The Excess Burden of Cytomegalovirus in African American Communities: A Geospatial Analysis.

Background.  Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a common cause of birth defects and hearing loss in infants and opportunistic infections in the immunocompromised. Previous studies have found higher CMV seroprevalence rates among minorities and among persons with lower socioeconomic status. No studies have investigated the geographic distribution of CMV and its relationship to age, race, and poverty in the community. Methods.  We identified patients from 6 North Carolina counties who were tested in the Duke University Health System for CMV immunoglobulin G. We performed spatial statistical analyses to analyze the distributions of seropositive and seronegative individuals. Results.  Of 1884 subjects, 90% were either white or African American. Cytomegalovirus seropositivity was significantly more common among African Americans (73% vs 42%; odds ratio, 3.31; 95% confidence interval, 2.7-4.1), and this disparity persisted across the life span. We identified clusters of high and low CMV odds, both of which were largely explained by race. Clusters of high CMV odds were found in communities with high proportions of African Americans. Conclusions.  Cytomegalovirus seropositivity is geographically clustered, and its distribution is strongly determined by a community's racial composition. African American communities have high prevalence rates of CMV infection, and there may be a disparate burden of CMV-associated morbidity in these communities.

Highway Location Reference Procedure Project, 1990

The purpose of the proposed Highway Location Reference Procedure is stated in the contract as follows: "Establishment of a highway network locational reference process that will primarily allow for the proper correlation of pavement management data, and secondarily provide the basis for other existing and future data base integration and for the planned Iowa DOT Geographic Information System. In addition, the locational reference process will be able to correlate network applications with a statewide spatial location method to facilitate the relationship of Iowa DOT data to that of other agencies and to allow for the graphic display of the network in map form." The Design Specifications and Implementation Plan, included in this Final Report, are intended to provide the basis for proceeding with immediate development and implementation of the pavement management system. These specifications will also support the future Iowa DOT implementation of other integrated data bases and/or the planned Geographic Information System.

Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions Through Alterations to the Public Right-of-Way

Thesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2016-06

Entre serras e sertões A(s) (trans)formaç(ões) de centralidade(s) da Região Metropolitana do Cariri/CE

This study reviews the spatial configuration from the road network of an urban compound formed by the cities of Crato, Juazeiro do Norte and Barbalha (the Crajubar - core of the Cariri metropolitan region, in the State of Ceará, Brazil), in order to establish nexus (or relations) between different levels of accessibility and the formation/ transformation and specialization of centralities in local and metropolitan scales. Stemming from the Social Logic of Space theoretical and operational apparatus, the study explores modeling possibilities (with axial lines, segments and lines of continuity) which is then confronted to empirical observations concerning movement flows and land use, within a Geographic Information System database. At different scales of analysis, the results suggest evidences of continuity were found in the permanence of intra-urban centres and sub-centres within each town, whereas evidences of change pointed out to the formation of a new centrality of metropolitan magnitude in the neighbourhood referred to as the Triângulo, in the municipality of Juazeiro, where high levels of topological accessibility coincides with the appearance of new business buildings as well as with the emergence of urban equipment of a scale more adequate to meet a regional demand

Influência do uso e ocupação do solo na qualidade da água e no processo erosivo da bacia de captação do Rio Barro Preto, Coronel Vivida-PR

