Comparison Sites Research Articles

Assessment of environmental performance in building construction sites: Data envelopment analysis and Tobit model approach

The present scenario is demanding best environmental practices, locally and globally, and in this context, sustainable development goals should be achieved. Therefore, construction companies should take into account the impact of their activities on the natural environment. The construction sector is responsible for consuming a high volume of natural resources and generating solid waste. The present study aimed at investigating inefficiency during building construction with regard to some environmental aspects, such as waste generation, water and energy consumption. The data envelopment analysis (DEA) was applied to define technical efficiency levels of each construction site, considering input and output data for comparison of results. The Tobit model was also used to investigate the effects of the qualitative aspects on calculated efficiency. An average efficiency of 83.5% was determined, and among the 16 construction sites, 5 proved to be 100% efficient. The results showed that the building construction standards had a negative impact on environmental performance. Conversely, the production and management systems used during building construction have increased the efficiency of the environmental aspects evaluated.

Body Odours Sampled at Different Body Sites in Infants and Mothers-A Comparison of Olfactory Perception.

Body odours and their importance for human chemical communication, e.g., in the mother–child relationship, are an increasing focus of recent research. Precise examination of sampling methods considering physiology and feasibility aspects in order to obtain robust and informative odour samples is therefore necessary. Studies comparing body odour sampling at different body sites are still pending. Therefore, we sampled axilla, breast, and head odour from 28 mother–infant dyads and examined whether odour perception differs with regard to the body site. The participating mothers were asked to evaluate their own and their infant’s body odour samples, as well as odours of two unfamiliar mother–infant dyads. We tested whether maternal pleasantness and intensity evaluation, as well as recognition ability of the odours differed between the body sites. In infants, the head odour exhibited slightly lower pleasantness ratings than axilla and breast, and intensity ratings did not differ between body sites. In mothers, body site affected intensity ratings but not pleasantness ratings, as the breast odour was rated as less intense compared with head and axilla. Across all body sites, mothers rated the own and their infant’s odour as less intense when compared with unfamiliar samples. Recognition ability did not differ between body sites, and in line with previous studies, mothers were able to recognize their own and their own infant’s odour above chance. In sum, our study extends the previous methodological repertoire of body odour sampling and indicates that the axilla, breast, and head of adults as well as infants serve as informative odour sources.

Phylogenetic comparison and splice site conservation of eukaryotic U1 snRNP-specific U1-70K gene family

Eukaryotic cells can expand their coding ability by using their splicing machinery, spliceosome, to process precursor mRNA (pre-mRNA) into mature messenger RNA. The mega-macromolecular spliceosome contains multiple subcomplexes, referred to as small nuclear ribonucleoproteins (snRNPs). Among these, U1 snRNP and its central component, U1-70K, are crucial for splice site recognition during early spliceosome assembly. The human U1-70K has been linked to several types of human autoimmune and neurodegenerative diseases. However, its phylogenetic relationship has been seldom reported. To this end, we carried out a systemic analysis of 95 animal U1-70K genes and compare these proteins to their yeast and plant counterparts. Analysis of their gene and protein structures, expression patterns and splicing conservation suggest that animal U1-70Ks are conserved in their molecular function, and may play essential role in cancers and juvenile development. In particular, animal U1-70Ks display unique characteristics of single copy number and a splicing isoform with truncated C-terminal, suggesting the specific role of these U1-70Ks in animal kingdom. In summary, our results provide phylogenetic overview of U1-70K gene family in vertebrates. In silico analyses conducted in this work will act as a reference for future functional studies of this crucial U1 splicing factor in animal kingdom.

Increasing facility delivery through maternity waiting homes for women living far from a health facility in rural Zambia: a quasi-experimental study.

