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PubMed2003

A preliminary net sediment budget for the Humber Estuary.

The Humber Estuary has been the subject of considerable research activity over recent years. Drawing on results from the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)-funded Land-Ocean Interaction Study (LOIS) and work to underpin the strategic planning of flood defences by the Environment Agency (EA), a preliminary budget of the net sediment exchanges has been developed. The net exchanges are presented in the context of gross movements. The results highlight the fact that the budget is finely balanced, with the net exchanges being very small residuals, one or two orders of magnitude less than the gross exchanges taking place.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2002

Effects of toxic dinoflagellate Alexandrium tamarense on the energy budgets and growth of two marine bivalves.

Harmful algal blooms (HAB) may impose a serious threat to aquatic lives and human health. We determined the effects of a toxic dinoflagellate Alexandrium tamarense (clone ATCIO1, isolated from Hong Kong coastal waters) on the energy budget, quantified as scope for growth (SFG), and the growth rate of the manila clam Ruditapes philippinarum and the green-lipped mussel Perna viridis. To quantify the SFG, clams and mussels were dosed with different amounts of toxic A. tamarense for 6 days, resulting in different toxin burdens in the tissues. Clearance rate, absorption efficiency, and respiration rate were subsequently measured in these toxin containing bivalves. Clearance rate significantly declined at the highest toxin burden in the clams only, while there was no significant difference in the clearance rate among different treatments for the mussels. The respiration rate of either bivalve was not significantly affected by toxin accumulation in the tissues. In contrast, the absorption efficiency of both clams and mussels decreased, in a concentration-dependent manner for mussels but not for clams, when the tissue accumulated the toxins. With an increase in paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) toxin burden, SFG in both clams and mussels was significantly reduced, primarily because of the decrease of absorption efficiency. The growth rate of juvenile clam R. philippinarum, measured as an increment in tissue dry weight over a 15 d exposure period, was significantly lower during their feeding on toxic dinoflagellate than the growth rate of clams feeding on the diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana. The juvenile mussel P. viridis, however, exhibited similar growth rates after feeding on the toxic dinoflagellates and the nontoxic diatom. This study showed that SFG can provide a sensitive and integrated measure of the effect of HAB on the physiology of bivalves. Clam R. philippinarum may be more sensitive, in terms of their energy budget, to PSP toxin accumulation than the mussel P. viridis.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Soil erosion and the global carbon budget.

Soil erosion is the most widespread form of soil degradation. Land area globally affected by erosion is 1094 million ha (Mha) by water erosion, of which 751 Mha is severely affected, and 549 Mha by wind erosion, of which 296 Mha is severely affected. Whereas the effects of erosion on productivity and non-point source pollution are widely recognized, those on the C dynamics and attendant emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs) are not. Despite its global significance, erosion-induced carbon (C) emission into the atmosphere remains misunderstood and an unquantified component of the global carbon budget. Soil erosion is a four-stage process involving detachment, breakdown, transport/redistribution and deposition of sediments. The soil organic carbon (SOC) pool is influenced during all four stages. Being a selective process, erosion preferentially removes the light organic fraction of a low density of <1.8 Mg/m(3). A combination of mineralization and C export by erosion causes a severe depletion of the SOC pool on eroded compared with uneroded or slightly eroded soils. In addition, the SOC redistributed over the landscape or deposited in depressional sites may be prone to mineralization because of breakdown of aggregates leading to exposure of hitherto encapsulated C to microbial processes among other reasons. Depending on the delivery ratio or the fraction of the sediment delivered to the river system, gross erosion by water may be 75 billion Mg, of which 15-20 billion Mg are transported by the rivers into the aquatic ecosystems and eventually into the ocean. The amount of total C displaced by erosion on the earth, assuming a delivery ratio of 10% and SOC content of 2-3%, may be 4.0-6.0 Pg/year. With 20% emission due to mineralization of the displaced C, erosion-induced emission may be 0.8-1.2 Pg C/year on the earth. Thus, soil erosion has a strong impact on the global C cycle and this component must be considered while assessing the global C budget. Adoption of conservation-effective measures may reduce the risks of C emission and sequester C in soil and biota.

