Water resources of the Atlanta metropolitan area,

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VoIP Traffic Shaping Analyses in Metropolitan Area Networks

This paper represents VoIP shaping analyses in devices that apply the three Quality of Service techniques – IntServ, DiffServ and RSVP. The results show queue management and packet stream shaping based on simulation of the three mostly demanded services – VoIP, LAN emulation and transaction exchange. Special attention is paid to the VoIP as the most demanding service for real time communication.

Aspects of Land Take in the Metropolitan Area of Naples

Land take is a phenomenon of great concern nowadays because of the large number of its negative impacts regarding biological, economic and social balance. In Italy, the development of urban and other artificial land has been irreversibly transforming a nonrenewable resource such as soil, regardless the almost constant population rate, with different speed depending of the region considered. The aim of this paper is to analyze the phenomenon in the metropolitan area of Naples, which is an area highly affected by territorial aggression of human matrix. The data used are both by the Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA) Report 2015 on the usage of the land and by ISTAT relating to the resident population up to the 1st of January 2015 and the extension of land for agricultural use (Census 2010). The mathematical combination of this data creates a new indicator that can be referred to as “residual land”; this residual area is of great extension with many different characteristics and it could represent the area where the phenomenon of land take most occurs. The identification, measurement and analysis of “residual land” provide new insights on the evolution of land take and this new indicator can represent a critical element to work on to prevent future land transformation and protect natural and agricultural areas within the Italian context.

Examining the Association between Acculturation and Hypertension among Asian Americans in the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Area

Objective: To evaluate the association between Acculturation and hypertension among Asian Americans in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted of 600 Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese adults. Logistic regression was used to investigate the relationship between acculturation variables (years in the U.S., self-rated acculturation, self-rated English fluency) and hypertension, determined from a mean of 3 blood pressure readings taken on site. Results: Compared to those who resided in the U.S. for 0-5 years, individuals who resided for 6-10 years were about 60% less likely to have hypertension (aOR= 0.36; 95% CI: 0.12, 1.05; p-value=0.06). No significant association was observed between self-rated identity and hypertension. Compared to those with poor English fluency, those who speak “so-so” English have increased odds of hypertension (aOR=1.57; 95%CI: 0.93, 2.64; p-value= 0.09). Disaggregated analysis was conducted for Asian American subgroups, which showed differences in trends of acculturation and hypertension. Conclusion: Findings suggest an association between acculturation and hypertension, guiding future studies to investigate further into these observed effects. Some subgroup differences were observed among Asian American subgroups, potentially suggesting a subgroup-focused intervention.

Environmental quality of life index incorporationg MCA & GIS : case study Lisbon Metropolitan Area, Portugal

The study of Quality of Life (Qol) has been conducted on various scales throughout the years with focus on assessing overall quality of living amongst citizens. The main focus in these studies have been on economic factors, with the purpose of creating a Quality of Life Index (QLI).When it comes down to narrowing the focus to the environment and factors like Urban Green Spaces (UGS) and air quality the topic gets more focused on pointing out how each alternative meets this certain criteria. With the benefits of UGS and a healthy environment in focus a new Environmental Quality of Life Index (EQLI) will be proposed by incorporating Multi Criteria Analysis (MCA) and Geographical Information Systems (GIS). Working with MCA on complex environmental problems and incorporating it with GIS is a challenging but rewarding task, and has proven to be an efficient approach among environmental scientists. Background information on three MCA methods will be shown: Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), Regime Analysis and PROMETHEE. A survey based on a previous study conducted on the status of UGS within European cities was sent to 18 municipalities in the study area. The survey consists of evaluating the current status of UGS as well as planning and management of UGS with in municipalities for the purpose of getting criteria material for the selected MCA method. The current situation of UGS is assessed with use of GIS software and change detection is done on a 10 year period using NDVI index for comparison purposes to one of the criteria in the MCA. To add to the criteria, interpolation of nitrogen dioxide levels was performed with ordinary kriging and the results transformed into indicator values. The final outcome is an EQLI map with indicators of environmentally attractive municipalities with ranking based on predefinedMCA criteria using PROMETHEE I pairwise comparison and PROMETHEE II complete ranking of alternatives. The proposed methodology is applied to Lisbon’s Metropolitan Area, Portugal.

