Noise Pollution? What\u27s the solution?: Understanding Traffic Noise Pollution in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

Noise pollution can be damaging to a community by impacting its atmosphere as well as the health of its residents, local quality of life, and local economy. Our study sought to gain insight into the level of noise pollution in Gettysburg, both in-town and on the Gettysburg College campus, and how noise pollution may be affecting the local residents and students. We selected 9 sampling sites, 6 in-town and 3 on the college campus, and measured the noise pollution in dBA with portable sound meters three days a week and three times a day over a three week period. Our data showed no major trends in terms of time of day or day of the week, but there were clear differences in noise pollution levels between the different sites in that town sites were generally louder than on campus sites. Noise pollution in town was often louder than 70 dBA, the noise threshold that indicates possible hearing damage overtime set by the World Health Organization. Gettysburg has recently enacted a noise ordinance; our study suggests the Borough possibly could do more to mitigate traffic noise by repairing roads and manipulating road design

Graded supplementation of chestnut tannins to dairy cows fed protein-rich spring pasture: effects on indicators of protein utilization

An on-farm experiment was conducted in order to evaluate effects of graded supplementation with chestnut tannin extract to cows in situations of excessive dietary protein supply on a low-input organic dairy farm. Respectively 10 Swiss Fleckvieh cows received twice per day 1 kg of experimental pellets containing either 0, 50 or 100 g/kg of chestnut extract (targeted at approximately 0, 5 and 10 g extract/kg of total dietary dry matter). Experimental feeding lasted for 21 days. Measurements and collection of milk, faeces and urine spot samples were performed in weeks 0 (baseline), 1 and 3. All cows were kept in one herd on pasture; fresh grass and grass hay were provided in the barn during night. Milk yield was recorded and cows wore sensor halters for recording chewing activity. In urine, total nitrogen and purine derivatives were measured; faeces were analyzed for protein, fibre and particle fractions; in milk, solid concentrations were determined. The data was analyzed with a general linear model. Cows did not show differences in general eating and rumination behaviour, but needed time to accept the tannin-containing pellets. Milk yield and composition were not affected by treatment, except for lactose content. No relevant differences between treatments were found for urinary and faecal parameters. In conclusion, although technically easy to supplement, pellets containing chestnut tannin extract were not readily accepted by the cows and effects on protein digestion and metabolism were not found. Successful on-farm application of chestnut extract in order to improve nitrogen efficiency therefore seems questionable

Rendimento de grãos de soja: efeito do espaçamento e da densidade.

bitstream/item/62565/1/2011boletimdepesquisaonline81.pd

Visible Volume: a Robust Measure for Protein Structure Characterization

We propose a new characterization of protein structure based on the natural tetrahedral geometry of the β carbon and a new geometric measure of structural similarity, called visible volume. In our model, the side-chains are replaced by an ideal tetrahedron, the orientation of which is fixed with respect to the backbone and corresponds to the preferred rotamer directions. Visible volume is a measure of the non-occluded empty space surrounding each residue position after the side-chains have been removed. It is a robust, parameter-free, locally-computed quantity that accounts for many of the spatial constraints that are of relevance to the corresponding position in the native structure. When computing visible volume, we ignore the nature of both the residue observed at each site and the ones surrounding it. We focus instead on the space that, together, these residues could occupy. By doing so, we are able to quantify a new kind of invariance beyond the apparent variations in protein families, namely, the conservation of the physical space available at structurally equivalent positions for side-chain packing. Corresponding positions in native structures are likely to be of interest in protein structure prediction, protein design, and homology modeling. Visible volume is related to the degree of exposure of a residue position and to the actual rotamers in native proteins. In this article, we discuss the properties of this new measure, namely, its robustness with respect to both crystallographic uncertainties and naturally occurring variations in atomic coordinates, and the remarkable fact that it is essentially independent of the choice of the parameters used in calculating it. We also show how visible volume can be used to align protein structures, to identify structurally equivalent positions that are conserved in a family of proteins, and to single out positions in a protein that are likely to be of biological interest. These properties qualify visible volume as a powerful tool in a variety of applications, from the detailed analysis of protein structure to homology modeling, protein structural alignment, and the definition of better scoring functions for threading purposes.National Library of Medicine (LM05205-13

Identifying Behavioral Health Needs of Individuals Screened at the Booking Counter of Montgomery County Jail

Background: Many of the individuals who are released from incarceration are re-arrested and re-incarcerated within three years of release. Challenges that predispose individuals to re-arrest and re-incarceration include lack of education, employment opportunities, decent affordable housing, and treatment for substance use disorders (SUD) and/or mental illness. This report summarizes the behavioral health needs of newly arrested individuals in Montgomery County, Ohio.Methods: For this project, 4,809 adult individuals arrested for non-violent crimes received behavioral health screening and case management at booking in the Montgomery County Jail. Criminogenic assessment using the Risk-Needs-Responsivity (RNR) tool was conducted with 484 arrestees. Descriptive statistics and chi square statistics were calculated for gender, race, referrals made, education level, employment status, housing status, alcohol and other drug use, and mental health status.Results: As a group, the arrestees were undereducated, underemployed, and homeless. Based on RNR assessment, 67% had an SUD,and 60% required mental health treatment. Significant gender and racial differences were found among the arrestees, with womensignificantly more likely to have SUD and mental health issues.Conclusions: Individuals arrested and booked into the Montgomery County Jail experience a complex interaction among mental health, poly-substance use, medical, employment, and housing needs that must be addressed in a comprehensive and coordinated funding manner. This interactive complexity of issues demand a response from an integrated service delivery system that would best benefit the person served and the community

