WalkSafe: a school-based pedestrian safety intervention program

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of the WalkSafe program, an elementary school-based pedestrian safety program in a single high-risk district in Miami-Dade County. METHODS: Sixteen elementary schools were identified in a single high-risk district and enrolled in a one-year study. All schools implemented the WalkSafe program on the last week of January 2003. A pre, post, and three-month post testing of pedestrian safety knowledge was conducted. An observational component was also implemented at four schools that were randomly chosen. Engineering recommendations and law enforcement initiatives were also performed. RESULTS: A total of 6467 children from K-5th grade from 16 elementary schools participated in the program. Of these 5762 tests were collected over three different testing times. A significant difference (p-value < 0.001) was found between the pre and post testing conditions across all grade levels. There was no significant difference found between the post and three-month post testing conditions across all grade levels (p-value > 0.05). The observational data collected at four schools across the different testing times demonstrated a significant difference found between pre and post testing conditions for Group A (stop at the curb and look left, right, left) and also for Group B (midstreet crossing and darting out) (p-value < 0.05). There was no difference found between comparing the pre-test or post-test condition with the three-month post-test time. There were many environmental modifications that were recommended and actually performed. CONCLUSION: The WalkSafe program implemented in a single high-risk district was shown to improve the pedestrian safety knowledge of elementary school children. The observational data demonstrated improved crossing behaviors from pre-test to post-testing conditions. Future research will focus on sustaining the program in this district and expanding the program throughout our county.     

Future directions of meteorology related to air-quality research

Meteorology is one of the major factors contributing to air-pollution episodes. More accurate representation of meteorological fields has been possible in recent years through the use of remote sensing systems, high-speed computers and fine-mesh meteorological models. Over the next 5-20 years, better meteorological inputs for air quality studies will depend on making better use of a wealth of new remotely sensed observations in more advanced data assimilation systems. However, for fine mesh models to be successful, parameterizations used to represent physical processes must be redesigned to be more precise and better adapted for the scales at which they will be applied. Candidates for significant overhaul include schemes to represent turbulence, deep convection, shallow clouds, and land-surface processes. Improvements in the meteorological observing systems, data assimilation and modeling, coupled with advancements in air-chemistry modeling, will soon lead to operational forecasting of air quality in the US. Predictive capabilities can be expected to grow rapidly over the next decade. This will open the way for a number of valuable new services and strategies, including better warnings of unhealthy atmospheric conditions, event-dependent emissions restrictions, and now casting support for homeland security in the event of toxic releases into the atmosphere.     

Characterization and recycling of polymeric components present in cell phones

The cell phone market is developing at a rapid speed. Today there are more than 1.6 billion consumers in the world, and the lifetime of a cell phone is less than 2 years. As a consequence, there is an increase in the waste associated to this product, and many alternatives to the disposal of the cell phones are being studied, such as recycling which shows to be the most important. It is crucial to know what materials constitute the cell phone in order to carry out recycling and determine environmental and economical issues. This work presents an evaluation of the cell phone components, characterizing the raw materials and some properties of the recycled materials.     

Demonstrating Floodplain Uncertainty Using Flood Probability Maps1

Abstract: The U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) flood maps depict the 100‐year recurrence interval floodplain boundary as a single line. However, because of natural variability and model uncertainty, no floodplain extents can be accurately defined by a single line. This article presents a new approach to floodplain mapping that takes advantage of accepted methodologies in hydrologic and hydraulic analysis while including the effects of uncertainty. In this approach, the extents of computed floodplain boundaries are defined as a continuous map of flood probabilities, rather than as a single line. Engineers and planners can use these flood probability maps for viewing the uncertainty of a floodplain boundary at any recurrence interval. Such a flood probability map is a useful tool for visualizing the uncertainty of a floodplain boundary and represents greater honesty in engineering technologies that are used for flood mapping. While institutional barriers may prevent adoption of such definitions for use in graduated flood insurance rates (as most other insurance industries use to account for relative risks), the methods open the door technically to such a reality.     

INCOME DISTRIBUTION IMPACTS OF A WATER DEVELOPMENT PROJECT - BOISE PROJECT,IDAHO, 1950–19701

ABSTRACT: Public investments in water resource development projects are continually under scrutiny in terms of economic, environmental, and social impacts. Results of an analysis of a water development project that supplies irrigation water in Idaho are discussed in terms of the impact on income distribution and income growth 44 to 64 years after the project was initiated. Gini ratios for the rural farm population of these counties were consistently lower than they were for the United States as a whole and for the state of Idaho. In addition, income distributions tended to become more equitable over time in the water project counties. Rural farm population income growth rates were found to be similar to those for the nation as a whole. Some of the reasons for these results may be related to the tendency for income distribution to become more equitable as income increases, and the fact that average farm size is relatively small.     