ObjectiveTo report on the effectiveness of a standardised core Maternity Waiting Home (MWH) model to increase facility deliveries among women living >10 km from a health facility.DesignQuasi‐experimental design with partial randomisation at the cluster level.SettingSeven rural districts in Zambia.PopulationWomen delivering at 40 health facilities between June 2016 and August 2018.MethodsTwenty intervention and 20 comparison sites were used to test whether MWHs increased facility delivery for women living in rural Zambia. Difference‐in‐differences (DID) methodology was used to examine the effectiveness of the core MWH model on our identified outcomes.Main outcome measuresDifferences in the change from baseline to study period in the percentage of women living >10 km from a health facility who: (1) delivered at the health facility, (2) attended a postnatal care (PNC) visit and (3) were referred to a higher‐level health facility between intervention and comparison group.ResultsWe detected a significant difference in the percentage of deliveries at intervention facilities with the core MWH model for all women living >10 km away (DID 4.2%, 95% CI 0.6–7.6, P = 0.03), adolescent women (<18 years) living >10 km away (DID 18.1%, 95% CI 6.3–29.8, P = 0.002) and primigravida women living >10 km away (DID 9.3%, 95% CI 2.4–16.4, P = 0.01) and for women attending the first PNC visit (DID 17.8%, 95% CI 7.7–28, P < 0.001).ConclusionThe core MWH model was successful in increasing rates of facility delivery for women living >10 km from a healthcare facility, including adolescent women and primigravidas and attendance at the first PNC visit.Tweetable abstractA core MWH model increased facility delivery for women living >10 km from a health facility including adolescents and primigravidas in Zambia.

Do government-initiated energy comparison sites encourage consumer search and lower prices? Evidence from an online randomized controlled experiment in Australia

We conduct an online randomized controlled experiment in Australia in order to examine whether government initiatives to encourage the use of energy comparison sites increase consumer search and result in lower prices. Despite significant price variations across energy retailers, our experiment indicates that while providing information about the potential gains from using the government-owned Victoria Energy Compare (VEC) website encourages participants to visit the website, it is not effective in inducing them to contact, or switch, retailers who are providing better offers. Moreover, low-income individuals who visited the VEC website due to the availability of a $50 bonus are less likely to contact retailers for a better deal in order to switch retailers, and end up paying a higher cost of per unit kWh electricity and spending more on total electricity expenditure. Our findings imply that promoting government-initiated comparison sites is not sufficient to increase competition and that providing consumers with financial incentives for using these sites in order to encourage competition and improve outcomes of the energy poor may potentially backfire.

The impact of price adjustment costs on price dispersion in e-commerce

We analyze price dispersion using panel data from a large price comparison site. We use past pricing behavior to instrument for potential endogeneity of firms to select into certain product markets. Our main result is that greater price adjustment costs result in greater price dispersion even in e-commerce markets where price adjustment cost are thought to be negligible. Although the impact of price adjustment costs on price dispersion became weaker over time, the causal effect of price adjustment costs on price dispersion is still present at the end of our observation period. Our results are robust to many alternative empirical specifications. We also control for a range of alternative explanations of price dispersion, such as search cost, service differentiation, obfuscation, vertical restraints, and market structure.

Storage of soil carbon as particulate and mineral associated organic matter in irrigated woody perennial crops