Gamification and Adherence to Web-Based Mental Health Interventions: A Systematic Review

Background: Adherence to effective Web-based interventions for common mental disorders (CMDs) and well-being remains a critical issue, with clear potential to increase effectiveness. Continued identification and examination of “active” technological components within Web-based interventions has been called for. Gamification is the use of game design elements and features in nongame contexts. Health and lifestyle interventions have implemented a variety of game features in their design in an effort to encourage engagement and increase program adherence. The potential influence of gamification on program adherence has not been examined in the context of Web-based interventions designed to manage CMDs and well-being. Objective: This study seeks to review the literature to examine whether gaming features predict or influence reported rates of program adherence in Web-based interventions designed to manage CMDs and well-being. Methods: A systematic review was conducted of peer-reviewed randomized controlled trials (RCTs) designed to manage CMDs or well-being and incorporated gamification features. Seven electronic databases were searched. Results: A total of 61 RCTs met the inclusion criteria and 47 different intervention programs were identified. The majority were designed to manage depression using cognitive behavioral therapy. Eight of 10 popular gamification features reviewed were in use. The majority of studies utilized only one gamification feature (n=58) with a maximum of three features. The most commonly used feature was story/theme. Levels and game leaders were not used in this context. No studies explicitly examined the role of gamification features on program adherence. Usage data were not commonly reported. Interventions intended to be 10 weeks in duration had higher mean adherence than those intended to be 6 or 8 weeks in duration. Conclusions: Gamification features have been incorporated into the design of interventions designed to treat CMD and well-being. Further research is needed to improve understanding of gamification features on adherence and engagement in order to inform the design of future Web-based health interventions in which adherence to treatment is of concern. Conclusions were limited by varied reporting of adherence and usage dat

The Use of Soil Tests.

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Impact Of Redesigning A Large-Lecture Introductory Earth Science Course To Increase Student Achievement And Streamline Faculty Workload

A Geological Perspective is a general education survey course for non-science majors at a large southwestern research extensive university.  The class has traditionally served 600 students per semester in four 150-student lectures taught by faculty, and accompanied by optional weekly study groups run by graduate teaching assistants.  We radically redesigned the course to 1) improve student learning and, simultaneously, 2) reduce faculty effort.   Previously optional study groups were replaced by weekly mandatory break-out sessions, run largely by undergraduate peer mentors.  Twice weekly, lectures are brief with a large portion of class time allocated to active learning in small groups.  Completing quizzes on-line reduced grading and allowed students more flexibility.  Evaluation of the redesign (mixed methods, quasi-experimental, two-group, pre-test-post-test, multiple-measures study design) revealed no significant improvements in learner outcomes insofar as the instruments could measure. However, qualitative results reveal that overall students greatly valued their learning experience under the redesign.  In addition, the redesign reduced the departmental cost of the class offering per student by more than half.

Evidence for constriction and Pliocene acceleration of east-west extension in the North Lunggar rift region of west central Tibet

This is the publisher's version, also available electronically from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/tect.20086/abstract;jsessionid=36D445F6B0A54FA5B74E359605FC0AD1.f04t02The active north trending North Lunggar rift in west central southern Tibet exposes an extensional metamorphic core complex bounded by an east dipping low-angle normal fault. Apatite and zircon (U-Th)/He thermochronology and thermal modeling of the North Lunggar rift document a minimum timing for rift inception at >10 Ma and rapid footwall exhumation between 5 and 2 Ma. Miocene footwall cooling and exhumation rates were initially slow to moderate at 400°C Ma−1 and 4–10 mm a−1. Footwall isotherms were significantly compressed during rapid exhumation resulting in an elevated transient geothermal gradient between 50 and 90°C km−1. The minimum magnitude of horizontal extension for the North Lunggar rift is 8.1–12.8 km; maximum is 15–20 km, less in the south at ~10 km. Mean Pliocene extension rate is 1.2–2.4 mm a−1 in the ~120° direction. Results for the North Lunggar rift are similar in magnitude, rate, and orientation of slip to the kinematically linked Lamu Co dextral strike-slip fault to the north. This suggests a state of constrictional strain during Pliocene time along this stretch of the Bangong-Nujiang suture from which the Lamu Co fault emanates. The onset of extension in this region may be explained by crustal thickening and gravitational orogenic collapse, followed by accelerated rifting resulting from localized crustal stretching and increased magmatic activity, potentially driven by the position and northward extent of underthrusting Indian lithosphere