Using SeaWiFS and In Situ Data for HAB Prediction in the Northern Gulf of Mexico: Decision Tree Analysis

To date, 13 potential HAB species have been detected in coastal waters of Mississippi and Alabama, including representatives of the diatom genera Pseudo-nitzschia and Chaetoceros, and dinoflagellate genera Karenia, Gonyaulax, Akashiwo, Karlodinium, and Prorocentrum. This study investigates the potential of satellite remote sensing (SeaWiFS) to predict environmental conditions leading to the formation of HABs in these turbid coastal waters. Phytoplankton populations and water quality were monitored in situ at 3 to 6 week intervals and 17 locations in Mobile Bay and the Mississippi Sound from December, 2004, through June, 2006. SeaWiFS imagery corresponding with in situ collections was acquired. Non-parametric multivariate analyses determined relationships between phytoplankton cell counts and in situ or satellite-derived water properties, including surface temperature, salinity, concentrations of chlorophyll, total suspended solids, colored dissolved organic material, and nutrient levels. This paper will describe an expert system decision tree analysis approach to prediction of ecological conditions necessary for the formation of HABs. The model assumes unique ranges of remote sensing reflectance ratios, Chl a, and total suspended solids must exist within the environment are conducive for the formation of HABs. 
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Triangulations of 3-dimensional pseudomanifolds with an application to state-sum invariants

We demonstrate the triangulability of compact 3-dimensional topological pseudomanifolds and study the properties of such triangulations, including the Hauptvermutung and relations by Alexander star moves and Pachner bistellar moves. We also provide an application to state-sum invariants of 3-dimensional topological pseudomanifoldsComment: Published by Algebraic and Geometric Topology at http://www.maths.warwick.ac.uk/agt/AGTVol4/agt-4-24.abs.htm

Managing and Sharing the Risks of Drought in Australia

Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Literacy Among Black and Latinx Patients Who Could Benefit from HIV Prevention Medication

Introduction: Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) is only reaching a small percentage of people who could benefit from it. The disproportionate impact of HIV and lower rates of PrEP prescriptions for Black and Latinx patients is of crucial concern and must be addressed if the disease is ever to be eradicated. Primary Care Provider (PCP) communication strategies focused on increasing Sexual Health Practices Self-Efficacy (SHPSE) and understanding of one’s own sexual health needs when educating about HIV and PrEP will be a significant approach to reducing disparities among people of color. Objective: Determine the influences of PrEP/HIV sources of information and SHPSE on level of PrEP literacy. Methods: This study employed a cross-sectional study design to explore PrEP literacy. The survey was disseminated among Black and Latinx individuals in Indiana. A multivariate linear regression was conducted to determine the relationship of 2 independent variables: sources of HIV information and SHPSE, and 5 covariates: race/ethnicity, gender, PrEP indicators, sexual identification, and HIV standards of care, on the dependent variable: PrEP literacy. PrEP Literacy Scale contained 9 questions concerning common misconceptions about PrEP. Scores ranged from 9-18, with a score of 18 indicating a high degree of PrEP literacy. SHPSE was assessed using participants’ self-rated level of confidence in performing various sexual health practices on a scale from 1=no confidence to 4=high confidence. Results: Participants (n=606) identified as Black (67.6%) and Latinx (32.4%). Women accounted for the majority (63.4%) of the sample, followed by men (35.5%). 83% of the sample identified as straight, while 1.8% and 10.1% identified as gay and bisexual. The regression model was significant (p<.001) and explained 22% of the variance in the dependent variable, PrEP literacy (R2=.223). Results indicate that participants who report a level 4 (p=.01) and level 3 (p=.02) SHPSE were more likely to have a higher PrEP literacy compared to respondents who report level 1 SHPSE. Latinx participants reported higher PrEP literacy compared with Black respondents (p=.02). Receiving annual HIV screenings was associated with a higher PrEP literacy (p=.002). Finally, using a PCP as the primary source of HIV information was associated with higher PrEP literacy (p=.01); conversely, using friends as the primary source of HIV information was associated with lower PrEP literacy (p<.001), which was the strongest predictor in the model (=-.238). Conclusions: PrEP literacy is increased among patients reporting more contact with their provider, especially with PCPs who screen for HIV regularly. Respondents who utilize their PCPs are more confident accessing HIV services and are more able to discern fact from fiction around PrEP. PCPs who serve as a primary source of information may also serve as the patient’s sole, accurate source of sexual health education. Findings suggest that curricular changes should integrate a holistic education strategy around sexual health for healthcare providers, which entails taking a detailed sexual health history, assessing HIV risk factors, and determining when it is appropriate to prescribe PrEP