Carbon↗
PubMed2000

A stochastic partial-budget analysis of an experimental Pasteurella haemolytica feedlot vaccine trial.

A field trial compared a modified Pasteurella haemolytica biotype A serotype 1 leukotoxin vaccine to a commercial vaccine during March-July 1995 in a Natal Midlands, South African, feedlot. Weaners/long weaners purchased by the feedlot were allocated systematically into test vaccine and control vaccine groups of 1241 and 1240 head, respectively, and fed in groups of approximately 200 head. Morbidity and mortality were monitored until the animals were marketed. Details of pleuritis and pneumonia at veterinary meat inspection were recorded for 409 test-vaccinated and 424 control-vaccinated cattle. An increase in morbidity but not mortality risk of respiratory disease was shown between test (13.8% morbidity) and control (11.4% morbidity) groups. Cattle with a processing weight <245 kg were 1.4 times more likely to develop respiratory diseases than cattle with a processing weight > or =245 kg. Cattle bought on auction were 1.6 times more likely to develop respiratory disease than cattle bought at private sales. A partial farm budget incorporating Latin Hypercube sampling of uncertain variables was done to obtain the distribution of possible financial outcomes if the test vaccine were used. Impact (sensitivity) analyses indicated that median weight of carcass cut away had the greatest impact on the profit margin. The partial farm budget highlighted the importance of reducing sub-clinical lesions in a feedlot.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Heavy metal budgets for two headwater forested catchments in background areas of Finland.

Mean annual (1994-1996) budgets for Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn at two background, forested catchments, VK and HJ, in Finland are presented. Budgets for plots (VK3, HJ1 and HJ4) included throughfall (TF), litterfall (LF) and soil leaching fluxes, and for catchments terrestrial retention and leaching and lake sedimentation fluxes. Total deposition (TD) loads were relatively low (Cd < 0.1, Cu < 2, Ni < 1, Pb < 3 and Zn < 5 mg m-2 year-1) and that even in these areas almost half of the TD was in the form of dry deposition. Retention of TD within catchments was > or = 77% for all metals, except for Ni at VK (54%). For Cu and Pb, the retention was 94-97%. Most of the retention (74-97%) took place in the terrestrial part of the catchment, lake sedimentation accounting for the remainder. Plot-scale soil leaching fluxes at 40 cm of Cd, Cu (VK3) and Ni (VK3) were greater (> or = 100%) than TD inputs. Most of the catchment retention must therefore have taken place either deeper in the soil or in the lowland peatland areas. The humus layer was particularly effective in retaining Cu and Cd (65-81% and 51-78% of total inputs to the forest floor (TF + LF)). The retention of Pb by the humus layer was less than expected (26-54% of TF + LF). Litterfall was a particularly important internal flux for Zn.

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed2003

An ozone budget for the UK: using measurements from the national ozone monitoring network; measured and modelled meteorological data, and a 'big-leaf' resistance analogy model of dry deposition.

Data from the UK national air-quality monitoring network are used to calculate an annual mass budget for ozone (O3) production and loss in the UK boundary layer during 1996. Monthly losses by dry deposition are quantified from 1 km x 1 km scale maps of O(3) concentration and O(3) deposition velocities based on a big-leaf resistance analogy. The quantity of O(3) deposition varies from approximately 50 Gg-O(3) month(-1) in the winter to over 200 Gg-O(3) month(-1) in the summer when vegetation is actively absorbing O(3). The net O(3) production or loss in the UK boundary layer is found by selecting days when the UK is receiving "clean" Atlantic air from the SW to NW. In these conditions, the difference in O(3) concentration observed at Mace Head and a rural site on the east coast of the UK indicates the net O(3) production or loss within the UK boundary layer. A simple box model is then used to convert the concentration difference into a mass. The final budget shows that for most of the year the UK is a net sink for O(3) (-25 to -800 Gg-O(3) month(-1)) with production only exceeding losses in the photochemically active summer months (+45 Gg-O(3) month(-1)).

