American energy and mineral industry involvement in housing

After a lapse of almost two decades, US energy and mining companies are once again involving themselves with worker housing. Reinvolvement began in the 1970s. It is in response to a recognition of the fiscal consequences of project delays and an industry responsibility to both workers and project area communities. It differs from the heavy reliance on company towns which were prevalent in the US during the 19th and early 20th Centuries. Industry involvement now relies not only on supply, but on stimulation. A greater variety of housing initiatives is being utilised and a company must carefully select the housing initiative best suited to its circumstances. These initiatives need to be guided by the following set of decision guidelines: (1) housing function; (2) housing user; (3) housing type and quantity needs; (4) monetary expectations; (5) role of the industry; (6) housing unit location; (7) responsibilities after housing is completed; and (8) amenities and community sharing. Then, housing involvement must be reviewed in light of past and present industry experiences. Innovative ideas need to be evaluated with respect to proven initiatives, as well as their presumed goal and potential for success.Study performed under Contract No. DE-AC02-76CH00016 with the U.S. Department of Energy     

Importance of Riparian Forests in Urban Catchments Contingent on Sediment and Hydrologic Regimes

Forested riparian corridors are thought to minimize impacts of landscape disturbance on stream ecosystems; yet, the effectiveness of streamside forests in mitigating disturbance in urbanizing catchments is unknown. We expected that riparian forests would provide minimal benefits for fish assemblages in streams that are highly impaired by sediment or hydrologic alteration. We tested this hypothesis in 30 small streams along a gradient of urban disturbance (1–65% urban land cover). Species expected to be sensitive to disturbance (i.e., fluvial specialists and “sensitive” species that respond negatively to urbanization) were best predicted by models including percent forest cover in the riparian corridor and a principal components axis describing sediment disturbance. Only sites with coarse bed sediment and low bed mobility (vs. sites with high amounts of fine sediment) had increased richness and abundances of sensitive species with higher percent riparian forests, supporting our hypothesis that response to riparian forests is contingent on the sediment regime. Abundances of Etheostoma scotti, the federally threatened Cherokee darter, were best predicted by models with single variables representing stormflow (r² = 0.34) and sediment (r² = 0.23) conditions. Lentic-tolerant species richness and abundance responded only to a variable representing prolonged duration of low-flow conditions. For these species, hydrologic alteration overwhelmed any influence of riparian forests on stream biota. These results suggest that, at a minimum, catchment management strategies must simultaneously address hydrologic, sediment, and riparian disturbance in order to protect all aspects of fish assemblage integrity.     

Parasite-mediated sexual selection: just how choosy are parasitized females?

Models of parasite-mediated sexual selection have thus far overlooked the potential effects of parasites of females on their hosts’ ability to choose mates. A set of models addressing this issue is developed, each building on the previous one to add complexity and realism to the framework. The selection coefficient for parasite immunity and brightness is estimated using the ratio of the fitness of susceptible males to the fitness of immune males. Parasite-induced reduction in female choosiness can substantially relax the selection for bright, immune males, especially when: (1) immunity to parasites is rare in the population, (2) parasites are not highly aggregated within the host population, (3) parasites are abundant, and (4) the effects of parasites on male brightness or female choosiness are severe. Parasite-induced variability in male brightness is most likely to occur in populations in which parasites are abundant and not aggregated; if females in those populations show a reduced preference for bright males, sexual selection for brightness (and parasite immunity) will still operate but exert a weaker selective pressure. Received: 4 November 1994/Accepted after revision: 9 September 1995     

Heritable variation for female mating frequency in field crickets,Gryllus integer

Summary Female mating frequency was studied in the laboratory in field crickets, Gryllus integer. Females mated 9.8 times on average (N = 46, SD = 6.6, range = 1–30) in 10-day observations of 5 h each. Offspring from each female were raised and the mating frequency determined for 10 female offspring from from each family. Female offspring mated from 0 to 26 times. The average number of matings across all families was 7.3 (SD = 3.4, range 1.9–16.2). Regression of daughter mating frequency on mother mating frequency resulted in a statistically significant slope of 0.345 and a narrow sense heritability estimate of 0.69 (SE = 0.29). Additive genetic variation is available for selection on female mating frequency in G. integer. Results are discussed in terms of selection on female mating frequency. Offprint requests to: W.H. Cade     

Characterizing a Brownfields recreational reuse scenario using the Triad Approach–Assunpink Creek Greenways project

