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Population-based structural health monitoring (PBSHM), aims to share information between members of a population. An offshore wind (OW) farm could be considered as a population of nominally-identical wind-turbine structures. However, benign variations exist among members, such as geometry, sea-bed conditions and temperature differences. These factors could influence structural properties and therefore the dynamic response, making it more difficult to detect structural problems via traditional SHM techniques. This paper explores the use of a hierarchical Bayesian model to infer expected soil stiffness distributions at both population and local levels, as a basis to perform anomaly detection, in the form of scour, for new and existing turbines. To do this, observations of natural frequency will be generated as though they are from a small population of wind turbines. Differences between individual observations will be introduced by postulating distributions over the soil stiffness and measurement noise, as well as reducing soil depth (to represent scour), in the case of anomaly detection., Comment: Submitted to International Workshop on Structural Health Monitoring 2023, Stanford University, California, USA

Objective: To evaluate the current practice of preconception care in the Netherlands and the perceptions of birth care professionals concerning preconception care. Methods: We have developed a digital questionnaire and conducted a cross-sectional study by distributing the questionnaire among 102 organisations: 90 primary care midwifery practices and obstetric departments of 12 hospitals in the Southwest region of the Netherlands between December 2020 and March 2021. One birth care professional per organization was asked to complete the questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were used to present the results. Findings: Respondents of eighty-three organisations (81.4 %) filled in the questionnaire, of whom 74 respondents were independent primary care midwives and 9 respondents were obstetricians. Preconception care mostly consisted of an individual consultation in which personalized health and lifestyle advice was given. Among the respondents, 44.4 % reported that the organization had a preconception care protocol. The way in which the consultation was carried out, as well as the health and lifestyle related questions asked, differed between respondents. More than 85 % of the respondents inquire about the following possible risk factors for complications: maternal illnesses, obstetric history, folic acid supplement intake, alcohol intake, smoking, substance abuse, hereditary disease, prescription medication, dietary habits, overweight, and birth defects in the family. The respondents acknowledged that preconception care should be offered to all couples who wish to become pregnant, as opposed to offering preconception care only to those with an increased risk of complications. Still, respondents do not receive many questions regarding the preconception period or requests for preconception care consultations. Key conclusion: Birth care professionals acknowledge the need for preconception care

Lung development is precisely controlled by underlying Gene Regulatory Networks (GRN). Disruption of genes in the network can interrupt normal development and cause diseases such as bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), a chronic lung disease in preterm infants with morbid and sometimes lethal consequences that is characterized by lung immaturity and reduced alveolarization.Here, we generated a transgenic mouse exhibiting a moderate severity BPD phenotype by blocking IGF1 signaling in secondary crest myofibroblasts (SCMF) at the onset of alveologenesis. Using approaches mirroring the construction of the model GRN in sea urchin’s development, we constructed the IGF1 signaling network underlying alveologenesis using this mouse model that phenocopies BPD. The constructed GRN, consisting of 43 genes, provides a bird’s-eye view of how the genes downstream of IGF1 are regulatorily connected. The GRN also reveals a mechanistic interpretation of how the effects of IGF1 signaling are transduced within SCMF from its specification genes to its effector genes and then from SCMF to its neighboring alveolar epithelial cells with Wnt5a and Fgf10 signaling as the bridge. Consistently, blocking of Wnt5a signaling in mice phenocopies BPD as inferred by the network. A comparative study on human samples suggests that a GRN of similar components and wiring underlies human BPD.Our network view of alveologenesis is transforming our perspective to understand and treat BPD. The new perspective calls for the construction of the full signaling GRN underlying alveologenesis, upon which targeted therapies for this neonatal chronic lung disease can be viably developed.