Air Pollutants↗
PubMed1999

Daily time budgets of long-distance commuting workers in Tokyo megalopolis.

In Tokyo Megalopolis, long-distance commuting between residences in the suburbs and work places in the centre of the city was examined. Using a questionnaire, heads of household in two suburbs were asked about the influences of long commuting hours on their daily time budgets. The results showed that on workdays, the workers who spent longer commuting rose and left home for work earlier, and came back home and retired later; accordingly, both time spent on in-home activities on workdays and hours slept on the day before a workday were shorter. Comparison of time budgets between the subjects who work 5 and 6 days per week revealed more vulnerable influences of long commuting hours in the former than the latter. The expected health consequences of these findings are discussed from a biosocial/human ecological viewpoint.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

How urban African American young adolescents spend their time: time budgets for locations, activities, and companionship.

The time budgets of a population of youth provide important information about their daily experience and socialization. This study reports data on the time budgets of a sample of 253 urban African American poor to working- and middle-class 5th-8th graders in Chicago. These youth were found to spend less time in school than other postindustrial adolescent populations, but spent no less time doing homework than White suburban U.S. young adolescents. They spent large quantities of time at home and with their families--at rates comparable to rates for young adolescents in a society with collectivist values like India. Unlike with other populations, early adolescence was not associated with major age changes in time allocations. Amount of time in schoolwork did not differ by grade, and amount of time with family did not show the decline with age that has been found for European American suburban adolescents.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Time budgets of infants for exposure assessment: a methodological study.

The paper presents the application of the microenvironment approach for collection of time budget data to assess exposure of people to indoor air pollution. The aim of the study was to objectively test the hypothesis that exposure to pollutants from combustion of low-grade cooking fuels is a significant risk factor for acute respiratory infection (ARI) in infants (0-12 months). One of the specific objectives of this study was to estimate, in the winter season, the integrated daily exposure of infants and their mothers to respirable suspended particles (RSPs) and carbon monoxide (CO). The daily-integrated exposure was estimated by splitting the day into parts called microenvironments identified by the mobility patterns of the infants and mothers. These were so determined such that the spatial variation in the concentration of pollutants during these microenvironments is believed to be relatively insignificant under the given conditions, based on results of past studies and subjective judgement. The time spent in these microenvironments by the infants and mothers was determined by preparing time budgets. Very little correlation was found between the two methods of measurement (recall method and direct observation using a stopwatch) for the total time spent in cooking or time actually near the stove. It was observed that infants in houses using kerosene were near the stove for a duration that is 68% of the total cooking duration, while for infants in wood-using households this duration is only 44% (on the basis of the recall method, these numbers are 84% and 63% respectively). The infants spent more time in the indoor noncooking microenvironment irrespective of the fuel and slum type.

Air Pollution, Indoor↗
PubMed2002

Method optimisation with the use of uncertainty budgets.

Uncertainty budgets can be used for a variety of situations, e.g. reporting the total uncertainty, calculating tolerance limits or method optimisation. In this paper it is demonstrated how the use of uncertainty budgets can help in reducing the total uncertainty of an analytical method, i.e. method optimisation. In this example it has been possible to reduce the total uncertainty of a concentration determination of hydrogen peroxide (by titration) from 2.7 x 10(-2) M to 3.93 x 10(-3) M (or to about a 1/7) by changing the traceability chain and working with more pure reagents.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1998

