168

Modeling Wildfire Hazard in the Western Hindu Kush-Himalayas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bylow, D.

2012-12-01

Wildfire regimes are a leading driver of global environmental change affecting a diverse array of global ecosystems. Particulates and aerosols produced by wildfires are a primary source of air pollution making the early detection and monitoring of wildfires crucial. The objectives of this study were to model regional wildfire potential and identify environmental, topological, and sociological factors that contribute to the ignition of wildfire events in the Western Hindu Kush-Himalayas of South Asia. The environmental, topological, and sociological factors were used to model regional wildfire potential through multi-criteria evaluation using a method of weighted linear combination. Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and geographic information systems (GIS) data were integrated to analyze regional wildfires and construct the model. Model validation was performed using a holdout cross validation method. The study produced a significant model of wildfire potential in the Western Hindu Kush-Himalayas.; Western Hindu Kush-Himalayas ; Western Hindu Kush-Himalayas Wildfire Potential

Using Web2.0 Applications to Close the Digital Divide in Western Australia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Trinidad, Sue; Broadley, Tania

2008-01-01

The research reported in this paper documents the use of Web2.0 applications with six Western Australian schools that are considered to be regional and/or remote. With a population of two million people within an area of 2,525,500 square kilometres Western Australia has a number of towns that are classified as regional and remote. Each of the…

The human footprint in the west: a large-scale analysis of anthropogenic impacts.

USGS Publications Warehouse

Leu, M.; Hanser, S.E.; Knick, S.T.

2008-01-01

Anthropogenic features such as urbanization, roads, and power lines, are increasing in western United States landscapes in response to rapidly growing human populations. However, their spatial effects have not been evaluated. Our goal was to model the human footprint across the western United States. We first delineated the actual area occupied by anthropogenic features, the physical effect area. Next, we developed the human footprint model based on the ecological effect area, the zone influenced by features beyond their physical presence, by combining seven input models: three models quantified top-down anthropogenic influences of synanthropic predators (avian predators, domestic dog and cat presence risk), and four models quantified bottom-up anthropogenic influences on habitat (invasion of exotic plants, human-caused fires, energy extraction, and anthropogenic wildland fragmentation). Using independent bird population data, we found bird abundance of four synanthropic species to correlate positively with human footprint intensity and negatively for three of the six species influenced by habitat fragmentation. We then evaluated the extent of the human footprint in relation to terrestrial (ecoregions) and aquatic systems (major rivers and lakes), regional management and conservation status, physical environment, and temporal changes in human actions. The physical effect area of anthropogenic features covered 13% of the western United States with agricultural land (9.8%) being most dominant. High-intensity human footprint areas (class 8–10) overlapped highly productive low-elevation private landholdings and covered 7% of the western United States compared to 48% for low-intensity areas (class 1–3), which were confined to low-productivity high-elevation federal landholdings. Areas within 1 km of rivers were more affected by the human footprint compared to lakes. Percentage human population growth was higher in low-intensity human footprint areas. The disproportional regional effects of the human footprint on landscapes in the western United States create a challenge to management of ecosystems and wildlife populations. Using footprint models, managers can plan land use actions, develop restoration scenarios, and identify areas of high conservation value at local landscapes within a regional context. Moreover, human footprint models serve as a tool to stratify landscapes for studies investigating floral and faunal response to human disturbance intensity gradients.

Boreal partners in flight: Working together to build a regional research and monitoring program

USGS Publications Warehouse

Handel, Colleen M.; Bonney, Rick; Pashley, David N.; Cooper, Robert J.; Niles, Larry

1999-01-01

Boreal regions of western North America regularly support breeding populations of 130 species of landbirds, including 68 Nearctic-Neotropical migrants. Primary conservation concerns within the region include increased timber harvesting, insect outbreaks, fire suppression, mining, impacts of military training activities, urbanization, and recreational activities. Under auspices of Partners in Flight, biologists, land and resource managers, and conservationists from Alaska and western Canada have combined efforts to develop a regional research and monitoring program for landbirds. An experimental monitoring program has been under way during the past four years to test the relative statistical power and cost-effectiveness of various monitoring methods in Alaska. Joint efforts currently include the Alaska Checklist Project on National Wildlife Refuges, 75 Breeding Bird Surveys along the road system, 122 Off-road Point Count routes, 27 Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship banding sites, and 8 migration banding stations. The ultimate goal is to design a comprehensive monitoring program that is sensitive to changes in population size, survival rates, and productivity, but robust enough to accommodate logistical constraints that arise when working in vast, roadless areas with limited funds and staff. Primary challenges that must be faced to assure the long-term future of such a program are obtaining long-term commitment from resource agencies in the region, integrating this program with other national and regional programs that address those species and habitats that are inadequately monitored by established techniques, and developing cooperative research, monitoring, and management programs at the landscape level.

Regional differences in attitudes that may affect health behavior and willingness to participate in research among Black Seventh-day Adventists.

PubMed

Lampkin, Andy; Yancey, Antronette; Wilson, Colwick; Fraser, Gary E

2009-01-01

To identify the attitudes and perceptions of Black Seventh-day Adventists regarding health research and the healthcare system in two regions of the United States. Church members were selected from those who participated in the Adventist Health Study-2 (AHS-2) and those who chose not to participate. Participants were selected from two regions of the United States. Participants were interviewed in their churches, in their homes, and in the research study office at Loma Linda University. Interviews were done in the Western and Southern regions of the United States. 384 Black Seventh-day Adventists, aged >30 years. Responses to the structured interviews from those in the Western region were compared to those in the Southern region. Those in the Southern region included more elderly subjects; they were more likely to own their home despite earning less; and were more likely to be married. Compared to the Western region participants, we found Southern participants to have greater participation in church activities, greater mistrust of the healthcare system and particular concerns about racial inequalities in care. In contrast, they also reported more positive experiences with their personal healthcare provider than Western participants. Southerners felt that they had greater control over their own health, perhaps in part due to a greater identification with the health teachings of the Adventist church. A number of clear differences were found between Black Adventist subjects living in either the Western or Southern regions of the United States. These factors should be considered carefully when planning the promotion for a research study.

COMPARISON OF MID-WESTERN AND MID-ATLANTIC REGIONS EXPOSURE CRITERIA FOR PETROLEUM AND COMBUSTION BY-PRODUCTS

EPA Science Inventory

Regional background levels of exposure to fish from petroleum and combustion by-products were determined for the state of Ohio (mid-Western) and the mid-Atlantic region. Exposures were measured using bile metabolites that fluoresce at 290/335 nm for naphthalene (NAPH)-type compou...

Contemporary rates of atmospheric inorganic nitrogen (N) deposition to Latin American cities

EPA Science Inventory

Recent efforts to develop and evaluate regional and global chemical transport models reveal major gaps in atmospheric deposition monitoring. First, in contrast to northern North America, western Europe, and Asia, vast land areas in Latin America, Africa, and Australia remain unde...

The influence of tropical cyclones on long-term riverine flooding; examples from tropical Australia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nott, Jonathan

2018-02-01

Luminescence chronologies for two new slackwater flood deposit (SWD) sites (Broken River northeast Queensland and Ord River northwestern Western Australia) are presented and these along with other SWD chronologies from the same regions are compared with recently developed high resolution, isotope tropical cyclones (TC) records. Heightened TC activity occurred between 1400 and 1850 CE in Queensland and between 1500 and 1850 CE in Western Australia. A distinct clustering of flood events in northwest Western Australia during the period of enhanced TC activity suggests the two may be related. The SWD records in northeast Queensland do not cluster specifically during the period of heightened TC activity however several major floods do occur during this time suggesting that TCs may have been involved.

Western Abandoned Uranium Mine Region Maps

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Map of the Western Abandoned Uranium Mine (AUM) Region, more than 100 abandoned uranium mine claims generally located along the Little Colorado River and Highway 89 in the Cameron, Coalmine Canyon, Bodaway/Gap, and Leupp Chapters in Northern Arizona.

NOAA - Western Regional Center

Science.gov Websites

open a larger version of the photo. The complete Western Regional Center consists of nine buildings of a cloud with text about 2018 Open house. Links to Open House web page. Privacy Policy | FOIA

Western Arabia Terra

NASA Image and Video Library

2002-12-19

This image from NASA Mars Odyssey covers a region in western Arabia Terra, which contains two interesting craters. The eastern floor of the largest crater seen in most of this image is bumpy and ridged in places and relatively smooth in regions.

Phylogeographic structure of the Common hamster (Cricetus cricetus L.): Late Pleistocene connections between Caucasus and Western European populations

PubMed Central

Meschersky, Ilya G.; Bogomolov, Pavel L.; Sayan, Alexandra S.; Poplavskaya, Natalia S.; Surov, Alexey V.

2017-01-01

The Common hamster (Cricetus cricetus) is one of the most endangered mammals in Western and Central Europe. Its genetic diversity in Russia and Kazakhstan was investigated for the first time. The analysis of sequences of an mtDNA control region and cytochrome b gene revealed at least three phylogenetic lineages. Most of the species range (approximately 3 million km2), including central Russia, Crimea, the Ural region, and northern Kazakhstan), is inhabited by a single, well-supported phylogroup, E0. Phylogroup E1, previously reported from southeastern Poland and western Ukraine, was first described from Russia (Bryansk Province). E0 and E1 are sister lineages but both are monophyletic and separated by considerable genetic distance. Hamsters inhabiting Ciscaucasia represent a separate, distant phylogenetic lineage, named “Caucasus”. It is sister to the North phylogroup from Western Europe and the contemporary phylogeography for this species is discussed considering new data. These data enabled us to develop a new hypothesis to propose that in the Late Pleistocene, the continuous range of the Common hamster in the northern Mediterranean extended from the central and southern parts of modern France to the Caucasus; however, its distribution was subsequently interrupted, likely because of climate change. PMID:29095950

Lessons from Mount Kilimanjaro: Schooling, Community, and Gender in East Africa.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stambach, Amy

This book presents an ethnographic study of a school and community in East Africa. It focuses on the role school plays in the development of the children's identity and relationships to their parents and community, and in the development of the region. At issue here are the competing influences of Western modernity and the cultural traditions of…

Assessing cortical and subcortical changes in a western diet mouse model using spectral/Fourier domain OCT (Conference Presentation)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bernucci, Marcel T.; Norman, Jennifer E.; Merkle, Conrad W.; Aung, Hnin H.; Rutkowsky, Jennifer; Rutledge, John C.; Srinivasan, Vivek J.

2017-02-01

The Western diet, causative in the development of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, has recently been associated with the development of diffuse white matter disease (WMD) and other subcortical changes. Yet, little is known about the pathophysiological mechanisms by which a high-fat diet can cause WMD. Mechanistic studies of deep brain regions in mice have been challenging due to a lack of non-invasive, high-resolution, and deep imaging technologies. Here we used Optical Coherence Tomography to study mouse cortical/subcortical structures noninvasively and in vivo. To better understand the role of Western Diet in the development of WMD, intensity and Doppler flow OCT images, obtained using a 1300 nm spectral / Fourier domain OCT system, were used to observe the structural and functional alterations in the cortex and corpus callosum of Western Diet and control diet mouse models. Specifically, we applied segmentation to the OCT images to identify the boundaries of the cortex/corpus callosum, and further quantify the layer thicknesses across animals between the two diet groups. Furthermore, microvasculature alterations such as changes in spatiotemporal flow profiles within diving arterioles, arteriole diameter, and collateral tortuosity were analyzed. In the current study, while the arteriole vessel diameters between the two diet groups was comparable, we show that collateral tortuosity was significantly higher in the Western diet group, compared to control diet group, possibly indicating remodeling of brain vasculature due to dietary changes. Moreover, there is evidence showing that the corpus callosum is thinner in Western diet mice, indicative of tissue atrophy.

Accelerated measles control in the Western Pacific region.

PubMed

McFarland, Jeffrey W; Mansoor, Osman David; Yang, Baoping

2003-05-15

By the 1990s, an immunization program in the western Pacific had dramatically reduced measles morbidity and mortality. Building on the region's successful elimination of polio, several countries and areas achieved or are close to measles elimination, thus showing the potential for global eradication. The diverse challenges for measles control in different parts of the region have produced lessons that will help with future control, including the need for surveillance of sufficient standard to guide and monitor progress. A group of experts recognized both the potential and the challenges of the measles immunization program and proposed regional elimination as the appropriate disease control target for the region. No date was recommended for its achievement. If progress continues at the present rate, the western Pacific region should soon be able to set a target date for measles elimination.

Western Abandoned Uranium Mine Region Fact Sheets

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Fact sheets related to Western Abandoned Uranium Mine (AUM) Region, more than 100 abandoned uranium mine claims located along the Little Colorado River and Highway 89, ain the Cameron, Coalmine Canyon, Bodaway/Gap, and Leupp Chapters in Northern Arizona.

Determining Domestic Container Shipping as an Enforcement of Indonesian International Hub Port

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nur, H. I.; Lazuardi, S. D.; Hadi, F.; Hapis, M.

2018-03-01

According to Presidential Regulation Number 26 year of 2012 about the National Logistics System Development Blueprint, the Indonesian government proposed to build two international hub ports, which were in Port of Kuala Tanjung for the western region and Port of Bitung for eastern region. Therefore, the optimum routes and fleet size are required to support the enforcement of Indonesian International Hub Port. The optimization model is used to obtain the optimum route and fleet by minimizing the total shipping costs, while considering the container demand. The result of analysis obtained that the optimum route and fleet size for the western region of Indonesia were: (1) Kuala Tanjung-Belawan required 15 ships of 1,000 TEU; (2) Kuala Tanjung-Tanjung Priok required 73 ships of 2,500 TEU; (3) Kuala Tanjung- Tanjung Perak required 44 ships of 2,500 TEU. Meanwhile, the optimum route and fleet size for the eastern region of Indonesia consisted of: (1) Bitung-Sorong required 1 ship of 500 TEU; (2) Bitung-Banjarmasin required 3 ships of 500 TEU; and (3) Bitung-Makassar required 1 ship of 1,500 TEU.

Progress, opportunities, and key fields for groundwater quality research under the impacts of human activities in China with a special focus on western China.

PubMed

Li, Peiyue; Tian, Rui; Xue, Chenyang; Wu, Jianhua

2017-05-01

Groundwater quality research is extremely important for supporting the safety of the water supply and human health in arid and semi-arid areas of China. This review article was constructed to report the latest research progress of groundwater quality in western China where groundwater quality is undergoing fast deterioration because of fast economic development and extensive anthropogenic activities. The opportunities brought by increasing public awareness of groundwater quality protection were also highlighted and discussed. To guide and promote further development of groundwater quality research in China, especially in western China, ten key groundwater quality research fields were proposed. The review shows that the intensification of human activities and the associated impacts on groundwater quality in China, especially in western China, has made groundwater quality research increasingly important, and has caught the attention of local, national, and international agencies and scholars. China has achieved some progress in groundwater quality research in terms of national and regional laws, regulations, and financial supports. The future of groundwater quality research in China, especially in western China, is promising reflected by the opportunities highlighted. The key research fields proposed in this article may also inform groundwater quality protection and management at the national and international level.

Origin and abundance of marine litter along sandy beaches of the Turkish Western Black Sea Coast.

PubMed

Topçu, Eda N; Tonay, Arda M; Dede, Ayhan; Öztürk, Ayaka A; Öztürk, Bayram

2013-04-01

Beach debris abundance was estimated from surveys on 10 beaches of the Turkish Western Black Sea Coast. Debris was collected from 20 m long transects during four different seasons; sorted and categorized by type, usage and origin. Litter density varied from 0.085 to 5.058 items m(-2). Debris was mainly composed of unidentifiable small size (2-7 cm) plastic pieces and beverage-related litter such as bottles and bottle caps. About half of the labeled litter was of foreign origin, including 25 different countries, 23% of which are in the Black Sea region. The south-western Black Sea Coast seems to receive foreign litter from two main sources: land-based debris from the neighboring countries and seaborne debris due to international shipping. Standardized methodology and indicators need to be designated all over the Black Sea basin in order to quantify and qualify coastal litter pollution, monitor compliance with MARPOL and develop regionally effective mitigation measures. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Intestinal Parasitic Infestation in Combatants and Their Families: A Hospital-Based Study in Mid-Western Regional Police Hospital, Nepal

PubMed Central

Paudel, Damodar; Aung, Myo Nyein; Sharma, Bindhya; Aung, Thin Nyein Nyein; Moolphate, Saiyud

2014-01-01

Objective: To find out the scenario of intestinal parasitic infestation in combatants and their families in the setting of Mid-Western Regional Police Hospital (MWRPH), Nepal. Study Design: Cross-sectional study. Methods: All 2005 patients presented with the complaint of abdominal pain, diarrhoea, frequent defecation, blood in stool, or black stool from August 2007 to February 2011 were offered a stool examination. About 10g of fresh stool was collected in a clean, dry bottle. Two slides from each specimen were examined applying light microscope in 10 and 40 uvf at Banke, Nepalgunj hospital laboratory. Result: Among 2005 patients, 928 (46.28%) were infested with either helminths and/or protozoa. 96% were single infestation. The most common infestation was Ascaris lumbricoides (48.06%) and the second was hook worm (18.97%). Most common protozoal infestations were Entamoeba histolytica (12.92%) and Giardia lamblia (9.49%). Helminthic infestations peaked in cool months and protozoal infestations were rather steady throughout the year. Conclusion: Very high parasitic infestation in least developed mid- western Nepal may need urgent public health intervention. PMID:24762341

75 FR 44942 - 2015 Resource Pool-Sierra Nevada Customer Service Region

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-07-30

...The Western Area Power Administration (Western), a Federal power marketing administration of the Department of Energy (DOE), published its 2004 Power Marketing Plan (Marketing Plan) for the Sierra Nevada Customer Service Region (SNR) in the Federal Register on June 25, 1999. The Marketing Plan specifies the terms and conditions under which Western will market power from the Central Valley Project (CVP) and the Washoe Project beginning January 1, 2005, and continuing through December 31, 2024. The Marketing Plan provided for a portion of SNR's resources to be reallocated through a 2015 Resource Pool. On June 3, 2009, Western published a Call for 2015 Resource Pool Applications. On September 28, 2009, Western published a Notice of Extension to file applications. This notice announces Western's proposed allocations of power from the 2015 Resource Pool.

Annual Reports Regarding Progress in Developing a Dredged Material Management Plan for the Long Island Sound Region

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

The site designation for the Western and Central Long Island Sound disposal sites requires the completion of a Dredged Material Management Plan (DMMP) and EPA to conduct an annual review of progress toward completion of the DMMP.

A predictive index of biotic integrity model for aquatic-vertebrate assemblages of Western U.S. streams

EPA Science Inventory

Because of natural environmental and faunal differences and scientific perspectives, numerous indices of biological integrity (IBIs) have been developed at local state, and regional scales in the USA. These multiple IBIs, plus different criteria for judging impairment, hinder ri...

The Future of Workforce Development--A Global Perspective.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Twigger, Anthony J.

Recent research has identified trends in the training systems of 13 countries in Africa (Egypt, Mauritius, South Africa); the Arab States (Bahrain, Jordan); Asia (Australia, Fiji, Malaysia); Eastern Europe (Albania, Slovenia); Western Europe (Ireland, Portugal); and the Mediterranean region (Malta). The trends identified are legislation;…

76 FR 47538 - Agenda and Notice of Public Meeting of the Nevada Advisory Committee

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-08-05

... is to discuss the Committee's report on the status of civil rights and discuss future activity... Western Regional Office of the Commission by September 22, 2011. The address is Western Regional Office, U... the Regional Office at least ten (10) working days before the scheduled date of the meeting. Records...

A spatially distributed energy balance snowmelt model for application in mountain basins

USGS Publications Warehouse

Marks, D.; Domingo, J.; Susong, D.; Link, T.; Garen, D.

1999-01-01

Snowmelt is the principal source for soil moisture, ground-water re-charge, and stream-flow in mountainous regions of the western US, Canada, and other similar regions of the world. Information on the timing, magnitude, and contributing area of melt under variable or changing climate conditions is required for successful water and resource management. A coupled energy and mass-balance model ISNOBAL is used to simulate the development and melting of the seasonal snowcover in several mountain basins in California, Idaho, and Utah. Simulations are done over basins varying from 1 to 2500 km2, with simulation periods varying from a few days for the smallest basin, Emerald Lake watershed in California, to multiple snow seasons for the Park City area in Utah. The model is driven by topographically corrected estimates of radiation, temperature, humidity, wind, and precipitation. Simulation results in all basins closely match independently measured snow water equivalent, snow depth, or runoff during both the development and depletion of the snowcover. Spatially distributed estimates of snow deposition and melt allow us to better understand the interaction between topographic structure, climate, and moisture availability in mountain basins of the western US. Application of topographically distributed models such as this will lead to improved water resource and watershed management.Snowmelt is the principal source for soil moisture, ground-water re-charge, and stream-flow in mountainous regions of the western US, Canada, and other similar regions of the world. Information on the timing, magnitude, and contributing area of melt under variable or changing climate conditions is required for successful water and resource management. A coupled energy and mass-balance model ISNOBAL is used to simulate the development and melting of the seasonal snowcover in several mountain basins in California, Idaho, and Utah. Simulations are done over basins varying from 1 to 2500 km2, with simulation periods varying from a few days for the smallest basin, Emerald Lake watershed in California, to multiple snow seasons for the Park City area in Utah. The model is driven by topographically corrected estimates of radiation, temperature, humidity, wind, and precipitation. Simulation results in all basins closely match independently measured snow water equivalent, snow depth, or runoff during both the development and depletion of the snowcover. Spatially distributed estimates of snow deposition and melt allow us to better understand the interaction between topographic structure, climate, and moisture availability in mountain basins of the western US. Application of topographically distributed models such as this will lead to improved water resource and watershed management.

Origin and genetic diversity of Western European populations of the potato cyst nematode (Globodera pallida) inferred from mitochondrial sequences and microsatellite loci.

PubMed

Plantard, O; Picard, D; Valette, S; Scurrah, M; Grenier, E; Mugniéry, D

2008-05-01

Native to South America, the potato cyst nematode Globodera pallida is one of the principal pests of Andean potato crops and is also an important global pest following its introduction to Europe, Africa, North America, Asia and Oceania. Building on earlier work showing a clear south to north phylogeographic pattern in Peruvian populations, we have been able to identify the origin of Western European populations with high accuracy. They are all derived from a single restricted area in the extreme south of Peru, located between the north shore of the Lake Titicaca and Cusco. Only four cytochrome b haplotypes are found in Western Europe, one of them being also found in some populations of this area of southern Peru. The allelic richness at seven microsatellite loci observed in the Western European populations, although only one-third of that observed in this part of southern Peru, is comparable to the allelic richness observed in the northern region of Peru. This result could be explained by the fact that most of the genetic variability observed at the scale of a field or even of a region is already observed at the scale of a single plant within a field. Thus, even introduction via a single infected potato plant could result in the relatively high genetic variability observed in Western Europe. This finding has important consequences for the control of this pest and the development of quarantine measures.

Application of multiple geochemical markers to investigate organic pollution in a dynamic coastal zone.

PubMed

Liu, Liang-Ying; Wang, Ji-Zhong; Wong, Charles S; Qiu, Jian-Wen; Zeng, Eddy Y

2013-02-01

Multiple geochemical markers, including aliphatic hydrocarbons (n-alkanes), linear alkylbenzenes (LABs), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), were employed to relate sediment organic chemical pollution in the coastal zone off South China to socioeconomic development there. Concentrations of Σn-C(15-35) (n-alkanes with 15-35 carbon atoms), ΣLAB (sum of C(10) to C(13) LABs), and Σ(26) PAH (sum of 26 PAH compounds) ranged from 110 to 3,160, 11 to 160, and 26 to 600 ng/g, with medians of 730, 40, and 230 ng/g, respectively. Natural hydrocarbons were mainly derived from terrestrial higher plant waxes, and in minor amounts from aquatic plankton and bacteria. Compositions of LABs indicated that considerable amounts of poorly treated wastewater had been directly discharged or transported to the eastern and western coastal areas of Guangdong Province. In addition, anthropogenic hydrocarbons were derived largely from vehicular emissions and combustion of domestic coal and biomass and to a lesser extent from oil spills. Eastern and western coastal sediments contained higher levels of LABs but lower levels of PAHs than those of the Pearl River Estuary, a coastal area of the Pearl River Delta. This spatial pattern of organic pollution was consistent with chemical use patterns. The eastern and western regions of Guangdong Province are economically less developed than the Pearl River Delta region, where more domestic wastewater treatment plants have been built. However, greater amounts of energy are consumed in the latter region to produce more combustion-derived PAH contamination. Copyright © 2012 SETAC.

Regional and Global Aspects of Aerosols in Western Africa: From Air Quality to Climate

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chin, Mian; Diehl, Thomas; Kucsera, Tom; Spinhime, Jim; Palm, Stephen; Holben, Brent; Ginoux, Paul

2006-01-01

Western Africa is one of the most important aerosol source regions in the world. Major aerosol sources include dust from the world's largest desert Sahara, biomass burning from the Sahel, pollution aerosols from local sources and long-range transport from Europe, and biogenic sources from vegetation. Because these sources have large seasonal variations, the aerosol composition over the western Africa changes significantly with time. These aerosols exert large influences on local air quality and regional climate. In this study, we use the Goddard Chemistry Aerosol Radiation and Transport (GOCART) model to analyze satellite lidar data from the GLAS instrument on the ICESat and the sunphotometer data from the ground-based network AERONET taken in both the wet (September - October 2003) and dry (February - March 2004) seasons over western Africa. We will quantify the seasonal variations of aerosol sources and compositions and aerosol spatial (horizontal and vertical) distributions over western Africa. We will also assess the climate impact of western African aerosols. Such studies will be applied to support the international project, Africa Monsoon Multidisciplinary Analysis (AMMA) and to analyze the AMMA data.

Groundwater declines are linked to changes in Great Plains stream fish assemblages

USGS Publications Warehouse

Prekins, Joshuah S.; Gido, Keith B.; Falke, Jeffrey A.; Fausch, Kurt D.; Crockett, Harry; Johnson, Eric R.; Sanderson, John

2017-01-01

Groundwater pumping for agriculture is a major driver causing declines of global freshwater ecosystems, yet the ecological consequences for stream fish assemblages are rarely quantified. We combined retrospective (1950–2010) and prospective (2011–2060) modeling approaches within a multiscale framework to predict change in Great Plains stream fish assemblages associated with groundwater pumping from the United States High Plains Aquifer. We modeled the relationship between the length of stream receiving water from the High Plains Aquifer and the occurrence of fishes characteristic of small and large streams in the western Great Plains at a regional scale and for six subwatersheds nested within the region. Water development at the regional scale was associated with construction of 154 barriers that fragment stream habitats, increased depth to groundwater and loss of 558 km of stream, and transformation of fish assemblage structure from dominance by large-stream to small-stream fishes. Scaling down to subwatersheds revealed consistent transformations in fish assemblage structure among western subwatersheds with increasing depths to groundwater. Although transformations occurred in the absence of barriers, barriers along mainstem rivers isolate depauperate western fish assemblages from relatively intact eastern fish assemblages. Projections to 2060 indicate loss of an additional 286 km of stream across the region, as well as continued replacement of large-stream fishes by small-stream fishes where groundwater pumping has increased depth to groundwater. Our work illustrates the shrinking of streams and homogenization of Great Plains stream fish assemblages related to groundwater pumping, and we predict similar transformations worldwide where local and regional aquifer depletions occur.

Groundwater declines are linked to changes in Great Plains stream fish assemblages.

PubMed

Perkin, Joshuah S; Gido, Keith B; Falke, Jeffrey A; Fausch, Kurt D; Crockett, Harry; Johnson, Eric R; Sanderson, John

2017-07-11

Groundwater pumping for agriculture is a major driver causing declines of global freshwater ecosystems, yet the ecological consequences for stream fish assemblages are rarely quantified. We combined retrospective (1950-2010) and prospective (2011-2060) modeling approaches within a multiscale framework to predict change in Great Plains stream fish assemblages associated with groundwater pumping from the United States High Plains Aquifer. We modeled the relationship between the length of stream receiving water from the High Plains Aquifer and the occurrence of fishes characteristic of small and large streams in the western Great Plains at a regional scale and for six subwatersheds nested within the region. Water development at the regional scale was associated with construction of 154 barriers that fragment stream habitats, increased depth to groundwater and loss of 558 km of stream, and transformation of fish assemblage structure from dominance by large-stream to small-stream fishes. Scaling down to subwatersheds revealed consistent transformations in fish assemblage structure among western subwatersheds with increasing depths to groundwater. Although transformations occurred in the absence of barriers, barriers along mainstem rivers isolate depauperate western fish assemblages from relatively intact eastern fish assemblages. Projections to 2060 indicate loss of an additional 286 km of stream across the region, as well as continued replacement of large-stream fishes by small-stream fishes where groundwater pumping has increased depth to groundwater. Our work illustrates the shrinking of streams and homogenization of Great Plains stream fish assemblages related to groundwater pumping, and we predict similar transformations worldwide where local and regional aquifer depletions occur.

Groundwater declines are linked to changes in Great Plains stream fish assemblages

PubMed Central

Perkin, Joshuah S.; Gido, Keith B.; Falke, Jeffrey A.; Fausch, Kurt D.; Crockett, Harry; Johnson, Eric R.; Sanderson, John

2017-01-01

Groundwater pumping for agriculture is a major driver causing declines of global freshwater ecosystems, yet the ecological consequences for stream fish assemblages are rarely quantified. We combined retrospective (1950–2010) and prospective (2011–2060) modeling approaches within a multiscale framework to predict change in Great Plains stream fish assemblages associated with groundwater pumping from the United States High Plains Aquifer. We modeled the relationship between the length of stream receiving water from the High Plains Aquifer and the occurrence of fishes characteristic of small and large streams in the western Great Plains at a regional scale and for six subwatersheds nested within the region. Water development at the regional scale was associated with construction of 154 barriers that fragment stream habitats, increased depth to groundwater and loss of 558 km of stream, and transformation of fish assemblage structure from dominance by large-stream to small-stream fishes. Scaling down to subwatersheds revealed consistent transformations in fish assemblage structure among western subwatersheds with increasing depths to groundwater. Although transformations occurred in the absence of barriers, barriers along mainstem rivers isolate depauperate western fish assemblages from relatively intact eastern fish assemblages. Projections to 2060 indicate loss of an additional 286 km of stream across the region, as well as continued replacement of large-stream fishes by small-stream fishes where groundwater pumping has increased depth to groundwater. Our work illustrates the shrinking of streams and homogenization of Great Plains stream fish assemblages related to groundwater pumping, and we predict similar transformations worldwide where local and regional aquifer depletions occur. PMID:28652354

Recent climatic, cryospheric, and hydrological changes over the interior of western Canada: a synthesis and review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DeBeer, C. M.; Wheater, H. S.; Carey, S. K.; Chun, K. P.

2015-08-01

It is well-established that the Earth's climate system has warmed significantly over the past several decades, and in association there have been widespread changes in various other Earth system components. This has been especially prevalent in the cold regions of the northern mid to high-latitudes. Examples of these changes can be found within the western and northern interior of Canada, a region that exemplifies the scientific and societal issues faced in many other similar parts of the world, and where impacts have global-scale consequences. This region has been the geographic focus of a large amount of previous research on changing climatic, cryospheric, and hydrological Earth system components in recent decades, while current initiatives such as the Changing Cold Regions Network (CCRN) seek to further develop the understanding and diagnosis of this change and hence improve predictive capacity. This paper provides an integrated review of the observed changes in these Earth system components and a concise and up-to-date regional picture of some of the temporal trends over the interior of western Canada since the mid or late-20th century. The focus is on air temperature, precipitation, seasonal snow cover, mountain glaciers, permafrost, freshwater ice cover, and river discharge. Important long-term observational networks and datasets are described, and qualitative linkages among the changing components are highlighted. Systematic warming and significant changes to precipitation, snow and ice regimes are unambiguous. However, integrated effects on streamflow are complex. It is argued that further diagnosis is required before predictions of future change can be made with confidence.

Yaws in the Western Pacific Region: A Review of the Literature

PubMed Central

Capuano, Corinne; Ozaki, Masayo

2011-01-01

Until the middle of the 20th century, yaws was highly endemic and considered a serious public health problem in the Western Pacific Region (WPR), leading to intensive control efforts in the 1950s–1960s. Since then, little attention has been paid to its reemergence. Its current burden is unknown. This paper presents the results of an extensive literature review, focusing on yaws in the South Pacific. Available records suggest that the region remains largely free of yaws except for Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu. Many clinical cases reported recently were described as “attenuated”; advanced stages are rare. A single intramuscular injection of benzathine penicillin is still effective in curing yaws. In the Pacific, yaws may be amenable to elimination if adequate resources are provided and political commitment revived. A mapping of yaws prevalence in PNG, Solomon, and Vanuatu is needed before comprehensive country-tailored strategies towards yaws elimination can be developed. PMID:22235208

High-Resolution Digital Terrain Models of the Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta Region, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Coons, Tom; Soulard, Christopher E.; Knowles, Noah

2008-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Western Region Geographic Science Center, in conjunction with the USGS Water Resources Western Branch of Regional Research, has developed a high-resolution elevation dataset covering the Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta region of California. The elevation data were compiled photogrammically from aerial photography (May 2002) with a scale of 1:15,000. The resulting dataset has a 10-meter horizontal resolution grid of elevation values. The vertical accuracy was determined to be 1 meter. Two versions of the elevation data are available: the first dataset has all water coded as zero, whereas the second dataset has bathymetry data merged with the elevation data. The projection of both datasets is set to UTM Zone 10, NAD 1983. The elevation data are clipped into files that spatially approximate 7.5-minute USGS quadrangles, with about 100 meters of overlap to facilitate combining the files into larger regions without data gaps. The files are named after the 7.5-minute USGS quadrangles that cover the same general spatial extent. File names that include a suffix (_b) indicate that the bathymetry data are included (for example, sac_east versus sac_east_b). These files are provided in ESRI Grid format.

Food and nutrition security in the Hindu Kush Himalayan region.

PubMed

Rasul, Golam; Hussain, Abid; Mahapatra, Bidhubhusan; Dangol, Narendra

2018-01-01

The status of food and nutrition security and its underlying factors in the Hindu-Kush Himalayan (HKH) region is investigated. In this region, one third to a half of children (<5 years of age) suffer from stunting, with the incidence of wasting and under-weight also being very high. The prevalence of stunting, wasting and under-weight in children is particularly high in some mountain areas such as Meghalaya state in India, the western mountains and far-western hills of Nepal, Balochistan province in Pakistan, eastern Afghanistan, and Chin state in Myanmar. Food habits in the HKH region are changing. This has led to a deterioration in traditional mountain food systems with a decline in agrobiodiversity. Factors such as high poverty and low dietary energy intakes, a lack of hygienic environments, inadequate nutritional knowledge, and climate change and environmental degradation are also influencing food and nutrition security in the HKH region. To achieve sustainable food and nutrition security in the mountains, this study suggests a multi-sectoral integrated approach with consideration of nutritional aspects in all development processes dealing with economic, social, agricultural and public health issues. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

Global trends in testicular cancer incidence and mortality.

PubMed

Rosen, Alexandre; Jayram, Gautam; Drazer, Michael; Eggener, Scott E

2011-08-01

Epidemiologic studies on testicular cancer have focused primarily on European countries. Global incidence and mortality have been less thoroughly evaluated. Our goal was to gain a better understanding of the most recent global age-standardized incidence and mortality rates for testicular cancer and to use these values to estimate a region's health care quality. Age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR) and age-standardized mortality rate (ASMR) for testicular cancer were obtained for men of all ages in 172 countries by using the GLOBOCAN 2008 database, reflecting the annual rate of cancer incidence and mortality per 100,000 men. These data were evaluated on a regional level to compare incidence and mortality rates. Global plots of these values were constructed to better visualize geographic distributions. Finally, the ratio of ASIR to ASMR was calculated as a method to assess each region's proficiency in diagnosing and effectively treating testicular cancer. ASIR and ASMR were analyzed by region, and each region's ratio of ASIR to ASMR was calculated. Testicular cancer ASIR is highest in Western Europe (7.8%), Northern Europe (6.7%), and Australia (6.5%). Asia and Africa had the lowest incidence (<1.0%). ASMR was highest in Central America (0.7%), western Asia (0.6%), and Central and Eastern Europe (0.6%). Mortality was lowest in North America, Northern Europe, and Australia (0.1-0.2%). The ASIR-ASMR ratio was highest in Australia (65.0%) and lowest in western Africa (1.0%). National reporting systems varied by country, and data quality may have fluctuated between regions. Testicular cancer incidence remains highest in developed nations with primarily Caucasian populations. Variable ASIR-ASMR ratios suggest markedly different geographic-specific reporting mechanisms, access to care, and treatment capabilities. Copyright © 2011 European Association of Urology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Source-receptor relationships for PM2.5 during typical pollution episodes in the Pearl River Delta city cluster, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fan, Q.; Liu, Y.; Hong, Y.; Wang, X.; Chan, P.; Chen, X.; Lai, A.; Wang, M.; Chen, X.

2017-12-01

Located in the Southern China monsoon region, pollution days in Pearl River Delta (PRD) were classified into "Western type", "Central type" or "Eastern type", with a relative percentage of 67%, 24% and 9%, respectively. Using this classification system, three typical pollution events were selected for numerical simulations using the WRF-Chem model. The source sensitivity method for anthropogenic emissions of PM2.5 and its precursors was applied to identify the source-receptor relationships for PM2.5 among 9 cities in PRD. For "Western type" case, the PRD region was under control of a high-pressure system with easterly prevailing winds. The PM2.5 concentrations in the western PRD region were higher than those in the eastern region, with emissions from cities in the eastern PRD region having higher contributions. Within the PRD's urban cluster, PM2.5 in Huizhou, Dongguan and Shenzhen was mainly derived from local emissions, whereas the PM2.5 in the other cities was primarily derived from external transport. For "Eastern type" case, the PRD was influenced by Typhoon Soulik with westerly prevailing winds. Emissions from cities in the western PRD region had the highest impacts on the overall PM2.5 concentration. PM2.5 in Jiangmen and Foshan was primarily derived from local emissions. Regarding "Central type" case, the PRD region was under control of a uniform pressure field with low wind speed. PM2.5 concentrations of each city were primarily caused by local emissions. Overall, wind flows played a significant role in the transport and spatial distribution of PM2.5 across the PRD region. Ideally, local governments would be wise to establish joint prevention and control measures to reduce regional atmospheric pollution, especially for "Western type" pollution.

REGIONAL DIFFERENCES IN ATTITUDES THAT MAY AFFECT HEALTH BEHAVIOR AND WILLINGNESS TO PARTICIPATE IN RESEARCH AMONG BLACK SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS

PubMed Central

Lampkin, Andy; Yancey, Antronette; Wilson, Colwick; Fraser, Gary E.

2012-01-01

Objective To identify the attitudes and perceptions of Black Seventh-day Adventists regarding health research and the healthcare system in two regions of the United States. Design Church members were selected from those who participated in the Adventist Health Study-2 (AHS-2) and those who chose not to participate. Participants were selected from two regions of the United States. Setting Participants were interviewed in their churches, in their homes, and in the research study office at Loma Linda University. Interviews were done in the Western and Southern regions of the United States. Participants 384 Black Seventh-day Adventists, aged >30 years. Main Outcome Measures Responses to the structured interviews from those in the Western region were compared to those in the Southern region. Results Those in the Southern region included more elderly subjects; they were more likely to own their home despite earning less; and were more likely to be married. Compared to the Western region participants, we found Southern participants to have greater participation in church activities, greater mistrust of the healthcare system and particular concerns about racial inequalities in care. In contrast, they also reported more positive experiences with their personal healthcare provider than Western participants. Southerners felt that they had greater control over their own health, perhaps in part due to a greater identification with the health teachings of the Adventist church. Conclusions A number of clear differences were found between Black Adventist subjects living in either the Western or Southern regions of the United States. These factors should be considered carefully when planning the promotion for a research study. PMID:20073146

76 FR 16691 - Western Electric Coordinating Council Qualified Transfer Path Unscheduled Flow Relief Regional...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-25

... of the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) IRO-006-WECC-1 (Qualified Transfer Path... the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC) IRO-006-WECC-1 (Qualified Transfer Path...: Balancing Authorities and Reliability Coordinator in the Western Electricity Coordinating Council. Frequency...

Characterization of Solang valley watershed in western Himalaya for bio-resource conservation using remote sensing techniques.

PubMed

Kumar, Amit; Chawla, Amit; Rajkumar, S

2011-08-01

The development activities in mountainous region though provide comfort to the human being and enhance the socioeconomic status of the people but create pressure on the bio-resources. In this paper, the current status of land use/landcover and the vegetation communities of the Solang valley watershed in Himachal Pradesh of Indian western Himalaya has been mapped and presented using remote sensing. This watershed area was dominated by alpine and sub-alpine pastures (30.34%) followed by scree slopes (22.34%) and forests (21.06%). Many tree, shrub, and herb species identified in the study area are among the prioritized species for conservation in the Indian Himalayan Region. Thus, scientific interventions and preparation of action plans based on ecological survey are required for conservation of the Solang valley watershed.

Adaptively Parameterized Tomography of the Western Hellenic Subduction Zone

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hansen, S. E.; Papadopoulos, G. A.

2017-12-01

The Hellenic subduction zone (HSZ) is the most seismically active region in Europe and plays a major role in the active tectonics of the eastern Mediterranean. This complicated environment has the potential to generate both large magnitude (M > 8) earthquakes and tsunamis. Situated above the western end of the HSZ, Greece faces a high risk from these geologic hazards, and characterizing this risk requires detailed understanding of the geodynamic processes occurring in this area. However, despite previous investigations, the kinematics of the HSZ are still controversial. Regional tomographic studies have yielded important information about the shallow seismic structure of the HSZ, but these models only image down to 150 km depth within small geographic areas. Deeper structure is constrained by global tomographic models but with coarser resolution ( 200-300 km). Additionally, current tomographic models focused on the HSZ were generated with regularly-spaced gridding, and this type of parameterization often over-emphasizes poorly sampled regions of the model or under-represents small-scale structure. Therefore, we are developing a new, high-resolution image of the mantle structure beneath the western HSZ using an adaptively parameterized seismic tomography approach. By combining multiple, regional travel-time datasets in the context of a global model, with adaptable gridding based on the sampling density of high-frequency data, this method generates a composite model of mantle structure that is being used to better characterize geodynamic processes within the HSZ, thereby allowing for improved hazard assessment. Preliminary results will be shown.

