An Assessment of Stream Fishing Venues in West Virginia: A Comparison of Anglers along a Spectrum of Access

West Virginia places an emphasis on fishing as a way to increase nature-based tourism. However, heavy fishing pressure on public water and unequal fishing effort at stocking locations can lead to declining catch rates and an increasing number of visitors that experience catch deprivation and dissatisfaction. Controlling access to streams is one approach to dealing with this carrying capacity issue. Both public and private land managers have approached this problem differently using various levels of control. For example, Pipestem State Park managers provided anglers with access to the Bluestone River with few controls via an aerial tramway prior to 2009. In recent years, the park has controlled access by stocking trout at the beginning of the shoulder season (November-April) when the tram is closed, thus limiting access to the river via a strenuous 4 mile hike on steep terrain. At Harman\u27s North Fork Cottages, access is controlled on private land. Only guests that stay in the luxury log cabins are given easy and nearby access to a stocked segment of river. The purpose of this study is to compare the success, satisfaction, and perceived crowding of four stream fishing venues that fall along a spectrum of access from completely open access to closed, invitation only access. A total of 154 adult anglers completed an on-site interview. Indicators of fishing success (e.g., Catch Per Unit Effort) and economic impact of stocking strategies will be compared among the fishing venues. Catch Per Unit Effort values were found to be significantly different from one venue to another, while acceptability of catch was found not to be. The catch rate normative curve developed from this information is included, which shows the preferred and minimally acceptable catch rates for each different fishing venue. Additionally, significant differences were found in the number of anglers observed fishing on the stream by other anglers is reported, as it addresses the issue of perceived crowding and social carrying capacity

Analysis of Iterative Methods for the Linear Boltzmann Transport Equation

In this article we consider the iterative solution of the linear system of equations arising from the discretisation of the poly-energetic linear Boltzmann transport equation using a discontinuous Galerkin finite element approximation in space, angle, and energy. In particular, we develop preconditioned Richardson iterations which may be understood as generalisations of source iteration in the mono-energetic setting, and derive computable a posteriori bounds for the solver error incurred due to inexact linear algebra, measured in a relevant problem-specific norm. We prove that the convergence of the resulting schemes and a posteriori solver error estimates are independent of the discretisation parameters. We also discuss how the poly-energetic Richardson iteration may be employed as a preconditioner for the generalised minimal residual (GMRES) method. Furthermore, we show that standard implementations of GMRES based on minimising the Euclidean norm of the residual vector can be utilized to yield computable a posteriori solver error estimates at each iteration, through judicious selections of left- and right-preconditioners for the original linear system. The effectiveness of poly-energetic source iteration and preconditioned GMRES, as well as their respective a posteriori solver error estimates, is demonstrated through numerical examples arising in the modelling of photon transport.Comment: 27 pages, 8 figure

Can electronic assessment tools improve the process of shared decision-making? A systematic review

Background: Patient involvement in decision-making plays a prominent role in improving the quality of healthcare. Despite this, shared decision-making is not routinely implemented. However, electronic assessment tools that capture patients’ history, symptoms, opinions and values prior to their medical appointment are used by healthcare professionals during patient consultations to facilitate shared decision-making. Objective: To assess the effectiveness of electronic assessment tools to improve the shared decision-making process. Method: A systematic review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines. Published literature was searched on MEDLINE, EMBASE and PsycINFO to identify potentially relevant studies. Data were extracted and analysed narratively. Results: Seventeen articles, representing 4004 participants, were included in this review. The main findings were significant improvement in patient–provider communication and provider management of patient condition in the intervention group compared to the control group. In contrast, patient–provider satisfaction and time efficiency were assessed by relatively few included studies, and the effects of these outcomes were inconclusive. Conclusion: This review found that communication and healthcare professional’s management of a patient’s condition improves because of the use of electronic questionnaires. This is encouraging because the process of shared decision-making is reliant on high-quality communication between healthcare professionals and patients. Implications: We found that this intervention is especially important for people with chronic diseases, as they need to establish a long-term relationship with their healthcare provider and agree to a treatment plan that aligns with their values. More rigorous research with validated instruments is required

History: The San and Its Mission

This book is a re-telling of the story of the mission of the Sydney Adventist Hospital - even today still known fondly to many as the San - based on the many stories and vignettes shared by people, and about people, who lived the San\u27s mission, contributing to a hospital that has had an impact on many lives.This is not a chronological and systematic historical narrative, but it uses the motivation and inspiration of individuals and events to illustrate how the mission of the hospital has been fulfilled through its healing and restorative ministry since 1903. It also illustrates how mission inspired individuals, decisions, strategies and the pioneering work that remains the hallmark of the San

Efficient High-Order Space-Angle-Energy Polytopic Discontinuous Galerkin Finite Element Methods for Linear Boltzmann Transport

We introduce an $hp$-version discontinuous Galerkin finite element method (DGFEM) for the linear Boltzmann transport problem. A key feature of this new method is that, while offering arbitrary order convergence rates, it may be implemented in an almost identical form to standard multigroup discrete ordinates methods, meaning that solutions can be computed efficiently with high accuracy and in parallel within existing software. This method provides a unified discretisation of the space, angle, and energy domains of the underlying integro-differential equation and naturally incorporates both local mesh and local polynomial degree variation within each of these computational domains. Moreover, general polytopic elements can be handled by the method, enabling efficient discretisations of problems posed on complicated spatial geometries. We study the stability and $hp$-version a priori error analysis of the proposed method, by deriving suitable $hp$-approximation estimates together with a novel inf-sup bound. Numerical experiments highlighting the performance of the method for both polyenergetic and monoenergetic problems are presented.Comment: 27 pages, 2 figure

