A MULTISCALE INVESTIGATION INTO THE EFFECTS OF AGRICULTURE ON FLOOD HYDROLOGY IN SOUTHWEST ENGLAND

In the UK, perceived increases ih high impact flood events over the last decade and broad scale recognition of the enhanced flood risks associated with future climate change predictions, have reinforced the need for improved understanding and management of processes governing peak flow responses. This thesis investigates the effects of agricultural land uses on the hydrology of rural areas at a range of spatial and temporal scales. At the catchment scale, 48 catchments and subcatchments distributed across the south western counties of Cornwall, Devon, Somerset and Dorset were investigated. A suite of multivariate statistical techniques, including Direct (Redundancy Analysis) and Indirect (Principal Components Analysis) Ordination were used to explore catchment responses to four major storm events, selected from the wet autumn/winter of 2000-2001. A Geographic Information System. (GIS) incorporating the Hydrology of Soil Types (HOST) soil classification system and Land Cover Map 2000 satellite imagery data was developed to parameterise catchment physiographic variables and calculate the extent of 27 land use classes. Analysis of regional trends in erivironmental variables and two multivariate runoff datasets (R1 and R2) identified land use as the principal control of streamflow responses to extreme storm events. Land use, soil and geology parameters together explained 84% (R1) and 78% (R2) of the Variance in runoff for the same four storms. Grassland and improved grassland were consistent characteristics of catchments generating higher runoff volumes per unit area. Similarities in the hydrological behaviours of the Camel catchment and the De Lank subcatchment supported a dominant control on peak flows by runoff from grazed upland areas. A longer-term study of the River Camel catchment (1965-2000) revealed a 20% increase in the magnitude of the one in 25 year flow. Daily rainfall totals aggregated at monthly, seasonal and annual timescales and agricultural census data for the years 1969, 1979, 1988, 1997 and 2000 were examined to determine the influence of climate and land use changes on the enhanced streamflow response. Increases in the frequency and magnitude of peak flows were attributed to the cumulative impacts of a subtle, long-term rise in October rainfall totals, coupled with local urban development, the expansion of arable cultivation on highly connected slopes in the lower catchment and a rise in the intensity of grazing in the upper catchment At the field scale, characterisation of the textural, structural and ^hydraulic properties of soils subject to different land managements, including continuous cereal cultivation (CC), semi permanent pasture (SPP), permanent pasture (PP) and farm woodland (FW), identified a link between land use 'and the structural stability of the surface horizon. Marked differences in the percentage of water stable aggregates (WSA>2.8mm) between the topsoils of FW (66%) and.PP (71%), SPP (11%) and CC (6%) helped to explain differences in saturated hydraulic conductivity that were in the order FW>PP>SPP>CC, Laboratory rainfall simulations revealed slower wetting rates and higher average soil moisture percentages at near-saturation in FW and PP soil plots compared to SPP and CC soil plots that resulted from higher total porosities under FW and PP. Agricultural management systems are therefore capable of playing an important role in attenuating peak flow responses to storm events through considered land management which ameliorates or prevents soil structural deterioration and encourages the movement of water into storages within the hillslope. The adoption of specific measures, such as the introduction of buffer strips, widening of hedgerows or the introduction of forested areas to act as sinks, may serve to disconnect hydrofogical pathways from the main channel by providing a barrier to runoff, thereby reducing the upslope contributing area

MOTOR VEHICLES AND TRAFFIC Abandoned Motor Vehicles: Change Certain Provisions Relating to Definitions; Change Certain Provisions Relating to Lien Foreclosure Procedure; Change Certain Provisions Relating to Duty of Person Removing or Storing Motor Vehicle; Provide Provision Relating to the Towing or Immobilization of Motor Vehicles in Paid Private Parking Facilities Located Within Five-hundred Feet of an Establishment Which Sells Alcohol for Consumption on the Premises

