160 research outputs found
Missouri National Recreational River, Natural Resource Condition Assessment
Executive Summary
As a unit in the National Park Service (NPS), Missouri National Recreational River (MNRR) is responsible for the management and conservation of natural resources within its boundaries. This mandate is supported by the National Park Service Organic Act of 1916, which directs the NPS to:
conserve the scenery and natural and historic objects and the wildlife therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such a manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.
In 2003, NPS Water Resources Division received funding through the Natural Resource Challenge Program to systematically assess watershed resource conditions in NPS units, establishing the Watershed Condition Assessment Program. This program, now titled the Natural Resource Condition Assessment (NRCA) Program, aims to provide documentation about the current conditions of important park resources through a spatially explicit, multi-disciplinary synthesis of existing scientific data and knowledge. Findings from the NRCA, including the report and accompanying map products, will help MNRR managers to:
develop near-term management priorities,
engage in watershed or landscape scale partnership and education efforts,
conduct park planning (e.g. Resource Stewardship Strategy),
report program performance (e.g. Department of the Interior’s Strategic Plan ―land health goals, Government Performance and Results Act).
Specific project expectations and outcomes for the MNRR NRCA are listed in Chapter 3.
For the purpose of this NRCA, NPS staff identified key resources that are referred to as ―components‖ in the project framework and throughout the assessment. The components selected include natural resources and processes that are currently of the greatest concern to park management at MNRR. The final project framework contains nine resource components, along with measures, stressors, and reference conditions for each.
This study involved reviewing existing literature and data for each of the components in the framework and, where appropriate, analyzing the data in order to provide summaries or to create new spatial or statistical representations. After gathering data regarding current condition of component measures, those data were compared to reference conditions (when possible) and a qualitative statement of condition was developed. The discussions in Chapter 4 represent a comprehensive summary of available information regarding the current condition of these resources. These discussions represent not only the most current published literature, but also unpublished park information and, most importantly, the perspectives of park experts.
Nearly every component in MNRR is affected by the altered flow regime from the post-dam Missouri River and, with that, the conditions of most park resources (as indicated by the measures defined in the project framework) are of moderate or significant concern. These condition designations are largely a product of the ―pre-dam‖ reference condition assigned to nearly every MNRR component. When comparing the current condition of a resource that has been drastically altered by damming to its pre-dam condition, it is almost always worse off today. However, while the Missouri River ecosystem has endured large changes since dam construction, there are several individual components that are recovering and doing well with the given circumstances. Differing uses and interests of the Missouri River (e.g. preservation, recreation, electricity generation, navigation, etc.) further complicate MNRR’s ability to restore the Missouri River to its pre-dam condition. However, several components ( e.g. flow regime, aquatic and terrestrial habitats, erosional and depositional processes) are drivers of the entire ecosystem, and restoration of these components would have a cascading effect on the entire ecosystem. Overall, the Missouri River ecosystem is complex and while several components are considered to be of moderate or significant concern, their actual condition (when considering the the condition of the Missouri River ecosystem) is often times of lower concern
Predictors of nurturant parenting in teen mothers living in three generational families
Direct and indirect effects of grandparents on maternal nurturance in teen mothers (TM) living in three-generational families were explored with path analytic techniques in a sample of 107 working-class families. Perceived support from the teen's mother, grandparents' nurturance toward the baby, and the presence of the grandfather as a father figure in the home were hypothesized as increasing TM nurturance. TM nurturance was found to be positively predicted by grandparent nurturance and negatively predicted by TM perceived support from her mother. The strongest predictor of TM nurturance was grandfather nurturance toward the baby.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/43953/1/10578_2006_Article_BF02353198.pd
Use of 24 h Esophageal pH Monitoring to Demonstrate Alkaline Reflux as a Complication of Gastric Bypass Surgery
A 35-year-old female who had previously undergone a gastric stapling procedure for morbid obesity presented with a persistent nocturnal cough that was treated over a three-year period as a gastric acid reflux complication of the bypass surgery. A barium swallow demonstrated gastroesophageal reflux, but the symptoms did not resolve after treatment with omeprazole and cisapride. Twenty-four hour esophageal pH monitoring subsequently found alkaline reflux in excess of 17% of the total time, with no acid reflux demonstrated. Surgical revision of the bypass Leaving the hiatus alone corrected the reflux complication and the symptoms resolved without further treatment. The diagnostic capability of pH monitoring is illustrated in a patient with an unusual surgical complication
INFLUENCE OF CH4 AND Ar ON THE MORPHOLOGIES OF Al2O3 - CVD COATINGS
The influence of CH4 and Ar addition to the AlCl3/CO2/H2 system on the morphology and grain size of Al2O3 CVD deposition was examined. The Al2O3 growth rate decreased at a CH4 concentration of 10 vol%. High concentrations of CH4 caused fine grained Al2O3 crystals but these coatings were porous and consisted of branched crystals. High Ar additions of more than 27 mol% led to the formation of more monolytic Al2O3 coatings. The simultaneous addition of CH4/Ar mixtures during deposition allowed the formation of uniform, compact and extremely fine grained Al2O3 coatings. The adhesion of the Al2O3 coatings was measured by a simple Rockwell indentation test. The grain refinement is explained by a carbon codeposition resulting from methane pyrolysis
PREPARATION OF YBa2Cu3O7-x FILMS BY SPRAY PYROLYSIS
YBa2Cu3O7-x films were deposited by spraying an aqueous solution of Y + Ba + Cu nitrates on heated polycrystalline Al2O3 and SrTiO3 single crystal substrates. The spray technique permitted the preparation of YBa2Cu3O7-x with a Tonset of about 90 - 92 K and the completion of superconductivity at a Tzero of 70 - 77 K. Different deposition parameters were studied and the YBCO films were characterized using SEM, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and electron microprobe techniques
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