Agricultural practices such as annual crop production, land use change and grazing on marginal lands lead to a loss of soil carbon (C) stock. But soil C losses are not universal in agricultural systems and modest soil C gains can occur when constraints such as a lack of water are removed. To characterize this we used a meta-analysis of published data focused on semi-arid regions, where irrigation is required for crop production. We showed that soil C stocks declined under cereals, cotton, maize and non-woody horticultural crops when compared to native unirrigated adjacent grassland or shrubland. By contrast, cultivation of irrigated, woody perennial crops generally leads to an accumulation of soil C. Identifying the mechanisms by which C is retained in the soils beneath woody perennial crops, and any limits to C accumulation, was the main goal of this study. A mechanistic understanding of soil organic C content accumulation, upon land use change, can be gained by dividing soil into particulate organic matter (POM) and mineral associated organic matter (MAOM). Here, we analyzed the C and natural abundance 13C concentrations in POM and MAOM fractions in soils from eight apple orchards and eight vineyards irrigated using a dripline, and eight apple and eight cherry orchards irrigated with micro-spray. Samples were also taken from eight native grassland areas adjacent to the agricultural sites for comparison. Several decades of woody crop production doubled the average soil C concentration in comparison to the native sites, from to 10.1 ± 1.48 g C kg−1 to 20.1 ± 0.96 g C kg−1 over a depth of 0–15 cm. Most of the C was associated with POM, which increased in concentration from 7.9 ± 1.19 g C kg−1 to 14.2 ± 0.79 g C kg−1 in 0–15 cm soils, an increase of 80%. This was crop dependent, being highest in the cherry orchards and lowest in the vineyard soils. Although holding less C, the MAOM concentration increased by 166%, changing from 2.22 ± 0.33 to 5.91 ± 0.62 g C kg−1; no differences existed between crops but the MAOM C concentration appeared to be constrained to a maximum value of ~ 12 g C kg−1. MAOM and POM had markedly different δ13C values: MAOM was more enriched, indicative of greater microbial processing, whereas POM had a lower δ13C value consistent with the dominant standing vegetation. δ13C values were more depleted in both fractions at the agricultural sites compared to the native sites, indicating the accumulation of greater amounts of less processed C at the agricultural sites, due to higher C inputs. We conclude the soils in this region respond to irrigated perennial woody crop production by retaining C within both POM and MAOM fractions. Accumulation of C as MAOM is constrained by the minerology of the soils in this region, but is unconstrained for POM which dominates the soil C content, and is potentially vulnerable to changes in management practices and land use.

Opioid overdose counseling and prescribing of naloxone in rural community pharmacies: A pilot study

IntroductionFatal overdoses from opioids increased four-fold from 1999 to 2009, and they are now the leading cause of death among Americans under 50. Legislation has been passed by every state to increase access to naloxone but dispensing by community pharmacies remains low. ObjectivesThe objective of this study was to pilot test a proactive opioid overdose counseling intervention and a passive naloxone intervention, and the implementation strategies developed to support their delivery, in rural community pharmacies on relevant implementation outcomes. MethodsThe interventions, implementation strategies, and the overall pilot study approach were developed in a collaborative partnership with a regional supermarket pharmacy chain. They selected 2 rural pharmacies to participate in the pilot study and 2 non-intervention pharmacies to serve as comparison sites. Two interventions were pilot tested in the 2 intervention pharmacies: 1) a proactive opioid overdose counseling intervention and 2) a passive naloxone intervention. An explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was utilized to evaluate adoption, feasibility, acceptability, and appropriateness outcomes after the 3-month observation period. ResultsBetween the 2 intervention pharmacies, 130 patients received the opioid overdose counseling intervention. 44 (33.8%) were prescribed and dispensed naloxone. Zero naloxone prescriptions were written or dispensed at the comparison pharmacies. Interviews with pharmacy staff found the interventions to be feasible, acceptable, and appropriate in their settings. ConclusionThis small scale pilot study in partnership with a regional supermarket pharmacy chain had positive results with a third of patients who received the opioid overdose counseling intervention being dispensed naloxone. However, the majority of patients did not receive naloxone indicating additional revisions to the intervention components and/or implementation strategies are needed to improve the overall impact of the interventions.

Ecosystem recovery at hypersaline salt marsh remediation projects impacted by the Gulf War Oil Spill

