Global data bases on distribution, characteristics and methane emission of natural wetlands: Documentation of archived data tape

Global digital data bases on the distribution and environmental characteristics of natural wetlands, compiled by Matthews and Fung (1987), were archived for public use. These data bases were developed to evaluate the role of wetlands in the annual emission of methane from terrestrial sources. Five global 1 deg latitude by 1 deg longitude arrays are included on the archived tape. The arrays are: (1) wetland data source, (2) wetland type, (3) fractional inundation, (4) vegetation type, and (5) soil type. The first three data bases on wetland locations were published by Matthews and Fung (1987). The last two arrays contain ancillary information about these wetland locations: vegetation type is from the data of Matthews (1983) and soil type from the data of Zobler (1986). Users should consult original publications for complete discussion of the data bases. This short paper is designed only to document the tape, and briefly explain the data sets and their initial application to estimating the annual emission of methane from natural wetlands. Included is information about array characteristics such as dimensions, read formats, record lengths, blocksizes and value ranges, and descriptions and translation tables for the individual data bases

Predictors of Success on the New York State Earth Science Regents Examination

The 1970 New York State Earth Science Regents Syllabus targeted students who displayed a high degree of ability and interest in science. The State Education Department has been reluctant to define exactly what constitutes a higher ability and interest. However it has often been suggested to represent the top 10 to 25% of any given class. This can lead parents and teachers to wonder if there is a factor that can predict a student’s performance. This master thesis examines a number of variables to determine if any of them can be used to help predict the probability of success within the Earth Science Regents examination. The study was conducted at a high school in Western New York. The ninth grade class consisted of 260 students. Out of 132 students that took the test, 104 were included in the study. (Of the other 28 students, one was in the eleventh grade and therefore not included. The other 27 were not included due to incomplete or missing data.) The variables that were included as potential predictors were eighth grade averages in English, math, and science, as well as the percent scores in reading, math, language, study skills, and science from the California Achievement Test. Students’ I.Q. and gender were included later. The study concluded that about 43% of the Earth Science Regents scores could be predicted by three variables: eighth grade final science average, CAT reading score, and gender. A copy of a 1990 Earth Science Regents examination is included in the Appendix

Development of food photographs for use with children aged 18 months to 16 years:comparison against weighed food diaries – The Young Person’s Food Atlas (UK)

Traditional dietary assessment methods, used in the UK, such as weighed food diaries impose a large participant burden, often resulting in difficulty recruiting representative samples and underreporting of energy intakes. One approach to reducing the burden placed on the participant is to use portion size assessment tools to obtain an estimate of the amount of food consumed, removing the need to weigh all foods. An age range specific food atlas was developed for use in assessing children’s dietary intakes. The foods selected and portion sizes depicted were derived from intakes recorded during the UK National Diet and Nutrition Surveys of children aged 1.5 to 16 years. Estimates of food portion sizes using the food atlas were compared against 4-day weighed intakes along with in-school / nursery observations, by the research team. Interviews were conducted with parents the day after completion of the diary, and for children aged 4 to 16 years, also with the child. Mean estimates of portion size consumed were within 7% of the weight of food recorded in the weighed food diary. The limits of agreement were wide indicating high variability of estimates at the individual level but the precision increased with increasing age. For children 11 years and over, agreement with weighed food diaries, was as good as that of their parents in terms of total weight of food consumed and of intake of energy and key nutrients. The age appropriate food photographs offer an alternative to weighed intakes for dietary assessment with children

Rice cultivation and methane emission: Documentation of distributed geographic data sets

High-resolution global data bases on the geographic and seasonal distribution of rice cultivation and associated methane emission, compiled by Matthews et al., were archived for public use. In addition to the primary data sets identifying location, seasonality, and methane emission from rice cultivation, a series of supporting data sets is included, allowing users not only to replicate the work of Matthews et al. but to investigate alternative cultivation and emission scenarios. The suite of databases provided, at 1 latitude by 1 longitude resolution for the globe, includes (1) locations of rice cultivation, (2) monthly arrays of actively growing rice areas, (3) countries and political subdivisions, and (4) monthly arrays of methane emission from rice cultivation. Ancillary data include (1) a listing, by country, of harvested rice areas and seasonal distribution of crop cycles and (2) country names and codes. Summary tables of zonal/monthly distributions of actively growing rice areas and of methane emissions are presented. Users should consult original publications for complete discussion of the data bases. This short paper is designed only to document formats of the distributed information and briefly describe the contents of the data sets and their initial application to evaluating the role of rice cultivation in the methane budget

Predicting parenting stress by the symptomatology of children with high functioning autism spectrum disorder

