Maintenance of Residential Rental Property: An Empirical Analysis

The maintenance costs of 137 residential rental properties in northwestern South Carolina are analyzed. The results show that maintenance cost per square foot increases with property age, tenant turnover, certain amenities, and for higher-rent properties. Compared to other property types, apartments exhibit higher maintenance costs per square foot with larger complexes showing lower per square foot maintenance costs than smaller complexes. This cost economy suggests added value to rental housing for larger complexes. Owners of multiple properties are found to pay higher maintenance costs. Finally, there is no observed relationship between absentee ownership and the level of property maintenance.

New South Wales Vegetation classification and Assessment: Part 3, plant communities of the NSW Brigalow Belt South, Nandewar and west New England Bioregions and update of NSW Western Plains and South-western Slopes plant communities, Version 3 of the NSWVCA database

This fourth paper in the NSW Vegetation Classification and Assessment series covers the Brigalow Belt South-/1(BBS) and Nandewar (NAN) Bioregions and the western half of the New England Bioregion (NET), an area of 9.3 million hectares being 11.6% of NSW. It completes the NSWVCA coverage for the Border Rivers-Gwydir and Namoi CMA areas and records plant communities in the Central West and Hunter–Central Rivers CMA areas. In total, 585 plant communities are now classified in the NSWVCA covering 11.5 of the 18 Bioregions in NSW (78% of the State). Of these 226 communities are in the NSW Western Plains and 416 are in the NSW Western Slopes. 315 plant communities are classified in the BBS, NAN and west-NET Bioregions including 267 new descriptions since Version 2 was published in 2008. Descriptions of the 315 communities are provided in a 919 page report on the DVD accompanying this paper along with updated reports on other inland NSW bioregions and nine Catchment Management Authority areas fully or partly classified in the NSWVCA to date. A read-only version of Version 3 of the NSWVCA database is on the DVD for use on personal computers. A feature of the BBS and NAN Bioregions is the array of ironbark and bloodwood Eucalyptusdominated shrubby woodlands on sandstone and acid volcanic substrates extending from Dubbo to Queensland. This includes iconic natural areas such as Warrumbungle and Mount Kaputar National Parks and the 500,000 ha Pilliga Scrub forests. Large expanses of basalt-derived soils support grassy box woodland and native grasslands including those on the Liverpool Plains; near Moree; and around Inverell, most of which are cleared and threatened. Wetlands occur on sodic soils near Yetman and in large clay gilgais in the Pilliga region. Sedgelands are rare but occupy impeded creeks. Aeolian lunettes occur at Narran Lake and near Gilgandra. Areas of deep sand contain Allocasuarina, eucalypt mallee and Melaleuca uncinata heath. Tall grassy or ferny open forests occur on mountain ranges above 1000m elevation in the New England Bioregion and on the Liverpool Range while grassy box woodlands occupy lower elevations with lower rainfall and higher temperatures. The vegetation classification and assessment is based on over 100 published and unpublished vegetation surveys and map unit descriptions, expert advice, extra plot sampling and data analysis and over 25 000 km of road traverse with field checking at 805 sites. Key sources of data included floristic analyses produced in western regional forest assessments in the BBS and NAN Bioregions, floristic analyses in over 60 surveys of conservation reserves and analysis of plot data in the western NET Bioregion and covering parts of the Namoi and Border Rivers- Gwydir CMA areas. Approximately 60% of the woody native vegetation in the study area has been cleared resulting in large areas of “derived” native grasslands. As of June 2010, 7% of the area was in 136 protected areas and 127 of the 315 plant communities were assessed to be adequately protected in reserves. Using the NSWVCA database threat criteria, 15 plant communities were assessed as being Critically Endangered, 59 Endangered, 60 Vulnerable, 99 Near Threatened and 82 Least Concern. 61 of these communities are assessed as part of NSW or Commonwealth-listed Threatened Ecological Communities. Current threats include expanding dryland and irrigated cropping on alluvial plains, floodplains and gently undulating topography at lower elevations; over-grazing of steep hills; altered water tables and flooding regimes; localized mining; and the spread of exotic species, notably Coolatai Grass (Hyparrhenia hirta)