ABSTRACT #1141405 The 1990 Gulf War Oil Spill was the largest marine oil spill in history, spilling an estimated 6–11 million barrels of crude oil into the Arabian Gulf and impacting approximately 800 km of shoreline in Saudi Arabia between the border with Kuwait and Abu Ali Island near Jubail. Many intertidal areas were heavily oiled, severely damaging salt marsh ecosystems and facilitating the growth of thick algal mats, which, in turn, created a physical barrier that restricted tidal exchange and prevented recolonization of marsh flora and fauna at these sites. Remediation projects have been ongoing since early 2010 at 19 project areas throughout the area of impact. Remediation activities are focused on refreshing existing or creating new tidal channels to restore hydrology and tilling the substrate to expose moderately oiled sediment and enhance the degradation of oil and break up laminate algal mats. Additional activities include removal of heavily oiled sediments, re-use of excavated unoiled and lightly oiled sediments to create additional topography in restored marshes, and vegetation planting in selected areas. Monitoring plots for long-term study were established at remediation sites, impacted but untreated sites (set-asides), and nearby reference (comparison) sites. Initial monitoring data were collected before and after remediation activities, which were primarily undertaken between 2010 and 2013. Biannual (spring and fall) monitoring was resumed in fall 2018 and will continue through spring 2022 to characterize ecosystem recovery at these sites. Based on results from fall 2018 and spring 2019, most remediation sites show some level of recovery, indicated by the return of annual vegetation and resident marsh invertebrates in lower elevation plots, and thinner algal mat types and insect burrowing activity at the upper elevations. While the lower portions of untreated sites are beginning to show recruitment of annual vegetation and invertebrates (e.g. crabs), thick, laminated algal mat cover occurs in the middle-upper elevations at untreated sites. Multimetric indices (MMIs) summarizing ecosystem health and stressors were developed to summarize recovery of these projects and evaluate progress at remediation sites relative to set-aside and comparison sites. MMI results indicate that remediation work was effective at reducing stressors in remediation sites compared to set-asides; however, the level of ecosystem recovery is variable across sites, in part depending on the time since restoration.

Marine Mammals and Respiration: Evidence of Poor Pulmonary Health in Bottlenose Dolphins Following the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

ABSTRACT The Deepwater Horizon (DWH) disaster resulted in large-scale contamination of bays, sounds, and estuaries in the northern Gulf of Mexico (GoM), home to multiple stocks of bottlenose dolphins. Inhalation, direct aspiration, ingestion with subsequent aspiration, and dermal absorption of oil and its toxic components were all considered possible routes of exposure for dolphins living within the oil spill footprint. To determine if dolphins were adversely impacted, capture-release health assessments were performed in heavily-oiled Barataria Bay (BB), Louisiana, and in Sarasota Bay (SB), Florida, a comparison site with no DWH oil contamination. Initial studies were conducted as part of a Natural Resource Damage Assessment (2011–2014), with follow-on studies supported by the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (2016–2018). To specifically evaluate pulmonary health, transthoracic ultrasound techniques previously developed for managed dolphins were applied to wild dolphins. Results showed that BB dolphins were ~5 times more likely to have moderate to severe lung disease than SB dolphins in 2011, the year following the spill. Concurrent pathology investigations of dead dolphins in the northern GoM reported similar pulmonary findings. In 2013 and 2014, moderate to severe lung disease persisted among BB dolphins, and remained elevated relative to the prevalence at the SB comparison site. More recent live animal health assessments (2016–2018) showed long-term persistence and potential worsening of moderate to severe lung disease in BB dolphins, specifically in animals alive during the oil spill (prevalence of 0.20, 0.35, and 0.55 in 2016, 2017, and 2018, respectively). Long-term monitoring of dolphin populations is critical to fully understand the potential for and timeline of individual and population recovery from the impacts of a large-scale oil spill event, as well as the cost-benefit trade-offs for restoration activities. In particular, BB dolphins provide valuable insight into the long-lasting effects of oil and oil-related contaminants on animal, human, and ecosystem health.

