Associations between health and different types of environmental incivility : a Scotland-wide study

Objectives: Concern about the impact of the environment on health and well being has tended to focuson the physical effects of exposure to toxic and infectious substances, and on the impact of large scale infrastructures. Less attention has been paid to the possible psychosocial consequences of people's subjective perceptions of their everyday, street level environment, such as the incidence of litter and graffiti. As little is known about the potential relative importance for health of perceptions of different types of environmental incivility, a module was developed for inclusion in the 2004 Scottish Social Attitudes survey in order to investigate this relationship. Study design: A random sample of 1637 adults living across a range of neighbourhoods throughout Scotland was interviewed. Methods: Respondents were asked to rate their local area on a range of possible environmental incivilities. These incivilities were subsequently grouped into three domains: (i) street level incivilities (e.g. litter, graffiti); (ii) large scale infrastructural incivilities (e.g. telephone masts); and (iii) the absence of environmental goods (e.g. safe play areas for children). For each of the three domains, the authors examined the degree to which they were thought to pose a problem locally, and how far these perceptions varied between those living in deprived areas and those living in less deprived areas. Subsequently, the relationships between these perceptions and self assessed health and health behaviours were explored, after controlling for gender, age and social class. Results: Respondents with the highest levels of perceived street level incivilities were almost twice aslikely as those who perceived the lowest levels of street level incivilities to report frequent feelings of anxiety and depression. Perceived absence of environmental goods was associated with increased anxiety (2.5 times more likely) and depression (90% more likely), and a 50% increased likelihood of being a smoker. Few associations with health were observed for perceptions of large scale infrastructural incivilities. Conclusions: Environmental policy needs to give more priority to reducing the incidence of street levelincivilities and the absence of environmental goods, both of which appear to be more important for health than perceptions of large scale infrastructural incivilities

Household technology acceptance heterogeneity in computer adoption

Technology policy analysis and implementation relies on knowledge and understanding of the "adoption gap" in information technologies among different groups of consumers. Factors that explain the residential "digital divide" also need to be identified and quantified. Through the application of survey data we provide an enhanced understanding of the key factors involved in the choice of residential computer adoption. These choices are analysed using a discrete choice model that reveals that sociodemographic factors strongly influence the adoption of the residential computer. Moreover, we apply the basic findings of the Technology Adoption Model (TAM) into the discrete choice framework heteroscedastically to deepen our understanding of why some households choose not to have computers; above and beyond what may be explained by socio-demography alone. Generally, we find that computer adoption is sensitive to household digital division measures and that the model fit improves with the heteroscedastic addition of the TAM factors. These findings are important for market planners and policymakers who wish to understand and quantify the impact of these factors on the digital divide across different household types, as defined by the TAM model

The Mandelstam-Leibbrandt Prescription in Light-Cone Quantized Gauge Theories

Quantization of gauge theories on characteristic surfaces and in the light-cone gauge is discussed. Implementation of the Mandelstam-Leibbrandt prescription for the spurious singularity is shown to require two distinct null planes, with independent degrees of freedom initialized on each. The relation of this theory to the usual light-cone formulation of gauge field theory, using a single null plane, is described. A connection is established between this formalism and a recently given operator solution to the Schwinger model in the light-cone gauge.Comment: Revtex, 14 pages. One postscript figure (requires psfig). A brief discussion of necessary restrictions on the light-cone current operators has been added, and two references. Final version to appear in Z. Phys.

Alternative Adaptive Filter Structures for Improved Radio Frequency Interference Cancellation in Radio Astronomy

In radio astronomy, reference signals from auxiliary antennas that receive only the radio frequency interference (RFI) can be modified to model the RFI environment at the astronomy receivers. The RFI can then be canceled from the astronomy signal paths. However, astronomers typically only require signal statistics. If the RFI statistics are changing slowly, the cancellation can be applied to the signal correlations at a much lower rate than is required for standard adaptive filters. In this paper we describe five canceler setups; precorrelation and postcorrelation cancelers that use one or two reference signals in different ways. The theoretical residual RFI and added noise levels are examined and are demonstrated using microwave television RFI at the Australia Telescope Compact Array. The RFI is attenuated to below the system noise, a reduction of at least 20 dB. While dual-reference cancelers add more reference noise than single-reference cancelers, this noise is zero-mean and only adds to the system noise, decreasing the sensitivity. The residual RFI that remains in the output of single-reference cancelers (but not dual-reference cancelers) sets a nonzero noise floor that does not act like random system noise and may limit the achievable sensitivity. Thus, dual-reference cancelers often result in superior cancellation. Dual-reference precorrelation cancelers require a double-canceler setup to be useful and to give equivalent results to dual-reference postcorrelation cancelers.Comment: 11 pages created using emulateap

An analysis of aircraft accidents involving fires

All U. S. Air Carrier accidents between 1963 and 1974 were studied to assess the extent of total personnel and aircraft damage which occurred in accidents and in accidents involving fire. Published accident reports and NTSB investigators' factual backup files were the primary sources of data. Although it was frequently not possible to assess the relative extent of fire-caused damage versus impact damage using the available data, the study established upper and lower bounds for deaths and damage due specifically to fire. In 12 years there were 122 accidents which involved airframe fires. Eighty-seven percent of the fires occurred after impact, and fuel leakage from ruptured tanks or severed lines was the most frequently cited cause. A cost analysis was performed for 300 serious accidents, including 92 serious accidents which involved fire. Personal injury costs were outside the scope of the cost analysis, but data on personnel injury judgements as well as settlements received from the CAB are included for reference

On circulant states with positive partial transpose

We construct a large class of quantum "d x d" states which are positive under partial transposition (so called PPT states). The construction is based on certain direct sum decomposition of the total Hilbert space displaying characteristic circular structure - that is way we call them circulant states. It turns out that partial transposition maps any such decomposition into another one and hence both original density matrix and its partially transposed partner share similar cyclic properties. This class contains many well known examples of PPT states from the literature and gives rise to a huge family of completely new states.Comment: 15 pages; minor correction

Ord river cropping progress

The initial development of the Ord River area was based on cotton production. However, succesful cotton production required heavy applications of insecticides. After a few years, the insect Heliothis developed resistance to insecticides, devestating cotton crops and making conventional methods of insect control useless. Department of Agriculture entomologists found that if broad spectrum insecticides were not used, Heliothis could be biologically controlled by a local insect. As farmers in the Ord River VCalley have gained increased confidence in growing crops with integrated insect control, so the area sown to other crops has increased

Synthetic meat : is it a threat to our livestock industries?

Synthetic meats are becoming accepted as an alternative protein source by many consumers in Western Europe, USA and Japan. Their relatively low cost and uniform quality make tbem attractive to the catering trade. Australians are not generally aware of their increasing use although it has been suggested that meat-like products are a potential threat to our meat exports. This article outlines the current situation and emphasises the need to be fully informed about such products. The author has studied this problem for some years and kept in close contact with developments while living in the United Kingdom and Australia

Drainage and the law

Drainage is being increasingly used in Western Australia as an attempted cure for land salinisation and waterlogging. This is nor surprising as drainage is a technical approach that has, in some cases, improved saline land and reduced the effects of waterlogging. However, drainage is not always successful or cost-effective. A detailed site assessment is required before any large or costly drainage system is attempted. Articles in this issue of the Journal of Agriculture discuss that aspect in detail