Soil organisms, including earthworms, are a key component of terrestrial ecosystems. However, little is known about their diversity, their distribution, and the threats affecting them. We compiled a global dataset of sampled earthworm communities from 6928 sites in 57 countries as a basis for predicting patterns in earthworm diversity, abundance, and biomass. We found that local species richness and abundance typically peaked at higher latitudes, displaying patterns opposite to those observed in aboveground organisms. However, high species dissimilarity across tropical locations may cause diversity across the entirety of the tropics to be higher than elsewhere. Climate variables were found to be more important in shaping earthworm communities than soil properties or habitat cover. These findings suggest that climate change may have serious implications for earthworm communities and for the functions they provide., Unión Europea. Horizonte 2020, Unión Europea. FP7, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (MICCIN), sDiv [Synthesis Centre of the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Academy of Finland, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, DOB Ecology, TULIP Laboratory of Excellence, Russian Foundation for Basic Research, Tarbiat Modares University, Aurora Organic Dairy, UGC (NERO), Slovak Research and Development Agency, Science for Global Development through Wageningen University, Norman Borlaug LEAP Programme and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP), Oklahoma Agricultural Experiment Station, Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria (INIA), Royal Canadian Geographical Society, Environmental Protection Agency (Ireland), University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, U.S. Department of the Navy, Commander Pacific Fleet, Science and Engineering Research Board, Department of Science and Technology, New Delhi, India, Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP) of the U.S. Department of Defense, Maranhão State Research Foundation (FAPEMA), Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES), Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic, Colorado Wheat Research Foundation; Zone Atelier Alpes, French National Research Agency, Austrian Science Fund, Landwirtschaftliche Rentenbank Frankfurt am Main, Welsh Government and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development, SÉPAQ, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Finland, Science Foundation Ireland, University of Toronto (Faculty of Forestry), Haliburton Forest and Wildlife Reserve, NKU College of Arts and Sciences, Österreichische Forschungsförderungsgesellschaft, Mountain Agriculture Research Unit of the University of Innsbruck, Higher Education Commission of Pakistan, Kerala Forest Research Institute, Peechi, Kerala, UNEP/GEF/TSBF-CIAT, GRDC, AWI, LWRRDC, DRDC, National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), National Agency of Scientific and Technological Promotion (FONCyT), Universidad Nacional de Luján/FONCyT, Fonds de recherche sur la nature et les technologies du Québec, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, CONACYT, NSF, Institute for Environmental Science and Policy at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Dean’s Scholar Program at UIC, Garden Club of America Zone VI Fellowship in Urban Forestry from the Casey Tree Endowment Fund, J. E. Weaver Competitive Grant from the Nebraska Chapter of The Nature Conservancy, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at DePaul University, Elmore Hadley Award for Research in Ecology and Evolution from the UIC Dept. of Biological Sciences, Comisión Interministerial de Ciencia y Tecnología (CICYT), Yokohama National University, MEXT KAKENHI, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science KAKENHI, ADEME, Syngenta Philippines, UPSTREAM, LTSER, Comisión Europea, National Science and Technology Base Resource Survey Project of China, McKnight Foundation, Program of Fundamental Researches of Presidium of Russian Academy of Sciences, Brazilian National Council of Research CNPq, French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Depto. de Biodiversidad, Ecología y Evolución, Fac. de Ciencias Biológicas, TRUE, pub

The complexity and heterogeneity of patients with multimorbidity and polypharmacy renders traditional disease-oriented guidelines often inadequate and complicates clinical decision making. To address this challenge, guidelines have been developed on multimorbidity or polypharmacy. To systematically analyse their recommendations, we conducted a systematic guideline review using the Ariadne principles for managing multimorbidity as analytical framework. The information synthesis included a multistep consensus process involving 18 multidisciplinary experts from seven countries. We included eight guidelines (four each on multimorbidity and polypharmacy) and extracted about 250 recommendations. The guideline addressed (i) the identification of the target population (risk factors); (ii) the assessment of interacting conditions and treatments: medical history, clinical and psychosocial assessment including physiological status and frailty, reviews of medication and encounters with healthcare providers highlighting informational continuity; (iii) the need to incorporate patient preferences and goal setting: eliciting preferences and expectations, the process of shared decision making in relation to treatment options and the level of involvement of patients and carers; (iv) individualized management: guiding principles on optimization of treatment benefits over possible harms, treatment communication and the information content of medication/care plans; (v) monitoring and follow-up: strategies in care planning, self-management and medication-related aspects, communication with patients including safety instructions and adherence, coordination of care regarding referral and discharge management, medication appropriateness and safety concerns. The spectrum of clinical and self-management issues varied from guiding principles to specific recommendations and tools providing actionable support. The limited availability of reliable risk prediction models, feasible interventions of