The effect of target, catchment, and comparison site operationalization on CCTV impact evaluations: methodological considerations from a case study

ObjectivesTo examine the extent to which different operationalizations of target, displacement, and comparison sites affect the interpretation of a CCTV impact evaluation.MethodsDifferent operationalizations are used to examine change in property and violent crime before and after CCTV was introduced in a residential neighbourhood in Malmö, Sweden, using paired t tests, odds ratio effect sizes and weighted displacement quotients.ResultsDespite most results being non-significant as a result of low statistical power, different operationalizations appear to produce varying results. This issue is most prominent for target sites and property crime while it is less so for catchment and comparison sites, and violent crime outcomes.ConclusionValid operationalizations of research areas are highly important for CCTV impact evaluations and may affect the study outcome. Future research with access to larger data sets is encouraged to elaborate on these findings and further analyse the impact of measurement choices on experimental outcomes.

Association Between Removal of a Warning Against Cephalosporin Use in Patients With Penicillin Allergy and Antibiotic Prescribing

Electronic health records (EHRs) often include default alerts that can influence physician selection of antibiotics, which in turn may be associated with a suboptimal choice of agents and increased antibiotic resistance. To examine whether removal of a default alert in the EHR to avoid cephalosporin use in patients with penicillin allergies is associated with changes in cephalosporin dispensing or administration in these patients. This retrospective cohort study of a natural experiment included data on patients who had received antibiotic treatment in the hospital or outpatient setting in 2 regions of a large, integrated health system in California from January 1, 2017, to December 31, 2018. Of 4 398 792 patients, 4 206 480 met the eligibility criteria: enrollment in the health system during antibiotic use, availability of complete demographic data, and use of antibiotics outside of the washout period. Oral or parenteral antibiotics dispensed or administered after removal of an EHR alert to avoid cephalosporin use in patients with a recorded penicillin allergy. Probability that an antibiotic course was a cephalosporin. A multinomial logistic regression model was used to examine the change in rates of cephalosporin use before and after an EHR penicillin allergy alert was removed in 1 of the study regions. Temporal changes in use rates were controlled for by comparing changes in cephalosporin use among patients with or without a penicillin allergy at the site that removed the warning and among patients at a comparison site that retained the warning. Regression models were used to examine adverse events. Of the 4 206 480 patients who met all inclusion criteria, 2 465 849 (58.6%) were women; the mean (SD) age was 40.5 (23.2) years. A total of 10 652 014 antibiotic courses were administered or dispensed, divided approximately evenly between the period before and after removal of the warning. Before removal of an alert in the electronic health record system to avoid prescribing of cephalosporins to patients with a penicillin allergy at 1 of the 2 sites, 58 228 courses of cephalosporins (accounting for 17.9% of all antibiotic use at the site) were used among patients with a penicillin allergy; after removal of the alert, administration or dispensing of cephalosporins increased by 47% compared with cephalosporin administration or dispensing among patients without a penicillin allergy at the same site and patients at the comparison site that retained the warning (ratio of ratios of odds ratios [RROR], 1.47; 95% CI, 1.38-1.56) . No significant differences in anaphylaxis (9 total cases), new allergies (RROR, 1.02; 95% CI, 0.93-1.12), or treatment failures (RROR, 1.02; 95% CI, 0.99-1.05) were found at the course level. No significant differences were found in all-cause mortality (ratio of ratios of rate ratios [RRRR], 1.03; 95% CI, 0.94-1.13), hospital days (RRRR, 1.04; 95% CI, 0.99-1.10), and new infections (Clostridioides difficile: RRRR, 1.02; 95% CI, 0.84-1.22; methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus: RRRR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.75-1.00; and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus: RRRR, 0.82; 95% CI, 0.55-1.22) at the patient level. In this cohort study, removal of a warning in the electronic health record to avoid cephalosporin use in patients with penicillin allergies was associated with increased administration and dispensing of cephalosporin. This simple and rapidly implementable system-level intervention may be useful for improvement in antibiotic stewardship.