EMAP WESTERN UNITED STATES LANDSCAPE CHARACTERIZATION OREGON DATA AND PRODUCT BROWSER

EPA Science Inventory

The United States Environmental Protection Agency's Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP) is conducting a study in the western United States (EPA Regions 8, 9, and 10) that will advance the science of ecological monitoring and demonstrate techniques for regional-...

Prediction of infection risk of hop by Pseudoperonspora humuli

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Downy mildew, caused by Pseudoperonospora humuli, is one of the most destructive diseases of hop. Weather factors associated with infection risk by P. humuli in the maritime region of western Oregon were examined for 24 and 48-h periods and quadratic discriminant function models were developed to c...

Effects of Watershed Land Use and Geomorphology on Stream Baseflows in the Southern Blue Ridge Mountains

EPA Science Inventory

The current understanding of watershed hydrology does not provide insight into prediction of low-flow response to land-use change in developing regions like the Blue Ridge of north Georgia and western North Carolina. To address this problem, three separate but complementary stud...

The Marin City Early Intervention Report.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Far West Lab. for Educational Research and Development, Berkeley, CA.

This report briefly describes the Marin City, California community and summarizes progress made by the Far West Laboratory's Western Regional Laboratory in the development of a long-range community intervention program. Marin City is a predominantly low-income, black community in which 30 percent of households, mainly those headed by single women,…

Multiculturalism in Central and Eastern Europe: The Hungarian Story

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Csereklye, Erzsebet

2014-01-01

The European discourse of multicultural education almost exclusively addresses the experiences of Western Europe. Countries in Eastern and Central Europe have experienced not only different ways of economic and political development in the 20th century, but also different constructs of social, especially ethnic diversity. In the CEE region the…

ENERGY FROM THE WEST: IMPACT ANALYSIS REPORT. VOLUME II: SITE-SPECIFIC AND REGIONAL IMPACT ANALYSES

EPA Science Inventory

This document reports the results of impact analyses conducted as a part of a three-year technology assessment of the development of six energy resources (coal, geothermal, natural gas, oil, oil shale and uranium) in eight western states (Arizona, Colorado, Montana, New Mexico, N...

Topographic controls on the regional-scale biodiversity of the south-western USA

Treesearch

David D. Coblentz; Kurt H. Riitters

2004-01-01

Aim Topography is a fundamental geophysical observable that contains valuable information about the geodynamic, tectonic and climatic history of a region. Here, we extend the traditional uses of topographic analysis to evaluate the role played by topography in the distribution of regional-scale biodiversity in the south-western USA. An important aspect of our study is...

Western Region: A Report Identifying and Addressing the Educational Needs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

US Department of Education, 2011

2011-01-01

During a four-week period (May 23, 2011-June 21, 2011), the Western Regional Advisory Committee (RAC) held a series of public meetings to solicit input and deliberate on key educational needs facing the four states in the region--Arizona, California, Nevada, and Utah. A two-day, face-to-face, public meeting was held May 23-24, 2011 in Arlington,…

76 FR 23277 - Agenda and Notice of Public Meeting of the Alaska Advisory Committee

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-04-26

....m. and adjourn at approximately 5 p.m. The purpose of the meeting is to plan a future civil rights... the Western Regional Office of the Commission by June 17, 2011. The address is Western Regional Office... interpreter should contact the Regional Office at least ten (10) working days before the scheduled date of the...

Progress and challenges in maternal health in western China: a Countdown to 2015 national case study.

PubMed

Gao, Yanqiu; Zhou, Hong; Singh, Neha S; Powell-Jackson, Timothy; Nash, Stephen; Yang, Min; Guo, Sufang; Fang, Hai; Alvarez, Melisa Martinez; Liu, Xiaoyun; Pan, Jay; Wang, Yan; Ronsmans, Carine

2017-05-01

China is one of the few Countdown countries to have achieved Millennium Development Goal 5 (75% reduction in maternal mortality ratio between 1990 and 2015). We aimed to examine the health systems and contextual factors that might have contributed to the substantial decline in maternal mortality between 1997 and 2014. We chose to focus on western China because poverty, ethnic diversity, and geographical access represent particular challenges to ensuring universal access to maternal care in the region. In this systematic assessment, we used data from national census reports, National Statistical Yearbooks, the National Maternal and Child Health Routine Reporting System, the China National Health Accounts report, and National Health Statistical Yearbooks to describe changes in policies, health financing, health workforce, health infrastructure, coverage of maternal care, and maternal mortality by region between 1997 and 2014. We used a multivariate linear regression model to examine which contextual and health systems factors contributed to the regional variation in maternal mortality ratio in the same period. Using data from a cross-sectional survey in 2011, we also examined equity in access to maternity care in 42 poor counties in western China. Maternal mortality declined by 8·9% per year between 1997 and 2014 (geometric mean ratio for each year 0·91, 95% CI 0·91-0·92). After adjusting for GDP per capita, length of highways, female illiteracy, the number of licensed doctors per 1000 population, and the proportion of ethnic minorities, the maternal mortality ratio was 118% higher in the western region (2·18, 1·44-3·28) and 41% higher in the central region (1·41, 0·99-2·01) than in the eastern region. In the rural western region, the proportion of births in health facilities rose from 41·9% in 1997 to 98·4% in 2014. Underpinning such progress was the Government's strong commitment to long-term strategies to ensure access to delivery care in health facilities-eg, professionalisation of maternity care in large hospitals, effective referral systems for women medically or socially at high risk, and financial subsidies for antenatal and delivery care. However, in the poor western counties, substantial disparity by education level of the mother existed in access to health facility births (44% of illiterate women vs 100% of those with college or higher education), antenatal care (17% vs 69%) had at least four visits), and caesarean section (8% vs 44%). Despite remarkable progress in maternal survival in China, substantial disparities remain, especially for the poor, less educated, and ethnic minority groups in remote areas in western China. Whether China's highly medicalised model of maternity care will be an answer for these populations is uncertain. A strategy modelled after China's immunisation programme, whereby care is provided close to the women's homes, might need to be explored, with township hospitals taking a more prominent role. Government of Canada, UNICEF, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Copyright © 2017 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY license. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Reconstructing Holocene Summer Sea-Ice Conditions in the Central and Western Arctic Ocean: Morphological Variations and Stable Isotope Composition of Neogloboquadrina pachyderma

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Asahi, H.; Nam, S. I.; Stein, R. H.; Mackensen, A.; Son, Y. J.

2017-12-01

The usability of planktic foraminiferal census data in Arctic paleoceanography is limited by the predominance of Neogloboquadrina pachyderma (sinistral). Though a potential usability of their morphological variation has been suggested by recent studies, its application is restricted to the central part of the Arctic Ocean. Here we present their regional distribution, using 80 surface sediment samples from the central and the western Arctic Ocean. Among seven morphological variations encountered, distinct presence of "large-sized" N. pachyderma morphotypes at the summer sea-ice edge in the western Arctic demonstrates its strong potential as sea-ice distribution indicator. Based on their regional patterns, we further developed planktic foraminifer (PF)-based transfer functions (TFs) to reconstruct summer surface-water temperature, salinity and sea-ice concentration in the western and central Arctic. The comparison of sea-ice reconstructions by PF-based TF to other pre-existed approaches showed their recognizable advantages/disadvantages: the PF-based approach in the nearby/within heavily ice-covered region, the dinocyst-based approach in the extensively seasonal ice retreat region, and the IP25-based approach with overall reflection over a wide range of sea-ice coverage, which is likely attributed to their (a) taphonomical information-loss, (b) different seasonal production patterns or combination of both. The application of these TFs on a sediment core from Northwind Ridge suggests general warming, freshening, and sea-ice reduction after 6.0 ka. This generally agrees with PF stable isotope records and sea-ice reconstructions from dinocyst-based TF at proximal locations, indicating that the sea-ice behavior at the Northwind Ridge is notably different from the IP25-based sea-ice reconstructions reported from elsewhere in the Arctic Ocean. Lack of regional coverage of PF-based reconstructions hampers further discussion whether the observed inconsistency is simply caused by different regional coverage of data and/or their different sensitivity yet. Thus, additional PF-census data with their isotope signatures from other cores from different ice regimes in the Arctic Ocean (e.g., Lomonosov Ridge and Mendeelev Ridge) will provide further discussion for such inconsisntency.

Magnitude and frequency of floods in western Oregon

USGS Publications Warehouse

Harris, David Dell; Hubbard, Larry L.; Hubbard, Lawrence E.

1979-01-01

A method for estimating the magnitude and frequency of floods is presented for unregulated streams in western Oregon. Equations relating flood magnitude to basin characteristics were developed for exceedance probabilities of 0.5 to 0.01 (2- to 100-year recurrence intervals). Separate equations are presented for four regions: Coast, Willamette, Rogue-Umpqua, and High Cascades. Also presented are values of flood discharges for selected exceedance probabilities and of basin characteristics for all gaging stations used in the analysis. Included are data for 230 stations in Oregon, 6 stations in southwestern Washington, and 3 stations in northwestern California. Drainage areas used in the analysis range from 0.21 to 7,280 square miles. Also included are maximum discharges for all western Oregon stations used in the analysis. (Woodard-USGS)

Pennsylvania Action Research Network (PA-ARN) Staff Development through Five Regional Staff Development Centers. Final Report, July 1998-June 1999.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pennsylvania State Univ., McKeesport.

With the existence of 67 monographs and approximately 60 practitioners trained in action research in the western and central parts of Pennsylvania from project years 1995-98, the 1998-99 Section 353 project expanded the action research network (ARN) to include teachers, administrators, and researchers in the northeastern and southeastern parts of…

Post-fire tree establishment and early cohort development in conifer forests of the western Cascades of Oregon, USA

Treesearch

Alan J. Tepley; Frederick J. Swanson; Thomas A. Spies

2014-01-01

Early-seral ecosystems make important contributions to regional biodiversity by supporting high abundance and diversity of many plant and animal species that are otherwise rare or absent from closed-canopy forests. Therefore, the period of post-fire tree establishment is a key stage in forest stand and ecosystem development that can be viewed in the context of...

DEVELOPING A TURNKEY VEGETATIVE, SUBSTRATE AND CONTAINER ASSEMBLY FOR USE WITH RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL EXTENSIVE ROOFS IN NEW ENGLAND AND SOUTHEAST CANADA

EPA Science Inventory

The green roof industry has begun to develop regional applications specific to the Western, Middle and Southeast U.S. but few, if any, for the Northeast. In fact, EPA has just begun this process in Boston, MA. The mission for our students is to expand on the EPA or other eff...

The phytogeography and ecotourism potential of the eastern province of lower part of the "Köprü river" basin.

PubMed

Kaya, Bastürk; Akis, Ayhan

2012-04-01

Köprü River Basin is located in the western Taurus mountains in south-western Turkey. The area is in the Mediterranean phytogeographical region. The climate in the area is typically Mediterranean: mild and rainy in winter, hot and dry in summer. Xerophytic plants can easily grow in this climate. Pinus brutia forests are common in the study area. Maquis and garique elements with sclerophyll character also occur in the region. The study aims to determine the distribution of the vegetation in the eastern province of lower part of the "Köprü River" Basin. The factors which affect the distribution of vegetation are climate, landforms and soils. In order to determine the plant growth and climate relationship, the climatic data were analyzed. As well as the geological and geomorphological conditions, the soils were investigated and the effects of these factors on vegetation cover were analyzed. The region also has various attributes for the development of ecotourism, including canyons, forests and historical places. The region has a great potential for many different social, cultural, and scientific activities related to ecotourism. These are highland tourism, rafting, botanic tourism, trekking, and climbing. In order to make ecotourism available for local people to benefit, ecotourism should be developed and introduced to the world. Moreover, plans for the sustainability of the resources should be made. The study highlights the ecotourism potential of the area which is of social, economic, and ecological importance for the region.

Land-use planning for nearshore ecosystem services—the Puget Sound Ecosystem Portfolio Model

USGS Publications Warehouse

Byrd, Kristin

2011-01-01

The 2,500 miles of shoreline and nearshore areas of Puget Sound, Washington, provide multiple benefits to people—"ecosystem services"—including important fishing, shellfishing, and recreation industries. To help resource managers plan for expected growth in coming decades, the U.S. Geological Survey Western Geographic Science Center has developed the Puget Sound Ecosystem Portfolio Model (PSEPM). Scenarios of urban growth and shoreline modifications serve as model inputs to develop alternative futures of important nearshore features such as water quality and beach habitats. Model results will support regional long-term planning decisions for the Puget Sound region.

Preparedness for Zika virus testing in the World Health Organization Western Pacific Region

PubMed Central

Squires, Raynal C

2016-01-01

On 1 February 2016, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that clusters of microcephaly cases and other neurological disorders occurring in Zika virus (ZIKV)-affected areas constituted a public health emergency of international concern. Increased surveillance of the virus, including the requirement for laboratory confirmation of infection, was recommended. The WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific therefore initiated a rapid survey among national-level public health laboratories in 19 countries and areas to determine regional capacity for ZIKV detection. The survey indicated that 16/19 (84%) countries had capacity for molecular detection of ZIKV while others facilitated testing through referral. These results suggest that robust laboratory capacity is in place to support ZIKV surveillance in the Western Pacific Region. PMID:27757256

Preparedness for Zika virus testing in the World Health Organization Western Pacific Region.

PubMed

Squires, Raynal C; Konings, Frank

2016-01-01

On 1 February 2016, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared that clusters of microcephaly cases and other neurological disorders occurring in Zika virus (ZIKV)-affected areas constituted a public health emergency of international concern. Increased surveillance of the virus, including the requirement for laboratory confirmation of infection, was recommended. The WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific therefore initiated a rapid survey among national-level public health laboratories in 19 countries and areas to determine regional capacity for ZIKV detection. The survey indicated that 16/19 (84%) countries had capacity for molecular detection of ZIKV while others facilitated testing through referral. These results suggest that robust laboratory capacity is in place to support ZIKV surveillance in the Western Pacific Region.

Regional topographic rises on Venus - Geology of Western Eistla Regio and comparison to Beta Regio and Atla Regio

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Senske, D. A.; Schaber, G. G.; Stofan, E. R.

1992-01-01

Magellan images are used to assess regional stratigraphic relationships in an attempt to establish the evolutionary history and characterize the styles of volcanism at Western Eistla Regio. The regional geologic characteristics of Beta Regio and Atla Regio, imaged by Magellan during the latter part of its first mapping cycle, are also assessed and compared to those of Western Eistla Regio so as to determine if all three of these areas evolved in a similar manner. The detailed characteristics of each region show them to be quite variable in the presence and distribution of coronae and tessera, suggesting that the detailed characteristics of the individual highlands are linked to the local geologic environment.

Regional Relations in Bankfull Channel Characteristics determined from flow measurements at selected stream-gaging stations in West Virginia, 1911-2002

USGS Publications Warehouse

Messinger, Terence; Wiley, Jeffrey B.

2004-01-01

Three bankfull channel characteristics?cross-sectional area, width, and depth?were significantly correlated with drainage area in regression equations developed for two regions in West Virginia. Channel characteristics were determined from analysis of flow measurements made at 74 U.S. Geological Survey stream-gaging stations at flows between 0.5 and 5.0 times bankfull flow between 1911 and 2002. Graphical and regression analysis were used to delineate an 'Eastern Region' and a 'Western Region,' which were separated by the boundary between the Appalachian Plateaus and Valley and Ridge Physiographic Provinces. Streams that drained parts of both provinces had channel characteristics typical of the Eastern Region, and were grouped with it. Standard error for the six regression equations, three for each region, ranged between 8.7 and 16 percent. Cross-sectional area and depth were greater relative to drainage area for the Western Region than they were for the Eastern Region. Regression equations were defined for streams draining between 46.5 and 1,619 square miles for the Eastern Region, and between 2.78 and 1,354 square miles for the Western Region. Stream-gaging stations with two or more cross sections where flow had been measured at flows between 0.5 and 5.0 times the 1.5-year flow showed poor replication of channel characteristics compared to the 95-percent confidence intervals of the regression, suggesting that within-reach variability for the stream-gaging stations may be substantial. A disproportionate number of the selected stream-gaging stations were on large (drainage area greater than 100 square miles) streams in the central highlands of West Virginia, and only one stream-gaging station that met data-quality criteria was available to represent the region within about 50 miles of the Ohio River north of Parkersburg, West Virginia. Many of the cross sections were at bridges, which can change channel shape. Although the data discussed in this report may not be representative of channelcharacteristics on many or most streams, the regional equations in this report provide useful information for field identification of bankfull indicators.

Interactive Development of Regional Climate Web Pages for the Western United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oakley, N.; Redmond, K. T.

2013-12-01

Weather and climate have a pervasive and significant influence on the western United States, driving a demand for information that is ongoing and constantly increasing. In communications with stakeholders, policy makers, researchers, educators, and the public through formal and informal encounters, three standout challenges face users of weather and climate information in the West. First, the needed information is scattered about the web making it difficult or tedious to access. Second, information is too complex or requires too much background knowledge to be immediately applicable. Third, due to complex terrain, there is high spatial variability in weather, climate, and their associated impacts in the West, warranting information outlets with a region-specific focus. Two web sites, TahoeClim and the Great Basin Weather and Climate Dashboard were developed to overcome these challenges to meeting regional weather and climate information needs. TahoeClim focuses on the Lake Tahoe Basin, a region of critical environmental concern spanning the border of Nevada and California. TahoeClim arose out of the need for researchers, policy makers, and environmental organizations to have access to all available weather and climate information in one place. Additionally, TahoeClim developed tools to both interpret and visualize data for the Tahoe Basin with supporting instructional material. The Great Basin Weather and Climate Dashboard arose from discussions at an informal meeting about Nevada drought organized by the USDA Farm Service Agency. Stakeholders at this meeting expressed a need to take a 'quick glance' at various climate indicators to support their decision making process. Both sites were designed to provide 'one-stop shopping' for weather and climate information in their respective regions and to be intuitive and usable by a diverse audience. An interactive, 'co-development' approach was taken with sites to ensure needs of potential users were met. The sites were presented in meetings of target user groups at several stages of development. Feedback was collected by observing people as they used the sites to complete a task as well as through surveys and informal discussion. The resultant web products meet the needs of the target audience and give them a sense of ownership, making them more inclined to utilize the sites. Even with Western Regional Climate Center's considerable experience in the provision of climate services, this proved to be a very fruitful exercise in how to better serve our clientele and revealed opportunities for improving our products. The lessons learned from this 'co-development' process about how people search for, use, and perceive weather and climate data in the West provide valuable insight for others wishing to create an online tool to supply this type of information.

From rifting to orogeny; using sediments to unlock the secrets of the Greater Caucasus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vincent, Stephen; Guo, Li; Lavrishchev, Vladimir; Maynard, James; Harland, Melise

2017-04-01

The western Greater Caucasus formed by the tectonic inversion of the western strand of the Greater Caucasus Basin, a Mesozoic rift that opened at the southern margin of Laurasia. Facies analysis has identified fault-bounded regions of basinal, turbiditic and hemipelagic sediments. These are flanked by areas of marginal, shallow marine sediments to the north and south. Subsidence analysis derived from lithology, thickness and palaeowater depth data indicates that the main phase of rifting occurred during the Aalenian to Bajocian synchronous with that in the eastern Alborz and, possibly, the South Caspian Basin. Secondary episodes of subsidence during the late Tithonian to Berriasian and Hauterivian to early Aptian are tentatively linked to initial rifting within the western, and possibly eastern, Black Sea, and during the late Campanian to Danian to the opening of the eastern Black Sea. Initial uplift, subaerial exposure and sediment derivation from the western Greater Caucasus occurred at the Eocene-Oligocene transition. Oligocene and younger sediments on the southern margin of the former basin were derived from the inverting basin and uplifted parts of its northern margin, indicating that the western Greater Caucasus Basin had closed by this time. The previous rift flanks were converted to flexural basins that accumulated thick, typically hemipelagic and turbiditic sediments in the early, underfilled, stage of their development. A predominance of pollen representing a montane forest environment (dominated by Pinacean pollen) within these sediments suggests that the uplifting Caucasian hinterland had a paleoaltitude of around 2 km from Early Oligocene time. The closure of the western Greater Caucasus Basin and significant uplift of the range at c. 34 Ma is earlier than stated in many studies and needs to be incorporated into geodynamic models for the Arabia-Eurasia region.

Range-wide patterns of migratory connectivity in the western sandpiper Calidris mauri

USGS Publications Warehouse

Franks, Samantha E.; Norris, D. Ryan; Kyser, T. Kurt; Fernández, Guillermo; Schwarz, Birgit; Carmona, Roberto; Colwell, Mark A.; Sandoval, Jorge Correa; Dondua, Alexey; Gates, H. River; Haase, Ben; Hodkinson, David J.; Jiménez, Ariam; Lanctot, Richard B.; Ortego, Brent; Sandercock, Brett K.; Sanders, Felicia J.; Takekawa, John Y.; Warnock, Nils; Ydenberg, Ron C.; Lank, David B.

2012-01-01

Understanding the population dynamics of migratory animals and predicting the consequences of environmental change requires knowing how populations are spatially connected between different periods of the annual cycle. We used stable isotopes to examine patterns of migratory connectivity across the range of the western sandpiper Calidris mauri. First, we developed a winter isotope basemap from stable-hydrogen (δD), -carbon (δ13C), and -nitrogen (δ15N) isotopes of feathers grown in wintering areas. δD and δ15N values from wintering individuals varied with the latitude and longitude of capture location, while δ13C varied with longitude only. We then tested the ability of the basemap to assign known-origin individuals. Sixty percent of wintering individuals were correctly assigned to their region of origin out of seven possible regions. Finally, we estimated the winter origins of breeding and migrant individuals and compared the resulting empirical distribution against the distribution that would be expected based on patterns of winter relative abundance. For breeding birds, the distribution of winter origins differed from expected only among males in the Yukon-Kuskokwim (Y-K) Delta and Nome, Alaska. Males in the Y-K Delta originated overwhelmingly from western Mexico, while in Nome, there were fewer males from western North America and more from the Baja Peninsula than expected. An unexpectedly high proportion of migrants captured at a stopover site in the interior United States originated from eastern and southern wintering areas, while none originated from western North America. In general, we document substantial mixing between the breeding and wintering populations of both sexes, which will buffer the global population of western sandpipers from the effects of local habitat loss on both breeding and wintering grounds.

Structural styles of the western onshore and offshore termination of the High Atlas, Morocco

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hafid, Mohamad; Zizi, Mahmoud; Bally, Albert W.; Ait Salem, Abdellah

2006-01-01

The present work aims (1) at documenting, by regional seismic transects, how the structural style varies in the western High Atlas system and its prolongation under the present-day Atlantic margin, (2) at understanding how this variation is related to the local geological framework, especially the presence of salt within the sedimentary cover, and (3) at discussing the exact geographic location of the northern front of the western High Atlas and how it links with the most western Atlas front in the offshore Cap Tafelney High Atlas. Previous work showed that the structural style of the Atlas belt changes eastward from a dominantly thick-skinned one in central and eastern High Atlas and Middle Atlas of Morocco to a dominantly thin-skinned one in Algeria and Tunisia. We propose here to show that a similar structural style change can be observed in the other direction of the Atlas Belt within its western termination, where the western High Atlas intersects at right angle the Atlantic passive margin and develops into a distinct segment, namely the High Atlas of Cap Tafelney, where salt/evaporite-based décollement tectonics prevail. To cite this article: M. Hafid et al., C. R. Geoscience 338 (2006).

Applying the Index of Watershed Integrity to the Western Balkan Region

EPA Science Inventory

In 2014, the western Balkans’ heaviest recorded rains triggered extensive flooding affecting approximately 29,600 km2, or the equivalent of 75% of the study area. Rapid urbanization and the increasing regularity of late-summer droughts in the region likely exacerbated these...

Noachian Faulting: What Do Faults Tell Us About the Tectonic History of Tharsis?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, R. C.; Dohm, J. M.

2001-01-01

The western hemisphere of Mars is dominated by the formation of Tharsis, which is an enormous high-standing region (roughly 25% of the surface area of the planet) capped by volcanics, including the solar system's largest shield volcanoes. Tharsis is surrounded by an enormous radiating system of grabens and a circumferential system of wrinkle ridges that extends over the entire western hemisphere of Mars. This region is perhaps the largest and most long lived tectonic and volcanic province of any of the terrestrial planets with a well-preserved history of magmatic-driven activity that began in the Noachian and has lasted throughout Martian geologic time. Tharsis and the surrounding regions comprise numerous components, including volcanic constructs of varying sizes and extensive lava flow fields, large igneous plateaus, fault and ridge systems of varying extent and relative age of formation, gigantic outflow channel systems, vast system of canyons, and local and regional centers of tectonic activity. Many of these centers are interpreted to be the result of magmatic-related activity, including uplift, faulting, dike emplacement, volcanism, and local hydrothermal activity. Below we present a summary of our work for Tharsis focusing primarily on the earliest stage of development, the Noachian period. Here we hone in on the early centers and how they relate to the early development of the Tharsis Magmatic Complex (TMC).

GRACE, GLDAS and measured groundwater data products show water storage loss in Western Jilin, China.

PubMed

Moiwo, Juana Paul; Lu, Wenxi; Tao, Fulu

2012-01-01

Water storage depletion is a worsening hydrological problem that limits agricultural production in especially arid/semi-arid regions across the globe. Quantifying water storage dynamics is critical for developing water resources management strategies that are sustainable and protective of the environment. This study uses GRACE (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment), GLDAS (Global Land Data Assimilation System) and measured groundwater data products to quantify water storage in Western Jilin (a proxy for semi-arid wetland ecosystems) for the period from January 2002 to December 2009. Uncertainty/bias analysis shows that the data products have an average error <10% (p < 0.05). Comparisons of the storage variables show favorable agreements at various temporal cycles, with R(2) = 0.92 and RMSE = 7.43 mm at the average seasonal cycle. There is a narrowing soil moisture storage change, a widening groundwater storage loss, and an overall storage depletion of 0.85 mm/month in the region. There is possible soil-pore collapse, and land subsidence due to storage depletion in the study area. Invariably, storage depletion in this semi-arid region could have negative implications for agriculture, valuable/fragile wetland ecosystems and people's livelihoods. For sustainable restoration and preservation of wetland ecosystems in the region, it is critical to develop water resources management strategies that limit groundwater extraction rate to that of recharge rate.

Mapping water availability, projected use and cost in the western United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tidwell, Vincent C.; Moreland, Barbara D.; Zemlick, Katie M.; Roberts, Barry L.; Passell, Howard D.; Jensen, Daniel; Forsgren, Christopher; Sehlke, Gerald; Cook, Margaret A.; King, Carey W.; Larsen, Sara

2014-05-01

New demands for water can be satisfied through a variety of source options. In some basins surface and/or groundwater may be available through permitting with the state water management agency (termed unappropriated water), alternatively water might be purchased and transferred out of its current use to another (termed appropriated water), or non-traditional water sources can be captured and treated (e.g., wastewater). The relative availability and cost of each source are key factors in the development decision. Unfortunately, these measures are location dependent with no consistent or comparable set of data available for evaluating competing water sources. With the help of western water managers, water availability was mapped for over 1200 watersheds throughout the western US. Five water sources were individually examined, including unappropriated surface water, unappropriated groundwater, appropriated water, municipal wastewater and brackish groundwater. Also mapped was projected change in consumptive water use from 2010 to 2030. Associated costs to acquire, convey and treat the water, as necessary, for each of the five sources were estimated. These metrics were developed to support regional water planning and policy analysis with initial application to electric transmission planning in the western US.

High Y-chromosomal diversity and low relatedness between paternal lineages on a communal scale in the Western European Low Countries during the surname establishment.

PubMed

Larmuseau, M H D; Boon, N; Vanderheyden, N; Van Geystelen, A; Larmuseau, H F M; Matthys, K; De Clercq, W; Decorte, R

2015-07-01

There is limited knowledge on the biological relatedness between citizens and on the demographical dynamics within villages, towns and cities in pre-17th century Western Europe. By combining Y-chromosomal genotypes, in-depth genealogies and surname data in a strict genetic genealogical approach, it is possible to provide insights into the genetic diversity and the relatedness between indigenous paternal lineages within a particular community at the time of the surname adoption. To obtain these insights, six Flemish communities were selected in this study based on the differences in geography and historical development. After rigorous selection of appropriate DNA donors, low relatedness between Y chromosomes of different surnames was found within each community, although there is co-occurrence of these surnames in each community since the start of the surname adoption between the 14th and 15th century. Next, the high communal diversity in Y-chromosomal lineages was comparable with the regional diversity across Flanders at that time. Moreover, clinal distributions of particular Y-chromosomal lineages between the communities were observed according to the clinal distributions earlier observed across the Flemish regions and Western Europe. No significant indication for genetic differences between communities with distinct historical development was found in the analysis. These genetic results provide relevant information for studies in historical sciences, archaeology, forensic genetics and genealogy.

High Y-chromosomal diversity and low relatedness between paternal lineages on a communal scale in the Western European Low Countries during the surname establishment

PubMed Central

Larmuseau, M H D; Boon, N; Vanderheyden, N; Van Geystelen, A; Larmuseau, H F M; Matthys, K; De Clercq, W; Decorte, R

2015-01-01

There is limited knowledge on the biological relatedness between citizens and on the demographical dynamics within villages, towns and cities in pre-17th century Western Europe. By combining Y-chromosomal genotypes, in-depth genealogies and surname data in a strict genetic genealogical approach, it is possible to provide insights into the genetic diversity and the relatedness between indigenous paternal lineages within a particular community at the time of the surname adoption. To obtain these insights, six Flemish communities were selected in this study based on the differences in geography and historical development. After rigorous selection of appropriate DNA donors, low relatedness between Y chromosomes of different surnames was found within each community, although there is co-occurrence of these surnames in each community since the start of the surname adoption between the 14th and 15th century. Next, the high communal diversity in Y-chromosomal lineages was comparable with the regional diversity across Flanders at that time. Moreover, clinal distributions of particular Y-chromosomal lineages between the communities were observed according to the clinal distributions earlier observed across the Flemish regions and Western Europe. No significant indication for genetic differences between communities with distinct historical development was found in the analysis. These genetic results provide relevant information for studies in historical sciences, archaeology, forensic genetics and genealogy. PMID:25873146

Chromosomal characterization of Arvicanthis species (Rodentia, Murinae) from western and central Africa: implications for taxonomy.

PubMed

Volobouev, V T; Ducroz, J F; Aniskin, V M; Britton-Davidian, J; Castiglia, R; Dobigny, G; Granjon, L; Lombard, M; Corti, M; Sicard, B; Capanna, E

2002-01-01

A chromosome study of unstriped grass rats of the genus Arvicanthis (Rodentia, Murinae) in western and central Africa is presented. The observations extend the data available to 242 specimens from 59 localities. All individuals karyotyped belong to four karyotypic forms, or cytotypes, earlier described as ANI-1, ANI-2, ANI-3, and ANI-4 and are presumed to correspond to four distinct species. In order to provide diagnostic characters for these western and one central African Arvicanthis species, we standardized the chromosomal data available and developed a G- and C-banded chromosome nomenclature that allows easy species identification. Each form is characterized by a distinct geographical distribution, roughly following the biogeographical domains of western Africa, although their precise limits remain to be assessed. The sole area of sympatry detected is the region of the inner delta of the Niger River, where both ANI-1 and ANI-3 can be found. It is proposed that the three western African species ANI-1, ANI-3, and ANI-4 be renamed as A. niloticus, A. ansorgei, and A. rufinus, respectively. Copyright 2002 S. Karger AG, Basel

Mesozoic evolution of northeast African shelf margin, Libya and Egypt

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

Aadland, R.K.; Schamel, S.

1989-03-01

The present tectonic features of the northeast African shelf margin between the Nile delta and the Gulf of Sirte are products of (1) precursory late Paleozoic basement arches, (2) early Mesozoic rifting and plate separation, and (3) Late Cretaceous structural inversion. The 250 km-wide and highly differentiated Mesozoic passive margin in the Western Desert region of Egypt is developed above a broad northwest-trending Late Carboniferous basement arch. In northeastern Libya, in contrast, the passive margin is restricted to just the northernmost Cyrenaica platform, where subsidence was extremely rapid in the Jurassic and Early Cretaceous. The boundary between the Western Desertmore » basin and the Cyrenaica platform is controlled by the western flank of the basement arch. In the middle Cretaceous (100-90 Ma), subsidence accelerated over large areas of the Western desert, further enhancing a pattern of east-west-trending subbasins. This phase of rapid subsidence was abruptly ended about 80 Ma by the onset of structural inversion that uplifted the northern Cyrenaica shelf margin and further differentiated the Western Desert subbasin along a northeasterly trend.« less

Epidemiological update on the dengue situation in the Western Pacific Region, 2012.

PubMed

Arima, Yuzo; Chiew, May; Matsui, Tamano

2015-01-01

Dengue has caused a substantial public health burden in the Western Pacific Region. To assess this burden and regional trends, data were collated and summarized from indicator-based surveillance systems on dengue cases and deaths from countries and areas in the Western Pacific Region. In 2012, dengue notifications continued to increase with 356,838 dengue cases reported in the Region (relative to 244,855 cases reported in 2011) of which 1248 died. In the Asia subregion, the notification rate was highest in Cambodia, the Philippines and the Lao People's Democratic Republic (316.2, 198.9 and 162.4 per 100,000 population, respectively), and in the Pacific island countries and areas, the notification rate was highest in Niue, the Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia (8556.0, 337.0 and 265.1 per 100,000 population, respectively). All four serotypes were circulating in the Region in 2012 with considerable variabilitiy in distribution. Regional surveillance provides important information to enhance situational awareness, conduct risk assessments and improve preparedness activities.

Impact of Teachers' Practices on Students' Reading Comprehension Growth in Guatemala.

PubMed

Rubio, Fernando; de Véliz, Leslie Rosales; Mosquera, María Cristina Perdomo; López, Ventura Salanic

2017-03-01

This article discusses an educational intervention, with a strong emphasis on reading development in a bilingual context, in the Western Highlands of Guatemala (WH), a highly disadvantaged region, where the majority of the population is of Mayan origin and primary education is poor. The majority of the students in the Western Highlands speak a Mayan language as their mother tongue, yet they are generally taught in Spanish. We assisted in the development and implementation of a bilingual/intercultural education model including teacher training at the university level and bilingual materials development. Implementation included education for administrators and teacher coaching. For this intervention, aimed at improving reading outcomes, we report data for the first 3 years of implementation, and offer insights for system-wide interventions in low-resource areas. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Analysis of long-term forest bird monitoring data from national forests of the western Great Lakes Region

Treesearch

Gerald J. Niemi; Robert W. Howe; Brian R. Sturtevant; Linda R. Parker; Alexis R. Grinde; Nicholas P. Danz; Mark D. Nelson; Edmund J. Zlonis; Nicholas G. Walton; Erin E. Gnass Giese; Sue M. Lietz

2016-01-01

Breeding bird communities in forests of the western Great Lakes region are among the most diverse in North America, but the forest environment in this region has changed dramatically during the past 150 years. To address concerns about loss of biodiversity due to ongoing forest harvesting and to better inform forest planning, researchers have systematically monitored...

Nucleotide variability and linkage disequilibrium patterns in the porcine MUC4 gene

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background MUC4 is a type of membrane anchored glycoprotein and serves as the major constituent of mucus that covers epithelial surfaces of many tissues such as trachea, colon and cervix. MUC4 plays important roles in the lubrication and protection of the surface epithelium, cell proliferation and differentiation, immune response, cell adhesion and cancer development. To gain insights into the evolution of the porcine MUC4 gene, we surveyed the nucleotide variability and linkage disequilibrium (LD) within this gene in Chinese indigenous breeds and Western commercial breeds. Results A total of 53 SNPs covering the MUC4 gene were genotyped on 5 wild boars and 307 domestic pigs representing 11 Chinese breeds and 3 Western breeds. The nucleotide variability, haplotype phylogeny and LD extent of MUC4 were analyzed in these breeds. Both Chinese and Western breeds had considerable nucleotide diversity at the MUC4 locus. Western pig breeds like Duroc and Large White have comparable nucleotide diversity as many of Chinese breeds, thus artificial selection for lean pork production have not reduced the genetic variability of MUC4 in Western commercial breeds. Haplotype phylogeny analyses indicated that MUC4 had evolved divergently in Chinese and Western pigs. The dendrogram of genetic differentiation between breeds generally reflected demographic history and geographical distribution of these breeds. LD patterns were unexpectedly similar between Chinese and Western breeds, in which LD usually extended less than 20 kb. This is different from the presumed high LD extent (more than 100 kb) in Western commercial breeds. The significant positive Tajima’D, and Fu and Li’s D statistics in a few Chinese and Western breeds implied that MUC4 might undergo balancing selection in domestic breeds. Nevertheless, we cautioned that the significant statistics could be upward biased by SNP ascertainment process. Conclusions Chinese and Western breeds have similar nucleotide diversity but evolve divergently in the MUC4 region. Western breeds exhibited unusual low LD extent at the MUC4 locus, reflecting the complexity of nucleotide variability of pig genome. The finding suggests that high density (e.g. 1SNP/10 kb) markers are required to capture the underlying causal variants at such regions. PMID:22793500

Evidence of displacement-driven maturation along the San Cristobal Trough transform plate boundary

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Neely, James S.; Furlong, Kevin P.

2018-03-01

The San Cristobal Trough (SCT), formed by the tearing of the Australia plate as it subducts under the Pacific plate near the Solomon Islands, provides an opportunity to study the transform boundary development process. Recent seismicity (2013-2016) along the 280 km long SCT, known as a Subduction-Transform Edge Propagator (STEP) fault, highlights the tearing process and ongoing development of the plate boundary. The region's earthquakes reveal two key characteristics. First, earthquakes at the western terminus of the SCT, which we interpret to indicate the Australia plate tearing, display disparate fault geometries. These events demonstrate that plate tearing is accommodated via multiple intersecting planes rather than a single through-going fault. Second, the SCT hosts sequences of Mw ∼7 strike-slip earthquakes that migrate westward through a rapid succession of events. Sequences in 1993 and 2015 both began along the eastern SCT and propagated west, but neither progression ruptured into or nucleated a large earthquake within the region near the tear. Utilizing b-value and Coulomb Failure Stress analyses, we examine these along-strike variations in the SCT's seismicity. b-Values are highest along the youngest, western end of the SCT and decrease with increasing distance from the tear. This trend may reflect increasing strain localization with increasing displacement. Coulomb Failure Stress analyses indicate that the stress conditions were conducive to continued western propagation of the 1993 and 2015 sequences suggesting that the unruptured western SCT may have fault geometries or properties that inhibit continued rupture. Our results indicate a displacement-driven fault maturation process. The multi-plane Australia plate tearing likely creates a western SCT with diffuse strain accommodated along a network of disorganized faults. After ∼90 km of cumulative displacement (∼900,000 yr of plate motion), strain localizes and faults align, allowing the SCT to host large earthquakes.

Multi-platform operational validation of the Western Mediterranean SOCIB forecasting system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Juza, Mélanie; Mourre, Baptiste; Renault, Lionel; Tintoré, Joaquin

2014-05-01

The development of science-based ocean forecasting systems at global, regional, and local scales can support a better management of the marine environment (maritime security, environmental and resources protection, maritime and commercial operations, tourism, ...). In this context, SOCIB (the Balearic Islands Coastal Observing and Forecasting System, www.socib.es) has developed an operational ocean forecasting system in the Western Mediterranean Sea (WMOP). WMOP uses a regional configuration of the Regional Ocean Modelling System (ROMS, Shchepetkin and McWilliams, 2005) nested in the larger scale Mediterranean Forecasting System (MFS) with a spatial resolution of 1.5-2km. WMOP aims at reproducing both the basin-scale ocean circulation and the mesoscale variability which is known to play a crucial role due to its strong interaction with the large scale circulation in this region. An operational validation system has been developed to systematically assess the model outputs at daily, monthly and seasonal time scales. Multi-platform observations are used for this validation, including satellite products (Sea Surface Temperature, Sea Level Anomaly), in situ measurements (from gliders, Argo floats, drifters and fixed moorings) and High-Frequency radar data. The validation procedures allow to monitor and certify the general realism of the daily production of the ocean forecasting system before its distribution to users. Additionally, different indicators (Sea Surface Temperature and Salinity, Eddy Kinetic Energy, Mixed Layer Depth, Heat Content, transports in key sections) are computed every day both at the basin-scale and in several sub-regions (Alboran Sea, Balearic Sea, Gulf of Lion). The daily forecasts, validation diagnostics and indicators from the operational model over the last months are available at www.socib.es.

Culture-related differences in default network activity during visuo-spatial judgments.

PubMed

Goh, Joshua O S; Hebrank, Andrew C; Sutton, Bradley P; Chee, Michael W L; Sim, Sam K Y; Park, Denise C

2013-02-01

Studies on culture-related differences in cognition have shown that Westerners attend more to object-related information, whereas East Asians attend more to contextual information. Neural correlates of these different culture-related visual processing styles have been reported in the ventral-visual and fronto-parietal regions. We conducted an fMRI study of East Asians and Westerners on a visuospatial judgment task that involved relative, contextual judgments, which are typically more challenging for Westerners. Participants judged the relative distances between a dot and a line in visual stimuli during task blocks and alternated finger presses during control blocks. Behaviorally, East Asians responded faster than Westerners, reflecting greater ease of the task for East Asians. In response to the greater task difficulty, Westerners showed greater neural engagement compared to East Asians in frontal, parietal, and occipital areas. Moreover, Westerners also showed greater suppression of the default network-a brain network that is suppressed under condition of high cognitive challenge. This study demonstrates for the first time that cultural differences in visual attention during a cognitive task are manifested both by differences in activation in fronto-parietal regions as well as suppression in default regions.

