Coral reefs are highly dynamic and productive marine ecosystems, providing habitat and refuge for an enormous number of species
including fish, invertebrates and algae. With increased anthropogenic pressures and global climate change, many coral reefs
are rapidly declining. Currently, there is limited knowledge on condition and community assemblage composition of shallow
fringing coral reefs along the south-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With increased demand to determine existence
of coastal fringing reefs by National Regional Management groups, a rapid cost effective method to determine reef composition
and condition was required. The aim of this study was to determine the benthic structure and extent of two small coastal fringing
reefs (Hummock Hill Reef and Stringers Reef) along the Southern Great Barrier Reef. Reef substrate assessments were carried
out using a rapid assessment technique and a Point Intercept Method (PIM). The data were analysed and classified using a Geographic
Information System (GIS). Percent substrate cover was calculated using a visual basic image analysis program. The Point intercept
method showed higher accuracy over the rapid assessment technique (up to 15–40% difference) and was thus deemed a more suitable
classification tool for reefs with high structural complexity and heterogeneity. This study focused on piloting a rapid, cost
effective Point Intercept Technique using random point count methodology to document coral benthic habitat and extent over
a commonly used rapid assessment method as a tool for reef coastal management and conservation. The two techniques were compared
and substrate classification success, limitations and errors were discussed. 相似文献
Objective: The Useful Field of View (UFOV) assessment, a measure of visual speed of processing, has been shown to be a predictive measure of motor vehicle collision (MVC) involvement in an older adult population, but it remains unknown whether UFOV predicts commercial motor vehicle (CMV) driving safety during secondary task engagement. The purpose of this study is to determine whether the UFOV assessment predicts simulated MVCs in long-haul CMV drivers.
Method: Fifty licensed CMV drivers (Mage = 39.80, SD = 8.38, 98% male, 56% Caucasian) were administered the 3-subtest version of the UFOV assessment, where lower scores measured in milliseconds indicated better performance. CMV drivers completed 4 simulated drives, each spanning approximately a 22.50-mile distance. Four secondary tasks were presented to participants in a counterbalanced order during the drives: (a) no secondary task, (b) cell phone conversation, (c) text messaging interaction, and (d) e-mailing interaction with an on-board dispatch device.
Results: The selective attention subtest significantly predicted simulated MVCs regardless of secondary task. Each 20 ms slower on subtest 3 was associated with a 25% increase in the risk of an MVC in the simulated drive. The e-mail interaction secondary task significantly predicted simulated MVCs with a 4.14 times greater risk of an MVC compared to the no secondary task condition. Subtest 3, a measure of visual speed of processing, significantly predicted MVCs in the email interaction task. Each 20 ms slower on subtest 3 was associated with a 25% increase in the risk of an MVC during the email interaction task.
Conclusions: The UFOV subtest 3 may be a promising measure to identify CMV drivers who may be at risk for MVCs or in need of cognitive training aimed at improving speed of processing. Subtest 3 may also identify CMV drivers who are particularly at risk when engaged in secondary tasks while driving. 相似文献
The objective of this study was to assess the bulk chemical composition as well as the extent and severity of heavy metal
contamination in the paddy soil of Kočani Field (eastern Macedonia). The results revealed that the paddy soil of the western
part of Kočani Field is severely contaminated with Pb, Zn, As and Cd in the vicinity of the Zletovska River due to irrigation
with riverine water that is severely affected by acid mine and tailing effluents from the Pb–Zn mine in Zletovo. The detected
total concentrations of these metals are far above the threshold values considered to be phytotoxically excessive for surface
soil. The paddy soil in the vicinity of the Zletovska River was also found to exhibit elevated levels of Ba, Th, U, V, W,
Mo, Cu, Sb, Bi, Ag, Au, Hg and Tl, with concentrations above their generally accepted median concentration values obtained
during this study. A correlation matrix revealed that the Mn and Fe oxides/hydroxides are the most important carrier phase
for several trace elements, with the exception of rare earth elements (REEs). These also represent a major sink for the observed
heavy metal pollution of the soil. REEs are mostly associated with two phases: light (L)REEs are bound to K-Al, while heavy
(H)REEs are bound to Mg-bearing minerals. Although there is no direct evidence of a health risk, the paddy soil in the vicinity
of Zletovska River needs further investigation and an assessment should be made of its suitability for agricultural use, particularly
in view of the highly elevated concentrations of Pb, Zn, As and Cd. 相似文献
Several recent studies have found important differences between behavior in the laboratory and the field. We explore two possible causes for the divergence: social concerns and unfamiliarity with the traded good. Consistent with our conceptual model, we find that people overstated their preferences for relatively familiar goods with normative attributes and understated their preferences for a relatively unfamiliar good with low normative motivations in the laboratory as compared to the field. We also find that for goods with a normative dimension, a new method we refer to as inferred valuation has the potential to narrow the lab–field gap. In some cases, willingness-to-pay obtained from a conventional valuation elicitation method is more than twice the value from the new inferred valuation approach. 相似文献