TRANSIENT RESPONSE FUNCTIONS FOR CONJUNCTIVE WATER MANAGEMENT IN THE SNAKE RIVER PLAIN,IDAHO1

ABSTRACT: Increasing demands on western water are causing a mounting need for the conjunctive management of surface water and ground water resources. Under western water law, the senior water rights holder has priority over the junior water rights holder in times of water shortage. Water managers have been reluctant to conjunctively manage surface water and ground water resources because of the difficulty of quantification of the impacts to surface water resources from ground water stresses. Impacts from ground water use can take years to propagate through an aquifer system. Prediction of the degree of impact to surface water resources over time and the spatial distribution of impacts is very difficult. Response functions mathematically describe the relationship between a unit ground water stress applied at a specific location and stream depletion or aquifer water level change elsewhere in the system. Response functions can be used to help quantify the spatial and temporal impacts to surface water resources caused by ground water pumping. This paper describes the theory of response functions and presents an application of transient response functions in the Snake River Plain, Idaho. Transient response functions can be used to facilitate the conjunctive management of surface and ground water not only in the eastern Snake River Plain basin, but also in similar basins throughout the western United States.     

Policies for the Planning and Reclamation of Coal-mined Landscapes: An International Comparison

Governments differ significantly in their attempts to mitigate the effects of mining disturbance. The approaches of Australia, Canada and the United States are reviewed here, relative to coal-mining reclamation. State and provincial examples (Queensland, Alberta and Montana) are used to illustrate legislation and planning below the national level. This paper explores three main issues that contribute to coal-mining reclamation: governmental level of legislation and planning; legislative scope; and inter-governmental co-ordination. The legislative histories vary, but are young and evolving. All require the submission of a reclamation plan before granting mining permits, enforce reclamation standards by security deposits and contain provisions for non-compliance. Australia and Canada are only beginning to address reclamation planning at the national level, whereas the United States has done so since 1977. The relationship to the environmental impact assessment process is uneven across the three nations. The United States and Canada have a larger percentage of their mined landscapes in a reclamation process, due partly to more stringent regulation. Reclamation effectiveness seems to centre less on centralization versus decentralization, and more on comprehensive scope, preventive approaches and multi-level governmental co-ordination.     

A bench-scale rock-plant filter investigation

Three bench-scale rock filters containing 0.6 m of gravel were used in this investigation. Two of the filters were planted withSagittaria Iancifolia andScirpus validus, while the third filter was an unvegetated control filter. The wastewater directed through these systems was a synthetic mixture containing nutrient broth as the carbon source. An 80-day experiment was run on the filters using eight combinations of two flow rates and four influent biochemical oxygen demand (BOD₅) concentrations, each combination remaining constant for ten days. These combinations resulted in BOD₅ surface loadings from 4.63–30.96 g/day/m². From other studies of batch and continuous flow rock-plant filter systems, the first-order BOD₅ reaction rate constant was found to decrease exponentially with detention time. In this study, however, little correlation was found between BOD₅ loading rate and removal percentages, which averaged 69%, 57%, and 47% for theScirpus, Sagittaria, and control systems, respectively. This is probably due to the relatively small change in detention times studied and the short time period of each loading rate. Oxidation/reduction potential (ORP) and dissolved oxygen (DO) measurements within these systems indicated that no free oxygen was available at any depth. Total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN) removal was higher in the plant systems relative to the control, with theScirpus system achieving a higher overall removal than theSagittaria system.     

Landscape Patterns of Florida Scrub Jay Habitat Use and Demographic Success

Remote sensing and geographical information systems are used to analyze landscapes important to species of conservation concern. The accuracy of the methods depends on how closely habitat mapping classes are linked to population demography. Habitat use by Florida Scrub Jays ( Aphelocoma c. coemlescens ) was quantified using circular plots. Habitat variation was mapped using high-resolution aerial photography on a site where all Florida Scrub Jays were color-banded. Nest site selection, nest success, yearling production, and breeder survival were measured within Florida Scrub Jay territories. Habitat use was lowest in areas without scrub oaks or areas within 136 m from forests. Open oak, dominated by scrub oaks and open sandy areas, had the highest use and nest success among habitats. Open oak occurred as narrow patches ( <20 m wide) in landscapes dominated by matrix habitat (palmetto-lyonia and swale marshes). Most wide patches (>50 m) of open oak were potential population sources, where reproduction exceeded mortality. Areas with patches of open oak of less than 1 ha were usually population sinks. Open oak occurred as less flammable patches in a landscape subject to frequent fires. Population sources varied temporally and spatially with fires and site potential to support scrub oaks (soils). Analyses of landscape patterns and dynamics indicated that habitat mapping should not only include patches of currently optimal habitat but should also include landscapes associated with open oak. The influences of landscape patterns on habitat use, reproductive success, survival, and territory size can be quantified at different scales starting with attributes associated with habitat patches, nest sites, and territories. Potential mapping errors occur, however, when habitats are used to quantify the areal extent of sources and sinks and similar population attributes important for species persistence.     

