•New soil energy and biogeochemistry algorithms are incorporated into SWAT.•Process-based algorithms outperform empirical methods in a large ungauged basin.•Analyzed contributions of energy and ...biogeochemistry algorithms to performance improvement.•Advancing process representation helps improve water quality modeling in ungauged basins.
Improving model performance in ungauged basins has been a chronic challenge in watershed model application to understand and assess water quality impacts of agricultural conservation practices, land use change, and climate adaptation measures in large river basins. Here, we evaluate a modified version of SWAT2012 (referred to as SWAT-EC hereafter), which integrates an energy balanced soil temperature module (STM) and the CENTRUY-based soil organic matter algorithm, for simulating water quality parameters in the Upper Mississippi River Basin (UMRB), and compare it against the original SWAT2012. Model evaluation was performed for simulating streamflow, sediment, and nitrate-N (NO3-N) and total nitrogen (TN) loadings at three stations near the outlets of UMRB. The model comparison was conducted without parameter calibration in order to assess their performance under ungauged conditions. The results indicate that SWAT-EC outperformed SWAT2012 for stream flow and NO3-N and TN loading simulation on both monthly and annual scales. For sediment, SWAT-EC performed better than SWAT2012 on a monthly time step basis, but no noticeable improvement was found at the annual scale. In addition, the performance of the uncalibrated SWAT-EC was comparable to other calibrated SWAT models reported in previous publications with respect to sediment and NO3-N loadings. These findings highlight the importance of advancing process representation in physically-based models to improve model credibility, particularly in ungauged basins.
Stigma is a known barrier to treating substance use disorders and dramatically diminishes the quality of life of people who use drugs (PWUD) nonmedically. Stigma against PWUD may be especially ...pronounced in rural areas due to their decreased anonymity and residents' limited access, or resistance, to “neutralizing” information on factors associated with drug use. Stigma often manifests in the attitudes of professionals whom stigmatized individuals regularly interact with and often materially impact. We analyzed interviews conducted between July 2018 and February 2019 with professional stakeholders in rural southern Illinois who interact with PWUD, specifically those who use opioids nonmedically or who inject drugs (n = 30). We further analyzed interview data from a complementary PWUD sample (n = 22). Interviews addressed perspectives around nonmedical drug use and treatment/harm reduction, with analysis centered around the Framework Integrating Normative Influences on Stigma and its focus on micro, meso and macro level stigmatization processes. Stakeholder participants included professionals from local law enforcement, courts, healthcare organizations, emergency management services, and faith-based and social services organizations. Most stakeholders, particularly law enforcement, negatively perceived PWUD and nonmedical drug use in general, questioned the character, agency and extrinsic value of PWUD, and used labels (e.g. “addict,” “abuser,” etc.) that may be regarded as stigmatizing. Further, most respondents, including PWUD, characterized their communities as largely unaware or dismissive of the bio-medical and sociocultural explanations for opioid use, drug injection and towards harm reduction services (e.g., syringe exchanges) and naloxone, which were frequently framed as undeserved usages of taxpayer funds. In conclusion, rural stigma against PWUD manifested and was framed as a substantial issue, notably activating at micro, meso and macro levels. Stigma prevention efforts in these communities should aim to improve public knowledge on the intricate factors contributing to opioid use and drug injection and harm reduction programming's moral and fiscal value.
•Antagonism for treatment and prevention arises from perceived taxpayer cost burden.•Stakeholders often contest the character and agency of PWUD.•Stakeholders commonly use potentially stigmatizing terms on drug use/user milieu.•Perceived class traits—e.g., appearance/behavior—may activate negative PWUD views.•Rural public viewed as unaware of/unsympathetic to PWUD general challenges.
The integration of open hole well log analyses, core analyses and pressure transient analyses was used for reservoir characterization of the Mt. Simon sandstone. Characterization of the injection ...interval provides the basis for a geologic model to support the baseline MVA model, specify pressure design requirements of surface equipment, develop completion strategies, estimate injection rates, and project the CO2 plume distribution.
