Availability of ground water in the Albuquerque area, Bernalillo and Sandoval Counties, New Mexico,

Includes bibliography.

Public Use; Tabulations of Visitors to Areas Administered by the National Park Service

Title Varies: Comparative Travel Data; Visitors To Areas Administered by the National Park Service; Public Use, National Parks and Related Areas; Public Use of the National Parks; a Statistical Report; Public Use of the National Parks

Attaching unit costs to Australia's National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing

Background: In mental health, policy-makers and planners are increasingly being asked to set priorities. This means that health economists, health services researchers and clinical investigators are being called upon to work together to define and measure costs. Typically, these researchers take available service utilisation data and convert them to costs, using a range of assumptions. There are inefficiencies, as individual groups of researchers frequently repeat essentially similar exercises in achieving this end. There are clearly areas where shared or common investment in the development of statistical software syntax, analytical frameworks and other resources could maximise the use of data. Aims of the Study: This paper reports on an Australian project in which we calculated unit costs for mental health admissions and community encounters. In reporting on these calculations, our purpose is to make the data and the resources associated with them publicly available to researchers interested in conducting economic analyses, and allow them to copy, distribute and modify them, providing that all copies and modifications are available under the same terms and conditions (i.e., in accordance with the 'Copyleft' principle), Within this context, the objectives of the paper are to: (i) introduce the 'Copyleft' principle; (ii) provide an overview of the methodology we employed to derive the unit costs; (iii) present the unit costs themselves; and (iv) examine the total and mean costs for a range of single and comorbid conditions, as an example of the kind of question that the unit cost data can be used to address. Method: We took relevant data from the Australian National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing (NSMHWB), and developed a set of unit costs for inpatient and community encounters. We then examined total and mean costs for a range of single and comorbid conditions. Results: We present the unit costs for mental health admissions and mental health community contacts. Our example, which explored the association between comorbidity and total and mean costs, suggested that comorbidly occurring conditions cost more than conditions which occur on their own. Discussion: Our unit costs, and the materials associated with them, have been published in a freely available form governed by a provision termed 'Copyleft'. They provide a valuable resource for researchers wanting to explore economic questions in mental health. Implications for Health Policies: Our unit costs provide an important resource to inform economic debate in mental health in Australia, particularly in the area of priority-setting. In the past, such debate has largely, been based on opinion. Our unit costs provide the underpinning to strengthen the evidence-base of this debate. Implications for Further Research: We would encourage other Australian researchers to make use of our unit costs in order to foster comparability across studies. We would also encourage Australian and international researchers to adopt the 'Copyleft' principle in equivalent circumstances. Furthermore, we suggest that the provision of 'Copyleft'-contingent funding to support the development of enabling resources for researchers should be considered in the planning of future large-scale collaborative survey work, both in Australia and overseas.

Ipsilateral corticocortical projections to the primary and middle temporal visual areas of the primate cerebral cortex: area-specific variations in the morphology of connectionally identified pyramidal cells

We quantified the morphology of over 350 pyramidal neurons with identified ipsilateral corticocortical projections to the primary (V1) and middle temporal (MT) visual areas of the marmoset monkey, following intracellular injection of Lucifer Yellow into retrogradely labelled cells. Paralleling the results of studies in which randomly sampled pyramidal cells were injected, we found that the size of the basal dendritic tree of connectionally identified cells differed between cortical areas, as did the branching complexity and spine density. We found no systematic relationship between dendritic tree structure and axon target or length. Instead, the size of the basal dendritic tree increased roughly in relation to increasing distance from the occipital pole, irrespective of the length of the connection or the cortical layer in which the neurons were located. For example, cells in the second visual area had some of the smallest and least complex dendritic trees irrespective of whether they projected to V1 or MT, while those in the dorsolateral area (DL) were among the largest and most complex. We also observed that systematic differences in spine number were more marked among V1-projecting cells than MT-projecting cells. These data demonstrate that the previously documented systematic differences in pyramidal cell morphology between areas cannot simply be attributed to variable proportions of neurons projecting to different targets, in the various areas. Moreover, they suggest that mechanisms intrinsic to the area in which neurons are located are strong determinants of basal dendritic field structure.