Active and fossil mantle flows in the western Alpine region unravelled by seismic anisotropy analysis and high-resolution P wave tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Salimbeni, Simone; Malusà, Marco G.; Zhao, Liang; Guillot, Stéphane; Pondrelli, Silvia; Margheriti, Lucia; Paul, Anne; Solarino, Stefano; Aubert, Coralie; Dumont, Thierry; Schwartz, Stéphane; Wang, Qingchen; Xu, Xiaobing; Zheng, Tianyu; Zhu, Rixiang

2018-04-01

The anisotropy of seismic velocities in the mantle, when integrated with high-resolution tomographic models and geologic information, can be used to detect active mantle flows in complex plate boundary areas, providing new insights on the impact of mantle processes on the topography of mountain belts. Here we use a densely spaced array of temporary broadband seismic stations to analyze the seismic anisotropy pattern of the western Alpine region, at the boundary between the Alpine and Apenninic slabs. Our results are supportive of a polyphase development of anisotropic mantle fabrics, possibly starting from the Jurassic to present. Geophysical data presented in this work, and geologic evidence taken from the literature, indicate that: (i) fossil fabrics formed during Tethyan rifting may be still preserved within the Alpine and Apenninic slabs; (ii) mantle deformation during Apenninic slab rollback is not compensated by a complete toroidal flow around the northern tip of the retreating slab; (iii) the previously observed continuous trend of anisotropy fast axes near-parallel to the western Alpine arc is confirmed. We observe that this arc-parallel trend of fast axes is located in correspondence to a low velocity anomaly in the European upper mantle, beneath regions of the Western and Ligurian Alps showing the highest uplift rates. We propose that the progressive rollback of the Apenninic slab, in the absence of a counterclockwise toroidal flow at its northern tip, induced a suction effect at the scale of the supraslab mantle. The resulting mantle flow pattern was characterized by an asthenospheric counterflow at the rear of the unbroken Western Alps slab and around its southern tip, and by an asthenospheric upwelling, mirrored by low P wave velocities, that would have favored the topographic uplift of the Alpine belt from the Mont Blanc to the Mediterranean sea.

Athletes' opinions of food provision at the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games: the influence of culture and sport.

PubMed

Burkhart, Sarah J; Pelly, Fiona E

2013-02-01

The aim of this study was to investigate whether athletes' opinion of food provision in the main dining hall of the athletes' village at the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games varied according to cultural background, sport, stage of competition, and previous experience at similar events. A previously developed questionnaire was distributed over 3 meal periods to 351 athletes dining in the main dining hall during the course of the games (Sept. 23 to Oct. 4, 2010). Despite the challenges of food provision in a non-Western region, the availability of food and beverage items was rated highly. However, athletes from Western regions tended to rate food-provision qualities lower than athletes from non-Western regions. Most athletes found it easy to find items to meet their nutrition needs; however, requests for sports foods, snacks, and culturally specific items were received. Power/sprint athletes were more critical of the food provision, whereas athletes from aesthetic sports tended to rate it more highly. Athletes farther from competition gave higher ratings for taste, while athletes who had more experience in this type of environment also tended to be more critical of the food provision. Overall daily mean opinion scores for taste and menu variety decreased over the games period. The results of this study can help organizers and caterers ensure that appropriate food and beverage are provided for athletes at major competition events.

The influence of land urbanization on landslides: An empirical estimation based on Chinese provincial panel data.

PubMed

Li, Gerui; Lei, Yalin; Yao, Huajun; Wu, Sanmang; Ge, Jianping

2017-10-01

This study used panel data for 28 provinces and municipalities in China from 2003 to 2014 to investigate the relationship between land urbanization and landslides by building panel models for a national sample and subsamples from the three regions of China and studied the problems of landslide prevention measures based on the relationship. The results showed that 1) at the national level, the percentage of built-up area and road density are respectively negative and positive for landslides. 2) At the regional level, the improvement of landslide prevention measures with increasing economic development only appears in built-up areas. The percentage of built-up areas increases the number of landslides in the western region and decreases the number in the central and eastern regions; the degree of decrease in the eastern region is larger than in the central region. Road density increases the number of landslides in each region, and the degree increases gradually from the west to the east. 3) The effect of landslide prevention funding is not obvious. Although the amount of landslide prevention funds decreases the number of landslides at the national level, the degree of increase is too small. Except in the central region, the amount of landslide prevention funding did not decrease the number of landslides effectively in the western and eastern regions. We propose a series of policy implications based on these test results that may help to improve landslide prevention measures. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Proceedings - Management and productivity of western-montane forest soils

Treesearch

Alan E. Harvey; Leon F. Neuenschwander

1991-01-01

Includes 35 papers and six poster synopses presenting state-of-the-art knowledge on the nature and problems of integrating soils information and expertise into management of inland western forest resources. Papers emphasize regional information, but include data from world literature and previously unpublished material from regional experts.

Skywatch: The Western Weather Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Keen, Richard A.

The western United States is a region of mountains and valleys with the world's largest ocean next door. Its weather is unique. This book discusses how water, wind, and environmental conditions combine to create the climatic conditions of the region. Included are sections describing: fronts; cyclones; precipitation; storms; tornadoes; hurricanes;…

75 FR 66702 - Western Electric Coordinating Council; Qualified Transfer Path Unscheduled Flow Relief Regional...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-10-29

...-WECC-1 summarizes the nine steps and related actions to address unscheduled flows. 10. NERC states that...] Western Electric Coordinating Council; Qualified Transfer Path Unscheduled Flow Relief Regional... Path Unscheduled Flow Relief) submitted to the Commission for approval by the North American Electric...

78 FR 58286 - Proposed Information Collection; Comment Request; Western Region Vessel Monitoring System and Pre...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-09-23

... Collection; Comment Request; Western Region Vessel Monitoring System and Pre-Trip Reporting Requirements... information or new problems in the fisheries. Vessel Monitoring System (VMS) units will facilitate enforcement... monitoring system (VMS) activation reports, 15 minutes; pre-trip reports, 5 minutes. Estimated Burden Hours...

A History of the Western Institute of Nursing and Its Communicating Nursing Research Conferences.

PubMed

McNeil, Paula A; Lindeman, Carol A

The Western Institute of Nursing (WIN) celebrated its 60th anniversary and the 50th Annual Communicating Nursing Research Conference in April 2017. The purpose of this article is to provide a brief history of the origin, development, and accomplishments of WIN and its Communicating Nursing Research conferences. Historical documents and conference proceedings were reviewed. WIN was created in 1957 as the Western Council on Higher Education for Nursing under the auspices of the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education. The bedrock and enduring value system of the organization is the interrelated nature of nursing education, practice, and research. There was a conviction that people in the Western region of the United States needed nursing services of excellent quality and that nursing education must prepare nurses capable of providing that care. Shared goals were to increase the science of nursing through research and to produce nurses who could design, conduct, and supervise research-all to the end of improving quality nursing care. These goals were only achieved by collaboration and resource sharing among the Western region states and organizations. Consistent with the goals, the first research conferences were held between 1957 and 1962. Conference content focused on seminars for faculty teaching research, on the design and conduct of research in patient care settings, and on identification of priority areas for research. The annual Communicating Nursing Research conferences began in 1968 and grew over the years to a total 465 podium and poster presentations on a wide array of research topics-and an attendance of 926-in 2016. As WIN and its Communicating Nursing Research conferences face the next 50 years, the enduring values on which the organization was created will stand in good stead as adaptability, adjustments, and collaborative effort are applied to inevitable change for the nursing profession. It is the Western way.

Assessing development pressure in the Chesapeake Bay watershed: An evaluation of two land-use change models

USGS Publications Warehouse

Claggett, Peter; Jantz, Claire A.; Goetz, S.J.; Bisland, C.

2004-01-01

Natural resource lands in the Chesapeake Bay watershed are increasingly susceptible to conversion into developed land uses, particularly as the demand for residential development grows. We assessed development pressure in the Baltimore-Washington, DC region, one of the major urban and suburban centers in the watershed. We explored the utility of two modeling approaches for forecasting future development trends and patterns by comparing results from a cellular automata model, SLEUTH (slope, land use, excluded land, urban extent, transportation), and a supply/demand/allocation model, the Western Futures Model. SLEUTH can be classified as a land-cover change model and produces projections on the basis of historic trends of changes in the extent and patterns of developed land and future land protection scenarios. The Western Futures Model derives forecasts from historic trends in housing units, a U.S. Census variable, and exogenously supplied future population projections. Each approach has strengths and weaknesses, and combining the two has advantages and limitations. ?? 2004 Kluwer Academic Publishers.

Assessing development pressure in the Chesapeake Bay watershed: an evaluation of two land-use change models.

PubMed

Claggett, Peter R; Jantz, Claire A; Goetz, Scott J; Bisland, Carin

2004-06-01

Natural resource lands in the Chesapeake Bay watershed are increasingly susceptible to conversion into developed land uses, particularly as the demand for residential development grows. We assessed development pressure in the Baltimore-Washington, DC region, one of the major urban and suburban centers in the watershed. We explored the utility of two modeling approaches for forecasting future development trends and patterns by comparing results from a cellular automata model, SLEUTH (slope, land use, excluded land, urban extent, transportation), and a supply/demand/allocation model, the Western Futures Model. SLEUTH can be classified as a land-cover change model and produces projections on the basis of historic trends of changes in the extent and patterns of developed land and future land protection scenarios. The Western Futures Model derives forecasts from historic trends in housing units, a U.S. Census variable, and exogenously supplied future population projections. Each approach has strengths and weaknesses, and combining the two has advantages and limitations.

Scenarios of Earth system change in western Canada: Conceptual understanding and process insights from the Changing Cold Regions Network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

DeBeer, C. M.; Wheater, H. S.; Pomeroy, J. W.; Stewart, R. E.; Turetsky, M. R.; Baltzer, J. L.; Pietroniro, A.; Marsh, P.; Carey, S.; Howard, A.; Barr, A.; Elshamy, M.

2017-12-01

The interior of western Canada has been experiencing rapid, widespread, and severe hydroclimatic change in recent decades, and this is projected to continue in the future. To better assess future hydrological, cryospheric and ecological states and fluxes under future climates, a regional hydroclimate project was formed under the auspices of the Global Energy and Water Exchanges (GEWEX) project of the World Climate Research Programme; the Changing Cold Regions Network (CCRN; www.ccrnetwork.ca) aims to understand, diagnose, and predict interactions among the changing Earth system components at multiple spatial scales over the Mackenzie and Saskatchewan River basins of western Canada. A particular challenge is in applying land surface and hydrological models under future climates, as system changes and cold regions process interactions are not often straightforward, and model structures and parameterizations based on historical observations and understanding of contemporary system functioning may not adequately capture these complexities. To address this and provide guidance and direction to the modelling community, CCRN has drawn insights from a multi-disciplinary perspective on the process controls and system trajectories to develop a set of feasible scenarios of change for the 21st century across the region. This presentation will describe CCRN's efforts towards formalizing these insights and applying them in a large-scale modelling context. This will address what are seen as the most critical processes and key drivers affecting hydrological, cryospheric and ecological change, how these will most likely evolve in the coming decades, and how these are parameterized and incorporated as future scenarios for terrestrial ecology, hydrological functioning, permafrost state, glaciers, agriculture, and water management.

Mapping the Concentration of Iron, Titanium, and Thorium in Mare Basalts in the Western Procellarum Region of the Moon

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Flor, E. L.; Jolliff, B. L.; Gillis, J. J.

2003-01-01

Mare basalt flows in the Western Procellarum region (WPR) are extensive and include some of the youngest geologic features on the Moon. Compositional remote sensing by the Lunar Prospector gammaray spectrometer (LPGRS) indicates elevated Th concentrations in many of these flows relative to basalts sampled by the Apollo and Luna missions [1,2,3,4]. The primary goals of this investigation are to determine whether the Th enrichment in this region contributed to the extensive and prolonged volcanism in the WPR, and to determine whether the Th is inherent to the basalts themselves or a result of contamination from nonvolcanic material. Thorium enrichment indigenous to the basalts of the Western Procellarum Region would provide evidence that the general concentration of Th in the Procellarum region extends below the crust and possibly as deep as the sources for the basalts themselves.

Western Wind Strategy: Addressing Critical Issues for Wind Deployment

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

Douglas Larson; Thomas Carr

2012-03-30

The goal of the Western Wind Strategy project was to help remove critical barriers to wind development in the Western Interconnection. The four stated objectives of this project were to: (1) identify the barriers, particularly barriers to the operational integration of renewables and barriers identified by load-serving entities (LSEs) that will be buying wind generation, (2) communicate the barriers to state officials, (3) create a collaborative process to address those barriers with the Western states, utilities and the renewable industry, and (4) provide a role model for other regions. The project has been on the forefront of identifying and informingmore » state policy makers and utility regulators of critical issues related to wind energy and the integration of variable generation. The project has been a critical component in the efforts of states to push forward important reforms and innovations that will enable states to meet their renewable energy goals and lower the cost to consumers of integrating variable generation.« less

Microstructure and Mixing: Interactions of Energetic Flow and Eddies with Complex Topography in the Western Indian Ocean

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-09-17

the region of interest from SAEON archives Task 3 An offshore survey - to make some basic measurements in the area of interest and develop AUV ... AUV deployment procedures and skills using local resources. 4. Glider deployment in collaboration with WHOI YEAR 2 1. Further measurements based

Migration monitoring in shorebirds and landbirds: commonalities and differences

Treesearch

Susan K. Skagen; Jonathan Bart

2005-01-01

Several aspects of a developing program to monitor shorebirds in the western hemisphere are pertinent to migration monitoring of landbirds. Goals of the Program for Regional and International Shorebird Monitoring (PRISM) include estimating population size and population trends of 74 species, sub-species and distinct populations of North American shorebirds, monitoring...

Taking Root in Foreign Soil: Adaptation Processes of Imported Universities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Graham, Terrece F.

2016-01-01

The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 ushered in a period of change in higher-education systems across the former Eastern bloc. Reform-minded leaders in the region sought to introduce western models and policies promoted by foreign development aid agendas. Private higher-education institutions emerged. This qualitative multiple case study examines…

Climate change vulnerability and adaptation in the Intermountain Region [Part 1

Treesearch

Jessica E. Halofsky; David L. Peterson; Joanne J. Ho; Natalie Little; Linda A. Joyce

2018-01-01

The Intermountain Adaptation Partnership (IAP) identified climate change issues relevant to resource management on Federal lands in Nevada, Utah, southern Idaho, eastern California, and western Wyoming, and developed solutions intended to minimize negative effects of climate change and facilitate transition of diverse ecosystems to a warmer climate. U.S. Department of...

Climate change vulnerability and adaptation in the Intermountain Region [Part 2

Treesearch

Jessica E. Halofsky; David L. Peterson; Joanne J. Ho; Natalie Little; Linda A. Joyce

2018-01-01

The Intermountain Adaptation Partnership (IAP) identified climate change issues relevant to resource management on Federal lands in Nevada, Utah, southern Idaho, eastern California, and western Wyoming, and developed solutions intended to minimize negative effects of climate change and facilitate transition of diverse ecosystems to a warmer climate. U.S. Department of...

Shifting Tides: Reflecting on Regional Aspects of Our Roles as Comparative and International Educators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shah, Ritesh; McCormick, Alexander; Thomas, Matthew A. M.

2017-01-01

In this paper, we critically interrogate the way in which comparative and international education coursework at two large institutions in Australia and New Zealand embody or challenge teleological, colonial, and Western/Northern-centric perspectives on education and development. Embedded within a broader and introspective examination of our roles…

Silvical characteristics of white fir

Treesearch

David C. Maul

1958-01-01

White fir (Abies concolor Gord. and Glend.) Lindl.) is an economically important native tree in western United States and parts of Mexico. In the United States it is widely distributed in the Rocky Mountain and Pacific Coast regions, extending from New Mexico and Wyoming, westward to Oregon and California. It attains best development in California...

Competitive Intelligence and Regional Development within the Framework of Indonesian Provincial Autonomy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dou, Henri; Manullang, Sri Damayanty

2004-01-01

Teaching methodologies and uses of competitive intelligence and competitive technical intelligence in countries where the culture and the technological level are very different from the western world cannot be implemented without a cultural understanding of the tacit local knowledge and cultural behavior of people. As an example of…

DEVELOPMENT OF A MID-ATLANTIC LAND USE/ LAND COVER CHANGE DATA SET (1970S TO 1990S)

EPA Science Inventory

The Mid-Atlantic region (MAIA) is comprised of southern New York, southern and western New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland, Virginia, northeastern North Carolina, Delaware, and Washington, D.C. in the lower-48 American States. It is an ecosystem rich in streams, wet...

21st Century African Philosophy of Adult and Human Resource Education in Southern Africa

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mutamba, Charlene

2012-01-01

This paper will attempt to define a philosophy of adult education for the purpose of workforce development in Southern Africa. The different influences such as Ubuntu and communalism, indigenous education, diversity western philosophy, globalization and technology are explored in the context of the Southern African region.

A tree-ring based reconstruction of Logan River streamflow, northern Utah

Treesearch

Eric B. Allen; Tammy M. Rittenour; R. Justin DeRose; Matthew F. Bekker; Roger Kjelgren; Brendan M. Buckley

2013-01-01

We created six new tree-ring chronologies in northern Utah, which were used with preexisting chronologies from Utah and western Wyoming to reconstruct mean annual flow for the Logan River, the largest tributary of the regionally important Bear River. Two reconstruction models were developed, a ''Local'' model that incorporated two Rocky Mountain...

Fuel type mapping in Region One

Treesearch

L. G. Hornby

1935-01-01

The mapping of a fuel is simply the identification of the place where a specific kind of fire behavior and difficulty, or expense, of control are expected. The article presents, in abbreviated form, instructions issued to fuel mappers in northern Idaho and western Montana. Under this method, which was developed incidental to fire control and transportation planning,...

Capitalizing Distance Technologies To Benefit Rural Children and Youth with Visual Disabilities.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ferrell, Kay Alicyn; Wright, Charles; Persichitte, Kay A.; Lowell, Nathan

The University of Northern Colorado developed a master's degree program to train specialists in the education of students with visual disabilities in the 14-state region of the Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education. The program is student-centered, stresses effective interaction between faculty and students and among students, and uses…

Leaf temperature of maize and crop water stress index with variable irrigation and nitrogen supply

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Water scarcity due to changing climate, population growth, and economic development is a major threat to the sustainability of irrigated agriculture in the Western United States and other regions around the world. Water stress indices based on crop canopy temperature can be useful for assessing plan...

Impacts of sediment supply and local tectonics on clinoform distribution: the seismic stratigraphy of the mid Pleistocene-Holocene Indus Shelf

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Limmer, David R.; Henstock, Timothy J.; Giosan, Liviu; Ponton, Camilo; Tabrez, Ali R.; Macdonald, David I. M.; Clift, Peter D.

2012-09-01

We present results from the first high-resolution seismic reflection survey of the inner Western Indus Shelf, and Indus Delta, Arabian Sea. The results show major regional differences in sedimentation across the shelf from east to west, as well as north to south, both since the Last Glacial Maximum (~20 ka) and over longer time scales. We identify 10 major regional reflectors, interpreted as representing sea level lowstands. Strong compressive folding is observed underlying a reflector we have called Horizon 6 in the north-western shelf, probably compression associated with the transpressional deformation of the Murray Ridge plate boundary. Downslope profiles show a series of well developed clinoforms, principally at the shelf edge, indicating significant preservation of large packages of sediment during lowstands. These clinoforms have developed close to zones of deformation, suggesting that subsidence is a factor in controlling sedimentation and consequently erosion of the Indus Shelf. These clinoforms fan out from dome features (tectonic anticlines) mostly located close to the modern shoreline.

Supraglacial Lakes in the Percolation Zone of the Western Greenland Ice Sheet: Formation and Development using Operation IceBridge Snow Radar and ATM (2009-2014)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, C.; Howat, I. M.; de la Peña, S.

2015-12-01

Surface meltwater lakes on the Greenland Ice Sheet have appeared at higher elevations, extending well into the percolation zone, under recent warming, with the largest expansion occurring in the western Greenland Ice Sheet. The conditions that allow lakes to form atop firn are poorly constrained, but the formation of new lakes imply changes in the permeability of the firn at high elevations, promoting meltwater runoff. We explore the formation and evolution of new surface lakes in this region above 1500 meters, using a combination of satellite imagery and repeat Snow (2-6.5 GHz) radar echograms and LIDAR measurements from NASA's Operation IceBridge of 2009-2014. We identify conditions for surface lake formation at their farthest inland extent and suggest behaviors of persistence and lake drainage are due to differences in regional ice dynamics.

Forecasting Malaria in the Western Amazon

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pan, W. K.; Zaitchik, B. F.; Pizzitutti, F.; Berky, A.; Feingold, B.; Mena, C.; Janko, M.

2017-12-01

Reported cases of malaria in the western Amazon regions of Peru, Colombia and Ecuador have more than tripled since 2011. Responding to this epidemic has been challenging given large-scale environmental impacts and demographic changes combined with changing financial and political priorities. In Peru alone, malaria cases increased 5-fold since 2011. Reasons include changes in the Global Malaria Fund, massive flooding in 2012, the "mega" El Nino in 2016, and continued natural resource extraction via logging and mining. These challenges prompted the recent creation of the Malaria Cero program in 2017 with the goal to eradicate malaria by 2021. To assist in malaria eradiation, a team of investigators supported by NASA have been developing an Early Warning System for Malaria. The system leverages demographic, epidemiological, meteorological and land use/cover data to develop a four-component system that will improve detection of malaria across the western Amazon Basin. System components include a land data assimilation system (LDAS) to estimate past and future hydrological states and flux, a seasonal human population model to estimate population at risk and spatial connectivity to high risk transmission areas, a sub-regional statistical model to identify when and where observed malaria cases have exceeded those expected, and an Agent Based Model (ABM) to integrate human, environmental, and entomological transmission dynamics with potential strategies for control. Data include: daily case detection reports between 2000 and 2017 from all health posts in the region of Loreto in the northern Peruvian Amazon; LDAS outputs (precipitation, temperature, humidity, solar radiation) at a 1km and weekly scale; satellite-derived estimates of land cover; and human population size from census and health data. This presentation will provide an overview of components, focusing on how the system identifies an outbreak and plans for technology transfer.

Illicit Trafficking in the Western Hemisphere: Developing an Operational Approach to Defeat Smuggling within the Region

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-03-31

and political stability. The threat is currently so pervasive that solving it is impossible without significant strategic reframing. A design ...approach will offer a better understanding of the functions and systems used for illicit trafficking. An operational design will be useful for developing a...illicit drugs, human trafficking, USSOUTHCOM, trafficking, operational design 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: 17. LIMITATION OF ABSTRACT

Innovation in Primary School Construction: Community Participation in Seti Zone, Nepal. Educational Building Report 20. A Case Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tamang, H. D.; Dharam, K. C.

Nepal is one of the poorest countries in the world. In 1981 the Education for Rural Development in Seti Zone Project--more commonly known as the "Seti Project"--was part of the Nepalese government's effort to develop a system of basic education in that far western region of Nepal. The early success of the project provided the impetus for…

50 CFR 100.22 - Subsistence resource regions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

...) Bristol Bay Region; (5) Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta Region; (6) Western Interior Region; (7) Seward Peninsula Region; (8) Northwest Arctic Region; (9) Eastern Interior Region; (10) North Slope Region. (b) You may...

Culture and ethics in medical education: The Asian perspective.

PubMed

Shamim, Muhammad Shahid; Baig, Lubna; Torda, Adrienne; Balasooriya, Chinthaka

2018-03-01

The world is geographically divided into hemispheres, continents and countries, with varying cultures in different regions. Asia, the largest of continents, has a variety of philosophically distinctive cultures and lifestyles, informing the norms of societies that are much different from cultures in other continents. These complexities in the societal norms in Asian cultures have created unique issues in development of ethics education in the region. This paper looks in to the distinctions in what is generally referred to as the "non-western" Asian culture, the importance of cultural context and how it influences the ethics curriculum in the region.

WESTERN AIRBORNE CONTAMINANTS ASSESSMENT PROJECT RESEARCH PLAN

EPA Science Inventory

The goal of the Western Airborne Contaminants Assessment Project (WACAP) is to assess the deposition of airborne contaminants in Western National Parks, providing regional and local information on exposure, accumulation, impacts, and probable sources. This project is being desig...

Validation of GOES-9 Satellite-Derived Cloud Properties over the Tropical Western Pacific Region

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Khaiyer, Mandana M.; Nordeen, Michele L.; Doeling, David R.; Chakrapani, Venkatasan; Minnis, Patrick; Smith, William L., Jr.

2004-01-01

Real-time processing of hourly GOES-9 images in the ARM TWP region began operationally in October 2003 and is continuing. The ARM sites provide an excellent source for validating this new satellitederived cloud and radiation property dataset. Derived cloud amounts, heights, and broadband shortwave fluxes are compared with similar quantities derived from ground-based instrumentation. The results will provide guidance for estimating uncertainties in the GOES-9 products and to develop improvements in the retrieval methodologies and input.

College-Bound Seniors, 1979. [College Board ATP Summary Reports for: National, New England, Middle States, Southern, Midwestern, Southwestern, Rocky Mountain, and Western Regions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

College Entrance Examination Board, Princeton, NJ.

The Admissions Testing Program (ATP) is a service of the College Board. The 1979 ATP summary reports on college-bound seniors were produced for each region of the United States, including New England, the Middle, Southern, Midwestern, Southwestern, Rocky Mountain, and Western States. The national and each regional report are in separate booklets.…

The National Guard State Partnership Program and Regional Security in the Western Balkans

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-12-12

expand at the expense of its neighbors, or threaten regional peace and security. Today’s threats in the Western Balkans conceptually resemble the...general threats to the majority of governments in the EU, such as terrorism, arms and human trafficking, international criminal activities, and other...arms and human trafficking, international criminal activities, and other transnational threats . For stakeholders within the region as well as for

49 CFR 190.3 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... Offices are located in Trenton, NJ (Eastern Region); Atlanta, Georgia (Southern Region); Kansas City, Missouri (Central Region); Houston, Texas (Southwest Region); and Lakewood, Colorado (Western Region...

Moisture Supply From the Western Ghats Forests to Water Deficit East Coast of India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paul, Supantha; Ghosh, Subimal; Rajendran, K.; Murtugudde, Raghu

2018-05-01

The mountainous western coast of India, known as the Western Ghats, is considered to be a biodiversity hot spot, but it is under a constant threat due to human activities. The region is characterized by high orographic monsoon precipitation resulting in dense vegetation cover. Feedback of such a dense vegetation on the southwest monsoon rainfall is not yet explored. Here we perform regional climate simulations with the Weather Research and Forecasting model and find that evapotranspiration from the vegetation of Western Ghats contributes 25-40% of the southwest monsoon rainfall over the water-deficit state of Tamil Nadu. This contribution reaches 50% during deficit monsoon years or dry spells within a season. Our findings suggest that recent deforestation in this area will affect not only the biodiversity of the region but also the water availability over Peninsular India, which is already impacted by water scarcity.

Post-fire debris flow prediction in Western United States: Advancements based on a nonparametric statistical technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nikolopoulos, E. I.; Destro, E.; Bhuiyan, M. A. E.; Borga, M., Sr.; Anagnostou, E. N.

2017-12-01

Fire disasters affect modern societies at global scale inducing significant economic losses and human casualties. In addition to their direct impacts they have various adverse effects on hydrologic and geomorphologic processes of a region due to the tremendous alteration of the landscape characteristics (vegetation, soil properties etc). As a consequence, wildfires often initiate a cascade of hazards such as flash floods and debris flows that usually follow the occurrence of a wildfire thus magnifying the overall impact in a region. Post-fire debris flows (PFDF) is one such type of hazards frequently occurring in Western United States where wildfires are a common natural disaster. Prediction of PDFD is therefore of high importance in this region and over the last years a number of efforts from United States Geological Survey (USGS) and National Weather Service (NWS) have been focused on the development of early warning systems that will help mitigate PFDF risk. This work proposes a prediction framework that is based on a nonparametric statistical technique (random forests) that allows predicting the occurrence of PFDF at regional scale with a higher degree of accuracy than the commonly used approaches that are based on power-law thresholds and logistic regression procedures. The work presented is based on a recently released database from USGS that reports a total of 1500 storms that triggered and did not trigger PFDF in a number of fire affected catchments in Western United States. The database includes information on storm characteristics (duration, accumulation, max intensity etc) and other auxiliary information of land surface properties (soil erodibility index, local slope etc). Results show that the proposed model is able to achieve a satisfactory prediction accuracy (threat score > 0.6) superior of previously published prediction frameworks highlighting the potential of nonparametric statistical techniques for development of PFDF prediction systems.

Seasonal variation and source analysis of persistent organic pollutants in the atmosphere over the western Tibetan Plateau.

PubMed

Zhang, Jingyi; Wang, Xiaoping; Gong, Ping; Wang, Chuanfei; Sun, Dianchao

2018-06-08

Over the past few decades, the Tibetan Plateau (TP) region has become gradually contaminated by persistent organic pollutants (POPs). The picture regarding POPs is clear in the central and southern parts of the TP; however, few observational campaigns have focused on the western TP. To clarify the concentrations, seasonal trends and source regions of POPs in the western TP, a first study of POPs in Muztagh Ata (westerly region) and a long-term (5 years) monitoring program in Ngari (transect region influenced by both the Indian monsoon and westerly climate) were conducted. Except for hexachlorobenzene (HCB) and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), relatively low POP levels were observed in the western TP. In Muztagh Ata, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes (DDTs) showed higher concentrations in winter and lower ones in summer, whereas at Ngari, higher DDTs and hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs) concentrations were observed in summer as compared with winter. Source diagnosis indicated that Xinjiang and central Asia were the main source regions for POPs in Muztagh Ata and that westerly winds play a key role in transporting POPs from central Asia. No correlation was found between the height of the atmospheric boundary layer and the concentrations of POPs over the TP.

Responses of Terrestrial Ecosystems’ Net Primary Productivity to Future Regional Climate Change in China

PubMed Central

Zhao, Dongsheng; Wu, Shaohong; Yin, Yunhe

2013-01-01

The impact of regional climate change on net primary productivity (NPP) is an important aspect in the study of ecosystems’ response to global climate change. China’s ecosystems are very sensitive to climate change owing to the influence of the East Asian monsoon. The Lund–Potsdam–Jena Dynamic Global Vegetation Model for China (LPJ-CN), a global dynamical vegetation model developed for China’s terrestrial ecosystems, was applied in this study to simulate the NPP changes affected by future climate change. As the LPJ-CN model is based on natural vegetation, the simulation in this study did not consider the influence of anthropogenic activities. Results suggest that future climate change would have adverse effects on natural ecosystems, with NPP tending to decrease in eastern China, particularly in the temperate and warm temperate regions. NPP would increase in western China, with a concentration in the Tibetan Plateau and the northwest arid regions. The increasing trend in NPP in western China and the decreasing trend in eastern China would be further enhanced by the warming climate. The spatial distribution of NPP, which declines from the southeast coast to the northwest inland, would have minimal variation under scenarios of climate change. PMID:23593325

Responses of terrestrial ecosystems' net primary productivity to future regional climate change in China.

PubMed

Zhao, Dongsheng; Wu, Shaohong; Yin, Yunhe

2013-01-01

The impact of regional climate change on net primary productivity (NPP) is an important aspect in the study of ecosystems' response to global climate change. China's ecosystems are very sensitive to climate change owing to the influence of the East Asian monsoon. The Lund-Potsdam-Jena Dynamic Global Vegetation Model for China (LPJ-CN), a global dynamical vegetation model developed for China's terrestrial ecosystems, was applied in this study to simulate the NPP changes affected by future climate change. As the LPJ-CN model is based on natural vegetation, the simulation in this study did not consider the influence of anthropogenic activities. Results suggest that future climate change would have adverse effects on natural ecosystems, with NPP tending to decrease in eastern China, particularly in the temperate and warm temperate regions. NPP would increase in western China, with a concentration in the Tibetan Plateau and the northwest arid regions. The increasing trend in NPP in western China and the decreasing trend in eastern China would be further enhanced by the warming climate. The spatial distribution of NPP, which declines from the southeast coast to the northwest inland, would have minimal variation under scenarios of climate change.

Physical environment and hydrologic characteristics of coal-mining areas in Missouri

USGS Publications Warehouse

Vaill, J.E.; Barks, James H.

1980-01-01

Hydrologic information for the north-central and western coal-mining regions of Missouri is needed to define the hydrologic system in these areas of major historic and planned coal development. This report describes the physical setting, climate, coal-mining practices, general hydrologic system, and the current (1980) hydrologie data base in these two coal-mining regions. Streamflow in both mining regions is poorly sustained. Stream water quality generally varies with location and the magnitude of coal-mining activity in a watershed. Streams in non coal-mining areas generally have dissolved-solids concentrations less than 400 milligrams per liter. Acid-mine drainage has seriously affected some streams by reducing the pH to less than 4.0 and increasing the dissolved-solids concentrations to greater than 1,000 milligrams per liter. This has resulted in fish kills in some instances. Ground-water movement is impeded both laterally and vertically in both mining regions, especially in western Missouri, because of the low hydraulic conductivity of the rocks of Pennsylvanian age. The quality of ground water varies widely depending on location and depth. Ground water commonly contains high concentrations of iron and sulfate, and dissolved-solids concentrations generally are greater than 1,000 milligrams per liter.

36 CFR 242.22 - Subsistence resource regions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

...-Kuskokwim Delta Region; (6) Western Interior Region; (7) Seward Peninsula Region; (8) Northwest Arctic Region; (9) Eastern Interior Region; (10) North Slope Region. (b) You may obtain maps delineating the...

A comprehensive overview of the spatial and temporal variability of apple bud dormancy release and blooming phenology in Western Europe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Legave, Jean Michel; Blanke, Michael; Christen, Danilo; Giovannini, Daniela; Mathieu, Vincent; Oger, Robert

2013-03-01

In the current context of global warming, an analysis is required of spatially-extensive and long-term blooming data in fruit trees to make up for insufficient information on regional-scale blooming changes and determinisms that are key to the phenological adaptation of these species. We therefore analysed blooming dates over long periods at climate-contrasted sites in Western Europe, focusing mainly on the Golden Delicious apple that is grown worldwide. On average, blooming advances were more pronounced in northern continental (10 days) than in western oceanic (6-7 days) regions, while the shortest advance was found on the Mediterranean coastline. Temporal trends toward blooming phase shortenings were also observed in continental regions. These regional differences in temporal variability across Western Europe resulted in a decrease in spatial variability, i.e. shorter time intervals between blooming dates in contrasted regions (8-10-day decrease for full bloom between Mediterranean and continental regions). Fitted sequential models were used to reproduce phenological changes. Marked trends toward shorter simulated durations of forcing period (bud growth from dormancy release to blooming) and high positive correlations between these durations and observed blooming dates support the notion that blooming advances and shortenings are mainly due to faster satisfaction of the heating requirement. However, trends toward later dormancy releases were also noted in oceanic and Mediterranean regions. This could tend toward blooming delays and explain the shorter advances in these regions despite similar or greater warming. The regional differences in simulated chilling and forcing periods were consistent with the regional differences in temperature increases.

Detrital zircons from the Nanaimo basin, Vancouver Island, British Columbia: An independent test of Late Cretaceous to Cenozoic northward translation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matthews, W. A.; Guest, B.; Coutts, D.; Bain, H.; Hubbard, S.

2017-05-01

The development of the Cordilleran orogen of western North American is disputed despite a century of study. Paleomagnetic observations require large-scale dextral displacements of crustal fragments along the western margin of North America, from low latitudes to moderate latitudes during the Cretaceous-Paleogene. A lack of corroborating geological evidence for large-scale (>1500 km) displacements has prevented the widespread integration of paleomagnetic data into most contemporary tectonic models for the margin. Here we use detrital zircons from the Nanaimo basin, southwestern British Columbia, Canada as an independent test of its Late Cretaceous paleogeographic position. We compare 4310 detrital zircon U/Pb dates from 16 samples to potential source areas in western North America to test hypothesized northern and southern Late Cretaceous paleogeographic positions. Our detrital zircon data suggest that sediment in the Nanaimo basin derives from either a geographically restricted portion of the Belt-Purcell basin or the Mojave-Sonoran region of southwestern North America. A paleogeographic position for the basin adjacent to the Mojave-Sonoran region is preferred as it is consistent with the paleomagnetic results, but further geological, isotopic, or geophysical data are required to rule out a Belt-Purcell source.

Effects of agriculture and urbanization on quality of shallow ground water in the arid to semiarid western United States, 1993-2004

USGS Publications Warehouse

Paul, Angela P.; Seiler, Ralph L.; Rowe, Timothy G.; Rosen, Michael R.

2007-01-01

Within the Western United States, agricultural and rural lands are being developed into commercial and residential areas. With changes in land use and increasing population, greater demands are placed on water resources for agricultural, industrial, and domestic supplies. Many areas in the Western United States rely exclusively on ground water as their source of drinking water. Areas that use surface-water resources often need to supplement this supply with ground water.Generally, shallow ground water is susceptible to fluctuating water quality within relatively short time scales and therefore can be used as an indicator of land-use stresses that may, in time, affect deep aquifer systems. This regional study examines data on shallow ground-water quality collected from 1993 to 2004 from 273 agricultural and 181 urban wells from 7 U.S. Geological Survey National Water-Quality Assessment study units in Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, south-central Colorado, and Utah. This report determines important influences that land-use practices may have on the quality of recently recharged ground water, which may ultimately affect deep water supplies within the region.

Risk factors for child pneumonia - focus on the Western Pacific Region.

PubMed

Nguyen, T K P; Tran, T H; Roberts, C L; Fox, G J; Graham, S M; Marais, B J

2017-01-01

Pneumonia is a major cause of disease and death in infants and young children (aged <5 years) globally, as it is in the World Health Organization Western Pacific region. A better understanding of the underlying risk factors associated with child pneumonia is important, since pragmatic primary prevention strategies are likely to achieve major reductions in pneumonia-associated morbidity and mortality in children. This review focuses on risk factors with high relevance to the Western Pacific region, including a lack of exclusive breastfeeding, cigarette smoke and air pollution exposure, malnutrition and conditions of poverty, as well as common co-morbidities. Case management and vaccination coverage have been considered elsewhere. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Western Region: Coastal and Ocean Science

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kinsinger, Anne E.

2009-01-01

USGS Western Region Coastal and Ocean Science is interdisciplinary, collaborative, and integrates expertise from all USGS Disciplines, and ten of its major Science Centers, in Alaska, Hawai'i, California, Washington, and Oregon. The scientific talent, laboratories, and research vessels in the Western Region and across the Nation, strategically position the USGS to address broad geographic and oceanographic research topics. USGS information products inform resource managers and policy makers who must balance conservation mandates with increasing demands for resources that sustain the Nation's economy. This fact sheet describes but a few examples of the breadth of USGS science conducted in coastal, nearshore, and ocean environments along our Nation's West Coast and Pacific Islands.

Source-receptor relationships for PM2.5 during typical pollution episodes in the Pearl River Delta city cluster, China.

PubMed

Liu, Yiming; Hong, Yingying; Fan, Qi; Wang, Xuemei; Chan, Pakwai; Chen, Xiaoyang; Lai, Anqi; Wang, Mingjie; Chen, Xunlai

2017-10-15

Located in the Southern China monsoon region, pollution days in Pearl River Delta (PRD) were classified into "Western type", "Central type" or "Eastern type", with a relative percentage of 67%, 24% and 9%, respectively. Using this classification system, three typical pollution events were selected for numerical simulations using the WRF-Chem model. The source sensitivity method for anthropogenic emissions of PM 2.5 and its precursors was applied to identify the source-receptor relationships for PM 2.5 among 9 cities in PRD. For "Western type" case, the PRD region was under control of a high-pressure system with easterly prevailing winds. The PM 2.5 concentrations in the western PRD region were higher than those in the eastern region, with emissions from cities in the eastern PRD region having higher contributions. Within the PRD's urban cluster, PM 2.5 in Huizhou, Dongguan and Shenzhen was mainly derived from local emissions, whereas the PM 2.5 in the other cities was primarily derived from external transport. For "Eastern type" case, the PRD was influenced by Typhoon Soulik with westerly prevailing winds. Emissions from cities in the western PRD region had the highest impacts on the overall PM 2.5 concentration. PM 2.5 in Jiangmen and Foshan was primarily derived from local emissions. Regarding "Central type" case, the PRD region was under control of a uniform pressure field with low wind speed. PM 2.5 concentrations of each city were primarily caused by local emissions. Overall, wind flows played a significant role in the transport and spatial distribution of PM 2.5 across the PRD region. Ideally, local governments would be wise to establish joint prevention and control measures to reduce regional atmospheric pollution, especially for "Western type" pollution. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The role of lithospheric strength heterogeneities in the dynamics of Tienshan and neighbouring regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, K.; Xiong, X.; Hao, X.; Li, J.

2017-12-01

Tienshan mountain is located about 1500 km away from the plate boundary, but it absorbs approximately 30% of the total effect of the Indian-Eurasian collision. As its rapid shortening and distinct deformation, Tienshan is considered as a good laboratory for studying the dynamics of intra-plate compressional deformation. However, a better understanding of the mechanics of Tienshan mountain building processes demands a detailed knowledge of the rheological structure of the lithosphere in Tienshan region.Here we take advantages of the new data sets from the geothermal, seismology and geodesy to re-estimate the strength of lithosphere in the Tienshan mountain and neighbouring region. We have developed two numerical deformation models (two-dimension profile) along the eastern and western Tienshan Mountain in order to investigate the effects of lateral strength heterogeneities on mountain building.We find that (1) the lithospheric strength of Tienshan mountain has significant difference with adjacent area, and its strength is significantly lower than that of Tarim Basin and Junggar Basin; (2) the strength also shows difference between the eastern and western of Tienshan Mountain, the eastern is strong and the western is weak. Our numerical results reveal that (3) the presence of strong Tarim Basin caused the Indian-Eurasian collision effect to be transferred to the Tienshan Mountains beyond 1500km, while the Tarim Basin shows little internal deformation; (4) the Tienshan region with weak lithosphere contributes to its horizontal shortening and vertical uplift; (5) the existence of high strength Junggar Basin is advantageous to the deformation and orogenic of Tienshan, and also prevents the orogenic range from spreading further northward.

Western USA groundwater drilling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jasechko, S.; Perrone, D.