RAPID: Natural Laboratories in the Chilean Fjords: Studying Reproduction and Development in Emergent Deep-Sea Corals

Intellectual MeritThe northern Patagonian fjords lie on the interface between the high Andes Mountains in the east and the South Pacific Ocean, formed thousands of years ago through erosive glacial activity and tectonic sinking. Around 12,000 years ago the icefields in the Chiloé Interior Sea began to open, leaving behind over 15,000km2 of fjords, channels and gulfs. The waters within the fjords are influenced by strong tides, large volumes of freshwater runoff, and upwelling of deep-ocean waters as well as steep climatic gradients from north to south. This dynamic environment has resulted in extremely high biodiversity and endemism, yet this region is one of the least studied areas of the world. It was just a few years ago that deep-sea corals were found inhabiting this region at unusually shallow depths (less than 10m) and in extremely high densities (greater than 1500 individuals per m2). One species in particular, Desmophyllum dianthus, is one of the most widespread hard corals in deep-sea habitats around the globe, yet there have been no ecological studies because of the difficulty in sampling at depths below traditional SCUBA sampling. Cold-water corals are important structural engineers, creating habitat for thousands of associated invertebrates and fish, forming the principle foundation of many benthic ecosystems. These shallow fjord communities present a unique opportunity to form baseline data on ecological and population processes, acting as an accessible window into a deep-sea ecosystem. In recent years environmental and anthropogenic pressures in the northern Patagonian fjord region have mounted (particular from intense salmon farming) leading to a situation where these unique ecosystems may be lost before they can be documented and fully understood. Reproduction is a fundamental ecological process for which every species on the planet needs to undergo to survive through time, and is essential information to understanding recruitment, recolonization, population connectivity and recovery from damage. This project will study the reproductive ecology of the primary cold-water coral in this region, D. dianthus. This project will leverage research funded through a National Geographic Global Exploration Fund grant to establish year-long monitoring sites in three locations within the fjords. RAPID funding from NSF will add a significant ecological study to the National Geographic study. Broader ImpactsThe delicate and unique coral-based ecosystem of these fjord systems are threatened by increased fishing, tourism and intensified logging in conjunction with climate change. This project will contribute to and understanding of how anthropogenic influences are affecting basic life history processes in an important habitat forming species in the region and will provide a basis for more in-depth studies of the region\u27s benthic resources. The broader impacts also include undergraduate training through a 5 week internship to process samples in the Waller laboratory and a public outreach component consisting of a blog website, daily Twitter updates from the field from the PI\u27s Online Expeditions site and National Geographic website coverage. This project will also foster international collaborative work with Chilean researchers from the Fundación Huinay, their intimate knowledge of these ecosystems is an integral part of this project. Samples will also be supplied to other collaborators for population genetics and paleo-climate analysis

Elite Political Culture and Illiberalism in Wartime Russia

While a general ideological shift toward illiberalism has been noted in Russia for over a decade, recent developmentssuggest an increasingly deep, pervasive, and comprehensive use of illiberal rhetoric and framings byRussian elites. Policy discussions, which could once be held in a neutral or technocratic register, are increasinglysuffused with illiberal legitimating and justifying language, which suggests the further integration ofilliberal ideology into the worldviews of a broader cohort of Russian public figures, intellectuals, and loyalistprofessionals. The case of a recent public debate surrounding nuclear use policy gives rise to useful observationsthat underline this development

Development of an Integrated Reformer and Fuel Cell System for Portable Power Applications