Newspaper response to flood and erosion hazards on the North Lake Erie shore

The study is primarily concerned with newspaper responses to flooding and erosion associated with Great Lakes high water in 1952–1953 and 1972–1974. Underlying the research is a general interest in informing the public more widely on choices available in resource and environmental decision making.     

Prospects for Development of an Index of Biotic Integrity for Evaluating Habitat Degradation in Coastal Systems

A multivariate index for assessment of habitat quality and its degradation, the Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI), has been developed for stream fish communities. the extension of the IBI concept to coastal waters is proposed by the development of an estuarine IBI based on macrobenthos and submerged aquatic vegetation. Eleven variables are proposed for inclusion in this index, although further consideration of the appropriateness of several variables is required. It is concluded that development of an IBI for coastal systems is feasible.     

Effects of gas flow rate, inlet concentration and temperature on the biofiltration of toluene vapors

In this work the variation in the elimination capacity of a biofilter as a function of the gas flow and toluene concentration was studied. A bioreactor 0.75 m high x 14.5 cm diameter was used, divided into three equal stages, using compost to support the microorganisms, and sea shells to control the pH. The biofiltration of toluene was evaluated for flows between 0.12 and 0.73 m(3)h(-1) in a concentration range of 1-3.2 gm(-3). It was observed that on increasing the toluene inlet load by 90% (from 37 to 70 gm(3)h(-1)), the conversion by the biofilter varied by only 5% (from 98% to 93%). The biofiltration system used achieved elimination capacities of up to 82 gm(-3)h(-1) for a toluene load of 100 gm(-3)h(-1).     

Ectoparasite loads in free-ranging northern fence lizards, Sceloporus undulatus hyacinthinus: effects of testosterone and sex

More knowledge of the proximate factors that influence parasite loads would help us understand the selective pressures faced by hosts and host-parasite evolution. Testosterone has been associated with increased parasite loads in vertebrates. Here we asked whether experimentally elevated testosterone affected ectoparasite loads in free-ranging northern fence lizards (Sceloporus undulatus hyacinthinus). Males were captured, given testosterone or sham implants, and released. In 2 consecutive years, testosterone-implanted males had significantly more ectoparasites at recapture than did controls. Additionally, ectoparasite loads were positively correlated with testosterone concentrations in unmanipulated males, and males had significantly more ectoparasites than did females. The results are consistent with an effect of testosterone on parasite loads. However, rather than elevated testosterone increasing mite loads in experimental males, it appeared that high testosterone inhibited a natural seasonal decline in mite loads. Testosterone-implanted males also lost body mass whereas controls gained mass. Among controls, those retaining the most ectoparasites over the course of the experiment experienced the smallest gains in body mass, suggesting that the mites are costly.     

Phylogeographic structure of false clownfish, Amphiprion ocellaris, explained by sea level changes on the Sunda shelf

The phylogenetic structure of the anemonefish Amphiprion ocellaris was established based on sequence data generated for the 5′ end of the cytochrome b (cytb) gene at 11 sites throughout Southeast Asia. Considerable genetic structuring was observed throughout the range of A. ocellaris. The region has a complex geography, with the Sunda shelf having been exposed during the lower sea levels associated with periods of glaciation. The direction of subsequent flooding of the Sunda shelf, as a direct consequence of the retreating glacial sheets, can be predicted based on the major river drainage systems in the region. Much of the phylogeographic structure, including levels of intra-site genetic variation, can be explained in terms of the “seeding” of sites on the Sunda shelf, by those on the shelf rim, as sea levels rose. We often found surface ocean currents in the region, which should influence larval dispersal, to be poorly correlated with phylogeographic structure. Several geographically close sites, which appear to be connected by surface currents, showed significant genetic stratification. We hypothesise that the phylogeographic structure of A. ocellaris is more reminiscent of the Pleistocene sea level changes than surface currents. The high contribution of sea level changes to the phylogeographic structure was also supported by several missing haplotypes in the generated spanning network. Cytb DNA sequences generated for recently recruited A. ocellaris individuals sampled from Singapore indicate that, on a local scale, there is a directional inflow of recruits, which is dependent on the monsoon seasons. The nature of dispersal and genetic structure of reef fish species found on the Sunda shelf is clearly complex, and should take into consideration past phylogeographic events. Received: 13 November 1999 / Accepted: 12 July 2000