Cape Lookout cold-water coral area, coral ages and environmental parameters for the last glacial cycle

Climatic and oceanographic changes, as occurring at a glacial-interglacial scale, may alter the environmental conditions needed for the development of prolific cold-water coral reefs and mounds. Studies constraining the temporal distribution of cold-water corals in the NE Atlantic suggested the cyclic changes of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation as the main driver for the development and dispersal of cold-water coral ecosystems. However, conclusions were hindered by lack of data from the NW Atlantic. Aiming to overcome this lack of data, the temporal occurrence of cold-water corals in the Cape Lookout area along the southeastern US margin was explored by U-series dating. Furthermore, the local influence of the regional water masses, namely the Gulf Stream, on cold-water coral proliferation and occurrence since the Last Glacial Maximum was examined. Results suggest that the occurrence of cold-water corals in the Cape Lookout area is restricted to interglacial periods, with corals being present during the last ~7 kyr and also during the Eemian (~125 ka). The reconstructed local environmental conditions suggest an offshore displacement of the Gulf Stream and increased influence from the Mid-Atlantic Bight shelf waters during the last glacial period. During the deglacial sea level rise, the Gulf Stream moved coastward providing present-day-like conditions to the surface waters. Nevertheless, present-day conditions at the ocean sea floor were not established before 7.5 cal ka BP once the ultimate demise of the Laurentide ice-sheet caused the final sea level rise and the displacement of the Gulf Stream to its present location. Occasional presence of the Gulf Stream over the site during the Mid- to Late Holocene coincides with enhanced bottom current strength and a slightly higher bottom water temperature, which are environmental conditions that are favorable for cold-water coral growth.

Associations between area-level disadvantage and DMFT among a birth cohort of Indigenous Australians

Background Individual-level factors influence DMFT, but little is known about the influence of community environment. This study examines associations between community-level influences and DMFT among a birth cohort of Indigenous Australians aged 16–20 years. Methods Data were collected as part of Wave 3 of the Aboriginal Birth Cohort study. Fifteen community areas were established and the sample comprised 442 individuals. The outcome variable was mean DMFT with explanatory variables including diet and community disadvantage (access to services, infrastructure and communications). Data were analysed using multilevel regression modelling. Results In a null model, 13.8% of the total variance in mean DMFT was between community areas, which increased to 14.3% after adjusting for sex, age and diet. Addition of the community disadvantage variable decreased the variance between areas by 4.8%, indicating that community disadvantage explained one-third of the area-level variance. Residents of under-resourced communities had significantly higher mean DMFT (β=3.86, 95% CI 0.02¬, 7.70) after adjusting for sex, age and diet. Conclusions Living in under-resourced communities was associated with greater DMFT among this disadvantaged population, indicating that policies aiming to reduce oral health-related inequalities among vulnerable groups may benefit from taking into account factors external to individual-level influences.

Little Boat Harbour Master Plan

Site analysis and landscape design developed for the Little Boat Harbour marine ecosystem and recreation area. Analysis conducted and design created by Dr Ian Weir QUT in collaboration with Mr Nathan McQuoid Landscape Ecologist and Mr Craig Lebens Bremer Bay Dive operater and marine ecologist (amateur). Includes A3 masterplan produced by Kylie Feher graduate architect in association with Dr Weir. Document presented to the 18 Dec 2013 Council meeting of the Shire of Jerramungup and subsequently adopted by that local government with implementation subject to funding.

Estimating winter crop area across seasons and regions using time-sequential MODIS imagery.

The wheat grain industry is Australia's second largest agricultural export commodity. There is an increasing demand for accurate, objective and near real-time crop production information by industry. The advent of the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite platform has augmented the capability of satellite-based applications to capture reflectance over large areas at acceptable pixel scale, cost and accuracy. The use of multi-temporal MODIS-enhanced vegetation index (EVI) imagery to determine crop area was investigated in this article. Here the rigour of the harmonic analysis of time-series (HANTS) and early-season metric approaches was assessed when extrapolating over the entire Queensland (QLD) cropping region for the 2005 and 2006 seasons. Early-season crop area estimates, at least 4 months before harvest, produced high accuracy at pixel and regional scales with percent errors of -8.6% and -26% for the 2005 and 2006 seasons, respectively. In discriminating among crops at pixel and regional scale, the HANTS approach showed high accuracy. The errors for specific area estimates for wheat, barley and chickpea were 9.9%, -5.2% and 10.9% (for 2005) and -2.8%, -78% and 64% (for 2006), respectively. Area estimates of total winter crop, wheat, barley and chickpea resulted in coefficient of determination (R(2)) values of 0.92, 0.89, 0.82 and 0.52, when contrasted against the actual shire-scale data. A significantly high coefficient of determination (0.87) was achieved for total winter crop area estimates in August across all shires for the 2006 season. Furthermore, the HANTS approach showed high accuracy in discriminating cropping area from non-cropping area and highlighted the need for accurate and up-to-date land use maps. The extrapolability of these approaches to determine total and specific winter crop area estimates, well before flowering, showed good utility across larger areas and seasons. Hence, it is envisaged that this technology might be transferable to different regions across Australia.

