Effect of Industrial Pollution on the Aquatic and Shore Angiosperm Flora in the Ottawa River, Allen and Putnam Counties, Ohio

Author Institution: College of Biological Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 43210Industrial wastes are continually being emptied into rivers and streams across the country. This paper considers the effect that these wastes have had on the species composition, distribution, and abundance of individuals of the late summer aquatic and shore angiosperm flora in the industrially polluted Ottawa River downstream from Lima. This flora is compared with the flora in the Ottawa River upstream from Lima and with the flora in the nearby Auglaize River, both of which are not significantly polluted by industrial wastes. The flowering plants in northwestern Ohio rivers mostly belong in two categories: (1) southern species usually restricted to rivers, and (2) widespread species infrequent or common in rivers, but also in other wet habitats. Each species in the former group, being restricted, probably has a narrow ecological tolerance, whereas those in the latter group, being widespread, apparently have a wider ecological amplitude. Waterquality data from several published reports on the pollution of northwestern Ohio rivers reveals the great magnitude of the pollution in the Ottawa River downstream from Lima. A floristic survey of this grossly polluted portion of the river shows that many of the southern, ecologically narrow species, such as Justicia americana, Lippia lanceolata, Phystostegia virginiana, Samolus parvifiorus, Saururus cernuus, and Rutnex verticillatus, are rare or absent, whereas many of the more tolerant widespread species are frequent or even abundant. Particularly noteworthy in the latter group are several species of Polygonum (P. coccineum, P. hydropiper, P. lapathifolium, P. pensylvanicum, P. punctatum) and Sagittaria latifolia. By comparison, in the portion of the Ottawa River upstream from Lima and in the Auglaize River, both of which lack appreciable industrial pollutants, it is the southern, more restricted river-bottom species that are present; the widespread species (such as the species of Polygonum) are also present, but in far less abundance than is true in the Ottawa River downstream from Lima

The Role of GIS to Enable Public-Sector Decision Making Under Conditions of Uncertainty

Uncertainty is inherent in environmental planning and decision making. For example, water managers in arid regions are attuned to the uncertainty of water supply due to prolonged periods of drought. To contend with multiple sources and forms of uncertainty, resource managers implement strategies and tools to aid in the exploration and interpretation of data and scenarios. Various GIS capabilities, such as statistical analysis, modeling and visualization are available to decision makers who face the challenge of making decisions under conditions of deep uncertainty. While significant research has lead to the inclusion and representation of uncertainty in GIS, existing GIS literature does not address how decision makers implement and utilize GIS as an assistive technology to contend with deep uncertainty. We address this gap through a case study of water managers in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area, examining how they engage with GIS in making decisions and coping with uncertainty. Findings of a qualitative analysis of water mangers reveal the need to distinguish between implicit and explicit uncertainty. Implicit uncertainty is linked to the decision-making process, and while understood, it is not displayed or revealed separately from the data. In contrast, explicit uncertainty is conceived as separate from the process and is something that can be described or displayed. Developed from twelve interviews with Phoenix-area water managers in 2005, these distinctions of uncertainty clarify the use of GIS in decision making. Findings show that managers use the products of GIS for exploring uncertainty (e.g., cartographic products). Uncertainty visualization emerged as a current practice, but definitions of what constitutes such visualizations were not consistent across decision makers. Additionally, uncertainty was a common and even sometimes helpful element of decision making; rather than being a hindrance, it is seen as an essential component of the process. These findings contradict prior research relating to uncertainty visualization where decision makers often express discomfort with the presence of uncertainty.

Discriminant Analysis with Spatial Weights for Urban Land Cover Classification

Classifying urban area images is challenging because of the heterogeneous nature of the urban landscape resulting in mixed pixels and classes with highly variable spectral ranges. Approaches using ancillary data, such as knowledge based or expert systems, have shown to improve the classification accuracy in urban areas. Appropriate ancillary data, however, may not always be available. The goal of this study is to compare the results of the discriminant analysis statistical technique with discriminant analysis with spatial weights to classify urban land cover. Discriminant analysis is a statistical technique used to predict group membership for a target based on the linear combination of independent variables. Strict per pixel statistical analysis however does not consider the spatial dependencies among neighbouring pixels. Our study shows that approaches using ancillary data continue to outperform strict spectral classifiers but that using a spatial weight improved the results. Furthermore, results show that when the discriminant analysis technique works well then the spatially weighted approach performs better. However, when the discriminant analysis performs poorly, those poor results are magnified in the spatially weighted approach in the same study area. The study shows that for dominant classes, adding spatial weights improves the classification accuracy.

Mussel Inventory and Population Status of the Federally Endangered Potamilus capax (Green 1832) in the Tyronza River, Arkansas

Currently, few data exist for the mussel assemblages of the Tyronza River, Arkansas. The goal of this project was to inventory the freshwater mussel assemblages of the Tyronza River and determine the status of the federally endangered Potamilus capax. We qualitatively and quantitatively sampled mussel assemblages and documented the occurrence of S1 (extremely rare), S2 (very rare), and S3 (rare to uncommon) species. A total of 70.4 river kilometers were sampled in 2006 and 2007 resulting in 363 sampling sites, 4030 live individuals, and 25 species. We observed a total of 1 S1, 2 S2, and 9 S3 species. Mean catch-per-unit-of-effort was 0.9 (1.2 SD) individuals / min. and mean species richness and individual abundance were 3.4 (2.7 SD) species / site and 11.1 (15.1 SD) individuals / site, respectively. Thirteen Potamilus capax were collected during this survey, with only 1 gravid female and 2 juveniles. Quantitative survey mean densities per site ranged from 1.0 to 1.9 mussels / m2 with an overall mean of 1.4 individuals / m2 (0.3 SD). A total of 7 Potamilus capax were observed during quantitative sampling. Community Numerical Standing Crop estimates ranged from 70 ± 30 to 22,986 ± 7,905 individuals. The data collected from this survey provide a valuable baseline on the mussel assemblages of an altered-alluvial river and the location and status of all S1, S2 and S3 species. This information is essential to the management of this imperiled fauna in the Tyronza River