This study was developed in objecting to investigate the use and occupation of land in 1999, 2005, 2011 e 2015 and estimate soil degradation by laminar erosion and the relation with water quality in 2015 in the catchment basin of the Barro Preto river, Coronel Vivida – PR. For multitemporal analysis of use and occupation of land in the basin used in the Landsat 5, 7 and 8 images and Geographic Information System. The laminar erosion was estimated by the Universal Soil Loss Equation through the systematization of calculations of the factors that compose the equation in SPRING/INPE. The water quality of the studied river section was evaluated according to the Water Quality Idex and the Resolution CONAMA n. 357/2005. The multitemporal analysis of the use and occupation of land has demonstrated that basin is predominantly agricultural in all years studied, as well as the permanent preservation area presents it not regularized during the period in accordance with the Brazilian Forest Code in force. In relation the quantification of laminar soil erosion in the study period, the rainfall and runoff factor was estimated considering the rainfall data from 1986 to 2014 and resulted in a value of 11.573,47 MJ/ha.mm/a. The Dystrophic Red Latosol, Dystrophic Red Nitisol, Fluvisol and Leptosol soil erodibility factor were 0,0138, 0,0137, 0,0207, 0,0196 t.ha.h/ha.MJ.mm/a, respectively. The topographical factor has demonstrated that the catchment basin has the rough terrain because the moderate and moderate strong classes are dominant in the study area. The cover and management and support practice factors were estimated according to the multitemporal analysis of the use and occupation of land in the basin and the values ranged from 0,0006 to 0,0688. The soil losses by laminar erosion were simulated with agriculture areas with corn and soybeans in no-till. The soil losses with maize crop in no-till in 1999, 2005, 2011 and 2015 were 9.782,75, 10.592,71, 9.636,61 e 11.058,26 t/year, respectively, and soybeans crops in no-till were 15.140,01, 16.645,20, 14.662,14 e 17.049,85 t/year, respectively. In relation with water quality of the section studied river, the average of Water Quality Index during the season were 55,47, 53,09 and 49,72, for the first, second and third sample point, respectively. Indication a decrease in water quality since the source to the last sample point. It is concluded that the use and occupation of land in the catchment basin interferes in the water quality, as well as in soil degradation.

Entre serras e sertões A(s) (trans)formaç(ões) de centralidade(s) da Região Metropolitana do Cariri/CE

This study reviews the spatial configuration from the road network of an urban compound formed by the cities of Crato, Juazeiro do Norte and Barbalha (the Crajubar - core of the Cariri metropolitan region, in the State of Ceará, Brazil), in order to establish nexus (or relations) between different levels of accessibility and the formation/ transformation and specialization of centralities in local and metropolitan scales. Stemming from the Social Logic of Space theoretical and operational apparatus, the study explores modeling possibilities (with axial lines, segments and lines of continuity) which is then confronted to empirical observations concerning movement flows and land use, within a Geographic Information System database. At different scales of analysis, the results suggest evidences of continuity were found in the permanence of intra-urban centres and sub-centres within each town, whereas evidences of change pointed out to the formation of a new centrality of metropolitan magnitude in the neighbourhood referred to as the Triângulo, in the municipality of Juazeiro, where high levels of topological accessibility coincides with the appearance of new business buildings as well as with the emergence of urban equipment of a scale more adequate to meet a regional demand

Climate change and irrigation water requirement at Jaguaribe river basin, semi-arid northeast of Brazil.

Summary: Climate change has a potential to impact rainfall, temperature and air humidity, which have relation to plant evapotranspiration and crop water requirement. The purpose of this research is to assess climate change impacts on irrigation water demand, based on future scenarios derived from the PRECIS (Providing Regional Climates for Impacts Studies), using boundary conditions of the HadCM3 submitted to a dynamic downscaling nested to the Hadley Centre regional circulation model HadRM3P. Monthly time series for average temperature and rainfall were generated for 1961-90 (baseline) and the future (2040). The reference evapotranspiration was estimated using monthly average temperature. Projected climate change impact on irrigation water demand demonstrated to be a result of evapotranspiration and rainfall trend. Impacts were mapped over the target region by using geostatistical methods. An increase of the average crop water needs was estimated to be 18.7% and 22.2% higher for 2040 A2 and B2 scenarios, respectively. Objective ? To analyze the climate change impacts on irrigation water requirements, using downscaling techniques of a climate change model, at the river basin scale. Method: The study area was delimited between 4º39?30? and 5º40?00? South and 37º35?30? and 38º27?00? West. The crop pattern in the target area was characterized, regarding type of irrigated crops, respective areas and cropping schedules, as well as the area and type of irrigation systems adopted. The PRECIS (Providing Regional Climates for Impacts Studies) system (Jones et al., 2004) was used for generating climate predictions for the target area, using the boundary conditions of the Hadley Centre model HadCM3 (Johns et al., 2003). The considered time scale of interest for climate change impacts evaluation was the year of 2040, representing the period of 2025 to 2055. The output data from the climate model was interpolated, considering latitude/longitude, by applying ordinary kriging tools available at a Geographic Information System, in order to produce thematic maps.