Treatment of gray water using anaerobic biofilms created on synthetic and natural fibers

Gray water treatment and reuse is an immediate option to counter the upcoming water shortages in various parts of world, especially urban areas. Anaerobic treatment of gray water in houses is an alternative low cost, low energy and low sludge generating option that can meet this challenge. Typical problems of fluctuating VFA, low pH and sludge washout at low loading rates with gray water feedstock was overcome in two chambered anaerobic biofilm reactors using natural fibers as the biofilm support. The long term performance of using natural fiber based biofilms at moderate and low organic loading rates (OLR) have been examined. Biofilms raised on natural fibers (coir, ridge-gourd) were similar to that of synthetic media (PVC, polyethylene) at lower OLR when operated in pulse fed mode without effluent recirculation and achieved 80-90% COD removal at HRT of 2 d showing a small variability during start-up. Confocal microscopy of the biofilms on natural fibers indicated thinner biofilms, dense cell architecture and low extra cellular polymeric substances (EPS) compared to synthetic supports and this is believed to be key factor in high performance at low OLR and low strength gray water. Natural fibers are thus shown to be an effective biofilm support that withstand fluctuating characteristic of domestic gray water. (C) 2013 The Institution of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Habitat mapping effort at the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary – Current status and future needs

With elevating interest to establish conservation efforts for groundfish stocks and continued scrutiny over the value of marine protected areas along the west coast, the importance of enhancing our knowledge of seabed characteristics through mapping activities is becoming increasingly more important, especially in a timely manner. Shortly after the inception of the Seabed Mapping Initiative instituted with the US Geological Survey (USGS), the National Marine Sanctuary Program (NMSP) assembled a panel of habitat mapping experts. They determined that the status of existing data sets and future data acquisition needs varied widely among the individual sanctuaries and that more detailed site assessments were needed to better prioritize mapping efforts and outline an overall joint strategy. To assist with that specific effort and provide pertinent information for the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary’s (OCNMS) Management Plan Review, this report summarizes the mapping efforts that have taken place at the site to date; calculates a timeframe for completion of baseline mapping efforts when operating under current data acquisition limitations; describes an optimized survey strategy to dramatically reduce the required time to complete baseline surveying; and provides estimates for the needed vessel sea-days (DAS) to accomplish baseline survey completion within a 2, 5 and 10 year timeframe. (PDF contains 38 pages.)

Chronic effects of water-borne PFOS exposure on growth, survival and hepatotoxicity in zebrafish: A partial life-cycle test

Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) is widely distributed and persistent in the environment and wildlife. The main aim of this study was to investigate the impact of long-term exposure to low concentrations of PFOS in zebrafish. Zebrafish fry (F-0, 14d post-fertilization, dpf) were exposed via the water for 70d to 0 (control), 10, 50 and 250 mu g L-1 PFOS, followed by a further 30d to assess recovery in clean water. The effects on survival and growth parameters and liver histopathology were assessed. Although growth suppression (weight and length) was observed in fish treated with high concentrations PFOS during the exposure period, no mortality was observed throughout the 70d experiment. Embryos and larvae (F-1) derived from maternal exposure suffered malformation and mortality. Exposure to 50 and 250 mu g L-1 PFOS could inhibit the growth of the gonads (GSI) in the female zebrafish. Histopathological alterations, primary with lipid droplets accumulation, were most prominently seen in the liver of males and the changes were not reversible, even after the fish were allowed to recover for 30d in clean water. The triiodothyronine (T-3)) levels were not significantly changed in any of the exposure groups. Hepatic vitellogenin (VTG) gene expression was significantly up-regulated in both male and female zebrafish, but the sex ratio was not altered. The overall results suggested that lower concentrations of PFOS in maternal exposure could result in offspring deformation and mortality. (c) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of building gap to improve pedestrian comfort levels and ventilation