Calculation of critical water flow rates for wildfire suppression

Predicting water suppression requirements and its impacts on firefighting strategies and logistics within the urban environment has been the subject of many previous studies, however the same level of research has yet to be applied in the realm of wildfire suppression. To work towards addressing this knowledge gap, this paper provides guidance for Incident Controllers in relation to critical water flow rates required to extinguish large wildfire across a wide range of forest fuel loads, fire weather and active fire front depths. This is achieved through mathematical empirical analysis of water flow rates required for head fire suppression during 540 simulated wildfires in forest vegetation. This research applies a fire engineering approach to wildfire suppression logistics and deterministically assess the suitability of appliance and aircraft based head fire suppression. The results highlight the limitations of offensive wildfire suppression involving direct head fire attacks by appliances once wildfires attain a quasi-steady state in forest fuels

Brazil's Family Health Strategy: Using Community Health Care Workers to Provide Primary Care

PROGRAM AT A GLANCEKEY FEATUREBrazil, the world's fifth-largest nation, established a Family Health Strategy in 1994, which uses community health workers (CHWs) to provide basic primary care to families at home, relay information back to health care teams, resolve low-level problems, refer more complex problems to nurses or physicians, and collect data.TARGET POPULATIONMore than 265,000 CHWs serve nearly 67 percent of Brazil's population. Most of the population served are lower-income.WHY IT'S IMPORTANTCountries around the world, including the United States, are looking to reduce costs and provide greater access to care.BENEFITSThe program, which costs $50 per person each year, has lessened the pressure on more-expensive care providers and led to significant improvements in clinical outcomes nationally—reducing hospitalizations and mortality and improving equity and access.LESSONSThe United States has used CHWs on a limited basis, with evidence of cost-effectiveness, but the model could be adopted more broadly. To do so, the U.S. must focus on three core challenges: regulation affecting the training and accreditation of CHWs, ensuring sustainable funding through appropriate payer reimbursement, and integrating CHWs into health care teams

Understanding the role of performance targets in transport policy

The measurement of performance in the public sector has become increasingly important in recent years and it is now commonplace for transport organisations, and local and national governments, to publish performance goals for service supply and quality. Such commitments, when time referenced, are known as targets. This paper explain how changes in management style, consumer rights legislation, contractual obligations and other factors have combined to make management-by targets increasingly common in the public sector. The advantages and disadvantages of management-by-targets are illustrated through discussion of the processes and experience of setting transport targets in UK national transport policy. We conclude that while some of the targets have had a significant impact on policy makers, managers and their agents, the effects have not always been as intended

Recreation and Wildlife Activity in the Wood River Valley

As the human population grows, people increasingly seek to recreate on public lands. Consequently, humans and animals find themselves sharing space. It is important, therefore, to understand how humans and wildlife interact in these natural spaces. The Big Wood River Watershed in Blaine County, Idaho is an excellent example of a natural area with a high density of recreational activity. This study aims to determine whether frequency and/or intensity of recreational activity affects wildlife activity. Data was collected using a combination of camera trapping and use of autonomous recording units. We expected that areas with high levels of recreational activity and high average sound would correlate with low wildlife activity and also that wildlife would change their activity patterns to avoid interaction with recreationists. Early analysis, however, indicates that the relationship between recreation and wildlife activity is more nuanced. These results will provide insight into public land management and how to best balance recreationist demands for access to lands with needs of wildlife

ORIGINAL ARTICLES Can’t Shake that Feeling: Event-Related fMRI Assessment of Sustained Amygdala Activity in Response to Emotional Information in Depressed Individuals

individuals engage in prolonged elaborative processing of emotional information. A computational neural network model of emotional information processing suggests this process involves sustained amygdala activity in response to processing negative features of information. This study examined whether brain activity in response to emotional stimuli was sustained in depressed individuals, even following subsequent distracting stimuli. Methods: Seven depressed and 10 never-depressed individuals were studied using event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging during alternating 15-sec emotional processing (valence identification) and nonemotional processing (Sternberg memory) trials. Amygdala regions were traced on high-resolution structural scans and coregistered to the functional data. The time course of activity in these areas during emotional and nonemotional processing trials was examined. Results: During emotional processing trials, never-depressed individuals displayed amygdalar responses to all stimuli, which decayed within 10 sec. In contrast, depressed individuals displayed sustained amygdala responses to negative words that lasted throughout the following nonemotional processing trials (25 sec later). The difference in sustained amygdala activity to negative and positive words was moderately related to self-reported rumination. Conclusions: Results suggest that depression is associated with sustained activity in brain areas responsible for coding emotional features. Biol Psychiatry 2002;51