Variation in Environmental Risk Perceptions and Information Sources among Three Communities in El Paso

The authors report the results of a pilot study of environmental risk and sources of environmental information in three socio-economically and culturally distinct communities in Texas

Dynamic sampling schemes for optimal noise learning under multiple nonsmooth constraints

We consider the bilevel optimisation approach proposed by De Los Reyes, Sch\"onlieb (2013) for learning the optimal parameters in a Total Variation (TV) denoising model featuring for multiple noise distributions. In applications, the use of databases (dictionaries) allows an accurate estimation of the parameters, but reflects in high computational costs due to the size of the databases and to the nonsmooth nature of the PDE constraints. To overcome this computational barrier we propose an optimisation algorithm that by sampling dynamically from the set of constraints and using a quasi-Newton method, solves the problem accurately and in an efficient way

Thermally conducting electron transfer polymers

New polymeric material exhibits excellent physical shock protection, high electrical resistance, and thermal conductivity. It is especially useful for electronic circuitry, such as subminiaturization of components and modular construction of circuits

Improved thermally conducting electron transfer polymers

Development of polymers with improved heat transfer coefficients for use in encapsulating electronic modules is discussed. Chemical reactions for synthesizing the polymers are described and thermodynamic and physical properties are analyzed

Report on the Alternative Platform Observer Program in North Carolina: March 2006 to March 2007

In February 2006, an Alternative Platform Observer Program (APP) was implemented in North Carolina (NC) to observe commercial gillnet trips by small vessels [<24 ft (7.2 m)] in nearshore waters out to three nm (5.6 km). Efforts began with outreach to the fishing industry while simultaneously gathering information to be incorporated in a Database of Fishermen. From 30 March 2006 through 31 March 2007, 36 trips were observed. Observed trips of the NC nearshore gillnet fishery targeted seven species: kingfish (Menticirrhus spp.), Spanish mackerel (Scomberomorus maculatus), spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias), spot (Leiostomus xanthurus), spotted seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus), striped bass (Morone saxatilis), and weakfish (Cynoscion regalis). Of the 36 trips, 20 (55.6%) were with vessels that were new to the Northeast Fisheries Observer Program (NEFOP), having never carried an observer. Based on the landings data for small vessels from North Carolina Division of Marine Fisheries (NCDMF), the APP has achieved 10.1% coverage by number of trips and 4.0% by pounds landed. No incidental takes of bottlenose dolphins were observed by the APP, although bottlenose dolphins were sighted during 19 (52.8%) observed trips. The APP has drastically increased the number of observed trips of small vessels in the nearshore waters of NC. When combined with trips observed by NEFOP (n=205), the APP resulted in a 15.6% increase in the number of observed gillnet trips. (PDF contains 34 pages