The role of gender and framing in shaping community activists' perceptions of environmental risks

campaign to oppose projects proposed in their local community. The social constructionist perspective advocates that these motivations are driven by activists’ interpretation of reality, such that activists will assign multiple meanings to and frame environmental issues in a way that reflects their view of reality. Past research suggest that these are also influenced by patterns of shared meaning and interpretation that develop over time in protest movements that shape activists’ perceptions of the environmental risks and impacts associated with construction activity. This paper explores the role of gender distinctions in shaping perceptions of environmental risk and how this affects their framing of the environmental, social, cultural/ historical impacts associated with a construction project. Using Snow and Benford’s (1988) 3-prong analytical tool for framing: diagnostic framing, prognostic framing and motivational framing, this paper presents findings from the content analysis of in-depth interviews of 24 activists protesting against a highly controversial housing project in the greater Sydney metropolitan area. The research adopts a single case study approach, and is particularly significant as it investigates an extensive and on-going community-based protest campaign (dating back almost 20 years) that has generated the longest standing 24-hour community picket in Australia.

Community protest groups' perceptions of environmental risks using social contagion theory

Local communities are vulnerable to the potential environmental risks associated with construction activity. Currently, little is understood about how perceptions of environmental risks are shaped and spread within a community. A better understanding of this process can help bridge the gap between developers and communities and bring about more sustainable development practices. This paper reports a research methodology which uses social contagion theory to investigate this process. The research adopts a single case study approach of a highly controversial housing project in the greater Sydney metropolitan area. The case study is particularly significant as it investigates an extensive and on-going community-based protest campaign (dating back almost 20 years) that has generated the longest standing 24 hour community picket in the New South Wales.

Avaliação do efeito da Grande Área Metropolitana do Porto nas concentrações de Dióxido de Carbono sobre a zona costeira adjacente

Dissertação de Mestrado apresentada à Universidade Fernando Pessoa como parte dos requisitos para obtenção do grau de Mestre em Engenharia e Gestão Ambiental.

Área metropolitana de Lisboa: descontinuidades, desenho e planeamento

O conceito de descontinuidade é abordado em função de valores associáveis à cidade num contexto de mudanças de paradigmas relacionados com o planeamento do território. O impacto que as descontinuidades têm na forma, estrutura e fronteiras urbanas é analisado recorrendo à Área Metropolitana de Lisboa como estudo de caso. Para abordar as descontinuidades, recorre-se à análise de tendências territoriais recentes, malhas e tecidos construídos e planos mais directamente relacionados com o desenho urbano. O trabalho empírico culmina com o aprofundamento do estudo de um território do interior da Península de Setúbal. Com os resultados desta investigação pretende-se articular tendências territoriais, territórios construídos e instrumentos de planeamento na definição do conceito de descontinuidade. Apresenta-se ainda como conclusão um modelo de intervenção com vista à resolução de descontinuidades. Esta conclusão pretende ser também um contributo, sob a forma de resposta, para a questão levantada por Federico Oliva, quando se interroga, a propósito da cidade de Milão, sobre o que resta dos planos na Cidade.

PUBLIC POLICY EDUCATION: AN IMPORTANT WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT OPPORTUNITY

Suburban wildlife management issues are generating heated debate between citizen organizations, elected public officials, and state wildlife management agencies. Decisions are being made by town and county officials which directly impact or supersede state authority for managing resident wildlife. As an example, I will focus this discussion on the white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), management controversy at Durand Eastman Park, in the greater Rochester metropolitan area, New York.

Health Care Providers' Training Needs Related to Human Trafficking: Maximizing the Opportunity to Effectively Screen and Intervene

Human trafficking is a complex and multifaceted problem that takes the form of economic, physical and sexual exploitation of people, both adults and children, who are reduced to simple products for commerce. Human trafficking in the United States also has both a domestic and an international aspect. Health care providers are in a unique position to screen for victims of trafficking and may provide important medical and psychological care for victims while in captivity and thereafter. Trafficked persons are likely to suffer a wide spectrum of health risks that reflect the unique circumstances and experiences in a trafficked victim’s life. Although trafficked victims typically have experienced inadequate medical care, once contact is made by the victim with the health care professionals, the opportunity then exists to identify, treat, and assist such victims. The range of services and supports required to appropriately respond to human trafficking victims once identified is broad and typically goes beyond just what is immediately provided by the health care professional and includes safe housing, legal advice, income support, and, for international victims, immigration status related issues. An informed and responsive community is necessary to serve both the international and domestic victims of human trafficking, and needs assessments demonstrated a number of barriers that hindered the delivery of effective services to human trafficking victims. One of the consistent needs identified to combat these barriers was enhanced training among all professionals who might come in contact with human trafficking victims. We highlight the efforts of the Houston Rescue and Restore Coalition (HRRC), a local grassroots non-profit organization whose mission focuses on raising awareness of human trafficking in the Greater Houston Metropolitan area. HRRC responded to the consistent recommendation from various community needs assessments for additional training of front line professionals who would have the opportunity to identify human trafficking victims and supported the design and pilot testing of a health professions training program around human trafficking. Dissemination of this type of training along with careful evaluation and continued refinement will be one way for health care professionals to engage in a positive manner with human trafficking victims.