APPLICATION OF REMOTE SENSING IN AQUATIC ECOSYSTEMS

I utilized state the art remote sensing and GIS (Geographical Information System) techniques to study large scale biological, physical and ecological processes of coastal, nearshore, and offshore waters of Lake Michigan and Lake Superior. These processes ranged from chlorophyll a and primary production time series analysies in Lake Michigan to coastal stamp sand threats on Buffalo Reef in Lake Superior. I used SeaWiFS (Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-view Sensor) satellite imagery to trace various biological, chemical and optical water properties of Lake Michigan during the past decade and to investigate the collapse of early spring primary production. Using spatial analysis techniques, I was able to connect these changes to some important biological processes of the lake (quagga mussels filtration). In a separate study on Lake Superior, using LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) and aerial photos, we examined natural coastal erosion in Grand Traverse Bay, Michigan, and discussed a variety of geological features that influence general sediment accumulation patterns and interactions with migrating tailings from legacy mining. These sediments are moving southwesterly towards Buffalo Reef, creating a threat to the lake trout and lake whitefish breeding ground.

Lidar Elevation Data Download App

See Project Homepage for more details.

Biotic and abiotic parameters that distinguish types of temporary ponds in a Portuguese Mediterranean ecosystem

Temporary ponds are seasonal wetland habitats subjected to extreme and unstable ecological conditions. Some are classified as priority habitats for conservation by the European Union Habitats Directive. Our study area was the coastal plain of southwest Portugal, which spans across 100km north to south and hosts a large number of temporary ponds as a consequence of climatic and edaphic characteristics. Field sampling of floristic and edaphic data was carried out in 24 temporary ponds every spring between 2005 and 2008. We recorded a total of 174 plant species identified within visually homogeneous plots. We included the data in a geographic information system and classified ponds according to their floristic composition, using a biotic regionalization analysis based on species presence/absence, which is a practical and unambiguous criterion. We found three significantly different groups of ponds which corresponded to an eco-physiognomic pond typology: Mediterranean temporary ponds, marshlands, and disturbed ponds. For the first two pond types we defined characteristic or indicator plant species. We searched also for relationships between pond type and a series of large-scale climatic, geographic, and geological variables, as well as local-scale physical and chemical properties of the soil. Pond type was distinguished by a complex combination of some of these variables, including environmental energy, soil texture, nitrogen content of the soil and pH. A practical way of discriminating between different

Geographical and environmental correlates of big and small game in Andalusia (southern Spain)

In Andalusia, southern Spain, each game estate applies its own rules and presents its results in annual hunting reports, which have been mandatory for Spanish game estates since 1989. We used the information about hunting yields, included in 32134 annual hunting reports produced during the period 1993/94 to 2001/02 by 6049 game estates, to determine the current distribution of hunting yields of big and small game species in Andalusia. Using generalised linear models and a geographic information system, we determined the most favourable municipalities to big and small game, respectively, and delimited potential areas to attain good hunting yields for big and small game at a 1-km2 resolution. Municipalities and areas favourable to big game are mainly located in the Sierra Morena and the westernmost fringe of the Betic Range, while those favourable to small game occupy the upper Guadalquivir River valley. There is a clear segregation between big and small game species according to the physiography and land uses of the territory. Big game species are typical of Mediterranean woodland areas, while the most emblematic small game species prefer agricultural areas. Our results provide a territorial ordination of hunting yields in southern Spain and have several potential applications in strategic planning for hunting activities and biodiversity conservation in Andalusia that can be extrapolated to other regions.