Changes in community knowledge and attitudes related to female genital fistula following the implementation of a multi-component intervention in Nigeria and Uganda

Background Despite well-documented individual-level barriers to fistula care access including limited awareness, psychosocial deterrents, and contextual factors, less is known about how these factors manifest and operate at community level. Social normative community perspectives – their knowledge, attitudes and actions in relation to women living with fistula – can offer insight into this mechanism. Our study describes changes in fistula knowledge and attitudes toward those living with fistula among community members in Nigeria and Uganda following implementation of a multi-component intervention addressing treatment barriers. Methods This study adopts a pre-post qualitative design with a comparison site and draws on focus group discussions with female and male community members from three sites in Nigeria and Uganda. Transcripts were analyzed for passages presenting community knowledge and attitudes related to fistula and perceptions of women living with fistula. Summary memos were developed and used to compare viewpoints across study sites and time points and between men and women. Results Community members demonstrated basic knowledge of symptoms of fistula and mixed understanding of its causes; prolonged obstructed labor and iatrogenic causes were most known. Myths and misconceptions around fistula causes commonly relate to incorrect biomedical understanding, witchcraft, and promiscuity. To varying degrees, fistula cause knowledge increased, and misinformation decreased among endline intervention groups with less observed change in endline comparison groups. Awareness that fistula can be surgically repaired free of charge at fistula centers varied across study regions, with higher awareness among individuals who personally knew someone who experienced repair at a center. Although community members at baseline and endline perceive shame and stigma as affecting women living with fistula, community attitudes toward these women show an increase in empathy at endline in intervention areas. Conclusions Community empathy and willingness to help women living with fistula, coupled with reduction in misinformation regarding fistula, its cause and how to access treatment, is an incremental outcome associated with the implementation of a multi-component intervention to address treatment barriers. However, findings reveal that social and behavioral change happens slowly and that further programmatic research on society-targeted approaches emphasizing comprehensive community understanding of fistula and stigma reduction is needed.

Birth companionship in a government health system: a pilot study in Kigoma, Tanzania

BackgroundHaving a companion of choice throughout childbirth is an important component of good quality and respectful maternity care for women and has become standard in many countries. However, there are only a few examples of birth companionship being implemented in government health systems in low-income countries. To learn if birth companionship was feasible, acceptable and led to improved quality of care in these settings, we implemented a pilot project using 9 intervention and 6 comparison sites (all government health facilities) in a rural region of Tanzania.MethodsThe pilot was developed and implemented in Kigoma, Tanzania between July 2016 and December 2018. Women delivering at intervention sites were given the choice of having a birth companion with them during childbirth. We evaluated the pilot with: (a) project data; (b) focus group discussions; (c) structured and semi-structured interviews; and (d) service statistics.ResultsMore than 80% of women delivering at intervention sites had a birth companion who provided support during childbirth, including comforting women and staying by their side. Most women interviewed at intervention sites were very satisfied with having a companion during childbirth (96–99%). Most women at the intervention sites also reported that the presence of a companion improved their labor, delivery and postpartum experience (82–97%). Health providers also found companions very helpful because they assisted with their workload, alerted the provider about changes in the woman’s status, and provided emotional support to the woman. When comparing intervention and comparison sites, providers at intervention sites were significantly more likely to: respond to women who called for help (p = 0.003), interact in a friendly way (p < 0.001), greet women respectfully (p < 0.001), and try to make them more comfortable (p = 0.003). Higher proportions of women who gave birth at intervention sites reported being “very satisfied” with the care they received (p < 0.001), and that the staff were “very kind” (p < 0.001) and “very encouraging” (p < 0.001).ConclusionBirth companionship was feasible and well accepted by health providers, government officials and most importantly, women who delivered at intervention facilities. The introduction of birth companionship improved women’s experience of birth and the maternity ward environment overall.