The benefits and limitations of cell-free DNA screening for 22q11.2 deletion syndrome

Cell-free DNA testing is increasingly being used to screen pregnant women for fetal aneuploidy. This technology may also identify microdeletion syndromes, including 22q11.2 deletion syndrome, the most common microdeletion syndrome, and the 22q11.2 duplication syndrome. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the 22q11.2 deletion syndrome, to review the early experience with cell-free DNA screening for this deletion and to consider the potential benefits that may be associated with prenatal detection of the deletion. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Environmental Awareness, Economic Orientation, and Farming Practices: A Comparison of Organic and Conventional Farmers

/ This study examines similarities and differences between organic and conventional farmers. We explore the factors that underlie farmers' conservation attitudes and behaviors, including demographic and farm characteristics, awareness of and concern for environmental problems associated with agriculture, economic orientation toward farming, and self-reported conservation practices. A series of intensive personal interviews was conducted with 25 farmers in Washtenaw County, Michigan, USA, using both qualitative and quantitative survey methods. The findings indicate that both groups of farmers share a concern for the economic risks associated with farming, although the organic farmers reported a significantly greater concern for long-term sustainability and a greater willingness to incur present risk to gain future benefits. Organic farmers expressed a greater awareness of and concern for environmental problems associated with agriculture. Organic farmers also scored significantly higher on a multifaceted measure of conservation practices, although both groups had a fairly high adoption rate. Implications of these findings are discussed, relative to economic risks of farming, implications for new farmers, effectiveness of conservation education and government programs, and impact of farm size and crop diversity.KEY WORDS: Environmental attitudes; Conservation behaviors; Organic farming; Agricultural sustainability     

Injuries causing death: Their nature,external causes,and associated diseases

This article provides national data on the types of injuries reported on death certificates, the external causes of these injuries, and diseases that are frequently reported with them. Injuries were a factor in 11 % (213,366 deaths) of the deaths to residents of the United States in 1978. Of 11 broad categories of injuries, three (fractures, sprains, strains, and dislocations, intracranial injuries, and adverse effects) were mentioned on almost 50,000 deaths each. There was considerable variation in the distribution of injury types by age, sex, and race. The most notable example was fractures of the lower limb which were mentioned on 29% of the deaths involving an injury to 65 + year olds but no less than 5% of such deaths for all other age groups. For white females, the percentage with a fracture of the lower limb was 23 % compared to 12 % overall. In 25 % of the deaths involving an injury, the immediate cause was a motor vehicle accident. In 51 %, the immediate cause of the injury was a non-motor-vehicle accident. In 73 % of the deaths involving non-motor-vehicle accidents, disease conditions as well as injuries were a factor; and, 69% of the time, the disease condition was actually the underlying cause of the death with the injury being a contributing factor or complication. For example, over 14,000 deaths in 1978 involved a circulatory condition as the underlying cause of death which was complicated by an accidental fracture, sprain, or dislocation. Although diseases more often assumed the role of the underlying cause of death, they were also a nonunderlying cause in 24,000 non-motor-vehicle accident deaths. Over 12,000 of such deaths involved circulatory diseases.     

Confined placental mosaicism for trisomy 14 and maternal uniparental disomy in association with elevated second trimester maternal serum human chorionic gonadotrophin and third trimester fetal growth restriction

A case of confined placental mosaicism (CPM) and maternal uniparental isodisomy 14 identified after placental karyotype revealed trisomy 14 in a newborn with intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) and minor dysmorphic features is reported. During the second trimester of the pregnancy, multiple marker screening revealed an increased risk for Down syndrome of >1 in 10. The maternal serum human chorionic gonadotrophin (MShCG) was markedly elevated at 4.19 MoM. Amniocentesis revealed a normal 46,XX karyotype. Fetal growth restriction has been associated with elevated MShCG and placental aneuploidy with CPM for chromosomes 2, 7, 9 and 16. The present case of CPM for chromosome 14 was also associated with fetal growth restriction and elevated second trimester MShCG, suggesting a common link. Further studies need to be done to determine if indeed elevation of second trimester MShCG is associated with increased risk of CPM. The present case again demonstrates the need to perform placental karyotype in unexplained fetal growth restriction. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The impact of a nationwide effort to reduce airbag-related deaths among children: an examination of fatality trends among younger and older age groups

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of a nationwide response to emerging airbag-related deaths among children. This response, implemented in 1996, focused on moving children to a rear seat and increasing proper restraint usage. METHOD: Fatality trends from 1992 through 1996 and from 1996 through 2003 were examined for younger children (ages 0-3) and for older children (ages 4-12). RESULTS: Prior to 1997, a steady reduction in unrestrained deaths (among younger children) was offset by increases in restrained deaths (among younger and older children), increases in rear-seat deaths (among younger children), and increases in front-seat deaths (among older children). After 1996, there were significant decreases in fatalities in both age groups, with larger and more immediate reductions among the younger children. The largest reductions were immediately after 1996, when younger-child deaths declined by 16%, and after 1999, when deaths among both age groups declined by about 16%. CONCLUSIONS: The immediate reduction in front-seat deaths among younger children, particularly infants, appears to have been closely associated with the nationwide public information efforts implemented in 1996. Later reductions in front-seat and unrestrained deaths, among both younger and older children, were likely associated with the combination of legislative, enforcement, and public information programs, which increased after 1999. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: The findings suggest that a large expenditure of resources by public and private-sector organizations after 1996 resulted in the prevention of hundreds of deaths among young children. In addition, the results provide insights with regard to the categories of deaths most affected by such programs and issues that deserve additional attention.