Otter (Lutra lutra) distribution modeling at two resolution scales suited to conservation planning in the Iberian Peninsula

We used the results of the Spanish Otter Survey of 1994–1996, a Geographic Information System and stepwise multiple logistic regression to model otter presence/absence data in the continental Spanish UTM 10 10-km squares. Geographic situation, indicators of human activity such as highways and major urban centers, and environmental variables related with productivity, water availability, altitude, and environmental energy were included in a logistic model that correctly classified about 73% of otter presences and absences. We extrapolated the model to the adjacent territory of Portugal, and increased the model’s spatial resolution by extrapolating it to 1 1-km squares in the whole Iberian Peninsula. The model turned out to be rather flexible, predicting, for instance, the species to be very restricted to the courses of rivers in some areas, and more widespread in others. This allowed us to determine areas where otter populations may be more vulnerable to habitat changes or harmful human interventions. # 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sistema informático de gestão e análise de genealogias

A selecção do tema e consequente trabalho de que emerge o titulo desta dissertação decorreu do facto de se ter tomado conhecimento da necessidade que os membros do projecto FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-007360 - Inquirir da Honra: Comissários do Santo Oficio e das Ordens Militares em Portugal (1570 - 1773) tiveram para satisfazer alguns objectivos em particular relacionados com a Genealogia da rede de Comissários. O sistema de trabalho manual que até aqui era utilizado, continha uma quantidade considerável de informação complexa, descrevendo ao pormenor as características não só dos indivíduos, mas também do que estava associado ao mesmo, incluindo quem e como se relacionava com as demais figuras. O principal objectivo consistiu assim em responder à pergunta: "Como será possível efectuar uma gestão de toda a informação genealógica recolhida no papel e permitir a sua análise no computador, recorrendo a tecnologias que, por um lado sejam eficientes, e por outro, fáceis de aprender pelos utilizadores?". Para conseguir responder à questão, foi necessário conhecer em primeira mão, o universo da Genealogia e a forma como opera, para que posteriormente, se desenhasse e moldasse toda uma aplicação às necessidades do utilizador. No entanto, a aplicação não se centra apenas em permitir ao utilizador efectuar uma gestão, recorrendo a um sistema de gestão de bases de dados MySQL e permitir a análise genealógica "tradicional" em programas como o Personal Ancestral File. Pretende-se sobretudo, que o utilizador faça uso e responda às perguntas "do presente" esperando que a própria aplicação sirva de motivação para novas perguntas, com a integração da tecnologia XML e do Sistema de Informação Geográfico, Google Earth, permitindo assim a análise de informação genealógica no mapa-mundo. ABSTRACT: The choice of this essay's work subject is set on the need to accomplish determinate goals related with the Genealogy of the network lnquisition Commissioners on behalf of the project FCOMP-01-0124-FEDER-007360 members - Inquirir da Honra: Comissários do Santo Ofício e das Ordens Militares em Portugal (1570 - 1773)- To Inquire Honor: Inquisition Commissioners and the Military Orders in Portugal. The manual work system used till now presented a considerable amount of complex information, describing in detail characteristics not only of individuals but also of what is associated to it, including whoandhow. The main goal aimed at thus responding to: «How could it be possible to select and examine all the genealogical data registered on paper and allow it to be analyzed on computer, by means of technology that on one hand are efficient and on other hand easy to learn by its users? ». ln order to get to the answer to that matter, it was necessary to acknowledge firstly the Genealogy's universe so afterwards it could be possible to outline and shape an entire application to user needs. Nevertheless, the application does not only focus on allowing the user to carry out the system’s management, using MySQL database management system and allowing the "traditional" genealogical management in programs such as the Personal Ancestral File. Above all the user should get involved with it and answer the key questions of 'the present’ hoping that the application serves by itself as motivation to arouse new questions with the integration of XML technology and Geographic Information System, Google Earth, thus allowing the analysis of genealogical information worldwide.

