River & Estuary Observation Network: Refinement of Stage Height Sensor Subsystem for Low Cost and High Reliability

A system comprised of software and on-site measurements is presented for accurately obtaining water stage data from vented or non-vented submersible pressure sensors installed at autonomous stream gauging stations. The system accounts for pressure sensor offset errors, water density, and local gravitational acceleration to produce a stage height reading which is accurate to either ±0.01 ft (±3 mm) or to the accuracy limit of the sensor, whichever is greater. A 2nd order polynomial expression for determination of water density from temperature and salinity is developed and found to be sufficiently accurate for this purpose. Simulated stage measurements performed in the laboratory with a commercially produced sensor showed errors of up to ±0.04 ft in reported stage when the sensor’s default conversion from pressure to depth was used; the maximum error limit was reduced to ±0.02 ft when the sensor output was instead processed using the new system. A custom-designed, low-cost, versatile submersible pressure sensor is introduced and tested under the same conditions and found to exhibit a maximum error of ±0.04 ft without any sensor calibration. These new developments, integrated into previously developed inexpensive base stations, enable accurate monitoring of stage height at remote locations with low installation and operating costs

Occupational risk factors for Parkinson's disease: a case-control study in Japan

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The evidence for associations between occupational factors and the risk of Parkinson's disease (PD) is inconsistent. We assessed the risk of PD associated with various occupational factors in Japan.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We examined 249 cases within 6 years of onset of PD. Control subjects were 369 inpatients and outpatients without neurodegenerative disease. Information on occupational factors was obtained from a self-administered questionnaire. Relative risks of PD were estimated using odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) based on logistic regression. Adjustments were made for gender, age, region of residence, educational level, and pack-years of smoking.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Working in a professional or technical occupation tended to be inversely related to the risk of PD: adjusted OR was 0.59 (95% CI: 0.32-1.06, <it>P </it>= 0.08). According to a stratified analysis by gender, the decreased risk of PD for persons in professional or technical occupations was statistically significant only for men. Adjusted ORs for a professional or technical occupation among men and women were 0.22 (95% CI: 0.06-0.67) and 0.99 (0.47-2.07), respectively, and significant interaction was observed (<it>P </it>= 0.048 for homogeneity of OR). In contrast, risk estimates for protective service occupations and transport or communications were increased, although the results were not statistically significant: adjusted ORs were 2.73 (95% CI: 0.56-14.86) and 1.74 (95% CI: 0.65-4.74), respectively. No statistical significance was seen in data concerning exposure to occupational agents and the risk of PD, although roughly a 2-fold increase in OR was observed for workers exposed to stone or sand.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The results of our study suggest that occupational factors do not play a substantial etiologic role in this population. However, among men, professional or technical occupations may decrease the risk of PD.</p

Tourism and Tradition in Chiang Mai

This paper is an attempt to delve deeper into the relationship between tourism and culture in Chiang Mai. The push and pull of these forces is of particular interest. On one side, tourism is beneficial for Chiang Mai\u27s economy, and encourages the preservation of its unique culture. Tourist dollars support local businesses, and any further profits can be reinvested into the local economy. And because many of Chiang Mai\u27s major tourist draws are its cultural attractions, their preservation seems commonsense. But this is not always the case. Oftentimes, tourist dollars are funnelled out of Chiang Mai as packaged tours, luxury hotels, and more of the like are increasingly owned and operated by non-Chiang Mai interests. More important however, is that the tourism industry also negatively impacts Chiang Mai\u27s cultural heritage. Rather than supporting the preservation of the city\u27s cultural foundations, tourism oversees, to a certain extent, its loss. The cultural commodification process, by-products of which are hyper-places, and hyper-traditions, are the cause of this loss. The rest of this paper will include an examination of Chiang Mai, its past and present, its unique culture, and its relationship with tourism. The concepts of hyper-place and hyper-tradition, in addition to their connection to cultural commodification will be established. With these concepts and background in mind, three aspects of Chiang Mai\u27s cultural capital: its Buddhist festivals, its Lanna temples, and its traditional handicrafts will be studied