In an effort to increase conservation effectiveness through the use of Earth observation technologies, a group of remote sensing scientists affiliated with government and academic institutions and ...conservation organizations identified 10 questions in conservation for which the potential to be answered would be greatly increased by use of remotely sensed data and analyses of those data. Our goals were to increase conservation practitioners’ use of remote sensing to support their work, increase collaboration between the conservation science and remote sensing communities, identify and develop new and innovative uses of remote sensing for advancing conservation science, provide guidance to space agencies on how future satellite missions can support conservation science, and generate support from the public and private sector in the use of remote sensing data to address the 10 conservation questions. We identified a broad initial list of questions on the basis of an email chain‐referral survey. We then used a workshop‐based iterative and collaborative approach to whittle the list down to these final questions (which represent 10 major themes in conservation): How can global Earth observation data be used to model species distributions and abundances? How can remote sensing improve the understanding of animal movements? How can remotely sensed ecosystem variables be used to understand, monitor, and predict ecosystem response and resilience to multiple stressors? How can remote sensing be used to monitor the effects of climate on ecosystems? How can near real‐time ecosystem monitoring catalyze threat reduction, governance and regulation compliance, and resource management decisions? How can remote sensing inform configuration of protected area networks at spatial extents relevant to populations of target species and ecosystem services? How can remote sensing‐derived products be used to value and monitor changes in ecosystem services? How can remote sensing be used to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of conservation efforts? How does the expansion and intensification of agriculture and aquaculture alter ecosystems and the services they provide? How can remote sensing be used to determine the degree to which ecosystems are being disturbed or degraded and the effects of these changes on species and ecosystem functions?
Semi-arid areas, defined as those areas of the world where water is an important limitation for plant growth, have become the subject of increased interest due to the impacts of current global ...changes and sustainability of human lifestyles. While many ground-based reports of declining vegetation productivity have been published over the last decades, a number of recent publications have shown a nuanced and, for some regions, positive picture. With this background, the paper provides an analysis of trends in vegetation greenness of semi-arid areas using AVHRR GIMMS from 1981 to 2007. The vegetation index dataset is used as a proxy for vegetation productivity and trends are analyzed for characterization of changes in semi-arid vegetation greenness. Calculated vegetation trends are analyzed with gridded data on potential climatic constraints to plant growth to explore possible causes of the observed changes. An analysis of changes in the seasonal variation of vegetation greenness and climatic drivers is conducted for selected regions to further understand the causes of observed inter-annual vegetation changes in semi-arid areas across the globe. It is concluded that semi-arid areas, across the globe, on average experience an increase in greenness (0.015 NDVI units over the period of analysis). Further it is observed that increases in greenness are found both in semi-arid areas where precipitation is the dominating limiting factor for plant production (0.019 NDVI units) and in semi-arid areas where air temperature is the primarily growth constraint (0.013 NDVI units). Finally, in the analysis of changes in the intra-annual variation of greenness it is found that seemingly similar increases in greenness over the study period may have widely different explanations. This implies that current generalizations, claiming that land degradation is ongoing in semi-arid areas worldwide, are not supported by the satellite based analysis of vegetation greenness.
► Trends in dryland vegetation greenness (NDVI) based on AVHRR data are analyzed. ► Climatic constraints to plant growth are anlysed to study causes of NDVI changes. ► Global drylands on average experience an increase in NDVI from 1981 to 2007. ► Trends have regional specific explanations and generalizations are not supported.
Tasmania's aquaculture industry produces over 40,000 tonnes of fish annually, valued at over AUD500M. Aquaculture divers perform repetitive, short-duration bounce dives in fish pens to depths up to ...21 metres' sea water (msw). Past high levels of decompression illness (DCI) may have resulted from these 'yo-yo' dives. This study aimed to assess working divers, using Doppler ultrasonic bubble detection, to determine if yo-yo diving was a risk factor for DCI, determine dive profiles with acceptable risk and investigate productivity improvement.
Field data were collected from working divers during bounce diving at marine farms near Hobart, Australia. Ascent rates were less than 18 m·min⁻¹, with routine safety stops (3 min at 3 msw) during the final ascent. The Kisman-Masurel method was used to grade bubbling post dive as a means of assessing decompression stress. In accordance with Defence Research and Development Canada Toronto practice, dives were rejected as excessive risk if more than 50% of scores were over Grade 2.