"Transformai As Velhas Formas do Viver: Sobre As Potências da Fotografia Junto As Paisagens Urbanas"

A partir do encontro de uma frase pichada no parapeito de uma ponte, a presente pesquisa indaga sobre as paisagens urbanas e alguns dos modos de subjetivação em curso na cidade de Vitória. Em conjunto com o Laboratório de imagens da subjetividade (LIS), o pesquisador questiona-se sobre as possibilidades de construção de um dispositivo de interferência urbana por meio da fotografia. Utilizando-se de uma metodologia do caminhar pelas ruas e junto a técnicas da fotografia, cria-se nesse trabalho uma trajetória imagética de um olhar singular daquele que perambula pelas ruas da cidade, e que em um movimento semelhante ao piscar dos olhos retém instantes desses lugares e de suas pessoas. Instantes nunca grandiosos, nunca relevantes para os grandes veículos, mas que ainda assim, como os homens infames em Michael Foucault, são repletos de narrativas sobre um cotidiano da vida que passa em paralelo a um discurso maior. A fotografia, portanto, para além de uma prática que se dedica ao instante decisivo, como proposto por Henri Cartier-Bresson, é também o exercício da construção de instantes infames, que resistem e procuram por vozes e ouvidos, dizem de si e convidam a uma fala que não a da mera transmissão de informação. Essa fotografia enquanto ferramenta de intervenção carrega consigo, as potências do puctum, as potências clínicas de uma ferroada, de uma flechada, que feito os buracos em um muro, são capazes de nos ferir e abrir fendas na superfície de nossas peles enrijecidas. Essa fotografia aliada à clínica, abre espaços para outros ares, outros olhares e outros possíveis modos junto à cidade. E será menos por vias da luz e mais pelos instantes de cegueira, enquanto o obturador da máquina fotográfica abre-se à luz e os olhos se fecham, enquanto entregamo-nos às trevas, que a cidade conta suas histórias não oficiais, não lineares: suas narrativas infames que potentes em suas diferenças, insistem em não se renderem ao desejo de conformismo do ta tudo dominado e aos aparelhos de captura e de manutenção de um poder que se gostaria hegemônico sobre a vida. Palavras Chave: Produção de subjetividade, Cidade, Fotografia, Clínica

“You’ve got to settle down!”: Mothers’ perceptions of physical activity in their young children

Abstract Background Mothers are important mediators of children’s physical activity (PA) level and risk of obesity, however previous studies of maternal perceptions of child PA have been limited. Furthermore, it is unknown if maternal perceptions of child PA are predicted by family, mother and child characteristics. Therefore objectives of this study were to 1) evaluate maternal perceptions of PA in their children and 2) test associations of family, mother and child characteristics with these perceptions. Methods 278 low-income mothers of children (mean age 70.9 months) participated in an audio-taped semi-structured interview. Transcripts were systematically analyzed using the constant comparative method and themes were generated. A coding scheme to classify the themes appearing in each transcript was developed and reliably applied. Anthropometrics were measured. Demographics and questionnaires (the Confusion, Hubbub and Order Scale, The Parenting Scale, and the Child Behavior Questionnaire (CBQ)) were collected. Logistic regression models were used to test the associations of family, mother and child characteristics with each theme. Results In this sample of low-income United States mothers, two themes emerged: 1) Mothers perceive their children as already very active (87.8 %, n = 244), predicted by the child being younger, the child not being overweight, and higher child CBQ Activity Level; and 2) Mothers view their children’s high activity level as problematic (27.0 %, n = 75), predicted by lower Parenting Laxness, the child being male and lower child CBQ Inhibitory Control. Conclusions Low-income United States mothers have unique perceptions of PA in their children; these beliefs are associated with characteristics of the child and mother but not characteristics of the family. Further understanding of contributors to maternal perceptions of child PA may inform future childhood obesity interventions. The influence of these perceptions on physical activity outcomes in low-income children should be pursued in future research.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/114383/1/12887_2015_Article_466.pd

Fatores de risco associados ao tamanho da leitegada.

bitstream/item/58406/1/CUsersPiazzonDocuments238.pd

An atlas of monthly mean distributions of SSMI surface wind speed, AVHRR/2 sea surface temperature, AMI surface wind velocity, TOPEX/POSEIDON sea surface height, and ECMWF surface wind velocity during 1993

The following monthly mean global distributions for 1993 are presented with a common color scale and geographical map: 10-m height wind speed estimated from the Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSMI) on a United States (U.S.) Air Force Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) spacecraft; sea surface temperature estimated from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR/2) on a U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) satellite; 10-m height wind speed and direction estimated from the Active Microwave Instrument (AMI) on the European Space Agency (ESA) European Remote Sensing (ERS-1) satellite; sea surface height estimated from the joint U.S.-France Topography Experiment (TOPEX)/POSEIDON spacecraft; and 10-m height wind speed and direction produced by the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting (ECMWF). Charts of annual mean, monthly mean, and sampling distributions are displayed