Parents of children with disabilities often possess higher stress levels than parents of typically developing children. Much research has focused on parents of children with autism. However, we know little about parents of children with high functioning autism spectrum disorders (HFASD). In order to better understand how to serve this population, it is important to understand which specific child traits and behaviors affect parenting stress in these families. This study seeks to explore a number of questions regarding stress in parents of children with HFASD. The research questions explored in this dissertation are as follows: (1) Do parents of children with HFASD experience higher levels of stress than the normative population? (2) Do the social difficulties of children with HFASD predict higher parenting stress? (3) Do the communication difficulties of children with HFASD predict higher parenting stress? (4) Do the restricted, repetitive, and/or stereotyped behaviors, interests, and activities of children with HFASD predict higher parenting stress? (5) Is the total HFASD symptomatology of children with HFASD a significant predictor of parenting stress? (6) Are behavior problems of children with HFASD a significant predictor of parenting stress? (7) Does social support moderate the relationship between child characteristics and parenting stress? This study consisted of 55 children with HFASD and one of their parents. Parents completed self-report measures on parental stress levels and social support as well as measures on child characteristics related to behavior and the symptomatology of autism spectrum disorders. Scores on these measures were used as variables in hierarchical linear regression models. The results of these analyses suggest that: (1) parents of children with HFASD experience higher stress levels than parents in the normative population (2) greater difficulties with social skills and behavior problems among children with HFASD are associated with higher parenting stress (3) communication difficulties and stereotyped behavior do not predict higher parenting stress (4) higher levels of total HFASD symptomatology are associated with increased parenting stress (5) social support does not moderate any of the other variables' effects on parenting stress. Limitations of this dissertation and implications for practice are discussed

For society, state and self: juggling the logics of professionalism in GP appraisal

Sociologists repeatedly appeal to notions of altruism, bureaucratisation and self interest in their efforts to explain the changing place of the professions in contemporary society. We treat these three readings as institutional logics that are key to understanding the way in which doctors respond to the appraisal system at the heart of the UK's approach to revalidation. Our analysis of a survey of 998 general practitioners (GPs) working in Wales finds an altruistic commitment to learning and improvement, bureaucratic demands for reporting information and self-regarding resentment of changes in the occupational package provided by general practice. But the data also demonstrate that the maintenance of the appraisal regime is dependent on the preparedness and capacity of individual GPs to do micro-level institutional work on all fronts

Environmental art and its contribution to establishing an awareness of the sacred in nature

The introduction establishes the goal of the research, which is to discover that art concerned with re-evaluating the relationship to the environment and spirituality can serve to connect people to one another, and to the environment. The context of the research is the contemporary ecological and spiritual crisis of the postmodern world. The background places the discussion within the contexts of modernism and postmodernism. The historical background focuses on the period from the 1960s to the present day. Land and Environmental artists who work in a manner that is conscious of environmental issues and who suggest a sacred and creative attitude to ecology are discussed. My own creative work which is a response to both ancient and contemporary sites as well as to contemporary theories of art and spirituality is discussed. The four projects, are discussed in chronological order, they are: Quest - A journey into Sacred Space; Gaika's Kop - Sacred Mountain; Labyrinth - Journeys to the Centre; and Transforming the Centre. The conclusion shows that the multi-faceted, intertextual and relativistic philosophy of postmodernism has brought about a significant change in the attitude of humanity towards the environment. Artists who reject the modernist aesthetic and philosophy are making art that emphasises relationship to, rather than separation from the natural world

Climate Forcings in the Industrial Era

The forcings that drive long-term climate change are not known with an accuracy sufficient to define future climate change. Anthropogenic greenhouse gases (GHGs), which are well measured, cause a strong positive (warming) forcing. But other, poorly measured, anthropogenic forcings, especially changes of atmospheric aerosols, clouds, and land-use patterns, cause a negative forcing that tends to offset greenhouse warming. One consequence of this partial balance is-that the natural forcing due to solar irradiance changes may play a larger role in long-term climate change than inferred from comparison with GHGs alone. Current trends in GHG climate forcings are smaller than in popular "business as usual" or 1% per year CO2 growth scenarios. The summary implication is a paradigm change for long-term climate projections: uncertainties in climate forcings have supplanted global climate sensitivity as the predominant issue

Introduction: Science and Religion Around the World

From a scholarly perspective, we reasoned that our research examining the beliefs of scientists would provide insight into the major theoretical issues related to religious change and the impact of science on religion-and religion on science-in different national contexts. Our goal was to understand how science is related to ideas about secularization, or the decline of religion\u27s vitality and influence, among scientists and societies. For policy makers and the general public, our research would reveal how national ideologies and policies related to religion affect scientists\u27 work, and how this in tum might affect the way science is presented and implemented in their nations. We also wanted our research to increase understanding of how the personal religious views of scientists can shape their practice, dissemination, and interpretation of science, as well as how their scientific work can shape their religious views. Ultimately, where there is conflict between science and religion, we wanted our research to illuminate the root of this conflict. Does science destroy religious belief and authority? Does increased commitment to science really lead to decreased commitment to religion? How do views on religion affect how scientists approach research, teaching, and interactions with their colleagues, students, and the public? How many scientists see conflict between science and faith? Are there ways that scientists and religious communities can work together for the common good