2016-12-01

Groundwater in the western US supplies 40% of the water used for irrigated agriculture, and provides drinking water to individuals living in rural regions distal to perennial rivers. Unfortunately, current groundwater use is not sustainable in a number of key food producing regions. While substantial attention has been devoted to mapping groundwater depletion rates across the western US, the response of groundwater users via well drilling to changing land uses, water demands, pump and drilling technologies, pollution vulnerabilities, and economic conditions remains unknown. Here we analyze millions of recorded groundwater drilling events in the western US that span years 1850 to 2015. We show that groundwater wells are being drilled deeper in some, but not all, regions where groundwater levels are declining. Groundwater wells are generally deeper in arid and mountainous regions characterized by deep water tables (e.g., unconfined alluvial and fractured bedrock aquifers), and in regions that have productive aquifers with high water quality deep under the ground (e.g., confined sedimentary aquifers). Further, we relate water quality and groundwater drilling depths in 40 major aquifer systems across the western US. We show that there is substantial room for improvement to the existing 2-D continental-scale assessments of domestic well water vulnerability to pollution if one considers the depth that the domestic well is screened in addition to pollutant loading, surficial geology, and vertical groundwater flow rates. These new continental-scale maps can be used to (i) better assess economic, water quality, and water balance limitations to groundwater usage, (ii) steer domestic well drilling into productive strata bearing clean and protected groundwater resources, and (iii) assess groundwater management schemes across the western US.

Cenozoic dynamics of shallow-marine biodiversity in the Western Pacific

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yasuhara, M.; Iwatani, H.; Hunt, G.; Okahashi, H.; Kase, T.; Hayashi, H.; Irizuki, T.; Aguilar, Y. M.; Fernando, A. G. S.; Renema, W.

2016-12-01

Cenozoic dynamics of large-scale species diversity patterns remain poorly understood, especially for the Western Pacific, in part because of the paucity of well-dated fossil records from the tropics. Here we show the spatiotemporal dynamics of species diversity in the Western Pacific through the Cenozoic, focusing on the tropical Indo-Australian Archipelago (IAA) biodiversity hotspot. We analysed well-preserved fossil ostracodes from the tropical Western Pacific and combined their diversity data with other published data from the region to reconstruct Cenozoic dynamics of species diversity in the tropical- and northwestern Pacific Ocean. We fit generalized additive models to test for differences in richness over time and across geographic regions while accounting for sample size variation among samples. Low-, mid- and high-latitude regions all show a similar diversity trajectory: diversity is low in the Eocene and Oligocene, increases from the Early Miocene to the Plio-Pleistocene but then declines to the present day. Present day high biodiversity in these regions was established during the Pliocene with a remarkable diversification at that time. Latitudinal diversity patterns are relatively flat and never show as simple decline from the tropics to higher latitudes. Western Pacific Cenozoic ostracodes exhibit a spatiotemporal pattern of species diversity that is inconsistent with the commonly reported and persistent pattern of declining diversity from the tropics to the extratropics. While this inconsistency could be interpreted as evidence that ostracodes are a contrarian clade, Atlantic ostracodes display a standard latitudinal species diversity gradient. Contrasting patterns between oceans suggests an important role for regional factors (e.g., plate tectonics and temporal geomorphological dynamics) in shaping the biodiversity of the Western Pacific.

Seismic source and structure estimation in the western Mediterranean using a sparse broadband network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thio, Hong Kie; Song, Xi; Saikia, Chandan K.; Helmberger, Donald V.; Woods, Bradley B.

1999-01-01

We present a study of regional earthquakes in the western Mediterranean geared toward the development of methodologies and path calibrations for source characterization using regional broadband stations. The results of this study are useful for the monitoring and discrimination of seismic events under a comprehensive test ban treaty, as well as the routine analysis of seismicity and seismic hazard using a sparse array of stations. The area consists of several contrasting geological provinces with distinct seismic properties, which complicates the modeling of seismic wave propagation. We started by analyzing surface wave group velocities throughout the region and developed a preliminary model for each of the major geological provinces. We found variations of crustal thickness ranging from 45 km under the Atlas and Betic mountains and 37 km under the Saharan shield, to 20 km for the oceanic crust of the western Mediterranean Sea, which is consistent with earlier works. Throughout most of the region, the upper mantle velocities are low which is typical for tectonically active regions. The most complex areas in terms of wave propagation are the Betic Cordillera in southern Spain and its north African counterparts, the Rif and Tell Atlas mountains, as well as the Alboran Sea, between Spain and Morocco. The complexity of the wave propagation in these regions is probably due to the sharp velocity contrasts between the oceanic and continental regions as well as the the existence of deep sedimentary basins that have a very strong influence on the surface wave dispersion. We used this preliminary regionalized velocity model to correct the surface wave source spectra for propagation effects which we then inverted for source mechanism. We found that this method, which is in use in many parts of the world, works very well, provided that data from several stations are available. In order to study the events in the region using very few broadband stations or even a single station, we developed a hybrid inversion method which combines Pnl waveforms synthesized with the traditional body wave methods, with surface waves that are computed using normal modes. This procedure facilitates the inclusion of laterally varying structure in the Green's functions for the surface waves and allows us to determine source mechanisms for many of the larger earthquakes (M > 4) throughout the region with just one station. We compared our results with those available from other methods and found that they agree quite well. The epicentral depths that we have obtained from regional waveforms are consistent with observed teleseismic depth phases, as far as they are available. We also show that the particular upper mantle structure under the region causes the various Pn and Sn phases to be impulsive, which makes them a useful tool for depth determination as well. Thus we conclude that with proper calibration of the seismic structure in the region and high-quality broadband data, it is now possible to characterize and study events in this region, both with respect to mechanism and depth, with a limited distribution of regional broadband stations.

Vertical Mixing Effects on Phytoplankton Dynamics and Organic Carbon Export in the Western Mediterranean Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kessouri, Faycal; Ulses, Caroline; Estournel, Claude; Marsaleix, Patrick; D'Ortenzio, Fabrizio; Severin, Tatiana; Taillandier, Vincent; Conan, Pascal

2018-03-01

A 3-D high-resolution coupled hydrodynamic-biogeochemical model of the western Mediterranean was used to study phytoplankton dynamics and organic carbon export in three regions with contrasting vertical regimes, ranging from deep convection to a shallow mixed layer. One month after the initial increase in surface chlorophyll (caused by the erosion of the deep chlorophyll maximum), the autumnal bloom was triggered in all three regions by the upward flux of nutrients resulting from mixed layer deepening. In contrast, at the end of winter, the end of turbulent mixing favored the onset of the spring bloom in the deep convection region. Low grazing pressure allowed rapid phytoplankton growth during the bloom. Primary production in the shallow mixed layer region, the Algerian subbasin, was characterized by a long period (4 months) of sustained phytoplankton development, unlike the deep convection region where primary production was inhibited during 2 months in winter. Despite seasonal variations, annual primary production in all three regions is similar. In the deep convection region, total organic carbon export below the photic layer (150 m) and transfer to deep waters (800 m) was 5 and 8 times, respectively, higher than in the Algerian subbasin. Although some of the exported material will be injected back into the surface layer during the next convection event, lateral transport, and strong interannual variability of MLD in this region suggest that a significant amount of exported material is effectively sequestrated.

Logging residue in Washington, Oregon, California: volume and characteristics.

Treesearch

James O. Howard

1973-01-01

This report makes available data on the volume and characteristics of logging residue resulting from 1969 logging operations in Oregon, Washington, and California. The results indicate highest volumes of logging residue are found in the Douglas-fir region of western Oregon and western Washington. Average gross volume of residue in this region ranged...

Impact of energy sector growth on perceived transportation safety in the seventeen-county oil region of western North Dakota : a three-year case study.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2015-10-01

The sharp increase in travel volumes, shift in traffic mix, and large increases in crashes have transformed : the traffic environment in the oil region of western North Dakota. Roads once used for local access and : agricultural purposes now regularl...

REGIONAL, WATERSHED, AND SITE-SPECIFIC ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCES ON FISH ASSEMBLAGE STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION IN WESTERN LAKE SUPERIOR TRIBUTARIES

EPA Science Inventory

The relative importance of regional, watershed, and in-stream environmental factors on stream fish assemblage structure and function was investigated as part of a comparative watershed project in the western Lake Superior basin. We selected 48 second and third order watersheds fr...

Chemistry of Airborne Particulate Matter in the Western Plains of Texas Using PIXE Analysis

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Aerosol samples on polycarbonate filters were collected daily (for 24 hour periods) over several years in Lubbock, Reese Center, and Big Spring in the Southern High Plains region of western Texas, a region known for frequent dust storms. Twenty-seven filter samples representing a variety of particle...

Impact of energy sector growth on perceived transportation safety in the seventeen-county oil region of western North Dakota : a follow-up study.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-10-01

The sharp increase in travel volumes, shift in traffic mix, and large increases in crashes have transformed : the travel environment in the oil region of western North Dakota. Roads once used for local access and : agricultural purposes now mostly se...

Concentrating Solar Power and Water Issues in the U.S. Southwest

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

Bracken, Nathan; Macknick, Jordan; Tovar-Hastings, Angelica

2015-03-01

Concentrating solar power (CSP) systems utilize the sun's energy to create heat that is used to generate electrical power. CSP systems in the United States are installed primarily in the Southwest, with 92% of plants that are operational, under construction, or under development located in three western states--Arizona, California, and Nevada. This report provides an overview of CSP development in these states, or the 'Southwest' for the purposes of this discussion, with a particular focus on the water supply issues associated with CSP. The Western Governors' Association (WGA) commissioned staff from the Western States Water Council (WSWC) to collaborate withmore » staff from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to prepare this report. The WGA has long supported the effective management of the West's water resources, as well as the development of a clean, diverse, reliable, and affordable energy supply consisting of traditional and renewable energy resources. This report is specifically intended to help inform these goals, especially as WGA continues to underwrite a Regional Transmission Expansion Planning project, undertaken by the WSWC and the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC), to better understand energy development within the existing and future water resource constraints of the West. This report builds upon earlier research conducted by NREL, the University of Colorado-Boulder, and Stanford University that was supported through the Joint Institute for Strategic Energy Analysis (JISEA) and presents information gathered through extensive research and literature reviews, as well as interviews and outreach with state water administrators and energy regulators, WECC and other experts familiar with CSP development in the Southwest.« less

Rural-urban differentials of premature mortality burden in south-west China.

PubMed

Cai, Le; Chongsuvivatwong, Virasakdi

2006-10-14

Yunnan province is located in south western China and is one of the poorest provinces of the country. This study examines the premature mortality burden from common causes of deaths among an urban region, suburban region and rural region of Kunming, the capital of Yunnan. Years of life lost (YLL) rate per 1,000 and mortality rate per 100,000 were calculated from medical death certificates in 2003 and broken down by cause of death, age and gender among urban, suburban and rural regions. YLL was calculated without age-weighting and discounting rate. Rates were age-adjusted to the combined population of three regions. However, 3% discounting rate and a standard age-weighting function were included in the sensitivity analysis. Non-communicable diseases contributed the most YLL in all three regions. The rural region had about 50% higher premature mortality burden compared to the other two regions. YLL from infectious diseases and perinatal problems was still a major problem in the rural region. Among non-communicable diseases, YLL from stroke was the highest in the urban/suburban regions; COPD followed as the second and was the highest in the rural region. Mortality burden from injuries was however higher in the rural region than the other two regions, especially for men. Self-inflicted injuries were between 2-8 times more serious among women. The use of either mortality rate or YLL gives a similar conclusion regarding the order of priority. Reanalysis with age-weighting and 3% discounting rate gave similar results. Urban south western China has already engaged in epidemiological pattern of developed countries. The rural region is additionally burdened by diseases of poverty and injury on top of the non-communicable diseases.

East Spar field models new development techniques

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

Abraham, K.S.

1997-05-01

In recent years, Western Australia`s (WA`s) offshore E and P sector has become a fertile area for field development experimentation and innovation. The region features perhaps the largest concentration of subsea wells and floating production systems outside of the North Sea and Brazil. By all estimates, this trend should continue, given the backlog of discovered fields that increasingly qualify for development through technological progress. One of the most unique projects on the North West Shelf (NWS), East Spar gas and condensate field was completed in late 1996, only three-and-a-half years after it was discovered. On behalf of its partners, operatormore » Western Mining Corp. developed East Spar through an alliance framework with its primary contractors. This unusual relationship proved extremely beneficial for solving technical and logistical problems while still keeping the project on a fast track. The paper discusses the background of the project, field control and Navigation, Communication and Control (NCC) buoy development, subsea systems, processing facilities and logistical review.« less

Road-testing the outreach best practices manual: Applicability for implementation of the development phase projects by the regional carbon sequestration partnerships

USGS Publications Warehouse

Daly, D.; Bradbury, J.; Garrett, G.; Greenberg, S.; Myhre, R.; Peterson, T.; Tollefson, L.; Wade, S.; Sacuta, N.

2011-01-01

Geologic carbon dioxide (CO2) storage verification tests by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE's) seven Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnerships (RCSPs) provided the experience base for the Public Outreach and Education for Carbon Storage Projects, a best practices manual, published in December 2009. This paper summarizes these outreach best practices; discusses their application in Aquistorc, a grcenficld CO2 storage project under way in western Canada; and reviews the implications for applying the best practices to new projects during the Development Phase of the DOE's RCSP Program. ?? 2011 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Conservation of cultural heritage in minority ethnic regions in northwestern china—an exploration at Kuqa, Xinjiang

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, N.; Zhang, X.

2015-08-01

Kuqa, Xinjiang, is located at northwestern inland china. Traditionally a bridge between eastern and western civilizations, Kuqa had a history of cultural fusion and was left with abundant cultural heritage. As population increase, economic growth and social changes occurred, spontaneous renovation of the old city was affected, in which street fabric and scenes underwent damages. The paper demonstrates attempts made in various projects to achieve conservation of cultural heritage in agreement with economic development and improvement of living condition. The lessons learnt in these projects will be of value to development of other historic cities, especially in minority ethnic regions in China.

Tectonics and seismicity of the southern Washington Cascade range

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stanley, W.D.; Johnson, S.Y.; Qamar, A.I.; Weaver, C.S.; Williams, J.M.

1996-01-01

Geophysical, geological, and seismicity data are combined to develop a transpressional strain model for the southern Washington Cascades region. We use this model to explain oblique fold and fault systems, transverse faults, and a linear seismic zone just west of Mt. Rainier known as the western Rainier zone. We also attempt to explain a concentration of earthquakes that connects the northwest-trending Mount St. Helens seismic zone to the north-trending western Rainier zone. Our tectonic model illustrates the pervasive effects of accretionary processes, combined with subsequent transpressive forces generated by oblique subduction, on Eocene to present crustal processes, such as seismicity and volcanism.

Utility-Scale Photovoltaic Deployment Scenarios of the Western United States: Implications for Solar Energy Zones in Nevada

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

Frew, Bethany; Mai, Trieu; Krishnan, Venkat

2016-12-01

In this study, we use the National Renewable Energy Laboratory's (NREL's) Regional Energy Deployment System (ReEDS) capacity expansion model to estimate utility-scale photovoltaic (UPV) deployment trends from present day through 2030. The analysis seeks to inform the U.S. Bureau of Land Management's (BLM's) planning activities related to UPV development on federal lands in Nevada as part of the Resource Management Plan (RMP) revision for the Las Vegas and Pahrump field offices. These planning activities include assessing the demand for new or expanded additional Solar Energy Zones (SEZ), per the process outlined in BLM's Western Solar Plan process.

Extraction and prediction of indices for monsoon intraseasonal oscillations: an approach based on nonlinear Laplacian spectral analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sabeerali, C. T.; Ajayamohan, R. S.; Giannakis, Dimitrios; Majda, Andrew J.

2017-11-01

An improved index for real-time monitoring and forecast verification of monsoon intraseasonal oscillations (MISOs) is introduced using the recently developed nonlinear Laplacian spectral analysis (NLSA) technique. Using NLSA, a hierarchy of Laplace-Beltrami (LB) eigenfunctions are extracted from unfiltered daily rainfall data from the Global Precipitation Climatology Project over the south Asian monsoon region. Two modes representing the full life cycle of the northeastward-propagating boreal summer MISO are identified from the hierarchy of LB eigenfunctions. These modes have a number of advantages over MISO modes extracted via extended empirical orthogonal function analysis including higher memory and predictability, stronger amplitude and higher fractional explained variance over the western Pacific, Western Ghats, and adjoining Arabian Sea regions, and more realistic representation of the regional heat sources over the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Real-time prediction of NLSA-derived MISO indices is demonstrated via extended-range hindcasts based on NCEP Coupled Forecast System version 2 operational output. It is shown that in these hindcasts the NLSA MISO indices remain predictable out to ˜3 weeks.

Geochemical survey of the western coal regions; first annual progress report, July 1974

USGS Publications Warehouse

Connor, Jon J.; Tidball, Ronald R.; Erdman, James A.; Ebens, Richard J.; Keith, John R.; Anderson, Barbara M.

1974-01-01

National energy needs have precipitated an increased interest in the development of a large coal-based electric power industry in the western United States. This anticipated development has, in turn, spawned a great deal of interest in the environmental impact consequent upon the mining and utilization of these coal supplies. Numerous studies directed to assessing this impact are underway or are in the planning stages by agencies of government at all levels as well as by educational institutions and private firms. It is expected that such studies will continue to increase in number in the foreseeable future. Some idea of the diversity of this work is given by Boulding (1974), who surveyed a broad spectrum of people and organizations concerned about the environmental impact of coal development in the Northern Great Plains. This survey included over 50 governmental organizations and over 50 nongovernmental organizations.

Epidemiological update on the dengue situation in the Western Pacific Region, 2012

PubMed Central

Arima, Yuzo; Chiew, May; Matsui, Tamano; Team, Response

2015-01-01

Dengue has caused a substantial public health burden in the Western Pacific Region. To assess this burden and regional trends, data were collated and summarized from indicator-based surveillance systems on dengue cases and deaths from countries and areas in the Western Pacific Region. In 2012, dengue notifications continued to increase with 356 838 dengue cases reported in the Region (relative to 244 855 cases reported in 2011) of which 1248 died. In the Asia subregion, the notification rate was highest in Cambodia, the Philippines and the Lao People's Democratic Republic (316.2, 198.9 and 162.4 per 100 000 population, respectively), and in the Pacific island countries and areas, the notification rate was highest in Niue, the Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia (8556.0, 337.0 and 265.1 per 100 000 population, respectively). All four serotypes were circulating in the Region in 2012 with considerable variabilitiy in distribution. Regional surveillance provides important information to enhance situational awareness, conduct risk assessments and improve preparedness activities. PMID:26306221

Significant Centers of Tectonic Activity as Identified by Wrinkle Ridges for the Western Hemisphere of Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Anderson, R.C.; Haldemann, A. F. C.; Golombek, M. P.; Franklin, B. J.; Dohm, J. M.; Lias, J.

2000-01-01

The western hemisphere region of Mars has been the site of numerous scientific investigations regarding its tectonic evolution. For this region of Mars, the dominant tectonic region is the Tharsis province. Tharsis is characterized by an enormous system of radiating grabens and a circumferential system of wrinkle ridges. Past investigations of grabens associated with Tharsis have identified specific centers of tectonic activity. A recent structural analysis of the western hemisphere region of Mars which includes the Tharsis region, utilized 25,000 structures to determine the history of local and regional centers of tectonic activity based primarily on the spatial and temporal relationships of extensional features. This investigation revealed that Tharsis is more structurally complex (heterogeneous) than has been previously identified: it consists of numerous regional and local centers of tectonic activity (some are more dominant and/or more long lived than others). Here we use the same approach as Anderson et al. to determine whether the centers of tectonic activity that formed the extensional features also contributed to wrinkle ridge (compressional) formation.

Find Cancer Early: Evaluation of a Community Education Campaign to Increase Awareness of Cancer Signs and Symptoms in People in Regional Western Australians.

PubMed

Croager, Emma Jane; Gray, Victoria; Pratt, Iain Stephen; Slevin, Terry; Pettigrew, Simone; Holman, C D'arcy; Bulsara, Max; Emery, Jon

2018-01-01

Cancer outcomes for people living in rural and remote areas are worse than for those living in urban areas. Although access to and quality of cancer treatment are important determinants of outcomes, delayed presentation has been observed in rural patients. Formative research with people from rural Western Australia (WA) led to the Find Cancer Early campaign. Find Cancer Early was delivered in three regions of WA, with two other regions acting as controls. Staff delivered the campaign using a community engagement approach, including promotion in local media. Television communications were not used to minimize contamination in the control regions. The campaign evaluation was undertaken at 20 months via a computer-assisted telephone interview (CATI) survey comparing campaign and control regions. The primary outcome variable was knowledge of cancer signs and symptoms. Recognition and recall of Find Cancer Early and symptom knowledge were higher in the campaign regions. More than a quarter of those who were aware of the campaign reported seeing the GP as a result of their exposure. Despite limited use of mass media, Find Cancer Early successfully improved knowledge of cancer symptoms and possibly led to changes in behavior. Social marketing campaigns using community development can raise awareness and knowledge of a health issue in the absence of television advertising.

Estimation of Flood-Frequency Discharges for Rural, Unregulated Streams in West Virginia

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wiley, Jeffrey B.; Atkins, John T.

2010-01-01

Flood-frequency discharges were determined for 290 streamgage stations having a minimum of 9 years of record in West Virginia and surrounding states through the 2006 or 2007 water year. No trend was determined in the annual peaks used to calculate the flood-frequency discharges. Multiple and simple least-squares regression equations for the 100-year (1-percent annual-occurrence probability) flood discharge with independent variables that describe the basin characteristics were developed for 290 streamgage stations in West Virginia and adjacent states. The regression residuals for the models were evaluated and used to define three regions of the State, designated as Eastern Panhandle, Central Mountains, and Western Plateaus. Exploratory data analysis procedures identified 44 streamgage stations that were excluded from the development of regression equations representative of rural, unregulated streams in West Virginia. Regional equations for the 1.1-, 1.5-, 2-, 5-, 10-, 25-, 50-, 100-, 200-, and 500-year flood discharges were determined by generalized least-squares regression using data from the remaining 246 streamgage stations. Drainage area was the only significant independent variable determined for all equations in all regions. Procedures developed to estimate flood-frequency discharges on ungaged streams were based on (1) regional equations and (2) drainage-area ratios between gaged and ungaged locations on the same stream. The procedures are applicable only to rural, unregulated streams within the boundaries of West Virginia that have drainage areas within the limits of the stations used to develop the regional equations (from 0.21 to 1,461 square miles in the Eastern Panhandle, from 0.10 to 1,619 square miles in the Central Mountains, and from 0.13 to 1,516 square miles in the Western Plateaus). The accuracy of the equations is quantified by measuring the average prediction error (from 21.7 to 56.3 percent) and equivalent years of record (from 2.0 to 70.9 years).

Geometric and kinematic analysis of structural elements along north front of Bagharan Kuh Mountain, NE Iran

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Samimi, S.; Gholami, E.

2017-03-01

At the end of the western part of Bagharan Kuh Mountain in the northeast of Iran, mountain growth has been stopped toward the west because of the stress having been consumed by the thrusting movements and region rising instead of shear movement. Chahkand fault zone is situated at the western part of this mountain; this fault zone includes several thrust sheets that caused upper cretaceous ophiolite rocks up to younger units, peridotite exposure and fault related fold developing in the surface. In transverse perpendicular to the mountain toward the north, reduction in the parameters like faults dip, amount of deformation, peridotite outcrops show faults growth sequence and thrust sheets growth from mountain to plain, thus structural vergence is toward the northeast in this fault zone. Deformation in the east part of the region caused fault propagation fold with axial trend of WNW-ESE that is compatible with trending of fault plane. In the middle part, two types of folds is observed; in the first type, folding occurred before faulting and folds was cut by back thrust activity; in the second type, faults activity caused fault related folds with N60-90W axial trend. In order to hanging wall strain balance, back thrusts have been developed in the middle and western part which caused popup and fault bend folds with N20-70E trend. Back thrusts activity formed footwall synclines, micro folds, foliations, and uplift in this part of the region. Kinematic analysis of faults show stress axis σ1 = N201.6, 7, σ2 = N292.6, 7.1, σ3 = N64.8, 79.5; stress axis obtained by fold analysis confirm that minimum stress (σ3) is close to vertical so it is compatible with fault analysis. Based on the results, deformation in this region is controlled by compressional stress regime. This stress state is consistent with the direction of convergence between the Arabian and Eurasian plates. Also study of transposition, folded veins, different movements on the fault planes and back thrusts confirm the progressive deformation is dominant in this region that it increases from the east to the west.

Observed and Projected Precipitation Changes over the Nine US Climate Regions

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

Chylek, Petr; Dubey, Manvendra; Hengartner, Nicholas

Here, we analyze the past (1900–2015) temperature and precipitation changes in nine separate US climate regions. We find that the temperature increased in a statistically significant (95% confidence level equivalent to alpha level of 0.05) manner in all of these regions. However, the variability in the observed precipitation was much more complex. In the eastern US (east of Rocky Mountains), the precipitation increased in all five climate regions and the increase was statistically significant in three of them. In contract, in the western US, the precipitation increased in two regions and decreased in two with no statistical significance in anymore » region. The CMIP5 climate models (an ensemble mean) were not able to capture properly either the large precipitation differences between the eastern and the western US, or the changes of precipitation between 1900 and 2015 in eastern US. The statistical regression model explains the differences between the eastern and western US precipitation as results of different significant predictors. The anthropogenic greenhouse gases and aerosol (GHGA) are the major forcing of the precipitation in the eastern part of US, while the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) has the major influence on precipitation in the western part of the US. This analysis suggests that the precipitation over the eastern US increased at an approximate rate of 6.7%/K, in agreement with the Clausius-Clapeyron equation, while the precipitation of the western US was approximately constant, independent of the temperature. Future precipitation over the western part of the US will depend on the behavior of the PDO, and how it (PDO) may be affected by future warming. Low hydrological sensitivity (percent increase of precipitation per one K of warming) projected by the CMIP5 models for the eastern US suggests either an underestimate of future precipitation or an overestimate of future warming.« less

Observed and Projected Precipitation Changes over the Nine US Climate Regions

DOE PAGES

Chylek, Petr; Dubey, Manvendra; Hengartner, Nicholas; ...

2017-10-25

Here, we analyze the past (1900–2015) temperature and precipitation changes in nine separate US climate regions. We find that the temperature increased in a statistically significant (95% confidence level equivalent to alpha level of 0.05) manner in all of these regions. However, the variability in the observed precipitation was much more complex. In the eastern US (east of Rocky Mountains), the precipitation increased in all five climate regions and the increase was statistically significant in three of them. In contract, in the western US, the precipitation increased in two regions and decreased in two with no statistical significance in anymore » region. The CMIP5 climate models (an ensemble mean) were not able to capture properly either the large precipitation differences between the eastern and the western US, or the changes of precipitation between 1900 and 2015 in eastern US. The statistical regression model explains the differences between the eastern and western US precipitation as results of different significant predictors. The anthropogenic greenhouse gases and aerosol (GHGA) are the major forcing of the precipitation in the eastern part of US, while the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) has the major influence on precipitation in the western part of the US. This analysis suggests that the precipitation over the eastern US increased at an approximate rate of 6.7%/K, in agreement with the Clausius-Clapeyron equation, while the precipitation of the western US was approximately constant, independent of the temperature. Future precipitation over the western part of the US will depend on the behavior of the PDO, and how it (PDO) may be affected by future warming. Low hydrological sensitivity (percent increase of precipitation per one K of warming) projected by the CMIP5 models for the eastern US suggests either an underestimate of future precipitation or an overestimate of future warming.« less

Using data from a multi-hospital clinical network to explore prevalence of pediatric rickets in Kenya

PubMed Central

Karuri, Stella W.; Murithi, Maureen K.; Irimu, Grace; English, Mike

2017-01-01

Background: Nutritional rickets is a public health concern in developing countries despite tropical climates and a re-emerging issue in developed countries. In this study, we reviewed pediatric admission data from the Clinical Information Network (CIN) to help determine hospital and region based prevalence of rickets in three regions of Kenya (Central Kenya, Western Kenya and Nairobi County). We also examine the association of rickets with other diagnosis, such as malnutrition and pneumonia, and study the effect of rickets on regional hospital stays. Methods: We analyzed discharge records for children aged 1 month to 5 years from county (formerly district) hospitals in the CIN, with admissions from February 1 st 2014 to February 28 th 2015. The strength of the association between rickets and key demographic factors, as well as with malnutrition and pneumonia, was assessed using odds ratios. The Fisher exact test was used to test the significance of the estimated odd ratios. Kaplan-Meier curves were used to analyze length of hospital stays. Results: There was a marked difference in prevalence across the three regions, with Nairobi having the highest number of cases of rickets at a proportion of 4.01%, followed by Central Region at 0.92%. Out of 9756 admissions in the Western Region, there was only one diagnosis of rickets. Malnutrition was associated with rickets; this association varied regionally. Pneumonia was found to be associated with rickets in Central Kenya. Children diagnosed with rickets had longer hospital stays, even when cases of malnutrition and pneumonia were excluded in the analysis. Conclusion: There was marked regional variation in hospital based prevalence of rickets, but in some regions it is a common clinical diagnosis suggesting the need for targeted public health interventions. Factors such as maternal and child nutrition, urbanization and cultural practices might explain these differences. PMID:29062911

Urban Agglomeration and Extension in Northern Coast of West Java: A Transformation into Mega Region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Octifanny, Y.; Hudalah, D.

2017-07-01

In the past decade, at least three neighbouring metropolitan areas in the northwestern part of the island have been merging with each other: Jakarta Metropolitan Area (Jabodetabek), Bandung Metropolitan Area (Bandung Raya), and Cirebon Metropolitan Area (Ciayumajakuning). It is expected to be the first island-based mega-conurbation. This paper explores the potential emergence of mega region as a ground study, where mega region can be used for economic, logistic, transportation development. Authors use scoring analysis from economic and demographic indicators. The outcomes found a new and larger formation of city-region in the northern coast road networks (Pantura) - specifically western part of Java Island.

Ice dynamics of the Allan Hills meteorite concentration sites revealed by satellite aperture radar interferometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coren, F.; Delisle, G.; Sterzai, P.

2003-09-01

The ice flow conditions of a 100 x 100 km area of Victoria Land, Antarctica were analyzed with the synthetic aperture radar (SAR) technique. The area includes a number of meteorite concentration sites, in particular the Allan Hills ice fields. Regional ice flow velocities around the Mid- western and Near-western ice fields and the Allan Hills main ice field are shown to be 2.5 m yr-1. These sites are located on a horseshoe-shaped area that bounds an area characterized by higher ice flow velocities of up to 5 m yr-1. Meteorite find locations on the Elephant Moraine are located in this "high ice flow" area. The SAR derived digital elevation model (DEM) shows atypical low surface slopes for Antarctic conditions, which are the cause for the slow ice movements. Numerous ice rises in the area are interpreted to cap sub-ice obstacles, which were formed by tectonic processes in the past. The ice rises are considered to represent temporary features, which develop only during warm stages when the regional ice stand is lowered. Ice depressions, which develop in warm stages on the lee side of ice rises, may act as the sites of temporary build-up of meteorite concentrations, which turn inoperative during cold stages when the regional ice level rises and the ice rises disappear. Based on a simplified ice flow model, we argue that the regional ice flow in cold stages is reduced by a factor of at least 3.

Experiences in evaluating regional air quality models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Mei-Kao; Greenfield, Stanley M.

Any area of the world concerned with the health and welfare of its people and the viability of its ecological system must eventually address the question of the control of air pollution. This is true in developed countries as well as countries that are undergoing a considerable degree of industrialization. The control or limitation of the emissions of a pollutant can be very costly. To avoid ineffective or unnecessary control, the nature of the problem must be fully understood and the relationship between source emissions and ambient concentrations must be established. Mathematical models, while admittedly containing large uncertainties, can be used to examine alternatives of emission restrictions for achieving safe ambient concentrations. The focus of this paper is to summarize our experiences with modeling regional air quality in the United States and Western Europe. The following modeling experiences have been used: future SO 2 and sulfate distributions and projected acidic deposition as related to coal development in the northern Great Plains in the U.S.; analysis of regional ozone and sulfate episodes in the northeastern U.S.; analysis of the regional ozone problem in western Europe in support of alternative emission control strategies; analysis of distributions of toxic chemicals in the Southeast Ohio River Valley in support of the design of a monitoring network human exposure. Collectively, these prior modeling analyses can be invaluable in examining a similar problem in other parts of the world as well, such as the Pacific rim in Asia.

Optimising post-mining soil conditions to maximise restoration success in a biodiverse semiarid environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muñoz-Rojas, Miriam; Erickson, Todd; Merritt, David; Dixon, Kingsley

2014-05-01

The original topsoil of mine degraded areas is frequently lost or damaged, which together with the absence of soil forming materials is a major constraint for seed germination and establishment in post-mining restoration. Thus, management of the available topsoil and the use of alternative growth media are critical to improve restoration areas disturbed through mining. Here we are developing laboratory and field trials to define the optimal range for physical and chemical properties of potentially suitable natural and 're-made' soil substrates and growth medium for 20 selected native plant species from the mining intensive Pilbara region of Western Australia. In this semiarid area, water is a limiting factor for seedling establishment, which is compounded by the lack of organic matter of post-disturbance soils. Therefore, particular attention is given to indicators of soil biological activity such as soil respiration, and hydrological soil properties such as water holding capacity, infiltration, hydraulic conductivity and soil water repellence. This research is part of a broader multi-study approach, the Restoration Seedbank Initiative project, a partnership between The University of Western Australia, BHP Billiton Iron Ore, and Kings Park and Botanic Garden to develop the science and underpinning knowledge to achieve biodiverse restoration in the Pilbara region, where land areas disturbed by mining exceed 40,000 ha. Achieving restoration success is critical as the Pilbara region is an ancient landscape with diverse geology and high levels of regional and local endemism in plants and animals.

Western Wind and Solar Integration Study | Grid Modernization | NREL

Science.gov Websites

Western Wind and Solar Integration Study Western Wind and Solar Integration Study Can we integrate large amounts of wind and solar energy into the electric power system of the West? That's the question explored by the Western Wind and Solar Integration Study, one of the largest such regional studies to date

Development and evaluation of a TaqMan Real-Time PCR assay for Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. spinaciae

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. spinaciae, causal agent of spinach Fusarium wilt, is an important soilborne pathogen in many areas of the world where spinach is grown. The pathogen is persistent in acid soils of maritime western Oregon and Washington, the only region of the USA suitable for commercial spi...

Evaluation of Chinese and Kyrgyzstan grass germplasm collections for maintenance of green cover under limited irrigation in western North America

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

An important strategy to save irrigation water on turf is to develop cultivars with improved drought tolerance, especially in the arid and semi-arid North American West. In this region, maintenance of green cover during summer with reduced levels of irrigation is of paramount importance. Germplasm...

The Role of Higher Education Centres in Research and Policy: A Case from a European Periphery

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zgaga, Pavel

2014-01-01

This article focuses on higher education research and policies in small and/or peripheral countries that usually occupy a marginal position in contemporary international debates. The region discussed here is South-eastern Europe and especially the Western Balkans. First, an outline of emerging research centres and the developments in higher…

76 FR 7788 - Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone off Alaska; Western Alaska Community Development Quota...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-02-11

... record in eLandings the region in which the stationary floating processor is located at time of crab... miscellaneous edits and corrections to regulatory text and tables, including standardizing the use of the terms... fishery management, resulting in fewer disruptions of the fleets and processors. The December 15, 2008...

The Internet & Regional Australia: How Rural Communities Can Address the Impact of the Internet.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simpson, Rosie

In the last decade, a technological revolution has touched all aspects of business and society in Australia, the Western world, and to a lesser extent, the developing world. This revolution has occurred against a backdrop of long-term fundamental changes in rural Australian communities. The decline in traditional agriculture's terms of trade and…

Logging residues on Douglas-fir region clearcuts—weights and volumes.

Treesearch

John D. Dell; Franklin R. Ward

1971-01-01

This paper presents the results of ground measurements of logging residue weights and volumes on 30 clearcut units in Douglas-fir forests of western Oregon and Washington. Additional information is given on quantities of material left as slash which might be utilized. These measurements were made on public lands, using a method developed in Canada.

Education and Economics in West Africa: From Unwritten Languages to the Internet

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Alibrandi, Marsha; Bull, Prince Hycy

2005-01-01

Global distribution of West African goods--coffee, chocolate, gold, diamonds (and at one time, ivory)--has linked this region to the outside world for centuries, yet its development remains slow. Not simply the ancestral home of humankind, Africa's western legacies include colonization, partition, and loss of untold millions to slavery and wars of…

An interactive database for setting conservation priorities for western neotropical migrants

Treesearch

Michael F. Carter; Keith Barker

1993-01-01

We develop and explain a species ranking system for the states and physiographic regions of the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Program's West Working Group. The ranking criteria attempt to measure characteristics of species which make them vulnerable to extirpation, as well as assess the relative importance of different geographic and/or political areas...

An ethnographic action research study to investigate the experiences of Bindjareb women participating in the cooking and nutrition component of an Aboriginal health promotion programme in regional Western Australia.

PubMed

Nilson, Caroline; Kearing-Salmon, Karrie-Anne; Morrison, Paul; Fetherston, Catherine

2015-12-01

To investigate the experiences of women participating in a cooking and nutrition component of a health promotion research initiative in an Australian Aboriginal regional community. Weekly facilitated cooking and nutrition classes were conducted during school terms over 12 months. An ethnographic action research study was conducted for the programme duration with data gathered by participant and direct observation, four yarning groups and six individual yarning sessions. The aim was to determine the ways the cooking and nutrition component facilitated lifestyle change, enabled engagement, encouraged community ownership and influenced community action. Regional Bindjareb community in the Nyungar nation of Western Australia. A sample of seventeen Aboriginal women aged between 18 and 60 years from the two kinships in two towns in one shire took part in the study. The recruitment and consent process was managed by community Elders and leaders. Major themes emerged highlighting the development of participants and their recognition of the need for change: the impact of history on current nutritional health of Indigenous Australians; acknowledging shame; challenges of change around nutrition and healthy eating; the undermining effect of mistrust and limited resources; the importance of community control when developing health promotion programmes; finding life purpose through learning; and the need for planning and partnerships to achieve community determination. Suggested principles for developing cooking and nutrition interventions are: consideration of community needs; understanding the impact of historical factors on health; understanding family and community tensions; and the engagement of long-term partnerships to develop community determination.

Fishery management, development and food security in the Western and Central Pacific in the context of climate change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weng, Kevin C.; Glazier, Ed; Nicol, Simon J.; Hobday, Alistair J.

2015-03-01

In the coming decades, fishery resource managers and policy-makers in Pacific Island countries and territories (PICTs) will be increasingly challenged by the need to ensure food security in the context of a changing climate, increasing human pressure on the marine environment, and limited understanding of marine ecosystems and associated resources. These decision-makers must address a pressing and overarching question - how will pelagic resources and pressures on such resources change over time and space? Answering this question requires ongoing inquiry into critical dimensions of pelagic species and systems, for both the commercial tuna species that are managed by Regional Fishery Management Organizations (RFMOs), as well as nearshore pelagic fishes that support many small-scale fisheries and are managed at national and local levels. Research priorities include generating further insight into life history and physiology, oceanographic context, movement and migration, food webs, ecosystem dynamics and stock status. Concurrently, socioeconomic research is needed to tailor fisheries management strategies to local, national and regional conditions; and improve understanding of incentive structures among players in RFMOs such as the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission. PICT-based scientists and managers are ideally situated to generate new fisheries-relevant data; however, investments are needed to expand the capacity for research, management, and sustainable fisheries development within PICTs. Such capacity building can be accelerated through collaboration between PICTs, RFMOs, and scientific centers of excellence in Distant Water Fishing Nations. Without increased capacity development, this region will be adversely affected by the impacts of climate change and less able to take advantage of opportunities for economic development.

Imaging active faulting in a region of distributed deformation from the joint clustering of focal mechanisms and hypocentres: Application to the Azores-western Mediterranean region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Custódio, Susana; Lima, Vânia; Vales, Dina; Cesca, Simone; Carrilho, Fernando

2016-04-01

The matching between linear trends of hypocentres and fault planes indicated by focal mechanisms (FMs) is frequently used to infer the location and geometry of active faults. This practice works well in regions of fast lithospheric deformation, where earthquake patterns are clear and major structures accommodate the bulk of deformation, but typically fails in regions of slow and distributed deformation. We present a new joint FM and hypocentre cluster algorithm that is able to detect systematically the consistency between hypocentre lineations and FMs, even in regions of distributed deformation. We apply the method to the Azores-western Mediterranean region, with particular emphasis on western Iberia. The analysis relies on a compilation of hypocentres and FMs taken from regional and global earthquake catalogues, academic theses and technical reports, complemented by new FMs for western Iberia. The joint clustering algorithm images both well-known and new seismo-tectonic features. The Azores triple junction is characterised by FMs with vertical pressure (P) axes, in good agreement with the divergent setting, and the Iberian domain is characterised by NW-SE oriented P axes, indicating a response of the lithosphere to the ongoing oblique convergence between Nubia and Eurasia. Several earthquakes remain unclustered in the western Mediterranean domain, which may indicate a response to local stresses. The major regions of consistent faulting that we identify are the mid-Atlantic ridge, the Terceira rift, the Trans-Alboran shear zone and the north coast of Algeria. In addition, other smaller earthquake clusters present a good match between epicentre lineations and FM fault planes. These clusters may signal single active faults or wide zones of distributed but consistent faulting. Mainland Portugal is dominated by strike-slip earthquakes with fault planes coincident with the predominant NNE-SSW and WNW-ESE oriented earthquake lineations. Clusters offshore SW Iberia are predominantly strike-slip or reverse, confirming previous suggestions of slip partitioning.

The Present Situation, Problems, Countermeasures of Compulsory Education in the Rural Area of Western Region in China

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Xu, Hui

2005-01-01

The present condition of rural education in the western region of China is not optimistic. Existing problems include lacking education investment, poor school-running conditions, simplified running pattern and laggard concept of education. The countermeasures are: firstly, governments at all level especially the center one should increase input to…

The Social and Economic Significance of Human Migration in the Western Region. Bulletin 859.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Knop, Edward, Comp.; And Others

Because migration trends in the West and their consequences have sometimes served as indicators of what other regions can expect, it is important that such trends and effects be monitored and analyzed. This bulletin describes patterns of migration, assesses individual and family and social considerations in western migration, and discusses policy…

Yield and financial performance estimates of four elite loblolly pine seed sources planted in the Western Gulf Region

Treesearch

Michael A. Blazier; A. Gordon Holley

2015-01-01

Eastern seed sources of loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) have been planted in the Western Gulf region for nearly three decades because they often have higher growth rates than local seed sources. However, productivity gains for eastern families are sometimes offset by poorer survival rates relative to local families.

THE NEW MEDIA IN EDUCATION. A REPORT OF THE WESTERN REGIONAL CONFERENCE ON EDUCATIONAL MEDIA RESEARCH.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

EDLING, JACK V.