Since the early 1990s the U.S. government has been developing and implementing public policies that advance the redevelopment of brownfields, and the recent passage of the Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act (SBLRBRA) will significantly advance efforts to integrate environmental contamination mitigation and redevelopment. Experience has demonstrated that successful redevelopment requires the collection, analysis, and interpretation of environmental data in a timely and cost‐effective manner in order to allow developers and lenders to efficiently use cleanup resources, develop response strategies that integrate cleanup with redevelopment, and support meaningful outreach to involved stakeholders. Recent advances in the science and technology of site characterization hold the promise of improved site characterization outcomes while saving time and money. One such advancement, the Triad Approach, combines systematic up‐front planning with the use of a dynamic field investigation process and the generation of real time data to allow in‐field decision making on sample location selection. This article describes an application of the Triad Approach to redevelopment of an urban greenway in Trenton, New Jersey. The Triad Approach, initiated through a partnership between the City of Trenton, New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, New Jersey Institute of Technology, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, demonstrated that this approach could accelerate the characterization of the 60‐acre, 11‐parcel project area. Environmental issues that were solved using the Triad Approach included the delineation of the extent of historic fill, determination of no further action for several areas of concern, detailed investigation of specific impacted areas and the acquisition of sufficient data to allow the city to make important decisions regarding remediation costs and property acquisition. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

HOUSEHOLD WATER USE: TECHNOLOGICAL SHIFTS AND CONSERVATION IMPLICATIONS1

ABSTRACT: A study was undertaken to determine the effect of water intensive appliances or activities on household water consumption. Activities included in the study were use of the washing machine, dishwasher, swimming pool, and lawn watering. In the majority of cases these activities increased per capita consumption and were statistically significant. Households included in the study were not familiar with water saving devices available in the retail market. Even if tehse appliances were purchased, private economic benefits to the household would be low due to the inexpensive water charges levied. However, aggregate community benefits could be large if new well drilling cost or increase in storage facilities could be avoided. In order to avoid these increased costs, regulation or subsidy programs may be the most efficient policy alternatives available to the communities. Subsidies and regulation could potentially decrease water use and offer alternatives to increasing the water supply.     

Low or absent unconjugated estriol in pregnancy: an indicator for steroid sulfatase deficiency detectable by fluorescence in situ hybridization and biochemical analysis

It has been previously reported that a low or absent maternal serum unconjugated estriol (uE3) level is associated with placental steroid sulfatase (STS) deficiency. Here we report a correlation between patients who present with a very low or absent maternal serum uE3 and a deletion of the STS gene as assessed by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). We studied nine prenatal cases that presented to the clinical laboratory with an abnormal triple screen, specifically low or absent maternal serum uE3 and a 46,XY karyotype. FISH analysis showed complete deletion of a probe containing the STS gene in six cases and one case had a partial deletion (reduced but not absent signal). The remaining two cases were not deleted for the STS probe. All mothers tested whose fetus showed a deletion were shown to be STS deletion carriers using FISH. Biochemical analysis was performed on 7/9 prenatal specimens. All fetuses deleted for the STS probe were also found to be deficient for STS by biochemical analysis of cultured amniotic fluid (5/5). Of the two fetuses not deleted for the STS probe, one was deficient for STS activity, while the other had a normal result. The abnormal result of enzyme deficiency by biochemical analysis in a non-deletion case likely represents a mutation in the STS gene, not detectable by this FISH assay. Postnatal FISH confirmation of the STS deletion was performed in 1/7 cases. Clinical follow-up was available for 4/9 cases following birth. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

中国特色的城市化问题

针对当前社会经济发展中 ,建设有中国特色的城市化问题 ,展开全方位、多视角的分析阐述。指出并纠正了认识上对城市化问题的种种误区。提出中国的城市化发展应该与国情国力、工业化发展形势相协调 ,过程应有序、健康。并认为 :(1)在相当大一段时期内 ,中国城市化水平以界定在5 0 %或 5 5 %为宜 ,而不应该盲目追求西方国家不同国情的高指标、高比例 ;(2 )对城市今后的发展规模应有一个合理限度 ,考虑人口、用地、环境的合理容量 ;(3)小城镇的发展要合理引导、分期分批、有重点地稳步发展 ;(4)乡村城镇化必须发展生态农业与生态工业 ,走集约化、专业化的道路。正确引导中国的城市化进程 ,把城市发展和农村、工业和农业、人口流动、产业政策、区域平衡、科技进步、外向型经济可持续发展等当作整体一盘棋来统筹制定总体战略     

High-Resolution Vegetation Data for Mangrove Research as Obtained From Aerial Photography

In this methodological study, the applicability of aerial photographs for monitoring mangrove vegetation dynamics at high resolution was investigated. Vegetation maps of three mangrove forests in Sri Lanka (Galle, Rekawa and Pambala) were produced based on visual analysis of aerial photographs. The visual analysis was aided by applying an interpretation key constructed during a first fieldwork mission. Image attributes used for the identification of individual trees included: gray values, texture, form and size of the crowns and the presence or absence of a shaded side. For the identification of species assemblages, the vegetation structure (i.e. the distribution of individual trees) appeared to be an important attribute. The accuracy and reliability of the vegetation maps were investigated during a second fieldwork mission. The aerial photographs proved to be very useful for the production of genus-based vegetation maps. The error analysis showed that density estimations (quantitative identification) based on aerial photography was not sufficiently accurate for the objectives of the study, but that the overall identification of vegetation assemblages (qualitative identification) coincided most satisfactory with the ground-truth data. In addition to the applicability of aerial photography in monitoring mangroves, the importance of aerial photography in the management of the mangrove ecosystem is clearly highlighted.