Effect of strategies to reduce exposure of infants to environmental tobacco smoke in the home : cross sectional survey

Objective To examine parents' reported knowledge and use of harm reduction strategies to protect their infants from exposure to tobacco smoke in the home, and the relation between reported use of strategies and urinary cotinine to creatinine ratios in the infants. Design Cross sectional survey. Settings Coventry and Birmingham. Main outcome measures Parents’ reported knowledge and use of harm reduction strategies and urinary cotinine to creatinine ratios in their infants. Participants 314 smoking households with infants. Results 86% of parents (264/307) believed that environmental tobacco smoke is harmful, 90% (281/314) believed that infants can be protected from it in the home, and 10% (32/314) were either unaware of measures or reported using none. 65% of parents (205/314) reported using two or more measures, but only 18% (58/314) reported not allowing smoking in the home. No difference was found in mean log e transformed urinary cotinine to creatinine ratio in infants from households that used no measures compared with households that used less strict measures. Mean log cotinine to creatinine ratios were significantly different in households banning smoking in the home compared with those using less strict or no measures. Banning smoking in the home was independently associated with a significant reduction in urinary cotinine to creatinine ratio by a factor of 2.6 (1.6 to 4.2) after adjustment for average household cigarette consumption, tenure, and overcrowding. Conclusions Less than a fifth of parents in smoking households ban smoking in the home. Banning smoking was associated with a small but significant reduction in urinary cotinine to creatinine ratio in infants, whereas less strict measures compared with no measures had no effect on the infants’ exposure to environmental tobacco smoke

Detecting gas flares and estimating flaring volumes at individual flow stations using MODIS data.

Gas flaring has gained global recognition as a prominent agent of pollution, leading to the establishment of the Global Gas Flaring Reduction (GGFR) initiative, which requires an objective means of monitoring flaring activity. Because auditable information on flaring activity is difficult to obtain there have recently been attempts to detect flares using satellite imagery, typically at global scales. However, to adequately assess the environmental and health impacts of flaring from local to regional scales, it is important that we have a means of acquiring information on the location of individual active flaring sites and the volume of gas combusted at these sites. In this study we developed an approach to the retrieval of such information using nighttime MODIS thermal imagery. The MODIS flare detection technique (MODET) and the MODIS flare volume estimation technique (MOVET) both exploit the absolute and contextual radiometric response of flare sites. The levels of detection accuracy and estimation error were quantified using independent observations of flare location and volume. The MODET and MOVET were applied to an archive of MODIS data spanning 2000–2014 covering the Niger Delta, Nigeria, a significant global hotspot of flaring activity. The results demonstrate the substantial spatial and temporal variability in gas flaring across the region, between states and between onshore and offshore sites. Thus, whilst the estimated total volume of gas flared in the region over the study period is large (350 Billion Cubic Metres), the heterogeneity in the flaring indicates that the impacts of such flares will be highly variable in space and time. In this context, the MODET and MOVET offer a consistent and objective means of monitoring flaring activity over an appropriate range of scales and it is now important that their robustness and transferability is tested in other oil-producing regions of the world

Monitoring the Sustainable Intensification of Arable Agriculture:the Potential Role of Earth Observation

Sustainable intensification (SI) has been proposed as a possible solution to the conflicting problems of meeting projected increases in food demand and preserving environmental quality. SI would provide necessary production increases while simultaneously reducing or eliminating environmental degradation, without taking land from competing demands. An important component of achieving these aims is the development of suitable methods for assessing the temporal variability of both the intensification and sustainability of agriculture. Current assessments rely on traditional data collection methods that produce data of limited spatial and temporal resolution. Earth Observation (EO) provides a readily accessible, long-term dataset with global coverage at various spatial and temporal resolutions. In this paper we demonstrate how EO could significantly contribute to SI assessments, providing opportunities to quantify agricultural intensity and environmental sustainability. We review an extensive body of research on EO-based methods to assess multiple indicators of both agricultural intensity and environmental sustainability. To date these techniques have not been combined to assess SI; here we identify the opportunities and initial steps required to achieve this. In this context, we propose the development of a set of essential sustainable intensification variables (ESIVs) that could be derived from EO data

Analysis framework for the prompt discovery of compact binary mergers in gravitational-wave data