A REPORT OF THE WESTERN REGIONAL CONFERENCE ON EDUCATIONAL MEDIA RESEARCH HELD AT SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA, APRIL 20-22, 1960, WAS PRESENTED. THE CONFERENCE WAS HELD TO REVIEW AND HELP CHART FUTURE DIRECTIONS IN RESEARCH, EXPERIMENTATION, AND THE DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION RELATIVE TO NEW INSTRUCTIONAL MEDIA. THE CONFERENCE HAD FOUR PURPOSES--TO…

Nantucket Pine Tip Moth Phenology and Timing of Insecticide Spray Applications in the Western Gulf Region

Treesearch

Christopher J. Fettig; John T. Nowak; Donald M. Grosman; C. Wayne Berisford

2003-01-01

The Nantucket pine tip moth, Rhyacionia frustrana (Comstock) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), is a common pest of pine plantations throughout the Southern United States. The objectives of this study were to predict the phenology of R. frustrana populations throughout the Western Gulf region, and to provide optimal spray periods for...

75 FR 3955 - Environmental Impact Statement: Davis and Weber Counties, UT

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-01-25

... demand in western Davis and Weber Counties. Although the exact limits of the study area have not been... Weber County. The eastern limits of the study area extend to I-15 and the western limit will be just east of the Great Salt Lake. To provide for local and regional travel demands, the regional...

Accelerated Educational Change; The Annual Western Regional Conference on Testing Problems (15th, San Francisco, California, May 6, 1966).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Educational Testing Service, Princeton, NJ.

The 1966 meeting of the Western Regional Conference on Testing Problems dealt with accelerated educational change. The following speeches were presented: (1) "Access to Higher Education: Implications for Future Planning" by Richard Pearson; (2) "The Differentiated Youth: A Challenge to Traditional Institutions" by Joseph D. Lohman; (3) "Teaching…

New records of marginal locations for American pika (Ochotona princeps) in the Western Great Basin

Treesearch

Constance I. Millar; Robert D. Westfall; Diane L. Delany

2013-01-01

We describe 46 new site records documenting occupancy by American pika (Ochotona princeps) at 21 locations from 8 mountain regions in the western Great Basin, California, and Nevada. These locations comprise a subset of sites selected from regional surveys to represent marginal, isolated, or otherwise atypical pika locations, and to provide...

Population Estimates, Conservation Concerns, and Management of Tropicbirds in the Western Atlantic

Treesearch

DAVID S. LEE; MARTHA WALSH-MCGEHEE

2000-01-01

Two species of tropicbirds (Phaethontidae) live in the Western North Atlantic. The Whitetailed Tropicbird of the region is an endemic race, Phaethon lepturus catesbyi, with approximately 5000 pairs. This is half the estimate made less than two decades ago. The Red-billed Tropicbird, P. aethereus, has approximately 2000 pairs regionally and fewer than 8000 pairs...

Host-Associated Absence of Human Puumala Virus Infections in Northern and Eastern Germany

PubMed Central

Drewes, Stephan; Ali, Hanan Sheikh; Saxenhofer, Moritz; Rosenfeld, Ulrike M.; Binder, Florian; Cuypers, Fabian; Schlegel, Mathias; Röhrs, Susanne; Heckel, Gerald

2017-01-01

Human hantavirus disease cases, caused by Puumala virus (PUUV), are mainly recorded in western and southern areas of Germany. This bank vole reservoir survey confirmed PUUV presence in these regions but its absence in northern and eastern regions. PUUV occurrence is associated with the presence of the Western bank vole phylogroup. PMID:27983499

Sulfur and ash reduction potential and selected chemical and physical properties of United States coals. [Contains glossary

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

Cavallaro, J.A.; Deurbrouck, A.W.; Killmeyer, R.P.

1991-06-01

This report presents the washability and comprehensive characterization results of 247 raw coal channel samples, including anthracite, bituminous and lignite coals, collected from the Western Region of the United States. Although the Western Region includes Alaska, coal data from this state will often be cited apart from the Western Region data from the lower United States. This is the third of a three volume report on the coals of the United States. All the data are presented in six appendices. Statistical techniques and definitions are presented in Appendix A, and a glossary of terms is presented in Appendix B. Themore » complete washability data and an in-depth characterization of each sample are presented alphabetically by state in Appendix C. In Appendix D, a statistical evaluation is given for the composited washability data, selected chemical and physical properties, and washability data interpolated at various levels of Btu recovery. This presentation is shown by state, section, and region where four or more samples were collected. Appendix E presents coalbed codes and names for the Western Region coals. Graphical summations are presented by state, rank, and region showing the effects of crushing on impurity reductions, and the distribution of raw and clean coal samples meeting various levels of SO{sub 2} emissions. 35 figs., 3 tabs.« less

Fine-scale human genetic structure in Western France.

PubMed

Karakachoff, Matilde; Duforet-Frebourg, Nicolas; Simonet, Floriane; Le Scouarnec, Solena; Pellen, Nadine; Lecointe, Simon; Charpentier, Eric; Gros, Françoise; Cauchi, Stéphane; Froguel, Philippe; Copin, Nane; Le Tourneau, Thierry; Probst, Vincent; Le Marec, Hervé; Molinaro, Sabrina; Balkau, Beverley; Redon, Richard; Schott, Jean-Jacques; Blum, Michael Gb; Dina, Christian

2015-06-01

The difficulties arising from association analysis with rare variants underline the importance of suitable reference population cohorts, which integrate detailed spatial information. We analyzed a sample of 1684 individuals from Western France, who were genotyped at genome-wide level, from two cohorts D.E.S.I.R and CavsGen. We found that fine-scale population structure occurs at the scale of Western France, with distinct admixture proportions for individuals originating from the Brittany Region and the Vendée Department. Genetic differentiation increases with distance at a high rate in these two parts of Northwestern France and linkage disequilibrium is higher in Brittany suggesting a lower effective population size. When looking for genomic regions informative about Breton origin, we found two prominent associated regions that include the lactase region and the HLA complex. For both the lactase and the HLA regions, there is a low differentiation between Bretons and Irish, and this is also found at the genome-wide level. At a more refined scale, and within the Pays de la Loire Region, we also found evidence of fine-scale population structure, although principal component analysis showed that individuals from different departments cannot be confidently discriminated. Because of the evidence for fine-scale genetic structure in Western France, we anticipate that rare and geographically localized variants will be identified in future full-sequence analyses.

Co-endemicity of Pulmonary Tuberculosis and Intestinal Helminth Infection in the People’s Republic of China

PubMed Central

Li, Xin-Xu; Ren, Zhou-Peng; Wang, Li-Xia; Zhang, Hui; Jiang, Shi-Wen; Chen, Jia-Xu; Wang, Jin-Feng; Zhou, Xiao-Nong

2016-01-01

Both pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) and intestinal helminth infection (IHI) affect millions of individuals every year in China. However, the national-scale estimation of prevalence predictors and prevalence maps for these diseases, as well as co-endemic relative risk (RR) maps of both diseases’ prevalence are not well developed. There are co-endemic, high prevalence areas of both diseases, whose delimitation is essential for devising effective control strategies. Bayesian geostatistical logistic regression models including socio-economic, climatic, geographical and environmental predictors were fitted separately for active PTB and IHI based on data from the national surveys for PTB and major human parasitic diseases that were completed in 2010 and 2004, respectively. Prevalence maps and co-endemic RR maps were constructed for both diseases by means of Bayesian Kriging model and Bayesian shared component model capable of appraising the fraction of variance of spatial RRs shared by both diseases, and those specific for each one, under an assumption that there are unobserved covariates common to both diseases. Our results indicate that gross domestic product (GDP) per capita had a negative association, while rural regions, the arid and polar zones and elevation had positive association with active PTB prevalence; for the IHI prevalence, GDP per capita and distance to water bodies had a negative association, the equatorial and warm zones and the normalized difference vegetation index had a positive association. Moderate to high prevalence of active PTB and low prevalence of IHI were predicted in western regions, low to moderate prevalence of active PTB and low prevalence of IHI were predicted in north-central regions and the southeast coastal regions, and moderate to high prevalence of active PTB and high prevalence of IHI were predicted in the south-western regions. Thus, co-endemic areas of active PTB and IHI were located in the south-western regions of China, which might be determined by socio-economic factors, such as GDP per capita. PMID:27088504

Regional reduction in paleogroundwater discharge and rainfall in the Late Holocene Yucatan Peninsula reconstructed from trace metals in benthic foraminifera

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Broach, K. H.; Chapman, B. L.; Paytan, A.; Street, J.

2017-12-01

As climate change progresses, droughts are predicted to become more common in regions dominated by seasonal precipitation, a problem compounded where precipitation provides significant freshwater resources. The Yucatan Peninsula relies on rain-recharged groundwater for potable water, and regional development due to tourism will further strain supply. Historical and geochemical evidence suggest extensive droughts harmed Mayan Civilization and may again impact the Yucatan in the near future, but proxies around the Yucatan and Caribbean region are complicated by variability and even opposing interpretations. An integrated rainfall signal is needed to smooth variability and separate local aberrations from long-term regional trends that can be used for risk assessment. Here we present a 5,000 year record of rainfall sourced from a broad swath of the peninsula and recorded as trace metal ratios in the foram Ammonia parkinsoniana. Rainwater percolation across the western peninsula forms a groundwater lens that discharges as brackish springs in our field site Celestun Lagoon resulting in trace metal gradients (Li, B, Sr, Ba, Nd) along the lagoon that oscillate with discharge. Sr/Ca and Ba/Ca ratios in the forams suggest a long-term decrease in spring water discharge for the western Yucatan during the last 2,500 years with notable drops coinciding with known droughts (e.g. 800-950 CE) and more variability on a regional scale to 5,000 years. B/Ca ratios appear to depend on proximity to springs and may respond to low-pH discharge water while Nd/Ca ratios suggest sporadic incursions of seawater into the lagoon, possibly related to severely reduced spring water discharge or large hurricane events. We interpret these results to mean that periods of decreased rainfall broadly affect the western peninsula which may pose problems for large population centers like Merida. Future work will focus on periodicity of such rainfall changes and impact on the ecological environment of Celestun Lagoon.

Predictability of the atmospheric conditions leading to extreme weather events in the Western Mediterranean Region in comparison with the seasonal mean conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khodayar, Samiro; Kalthoff, Norbert

2013-04-01

Among all severe convective weather situations, fall season heavy rainfall represents the most threatening phenomenon in the western Mediterranean region. Devastating flash floods occur every year somewhere in eastern Spain, southern France, Italy, or North Africa, being responsible for a great proportion of the fatalities, property losses, and destruction of infrastructure caused by natural hazards. Investigations in the area have shown that most of the heavy rainfall events in this region can be attributed to mesoscale convective systems. The main goal of this investigation is to understand and identify the atmospheric conditions that favor the initiation and development of such systems. Insight of the involved processes and conditions will improve their predictability and help preventing some of the fatal consequences related with the occurrence of these weather phenomena. The HyMeX (Hydrological cycle in the Mediterranean eXperiment) provides a unique framework to investigate this issue. Making use of high-resolution seasonal simulations with the COSMO-CLM model the mean atmospheric conditions of the fall season, September, October and November, are investigated in different western Mediterranean regions such as eastern Spain, Southern France, northern Africa and Italy. The precipitation distribution, its daily cycle, and probability distribution function are evaluated to ascertain the similarities and differences between the regions of interest, as well as the spatial distribution of extreme events. Additionally, the regional differences of the boundary layer and mid-tropospheric conditions, atmospheric stability and inhibition, and low-level triggering are presented. Selected high impact weather HyMeX episodes' are analyzed with special focus on the atmospheric pre-conditions leading to the extreme weather situations. These pre-conditions are then compared to the mean seasonal conditions to identify and point out possible anomalies in the atmospheric conditions which could favor the initiation and intensification of extreme precipitation weather events.

Regional Crustal Structures and Their Relationship to the Distribution of Ore Deposits in the Western United States, Based on Magnetic and Gravity Data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hildenbrand, T.G.; Berger, B.; Jachens, R.C.; Ludington, S.

2000-01-01

Upgraded gravity and magnetic databases and associated filtered-anomaly maps of western United States define regional crustal fractures or faults that may have guided the emplacement of plutonic rocks and large metallic ore deposits. Fractures, igneous intrusions, and hydrothermal circulation tend to be localized along boundaries of crustal blocks, with geophysical expressions that are enhanced here by wavelength filtering. In particular, we explore the utility of regional gravity and magnetic data to aid in understanding the distribution of large Mesozoic and Cenozoic ore deposits, primarily epithermal and porphyry precious and base metal deposits and sediment-hosted gold deposits in the western United States cordillera. On the broadest scale, most ore deposits lie within areas characterized by low magnetic properties. The Mesozoic Mother Lodge gold belt displays characteristic geophysical signatures (regional gravity high, regional low-to-moderate background magnetic field anomaly, and long curvilinear magnetic highs) that might serve as an exploration guide. Geophysical lineaments characterize the Idaho-Montana porphyry belt and the La Caridad-Mineral Park belt (from northern Mexico to western Arizona) and thus indicate a deep-seated control for these mineral belts. Large metal accumulations represented by the giant Bingham porphyry copper and the Butte polymetallic vein and porphyry copper systems lie at intersections of several geophysical lineaments. At a more local scale, geophysical data define deep-rooted faults and magmatic zones that correspond to patterns of epithermal precious metal deposits in western and northern Nevada. Of particular interest is an interpreted dense crustal block with a shape that resembles the elliptical deposit pattern partly formed by the Carlin trend and the Battle Mountain-Eureka mineral belt. We support previous studies, which on a local scale, conclude that structural elements work together to localize mineral deposits within regional zones or belts. This study of mineral deposits of the western United States demonstrates the ability of magnetic and gravity data to elucidate the regional geologic framework or structural setting and to contribute in locating favorable environments for hydrothermal mineralization.

Direct and indirect ENSO modulation of winter temperature over the Asian–Pacific–American region

PubMed Central

Leung, Marco Y. T.; Zhou, Wen

2016-01-01

In this study, the direct and indirect atmospheric responses over the Asian–Pacific–American region to the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) are documented. Since ENSO is likely to induce the northward displacement of the East Asian trough (NDEAT), some of the influence of ENSO on the Asian–Pacific–American region is possibly indirect and acts by inducing NDEAT. To separate corresponding influences of ENSO and NDEAT, partial regression is utilized. It is noted that temperature variations in the East Asian–Western Pacific region are controlled mainly by NDEAT. In contrast, ENSO demonstrates a weak direct relation to the temperature variation over the East Asian–Western Pacific region. This suggests that the influence of ENSO on this region is indirect, through modulation of NDEAT. On the other hand, temperature variation over the tropical eastern Pacific is dominated by ENSO forcing. Finally, temperature variation over the eastern North American–Western Pacific region is controlled by both ENSO and NDEAT. Nevertheless, their influences on temperature and circulation over this region tend to offset each other. This implies that temperature variation is controlled by their relative strengths. PMID:27821838

System for Conservation of Specially Protected Natural Areas as Sustainable Urban Development Element

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kryakhtunov, A.; Pelymskaya, O.; Chernykh, E.

2017-11-01

The article is devoted to the problem of the conservation of specially protected natural territories. The research topic is especially interesting for urban areas that provide sustainable urban development. The authors consider the main aspects of the sustainable settlement development and substantiate the direct dependence of the evolution of territories in the implementation of urban development activities with the ecological framework of a city. The object of the study is a specially protected natural area located in Western Siberia in the city of Tyumen, the Tyumen region. As a result of the analysis, the main problems of preservation of the nature monument of regional importance were revealed as well as a set of measures and management decisions regarding the conservation of the forest park.

World scientific collaboration in coronary heart disease research.

PubMed

Yu, Qi; Shao, Hongfang; He, Peifeng; Duan, Zhiguang

2013-08-10

Coronary heart disease (CHD) will continue to exert a heavy burden for countries all over the world. Scientific collaboration has become the only choice for progress in biomedicine. Unfortunately, there is a scarcity of scientific publications about scientific collaboration in CHD research. This study examines collaboration behaviors across multiple collaboration types in the CHD research. 294,756 records about CHD were retrieved from Web of Science. Methods such as co-authorship, social network analysis, connected component, cliques, and betweenness centrality were used in this study. Collaborations have increased at the author, institution and country/region levels in CHD research over the past three decades. 3000 most collaborative authors, 572 most collaborative institutions and 52 countries/regions are extracted from their corresponding collaboration network. 766 cliques are found in the most collaborative authors. 308 cliques are found in the most collaborative institutions. Western countries/regions represent the core of the world's collaboration. The United States ranks first in terms of number of multi-national publications, while Hungary leads in the ranking measured by their proportion of collaborative output. The rate of economic development in the countries/regions also affects the multi-national collaboration behavior. Collaborations among countries/regions need to be encouraged in the CHD research. The visualization of overlapping cliques in the most collaborative authors and institutions are considered "skeleton" of the collaboration network. Eastern countries/regions should strengthen cooperation with western countries/regions in the CHD research. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

A meteorological potential forecast model for acid rain in Fujian Province, China.

PubMed

Cai, Yi Yong; Lin, Chang Cheng; Liu, Jing Xiong; Wu, De Hui; Lian, Dong Ying; Chen, Bin Bin

2010-05-01

Based on the acid rain and concurrent meteorological observational data during the past 10 years in Fujian Province, China, the dependence of distribution characteristics of acid rain on season, rain rate, weather pattern and dominant airflow in four regions of Fujian Province is analyzed. On the annual average, the acid rain frequency is the highest (above 40%) in the southern and mid-eastern regions, and the lowest (16.2%) in the western region. The acid rain occurs most frequently in spring and winter, and least frequent in summer. The acid rain frequency in general increases with the increase of precipitation. It also depend on the direction of dominant airflows at 850 hPa. In the mid-eastern region, more than 40% acid rains appear when the dominant wind directions are NW, W, SW, S and SE. In the southern region, high acid rain occurrence happens when the dominant wind directions are NW, W, SW and S. In the northern region, 41.8% acid rains occur when the southwesterly is pronounced. In the western region, the southwesterly is associated with a 17% acid rain rate. The examination of meteorological sounding conditions over Fuzhou, Xiamen and Shaowu cities shows that the acid rain frequency increases with increased inversion thickness. Based on the results above, a meteorological potential forecast model for acid rain is established and tested in 2007. The result is encouraging. The model provides an objective basis for the development of acid rain forecasting operation in the province.

2000-2002 Sultandağı-Afyon Earthquake Activity in Western Anatolia, Turkey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kalafat, D.

2016-12-01

Western Anatolia is one of the seismically active region in Turkey. The high seismic activity is a result of the complex tectonic deformation of the Anatolian plate which has been dominated by the N-S extensional tectonic regime in the western edge. This extensional tectonic regime is partially maintained by a relative movement of the African-Arabian plates to north, average 2.5 cm per year. In western Turkey, relatively 3 major earthquakes (Mw≥6.0) were identified on the Sultandağı Fault zone (Afyon-Akşehir Graben) between years of 2000-2002. First event occurred at the year of 2000 (Eber-Sultandagi Earthquake, Mw=6.0) , and both events were occurred at February 3, 2002 Sultandağı (Mw=6.5) and Cay-Sultandagi (Mw=6.0). In this study, mentioned local earthquake activity, have been investigated to understand their nature and relation of the regional seismic activity and tectonic deformation on the Sultandağı Fault Zone (Afyon-Akşehir Graben) in western Anatolia. At first, we analyzed the distribution of mainshock and aftershocks of the two earthquakes which occurred in February 3, 2002 in the region. Fault mechanism solutions of the selected earthquakes and detailed stress regime analyses performed for the mainshock and aftershock sequences of two earthquakes. In regard with mentioned earthquakes, the identified surface ruptures have been investigated by detailed geological field study in the region. Also source mechanism solutions of the selected 17 regional earthquakes between years of 2000 and 2009 years in the region provided to understand the relation of the Sultandagi earthquakes sequences and regional seismic activity. Regional and local seismic investigations shows that, consecutive seismic activity is a result of the disturbance of stress balance in the region which has been triggered by sequentially occuring of earthquakes and triggering in short interval in years of 2000-2002. Also all seismic source studies approved that extensional deformation and normal faulting is dominant in the region. This study was supported by the Department of Science Fellowship and Grant programs (2014-2219) of TUBITAK (The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey) and by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) The Earth Resources Laboratory (ERL).

Extent of the low-velocity region in the lowermost mantle beneath the western Pacific detected by the Vietnamese Broadband Seismograph Array

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Takeuchi, N.; Morita, Y.; Xuyen, N. D.; Zung, N. Q.

2008-03-01

We present evidence showing the extent of the low-velocity region in the lowermost mantle beneath the western Pacific. We analyzed S, sS, ScS-S, and sScS-sS travel times observed by the Vietnamese broadband seismograph array deployed as part of the Ocean Hemisphere Project. The abrupt changes in ScS-S and sScS-sS travel times suggest that the western geographical boundary of the low-velocity region is located around 140°E and is sharp (more than 4% velocity contrast within 200 km). The dependency of S and sS travel time anomalies of epicentral distances suggests that the strong low-velocity region is confined to within 400 km from the CMB (core-mantle boundary). The existence of lateral heterogeneities with a 100 km scale inside the low-velocity region is also suggested by the abrupt changes in S and ScS waveforms.

Detrital zircon geochronology support for Baja-BC hypothesis or Why zircons in the Nanaimo Basin, British Columbia are not from the Rocky Mountains.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guest, B.; Matthews, W.; Hubbard, S. M.; Coutts, D. S.; Bain, H.

2016-12-01

The development of Cordilleran orogen of western North American is disputed despite a century of study. Paleomagnetic observations require large-scale dextral displacement of crustal fragments along the western margin of North America, from low latitudes to moderate latitudes during the Cretaceous-Paleogene. A lack of corroborating geological evidence for large-scale displacements has prevented the widespread integration of paleomagnetic data into contemporary tectonic models for the margin. Here we investigate the Cretaceous paleogeographic position of the Baja-BC block, a crustal fragment consisting of the Alexander and Wrangel terranes, using detrital zircons from the Nanaimo Basin of Vancouver Island, British Columbia. We compare 4310 detrital zircon U/Pb analyses from 16 samples to potential source areas in western North America to test hypothesized northern and southern paleogeographic positions. Our detrital zircon data suggest that sediment in the Nanaimo Basin derives from the Mojave-Sonoran Region of southwestern North America, supporting a southerly late Cretaceous paleogeographic position. We present a speculative Cretaceous to Paleogene paleogeographic reconstruction for the southwestern United States and northern Mexico that accommodates the presence, and northward transport, of the Baja-BC block. We propose that the Western Coast Mountains Batholith and the Nanaimo Basin represent the missing segment of the Mesozoic magmatic arc and associated forearc regions, between the Sierra Nevada and Peninsular Ranges Batholiths. This segment was translated northward following capture by the Kula plate. As such, we reconcile the paleomagnetic data for the Baja-BC block with the geology of the southwestern United States. Our model, albeit speculative, is compatible with the large-scale tectonic and magmatic processes that affected western North America in the Late Cretaceous and Paleogene.

75 FR 56507 - Western Pacific Fishery Management Council; Public Meetings

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-09-16

... Pacific Fishery Management Council; Public Meetings AGENCY: National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS... hearings. SUMMARY: The Western Pacific Fishery Management Council (Council) will hold its 105th Scientific... fishery management issues in the Western Pacific Region. DATES: The 105th SSC Meeting will be held on...

77 FR 47065 - Central Arizona Project-Rate Order No. WAPA-158

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-08-07

... to (602) 605-2490, attention: Jack Murray. Western will post official comments received via letter... period to ensure they are considered in Western's decision process. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Mr. Jack Murray, Rates Manager, Desert Southwest Customer Service Regional Office, Western Area Power...

Earth Science Studies in Support of Public Policy Development and Land Stewardship - Headwaters Province, Idaho and Montana

USGS Publications Warehouse

U.S. Geological Survey Headwaters Province Project Team Edited by Lund, Karen

2007-01-01

The USGS Headwaters Province project in western Montana and northern and central Idaho was designed to provide geoscience data and interpretations to Federal Land Management Agencies and to respond to specific concerns of USDA Forest Service Regions 1 and 4. The project has emphasized development of digital geoscience data, GIS analyses, topical studies, and new geologic interpretations. Studies were designed to more completely map lithologic units and determine controls of deformation, magmatism, and mineralizing processes. Topical studies of geologic basement control on these processes include study of regional metallogenic patterns and their relation to the composition and architecture of underlying, unexposed basement; timing of igneous and hydrothermal systems, to identify regionally important metallogenic magmatism; and the geologic setting of Proterozoic strata, to better understand how their sedimentary basins developed and to define the origin of sediment-hosted mineral deposits. Interrelated products of the project are at complementary scales.

RTG resource book for western states and provinces: Final proceedings

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

NONE

The Western Interstate Energy Board held a workshop and liaison activities among western states, provinces, and utilities on the formation of Regional Transmission Groups (RTGs). Purpose of the activities was to examine the policy implications for western states and provinces in the formation of RTGs in the West, the implications for western ratepayers and utilities of the RTG formation and potential impacts of RTGs on the western electricity system. The workshop contributed to fulfilling the transmission access and competition objectives of Title VII of the Energy Policy Act of 1992.

Predicting East African spring droughts using Pacific and Indian Ocean sea surface temperature indices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Funk, C.; Hoell, A.; Shukla, S.; Bladé, I.; Liebmann, B.; Roberts, J. B.; Robertson, F. R.; Husak, G.

2014-12-01

In eastern East Africa (the southern Ethiopia, eastern Kenya and southern Somalia region), poor boreal spring (long wet season) rains in 1999, 2000, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2011 contributed to severe food insecurity and high levels of malnutrition. Predicting rainfall deficits in this region on seasonal and decadal time frames can help decision makers implement disaster risk reduction measures while guiding climate-smart adaptation and agricultural development. Building on recent research that links more frequent East African droughts to a stronger Walker circulation, resulting from warming in the Indo-Pacific warm pool and an increased east-to-west sea surface temperature (SST) gradient in the western Pacific, we show that the two dominant modes of East African boreal spring rainfall variability are tied to SST fluctuations in the western central Pacific and central Indian Ocean, respectively. Variations in these two rainfall modes can thus be predicted using two SST indices - the western Pacific gradient (WPG) and central Indian Ocean index (CIO), with our statistical forecasts exhibiting reasonable cross-validated skill (rcv ≈ 0.6). In contrast, the current generation of coupled forecast models show no skill during the long rains. Our SST indices also appear to capture most of the major recent drought events such as 2000, 2009 and 2011. Predictions based on these simple indices can be used to support regional forecasting efforts and land surface data assimilations to help inform early warning and guide climate outlooks.

The Exploration of Mars and the Improvement of Living Conditions in Western Asian Countries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Morais Mendonca Teles, Antonio

2016-07-01

Space is the new frontier. The exploration of a new world, Mars, has been giving people on Earth valuable comparative information about climatic and geological processes occurring here on our home planet. With the Viking 1 and 2, Mars Global Surveyor, Mars Odyssey, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, Sojourner, Spirit, Opportunity, Curiosity, etc., spacecrafts, which explored the Red Planet we obtained a great deal information about the extremely arid soil and dry air of Mars in the present, and its watery condition in the distant past. Now there is a decade-long, program of robotic exploration of the martian atmosphere and soil - the 'Mars Surveyor Program', which is a series of small, cheap and fast spacecrafts, carrying very few scientific instruments, to be launched about every two years. Here in this paper, under the principles in the United Nations' Agenda 21, we comment on this new phase of Mars exploration under development, which began in 1996, and its benefits to living conditions in developing countries with desert regions. A peaceful regular research of the arid Mars, will help us to understand much better the dynamics of formation of dry regions here on Earth. We suggest that, if the developing countries participate in that program, they will achieve the scientific understanding to create a practical technology, with which they will acquire ways to future transform their arid areas into a more humid places, and to slow the process of desertification of other regions. This, using their own natural resources and own scientific personnel. That would strongly benefit the living conditions in Western Asian countries, which have many desert regions.

Effect of anthropogenic sulphate aerosol in China on the drought in the western-to-central US

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yeh, Sang-Wook; Park, Rokjin J.; Kim, Minjoong J.; Jeong, Jaein I.; Song, Chang-Keun

2015-09-01

In recent decades, droughts have occurred in the western-to-central United States (US), significantly affecting food production, water supplies, ecosystem health, and the propagation of vector-borne diseases. Previous studies have suggested natural sea surface temperature (SST) forcing in the Pacific as the main driver of precipitation deficits in the US. Here, we show that the aerosol forcing in China, which has been known to alter the regional hydrological cycle in East Asia, may also contribute to reducing the precipitation in the western-to-central US through atmospheric teleconnections across the Pacific. Our model experiments show some indications that both the SST forcing and the increase in regional sulphate forcing in China play a similar role in modulating the western-to-central US precipitation, especially its long-term variation. This result indicates that regional air quality regulations in China have important implications for hydrological cycles in East Asia, as well as in the US.

Dietary transition and obesity in selected Arabicspeaking countries: a review of the current evidence.

PubMed

Aboul-Enein, B H; Bernstein, J; Neary, A C

2017-01-23

Escalating obesity rates have become a significant public health problem in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region and have been associated with shifts towards a westernized diet. This integrative review aimed to examine the current dietary trends and transitions and their association with obesity in Arabic-speaking countries of the MENA region. Relevant databases were searched for studies in MENA countries between 1998 and 2014 that investigated obesity trends and changes in dietary patterns at the regional level in all age groups. A total of 39 articles fulfilled the inclusion criteria. All the articles noted that obesity was increasingly prevalent and that there was a significant dietary shift away from traditional dietary patterns; 51% reported a shift towards a westernized diet and half found that the western diet was correlated with increased obesity. Culturally relevant dietary health education and health promotion strategies are warranted to address both the dietary shifts towards the westernized diet and the increasing obesity.

Review of metamorphic and kinematic data from Internal Crystalline Massifs (Western Alps): PTt paths and exhumation history

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gasco, Ivano; Gattiglio, Marco; Borghi, Alessandro

2013-01-01

Detailed geological mapping combined with micro-structural and petrological investigation allowed to clarify the tectono-metamorphic relationships between continental and oceanic units transition in the Penninic domain of the Western Alps. The three study areas (Gressoney, Orco and Susa sections) take into consideration the same structural level across the axial metamorphic belt of the Western Italian Alps, i.e., a geological section across the Internal Crystalline Massifs vs Piedmont Zone boundary. The units outcropping in these areas can be grouped into two Tectonic Elements according to their tectono-metamorphic evolution. The Lower Tectonic Element (LTE) consists of the Internal Crystalline Massifs and the Lower Piedmont Zone (Zermatt-Saas like units), both showing well preserved eclogite facies relics. Instead, the Upper Tectonic Element (UTE) consists of the Upper Piedmont Zone (Combin like units) lacking evidence of eclogite facies relics. In the Lower Tectonic Element two main Alpine tectono-metamorphic stages were identified: M1/D1 developed under eclogite facies conditions and M2/D2 is related to the development of the regional foliation under greenschist to epidote-albite amphibolite facies conditions. In the Upper Tectonic Element the metamorphic stage M1/D1 developed under bluschist to greenschist facies conditions and M2/D2 stage under greenschist facies conditions. These two Tectonic Elements are separated by a tectonic contact of regional importance generally developed along the boundary between the Lower and the Upper Piedmont zone under greenschist facies conditions. PT data compared to geochronology indicate that the first exhumation of ICM can be explained by buoyancy forces acting along the subduction channel that occurred during the tectonic coupling between the continental and oceanic eclogite units. These buoyancy forces vanished at the base of the crust where the density difference between the subducted crustal units and the surroundings rocks is too low. A stage where compression prevails on the previous exhumation followed, which leads to the development of the regional foliation under greenschist to amphibolite facies metamorphic conditions. Further exhumation occurred after the M2/D2 stage at shallower crustal levels along conjugated shear zones leading to the development of a composite axial dome consisting of eclogite-bearing continental-oceanic units (ICM and Zermatt-Saas Zones) beneath greenschist ones (Combin Zone).

Drought-triggered western spruce budworm outbreaks in the Interior Pacific Northwest: A multi-century dendrochronological record

Treesearch

A. Flower; D. G. Gavin; E. K. Heyerdahl; R. A. Parsons; G. M. Cohn

2014-01-01

Douglas-fir forests in the interior Pacific Northwest are subject to sporadic outbreaks of the western spruce budworm, a species widely recognized as the most destructive defoliator in western North America. Outbreaks of the western spruce budworm often occur synchronously over broad regions and lead to widespread loss of leaf area and decrease in growth rates in...

The global childhood obesity epidemic and the association between socio-economic status and childhood obesity

PubMed Central

Wang, Youfa; Lim, Hyunjung

2015-01-01

This paper describes the current prevalence and time trends of childhood obesity worldwide, and the association between childhood obesity and socio-economic status (SES). Childhood obesity has become a global public health crisis. The prevalence is highest in western and industrialized countries, but still low in some developing countries. The prevalence also varies by age and gender. The WHO Americas and eastern Mediterranean regions had higher prevalence of overweight and obesity (30–40%) than the European (20–30%), south-east Asian, western Pacific, and African regions (10–20% in the latter three). A total of 43 million children (35 million in developing countries) were estimated to be overweight or obese; 92 million were at risk of overweight in 2010. The global overweight and obesity prevalence has increased dramatically since 1990, for example in preschool-age children, from approximately 4% in 1990 to 7% in 2010. If this trend continues, the prevalence may reach 9% or 60 million people in 2020. The obesity–SES association varies by gender, age, and country. In general, SES groups with greater access to energy-dense diets (low-SES in industrialized countries and high-SES in developing countries) are at increased risk of being obese than their counterparts. PMID:22724639

The global childhood obesity epidemic and the association between socio-economic status and childhood obesity.

PubMed

Wang, Youfa; Lim, Hyunjung

2012-06-01

Abstract This paper describes the current prevalence and time trends of childhood obesity worldwide, and the association between childhood obesity and socio-economic status (SES). Childhood obesity has become a global public health crisis. The prevalence is highest in western and industrialized countries, but still low in some developing countries. The prevalence also varies by age and gender. The WHO Americas and eastern Mediterranean regions had higher prevalence of overweight and obesity (30-40%) than the European (20-30%), south-east Asian, western Pacific, and African regions (10-20% in the latter three). A total of 43 million children (35 million in developing countries) were estimated to be overweight or obese; 92 million were at risk of overweight in 2010. The global overweight and obesity prevalence has increased dramatically since 1990, for example in preschool-age children, from approximately 4% in 1990 to 7% in 2010. If this trend continues, the prevalence may reach 9% or 60 million people in 2020. The obesity-SES association varies by gender, age, and country. In general, SES groups with greater access to energy-dense diets (low-SES in industrialized countries and high-SES in developing countries) are at increased risk of being obese than their counterparts.

Assessment of flooding impacts in terms of sustainability in Mainland China.

PubMed

Ni, Jinren; Sun, Liying; Li, Tianhong; Huang, Zheng; Borthwick, Alistair G L

2010-10-01

An understanding of flood impact in terms of sustainability is vital for long-term disaster risk reduction. This paper utilizes two important concepts: conventional insurance related flood risk for short-term damage by specific flood events, and long-term flood impact on sustainability. The Insurance Related Flood Risk index, IRFR, is defined as the product of the Flood Hazard Index (FHI) and Vulnerability. The Long-term Flood Impact on Sustainability index, LFIS, is the ratio of the flood hazard index to the Sustainable Development Index (SDI). Using a rapid assessment approach, quantitative assessments of IRFR and LFIS are carried out for 2339 counties and cities in mainland China. Each index is graded from 'very low' to 'very high' according to the eigenvalue magnitude of cluster centroids. By combining grades of FHI and SDI, mainland China is then classified into four zones in order to identify regional variations in the potential linkage between flood hazard and sustainability. Zone I regions, where FHI is graded 'very low' or 'low' and SDI is 'medium' to 'very high', are mainly located in western China. Zone II regions, where FHI and SDI are 'medium' or 'high', occur in the rapidly developing areas of central and eastern China. Zone III regions, where FHI and SDI are 'very low' or 'low', correspond to the resource-based areas of western and north-central China. Zone IV regions, where FHI is 'medium' to 'very high' and SDI is 'very low' to 'low', occur in ecologically fragile areas of south-western China. The paper also examines the distributions of IRFR and LFIS throughout mainland China. Although 57% of the counties and cities have low IRFR values, 64% have high LFIS values. The modal values of LFIS are ordered as Zone I

The origin and development of plains-type folds during the cretaceous in Central and western Kansas

USGS Publications Warehouse

Merriam, D.F.; Forster, A.

2000-01-01

Kansas is part of the Central Stable Region of North America. Structural movement on this part of the craton has been mainly the result of tectonism in nearby areas. Response to the outside tectonic forces, transmitted through the rigid Precambrian basement, has been vertical adjustment. Differential movement along an indigenous fault/fracture pattern in the basement created displaced blocks over which the later sediments were draped by differential compaction. After initial formation of this structural regimen in late Mississippian-early Pennsylvanian time, continued movement of the basement blocks gave rise to the plains-type folds so prevalent in the U.S. Midcontinent. The incremental movement continues through the late Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Tertiary until today. This paper demonstrates the Cretaceous development of some of these structures in central and western Kansas.

[AIDS, developing countries and ethnopsychiatry].

PubMed

Ehrhardt, N; Defourny, J; Bertrand, J

1995-04-01

This work briefly assesses the history of the AIDS epidemic in different geographic regions and examines factors that render developing countries particularly vulnerable. It reviews the three main techniques of traditional therapeutic systems and examines their implications for psychiatric treatment of AIDS patients from developing countries. Young age structures, low rates of condom usage, women's lack of education and of sexual bargaining power, and the deficiencies of health and educational facilities are among factors that increase risks of HIV in developing countries. Health education geared to specific audiences should encourage condom use and other preventive measures. Among factors to encourage condom use, group decision making appears to be of greatest potential influence on behavior in sub-Saharan Africa and among African immigrants to Europe. To encourage preventive measures and to understand reactions of non-Western populations to HIV, it is desirable to understand the deeper meanings of their cultures and of traditional therapies. It is difficult and misguided to pose a diagnosis according to the criteria of Western psychiatry. Western psychiatry has been proven incompetent in its attempts to treat members of traditional societies, whether immigrants or in their countries of origin. And attempts to integrate traditional healing into a western medical system have not been successful. Traditional systems accomplish therapeutic goals by three major techniques, possession, shamanism, and clairvoyance, or their numerous variants. It is recommended that group sessions be held with immigrants requiring treatment, in which the principal therapist is assisted by translators, who help create a space for the patient intermediate between the two cultures, where the therapies can coexist without conflict.

Western Undergraduate Exchange: Enrollment Report, Fall 2009

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, 2009

2009-01-01

The Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) is a regional tuition-reciprocity agreement that enables students from WICHE (Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education) states to enroll in participating two- and four-year public institutions at 150 percent of the enrolling institution's resident tuition. WUE has been operating for more than 20…

Basic Western Lviv Region Conversational Ukrainian

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Petryshyn, Ivan

2015-01-01

Purpose: To present the first complete Guide for studying the Western-Ukrainian Dialect and its scientific description of Phonology. Methodology: descriptive, contrastive and analytical methods of defining the peculiarities of the Dialect. Results: the regularities and the laws have been defined as to the specifics of the Western-Ukrainian Dialect…

New Approach to Road Construction in Oil-Producing Regions of Western Siberia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Piirainen, V. Y.; Estrin, Y.

2017-10-01

This article presents, as a polemic exercise, a new approach to road construction in marshland areas of oil and gas producing regions of Western Siberia. The approach is based on the use of novel modular elements that can be assembled into an integral structure by means of topological interlocking. The use of modern superlight concrete in conjunction with the new design systems based on the modular principle opens up new avenues to solving problems of road construction in regions with unstable, boggy soils.

[Analysis for the breast cancer screening among urban populations in China, 2012-2013].

PubMed

Mi, Z H; Ren, J S; Zhang, H Z; Li, J; Wang, Y; Fang, Y; Shi, J F; Zhang, K; Zhao, J B; Dai, M

2016-10-06

Objective: To analyze results of breast cancer screenings in the Cancer Screening Program in Urban China(CanSPUC)during 2012-2013. Methods: In 14 cities of 9 provinces(Eastern Region: Beijing, Hebei, Liaoning, Shandong and Guangdong; Central Region: Heilongjiang and Hunan; Western Region: Chongqing and Gansu), 198 097 women aged 40-69 years who had lived in their cities for ≥3 years were surveyed through a cancer risk assessment questionnaire during 2012-2013. The questionnaires identified women considered to be at high risk for breast cancer, of whom 17 104 received screening examinations, for whom complete records of breast cancer screening and other data were available for 12 440 subjects altogether, including breast ultrasound exams for subjects 40-44 years old. Subjects older than 45 years or in whom breast imaging reporting and data system(BI-RADS)ultrasound had found ≥ 3 lesions also underwent mammography. In this cohort, BI-RADS 3 class was defined as suspicious and BI-RADS ≥4 class as positive. Chi-square tests were used to compare breast cancer screening results by groups. Results: As of October 2013, breast cancer screening percentages for the 12 440 subjects for whom full data were available were, by region, Eastern: 55.43%(6 895); Central: 21.45%(2 669); and Western: 23.12%(2 876); by age, 40-44 years: 5.50%(684); ≥45 years: 94.50%(11 756). Using BI-RADS, 2018 subjects were found to have 3 lesions(detection rate: 16.22%), which were distributed regionally as Eastern: 19.00%(1 310 women), Central: 13.75%(367)and Western; 11.86%(341); χ 2 =91.45, P< 0.001; and 289 were found to have ≥4 lesions(detection rate: 2.32%), which were distributed regionally as Eastern: 2.41%(166), Central: 1.54%(41)and Western; 2.85%(82); χ 2 =11.04, P= 0.004. Women aged 50-54 years had the highest detection rate of BI-RADS 3 lesions at 18.74%(561/2 994), and those aged 40-44 years had the highest detection rate of BI-RADS ≥4 at 2.92%(20/684). Conclusion: Detection rates of BI-RADS ≥4 lesions were highest in the Western region and in women aged 40-44 years, and lowest in the Central region and in women aged 60-64 years. Detection rates of BI-RADS 3 lesions were highest in the Eastern region and in women aged 50-54 years and the lowest in the Western region and in women aged 60-64 years.