A spatial data warehouse to predict lithic sources of tombs from South of Portugal: mixing geochemistry, petrology, cartography and archaeology in spatial analysis

MEGAGEO - Moving megaliths in the Neolithic is a project that intends to find the provenience of lithic materials in the construction of tombs. A multidisciplinary approach is carried out, with researchers from several of the knowledge fields involved. This work presents a spatial data warehouse specially developed for this project that comprises information from national archaeological databases, geographic and geological information and new geochemical and petrographic data obtained during the project. The use of the spatial data warehouse proved to be essential in the data analysis phase of the project. The Redondo Area is presented as a case study for the application of the spatial data warehouse to analyze the relations between geochemistry, geology and the tombs in this area.

EVALUACIÓN DEL RIESGO ANTE INCENDIOS FORESTALES EN LA CUENCA DEL RÍO TEMPISQUE, COSTA RICA

Los incendios forestales constituyen problemas que ocasionan grandes daños ambientales sobre los ecosistemas, uno de los mayores impactos en el ambiente son los efectos sobre el cambio climático, situación que acentúa los problemas globales que atentan la vida sobre el planeta. Notoriamente, se reconoce que los incendios son un agente constante de cambios sobre los paisajes naturales y por tanto su estudio reviste importancia, ya que afectan de una manera notable la vegetación, la fauna, el suelo y aumentan el peligro de desertificación, lo que conlleva a los problemas socioeconómicos. Este artículo tiene por objetivo determinar el riesgo ante incendios forestales en la cuenca del Río Tempisque en Costa Rica, a partir de variables explicativas como la proximidad a carreteras, tipos de usos de la tierra, focos de incendios, insolación y altitud sobre el nivel de mar, modeladas con técnicas de Evaluación Multicriterio (ECM) en un Sistema de Información Geográfica (SIG).Dado que el concepto riesgo se refiere a una condición de probabilidad, en este artículo se recrea escenarios en donde podría tener lugar el fuego, los cuales se correlacionan con eventos que se han presentando en años anteriores. Se debe advertir que no se considera la variable viento como factor dispersor del fuego, ya que el objetivo es determinar lugares con condición favorable a incendio sin mediar los factores que contribuyen en su distribución.Palabras claves: incendio forestal, problema ambiental, riesgo, modelaje, sistemas de información geográfica y evaluación multicriterio.AbstractForest fires are problems that cause environmental damage to ecosystems. One of the biggest impacts is on the atmosphere and their effects on climatic change, a situation that exacerbates globalproblems perpetrated on planet life. Historically, fires are recognized as a constant agent of change Julio César Moraga Peralta Evaluación del riesgo ante incendios forestalesen la cuenca del río Tempisque, Costa Rica on the natural landscape. Therefore, fire studies are important because of the significant effect of fire on vegetation, fauna and soils and the increased danger of desertification, leading to socioeconomicproblems.This article has as its objective to determine the risk before forest fires on the Tempisque RiverBasin in Costa Rica from explanatory variables such as proximity to roads, types of land uses, fireoutbreaks, isolation and altitude above sea level, using Multicriteria Evaluation (NDE) modeling techniques in a Geographic Information System.As the term risk refers to a condition of probability, this article recreates scenarios where a fire could occur, which correlate with events that have occurred in previous years. It should be noted that the variable of wind is not considered as a fire-scattering factor since the objective of this study is to identify places with conditions already favorable to fires without a contributing factor in their distribution.Key words: forest fire, environmental problems, risk, geographical information system, multicriteria evaluation modeling, Tempisque River Basin, Costa Rica