Gasoline Consumption Attributable to Gasoline Powered Watercraft Use in Maine

This report, the third of three, presents the results of a survey of gasoline powered watercraft users whose watercraft were registered in the State of Maine during 2001

The Association of Maternal Obesity and Race with Pregnancy Weight Gain and Small for Gestational Age Infant Birth: The Effect of Prenatal Care

Objective: To examine the association of maternal obesity, race/ethnicity, and prenatal care on high gestational weight gain (GWG) and small for gestational age (SGA) infant birth. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of births included in the PRAMS Phase 8 dataset (2016-2017). The study population was 53,893 non-diabetic women with a singleton in-hospital birth between 37 and 42 weeks gestational age. Results: Only obese non-Hispanic white and Hispanic women showed a consistent decrease in adjusted odds of high GWG as prenatal care visit category increased. Only non-Hispanic white women showed a lower increase in adjusted odds of an SGA infant birth with more compared to intermediate prenatal care. Conclusions: The effectiveness of prenatal care in reducing high GWG varies by race for women with a BMI outside a healthy range. More prenatal care did not reduce SGA infant births amongst overweight or obese women. Policy implications: Interventions to improve prenatal care delivery for overweight or obese women should consider race

International Chemical Congresses.

n/

Net Farm Income Impacts of Alternative Risk Management Bills

The impacts of the bills are measured against the FAPRI January 1999 baseline which may be found at http://hdl.handle.net/10355/3318At the request of Senator Richard Lugar, Chairman of the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, FAPRI has analyzed impacts of two alternative risk management proposals. The first proposal is the Farmers' Risk Management Act of 1999, sponsored by Senator Lugar (IN) and co-sponsored by Senators McConnell (KY), Fitzgerald (IL), and Helms (NC). The second proposal is the Risk Management for the 21st Century Act, put forth by Senator Roberts (KS) and co-sponsored by Senator Kerrey (NE) and others

Analysis of Risk Management Proposals

An earlier analysis which concentrated on the aggregate net farm income and government outlay impacts may be found at http://hdl.handle.net/10355/3318At the request of several members of the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry of the Senate, FAPRI has continued to analyze the impacts of two alternative risk management proposals. The proposals are the Farmers' Risk Management Act of 1999 (S. 1666) and the Risk Management for the 21st Century Act (S. 1580)

CAP Reform and the WTO: Potential Impacts on EU Agriculture

Selected Paper prepared for presentation at the American Agricultural Economics Association Annual Meeting, Denver, Colorado.In 2003 an agreement was finalized to instigate arguably the most significant reform of the European Union's (EU) Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) since its inception. In the Luxembourg Agreement many of the direct payments that have been linked to production are decoupled and instead provided in the form of a land-based payment. The reforms did not include any significant changes to either EU border support or the ability of the EU to utilize export subsidies that have been widely criticized by other nations. Even though the reforms do not directly address trade in agricultural products it is argued that World Trade Organization (WTO) concerns played a significant role in the designs of the reforms. In this paper an analysis of the Luxembourg reforms and the European proposal for agriculture under the WTO is presented. The results are used as the basis for a discussion of the interaction of the WTO and CAP reform and the implications for the agricultural sector in the EU

Detectors and cryostat design for the SuMIRe Prime Focus Spectrograph (PFS)

We describe the conceptual design of the camera cryostats, detectors, and detector readout electronics for the SuMIRe Prime Focus Spectrograph (PFS) being developed for the Subaru telescope. The SuMIRe PFS will consist of four identical spectrographs, each receiving 600 fibers from a 2400 fiber robotic positioner at the prime focus. Each spectrograph will have three channels covering wavelength ranges 3800 {\AA} - 6700 {\AA}, 6500 {\AA} - 10000 {\AA}, and 9700 {\AA} - 13000 {\AA}, with the dispersed light being imaged in each channel by a f/1.10 vacuum Schmidt camera. In the blue and red channels a pair of Hamamatsu 2K x 4K edge-buttable CCDs with 15 um pixels are used to form a 4K x 4K array. For the IR channel, the new Teledyne 4K x 4K, 15 um pixel, mercury-cadmium-telluride sensor with substrate removed for short-wavelength response and a 1.7 um cutoff will be used. Identical detector geometry and a nearly identical optical design allow for a common cryostat design with the only notable difference being the need for a cold radiation shield in the IR camera to mitigate thermal background. This paper describes the details of the cryostat design and cooling scheme, relevant thermal considerations and analysis, and discusses the detectors and detector readout electronics