From 2002 to 2008, Doppler data were collected from 150 bounce-dive series (55 divers, 1,110 bounces). Three series of bounce profiles, characterized by in-water times, were validated: 13-15 msw, 10 bounces inside 75 min; 16-18 msw, six bounces inside 50 min; and 19-21 msw, four bounces inside 35 min. All had median bubble grades of 0. Further evaluation validated two successive series of bounces. Bubble grades were consistent with low-stress dive profiles. Bubble grades did not correlate with the number of bounces, but did correlate with ascent rate and in-water time.
These data suggest bounce diving was not a major factor causing DCI in Tasmanian aquaculture divers. Analysis of field data has improved industry productivity by increasing the permissible number of bounces, compared to earlier empirically-derived tables, without compromising safety. The recommended Tasmanian Bounce Diving Tables provide guidance for bounce diving to a depth of 21 msw, and two successive bounce dive series in a day's diving.
The main objective of this study was to assess the severity of iodine deficiency disorders (IDD) in the adult populations of the Baroda and Dang districts from Gujarat, western India using ...biochemical prevalence indicators of IDD. The other aim of this study was to establish a biochemical baseline for adequate iodine intake as a result of program evolution in the face of multiple confounding factors, like malnutrition and goitrogens responsible for goiter. A total of 959 adults (16-85 years) were studied from two districts (Baroda and Dang) and data was collected on dietary habits, anthropometric and biochemical parameters such as height, weight, urinary iodine (UI) and blood thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH). Drinking water and cooking salt were analyzed for iodine content. All subjects, irrespective of sex and district, showed median UI = 73 microg/L and mean blood TSH +/- SD = 1.59+/-2.4 mU/L. Seven per cent of the studied population had blood TSH values > 5 mU/L. Females in Baroda and males from Dang district were more affected by iodine deficiency as shown by a lower median UI. Mean TSH was significantly higher in women from both districts as compared to men (P = 0.001). The blood spots TSH values > 5 mU/L were seen in 20% of women from Dang. The normative accepted WHO values for UI and TSH for the severity of IDD as a significant health problem are not available for target population of adults. Urinary iodine normative limits and cut-offs are established for school-aged children. Blood spot TSH upper limit and cut-off values are available for neonate populations. The IDD has not been eliminated so far, as more than 20% of both male and female subjects had UI < 50 microg/L. Males were more malnourished than females in both districts (P < 0.05). Pearl millet from Baroda contained flavonoids like apigenin, vitexin and glycosyl-vitexin. Dang district water lacked in iodine content. Iodine deficiency disorder is a public health problem in Gujarat, with the Baroda district a new pocket of IDD. High amounts of dietary flavonoids in Baroda and Dang, malnutrition and an additional lack of iodine in Dang water account for IDD.
Who are the consumers of high-tech goods and services, and what will their needs and preferences be as we move into the next century? Allan Reddy and his team of marketing researchers and ...professionals lay out the essentials of a high-tech consumer profile, then dig into the implications this holds for developing successful marketing strategies. They synthesize the important current research and its findings, and by taking a multi-specialist approach to their subject, they bring a variety of interlocking and essential viewpoints to bear on it. A must read for professional marketers and their academic colleagues, and a useful overview for high-tech industry strategists and planners.Reddy divides the book into eleven chapters and three appendices. Essays introduce the major ideas about the high-tech consumer and look at this consumer in business-to-business marketing. Other chapters look at the Telecommunications Act, the Internet, the importance of quality in high-tech goods, the measurement of high-tech innovators, the global consumer, and distribution considerations. The last chapter presents conclusions and implications for marketers, while the appendices look at research techniques, Internet marketing, and just-in-time retailing. The book has substantive references and author and subject indexes.
This set of lessons uses the six essential standards of "Geography for Life" as a basis. At least one lesson is provided for each standard and linked to one or more of the five fundamental themes of ...geography. At the end of each section is also a special active teaching feature to help students further focus on the concepts presented. The lessons are presented in a standard format with the overview describing the focus of the lesson, objectives to link the standards and the five fundamental themes, estimates of time required, materials and preparation, the procedures for presentation, and suggestions for extension/enrichment activities. Reproducible student handouts follow the teacher material for each lesson. Sections of the book include: (1) Introduction; (2) "The World in Spatial Terms"; (3) "Places and Regions"; (3) "Physical Systems"; (4) "Human Systems"; (5) "Environment and Society"; and (6) "The Uses of Geography." A model unit concludes the book and is entitled "The Colorado River Basin--Past, Present, and Future." (EH)