The Act simplifies and clarifies certain provisions relating to the definition of abandoned motor vehicle. The Act changes certain provisions relating to the duty of persons removing or storing abandoned motor vehicles. The Act adds a new section, which provides that the owner of a paid private parking lot or paid private parking facility located within five-hundred feet of a drinking establishment, which sells alcohol to be consumed on the premises, may not tow or immobilize or cause to be towed or immobilized a vehicle left on the lot between midnight and noon. Additionally, the new section allows the owner or operator of the lot to charge a reasonable fee for vehicles left on the lot. Finally, the new section provides that business owners and residents are not prohibited from removing motor vehicles from their property

CAADP at 10 - Water is a Missing Link in the Southern African Development Community

Water has a low profile in Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) processes in the Southern African Development Community (SADC), presenting an opportunity to develop stronger ties between the agriculture and water sectors in the region

Community Health Workers\u27 COVID-19 Vaccine Status and Concerns for Client Welfare in Appalachia

Community health workers (CHWs) make up a crucial part of the public health system by providing culturally-sensitive care in historically marginalized communities, such as those found throughout Appalachia. During the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, CHWs have been less likely to accept the COVID-19 vaccine than other healthcare workers. It is important to understand if CHW vaccination status affects concern for their clients during the pandemic, as this may subsequently affect care delivery. Therefore, this study investigated the association between CHW vaccination status and concern for their clients given COVID-19 restrictions lifting. Secondary analysis was performed on data from an electronic survey administered in two Appalachian populations from October to December, 2021. In total, 71 CHWs were eligible for inclusion in the study. Fisher’s Exact Test was used to compare survey responses between CHWs who had received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and those who had not. 86% of CHWs had received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Most CHWs, regardless of vaccination status, reported that client needs had changed during the pandemic. However, vaccinated CHWs were significantly more likely to have concerns for their clients with the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions than unvaccinated CHWs. A difference in concern by vaccination status may translate to a difference in care provided during the pandemic, as well. This is important to consider in creating and delivering training for CHWs so that they can provide the best possible care to communities in Appalachia

Tending the Taproot: Opportunities to Support Folk & Traditional Arts in the United States

This report presents the findings of the Alliance of California Traditional Arts' (ACTA) Taproot Initiative. This national planning effort, aimed to re-center traditional and folk artists and their art forms as catalysts for transformation and restoration in our larger society, is aligned with other important movements in the arts and culture sector to spur critical thinking and action during this hallmark moment of radical change. The report describes the resource landscape of folk and traditional arts. It offers operational recommendations as a call to action to support taproot artist-leaders and organizations with focused investment in funding and development to do more and do better, resources for infrastructure, elevated national recognition, and new standards for robust data and research infrastructure. Our recommendations are evidenced by qualitative and quantitative research findings, grounded in ACTA's quarter century of experience as a funder and advocate in this field

The Extended Family: Reviewing an Invaluable Resource

During the last two decades, the extended family has been rediscovered as a viable and meaningful resource for nurturing and protecting children. The purpose of this article is to provide an historical context for involving the extended family in child welfare cases and to identify key factors influencing that involvement

Local lives, global stage: diasporic experiences and changing family formation practices on the Caribbean island of Saba, Netherlands Antilles

Collectively, this body of research delineates the ways that contemporary Saban family life emerged through the creative interplay between past and present experiences of movement, labor, and family forged within the specificities of the on-going Saban Diaspora. Integrative sociodemographic and ethnographic analyses revealed that changes in these relationships have been most dynamic in the black population where non-marital childbearing and growing up in a non-marital home moved from a minority to a majority experience over the past 150 years and where many black women, through partner neglect or personal choice, came to inhabit the emotional and economic centers of their children's lives. Conversely, the social script for forming families in the white community stayed remarkably stable over time and is characterized by same-race marriage before childbearing and an increasingly challenged but still strong belief that women should primarily fulfill their roles as mother and homemaker while their men labor outside the domestic sphere. In addition to these general trends, divorce, multiple marriages, step-parent and half-sibling relationships, child support issues, and an increased prevalence of interracial and interethnic relationships and childbearing over the past 20 years have all added layers of complexity to family life in both communities and are connected to migration and labor experiences in myriad ways. Despite a gradual movement towards non-marital women-centered family forms in the black community and recent diversification of family life in the white community after a prolonged period of entrenched family-building norms, historical fluctuations in family formation patterns and Saban women's own perspectives on family life all show period and cohort-specific effects that are crucial to our understanding of how modern Saban family life evolved within the context of successive labor regimes and associated migration trends. Detailed quantitative and qualitative descriptions of these variations not only place family formation processes in their appropriate historical context but also deconstruct reified notions of "black family life" or "white family life" by showing both the dynamic demographic aspects of how all kinds of Sabans built their families over time and the changes in underlying social, economic, and cultural reasoning that precipitated stabilities and shifts in these processes