Economic impacts on local businesses of investments in bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure: a review of the evidence

ABSTRACT Local officials in North America frequently face opposition to new or expanded bicycle or pedestrian facilities. The most vocal opponents are usually motorists and local business owners who fear that the removal of or reductions in vehicular parking or travel lanes will reduce patronage from motorists and that any increased patronage from pedestrians or cyclists will not offset the lost revenues. A lack of direct evidence on the economic impacts of facilities on local businesses has made it difficult to support or debunk such fears. A lack of quantitative evidence in particular has prevented the incorporation of such impacts into cost–benefit analyses. The issue has received enough attention from researchers in recent years that a review of the evidence is now warranted. We reviewed the relevant literature and identified 23 studies, focusing on the US and Canada, that either (1) quantified and compared consumer spending between active travellers and automobile users (n = 8), or (2) quantified an economic impact to local businesses following the installation of bicycle or pedestrian facilities (n = 15). Taken together, the studies indicate that creating or improving active travel facilities generally has positive or non-significant economic impacts on retail and food service businesses abutting or within a short distance of the facilities, though bicycle facilities might have negative economic effects on auto-centric businesses. The results are similar regardless of whether vehicular parking or travel lanes are removed or reduced to make room for the active travel facilities. The studies also highlight best practices for designing future research. Ten of the 15 studies that quantified an economic impact to local businesses used both before-and-after data and comparison sites or other statistical controls for variables unrelated to the active travel facility “treatment;” six of those used statistical testing.

Examining the Compatibility of Aircraft Moisture Observations and Operational Radiosondes

AbstractThe addition of moisture observations via the Water Vapor Sensing System (WVSS) from about 150 aircraft available operationally through the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Aircraft Meteorological Data Relay (AMDAR) program now provides highly reliable thermodynamic profiles of the troposphere. The nearly 900 profiles available daily provide greater temporal and spatial density than the operational radiosonde network over many parts of the United States. Previous studies comparing WVSS reports with specially collocated radiosondes have documented the quality and consistency of the WVSS observations. These studies, however, have been limited for short periods at a single location. This study expands on the earlier evaluations by using operational U.S. radiosondes from 2015 in a variety of locations, seasons, and climates. Comparison profiles at radiosonde sites were calculated in pressure layers and then interpolated to terrain-following sigma coordinates to account for the differences in elevations of comparison sites and provide a better means of integrating the higher vertical resolution of AMDAR observations taken in the boundary layer. Overall, systematic differences between the WVSS and radiosondes are smallest just above the surface, with the WVSS observations being slightly moister than the radiosondes aloft, with WVSS reports being moister during ascent than descent—possibly the result of small hysteresis effects. Standard deviations averaged 1.3 g kg−1 near the surface over the yearlong period. Differences varied by season and region. Overall, the results indicate that WVSS observations are compatible with radiosonde reports and can be used with high confidence to fill temporal and spatial data gaps.

Pass-through of oil supply shocks to domestic gasoline prices: evidence from daily data

Oil prices react to various types of shocks, and their impacts could reach our lives quickly. For example, on one day, we might hear on the radio that OPEC has decided to cut their oil production for the next year, and, only a few days later, find out that our local gasoline station has just raised the price. This paper examines daily data on gasoline prices, produced by a price comparison site in Japan, to estimate how they respond to a shock that hit the world oil market. In doing so, we take seriously the possibility that an increase in oil prices might cause different reactions depending on the source of the change. This paper focuses on one particular type of shock, namely changes in expectations about future supplies of crude oil. Identification is achieved via estimating a version of the Structural VAR with External Instruments (SVAR-IV or proxy-VAR) coupled with High Frequency Identification (HFI). The result confirms that pass-through is indeed very fast: about 70% of the entire adjustment process is completed within just 18 days.

Assessing stream restoration and the influence of scale, variable choice, and comparison sites

