Estimating the Risk of Future Plastic Marine Debris Resulting from the Urban Coastal Built Environment

The growing urban built environment in the coastal zone poses an unknown risk to the marine biosphere as a source of marine debris. Plastic, since its introduction in the mid- 1900s, is now used in nearly all aspects of human life. Growth in human population and urbanization in coastal zones has resulted in the accumulation of large stocks of plastic in the coastal built environment, and these stocks are still growing exponentially. The coastal zone is exposed to a number of hazards including storms, tsunamis, and sea level rise, and most of these hazards are expected to change in the future due to climate change. The accumulation of plastic and other potential marine debris in the coastal zone creates a growing risk of plastic marine debris originating from the coastal zone, which will impact future generations for a long time. Risk is the possibility of consequences where the outcome is uncertain, and here the consequence is additional plastic marine debris entering the ocean. To quantify this risk, the product of hazard probability, fragility of the urban coast, and the exposed assets, measured in the amount of plastic, is used. The hazard probability is determined by the changing hazard spectrum as a result of climate change. The fragility of the urban coast is identified for three case studies through analysis of the damage caused in these locations by specific hazardous events. Unfortunately, the production and use of plastic in society is not well documented and the available data cannot be used to calibrate and validate a comprehensive stock and flow model for plastic in the urban coast. Therefore, the amount of plastic exposed in the case study locations and globally is estimated by population and amount of plastic per person. Using the estimated hazard probabilities, the fragilities, and the exposed amounts, the quantification of risk resulted in understanding that, for example, by 2050, one or more tsunamis with a wave height less than 2 meters in Japan could result in, on average, 74,000 tons of plastic marine debris. One or more cyclones making landfall in the Bahamas could result in, on average, 9,796 tons of plastic marine debris. For Jakarta, the city is likely to be abandoned and a scenario where leaving 20% of the plastic in urban built environment behind could result in 272,800 tons of plastic marine debris. These examples, along with other compiled in the study, indicate the scale of the risk for future generations

Alcohol-branded merchandise : Association with Australian adolescents’ drinking and parent attitudes

There is growing evidence that young people own alcohol-branded merchandise (ABM), and that ownership influences their drinking intentions and behaviours. However, there is a paucity of research on parents' knowledge or attitudes in relation to ownership of ABM. Study 1 (n = 210) identified high levels of ownership of ABM and associations between ABM and drinking attitudes and behaviours. In Study 2, focus groups with Australian parents found that they were aware of ABM—and many had items of ABM in their home—but they had generally not engaged in consideration of the potential impact on their children. They clearly perceived ABM as advertising and, on reflection, acknowledged that this form of marketing may influence children's decisions about drinking. There is a need to raise parental awareness of the effects of ABM and to endeavour to reduce children's exposure to this influential form of alcohol marketing

Adolescent drinking, social identity, and parenting for safety : Perspectives from Australian adolescents and parents

We explored young people and parents' views on adolescent drinking and safety in the locations where drinking may occur. Focus groups with adolescents and parents showed that many believed adolescent drinking and drunkenness is normative. Younger adolescents had more negative views of adolescent drinkers than their older peers. Adolescent drinking occurred in private settings and parents made decisions about allowing their adolescent children to attend social events based on the level of safety attributed to the location. If adolescent drinking was likely then home was the preferred location as it provided scope for risk minimisation. Positive portrayals of non-drinking adolescents and information to assist parents' decision-making are needed

Partner choice, relationship satisfaction, and oral contraception: the congruency hypothesis

Hormonal fluctuation across the menstrual cycle explains temporal variation in women’s judgment of the attractiveness of members of the opposite sex. Use of hormonal contraceptives could therefore influence both initial partner choice and, if contraceptive use subsequently changes, intrapair dynamics. Associations between hormonal contraceptive use and relationship satisfaction may thus be best understood by considering whether current use is congruent with use when relationships formed, rather than by considering current use alone. In the study reported here, we tested this congruency hypothesis in a survey of 365 couples. Controlling for potential confounds (including relationship duration, age, parenthood, and income), we found that congruency in current and previous hormonal contraceptive use, but not current use alone, predicted women’s sexual satisfaction with their partners. Congruency was not associated with women’s nonsexual satisfaction or with the satisfaction of their male partners. Our results provide empirical support for the congruency hypothesis and suggest that women’s sexual satisfaction is influenced by changes in partner preference associated with change in hormonal contraceptive use

How do I sound to me? Perceived changes in communication in Parkinson's disease

Objective: To examine self and carer perceived changes in communication associated with Parkinson's disease and relate these to speech intelligibility, gender, age and other disease measures. Design: Cross-sectional survey of a hospital- and community-based sample of 176 people with Parkinson's disease and their carers using a questionnaire based on semantic differential techniques. Participants: One hundred and four people with Parkinson's disease with no history of communication difficulties prior to onset of their Parkinson's disease and 45 primary carers who returned completed questionnaires. Main outcome measures: Differences in ratings for `before' the onset of Parkinson's disease versus present status. Results: There was a strong perception of negative impact on communication between `before' and `now', irrespective of age and gender and largely independent of disease severity and duration, intelligibility and cognitive status. Activities of daily living (assessed by Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) II) and depression rating scale scores had the strongest association with change (adjusted R 2 0.27). There was a significant correlation between the rank order of perceived change in features examined in people with Parkinson's disease versus their carers, though in general carers rated change as having less impact. Conclusions: Parkinson's disease exercises a strong influence on communication even before apparent alterations to intelligibility or motor status

Obesity and the food environment: income and ethnicity differences among people with diabetes: the Diabetes Study of Northern California (DISTANCE).

ObjectiveIt is unknown whether any association between neighborhood food environment and obesity varies according to individual income and/or race/ethnicity. The objectives of this study were to test whether there was an association between food environments and obesity among adults with diabetes and whether this relationship differed according to individual income or race/ethnicity.Research design and methodsSubjects (n = 16,057) were participants in the Diabetes Study of Northern California survey. Kernel density estimation was used to create a food environment score for each individual's residence address that reflected the mix of healthful and unhealthful food vendors nearby. Logistic regression models estimated the association between the modeled food environment and obesity, controlling for confounders, and testing for interactions between food environment and race/ethnicity and income.ResultsThe authors found that more healthful food environments were associated with lower obesity in the highest income groups (incomes 301-600% and >600% of U.S. poverty line) among whites, Latinos, and Asians. The association was negative, but smaller and not statistically significant, among high-income blacks. On the contrary, a more healthful food environment was associated with higher obesity among participants in the lowest-income group (<100% poverty threshold), which was statistically significant for black participants in this income category.ConclusionsThese findings suggest that the availability of healthful food environments may have different health implications when financial resources are severely constrained

Measuring longitudinal amplitudes for electroproduction of pseudoscalar mesons using recoil polarization in parallel kinematics

We propose a new method for measuring longitudinal amplitudes for electroproduction of pseudoscalar mesons that exploits a symmetry relation for polarization observables in parallel kinematics. This polarization technique does not require variation of electron scattering kinematics and avoids the major sources of systematic errors in Rosenbluth separation.Comment: intended for Phys. Rev. C as a Brief Repor

Discrete mode laser diodes with ultra narrow linewidth emission <3kHz

Ex-facet, free-running ultra-low linewidth (<3 kHz), single mode laser emission is demonstrated using low cost, regrowth-free ridge waveguide discrete mode Fabry-Perot laser diode chips