Houston Rescue and Restore Coalition human trafficking needs assessment

Background. Human trafficking, or "modern day slavery", is a complex public health issue that we must understand more fully before it can be effectively tackled. There have been very few empirical studies on human trafficking and estimates of global and national human trafficking victims vary widely. Free the Slaves, a non-profit organization, estimates that there are at least 27 million people in the world at any given time that can be classified as victims of human trafficking. Houston, Texas has been identified as a place where human trafficking may be more likely to exist due to its close proximity to Mexico and due to economic and population factors. Houston Rescue and Restore Coalition (HRRC) is a local organization that exists to raise awareness of human trafficking in Houston, Texas. To better serve victims of human trafficking, HRRC commissioned a community assessment of the services available to victims of human trafficking in the greater Houston metropolitan area.^ Purpose. The current study assessed the capacity of organizations and agencies within the greater Houston metropolitan area to deal with human trafficking issues; in particular, knowledge regarding human trafficking issues among these organizations and agencies was evaluated.^ Methods. A cross-sectional study design was used to conduct surveys with key informants/stakeholders from organizations and agencies within the greater Houston metropolitan area. The survey instrument included 41 items in three parts, and consisted of multiple choice questions, open-ended essay questions, and closed-ended 5 point Likert questions.^ Results. The findings from this study indicate that efforts must be made to increase comprehensive awareness of the issue of human trafficking, including the federal and state laws that have been enacted to combat this problem. The data also indicate that there are limited services provided to human trafficking victims within the greater Houston metropolitan area.^ Conclusion. The results of the survey will provide Houston Rescue and Restore Coalition with information that will assist them in targeting their efforts to combat human trafficking in Houston, Texas.^

Prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) nasal colonization among dental professionals

Background. MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) is a multi-drug resistant bacterium that is quite prevalent in social environments where close person-to-person contact and crowding are an issue. In dental settings, the likelihood of transmission of MRSA may be higher than among other healthcare practitioners because of the close proximity between a patient's nose (where MRSA colonizes) and the field of procedure (the mouth) to the dental professional. Objective. To estimate the prevalence of MRSA nasal colonization among dental professionals (dentists and dental hygienists) in the Greater Houston Metropolitan Area, Texas, and analyze its associations with demographic, professional and personal protective equipment-related variables. Methods. 800 dental professionals (400 dentists and 400 dental hygienists) were randomly selected in the Greater Houston Metropolitan Area. Multiple waves of nasal swab kits and a self-administered questionnaire were mailed to increase the response rate of the study population. The swabs were cultured on chromagenic agar growth medium and bacterial growth results were evaluated after 18 hours. Positively selected bacterial colonies were confirmed as MRSA by further culturing these isolated bacteria on blood agar plates. Associations between positive nasal swabs and self-reported professional practice patterns, personal protective equipment use and demographics were analyzed using multiple logistic regression. Main Results. Completed questionnaires and nasal swabs were received from 496 study participants (68%). Fourteen cultures were positive for MRSA (4.2% among dentists and 1.6% among dental hygienists, p=0.07). After adjusting for gender, dental hygienists had a significantly lower prevalence of nasal colonization of MRSA as compared to dentists (OR: 0.20, 95% CI: 0.05–0.75). No other significant associations or interactions were found. Conclusion. The prevalence of nasal colonization with MRSA among dentists is similar to that reported for health care workers in general, whereas prevalence among dental hygienists is only slightly above that of the general population (1%). Differences in practice patterns and use of personal protective equipment did not explain this difference in this study, and was possibly due either to residual confounding or unexplored risk factors. Increased prevalence of MRSA among dentists warrants further investigation as to the reason for the increased rate and to allow implementation of measures to avoid transmission and progression to disease. ^