Challenges in modeling detailed and complex environmental data sets: a case study modeling the excess partial pressure of fluvial $$\hbox {CO}_2$$ CO 2

Environmental and Ecological Statistics - Advances in sensor technology enable environmental monitoring programmes to record and store measurements at a high temporal resolution, enhancing the...     

Mineral commodity stabilisation: The producers' view

The author compares the relative merits of production cuts and buffer stocks as measures for market stabilisation in mineral commodity markets. He concludes that, although under certain conditions producers may gain by building up buffer stocks at times of relatively low demand, the low global price elasticities in most minerals markets make it likely that producers' interests would usually be better served by production cuts when demand falls.     

“Are you still driving?” Metasynthesis of patient preferences for communication with health care providers

Aim: The aim of this study was to synthesize published qualitative studies to identify older adults' preferences for communication about driving with health care providers.

Background: Health care providers play a key role in addressing driving safety and driving retirement with older adults, but conversations about driving can be difficult. Guides exist for family members and providers, but to date less is known about the types of communication and messages older drivers want from their health care providers.

Design: A qualitative metasynthesis of studies published on or before October 10, 2014, in databases (PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Web of Science) and grey literature was performed.

Review Methods: Twenty-two published studies representing 518 older adult drivers met the following inclusion criteria: the study (1) was about driving; (2) involved older drivers; (3) was qualitative (rather than quantitative or mixed methods); and (4) contained information on older drivers' perspectives about communication with health care providers.

Results: We identified 5 major themes regarding older adults' communication preferences: (1) driving discussions are emotionally charged; (2) context matters; (3) providers are trusted and viewed as authority figures; (4) communication should occur over a period of time rather than suddenly; and (5) older adults desire agency in the decision to stop driving.

Conclusion: Various stakeholders involved in older driver safety should consider older drivers' perspectives regarding discussions about driving. Health care providers can respect and empower older drivers—and support their family members—through tactful communication about driving safety and mobility transitions during the life course.     

Thermal decomposition of cement–asbestos at 1100 °C: how much “safe” is “safe”?

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - The products of cement–asbestos treated in air at 1100 °C were characterized by a multi-methodological approach to determine:...     

Smoothing of land use maps for trend and change detection in urbanization

Urban sprawl and its evolution over relatively short periods of time demands that we develop statistical tools to make best use of the routinely produced land use data from satellites. An efficient smoothing framework to estimate spatial patterns in binary raster maps derived from land use datasets is developed and presented in this paper. The framework is motivated by the need to model urbanization, specifically urban sprawl, and also its temporal evolution. We frame the problem as estimation of a probability of urbanization surface and use Bayesian P-splines as the tool of choice. Once such a probability map is produced, with associated uncertainty, we develop exploratory tools to identify regions of significant change across space and time. The proposal is used to study urbanisation and its development around the city of Bologna, Emilia Romagna, Italy, using land use data from the Cartography Archive of Emilia Romagna Region for the period 1976–2008.     

Market structure and bargaining power: A study of three international mineral markets

This paper considers how differences in the structure and arrangements between the international markets for bauxite, iron ore and copper affect the bargaining strength and division of benefits between buyers and sellers. After describing the characteristic features of each market, and noting the absence of appropriate economic theory to disentangle the issue at hand, an attempt is made to clarify the problem by considering the difference between the markets in terms of five factors - degree of concentration, ability of the parties to inflict losses on each other, varying shares of the raw material in final product prices, structure of the market in which the final products are sold, and the process of trade negotiation.     

Regional development benefits of mineral projects

This paper discusses the development impact of mining and mineral processing on the regions in which they are located. The discussion is organized so as to be of relevance for policy formulation in resource-rich developing countries which consider the exploitation of their mineral wealth. The hypothesis is that mining technology, interpreted in a broad sense, has undergone a profound change since 1900. In consequence, experiences of mineralbased regional development in the industrialized countries around the turn of the century are of little relevance to the Third World in the 1980s. Contemporary mineral ventures have very weak regional development repercussions in the absence of forceful policies specifically directed towards the regional development goal.     

Mining manganese nodules: Potential economic and environmental effects ag]

This article examines the economic implications of mining or of not mining manganese nodules and summarizes potential ecological consequences. Apart from possible net economic benefits to certain countries, mining the nodules is not regarded as an economic or strategic necessity. It is concluded that expansion of basic research on oceanfloor ecosystems must be granted high priority. It is in the best interest of developed countries to become signatories of the LOS Convention in order to participate in the development of the regulatory framework and to avoid the antagonism of the international community.