Distal symmetrical axonal polyneuropathy (DSP) is due to injury to peripheral sensory, motor, and autonomic nerve fibers, resulting in distal predominant sensory loss, pain, and gait instability. DSP occurs as a complication of multiple medical conditions including diabetes or HIV, or following exposure to various toxins such as chemotherapy. It affects at least 10% of the United States population. Few treatments for DSP are approved by regulatory agencies. Reliable and responsive outcome measures are integral to developing new DSP treatments. Multiple clinician-rated measures that incorporate neuropathy signs exist, however, it is not clear which of these measures performs best for various DSP phenotypes. This systematic review summarizes the content of 18 published measures of DSP identified using PubMed and from personal archives of the authors. The relative percentage of scoring dedicated to motor, reflex, large and small fiber sensory, and autonomic domains varied considerably among measures. The most common neurologic examination items included in the scales were (1) vibration perception (n = 18, 100%), (2) reflexes (n = 16, 89%), (3) pinprick perception (n = 14, 78%), (4) muscle strength (n = 11, 61%), (5) touch-pressure perception (n = 9, 50%), and (6) joint position perception (n = 8, 44%). This review can be used to inform decisions regarding which of the available clinician-rated sign outcome measures would be most appropriate for use in a particular DSP population, based on the domains most affected by that neuropathy or on the domains most likely to be affected by a particular experimental therapy.

Autologous hematopoietic cell transplantation (AutoHCT) is a potentially curative treatment modality for relapsed/ refractory Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). However, no large studies have evaluated pretransplant factors predictive of outcomes of AutoHCT in children, adolescents and young adults (CAYA, age < 30 years). In a retrospective study, we analyzed 606 CAYA patients (median age 23 years) with relapsed/refractory HL who underwent AutoHCT between 1995 and 2010. The probabilities of PFS at 1, 5 and 10 years were 66% (95% confidence interval (CI): 62-70), 52% (95% CI: 48-57) and 47% (95% CI: 42-51), respectively. Multivariate analysis for PFS demonstrated that at the time of AutoHCT patients with Karnofsky/Lansky score >= 90, no extranodal involvement and chemosensitive disease had significantly improved PFS. Patients with time from diagnosis to first relapse of < 1 year had a significantly inferior PFS. A prognostic model for PFS was developed that stratified patients into low-, intermediate-and high-risk groups, predicting for 5-year PFS probabilities of 72% (95% CI: 64-80), 53% (95% CI: 47-59) and 23% (95% CI: 9-36), respectively. This large study identifies a group of CAYA patients with relapsed/refractory HL who are at high risk of progression after AutoHCT. Such patients should be targeted for novel therapeutic and/or maintenance approaches post-AutoHCT.

INFORMAS (International Network for Food and Obesity/non-communicable diseases Research, Monitoring and Action Support) aims to monitor and benchmark the healthiness of food environments globally. In order to assess the impact of food environments on population diets, it is necessary to monitor population diet quality between countries and over time. This paper reviews existing data sources suitable for monitoring population diet quality, and assesses their strengths and limitations. A step-wise framework is then proposed for monitoring population diet quality. Food balance sheets (FBaS), household budget and expenditure surveys (HBES) and food intake surveys are all suitable methods for assessing population diet quality. In the proposed 'minimal' approach, national trends of food and energy availability can be explored using FBaS. In the 'expanded' and 'optimal' approaches, the dietary share of ultra-processed products is measured as an indicator of energy-dense, nutrient-poor diets using HBES and food intake surveys, respectively. In addition, it is proposed that pre-defined diet quality indices are used to score diets, and some of those have been designed for application within all three monitoring approaches. However, in order to enhance the value of global efforts to monitor diet quality, data collection methods and diet quality indicators need further development work.

A number of UK universities prioritize economic development or regeneration activities and for some of these universities such activities are the main focus of their knowledge transfer work. This study compares two regions of the UK - the North West and the South East of England - which have very different levels of economic performance. Quantitative data from the UK government's Higher Education Business and Community Interaction Survey are used to track economic development funding and activity from universities in these two regions. Strategy documents prepared for the fourth round of the government's Higher Education Innovation Fund are analysed to aid interpretations. Elements of evolutionary theory are used to explore the reasons for the differences and a case study of one university programme, Leading Enterprise and Development, is provided as an illustrative example.