The Cambrian-age Mt. Simon Sandstone overlies the Precambrian granite basement of the Illinois Basin. The Mt. Simon is relatively thick formation exceeding 800 meters in some areas of the Illinois Basin. In the deeper part of the basin where sequestration is likely to occur at depths exceeding 1000 m, horizontal core permeability ranges from less than 1×10−12 cm2 to greater than 1×10−8 cm2. Well log and core porosity can be up to 30% in the basal Mt. Simon reservoir.
For modeling purposes, reservoir characterization includes absolute horizontal and vertical permeability, effective porosity, net and gross thickness, and depth. For horizontal permeability, log porosity was correlated with core. The core porosity-permeability correlation was improved by using grain size as an indication of pore throat size. After numerous attempts to identify an appropriate log signature, the calculated cementation exponent from Archie’s porosity and resistivity relationships was used to identify which porosity-permeability correlation to apply and a permeability log was made.
Due to the relatively large thickness of the Mt. Simon, vertical permeability is an important attribute to understand the distribution of CO2 when the injection interval is in the lower part of the unit. Only core analyses and specifically designed pressure transient tests can yield vertical permeability. Many reservoir flow models show that 500–800 m from the injection well most of the CO2 migrates upward depending on the magnitude of the vertical permeability and CO2 injection rate (CO2 velocity). Assigning a specific value of vertical permeability to model cells is dependent on the vertical height of the model cell. Measured vertical permeability on core is scale dependent, such that lower vertical permeability is expected over longer core lengths compared to smaller lengths. Consequently, a series of vertical permeability tests were conducted on whole core varying in lengths of samples from 7 cm to 30 cm that showed vertical perm could change by an order of magnitude over a 30 cm height.
For one well, the results from a series of pressure transient tests over a perforated interval much smaller than the gross thickness (<2%) confirmed the core-log based geologic model for vertical and horizontal permeability. A partial penetration model was used to estimate the horizontal and vertical permeability over a portion of the modeled area using series and parallel flow averaging techniques.
Elder abuse is associated with increased mortality risk. However, the relationship between elder abuse and health care services utilization remains unclear.
To examine the relationship between ...overall elder abuse and specific subtypes of elder abuse and rate of hospitalization in a community-dwelling population of older adults.
Prospective population-based study.
Chicago Health and Aging Project.
Of the 6674 community-dwelling older adults who participated in the Chicago Health and Aging Project, 106 were identified by social services agencies for elder abuse.
The primary predictor was elder abuse (reported and confirmed) reported to social services agency. The outcome of interest was the annual rate of hospitalization obtained from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Poisson regression models were used to assess these longitudinal relationships.
The unadjusted mean annual rate of hospitalization was 0.62 (95% CI, 0.59-0.66) for those without elder abuse and 1.97 (95% CI, 1.33-2.61) for those with reported elder abuse. After adjusting for sociodemographic and socioeconomic variables, medical comorbidities, cognitive and physical function, and psychosocial well-being, reported elder abuse had higher rates of hospitalization (rate ratio RR, 2.00 95% CI, 1.45-2.75). Psychological abuse (RR, 2.22 95% CI, 1.44-3.43), financial exploitation (RR, 1.75 95% CI, 1.06-2.90), caregiver neglect (RR, 2.43 95% CI, 1.60-3.69), and 2 or more types of elder abuse (RR, 2.59 95% CI, 1.82-3.66) were associated with increased rates of hospitalization, after considering the same potential confounders. Results from interaction term analyses suggested that the association between elder abuse and hospitalization did not differ across the levels of medical comorbidities, cognitive and functional impairment, or psychosocial distress.
Elder abuse was associated with increased rates of hospitalization in this community population. Future research is needed to explore the causal mechanisms between elder abuse and hospitalization. As we enter the era of health care reform, an improved understanding of factors that increase rates of hospitalization could also have significant implications for social and health policy as well as clinical care of the vulnerable patients.