The use of the ASTRO-PU and the ASTRO(97)-PU in the setting of prescribing budgets in English general practice.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the variation in prescribing costs explained by the Age, Sex and Temporary Resident Originated Prescribing Unit (ASTRO-PU) and its replacement, the ASTRO (97)-PU, in order to determine the appropriateness of their use in the setting of prescribing budgets in English general practice. METHODS: Linear regression analysis was used to analyse routinely collected patient and prescribing data from one English health authority (Lincolnshire Health) for the fiscal year 1995. RESULTS: The goodness-of-fit of the regression models constructed varied according to whether practices had dispensing status (i.e. rural practices that have permission to dispense drugs to their own patients as a means of compensating for the lack of pharmacies in such areas), with the ASTRO-PU and ASTROP(97)-PU explaining a higher proportion of the variation in prescribing costs amongst practices with such status. CONCLUSIONS: This paper draws two main conclusions. First, the weights embodied in the ASTRO-PU and the ASTRO(97)-PU may have been biased by the number of dispensing practices sampled during their construction. Second, the denominators may be more applicable to dispensing practices, implying that primary care groups may need to follow the principle of 'local flexibility' during the budget-setting process.

Age Factors↗
PubMed2005

Application of the stepwise focusing method to optimize the cost-effectiveness of genome-wide association studies with limited research budgets for genotyping and phenotyping.

The recent cataloguing of a large number of SNPs enables us to perform genome-wide association studies for detecting common genetic variants associated with disease. Such studies, however, generally have limited research budgets for genotyping and phenotyping. It is therefore necessary to optimize the study design by determining the most cost-effective numbers of SNPs and individuals to analyze. In this report we applied the stepwise focusing method, with two-stage design, developed by Satagopan et al. (2002) and Saito & Kamatani (2002), to optimize the cost-effectiveness of a genome-wide direct association study using a transmission/disequilibrium test (TDT). The stepwise focusing method consists of two steps: a large number of SNPs are examined in the first focusing step, and then all the SNPs showing a significant P-value are tested again using a larger set of individuals in the second focusing step. In the framework of optimization, the numbers of SNPs and families and the significance levels in the first and second steps were regarded as variables to be considered. Our results showed that the stepwise focusing method achieves a distinct gain of power compared to a conventional method with the same research budget.

Cost Control↗
PubMed1999

An isotopic approach for understanding the CH(3)Br budget of the atmosphere.

The atmospheric budget of methyl bromide (CH(3)Br), an ozone-depleting gas, is highly uncertain, because it has complex sources and sinks. Although oceans, biomass burning, and industrial production are identified as the major sources, the fraction of CH(3)Br that is contributed by each source is not well known. A mass-balance approach that exploits differences in the carbon isotopic signature (delta(13)C) of CH(3)Br sources and sinks may provide a means of reducing uncertainties in the atmospheric budget. This approach depends on the distinctiveness of industrially produced methyl bromide. Our delta(13)C measurements of industrial CH(3)Br from the three largest manufacturers worldwide yield a weighted average of -54.4 per thousand relative to the Peedee Belemnite standard. This result suggests that industrial CH(3)Br is isotopically distinct and that the carbon isotopic composition of atmospheric CH(3)Br may indicate what fraction of atmospheric CH(3)Br is anthropogenic.

Air↗
PubMed2006

Design of optimal noise hazard control strategy with budget constraint.

An analytical design procedure to determine optimal noise hazard control strategies for industrial facilities is presented. Its objective is to determine a set of appropriate noise controls to eliminate or reduce noise levels so that workers' daily noise exposure does not exceed a permissible level. From a given noise control budget, engineering controls will be firstly implemented, followed by administrative controls, and then the use of hearing protection devices. Six optimization models are developed and sequentially applied to select appropriate noise controls without exceeding the budget. Numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the application of the proposed design procedure.

Hearing Loss, Noise-Induced↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Daily energy budgets of avian embryos: the paradox of the plateau phase in egg metabolic rate.