A number of UK universities prioritize economic development or regeneration activities and for some of these universities such activities are the main focus of their knowledge transfer work. This study compares two regions of the UK - the North West and the South East of England - which have very different levels of economic performance. Quantitative data from the UK government's Higher Education Business and Community Interaction Survey are used to track economic development funding and activity from universities in these two regions. Strategy documents prepared for the fourth round of the government's Higher Education Innovation Fund are analysed to aid interpretations. Elements of evolutionary theory are used to explore the reasons for the differences and a case study of one university programme, Leading Enterprise and Development, is provided as an illustrative example.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to tell the story of the evolution of knowledge exchange (KE) activity within a department in a university in the north west of England and to understand this activity through the lens of actor-network theory. Design/methodology/approach – Applying the sociology of translation to one qualitative interview shows how different actors were enrolled and mobilized into a KE actor-network. The process of translation consists of four stages, problematisation, enrolment, interessement and mobilisation of allies which have been applied to the data to tell the story of the KE actor-network. This is a cross-disciplinary approach using a theoretical framework from sociology and applying it to a management/organizational context. Findings – This framework brings fresh ways of looking at the importance of KE networks within universities. Although limited to one interview, the methodology allows for an in-depth reading of the data and shows how resilient and flexible this actor-network is to withstand and respond appropriately to shifts in policy and subsequent provisions for small- and medium-sized enterprise business support. Originality/value – Building from one case, the paper concludes that this account adds to an historical understanding of how universities become involved with KE activities. The inclusion of non-human actors allows for a deeper understanding of the actor-network and shows the importance of actors such as White Papers, pots of funding and physical buildings to the role of KE within higher education.

OBJECTIVES:: To investigate the relationship between markers of vitamin B12 status and brain volume loss per year over a 5-year period in an elderly population. METHODS:: A prospective study of 107 community-dwelling volunteers aged 61 to 87 years without

An Independent Component Analysis (ICA) based segmentation technique is presented allowing the quantitative assessment of cerebral blood volume (CBV), cerebral blood flow (CBF) and mean transit time (MTT) from dynamic susceptibility contrast magnetic resonance (MR) images of the brain. Tissue types such as gray matter (GM), white matter (WM), and pathology appear as different ICA components as a result of their distinct temporal response to the first passage of contrast agent through the brain. The average CBV, CBF, and MTT values calculated for each component/tissue type could help evaluate the evolution of pathology and provide the opportunity for intersubject comparisons., Papers from the 23rd Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, October 25-28, 2001 held in Istanbul, Turkey. See also ADM001351 for entire conference on cd-rom. The original document contains color images.

This paper presents a heuristic fuzzy position estimation technique for autonomous underwater vehicle navigation. The heuristic estimator performs asynchronous data fusion of all sensor measurements based on their relative confidence levels, and then nonlinearly combines the fused information with the INS estimates via fuzzy filtering techniques. In this paper, the basis and implementation of the estimator will be described, and navigation results will be presented based on the heuristic estimator. In addition, performance comparison based on the heuristic estimator and those based on extended Kalman filters will be reported in our companion paper, and the results are expected to provide insights into the pros and cons of individual methods in terms of computational cost, steady-state and convergence characteristics for bias estimation., Presented at the Oceans 1997 MTS/IEEE Conference held in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada on 6-9 October 1997. Published in the Proceedings of the Oceans 1997 MTS/IEEE Conference, October 1997.

Four research groups, the Autosub group at Southampton Oceanography Centre, The Center for Ocean Technology in the Marine Science Dept. at USF, the Advanced Marine Systems Group in Ocean Engineering Dept. at FAU, and the AUV group in the Mechanical Engineering Dept. at NPS, have all adopted the LONTalk protocol as a control and sensor bus for connecting sensor and actuator systems in their respective autonomous underwater vehicle and oceanographic sensor systems.

