methane concentrations and source strengths in urban locations

Higher atmospheric concentrations of methane are found in air samples from urban locations than in contemporary samples at the same latitude in remote locations. Higher concentrations of several trace chlorocarbon gases are also found in the same urban samples than in the corresponding remote samples. The “urban excess”, i.e. urban concentration minus remote concentration, is generally 1000 to 2000 times larger on a molar basis for CH4 than for CCl3F. Because almost all CCl3F is emitted in urban environments, the urban release of CH4 is estimated from the observed molar ratios to be 30 to 60 megatons per year world‐wide. The fraction of world‐wide methane release occurring in the urban environment can be estimated from the concentration ratios, urban to remote, for CH4 vs. CCl3F. About 8% to 15% of the atmospheric methane release is observed to occur in urban locations. Copyright 1984 by the American Geophysical Union

Preventing post-disaster PTSD: Watch for autonomic signs

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Stressful Experiences in Children and Adolescents: Initial Report from the PSEI-NCPV Honolulu Study

As part of a federal study of the biology of stress and resilience, a comprehensive, structured stress-history interview (PSEI-NCPV) was administered to 307 participants recruited in Honolulu. A moderate correlation between childhood stress and current depression was found. A relatively high rate of "severe bullying/hazing," and a high mean stress-intensity reating for "blood-drawing induced anxiety" call for further research

The human fear-circuitry and fear-induced fainting in healthy individuals The paleolithic-threat hypothesis

The Paleolithic-Threat hypothesis reviewed here posits that habitual efferent fainting can be traced back to fear-induced allelic polymorphisms that were selected into some genomes of anatomically, mitochondrially, and neurally modern humans (Homo sapiens sapiens) in the Mid-Paleolithic because of the survival advantage they conferred during periods of inescapable threat. We posit that during Mid-Paleolithic warfare an encounter with “a stranger holding a sharp object” was consistently associated with threat to life. A heritable hard- wired or firm-wired (prepotentiated) predisposition to abruptly increase vagal tone and collapse flaccidly rather than freeze or attempt to flee or fight in response to an approaching sharp object, a minor injury, or the sight of blood, polymorphism for the hemodynamically “paradoxical” flaccid- immobility in response to these stimuli may have increased some non-combatants’ chances of survival. This is consistent with the unusual age and sex pattern of fear-induced fainting. The Paleolithic-Threat hypothesis also predicts a link to various hypo-androgenic states (e.g. low dehydroxyepiandrosterone-sulfate. We offer five predictions testable via epidemiological, clinical, and ethological/primatological methods. The Paleolithic-Threat hypothesis has implications for research in the aftermath of man-made disasters, such as terrorism against civilians, a traumatic event in which this hypothesis predicts epidemics of fear-induced faintin

EXCM STUDENT COMMUNITY WELLNESS MODULE

This independent health and wellness module aims to serve as a support system for EXCM students for academic and personal growth. The module focuses on building a community for students based on physical activity and overall wellness, reflecting the structures in place for students of the Stritch School of Medicine. Through a narrowing of the population to that of undergraduate students, the initial pillars of community/wellness, academics/achievement, and community/collaboration provide a basis of guidance for the exercise science department, giving way to a heavier focus on student development and facilitating the work of the exercise science club, mentorship, academic, personal and interpersonal expansion and success

Reevaluating the Management of Chronic Temporomandibular Pain Are We Treating PTSD with Debridement and Lavage?

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Perovskite solar cells

The semiconductor perovskite CsPbBr2I was doped with Mn2+ to modulate its optical and photovoltaic performance. The Mn2+-doped CsPb0.9Mn0.1Br2I exhibited improved crystalline quality. Ultraviolet and visible spectroscopy of Mn2+-doped CsPb0.9Mn0.1Br2I revealed enhanced absorption capacity. Although the efficiency was not as good as desired, the enhanced light absorption of CsPb0.9Mn0.1Br2I still boosted the photovoltaic performance when it was utilized as a light absorber in perovskite solar cells, along with a low-cost carbon electrode. Compared with its counterpart CsPbBr2I, the doped CsPb0.9Mn0.1Br2I based solar cells demonstrated long-term air stability. Not only long-lasting stability was achieved by doping with Mn2+, the toxicity was also lessened by replacing the amount of hazardous lead in perovskite with harmless manganese

Assessing The "Value" Of New Transport Initiatives In Deprived Neighbourhoods In The UK

Since 1996, there has been growing policy awareness in the UK of the links between transport and social exclusion. Research by the government’s Social Exclusion Unit (SEU) has highlighted the fact that transport problems are often a major barrier to accessing work, healthcare, educational and other key facilities and has, therefore, become an increasingly important policy objective in moving people from welfare into work, addressing health inequalities, improving poor educational attainment and more generally promoting social exclusion and neighbourhood renewal. The SEU study puts in place a cross-departmental strategy to address these issues through a new local framework entitled Accessibility Planning, which is to be delivered by local transport planning authorities and their partners through the next round of Local Transport Plans. However, there has been little, if any, qualitative or quantitative analysis and evaluation of the contribution of new transport interventions in deprived areas. As such very little is known about whether they are facilitating increased economic and social participation for the individuals who use them. It is equally unclear if they have any positive impact on the wider process of regeneration in the neighbourhoods they serve. Anecdotal evidence suggests that they are assisting transitions from welfare into work, as well facilitating other important activities, such as health visits, educational attendance and leisure and social activities. The current funding and subsidy arrangements for transport initiatives specifically designed to support social inclusion are minimal at best and often non-existent. This paper describes case study research of four different transport projects that were funded under the UK Department for Transport’s now obsolete Urban Bus Challenge Fund. It aims to qualitatively and quantitatively evaluate their value to passengers in terms of quality of life benefits and also to identify their wider value to the local practitioners charged with the regeneration of the deprived areas they serve. On the basis of this evidence study aims to offer recommendations to central and local government on how such initiatives can be better supported in the future. Its key objectives are: • To identify the changes in travel behaviour and accessibility that have been brought about through the introduction of transport interventions within deprived and disadvantaged communities; • To explore the perceptions of local people in relation to these new services and with the broader aim of identifying the impact of these on the quality of life of the people who use them; • To explore the views of local practitioners regarding the contribution of such projects to the wider process of neighbourhood renewal in these areas; • To offer recommendations to central and local government on how such schemes can be better supported in the context of policies for neighbourhood renewal and the new requirements for accessibility planning in the 2006 Local Transport Plans. The research is funded by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, a UK-based poverty campaign organisation that aims to raise awareness of the needs of people living in poor neighbourhoods across the UK.Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies. Faculty of Economics and Business. The University of Sydne