In order for fuel cells to play a large part in a global sustainable energy infrastructure, fuel cell-based systems need to be built to meet the demands of a wide range of applications in all aspects of society. To date, the majority of fuel cell research has been focused on developing systems to power applications such as passenger vehicles, commercial buildings, and small handheld devices. These applications typically require power outputs that are either greater than 100 kW or less than 20 W, and a gap remains in developing viable fuel cell systems for applications requiring electric power between 100 W and 100 kW. Some of these applications include unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), residential power generators, equipment pumps, camping and recreational devices, lawn and garden equipment, and auxiliary power units. Key requirements for these applications include a power system that is portable, has a quick startup time, and can be easily refueled. The focus of this dissertation is to identify and address the engineering gaps encountered when developing a viable fuel cell system capable of meeting the requirements for these “medium”-sized power applications. Ultimately, an integrated reformer fuel cell system is proposed; this system utilizes a propane catalytic partial oxidation rector coupled with a HT-PEM fuel cell. Using this structure, the optimal operating conditions for propane catalytic partial oxidation were investigated. Additionally, the performance of a HT-PEM fuel cell under various conditions while operating directly on propane fuel reformate was assessed. After investigation into the weight, power, run time, and durability requirements of military UAVs, a reformer fuel cell system is proposed that produces a net power of 250 with a total mass 2.23 kg, and is capable of a 200-hour lifetime. This proposed design offers significant advantages over current UAV propulsion technologies in that it is both quiet and capable of long flight durations, unlike battery and internal combustion engine technology presently used that suffer from either low specific energy or high noise level. The proposed system also has advantages over other fuel cell systems in that it is fueled with commonly available propane, where other mobile fuel cells require high purity H2 that is difficult to obtain. In addition to assessing the technical feasibility of such a system, the potential environmental benefits relative to incumbent technology are described

RAPID: Natural Laboratories in the Chilean Fjords: Studying Reproduction and Development in Emergent Deep-Sea Corals

The northern Patagonian fjords lie on the interface between the high Andes Mountains in the east and the South Pacific Ocean, formed thousands of years ago through erosive glacial activity and tectonic sinking (Borgel, 1970). Around 12,000 years ago the icefields in the Chiloé Interior Sea began to open, leaving behind over 15,000km2 of fjords, channels and gulfs (Clapperton, 1994). The waters within the fjords are influenced by strong tides, large volumes of freshwater runoff, and upwelling of deep-ocean waters as well as steep climatic gradients from north to south (observed in parameters such as temperature, wind intensity and precipitation; Silva et al., 1997; Leth et al., 2004). This dynamic environment has resulted in an extremely high biodiversity and endemism (Smith- Ramirez, 2004), yet this region is one of the least studied areas of the world. Both oceanographic (Arntz & Rios, 1999; Fernandez et al., 2000; Forsterra et al., 2005) and biological data are scarce (Arntz & Rios, 1999; Haussermann & Forsterra 2009) and only recently was it discovered that these fjords are one of the few areas in the world where deep-water fauna can survive in shallow-water habitats (Forsterra & Haussermann, 2003; Haussermann & Forsterra 2007). The specific goals of this project were - 1. Establish a year-long monitoring site at three populations of Desmophyllum dianthus in the Comau fjord in Northern Patagonia Two populations will be in areas unaffected with runoff, one population will be directly downstream of encroaching salmon farms These populations will have samples for histological analysis (see Waller et al., 2002 for methods) collected every 3 months, with samples for genetics (see Morrison et al., 2011 for methods) and TEM/SEM analysis (see Pradilla- Gamino et al., 2011 for methods) taken by the PI at the beginning and end of the project 2. Examine for recruitment at these three populations by placing recruitment panels both within and surrounding populations 3. Monitor environmental variables at each site Salinity, Temperature and Light monitors will be deployed at each sample site. Every three months data will be downloaded, sensors cleaned and redeployed to give a full year of data at each site. 4. Record general biodiversity and habitat characteristics of each population Each population will be photographed using scales to estimate age of population and number of corals and associated fauna. Benthic habitat will also be classified, as will areas surrounding the main population. 5. Examine other areas in the fjords to aid in our Chilean collaborators mission of adequately documenting locations of these fragile populations For initial and final field seasons, once samples from all sites for the main project have been obtained, remaining dive days will be used to pair with station divers to catalogue areas of coral abundance and enter data onto a GIS database of cold-water corals in South America

