Rhombohedral crevasse-fill ridges at the marine margin of a surging Svalbard ice cap

The ice cap of Ausftonna in eastern Svalbard is the largest in the Eurasian Arctic at 8,000 km2 and has about 200 km of marine-terminating ice cliffs (Dowdeswell et al. 2008). Several of its drainage basins are of surge-type (Meier & Post 1969) and between 1936 and 1938 one of these basins, Bråsvellbreen (1,100 km2), increased its velocity rapidly and underwent an advance of about 20 km along a 30 km-wide front (Schytt 1969). Since that time the ice-cap terminus has stagnated and retreated, losing mass by a combination of surface melting, thinning and iceberg production. Retreat has revealed several distinctive and well-preserved submarine landforms (Fig. 1) linked to this recent surge activity (Solheim & Pfirman 1985; Solheim 1991).This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from the Geological Society of London via https://doi.org/10.1144/M46.6

Age structure in a newly established and increasing population: initially high proportion of young birds among nesting Great Grey Owls.

publishedVersio

Foreløpig forslag til system for typifisering av norske ferskvannsforekomster og for beskrivelse av referansetilstand, samt forslag til referansenettverk

Årsliste 2003Innføringen av Rammedirektivet for vann ("Vanndirektivet") medfører at Norges vannforekomster innen utgangen av 2004 skal inndeles og beskrives etter gitte kriterier. Et av kriteriene er en typeinndeling etter fysiske og kjemiske faktorer. Denne typeinndelingen danner grunnlaget for overvåkning og bestemmelse av økologisk referansetilstand for påvirkede vannforekomster. Vanndirektivet gir valg mellom å bruke en predefinert all-europeisk typologi ("System A"), eller å etablere en nasjonal typologi som forutsettes å gi bedre og mer relevant beskrivelse enn den all-europeiske, og som må inneholde visse obligatoriske elementer ("System B"). Denne rapporten presenterer et forslag til nasjonal typologi for elver og innsjøer, delvis basert på et nordisk samarbeid. Den ligger nokså nær system A, men med tilpasninger til norske og nordiske forhold. Rapporten inneholder også elementer av metodeutvikling for å bestemme referansetilstanden for de aktuelle vanntypene, og angir mulige elver og innsjøer som kan inngå i et framtidig referansenettverk. Inndelingskriteriene i typologien er: Geografisk region (fire klasser), høyde (lavland/skog/høyfjell) og geologi/geokjemi (kalk/ikke-kalk og humus/klarvann). For elver inngår i tillegg nedbørfeltstørrelse (fire klasser), og for innsjøer areal (fire klasser) og middeldyp (tre klasser). I det videre karakteriseringsarbeidet kan det bli aktuelt med en underinndeling av noen av klassene.Statens forurensningstilsyn (SFT) Direktoratet for naturforvaltning (DN) Norges vassdrags- og energiverk (NVE

Maintaining Intergenerational Solidarity in Mexican Transnational Families

This study explored how Mexican transnational families maintain intergenerational relationships, using five of the dimensions of the intergenerational solidarity framework. Interview data from 13 adult migrant children who lived in the U.S. and their parents who lived in Mexico were analyzed. Structural solidarity was challenged by great distance between families. Families maintained associational solidarity by making contact frequently, though visiting was often restricted by lack of documentation. Functional solidarity was expressed through financial support to parents. This involved remittances sent to parents. However, it should be noted that it was often migrants’ siblings in Mexico who managed these remittances. Affectual solidarity was expressed through statements of love and concern for one another. Normative solidarity and consensual solidarity reflected the value of familismo through financial support and the desire to live together. Several dimensions of intergenerational solidarity are interconnected. This study provides evidence for the relevance of the intergenerational solidarity framework in transnational families and suggests that geographic context is relevant when studying intergenerational relationships

Solid Waste Management and the Need for Effective Public Participation

Recent changes in technical requirements for landfill design, mandated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, have led to closing the majority of solid waste landfills in the United States. Efforts to site new landfills have elicited widespread opposition. Based on eight case studies in Alabama, we identify three themes behind this opposition: threats to quality of life, potentially harmful economic impacts, and frustration over representational issues in the process involved in selecting the proposed solid waste facility. These concerns mirror much of the literature on public opposition to landfills and other facilities which pose similar threats to the environment and public health. The incidence of public opposition raises the question of why, when the technical regulations affecting solid waste landfills were updated, no parallel modification of the permit process for such facilities was initiated. In light of concerns expressed in our case studies, we identify a set of suggested modifications that would allow for greater public participation in the siting and permitting process

Surgical resection of brain metastases: the prognostic value of the graded prognostic assessment score

There is a need for better predictors for short survival in patients with brain metastases undergoing open surgery. The graded prognostic assessment (GPA) has recently been developed to predict survival in patients with brain metastases. We explored the prognostic capabilities of GPA in a consecutive neurosurgical population of brain metastases. Secondarily, we evaluated if GPA scores can provide information on safety of the operation and postoperative functional outcome. We retrospectively included all adult (≥18 years) patients undergoing open surgery for brain metastases from 2004 through 2009 (n = 141). The population was grouped into GPA 0–1 (n = 22, 16%), GPA 1.5–2.5 (n = 90, 64%), GPA 3 (n = 19, 14%), and GPA 3.5–4 (n = 10, 7%) according to the prognostic indices. Median survival times were 6.3 months (range 0.8–23.7) in GPA 0–1, 7.8 months in GPA 1.5–2.5 (range 0.2–75.0), 14.0 months in GPA 3 (range 0.0–77.4), and 18.4 months in GPA 3.5–4 (range 0.1–63.7). This represents a significant difference between groups (P = 0.010). There were no associations between GPA and 30-day mortality (P = 0.871), 3-month mortality (P = 0.750), complications (P = 0.330) or change in Karnofsky Performance status postoperatively (P = 0.558). GPA scores hold prognostic properties in patients operated for brain metastases. However, GPA did not predict short-term mortality, limiting the clinical usefulness in a neurosurgical population. The prognostic indices cannot be used alone to decide if surgery is warranted on an individual basis, or to evaluate risks and benefits of surgery