Regional assessment of sediment contamination from marshes to the continental shelf: Results of the western component of the US EPA National Coastal Assessment

EPA Science Inventory

The US EPA National Coastal Assessment (NCA) program on the U.S. West Coast was designed as a pilot project to explore assessment of new components of coastal resources not previously incorporated in the NCA. The Western Regional component of the NCA program began with a two yea...

Inventory and value of old-growth in the Douglas-fir region.

Treesearch

Richard W. Haynes

1986-01-01

Timber inventory data for all owners in western Washington and western Oregon were summarized by age classes to provide an estimate of the remaining amount of old growth timber. The data suggest that roughly 30 percent of the timberlands in the Douglas-fir region contain essentially mature timber (stands whose age is in excess of culmination of mean annual increment)....

Forest growth in the Douglas fir region.

Treesearch

W.H. Meyer; P.A. Briegleb

1936-01-01

A study of forest growth in western Oregon and western Washington, the so-called Douglas fir region, was made in 1934-35 by the Pacific Northwest Forest Experiment Station. This is one phase of the Nation-wide forest survey undertaken by the Department of Agriculture under authority of the McSweeney-McNary Forest Research Act. Other phases of the survey are an...

Factors Associated with the Utilization and Quality of Prenatal Care in Western Rural Regions of China

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dongxu, Wang; Yuhui, Shi; Stewart, Donald; Chun, Chang; Chaoyang, Li

2012-01-01

Purpose: The paper seeks to identify key features of prenatal care utilization and quality in western regions of China and to determine the factors affecting the quality of prenatal care. Design/methodology/approach: A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted. The instrument for the study was a 10-stem respondent-administered, structured…

Economic availability of logging residue in the Douglas-fir region.

Treesearch

Thomas C. Adams

1976-01-01

Large amounts of logging residue are generated each year in timber harvest operations in old-growth forests in the Douglas-fir region of western Washington and western Oregon. Economic availability of each piece, however, depends on its size, condition, location, and on the existence of markets, with an adequate price to cover costs. An estimated 185.8 million cubic...

A strategic assessment of forest biomass and fuel reduction treatments in Western States

Treesearch

USDA Forest Service; Bob Rummer; Jeff Prestemon; Dennis May; Pat Miles; John Vissage; Ron McRoberts; Greg Liknes; Wayne D. Shepperd; Dennis Ferguson; William Elliot; Sue Miller; Steve Reutebuch; Jamie Barbour; Jeremy Fried; Bryce Stokes; Edward Bilek; Ken Skog

2005-01-01

This assessment characterizes, at a regional scale, forest biomass that can potentially be removed to implement the fuel reduction and ecosystem restoration objectives of the National Fire Plan for the Western United States. The assessment area covers forests on both public and private ownerships in the region and describes all standing tree volume including stems,...

Complex basin evolution in the Gökova Gulf region: implications on the Late Cenozoic tectonics of southwest Turkey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gürer, Ömer Feyzi; Sanğu, Ercan; Özburan, Muzaffer; Gürbüz, Alper; Sarica-Filoreau, Nuran

2013-11-01

Southwestern Turkey experienced a transition from crustal shortening to extension during Late Cenozoic, and evidence of this was recorded in four distinct basin types in the Muğla-Gökova Gulf region. During the Oligocene-Early Miocene, the upper slices of the southerly moving Lycian Nappes turned into north-dipping normal faults due to the acceleration of gravity. The Kale-Tavas Basin developed as a piggyback basin along the fault plane on hanging wall blocks of these normal faults. During Middle Miocene, a shift had occurred from local extension to N-S compression/transpression, during which sediments in the Eskihisar-Tınaz Basins were deposited in pull-apart regions of the Menderes Massif cover units, where nappe slices were already eroded. During the Late Miocene-Pliocene, a hiatus occurred from previous compressional/transpressional tectonism along intermountain basins and Yatağan Basin fills were deposited on Menderes Massif, Lycian Nappes, and on top of Oligo-Miocene sediments. Plio-Quaternary marked the activation of N-S extension and the development of the E-W-trending Muğla-Gökova Grabens, co-genetic equivalents of which are common throughout western Anatolia. Thus, the tectonic evolution of the western Anotolia during late Cenozoic was shifting from compressional to extensional with a relaxation period, suggesting a non-uniform evolution.

Impact of mining and forest regeneration on small mammal biodiversity in the Western Region of Ghana.

PubMed

Attuquayefio, Daniel K; Owusu, Erasmus H; Ofori, Benjamin Y

2017-05-01

Much of the terrestrial biodiversity in sub-Saharan Africa is supported by tropical rainforest. Natural resource development, particularly surface mining in the rainforest, poses great risks to the region's rich and endemic biodiversity. Here, we assessed the impact of surface mining and the success of forest rehabilitation on small mammal diversity in the Western Region of Ghana. We surveyed small mammals in the project area and two adjoining forest reserves (control sites) before the mining operation and 10 years after mine closure and forest rehabilitation (topsoil replacement and revegetation). The forest reserves recorded higher species abundance than the mining areas. Majority of the species captured in the forest reserves, including Hylomyscus alleni, Praomys tullbergi, Malacomys cansdalei, and Hybomys trivirgatus, are forest obligate species. Only one individual each of H. alleni and P. tullbergi was captured in the naturally regenerated areas (core areas of mining activities that were allowed to revegetate naturally), while 32 individuals belonging to four species (Lophuromys sikapusi, Mus musculoides, Mastomys erythroleucus, and Crocidura olivieri) were recorded in the rehabilitated areas. Our data suggested negative effects of mining on small mammal diversity and the restoration of species diversity and important ecological processes after rehabilitation of altered habitats. We strongly encourage deliberate conservation efforts, particularly the development of management plans that require the restoration of degraded land resulting from mining activities.

Seasonal fuel consumption, stoves, and end-uses in rural households of the far-western development region of Nepal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lam, Nicholas L.; Upadhyay, Basudev; Maharjan, Shovana; Jagoe, Kirstie; Weyant, Cheryl L.; Thompson, Ryan; Uprety, Sital; Johnson, Michael A.; Bond, Tami C.

2017-12-01

Understanding how fuels and stoves are used to meet a diversity of household needs is an important step in addressing the factors leading to continued reliance on polluting devices, and thereby improving household energy programs. In Nepal and many other countries dependent on solid fuel, efforts to mitigate the impacts of residential solid fuel use have emphasized cooking while focusing less on other solid fuel dependent end-uses. We employed a four-season fuel assessment in a cohort of 110 households residing in two elevation regions of the Far-Western Development Region (Province 7) of Nepal. Household interviews and direct fuel weights were used to assess seasonality in fuel consumption and its association with stoves that met cooking and non-cooking needs. Per-capita fuel consumption in winter was twice that of other measured seasons, on average. This winter increase was attributed to greater prevalence of use and fuel consumption by supplemental stoves, not the main cooking stove. End-use profiles showed that fuel was used in supplemental stoves to meet the majority of non-meal needs in the home, notably water heating and preparation of animal food. This emphasis on fuels, stoves, and the satisfaction of energy needs—rather than just stoves or fuels—leads to a better understanding of the factors leading to device and fuel choice within households.

Implementing the End TB Strategy in the Western Pacific Region: Translating vision into reality.

PubMed

Rahevar, Kalpeshsinh; Fujiwara, Paula I; Ahmadova, Shalala; Morishita, Fukushi; Reichman, Lee B

2018-04-12

The End TB Strategy aims to end the global tuberculosis (TB) epidemic by 2035 in line with the sustainable development goals targets and has been implemented in the World Health Organization (WHO) Western Pacific Region since 2015. Significant progress has been made in implementing this strategy. However, several challenges still remain. In 2016, an estimated 1.8 million people developed TB in the region, and of these about 20% were missed by national TB programmes. The gap in diagnosis and enrolment as well as treatment completion is greater with drug-resistant TB. Many TB-affected families face catastrophic costs due to the disease. Sustaining financing for TB care is a long-term challenge in many countries. This article emphasizes targeted interventions in high-risk populations, including systematic screening and patient-centred TB care. Several other approaches including improving TB diagnostic tools and algorithm, and engaging all care providers are suggested to find missing TB patients. Drug-resistant TB requires additional resourcing for laboratories, enrolment and patient support. Specific measures are required at different levels to mitigate financial burden due to TB including linking TB to overall social protection schemes. The Moscow Ministerial conference in 2017 and upcoming United Nations (UN) 2018 high-level meeting provide an opportunity to raise TB higher on the global agenda, forge partnerships and move towards universal health coverage. © 2018 Asian Pacific Society of Respirology.

Decadal variability of precipitation over Western North America

USGS Publications Warehouse

Cayan, D.R.; Dettinger, M.D.; Diaz, Henry F.; Graham, N.E.

1998-01-01

Decadal (>7- yr period) variations of precipitation over western North America account for 20%-50% of the variance of annual precipitation. Spatially, the decadal variability is broken into several regional [O(1000 km)] components. These decadal variations are contributed by fluctuations in precipitation from seasons of the year that vary from region to region and that are not necessarily concentrated in the wettest season(s) alone. The precipitation variations are linked to various decadal atmospheric circulation and SST anomaly patterns where scales range from regional to global scales and that emphasize tropical or extratropical connections, depending upon which precipitation region is considered. Further, wet or dry decades are associated with changes in frequency of at least a few short-period circulation 'modes' such as the Pacific-North American pattern. Precipitation fluctuations over the southwestern United States and the Saskatchewan region of western Canada are associated with extensive shifts of sea level pressure and SST anomalies, suggesting that they are components of low-frequency precipitation variability from global-scale climate proceses. Consistent with the global scale of its pressure and SST connection, the Southwest decadal precipitation is aligned with opposing precipitation fluctuations in northern Africa.Decadal (>7-yr period) variations of precipitation over western North America account for 20%-50% of the variance of annual precipitation. Spatially, the decadal variability is broken into several regional [O(1000 km)] components. These decadal variations are contributed by fluctuations in precipitation from seasons of the year that vary from region to region and that are not necessarily concentrated in the wettest season(s) alone. The precipitation variations are linked to various decadal atmospheric circulation and SST anomaly patterns where scales range from regional to global scales and that emphasize tropical or extratropical connections, depending upon which precipitation region is considered. Further, wet or dry decades are associated with changes in frequency of at least a few short-period circulation `modes' such as the Pacific-North American pattern. Precipitation fluctuations over the southwestern United States and the Saskatchewan region of western Canada are associated with extensive shifts of sea level pressure and SST anomalies, suggesting that they are components of low-frequency precipitation variability from global-scale climate processes. Consistent with the global scale of its pressure and SST connection, the Southwest decadal precipitation is aligned with opposing precipitation fluctuations in northern Africa.

Introduction of positron emission tomography into the Western Norwegian Health Region: Regional balance in resource utilization from 2009 to 2014.

PubMed

Stokmo, Henning Langen; Reitan, Bernt Christian; Johnsen, Boel; Gulati, Ankush; Kleven-Madsen, Nina; Adamsen, Tom Christian Holm; Biermann, Martin

2017-09-01

The aim was to compare resource utilization across the four health trusts within the Western Norway Regional Health Authority since the establishment of positron emission tomography (PET) at Haukeland University Hospital in Bergen in 2009. Metadata from all PET examinations from 2009 to 2014 were automatically imported from the PET centre's central production database into a custom-developed database system, MDCake. A PET examination was defined as a procedure based on a single injection of radioactive tracer. The patients' place of residence and tentative diagnosis were coded based on the available clinical information. The total number of PET examinations increased from 293 in 2009 to 1616 in 2014. The number of PET examinations per year increased across all diagnostic groups, but plateaued for lung cancer, gastrointestinal cancer and malignant melanoma since 2013. The number of examinations per capita was evenly distributed between the three northern health trusts with an average of 1260 PET studies per million inhabitants in 2014. However, patients residing in the most southerly health trust received between 44% (2010) and 27% (2014; P<0·001, repeated measures ANOVA) fewer examinations per capita per year. Centralized PET in the Western Norwegian health region meets the current clinical demand for patients residing in the three northern health trusts while patients from the most southern health trust receive approximately 30% fewer PET examinations. Access to specialized health care should be monitored routinely in order to identify inequalities in referral patterns and resource utilization. © 2015 The Authors. Clinical Physiology and Functional Imaging published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Scandinavian Society of Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine.

Economic effects of western Federal land-use restrictions on U.S. coal markets

USGS Publications Warehouse

Watson, William Downing; Medlin, A.L.; Krohn, K.K.; Brookshire, D.S.; Bernknopf, R.L.

1991-01-01

Current regulations on land use in the Western United States affect access to surface minable coal resources. This U.S. Geological Survey study analyzes the long-term effects of Federal land-use restrictions on the national cost of meeting future coal demands. The analysis covers 45 years. The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has determined the environmental, aesthetic, and economic values of western Federal coal lands and has set aside certain areas from surface coal mining to protect other valued land uses, including agricultural, environmental, and aesthetic uses. Although there are benefits to preserving natural areas and to developing areas for other land uses, these restrictions produce long-term national and regional costs that have not been estimated previously. The Dynamic Coal Allocation Model integrates coal supply (coal resource tonnage and coal quality by mining cost for 60 coal supply regions) with coal demand (in 243 regions) for the entire United States. The model makes it possible to evaluate the regional economic impacts of coal supply restrictions wherever they might occur in the national coal market. The main factors that the economic methodology considers are (1) coal mining costs, (2) coal transportation costs, (3) coal flue gas desulfurization costs, (4) coal demand, (5) regulations to control sulfur dioxide discharges, and (6) specific reductions in coal availability occurring as a result of land-use restrictions. The modeling system combines these economic factors with coal deposit quantity and quality information--which is derived from the U.S. Geological Survey's National Coal Resources Data System and the U.S. Department of Energy's Demonstrated Reserve Base--to determine a balance between supply and demand so that coal is delivered at minimum cost.

Implications of climate change for potamodromous fishes.

PubMed

Beatty, Stephen J; Morgan, David L; Lymbery, Alan J

2014-06-01

There is little understanding of how climate change will impact potamodromous freshwater fishes. Since the mid 1970s, a decline in annual rainfall in south-western Australia (a globally recognized biodiversity hotspot) has resulted in the rivers of the region undergoing severe reductions in surface flows (ca. 50%). There is universal agreement amongst Global Climate Models that rainfall will continue to decline in this region. Limited data are available on the movement patterns of the endemic freshwater fishes of south-western Australia or on the relationship between their life histories and hydrology. We used this region as a model to determine how dramatic hydrological change may impact potamodromous freshwater fishes. Migration patterns of fishes in the largest river in south-western Australia were quantified over a 4 year period and were related to a number of key environmental variables including discharge, temperature, pH, conductivity and dissolved oxygen. Most of the endemic freshwater fishes were potamodromous, displaying lateral seasonal spawning migrations from the main channel into tributaries, and there were significant temporal differences in movement patterns between species. Using a model averaging approach, amount of discharge was clearly the best predictor of upstream and downstream movement for most species. Given past and projected reductions in surface flow and groundwater, the findings have major implications for future recruitment rates and population viabilities of potamodromous fishes. Freshwater ecosystems in drying climatic regions can only be managed effectively if such hydro-ecological relationships are considered. Proactive management and addressing existing anthropogenic stressors on aquatic ecosystems associated with the development of surface and groundwater resources and land use is required to increase the resistance and resilience of potamodromous fishes to ongoing flow reductions. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Contrasting patterns of genetic diversity and population structure of Armillaria mellea sensu stricto in the eastern and western United States.

PubMed

Baumgartner, Kendra; Travadon, Renaud; Bruhn, Johann; Bergemann, Sarah E

2010-07-01

ABSTRACT Armillaria mellea infects hundreds of plant species in natural and managed ecosystems throughout the Northern hemisphere. Previously reported nuclear genetic divergence between eastern and western U.S. isolates is consistent with the disjunct range of A. mellea in North America, which is restricted mainly to both coasts of the United States. We investigated patterns of population structure and genetic diversity of the eastern (northern and southern Appalachians, Ozarks, and western Great Lakes) and western (Berkeley, Los Angeles, St. Helena, and San Jose, CA) regions of the United States. In total, 156 diploid isolates were genotyped using 12 microsatellite loci. Absence of genetic differentiation within either eastern subpopulations (theta(ST) = -0.002, P = 0.5 ) or western subpopulations (theta(ST) = 0.004, P = 0.3 ) suggests that spore dispersal within each region is sufficient to prevent geographic differentiation. In contrast to the western United States, our finding of more than one genetic cluster of isolates within the eastern United States (K = 3), revealed by Bayesian assignment of multilocus genotypes in STRUCTURE and confirmed by genetic multivariate analyses, suggests that eastern subpopulations are derived from multiple founder sources. The existence of amplifiable and nonamplifiable loci and contrasting patterns of genetic diversity between the two regions demonstrate that there are two geographically isolated, divergent genetic pools of A. mellea in the United States.

TIDAL TAILS OF MINOR MERGERS. II. COMPARING STAR FORMATION IN THE TIDAL TAILS OF NGC 2782

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

Knierman, Karen A.; Scowen, Paul; Veach, Todd

2013-09-10

The peculiar spiral NGC 2782 is the result of a minor merger with a mass ratio {approx}4: 1 occurring {approx}200 Myr ago. This merger produced a molecular and H I-rich, optically bright eastern tail and an H I-rich, optically faint western tail. Non-detection of CO in the western tail by Braine et al. suggested that star formation had not yet begun. However, deep UBVR and H{alpha} narrowband images show evidence of recent star formation in the western tail, though it lacks massive star clusters and cluster complexes. Using Herschel PACS spectroscopy, we discover 158 {mu}m [C II] emission at themore » location of the three most luminous H{alpha} sources in the eastern tail, but not at the location of the even brighter H{alpha} source in the western tail. The western tail is found to have a normal star formation efficiency (SFE), but the eastern tail has a low SFE. The lack of CO and [C II] emission suggests that the western tail H II region may have a low carbon abundance and be undergoing its first star formation. The western tail is more efficient at forming stars, but lacks massive clusters. We propose that the low SFE in the eastern tail may be due to its formation as a splash region where gas heating is important even though it has sufficient molecular and neutral gas to make massive star clusters. The western tail, which has lower gas surface density and does not form high-mass star clusters, is a tidally formed region where gravitational compression likely enhances star formation.« less

Genetic and Morphometric Variability of Triatoma sordida (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) from the Eastern and Western Regions of Paraguay.

PubMed

Gonzalez-Britez, Nilsa E; Carrasco, Hernán J; Martínez Purroy, Clara Elena; Feliciangeli, M Dora; Maldonado, Marisel; López, Elsa; Segovia, Maikell J; Rojas de Arias, Antonieta

2014-01-01

Triatoma sordida is widely distributed throughout the Chaco and the Eastern Region of Paraguay. It is associated to palm trees and artificial ecotopes located in peridomestic environments. The aim of this work was to determine genetic and morphometric variability and feeding behavior among population of T. sordida captured in domicile and peridomicile areas of Paraguay. Feeding contents and levels of genetic and morphometric variation were determined in 124 T. sordida from domicile and peridomicile populations of San Pedro and Paraguarí departments of the Eastern Region and Boquerón and Presidente Hayes departments of the Western region using Double Diffusion Gel, random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD), and head and wings morphometry. Morphometric analysis revealed isolation of populations by geographic region and larger size in triatomine populations from the Western Region. RAPD showed no specific patterns for domicile and peridomicile populations. The estimator of diversity (F ST; 0.08) and high gene flow obtained (N m; 5.7) did not allow the establishment of genetic differentiation within the same region. The blood meal source showed that poultry feeding was 38% of host preferences, and human blood was the second feeding preference (24%) in the insects from the Eastern Region while poultry feeding was predominant in those from the Western Region (30%). This work showed homogeneity between T. sordida populations of the same region and between domicile and peridomicile. The genetic diversity was determined among T. sordida populations of both geographical regions suggesting differentiation associated to eco-geographical isolation by distance. It is important to notice that pattern feedings were different between the two regions. Further studies should be focused on how phenetic and genetic variations could be related to the adaptation capacity of these triatomine populations to domicile, increasing their vector potentiality in the transmission of Chagas disease.

Distribution of Lutzomyia longipalpis chemotype populations in São Paulo state, Brazil.

PubMed

Casanova, Claudio; Colla-Jacques, Fernanda E; Hamilton, James G C; Brazil, Reginaldo P; Shaw, Jeffrey J

2015-03-01

American visceral leishmaniasis (AVL) is an emerging disease in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Its geographical expansion and the increase in the number of human cases has been linked to dispersion of Lutzomyia longipalpis into urban areas. To produce more accurate risk maps we investigated the geographic distribution and routes of expansion of the disease as well as chemotype populations of the vector. A database, containing the annual records of municipalities which had notified human and canine AVL cases as well as the presence of the vector, was compiled. The chemotypes of L. longipalpis populations from municipalities in different regions of São Paulo State were determined by Coupled Gas Chromatography - Mass Spectrometry. From 1997 to June 2014, L. longipalpis has been reported in 166 municipalities, 148 of them in the Western region. A total of 106 municipalities were identified with transmission and 99 were located in the Western region, where all 2,204 autochthonous human cases occurred. Both the vector and the occurrence of human cases have expanded in a South-easterly direction, from the Western to central region, and from there, a further expansion to the North and the South. The (S)-9-methylgermacrene-B population of L. longipalpis is widely distributed in the Western region and the cembrene-1 population is restricted to the Eastern region. The maps in the present study show that there are two distinct epidemiological patterns of AVL in São Paulo State and that the expansion of human and canine AVL cases through the Western region has followed the same dispersion route of only one of the two species of the L. longipalpis complex, (S)-9-methylgermacrene-B. Entomological vigilance based on the routes of dispersion and identification of the chemotype population could be used to identify at-risk areas and consequently define the priorities for control measures.

Distribution of Lutzomyia longipalpis Chemotype Populations in São Paulo State, Brazil

PubMed Central

Casanova, Claudio; Colla-Jacques, Fernanda E.; Hamilton, James G. C.; Brazil, Reginaldo P.; Shaw, Jeffrey J.

2015-01-01

Background American visceral leishmaniasis (AVL) is an emerging disease in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Its geographical expansion and the increase in the number of human cases has been linked to dispersion of Lutzomyia longipalpis into urban areas. To produce more accurate risk maps we investigated the geographic distribution and routes of expansion of the disease as well as chemotype populations of the vector. Methodology/Principal Findings A database, containing the annual records of municipalities which had notified human and canine AVL cases as well as the presence of the vector, was compiled. The chemotypes of L. longipalpis populations from municipalities in different regions of São Paulo State were determined by Coupled Gas Chromatography – Mass Spectrometry. From 1997 to June 2014, L. longipalpis has been reported in 166 municipalities, 148 of them in the Western region. A total of 106 municipalities were identified with transmission and 99 were located in the Western region, where all 2,204 autochthonous human cases occurred. Both the vector and the occurrence of human cases have expanded in a South-easterly direction, from the Western to central region, and from there, a further expansion to the North and the South. The (S)-9-methylgermacrene-B population of L. longipalpis is widely distributed in the Western region and the cembrene-1 population is restricted to the Eastern region. Conclusion/Significance The maps in the present study show that there are two distinct epidemiological patterns of AVL in São Paulo State and that the expansion of human and canine AVL cases through the Western region has followed the same dispersion route of only one of the two species of the L. longipalpis complex, (S)-9-methylgermacrene-B. Entomological vigilance based on the routes of dispersion and identification of the chemotype population could be used to identify at-risk areas and consequently define the priorities for control measures. PMID:25781320

Experimental attrition rates of bed-material sediment from geologic provinces of Western Oregon and their application to regional sediment models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mangano, J.; O'Connor, J. E.; Jones, K. L.; Wallick, R.

2011-12-01

Many topographic, hydrologic, and land use variables affect the supply and transport of bed-material in rivers, but the underlying geology is a key factor controlling both the volume of introduced material and the attrition of bed-material as it moves downstream. Recent and ongoing USGS river studies in Western Oregon document strong links between geologic province and bed-material transport. Rivers originating in the Mesozoic metamorphic and intrusive igneous rocks of the Klamath terranes of southwestern Oregon have the greatest gravel transport rates (and channel and valley-bottom morphologies reflecting high bed-material fluxes), whereas the generally lesser amounts of gravel in streams that drain Oregon's Coast Range and western Cascade Range owes in large part to Tertiary sedimentary and volcanic units underlying most of these basins. Aspects of these differences are controlled by supply as well as clast attrition. Here we aim to quantify bed-material attrition rates associated with the five main geologic provinces of Western Oregon: the Klamath terranes, Western Cascades, High Cascades, Coast Range sedimentary rocks, and Coast Range volcanic rocks. Bed-material samples were collected throughout the region from streams that drain a single geologic province and tumbled with a lapidary tumbler to determine relative attrition rates. Two kilograms of each sample were sorted into an initial distribution of clast sizes (from 16 to 64mm) and tumbled, with periodic breaks to reweigh and sieve the sample. Results show marked differences in attrition rates, with the sedimentary rocks of the Coast Range having weight loss coefficients between 1.206 and 0.211/km, orders of magnitude greater than all of the other sampled provinces. For comparison, bed material from the Klamath terranes have weight loss coefficients ranging from 0.013 to 0.005/km, and a control sample of quartzite clasts (from the Klamath terranes) has a weight loss coefficient of 0.001/km. These results confirm that bed-material attrition is an important process affecting bed-material supply and transport, and will allow for more complete development of regional bed-material sediment budgets in ongoing efforts to understand patterns of gravel abundance and channel morphology in rivers of Western Oregon.

Prediction of spatially explicit rainfall intensity–duration thresholds for post-fire debris-flow generation in the western United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Staley, Dennis M.; Negri, Jacquelyn; Kean, Jason W.; Laber, Jayme L.; Tillery, Anne C.; Youberg, Ann M.

2017-01-01

Early warning of post-fire debris-flow occurrence during intense rainfall has traditionally relied upon a library of regionally specific empirical rainfall intensity–duration thresholds. Development of this library and the calculation of rainfall intensity-duration thresholds often require several years of monitoring local rainfall and hydrologic response to rainstorms, a time-consuming approach where results are often only applicable to the specific region where data were collected. Here, we present a new, fully predictive approach that utilizes rainfall, hydrologic response, and readily available geospatial data to predict rainfall intensity–duration thresholds for debris-flow generation in recently burned locations in the western United States. Unlike the traditional approach to defining regional thresholds from historical data, the proposed methodology permits the direct calculation of rainfall intensity–duration thresholds for areas where no such data exist. The thresholds calculated by this method are demonstrated to provide predictions that are of similar accuracy, and in some cases outperform, previously published regional intensity–duration thresholds. The method also provides improved predictions of debris-flow likelihood, which can be incorporated into existing approaches for post-fire debris-flow hazard assessment. Our results also provide guidance for the operational expansion of post-fire debris-flow early warning systems in areas where empirically defined regional rainfall intensity–duration thresholds do not currently exist.

Prediction of spatially explicit rainfall intensity-duration thresholds for post-fire debris-flow generation in the western United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Staley, Dennis M.; Negri, Jacquelyn A.; Kean, Jason W.; Laber, Jayme L.; Tillery, Anne C.; Youberg, Ann M.

2017-02-01

Early warning of post-fire debris-flow occurrence during intense rainfall has traditionally relied upon a library of regionally specific empirical rainfall intensity-duration thresholds. Development of this library and the calculation of rainfall intensity-duration thresholds often require several years of monitoring local rainfall and hydrologic response to rainstorms, a time-consuming approach where results are often only applicable to the specific region where data were collected. Here, we present a new, fully predictive approach that utilizes rainfall, hydrologic response, and readily available geospatial data to predict rainfall intensity-duration thresholds for debris-flow generation in recently burned locations in the western United States. Unlike the traditional approach to defining regional thresholds from historical data, the proposed methodology permits the direct calculation of rainfall intensity-duration thresholds for areas where no such data exist. The thresholds calculated by this method are demonstrated to provide predictions that are of similar accuracy, and in some cases outperform, previously published regional intensity-duration thresholds. The method also provides improved predictions of debris-flow likelihood, which can be incorporated into existing approaches for post-fire debris-flow hazard assessment. Our results also provide guidance for the operational expansion of post-fire debris-flow early warning systems in areas where empirically defined regional rainfall intensity-duration thresholds do not currently exist.

78 FR 25134 - Termination of the Preparation of an Air Tour Management Plan and Environmental Assessment for...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-04-29

... Forest National Park in Arizona. The FAA and NPS have stopped work on preparation of the ATMP and EA... Lusk, Program Manager, AWP-1SP, Federal Aviation Administration, Western-Pacific Region, P.O. Box 92007... developed. The FAA and NPS began preparing an EA to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (Pub...

Programs of Interest to Indians and Metis Administered by The Department of Regional Economic Expansion.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kassirer, E.

The primary objective of the report is to describe and clarify those departmental projects which help Indians and Metis move into the economic mainstream of Canadian life. More specifically, it examines programs used by Indians and Metis which are carried out in Western, Central, and Eastern Canada, under the Agricultural and Rural Development Act…

StreamCat and LakeCat: An overview of algorithms, data, and models developed at the US EPA Western Ecology Division to facilitate and advance watershed prediction in the conterminous US.

EPA Science Inventory

Geospatial data and techniques have long been critical to advancing the analysis and management of freshwater ecosystems. However, these data and techniques have often been limited to specific sample sites or regional analyses because of the difficulty associated with generating ...

Joint Curriculum Development of the Training Program for Five-Year, Rural-Oriented, Tuition-Waived Medical Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Che, Xiang-Xin; Niu, Li; Xia, Xiu-Long; Wang, Xin

2014-01-01

To alleviate the shortage of competent undergraduate-level medical professionals in the central and western rural regions of China, from 2010 to 2012, the Chinese government mandated 100 medical colleges to recruit 30,000 rural-oriented, tuition-waived medical students (RTMS) for the township and village hospitals. But no educational curriculum is…

Effect of diameter limits and stand structure on relative density indices: a case study

Treesearch

Robert O. Curtis

2010-01-01

An understory of shade-tolerant species often develops in stands in the Douglas-fir region of western Washington and Oregon and can have a disproportionate effect on relative density indices, such as Reineke stand density index and Curtis relative density. The effects of such understories and of other departures from The even-aged condition are illustrated with...

The Wildland Fire Emission Inventory: Western United States emission estimates and an evaluation of uncertainty

Treesearch

S. P. Urbanski; W. M. Hao; B. Nordgren

2011-01-01

Biomass burning emission inventories serve as critical input for atmospheric chemical transport models that are used to understand the role of biomass fires in the chemical composition of the atmosphere, air quality, and the climate system. Significant progress has been achieved in the development of regional and global biomass burning emission inventories over the...

75 FR 13139 - Notice of Public Meetings for the National Park Service Alaska Region's Subsistence Resource...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-03-18

... National Park SRC and Gates of the Arctic National Park SRC will meet to develop and continue work on... Monday, April 19, 2010, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the National Park Service Northwest Arctic Heritage..., Superintendent, Western Arctic Parklands, or Willie Goodwin, Subsistence Manager, (907) 442-3890, Address: P.O...

Groundwater dynamics mediate low-flow response to global warming in snow-dominated alpine regions

Treesearch

Christina Tague; Gordon E. Grant

2009-01-01

In mountain environments, spatial and temporal patterns of snow accumulation and melt are dominant controls on hydrologic responses to climate change. In this paper, we develop a simple conceptual model that links the timing of peak snowmelt with geologically mediated differences in rate of streamflow recession. This model demonstrates that within the western United...

Governance within the World Health Assembly: a 13-year analysis of WHO Member States' contribution to global health governance.

PubMed

van der Rijt, Tess; Pang Pangestu, Tikki

2015-03-01

There is a widespread perception that developed countries in the Western world dictate the shaping and governance of global health. While there are many bodies that engage in global health governance, the World Health Organisation (WHO) is the only entity whereby 194 countries are invited to congregate together and engage in global health governance on an equal playing field. This paper examines the diversity of governance within the World Health Assembly (WHA), the supreme decision-making body of the WHO. It explores the degree and balance of policy influence between high, middle and low-income countries and the relevance of the WHO as a platform to exercise global governance. It finds that governance within the WHA is indeed diverse: relative to the number of Member States within the regions, all regions are well represented. While developed countries still dominate WHA governance, Western world countries do not overshadow decision-making, but rather there is evidence of strong engagement from the emerging economies. It is apparent that the WHO is still a relevant platform whereby all Member States can and do participate in the shaping of global health governance. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

The North Atlantic Ocean as habitat for Calanus finmarchicus: Environmental factors and life history traits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Melle, Webjørn; Runge, Jeffrey; Head, Erica; Plourde, Stéphane; Castellani, Claudia; Licandro, Priscilla; Pierson, James; Jonasdottir, Sigrun; Johnson, Catherine; Broms, Cecilie; Debes, Høgni; Falkenhaug, Tone; Gaard, Eilif; Gislason, Astthor; Heath, Michael; Niehoff, Barbara; Nielsen, Torkel Gissel; Pepin, Pierre; Stenevik, Erling Kaare; Chust, Guillem

2014-12-01

Here we present a new, pan-Atlantic compilation and analysis of data on Calanus finmarchicus abundance, demography, dormancy, egg production and mortality in relation to basin-scale patterns of temperature, phytoplankton biomass, circulation and other environmental characteristics in the context of understanding factors determining the distribution and abundance of C. finmarchicus across its North Atlantic habitat. A number of themes emerge: (1) the south-to-north transport of plankton in the northeast Atlantic contrasts with north-to-south transport in the western North Atlantic, which has implications for understanding population responses of C. finmarchicus to climate forcing, (2) recruitment to the youngest copepodite stages occurs during or just after the phytoplankton bloom in the east whereas it occurs after the bloom at many western sites, with up to 3.5 months difference in recruitment timing, (3) the deep basin and gyre of the southern Norwegian Sea is the centre of production and overwintering of C. finmarchicus, upon which the surrounding waters depend, whereas, in the Labrador/Irminger Seas production mainly occurs along the margins, such that the deep basins serve as collection areas and refugia for the overwintering populations, rather than as centres of production, (4) the western North Atlantic marginal seas have an important role in sustaining high C. finmarchicus abundance on the nearby coastal shelves, (5) differences in mean temperature and chlorophyll concentration between the western and eastern North Atlantic are reflected in regional differences in female body size and egg production, (6) regional differences in functional responses of egg production rate may reflect genetic differences between western and eastern populations, (7) dormancy duration is generally shorter in the deep waters adjacent to the lower latitude western North Atlantic shelves than in the east, (8) there are differences in stage-specific daily mortality rates between eastern and western shelves and basins, but the survival trajectories for cohort development from CI to CV are similar, and (9) early life stage survival is much lower in regions where C. finmarchicus is found with its congeners, C. glacialis and/or C. hyperboreus. This compilation and analysis provides new knowledge for evaluation and parameterisation of population models of C. finmarchicus and their responses to climate change in the North Atlantic. The strengths and weaknesses of modeling approaches, including a statistical approach based on ecological niche theory and a dynamical approach based on knowledge of spatial population dynamics and life history, are discussed, as well as needs for further research.

A Place of Transformation: Lessons from the Cosmic Serpent Informal Science Education Professional Development Project

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peticolas, L.; Maryboy, N.; Begay, D.; Stein, J.; Valdez, S.; Paglierani, R.

2012-08-01

A cultural disconnect exists between Western scientists and educators and Native communities in terms of scientific worldviews and Indigenous ways of knowing. This cultural disconnect manifests itself in the lack of participation of Native Americans in Western science and a lack of appreciation by Western scientists of Native science. Our NSF-Funded project "Cosmic Serpent: Bridging Native and Western Learning in Museum Settings" set out to provide a way for informal science education practitioners and tribal museum practitioners to learn about these two worldviews in such a way as to inform their educational practice around these concepts. We began with a pilot workshop in year one of this four-year project. We then provided two week-long professional development workshops in three regions within the Western U.S., and culminated with a final conference for all participants. In total, the workshops served 162 participants, including 115 practitioners from 19 tribal museums and 41 science, natural history, and cultural museums; 23 tribal community members; and 24 "bridge people" with knowledge of both Indigenous and Western science. For this article, we focus on the professional and personal transformations around culture, knowledge, science, and worldviews that occurred as a part of this project. We evaluated the collaborative aspects of this grant between the Indigenous Education Institute; the Center for Science Education at the University of California, Berkeley; the Institute for Learning Innovation; Native Pathways; Association for Science and Technology Centers; and the National Museum of the American Indian. Using evaluation results, as well as our personal reflections, we share our learnings from a place of transformation. We provide lessons we learned with this project, which we hope others will find relevant to their own science education work.

Spatial econometric analysis of factors influencing regional energy efficiency in China.

PubMed

Song, Malin; Chen, Yu; An, Qingxian

2018-05-01

Increased environmental pollution and energy consumption caused by the country's rapid development has raised considerable public concern, and has become the focus of the government and public. This study employs the super-efficiency slack-based model-data envelopment analysis (SBM-DEA) to measure the total factor energy efficiency of 30 provinces in China. The estimation model for the spatial interaction intensity of regional total factor energy efficiency is based on Wilson's maximum entropy model. The model is used to analyze the factors that affect the potential value of total factor energy efficiency using spatial dynamic panel data for 30 provinces during 2000-2014. The study found that there are differences and spatial correlations of energy efficiency among provinces and regions in China. The energy efficiency in the eastern, central, and western regions fluctuated significantly, and was mainly because of significant energy efficiency impacts on influences of industrial structure, energy intensity, and technological progress. This research is of great significance to China's energy efficiency and regional coordinated development.

Current status of the western gray squirrel population in the Puget Trough, Washington.

Treesearch

R. Bayrakci; A.B. Carey; T.M. Wilson

2001-01-01

The Puget Trough population of Washington’s state-threatened western gray squirrel is centered in Oregon white oak ecotones adjacent to conifer forests and prairies on the Fort Lewis Military Reservation. Our goal was to determine the current status of western gray squirrels in this region. In 1998, we found five western gray squirrels in 538 hours of foot surveys in...

Climate drives inter-annual variability in probability of high severity fire occurrence in the western United States

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Keyser, Alisa; Westerling, Anthony LeRoy

2017-05-01

A long history of fire suppression in the western United States has significantly changed forest structure and ecological function, leading to increasingly uncharacteristic fires in terms of size and severity. Prior analyses of fire severity in California forests showed that time since last fire and fire weather conditions predicted fire severity very well, while a larger regional analysis showed that topography and climate were important predictors of high severity fire. There has not yet been a large-scale study that incorporates topography, vegetation and fire-year climate to determine regional scale high severity fire occurrence. We developed models to predict the probability of high severity fire occurrence for the western US. We predict high severity fire occurrence with some accuracy, and identify the relative importance of predictor classes in determining the probability of high severity fire. The inclusion of both vegetation and fire-year climate predictors was critical for model skill in identifying fires with high fractional fire severity. The inclusion of fire-year climate variables allows this model to forecast inter-annual variability in areas at future risk of high severity fire, beyond what slower-changing fuel conditions alone can accomplish. This allows for more targeted land management, including resource allocation for fuels reduction treatments to decrease the risk of high severity fire.

Variability of tropical cyclone in high frequent occurrence regions over the western North Pacific

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Yuxing; Huang, Fei; Wang, Faming

2014-06-01

In this study, three high frequent occurrence regions of tropical cyclones (TCs), i.e., the northern South China Sea (the region S), the south Philippine Sea (the region P) and the region east of Taiwan Island (the region E), are defined with frequency of TC's occurrence at each grid for a 45-year period (1965-2009), where the frequency of occurrence (FO) of TCs is triple the mean value of the whole western North Pacific. Over the region S, there are decreasing trends in the FO of TCs, the number of TCs' tracks going though this region and the number of TCs' genesis in this region. Over the region P, the FO and tracks demonstrate decadal variation with periods of 10-12 year, while over the region E, a significant 4-5 years' oscillation appears in both FO and tracks. It is demonstrated that the differences of TCs' variation in these three different regions are mainly caused by the variation of the Western Pacific Subtropical High (WPSH) at different time scales. The westward shift of WPSH is responsible for the northwesterly anomaly over the region S which inhibits westward TC movement into the region S. On the decadal timescale, the WPSH stretches northwestward because of the anomalous anticyclone over the northwestern part of the region P, and steers more TCs reaching the region P in the greater FO years of the region P. The retreating of the WPSH on the interannual time scale is the main reason for the FO's oscillation over the region E.

Variability of Diurnal Temperature Range During Winter Over Western Himalaya: Range- and Altitude-Wise Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shekhar, M. S.; Devi, Usha; Dash, S. K.; Singh, G. P.; Singh, Amreek

2018-04-01

The current trends in diurnal temperature range, maximum temperature, minimum temperature, mean temperature, and sun shine hours over different ranges and altitudes of Western Himalaya during winter have been studied. Analysis of 25 years of data shows an increasing trend in diurnal temperature range over all the ranges and altitudes of Western Himalaya during winter, thereby confirming regional warming of the region due to present climate change and global warming. Statistical studies show significant increasing trend in maximum temperature over all the ranges and altitudes of Western Himalaya. Minimum temperature shows significant decreasing trend over Pir Panjal and Shamshawari range and significant increasing trend over higher altitude of Western Himalaya. Similarly, sunshine hours show significant decreasing trend over Karakoram range. There exists strong positive correlation between diurnal temperature range and maximum temperature for all the ranges and altitudes of Western Himalaya. Strong negative correlation exists between diurnal temperature range and minimum temperature over Shamshawari and Great Himalaya range and lower altitude of Western Himalaya. Sunshine hours show strong positive correlation with diurnal temperature range over Pir Panjal and Great Himalaya range and lower and higher altitudes.

Environmental controls on soil organic carbon and nitrogen stocks in the high-altitude arid western Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau permafrost region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Xiaodong; Zhao, Lin; Fang, Hongbing; Zhao, Yuguo; Smoak, Joseph M.; Pang, Qiangqiang; Ding, Yongjian

2016-01-01

While permafrost in the circum-Artic has great influence on soil organic carbon (SOC) and total nitrogen (TN) stocks, this might not be the case in low-latitude arid permafrost regions. We test this hypothesis in the western Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) permafrost region. Fifty-nine soil profiles were analyzed to examine the SOC and TN distribution and the controlling factors in western QTP, which is a desert steppe ecoregion. Mean stocks of SOC (5.29 kg m-2) and TN (0.56 kg m-2) for the top 200 cm in this area were lower than those of the east QTP and circum-Arctic regions. The SOC and TN stocks under vegetative cover with permafrost conditions were significantly higher than those of desert conditions. The SOC and TN stocks for the layers of different depths were related to the content of clay, silt, and moisture. Although the active layer thickness (ALT) had a significant negative correlation to soil moisture, the ALT explained little or no variance in the SOC and TN stocks. The results showed that in the vast permafrost regions of the western QTP, the SOC and TN stocks are very low, and the main controlling factors for the SOC and TN are soil texture, moisture, and vegetation type. The SOC pool in this area may not be as vulnerable to degradation associated with climate warming and thus not emit greenhouse gases at the same rate as other permafrost regions. The different response of the SOC in this region should be considered in carbon cycling models.