HAS DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE ACQUISITION REFORM POLICY ADDRESSED THE PROBLEMS FACING ACQUISITIONS PROFESSIONALS?

This qualitative study analyzes how well recent acquisitions reform policies have addressed the modern difficulties facing acquisition professionals in an attempt to improve acquisition policy. The study reviews literature, case studies, surveys and interviews from previous program managers, and policy and legislation, and then compiles the aggregate results to develop a clearer view of how acquisition reform policy is addressing the problems faced by acquisition professionals. The primary goals of the study are to a) identify the main problems facing DOD acquisition, b) examine recent acquisition reform policies to determine if they address those issues identified, and c) provide recommendations for policy makers to shape acquisitions reforms and legislation in the future. Analysis of our findings suggests that defense acquisition policies and legislation are not addressing the critical issues faced by acquisition professionals and add layers of bureaucracy, further complicating the acquisitions process. Additional research into the factors effecting successful and unsuccessful acquisitions is warranted for a more thorough analysis.Lieutenant Commander, United States NavyLieutenant Commander, United States NavyLieutenant Commander, United States NavyApproved for public release. Distribution is unlimited

To Avoid or Not to Avoid? Factors Influencing the Discrimination or Predator Diet Cues by a Terrestrial Salamander

Many prey species use chemical cues deposited by predators to assess predation risk, and some prey are capable of discriminating among predator chemical traces based on the predator’s recent diet. Here we test the influence of genetic relatedness (degree of genetic similarity between prey) and ecological relatedness (degree of refuge and trophic overlap between syntopic prey) on the evolution of predator-diet discrimination by red-backed salamanders, Plethodon cinereus. In experiment 1, we examined whether red-backed salamanders from Binghamton University (Binghamton, New York, U.S.A.) would differentially respond to chemical traces from garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis) fed conspecific P. cinereus from four populations belonging to three phylogenetic groups: Group II from Mountain Lake, Virginia, Group III from Binghamton University, New York, Group III from Hawk Mountain, Pennsylvania, and Group IV from Cherry Springs, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. The test salamanders only avoided chemical traces from garter snakes fed salamanders from the two Group III sites, although the response to the Group III-Hawk Mountain treatment was intermediate to that for the Group III-Binghamton University treatment and the Group II and IV treatments. In experiment 2, we examined whether red-backed salamanders collected from two subpopulations, syntopic or allotopic with two-lined salamanders, Eurycea bislineata, vary in their response to chemical cues from garter snakes foraging on two-lined salamanders. Only red-backed salamanders syntopic with E. bislineata avoided chemical traces from garter snakes fed E. bislineata. These results suggest that both genetic and ecological relatedness play a role in the evolution of predator-diet discrimination in red-backed salamanders

Research with Development Ambitions--Partnering with Non-Researchers

To deliver on a development mandate it is necessary to partner. Partnerships should be based on achieving a common goal, through the partners working on complementary objectives. Partnerships should be based on related objectives, where single organisations will not be able to achieve the goal alone, and where the partnership can lead to more rapid achievement of the goals. Preferably partnership should be objective specific, temporary by nature and dynamic. No one entity can completely address the complexity of real world problems—yet they often propose to do just that. Time and money should be invested in diagnosing pathways to impact, including identifying potential partners with mandates to deliver within those areas of impact. Plan for and invest in the long and enlightening process of engagement with partners, including those who will appear (and disappear) along the way