Presents the results of an intensive ultraviolet monitoring campaign on the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 4151, as part of an effort to study its short-timescale variability over a broad range in wavelength. The nucleus of NGC 4151 was observed continuously with the International Ultraviolet Explorer for 9.3 days, yielding a pair of LWP and SWP spectra every ~70 minutes, and during 4 hr periods for 4 days prior to and 5 days after the continuous-monitoring period. The sampling frequency of the observations is an order of magnitude higher than that of any previous UV monitoring campaign on a Seyfert galaxy. The continuum fluxes in bands from 1275 to 2688 Aring went through four significant and well-defined ldquoeventsrdquo of duration 2-3 days during the continuous-monitoring period. The authors find that the amplitudes of the continuum variations decrease with increasing wavelength, which extends a general trend for this and other Seyfert galaxies to smaller timescales (i.e., a few days). The continuum variations in all the UV bands are simultaneous to within an accuracy of ~0.15 days, providing a strict constraint on continuum models. The emission-line light curves show only one major event during the continuous monitoring (a slow rise followed by a shallow dip) and do not correlate well with continuum light curves over the short duration of the campaign, because the timescale for continuum variations is apparently smaller than the response times of the emission lines

For pt.III see ibid., vol.470, no.1, p.349-63 (1996). Combines data from the three preceding papers in order to analyze the multi wave-band variability and spectral energy distribution of the Seyfert 1 galaxy NGC 4151 during the 1993 December monitoring campaign. The source, which was near its peak historical brightness, showed strong, correlated variability at X-ray, ultraviolet, and optical wavelengths. The strongest variations were seen in medium-energy (~1.5 keV) X-rays, with a normalized variability amplitude (NVA) of 24%. Weaker (NVA=6%) variations (uncorrelated with those at lower energies) were seen at soft gamma-ray energies of ~100 keV. No significant variability was seen in softer (0.1-1 keV) X-ray bands. In the ultraviolet/optical regime, the NVA decreased from 9% to 1% as the wavelength increased from 1275 to 6900 Aring. These data do not probe extreme ultraviolet (1200 Aring to 0.1 keV) or hard X-ray (250 keV) variability. The phase differences between variations in different bands were consistent with zero lag, with upper limits of lsim0.15 day between 1275 Aring and the other ultraviolet bands, lsim0.3 day between 1275 Aring and 1.5 keV, and lsim1 day between 1275 and 5125 Aring. These tight limits represent more than an order of magnitude improvement over those determined in previous multi-wave-band AGN monitoring campaigns. The ultraviolet fluctuation power spectra showed no evidence for periodicity, but were instead well fitted with a very steep, red power law (ales-2.5)

The soils of Waidradra Agricultural Research Station, in southeastern Viti Levu, Fiji, are described in this report and shown on the accompanying map at 1 :5000 scale. The report describes soil-forming factors and the pedological characteristics of the soils, and classifies the soils according to Soil Taxonomy. The station covers about 206 ha, most of it hill country (194 ha), the dominant soil cover consisting mainly of Typic Humitropepts. The small area of valley floors covers approximately 12 ha, and soils include Fluvaquentic Eutropepts and Typic Dystropepts on small levees.

This manual is written for use by the Sea Beam Principal Operator to start up and operate the Sea Beam system installed on the R/V Thomas Washington of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. The section on Controls and Indicators is taken, in large part verbatum from Chapter 3 of the SEABEAM Manual (Rev. A) as provided by the manufacturer, General Instruments Corp. The remaining sections, although based on the GI manual, have been extensively reorganized and amended to provide specific instructions for the installation on the Washington.

This document is intended to provide general information for the chief scientist planning to use the Sea Beam system installed on the R/V Thomas Washington operated by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. The Sea Beam system is briefly described and the functions of the support personnel outlined, as well as procedures and data products produced on board and by postprocessing on shore. Sea Beam, manufactured by the General Instruments Corporation, is a multibeam echosounding system with 16 beams of 2 and 2/3 degrees each, forming an overall cross track angle of 42 degrees for bottom coverage of 80 percent of the ocean depth. Depth beneath the ship and a CRT cross track profile are displayed in real time for each ping cycle (the repetition rate is determined by ocean depth; only one ping in the water column at one time). A contour swath along ship's track is produced in near real time and the 16 pairs of depth and cross track distances for each ping cycle are transmitted to the shipboard computer. The values are displayed in near real time as contours of a flat bed DR plotter in Mercator projection and saved for later merging with smoothed navigation for post-processed plots.

