Zero-inflated models with application to spatial count data

Count data arises in many contexts. Here our concern is with spatial count data which exhibit an excessive number of zeros. Using the class of zero-inflated count models provides a flexible way to address this problem. Available covariate information suggests formulation of such modeling within a regression framework. We employ zero-inflated Poisson regression models. Spatial association is introduced through suitable random effects yielding a hierarchical model. We propose fitting this model within a Bayesian framework considering issues of posterior propriety, informative prior specification and well-behaved simulation based model fitting. Finally, we illustrate the model fitting with a data set involving counts of isopod nest burrows for 1649 pixels over a portion of the Negev desert in Israel.     

Prenatal diagnosis of the derivative chromosome 22 associated with cat eye syndrome by fluorescence in situ hybridization

Cytogenetic studies of cultured amniocytes demonstrated a karyotype of 46, XX/47, XX,+mar. A bisatellited, dicentric, distamycin-DAPI negative, NOR-positive marker was present in 76 per cent of the metaphases examined. Similar markers have been associated with cat eye syndrome (CES). We report on the utilization of fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with a 14/22 a-satellite probe and a chromosome 22-specific cosmid for locus D22S9 to determine the origin of the prenatally detected supernumerary marker chromosome. FISH studies demonstrated that the marker is a derivative of chromosome 22 and enabled us to provide the family with additional prognostic information.     

Chorionic villus sampling for prenatal diagnosis in wales using DNA probes—5 years' experience

Chorionic villi were sampled from 125 women who requested prenatal diagnosis, either for genetic disorders or because of advanced maternal age. Of these, 105 samples were obtained by the transcervical route and 20 were obtained by the transabdominal approach. The sampling success rate was 97 per cent (122/125). The mean maternal age of the patients was 31 years (range 17–44) and the mean gestational age at which the chorionic villus sampling was performed was 10 weeks (range 7–13 weeks). Seventy-four of these diagnoses involved the use of DNA markers. The minimal size of the sample used for DNA diagnosis was 5 mg. Maternal contamination was detected in two samples. A diagnosis was provided on all but two samples. The fetal loss rate was high initially but fell to 1·9 per cent in 1988.     

Syndromes identified in fetuses with prenatally diagnosed cephaloceles

An evaluation of all fetuses from our institution with prenatally diagnosed cephaloceles was conducted to determine the frequency and spectrum of genetic syndromes associated with this abnormality. Review of the sonographic images, postnatal autopsy or pathology reports, delivery room records, paediatric neurosurgical findings, radiographs, and cytogenetic data were collected. Fifteen postnatally confirmed cases of prenatally diagnosed cephaloceles and two misdiagnosed cases were identified. Thirteen were midline occipital lesions, one was frontoparietal, and one was frontoethmoidal. Excluding microcephaly, hydrocephaly, and distortion of intracranial anatomy, 9 of 15 (60 per cent) had other associated anomalies, including two fetuses with aneuploidy. The prenatal diagnosis of a cephalocele should initiate a thorough search for other abnormalities. In this series, there were three multifactorial, two chromosomal, two sporadic, and two autosomal recessive syndromes identified. An accurate diagnosis is critical in determining the prognosis and providing appropriate genetic counselling.     

ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS INFLUENCING SUSPENDED SOLIDS IN THE LOXAIIATCHEE ESTUARY,FLORIDA1

ABSTRACT: A study was initiated to examine the effects of wind speed, wind direction, freshwater inflow, and tide height on suspended solid concentration and distribution in the Loxahatchee estuary, Florida. Recent efforts to increase freshwater flows in this system raised concerns that suspended solid concentrations would increase as well, which might result in negative impacts for the estuary. The data indicated that total suspended solids (TSS) in the estuary are derived primarily from the inlet and not from freshwater tributaries. In addition, total suspended solids and volatile suspended solids were correlated strongly with salinity, suggesting that suspended sediments act conservatively throughout this system. No one environmental factor had an overwhelming influence on suspended solid concentration throughout the estuary; different regions of the estuary were influenced by different factors. Freshwater inflow was negatively related to TSS in the upper reaches of the estuary but was positively related to TSS in the central embayment region of the estuary. We attribute this latter finding to the fact that extremely high inflows both prevented the normal transport upstream of tidal borne suspended sediments and promoted mixing when the freshwater front moving downstream confronted the tidal front moving upstream. Wind speed, wind direction, and tide height had relatively small effects on TSS concentration but were most influential in reaches upstream of the central embayment, where tidal velocity begins to diminish.     

Twenty-Six Years of Green Turtle Nesting at Tortuguero, Costa Rica: An Encouraging Trend

The green turtle ( Chelonia mydas ) population that nests at Tortuguero, Costa Rica, is the largest in the Atlantic by at least an order of magnitude. Surveys to monitor the nesting activity on the northern 18 km of the 36-km beach were initiated in 1971 and extended to the entire beach in 1986. From the survey data, we estimated the total number of nesting emergences on the northern 18 km for each year from 1971 through 1996. Evaluation of the trend in nesting emergences indicated a relatively consistent increase from 1971 to the mid-1980s, constant or perhaps decreasing nesting during the late 1980s, and then resumption of an upward trend in the 1990s. Evaluation of trends in sea turtle nesting populations requires many years of data because of the large degree of annual variation in nesting numbers. The trends reported in this study must be evaluated with caution for several reasons. First, if the mean number of nests deposited by each female each year (clutch frequency) varies significantly among years, changes in the number of nesting emergences among years could reflect changes in the number of nesting females, clutch frequency, or both. Second, we only assessed the trend in one segment of the population (mature females), which may or may not represent the trend of the entire green turtle population and which, because of late maturity, may not reflect changes in juvenile mortality for many years. Third, survey frequency, and thus confidence in annual estimates, varied among years. The upward population trend must be assessed from the perspective of the catastrophic decline that the Caribbean green turtle populations have experienced since the arrival of Europeans. If careful management is continued in Costa Rica and adopted throughout the region, the collapse of the Caribbean green turtle populations—which seemed imminent in the 1950s—can be avoided.     

Characterizing and Controlling Industrial Dust: A Case Study in Small Particle Measurement

Instrumentation used to measure characteristics of fine particles entrained in gas or suspended in aerosols provides information needed to develop valid regulations for emission sources and to support the design of control technologies. This case study offers a brief history of micromeritics, a term used by early researchers to describe the science of small particles, and the related invention of laboratory instruments for characterizing very fine particles. The historical view provides insights into the role that Progressive Era government agencies played in advancing esoteric science and applying this knowledge to the regulation of workplace air pollution. Micromeritics instrumentation developed in conjunction with federal research now has many commercial applications worldwide, with characterizing airborne pollutants only a minor one. However, the continuing advances in the micromeritics field provide important laboratory measurement capabilities to environmental research organizations, such as the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).     

Country specific low carbon commitments versus equitable and practical company specific decarbonisation targets

Environment, Development and Sustainability - Concerns about the impact of climate change and the need for stabilising a global temperature rise to below 2 degrees Celsius are driving the...