Collaborative Research: Historic Perspectives on Climate and Biogeography from Deep-sea Corals in the Drake Passage

Polar oceans are the main sites of deep-water formation and are critical to the exchange of heat and carbon between the deep ocean and the atmosphere. This award Historic perspectives on climate and biogeography from deep-sea corals in the Drake Passage will address the following specific research questions: What was the radiocarbon content of the Southern Ocean during the last glacial maximum and during past rapid climate change events? and What are the major controls on the past and present distribution of cold-water corals within the Drake Passage and adjacent continental shelves? Testing these overall questions will allow the researchers to better understand how processes in the Southern Ocean are linked to climate change over millennia. This award is being funded by the Antarctic Earth Sciences Program of NSF?s Office of Polar Programs, Antarctic Division. INTELLECTUAL MERIT: The skeletons of deep-sea corals are abundant in the Southern Ocean, and can be dated using U-series techniques making them a useful archive of oceanographic history. By pairing U-series and radiocarbon analyses the awardees can reconstruct the radiocarbon content of seawater in the past, allowing them to address the research questions raised above. Collection of living deep-sea corals along with environmental data will allow them to address the broader biogeography questions posed above as well. The awardees are uniquely qualified to answer these questions in their respective labs via cutting edge technologies, and they have shown promising results from a preliminary pilot cruise to the area in 2008.BROADER IMPACTS: Societal Relevance: The proposed paleoclimate research will make significant advances toward constraining the Southern Ocean?s influence on global climate, specifically it should help set the bounds for the upper limits on how fast the ocean circulation might change in this region of the world, which is of high societal relevance in this era of changing climate. Education and Outreach (E/O): These activities are grouped into four categories: i) increasing student participation in polar research by fully integrating undergraduate through post-doctoral students into research programs; ii) promotion of K-12 teaching and learning programs by providing information via a cruise website and in-school talks, iii) making the data collected available to the wider research community via data archives such as Seamounts Online and the Seamount Biogeographic Network and iv) reaching a larger public audience through such venues as interviews in the popular media

The media's impact on body image: Implications for prevention and treatment

Recent research has demonstrated that media images of “ideal” female models have an impact upon women's body image, leading to dissatisfaction and perceptual distortion. The evidence for this link between media presentation and body image distortion is reviewed, and theoretical models are advanced to explain the link. In particular, women's use of social comparison in establishing their self-concept seems to be an important psychological construct in understanding the impact of the media upon body image. Based on empirical evidence and proposed psychological mediators, a number of measures are suggested that might prevent media effects or that might be used to treat those effects. In particular, psychoeducational preventative measures and group-based treatments seem to offer the greatest promise

Clinician and patient characteristics and cognitions that influence weighing practice in cognitive-behavioral therapy for eating disorders

Objective Clinicians commonly fail to weigh patients appropriately in cognitive‐behavioral therapy for eating disorders (CBT‐ED), despite guidelines stressing the need to do so. This study considered the possible patient‐ and clinician‐based reasons why this element of treatment is omitted. Method Seventy‐four CBT‐ED clinicians were presented with vignettes that varied in patient diagnosis and distress levels, to determine whether those characteristics influenced different clinician weighing practices. Clinicians' own attitudes to weighing and their anxiety levels were also assessed to determine whether they were related to weighing intentions. Results Clinicians were more likely to weigh patients with anorexia nervosa than patients with bulimia nervosa, probably due to focusing on physical risk. However, they were less likely to weigh patients who were distressed at the prospect, despite that course of action being particularly clinically indicated. Clinicians were more likely to weigh patients if they had positive beliefs about the value of doing so, and if they were not prone to making unsupported exceptions in delivering this technique. Discussion This study provides evidence that clinicians use weighing differently according to the patient's presentation and their own beliefs, rather than working within guidelines. Education, training, and supervision are suggested to help clinicians address this failure to weigh patients in the most therapeutic way