AbstractAssessing stream restoration remains an on‐going challenge. Conclusions about the effectiveness of stream restoration efforts vary throughout the literature. This uncertainty is likely due, in part, to the spectrum of scales at which restorations have been assessed, the different variables used for assessment, and the varying types of sites used for comparisons. Mitigating such uncertainty with stream restoration assessment requires perspectives that consider multiple sites, variables, and scales using approaches that are transferable and comparable. From 2004 to 2018, surveys of stream habitat and fish at 44 restored and unrestored sites were conducted in two adjacent watersheds in southwestern Wisconsin, USA. Using non‐parametric randomization tests, means of 42 variables were compared between (1) watershed vs. watershed sites; (2) all restored sites vs. all unrestored sites, (3) restored sites vs. pre‐treatment surveys, (4) restored sites vs. unrestored control sites, and (5) pre‐treatment surveys vs. unrestored control sites. When applicable, these comparisons were also made at nested scales ranging from all sites in both watersheds to only contiguous sites with common survey periods. Comparing sites between the two watersheds revealed natural variability between watersheds with similar geology and land‐use practices, though unexpectedly more differences were found between surveys of restored sites from the two watersheds than between unrestored sites. The most differences between surveys of restored and unrestored sites were observed at larger scales of consideration, but within a given watershed. Although relatively few variables differed between pre‐treatment surveys and control sites, there were marked differences when each type of unrestored sites was separately compared with restored sites. Habitat variable differences were more robust and consistent than fish community variables across all comparisons. Deviating from traditional multivariate approaches and independently comparing a broad spectrum of individual variable means at various, nested scales underscored the importance of context and variable choice when assessing stream restoration.

Effects of stream restoration by legacy sediment removal and floodplain reconnection on water quality

The effectiveness of many stream restorations in improving water quality is unmeasured. In the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, activity by European settlers resulted in upland erosion and deposition of sediments 1–3 m in thickness in stream valleys. Subsequently, streams incised those legacy sediments creating steep, exposed banks, infrequent floodplain inundation, and water tables disconnected from floodplains. Legacy sediment removal (LSR) and floodplain reconnection (FR) proposes water quality improvement by restoration to a hydrological state closer to pre-European. We investigated water quality at nine sites, six restored with LSR/FR and three comparison sites. Nitrogen baseflow concentrations and fluxes were elevated in urban and agricultural watersheds with little apparent effect due to restoration. Denitrification appeared to be constrained by carbon availability. Ion concentrations were elevated in all watersheds compared to a forested reference and represent a substantial ecological stressor for the post-restoration aquatic community. Storm event data from one site suggest small reductions in nutrient and sediment loads across the restored reach. High-frequency time series indicate that restoration effects are not observable at larger scales. The effects of restoration, particularly for denitrification, may not be observable for years and can be obscured by weather and climate-driven variability.

Comparative Analysis of Collagen and Chitosan-based Dressing for Haemostatic and Wound Healing Application

Collagen and chitosan have haemostatic, tissue fix and wound healing properties but the poor mechanical property limits their application. Therefore, various concentrations of collagen (1-6%) and chitosan (1-2%) were used to develop biopolymer-coated gauzes, with and without glycerol as plasticiser. Glycerol-treated gauzes showed desired mechanical and adhesive property in comparison to polymer-coated gauzes alone. Developed gauzes were characterized using differential scanning calorimetry, thermal gravimetric analysis and Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometry to confirm the biopolymer coating and stability. Scanning electron microscopy showed multilayer coating of the biopolymer and faster clotting in chitosan gauzes in comparison to collagen. Surface plasmon resonance assay confirmed that chitosan exhibited more binding affinity of 65 RU in comparison to collagen, which showed 55 RU with erythrocytes. Decrease in the value of plateletcrit and mean platelet volume confirmed platelet adhesion and aggregation over the surface of polymer-coated dressings. Gamma scintigraphy studies showed 85 ± 2% formulation retention up to 12h at the wound site in comparison to 40 ± 3% retention of the radiopharmaceutical alone. Collagen and chitosan-coated gauze showed 226 ± 15s and 179 ± 12s haemostasis time, respectively, which was significantly less from 506 ± 15s in standard gauze. Chitosan gauze showed faster wound healing in comparison to the collagen-coated gauze. Chitosan and collagen-coated gauzes showed 55 ± 4% wound contraction on day seven in comparison to 25 ± 2% in the control group, while chitosan gauzes showed complete wound contraction on day fourteenth, while the collagen-coated gauze showed 90 ± 3% on the same day.