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WN virus has spread for over 60 years creating endemic and epidemic areas throughout Africa, Asia, and Europe, affecting human, bird, and equine populations. Its 1999 appearance in New York shows the ability of the virus to cross barriers and travel great distances, emerging into new territories previously free of infection. Spreading much faster than expected, WN virus has infected thousands of birds, equine, and humans throughout the conterminous United States (US). Case and serological studies performed in the Eastern hemisphere prior to 1999 offer detailed descriptions of endemic and epidemic locations in regards to geography, land cover, land use, population, climate, and weather patterns. Based on the severity of WN activity within each study area, the patterns associated with these environmental factors allow for the identification of values associated with different levels of risk. We can then model the landscape of the disease within the US and identify areas of high risk for infection. State and county public health officials can use this model as a decision-making tool to allocate funding for disease prevention and control. Dynamic factors associated with increased transmission, such as above average temperature and precipitation, can be closely monitored and measures of prevention can be implemented when necessary. In turn, detailed information from higher resolution analyses can be documented to an online GIS (Geographic Information System) that would contribute to a global collaboration on outbreaks and prevention of disease. / Master of Science

Nowadays, one of the urgent issues in the management of river basin resources as land degradation, especially soil erosion risk occurs due to complex factors of climate, cultivation practices of human and impacting of the operation of socio-economic development taking place in the basin. Soil erosion has been considered as the primary cause of soil degradation since soil erosion leads to the loss of topsoil and soil organic matters, which are essential for the growing of plants. Ta Trach river watershed, is a mountainous basin lying to the West - South of Thua Thien Hue province, having complex terrain. The result of this study showed that the amount of sediment yield accounts for high percentage. The average annual sedimentation is 41.60 tones per hectometer in the period of 2005 to 2010, soil erosion were classified by 5 levels. In which, the less deleterious erosion level still occupies high percentage with more than 55 % of watershed area. The main area of less deleterious soil erosion was located at high topography and high slope. The area of deleterious soil erosion occupies percentage lower than 22.63% of the entire basin, but it is also a warning sign to the extent of land degradation taking place in the basin if the erosion rate increases in the future. / Ngày nay, một trong những vấn đề cấp bách trong quản lý tài nguyên lưu vực sông là sự thoái hóa đất và đặc biệt là nguy cơ xói mòn đất xảy ra do yếu tố khí hậu phức tạp, phương thức canh tác của con người và tác động của những hoạt động phát triển kinh tế - xã hội đang diễn ra ở lưu vực. Lưu vực sông Tả Trạch là một lưu vực miền núi nằm về phía Tây - Nam của tỉnh Thừa Thiên Huế, có địa hình khá phức tạp. Mục tiêu của nghiên cứu này là ứng dụng công cụ SWAT để mô phỏng xói mòn đất ở lưu vực sông Tả Trạch thuộc tỉnh Thừa Thiên Huế từ năm 2005 đến năm 2010. Kết quả của nghiên cứu cho thấy lượng đất bồi lắng ở lưu vực chiếm tỷ lệ cao, trung bình mỗi năm bồi lắng 41.60 tấn/ha trong giai đoạn 2005 đến 2010, mức độ xói mòn được phân cấp thành 5 cấp xói mòn. Trong đó, mức độ xói mòn ít nguy hại chiếm ở tỷ lệ cao hơn 55 % diện tích lưu vực, chủ yếu phân bố ở những khu vực có địa hình cao, độ dốc lớn. Diện tích xói mòn nguy hại chiếm tỷ lệ thấp hơn 22,63% diện tích toàn lưu vực nhưng đây cũng là một dấu hiệu báo động cho mức độ thoái hóa đất diễn ra ở lưu vực trong tương lai nếu mức xói mòn này tăng lên.

This research presented in this study demonstrates that county level population growth, economic growth, and localized social structure are interrelated. An analysis of the spatial distribution of these factors in the Southeast Region of the United States during the period of 1995-2000 also indicates the importance of differences in rural versus urban and coastal versus non-coastal areas as well as the importance of such factors as highways, large cities, and universities in economic, population, and social structure interrelationships. An extensive dataset is used in the analysis as a number of analysis tools including statistical analysis, econometric models, spatial econometric models, structural equation models, and GIS mapping.