The SIO Geological Data Center coordinates underway data collection; processes the digital navigation, depth and magnetics; and produces cruises reports and computer generated plots for archiving and distribution. The data center also archives, microfilms, and indexes seismic profiler (airgun), echosounder and magnetometer records. (Gravity data are archived and processed separately.) Between 1976 when the last general index report was issued and December 1977, the cutoff data for this report, 33 legs of current Scripps cruises and 13 legs of Glomar Challenger (Deepsea Drilling Project) have been processed by the data center. Navigation, but no depth and magnetics, has also been processed for the early legs 4 through 12 of the Challenger. (Navigation = 193,734 miles; magnetics = 131,515 miles, and depth = 131,862 miles.)

Gastric mucosal clearance of 51Cr-labeled red blood cells (51Cr-RBC) was measured in rats during a 30-min control period, a 30-min ischemic period (hemorrhage to 27 mmHg arterial pressure), and a 60-min reperfusion period (reinfusion of shed blood). In untreated (control) rats, a dramatic rise in the leakage of 51Cr-labeled red blood cells into the gastric lumen was observed during the reperfusion period. Treatment with neutrophil antiserum attenuated 51Cr-labeled red blood cell flux into the gastric lumen. Using the radioactive microsphere technique, neutrophil-depleted animals were shown to have higher blood flows in the ischemic period than the untreated rats. Bleeding of untreated rats to a mean arterial pressure of 40 mmHg resulted in blood flows that were not different from those in antiserum-treated rats bled to 27 mmHg and leakage of 51Cr-labeled red blood cells similar to that measured in antiserum-treated rats. The results of this study indicate that neutrophils play an important role in hemorrhagic shock-induced gastric bleeding.

The area surveyed is broadly the entire Manuherikia Valley and consists of the area to the north of the Clutha River as far as St Bathans. The valley is bounded to the west by the Dunstan Mountains, to the east by the Raggedy Range and to the north by the Hawkdun Range. The irrigation suitability map for soils of the Manuherikia Valley was compiled by interpreting existing soil survey information and maps. In conjunction with existing soil survey information a considerable amount of field work was carried out by the authors.

An investigation into the proposed site of the Kaitangata Borough oxidation ponds was initiated by the Otago Catchment Board. This was in response to earlier Soil Bureau suggestions, made when reviewing the Kaitangata Borough District Scheme, that the proposed site may be located on soils with a high actual and potential value for food production.

The following report lists in alphabetical order according to author a synopsis of Soil Bureau Bulletins; Soil Bureau Maps; Dunedin Soil Bureau Office Internal Reports; Scientific Papers and Reprints and current Soil Investigations pertaining to the soils in the Otago Region.

Plans by the Wallace County Council to augment the Tuatapere water supply from artesian wells located at the southern end of the Tuatapere Scenic Reserve will cause a drop in ground water table levels within a 500 m radius of the bores. The wells will be used intermittently, when water in the Waiau River is discoloured, and continuous use should be for less than a week. Ground water levels will return to normal within a few days of pumping ceasing. An examination of the soil features indicates that soil moisture within the rooting zone of trees is not influenced by the water table. Furthermore, the silver beech forest at the site predominates on freedraining soils where adequate soil moisture is obtained directly from onsite precipitation. A twice-yearly inspection by the local Reserves Ranger of the vegetation around the bore sites is recommended.

Vegetation - soil systems below tree line (1050 m) on the right bank of the Arawata River, including the western slopes of the Haast Range, are described as part of an assessment of natural resources of the Haast Range by the Department of Lands and Survey. The extensive alluvial fans and the limited areas of river terraces on the valley floor support a range of tall forest communities, primarily reflecting differences in age and drainage of soils. On free draining surfaces, pioneer silver beech is eventually replaced by a silver beech - kamahi - podocarp forest. Sites with impeded drainage initially carry a mixed shrubland association while on deep (> 1.5 m) peats there is a low forest mainly of conifers. The rejuvenation of surfaces near the river and on active fans maintains areas of early successional communities. Kamahi - rata - silver beech forest occupies midslopes in the lower half of the catchment. Upstream from Jubilee Flats, red beech is a major component of all tall forest communities below ca. 600 m, usually with silver beech and podocarps, while silver beech alone forms the subalpine forest. The northern ecotone of red beech and the complex alluvial system on the valley floor are the most significant features of the Haast Range and fulfil criteria currently being applied to areas being considered for addition to existing national parks.