Empirically testing the effectiveness of thermal imaging as a tool for identification of large mammals in the African bushveldt

Monitoring animal populations often relies on direct visual observations. This is problematic at night when spotlighting can cause misidentification and inaccurate counting. Using infrared thermography (IRT) could potentially solve these difficulties, but reliability is uncertain. Here, we test the accuracy of 24 observers, differing in experience and skill levels, in identifying antelope species from IRT photographs taken in the African bush. Overall, 38% of identifications were correct to species level and 50% were correct to genus/subfamily level. Identification accuracy depended on the confidence and skill of the observer (positive relationship), the number of animals present (positive relationship), and the distance at which it was taken (negative relationship). Species with characteristic features, horn morphology, or posture were identified with ~80% accuracy (e.g. wildebeest, kudu, impala) while others were considerably lower (e.g. blesbok, waterbuck). Experience significantly improved identification accuracy but the effect was not consistent between species and even experienced observers struggled to identify red hartebeest, reedbuck and eland. Counting inaccuracies were commonplace, particularly when group size was large. We conclude that thermal characteristics of species and experience of observers can pose challenges for African field ecologists but IRT can be used to identify and count some species accurately, especially <100m

Identification of African antelope species: using thermographic videos to test the efficacy of real-time thermography

Real-time thermography using the live-view function of a thermal camera has considerable potential to improve surveys of nocturnal wildlife relative to traditional spotlighting, while also decreasing disturbance. However, ability to identify species accurately is paramount. We use video as a proxy for real-time thermography to test African antelope identification accuracy among 34 observers of differing experience. Overall accuracy was 41% but there were substantial species-specific differences (e.g. wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) = 81%; reedbuck (Redunca arundinum) = 12%). Observer experience was significantly positively related to accuracy (inexperienced = 30%; expert = 61%) with experienced observers being better able to use subtle movement and behavioural information to identify animals. However, the effect of experience was inconsistent between species: even experts found some species challenging (e.g. waterbuck (Kobus ellipsiprymnus) where coat patterning was invisible thermographically). Self-assessed confidence did not correlate with accuracy. Observers who were good at identifying species were also good at assessing group size. We conclude that real-time thermography is not a “magic bullet” and the understanding of species-specific effectiveness is vital. However, for some species and some groups of observers, accuracy can be extremely high (e.g. 100% for expert observers viewing wildebeest). Tailored training is essential for real-time thermography to be a reliable field technique

Controversies Surrounding Renal Denervation:Lessons Learned From Real-World Experience in Two United Kingdom Centers

Renal denervation (RDN) is a therapy that targets treatment‐resistant hypertension (TRH). The Renal Denervation in Patients With Uncontrolled Hypertension (Symplicity) HTN‐1 and Symplicity HTN‐2 trials reported response rates of >80%; however, sham‐controlled Symplicity HTN‐3 failed to reach its primary blood pressure (BP) outcome. The authors address the current controversies surrounding RDN, illustrated with real‐world data from two centers in the United Kingdom. In this cohort, 52% of patients responded to RDN, with a 13±32 mm Hg reduction in office systolic BP (SBP) at 6 months (n=29, P=.03). Baseline office SBP and number of ablations correlated with office SBP reduction (R=−0.47, P=.01; R=−0.56, P=.002). RDN appears to be an effective treatment for some patients with TRH; however, individual responses are highly variable. Selecting patients for RDN is challenging, with only 10% (33 of 321) of the screened patients eligible for the study. Medication alterations and nonadherence confound outcomes. Adequate ablation is critical and should impact future catheter design/training. Markers of procedural success and improved patient selection parameters remain key research aims