Predicting Potential Risk Areas of Human Plague for the Western Usambara Mountains, Lushoto District, Tanzania

PubMed Central

Neerinckx, Simon; Peterson, A. Townsend; Gulinck, Hubert; Deckers, Jozef; Kimaro, Didas; Leirs, Herwig

2010-01-01

A natural focus of plague exists in the Western Usambara Mountains of Tanzania. Despite intense research, questions remain as to why and how plague emerges repeatedly in the same suite of villages. We used human plague incidence data for 1986–2003 in an ecological-niche modeling framework to explore the geographic distribution and ecology of human plague. Our analyses indicate that plague occurrence is related directly to landscape-scale environmental features, yielding a predictive understanding of one set of environmental factors affecting plague transmission in East Africa. Although many environmental variables contribute significantly to these models, the most important are elevation and Enhanced Vegetation Index derivatives. Projections of these models across broader regions predict only 15.5% (under a majority-rule threshold) or 31,997 km2 of East Africa as suitable for plague transmission, but they successfully anticipate most known foci in the region, making possible the development of a risk map of plague. PMID:20207880

The prevalence of female obesity in the world and in the Slovak Gypsy women.

PubMed

Dolinska, S; Kudlackova, M; Ginter, E

2007-01-01

Paper is focused (1) on the comparison of some parameters (body height, body weight, blood pressure, BMI values) in Gypsy and non-Gypsy women from eastern and western Slovakia; (2) on the comparison of biochemical parameters in the Gypsy minority and majority of western Slovakia. There is not enough of available reliable data on health status of Slovak Gypsy minority. Gypsy and non-Gypsy women (57 and 56 subjects) from the western region of Slovakia (Zlate Klasy, Gbely) as well as Gypsy and non-Gypsy women (393 and 444 subjects) from the eastern region of Slovakia (Presov region) were investigated. Values of body height, body weight, blood pressure and calculated values of BMI (body mass index) were performed. Biochemical parameters of 269 Gypsies and 346 non-Gypsy persons from western Slovakia were measured. The statistically significant cut-off point was p < 0.05. In all age groups, the BMI values of Gypsy women were higher than those of non-Gypsy women. The occurrence of obesity, overweight, and hypertension was higher in the Gypsy population from both eastern and western regions of Slovakia. In the group of Gypsy minority of western Slovakia, the parameters of metabolic syndrome (dyslipidemia--high concentrations of triglycerides, low concentrations of HDL cholesterol, high concentrations of fasting insulin, and high values of insulin resistance) were found to be significantly changed. These findings suggest that the risk of atherogenesis in Gypsy minority has considerably increased and this is caused by unfavourable factors such as an increase in the prevalence of obesity, hypertension, smoking and the deficiency in protective substances leading to dyslipidemia, hyperinsulinemia, cardiovascular diseases, metabolic syndrome and diabetes (Fig. 2, Tab. 4, Ref 10). Full Text (Free, PDF) www.bmj.sk.

Projected changes over western Canada using convection-permitting regional climate model and the pseudo-global warming method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Y.; Kurkute, S.; Chen, L.

2017-12-01

Results from the General Circulation Models (GCMs) suggest more frequent and more severe extreme rain events in a climate warmer than the present. However, current GCMs cannot accurately simulate extreme rainfall events of short duration due to their coarse model resolutions and parameterizations. This limitation makes it difficult to provide the detailed quantitative information for the development of regional adaptation and mitigation strategies. Dynamical downscaling using nested Regional Climate Models (RCMs) are able to capture key regional and local climate processes with an affordable computational cost. Recent studies have demonstrated that the downscaling of GCM results with weather-permitting mesoscale models, such as the pseudo-global warming (PGW) technique, could be a viable and economical approach of obtaining valuable climate change information on regional scales. We have conducted a regional climate 4-km Weather Research and Forecast Model (WRF) simulation with one domain covering the whole western Canada, for a historic run (2000-2015) and a 15-year future run to 2100 and beyond with the PGW forcing. The 4-km resolution allows direct use of microphysics and resolves the convection explicitly, thus providing very convincing spatial detail. With this high-resolution simulation, we are able to study the convective mechanisms, specifically the control of convections over the Prairies, the projected changes of rainfall regimes, and the shift of the convective mechanisms in a warming climate, which has never been examined before numerically at such large scale with such high resolution.

FIELD ACTIVITIES AND PRELIMINARY RESULTS FROM THE INVESTIGATION OF WESTERN AIRBORNE CONTAMINANTS IN TWO HIGH ELEVATION WATERSHEDS OF ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK

EPA Science Inventory

The National Park Service initiated the Western Airborne Contaminants Assessment Project (WACAP) in 2002 to determine if airborne contaminants from long-range transport and/or regional sources are having an impact on remote western ecosystems, including AK. Rocky Mountain Nation...

76 FR 59682 - Desert Southwest Customer Service Region-Western Area Lower Colorado Balancing Authority-Rate...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-09-27

... percentage of metered generation, since there is no load. 2. Intermittent resources are exempt from the outer...--Western Area Lower Colorado Balancing Authority--Rate Order No. WAPA-151 AGENCY: Western Area Power... Services Formula Rates. SUMMARY: The Deputy Secretary of Energy has confirmed and approved Rate Order No...

Deep Probe: Investigating the lithosphere of western North America with refraction seismology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gorman, Andrew Robert

The Laurentian Craton, composed of the exposed Canadian Shield ringed by sediment-covered platforms, is the Precambrian heart of North America. The craton can be divided into several provinces representing ancient Archean blocks and the suture regions which stitched them together. In western Canada, Montana and Wyoming, the general distribution of Precambrian cratonic elements has been established by previous potential field studies combined with the analysis of basement rocks extracted from a small number of exploration drill holes that penetrated the overlying sedimentary basin, and from limited outcrops in southern Montana and Wyoming. The major blocks identified in this region include the Archean Hearne (mostly beneath Alberta) and Wyoming (beneath Montana and Wyoming) Provinces. A third block, the Medicine Hat Block, often interpreted to be the southernmost part of the Hearne Province, is considered independent in this study. The objectives of this thesis are to determine the velocity structure and characteristics of the crust and sub-crustal lithospheric mantle beneath the three Archean domains and the relationships among them to further understanding of the tectonic development of cratonic western North America. These objectives are met through interpretation of data from the Deep Probe/SAREX seismic refraction experiment of 1995, the largest of its type ever undertaken on the continent. Twenty large chemical explosions were detonated along a 3000-km-long profile running from Great Slave Lake to southern New Mexico and recorded at ˜2000 closely spaced seismograph stations between central Alberta and northern New Mexico. Interpretations, of increasing complexity, are based on: (1) the tau-p downward continuation of individual shot records, (2) a ray-theoretical travel-time inversion with Earth curvature considerations, and (3) detailed modelling of specific features with a finite difference wave propagation method. Interpretations of velocities and structures are made to depths as great as 150 km. From features of the crustal structure and their correspondence with two north-dipping relict subduction zones in the upper mantle, the boundaries between the three major Archean blocks are delineated and associated with the Vulcan Structure and Great Falls Tectonic Zone, two poorly understood tectonic features in the region. A prominent 10-to-30 km thick high velocity layer at the base of the Wyoming Province and Medicine Hat Block is interpreted to represent Proterozoic crustal underplating and alteration. The composition and physical properties of the crust-mantle boundary, the relict subduction zones and a heterogeneous upper mantle layer lying between depths of 100 km and 140 km are investigated to further understand lithospheric development in this region. The seismic interpretation is combined with previous work to develop a revised scenario for the tectonic assembly of western Laurentia.

Antibodies in sera from camels (Camelus dromedarius) in western and sothren regions of Central Province, Saudi Arabia.

PubMed

Al-Anazi, Abdullah D

2012-12-01

The study evaluated the seroprevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in domestic camels in Western and Southern regions of Central province of Saudi Arabia. In total, 713 serum samples from clinically healthy camels were analyzed for anti-T. gondii antibodies using the Latex agglutination test (LAT). Antibodies to T. gondii were found in 94 (13.1%) camels. The number of seropositive in Al-Quwayiyah region (16.9%) was considerably higher than in other regions. However, the differences in seroprevalence between the 4 regions were not statistically significant (P >. 0.05). These results indicate that T. gondii antibodies are widespread in the camel populations and suggest that toxoplasmosis is a widely spread zoonotic infection this region.

Probability of detecting atrazine/desethyl-atrazine and elevated concentrations of nitrate plus nitrate as nitrogen in ground water in the Idaho part of the western Snake River Plain

USGS Publications Warehouse

Donato, Mary M.

2000-01-01

As ground water continues to provide an ever-growing proportion of Idaho?s drinking water, concerns about the quality of that resource are increasing. Pesticides (most commonly, atrazine/desethyl-atrazine, hereafter referred to as atrazine) and nitrite plus nitrate as nitrogen (hereafter referred to as nitrate) have been detected in many aquifers in the State. To provide a sound hydrogeologic basis for atrazine and nitrate management in southern Idaho—the largest region of land and water use in the State—the U.S. Geological Survey produced maps showing the probability of detecting these contaminants in ground water in the upper Snake River Basin (published in a 1998 report) and the western Snake River Plain (published in this report). The atrazine probability map for the western Snake River Plain was constructed by overlaying ground-water quality data with hydrogeologic and anthropogenic data in a geographic information system (GIS). A data set was produced in which each well had corresponding information on land use, geology, precipitation, soil characteristics, regional depth to ground water, well depth, water level, and atrazine use. These data were analyzed by logistic regression using a statistical software package. Several preliminary multivariate models were developed and those that best predicted the detection of atrazine were selected. The multivariate models then were entered into a GIS and the probability maps were produced. Land use, precipitation, soil hydrologic group, and well depth were significantly correlated with atrazine detections in the western Snake River Plain. These variables also were important in the 1998 probability study of the upper Snake River Basin. The effectiveness of the probability models for atrazine might be improved if more detailed data were available for atrazine application. A preliminary atrazine probability map for the entire Snake River Plain in Idaho, based on a data set representing that region, also was produced. In areas where this map overlaps the 1998 map of the upper Snake River Basin, the two maps show broadly similar probabilities of detecting atrazine. Logistic regression also was used to develop a preliminary statistical model that predicts the probability of detecting elevated nitrate in the western Snake River Plain. A nitrate probability map was produced from this model. Results showed that elevated nitrate concentrations were correlated with land use, soil organic content, well depth, and water level. Detailed information on nitrate input, specifically fertilizer application, might have improved the effectiveness of this model.

Scaling net ecosystem production and net biome production over a heterogeneous region in the Western United States

Treesearch

D.P. Turner; W.D. Ritts; B.E. Law; W.B. Cohen; Z. Yan; T. Hudiburg; J.L. Campbell; M. Duane

2007-01-01

Bottom-up scaling of net ecosystem production (NEP) and net biome production (NBP) was used to generate a carbon budget for a large heterogeneous region (the state of Oregon, 2.5x105 km2 ) in the Western United States. Landsat resolution (30 m) remote sensing provided the basis for mapping land cover and disturbance history...

Sociological Variables Perceived in the Study of Ghanaian Languages in Central and Western Regional Colleges of Education in Ghana

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Quaicoe, Kate; Adams, Francis Hull; Bersah, Vivian Adoboah; Baah, Kwabena Appiah

2015-01-01

The study was conducted in two Colleges of Education in the Western and Central Regions of Ghana to find out how Colleges of Education students and tutors perceive the study of Ghanaian Languages. The target population comprised all staff and students of the Colleges of Education but the accessible population comprised students and tutors of the…

Educating for Location? The Policy Context of "Becoming Asia-Literate" in Five Western Countries/Regions in the 1990s

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pang, David

2005-01-01

This article examines the educational policy responses by five western countries/regions to the "Asian economic miracle" in the 1990s. It begins by stating that the idea of the global economic context has assumed considerable importance in the current educational thinking and debates. It then shows that Asia has been thematized in the…

The Psychometric Characteristics of the Advanced Measures of Music Audiation in a Region with Strong Non-Western Music Tradition

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Verdis, Athanasios; Sotiriou, Christina

2018-01-01

This study investigates the psychometric characteristics of Gordon's Advanced Measures of Music Audiation (AMMA) in a region with strong non-Western music tradition. It also examines the possibility of measuring audiation with the modern psychometric theory. The AMMA test was administered to 513 students in the city of Ioannina and a number of…

Slope stability problems associated with timber harvesting in mountainous regions of the western United States.

Treesearch

D.N. Swanston

1974-01-01

Natural soil-mass-movements on forested slopes in the Western United States can be divided into two major groups of closely related landslide types. These include, in order of decreasing importance and regional frequency of occurrence: (1) debris slides, debris avalanches, debris flows, and debris torrents; and (2) creep, slumps, and earth flows. Each type requires the...

Interoperability in healthcare: major challenges in the creation of the enterprise environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lindsköld, L.; Wintell, M.; Lundberg, N.

2009-02-01

There is today a lack of interoperability in healthcare although the need for it is obvious. A new healthcare enterprise environment has been deployed for secure healthcare interoperability in the Western Region in Sweden (WRS). This paper is an empirical overview of the new enterprise environment supporting regional shared and transparent radiology domain information in the WRS. The enterprise environment compromises 17 radiology departments, 1,5 million inhabitants, using different RIS and PACS in a joint work-oriented network and additional cardiology, dentistry and clinical physiology departments. More than 160 terabytes of information are stored in the enterprise repository. Interoperability is developed according to the IHE mission, i.e. applying standards such as Digital Imaging and Communication in Medicine (DICOM) and Health Level 7 (HL7) to address specific clinical communication needs and support optimal patient care. The entire enterprise environment is implemented and used daily in WRS. The central prerequisites in the development of the enterprise environment in western region of Sweden were: 1) information harmonization, 2) reuse of standardized messages e.g. HL7 v2.x and v3.x, 3) development of a holistic information domain including both text and images, and 4) to create a continuous and dynamic update functionality. The central challenges in this project were: 1) the many different vendors acting in the region and the negotiations with them to apply communication roles/profiles such as HL7 (CDA, CCR), DICOM, and XML, 2) the question of whom owns the data, and 3) incomplete technical standards. This study concludes that to create a workflow that runs within an enterprise environment there are a number of central prerequisites and challenges that needs to be in place. This calls for negotiations on an international, national and regional level with standardization organizations, vendors, health management and health personnel.

Regional Patterns of Stress Transfer in the Ablation Zone of the Western Greenland Ice Sheet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Andrews, L. C.; Hoffman, M. J.; Neumann, T.; Catania, G. A.; Luethi, M. P.; Hawley, R. L.

2016-12-01

Current understanding of the subglacial system indicates that the seasonal evolution of ice flow is strongly controlled by the gradual upstream progression of an inefficient - efficient transition within the subglacial hydrologic system followed by the reduction of melt and a downstream collapse of the efficient system. Using a spatiotemporally dense network of GPS-derived surface velocities from the Pâkitsoq Region of the western Greenland Ice Sheet, we find that this pattern of subglacial development is complicated by heterogeneous bed topography, resulting in complex patterns of ice flow. Following low elevation melt onset, early melt season strain rate anomalies are dominated by regional extension, which then gives way to spatially expansive compression. However, once daily minimum ice velocities fall below the observed winter background velocities, an alternating spatial pattern of extension and compression prevails. This pattern of strain rate anomalies is correlated with changing basal topography and differences in the magnitude of diurnal surface ice speeds. Along subglacial ridges, diurnal variability in ice speed is large, suggestive of a mature, efficient subglacial system. In regions of subglacial lows, diurnal variability in ice velocity is relatively low, likely associated with a less developed efficient subglacial system. The observed pattern suggests that borehole observations and modeling results demonstrating the importance of longitudinal stress transfer at a single field location are likely widely applicable in our study area and other regions of the Greenland Ice Sheet with highly variable bed topography. Further, the complex pattern of ice flow and evidence of spatially extensive longitudinal stress transfer add to the body of work indicating that the bed character plays an important role in the development of the subglacial system; closely matching diurnal ice velocity patterns with subglacial models may be difficult without coupling these models to high order ice flow models.

Implications for an Enhanced Biological Pump in the Sea-Ice Reduction Region of the Western Arctic Ocean

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nishino, S.; Shimada, K.; Itoh, M.; Yamamoto-Kawai, M.; Chiba, S.

2009-12-01

Since the late 1990s, catastrophic sea-ice reduction during summer has been observed in the western Arctic Ocean. Regions of decreasing sea ice might be associated with increased biological production compared to ice-covered ocean areas due to light intensification in the water column. The R/V Mirai field experiments in summer 2004 revealed that the algal biomass (chlorophyll a) in the open water region of the western Canada Basin increased from that observed in summer 1994, when the sea ice covered that area. Under the euphotic zone of the increased algal biomass area, evidence of diatom detritus decomposition was found, while such evidence was not observed in 1994, suggesting an enhancement of biological pump (see figure). The increase of algal biomass was not found throughout the sea-ice reduction region; rather, it was observed western Canada Basin where nutrients are effectively supplied from shelf regions. Further west from the Canada Basin, Russian river water with relatively high nutrients may play an important role in the biogeochemical cycles. Monthly sea-ice concentrations (white = 100%, black = 0%) in September of (a) 1994 and (b) 2004 (National Ice Center), and (c) vertical profiles of silicate obtained from the field experiments of Arctic Ocean Section 94 in 1994 (○) and Mirai04 in 2004 (■). The positions where the profiles were obtained are depicted by dots in (a) and (b), respectively.

Effects of trade openness and market scale on different regions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tian, Renqu; Yang, Zisheng

2017-04-01

This paper revisits the relationship between growth, trade openness and market scale. Empirical studies have provided that area develops lopsided problem in China is increasingly serious, while large trade openness and market scale bring about more economic growth. We use a number of data set from province-level’s gross domestic product and socio-economic, as well as statistical methods panel ordinary least squares and instrumental variables estimation techniques to explore the effects of trade openness and regional market scale on the three major economic regions. The results indicate: Firstly, the impact of market scale and trade openness on economic growth is found to be positive. Secondly, the overall regional disparity is owing to the trade openness, market scale and macroeconomic policies. Thirdly, midland and western region should take advantage of regional geographical location and resource to expand exports and narrow the regional difference.

The rapid bi-level exploration on the evolution of regional solar energy development

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guan, Qing; An, Haizhong; Li, Huajiao; Hao, Xiaoqing

2017-01-01

As one of the renewable energy, solar energy is experiencing increased but exploratory development worldwide. The positive or negative influences of regional characteristics, like economy, production capacity and allowance policies, make them have uneven solar energy development. In this paper, we aim at quickly exploring the features of provincial solar energy development, and their concerns about solar energy. We take China as a typical case, and combine text mining and two-actor networks. We find that the classification of levels based on certain nodes and the amount of degree avoids missing meaningful information that may be ignored by global level results. Moreover, eastern provinces are hot focus for the media, western countries are key to bridge the networks and special administrative region has local development features; third, most focus points are more about the application than the improvement of material. The exploration of news provides practical information to adjust researches and development strategies of solar energy. Moreover, the bi-level exploration, which can also be expanded to multi-level, is helpful for governments or researchers to grasp more targeted and precise knowledge.

Integrated Geologic and Geophysical Approach for Establishing Geothermal Play Fairways and Discovering Blind Geothermal Systems in the Great Basin Region, Western USA: A Progress Report

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

Faulds, James E.; Hinz, Nicholas H.; Coolbaugh, Mark F.

We have undertaken an integrated geologic, geochemical, and geophysical study of a broad 240-km-wide, 400-km-long transect stretching from west-central to eastern Nevada in the Great Basin region of the western USA. The main goal of this study is to produce a comprehensive geothermal potential map that incorporates up to 11 parameters and identifies geothermal play fairways that represent potential blind or hidden geothermal systems. Our new geothermal potential map incorporates: 1) heat flow; 2) geochemistry from springs and wells; 3) structural setting; 4) recency of faulting; 5) slip rates on Quaternary faults; 6) regional strain rate; 7) slip and dilationmore » tendency on Quaternary faults; 8) seismologic data; 9) gravity data; 10) magnetotelluric data (where available); and 11) seismic reflection data (primarily from the Carson Sink and Steptoe basins). The transect is respectively anchored on its western and eastern ends by regional 3D modeling of the Carson Sink and Steptoe basins, which will provide more detailed geothermal potential maps of these two promising areas. To date, geological, geochemical, and geophysical data sets have been assembled into an ArcGIS platform and combined into a preliminary predictive geothermal play fairway model using various statistical techniques. The fairway model consists of the following components, each of which are represented in grid-cell format in ArcGIS and combined using specified weights and mathematical operators: 1) structural component of permeability; 2) regional-scale component of permeability; 3) combined permeability, and 4) heat source model. The preliminary model demonstrates that the multiple data sets can be successfully combined into a comprehensive favorability map. An initial evaluation using known geothermal systems as benchmarks to test interpretations indicates that the preliminary modeling has done a good job assigning relative ranks of geothermal potential. However, a major challenge is defining logical relative rankings of each parameter and how best to combine the multiple data sets into the geothermal potential/ permeability map. Ongoing feedback and data analysis are in use to revise the grouping and weighting of some parameters in order to develop a more robust, optimized, final model. The final product will incorporate more parameters into a geothermal potential map than any previous effort in the region and may serve as a prototype to develop comprehensive geothermal potential maps for other regions.« less

Conceptualizing the regional hydrology of a complex low relief terrain: Climate - geology interactions on sink-source dynamics of Western Boreal forests

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Devito, K. J.; Mendoza, C. A.; Petrone, R. M.; Landhäusser, S.; Silins, U.; Qualizza, C.; Gignac, D.

2011-12-01

The Western Boreal Plain (WBP) eco-region of western Canada is experiencing unprecedented industrial development for forest, oil and gas resources, stressing the need to assess and understand the sink and source areas of regional water flow. This requires the development of models that can be use to predict and mitigate the impacts of land use changes on water quantity and quality. The WBP is characterized by low relief, hummocky terrain with complexes of forestland and wetlands, especially peatlands. A paired aspen forest harvest experiment (HEAD2) was conducted on adjacent pond-peatland-aspen forestland complexes of a moraine landform, ubiquitous throughout the WBP, to determine the influence of aspen vegetated forestlands and harvesting relative to wetlands on local and regional water cycling. Reductions in transpiration and interception following aspen harvest resulted in some increase in soil moisture. However, excess water was largely absorbed into deep moraine substrates and resulted in groundwater recharge with little or no lateral flow to adjacent wetlands and aquatic systems. As a result of high soil and groundwater storage there was no observable difference in runoff from the harvested catchment compared to the adjacent reference (uncut) catchment confirming that in most years runoff originates from the wetland (peatland) rather than forestland hydrologic units. Furthermore, soil moisture increases were short lived due to rapid redevelopment of leaf area as result of high-density regeneration of aspen through root suckering. Recovery of transpiration and interception to near pre-harvest conditions occurred within 3 years. Climate cycles, primarily inter-annual variation in snow pack, can overwhelm the influence of aspen harvest in the WBP, as during the harvest experiment large water table rises were observed in both the uncut and the harvested forestlands. This study illustrates that forestlands on deep moraine hummocky substrates of the WBP act essentially as water sinks, with large storage and exchange to the atmosphere and infrequent runoff at a regional scale. This contrasts wetland hydrologic units that contribute most frequently to regional scale runoff due to low soil storage and persistent lateral surface or near surface runoff. Mapping the organization or configuration of these two hydrological (or cryptic) units on distinct geologic landforms rather than the topographic drainage networks appears to best represent water cycling and interactions in the WBP. Using hydrologic units will facilitate better understanding and modeling of regional runoff and aid in determining the influence of geology, climate and land use interactions in heterogeneous glacial landscapes.

AREA MONITORING OF AMBIENT DOSE RATES IN PARTS OF SOUTH-WESTERN NIGERIA USING A GPS-INTEGRATED RADIATION SURVEY METER.

PubMed

Okeyode, I C; Rabiu, J A; Alatise, O O; Makinde, V; Akinboro, F G; Al-Azmi, D; Mustapha, A O

2017-04-01

A radiation monitoring system comprising a Geiger-Muller counter connected to a smart phone via Bluetooth was used for a dose rate survey in some parts of south-western Nigeria. The smart phone has the Geographical Positioning System, which provides the navigation information and saves it along with the dose rate data. A large number of data points was obtained that shows the dose rate distribution within the region. The results show that the ambient dose rates in the region range from 60 to 520 nSv -1 and showed a bias that is attributable to the influence of geology on the ambient radiation dose in the region. The geology influence was demonstrated by superimposing the dose rate plot and the geological map of the area. The potential applications of the device in determining baseline information and in area monitoring, e.g. for lost or abandoned sources, radioactive materials stockpiles, etc., were discussed in the article, particularly against the background of Nigeria's plan to develop its nuclear power program. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Antibiotic management of complicated intra-abdominal infections in adults: The Asian perspective

PubMed Central

Kurup, Asok; Liau, Kui-Hin; Ren, Jianan; Lu, Min-Chi; Navarro, Narciso S.; Farooka, Muhammad Waris; Usman, Nurhayat; Destura, Raul V.; Sirichindakul, Boonchoo; Tantawichien, Terapong; Lee, Christopher K.C.; Solomkin, Joseph S.

2014-01-01

Regional epidemiological data and resistance profiles are essential for selecting appropriate antibiotic therapy for intra-abdominal infections (IAIs). However, such information may not be readily available in many areas of Asia and current international guidelines on antibiotic therapy for IAIs are for Western countries, with the most recent guidance for the Asian region dating from 2007. Therefore, the Asian Consensus Taskforce on Complicated Intra-Abdominal Infections (ACT-cIAI) was convened to develop updated recommendations for antibiotic management of complicated IAIs (cIAIs) in Asia. This review article is based on a thorough literature review of Asian and international publications related to clinical management, epidemiology, microbiology, and bacterial resistance patterns in cIAIs, combined with the expert consensus of the Taskforce members. The microbiological profiles of IAIs in the Asian region are outlined and compared with Western data, and the latest available data on antimicrobial resistance in key pathogens causing IAIs in Asia is presented. From this information, antimicrobial therapies suitable for treating cIAIs in patients in Asian settings are proposed in the hope that guidance relevant to Asian practices will prove beneficial to local physicians managing IAIs. PMID:25568794

Late Paleogene rifting along the Malay Peninsula thickened crust

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sautter, Benjamin; Pubellier, Manuel; Jousselin, Pierre; Dattilo, Paolo; Kerdraon, Yannick; Choong, Chee Meng; Menier, David

2017-07-01

Sedimentary basins often develop above internal zones of former orogenic belts. We hereafter consider the Malay Peninsula (Western Sunda) as a crustal high separating two regions of stretched continental crust; the Andaman/Malacca basins in the western side and the Thai/Malay basins in the east. Several stages of rifting have been documented thanks to extensive geophysical exploration. However, little is known on the correlation between offshore rifted basins and the onshore continental core. In this paper, we explore through mapping and seismic data, how these structures reactivate pre-existing Mesozoic basement heterogeneities. The continental core appears to be relatively undeformed after the Triassic Indosinian orogeny. The thick crustal mega-horst is bounded by complex shear zones (Ranong, Klong Marui and Main Range Batholith Fault Zones) initiated during the Late Cretaceous/Early Paleogene during a thick-skin transpressional deformation and later reactivated in the Late Paleogene. The extension is localized on the sides of this crustal backbone along a strip where earlier Late Cretaceous deformation is well expressed. To the west, the continental shelf is underlain by three major crustal steps which correspond to wide crustal-scale tilted blocks bounded by deep rooted counter regional normal faults (Mergui Basin). To the east, some pronounced rift systems are also present, with large tilted blocks (Western Thai, Songkhla and Chumphon basins) which may reflect large crustal boudins. In the central domain, the extension is limited to isolated narrow N-S half grabens developed on a thick continental crust, controlled by shallow rooted normal faults, which develop often at the contact between granitoids and the host-rocks. The outer limits of the areas affected by the crustal boudinage mark the boundary towards the large and deeper Andaman basin in the west and the Malay and Pattani basins in the east. At a regional scale, the rifted basins resemble N-S en-echelon structures along large NW-SE shear bands. The rifting is accommodated by large low angle normal faults (LANF) running along crustal morphostructures such as broad folds and Mesozoic batholiths. The deep Andaman, Malay and Pattani basins seem to sit on weaker crust inherited from Gondwana-derived continental blocks (Burma, Sibumasu, and Indochina). The set of narrow elongated basins in the core of the Region (Khien Sa, Krabi, and Malacca basins) suffered from a relatively lesser extension.

Trends in the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) associated with urban development in arctic and subarctic Western Siberia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Outten, S.; Miles, V.; Ezau, I.

2015-12-01

Changes in normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) in the high Arctic have been reliably documented, with widespread "greening" (increase in NDVI), specifically along the northern rim of Eurasia and Alaska. Whereas in West Siberia south of 65N, widespread "browning" (decrease in NDVI) has been noted, although the causes remain largely unclear. In this study we report results of statistical analysis of the spatial and temporal changes in NDVI around 28 major urban areas in the arctic and subarctic Western Siberia. Exploration and exploitation of oil and gas reserves has led to rapid industrialization and urban development in the region. This development has significant impact on the environment and particularly in the vegetation cover in and around the urbanized areas. The analysis is based on 15 years (2000-2014) of high-resolution (250 m) Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data acquired for summer months (June through August) over the entire arctic and subarctic Western Siberian region. The analysis shows that the NDVI background trends are generally in agreement with the trends reported in previous coarse-resolution NDVI studies. Our study reveals greening over the arctic (tundra and tundra-forest) part of the region. Simultaneously, the southern (boreal taiga forest) part is browning, with the more densely vegetation areas or areas with highest NDVI, particularly along Ob River showing strong negative trend. The unexpected and interesting finding of the study is statistically robust indication of the accelerated increase of NDVI ("greening") in the older urban areas. Many Siberian cities become greener even against the decrease in the NDVI background. Moreover, interannual variations of urban NDVI are not coherent with the NDVI background variability. We also find that in tundra zones, NDVI values are higher in a 5-10 km buffer zone around the city edge than in rural areas (40 km distance from the city edge), and in taiga in a 5-10 km buffer zone NDVI value are lower compare with rural zone. We speculate that the observed "greening" or "browning" around urban areas could be caused by the vegetation cover response to the anthropogenic urban heat island (UHI) effect. The general regional trend is amplified in very close proximity to the urban areas, possibly due to UHI effect.

Rainwater harvesting in the South American Dry Chaco

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Magliano, P. N.; Baldi, G.; Murray, F.; Aurand, S.; Paez, R. A.; Jobbagy, E. G.

2014-12-01

A vast fraction of the South American Dry Chaco ecoregion still relies on rainwater harvesting (RWH) to support, not only livestock production, but domestic and industrial uses as well. As a result, water capture and storage infrastructure is widely disseminated throughout the region. In this work we characterized the most typical RWH systems in two contrastingly developed sub-regions of Dry Chaco ranging from extensive ranching to intensive beef and dairy production (central Argentina and western Paraguay, respectively). In each sub-region, we quantified RWH density, spatial distribution and associations with landscape features; by other hand, we illustrated how the daily dynamic of water stock in a typical RWH system contributes to assess their capture and storage efficiency. We found that randomly distributed, low-tech RWH systems prevail in central Argentina, while clustered and hi-tech systems do it in western Paraguay. Their density was highly contrasting between sub-regions (0.098 vs. 0.94 units/ km2 in central Argentina and western Paraguay, respectively), being exponentially associated with land cleared fraction and proximity to villages. The daily monitoring of water level suggested a positive but complex response of water capture to precipitation. The elongated catchment area, created by roads and trails, could have partially decoupled local precipitation and water yield of the impoundment, favouring the capture of remote precipitation events and generating highly variable water yield under large local precipitation events. Once stored, the rates of water level decline suggested that infiltration exceeded evaporation as a water output pathway (59 vs. 41%, respectively, of total losses). Across both study areas, RWH accounts for less than 1% of the annual precipitation, playing a minor role on the regional water balance; however at a local level, they can affect several hydrological fluxes including the onset of groundwater recharge and the mitigation of extreme runoff events along roads and trails.

Assessing recent and near-future changes in Southern California's groundwater storage from the perspective of regional climate modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

De Sales, F.; Rother, D.

2017-12-01

Current climate change assessments project an increase in temperature throughout the western U.S. over the next century, while precipitation is projected to decrease in the Southwest. These assessments are based mainly on coarse spatial resolution general circulation model (GCM) simulations, which do not include groundwater (soil and aquifer) storage projections. However, water availability is a regionally variable resource and climate change impacts on groundwater distribution will probably differ regionally across the southwestern U.S. We have implemented a coupled atmosphere-biosphere-aquifer regional modelling system (WRF/SSiB2/SIMGM) to generate recent (2005-2017) and near-future (2018-2030) high-resolution groundwater projections for Southern California. These projections are obtained by dynamic downscaling data from the Global Operation Analysis (recent) and the NCAR Community Earth System Model CMIP5 global projections (near future), which supported the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change 5th Assessment Report. Near-future simulations include three representative concentration pathway (RCP) scenarios namely, RCP4.5, RCP6, and RCP8.5. The model can reasonably simulate the recent changes in Southern California's groundwater as indicated by a comparison to terrestrial water storage obtained from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment dataset. In particular, the 2011-2017 drought is simulated well with total groundwater storages declining throughout the period, especially along the western portion of the domain, which includes the high-populated areas of western Los Angeles, San Diego, Ventura and Orange counties. In general, the near-future simulations show a decline in groundwater storage for the region. The largest changes are observed with the RCP8.5 emission pathway, towards to southeastern tier of the study area. In addition to groundwater, this downscaling experiment also generates high-resolution precipitation and temperature estimates, which can help policy makers in the development of strategies to alleviate potential water resource deficiencies in California in the near future.

EarthScope Transportable Array Siting Outreach Activities in Alaska and Western Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gardine, L.; Dorr, P. M.; Tape, C.; McQuillan, P.; Taber, J.; West, M. E.; Busby, R. W.

2014-12-01

The EarthScopeTransportable Array is working to locate over 260 stations in Alaska and western Canada. In this region, new tactics and partnerships are needed to increase outreach exposure. IRIS and EarthScope are partnering with the Alaska Earthquake Center, part of University of Alaska Geophysical Institute, to spread awareness of Alaska earthquakes and the benefits of the Transportable Array for Alaskans. Nearly all parts of Alaska are tectonically active. The tectonic and seismic variability of Alaska requires focused attention at the regional level, and the remoteness and inaccessibility of most Alaska villages and towns often makes frequent visits difficult. For this reason, Alaska outreach most often occurs at community events. When a community is accessible, every opportunity to engage the residents is made. Booths at state fairs and large cultural gatherings, such as the annual convention of the Alaska Federation of Natives, are excellent venues to distribute earthquake information and to demonstrate a wide variety of educational products and web-based applications related to seismology and the Transportable Array that residents can use in their own communities. Region-specific publications have been developed to tie in a sense of place for residents of Alaska. The Alaska content for IRIS's Active Earth Monitor will emphasize the widespread tectonic and seismic features and offer not just Alaska residents, but anyone interested in Alaska, a glimpse into what is going on beneath their feet. The concerted efforts of the outreach team will have lasting effects on Alaskan understanding of the seismic hazard and tectonics of the region. Efforts to publicize the presence of the Transportable Array in Alaska, western Canada, and the Lower 48 also continue. There have been recent articles published in university, local and regional newspapers; stories appearing in national and international print and broadcast media; and documentaries produced by some of the world's most respected scientific and educational production companies that have included a segment about EarthScope and the Transportable Array.

What Caused the August 2002 Catastrophic Floods in Central Europe?

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Otterman, J.; Atlas, R.; Jusem, J. C.; Van Engelen, A.; Terry, J.

2002-01-01

The catastrophic August 2002 floods in central Europe followed very intense rains over a span of several days, reported over a large region. On Aug. 12 meteorological stations over an elongated swath, from the vicinity of Saltzburg (Austria) in the south to the vicinity of Berlin in the north, reported precipitation exceeding 100 mm/day. Synoptic analysis points to a jet streak in the mid-Atlantic. moving eastward, which reached Spain on about 9th of August. An understanding of the mechanism that ultimately produced the unprecedented rains was derived conveniently from the GEOS 3 Model developed at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center. Examining the scenarios of omega, we observe on Aug. 10, OOZ, a center of ascending vertical motions, stronger than 0.6 Pa/s at the 700 hPa level over the western Mediterranean. Advecting moist and warm air to higher levels from the near-ocean level, the center moved eastward, reaching the northern Adriatic on Aug. 11, OOZ, then continuing northeast to the regions where most intense precipitation was reported on Aug. 12. The omega at 850 hPa shows a closely similar pattern but especially interesting is the 850 omega pattern on Aug. 12, 12Z, which shows descending motions stronger than 0.4 Pa/s over the eastern Po Valley (northern Italy), and an elongated region of ascending motions stronger than 1.0 Pa/s coinciding in extent with the extreme-precipitation region on that day. At that time, the cyclone which formed over the Po Valley, was centered on eastern Czech Republic, producing on its western side these strong ascending motions over the precipitation region. The pattern of the surface-pressure lows provides further insight into the processes, and specifically, the Aug. 12,06Z map, shows a 996 mb low over the western Czech Republic. The flooding following the extreme rains was acerbated by the fact that river-channels were made narrower over the recent decades by the urbanization of river banks.

Recent crustal deformation of İzmir, Western Anatolia and surrounding regions as deduced from repeated GPS measurements and strain field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aktuğ, Bahadır; Kılıçoğlu, Ali

2006-07-01

To investigate contemporary neotectonic deformation in İzmir, Western Anatolia and in its neighborhood, a relatively dense Global Positioning System (GPS) monitoring network was established in 2001. Combination of three spatially dense GPS campaigns in 2001, 2003 and 2004 with temporally dense campaigns between 1992 and 2004 resulted in a combined velocity field representing active deformation rate in the region. We computed horizontal and vertical velocity fields with respect to Earth-centered, Earth-fixed ITRF2000, to Eurasia and to Anatolia as well. The rates of principal and shear strains along with rigid-body rotation rates were derived from velocity field. Results show east-west shortening between Karaburun Peninsula and northern part of İzmir Bay together with the extension of İzmir Bay in accordance with general extension regime of Western Anatolia and Eastern Agea. East-west shortening and north-south extension of Karaburun Peninsula are closely related to right-lateral faulting and a clockwise rotation. There exists a block in the middle of the peninsula with a differential motion at a rate of 3-5 ± 1 mm/year and 5-6 ± 1 mm/year to the east and south, respectively. As is in Western Anatolia, north-south extension is dominant in almost all parts of the region despite the fact that they exhibit significantly higher rates in the middle of the peninsula. Extensional rates along Tuzla Fault lying nearly perpendicular to İzmir Bay and in its west are maximum in the region with an extension rate of 300-500 ± 80-100 nanostrain/year and confirm its active state. Extensional rates in other parts of the region are at level of 50-150 nanostrain/year as expected in the other parts of Western Anatolia.

Mid-Century Ensemble Regional Climate Change Scenarios for the Western United States

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

Leung, Lai R.; Qian, Yun; Bian, Xindi

To study the impacts of climate change on water resources in the western U.S., global climate simulations were produced using the National Center for Atmospheric Research/Department of Energy (NCAR/DOE) Parallel Climate Model (PCM). The Penn State/NCAR Mesoscale Model (MM5) was used to downscale the PCM control (1995-2015) and three future (2040-2060) climate simulations to yield ensemble regional climate simulations at 40 km spatial resolution for the western U.S. This paper focuses on analyses of regional simulations in the Columbia River and Sacramento-San Joaquin River Basins. Results based on the regional simulations show that by mid-century, the average regional warming ofmore » 1-2.5oC strongly affects snowpack in the western U.S. Along coastal mountains, reduction in annual snowpack is about 70%. Besides changes in mean temperature, precipitation, and snowpack, cold season extreme daily precipitation is found to increase by 5 to 15 mm/day (15-20%) along the Cascades and the Sierra. The warming results in increased rainfall over snowfall and reduced snow accumulation (or earlier snowmelt) during the cold season. In the Columbia River Basin, these changes are accompanied by more frequent rain-on-snow events. Overall, they induce higher likelihood of wintertime flooding and reduced runoff and soil moisture in the summer. Such changes could have serious impacts on water resources and agriculture in the western U.S. Changes in surface water and energy budgets in the Columbia River and Sacramento-San Joaquin basins are driven mainly by changes in surface temperature, which are statistically significant at the 0.95 confidence level. Changes in precipitation, however, are spatially incoherent and not statistically significant except for the drying trend during summer.« less

Using Field Data and GIS-Derived Variables to Model Occurrence of Williamson's Sapsucker Nesting Habitat at Multiple Spatial Scales.

PubMed

Drever, Mark C; Gyug, Les W; Nielsen, Jennifer; Stuart-Smith, A Kari; Ohanjanian, I Penny; Martin, Kathy

2015-01-01

Williamson's sapsucker (Sphyrapicus thyroideus) is a migratory woodpecker that breeds in mixed coniferous forests in western North America. In Canada, the range of this woodpecker is restricted to three small populations in southern British Columbia, precipitating a national listing as 'Endangered' in 2005, and the need to characterize critical habitat for its survival and recovery. We compared habitat attributes between Williamson's sapsucker nest territories and random points without nests or detections of this sapsucker as part of a resource selection analysis to identify the habitat features that best explain the probability of nest occurrence in two separate geographic regions in British Columbia. We compared the relative explanatory power of generalized linear models based on field-derived and Geographic Information System (GIS) data within both a 225 m and 800 m radius of a nest or random point. The model based on field-derived variables explained the most variation in nest occurrence in the Okanagan-East Kootenay Region, whereas nest occurrence was best explained by GIS information at the 800 m scale in the Western Region. Probability of nest occurrence was strongly tied to densities of potential nest trees, which included open forests with very large (diameter at breast height, DBH, ≥57.5 cm) western larch (Larix occidentalis) trees in the Okanagan-East Kootenay Region, and very large ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) and large (DBH 17.5-57.5 cm) trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides) trees in the Western Region. Our results have the potential to guide identification and protection of critical habitat as required by the Species at Risk Act in Canada, and to better manage Williamson's sapsucker habitat overall in North America. In particular, management should focus on the maintenance and recruitment of very large western larch and ponderosa pine trees.

