Improved local planning for reservoir-oriented recreation opportunities

Water-based recreation is becoming an increasingly important aspect of water-resources management. However, there is a great deal of uncertainty about its local socio-economic impact. This uncertainty has played a key role in debates over the construction of reservoirs in Illinois. While much attention has been given to predicting expected impacts of reservoirs, there has been little investigation of the actual impacts, and very little attention has been given to evaluating the effectiveness of various approaches to dealing with those local impacts that do indeed result from water-resources-management projects. This study looks at the actual recreation-induced local impacts of Lake Shelbyville, a multipurpose reservoir constructed by the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers in central Illinois. The reservoir began filling in 1969 and is a major recreation attraction (three million visitor days annually) in a predominately agricultural region. The study is exploratory. It identifies significant impacts and suggests how these impacts may be predicted and dealt with. Significant attention is given to impacts on local government costs and revenues as well as needed intergovernmental cooperation. It is clear that local impacts were significantly different from what was expected and that local residents and recreationists using the lake could benefit from improvements in local planning and intergovernmental cooperation.U.S. Department of the InteriorU.S. Geological SurveyOpe

Improved procedures for valuation of the contribution of recreation to national economic development

Improved procedures are presented for evaluating the contribution of recreation to national economic development. These procedures are to replace those outlined in the Principles and Standards for Planning Water and Related Land Resources. Desirable criteria for valuation procedures are specified. Variation procedures currently used by federal agencies make almost exclusive use of the “interim unit day value approach,” sometimes augmented by point systems. This approach has little theoretical or empirical justification and does not encourage efficient allocation of resources. Revision and modification of the “interim unit day value approach” and the use of point systems is not a useful method of developing improved procedures. Rather, it is recommended that models be developed to predict individual willingness-to-pay for many types of recreation as functions of site characteristics, the characteristics of the individual user (including the history of the previous use), the availability of substitute activities and sites, and the location of the individual in relation to the resources under study. The total value of the resource would then be a function of these variables, the number of users, and the distribution of users within the market area. These functions may be derived from regional travel cost demand functions (which would also provide estimates of use) or could be explicit willingness-to-pay functions derived from the survey method (which must be supplemented by a use estimate). Examples of the desired models are provided along with guidelines for their development and use. Needs for further research are identified.U.S. Department of the InteriorU.S. Geological SurveyOpe

Acquisition of a Multi-User Thin Film Synthesis and Processing Facility

A state-of-the-art advanced materials synthesis and processing facility focusing on the growth and fabrication of ceramic- based thin film materials will be funded with the assistance of the Academic Research Infrastructure Program. The facility will include a multi-technique thin film materials synthesis chamber equipped with a microwave plasma source, effusion cells, electron beam evaporators, magnetron sputter sources, and a Kauffman ion source. Characterization capabilities will include in-situ reflection high energy electron diffraction (RHEED), mass spectrometry for controlling growth processes, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and a novel Hall probe for in- situ film characterization. Three major areas of research will be impacted significantly by the facility, namely 1) solid state micro-sensors, 2) nanomechanics of materials, and 3) surfaces and interfaces in hetero-epitaxial oxide systems. In the sensor work, which has connections with local industry, the synthesis and processing of well-defined doped metal-oxide films will be developed with the goal of understanding and controlling the molecular scale mechanisms by which surface microstructure, dopant type, and operating temperature influence sensor performance. A broad based advanced materials synthesis and processing facility for the growth and fabrication of ceramic-based thin films will be operated for the study of solid state microsensors based on metal-oxide ceramic films. The nanomechanics of these ceramic thin films will be studied, as well as the surfaces and interfaces occurring in heteroepitaxial oxide systems

A survey of farm management practices relating to the risk factors, prevalence, and causes of lamb mortality in Ireland

SIMPLE SUMMARY: A reduction in lamb mortality would benefit farmers both economically and ethically. The major causes of lamb mortality are similar worldwide. Targeting the specific causes can result in reduced lamb mortality. This involves identifying underlying factors associated with lamb mortality and subsequently recommending changes to management practices. The objective of this study was to investigate the risk factors associated with lamb mortality on Irish sheep farms to provide a greater understanding of the necessary management practices required to reduce lamb mortality. This was achieved by identifying relationships between on-farm practices and risk factors of lamb mortality associated with these practices. Predators, lamb birth weight, and diseases were perceived by farmers to be the main causes of lamb mortality. Individual lambing pens were used on most sheep farms but were not cleaned and/or disinfected on 26% of them. Lamb mortality tended to be lower on farms that used best-known practices. Full-time farmers that used hospital and individual pens had a higher gross margin (€18/ewe). Management systems affect both lamb mortality and flock gross margin. Every 1% decrease in average lamb mortality across Irish flocks is worth ~€3 million annually to the Irish sheep sector. ABSTRACT: Lamb mortality is a key factor influencing ewe productivity and profitability. The current study investigated risk factors associated with and management practices implemented on sheep farms to reduce lamb mortality. A survey consisting of 13 multiple-part questions (57 separate questions) was administered to all sheep farmers participating in the Teagasc National Farm Survey, representative of the Irish national population of sheep farms. A total of 60% of respondents identify mating or lambing date, and this practice tended to be associated with reduced lamb mortality (1.2%, p = 0.08). Individual lambing pens were used by 88% of farmers, but 26% did not clean or disinfect them. A total of 79% and 9.5% of farmers applied iodine to all lambs’ navels and administered antibiotics to all lambs to treat and/or prevent diseases, respectively. Most farmers vaccinated their ewes (86%) and lambs (79%) against clostridial diseases and/or pasteurellosis; 13% vaccinated against abortion agents. Lamb mortality tended to be lower (Kruskal–Wallis (KW) = 2.749; p = 0.09) on farms that used stomach tubing, heat box, iodine, hospital, and individual pens compared with farms that do not implement all those practices. Predators, lamb birth weight, and diseases were perceived by respondents to be the three main causes of live-born lamb mortality. The gross margin is significantly higher on lowland farms by €37 per ewe compared with hill farms (Kruskal–Wallis (KW) = 4.056; p < 0.001). The combination of full-time farming and the use of hospital and individual pens improved gross margin (€18/ewe, p = 0.028). It is concluded that on-farm management practices affect both lamb mortality and flock gross margin

