The sagebrush shrub steppe ecosystem is of great concern to researchers, conservationists, and the general public because of the documented declines associated with it. Monitoring in the past has generally been point-based and lacking in long-term data. To overcome these deficiencies, an automated method of monitoring was developed using GIS and remote sensing. Geospatial layers of vegetation, soils, fire history, roads, streams, and springs were acquired and processed to characterize selected monitoring locations. A temporal set of Landsat satellite imagery for the past 30 years was normalized to reduce the effects of sun angle, haze, and sensor change. After normalization, a Tasseled Cap Transformation was adapted with local coefficients to provide a landscape metric which was sensitive to actual ground conditions and meaningful at management level. The Tasseled Cap outputs of brightness and greenness are a relative measure of bare ground and plant productivity, respectively. When measured over time, brightness and greenness provided diagnostic trends and condition of treated big sagebrush communities

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Background: Firefighters are exposed to carcinogens, toxic agents, and other risks for cancer and cardiovascular disease. Research shows that aero-digestive and genitourinary cancers are in excess among firefighters compared to the general population. Studies examining excess cardiovascular mortality are inconsistent. Limited data exist on chronic disease mortality, risk factor profiles, and barriers to a healthy lifestyle among firefighters at the local level. Purpose: This project examines the relationship between firefighting and chronic disease mortality, determines trajectories of cardiovascular risk factors in a cohort of new firefighters, and studies the relationship between barriers to weight management and firefighter health characteristics. Methods: This study used death certificate data from the Indiana State Department of Health and clinical data from a large occupational medical practice serving firefighters. Regression techniques were used to examine excess mortality among firefighters compared to non-firefighters, evaluate changes in cardiovascular disease risk factors among new firefighters over time, and explore correlates of risk factors and barriers to weight management among overweight and obese firefighters. Results: The odds of death due to malignant cancers were significantly higher among firefighters than non-firefighters (OR, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.08-1.30). Body mass index, total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglyceride levels increased significantly (p<0.001) while HDL cholesterol levels decreased (p<0.001) from baseline during the first 10 years of the firefighter’s career. Overweight firefighters who were “ready to begin a weight management program” were more likely to identify ‘‘lack of knowledge about weight management,’’ ‘‘lack of access to exercise opportunities,’’ and ‘‘eating helps me cope with stress’’ as barriers, and report a greater number of barriers to weight management. Older firefighters were less likely to identify or report one or more barriers to weight management. Conclusion: These studies suggest the importance of early-career and targeted cardiometabolic health and cancer prevention strategies to reduce chronic disease morbidity and mortality among firefighters. / 2021-06-28

In this thesis, the usefulness of search engine data to nowcast the unemployment rate of Sweden is evaluated. Four different indices from Google Trends based on keywords related  to unemployment are used in the analysis and six different regARIMA models are  estimated and evaluated. The results indicate that the fit is improved for models when data  from Google Trends is included. To evaluate the nowcast ability of models, one-step-ahead  predictions are calculated. Although the prediction error is lower for the models with data  from Google Trends, Diebold-Mariano tests do not indicate that the predictions are  significantly better compared topredictions from a model without data from Google Trends.  It is therefore concluded that one cannot state that data from Google Trends improves  nowcasts of the unemployment rate of Sweden. Additionally, predictions are calculated for  longer forecast horizons. This analysis indicates that Google search data could be useful to  forecast the unemployment rate of longerforecast horizons.

No description available.

Abstract available in the Journal of Investigative Medicine.

No description available.

The increasing number of space-related applications and the development of miniaturized satellites (sometimes called CubeSats) recently became an exciting area in modern space science. Due to their diverse applications, smaller size, and low development cost. More sophisticated CubeSat missions have been recently introduced, signaling that CubeSats have started to progress from solely technical demonstration platforms to providing opportunities for low-cost actual research missions with a highly promising benefit in terms of commercial revenue. Despite major advancements in CubeSat technology, there is still a range of fundamental concerns regarding CubeSat barriers, pitfalls, and commercial effects. From both an academic and an industrial perspective, this report offers a thorough overview of various facets of CubeSat manufacturing and launch costs. The latest trends in CubeSat were discussed as well as an analysis of the launch cost and other variables that could influence the mission. An information-gathering approach was used from various proposed and launched missions, including journal articles, the official space mission webpages, and other publicly accessible satellite databases. Using data collected from various sources, we found that the latest launching price for future missions is influenced and modeled by various reasons. The Liquid propellant, miniaturized thrusters for small satellites, and modernized payload carriers could play a part in lowering the cost of potential launches. For instance, the RP-1 fuel used in Falcon 9 is expandable and reusable, increasing launch opportunities and low per-unit launch costs. Likewise, tiny satellites with miniaturized thrusters will significantly help change aerodynamics and launch processes. Whereas systemic payload structures can bear maximum weight, theoretically expanding the number of Nanosatellites deployed per launch. This paper attempts to facilitate various elements that make it practical in enabling a decision-making process related to technical aspects of the launch cost and future utilization of CubeSat technology.