The soils of Rotuma (approximately 5,000 ha), the northernmost island in the Fiji Group, are briefly described in terms of 3 broad physiographic groups: (1) soils of the coastal margin, (2) soils of the lowlands, and (3) soils of the volcanic cones. The soils are mapped at a scale of 1:25 000. Nineteen soil mapping units have been differentiated; 2 on the coastal margin, 8 on the lowlands, and 9 on the volcanic cones. They have been assessed for soil physical limitations to arable land use. Soils of the lowlands formed from tephra mixed with stony or bouldery basalt occur on about one third of the island. They have only slight or moderate soil physical limitations to arable land use. They are generally versatile soils capable of growing a wide range of crops. Soils of the lowlands formed from stony and bouldery basalt occur on about a further one third of the island. Most of the soils have severe soil physical limitations to arable land use. Soils of the coastal margin and soils of the volcanic cones also cover about one third of the island. They generally have severe soil physical limitations to arable land use .

This report describes the morphological, chemical, physical and agronomic properties of the soils of Rotuma, the northernmost island in the Fiji Group. The report is accompanied by the soil map (scale 1:25 000) and an extended legend which summarises environmental and soil features.

An area of approximately 38 000 ha, covering the irrigable sections of the Manuherikia Valley, was examined to determine the relative suitabilities of individual soils for irrigation. The report discusses the physical characteristics of the soils and the other land factors of topography and drainage which are likely to affect irrigation. Three classes of irrigation suitability, further subdivided into irrigation suitability subclass units, are shown on the accompanying map and discussed in the text. A small portion of the area surveyed (5.4%) is in Class 3, moderately suitable for irrigation, 73.6% in Class 4, marginally suitable for irrigation and 21 % in Class 5, least suitable for irrigation.

Plans by the Wallace County Council to augment the Tuatapere water supply from artesian wells located at the southern end of the Tuatapere Scenic Reserve will cause a drop in ground water table levels within a 500 m radius of the bores. The wells will be used when the Waiau River is discoloured, and continuously for less than 1 week. Ground water levels will return to normal within a few days of pumping ceasing. Soil moisture within the rooting zone of trees is not influenced by the water table. A twice yearly inspection by the local Reserves Ranger of the vegetation around the bore sites is recommended. (auth)

Vegetation-soil systems below treeline (1050m) on the right bank of the Arawata River, including the western slopes of the Haast Range, are described as part of an assessment of natural resources of the Haast Range by the Dept of Lands and Survey. The northern ecotone of red beech and the complex alluvial system on the valley floor are the most significant features of the Haast Range and fulfil criteria currently being applied to areas being considered for addition to existing national parks. (auth)

This report discusses the techniques used in and the results of an investigation of the mineral constituency of the dust component of the atmospheric aerosol over White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, conducted from November 1964 to August 1965. The eighty-one atmospheric dust samples, taken near the surface during this period, were analyzed by the light microscope technique of dispersion staining and by infrared absorption spectroscopy. Dispersion staining was used to determine the concentrations of quartz, kaolinite, illite, gypsum, and the carbonate family when the particle diameters were greater than four microns. Cases of exceptionally high concentrations of gypsum, quartz, and kaolinite, the month-by-month variation of the composite concentration, the seasonal variation of the gypsum concentration, and the lowest single-sample composite concentration are discussed in relation to the mineral content of area soils and meteorological conditions. Comments are made relative to the possible influence of extraterrestrial and sea-salt particles on the observed concentrations. By extending infrared absorption spectra to 40 microns wavelength, it has been possible to identify the minerals gypsum, mirabilite, quartz, kaolinite, illite, calcite, and dolomite in microgram samples of atmospheric dust, although any particular sample might reveal only a few of these constituents.