Rapid rates of urbanization have resulted into increased concerns of urban environment. Amongst them, wind and thermal comfort levels for pedestrians have attracted research interest. In this regards, urban wind environment is seen as a crucial components that can lead to improved thermal comfort levels for pedestrian population. High rise building in modern urban setting causes high levels of turbulence that renders discomfort to pedestrians. Additionally, a higher frequency of high ris e buildings at a particular region acts as a shield against the wind flow to the lower buildings beyond them resulting into higher levels of discomfort to users or residents. Studies conducted on developing wind flow models using Computational Fluid Dynami cs (CFD) simulations have revealed improvement in interval to height ratios can results into improved wind flow within the simulation grid. However, high value and demand for land in urban areas renders expansion to be an impractical solution. Nonetheless, innovative utilization of architectural concepts can be imagined to improve the pedestrian comfort levels through improved wind permeability. This paper assesses the possibility of through-building gaps being a solution to improve pedestrian comfort levels.

Does parkland influence walking? The relationship between area of parkland and walking trips in Melbourne, Australia

Background : Using two different measures of park area, at three buffer distances, we sought to investigate the ways in which park area and proximity to parks, are related to the frequency of walking (for all purposes) in Australian adults. Little previous research has been conducted in this area, and results of existing research have been mixed.

Methods : Residents of 50 urban areas in metropolitan Melbourne, Australia completed a physical activity survey (n = 2305). Respondents reported how often they walked for >=10 minutes in the previous month. Walking frequency was dichotomised to 'less than weekly' (less than 1/week) and 'at least weekly' (1/week or more). Using Geographic Information Systems, Euclidean buffers were created around each respondent's home at three distances: 400metres (m), 800 m and 1200 m. Total area of parkland in each person's buffer was calculated for the three buffers. Additionally, total area of 'larger parks', (park space >= park with Australian Rules Football oval (17,862 m2)), was calculated for each set of buffers. Area of park was categorised into tertiles for area of all parks, and area of larger parks (the lowest tertile was used as the reference category). Multilevel logistic regression, with individuals nested within areas, was used to estimate the effect of area of parkland on walking frequency.

Results : No statistically significant associations were found between walking frequency and park area (total and large parks) within 400 m of respondent's homes. For total park area within 800 m, the odds of walking at least weekly were lower for those in the mid (OR 0.65, 95% CI 0.46-0.91) and highest (OR 0.65, 95% CI 0.44-0.95) tertile of park area compared to those living in areas with the least amount of park area. Similar results were observed for total park area in the 1200 m buffers. When only larger parks were investigated, again more frequent walking was less likely when respondents had access to a greater amount of park area.

Conclusions : In this study we found that more park area in residential environments reduced the odds of walking more frequently. Other area characteristics such as street connectivity and destinations may underlay these associations by negatively correlating with park area.

Area-level unemployment and perceived job insecurity: evidence from a longitudinal survey conducted in the Australian working-age population

Research significance: Job insecurity, the subjective individual anticipation of involuntary job loss, negatively affects employees’ health and their engagement. Although the relationship between job insecurity and health has been extensively studied, job insecurity as an ‘exposure’ has received far less attention, with little known about the upstream determinants of job insecurity in particular. This research sought to identify the relationship between self-rated job insecurity and area-level unemployment using a longitudinal, nationally representative study of Australian households. Methods: Mixed-effect multi-level regression models were used to assess the relationship between area-based unemployment rates and self-reported job insecurity using data from a longitudinal, nationally representative survey running since 2001. Interaction terms were included to test the hypotheses that the relationship between area-level unemployment and job insecurity differed between occupational skill-level groups and by employment arrangement. Marginal effects were computed to visually depict differences in job insecurity across areas with different levels of unemployment. Results: Results indicated that areas with the lowest unemployment rates had significantly lower job insecurity (predicted value 2.74; 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.71–2.78, P < 0.001) than areas with higher unemployment (predicted value 2.81; 95% CI 2.79–2.84, P < 0.001). There was a stronger relationship between area-level unemployment and job insecurity among precariously and fixed-term employed workers than permanent workers. Conclusion: These findings demonstrate the independent influences of prevailing economic conditions, individual- and job-level factors on job insecurity. Persons working on a casual basis or on a fixed-term contract in areas with higher levels of unemployment are more susceptible to feelings of job insecurity than those working permanently.

Least limiting water range in soil under crop rotations and chiseling

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)