This paper advances a comparative conflict theory of racial and ethnic similarities and differences in youth perceptions of criminal injustice. We use HLM models to test six conflict hypotheses with ...data from more than 18,000 Chicago public school students. At the micro-level African American youth are more vulnerable to police contacts than are Latinos, who are more at risk than whites, and there is a corresponding gradient in minority group perceptions of injustice. When structural sources of variation in adolescents' experiences are taken into account, however, minority youth perceptions of criminal injustice appear more similar to one another, while remaining distinct from those of white youth. At the micro-level, Latino youth respond more strongly and negatively to police contacts, even though they experience fewer of them. At the macro-level, as white students in schools increase cross-sectionally, perceptions of injustice among both African American and Latino youth at first intensify and then ultimately abate. Although there are again signs of a gradient, African American and Latino responses to school integration also are as notable in their similarities as in their differences. Reduced police contacts and meaningful school integration are promising mechanisms for diminishing both adolescent African American and Latino perceptions of criminal injustice.
Karst aquifers are drinking water sources for 25% of the global population. However, the unique geology of karst areas facilitates rapid transfer of surficial chemicals to groundwater, potentially ...contaminating drinking water. Contamination of karst aquifers by nitrate, chloride, and bacteria have been previously observed, but little knowledge is available on the presence of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs), such as pharmaceuticals. Over a 17-month period, 58 water samples were collected from 13 sites in the Salem Plateau, a karst region in southwestern Illinois, United States. Water was analyzed for 12 pharmaceutical and personal care products (PPCPs), 7 natural and synthetic hormones, and 49 typical water quality parameters (e.g., nutrients and bacteria). Hormones were detected in only 23% of samples, with concentrations of 2.2–9.1ng/L. In contrast, PPCPs were quantified in 89% of groundwater samples. The two most commonly detected PPCPs were the antimicrobial triclocarban, in 81% of samples, and the cardiovascular drug gemfibrozil, in 57%. Analytical results were combined with data of local stream flow, weather, and land use to 1) characterize the extent of aquifer contamination by CECs, 2) cluster sites with similar PPCP contamination profiles, and 3) develop models to describe PPCP contamination. Median detection in karst groundwater was 3 PPCPs at a summed concentration of 4.6ng/L. Sites clustered into 3 subsets with unique contamination models. PPCP contamination in Cluster I sites was related to stream height, manganese, boron, and heterotrophic bacteria. Cluster II sites were characterized by groundwater temperature, specific conductivity, sodium, and calcium. Cluster III sites were characterized by dissolved oxygen and barium. Across all sites, no single or small set of water quality factors was significantly predictive of PPCP contamination, although gemfibrozil concentrations were strongly related to the sum of PPCPs in karst groundwater.
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•Karst aquifers are vulnerable to surficial contaminants due to their geology.•Pharmaceutical, personal care product, and hormone levels were measured.•49 other water parameters, such as microbiota and ions, were measured.•89% of karst aquifers had pharmaceuticals and other products; 23% had hormones.•Gemfibrozil levels were significantly related to overall PPCP contamination.
