Automation Potential and Artificial Intelligence

This Fact Sheet highlights the automation potential in the Mountain West states (Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado) and its metropolitan statistical areas using the findings of Automation and Artificial Intelligence: How machines are affecting people and places, a report by the Brookings Institution

Economic Growth in Mountain West Metropolitan Areas

This Fact Sheet highlights trends in America’s economic progress, demonstrating how four metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) in the Mountain West region (Salt Lake City, Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, and Denver-Aurora-Lakewood) fared from 2016 to 2017 and from 2007 to 2017 compared to the national economy and the 100 largest metropolitan economies

CLEANING METHODS FOR THE REMOVAL OF LIMEWASH FROM PAINTED PLASTER SURFACES: UTILIZING ION EXCHANGE RESINS ON THE INTERIOR ARCHITECTURAL FINISHES OF THE CAPILLA DE NUESTRA SEÑORA DEL ROSARIO IN IGLESIA SAN JOSÉ, IN SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO

This project explores methods for the removal of limewash from overpainted plaster surfaces, testing whether ion exchange resins can be used to safely clean these historic materials. The study utilizes the interior architectural finishes of the Capilla de Nuestra Señora del Rosario in Iglesia San José in San Juan, Puerto Rico to investigate the properties and efficacy of ion exchange resins when applied to chalking matte paints on lime plaster. Built in the 16th century, Iglesia San José is considered the second oldest church in the Americas. In 1998, a loss of structural integrity forced the closure of the building to the public. Today, through support from the WMF and an international team of conservators, conservation and restoration efforts progress at the church. The 17th-century Capilla de la Virgen del Rosario possesses the most extensive of the church’s remaining mural works. Current work in the chapel focuses on exposing the first mural campaign (Campaign A). Previous site work tested mechanical means of removal, which left behind a lime haze and proved aggressive on fragile plaster surfaces and powdering matte paints. Chemical methods, on the other hand, have not been tested. On fragile plaster surfaces, ion exchange resins may clean more effectively and cause less damage than mechanical methods. Current conservation literature shows little testing of ion exchange resins for their efficacy in removing limewashes or overpaintings, or their effects on calcium-rich substrates. This method requires further testing to determine if it is a cost- and time-effective restoration technique for large-scale applications

The Urban Heat Island Effect in Nevada

This fact sheet explores the temperature difference between Nevada cities and their undeveloped surrounding areas using reports by the Urban Land Institute, Climate Central, National Public Radio (NPR), and various governmental organizations. We investigate what “urban heat islands” are, their effects, the correlation between heat and income, and factors that contribute to rising temperatures in Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, Henderson, and Reno

Foot Traffic & Walkable Urbanism

This fact sheet highlights the performance and expansion of WalkUPs (regionally significant, walkable areas) with a focus on Denver, Los Angeles, Orlando, Phoenix, and Las Vegas as detailed in Foot Traffic Ahead: Ranking Walkable Urbanism in America’s Largest Metros, a report by George Washington University

The Outdoor Recreation Economy in the Mountain West

This fact sheet provides select data from the State Outdoor Recreation Satellite Account (ORSA) at the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) to highlight the outdoor recreation economy in the Mountain West region, including Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado

Disentangling the effect of host-genotype and environment on the microbiome of the coral Acropora tenuis

Genotype-specific contributions to the environmental tolerance and disease susceptibility of corals are widely accepted. Yet our understanding of how host genotype influences the composition and stability of the coral microbiome subjected to environmental fluctuations is limited. To gain insight into the community dynamics and environmental stability of microbiomes associated with distinct coral genotypes, we assessed the microbial community associated with Acropora tenuis under single and cumulative pressure experiments. Experimental treatments comprised either a single pulse of reduced salinity (minimum of 28 psu) or exposure to the cumulative pressures of reduced salinity (minimum of 28 psu), elevated seawater temperature (+2°C), elevated pCO2(900 ppm), and the presence of macroalgae. Analysis of 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequence data revealed that A. tenuis microbiomes were highly host-genotype specific and maintained high compositional stability irrespective of experimental treatment. On average, 48% of the A. tenuis microbiome was dominated by Endozoicomonas. Amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) belonging to this genus were significantly different between host individuals. Although no signs of stress were evident in the coral holobiont and the vast majority of ASVs remained stable across treatments, a microbial indicator approach identified 26 ASVs belonging to Vibrionaceae, Rhodobacteraceae, Hahellaceae, Planctomycetes, Phylobacteriaceae, Flavobacteriaceae, and Cryomorphaceae that were significantly enriched in corals exposed to single and cumulative stressors. While several recent studies have highlighted the efficacy of microbial indicators as sensitive markers for environmental disturbance, the high host-genotype specificity of coral microbiomes may limit their utility and we therefore recommend meticulous control of host-genotype effects in coral microbiome research

Job Density in the Mountain West

This Fact Sheet highlights the job density patterns in large metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) in the Mountain West states (Nevada, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado) using the findings of Where Jobs are Concentrating and Why it Matters to Cities and Regions, a report by Chad Shearer, Jennifer S. Vey, and Joanne Kim of the Brookings Institution

Economic Segregation, Inequality, and the New Urban Crisis in the Mountain West

This fact sheet highlights economic segregation, inequality, and the effect of the “New Urban Crisis” in the Mountain West region (Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah) as computed and analyzed by Richard Florida in The New Urban Crisis: How Our Cities are Increasing Inequality, Deepening Segregation, and Failing the Middle Class- and What We Can Do About it