We describe a stream-based analysis pipeline to detect gravitational waves from the merger of binary neutron stars, binary black holes, and neutron-star–black-hole binaries within ∼1 min of the arrival of the merger signal at Earth. Such low-latency detection is crucial for the prompt response by electromagnetic facilities in order to observe any fading electromagnetic counterparts that might be produced by mergers involving at least one neutron star. Even for systems expected not to produce counterparts, low-latency analysis of the data is useful for deciding when not to point telescopes, and as feedback to observatory operations. Analysts using this pipeline were the first to identify GW151226, the second gravitational-wave event ever detected. The pipeline also operates in an offline mode, in which it incorporates more refined information about data quality and employs acausal methods that are inapplicable to the online mode. The pipeline’s offline mode was used in the detection of the first two gravitational-wave events, GW150914 and GW151226, as well as the identification of a third candidate, LVT151012

Forest disturbance and regeneration: a mosaic of discrete gap dynamics and open matrix regimes?

Question: Recent research in boreal forest suggests that an ‘open matrix’ model may be more appropriate than the traditional model of spatially discrete gap dynamics for describing forest disturbance and regeneration, but what is the evidence from temperate broad-leaved deciduous forests concerning the prevalence of these alternative models? Location: Semi-natural temperate broad-leaved deciduous forest in southern England. Methods: Multi-temporal LiDAR data were used to monitor the changes in tree canopy height and canopy gaps over a 10-yr period for a 130-ha area of forest. Gap dynamics were characterized by quantifying gap creation, expansion, contraction and closure. By identifying the types and rates of canopy height transitions, areas of gap contraction and closure were attributed to the processes of lateral crown growth or vertical regeneration. Results: Across the study site there was a zonation in canopy and gap properties and their dynamics. Many areas of the forest had the characteristics of open wood-pasture dominated by large, complex gaps being maintained under a regime of chronic disturbance. In these areas, several characteristics of the gap dynamics indicated that regeneration was restricted and this may be attributable to spatially-focused overgrazing by large herbivores. In contrast, other areas were characterized by high, closed canopy forest with small, discrete gaps where gap creation and infill were balanced. Conclusions: At the landscape-scale broad-leaved deciduous forests contain a spatial mosaic of zones, which conform to different models of disturbance and regeneration dynamics; discrete gap dynamics and open matrix regimes are juxtaposed. It is now important to elucidate the abiotic factors and biotic interactions that determine the spatio-temporal distribution of the different regimes and to examine whether such a ‘regime mosaic’ model is applicable in other forest types

How well is current plant trait composition predicted by modern and historical forest spatial configuration?

There is increasing evidence to suggest that a delayed response of many forest species to habitat loss and fragmentation leads to the development of extinction debts and immigration credits in affected forest habitat. These time lags result in plant communities which are not well predicted by present day landscape structure, reducing the accuracy of biodiversity assessments and predictions for future change. Here, species richness data and mean values for five life history characteristics within deciduous broadleaved forest habitat across Great Britain were used to quantify the degree to which aspects of present day forest plant composition are best explained by modern or historical forest patch area. Ancient forest specialist richness, mean rarity and mean seed terminal velocity were not well predicted by modern patch area, implying the existence of a degree of lag in British forest patches. Mean seedbank persistence values were more closely related to modern patch area than historical, particularly in larger patches. The variation in response for different mean trait values suggests that species respond to landscape change at different rates depending upon their combinations of different trait states. Current forest understorey communities are therefore likely to consist of a mixture of declining species whose extinction debt is still to be paid, and faster colonising immigrant species. These results indicate that without management action, rare and threatened species of plant are likely to be lost in the future as a result of changes in forest spatial configuration that have already taken place. The lag seen here for rare specialist plants suggests however that there may still be scope to protect such species before they are lost from forest patches

Dynamics and controls of urban heat sink and island phenomena in a desert city:development of a local climate zone scheme using remotely-sensed inputs