This study aimed to identify the optimal surface for sprint interval training to maximize transfer effects on physical performance measures on the grass pitch. Using a randomized controlled trial ...design, 40 collegiate female soccer players were equally assigned to three experimental groups performing short sprint interval training (SSIT: 4 sets of 10 repetitions with 5 seconds all-out running, with a 50-second recovery period between each effort and a 3-minute rest interval between sets) on SAND, GRASS, LAND, and a control group. Before and after a 7-week training period, participants underwent a series of field-based tests to evaluate countermovement jump (CMJ), 20-m linear sprint, Illinois change of direction (CoD) speed, Yo-Yo IR1, 2.4 km time trial, and maximal kicking distance (MKD) performance. A two-way analysis of variance with repeated measures was conducted on the data, along with Bonferroni post hoc testing. After the intervention, the control group did not show any changes, while the SAND, GRASS and LAND training groups demonstrated improvements (p = 0.001) in their performance as follows: CMJ (effect size ES = 1.21, 0.97, 0.64), 20-m linear sprint (ES = -0.81, -0.55, -0.41), Illinois CoD (ES = -0.72, -0.79, -0.41), Yo-Yo IR1 (ES = 1.86, 1.19, 1.12), 2.4 km time trail (ES = -0.82, -0.62, -0.49), and MKD (ES = 0.60, 0.90, 0.72), respectively. Comparative analysis of SAND, GRASS, and LAND revealed that performing SSIT on SAND results in a significantly greater gain in CMJ than LAND (p = 0.041). Analyzing individual responses to training interventions indicated that the training surface had a favorable influence on CMJ (SAND vs. LAND, p = 0.009), but on other variables no statistically significant (p > 0.05) differences were observed. Considering these findings, it is advised that strength and conditioning coaches use the SAND surface as the initial choice for SSIT sessions regarding greater gains (i.e., ES) in performance. This recommendation aims to facilitate more favorable transfer in physical fitness adaptation on a soccer grass pitch. In case of unavailability of SAND surface, GRASS surface would be a suitable alternative to enhance the physical fitness of collegiate female soccer players.
To describe the demographic characteristics of women in Illinois who died from cardiovascular disease during pregnancy or up until 1 year postpartum, addressing specific etiologies, timing of death, ...proportion of potentially preventable mortality, and factors associated with preventability.
This is a retrospective analysis from the Illinois Department of Public Health Maternal Mortality Review process using International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision codes that attributed cardiovascular disease as the immediate or underlying cause of maternal death in Illinois from 2002 to 2011. We categorized the etiology of cardiovascular mortality, analyzed demographic factors associated with cardiovascular mortality in comparison with noncardiovascular causes, defined the relationship to pregnancy, and identified factors associated with preventability.
There were 636 deaths in Illinois from 2002 to 2011 of pregnant women or within 1 year postpartum. One hundred forty women (22.2%) died of cardiovascular causes, for a cardiovascular mortality rate of 8.2 (95% confidence interval 6.9-9.6) per 100,000 live births. Women with cardiovascular mortality were likely to be older and die postpartum. The most common etiologies were related to acquired cardiovascular disease (97.1%) as compared with congenital heart disease (2.9%). Cardiomyopathy was the most common etiology (n=39 27.9%), followed by stroke (n=32 22.9%), hypertensive disorders (n=18 12.9%), arrhythmias (n=15 10.7%), and coronary disease (n=13 9.3%). Nearly 75% of cardiac deaths were related to pregnancy as compared with 35.3% of noncardiac deaths. More than one fourth of cardiac deaths (28.1%) were potentially preventable, attributable primarily to health care provider and patient factors.
From 2002 to 2011, more than one fifth of maternal deaths in Illinois were attributed to cardiovascular disease such as cardiomyopathy. More than one fourth of these deaths were potentially preventable. Health care provider and patient factors were identified, which may be modifiable through education and intensive postpartum monitoring, which may diminish mortality. State maternal mortality reviews can identify opportunities for reducing maternal deaths.
Aspects of texture and structure in a bed resulting from bioturbation can provide valuable information about the ecology and environment at the time of deposition. However, not only the degree of ...bioturbation, but the structure of the burrows is important for interpreting biogenic fabrics. Here, image analysis is applied to real and artificial images of biogenic sedimentary structures. Image segmentation was applied to images of Middle Ordovician biogenic sedimentary structures from Dixon, Illinois (Pecatonica Formation), isolating the biogenic sedimentary structures. A gray-level co-occurrence matrix (GLCM) is calculated from the segmented image and eight artificial images representing different levels of image noise. Texture measures were calculated from the GLCMs and compared with identify scale and directional structural differences between the images. Principal component analysis was used to statistically group the images. Artificial images were found to be distinguishable from the real images by GLCM texture measures, and the real images differed most significantly at the largest scales.
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