<p> Coliform bacterial pollution was studied in the Spencer Creek in Hamilton, Ontario. Data, derived from the Ontario Ministry of the Environment files in Hamilton, were used in the determination of whether distinctive temporal patterns of coliform bacterial counts and loads exist in Spencer Creek at Cootes Drive in Dundas. An initial investigation of the general streamflow trends showed that the peak flow period is during the spring snowmelt (March) and a secondary peak flow occurs in late fall due to frontal storms passing through the area. This coincides with the minimums of coliform counts and loads which consistently occur during these times of high flow, particularly March and April. Peak coliform counts and loads occur 70% of the time in late summer with varying starting times in June, July, August and September. This is attributed to the low flow and high temperature of the water in the summer. The average coliform count is 334,154 coliform bacteria per 100 mL water, well above the water quality objectives set by the Ontario Water Resources Commission for Ontario Ministry of the Environment. Approximately 80% of the coliform counts, measured in Spencer Creek in this study, were well above this water quality objective. Therefore, in terms of coliform bacteria, Spencer Creek is polluted, particularly in the summer months. This study simply points out the necessity for further study and continued water quality testing in Spencer Creek.</p> / Thesis / Candidate in Philosophy

This project bridges the gap between the culture of stagnation in New England Black congregations and the history of vibrant creativity in Black culture and churches by crafting an engaging teaching resource in the form of a digital application, built on the core fundamentals of gamification. As such, this project weaves gamification, technology, the Black church, and cross generational ministry together in order to assist in the renewal of New England Black churches. Positioning gamification in conversation with practical theology with a focus on Black church history and culture, the project confronts matters related to gender, age, and social location in Black churches. The project argues that we are in the midst of the “#Church,” which should be embraced by the dying Black church, in the midst of a crisis, as a legitimate mechanism for revitalization and relevancy in this hashtag (#) culture. On social media, the hashtag (#) denotes a trending topic, word, phrase and is a form of grouping like topics together for search parameters as well as social interaction and affiliation. The project leverages this hashtag culture by presenting a three-year revitalization project in the form of a web-based game addressing matters of project design and implications, implementation strategy, and evaluative measures.

Sarcopenia and diabetes are two conditions that reflect ongoing changes in global health trends: aging and obesity. Sarcopenia affects approximately 10-40% of the global population and type II diabetes affects around 415 million individuals (6.28% globally), with obesity contributing to a majority of the cases. Currently, approximately 9.3% of the population (727 million individuals) is aged 65 years or older; this number is predicted to reach 16% of the global population (around 1.5 billion individuals) in 2050. Many developed countries are undergoing demographic population pyramid rearrangements whereby an increasingly aging population must be supported by a shrinking youth cohort. Sarcopenia involves progressive loss of muscle mass as a natural, physiological result of the aging process and is proving a pressing concern for the modern-day, aging population, as it may contribute to increased risk of falls, accidents, hospitalization, decreased range of motion and mobility, increased comorbidities, and overall decreased quality of life, particularly in elderly populations. Type II diabetes occurs when normal insulin function and regulation is impaired. It often features symptoms of hyperglycemia, insulin resistance, polydipsia, polyuria, and fatigue and is among one of the most alarming metabolic conditions for the modern world. Both sarcopenia and diabetes involve complex metabolic disturbances. Several studies have established a reciprocal relationship between sarcopenia and diabetes, where the presence of one condition influences or exacerbates the other. However, to the best of our knowledge, no studies have analyzed if a difference in the strength of the relationship exists among different ethnic groups. The main objective of this project is to conduct a review and meta-analysis to further explore the relationship between sarcopenia and diabetes, to determine whether a statistically significant difference in the strength of the relationship exists among different ethnic groups, and to suggest future research directions and perspectives based on given results.