Centerscope

Centerscope, formerly Scope, was published by the Boston University Medical Center "to communicate the concern of the Medical Center for the development and maintenance of improved health care in contemporary society.

Mapping male circumcision for HIV prevention efforts in sub-Saharan Africa

Background HIV remains the largest cause of disease burden among men and women of reproductive age in sub-Saharan Africa. Voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC) reduces the risk of female-to-male transmission of HIV by 50–60%. The World Health Organization (WHO) and Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) identified 14 priority countries for VMMC campaigns and set a coverage goal of 80% for men ages 15–49. From 2008 to 2017, over 18 million VMMCs were reported in priority countries. Nonetheless, relatively little is known about local variation in male circumcision (MC) prevalence. Methods We analyzed geo-located MC prevalence data from 109 household surveys using a Bayesian geostatistical modeling framework to estimate adult MC prevalence and the number of circumcised and uncircumcised men aged 15–49 in 38 countries in sub-Saharan Africa at a 5 × 5-km resolution and among first administrative level (typically provinces or states) and second administrative level (typically districts or counties) units. Results We found striking within-country and between-country variation in MC prevalence; most (12 of 14) priority countries had more than a twofold difference between their first administrative level units with the highest and lowest estimated prevalence in 2017. Although estimated national MC prevalence increased in all priority countries with the onset of VMMC campaigns, seven priority countries contained both subnational areas where estimated MC prevalence increased and areas where estimated MC prevalence decreased after the initiation of VMMC campaigns. In 2017, only three priority countries (Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania) were likely to have reached the MC coverage target of 80% at the national level, and no priority country was likely to have reached this goal in all subnational areas. Conclusions Despite MC prevalence increases in all priority countries since the onset of VMMC campaigns in 2008, MC prevalence remains below the 80% coverage target in most subnational areas and is highly variable. These mapped results provide an actionable tool for understanding local needs and informing VMMC interventions for maximum impact in the continued effort towards ending the HIV epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa

Involvement of Noradrenergic Neurotransmission in the Stress- but not Cocaine-Induced Reinstatement of Extinguished Cocaine-Induced Conditioned Place Preference in Mice: Role for β-2 Adrenergic Receptors

The responsiveness of central noradrenergic systems to stressors and cocaine poses norepinephrine as a potential common mechanism through which drug re-exposure and stressful stimuli promote relapse. This study investigated the role of noradrenergic systems in the reinstatement of extinguished cocaine-induced conditioned place preference by cocaine and stress in male C57BL/6 mice. Cocaine- (15 mg/kg, i.p.) induced conditioned place preference was extinguished by repeated exposure to the apparatus in the absence of drug and reestablished by a cocaine challenge (15 mg/kg), exposure to a stressor (6-min forced swim (FS); 20–25°C water), or administration of the α-2 adrenergic receptor (AR) antagonists yohimbine (2 mg/kg, i.p.) or BRL44408 (5, 10 mg/kg, i.p.). To investigate the role of ARs, mice were administered the nonselective β-AR antagonist, propranolol (5, 10 mg/kg, i.p.), the α-1 AR antagonist, prazosin (1, 2 mg/kg, i.p.), or the α-2 AR agonist, clonidine (0.03, 0.3 mg/kg, i.p.) before reinstatement testing. Clonidine, prazosin, and propranolol failed to block cocaine-induced reinstatement. The low (0.03 mg/kg) but not high (0.3 mg/kg) clonidine dose fully blocked FS-induced reinstatement but not reinstatement by yohimbine. Propranolol, but not prazosin, blocked reinstatement by both yohimbine and FS, suggesting the involvement of β-ARs. The β-2 AR antagonist ICI-118551 (1 mg/kg, i.p.), but not the β-1 AR antagonist betaxolol (10 mg/kg, i.p.), also blocked FS-induced reinstatement. These findings suggest that stress-induced reinstatement requires noradrenergic signaling through β-2 ARs and that cocaine-induced reinstatement does not require AR activation, even though stimulation of central noradrenergic neurotransmission is sufficient to reinstate

Simplicity in Visual Representation: A Semiotic Approach

Simplicity, as an ideal in the design of visual representations, has not received systematic attention. High-level guidelines are too general, and low-level guidelines too ad hoc, too numerous, and too often incompatible, to serve in a particular design situation. This paper reviews notions of visual simplicity in the literature within the analytical framework provided by Charles Morris' communication model, specifically, his trichotomy of communication levels—the syntactic, the semantic, and the pragmatic. Simplicity is ultimate ly shown to entail the adjudication of incompatibilities both within, and between, levels.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/68281/2/10.1177_105065198700100103.pd