Epidemiologic update on the dengue situation in the Western Pacific Region, 2011

PubMed Central

Edelstein, Zoe Rebecca; Han, Hwi Kwang; Matsui, Tamano

2013-01-01

Dengue is an emerging vectorborne infectious disease that is a major public health concern in the Asia and the Pacific. Official dengue surveillance data for 2011 provided by ministries of health were summarized as part of routine activities of the World Health Organization Regional Office for the Western Pacific. Based on officially reported surveillance data, dengue continued to show sustained activity in the Western Pacific Region. In 2011, Member States reported a total of 244 855 cases of which 839 died for a case fatality rate of 0.34%. More than 1000 cases were reported each from Cambodia, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Lao People's Democratic Republic, Malaysia, the Philippines, the Marshall Islands, Singapore and Viet Nam. Cambodia, the Federated States of Micronesia and the Marshall Islands reported higher activity relative to 2010. There continues to be great variability among the dengue-endemic countries and areas in the Region in the number of cases and serotype distribution. The continued high notification rate and complex dengue epidemiology in the Region highlight the need for information-sharing on a routine and timely basis. PMID:24015372

Epidemiologic update on the dengue situation in the Western Pacific Region, 2011.

PubMed

Arima, Yuzo; Edelstein, Zoe Rebecca; Han, Hwi Kwang; Matsui, Tamano

2013-01-01

Dengue is an emerging vectorborne infectious disease that is a major public health concern in the Asia and the Pacific. Official dengue surveillance data for 2011 provided by ministries of health were summarized as part of routine activities of the World Health Organization Regional Office for the Western Pacific. Based on officially reported surveillance data, dengue continued to show sustained activity in the Western Pacific Region. In 2011, Member States reported a total of 244,855 cases of which 839 died for a case fatality rate of 0.34%. More than 1000 cases were reported each from Cambodia, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Lao People's Democratic Republic, Malaysia, the Philippines, the Marshall Islands, Singapore and Viet Nam. Cambodia, the Federated States of Micronesia and the Marshall Islands reported higher activity relative to 2010. There continues to be great variability among the dengue-endemic countries and areas in the Region in the number of cases and serotype distribution. The continued high notification rate and complex dengue epidemiology in the Region highlight the need for information-sharing on a routine and timely basis.

Assessment of the Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing at Bakken on Regional Water Resources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, Z.; Lin, T.; Lim, S.; Borders, M.

2015-12-01

Unconventional oil production at the Bakken Shale of western North Dakota increased more than ten-fold from 2008 to 2014. Although unconventional oil production uses less water than conventional oil production per unit of energy, the cumulative water needs for unconventional oil production due to multiple drilling and fracturing operations may be locally or temporally significant. We collected and analyzed the data for a total of 8453 horizontal wells developed at Bakken in western North Dakota during 2007-2014. The hydraulic fracturing activities mainly occurred in a core area of four counties, including Dunn, McKenzie, Mountrail, and Williams. The annual total water used for hydraulic fracking in western North Dakota increased from 302 ac-ft in 2007 to 21,605 ac-ft in 2014, by more than 70 times in 8 years. The four-county core area accounted for about 90% of total hydraulic fracturing water use in western North Dakota. Compared to the total water uses of all types, hydraulic fracturing water use in the four-county core area accounted for 0.7% in 2007 and 43.1% in 2014. Statewide, this percentage increased from 0.1% to 6.1% in the same time period. As horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing technologies matured for unconventional oil development at Bakken, the total depth and the total length of laterals per well seemed to reach an optimal value in the last four years (2011-2014). However, the number of fracturing stages and the volume of fracking water used per completion are still on the rise. The average water use per well increased from about 1.7 ac-ft in 2007 to 11.4 ac-ft in 2014. Correspondingly, the water intensity (volume of fracking water used per foot of laterals) increased from 67 gallon/ft in 2007 to about 372 gallon/ft 2014. The results helped us better understand the environmental impacts of hydraulic fracturing at Bakken and better manage the water resources in the region.

Three Year Work Plan (2007--10) of the IUHPE Northern Part of the Western Pacific Region.

PubMed

Nakahara, Toshitaka

2008-09-01

The article presents the work plan of the Vice President for the Northern Part of the Western Pacific Region of the IUHPE. The highlights of the plan include, firstly, the organization of the First Asia-Pacific Conference on Health Promotion and Health Education, which will take place in July 2009. Secondly, the plan proposes the establishment of a liaison office and an Internet journal to facilitate collaboration among individuals, groups and organizations working in health promotion and education in this culturally and linguistically diverse region.

Break-up of the Atlantic deep western boundary current into eddies at 8 degrees S.

PubMed

Dengler, M; Schott, F A; Eden, C; Brandt, P; Fischer, J; Zantopp, R J

2004-12-23

The existence in the ocean of deep western boundary currents, which connect the high-latitude regions where deep water is formed with upwelling regions as part of the global ocean circulation, was postulated more than 40 years ago. These ocean currents have been found adjacent to the continental slopes of all ocean basins, and have core depths between 1,500 and 4,000 m. In the Atlantic Ocean, the deep western boundary current is estimated to carry (10-40) x 10(6) m3 s(-1) of water, transporting North Atlantic Deep Water--from the overflow regions between Greenland and Scotland and from the Labrador Sea--into the South Atlantic and the Antarctic circumpolar current. Here we present direct velocity and water mass observations obtained in the period 2000 to 2003, as well as results from a numerical ocean circulation model, showing that the Atlantic deep western boundary current breaks up at 8 degrees S. Southward of this latitude, the transport of North Atlantic Deep Water into the South Atlantic Ocean is accomplished by migrating eddies, rather than by a continuous flow. Our model simulation indicates that the deep western boundary current breaks up into eddies at the present intensity of meridional overturning circulation. For weaker overturning, continuation as a stable, laminar boundary flow seems possible.

Neogene amphibians and reptiles (Caudata, Anura, Gekkota, Lacertilia, and Testudines) from the south of Western Siberia, Russia, and Northeastern Kazakhstan

PubMed Central

Zazhigin, Vladimir S.

2017-01-01

Background The present-day amphibian and reptile fauna of Western Siberia are the least diverse of the Palaearctic Realm, as a consequence of the unfavourable climatic conditions that predominate in this region. The origin and emergence of these herpetofaunal groups are poorly understood. Aside from the better-explored European Neogene localities yielding amphibian and reptile fossil remains, the Neogene herpetofauna of Western Asia is understudied. The few available data need critical reviews and new interpretations, taking into account the more recent records of the European herpetofauna. The comparison of this previous data with that of European fossil records would provide data on palaeobiogeographic affiliations of the region as well as on the origin and emergence of the present-day fauna of Western Siberia. An overview of the earliest occurrences of certain amphibian lineages is still needed. In addition, studies that address such knowledge gaps can be useful for molecular biologists in their calibration of molecular clocks. Methods and Results In this study, we considered critically reviewed available data from amphibian and reptile fauna from over 40 Western Siberian, Russian and Northeastern Kazakhstan localities, ranging from the Middle Miocene to Early Pleistocene. Herein, we provided new interpretations that arose from our assessment of the previously published and new data. More than 50 amphibians and reptile taxa were identified belonging to families Hynobiidae, Cryptobranchidae, Salamandridae, Palaeobatrachidae, Bombinatoridae, Pelobatidae, Hylidae, Bufonidae, Ranidae, Gekkonidae, Lacertidae, and Emydidae. Palaeobiogeographic analyses were performed for these groups and palaeoprecipitation values were estimated for 12 localities, using the bioclimatic analysis of herpetofaunal assemblages. Conclusion The Neogene assemblage of Western Siberia was found to be dominated by groups of European affinities, such as Palaeobatrachidae, Bombina, Hyla, Bufo bufo, and a small part of this assemblage included Eastern Palaearctic taxa (e.g. Salamandrella, Tylototriton, Bufotes viridis). For several taxa (e.g. Mioproteus, Hyla, Bombina, Rana temporaria), the Western Siberian occurrences represented their most eastern Eurasian records. The most diverse collection of fossil remains was found in the Middle Miocene. Less diversity has been registered towards the Early Pleistocene, potentially due to the progressive cooling of the climate in the Northern Hemisphere. The results of our study showed higher-amplitude changes of precipitation development in Western Siberia from the Early Miocene to the Pliocene, than previously assumed. PMID:28348925

Neogene amphibians and reptiles (Caudata, Anura, Gekkota, Lacertilia, and Testudines) from the south of Western Siberia, Russia, and Northeastern Kazakhstan.

PubMed

Vasilyan, Davit; Zazhigin, Vladimir S; Böhme, Madelaine

2017-01-01

The present-day amphibian and reptile fauna of Western Siberia are the least diverse of the Palaearctic Realm, as a consequence of the unfavourable climatic conditions that predominate in this region. The origin and emergence of these herpetofaunal groups are poorly understood. Aside from the better-explored European Neogene localities yielding amphibian and reptile fossil remains, the Neogene herpetofauna of Western Asia is understudied. The few available data need critical reviews and new interpretations, taking into account the more recent records of the European herpetofauna. The comparison of this previous data with that of European fossil records would provide data on palaeobiogeographic affiliations of the region as well as on the origin and emergence of the present-day fauna of Western Siberia. An overview of the earliest occurrences of certain amphibian lineages is still needed. In addition, studies that address such knowledge gaps can be useful for molecular biologists in their calibration of molecular clocks. In this study, we considered critically reviewed available data from amphibian and reptile fauna from over 40 Western Siberian, Russian and Northeastern Kazakhstan localities, ranging from the Middle Miocene to Early Pleistocene. Herein, we provided new interpretations that arose from our assessment of the previously published and new data. More than 50 amphibians and reptile taxa were identified belonging to families Hynobiidae, Cryptobranchidae, Salamandridae, Palaeobatrachidae, Bombinatoridae, Pelobatidae, Hylidae, Bufonidae, Ranidae, Gekkonidae, Lacertidae, and Emydidae. Palaeobiogeographic analyses were performed for these groups and palaeoprecipitation values were estimated for 12 localities, using the bioclimatic analysis of herpetofaunal assemblages. The Neogene assemblage of Western Siberia was found to be dominated by groups of European affinities, such as Palaeobatrachidae, Bombina, Hyla , Bufo bufo , and a small part of this assemblage included Eastern Palaearctic taxa (e.g. Salamandrella , Tylototriton , Bufotes viridis ). For several taxa (e.g. Mioproteus, Hyla, Bombina , Rana temporaria ), the Western Siberian occurrences represented their most eastern Eurasian records. The most diverse collection of fossil remains was found in the Middle Miocene. Less diversity has been registered towards the Early Pleistocene, potentially due to the progressive cooling of the climate in the Northern Hemisphere. The results of our study showed higher-amplitude changes of precipitation development in Western Siberia from the Early Miocene to the Pliocene, than previously assumed.

Potential new production in two upwelling regions of the western Arabian Sea: Estimation and comparison

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liao, Xiaomei; Zhan, Haigang; Du, Yan

2016-07-01

Using satellite-derived and in situ data, the wind-driven potential new production (nitrate supply) for the 300 km wide coastal band in two upwelling regions of the western Arabian Sea (AS) during the southwest monsoon is estimated. The upward nitrate flux to the euphotic zone is generally based on the physical processes of coastal transport (Ekman transport and geostrophic transport) and offshore Ekman pumping. The coastal geostrophic current in the western AS influences the upwelling intensity and latitudinal distributions of nitrate supply. The Oman and Somalia upwelling regions have similar level of potential new production (nitrate supply) during the summer monsoon, while the satellite estimates of primary production off Oman are 2 times greater than those off Somalia. The much higher potential f-ratio in the Somalia upwelling region indicates that the primary production could be limited by availability of other macronutrients (e.g., silicate). The correlation analysis of the primary production and the aerosol optical thickness shows that the Oman upwelling region displays a stronger coupling between the atmospheric deposition and the phytoplankton abundance. The high summertime dust levels in the atmosphere are suggested to contribute to the high primary production in the Oman upwelling region.

Hydrological Connectivity and Science and Policy Integration Issues for Aquatic Resource Jurisdictional Determinations in a Semi-Arid Region of the Western U.S

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caruso, B. S.

2012-12-01

Rivers and streams are becoming increasingly stressed and degraded, and wetlands lost, due to human development and associated management policies and actions that are generally ineffective for aquatic resources protection and restoration. In the semi-arid western U.S., these issues are more severe due to the limited quantity of water and aquatic resources, the magnified role of their ecological services in drier landscapes, and increasing impacts from urbanization and energy development. However, a significant disconnect between policy and science exists that leads to continued degradation of surface waters. Supreme Court decisions and joint Federal agency guidance for determining jurisdiction as 'waters of the US' that can be protected under Clean Water Act Section 404 (permitting discharge of dredged and fill materials into wetlands and other waters) are good examples of this disconnect. The hydrological and ecological connectivity of intermittent and ephemeral streams and wetlands with downstream navigable waters is a critical issue that must be evaluated to determine jurisdiction, but this can be a complex endeavour in semi-arid regions. The hydrological connectivity and key science and policy integration issues for stream and wetland jurisdictional determinations (JDs) were evaluated for a semi-arid region of the western U.S. (Environmental Protection Agency [EPA] Region 8), including much of the Rocky Mountains, Great Plains and Colorado Plateau. The key scientific approaches recommended in the agency guidance were analyzed in detail. An evaluation was performed of a sample of JDs reviewed by EPA Region 8 and their outcomes in terms of aquatic resources that were considered non-jurisdictional. An analysis of stream types and characteristics across the region using available digital spatial analysis tools was performed. A subset of finalized JDs issued by COE was reviewed to analyze the scientific information used to evaluate connectivity to downstream waters and to develop the JDs. During 2007-2008, >1,200 JDs were evaluated by EPA Region 8 resulting in 793 wetlands considered non-jurisdictional due to isolation. Significant nexus evaluation was required for 441 waters, of which 49 wetlands, 66 streams and 14 other water bodies were considered non-jurisdictional. Intermittent streams that could non-jurisdictional due to isolation or inadequate hydrological connection comprise >3/4, and first order streams constitute >1/2 of the total stream length in the region, with the greatest proportion in the Dakotas and plains and desert ecoregions based on medium-resolution NHDPlus data. Many JDs don't contain or apply a range of important information that could be useful or needed. There are significant data gaps and inconsistencies in the types and quantification of scientific information and methods used across JDs. The primary science and policy integration issues include identification and evaluation of navigable waters, hydrologic permanence of perennial and intermittent/ ephemeral streams, stream order, significant nexus, aggregation of waters and effects, human impacts and changes, resource inventories and tools, and analysis of JD outcomes. One key recommendation to help address these issues is the continued development and application of digital spatial analysis tools.

Dominance of non-native riparian trees in western USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Friedman, J.M.; Auble, G.T.; Shafroth, P.B.; Scott, M.L.; Merigliano, M.F.; Freehling, M.D.; Griffin, E.R.

2005-01-01

Concern about spread of non-native riparian trees in the western USA has led to Congressional proposals to accelerate control efforts. Debate over these proposals is frustrated by limited knowledge of non-native species distribution and abundance. We measured abundance of 44 riparian woody plants at 475 randomly selected stream gaging stations in 17 western states. Our sample indicates that Tamarix ramosissima and Elaeagnus angustifolia are already the third and fourth most frequently occurring woody riparian plants in the region. Although many species of Tamarix have been reported in the region, T. ramosissima (here including T. chinensis and hybrids) is by far the most abundant. The frequency of occurrence of T. ramosissima has a strong positive relation with the mean annual minimum temperature, which is consistent with hypothesized frost sensitivity. In contrast the frequency of occurrence of E. angustifolia decreases with increasing minimum temperatures. Based on mean normalized cover, T. ramosissima and E. angustifolia are the second and fifth most dominant woody riparian species in the western USA. The dominance of T. ramosissima has been suspected for decades; the regional ascendance of E. angustifolia, however, has not previously been reported.

Checking transfer efficiency and equal loading via qualitative optical way in western blotting.

PubMed

Gong, Jun-Hua; Gong, Jian-Ping; Zheng, Kai-Wen

2017-11-01

The ability to determine that successful transfer and equal loading occur prior to using primary antibodies is important. And total protein staining is commonly used to check transfer efficiency and normalization, which play a crucial role in western blotting. Ponceau S and coomassie blue are commonly used, but there are disadvantages reported in recent years. Therefore, we are interested in finding another method, which is cheap, easy and fast. As we know, protein binding region of PVDF membrane is still hydrophilic when carbinol volatilizes, however, the non-protein binding region of PVDF membrane became hydrophobic again. And this different wettability between non-protein binding region and protein binding region of Polyvinylidene difluoride membrane may be used to check transfer efficiency and equal loading in western blotting. Based on the principle above, we describe an optical approach where an experimenter can observe that the proteins have been transferred to the membrane without any staining within minutes. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Variation in the macrofaunal community over large temporal and spatial scales in the southern Yellow Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Yong; Sui, Jixing; Yang, Mei; Sun, Yue; Li, Xinzheng; Wang, Hongfa; Zhang, Baolin

2017-09-01

To detect large, temporal- and spatial-scale variations in the macrofaunal community in the southern Yellow Sea, data collected along the western, middle and eastern regions of the southern Yellow Sea from 1958 to 2014 were organized and analyzed. Statistical methods such as cluster analysis, non-metric multidimensional scaling ordination (nMDS), permutational multivariate analysis of variance (PERMANOVA), redundancy analysis (RDA) and canonical correspondence analysis (CCA) were applied. The abundance of polychaetes increased in the western region but decreased in the eastern region from 1958 to 2014, whereas the abundance of echinoderms showed an opposite trend. For the entire macrofaunal community, Margalef's richness (d), the Shannon-Wiener index (H‧) and Pielou's evenness (J‧) were significantly lower in the eastern region when compared with the other two regions. No significant temporal differences were found for d and H‧, but there were significantly lower values of J‧ in 2014. Considerable variation in the macrofaunal community structure over the past several decades and among the geographical regions at the species, genus and family levels were observed. The species, genera and families that contributed to the temporal variation in each region were also identified. The most conspicuous pattern was the increase in the species Ophiura sarsii vadicola in the eastern region. In the western region, five polychaetes (Ninoe palmata, Notomastus latericeus, Paralacydonia paradoxa, Paraprionospio pinnata and Sternaspis scutata) increased consistently from 1958 to 2014. The dominance curves showed that both the species diversity and the dominance patterns were relatively stable in the western and middle regions. Environmental parameters such as depth, temperature and salinity could only partially explain the observed biological variation in the southern Yellow Sea. Anthropogenic activities such as demersal fishing and other unmeasured environmental variables may be more responsible for the long-term changes in the macrofaunal community.

Source of moist air for the Asian summer monsoon lower stratosphere

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, K.; Fu, R.; Wang, T.

2015-12-01

The Asian monsoon region is the most prominent moist center of lower stratospheric (LS) water vapor during boreal summer. However, the origin of such moist air is still unclear. Using Aura Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) satellite observations and a domain-filling forward trajectory model, we show that moist air originates mostly from the western Asian Monsoon region where dehydration temperatures are warmer than those on the eastside of the Asian monsoon region. On seasonal scale, a shift of convective and dehydration center from the eastern to western monsoon region from early to late summer may contribute to the increase of LS water vapor over the Asian monsoon region. An increasing convection over the west side of the monsoon region can significantly moisten the LS. Air detrained from convection ascends with enhanced large-scale rising motion and dehydrate mostly within this region under warmer temperature, thus anomalously higher water vapor concentration. After final dehydration, water vapor anomalies show an upper-eastward propagation across the Asian monsoon region. This is primarily due to that air parcels tend to arise across the tropopause layer over the western region (eastern Iranian Plateau and northwestern India) after final dehydration as simulated by the trajectory model. This work highlights the importance of transport pathway shift, induced by the convective regime shift, on both seasonal and intraseasonal variations of water vapor in the Asian monsoon LS.

Characterization of a Western Pacific Zika Virus Strain in Australian Aedes aegypti.

PubMed

Hall-Mendelin, Sonja; Pyke, Alyssa T; Moore, Peter R; Ritchie, Scott A; Moore, Frederick A J; van den Hurk, Andrew F

2018-06-01

Zika virus (ZIKV) is a globally emerging arbovirus responsible for widespread epidemics in the western Pacific, the Americas, and Asia. The virus predominately circulates in urban transmission cycles between Aedes aegypti and humans. Australia is considered at risk to outbreaks of ZIKV due to the presence of A. aegypti populations in northern areas of the state of Queensland. Furthermore, close proximity to epidemic regions has led to almost 50% of imported cases reported since 2012 originating in the Pacific region. We conducted the first vector competence experiments with A. aegypti from three Australian populations for a western Pacific strain of ZIKV. When exposed to bloodmeals containing between 10 5 and 10 8 tissue culture infectious dose (TCID) 50 /mL of virus, infection, dissemination, and transmission, rates were <10%. In comparison to using frozen virus stock, exposing mosquitoes to freshly cultured virus also did not increase infection or transmission rates. It was only when bloodmeal titers exceeded 10 8 TCID 50 /mL that infection rates approached 50% and transmission rates increased to >20%. However, this concentration of virus is considerably higher than levels previously reported in blood samples from viremic humans. The Australian A. aegypti tested appear to express a midgut barrier to ZIKV infection, as 50% of mosquitoes that became infected developed a disseminated infection, and 50% of those mosquitoes transmitted the virus. Overall, these results suggest that while Australian A. aegypti strains are able to transmit the western Pacific ZIKV strain, they are relatively inefficient vectors of the virus.

Exceptionally high levels of lead pollution in the Balkans from the Early Bronze Age to the Industrial Revolution.

PubMed

Longman, Jack; Veres, Daniel; Finsinger, Walter; Ersek, Vasile

2018-05-29

The Balkans are considered the birthplace of mineral resource exploitation and metalworking in Europe. However, since knowledge of the timing and extent of metallurgy in southeastern Europe is largely constrained by discontinuous archaeological findings, the long-term environmental impact of past mineral resource exploitation is not fully understood. Here, we present a high-resolution and continuous geochemical record from a peat bog in western Serbia, providing a clear indication of the extent and magnitude of environmental pollution in this region, and a context in which to place archaeological findings. We observe initial evidence of anthropogenic lead (Pb) pollution during the earliest part of the Bronze Age [∼3,600 years before Common Era (BCE)], the earliest such evidence documented in European environmental records. A steady, almost linear increase in Pb concentration after 600 BCE, until ∼1,600 CE is observed, documenting the development in both sophistication and extent of southeastern European metallurgical activity throughout Antiquity and the medieval period. This provides an alternative view on the history of mineral exploitation in Europe, with metal-related pollution not ceasing at the fall of the western Roman Empire, as was the case in western Europe. Further comparison with other Pb pollution records indicates the amount of Pb deposited in the Balkans during the medieval period was, if not greater, at least similar to records located close to western European mining regions, suggestive of the key role the Balkans have played in mineral resource exploitation in Europe over the last 5,600 years. Copyright © 2018 the Author(s). Published by PNAS.

Contingent Pacific-Atlantic Ocean influence on multicentury wildfire synchrony over western North America.

PubMed

Kitzberger, Thomas; Brown, Peter M; Heyerdahl, Emily K; Swetnam, Thomas W; Veblen, Thomas T

2007-01-09

Widespread synchronous wildfires driven by climatic variation, such as those that swept western North America during 1996, 2000, and 2002, can result in major environmental and societal impacts. Understanding relationships between continental-scale patterns of drought and modes of sea surface temperatures (SSTs) such as El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO), and Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO) may explain how interannual to multidecadal variability in SSTs drives fire at continental scales. We used local wildfire chronologies reconstructed from fire scars on tree rings across western North America and independent reconstructions of SST developed from tree-ring widths at other sites to examine the relationships of multicentury patterns of climate and fire synchrony. From 33,039 annually resolved fire-scar dates at 238 sites (the largest paleofire record yet assembled), we examined forest fires at regional and subcontinental scales. Since 1550 CE, drought and forest fires covaried across the West, but in a manner contingent on SST modes. During certain phases of ENSO and PDO, fire was synchronous within broad subregions and sometimes asynchronous among those regions. In contrast, fires were most commonly synchronous across the West during warm phases of the AMO. ENSO and PDO were the main drivers of high-frequency variation in fire (interannual to decadal), whereas the AMO conditionally changed the strength and spatial influence of ENSO and PDO on wildfire occurrence at multidecadal scales. A current warming trend in AMO suggests that we may expect an increase in widespread, synchronous fires across the western U.S. in coming decades.

Spectral data analysis of rock and mineral in Hatu Western Junggar Region, Xinjiang

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Shanshan; Zhou, Kefa; Zhang, Nannan; Wang, Jinlin

2014-11-01

Mineral resources are important material basis for the survival and development of human society. The development of hyperspectral remote sensing technology, which has made direct identification of minerals or mineral aggregates become possible, paves a new way for the application of remote sensing geology. The West Junggar region is located Xinjiang west verge of Junggar, with ore-forming geological conditions be richly endowed by nature and huge prospecting potentiality. The area has very good outcrop exposure with almost no vegetation cover, which is a natural test new method of remote sensing geological exploration. The characteristic of rock and mineral spectrum is not only the physical base of geological remote sensing technical application but also the base of the quantificational analysis of geological remote sensing, and the study of reflectance spectrum is the main content in the basic research of remote sensing. In this study, we collected the outdoor and indoor reflectance spectrum of rocks and minerals by using a spectroradiometer (ASD FieldSpec FR, ASD, USA), which band extent varied from 350 to 2,500 nm. Basin on a great deal of spectral data for different kinds of rocks and minerals, we have analyzed the spectrum characteristics and change of seven typical mineral rocks. According to the actual conditions, we analyzed the data noise characteristic of the spectrum and got rid of the noise. Meanwhile, continuum removed technology was used to remove the environmental background influence. Finally, in order to take full advantage of multi-spectrum data, ground information is absolutely necessary, and it is important to build a representative spectral library. We build the spectral library of rocks and minerals in Hatu, which can be used for features investigation, mineral classification, mineral mapping and geological prospecting in Hatu Western Junggar region by remote sensing. The result of this research will be significant to the research of accelerating Western Junggar mineral exploration.

Tropical fishes dominate temperate reef fish communities within western Japan.

PubMed

Nakamura, Yohei; Feary, David A; Kanda, Masaru; Yamaoka, Kosaku

2013-01-01

Climate change is resulting in rapid poleward shifts in the geographical distribution of tropical and subtropical fish species. We can expect that such range shifts are likely to be limited by species-specific resource requirements, with temperate rocky reefs potentially lacking a range of settlement substrates or specific dietary components important in structuring the settlement and success of tropical and subtropical fish species. We examined the importance of resource use in structuring the distribution patterns of range shifting tropical and subtropical fishes, comparing this with resident temperate fish species within western Japan (Tosa Bay); the abundance, diversity, size class, functional structure and latitudinal range of reef fishes utilizing both coral reef and adjacent rocky reef habitat were quantified over a 2 year period (2008-2010). This region has undergone rapid poleward expansion of reef-building corals in response to increasing coastal water temperatures, and forms one of the global hotspots for rapid coastal changes. Despite the temperate latitude surveyed (33°N, 133°E) the fish assemblage was both numerically, and in terms of richness, dominated by tropical fishes. Such tropical faunal dominance was apparent within both coral, and rocky reef habitats. The size structure of the assemblage suggested that a relatively large number of tropical species are overwintering within both coral and rocky habitats, with a subset of these species being potentially reproductively active. The relatively high abundance and richness of tropical species with obligate associations with live coral resources (i.e., obligate corallivores) shows that this region holds the most well developed temperate-located tropical fish fauna globally. We argue that future tropicalisation of the fish fauna in western Japan, associated with increasing coral habitat development and reported increasing shifts in coastal water temperatures, may have considerable positive economic impacts to the local tourism industry and bring qualitative changes to both local and regional fisheries resources.

Tropical Fishes Dominate Temperate Reef Fish Communities within Western Japan

PubMed Central

Nakamura, Yohei; Feary, David A.; Kanda, Masaru; Yamaoka, Kosaku

2013-01-01

Climate change is resulting in rapid poleward shifts in the geographical distribution of tropical and subtropical fish species. We can expect that such range shifts are likely to be limited by species-specific resource requirements, with temperate rocky reefs potentially lacking a range of settlement substrates or specific dietary components important in structuring the settlement and success of tropical and subtropical fish species. We examined the importance of resource use in structuring the distribution patterns of range shifting tropical and subtropical fishes, comparing this with resident temperate fish species within western Japan (Tosa Bay); the abundance, diversity, size class, functional structure and latitudinal range of reef fishes utilizing both coral reef and adjacent rocky reef habitat were quantified over a 2 year period (2008–2010). This region has undergone rapid poleward expansion of reef-building corals in response to increasing coastal water temperatures, and forms one of the global hotspots for rapid coastal changes. Despite the temperate latitude surveyed (33°N, 133°E) the fish assemblage was both numerically, and in terms of richness, dominated by tropical fishes. Such tropical faunal dominance was apparent within both coral, and rocky reef habitats. The size structure of the assemblage suggested that a relatively large number of tropical species are overwintering within both coral and rocky habitats, with a subset of these species being potentially reproductively active. The relatively high abundance and richness of tropical species with obligate associations with live coral resources (i.e., obligate corallivores) shows that this region holds the most well developed temperate-located tropical fish fauna globally. We argue that future tropicalisation of the fish fauna in western Japan, associated with increasing coral habitat development and reported increasing shifts in coastal water temperatures, may have considerable positive economic impacts to the local tourism industry and bring qualitative changes to both local and regional fisheries resources. PMID:24312528

Assessment and intercomparison of numerical simulations in the Western Mediterranean Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Juza, Mélanie; Mourre, Baptiste; Renault, Lionel; Tintoré, Joaquin

2014-05-01

The Balearic Islands Coastal Observing and Forecasting System (SOCIB, www.socib.es) is developing high resolution numerical simulations (hindcasts and forecasts) in the Western Mediterranean Sea (WMOP). WMOP uses a regional configuration of the Regional Ocean Modelling System (ROMS, Shchepetkin and McWilliams, 2005) with a high spatial resolution of 1/50º (1.5-2km). Thus, theses simulations are able to reproduce mesoscale and in some cases sub-mesoscale features that are key in the Mediterranean Sea since they interact and modify the basin and sub-basin circulation. These simulations are initialized from and nested in either the Mediterranean Forecasting System (MFS, 1/16º) or Mercator-Océan simulations (MERCATOR, 1/12º). A repeated glider section in the Ibiza Channel, operated by SOCIB, has revealed significant differences between two WMOP simulations using either MFS or MERCATOR (hereafter WMOP-MFS and WMOP-MERC). In this study, MFS, MERCATOR, WMOP-MFS and WMOP-MERC are compared and evaluated using available multi-platform observations such as satellite products (Sea Level Anomaly, Sea Surface Temperature) and in situ measurements (temperature and salinity profiles from Argo floats, CTD, XBT, fixed moorings and gliders; velocity fields from HF radar and currentmeters). A quantitative comparison is necessary to evaluate the capacity of the simulations to reproduce observed ocean features, and to quantify the possible simulations biases. This will in turn allow to improve the simulations, so as to produce better ocean forecast systems, to study and better understand ocean processes and to address climate studies. Therefore, various statistical diagnostics have been developed to assess and intercompare the simulations at various spatial and temporal scales, in different sub-regions (Alboran Sea, Western and Eastern Algerian sub-basins, Balearic Sea, Gulf of Lion), in different dynamical zones (coastal areas, shelves and "open" sea), along key sections (Ibiza and Mallorca Channels, Corsica Channel, ...) and during specific events.

Publications of the Western Earth Surface Processes Team 2006

USGS Publications Warehouse

Powell, Charles L.; Stone, Paul

2007-01-01

The Western Earth Surface Processes Team (WESPT) of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conducts geologic mapping, earth-surface process investigations, and related topical earth science studies in the western United States. This work is focused on areas where modern geologic maps and associated earth-science data are needed to address key societal and environmental issues such as ground-water quality, landslides and other potential geologic hazards, and land-use decisions. Areas of primary emphasis in 2006 included southern California, the San Francisco Bay region, the Mojave Desert, the Colorado Plateau region of northern Arizona, and the Pacific Northwest. The team has its headquarters in Menlo Park, California, and maintains smaller field offices at several other locations in the western United States. This compilation gives the bibliographical citations for 123 new publications, most of which are available online using the hyperlinks provided.

Mountains, fire, fire suppression, and the carbon cycle in the western United States

Treesearch

David Schimel

2004-01-01

Most mountain regions in the western United States are covered by forests, which are for the most part recovering from historical harvesting and have been experiencing active fire suppression over approximately the past 100 years (Tilman and others 2000). Whereas many western landscapes are currently perceived as pristine natural systems, the Rockies, Sierra Nevada,...

Second-growth western white pine stands

Treesearch

Richard F. Watt

1960-01-01

The western white pine type is the most valuable timber cover type of the Inland Empire. The large volumes per acre, greater than those found in any associated type, and the high value of the type species, western white pine (Pinus monticola Dougl.), combine to give stumpage returns that greatly exceed those of other regional types, lagging in the mountainous country...

The western arctic linkage experiment (WALE): overview and synthesis

Treesearch

A.D. McGuire; J. Walsh; J.S. Kimball; J.S. Clein; S.E. Euskirdhen; S. Drobot; U.C. Herzfeld; J. Maslanik; R.B. Lammers; M.A. Rawlins; C.J. Vorosmarty; T.S. Rupp; W. Wu; M. Calef

2008-01-01

The primary goal of the Western Arctic Linkage Experiment (WALE) was to better understand uncertainties of simulated hydrologic and ecosystem dynamics of the western Arctic in the context of 1) uncertainties in the data available to drive the models and 2) different approaches to simulating regional hydrology and ecosystem dynamics. Analyses of datasets on climate...

Potential for small-diameter sawtimber utilization by the current sawmill industry in western North America.

Treesearch

Francis G. Wagner; Charles E. Keegan; Roger D. Fight; Susan Willits

1998-01-01

New silvicultural prescriptions for ecosystem management on both public and private timberlands in western North America will likely result in an influx of relatively small-diameter sawtimber for processing. Since sawmills currently process a majority of sawtimber harvested in western North America (more than 80% in some regions), this study concentrated on...

Extreme differences in population structure and genetic diversity for three invasive congeners: knotweeds in western North America

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Japanese, giant, and the hybrid Bohemian knotweeds (Fallopia japonica, F. sachalinensis and F. x bohemica) have invaded the western USA and Canada, as well as other regions of the world. The distribution of these species in western North America, and their mode of invasion, is relatively unresolved....

Endemic Asian Chytrid Strain Infection in Threatened and Endemic Anurans of the Northern Western Ghats, India

PubMed Central

Dahanukar, Neelesh; Krutha, Keerthi; Paingankar, Mandar S.; Padhye, Anand D.; Modak, Nikhil; Molur, Sanjay

2013-01-01

The Western Ghats of India harbors a rich diversity of amphibians with more than 77% species endemic to this region. At least 42% of the endemic species are threatened due to several anthropogenic stressors. However, information on amphibian diseases and their impacts on amphibian populations in this region are scarce. We report the occurrence of Batrachochytridium dendrobatidis (Bd), an epidermal aquatic fungal pathogen that causes chytridiomycosis in amphibians, from the Western Ghats. In the current study we detected the occurrence of a native Asian Bd strain from three endemic and threatened species of anurans, Bombay Night Frog Nyctibatrachus humayuni, Leith's Leaping Frog Indirana leithii and Bombay Bubble Nest Frog Raorchestes bombayensis, for the first time from the northern Western Ghats of India based on diagnostic nested PCR, quantitative PCR, DNA sequencing and histopathology. While, the Bd infected I. leithii and R. bombayensis did not show any external symptoms, N. humayuni showed lesions on the skin, browning of skin and sloughing. Sequencing of Bd 5.8S ribosomal RNA gene, and the ITS1 and ITS2 regions, revealed that the current Bd strain is related to a haplotype endemic to Asia. Our findings confirm the presence of Bd in northern Western Ghats and the affected amphibians may or may not show detectable clinical symptoms. We suggest that the significance of diseases as potential threat to amphibian populations of the Western Ghats needs to be highlighted from the conservation point of view. PMID:24147018

Relevance of the Sustainable Rangelands Roundtable Criteria and Indicators for Sustainable Rangeland Management to Conditions in Patagonia (Argentina)

Treesearch

Andrés F. Cibils; Gabriel E. Oliva

2006-01-01

Patagonia’s rangelands are similar to those in western United States in terms of climate, topography, and vegetation physiognomy. However, differences in environmental, economic, and societal values do exist between regions. We assessed the usefulness of C&I (Criteria and Indicators) developed in the United States for other countries, and identified indicators not...

Recent Reform and Perspectives in Higher Education: Report of the Seminar Including a Range of Countries from Asia-Pacific and Europe.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Inst. for Educational Research, Tokyo (Japan).

This report describes a 1998 seminar held to review the situation of higher education reform in Asia and the Pacific region, as well as in some Western nations, and to identify common issues and priorities, and then develop a collaborative framework for addressing these issues and setting priorities. Seventeen participants from 16 countries…

What is Watershed Integrity? How is the Watershed Integrity in the Western Balkans? How does the IWI apply to my community? How can we Use the IWI to Manage River and Lake Basins?

EPA Science Inventory

Abstract: The Regional Environmental Center of Central and Eastern Europe was established by the United States and European Commission in 1990. WED is adapting the Index of Watershed Integrity (IWI) for Building Local Community Resilience for the Sustainable Development of Waters...

Is Student-Centred Learning a Western Concept? Lessons from an Academic Development Programme to Support Student-Centred Learning in Iraq

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jordan, L.; Bovill, C.; Othman, S. M.; Saleh, A. M.; Shabila, N. P.; Watters, N.

2014-01-01

This paper explores the idea that student-centred learning (SCL) is a concept and an approach that is internationally useful and transferable to a range of higher education settings. We present details of a British Council funded collaborative project between Hawler Medical University (HMU), in Erbil in the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq and…

Materials and Manufacturing Research and Development Capability Assessment of the Southwest Ohio Region

DTIC Science & Technology

2011-09-01

ISO / IEC 17025 :2005, NADCAP Acuren...River Road Brackenridge, PA 250 (724) 224-1000 $4.8B 11,000 ISO -9001, AS- 9100, NADCAP, ISO / IEC 17025 ATI – Allegheny Ludlum (Houston, PA) 501...Western Ave Houston, PA 233 (724) 745-2000 $4.8B 11,000 ISO -9001, AS- 9100, NADCAP, ISO / IEC 17025 ATI – Allegheny Ludlum (Louisville, OH)

Photos for estimating fuel loadings before and after prescribed burning in the upper coastal plain of the southeast

Treesearch

Eric R. Scholl; Thomas A. Waldrop

1999-01-01

Although prescribed burning is common in the Southeastern United States, most fuel models apply to only western forests. This paper documents a fuel classification system that was developed for plantations of loblolly and longleaf pines for the Upper Coastal Plain region. Multivariate analysis of variance and discriminant function analysis were used to confirm eight...

International Briefing 27: Training and Development in Peru

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Talleri, Andres Velarde; Llinas-Audet, Xavier; Escardibul, Josep-Oriol

2013-01-01

Peru is in the central, western part of South America. It is the third largest country in South America and number 20 in the world. It is the country with the fourth highest population in South America. In 2010, the gross domestic product (GDP) of Peru was 154 billion USD, and its rate of growth was 8.8% (higher than the average for the region for…

Systems Book for a Student Information System. End of Project Report, 1968-1971, Volume II.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Western Nevada Regional Education Center, Lovelock.

The necessary handbooks for use of the Student Information System (SIS), developed and tested by the Western Nevada Regional Education Center under a 1968-71 Title III (Elementary and Secondary Education Act) grant, are presented in this volume. As noted, the purpose of the SIS is to supply data and information to persons or organizations who make…

Growing Our Own: A Longitudinal Evaluation of a Professional Development Program for Early-Career 4-H Professionals

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Varrella, Gary F.; Luckey, Brian P.; Baca, Jacqueline S.; Peters, Curt

2016-01-01

We present the results of a longitudinal evaluation of the Western Region 4-H Institute, a 5-day training program designed to enhance the skill sets of early-career Extension professionals organized around the 4-H professional research, knowledge, and competencies model. Programs such as this often are assessed for their short-term relevance and…

Final summary of the laboratory culture and toxicity testing of juvenile western pearlshell (Margaritifera falcata) native to the western United States: Expansion of freshwater mussel water and sediment toxicity testing methods

EPA Science Inventory

A Regional Applied Research Effort project with EPA Region 10, ORD and USGS was initiated as a result of a baseline ecological risk assessment (BERA) problem formulation for the Upper Columbia River (UCR) site in northwest Washington. The UCR site is a 165-mile stretch of the Col...

The Effect of Lake Temperatures and Emissions on Ozone Exposure in the Western Great Lakes Region

Treesearch

Jerome D. Fast; Warren E. Heilman

2003-01-01

A meteorological-chemical model with a 12-km horizontal grid spacing was used to simulate the evolution of ozone over the western Great Lakes region during a 30-day period in the summer of 1999. Lake temperatures in the model were based on analyses derived from daily satellite measurements. The model performance was evaluated using operational surface and upper-air...

The western Kenai Peninsula: An opportunity to study fire and its effects on soils and trees

Treesearch

Theresa Jain; Tara M. Barrett

2011-01-01

Most of the coastal Alaska inventory unit is part of the temperate rain-forest biome, and fire is an extremely rare event. However, for the western side of the Kenai Peninsula and the Cook Inlet region, fire is a common source of natural disturbance (fig. 50). Although wildfires are a normal part of the disturbance regime for this region, urban growth and associated...

Changes in the non-Federal land base involving forestry in western Oregon, 1961-94.

Treesearch

Daolan Zheng; Ralph J. Alig

1999-01-01

Temporal and spatial analyses of land use changes on non-Federal lands in western Oregon between 1961 and 1994 were conducted. Two distinct changes in the region were a loss of forest lands and an increase in urban areas. Neither the rates of change over time nor the spatial distribution of land converted to urban use was evenly distributed in the region. The influence...