The metabolic rate of precocial bird eggs reaches a plateau when about 80% of the incubation period has passed. This is unexpected, as in many species the embryo continues to grow and maintenance costs must therefore increase. To investigate this paradox, daily energy budgets were constructed for embryos of four galliform species according to two models that used empirical data on egg metabolic rate and embryo growth. In the first model, embryonic synthesis costs were estimated, with an assumed synthesis efficiency, before calculating the maintenance costs. In the second model, embryonic maintenance was calculated first, and no assumptions were made on the synthesis efficiency. The calculations show that assumptions of the synthesis efficiency had a major impact on the energy budget calculations, because embryonic growth rate was high. During the plateau phase, a galliform embryo allocated energy in favor of its maintenance costs in three ways: by decreasing growth rate, by increasing synthesis efficiency, and by depressing the formation of glycogen. Our study suggests that a reduction in growth rate plays a minor role. An increase of synthesis efficiency is more likely to explain the plateau in energy expenditure, since small increases in synthesis efficiency can lead to great savings on synthesis costs.

Animals↗
PubMed2004

Home care before and after the Balanced Budget Act of 1997: shifts in financing and services.

PURPOSE: This article describes the pattern of change in home-care use and expenditures, the distribution of payments by source, and the mix of skilled versus nonskilled services before and after 1996. DESIGN AND METHODS: The analysis is based on tabulations of the 1987 National Medical Expenditure Survey and the 1996, 1998, and 1999 Medical Expenditure Panel Surveys. Estimates are weighted to represent the U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized population. RESULTS: After increasing dramatically between 1987 and 1996, formal home-care use and expenditures fell between 1996 and 1999. The decline was largely due to a decrease in funding under Medicare, which coincided with changes initiated in the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (BBA). Declines in total spending were attenuated by increases in expenditures under state and local programs. After the BBA, fewer skilled services were provided to the elderly population and more unskilled services were provided to the nonelderly population. IMPLICATIONS: These findings highlight the increasing role of state governments in funding home care after the BBA. However, more recent pressure on state budgets and the institution of prospective payment under Medicare for home care may alter these trends.

Aged↗
PubMed1993

A growth model of a single sugi (Cryptomeria japonica) tree based on the dry matter budget of its aboveground parts.

Growth of a single sugi (Cryptomeria japonica (L.f.) D. Don.) tree was analyzed on the basis of a dry matter budget. The aboveground net production rate and death rate were defined as the anabolic rate and catabolic rate, respectively. Growth rate of aboveground tree weight, v(w) (kg(dw) year(-1)), was defined as follows: v(w) = v(p) - v(d) (1) where v(p) (kg(dw) year(-1)) is the aboveground net production rate and v(d) (kg(dw) year(-1)) is the aboveground death rate. The value of v(d) is obtained by measuring the monthly clippings of new dead leaves and branches attached to a sample tree. The value of v(w) was calculated as the annual difference in the estimated aboveground tree weight, w(T) (kg(dw)). Finally, the value of v(p) was estimated as the sum of the values of v(d) and v(w). The following allometric relationships were found between v(p) and w(T) and between v(d) and w(T): v(p) = aw(T) (alpha), v(d) = bw(T) (beta) (2). Combining Equations 1 and 2 gives a growth equation, Bertalanffy's equation, of the sample tree. dw(T)/dt = v(w) = aw(T) (alpha) - bw(T) (beta) (3). Because the growth curve of w(T) was derived from Equation 3, the analysis of the growth of w(T) is based on direct measurement of the dry matter budget.

Journal Article↗
PubMedDate not supplied

A simple method for estimating gross carbon budgets for vegetation in forest ecosystems.

Gross carbon budgets for vegetation in forest ecosystems are difficult to construct because of problems in scaling flux measurements made on small samples over short periods of time and in determining belowground carbon allocation. Recently, empirical relationships have been developed to estimate total belowground carbon allocation from litterfall, and maintenance respiration from tissue nitrogen content. I outline a method for estimating gross carbon budgets using these empirical relationships together with data readily available from ecosystem studies (aboveground wood and canopy production, aboveground wood and canopy biomass, litterfall, and tissue nitrogen contents). Estimates generated with this method are compared with annual carbon fixation estimates from the Forest-BGC model for a lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl.) and a Pacific silver fir (Abies amabilis Dougl.) chronosequence.

Journal Article↗