Global and Regional Sea Level Rise Scenarios for the United States

The Sea Level Rise and Coastal Flood Hazard Scenarios and Tools Interagency Task Force, jointly convened by the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) and the National Ocean Council (NOC), began its work in August 2015. The Task Force has focused its efforts on three primary tasks: 1) updating scenarios of global mean sea level (GMSL) rise, 2) integrating the global scenarios with regional factors contributing to sea level change for the entire U.S. coastline, and 3) incorporating these regionally appropriate scenarios within coastal risk management tools and capabilities deployed by individual agencies in support of the needs of specific stakeholder groups and user communities. This technical report focuses on the first two of these tasks and reports on the production of gridded relative sea level (RSL, which includes both ocean-level change and vertical land motion) projections for the United States associated with an updated set of GMSL scenarios. In addition to supporting the longer-term Task Force effort, this new product will be an important input into the USGCRP Sustained Assessment process and upcoming Fourth National Climate Assessment (NCA4) due in 2018. This report also serves as a key technical input into the in-progress USGCRP Climate Science Special Report (CSSR)

Evaluating Coastal Landscape Response to Sea-Level Rise in the Northeastern United States - Approach and Methods

The U.S. Geological Survey is examining effects of future sea-level rise on the coastal landscape from Maine to Virginia by producing spatially explicit, probabilistic predictions using sea-level projections, vertical land movement rates (due to isostacy), elevation data, and land-cover data. Sea-level-rise scenarios used as model inputs are generated by using multiple sources of information, including Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 models following representative concentration pathways 4.5 and 8.5 in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fifth Assessment Report. A Bayesian network is used to develop a predictive coastal response model that integrates the sea-level, elevation, and land-cover data with assigned probabilities that account for interactions with coastal geomorphology as well as the corresponding ecological and societal systems it supports. The effects of sea-level rise are presented as (1) level of landscape submergence and (2) coastal response type characterized as either static (that is, inundation) or dynamic (that is, landform or landscape change). Results are produced at a spatial scale of 30 meters for four decades (the 2020s, 2030s, 2050s, and 2080s). The probabilistic predictions can be applied to landscape management decisions based on sea-level-rise effects as well as on assessments of the prediction uncertainty and need for improved data or fundamental understanding. This report describes the methods used to produce predictions, including information on input datasets; the modeling approach; model outputs; data-quality-control procedures; and information on how to access the data and metadata online

Quadrature-Free Polytopic Discontinuous Galerkin Methods for Transport Problems

In this article we consider the application of Euler’s homogeneous function theorem to- gether with Stokes’ theorem to exactly integrate families of polynomial spaces over general polygonal and polyhedral (polytopic) domains in two and three dimensions, respectively. This approach allows for the integrals to be evaluated based on only computing the values of the integrand and its deriva- tives at the vertices of the polytopic domain, without the need to construct a sub-tessellation of the underlying domain of interest. Here, we present a detailed analysis of the computational complexity of the proposed algorithm and show that this depends on three key factors: the ambient dimension of the underlying polytopic domain; the size of the requested polynomial space to be integrated; and the size of a directed graph related to the polytopic domain. This general approach is then employed to com- pute the volume integrals arising within the discontinuous Galerkin finite element approximation of the linear transport equation. Numerical experiments are presented which highlight the efficiency of the proposed algorithm when compared to standard quadrature approaches defined on a sub-tessellation of the polytopic elements

Preservation of whole antibodies within ancient teeth

Archaeological remains can preserve some proteins into deep time, offering remarkable opportunities for probing past events in human history. Recovering functional proteins from skeletal tissues could uncover a molecular memory related to the life-history of the associated remains. We demonstrate affinity purification of whole antibody molecules from medieval human teeth, dating to the 13th–15th centuries, from skeletons with different putative pathologies. Purified antibodies are intact retaining disulphide-linkages, are amenable to primary sequences analysis, and demonstrate apparent immunoreactivity against contemporary EBV antigen on western blot. Our observations highlight the potential of ancient antibodies to provide insights into the long-term association between host immune factors and ancient microbes, and more broadly retain a molecular memory related to the natural history of human health and immunity

Probabilistic 21st and 22nd Century Sea-Level Projections at a Global Network of Tide-Gauge Sites

Sea-level rise due to both climate change and non-climatic factors threatens coastal settlements, infrastructure, and ecosystems. Projections of mean global sea-level (GSL) rise provide insufficient information to plan adaptive responses; local decisions require local projections that accommodate different risk tolerances and time frames and that can be linked to storm surge projections. Here we present a global set of local sea-level (LSL) projections to inform decisions on timescales ranging from the coming decades through the 22nd century. We provide complete probability distributions, informed by a combination of expert community assessment, expert elicitation, and process modeling. Between the years 2000 and 2100, we project a very likely (90% probability) GSL rise of 0.51.2m under representative concentration pathway (RCP) 8.5, 0.40.9m under RCP 4.5, and 0.30.8m under RCP 2.6. Site-to-site differences in LSL projections are due to varying non-climatic background uplift or subsidence, oceanographic effects, and spatially variable responses of the geoid and the lithosphere to shrinking land ice. The Antarctic ice sheet (AIS) constitutes a growing share of variance in GSL and LSL projections. In the global average and at many locations, it is the dominant source of variance in late 21st century projections, though at some sites oceanographic processes contribute the largest share throughout the century. LSL rise dramatically reshapes flood risk, greatly increasing the expected number of 1-in-10 and 1-in-100 year events