This study aims to determine the dynamics and controls of Surface Urban Heat Sinks (SUHS) and Surface Urban Heat Islands (SUHI) in desert cities, using Dubai as a case study. A Local Climate Zone (LCZ) schema was developed to subdivide the city into different zones based on similarities in land cover and urban geometry. Proximity to the Gulf Coast was also determined for each LCZ. The LCZs were then used to sample seasonal and daily imagery from the MODIS thermal sensor to determine Land Surface Temperature (LST) variations relative to desert sand. Canonical correlation techniques were then applied to determine which factors explained the variability between urban and desert LST. Our results indicate that the daytime SUHS effect is greatest during the summer months (typically ∼3.0 °C) with the strongest cooling effects in open high-rise zones of the city. In contrast, the night-time SUHI effect is greatest during the winter months (typically ∼3.5 °C) with the strongest warming effects in compact mid-rise zones of the city. Proximity to the Arabian Gulf had the largest influence on both SUHS and SUHI phenomena, promoting daytime cooling in the summer months and night-time warming in the winter months. However, other parameters associated with the urban environment such as building height had an influence on daytime cooling, with larger buildings promoting shade and variations in airflow. Likewise, other parameters such as sky view factor contributed to night-time warming, with higher temperatures associated with limited views of the sky

Contributions of gas flaring to a global air pollution hotspot:spatial and temporal variations, impacts and alleviation

Studies of environmental impacts of gas flaring in the Niger Delta are hindered by limited access to official flaring emissions records and a paucity of reliable ambient monitoring data. This study uses a combination of geospatial technologies and dispersion modelling techniques to evaluate air pollution impacts of gas flaring on human health and natural ecosystems in the region. Results indicate that gas flaring is a major contributor to air pollution across the region, with concentrations exceeding WHO limits in some locations over certain time periods. Due to the predominant south-westerly wind, concentrations are higher in some states with little flaring activity than in others with significant flaring activity. Twenty million people inhabit areas of high flare-associated air pollution, which include all of the main ecological zones of the region, indicating that flaring poses a substantial threat to human health and the environment. Model scenarios demonstrated that substantial reductions in pollution could be achieved by stopping flaring at a small number of the most active sites and by improving overall flaring efficiency

Traits of plant communities in fragmented forests: the relative influence of habitat spatial configuration and local abiotic conditions

1. The plant trait composition of forest fragments is thought to be partly determined by forest spatial properties, although the relative importance of habitat configuration and local abiotic drivers is poorly understood. 2. To address this issue, large-scale habitat extent data were combined with detailed field survey information for temperate broad-leaved deciduous forest patches to quantify the relative effects of spatial and abiotic filters on plant community mean trait values. 3. Local conditions such as shade and soil fertility had the largest effect on mean trait values, but aspects of habitat configuration also had significant partial effects on a number of traits. 4. Mean trait values within older forest patches were more strongly influenced by forest spatial configuration than in younger patches. 5. Synthesis. Results indicate that, in addition to the effects of greater light availability and competition in small patches and at forest edges, aspects of habitat configuration such as patch size and isolation are themselves important factors limiting the occurrence of forest specialist species. Large areas of core forest habitat contain a greater proportion of rare, poor dispersing species, although these effects were less visible in more recently established forest. This highlights the importance of maintaining existing large and old forest patches as a refuge for forest specialist plants. The results of this comparison of spatial and abiotic variables suggest that controlling the spatial properties of forest patches is likely to prove an effective way of managing plant species diversity, provided that sites with appropriate abiotic conditions are chosen

Compaction Grouting for Seismic Mitigation of Sensitive Urban Sites

For moderately loaded structures founded on liquefiable soils, spread footings on improved ground can provide considerable cost savings over deep foundation options. Liquefaction mitigation by ground improvement must be properly designed and executed; and should include a field verification program. Although densification is the most effective method of achieving verifiable mitigation of liquefaction susceptible soils, vibro-densification methods are often disregarded for urban sites due to concern for adjacent structures and utilities. An alternative to vibratory methods is compaction grouting, which can achieve densification of cohesionless materials while avoiding excessive vibration of adjacent structures. Recently, compaction grouting was successfully applied to densify a thick loose sand layer (up to 40 feet) for a large development site in an urban environment. This densification significantly increased the factor of safety against liquefaction and reduced potential liquefaction-induced settlement to under 0.5 inch. The compaction grouting program included automated data acquisition and processing and three-dimensional visualization components to ensure quality control and assurance. In addition, the site improvement program was fully verifiable, as the ground improvement program included a comparison of cone penetrometer tests (CPT) conducted prior to and following treatment. Although compaction grouting has been well utilized for several years, the potential for liquefaction mitigation in urban environments is not well established. However, ground improvement through compaction grouting can be a cost-effective alternative to drilled shafts or driven piles on liquefiable sites. This paper includes a description of the site conditions, the compaction grouting program (including automated data acquisition instrumentation and visualization), site instrumentation, post-treatment evaluation of the mitigation procedures, and analysis of the response of adjacent structures